#like i've been through such a range of emotions since last week let me tell you

[lucy90712]

Road to recovery- part 8

Masterlist

Part of me was hoping that the hate would slow down a bit but of course it didn't. Every time I checked any form of social media all I saw was people posting about how much they didn't like me and assuming that I'm only friends with Pablo to gain something. I thought I'd be able to handle the comments but I just can't there has been so many more than I thought there would be and people have said such hurtful things about my appearance and my character. Pablo keeps apologising and asking if I'm ok and I just keep telling him I'm fine which is a bit of a lie but I can tell he already feels bad enough I don't want to make him feel worse by telling him how I really feel. The worst part about it is that everyone seems to be drawing attention to the things I was already insecure about which hasn't helped my mental state at all.

Today though I have a chance to cheer myself up a bit as I have a big check up with my doctor to see how my recovery is progressing. I think it's going pretty good so hopefully he agrees and says something positive as that would really lift my spirits. I've been nervous about the appointment today as well which has really made the last few days even more challenging on my mental health but I'm trying to stay positive as I know wallowing in sadness and anxiety won't do me any good. 

Alonso came to pick me up a bit before my appointment; when I got in the car I expected him to tease me about everything that happened with the game this weekend but he didn't instead he asked if I was ok. I was going to lie to him too but because he's my brother he knows exactly when I'm lying so I had to tell him the truth. It was kind of nice to get all of my feelings off my chest and Alonso was really supportive and gave me some good advice. He's been through things like this before with getting hate for his performances out on track so he told me to just delete the apps off my phone for a bit that way I'm not tempted to look at what people are saying. In fact he stole my phone and did it for me as I think he knew I probably wouldn't do it myself. 

Once I had my phone back I went into the hospital on my own leaving Alonso to wait in the car for me. The wait for my appointment wasn't long at all and then I went in and was immediately taken for some new scans to see how everything was healing. After scans I was subjected to a load of tests on my range of movement, how much weight I could put on my leg and how much pain I was in. The testing was rigorous and honestly quite exhausting as it's been a long time since I've done this much movement with my knee but for the most part it felt good. After I had done everything the doctor left for a while to review it all and look at my scans which left me just staring at the wall hoping to hear good news. Just as I was daydreaming the door opened again and the doctor came back in, his expression was impossible to read which for some reason filled me with a few more nerves.

"Ok Lola things aren't progressing as we would like them too internally you aren't healing as quick as we thought you would and your movement isn't at the range we would expect it to be" he said 

"What does that mean?" I asked holding back tears 

"For now it doesn't mean too much this can happen as we can't always accurately predict how quickly people will recover but we will set another one of these appointments in a few weeks and if we aren't seeing improvement you may need a second surgery so that we can see what's going on" the doctor explained 

"Ok" was all I could manage to say 

"I know this isn't what you wanted to hear but don't let it discourage you if you keep working hard you won't need the surgery" he said 

We scheduled my next appointment and that was as long as I could hold it together. All of my emotions that I'd been holding onto for the last few days came out all at once, as soon as I left the hospital doors I burst into tears and I couldn't do anything to stop them. I made my way back to where Alonso parked but before I could get into the car Alonso had got out and wrapped me in his arms. He tried to get me to stop crying and tell him what was wrong but I just couldn't he tried everything to help me all of which had worked before but today nothing could stop me. Eventually he gave up and let me get in the car so we could go home because right now all I want is to just go home and get to grips with my emotions as I clearly have a lot to process. 

As much as my eyes were filled with tears I could tell that Alonso didn't take the turn to take me back to my place which meant he was going to take me somewhere in hopes of cheering me up. I really didn't want to go wherever it was he was planning to go but I was sobbing too much to tell him to take me home. We went a bit further before the car stopped and I looked round a bit as at first I didn't recognise where we were but then I saw Pablo's house and realised we were just down the street. I should've known Alonso was going to bring me here but this is the last place I want to be I don't want Pablo to see me like this. I knew we said we would help each other out but I know for a fact Pablo is doing better and I know he's in a better place mentally and I don't want to ruin that by projecting my problems onto him that wouldn't be fair. 

Alonso had to practically drag me out of the car and down the road which was rather easy for him as I'm not strong enough to put up too much of a fight. We walked down the street to Pablo's house where Alonso left me to ring the doorbell, part of me was hoping that he wouldn't be in even though he said he had no plans today. Of course after just a few seconds the door opened and I locked eyes with Pablo who straight away rushed over as quick as he could and wrapped me up in his arms. I wanted to stop crying but for some reason I only cried more once I was in Pablo's arms it was like he made me feel safe enough to truly let all of my feelings out. Pablo said a few words to my brother before taking me inside and allowing him to leave. 

Pablo took me to the sofa and allowed me to settle into his embrace with my head buried in his chest so he couldn't see my tear stained and probably red and puffy face. His hand was gently stroking my back trying to calm me down while he whispered comforting words in my ears. It wasn't anything special what he was doing but hearing his words and feeling his hands on me did wonders in helping calm my emotions which I didn't have any control over. As my tears began to slow down Pablo kept rubbing my back and he even wiped some of the tears from my face that he could reach as I was still hiding most of my face. I never would've thought he would be so good at comforting me I mean he's always so hyper and full of energy I never imagined that he'd be any good at keeping calm and radiating that onto others but clearly he is. Once I had completely stopped crying and my breathing was getting back to normal Pablo put a hand under my chin and got me to look at him.

"Can you tell me what's wrong I hate seeing you so upset and I want to help" he said 

"The doctor said my knee isn't healing properly and I might need another surgery if things don't get better" I said still sniffling slightly 

"I'm sorry that sounds awful but that's not the only thing on your mind is it" he probed further 

"No that's it" I lied 

"Don't lie to me please just tell me what's wrong I'll do whatever I can to help and I won't judge you you know that" he said 

Damn why doesn't he have to be able to read me like a book.

"Ok I've been getting a lot of hate since we were seen together at the game and it's been getting to me a bit I thought I could handle it as I'm used to criticism but I can't some people are just so mean" I admitted letting a few more tears fall 

"I knew it was getting to you people on social media are assholes because they don't feel the consequences of what they say but none of what they say is true" he said 

"But they keep talking about how I must be using you or how I don't deserve to even be friends with you which that part is kind of true" I rambled 

"No it's not true I can't even imagine what my life would be like without you I love spending time with you just because you aren't famous doesn't mean you don't deserve to be friends with me and despite what they say I know you aren't using me I know you would never do that" he said 

"And before you say anything all of the things they say about your appearance aren't true either you are beautiful inside and out and they are just jealous" he added 

Hearing him say that put a smile on my face. Pablo has never really complimented me before he's told me my outfit was cool a few times but he's never called me beautiful so hearing it made me feel a lot better about myself. He must've noticed that I was finally smiling again as he told me I looked pretty when I smiled which only made my cheeks heat up but luckily my face was already red from crying so Pablo probably wouldn't have noticed. Although I kind of wish he knew how he made me feel because as time goes on it's getting harder and harder to hide my true feelings from him. 

Pablo's POV

The pain in her eyes just shattered my heart. She's been my rock throughout every step of the way so far so to see her breakdown right in front of me really hurt. This whole time she's been the strong one never letting anything get to her but finally it's caught up with her and part of it's my fault because we got seen together at the game and now people are tearing her apart and one person can only handle so much. I feel so awful that I'm part of the reason she's so upset but knowing that I can be there for her and calm her down makes me feel a bit better. When she arrived she was hysterical and her brother told me he couldn't get a word out of her so he wanted me to try so that's what I did. I'm not very good at keeping myself calm at times let alone other people but I tried my best and after a while of just rubbing her back and whispering to her she calmed down. It felt good to be the one to help her because she's done so much for me that anything I can do to even remotely repay that I'll do in a heartbeat.

Hearing the way she criticised herself as well it pained me. She's the most beautiful and kind person I've ever met so to hear her say that she thought she didn't deserve to be friends with me hurt but what hurt more was to see that those horrible people got to her and made her feel insecure in herself. Throughout the time we've known each other I've always wanted to tell her just how beautiful she is but I've refrained as I know once I open the flood gates there's no going back. Once I start complimenting her I'm scared that I'll let my feelings show but today she needed it so I knew I had to take the risk. Seeing the smile that my compliments gave her made the risk feel worth it though as I'd do anything to keep her smiling 24/7.

Looking into her eyes as she smiled and blushed at my words made me feel some type of way. I've felt something for her since we first met and I've kept those feelings repressed until now but I don't know if I can do it any longer. She's just the most perfect girl I've ever met and I don't want to lose her whether that be to another guy or to the fear of what us being friends might mean for her. I have to tell her how I feel in hopes that as long as she feels the same way it gives her a reason to stick around even when things are tough like they are right now. As scary as it is I have to take the risk. 

[thesargasmicgoddess]

Today, I say goodbye to England...

**warning: emotions and ramblings ahead. 😆

I'm toasting the end of what I'm fondly calling my "2023 World Tour" 😆 I've been home for exactly 7 days since the end of May. I've traveled over 25000 miles over 7 weeks to Asia and England. I've packed and unpacked over 20 times and have been on countless planes, trains, and automobiles.

This last week, I've been overwhelmed with emotions I can't quite fully place yet--but they all seemingly revolve around an aching theme of feeling bittersweet about new and old experiences and longings.

(Well, THAT was a plot twist I didn't expect on this trip. 😂)

There are certain growths that can only be experienced through pushing beyond comfort zones. I was, surprisingly, stronger, less introverted, and more flexible than I ever expected. There were challenges and new things: the nostalgia of old friends and old haunts; the paying of respects to those that are no longer with us; the visiting of those I grew up with; the first time meeting of a longtime online friend.

As exciting as all of this travel has been, I'm ready for home. Maybe it's the absence of routine and home comforts, or maybe it's the mental shifts required for traveling this long and traveling alone, but I seem to be more emotionally vulnerable during this last week. That bittersweet feeling I've had all week hasn't wanted to let up, and I've been trying to chase down all the reasons behind this feeling.

Visiting places that had helped shape the person I am today, 22 years ago, is in itself, bittersweet. I remember 20 year old me thinking about the passions of the future and yearning for more. I've changed quite a bit, yet the buildings and memories remain. It is an odd feeling of time flying by, yet standing still.

I've pondered a lot about the magic of connections on this trip, juxtaposed with the blessed angst of being someone who feels too much. Every touch, every step, every memory, every feel--I want to capture it all like lightning in a bottle, yet it's almost too much to take in all at once some days. I tell myself to breathe, but sometimes I can't quite catch my breath because I feel so much. Wanting to live a full life can be quite overwhelming for introverted souls who feel too much, but I am so blessed to have the fortitude and opportunities to live fully--albeit sometimes a bit crazily 😆

When you think about the growth of a person throughout their lifetime and the range of intense emotions, experiences, thoughts--it's really quite amazing.

I know my blog hasn't exactly been on "fun smut" brand this last week, but I've always been authentic here. And what has been authentic this week has been....well...a lot of writing, emotions, and processing. I believe in balance-- and I believe that to each irreverent light fun side, there is a darker, more soulful, extremely sensitive side lurking right beneath the surface. I've definitely been more of the latter this last week.

If you've read this far, thank you. This was a needed catharsis for me and a step in processing everything.

So, where to go from here?

I'm not sure. It will take me a minute to mentally and emotionally decompress, unpack, and process all the experiences I've had over the last 2 months. My posts have always been mood-dependent and my moods have been all over the place so......stay tuned 😆😂

Since I can't do anything in a normal, typical fashion--I just have to go with the flow and say cheers to adventures and unexpected soul-searching vacations. I will still take living passionately and deeply over feeling nothing at all most days....

But a break for the rest of today might be a good idea. Or else I'm drinking on the plane.😂

After all this rambling, The Corpus Clock and all that it represents seems appropriate for this post 😂

Onward...

[loveswrites]

I Chose You ~ Poly Cullen X reader

This is something I've had written up in my google doc for a while. I wrote it for me mostly but I thought I'd post it and see if anyone else would enjoy it!

Give your thought's in the comments! Tell me if you want more or what you'd like me to post more of!

"I Chose You"

Summary~ The Cullens start fighting over you

▪︎▪︎▪︎

Currently you're chilling at the Cullen's house. It was a calm and relaxing Friday evening. After school your mates Edward, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett just rushed you home to their house. Saying they couldn't wait to spend time with you, like you hadn't spent all day in the presence of basically all of them. 

Your head rested against Emmett's chest as Rosalies rested on your stomach, because they both insisted that you all cuddle with each other. Playing in the background was some sports channel that they had turned on. To which you knew nothing about, you were just here for the vibes. Being surrounded in an ice sandwich comforted you as you always found the cold to be inviting. Most didn't but you we're like most. You were mated to basically the whole Cullen family Minus Alice she was mated to Bella. 

Most days it was easy and calm. Not much ruckus, besides Emmett and his loud self nonetheless you loved him. But other days it was a little difficult. Being mated to 6 different people was difficult but you could manage. That was until you had to go visit some relatives out of state and you were gone for 2 weeks. That had messed up the routine and the peaceful relaxing days, As ever since you got back each one of your mates felt like they had to run and snatch you up before another one could. 

Which was true, one would be walking towards you with a smile then make eye contact with another then it would turn into a race of who could grab the last blueberry muffin. Emmetts hand was running through your head while he was fussing at the TV. Rosalie was holding your hand gently caressing it, every now and then pressing soft kisses against your fingers and up your wrist. You were just starting to relax when you heard a bell ring making you jump at the unexpected sound.

 You were met by a gust of wind looking up. You saw Jasper in front of you holding his hand out. "I believe it's my turn to have some alone time with our lovely doll." Jasper said in his thick southern accent that always made your heart skip a beat. To which he sent you a sly wink alongside his signature smirk letting you know he heard it.

You couldn't help but let out a little giggle. 

"It hasn't even been an hour yet!" Emmett huffed out. 

"Yes it has, hint the Alarm. Now give her up." Jasper said a little snappy. He's been a little irritated having to feel everyone's emotions. Everyone's emotions on top of his own we're.. To say the least overwhelming. 

"No it hasn't! The games not even over yet! I'm not letting her go, it's not your turn!" Emmett yelled out. 

"Well that's not my fault now is it? We agreed on one hour, not two. You're wasting my time." Jasper said, reaching to grab my hand to which Rosalie slapped his hand away with a growl. 

"Back the fuck off." Rosalie said tightening her grip on my hand but not enough to hurt.

"I'm not, In the mood Rosalie." Jasper said shooting Rose a stern look making her sit up narrowing her eyes at Jasper. I could tell Jasper was getting to his breaking point making me sit up watching him and Rosalie closely.

 "What are you talking about your turn?" Edward said walking into the room holding a bag of snacks which made me smile immediately as I knew they were for me. 

"It's my turn and they're hogging her." Jasper said, annoyed, making his southern accent thicker if that was even possible. Hearing his voice made me let out a little hum making Jasper look at me tilting his head with a look of curiosity.

"No, It's my turn." Edward said as a matter of fact. 

"No it's not! The bell rang. I got here first fair and square ya shouldn't have been outside!" Jasper yelled glaring at Edward. Edward put down the bag he was holding on the nearest table. Walking Up to Jasper glaring back at him.

"If you want to fight for her we can do that." Edward said, having read Jasper's mind. Jasper ready to bareback his teeth and fight for me if he must. 

"Wait!" I said standing in between the two, making them both look down at me, their eyes softening their gaze. 

"What did you get me?" I asked, looking at Edward pointing to the bag he brought in with him. 

"The chips you said you were craving earlier today at school." He replied, watching me as I went to pick up the bag. 

"Thank you." I said grabbing the bag walking towards the door making the four panic slightly.

"Where are you going?!" Two voices said in desperation.

 "To see what Carlisle Is doing." And with that I was off into my car driving off to the hospital Carlisle was working at. Hopefully to get some peace and quiet. But who knows.

[httplilyyy]

𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 || 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐇 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐌𝐒𝐎𝐍

pairing: leah williamson x reader

summary: after a gruelling game against real madrid all feelings are put onto the table, does it lead you to being heart broken or someone else’s? - the alternate ending to part three

warnings: angst and fluff

word count: 3.2k

a/n: its pretty much the same as the part three but i've changed a couple of parts to fit the story better. you can either read this version or the other- or both! :)

woso masterlist | alternative end

“The person you are calling is unable to take your call right now, please leave a message after the tone.”

Six times. That's how many times Leah had tried to call you. Yet, you still didn't pick up.

With every time Leah called you she had a little hope in her that you would pick up, but it soon shattered when it went through to voicemail.

“Pick up, please.” Leah whispered, her voice cracking as she sat on the edge of her bed. “Just pick up.”

Fiddling with your ring on her finger Leah decided to call you one last time.

Leg bouncing up and down in anticipation, Leah bit the nail on her thumb waiting, hoping, or anything in between for her to hear your voice.

As the phone rang the likelihood of you picking up got slimmer and slimmer. Leah ultimately decided to end the call, completely unaware that you were contemplating on the other end, finger hovering over the button to accept.

Letting out a long sigh, one full of many emotions, Leah couldn’t stop the feeling of her bottom lip quivering along with the tears pooling up in her eyes.

Finally letting the emotions get the better of her, she soon broke down once again. This time taking longer to compose herself.

With trembling hands, Leah picked up the letter beside her and read it once again.

Leah,

I’ve known you for five years and lived with you for three, each one of those years, minutes and seconds have been the best of my life. But I can't be friends with you. I can't be just friends with you.

I like all the little things about you, I like the way you make me feel, I like your smile, laugh, everything. I like you. Nothing in this world can stop me from liking you.

You might be wondering where all my things have gone and it's because I got sent a transfer, one from Barcelona. I took it. I couldn't turn it down.

Well at first, I didn't really want to take the offer. That was until I saw you and jordan. I just couldn't handle the heartbreak knowing that Jordan was the one who got to hold you, kiss you, be the one to call you theirs.

I was going to tell you, you know. I had it all planned out, it wasn't anything extravagant, just a little something.

I’m sorry I didn't tell you about my feelings and about the transfer. I was going to, it's just that life got in the way. I don’t want it to be real. I don't want to leave, not really. Not without you.

I’m sorry that I couldn't tell you face to face, I just felt like a text would be a shitty way to say goodbye. It’s not really a goodbye, though, more like a see you later.

And even if we did have a chance to be together, maybe it was just not meant to be.

It had been three weeks since you had left London and moved to Barcelona. You managed to fit in with the team really well and you were happy to call this new place your home.

Lucy and Keria were there to help you find your feet and get to know everything going on in the catalonian city.

You had grown close with all the girls and more specifically someone in particular. The two of you were seen almost everywhere together. Neither of you were seen without the other during training or even team bonding.

The team started speculating and eventually the fans did too, but it was always the same answer. No, you're not dating. How could you? Not after Leah.

“Here come the love birds.” Mapi joked as you walked into training with Alexia by your side.

“Very funny.” Alexia deadpanned, wrapping her arm around your shoulders, bringing you closer to her. “Y/n can only dream.”

“Yeah right.” You chuckled, pushing away from the midfielder slightly.

“Come on you two.” Lucy smiled as she walked in between you and alexia, placing her arms around either of your shoulders and walking the two of you out and onto the pitch for training.

“Leave them alone Maps.” Ingrid said as she walked behind you, Lucy and Alexia.

“But-”

“You can tease them later.”

“Fine.” Mapi reluctantly huffed as she walked to training as well.

Training was fairly easy, a couple simple drills and it went by in a flash. The rest of the girls went back to the locker room to get changed whilst you stayed out to do some shooting drills.

After sinking another ball into the net, you heard someone walk up behind you. They didn't say anything at first, just watching as you pelted balls at the goal.

“You’ll end up making a hole in the net, if you keep kicking that hard.” The voice said from behind you. Alexia’s voice.

“That's a shame.” You said, not really caring.

“Alright, what's up with you?” She asked, coming to step in front of you, stopping you from kicking another ball.

“Nothing.” You muttered, trying to get out of Alexia's intense stare, manoeuvring around her.

“It's obviously not nothing.”

“Just drop it.”

“Does it have something to do with the person who always calls you?”

“I said drop it.” You huffed, kicking another ball.

“I want to help you.”

“Ale, just drop it, please.” You said, your voice sounding so drained.

“Want me to set you up?” Alexia asked softly, getting that you don't want to talk about the topic.

“Yeah,” you replied with a smile, “if you don't mind.”

“Not at all.”

The two of you continued to pass and shoot for a couple of hours, laughing, making jokes and having fun till your heart's content.

Once you both decided to finally stop, you sat by the side of the pitch, waters in hand, trying to cool down.

The two of you continued to converse, not caring how late it was getting or how long you were sitting beside each other.

You were laughing at something Alexia said when a call interrupted the two of you. Pulling your phone from your pocket you saw Leah’s name pop up on your screen.

Sighing, you chucked your phone in between you and Alexia. Bad idea. The woman beside you picked up your phone and answered the call just before it was going to end.

“Y/n?” Leah’s voice questioned on the other end. “Oh my god…”

As Leah asked multiple questions at a million miles an hour, you tried to get your phone off the woman beside you.

Alexia was quick to jump up and avoid your advances, trying to dodge your hand desperately grabbing for your phone.

“... I read your letter and I-”

“This isn’t y/n.” Alexia answered before you could stop her.

“And I- wait what?”

“Look, you’ve gotta stop calling her.”

“Ale, stop.” You pleaded but Alexia shook her head.

“What? Why?” Leah asked.

“If someone doesn’t answer your calls that means they don't want to talk to you.”

“Ale-” You said once again.

“No, y/n-”

Before Alexia could talk any more, you took your phone back out of her hand and walked away from her but not before giving a look that said ‘you're in deep shit’.

“Leah.” You said, placing your phone by your ear.

“Y/n?” Leah replied, her voice sounding so relieved but still unable to believe she was finally able to hear your voice after many weeks.

“Hey.”

“Do they mean it?”

“Mean what?” You asked, looking back at Alexia noticing how she fiddled with her fingers.

“What they said, about you not wanting to talk to me?”

“It's not like that its-”

“I get it, it's fine.”

“No leah-”

“Just tell me, did you mean it? What you wrote in the letter did you mean it?”

“Of course I did.” You said softly.

“Then why did you leave? We could have figured it out, I thought we were a team, I thought- I-” By this point, Leah had let her emotions take over, you could practically hear the tears in her voice.

That's when you broke down. Hearing leah cry made you start, lip quivering, eyes watering, legs trembling, heart rate increasing you finally let it all out.

“Leah, I have to go.” You sniffled.

“No, y/n you just picked up, i’m not letting you go now.”

“Leah, please, I'm sorry.”

“Y/n-” Leah’s desperate plea was the last you heard before you ended the call.

Your head fell down as you looked at the phone in your hand, tears falling down your face as you tried to wipe them away but it was no use.

Alexia cautiously stepped in front of you, hands cradling your face as the pads of her thumbs wiped away your tears.

You were in some sort of trance, your mind focused on how you needed to hear Leah's voice again, to feel her touch again.

“Why did you do that?” You asked quietly, stepping out of Alexia’s hold.

“I thought that-”

“No, you didn’t think.” You said, stepping back every time Alexia tried to get closer to you

“Lo siento.”

“You can’t just do things like that.”

“I didn’t realise.” Alexia said. “I was just trying to be a good friend.”

“I know.” You sighed. “Just please don’t do something like that again.”

“I won't, I promise, I'm sorry.”

“Okay,” you smiled, “crossbar challenge?”

“You're on, y/l/n.”

“You’re going down, Putellas.”

The team had noticed a change in your style of play, you were more ruthless, uncaring, violent but you had a new fire in you, one that was determined and hungry.

You didn't care if you got a yellow, as long as it helped you and the team it didn't matter. Some would say you're playing a dangerous game, but that was a risk you were willing to take.

Within the new found fire, you played more minutes, scored more goals, made more passes, tackles and assists. You were on your way to becoming an all time great but there was one thing setting you back.

More like someone setting you back.

It was finally one of the biggest games of the year, an El Clasico. Barcelona vs Real Madrid. It was just as important as it is in the men's game, each side wanting to take victory over the other.

“You alright?” Lucy asked as she came up beside you, noticing that you were staring at your locker.

“Yeah, you?”

“I feel like you’re not telling me something but I'll drop it for now.”

“Thanks.” You smiled weakly.

“I want you to score today.” Lucy nudged you.

“I’ll try.” You chuckled.

You had played a couple of games for barca but this was the first one where you were in the starting lineup.

You stood behind Mapi as both teams lined up, determination displayed across everyone's faces.

Walking out onto the pitch you looked around the stadium, a sense of pride filled you up.

The seats flooded with barca shirts, each and every one of them giving you that extra confidence boost fueling you up for the game.

When the ref blew her whistle you kicked off the game. Each team put in their maximum effort from the start.

It was around the fourteenth minute when you had a shot on goal. Pina had sent a lovely weighted ball to your feet and you were through on goal.

You heard two defenders gaining on you as well as their keeper coming off their line.

With each player getting closer and closer you decided to try your luck and chip the keeper.

You watched as the ball soared through the air and landed just beneath the bar, a small clinking sound could be heard before the stadium erupted into cheers.

The ball had bounced off the bar and into the net. You felt someone jump onto your back, screaming in your ear. A couple of other girls came and congratulated you before you had to get back into your positions.

You soon found out that Alexia was the one who jumped on your back. Sending her a small smile before Madrid kicked off the game once again.

Half time soon arrived and Barca had managed to keep the one-nil lead. Walking back into the locker room, the girls patted you on your back as they walked past.

Everyone sat down and listened to the half-time talk, seeing where they could improve as well as noting down some of Madrid's tactics.

Each person in the room was determined to hold onto the lead and Barcelona was clearly not going down without a fight.

The second half was much more gruelling, Madrid definitely placed a target or two on your back. You played the ball as if it was a hot potato. Making sure not to hold it for longer than three seconds as you knew a Madrid player would soon be coming for your ankles.

At the eighty-third minute you had managed to find space a little to the right, making a run down the wing. You were inside the box when you found the perfect opportunity to cross the ball in.

Just as the ball left your foot you felt a pair of studs collide with your ankle, sending you tumbling to the ground.

Your hand immediately clutched your foot, and a pained groan ripped from your throat. With one hand on your ankle you hid your head in the other.

You could hear your teammates fighting and shouting around you but your mind was only focused on one person in particular, kneeling beside you.

“Hey, y/n?” Alexia asked softly. “Can you look at me?”

Rolling onto your back, you turned your head to the right and you saw Alexia’s worried face scan over your body.

“Hola.” You smiled.

“Y/n.” Alexia said, her voice sounded stern.

“Yeah?”

“Please tell me you’re not faking an injury.”

“No.” You said dragging out the ‘o’. “Definitely not. Nope.”

“Y/n.”

“Okay, maybe I am but it does actually hurt.”

“What am I going to do with you?”

“Help me up?” You chuckled once you saw Alexia’s disappointed face. You knew she wasn’t really disappointed, seeing as she tried to hide her smirk.

“You’re lucky we scored.”

“Uh huh, you just have a soft spot for me.”

“Get back into position.” Alexia said, shaking her head trying to hide her smile.

The game soon came to an end and it was a two-nil win for Barcelona. You went around shaking the hands of Madrid players before going to speak to some fans.

You ended up giving your shirt to someone and after mass amounts of pictures and many things being signed you finally walked back towards the locker room.

“Hey, Putellas.” You smiled as you walked up behind her, wrapping your arm around her shoulders.

“Hey, y/l/n, how’s your ankle?” Alexia chuckled.

“It actually hurts, you know?” You said.

“Mhm, not sure if I believe you.”

“Alright, I'll speak to you in a bit. I just need to speak to a medic.”

“For your ankle?”

“I told you I actually hurt it.”

“Don’t die on the way there.” Alexia chuckled as she kissed your cheek before walking off.

“Y/n?” Someone asked from behind you.

You knew that voice.

“Leah?” You questioned as you came face to face with her after so many weeks.

“Hey.��� She smiled softly.

“What are you doing here?”

“I read your letter.” Leah sniffled but tried to cover it up with a cough.

“Leah.” You whispered out, stepping closer to her.

“Um, who was that you were with?”

“I think you know who that is.” You chuckled, stepping a little closer so you were standing in front of Leah.

“Are you together?”

“Me and Alexia?” You questioned and Leah nodded her head. “Oh, no, yeah definitely not.”

“But she kissed your cheek?”

“That’s just how everyone acts around here.”

“So you're not together?”

“No.”

“Does that mean I can do this?”

“Do what?”

Leah didn't say anything, just put her hand around the base of your neck and brought your head towards hers so she could place her lips on yours.

The kiss started out slow, almost hesitant, but quickly began to build. Going from tender and languid to heated and fiery in a matter of seconds.

Grinning into the kiss, you placed your hands on Leah’s waist pulling her into you. As the two of you were pressed against each other, Leah moved her hands and wrapped them around your shoulders.

Whilst one hand rested on Leah’s waist the other sneaked up her shirt, touching the bare skin of her stomach. Your cold fingers in contrast to Leah’s warm stomach made her involuntary tense at the sensation.

Your hand moved from her stomach to her lower back, pushing her into you more. The kiss continued and your heart felt as if it was going at a hundred miles an hour.

The two of you slowly pulled away from one another. You looked at the woman still in your arms, lips bruised, hair dishevelled, chest rising and falling rapidly.

“That was- wow.” You chuckled.

“Why didn’t you just talk to me?” Leah questioned, her hand still wrapped around your shoulders and playing with your hair.

“You were with Jordan and I didnt want to ruin that or whatever we had.”

“So you thought running was the best option?”

“Now thinking about it, not really.”

“You’re lucky I like you.”

“Mhm, I like you too.”

“You reckon we could make this work?” Leah questioned as she motioned between the two of you.

“Yeah, I thought I lost you once and I won't let that happen again.”

“I wish you didn’t move.”

“Hey, don't think like that.” You said softly, cradling Leah’s face in your hands. “I’m only a flight away.”

“Yeah.” Leah said quietly.

“You might even come play over here.” You suggested, wiggling your eyebrows.

“Absolutely not.” Leah chuckled.

“I thought as much.”

“I don’t leave for a couple of days…”

“Oh yeah?” You questioned with a smirk.

“Yeah, maybe you could show me around?”

“I can show you some other things too.” You joked earning a smack to your chest.

“Y/n!”

“I’m joking, I’m joking.” You laughed, putting your hands up in surrender.

“I know.”

“Could I have that?” You asked, pointing to the letter you wrote that was still in Leah’s hand.

“Yeah?” Leah said, passing it to you. “Why?”

“I lied.” You shrugged, pointing to the last line. “We are meant to be.”

Leah felt a massive smile take over her features and she brought you into another kiss, it was a lot shorter than the one you had before but it was just as good.

“I guess you want this back too?” Leah questioned, holding up her hand showing your ring that was on her finger.

“You’re wearing it?”

“I haven’t taken it off.” Leah smiled.

“It suits you.”

“Yeah?” Leah asked.

“Yeah.”

“Well I brought it for you, so…” Leah said as she slipped the band off her finger and placed it in your hand. “You should wear it.”

You took the ring from your hand and placed it on your finger, smiling at the woman in front of you.

“I really like you.” You said quietly it almost came out as a whisper.

“I really like you too, so much more than you can imagine.”

“We’re meant to be.” You smiled, crumpling up the letter.

“We’re meant to be.”

[realsorcerershit]

Hey, I'm gonna make a bit of a long post here. It's going to be ramble-y, it's going to be kind of a stream of thought deal, and I don't really know where it's going to end up as I'm writing this. It's personal, and it's something I feel strongly about, and it has to do with my last textpost.

So. The topic of today is:

I Don't Like Talking About Myself Anymore.

And no, this isn't going to be some post where I'm just venting, but moreso analyzing why. I need to get my thoughts out there on this, and I need to...talk about it, really. Just throw it off my chest, into a wild where maybe six people will read it. So let's get into it.

Last night, in a small bit of frustration, I made a post talking about people trying to over-analyze media, and give it an objective rating of it being good or bad, and indirectly using that as some high ground, telling people that they shouldn't like something because it's "objectively bad". If you want to read that, I'll put a link to it below.

Link to post: Fair warning, I use a bit of harsh language. I stand by it, though.

And ever since I posted this, I've been in a lot of thoughts about it. What brought this surge of emotion up? Why do I feel so particularly strongly about it? Why is this a belief I hold close to my heart? And - the answer isn't really simple. Like most emotions people go through, it ends up being a complex weave. So let's start with the absolute basics.

First thing's first. Part of the reason I feel so strongly about this is, that, there's a natural element of attachment to the media that people enjoy, and that includes myself. *I* have some form of attachment to the media I enjoy. FPSes, the dnd campaign I play in every week, the small bits of music and other games that I enjoy, the people I like watching on youtube or even the small amount of shows I enjoy watching. All of it takes up at least somewhat of a portion of my life, and as such, it becomes part of...who I am, in a way. Media sticks with people, it can influence them in various ways.

And now, we live in a world where people end up trying to analyze everything to a point where nobody can just admit that they *dislike* something these days. There always has to be some kind of justification for their dislike, there always has to be some logical, realistic reason for it that makes sense in their head. So, they come up with reasons why. And those reasons can range from a wide variety of things. For example, if I told someone I liked the genre of metal in music, I could get a response along the lines of, "Oh, metal (the genre of music) is too formulaic. Everything's the same, so it's bad. And, the lyrics end up sounding like a kid wrote them", instead of that person just saying "you know, I really do respect your tastes in music, however, I am not a fan of metal, because it simply isn't for me." The latter of these two responses would legitimately tell me, the person speaking, that, hey. I can respect that this isn't for them, and that I can disengage the topic on friendly terms. Not everyone's going to mutually like the exact same things, and that's part of being human. However.

The first response is where things get bad. Because now, suddenly, I feel confronted. I now have to sit there and justify my like for something, in a heated debate that I didn't want to have in the first place, because here I was, pouring my heart out about something I love. And now, that love is being attacked by someone who had no real purpose in it. And it doesn't even come out of a place of malice, most of the time. People are nowadays super trained into thinking that they have to fit into these very specific camps or else like...they'll be laughed at, or whatever.

So, this all leads me back to the topic at the top of this post. I don't like talking about myself anymore. I don't like going off about the hobbies I have. The OCs whose stories I think about every day, my favorite video games or movies or songs or...any of it. Because the default response these days seems to be that, if I'm not talking with someone who likes the things I like, that I'm going to be met with some form of backlash on it. And it hurts. It genuinely really hurts. I hold up something I genuinely love, and I want to talk about it with people. (At least, when people want to hear about it. Don't force things on people, that also isn't right. Something I'm working on myself, too.) I want to share it, and now I'm afraid to, because at the end of it all, I think I'm going to be...harassed, or chastised, or ridiculed, or some other thing, because that happens to be the default now. And now I feel backed into a corner, where I've put myself in some kind of shame box that I'm only now after maybe 15 years starting to slowly work my way out of.

Just respect other people's hobbies, as long as they aren't harmful. That's all I ask.

[canmom]

I was tagged by @baeddel and charged with the following questions:

Last song: Mephisto by Queen Bee. This is the ED for Oshi no Ko, and that is indeed the context I first encountered it. But I've kind of become obsessed with Queen Bee ever since I saw this video of Avu-chan:

There is definitely an element of "I want to learn to sing but I cannot sound like a cis women no matter what so I have to figure out some other sort of voice to aspire towards". Not that I could ever have Avu-chan's ridiculous range lol. But they are sort of the coolest person I've ever seen.

After that I learned that I'd been hearing Avu-chan a whole bunch. For example, Avu-chan voices Inu-oh! All the fantastic songs I enjoyed in that film...

And that's not even the first time Avu-chan worked with Masaaki Yuasa. You remember that amazing version of Devilman no Uta from Devilman Crybaby?

Yeah, guess who.

But that's just focusing on the anime link. Queen Bee is the shit. Like check out this duet between Avu-chan and Avu-chan:

Or King Bitch with all the martial arts. Or Inu-hime which manages to pack a whole gory jidaigeki story into a three and a half minute music video. I'm still working my way back through Queen Bee's videos.

Forgive me, this is way more than one song ^^'

Currently watching: Besides Animation Night tonight? ^^

I recently finished Tengoku Daimakyou - which was imo strong right up to the end, and there's a bunch to write about it. But this says 'currently' so...

I'm presently catching up on Oshi no Ko. (Hence the Queen Bee listening.) Which is the one where the gynecologist is reincarnated as the son of an idol alongside one of his patients; said idol gets murdered, and then as a highschool student our boy's attempting to solve her murder while getting caught up in all sorts of showbiz drama. I've written a bit about Oshi no Ko before; two eps further on, the story continues to have some delightful swerves and I'm fascinated to see where they're going with all this. I can see it steadily orbiting certain themes - falsehood, performance, self-identity and so on - but what the ultimate thrust will be, remains to be seen.

I ended up rewatching a few episodes with @footsteps-on-the-dance-floor a couple weeks ago. On the rewatch, I was struck by how, in this show about acting, just how much attention is indeed paid to the acting of the characters. Not so much flashy sakuga, just lots of carefully observed interactions that I came to appreciate a lot as I understood the characters better.

Currently reading: [whoops, forgot this one, editing it in] Ghost in the Shell for fiction. Shirow's manga is fascinating. In some ways you can see all the material that made it out into Production IG's various adaptations, but in some ways the tone is so different, way less dry, way more unabashedly nerdy, the characters much more emotional. I'm fascinated by all the little asides and margin notes by Shirow.

For non fiction, I've got this book called "Queer British Art 1861-1967" by the Tate that I'm steadily reading. It's fascinating, I didn't know shit about most of the people they write about in here.

Current obsession: What do I do that can't be characterised as an obsession really ^^'

But besides work, and writing long posts on here, and drawing pictures, I've been trying to learn music. I mentioned singing, but the other strand is trying to learn the zhonghu. So let me tell you about zhonghus.

This is a Chinese musical instrument, a close sibling of the erhu. Like a violin, it's a bowed instrument; unlike a violin, it's held upright on your lap, it has only two strings, and the bow is held in between them.

The bowstrings are very loose compared to a violin bow, and you use your fingers to press them against one or other string. There is no fingerboard, let alone frets, so pitch depends on how hard you press the strings as well as where your fingers are positioned. Not to mention a million other variables to do with your specific instrument.

The zhonghu and the erhu are almost the same instrument; the zhonghu is tuned slightly lower, similar to a viola compared to a violin. Also? The soundbox is covered by snakeskin, so if you import an erhu (or zhonghu) from China, you have to go to some effort to certify that the snake in question was from a farm and not a wild snake. And you have to be really careful that the bowstring doesn't catch on the scales.

Why am I learning the zhonghu? Well. That's a long story but the tl;dr is my friend suggested I should be a zhonghu player and I was like you know what sure. So now I have her old zhonghu.

I used to play the violin, but I think the way I learned the violin left a lot to be desired in terms of actually understanding music. I could translate sheet music into finger positions, and fulfill my role in an orchestra for kids, but I lost the thread at uni, where I tried to play with the ceilidh band and found I was completely at sea in a more improvisational setting. Add like a decade of rust on top of that.

So it's safe to say that right now I'm really fucking bad at playing the zhonghu. Nevertheless, I'm trying to persevere. In the month or so since I started, with very irregular practice, I've gone from 'can only make a horrible scratching sound' to 'can play an open string' to 'never hitting a note first try' to 'can mostly hit notes until I try to move my hand', so I'm inching forwards. It's a long way until I can make the kind of beautiful music that the erhu is known for, and I don't have any belief I'll ever be notably good at it, but there's nothing to be lost in trying to learn a new thing, even if it's one that is not coming naturally to me at all. Better to struggle than to go my whole life never picking up an instrument again you know.

Tagging - uhhh let's say - @mogsk @schizsune @sisyphication @catnumbers @argyrocratie @centrally-unplanned @hamiltonianflow @sapeami-scalps-whites [if you'd like, in each case!] The questions are 'last song', 'currently watching', 'currently reading', 'current obsession', answer in as much or little detail as you like

[mimisempai]

All those words I almost didn't say

Summary

After one of the most traumatic days of his life, Greg is about to take a well-deserved rest when the doorbell rings. The day is about to take a much happier turn.

Notes

Mystrade Monday  1.0  #46 - "I thought you were dead"

@mystradepromptsandscenarios

On AO3

669 words - Rating G

"Detective Lestrade, after your bravery today, I want you to take a week's leave."

Greg, too emotionally exhausted, didn't even protest and nodded to the Superintendent before leaving his office.

An hour later, he was finally home, dressed in comfortable clothes, beer in hand, about to sit down when the doorbell rang.

He sighed, put his beer down on the coffee table, and looked through the glass to see who was there to bother him.

Seeing who it was, he muttered, "Damn it, Mycroft, I forgot to call him."

Words of apology on his lips, he opened the door, but he didn't have time to say anything because no sooner had he opened it than he found himself in a powerful embrace, pressed against Mycroft's chest.

"Mycroft, what..." he managed to articulate.

But Mycroft cut him off, saying in a trembling voice, "I thought you were dead. For a brief moment I actually thought I was watching you die live and there was nothing I could do."

Greg had never seen Mycroft like that, shaking, his throat so tight with emotion that he almost choked on the last words.

Greg managed to break free of the embrace and said quietly, "I know... thank my Kevlar vest for that,  I can imagine what it must have looked like from the outside. I'm sorry with everything that happened and the chain of events, I completely forgot to call you and I just got home."

Greg knew there had been a lot of media coverage of the hostage situation, but he'd refused to look at the footage. Who wanted to see themselves shot in the chest, even if it had been stopped by a bulletproof vest?

The bruise that began to form on his chest was proof enough.

He continued, "I promise I'm okay. I'm all right."

But Mycroft wasn't listening and said quietly, "Show me."

Greg lifted his shirt and showed him where the impact had occurred. 

Mycroft ran his finger gently over the small bruise and breathed, "I almost lost you."

Greg interrupted, "But you didn't..."

Mycroft put his finger to Greg's lips and interrupted, "Let me speak. I have to tell you."

Greg looked at him puzzled, but said nothing.

Mycroft took Greg's face in his hands and said firmly, "When I thought you were dead, I realized there was so much I wanted you to know that I hadn't been able to tell you. That these last few months with you have been the happiest of my life. That I don't want to spend another minute away from you. I'm in love with you, mightily, painfully in love. The things you do. The way you think. The way you move. I get thrilled every time I'm about to see you. I feel like I've never felt in my life. You have to know all of that."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he gave Greg no time to react, pressing his lips to his lover's in a kiss filled with the same intensity as the words he'd just spoken. Greg instinctively wrapped his arms around Mycroft's waist, deepening the kiss. 

Every time Mycroft felt Greg trying to pull away, Mycroft would press harder against him and Greg would submit because he knew Mycroft needed it after the fear he'd just had of losing Greg.

He didn't even know how long it had been since Mycroft had pressed his lips to his. But it wasn't until they both felt they couldn't breathe that Mycroft slowly pulled away, just enough for them to catch their breath.

They were panting, mouth to mouth, their breath hot and their pulse quickening from the kiss they'd just shared. Greg swallowed several times before he could speak, finally able to respond to Mycroft's declaration and whispered under his breath, "I love you."

Mycroft embraced him again, holding him close, and they stayed like that for a long time in the hallway of Greg's apartment. 

They'd told each other everything.

The rest could wait.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Mystrade masterlist here

Mystrade Monday 1.0 : here

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

7. What is your favorite scene you’ve written so far?

8. What is the last scene you’ve written?

9. What is your favorite dialogue you’ve written so far?

10. What is the last line of dialogue you’ve written?

11. What scene are you most hyped for this chapter/fic?

12. What emotions do you expect your readers to feel?

13. What common trope(s) do you feel are used in this chapter/fic?

Please for the "talk to me about the wip i'm writing" <33333

Oh, Fe! You spoil me! 🥰 Thank you, my love!

I'm going to answer these for Part 2 of That’s What Family is For (Damian Wayne & Batsis!reader):

7. A lot of this is the same scene, but my favorite part so far is when Reader first wakes up after the events of Part 1 and Jason is sitting next to her bed and they have a cute little sibling back-and-forth that I am rather fond of.

8. The last scene I've written is Reader talking to Damian. He is trying to take the blame for their capture but she knows for a fact it was her fault and tells him the truth. (spoilers....)

9. (this is from the scene with Reader and Jason I mentioned in #7)

“Damn, sis. You look terrible.” You knew he was trying to keep the mood light, but you could hear the tears hiding just behind his words. Giving your best attempt at a smile, you croaked, “Even like this, I bet I still look better than you.” “Yeah, probably,” he chuckled. “That voice though…. They said it would probably be hard to speak for a few days because of the tube and–” He cut himself off, but you knew what he was going to say. Because all your screams of pain had damaged it.  Swallowing again, you tried to make your voice sound as normal as possible. “Yeah, well, you better be careful. You keep smoking all those cigarettes, this is what you’ll sound like in a few years.” “Even now you gotta hassle me about those?”

10.

Jason and Damian exchanged a worried look. Then Jason cleared his throat and said, “Yeah…. It's been eight days since you and Damian were kidnapped. They had to keep you in a medically induced coma for the first five days while they operated. Then when they brought you out, they had to dope you up with so many pain meds, you were out of it even when you were awake. And they had to up them when they removed the breathing tube and you wouldn’t stop moaning… So, yeah. It’s been a week.”

11. I'm not excited about a specific scene per say, just more the fact I wrote Part 1 over a year ago and it is still the fic I get the most asks or comments about. Part 1 was also the first fic I ever posted and so it is really special to me and I don't want Part 2 to be a disappointment or let down.

12. Hopefully the whole range of emotions: a little chuckling, a little crying, a little love for this found family, a little horror of what they have been through. You know, the usual 😂

13. Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Whump, Fluff, Found Family, Revenge, Hospital Room, Trauma Bonding, just to name a few 😘

[chaosincurate]

We are living in the best time for music since it became commodified.

I've been working on a big ol' post for the last few weeks, but I like to get out at least two posts a month here, so I thought I'd make a quick post about a bold claim, but a positive one, that I've been thinking about for a little while now: we are living in the best time for music since it became commodified.

I initially thought this when my parents were listening to the radio and I realized that there was more creativity to be gleaned from the music being played on average than I always remembered. Of course, the format is antiquated and I'm baffled as to how anyone that can afford to use anything else at all would choose to listen to the radio, but I digress. I realized that, either the lowest common denominator is more demanding now than ever before in my lifetime, or it was more viable to cater to niches.

One thing I do want to make clear before going on (tangent in green) is that I'm not talking about the financial side of music here. I'm speaking purely on the quality and creativity of the output. Economically speaking, music is a mess, and while I believe the hate for streaming as a format is overblown and over-reliant on attention grabbing statistics than reason, it'd be hard to deny that musicians do deserve a bigger slice of the pie, both in regards to the money they share with the streaming services and the money they share with their own label. And the economics of live music is still absolutely fucked too. But you know all this, lets get back to my hot take.

My reasoning for why I believe the title's statement to be true is quite simple: I don't think we've ever had this high a quality of music on every level of popularity. Whether an artist is a no-name, a popular niche act, or a superstar, there is a good chance that they will be putting out decent music and I believe it's never been so unlikely that it is a mere vehicle for cynical monetary gain.

Point 1: Democratization of Music Creation

It would be possible to argue that the reason I find music to be so good right now is simply because there is so much more, and that generally good stuff is more likely to be heard. Although I don't believe it is as simple as "good music rises to the top", I would agree that the democratization of music plays a big role.

Some might view that cynically, as a simple case of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks, but I view it more optimistically. I prefer to see this massive spike in music released and think of all the artists that are now able to get their ideas into the world.

Point 2: Widespread Opportunity for Exploration and Inspiration (Artists)

This is, I think, the most important point. We are now seeing artists come through who were using streaming services in their most formative years for music taste, and by extension, inspiration. That means we are currently seeing artists who, in comparison to their predecessors, are far more exposed to a larger range of musical styles, which makes them less bound to each individual one. I believe that leads to artists who are able to wield more tools to evoke an emotion within the listener far more effectively.

Point 3: Widespread Opportunity for Exploration and Inspiration (Listeners)

It's a very similar point to the last one, but it is itself significant. That being the point that audiences have a broader palette than they used to, which I believe is the biggest reason that pop music in particular has been so interesting compared to previous decades. The most popular music around isn't nearly as beholden to trends, and even when trends do exist, they are as interesting as the trends in any other time in music history.

So those are my general thoughts on how music has become what I believe to be the best it's been since it became commodified. Just a quick one to satiate that part of my brain that was telling me to get another post out. What do you think? Am I delusional? Do you agree? Why? I'd love to hear people's thoughts.

[sardonic-the-writer]

cc!Tubbo x Reader

━"Keyboard Love"

━Tubbo

━Tw: None

━Notes: Some fucking fluff let's goooo

━Song: "Your New Boyfriend" By Wilbur Soot

This was nerve-racking.

Tubbo was currently sitting in the worn leather seats in his car, bouncing his knee up and down nervously. The brown hair teenager fiddled with his hands while taking calming breaths that did nothing to ease the nervous ball of emotions in his gut. It felt like a combination of soupy dread and butterflies. No, more like the butterflies were drowning in the soup. Yeah...that's it.

He looked out the window of his car at a large yellow and blue sign that blared into his eyes violently. It read 'Best Buy' with the most bolded font that the company could possibly find. Tubbo studied it meticulously in an attempt to stall. But to no avail. The feeling of apprehension stuck to him like fly-paper.

He finally took a deep breath and clenched his hand into a tight fist.

"Okay. You can do this." He whispered strongly. Tubbo held his head high as he opened the shiny car door. Jumping out with a false air of confidence, he locked his car before strolling up to the obnoxious blue building. Maybe if he acted like he knew what he was doing, he could fool himself as well as others.

The doors opened with a familiar ding, the sound of stereotypical watered down store music meeting his ears. Tubbo glanced around the bright white and tan store for a second before snapping his eyes back to the front. There wasn't really a point in looking around anymore. He practically showed up here every week.

Scratch that, he did show up here every week. But for a good reason.

Walking up to the closest help desk that was positioned by the glass double doors he had just come through, Tubbo rang the rusty little bell they had resting on the marble surface. It took a second for anyone to show up, but when they did he was ready.

"Yeah? How can I help- oh. It's you again."

A girl with shining eyes and messy hair had appeared from the back. She stuck her head around with a perfect customer service smile at first, but when she saw Tubbo it instantly melted into more of a genuine one.

She had on the standard Best Buy uniform with a name tag reading 'Hi! My Name Is: (Y/n)!' Her name was surrounded by doodles and smiley faces. But from the looks of her stained overalls underneath it, she would much rather be wearing something else besides the store's apron.

Tubbo looked up at her face with a sort of glow to him, trying not to look like a weirdo by smiling too hard. He immediately dived into a little speech, sounding like he had practiced this a couple of times.

"I've been having some trouble with my keyboard lights and I was hoping you could tell me how to fix that." Tubbo cleared his throat, trying to silently will his voice not to crack. (Y/n) emerged fully from behind the doorframe she had been peeking out of, waltzing up to the counter while rubbing her hands together with a misheviosu smile. The grin was one of someone who had worked around mechanics much before. You could tell by the permanent looking grease and oil stains on her hands that she was perfectly fine with getting her hands dirty too look at a piece of machinery.

"Sure! What model did you buy, or do you not know?" She asked, blowing a strand of frayed hair out of her mouth with a string huff. By the looks of her newly calloused hands and popping joints, she had been stocking something in the back for quite a bit.

"Im, er, not exactly sure. It had a lot of fancy fonts on the manual and that was kind of hard to read." He mumbled that last part. Dyslexia wasn't the most convenient thing to have. But (Y/n) just nodded her head as if to say 'I know how you feel man'.

"Sure. That happens to me all the time dude. I can give you some tips on how to get it back up and running, but they're going to be a bit more vague since I don't know the exact model we're working with.. I mean, you could always buy another keyboard, but that's really expensive." She weighed the two options out for him. Tubbo nodded quickly, not really caring. He could afford to buy another keyboard with how well his streams have been picking up lately, but that isn't the point.

In fact, his keyboard isn't actually broken. Tubbo just needed a new excuse to come and see the worker this week.

"Okay." (Y/n) jumped right into it, rambling about the latest chip designs, color types, cracked codes, and all sorts of things Tubbo had trouble keeping up with. They leaned on the counter nonchalauntly while talking up a storm. It almost seemed impossible that a person could get out that many words a minute.

By the end of it, his head was spinning.

"That sounds great. I'll be sure to try and look at all that when I get home." He lied with a shaky smile. (Y/n) smiled too, but she looked like she was hiding something from him. (In a good sort of way of course.)

"Look, I'm not really supposed to do this, but I can give you my number in case you need to talk to me outside my job. With how much you end up coming here, I think you might need it." She said with a small laugh. Tubbo fell silent, watching as she reached for a fat marker to scribble some random number on a slip of scrap paper.

"Y-yeah, That, um, that sounds great." He squeaked. She snickered, sliding the paper over after a second.

He picked it up gingerly, like the material might disintegrate if he clutched it too hard. Tubbo went a little red as he tossed a wordless wave in the air. He spun on his heel, walking off with red cheeks.

That had gone better than he expected. Tubbo never even thought he would get that far, but who was he to say anything? The boy should have expected such a sweet and caring girl as herself to offer such a thing.

Practically throwing himself back into his car with a beaming smile, Tubbo snagged the strip of thin paper from his pocket. Inspecting the writing like an angel themself had written it, Tubbo happened to notice the faint outline of more black marker seeping in from the back. Turning over the item with a curious gaze, he read the message on the flip side.

You don't have to keep pretending that something is wrong with your Pc. Just call me dude. I think you're pretty handsome too :)

Tubbo's mouth dropped open in embarrassment. She had known this entire time?!?

He looked like the equivalent to a tomato right now, the tips of his hear heating up in a vibrant red you would have been a fool to miss.

With the feeling of embarrassment slowly becoming overpowered with a sense of admiration, Tubbo let loose a sickly sweet smile at this new discovery.

Needless to say, his contact list already had a new edition by the time he'd pulled out of the parking lot.

Two updates in one fucking day lets goooooooo

I feel so good about myself right now. Also, ummm, take care of yourself please. I'll shank your ass with a spoon if you dont <3

Please dont cry mate. I love you, if that helps at all

Have a day as wonderfull as yourself. If I need to beat anyone up for you, just tell me :D

This isnt edited as of right now by the way. So excuse any shitty grammer and spelling errors please

1326 words

-WayToSarcastic

[yutanology]

Promise Me | Yandere! Nakamoto Yuta X Fem!Reader

Warning : 18+, possessive, foul behaviours, sexual content(nothing biggie), mental illness, death, etc. No proofread. Please, don't be too harsh on me. I'm still new and this is my first ever one shot/fanfiction here :)

Word count : 2.4k+

"Could you just stop?" Y/n whisper shouted at her seatmate who had been bothering her since this morning.

It's not like this is new to her or to anyone in their class but today, he seemed to be more clingy and touchy than he usually was and she found it quite unusual.

By the time she stepped into the school campus this morning, he abandoned his game with his friends on the soccer field just to greet her with his dashing smile and a nice warm hug.

She didn't mind it at first as she was already used to it but when she thought he's going to leave her alone after that, he followed her around instead like a lost puppy. She could almost see a furry tail happily wagging behind him.

Everywhere she goes, he's there right beside her. Either his hands were holding hers or his arms were wrapped around her lower waist. Some people were jealous or happy when they thought they're finally officially together and when someone questioned their relationship, Y/n would immediately respond saying they're just friends while Yuta would say otherwise, leaving them confused.

He was still attached to her during her classes and even ditched his just to be with her. The teachers could only sigh in defeat and shake their head. They knew that whatever they say, there's nothing they can do to make the stubborn guy follow their orders.

At the end, he'd always get what he wants.

The Japanese boy glanced at her side profile. His head was laying on top of his other hand. Seeing her brows furrowed irritatedly, he stopped for a moment before continuing to twirl a few strands of her silky hair between his long fingers.

It doesn't look like he has any plans of keeping his hands to himself at all. She'd been trying to get rid of him for countless times and she failed with all of those useless attempts. She's so close of getting angry at him but she doesn't want to lash out on him and seem like a bad person.

With her another sigh passing through her soft reddish lips, she looked at the clock on the wall. ‘Just five minutes more, Y/n. Just a little more patience, you can do it.’ she tried to convince herself. By those five minutes, she let Yuta play with her hair.

When the school bells rang and echoed around the campus, she immediately fixed her things and rushed out of the classroom before the teacher could even dismiss them. The corridors are already crowded and she could only hope that Yuta wouldn't be able to follow after her this time.

She decided to go to the restroom and stayed there until she was certain that Yuta's nowhere around her. He's really acting weird and she couldn't understand why. Whenever she asked what's wrong with him, he'd always say the same thing like 'I'm fine. It's all in your mind.’

His gaze, the way he looks at her also felt different this time. She felt something uneasy somewhere in the pit of her stomach or maybe there's something wrong with 𝘩𝘦𝘳. Maybe she's just overthinking way too much since that's what she always do mostly when she doesn't get enough sleep and she stayed up late last night.

That's right... these shit are all just in her head.

She released an exhausted sigh and turned the faucet on to wash her face, hoping that it would also wash her frustrations away. She reached for a handkerchief from her bag and wiped her face dry as she made her way out of the comfort room.

Her heart almost jumped out of her ribs when she found Yuta standing just a single step from the exit. She gasped and her hand immediately flew to her chest in surprise. "Yah! Stop scaring me like that!" she yelled and he only chuckled in amusement.

"I've been waiting for you. What took you so long?" he asked her, locking his hand on hers as he lead her to the canteen. Eyes of the people they passed by were immediately on them like they're more interesting than the lessons that their teachers taught them.

"Wait, why were you waiting for me?" confusion was evident on her face.

"So we can eat together for lunch, of course. Come on, we don't have all the time. Classes are going to start after forty minutes." he casually said, pulling her closer to him when they walked passed a group of boys and he didn't fail to notice the way they looked at Y/n.

He didn't like it, not even a bit.

Y/n seriously couldn't count how many times she sighed at how she always end up letting Yuta do whatever he wanted to do with her. From the simple hand holds to sudden random kisses that he pepper on her face. No matter how hard she tried to push him off, he'd always stick himself even more closer to her.

It was like that for the passed weeks and it was honestly so tiring as hell. Yuta just won't leave her alone even when she goes to the restroom, he would insist to wait outside the cubicle that she had to push him away and lock the main door of the room.

She could barely talk to other people peacefully as he would shoo them away immediately and ask them to leave her alone. It was so frustrating and she's getting fed up of his unexplained foolish practices.

She's well aware that the guy likes her more than just a friend and she also can't deny that she's attracted to him but these behaviours of his are just too much for her.

The said dirty blonde haired Japanese guy was sitting closely beside her, his chin rested on her right shoulder as he watched her turn pages of the book that she's reading. He wasn't paying attention to the words written on the dead leaves. His eyes stared at her small hands, wondering how they would feel like around his cock—

"Yuta." the guy's ears perked up when she said his name. Snaking his arms around her waist, he pulled her to his chest and planted a kiss on her neck. Her cheeks heated at the unexpected skin contact but she tried her best to ignore the butterflies that he's giving her.

She's planning to finally confront him and she had to make him stop whatever he's doing cuz it's no fun at all. It's not entertaining and she's not amused at all. "Yuta." he hummed, his kisses getting wet and he started to graze his teeth on her skin, lightly nibbling on them until he finally bit hard enough to leave a mark.

A whimper tried to escape her mouth but she's fast enough to bite her lower lip, trapping the sound until it disappeared on it's own. He was disappointed when she didn't make any sound for him, thinking that he didn't do well enough to make her feel good so he ran the tip of his tongue on her neck.

His hot minty breath heated her skin and tingles spread around her body when he blew her sensitive ear, nibbling her earlobe and placing a kiss on one of her flushed cheeks. His hands wandered under her blouse, caressing the side of her hips with his thumb.

He slowly dragged his large hands up under her breasts and just when he was about to touch them, Y/n pulled away from him. A low whine and groan simultaneously erupted from him, complaining at the lose of skin contact from her.

Y/n looked around the library if someone saw them and she was thankful that no one was there but only them. She straightened her blouse, closing the book and stood up. "Where are you going?" he also stood up from his seat, ready to follow her wherever she's going.

She didn't answer him. She slung one of her bag's strap on her shoulder, walking away with the book and placed it back to where she took it. Yuta was quick to keep up with her steps, confused of why she was suddenly in a hurry.

When they finally got out of the library, she stopped at the nearby bleachers where students barely pass by and turned to him with an exasperated sigh, "Yuta, seriously, what's wrong with you?" the way she questioned him came out more stressed out than how she wanted it to be.

Yuta blinked his eyes a few times as if he's trying to figure out what she meant. "What do you mean, what's wrong with me? I'm totally fine. Are you okay?" it was his turn to ask her, walked close to her and placed a hand on her forehead.

"Are you sick? You don't seem fine to me. Let me take you to the clinic—"

"Yuta, stop." she stepped away from him before he could even hold her hand. He halted, his brows met as his eyes stared at her worryingly.

"Stop whatever you're doing to me and please, leave me alone. I also need some time for myself and other people around me, alright? You can't keep me from interacting with anyone. This is honestly suffocating, Yuta. We can't keep doing this."

He felt like his heart shattered into tiny pieces. His chest tightened and his airways narrowed, making him unable to breath properly. Without him knowing, tears were already streaming down his cheeks.

Y/n was taken aback at this, immediately feeling guilty for making him cry. She didn't expect him to be this emotional for his appearance.

"Look, I'm sorry but—"

"D-don't you love me anymore, Y/n?" He didn't let her finish her words, leaving her speechless at the question.

Her mouth left agape, struggling to find the right words to tell him. "Did you find someone else better than me that's why you're planning to leave me, is that it?" more salty water poured out of his eyes.

"Yuta, w-what are you talking about? We're not in a relationship to begin with."

"Then let's be together officially! Just you and me, Y/n. I'll do anything just to be with you. I promise, I'll be the best boyfriend you'll ever have. I'll give you everything you want—" he held her arms, "—just promise me I'll be the only one you'll ever love and want to be with. Promise me, Y/n. Promise me!"

Yuta secured his arms around her, holding onto her desperately. Scared that if he lets go, he might lose her. He can't let that happen. Like what he said, he'll do whatever it takes just to have her.

All for himself.

"Y-you have to promise me, Y/n."

Her head was clouded with a lot of thoughts. She was barely thinking straight and her emotions also messed up with her. She really likes Yuta. The increasing speed of her heartbeat and the butterflies flying around her stomach with euphoria whenever she's with him didn't lie at all but it felt wrong.

These feelings didn't feel right.

She pulled herself away from him and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Yuta..." that was all she said before she left him without even looking back at him.

She had no idea how it broke him and how it made him do things that a normal person wouldn't do. He saw nothing but red after she disappeared from his sight. Everyone who tried to touch or talk to her the next day suddenly disappeared, a minute after they left somewhere else.

At first, she didn't think much about it until the number of people disappearing quickly increased and made everyone alarmed. All schools around the place were forced to close for a moment and people were told to stay at home with tight security to keep them safe.

Everyone was scared including Y/n, of course.

It made her so anxious that she could barely sleep at night. One morning, a knock on her door echoed around her silent apartment and she panicked, quickly hiding on her bedroom.

She almost peed her pants in fear when the knocking and ringing of doorbells continued for minutes. Her phone went off on her nightstand and she ran to it. Yuta's calling.

Without a second thought, she answered it with trembling voice. "Y-yuta..."

"Y/n, are you okay? Please open your door for me, I have to make sure you're safe. I'm the one outside your house."

And that was all it took for him to be with her. Make her scared to be outside, convince her that everyone is dangerous and he's the only one who can protect her.

Whenever he goes outside to buy food and other necessities for the both of them, he'd always return with a small cut or bruises and it made Y/n scared that she might lose him too.

He's all she had left.

He made her thought of that. He's all and everything she could ever need. She'd be nothing without him.

"Do you love me?" he asked and she nodded silently.

"If you really do, promise me that you'll love me and only me, Y/n. I wanna hear it from you." Yuta looked at her straight in the eyes when he said those words.

"I promise." his heart raced inside his chest.

A smile stretched out on his plump lips. "I love you, Y/n. So much than you could ever imagine." He meant it. He always had and always will. He leaned his body closer to her, locking his lips with hers and they moved in sync.

This is paradise to him.

He couldn't explain how much happy he's right now. With her here in his arms, it's the only place where she's safe. He watched her drift off to sleep, he kissed her forehead when her eyes finally closed.

He could look at her like this forever. The love bites that he painted on her skin looks so beautiful. She's like the most beautiful painting he'd ever seen and she deserve to be placed on his art gallery but she's only for him to be looked at.

He sighed dreamily as he continued to press more kisses on her neck. He successfully made her love him. There's nothing he could ask for, now that her naked body is already tangled with him under their soft blanket.

He could only hope that she'd keep her words and stay true to him.

Feedbacks are pretty much appreciated and requests are open! Feel free to share your thoughts!

I will not always be active but I will try my best to attend each of your requests and to also interact with y'all.

I apologize for not being word-perfect in English. English sadly ain't for me—

[downwiththemutantnjnjaturtles]

We Met Within This Screen (chapt. 2)

[Donnie x fem reader]

Sfw, part 1 here

Intellectually, Donnie was the best matchup for their leader as today was sparring day. He'd gone against his oldest brother many times, sometimes even coming out the victor himself, but today was just not his day.

He held his staff with that iron grip of his and waited for Leo to come at him. Donnie was more on the defensive than any of his brothers; he had to be. Out of all he was weakest physically but superior in calculations, but he was missing range in this matchup. Leo had a hard time disarming him as his katana could sometimes get lodged in the solid wood staff, giving Donnie leverage to perform the finisher in the short time it took him to dislodge his sword. He thought this time would be how that would happen.

"You're slow today, Donnie," Leo said as he lunged at his brother with a swing of his katana, forcing Donnie to step back. He was too focused on blocking Leo's rapid succession of attacks to respond.

Leo reeled back to swing his blade again but Donnie parried and struck his arm with his staff, shoving it aside. For a split second, Leo actually thought he was fixing to go down by this move if Donnie could hit him again quick enough. But his brother hesitated in thought, and without any reluctance himself, he used his other katana to put him in a compromising position. The match was over and Donnie was forced to stand down.

"Why did you hesitate?" Leo questioned him, lowering his blade. Raph watched from the sidelines with Mikey as they prepared to go up next. Since Leo was the winner, it was Raph's turn next to spar in his younger brother's place.

Donnie huffed and dropped his stance, putting his staff away. "It's just an off day," he replied. Splinter wasn't there to dictate today's training session and tournament, so Donnie was already on his way out to go to his lab by the time Raph stepped up to spar. But Leo sheathed his sword and put a hand on Donnie's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"You've been pretty eager to run back to your lab lately," Leo said matter-of-factly. He was wondering what was going on, why Donnie seemed weirdly distant the last couple of weeks. He had gone through a very withdrawn phase in earlier times upon entering his teenage years, but now, he was legitimately making everyone guess. He didn't snap at his brothers, and he wasn't any more impatient than usual. But something was different. He'd been spending a lot more time holed up in his lab, which everyone began to notice. Leo wanted to know what was wrong.

Donnie shifted and shrugged, "Like I said, I've been busy with some projects. Also, it's not like I have much to do out here beside training and patrol."

Leo opened his mouth to speak, but Mikey jumped on between them. "You missed game night last week! You never miss it," he butted in. Both Donnie and Leo gave him a look as if to say really? and he added in, "Well, uh...not usually."

Gently moving Mikey aside, Leo wanted to continue, but he saw Donnie staring at him expecting a follow-up when he didn't really have one. Whatever this was, Leo knew that coming at Donnie with questions was not the way to go about it. So he stepped back and gave his brother some space.

"We all have off days," Leo said finally after an awkward moment of silence. "Just work on your speed, Don."

"Got it."

With that, Donnie turned to leave, and Raph entered the ring to go against Leo in the last match of the night.

Once Donnie was gone, Leo got ready to spar with Raph. As they got into position, he contemplated bringing this recent development up with the other two, but decided against it in the end. He didn't want to incriminate Donnie, especially with Raph's assertive approach to handling things. Donnie could be somewhat flighty at times when it came to resolving matters of emotion, at times a little too introspective, but Leo couldn't fault him—he had his own struggles with that very thing, too.

Done, finally, Donnie thought as he skirted into his lab and started up the game. He was late to the party quite literally; training lasted longer than he'd thought, and he was disappointed to see that his newest friend was online, but not responding to his invite. Did everyone get together and play without him? After a few minutes, he almost decided on giving up. The instance made him contemplate whether he even wanted to continue this. Perhaps he'd been too eager.

He sighed. And then the menu pinged, and he was there reading the message in an instant.

Hey, sorry I partied up without you, I just didn't know if you were gonna be on or not :/

Without even thinking, he licked his lips typed back, repeatedly deleting and retyping his message to make sure it was casual but not too casual, apologetic but not desperate—

It's okay, don't worry about it

Likewise sorry it took me so long to get here.

That would do. He'd be lying to say he wasn't feeling that flutter in his stomach; the excitement of something new got to him in a way that only a discovery in his research did, or how he felt when he mastered a new technique in his training.

Let's get started then :)

They started the game, and this time he kept the mic on, as she did. They talked back and forth as they fought creatures and enemies and looted things, eventually coming to learn that she herself was in New York City. He was surprised; suddenly, the world felt a lot smaller, and he couldn't concentrate on just playing after that. The time they spent became more of an opportunity to converse than to play a mundane game for hours on end.

At some point, she switched the topic to his whereabouts. Donnie's breath hitched.

"I'm...not anywhere near. So it doesn't really matter," he told her, cringing. If the guys found out—if Splinter found out—he would be in such trouble.

"Oh," she paused for a moment, trying to find something to say. "That's alright, I don't want you to feel like you have to tell me, you know?"

He'd muted his mic to release a deep breath. He got lost in thought thinking about how in that moment, he wanted to be human. If he weren't a giant mutant turtle, he could actually form a connection with someone. It was a very "Mikey" thing to think, he reckoned, but at times he wanted friends just like his brother did.

"Yeah, sorry, I just…"

"It's really no problem, dude."

He felt as though he could hear the smile in her voice. What did she look like, he wondered. He wanted to see her, but he couldn't ask for that when he could never do the same. If he could get her name, he'd be in the clear to do some preliminary lookups on this person, but so far, she'd been dodgy about sharing info about herself as well. He couldn't blame her. They were two strangers online, one with a huge secret and the other completely in the dark about who he truly was. For all she knew, he could have been a creep, looking to stalk her online and perhaps do even worse. The thought made him feel almost nauseous, how she could be considering that about him as a possibility as they spoke. But she seemed comfortable enough. Unlike him, who was still slightly skeptical of the entire thing, because after spending his whole life in practical isolation, he was at a loss as to what to say or do after a certain point. The conversation died off and both of them thought simultaneously about how weird the sudden silence between them felt.

She hummed, as if searching for something to bring up. When she spoke, he was taken aback—"Hey, I'm gonna be honest, I really like talking to you but this game is getting boring. Do you wanna chat somewhere else?"

"Uh…" he trailed off, mind shooting blanks. Oh, was it just a horrible idea. He couldn't keep the jig up forever; the truth was bound to get revealed somewhere down the line. He was fixing to reject the proposition, tell her that he didn't want to take it that far. She could be anyone. The likelihood of it being a clever ruse on account of the Foot Clan was slim, but the paranoia still worked ambiently in the background noise of his mind. But his other doubt stopped him—when would he ever have a chance at this again? He wanted to have the strength to say no and leave it at that. The loneliness that crept up on him from time to time had something else to say.

"Yeah," he answered after a terribly long pause of mumbling, fighting with himself all the way as she told him where to add her. He could have kicked himself had it not been for the fact that he knew how to encrypt data, and that as long as he didn't leak a word about his inner circle or life, it would be okay. It didn't feel okay, though.

"Nice! I'll text you, see you later, Bo. I had a lot of fun tonight," she chirped.

Before he could respond, she was gone from the party, and the mic went silent. It happened so fast. He was barely caught up with the fact that he was now receiving messages and prompts to talk, but he couldn't bring himself to answer right away. He had to refocus his logic; how could this be used by the enemy as a way to get to them? Could they have somehow anticipated he'd download this game and find this random on there? The more the thought about it, the more glaringly obvious it was that it was not the case. It was just too improbable.

"The probability of the Foot being able to simulate such a specific scenario in order to get intel on us is so slim, it is practically non-existent," he told himself as he finally pulled up the messages. He read through them. "Approximately a zero-point-zero-zero-zero..."

My name is (Y/N), by the way :)

Well, that was easier than expected. He figured that somehow, the name suited you—a fitting name for such a personality. But it also gave him a glimmer of hope. It made him want to ask why you appeared to trust him, as he could be anyone on the Earth over the screen, not his benevolent self. Which she had no way of proving, technically. But he soon came to realize the screen painted him in a whole new light that it casted on him. It hit then that he could be anyone. He didn't have to be himself; not necessarily. She'd never have to know, as he could wear a human mask and she'd be none the wiser. Problem was, the lying made him feel guilty, and slowly would develop to be the thorn in his side.

Donnie thoughtfully stared at the screen. Now that he was here, some of his anxiety began to fade. He found himself actually able to talk, someone to listen to his tangents and even build upon them. They spent hours texting back and forth about anything and everything until it was almost time for him to put the phone down to leave for patrol. He felt giddy, like a kid, all over again.

________________________________________

Had you ever been able to talk to someone this easily?

You asked yourself that question as you exchanged with the faceless and nameless stranger over your screen, chatting from afternoon to night. Time flew by in an instant, with him, and you loved every minute. He was someone intellectual, but funny and so easy to talk to that it was as though the conversation carried itself. After some time he came out about his age after you revealed yours. Oftentimes, he'd just present to you a random question when the subject tapered off and run with it, like now:

What do you think of reptiles?

Puzzled, you took a second to reply. Odd question.

Why do you ask? Do you have one?

I was just curious

What do you think of them?

The chat indicator flip-flopped between "typing" and "idle" a few times before a message finally popped up, and you smiled. You'd learned over this short time that he was a dork in a cute way.

Well...I think they're pretty cool.

They've got natural armor and you would be surprised to know just how fast a turtle can be

You laughed a little to yourself. It was such a random thing to bring up, yet you were endeared. Deciding you'd go along with it, you asked him what else he knew about turtles.

Well...

__________________________________________________

Donnie was wondering what he was talking about just as much as she probably was. Stupid, he thought, facepalming. His first time really speaking with a human as an equal and he starts talking about turtles. Of course he knew a lot about them, he was one himself—but for some reason he found himself wanting to dispel myths and misunderstandings about turtles as if they reflected on him, when as far as she knew, he was just a human guy like herself.

He groaned lightly and typed, thinking up a fact that wasn't too conspicuous.

Red eared sliders are semi-aquatic.

As he typed the next part, he caught himself writing "we" instead of "they", to his dismay. He quickly fixed the error and continued, feeling weirdly exposed as it was almost as though in sharing this information, he was putting himself under a microscope for her to inspect.

They can hold their breath for up to thirty minutes, usually

Holding his breath was something he'd tested numerous times before. He and his brothers had actually made a game out of it on a few occasions, with Leo leading at thirty-three minutes, Donnie in second at thirty-one. Raph broke at twenty-nine minutes and Mikey followed behind in last at just twenty-seven. The ability could be trained, nonetheless.

That's interesting, I wonder what it's like to be able to go underwater so long?

It's kind of cool, you should try sometime

For THIRTY MINUTES?

Shit. He promptly replied:

No—not like I can hold my breath that long, I just mean you should try to see sometime I guess

I tested it just for the fun of it.

Looking up how long humans could hold their breath on average (between thirty seconds and two minutes), he bumped the number up a little bit and added:

Personally, I'm at two minutes and forty-five seconds

He was embarrassed, partially covering his face as he waited for a response. Such a foolish slip-up; he couldn't afford to say anything cryptic. But he still was fairly sure that he had recovered that alright. He couldn't help but think about how awkward or weird he seemed to her. Who talked about this?

I don't think I could hold my breath for more than a minute, kudos to you haha

Anyway, sorry to switch gears all of a sudden but if you don't mind me asking, what's up with your family? You have any siblings?

He told her no. He would not bring his brothers into this, lest it be the slim chance of a ploy, after all. He said his family situation was unconventional and left it at that.

With that, he said to her goodnight and put his phone away, getting up to go get geared for patrol. It was only then he noticed the figure leaning against the doorway.

Chapter 3

[darthkruge]

Hi! I've seen that in your recent post you've been trying to make characters more gender neutral which I think is awesome! I'm gonna try and make my request gender neutral as well! I was wondering if you could do a criminal minds imagine (I'll let you choose the character that you wanna write it for cus I love Morgan, Hotch, and Reid equally) where the reader was taken by the unsub but they found her right before the unsub tried to (tw) k!ll the reader. If possible can the end be kinda fluffy♡

Spencer Reid x Reader ~ Maybe

Summary: The classic kidnapping fic where the reader is taken by the unsub and Spencer finds them. Fluffy, comfort-filled ending <3

Warnings: Angst, language, violence, blood, guns, knives, torture, near-death experience, kidnapping in general, (happy ending I promise)

Words: 2.2k

A/N: Hey!! I’m so sorry, please don’t hate me for taking so long to get to this!! And thank you for making your request gender neutral, too! That’s so thoughtful and sweet! And I decided to go with Spencer, although I also love them all. And yes the end will definitely be fluffy, as the angst with a happy/fluffy ending is basically my brand at this part. Thank you for requesting and, again, I’m so sorry for making you wait, I hope you like this!

You woke up and could only register pain. Well, pain and cold. Mind numbing, cuts to your bones, pierces your brain, cold. You tried to look around and get a sense of your surroundings but it was so dark; you could barely make out the shadows in the room, let alone any defining details.  

Judging by the old, dirty smell, you guessed you were in a barn or shed somewhere. You had no idea where; the asshole must have knocked you out. You’d been working the case for weeks. The team thought they found some DNA and were tailing the guy, but it didn’t pan out and, since then, the trail had basically been cold. But then you finally figured out what number to trace, cracked his encoded router, and got a license plate and ID. George Craig. On your way to tell the team, he had messed with your car and was able to jump you. Fuck, you hated him. 

Even so, you refused to give up. You had faith in your team and, most of all, you had faith in Spencer. Your brilliant, gorgeous boyfriend. You loved him more than anything and there was no one in the world you’d want on the case more than him. You knew the team was already looking for you, as it was only 10am when he got you and it was probably at least 7pm now, judging by the temperature and darkness. 

You tried to move your arms but your shoulders screamed in protest. You felt the chains around your legs and the handcuffs binding you to a pole above you. Judging from the pain, your shoulder was almost definitely dislocated. You were sitting at an awkward angle and could already feel your joints tightening. The frigid air definitely wasn’t helping, making your muscles contract and body stiff. 

“Hello, Agent L/N”

Your entire body stilled at that moment, sheer panic running through your veins. Stay calm, Y/N, stay calm. You tried to will air into your lungs, forcing deep breaths even though the terror was screaming at you to close up. You knew this man fed on fear and, thus, your best chance of survival was to pretend you were unphased. Even so, the logic felt severely discomforting with him standing above you, knife and gun in hand. 

“George. What the fuck do you want from me?” Your voice was venomous, the pure hate for him clearly pictured on your face. You decided that if an emotion was going to show, you preferred hate to fear. 

“My, my, my, look at you! I thought you were supposed to be smart. Or is that trait left for your boyfriend. Agent Reid, was it?”

Your blood ran cold. “Leave him out of this.”

“Ohhh, looks like I’ve hit a nerve, haven’t I?” The man had a horrifying smirk on his face, clearly enjoying your struggle. 

You glared at him. “You never answered my question”

“Oh, yes!” George chuckled, “What the fuck do you want from me?” He said, mimicking your voice mockingly. “To kill you, of course. To take you away from Spencer, from the team. To make them feel the pain of losing someone, just like I lost-” 

He trailed off and you saw his eyes burn with anger. And under that anger, you knew there was pain. Even so, you couldn’t feel bad for this man, regardless of who he’d lost. You knew that at the slightest hint of your empathy, he’d take advantage of it and kill you on the spot. 

“You know what? Death would be too easy for you. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me to put you out of your misery. Then, and only then, will I shoot you. I will watch the blood run out of the bullet hole and smile, knowing the pain I caused you and your precious team.”

You wanted to cry, the fear pulling at you. Once again, you pushed it down and channeled your rage. Rage because you were in this situation. Rage because this man had ended so many lives. Rage because you were powerless right now. Rage because holy fuck your shoulder hurt. Gathering the fury, you spat at him. 

George’s mouth twisted into a sneer as he brought his leg up and slammed it into your chest. You heaved, the wind knocked out of you. Before you could grasp the air you so desperately needed, George kicked you again. And again. And again. You could feel the bruises forming, your ribs throbbing painfully.

He pulled his fist up and pummeled it into your cheek. Your left cheekbone busted open on impact and your lip split as he backhanded the other side of your face. He slammed the butt of his gun into your temple and your vision swayed, body crumpling as far in on itself as it could, given the restraints. 

He kicked at your legs repeatedly, both of them twisting at painful angles. You felt yourself start to black out, the pain unbearable. Every inch of your skin was ablaze, every muscle felt like it had been sledgehammered. Your bones ached, your body numb from his onslaught, the freezing cold, and the restrictive bonds you’d been in for hours. 

Finally, he took a moment to stop. He looked at you, at your barely conscious and recognizable state. You were beaten to a pulp, your face and body bloodied and broken. You could feel yourself wanting to give in but forced yourself to stay. For yourself, for Spencer, for the team. For that future you always talked about with him. For the house you were saving for, for the dogs and cats and animals you might one day get. For the family you might decide to have. For the idea of peace, you fought. 

George picked up the gun and pointed it at your head. A shot rang free and you braced yourself, a single tear running down your cheek as you realized you would never see your love again. Your ears rang and you felt like time had slowed. You knew the bullet would hit you. Until-

“Y/N, Y/N!” Your name was being called, the gentle yet panicked voice cutting through the ringing in your head. You tentatively opened your eyes and saw George’s body on the floor, blood oozing out of him. You slowly moved your eyes around, trying to take in your surroundings. 

Everything was overwhelming. Nothing was registering properly in your brain. It was just sounds filtering in an out, vision flickering. You felt like you were floating through the ringing in your ears. Tears ran down your cheeks as you shook. You didn’t know why you were shaking. The cold. The shock, you reasoned. Both seemed likely. It was like there was an overwhelming sense of calm. Your body was shutting down. Somehow, this gave you understanding. 

You felt the handcuffs around your wrists release and your arms dropped limply. You knew you should feel pain from your dislocated shoulder but, instead, you just let your eyes closed and felt your body fall. The last thing you remembered was coming into contact with a Kevlar vest, messy brown hair, and a familiar sense of warmth. 

When you awoke, you felt yourself being gently jostled. Your eyes slowly opened and you took in him. Spencer was looking at you, concern evident on his features.

“Hi.” You said, voice hoarse. 

“Hi, angel. Let’s get you inside, alright?”

You nodded, allowing him to help support your weight as you stepped out of the car. You leaned heavily into him, your legs badly injured. Spencer wrapped his arm snug around your waist as the two of you slowly but surely made it into your shared apartment. 

He helped you sit on the couch before moving to join you. 

“I’m surprised they let you take me home. I thought I’d wake up in a hospital, for sure.”

“They did take you there, love. You were at the hospital for a few hours but you were in and out of consciousness. You’ll heal, don’t worry. A few broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, severe bruising, sprains on your legs and ankles.”

“Plus a busted face” You add drily.

 Spencer wasn’t amused by your attempt at sarcasm. Instead, he just pushed your hair behind your ear and leaned in, pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I should have gotten there sooner, I should have been with you! If I was there, if I was quicker-”

“Spencer, please don’t blame yourself for this! No one could have known. Besides, you saved me. And I’m not just talking about that in the literal sense. When he was beating me, when I was broken down, I thought of you.  I thought of our future, our dream. Holding onto that is the only reason I didn’t give up.”

Spencer’s eyes were filled with tears as he went to gently cup your face. He couldn’t find the words to express the love and relief he felt. “I’m just glad you’re back in my arms” 

You moved to hug him but winced. Even though the doctors had patched you up pretty well, the soreness and pain lingered and probably would continue like that for at least the next couple of days. 

“Hey, it’s alright. Let’s go to bed. I think you’ll feel better once you lay down, yeah?”

“Yeah, okay.” You followed him into the room, holding his hand the entire time. Spencer noticed but didn’t mind, he knew you were just looking for comfort, exceedingly normal for what you’d just gone through. 

You laid down, settling against the pillows and fluffy blankets Spencer had prepared for you. 

“Do you need anything, baby?”

“Water?”

“Of course.” He smiled at you before moving to get up but you quickly grabbed his hand, panic overtaking you at the thought of being alone. You looked at him helplessly, hoping your gaze would convey the words that died on your tongue. 

Spencer nodded knowingly. He helped you out of bed, pulling you along with him as the two of you went to the kitchen. He wordlessly got you the drink, making sure to keep touching you the entire way. Finally, you made it back and the both of you crawled into bed. You laid on your uninjured shoulder, placing your cheek on Spencer’s chest. His arm came around you, holding you to him and drawing soothing circles into your skin. 

You closed your eyes and were immediately sent back to the shed. You tensed, pulling back. Spencer caught on and looked deeply into your eyes. “You’re safe now, Y/N. He can’t get to you anymore.”

“I know. Rationally, I know. But my brain won’t shut off. It’s like, whenever I’m not actively thinking about something else or looking at something else or hearing something else, it just comes back. Spence, I can’t- I can’t sleep. I just, I’m sure it’ll come back to me tonight.” Your voice broke, tears spilling onto your cheeks. “I don’t think I can handle reliving it and I’m so fucking exhausted. But I can’t rest because I can’t escape the nightmares.”

Spencer wanted so badly to comfort you but didn’t know what he could do. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t take the pain away. He wished he could put the trauma onto himself but, unfortunately, he was powerless. Thus, he offered understanding. He gave validation. He gave kindness and pure, nonjudgmental love. 

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m here for you and I know that doesn’t do much right now but I am. I’ll be here when the nightmares come and I’ll be here when the flashbacks try and drag you under. I’ll be here when the trauma starts to fade but suddenly reappears and I’ll be here 20 years from now, when the memory will still be real and painful but not all-consuming. I’ll be here forever, I’ll be here always. Please, tell me what to do to help you.” Spencer begged, hoping beyond all hope that there was something he could do to ease your suffering.

“Read to me?”

“Wha- what?”

“Read to me.” You repeated, more assured this time. “I’m thinking that if I can hear your voice, maybe it’ll drown out my brain. Or something. I don’t know. I just want to hear your voice, it’s soothing. Please?”

Spencer was taken aback. He didn’t think something so simple could help you. He didn’t know his sheer presence brought you that much serenity. “Yeah, of course. Of course! Yeah, any preference?”

“Not really. Whatever’s here?”

“Okay, love.” Spencer picked up his current read and began in the middle. You felt the rumble of his chest, the vibrations of his voice and felt more at ease. The anxiety was still there, the panic never far away. And yet, curled into him, his breath tickling your ear, his body warming yours, it suddenly felt alright. Like maybe you hadn’t gone through some life-altering trauma. Or maybe you had but your life wasn’t over because of it. Maybe you’d heal. Maybe, if you could find a moment of peace now, you’d find more later. Maybe? Yeah, You thought. You could work with maybe.

--

i just made a taglist so if you want to join, go ahead!

tags: 

@saltybreaddream

[youarestellarverse]

I'm going to tell a bit of a personal story.

There was a boy in my theater group. I'm going to call him Frank, because our relationship is largely what I'm using as a basis for future Frazel. Frank was shy and huge— I think he's like 6'3 now?— and stunningly beautiful, curly dark hair and luminous green eyes. He was one of the sweetest, kindest human beings I've ever known.

(I went to see the premiere of The Return of the King with him and for some reason we were talking about arachnophobia and he gets this look on his face of deep concern and goes in his sweet, soft voice, "You're frightened of spiders? ...I'll tell you when to close your eyes.")

He and I sang All I Ask Of You at a talent show thing one year. We got cast opposite each other whenever there was any opportunity to, because our chemistry was, if I do say so myself, the best chemistry between any pair of actors in the entire group. He was the Duke Orsino to my Viola and The Baker to my Baker's Wife.

We dated for a week when we were thirteen, but he was so shy he couldn't speak to me. Our entire romantic relationship was literally just us sitting next to each other in silence IRL, while he wrote the most beautiful lovely emails that made me feel like a goddamn princess. (And he still did, even after we broke up and it turned platonic. Just, his specific form of kindness and thoughtfulness was unlike anything I've seen before or since.)

Too much stress for him to continue, we discovered we were better as good friends...but like, I think if we lived in Ye Olden Dayes, we might have gotten married. We both had feelings for each other, we just knew from experience that when you're in youth theater and you date your costars things tend to turn sour really fast.

I kinda wish we could have played Anthony and Johanna. He could have done it. He had this absolutely incredible baritone— clear as a bell and always dead-on with his pitch and wonderfully emotive and rich. He could sing tenor parts and shake the fucking rafters with his high notes, but when he sang baritone I swear the birds stopped to listen.

One time when we were like sixteen, we were hanging out at our friend's house, and it was just him and me by their standup piano, and we were dicking around and he went through his entire range for me and he had five octaves. FIVE. THAT'S OBSCENELY HUGE. He has a wider range than Freddie Mercury!

Literally one of the most talented singers I've ever met.

And I think about him a lot, and about how much fun we had together and how I was going through a horrifically traumatic situation at the time, but Frank was there, and he's a huge, huge part of why I still have positive memories from my teenage theater years.

And that wouldn't have happened the same way without Stephen Sondheim.

I'm sure we would have been cast in something else, but Into The Woods was just...magic. We were perfect. I wouldn't have been a quarter as good without his voice floating around mine or his comedic timing snapping in at the exact right moments to make the audience cry laughing with our lines.

He literally joined a circus. Last I checked, he was working as an acrobat. I hope he's found bliss beyond measure. He was always on my side. Always.

Hard to see the light now. Just don't let it go. Things will come out right now. We can make it so.

Someone is on your side. No one is alone.

-Stephen Sondheim, 1930-2021

[emluvsevermore]

Him (40’s stucky)

{ rb is great, but do not repost somewhere else without credit to me. do not steal my work }

originally posted on Wattpad. you can find my whole collection of stucky one-shots there. username is @/thatenbywitch107

wc: 1,437

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I'll be back," Bucky said, ruffling Steve's hair. "Don't worry."

"Bucky, it's war. I have a right to worry."

The newly drafted soldier tried to fake a smile, but his boyfriend saw right through it. Luckily, he had the perfect thing to cheer him up.

Steve pulled a small metal object out of his pocket. He held it out to Bucky, who took it.

"What's this?" he said, inspecting it. It was a seemingly blank dog tag, save for three symbols pressed into the metal: S + B.

"Do you like it? I figured a picture of me would be too risky, and this way, you can make up any girls name that starts with S—,"

He was cut off by Bucky crushing him in a hug. Steve tried to hold the tears back but gave up when he heard Bucky sniffling. They held each other as they broke down. Bucky pressed his nose into Steve's hair, eyes squeezed shut. He hated crying, but it was an almost inevitable action. In a few minutes, he would be leaving the best part of his life behind to fend for himself in a city full of danger and disease. Meanwhile, he would be off fighting in a war that he didn't actually want to fight, with a slim chance of returning.

"Bucky... you need to go."

He shook his head profusely. "No..."

"Buck," Steve's voice cracked. "I'll be okay."

The brunette shook with emotion, but slowly pulled out of the embrace. He tucked the tag into his front pocket before turning back to Steve. He held his face in his hands. The couple shared a kiss mixed with salty tears.

Bucky pulled away only slightly, so that their lips still brushed when he spoke. "I love you, Stevie."

"I love you, too, Bucky."

///

He tucked behind a tree. Knowing his chances of survival were close to none, Bucky pulled out the dog tags that were tucked beneath his uniform. He ran his fingers over the extra tag on the chain, feeling the gentle bumps of the 'S + B'.

A bullet flew by, mere inches from Bucky's ear. He aimed his gun, but another soldier in his unit put a hand on his arm and shook his head.

"It's not worth it, Barnes. We're surrounded."

Hesitantly, Bucky lowered his gun to the ground. He held up his hands in surrender, as did the remaining soldiers of the 107th.

///

He was tossed into a dark, muddy cell with several of his comrades.

"We'll get out of here, men. Don't worry," Bucky said, trying his best to be a leader. He clutched the dog tags in his hand.

Yet months went by, and one by one, the men were dragged off. They never returned. Bucky spent his time reading and re-reading the words and numbers on his tags, spending extra time on the one from Steve.

This went on until one day, a German soldier approached the cell. He looked around until he landed on Bucky. He pointed. "You. Up."

///

When Bucky awoke, he was cold and in pain. He tried to sit up, but a strap over his chest and arms pinned him down.

Looking around him, he found that he was in a lab room of some sort. It was dark, so he couldn't make out much, but he seemed to be alone. That didn't last long.

A door clanged open, and three men walked in. Bucky didn't recognize any of them. They spoke amongst each other in German, before one walked up to the table that Bucky laid on. He was a rather short, middle-aged man, with round glasses.

"Trial number 310," he spoke in a thick accent, reading off of a clipboard. "James Buchanan Barnes, 26. Good history of health. Let's hope this one works."

He squinted when a bright lamp above the table was switched on. Before he could realize what was happening, a needle was pressed into his foremen. Within two minutes, he was passed out.

Apparently, "this one" did work, because Bucky remained on that table for another two weeks. At various points in the day, he was poked, prodded, and injected. They didn't always put him under for the tests. When those times came, Bucky forced himself to remember, despite the hunger and pain eating away at him. He ran through what he had memorized; his ID numbers, his full name, his station. Most importantly, he remembered Steve.

Steven Grant Rogers. 25, born and raised in Brooklyn. The best damn artist I've ever known. My boyfriend.

Steven Rogers. Brooklyn. Artist. Boyfriend.

Steve. Artist. Boyfriend.

Steve. Boyfriend.

Steve.

Steve?

///

He mumbled the codes. He had long since forgotten what they meant, but he knew they were important.

S. That one letter rang out in his mind, but he didn't know why.

The metal door swung open once again.

No. No, not again, he thought. One more round and I'll forget him completely. S- Steph? Sam?

But his confusion shifted when he saw the man that approached the table this time. He was different, but familiar.

That's not him, is it? No, it can't be—

"Bucky?"

Oh, shit, it's him.

"S- Steve? Steve."

The blond undid the straps and helped Bucky off the table. He took in his boyfriend, although he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

Steve spoke first. "I thought you were dead."

"I thought you were smaller."

The world was at war around them, but the reunited couple stood there, smiling like twitterpated idiots.

"Steve," Bucky cried as he collapsed into his boyfriend's impressive biceps. What the hell happened to the skinny kid he had left behind?

"I've got you, Buck. I'm here." Steve pressed a kiss to Bucky's forehead. "Can you walk?"

"Um—,"

Steve scooped him up anyways. "We need to go."

He ran out of the room with his exhausted boyfriend in his arms. Bucky rested his head against Steve's chest.

"I missed you, Stevie."

Steve glanced down, his expression warm and full of emotion. "I missed you, too, Bucky."

He kissed his forehead once more before continuing at full speed out of the building, and back into the battle.

///

*One week later*

Side by side, they walked into the base. There was applause was the other soldiers realized what was going on.

Agent Carter and Colonel Phillips approached them. As Steve filled them in, Bucky glanced around. Something about the cheering bothered Bucky. None of these men gave a damn about Steve before he got all big and strong. And then all of the sudden, he was a celebrity.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Let's hear it for Captain America!"

And there it was, even louder this time. This support was for Captain America, not Steve Rogers.

Bucky stepped forward so that he was right next to Steve. He took his hand, causing Steve to turn his attention back to him. They shared an affectionate smile.

///

Later that day, Steve and Bucky were alone in a private cabin. Steve had explained their relationship to Peggy and she had sorted it all out.

They sat on the couch in their favorite cuddling position, with one straddling the other, arms wrapped around each other. Except this time, their usual roles were swapped. For one, Bucky was now smaller than Steve, so it made more sense. Two, Bucky needed a little extra comfort. It had only been a week since he got out of the torturous room.

So, Bucky sat on Steve's lap with his face nestled in his neck. They were both exhausted, so Bucky simply placed slow, lazy kisses on Steve's soft skin. In return, Steve traced his fingers up and down Bucky's back.

"How are you feeling, doll?" Steve asked.

"Like I just came back from hell." They were quiet for a moment. "Steve?"

"Mhm?"

"I just want you to know, that you're the most important person in my life. I don't think I would've survived back there if I didn't have thoughts of you keeping me alive. You're a hero to the whole country now. I don't know exactly what this means for us, but I do know that... that even before, when you were skinny little Steve... you were my hero. I don't think I tell you often enough how much I appreciate you."

Steve hugged Bucky even tighter. "I won't let anything happen to you again, or to us. I'm with you till the end of the line."

[niawritess]

The Lovestruck~Chapter 29

(14 July)

4:12 pm

You hummed in satisfication as the taste of juice reached your tastebuds while scrolling through your phone. You were sitting on one of the table at the Café having a break while Rose went to attend Jack's call.

It's been more than a month to your seniors graduation and you are in the middle of your summer vacations. After graduation, everyone went to their own respective path which they desire.

Junmyeon, Jongdae and Minseok went to abroad for their further studies. Jongin joined a fashion company as he always had a interest in fashion. Kyungsoo took a break for sometime to think if he wanted to join a company or start his own business. Yixing also went back to China to accomplish his goal of being an Artist.

Chanyeol was preparing to be a song producer since he was into music. As for Sehun, he joined Baekhyun in his gaming business which they have been working on for some time now and you met him at his workplace last week and since then you haven't met because he got extremely busy with work and you didn't wanted to disturb him but he being the best boyfriend always called you.

Ria went to her hometown to spend her vacation with her grandparents and Chanyeol was a little sad to hear it but she already had promised them before even meeting him.

While scrolling through the phone, your phone rang and it was your boyfriend's call. Smiling, you answered the call and pressed the phone to your ear.

[Hey.]

[What are you doing?]

You stirred the straw in your juice. [Having my favorite juice.]

He hummed. [Stay there, I'm taking you out on a date.]

You chuckled. [It's not like you can go alone.]

He chuckled back. [Oh, Mrs Byun. Don't challenge me, you know I can.]

You blushed before smiling. [As if.]

He laughed. [I'll be there in few.]

[Okay, drive safely.]

You hung up and took a sip from your juice before Rose walked out and sat across you. "Who was it?"

"Baekhyun. He is coming here." You told her sipping your juice and she nodded. "Okay, good. I actually have to tell you both something."

"What?" You asked and she smiled. "Patience my child, let your boyfriend be here and I'll tell you."

You squinted your eyes at her and after ten minutes, you heard the bell sound indicating someone came in. You two ladies looked at the direction to see Baekhyun walking inside in his casual attire.

"Hey." He smiled approaching before kissing your forehead and sat beside you then turned to Rose. "Oh, Rose. Didn't see you there! How have you been?"

Rose scoffed playfully. "How would you? When you can't take your eyes off your girlfriend. Are you both making me jealous because my boyfriend isn't here."

"No." He chuckled. "So, tell me how have you been?"

"I've been well." She spoke before sighing loudly. "Just missing you here. Since the day you left, there are less female customers and male customers more. Thanks to your girlfriend."

You lips stopped between the straw as you looked up at them and Baekhyun tilted his head to look at you with creased forehead which said 'why didn't I knew about this'. "Oh, I didn't know that."

You leaned back and shook your head while waving your hand. "It's not. Rose is just messing with you."

Rose shrugged cutely. "I don't know, am I?"

"Rose!" You whined and she chuckled before getting saying she had something to show you as she went into the kitchen.

You turned back to see Baekhyun staring at you and you chuckled. "Really, she's just messing with you."

"Um-hm." He hummed leaning back against the chair with his folded arms still staring at you intently and you frowned. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I just didn't see you the whole week so, making up for it." He spoke and you chuckled tilting your head playfully. "Really? Then stare all you want."

"Ooh~ Bold, huh?" He raised his eyebrows smirking before leaning his folded arms on the table as his eyes boring into yours intensely and he tilted his head. "But can you handle it?"

You bit your lip blushing under his gaze and immediately looked away making him laugh as he pulled your warm cheek softly and at that moment Rose walked out standing by the table.

Her hands were behind her as if she was hiding something and a nervous smile playing on her lips making you both worry somehow before she took a deep breath. "So, I have some good news-"

Baekhyun interuppted by gasping loudly. "You're pregn-ow!"

He winced as you slapped his thigh and glared at him while Rose was doing the same making him smile awkwardly before he gestured her to continue.

"Yeah, so, I was saying." She trailed off as a wide shy smile crept on her face before she pulled out something from her back. "Ta-da!"

You and Baekhyun eyed the thing in her hand curiously and your eyes widened seeing the card, not just card but a wedding card.

"No way!" You exclaimed taking the card from her hand and you examined the card with Baekhyun who was looking still shocked by this.

"Gosh, I'm so happy for you. Rose!" You exclaimed getting up and engulfed her in a tight hug which she reciprocated with shy giggle. You pulled away smiling and looked at Baekhyun who was also smiling but looked a little emotional as he always thought of Rose as her sister.

"Aww!" Rose giggled giving him a side hug and you smiled at those two having their brother-sister moment.

"When did this happen?" You asked excitedly sitting on your previous place.

"Well, Jack had dinner last week with my family and he suddenly asked about our marriage." She chuckled recalling the moment. "I was actually shocked because he didn't discussed anything about this but surprisingly my parents agreed and it was like I was living in the drama."

You both chuckled at her dramatic expression and then she told how everything happened so quickly which seemed surreal to her and she wanted to surprise you both with this announcement.

"Ahem. Yeah, so, that was my story." She smiled leaning back before looking at Baekhyun. "And I would really appreciate it if you could sing at my wedding."

"I am all in." He paused to look at you. "But you have to ask my girlfriend for it."

You frowned elbowing his side as he giggled and Rose squinted eyes at you playfully. "You two. Stop being so cute. You're making me feel single even though I'm not."

You both laughed before Baekhyun spoke. "If it's okay for you, can I take my girlfriend with me?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, sure. I have to go for my wedding dress check, so i'll close the Café early."

You three stood up and walked out while congratulating her last time before driving off to wherever your boyfriend was taking you.

Here you were walking down the path of central park under the trees filled with pink cherry blossoms along with Baekhyun. His hand locked with yours firmly while his other one was in his pocket and yours around his arm.

Baekhyun glanced at you smiling making you smile back before he sighed. "Finally we're on a date. I've been feeling bad for not taking you out these days."

"Don't be." You smiled lightly. "You're busy with work. I understand, just don't overwork yourself."

He stopped walking making you do the same and tilted his head to stare at you intently with a dreamy smile on his lips and you chuckled. "What?"

He bit his lower lip and shook his head. "Just wondering, what did I do to deserve you?"

You stared at him surprised for a moment before grinning playfully. "I know right? You must have done good deeds in your previous life."

Baekhyun laughed and you giggled as you both started walking again. "I can't believe, Rose is getting married. Remember the day when she was whining about not having a date?"

He chuckled nodding and a smile playing on his lips as he looked down at your feet taking the steps with him at the same time. Suddenly, a figure came running towards your direction but before you could bump, Baekhyun instantly pulled you towards him.

You held into his arm tightly before looking at the figure who seemed to stop at almost occurred accident revealing a girl. She was about to apologize but stopped and you both gasped together in surprise.

"Oh, You're Daniel's sister, right?"

"You're Kim jieun, right?"

"Yes, what a coincidence to meet you here." She smiled before her eyes stopped at Baekhyun and then your locked hands as she looked at you confused.

"Oh." You trailed off pulling Baekhyun closer by your side. "He's Baekhyun, my boyfriend and Baekhyun she's Kim Jieun, Daniel's friend."

"Hi." He smiled waving at her and Jieun almost let out a squeal seeing the handsome man smiling at her. Well, who wouldn't?

"Wow, you two look really good together." She cooed, smiling at the sight and you smiled.

"I agree." Baekhyun exclaimed, smiling. "You really have good eyes."

You chuckled, rolling your eyes and she giggled before someone called out her name. "Oh, I have to go. We friends are hanging out together and Daniel would be joining too."

"He would?" You raised your eyebrows surprised before nodding. "Then, enjoy your day."

"Yes, then bye." She ran away towards her friend waving you two before you both began to walk again.

Baekhyun hummed. "So, she's Daniel's friend."

"And crush."

He gasped. "What? Really? That boy, seriously? Already has a crush."

You stared at him frowning. "Why are you so surprised? You had it too. A major one."

Baekhyun looked away coughing awkwardly and pretending to look up. "Wow! The weather is so good today."

You scoffed, smiling as you both kept walking and then spotted a old aged couple feeding eachother ice-cream making you two look at each other as you both smiled.

"Let's do this, when we get old." Baekhyun uttered. "Though I'll be more handsome but we won't let that get in between."

You slapped his arm playfully as he laughed at his own remark before stopping and faced you making you look up at him. "Seriously, let's get old together."

You smiled nodding before his hand went up to your hair and he took a petal from your hair.

You chuckled. "You have it too."

You tiptoed raising your hand to reach his hair but him teasing you as always, he also tiptoed and making it hard not to reach causing you whine. "Baek!"

He just laughed circling his arms around your waist while your hand rested on his shoulder and he slightly bend down his head where you took out the petal from his hair. While doing so, he immediately pecked your cheek making you instantly gasped and blush as you looked around the people before looking back at him. "What are you doing? Everyone's looking."

Baekhyun shrugged. "So what? I'm kissing my girlfriend and it's not illegal."

He attempted to kiss your another cheek but you immediately cupped his mouth causing him whine against your hand. "I want ice-cream."

You removed your hand and he huffed dramatically. "I really think this ice-cream has something against us. Let's not have ice-cream when we get old."

You laughed and he pouted as you dragged him to buy you some ice-cream.

Shoving the spoon filled with Vanilla ice-cream in your mouth, you nodded humming liking the taste and enjoying it in the summer until your Boyfriend who kept stealing some scoops from your ice-cream making you whine.

"Don't!" You whined again pushing the ice-cream away from his reach as he advanced towards you again making you jog away from him while laughing.

"Okay! I won't." He surrendered raising his one hand and you eyed him suspiciously taking slow steps towards him before he swiftly attempted to attack but you backed away.

You smirked, raising your brows. "You think I don't know you?"

Baekhyun chuckled and you stepped towards him before feeding him the spoon filled with ice-cream making him smile as he wounded his arm around your neck walking ahead with you.

"Let's ride that!" You pointed towards a litte girl cycling and Baekhyun frowned. "I don't know about me, but you definitely can fit in that bike."

"I'm serious!" You slapped his arm making him laugh. "Okay! Let's have a race?"

You hummed nodding excitedly. "Okay, but are you sure? Because I have never lost a bike race."

Baekhyun looked at you titling his head as a smirk plastered on his lips. "Then, I'm going to break that record."

You chuckled. "Oh, confident much? Let's do this!"

"Lost one's going to grant a wish." He threw the empty ice-cream cup in the trashcan and looked at you showing his fist. "Deal?"

You also threw your empty ice-cream cup and nodded determinedly before doing fistbump together. "Deal."

And here you were seated on your bicycles ready for your race before you both counted to three together and zoomed off pedaling. Going further, you both kept blocking eachother's way and laughed causing you get lost in fun where the racing thing was nowhere to be found in your mind.

"Y/n! Gimme your hand." Baekhyun suddenly stretched out his hand and you instantly shook your head too afraid to do so. "No, it's dangerous!"

"It's not, trust me!" He insisted and you hesitantly placed your hand in his tightly as you both were pedaling together but instantly let go when someone else passed by between you causing you two laugh.

As the ride continued, your bicycle suddenly stopped and Baekhyun who went passed you immediately stopped before coming backwards and stopped beside you.

"What happened, missy?"

You pouted, making a cry face. "The chain came out."

He chuckled at your pouty yet adorable expression before gesturing towards his back seat with his head. "Hop on, I'll give a lift."

You tilted your head pretending to think. "Thank you but it won't mean anything because I have a boyfriend."

Baekhyun hummed nodding. "I think I'm more handsome than him."

"I agree." You said making him glare at you playfully before you smiled. "But still, no."

You both stared at each other for few seconds before bursting into laughter and that's how it is. You both can just do any childish things and would play along because with eachother, you can be yourself.

"Come on, now." He reached out to hold your hand and made you sit behind him before wrapping your arms around his waist then looked at you over his shoulder. "Hold tight, Coffee bean. We're eloping!"

You laughed but instantly shrieked as he started pedaling making you tightened your grip before riding ahead. You stared at his broad back smiling while your hair flying back in the air before feeling his hand on yours while unknown to you, he was smiling widely.

A sudden idea crossed your mind as you fished your phone from your pocket before opening the camera and captured the moment.

The ride came to an end and you both were currently sitting on a bench beside eachother watching the sunset but you felt something was missing. Huffing, you finally grabbed his arm and wrapped it around your shoulder making your head rest on his shoulder and closed your eyes.

Baekhyun chuckled. "Is this your thing now?"

You shrugged. "I don't know what are you talking about."

He giggled leaning his head over yours as you opened your eyes and both looking ahead watching the sun going down. No words were exchanged, just a complete silence, a comfortable one. It wasn't needed because the moment itself was mesmerizing.

"This is really beautiful." You commented staring ahead and he hummed. "Not more than you."

You just scrunched your nose lightly at his remark making him chuckle and you just smiled before taking out your phone and posted the picture with a caption.

[Perfect date]

That's when your phone began to buzz with lots of comments from your friends making you giggle and Baekhyun to roll his eyes.

SRia - Wow! Envy you for having a date while i'm here stuffing grandma's cookies.

@Osh- I was told that he had some important thing to do when i asked him to treat me lunch and this was the important thing.

@Pcy- Isn't that obvious? His girlfriend is more important than your lunch.

@Kms- I want to be there.

@PSyoung- So cute!

@KJI- Till the end they are making us jealous.

@Dks- Only you're jealous-@KJI

@Rwooon- It's going to rain soon so be careful.

@KJD- Woah! Finally someone said a sane thing.

@Zyx- Rowoon is taking care of them since @KJD can't.

@Kjm- I thought everyone was busy since no one was answering my any texts.

@Osh- You really thought that?@Kjm. And my lunch is more important @Pcy.

"Ugh!" Baekhyun groaned. "Why are they like this?"

You giggled. "Why? They are so cute."

"Everything looks cute to you." He just shook his head. "Let's go before it rains."

He stood up and looked at you confusingly as you sat still before you let out a sigh. "I'm so tired."

He frowned. "Excuse me? I was the one pedaling."

You tilted your head with your forehead creasing. "So? I'm still tired."

He placed his hands either side of his hips. "Y/n, I'm not carrying you."

"Of course, you won't." You said before smiling sarcastically at him. "You are an Ajjusshi and you need to be strong for that."

Baekhyun stared at you with an amused look. "Really? Last time I checked, I carried you when you jumped from the tree and the night you got drunk, I am the who carried you."

"You didn't have to mention that tree thing." You grumbled, making him chuckle where you whined afterwards. "It's not funny!"

He sighed looking up and before you knew it, you were off the bench, in his arms as he picked you up in bridal style making you squeal.

You stared at him in surprise tightening your grip around his neck. "Baek! What are you doing? Put me down! I was joking!"

"Too bad, I wasn't." He said as he began to walk with you in his arms. "Now, check if this Ajjusshi is strong or not."

"Gosh, everyone is looking."

"Who cares?"

You smiled, blushing and stared at him who was walking casually not caring about anything before your face turned into a frown. "Am I not heavy?"

He looked at you slightly smirking. "Should I be honest?"

You rolled your eyes wriggling from his grip. "Put me down."

"Okay, Okay!" He laughed loudly and you smiled instantly hearing your favorite laugh. His laugh. His smile. Him. All of it.

And literally who cares? Because the most important thing was this beautiful moment you were living in.

***

(20th July)

10:12 am

Bunch of cosmetics scattered on your dressing table and your phone against the mirror as you were watching a makeup tutorial video and doing the makeup as well for the first time. Right now, you were really missing your bestfriend as she was the incharge of doing your makeup and all but here you were struggling with this but at the same time, you have to do it by yourself someday.

It was the day of Rose's wedding and you were getting ready as Baekhyun would be here at any time to pick you up. Standing up, you sighed staring at your reflection in the mirror up to down and nodded in satisfication.

The peach colored A-line dress hugged your figure perfectly reaching down to your knees and your hair slightly curled from the tips with your natural makeup matching well with your attire.

"Y/n, here, I brought you this earrings." Your mom walked inside and instantly gasped making you turn to her confused. "My daughter look so beautiful."

"Really?" You chuckled as she nodded before helping you wear the earrings. "Mom, are these earrings from that online shop? You shopped again? Does dad know?"

She smiled sheepishly shaking her head and hushed you. "It's a secret between us."

You just smiled shaking your head as she always buys some things but doesn't wear it and your dad always finds it in his wardrobe packed which made him question her but your mom being herself, always said that she won't buy it again but always does opposite.

You got a notification in your phone and it was from Baekhyun saying that he's down waiting for you.

"Go, don't make my Son in law wait." Your mom said handing you your purse and you gave her a look before walking out.

And there he was, standing in a blue suit paired up with white shirt tucked in and his hair styled upwards while a Rolex watch wrapped around his wrist and all you could say was perfect.

How can someone look so good at whatever he wears?

Baekhyun was talking to Alaric who was on his way out as while visiting you often, he has gotten along well with them. As he bid bye to him, his head snapped towards your direction and his heart stopped for a second.

You slowly approached him with a confused look. "Why? Is it weird? I did my makeup for the first time, is it that bad?"

Baekhyun who was busy staring at you with an amazed expression. "Do you.. Do you have to look this beautiful?"

You bit your lip preventing yourself from smiling and blushing before putting a serious expression. "Then, what about you? Why are you looking so handsome? Who are you going to impress?"

Baekhyun smiled at your indirect compliment and chuckled. "Me? I have only one person to impress, my Girlfriend. Who is looking too gorgeous for me to look away."

"Stop!" You whined passing by him hiding your blushing state as you approached his car and heard his ever so cute giggle from behind.

"Why? Did I make your heart flutter again?" He tilted his head cutely looking at you over your shoulder and smiling widely causing you to smile back at him.

He opened the door as always being a gentleman before you both drove off to your destination.

____________

The car came to halt at your destination and you both got out as Baekhyun stretched out his hand for you where you hold his hand before making your way inside.

As you both entered inside, the wedding hall was well decorated and you spotted Jack standing at the front with his family. You both went to him and he immediately smiled engulfing Baekhyun in a hug while waved at you as you congratulated him.

Not long before, you both went inside the bride room where you saw Rose all dressed up in a white gown looking so pretty.

Noticing you two, she instantly squealed smiling widely. "You're finally here!"

You giggled and instantly hugged her before pulling away. "Rose, you look really beautiful."

She giggled. "Thank you and you look stunning as always."

You waved it off giggling before hearing a sound of Ahem behind you as Baekhyun stood beside you. "I'm also here."

"Oh, were you?" She teased him making him roll his eyes and he congratulated her before your eyes suddenly got covered by a hand making you flinch.

"Oh? Who... Wait.. This hand feels like Ria's but.." You muttered before the hand got removed and you blinked instantly adjusting to the sight before the person jumped infront of you.

"Surprise!"

"Ria!" You gasped immediately engulfing her in a hug before pulling away surprised. "How did you? You were still in town though."

"Well, Rose personally invited me so how can I not come?" She placed her hands on her hips smiling. "I wanted to surprise you too so didn't tell you and here I am."

You turned to see Baekhyun looking unfazed and you frowned. "You knew?"

He nodded. "She asked me to."

You looked back at her pouting. "You should have told me! Do you know how much I was struggling with the makeup!"

"Ooh~ Let me see." She held your chin checking you face while Rose and Baekhyun were exchanging looks before Ria nodded. "You have done a great job."

"Of course, She's my girlfriend." Baekhyun suddenly spoke behind you making Ria and Rose to give him a done look while you just shook your head at his smiling face.

"Chanyeol is out right? I'll go to him."

He walked out leaving you behind with these two ladies before you turned to Ria confused. "Chanyeol Sunbae came too?"

She nodded. "Of course, I have a date too. And he also picked me up from the airport and it was so romantic when I jumped on him hugging him like whooosh.. Just like a drama."

You just rolled your eyes while Rose gasped. "I also want to do that."

"I know right! It's so romantic!" Ria squealed with Rose and you chuckled at them before the photographer took the picture of you three.

As he was done, they both looked at you where you gave them a question look. "What?"

"What about you?"

You smiled mischievously. "Secret."

They both groaned rolling their eyes and you giggled before you and Ria walked out in the hall as the ceremony was about to begin.

You both found your table and settled there while watching your boyfriend having a conversation with Jack. Ria opened her camera and took some pictures with you before getting busy in herself while you took time to stare at your Boyfriend with his famous posture of having his hand in his pocket while talking.

And only a fool would let go of this chance to take a snap of him and you weren't one. Opening the camera, you snapped some pictures smiling and suddenly his eyes locked with your camera making you startle but instead of looking away, he just tilted his head smilingly gesturing to take more.

You bit your lip giggling and looked at him directly as you both exchanged a smile before you kept your phone back after taking like hundred snaps of him. As the host announced the arrival of the bride, both Boys made their way to the table where you waved Chanyeol and Baekhyun sat beside you casually poking your cheek.

The door of the hall opened as the slow music was played in the background and then Rose walked down the aisle elegantly with her arm linked with her father. Jack was awestruck to see her and got emotional as you could see the tears in his eyes before Rose aproached her and the ceremony was begun.

Soon, the priest announced them as husband and wife before it was finally the time of congratulating song.

You held Baekhyun's hand as he squeezed it feeling nervous and you gave him a encouraging smile before he walked to the stage. He stood infront of the newlywed couple and you also stood up at the side of the stage just behind them where he could see you clearly.

As the sound of piano erupted and chorused in the whole silent hall, he uttered the sweet melody with his honey like voice.

Your favorite voice.

Will I be able to smile without you?

Just thinking about it makes me cry,

Now I will protect you.

The person who protected me throughout my hard times,

As he took a brief breath in the middle where his eyes locked with you and he stared at you ever so lovingly like the whole melody was for you and you found yourself tearing up.

Your embrace was always warm,

It was my only resting place at the end of my long days.

You alone are enough for me

Because there’s no need for words, I know by your eyes

Flowers bloom and wither

Every day, every moment, let’s be together.

He finished the song where lots of claps were made including you and he giving the couple shy smile, he aproached you as his hands instantly stopped around your waist.

"That was beautiful." You stroke his arm softly and he chuckled. "Thank you but your mascara is smudged."

You chuckled before looking back for your bestfriend, only to find her with the newlywed couple with her Boyfriend. You brought your hand to clean it where Baekhyun grabbed a tissue from the nearby table and came to you.

He placed one hand on the back of your head gently with his other hand tilting up your face with your chin to clean your eyes while your hand fisted against his coat.

Immersed in the moment, and unaware of the photographer taking pictures of the guest where his eyes came across you couple and finding the moment soft, he captured it.

And soon, that picture was going to hang on the wall of your home.

_____________

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