#people have been mentioning that marina did

[atangledupmess]

I....am....normal about this -🍓

[annabelle--cane]

saw a post the other day where someone was frothing mad about a poll that went around asking about preferred lgbtq community terms where "queer" swept with like 70% votes, and it was all the usual stuff, but the thing that got me is the poster said something like "you guys are trying to make 'queer' the academic term" and. comrade "queer" has been the academic term. for decades. it's really easy to see looking at the library in my school's queer student center, you see books published in the 70s and 80s referring to "gay studies," then "gay and lesbian studies" in the 80s into the early 90s, then "queer studies" in the mid 90s onwards. I don't think it was even a particularly pointed language choice, a single syllable word is just a lot easier to print and say than several words or an acronym that keeps changing and rearranging every few years. like. this is so so not a 2010s phenomenon of young people not knowing what they're talking about.

[splatoonpolls]

a really long analysis about fanon Marina and the flanderization by fandom she has gotten

fanon marina (the version created by the fans) mainly focuses on two things, her being autistic coded and her being basically confirmed to be a lesbian. And I do think this has to do with her being VERY much like a typical splatoon fan in many people’s eyes. Her being a nerdy queer neurodivergent person. This is also why other parts, especially her relationship with her being an octoling gets often locked away. Subconsciously at least

if Marina was a book, several chapters would focus on her identity as a dome octoling. Her being autistic would probably pop up here and there, but it wouldn’t be a whole chapter. But her very much gay relationship with Pearl would definitely have a few chapters. But with people focusing on those few lines and chapters rather than the whole book. People would slowly ignore the other chapters, get shocked like Adam Sandler learning Pac-Man was the bad guy in the hit movie pixels.

the splatoon fandom’s western side is mainly white Americans and Europeans. Which is one reason why the fanon Marina doesn’t focus on her identity as an octoling, but also on how many details are not really told to the player. Marina barely shows her ears, which can both be read as her having sensory issues (which is a super valid headcanon(, but also her not feeling super comfortable with her body. With her ears being a reminder of her “you are with people who still think you are only going to steal stuff”. Her tentacles may be weird, she may lack the eyeliner an inkling has. But those things can simply be a stylistic choice. Her ears can’t be one. They are too different. I also know the DLCS focuses more on her identity as a dome octoling. However many can understand how her arc as a whole can be paralleled to the real life experiences of people belonging to marginalized ethnic communities. I also want to point, while writing this. I realized (which many people probably already did). Dome octolings you see outside of the domes (splatoon 2 octolings, Marina, Acht, Paul), are all refugees. They are all characters who grew up in a society that had been shunned for decades, even centuries. That society ended up being oppressive both due to external and internal issues. They know the society they’re living in is no longer a good place to live in. So they escape. Hoping to find a place that will take them on. For agent 8, Marina, and Paul. They found a safe place. Acht wasn’t super lucky however. They were told they could find a “promised land” only to be left in even more ruin before. So not only does Marina’s character arc focus on her being a part of an ethnic minority, but a refugee at that. so why does fanon marina usually avoid that part of her? Well as a mentioned before. Marina has three things that makes her very relatable. While the more backstory focused things are less relatable to a way smaller margin of the splatoon fandom. A way smaller part of the fandom are poc in a very white country. And a very small percentage are refugees.

if we removed Marina’s backstory. We would still be left with the fanon version. A nerdy autistic lesbian who deeply loves Pearl. I love how Nintendo got a game that also isn’t afraid to show a society that cares about queer people if not is queer centric itself. Which is probably why many people cling to that part of Marina. But if we removed that part. What would we be left with? Well, we would have an octoling refugee who is a trained soldier and can create weapons of destructions (and she would still be in love with Pearl, it is an important part of her backstory). im not saying the splatoon fandom’s openness to lgbtq and neurodivergent people is a bad thing just because they boil down one of the most plot heavy characters down to those things. It is actually a really great thing to have a fandom that is open to these marginalized groups.

i just want to say, due to this love for Marina being a character you can relate to. It feels like certain parts of Marina’s character (which can also be very relatable to some) is being drifted away to the more lore centric side of the fandom. Which will lead to a sort of fandom flandarization which is very unintentional and just done due to a love of Marina as a character.

If you’ve read this an disagreed, that is fine. Character writing is a very subjective thing

[dollypopup]

I get why people would think it but

Colin is NOT a rake. Colin is a young man trying to figure out his identity and what he likes sexually and trying to understand what the men of his society talk about and do. He's not out here messing around with women just to string them along and then leave them. He's trying to fit in and has been made fun of for being a virgin so yeah, he rectifies that by having sex, but just because he slept with a few women, that doesn't make him a rake? You wanna know who an actual rake in the series is?

Fife.

Because what the fuck happened to Miss Goring? I think about her sometimes and my heart aches for her. Her first season out, she's an 18 year old woman, and an older, titled man of her society who she assumes to be a proper gentleman makes her believe their relationship can actually be something, messes around with her the entire season, and then fucks her in a linen closet at a ball only to....what? Come back the next year with absolutely no mention of her whatsoever. Did she get pregnant? Was sent off in disgrace? Have to marry someone else?

Fife is a 30 year old man who has a bad habit of hounding after young, vulnerable women in his society. He fucks them and leaves them. He's a rake. Colin? Colin is not even close to that. Say what you will about the brothel scenes, but that IS the responsible place for a man of his time to go to for sex. Please stop demonizing sex work. Yes, many of these women are in that line of work because of less than savory reasons, but Colin is not taking advantage of them. He is paying for a service and they are providing that service. It is transactional, and he is the LEAST of their concerns in terms of clientele. A kind, handsome man who pays well and is discrete? Yeah, they're fine with him.

Colin has a history of respecting women. He respected Marina all throughout their courtship, and even after. I know some people sneer at him coming to see Marina, but please keep in mind she is a woman on her own who married a stranger far away from ANYONE who knew her. Colin was worried about Daphne when she came to him, asking if anything happened when she was away and clearly ready to fight for her, so of course he's worried about Marina. Partly he visits her for his own closure, but also like....y'all that's a WELLNESS visit. He's concerned that she's unhappy, but ultimately leaves because she's not hurt and that she tells him to. Colin listens to 'no' from the women around him. He asks for permission from them. He waited for Penelope's consent sexually, but he also didn't even get into the carriage until she allowed him. He even asks "Please, let me in".

Colin lives in a time when women do not have many rights, and he listens to the women around him even more than the men. He is the only one of his siblings to ask for his mum's advice and immediately takes it and takes action. He brings Eloise back a feminist text from his travels, even after she's besmirched as a radical, because he supports her pursuits. In season 2, he also knew of her going to the printers and didn't say anything. He has always respected and cared for Penelope. He hasn't insulted a single woman in his vicinity. He doesn't make the women he flirts with feel bad about themselves, or feel less, but compliments them, all whilst keeping respectable distance so as not to make them think he's interested in marrying them. He doesn't dance with any woman but Penelope in that season.

Colin isn't a rake. He's not a fuckboy. He's trying to act like he is, emulating the circle of his society, but that doesn't mean he is. I swear people just WANT to misinterpret him because that's the easiest way, but Colin is a character who doesn't lend well to surface level readings. He's a nuanced, gentle hearted character who has been looked down on for his sensitivity. He's a deeply relatable person because who of us haven't pretended to be accepted? Especially if we've been bullied or excluded. I know I have. Put on a persona for the sake of survival. And he does so for what? A few weeks? That does not a fuckboy make.

Just say you don't want to understand him and move along because those of us who get him GET HIM. And I'm grateful for a character like Colin.

He's the best man in the series by an entire mile and you can't change my mind about that.

[rassicas]

my general Side Order thoughts:

I don't have much of anything groundbreaking to say. I haven't publicly said much in relation to side order in the first place, i don't want to build up crazy expectations, and I've seen much of the fanbase making solid theories anyways. also there has been a lot less information compared to ROTM which is great, I don't want to be able to predict the whole story before the game comes out. I'd rather be surprised like i was with octo expansion! here I just want to put out my thoughts real quick so people know where I stand and that yes i am aware of the Hints and Foreshadowing

Marina's quote at the end of her interview in Splatune 3 is relevant of course, gives us a sense of what this whole world of order is. But did she build it this whole digital simulation, or was it something she found? (mix of both perhaps? found it, contributed to parts of it and it went out of her control?)

Mem cakes, agent 8, cerebral theming...very interested where this all goes. love all the references to OE keep em coming

People have been talking about this already, and the foreshadowing was acknowledged back in haikara walker in 2018. the hat logos on dedf1sh and paul gotta be connected to this thing.

It'd be a huge waste for a more grown-up paul to not show up in s3, either as someone mentioned by Acht or for him to make some sort of musical return post side order.

Glen fiddler has always been interesting to me (in that i anticipated he would become plot relevant somehow) with how he was fully 3d modeled in his sunken scroll. im not 100% on if hes gonna be in side order but the copy machine connections in side order (the fish skeletons in splatoween, also the recent poster?) are sus

^has to be agent 4. of course. seeing enemy inklings instead of enemy octolings sounds awesome btw

I'm expecting the inkopolis square hub to come back as a thing you can access post-game. pearl and marina splatfest concerts

iso padre please come back to me (maybe in said inkopolis square hub world)

who the fuck are you. not a mantis shrimp, looks too soft to be a crustacean to me. closest thing i can compare this to is a black dragonfish nymph but i kind of doubt it. maybe it is some guy who was created to manage things, like CQ to the deepsea metro?

[gleefullypolin]

The hypocrisy on fandom's reaction of "fell too soon" for friends to lovers

I find it very RICH on the fandoms reaction to S3 and the he "fell too soon" for Penelope. I mean honestly it is a bit spit in your face fantastic the way certain parts of the fandom are wretching on themselves to make that point.

"He didn't like her in season 1." I'm sorry, Can't hear you over "I'm to escort Miss Featherington to the floor" in EPISODE 1. That's what a friend does when a bitch spills her drink on a girl you were having a polite conversation with. Or how about hanging out with her laughing and gossiping like silly goofballs on the side of the dance floor, didn't see him doing that with other people either. Because they were FRIENDS.

"There was no build up previously to show there was a level of friendship there where he saw her any differently than a sister." Ok children...lets move to Season 2. We can talk about the race track and how they spoke about his travels which was very comfortable and very much NOT like a sister. They had an ease, like people who, oh I don't know, had been communicating personally all summer long via letters. And then lets go to Edwina's night where he shares with her that her letters allowed him to get in touch more with HIMSELF. something also so very personal he would not just share that with anyone. (I'll get to this in another point)

"He just suddenly likes her after he kisses her." Big ball of monkey shit here. Colin Sensitive Bridgerton was getting to know himself back in Season 2. He told Pen as much when he gave her the "You are Pen" line. And yes we all gasped and grabbed our pearls at the You are not a woman line, but it was not meant as an insult. Colin inserts his foot so many times throughout the seasons, you would think he could run a mile with his head. He simply means that she is such a dear friend to him he could not forswear her from his life. He has put her in a different category all together in his life. He makes this point when talking to her about Cousin Jack. He calls her constant and loyal and makes mention that their relationship has been so natural to him. He also just soooooo easily makes mention to HER MOTHER that he's been talking to her about things that would make other women blush. Like he doesn't even see it himself that she's just a totally different place for him. He didn't have to kiss her to like her. He already did.

"It all just felt too rushed." I could go on about how they had conversations about their purpose or lack there of, in season 2, more than once might I add, conversations that you would not normally have with members of the opposite sex. The fact that he has told her and proved that he would look after her, he has called her special to him. He has had feelings for her for seasons. Don't get started about the longing stares, they have been there since season 1. You have to actually open your eyes and look at them. Yes there was the whole infatuation of the Marina thing. Of course there was. But if you look at his mannerisms during the entire thing, it screams at you the difference.

But dare I say the biggest and most annoying hypocrisy of them all is that this build up of 2 seasons of them growing friendship, talking and learning about each other, developing feelings for each other regardless if they know what they mean... suddenly is rushed. BUT when compared to other seasons where a brand new face appears and we are to believe that in a weeks time our beloved character is now madly, deeply in love with this person and YOU BUY THAT WITH ALL THE SUGAR IT COMES WITH! Burning for you and Bane of my existence and all????

At the end of the day...live in your trope. I sat through those seasons. I cried through their HEA, I was happy for them. You can dislike the characters for other reasons. Dislike how they wrote parts of the season, don't like the plot points but don't make the excuses above that don't add up.

If you don't enjoy my trope, fine. But please, in the nicest possible way, shut the fuck up.

[hamletshoeratio]

didnt she also say something nasty about the queen when one of her kids had just died

Yeah here's part 2 of this

The way she talked about the death of Queen Charlotte's granddaughter; Princess Charlotte, who was historically only twenty-one when she died in childbirth. The Lady Whistledown commentary in QC is just outright cruel, it's clear Queen Charlotte in the off-season (QC present day timeline being set in the Winter/Early spring break between season 2 & 3) becomes Penelope's biggest target in the aftermath of her fallout with Eloise. There's no other way to describe it.

Ngl the above is really disturbing to me. She's angry at Eloise, has lost access to info from the Bridgertons because of her falling out with Eloise, and she's angry at the Queen for getting angry at Penelope's own words as LW, and trying to discover LW as a result. And so she spends the off-season insulting and attacking a grieving Queen Charlotte. I mean that's one way for a flower to bloom I guess...

Theo, one of the only working class characters in the show, nearly lost his job because of lady whistledown and may have lost it in the aftermath of the season.

A lot of her general commentary as Lady Whistledown isn't clever or witty; it's just outright cruel.

The way she talks about the Bridgerton family, a family that trusts and cares for her, is horrible. Particularly, the way she wrote about Daphne in season 1.

Betraying Eloise's trust for two entire seasons because it didn't start with the Theo situation. She listened to Eloise's frustrations about Daphne and then used LW to attack and belittle Daphne. Speaking as a sibling, I will rant about my sisters until kingdom come to my friends but the minute a so-called friend starts publicly attacking my sister, it's over. I would not be in control of my actions. Like over the course of two seasons, she's attacked and nearly destroyed the reputations of Eloise's eldest sister, two of her brothers, her first love, and the entire family as a result. Judging by the Bridgertons were born to shine line in the trailer, I doubt Francesca will make it through the season unscathed.

She hasn't felt real remorse. Despite nearly causing Marina's death (as she tried to miscarry in the aftermath of LW revealing her pregnancy), she ends season 1 smirking about being LW. Hasn't written or contacted Marina to see how she has been since, got jealous Colin went to see her and still probably hasn't written or visited her. Not to mention her "I least did something. All you did is talk" speech at the end of season 2 to Eloise. A speech that wasn't even accurate as Eloise had been to meetings, listened to speeches and debates, debated with Theo, shared and read and discussed different political leaflets with Theo, Eloise had grown intellectually from the beginning to the end of the season. It's because of Penelope that that came to an end.

Outside of rescuing Daphne from her betrothel to Berbrooke in s1, what good has her work as LW actually done? It's ruined far more lives than it's helped, and intervened countless times when it didn't have authority to. Many secrets weren't Penelope's to tell.

I could honestly keep going but I genuinely don't know how she's supposed to get redeemed in eight episodes because the character we have at the minute in no way deserves a happy ending. LW didn't really matter in the books as it wasn't as active a plot point as it is in the show. By expanding the LW concept to give Penelope a more complex arc, they've unwittingly robbed her of what made people like her book counterpart and as a result created a villain that they have no intention of trying to redeem, because they don't believe she needs to be redeemed.

[kooktrash]

♡ electra heart ♡ | kim taehyung

summary ♡ just dumped by his cheating ex girlfriend, taehyung seeks help from the campus primadonna to make his ex jealous. y/n is spoiled, mean and filthy rich—everything his ex loathed. what happens when the two form a pretend relationship that leaves their hearts in great turmoil? welcome to the life of electra heart ♡

[primadonna—marina and the diamonds, {i know I’ve got a big ego, don’t know why it’s such a big deal though}] [bubblegum bitch {I’ll chew you up and spit you out, cause that’s what young love is all about}]

warnings: 12.5k. fake dating. idiots to lovers. smut. angst. mentions of cheating. tae gets cheated on. y/n is filthy rich and can be a bitch. missionary. kinda passionate. oral [f recieving] ex girlfriend ain’t shit. college au. light dirty talk if you squint. both have been heartbroken before. honestly kinda vanilla but rough? daddy issues. attachment issues. f!reader

There's very few things in this world that bring Taehyung to tears. These weren't even sad tears, he was just overwhelmingly pissed off. It's been a month and everyone tells him to get over it but how could he? His girlfriend of two years cheats on him for her stupid dance partner and he's just supposed to get over it? Pretend it never existed while they get to walk around campus like the happy couple? As if everyone didn't know she was in a relationship with Taehyung. As if there's not already talk of her infidelity? Of course he's mad. He's embarrassed. He's hurt.

"We just understand each other Tae, in a way you and I never would. I didn't mean to do this to you, it just sort of happened. Could we at least remain as friends?"

He scoffed out loud at the flashback. Like wow, how big of a dumbass did she play him for? Remain friends? Be for real Jisoo. Because he'd seriously just get over her betrayal so they could be friends.

"Incoming Bitch Alert, block his view," Jimin said forcing Namjoon to move in front of Taehyung. It only made him roll his eyes at their exaggerated efforts to not trigger him with the sight of his ex and her new boyfriend—or well, not new since they dated behind Taehyung's back for three months.

“You know, I've said this already but I'll say it again. A good rebound will really get you over her, y'know?" Jimin said as he threw his arm around Taehyung's shoulders as they headed to their next lecture. Namjoon shook his head, "Leave the guy to mourn, it's only been a month."

“Yeah, and you two talking about it every five seconds really isn't doing shit for me," Taehyung said clearly exasperated with the whole thing. He's tired of hearing about Jisoo. The more he hears about her the more difficult it is to not let his emotions go on a rampage. He just needed them to leave him alone to get over it on his own. He doesn't need their help. He doesn't need them bringing it up. He'll deal with it on his own, he's a big boy, shouldn't be hard.

“You're right, I'm sorry man, I'll stop talking about her," Jimin responded with an apology as he led the way to their lecture hall. It was some stupid prerequisite math class that clearly all of them have ignored until their last year of University. Jimin's grin widened as he took the other two down a row of seats exactly two rows behind the spectacle, "Look at the view."

Taehyung did as told following his friend's line of sight until he landed on two people drowning in Chanel couture. If he didn't know any better they'd look like they just hopped off a NY Fashion week catwalk. Namjoon spoke before Taehyung could and for that he was thankful. "You're obsession with Y/n L/n and her goons is getting scary Jimin. Besides, Y/n's too much of a snob to even look your way."

“I'd be a snob too if my father's net worth was in the millions," Jimin said completely dismissing everything else Namjoon said, "Plus it's not an obsession. It's an admiration. Unlike others who I will not name for personal reasons pertaining to my good friend Taehyung— Y/n doesn't pretend to be a saint. She's outwardly a brutal bitch and I applaud her for that. Too many girls act like the sweetest girls in the world only to stab you in the back. At least with her I know she'll tell it to my face."

“Way to generalize women," Taehyung pointed out as he set his laptop up for the lecture, "And just because you don't say Jisoo's name, doesn't mean I don't know who you're talking about."

“Never said it was about her but if the shoe fits," Jimin shrugged and the subject dropped. When the professor came in Taehyung tried focusing his attention on the lecture but it was hard when Jimin picked perfect seats to stare at the primadonna.

Taehyung knew you, not well but he's spoken to you before in passing. What he does know is what Jisoo used to tell him. The same old story of two best friends in middle school who took completely different paths in high school and University. In Jisoo's own words, 'Y/n ditched me for her rich friends and next thing you know I'm a nobody. That's why I hate her. She's the type to chew you up and spit you out when she's done.'

Taehyung obviously believed her at first. Jisoo was a sweet, fine arts major he met through theatre. She was kind and caring and was the exact type of person to betray your trust once she had it. Under the pretense of the 'sweet Angel' nobody would suspect her to be as ugly on the inside as she considered Y/n to be. Clearly you had been friends for a reason, except this time Jisoo had been on the outside of this so called cruelty you possessed.

As he studied you, he realized it was true that you could've hopped off the runway and came to class. With your Chanel black mini skirt, pink Chanel sweater, and silver Chanel charm bracelet, Taehyung could easily confuse you with a brand ambassador instead of a college student. You were clearly materialistic but that's all he could say on your character. He was done believing anything Jisoo said to him.

"Would it kill you to take your own notes?" Mira asked you once the lecture had been done and all you had managed to do was draw hearts and scribble your name in your notebook the entire time. You cling to her arm as the two of you begin to leave the auditorium, "Because I'm dumb. You know math isn't for me, please? I don't understand a thing that stupid ass professor says. I only understand the way you dumb down your notes for me."

"Why don't you just get your dad to pay him off for A's?" Mira joked as the two of you got to the door pushing past a group of three guys with your arms looped together at the elbows. You let out a dramatic sigh, "I tried but apparently that's illegal. Besides, straight A's is unrealistic. I'm a straight C student at best."

"Plus, my bestie is, like, Edison or something—" "Einstein?" "Yeah, exactly. You're really smart and you love me so you should tutor me—"

"No way! I love you but you're version of studying is taking five minutes to write down your objective then take a thirty minute online shopping break," Mira said only half joking. You stomped a foot in mini tantrum, "Fine. You suck anyway."

"Whatever, let's go to lunch before I starve to death and Jungkook eats all my teriyaki chicken."

You realized early on school just wasn't for you. It's not that you purposely chose to fail majority of your classes but more so information just didn't stick in your brain. Nothing processed and if it did and you'd do homework the right way, you'd bomb the test still. Though if you're being honest, you're not sure if you're good at anything.

You don't have a job. You don't do well in school. You don't know how to rely on anything but your dad's money so basically, you're a good-for-nothing.

"Need help?" A voice cut into your self deprecating thoughts and made you look up to the owner of it. You recognized him but he better not ask if you remember his name because you don't.

"No," You shook your head a little too quick to wave him off before whipping back around to face him, "We're in math together with professor dipshit, right?"

Taehyung's brows furrowed, "I think so?"

"Alright then help me find this book" You basically demanded as you showed him your phone screen where the text was pulled up. He narrowed his eyes trying to recognize the text before turning to look at you again, "You know you can find that book online for free, right?"

"Yeah but that just ruins the whole academia aesthetic, don't you think?" You asked and it gave him the opportunity to check you out. Sure enough, you were in a black and cream colored Prada preppy look today. He shrugged, "I guess? Come on, I'll show you where it's at."

"Thanks, you're a total doll. What's your name again?" You asked going on your phone to send texts as he led you to the right aisle. "Taehyung," he answered simply and he needs to explain himself. Yes this is the first time he's gone out of his way to actually talk to you but he's got a reason for it. He was just minding his business sitting over at the desk right by the aisle you had been searching through. You were mumbling to yourself and with the clack of your Miu Miu shoes he just couldn't concentrate, therefore he wanted to help you find whatever you were looking for and send you on your way.

"I'm Y/n," you said a little too late for him to remember you two were talking. He already knew your name but no way in hell was he going to admit that. As he turned down the right book aisle, his face turned to show distaste. Just down the other end was Jisoo and Hoseok. You noticed him hesitate but you went ahead and walked through anyway acting as if Jisoo wasn't even there. You didn't care enough about her to pay her any mind. She, on the other hand, had to do a double take when she caught Taehyung walking in with you.

"It should be around here," Taehyung said pointing to one of the book cases trying to ignore Jisoo there. You nodded taking a step back to get a better look and Taehyung tried helping you so he wouldn't look over at Jisoo knowing she was staring. You smiled widely hurrying to get closer as you reach an arm out to point, "I found it. Hold on."

He watched you stretch your arm up but it was just barely out of reach of your manicured nails and he moved closer to grab it. His side rubbed against yours unintentionally and he brought it down in front of you to your grabby hands. You cheered, "Yay, okay I'm gonna go buy it—"

"You could just borrow it from the library, I don't think they sell the books here. You'll have to go to the bookshop and order it to be shipped," Taehyung tried explaining but you were already to focused on the textbook. You waved a hand at him, "I'll forget to bring it back. Plus, they'll sell it to me, I'm very charming."

And rich, Taehyung thought but he only nodded watching you head off with a sway in your hips and he was hurrying to get away as fast as possible.

"Tae?" Crap.

"Hey," Taehyung said. Jisoo really did have the audacity to talk to him while the homewrecker was there. Still, he won't give her the luxury of knowing he's still hurt. Jisoo looked down the other end of the aisle where she got a clear view of you at the front desk chatting up with the librarian giving her compliments left and right.

"It's funny to catch you here, are you, um, are you friends with Y/n?" He visibly rolled his eyes at that as he looked to Hoseok who looked equally as uncomfortable as he did.

He opened his mouth to speak but he was immediately cut off by a hand on his arm pulling him back. He turned quickly, eyes widening at you holding a textbook and receipt, "Told you I'd get it, it's because of my charms—"

"Or your daddy's money," Jisoo cut in suddenly looking just as surprised as everyone else but her words. She didn't mean to say that out loud. Before Taehyung could even react, your eyes narrowed almost venomously, "Jisoo, jealousy and rudeness is ugly, but you manage to pull it off, don't you?"

"Just as ugly as your personality," Jisoo argued but you only smiled. "I think we both know there's nothing ugly about me." Taehyung looked back to you and yeah, nothing ugly about you. Not at all.

Jisoo looked to Taehyung to see if he'd say anything but he wouldn't. He wasn't her protective boyfriend anymore, Hoseok was and he was currently checking you out too.

You turned to Taehyung abruptly, "Can you help me find this one too?" You held up your phone and showed him another. With a small nod he was leaving his ex girlfriend for you.

It wasn't until later on in the day that he had a chance to talk to his friends about what happened in the library. Jimin looked excited listening to Taehyung's tale of the library incident and he practically cheered him on. Jimin pushed against his lunch tray creating a clanking noise that echoed in the lunch room, "Okay, okay, I've got the smartest idea ever!"

"What?" Namjoon asked slightly amused, slightly bored. Jimin grinned, "Jisoo hates Y/n so much so you should make her jealous. Let her see that you upgraded and chose someone better! Y/n is literally the perfect candidate. Jisoo loathes her and clearly Y/n gets under her skin over anything an—"

"No, I see where you're getting at and my answer is no," Taehyung shook his head as he got to his feet holding his empty tray, "I'm not using Y/n to make Jisoo jealous. I don't care how she feels and Y/n doesn't deserve being used like that."

"Bu—" Taehyung shut him up when he left to go discard his tray and leave the lunchroom. Was Jimin crazy? He didn't need anyone to fake date for Jisoo to know he's not still hung up on her. He's not hung up on her, he just can't wrap his mind around getting cheated on. That's what hurts.

The next time he saw you was in class and this time you were joined with a second goon. A guy with facial piercings and arm tattoos. Taehyung will admit, he didn't peg that guy as one of your friends, but then he saw the Vivienne Westwood necklaces the guy wore and it all became clear.

This time it was you who approached him first, Mira and Jungkook behind you as he started packing up after the lecture. You flashed him a pearly white smile, "Do you have a minute?"

Jimin and Namjoon shared a look before they began heading out leaving Taehyung behind. He nodded looking to your two friends in confusion. You cut in front of his vision, "So I was wondering if there was any way, you might tutor me? Mira hates me and Jungkook is just as dumb as me and I'm desperate for some help. I'll pay you and it can be whenever you're free."

So much was said to him in so little time it took him a second to wrap his mind around it all. He laughed nervously, "Tutor? Um, I'm not sure if I'm really cut up for the task."

"Ugh, please? Please with a cherry on top? Pretty please? Please?" You repeated over and over again, "Please?"

"Alright, alright, when were you thinking of getting started?" He asked with a defeated sigh. He caved and now he understood how your charms worked. You smiled widely, "Yay and um, now? Today? Yesterday? ASAP? Are you busy right now?"

"Uh, no I was just gonna do some homework before my next class bu—" "Perfect, okay I'll see you guys later, Taehyung and I are gonna study," You waved off the other two and they left with small hugs. He was quickly realizing you of you wanted something, you wanted it now. He looked at you debating if he was amused or exasperated but he still nodded, "Alright, should we go to the library?"

"It's too stuffy in there, how about a café? I'm in desperate need of coffee."

So that's what happened. He joined you at a café and you ordered you both drinks and pastries and when he offered to pay, you waved him off. "So, did you take any notes from today's lecture?"

"Uh, about that. Professor Dipshit talks so fast and his handwriting is so ugly I just can't get it all down," you handed him your notebook and he couldn't help but smile despite his confusion. You did get some things down but on the sides of the pages were little doodles. He hid his smile, "Professor Choi does write ugly so that's understandable. And it's okay, you can copy my notes and just ask me questions about whatever you're confused about. I'm gonna try and do some assignments in the meantime."

Your eyes softened. Wow, he agreed with you instead of lecturing you. You nodded taking his laptop and writing down the notes. You didn't actually ask him that many questions but it's probably because he'd broken his notes down for himself and you could understand them. He was a couple years ahead of you but he was in the class and clearly smarter than you. Despite the study session going perfect without a hitch in the road, it seemed like Taehyung was just forced to relive the constant flashback of catching Jisoo with Hoseok.

You noticed right away how Taehyung seemed to stiffen at the sight and when Jisoo turned to look at him and then glare at you, you knew something was up. You leaned into him, "So what's the deal between you and Jisoo?"

His brows furrowed. Did you really not know? "We dated." That made you even more confused as you shamelessly checking him out. For some reason the look in your eyes as you did so was enough to boost his confidence that Jisoo tore down. "Really? You're way hotter than her."

"Uh, thanks? We just had very similar interests and I don't know. It just happened," Taehyung said even though you didn't ask. You simply nodded in understanding before letting the topic drop. Taehyung took notice of the way you didn't try and talk about her more and it was like a breath of fresh air but he just had to know more. "So, uh, in the library the other day. You two were kind of hostile toward each other. Do you know her well too?"

You didn't shy away from talking despite Jisoo just feet away telling her order to the cashier. You wouldn't care if she heard you either. As a matter of fact, you hope she can hear you. You nodded, "We used to be classmates and we were super close around middle school until one day we got into this huge fight before high school. She said I would always leave her out to hang with Mira and Jungkook. I tried asking her to hang out and I'd even offer to pay and stuff but I guess it just wasn't enough. I felt bad because I didn't mean to make her feel that way but I guess I'm just an awful person so whatever. We drifted apart in high school and that was the end of that."

Taehyung was actually surprised with how open you were about things. He's not sure what made him be so open despite his embarrassment, "She cheated on me with Jung Hoseok."

"That bitch!" You said much louder than expected and heads turned including Jisoo's. Her brows furrowed and before Taehyung could tell you to bring it down, Jisoo was walking over with a plastered fake smile. "Funny seeing you two here."

"What do you want?" You asked looking up at her as Taehyung did too. Your hand was awfully close to his and as if sensing Jisoo's focus on it, you went ahead and reached for it and put your hand over his. He looked down at the way your small hand rested over his and he turned to Jisoo immediately.

"I was just surprised to see you two, I didn't know you were friends with Y/n, Tae," Jisoo said and he could tell she was annoyed. You rolled your eyes, "I'm confused, does it look like we care at all about what you don’t know?"

"Was I talking to you?" Jisoo asked narrowing her eyes at you before looking to Taehyung who didn't say anything. You smiled sweetly squeezing his hand, "You were talking around me so I answered. If you don't like it then that's not really my problem now is it?"

Taehyung bit his lip turning to Jisoo, "Y/n let's go somewhere else. It's crowded in here." Jisoo didn't move back as the two of you stood and Taehyung looked bored looking at her and it just confused her more and more. Since when were you Taehyung's type? You smiled and left.

"God, I can't stand cheaters," you said once you two were outside in the cold air that had you shivering. You turned to him immediately, "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. And sorry for holding your hand. I wanted her to get mad."

Taehyung was beginning to realize you weren't a bitch. Okay, scratch that, you kinda were but it wasn't for no reason. You were just brazenly honest and outspoken. You didn't care about being confronted and you didn't back down from it either. Yeah, you came off intimidating but you actually weren’t. Maybe you were just misunderstood.

"So, uh, just kick me in the balls if this is rude to say but... uh... clearly Jisoo seeing me with you pisses her off," Taehyung began and you were already amused, "So uh... you know... uh... I just don't want her to think I'm still hung up on her. And... I don't know—"

"Want me to be your fake girlfriend to make her regret ever cheating on someone as hot as you?" You said it like it was a small favor, "Yeah sure."

He practically short circuited trying to understand everything you said. Well you sure knew how to make a guy confident about his looks and he appreciated that. He's never been an insecure guy but after getting cheated on he's become one. Just constantly thinking about how he wasn't good enough. Still, he stares at you, "Really? Why are you so okay with me using you to make her jealous?"

"Because I don't care," you shrugged, "My dad’s always badgering me about a stupid boyfriend he approves but I don’t really care. And also I hate cheaters. Plus I'm bored and it sounds fun making someone who hates me just hate me more."

He couldn't believe everything you said. No, he didn't believe it. He's convinced you're playing a part, the primadonna. The 'big ego, no cares in the world, everything her way' type. It made it seem like you didn't have any dimension and he knew you did. Still, the vengeful side of him wanted to make her pay, "Okay, then that's my payment for tutoring you. Deal?"

"Let me pay you in cash," you said but he shook his head already walking ahead of you.

      So it started. He came over to your penthouse apartment the next day in clear awe by everything inside it and the pool on the balcony. There was even someone in the kitchen cooking. You led him further in pointing to the woman in the kitchen, "Lee this is my boyfriend Taehyung. Taehyung this is Lee, she makes wonderful food."

The woman bowed in greeting and he did the same before following you up the marble staircase to the second floor.

"Sorry, Lee works for my dad so I made sure to say you're my boyfriend. I just love getting under his skin," you explained as he joined you in one of the rooms upstairs. It didn't seem like your bedroom since it was missing a bed but instead looked like an upstairs living room. He just nodded, "Are you close with your dad?"

"Not really," you said with a shrug already on your phone, "He just buys me whatever I want because he’s a shitty dad.”

jungkook: yacht party on Saturday

jungkook: who's coming

yoongi: not me. I'm planning on sleeping all weekend

mira: sleep with the sharks

you: me and my boyf :p

jungkook: WHOOOOO

you: :p

"What about your mom?" He asked trying to understand you better but the more you spoke the more confused he was. You came off as spoiled and a snob but at the same time you didn’t. Alright, you probably were spoiled but there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s the snob part that gets hate and now that he’s talked to you, you don’t even seem like that. You didn't bother looking up at him as you smiled at your friends responses. You shrugged, "Left one day after catching my dad sleeping with his secretary."

Well that explains why you're so willing to help make his cheating ex jealous. But still, he kinda felt bad involving you now. "Y/n—"

"I know so cliché," you rolled your eyes cutting him off before he could get sappy, "Like couldn't he cheat with anyone other than his secretary? Lacks originality if you ask me."

"Okay, here's the plan," you said smiling now and he almost couldn't keep up with your mood change, "Yacht party this weekend. We'll take couple pics, post on your socials and make sure Jisoo sees them. We'll probs have to post a kissing one or something to seem more believable."

"Why are you doing this?" He asked but you didn't even flinch. "What do you mean?"

"I mean come on, you say you're doing it cause you're bored and you want your dad to think you're in a relationship but why?" He asked moving closer to you so you couldn't hide behind your phone, "Why are you helping me? If you wanted your dad to think you're dating, you could have any guy you want. Isn't there someone you're into? I just feel bad using you."

“You’re not using me,” You rolled your eyes as if to say he was the one being unreasonable, "And because all the guys on campus are just... ugh. At least you're cute and not using me as a bragging right. Though if you do I'll hire someone to kill you and hide the body."

Part of him wanted to say he changes his mind. He can't use you for his stupid revenge because it wasn't it. The other part of him knew how much you got under Jisoo's skin and he wanted her to feel angry about it. He wanted her to see that he did in fact trade her in for someone better and he wants her to hurt like he did. Who better to use than the girl everyone loves and loves to hate? He knows he's being petty but it's just not fair. What did he lack that made Jisoo cheat on him?

On Saturday he felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone was in designer swimwear including yourself while he wore something from the department store. Of course you told him it didn't matter because you were hotter than the other guys and it did make him feel a little better but not much. He tried not to think about how shameless you were with compliments. He wasn't going to be one of those guys who falls for you. Everyone knows you’re a heartbreaker and he can see why. You’re just so… he can’t explain it, there’s just something about you and it wasn’t just your looks or your money. Still, he’s gotta not let what you say get to his head. You said it yourself, you're only doing this cause you're bored so he needs to take what you say lightly.

"So you're Y/n's new boy toy," Yoongi said shortly after you introduced them to each other before leaving to take pictures with some of your other friends. Taehyung stood against the railing of the yacht when Yoongi approached him. His eyes narrowed clearly taking offense to that, "And you are?"

"I'm one of Y/n's friends, Yoongi," the guy said in greeting and Taehyung just nodded making him laugh, "Relax. I was kidding. Well I wasn't but who cares. Where is Y/n anyway?"

Taehyung pointed you out just as you took a picture with two guys and Yoongi smacked his lips, "Better be careful. Y/n's a slippery one. She gets bored easily." The guy left at that and though Taehyung didn't want to listen to him he suddenly grew worried. You were supposed to be fake dating, right? So he should be the one taking pictures with you. Yeah, that's right. He's here to make Jisoo jealous and he can't do that from all the way over here.

"Let's take a picture," Taehyung said confidently entrusting Mira with his cellphone cutting in between you and the other guys who glared at him. "Taehyungie!" You threw your arms around his neck, "Everyone move, I need pictures with my boyfriend."

Hey. Why'd he like that? Jisoo hated PDA and though he wasn't a huge fan, he liked people knowing he was in a relationship despite how private it might be. Just so people could back off though that never stopped Hoseok. The first picture was cute, a simple smiling one and the second was of you cupping his chin forcing him to make a pout with mad eyebrows while you smiled brightly. Jisoo always took serious pictures and it was always a one and done thing.

Next, he surprised himself by kissing your forehead as you smiled into the camera, hand on his chest while his was around your waist. It’s just, he could acting affectionate with you even if it’s fake. With Jisoo everything they did was always stiff. He was beginning to understand how he wasn’t as happy with Jisoo at the end of the relationship.

Mira groaned, "Ugh how many more? You two are making me sick."

"One more," you said and before Taehyung could figure out what the next one was, you were leaning up to plant a kiss on his lips. He reacted almost immediately, bringing you closer letting himself kiss you back. It was longer than necessary for a picture. You pulled away turning to Mira and taking Taehyung's phone. You began scrolling through the pictures while Taehyung wiped your lip gloss off the corners of his numb lips. It felt like every guy on the boat was glaring at him, and they were.

The next time you two acted like a couple was at a party. Taehyung was nervous at first because he knew Jisoo would be here and probably with Hoseok. You were dressed in a lavender colored mini dress that hugged your curves in all the right places. It was hard for him not to notice you when you just grabbed everyone’s attention.

“Jisoo’s here,” you whispered into his ear as his arm went around your waist. So far, Jisoo hasn’t seen you two outwardly act like a couple. She did look at Taehyung’s Instagram story where he posted the two pictures where you kissed and cupped his face in a cute way. Still there’s no way to tell how she felt about it but now she’d get a good view of them now.

Jimin and Namjoon seemed just as surprised as everyone else when he posted those pictures of you and when they came over they looked ready to ask all the questions. You must’ve sensed it because with a press of your lips on his cheek you were moving away, “I’m gonna get a drink.”

He waited for you to go before turning to his friends. Jimin smacked his arm, “You sneaky little shit! Never though to tell us how you managed to pull Y/n. I thought she wasn’t your type.”

“I never said that,” Taehyung said nervously as he felt Jisoo’s stare at him from across the floor. The music was loud and there were a lot of people but you didn’t seem shy at all. He knows this isn’t your scene. Your scene is parties on a yacht and beach parties, not college parties in someone’s dingy apartment. Still, he’s thankful you didn’t seem all that bothered by it. Sure, the second you walked you basically gagged at the smell of beer and sweat but you’ve been holding up pretty well. Even if he did see you pull out a hand wipe to rid yourself of germs and clutched your wallet closer. Now your wallet is in his pocket. God Forbid anything happened to your dad’s Gold and Black express card for the ultra rich.

“Well you sure as hell acted like it whenever I talked about my Queen. Also, kinda mad at you for stealing my crush but I forgive you because you’ve been having shitty luck with girls,” Jimin said and that made Taehyung gulp. How can he tell his best friend you’re only fake dating? Sure, Jimin had originally come up with the idea but it’s embarrassing to actually go through with it.

“I know Jisoo is shitting bricks over it,” Namjoon said with a little laugh, “She hates Y/n.”

Jisoo had always been one of those ‘peace&love’ girlies who preached positivity and women supporting women. Yet she never had a problem ranting to Taehyung about how materialistic and a bitch you were. She’d practically slut shame you any chance she had and Taehyung wouldn’t do anything but listen to his girlfriend complain. Now he obviously feels bad for not speaking up but what would he have even said when he knew nothing about you at the time to form his own opinion?

He also notices that Jisoo was more obsessed with talking about you than you were with her. It’s like you didn’t even talk about her unless it was about him and he found himself happy to know you were defensive and sort of protective over him.

“Talking about me?” You asked sauntering over in your pretty dress that made Taehyung bring his cup to his lips to avoid from letting his jaw drop. Jimin practically stuttered, “I-I’m Jimin.”

You smiled almost teasingly, “I know. TaeTae talks about you two all the time.” They looked at Taehyung with furrowed brows as if asking, TaeTae? but all he did was shrug. He’s getting used to it but he won’t deny it sounded way more affectionate than Tae—which was what Jisoo called him. Plus it seemed like the exact kind of nickname you’d call him like when you call your friends baby or refer to strangers as Queen, Kings, and Royals for inclusivity. You talked like a California valley girl always saying ‘like’ or ‘duh’ sometimes ‘obvi’.

“Give me,” Taehyung reached for your cup and you tilted it against his lips but you took him by surprise when you pressed your lips against his practically taking back whatever was poured down his throat. It was nasty but in a hot way and it definitely caused a shock factor.

His friends in particular looked a mixtures off confused and slightly intrigued or jealous but he wasn’t thinking about that right now. Namjoon was the first to look away, “I need a drink,” and Jimin followed.

“Is Jisoo still looking?” You said between a kiss and it took him a second to process what you had said, still kissing you. He pulled away, “Hm?”

“Jisoo Dummy, is she still staring?” You asked, hand on his neck trailing down over his shirt almost teasingly. He brought his cup up to quench his dry throat as his eyes scanned over the group of people and sure enough, she was. Oh yeah. That’s why you kissed. Haha.

“Yeah,” he said pressing his lips against yours again, a little tongue poking out to lick against yours one last time before pulling away. This time, instead of wiping your gloss off himself, you ran your thumb over his soft lips until it was off him.

“Careful baby,” you said with that teasing smile as his hand rested on your lower back just above your butt, “Kiss me again and I think you might fall for me.”

“Can’t have that, can we? You’ll break my heart,” he’s not sure why he said that nor why it bothered him that you didn’t deny it.

You two stayed against the wall for majority of the night. His hands kept finding ways to touch you and you did the same. It was easy to believe you were a real couple aside from your occasional comments about someone being hot that did get under his skin just a little. He just had to keep reminding himself none of it was real. That you were simply doing him a favor.

He wasn’t paying enough attention to his surroundings when a group of people passed extremely close to you two. It wasn’t until one of the girls passing had been shoved by her friend, and clear liquid went flying straight toward you two, mostly you. It seemed to go quiet for a second as your jaw dropped in clear shock. The cold liquid smelled of Vodka and it splashed onto the top of your dress down your cleavage.

“Oh my god, Y/n, I’m so sorry,” the girl stuttered holding her empty cup. Taehyung stiffened as your eyes turned razor sharp glaring at the girl. The nice smile you once had replaced by a deep scowl. Taehyung reached for you but you shooed his hands away. Without another word you tilted your cup splashing her with alcohol too and everyone gasped but no one said anything to you. You crushed the cup dropping it on the floor as you smiled tightly, “There, we’re even right?”

The girl didn’t say anything, still holding her wet clothes away from her body. Hers had been an accident but yours was completely on purpose. Though, everyone knows you could’ve handled that much more viciously so nobody argued. You looked at her, “Right?”

“Right,” she mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you said, “But maybe you should get friends who don’t get you in trouble, right?”

“Y/n,” Taehyung said but you brushed him off. “I want to go, now.” He nodded pushing off the wall and leaving with you, “You didn’t have to do th—“

“I don’t care,” you said walking ahead of him to the door, “It was her fault anyway.”

“Yeah bu—“

“Oh my God Taehyung I don’t need you lecturing me. I don’t care. I don’t feel bad and nothing you say will change my mind. If you don’t like it then you can leave me alone,” you said crudely. It was like a flip was switched and this was the first time Taehyung saw firsthand how mean you could be.

“I don’t care about what you say either then,” Taehyung didn’t back down as the two of you went to his car, “I know you regret blowing up because you’re not a mean person unless provoked.”

You scoffed, “That’s what you thin—“

“I know,” he argued, “So stop making yourself the bad guy because you’re upset. It was an accident and you know it.”

“If you’re not gonna shut up about it then I’ll just walk home,” you said stubbornly and it was driving him crazy. But he wasn’t regretting being with you? He knows you’re not mean like that. You just snapped before you could think and because everyone’s used to it they didn’t expect anything different. You’re not like that. Not once since he’s hung out with you have you been rude to anyone but Jisoo so he refuses to believe you’re just a bitch because you can be.

His silence was annoying you and so you turned and started walking. He wanted to rip his hair out. Why were you being so difficult and why did he care about his pretend girlfriend acting out? He groaned in frustration as he went after you. “Y/n, get your ass in the car.”

“No,” you said but before you could make it another step, an arm was around your waist pulling you back and your feet lifted off the ground. “Put me down!”

“Alright, once we get to the car,” he said carrying you to it, “You wanna be rude that’s fine but you’re not doing it with me. So sit down and drop the attitude. I’m taking you home.”

He huffed in annoyance as he slammed your door shut and made his way around to his side. There’s no way his pretend girlfriend was getting him so worked up. And why was he putting up with the attitude when he could’ve easily let you go?

     It went on like this for a few days. For some reason, you were a great pretender. Nobody could even tell you weren't actually dating, not even Jimin or Namjoon. And okay, one could say you actually were together but you both knew that's not true. When he went shopping with you, you shamelessly flirted with another guy in front of him. It's not like any of them knew about your deal so you didn't care. He didn't care either. You urged him to get the number of one of the baristas one day while studying and he's not sure why but he did. He never even called or texted the girl. And you two seemed to just never speak about what happened at the party. The next day you were all smiles on FaceTime showing him all the clothes and shoes you’d just bought and he was telling you which ones were his favorite.

He knew it really was getting under Jisoo's skin, mostly because she wasn't hiding it. Suddenly she's bumping into him all the time, trying to talk to him, anything when after they broke up she avoided him. It drove her crazy knowing he was with you, especially after the night of the party

Taehyung hated rude people and yet he let you get away with being a snobby bitch at the party. Of course she didn’t know how he gladly told you what you did was wrong but she hated that he just… didn’t care? One time Jisoo was rude to a sever because she was on her period and Taehyung was genuinely upset with her because of it. Why did you just get to get away with it? He just seemed willing to put up with you more than he ever did with Jisoo.

And now he was having dinner with you and your dad at some expensive restaurant with aquariums between every booth. He'd never even met Jisoo's parents in the two years he dated her. He tried not to talk too much but your father was relentless, "So Taehyung, what do your parents do?"

"You don't have to answer that," you said and for some reason, Taehyung was able to notice your bitter mood today. Your dad scoffed, "He does if he's going to date my daughter."

"They're farmers sir," Taehyung said and suddenly it went quiet with you looking at him now too. Your father just nodded, "Farming? Are they part of the Agriculture Union?"

"No sir, they are independently farmers. We only have an acre of farm land but since we lived in the countryside it supplies us really well," Taehyung told him despite sensing your father's disapproval. Why would you choose him if your dad clearly didn't like anything he was saying? He felt his nerves growing as if he should seek your father's approval even if you weren't actually dating.

"Oh my God," you said suddenly, "I wanna visit some time." He didn't know if you were being serious or not but he took pride in it anyway. Your father on the other hand, snickered, "You can't wear Jimmy Choo's in dirt. You wouldn't survive a day doing hard labor. So tell me Taehyung... and you can be honest with me. I prefer it that way."

"Why are you with my daughter?" He asked Taehyung, "What does some farm boy probably here on a scholarship want with Y/n? Hoping to leach off her allowance?"

"Wow dad, way to be supportive," you said suddenly, "You know what? Why don't you write a check and send him on his way, while you're at it. And don't say you haven't done that before."

"For your own good. You love to help the less fortunate and then what happens? You get bored and come crawling back asking for a new handbag," your dad said looking to Taehyung now, "You hear that? She trades in boys as much as she does shoes so if you think some guy from a small farm has a ch—"

"Y/n, we're leaving," Taehyung stood suddenly, "Get your things and let's go."

Your dad only laughed some more as you quickly stood never seeing Taehyung so serious. He took your hand in his while the other went to your lower back and he turned to glare at your father, "You know, not everything is about money and if you realized that sooner then you'd understand what it means to want to be with someone because you care about them. And I doubt you have the decency to treat any woman with respect enough to love them and not tear them down."

You didn't even have time to process what Taehyung just said before he was pulling you away. It wasn't until the two of you were outside that he cracked, "Fuck Y/n I am so sorry. I am so sorry, fuck I didn't mean to talk to your dad like that but it just pissed me off so much. He has no right to talk about you in that way even if he's your father, not after everything he's done to ruin your family an—Oh God, I am so fucking sorry."

"I'm sorry."

He quite literally froze on the spot. He turned to you with confused written all over his face and it wasn't until he paid closer attention that he realized you were crying. Oh fuck he's made you cry. Immediately he went to you, "Hey, hey, look I'm sorry. I have no right to say anything about you or your family. You can tell your dad you dumped me for being rude an—"

"I don't care about that," you said pushing him away, "I'm sorry that he said those things about you and your parents. It was mean and you didn't deserve that. It's what he does. He knows every woman in his life can't stand him and I'm the only one he has control over so he ruins everything. He should've never brought it u—"

He shut you up the only way he knew how now. With his hands cupping your face and his lips pressed against yours. He didn't care what your dad said and how much money he had. How could a guy not born into money care about things like that? After blowing up on your dad instead of being mad, you cried because you thought your dad hurt his feelings. You put him first before yourself even if your dad punished you for Taehyung's outburst. Maybe that's why you chose to go along with Taehyung, because your dad was the way he was but he didn't care. All he cared about was how everyone painted you the bitch, the primadonna, the spoiled one when deep down you actually cared a lot. And okay, yes, you could be mean, he gets that now and he’s willing to get you to not let your emotions run your mood with everyone.

Neither one of you seemed to care about being on the sidewalk until a car honked at the two of you and you were pulling away. He took your hand, "I'll take you home."

The ride was quiet but not in a bad way. There was like a shift in the atmosphere and Taehyung didn't want you to go. So, when he pulled up to your apartment and you hesitated, "Want to come in?" He was quick to say. "Let me park."

He didn't even give you time to respond before he was driving away to the parking garage. Once he found a spot the two of you stepped out and headed up the elevator neither saying anything now. When you unlocked your front door you asked, "Want anything to drink?"

It seems like neither one of you were ready to actually say anything more other than what was surface level. Still, the both of you seemed to be walking the usual path upstairs but instead of staying in the living room you walked to your bedroom. He followed after and watched you sit on your bed. You pat the spot next to you and he's quick to sit. This time, you're the one to make the move bringing his lips to hers. He only pecked your lips softly, testing the waters for this moment right here.

As if finding the answers he captured your lips in an intense kiss letting himself melt into it. It's kind of like the first kiss you shared on the yacht. Your hand was on his neck now as his lips started moving against yours hungrily. You could barely match his pace despite initiating the kiss. It made you smile into at the thought that he was eager.

Taehyung soon parted your lips slightly with his and you felt his wet tongue dart out to slide against mine gently.

You began leaning back making him follow after you until you were lying in your bed with Taehyung hovering over you. He pulled back looking down at you with round eyes. You smiled, "Why'd you stop?"

He laughed softly at your forwardness before remembering your current situation. He dipped his head lower until his mouth pressed against your neck. He lifted his hand off the bed slipping towards your jaw as he grabbed it and titled your head backwards to get better access. Your lips came up around him making him lay between them and making the kiss a little more intimate. He kissed up to your neck until he was at your jaw.

Taehyung left soft kisses along the curve of your before breaking away to meet your lips again. Your hands ran over his shirt until you were inching it up his back forcing him to step back until you took it off him. He smiled, "It's just like you to get straight to the point."

"Right now I want you. Can't I show it?" you asked and for some reason that made his heart jump. He didn't say anything instead reaching for your shirt and lifting it off too. He could be just as forward as you. His hands were at your sides immediately trailing to your rib cage as he leaned back down to capture you in a kiss again.

He slid them over your bra and without thinking, squeezed a little. His eyes were closed so he felt around blindly when you pushed them further into his hands as he slid it down.

To be honest, you didn't expect him to be as forward as he was but you definitely liked it. Never one to shy away from getting sexual you were pulling on your skirt making him moved down to help you take it off. He went ahead and unbuttoned his jeans too kicking them off before moving to crawl over you again. Before he could you were pushing him down and straddling his lap moving to untie your bra leaving you in just your underwear. His eyes darted to look at every exposed part of your body not shy to stare are your breasts in awe. His lips parted slightly as you leaned back down connecting yours to them.

He let his hands cup your tits feeling the softness of them on his palms, digging his fingers in just slightly. Taehyung's hips began to move on their own, lightly bucking against you. Your underwear was tiny, barely covering anything and yet it's what he expected you to wear. Not that he's thought about you naked, maybe. But it's just that you're the bold type and that's what made you attractive. With only your underwear and his in the way, he could feel almost everything including the way he was basically humping right between your entrance toward your clit. The makeout was quickly escalating and his member was hardening rather quickly.

You moaned softly as his thumbs ran over your nipples and his tongue teased yours slightly messy. Taehyung's covered member was hitting against your clit to the point where you found yourself matching his movements. You wanted him now and for more than just kissing, so you began to slide off him. His head follows yours so the kiss wouldn't break but you pushed against his chest to keep him down. Your hand traces down his body and reaches the over his clothed cock palming him firmly. Taehyung instantly sighs at the touch letting himself relax back down.

Your head reaches his dick and you slowly pull down his briefs solely focused on what you were about to do exposing his hard dick. You smiled looking up at him anything but innocent. He waits to see what you do next and his breath hitched as you reach for his member bringing it closer to your face. Just like that, your tongue was licking along the length.

When you reached the tip you put in your mouth, lips suctioning around the head letting your tongue swipe against the slit. He was in Head Heaven, your mouth felt so warm and wet. His hand moved into your hair not pulling it just keeping your head in place when you began to bob. Your jaw relaxed some more and you were able to move your tongue down his side playing with the extra skin.

"Fuck" Taehyung moans, "You're sucking my cock so good, fuck Y/n." His hand started to bob your head up and down at a faster pace while your hand made a fist around what ever didn't fit in your mouth. His hips met your mouth soft making him hit the back of your throat and he watched closely as you took him in. He wouldn't last long, "I'm close."

You made sure to add more tongue as you wanted him to break apart in your mouth and went rougher. He gripped your hair even tighter, and that excited you knowing he was close. As if reading your mind, he was tapping your cheek lightly, "I want you to ride me. Now."

You didn't pull back even as he moved to sit up making him hiss in pleasure, "Y/n, wait..." Your hand lowered to his balls and with that he knew he had to have you now. He was gripping your hair lightly pulling you back with his hand on your arm to lift you and this time you moved. "Condom?" He asked you and you went straight to your nightstand to grab one.

He took it from you patting your thigh letting you know he wanted you on the bed now. You lied on your pillows as he slipped the condom on stroking himself gently as he made his way between your legs. One hand pushed against the bed near your head and his other lined his member with your pussy. Taehyung's hair was covering your view of his eyes but you could see the way he licks his lips, his tip pressing against your clit watching your hips buck up for more friction. Without wasting another member, he was costing his cock with your slick and sinking into your entrance slowly. His eyes train on yours as he slowly starts moving his hips testing to see how much he could move. You wrapped a hand behind his neck making him lean down and his hips began moving more firmly. His knees pressed into the mattress just below your vent legs and he thrusted more intentionally now.

Taehyung's chest pressed against your t his head fall between your shoulder and neck but turned his head to capture your lips. You moaned bro find a hand down to his lower back, "Harder."

That made him groan, sucking harshly on your neck as he began a rhythmic stroke, roughly fucking you. Neither one of you were necessarily talkers during sex but with the mix of grunts and moans there wasn't much to be said. You both felt so fucking good and your legs wrapped around his waist trapping him in to brutally fuck you.

"Fuck," he growled, hand suddenly going behind your head forcing it against his neck as he lifted your body every time he rocked into you. You couldn't help but moan at the sudden aggressiveness and welcomed it eagerly. You were close. You haven't had sex in a couple months and Taehyung just felt so good. You've been worked up since the second you started making out.

"I'm gonna cum," you panted sound muffled against his hot neck but his hand gripped your hair pulling you away.

"Kiss me," he all but demanded changing his rhythm to be slow but still rough letting you feel every inch. You did as told kissing him hard as he began rutting up his entire body to get deeper, hitting all the right places.

"Cum," he whispered against your lips and it was the only thing you needed to hear before tightening your walls around him with a whine. He groaned loudly against your lips, falling right behind you releasing into the condom. Your body trembled slightly coming down from your high and he let you cling to him.

He pulled away from your bruising lips looking down at you all fucked out. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he moved his hand from behind your head and pushed against the bed to lift himself out.

You just sighed clearly exhausted but in a good way, shimmying up your bed and combing your hair out of your face.

Taehyung took the condom off tying the end and throwing it on the floor unsure what to do. Did you want him to stay or leave? He would like to stay and possibly get some post-sex intimacy but he's not sure if you're about that. You flashed him one of your infamous smiles and reached a hand out to him. He moved to lie down next to you pulling the blanket over the both of you as you attempted to catch your breaths.

You snuggle up to his side on his arm and the other he brings behind his head looking down at you. With the hand behind your head he started playing with your hair.

He couldn't tell if this pent-up hunger for sex of if it was something more. Is he ready for it to be more? Do you even want it to be more? It was hard to tell how you felt because up until this point you've passive with your emotions. You radiated the idea of being carefree and he wonders if this was one of those times you're just doing what you want.

"We've got that exam in class tomorrow," Taehyung said instead of asking what he really wanted to know. He's scared if he talks about anything else you'll draw back. You groaned into his chest, "Don't remind me."

"I've gotta, as your tutor it's my job," he said with a smirk when you rolled your eyes.

You walked into the lecture the next day talking with Jungkook. Taehyung had his last class end early so he got to the room quicker than you. You do sit near each other but mostly because you two were apparently dating. Your friends didn't know that it had all started because you and Taehyung were talking about Jisoo. You're not sure how it's escalated into what it is now and you also don't know how to feel about it all.

You took the seat next to him with Jungkook on your right and Taehyung looked just as hesitant saying hi to you as you did him. Jimin and Namjoon came in moments later waving to you. With that, Taehyung took your hand in his under the table and tried ignoring how awkward it felt. After what happened last night Taehyung ended up leaving. You two talked for a while but laying together like suddenly felt awkward and it was clear you two were done seeing each other.

Taehyung just had so much to think about. He couldn't understand how he felt about everything happening. At first, when Jisoo dumped him that's all he could think about. How she could sit there and admit she cheated and then dump her like it was completely her choice. You've always been in the back of his head but never in the forefront. Now that you were he just felt indifferent and guilty. Indifferent because he's clearly into your but he's not sure if he's ready for that.

It's only been about three months since the breakup and you came along a month after it happened. Can anyone see why he feels indifferent? He likes you but he wasn't in the right place to ask you to be his pretend girlfriend and even though he likes to think it was a mutual thing, he brought it up first.

But he also feels guilty because he doesn't want you thinking he slept with you and did all this for a rebound. Having sex with you wasn't something that had been on his mind despite his attraction toward. Of course he thought you were attractive from before he ever approached you. You were the type that someone passing will notice and with Jisoo always bringing you up with Jimin it was hard for him to ignore. There has just always been something intriguing about you and he can't deny that. But he never thought about sex.

Even when he got closer to you it had just been about him liking getting to know you. You weren't afraid to be loud or do something funny and that's how he was too. He found himself smiling whenever you did something. He liked talking to you and letting you go on rants about literally anything that annoyed you even the slightest.

Still, it wasn't until after last night when he had dinner with his dad did he realize just how much it is now. He was able to suppress it till now but he's not sure he can go back after sleeping with you.

Once the exam was complete he took your hand in his, “Can we talk?”

“We can do whatever, we’re dating right?” You said it out loud before turning to Jungkook and Mira, “I’ll see you later.”

Taehyung’s friends left too and suddenly it was just you. You left the lecture hall and moved your hand out of his to take your lip gloss out of your bag. You held a compact mirror out as you reapplied a thin layer to your lips and smacked them in a kiss. He didn’t say anything but his curiosity was killing him. You were clearly acting distant.

“So what do you want to say?” You asked him and he just bit his lower lip. He’s not sure he can say anything now. You didn’t seem to be in the best mood today and he’s worried you’ll suddenly tell him to fuck off or something. Why do you confuse him so damn much?

“Nevermind,” he sighed, “I’ve gotta get to class.”

“Whatever.”

That made him freeze, hand on his backpack strap debating if he really should just talk to you. No. He can’t. You’re in a fake relationship, right? Minus the benefit that is. So he just left in defeat.

“Are you two in a fight?” Mira asked you the following Friday at another party. The only reason you came is because Mira was hooking up with the guy throwing it and you had nothing better to do. It’s not that you’ve been avoiding Taehyung but you know you’ve been distant. You’re really only show affection to him around Jisoo but it doesn’t matter. You’re not actually dating. It’s all pretend. You’re just bored and having sex was a one time thing due to your emotions being high because of your stupid ass dad.

Real relationships are stupid and too much work.

You’ll admit you didn’t think about him being at this party so you didn’t even bring it up. Now he’s standing across the room looking at you. You just turned away, “No, just tired of him at the moment.”

“I don’t believe you but whatever,” Mira said with a shrug, “Let’s go look at what to drink.”

“Finally tired of him?” Jungkook asked with a laugh, “I figured. He didn’t seem like your type.”

“Why?” You asked suddenly defensive, “He’s hot.”

“Yeah but he’s actually a good person. You? Not so mu—ow!” He groaned when you pulled on his ear. “Talk to me like that again.”

“Please, not like I’m lying,” Jungkook shrugged you off.

“Go talk to Y/n,” Namjoon told Taehyung, “I don’t know why you two are fighting but go work it out.”

He wanted to argue and say no but he’s supposed to be your boyfriend. He had to care that you two were fighting and so he left his friends to go to you. “Y/n.”

“What?” You asked turning away from your friends. He sighed, “Come here.”

You did as told going over to him, “What?”

“Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong? Why are you so distant?” He rushed every question on his mind out, “Was it because of the other night?”

“Sure.”

Your response made him scoff, “No. Don’t brush me off. Answer my questions.”

“I don’t want to,” you said with a sigh looking around, “I need a drink so I’m gonna go.”

He reached for your hand but you were already gone. With a groan in frustration he turned away immediately. He needed some air to think and so he walked passed his friends to the balcony door with a sign that said nobody could go through.

“Trouble in paradise?”

Taehyung couldn’t help the way his eyes rolled in annoyance ignoring Jisoo. Still, she came over to where he was against the railing, “What do you want?”

“It looked like you and Y/n were arguing so I wanted to come check on you,” Jisoo said and it only made Taehyung more mad. He huffed, “Well it’s none of your business so you can go.”

“I still care about you Tae,” Jisoo confessed moving even closer to him, “And I don’t like that she’s getting you worked up.”

“Just shut up,” he said with little patience for his ex girlfriend. He wasn’t even thinking about her right now. He was thinking about you. “You can’t care about me after what you did. So if you think I care at all about what you think, you’re dead wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” she began to cry, “I’m so sorry and you have no idea how much I regret doing what I did. I miss you so much and seeing you with Y/n drives me insane. I can’t stand seeing her treat you like this and make you mad.”

“Jisoo, I don’t know how many times I have to tell you I don’t care,” Taehyung said bitterly, “You cheated on me so I don’t care if you miss me or regret it.”

“I’m sorry!” She kept going, “I swear I didn’t mean to. I just, I thought you didn’t love me anymore and I wasn’t thinking. But please, I regret it. I regret it every day and Y/n doesn’t deserve you.”

“She gets everything she wants and she uses people to get what she wants. When she’s done she just throws them away and I don’t want to see that happen to you,” she moved closer to him, almost touching him backing Taehying into the corner of the balcony.

“She’s mean Taehyung. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself and please, please just take me back,” she said. Taehyung scoffed ready to tell her to fuck off when she did the unthinkable. Her lips pressed against his and before he could process what was happening, the door was swinging open.

“Tae—“ he pushed Jisoo away glaring down at her when he caught sight of the open door. There you stood looking anything but happy. “Y/n,” he made a move to go to you, heart racing out of his chest but you were leaving. He was going after you, Jisoo clinging to his shirt, “Wait—“

“Get off me!” He yelled, angry for real this time, “Don’t you get that I don’t want you? I don’t care how you feel. I don’t care what you think and I can’t believe you just did that!”

“Bu—“

“No, just stop. Y/n’s not the problem, you are. You’re a fucking cunt Jisoo,” Taehyung said honestly, “And I love Y/n way more than I’ve ever loved you and you just fucked up my chances at getting her back. I can’t stand you, do you get that? You didn’t deserve me and I’m happy I see that now because you’re an awful person.”

He knows he was being mean but it was just built up frustration toward her that was finally coming out, “And you’re a dirty cheater and I’ll make sure to remind Hoseok of that. Now move.”

He left with that running back into the apartment looking for you.

“Where’s Y/n?” He asked Jimin in a rush. Jimin pointed to the front door, “She just left. What’s go—Tae!”

He ran out the door calling out to you, “Y/n!”

You were already on the street as he chased after you. “Just stop Taehyung. You wanna run back to your cheating ex. Just do it. I don’t care.”

“I would never! I love you Y/n,” he said honestly because it was true. How could he not fall head over heels for you since the beginning. You proved every bad thing he’d ever heard about you wrong. Sure you snapped at that girl but he knew it wasn’t like you.

“Oh please,” you scoffed, “You love Jisoo. That’s why you wanted to make her jealous in the first place—“

He pulled you back into him by your arm. Had he really chased after you that quickly? He was out of breath, “I don’t give a fuck about her anymore.”

“Then why keep the act up? Were you just waiting for the moment she apologized? Because she’s a cheater and I don’t care if this relationship wasn’t real between us, I hate cheaters and you just kissed her,” you said referring to what you had walked into. All you had wanted was to apologize but clearly he had other plans that didn’t involve you anymore.

“Let me explai—“

“No,” you said pushing him away, “No. I don’t care. I don’t care about what you have to say. I’m done with you. I don’t need a relationship with you.”

“You don’t mean that,” Taehyung shook his head, “You do care. I know you do. That’s why you’re being mean right now and if you

just let me explain and stop a—“

“No! No! No! I’m being mean because I can be and if you don’t like it you can leave. I did this because I was bored and you were easy to make my new toy,” you said viciously, “So don’t act surprised that I don’t want to deal with you anymore. Go back to Jisoo and leave me the fuck alone.”

He wanted to act like your words didn’t sting a little but you were being cruel. If you hadn’t walked in at that moment. If you would’ve just seen him push her away and tell her he loved you.

“You don’t mean that,” he whispered and you didn’t mean it. You really didn’t but you weren’t going to get hurt er over a guy you weren’t even dating. You just shrugged, “I do. So this fake relationship is don—“

“It stopped being fake to me the second you kissed me on the yacht,” Taehyung confessed, “But I didn’t want you trying to run away from me like you’ve done the last few days. And now you’re using the kiss as an excuse to push me away when we both know I don’t feel shit for Jisoo. I know you know she kissed me. I wouldn’t be here right now if I wanted her.”

“Well I don’t c—“

“Yes you do!” He yelled at you. You two were arguing on the street for anyone to see but he didn’t care about anything but you. He grabbed you by the waist shaking you a little, “You do care so stop acting like you don’t. You can play the mean bitch card with anyone else but not me! I know the real you and I know you care about me too. And I swear to you, that kiss meant nothing to me. It disgusted me.”

You didn’t say anything but he knew he was breaking down your wall so he kept going, “I know how everyone perceived you but I don’t see you that way. I see you as someone who’s been let down a lot and your defense mechanism is getting mad and I don’t want you like that with me,” Taehyung said moving closer to her. You let him pull you into a hug.

“I really care about you and I know this is happening so fast but I couldn’t stop thinking about the night of the dinner,” Taehyung held your face in his hands, “And I want to be with you. Not as pretend but really as my girlfriend.”

“Are you sure you’re not saying this to get back at Jisoo?” You asked with a pout. He shook his head, “Fuck Jisoo and everyone else, it’s just you.”

“Even if I’m mean and spoiled?”

“Especially because of that,” he teased brushing your hair out of your face before kissing the tip of your nose, “I like everything about you and we’ll work on whatever needs to be done because I want to be with you so damn bad.”

“At least we don’t have to tell anyone we’re dating now.”

He smiled, heart melting a little as he tilted your head up and connected your lips with his. You smiled back, “Just so you know. I love you too and I’m really sorry for pushing you away. If I hadn’t gotten mad then Jisoo wouldn’t hav—“

“It’s fine baby, as long as you love me I don’t care about the rest.”

::.

request 1

request 2

wow I wrote this in less than two days ain’t that something

thanks for over 4K followers. luv and appreciate everyone.

I’m convinced Tae is really affectionate and understanding so when he got to know y/n he just fell in love

and I don’t wanna hear anything bad about this y/n bc she skims over her trauma which clearly explains why she acts the way she does 😜

hey siri play daddy issue by the neighbourhood

hey siri play evergreen by Omar Apollo

hey siri play liquid smooth by mitski

[theclairvoyage]

Mermaid Purse - Part 1 of 3

AO3 | Main Masterlist

Pairing: Marine Biologist!Reader x Joel Miller

Summary: Summertime in Clearwater, Florida means no school, which means instead of teaching Marine Biology at a local university, you're bartending at The Rusty Sawfish, a bar located on the marina of Clearwater Beach. The owner's friend, who happens to be a sexy, suarthy Texan contractor, moves to town to start over and help his friend with a project, stumbling across you in the process... and you thought summer in Florida couldn't get hotter.

Warnings for Part 1: Minors DNI! adult language, alcohol consumption, sexual tension, reader is female, reader is able-bodied, unspecified age gap, allusions to smut, kissing, groping, mentions of threesomes. Please lmk if I missed anything!

WC: 9k

If Florida was good at one thing besides starring in strange headlines, it was bringing the heat.

Summer had its bags packed and was ready to leave Clearwater Beach. Not soon enough, you thought, as the humid, subtropical heat of late July in Southern Florida drenched your skin in sticky sweat. The salty breeze from the Gulf of Mexico made it bearable, as did the marine life.

You had loved animals as long as you can remember.  Growing up in the Midwest, you became acclimated to the four-legged ruminates and vast birds of the region. The closest thing you had to the ocean were stinky, dirt-sand beaches tucked away near state parks and curled highways. Oh, and the occasional zoo. Then grew your zeal for the ocean and the creatures that called it home.

That is, until you moved to Florida to study marine biology at the University of Florida, when that zeal exploded into full-on wonderment.

Some of your fondest memories of university were spending innumerable mornings out on the open sea, tagging sharks, rays, and skates for research. As you learned more about these gorgeous creatures, known in the scholarly world as the elasmobranchs, a feeling of protection grew.

And as always, the more you learned about animals, the more you learned about humans.  Some species of sharks have been fished to near-extinction, and over the course of your four years in undergrad, you bore witness to and swore to change that.

Now, as a Professor of Marine Biology at a new college in Clearwater devoted exclusively to the study of marine life, you do your best to imprint that mindset in your students.  Though in summertime, when the students are absent, you’re a full-time bartender at a local marina.  The double income in the summer is cushy, and it’s a nice change from teaching—not to mention the people watching.

That’s where you’re headed now, at 3:00 PM on a Friday—The Rusty Sawfish.  The name is what drew you in, obviously, but the ease and satisfaction of the job are what keep you.  The owner, Gil—another marine pun-slash-name—loves having you around, even if it’s only in the summertime.  He calls you during the school year to see how life is, and if you can pick up a random shift here and there.  A former Air Force pilot from Chicago, Gil spent a good chunk of his midlife in Southern Florida and opened The Rusty Sawfish after retired life bored him.

You turn onto Clearwater Memorial Causeway, a long bridge that connects mainland Florida to Clearwater Beach Island, where the bar is located.  You’ve not once grown tired of the view—beautiful, blue-green waters, white sand beaches, swaying palm trees, and endless sunshine.  Sometimes, you’ll catch an occasional shark dorsal fin cruising along calmer waters or a bottlenose dolphin breaching at the surface.

The Rusty Sawfish lies in Clearwater Municipal Marina, surrounded by several restaurants, hotels, other bars, and tourist spots.  Like many Southern Florida beach cities, the population is a revolving door.  You don’t mind it, though it’s not the same close-knit community as your hometown in Nebraska.

You park on the street and stroll up to the bar, shooing some laughing gulls from the sidewalk.  The tourists here love to feed them, and they feel comfortable in human spaces.  You check your watch—two minutes to spare before you’re “late”, though Gil would never call you out.  He’s just happy you’re there.

The bar is one of the few out here that has large, glass garage doors that can open and enclose the place, which gives it an advantage in case of bad weather.  The inside is modern, unlike many marina bars that are filled with worn wooden floors and hut-like roofs.  The natural lighting inside is beautiful, no thanks to the big windows flanking the front.  The long u-shaped bar has enough comfortable space for 4-5 bartenders at once, which is sometimes doubled on busy summer days.

You step in and walk directly to the back office to drop your purse and clock in.  Gil, perched in his old desk chair and staring at his ancient computer in the stuffy office, looks up from the screen, readers glasses threatening to slip from the edge of his nose.  You chuckle.

“Afternoon, kiddo,” he greets you, smile crinkling his tan, leathery face.

“Afternoon, Gil.  How’s it been today?”

“Same shit.  Big group of fishermen stopped here earlier and are still here.  May need to cut ‘em off soon if they haven’t started laying off the booze,” he groans, scribbling something on his legal pad.  A pencil and paper guy, Gil would still be using an old-fashioned book balance if it weren’t for you.  Though he understands that electronic bookkeeping is a lifesaver, he’s skeptical of computers—and terrible at using them.

“Sounds good.  Just me for a while?” You ask, setting your things in one of the desk drawers and punching in on the time clock.  You can’t remember who was at the bar when you walked in.

“Georgia is here, and we got 2 more coming in for the evening.  Shaping up to be a great night,” he says, returning to stare dead-faced at the computer.  Stifling a chuckle, you nod and exit the office.

Georgia, the lone bartender, is quite happy to see you as she wipes off the countertop of the bar.  She’s a close friend of yours—you two met here at the bar several years ago and share a love for the ocean and its creatures.  She’s a fresh college graduate and a few years your junior.

“Hey! So glad you’re here!” She squeaks, giving you a quick hug.  She’s always been a touchy-feely girl, unlike you—though it doesn’t bother you.

“Rough lunch shift?” You tease, checking the ice bins and refrigerators for stock.  She comes up close to your ear and lowers her voice.

“Those fucking old men have been ruthless.  I made Gil take care of their last couple rounds because I can’t deal with the catcalling,” she hisses.  Before you can scan the bar to eye the table, she stops you.

“Don’t,” she warns, “They had a field day when you walked in.  I’m shocked you didn’t notice!”

Curbing the urge to roll your eyes, you nod.  “Where are they seated?  Maybe we should just give Gil the entire table,” you suggest.

“Underneath the big TV.  They insisted on sitting there so they could play Keno and watch baseball,” she groans.

“Ah, yes.  America’s favorite pastimes,” you quip.  Georgia cackles.

“I’ll stock quick.  Need any of the taps changed?” you ask her, grabbing a sticky note and pen by the POS system.  Bar preference is to have each new shift stock everything once they clock in, which makes the rest of the day a breeze.  Georgia nods.

“I know we’re running low on Miller—that damn table has been guzzling it all day,” she gripes.  You giggle.

“I’ll be back shortly,” you say, heading to the back to grab bottles, cans, and change the Miller tap.  It’s quick work for you and you’re back behind the counter in ten minutes.

“You ready for a break, Georg?” You ask her, preparing your side of the bar with clean glasses and towels.

“Not yet, maybe in about an hour once Gil is done trying to fill a single spreadsheet on Excel,” she jokes, making both of you laugh.  “Plus, I am not leaving you out here alone with those weirdos.”

“Is that one coming up here now?” You tilt your head toward a pudgy, middle-aged, sunburnt man with a ratty Budweiser shirt and an awful sunglasses tan approaching the bar.  He’s not stumbling, but the dumb grin on his face indicates that he’s feeling pretty good.  Georgia confirms with an annoyed grunt.

“Lovely ladies, can I get a refill of Miller?” He chirps, leaning against the bar countertop and propping his glass up.

“Sure.  I’m gonna give you a new glass, though,” Georgia responds, taking the dirty one and putting it in the black bin for used dishes.  Budweiser Man groans.

“Aw, I was tryin’ to help you, sweetie,” he says, loud voice enough to curdle cold milk.  He snaps his eyes to you.

“Wow.  Two gorgeous girls running the bar?  I think we’re in trouble,” he jokes, punctuating his sentence with a belly laugh.  The urge to rip his ratty shirt off his potbelly and embarrass him floods your system momentarily.  You settle for a fake smile instead.

“Sounds like you could use some water,” you joke, still fake smiling at him.  Languidly, he tries to pout at you, but the buzz makes the shift in facial expressions difficult.

“Trust me, sir—a day out in this sun, you’ll want water with each drink,” you add, getting a glass ready for him.

“Then what’s the point of the beer, hunny?” he whines.  Pet names drive you mad, especially from drunk old men.  Patience diminishing by the second, you inhale deeply and fill the glass with water with the soda gun.

“Just making sure our patrons are safe, sir.  Want to make sure you’re able to come back,” you respond, handing him a water as Georgia hands him a full pint of Miller.

“Sure thing, gorgeous,” he says, winking at you.  Gross.  The number of middle-aged men that have flirted with Georgia and you from the other side of the bar is probably pretty high, but most don’t give you the creeps.  Georgia waits until he’s back at the table before sneering.

“Jesus, what a fucking creep,” she seethes.  “I’d love to spit in his drink.”

“Easy, Georg.  Don’t lose it over Porky Pig,” you quip, followed by a boisterous laugh from her.

The night is busy, but smooth.  A weekend fishing tournament at the beach brings in tons of salty, sunburnt folks.  Two other bartenders, Mike and Rand, come in around 7:00 PM to help with the dinner rush.  They’re college kids that double as bouncers, which would’ve been helpful earlier.  The annoying table of anglers left around 5:00 PM after Gil warned them that he’d give them the boot if they didn’t start drinking water.  Porky and his crew left reluctantly, though not before coming up to give you and Georgia big tips and his phone number scrawled on a receipt.

Just in case you two like to tag team, it said.  Both of you suppressed a wave of nausea after reading that.

The bar closes at 2:00 AM most nights during the summer, and from 10 PM-1:30 AM, the bar is hopping.  Lots of anglers and tourists flock to the bar for the big TVs and fancy drinks, many of which you helped Gil curate.  Around 11:00, you finally get a chance to take a break.  Feeling sluggish, you walk over to the nearby convenience store to grab a coffee—caffeine doesn’t do much for you, but it’ll give you the boost you need to reach close.

A can of double shot espresso with cream calls your name, and you’re eager to crack it open.  Forgetting to look before leaving the aisle, you bump into something tall and hard.  The can falls and busts open on the floor, spraying coffee everywhere.  Fuck.

“Oh shit,” you say, realizing that you slammed into some guy.  “I’m so sorry!”  Quickly, you crouch to pick up the fallen can from the cold linoleum floor.

The voice that responds wakes you up more than any espresso could.  “S’alright, miss.  You alright?”

You look up from the puddle of coffee and see a good-sized, handsome-as-fuck stranger standing above you.  Middle-aged; curly, brown hair with flecks of gray; tan, muscled arms; big hands; warm, calming chocolate eyes.  He looks so good that you’re frozen, unable to reply.  He cocks an eyebrow at you before a small grin etches his face.

“Uh, yeah—sorry.  I’m in a hurry, I didn’t mean to bump into you.  I should’ve paid attention,” you respond, panicked.  You scan the aisle for paper towels or something to clean up the mess.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll go get an employee to clean this up,” the man assures you, his silky, Southern voice placating you.  You stand slowly, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.  A slow burn creeps up your neck and cheeks as his gaze sweeps over you.

“I’ll be right back,” he promises, and you look up at him just before he turns away.  Fuck, he’s gorgeous.  His irises are lined with specks of amber, like gold flakes.  He almost looks worried.

A few moments later, he returns with an older lady dressed in a convenience store uniform, sporting a fluffy white towel.  She smiles warmly at you.  Hyper focused on not looking at the handsome stranger, you smile back at her and hold your hand out.

“I’ll clean it, I made the mess.  I’d want the same if someone made a mess where I worked,” you offer.  Both the employee and the man laugh.  She tilts her head at you as if she’s trying to recognize you.

“You work at The Rusty Sawfish, don’t you?” She asks, watching you wipe up the puddle of coffee.

“Guilty.  I’m on my break right now, though I seem to have wasted it being an idiot,” you say, and the two strangers chuckle again.  The man’s deep, rumbly laugh makes your stomach flip.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, sweetie.  You deserve a break!  Let me finish and take a can on the house,” she says.  Her kindness mirrors that of most residents here—always helping others, stranger or not.

“Oh, I couldn’t.  Unless you came to the bar for a free drink.  Both of you,” you add, forcing yourself to make eye contact with the handsome stranger.

The way he stares at you makes you writhe.  His gaze is captivating.  His eyes circle around your eyes and your lips, unmoving—like you’re the only person in the room.  Time pauses as you both exchange stares.  He’s the first to speak.

“I’ll be there,” he says, half-smirking at you.  You forgot about the convenience store employee until she speaks again.

“Late night here for me, but I’ll stop by this weekend!  Have a great night, sweetie!”

“Thank you both,” you say, grabbing a new can and waving as you walk backward toward the exit.  You don’t miss the way Sexy Stranger watches you leave, but you miss the way his eyes traverse your frame when you turn around.

Shivers blitz your spine as you walk back to work, thinking of how he looked at you.  He was one of the most attractive men you’d seen here, which says a lot.  Southern Florida beach cities are ripe with hot men from all walks of life.  His accent was Southern, but not Floridian—more mainland, like Oklahoma or Texas.  Before you can think on it further, you trot back into the bar.

Thankfully, there isn’t a huge rush of patrons.  Georgia, Mike, and Rand are moving around behind the bar.  You hurry and step behind the u-shaped area, smoothing your hair out of your face.  Georgia approaches you, grinning.

“Sorry—I made a complete fool of myself at the convenience store and spilled coffee everywhere, even ran into this sexy guy in the aisle,” You lament, redoing your now sweaty and frizzy updo. She laughs.

“Did you get his number, though?” Georgia asks. “Also, how sexy are we talking?”

You widen your eyes and whistle lowly.  “Georg—I’m telling you, he was sexy as fuck.  Southern type—tall, dark, and handsome.  He said he was coming here.”

She claps her hands together giddily.  “Hell yes.  Surprised he didn’t follow you right then and there,” she adds with a wink.  You roll your eyes.

“Nah, but I’m sure he’ll do that to you when he sees you,” you hypothesize.  Georgia is beautiful—typical tan, blonde Florida beach babe with a killer body.  She’s bubbly, too, with a personality that matches the Clearwater sunshine, and she’s smart.  She shushes you, frowning.

���Um… have you seen yourself?  You’re a fucking knockout. How many guys have tried to get us to do a threesome with them? That should tell you everything,” Georgia reminds you. You shrug, unsure how to answer—she’s right.

“That’s what I thought, Miss I Don’t Know I’m Beautiful.  Now shut up and help me get the drinks ready for this table,” she says, giving you an air kiss on the cheek.  Georg knows how to cheer you up—her sunshine personality is contagious.

Several cocktails and minutes later, you head back to the cooler to restock the bar fridges.  When you return, a seat at the bar is occupied with a familiar curly-haired man peering up at the television behind the bar.  He’s not facing you, thankfully—the way you froze was embarrassing enough.  Coolly, you hoist the bin of alcohol on your shoulder and stride toward the bar.  The fridge you need to restock doesn’t face him, so you have some time to plan a greeting while you refill the beers.  Georgia pokes your side as she walks up to him, informing you that she knows it’s your sexy mystery man.

“Welcome in!  Have you been here before?” She chirps, handing him a menu.  He shakes his head and scans the sheets quickly before folding it up and handing it back to her.

“No, ma’am.  Was advised to come here by one of the employees,” he croons.  You feel his stare boring a hole in your head and decide it’s time to acknowledge him.

Standing up, you face him and hope your cheeks don’t burn bright red.  He’s smiling at you, and fuck, that smile is something you won’t forget.  Pearly whites on full display, crinkled but twinkling eyes, a salt and pepper beard, and tan skin complement the face staring at yours.

Speak, you idiot.

“Hi again.  Glad you made it.  I wondered where the coffee smell came from.”  Your wit pulls a boisterous laugh from him, one that does something tingly to your insides.  Georgia interrupts.

“I’ll take over the stocking while you help this gentleman,” she says, pinching your side as she walks away.  The man’s eyes don’t follow her, which surprises you—they’re glued to you.  Words exit your mouth before you can ruminate further.

“What can I get you? I take it you’re not a fruity cocktail kind of guy,” you tease, smirking at him.  He shakes his head and chuckles.

“Correct, ma’am.  Is the whiskey here all you’ve got?” He nods to the shelves behind you.

“Not quite.  The owner is a whiskey aficionado and has some reserve bottles in the back that he saves for special customers,” you say, putting a hand next to your mouth as you fake whisper.  The lopsided grin returns on his face, sending your pulse into overdrive.

“Would gettin’ spilled on by an employee qualify me as a special customer?” He wisecracks, arching a brow at you.  You slump your shoulders in mock defeat.

“I suppose. What’s your favorite?” His jaw ticks back and forth as he ponders.

“Too hard to say.  Not a picky guy. Been cravin’ some Eagle Rare,” his velvet voice replies, the soundwaves tickling the hair on your ears.

“I’ll go ask the boss.  Be right back.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sexy Stranger replies, watching you leave.  Undiscovered by you, he’s turned to watch you walk to Gil’s office, his pulse picking up at what he sees.

He won’t lie to himself—he’s drabbled in some younger women over the years, many of whom were nothing but a one-night stand, a pretty young thing to slip inside and make him feel younger for a few hours.  But you’re different.  Stunning, yes.  Charming, funny, and mysterious, too—like you’re looking at the world from a different dimension.  He senses a force field around you, though, one he worries you won’t let him invade.

You step out of Gil’s office with a dusty bottle of Eagle Rare, aged ten years.  Gil was astounded that someone requested this, and had he not been contemplating ways to destroy his computer, he’d have joined the Sexy Stranger for a glass.

As you return to the bar, you admire the man’s full head of brunette curls, and the random spots kissed with gray locks.  His shoulders are brawny and expansive, pulling taut the flannel fabric between his scapulas.  Atop them is a thick, ropy neck, with a jutting Adam’s apple and tan flesh you’d like to sink your teeth into.  He was tall, but not overtly so—just enough to complement his muscly build.

The way he leans back in the chair and sees his surroundings exudes a calm tenacity, but the way his eyes smolder suggests a tendency to be ravenous.  You wonder if that duality is something he wants to show you.  Warmth surges through your veins as you fantasize about a complete stranger, wracking your core and igniting thoughts and feelings you haven’t had in a long time.

Certainly, you’d been with men since moving to Clearwater, and though the options were vast, the likelihood of something lasting was minimal.  Thus, you chose to keep interactions with men somewhat superficial, an imaginary arm constantly protruding from you to forbid anything further than flirtatious banter.  This attractive, swarthy man, however, had his wrist wrapped around that arm and was threatening to rip it from you—the thought frightened and excited you.

Momentarily, you ignore the rush of adrenaline as you return behind the bar and into his view.  Like  a magnet, he latches onto you at once, eyes burning your face and figure.  Using a damp towel behind the counter, you swipe dust off the bottle and set it in front of him.

“Here you are, sir.  One dusty bottle of Eagle Rare.”  Sexy Stranger smiles at the bottle, wrapping a large hand around the base and examining the label.

“’S the good stuff,” he murmurs, voice dropping deeper than you thought possible. The pitch twists your insides.  In an effort to subdue your racing mind and pulse, you force a smirk and start wiping off the counter.

You feel the man’s eyes snap to you, melting your resolve with a fiery intensity.  Suddenly, you’re unable to continue moving the towel, and resign to meeting his eyes.  Smoldering is the only way to describe the way he’s looking at you.

That familiar rush of heat wraps around the base of your throat and underneath the fabric of your now-suffocating, loose tee shirt.  Instinctively, you fiddle with the collar and pull it down slightly, trying to let out some of the hot air trapped inside, unaware of the fact that you’ve exposed some skin to him.  In any other situation, it would’ve been a harmless gesture, but here, it only spurs on his imagination.  His pupils dilate ever so slightly at the sight of your collarbone, complemented with a silver pendant necklace.

“What’s that necklace you got there?” Sexy Stranger asks.  Involuntarily, your fingers latch onto the shark charm and twiddle it back and forth.  He’s still watching.

“Oh, it’s a shark.  Can’t remember the last time I took this thing off—I forget about it,” you say, surprised that you can form coherent sentences right now under his hot gaze.

He makes eye contact with you and raises an eyebrow.  “Why a shark?”

“The short version is that it’s my favorite animal.”

He tilts his head at you, jaw ticking again.  Your eyes latch onto the strong muscles moving it back and forth, flexing underneath his temples.

“And the long version?”

You cock an eyebrow, mirroring him, and grab a short glass, placing it on a coaster in front of him.  “Before I delve into that, how do you like your whiskey?”

He chuckles, deep and rumbly.  “Neat, sweetheart.”

The pet name eviscerates your stomach.  You gulp without meeting his gaze, aware that he’s staring at you still.  You pour him a perfect glass of bourbon neat and push the coaster toward him.  As you let go, he reaches for the glass, fingertips brushing the tops of your fingers.

As if you touched the metal prongs of a plug, you whip your hand back.  The feeling of his skin on yours was nothing short of electric.  He misreads your reaction.

“Sorry ‘bout that, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he says, brown eyes no longer smoldering but concerned.

“Oh no, it’s not that, just wasn’t expecting it,” you stammer, not wanting to give him the wrong idea.  Ironic.  He lets it pass, for now.

“So—the long story?” He takes a generous sip of the amber liquid, swishing it around his mouth as he watches you.  You place your palms down on the counter and smile at him.

“Long story is I’m a Professor of Marine Biology at a local university here.  I’ve been studying sharks for a long time now.  They are beautiful, brilliant creatures that have evolved to near perfection.  I do what I can to protect them—they have been fished relentlessly.”

Sexy Stranger is in awe of you, struck by your eloquence, intelligence, and beauty.  He takes another sip, never dragging his eyes from yours.

“Wow,” he says, raising both eyebrows as he sets the glass down.  “Just one question.”

You raise an eyebrow at him.  The two of you are getting good at this nonverbal communication.

“You consider that the long version?”

His humor catches you off guard and a goofy, boisterous laugh escapes you.  For the second time now, he flashes a full smile at you.  He likes that sound.

Suddenly, a phone rings nearby.  He frowns and fishes a small, old iPhone from his front jeans pocket and squints at the screen.  He grimaces as he stuffs it back, shifting uncomfortably in the chair to make it fit.

“Sweetheart, I need to run.  Lemme settle up for the glass,” he says, the pet name stimulating your pulse again.

“Sure thing.  Gil said to come back any time—the bottle is basically yours,” you say, winking at him as you print his receipt.  His heartbeat does some racing of its own at the gesture.  He tears his eyes from you to fish for his wallet and throw some bills on top of the receipt.

“Will do.  I’ll see you around, darlin’,” Sexy Stranger says as he stands, giving you a small wink as he leaves.  You watch him leave before realizing you didn’t cash him out.  You grab the cash and receipt, noticing what looks like writing on the back side.

A phone number is scrawled on the back.  Underneath is his name.  Joel.

Your heart stops as you stare at the small white paper.  When did I even give him a pen?  I didn’t notice him writing.  Georgia startles you with an elbow to the side.

“That was quick,” she teases.  Bashful, you fold the receipt up and shove it in the pocket of your jean shorts.

“Shut up, Georg.  He was just being nice. Probably wants tips for shark watching or something.”

She stares at you incredulously.  “Girl… he’s so fucking into you.  Everybody in this building felt that tension.”

Heat creeps up your spine once again.  You check the POS system for the time and see that it’s almost 2:00 AM.  Time to close and do it all again tomorrow.

“Let’s get something to eat.  Wanna crash at my place?” Georgia asks.  You nod, finding that you’re hungry—but something tells you it’s not food you’re craving.

Sunlight bounces off the white walls of Georgia’s apartment just before 7:00 AM.  A light groan escapes you as you stretch out on the plush sectional in her living room before settling back into the burrow of blankets.

Georgia lives a quick five-minute drive from the marina, in a lofty one-bedroom apartment with an ocean view.  Her family is generationally wealthy and based in Sarasota, Florida—hence the high-rise apartment and a nice Mercedes SUV.  She escaped the clutches of her uptight family to explore her passion—surfing.  She got a job at The Rusty Sawfish to supplement her allowance and pay for surfing gear and tournaments, something her parents refused to do.  You two clicked immediately and have been friends since.

Pulling your hoodie up over your head, you check your phone quickly before deciding whether to go back to sleep.  It’s still early, and you didn’t get to sleep until after 3:00 AM.  Your stomach backflips when you see a message from an unknown number pop up.  The nerves turn to giddiness as you remember that the number belongs to Joel, the sexy stranger you met at the convenience store last night.  You messaged him when you got to Georgia’s apartment last night asking if he made it home alright, certain he wouldn’t be awake to respond.  You swipe down to read the message.

Joel: Morning sweetheart.  I made it home just fine.  Was hoping you’d text sooner so I could ask the same.  :)

Kicking your feet like a child, you contemplate a response.

You: Sorry I texted so late!  I didn’t make it back to my friend’s place until close to 3.

Joel is quick to respond.

Joel: Surprised you’re up.  Figured someone as pretty as you would need at least 8 hours of beauty sleep.  By the way—your friend told me your name.  I hope that’s OK.

Grinning at your phone, you shake your head slowly.  The man is as charming over text as he is in person.

You: You flatter me.  I was just going to go back to sleep given that I currently look like a hobbit—guess 8 hours is exactly what I need ;)

You: And yes, that’s okay.  Sounds a lot like my friend.  She’s a good wingman.

Joel: I highly doubt you look anything less than gorgeous.  Get some rest.  We’ll talk later today.

Pretty.  Gorgeous.

The grin doesn’t leave your face as you drift back to sleep.

Later that evening, you’re behind the familiar u-shaped counter of the bar with paper-thin patience and a penchant for kicking out a rowdy group of college age anglers from the tournament.

“Look, I have a legit ID and I’m an adult, I can drink however many beers I want!” A gangly blonde trust fund-looking kid from the group whines at you.  You narrow your eyes at him briefly before responding, like a snake ready to strike its prey.

“Not how it works.  It’s the bar’s best practice to avoid overserving and keep this a safe place for everybody.  Drink some water and we’ll revisit,” you reply, voice stern.  You squeeze the towel in your hand for stress relief.

Though Florida has a dram shop law that prevents bars from being sued by an intoxicated patron that ends up drunk driving and getting hurt, Gil has always mandated a no overserving policy.  Spending all day out in the ocean and then drinking heavily is a dangerous combo.  The older patrons have no qualms about it, but the younger, rowdier crowds differ.  Blonde kid sticks his index finger on the counter and leans in close to you, bloodshot eyes fixated on yours.

“I want your manager,” he spits, breath reeking of booze.  Still somewhat level-headed, you stare directly in his eyes.

“You got it,” you respond, emotionless.  Gil’s not one for overserving, and he’s not one for rude patrons harassing his bartenders.  This dumb kid has a lesson coming.

Stone faced, you drop your towel and tell Georgia you’ll be right back before cruising to Gil’s office.  The door is wide open, and to your surprise, Joel’s sitting in the chair next to Gil, the two of them chuckling and conversing.  Your heart falters momentarily before you remember why you came back here.  You knock lightly on the open door and both men look up at you.

Gil frowns immediately.  He’s seen that look before.

“Not a good sign when my best employee has that look on her face.  Where is he?” Gil asks, standing and removing his readers.  Feeling Joel’s eyes burning holes in you, you do your best to ignore them right now.

“Up front.  Blonde kid with the frat group.  Pissed off that I won’t pour him a 5th vodka red bull.  I told him about our policy, and he asked for the manager,” you recite, tight-lipped.  Gil nods, squeezing your shoulder lightly as he walks past you to the bar.

Thankful that Gil is handling it, you close your eyes and exhale heavily before remembering you’re not alone.  Your eyes open quickly to find Joel staring at you.  His eyes look concerned, though there’s that damned lopsided smile on his face.

“Guy’s got some balls on him,” he jokes, standing and taking a step closer to you.  Your pulse quickens.  Laughing, you roll your eyes and wave him off.

“Everybody does when they’re drunk.”

Joel rakes a hand through his stubble and nods, studying your face.

“I reckon I wasn’t totally honest with you last night,” he says, face falling slightly.  Raising an eyebrow, you try to quiet the thousand thoughts that rush through your mind—is he going to say that he’s married?  Fresh out of prison?  Gay?  Well… the last one is unlikely.  He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck as he continues.

“I’ve known Gil for a long, long time.  S’why I knew there’d be Eagle Rare here,” he says.

Relief rushes through you.  “Jesus, Joel.  I thought you were gonna tell me you were married.”

A hearty laugh escapes him as he shakes his head fervently, throwing his hands up in surrender.  “Hell no.  Haven’t been married since I was in my early 20s, which was about a million years ago.”

You wipe your brow exaggeratedly, signaling your relief.  Joel chuckles again.

“So, what brings you to Clearwater, then?  Or have you always been here?”

“No, no.  I’m from Texas.  Been here several times but moved here last month.  I’m a contractor and Gil and I have worked on some projects together.  He wants my help f’another one.”

It all makes sense—the flannel shirt, the muscles, the demeanor, the accent.  A question pops up in your mind.

“Does he know you gave me your number last night?” You ask him, tilting your head inquisitively.

“Yes, ma’am.  We’re good friends.  He’s protective of you, but I made it clear t’him that I ain’t tryin’ any funny business with you,” he admits, smoldering eyes affixed to yours.  His expression and tone gives you the impression that he’s telling the truth, like lying to you would be worse than anything.

“Are you saying… you don’t often give your number to bartenders that spill coffee all over you?” You chide, flashing a smile at him.  His pupils dilate imperceptibly.

“No, ma’am.  Don’t make that kinda thing a habit,” he responds, taking a step closer to you.  Your breath catches in your throat at his proximity.  He’s within arm’s reach, and the magnetic field between the two of you is sending your internal compass off the rails.  He opens his mouth to say something, but Gil interrupts the moment, oblivious to the two of you.

“He’s taken care of.  Thanks for dealing with him,” he sing-songs, saying your name warmly.

Still staring at Joel, you reply to Gil.  “Appreciate it, Gil.  I’ll return to my post.”

Joel laughs quietly, eyes twinkling at you.  You smile coyly at him before leaving the office, needing to cool off before you explode internally.  The sexual tension between the two of you is almost too much to handle.

Before you can check if he’s following you, Georgia flags you down behind the bar.  A devilish smile plays on her tan, freckled face.

“So… he’s back,” she teases, waggling her eyebrows. “You taking him home tonight or what?”

Jaw dropping in mock shock, you tilt your head at her.

“Are you suggesting that I sleep with him?  Georg—I don’t know him!”

She guffaws.  “Gil knows him very well, though.  Isn’t that enough to tell you he’s safe? I bet they watch boring carpenter shows together and spend all their money on fancy old man bourbon.”

Good point.  Joel seems safe—for now.  But you’ve been out of the game far too long to half-ass a night with a man like him.  He seems… experienced.  And the glint in his eyes when he sees you is enough to make your heart jump out of your chest.

“I don’t know.  I’m interested.  I’ll keep an open mind.  Sounds like he’s in Clearwater for good… plenty of old beach babes to take him on,” you joke, winking at her.  She punches your arm.

“He doesn’t even look at anybody but you, dipshit.  If you say something like that one more time, I’m gonna tell him,” she threatens half-jokingly, pointing a polished finger in your face.

“Fine.  We’ll see where it ends up,” you surrender, checking the fridges for a routine restock.

The remainder of Saturday night at The Rusty Sawfish is busy, but not overwhelmingly so.

Georgia, Mike, Rand, and you man the bar, which had no empty chairs the entire evening.  Business was booming from the fishing tournament, and even Gil stepped out of the office to pour some drinks.

Joel made himself comfortable at the end of the bar.  Gil dumped stacks of blueprints in front of him, and he got busy reviewing them while nursing glasses of neat bourbon.  You couldn’t count the number of times you two exchanged glances and shy smiles, and he couldn’t count the number of times he caught himself staring at you.  He was entranced by the way you moved at the bar—commanding the flow of customers, making drinks at lightning speed, being friendly with the customers, and looking damn good while you do it.

Closing time rolls around yet again, and he’s still scanning blueprints, sketching on pages here and there with his carpenter’s pencil.  Every so often, he’d tuck it behind one of his ears, mussing some of his curls in the process.  You found yourself studying his mannerisms, trying to get to know him without speaking.  He’d tick his jaw back and forth as he read, and the corner of his lips would twitch each time he marked the page with his pencil, salt and pepper mustache hairs grooving along with them.

You learn from the way he holds the page out three feet in front of him to read small text, brow furrowing as he deciphers the letters, that he’s stubborn and not ready to buy reader’s glasses.  You catch yourself giggling at it, making damn sure he doesn’t see.

You learn that he was likely a former athlete by the way his hips sway when he walks to the bathroom, his gait controlled yet energetic and limber, the denim of his very-worn jeans hugging his strong legs.  The jeans indicate that he’s not much of a shopper and is loyal to what makes him feel comfortable, like a pair of faded, almost-torn bootcut Wranglers molded to his frame and creased leather cowboy boots.

You learn that his body is still in wonderful shape as he folds his arms behind his head and arches his back to stretch his aching body, revealing a sliver of soft-looking skin above the denim waistband and a trail of dark hair leading from his belly button down beneath.

You learn that he enjoys hearing your laugh with each time he tries to prod it out of you with a silly joke or a wisecrack about one of the customers.  Given the manner and frequency with which his eyes travel up and down your frame, he also likes your body—from the subtle shelf of your breasts underneath your tank top, to the shape of your ass in your frayed jean shorts, to your smooth legs.  But he likes your face, too—evident by the way his amber eyes travel over your features, landing frequently at your eyes and lips.

Now, you can tell Georgia she’s right—that he fancies you, more so than any other woman that glanced at him twice during the night.  And boy, there were plenty.

Most of all, though—you learn how much you want him.  If not obvious by the butterflies bouncing off the walls of your abdomen and chest as he speaks to you, it is clear when you take a bathroom break of your own and find dampness in your panties.  Your nerves are in overdrive at the possibility of finding out what his hands feel like on your skin, what his lips feel like meshed with yours, what his strong frame feels like flush against yours.

Needing cool relief, you soak a paper towel in cold water and place it on the back of your neck, shivering at the stray droplets that roll down your spine.  You stare at yourself in the mirror and start to realize that maybe Georgia is right about you, that you are beautiful and worthy of feeling that way.

You exit the bathroom to find that it’s now past 2:00 AM, and customers have left—all but Joel.  He’s standing now, elbows leaning against the counter.  He notices the air pressure change from the bathroom door opening and turns to stare at you as you approach him, eyes sweeping up and down your figure once again.

“Sir, we’re closed.  Have you paid your tab?” You ask, half-smiling at him.  He laughs as he fishes his wallet out of his jeans pocket.

“Gettin’ there, sweetheart,” he says, grunting as it finally comes out of its enclosure.  The wallet is about as worn as the jeans, faded and bent at the corners.  He hands you several twenty-dollar bills, a few too many for his sixty-dollar tab.

“I’ll get your change,” you say, muscle memory taking over.  He puts a hand up.

“No, keep it.  You deserve it,” he murmurs, tucking the wallet back in his pocket and gathering the blueprints for Gil.

“Joel, it’s too much for what little work I did tonight,” you protest.  He looks at you, eyes smoldering once again.

“No, darlin’—you did a lot more than you think.”  The tone suggests he’d been imagining you the same way you did him, sending a zing of shivers up your spine.  You know your cheeks are reddening, but you ignore it as you balance the drawer for the evening.  Joel trots back to Gil’s office to return the papers, resurfacing after a few minutes.

Georgia, Mike, and Rand have finished cleaning and their closing duties.  They stop by the register to check in on you.

“Hey—there’s a party at Mike’s neighbor’s house.  You in?” Georgia asks, knowing full well you’re not going to agree.  You can tell she’s trying not to smirk.

“No, thanks.  I’m exhausted,” you reply, dividing up the tips.  “Here you go, tips for tonight.  Great job.”

“Well, you better come to the one next week—you can’t use this excuse again,” Mike teases you, elbowing you lightly.

“I’ll be there, just not feeling it tonight.  Thanks, guys,” you say warmly, hugging Georgia as they prepare to leave.

“Oh, we rode together—are you good taking an Uber?  I was going to ride with these guys,” she asks, loud enough for Joel to hear.

“I can walk to my car.  It’s only a few minutes.”

Joel interrupts.  “I’ll take ya.  I’m sure y’feel safe out here, but it’s late and dark.”

Georgia takes this as her cue to leave.  “See you tomorrow, love!”  You wave as the three exit, leaving Joel, you, and the magnetic sexual tension between you.

“You sure about this?  Really, it’s not that bad of a trek,” you ask him, not wanting to be a bother.  He raises an eyebrow at you.

“I’d feel better f’you let me make sure you’re safe, and y’just said y’were tired,” he says lowly, voice dropping in decibels to match the now-quiet atmosphere of the bar.

“If it helps you sleep at night, sure,” you joke, winking at him.  A yawn interrupts your comedic routine, to which Joel raises his eyebrows.

“How ‘bout I just drive you home, sweetheart?” He suggests.  A wave of fatigue hits you as you finish yawning, and you surrender.

“Good idea.  Let me get my stuff.”

You emerge from the office after retrieving your purse and saying goodbye to Gil, who has resumed trying to figure out Excel.  Joel watches you approach him, rubbing his beard distractedly.

You lead him out of the bar, the nervous energy between you making your legs feel restless.  Joel places a hand on your lower back as you push the doors open.  Once outside, you expect him to move it, but he doesn’t.  It stays warm and firm on your back as you two walk down the marina to the street parking area.

The sound of the waves crashing into the shore placates your nerves a bit.  You peer at them as you walk, bewitched by the rays of moonlight dancing on the subtle peaks.

“S’a beautiful night,” Joel murmurs, closer to your ear than you realized.  You jump a bit, and he chuckles quietly, rubbing his hand softly on your lower back.

“Sorry, didn’t mean t’scare ya,” he apologizes.  The cool beach breeze blows by, and goosebumps grow on your bare skin.  You rub your arms instinctively.  A few moments later, Joel places his flannel over your shoulders, squeezing the tops lightly before letting go.  The warm gesture makes those butterflies in your stomach ricochet like pinballs.

“Thanks.  It’s cooler than normal this evening,” you say, watching your feet as you continue walking.  The scent of his shirt engulfs your senses, slowing your pace momentarily.  It’s an alluring mix of earthy and musky, like sandalwood, pine, and sweet bourbon.

“This is me,” Joel says, stopping next to an older, beatdown Chevy truck.  He opens the passenger door for you.

“Didn’t realize you were such a gentleman, Joel,” you tease him.  He shuts the door lightly, smirking and shaking his head at you through the window.  You glance at your surroundings.

His truck is spotless, save for some stains on the floor.  There’s a cup of carpenter’s pencils in one of the cupholders, which makes you smile.  The radio is ancient, with a small, thin screen for the time and big black buttons, which are a bit dusty.  The only button that’s clean is the power button/volume knob duo.  Not much of a music guy, you think.

The driver’s door squeaks open, and Joel plops down on the seat with a grunt. He shoves the key in the ignition and turns it over a few times before the engine roars on.

“Where to?” he asks, cranking the truck into reverse and pulling out of the spot.  You direct him to your apartment, which is 10 minutes from the marina.

The ride to your place is quiet, but not awkwardly so.  Joel turned on the music and kept the volume low, asking you questions here and there about Clearwater and you.

“Your family here?”

“Nope.  I’m from the Midwest.  They’re all in Nebraska and Iowa.”  He whistles lowly.

“Bit of a drive.  Why Florida?  Lemme guess—the ocean?”

“That’s part of it,” you reply, staring out the window, watching the palm trees flash by.

“Take it y’also wanted to get away from your family,” he says, tone rhetorical.  You snort and turn to face him.  He’s got one hand on the wheel, the other perched on the back of your seat.  There’s a half-smirk on his moonlight-painted face.

“Am I that obvious?” Your tone is half-incredulous, half-rhetorical. He chuckles in place of responding.

Soon, you arrive at your apartment complex.  Joel opens your door and follows you to the building.  Hesitant, you stop just before entering and turn to him.  The tension is thick, like a hazy cloud between the two of you.

“Do you want to come inside?”

He clenches his jaw, staring at you before replying.

“Sure.  Y’gonna take advantage of me?” The witty remark catches you off guard.  You burst out laughing and the contagious, melodic sound makes him laugh.

“Only if you want me to,” you reply, holding your keys up to the pad and opening the door.  You swear you hear him growl behind you, but he doesn’t reply.

Luckily, you’re on the first floor.  You don’t think you could stomach walking up the stairs in your daisy dukes with Joel behind you.

Once inside your place, you open the fridge and grab two bottles of beer as Joel surveys the apartment.  You place one on his bare forearm, the sudden chill startling him.  He swipes the bottle from your hand as you giggle, giving you a threatening look.

“Want to sit outside?  I have a little futon out there,” you offer, realizing you still have his flannel on.  The sleeves are a little long, touching the base of your knuckles.  He nods.  You grab a blanket from the couch and lead him to the sliding glass door in the kitchen.

Your patio is small, but it’s your favorite spot, overlooking the beach.  The apartment building is on a small hill, which is great for days when the sea level rises.  The waves are still crashing quietly onto the shore, bathed in silky moonlight.

You sit first, crossing your legs underneath the warm blanket.  It’s chilly without it.  Joel sits next to you with what you now know is his trademark old man grunt, denim-clad leg touching your knee.  He takes a swig and brings the base of the bottle to eye level to study the label.

“Sorry—no bourbon,” you lament jokingly, taking a swig of your own.  He smirks and takes another sip.

“Didn’t strike you as the type, anyway.”

“Is it the lack of facial hair?” Joel spits out his beer laughing.

“Jesus, you’re somethin’ else,” he coughs, wiping his mouth and beard with the back of his hand.

“In Joel speak, I think that’s a compliment, yes?”

He laughs again, staring at you as you watch the ocean.  His hand moves to rest on your kneecap, thumb circling the soft skin lightly.  Your heartbeat picks up twofold.

“Gil was right about you,” he murmurs.  Confused, you look at him, surprised to see a wanton expression on his face.

“What about me?”

He scoots closer.  Your hands squeeze the beer bottle nervously.

“Don’t remember exactly what he said,” he croons, face getting closer to yours, “somethin’ about you bein’ a special person.”

The sexual tension between the two of you has reached a new level of heavy, sucking the air out of your lungs and igniting your core.  Joel grabs your beer from your hand, setting it and his down on the concrete floor of the patio.  He stares into your eyes, looking for hesitation as he leans closer to you.

Clearly, he finds none, because his lips are on yours, light and soft.  The hand that was on your knee is on the back of your neck, thumb pressed against your cheek.  His other hand grips your hip and pulls you closer to him.  You take the opportunity to climb on his lap, pulling a surprised yet satisfied grunt from him.

His lips move slowly, gently against yours.  Rough, warm hands caress the tops of your thighs, leaving goosebumps in their path.  He tastes smooth, like the Eagle Rare he sipped on this evening, a rich contrast from the rough scratch of his mustache and beard against your face.  You comb fingers through his thick curls, tugging lightly at the base of his head. Another satisfied grunt travels from his throat to your mouth.

The passion overheats you, and like he’s reading your mind, he pushes his shirt off your shoulders, mouth still latched to yours.  His hands slip under your tank top and caress your abdomen, fingertips dancing along the underside of your breast.  He groans again when he realizes you don’t have a bra on.  You tilt your head back and his lips caress your neck, nipping softly at your pulse.  The soft moan that leaves your lips spurs him on, and his teeth move higher, tugging on the flesh of your earlobe.

He reaches for the hem of your tank top and slowly lifts the fabric over your head.  His eyes burn holes in your skin, pupils dilated so much so that his eyes look black.  He reaches up and palms both of your breasts, kneading the flesh and rolling your nipples between his fingertips as he admires your body.

“Christ, you’re perfect,” he breathes before sucking a nipple into his mouth.  You wrap your arms around his strong neck and tug his curls back to envelope his mouth with yours.  He lifts you from his lap effortlessly and stands, murmuring something about going back inside into your mouth.

Still kissing you, he carries you to your bedroom and tosses you on the bed before caging you in his arms, continuing what you started on the patio as the sound of the ocean and the cicadas fill the background.

Taglist: @burntheedges, @tuquoquebrute, @syd-djarin, @danaispunk, @anoverwhelmingdin

Read Part 2 here!

[ghostfacd]

I CAN’T BE WHAT YOU NEED — LUKE HUGHES

— “STOP IT, STOP IT. YOU’RE BEING MEAN, LUKE.”

pairing; slytherin!luke x hufflepuff!fem!reader

summary; was this the end? you surely hope not, you were so sure luke hughes was the one. not just any boy, but the one. so why was he walking away from you right now? especially when you need him the most?

genre; angst, misunderstanding, both reader and luke get hurt, blackcat!bf luke, golden retriever!gf reader, mentioning of house rivalries, you kinda get an inside look into luke’s thinking, this one’s a long one so put on your seatbelt 🤗

✸ SLYTHERIN!LUKE MASTERLIST

part 2

Luke Hughes was a boy of many things. He was stubborn, cold, smart, athletic, and opinionated. But he was no idiot.

Of course he had heard what people said about the two of you, the most unexpected couple at Hogwarts yet. They’d raise their eyebrows whenever the two of you walked, talking in hushed whispers.

“Didn’t you hear? The Hughes boy is dating YN now, we have no chance! He’s scary as shit,”

“Now why on earth is YN with him? She’s so kind and bubbly and he’s just.. him.”

“He’s lucky he has Quidditch going for him, or else nobody would bat an eye at that snake.”

It used to not bother Luke. He knew he was better than them, call him a narcissist or whatever, but he knew it was true. Why would he get upset over some words spoken by idiots with a brain the size of a pea?

But ever since he started dating you, he started to question himself. Was he really better? Or did he only think that way because it was better than thinking he was a total loser?

Luke agreed with Marina when she sang “cause I feel like I’m the worst so I always act like I’m the best” because Luke truly felt like he was a total and complete loser, so he always acted like he was the best Slytherin to exist. Fake it till you make it, right?

Marina was definitely his favorite artist, there was no doubt in the world. And maybe The Smiths too. God, was he really that depressing?

“What are you listening to Lukey boy?” Jack asks as he swings his arm around Luke’s shoulder. “Whoa, you have gotten tall haven’t you?”

“Have you grown shorter?” Luke asks, pretending to gasp in surprise.

Jack hits him on the shoulder, rolling his eyes. “Very funny you punk. How are you and YN? I’ve been so busy with Quidditch that I haven’t been able to see you and Quinn at all.”

“We’re okay,” Luke shrugs, “I guess.”

“What do you mean you guess?”

“I don’t know Jack, is it stupid of me to be insecure?”

Jack stops in his tracks, making Luke stop as well. He turns to face his younger brother fully before giving him a frown.

“What? Of course it’s not stupid, Luke. What have those assholes been saying about you?”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Luke sighs. “Do you really think I’m a cold asshole who has an egotistical mindset?”

“First of all, what the fuck is an egoistical mindset?”

“Oh,” Luke grins, “how do I dumb this down for you?”

“Shut up and tell me!”

“They’re basically saying I’m a self centered asshat who thinks way too highly of himself. They think I think I’m better than everyone else.”

“Well, do you think you’re better than everyone else?”

Luke wants to say no, but he doesn’t. Instead he says, “of course I think I’m better than everyone else.”

Jack finally starts walking again, patting the younger on the back, “hey, I’m proud of you little man. Your grades are great, you’re a terrific Slytherin seeker—although Gryffindor is way better by the way!—and you’ve really proved yourself to be a good boyfriend. You have every right to have the ‘egoistical mindset’ those people talk about.”

“I guess,” Luke says quietly, looking down at the ground. He doesn’t see you approaching out of your Herbology class with your partner, Rye Anderson.

“Stop saying I guess,” Jack whines, “anyway, your Hufflepuff is here.”

Luke’s mood brightens when he looks up to see you, but instantly drops when he sees your face light up as you talk to Rye.

What he doesn’t know is that Rye is actually gay, and that he’s literally asking about what he should get his boyfriend next week for their date.

“I’m thinking daisies? Is that too cliche?”

“Never cliche to get your man flowers,” you grin. “Luke always gets me flowers.”

“Yeah whatever, you guys are gross.”

You pretend to gasp offendedly, throwing a small playful punch to Rye’s side.

“Luke, don’t blow up,” Jack says slowly as he watches Luke’s face turn into one of jealousy and anger. He knew that look on his brother all too well. They had lived with each other their entire life up until now.

“Oh please,” Luke says as he starts making his way towards you and Rye, “I never blow up.”

This wasn’t entirely false, but Jack couldn’t stop the angry Slytherin now; he was too far from him. He decided to just watch it all unfold, because well, there hadn’t been any good drama at Hogwarts lately.

“Hi,” Luke introduces himself, towering over Rye and you. “I’m Luke, YN’s boyfriend, and you?”

“Rye,” Rye smirks, “and I’m gay Luke, so no need to get your pants in a twist.”

Well that made Luke totally embarrassed.

“Rye and I were just talking about what he should get his boyfriend next week for their date,” you explain, rubbing your boyfriend’s arm in reassurance. “Shall we go Lu?”

“Yeah,” he mumbles under his breath.

Rye tries to hold in his laugh, mainly because he doesn’t want you or Luke to kill him. He couldn’t believe a tall and scary Slytherin such as Luke was suddenly all quiet and shy when he spoke to you. It was a whole new side of the boy that Rye did not know could even exist in this universe.

“Bye Rye!” You say, hooking your arm to your boyfriend’s as you walk off to his dorm.

“Bye YN! Oh, and bye Luke!”

Luke only waves shortly, not even bothering to turn around to the boy.

“That was embarrassing,” he says as soon as he situates himself on his bed. “Shit, that was really embarrassing.”

“It’s okay Lukey,” you say, taking off your sweater and throwing it somewhere in his room.

You had always left your stuff at his place, which was why when his friends came over, they’d see little hints of yellow lingering in the room.

“No, it’s not.” Luke rubs his face, stressed. “It’s like everything I do is embarrassing or just absolute shit.”

“Whoa, where is this coming from baby?” You ask, running your hands through his curls.

“Why are you even with me? We’re completely different. You’re in Hufflepuff and I’m in Slytherin, our houses don’t even like each other.”

“I’m with you because I love you,” you frown, eyes meeting his with so much sincerity that it makes Luke want to curl up in a ball and bawl. “I don’t care about what our stupid houses think. I told you this when I asked you to go to Hogsmeade with me for the first time, remember Lu?”

He did remember. How could he not? You had suddenly popped up into his life that one day after his game with Gryffindor and became the most important person to him in the blink of an eye.

“I don’t want to be that public anymore,” Luke mumbles. “Can we do less of the whole PDA thing?”

Your heart almost drops, worrying about Luke and your relationship. “If that’s what you want Lu, then of course.”

Luke nods. It would be the best for you two to have a little distance between each other. He mainly wanted to protect you from what everybody was saying, but partly because he couldn’t handle their comments. He had loved you so much, and for them to say that he didn’t deserve you—or that you were too good for him fucking hurt like a bitch.

The next two weeks went by like a drag for both you and Luke. The two of you had barely hung out, Luke always making the same excuse of having extra Quidditch practice, and you not questioning him because you didn’t want to start a fight.

The Yule Ball was coming up, and all your friends had been asked by their boyfriends or crushes. It was just you and Luke left.

He had asked you to meet him by the lake at night. Students were prohibited to go out by themselves at such a late hour, but you and Luke were always careful.

He had asked you with a small poster, one that said, “Oh my god look at that face, you look like my next Yule date,” with the back of the poster saying “YULE BALL?”

It was a reference to one of Taylor Swift’s songs, Blank Space; a muggle song that you had been listening to on repeat that Luke knew would be perfect for the ask.

You of course squealed quietly, not wanting to disrupt the sleeping professors and students. You said yes, jumping into Luke’s arms. For the first time in those 2 weeks, the two of you held each other like it would be the last time you would.

It was.

During the Yule Ball, you had entered with Luke, but couldn’t find the tall curly haired Slytherin anywhere after a few minutes.

You decided to talk to Jamie, another Hufflepuff in your year who you were pretty close to.

Luke, who was all of a sudden sweating at the amount of people in the room had gone off to take a drink of water. He didn’t know why he felt this way; you had looked so pretty in your gown and he was one of the luckiest men in the world getting to escort you and be your date. So why did he feel this way? It wasn’t like he didn’t enjoy parties. He liked looking at people go reckless and laugh knowing that it would never be him, and he enjoyed the drinks that were offered.

Which was probably why he was downing a few shots right after his glass of water. He figured alcohol will give him a confidence boost, but it only made him feel worse and gain a headache.

Great, he thinks. It was time to find you.

“YN?” He calls as he pushes through the large crowd of people. He spots you talking to another guy, Jamie, who was also a Hufflepuff.

He almost crushed the cup in his hands when he sees you giggle, throwing your head back as you push Jamie jokingly.

No, he thinks. He wasn’t going to embarrass himself and go over to you angrily like he did with Rye.

Instead, he throws his cup at some random direction, hitting a couple who broke apart from their kiss to yell curses at him. He doesn’t care, all he wants is just to get out of this place and eat his feelings away in his dorm with a Disney movie playing in the background.

“Hey Jamie, I’ll be back, I think I just saw Luke leave,” you say to your friend, frowning as you make your way towards where Luke went off.

“Go get your man sis!”

When you finally see Luke in your vision, you yell out to him. “Lu! Wait up!”

He only walks faster.

“Lu—wait!”

You’re out of breath by the time you finally grab his hand, pulling him back to you. “Lu, why didn’t you stop when I told you to?”

Luke stays quiet, his back facing you.

“Lu, can you at least please face me?”

He finally does, staring at you with his red eyes.

“Oh Lu, what’s wrong?”

He shakes his head. “YN, this isn’t going to work.”

He never calls you YN. It had always been baby, lovely, or even lovie. But never just your name by itself.

“What do you mean Lukey? What’s not gonna work?”

Luke hates how patient and kind you’re being with him. He hates it. Why can’t you just get upset at him? Make this easier for the both of you?

“I mean us. We aren’t going to work,” he takes a sharp inhale, exhaling shakily, “we’re from opposite houses, and everybody says we don’t belong with each other. Our relationship is bound to fail,”

It was as if your boyfriend was suddenly speaking a foreign language. Why was he suddenly saying this? Especially during the Yule Ball? The one night that you two were supposed to be happy together, dancing under the stars.

“Why do you care so much about what they think Luke?” You say, voice quivering from how much you wanted to sob right now, “I told you many times that I don’t—”

“I care!” Luke shouts. He realizes how loud he is the second his words get out. “I care,” he repeats, this time so quiet that if you weren’t in close proximity, you wouldn’t have heard him.

“But you shouldn’t. This is our relationship Luke, not anyone else’s, and especially not those low lives who have nothing else to do but to judge us without even knowing you.”

“Not everybody can be oblivious and carefree like you YN,”

You shake your head. “Stop it, stop it. You’re being mean, Luke.”

This burns through Luke’s chest like wildfire. Sure he’s been called an asshole, even a conceited fuck by a couple of mad Gryffindors after a game, but never mean. And especially never from you.

“I can’t be what you need,” Luke cries. It’s the first time you’ve seen him so emotional. He was never the one to let his emotions get the best of him—his face always set to a blank expression. “They’re right. Aren’t you gonna be sick of having such a boring boyfriend? You deserve so much better. You deserve somebody who isn’t the exact opposite of you, you deserve so much more than me.”

“But I don’t want more,” you now sob, cupping Luke’s face into your hands, “I want you Luke.”

He shakes his head once again, more tears streaming down his face. “It won’t work. Let’s save ourselves the heartbreak and just end it now.”

“No,” you say, hands shaking. “No, I won’t let you end our relationship just because of them.”

“I’m not giving you a choice,” Luke backs away from you, your heart aching at the sudden loss of touch.

“Will you be back?”

“I don’t know,”

He leaves you outside in the dark, sobbing as you fall to your knees, entire body giving out.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” a familiar voice coos as he wraps his arm around your shaking figure. “It’s okay.”

But it wasn’t okay. You had just lost Luke, the boy who you were sure would be the love of your life until you died.

“Come inside YN, it’s raining.” Jack takes off his coat to place over you, your lips trembling as the two of you make your way back into the halls. “You wanna tell me what happened?”

You didn’t even know where to start.

[pensbridge]

Do people really think that Colin means what he says? I can't; I have no words.

I was kind of saying this in a post before it premiered: Colin's words to Penelope are not about her. They all lead back to his insecurities.

Pen is trying to entrap Colin

Did you forget this happened to him before? He's A) questioning her feelings. He's also the "overlooked;" (we just went over this in part 1) he gets mocked and laughed at for not going with the status quo by people including his family. It wouldn't be far-fetched to think Penelope who he trusts so much now falls into that category. AND BECAUSE THE CARRIAGE ALSO HAPPENED BEFORE HE KNEW. AND NOW HE KNOWS SHE WROTE THAT BAD PAPER ABOUT HIM. So, to him it looks like she lied ABOUT EVERYTHING. BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE SHE WAS PLAYING HIM & LAUGHING ABOUT HIM IN THAT PAPER & THAT SHE LOOKS DOWN ON HIM. Also, I just wrote this in a different post, his upset in feeling "entrapped" comes from the pain of loving her and not being able to shake it. He says to Eloise, "feel lucky you have never been in love," DIRECTLY in the scene before this! Dear God, pay attention to him. He's B) Insecure Af BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED TO HIM BEFORE (thnx Marina love her tho) Can we acknowledge the trauma?

He mentions Marina (and his family).

This isn't about Marina. I'm gonna break this down real quick because I wanted to do this anyway:

He asks about the El writing, because now he's putting the pieces together of why they're not friends and is confused how she could do that to her bff that questions her true loyalty which is super important to him.

"Miss Thompson-Exposing her as you did. Ruining her." sidenote Colin can't let go of this "Thompson" (not Crane) name thing, probably because he's traumatized from the public embarrassment. BUT HE'S TALKING ABOUT HIMSELF. He was publically embarrassed (and it was repeated with the s3 paper). Even though it was directly exposing/"ruining" to Marina as a woman, he felt like he was exposed for being stupid. It affected his confidence.

Then he says "Then, you should have told me to my face," which is a small & obvious line but I feel like it's important: He's telling you that the public embarrassment is the part that makes him upset. "Or do you not respect me enough?" ding, ding, ding! His big problem with her doing this. She talked bad about him behind his back (literally in the s3 paper, and indirectly in the Marina issue). He's like: you must think I'm dumb, then...[which leads into the jealousy-She's an accomplished author. He feels inadequate. He has to correct this on his own, AND HE DOES!] Nonetheless, he feels like she essentially put one over on him, because she had this inside knowledge and he was clueless (Marina issue, s3 issue). another sidenote: his eyes get so much more teary at that respect line.

"It is clear you do not, after what you have written about me this year...that I hardly know myself. What were you thinking then?" Oh do you think that of me (and so little of me)?

[emilykaldwen]

Do you mind please telling why you don’t like penelope on bridgerton?

I was all on board with Penelope in season one until we found out she was Whistledown, and then the way it had been presented over the course of season two just left an increasingly bad taste in my mouth. I get feeling like an outsider, not belonging, etc in the society that she lives in absolutely, but there was the story about Marina's pregnancy only because Penelope was jealous, it wasn't actually about Colin. Not to mention the way the casting of the show happens, it shows that Penelope has been consistently targeting POC in the show and it just doesn't look great.

Then in season two, it just felt worse. She was on a power trip, popular as Lady Whistledown, and popular over spreading gossip overheard about these people. Things that she and Eloise would look down on Cressida Cowper for, but she was making money off it. It's just so gross to me. And then what she did to Eloise.

You know how you save your friend? By fessing up and accepting the fallout, not fucking ruining her potentially forever in the eyes of society. Like, Pen would rather destroy Eloise's life rather than own up to writing the gossip paper.

I'm fine with making mistakes, I'm not okay with not owning up to them and accepting the fallout. I would be way more accepting of Penelope's 'redemption' if she wasn't acting woe is me about it, and writing about herself in the whistledown. It just came off as the way people write apologies but it's not an apology, it's a manipulation tactic - and one that I felt she was signalling to Eloise. Who did come, and told her don't be so hard on herself.

But Eloise has every right to move on from this friendship. Pen broke trust, she lied for years, she said terrible things about people Eloise cared about - it doesn't matter what's true and what isn't, I just don't think you should do things like that.

I'm also bothered by this romance storyline happening right after this fallout, rather than some time down the line when we could see Penelope have time to grow that's longer than 7 months between seasons.

Nicola Coughlin is a fantastic actress, and I fucking adore her, and I think she does a great job in the role, but man, I'm not a Pen fan.

(obviously, YMMV, I just wish Penelope would own up to the choices she made and the ramifications of them and moving forward from that.)

[vashtijoy]

the list of incidents in the background

This is the list of incidents that appears in the background on TV, in the 10/4 cinematic with Sae, the SIU Director, and Akechi. Let's take a look at them, one by one, to see (some of?) what's been going on.

バス暴走死傷事故 basu bousou shishou jiko reckless bus driving accident that caused injuries and deaths

This is explicitly described as a bousou—the word meaning "runaway" or "rampage" that the original name for "psychotic breakdown" uses, and the original name for Call of Chaos uses. In this context, it means reckless driving. Also shishou is "deaths and injuries"—this is explicitly a fatal accident. The game wants us to know that, even if nobody died in that subway crash, people have died in these mysterious incidents.

コンビニ爆発物事件 konbini bakuhatsumono jiken convenience store bombing incident

What? Did someone bomb a convenience store? Well, maybe not. If you're following the news, the recent incident where someone threw a smoke bomb at PM Kishida Fumio is being described as a bakuhatsumono jiken. So this could be relatively tame.

Or it might not be. The Manchester Arena bombing, where people leaving an Ariana Grande concert were blown up and many died, is also a bakuhatsumono jiken. It could go either way.

トンネル内放火事件 tonneru nai houka jiken arson inside a tunnel incident

Short and sweet. Could be another subway incident, but since it's not explicitly mentioned as being one, it's more likely a road tunnel or something? Fires in tunnels can be devastating, of course.

ヨットハーバー燃料漏出 yotto haabaa nenryou roushutsu marina fuel leak

This sounds like another one that could have been quite dramatic. Marinas tend to be places where rich and powerful people hang out, so this is likely to do with someone being explicitly targetted?

翼田リムジンバス突入事故 yokuta (?) rimushinbasu totsunyuu jiko Yokuta (?) Airport shuttle bus crash accident

Hahaha, this one is fun. First, a "limousine bus" is an airport bus—the ones that run you out to the plane. The airport is a spoof of Haneda Airport. 羽田 "Haneda", to Yokuta (?)'s 翼田—they've changed the first kanji for another one that means "wing".

A totsunyuu jiko is a car crash, but seems to be specifically a crash where the vehicle crashes into a fixed obstacle? So some poor driver smashed their shuttle bus into a wall.

新都市交通あねはづる事故 shin toshi koutsuu anehazuru jiko Anehazuru Monorail case

This one is a P3 reference. shin toshi koutsuu—"New Urban Transport", a term for a "people mover" or monorail. The Shin Toshi Koutsuu Anehazuru is the monorail in P3.

We don't know what happened there, but this may be the only indication that anything happens outside Tokyo in P5 (besides Shido getting his drama on with Joker).

An anehazuru, BTW, is a type of bird, the demoiselle crane.

内閣部サイバー攻撃事件 naikakufu saibaa kougeki jiken Cabinet Office cyberattack incident

This one is interesting because it's so unlike the rest—though there are a lot of data leaks during the Medjed arc, which suggests the conspiracy is somehow taking the opportunity to carry them out. Cyberattacks certainly don't seem in Akechi's line (though he might be responsible for locating worthwhile targets?), so this might just have been swept in with the accidents and "incidents".

An attack on the Cabinet Office, of course, makes it a political attack, and exceptionally likely to be Shido-motivated somehow.

毒薬混入事件 dokuyaku kon'nyuu jiken poison adulteration incident; poisoning incident.

The last on the list: someone, or several someones, were poisoned.

so what do we know

While only one of these, the top one, is explicitly described as fatal, it doesn't take much of a stretch to see that many of them could have been fatal—and the fact that they aren't all called "fatal accident" doesn't make them necessarily not fatal.

Plus, the list fills the screen. These are unlikely to be all the cases; they're the most recent ones, or the ones the studio thought most worthy of note.

[kookidough]

random rant about tbp tiktok cause i’m actually Sick of it at this point💆‍♀️💆‍♀️ these issues probably exist Outside of tiktok as well but i only ever see them on there so thats the platform i’m gna talk about

before you read i just wanna say warning for mentions of sa!!!!!

first of all i dont want to jump straight into the serious shit so the unoriginality is actually INSANE like ive been seeing the same jokes since 2022, can we Please get something funnier than “griffin does gymnastics / is a ceiling fan” 😭 the amount of times recently i’ll see a tbp tiktok and then get someone copying the idea and making the Same exact post like 3 scrolls later is insane like Pls can we be original Pls this movie is so sad i need something to laugh at

outside of being totally unoriginal some of the jokes tend to be Really Fucking Disgusting like straight up joking about assault, i shouldn’t even have to explain that thats not funny in the slightest?? this one person made a bunch of really gross ones and kept blocking people who called them out in the comment section, my friend had to dm them Several times and all they did was take down one post, the rest are still up with a ton of views :/ i know its like shock humour or dark humour or whatever but i dont see the ‘funny’ side of a grown man forcing himself onto a child and i think if youre laughing at that you should sit down and ask yourself why you think thats so funny.. people in the comments are always like “i shouldn’t laugh” so they Know its wrong as well which just ugh the whole thing just really gets on my nerves

another thing that gets on my nerves is the lack of media literacy and straight up spreading misinformation, maybe on the media literacy part i’m just a hater but i see so many questions being asked or theories being posed when all of the things mentioned were… literally answered in the movie?? “whats up with finney and gwen’s mother” it’s literally said in the movie that she has the same ability as gwen and she killed herself bc of it, next question, “why was max so interested in finding the missing boys” maybe because he was a coked up conspiracy theorist who saw a serious crime happening in his brother’s area so he decided to be a genuine concerned citizen who wanted these boys to be found💀 “why did the grabber kill max” because he had evidence of the highly awful crimes he’d been committing and was about to let his latest victim free?? the list goes on and on but those r the main ones i see all the time

as for the misinformation. Ough. it annoys me So much this is a hill i will die on😭 i dont know if its people’s half-baked theories or personal headcanons that just got way out of hand but i see so much stuff being spread that just Isnt true, it gets spread so far that when you google these things it appears as true when its not which is annoying !!! i actually was gonna make an entire rant about one theory in particular that pisses me off so bad but i can fit it in here alongside my list of “other theories presented as facts that i Absolutely Despise”

first theory, the one i was gonna make an entire post over, is the theory that vance is the grabber’s son. if i see one more tiktok of those two with that marina and the diamonds song im going to fucking lose it😭 i have no idea where people got this from but its so fucking popular that it comes up on google and i Hate it, i think it comes from the fact that in gwen’s dream sequence, which, might i add, WAS A DREAM, it looks like the police drop vance off outside the grabber’s house and he goes inside there, which… apparently automatically makes them related…?? it takes like one ounce of media literacy to realise that Obviously he’d be getting dropped off at his own house in real life, but as a ghost he’s centred on the place he died and is showing that house to gwen in her dreams, like how every other ghost shows that house to her. awful theory awful take i hate it, if its ur personal headcanon sorry but i do Not fw that

the other theories i have like. not much to say about other than the fact that they’re Not true, i see a lot of stuff about griffin for some reason? the number tends to change but a lot of ppl say “he was kept in the basement for 4 years” like . Huh. where is your proof???? i know the missing posters are insanely unreliable but if you literally read them griffin went missing on april 2nd and billy went missing on may 4th so highly likely griffin was only in the basement for like. a month at most, no idea where ppl are pulling 4 years out of💀 i also see people say griffin has broken legs or a broken back Just because of the first scene where we see him doing a backbend but . if that was the case then he wouldnt be able to stand with the other ghosts when they show gwen the house, i think the backbend was just the position he died in and thats why he first appeared that way to finney but Hey thats just my opinion! last two i have like no rants over but just. firstly people saying robin never made it to the basement for some reason but clearly he did otherwise his ghost would not be down there with the rest of them😭 secondly the theory that vance was kept there the longest “because he’s the most feminine” which. just makes absolutely zero sense to me whatsoever idk whos random headcanon got popularised but i dont like it

okay getting serious again, while this one does not make me angry its like. just really weird to me? i think its common knowledge at this point that both the book and the movie are inspired heavily by the john wayne gacy case, with the grabber literally being inspired by john wayne gacy himself (you Cannot argue with me on this one its literally confirmed and theres a boatload of evidence supporting it). i guess its natural to see people making comparisons between the movie and the case because of the inspiration but i’ve seen Several videos recently of people taking photos of jwg victims and putting them next to tbp characters and saying thats who theyre inspired by and i think thats . Really coming across as insensitive i cant lie😭 we know the grabber was inspired by jwg and its heavily thought that billy was inspired by johnny gosch but theres not much about the others and i think its just really distasteful to compare real life murder victims to fictional horror characters just to get views/likes on tiktok, it comes across as insanely disrespectful to me but idk i havent seen anyone else talking about it so i might just be being sensitive

last thing that really really bothers me is grabber simps. while i do see it on tiktok i see it on here, tumblr, most often and its… so odd to me…. like why are you thirsting over the paedophilic serial killer… so so strange to me… i want to see art and character analysis and silly little posts about all the characters but every time i open the tbp tag i’m jumpscared by someones weird ass grabber x reader oneshot and its SO GROSS get that shit away from me😭😭😭😭 also saw this one girl on tiktok one time whos literal entire account was dedicated to the grabber and she defended this by saying the sa in the movie was “just a theory” which is so victim blamey girl i do not trust you there is so much evidence for it in the movie, again w the media literacy point, just because something isnt directly shown to you doesnt mean it isnt shown in other subtler ways… anyway i get if people like the grabber as a villain but actually like. loving him and thirsting over him is weird as fuck to me

so um ya the fandom is a trainwreck can we go back to there being like 3 of us please and thank u. if you actually read all this then Wow thank you its literally just me being chronically online and ranting about stuff that doesn’t matter in the real world at all

[lovelyo]

Live in Reality: You Would Not Want a Friend Like Penelope

I can’t with people talking bout Cressida is meaner than Penelope or that Cressida is a bully and Eloise is a bad person for befriending Cressida. The difference is Cressida is upfront with her mean girl attitude. She isn’t two-faced and would let you know upfront that she doesn’t fuck with you, totally opposite from Penelope who would write the muddiest of shit about you behind your back and feel absolutely no remorse, while on top of that gaslighting into believing she’s the victim.

Unless you’re a masochist, who would want a friend who smiles in your face but has secretly been resenting you and your family for years, has been tricking and lying to you for years; the friend has been disrespecting your family behind your back, gaslights you, is jealous of you every waking moment, always singing the same “woe is me, life is unfair” song to you but accuses you of being a bad friend, betrays your trust, thinking that hurting you even is a viable option, throws you under the bus to save their own neck and tries to manipulate it as they were trying to “help” or “save” you.

Anyone with a well-adjusted mind who has a friend or who sees a love one have a friend such as that will immediately take the action of cutting them off, despite any history, despite the memories, we would clearly think that a friend as toxic as that is not a good friend or rather a good person to be around.

So why does the individual who has been dealt with such a friend has to apologize or accept the toxic’s friend past and current bullshit. Does it make sense that that individual who has been treated like that by the toxic friend apologize to the toxic friend?

That’s y’all’ logic when it comes to Eloise and Penelope.

When you holler your chewbacca war cry in defense of Penelope, you are rooting for that toxic friend I have explained earlier knowing damn well that if someone like that was in your life or in the life of someone you deeply care for, you would NOT be associating with them or advise others not to.

But Eloise mustn’t be upset and must accept Pen’s hollow apology despite all the things that she has objectively done because…🤷🏾‍♂️ we’re not allowed to be mad at the plus size character cause she’s plus size, that’s the reason people are mainly giving me.

Who cares about size? A toxic person is A TOXIC PERSON: short, tall, small, curvy, a person’s character isn’t defined or should be given a free pass because of their appearance. That’s what you guys are doing with Penelope and it’s insane dawg 😭. You can’t attack people for focusing on her size when YOU FOCUS ON IT! I hope people noticed that, Penelope defenders always bringing up fatphobia and the girl’s size while the Pen critics don’t mention are size at all.

P.S. Given from the spoilers, Pen apologizes to Eloise about the betrayal and being LW but goes back to the same schtick, talking shit bout her brother so ask yourself how genuine she really was

P.S.S Even Colin thinks what LW did was wicked and unnecessary, especially since in season 2 he said if Marina had told him bout the pregnancy, he would’ve still went with the marriage. Plus his sister got dunked on….but hooray for Penelope getting a HEA and being a part of a family she disparages.

[brekker-by-brekkerr]

https://www.tumblr.com/brekker-by-brekkerr/753275507770032128/theres-no-way-you-can-convince-me-the-writing-for?source=share

You being 21 and immature af explain a little bit but are you really telling me you think creasida is better than Pen??? Really??? Cressida, the woman who ridiculiza the fat girl in every Ball she sees her in s1 and s2*?? Cressida who step on Pen dress wheb she saw her finallg talking to a man??? Cressida who blackmail Pen??? Creasida who throw a drink in Pen dress?? Who said awful things to a fat girl???

Holy shit!! She is better than Pen???

I specifically indicated that I did not want Pen stans to interact with me or my posts because the ones who can't just go about their day after seeing an opinion different than theirs usually feel the need to be rude about it (like calling me immature when you're the one coming into my ask box to argue with me about an opinion about a TV show. If 21 is sooo young and I'm soo immature then move on).

Yes, I do think Cressida is better than Pen. (Also, I don't recall Cressida even mentioning Pen's weight when she makes rude comments to her.) Do I think everything she did was right? No, of course not, and I have not seen Cressida fans say so.

But let's unpack the difference in their actions and their motivations.

Cressida grew up extremely isolated, with a father who's awful, with a mother who drills into her the mindset that it's every woman for herself. This does not excuse her actions but it makes it very clear why she would behave the way she did. Her actions align with this mindset in the earlier seasons, until Cressida finally has one friend and you know what she does? She begins self-reflecting and changing her ways.

Pen has not experienced the same level of isolation as Cressida. Say what you will about Penelope's family, I get that they did not treat her as well as they should have, but her mother let her have her interests. She let Pen read, she let Pen go befriend whoever she wanted to. It would be one thing for Pen to feel overlooked and use LW as a way to voice her opinions like I've heard she does in the books, but it's another to use it as a weapon against other women, constantly harming others' reputations and making unnecessary digs at other people, like the comments she made ON THE DAY of the queen's grandchild's funeral.

Pen's actions have so much worse consequences for other people than Cressida's. Cressida, who is already being considered a spinster by others so her opinion is not valued as much, being rude during a ball does not have the same effect as publicly making comments about other women in a paper that people put so much value in. For example, Pen exposing Marina through LW almost led to Marina being on the street while pregnant. That is 100x worse than stepping on someone's dress. It does not matter that Marina being homeless wasn't the outcome, because just because Daphne stepped in and helped her doesn't mean that the harm wasn't done. If Daphne hadn't stepped in, then Marina's life would have been ruined. And Pen is out here taking shots in LW at people who have never done anything to her, like Kate and Edwina and Daphne.

Lady Whistledown's word matters to these people. Gossip and social standing are everything to these people, and LW's word is golden to them. Someone being mean in one moment in a ballroom does not have the lasting weight of something being published in LW and the show itself proves this time and time again.

Also, the writers make it very clear why Cressida blackmails Penelope. She is backed into a corner and is scrambling for a solution. She was about to be shipped off to live with someone who we're told is likely worse than her current awful family situation. Her entire life is crumbling around her and the one friend she has ever made has abandoned her. Pen could have afforded the original blackmail fee so it's not like Cressida was asking this unattainable awful thing of her.

So yeah. One person saying mean things to another, who shows self-awareness and growth as soon as she experiences positive female friendship and starts to learn that you don't have to see the world the way she'd been raised to see it, is nowhere near as bad as someone who uses her platform to continually tear other people's lives down.

Kindly please stop sending me these asks though because I made it clear that I did not want to talk with Pen stans about her and also have made sure to tag my posts properly.