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kiwi-bitchez · 5 years

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You Can Bet On It

Summary: Your roommate drags you out to the club where she beets a tall, blonde, handsome brit. You hand back at the bar and happen to meet his roommate.

Tom Holland x Reader

Warnings: smutttt, a little rough, spanking and light choking, use of vibrator, alcohol consumption

Word Count: 8k (got a little carried away with this one...)

Oh god, what is that horrible squeaking sound?

You are ripped from your trance to realize that the irritating noise was coming from you. Your bad habit of scratching off beer labels when you are nervous was starting to show, as your nail had worn completely through the thin paper, and had been obnoxiously rubbing into the glass.

You had zoned out, letting your eyes land on the ground and drift out of focus, clearing your head for a moment or five. Bars weren’t your favorite place. Scratch that, this kind of bar wasn’t your favorite place. Watered down liquor, slurred speech, thumping music, and people who were drunk enough not to care that they were practically having sex in public.

One of those people being your roommate Madison. You loved her, but god you couldn’t be more different. She is wild, sparkly, loud, fun. You’re…not. Your squeaking had pulled your focus back up to the dancefloor of the club where she was swaying her body back and forth with some tall blonde stranger.

You had to give it to her, she had a way with men at bars. Barely even setting her stuff down before someone buys her a drink, uses a line, offers to dance. This was Madison’s cup of tea, or tequila rather. She loves getting dressed up and going out to the busiest clubs, finding some handsome stranger to whisk her away for a night.

You didn’t judge her, not at all. You actually found yourself jealous of her, wishing you had that kind of confidence. She had tried to help you on many occasions, being your self-proclaimed wing-woman and trying to help you pick up guys at bars, but you could never quite get the hang of the awkward small talk and rushed physical intimacy.

You did, on occasions like this, let her drag you out with her. It kept her off your back about being “antisocial” and a “hermit,” and you liked keeping an eye out for her, making sure no one was trying to take advantage. Not that she couldn’t take care of herself, Madison would snap if anyone tried to pull anything, but a more sober pair of eyes never hurts.

You had managed to grab a seat at the bar, facing outward to observe the bustling crowd. People-watching could sometimes prove to be an interesting way to pass the time, and truthfully you’d rather observe than interact most of the time. A few people had started conversations with you at the bar, and you weren’t a bitch or anything, you just clearly gave off the vibe that you weren’t interested in being bought some fruity cocktail and wooed onto the dancefloor.

Madison had her back pressed against the guy she was dancing with, his hands on her hips. The song was ending, and she made eye contact with you, nodding her head not-so-subtly towards the bathroom, signaling to you that she wanted to talk. Laughing to yourself at how un-smooth, yet totally smooth she managed to be at the same time.

“What’s up girl,” you ask as she pulls you into one of the single stall bathrooms.

“Y/N,” she grabs your shoulders, “he’s BRITISH.”

“Who?” you ask before registering that she was probably talking about that boy she had been grinding on.

“His name is Harrison, and he’s BRITISH, got the accent and everything,” she pressed her back up to the wall, pretending to fan herself off.

“Damn, going international now?” you joke, twiddling with the bottle in your hand.

“So, I need you to check him out, get a vibe, and let me know what you think,” she locks eyes with you, trying to be serious, unable to keep a few giggles from slipping out.

“I saw you two dancing, he’s definitely really good looking,” you tell her. She would always do this, try to make you feel involved, ask your opinion about the guy she was flirting with. She said she always wants your truthful opinion, but she always got the hottest guy at the place no matter where she was, so there wasn’t much for you to tell.

“Ugh, I’m totally gonna fuck him. Should I? I’m going to. I HAVE to. He’s British, and I can’t pass up an opportunity like that,” she was definitely talking to herself at this point.

You turn her towards the mirror, help her fluff her hair, straighten her dress, and give her some words of encouragement.

“You are hot. You are amazing. And you are going to have amazing hot sex with British Harrison,” you chant to her in the mirror, encouraging her to say it back to herself. Not that she needed the encouragement, but these little rituals you had in club bathrooms were always funny and sweet, it was one of the reasons you didn’t mind going out with her. You appreciated that she liked having your opinion, having someone she trusted around.

“Go get ‘em tiger,” you give her butt a tap as she exits the bathroom and shuffles back out onto the dancefloor, finding her man right where she had left him.

Your seat at the bar had been stolen, but you spotted an empty area over by a wall, somewhere you could comfortably stand and wait until Madison left with her suitor. Deciding to order another drink, something a little stronger than the beer you had been nursing, you make your way over to the bar.

Forearms leaning against the hard surface, you poke your head forward trying to get the bartender’s attention. She walks over, but immediately starts chatting up the guy standing next to you. Typical. If she pushed her boobs up a little bit he would probably leave a fat tip, so you couldn’t blame her.

You shift your eyes over to get a look at the guy next to you as he orders his gin and tonic, all you could see were his toned forearms and a glimpse of his profile. Not bad. You understood why the bartender was so eager to ignore you. She eventually stops fake laughing at his order, because what the fuck is funny about a gin and tonic, and looks your way.

“I’ll just have the same,” you say quickly, wanting to get out of there quickly and claim your spot by the wall.

“Are you copying me, love?” the stranger asks, leaning his bodyweight against the bar in the same position as you, “is that your move? Order the same drink to chat me up?”

“What’s your move, love” you quickly quip back, “being a dick to girls at the bar and hoping they’re into that?”

“You just didn’t strike me as a G and T type of girl, that’s all,” he puts his hands up defensively.

“Hmmm I see, be a dick and then tell me what kind of girl I seem like.”

You finally turn to him, allowing yourself to make eye contact. You hoped that he wasn’t taking your banter the wrong way, you weren’t trying to be nasty, you just found yourself in a particular mood.

He opened his mouth to say something back to you, but you cut him off before he could. In the two seconds you had made eye contact, you had realized that the stranger you were having your little back and forth with had an accent. A British accent.

“Are you here with that guy?” you gesture over to Madison on the dancefloor, “tall, blonde, striking blue eyes. English.”

“Harrison? Yeah, he’s my mate. If you’re interested in him you should probably have made your move a while ago, because he seems a bit occupied,” he chuckles.

“Yeah, occupied with my roommate,” you laugh back.

“Ah, I see,” he takes the two drinks from the bartender, handing you yours.

“Is he a good guy?” you ask, not sure why this man would tell you otherwise, “he’s not going to like, tie her up and murder her or anything like that?”

“Harrison? Nah, good guy, decent guy. He might tie her up, but he definitely won’t murder her.”

“Ha ha,” you sarcastically respond, “just looking out for my friend.”

“Why do you ask? You think they’ll go home together?” he asks.

“Oh, most definitely,” you tell him, “she dragged me into the bathroom a minute ago to gush about how she’s about to fuck a British guy.”

“Haz is a bit of a slag, so that won’t be too hard on her part.”

“Yeah, I see they are already well acquainted,” you turn to see Madison’s tongue down his throat. This night may be ending quicker than you had anticipated.

“I’m Tom,” he pulls your attention away from the public displays of affection and back to where he was seated at the bar, an empty seat opening up next to him.

“Y/N,” you stick out the hand that wasn’t holding your drink.

“It’s weird that you shake hands,” he says as he takes your clammy hand into his, his grip tighter than you had expected.

You shrug and take a gulp of your drink, abandoning hope of claiming the spot by the wall and deciding to camp out here with this strange British boy until Madison goes on her merry way.

“So how do you know him,” you nod back to where Harrison and Madison are.

“Oh, Haz is my best mate, we go way, way back,” he leans on his arm again, giving you a good view of his biceps against his black t-shirt, “we live in South London, but we’re here in the States for the summer. Work stuff.”

“Oh, so you two live together?” he nods at your question while sipping his drink, “so we can be sad and lonely at the bar while our hot roommates get it on.”

“Wow, I’ve never been told I’m lousy company before,” his humor met yours, “and I even paid for your drink you copycat.”

“You didn’t,” you give him a stern look but he shrugs back, a mischievous grin creeping across his face.

“Is this your ploy,” you smack the side of his arm, “the two of you find girls at the bar to lure back to your fancy apartment to have a freaky foursome with or something like that?”

“Now who’s being a dick and assuming things,” he says through broken laughs.

“Although,” you draw out your words, “your friend is pretty hot, maybe I’ll just go home with them.”

“Haz most certainly would not be opposed to that,” he jokes back.

You gesture to the bartender to make two more, and to put them on your tab. Tom gives you a look, but you give him one right back.

“Now I don’t owe you anything,” you explain.

“Hey, I’m not like that,” he gets defensive again, “I’m not quite as sleazy as my friend over there.”

“I’m just trying to help you out,” you narrow your eyes, “you’re the one who’s going to have to put up with the two of them all night.” You gesture over towards Madison and Haz.

“Pardon,” he coughs as he downs the rest of his drink, getting ready for the next.

“Oh, you thought they would be going back to our apartment?” you laugh sarcastically, “no, no, absolutely not.”

“Are you being serious? Or are you fucking with me? Cuz I honestly can’t tell.”

“Oh, you’re going to wish I was fucking with you. By the way she’s looking at him, I’m gonna give them, I don’t know, three, four solid rounds,” you try to make an empathetic face but can’t help the grin that creeps onto your face, “and Madison’s a screamer.”

“Too much information, thank you,” Tom covers his ears.

“Hey, I’m just trying to give you a heads up,” you cackle.

“Who’s to say he can’t convince them to go back to yours. I bet it’s closer.”

“She’s good at getting what she wants, and she “doesn’t shit where she eats”,” you make air quotes around the phrase, “in whatever twisted way that means she doesn’t like to bring guys back to our apartment. Weird personal rule, but I don’t question it cuz I always get to sleep peacefully.”

“You wanna bet?” Tom suggests, clearly not having thought this through, “My boy Haz is a smooth talker, and it seems like she really likes him. I say you’re the unfortunate roommate who’s going to have to put up with all that.”

“You’re on,” you set your drink down, extending your hand to him for the second time that night, “what do I get when they go back to your place?”

“If they go back to mine, I’ll cover your tab and leave you alone. And when they go back to yours, you’ll agree to let me take you out sometime,” he shakes your hand with a cocky grin on his face.

“Doesn’t seem like much of a bet, either way you’re buying me a drink.” He was growing on you, the accent, the floppy brown hair, the dimples. You were still wary of meeting strangers at bars, but something about him seemed genuine.

The two of you flipped around in your bar stools and faced the dancefloor. You liked that he never asked you to dance. Most girls would be dying to dance with a guy like Tom, but you liked just sitting at the bar, shooting the shit and sipping your drinks.

“Okay, okay, here they come,” you whisper and jab your elbow into his side.

Madison and Harrison stumble off the dancefloor and make their way to your place at the bar.

“Hey mate,” Harrison slings an arm around Tom’s shoulder.

You tune out their conversation as you notice Madison making a ridiculous face at you, eyes practically bugging out of her head.

“THAT’S his roommate?” she mouths to you, gesturing to Tom. You nod, trying to signal to her to be more subtle.

“Y/n, what the fuck?” she continues to mouth words silently to you.

“What???” you mouth back, trying to not let Tom and Harrison notice this awkward side conversation you were having. Luckily, they were occupied by their own.

“He’s fucking HOT,” She starts to whisper, you scrunch up your face, trying to tell her to stop making a scene about it. She gets the hint, but proceeds to point to you, point to Tom, and then do the finger going in and out of the hole gesture.

You slap her hand down as she starts to laugh, “Jesus Madison, cut it out,” you whisper, “you two are going back to his?” you change the subject.

“Yeah, obviously,” she says a little louder, “sooo, perfect opportunity for you…”

“Chill out, please,” you bring your hand to your temple, knowing she was being anything but subtle and Tom had probably noticed by this point.

“I owe you big time,” Harrison says to Tom as he starts to back away, taking Madison under his arm, “I’m serious bro.”

“Yeah, yeah, be safe you two,” Tom swats the air towards Harrison and turns back towards the bar, burying his head into his hands.

“Ha ha,” you poke his side, “told you that was a bad bet to make.”

“Know any cheap hotels around here?” Tom asks, looking exasperated.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you look at him seriously, “he kicked you out for the whole night?”

“I offered,” Tom sighs, “he would do the same for me.”

“Damn, you’re a good friend. Certainly a better roommate than me,” you turn to him, trying to be sympathetic, “but honestly, you probably didn’t want to be present for any of that anyways.”

Tom gestures towards the bartender with his card, telling her to charge for both your bar tabs.

“You really didn’t have to do that,” you say.

“Hey, a bet is a bet, and now I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want.”

You grab his arm as he starts to get up. Something inside of you told you to help him out, to not let him leave.

“It’s no Four Seasons, but I may know a place where you could kill a few hours,” you tell him, his eyes wide with excitement that you wanted to spend more time with him.

“You sure? It’s really no trouble…”

“Yeah, I’m sure, it’s only a few blocks from here.”

The two of you exit the loud club, only a few minutes behind Harrison and Madison. The stark contrast of the freezing outside air from the sweaty atmosphere of the club hits you. You take a few steps out onto the city sidewalk. Suddenly your feet buckle out underneath you and you are slipping backwards rapidly.

Tom quickly grabs you, one hand catching your shoulders and the other grabbing your hand, helping steady you. You gasp from the fall, but are grateful that you never hit the pavement.

“Hey, watch out for that patch of ice,” he jokes.

“Thank you,” you were a little flustered, both from falling and from being in his arms.

The two of you continue down the street, his hand still tightly gripping yours. You look at him questioningly, raising an eyebrow.

“Just making sure you don’t slip again, love,” he squeezes your hand a little tighter. You roll your eyes at him but don’t let go.

Typically, you would hate the pet names, “love,” “darling.” That stuff usually made your skin crawl. But there was something about his demeanor, maybe it was the accent, that made you not mind it at all. You actually kind of liked it.

“So where are you taking me?” he asks.

“Secret.”

It actually wasn’t anything worth keeping a secret. You worked at a small bar a few blocks away from the club you had been at. It was very different however. It was small, and never crowded other than a few regulars who would take the same booths and order the same drinks every night. It was down a side street, relatively difficult to find, hence the lack of business.

What you weren’t planning on telling Tom was that this was also the building you lived in. Your apartment was a few floors up. You picked up night and weekend shifts at the small bar to help cover rent, plus it wasn’t a bad place to spend your extra time. You never had to work too hard, and you could read or do homework behind the bar when not tending to customers. Plus, you got the pick the music.

You stomped your feet against the doormat, scraping all the collected snow off your shoes. Tom didn’t seem to be bothered that you had brought him to another bar, he seemed happy even. You watched his face intently as his cheeks grew rosy from the warmth of the indoors. You liked how the tips of his ears turned pink.

“Voila,” you gesture to the generally empty room, “the Four Seasons.”

He smiles at you and offers to take your coat. He makes his way over to the bar, choosing one of many empty seats. His eyebrows knit together as you continue walking away from him, hopping behind the bar.

“I’m not sure you’re allowed…” he starts.

“Hey Ernie,” you yell into the back office. Your boss replies with something muffled that Tom can’t quite make out, “no, not working tonight, just here with a friend,” you respond to him.

“Ah, so we’re friends now?” Tom asks as you start to make two drinks.

“Oh sorry,” you respond sarcastically, “I’m just here with the roommate of the guy who’s fucking my roommate, my bad.”

“No, no,” he brings his hands up, “we can be friends.”

He takes a sip of the drink you’ve handed him, asking you what it is.

“Moscow mule, fresh ginger, extra lime.”

“This is great, I’ve never had one of these.”

“What can I say, I’m kind of a pro,” you lean on the bar across from him, folding your arms on the countertop.

He liked your sense of humor, how you always had a comeback or something snarky to say. He also really liked your casual attitude, how you seemed unphased by everything. Little did he know you were constantly screaming inside, completely unsure of everything you said and did. Completely unsure as to how you ended up making a cocktail for one of the most attractive boys you’ve ever met. You tried to keep your cool though, and so far, it had been working.

You faced one another, sipping your drinks. At first an awkward moment of silence settled around you, exposing that the two of you truly had just met and knew virtually nothing about one another. You quickly slipped into easy conversation. You didn’t talk about the typical important things like where you worked, where you go to school, how you ended up in the city. You didn’t ask him why he was in the states, or any details about his personal life.

The stuff you talked about was far more personal than that. You exchanged theories about the ending of Lost, debated what Ben and Jerry’s flavor is best, shared the local vernacular and slang you used. These are the things that are important. You didn’t care what he did for work. But you did care what his favorite sitcom was.

“Does this place serve food at all?” he asked when your conversation had turned to what shape of pasta goes best with what sauces.

“Nah,” you gesture to the bar, “this is everything, no kitchen.”

“Damn, I could go for something to eat. Any good places around here?”

“Unfortunately, no. Everything near us either closed at midnight or will for sure give you food poisoning.”

He ate the lime out of his drink, sucking on the pulp until nothing but the skin was left.

“Really that hungry huh?” you joke, taking his lime wedge and tossing it in the garbage, “cuz I can cut up as many of those as you’d like, maybe even find you some maraschino cherries.”

“Don’t bother, maybe I’ll just drink myself into an oblivion.”

“Hey, don’t do that,” you were going against your better judgment when you said this, but it just slipped out, “I can get you some food, follow me.”

You walked around from behind the bar and instructed him to follow you. You slipped through a back door into a spiraling staircase. The air was cold and musty, and the stairs were slightly rickety under your feet. This was the fastest way to get up to your apartment, and you realized now it was too late to turn back, he had joined you in the stairwell and you started making your way up.

“You were worried about your roommate getting murdered by Haz, but now I’m starting to think I should be the one worried,” his tone was joking, but you wondered if he actually thought you were crazy.

“Very funny,” you dismissed it as a joke, “I live in this building, smarty pants.”

You raced him up a few flights of stairs until you arrived at your floor. You started down the hall, not looking back to see if he was following. Your breath grew a little shaky as you searched for your key, realizing you were letting this stranger, this hot stranger into your apartment.

You were just going to make him some food, you remind yourself. Maybe if he’s lucky you’ll let him crash on your couch, who knows. You kept telling yourself you had no reason to be this nervous. He’s just a person.

A person with big brown eyes and strong arms. A person who held your hand and laughed at your jokes. A person who willingly followed you to your apartment door from the sketchy bar you brought him to. Oh god, maybe you did have a reason to be nervous.

“It’s a little messy, hope you don’t mind,” you open the door for him, taking off your shoes at the door.

Your apartment was small, but cozy. You and Madison had been living there for almost two years now, and the apartment was well lived in. Funny pictures donned the walls, fuzzy blankets were strewn around the couches, leftovers filled the fridge.

“What’s on the menu?” he asks, reminding you that he’s here for food.

“Hmmm,” you open the pantry, “we have supplies for stir fry, and… stir fry.”

“I think I’ll have the stir fry,” he laughs, comfortably taking a seat at your small kitchen table.

You quickly started gathering ingredients on the counter, preheating the pan.

“Any preferences?” you yell into the next room.

“I’m not picky,” he responds, “thanks again.”

You start chopping up everything in your fridge and toss it into a pan with some leftover rice. It doesn’t take you long to whip up a decent meal, as stir fry was a recurring meal in your life. You glide into the living room, two bowls in hand. He had found your speaker system and taken it upon himself to put on some music, not that you minded.

“Fuck,” he mumbles after a few mouthfuls, “either I’m starving, or you make a mean fried rice.”

“One of my many specialties,” you were glad that he liked it, glad that he seemed so relaxed despite being in a stranger’s home.

“You’re pretty cool, do you know that?” he took you by surprise

“Umm,” you weren’t sure how to respond to the compliment.

“I just haven’t really met anyone nice since moving here. Haz is really the only other person I know,” he says through bites of food, “and meeting random girls at bars isn’t really a decent way to get to know people, not really know them anyways.”

You were flattered that he was being so honest, but part of you wondered if he was buttering you up to try and get into your pants. You had let him pay for your drinks, taken him to a secondary location, and then cooked him dinner at 2 am, he really would have no reason not to believe you wanted to sleep with him. And you did, oh god did you want to sleep with him, but you were still trying to get a read, was he a flirt like this with everyone? Were you just the girl who happened to be in the right seat at the bar at the right time?

This was why you could never follow through with casual bar hookups. Your mind ran circles around the other person, who they were, where their motivations were coming from. You could never just focus on the fact that you thought he was hot, and you wanted his dick in your mouth.

“Thanks, I guess, you’re kind of cool too,” you avoided eye contact, “but you realize that I am a random girl you met at a bar, right?”

He laughed at your response, finishing his food and taking both of your empty plates into the kitchen. You tried to stop him, but he insisted that you had done the cooking so he would do the dishes, you chose not to argue.

“Yeah but most girls at the bar don’t make me dinner,” he retorts. He had a point, this was kind of an unusual situation you found yourself in. Would this have been easier if you had met him a different way? Rubbed up on him like Madison and Harrison and scurried off to the closest bed? Probably. They were probably already at least two rounds in by now.

“I’ve never taken someone home from the bar before,” oh god, why did you just say that. Why were you being vulnerable and honest, tell him you’re a pro, that you do this all the time.

“Really? I’m surprised,” his tone was nonchalant, so maybe your awkward outburst of truth hadn’t shaken him like you thought it would, “why not?”

“Why not?” you repeat his question to yourself, “I’m just not really good at this kind of stuff, not like you.”

“Are you kidding me?” He turns from the sink to see you leaning against the counter across from him, “You were the one who wined and dined me.”

“I hardly consider stir fry and a vodka mixer to be wining and dining,” you tried to cover up your embarrassment.

“Jeez, then I’d like to experience whatever you consider to be wining and dining, cuz I’m having a great time.”

“What’s your last name?” you ask quickly, suddenly changing the subject

“Holland,” he tells you, “why?”

“I just figured I should know your full name, Tom Holland, if I’m gonna let you sleep in my apartment. You know, in case I have to report you to the police cuz you’ve robbed me or murdered my cat or something.”

“No offense but it doesn’t really look like you have anything worth stealing, and I’m pretty sure you don’t have a cat,” he laughs

“Both true,” you were laughing too. Still in the kitchen, you weren’t sure how to migrate somewhere else.

“You’re sure though? I don’t want to impose. I really can just go find a cheap motel, or go back to my place and crash the orgy that’s probably happening,” he didn’t want to stay if you weren’t comfortable.

“No worries,” you start moving to the living room, “you can make it up to me some other time. I promise you don’t want to be going back to whatever noises are happening in your apartment right now.”

You truly would have been content with him sleeping on the couch, slipping out the next morning, and never speaking again. Well, no. That wasn’t true. You wouldn’t be content, but you’d live with it. You didn’t want to assume anything, didn’t want to make a fool of yourself.

“So,” you start, obviously about to make a fool of yourself, “I can get you some blankets, and you can sleep out here. Or, if you want, we can share my bed. It’s up to you and I won’t be offended either way, I swear.”

Why did you always say things that made you feel so stupid. You winced at your own statement, not wanting to see his reaction. He took a few steps towards you, standing close, but not as close as you would have liked. You continue to look away, waiting for him to say something.

Eyes down on the carpet, you feel his hand grab your chin softly, angling your head up to meet his.

“And when we share your bed,” the breath of his words hitting your face, “are we just going to sleep, or are we...” Although his voice was cool and confident, he was genuinely asking. He had a hard time reading you, and wasn’t sure if you wanted him as badly as he wanted you, or if you were just being nice.

“The second one, definitely the second one,” you reply a little too quickly before he pulls your face to his, lips finally meeting.

His face was warm, and he smiled into the kiss, loving the way your round lips felt on his. He let his hands move to the sides of your face, cradling your jaw as his mouth moved against you. You pulled him closer to you by the grip you had on his t-shirt, the white fabric balled up in your nervous grip. You pulled him backwards with you, navigating your way down the hall.

Taking an intermission on the minute walk down to your bedroom, he presses you up against the wall of the hallway, shoulders angled above yours and mouth still hot against you. You reach your hands towards his, wanting to show him that he had control, that you wanted him to take control of you.

Getting your message, he takes your wrists together in one hand and pins them against the wall above you. His hips jut forward into yours as his wet kisses trail from the corner of your mouth down to your neck.

“Fuck, I-” you moan breathily as he sucks a spot below your ear, your hips rolling forward to meet his. All the while his grip remained tight on your wrists, keeping them steadily pinned above your head. You liked the feeling of letting go, having someone else control the situation. You were generally uptight and liked to take control in other aspects of your life, but this is one that you wanted to submit to.

“You what?” he responds with a steady voice, brown eyes burning holes into you. You knew your face was probably flushed red, hair a complete mess, and neck littered with splotches.

“I want you to fuck me,” you whisper shakily, “Please.”

Letting go of your arms and lifting you up by your thighs in one swift motion, he takes you by surprise as your face falls into his neck.

“This one yours?” he starts walking down to the end of the hall.

“Mhmm,” you mumble as you start to return the favor, licking up and down the base of his neck until you found his sweet spot. Suddenly you were falling back as he playfully tossed you onto your bed, sheets unmade, and blankets bunched up.

You land in a heap, quickly moving to take your shirt off. He moves quicker, practically tackling you down onto the mattress, causing you both to laugh a little.

“Hey,” he protests, “I wanted to do that.” He takes you hands and moves them as he had done before, and lifts your shirt off your body, you arch your back to help.

He slides his arm underneath you, causing your back to stay arched, pressing your chest into his. He slips his tongue back into your mouth, meanwhile he shimmies out of his jeans, letting them fall to the floor with your abandoned shirt.

Something between a gasp and a whimper escapes your lips as his other hand snakes its way into your damp underwear. Your hands lurch up into his hair, pulling his face into yours as he starts to draw slow circles up and down your lips.

He finally slips a finger into you, causing a guttural moan to stir deep in your throat. You bite your lip to hold the noises back, eyes fluttering shut as he slowly pumps into you. His face comes back into focus as he steadies your head, running his thumb across your lower lip, tugging it away from your teeth.

Instinctually you wrap your lips around his finger, letting your tongue drag itself across his digit. You open your mouth up from its pucker, letting him alternate his thumb with his index and middle fingers, letting those slip into your warm mouth as well. You match the movements of his hand in your pussy with your mouth, sucking down on his fingers every time he re-entered you.

“Fuck Y/N,” he groans, his cock throbbing in his boxer briefs, “I didn’t realize you’d be so dirty.”

You grew a little self-conscious at his comment, opening your mouth so he could remove his fingers.

“It’s so fucking sexy,” he drags the pads of his fingers down your tongue. He moves them down and drags the warm wetness from your saliva down your throat and onto your nipples that were now slipped out of the top of your bra.

You buck your hips into his hand and moan, loving the way he was above you, fucking you with his strong hand, fingers much bigger than your own. You felt his pulsing erection pressing into your lower thigh, and groaned at the thought of him filling you up.

“Tommy,” you didn’t mean to use the nickname, but it slipped out, “condoms are in the shoebox in my bedside drawer, if you want to fuck me.”

He removed his fingers from you, bringing them up to his lips to lick them clean. Your eyelids fluttered at the sight, grinding your hips up into his to show him how bad you wanted him. His shirt came off and joined the pile of your clothes that was slowly growing larger on your floor. You expected him to be fit based on his arms, but he was stacked, built, unreal.

He clearly liked the attention, a cocky smile creeping across his face as your mouth hung slightly open, eyes dragging across his perfect body. He tugs on the waistband of your pants, that were mostly slipped off at this point, to signal to you to remove them while he rummaged through your bedside drawer.

You maneuver your way into a comfortable position, now completely naked, head resting back on a pillow. He was taking a little longer than you expected, pushing and prodding things around.

“They should be right there, blue box? Probably unopened?” you chuckle trying to make light of the situation. The smile is wiped clean off your face as soon as you heard a faint buzzing, then it stopped, then it started again. Condom in hand, as well as your purple vibrator, he climbs back on the bed up to you.

“You are dirty,” he says, trying not to laugh, “I fucking knew it.”

“Hey, you were not supposed to find that!” You try to snatch it out of his hand but he pulls away too quickly.

“You told me shoebox in the nightstand! What were you expecting me to find? You have like eight of these!”

“I do not own eight! I own five, and they are all different and special in their own ways!” you argue back, both laughing now as he jokingly pressed the vibrating wand into your side.

“You keep all kinds of fun stuff in there, huh?” he was not going to let it go. So what, you kept a few…personal items in a secret box in your nightstand, condoms included. You didn’t think he would look around and take an inventory. Your lack of finesse with strangers in bars was made up for by your wide array of battery-operated boyfriends. It wasn’t your fault that the online shop you ordered from sent free gifts when you spent over $100…like fuzzy handcuffs and cherry flavored lube.

The two of you laughed for a minute, both in nothing but your underwear. You were laughing, but the idea of him fucking you with one of your toys quickly made a crimson blush flush over your face.

“Like I said darling,” he drags the vibrator down your stomach to meet your clothed pussy, “you’re fucking sexy.”

Your hips naturally buck up against his touch, arms snaking their way around his neck to pull his face down to yours. His strong fingers, much thicker than your own, re-entered you as he pressed the vibrator firmly against your clit.

You couldn’t help but moan into his wet mouth as he fucked his fingers into you.

“Please,” you whimper, “fuck, Tom, please fuck me. I need you so bad.”

“Only because you asked so nicely,” he whispers into your ear, somehow making your pussy wetter than it already is.

He pulls out of you, causing you to groan at the loss of contact. He tosses his boxers off, revealing his rock hard cock that springs up to his lower stomach. You mouth practically started watering at the sight. He pumps his hand a few times and then rolls the condom on.

You manage to move your shaky legs enough to slip your underwear and bra off. You didn’t have the mental capacity to be self conscious about being naked in front of him, because you were far too occupied drooling over his body.

“How do you want me?” you ask innocently, not meaning to moan out the words as you did.

“Flip over,” he gestures for you to get on all fours, and your knees got weak at the thought.

You positioned your ass up in the air, open and ready for him. You let out a sharp breath as he slides the tip of his cock up and down your folds, teasing you before finally pushing inside. He only pushes in part way though, waiting for your reaction.

“Fuck, Tommy,” you try to roll your hips back onto him, but he firmly grips your ass and keeps you in position.

“You need to learn how to be patient, pretty girl,” he slowly pulls your hips back to meet his, agonizingly slow but so fucking good at the same time.

Your eyes began to water because of how good his cock felt pushed all the way into you, you wanted him to move so bad, but he wanted to torture you, make you wait for it.

“Please, will you please fuck me, I need it,” you sounded so desperate, but you knew he liked it, liked hearing how badly you wanted him.

He starts moving in and out of you, firm grip on your ass never wavering. Quiet moans left his mouth as he fucked into you, causing your eyes to practically roll into the back of your head. He leans down to place a soft kiss on your shoulder blade, despite how viciously he's pounding into you. His head cranes down to your shoulder, his hand coming up to brush your hair out of your face.

As his long fingers move your hair behind your ear, you push your head back into his hand, not wanting to lose contact. He tentatively runs his hands up into your hair, taking a soft grip on your roots.

“Is this what you want?” he whispers, “you like it rough?”

“Yes,” you manage to squeak out, “fuck, pull my hair, spank me, do whatever the fuck you want to me, please.”

He took that as a clear green light to yank back on your hair, causing your back to arch more. He keeps fucking you relentlessly, filling the room with sounds of skin slapping against skin. The obscene noises coming from your mouth only encouraged him to fuck you harder, pull your hair harder, grip your hips harder.

With little warning you feel him suddenly slip out of you, and before you could turn around to ask how he wanted you next, you feel his hands grab tightly to the back of your thighs, keeping you propped up exactly as you are. You feel his hot tongue enter your warm pussy from the back, quickly licking wide stripes up your folds.

“Holy shit,” your brain could not process the pleasure you were feeling fast enough.

He starts to feel your thighs shake under his grasp, knowing that you are close. He wanted to make you come, and hard, as a special thank you for inviting him up to your place. And that he did.

He sucked harshly on your clit, hips tilted all the way back for him, giving him perfect access. You couldn't even articulate to him how good he was making you feel. You were moaning so loud you were worried the neighbors could hear, so you take a fistful of sheets and bury your mouth in them, muffling your sounds. You legs began to violently shake as he lapped up your juices, bringing a harsh slap down onto your ass. Your hips fell to the mattress as soon as he let go.

He grabs your waist and helps you flip over so you lay flat on your back. He hovers over you, placing a gentle kiss to your lips. You feel his hard cock pressing into your core, begging for entrance.

“You good?” he asks as your eyes finally focus, your brain coming back down to earth, “do you want to keep going?” he asks genuinely.

“I’m so fucking good,” you bring him down into a more passionate kiss, pressing your hips up into his erection, “I want nothing more than for you to fuck the shit out of me.”

“Thank god, cuz I want to feel that pretty pussy of yours come all over my cock.”

His words sent shivers down your spine, more so as he pushed back into your sopping wet cunt, finding a quick rhythm fucking into you. He presses your thighs back with his large hands, hitting you at the perfect angle. Your mouth gapes open watching his perfect body thrust into you. How the fuck did you get so lucky? Is this a dream? Possibly.

You notice a smirk creep onto his face, he raises his eyebrows and gives you a look.

“You didn’t think I forgot about this, did you?” he grabs the purple vibrator from the side of the bed and flicks the switch on.

You all but explode as he brings it down to your throbbing clit. The addition of the vibrations to his cock hitting your g-spot perfectly sent you into one of the most body-shaking orgasms of all time. If that wasn’t enough, you open your eyes to see his perfect hand wrapping around your throat, applying exactly the right amount of pressure to your neck.

You can’t say anything other than his name over and over as your walls begin to contract around him. You throw your head back as you see stars. He lets his grip on your neck go and leans down to capture you in a kiss, wanting to connect with you as you reached your peak.

Making intense eye contact, you watch as he bites his lip, savoring the feeling of you coming undone around him. You frantically bring your hands to the back of his head, tangling them in his messy hair as you come down from possibly the most intense orgasm of your life.

“Holy fuck baby, feel so good around me, fuck, gonna make me come soon,” he pants between thrusts.

“Mmmm,” you were still fucked-out from your orgasm, “I want it in my mouth.”

His eyes practically fell out of his head at your comment, lips coming down to attack your breasts that had been wildly bouncing each time he pressed into you. In one swift motion he managed to flip you over. You slide down between his legs and start pumping his cock, not wanting to lose momentum.

You wrap your lips around his head, feeling his shaft twitch under your hand. Swirling your tongue around the tip while quickly jerking him off quickly pushes him over the edge, his come filling your mouth along with your saliva.

His hips jerk up as he comes, pushing his length further into your throat, but you don’t mind, in fact you kind of like it. You watch his expression as you swallow his come, making big doe eyes at him. You lick your lips a little and crawl back up to meet his face.

Flopping down next to him, you let your sweaty body fall into rhythm with his deep breaths.

“I-,” he starts, turning to meet your face, “I don’t even know what to say, that was fucking incredible.”

You turn your head away from him, pretending to act shy.

“I fucking mean it, you’re perfect.”

Your cheeks actually turn pink at this. You press your head to his chest, telling him you liked it a lot too. More than liked it.

“I don’t know if this is weird, if I should go…” he starts to move.

“Offer still stands of course,” you grab his hand, wanting to feel his chest against your cheek again, “couch or bed is all yours.”

“Bed please,” he flops back down next to you and lets you tangle up in his arms, “as long as we can do that again in the morning. You have all those fun toys, I need to try them all out on you.”

The two of you quickly fall asleep, naked and basking in your post sex bliss, a huge smile on your face.

The next morning you hear keys jangling in the front door. Opening your groggy eyes, you don’t have time to fully wake up and register what is happening before you hear Madison knocking at your door.

She barges in, wanting to tell you all about her night with Haz.

“Holy FUCK y/n, I-” she starts before seeing the figure next to you in bed.

You frantically grab the sheets to cover yourself up and make a wild gesture to tell her to get out. She silently breaks into a huge grin, waving her arms around and pumping her fists in the air. You keep gesturing for her to get out, but she continues to victory dance on your behalf.

You knew you would never hear the end of this.

#tom holland smut #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fanfic #tom holland fic #marvel #smut #fanfiction #tom holland #smutty #marvel fanfiction #oof #i need a glass of water

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lykegenia · 3 years

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Trust, But Verify

Convinced that Unit Bravo isn't everything they seem to be, Detective Leah Kingston decides to return to the warehouse that she knows plays some part in the mystery of Wayhaven's first murder in years, this time with Tina as backup. But sometimes, what is said on patrol doesn't stay on patrol, which isn't great when the subject of conversation is a certain new arrival with a dazzling smile and warm brown eyes.

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The air in the office holds a studied silence, from the members of Unit Bravo who have arranged themselves around the room like they’re on a photoshoot, and from me ignoring them so I can finish updating the board with information about the case. There’s precious little to go on so far. Adam called it a waste of time, but working as a teammeans everybody needs to be on the same page, and now I can feel a certain amount of spite creeping into the thoroughness of my notes.

I can’t afford to let it. Getting bull-headed means things get missed.

“What information can you give me about the other victims?” I ask.

“Nothing that will help us here.”

Nate passes a guilty glance between me and his glowering leader, but all it does is get me even angrier. Folding my arms, I turn to Adam, temper finally frayed enough to let my professional veneer slip.

“Did my mother send you to sabotage my case?” I demand. I shouldn’t, but today has not been a good day.

Adam glares. Somehow, the silence in the room deepens.

“I’m only asking because so far you seem to be trying your hardest to seem incompetent and uncaring about the fact that a woman has been murdered. If you can’t show even basic respect for that then you can get the hell out of my office and not come back.”

“Detective…”

“Are you here to help or not?” I’ve dealt with Saturday night drunks and middle managers angry at getting parking tickets – hell, I’ve had to face the mayor’s bluster more than once – and though Adam looks like he knows more ways to break someone’s bones than any of those guys, I’m willing to bet he’s on a much shorter leash.

Finally, the muscles working in that square jaw unclench just enough for him to loose a strained breath through his teeth. “We’re at your disposal.”

“Glad to hear it.” My shoulders relax a little. “The better we work together, the faster we’ll solve this, and unfortunately all the legwork has to come first.”

Nate steps forward, visibly relieved that we haven’t come to blows. “What do you want us to do?”

“We need to trace the victim’s last steps,” I say. Coming up with a plan gives me something to focus on. “Bank records, phone records, CCTV. If we can find out where and when she met the killer, hopefully we can follow the thread back to them. Someone should ask Verda if there’s any way to track down the equipment the killer needed for the transfusion, too,” I add.

“Anything else?” Mason drawls from his corner. He’s started on another cigarette.

“Nate very kindly said you’d all go and check out the Farris warehouse later. We think it might be the murder site.” I don’t miss the look Adam shoots across the room, but it’s not important. “Be careful when you do, when I was there yesterday I ran into some unsavoury characters.”

“Really?” Felix asks, grinning. “If we see them I’m sure we could take them.”

Nate rolls his eyes and Adam grinds his teeth again, and neither of them are doing anything to soothe the off vibes I’ve been getting all morning.

“Glad to hear it,” I reply, turning to grab my coat off the peg. “While you’re on that, there’s something else I want to chase up.”

“What something else?” Adam asks, his eyes narrowing as if he can hear the uneasy tick of my pulse.

I shrug, already half out the door. “I’ll let you know if it pans out.”

“One of us should go with you.”

“Thanks for the offer, but Tina and I will be fine – Tina! Fieldtrip!”

She looks up from the papers on her desk and gestures to the steaming mug in her hand. “But I just –”

“Now. We can stop off at Haley’s later.”

There’s a pause as she glances behind me, assessing, no doubt lining up a bunch of questions to ask me as soon as we’re out of earshot. “Sure thing, Detective.” She pulls on coat and scarf and sidles closer. “Day one and the power’s already gone to your head, I see.”

I stifle a smile and turn back to Unit Bravo, who are all leaning around the door of my office in various attitudes of surprise. “I almost forgot, while I’m out I’d be grateful if you could add the information on the other victims to the board. It should help.”

“We’ll see to it,” Nate promises when his colleague only flexes his biceps in response.

“I appreciate it.”

I’m almost to the door when I catch Felix sigh and mutter I don’t think she likes us very much, but I straighten my shoulders and step into the already darkening winter day, not allowing the prickle of guilt to take hold. They’re not here for me to like them, they’re here for a job – and I need to figure out what that job really is.

Tina shoots me a dubious look as I pull up outside the Farris warehouse and cut the engine. There’s still some light left, though the thick growth of trees crowds most of it out, and aside from a few harsh alarm calls from birds flitting between the trunks, the place is lifeless. Silent. The moon watches us from just above the top branches, hanging in the sky like a spider in the corner of its web.

“You changed your mind about letting Unit Boyband have this one?” she asks.

I reach behind me for my flashlight and check the safety on my gun is locked before kicking open the door. “There’s something not adding up about them, and I want to know what it is. Nate practically contorted himself trying to think of reasons for me to stay away.”

“And so here we are.” She sighs and follows. “Just like the good old days. As your friend, I think you’re being a bit paranoid.”

“Shady government agencies bring that out in me.”

“Just as long as you’re not expecting to split up in there.”

I toss her a grin. “Not even for a Scooby Snack?” I chuckle at her flat look. “Don’t worry, after those guys put that dent in Nessie last night, I’m not taking chances.”

With a wary look around, she unholsters her own gun and takes position on my left. “That dent looks like it was made with a sledgehammer.”

“Yup.”

We fall silent as we cross the threshold, crumbs of rubble cracking under our boots. The wind blows in from behind us, rustling the ivy reclaiming the walls, distorting sound, but unless someone is keeping very still, there’s nobody else here.

“Sooooo… it’s ‘Nate’ is it?” Tina ventures as we climb the stairs to the first floor. The artistic endeavours of Wayhaven’s teenagers scroll the walls, the empty cans and bottles from last summer’s illicit parties still scattered in the far corners.

“That’s what he asked me to call him,” I reply carefully. “It’s what the rest of them call him too.”

“Uh-huh.” She peers down at something. “Cigarette butt.”

“Recent?” I catch a shadow to my left, but when I chase it with my flashlight, it turns out just to be pigeons again, scattering for some reason of their own.

“There’s still ash on it, so I’d say so.”

“Bag it.”

While she kneels and starts the usual procedure for getting evidence into one of the bags we both carry with us, I pace the rest of the floor, peering around rusted heavy machinery and into the dustier corners in case of footprints. With so many people passing through, though, it’s unlikely we’ll find enough to connect anything to the murder – at least not anything that would stick in court.

“You have seen him eyeing you up though, right?”

“What?” I glance over, startled by the suddenness of Tina’s voice. “Who?”

Her tut would have made any disapproving grandma proud. “Nate.”

“Tina, I met him this morning.” One last glance around. “This floor’s clear.”

“So?”

“So when has he even had an opportunity to ‘eye me up’?”

“Oh, that’s right,” she sing-songs, “you were too busy doing your best to make the grumpy one quake in his combat boots, but I see everything. His mouth was hanging open and everything. And that was after your cosy little trip down to the morgue. I’m telling you, babe, you have a shot.”

We go one at a time down the stairs, which means she can’t see me roll my eyes, but as we turn to take our first proper look at the ground floor, the idea wiggles in to distract my better judgement. Nate has certainly made a better first impression than most of his team, but that’s not exactly hard, and his face looks like one that’s used to smiling, to smoothing ruffled feathers. If I maybe noticed the warmth of his hand when I shook it earlier, or caught the faint scent of whatever aftershave he uses when we were walking down to see Verda, then it’s still not something to lose my head over. It’s not something that matters.

“As your friend, I’m duty-bound to say that I think you’re delusional,” I say, deliberately light.

“Over here.”

Tina’s flashlight rounds on the transient’s camp I found yesterday, a loose pile of tattered blankets and a few rusted oil drums converted into fire barrels, only now with more light, there seems to be little evidence of recent occupation. No trash, no scuff marks beyond what could be explained by the passage of my own feet and the strangers who ran into me, and no odour of an unwashed body.

And yet…

Still crouched, I glance at the walls, try to imagine them blurred as I hold up my phone screen with the photos copied from Janet Greenland’s. She had known she was going to die, with enough advance warning to try and leave some kind of message, and then hidden them where her killer would be unlikely to look.

Tina breaks the concentrated silence. “What’s so delusional about someone finding you attractive?” It helps, the distraction from the grisly reason we’re here.

“Nothing in particular,” I reply. “People have wanted to sleep with me before. It’s just not something that would work.”

“Why not?”

I stand and walk slowly, still with my phone up in front of me. “One, this is a temporary assignment. Once we catch the killer, Unit Bravo will be whisked away to somewhere far more exotic than Wayhaven with far more interesting people.” I stop. “Two, he’s technically a colleague, which is never something that ends well. And three…”

The last of Janet Greenland’s photos line up with the view ahead of me, minus the difference in our height.

“Three?” Tina presses.

“I’m not interested.” It’s a ready answer, but she scoffs all the same.

“Oh come on, you mean you don’t think he’s sexy as hell?”

From somewhere behind us, there’s a loud crash as a piece of masonry collapses. We wheel, ready for something to come at us, but after a long moment, nothing else moves. Probably a rat, or a piece of the ceiling that was ready to go anyway. Even so, Tina keeps her back to mine as I return to my snooping.

“That’s not a no,” she wheedles after a few more minutes of silence.

“He’s –” The right description eludes me for a moment. “He’s good-looking. He seems nice, for what it’s worth. But that doesn’t mean he’d stay, and it doesn’t mean he’d be interested in anything… beyond casual. I have more worthwhile uses for my time than trying to guess a stranger’s motives for noticing me.” The bitterness isn’t something I meant to slip out, but thankfully there’s no comment on it. Tina knows enough about the fiasco with Bobby to leave that particular sleeping Rottweiler lie.

Besides, I’ve found where Janet stumbled into the warehouse – or tried to get out. By one of the broken windows some of the stones have tumbled and turned the mossy sides underneath, and a few threads of material are snagged on the jagged edge of the glass that are the same colour as the jacket she was wearing. There’s just enough light left to photograph it, but without any evidence of the killer or any kind of struggle, there isn’t much else to be done. Wayhaven doesn’t have the resources to dust an entire warehouse for prints.

“I remember being told at the academy that we should try to collect all the evidence we can,” Tina says, when I make no move to reach for a bag.

“That’s what I’m doing,” I reply. “Sometimes it doesn’t all look the same, that’s all.”

She eyes me with a frown, though the corner of her mouth is fighting a smile. “What did I tell you? Paranoid.”

Sitting in the Facility cafeteria barely a week later, a plate of unappetising mince and mashed potato in front of me, it’s hard to believe how much a life can change. Hunting for petty clues, looking through bank records and phone calls as if any of it would have turned up anything useful – not even the vindication of knowing I was right about my mother’s team does much to lessen the lurch the world has taken since learning that the man I was hunting is not only a vampire, but that he’s hunting me, too. The thought puts me off eating. Or maybe it’s the tests, or just that the food itself isn’t very good.

I’m in the middle of drawing a passable mixed media landscape with my fork when a shadow falls across my plate. Nate smiles at me, genuine if somewhat nervous, one hand holding a mug of tea and the other on the back of the chair opposite mine.

“May I sit?” he asks.

I’ve barely seen him since the first night I was here, between all the debriefings and the sessions with the scientists, and even those brief glimpses have been accidental, moments of stumbling into each other in the corridors of Unit Bravo’s section of the Facility. To have him seek me out, in a place that reeks of leftovers, stirs an unfamiliar flutter behind my ribs that turns into a smile to answer his.

“Please do.” I gesture, and his smile grows wider, and I cast about for something that will avoid me floundering in awkward silence. “I didn’t think I’d see you here – not because you don’t need to eat!” I add hastily. “The smell of stale coffee is almost too much for me with just human senses.”

He doesn’t seem too offended, and just shrugs. “I like the ambience. People here are just being people, no matter what species.” As he speaks his eyes cast over the nearly empty room, and the pockets of agents and supernaturals at other tables buried in conversation. A person could visit a thousand parallel universes and a cafeteria would look the same in every one.

“The more things change…” I mutter, following the line of his gaze.

A smile touches his lips. “You have no idea.”

I really don’t. Not compared with someone who’s lived so long and seen so much. In the pause that follows, I turn my attention back to my plate, and the interrupted tree I was trying to capture in the foreground with an overcooked slice of carrot.

“You’re quite the artist – I mean it!” he adds, holding up his hands at the sharp glance I throw his way.

“This is the part where you say you met some famous painter or other, isn’t it?” I grumble, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“Van Gogh did sell me a painting once – not one of his own, I’m afraid.”

If I didn’t know better, I’d say the statement was meant to impress me, and that the sip he takes of his tea is more to hide a smirk than because he’s thirsty. Still, his eyes grow serious as he taps the mug back on the table, and the measured way he looks me over makes me want to twist my fingers in my lap.

“What?”

“You seem to be handling the revelation of all this rather well,” he replies, muted, with a flicker of a softer smile. “We should have trusted you with it sooner.”

For a moment I don’t answer, both startled by the admission and caught up in an echo of the resentment that’s characterised so much of my time with Unit Bravo so far. It’s not a comfortable feeling, not now I know the reason behind the secrecy, but the morning after my second visit to the warehouse is still fresh in my mind, Adam’s flat ‘no’ when I asked if they’d found anything, and the way Nate glared at the floor, arms folded and shaking his head in tacit disagreement as the others waited for my reaction, as if they knew I wouldn’t believe them.

“I’ll admit, ‘new co-workers are secretly vampires hunting down a vampire serial killer who’s picked me as his next target’ wouldn’t have been my first guess for what was going on,” I try with a shrug. “I assume it’s not something everyone responds well to.”

“Most people who find out don’t have to deal with the serial killer part.”

Sometimes, in the face of such absurdity, you just have to laugh. Nate seems pleased that I haven’t run screaming, amusement warming the sympathetic way his gaze lingers.

“Actually, I wanted to thank you,” I say, after another moment of silence.

“For what?”

I shrug. “For wanting to tell me – trying to tell me, even though you had orders. Not everyone would do that.” My mother springs to mind as a prime example.

“It was clear you were going to find out anyway. You’re pretty incredible that way.” His gaze on mine is heavy, soft and intense but tinged with regret as well, and he looks away. “But after you went to the warehouse, it was also clear you didn’t trust us. It’s not a great combination for trying to keep someone safe.”

“How did you know I was at the warehouse?”

“I, uh…” He clears his throat, not meeting my eye. “I followed you. One of us had to, just in case Murphy came back.”

He seems… embarrassed more than anything, as if following me was somehow something more shameful than lying to my face, and it’s not what I expect. And then I remember my conversation with Tina while we hunted through the ruined building. Damn. My fork sets against the edge of my plate with a faint clink.

“You were in the warehouse – when I was in the warehouse,” I check, just in case there’s no real reason for the sudden flood of heat into my face.

“I was.”

“And you heard everything me and Tina were saying with your hypersenses, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t exactly need –” He stops, smiles an apology. “Yes, I heard everything.”

I roll my lips together, chasing something to say. My fingertips drum on the table. “There’s no chance you could just… forget all of that, is there?”

And now the smile curls into something smoother, sleek like a cat. And guess who’s the canary.

“I would rather not.” He purrs it, and my insides squirm. “But since we’re on the subject of… things you said, I feel the same way. About matters of the heart. They’re too precious to be treated casually.”

I stare. There’s more in the words than I really want to acknowledge, certainly more than I can respond to in the middle of a public place full of creatures I thought were myths for most of my life. His brown eyes search my face, patient, until I can’t stand it anymore and drop my gaze to the table, and he covers by taking another sip of his tea.

“That’s an elegant way to put it,” I manage, after what feels like an eternity. He’ll still be leaving once we’ve caught Murphy, and now that we’ve got a solid set of leads on him, that won’t be long at all.

“I hoped you would think so.”

“It must be hard to have any kind of relationship with… all of this.” I wave my hand around the room. “The secrecy and the travelling, I mean.”

His head tilts, the smile returns. “You don’t think it’s the vampire thing that would put people off?”

“No.” I don’t miss the way his mouth twitches upwards at that. “Vampires have become fashionable in the last few years, so I hear. Even if you don’t sparkle.”

“I’d hope my wit does, at least.”

I can’t help it, I break into a laugh at that. It’s so easy to feel comfortable around him, to want to be closer and spend hours just talking. When I knew he was lying, it was an easier feeling to ignore.

“You could always find another vampire,” I point out. “That would solve it if you thought it was a problem.”

It confuses him. His brows furrow as if it was something he hadn’t considered, as if the conversation has taken a turn he didn’t expect, and I use the distraction to look at the clock, high on the wall where clocks always are in cafeterias.

“I need to go. It’s stab-Leah-with-needles o’clock.”

“So soon?” he asks.

It’s not entirely untrue, but I’ll have to walk slowly not to be early, because god forbid they think I’m eager for more tests. My heart skips a little, and he can probably tell, but this whole conversation has veered far too close to gates I locked a long time ago, and do not want open again. I shrug.

“The sooner I get through everything they can think up, the sooner I can go back to catching Murphy.”

“The sooner this whole case is finished.” He watches me, the unspoken half of the sentence left hanging.

“The sooner Wayhaven is safe again.”

In the end, that’s what matters. I can’t lose sight of it.

#in this house we talk about our feelings #but only if we're not talking about *our* feelings #and only if our bff bullies us into it #twc #the wayhaven chronicles #n sewell #nate sewell #nate sewell x detective #leah kingston #tina poname

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kaoru-takaida · 3 years

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MHA Fanfic Collab Fanfic

Chapter 4: Reveals

Kirishima lays on his futon awake and unable to sleep. Bakugou is near him, in his own futon, trying to sleep. Kirishima sits up a bit, checking whether or not any of the other boys were visibly awake. "Hey. Bakugou. Are you still awake?" Kirishima whispers.

"No." Bakugou says.

"Come on, man." Kirishima whispers. "I need to talk to you about something."

Bakugou growls slightly. "Ask me in the morning." He grumbles.

"Bakugou." Kirishima whines quietly. "It's kind of important. It's about Kaoru." Kirishima hears Bakugou exhale a sigh. He then turns onto his stomach to look at Kirishima.

"What is it?" Bakugou asks.

Kirishima scowls a bit. "I overheard them talking to Mr. Aizawa a little bit ago." Kirishima begins. "And they mentioned something about people being after them." Bakugou is taken aback. But Kirishima can see he's not surprised and put two and two together. "Kaoru told you, didn't they?"

Bakugou nods. "Yeah." He scoffs. "That dumbass needs to be more careful in who they tell and where they talk." Bakugou clenches his fists. "I was pretty surprised myself to be honest."

Kirishima grimaces. "Do you think it's the League?" He asks.

Bakugou shakes his head. "I don't know. They only said a group of people. I'm not even sure Kaoru themself even knows." Bakugou looks up at Kirishima. "For now, they'll be safe, though. I'm sure of it. We should try to focus on training and getting stronger. Kaoru included."

Kirishima smiles a determined smile at Bakugou. "Right!"

Bakugou puts a finger to his lips. "Shhhhh." He shushed Kirishima. "Don't be so frigging loud." He lays back down, covering himself with his blanket. "Now go back to sleep, idiot." Kirishima gives one last smile and rolls back over, laying down.

Unknown to the two, however, a couple futons over, Midoriya's eyes were wide in disbelief. His back is facing everyone, so he was able to listen to Kirishima and Bakugou talk. He'd heard everything…

Kaoru glares down at their cell phone and scowls. They're outside of the camp base, sitting on the porch. And although it was summer, the nights are cold. They readjust their hoodie sleeves before looking at the cellphone again. The contact number "Uncle" on the screen, ready for them to call. Kaoru sighs, clicking the phone icon. They lift the phone to their ear and listen to the phone ring. On the second ring, the phone is answered. "Kao? Why haven't you been answerin' the phone? Do you have any idea how worried I've been?" A male voice asks. The man sounds a bit irritated. And Kaoru knew he was angrier than he was letting on. "You need to come home right away."

Kaoru waits a second before talking. "Uncle, I've decided to continue going to U.A. to become a Hero. No matter what you or anyone else wants." Kaoru says. The other side of the line is quiet. "I know you don't want me to. But I'm staying in class 1A."

"Kao, I-."

"Uncle, you need to trust me and start telling me more about myself!" Kaoru says, clenching their fists. "How else am I going to grow if I can't learn to take care of myself? If you won't trust me?" Kaoru sighs. "We can figure it out together… Starting with that group that's after me." Kaoru says. "Please tell me what you can about them."

After another few seconds of silence, their uncle talks. "If I tell ya, you need to promise me that you'll stay away from them. No matter what!"

"I promise."

Kaoru could hear their uncle sigh. "I swear yer one of the most stubborn people I've met." Kaoru smiles.

"You've got no one but yourself to blame for that one, Uncle." Kaoru tells him. "I'm not nearly as stubborn as you." The man laughs once, but goes silent.

After a moment of silence and hesitation, their uncle answers. "You already know their name." He says. "They call themselves the League of Villains." Kaoru's expression changes from a smile to alarmed. "Almost 6 years ago, I rescued you from them. They've been tracking ya down ever since." Kaoru gulps, realizing they'd had their suspicions the whole time.

"No wonder you were so against me going to class A." Kaoru says. "I guess I should have known."

"It was only for yer protection, Kao." He responds. "Trust me when I say I didn't wanna discourage ya or tell ya not to be a hero." He explains. "I just wanted you to be safe." Kaoru closes their eyes.

"I understand, Uncle." Kaoru tells him. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Their uncle scoffs. "I'm always worryin' about you." He says, making them smile. "Hey. Remember our motto, okay? Stay cool and stay true." He tells them.

Kaoru nods to themself. "Stay cool and stay true."

Kaoru runs with all their might, sweating like crazy, gasping for air. "Quirks are a part of your body like muscles." Aizawa had explained. Kaoru remembers this in their head as they run, despite already feeling like they'll collapse. "Muscles grow stronger and tougher by tearing and growing back in a way that can withstand more." He'd been explaining to Kaoru, who wanted to get stronger and more creative with their Quirk. "For you, you'll have to focus your efforts on every aspect of what a Quirk is. So you'll rotate between endurance runs and strength training." Kaoru had been running around the training ground for nearly 2 hours now. They were tasked with 100 laps, without running on all fours.

This was the third day of camp. Before they could switch to their next exercise, Aizawa and Class B's Teacher, Mr. Vlad King, had called for a short break. Kaoru fell to the ground next to Midoriya. Both panting and gasping for air wildly. "I've never… felt… so exhausted in my life." Kaoru says between breaths, lying on their stomach next to Midoriya. He grabs his water and takes some huge drinks. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

He smiles down at them. "Yeah." He looks around at his classmates all resting. Both class A and B, training together. It was a different vibe with the other class than the Sports Festival. "Everyone is working so hard to push their limits and go beyond them."

Kaoru smiles now too, sitting up on their haunches. "I'm with you and the other power types for the next 2 hours. Have you been improving, Deku?"

Midoriya chuckles nervously. "It's hard to tell really. But I know I'm feeling stronger aside from being exhausted." Kaoru smiles at him.

"Good." Kaoru tells him.

Without warning, Bakugou strides over. "Oh, Kacchan." Midoriya says. Bakugou gives a side glance at him, scoffing. He turns to Kaoru.

"Take this." Bakugou drops a cold bottle of water. Kaoru catches it and gives Bakugou a wide eyed look. "Make sure you're drinking water, dumbass."

"Oh, thank you." Kaoru tells him as he walks away. He waves them off, heading to Kirishima. Kaoru opens the water and takes a drink.

"Wow. Kacchan and you really are becoming good friends, huh?" Midoriya asks. Kaoru's ears perk up slightly as they stop drinking.

"Hm?" Kaoru looks at Bakugou giving Kirishima a bottle of water as well. "I mean, I guess so." Kaoru laughs halfheartedly. "Most of the time I just seem to annoy him. I'm not sure if he actually likes me or just feels like he needs to make it up to me since he thinks he hurt me."

Midoriya looks over at Bakugou too. "I've known him for a long time. Trust me. You guys are good friends." Midoriya spots the kid, Kota, from the first day. He gives a small wave, meeting eyes with him. The boy simply sticks his tongue out and scoffs, walking away from Mandalay towards the base. "Eh heh…" Midoriya looks at the ground, seemingly at a loss.

"Wow… that kid looked like he wanted to punch you in the balls again." Kaoru tells him.

Midoriya sighs. "Yeah. I… want to know why he acts like he doesn't like heroes."

Kaoru blinks. "But why?" Midoriya looks over at them, a questionable look on his face and a small "huh". Kaoru puts a hand out. "Why do you wanna know? Isn't that his business?" Kaoru asks. "What if he has his own reasons and it's a reason you don't agree with? Or what if he has no reason at all?" Kaoru looks down and rubs the side of their water bottle with their finger. "I mean, there are plenty of people out there who don't like heroes. It's becoming harder and harder to make out what a real hero is any more."

Midoriya frowns. "I guess you're right. But… "

Kaoru crosses their arms. "If Kota wanted you to know, don't you think he'd have told you himself?" Kaoru asks. Midoriya doesn't say anything for a moment. Then Kaoru gasps, seeing Midoriya's puzzled face. "Oh! Deku, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any disrespect or to be rude." They say, waving their hands at him.

Midoriya shakes his head. "No. It's alright." He tells them. "But Kaoru…" Kaoru looks up at him. "I care about Kota, even though I just met him. Besides…" He smiles at them, a determined scowl now on his brow. "Meddling where you technically don't belong is in the essence of being a hero." Kaoru can't help but feel awestruck at this revelation.

Kaoru stares at the cutting board. Kirishima laughs at the fox girl's confused glare at the potatoes in front of them. "Have you never cooked before?" He asks. Kaoru doesn't say a thing. And then after a couple of seconds, their ears droop and their tail lowers itself and Kaoru growls to themself quietly with a strange grimace on their face. A clear sign of embarrassment on their part. "You seriously haven't?" Kirishima exclaims. He reaches over and readjusts their hand on the handle of the knife. "Okay, look. Hold the knife like this so you have better control." He moves over to his own cutting board. "Then, carefully chop the potatoes like this."

Kirishima begins to slice the potatoes. He then turns the slices and dices the rest up into tiny cubes. Kaoru's ears perk up in excitement. Their tail wags a bit as they begin to chop the potatoes, copying Kirishima's movements. "Hah! I'm doing it!"

"Good job!" Kirishima says, giving a thumbs up. "I'm not really that great at cooking. Especially in comparison to…" Kirishima and Kaoru look behind them at Bakugou, chopping fiercely away at carrots.

"Woah, Bakugou." Uraraka says. "You're really good with that knife." She clutches the firewood in surprise. "It's weird."

"What do you mean it's weird?" Bakugou shouts. "How can you people be so damn bad at everything?"

Kirishima gives an exhausted sigh. "Look at that. He's not blowing stuff up." Kaminari says, walking behind Bakugou.

Kirishima stops chopping to look up, rolling his eyes a bit. I'm too tired for this… He thinks to himself. He looks over at Kaoru, watching Bakugou chop intently. Like they were studying how he was chopping. He can't help but give a weak smile. Kaoru turns and starts to chop now too, holding the potato similar to how Bakugou was holding the carrot he was chopping. The look of satisfaction on Kaoru's face made Kirishima laugh. "You really never learned to cook?" Kirishima asks.

Kaoru shakes their head. "No. My uncle made all the meals so I never really got a chance to." Kaoru shrugs. "And there aren't any Home Economics classes in America. Not anymore at least."

"Huh." Kirishima says. "They're pretty common in Japan, actually. Even these days." He stops now, before he clears his throat after a moment. He glances to make sure no one around was close enough to hear. "So, um." He continues to chop his own potatoes. "I overheard you talking with Mr. Aizawa." He begins.

"Wha-!" Kaoru starts. "Ow!" They exclaim in pain, having cut themself with their knife. Kirishima grabs their sliced hand quickly.

"Ah! I'm sorry." He gestures towards the building. "Come on. Let me help." Moments later, Kirishima is wrapping medical tape around the tip of Kaoru's index finger on their left hand. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He was on his knees in front of them, on the floor of the lobby where Kaoru had been seated on one of the couches. Kirishima closes the first aid kit and sets it on the couch next to Kaoru.

Kaoru shakes their head, pursing their eyebrows. "No… You're fine. I was just surprised." They sigh before laughing halfheartedly. "I guess I need to be more careful with knives." Kaoru frowns, noticing Kirishima avoiding eye contact. "How much did you overhear?" Kaoru asks, an almost bitter tone in their voice.

Kirishima looks down at the floor. "Pretty much all of it." He admits, clenching his fists. He then scoffs at himself and smacks both of his cheeks. He drops forward, his hands to the floor and bows his head. "I'm sorry!"

Eh! A Japanese Dogeza! Kaoru gasps a bit. They grimace, blushing nervously. "It's fine, Kirishima! Really!" They say, waving their hands for him to stop. "Seriously, cut it out! It's not that big a deal." He sits up. Kaoru sighs again, looking away. "I suppose I should be more careful about what I say and where I say it from now on too." Kaoru crosses their arms, they look at Kirishima. "So you know why I'm here and what I'm running from." Kirishima nods once, still not meeting their gaze.

"I've been meaning to ask whether or not you're safe here." Kirishima asks. "I mean, these people after you. They're dangerous, right?" Kaoru smiles at Kirishima.

"I'm safe here." Kaoru answers. "Mr. Aizawa assured me and my Uncle that no one knows where we are except the principal, a few teachers, and The Pussycats." Kirishima smiles now too, finally looking at them. "I appreciate the concern."

Kirishima's smile fades now. "Do…" He wrings his wrists a little bit, hesitant. "Do you know why these people are after you?" Kaoru keeps the smile on their face, but sadness sinks over them.

"Honestly, I have no idea." Kaoru answers. Kirishima looks at them, scolding softly. Kaoru shrugs. "Maybe it has to do with my childhood? Or these scars I have?" Kaoru pulls the sleeve of their hoodie down trying to hide the scars on their wrists and hands. But it doesn't cover all the way.

Kirishima gives Kaoru a determined smile. "You might not like them. But I think scars can be manly." Kirishima tells them, pointing a thumb at his own scar on his right eyelid. Kaoru's eyes light up at the way he'd said that. "They're a reminder of something that happened to make you you!" Kirishima tells them. "That's how I choose to see them."

Kaoru watches with a bittersweet reaction and an almost crying Kirishima as he's dragged away by Aizawa to go to remedial classes by their teachers capture scarf. Him and a few others. Ashido, Kaminari, Sero, Sato, and Kirishima all failed the practical portion of their finals apparently. The punishments were special remedial classes that started yesterday into today. And not satisfied with their training today, Aizawa had decided that they'd sit out the Test of Courage the Wild Pussycats had put together for Class 1A and 1B. It was night out and both classes, despite their exhaustion all were looking forward to this.

"I almost feel sorry for him." Kaoru says to Bakugou. He scoffs looking away.

"That's what he gets for failing." Bakugou murmurs. Pixie-Bob, Mandalay, and Tiger all explain how the Test of Courage will happen. Class B hides in the forest. Class A goes through in pairs and tries to get papers with their names at the far end of the forest and come back to the clearing. All while Class B use their Quirks to scare them.

After drawing randomly, Kaoru is matched up with Midoriya to go in last. Midoriya cries and gives Kaoru a look of relief. "Oh, thank God I'm not alone! I would have died of fright or had a heart attack!" He says with a waterfall of tears. Kaoru laughs.

"Don't be too relieved yet, we still have to go in." They say. As the team's begin to go into the forest, Kaoru gives Midoriya a thumbs up. "We'll be fine, Deku! Don't worry." However, the screaming in the forest starts and Kaoru can't help but feel a shiver run up their spine. They force the smile to stay on their face, but start sweating nervously. Their ears droop and their tail tucks between their legs, a clear sign of fear. "Yep… We'll be… perfectly fine…" They say, stiff as a board.

That's not very convincing! Midoriya thinks in a bitter panic.

Kaoru opens their mouth to say something, but suddenly they scowl. Kaoru sniffs the air. "Huh?" They sniff repeatedly now, closing their eyes.

"Kaoru?" Midoriya asks.

"There's a strange scent." Kaoru begins. Kaoru turns to Pixie-Bob and Mandalay. "Do you guys smell that?"

"What's this foul smell in the air?" Pixie-Bob asks, covering her mouth. Midoriya looks around. He then points at the forest side of the mountain.

"Do you see that?" Midoriya asks. He points and Kaoru's eyes widen in alarm and they gasp. Smoke is rising from a light, bright blue haze above the trees.

"Black smoke?" Mandalay asks. Kaoru swallows hard, their heart beginning to beat rapidly. Worried glances and expressions now are seen on all of the students and the Wild Pussycats now.

"Has something been set ablaze?" Iida wonders.

"Maybe a fire on the mountain?" Ojiro suggests.

That same moment, a man with a patchwork face and stitched arms is holding a hand to a grove of trees. Blue flames setting the trees on fire with fuming and overwhelming heat swirl from his hand. The raven haired man opens his turquoise eyes.

"Now, it begins." He says, as the flames grow bigger and stronger.

#mha oc #bnha oc #my hero academia oc #boku no hero acadamia oc #my hero Academia fanfiction #mha fanfiction #boku no hero academy fanfiction #bnha fanfiction #Kaoru Takaida #my mha oc #my bnha oc

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onestowatch · 3 years

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Surfaces Is Bringing Their Happy Place to the Masses [Q&A]

Photo: Dan Franco

When Colin Padalecki met Forrest Frank on SoundCloud, back in 2016, they had no idea that their whimsical exchange of DMs would evolve into the brotherhood of a lifetime, an ever-growing discography, and a roster spot on one of the hottest independent record labels in the world—10K Projects.

Since then, the two friends have formed a genre-bending band called Surfaces and an audiovisual world of neo-soul, beach-pop, reggae, and gospel music. Or better yet, an imaginary happy place, right smack-dab in the middle of “The Lone Star State,” where the two Texans make masterful R&B music with spoken-word lyricism that elevates positive thinking for the soul.

All in all, the guys from Surfaces have been releasing music together for four years now. Thus, with each year comes a brand-new album from the hardworking duo. While Caribbean rhythms and heartwarming subject matter remain notable fixtures of their songwriting, another mainstay is the scenic artwork that’s accompanied every album release so far.

Each time that Padalecki creates an official album cover for Surfaces, it’s as if he’s giving their supporters a behind-the-scenes look at the way in which they find inspiration before a songwriting camp. In many instances, the artwork that he designs serves as a catalyst for the band’s recording sessions, because it sets the mood. His graphic illustrations of sunsets, beaches, and waterfronts augment the heartfelt stories that have been told for the duration of four albums now by his bandmate, Frank, whose lyrics and jazz-rap cadences always seem to carry a positive undertone.

The meaning behind his uplifting words stem from a spiritual assertion that was instilled in him from a young age by his family. In fact, his band’s biggest hit to date was influenced by his faith. “When I think of the lyrics [from “Sunday Best”]... for me, personally, the only way I’ve been able to find that kind of complete stress-free lifestyle is through my relationship with God,” shares Frank. Of all the songs that have been penned by Surfaces over the past five years, none of the releases contain a single ounce of vulgarity in them. This is a very unique distinction for a secular band—especially one that is part of a record label that’s been home to some of the most popular rappers of the SoundCloud rap era.

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But nevertheless, their working relationship with their record label has actually enhanced their creativity. Because the company’s CEO has created a healthy environment for artistic expression, regardless of the genres his artists belong to. “I feel like Elliot [Grainge] runs a really tight family kind of shop. He doesn’t have a lot of artists on his roster, but he has a personal relationship with all of us and the other people we work with like Molly, Sam, and our managers. So, [signing with 10K Projects] just made sense,” shares Padalecki. “Elliot gave us full creative control, which is truly a blessing when it comes to something like a record deal. At any moment in time, we could just ask him to meet us for lunch and he cares enough about us on a personal level to go do that. He trusts in our decisions when it comes to song making, album choices, and everything. They’ve been nothing but supportive and we’ve been nothing but grateful for 10K, it’s almost like a family.”

Indeed, a stress-free creative space, cathartic chorus lines, and the full support of 10K Projects have proven to be key components in a winning formula that’s yielded multi-platinum successes for Surfaces. So, as the old adage goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Which means when it comes to dropping new music, the guys are sticking to what works.

When they made their best-selling album to date, Where The Light Is, they recorded the tracks during the day, while the sun was out at Frank’s boat house to perfectly capture a positive and happy mood. Catching a vibe in a sunny environment has proven to be tried-and-true method for the band and a blueprint that Colin Padalecki wanted to follow during the making of their latest album, Pacifico.

“We rented a house in Malibu for about a half a month. It was kind of like this creative camp that we set up and we pretty much woke up every single day in this really gorgeous house with this really gorgeous view of the beach line of Malibu and the sunset peaking over the mountains every single day,” says the multi-instrumentalist. “It was just nice to not have to worry about anything with Forrest, his wife, and our creative collaborator Conrad [Public Library Commute]. Nothing felt forced… we were just trying to capture the essence of that trip. The whole album pretty much describes that vacation of ours. And we just tried to capture all aspects of it through sonics.”

On April 9, Surfaces introduced their fourth studio album to the world with the lead single called “Wave of You.” It’s a vibey beach-pop track that explores the depths of a romantic relationship through the eyes of Frank. It also displays his willingness to expose his own real-life experiences. “I think it’s really powerful. A relationship can be so powerful and when you’re really drawn to someone it’s like the tide pulling you into the wave. It’s awesome, but it’s also really fragile and dangerous,” says Frank.

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Upon the release of two follow-up singles to “Wave of You,” Surfaces officially dropped Pacifico on June 25. The new album arrives on the heels of one of the most challenging time periods this world has ever seen. In the wake of a global pandemic, a little bit of sunshine is exactly what the the world needs. Pacifico, fittingly, is a breath of fresh air for their supporters and a fitting soundtrack for the beginning of summer after nearly a year-and-a-half of worldwide shutdowns.

One of the main aspects of this album that displays the band’s growth as musicians are the amount of artist features present. Before the release of Pacifico, the only collaboration they ever published was “Learn To Fly” with Elton John. Their collaborative effort with the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was an absolute banger, but it was never officially featured on an album by Surfaces. Instead, it was published as a one-off single. But this time around, the group teamed up with four collaborators: Public Library Commute, Salam Ilese, Xavier Omär and Quinn XCII.

Their contributions to Pacifico have added a whole new element to this delightful collection of sun-soaked music. In fact, the story of how they ended up recording their collaboration with Omär in person is almost as compelling as the story of how the co-founders met each other. “We’d been huge fans [of Xavier Omär] ever since the SoundCloud days. We had a second verse open [for “Come Around”]. So, we DM’d him and said, ‘Yo what’s up! We’re huge fans!’ He said he was a big fan of ours too. So, we told him that we’d love to link up and talk about music because we have a song that he might like,” recounts Frank. “Then he said, ‘Oh cool, but the only thing is, I don’t live in L.A., I live in San Antonio.’ And we were like, ‘Yo, Colin lives in San Antonio (laughs)! So, we basically drove down the street and recorded with him.” It’s a fond memory of their first encounter with one of their favorite musicians… and it’s strikingly similar to the way that Padalecki met Frank on SoundCloud about five years prior.

“Hearing (Omar Xavier’s) melodies recorded at my house brought me back to my high school days of listening to Middle of Things,” says Padalecki. “It had a huge impact on me in high school. So, him coming over and hanging out with us like friends, getting lunch with us, and then getting to the music later was really special.” While collaborative efforts like “Come Around” and “On Time” have certainly added a new dimension to the songwriting and emotional depth of Surfaces, fans can rest assured that their trademark penchant for feel great grooves remain true all throughout Pacifico.

In just five years, the duo behind Surfaces has traveled all over the country. The last time they took the show on the road was during the “Warm Winter Tour” back in 2019. This August, they’ll hit the road again for a North American tour called the aptly titled “Good 2 Be Back Tour.” To the masses they’re a homegrown duo that never fails to bring light and positivity to the forefront of their music. But internally… they’re just two friends having the time of their lives. And why wouldn’t they be? It’s not every day that pop icons like Justin Bieber partake in a “Sunday Best” dance craze dedicated to you by your fans on TikTok.

More importantly, it’s not every day a pop-rock band comes along and reminds us of Bill Withers, Hall & Oates, Beach Boys and Chance the Rapper all in one breath. “That’s pretty good (laughs). I like that,” confesses Frank when the unique comparison was brought to his attention. With the release of Pacifico, Surfaces is now four albums deep into a promising career in music. And to think, it all started with a litany of recording sessions at Padalecki’s college house in Texas. It appears as though the guys from Surfaces are just as good at building songs as they are at giving form to the happy place from which all of their songs originate.

Pacifico is available everywhere you can stream it.

#surfaces #pacifico #interview #pop #rock #soul #album reviews

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peace-coast-island · 3 years

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Diary of a Junebug

Alone together at the Summer Sweets Festival

Sweet treats, flying carpets, and colorful blooms - it's a magical day in Falcon Harbor when the Summer Sweets Festival comes to town. Everything's so soft and pastel, it's such a lovely sight to take in. Standing on the bridge, getting a full view of the festivities, I feel peaceful, like despite everything going on in the world right now, as long as I'm here, I'm safe.

Since we've been busy with camp stuff and running the shop, Daisy Jane and I felt that we needed some time to ourselves. Up until now, we haven't really had one on one time together, something we knew had to be fixed.

Hard to believe that Daisy Jane's been here for over a year now - how different things were back then. She went from stagnating in life to living her dream, being independent and creating art. And not too long ago I was in a similar position, trying to find my place in the world but having a hard time doing so. People objected - usually for good reason - but we took the plunge anyway, stumbling more than succeeding, but finding our way eventually. To some, it's still not ideal, but to us, we're happy, and that's more than enough for us.

Like I said, it's been nice just the two of us hanging out. I mean, we did meet up with friends but for the most part it's only us off on our own while occasionally meeting up. Not that I don't miss the campers but sometimes you just gotta go off and do your own thing. I've been so wrapped up in camp events lately that I haven't had time to do that and it was starting to affect me. As I'm still learning, it's important not to get too wrapped up in things - and there's nothing wrong with taking things slow, even slacking off if you can.

Since Pai brought along Connie and the gang, I've been thinking about that a lot. As much as I enjoy and look forward to camp events, they take a lot out of me. I get that they're kinda necessary to keep things running - and it's not like we're running out of ideas (I'm starting to think that's becoming one of my worst fears if I ever get to that point) - but it's important to know when to slow down. I've made the mistake of back to back events so now I know to space them out for everyone's sanity.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that burnout ain't good. Know the signs and take steps to prevent yourself from crashing and burning. Problem is that it can sneak up in unexpected ways, so it's extra important to catch the warning signs as soon as possible.

A festival may not seem like an ideal way to get some rest and relaxation, but this one's different. I think it's the peaceful atmosphere in general - things aren't too crazy or crowded, just people vibing in their own spaces. Kinda like a cafe's that's sorta busy but not too crowded or loud so you can just chill out and do your own thing without feeling like you're in the way. I always feel bad for taking up space, especially when I know that someone else needs it more than I do, which is why I tend to feel self conscious out in public. Doing stuff at a cafe sounds nice but actually doing it? I need to find the right place, the right atmosphere, the right spot that gives me privacy while not be closed off from everything else.

In other words, the Summer Sweets Festival's kinda like finding the perfect cafe to hang out in. The vibe's similar to the Traveling Fika, a relaxed atmosphere that doesn't compel you to have to try out everything all at once but instead encourages you to take your time and explore at your own pace. As much as I enjoy festivals - even more so as I've had a hand in behind the scenes for some - they can take a lot out of me. Again, there's nothing wrong with slowing down and taking your time.

While enjoying the festivities we ran into some friends. Turns out Emmaline and Minnie had the same idea of going to the festival for one on one time. I think this is the first time I've hung out with them since their wedding. As usual, they've been traveling around the universe, though they've been slowing down a bit and visiting home more often. It's still up in the air, but they're really considering the idea of buying a place in Rosevine. They'll still be traveling but that means they'll also have a home base to go back to.

The four of us enjoyed galaxy themed dango and fresh jasmine tea while catching up. I think since getting married, Emmaline and Minnie have fallen even more in love with each other. It's always so sweet seeing them side by side, holding hands and just being together. Like me and Daisy Jane, they also took a gamble by going off on their own - they were always more bolder than us in many ways despite being younger. In a way, they seem older, though it's more of a kinda had to grow up faster because of life circumstances.

Now that I think about it, no one really comes out unscathed from their upbringing. I'm lucky to not experience the traumas Emmaline and Minnie went through, though I can relate to being seemingly older than your peers. I'm not knocking my upbringing but the culture I grew up in - where my parents were also brought up - tends to put pressure on all of us. Maybe I'm biased because I'm the firstborn daughter in an Asian family but in a way I'm kinda expected to be maternal - not that I don't want to be, it's just the pressure of being that gets to me. It's the whole idea of you have to be the best, not just for you, but for your family - in other words, you have a lot to carry on your shoulders.

Then there's the whole debate of whether I should do something because it's for me or should consider my family over myself. Eh, that's something for another time I don't feel like getting into all that today. Will I have to address it someday? Probably but I don't have the brain power to even touch on that.

After getting lost in the stars, the four of us hopped on a flying carpet for a scenic view of the harbor. They say that Falcon Harbor's known for its magical carpets, from their beautiful and intricate designs to the magic these threads possess, it's amazing to see how much work is put into making a single one. The view is absolutely gorgeous - it adds to the dreamy vibe of the festival.

Not too long after parting ways, we ran into Blossom. It was an unexpected surprise as she came here on sort of a whim. For the past year or so she's been hanging out with a time traveling professor and exploring various parts of the universe with him. She posts a lot of about her travels on social media and it sounds like she's having a blast.

Though as much as she enjoys going on adventures with the professor, Blossom finds him a hassle to get along with sometimes. She describes him as the kind of guy who's used to pretty much getting away with everything and doesn't really know how to take responsibility, so inevitably that ends up getting him into a lot of trouble. Jamie's heard stories about him and while he has good intentions, most tend to have a like-hate thing with him. I get where Blossom's coming from with the lack of foresight and accountability - like it's understandable if you're from an upbringing that neglects that but at the same time you're a grown adult so act like one.

Aside from that the professor guy sounds cool but to be honest I'm not sure if I can stand to be his traveling companion. Blossom finds him to be good company most of the time and he brings some excitement to her normally monotonous life. Now with her little sister moving across the country, Blossom finally has more freedom to do what she wants. The main reason why she accepted the professor's offer to join in on his adventures was to get away from her, which is understandable. Her sister's a lot like mine in which I love her, but she can be a bit much to deal with - and not ideal to live with 24/7. With her sister gone, Blossom doesn't have to deal with nosy siblings who, while well intentioned, make her feel bad for doing her own thing. And yes, I speak from experience.

Originally, Blossom and the professor were gonna go on a space adventure but that was scrapped at the last minute. Basically, the professor owed an old friend big time for something he sorta screwed up on the last time he visited, so now, after avoiding it for years, he has to finally pay up. It's not as bad as it sounds as he knew that he would have to own up sooner or later, plus Blossom knows them to be good friends.

As much as she wants to see the cosmos, she's been busy helping her sister with the moving out process so she'd rather have a lowkey weekend. Since she lives about 20 mins away from town, Blossom figured that maybe she'd pop in to join in on the festivities for a bit. So we enjoyed candied strawberries, tiger milk tea, and a boat ride around the harbor before going off our separate ways again.

At night, we met up again with Emmaline and Minnie to set up a picnic and watch the fireworks show. Seeing all those bright, vibrant colors against the dark night sky, it's a pretty sight to look at. We also chose a good spot to view it as there's not too many people around and the sound doesn't break our ears. After that, we hung around a bit longer, exploring stands we haven't gotten around to visiting yet. The quiet atmosphere along with the gentle glow of the lanterns - I almost didn't want to leave because it felt so comforting, especially when it's just us alone.

Did I just say "us" alone? Maybe it's just because we've known each other for so long and have a lot in common, but as much as I like having alone time, I'm starting to see myself more open to sharing that time with Daisy Jane. Not exactly interacting, but existing in the same space, doing our own thing. I still need my solo alone time, but I also wouldn't mind being alone together with Daisy Jane, like how we were at the festival.

#animal crossing #animal crossing pocket camp #Diary of a Junebug #headcanon ramble

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quarantined-with-bucky · 4 years

Text

Superpower

Bucky x Reader

Words: ~4,300

Summary: Bucky has an infatuation with The Incredibles that he might be taking too far. It takes some stern words from you to help him figure that out.

Warnings: A bit of angst, but also fluff, too

A/N: Thank you to everyone for reading and showing so much love to my last fic so much! I hope you all enjoy this one just as much. I like to write based off of little pieces of inspiration, so this time it was a tweet from Dr. Thema on Twitter and a response by Ashley C. Ford. I bolded both quotes since the quote-block format I usually use doesn’t fit right here!

...

“Super-strength is a superpower.”

“I never said it wasn’t. I was saying that you don’t have it.”

Bucky scoffs and folds his arms across his broad chest. In this moment it was hard to tell if he was puffing it out on purpose or if he had been putting in extra reps in the gym. Probably both, you decide. “Please, (Y/N), we just watched The Incredibles. We both know that I am literally Mr. Incredible.”

You couldn’t stifle your laugh. Two months ago, Bucky decided to catch up on all the movies he missed over the past seventy years. It took years to finally understand the internet, modern technology, and Wi-Fi (to be fair, you still aren’t exactly sure how that last one works, but you got the point across just fine). While Bucky had seen the basic movies: classic, old-timey movies, it was time to focus on the more enjoyable movies: kid movies. You watched Wall-E, making sure to explain the implications of that movie, Up, obviously you both cried, and Lilo & Stitch, an underrated classic.

Last night, in preparation for this mission, you’d insisted in watching The Incredibles. You thought it would hype him up for the tropical mission Steve was bringing him (and Sam) along on. And boy oh boy you were spot on. It had been twelve hours of nonstop Incredibles talk.

The night before, you two were snuggled up on the couch, mountains of blankets on top of you, bowls of popcorn and candy littered around you. Bucky’s arm slid around your back and you used the crook of his shoulder as a pillow. “What is going on here,” Bucky muttered to himself, squinting at the screen as the beginning of the movie started, Mr. Incredible fumbling around with his microphone.

You grinned in anticipation, wrapping your arms around his torso, pulling yourself closer to him. “Isn’t it so cute?” You said into his chest.

Bucky shoves his mouth full of popcorn, laughing loudly at Frozen talking about babes and Mr. Incredible ranting about the world in jeopardy. You didn’t think that he’d be laughing this much already (you know it’s a cinematic masterpiece, but still); maybe this movie was just that relatable. Although you were just a desk jockey in the Avengers tower, you knew they were always off saving the world and sacrificing themselves to do so.

It was safe to say that Bucky clearly enjoyed the movie – it just felt so realistic to him. The next morning, he spent breakfast rambling on about the fact that Syndrome literally lived in a volcano; how could Mr. Incredible not know? Tony brought up the point that Hydra set up camp in the exact opposite climate, so Bucky should cut the animators some slack. Bucky was not having it. “Aren’t you technically Edna Mode?” He rhetorically asked Tony with a deadpan stare.

Tony scoffed, holding a hand over his heart to feign hurt, before returning the glare to Bucky. “Remind me to talk to you about your hobo suit later.” With that, he left the kitchen, strutting down the hall, followed with him yelling: “no capes!” as Thor walked past him, the god raising his eyebrows in confusion.

Later that night, Bucky had to leave for a mission. You’d spent the afternoon in Bucky’s bed with each other, holding one another close; and where you tried to have some light pillowtalk, it ended up being about The Incredibles II after he got back. The two of you ended up in the shower to wash off the afternoon workout. While you were wrapped up in a robe, brushing your post-shower hair in the mirror, Bucky popped up behind you with just a towel around his waist. “Honey, have you seen my super-suit?” You could only roll your eyes and smile in response.

…

“Well if you’re Mr. Incredible, then I’m Mrs. Incredible.” You took a step closer to him, closing the space between you such that your chests are touching.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, dangerously close to the hem of your jeans. “I know,” he smiled, leaning forward to give you a kiss. “Those moves earlier? You’re even more flexible than her.”

“Cut it out, lovebirds,” Sam interrupted, his tone playful. “We don’t need a live show.”

Bucky drops his hands and leads you towards the hangar to where the jet was waiting. “All I’m saying is that I could definitely lift one of those train cars like he does. I could do more than one – ” he cuts himself off, stopping in his tracks. “(Y/N), I could juggle them.”

“Sure,” you hum, hooking your arm around his back and leaning into his side. “Although, when you think about it, you might be more of a cyborg than Mr. Incredibles, y’know?”

He groans, dropping his head and shutting his eyes. “But I don’t wanna be a cyborg.”

“We’ll watch Teen Titans then see how you feel.”

“Teen what?” He turned to stare blankly at you.

“Forget it, I’ll show you when you get back.” You smiled warmly up at him before he pulled you into a bear hug.

He kissed the top of your head and murmured “I love you” before pulling away.

“Love you, too, baby,” you responded softly. You sent him away with Steve and Sam, telling all of them to be safe before watching the jet take off.

With a sigh, you turned on your heel, seeing yourself out of the compound, heading back to your apartment. The streets of New York were busy despite the cold weather outside. Early November had its benefits: the streets were lined with orange, red, and brown as the trees were ready to shed their summer colors; but it also had its drawbacks: the streets were cold, and you could see your breath outside. You pulled your jacket tighter around you, pulling the collar closer around your exposed neck. If Bucky were here you already know he would’ve wrapped you up in his own coat to keep you warm, he would’ve held your hands in his own warm ones and nuzzled his nose against your own red nose. He was actually very sappy, when it came down to it. He was a sucker for you – constantly having to have his hands on you, make sure you were always warm.

You finished the thirty-minute walk to your apartment, taking your time to appreciate the fall scenery around you, glancing at all the Thanksgiving-soon-to-be-Christmas window displays, and enjoying the pumpkin scents around every corner. Pushing your door open, you were met with the warm heat and smell of the chrysanthemums Bucky had given you earlier that week. You tossed your keys to the side, shrugged your jacket off, and made a big mugful of hot chocolate.

You plopped down by the window and leaned your head on the glass, letting the steam from your drink warm your cheeks. You’d wondered in that moment where Bucky would be going exactly. He did mention it would be a tropical/forest vibe; the only thing you knew about that is that it’d be humid. Although you knew of Bucky’s disdain for cold, he wasn’t much of a fan of heat, either. He was much more of an autumn guy. You made a mental note to go for a walk through Central Park with him when he gets back.

He’d been gone for six days. Today was Thursday and you’d been stuck at your desk all morning. It hurt a little bit to have to walk to the Avenger’s Tower everyday without Bucky meeting you at the door (or Bucky walking with you to work, having spent the night before at your place) but you had to make do – paperwork needed to be completed.

Your eyes were aching from staring at your computer screen and your hand was cramping from all the scribbling you’ve been doing all day. The alternative was a coffee break in the café on the first floor – and you know what? Anything sounded better than work at the moment. You pop a post-it note on the door telling anyone looking for you that you’ll be back in ten. You make it to the elevator and straighten out your skirt as you stare at yourself in the reflection of the doors. Skirt a little wrinkled – nothing you can’t fix quickly in the elevator – button up shirt tucked in smartly, heels that made your feet ache, reading glasses that usually sit perched on your nose now shifted to sit on the top of your head, keeping your hair away from your face.

Despite how put-together you may look, you were exhausted and quite frankly, defeated. Not only was work kicking your ass lately but combined with the fact that Bucky was gone, and you hadn’t heard from him nearly wrecked you. Normally, he’d not take more than a day or two to reach out: a call or text simply to say he’s okay. You had to tell yourself that there was terrible reception wherever he was. That was going well for you, until you ran into Wanda one day on the elevator.

“Hey, (Y/N),” she greeted kindly, smiling wide as you entered the elevator next to her.

“Hi, Wanda, how have you been?” You responded. You’ve hung out with the Avengers at times. Usually your time with Bucky consisted of just the two of you, but sometimes you got the go-ahead to join their events and movie nights. Everyone welcomed you with open arms because not only was your personality so winning, but also you were the girl that brought Bucky out of his shell – in Sam’s words: “you made him sociable.”

“Good! It’s been busy around the complex, I’m sure you know already.” You’re not sure if she’s saying that because she’s aware of the pile of paperwork you’ve been working on for ages or if she can feel exhaustion radiating off your body.

“Yeah, you guys have given me a whole lot of paperwork,” you say, trying to give a hearty chuckle before awkwardly scratching the back of your neck.

She nods and hums in response. “The boys have been busy,” she responds casually.

You bite your lip before taking a deep breath and nodding in affirmation. “I haven’t heard from Bucky lately, so I’d imagine so.”

She shrugs – again so casually. Can she not feel the fact you’re about to freak out right now? “Actually, nobody’s heard from any of them.” How did she just end that sentence like that? Nobody’s heard from them. Not with any of this trillion-dollar equipment – it can’t connect them one continent away? She senses your panic; there’s a change in your breathing and you eyes go wide, staring now directly at the floor. “(Y/N), no. I mean – they’re fine. Just because they haven’t said anything doesn’t mean – ”

The elevator dings and opens to your floor. You politely hold up your hand to her and smile. “I get what you’re saying, Wanda. Thanks for keeping me updated.” You shuffle out the door, calling out for her to have a good day.

You make it back to your office and don’t even try to stifle your loud sigh as you plop into your chair. Fuck.

…

So, it was sufficed to say you hadn’t slept very well since that interaction. It’s been three nights since she’s told you they were basically M.I.A.; you spent your nights rolling around in bed, holding his pillow to your chest, constantly checking your phone for any kind of notification from Bucky. Without hearing from him, you didn’t know how long he’d be gone; without hearing from him, you didn’t know if he was even okay. Screw your sleeping schedule, you just needed to make sure he was even alive.

You make your way back to your office, taking a sip of the piping hot coffee and as you swing the corner you hit a brick wall.

And there was a brick wall standing in the middle of the hallway.

You gaze up at the man, blue eyes staring directly into your own. He’s breathing a little fast, especially for someone who had been standing in front of your office door, staring at the post-it note for quite some time. His hands were shoved in his pockets, shoulders a little hunched – he was nervous; something was wrong.

Very wrong.

It wasn’t even until his hand reached out to you, stopping in mid-air in front of your shirt before you noticed the coffee that spilt down the front of your shirt. It was warm, sure, but your racing heart took precedence over the splash of liquid that coated your black shirt. “Sorry, (Y/N), I – ”

“It’s fine. When did you get back?” You don’t care about the coffee; you barely even felt it. You shifted the weight between your feet, squeezing the coffee cup in your hand. Why were you so nervous? There was so much tension in the air. Just staring at him as he waited patiently for you to return from your coffee run. Neither of you knowing what to say. Its like you were strangers.

He runs a hand through his hair, huffing out a deep breath. He was actually still in uniform; you didn’t notice until you asked that question. His face was grimy, slick with sweat and remnants of mud and maybe even some flecks of blood if you squint. He then scratched at the stubble gracing his chin. “Just now.” He still can’t breathe. How was he supposed to tell you? You were certainly going to kill him when you found out.

He didn’t know what to say. He was thinking about this the whole plane ride home, the whole walk to your office, the whole ten agonizingly long minutes he’d spent waiting outside your office. But now, looking into your curiously wide eyes, glazed over with concern – you were basically paralyzed in fear; if it weren’t for your incessant shifting. It was almost driving him crazy to look at someone who is about to jump out of their skin with fear, yet unsure of what move to make or what to say. “Where is he?”

And Steve swallowed hard. “He’s okay.” You stared straight into his soul. “Well, he’s – ”

“Steve.”

“He’s alive. He got shot. A couple times.” Each fragment that left his mouth was punctuated by the prompt shutting of his mouth. It was important to him to stop himself from saying too much. Your mouth actually dropped open. There was nothing left for you to say, but your jaw dropped. He reached out and took hold of your arms in his hands. “He’s alive,” he repeated, the words not resonating in your brain (and he could see that). “He’s in med-bay. (Y/N), he is fine.” He didn’t think he could be any clearer.

Nothing made sense. You felt as though you were asked to complete a 100-piece puzzle with only three-pieces. You were struggling to comprehend anything that came out of Steve’s mouth. Instead, you sharply turned on your heel. You were calm – this cannot be emphasized enough – you walked with your shoulders pulled back and gaze straight ahead; but you weren’t looking at anything, simply following your own muscle memory on your way to the med-bay.

Steve chased after you – he walked behind you, taking long strides as to not overtake you. He kept saying your name, telling you to calm down, but you already were. Except your heart was thumping out of your chest. You couldn’t even form any more questions for Steve. Obviously: “where was he shot” was a glaring question, “how close to death was he” is another; you can’t even put those words together right now.

You shove open the doors to med-bay, blatant disregard for the coffee still in your hand, splashing now-tepid liquid again on your shirt and sleeve. That’s when you see him: sprawled out on a cot that’s too small for him; his boots hung off the end of the bed, dry mud caked to the bottom of his heavy boots, flaking onto the floor. As soon as you’d shoved the door open, Steve following you in toe, Bucky’s head lifted towards you. He actually grinned.

You’d nearly fainted. His face was littered with cuts and scrapes, dirt around each wound scrubbed away by the doctor then coated in slick, clear antibiotic. His shirt was long gone, leaving him in his combat boots still riddled with weapons (visibly and concealed, you could only assume) and his dirty boots. His chest was completely bandaged; he was grateful you’d walked in after he’d already been covered because he knew that he’d be hearing an earful from you if you’d actually been able to see the damage. This way, you’d only be able to see the wounds to change the dressing probably hours from now. His body would be nearly healed.

“James.” It was stern. You weren’t mad, per say; you couldn’t be mad – you were glad he was even alive. You didn’t know why your tone was so harsh; you were pissed that he was shot, probably due to some heroic act of saving one of his teammates, or maybe he was just being careless? You didn’t know and you didn’t want to find out – they’d never tell you which it was, anyway.

“Hey, doll,” he says casually, already trying to schmooze his way back on your good side.

“James.” This time you breathed his name, finally getting close enough to put your hands on his chest – fingertips ghosting off the edge of the gauze, where the bandage met his collarbone. He took both your hands in his, pulling them together and placing them tenderly over his heart. There must have been six layers of gauze over him – not a speck of dirt or blood poking through.

“Baby, look at me,” he whispered. You flicked your eyes up to his worried ones. His eyebrows were drawn together, mouth pressed into a firm line. “I’m fine.”

“James,” you sobbed, tears that were once held at bay now falling freely down your cheeks and falling onto his pants. You choked back any more words, nodding furiously as you found it hard to breath. He pulled your arms and yanked you to the bed and now you were sitting beside him, his hands now cupping the back of your neck, cradling your head against where his neck meets his collarbone. He cooed softly into your hair, whispering sweet nothings as he rubbed your back up and down.

“I’m okay,” he murmured. And all you could do was nod against his skin, crying more and more as he pressed each kiss onto your head.

It was probably ten minutes of crying before you calmed down, now laying against him in silence, your eyes shut resting against his shoulder. “You know,” he whispered, pulling you from silence. “I always love seeing you in your work clothes. All smart and sexy.” You couldn’t help but breathe out a laugh, snuggling further into him. “But you smell like coffee.”

…

Bucky was barred from missions for three months. And while he was physically healed within a week and a half, Steve wasn’t so sure about his mental state – and you weren’t so sure either. Actually, it had been a more than pleasant three months. He started off doing physical therapy once a day, then adding in workouts and phasing out the therapy. This occupied maybe four hours per day. That meant that the rest of his free time he spent in your office, at your apartment, and in your bed.

That would be fine with you if you could confidently say that Bucky was one hundred percent okay.

Most of the time, he’d spend all day next to you being a total chatterbox – actually, he any willing conversation he had would be about the book you were reading, that one episode of friends the two of you watched last night, rambling on remodels of his place and if he should paint his dresser. It was the unwilling conversations that he had that concerned you.

The words he’d mumble to himself as he rolled around in your bed having a nightmare. Every time, you’d spend five minutes trying to wake him up. At first you started out by nudging him awake, it developed to the state that now you had to fully grab his arm and shake him wildly to get him up. You’d sit there, pulling your hands through his hair, whispering sweet nothings until he calmed down. Every time, you’d ask him if he wanted to talk about it; he’d say now. You then asked him to tell you – you pleaded for him to let you into that side of his life. You begged to understand and cried for him – with him.

It was no different tonight.

If he wouldn’t talk, then you would. “Baby, you can’t keep doing this.” He sat up in bed, sheets twisted around his legs, leaning over with his back pressed into the iron-rung headboard. It was cool against his hot skin – the only thing making it semibearable as the bars pressed into the tight muscles in his back. “You can’t keep doing this to yourself. It’s not good for you.”

He didn’t say anything. He stared straight in front of him, his hands clasped over one another on his lap. You held one of his forearms in both hands, dragging your fingers in light patterns softly over his skin. You continue pleading with him: “you can tell me anything. Please, I hope you understand that.”

With this, he peers up at you with sorrow filled eyes. You can barely see them in the dark. “I know I can. It’s not a big deal, though. Nothing for you to worry about.”

You drop his arm in frustration, instead bringing your hands up to your hair and gripping it tightly, feeling like pulling your hair out might be a better option than bringing this conversation where it needs to go. “You have these nightmares every night, James. It’s only getting worse. I can tell that you’re hurting, and it hurts me to see you like that. No matter how much you don’t want to admit it, I can see that somethings wrong.”

He shrugs. “I can take it. Look, I’m sorry if I keep waking you up. I won’t stay over anymore.” He turns his head sheepishly towards his lap again, shoulders hunching forward. You know he thinks it’s a joke; he’s putting on an act. He wants you to curl up to his side, beg him to stay, make-out, have sex to take his mind off it, and fall asleep peacefully. You know because you’ve done it before. Multiple times.

God, he can be so annoying. “James.” Your stern tone had returned, you dropped your hands out of your hair and let them fall heavily on your lap. “A history of trauma can give you a high tolerance for emotional pain. Just because you can take it doesn’t mean you have to.”

He wasn’t sure what to do in that moment. There was nothing to say – nothing he could say. There wasn’t anything he could follow that up with; not a joke, not a sound, not even an intelligent sentence. He instead stared down at his hands, not even moving a muscle, not even to blink.

You were calm once again. You knew that your words had finally gotten through to him. Your relationship was strong: you’d built an emotional connection such that you two could be in the middle of the most serious discussions and still be able to crack a joke. But the both of you knew this wasn’t the time. That’s why he still hadn’t said anything: he didn’t have a smartass response, nor a comment he could make to get out of this one.

“Suffering is not a superpower.”

And with those final words, Bucky broke, his face contorting in pain, eyes squeezing shut and mouth falling into an open frown. His shoulders shook slowly as he struggled to breath, holding his face in his hands. You couldn’t sit idly by, so you grabbed his hands and swung a leg over him, sitting on his lap and wrapping his arms around your waist so he had something to hold on to; his arms wrapped tighter around you as his head dropped to the front of your chest, quietly sobbing into your shirt. You secured your arms around him, looping them over his shoulders and around his neck.

You sat there absorbing his tears, not saying a word, not even whispering a small “shh.” It was about time he let his emotions out and you weren’t about to cut him off now. You’d spent every waking moment with him (save for his workouts and physical therapy) so you knew how long this emotional release had been building up inside of him. Every once and a while everyone needs a good cry – Bucky hadn’t had one in years.

You didn’t know how long the two of you sat there. His sobs turned into quiet sniffles turned into calm, steady breathing. You knew this conversation was far from over. He needed therapy, or at the least needed to vent to you more often. Whatever solution you two would come up with could wait until the morning. Right now, he needed rest, he needed tranquility.

You didn’t know if he was asleep, and hell, you, yourself, were almost asleep. It wasn’t until he broke the silence when you got your answer. “Can we watch The Incredibles II?”

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #fic #fanfiction #captain america #bucky barnes imagine #angst #fluff

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letterboxd · 3 years

Photo

Truffle Hunter.

As Pig snuffles its way up Letterboxd’s best of 2021 ranks, Mitchell Beaupre hunts down writer-director Michael Sarnoski for a chat about some of the finer creative points of his Nicolas Cage-starring meditation on cookery and grief.

In a time when audiences know too many specific plot details of films months before they’re even released, the idea of a surprise sensation feels like a fleeting memory. Yet that’s exactly how one could describe Pig, the debut feature from director Michael Sarnoski. With minimal pre-release buzz and no flashy festival premiere, Pig is a film whose status has been created through sheer quality alone.

This is a true word-of-mouth smash, hailed by critics as one of the best films of the year, as well as quickly earning itself a high placement on our Top 50 of 2021. Jacob Knight praises the film as “an existential rumination regarding how people find meaning in a mostly meaningless world”, while Muriel declares it “the most unexpectedly wholesome movie I’ve seen in forever”. Not bad for a first feature.

Written by Sarnoski, from a story he developed with co-producer Vanessa Block, Pig opens on Rob (Nicolas Cage), a loner isolated in the woods with his truffle pig. Rob makes his living selling truffles to the eager and ambitious Amir (Alex Wolff), but when two people break into Rob’s home and steal his animal companion, he must do whatever it takes to be reunited with his only friend.

A rough day deserves a decent vin rouge.

While that setup led many to give Sarnoski’s film the moniker “John Wick with a pig” when the trailer dropped, the story ends up charting a course away from genre thrills and towards something else entirely. Pig is an exploration of grief, loneliness and compassion, featuring one of the finest performances of Nicolas Cage’s illustrious career.

Raised in Milwaukee, Sarnoski and co-producer Block met in college before working together on the documentary short The Testimony, which focused on the largest rape tribunal in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That film made it onto the shortlist for the 2016 Oscars, putting the two of them on a path that would lead to their breakthrough opportunity with Pig.

Sarnoski spoke with us about the origins of Pig, the long-term impacts of loss in his own life, the joy of hand-cranked pasta and Bruce Springsteen.

Congratulations on the film! How has it felt seeing this outpouring of love coming for your first feature? Michael Sarnoski: It’s been amazing. Everyone who made this movie felt for themselves that it was special, and we all put a lot of care into it. We also knew that it was a risk, a strange film we figured would hit right for some people, but then plenty of others would think it was boring and weird. We’ve been very pleasantly surprised that it’s a small minority of people who feel that way.

What was the seed of the story that would eventually sprout to become Pig? I had this image in my head of an old man in the woods with his truffle pig. There was something sweet and tragic about that. Then I began asking questions about who this guy is and why he’s out there alone in the woods. What’s his backstory? It all evolved from there.

While the first act inhabits that “John Wick with a pig” space that people were perhaps expecting from the trailer, the story then takes a swerve and becomes a somber, thoughtful character study. Could you speak about navigating that unique arc with your storytelling? We never set out to try and subvert that John Wick sort of genre. We knew that we were playing with that lone-cowboy idea of a film and some of those tropes, but we never wanted to poke fun at that or switch people’s expectations in some sense by choosing Nic to star. We never wanted to “surprise” people by making a quiet Nic Cage movie. It was always just about these characters, what this story is, what we’re trying to explore. I think if we had tried to be subversive it would have come off as hokey.

Silence plays a key part in the film, as so much is being said in those spaces between the dialogue and action. How did you want to utilize the impact of saying more with silence? From early on, we always knew it was going to be a very silent film, and that followed all the way through the edit. Some of us wanted that opening to start out the way it’s done in the movie, where it’s totally silent and the music only comes in at the very end, while others were worried that people would get bored with it. The argument against that was that if they’re going to get bored with that, then they’re going to get bored with the rest of the movie. So, we might as well just lean into it, and let them know what it’s going to be.

From there we gauged how we wanted to approach the silence throughout. There’s some beautiful music in the film that Alexis Grapsas and Philip Klein did an incredible job with that allowed us to bring this beauty and splendor into the scenes. But there were also a lot of really quiet moments where we wanted the audience to be focused on the faces of the characters, and really be feeling the space and letting the sounds of the forest, or wherever we were, come across.

Nicolas Cage, his knife skills, and cinematographer Patrick Scola.

Along with the faces, you focus a lot on hands in the film. Whether it’s in scenes of violence or making food, there’s a real emphasis on what hands are capable of. Where did the inspiration for that come from? Nic was very into the idea of conveying artistry through your hands. He spent a lot of time with local chefs to try and get the vibe of how they moved and how they worked. He was always practicing knife skills in his room. I was constantly waiting for the AD to come up and tell me that we can’t use Nic today because he cut off a finger, but thankfully that never happened. Nic really sold that emphasis on the hands. Those shots could have felt empty if it wasn’t for him. I still am surprised watching some of the little hand choices he made.

I remember there was one shot where we didn’t get it on the day. So, we set it up with his stand-in, and just had him wearing his gloves. We all watched it, and it just wasn’t the same. Nic agreed, and so we reset the entire thing just to get that one shot with his hands in there instead. It was totally worth it. He’s an incredible actor, and it comes through every part of him.

Cage is an actor with an almost otherworldly mythos about him, which allows people to sometimes forget what a tremendous performer he’s always been. What was your experience in building a relationship with him, not just as an actor, but also as a human being? I only have positive things to say. That’s not just a gimmick. From the moment he read the script, he was interested, and he really responded to the character. He was committed to bringing the script to life, and was extremely respectful towards everyone on set. He had no reason to respect me. I’m a first-time director. He could have been a total diva. He could have been whatever he wanted to be, and we still would have paid him and been happy with his performance.

He was very kind, and maybe some of this came from the character, but he was also kind of somber and quiet in general on set. At the same time, he can also be very playful and sweet, even though he was trying to remain in the mood of the character. He set the tone, in a way, for the whole crew. A crew could easily look at a first time director and decide to just slack off and scrape by, because I wouldn’t have even known the difference. The fact that Nic treated me and the material with such respect really trickled down, and was so valuable to the film.

We shot the whole thing in twenty days, so if there had been any weak link with someone not doing their job or not being totally on top of it, we would have been screwed. I credit a lot of that to Nic, and him treating this with an incredible amount of professionalism. I think that’s where a big part of his long career comes from. He’s an incredible actor, but he also takes the art form seriously, treating it as both an artist and as this being his job, knowing that you have to do both in order to get what you need across.

Do you have a favorite Nicolas Cage performance? Other than Pig, of course. There are so many incredible ones. I really love Moonstruck. I saw that a couple of years ago, right before we officially cast him, when I was going through some of his ones that I hadn’t seen. Part of it I think is because I’m half-Italian, and I felt like it was showing me a side of my life that I never realized because my Italian family is on the east coast, and we moved out to Wisconsin when I was very young. I never got to be a part of that kind of thick Italian family, and seeing that on screen gave me a taste of what that would have been like. I loved him in that role. He was the perfect balance of sincere and sentimental, and also over the top when he needed to be.

Grub’s up.

Speaking of being Italian, Pig gets deep into the transformative power of food, and of the right meal. Has food always been an important part of your life? Definitely. I’ve never worked in restaurants. The closest thing was when I worked at a snack bar at a summer camp, which was very fun and also kind of a nightmare in its own way. I think most of the importance of food for me came from when my grandma lived with us. It was after my dad passed away, when I was a little kid, and she became this sort of old Italian cook in the house who was using food as this language of love and also as a sort of control. It had a lot wrapped up in it, this sense that we’re going to have family dinners to prove that everything is fine.

I think any Italian family is that way, but especially in that situation, having that presence come into the house when I was a kid, it made food quite charged for me. It was both a form of bonding and love, but also that control. That was very important to me. As I got older she taught me how to cook some things, and I became interested in that. I had a lot of friends who were great cooks and taught me how to do different things. I’m not an amazing cook, but I love cooking.

I love that act of making something that’s about to disappear. I think if you can be okay with that, and put a lot of time and care into that, it’s kind of a therapeutic thing to do. Accepting transience is a big part of cooking.

What’s your favorite dish to cook? I would say over the pandemic I really got into making lasagne. I had my grandma’s old hand-crank pasta maker, so I was enjoying making my own pasta and lasagne with that. I don’t know if I could pick one favorite dish, but that is definitely one that contributed quite a bit to putting on the Covid pounds.

Rob (Cage) and Amir (Alex Wolff) discuss their business relationship.

There’s a scene in the film where Rob and Amir go to a restaurant and Rob has a conversation with the chef there, who used to work for him, about the idea of losing our sense of identity when we give up on our dreams in order to fill this role that society expects of us. Is that something that you personally connected with? Yeah, people ask me a lot about what I think of the high-end cuisine world, and I have to say that I wasn’t trying to solely express that this world is garbage and phony. I was looking at it as another kind of art form. Any time you have an art form that combines someone’s personal passion with some sort of economy there are going to be conflicts to navigate. Whether you’re a painter, director, writer, whatever, those are going to be things you have to juggle. How true to yourself are you going to stay?

For myself, I’ve definitely found that when I try to focus on doing something that I care about, that’s kind of all I have control over and that’s what I should focus on. Pig was that for me. This isn’t the kind of script that you write where you’re expecting a big payday. It’s this weird movie that for some reason really means something to me.

The scene climaxes with Rob saying the line, “We don’t get a lot of things to really care about”. What about this movie exemplifies the things that you really care about in your life? It’s so many things, and even more things came from going through the process of actually making it and falling in love with Portland. It’s become even more than what it was initially intended to be. I mentioned earlier that my dad passed away when I was a kid, and the most personal aspect of the film for me was exploring that idea of what grief does to us long-term.

As I’ve gotten older I’ve been watching how my family members changed the way they interact with the world and built their perception of the world around some aspect of grief. It’s not those immediate effects of shock or sadness. It’s how those things ingrain into your worldview. I became much more conscious of how I was doing that in my own life. That was the deepest, most general thing that I was bringing to it, and that I was exploring personally through the film.

As far as specific things that I care about, I think I have all the classic things. I care about my family, and my friends. I care about the world, which is why this year has been so devastating. I don’t have one single pig. I think we all have a few different pigs in our lives.

Director Michael Sarnoski on the set of ‘Pig’.

Another scene that really stands out is the one in which Rob returns to his old home and sits with this young boy, having a conversation about a persimmon tree that used to be there. Talk to me about the significance of that moment for Rob. One of the things I love about that scene is that it seems so simple, kind of quiet and basic, but it’s getting into a lot of different things. I will say one thing about that scene. That was the first scene that we shot on the first day of filming. That kid was great, but filming with a child on your first day of your first feature was very much a moment of wondering what I had gotten myself into.

That scene does a few things. I won’t get into spoiler territory, but for starters he’s going back to his old house, so it’s his first attempt to really look at his past in the face, and to acknowledge that. I like that in that moment this is also one of the first times that we hear him speak romantically of food, because those things are very tethered to each other.

We get both the sense that there was a past, a personal path that he left behind, but intricately involved in that was how he interacted with food and his art. It’s the first time that we hear him acknowledge who he was in a way that’s okay. He tells the kid his name, and he’s acknowledging his identity that he’s been trying to hide from or ignore. Through doing that, it’s engaging with his passions and how that tethers everything together. I also thought it was cute explaining what persimmons were to a little kid.

I’ve got to ask you about the use of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire’ in a very meaningful moment. What made that the perfect song choice for that scene? Obviously, who’s singing it is very meaningful. I liked that song, though, because it’s different from the sappy direction we could have gone with that moment. There’s something very passionate about ‘I’m On Fire’, of course, and it’s a pretty sexual song. It’s really charged, but it also has this kind of ethereal quality to it that’s seductive in a non-sexual way. It washes over you, and it feels very mystical. This sounds so “film talk”-y, but I liked that meeting of that transcendent, abstract feeling with that immediate sense of passion and love and obsession.

Finally, what’s the film that made you want to become a filmmaker? Probably Sam Raimi, his first Spider-Man movie. That was the first time I realized what directors do. I had a very strong association with Spider-Man growing up as a comic-book fan, and I was seeing how someone was filtering their own understanding of this character. Raimi coming from his horror background and being into the nitty gritty filmmaking with practical effects and everything, I got this understanding of how a director touches a film and shapes it.

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Rachel West discovers Nicolas Cage is her most-watched actor of all time

Letterboxd’s Official Top 50 of 2021—Jack Moulton’s list

Follow Mitchell on Letterboxd

‘Pig’ is currently in US cinemas via NEON, and available to buy/rent on digital.

#nicolas cage #pig #pig film #neon #neonrated #neon rated #nic cage #cooking films #cookery film #films about chefs #truffles #truffle pig #truffle hunter #letterboxd #filmmaker

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tinalbion · 4 years

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Tina thank you for this! I have a spicy request for ya! Two dialog prompts, we got “You know, there wasn’t a single thing to eat in the kitchen until you walked in.” and pair that with “It’s okay, honey, you can pull my hair as hard as you want while I’m between your legs.” for...Drum roll please....BUDDY SWANSON! Gimmie that sweet cooking boy having some fun in the kitchen with the reader, doesn't have to be kept to just oral either, have fun with it, do whatcha want I TRUST YA! Love you! 🖤

UM HELL YES, YOU ARE THE FUCKIN QUEEN AND I CANNOT HANDLE THE PURE SEXUAL ENERGY THESE TWO LINES HAVE.

Seriously tho, I am so very excited to be writing for Buddy for the FIRST time ever and I really do hope I did the boy justice, I will admit I was nervous as fuck for this. I’m happy with the way it came out.

Rating: Explicit

Words: 3.1k

Warnings: Sexual tension and innuendos, cunnilingus, kitchen sex, fingering

╺

“Chocolate”

╺

Summer was here and things were kicking off to a great start.

Whatever happened between you and your two new love interests only progressed further and at a fast rate, you weren’t expecting it to kick off as you did, but you weren’t going to be the one to complain at all. You finally had some time for yourself after you had escorted the campers off to their divided activities, watching as they all ran off and spread out into evenly dispersed groups, friends talking amongst one another. You smiled at the thought of the kids having the best summer they could all thanks to the staff at Camp Clear Vista.

You had begun to make your way back to the main camp when you spotted Buddy walking into the back door of the kitchen, carrying a large box, but now that you had a moment, you were going to find out what it was. You needed the time to unwind and Buddy was more than a good enough distraction for you, so what was the harm in seeing what he was up to. You looked around and saw that everyone else had either gone back to their cabin or had been in a session with the kids, so you crept through the back door quietly, not alerting him of your presence just yet.

He carefully removed the contents of the box and placed them on the freshly wiped down prep table, the bags, and small boxes spread out where Buddy could easily read everything. He muttered to himself and read off the ingredients as he hummed to himself, his attention focused on his task. Weaving in and around the kitchen, through the walk-in cooler and toward the cabinets, he was able to gather all he needed until he heard a small sound near the back of the kitchen. His head jerked up and that's when he noticed you standing there, arm resting confidently against the doorframe.

"Oh, didn't realize I had a visitor," he teased with a reserved smirk, brushing his curls from his eye.

"You seemed focused, didn't wanna disturb you when you're in the zone." You shot him back a playful grin and crossed your arms as you took a few steps towards the table. “Plus I may or may not have been looking for a snack, just finished up helping with setting up the nature hike groups. I’m famished.”

He finished setting down the measuring cups and looked up at you, his expression was almost unreadable. “You know, there wasn’t a single thing to eat in this kitchen until you walked in,” Buddy delivered the line smoothly, his hands already quick at work with the materials he had before him.

All you could do was laugh and shake your head in embarrassment, not wanting to show just how much you liked the line. "I can only imagine how long you've been wanting to use that line," you mused, leaning forward against the table. "Whatcha making?"

"Caramel marble brownies, I figured it would be a nice treat for the kids after dinner." Buddy had been too busy mixing everything to make direct eye contact, but you could see him peeking from the corner of his eye, his smile slowly growing. His mind was wandering like it normally did when you were in the vicinity, but he would play this out.

Your eyes lit up at the mention of baked brownies, the thought taking you back to childhood. It wasn’t until now that you realized it had been way too long since you enjoyed any real baked goods. Boxed ones just weren’t the same, so seeing as Buddy knew how to make them from scratch was a delightful tidbit that you didn’t know you needed to hear.

“Oh, can I help?” you asked excitedly, clapping your hands together as you looked expectantly at him.

He grimaced a little since he was rather protective of his workspace, but he knew you well enough that his kitchen would be in good hands, so with a sigh he slid the large silver mixing bowl your way. “You know how to make brownies from scratch?” he asked wistfully, taking a step behind you as you began to mix the ingredients together.

“I will admit, it’s been a while since I’ve made decent desserts, but with your skillful hand and willingness to teach, I’m sure I’ll be in good hands.” You smiled down at the bowl and then looked up to see Buddy staring at you, and it wasn’t just any stare, this was intense. You turned away quickly and tried to hide the obvious blush across your face.

Truth was, even though you two had already been intimate, Buddy just brought that side out in you and you were always so flustered with how dominant he could be. With Sam, it was soft and sensual, but with Buddy? Oh, it was on another level. You never complained nor would you ever, but there was just something about him today that was giving off more of an intimidating vibe. Moments later, you focused on him and he was concentrating on mixing together the melted caramel squares and evaporated milk together until it was combined well enough to make a thick enough caramel sauce.

“You know, I always did like chocolate as a kid,” Buddy said as he slid the smaller bowl over toward you, “what about you? Any sweet treats you enjoyed as a kid?” He grabbed the ungreased pan from beside you and slowly started to spray the nonstick baking spray in all corners.

You smiled and shrugged your shoulders. “Didn’t really appreciate it as a kid, I do know though, especially with desserts. Went out to a fancy dinner with the folks and they had a fondue fountain with fruits and whatnot to dunk in it. Nothing tasted better than strawberries covered in warm chocolate sauce.”

Buddy listened intently as you described one of your favorite memories, your discovery of all fine things to do with dessert. He loved it when you talked about things you recalled back from your childhood, it was almost like he could live vicariously through you and erase his horrific memories. He took the bowl from you after you finished mixing the batter and inspected it carefully.

“Good job, looks perfect. Wanna do the honors?” He held up the small spatula that was covered in the chocolate batter, the droplets spattering onto his hand.

You nodded and grabbed the utensil from him, your tongue immediately licking up the layer of batter. Buddy watched you and bit his bottom lip so hard that he almost drew blood. You were oblivious until you went for the second lick and saw the fist he had resting on the prep table, your eyes darted up to meet his and you knew what he was thinking the moment your eyes met. The smile he gave you could have made you drop to the floor in an instant.

“You know, I wasn’t lying when I said there wasn’t anything to eat until you walked in,” Buddy recalled, licking the fallen batter off of his own hand while maintaining eye contact with you. His smirk, damn, that smirk he gave you only made you weak in the knees.

“And what exactly are you implying, Buddy?”

He set the spatula down and firmly spun you around with his hand on your shoulder, pushing you against the table as he pressed in between your legs, a concentrated look in his eyes as they peeked out at you through his curls. “Oh I think you know what I’m implying,” he growled as his hands slowly began to slide under your camp counselor shirt, the hem of your bra just above where his fingers stopped. “But that all depends on you.” He reached in and dipped his finger in the batter, licking it off painfully slowly as you watched. He gauged your reaction and knew damn well you couldn’t resist.

Without even dwelling on it, you nodded your head and quickly pulled him into a heated kiss, his lips already making you melt as his hands began to undo your jeans button. He easily lifted you from the table and onto your feet so he could properly dispose of your clothing, but then it was right back onto the prep table with you as his fingers slowly made their way in and out of you, his lips never breaking away from yours.

With just his touch he could have you undone in minutes and Buddy knew this, but he needed to be sure you were worked up enough, he loved seeing you like this because of him. He reached over toward the bowl and dipped his two fingers inside, gathering a bit of the batter on his fingertips, and he placed them against your lips as soon as he pulled away. Fuck, this was so hot, who knew Buddy was so into this?

Your mouth was sucking on his fingers, holding in your moans and cries that you so desperately wanted to release, but you had no intentions of getting caught by a bunch of kids or the rest of the camp staff. You focused on the chocolate as his other hand continued to pump into you, a third finger finally curling within you, your moan just a bit too loud. Buddy removed his fingers from your mouth and looked down at you, his gaze a little too mischievous for your taste.

“If you’re too loud, you’ll get us caught, then we’ll have to stop. Surely you don’t want that?” His toe was so mocking that it just made you even more of a mess, but you pouted and nodded your head in agreement, you surely didn’t want that.

He touched your bottom lip with the fingers that had been in you, his smile growing as he watched you suck them clean without him having to say a word. The sound that came from him was almost animalistic as you kept eye contact while you finished cleaning his fingers, then he went in for another sloppy kiss. His mouth slowly began to trail down your jaw and then made its way to your breasts as he lifted your shirt, your moans a lot more silent for the moment.

Again, his hand dipped into the bowl and smeared the batter over your breasts, watching as the liquid threatened to drip down and ruin your nice, clean bra, but his tongue was lapping it up before it did. Buddy made sure to take his time with this as he only ended up licking some of it off, the rest smearing even further across your skin. You giggled as he made it a point to suck on as much of your skin as he could before getting to the main course. You figured it wouldn’t hurt to help yourself to the mix and scooped a little from the bowl, moaning against your fingers as Buddy nipped at your sensitive flesh. He pulled away and went lower, kissing your inner thighs softly and again nipping at your skin, your cute little yelps filled the kitchen.

You didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly but Buddy’s mouth had made it to your heat, and his tongue dragged up your slit in a slow motion, causing your legs to shake, a drew out ‘fuck’ escaped you. He was merciless as he continued to eat you out, his hands grabbing firmly at your plush thighs while he swirled his tongue around, your body jerked every so often from the sheer pleasure. The contrast of the chilled table and the warmth of his tongue was almost too much to take at once.

Your fingers curled into his hair, gripping it ever so slightly to guide him to where you wanted to feel him. You felt the small chuckle vibrate against you and you were almost in over your head, your head was thrown back and you moaned out his name. Those fingers that ran through his curls never eased up and he had to admit that he loved when you showed him just how much you were enjoying yourself.

Buddy pulled away for a moment, licking his lips as your slick coated his chin, his eyes looking you over. “Oh I’m not done yet, but it’s okay honey, you can pull my hair as hard as you want while I’m between your legs,” he muttered with a shit-eating grin.

Before you could respond to him, he was back to pleasing you with his tongue, stopping your thoughts before you could even form them, and you couldn’t help the moan that did follow. To hell with being quiet, he was making it more than difficult to behave, but the kids were far enough away that you shouldn’t have to worry about it. The thought was far from your head within seconds as he continued to make you squirm, your mouth hanging open and your eyes rolled back, you were feeling absolute bliss.

“Oh God, Bud-dyyyy,” you cried out, “please, just -fuck- keep going!”

You weren’t going to last much longer though and Buddy knew it, so he sped up his actions and thrust his tongue in, swirled it along your lips, sucking up your wetness that threatened to spill down your legs. He was hungry and he needed you to cum. Your grip on his hair only tightened the closer you got, your legs shaking like crazy as you whispered his name in warning, but you couldn’t even tell him. You cried out, breathless and panting as your cum coated the lower half of his face, but he didn’t mind one bit as he attempted to lick it from his lips, the rest he wiped off on one of the hand towels that was closeby.

Buddy chuckled as he stood before you and slid his hand behind your neck, bringing you up to kiss him. You tasted yourself on him and moaned against him, his smile only widening.

“Damn, that was-”

“Who said I was finished?” Buddy interrupted.

You looked at him and bit your lip, wondering what else he had in store for you, but there was no waiting around with him. He already had you positioned over the table, bent and spread for him like a goddamn meal. His hand slowly slid its way down from your side to your hip, then his hand made contact with your ass as he gave it a playful but solid smack. A yelp followed by laughter; you were having way too much fun. Buddy had unbuttoned his pants and allowed himself to spring free, rubbing it against your soaked lips while one of his hands slid under your bra, grabbing your breast.

“It’s my turn now, babe,” he whispered into your ear.

Prodding your entrance with his hard-on, he slowly slid within you and groaned as he felt you clench around him. ‘Oh fuuuck,” he sighed.

His hands were gripping your hips as he pushed into you, stretching you out until he was buried deep within you, just relishing in the feeling of you wrapped around him. The more he fucked you, the more labored his breath became and he was having too much of a good time feeling you beneath him, but when you pushed against him and rolled your hips it was almost too much for him. He stopped as his hands roamed along your sides, sliding down to your ass as he pushed you forward slightly, watching as he slid out of you slowly. Buddy picked up the pace again and he kept one hand on your hip while the other reached around and gently began to rub your clit, and you let out a whimper while he placed more pressure on it, causing your sounds to grow even louder.

“Bud-dyyyy, please, fuck,” you begged, your eyes fluttering as you tried your best to bite your tongue, but he was close and you could feel it.

You didn’t know how long you two had been at it but you knew that the kids would be back pretty soon, and the thought of being caught by one of the other counselors wasn’t on your list of plans, but the very thought of it only made the tingling in your spine grow. Buddy began to grunt as he rested his chest against your back so he could fuck you as deep as he possibly could, the feeling of you clenching down on him only made him thrust harder into you.

“Fuck, I’m not gonna last much longer,” he warned against your ear.

His hand on your clit didn’t stop either as he mercilessly slammed into you, and within minutes, you came undone around him. You couldn’t stop the loud moan that followed your orgasm, the pleasure washing over you as you leaned fully onto the prep table to catch your breath, but thankfully Buddy followed close behind and came deep inside you, the movement of his finger against your clit slowed until he finally pulled away. You were both panting and heaving as you stood there as you allowed your high to fade, and Buddy slowly pulled out of you as he placed several kisses against your back, then fixed his pants and turned you around to help with yours, the intensity of the moment still feeling a bit high.

He looked down at you and laughed almost a little too loudly, something you hadn’t heard him really do around you. “What? What is it?” you asked in confusion, your hand instinctively wiping at your face.

Buddy shook his head through his laughter and sighed while he reached for a bit more of the brownie batter, then gently booped it onto your nose. “You got a little something on ya, Y/N,” he teased.

What both of you hadn’t expected was Sam to walk in, blissfully unaware of what just transpired moments prior, walking into the kitchen as he hummed a song and dug into the employee fridge to grab his lunch. He smiled as he saw you two and looked at your face, a large smile across his. He stepped up close to you and swiped your nose, taking some of the batter with him.

Sam popped the batter into his mouth and chuckled lightly. “Hey Buddy, hey Y/N, ya missed a bit. I’ll see you guys later” And with that, he was gone again, getting back to his group of kids.

You both watched as he walked out of the kitchen, completely unaware, or so you thought, and you couldn’t help but bust out into a fit of laughter with Buddy shaking his head as he wore the biggest grin you’ve ever seen. You really had been one of the luckiest people on the planet to land such a great pair of guys.

#tinalbion writings #slashers x reader #slashers imagines #slashers headcanons #slasher requests #buddy swanson #metal killer #buddy swanson x reader #buddy swanson imagine #Stage Fright (2014)#smut #citrus slashers #I HOPE YOU LIKE IT BEX #I love this boy

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dorkylittleweirdo · 4 years

Text

things i remember from cult camp

so i was at this cult school for two years, so that means i went to cult camp twice. but they were at two different places and both of them Sucked

so my first year

the bus ride was SIX BLOODY HOURS LONG

i met my now best friend on that bus ride bc she asked to sit next to me and i went 😒, we didn’t talk for three hours, i put on my anime sweatshirt, she knew the fucking anime, and we’ve been best bros since then

out bus took a wrong turn and we got Lost for a hot minute but me and my Bro were unaware bc we were busy vibing

so we had chapel as soon as we got there. they asked us to stand if we hadn’t accepted god into our hearts. i stood, as did my Bro and another girl from my soon to be group of friends. three of us standing. out of maybe 200 people who all looked repulsed by us. i started crying bc i thought i was gonna get kicked out of the school. someone i hung out with later told me he thought i was having a religious experience and i had a good laugh telling him that nah, i just thought i was gonna get expelled

my Bro and i were in the same house and our last names put us in the same cabin so we bunked together

one of the teachers got mad at me bc i wasn’t singing the worship songs

so i was on the cross country team and the team wanted us to be The First sports team working out every morning for some reason. FIVE IN THE GODDAMN AM, we were outside iN THE COLD MOUNTAIN AREA, it’s like oNE DEGREE OUTSIDE, i’m in sHoRtS and a tAnKtOp, it’s so fUcking dark i needed a flashlight to even see two feet in front of me. AND EVERYONE ELSE WAS FUCKING LATE. i was waiting for deadass 10 minutes before anyone else showed up. i was cold, i was scared, i was standing there freezing my ass off, flashlight in hand. everyone came tho and we ran but holy fuck i mean i Could Not see the trail, i just followed the sound of everyone’s footsteps

so it’s like a little past 7 in the morning by the time we’re done with practice, and chapel was at 8, so i was going back to my cabin to shower before taking an hour long nap in chapel. my junior year spanish teacher stopped me, pulls me aside, and real quiet “JC i can see your bra”. nO SHIT. i go “oh yeah this was fro cross country, i’m gonna shower and change now”, she goes “well you might wanna choose something else to practice in bc that’s not appropriate”. so me being a salty lil bitch, i tuck my arms into my tank top and pull off my sports bra, pop my arms back out, smile at her, and go on my way

i bought ear plugs at the lil store they have bc chapel was way too loud

almost got in trouble for bringing my “controversial” opinions to chapel

everyone got so fucking mad bc they were giving out lil bottles of water and i was like “oh thank fuck i’m so thirsty” so i drank it. it was holy water

and now my second year. arguably more fun bc i had a Solid friend group of sinners

so the bus ride was only three hours to this place. my Bro and i sat next to each other and listened to bops and shared memes until we didn’t have service anymore

we got put in the same cabin again. the dynamic duo

my favorite memory is recreating the “welcome to bible study we’re all children of jesus” vine in our cabin after everyone left

so my second favorite memory. they told us not to have food in our cabins bc there were bears around. my friends and i hid some food in bushes. we thought “well bears probably won’t come, but if we see some raccoons that would be lit”. well not only did we attract one bear, we attracted three

there were so many frogs. we had so much fun catching them lmao

we played cards against humanity outside every night. one time a teacher asked what we were playing and i panicked and blurted out “apples to apples” and she went on her way, so we started calling it apples to apples but better

okay i talk so much shit about this camp but like. the night sky. that’s the main reason i went, just so i could see that. it’s so breathtakingly beautiful, like if it had been Not christian cult camp it would’ve been way cooler, like if i had done something like that with my summer camp. but something about it hits real different when you’re laying in the grass staring up at the sky with your fellow sinners at a camp where you’re forced to pray to a god you’ve never believed in. it’s so holy and sacrilege all at once

a girl from my grade looked over to see me drawing Sinful Things the gays kissing and she’s like “tf you doing” and real sarcastic i go “tryna summon the devil, do you Mind” and she scoffs and goes “even if you could do that, we’re in church” i go “so” she goes “so the devil can’t be in church, it’s consecrated ground” and i look her dead in the eye and say “then how am i sitting here right now”

my Bro and i slept in and we missed breakfast and we were doing things listening to music alone in our cabin bc phones aren’t allowed at cult camp so we had to do it in secret during lunch, so we were Starving by the time we had free time after afternoon chapel. the teachers literally wouldn’t let us go get our snacks from the snack room even tho they were ours. cons of being full of sin i guess. so there were cactus fruits growing around our cabin and i go “hey we can eat those, i know how to peel em and shit”. so we grabbed a few and went behind our cabin to eat them and i stg we ate that shit like we’d never eaten in our lives. so naturally we were covered in juice when we were done and we were like “okay let’s shower and change since it’s still free time” so we rolled back up into our cabin. the other girls are already there, changing and talking. they look at us and just go quiet. “what happened to you guys??” my Bro goes “don’t ask” then walks into the shower. they look at me, thinking we freshly murdered and ate someone or something. juice all over my face, my hands, my clothes. “don’t go behind the cabin”, and i go to the other shower

they had a milkshake shop, so we went there every night. one of my other friends and i sang a lot. this was before i destroyed my throat and had to start over, so i was pretty decent at the time. it was a lot of fun. nights were filled with aching laughter, fries, and milkshakes

a massive moth got into out cabin and since i’m the resident bug person, it was my job to catch it and put it outside. girls are screaming, my short ass is scrambling up the bunk beds trying to catch it, it was a mess

the bus broke down on the way back so we took a field trip to walmart after going to the mall for snacks

#cult school #jesus cult school #private school #school stories #cult camp

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ftslianne-blog · 5 years

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( KIM DOYEON , CIS FEMALE , SHE/HER ) did you just see LIANNE RYU pull up on campus for the new semester ? they’re the TWENTY ONE year old in DELTA ZETA ALPHA right ? i heard they’re a TREASURER . it makes perfect sense because they’re RANCOROUS , but at the same time BEGUILING . i wonder when the black sheep is going to drop the big secret that they PAID OF THE PEOPLE SHE USED TO BULLY TO KEEP HER REPUTATION INTACT . anyway , i constantly hear them blasting SPICE GIRL BY AMINÉ , tell them to keep it down , it’s quiet hours .

whew , miss doyeon could step on my neck ! hello angels and gems , i’m koa and i’m super excited to be here . i love a good greek life rp , so i was happy to come across this in the tags ! i’m not gonna lie , lianne is a pretty brand new muse but kind of a mosh of characters that i’ve played in the past , so let’s cross our fingers that all goes well . my discord can be shared dependent on request as sometimes it doesn’t want to let people add me , but if you’re down to plot in the dm’s i’m fine with that too . i have a link to some connections that can be found here , and at the bottom of this intro you can find some more ! without further ado , here is miss lianne ryu !

BIRTH NAME : ryu do - hee . PREFERRED NAME : lianne ryu . NICKNAME(S) : lia , exclusively . BIRTHDATE / AGE : january 17th , 1999 / 21 . ZODIAC : capricorn . HOMETOWN : sherman oaks , california ( take a peek ) . GENDER : cis female . NATIONALITY : korean - american . ETHNICITY : korean . HEIGHT : five foot , eight inches ( 5′8″ ) . LABEL(S) : the sovereign , the million dollar baby , and the amaranth . ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : biromantic . SEXUAL ORIENTATION : bisexual . OCCUPATION : international relations major at ucla , treasurer of delta zeta alpha , and outsider hitter for the women’s volleyball team . LANGUAGES SPOKEN : english , korean , and conversational french ( as a major requirement ) . POSITIVES : beguiling , candid , ebullient , intelligent , and cosmopolitan . NEGATIVES : rancorous , haughty , bull - headed , unscrupulous , and sanctimonious .

background .

bang ji - eun and ryu tae - ho were students at the university of southern california when they met one another . tae - ho was a human rights student with intent on becoming a lawyer , and he encountered the beautiful romance language and literature major that was ji - eun when they both attended a peaceful protest . the two wound up next to one another and sparked a conversation from there , and once their protesting was over , they decided to go on a date that very same night . their relationship was something of a whirlwind , and within a year , the two were eloping at the courthouse .

their families thought they were crazy , especially since their rings consisted of little cheap ones from macy’s ( and tae - ho proposed with her favorite food ) but it was that shared weirdness that kept the couple together . as tae - ho worked his way through law school following their graduation from usc , ji - eun jumped right into working for a publishing firm . the couple didn’t come from a wealthy background by any means , but they were living comfortably . after a couple of years of marriage , tae - ho graduated from law school and went to work as a defense attorney . it wasn’t an easy job , but he loved what he did and made that evident in the work that he did .

fast forward a few more years , and ji - eun has moved up in her company as has tae - ho . they’re making more money , and they make their move to the beautiful suburbs of sherman oaks . they work hard for more years , and just as they enter into their mid - thirties , they’re welcoming their first and only baby girl into the world . they decide to name the big brown eyed baby do - hee , and she’s showered in their love . her parents began calling her lianne from the time she was a baby , often switching between korean ( where they called her do - hee ) and english ( where they called her lianne , but sometimes the lines blurred ) . as lianne grew older , her parents made even more money with her mom becoming the editor - in - chief of the publishing house and her father becoming one of the most sought after defense attorneys in the los angeles area .

for lianne , that meant growing up with whatever she wanted . however , her parents were still quite hands - on with her , so she was never left in the care of nannies . she grew up doing everything she could imagine , but that didn’t stop her parents from putting her in different week long camps over the summers . she tried her hand at tennis camp , basketball camp , ballet camp , and even a stem camp , but when she was in middle school she attended a volleyball camp right before her seventh grade year . she’s been hooked ever since . lianne always made sure to keep up her grades while playing because she never wanted to miss a game , so it was no surprise when she obtained a partial athletic scholarship to ucla !

during her high school years , though , it was no secret that lianne was at the top of the social ladder . she played a sport , was whip smart , and was student body president so it wasn’t all that shocking for her to be mean to the students around her . it wasn’t necessarily on purpose , but she can be quite domineering at times . she didn’t know how to take no for an answer despite not being ridiculously spoiled as she grew up , but she was also in the mentality of being an only child so she ultimately did get what she wanted . she definitely wasn’t the bully that got onto people about their lack of money , but she was definitely going to get in your face about voting for her for something she was running for until you stuffed the ballot with her name .

lianne is an international relations major at ucla and she joined delta zeta alpha during her sophomore year , and worked her way to becoming the treasurer of the srat . she’s super into her major and will probably go off to work in politics as a political analyst , or she might pull a meghan markle ( also an international relations major ) and dismantle a royal house . you know , icons only . that being said , she’s still relatively new so i’m still working out some kinks , but that’s the gist of my daughter !

headcanons .

she cruises around los angeles in a white volvo xc60 . we love a practical queen .

she’s been playing volleyball since she was in middle school , and has stuck with it ever since . she does club during the summers to remain in shape , but she’s sad that it’s coming to an end .

some people don’t think she’s an international relations major because she wants to be , but she does !

that being said , she doesn’t dress as conservatively as most business majors but she’s very serious about her major .

she’s 100% based on red head doyeon at this current moment but black haired doyeon is gonna make an appearance once i get tired of it lmao .

a tennis skirt enthusiast .

she uses way too many emojis in her texts and that’s never going to change .

she’s most comfortable in her own space , but she likes being around other people as well . her favorite thing to get food from is leo’s taco truck and that’s probably never going to change .

personality .

overall , lia is a girl who knows her worth and isn’t going to let you forget it . she’s really smart , but not in an annoying way , and she definitely won’t dumb herself down for anyone . she likes to have fun and when she’s out for the night she definitely won’t be thinking about school , but if she’s studying ... don’t even ASK her to go out . you gotta have a solid work / life balance , y’know ? very headstrong and it takes a lot to admit that she’s wrong , but she’s also the worst person to cross , so be careful ! she’s fun - loving and she isn’t an outright bitch for no reason , but she’s not gonna take that and just sit back with it . she barks back .

desired relationships .

as for some connections , i’d genuinely love just about everything ! i’ve listed some specifics down below , but if you’d rather work based on chemistry or if you want to simply brainstorm we can do that ! also , if you had anything that you wanted to do , please let me know !

a best friend ! they don’t necessarily have to be from delta , but honestly someone who she gets along with the best and who she can really be herself around .

i’d die for an enemy / rival ? someone who she genuinely does not vibe with or like at all , and there’s really no way of them ever becoming friends . they probably subtweet each other or be really shady on instagram , but they feed into their dislike for one another and probs let their friends hype them up sometimes ? i don’t want to godmod the plot , but it could it could be fun !

some generic things like friends with benefits , gym buddies , high school friends , confidant(s) , good or bad influence , one night stand(s) , ex(es) , enemies with benefits , and frenemies .

ooo , a squad from high school ! maybe they’ve since drifted a part or they’re still as close as ever , but omg reliving high school memories 🥺 .

alright i am a lover of any and everything written in angst , so please give me an angsty exes thing so i can hand you my heart on a silver platter !

a slow burn / will they , won’t they would be so much fun too ESPECIALLY if there are extenuating factors on why they can’t be together and ugh . please rip my heart out i’m actually begging you to .

#rushqs:intro #bullying tw #bully tw #just to be safe !#i still need to make snap icons ... [ ninki minjaj vc ] yikes !

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yiling · 4 years

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Untamed rewatch Episode 10

GREMLIN TIME GREMLIN TIME

-see the first time I watched this, I misread xingchen having tracked xue yang entirely and i thought xxc and xy had known each other for a While...like xue yang was his evil ex or something. that impression intensified when song lan was introduced. I still kind of stand by that interpretation lol, it’s funny

-xue yang deeply fucking obnoxious but i love

-“let’s just watch” oh my god wwx. you could’ve pulled him off balance with that talisman way more than you did, you know. I know you’re getting your own personal martial artsmovie here, but come on dude

-this fight is really cool tho!! I love yi city gang!!!

-xxc’s tiny smile when he says “Zichen” just fuck me up

-“I happened to hunt nearby” uh huh, I’m sure song lan, you just HAPPENED to BE IN THE AREA...

-ahh everyone admires songxiao so much! lwj actually smiles the tiniest little bit when he says their titles, which is adorable, and wwx and jc are also clearly impressed. honestly I can imagine them all nursing secret dreams of being independent cultivators for a while after this

-one day I’ll write a very unfortunate wwx/xy ship manifesto and it’ll just be this scene

-xue yang’s expression when wwx asks why he killed the Chang clan...chilling. there’s so much here that hits harder on a rewatch, wow.

-oh wwx calls him xiao-xiong, cute-I wonder what meng yao’s motivation is in asking songxiao to come back to the unclean realm with them - trying to secure advantages for his sect?

-I love wwx being like “oh you guys are just like me and lan zhan!!” like, the “young queer person just starting to figure themselves out sees themselves in older gay couple” vibe is so strong and like. I really do have a lot of feelings about it

-I also feel very deeply about this one-minute conversation wwx and xxc have. wwx wants so badly to know about his mom :( and xingchen is so kind about it. I think it’s interesting what his expression does when he mentions not being able to go back. he misses living on the mountain a little, I think. it’s amazing how much character he’s invested with for how little we ultimately see of him. -“don’t forget me xingchen!” hoo boy.

-again, I originally interpreted those glances songxiao give each other as “that’s your creepy ex right?” “yeah, don’t worry about it, I’ll explain later”. amusing in hindsight.

-lwj gazing after xxc and sl as they leave, and the look he and wwx share...the sheer amount of Longing infused into this episode is...wow.

-I think this meeting plants some seeds for lwj’s later choices, too. it clearly does for wwx, he’s very gung ho about the idea of working together based on likemindedness rather than blood, but lwj needs some more time to admit to himself that that’s what he wants.

-hey is lwj smiling a little when they get to the unclean realm? I wonder if he’s spent a lot of time here with his brother

-cannot pay Any attention to what anyone is saying at the unclean realm cause I’m just watching xy’s stupid face

-ooh evil summer camp is coming up

-hey nmj calls him wangji, that’s cute and interesting. it’s clear he and lxc have known each other for a quite a while, so he probably is at least friendly with the younger Jade by association

-the first time we watched this scene with xy and nmj, my sister was, like, pretending to do xue yang’s internal monologue, which was mostly variants on “yes daddy” and I had to tell her to shut up because I was laughing so hard

-WHEN THEYRE TALKING ABOUT HOW NMJ VALUES MENG YAO, XUE YANG IS GIGGLING IN THE CORNER...DOES HE THINK THEY’RE BANGING

-xue yang and meng yao do a Lot of significant glancing at each other this episode. game recognize game. I wonder when meng yao decided that xy was an asset to him

-if the unclean realm had a decent HR department we could’ve avoided all this

-the xue yang-xue chonghai connection is stupid and does significant damage to xue yang as a character, the whole point of xy is that he’s got no background and no ancestry, he really is just some asshole who does what he wants

-oh hey it’s wen zhuliu

-okay but why does Netflix translate red blade master but no one else’s title

-the earnest shock and hurt on nmj’s face when meng yao kills the captain...ouch

-legit thought meng yao was gonna be killed at this part the first time I watched it

-around here my mom asked if yanli was the only actual female character (this episode is a complete sausagefest) and I was like no...except...yeah...the women situation is so dire in this show, and like it’s partly from the source material, but still. it irritates me whenever I pay attention to it.

-does wen chao call xy a tragic lad...what

-nhs pacing anxiously with his fan while his brother confronts meng yao...yikes

-my mom thought nmj and meng yao were actually brothers for some reason?

-“I don’t regret having met you, chifeng-zun” really rhymes with “if I could die by your hand it would be worth it”, huh. his expression, too

#cql #the untamed #untamed rewatch liveblog #mine #i've seen people point to this episode as where things really start to pick up plot wise and i agree with that #what with allusions to yi city in the future and setting up jiggy's Whole Entire Thing #also i'm clearly deeply biased due to being an inveterate songxiaoist but i think letting them meet wangxian while they were all living was #a really good choice #i just liked this episode a lot idk man!

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umichenginabroad · 5 years

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Level 5: Adventure of a Lifetime

Curious about where this stunning view is? You are about to find out.

Hello and welcome to one of the most thrilling levels of my journey (yeah, I lied in Level 4 that this one won’t be demanding). I am sorry I have been AWOL for a while and the game has been on hold but here we are, back again with more action than ever.

So after the summer term at UNSW ended and I successfully survived my Circuit Theory final exam, we had a week off before T1 (the first trimester) starts. This is the only major break exchange students, who are here for the tailored term, get so everyone takes the opportunity to travel and explore different parts of Australia (or the world). Some students had their parents visiting them so they went on a trip with them. Most exchange students headed off to New Zealand, and some do the East Coast trip in Australia which includes visiting the world famous Great Barrier Reef and the Gold Coast. I decided to visit Tasmania with my friends.

Tasmania, or Tassie as the locals call it here, is a small island only about an hour and a half away from Sydney via air. Before we start the level, let me introduce you to the key players we will encounter a lot in this post.

Firstly, Tin Ray Liou a.k.a Bruno, our new friend who we met through Facebook to plan a trip in Tasmania. There are many Facebook groups dedicated to travelling and backpacking throughout Australia as camping and driving around with new people is a popular method of travel here. Secondly, Nolan, a fellow Wolverine. And last but not the least, me. That’s 3 main characters but lots of special appearances will be seen throughout this level.

Let’s begin!

Sneak Peek: Nolan on the left, Bruno in the middle, and me on the right.

We took an early morning flight from Sydney to Hobart (capital of Tassie) on the 9th of February. After meeting up with Bruno at the airport in Hobart and discussing an exciting itinerary for the 8 days, we drove towards the city centre. First thing we did in the city was pick up camping gear from Kmart as we planned to camp for all 8 days in Tassie. Gear consisted of: tents, sleeping bags, camp stove, hiking kits, plastic kitchenware, and insect repellent. After that we explored Salamanca Place, a vibrant cultural town in the city center dazzling with vintage architecture, shopping markets and aesthetic sights. We also strolled along the wharf near Salamanca Place for some fresh views of the harbor and to enjoy local fish and chips.

Scenes from Salamanca Place..

There is a famous Saturday market in Salamanca Place but we missed it by a day. However, on a Sunday, there is the Farm Gate Market, where you can try homegrown Tasmanian delicacies ranging from apples, olive oil, peanut butter to bacon, gin, and cheese. We made sure to indulge in the Sunday Farm market.

Glimpse of Farm Gate Market..

Next up was visiting Battery Point, an old maritime village featuring colonial architecture. After stepping back in time and walking through the fascinating precinct of Battery Point, we set out to find some isolated lookouts with stunning views.

Views from Battery Point..

Found a beautiful secluded beach..

But maybe, we were not alone. Where do these lead us?

In just a few hours in Tasmania, we were in love with this island. We found a camping ground near this beach and set up our tents before sunset and then cooked dinner. It was going to be an interesting experience because the last time I camped was 4 years ago. The next morning, we set out to hike the kunanyi/Mount Wellington - the summit of the Wellington Range in Hobart. It was one of the first major hikes for me and I was pumped! It took us 4 hours and 45 minutes to make the return journey around the summit of 4163 ft. I was awestruck at some stunning mid-way views. The fact that we had network service, almost throughout our hike was also impressive. Although, it was a very cloudy day so we couldn’t see the whole city from the top, but it’s not every day you have got your head in the clouds...literally!

Our first steps into the Summit walk..

Head in the Clouds at 4163 ft..successful summit of kunanyi/Mt.Wellington..

Our next camping site, Eldee, was super fun and we met a lot of people from all around the world - either visiting Tasmania on vacation or fulfilling some requirements of the Working Holiday visa.

Luxury Accommodation out in the wild..

Definitely recommend a game of UNO with new friends in the camping lounge...

Now, we have talked about Tasmania a lot already but maybe we are missing something significant. The Tasmanian Devil. People, how could we forget about this infamous animal? Well, we didn’t. My friends and I had the opportunity to pay a visit to the devil in an UnZoo. UnZoo is a very interesting concept of..umm...I will have you read it for yourself.

The UnZoo Philosophy..

Presenting you the greatest jaw strength on the planet: Tasmanian Devil.

Yes, the Tasmanian Devil has the greatest jaw strength of all animals. And trust me, I could feel it when I saw it feed on a piece of meat. One can hear the bones from the meat..crunching ever so loudly. I am glad I could witness the devil in his element up close.

Before heading eastwards to begin our travel for the Great Eastern Drive, we also checked out a few more sites and breathtaking views. To get a better picture of what I mean, here:

Enjoy this spectacular view from Tasman National Park..

The beautiful Tasman Arch..

A panoramic of Tessellated Pavement - heaven for the eyes.

Alright..breathing break. Every single view on this island beats the previous one. It’s just a fantastic place to be in. It’s a small island yet it has so much to offer.

We also visited Port Arthur, a historic site which is one of the most haunted places in Australia. Now, obviously, we signed up for the special Ghost Tour of Port Arthur which took you around famous landmarks at night time - extra thrill! It was a very spooky experience hearing about the tales and torture of convicts at Port Arthur and the personal haunted experiences of the site staff.

View of the Church in Port Arthur against the grim night sky..

Not gonna lie, I slept a little scared that night in my tent. Poof, some more hikes then,

A 3-hr return journey to Cape Raoul..

Special Character: Echidna - spotted on downhill journey from Cape Raoul

In the Great Eastern Drive, we hit up the most popular tourist spots in Tasmania: Freycinet National Park, Wineglass Bay and the Bay of Fires. In Freycinet, we hiked up to Mt. Amos. It was a rough hike with a lot of boulder scrambling and damp weather also made it slippery. But, the greater the risk the greater the reward.

Peep the fascinating sight from the top of Mt. Amos..

..and the white sandy stretch of Wineglass Bay behind us.

Apologies in advance. But, we may need to take a detour to Mars.

I found Mars, it’s at Bay of Fires.

Orange rocks and a green beach paired with white sand - Bay of Fires seems more like a fairy tale. But it’s real.

Proof.

We concluded the Great Eastern Drive with Bay of Fires and started driving towards the Great Western Tiers. Great Western Tiers was a mix and match of mountains, lakes, and..caves.

Little Blue Lake - the bluest water I have ever witnessed upfront.

This blue colour is actually due to tin mining and sedimentation in this area, many years ago.

the 450 million years old Marakoopa Caves in Mole Creek..

Whatever you see in the caves is mostly calcite. Phew. We saved the best hike for the last. Cradle Mountain Summit - the 5th highest peak in Tasmania and one of the most popular hikes among avid campers in Tassie. There are multiple ways you could hike up to the top, including the Overland Track which is a 9 day overnight trek. We did the full day hike, however we did not summit due to time constraints. We still got pretty sweet views from our 5 hour return journey from Marion’s lookout - the highest trek after the Summit.

The beginning..

midway...

At the top - Marion’s Lookout.

Now is a good time to piece together the picture I started off with. That shows me looking at the peak of Cradle Mountain, and hopefully you are feeling some sort of adrenaline after reading through all this.

WOW. That was a lot of hiking and running around to explore. With only one day left, we decided to check out some local festivals in Mole Creek and explore the city of Launceston. We saw a vintage vehicle display, equestrians practicing, and a wood-chopping contest! A chill vibe at the end to complement all the adventure. By this time, we had started missing sleeping on actual beds.

Bless the sun that day for making the view 10x better..

Satisfied, amazed, and grateful are some of the feelings I can attempt to describe for the conclusion of the trip. Not a single day went by where we were not in awe of this lovely place. Every view beat the previous one and just brought us so close to nature and wildlife. For the most part, camping was nice and cool, except for one night when we had visiting guests in the form of possums. Not one, not two...but three! Right outside my tent by the bushes. They were nice enough to not bother us in sleep..phew. Mountains, lakes, beaches, history, mystery, caves..this island has it all. Just step out and explore, you will not be disappointed.

Alas, it seems like we are finishing the most adventurous level there has been. As I reminisce the last time we set up tents and our last sunset in Tasmania, I hope you enjoyed the ride and thank you for coming this far with me!

Cheers,

…

Nikhil Punshi

Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan

University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia - Winter 2020

#Umichenginabroad #IPEaustralia #NikhilPunshi #IPE Winter 2020

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peace-coast-island · 3 years

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Diary of a Junebug

A visit to Coral Beach

What a fun time at the beach! Coral Beach is such a lovely place - from the clear blue waters and colorful mosaics scattered throughout the boardwalk, it's one of those places ideal for vacationing based on appearance alone. No photoshopping necessary when it comes to taking pictures here!

I'm surprised that I haven't visited the beach sooner since it's about an hour away from the camp. In fact, there's still so many places nearby that I haven't been to yet. The trip was kinda a spur of the moment kind of thing Pancetti, Audie, Snooty, Lyman, and I planned at the last minute. By chance I ran into an old friend who's vacationing there too and now she's coming back with us.

So we spent a couple days at Coral Beach exploring the sights and enjoying the resort and then tomorrow we're heading back to the camp. Of course, I also spent the time catching up with Desi, who's been enjoying the seaside scenery.

Desi Rivera's an aspiring singer-songwriter who hopes to make it big one day. Right now though, she's jumping off the ladder and starting from scratch. It's a risky move, but I think it's a necessary one. Given her talent and ambition, I know that Desi will come out stronger than ever.

I met Desi at summer camp years ago. Even though we only spent one summer together, we kept in touch for a while after that. The summer camp thing was something our parents made us do and to be honest it wasn't really our thing so they didn't push us when we told them that there wasn't going to be a next summer. The experience wasn't terrible - I did make a friend after all - but summer camp and I just didn't click at all. Now that I think about it, it's kinda interesting that as an adult I'm running a camp right now - though this and summer camp are totally different.

Since Desi lived in the town nearby we often ran into each other. As we got older contact became sporadic but we occasionally said hi to each other when our paths crossed. Then as adults we regained contact on social media and have been keeping up with each other since then. Desi often posts covers and original songs, which is how she got her online following. She could've easily made it big if it weren't for certain people.

Desi's journey as a singer-songwriter is sure to become an interesting one. Ever since she could talk, Desi knew she wanted to be a singer. She always had a nice voice, one that became more refined as she got older. Talented songwriter too, with an honest and poetic way with words. And it's a damn shame that her talent has been consistently overshadowed and sidelined for white mediocrity.

Yup, I said it - mediocrity. No disrespect to Meghan Tyler and Too Cool - I mean I can see their commercial appeal, but for the most part, their music is bland and forgettable. Music tastes aside, it is pretty impressive that Desi was in the same circles as people like Meghan and Joe of the Shayne Brothers.

Desi first met the two at a camp for aspiring musicians, the well known Camp Music. She was one of many talented nobodies who wanted a glimpse at stardom. Meghan Tyler is the daughter of pop star Ann Tyler, and it was her who ran the camp, the typical queen bee. I happened to cross paths with Meghan and her friends online (unrelated reasons) and they always gave me a vibe of a high school clique. I interacted with her indirectly a couple times but then actively avoided her when her friends stirred up drama. It's one thing to vagueblog about an ex-friend who screwed you over, it's another to ruin someone's reputation by claiming that they faked their trauma just because you had a petty falling out with them.

Then there's Joe Shayne, best known as the lead singer for the Shayne Brothers. He was amazed by Desi's voice and took an interest in her. The two started off kinda rough with Joe pushing his boundaries and Desi rightfully calling him out on his entitled behavior. The whole thing was kinda like a Cinderella story with Joe trying to figure out who was the singer he overheard while passing by while Desi tried too hard to impress him after realizing who he was. By the end of the summer, they began dating, becoming regulars at Camp Music for the next several years.

Despite what the others were saying, Desi and Joe were going strong for eight years. Desi was associated with the Shayne Brothers, which was a blessing and a curse. As much as she liked Joe and his brothers, she didn't want to be known solely because of her connection to them. They were going to get engaged until last year when Desi broke things off. According to her, things had been kinda rough for a while but they tried - probably a bit too hard, in her words - to stay together. They're still friends but Desi thinks in a year or two they'll drift away, which I think is what she wants.

On one hand it's kinda sad since they've been together for so long. And from what I've heard about Joe, being with Desi helped him a lot as before he met her he was on his way to becoming a short tempered almost has-been. Basically, she made him shape up and consider his future seriously. But aside from their love of music, Desi and Joe were from completely different worlds. In the years since they got together, they've grown into two different people. The two have spoken openly about their breakup and it seems like it's for the best. Sometimes things just don't work out in the end and that's okay.

As for Meghan, Desi always had a complicated relationship with her. Being the fish out of water, Desi tried to impress Meghan, even if it meant dumbing down herself to please Meghan's ego. There was always some sort of competition between them with Desi constantly feeling like she has to prove herself. While Meghan did help Desi out with her connections and fame, Desi never felt she earned her recognition, another reason why she wanted to start from the ground up.

For years Desi was part of Meghan's band, Too Cool. While Desi occasionally had some solos that charted, she and the other members were always overshadowed by Meghan. She considers the whole experience a mixed bag, one that started out exciting but in the end the bad outweighed the good.

A few months ago, not too long after leaving Too Cool, Desi did an insightful interview for a magazine where she spoke honestly about her ups and downs with the band as well as her breakup with Joe. I always felt that she deserved better than Too Cool, especially after reading the interview. From being constantly referred to as "the Mexican one" even though she stated multiple times she's Cuban, to being told to sing slightly off key in order to make Meghan sound better - no wonder she wanted out. It's an eye opening read on the ugly side of the music industry, particularly on how WOC artists are treated.

Following her departure, another member and longtime friend of Meghan, Maria Silva, also left the band for similar reasons. She too had also spoken out about the racism she experienced, having been constantly referred to as "the Chinese one" despite being Filipino. I don't know Maria too well but she comes across as genuine and I wish her well on her solo endeavors.

Right now Desi's taking a break on music, though not entirely. She's been writing songs and making demos but it'll be a while before she releases something. For now Desi wants to celebrate her freedom, starting with a long, well deserved vacation. Then once she's had enough rest and relaxation, she plans to jump back into the music scene with a bang, this time on her own terms with her calling all the shots.

Desi's been teasing me and the campers with what she has in store. In light of the racism she experienced with Too Cool, Desi wants to embrace her Cuban culture more than ever, starting with the music. Mainstream pop radio hits aren't her thing anymore, so she's going for a new sound inspired by her Cuban roots along with her usual pop rock style she's got going on since she began writing songs. She's also considering the idea of doing an album in Spanish, though that'll depend on a lot of factors.

It's nice to see her so excited and passionate about her music - that's one of the things I love about her! Like I said, Desi's got talent and ambition, and I know that she'll successfully make a name for herself without Meghan or Joe's shadows. I mean, the demos I've heard already sound a million times better than pretty much everything Too Cool has done - imagine how the final product will be! Once the album comes out, I'll be one of the first in line to buy and download a copy.

We met up with Desi by chance at the hotel, her room being upstairs. She's been traveling around, crossing off places where she always wanted to visit. So far she's crossed off four places from her list. After Coral Beach she was debating on Hero's Tunnel and Swan Park since they're right next to each other. Since the camp's along the way, I invited her over and hopefully during her time there, she can make up her mind on where to visit first. I know she'll enjoy the camp, especially Saltwater Shores since she's a beach gal.

Coral Beach is such a beautiful place. One of the first things we did when we got there was to pose in front of the fountain and toss a bell in for a wish. Then we checked into the Coral Beach Hotel, where we got a lovely view of the ocean and fountain.

The architecture of the hotel is so pretty, it reminds me of an old village on a tropical island. Along the boardwalk are charming little shops and cafes where we got to enjoy shaved ice and fine handmade souvenirs. I got a set of cute floral teacups, a dot grid notebook with a pretty mosaic cover, a gorgeous seashell necklace, and a painted ukulele.

We went swimming and snorkeling in the ocean, where we got to see the pretty coral the place is known for. Nature can be so fascinating sometimes - the coral really does look like fancy lace! I also collected a bunch of pretty seashells like pearl oysters, which are pretty rare, as well as pink oyster shells and obsidian shells, something I've never seen before. Desi suggested that we go parasailing - her new favorite activity as of recently - so that's what we did and it was a lot of fun! We also went surfing, watched a performance at the theater, shared cocktails during happy hour, and explored the gardens.

Today we went to a mosaic workshop and made some cool decor. Then we went to a ceramics shop where we watched how bowls were made, which was pretty cool. After that we had a late lunch at Sash, where we had poke and butter mochi. Next door was a bookstore where we browsed for a while and then we spent a couple hours at the beach before heading to the hotel for dinner.

Since we aren't leaving until tomorrow afternoon, we had some time to kill so we spent it at the pool, lounging around. Desi says she's looking forward to seeing the camp and meeting up with Daisy Jane. It's so good seeing Desi relaxed and having a great time, especially after what she had to put up with during her time with Too Cool.

It's getting late now and I still have a little bit of packing left to do. The ocean's so pretty at this time of night, the way the light of the stars reflect on the water like sparkles. I can't wait to come back in the near future.

#animal crossing #animal crossing pocket camp #Diary of a Junebug #headcanon ramble

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xnovamore · 5 years

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People Change

Have you ever had something get completely away from you and you end up changing the entire plot and uploading almost 3 hours later than planned?

Anyways @ft-wwtdp

Day 4 Prompt: I hope people change

Warnings for this chapter include implied homophobia, child abuse, and disowning

Read on Ao3

‘I wish things were different,’ Laxus muttered into his ear when he pulled Freed into him that night. ‘I wish people were different’

He had wrapped his arms around Freed’s shaking body in an attempt to comfort and warm the frightened boy. He held him as if he could keep Freed away from everything this night had thrown at him. He was smaller back then, they both were, but that didn’t stop Laxus from trying to use his bony shoulders to guard Freed from the rain pouring down on them. Unsurprisingly to Freed, it worked.

It was jarring to think that in just a few months Laxus’s arms had become home.

It all started when Freed’s family decided to take a 3-month long vacation to Magnolia for the summer. Actually, it started a long time before that. Freed had always known and so had his parents, but it wasn’t until Magnolia that it became a real issue. When he couldn’t hide it anymore.

He had met the members of what would soon be the Raijinshuu within the first weeks of arriving in Magnolia. There wasn’t a word to describe the instant connection that formed the bond between the four other than magic. They were destined to meet, and he and Laxus were destined to fall in love, all of this was written in the stars.

And things were perfect. They caused mayhem in the city during the day and camped out sleeping under the stars at night. They discussed growing older and kicking ass as a pirate crew sailing around the world claiming fame and glory over the fire late at night.

Evergeen would be queen of the ship and then queen of whatever kingdom they took over. One day she would have a crown made of real gold and be declared the prettiest girl in all the lands. That would show her mother that she’s not dumb, worthless, hideous, or any the other words that spilled out of her mother’s mouth when she had too much to drink.

(She had shown up one day with all her belongings in a backpack nursing a split lip and told them that she was changing her name to Evergreen and Evergreen wasn’t going home that night. They don’t talk about her mother anymore)

Bickslow wanted to be a monarch too, just nothing as serious as a queen. They already had the title of ‘the royal joker’ picked out and had this fantasy of being the one cracking jokes in a room full of “boring old stiffs”. They all agreed that the fantasy matched their personality. Being upbeat and positive in the face of adversity was just who Bickslow was. Their ‘good vibes’ attudie never failed to comfort the team when they needed it most. Freed used to be so scared of ending up thrown out and homeless but Bickslow would just shrug,

‘I was homeless before I joined Fairy Tail, remember? I’d know what to do if we ever ended up there again, but as long as I have a roof over my head you would never be homeless Freed. You have your family right here. You know you could always stay with me and Ever’

(They never did stay at Bickslow’s place unless they absolutely had to because they shared it with another member of Fairy Tail and there were days when Laxus just could not handle being near other Fairy Tail wizards. Bickslow always remained firm on them all sleeping together so more often than not their part of the apartment remained untouched.)

Laxus didn’t really care what part of the ship turned kingdom he was as long as it was away from Magnolia. Bickslow decided he was the grumpy king that hid his concern and compassion about his people under sarcastic remarks and bad battle planning. Ever was offended at the insinuation that she would ever marry Laxus (which Freed took great offense too thank you very much) but she couldn’t deny that Bickslow’s characterization of Laxus was solid, so they went with it. Laxus was slowly growing more and more hard as the days went on in front of other people, but he never failed to melt whenever it was just them camping out under the fire. He’d talk about how he wished his gramps (who they don’t talk about), his dad (who they definitely don’t talk about), and the rest of Fairy Tail besides Bickslow and Evergreen would just up and disappear

‘You don’t mean that’ Freed elbowed Laxus as much as he could in their spooning position

Laxus just pulled him tighter against his chest ‘No I really do’

Freed, they all decided, would be the captain of the ship. He was already deemed the ‘responsible one’ as Ever put it and ‘mother-hen’ as Bickslow said. Both were accurate. He was just so happy to have a family, a real one, that he tended to be a bit overprotective at times, especially when it came to the others going on missions with Fairy Tail without him. But that was okay because they loved him anyway.

And for the rest of the summer, things were perfect. They were perfect. Evergreen, Bickslow, Laxus, and Freed, the Raijinshuu, 4 rejected kids destined to find each other. They laughed together, cried together, played together, got stronger together, and gave each other the unconditional love they never found anywhere else. With that level of comfort, it was easy to get sloppy.

And now here Freed was, homeless, penniless, disowned and cut off from his family. Left behind in an unknown country for the egregious mistake of being caught kissing his boyfriend of 3 months. How his parents found out, he would never know, but it didn’t matter. They were long gone returning to Freed’s home country with out him no doubt armed with false tears and a gut-wrenching story about how Freed met an unfortunate end during their summer vacation.

Freed buried himself deeper into Laxus’s arms.

“I hope people change”

Laxus said into his hair. Freed knew that he wasn’t just talking about Freed’s family, but about Ever’s mom who would say such things to her own daughter

Bickslow’s guardian that left them homeless walking the streets Magnolia

Laxus’s father who would likely have a reaction similar to Freed’s when he found out about their relationship

Freed knew what his love meant but couldn’t help the feeling of panic that thought caused.

“No!” He hissed into his boyfriend’s shoulder. “You, Bick, Ever, don’t change. Please never change.” He buried his tear-stricken face into his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“We’re all we have now. Please let’s never change”

#ftlgbtpride2019 #ftlgbtales #fraxus #my writing

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dailyexo · 6 years

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[NEWS] EXO - 181227 Billboard: “EXO's 'Love Shot' Album: The Producers & Songwriters Break Down Every Song”

"The long-awaited one-two punch of EXO’s Don’t Mess Up My Tempo and subsequent Love Shot repackage provided fans with two heaping doses of polished pop. From Daft Punk’s Tron to U.K. garage, EXO checks off all the stylistic boxes on their latest works, expanding upon and further fleshing out their diverse discography.

The sonic gambles have paid off: The Love Shot repackage has already swept iTunes charts around the world from Thailand to the United States, building upon the record-breaking success of its predecessor Tempo. The members of EXO are still going strong six years into their careers, with Love Shot representing a new apex for the boy band.

We spoke with the producers behind EXO’s greatest LP thus far for the stories behind the songs.

“Love Shot”

Mike Woods: Last year in January, we had a camp with Marz Music and SM. They had liked the song since January [2017] -- Korea's just very strategic when they release songs and how they brand everything around the song. It was purposely [for] the repackage album from day one -- not necessarily day one, but they were deciding between "Tempo" and "Love Shop" -- the original [title] is "Love Shop," by the way. So we kinda knew that the repackage album would have "Love Shot" being the title single.

We wanted something that was very, very performance-driven, very dance-driven -- something that would sound good loud and in an arena. We like the fact that it's kind of in a different time signature -- it's in 6/8, so that's not like a generic pop song. With Korea, we like to do things that push the boundaries, not super generic, because they're very musical. Things like that translate a lot better than they do in America. We really like the anthemic [sound] -- even [with] "Oasis," that's what we strive for. We like to do things that just sound big -- I feel like that's our niche with me, Kevin [White], and Bazzi. It's fun, big, and loud. We saved it for the last day 'cause we knew we wanted to end the camp with a bang, and in our heads, we knew what song we wanted to make. We had voice notes of it from the first or second day we got there, but we wanted to save it for the end 'cause we knew it would be a big song for them.

“Tempo”

Leven Kali: Two years ago I went to Seoul for the first time for a writing camp with SM, and we started “Tempo” during that trip. It took a few sessions after that back in the states with the rest of the writers [Tay Jasper and Adrian McKinnon] to finish it up, and then Digi, the main producer, brought it home with the final touches. We didn't know where the song would end up, but I'm grateful that it ended up with EXO because they always execute the records at a unique and high-quality level. I'm really happy [with] how it turned out and blessed to be a part of their story.

The song is inspired by a lot of different genres and artists, like Teddy Riley, OutKast, and Take 6. Adrian is one of the most talented singers and musicians I’ve ever met, and he really brought that doo-wop flair to the track. In K-pop they really encourage experimental arrangements, so we got to be creative with this one.

“Tempo” was so fun to make because the energy during the entire trip was on fire. We were working so fast, coming up with tons of good songs, and definitely dabbling in the Seoul nightlife. Digi and Adrian had started the song on one of those crazy nights, and when we got back to the studio, it was a party making the record. Gotta give a big shout out to the blue soju. Also, fun fact: The original spelling of the song is “Ttempo,” with two Ts.

Digi Chammas: “Tempo” was a huge group effort with the writers and they absolutely killed it. I feel like you can tell it was a group of us having the most fun making that song. The constant switch ups and harmonizing is how we like to work. When we do that, there is a lot of back and forth for months with fine tuning, especially the a cappella section because it’s so special. Adrian [McKinnon] is a genius with his harmony. It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve produced, and EXO just crushed it. Crushed it! Having a single with them is what I’ve always wanted, and to be a part of such an exciting release is unreal.

"Tempo" is an amalgam of R&B, funk, disco, EDM, and '90s house. It all goes together without trying too hard. The pieces just fit. Doing edits on the demo wasn’t annoying or daunting because it just never got annoying to listen to.

I wanted to bring a bright energy to their music while still letting it still be serious without being too serious. Also, bed squeaks. They just work.

“Trauma”

Keynon “KC” Moore: Since [co-producer] DaBenchwarma and I are both managed by 3Sixty Music Group we collaborate on many different songs. Danny [Smith, KC’s manager] is telling me he had a plug for 5 Seconds of Summer. And I know they wanted to kinda go [in] a crossover, kind of urban [direction], but still keep it pop. So DaBenchwarma sent me over a few tracks for that and I wrote to four or five of them. And “Trauma,” as it is now, was one of them. It was actually called "A Little Bit" originally. I wrote to that -- usually what I do is I'm a night owl. I'll write really late, like 3 a.m., and then I'll toy with the melodies in my head. If I can remember the melody the next day when I get ready to record, it usually works out. The next day I went in and recorded it, so when I sent it over to DaBenchwarma, that was one of the tracks he really liked. Danny sent the records over to the A&R for DNCE and Ryan [Jhun], but Ryan hit us back first and was like, “We really like this track -- I’m going to send [it] to SM Entertainment, but let’s make some changes before I pitch it.” We made all those changes, [and] Ryan hit us back [and] said, “They want this for EXO.” A special shout out Ryan’s team Marcan Entertainment because none of this would be possible without them.

Maroon 5's last album was very [influential] -- I have a friend that wrote on it and she's one of my biggest inspirations. I wanted to keep things simple -- I'm still working on really simplifying what we call "pop music," trying to strip things down enough to where it's still very much intelligent but easy for a two-year-old to catch onto. Maroon 5, definitely, I feel like I utilized some of their simplicity and took my own take on it from there.

To me, it's a progressively pop song in which it's simple, but it definitely has a lot to it if you really strip it down and listen -- there's so much going on.

Cedric “DaBenchwarma” Smith: When I started working on that particular track, I was working on some stuff for DNCE at the time, and KC was writing some stuff for them as well. One of the songs that we'd written to, Danny had just gotten a pitch from SM again. At the time I was doing a lot of urban music, and so… it took me a day or two, because I had to readjust myself, just kinda reset and get in a different zone for the type of track it is. 'Cause it's uptempo, guitar-driven pop, a lot of energy. And I had to readjust and reset to get it how I wanted it, and once I sent it over to Keynon, we just started vibing out to it. We were like, "Man, I think we got something here." And so we sent it over to Ryan Jhun; he and his team loved it but wanted to make a couple of adjustments to make it fit for EXO. After making the adjustments, Ryan sent it to SM Entertainment. They loved it but ask[ed] for some changes and edits in additional to the changes Ryan’s team requested, plus a rap verse was requested since it wasn’t in the original pitch. We made numerous adjustments so it could be more energetic so that EXO could showcase their dancing. They're just a very multi-talented group; we wanted the music and the track to reflect who they were.

I was listening to so much at [that] time. I don't like to listen to one thing too long -- I kinda get influences from a little bit of everywhere. A little bit of DNCE, Maroon 5 -- guitar-driven melodic tracks that just keep you moving rhythmically from top to bottom. For me, I was looking for records that have that strong guitar influence in 'em at the time. I think that's one of the things that caught [SM’s] attention, 'cause it gets your attention right from the front of the melody of the guitar, and it drives the song right on home.

Last time we did an urban R&B mid-tempo style [track]. But this time around, we just wanted to do something more upbeat. Like I said, they have so many talents, with their dance and the stage presence and the energy they give. We were doing a track, we heard the energy to it, we [were] like, "Hey, this'll be a little different than what we did, but I think it'll be perfect for them because of how versatile they are." One day they may do the R&B, mid-tempo [sound], then next they come out with [a] high-energy dance track, and they can kill it all.

“Wait”

Andreas Öberg: This is kind of an interesting story, because it's an older song. We did this back in 2014, so the name "Wait" is very appropriate. I've done many camps, over ten camps together with [SM] in Seoul, but this was in my own camp -- it was arranged by a publisher in Korea called Iconic Sounds. So we were doing a week of sessions, and we had one day off. We were gonna go somewhere, but for some reason we didn't. We were indecisive [about] what we were gonna do that day, so Jimmy [Burney] and I were talking and we had done a bunch of songs based on tracks, more full-on kind of productions. We said, "Oh, we have this afternoon off, why don't we just go to the studio, do something just you and I, acoustic guitar and vocals?"

Back then, EXO were already doing winter albums, so we were aiming at that. Shortly after the camp, [SM] said, "Oh, this is perfect for EXO's winter album." So we got it confirmed as a placement. It was supposed to, I think, be on one of those Christmas releases. But then for some reason, they said, "Oh, sorry, no, we decided to use it at a later stage." Through the years, at different times, they told me, "Yeah, it's about to come out." So we didn't pitch it elsewhere because we thought it was coming out, but it always got pushed. And now, finally, four and a half years later -- I think it was autumn of 2014 that we created this song. We were kind of joking about it, "Wait" being an appropriate title, but it ended up where we kinda intended it to end up. We're really happy with the results, how it sounds with EXO's vocals.

I had to re-record the guitar a month ago because they changed the key slightly. It's basically two channels of guitar, one [with] basic chords, a little bit of lower bass mid-range chords, and then there's one other channel where I lay out some of the chords in the higher register just to get a little bit more glitter. We wanted to create something emotional for the winter season. Not necessarily a plain Christmas song, but this is, I would say, a winter season song. I think in Korea, in my experience, the releases from the labels are very season-based. People and fans are expecting specific colors, chords, styles of music.

Jimmy Burney: Four years ago I was in Seoul, Korea at SM doing some sessions with my friends from Iconic Sounds, a very talented music production crew. I went to breakfast one morning with Tesung [Kim], who is the head guy at Iconic, and he asked me who else I had been writing with in the K-pop market at the time. I told him about my buddy Andreas Öberg who does really well in the K-pop scene, so they ended up flying him out as well. Andreas is a genius on the guitar. So after a few sessions of writing to fully produced tracks, I suggested maybe doing something a little more stripped down. He started playing this beautiful progression and the record just came together like magic. A year after that, we were told that EXO would be cutting it and releasing it. That ended up not happening that year; we had to wait a little longer... so long to the point I almost forgotten they even recorded it. It was a nice surprise to wake up and see that the repackaged album it’s on had went No. 1 in 60 countries [on iTunes]. So I guess it was well worth the wait.

I really wanted to do a record that captured raw emotion, and the best way I felt it would stand out was to write a song that was opposite of what we had been writing the whole trip. Don’t get me wrong -- I think uptempos, drums, 808s, synths, and other fun sounds are amazing, but there is nothing like the feeling of a real instrument, like guitar, piano. It was really fun to arrange this with Andreas who has a great ear for structure and harmony. When I recorded my vocals on the demo, I wanted to make sure that it captured the essence of raw emotion so that whoever ended up cutting it would feel it immediately.

Andreas and I started creating this song in the evening -- I was extremely jet lagged. We ended up taking a break and my friend Siwon Choi from Super Junior came and picked us up and took us to dinner and a night out on the town showing us Seoul. We got back to the studio after midnight and finished writing and recording “Wait.”

I had another song with EXO years ago called "Love Love Love.” I’m honored to be a part of another album, I think EXO are amazingly talented. Since “Love Love Love” had more rap elements, it was really nice to give them a record that was more vocal driven this time around.

“Sign”

Patrick "J. Que" Smith: We called it originally "Body Don't Lie," but I think it might've been a little too spicy, so they made some flips to it. But the process of writing it was super, super easy. I remember we got over there and HM -- Harvey [Mason, Jr.] -- brought the track to the table. This trip, in four or five days, we maybe wrote fifteen or sixteen songs. So we've written one or two songs, and Harvey comes in the room excited -- "I got one! I got it! I know I got it!" And he plays the track, and immediately everybody's hype. We sit down and we start writing and we start vibing off of each other. We blew through the song fast, cut it, dressed it up, played it for the crew, and they were like, "Yo, we love this one, we definitely think we wanna use this one." We got the call when we knew they were gonna cut it. The guys ended up recording it, and I remember being back in L.A. at this time, getting a call from Harvey saying, "Hey, it's going really well, they wanna know if you can write a rap for 'em." We sat down, banged out a rap really fast, and sent it back.

Before we started writing, that [concert aspect] comes up now. You have to picture it on stage. If you can't hear it being sung, if you can't see it being performed in a stadium, then it's not the record it needs to be. We've met them, and they're all amazingly sweet guys, but seeing them perform was just wild. It's like watching Clark Kent turn to Superman. They're so amazing and mild-mannered and good natured and super polite, and then when they step on stage, they just become these superheroes. When we sit down to write, you just understand that you can't write this song for Clark Kent. We knew that we had to write the song for Superman. If Superman can't sing this song, we're not doing our job.

“Ooh La La La”

Digi Chammas: “Ooh La La La” came together so smooth. Bazzi is an animal with the pen. One of the A&Rs said something a little Latin would be amazing for EXO. Bazzi and I sat in the studio listening to this bossa guitar loop I had made with Justin Lucas right before I had gone out to Seoul. Honestly, [Bazzi] probably had half of song done within 5-10 minutes while I did the drums, haha. Then I just touched up the arrangement later that week before I left for L.A.. [Bazzi] knows how to write the catchiest shit ever. All I had to do was make it slap.

“Ooh La” is a Latin bop. It has low end and it moves. The inspiration for that was just EXO. When you have them as [the] goal, it’s easy to get inspired because you can almost already see them bodying it. You just know what direction to go.

Justin Lucas: The guitars throughout is me. It's got a bossa nova-inspired kind of groove. Me and Digi [Chammas] were messing around with the sort of bossa nova-inspired feel on the guitar, and then he sort of flipped that to more of the K-pop feel. We got together and played around with ideas, and while we were there writing, they sent some ideas. They said, "Hey, we're finishing the track, here's the bridge chords, can you do the bossa nova-style guitar over this section?" Once we started writing to the initial idea, it [took] about two days and it was done.

“Gravity”

Greg Bonnick, LDN NOISE: Whenever we start to work on records for EXO, we usually start by creating tracks freely and try to be as experimental as possible. Being fortunate enough to have worked on past records, we are quite connected to their journey, so therefore [we] have a feeling of what we would like to hear them do next as listeners and fans.

For “Gravity,” we started with a simple beat like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” and then played a funky bassline. As we layered more sounds, it became more like a disco/funk hybrid and gave us a futuristic feel. We visualized the movie Tron and the soundtrack by Daft Punk for the mood of the song and added the lead sound from “Power.” The lyrics added to the theme, and then Chanyeol helped with translation.

“With You”

Mikey Akin, Sons of Sonix: We basically had the writing session for another artist by the name of Aston Merrygold who's based back home in London, and it was a writing session that we had with him. It was us, Varren Wade, and Aston. I felt like [Aston] loved the song, but he was still deciding his sound for his project, so the record was still open. And then Varren had a meeting with one of the representatives at SM, someone that was looking after EXO, and played the record to them in the meeting, and they loved the record. SM was like, "Yo, we would love to take this for our project." ["With You"] was [created in] May 2016, and it found a home eventually. [SM], they must have heard it top of this year or later.

Myself and Mo [Samuels], our whole production is based in fusion, a lot of fusion [from] our background, us being British and Nigerian. Being from southeast London, you grow up listening to so much garage, so much jungle, so much grime, so what we tend to do is we fuse elements of each genre that makes our foundations in our productions. So even though the record is an R&B pop record, you have the elements of U.K. garage in there. I guess that's kinda one of the reasons why the record must have stood out, because it's something new, but something they could relate to. We just added a different spin to it with the U.K. element. It's kinda like cooking, when you make [something] a certain particular way and you [add] extra ingredients, and you go, "Oh, this is new, I didn't know you could do that!" But you're not scared to enjoy the meal.

[Chanyeol's involvement] was more of a direction kind of basis, making it fit into EXO's vision for the song. Because you gotta understand, if someone presents to you a whole complete record, there's still things you might wanna change. When we were finishing off the record and doing post-production on the record, he did have his input in terms of if we could try this and move this section of the rhythm there and have a drop out here. It was a collaboration back and forth to get the best out of the record.

“24/7”

The Wavyz: The initial idea for “24/7” came together almost a year before it got released. Our team is constantly working on new stuff for K-pop artists, and this is one of the ideas that we felt super strongly about.

Funny enough, it actually was meant for NCT 127 originally. We didn't find out that EXO was interested in it until around March, which is when we started to rework some of the parts.

We were going back and forth with [SM Entertainment] about different options for the intro of the song. We felt like we hit a wall and were stuck until the engineers we work with -- Aaron Berton, Andrew Hey -- walked by whistling the melody from the chorus. That’s when we knew it had to be the intro!

Our goal for this song was always to make it sound effortless while still keeping a high, driving energy going throughout. We wanted it to stand out from the other records on the album.

“Bad Dream”

Bianca Atterberry: It was [titled] "Stranger" when we initially wrote it. Me and Deez and Mike Daley and Mitch, they played the track. Deez will have a track listening when we come in and then we'll sit down and listen to the tracks that they've created. We started with melody -- that's how I normally start in general. I'll hear it and then we'll come up with the melody, and [Deez]'s so good at hearing harmonies and backgrounds and little ambiances. His ears are crazy. Deez is a very hard worker, so he was like, "We gotta get it done." That's all harmonies, all backgrounds, all lyrics -- we [got] it done that day. I feel like songs that are made in the moment are best.

It almost sounds like a '90s R&B song [in] the intro, and then it just hits with this energetic drive to it. It has a whole 'nother drive, almost like a poppy drive to it. But I felt like the melodic pocket needed to be a little bit more open because the beat was moving a lot, so I didn't want the melody to be too fast. I wanted it to be something you could still sing to and vibe to, so I was just going through melodies. I just sang, girl, I don't know where it comes from! I freestyle [the] majority of the songs that I write -- I'll just come up with the melody and sometimes I'll have the concept within whatever I just came up with. I'm not saying anything, I'm just [mumble-sings], you know what I mean? Just hearing what naturally feels good in that pocket.

Of course [the inspiration] would be a '90s male group, of course. It's New Kids on the Block, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys. Because I know that they have these supergroups and they're still in that '90s vibe but then they have these pop elements to them as well. They also dance like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, and it's like they all had a baby, basically. That's what the vision normally is for EXO and groups like that.

Deez: “Bad Dream” was written during a song camp hosted by SM Entertainment. Normally in SM camps, producers bring their tracks, and the songwriters choose one of them to work on based on the discussion between the writers, and also with the A&Rs. When I’m in those song camps, I usually get involved in the track and vocal producing and toplining. For this song “Bad Dream,” I worked as a vocal producer and topliner. This was my first collaboration with the co-topliner “Blush” [Bianca.] She has [a] classical voice, but at the same time, it’s very trendy -- you don’t see that very often. Right after I listened to her voice, I could easily come up with melody of the song. She’s absolutely one of the best U.S. songwriters I’ve met. Blush and I worked on the track in very extemporary way, as we both like that type of work.

In song camps, I normally create one song per a day, but the chemistry with Blush made us to do two songs on that day, and “Bad Dream” was the first song of the day. It took 6-7 hours for the toplining and the vocal production. [It] was a very satisfying session. I normally do not follow any leads, but for this one, I was exactly targeting EXO, as Blush’s voice gave me the inspiration.

When we were going through Mike Daley’s tracks, it was hard for me and Blush to choose, as most of Mike’s tracks were used during the previous sessions. While we were struggling, Mike played a track that I heard while I was in L.A. last year. Mike let me listen to the track at that time, and I kept that one since I really liked it. I was thinking of TVXQ. Mike didn’t remember the fact that he gave it to me already, and played to us. Blush and I agreed with working on the track, and result was more than great.

Mike Daley: Usually when I go out [to Korea], I try to have a couple tracks ready from my camp just to be able to start the first couple of days off, and then start making new stuff when I'm out there. But that was a track I worked on with a producer I work with a lot, Mitchell Owens. So we started working on a couple of songs and if you hear two different beats -- it started off as a guitar-R&B vibe [track], and then I just started messing with some of the chords and different sounds and got a whole different vibe in the verses. [I] tried to make it sound a lot different than the intro, 'cause I know that's the stuff Deez likes writing to.

I think their sound, it can't be anything regular, down the middle. It's gotta be a little left of center, just something that's engaging, because their performances are so crazy. That's what I'm thinking about with the track, trying to make something that performance-wise will be cool.

Some of the new EDM pop elements, I got some inspiration from that. But then still, the real feel-good R&B, boy band vibe, which is what I came up in with The Underdogs -- that's always a part of what I'm doing.

“Damage”

Greg Bonnick, LDN Noise: For “Damage,” we really wanted a bouncy hip-hop record but with [an] anthemic chant feel to the chorus, so even though the verses were laid back, the crowd could really engage with the hook. We started with a piano riff and clap and built the song around that, adding in different elements as it progressed. It was a lot of fun and something different for EXO, one of our favorites.

Deez: “Damage” was created during the same camp that “Gravity” was made. The work flow with LDN Noise was pretty similar, but I wanted to stress [the] bridge part of the song. As you can hear, the chord progression, the melody, [and the] harmonies of the background vocals in the bridge part are quite dramatic. Since the initial track was [a] very strong hip-hop track, I wanted to give some turn around through the bridge part, and it was very satisfying, as listeners could have more [of a] spectacle when they get to the final chorus, with the bridge.

Adrian and I [are] always obsessed with new topline[s] and fresh harmonies, and this song was particularly a challenge for us. I think we were just trying to make the topline of the chorus part with obvious counterpoint. We took a break to think out of the box, and boom, all the rhythm and notes of the chorus hit my head. Based on them, we worked on the catchy rhythm.

“Smile On My Face”

Iain James: “Smile On My Face” came together in Los Angeles at Brian Kennedy’s studio with myself and Sam Hook. Sam is very close friends with the artist Trey Songz, and the song originally started out as an idea for him. It didn’t take long to be produced, mainly because Brian already had a lot of the track in place, especially the chord structure. So it was really just a case of myself and Sam coming up with the concept, defining the lyric[s], and then creating the melody, which I remember being a lot of fun as we’re both singers.

In terms of inspiration for the song, I think it was clear from the start that we wanted it to be an intimate love song, something for a singer to really connect with, and have a catchy chorus -- which I think it really does.

The song I did for EXO-CBX was probably a bit more fun and upbeat, so I’m glad we could do something a bit more heartfelt this time for EXO. Something their fans could really connect with, and something that would really show off their vocal abilities.

“Oasis”

Mike Woods: The original title is "Running," and the chorus [was] "I'm on the run/Baby I'm running."

Kevin White: I think the first or second thing [Bazzi] did [was] the "Running" [part]. I think at first it was kind of a mumble, and then he transformed it into words. We work real close with Bazzi -- we have a really good rapport and really good working relationship. I think this is one of the earlier songs we did in the camp. I remember Mike playing the stabbing chords, and then that kinda hit in the verses, and I remember we were saying, "It'd be crazy if the drums hit with that and then cut out." So it's doing a lot of things that come naturally to us.

Mike Woods: With us and Bazzi working together, I think we always try to do something that hasn't necessarily been done before or the way that we've done it. That's a really big thing for us anytime we work collectively, it's always about "How can we push the boundaries?"

Kevin White: The big choral stack... we just knew it had to go there because I think we were really searching for that big anthemic chorus that everybody's gonna sing in a stadium -- that's always the goal."

Credit: Billboard.

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