#it started with a kiss

[romchat]

I originally had no interest in watching The First Frost but then I learned that the director is not only the director of the iconic It Started with a Kiss but also the scriptwriter of the equally as iconic Your Name Engraved Herein???

The range this man has.

[dragonflylady77]

not on the menu

Rating: T | 1558 words | not KW friendly

B2 - free space for @harringrovesummerbingo

Gift for @shieldofiron and @spaceofentropy ❤️

** warning ** this fic ends with a cliffhanger but happy ending in the next one. it's a Guin guarantee.

Read on Ao3

Summary:

Billy has a run in with Karen Wheeler when he drops off Roscoe at Rosie's grandparents' for the weekend and he is not okay. Of course, Steve can immediately tell something is wrong.

“Do you really think I’ll be allowed to swim, Uncle Billy?”

“I asked Steve, my love, and he said you should definitely bring your swimsuit.”

“But what if Rosie’s grandma Karen says the pool is too cold?”

Billy tried to not let his frustration seep into his voice when he answered Roscoe’s questions for the seventh time. He knew it was because she was nervous. Rosie’s grandparents on her mom’s side were having a flashy end-of-summer BBQ party and Rosie had invited Roscoe for the weekend. 

From what Steve had told him, Rosie’s mom and her new partner were going to be there, and Rosie was a bit apprehensive. She hadn’t seen her mom in a while so she’d asked her best friend to come along. Max had been called into work so it had fallen on Billy to deliver the anxious little girl to a gated community in La Jolla.

Billy listened to the directions the guard at the gate gave him, congratulating himself on deciding to drive his new Camaro that day instead of his 1979 classic Z28. The houses they drove past all looked like they cost a couple of times what Billy made as a yearly salary and he earned a respectable living.

Roscoe held his hand from the car to the Wheelers’ front door and Billy picked her up in his arms to give her a pep talk before he rang the bell.

“Now, listen, Peanut. You’re going to be just fine. It’s Rosie. She’s your bestest friend and she will make sure you have a good time. You’ve met her mom, haven’t you?”

Roscoe nodded.

“Right, so if anything, and I mean, anything, happens that makes you uncomfortable, you find Rosie’s mom and she’ll ring Steve. Okay?”

“Okay, Uncle Billy.”

“Good girl. Now, ring the bell. I’m sure Rosie can’t wait to see you.”

The doorbell chimes were soon replaced by a screech and the sound of footsteps rushing to the door, which was yanked open a second later.

“Roscoe! You’re here!” Rosie beamed, slightly out of breath. She was wearing a white dress with grass stains at knee level and no shoes.

“Rosalinda Elizabeth Harrington! What have I told you about opening the front door?” a female voice said behind her, coming closer.

“Sorry, Grandma Karen,” Rosie said, not sounding sorry at all.

Billy bit down on a chuckle and put Roscoe down. “Hi, Rosie.”

“Hi, Uncle Billy.”

He turned to his niece. “You’ve got your bag, Peanut?”

“Yes, Uncle Billy.”

“Great. You girls have fun, okay?”

The girls both agreed before saying a quick goodbye and running into the house, hand in hand. Billy’s gaze followed them until they turned a corner then landed on the woman who was waiting in the doorway. She was wearing a figure-hugging gauzy dark red dress, with a low décolletage and capped sleeves, and matching stilettos.

“Hello, I’m Karen Wheeler. Who might you be?” the woman asked—like she hadn’t heard Roscoe and her own granddaughter call him Uncle Billy a minute ago—giving Billy a slow appraising look that made him glad he’d renounced the habit of wearing his shirts mostly unbuttoned once he’d reached his thirties.

She offered her hand and Billy shook it, resisting the urge to wipe his hand on his jeans afterwards. The way she stared at him, raw hunger in her eyes, was making him uneasy.

“William Hargrove, ma’am, Roscoe’s uncle.”

“Call me Karen,” she countered with a giggle that creeped Billy out. “Won’t you come in for a drink, William? Or, better yet, join us for dinner. There’s more than enough food.”

“Sorry, Karen, but I already have plans tonight.”

“Got a hot date, have you?” Karen said with a wink, leaning on the doorframe.

“Something like that,” he replied with a tight grin. No way he was telling her he was planning on spending the entire weekend naked in bed with her former son-in-law.

“Another time, then?”

“Absolutely,” Billy said, lying through his teeth, and not finding it in himself to feel sorry about it. “I better head off. Have a lovely evening.”

Her goodbye followed him down the path to the sidewalk and he got into his car and headed off without looking back. He tried to shake off the uneasy feeling the encounter had left him but was still feeling the after-effects by the time he made it to Steve’s house.

Steve was waiting in the open doorway as soon as Billy got out of his car, and fuck, he was a sight for sore eyes, in his soft yellow jumper and his grey track pants that did a piss poor job to hide his giant dick.

“Hey, stranger, what took you so long?” Steve said, dragging a willing Billy through the threshold with both hands.

Billy kicked the door shut with his foot, before walking Steve backwards to the closest wall and burying his face in Steve’s neck. He inhaled the scent that was vanilla shampoo and something inherently Steve. It calmed his mind, even as his hands came up to grasp Steve’s sides. 

How the fuck was he supposed to give this up when Steve decided he was ready to find someone he was serious about?

“Billy, are you okay?” Steve asked, an uncertain note in his tone when Billy didn’t move.

“I don’t know,” Billy mumbled against Steve’s neck, not letting go of Steve’s jumper.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

With a sigh, Billy leaned back, his fingers loosening their grip. “I dropped Roscoe at your former in-laws and your kid’s grandma tried to get me to stay for a drink, but the way she nearly licked her lips when she looked at me…” Billy couldn’t help the shudder that racked his body. He closed his eyes. “Felt like she was wishing I was on the menu.”

“What the fuck?” Steve wrapped his arms around Billy and pulled him close again. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

Billy bit down a whimper at the pet name Steve had never used before then shrugged. “It’s okay. I just wanna forget about her and enjoy our time together while I can.”

“While you—Billy, what the fuck do you mean?”

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” 

Fuck. 

Great job, dickhead.

Keeping one arm around Bill’s shoulders, Steve led the both of them to the couch.

“Come here, sit with me.”

Billy let himself drop on the couch, leaning his head back and looking at the ceiling. He was aware of Steve settling next to him, his hand warm on Billy’s thigh. When Steve didn’t say anything, Billy turned his head to look at him, confused when he noticed that Steve was dialing someone’s number on his phone.

The tone was loud in the otherwise quiet room, and Billy wondered who Steve was ringing and why he felt the need to do it on speakerphone.

“Hello, Wheeler residence, this is Karen,” the person on the other side answered and Billy went rigid.

Steve sent him a smile and squeezed his thigh. “Hi, Karen. It’s Steve.”

“Oh, Steve, hi! I really wish you could have joined us tonight. It’s so lovely to see Rosalinda with Nancy.”

“I’m sure it is. Listen, I heard you met Roscoe’s uncle tonight when he dropped her off and—”

“Yes, William, what a charming man. I really wish he’d have stayed for a while. I would love to get to know him. Is he single? I wonder if Nancy knows…”

“Karen, I’m going to stop you right there and remind you that you are a married woman.”

“Oh, Steve, you’re sweet." She laughed, and the sound had Billy tighten his hands into fists, nails digging in his palms. Karen continued, "Ted and I… let’s just say we have an arrangement that keeps both of us happy.”

“Okay, first of all, ew, and second of all, I think it’s quite creepy that you’re setting your sights on men the same age as your eldest daughter.”

Karen laughed. “Age is just a number, Steve. And as long as the participants are willing…”

“Billy is not willing,” Steve said, a steely age in his voice. “And, while I know and respect your place in my daughter’s life, I would appreciate if you’d keep your aging paws off my boyfriend.”

Steve hung up without another word, shutting out the offended stuttering and plunging the room in silence again.

“Boyfriend?” Billy whispered, when the quiet got too much. He felt unable to move a muscle, yet, at the same time, desperate to touch Steve, hope springing free in his chest.

“I, um, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that for a bit now, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long. When you said you wanted to enjoy our time together while you could, I realized I’d fucked up.”

“Steve…” Billy sat up, but Steve stopped him with a hand on his chest.

“Billy, I know we’ve only been seeing each other for a couple of months, but I like you. A lot. And I mean that as in formally-introducing-you-to-Rosie-as-my-boyfriend-and-giving-you-a-spare-key-to-my-house-so-you-can-visit-whenever-you-like kinda like you.” 

“I… I don’t know what to say,” Billy said, trying to wrap his head around the bombshell Steve had just dropped. After his slip up earlier, he’d expected Steve to tell him their arrangement was over, or that Billy was expecting too much. But now…

[ririchonne]

It started with a kiss (and 5 pizzas)😂

New Korean drama airing on Sunday at 9pm starring Danai Gurira and Andrew *not so slick*Lincoln on AMC

[howtomakeyousee]

You are my electric girl 🎶

[blueberryrains]

The way I see it now, Hani wants to move on because of his bad personality; she sees that.

But her heart doesn't want to-she keeps getting pulled back to him. She's an extremely emotional person, which must be frustrating for her.

Meanwhile, Seungjo is very curious about Hani, though he, himself, doesn't realize it. He actually notices everything about her. When Eunjo was badmouthing her, he checked Hani's reaction. He pretends not to listen to her stories but actually absorbs every detail.

He noticed minor changes in her appearance and asked about the mascot she wore. He stopped to check how she was training for athletics and watches and enjoys her embarrassing antics. Seungjo is uninterested in the world, but he pays attention to things related to her. Though Hani can be stalkerish, he doesn't call her out on it. We saw him rejecting interactions with other girls, but with Hani, he just lets her do whatever she wants and anticipates how everything will pan out.

The problem lies in how he interacts with her. He likes interacting with her because she gives funny reactions (she is very expressive), but he doesn't know how to do it properly and friendly. For example, in ep3, when she told them that she doesn't like him, he wanted a reaction proving that she indeed likes him. Instead of making a playful comment like, "Huh? Are you kidding? Did you forget that you wrote me a love letter weeks ago?" he embarrasses her in front of everyone. He wants to engage in playful banter (or later, the push and pull in their relationship) because he enjoys it, but he doesn't know how to do it respectfully, so he ends up being rude to her. He really has a problem on expressing himself.

[naokiscoffee]

I've watched nearly all the Itazura Na Kiss adaptations, and I have a reoccurring theme where I keep on coming back to re-watch it yearly (specifically the 2005 Taiwanese version and the 2013 Japanese version).

The point is, I have no clue why I like it.

A cold, unfriendly, unlikable genius? Not my style. Innocent but dumb female lead? Not my style. A guy showing affection by bullying the girl he likes? Definitely not my thing.

Do you see a pattern here?

I logically understand why there are people that dislike, heck, hate this series, and logically speaking, I should too, but this is not the case. Thus, I am here on a mission to try and uncover why I like this series so much, however long that may take.

[alloveydovey]

Dramas baby

No Gain, No Love, 2024 (kdrama) 9/9.5

Wanting to climb the corporate ladder (and seeing how the company she works for favors married people), FL marries ML, who works in her neighborhood convenience store and with whom she really doesn't have a good rapport.

Kdrama gods saw me disappointed with Love Next Door and threw me in for a surprise with this drama. It's not that I was expecting it to be bad (never with the Shin Min Ah as the lead) but I wasn't expecting to get as into it as I got while watching. It felt like going back to when I'd watch a drama in two/three days. No Gain, No Love nailed the rom-com vibe that I feel other dramas like Love Next Door and others from this year haven't been able to pull off as well. I was missing so much this concept of the leads not really knowing each other (kinda). It makes everything feel more organic. It was funny and very romantic, and the sob side of the story was well-developed. Probably one of my favorites from 2024 so far.

Extra: Spice Up Your Life, 2024 (kdrama)

They definitely had a great premise to create at least a 10-episode drama with this, but I assume that if they did that then we would prefer Ja Yeon as Yeon Seo with Gyu Hyun as Ha Jun and perhaps that would have ruined their story in the main drama so I get it. They were cute as hell and a nice add-on to their story.

What Comes After Love, 2024 (kdrama) 8.5

Korean FL moves to Japan and falls in love with Japanese ML. We suddenly see them again years later, broken up. By chance, they get to work together and we get to understand why they broke up.

Kentarooooooooo. Always obsessed with him, but what got me hooked was obviously Lee Se Young and her amazing acting. It was insane watching the interviews and them in some way or another expressing that even though they had an excellent relationship, the language barrier was still present. I thought, well, for sure, this might affect their performance together, right? And then I went to watch it to discover they had the biggest chemistry I've ever seen in a drama???? The story itself is not a big deal; it's really the actors that bring the drama to life. Seriously, chemistry 12/10

Mr. Plankton, 2024 (kdrama) 10

ML is a drifter who discovers he doesn't have much time left. FL, his ex-girlfriend, is about to marry into a significant family when she discovers she has premature menopause and therefore cannot become a mother. When ML sort of kidnaps her on her wedding day, they begin a jorney in search of his biological father... and something more.

Perfect. It has been some time since I gave a drama a 10, but I am leaving all of my flowers here. It was probably a surprise because, from watching the production pictures and behind the scenes of the actors, I didn't assume it'd be such a ride. Even less an emotional one. As a strict rule, I try to avoid sad-ending dramas. When I started this though (apart from spoiling myself lol), I kind of knew the ending was going to be a sad one because no character kidnaps another one and gets away with it with none repercussion—unless he’s going to die, then TV usually allows it because he’s a lost cause and you have to give in to the extremes lol. I thought it'd be an okay drama. Woo Do Hwan needs to chill with the hot shit, Lee You Mi is the best, and obviously Oh Jung Se is a king. I swear I'll watch anything with that man in it—instant killer drama.

The Judge from Hell, 2024 (kdrama) 9

A literal judge from hell makes a mistake and is forced to spend one year on earth as a real judge, killing souls who deserve to go to hell. A detective quickly catches on to her… side activities. In the end, both of them join forces to defeat Satan... or something like that.

When it first came out, this drama was so hyped up that even I, who wasn't interested in it, waited unpatiently for it to end so I could binge. Everyone was praising Park Shin Hye and the story, which was well-deserved. Shin Hye did amazing here. The story, for me at least, has its ups and downs, but it's overall a fantastic watch. It's funny how love stories always go hard when they're not the main focus of the drama. The chemistry was on point. Shin Hye is an absolute queen.

It Started with a Kiss, 2005 (taiwanese-drama) 8

FL is kind of obsessed with ML; ML can't stand a dumb girl. Mistreatment, mistreatment, mistreatment. Kiss! More mistreatment, soft mistreatment, ML grows fond of FL. Confusion, unrequited love, and everything that goes on with the mischevious kiss storyline.

I kind of don't like the mischevious/playful kiss story. I watched the Korean version and wanted to kill the ML (like I truly hated him), then I tried watching the Japanese version but I couldn't even get past the first eps. Finally, I saw all over TikTok that the Taiwanese version was the best one and that the ML was a lot softer in this version and decided... why not? I should be studying for exams but I'm gonna waste my time watching this oldie drama instead. I'm glad I did, though. I binged the first season and people are right. ML is mean but he's a lot softer in this version or at least you can tell he really likes FL. Plus, the chemistry they have is 10/10. It sort of gave me the same vibes I felt while watching Princess Hour for some reason. The characters in this version reminded me a lot of the ones there. Also, I watched the first episode of the second part, "They Kiss Again," and damn, they kiss indeed. This reminded me of how much I love watching oldies. I may postpone the second season for later.

A Witch's Romance, 2014 (kdrama) 7.5

A 39-year-old vicious journalist gets tangled up with a 24-year-old guy who is taking a break from med school after losing his girlfriend. After a couple of compromising situations, they start developing feelings for one another but there's that 14-year age gap stopping them and someone else showing up to kill the mood.

I was studying for exams and wanted to watch something lighthearted and romantic that wouldn't require much thought. I read all sorts of negative reviews about this one, and for some reason I can't get into a lot of Park Seo Joon's dramas, but I decided to give it a try. According to reviews, the leads didn't have chemistry and the plot was a hot mess. The plot thing... yes. It's not the worst I watched though and I'll be honest, it wasn't the plot the reason I started it for; I just wanted to watch some sexy romance. But even that was hard to do when the leads kept getting separated and they kept suffering so much because of it. The chemistry was 100% for me. It was just that after the second/third episode, they decided to simmer it down and never turn it back on.

Brewing Love, 2024 (kdrama) 8/8.5

A sensitive ML and a hardcore FL meet by chance and then for work. He feels everyone's feelings; she bottles up everything. Oh, and they make beer.

I'll be honest, despite binge-watching this whole drama in three days, as I kept watching, I kept thinking I wasn't sure I was into it that much. It just felt like another bland romance drama. Kim Se Jeong and Lee Jong Won changed my mind a bit, though. First of all, Se Jeong is charming as hell in romcoms. I beg for her to keep on doing them because she's truly great at them. Also, it was a nice change to have a more passive ML, and Jong Won was great in this. The couple's dynamic was cute as hell, and it was probably what kept me watching. The second couple was also adorable as hell. This is truly the year of second couples!

[randomkoreandramaquotes]

[swan2swan]

Whoever conceived and animated this moment, I hope they're doing well and thriving. This is S-rank romance stuff here.

[skecherss]

@batbirdies honestly this SOUNDS like something your Jason would say

[dragonflylady77]

i'm in your corner

Rating: G | 1068 words | Billy and Max are good siblings

B1 - professional basketball for @harringrovesummerbingo

read on Ao3

Summary:

Max corners Billy at Lucas's basketball game and makes him talk about his feelings.

“You’re late.”

Billy huffed and grabbed the lanyard with the VIP pass that Max was holding out to him before following her through the double doors. “Not everyone is lucky to work from home and live within ten minutes of the stadium where their husband plays basketball, Maxine.”

“Excuses, excuses, William,” Max replied, not even looking back at him. “Pretty sure you were making out with your boyfriend and that’s why you had to rush.”

“First of all, I don’t have a boyfriend, and in case you forgot, I live, and work, on the other side of town.” They got to their seats in the VIP section and something occurred to Billy. He looked around, in case Roscoe was hiding or sitting with her grandparents, but they didn’t seem to be there either. “What did you do with my niece?”

“She’s with Lucas’s parents, they were going to see Erica up in L.A. and Roscoe wanted to see her auntie.” Max put down her handbag before going over to the nearest stand to get a drink. She nodded towards the selection to Billy who pointed at the water.

“And you’re okay with her missing school?” Billy said, taking his bottle from Max with a thank you nod, and sat down. 

“She’s six years old, Billy, I hardly think it matters if she misses two days of school on either side of a weekend. She is very excited to go to Disneyland.” Max sat next to him and took a sip of her water. “They took Rosie with them as well, as you probably know.”

“I think Steve mentioned something about it,” he said, fully aware he couldn’t lie to his sister. She’d always been able to tell, ever since they’d met when his dad married her mom, when Billy was fifteen and Max eleven.

“I bet he did,” Max said with a satisfied smirk.

“Oh my god, stop it! You keep trying to make this thing between me and Steve into more than it is. We just… enjoy spending time together.”

“Billy—”

Whatever Max was going to say was interrupted by the MC stepping onto the court and welcoming everyone to the charity game, reminding all the guests the aim of the evening was to raise funds for a queer youth shelter.

The teams ran onto the court a moment later, to a standing ovation. Max and Billy joined the rest of the crowd, cheering and whistling, sitting back as the game started.

Billy knew better than to try and talk to Max while the game was on. His sister’s attention was fully on her husband and his team during each quarter, affording Billy time to really think about what he was going to tell Max when she circled back to the topic of how much time he was spending with Steve.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket but didn’t dare take it out, lest he incurred the wrath of Max. He’d agreed to go over to Steve’s after the game; he’d even packed a bag for the weekend since Steve was unexpectedly child free. Now Billy knew why.

Max joking about him and Steve getting married that day at the beach had freaked him out and he hadn’t seen Steve while his daughter was around since. Clearly, they hadn’t been careful enough and he felt bad about that. They’d agreed at the start that this thing between them would remain casual. As a single dad, Steve didn’t want to risk his daughter getting attached to the people he was seeing, not unless he was serious about them.

While Rosie had met Billy a few times, she knew him as Roscoe’s Uncle Billy, not as her dad’s… whatever. Ugh. Billy really hated that they hadn’t put a label on this… situationship, or whatever Max had called it. He still wasn’t quite sure what that word meant, exactly, but he was not about to ask her to explain it again.

The halftime buzzer sounded and Lucas came over to say hi to his wife and Billy. Once he’d gone back to his team, Max put one hand on Billy’s arm and he turned to look at her.

“Talk to me, Billy.”

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you,” Billy said with a shrug. She didn’t need him to say anything for her to take an idea and run with it, that was obvious enough.

“Come on, you’re my big brother, I know you. You don’t do casual. You have hook-ups, or you’re in a committed relationship. This situationship thing, it’s not you.”

Billy sighed. “Max, I really like him, okay?” He rolled his eyes when he took in Max’s shit eating grin. “Yeah, yeah, are you happy now?”

“I mean…”

“It doesn’t matter. He told me at the start that he doesn’t date, because of Rosie.”

“What do you mean?” 

“He’s very peculiar about who he brings home to meet his kid.”

“But Rosie’s met you, a bunch of times, so what’s the problem?”

“Max… she knows me as Roscoe’s uncle, not her dad’s boyfriend.”

“Oh, yeah, I see. So when do you see each other then?”

Billy shrugged. “The nights she’s at her grandparents’ house, or sometimes he’ll get a babysitter. Or when she’s at your house. The occasional lunch date.”

“And you’re happy with that?”

“I don’t have a choice, Max.”

“Billy…”

“No. Don’t. I’ll just… take what I can get, okay? And then, once he’s had enough of sneaking around, or when he meets the girl he wants to take home to meet his child, I’ll just… learn to live with that, I guess.”

“And what? Move back to Seattle? You only just came home!”

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise. I’ll discreetly avoid him, or something. Can’t be that hard, I mean, I hadn’t met him before Roscoe’s party.”

“You deserve to be happy, you know that, right? You deserve love, no matter what Neil said.”

“I know. I promise. But that thing with Steve… it is what it is, and there’s nothing I can do about it, so I would appreciate if you stayed out of it.”

“Fine. But I’ll keep working on my best woman speech anyway.”

“Oh my god! Shut up!”

“You first.” Max’s cackle was drowned by the third period buzzer.

Despite all her pushiness, Billy was happy he had his sister in his corner.

[punkstaarrr]

binge watched over 12 ep of this today....its too good :')

[queerographies]

[It started with a kiss][Clare Lydon]

Un'estate indimenticabile tra amore e vino. Segui Skye e Gemma in un viaggio tra passione e segreti, dove niente è come sembra.

Un bacio che cambia tutto: l’incontro tra due vite destinate a intrecciarsi Titolo: It started with a kissScritto da: Clare LydonTitolo originale: It Started with a KissTradotto da: Michela MoroniEdito da: Triskell EdizioniAnno: 2024Pagine: 224ISBN: 9791220708562 La trama di It started with a kiss di Clare Lydon Può un bacio cambiare la tua vita per sempre? Due sconosciute in un bar si…

[demaparbat-hp]

He truly did.

[waveoftheocean]

happy wip wednesday! this week i'm avoiding thinking about work and taxes by drawing even more superbat kissing. a++ life choices

[yallstar]

In a heartbeat, he was back in front of Viktor. In the next, he had taken his partner by the waist and guided him backward until his shoulders met the chalkboard. Then he kissed Viktor like he meant it.

scene from chapter 3 of differential burdens in displacement