#it’s like having a dream about a movie where everything is just slightly different

[maddie-grove]

I like the 2011 remake of Footloose because:

Ren is a Bostonian who moves to rural Georgia (the US state), instead of a Chicagoan who moves to a small town in what seems to be Utah. This is an understandable choice—the actor is Bostonian, the movie was shot in Georgia, and it still establishes the big city/small town conflict—but Boston to rural Georgia is such a specific transition, compared to the original, that it throws me. Boston to rural Vermont/New Hampshire/Maine is equivalent. Atlanta to rural Georgia and New York/LA/Chicago to rural Georgia are both roughly equivalent. Boston is kind of a weird choice!

The movie shows the party, the car wreck, and the passing of the ordinance banning dancing that make up the backstory of Footloose. This is great if you were confused by the original movie.

Instead of having divorced parents and moving to a small town with his mother to stay with relatives (presumably for financial reasons), Ren has a mom who died of cancer and a dad who took off as soon as she got sick, and he’s living with relatives because he is effectively an orphan. I don’t even think this is gratuitously sad—the same exact thing happened to one of my classmates growing up, although he didn’t have to move—but this is the most significant change in a largely very faithful adaptation. Did someone just watch Footloose (1984) and go “this is great, but I’m gonna kill that kid’s mom”? Were they trying to save on middle-aged actresses?

[imamotherfuckingstar-lord]

imagine logan seeing you again

logan x reader

warning: some deadpool x wolverine spoilers. this takes place after the movie. under 1k words.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

The apartment was packed jammed with friends and some foes of Wade Wilson. There might have been music playing in the background, but Logan couldn’t tell when his eyes locked with the figure walking through the front door. His heart dropped, he felt sick to his stomach as his eyes fluttered. It had to be a dream but then he quickly came to his senses.

This wasn’t his universe, his world. He was somewhere entirely new. He caught his breath as Wade shouted out an exclamation of joy. Logan watched as he drew up from his seat to greet you with an overzealous hug, pulling you toward the group at the table.  Wade held you rough by the shoulders and grinned. “Look who decided to come out of retirement, conveniently after we,” he pointed to Logan then himself. “Saved the fucking world. Avengers, who? Bunch of assholes, if you ask me.”

“You sound like a man scorn, Wade,” you teased, offering a wave of a hand to your friends. The idiot next to you was right, the whole superhero thing had been a thing of the past. You have been a regular civilian for a few years now and have been loving a more relaxed existence – not being threatened daily was like, nice. “Don’t worry, you’ll see all the details in the movie. Have you meant my little angry beaver, the Wolverine?”

Your head jerked to where the older gentlemen was sitting, and you grinned. “I haven’t had the pleasure. I never met this world’s Logan – we ran in different circles. It’s nice to meet you.”

His heart relaxed and he confidently held out a hand, ignoring the interested glance from Laura. “Nice to meet you.”

“Take a seat next to Logan,” Wade urged, winking over to his new hesitant partner. “I’m sure he can fill you in on all the fun we’ve had together. Tell her about the sex ramp we had in the car that one time.”

“Do you ever shut the fuck up?” Logan cursed, telling you to ignore him.

“I usually do,” you laughed, thanking Vanessa for the beer she slid over from her side of the table. Popping it open, you relaxed and asked Logan how this place was treating him. “Must be weird, coming here. It’s like your world, right? Just slightly different?”

“Something like that.”

“Did we know each other back there?”

Your question seemed so invasive and frank – it almost made Logan smile because some people never changed, no matter what universe. Back where he came from, you were such a firecracker little shit. He had his hands full dealing with your bullshit. You were always running towards danger with little regard for your own safety because you had him. He had always been at your side, or at least, trying to catch up but he had always been there for you.

Logan had loved you and you had loved him.

Two reckless mutants.

Then you died and that sent him straight down a barrel of alcohol and indifference, to everyone and everything in his world. Which led to his greatest shame of all, allowing his family to be murdered because he was too busy drinking his sorrows away. He had long forgotten what it felt like to see you smile or hear you laugh, to feel your fingertips on his skin. The weight of your head on his chest as you slept, he never could replicate that feeling and yet, here you were.

A different version of you but God, the same.

“We were friends, really good friends.”

The hint of sadness in his voice was enough for you to understand and maybe not truly, but something had happened. That much was evident and while it might have been silly, you wanted nothing more than to comfort this man next to you. The room seemed to fall quiet, but no one was paying attention, except the girl next to Logan. Your eyes met hers, but she just smiled and looked away. Logan’s eyes were focused on the beer in his hands, but his eyes jerked up when a gentle hand touched the top of his. Your skin ablaze his and it felt wrong to feel like he had once when he didn’t even know you. Not this version of you, a woman he knew nothing about. It didn’t feel right but he wanted nothing more to allow this to go on. To see who you were in this world.

Did he deserve that? After everything that happened.

“Were? I won’t pry but it seems like life has given you a second chance, Logan.” You smiled softly and removed your hand from his, lifting your beer can to him. “You guys saved this world; a second chance is the least the universe can give you. Why not take it?”

Logan chuckled lowly. “The version of you I knew also had a deficiency in reasoning.”

A hard smack landed on his chest, and he laughed, which made you laugh. “Yeah, well, at least I don’t look like that idiot.”

Looking over to where you pointed to Wade, who had decided to show off his hair piece, Logan smirked. “Yeah, that’s fucking terrible.”

The two of you smiled at each other and something clicked in that moment, leaving the both of you quiet until you broke the tension. “To not looking like Wade Wilson.”

Logan clicked his beer against yours and felt a settling in his heart. Maybe he did deserve a second chance, at least, he could start toward earning that second chance. “Amen to that.”

[hiitsm]

Transient Connection: A Meeting of Worlds

You meet a beautiful woman at your workplace, who isn't a professional actress like you.

Fluff

Note: I'm not very well-versed in the acting world, so it's not described in great detail.

Request here

-

You just stepped out of the small makeup trailer, ready to shoot a brief scene. However, you didn't know who you would be acting with. You were aware that a character would be making a cameo, but no one had informed you which character or which actor or actress would be playing the role. This lack of information left you feeling annoyed, as you needed to know for your preparations.

You practically sprint to your manager’s trailer and burst inside. "Valentina, I love you, but please tell me how I’m supposed to prepare without knowing some important key information," you say, your voice a bit raised, though unintentionally.

You’re just a little nervous. This is your first big movie, your first major role, and hopefully, your first big breakthrough. While you’re not entirely unknown as an actress, having played roles in small series, you've never been the lead. This is different, and you want everything to be perfect.

"It wasn’t finalized until just a little while ago. She almost got cold feet and didn’t want to do it anymore," your manager Valentina says, her attention focused on her managerial tasks. Valentina is more like a best friend to you, and her multitasking nature is something you've grown accustomed to.

"That's just great," you say, rolling your eyes sarcastically. The last thing you want is to play this role with an unprofessional actress who would rather not be there. You believe that someone who is fully committed deserves the role. But maybe that's just your selfishness talking.

"I think she’s a professional football player. Everyone on this set loves her, really," Valentina says, wiggling her eyebrows at you.

You walk over and playfully smack her arm. "Why would they hire a professional football player? Doesn’t she just want to play football?" you sigh heavily, worried. The last thing you want is for this to go badly because they chose a football player instead of an actual actress.

"Just have some faith in the writers and everyone else who thought this was a good idea. And be nice and kind, just like your mother taught you," Valentina says, pointing at you accusingly.

"I’m always nice and kind. And since when do you talk about my mother? You don’t like her," you retort, taking a bite of your banana to fill your stomach before heading on set for a few hours.

"We both don’t like your mother," Valentina adds, raising her eyebrows. "But she did teach you manners, so use them." With that, Valentina hops out of the van, and you follow right behind her.

"We will first have a reading with her and her manager, getting to meet them now," Valentina tells you, almost running, which is unusual for her. You think maybe the two of you will be late, because Valentina never runs.

"I did hear that she’s very pretty," Valentina turns her head towards you, waggling her eyebrows even more.

"Of course she is, Val. She's a professional football player," you reply, shrugging your shoulders a little. "Maybe she has a nice manager," you tease, and before you can add anything else, Valentina shoves you while you're running, almost causing you to trip.

"Ah, there are the two of you. We were already wondering where you were," you hear a man's voice say.

You find yourself staring into a pair of beautifully greenish eyes.

That's not a man, you think.

Momentarily lost in their captivating gaze.

Where did the man's voice go?

Her eyes are stunning, and you can't seem to look away. Lost in your thoughts and dreams, you only snap back to reality when the man's voice returns.

"Hello, my name is Joseph, and this is Alexia," he says, indicating the woman with the enchanting eyes.

Ah, there's the man. Her manager.

Valentine nudges you slightly, bringing you out of your trance. You extend your hand for Alexia to shake, then Joseph's. "Hi, my name is y/n," you say a little sheepishly, feeling completely out of character. But as soon as you notice, you push the feeling aside, eager to make a good impression.

Valentine talks all three of your heads off, explaining a little bit to each of you as you walk to get the reading done. Alexia is walking beside you, and when you glance down at her hands, you notice they shake a little. You assume it's from nerves, and an urge to help her feel more at ease washes over you.

"Have you ever done something like this before?" you ask her softly. She blushes a little, quickly becoming shy. "No, this is all new for me," she says, with a hint of irritation.

You realize she probably doesn't want to be here, she just wants to play football. "You want to be back on the football field again soon?" you inquire quietly, careful not to overstep.

"Si, but we're in America right now, and my favorite football field is in Barcelona," she replies, her confidence growing at the mention of Barcelona.

"I love Barcelona. When I'm off, I love to go there," you share with a smile, watching as her eyes light up. You decide quickly that you want to see her eyes like that more often.

"Barcelona is great. I'm glad you like it already," she responds, wearing a huge smile, visibly more at ease.

"We both flew in only a few hours ago, so we are both a little bit jet-lagged. We have a strict schedule, in four hours, we need to get on the plane again because she has an important match in two days," Joseph tells Valentine.

You almost feel sad hearing this. You only have a few hours with her. But you can't dwell on it, right? You're a professional actress playing a scene with a professional football player who is now dabbling in acting. It's only professional to play the scene and part ways again after.

"The two of you can prepare for you seen there" Valentine's points to the secluded beach. It was be a beach scene anyway. Just a small talk scene. But you still notice that Alexia is appearing very anxious so you will still try and do you best to ease her nerves.

"The two of you can prepare for your scene over there," Valentine says, pointing to the secluded beach. It was going to be a beach scene anyway, just a small talk scene. However, you still notice that Alexia appears very anxious, so you resolve to do your best to ease her nerves.

The two of you walk over to the beach and start a small conversation. "So, if you're a professional footballer, what brings you to acting today?" you ask, hoping your tone sounds as kind as you intend.

"Just for the brand," she replies curtly, but you sense there's more she wants to say, though the words don't come out.

"That's nice," you respond, unsure of what else to add.

"I just want to play football, but this is part of it too," she says, her gaze shifting to the waves crashing onto the shore.

"I understand that a little bit. I love to act, but I don't love the interviews and all the promotion stuff that comes with it," you admit a bit shyly. This woman makes you feel shy, which is unusual for you.

"Yeah, I feel the same," she says, finally meeting your eyes again and giving you a big smile.

As you arrive at the beach, you initially wanted to offer her some acting tips, but you realize she's doing really well. The only issue is that she's a bit shy and awkward. However, with the preparation time you have, you know it's going to be okay.

The two of you were feeling at ease in each other's company, chatting about everything and nothing, and laughing a lot. She made you feel special, a different kind of special. After a while, Alexia received a phone call. You could only see a lion emoji as the caller ID, no name.

"Lo siento, that's my best friend," she said as she picked up the FaceTime call.

"Hola Ale, have you made a move on her yet?" you heard through the phone, and Alexia's cheeks turned bright red. "I mean, you love that show and you always tell me how good she looks," her best friend added, unaware that you were sitting right beside her.

"No, sí, no, ella está sentada a mi lado, idiota," she responded, switching to Spanish in her embarrassment.

"Well, just to let you know, she just picked up all her stuff from your apartment. I just wanted to tell you. Have fun!" And with that, the phone call ended abruptly.

There was a moment of silence between you two—comfortable for you, but maybe not for Alexia. You tried to break the silence without crossing any boundaries. "So, who picked up stuff from your apartment?" you asked quietly, hoping not to be too direct.

"My ex-girlfriend," she replied softly, and you noticed she wasn't ready to discuss it further. The silence settled in again. After a little while, you saw a tear streaming down the right side of her face. "Is this okay?" you asked, moving your finger toward her cheek to wipe it away.

"Sí," she said, looking out toward the shore. "Lo siento, she just hurt me a lot," she whispered, barely audible.

"It's okay to let yourself feel your feelings," you said gently.

"But I don't want to feel so sad anymore," she whispered again.

"You know what usually helps me feel a bit better?" you asked, and she shook her head softly. "Dancing on the beach. Come on."

You put a random song on your phone and started to dance. Alexia looked up at you with wide eyes, then a bright smile spread across her face as she watched you dancing so silly, so freely, so uncaring of what anyone might think.

"Come on," you encouraged, holding out your hand for her to grab. She finally took it, and both of you ignored the tingling sensation that passed between you. But you both felt it.

You didn't let go of her hand, and the two of you danced freely to the music. You were laughing and smiling, feeling an unburdened joy. It was wonderful to see her eyes light up and her smile brighten the world around you. Hearing her laugh was like music itself, a melody of pure happiness. Watching her, so beautiful and full of life, you felt an incredible connection growing between you.

"Are you guys done?" you hear behind you. It's Valentina, and you give her an annoyed look. She smirks at you, clearly aware that you've caught feelings for the blonde professional footballer rather quickly.

"Just a second, we'll be right there," you say, gently pushing her away from the beach.

"Hurry up!" she playfully screams back at you. You roll your eyes, but when you turn around again, you're greeted by a breathtaking sunset you hadn't noticed before due to your dancing.

Alexia stands there, bathed in the warm glow, looking stunning. You wish you could do something, wish you had the courage to ask her to spend more time together. But you also know she's heartbroken, so you decide to give her the space she probably needs.

"The sunset looks beautiful," she tells you.

"Yes, it does. Do you want a picture?" you ask, and she nods excitedly.

It's a beautiful moment, and you secretly hope she'll share it on social media so you can see it again, maybe a thousand times more.

"Gracias," she says, grateful for the offer.

"Now, we should go shoot our scene." She grabs your arm and pulls you with her, and you follow, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.

-

Maybe a part 2 in the works if y'all want to?

[lxvsiick]

CUTE PIZZA DELIVERY BOY | KIM LEEHAN X READER

PAIRING: pizza delivery boy! kim leehan x fem! reader

SUMMARY: To thank her friends for helping her move in, Y/n orders them a pizza, not expecting the pizza delivery boy to be super cute -- or in which Leehan fights with his coworker to deliver pizza to Y/n.

GENRE: imagine, fluff

WORDCOUNT: 2.3k

A/N: honestly this isn't my best work :( i wanted to write more but my head is kinda killing me right now and i have to study for 2 midterms :/ anyways, i know nothing about RIIZE but i like anton so is this a sign to get into RIIZE ??

Boxes scattered across the floor, bubble wrap littering every surface, and the scent of new beginnings filled the air in Y/n’s brand-new apartment. Her friends bustled about, helping her organize and unpack her things. Laughter echoed through the space as they joked about where things should go and reminisced about their last get-together. To thank them for their help, she had ordered pizza—a classic move when no one had the energy left to cook.

“Should be here soon,” she said, checking the time on her phone. “Thirty minutes, they said.”

As time ticked closer, the doorbell rang, startling her from where she was stacking dishes in the cupboard. She glanced at her friends. "I'll get it!"

She hurried to the door, wiping her hands on her jeans before opening it. The moment the door swung open, her breath caught. Standing there was the delivery boy—blonde hair tousled perfectly, big brown doe eyes, and a casual, friendly smile playing on his lips. He wore the typical pizza uniform, but something about him felt... different. He was absolutely beautiful.

For a moment, she just stood there, staring at him, her mind drawing a blank. Was this real? Was a guy this cute really delivering her pizza?

“Uh… the total comes to $25.50,” the delivery boy said, his voice snapping her back to reality.

“Oh! Right. Sorry!” she stammered, fumbling into her pocket to grab the money. Her fingers shook slightly as she counted the bills, still thrown off by how utterly gorgeous he was. After what felt like an eternity, she handed him the money.

He smiled warmly, clearly amused by her nervousness but in a sweet, nonjudgmental way. “Thanks for ordering with us! Hope you enjoy it,” he said, his voice kind and light. His smile widened just a bit, giving her a cute, almost shy wave as he turned to leave.

She couldn’t help but watch as he walked away, disappearing around the corner of the hallway. It was only once the door clicked shut behind her that she realized she had been holding her breath. She stood there for a second, pizza in hand, feeling her heart beat just a little faster.

“Everything okay?” Yoon called from the living room.

With a shake of her head, she snapped out of it and walked back to the group, setting the pizza boxes down on the coffee table.

“So…” she started, her voice still a little flustered. “The delivery guy was really cute.”

Her friends immediately perked up, eyes widening. “Wait, what? Cute how? Like, movie star cute or cute cute?” J asked.

“Like, blonde-haired, brown doe eyes, I-thought-I-was-dreaming cute,” she replied, her cheeks flushing slightly as she thought back to his smile.

They burst out laughing, teasing her as they grabbed slices of pizza. “You should’ve gotten his number,” Wonyoung teased.

She shrugged, but the blush on her face gave away that the thought had crossed her mind. Maybe next time, if she was lucky, the same delivery boy would show up.

For now, she tried to focus on her friends and their excitement over the pizza, but her mind kept wandering back to the way the boy had smiled at her—like maybe he had noticed her staring but hadn’t minded at all.

✧˖°ʚ🍓ɞ♡

The soft hum of her phone filled the cozy living room as Y/n scrolled aimlessly through social media. The low lighting from the nearby lamp cast a warm glow on the walls, and the sound of faint music played in the background, but her mind wasn’t really on any of it.

Instead, she kept thinking about him. The cute pizza delivery guy from a few days ago. His tousled blonde hair, the way he’d smiled at her—it kept replaying in her mind. It was silly, really. She had only seen him for a few minutes, but there was something about that moment that stuck with her. Maybe it was the way he had caught her off guard with his unexpected charm. Or maybe it was just the fact that he seemed so sweet.

Her stomach suddenly growled, breaking through her thoughts. With a sigh, she glanced at the time. It was getting late, and she had no energy to cook. A smirk crossed her face as an idea popped into her head. Pizza. Again. And maybe, just maybe, she’d get lucky.

Without hesitating, she picked up her phone and ordered a pizza from the same place as last time. She felt a small rush of excitement—though she wouldn’t admit it—as she tapped ‘confirm order’ and set the phone aside.

Time passed slowly as she lounged on the couch, trying not to get her hopes up. He probably won’t be the one delivering it, she thought, trying to keep herself grounded. It could be anyone.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Her heart skipped a beat, and she jumped off the couch, quickly making her way to the door. She paused for a second, taking a deep breath before swinging it open.

There he was. Leehan, the blonde pizza delivery guy, stood there, holding the pizza box with the same charming smile that had left her flustered last time.

“Hey,” he said, his voice light and familiar. “Good to see you again.”

Her heart fluttered. She suddenly felt shy, her cheeks heating up as she met his gaze. Why am I acting like this? she thought, trying to compose herself. “H-hi,” she stammered, trying to smile back. “It’s good to see you too.”

He handed her the pizza, and she handed him the money. Their fingers brushed slightly, and she couldn’t help but feel a little spark. She quickly pulled her hand away, pretending to look at the pizza box so she wouldn’t have to meet his eyes.

“So, ordering pizza again, huh?” he teased lightly, his tone playful.

She laughed nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah… I guess I’m just too lazy to cook.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” he said with a grin. “Pizza’s always a good choice.”

They stood there for a moment, the silence between them stretching, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. She wanted to say more, ask him something, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she just smiled, feeling her heart race in her chest.

“Well,” he said, breaking the silence, “I better get going. Enjoy your pizza.” He hesitated for a second, his eyes lingering on her before he turned to leave. “Maybe I’ll see you again sometime.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she replied softly, watching him as he walked down the hallway.

As the door closed behind her, she leaned against it, letting out a deep breath. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face as she headed back to the couch, pizza in hand. Something told her this wasn’t the last time they’d cross paths.

✧˖°ʚ🍓ɞ♡

It had been a few days since Y/n had ordered pizza, and once again, her laziness got the best of her. She scrolled through her phone, contemplating what to eat, and in the end, her craving won. She ordered pizza from the same place, as she secretly hoped Leehan would be the one delivering it again.

As she waited, her mind wandered back to their last interaction. The way he smiled at her, how casual but sweet their conversation was. Her heart fluttered just thinking about it. Could he really be interested in me? she wondered, though she didn’t want to get ahead of herself.

A knock on the door jolted her out of her thoughts. Her heart raced with excitement, and she practically jumped off the couch. But as she approached the door, she noticed something odd—there were multiple hushed voices behind it. She raised an eyebrow in confusion, curiosity piqued. What’s going on?

She opened the door, and to her surprise, there stood Leehan holding a pizza box with a nervous smile on his face. Behind him, five of his coworkers—who clearly weren’t trying hard to hide their grins—stood bunched together like they were witnessing the most exciting thing to ever happen. The whole scene was unexpected, to say the least.

"Uh… hey," he said, laughing nervously. "So... this is a bit awkward."

Her eyes widened in surprise, still taking in the sight of him and his grinning entourage. "What's... going on?"

With a sheepish chuckle, Leehan lifted the pizza box and slowly opened it, revealing a pizza in the shape of a rose. The crust curled up in delicate petals, and she couldn’t help but smile at the creativity. It was adorable, and it was then that she realized this wasn’t just any pizza delivery.

"I, uh... I thought you were cute the first time I delivered to your place," he admitted, looking more and more embarrassed as he went on. "I was planning to ask you out tonight, but while I was making the pizza, these five idiots," he gestured toward his coworkers, "got nosy and insisted on coming along. So, here we are."

His friends gave an encouraging thumbs-up from behind him, clearly enjoying the whole situation.

She laughed, the tension in the air dissolving. "Are you serious? You made a pizza rose?" She couldn't stop the grin spreading across her face. "And brought your entire fan club with you?"

Leehan rubbed the back of his neck, his smile growing. "Yeah... I guess I did. But, uh, if you think it's too weird, you can just pretend this never happened."

Still smiling, she glanced at the pizza and then back at him, warmth spreading through her chest. "No, I don’t think it’s weird at all. In fact, it’s kind of cute."

He exhaled, clearly relieved by her response. "So... does that mean you'll accept my pizza rose and, uh, maybe my confession too?"

She giggled, the sweetness of the moment overwhelming her. "How could I say no to a pizza rose?"

His friends erupted into quiet cheers behind him, and he gave her a genuine smile, stepping closer to hand over the pizza box.

“Then... maybe we can go out sometime? Without the peanut gallery?” he asked, shooting a playful glare at his friends, who were still buzzing with excitement.

"I’d love that," she said, taking the pizza rose from him. "But seriously, next time, lose the backup dancers."

They both laughed, and as she stood there with the pizza in her hands and a flutter in her heart, she couldn’t help but feel like this was the start of something wonderful.

✧˖°ʚ🍓ɞ♡

FLASHBACK 

The pizza place was bustling, as usual, with orders coming in left and right. Leehan was wiping down the counter when one of his friends and coworkers, Taesan, glanced at the screen and smirked.

"Yo, another order from Y/n’s place," Taesan said, casually pointing to the order ticket.

Immediately, Leehan’s head snapped up, his heart skipping a beat at the sound of her name. He’d been waiting for this. It was the same excitement he felt every time she ordered pizza, knowing he might get the chance to see her again. Before he could react, though, Jaehyun chimed in.

"I’ll take this one," Jaehyun said, stepping forward as if he was already claiming the delivery. "Might as well give her a little variety, y'know?"

Leehan immediately stood up from the counter, frowning. "Whoa, hold on. What do you mean you’ll take it?"

Jaehyun grinned, enjoying this far too much. "She sees your face all the time, Leehannie. Maybe she needs a break from the usual."

Leehan shot him a glare, stepping closer. "No way. I’m delivering this one."

Taesan leaned against the counter, clearly entertained. "What’s the big deal? It’s just a delivery."

Leehan felt the heat rising in his cheeks but kept his cool. "Yeah, but—"

Jaehyun cut him off with a smirk. "Oh, come on. Admit it, man. You just want to see that cute girl again. What’s her name? Y/n, right?"

The rest of their coworkers nearby started to perk up, sensing the brewing argument. Riwoo let out a low whistle, fully aware of the crush Leehan had developed on the pizza-loving girl.

Leehan crossed his arms. "And what if I do?"

Jaehyun’s smirk widened. "Then maybe I should deliver it and, y'know, ask her out for you. Save you the trouble."

"Oh, no way." Leehan narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn’t."

"Try me." Jaehyun grabbed the delivery bag, making a move toward the door.

Without thinking, Leehan lunged forward, blocking him. "Over my dead body."

Taesan, now thoroughly enjoying the show, chuckled. "Wow, this is really happening, huh? Fighting over a pizza delivery. I’ve seen it all now."

At this point, half the staff was watching, holding back laughter as the two friends faced off like it was the battle of the century.

"Seriously, man. I got this," Leehan insisted, his voice rising in intensity. "I’ve been delivering to her every time. She knows me. I can't break the streak."

Jaehyun folded his arms, tilting his head. "Or maybe you’re just chicken."

That did it.

"Chicken?!" Leehan exclaimed. "You know what? Fine. Let’s settle this." He motioned dramatically to the pizza oven. "Rock, paper, scissors. Best two out of three."

Jaehyun raised an eyebrow but couldn’t help grinning. "You’re on."

The crowd of employees grew, forming a loose circle around them, eager to witness the showdown.

"On three," Leehan said, both of them raising their fists.

"One, two, three—" they called out in unison.

The first round went to Leehan with rock over scissors. The second round went to Jaehyun with paper over rock. By the third round, the tension was palpable, coworkers holding their breath.

"One, two, three—"

Leehan threw scissors.

Jaehyun threw paper.

The room erupted in cheers and groans as Leehan pumped his fist in the air, triumphant. "Yes!"

Jaehyun let out a defeated sigh but couldn’t help laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. "Fine, fine. The pizza’s yours, Romeo."

Leehan grabbed the delivery bag with a grin, already imagining seeing Y/n again. "You bet it is."

As he headed toward the door, he heard Taesan call after him, "Good luck, man. Don’t screw it up!"

With a final glance over his shoulder, Leehan smirked. "I got this."

And with that, he walked out the door, ready for his next chance with the girl who unknowingly had him wrapped around her finger.

✧˖°ʚ🍓ɞ♡

MASTERLIST

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, lxvsiick, 2024

[supernaturalistthings]

Years

Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Summary: How Dean Winchester would finally admit his feelings to you after hiding them from you for years.

Warnings: soft core smut (heavy kissing and touching)

You were the human embodiment of the stars and moon that helped Dean focus on the roads on late nights. You had a fire that would roar to life like his beloved car while having a softness and comfort to you like the well loved leather seats. Every dream girl Dean had ever imagined paled in comparison to you. You were incredible in every way to him, mesmerizing.

He had for years longed to feel the softness of your face in his calloused hands. To feel your heartbeat directly against his. To run his long fingers through your beautiful hair. To finally feel what it would be like to be kissed by you. He could picture it, but he couldn't even begin to imagine what your gentle lips would feel like moving against his undeserving own.

On nights where he had a room to himself he would think of how soft your thighs must feel. How it would feel to run his hand from ankle to hip. How it would feel to hold you in his hands. To fit with each other like puzzle pieces. How you would look at him while he did it. You would look at him with that smile of yours, beaming eyes of adoration and warmth like he'd never felt before, and he would melt. Not even knowing what to do next, even though he had done this countless times with others. It would be different with you though, you were different. Not like anyone or anything he had ever encountered before. You were the love of Dean Winchester's life.

It pained him to not tell you, to keep something so big from you when he shared everything with you. He knew you'd be upset at knowing that he kept anything from you but, he couldn't bring himself to do it no matter how hard he had tried. It's like his breath was taken away every time he tried to utter the words to you. Everytime he was around you.

Yet here you guys sat on an old worn out motel couch, a movie roaring, green and pink neon lights streaming through the cracks in the curtains. He knew nothing about him had ever been close to perfect, until he met you. This was perfect.

You were sitting next to him, his arm slung lazily over the back of the couch almost as if he had his arm around you. You were focused intently on the screen, but he was more interested in the way you reacted to the movie rather than the movie itself. The way you'd jump a bit at some random scene, and blush at the couple making out in the next was Oscar worthy to Dean in itself. Best picture, by far.

“So what'd you think?” you say breaking him from his thoughts.

He looked at you, mind racing but all he could say was “it was alright” with a smile

“Oh c'mon you know you liked it” you would say with a smirk getting up and leaving the warmth of your presence behind to grab a beer from the fridge. You close it behind you and turn back around to see Dean deep in thought.

“Where's your head at?” you'd say cocking your head slightly to examine his contemplative state.

He stared ahead.

“Dean?” you'd say trying to gather his attention, which didn't work so you leave the bottle on the counter and slowly make your way over to him. You rest a gentle hand on his shoulder. He slowly starts to turn his head to look at you. You can see from his eyes that his mind is racing. He's almost breathless.

“You okay?”

“Not really” he’d huff out and shake his head as he turned his attention to the floor. This was it. Now or never. He couldn't stand the thought of never. He stands and meets your eyes once again and puts his hands on the curve of your waist while he slowly leans in keeping eye contact the whole time until the space between your lips closes. Both of your eyes flutter closed and you savor the new sensation of each other for a second before he pulls back looking at you questioningly. Awaiting some kind of reaction. He hoped that everything or even just some of what he was feeling was communicated.

You were speechless, breathless even. You were sure he could feel your heart racing. Never in a million years did you think that your feelings for Dean Winchester would be returned. That you could finally share the love you harbored for him, with him.

“Im sorry” he breaks the silence and continues, “i had to do that, even if it was just once” he says, slowly and tenderly lifting his hand to brush a strand of hair out of your face while searching your eyes for any sign of reciprocation. Anything that told him there was a chance his dreams could be real, that there was a chance. He had never felt so desperate for anyone or anything than he did in this moment. He was looking at you longingly when you finally broke yourself out of the shock. ,

“it doesn’t have to be just once…” you’d say looking into his green eyes trying to convey the desire you had to be his and only his that you’d had for years. You place your hand on his toned chest and run it up to the short hairs on the back of his head. Gripping and pulling him into a second kiss. Both of your eyes flutter shut once again and you start to slowly move your lips against each other. Feeling and breathing each other in.

Everything you needed to hear was painted beautifully from his lips onto yours as they moved in perfect synchronicity together. Both of your heads were racing with the memories of moments they thought they had read the other wrong and slowly realizing and accepting each other's feelings. No more “almosts”. Dean's hands traced from your waist up to the sides of your face, his hands rough against your smooth cheeks just like he had imagined and could now actually feel. He tenderly cupped your face in his hands, his arms flexed against the black t-shirt covering his broad chest. He held you there like he needed you to breathe, and in this moment he couldn't help but feel like he did.

“This is all i've wanted for so long” he breathes out against your lips and then unable to help himself keeps kissing you.

“You have no idea” You'd say in a whisper back and feel him smile into the kiss. Your lips were needy against each other, finally feeling what they had been desperately searching for. The weight of unspoken desires was lifted. With every touch came a new depth of connection and love. The silence filled with breathy kisses and the sound of clothes ruffling against each other's hands as you lightly caressed over each other, holding each other in all the different ways that had been desired by the both of you for years.

You were lost in each other, in a place where time had no meaning and no one else existed. You both savored each kiss, touch, and minute as if it were eternity itself. Any shadow of a doubt was gone.

You pulled back smiling, beaming at him. He looked at you like every girl wants to be looked at. You needed him. He had opened the floodgates by kissing you and you couldn't think of anything else you wanted more right now than to be one with him.

Your smile drops slightly as you slowly and you silently bring your hands to the hem of your shirt to lift it off yourself. Dean's hands reach gently to stop you, eyes dark looking into yours with concern. He takes your hands into his and looks seriously at you and says, “I don't want to rush things..” You look at him and tilt your head, smiling, taking the sides of his face into your hands.

“I've wanted this for years now Dean, I don't feel rushed at all.” you say breathlessly and filled with hope when you continue, “Do you?”

His face softens and he looks at you deeply, fully absorbing what you said when he realizes you're right. This isn't rushed, this is the perfect moment. A culmination of years of words unsaid, of touches missed, of glances held a few seconds too long.

“Not even a little” he says looking deep into your eyes with a soft smile and gently brushing your cheek, pulling you in once more. Sealing the space between the two of you once again. You leaned on your toes and gripped his toned upper arms while he slithered his arms around your waist and held you close. He slowly and affectionately moved his hands down your back and over your soft rear leaning over slightly to rub over the tops of your thighs, while you needily ran your hands through his short hair. The kiss was never broken even as he started shuffling your bodies nearer the bed on the other side of the motel room.

[talktonytome]

The One Where They Get Their Dance

Read on ao3 3.5k words

Despite the chaos, Maddie and Chimney’s wedding ceremony turned out so beautifully, in Buck’s opinion. He’s ridiculously happy for them, and he still can’t believe Tommy showed up for him. Buck knows Tommy had promised, but he wouldn’t have blamed him for not showing up, especially after fighting that beast of a fire. The man walked through the hospital doors, like a dream- straight from his own chaos, still in his turnouts and covered in soot, because he couldn’t wait and well? Buck had to devour him for it, of course.

All in all, he can’t really complain, except, he really had been looking forward to that dance with Tommy, when he was officially his date, and he could step out on the dance floor, show everyone how proud he was to have him by his side. Sure, they’ve gone on other dates: slow coffee dates in the morning, dinner dates that always left Buck blushing, and they’ve even gotten through a good chunk of movies, but he’s still determined to get his dance.

He’s presented with the perfect opportunity when he receives a last-minute wedding invitation from a couple he helped rescue, during a restaurant fire a few months back. And who was he to turn down a sign from the universe? He had already asked Tommy on a wedding date, his sister’s of all people, so he isn’t really worried about coming on too strong.

That night, he and Tommy are having a quiet night in, just the two of them. Tommy cooked a simple, but delicious pasta and even brought a bottle of wine from his collection, because as Buck had learned, his boyfriend was a bit of an aficionado. To be totally honest, Buck still can’t discern all the different notes, but he doesn’t really care, as long as he gets to lick the wine from Tommy’s lips at the end of the night. Tommy’s topping his glass off, when Buck decides to ask him.

“So, what are you doing Saturday?” He takes a sip of wine, looking at Tommy over the rim of his glass.

“Hm, I’m surprised you don’t already know, since we made the pretty serious move of synching our calendars,” Tommy deadpans, but the glint in his eyes betrays him every time.

Buck rolls his eyes and leans over to gently flick Tommy’s nose. “I was trying to have a cute moment!”

Tommy chuckles, darting to kiss and playfully nip Buck’s finger. “I thought we were already having a cute moment? I mean, I did wine and dine you, even lit candles and everything.”

“I hate you,” Buck tries for a serious face, but immediately breaks into a smile, because he’s still not used to the fact that he can have this: easy, playful banter with someone who meets and matches him every time, without worrying about saying or doing something wrong.

“Well, that would be very inconvenient, since I really like you,” Tommy replies with the fond look he often directs at Buck, head tilted slightly, eyes unbearably soft. “Ok, ask me again.”

“W-what?” Buck stammers. “You don’t have to humor me, I was just kidding.”

“Evan, ask me again.”

Buck’s chest tightens with something that feels too soon to give name to, but it’s there, nonetheless.

“What are you doing Saturday?” He asks again, looking at Tommy from beneath his lashes, biting his bottom lip, because he knows what he’s doing. Sure enough, Tommy’s eyes dart to his lips, then trace back up to his eyes.

“Saturday?”

“I still owe you that dance. You free?”

***

So far, the night is a success, if Buck says so himself. He finally got to see Tommy in a suit, and god, it’s as if he was poured into it, the way it fit him. He can’t wait to peel it off him later. Buck knows he doesn’t look too shabby himself; In fact, it was such a nice little ego boost, being such a hot couple. By the way Tommy’s been looking at him, he knows his suit’s not gonna survive the night either.

The ceremony is short and sweet and the couple’s vows may have made him tear up a little. They even give him a little shout out and the way Tommy looks at him- “Damn, I’m so lucky my date’s such a hero,” he whispers in his ear, “handsome too.”

Dinner is just about wrapping up and the DJ’s testing his equipment at the edge of the dance floor. Buck and Tommy lean against the bar, as they wait for the dancing to begin. Tommy swipes a couple of champagne flutes from a waiter passing by, while Buck scarfs down the rest of the plate he piled with food from the charcuterie grazing table earlier.

Tommy declined, saying something about not being a fan of food everyone touched. “Suit yourself!” Buck had grinned, mouthful of meat and cheese. He knew he probably looked gross, but he could hardly feel insecure when Tommy looked at him with such soft eyes and a dopey smile.

He washes down the last of it with the champagne Tommy hands him and wipes his hands with a napkin Tommy seemingly pulls out of thin air. “Thanks, babe,” he says, then holds out his hand. The DJ’s inviting all the couples to dance now, and butterflies start to thunder in Buck’s stomach. “Can I have this dance?”

“I dunno my dance card’s kind of full,” Tommy teases, but grasps Buck’s hand immediately and starts leading him toward the dance floor. “Let’s go before the grandmas eyeing me come fight you off.”

“Dance card? What are you, 80? He laughs and starts to follow after him, but a sharp pain in his gut and a wave of nausea cause him to freeze mid-step. Ok, maybe it wasn’t just butterflies he was feeling earlier. His hands and face feel clammy and if he doesn’t find a bathroom soon…

“Evan?” Tommy stops immediately, noticing Buck’s lack of movement. “What’s wrong?”

Buck is mortified. Why did this have to happen right here and right now? He was so close to that dance.

“Um, bathroom,” is all he manages before slipping from Tommy’s grasp and running toward the nearest bathroom. Luckily, there were some conveniently located twenty feet away. Even that felt eternal, though, and he begged the universe not to make him have an accident in public. Thankfully, it listens, because he makes it to the first open one and he slams the door shut, locking it behind him.

He hurls violently into the toilet, sweat beading across his forehead and down his neck and back. Oh, god, he feels miserable. When he thinks there can’t possibly be more, he heaves into the bowl again and again, until he finally feels empty.

Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door. Buck’s still catching his breath on the floor. “Occupied,” he mutters weakly.

“Evan, it’s me. Is everything okay?” There’s evident concern in Tommy’s voice and if Buck could see him, he’d know his brow was furrowed, too. “You just ran off and it’s been a little while. I got worried,” he admits.

“I think I might have died a little…might still be actively dying, actually, ” Buck groans. And apparently that was the wrong thing to say because Tommy’s jiggling the door, trying to get in.

“I’ll break down the door if I need to,” he warns from the other side. “I’m a firefighter,” he deadpans.

“No, no. Sorry, I’m not actually dying, I don’t think,” Buck says, hoping that will placate him. “I think I just threw up everything I’ve ever eaten in my life. Guess you were right about not wanting to eat from the grazing table,” he chuckles ruefully. “You can say ‘I told you so.’ ”

“Evan,” Tommy huffs affectionally. “I wouldn’t say that when you’re clearly hurting, baby. Please let me in, I need to see you.”

“Tommy, I look like shit, I feel like shit. This is so fucking embarrassing,” he mumbles.

“I don’t care and I promise you, I’ve seen worse. We both have.”

Buck can’t argue with that. He’s had some pretty gross calls, but that’s the life. He stands on shaky legs and hobbles over to the sink to rinse out his mouth the best he can. He splashes cold water on his face to get some of the sweat off and dries off with a scratchy paper towel, takes a deep breath and unlocks the door.

As soon as he hears the lock click open, Tommy barges in and pulls Buck into his arms. Buck wants to die a little; He knows how he must smell, how he must look. But Tommy doesn’t seem to care.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Tommy breathes against his temple, pressing a soft kiss there. “I’m so sorry you’re hurting,” he rubs soothing circles into Buck’s back. “You feeling any better?”

“I think so,” he says hiding his face in Tommy’s neck. “My stomach feels done, at least.”

Tommy hums, then pulls back to take a proper look at him. He pushes a few matted, sweaty curls away from Buck’s forehead and scans the rest of him, assessing his state. The concern and care in his eyes breaks Buck’s heart a little. They haven’t been doing this for long enough to feel this much so soon, but he’s more than halfway in love with Tommy already. He’s been feeling it build up, with every look, every touch, every laugh, so fuck a timeline, really

“Well, firefighter Buckley, I think you’re gonna make it,” Tommy declares softly, much too tenderly to come across as anything close to teasing. “I’m prescribing fluids and rest,” he nods firmly, “and cuddles,” he adds for good measure.

“Yes sir,” Buck smiles at him. Then, he remembers their dance and grimaces. “Sorry about the dance, kinda Bucked that up, huh?”

Tommy tilts his chin up to really look at him. “Hey now, none of that. This wasn’t your fault,” he assures. “And what did we say about doing that? Don’t put yourself down, baby.”

He doesn’t say it in a way that makes Buck feels chastised— he says it like Buck is precious, someone to be cherished, and it makes his heart soar. “M’kay, you’re right,” he agrees, “but I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“I have no doubt that you will.” Tommy pulls him in again to kiss his forehead. “Ready to go? I don’t think the happy couple will begrudge us if we don’t say goodbye.”

“Yes, please,” Buck sighs, resting his head against Tommy’s strong chest. He feels at home there, but he doesn’t say that out loud, not yet. “Take me home?” He says instead.

“Of course.”

***

A few weeks later, they get their second, (third?) chance. This time, the plan is foolproof. They’re going to a fundraiser gala for LA first responders and it’s the perfect occasion to finally get their dance. Buck makes sure their schedules align and that neither of them eats anything questionable beforehand. Their tuxedos are pristinely pressed, and he even bought a bottle of fancy champagne to share before their car picks them up.

They both get ready at the loft, since it’s closer to the venue. Tommy walks out of the bathroom, curls soft, but styled. A rogue one rests on his forehead and it makes Buck’s breath hitch. He’s wearing his pants and dress shirt, leaving the jacket on for last. He looks very Mr. Darcy-ish with the white shirt and dark pants- and by god, Buck is one exposed ankle away from swooning.

He was planning on opening the champagne, but if he doesn’t walk away to cool off for a few minutes, he will do something drastic, like get Tommy out of those clothes and climb him like a tree. They’d never make it to the gala for their dance. He sighs and attempts to shake the thoughts from his head. Tommy comes up to him with a grin, looking him over appreciatively. “Damn you look good, sweetheart,” he breathes and Buck’s glad to know he’s not unaffected. He cups the side of his face and kisses him soft and sweet, a barely there touch of his tongue against the seam of his mouth.

“Tommy,” he whines when they break apart. “I’m trying to be good.”

“Sorry, I just needed a little taste,” Tommy smiles all devastatingly handsome.

Buck groans, stepping back to put some space between them and takes a few calming breathes. “Mm, okay, I’m gonna go fix this,” he points to his own hair. “And you are gonna open that bottle and pour us a nice glass, yeah?”

“Oh, yes sir,” Tommy leers, eyes darkening, as he grabs the bottle and a knife from the drawer.

It takes all of Buck’s willpower to spin and walk away.

“I hate to see you go, but, god, I love to watch you leave,” Tommy sighs behind him.

He can feel Tommy’s eyes glued to him, before he ascends the stairs. And then, a panicked, “Oh shit!”

“Tommy?” He leans over the railing and finds a spray of red across Tommy’s shirt. He’s holding his left pointer finger which is steadily dripping blood and Buck almost trips flying down the stairs.

“Oh my god, Tommy!” He almost rips the designated first aid drawer in the kitchen from its hinges in his haste to grab gauze and a bandage. He cuts some off and immediately goes to grab Tommy’s hand to examine it. The cut isn’t too long, but it’s pretty deep. “Yeah, this is gonna need stitches,” he grimaces, then wraps the gauze and the bandage with enough pressure to staunch the flow of blood. Tommy’s blood is on both their shirts now, but nothing to be done about that.

“Ok, we’re going to urgent care,” he declares, already pulling Tommy toward the door.

“Evan, the gala- we can just stitch it up here—

“— Nope, we’re going.” He grabs his keys, leaving no room for discussion. Tommy sighs and nods behind him and then, they’re on the way to urgent care. Luckily, there’s one only a couple miles from the loft.

They get a few raised eyebrows and surprised looks from the receptionist. The contrast of the now oxidized blood is stark against the crips white shirts. Buck explains their predicament, fills out a few forms at lightning speed, and they’re quickly led into a room. He holds Tommy’s uninjured hand, rubbing smooth circles into his skin, as the doctor expertly stitches him up. She numbs the area beforehand, of course, but it still makes Buck flinch with every pull and knot. It’s silly, they’ve both suffered much worse on the job, but he can’t help it.

Soon enough, they’re free to go, with a prescription of antibiotics for Tommy and post-care instructions, which both already knew by heart, given their profession. They stop by the passenger door of the jeep and Buck breathes properly for the first time since he heard Tommy shout. He tugs Tommy to him by the elbow and the man instantly sags into him, ducking his head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry we missed our dance.” He mumbles dejectedly.

“You have nothing to apologize for- it was an accident. I was more concerned with saving your finger, thank you very much!”

Tommy huffs a laugh and it vibrates through his deltoid. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“All the same, I much prefer your blood inside your body.”

“Noted.” Tommy smiles and Buck feels it stretch where he’s still pressed against him.

He reluctantly pulls back and looks Tommy over one more time, before they leave. Surprisingly, the damn curl on his forehead is still intact, and despite looking a little pale from the night’s events, he still looks so beautiful, especially in the moonlight, like a sexy vampire.

“Let’s go home.” He opens the door for Tommy to climb in and rounds the front of the car to get in. Once they’re settled, he reaches over to rub along the knuckles of Tommy’s hand. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, he does wonder… “So how exactly did you manage to slice open your finger?”

Tommy fidgets with the bandage on his finger for a few seconds. “Got distracted.”

“Distracted? Of the two of us, I think we can both agree, I’m the accident-prone one.”

“It’s your fault, really,” Tommy accuses with a mock frown.

“Excuse me? How is it possibly my fault?”

“Those long, long, gorgeous legs of yours are a hazard on any god-given day, but in a suit? I look up for one second, because how could I not? And all of a sudden, I’ve missed the bottle and the knife’s sliding down my finger instead.”

Buck throws his head back, shaking with laughter, giddy now that he knows for sure Tommy’s okay.

“You’re laughing. I gravely injure myself and you’re laughing.” Tommy says flatly, but the corners of his mouth curve into an amused smile. “I’m wounded, literally.”

“Sorry, sorry, you’re right. Poor baby, how can I make it up to you?”

Tommy rolls his eyes, but Buck knows he loves it when he’s a brat. “Oh you’re a clever guy, I’m sure you can think of some ideas.” He smirks, eyebrow raised in a challenge.

“You know, I think I have.” Buck licks his lips and watches, with a bemused smile, as Tommy tracks the movement. “How about I show you what these long, long legs can do?” He says with a wink.

Tommy’s gaze darkens and a little shiver snakes down his spine. “Well, what are you waiting for? Floor it, Buckley!”

***

“Want another beer?” Bucks asks Tommy, standing up to grab one for himself. They’re at Bobby and Athena’s new place with the usual suspects, house-warming party in full swing. They’re all dressed up because Athena insisted this was “a grown folks party, so dress like it!” Her and Bobby seemed revived, given everything they had to go through ,and they deserved a nice party.

“Hold that thought,” Tommy tells him. They’ve been making their rounds, mingling with all their friends and family and have just now circled back to each other, not that they ever strayed from each other’s line of sight. They’d look at each other over shoulders and exchange winks and soft smiles. Chim made a gagging motion one of the times he noticed.

At one point, Tommy and Bobby were having what looked like a heartfelt conversation and Buck had caught Tommy looking over at him with the fondest smile. He felt like was seconds away from melting into a pile of goo.

“Sure thing, what’s up?” Tommy looks a little nervous, and normally, Buck would be worried, but he’s really worked on not getting ahead of himself with these sorts of things, letting communication and patience take the lead, instead- at least most of the time.

Tommy clears his throat. “You know when you asked me to be your date to Maddie’s wedding and you said you needed someone to dance with?”

“It does ring a bell.” Buck teases.

“Brat.” Tommy mutters fondly, reaching out to grasp both his hands. Buck can feel the raised ridge of the scar on his finger. “Anyway, what did you say you wanted? When we danced?”

Buck’s eyes soften, as he recalls why he’s been chasing after the dance. “I- I said I wanted to show you off, in front of everyone I love. You and me in nice suits. Music.”

“That’s right.” Tommy nods, dropping one of his hands, and slowly leads them out from their corner of the yard, crossing until they’re stepping into the gorgeous gazebo in the center. It twinkles with strung up lights. Buck feels everyone’s eyes on them, as a hush falls around them. Suddenly, the first few notes of a familiar song thrum through the air.

Wise men say, only fools rush in

It’’s not the Elvis version, he realizes, but the soft, croon-y ballad from that movie about the prince and the First Son he watched with Tommy because his man was nothing if not a hopeless romantic. Buck may have resonated a little with Alex’s character and may have even cried a little. But that’s besides the point.

But I can’t help falling in love with you

“W-what’s this?” He asks, voice shaky with emotion.

“Well,” Tommy starts, curling his hands on Buck’s waist. “We’re wearing nice suits, surrounded by everyone we love, and would you look at that? There’s music playing. So, sweetheart, can I finally, finally have this da—”

Buck surges forward and cuts him off with a press of his lips. Tommy laughs, sound muffled by his mouth. “Yes!” Buck mouths the word against his lips. He wraps his arms around Tommy’s neck and pulls them together so they’re cheeck to cheek.

Like the river flows, surely to the sea

They begin to sway and spin gently, until they’re moving in a circle around the inside of the gazebo.

Buck distinctly hears a chorus of awww’s in the background and lights flash as pictures and videos are taken, but it all falls away, until it’s just him and Tommy—his warmth, his touch, his scent, his love envelope him.

Take my hand, take my whole life too

They may have had a few mishaps and failed attempts along the way, to get to this moment, but if that’s what it took, Buck wouldn’t trade it for the world.

For I can’t help falling in love with you

[ihavethedreamies]

First Kisses | NCT 127

NCT 127 - All Members

Rating: E for Everyone

Word Count: About 300 for each, so about 2.4k total

Pairing: NCT 127 x GN!Reader (Separate)

Genre: Reader-Insert, Drabble, Fluff

Summary: Your first kiss with each member of NCT 127!

Author's Note: I have never wrote drabble-length things before, so I am proud of myself I kept these so short.

I tried to keep these gender-neutral, so let me know if I didn't, but it might still be slightly implied in these the reader is AFAB, I don't think so though…

PS. Mark's and Haechan's are different from the ones for Dream…

Edited (8/28/24)

-> NCT Dream <-

-> WayV <-

I am cross-posting this on Archive. Please reblog! If you know anyone that would like this or future fics but they aren't on here my name and icon are exactly the same on the other site. Happy reading!

Taeyong

You chewed lazily on a strand of licorice, chest pressed to the back of the chair Taeyong stole from Doyoung's room. While you were by no means a noob when it came to video games, you knew little about battle royale shooters. However, Taeyong wanted you to watch while he played. You didn't mind, you constantly watched YouTube games, but not games like that. Not really caring about what he was doing, you found your gaze drifting to his face. He really was so freaking gorgeous. "Did you see that?" His question snapped you out of your daze and you quickly looked back at the screen. Replying with a vague hum in agreement, the pause menu flashed over his screen. "You okay?" Taeyong turned to you fully, looking over your face. "Y-yeah, why?" "You're really quiet today, you normally comment more." "Oh, yeah, just…thinking." "About what?" HIs foot rested on the base of your chair, pulling it closer, only the backrest between you two. HIs concerned look had morphed into something more playful. You licked your lips, trying to think of a lie, not about how hot he was. You tried not to reel back when he brought his face closer. Why was your friend so- "Thinking about kissing me?" He smirked and your face erupted into a blush. You nearly went cross-eyes when he leaned in, "Hm?" You took the chance, closing the distance, softly pressing your lips to his. He smiled against it, kissing you back, deepening it. When you separated, his fond smile floored you. "Been thinking about that awhile."

Johnny

You could feel his eyes on you, but you chose not to acknowledge it. Continuing to chop up the various ingredients for the fried rice you were preparing, his eyes followed. But he wasn't watching what you were doing, Johnny was staring at your face. Why? You weren't for sure. "Everything okay?" You finally asked him. "Yeah, why?" He rested his chin on his palm. "You're staring. Again." "You're just so pretty." Johnny smiled. It wasn't his, 'I'm sexy and I know it,' smile; it was warm and soft. Like when he sees a puppy; it was pure. That's what threw you off. To the point that you halted all action, paddle held over the steaming rice in the cooker. "Huh?" "You're beautiful." He had no room to talk. "Is that why you've been staring at me?" "Of course." You balked at his response. Your friend was an amazing flirt, but that's not what he was doing. He said it like he was informing you of something you should already know. "You think I'm beautiful?" You put the rice paddle down. Johnny sighed dramatically, getting up off the stool, coming around the counter to your side. He cupped your cheek in his big hand, and before you could question him further, he leaned down and kissed you. Johnny swallowed your gasp, deepening the kiss. You gaped at him when he pulled away. "(Y/N), you're the most beautiful person I have ever seen." He had no room to talk.

Yuta

Your eyes fluttered open, trying to recognize where you were. The TV was on, the sequel to the movie you had put on playing. Still trying to form a coherent thought, you heard a soft grumble behind you, an arm wrapping tighter around your middle. This sensation brought a flood of recognition over your mind, realizing you were in Yuta's living room. You must have fallen asleep together on the couch. You startled when you felt him sigh behind you, his warm breath ruffling the hair on the back of your neck. The arm of his you were laying on moved under your head as he brought his hand up. Yuta's hand rested on your forehead, which he used to pull you back into him more along with the arm around your waist. "It's late, just stay the night here." His voice was rough from sleeping. Were you two dating? Pretty much. But sleeping over? You haven't even kissed yet, still transitioning from friends to something more. "Stay over?" We haven't even kissed yet." You huffed, letting out a nervous chuckle. Yuta hummed in response, then your view of the room spun as he rolled you to face him. You barely got to see his cocky, smug grin before he closed the distance, lips sealing over yours. When Yuta pulled back, you whined in protest, making him chuckle. "There, now you can stay over."

Doyoung

You shuffled out of your room, rubbing sleep out of your eyes. The morning light shining in your room had no access to your living room, keeping it dark. Your guest was still asleep, wrapped in your spare comforter on your couch. Smiling to yourself, you padded softly toward him, sitting on the floor to get a better view. It was late after you two finished your dinner and movie date, so you let Doyoung stay the night. Ever the gentleman, he insisted on the couch. You smiled, only his face was visible out of the blanket cocoon. So cute. You felt a bit like a creep, just watching him sleep, but he was just too precious. Gently, you brushed some errant hairs from his forehead, looking at every detail of his face. Flinching back when he groaned a bit, you held your breath, worried you had wakened him. "(Y/N)?" His voice was quiet, eyes still closed, you didn't know if he was still asleep or not. "Yes?" You whispered in reply. When he didn't respond back, you assumed he was still asleep, or had fallen back to sleep. Carefully getting up so you could let him continue, you yelped dramatically when his hand grabbed yours, yanking you down onto the couch with him. He had sat up as he pulled you down, so you ended up in his lap. Doyoung wrapped his arms around you, laying his head on your shoulder, cheek on your collarbone. "Morning, precious." You kissed the crown of his head. He pulled back after this, frowning slightly. Before you could ask him what was wrong, he clicked his tongue, kissing you back, but on the lips instead. When he retreated, he flashed a sleepy grin. "Morning, love."

Jaehyun

Slamming the door to your car, you sat back in the seat with a huff, fuming. You thought girls bullying other people over boys stopped in high school, yet here you were, in college. You know about Jaehyun's not so little fan-club but had been able to avoid them. But they had learned that not only were you two friends, that there was something more going on there. God forbid they learn how long it had been going on. Not wanting to drive while angry, you just sat in your car. You jumped when your phone started to ring through the car speaker when you started it. "Hey." Your voice was obviously strained. "Where are you?" Jaehyun sounded out of breath. "In my car-" "Don't go anywhere." He hung up. You blinked in shock at the call-ended flashing on the screen. Your attention was pulled away by someone knocking on the window. It was some girl, and two others were behind her, arms crossed. You sighed, rolling the window down just enough. "You're (Y/N)?" You hummed and she scoffed. "You need to leave Jaehyun alone-" "And you need to leave." You sighed as he arrived, opening the passenger side door. After he was seated, you pulled out of the parking spot, leaving the girls gaping. Neither of you said anything till you parked again at your apartment complex. He took your hand in his, "I'm sorry." You met his guilty gaze, then shook your head. "It's not your fault." He stroked the back of your hand with his thumb. Instead of replying, he leaned over the center console, capturing your lips with his. You smiled when he pulled back, "do that again and we'll call it even." So, he did.

Jungwoo

The show playing was one you had seen many times before, but since Jungwoo never had, you were rewatching it with him. Your elbow was rested on the armrest of the couch, cheek resting on your fist. Your other hand was stroking Jungwoo's soft hair as he laid on your lap. He was getting over being sick, but since you were the one who gave him the cold, you didn't mind him being all over you. He was normally clingy, let alone if he didn't feel good, like a small child. It was fine to you though; he was too cute to not let him get away with just about anything. "(Y/N?)" His soft voice was still a bit nasally. "Yes?" "I'm sorry I ruined out first date…" "What do you mean?" Your hand halted, looking down at him. He rolled over so he was laying on his back, letting him look up at you. "I nearly passed out when we were walking to the restaurant…" He drifted off, fingers coming up to nervously fiddle with your hoodie string. "Jungwoo, you had a fever, its fine." You huffed, shocked that he felt guilty about that. You were the one that got him sick. "Still… We had finally decided to go for it, then…" "Jungwoo-" He continued to ramble, apologizing, and complaining about himself. It was getting on your nerves, there was no reason for him to feel so bad. Wanting him to stop, you leaned down, lips briefly pressing to his still moving ones. You sat back up straight, face pink from the act. His was as well, but it already was from the cold he had. You flinched when his hand rested on your cheek, pulling you back down. "I can’t give this cold back to you, right?"

Mark

"Can I get this?" Mark asked, coming up to you with a frozen cheesecake. You glanced at it, not liking that he asked you as if you were his parent. "Sure? Why are you asking?" You shook your head as he put the dessert in the cart. "J-just making sure." You rolled your eyes, continuing down the aisle, glancing at your shopping list to make sure you got everything for the meal you were going to prepare. Having to buy enough food to feed nine ravenous young men was a little pricy, but everyone agreed to split the cost and send you the money, so it didn't matter what extra stuff Mark wanted. As you traversed the next aisle, you noticed his gaze focused on something on the shelf. He halted in front of it, so you turned to look at it. It was a candy necklace kit. "Let's do this!" He grabbed it and you chuckled, nodding for him to put it in the cart. "B-but just us…" He added and you raised your eyebrow. "Just us?" "Not the others. We can just make them for each other after they leave…" "You want to make me a necklace?" You teased, the tips of his ears turning red, his characteristic laugh leaving his lips. "Yeah… and I don't want you to eat it or take it off!" Mark's determined look went to your face, and you had a hard time not guffawing. "Okay, Mark." "I'm serious, don't take it off." He reiterated as you got in the car to head back to your place, the box in his hands. "I won't." "Promise?" He held out his pinky and you shook your head but completed the hand motion. Before you could your hand back though, he used your linked pinkies to haul you closer over the console, gently pressing his lips to yours. You sat back slowly, gaping at him, face equally as red. He raised an eyebrow.

Haechan

"I'm getting tired of this, (Y/N)." Donghyuck huffed at your side, and you tilted your head, confused. When he noticed your glance, he sighed, stopping. Holding your linked hands up between you two so they were in front of your face, he sighed. "This is about as far as we've gone." You looked around, wondering what the hell he was going on about, you were only halfway to his place. "This, (Y/N)." He shook your hands to draw your attention there. "What do you mean?" "We've only held hands! You've kissed my cheek and that’s about it! I'm tired of it!" If it wasn't for the silly whine of his voice, you would think him genuinely upset. "What are you getting at?" You continued your questions and he groaned; you were very smart for being so dense. "Kisses! I want you to kiss me!" Donghyuck whined louder, it nearly echoed off the stone walls of the back road you were walking. His frustration took you aback. "Why do I have to initiate?" You nearly shouted, annoyed with his dramatics. He immediately quieted, blinking at you, so very pretty- "Fine!" He yelled back and hauled you even closer with your linked hands, his soft lips touching your chapped ones. As soon as he tasted the lip balm you had put on just minutes earlier, he groaned and deepened the kiss. You squeaked a bit when your back hit the stone wall, trying to match his pace, but he was fervent. When he finally stepped back, you were almost panting. He nodded with a satisfied nod and continued on with your walk like he hadn't just swallowed your tongue.

-> NCT Dream <-

-> WayV <-

Master-Master List

NCT Master List

[educatedsimps]

Can I pls request a boyfriend hc for Mattsun? 🥺🤲 one where it’s longterm like, highschool to waaaay into adulthood type of longterm.

≪ back to fics masterlist

mastukawa issei x f!reader

a/n: when i tell you i squealed reading this request ✋😭 THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING ANON! AND YES BAE I’M WRITING THIS just a word of warning tho, i’ve never written for mattsun before so i had to do a little research, hope i didn’t mess up his character 🤧 anyway i hope u like this! and thanku for reading :)

cw: i may or may not have gotten carried away, f!reader, timeskip spoilers, established rls, tooth-rotting fluff

how you got together:

probably met him in your first year of high school, and got together after becoming really close friends

you made friends with hanamaki first because you were classmates, then one day he invited you to study together with his friends and that's when he introduced you to mattsun

you realised you shared a lot of classes with mattsun and you just clicked once you started talking

of course, you got acquainted with oikawa and iwaizumi as well

you had a group chat with makki and mattsun, and the latter often texted you after school and after practice

you had similar interests and music tastes and stuff (and of course enjoyed teasing oikawa together)

you and mattsun also started studying together (probably tutored each other in some subjects too)

the both of you started catching feelings as you grew closer and by the time you were halfway through your second year, the two of you had FATTEST crushes on each other bUT NEITHER OF YOU DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT AHJKDHSK i swear it pissed your friends off so much

anyway, makki and oikawa made a bet with mattsun in year 2, in which mattsun would have to confess to you if they didn't make it to nationals that year

iwaizumi told them to cut it out (they didn't listen)

oikawa knew mattsun wouldn't want to jeopardise his friendship with you by confessing, so he used that as an incentive for mattsun to train more LOL oikawa's actually evil

but they lost to shiratorizawa anyway so mattsun had to confess to you

he went to your class during lunch the very next day with a small bouquet of flowers and a note

he wanted to just leave it on your table and leave before anyone saw him, but you just HAD to walk in right at that moment

"what's that?" "...it's for makki" "then why is it on my table, issei?" "...because makki likes to sit at your table" "but makki's not even in this class"

anyway he ended up with the girl of his dreams that day and now he's secretly glad seijoh lost that game lol

you graduated together after dating for 1.5 years, and took a really beautiful grad photo together (he had the absolute biggest smile on his face, even makki had never seen him smile that wide before)

there was one photo with his friends in the background cheering as he bashfully gave you a kiss on your cheek (YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE MY HEART IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE)

you also had a ton of photos photobombed by oikawa and makki in the background - and a few more taken when iwaizumi was dragging them out of the frame by their ears

dates with him:

he brought you out to dinner for your first date

he listened to oikawa's advice to take you to dinner because "girl's like the classics" and since oikawa was the only one in the team who had had a girlfriend before, mattsun decided that maybe he had a point

iwaizumi reminded him that oikawa got dumped his girlfriend but anyway-

it was a decent, slightly fancy restaurant in the city area and yes, he insisted on paying (he's been spoiling you from the very start)

he also got all dressed up for it - and i mean, suit, pants, flowers and everything

he was blushing the whole time

after that, you guys started going on different types of dates, depending on whether you're more of an extrovert or an introvert

dates include going on picnics, going to the arcade, movies, night markets and festivals, aquarium, museum, etc.

def a ton of home dates too - ordering food and doing skincare together or just cuddling

as broke highschool kids, you probably went to less expensive places, except for the occasional event, eg. after major exams, on you birthdays, your anniversary, after winning a game, etc.

lots of cheap after-school lunch dates though

milestones together:

you were each other's firsts, so you both lowkey didn't know what you were doing but you learned together

probably had your first major argument/conflict/disagreement after about half a year of dating? but you learned to resolve it in a healthy way pretty quickly

if you're not a confrontational person, then mattsun was probably the one who initiated the conversation after the argument

he probably cycled to your house in the evening just to apologise to you and talked things out

he can be a little blunt sometimes so resolving conflicts with him are usually very direct

after that, you slowly learned from each other's habits and signs and rarely get into heated arguments anymore because you know how to resolve conflicts peacefully through ✨communication✨

it was a pretty important milestone when you first met each other's families/parents, which was about a few months after dating

your parents knew you guys were friends first but had never met him until you started dating

he's a pretty nonchalant guy but meeting your parents for the first time was probably one of the most nerve-wracking moments in his life (i think it's a universal experience)

they love him tho

if you have any really young siblings or cousins, they'd probably use him as a free climbing activity

he has an older sister and a younger brother and they absolutely ADORE you

like from the moment issei introduced you to them, they were like "ISSEI WE WANT THIS ONE"

moving in together during or after college

you guys were one of the cutest campus couples like your relationship was the PEAK of all college relationships

like EVERYBODY wanted a relationship like yours and mattsun's

the little things:

he looks like his love language is gift-giving, followed by quality time but that's just my opinion

so you can expect lots of little gifts from him

he also always initiates a lot of dates because he wants to spend time with you

walks you home every chance he gets

ALSO FLOWERS

in high school he'd pick flowers from the school garden and give them to you, he'd either visit your classroom during break or give it to you when he sees you in the hallway or even between classes

probably pissed off the school gardener once for picking too many flowers but they became good friends and now mattsun always gets fresh flowers for you

idk why but this man gives "he'd get you flowers every time he passes by a flower shop bc 'why not'" vibes

mattsun would 100% match outfits with you on a date "just for the aesthetic"

mattsun in a black turtle neck, jacket, a thin silver chain, more flowers, and a fancy restaurant for a date

he'd probably make a spotify playlist for you, either of songs that remind him of you or of songs that are special to both of you

he would carry your bag for you when you go out, even if you insist that it's not heavy, doesn't matter how feminine it is, he'd gladly carry it on one side while holding your hand on the other side

you send tiktoks to each other every day (and by that i mean A LOT of tiktoks) and he watches every single one that you send him and he always replies to them. either with an emoji or a short reply, he just wants you to know he enjoys your tiktoks

will send you every "send this to the prettiest girl you know" tiktok he comes across (which is also very often)

takes candid photos of you when you're not paying attention, probably has one as his lockscreen too

post-timeskip hcs:

you're close to the seijoh 4 and hang out with them almost every time they meet up

and since you're mattsun's +1 who's been around them since high school, you're invested in the other guys' love lives too

sometimes you and mattsun try to set them up with people for your own entertainment to help them out a lil

you and mattsun are like a package deal, if you're invited to something, he's coming with and vice versa

you and mattsun would probably ditch an event together once you're tired or sick of it

you probably saved all the dried petals from all the flowers he's given to you over the years and got your wedding guests to throw them as you walked down the aisle together (you saw someone do this on tiktok and when you told him after the ceremony he actually cried)

if you guys own a car, you would probably take turns driving the car every day and drop off / pick up the other from work

if you don't then you'd meet at a bus or train station nearby and head home together every day

the two of you would 100% take naps on the bus or train together with earphones in

since he works in a funeral home, i feel like he'd have tons of flowers at his workplace, so sometimes he'll take a few home for you

either that or he knows the best flower shops in town and he'll often pick up a bouquet on the way home

also tells you stories from his work

a/n: ok i'm out of brain juice for this one but i hope you liked it! i hope i didn't write him too ooc too 😭

© educatedsimps 2024. do not repost, copy, translate or plagiarize any work from this blog on tumblr or any other platforms. if you do, the simps will hunt you down. likes and reblogs are appreciated!

[supernovafics]

making a mixtape for boyfriend!eddie

wc: 730

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“i don’t know if i should trust this since you titled it “awesome mix volume one.””

“shh, don’t make fun, or you’ll never get a volume two.” 

eddie nodded and smiled at you before overdramatically making a show of “zipping his lips shut,” which only made you laugh and roll your eyes.

over the past few months of you two dating, you fell into an almost weekly pattern where eddie would play new albums for you and always make you mixtapes as ways to introduce you to his favorite bands and artists; which made sense because he loved music. and maybe you didn’t like every single song he showed you, but you loved the happy smile he’d get on his face as he played you something that you hadn’t heard of and talked about a specific instrumental part or lyric of the song.  

you were a little different, you had other things that you’d drone on and on about— things that if it was anyone else eddie wouldn’t have necessarily found interesting, but just hearing you talk about it made it interesting to him. he could listen to you talk about your favorite book or some old movie you watched for forever. 

these little differences between you two were probably one of your favorite parts about your dynamic. 

things slightly changed last week— eddie wanted you to make him a mixtape. it was a request that slightly surprised you, but you of course did it anyway. 

“okay, so there’s not, like, one genre or whatever on this, it’s kinda a little bit of everything. just some songs i’ve liked for a while and more recently, and some remind me of you and us. i think i did, like, twelve songs. i can’t fully remember now–”

eddie stopped you mid-ramble with a kiss on the cheek. “just play it, sweetheart.”

you grabbed the tape from him and got up from his bed, placing it in the tape deck of his stereo and pressing play before settling back and sitting across from him. 

seconds later, the opening beats of sos by abba started playing and eddie smiled amusingly at you. “abba?”

“no questions or judgements until the end,” you told him seriously; well, as serious as you could with your boyfriend smiling at you. “just enjoy the music, munson.”

he nodded, a smile still on his face, as one of his hands started absentmindedly stroking your knee. you were wearing his hellfire t-shirt and a dark pair of his boxers; you always liked being in his clothes when you were spending the night at his place, and seeing you wear anything of his always made him fold. he would’ve been on you in an instant, kissing your lips and then finding that certain spot on your neck that always made you giggle, like he did most nights, if you two weren’t already doing this. 

when the song went from abba to sweet dreams by eurythmics, eddie wanted to say something teasing but he didn’t because he knew that he would only receive a playful scolding or eye roll from you in response.

he ended up liking the queen and tears for fears songs you put on the tape, but what he enjoyed the most was admiring you, watching as you bopped your head along to the beat or mumbled some of the lyrics. in all honesty, he barely paid attention to most of the songs playing, it was too hard. you looked too adorable and that was all he really wanted to focus on. 

he wanted to commit this entire moment to memory. 

the last song that played was another one by abba, gimme! gimme! gimme!, which felt like a full circle kind of moment, and you didn’t make any move to grab the tape once it stopped. 

“so, should i start working on volume two?” you asked playfully as you scooched closer to your boyfriend, letting your knees bump his and reaching out to grab one of his hands. 

he only leaned in and kissed you in response. it was slow and sweet and he practically pulled you into his lap in the process.

you smiled at him when you pulled back a bit to catch your breath. his hand was still cupping your cheek and your lips ghosted over his as you spoke. “i’ll just take that as a yes.” 

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

It's Magic ✨🍁

Slightly Spooky, cute lil story about Eddie and the new witch in town ✨🍁🎃

Warnings: Eddie Munson x witch reader, soulmate bond. Cute and fluffy.

🖤🍁

Don't copy, reuse or repost my work.

There was something weird happening in Hawkins and it wasn't the usual Upside Down related weird that usually happened.

Eddie could just sense it, some spooky shit was going down and he was here for it.

He had watched enough horror movies in his life to prepare for whatever potential shit was going to happen.

It occurred to him he was maybe being a tad dramatic, there was a definite change in the air but it didn't feel like anything to worry about.

Eddie never thought he would say this after helping Dustin, his friends and the super powered kid El defeat Vecna and close the Upside Down for good, but he was bored.

Hawkins was back to its pre Upside Down level of dull and while he was grateful he was still alive and kicking and the end of the world hadn't happened, he wanted a teeny bit of excitement.

Which is why he was convincing himself that the things happening were something to be investigated.

Mostly the spooky shit had been happening to him. Weird dreams, a sense that he was waiting for something or someone.

There was also the cute but pesky little black cat that had took up residence in his room.

It was kinda nice to have something happen even if it was vivid dreams and cute felines.

Which is why he was at your place, you were the new girl in town and everyone from Steve to Dustin to Gareth was intrigued by you.

There was something about you... Something that Eddie couldn't place, something different but he was sure you were why he was feeling like everything was different.

Not that he had officially met you yet but for some reason you were in his dreams a lot. They were weird and wonderful but still unexpected.

Eddie didn't know why he was dreaming of you, shit you were pratically a stranger to him but you appeared in his dreams and there was this sense that deep down he had known you all his life.

It was witchcraft or something. That much he knew. Something was afoot and Eddie wanted to find out what.

He had tried telling Dustin his thoughts about you but the little shrimp thought you hung the moon so it was no use.

Eddie didn't know what he expected to find when he arrived at your house, except for the fact it was decorated to the nines for Halloween, there was nothing strange about it.

In fact, Eddie admired how realistic some of the decorations looked and got distracted by the cats that were hanging around in your back yard.

He was just about to leave when he noticed sparkles of light in the air, at first he assumed they were fireflies but as he got closer he realised they were something else, balls of light shaped like orbs.

If he didn't know any better he would say there was something magical about the glowing sparkling orbs.

He was about to dismiss the fact that magic wasn't real but after all the shit he had seen it was enough for him not to rule out the thought entirely, enough for him to follow the lights that seemed to be beckoning him.

A small part of his mind wondered if this was the part in the horror films where he should run but he had a feeling that he wasn't in any danger.

That's when he saw you. The glowing lights circled around you and then disappeared with a flick of your hand.

What the fuck?

He stared at the spot where they had vanished and then at you.

Fuck, no wonder Steve was smitten. You were beautiful. He gawks at you for a second before feeling like an idiot.

"Uh hey" he attempts to appear cool and composed, determined not to turn into an awkward babbling idiot but you were just so pretty.

Eddie wasn't a smooth lothario by any means but he could be confident, flirty, strut around and make pretty girls laugh when he wanted to.

However, you had made him clam up, shyness wasn't really something he struggled with. Until he saw you.

"Eddie Munson, you should try being more sneaky if you're going to attempt to spy on a lady" You tease and he gulps.

"I wasn't... Shit, I was just... Uh I got curious about you and just wanted to figure you out. There's something about you sweetheart"

A soft smile touches your lips and you approach him. He feels a little nervous, enchanted by your sweet smile and kind eyes.

"Something spooky yet intriguing? Dustin let slip" far from being offended you look amused but Eddie curses.

"Little butthead" You giggle and it takes a second for him to notice that the lights are back again, swirling around you and him.

"Uh, cool tricks" he grins and you grin at him as the whole backyard begins to glow even brighter, like fairylights all aglow.

"Oh, it's no trick handsome" You click your fingers and the lights disappear once more.

Eddie blinks rapidly, he can't ignore what's in front of him again.

"You're a witch"

"A badass one at that" the smile slips from your face and for a second you look sad.

"Do you mind keeping this a secret? Small town and all, anyone figures out that I'm a witch then either I'm suddenly their best friend or their enemy. Depends what use I am to them"

Eddie's heart aches for you and he nods. He won't tell a soul.

"I just want to be at peace here with my family, my coven. Make a home" he touched your hand, stunned at the sparks he feels when his hand touches yours.

The softness of your skin, those pretty eyes are enough for him to fall even more under your spell. Figuratively of course.

"I won't tell anyone sweetheart, I just don't understand why you told me" you peer at him your expression shy.

"You're in my dreams Eddie Munson and I bet I'm in yours too. I feel like I've known you all my life. I can trust you" his heart skips a beat as you kiss his cheek.

"Can I see you again?" he blurts out and that sweet smile is back on your lips.

"Absolutely, but you're not done seeing me now Mr Munson" you take his hand and he follows you, his heart stolen by you already.

There's a little chirp of a meow and the black cat that's been hanging around his trailer slinks between his legs and yours purring happily.

"Hey, that's the cat that's been following me around " he blushes as you grin.

"Do you like him? I know he's been hanging around you. He's my familiar and was curious about you. His name is Ozzy"

"Ozzy like Ozzy Osborne?" you nod and Eddie is pretty sure he's in love with you already.

His little witch.

♥

[illunicae]

I See the Light

You recognize the title then you know where this is going. Fluffy lantern scene from the Tangled movie.

Pairing: Rise Leo x Female Reader

I'm honestly thinking of doing the whole movie so if you're interested then let me know!

The night was tranquil. You couldn’t quite see the stars behind the clouds but that was okay, you had your heart set on a different sight anyway. You could hear the soft splash of water every time you dropped a delicate flower into the sea. Leonardo sat next to you in the boat. He held more flowers in his palm from helping you pull out a few extra. You knew you had plenty weaved into the large braid of your hair. 

You grabbed a purple flower from his palm with a soft smile and dropped it into the water just like the previous flowers and it drifted out a little, surrounding the reflection of the kingdom. Because you were so focused on the water and reflection, you immediately noticed the small golden fleck rising from the castle. Your eyes widened in realization. 

All those days watching from the windows

You looked up to see the single glowing light drifting higher in the sky. 

All those years outside looking in

As the boat drifted, you scrambled to your feet, needing to get a better view. Leonardo fell back, off balance from the sudden movement; the flowers in his hand went flying into the water. You barely stumbled as you raced to the bow of the boat, throwing your arms around the decorative curl to keep yourself from falling as the boat rocked. 

All that time never even knowing

As you watched the first lantern rise, a ton more began floating from the base of the castle, casting the area in a warm yellow glow. 

Just how blind I've been

You exhaled in disbelief. It was happening. Really happening. You were gonna see the lights you’ve been dreaming about for 18 years. 

Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight 

Even from the larger boats closer to the docks, you saw hundreds of lanterns being let go. Hundreds of lanterns floating up to replace the stars in the sky.

Now I'm here, suddenly I see

From everywhere in the kingdom lanterns floated freely toward the sky. 

Standing here, it's all so clear 

I'm where I'm meant to be

In awe you could only stare as the lanterns drifted up on the night breeze.

And at last I see the light

And it's like the fog has lifted

The lanterns were everywhere, and it was more beautiful than you could ever appreciate from your windowsill in that tower.

And at last I see the light

And it's like the sky is new

With a smile on your lips, and a heart pounding in your chest, you leaned against the curl of the boat, your cheek against your hands as you admired the perfect view. 

And it's warm and real and bright

The lanterns danced around above you, circling each other and surrounding everything. Warm light illuminating the night.

And the world has somehow shifted

A wish that forever felt out of your reach, suddenly sat in your palm. You got your dream. What now? You looked down slightly in thought, watching the reflections in the water. Your heart twisting slightly as you found yourself thinking about a certain thief who made this dream a reality.

All at once everything looks different

Golden light graced the side of your face. A light a lot closer than any of the other lanterns in the sky. Curious, you turned and saw Leonardo holding two lanterns with the softest smile on his face. 

Now that I see you

Your heart skipped a beat and you excitedly moved down from your perch at the bow of the boat to sit across from Leonardo. Humming, you smiled brightly as he offered out the lanterns. Your mind drifted to the satchel you stuck by your spot in the boat. 

“I have something for you too.” You admitted reaching over to the hidden bag. With a grin, you produced it and the crown nestled inside. 

Leonardo looked slightly surprised to see it, but he blinked that away and looked at you.

“I should have given it to you before, but I was just scared.” You glanced off to the side as you explained. “And the thing is…I’m not scared anymore. You know what I mean?” You asked as you glanced back up to meet his gaze.

His gaze was soft as he reached out and lowered the satchel without ever looking at it, his full attention was on you. “I’m starting to.” He said.

You grinned softly, your heart skipping more beats for the turtle that stole your heart. He handed you one of the lanterns, your fingertips brushing as you moved to cup it. Together you both slowly lifted your lanterns, letting them join the massive amount around you. 

All those days chasing down a daydream

You both watched the lanterns for as long as you could as they spun around each other. Until they got lost among the many.

All those years living in a blur

All that time, never truly seeing

Things the way they were

Leo watched the lanterns with awe. Everything around was bathed in golden light. The sea had turned to gold as the light reflected everywhere. It was truly a beautiful sight, but as his gaze dropped his smile settled into a different type of admiration as he stared at the most beautiful woman he ever did see: you. 

Now she's here, shining in the starlight

You were leaning over the edge of the boat taking in the light with the brightest smile, the hundreds of lanterns reflected in your eyes making them glitter light the night sky. 

Now she's here, suddenly I know

He watched as you looked out across the water and noticed something. You gestured for him to see too before you pointed at what you saw: a lantern different from all the rest with a golden sun decorating it.

You reached across the water as the lantern floated closer. It looked like the thing might get wet, but you managed to brush your fingertips along a bottom edge and guide it back up into the sky. Leonardo was hardly looking at the lantern.

If she's here, it's crystal clear

His eyes dart down to your hands resting against the edge of the boat. He made up his mind and reached for your hand with his.

I'm where I'm meant to go

Leonardo gently cups your hand with his. You glanced toward him with wide eyes. Your heart pounding as you scooted slightly closer to him. 

“And at last I see the light.” Both your hands interlocked as the lanterns became backdrop while you stared into each other’s eyes.

“And it's like the fog has lifted.” His voice was melodic.

“And at last I see the light.”

“And it's like the sky is new.”

“And it's warm and real and bright and the world has somehow shifted. All at once, everything is different. Now that I see you.” Leonardo pulled your hands closer to him as you both found yourselves leaning toward each other. His hand let go of one of yours and reached up to brush a few strands of hair out of your face. “Now that I see you.”

His hand came to rest cupping your jaw as his thumb brushed your cheek. His eyes glittered with the golden light and you tilted your head as you both leaned in more. Leonardo seemed to pull you closer. You closed your eyes as you felt his warm breath against your lips. Your heart hammered in your chest and you felt like you were glowing brighter than all the lanterns around you. With bated breath, you waited for him to close the miniscule distance. Oh, how you wanted him to kiss you then.

But he never did.

[julianalvarez9]

back home / pedri

word count: 1.484 (got a bit carried away, didn't i?) summary: you're away filming a movie when pedri gets injured in the game against man united. although he assures you it's nothing, you end up making an impulsive decision.

you always knew that being in a relationship with a footballer would be hard. it had proven to be even more difficult now, with you being an aspiring actress who had just gotten signed for a role that was filming overseas.

it’s been about four weeks since you arrived in los angeles, and you already missed your boyfriend. knowing that you probably won’t see him in person for the remainder of the two weeks of filming that were left only made it worse, and at first, you even thought about not taking it. yeah, it was an important role, but you had been offered other roles that were closer to home, or what you called home now, which was wherever pedri was after being together for two years. still, he made sure to make you accept it, assuring you that it would be only a month and a half, and you'll be back together sooner than you realize.

now, being an ocean away, the only way of feeling him close was through the endless texts and facetimes you shared during the rare moments you are free at the same time. the nine hour difference between you made it slightly harder, though: you, waking up to get ready for set while he was winding down to go to sleep.

still, you made the effort of seeing his games every time you could, even if it was only in the background while you learned the lines for the next scene. you always made sure to send him a text before the match and after, wanting to remind him that you would always support him, no matter what. seeing him thrive on the field definitely put a smile on your face instantly, and it made everything so much easier to endure: it was the fact that you two were accomplishing your dreams, together.

it was funny to your family how you had ended up dating a footballer after being such a fan of the sport during your teenage years. you always liked to watch it, and remembered how nerve wracking the games were for you even then, when your only worry was just to see your team win. now, with your boyfriend on the field, it was even worse: the possibility of him suffering an injury made your stomach churn every time, which resulted in you holding your breath when you see a player wearing the classic blaugrana shirt falling down on the pitch. no matter if it was pedri or any of his teammates, it’s always worrying to see someone rolling in pain; but when you recognize the number on his back as the one belonging to your boyfriend, your heart stops until you see him back on his feet.

today, you didn’t have such luck.

you saw that, every time the camera focused on him, pedri was constantly making faces of discomfort, and he even was looking every few minutes at the bench. before the end of the first half, he dropped on the green grass, and the medics quickly made their way onto the pitch to see what was wrong with barcelona’s number eight. they massaged his thigh to learn where the trouble was coming from, and your worry grew every time you saw him wincing in pain when they touched the area.

after a couple of minutes, the decision was to sub pedri off to avoid him hurting himself more, and proceed to do the cheek ups necessary to understand the extent of the injury. your heart broke seeing his annoyed face while walking off the field, knowing just how important this game was for the whole team, and how bad he would feel for thinking that he hadn't helped his teammates enough, given that the match was still 0-0 then.

the game ended in a draw, and you sighed in relief knowing that they still had chances for the second leg. you made sure to leave him a few loving messages before you had to go back to filming, hoping that he wasn’t too hard on himself when there was nothing he could do to avoid it.

pedri had just received the news that he had really messed up his leg: it wasn’t anything too serious, luckily, but he would be be out of the field for a few weeks, including the second leg of the game against man united, which was a bummer for him. seeing your texts on the screen the first time he grabbed his phone after the match made him smile, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to worry you when you were a thousand miles away, doing your thing. there was nothing for him or you to do anyways, given that his body just needed time to get past the injury. so, even if pedri knew that he should tell you what had happened before you learned it for yourself and freak out, he chose to avoid telling the truth.

at least, part of it.

ten days had passed, and your boyfriend thought that all was going well. you had believed him, because why wouldn't you? but even if you didn’t have confirmation about something going wrong, your intuition was strong, and you were growing suspicious of the level of his injury since you hadn't seen any pictures of him at training on the team's instagram. barcelona had a game today, and it was the second time in the last few days that pedri wasn’t even on the bench, and what was worse, he wasn’t even in the stands. 

you had a free day today, as you were ahead of your filming schedule, and you had put the game on the television. given it was still so early, you catched xavi’s pre-game conference, and decided to let it be the background noise whilst you were cleaning your rented flat. you weren’t paying attention really, focusing on the task at hand, but after a few minutes, you heard a familiar name, and your ears perked up.

“how’s pedri doing?,” the interviewer asked, and you frowned your brows, thinking that he was out only as a precautionary measure, not that he was really hurt. still, you wanted to know what xavi had to say, so you sat on the sofa to hear his reply. “well, physically he’s great. just another couple of weeks out due to the extent of the injury he had on the first leg of the series against man united, but he’s doing better now”. 

to be honest, it probably wasn’t the brightest decision, but when you heard that, your first instinct was to search for flights back home. pedri was asleep now, so you couldn’t really talk to him about why he hadn’t told you about how bad it really was, or why he had hidden it to you, but you weren't mad at him. you were just worried, really worried. 

twelve hours later, you were already at home. the house was empty, and you could only guess that pedri would for sure be at the club now, maybe doing work with the physio to help with the injury. being back in spain after a month and a half felt weird, but you were giddy with the idea of seeing your boyfriend again after so long.

you didn’t actually know when he was going to come back, so you decided to take a warm shower to wash away the hours in the flight and the tiredness that was slowly starting to come in due to the timezone difference hitting you already. your boyfriend must have come back home while you were well distracted picking what clothes you'd wear, because you hadn’t heard the front door opening, or even his steps on the stairs.

"¿estoy sonando?" (am i dreaming?) his voice startled you at first, running to get to him once you realized your boyfriend was leaning against the doorframe, the widest smile painting his face while looking straight at you. you hugged him tight by his middle, and he dropped his head down a little to kiss your cheek lovingly. "no sé, ¿estás soñando? (i don't know, are you?), you joked, and he squeezed you even more, almost like needing physical proof that you were actually there.

"pensé que te faltaban un par de semanas más” (thought you had a few more weeks away), your boyfriend said, confused look in his face while he caressed your cheeks. you nodded, face tinted with mischief while saying “sí, pero decidí volver a casa un poco antes para cuidar a mi chico bonito, no es así?” (yeah, but i decided to come home a bit early to take care of my pretty boy, isn’t that right?), at which pedri just shaked his head in fake disapproval at your impulsive decision of coming back home early, when in reality, he was glad to have his girlfriend back home.

[fly1nglow]

WHEN THE BELLS RING (1).

summary ── steve is desperate to make his work environment a less unbearable place and the newly arrived teacher could be a good distraction.

pairings & characters ── teacher!steve x teacher!fem!reader, some ocs

additional info & warnings ── fluff, slow burn, reader is supposed to be a ‘big city girl’, reader is also kinda anxious, little steve pov inserted, i guess steve is not accurate but i tried my best </3, no warnings besides that, i guess

author’s notes: ok… so this is my first fanfic after sooo long, but this idea came to me in a dream and i wanted to write, i feel like it kinda sucks but i also just wanna have some fun writing again. also… i know this must be annoying but… should i say english isn’t my first language (and that i dont know how the educational system of united states works)? :/, that should be all, pls be kind <3

The breeze passed through the leaves gently, taking some to the windshield, it was a really pleasant scene to enjoy in autumn, but it was also a great change of scenery in your opinion: Hawkins, from what you knew and had seen so far at that moment, it felt like that kind of small town you see in movies, where everyone knows everyone and nothing really happens, very different from what you had grown up with and lived with all your life, which were noisy cities, tall buildings and people who really didn't care. they paid attention to you.

But sudden changes weren't very pleasant either, yet here you were, in a small town in the middle of Indiana.

After taking another sip of your coffee, hoping the drink would distract you from something you didn't yet know you feared, you grabbed your bag and threw in the items that would be needed to survive your first day of work at Hawkins Public School. Your keys, notebooks and books were everything he considered really essential for the day.

Getting out of the car, you clutched the cup with the now cold drink in your hands, placed your bag in your arms, and headed towards the clearly old but friendly-looking building in front of you.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ—

Steve was curious to know who would replace Mrs. Brown, because although he got along with most people, his coworkers didn't exactly fit into that category. They were mostly middle-aged people, who thought he was childish, whether because of his age or the way he acted, he still didn't know for sure, but he knew they were his age once and he hoped they would be kinder.

However, he still didn't know how meeting 'the newbie' could help his case, he figured, that maybe by getting to know him first he could get some information and then pass it on to his colleagues, maybe then they would see him as someone helpful and trustworthy, but he still didn't know how that would help him.

It was lost in these thoughts that he found himself in the still empty hallway and in front of Mrs. Brown's old door, now weathered and which he knew made a loud noise when it was pushed in a certain way and now, he was a little unsure, a very different feeling compared to the confident and playful Steve of just a few years ago. But his movements seemed not to follow his thoughts, because now he had knocked on the door.

Before he could step back and get him out of there, he opened the door after hearing a muffled and distant voice say 'come in'.

‘‘Good morning.’’ Steve laughed and hurried over.

‘‘Oh, good morning!’’ A young-looking woman, who was pasting some notices on the wall, turned to face him, left the materials on the table and approached to greet him, as he was approaching.

‘‘I’m Professor Harrington, but you can actually call me Steve, you know, I guess it’s okay, in fact I prefer to be called that…’’

Now he was rambling. He extended his hand for a shake, which she readily accepted. Now closer, he could notice a few more small details about her: her hair was slightly messy, perhaps due to the wind outside, there was also a small piece of adhesive tape stuck near the collar of her pullover sweater, but he pretended not to notice, afraid that she would think he was looking more than he should.

‘‘Well, I’m a physical education teacher. I thought it would be a good idea to stop by and say hi.’’

She then introduced herself.

‘‘That’s very kind of you, Steve.’’

‘‘Well…’’ Steve looked around the room, but his mind was looking for some way to keep the conversation going, or maybe an excuse to leave. ‘‘Do you need help? Do you already know the building? You know I can…’’

Great, he was rambling again. Good way to make a good impression, right?

‘‘Actually, if you guys have a coffee machine, I’d love to know where it is.’’

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ—

You definitely hadn't thought much when you left your room and decided to follow Professor Harrington to the staff room, a small room, with white walls, two windows, shelves full of books, papers, some chairs and tables. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable place you'd ever seen. But you just wanted to distract yourself from the hustle and bustle of your own thoughts, because the first day of work had left you exhausted and it hadn't even started yet.

Also, you weren't the type to jump to conclusions because of appearance, but the first thing you noticed was that Steve had adorable eyes that seemed to match the type of person he was. And at the moment he seemed like a lovely person. That he talked a lot.

He had recently talked about how he grew up in the city and how it was a little strange teaching the children of people he had known all his life. You also shared some facts, about where you grew up and where you studied, all while he observed you carefully and asked some questions to keep the conversation going.

‘‘So why did you come here?’’

‘‘Salary, obviously.’’

You tried to joke and he chuckled weakly at your little attempt at being funny. Steve looked away from your figure, as you were drinking the second cup of coffee of the day, he observed the other person who entered the room, but who still didn't notice the presence of the two of you in the room. This made Steve get a little closer to you, still keeping an acceptable distance but so that only you could hear him whisper:

‘‘That’s Professor Watson, from physics… A pain in the ass at first, but if he likes you, he might get you a discount on drinks at a bar.’’

‘‘Discounts in a bar? Why?’’ You whispered back, while trying to focus on the new figure that appeared: it was a small man in comparison to Steve, his hair already showing signs of getting gray and he had a serious face.

‘‘His sister owns one of the bars in town, she always gives discounts to his friends and colleagues.’’

‘‘And you, do you have a discount there?’’

‘‘No, he hates me. But who knows, maybe you’ll be luckier than me.’’

‘‘Good strategy, Harrington, you barely know me and you’re already trying to use me to get discounts at bars?’’

You both laughed and soon the sound caught the attention of the person who was previously the center of the conversation. Steve quickly distanced himself and silently indicated with signs for you to follow him and then, there followed another one of those social formalities that people tend to forget happened easily: introducing yourself.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ—

And introducing yourself was the key word and the pattern that followed for practically the entire day: introducing yourself to your colleagues, students and some parents.

The students were as you expected them to be, lively students who preferred talking to their classmates rather than paying attention in class, but, luckily or perhaps your own teaching talent, you managed to get them to pay attention to what you were saying. and they were able to apply their knowledge well to their tasks. As for your coworkers, excluding Steve, your colleagues weren't exactly the warmest and friendliest people you knew, but that didn't take up much space in your mind.

Not long after the last bell rang, you were getting ready to end the day at work and return to your cozy home. Until two knocks on the door distracted you.

Peeking through the half-open door, you quickly realized who it was: Steve trying to be helpful again.

‘‘Do you need help there, newbie?’’

You didn't mind the small informalities when you were quick to decline his help.

‘‘No need, I was already finishing it anyway.’’

He pretended to look disappointed, you couldn't help but chuckle at his theatrics. You quickly finished your things and grabbed your bag, and left the room with Steve following right behind you.

‘‘You know,’’ Steve began as you both walked down the corridor, ‘‘that’s the good part about being a physical education teacher, I don’t need a room, just some balls and a court.’’

‘‘It’s easy when a good number of children love the chance to be aggressive without being reprimanded.’’

‘‘It is,’’ Steve agreed, a fond smile on his face. ‘‘Kids can be a handful, but they mean well. Today, one of them lobbed a ball right at my stomach, but they made up for it with a lollipop as an apology.’’

‘‘A lollipop," you chuckled, ‘‘the universal peace offering.’’

‘‘If lollipops didn't work wonders, doctors wouldn't hand them out after every appointment,’’ Steve quipped, his laughter echoing down the hallway.

Steve walked you to the parking lot, soon stopping near what you assumed was his car. You turned to see him and to say goodbye.

‘‘See you tomorrow, newbie,’’ Steve grinned.

‘‘See you tomorrow, Professor Harrington,’’ you replied with a playful smirk.

He rolled his eyes and got into the car, making your way to your own car as you watched him get further away. Placing your arms a little closer to your body to avoid the cold, you could reflect a little on that end of the day as you once again observed the parking lot, now a little darker as the sun was already hiding, but which you expected to see for a while, for many more days.

In that silence, you could conclude that the first day of work had not been as horrible and terrifying as you had expected.

[uncleclam]

Ken x gn!reader / he wants to marry you so bad

Word count: 728

Rating: sfw

This stupid doll…

CAN'T STOP PROPOSING

Whatever is going on in his tiny little plastic brain, you never expect THIS to happen. He must have been watching way too much Netflix, you know cause when you check the watch history, he basically clicked all romance drama possible, ALL. This is concerning, a drop of sweat formed on your forehead as you see he also watched all princess movies on Disney plus, too. Is this why he keeps bringing that up? That he believed in ‘happily ever after’? Because that sounds like something ‘the Mattel dictionary’ totally would have.

It wasn’t you’re not ready, well, a part of you is definitely not ready, or something anti-marriage of you, because you have definitely thought about it, dreamed of it even, but the reality of having a lifelong commitment is something chased you away—-

Not in a bad way, but definitely not in KEN’s way.

Ken is your cute, clumsy, curious, sometimes annoying roommate. He is still learning about the real world, everything is new to him and he’s so eager to try all of them. You tried to provide the best for him, he’s your favorite doll after all, he has been there with you since you can remember(In a toy form, naked)! You treat him almost like a pet now, you love him of course! Just not in that way…

I want to live with you forever! I want to be your forever partner!

His voice echoes in your brain, it was so innocent and charming actually, his big blue eyes were like shining diamonds, begging you the same way he begged for an ice-cream, you almost said yes out of instinct. Time felt frozen to you, your eyes widened, lungs stopped working. Ken blinked and waited for your response.

‘What did you just say, Ken?’ You asked, wanting to reconfirm.

‘I want to marry you!’

‘Uhh…’ You paused, looking away slightly.

‘Can i?’ He sounded so enthusiastic, like always.

‘I'm afraid we cannot…’ You finally gathered the sentence and spoke it out, sighed, and petted Ken’s hand that had been on your shoulder.

‘Is it something expensive again? Like a double decker bus or a horse?’ Ken tilted his head, he was genuinely asking. He had asked you so many prices on different stuff, especially the stuff he wanted.

‘Not exactly, but-‘ you shuttered.

‘Then why can’t we get married?’ He asked again.

‘Because it needs promises, and promises are not easy.’ You explained, felt like describing the concept of algebra to a toddler. Ken actually paused and started thinking for a while.

———

For the first few days, he seemed upset and confused after you rejected him. The concept of marriage he googled is simply not that easy, you tried to explain to him but he didn’t say anything. You heard him sobbing on the sofa that night. After a week, he’s back to normal classic Ken again, but whenever he opens his mouth, it’s about marrying you.

‘What do you want for lunch?’

‘A wedding dress on you!’

Or

‘Ken, will you pass me the sugar?’

‘I, Ken, take you to be my forever lover, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.’

A dramatic pause

‘I do.’ He vowed as he passed the sugar.

———

This has been 3 weeks now, about the marrying you thing, and he has no signs of giving that up. You wished you were a barbie so you wouldn’t have to care so much—- He even bought two of those Ring Pop where you can suck the candy while it stays on your finger. The candy itself is comically big. A red, cherry flavored for you, and a green, lime flavored for himself. He jogged his way to you, gently held your right hand up and pushed the ring down to the base of your third finger.

‘This doesn’t mean we are officially married—‘

‘I know.’ He looked up and smiled, putting on his own ring and licked on the sweetened crystal. Then He jogged away to look at other stuff while humming the wedding theme song.

He hasn’t taken off the finished plastic ring ever since, and so do you too.

[that-ari-blogger]

Wicked's Existential Crisis

Deception is a big theme in Wicked. I don't think this is news to many people. The wizard is a wizard, truth is truth, happy is what happens when all your dreams come true.

Galinda embodies this pretty heavily, but so does Fiyero, although they do so in similar ways. They both lie to others, and realise that they have been lying to themselves later on.

But, you need a baseline before you get to character development. You need a benchmark for everyone to either move up or down from, depending on the genre.

In my opinion, Dancing Through Life establishes that benchmark, while asking a few more philosophical questions as it does.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

"Dancing through life, Down at the Oz Dust If only because dust Is what we come to. Nothing matters, But knowing nothing matters, It's just life So keep dancing through"

Fiyero, buddy, friend, pal... are you ok?

Dancing Through Life is the introduction of Fiyero, and there is a enormous difference between what he is saying and how he is saying it.

That dust line is actually a biblical allusion, with various Judeo-Christian books and prayers claiming that G-d created humans from dust, and that when someone dies, they return to that dust. Hence the "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" saying (source). So, Fiyero is nihilistic.

"Nothing matters, so why bother trying" is such a morbid idea, and its usually associated with emo music, either lots of drums and raw emotions, or quiet and sad. So, when Fiyero sings it as a musical theatre, bombastic full orchestra song, his message flies under the radar because it is so dissonant with the style.

That's the key here. Most of the time, people are nuanced, and stereotypes do not encompass the human experience at all. The emotionally confused or depressed or spiraling person isn't the one who sits in the moonlight writing sappy poetry, it's the person who manages to hide it the most easily because they've been doing it for the longest.

Fiyero is putting up a mask to hide his insecurities, and he is doing it by... not wearing a mask?

Lampshading is the practice of softening elements in a piece of media, letting the audience know that something is out of order or farcical, and turning it into a joke. Overly Sarcastic Productions (@comicaurora) has a video explaining the trope in detail.

In a weird way, this is what Fiyero is doing. He is turning his own crisis into a joke. He doesn't have to hide it if he can poke fun at it. He becomes self-referential, and tells people to move on past the words he is saying and focus on the fun dancing and music.

I see where Fiyero is coming from, here. Purpose is difficult to find in this world, and it definitely seems like neither good or bad are rewarded, and luck will do what it will. But I would like to present a counter point.

Everything Everywhere All At Once was easily the most emotionally powerful film of 2022, and it also discussed nihilism in detail. I don't want to get into plot spoilers, but this movie asks the question: If nothing matters, then what?

And the answer to this is clear: Everything. In a Cinema Therapy video on the film, Johnothan Decker states this:

"If nothing we do matters, then the only thing that matters is what we do."

Actions have whatever meaning we ascribe to them, and if we ascribe no meaning to anything, then everything has meaning on the same level. If nothing matters, then everything matters.

This segways into another core question of the musical and especially this song. Do intentions matter?

Galinda and Elphaba have a comedy of errors with the gift giving, specifically when Galinda sets up Nessa with Boq, and Elphaba arranges for her to receive a wand in return, contrasted with the infamous hat.

Galinda does things for personal gain, and accidentally makes someone's life slightly better for a moment, and Boq kind of does the same. Neither of the two cares about Nessarose, but they bring her happiness in the short term.

"We deserve each other, and Galinda helped it come true."

I mentioned in my post about The Wizard And I that this theme comes up there first, in association with meeting the wizard, and I think there is something else to it than just deception. Don't get me wrong, this is deception at work, Elphaba with the Wizard and Nessa with everyone around her. But that lie has a positive result here, for the moment.

It also separates the consequences from the intention. Elphaba sees the wizard and wants to improve the world, her hopes are on rocky foundations, but her actions are strong, and I have already mentioned what Galinda's actions do.

However, I would argue that intentions do matter, and that this musical agrees with me, and that is with Boq, a person whom I despise.

As a character, Boq is fascinating. He is a direct satire of the hopeless romantic of stereotypical fairy tales, think Ariel from The Little Mermaid, or Lancelot from the 1963 movie, Lancelot and Guenevere. Boq is trying desperately to court someone who does not care about him and has someone who does care fall from the sky in front of him, but he can't see past himself.

Now, pining is all well and good, you are allowed to pine, and if someone is attracted to you, there is no law that says you must be attracted back. But Boq goes a step further.

"It's because I'm in this chair and you felt sorry for me. Isn't that right?" "No! No! It's because you are so beautiful."

Boq had an opportunity to back out of the romance handed to him on a silver platter. He could have said it was just a dance, or even confessed that Galinda put him up to it, if he so desired. But Boq made a choice to keep stringing Nessarose along. He may have his reasons, but I think his actions are not excusable, and the gut punch at the end of the musical when he tells her that he never cared is a betrayal that could have been so easily avoided.

Boq and Fiyero go on to become key players in the "death" of the Wicked Witch of the West, and they do so for alternative reasons, and it reframes Dorothy's journey.

For a more nuanced explanation of what I mean, consider this: In 2019, youtuber Hbomberguy (Harry Brewis) raised $347000 for a Brittish charity organisation called Mermaids in a livestream of Donkey Kong 64, and he gave a speech in October of that year about why he did such a thing.

"I think secretly, we're always making one of two decisions, and we make that decision even if we don't know we're making it. You're either choosing to make life worse for someone you don't like, or better for people you care about. There is an actual difference, and I didn't realise I made the wrong choice until a lot of people came over and helped change the choice retrospectively."

What you are trying to do matters, because if you keep trying to do good, even if you hit roadblocks, if you are truly committed, you will eventually do some good in the world.

I actually like Brewis' definition of right and wrong here, because it isn't overly philosophical, it pertains to individual actions. You either make someone else's life better or worse.

I have been rambling around my point for a while, so let me make it concise. Dancing Through Life asks philosophical questions about life. What matters? Is it you? Is it your actions? Is it your intentions?

Final Thoughts

There are two other things I need to mention before I finish. First up, the extras are some of the best parts of this musical, and in this song, that is driven home. Everything comes across as so superficial, and not in a "that's bad acting" way, but in a "that's an actor playing a character who is acting" way. This carries over to Galinda's entire style of talking, but the extras knock it out of the park here. It means that the only sincere moments in the song hit with the relevant weight. Those being Elphaba and Nessa's conversation, and the Elphaba dance (something remarkably difficult to find images of).

That dance is the moment I see Glinda x Elphaba (I still refuse to use the Gelphie ship name) actually taking off, rather than in What Is This Feeling, because it's the first moment that the two see eye to eye, and Galinda finally understands Elphaba. She earns her friendship and trust by trying to make up for her mistakes. Galinda talks a lot, but actions speak louder than words, and that dance kicks off a love story.

Next week, I will be diving into Popular, a number that really takes apart the theming to an overt level only matched by one other song, and we will get to that one soon.

Previous - Next

[yocioon]

𝓑𝐎𝐘𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐖𝐎𝐍 ┊ yang jungwon x reader !

╰ cw : sfw. gn!reader. fluff. tooth rotting cuteness. slightly suggestive. mentions of body parts (not described).

⠀ᥫ✦.⠀⠀NOTE. first post (i hope). erm it took me a while to finally post smthn but here y’all go. hope u enjoy el em ef ay oh !

BOYFRIEND!JUNGWON⠀𑄽𑄺ྀ⠀who’s been your sweetheart since the beginning of junior high. he was the first boy you talked to in your homeroom, let alone the only one you could tolerate out of all of them.

BOYFRIEND!JUNGWON⠀𑄽𑄺ྀ⠀all the way from back in secondary, up til now, he’d bring you your favorite snack. and, it wasn’t like you ever told him it was your favorite. he simply just could never take his eyes off you and always saw you eating the same three, so he made a mental note for it.

BOYFRIEND!JUNGWON⠀𑄽𑄺ྀ⠀that knew what he wanted and was dead set on getting it. from the moment he laid his eyes upon you, a heart-racing, stomach-curling sentiment settled within him. he knew absolutely nothing about you, yet could see a future with only you.

BOYFRIEND!JUNGWON⠀𑄽𑄺ྀ⠀with most guys, they make it their mission to go all out just to snag the girl of their dreams, and then once they finally have her they stop putting in much effort. sometimes none at all. however, jungwon on the other hand; once you officially agreed to be his he only got worse with his princess treatment.

BOYFRIEND!JUNGWON⠀𑄽𑄺ྀ⠀is like the ken to your barbie. he can sense when you’re feeling a negative emotion even if you’re not with each other (which is rare) and he will text you asking what’s wrong until he fixes the problem.

BOYFRIEND!JUNGWON⠀𑄽𑄺ྀ⠀sad? he’ll drop everything to rush to you and have a horror movie marathon. angry? he’ll help you express your anger and calmly dilute the situation at hand. hungry? he already bought the entire store to soothe your craving. nervous? he’ll hold your hand until it settles down.

BOYFRIEND!JUNGWON⠀𑄽𑄺ྀ⠀again, unlike other guys, jungwon is confident in your love for him so he doesn’t bat an eye when you say you’re going to hang out with your guy friends, or just friends in general. and you do likewise. even though he doesn’t have many girl friends, your relationship is beyond healthy for you to trust him.

BOYFRIEND!JUNGWON⠀𑄽𑄺ྀ⠀he’s the type to whisper “more please, baby” in a pouty tone when you break the kiss. it’s subtle. it’s sweet. it drives you absolutely mad. especially with those damn boba tea eyes he has. it make you just wanna shower him in kisses until the end of time.

BOYFRIEND!JUNGWON⠀𑄽𑄺ྀ⠀usually guys like to rest their hand on their girlfriends ass or waist whenever they’re out walking together, but jungwon has this thing where he likes curling his finger through the belt loop on your jeans with his arm wrapped around you lower back. it’s peculiar but you love it.

BOYFRIEND!JUNGWON⠀𑄽𑄺ྀ⠀loves going to sleep not only just cuddling, but having his face buried in your chest. he just likes being near you. but also loves hearing the sound of your heartbeat as it leads him into a peaceful sleep.

𐙚 ⠀ ˖⠀⠀ ۫ 𝓷𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 : hope you enjoyed lols. lmk if you want more or a different member 👐(jazz hands)

© 𝐘𝓞𝐂𝐈𝓞𝓞𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑⠀♱⠀mature discretion advised. all rights reserved. do not plagiarize or steal works.