#i would know im a lamp in the stranger things writing room

[swftlore]

stranger things 5:

byler: *starts flirting in the hospital*

max, immediately waking up from her coma: thats gay

[teddybeartoji]

MICKEYYYYY i saw ur wips and ran here as fast as i could !!!!!! ik we have already Talked abt vamp!geto x journalist!gojo x vamp!reader bUT im still begging for any crumbs or snippets u have they r my reason for being … same w knight!reader x prince!gojo i would love to know more abt the next part!! AND AND AND NEIGHBOR!MAKI??? I AM LOOKING

ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI IT'S SOOOO GOOD TO SEE U HERE<333

welcome back to my brainrot!!! the vamps - i'm pretty sure (very fucking sure) that i'm just gonna have to write multiple parts for that au!!!! not really part 1 and part 2 but just snippets from their life i think. ofc the first meeting between gojo and geto and reader but then i really wanna write about shoko and reader too, like how'd they meet etc. i can see like a rainy day with a shivering shoko heading to her favourite bar after a long work day. it's a pretty unpopular place; she has her own little spot in the window booth and the bartender already knows what she orders. a neon light hangs from above the bar but otherwise it's just some random low lamps that barely light up the place - it's perfect like that. the music isn't too loud either, it's mainly 80's music and stuff alike that. shoko thought it a bit lame at first but now, it's one of the reasons she keeps coming back. it's a perfect escape from the life she leads. on that rainy night, though.... the door swings open and a hooded figure struts to the bar, barely catching shoko's attention. she's busy watching the raindrops bash against the window, the cig slowly burning between her fingertips. the quiet clearing of a throat does pull her out of it - it's you. dark eyes and an even darker small smile, pointing to the seat opposite of her. "may i?" it's so sultry, catching shoko a bit off-guard. normally, she wouldn't let a stranger sit with her. why would she? but you? you're different. something about you is already making her hook onto you. digging around in your little bag, you pull out a cig of your own. but no lighter. you lean your elbows onto the table and toward the woman before you. "do you mind?" she knows what you mean; she's already clutching the tiny fire machine in her jacket pocket. the cig hangs from your mouth, a confident smirk pulling on the corners of your dark lips. her hand raises to it, she flicks the ligher and watches your lips fully curve around the thing. it takes light, the tip turns a bright orange for a second before dimming down; you inhale. deep. shoko's hand remains in its spot. and exhale. she gulps.

and reader and sugu, how their relationship began and overall how their life together is (talking about this with momo and i haven't stopped thinking about sugu owning a museum and all that). OKAY AS I WAS TYPING THIS U REBLOGGED IT so i know u've seen that too but yk i wanna elaborate on that more bc i loved that idea and since i'm talking about it already HE DOES PAINT. 1000000% THERE'S A MASSIVEEE MASSIVE ROOM FOR JUST HIM AND HIS ART. in the mansion and in the museum. the room has big windows and he looooves to paint just when the moon lights up the room.... it's perfect for painting u.

aaaaaand i mean geto and gojo duo is something that needs a deep fucking study too................. like ur slowdancing idea????? it lives in my head. i don't think it'll ever leave if i'm being honest. anyway i think gojo is almost as infatuated with geto as he is with u. c'mon???? he's fucking ethereal how could he not be??? i think he follows geto around at the house a lot. he wants to know what he does at all times, just wants to know more about him (he wants to hold his hand)(he wants to play with his hair). geto definitely finds it annoying at first i think i already said that but yeah. but fret not he does come off it after a while. what if gojo asks him to teach him how to paint????? so he watches gojo do it, but when he needs help he steps right behind him, chest touching gojo's back, hand grasping over his, guiding along the canvas. do u think gojo is paying any fucking attention at this point?????????? fuck no i'm sorry but that man is popping a boner. anyway. gojo accidentally teaches him some dirty jokes - geto swears he doesn't even listen to him but the stupid one-liners just keep coming out of his mouth (a sign that he's spending a lot of time with his little bf)(he's trying to ignore that fact).

as for our little prince and our little knight - the next part is imminent i promise!! i know i said that last weekend too but it's definitely dropping this weekend lmao. we learn a bit about shoko's (and the knight's) childhood and finally our favourite duo gets to bond over some childish laughter. but only just for a moment though....

ANYWAY neighbor!maki is very much inspired by a scene from the movie bound (1996). maki and the reader have seen each other a few times in the hallway of their apartment complex but they haven't spoken - until the reader goes to ask her for help. and then they both understand how attracted they are to each other. no smut not even suggestive they're just kind of flirting it's cute. i literally have so little of it but i still love the idea so muchhhh i need to finish it maki deserves it i love her

prince!gojo (autumn)

he has also learned that shoko had a friend, who was ready to do anything for her and for others for that's sake. with a deep sigh, she confessed that she regretted not taking in the other kid. shoko was more quiet, more well-behaved in a sense but the other kid - they kept getting into fights with the knights of the castle. "i kept scolding them over it. but no, they just kept going. later i learned that all of those beatings and slashings were for other kids." her head hanged low as she spoke. "they kept taking the blame for the younger kids, so that they wouldn't get hurt. stole food, so that they wouldn't starve. i didn't know."

the prince nodded along, surprised to hear about this noble kid. "where are they now?" he asked in a whisper, a little scared to hear the answer.

"they left. around the time they were twelve, i think. shoko was miserable. brought me and her flowers and bread; the most polite troubled kid i ever saw." she sighed."i was stupid."

neighbor!maki

"hi!

"hi." your neighbor takes a second to look at you.

"s-sorry, i don't mean to impose but could i ask for your help?"

"with what?" she asks with a raised brow.

"um, my sink fucking broke. a-and i saw you with a toolbox the other day and i t-thought maybe you could help me? if not, that's totally fine."

+

"do i make you nervous, maki?"

"no."

she goes to grab the bottle from your hand, fingers brushing over yours.

"thirsty, maybe?"

"curious, maybe."

[simpsiren]

about the roommate

park seonghwa x reader

main masterlist

description. you talk about your weird relationship with the roommate you’ve been with for so long yet still dont know much about

genre. roommates au, fluff, seonghwa hinting at reader that they like them

warnings. nonee

a/n. hihii so i wanted to try writing for ateez since ive been doing a lot of nct ff already. its my first time so i doubt that it’ll be accurate but i got the idea from this post by @darling-akaashi so i hope it will be decent. i never thought that it would be this long but oh well HAHA enjoyy :D

how did you even become roommates with someone like him? you dont even know. all you knew was that you were finding someone to share the apartment rent with and it just so happens that your friend at college, wooyoung, has a friend who was looking for an apartment.

and now here you are. a year and a half of sharing an apartment with seonghwa yet the two of you are in your separate rooms. the only interaction you ever made today was at breakfast where seonghwa cooked for you scrambled eggs and toasted bread.

there’s wasn’t much you knew about him at first. but as you slowly but surely try to accomplish your mission of getting to know seonghwa (since you didn’t like being awkward with people all the time), you start to learn a thing or two about him.

you were glad that after a year and a half of staying with him, you got to know more about him, despite the fact that the interaction between the two of you still needed some work.

[ONE] : he’s a clean freak.

you were feeling tired from a long day of school and all you thought of doing while walking home was to sit on the couch and resume your anime marathon.

you unlock your door to find seonghwa mopping the floor. you nod your head slowly as you close the door and take off your shoes before taking any step further.

“didnt you mop the floor yesterday?” you ask, placing your keys on the kitchen counter along with your bag on the chair of the dining table.

“yeah.” was all you heard from seonghwa as you pour yourself a glass of grape juice. “you dont have to mop again-“

“its a habit.” seonghwa replies simply. with your cup in hand, you make your way to the living room, where seonghwa is currently mopping. you take a seat on the couch and grab the controller to turn on the tv. “hey wanna watch attack on titans with me?” seonghwa was mopping the floor in between the couch you’re sitting on and the coffee table and stops in front of you, raising an eyebrow.

“i dont watch anime?” you furrow your eyebrows and frown. “come on its fun! stop your cleaning and at least watch one episode.” you grab seonghwa’s arm and pull him down to sit next to you, making him flinch a little and quickly placing the mop beside the couch.

“how am i suppose to watch when i dont know what happened before?” you roll your eyes.

“if you find this episode good then you can watch it from the start in your free time.”

seonghwa sighs and and stands up, walking away to keep the mop before taking a seat beside you again and getting comfortable. “this better be worth it. im suppose to clean the toilet right now.”

“that can wait.” you nudge your arm into his chest, making him let out another long sigh before watching the show silently.

[ONE.2]

it was a saturday morning as you went to sleep at 4am. hence, making you wake up at 11am in the morning. however, you have always been laying around in your bed for about an hour or so before getting out of your room. when the clock striked 12, you thought that it would be a good idea to get out of your room and have lunch. gathering up all your energy, you brought yourself out of bed and lazily walk out of your room.

as you walked down the hallway, the first thing you saw was seonghwa cleaning the counter top of the kitchen. you clicked your tongue and walked over to where seonghwa was.

“did you make lunch yet?”

seonghwa looks up at you and shakes his head. “its a saturday so im spring cleaning the house.” you rolled your eyes and shake your head.

“you do that every single day!” you whine. seonghwa raises his eyebrow. “i like to keep the house neat unlike you.” you let out a soft ‘tsk’.

you have to admit, you were not a clean person at all. the only reason why the apartment is clean is because of seonghwa’s habit of being well organised and meticulous. basically everything in the apartment but your room is squeaky clean. although you see seonghwa staring at your room and looked like he’s holding back the strong urge to clean it for you, he doesn’t really do anything about the fact that you are the complete opposite of him. you dont know why but you only shrug it off.

“ill help you today, alright? then you can quickly cook something up for us. im hella hungry right now.”

seonghwa lifts his head up from the table and scoffs with a slight smile. you furrow your eyebrows and frown. “what’s that face for, huh?”

“this is the first time you offered to help. id say thank you but i know you’re only doing it because we both know im the only one that can cook.” seonghwa says confidently. you purse your lips and nodded your head.

“you’re right. but i’ll still help. so, what should i do?” seonghwa tosses the cloth that he was using to clean the kitchen counter. you took a step back as you quickly got a hold of it.

“wash it and wipe the bookshelf.” you let out a long sigh before flashing him a bright smile and headed over to the bookshelf. while you were wiping the sides of the bookshelf, you could have sworn that you saw seonghwa looking at you with a smile and a light blush of pink on his cheeks. you pretended not to notice though, and shrug it off.

[TWO] : he’s a great cook.

you still remember the first day you came to the apartment. the first thing you see your new roommate doing was cleaning. like intense cleaning. it was late at night and you didn’t bother to even greet the stranger since you felt awkward and wanted to rest for the night.

however, at about two in the morning, you were laying down in your room when you felt the need to have a night snack. you stepped out of your room and went to the kitchen. the whole apartment was dark except for the dimly lit lamp at the kitchen. you jumped a little when you hear seonghwa’s voice coming from the living room.

“y/n?” you turn around to see seonghwa chilling on the couch with his phone. the living room was completely dark and you could only see his face from the light illuminating from his phone.

“i was just getting a snack to eat.” you said as you opened the fridge to look for something to eat. unfortunately, there wasnt anything that looked like it would fill your midnight appetite. you hear seonghwa standing up from the couch at the back and walking towards you. you tilted your head to the back and see seonghwa standing behinf you. you tale a step back.

“i can cook something if you want.”

“no no its fine i just need a simple snack.” seonghwa kept quiet for a moment as you went back to the fridge to look for food again, as if something might magically pop up. but of course nothing did.

“well i didnt think of getting any snacks when i moved in. ill make something.” seonghwa walks over to the fridge and nudges your arm, making you move to the kitcen counter and leaning your hip against it as you watch seonghwa get to work.

you were looking through your phone, distracted when you heard the noise of two bowls being olaced on the table. you lift your head up and noticed that seonghwa made yoghurt with cherries and raspberries. it wasnt your idea of a midnight snack but at this point, anything could go in your stomach.

“thanks.” you whisper softly as you drag the bowl near to you. seonghwa only hums in response as the two of you take a bite at the same time. your mouth gapes open as your head slowly tilts up from your bowl to look at seonghwa. he was casually eating when his raises an eyebrow at your weird expression.

“how.. how does this taste so good? what did you do it? did you poison it?!” seonghwa blinks at you a few times and shakes his head slowly. your forehead creases as you look at him suspiciously. “i never really liked yoghurt but holy shit.” you quickly take another bite.

“i think you’re just hungry. it tastes fine to me.” seonghwa says in a monotoned lazy manner and grabs the bowl and taking a seat at the dining table. you purse your lips into a straight line and grab your bowl as well and walking down the hallway to your room. before you open your door to go in, you quickly turn your head to the dining table.

“thanks for the yoghurt! ill wash the bowl later.” seonghwa doesnt react, keeping his eyes on his phone. you gave a weird look before heading inside. you sigh.

he’s going to be hard to talk to.

[TWO.2]

“its your birthday, right?” your jumped in your seat when seonghwa suddenly appeared beside you on the couch. “uhuh.. how’d you know?” you say softly, nodding your head.

“wooyoung told me. lll make you a cake or something. anything you want to eat?” you blink at him a few times, your mouth still gaping open as you were shocked about a few things. 1. he talking to you in a more open matter and 2. he actually want to make you something for your birthday.

“make me mac and cheese, please! i love the way you cook it!” you smiled brightly. seonghwa smiled back and coughed, only to return to his monotoned face. you laugh softly. you found it cute somehow.

“i wouldn’t have allowed it since its unhealthy but since its your birthday-”

“thank you!” you leaned in to hug seonghwa. the didnt hug you back, so you quickly pulled away. you noticed him blushing again, this time it was more obvious. you shook it off, despite knowing you felt butterflies in your stomach. “ill go out to get groceries then.” seonghwa stands up from the couch and heads inside his room to get ready.

you smiled to yourself constantly as you waited for seonghwa to finish making the mac and cheese. you sigh in satisfaction as the smell of the delicious food fills the air in the apartment. you tapped your feet excitedly as you had your eyes glued onto seonghwa with the pan in his hands. your face lit up the moment the starts walking towards you. you clap your hands as he places it down on the dining table.

“fuck it smells and looks to good.” you moan out. seonghwa lets out a soft laugh, making you blush just from hearing him do that. “if i made this any other day, i would’ve asked you to pay for the groceries.” you roll your eyes.

“come on dont be rude to me.” you grab a fork and spoon, bringing your plate near the pan and cutting out a slice for yourself. “thanks for the mac and cheese.” seonghwa only nods his head and took a slice for himself before the two of you ate together slowly, indulging the savoury and amazing taste of one of seonghwa’s best dishes he has ever made dor you.

you appreciated times like thae with seonghwa. alrhough not much interaction was made during meal times, you really felt that he cared for you. making meals you like on special occasions, and he’s always asking you what you want to eat, despite the fact that he might not be comfortable with the idea, he doesn’t fail to whip up a great meal. you liked that about seonghwa.

[THREE] : he’s a great listener.

you basically the worse day that day. for some reason, everything just had to go wrong. the only thing you felt the whole day were anger and sadness, more so towards anger. it was late at night yet you were still fuming in anger, only wanting to let it all out the moment you stepped into the apartment.

you unlocked the door and dropped your bag beside you and slammed the door shut. of course the piercing sound of the door made seonghwa lift his head up in an instant. you notice him laying down on the couch with his phone and usual.

stomping over to the kitchen, you pour yourself a glass of cold water. you chugged the whole cup of water fast and forcefully place the cup on the counter. you clearly felt seonghwa’s eyes on you. you look up from your cup and notice him looking shocked, his mouth gaping open slightly.

“what?” you said, running your hand through your hair in frustration.

“you okay...?” you hear seonghwa ask. “does it look like im okay? today felt as if i entered a shit hole.” you huff. you made your way over to the couch, leaving your empty cup on the counter.

“move your ass.” you hiss at seonghwa. he raises an eyebrow and gets up from his laying position, proceeding to sit up and let you take a seat beside him.

you sit down and let your body sink into the couch, laying your head back as you sigh to calm yourself down. “what happened?” seonghwa whispers, putting away his phone and turning his attention to you.

you purse your lips into a thin line and slowly looked up at him. his eyes were filled with concern and his voice was gentle too. he hasn’t been this concerned about you before.

“apparently i got my best friend to dress up all cute and fancy so that she can have a date with my boyfriend behind my back.” you scoff in disbelief, shaking your head. you see seonghwa licking his lips nervously as he nodded his head.

“a shit show if you ask me. i saw him waiting for her in front of the shop i was working at.” you grab the pillow behind you and hug it close to your chest with you digging your face into it. “just how cruel can people get?” your voice was muffled but you knew seonghwa heard you loud and clear. you felt his hand resting on your back, patting it gently.

“its fine. rant all you want.” you took a deep breath and slammed the pillow onto your lap. you felt that it made seonghwa jump a little but he never fails to keep his composure in check. you could never be like him.

the night, all you did was talk, cried and screamed your heart out. and seonghwa was there to just listen to you. he didn’t react much, but he did nod a few times hear and there to let you know that he understood what you were saying. he wasnt so affectionate that he would hug you when you cried, but it felt good to just have him sit there with you while you let out all your anger and frustration. you figured that having him as your listener was his way of showing comfort for you.

[THREE.2]

it was 4am. you and seonghwa have been drinking since 2am. why? you had a bad day and you felt rhe need to destress with some alcohol. seonghwa wouldn’t have allowed you to get drunk but he was apparently having a bad day too and felt like he wanted to get a little drunk to forget everything that day.

“dont you know how fucking stupid that is? it only happens to me. why?!” you groan as you take down another shot. seonghwa fills up your cup again.

“just forget them. they’re being idiots.” seonghwa whispers. you gap your mouth open and roll your eyes. “how can i forgot something like that?!” you shout angrily, slamming your hand on the table. seonghwa laughs in a lazy manner.

“you’re cute when you’re mad.”

“excuse me?” you tilt your head to the side, wondering if you heard seonghwa’s words clearly.

“nothing.” you shrug it off and shake your head.

“by the way..” you started off. seonghwa lifts his head up from the table and lets out a ‘hm?’

“why arent you telling me why you’re drinking? you don’t normally do this. you dont even let me drink unless its a special occasion. i rarely see you drunk.”

seonghwa raises both his eyebrows and sigh. “i had a bad day. but yours sounds worse so ill let you do all the ranting.” seonghwa starts playing with his shot glass, circling his index finger around its rim.

you clicked your tongue. “but its always been about me. you cook me my favourite meals, you do all the cleaning and you’re always here for me when im pissed. i feel bad about it..” you quickly glance at seonghwa. its the blushing again. you started to accept the fact that you had an effect on him, instead of avoiding the fact that he might have feelings for you.

“i guess im always doing those things because...” he leans forward over the table, getting close to your face. you start to grow nervous and your heart started beating quickly. you held a fist to your chest, breathing slowly to calm you down, but it failed. its the first time you’ve seem seonghwa like this. he looked... hot?

“do you know the answer?” seonghwa asks, tilting his head to the side as you watch his eyes glaze over you whole face as if he’s admiring every inch of it.

“no?” your breathing stopped for a moment when seonghwa gets even closer. this time, your noses were touching. seonghwa chuckles lowly. why did that sound so good all of a sudden?

“i know that you know. i wonder why you’re shying away.” seonghwa’s lips immediately connected with yours. you blinked your eyes rapidly as you tried to process the situation. you couldn’t hold back. his lips felt great against yours. its like all the worries that have been piling up in you have been washed away from a simple kiss.

who knew you’d get this close to your mysterious roommate? its a drastic start to a good relationship nonetheless.

[maggotmouth]

          hillo sexthy legends !!   i’m nora and i’ll be writing margo colby n probs sm1 else bcos lets be real, i lack self-control. u can find her pinterest here n some info abt her sexy self below the cut. plot with me on discord ( hot girl midsommar#8664 ) or in my ims !!  x o x

     * CAMILA MORRONE, CIS WOMAN + SHE / HER  | you know MARGO COLBY, right? they’re TWENTY-THREE, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, ELEVEN YEARS? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to SCRAWNY BY WALLOWS  like, a million times this year, which makes sense ‘cause they’ve got that whole BLEACH WHITE SNEAKERS POUNDING ON A GYMNASIUM FLOOR, USING THE SAME BLUNT SCISSORS TO HACK THE SLEEVES OFF AN EXES T-SHIRT THAT YOU USE TO CUT YOUR 3AM FRINGE, A WALNUT-SHAPED ACHE IN THE PIT OF YOUR STOMACH FOR THE PERSON YOU COULD HAVE BEEN thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is AUGUST 8TH, so they’re a LEO, which is unsurprising, all things considered. ( nora, 25, gmt, she/her )

CLICK ANYWHERE ON THIS SENTENCE FOR SEXII GOOGLE DOC!!

bullet point summary of margo.

—   born margaret but NOBODY calls her that. its colby, coach or margo, and go to the privileged few. margo grew up in the creek commune n then dropped out of school cos of a teenage pregnancy so she was a bit of a cautionary tale back in’t’day (said tht in my yorkshire accent). she now works for summer camps coaching pee wee soccer and pee wee cheer, as well as helping out her beekeeper dad on his honey farm, which is jst north of abernathy creek, and working at scuba on the off seasons.

—  its just her and her dad, and has been for as long as she can recall !! everything she knows about her mum could fit on the back of the weathered passport photo she keeps in her wallet of a stranger who shares her face - her name’s melody, or at least tht was name she used when working as a dancer, she’s from argentina and dropped mag’s dad as soon as someone w more money came along.

—  margo’s father is a beekeeper with his own organic honey company. margo and her dad moved to irving in the early 00s, the summer between grade school and middle school, because her dad had heard about the communal living in abernathy creek and wanted to lend his skills there and live off the fatta the land in a very lenny from of mice and men kinda way.

—  for a few years of middle school margo was bullied for living with the ‘freaks from the creek’, but when they realised how chill her dad was with underage drinking, margo ‘keg-bringer’ colby soon gained popularity among the more renegade students. every so often, the high school parties would happen at her end of town, occasionally with members of the commune even offering the high schoolers a spiritual experience they’d never forget (often in the form of mushrooms) which meant people tried to stay on her good side. to get an invite to a margo colby party handed you a free pass to make up the most ridiculous shit about the commune you liked and nobody else could say anything, because they’d never been to the creek.

—  at school, margo had a lot of ‘behvioural issues’ bcos of undiagnosed adhd, she found it difficult to sit still for hours n write down huge chunks of information n her restlessness was seen as laziness. she was encouraged to do sports, as were most of the kids who weren’t that academically inclined, but she turned out to be pretty hot shit at sprinting, because she grew up surrounded by bee houses and he who runs slowest gets stung, baybeyy!! so yea, in school sports became her LIFE. she was gonna get a sports scholarship to college but ended up dropping out of school in senior year n becoming one of those kids who could have had it all but lost it.

—  she had sex with sutter at a house party when she wasnt really ready because it felt like the right thing to do at the time and everybody else was doing it. she’d attended health class, she’d seen the corny videos. she knew about all the statistics, but she also knew that it had never happened to anyone she knew and the pull out method was basically safer than the morning after pill and way less expensive.

—  a teenage pregnancy knocked her out of the runnings for prom queen and meant she had to leave school early. she didn’t go to college when her friends did, instead she spent the time interviewing potential foster candidates and eating her weight in lindt chocolate while marathoning love island in her room.  

—  she had a son, who she passed off to someone else a couple of towns away.  it was a closed adoption which seemed like the best idea at the time, but she now wishes she had access to his life.

—  after peaking in high school and jumping between jobs for a few years, she got a more permanent role at scuba which she loves with all of her heart and soul, but unfortunately a bar job doesn’t pay the rent.  

—  she works at summer camps coaching  junior soccer and netball on the side. she’s extremely competitive and takes it very personally if her team lose. the kids all call her, coach colby n write her longwinded letters about how they’ll never forget this summer camp before they go back to their suburban picket fence houses n she keeps all the letters in a drawer n takes them out to read when she’s feelin depressed.

—  enjoys surfing and worked for a number of years on resorts like mila kunis’ job in forgetting sarah marshall. she went on to work 18-hour days as a stewardess on luxury yachts which is a part of her backstory i added after watching season one of below deck because i guess i really am that fucking impressionable. met most of her surf friends doing tht but said she’d never in her life do it again bcos it was mostly just picking up after rich white ppl for shit pay. she came back to irving n thats when she started doing the summer camp jobs so she could move out of the creek n get her own apartment. 

—  she never actually finished senior year so she’s currently going to night school at the community college to get through her exams and is trying to save to go to college or open university. she wants to major in criminology. she’s super ambitious but also super adhd so she fluctuates between thinking she can achieve anything to just feeling like a failure n thinkin whats the point

—  used to shoplift to feel joy and as an act of resistance to her hippy commune routes, but now sees herself as a reformed, bin-diving freegan (sims 4 eco living can i get a hell yaaaa). also she thinks it’s totally wrong to steal when you have enough money and clearly don’t need to steal to survive, ppl risk imprisonment for basic necessities, so for her to do it for a brief thrill and some new shades felt a bit derogatory

—  was raised jewish. became a vegetarian as a child because it seemed, at the time, easier than having to explain which foods she was and wasn’t allowed to eat together, so she just cut out meat entirely. still a vegetarian now and dabbles in veganism, although its become less about not eating certain meats in the milk of their mother and more about her global impact / carbon footprint

—  nurses little animals to health in her garden. has a hedgehog name OJ short for orange juice not the other one filthy pig. her and her dad have always been huge animal rights activists and existed on a vegetarian diet. the only one in their house who isn’t vegetarian is their cat, auggie. (short 4 augustus gloop)

—  has a lot of stupid ass stick and poke tattoos. there was a phase during her years as a barmaid where she wanted to train as a tattoo artist n would mostly practice on herself or any friends who would let her

—  she doesn’t form many long lasting friendships cos she tends to be super excited when she makes a new friend and just see them all the time but then it wears off and she can ghost a bit. she’ll always coming pinging back but she’s not the most predictable or loyal friend, sometimes she’ll sleep in your house every night for a week and then you won’t even get a text from her for a month. her best friends are elderly neighbours and houseless people she meets when volunteering at the foodbank. she thinks they’re more authentic than most of the ‘fake posers’ she meets down the vela pier

—  calls herself a butch lesbian but still has sex with men when she wants validation. sexually attracted to some men, especially effeminate men, but only romantically attracted to women. very possessive of the gals in her life.

—  stopped giving a shit about getting older or adhering to anyone elses bullshit standards, realised it was all fake p much as soon as she dropped out of school and one by one her friends just stopped texting her

—  lives in one of the lofts in port apartments. it’s open plan with rugs and lava lamps everywhere. she has a palette bed. its all very ‘sustainable chic’. like, oh wow, a pallet bed that im supposed to think you made from scratch but i KNOW you got it  off ebay because you thought it looked trendy

—  constantly says shes poor but still buys clothes from urban outfitters. sus.

—  frequently found at fannies flirting with the cute bisexual bartender with a choppy black bob.

general vibe / personality

vibrant, vulgar, self-absorbed, tenacious, veers bewteen apathetic and dogmatic, temperamental, flighty, unreliable, magnetic, charismatic, passive aggressive, likes to play devil’s advocate, takes the moral high ground. estp and a leo

likes: 70s music, john wayne movies, black mirror, philosophy, cowboy chic culture, dc comics, the smell of locker rooms,, deep red lipstick, lacrosse sticks, smoking weed from a bong, dogs, karaoke, pet rats, kate moss, late-night strolls, hawaaiian shirts worn open over a bralette, skinned knees, thai food, picking the apples at the very top of the trees, zip-lining, cigarettes, the idea of pegging but not the practical application of it, decorative lamps, LGBTQ+ pin badges, worn-out furniture, twangy electric guitars.

dislikes: girls who call other girls ‘pick me’ girls, woody allen movies, mental mathematics, wealthy children, quentin tarantino, ironing, institutionalised misogyny, the imaginary future, french literature, ‘dump him’ feminism, wes anderson films, spoken word poetry nights, college-educated bar staff who act like they’re better than you,  indie softbois, the general mentality of cheerleading squads.

aesthetics

orange peel, the smell of bleach, skeleton drawings in the margins of a journal, thumb holes poked through the cuffs of your sleeves, bleach white sneakers pounding on a gymnasium floor, setting dumpsters on fire for the hell of it. a hit flask of vodka decorated with hello kitty stickers, split knuckles, alien conspiracy theories and sci-fi paperbacks, doc martens with fraying laces, a child in an oversize bee keepers suit, scabbed knees, not eating your greens, smiling with a mouthful of blood, and piercing your own ears with a safety pin when your dad wouldn’t take you,  a tennis racket you punched through in a fit of temper, feet pounding the earth until your soles bleed crimson, sleeping in a cherry lip balm and scrunchies to keep the wild locks from your eyes.

hoo boy this is getting LONG AS FUCK but here are my wanted plots

wanted plots

ok margo’s been in irving since she was like 10. she’s quite a vivacious person?? she dresses completely instinctively without any sense of cohesion so she stands out. a guy once told her she was wearing the ugliest outfit he’d ever seen and he thought that was so cool and brave of her. but anyway where was i going.. she grew up in the abernathy creek so stuck out like a sore thumb,,,, maybe ppl who were super interested in the creek or maybe poked fun at her bcos of it idk.....

b4 she dropped out, margo used 2 b in with the cool kids at school bcos her dad would buy them booze and rarely ask for the money. maybe a fun plot cld b with some of the ‘it girls’ she used to hang around with b4 she got pregnant n dropped out and they all went off to college n stopped texting her.

frinds !! unlikely friends !! toxic friends !! some1 she feels like she knew before irving ???

since margo literally can’t differentiate between romantic and platonic love, she’s got off with so many of her mates, so i want awkward friendships where they nearly dated, or exes that have now just turned into weird friendships. fwbs. enemies with benefits. all the angst. all the slow burn mutual pining we hate each other narratives

locals who play sports. margo wld be all over community soccer n take it way too seriously. maybe ppl she plays hockey with. girls who she’s like, weirdly intimate with but its not a thing cos the other girls straight !!! what do u mean !! aha just fun !

she works part time at scuba. i want a mate that just goes and sits in there talking to her until her manager gets angry.

she's also a surf instructor and occasionally works as a lifeguard!! gal has like 7 jobs ik but regular swimmers hmu

ppl she coaches at the gym !! she wants to be a personal trainer

i reckon she might have recently started meditating to try and calm down her mind cos its always bustling with thoughts, n i think she’s p interested in buddhism so if anyone’s a buddhist hmu

someone she’s trying to make a zine with on female empowerment and women in film and art, etc. just a very feminist zine. 

TLDR:  angry sports gay, former high school track prodigy turned drop out, who likes feminist literature, wearing leather jackets over slip dresses, and smudged red lipstick.

this was so long !!! im sorry !! if you’ve read this far have a biscuit, love x

[1-800-seo]

1-800-𝗦𝗘𝖮'𝘀 𖣘 "𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘆 (𝗨𝗻𝗶)𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲"

- 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝖩𝗎𝗇𝗀𝗄𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗑 𝖸/𝖭

- 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: 𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖿𝖿/𝗌𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖼𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗄/𝖻𝗎𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗍𝖾𝖽/𝖾2𝗅/𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗀𝖾 𝖠𝖴

- 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 𝗄𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 (𝖺 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗄𝗂𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌), 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗁𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗌 𝗅𝖺𝗎𝗇𝖽𝗋𝗒, 𝖽𝗈𝗆!𝗃𝗄 𝗂𝖿 𝗎 𝗌𝗊𝗎𝗂𝗇𝗍, 𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗆𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌

- 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀: 2984

- 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: 𝖶𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗅𝖺𝗎𝗇𝖽𝗋𝗒 𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝗆𝗂𝗑𝖾𝖽 𝗎𝗉 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺 𝖼𝖾𝗋𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗈𝗇𝖾'𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝗍𝖾'𝗌 𝗀𝗈 𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗄, 𝖺 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝗉𝗅𝗈𝗍 𝖾𝗇𝗌𝗎𝖾𝗌, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝖾𝗇𝖺𝗆𝗈𝗎𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗈𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖽𝗈𝗋𝗄.

doing laundry is absolutely one of your least favourite things in the world beside soggy socks

so you’re in a bad mood as soon as you walk into the campus launderette to say the least

the launderette is empty bar one dude you’d seen around the global technics centre

if you remember rightly he’s a European studies major

odd choice but you do you and all that

now you’re not weird or anything but you have a preference on what type of washing machine you use

I know I know kind of unorthodox

but the old washing machines take 30 mins longer so you’d prefer a newer one

unfortunately the only one left is directly next to this familiar-faced stranger and his laundry

your better judgement is telling you no but your impatience is telling you yes

and so you dump your laundry onto the floor next to the stranger and his and start sorting through for all your whites

your piles mingle a tad as they overlap beside each other like Venn diagrams of assorted underwear and other garments

his consisting of only whites

yours a jumbled mess since you had to wash all of your stuff

in sync you both pick up your washing and put it into the machine

you catch his dark wide eyes as you both straighten up and he lets out an awkward low-voiced giggle

your cheeks immediately flush pink and a bashful smile creeps up to your lips

“you’re from the global centre, right?”

you ask testing the waters

“I am, I’m a European studies major, my name’s Jungkook. I recognise you, you’re in linguistics class right?”

“Yeah, I’m a linguistics major so you’ll mostly see me there, it’s nice to meet you Jungkook”

you say with a smile as your hands fidget with the door handle of the washing machine

“It’s nice to meet you too, I thought I recognised you from somewhere, but it’s because I see you sometimes when I have to do extra credit European language projects. What’s your name?”

he says tilting his head like a curious puppy

“its ______”

you say as you bow to him politely

“Can I ask you something? I have to do a project on European languages and their similarities to others. The professor wants us to speak to outsiders for references so would I be able to collab on a project with you sometime in the future, if it’s not too much to ask?”

he averts his eyes from yours and blushes lightly

“Oh yeah sure, that’s no issue! It’ll be beneficial to me too because the linguistics portion of the course is coming up soon, so it’s a great idea.”

you beam at him

“Could I get your number?”

their is a pause that feels like an eternity between your next words and his last

the cause of this is your mind being far too focused on his wavy dark hair and his clear doe eyes

you snap out of your daze

“yeah totally, one sec”

you pull out your phone from your backpack on top of the washing machine and input his contact name and number as he reads it out

“Thanks for that, it’ll be a big help, let me know when you want to link up” he replies

and with that you had his number and continued on with your washing

21/10 18:32

Jungkook ༄ : not to be accusatory but do you happen to own a pair of RED socks?

You: yes, why do you ask??

Jungkook ༄ : well ALL of my washing seems to be PINK!!

You: just because I own a pair of red socks doesn’t mean it was me 😠

Jungkook ༄ : yes but you were the only one in the launderette when I was there,,

Jungkook ༄ : smh gonna be turning up to class in pink tshirts and and socks, everyone be thinking ive made a new fashion choices when it’s really just because SOMEONE can’t keep their clothes separate from others B/

You: 1) it’s not my fault that my socks decided to migrate to new lands

You: 2) why, are you scared of pink or something? your ego too fragile to wear a ‘woman’s colour’?

You: 3) did you really use a sunglasses sad face emoticon lol

Jungkook ༄ : girl u owe me big time for all these clothes you ruined 😩

Jungkook ༄ : also im not scared of pink I just dont want to be wearing pink shirts to all of my formal events for the next ten years

Jungkook ༄ : and yes im sWaG so my emoticons are sWaG duh

You : ruined? ruINED? RUINED? I did not ruin anything, I simply spiced up your wardrobe boo x

You : oh no he’s a 2012 hype beast 🤦🏻‍♀️

Jungkook ༄ : how dare you call me something so sacreligious as a hypebeast!!

Jungkook ༄ : I am gucci not channel thank you very much

Jungkook ༄ : anyways I gtg write a report, speak soon red socks

Seen ✓

Jungkook was in fact not writing a report

he was planning revenge dun dun dun~~~

his plan was to do the exact same thing you had done to him

but he had to be cunning about it

and so the week went on

he was scrolling through twt when he received a new follower

it was the one and only @_______

and lo and behold their last tweet was “tysm Seokjin oppa for buying me a personal washing machine,, now I can do my most hated thing but at home!!”

hehehe

an idea sprung into kookie’s head

he didn’t have to try and spike your washing at the launderette

he could do it in a place you’d never suspect,, your home

now he only had to find out where you lived

just stalkerish tingz

he had to be lowkey about this

so he decided to ask his best mate and social butterfly of a friend Taehyung whether he knew you

and of course he did lol

“Hell yeah I know where she lives, she had the best party of the whole term, Jimin was so drunk he started chatting himself up in the mirror”

“Damn that sounds like a good time, probs should start going to these parties you invite me to”

“defo should, anyways I’ll tell u as long as you promise not to spread the information or use it for pervy or questionable reasons”

“I promise not to spread it or use it for pervy or questionable reasons”

he replies in monotone voice and his hand on his chest like an oath

and so that was how he acquired your address

simple enough really

and so that’s the events that lead him to be crawling through your dorm window however paused like a deer in headlights at the questionable sounds coming from the room across

he was squatted on the window ledge like spider man, red sock in hand and hood up

it was 9:00pm and your university apartment was supposed to be empty at this time

you had your class on now but he hadn’t accounted for your roommate

hence why he had frozen at the unsavoury sounds echoing round the apartment

low moans and grunts emanated from the room across

dEsGöStEn

he had to get to the kitchen without alerting the dusk time love makers

he could do it if the floor plan was the same as his apartment block and he bet his reputation on that

if he got caught he’d never hear the end of it from his mates and your roommate might even call the campus police if they were spooked enough

and so he clambered through your bedroom window and onto your bed underneath

unmade bed might he add but what did he expect from a uni student

with wide eyes he listened for any noise of suspecting roommates and examined your room

the desk was littered with papers and an oversized lava lamp stood stout in the corner of the room

a lacy bra was hung over your wardrobe handle

he shoved away the idea of you wearing it and continued with his night time plot

slowly and stealthily he crept through the halls of the apartment and out to the kitchen

on the maiden was already a neatly hung load of whites

he’d have to assume it was yours otherwise he’d have to go back to your room to get laundry

he bundled up the clothes and shoved them in the washing machine with the incriminating red sock he’d brought and set it to economy spin

round and round it spun, getting progressively louder as it went

he had to get out of there asap

tip-toeing as he went past the questionable lewd noises, he finally made it to your bedroom

he made one last check to see if he’d left any damage in your room

his eyes fell upon that same bra

damn his manhood making him think predictably

he shoved the thought away and departed

25/10 22:08

You: what in the hell did you do to my washing!!!?!!!

You: unless it was a ghost it HAD TO BE YOU JEON 🤬

Jungkook ༄ : wym I don’t even know where you live 😑

Jungkook ༄ : what’ve you done now?

You: IT HAS TO BE YOU!! SOMEONE FRIGGIN TURNED MY WASHING PINK AND I PROMISE YOU IT WASNT ME

Jungkook ༄ : how would i do that?? I don’t have like magic clothes dyeing skills boo

You: I SWEAR it was you!!

You: what do you want to bet it was u

Jungkook ༄ : I won’t bet anything I’m poor

You: that means you did it!

Jungkook ༄ : if you come with me to Taehyung’s party tomorrow I’ll tell u everything

Jungkook ༄ : but only if you go, that’s the terms of agreement

You: that’s all the incriminating evidence I need!! you basically just admitted to it you know?

You: however for reasons sake I will attend 👀

Jungkook ༄ : see you then red socks x

You: I suppose u will x

time passed quickly and soon it was Taehyung’s party

You’d known Taehyung since middle school however since starting college you hadn’t seen much of him

schedules clashed often so the only time you got to see him was at a good party

nothing wrong with that, you just probably haven’t had a completely sober conversation with him in 2 years

he’s good fun, Taehyung, so you hoped Jungkook wasn’t as much as a killjoy as he’d been this week

his little antics (that you’d yet to figure out) had caused your work uniform to turn bright pink

and thus the ‘pink princess’ nickname at work began

you felt like sharpay, everyone in white, but you pink

you’d quite like to knock Jungkook down a peg after that

and so you made your way to the infamous Taehyung’s party

he welcomed you as you entered the large door of his fraternity house

behind his head of black curls you could see the mess that is a raging college party

young people, at assumably different levels of intoxication, were everywhere

some were stood all the way up the expanse of the stairs even

you looked around and spotted a familiar brunette in the kitchen sat on the large marble counter tops

he’s chatting to some pink haired girl beside him

you stalk up to him like a woman on a mission and jokingly (a little too hard for jokingly) push his shoulders with both hands

he immediately snaps his head round to face you and his eyes widen with shock

“I have a bone to pick with you.” you say as stern as you can

you grab hold a fistful of his black T-shirt and drag him into a side room

once you enter only then do you realise it’s a laundry room

how fitting 👀

you say “Come on, tell me how you did it.” as you cross your arms and glare at him

“Did what?”

“you know what I mean, don’t play dumb with me, how did you turn all of my washing pink, and might I add, my work uniform too!”

“Ohhh that, it was far too easy. You really should keep your windows locked when you’re out.” he says as he laughs, like the whole thing is amusing

“So you’re telling me you broke into my apartment?! How did u know where I live??”

at this point you’re pacing around the room, arms flailing wide at the sudden discovery

“Well, I may or may not have asked Taehyung, and he told me, and then I entered, I did not break into your apartment. Anyway, I didn’t touch anything but the washing machine and I had the lovely experience of being serenaded by your roommate’s sex symphony.”

he made a step forward towards you, almost in a challenging way

“Oh I’ll be having harsh words with him later...” you say as you uncross your arms and put them on your hips.

you stand thinking for a second before it sinks in

“Wait.. what did you hear? You said sex symphony, right?”

“Uh yeah, your roommate was proper going at it with someone. At least he had the decency to do it whilst you were out, I guess.” He chuckled

“Oh my days, that means Hobi must’ve had Hyerim round! Go him I guess, but also ewww”

“Anyways we’ve bounced around the issue enough here, you ruined my clothes and broke into my apartment!” you exclaim backing up against the wall

Jungkook starts to close the gap between you two

“So? What’re you going to do about?”

your back pressed flush with the wall, you start to realise how close he really is

you can see the small freckles that dot the bridge of his nose, the thick eyelashes that frame his eyelids, the totally sinful look in his eyes

like this you start to realise how shockingly handsome he is

no wonder he has a slight reputation in class

you had no idea why he was looking at you this way

“I-I’ll call campus security..” You begin

“Will you really now?” he retorts as he slams his hand into the wall behind you, caging you in

“I w-will” a whisper that falls on deaf ears

before you even register, his lips have attached themselves to yours and you feel his thumb under your jaw

he works his lips against yours and you feel your legs start to tremble

he tastes sweet and robust, like syrup on your tastebuds

you mould into his kiss and then break away, panting for air, wanting more

everything felt so wrong, yet so right at the same time

it was as if your current issue had melted away and the only thing you could focus on was the way he looked at you and how his soft lips felt against yours

“J-Jungkook? What’re we doing?” you asked, a giggle leaving you

you rest your head against chest, clasping at his tshirt

“I couldn’t resist, you’re so hot when you’re angry”

he places a firm kiss against your cheek, takes your hand in his, and leads you back to the party

you couldn’t believe you’d just done that, let him kiss you so easily

but once you let him, it felt so right, like it was supposed to be that way, him lapping you up like a parched man to water

it felt so natural to have his arm round your waist like it was now

the pair of you approached Taehyung, still clutched together

“What happened to you two? I heard _____ went off on one and then you both were missing for ages. And now you both show up all over each other... what went down 👀”

“Well you know, hate and love are both forms of passion.” Jungkook says with a smirk

“excuse me? Assuming I love you? I let you kiss me once and you say it’s love? I’ll show you love” you retort

“Oooh she’s feisty; so you kissed? Damn, things’re moving quickly for you two, one minute Jungkook’s asking me for your address, the next you’re sucking each other’s faces off. I’m one of hell of a wing man, if I do say so myself.”

Taehyung flips an imaginary lock of hair out of his way like a sassy high school cheerleader

You both just laugh, at Taehyung, and because of how crazy it is,

It’s almost like you didn’t know you liked him like that until it smacked you in the face

“Do you want a drink? A beer?” Jungkook asks pouring himself a glass of punch

“That’d be great, thank you” you reply as you realise how much more time you want to spend with this annoying but totally handsome dork of a boy

༄ 𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗌𝗈 𝗆𝗎𝖼𝗁 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀! ༄

This was just a little fic I wrote a while ago which had formatting errors so I fixed it for y’alI, Hope you enjoyed it ☺️ Let me know what you thought of it and feel free to like and reblog <3

[commanderawkward]

Heartache (Dabi x reader/ Bakugou x reader)

This is for @savnofilter, I saw the post about wanting an angst fic based on the song slow dancing in the dark by JOJI and I decided to give it a shot. This is my first time trying to write this sort of stuff and it was written on my phone so my apologies in advance 😅

----------------------------------------------------------

Don't want a friend (just me)

I want my life in two (my life in two)

Just one more night

Waiting to get there

Waiting for you (all night)

I'm done fighting all night (waiting for you)

Glancing at your watch for the 4th time that night you sighed, avoiding the sympathetic glance the waiter had given you. Paying the bill for the bottle of wine you had downed you grabbed what was left and stubbled out the door of the restaurant. Glancing around the busy street you caught your reflection in the restaurant window, the makeup you had spent a lot of time doing was now ruined as tears littered your cheeks, your perfectly curled hair had now lost their curl and your body ached in the tight fitting dress and heels Dabi once adored on you. Taking another swig from the bottle of wine in your hand you stubbled down the street in search of the nearest pub hoping to drown your sorrows.

When I'm around slow dancing in the dark

Don't follow me, you'll end up in my arms

You have made up your mind

I don't need no more signs

Can you?

Can you?

"(Y/N)? Is that you? What are you doing here?"

Turning around from your place on the barstool you came face to face with your dark haired boyfriend. Glancing behind him you noticed he was accompanied by his league of villain friends. Frowning you grabbed your purse and made a beeline for the door.

"(Y/N)! Where the fuck are you going?" You heard him hiss as he grabbed your wrist and turned you to look at him. It was only under the light of the street lamps that he noticed your smudged mascara and red puffy eyes. "Hey, what happened? Did some asshole hurt you? Why the fuck are you crying?" He spoke as he grabbed you by the shoulders and leaned down to your level, eyebrows furrowed.

"You forgot about me" you said choking back tears, you were never good at keeping your emotions at bay when drunk. Suddenly Dabi felt a pang of guilt as he remembered about the date you had been planning for the past week. "Fuck! Was that tonight? I'm sorry I got caught up with all this shit happening with the league and-"

"I don't want your fucking excuses Dabi! This is the third time this month, I'm sick of being stood up, I'm sick of not seeing for days on end without any type of contact, I'm sick of being the only one trying to make this work!" You sobbed, breaking out of his grip you wiped your tears away. "I was so fucking stupid, I should have noticed the signs earlier. It's over Dabi..."

Give me reasons we should be complete

You should be with him, I can't compete

You looked at me like I was someone else, oh well

It had been two weeks since you last saw Dabi. Two weeks since you stumbled into a cab and watched his shocked face as you drove away. In two weeks he hadn't tried contacting you and you knew it was over for good.

"All I'm saying is that guy is a total asshole! He didn't deserve you! Look, I know you don't want to think about it right now but I really think you should put yourself back out there. I have a friend I can set you up with! He's a bit of a hothead but he'll warm up to you quickly I'm sure of it!" Mina exclaimed hugging a pillow to her chest. She was spending the night at your apartment for your regular girls night. You let out a deep sigh "Mina... I really don't know if I'm ready-" " Too bad, I may or may not have already set up a date for the two of you tomorrow." She said with a cheeky grin, cutting you off mid sentence.

"I-... You know what? Fuck it, when's the date and what's his name?" You responded. Dabi had made it clear he didn't want anything to do with you, screw him! You deserved to find someone who actually appreciated you. Mina squealed and shoved her phone in your face "his name is Bakugou Katsuki, I went to school with him. I'll text him and let you know you said yes!". Glancing at the man in the picture you had to admit, this Bakugou guy was pretty attractive but a part of you couldn't help the sinking feeling as the thought of Dabi still lingered in the back of your mind.

Looking in the mirror you admired your outfit, today was your date with Bakugou and you had opted for a simple white sundress and tan sandals. Mina had insisted she did your makeup and straightened your hair. "You look smoking girl! Bakugou is going to love you!" Mina told you admiring her work, "shit- you should get going or you'll be late, I'll lock up". Looking at your watch you gasped, grabbing your keys and your purse before you ran out the door while shouting a quick thank you to Mina.

Stepping out of your car you looked at the cafe nervously, it had been awhile since you had been on a real date. Walking inside you glanced around the room looking for your date. A sudden hand on your shoulder made you jump as you let out a squeak in surprise. "(Y/N) right? Mina's friend?" You heard a deep voice ask you. Turning around you came face to face with the blonde boy you recognised as Bakugou. "Uh- yes that's me, im sorry if Mina forced you into this" you said followed by an awkward laugh. "Tsk... she's been trying to set me up with extras since highschool but I've never seen her as determined about it until she mentioned you" he grumbled, taking his hand off your shoulder and shoving it in his pocket. You studied his face and noticed the faint blush that covered his cheeks and noticed the tips of his ears had turned red. "Should we grab a booth and order?" You said offering him a small smile.

As Bakugou went to order for the both of you, you sat patiently, peering out the window of the cafe. Suddenly you felt your heart drop to your stomach as your eyes met a familiar pair of turquoise ones. It was the first time you had seen Dabi since your fight. Your thoughts were interrupted as Bakugou returned with two milkshakes and you offered him a smile trying to shake of the feeling in your gut.

From the outside Dabi stood there frozen as he observed you with another man. He hadn't expected you to move on so quickly and the thought of you with another man left a sour taste in his mouth. The way you looked at him made his stomach drop, it was as though he was a stranger to you. It was probably for the best, he told himself. He was a villain and you deserved so much more than him. He would never be able to give you the life you always wanted and he had to accept you were no longer his. He glanced at your small frame through the cafe window before catching up with Twice and Toga with a strong pang in his chest.

When you gotta run

Just hear my voice in you (my voice in you)

Shutting me out of you (shutting me out of you)

Doing so great (so great, so great)

You

Looking at your shopping list you pushed your trolley around the small grocery store. It had been 3 months since you started dating Bakugou and things were going surprisingly well. Chewing on your lower lip in thought you scanned through the aisles trying to locate the hot sauce Bakugou had asked you to pick up for him. Finally after an almost shameful amount of time searching for it you were able to find it. "(Y/N)...?" You heard a painfully familiar voice question. Turning around, you locked eyes with your ex as his attention turned to the bottle of hot sauce in your hand. "Interesting pick, I thought you always hated spicy food" Dabi mumbled, eyes flicking back to your face. "I- well it's not for me it's for my boyfriend" you stuttered, it felt like your heart was in your throat as shock run through your veins at the sight of him. Dabi's eyes suddenly seemed dull as his expression darkened at the use of the word 'boyfriend'. "Must be doing great then I take it Doll?" Dabi hummed. Your heart tightened at his nickname for you. "Yeah things are good, great I mean... Well I should get going but it was good seeing you Dabi, I hope you're doing well too" you muttered, glancing at him one last time before scurrying off to the checkouts without bothering to grab the rest of your list.

Used to be the one (used to be the one)

To hold you when you fall

Yeah, yeah, yeah (when you fall, when you fall)

I don't fuck with your tone (I don't fuck with your tone)

I don't wanna go home (I don't wanna go home)

Can it be one night?

Can you?

Can you?

"Ready to order babe?"

Peering over the menu, your gaze met Bakugou's. Tonight was your two year anniversary and he had taken you out to dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in town. Smiling sheepishly your eyes raked the menu again "If I'm being completely honest I'm not even sure what half this stuff is" you said a little embarrassed. Picking a dish you recognised on the menu you both chatted as you waited for your meal. "I was going to wait until after dinner but fuck it" Bakugou said and he stood up and kneeled beside your seat. "(Y/N) I know we've only been dating two years but they've been the best two years of my life. I- fuck, you know I'm bad at expressing my feeling but what I'm trying to say is will you marry me?" Bakugou stuttered, cheeks as red as his best friends hair as he looked up at you nervously. Too shocked to answer him with words, you nodded, letting him slide the diamond ring on your finger as you jumped from your seat to embrace him.

Dabi stood there in shock as he watched the love of his life become engaged to another man at the same restaurant he had meant to have met her all those nights ago. Kicking over a nearby trash can he screamed, letting his emotions out in the empty street. Dabi had spent countless nights unable to dream of anything else but your beautiful face, it haunted him. Seeing you now engaged filled him with rage and sorrow knowing he drove you into another man's arms. Not wanting to go home he dragged himself to a bar and ordered a few shots of whatever would make him forget tonight. Feeling the burning sensation run down his throat he finally broke down at the realisation that soon you would be slow dancing at your wedding while he danced in the dark wishing it was him.

Give me reasons we should be complete

You should be with him, I can't compete

Dark

You looked at me like I was someone else, oh well

Can't you see?

I don't wanna slow dance (I don't want to slow dance)

In the dark

Dark

In the dark

Dark

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Hii congrats can i have a male ship please with both eras so im a slytherin my favourite class would be either care of magical creatures or potions i love to read and i love animals can i it all fluff please❤❤

Hey! Thank you! Your ship is under the cut, I hope you like!

Marauders Era:

Sirius Black:

“What are you reading?” A familiar voice drawls as Sirius Black joins you in the library.

“Wuthering Heights,” You answer.

“Again?”

“Yes, again. It’s one of my favourites.”

“But it’s so dull!” He cries.

“Have you read it?”

“No.” Sirius answers, petulantly.

“Then how do you know it’s dull?”

“I just do.”

“Here, take my copy and read it. Come back to when you have.”

“And what do I get out of it?”

“A good book to read.”

“I want more than that”

“Like what?”

“Tell you what, I’ll read it. But I want to take you out after I do,” He suggests with a smirk.

“Why?”

“So we can properly discuss the material, of course.”

You laugh, nodding at him, “Okay, but only when you’re done!”

He salutes you, “Yes, ma’am.”

Sirius leaves you then, thumbing through to the first page. He doesn’t start reading in earnest until he’s on his own in his dorm. It’s somewhat hard to read – the Yorkshire dialect mixed with the exaggerated use of commas favoured by the Victorians making it difficult to focus on any one part for long.

But Sirius perseveres.

He finishes the book in the early hours of the morning much to the delight of the rest of the Marauders who had been kept from a deep sleep by Sirius’ lamp. They all sigh happily when it is finally switched off.

Sirius approaches you that very morning; sitting down next to you at the Slytherin table to the dismay of his family members sitting only a few seats down. You smile at him as he steals a piece of toast from your plate, “You finished it?”

He nods, “I stayed up until I did.”

“That is dedication.”

Sirius nods, continuing “I noticed one part which you had underlined a lot.”

“Which part? I write in a lot of my books.”

Sirius pulls out the copy, flipping until he finds the page, “Here. ‘If all else perished and he remained, I should still continue to be; but if all else remained and he were annihilated the universe would turn to a mighty stranger; I should not seem a part of it.’”

You nod, “It’s one of my favourite quotes from the book.”

“That is what interested me, though.”

“Oh?”

He shakes his head, “No, it was the tiny note close to the spine of the book that caught my eye.”

You gasp as you remember exactly what note it is that he’s on about.

He nods at the sound of your gasp, “My initials hidden away where no-one could see until I bent the spine slightly to read at a better angle.”

You drop your head into your hands, “I am so sorry – you didn’t need to see that.”

“Hey,” He starts, pulling your hands away from your fsce, “I’m glad I did.”

“You are?”

He nods, “Yeah, at least I know now that the person I’ve had a crush on for a long time, likes me back.”

You smirk, “So the book wasn’t all that dull in the end?”

Sirius tangles your fingers together, “Definitely not.”

Lightning Era:

Blaise Zabini:

Blaise Zabini considered himself to be an extremely confident student; he was in the Slug Club, he achieved the highest grades in all his classes.

Bar one.

Care of Magical Creatures was the bane of his life. He didn’t necessarily care for the subject; didn’t understand why he would need it when his life plan involved him being a Potioneer – working as far away from magical creatures as possible.

However, whilst he didn’t care for the subject, it was the only one of his classes that he wasn’t excelling at.

And he needed help.

Blaise approaches you in the Slytherin common room after having watched you interact with your Puffskein for a good ten minutes. There was something about you that animals felt draw to; they trusted you with their whole beings from the very first meeting – it had to be a gift, Blaise thought.

You grin at him as he approaches you, “Blaise, how are you?”

He can’t help but smile back, “I need your help actually.”

“Well this is a turnup for the books, how can I help you?”

He rubs the back of his neck with his hand, “I need help with Care of Magical Creatures – it’s the only subject I’m not predicted the highest grade on, and I know you can help.”

You nod, “Of course I’ll help!”

“You will?”

“Yeah, why not? I could always use the extra studying.”

“As if you need it,” Blaise flirts, “I’ve seen you in class, you’re a natural.”

You duck your head, “Just as you are with Potions.”

“Thank you. Can we start tomorrow? I really want to get ahead before the exams start.”

You nod, “Sure thing, what about tomorrow evening after dinner? I’ll talk to Hagrid in the morning and ask if he’s okay with us wandering around the copse.”

Blaise leans forward and drops a kiss to your cheek, “That’s great. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You watch him walk, pressing your hand to your cheek to feel where his lips had landed. You couldn’t wait for tomorrow now.

[banghyung]

red looks good on you

word count - 1k

warnings - uh,,,, none i think

member - optional bias

a/n - as my “im back” present, and in celebration of reaching 666 followers while i was on my hiatus, here is this short fic! It’s optional bias, although i did originally have the idea with skz hyunjin in mind. I wouldn’t mind writing a part 2 to this if enough people want one! 

You weren’t sure what had led you to this point. The entirety of your life you had been told the same words - “No wandering off on your own. Don’t talk to strange men, especially at night. Always walk on busy roads if you have to be alone. Don’t give anyone the chance to hurt or take advantage of you.” Obviously, you had always been a good listener. Which is why you were now staring at the strange man 50 feet away from you. On the other side of the abandoned, barely lit street. In the dark. 

You could barely make out his features, but you were sure that the smirk adorning his face would visit you in your dreams. You had no idea how right you were.

It couldn’t have been longer than a minute that you stood there, staring. You probably could’ve been there for longer, but a car honk tore your attention away for only a second and when you looked back - he was gone. 

You must’ve been drugged or something, that would be the only thing that makes sense. How can a man just - disappear? Your thoughts were so consumed with the raw sense of disbelief over the whole situation that for days on end he was all you could think about. Who was he? Where was he? Why did you have a strange burning desire to see him again?

Your thoughts were still full of him days later as you prepared yourself to sleep, settling beside your bed as you begun your nightly prayer. 

“Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven-”

“What good do you think that will do?”

You jumped up from your position, spinning to face the silhouette sitting leisurely on your windowsill. 

“Who are you? What are you doing here? I’m going to call the police-”

“Oh, please. If you were going to call the police you would have done so already, rather than telling me that you’ll do it. As for the other questions, something tells me you already know.” He lowered his feet to the floor, raising himself up as if it was his own home. 

After a second, you realized why you felt a strange sense of familiarity. “You’re the man that I saw the other night.”

“And you’re not quite as stupid as you like to make yourself believe.”

“What are you doing here? How did you get in here?”

He began to walk around your room casually, picking up and studying random objects from different shelves and surfaces.  “Your locks are all extremely fickle, you really should get them all changed before someone dangerous gets in.”

“And how do I know that you’re not someone dangerous?”

“Well, if I was I’m sure the atmosphere would be much different than it is now.” He threw a smirk over his shoulder, and you sighed in exhaustion. Sitting down on the edge of your bed, you fix your eyes on his back as he continues to sift through your belongings, not finding the energy to ask him to stop.

“For the last time, what are you doing here? And don’t try to avoid answering this time.”

The man turns towards you, leaning against the wall directly across from your bed.

“Why do you keep thinking about me,” he asks.

“I asked you- wait, what?”

“You heard me, you’ve been thinking about me constantly. Why?”

“I-” you shifted in your seat, suddenly feeling as though you’d been caught doing something you shouldn’t have. “I don’t know.”

“The easy answer, I should’ve expected it. Well, I can tell that you’ve had a long day, so I probably should get going, and you should get some sleep.”

“Wait, what are you-”

“I’ll see you again, but until then, think about your answer.”

--

It was months before you saw him again, and by then you had almost fully convinced yourself that he was the product of an extremely lucid dream. Almost.

You were so close to convincing yourself that you almost didn’t notice him as you walked by. Almost. 

“Have you figured it out yet?” It was the voice that stopped you dead in your tracks as it stirred the memories you thought were fake. You moved slowly as you turned toward the man standing behind you. You took a step backwards as you realized how close he was. 

“W-what?”

He stepped towards you. “Your answer. Have you figured it out yet?”

You continued your game of back and forth, until you felt the hard wall of a building press against your back. The man laughed lightly at the innocence of the act before stepping towards you again. He placed his hand on the wall next to your head, leaning in close to you. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

“May-maybe,” you admitted, not being able to remember anything before a few seconds ago. 

He leaned closer to you, his face mere inches in front of your own, and it was in that moment that you finally realized you could see him. He was real, not part of your imagination, not some strange, handsome stranger you had dreamed up because you were lonely. He was real. And he was breathtaking.

You heard footsteps approaching, and both of you looked in the direction of the sound.

“Let’s go somewhere more private, hm?” And suddenly, where there had once been open sky and alleyways, there was your room. 

You jumped away from the man, suddenly filled with dread. “Who are you? What are you? How did we get here?” You rapidly fired off questions, trying to understand the situation. “I must have blacked out and you carried me home. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“Oh, of course. That’s the only logical solution,” the man chimed in.

“What the fuck are you?” You grabbed the lamp off of your desk in a weak attempt at making yourself look intimidating, but you only conjured a laugh from your company. 

“Do you want the good or the bad answer?”

You paused. You weren’t expecting any hint of an answer at all. “Good answer.”

“I’m your guardian angel.” 

You lowered the lamp, confused. “What’s the bad answer?”

“My name,” he paused, looking deep into your eyes, “is Lucifer.”

[skizmin]

the lantern room | l. minho ☼

⇝ Australia!Au: jeongin, seungmin, felix, jisung, hyunjin, changbin, minho, chan, woojin ⇝ Pairing: Lee Minho / Gender neutral reader

⇝ Genre: fluff, a little angsty tbh but its not bad at all. strangers to friends to lovers, lighthouse keeper and local penguin enthusiast minho!!

⇝ Words: 15, 416 (i know its adschjk)

⇝ Summary: Minho Lee was the local mystery boy. You didn’t know him, but you knew he looked after the lighthouse and fed the local penguins. That was until the storm.

⇝ A/N: vanta the cat based off of nathan the cat!! is my bias showing??? this is so much longer than my other ones im so sorry it’s just minhos so easy to write for n this idea i just kept unknowingly building on meaning it all takes ages to resolve ahbdbsjhgfd. very very special thanks to @briee-elle who beta read it for me and edited it and just saved my life basically!! ily bub

⇝ Music: here is the playlist i listened to whilst writing!!

No one really knows the boy that mans the lighthouse on your bay. They say his mother is sick, his father is someone out of the picture, they say he’s an only child with only an odd cat for company.

You went to school with him, he wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. He was nice, relatively smart and good at swimming from what others told you. What people found strange was the way he’d disappear at break times, and the way he’d reject any invitations to parties or simple hang-outs, also how he never seemed to attend any school excursions or camps. You hadn’t really spoken to him, Minho Lee that is. The opportunity simply never came up. But that didn’t mean you weren’t completely obsessed with him and his mysterious aura.

You felt immature, if you were being honest, at how enamoured you were with this boy who had never even glanced in your direction. No one knew, of course, how you would think of him often and wonder what he was up to, you were too embarrassed to confess to your friends about how the dark haired boy had swallowed your mind. Maybe you had been reading too many cheesy romance novels? You were always the one to reject any romantic aspect of the stereotypical mystery boy in the books, but it seemed different with Minho Lee.

You wondered where he went every lunch time, what he did when he was alone on those Friday nights you were attending a party, what he did on the nights where the ocean’s harsh wind thrashed against the windows of every house in the town, lulling you to sleep. Minho’s home was right next to the lighthouse (and, technically, neighbouring yours), probably getting hit with the relentless wind and sea sprays the hardest. As a child you used to think Minho lived in the lighthouse due to watching constant replays of Round The Twist on your Saturday mornings, and you wondered if he would be amused by that.

People rarely saw him outside of school. Sometimes people gossiping about the odd amounts of frozen squid he bought at the convenience store on a Sunday afternoon. You saw him quite frequently though, not that he knew, of course.

Your and Minho’s houses shared the same tiny cove on the cliff line your town edged on, alongside a few elderly couples that were enjoying their retirement. Often as the sun set you’d find yourself wandering down the poorly built stairs to the small beach past the steep cliff your house stood near. On these days where you watched the oranges and deep pinks roll over the horizon, you’d also watch Minho on the beach with copious amounts of squid in a large tin bucket, chucking them to the penguins that made their way from the ocean to their burrows hidden by the sand mountains that rose higher the closer you got to the cliff.

You thought it was ludicrous. Minho, the boy who no one knew barely anything about, spent his evenings building unlikely relationships with the penguins of your town by feeding them squid. What was more confusing was his black cat who followed him all along the beach, even wandering off to play in the water. A cat playing in the ocean? Minho had a more interesting life than you ever would.

Sometimes in the summer when the sun would set quicker than normal, you watched from your hiding place behind some sandbanks above sea level (acquirable by jumping over the railing of the wooden stairs down to the beach) as Minho darted up the stairs, leaving his cat and the penguins on the beach with the squid dumped out into a massive pile. He always returned within ten minutes, panting lightly as he jogged down the stairs, you smiled at these times, realising he’d forgotten to turn the lighthouse light on before he’d ventured down to the picturesque beach. You could hear, when he returned, his scowling reprimands to his cat who had gluttonously eaten most of the squid instead of leaving it to the small penguins that waddled further up the beach after realising there was no extra food left.

You thought, if anyone ever asked you why you liked Minho (not that they’d know enough to ask), you’d simply say you loved the way his accomplished smile would lazily spread its way over his face once he returned up the stairs a final time to head home, a hand grasping the handle of his tin bucket tightly and oddly thalassic cat leaping up two stairs at a time alongside him. You thanked whatever lords you could that he never saw you, you’d rather dive into a pool of slimy seaweed and swim in it for 4 hours than have Minho Lee think you were some kind of creep (even if you most definitely were one).

☇

It was a Wednesday night, a storm had hit and the rain pelted against the tin of your roof. You listened in a state of equanimity, shutting your eyes that were watching in a trance as the light beamed from the lighthouse every 7 seconds.

You heard the low hum of light thunder off in the distance of the ocean, smiling lightly. You’d always loved listening to storms, finding it fascinating that something so frantic and chaotic could be so calming to your senses. You very nearly fell asleep, leaning on the windowsill of your living room which was lit only by a warm lamp in the far corner, your parents on the couch reading their own novels due to the TV reception cutting off during the harshness of the storm. You would’ve fallen asleep, in fact, if a sudden banging hadn’t sounded from your front door.

At first, you and your parents thought it to be the storm, maybe a tree banging against one of your walls, that was until you heard the faint yelling that was very almost washed away by the howls of the wind. Your mother instantly sprung to her feet, padding her way quickly to the door. You and your father followed with haste, wondering what could be going on, scared of the things that could happen on this horrid night.

There were definitely calls for help as you reached your front door, the banging persistent. Your mother unlocked the door and tugged it open, your breath caught in your throat as you saw what was there.

Minho Lee stood in your doorway, one arm holding his panic-stricken cat and the other moving from its poise it held from banging on the door to wrap around the arm of a woman who stared vacantly through the house despite her furrowed brows. Minho’s hair was drenched, worry tracing all over his features as he stuttered to explain himself.

“Oh my god!” Your mother stated, immediately reaching out to the woman on Minho’s side to lead them into the house. Minho’s cat broke free of the boy’s hold, scampering into the living room towards the heater that was in there. “What happened?”

“I’m terribly sorry Y/M/N, we really don’t mean to intrude!” Your brows furrowed at the way Minho’s supposedly mother wasn’t looking towards your mum as she spoke to her. “The roof in our living room collapsed, Minho insisted on getting out. He’s worried sick about the roof in other rooms collapsing and—”

“Oh Mrs Lee! That’s awfully unsafe, of course you can’t stay there!” Your mother exclaimed, placing a comforting hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Honey, would you go get some towels? And some of Markus’ old clothes?”

Markus was your cousin, his family lived in the Netherlands although he lived with you for two years whilst studying a marine biology course at  small university nearby. His room was still set up the way he’d left it, aside from a few valued possessions he took back home with him once his course had finished.

Your father set off through the house, not saying a word as he was too shocked by the sudden situation.

“Y/N, sweetie, boil the kettle would you please?” Your mother asked you, turning to smile at you reassuringly.

“Yeah. Yeah, of course. Tea or coffee, Mrs Lee?” You asked the woman, who smiled, still not looking towards you.

“Coffee with milk would be perfect, Y/N.” You nodded and your eyes subconsciously flitted to Minho.

You were taken aback once you realised he was staring at you, wet hair dripping onto the floor and nose red from the cold. His eyes looked curious, confused, maybe even skeptical, you weren’t sure. Intimidated by his gaze, you quickly turned on your heel and made a beeline into the kitchen.

Filling the kettle, then flicking it on, you processed the situation as you waited. Minho Lee and his mother were in your house, it was currently 11:14 PM and his cat was wandering around your living room. A storm had somehow damaged their home and Minho was too worried to stay there for the night. Okay, you thought, this was only slightly weird.

“I uh—,” a voice sounded it’s way from the entrance to the kitchen, you whipped your head around to see a sheepish looking Minho, towel laid over his shoulders. “I didn’t know you lived here.”

What was this? Minho in your home, muddy shoes dirtying your kitchen tiles, Minho talking to you like he’d known you forever. Your eyes went a little wide and your ears pricked as the kettle flicked off, sounds of bubbling coming from it and steam filling the air. You whipped your head back around, fingers curling into fists as you tried to figure out what to say.

“Uh. Yeah, I don’t know why you would.” You replied, occupying your hands by pulling cups from the cupboard above your head.

“I’ve been at school with you for as long as I can remember, I think I should at least notice if you’re my neighbour.” His voice sounded closer, you didn’t dare turn around. Your cheeks felt redder at the thought of Minho actually knowing who you are, it somehow made your slight obsession with him way more embarrassing.

“Here, let me make my mum’s one. She’s a picky woman.” Minho mused, speaking through your silence that you didn’t know you’d allowed.

He was next to you already, grabbing one of the mugs from the bench and brewing a coffee with odd steps. He poured the milk first, before the water, and when you nervously trailed your eyes up to his face, you noticed his lips mouthing numbers as he counted how many times he stirred the coffee. His eyes flitted to you and you looked away, continuing to make your dad’s usual order of black tea.

“My name’s Minho, by the way.” He murmured, seemingly growing less and less confident as you didn’t reply.

“I know.” It tumbled from your lips before you could stop it, and your back straightened in fear. Fear of what? You weren’t too sure, maybe of Minho discovering how often he plagued your thoughts even when you weren’t at school with him.

“Really? I don’t think I’ve properly met you though.” He said back, and although you couldn’t see, you felt him turn to face you just the slightest bit more.

“I’ve been at school with you for as long as I can remember, I think I should at least know your name.” You replied, reiterating his words from earlier before picking up both mugs and turning to the boy. “Shall we?”

He simply smiled and followed you out of the kitchen into the lounge room where your parents and Minho’s mother sat. You noticed Minho’s cat had curled up on the windowsill that you had occupied before Minho arrived, you smiled, making a mental note to pet the cat later on.

“Y/N! Minho and his mum will be staying with us for a little while, just until they can figure everything out.” Your father said from his place closest to the heater, smiling graciously as he took his mug from your hand.

“Sounds good!” You said, politely smiling at Minho’s mother who didn’t return it to you. You watched as Minho gripped his mother’s hand and dragged it towards the coffee he made for her, only letting go of the mug once he was sure her hand was wrapped around it tightly.

“Perfect. Y/N, could you take Minho to Markus’ old room? There’s some clothes on the armchair. And Minho, feel free to shower before you go to sleep if need be.” You mum said, smiling warmly at you as you nodded, awkwardly grabbing the clothes from the chair and passing them to the boy.

You lead Minho once more, out of the room and down the hall. Markus’ room was next to yours, the wood of his door frame still littered with pencil and texta drawn lines of your growing height since you were small.

“Uh, here you go. The bathroom’s right there too if you uh, need it.” You said, leaning into the empty bedroom to flick on the light switch.

“She’s blind, by the way.” Minho said, looking at you unsurely. “My mum. You uh-, you looked a little confused back there.”

“Oh.” You replied, letting the statement sink in. “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

Minho just smiled softly and shook his head, “That’s alright. I’ll see you in the morning?”

You nodded dumbly and stepped back as he made his way into his room, you opting to quickly brush your teeth before going to bed.

It was strange, talking to Minho Lee was strange. His voice sounded nice when he was tired, quieter than what you heard at school and just the slightest bit lower. You wondered what would happen tomorrow, if maybe you’d walk to school together or maybe you’d walk home together, too.

Maybe Minho Lee wouldn’t be the one you admired from afar anymore, maybe the thumping in your heart would remain constant as he would stick around, talking with you more often than you’d had thought possible.

☇

That morning, your family walked Minho and his mother to their home, checking the ruin from the storm and allowing Minho to collect his uniform and things for school providing nothing had happened to his room. The cat, Vanta as you had learnt his name to be, followed along behind you, ignoring the hole in the roof and travelling straight to the metal bowl near the laundry and meowing loudly. Minho sighed and fed the obnoxious cat before he got a headache from its ear piercing screeches.

You smiled at the cat, standing awkwardly in the living room as your parents assessed the damage.

“Can you see any photo albums anywhere? I think they were on the bookshelf.” Minho’s mother said, standing approximately five metres from where you were, nibbling on her bottom lip as your mother recited what was damaged.

Your dad instantly took towards the bookshelf that at fallen over once the weight of the collapsed roof hit it (“A tree feel on it,” your dad said after wandering outside for a couple of minutes. “It was completely uprooted during the storm. The baby red gum.”).

“We don’t need the photo albums mum,” you turned your head to see Minho walking down the stairs, school bag tossed over his shoulder and uniform thrown on messily. “It’s not like they’re important.”

“They’re beyond important Minho!” His mother insisted, emphasising her point with pointed movements of her hands. “Just because I can’t see them doesn’t mean I don’t know they’re embarrassing, you can’t escape them even if you tried.”

“Found them!” Your father called over Minho’s groan. You immediately rushed to your father’s side, gathering an odd five books in your arms and moving to place them into a box that centred the room.

“I’ll get my stuff after school.” The boy that clouded your thoughts was beside you, you found it annoying how suddenly he always appeared next to you. “Wanna go?”

You nodded, red crawling up your cheeks as you weren’t prepared to have him speaking to you so openly. You hugged your parents, telling them you’d come straight home after school, before taking off to follow Minho out of his dishevelled home.

“I just need to—, uh, you know?” He gestured vaguely to the lighthouse that towered over his home, and you smiled brightly.

“Can I come?” You questioned, wanting to see what it was like to scale the stairs of the lighthouse, to see what happened when Minho turned the beam of it off.

Minho tilted his head lightly, “You want to come?”

“Of course! I used to always wonder what it looked like inside.” You felt your nerves subside around the boy slightly, senses overwhelmed at the pure want to venture into the tall tower of white, to see what exactly went on inside.

Minho smiled at you, slightly lopsided and told you to take off your bag at the entrance, leading you towards the small, hut like entrance of the lighthouse. You did as you were told once you reached the destination, listening as he fumbled with the key in the lock and feeling the soft spray of just barely rain on your face, wind blowing hair into your face making you sigh and run your fingers through it.

A loud creak sounded from where Minho stood and you looked in slight awe as he pushed the large metal door open to reveal nothing but a minuscule hallway leading to the beginnings of a staircase.

“Whoa.” Is all you could say, following Minho inside as he reflexively began to scale the stairs.

Half way up you realised Minho must be magnificently fit to do this twice everyday without a break. Despite the fact you made your way up and down the stairs to the beach almost everyday, and walked to and from school everyday, your thighs were burning. What kind of muscle did Minho possess in his thighs to be able to do this so effortlessly all the time?

The stairs where flooding with light, provided by the occasional window that followed the spiralling steps. Scaffolding littered around the bends which you easily ducked underneath if it came to it, the metal stairs creaking quietly at random times during the climb. The gaps between each step showed just how high you were climbing, something that you could also notice as you saw a wider and clearer view of the ocean outside the windows than you’d ever had, the dark grey of the water crashing onto limestone cliffs into the distance with a spray of white, image slightly distorted through the specks of rain that covered the glass.

“You tired already?” Minho glanced over his shoulder to you, whose footsteps had become heavier and louder though you were only halfway up.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you huffed a riposte, embarrassed at the way he was seemingly unbothered but also knowing how to take a joke when it was made.

“Sure you don’t,” Minho slowed down on the stairs as they reached an end. “It doesn’t matter anyway, we’re almost there.” You sighed out of happiness as you hit the end of the climb, your feet subconsciously moving to take another step up causing you to stumble a bit.

Eyes searching around the landing, you didn’t see what you had initially expected from imagining the insides of a lighthouse. You were gazing out the larger window of the landing when your eyes flitted to Minho, who was pressing against a ladder to check it’s stability. Gaze wandering up, you saw light flooding in from the opening in the roof the wide-runged ladder was heading up into.

“You go first, that way if you fall it won’t be too catastrophic.” Minho turned to you, eyes meeting your wondrous ones. You couldn’t feel it but Minho’s heart skipped a beat at your awestruck glare. He’d never brought someone up into the lantern room before, no one except his mother on rare occasions.

“Luckily for you, Minho Lee, I know how to climb a ladder.” You retorted, feet already moving forward until you could reach out and grip the ladder with your hands.

“All good, then.”

Minho’s tone surprised you. His volume was low, sentence coming out in something that could only be described as a breathy whisper. He sounded roughly unfocused. You couldn’t bring yourself to turn and look at him, instead choosing to step up rung by rung into the light spilling from above.

Minho’s arms moved to hold the ladder in support once your body was far enough up, not wanting to make you uncomfortable with any unneeded close proximity. Once you crawled over the top of the opening and disappeared, Minho began climbing (taking a relatively shorter amount of time than it had taken you).

His head popped through the hole and his dark eyes immediately searched for your figure around the brightness of the room. Once he found you, his body still rising through the hatch, he smiled.

Normally, he would move straight to gaze out into the ocean, watching the waves crash against the cliffside and feeling it steady his heart beat.

You, however, had immediately gravitated towards the contraption in the centre that held the small bulb for the beaming light. Your eyes searching for an explanation as to how exactly it worked, how the light became so bright for the boats and ship-men to see.

“What d’ya think?” Minho said once he was on his feet, moving towards the contraption as well, though standing a safe distance behind you.

“It’s…” You paused, not really knowing how to describe it. You tilted your head and brought your fingers to brush the rust of the metal bars encasing the millions of layers of lenses that surrounded the tiny bulb. “It’s different. Different from what I thought it would be, at least.”

Minho laughed lightly, passing to the other side of the circular room to flick off the switch to the light.

“And what exactly did you think it would be?” He asked, moving to stand beside you as your eyes remained fixated on the light bulb.

“Oh, the usual. Haunted and full of curses like in ‘Round the Twist’.” You stepped back, turning to face Minho once you deemed there to be enough space between the two of you.

Minho laughed at this, eyes almost closing as his cheeks rose with his smile. “Of course! Bronson is my cousin, I’ll have you know.”

You laughed too. Somewhere in your heart, you felt at ease, knowing an internal question was answered and that Minho was amused by that, amused by you.

☇

“We’re doing a Maccas run if you wanna come along,” your friend beside you finally picked up their duffel bag which they brought today to prepare for a soccer game. “I’m hungry as fuck.”

“Nah man, I gotta get home.” You grumbled, kicking a stone along the gravel of your schoolyard once you started walking.

“Shit, sorry!” Your friend whipped their head towards you. “Did I keep you? I shouldn’t have asked you to stay!”

You shook your head and smiled. “Nah, it’s all good. It wasn’t that long.”

“Yeah, but still. I could’ve seen Miss García on my own.” The grumbles beside you made you smile before you playfully bumped your hips into theirs.

“I said it’s all good man,” your friend laughed, happily reciprocating the action. “Now get a fucking move on! Jamie is probably waiting at your car already.”

“Okie dokie. See ya tomorrow, yeah?” They called out, stepping backwards towards the student car park. You just nodded at them and waved as you turned off your heel and walked in the opposite direction towards the front gates of the school.

The day was still gloomy, a pale overcast with occasional bouts of spitting, nothing too extreme though unlike the previous night. When you arrived, a few head teachers were forcing some poor year sevens to clean up the mess of sticks and branches that had strewn their way across the school yard, moving inches at a time when a harsh wind broke through. You’d almost forgotten about Minho once you agreed to walk your friend to the science staff-room to confront their teacher about an extension on their most recent assignment (“She’s being a twat about it.” They’d told you, “It’s like she’s never fucking heard of a sporting life! Like, hello? I’m kinda representing the school here!”)

That’s why you were washed with a sense of overwhelming guilt when you turned a corner only to see Minho Lee leaning on one of the brick pillars that made up the entrance.

“Minho?” You called out, watching as his head snapped up from his phone, hair falling perfectly over his forehead.

“Oh! Y/N!” He smiled lazily, it was like an infectious disease and you couldn’t help but smile back. “I was beginning to think you’d left without me.”

“I uh—,” you stopped in front of him, waiting for him to lean off of the wall and start walking with you. “I didn’t realise we were walking back together.”

Minho subconsciously tried to match his steps with yours; left, right. Left, right.

“Oh, yeah, I uh— We should’ve clarified that, huh?” If you’d looked up from the pavement, you might’ve seen the hint of red splaying it’s way across his cheeks.

You hummed, and he supplied words for the nearly uncomfortable silence. “I would’ve texted you, but I don’t have your number. So, yeah.”

You felt it coming, the smile that spread itself wide across your face, not even slowing at your attempts to stop it. “Is this your weird way of asking for my number?”

“Don’t you think I should have it?” Out of the corner of your eye you saw the dark haired boy’s hands shoving themselves into the pockets of his pants. “I mean, I’m walking you home after all.”

Spluttering and with red crawling up your neck, you retorted with a bite. “You mean; we’re walking back to my home, which is also now your temporary home.”

“Ah, you got the message too?” He questioned, feet now avoiding stepping on any cracks that could be found on the pathway.

The message he was referring too, which you did receive, was regarding the damage to Minho’s house.

The roofing for the half of the first level not covered by the second floor would need to be completely replaced, as well as the common roof/floor of the first and second level would need to have some checks done and possibly some reinforcements placed in it.

Your parents, being the overly kind people they were, had immediately offered Minho and Mrs. Lee a place to stay, simply not allowing the small family to spend the high expense of the only hotel in town and stating that renting was too much effort for only 3 months. Your palms had sweated once you received the news, thoughts of Minho living in the same house as you were just terrifying. He’d see you every morning you woke up, he’d see the times you ate your food like an absolute pig, he’d even see your odd Milo habits (which included not mixing in the Milo at all, something that was extremely absurd to your friends).

“Yeah.” You breathed out. “I did.”

Minho hummed this time, not really knowing how to respond. You noticed his awkward aura and elbowed him lightly in the side, why did I do that?

“Welcome, officially, to the Y/L/N household, buddy.” Minho smiled at you after you said this, and just for a moment you believed this situation was normal. You believed this situation was okay.

☇

“Mum, you’ve got to be kidding me.” You heard Minho hiss (a poor attempt in being quiet, you thought) from the living room as you tiptoed down the hall on a Saturday afternoon. “You can’t just start talking to her again like that!”

You paused, almost backtracking in your subconscious need to not interrupt the tension happening in the room down the hall.

“It’s one phone call, darling. It’s not like I’m forgiving her or anything,” you heard his mum say back, voice calm and with significantly less venom than the tone Minho held. “I think this is quite the opposite actually, she won’t be exactly happy to hear the news.”

“She’s going to think we’re relying on her—”

“Which we are—!”

“That’s not the point I’m trying to make!” Minho exclaimed, voice rising before he immediately dropped his volume. “I don’t want to make her feel important, like we still need her.”

“We do need her, Minho.” His mother sighed. “We need her to live comfortably, and you should be grateful that she’s giving you a life I couldn’t.”

“Mum–” Minho winced, you could practically feel the tears welling up in his eyes from the hallway. “Mum, I’d rather be living on the streets with you than be living in a mansion paid by her.”

You heard the footsteps padding quickly from the loungeroom, you barely had any time to react before Minho was striding out into the narrow hallway of your single storey house. His body somewhat startled when it noticed your presence, not 6 feet down the way, and his eyes snapped to yours.

Your prediction was right, his eyes were glassy, he looked like he was about to burst out into tears. Why couldn’t it be one of your parents in the situation? Getting caught listening in on an obviously private conversation. Of course they had both been busy at work or running errands. He immediately stepped backwards in the opposite direction down the hallway than you, eyes widening before his body turned and sped it’s way down the hall and out of the house into the weather of yet another windy afternoon. Your feet instinctively moved to follow him, the exigency to apologise taking over your body.

“Y/N?” Your legs halted just as you passed the open doorway into the loungeroom. “Leave him, he doesn’t like people seeing him upset.”

You immediately backtracked, turning your head into heat pouring out of the loungeroom. “Mrs Lee, I’m sorry.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” they lady said, smiling in your general direction after hearing your voice. “You did nothing, I’m sorry you had to see him act out like that.”

Your heart stilted lowly, you ached to go and find him and tell him you were sorry, that you were simply curious. You breathed in, stuttered, and smiled. Mrs Lee couldn’t see your smile, no, but she could hear it in your voice and feel it change the mood of the room.

“It’s all good, Mrs Lee. Should I make you a cuppa? We bought shortbreads yesterday, too.”

“Same as usual if you could, Y/N” She answered, before smiling brightly from her place on the couch. “And please, call me Minseo.”

☇

You had just finished setting the table, now leading a disoriented Mrs Lee—, or Minseo as she preferred you to call her by, to her seat as she was still quite unfamiliar with the layout of your home. Your mum chose to make a simple Tuscan dish, calling out to you from the kitchen.

“Do you mind going and finding Minho for dinner?” Your fingers clenched unknowingly around Minho’s mum’s arm, senses of doubt flooding your mind.

The lady you were leading must have noticed, because she leant closer to you to whisper by the side of your face. “Don’t worry love, he’ll have calmed down by now.”

“Where can I find him?” You asked, heartbeat steadying as you pulled out a chair and led Minseo’s hands to it so she could find her own way into the seat (as per her request, “I want to do everything I can do.”)

“He’s only ever in two places aside from home, the beach or the lighthouse. Hope you’re ready for a work out.” Minho’s mum cheekily joked, quickly placing a hand over yours in comfort.

“Thank you,” You murmured before turning your head and calling out into the general vicinity of the kitchen. “I’ll be back soon! Don’t wait up for us!”

You walked out of your front door shortly after that, only stopping to grab a coat, and you were greeted with the fresh smell of saltwater that floated along the chilly air. You decided not to go down to the beach first, figuring if it was this late (not late, 8:26PM actually) he’d be done with the penguins and the tide would scale too high for any lengthy walks along the sand. Your feet carried you towards the lighthouse, puffing in relief when you noticed the large metal door, that was painted in a peeling white, was left slightly ajar.

Hurriedly, you stepped inside, desperate to escape the harsh wind that broke through the fabric of your thick jacket. Peering through the hallway, fear struck inside your mind. It was dark, almost dungeon like even though the stairs definitely weren’t, and definitely didn’t, lead into any depths of the earth. You turned on your torch from your phone and began your climb, ignoring the chills that crawled down your spine at every light creak or howl of the wind outside. Your thighs began to ache, still slightly sore from the first time you’d climbed these stairs only mere days ago.

“Minho?” You called up the spiral case, hoping he’d hear and reassure you he was there. Alas, there was no response, so you kept scaling up.

Despite your best efforts with your torch, you stumbled nearing the solid landing of the tower after tripping on some scaffolding that lay there. You swore softly, regaining your balance and stepping out into the landing.

The ocean looked terrifying from this window, dark navy blue sky with only the moon to illuminate the way the waves violently crashed into the limestone of the cliffs. You turned your head away from the sight, suddenly only imagining how the tower might simply tilt and fall over into the unforgiving sea. The thought of being swallowed by the darkness of the water made your heart pound, but you were at least comforted by the way the light from the hatch up into the lantern room shone down onto the landing, lighting it significantly.

Wiping your palms wide and flat onto your jeans, you approached the ladder.

“Minho?” You tried again, but to no avail. You sighed, it wouldn’t hurt to check just to be sure.

Before you knew it, you were halfway up the ladder, head just shorter than half a foot away from peeking through the hole in the cast iron.

“Y/N?”

“Fuck!” You flew backwards, completely taken aback at the way Minho’s head suddenly appeared in the hatch. You didn’t even have time to register how cute he looked with his confused face, brows furrowed and lips slightly pouted.

Minho’s reaction was quick, quicker than he had appeared in the opening, even. His left hand immediately went out to grasp onto your elbow as his right arm hooked over the ladder to stabilise it.

“Shit! I’m so sorry,” he exclaimed, arm straining to help you back safely on the ladder. Your feet were still fastened to the rungs, but your upper body had leant back so suddenly that you very almost lost your balance, hands desperately reaching to grip the ladder which would have done no help. The ladder wasn’t completely fastened to the opening in the ceiling (floor? both?) meaning you would have simply brought the ladder down with you in your fall.

“Minho!” you almost shouted, heart pounding and pupils dilated in exhilaration. “You utter fuckwit!”

Minho’s eyes stared directly into yours for a few moments, examining them as he slowly dragged his arms away from you and the ladder. It was silent until he began laughing. Eyes crinkling and breath being sucked in through wheezes.

“Your fucking face!” He cried, leaning back from the hatch to allow you to climb through. “You should’ve seen it!”

“That could have been the last face you’d ever seen, Minho Lee,” You grumbled, climbing through the opening with ease. “If I died, I would’ve haunted you to immediate death.”

“You—, you were all ‘Fuck!’ and—” Minho did what he supposed was an impression of you. “—you just fucking fell! Who does that? You were on a ladder!”

“Maybe someone who was petrified of your ugly face!”

“Oh, come on Y/N. Be a little more original for my sake.”

“Oh, I’ll be original with threats if need be, Minho.” You said, eyes turning menacing and small smile creeping its way onto your face.

Minho raised an eyebrow, watching you as you stood up in front of him. “Hm? Is that so?”

“Y—yeah!” You were suddenly flustered by Minho’s mischievous gaze on you, his lips tilting into a shit-eating grin. “Watch it, or I’ll shove a skewer up your fucking urethra.”

It took a second for him to register what you had said, and what exactly it entailed. But when he realised, you laughed at the visible cringe that went through Minho’s body, “Too far! What the fuck?”

Soon he began laughing too, giggles falling from his lips at your response to his reaction. You felt his eyes on you whilst you were laughing, gallantry suddenly declining rapidly as you quickly composed yourself with a sheepish smile.

“Sorry,” You said, finally, eyes flitting to and from Minho’s attentive ones. “Dinner’s ready, if you wanna come down.”

The boy’s eyes followed your hands as they gestures vaguely to the ladder that disappeared down the hole. You became very aware of the room now, how the moon shone through some fast moving clouds sporadically.

“Oh, sure,” Minho seemed to have snapped out of his slight disorient. “I’ll uh—, I’ll go down first.”

Minho awkwardly walked by you before turning and stepping down the ladder without another glance your way. And when you climbed down the ladder, stumbling off the last rung with a state of clumsy, and Minho’s hands had moved quickly to tighten themselves around your waist, neither of you said anything.

Walking down the stairs, you felt a massive urge to turn around to Minho and apologise. Apologise for basically eavesdropping on his conversation with his mum. You stopped yourself with clenched fists, telling yourself that he wouldn’t appreciate you bringing up the episode when he was clearly in a much better mood. Your fingernails remained pressing into your palms all the way until you walked into the house.

“We’re here!” You announced, awkwardly leading Minho through the entrance and towards the dining room.

After serving Minho and yourself some food, you went to sit with your family who was animatedly talking to Minho’s mother about her decision to buy her home and the lighthouse that protected the boats travelling along the coastline.

“And yeah, my ex-girlfriend and I just decided to buy it!” You glanced up at Minho who shifted uncomfortably beside his mother, opting to lift up the jug of water on the table and top up his mother’s and his own glasses.

“Just like that?” Your mum questioned. “God, it would’ve taken me years to convince Y/D/N to buy that.”

“Yeah, I’ve always liked lighthouses,” Minho’s mother smiled fondly. “I would’ve found a way to live by one.”

A silence filled the table, awkward and filled only by the scrapes of knives and forks on the table. You could feel the question lingering in the air, your father probably twitching to ask it, but Minseo answered it before it was even verbalised.

“I became blind about,” she raised a hand to gesture a so-so movement. “Three years later? It was about 1 and a half years after we were finally able to adopt Minho here.”

You saw the movement of Minseo’s hand under the table to pat at her son’s knee, your eyes darted up to his face and only saw an uncomfortable smile. You downcast your eyes to your plate, Minho mustn’t like talking about his other mum at all.

“Do you like the lighthouse, Minho? I don’t think Y/N would remember to turn it on and off all the time.” Your mum queried, folding her arms over the table.

“Oh, I love it!” Minho said, straightening his back and smiling politely. “I took Y/N up there the other day, actually. Maybe we should start taking turns, just so I can have a break.”

He turned to you and smirked. You rolled your eyes as your parents and Minseo started laughing, amused by Minho’s proposal.

“What d’ya say, Y/N?” He asked, smirk turning slowly into a lopsided smile that you didn’t want to admit made your heart stutter.

Scoffing, you picked up your glass of water. “No thanks, I’d rather watch you suffer for a few more years yet.” You retaliated, smiling in accomplishment as Minho’s mum nodded in agreement.

You liked this; sitting down for dinner and conversing with people other than your parents so freely with laughter filling the table. It wasn’t uncomfortable. It was nice.

☇

“Twenty Questions? Like, the game?”

It was late the next day, you sat with Minho on the floor of Markus’ old bedroom after helping him bring a plethora of items from his own bedroom for safe-keeping. You’d sat down on the floor with a cushion from the armchair in the room whilst Minho finished sorting some things into boxes.

“Yeah, the game.” Minho replies to you, moving to sit across from you on the floor. “I’ve never played it.”

You eyed the way he pulled his legs up and rested his elbows onto them before crossing them over, laying his hands over his upper arms. It seemed oddly intimate, talking to Minho in the warm, dim light of this bedroom. Sitting on the floor with still damp hair from your shower, fingers playing with the cracks in the floorboards below you.

“You know,” you started, turning your gaze to the small Star Wars poster Markus had left on the wall. “Twenty Questions is usually just called a conversation in my books.”

Minho breathed out a short laugh, smile twitching up on his lips. “Alright then. Let’s have a conversation.”

You nodded at him, and he began. “Books or movies?”

“Depends on whether the book or movie is better.” You shrugged, not thinking too hard. “Favourite colour?”

You smiled when Minho rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Basic. Mint green.”

“Ooh nice! I like mint green.” You butted in, pleased with his answer. Minho smiled and nodded in return.

“Tell me a random fact about yourself.” He demanded.

“That’s hardly a question, Minho.”

“This isn’t Twenty Questions, though,” the boy in front of you pointed out. “This is a conversation.”

“Oh my god—”

“Come on, just tell me!” Minho said, smile spreading wider over his lips. Once again, it was infectious, spreading its way over yours as well as you pondered for an answer.

“Uh, I can do this weird thing with my tongue?” You stated, slightly unsure, before opening your mouth and performing a weird tongue dance.

“What the fuck? You pass, that’s creepy.” You laughed at Minho’s scandalised face.

“What about you?” You said, ceasing your fiddling with the floor to lace your fingers together in front of you.

“Me? I’m ambidextrous.” Minho responded with a proud smile, clearly happy with his gift.

You left his room at 11:30PM, telling him he should get some rest before school after hours of questions, answers and detailed elaborations. Despite your earlier fears, it was easy to talk with Minho Lee. You didn’t have a problem speaking to him anymore aside from maybe when he’d do something that would make your heart stall for a brief moment. You didn’t know that his heart stalled too, every time you’d nudge him to get his attention or when you said something that he found particularly adorable.

He liked it, speaking with you, even if he wasn’t exactly used to it.

☇

A week later, you were taking a bite out of one of the chips from the packet you were holding just as another friend came to your table to sit down.

“Since when were you friends with Minho Lee?” He asked, hauling his bag into the table to open the zip on it. “I saw you walking to school with him this morning.”

You paused from eating your chips, you hadn’t really mentioned the whole Minho situation yet. You weren’t ashamed or anything, maybe embarrassed at your friends possibly beginning to believe you had a massive crush on him (which, though you didn’t want to admit it, was becoming more and more true each day you spent with him).

“Oh. Our families are friends.” You said simply, it was true. Your family was close with Minseo and Minho Lee now that they had been with you for a few weeks.

Your friend, Alex, raised a brow at you. “Yo, really? How come I didn’t know?” He exclaimed, faux offence lacing his features.

“I didn’t know either,” another friend piped in. “I’ve never even seen you talk to him!”

“Well,” you started before swallowing the remaining food in your mouth. “He doesn’t really talk much at school. He’s nice, though.”

“I’ve never seen him at breaks, he was in my science in year 10, though.” Alex piped up, finally pulling out a container of god-knows-what from his bag. “He broke like, three whole test tubes.”

You smiled, thinking of Minho being so clumsy to drop test tubes that often. “Sounds like him.”

“Who does he sit with? Like, where does he even go?” The girl beside you asks, eyebrows furrowing as she tried to remember if she’d seen him at a lunchtime before.

“I don’t know, actually.” You answered, tilting your head as you thought hard too. “I’ll ask him after school.”

Your friend nodded and Alex spoke once more, something that looked close to a Thai curry filling his cheeks. “Sin’f whe’dib you wok’ome wiv’im?”

Some heads on your table turned to him, only to join you in laughing at his so-called sentence. “Excuse me, what?”

He just rolled his eyes and gulped three times before opening his mouth again, enunciating it very clearly. “Since when did you walk home with him?”

You laughed breathily once more at your friend before responding. “Since not long ago, really.”

“Do you like him?” A girl named Iniya called from the other end of the table, causing you to almost choke on the water you’d just started to drink. Great, this is exactly what you didn’t want to happen.

“Excuse me?” You shot back, eyes pointing in an accusatory glare. “Why does every guy I talk to have to be a guy I like, Miss ‘I’m-So-Sick-Of-Romance’.”

“Not all guys!” She said. “I wouldn’t ever let you crush on Rawiri.”

All heads turn to Rawiri, another one of your friends, who was struggling the break the ice of his orchy cup. He looked up with wide and confused eyes. “You know, Iniya, I don’t know what I’ve ever fucking done to you.”

The table erupted with laughter and the subject of you liking Minho was forgotten, without you even straight up denying it.

☇

“My friends asked about you at lunch today.” You said, taking a bite into the potato cake Minho had given you which was doused in a thick amount of chicken salt.

“Really?” He questioned, shoving the change from his purchase in his pocket (“I can buy my own potato cake, Minho.” You’d argued, attempting to shove a two dollar coin into Minho’s hand. He only scoffed, and replied in a mocking tone; “I can buy my own potato cake, Minho.”).

“Yeah,” you gulped down your mouthful. “You should come sit with us at lunch.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Minho shaking his head. “No thanks, man. I’m busy during breaks.”

Silence ensued as you battled whether or not you should ask the question that you were thinking of, but you chose to ask it anyway.

“What do you even—”

“Homework,” Minho cut you off before you even finished. “I do it during school, I don’t have time to do it at home.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

You tilted your head slightly. “Would you mind if I came with you while you did it?”

“Yes,” you saw Minho look at you, but you didn’t turn to face him. “You’d be way too much of a distraction.”

“Oh, come on!” You exclaimed, looking at him with wide eyes and lips parted in slight offense. “I am not a distraction.”

“You talk,” he retorted. “Heaps. I don’t know how I survive honestly.”

“Okay Mr ‘I’m-gonna-wait-for-you-after-school-everyday’!”

“Would you rather I didn’t?”

“That’s not what I’m saying!”

Minho let out an exasperated sigh before taking a large bite out of his potato cake. You looked away right after you realised you were staring at the chicken salt that remained on his lips, who does that?

“Fine. But I’m not gonna hesitate to kick you outta the library if you piss me off.” You fist pumped in victory before picking up your pace, basically skipping home with a proud face of accomplishment.

“Can you not run off?” Minho called down the street. “I’m kind of excruciatingly lazy, here!”

The next day, Minho led you from your shared society and culture class to the school library up at the 3rd floor of one of your school buildings.

“Hey Minho!” The librarian greeted, catching you off guard as Minho smiled and waved politely. You waved too before you realised Minho had quickly travelled away from you, already looking for a table.

He found an empty one, one painfully close to the Manga section of the library where a few edgy year eights sat, black nail polish on their fingers that flicked the pages of the book every few seconds.

“Sit across from me,” he directed, sitting down and swinging his bag onto the table. “I kinda need some space.”

You didn’t realise what he really meant by that until you saw just how seriously he was going to study. He pulled out his laptop and five different work books as well as two pencil cases (“One for pens ‘n’ stuff and the other for highlighters.”).

“Whoa.” You said, meekly dragging out your pencil case and your English book to begin your draft for an upcoming in class essay.

“Shush, I won’t hesitate to kick you out.”

You shut your mouth, eyes studying Minho’s dead serious expression as he stared directly at you. After a few seconds, you couldn’t help the fit of giggles that tumbled from your lips, causing Minho to roll his eyes and kick your shin under the table. You inhaled a large amount of air to calm down before apologising and getting a pen out from your pencil case.

You did your work without bothering Minho from then on. No noises, no erratic movements, nothing that would distract him in any way. You got a fair amount of work done, too, as you were almost halfway finished your essay draft. You’d suppressed some groans here and there, really despising the fact that you were stuck there doing an essay on Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’.

You and Minho had grown closer over the past few weeks. The air around you was no longer awkward and you could approach each other anytime without being overthrown by nerves and thoughts of ‘Am I annoying them?’ or ‘Are they too busy?’, thank god. Minho liked it a lot, actually. Having a friend, that is. He more of survived off of acquaintances, not really having the time to hang out with people outside of school when he wanted to spend his time looking after the lighthouse and, of course, his mum.

But he couldn’t help but smile at knowing he could talk to you about things that were just funny and relatable at your age, things he probably couldn’t laugh about with his mum. He liked it most when you approached him, smile gracing your lips and a snarky comment tumbling from them in some form of greeting that, even though it was most likely a comment to offend him, made his heart beat a little harder.

At first, he’d played it off simply as excitement of having a friend, of having someone close to his age that he could talk to whenever he wanted pretty much. But now? Now he had realised.

His eyes fell on you constantly as he was supposed to be studying, not that you noticed with your furrowed brows and nose buried deep into your copy of ‘Othello’. He wanted to say something to tease you when he noticed your phone on the table, image on the screen lighting up of google and the search bar filled with ‘synonyms for emotions’ and other various things. He just let out a small smile and trailed his eyes up to your face, pupils dilated as you read through a scene of the play, sometimes your eyes flicking back up a few lines once you realised you weren’t really paying attention to what you were reading. Your fingers tapped on the table silently and your workbook lay open to reveal two pages of messily written words that were crossed out and rewritten, little notes in red above some sentences and quotes from the play written larger than the rest of it, as if to draw attention to them over your actual analysis.

Minho could feel it, his heart beating a little faster, but it didn’t stop him from staring at the way your eyelashes splayed over your cheekbones whenever you blinked. He could feel it, the lump in his throat as he realised he really, really wanted to kiss you, even if he didn’t really know how.

He liked you, and he felt like an idiot for feeling that way.

Minho barely got any work done that day.

(“What do you mean I’m ‘too distracting’? I barely said a word!”

“Yeah, I don’t care. I’m going back to studying on my own.”)

☇

You were lying on you bed on a late Sunday afternoon, a whole month after the time you got denied to study with Minho after he deemed you an unfit ‘Study Buddy’, your phone in your hands as you scrolled through Instagram.

It was mid spring now, and the sun had begun beating down harder (not that you noticed, as the bellowing wind was still very, very prominent).

“Hey,” you heard a voice from your doorway and you tilted your head to find Minho standing there. “Wanna come down to the beach with me? I’ve got something cool to do.”

You sat up, already very prepared to tag along. “Are we feeding the penguins—?” You cut yourself off and clamped your mouth shut. Minho hadn’t told you about the penguins yet, and he most certainly didn’t know you knew about him feeding them almost every night when they returned from the sea.

“Huh?” He said, tilting his head at you and furrowing his brows. “Did I already tell you about them? Damn, I wanted it to be a cool surprise.”

You let out the breath you were holding and nodded. “Oh well, I still haven’t seen them yet.”

The boy in your doorway smiled at you. “Let’s go then.”

After throwing on some thongs and grabbing a coat to fight the wind, you followed Minho out of your home and along the dirt pathway that led, basically, to his house. You expected to go inside but Minho simply walked around the back, passed all the scaffolding and equipment left over from the renovation, and to a small shed.

“We’re gonna feed them some squid. I took it out of the freezer this morning,” He said, yanking the wooden door of the shed open. “But I still have to keep it in here because Vanta is a massive pig.”

You laughed lightly, already noting the way Vanta had followed you and suddenly appeared meowing in the doorway of the shed as Minho went inside and picked up a bucket full to above the brim with thawed raw squid. He began complaining about how heavy it was, but still defended the bucket from your hands and your words of ‘Just let me carry it!’.

Eventually, he caved, letting your hands grab at the handle and follow him whilst carrying it. He led you down the path that led to the stairs down the beach, Vanta scampering along behind you.

“They should be out soon,” he said, taking the bucket from your tired hand once you reached the bottom of the stairs. “The sun’s just about to set.”

You nodded, stepping out further into the beach over various cuttlefish bones and almost dry seaweed that lay strewn across it. Despite living right next to it, you weren’t too fond of the ocean. But with Minho placing the bucket down in the middle of the small beach and jogging past you to lead Vanta to the place where the water licked at the sand, kicking off his thongs on the way, you felt a wave of contentment wash over you.

“What the fuck even is your cat?” You called out to Minho, leaving your thongs next to his as you walked down to where Vanta was leaping around in the water.

“I have no idea,” he mumbled, watching her splash her paws together in the sand under the thinnest layer of salt-water. “It’s fucking freezing in there.”

You stood there for 20 minutes at least, laughing at Minho’s odd cat before noticing some penguins swimming into the shore just a little while up the beach. Minho smiled brightly, running to grab the bucket of squid, sand kicking up behind him a little bit as he stumbled.

It was still just barely light out, pink-turning-purple slowly descending over the horizon. It was still light enough to watch Minho wave you over, telling you to walk gently, slowly as you got closer to the tiny pack of penguins.

Although cautious, many weren’t too phased by Minho and your presence, choosing just to slowly waddle past you. That was when Minho nudged you, telling you to copy him as he grabbed a handful of the squid and tossed it in the general direction of the penguins.

By this point, Vanta had realised what you were doing and she ran over, startling some of the penguins as she picked up some of the squid.

“Goddamn pig, I swear.” Minho whispered to you, smiling as you reached towards the bucket and flung a handful of the squid to roughly the same place Minho did.

The penguins were flooding in by now, and the bucket was nearly empty as Minho’s and your throws became more and more generous. Minho let you have the last toss, laughing as you dramatically threw it into the air, watching it scatter over the sand near where the penguins were.

Minho’s eyes set on you. Your face illuminated by the last glimpses of purple peeking over the vast sea, and his heart leapt into his throat. Ah, he thought, this is what I’ve been missing out on all these years.

“Come on, let’s go.” He bumped his shoulder with yours. “I’d rather not have my hands smell like squid for much longer.”

You nodded enthusiastically, turning around to go and grab your thongs.

“Oh shit!” You laughed once you realised both yours and Minho’s pairs were painfully close to the rising tide, probably minutes away from being washed out to sea.

Minho laughed, coming over to grab his pair in the hand that wasn’t holding the bucket, and you both climbed up the three flights of stairs to the pathway that would lead you home. You talked Minho’s ear off on the way up about how cool that was, and how adorable those penguins were. You even threw in an idea about how you could turn it into a tourist attraction and earn a shit-tonne of money before quickly rejecting idea, shutting it down with an ‘Exploitation of animals isn’t cool. They might get super anxious!’.

Minho could wipe the smile off of his face, all the way to your kitchen even as he ran some warm water and you squirted some foaming soap into his awaiting hands.

Your mum came in, checking the food that was brewing on the stove in the kitchen and smiling at you fondly.

“Where did you guys go?” She questioned, lowering the heat that flared up on the undersides of the pot.

“Just down to the beach,” you turned and smiled at her, soap lathered over your hands. “Minho showed me the penguins! We fed them!”

“Really?” Your mum raised her eyebrows, turning to Minho who smiled sheepishly. “That sounds amazing!”

“Yeah, Y/N seemed to like it more than I did.”

“They were so cute! I’ve never been that close to them before and—” You let out a small sound to emphasise just how adorable they were, and you missed the way Minho looked at you fondly from his place next to you.

Your mum smiled before telling you you were eating fajitas for the night, adding on that the family wasn’t going to sit around that table because she was too lazy for that. Your family rarely sat around the table until the Lee’s came, opting to just eat dinner in the loungeroom or have you take your food to your room to eat whilst you studied.

You smiled and nodded at your mother, rinsing off your hands before pulling out some plates from a cabinet and beginning to make an abundance of food with Minho helping.

“Maybe you guys should go and eat up at the lighthouse? That’d be cool, wouldn’t it?” You looked at your mum skeptically, only to find her smiling quite genuinely. With that, you turned your head to face Minho, practically begging him with your eyes.

“Shit—!” He exclaimed before quickly shutting his mouth and apologising to your mother for swearing. “I forgot to turn the light on!”

Minho’s eyes were wide and you laughed at him, shoving the plates into his hands. “You go up first, I’ll come up in a bit with some water ‘n’ stuff.”

Minho nodded at you graciously, asking you to also possibly bring up his jacket with you. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be up in ten!”

After that, Minho was off rushing out the door and you were jogging down your hallway to find a spare backpack. After finding one you quickly shoved in a couple of blankets and a big water bottle. Your mum came up behind you and shoved in a packet of double coated Tim Tams.

“Minho’s a nice boy, don’t’cha think?” She said to you, smiling as you zipped up the bag and reached for Minho’s coat that lay on a nearby chair.

“Lay off it, mum.” You knew she was just teasing, probably had noticed your blushy cheeks from earlier (which most certainly weren’t because Minho smiled at you so wide his gums showed).

Saying goodbye, you walked out of the house, turning on the flashlight of your phone and wandering out towards the lighthouse. You tilted your head back, looking up, and smiled once you realised Minho had already switched the light on, the top room glowing brightly every seven seconds.

It took you a shorter amount of time to scale the stairs this time around, after doing it so often lately of course. And once you climbed up the ladder, Minho was waiting for you with half a fajita stuffed into his mouth. He tried to greet you but it obviously didn’t work out as it only came out in a mixture of muffled sounds followed by laughter followed by him almost choking on his food.

You smiled as he struggled to swallow the massive bite he’d taken out of his fajita, amused by his dumbassery. He gasped for air once he swallowed and gestures for you to sit down with him, shoving your plate towards you.

“Took you long enough,” he said, reaching into the bag you’d dropped in front of him to pull out the bottle of water. “Your food almost went cold— oh, fuck yes! Tim Tams!”

You laughed again and he turned to you whilst unscrewing the cap of his bottle. “Go on, eat up!”

You did as he said, stuffing your face with food as he recited the story of the last time he’d come to chill up here and how he fell asleep, giving Minseo a heart attack in doing so. Listening to Minho talk was easy, he jumped from one story to another with ease and seemed like he didn’t even need your input to keep going.

“—And so yeah, mum’s pretty proud of her–, I mean, our culture so she wanted to adopt a Korean baby too. Even gave me a Korean name which is sometimes a bitch because the majority of what I get at school is ‘Minno’ and—” Minho looked up to you from his empty plate and realised you’d also finished eating, and were just sitting there with your cheek in your palm as you listened to him speak. “Shit, sorry, I’m rambling.”

You shook your head. “No, it’s fine. I like it actually.”

“Really?” He asked, self-convinced you were lying to make him feel better.

“Yeah. I’ve always liked listening to people talk,” you said, reassuring the now timid boy. “It’s comforting.”

“How so?” He queried, offering you the bottle of water you packed and pulling out the Tim Tams from the bag.

“My cousin, Markus,” You said in between gulps of water. “He used to have friends over a lot and I’d always fall asleep when they were talking loud as fuck in his room. Ever since, talking has just been something that I liked listening to.”

Minho nodded, staring into your eyes with a smile. “It’s a good thing I like talking, then.” He commented, biting into a Tim Tam.

You hummed in return, picking a Tim Tam out of the packet and biting into it as well.

“You know,” you glanced up at Minho once he started talking again. “I never really used to care for, or like, talking.”

“Hm? Why’d’ya like it now?” You tugged out a blanket from the bag on the floor, wrapping it snug around your shoulders.

“I just–, never used to have friends I guess. Until that dumb tree fell on our house and I met you, that is.” Minho shrugged dismissively, but you saw the red crawling up his neck at his confession. “I think I just have a lot of stories to tell that I haven’t told before.”

“That sounds about right.”

There was silence for a while, and you turned your head to look at the gleaming light of the lighthouse, visibly cringing when it shone due to the pure brightness of the concentrated beam.

“Hey, Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“I sorta—,” Minho’s voice shook a bit and you tried not to notice the red spreading over his face to save the poor boy the embarrassment. “I just wanted you to know that I like being friends with you.”

Your heart stalled before beginning to beat erratically. You knew it wasn’t a big deal, that Minho likes being your friend, but you couldn’t help but feel giddy about it. Your ears pricked as he continued before you could respond.

“You always listen to me say dumb shit and put up with me being sorta edgy, I guess. You don’t even care about how weird my family is and for some reason, Vanta likes you more than she likes me, which would totally not be okay but it’s sort of okay because it’s you.” Minho’s fingers intertwined with each other out of– nervousness? Embarrassment? You didn’t know. But you did feel the sudden urge to untangle them and hold his hands in your own.

Red started appearing brightly on your cheeks, but Minho was staring at his clasped hands and didn’t notice. You saw the way his nose sniffed a little bit and his top lip protrudes more than usual because he was looking down. You really, really wanted to kiss him.

“After my mums old carer retired, I sort of lost contact with my friends to look after her. That’s not a complaint; I like doing it, but like—. I don’t know, it’s pretty cool that you’ll hang out with my mum and me and you try really hard to help her without being overbearing about it.”

God, he puffed his cheeks out a little and took a small glance up at you before flitting his eyes out of the window towards the bush-land opposite the sea. You just really wanted to squish his cheeks together and kiss him and see his blush up close, right in front of your eyes.

“Not to mention, you’re just really cool. You follow me up this dumb lighthouse and come feed penguins with me and walk with me to and from school. I guess I’ve just never had a friend as close as you, and I really—”

Fuck it.

You leant forward at a lightening speed, pressing your lips to Minho’s and effectively cutting off his little speech. Your stomach swooped excitedly, though it wasn’t even a proper kiss. You simply pressed your lips to his for two seconds before pulling back with wide eyes and pressing a hand to your mouth in shock.

Minho, at this point, was bright red. His cheeks were burning and he felt slightly dizzy as he looked at you with eyes that mirrored yours. His heart was beating beyond fast, his little monologue long forgotten because, holy shit, you’d just kissed him.

“Fuck.” You started, taking the blanket off of your shoulders and beginning to shove it into your backpack whilst avoiding Minho’s eyes. “I’m so sorry. Fuck, I’m sorry Minho that was really uncalled for.”

Minho couldn’t respond, his tongue simply would not move and lay in his mouth limply as he watched you pack up some things.

“I’ll go down first and we—” you huffed out a breath, beginning to stand up. “We can just forget about it, yeah?”

“Wait!” Minho’s body finally registered his brains signals as his hand reached out to grip at your wrist, tugging you back down to sit in front of him again. He didn’t continue until a few seconds after, causing your anxiety to scale up quickly. “You just took my first kiss.”

God, way to play the guilt card Minho. “Fuck, Minho. I’m so sorry, I’m an idiot and you can beat me up if you wa—”

“Can you take my second kiss, too?”

You paused, you hands shaking slightly out of nerves and your head spinning as you tried to focus solely on his face. Did Minho Lee really just say that?

“Huh?” Was the only thing you could say, panic swirling through your mind.

“Can you kiss me again? I’d kiss you but I don’t really know how and—”

You moved forward before you even knew it, hands crashing onto Minho’s knees and lips crashing to his. It was still for a moment, neither of you moving until you realised you were the only one with the slightest knowledge or experience, even if it was just a slightly buzzed kiss at a party when you were 16. You breathed out out of your nose slightly before tilting your head and pulling back the tiniest bit. You could feel Minho’s small pant over your lips just before you leant back towards him, tilting your head slightly more.

It was awkward and full of hesitancy, but when you pulled away Minho only sat closer and leaned towards you to kiss you again.

And again.

And again.

With each new kiss grew more confidence, smiles and small giggles escaping both of your lips whenever you bumped noses with one another. Your ministrations matched up with his after however many tries and Minho’s hands lifted from where they were carefully caressing your arms up to cup at your cheeks and press forward a bit harder.

You knew you were bright red, and your mind swarmed with thoughts and words: Oh my god, Minho’s lips were so soft. Oh my god, the way his thumbs brushed over your cheekbones. Oh my god, Minho was kissing you. Oh my god, Minho was kissing you. It felt like a long time after a millennium when you pulled back, forehead pressing to his and nose brushing his affectionately.

Despite the way your heart had initially thrashed in your chest and the way your blood had rushed through your body with pure adrenaline egged on only further by Minho’s gentle and hesitant movements, despite all that, it was a calming thing kissing Minho. After a while, your heart slowed down to a low thumping beat and your fingers, which had fisted themselves around Minho’s t-shirt, uncurled themselves to splay across his chest.

You felt it under your fingertips, the shudder that travelled through his body once you pushed your hands upwards onto his shoulders, hugging at the base of his neck.

You didn’t talk about it when you finally parted once and for all, sleep heavy in your minds as your gentle kisses to each other had lulled you both into some kind of trance. Simply, you packed your things with tired smiles and travelled the long way down the stairs and out into the slight chill of the early springtime air. Minho walked closer to you than normal, assuring your sides at the very least brushed up against each other with every stride.

Nothing was said, even as Minho smiled at you so softly as you walked backwards into your bedroom, returning the smile before letting Minho pull your door closed behind you and walking into his room as well. You fell asleep relatively easily, which you found amusing, seeing how often you were kept awake at night in the past, blush on your cheeks as your subconscious always led you to thinking of Minho.

Minho. You’d kissed Minho Lee that night.

Minho, on the other side of the wall, lay in bed with a dumb smile playing over his lips. You’d kissed him, more than once. God, the day he forgot how your lips felt pressed against his would be the day he died.

Despite the red dancing over his cheekbones, he fell asleep quite easy too.

The quicker I fall asleep, he thought, the quicker I’ll be able to see them again.

☇

That morning, you woke up with a bundle of nervous energy. It was 7:30, you decided to shower quickly and darted into the bathroom, avoiding any confrontation with Minho Lee just yet.

You walked out of the bathroom once you were done and dressed, only to walk into the kitchen to find Minseo and Minho sitting at your table eating granola and yoghurt.

Minho looked up at you and gave you a sly grin before looking back down and shoving another spoonful of the granola into his mouth. Charming.

“It’s eight ten guys,” your dad said as he walked out from the kitchen, passing you a slice of vegemite toast to eat on your way. “You should get going.”

“Sho’fink!” Minho said, voice muffled as he shovelled a few last spoonfuls of food into his mouth before standing up and hugging his own mum from over her chair.

“Later, ma!” He fare-welled her before gripping his backpack and swinging it over his shoulder, walking down the entrance hall and out the front door before you could even catch up.

“See you this afternoon!” You called into the vague area of the kitchen, hurrying to the front door to reach Minho before he got too far.

Once you caught up with him, it was pretty much silent. You didn’t want to bring up the happenings of last night but it seemed he didn’t want to either and now you were both stuck whilst reluctantly thinking up game plans on how exactly to bring it up. A huff sounded from next to you and you looked towards Minho, he walked beside you whilst absentmindedly kicking some stones on the pathway. He looked really fucking pretty, it was sort of unfair. His hair was a bit of a mess, probably your fault for hogging the bathroom that morning but you didn’t care because the little flicks in every direction just looked so freakishly adorable you were actually scared of what it was doing to your heart.

“You don’t get to stare at me,” he suddenly spoke, snapping you out of your reverie. “It’s making me nervous.”

Quickly, you snapped your eyes towards the ground and sped up your pace a little bit. Minho didn’t need to know you stared at him but now he certainly did and it wasn’t fair. It was even more unfair when he laughed from your side and you felt a hand gripping onto yours loosely.

Oh. Minho was holding your hand. Minho was holding your hand as you walked to school together. Hand. Minho. Minho’s hand wrapped around yours. God, what the fuck was happening?

You were blushing so hard, the feeling of whatever Minho had induced inside of you had come crashing so fast and so thick that your head rushed and you suddenly felt light-headed. You couldn’t even look at the boy, he probably had some kind of shit-eating grin and teasing eyes. Minho felt lucky you weren’t going to look at him, very lucky indeed.

His stomach was erupting with nerves, was this okay? Was he holding your hand right? Was his hand sweaty? Did you mind it? The questions flowed freely through his head and his head pounded in his chest. God, why did this have to make him so tense.

You on the other hand had only just managed to pick up the courage to tighten your grip in return to Minho’s hand in yours, giving it just the slightest squeeze. Minho felt a million times better after that.

You said nothing else on the walk, simply awkwardly looking around as the morning sun peeked through the blooming trees. The both of you didn’t want to let go, but finally dropped each other’s hands upon dawdling through the gate, Minho letting you go to your friends. His hand felt warm still, and he loved the feeling, watching you as you turned a corner into the area in which your group hung out. Jesus, he liked you so much it was incredible.

You held hands on the way home too, this time you snatching his hand as you left the school. He smiled at you and said hello before re-adjusting your fingers to fit them between his own. At times, he’d notice his grip had loosened whilst he paid attention to the story you were telling of your sub from your earth and environmental class, when he noticed this he tightened his fingertips onto the back of your hand with a firm embrace.

He thought, with a smile, that he could hold your hand forever.

☇

It had been, officially, three days since you’d kissed Minho, and he’d responded largely in your favour.

You hadn’t kissed since; though you’d wanted to, but the amount of affection in whatever relationship you shared had multiplied greatly. You believed even your mum had noticed the shift in your attitude around each other, catching her moving to whisper into Minseo’s ear whenever Minho decided to give you a heart attack and do something simple like fixing your collar before your walk to school. Maybe it wasn’t just you that had caught the tender look in Minho’s eyes when he did so.

Today, a Wednesday, the boy that was living in your house had been particularly clingy. Your mum hadn’t mentioned it to you, but you saw the meanings behind her amused pointed looks when Minho, instead of asking you to move like a normal person, brought his hands up to gently grasp your middle and shift you softly to one side. You’d grown accustomed to his little ways of showing affection, like the way he ensured his leg was bouncing up next to yours when you sat down next to each other on the couch, as if he was assuring you he was there. Or even the way he made sure to supply you with whatever you needed, like when you asked for a pen and he gripped your hand and spread your palm open himself before putting the damned thing in it. Honestly, just hand the pen over, Minho.

Anyway, you were up in your room, sitting cross-legged in your bed, studying for an upcoming French test with Minho (who insisted on helping) sitting in front of you with flash cards.

“I don’t want to do this,” he groaned, tipping back his head in dissatisfaction. “You’ve got all of them right, anyway!”

You rolled your eyes, taking the flash cards from his hands. “I told you, you don’t have to help me!”

“But I want to help you!”

“You literally just said ‘I don’t want to do this’.”

“Yeah, because this is boring!”

You shook your head at the boy in front of you before dropping your head down to shuffle through the cards again. “You’re incredibly dumb, Minho Lee, you know th—?”

Minho leaned forward and placed his hands onto your knees, fingers spreading over them before you felt the press of his lips against the crown of your head.

He sort of lingered there for a while before pulling back and sitting comfortably again. You slowly raised your head and met his eyes, they were cute and crinkled as his cheeks rose with his giddy smile.

“Let’s talk for a while,” he offered, already closing your French book. “You’re gonna ace that test anyway.”

You nodded dumbly, still slightly dazed at his genuinely fond action. Gripping onto your workbook, you reached back and placed it onto your bedside table along with your pencil case and badly shuffled flash cards. Once you turned back, Minho was already beside you and leaning back on your pillows.

“Tell me about your day?” He asked, shifting down a bit lower so he was more comfortable but looking at you nonetheless, neck probably craning uncomfortably at the angle.

You mirrored him, scooching down lower so your shoulders were pressed together. “Nothing much happened really. You know that Jamie Nyombe kid?”

Minho nodded, picking up your hand and pulling it back onto his chest to fiddle with your fingers.

“Well he choked really bad on his choccy milk and started crying, it was really funny.” You smiled, remembering how he choked from laughing at another friend’s joke. “But that’s about it, how about yours?”

“Hm,” Minho started, ignoring the shiver that went through your spine as he played with your fingers. “I don’t do much at school. I just sat there and missed you, then came home.”

You couldn’t help the blush that spread over your cheeks, what exactly was it with Minho being so uncharacteristically bold today? “Missed me, huh?”

Minho giggles a bit, chest moving underneath your hand. “Yeah, and my mum too.”

You thought back to earlier that day when Minho and his mum had sat in the loungeroom alone, talking about something that spread tension throughout the whole house and no one else dared to interfere with. There was no yelling or anything of that sort, just a lingering feeling of a serious conversation.

“How is your mum? You guys talked for a while this afternoon.” You questioned, bringing the topic up softly.

“Oh, she’s fine. We were just talking about her ex girlfriend.” He grumbled with a little sigh. “She’s a real annoying twat, that woman.”

Your eyebrows raised at his sudden hostile language. “How so?”

“She left me ‘n’ my mum because she couldn’t handle with mum being blind,” you couldn’t see it, but you felt his eye-roll. “The bitch still thinks she’s entitled enough to be my mother because her millionaire ass pays for most my stuff.”

You didn’t really know how to respond, instead processing the information because you knew Minho would continue anyway.

“I mean, I don’t object it because free stuff is free stuff, and mum can’t work so it’s nice getting some extra cash here and there.” He explained, ceasing playing with your fingers for a moment before continuing. “But she’s paying for the renovations for the house and wants us to stay with her until they’re finished. Says ‘It’s the least she can do’. Like, fuck off.”

He continued on, rambling and rambling about this lady you’d never even seen before. In the back of your mind you registered how the rest of the town thought Minho had a father and not a second mum, who wasn’t even his mum at this point, but that thought quickly dispersed once Minho finished talking.

“Fuck. That was a lot,” he turned his head to yours which was facing the ceiling, eyes closed in relaxation. “I’ve never talked about her to anyone before.”

You smiled, opening your eyes. “She sounds like a real bitch, so I’m glad you did.”

“Yeah, me too.” Minho let out softly before speaking louder in realisation. “Shit, you’ve got your exam tomorrow. You should get some sleep!”

Before you could even protest he was climbing out of your bed like a child on Christmas, stretching his arms a little before turning to you and muttering a quiet goodnight and turning to leave. You climbed out of bed too, quickly gripping at Minho’s wrist before he left.

“Wait!” You said, tugging him back so he was in front of you and leaning towards him. You shakily pressed a kiss to his forehead, mind swimming with nice feelings for the black haired boy. “Thank you for helping me study and talking to me.”

Once you pulled back, Minho smiled softly before backtracking out of the door.

“Nigh-night, Y/N.”

“Night, Minho.”

☇

Three weeks. Three whole weeks of tiptoeing around the house and holding hands on your way to school. God, had you tried so hard to kiss Minho again. The times he noticed you leaning in he’d pull back slightly and smile teasingly at your expression. You’d think he didn’t want to kiss you, didn’t like you back or something-or-other but he’d always lean back towards you to peck anywhere on your face that wasn’t your lips.

You figured you could survive, but then suddenly Minho was packing up and leaving your house to return to his own, and you realised you’d see him less and less and god, just fucking kiss me Minho Lee!

“I’ll grab you in the morning,” he said as you walked out of his front door after helping him carry the last things over. “You’d better be ready for school.”

You nodded, it was your last week of classes for the term and you’d realised he wouldn’t walk you to and from school for a whole two weeks. You felt really worried about how little you guys might see each other, as you’d grown so accustomed to his presence and absent minded touches.

In the morning, you were ready earlier than usual and even opted out on meeting Minho halfway. You saw him as he walked up to where the paths forked into one and waved.

“Miss me that much, huh?” He’d teased, already naturally linking his fingers with yours.

It was normal now, walking to school like this. Your friends often made fun of you for your relationship (whatever that relationship might be) with Minho Lee, mocking the way you blushed when he grabbed your hand at the gate at the end of the day. Minho promised to come meet your friends soon, and it oddly felt like introducing your boyfriend to your parents though Minho wasn’t your boyfriend and your friends certainly weren’t your parents.

“Wanna come study with me today?” Minho asked once you could see the towering buildings of the school in the distance.

“I thought I was too much of a distraction?” You retorted, squeezing your fingers against his.

Minho laughed slightly, bringing his other hand up to adjust his bag strap on his shoulder. “Yeah, but I can make an exception today.”

☇

So here you sat, in the library next to a Minho Lee that insisted you take the seat by him unlike last time. You sat highlighting a booklet on how Guangzhou, China became so overpopulated since 1991 whilst Minho sat next to you, typing away on his laptop.

You didn’t notice the way his tapping on keys had stopped since five minutes ago and his body had slightly shifted towards yours. He knew he wasn’t going to get anything done while you were sitting next to him, it was inevitable.

He figured, now’s a better time than any. A better time than any to finally do it, to finally ask you out and kiss you like you’ve wanted to. He didn’t even register at this point that he was in a library when he took the highlighter out of your hand and placed the cap onto it before putting it on the desk in front of you.

You looked up at him, confused as to what the fuck he thought he was doing. That was when he brought his hands to your jaw and you knew. Holy shit, he was actually going to kiss y—.

God, fuck, every other word of expression that could possibly be used to describe the feeling of Minho leaning in and attaching his lips with yours. What the fuck? Since when was he actually good at this? What flavour lip balm was he even wearing? Did he care about how you only had papaw?

Too quickly was he pulling away, did you even kiss back properly? It was all a bit too much to handle for you for the 7 whole seconds he’d pressed his lips to yours. Your eyes fluttered open and you were sure you were blushing, it’s not like you had time to prepare yourself.

“I wanna be your boyfriend.”

Fuck, you had definitely not prepared yourself, you were an absolute mess and your fingers curled around the hands that were on your cheeks. You couldn’t help but smile, and that set Minho’s heartbeat at ease.

You nodded, “Okay, Mr Boyfriend.”

He smiled back at you, nerves no longer thrashing through him and heart pounding because of something entirely different now. It was official, god, his mum was gonna be so fucking happy.

“Really?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

“Hm,” you fauxed a look of contemplation. “If you let me kiss you again, then it’s a maybe.”

He laughed, looking down in disbelief before raising his head again and nodding, already leaning forward to make it easier for you.

“Hey, as nice as it is you’ve found a friend,” you both pulled apart, shocked at the loud voice and looking for its source. “There’s absolutely no kissing in the library, Minho.”

The librarian stood at a shelf nearby, raising her eyebrows at you both before walking off with some books in her hand.

“What a cockblock.” He grumbled, sitting back in his seat in disappointment.

Though, you made up for it. You kissed him on your way home, at the beach many times when feeding the penguins, up at the lighthouse where you remembered your first and even down at your front door before you could let him leave.

Minho liked it, having a friend. But he liked even more having someone to kiss and hold hands with, and someone that he just wanted constantly to give tender touches to. You liked it too, he could tell, and that made him glad.

No one really knows the boy that mans the lighthouse on your bay, no one except you. And you were never ever going to forget the storm that brought the two of you together. The storm that brought you Minho.

☇

(“You know, I used to watch you feed the penguins before we met.”

“I know, you’re terrible at hiding.”

“What the fuck? You knew I was practically a creep this whole time?”

“What? You mean you weren’t just watching the penguins?”

“Forget I said that.”)

☇

[feralhogs]

1 THROUGH 55 AND 1 THROUGH 30 GO GO GO

LETS FUCKIN GO

tumblr please actually make this a keep reading

55 interesting questions you should drop in someone’s inbox

1. If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?

I ALREADY WATCH NETFLIX AND AGONIZE OVER MY STORY

2. What’s your favorite piece of clothing you’ve own/owned?

MY JACKETS. ANY CHEST OBSCURING, BROAD SHOULDERED, COZY JACKET

3. What hobbies would you get into if time and money wasn’t an issue?

DANCING, ID NEED TO GO TO CLASSES OR SOMETHING

4. What would your perfect room look like?

IM ACTUALLY PRETTY HAPPY WITH MY ROOM BUT IVE ALWAYS WANTED A LAVA LAMP, AND 1800 MORE PLANTS COULDNT HURT

5. Do you play sports?

NO

6. What fiction place would you love to go to?

SINNOH REGION

7. What Job would you be terrible at?

DEBT COLLECTION. I WOULD BE GIVING SHIT TO PEOPLE FOR FREE. I COULDNT BEAR BEING ENCOURAGED TO FORCE PEOPLE WHO CANT PAY FOR SOMETHING TO PAY MORE

8. If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would it be?

SERVING. HOW MANY PLATES CAN YOU CARRY AT ONCE

9. What’s the most annoy habit other people have?

WALKING IN MY SPACE BUBBLE WHEN MY SENSES ARE OVERLOADED

10. What skill would you like to master?

A SECOND LANGUAGE

11. What would be the most amazing adventure to go on?

THE ONE FROM MY DREAM WHERE I KISSED A GIRL DYED MY HAIR BLUE AND WE ELOPED TO BRAZIL TO RAISE SHEEP

12. What’s your favorite drink ?

THAT CHRISTMAS SHIT. PEPPERMINT MOCHA AT STARBUCKS. A FRIEND GOT IT FOR ME ONCE. NOW I ORDER IT A BILLION TIMES.

13. What state or country would you never like to go back to?

I HAVE NOT TRAVELLED MUCH EVER

14. What songs do you have completely memorized?

I DONT REMEMBER LYRICS SO MUCH, BUT I COULD PROBABLY REMEMBER HOW MANY SONGS GO COMPLETELY

15. Are you usually early or late?

LATE. IM GETTING BETTER THOUGH

16. What takes up too much of your time?

GETTING OUT OF BED

17. What do you wish you knew more about?

SWORDS

18. What are some small things that make your day better?

COFFEE. SOMEONE SAYING SOMETHING NICE TO ME.

19. What TV channel doesn’t exist but really should?

QUEER EYE BUT BY TRANS PEOPLE FOR TRANS PEOPLE

20. Who has impressed you the most with what they’ve accomplished?

YOU. AND ME. ITS GROWTH

21. What age do you wish you can permanently be?

21, SO I HAVE TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE FUCKS GOING ON

22. What TV show or movie do you refuse to watch?

13 REASONS, THE BOOK WAS TRIGGERING SO I WONT RISK IT

23. What would be your ideal way to spend you weekend?

TAKING A WALK, HAVING COFFEE, WATERING PLANTS… IM HAPPY

24. What’s something in your life that’s considered a luxury?

I HAVE PERFUME...

25. Is there anything you’re too young/old for?

TO YOUNG TO NEVER DRINK. TOO OLD FOR POKEMON

26. What’s your favorite genre book or movie?

I DONT HAVE THE ATTENTION SPAN FOR EITHER BUT I SEEM TO LIKE URBAN FANTASY A LOT

27. How often do you people watch?

I THINK IM SO POLITE BUT HONESTLY, I QUIETLY SCRUTINIZE SO MANY PEOPLE ON THE TRAIN EVERY DAY AND GUESS AT THEIR PERSONAL HABITS AND SELF IMAGE.

28. What’s the best single day on the calendar?

MY BIRTHDAY, SAGITTARIUS SEASON RULES BABY

29. What are you interested in that most people haven’t heard of?

I DONT KNOW ABOUT ANYTHING PPL HAVENT HEARD OF BUT IM INTERESTED IN BLACK HOLES

30. Do you relax after a hard day?

FOOD. NETFLIX. DECOMPOSING ON TUMBLR

31. What’s the best book or series you’ve ever read?

I HAVENT READ A BOOK I REALLY LOVE IN AGES. HARRY POTTER AND ARTEMIS FOWL WERE MY FAVOURITES GROWING UP, BUT CORNELIA FUNKES BOOKS SLAPPED AND HIS DARK MATERIALS WAS GORGEOUS

32. Where’s the farthest you’ve ever been from home?

IDAHO?

33. What’s the most heart warming thing you’ve ever seen?

LUCIFER WAS LIKE YOU DESERVE SOMEONE WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR BORING MIDDLE NAME JANE AND KNOWS THAT EVERY MURDER BREAKS YOUR HEART AND YOU SIMPLY DESERVE BETTER SO NO MORE MOMENTS WHILE THEYRE HAVING A MOMENT AND CHLOE IS WATCHING THIS FUCKING IDIOT AND IVE WATCHED THIS BEFORE SO I KNOW SHES GONNA KISS HIM AND THEN THEY KISS

34. What’s the most annoying question that people ask you?

ANY SMALL TALK QUESTIONS

35. Would you give a 40 minute presentation with no preparation?

YES. ID MAKE THAT SHIT RIGHT UP. SKILLS

36. What’s something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?

GIVE ME A HUG AND SOME CHOCOLATE

37. Would you rather go Hand Gliding or Whitewater rafting?

HANG GLIDING

38. Dream car?

SOMETHING I DONT HAVE TO WORRY WILL FALL INTO PIECES AT ANY MOMENT

39. What’s something so many people are obsessed with and you just don’t understand why?

STRAIGHT LOVE SONGS

40. What are you most looking forward to in 10 years from now?

HAVING A CAT

41. What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but haven’t gotten to it?

DECORATING THE DOLLHOUSE I RESCUED FROM THE BATHROOM

42. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you all week?

IM NOT VERY FAR THROUGH THE WEEK AND I HAVENT ENJOYED MOST OF IT BUT PEOPLE SAYING ADORABLE THINGS

43. How different was your life one year ago?

NOT A LOT DIFFERENT, IM JUST LONELY IN THE CITY NOW, MINUS A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, ONE YEAR ON T

44. What/who would you rate 10/10?

MY CACTUS JAKEN. I DROPPED HIM SO MANY TIMES AN ENTIRE HALF OF HIS SPIKES ARE FLAT SCARS. AND LOOK AT HIM. THRIVING

45. What kind of art do you enjoy the most?

GENUINELY MADE ART

46. What do you hope never changes?

MY T PRESCRIPTION

47. What movie title best describes your life?

I LOOKED THROUGH NETFLIX AND I PICK TWILIGHT

48. What website do you visit most often?

TUMBLR

49. What’s something you’re looking forward to this year?

MY BIRTHDAY

50. What’s something you’d like to unlearn?

FINDING A REASON TO CANCEL EVERY SINGLE LITTLE THING

51. Where would you spend all your time if you could?

WALKING BY SOME RUNNING WATER

52. What age would you like to live to?

80. THATS MY MENTAL HEALTH ANSWER

53. What’s something you’re most likely to become famous for?

SOMETHING CREATIVE WOULD BE AWESOME

54. What’s something you’re most likely to be arrested for?

CRIMES

55. What’s something you really want but can’t afford?

A CAT

Lgbt+ ask game

What do you identify as and what are your pronouns?

I’m even a little shaken by a questioning state right now but for a while I’ve felt the best fit is the androgynous label -- I read a description of it being the purple on a pink to blue scale, both at once but not specifically either one, and something else by itself. I’m also happy with a cryptic masculine grey area. My pronouns are he/him.

How did you discover your sexuality, tell your story?

During the Puberty 1.0 nightmare, I was basically living someone else’s life, and any attraction I felt wasn’t in relation to myself. I felt disconnected from my body and gender and everything too, and I felt a lot of social pressure to experience a certain type of attraction, fit into a certain role, et cetera, and none of these feelings existed in me at all, so I used to identify as ace. When I realized I was trans, I was too caught up in the, transition safely, my life is a lie, stopping dysphoria drama to focus on this, but I had an idea I might be a gay guy judging from my gay creative writing until I caught feelings for a girl and realized this wasn’t the first time that had happened. Some bi positivity and nonbinary rage later, I am reminded that gender is a joke.

Have you experienced being misgendered? What happened and how did you overcome it?

Yes of course A LOT. Starting with my parents, who do it aggressively and maliciously. And plenty from strangers and customers, mostly after hearing my voice pre-transition. It used to hurt terribly because I was dealing with so much other stuff at the time, and one little thing could be the last straw, so I used to react strongly and harshly, to people you express yourself to anyway. On T, I’ve been so much more chill and confident, and it’s less painful to accept that some people just don’t know any better, although that doesn’t change its effect.

Who was the first person you told, how did they react?

I don’t remember, I think it was a high school friend. I vaguely remember texting someone in a bathroom during a crying session at work. My high school friends were all warm and supportive.

Describe what it was like coming out, what did you feel?

It was scary as hell. I’m sure coming out (with your gender specifically) is scary by nature because it’s a huge truth to be telling that can really change how the people you love perceive you, for better or for worse, but for me, I’m also thinking with the dread and certainty that my family would be too conservative and potentially dangerous. Coming out to my family was one of the worst, most painful things I’ve ever been through -- being kicked out and laughed at, a lot of drama, confrontations, Bible readings and being ganged up on at odd hours, trying to comfort my mom who took it as her personal failure -- I was shaking with adrenaline 24/7. I think of the “I’ll suffer through anything as long as it has meaning” comment that was about angsty fanfics, but knowing the truth about myself was a source of unshakable strength and it felt refreshing and even triumphant to say, like I was giving myself permission to exist for the first time. I came out a bunch of times, though...

If you’re out, how did your parents/guardians/friends react?

My family reacted mostly badly, my sister is a little confused but has the spirit, and my friends have been wonderful.

What is one question you hate people asking about your sexuality?

It’s more of a gender thing, but I hate it when people imply that I shouldn’t be on T or are subtly trying to talk me out of it with their questions. After all the disrespectful as fuck bullshit I heard from my parents, I’m tired of this.

Describe the style of clothing that you most often wear.

Zombie apocalypse denim? Gay Layers

Who are your favourite lgbt+ ships?

I’m not really emotionally invested in these “ships” you cool kids are talking about. I like canon, age-appropriate ones.

What does makeup mean to you? Do you wear any?

I’ve never really worn makeup. I brazenly never bothered to growing up, and if it had an effect on me socially, I was too tuned out to care. My sister always wanted to do my hair and makeup, but I wasn’t interested and wouldn’t let her, much to her frustration. I wore some for a musical once though, and I had no idea what I was doing and it was extremely uncomfortable. I felt what I know now is dysphoria and ended up using the lipstick to draw. Another aspect to this is my family forbade it (or my dad made the decision for everyone), not that it made my sister feel less pressured to wear it, so maybe it was some female presentation I could easily get out of. For that reason, I don’t have super strong feelings about it. Not understanding it probably resulted in me feeling left out a lot among my peers.

Do you experience dysphoria? If so, how does that affect you?

Yes. Before my realization, it was a numb horror I wasn’t consciously aware of, ruining nice things growing up to the point where I feel like I missed out on being a teenager. I remember it as feeling nauseous while sitting in a corner, feeling like none of my clothes ever fit for some mysterious reason. Living with my family in the closet, it defined my life, and I was obsessed with my presentation. These days, it does not bother me on that level at all, except a minor freakout now and then if I get really wild and wear feminine clothes. Or I still feel it in more subtle ways, when I default to customer service voice, or when guys my age are twice my height and I look aaaall the way up at them and wonder what gender they see me as.

What is the stupidest thing you’ve heard said about the lgbt+ community?

Trust me, I have heard truck loads of dumb shit and the winner is the Gay Agenda is R****a’s propaganda to weaken the integrity of North America. Considering what is happening over there, it was enragingly stupid.

What’s your favourite thing about the lgbt+ community?

I feel like I can be myself around lgbt+ people. I don’t feel like I have to hide stuff or put on a show, and I’m not afraid because it’s familiar territory.

What’s your least favourite thing about the lgbt+ community?

Aside from obvious problems like TERFs, ace discourse. Ace people are part of the community if they want to be and that’s enough on that, my skin is already breaking out.

Have you ever been to your cities pride event? Why or why not?

I finally went to a Pride event this year! I was surprised it was the first one I’d been to, then remembered my parents discouraged me from going anywhere, never mind to a gay where.

Who is your favourite lgbt+ Icon/Advocate/Celebrity?

I can’t think of many people right now, but Leslie Feinberg seems awesome, and some quotes from Stone Butch Blues are very validating.

Have you been in a relationship and how did you meet?

No. Technically I have been in one, but it was shitty and ridiculous, and basically platonic, and I don’t want it to count.

What is your favourite lgbt+ book?

I barely read… I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe in high school and it was honestly so precious.

Have you ever faced discrimination? What happened?

Yes. I got kicked out (but then kicked back in again), had my stuff stolen and damaged, was verbally harassed… and I was indirectly fired by an employer, but We Will Never Know Why...

Your Favorite lgbt+ movie or show?

Queer Eye! I don’t know of many though, and some important ones, I just haven’t watched.

Who are some of your favourite lgbt+ bloggers?

My mutuals :D

Which lgbt+ slur do you want to reclaim?

I’m okay calling myself queer.

Have you ever gone to a gay bar, or a drag show, how was it?

No, but I did see some drag performances at the one (1) Pride event I went to, and they were jaw-dropping.

How do you self-identify your gender, and what does that mean to you?

I’m not sure what this question means, but I decide what fits right by what makes me feel the most alive and emotionally real and in the moment. What makes me feel the most attractive to be honest. There’s a post about dysphoria I saw going around, the things on it are basically what I use to figure things out.

Are you interested in having children? Why or why not?

I am actually! Not anytime soon, but I’m the responsible type for sure, and judging by the way I love growing plants and being around animals, I’m probably a nurturing person. I actually like kids too, lol, they’re just so high-energy.

What identity advice would you give your younger self?

You’re a boy. Go!

What do you think of gender roles in relationships?

I think people are going to have different ways of expressing themselves that make them happy, but… I don’t think they should infringe on basic human decency. When I hear “role” I think of acting a certain way because someone told you to, something I want to disagree with on the spot.

Anything else you want to share about your experience with gender?

People move out of my way on the sidewalk and take me seriously now. Privilege or self-confidence… I never want to forget what it used to be like, or get too entitled.

What is something you wish people know about being lgbt+?

That it’s simply living one’s reality. I think that trips up a lot of straight people -- that some people just come like this, and they don’t have to make it fit into their personal identity.

Why are proud to be lgbt+?

Because I worked hard to be alive and happy right now. I’m proud of choosing to get through those rough patches, take care of myself, heal, take walks, cook breakfast, learn healthy coping mechanisms, that was out of love for myself and a defiant conviction that I have a place in this world.

[irwinsx]

okay here me out: what if like you meet cal & y’all are friends & you like him but don’t wanna date him bc you know he mostly just hooks up but then you overhear him talking to the boys ab how you’re like a game changer & he’s never felt these things before & then y’all fuck & he keeps whispering things like “so beautiful” & “pretty girl” & ugh what a dream

ugh what a dream i unfortunately didn’t write the smut (sorry!) because i knew i was gonna butcher it. but it is super fluffy so i hope that makes up for it.

Words: 1.5k

Triggers: none

Story: In which you finally hear the harmony between your best friend, Calum, and yourself.

im taking writing requests!

“Seriously, stop!” you giggled, pushing Calum with your elbow. You were both grasping controllers in your hands, focused on the screen. Calum had killed your character, once again, irritating you. He erupted in laughter, loving the way you had gotten worked up. He knew you were bad at video games. In fact, it had become an inside joke between you two.

A joke. Ironically, the way you met: a huge joke.

Everything about college was a nightmare. You had forgotten your cutest clothes back home, hours away, and lost your school card far too many times to count. You were late to class multiple times, and only met one person, you’re roomate. She wasn’t friendly, only offering harsh glares layered with stress and annoyance.

Frankly, you avoided her. It wasn’t until two weeks later, on a cold night you met someone.

The street was overflowing with life; the lights beamed yellow along the sidewalk and each bar was opened late night, blasting music and conversation. It traveled in the night sky and danced around the stars. Even at 10pm, your small college town was alive.

You, however, were walking home from the local library and back to your dorm. You avoided the bars, headphones blocking out the movement of sound and feet avoiding miniature potholes in the pavement. Before you could take another step, a sudden tug at your elbow had spun you around, knocking melody out from your ears and your heart into a panic.

Before you knew it, your fist dug its way into a large, tough chest. You heard a yelp of pain and witnessed a man grasping his chest while leaning over.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” you gasped, reaching out to the stranger. A sudden wave of guilt strangled your heart.

“Fucking hell– you just had to punch me?!” he coughed. He managed to stand up straight, revealing a dark blue t-shirt, holding onto his broad shoulders. His black hair fell just above his brown eyes, now piercing into yours.

“Yeah, you, like, grabbed me!” you exclaimed.

“I wasn’t gonna kill you, ya know! I was just playing a … joke!” he said.

“A joke?” you questioned, “where you abduct a woman?”

“No– don’t be dramatic. I was dared to hook up with the first ugly girl I saw. Glad that didn’t work out…” he said, rubbing at his chest. You were suddenly offended, all feelings of guilt fluttering from your heart and out into the sky to mingle among the music and stars above.

“You asshole,” you scoffed. Once again, before your feet could dig into pavement, you were stopped by a familiar grasp.

His grasp.

“Listen, I’m sorry,” he sighed, lowering his voice, “let me make it up to you. My friends may be assholes but i’m not. I’m Calum”

You looked past his shoulder, noticing a group of guys looking over and snickering to themselves, no doubt saving this for a future story while sitting together in suits surrounded by their dolled-up wives.

However, you gave in, and suddenly had a coffee date.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t always kill me off like that,” you said, throwing the controller onto the floor next to you.

It had been a year since that coffee date. You were shocked by the person you met and how different he was from that night. The Calum you met in that coffee shop had made your heart flutter. He made you laugh, filling the world with the sound of your laughter, and what he called, your undeniable smile.

Over the year you two had done it all: sneaked pecks on the cheeks on nights of light drinking, danced in an empty bar at 3 am, jukebox playing Nirvana, tangling around the two of you as he spun you around, almost tripping on your feet. He spent late nights with you in the dorms after your stress induced episodes, holding you at the edge of your cheap twin mattress and whispering jokes into your ear.

“Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon?” he whispered, arm around you and his face in your hair, “it has great food, but no atmosphere.”

You laughed, not because it was funny, but because it was Calum, holding you, smiling against your hair and tracing circles into your arm.

And as much as your heart had sung for him, his didn’t sing for you. Instead, his heart jumped from girl to girl, party to party, and you didn’t want that.

You couldn’t imagine a life of just hooking up. Not with Calum, not with someone who made your heart burst in falsetto. So instead, you lingered, hearing about his late night hookups, as if they were trophies on a pedestal.

He would brag, boasting about bar scores, scratching ticks into the wall to count off another body, on another night. Every time he brought up his faux achievments, you thought to take a trophy and break it in half, throw it in the trash or burn it.

But you didn’t.

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you came to the kickback tonight,” he smirked, turning towards you.

“Right, as if I don’t have studying to do.” you replied.

“Studying? Come on– education is for losers!” He laughed, ruffling his hair with his hand.

“Fine…” you said, racking your brain with excuses, “I have a date!”

A silence boomed between the both of you, staring at each other with the paused expression of hiding smiles.

“Not that excuse again. You’re coming tonight, I don’t care!” he said, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, causing you to fall into his chest.

“Fine!” you shrieked, laughing and lightly hitting his chest, “I’ll be there. Promise.”

You arrived to a house filled with modern bleak furniture and concrete floors, leading to a large backyard, wrapped in fairy lights that resemble lightning bugs you used to catch as a child. A smaller group of people were here with you, drinking to light music that waltzed on the flowerbeds outside.

This felt different from most of Calums other events. Those were usually filled with blasting music and screaming people who made out in unlabeled bedrooms.

On your second drink and third guy failing to flirt with you, you still had your mind on one person.

Him. Where the hell was he?

You stepped back into the house, greeted only by people you barely knew and empty cups sprawled on tables. Calum was nowhere to be found, not until you came across an unlabeled bedroom. Then you heard it, like a dog reacting to a whistle.

“It’s just… something else,” you heard from the bedroom. It was Calum.

“Like what?” another voice came from the room. Luke, a friend Calum introduced you to months back.

“I’ve never felt this with someone. Everytime I’m with her I get.. nervous? It’s like I don’t even… care about anyone else. I want to be around her, and only her.” He explained, playing with the rings on his hands.

Metal, twisting up to his nail bed, and back down again, like clockwork.

“Only her? That’s a first,” Luke laughed in a failed attempt to lighten the mood.

“She changed it for me. I don’t care about who I’m gonna hook up with tonight. I just want to see her. I wanna see Y/N” he continued to explain.

“Then see her!” Luke insisted, “Who is stopping you?”

A series of shuffling came from the room, and suddenly you found Luke stomping out from the bedroom, looking annoyed. He whipped past you, leaving you looking at Calum.

The only thing separating the two of you was this door frame, until you walked through it and shut the door behind you.

A silence crept its way into the room, squeezing itself under the doorframe and standing between the two of you. It wagged its tail and jumped, begging for your attention.

You didn’t pay it any. Instead, you kept focusing on the sudden sweat that leaked from your palms, on your heart beating against your ribcage, and the face of your best friend, the boy from the bar with a hurt chest and dark hair.

“Listen…” Calum began, standing up and wiping his hands against his dark jeans.

“You know… you were all I wanted to be around, Cal. Just you, for so long,” you interrupted, looking right into him.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, “I promise.”

Once again, before you could take a step closer to him, the familiar feeling of his hands on you raced up your spine and back down again. It found its way to your shoulders and into your hands, where they rested on the back of Calums neck. And for a split second you felt your lingering fingers zap against his skin.

And then he kissed you.

Your heart began to sing, crescendoing into a high tune of excitement and nervousness. However, it wasn’t alone. It was paired with another tune that escaped from Calum.

Your hearts, for the first time, harmonized, and silence snuck its way back to the party to beg for attention from other strangers. The melody curved around the two of you, creating the lights of fireflies and street lamps next to bars. That stupid bar, you thought, made your chest sing.

And you both parted from the kiss, still held in embrace, surrounded by twisting sounds and blazing lights like stars.

“You’re so beautiful…” he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

You looked up at him and smiled, your heart still and always in falsetto.

[michael-hearteyes-wheeler]

Coming Home

So I sent this idea to @mad-maxxy and got encouraged to actually write it! Hope yall enjoy!

El took careful, hesitant steps as she walked. Moving forward at a painfully slow pace, feeling her heartbeat quicken in anticipation.

‘It's just Mike.’ Some part of her said. ‘Its just his house.’

She knew the moment she woke up this morning that she would be going back to the place where it all started. The Wheeler's house stared back at her. Its manicured lawn and clean white walls. The gentle slope of the hill leading into the back yard, the view of the basement door she caught as she walked by.

But she wouldn't be taking the basement door today. Instead, she rounded the house, and walked up to the main entrance. Because this time she was a guest, not a fugitive.

She approached the door, and rasped her knuckles against it. Within seconds, she heard the loud rumbling of feet running up stairs. She smiled at the thought. Mike threw the door open in a blur of motion, not even trying to contain his enthusiasm. The grin that spread across his freckled face mirrored hers as they pulled each other into a hug.

Seeing Mike never failed to send a flood of relief down her arms, and up her spine.

“El, you’re early! It's so good to see you, I missed you all week.” Mike rambled as he lead her inside and closed the door behind them.

Of course she was early. She hadn't stopped thinking about it all week. A chance to go over to Mike's house for the first time in over a year. It had taken a lot of convincing, but Hopper finally agreed. Because his parents wouldn't be there, because they still didn’t know how to tell them. Because she said the other Party members would be over as well, but that part had been a lie.

“I missed you too.” El beamed up at Mike, musing over how tall he had gotten. He seemed even taller than when she saw him last sunday at Will’s house, if that was even possible.

Mike flashed another toothy grin. “Well... what do you want to do? We can watch a movie, or play a board game, or study. Whatever you want to do.” He ran a hand nervously through the dark waves in his hair.

El considered her options for a moment. All of it sounded nice. Although, anything sounded nice with Mike. She could easily just sit and listen to him talk for the next few hours and be perfectly content. Then, something caught her eye.

The glint of the sun, reflecting from a photo on the mantel. El wordlessly crossed into the living room. There, lined up, almost completely unchanged, were the same framed family pictures she had tried so desperately to memorize. Of baby Holly, a stunning school photo of Nancy, of Karen and Ted in a rare moment of marital bliss. There were a few new additions however. El wrinkled her nose at a photo of Mike dressed for the snowball. In it, he looked completely disdained and aggravated, but El remembers nothing but happiness from him that night.

El traced the little frames carefully, whispering ‘pretty’ without even meaning too. Just a habit. Just a fleeting moment of honesty as her eyes landed on Mike in her periphery.

“I was so mad that my mom framed that one.” Mike admitted, thrumming his fingers against the edge of the mantel in an anxious and ill defined rhythm. El noticed that he did this alot, especially around her.

“I think it looks nice.” El admitted, turning around to face the rest of the living room. Nothing else had changed much either. Same floral couch against the wall, same rabbit ear television, same navy blue Lay-Z-Boy chair. She found herself smiling down at its worn upholstery, running her fingers across its head rest.

“You can sit in it if you want.” Mike suggested, motioning down at it. “For um... old times sake.”

El let out a snort of laughter and let herself recline back. It felt so familiar and still so far away. Mike sat himself on the arm of the chair, twisting somewhat to look at her as she giggled from the chairs gentle rocking. Mike never realized something as simple as the sound of laughter, could make his entire heart swell.

She must have noticed his entracement, because she reached up and cupped his face, startling him out of whatever daydream he was in. She grabbed his arm with her other hand, and gently pulled him towards her, until they were both squished together in the chair certainly only meant for one person. Mike was a little worried about making the chair tip over, but being nose to nose with El made those fears fly out the window.

El traced patterns on his cheek with her thumb. Mike tried to memorize every detail of her face. The way one dimple was deeper than the other. The tiny scar on her forehead. Her locks of hair that were curlier than the others. He could live in this moment forever. With their legs tangled just slightly, and the cramped conditions forcing them to embrace.

Then he had an idea that made him grin all over again.

“Do you want to go sit in your fort?”

Her eyes shot open wide, and before he even had time to react, she was pulling him behind her down the stairs and into the basement.

None of it had really changed either. The same warm toned couch covered in throw pillows and cozy blankets. A lamp in the corner shedding an orange glow across the floor. Drawings and maps taped sporadically across wood paneled walls. Shelves stacked haphazardly with board games and VHS tapes. The D&D table, surrounded by mismatched chairs. And, most notably, across from the stairs, tucked safely under a table, the fort.

El’s running stopped, letting go of Mike's hand and walking thoughtful towards the mess of pillows and blankets. Though she had seen it every night over the months and months that Mike called her, seeing it in person was still sobering.

The soft patchwork of fabric slipped through her fingers as she crawled inside. It was as inviting and comforting as she remembered, maybe even more so. It smelled like it did before, when she had laid awake in the darkness, her heartbeat pounding in her ear drums. It smelled like Mike. Like clean laundry and soap. Only it was quieter now, and her heart beat out of time for different reasons entirely.

The fort. Her fort. The first place she had felt safe. The first place she had called home. And while the cabin, and the life she had made in it, had become her new house and her new sense of safety, this still felt very much like a homecoming.

Mike watched her as he eyes shifted from thrilled, so something somber, almost melancholic. It made sense of course, her last time here has not been under the best circumstances. Her last moments were a hasty retreat, fleeing the scene of a crime she had not committed. A prisoner in someone else's life. A stranger. An enemy.

“You know,” He began, taking small steps to join her on the floor. “My mom tried to take it down once. I came home from school and all of it was gone. I screamed at her and cried and pulled everything back out of the laundry basket. She didn't understand why I was so upset. That was a really hard day... it was-”

“Day 87. I remember.” El cut him off with a knowing nod. “That was the first time I almost answered you.”

Mike felt a crooked grimace cross his face. It was still a tender subject between the two of them (or between Mike and Hopper rather). He tried his best to understand the radio silence, but it still hurt to remember.

El watched the boy before her turn distant. She knew why. She had seen it all unfold. So she shifted back, pressing her body to the wall and reached a hand towards him. His vacated eyes filled again once he laced his fingers in hers, letting himself be pulled into the fort.

It was cramped with the two of them. His long limbs scrunched somewhat awkwardly, but if it was uncomfortable he didn't show it. He placed his head next to hers on the pillow, facing her. So close that she was blurred somewhat. El recalled those fleeting nights when she had wished Mike would be this close to her here. Wishing that he would hold her and tell her everything would be okay, even if she didn't know what those feelings meant, or how to ask.

She laid her head on his chest, and wrapped an arm around him while he played with her hair. It felt like safety. It felt like belonging. It felt like home.

“El?”

“Yes?” She lifted her chin to meet his gaze.

“I’m glad you’re home.” His face mimicked a younger Mike from all those months ago. Washing El’s face in the bathroom, just hours before she disappeared.

“Me too.” El watched the way his eyes flickered from her, to the basement, to the wall, and then back again. As if he was checking if the coast was clear. She felt a gentle hand tilt her chin higher, silently ushering her closer. She followed.

Their lips met somewhere in the middle. It was a longer kiss than many of the others they had shared before. It declared many of the things that were too painful to say.

‘I missed you’

‘Im sorry’

‘I have you’

‘I love you’

When they parted, both with shaky breathe, it felt like some promise had been made. It felt definite. It held a weight, a gravitation. El left her eyes on his for a moment longer before falling back to his chest.

It was then that she decided that a home didn't have to be a place. It wasn't the cabin, or the Byers, or her fort. A home could be a moment. A home could be a person.

El’s home could be mike.

And it felt like it was.

[vixxpirational]

Stranger Danger (AU) | Part 2 of ?

Inspiration: The need to write and my lack of ability to actually do it in a timely manner Group: Taehyung/BTS (and some other lovely lady but you don’t know who she is yet. Imagine all the sexy noonas). Warning: Blood lust Words: 3637

Taehyung wakes up but things have drastically changed

Taehyung woke without his shirt and curled on the cold pavement. He was sweating, his body on fire; everything seemed to radiate from his chest. He rolled onto his back with a low moan, his body sore and screaming for him to be still. Even his eyelids felt stiff as he blinked them open slowly.

The full moon was high in the black canvas of night and, for some reason, that registered in Taehyung’s mind that it must be a little after three in the morning. The last he remembered, it was about ten o’clock when he had settled down in the graveyard to work.

The graveyard.

He sat up, too quickly, his head spinning, his stomach lurching. He looked around. His canvas was still blank and intact, his pencil had rolled in the dewey grass. His toolbox of brushes, paints, charcoal, his life was untouched. His shirt was folded neatly beside him, a small note pinned to it. The writing was neat, cute, feminine.

Thanks for a good time. See you soon, handsome.

“What the fuck is this?” he mumbled as he stared at the pretty lettering. Whoever it was would need to learn the that even the smallest prick into his expensive clothing was unacceptable. He carefully removed the safety pin and note, setting it on the canvas so that he could shrug his shirt back on. He didn’t remember taking it off in the first place.

He didn’t notice the marks on his chest.

He reached for his phone next, swiping through the notifications. He stopped at the fourteen missed calls from his roommate and frantic texts of “where are you” and “are you okay” and “if you’re dead, i’ll bring you back to life so i can kill you again.”

A cold wind swirled the fallen leaves around the trimmed lawn and headstones. It was a wind that should have sent a nauseating chill to Taehyung’s bones, but it felt more like a gentle, warm beach breeze. The thought was pushed from his mind as he remembered the woman, her plump breasts and flawless legs, her tempting eyes and sexy smell. His crotch immediately began to swell and he groaned. His chest still hurt.

His phone buzzed with another text. “if you don’t answer in the next five minutes i will call the cops.”

He rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help but smile. Jimin had a knack for being dramatic, but he meant well. Taehyung went into Jimin’s contact, saved as Chimichanga, and pressed his phone to his ear. For sitting in the cold for so long, it should not have felt warm against his skin.

“You’re alive?”

“I’m calling from beyond the grave—” Taehyung started.

“Fuck you, Taehyung.”

“—to let you know you cannot have my Gucci collection.”

“Prick.” The relief in Jimin’s voice eased the pain radiating from Taehyung’s chest.

“Why are you worrying so much? You know how I get when I work.”

“How often do you paint in a graveyard?”

Taehyung laughed. “Good point. I may have dozed off a bit. I’m packing up now.”

“Can I still call the cops? You’re technically trespassing.”

“Sure.” Taehyung reached for his pencil and tucked it over his other ear. “I’ll make sure that I use your car as collateral on my bail money.”

“Prick.” Jimin’s soft giggle was soothing even after he cut the call off.

Taehyung gathered his things, and stood up. He had mastered the delicate balance of carrying too many art supplies in his arms, making it look easier than it actually was. Everything didn’t feel quite as heavy as normal. His chest still ached, but he ignored it as he loaded his truck and drove back to his dorm.

Jimin was hunched over his desk, anatomy book propped open to the a diagram of the cardiovascular system. Lines of red and blue curved and twisted inside of a grey silhouette of the human body. Taehyung’s mouth began to water as his tired eyes followed the arteries in the thighs, arms, neck. Sinking his teeth in would give the most blood, the loudest screams of pain.

“You okay?” Jimin’s voice pulled Taehyung back. He nodded and set his stuff on his bed. “You look like shit. You’re pale and clammy. Are you getting sick?”

“Don’t ‘doctor’ me, Chim,” Taehyung snapped. He didn’t know why he was suddenly so irritable. Maybe he was hungry? His stomach felt empty and his chest was still hurting.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’m not feeling myself, I guess.”

“What’s wrong?” Jimin made his way over. He felt Taehyung’s forehead and frowned. He massaged Taehyung’s neck and something set his lips deeper. He pressed two fingers to the vein in Taehyung’s wrist, his eyes darting to his watch, and counted before stepping back.

“What? What is it?”

“You’re dead cold to the touch and your heart rate is dangerously low. How did you drive here? How are you even standing?”

“Dangerously low?” Taehyung rolled his eyes and pulled his shirt off and tossed it to his hamper. Jimin gasped.

“What is that?”

“What is what?” He looked down. His chest had been on fire since the moment he opened his eyes in the graveyard, but now he understood why. There were marks in an oval pattern on his chest that looked like the imprint of human teeth. Where the canines should have been were two wounds deep enough that even Taehyung knew there should have been a pool of blood around him when he had woken up. There was a deep red lipstick kiss in the middle.

“You’re going to the hospital.”

“No. I'm going to is my bed.”

“You could have died with where that’s located. How deep is th—”

“Jimin, I’m alive. Can I just sleep?”

“What happened?”

“Paint brush accident?”

“Very funny. If I let you sleep now, even against my better judgement, will you go to the hospital in the morning?”

“I’ll consider it.” Taehyung’s face twisted in exaggerated irritation as he stripped out of his jeans and into basketball shorts. He cleared off his bed, setting his supplies on his desk and situated his canvas on the easel. He climbed up onto his bunked bed, settling down for a hard, restless sleep.

He slept through his first alarm to shower. His second alarm woke him but only enough to remind him he had class in forty-five minutes. He turned it off, the effort to reach for his phone making him moan. He felt like his arms were ten times heavier than normal. His mind was hazy. His stomach rumbled in hunger. His chest wasn’t hurting anymore.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. It was too warm in his room. He scratched the back of his head and yawned, forcing his legs over the edge of his bed. He slide down his lofted bed and fumbled to reach for his lamp. His hand caught the line of sun peeking through the curtains as he did and it burned as if someone were holding a lighter against his skin. He jumped back and cursed, hand yanking on the cord of the lamp and pulling off his desk. It felt to the floor, the light bulb shattering.

He didn’t care about the racket as he stared at the burn on his hand. He watched the skin knit together and heal at an ungodly, scarless speed.  

“You can’t do anything gracefully, can you?” Jimin whined from his pile of blankets. Taehyung looked up and smiled.

“Just burned myself. Sorry. Go back to sleep.” His roommate sat up slowly, strong arms stretching above his head.

“How’d you burn yourself?” he asked, voice strained in a yawn. “You literally just woke up.”

“The sun.”

Jimin tilted his head, tired eyes narrowed in a threat Taehyung was all too familiar with. He had learned to hold the sarcasm until after breakfast because of that look.

“I’m not kidding, Jimin. I watched it on my hand disappear too.”

“You’ve sniffed too much paint.” Jimin hopped down from his bed, landing with athletic precision that Taehyung had always been envious of. He held out his hand, fingers wiggling, the all-too-familiar gesture of give me your hand and shut the fuck up because I know more than you.

“Your fingers are really cold. You still look pale.” Jimin moved his hands to Taehyung’s neck, fingers pressed to his jugular. “Your heartbeat is really slow still. How you’re functioning is a miracle.” His eyes darted down. “That’s already healed. It’s just a scar. Were you bitten by a radioactive spider?”

“I’m going to class.”

“No, you’re going to the hospital, remember?”

“Jimin, I’m swear I’m fine. And Peter Parker still went to class after he was bitten by a spider. Why can’t I?” Taehyung brushed passed his roommate to go to his wardrobe. His left foot stepped into the line of sunlight on the floor and he howled, falling back into the shadows. He watched his skin sizzle for a moment before going back to normal.

“What the fuck—”

“Can you develop a severe allergy to the sun overnight?” Taehyung asked, looking up at Jimin and unable to hide the fear this time.

Jimin stared at his roommate for a moment and shook his head before walking out of the dorm, leaving Taehyung confused and cowering under his desk.

Taehyung watched as the lines of sunlight moved across the floor of his dorm room. His stomach rumbled with hunger and he felt light-headed, irritable, scared. His throat was dry and scratchy; he had never felt so thirsty. He didn’t know what was happening to him or why Jimin just left him, but he was too afraid to know why at this point. It wasn’t until the two-in-the-afternoon sun finally left his room in completely in shadows that he finally climbed out, stretching his stiff limbs. He reached for his phone and climbed back onto his bed, reading through his messages.

NamJOON of Doom

you weren’t in class today? it was nice not having you answer all the questions. got to prove i’m actually the smart one. :P jimin said you weren’t feeling well, though. hope you get better soon, man. :( if you need anything, let me know. <3

JungSoup

did u finish the fear painting assignment thing for tommorrow? mine is shit so im gunna reserve a studio for tonite if u wanna join me. u know how creepy they are at night. nvm jimin hyung told me ur sick pls dont come and make me sick ur prolly jus hungover arent u hyung pls come cuz i dont wanna be alone with the studio ghost

Moldy Suga

you missed class. don’t die pls

He could feel the weight of everything lifting just a bit as he filtered through his friends’ messages. Everything felt almost normal. Even with Jimin’s reminder that something didn’t make sense, he found a way to find relief.

Chimichanga

sorry to bolt like i did. i’m going to help you figure this out. i know how to help. sit tight and stay out of the sun. if you’re going to die it’s going to be on my operation table and it will look like an accident ;) no way the sun is going to get you first

Everything faded away when he got to the next text.

Unknown Number

Meet me in the graveyard tonight. Our spot. You know the one. 11 o’clock. I will explain everything to you, handsome.

The woman from the night before came to mind, her perfect, alluring body; her smokey feline eyes; her soft, sultry voice. His hand pressed against his chest, fingering over the two scars on his chest and the faded red kiss mark.

He knew she was the reason this was happening but he wanted her back, wanted to be around her, learn from her. He felt drawn to her, connected in unexplainable ways.

Taehyung jumped when he heard doorknob rattle, cowering under the blankets on his bed. He didn’t understand why he was so jumpy.

“Jimin?”

His roommate walked in followed by a small, mature looking woman with short, blonde hair.

“Taehyung, this is my cousin, Choa. This is my dumbass roommate that got himself bitten by a vampire.”

“Vampire?” Taehyung asked. The other two ignored him.

“I’ve heard a lot more about you than just that, I promise,” she said with a friendly smile. Her presence was far more nurturing than Taehyung expected. She bowed to him before she made her way over to his desk. She delicately moved his toolbox to the side, setting her purse down.

“Jimin, what’s going—”

“She’s going to help, Taehyung.”

“How?” he asked as he watched the woman pull the largest bottle of sunscreen he’d ever seen from her bag.

“Doctors run in the family, but I am the black sheep that has her master’s in paranormal studies. I know more about your physiology now than future-doctor-conformist over here.” She pulled at hat out with rounded bill out of her bag.

“When you’re old and having heart problems from sleeping in haunted buildings your entire life, who will you go to?”

“Don’t trust him,” Taehyung said with a grin, sliding off his bed and landing on his feet with grace he’s never had before. Something about her presence was making him feel relaxed. “He’s always telling me that he’s going to make my surgical death look like an accident.”

Jimin rolled his eyes as Choa snickered. “He’ll have a hard time of that now, won’t he,” she said, patting his shoulder. She was much smaller up close. Taehyung could hear her heart beating. She smelled metallic and warm, making his mouth water and his throat ache.

“What’s happening to his eyes?”

“He’s hungry, Jimin. Why do you think I asked you to steal blood from my dad’s clinic on the way back?”

“Oh, right. I left the cooler in the car. Please don’t eat my cousin while I’m gone, Taehyung.”

He blinked and turned to look at Jimin, his head spinning. He hadn’t heard anything his roommate had said.

“What’s happening to me?” Taehyung asked as he watched Jimin leave their room. Choa reached up to touch his cheek and he could feel the blood pulsing in her palm. His eyes rolled closed and he took a deep breath. She smelled so… delicious.

“You need to eat, sweetie. Jimin will be back with something that will help settle your stomach. That will help with your anxiety.”

Taehyung nodded and leaned against his desk. She smiled and reached for his hand. She felt for his pulse in his wrist before feeling again in flat of his elbow, then at his neck. The closer she came to him, the more he could hear the sound of heart beating. He knew it was hers. She smelled delicious.

The sound of Jimin barreling back into the dorm room pulled Taehyung back.

“Do you know who turned you, Taehyung?” Choa asked softly as Jimin set a cooler next to her. She opened it up and pulled a plastic bag out, red liquid sloshing in it. She handed it to Taehyung.

“I remember her, but I never met her until last night,” he said as he stared at the bag. There was a cap on it where the line, connected to a needle, had carried their blood in. The small twinge of guilt was a flicker on his conscious compared the rumble in Taehyung’s stomach. He opened the cap and brought it to his lips, squeezing gently as if he were drinking from a juice box.

Taehyung had never tasted anything more delicious in his life. It was cold, but it didn’t matter the temperature when he could himself going back to normal with every luxurious swallow.

“Conversions aren’t very common anymore, right, unless there is a direct threat to the current population,” Jimin said, looking at his cousin. “Is there anything that you’re aware of going on?”

Choa shrugged. “I heard something about animal attacks, but that was on the other side of the country. The images I saw definitely didn’t come from an animal, though. I do have a connection with the local coven but they haven’t mentioned anything to me.”

“What does that mean?” Taehyung asked.

“It could mean anything, kiddo. I’ll keep in touch with you and check up on you, answer any question you have as best as I can.” She touched Taehyung’s cheek again, in a motherly way, her eyes suddenly sad, as he continued to suck the bag dry. “But you’ve got a rough road ahead as you adjust, especially if you don’t know who turned you.”

Taehyung had to convince Jimin that he was perfectly fine going out on his own. The sun itself had completely set for the evening and he still needed to finish his assignment. He had the sunscreen and hat that Choa had brought packed in, just in case he wound up staying out all night, and her instructions to reapply as often as every 30 minutes, depending on the sun’s intensity and Taehyung’s comfort level. It would prevent his skin from burning visibly, but he’d still feel the sun more than ever before. It was all he could do until the semester ended and he could adjust his schedule.

He texted Jungguk back, letting him know that he would come to the studio with him. He packed his things, Jimin watching apprehensively.

“Text me if you need anything.”

“Jimin, I’ll be fine. I’m just paining.”

“Did you eat?”

Taehyung rolled his eyes and held up the insulated lunch box that he had kept stored under his desk. He never thought he’d actually use it.

“If you’re going to have to kill a human, though, Jungguk would be a good start. You’d be making the world a better place…” Jimin smirked and crossed his arms. He acted as if he hated Jungguk, but everyone knew that they were close.

Taehyung didn’t respond, though. The thought of having to feed on a human for survival wasn’t something he had really thought about. He didn’t want to; the stollen blood bags were bad enough.

“Be careful, okay.”

“Promise,” Taehyung said as he walked out of their room. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should go. But he hoisted his canvas bag up his shoulder and started down the hall. He had to keep some normalcy in his life.

He started at the moon as he made his way across campus. There were still tricklings of pink and orange on the horizon, but the sun was completely gone. The moon was too bright. He knew just from the location of it that it was just past 9:30. He only had about ten hours of freedom to exist before he was bound to the shadows. He didn’t know how he knew that.

The smell of the art studios was always a comfort for Taehyung. He felt his muscles relax and his mind clear of everything as he made his way inside and through the halls to the studio Jungguk booked. He was home in his art, knowing that nothing would strip away his joy of creating something from nothing but pigment and paper.

“Took you long enough,” Jungguk huffed as Taehyung slipped inside the small room. There was already an easel set up for him.

“Got held up with Jimin. Just a bit concerned with how I was this morning.”

“You’re okay, though? Not contagious?”

Taehyung laughed. “Only if I bite you.”

Jungguk rolled his eyes but didn’t respond. Taehyung watched him dip his brush into a deep red oil paint, making his mouth water. It looked like blood. He stepped forward, eyes not leaving the color, his nose picking up the smell of something metallic. He could hear a resting heartbeat, pumping delicious blood; Taehyung wanted to hear it; he want to feel blood trickle rhythmically into his mouth with his teeth clamp hard on Jungguk’s neck.

“You sure you’re okay, hyung?”

Taehyung blinked and stared at Jungguk for a moment. He cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah, just a lot on my mind. Sorry.”

He pulled out his blank canvas. He stared at the few faint pencil lines of the gravestone he’d been staring at the night before, when his biggest fear was still death. Taehyung was pretty sure his biggest fear was his own reflection now, a creature he didn’t recognize anymore, a creature that wasn’t exactly alive.

He set it on the easel, taking in everything he remembered about the night before. He was so sure he’d finish, so inspired by the name and dates on the stone. Then she showed up. Taehyung touched his chest as she flooded his mind. She was so sexy, so easy to talk to, so easy to trust. She told him it was a big mistake to trust her, but he didn’t think so at the time.

The text message came back to mind. She had to have been the one to send it. He didn’t remember anyone else that night, not even a security guard. She had to be the one that turned him. And she wanted to meet him at eleven.

He pulled out his phone, looking at the time. 9:45. He could leave and come back. How long would Jungguk be there? Would he have time to finish his assignment if he left? Why should he even go. He didn’t need anything explained to him; he had Choa that did that. Right?

He glanced at the canvas again. Painting a headstone, painting death as his greatest fear, it seemed foolish now. He dipped into his toolbox, pulling out his eraser. He’d paint what he had become. He’d paint her.

[snghwmylv]

All along (m)

Summary ; All along, it was your best friend who you could trust over your boyfriend. 

Requested by @fatimabts07 ;   Anyway can you make a ff about y/n has been bffs with wonho since they were little and hes been crushing on her for a long time. Y/n ends up dating kihyun and wonho gets jealous, kihyun ends up just using her cuz they dared him to date y/n. After finding out she runs to wonho and that’s when the smut comes in. Can you please make this request im gonna look forward to this ff. Thx xoxo💜

Word count ; 2.3k words

Genre ; Angst, Smut, Bits of fluff 

A/N ; Thank you for requesting sweetiee<3 Sorry it took so long! I was having some problems with my computer. I originally wanted to post it yesterday, but the whole Jonghyun thing just... It affected me really badly, to say the least. 

You clenched your fists, getting impatient. You took deep breaths, biting down on your bottom lip so hard you swore it was bleeding. No matter how many times you tried to calm yourself down, it would not work. You stared at the red-haired male in front of you with absolute disgust,

“Kihyun would never do such a thing, Wonho. Stop lying.”

Wonho scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest, “Why would I lie to you?”

You opened your mouth, wanting to counterattack his words, but no words came out. You knew Wonho since you both were in diapers. You grew up with him, you witnessed every single failure, success, and heartbreak he has had thus far. He was your partner in crime, the Bonnie to your Clyde, your brother from another mother. You knew every single flaw about him, just as he did with yours.

And throughout the 20 plus years that you have known him, never was he known as a liar. The Wonho you knew was always very sweet, honest and caring. There would be no reason for him to remotely lie about something, even if it was a joke. Especially to you.

But, you still couldn’t trust him.

You chewed on your bottom lip, pacing around your bedroom. Wonho’s words echoed in your head the entire time. Kihyun doesn’t love you. Those four words haunted you for the rest of the day, not giving you any time to really let the words sink into you. 

No matter how hard you thought about it, Wonho just does not seem to be telling the truth. If Kihyun really did not love you, then why would he go out of his ways to call and text you every single day? To skip and call in sick for practices just to spend time with you. It just wasn’t making sense. 

You sat on the foot of the bed, looking at the sleeping state of your boyfriend. He looked so peaceful, so innocent. You smiled faintly, walking over to him and bending down, so that you were face-to-face with him. Your hand found its way into his hair, brushing the strands out of his face. 

This made him scrunch up his face slightly, which made you chuckle. You pressed your lips to his forehead, inhaling in his scent, savoring the moment, before you saw his phone screen light up. You looked over at his phone, and saw that he had received a text from Minhyuk. 

You typed in his password and opened the text, hoping that Kihyun would not get mad at you for snooping through his phone, invading his privacy. You scanned through Minhyuk’s text, 

‘5 days left ;))’

You tilted your head in confusion. 5 days? To what? As far as you were informed, Kihyun did not have any plans for the week, or so you thought. Were they having some sort of gathering? Or maybe a special even to attend? Why would the winky face be there? As much as you hated to be the nosy girlfriend, you let your curiosity take the best of you as you typed away on his phone,

‘5 days to?’

Minhyuk was not online, so you had to wait for him to come back online again for him to reply. You placed the phone down, turning to look at the small coffee table beside your bed. On the small coffee table was a lamp, and a framed picture of you and Kihyun on your 5-month anniversary. You smiled, recalling the memory. How shy and awkward Kihyun was when asking help from a stranger to take a picture of the both of you. 

You picked up the picture, revealing a small envelope that was placed behind the picture. You glanced over at Kihyun before quickly grabbing the envelope, and placing the photo back in its original position so that it seems as if nothing has happened.

On the envelope, it wrote, ‘To: Y/N’.

You furrowed your eyebrows. Why was Kihyun writing a letter to you, and why did he address you as Y/N? And not his usual, Honey, Baby, or even Princess? Slowly peeling the envelope open so as to not let Kihyun know that you have read the letter. Once you succeeded in getting the letter out without ruining the envelope, you placed the envelope back on the coffee table. You slowly read the first few lines, 

‘Hey Y/N,

It’s been about 7 months since I first asked you out, remember?

Throughout these 7 months, you had really taught me the meaning of love and how to love someone, even if that was not my intentions at first.’

Not my intentions? 

‘I would like to thank you for treating me so well, and for always being there by my side.

For always bringing me food while I’m stuck at work.

For always reassuring me when I have doubts about myself. 

And most importantly, for always loving me.

I would like to be very honest with you, Y/N.’

Honest?

‘I did not actually like you from the beginning. 

I have only seen you as a friend this entire time.

This relationship was a lie. 

I was dared to date you-’

Wait, what? A dare? A fucking dare?

Biting on your bottom lip, you turned over to look at Kihyun who was sleeping peacefully, hot tears brimming your eyes, threatening to fall. The phone screen lit up, which meant that Minhyuk had replied. You swallowed, picking up the phone and pressing the power button, looking at his reply,

‘You know, 5 days till the end of your 7 month dare ;)) I can’t imagine how happy you would be to finally break it off with her’

You choked on your tears. The tears that had pooled in your eyes escaped, trickling down your cheeks, and dripping onto the letter. Your hand found its way to your mouth, trying to silence your sobs so that Kihyun does not hear you. Your entire body starting shaking, the shock slowly overwhelming you. You turned your back against Kihyun, not wanting him to find you crying. 

How could he do this to you?

‘You stood up slowly, dropping the letter and Kihyun’s phone on the floor, and headed towards the door. Sniffling, you turned back to look at Kihyun, who was still deep in his slumber. Who knew the worst people in the world were ones that were just right beside you? 

“I love you,” your voice came out as a soft whisper, before you shut the door behind you, grabbing your coat along with your valuables. 

Wonho jumped off his couch, and rushed towards the door, before opening it. It revealed a very drunk-looking you, hair messy and lipstick smudged from the guy that you had made out with at the club. You smiled,

“Oh hey Wonho.”

Wonho sighed, he hated seeing you in such a vulnerable state. He had received your text that you were coming over after drinking, and since then while waiting for you to arrive, he could not help but imagine the worst case scenarios in his mind. 

He stepped aside, allowing you to enter his apartment. You headed over to his living room, and plopped yourself on his couch, letting go of your hair tie and taking out your coat, revealing your tight black dress that Kihyun absolutely hated you wearing. Wonho shut the door behind you and walked to where you were, and gulped when he saw your outfit, 

No, Wonho. Just because she just broke up does not mean that you can make a move a on her. 

Wonho shook off all his impure thoughts and instead went to the kitchen to get a glass of water for you, since he knew that you could not handle alcohol very well. He handed the glass of water to you, and you mouthed a ‘thank you’, before downing the glass of water down in one shot.

“Sorry for the sudden visit, I just didn’t want to go home to seeing Kihyun,” you turned over to Wonho. 

He shrugged, “It’s fine.”

You could tell that Wonho was still upset about the argument you two had a few days back. You felt really guilty for not believing his words, and you wanted to apologize for not trusting him,

“I’m sorry, Wonho. You were right, Kihyun is-”

“I was right wasn’t I?!” Wonho’s sudden outburst shocked you. “And you had to go back to that asshole and just, and just-”

You hugged him, silencing his words. Wonho was taken aback for a moment, but he pushed you away gently, not wanting any affection from you. You pouted, knowing that it would take more than just a hug and an apology to make Wonho forgive you. 

You noticed his eyes tearing up, which tugged at your heartstrings. He was really upset by this. You placed both your hands on his face and turned his head towards you,

“I’m really sorry, Wonho.”

But still, he refused to look at you. Looks like you had to take matters into your own hands. You smashed your lips against his, clearly startling him. Your lips moved against his desperately, and soon, his lips responded to yours. Wonho tilted his head, as your hands snaked around his neck. 

Wonho tasted tentatively with his tongue as he traced it across the bottom of your lip. The caress of his lips were softer than Kihyun’s could ever be. His tongue entwined with yours, creating the perfect harmony that both of you had since young. Soon, you both started swallowing each other, making the kiss even more intense. You reached to take off his shirt, when he pulled away,

“Are you sure? I don’t want to force you or anything,” he said, panting in between breaths. 

“I am very sure,” you crawled over him, straddling his lap before taking off his shirt, revealing his toned body. 

Wonho sat you down on his lap, and attached his lips onto your neck, sucking and biting on the sensitive skin. You felt Wonho’s member hardening beneath you, so you added more fuel to the fire by grinding down on him. When you did this, his hand gripped your neck, forcing you to look down at him, 

“Don’t think about doing that, princess,” He brought his lips to your ear. “You’ll regret it.”

Those words alone were enough to make you soaked, wetness pooling in your lower half. His hands massaged your breasts as he re-attached his lips onto your neck, now more rough, leaving marks all over your neck and collarbone. You, in the meantime, started palming Wonho through his sweatpants. Your hand slipped under his sweatpants, grabbing his dick and giving it a soft squeeze, earning a groan from him.

He removed his lips from your neck, satisfied with the amount of hickeys that he had given you. You got on your knees, lifting off of Wonho’s lap to pull off his sweatpants. His already-hard dick sprung out, leaving you salivating at the sight of it. Wonho’s hand went under your dress, and started rubbing your clothed heat, 

“Already wet, princess?”

His finger pushed your panties aside and entered you, causing you to let out a satisfied sigh, not having felt this sensation in a long time. He moved his middle finger around and thrusted it in and out of you slowly. Once he felt that you were not as tight anymore, he added his index finger to the mix, scissoring his fingers, reaching deeper depths within you. Your moans filled his entire apartment, not being considerate to his neighbors.

You pulled him in for another kiss again, your hand going down to stroke him slowly, spreading the precum all over his tip. His thumb stimulated your clit, working together with his fingers, making you moan into the kiss. You felt the knot in your stomach tightening, which meant that you were close to cumming. You had clenched around Wonho’s fingers, which also alerted him that you were close. He pulled his lips away,

“Come for me, princess.”

Those four words had you coming undone, your juices spilling all over his fingers and his cock, your legs shaking beneath you. Wonho brought his fingers up to his lips and licked them clean, maintaining eye contact with you the entire time. His hand reached into the drawer of the small table beside the couch, pulling out a condom. 

He ripped open the packaging with his mouth, and put on the condom. He placed his member at your entrance, lightly teasing you with his tip, making you let out a small whine,

“D-Don’t tease me.”

His hand laid a hard smack on your ass, “Don’t tease me what?”

“Daddy..” You buried your face in his neck. 

He held onto your ass cheeks and lowered you down onto his cock. He groaned, feeling how tight you were around his cock. You arched your back at this new feeling, but definitely not hating it. You nodded, letting Wonho know that it was okay for him to start moving. He lowered you down more until his dick was buried deep inside of you, letting out a long sigh. 

You started bouncing up and down, hands resting on Wonho’s shoulders, while his rested on your waist. Your breasts bounced along with you, giving Wonho the most beautiful sight he had been waiting for his entire life. Your moans mixed with his, creating a beautiful harmony that the neighbors surely enjoyed. 

Soon, you felt fire pooling low in your abdomen. You started clenching around Wonho, which made him thrust up sloppily into you, also reaching his limit. Wonho’s hand started rubbing your clit, in an effort to help you reach your second orgasm.

You were soon coming all around his cock, the orgasm leaving you shaking. Wonho soon came as well, filling the condom up with his hot seed. You fell forward onto his chest, heaving from exhaustion. Wonho wrapped his arms around your figure, pulling you closer towards him,

“I love you, Y/N. I’ve loved you for a long time now actually.”

You sat up straight, “Me too. I got together with Kihyun in hopes of forgetting about my crush on you.”

Wonho chuckled, before giving you a peck on your lips. 

All along, it was Wonho who you could trust and lean on. 

[warmau]

{Special College!AU} Mark Lee

major: children's education 

minor: creative writing 

sports: was invited to the schools hockey team because he’s good on skates, but turns out mark lee isn’t all that good at contact sports (that and taeyong got so worried about him mark just decided to join badminton club instead)

clubs: book review with doyoung - but more than anything he just likes to hear doyoung talk lol, secretly part of a magic the gathering thing but only sometimes,,,,like ,,,,, once a week shh

when mark was applying to colleges, a lot of people were telling him to pursue majors he didn’t really like

“be pre-med!” “do law!” “business is the only place were there’s real money!”

but mark knew what he wanted to do with his life,,,,,he wanted to be a teacher

and even though people would always assume his shy, easily embarrassed attitude around others would be hard to overcome if he was like a highschool teacher or something

mark knew that he could do it - plus he’d always kind of wanted to be a kindergarten teacher,,,,,kids were always just so much more creative and interesting

and one of the things people had told mark since he was pretty young was that he was a natural born role model 

from breaking up arguments between kids on his home block, to encouraging his friends to do their best, just being laidback and so easy to talk to - yet still working his hardest

so why not put that to use,,,,,,sure it might have been corny to say outloud but mark wants to inspire kids and be someone they can really learn from,,,,

even though he’d never admit it aloud because for some reason he’d know someone (johnny) would fake cry and clap about his emotional speech

which sOMEone (johnny) does a lot,,,, like mark will go “if anything, we can all agree on pizza for lunch” and johnny will wipe a fake tear and be like “the hero we always needed,,,,”

mark sometimes wonders why he’s friends with such dramatic people,,,,,,,,actually a lot of people wonder that

because mark is popular, people just see him as this approachable, adorable guy and he totally is

which is why taeyong is always sweating over the fact that mark is TOO nice,,,,,he doesn’t want mark to get in any trouble

ten is always like taeyong please, mark is a grown man he knows-

taeyong: mark - don’t talk to strangers on the internet, mark have you ever heard of catfishing, mark did you know your computer could be HACKED

taeil: someone please distract him ,,,, like sicheng spill some coffee or sneeze on him so he’ll stop

but mark has known his closest friends for the longest, and he’s got this sense of loyalty that’s seriously unbreakable

it’s one of the many things that is so great about him,,,,honestly how can someone be so genuine and nice,,,,,,,

mark’s roommate jaehyun sometimes finds mark sitting up at like 2 am - desk lamp on - scribbling notes down

and he assumes he’s studying or something,,,but mark also has another goal - he wants to write a kids book

although his drawing is sub par,,,,,ideas for the book have always been floating around in his head

and even if it’s 2, 3, 4 am he has to get up and write a good one down

he never shows them to anyone though,,,,because it’s sort of a secret the only person who knows is another bestfriend of his, haechan, whose still in high school

mark would totally pen pal haechan if he went away to college - don’t argue with me on this

as a children’s education major,,,,there’s a program that allows mark to TA in an actual school for a bit - only half a semester but it’s something he’s really looked forward too

there’s two TA’s per class and mark gets assigned to a first grade homeroom

which is where you actually first meet,,,,,

you get there super early, afraid you’ll be even a second late and make a bad impression - the anxiety of working under a teacher you don’t know makes you a little sweaty

and as you slide down the wall outside classroom 127, catching your breathe because you bet you ran here

you look at your phone and sigh,,,,,,,7:05,,,,,you’ve got another 25 minutes

it takes you a while to realize,,,,but there’s someone else in the hall with you. 

across from your room,,,,sits a boy - he looks vaguely familiar but he seems just as nervous as you are

glancing at his watch and tapping his foot, eyes wide with wonder when you finally meet each others glances

embarrassingly, he scrambles up to his feet and so do you 

“h-hi,,, im mark. im with 127,,,,”

he awkwardly stretches his hand out to shake yours and you notice that he avoids direct eye contact again,,,,,,,,it’s kinda cute

you introduce yourself back, telling him you’re with 127 too

there’s a short pause and then he blurts out “do you think the kids will like us?”

out of all the things to be worried about,,,,it’s somehow fitting of mark’s biggest fear to be of his impression left on the kids

something about his question makes you feel ,,,,, like there’s something different about mark

something almost pure,,,,,,

you smile “i hope they do.”

at 7:30, you and mark hear the padding of little feet. the excited voices and sounds that could only mean one thing - class 127 is on its way

the teacher, a kind looking older women, brightens up when she sees you two

quickly, you and mark politely bow and introduce yourselves. she seems so happy to have you two and you mentally high-five yourself in relief

you catch mark’s eye and he pretends to wipe a sweat from his forehead which makes you giggle

as the kids pile into the room, taking their seats the teacher has you and mark write your names on the board

beside yours, you put a smiling face and notice mark pick his chalk back up to add a flower beside his

mark goes first, introducing himself by his full name

one of the kids shouts “mr. lee!!!” and mark almost turns bright red,,,,,,,,making it hard for you to keep a straight face

the introductions go smoothly and the teacher sits you at one table full of kids and mark at another 

the day goes by exceptionally well, all the kids seem fond of you - clinging to your hand and feeling comfortable enough to share favorite toys or books with you

during recess, one of them was feeling tired and had plopped themselves in your lap - which you were fine with,,,until they almost fell asleep

tbh there was only one kid who was a bit rowdy, sometimes too loud and too physical with other kids 

but you could see mark had no trouble handling him

actually,,,,you were kind of shocked to see how diligently mark had committed himself to helping this kid - even on the first day

and when school was over, mark even took the time to wait by the kid till his parents arrived

it had only been the first day and you were already growing attached,,,,,,,,,you knew time would fly with the kids

but for some reason, as you walked to the bust stop to catch it back to campus,,,,,,you could only think about one of two things; all the cute kids or,,,,,,,

mark

the first couple of weeks are a piece of cake really, the teacher was so knowledgeable and sweet plus the kids had accepted you that you couldn’t believe this was a college program

like you were getting credits for this,,,,, you had even told mark at some point  “this makes me want to be a teacher even more!” 

he’d smiled, agreeing and added that if anything - this class was probably the best class you two would ever have

at the end of one day, you and mark had stayed back to clean up and when he’d asked if you were taking the bus back you could feel a small flutter in your heart

“yeah i am, i wanted to go get some dinner to take home and then go back to the dorms to study.”

mark seemed hesitant for a moment, but then you decided it couldn’t hurt to make a first move - “do you want to eat with me and then we’ll catch the bus together?”

mark’s shoulders seemed to relax, he agreed and you guys finished tidying up the room before locking up for the teacher

“im on a budget for dinner though, i hope you’re not like super against fast food,,,,”

you mumbled, walking the streets with mark by your side, backpack slung over one shoulder

“that’s ok, i usually don’t eat dinner anyway. i live off ice-cream and bread my friend taeyong hates it,,,” 

mark chuckles and you shake your head “you gotta eat, keeping up with kids is hard”

mark smiles, following you into the mcdonalds that you find cramped between two cafes

you order a burger meal and mark just gets some fries, you frown and he just shrugs “im serious, i don’t really eat dinner”

you settle into an empty booth and start eating, for while it’s silent till mark asks you cautiously if you can tell him something

you look at him, the fluorescent bright lighting in this place makes it hard not to focus on how cute he is - you can see his smooth his skin is, and how bright and big his eyes are

you swallow and snap out of it, “sure, what is it?”

mark mentions the rowdy child from your class,,,,,he plays nervously with the edge of his ear and goes “do you think he’s ok,,,,,,,sometimes i notice that he’s pretty thin. im worried about how much attention he’s getting at home.”

you maul it over for a bit, leaning back in your seat. it is true,,,he is one of the smaller boys in the class,,,,and sometimes when kids are loud it is a cry for attention,,,,,

“maybe,,,,,but we can’t jump to conclusions. i feel like if something was going on the teacher would have already known,,,,”

mark’s eyes that had clouded over a bit with seriousness brighten when you say that

“i never thought of that, but you’re probably right,,,,,,”

you lean over, stealing a french fry from his tray and mark crinkles his nose “hey!”

you laugh and tell him that when he gets back to his dorm he better have some actual dinner

you and mark part ways on campus,,,you guys still have regular classes on the days when you’re not at the school so you know you won’t see him till you’re back with the first graders

for some weird reason,,,,,even though you just saw him,,,,,you kinda already wanna see him again

when you finally do - you learn that the class is going to be having a fun outing day to the park on friday

you and mark grin at each other, just as happy as the kids are to be getting out of a classroom

that following friday,,,,,,,you come in to see a couple of parents in the room with some kids. one of them is the father of the boy mark was worried about

mark appears at your side and you can see he’s watching him too,,,,,

in reality if something is up, what can you and him - two college students - really do

but at the same time,,,you get the feeling that mark won’t let it go,,,,,,

you want to say something, but you feel a small hand tug on yours and ask if you’ll take them to the bathroom

you look at mark one more time, but with that you have to do your job

the park is fun - the kids are all energetic and you’re pretty sure you and mark have played hide and seek 435342 times

when finally the boy mark was worried about joins in, running right into mark’s hands 

his father is talking to the teacher,,,,,a look of sadness is apparent in his face 

and you look over at mark who frowns

at some point throughout the day, when the kids have settled down for lunch 

mark is seated beside the father and the kid,,,,,,,they’re talking so far away from the group that you can’t hear a thing

but when lunch is over, mark rejoins the group while the father lifts up his son and they walk out of the park

the teacher tells you two they had an emergency, but your eyes flick over to mark who looks more distraught than ever

after a while, the day comes to an end,,,,,you and mark gather all the kids together but the teacher lets you two off early - the parents and her can handle them from here

but you and mark don’t leave the park, instead he calls you over and you sit beside him on one of the swings

the autumn afternoon is chilly, but mark seems so lost in his thoughts that you hope whatever the father of that kid said,,,,,isn’t too bad

“he’s sick.”

mark starts off, the dread in his voice makes you feel just as bad 

“is it really serious?” you ask, already knowing the answer

mark bites his lip, but nods 

you drop your head and whisper that that’s horrible,,,,,

sitting beside each other,,,,you and mark silently think the same thing - no one so young should suffer

but finally, mark gets up as you hear the creak of the swing

he doesn’t say where he wants to go, but just asks “will you come with me?”

it’s already getting dark when you and mark get out of the subway, you’re in the busier part of the city - the streets crowded with people in stores, restaurants, cafes, and arcades 

mark weaves through the crowd easily, but you lose sight of him a couple of times

you don’t want to be separated so at some point you reach out and grab his hand 

mark looks back,,,,,and you’re scared he’ll let go but instead he only squeezes it tight and keeps going

you end up out back of a bustling arcade, there are old claw machines and mark points to one of the toys inside 

“he really likes that cartoon, i want to get him something before the program is over,,,”

mark looks over at you and scratches his neck,,,,, “do you think that’s a bad idea-”

you dig a couple of coins out of your pocket and dump them in the slot with a smile “no. i think it’s great.”

neither you or mark has all that great luck,,,,,tbh you both SUCK at this game 

but neither of you wants to give up,,,,,you can’t,,,,,,,

and finally,,,,,,,you get it - “mark, mark the claw got it mark!!!”

he rushes over, putting his hands over yours on the joystick of the game 

muttering under his breath,,,you two carefully move the claw together till it’s right over the opening and with a press of a button

the toy drops and you and mark break out into celebration

you high-five and then before you know it,,,,you wrap your arms around each other 

and it’s so nice,,,,,mark is the type that pulls you in close and it’s so,,,,,warm

but also short lived because you both push away in embarrassment,,,,

you grab the toy to break the awkwardness and turn to mark “mission complete! 

mark gets both your bags off the floor, slinging them over his shoulder as you two walk back toward the train

when you’re back on campus, mark asks if you’ll keep the toy safe for him till you guys see each other again

you agree and think that this should be the right time to say goodnight,,,but for some reason neither of you do

“c-can i,,,,,,,,,,do something?”

mark stutters,,,,clearing his throat and you look up at him “sure?”

he shifts a bit and adds that he needs you to close your eyes for this

clutching the toy to your chest you do so,,,,waiting

until you feel it, mark’s lips pressed against the side of your cheek

he pulls back and when your eyes flutter open you can see the blush on his cheeks

“was that for helping you win the toy?”

you ask sheepishly and mark nods,,,,but then stops

“it’s also because i ,,,,,,,,like you so,,,,”

you can’t help the smile that grows on your face when he says that,,,but you hide it behind the toy 

“i like you too mark lee,,,,,,,,”

like a puppy, his eyes widen and he stares at you for a second before a goofy grin spreads on his face too

“o-ok awesome,,,well uh,,,,but um,,, good night for now,,,”

you nod “good night mark lee,,,,,,,,”

you want to turn around but then you hear mark’s voice

“i,,,,want to ask you out on a date,,,but i need to think of a good one-”

“this was a good one. i liked this one.”

you say, referring to the time spent today. mark grin’s even larger

“ok,,,,,well then ill plan another one soon.”

you agree and turn to walk toward the dorm,,,,,when you’re at the door you turn to see mark is still there. he waves and you feel your heart flutter again

the last week of your program comes fast,,,it’s emotional because you’ve grown to love all the kids and you know mark has too

even the teacher gets worked up,,,saying you two are one of her best TA duos,,,,,,, “it’s even cuter that you two like each other!” she adds and you and mark almost melt into puddles of blushes

it’s also finally the day mark gives his favorite kid the toy,,,,,,

when he does - the look on the boy’s face is something you can only see on christmas

he practically tackles mark with a huge hug ,,,, the fact that he’s much smaller saves mark

but the scene makes your heart wrench,,,especially when mark promises to come back and visit him and the boy mumbles that he never knows how long he has

you and mark both pass the program with flying colors, you both get pictures with the whole class and with all the kids who run about to hug you two and say goodbye

and it’s heartfelt,,,but it just reminds you and mark why you chose your majors

walking to the bus for the final time, mark takes your hand

which kind of surprises you because,,,,he’s never been big on public pda

“have i ever told you i wanted to write a children’s book?”

mark asks and you gasp because it’s news to you

“about what?”

“i had a lot of different ideas,,,,but i think ive picked one i really like. i want to write a book about a fearless kid, who can overcome anything.”

you stop in front of the bus schedule and you rub mark’s thumb with your own

“do you know the main characters name?”

mark shows a hint of a smile,,,,, “i do.”

the name,,,,,,,,is the same name as the boy from class 127

when you get back to campus, mark shows you some of his other ideas and small sketches that he’s done

“im no artist,,,but im sure i can find someone to help. jaehyun’s pretty good though he won’t admit it.”

you smile,,,,looking through mark’s messy notes and stick figure panels

“i think it’ll be great, mr. lee”

mark scrunches up his face, playfully poking your arm at the nickname you haven’t forgotten from your first day in the TA program

when it comes out that mark is dating you,,,,there are mixed reactions

taeyong has 100 questions for you, yuta is devastated that mark is in a cute relationship first, jaehyun is super happy, ten is a little too happy, johnny goes ‘your growing up, son’ with another fake tear, taeil and sicheng congratulate you and haechan sends mark like 30 texts demanding to konw every last detail of how it happened

at some point you ask mark how he deals with this,,,chaos

but he just whispers “grin and bear it”

you guys stay in contact with the 127 teacher, getting updates about this kids along with cute photos and stuff

you and mark both ask about updates on the boy,,,,who thankfully isn’t doing any worse. apparently everyday he brings the toy you guys got him with him to class

mark turns out to be super low maintenance,,,to a point where people jokingly go “are you dating or just existing next to each other?”

which isn’t ,,,, like a bad thing

you and mark just don’t like to flaunt it with pda, couple items, instagrams full of each others faces

honestly you two keep it comfortable and simple,,,,

your dates are classics like the movie theater, picnics, walks through the city, even just sitting in the library together typing away on your computers or listening to headphones is enough

because what attracts you to mark is his work ethic,,,,and who he is as a person and what he’s passionate about

so you don’t need much,,,you’re just happy being able to support him and see him grow as this amazing person

and mark feels the same way about you

even though he gets cherry red whenever you give compliments or cheers of support,,,,,in his own way he gives you those too

and so what if doyoung is like “mark, take them somewhere exciting. i heard they’re opening a haunted house downtown in time for halloween~~~!!!” 

you and mark would rather chill in his dorm, eating ice-cream out the carton playing video games than getting high blood pressure at a haunted house

(except you totally both go and mark lee gets so scared that when he comes out of there you’re like ‘mark, look some white hairs’ and he’s like honestly i love you but this isn’t funny we almost dIED)

haechan actually really takes a liking to you, because you both - in very loving ways - known how to tease mark lee

although pda isn’t mark’s thing he does like it when you rest your head on his shoulder

you could just be tired in study hall, wearing a sweatshirt and pajama bottoms - curled up at his side or you could be falling asleep on the bus ride home,,,,,,having you close like that makes mark happy 

because he knows you’re safe - and that’s the only thing that matters 

actually,,,,even though couple items make mark cringe a bit, he’d still probably buy you matching hats because when does mark like not wear hats

he’d be like “im going to convince you that hats are the best” and you’ll be like “but hats don’t look good on m-”

mark: “hats make anyone cute, and you’re already cute, they make you double cute ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, don’t tell anyone i just said that”

if mark is eating bread again and taeyong comes around, you always hide it for him and you and mark just smile like angels up at him

and taeyong knOWS something fishy is up but you two are sooooo darn adorable

but also you text mark to eat dinner until he sends you photo-proof he did

“if you write a book and they turn it into like a cute cartoon movie - i want to voice a character”

“i,,,,haven’t even written the book yet,,,,”

“mark lee - i know you’re capable of it and you will do it. just promise me i can voice someone.”

when no ones around mark will kiss you, but it’s always fast and just a little peck

and you have to pull him back in by the collar or something because c’mon no one is watching,,,,,

the amount of times you’ve done something cute like peck his nose and mark has hid himself behind a book is uncountable 

face masks with mark while you’re quizzing each other for tests

jaehyun told you mark sleep talks and once said he’d like to marry you 

and you were like oh and mark was like “jeffery, i will ship you to canada where the moose will get you”

^the most threatening thing mark lee has ever said. probably

you both like cold weather,,,,and tbh am i saying hot-chocolate dates in cozy sweaters ,,,,,,,, hell yES

i think mark tries to hide it,, but he’s just as excited about holiday’s as little kids are hehe

you have this habit that if you’re talking about something and mark scrunches his nose, you scrunch yours 

and he’s like hey!!! that’s my signature face and you’re like you gotta kiss me to get it back!!

(he does kiss you ,,,, after pulling up his hood to hide you two like pleASE mark lee,,,)

sometimes, you and him volunteer together instead of going on dates and johnny is like that’s wild,,,,yall are like mr and mrs obama and mark is like that makes no sense and johnny is just like i love my giving children

you and mark looking at each other like what is happening

skyping mark’s family and everyone keeps wanting to talk to you and mark is like hi hello im here it’s me your son - ok fine i get it my s/o is cuter than me,,,

cuddling!!!! is super rare but also super amazing!!!! and mark is embarrassed for the first 5 minutes but then it’s just holding you close, lazily looking at you scroll through your phone and then mumbling “i love you,,,” into your hair

mark secretly tries to get better at claw machines to impress you on dates to the arcade 

totally tries to be subtle,,,,but you can see from the corner of your eye that he’s staring when you’re just reading or fixing a strand of your hair

tbh mark lee has major heart eyes for you,,,,,,,,,as described by ten

mark actually teaches you to do more chores and you’re like babe,,,,whY and he’s like a messy dorm is horrible we’re basically living in small closets

he’s the kind of boyfriend that just makes you a better person,,,,it’s really refreshing 

you guys have inside jokes and sometimes it’s hard to hide so you have to bury your face in mark’s arm or something to not laugh out loud and sometimes he has to bury his face in your hair

“haechan wants us to take more photos together”

“ok, let’s take one!”

“ok come over he- why are you wearing my maple leaf sweater”

“to show support for my boyfriend :-)”

mark keeps finding little notes in his bags and books from you, reminding him that you love him and he keeps them all in a small tin jar

sometimes he doesn’t know how you’re so cute - it seems impossible

holding hands under the table when you and all of nct is out for lunch???? yes

(does doyoung catch you, but just wink and pretend he didn’t much to mark’s utter embarrassment- also yes)

ten | taeil | johnny | doyoung | jaehyun | taeyong | yuta | bangtan | vixx | monsta x | got7 + kard + amber | seventeen |

[lannisterdaddyissues]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ... 98 cause I’m kinda lazy ❤️

thanks @poetcastiel!! i’m feelin lazy today so im just doing the ones i want because thIS IS WAY TOO MANY AAAA

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? preppy, tomboy, or sportswear are DEFINITELY my aesthetics

10. game you were best at in p.e.? dodgeball or badminton! i was one of the cool popular kids in my pe classes because i was good at everything. i used to have a squad actually and we still text even though it’s been 5 years now

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? toast and eggs or a slice of pumpkin bread!

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment? the book thief by markus zusak or the prestige by christopher priest! the book thief was assigned tho, the prestige i chose to read for an analysis.

21. obsession from childhood? there were other obsessions besides warrior cats?

28. five songs to describe you? iggy pop - real wild child olly murs - troublemaker little mix - wings britney spears - lucky jojo - how to touch a girl

29. best way to bond with you? by leaving me alone until i beg for attention because i am literally a cat

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? mr bojangles~

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? my older brother used to be OBSESSED with this meme and he’d quote the line to us or send it to us in texts whenever it was popular:

37. suitcase or duffel bag? i like both! but i normally travel by car so i use duffel bags more often. my mom loves vera bradley so she buys me lots of really pretty prints :)

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? jean jacket or cardigan! i love to look put-together and like a million bucks hehe

44. favorite scent for soap? lavender or mint!

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero? ugh, i like them all, like really REALLY like them all. i have fandoms in all 3 genres. but you know what...superhero :/

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? just a tshirt lol. my sis bought me a black graphic tee with all the eeveelutions on it for christmas years ago and it’s been my favorite shirt ever since. i try to make good use of it by wearing it every day! and it’s just long enough to keep me warm during the night

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? a cherry or an apple! those ones that are pink on the inside, the pink pearl apples? that’s me bc i’m special even tho i look like everyone else bc my nlog complex is like soooo huge

49. what saying or quote do you live by? “use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the best.” ~ henry van dyke

52. favorite font? imprint mt shadow my beloved <3

54. what did you learn from your first job? that i don’t want to work in retail when i’m 30. i hate my coworkers.

55. favorite fairy tale? there are a lot that i love, but i think my favorite has always been the little mermaid because it’s what i want for myself one day. even though ariel was weird af and the furthest thing from a normal human being, eric still fell head over heels for her, and that’s always given me hope someone will do the same for me. i also love the second movie because i’ve always wanted to have an adventure like melody did, i rewatched it so much as a kid for wish fulfillment lol

56. favorite tradition? my family’s christmas tradition is to go out and have lunch at the back porch on christmas eve and then watch scrooge (the albert finney christmas carol movie) late at night with chips and dip!

58. four talents you’re proud of having? i’m proud of how good i am at tennis, i’m proud of my skill on the piano, i’m proud of my talent for maths, and i’m proud of my talent for writing!

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? obviously a harem are you fucking STUPID? what kind of a question is that? i want my beautiful bishoujo boys to all line up and ask for my hand in marriage ok but actually i’d LOVE to be in a fantasy/adventure anime. NOT an isekai by any means because i would never leave my family, but if i could be born into a fantasy/adventure anime? that would be a dream come true.

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? “mistakes ought to be forgiven. recurrent folly should not be, and would not.”

62. seven characters you relate to? marinette dupain-cheng - miraculous ladybug max mayfield - stranger things annie january/starlight - the boys katarina claes - hamefura arya stark - game of thrones luna lovegood - harry potter feng lan/prince - 1/2 prince

66. favorite flower(s)? magnolias and hibiscus flowers! i love hibiscus flowers because i inherited my love for florals and bright colors from my dad and he loves to wear hawaiian print shirts all the time so they remind me of him. magnolias are very important to me because we used to have a lot of magnolia trees in my childhood home. there was one specific magnolia tree that separated my house and my neighbors’ house and i used to climb it every single day. we also buried my first cat beneath a magnolia bush :(

67. good luck charms? idk how to describe it but it’s this little metal toy helicopter i got from my grandfather. the axis is detached from the copter itself and spins on a screw that you can balance on top of the copter to make it spin on its own. my grandfather used to keep it in his office where he read the newspaper in the mornings, and when my family and i visited him i always stayed in the room right next to his office so he would be the first person i greeted every morning. after he passed away a few months ago i took the helicopter home with me as a memento of him because i miss him so much

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? it takes as much force to bite off your finger as it does to bite off a carrot. that’s one of my favorite facts i’ve ever learned

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? overhead lights

93. nicknames? mar online. irl, i just go by my real name unless people ask to call me marcy, which i normally let them because i don’t care and it means they like me lol. my mom is the only person i let call me cellie because it’s her special name for me :)