#see i don't know what it is with people these days. chemistry does not automatically equate to 'will tear the clothes off each other

[theinfinitedivides]

ok now who the f*ck is coming out here saying Junho and Yoona have no f*cking chemistry. who the f*ck is it i just want to talk

[joyswonderland1108]

Fanservice?

In the lights of uhm.. everyday's events because at this point there's nothing occasional about this, i wanted to talk about this one subject :

✨Fanservice✨

Or as they call it in Korean 팬서비스 . Quite honestly i'm not making this post for you know who because as much as i want to educate them they're hard headed so this is more of a general knowledge for everyone and whoever wants to add it to their Kpopictionnary.

Fanservice is literally the act of servicing the fans aka doing things that would please the fans. I know that a lot of people think that fanservice = gay activities or queerbaiting well.. It's not entirely true, maybe it's a form we are more used to seeing nowadays but fan service can pretty much be a very straight activity as long as it keeps the fans entertained.

As a kpop oldie (i'm no expert just speaking from experience) i used to listen to 2NE1 and a bit of Bigbang and these two groups engaged in fanservice mainly because both of their fans liked the chemistry between them, i remember noticing this about CL and G-dragon, yes they were friends but that didn't mean that to please their fans they wouldn't do a lil something to make it look a tad bit romantic

In more recent kpop groups, despite me not knowing them all too much BUT i know OOO (OnlyOneOf) have this one "Libido" choreography that is very.. HUM and personally i know choreographies are a form of art but i also think that it has a bit of an act of service. But then one should be able to not mix up everything cause one of the members, Rie, has a song called "because" but because of the nature of the song, what it is talking about, the MV cannot be considered as fanservice.

In other words, just because something looks "gay" to you it does not mean that it is automatically an act of service.

In general the fanservice culture is pretty well known in Kpop but contrary to the past where it somehow was a bit of a "mandatory" thing, now as an idol you either chose to do it or you don't, and many times within the same group some chose to do it some don't, as long as the one who choses to do it respects the boundaries of the person who just isn't interested in it, then they're just having their fun.

Now moving on from generalities to specifications, BTS, which i've seen a lot of confusions and misinformation going on about them and fanservice. Will i be one of those who will say that they NEVER did that? No of course not i'm not that stupid and blind, but will i just lie and say that up until this day they are still engaging in it? Also no.

Listen, kpop idols in general have a tougher starts, and BTS just like other groups had to engage in some form of fanservice which is why you'd find videos like this on YT

And yes this whole thing was an act of service, remember their lil games too? Aka when Hobi stole tae's first kiss lol well yes that was an act of service. But you know what else is an act of service? Fan meets, because whether people are ready to accept that this also falls into the fanservice category or not, it IS a fanservice, an idol basically offers the fan the service of getting to see them up close, hold their hand, talk to them, give them gifts, etc..

Now just like i mentioned above, it is a bit less tough in the recent years as idols now have a choice, which was the case for our boys. Things change, the same way personalities do, the same way our boys in the past had a certain view about what masculinity is and what their view now is of masculinity, our boys are just no longer interested in that type of fanservice since within the years they've been together they grew closer and it's easier for them to naturally tend to be affectionate.

In what i like to call their "lil skit" on PTD in Seoul Jimin made it very clear that they're not into "fake stuff", why do i think that maybe it's a skit to get the message across, it's simply because our boys do go online and they do see what people say about them and in a way or in another they always tells us what's up, so of fucking course they must've known about how some "fans" seem to downgrade their bond into just an act of service.

While some smaller groups are still a bit "forced" into that extra bond with the members, i remember seeing somewhere that some idol confessed they weren't even that close but they were forced to act like it, bigger groups like BTS don't need that anymore to push them further and yet "some people" like to still call their bond a fanservice simply because they have narratives that get humbled everytime and they're not ready to accept it.

Whatever activitiy a member choses to do with the other, this has nothing to do with fanservice whether you like it or not. Jimin attending Tae's music bank show is because he wants to support his friend, Namjikook attending and participating in Yoongi's concert is because they wanted to be there and wanted to do a surprise, any member chosing to hang out with another member or a member of a different group is not an act of service, they are human, and they have relationships with other humans which so happen to be their friends.

People need to stop putting the boys into a bubble they've created for them and anything that goes beyond that bubble is deemed unacceptable for them and titled as fanservice or "forced to do". BTS will ALL be in their 30's very soon, they are adults and very responsible for their own action, they are very big, very popular and don't need anyone to tell them what type of relationship they should be having with others.

I feel like countries need to invest in more green spaces because clearly some "fans" need to go outside and touch some grass they've been a bit too invested into the online community that they forgot that idols have lives and they can actually chose to be friends with members of their own group too.

With that being said, let's please keep supporting our boys, we shouldn't let haters ruin our mood or try to pick fights with us, the best thing to do is ignore what we can and report what is harmful. Have a nice day y'aaaall and STREAM MUSE!!!!

[riceballmari]

ranking my favorite marinette pairings

okay, so, i am a HUGE multishipper. like, i greatly enjoy shipping characters with different people. since marinette has chemistry with pretty much most of the cast in some way, shape, or form, i figured i'd rank my personal favorite ships with her that i'm fond of.

5. feinette

coming at #5 we have fei and marinette! i think this is a very unique rarepair and their relationship and dynamic in the shanghai special is adorable! the only reason they're so low is because i just prefer the others with marinette. i think we really need more of them together, as they were the highlight of the entire special for me. overall, very cute, just not my favorite!

4. marigami

if you asked me to make this ranking a year or two ago, i probably would've put these two lovely gal pals higher up. but my opinion of them has changed drastically since last time so.

i think their relationship is so amazing. the "sunshine x grumpy" dynamic is always something i enjoy (hence why i love tohrin for the same reason). aside from surface level stuff, marinette really shows just how much she cares for kagami. she's her first friend, so naturally, marinette wouldn't want kagami to be left lonely with no one. and knowing marinette, she'd do everything in her power to make kagami feel comfortable and happy when they're together (see mr. pigeon 72).

at first, kagami needed time to warm up to marinette, but she really made a strong impact on her life (gee, i wonder who that reminds me of). i especially like how marinette wanted to get adrigami back together, when that probably wouldn't have even crossed s3 marinette's mind. her willingness to be there for kagami is why i love these girls so much. and kagami actually appreciating marinette's friendship is so wholesome. don't ask me about s5 i like to pretend that season doesn't exist, especially with regard to kagami and how her character was handled.

3. zoenette

first off, i just want to say, I LOVE THEM SO MUCH?? zoe's crush on marinette is so so cute and i REALLY like how they handled it in adoration. zoe's confession was so heartwarming and marinette's reaction and reassurance was wonderful.

zoe, who had practically NO ONE when she moved to paris, is automatically befriended by marinette, who didn't even know who she was and was so welcoming to her. marinette cares so much about zoe and worries for her because she doesn't want her to be a doormat to chloe and wants her to stand up for herself.

eventually, once zoe does, marinette is so proud of her and it really reminds me of the time when tohru congratulated yuki for standing up to akito, but i digress. she can see just how far zoe has come since she first arrived and her growth is everything. their relationship is built on support and trust and that's what makes their dynamic so compelling and sweet.

2. alyanette

MY BABIES. i am a sucker for the “best friends to lovers” trope and this is basically that, just without the ‘lovers’ part. they support each other so much. their level of trust is put to the test in s4 when maribug tells alya her identity. alya, in return, helps marinette out even more than she already has. marinette needed to tell someone of the burden and heavy weight that's been put on her shoulders, and i think alya is the perfect candidate.

contrary to popular belief, alya is an AMAZING friend. she's the one who gets marinette out of sticky situations and doesn't get upset easily if she slips up (see the mime). despite not knowing what marinette is up to at times, alya still puts her full trust in her because she knows that, at the end of the day, marinette will make the right decisions.

i could ramble on and on about these two, but you get my point. also, i can't be the only one who could just FEEL the tension in the air rising during their oh so very intimate scene towards the end of the reverse special. no, just me?

1. adrienette

to no one's surprise, adrienette comes crashing down in first place. i love these two SO MUCH. they care about and love one another in different ways. marinette shows her love through gift-giving and grand gestures. adrien shows his love through words of affirmation and by spending time with someone. they would go above and beyond for the other. adrien confronted AND blackmailed lila about marinette's expulsion and her treatment of her in order for marinette to come back to school. (honestly kinda reminds me of haru when he went and confronted akito about what she did to rin). marinette went to adrien's house numerous times to save him from a possible dangerous situation, i.e. oni-chan, gabriel agreste.

in oni-chan, lila sneakily made her way inside the agreste mansion and lied to nathalie about adrien needing to get some extra homework done to bring his grade up. obviously, she has an ulterior motive: to get close to adrien. marinette, hoping to prevent this, follows them. unfortunately, with no luck, she wasn't able to get inside. this does, however, showcase the lengths she's willing to go to for his safety.

another instance of this is in gabriel agreste, after chloe maliciously recorded a video of marinette and her friends talking about gabriel being a bad parent. knowing what this would do to adrien, chloe was planning on showing the video to his father to get him out of school, DESPITE the fact that chloe would never see him again (it's very telling that chloe does not care about adrien or what he wants in the slightest, and would rather fulfill her satisfaction of revenge for shits and giggles).

in contrast, marinette, despite sneaking into the mansion uninvited, comes up a plan with her friends to ensure chloe does not show the video. note that her goal was not to hurt adrien but to save him from chloe's clutches. this was not out of jealousy in the slightest. the video ends up not getting shown, much to chloe's determination, and adrien is safe, which was marinette's goal from the start.

i could list so many different instances where marinette and adrien show their tenderness for each other but we'd be here for hours. their relationship means everything to me. and as much as i love the other dynamics, adrienette work the best in canon, (again, not going to mention s5) and, unsurprisingly, complement each other really well.

[scrapyardboyfriends]

Well that was...something. Haha.

When I got to the almost kiss scene, I honestly just burst out laughing? Is this supposed to be working for us or Aaron? Cause it's...not. Aaron was right when he said John needed to work on his routine because again that was straight out of Nate's least sexy ever affair with Moira playbook.

Just..."because you know why we're both still here" is somehow a lot better than "I know what you want" which feels like Nate's "you know you want me".

Like if I were Aaron, I would have laughed in his face at that embarrassment of flirting. I would have been like "mate, does that ever actually work for you?" Except that I guess it did in their forced first meeting.

Besides the obvious, I'm just really struggling with the convoluted, contrived way they've set this all up.

It reminds me of the Ben thing too, just automatically putting this weird romantic/sexual framing on it before it has a chance to reach that place on its own.

Just like, imagine instead of his hook up app, Aaron decided to go to whatever gay bar is in Hotten these days and try and meet someone and John showed up looking to get a drink while in town for his mother's funeral. We see them meet, chat a little, maybe actually see some natural banter/chemistry and then they leave and sure, hook up in his dumb van. And then Eric's car is still in the shop because I don't know, Mack went out as Aaron's wing man, per Vic's request, and got into work too late to fix it, so he encourages Vic to drive Eric to the funeral.

Then at least they met without the explicit trappings of a hook up where it was pretty anonymous and barely had an exchange before it was like "oh well we were supposed to have sex so let's have sex".

Could also have had Aaron just run into him on the side of the road and generously helped him fix his car enough to get it to the nearest garage where oh look, he meets Vic. But they could have been flirting while he was fixing the van and then kissed and ended up having sex in the van.

Just like...anything other than this nonsense where they have this super contrived hostility based on such a nonsensical plot point of John driving off with Aaron's stuff for no reason.

And then I might buy that Aaron would actually still have some attraction to him despite everything and a scene like today might have worked better for me??

I just don't know how believable it is that Aaron is attracted enough to John that he would go there based on that kind of pitiful flirting after all of this other nonsense, after he knows this is Robert's secret gay half brother and all of those feelings came up.

Sigh...

The Mack and Aaron friendship stuff is still fun, aside from the fact that this little war they have with John is so baseless and yes, their actions are super immature. But I still like the trio of the two of them and Vic interacting. Tiny slivers of silver lining.

Also...John is just an asshole. I just don't know what issue they have with bringing in likable characters. At least Robert was a smooth talking charmer to mask his inner turmoil. John could be making the village fall in love with him with his charisma while hiding secret pain. I'd like that kind of character a lot more than angry guy.

I feel like the only people that like John so far fall into five categories: 1. Robert antis who will like any non Robert Aaron ship 2. People who just hate Aaron and/or Mack and enjoy a character who also hates them 3. Sugden fans desperate for scraps 4. People who find the actor attractive 5. And people who think this is all leading to a Robert return

I'm only really approaching number 3 and he's too annoying for me to care yet and I'd like 5 to be true but I refuse to get my hopes up because I still feel like this is all happening because Ryan said no. I think it's just going to be a terrible, flat enemies to lovers story where John's sad sad military past will come out and Aaron will end up comforting him and getting him to open up and then they'll suddenly be couple with very little relationship development. Even with Robert mentions, I don't feel like this is leading to a return or to any kind of Aaron revelation that he still loves Robert and therefore doesn't want to be with his secret gay half brother.

I'd love to be wrong but...

[aurelim]

About the ROs getting together? SAME here! If they end up together when MC dosen't romance them I always feel like MC is the third wheel or even worse, as you put it, a "home wreaker". It just feels like the two ROs were ment to be together but because MC flirted/pursued one of them they got sidetracked..worse in some if I've read there was the concept of "soulmate"...so basically the two ROs were soulmates, but then MC happened, so they stay platonic soulmates instead of "upgrading" (🤣) to romantic soulmates as they do otherwise. It make me feel like MC is stealing away their significant other or that the ROs together are the canon couple instead RO+MC is the fanfic one 🤣🤣. No judging who likes the ROs together, I understand the appealing of seeing loved characters being happy (even if I do strongly believe that happiness is not strictly dependant on being in relationship with someone), and in if in which you can choose to push the ROs together (they don't end up together automatically) or the ROs have to get with someone ( for political marriage for example like Kingdom and Empire) I don't feel that way. Sorry for the rant 😅 it's just the first time I found someone that feels the same way!

With the amount of people coming out to me about our shared dislike in ROs getting together, we should just start a club at this point. I'm thinking "ROs Together? Nah."

Perhaps there are more people at there who feel this way. Maybe they hide amongst those who like the idea of it, feeling horrible that they dislike ROs getting together.

There has to be another IF writer out there who feels this way right? I have to know-

But I definitely agree with your points! I have been answering asks like this all day so I'm somewhat exhausted, but I'll give my general opinions for you anyway :)

I don't like it if ROs were meant to be soulmates if MC does not romance them. If there is an obvious chemistry where you would feel like a homewrecker, I don't believe they should be ROs.

They don't get the upgrade and remain platonic friends if MC romances one of them. Like, imagine if you have a phone and you don't have the latest updates. It is laggy, slow, and you get annoyed quickly. There's obviously tension and it feels like you are in a in-between, almost. That's basically what it feels like with ROs who are interested in each other.

And yes, you should not be required to be in a relationship to be happy!! Happiness can be from anything--family, friends, pets, hobbies--and characters don't need love to be happy!

This applies to real life, too ;)

[wildskissed]

I think this is just a good time (as I'm seeing a lot of other people address it), that I also address some of my rules that I don't think everyone has read. I feel like it's especially a good idea given the amount of canons that I interact with, and just in general because I don't want anyone to be uncomfortable with anything. I want this to be everyone's safe space so...

I DO interact with some people that write triggering topics that I don't myself engage in.

I don't really believe that writing controversial topics automatically makes you a bad person, and I don't believe in what the purity police culture has become. I am very firm that I don't write r*pe or inc*st, but I do engage with mutuals that do that with other people within their other fandoms. It's not my job to tell people what to do, and since my boundaries have been respected, I choose to live and let live. However, I know that some topics can be extremely sensitive to people, so if that bothers you, it's very important that you curate your space for you so that YOU feel safe. If that means needing to block me so you don't see particular urls of people you don't want to interact with, then you should. I won't be upset about it. You matter the absolute most, and I need you to understand that.

I DON'T do exclusivity in any form.

My in real life romantic partner also RPs on here with me, and we RP together in just about every fandom we are part of. We decided years ago, that exclusively only shipping with each other was silly (it's just our personal preference to not), so we don't do it. Even when we're on canon blogs (this is not my only blog, just my main at the moment), we ship with other characters that aren't each other's characters because we're here to write. No one writes a character exactly the same. Another Catwoman they ship with, isn't the same as my Selina Kyle. Another Yennefer they ship with isn't the same as my version of Yennefer. I think because of that, I got used to just...letting chemistry between characters and other writing partners dictate the ships that I write. It's why I have always practiced "mains" instead, and given those people admittedly a little more attention than everyone else. My partner's characters would of course, get PRIORITY, but that didn't--and doesn't--at all mean I wouldn't/won't write with other people. Maybe RPing since 2006 has made me set in my ways or something, but that's just what is comfortable for me.

That's not for everyone though, so it's important that we all communicate. I'm okay shipping with multiple versions of the same character because I have always been okay with it in the past (again I practice mains, and I do this on my other accounts even as a canon), but I know that this idea of "collecting" characters has become big in the RPC now. That in shipping/writing with a bunch of the same character, that is immediately some faux paus now. I don't want you to feel that you are being disrespected, so I do try to make sure I'm acquainted with everyone's rules when we're writing together, but sometimes I miss stuff. I'm only human. I also go out of my way to make every starting interaction PLATONIC, unless it has been discussed beforehand, out of respect for not just auto shipping with every canon of a character I like--I wouldn't do that anyway, but I know the problem that I run into sometimes is that I'm also cool with things just being thrown out into the ether and us trying things out between our characters to see if they'd just mesh well. I'm in that way, very ship positive, and sometimes, that does end up with me shipping with two or three of the same canon and just prioritizing my mains, while still writing with everyone. I'm here to write, and to have fun, not to get stressed out--this is my HOBBY. I am too old to take this so seriously that it ruins my day. I work six days a week, so when I'm here, I'm here to create beautiful things with you guys, I'm not here for Junior High level drama.

Again, though, your comfort is always the most important to me. I'm honestly not just saying that. I think that boundaries are incredibly important, and I think that communication is KEY to this even though it's a hobby. We're all trying to enjoy this together, so if this bothers you, platonic interactions are still so important to me, and they can be some of the BEST threads, and the BEST relationships that our muses can have. Unrequited relationships and the like are also fun to explore, so it's not like we can't figure something out if my pointing these out from my rules has made you want to curate your space accordingly, and yet you still want to write. If we need to change our characters' dynamics, I am open to that, and if you need to cut ties completely for your own comfort, I'm open to that too, even though I really do appreciate all of you, and don't want to lose any of you.

For now, that's all I have to say, as this is already too long, so if anyone wants to talk about it privately, just let me know.

[triviareads]

ARC Review of Give the Devil His Duke by Anna Bradley

Summary:

Francesca Stanhope is content with being a wallflower during her one and only season. She does not count on catching the attention of Giles, the Duke of Basingstoke, nor the ton at large. Giles is all but engaged to Francesca's cousin Susannah, in a bid to lessen the decades-long hostility between the two families. The machinations of a gossip columnist force them to come to a détente for Susannah and his sister's sake, but what they don't count on is the mutual attraction growing between them.

My review:

I LOVED this book! Loved it. It's my first by Anna Bradley and I will definitely be reading more of her. Let me get into what worked for me:

First the characters: Francesca was a perfect combination of world-weary and innocent. Life dealt her a hard hand, but she's determined to push through, somehow. A scrappy gal, if you will. She doesn't automatically give into society's demands, nor Giles's for that matter (but not in a bratty way, if that makes sense? Like, girlie has her pride and is just trying to get by). So when she successfully blackmails her terrible uncle, you can't help but applaud, you know?

Giles is kind of a bitch in the beginning but it works because you know exactly where he's coming from: he's so hot and blond and a duke so nobody's ever said no to him. You see that start to change (or his better angels are revealed) as he interacts more with Francesca, and his final weeks-long grovel (yes! there is a grovel— an excellent grovel) cements that change.

The plot was tight and well-done. Francesca just wants to get through the season, and maybe reconnect with her estranged cousin, but the gossip columnist and the gossip that the ton circulates about Francesca and Giles messes with that. What's interesting is that Giles faces a lot of social consequences (potential and real) because of the fickleness of the ton, even if typically, I'd be inclined to assume the man would get off easier than the woman. This might be attributed to Giles's late father being The Worst (it's implied he sexually assaulted Francesca's mother, and then he killed Fran's father in a duel afterwards), and the entire ton knew it. Ultimately, Circumstances get so out of hand Giles asks Francesca to marry him, and the final portion of the plot concerns them having to navigate a marriage that was proposed to mitigate rumors, but it's a delicate thing because they have very real feelings for one another.

Let me take this opportunity to scream about the chemistry. THE CHEMISTRY. It's there. It's EXCELLENT. Because Giles is a slutty slutty hero, he's obviously deeply aware of Francesca right off the bat, even while he's technically almost engaged to her cousin (but that adds to the forbidden-ness of it all, right?). However, what I loved was that Francesca was equally aware of Giles, even when she went through various periods of dislike for him. She fixates on his mouth a lot. She has vague sex dreams. SPEAKING of sex dreams—

The sex:

Fabulous. Very hot. Because of their natural chemistry right off the bat, even in tender scenes, like when Francesca runs out during a musicale and Giles comforts her, there's this layer of sexual awareness present, which makes for very promising follow-through.

And there is great follow-through. Reading Giles and Francesca crack after just a couple days apart and unable to contain themselves was great. Same for their wedding night and perhaps most importantly, during make-up sex.

I think this is one of those situations where what makes the sex good isn't the wildness of the sex acts, but it genuinely comes down to two people you get the sense are constantly, deeply aware of one another, and constantly want to fuck, even when they're on the outs.

Overall:

I would strongly recommend this book for literally every HR reader. On the surface, it seems like a standard ballroom romance, and it is, to a degree. But it's the characters and their arcs that really make the book special, along with the natural chemistry (have I said this word too many times? ah well.) between Francesca and Giles that manifests itself in the dialogue, in their actions, in the sex, etc. Go read this asap.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

[dearestaeneas]

resisting the temptation to ask you every one of the questions from the writer ask game and instead asking: 2, 3, 7, 13 (i'm guessing i know the answer to this but consider this an open invitation to share some fun lore), 26, 29, 30

kicking my feet and writing your name in hearts all over my dream journal

2) my two newest ocs are Matt + Justin! i was working on a thing for a zine i want to submit to, and the theme was 70s/80s/90s campy horror, so i picked just two lame ass 90s boy names. it's a silly little queer slasher story that i didn't expect to go so in-depth on!

3) uhhhhhh. my biggest self insert is probably that John Dearheart character i post little blurbs about sometimes. i realized i'm probably gonna need to change his name if i post more about him, though, because i completely forgot he's a Discworld character. i've been rereading Going Postal lately and while i was waiting for the library loan to come in i was scrolling through its tumblr tag and got whiplash seeing his name. it is deeply humbling thinking you had an original name and not only seeing its an already-established character, but an already-established character from a BOOK YOU'VE READ BEFORE. outside of him as my vent character, i put myself into all my characters! i'm very vain! Branwen and Ardan are my two biggest ones from hh, and lately its been Branwen more just for the sake of story themes :3

7) Celeste and the Old God is actually one of my favorite pairs to write about, and it's wild to me that i don't have them interact more. i think what really gets me about them is that Celeste's entire deal is that she's...normal. she has a "normal," healthy relationship with religion, and criticizing it is included in that, i think. and for that reason, those two are the closest to being equals. having one character be a devout believer/her religious trauma being something you actively get to see be established throughout the story (branwen) v. another character who's extremely cynical to the point of numbness who doesn't believe in anything (ardan), and in a context where branwen is genuinely helpless vs. ardan having more control than he realizes/freaks him out when he does realize it, it's so fun to write Celeste as being on equal playing ground. it's important to me that her entire deal is "actually no fuck you, you need me just as much as i need you." and i think that equal playing ground is why they have kind of a begrudging friendship.

i also like writing branwen and ardan together because they are bisexual.

13) not really any of them i don't do that kind of stuff<3*

26) American Gods!!! And Slaughterhouse Five. those are the two i always automatically say when asked! i read If We Were Villains sometime last year and it rewired my brain, also. i found it because of The Secret History, which also rewired my brain. Both of those books fundamentally changed my brain chemistry, but secret history did it derogatorily, if that makes sense. great book. i never think i have feelings about it until i start talking about it. Donna Tartt i am nearing your location. (also Piranesi!<3)

29) probably Harry Potter? unfortunately? (also, sucks that i have to say 'unfortunately'. like most people, those stupid books were very important to me at one point in my life! mostly because of the stuff i did with my friends because of it! go fuck yourself, Joanne!) i deffo wrote fanfic, though. i had a huuuuge fic i handwrote with a bunch of my friends

not my first fandom, but i thought you'd appreciate: i was also a huge percy jackson kid. obviously. probably more so than harry potter. i took latin in middle school, and one year we had this pretty big multi-part project where we could pick different prompts for different parts. super cool and fun, had i been the person i am now who actually like, cares about things and puts effort into them! but i suffered from the disease of all middle schoolers where i Fucking Sucked. i didn't realize one of my parts was due one day, and during the lunch period i speed-wrote percy jackson fanfiction that i had to Read Out Loud To The Class and then hand in for a grade. i got a 100, but only after reading it out loud, having what i believe was my first out of body experience, and then going back to my seat where one of my friends leaned over and said "was that the fucking plot of Mark of Athena"

30) good!!!! we're actively getting a snowstorm and i'm hoping it keeps up so work is cancelled tomorrow! who knows how lucky i'll be but i can hope!!

*if i was normal i could have left 13 at that and just let myself be funny, but i am nothing if not verbose. obviously hh! in taking up your offer to share fun lore, there's one character who i have been avoiding talking about because i think everything about him is so integral to the plot that like, making goofs about him would be a spoiler (is that...full of myself to say? it would be, though). that said, since the idea of "equals" is so relevant throughout hh, he's been fun to write because he technically falls on the Celeste end of the spectrum, but he's using it for evil. literally. a lot of his deal is unintentionally "what makes a god a god" and how he's this sort of nebulous figure because no one can agree what his deal is. he is accidentally my Odysseus character, and it kills me to admit that. little pansexual freak who wants to kill god.

[ezamevolni]

Distinctions between Cute and Sus

I guess this is common sense but in the shipping realm, common sense is often MIA.

I'm deep into shipping so I've been around these waters quite a bit now and have noticed most so-called 'my ship is real' moments are just very, very cute. But definitively romantic? Nope.

Cute moments are totally ship-worthy but they are not significant as proof the two people are involved in a special relationship.

Exercise #1

The members are close to each other's families.

Jimin called out "Eommoni~" to Jk's mom and Jk's mom told Jimin "I love you!".

RM and Jin's family got together to watch Bangbangcon. RM and Jin's dads are great friends who hang out daily.

Jk often imitates Suga's dad and Suga said that his dad calls Jk gentle/softie.

Are Jikook, Namjin, Yoonkook in romantic relationships because their families are close?

Ans: Seventeen is in a polygamous marriage. Hoshi says 'hi' while eating galbi with Joshua's mom in LA.

Exercise #2

The members often hang out together in private.

Jikook and their Tokyo trip. Nuff said. Only two who went on a long distance trip together so far.

Vmin used to do long walks on the pier when they couldn't sleep during their Japan tours.

Taekook and their recent outings skiing, bowling, watching a musical.

Vope who went on a candlelit rooftop dinner date.

Sin who went biking and fishing during their long break in 2019.

Were Jikook, Vmin, Taekook, Vope, Sin all on romantic dates?

Ans: Let's just pretend for a second that friendly hangouts are a thing. Yes, even between two men. I know this can come as a shock to some but deep breathes, it's alright.

Exercise #3

The members love skinship.

[Insert X amount of hugs, kisses, massages, butt slaps.]

Are [all 21 BTS ship names] in a secret relationship?

Ans: Right, because the 21-ships orgy fan fictions you read on ao3 is but a glimpse into their open-mindedness and deviance.

To think I wrote the answer part before finding the example...and was spoon fed confirmation down in the comments thread 😭

Exercise #4

The members know private details about each other.

Jin knew when Jk took English or drum lessons.

V loved to show off Jhope's sleeping habits on variety shows.

RM knew Suga was going to see the dermatologist the next day after filming.

Jk knew V recently went to get nail care.

[insert X amount of instances they showed certain members their solo work before release.]

Are Jinkook, Vope, Namgi and Taekook (and more) accidentally revealing how much attention they pay to their partners?

Ans: Contrary to popular belief, the members still talk to each other after the cameras are cut.

Exercise #5

They look great together. In the group photo, the two of them stand out as 'that couple'.

[What's this? Top tier all-male group hides three couples and loner Sunshine cried asking 'Where's my other half?'] Read p9 for the full story

Are Vmin, Yoonkook, Namjin, Jikook, Taekook, Jihope, Jinkook, Minimoni using the chance to show off their relationships?

Ans: This is the very reason why tabloid mags and clickbait articles still have readers.

When you see your OTP interacting, that excitement and happiness is from the same place in your brain that activates when you get a sip of hot cocoa after coming inside from a raging blizzard. You find them cute, lovely, more of that please! But it's just that. Those moments show the chemistry, rapport or good relations between the two. It doesn't automatically support them as 'boyfriends/girlfriends'. It does not Define the relationship.

Jinkook have plenty of cute moments. Plenty. But those don't say 'They're dating'. I can show my friend a video of them hugging, smiling at each other, playing around, but I can't stop the video and ask "Now do you see how in love they are??" My non-army friend will think I've finally gone bananas from the internet. Lots of moments that I find cute about Jinkook fizzle to bits once I lift them out of the shipping realm. Very very squeal-inducing, but does not define them as a couple.

I gave so many counterexamples of what not to consider when trying to ship a 'real' couple. So what're the correct things to look for? Ha, if I had solid examples, I wouldn't still be floundering here on the internet. In the realm of shipping, the correct answer is: no single moment can prove that a ship is real. Shipping is fun but if you want to be serious about it and actually consider if the two people are dating irl secretly, guess what, it's detective time. If you don't have a recorded confession, well it's time to get down to the nitty gritty, start theorizing, find evidence and make your stand. It's work and effort now, not just appreciating the cute moments as they appear on your tl. Unfortunate I know.

Legend says there exists another kind that is more thought-provoking and nuanced. After seeing such instances, the correct reaction should contain a little bit of self-doubt, discomfort and a pinch of 'Let me rewind'. And the next thought following should be 'that can't be. I'm reading too much into it. They're just brothers.' And then somewhere down the line you might join me here. These are moments you spotted in the wild and not in a shipper edit. The moment has to be organic.

Of course, that goes for any ship at all about any two people on the planet. Who's to say whose instincts are right? ☺️

[midoriima]

NARUTO CHARACTERS AS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

warnings: online school, profanity, not proofread, nothing too bad.

naruto would definitely be that student who always has his camera on but isn't shy about doing anything. yawning? yeah, he'll open his mouth as wide as he can. sneezing? he won't turn off his cam. "i mean, it would be the same as in irl so i don't see the problem?"

sakura is the class vice president and pretty much everyone just relies on her when a teacher asks questions. like literally when people are turning on their cams, she has it on and one thing about it is that she just looks so pretty?? it could be right at 7 in the morning but she looks fresh. excels in sciences.

sasuke is that student who does not give a single fuck about how he looks. he could be looking like his form in his curse mark level 2 but he couldn't give even a slight fuck about it. people definitely make fun of him, especially naruto, but everyone eventually gives up since it won't get a reaction from him.

sai is that student who just draws in class, or just doodles. does listen in class but when the teacher asks him something, it’s always when he’s so focused on his drawings then he’ll just, “what?” definitely that student every teacher knows just draws in class.

shikamaru is that other student that everyone relies on to answer questions but sometimes he won't answer for the fun of it (even though he'll just say, "what a drag" afterwards and does answer to get the teacher to move on). in the school groupchat, everyone's asking him for help and he does help. he's definitely the president in the class.

choji hates maths. sometimes doesn't even attend maths classes because he hates it a lot. maybe naruto as well, they both plan it and ditch classes to do something else. won't do it consecutively and tries not to make a pattern so that the teacher doesn't notice and thinks it's bad signal or an electricity problem.

ino's diligent as well. class secretary and the one who responds, "no questions, "yes," etc. when everyone's just so done with all the "are there any questions" or "did everyone understand" questions from the teacher. i can see her as someone who loves sciences as well but hates chemistry. would khs if she had to study it again.

neji's another smart one in the class, has nothing but neutral feelings to all classes but doesn't like showing his face/keeping his camera on. "i don't get why we need to have our cams on, it's not like the teacher's going to die if we don't show our faces," but does show his face once in a while. has specific classes he'll show his face and the others where he won't.

tenten definitely loves history. i can see her being all interested in it and definitely shows her love for the subject. she excels most in history and her test results are outstanding. although i can also see her as that one student who's excellent in all except for that one subject that couldn't get her to make it to the honours/high honours roll.

lee is that student who gets so motivated to do school work and romaticise it even when it’s still two weeks before the actual first day. does homework like his life depends on it. unwavering motivation that lasts until the last week of school. definitely a top student but couldn’t get to the honours roll. or more like, he didn’t appear on the honour’s roll because he thought the school would add in students automatically.

kiba has that same motivation lee has until it decreases by the third semester. he starts despising school by then and keeps complaining about schoolwork and threatening absolutely no one that he’d stop doing his homework yet submits everything on time. that student you barely see around in the classroom but starts fights in groupchats.

hinata is another top student. does complain about homework, specifically maths, but in the end, understands. has failed at least two maths exams. she’s that one student everyone, not just in the class, but the whole school, knows is shy. stutters a lot in live presentations but everyone cheers her on to give her more confidence.

shino is that student almost nobody knows what looks like. doesn’t turn on his camera until scolded or wants to, or there’s an exam. he did start to show his face more when he found out almost nobody knew what he looked like.

[cherrycheridarling]

dap me up | t.h.

tom holland x actress!reader

warnings: somewhat smut? swearing and fluff

summary: during an interview for your new film, tom exposes your odd routine during intimate scenes and your favourite flower.

a/n: i got carried away. there's a lot going on in here. enjoy?

wc: 2.6k

"Hello! I'm Adrien Fox with Pop Sugar and we are here with stars of the new film 'Week Off', Tom Holland and Y/N Y/L/N!" Adrien introduced you and Tom to the cameras.

You and Tom gave little waves, "Hello!"

"Now, let's get right into it."

Adrien began asking generic questions while you tried your best to prevent any spoilers from leaving Tom's lips.

"Can you explain the movie a bit to anyone who is unfamiliar with the book or hasn't watched the trailer?"

Tom opened his mouth to speak before closing it, "I think I'll let Y/N do that."

Adrien laughed before you spoke, "Yeah, um. It's basically a comedy with a little rated R content. Some romance, but mostly raunchy and hilarious stuff. It follows the employees in this law firm and their vacation away from work. Lots ensues during said trip including relationships, arguments and too much drinking."

"And you guys worked with many famous actors and actresses in this film. Like, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Chris Hemsworth, Kevin Hart, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and The Rock. How was working with that many iconic people in the industry? You guys are obviously incredibly well known as well, but I imagine some of these people were your idols growing up." Adrien asked and you and Tom nodded.

"Yeah, uh, yeah. It was an honour. Absolutely amazing. Like, I never imagined I'd be making films, let alone films with stars like Kevin Hart and Emma Stone, you know? I'm just really proud of this one and I love everyone who we worked on it with." Tom gave his answer making you nod.

You cleared your throat, "Yeah, Zendaya is my best friend and she has been for years, long before this movie came along, but I still got so excited about working with her. Jennifer Lawrence is amazing, so hilarious. You put her and Chris into a room together and it's just comedy central." you laughed with Tom at the memory.

"We've seen in the trailer that you two share many intimate and – may I say – risqué scenes in this film. Was it hard to keep that level of professionalism and friendship while shooting those scenes?"

You let out a little chuckle at the question before Tom rubbed his chin and spoke, "Since Y/N and I are already good friends off screen, I thought it would be awkward filming those scenes, but Y/N does this weird handshake after every take and it wasn't awkward 'cause it just made me laugh."

Adrien laughed a little before speaking, "What handshake?"

You shook your head with a smile as you recalled the first time you ever did the handshake with Tom.

"Ready, Holland?" you had your pyjamas on and were making your way to your mark in the set of your character's hotel room.

Tom nodded before following you in, cameras and crew hot on his heels, "Ready as I'll ever be."

He was shirtless. A pair of loose fitting grey shorts hung low on his waist. His costume for this scene as Niko Sai.

A black silk slip hung carelessly off of your frame. Ending at the middle of your thighs, v-neck dipping low on your chest. Your costume for Kora Patel.

"We're going to take it from Tom's line; 'You want me just as much as I want you'. Okay?" you and Tom gave a thumbs up, "Action!"

"You want me just as much as I want you. Everytime you sneak a glance at me and you think I don't see, but I do because I'm already looking at you, Patel." Tom walked behind you, looking at you through the mirror in front of you. "I don't blame you, I am incredibly good looking." he smirked to himself.

"I'm guessing you couldn't fit your shirt over your ginormous head?" you rolled your eyes.

Tom's smirk only grew, "Is that a little bit of drool on your mouth, Patel? Who knew the Kora Patel had a thing for Niko Sai? Oh, the Lord is good."

You rested your hands on the sink and leaned forward, "This is a useless conversation, Sai." you turned to face him, "I feel nothing for you. Don't you get that?"

He stepped closer to you and cupped your face in his palm, "Yes you do, you just don't want to." his face showed pain, all humour drained from his character.

You shook your head with a dry laugh, "You're only trying with me because it's convenient. The company's quiet little Kora Patel, right?"

He took another step towards you, holding your hip in a tight grip, "That's a lie. Nothing about us is convenient."

You chuckled before your hand flew to grasp his hair, tangling your fingers in his curls. Your other hand pressed against his pec. Nails tracing patterns on his skin. Tom's breath hitched along with yours as his body automatically drew closer to you.

You tightened your grip on his hair, "It is convenient because you know I keep to myself. You know that I won't go running my mouth about how long you last or if size really does matter. You know that I'm an easy one to fuck," you pulled him closer, "And toss aside, right, Sai?"

"No." Tom swallowed, "You're wrong, Patel."

You shrugged, "I can give you what you want," you ran your thumb across his bottom lip, "Physically." your eyes met his with heavy lids, "Not emotionally. That's why you need Remedy. Not me." your lips brushed his as you spoke, your voice just loud enough for the mics to pick up.

He leaned in and nearly kissed you before you pushed him away slightly by his chest, foreheads still touching, "Let me kiss you." he whispered, sounding so desperate that you nearly abandoned the script and pulled him into you.

You rolled your lips between your teeth, "And if I don't?" you raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

"I'll leave you alone. If that's what you want, I'll go and have a useless one night stand with a girl who could never measure up to you." he pulled your hips flesh against his, "But if you let me kiss you. I promise to show you how much I mean it when I say that I'll spend all night showering every inch of your body with the love it deserves." he brushed his lips against yours again before bringing his mouth to your ear, "Just say the word, darling, and I'm yours."

Your heavy breaths were the only things that could be heard besides the small sound of shuffling behind the cameras. Your eyes flickered from his eyes to his lips before you closed the distance and pushed your lips to his.

Fighting for dominancy, teeth clashing, hands roaming. Unscripted groans falling from Tom's lips as you tugged on his hair, running your fingers along his scalp. His hands gripped the bottom of your thighs before you jumped and wrapped your legs around his waist.

"I still hate you." you breathed against his lips as he kissed the corner of your mouth.

You felt him smirk, "You sure have a funny way of showing it."

He carried you to the bedroom, gently laying you down and climbing on top of you, never breaking the kiss. His hands running down your sides, squeezing and rubbing. Your lips moving in sync until he pulled away only to attach his lips to your jawline, leaving slow but hard kisses down your neck, leading to your collarbone.

"Still hate me?" Tom mumbled against your skin.

You let out a breathy moan, "More than ever."

"What do you hate about me, Patel?" he lifted up the bottom of your black slip.

"E-everything." you fake gasped as he rolled his hips into yours.

He laughed dryly, "Everything, huh? The noises you're making say otherwise."

"You're such a dick." you moaned.

He smirked against your breast, "You're about to take my—"

"—Don't finish that fucking sentence, Sai."

Soft moans fell from your lips as you wrapped your legs around his waist again and pulled him closer to you. He groaned against your skin as the cameras picked up every noise, every movement, every kiss. You ran your nails down his back, surely leaving marks in its wake. His grip on your hips was almost punishing, as if he wanted there to be bruises the next day.

"And cut! Great work, guys. Ten minute break and we'll shoot it again."

Tom immediately got off of you and sat to the side of the bed before looking at you with concern, "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

You let out a laugh before shaking your head, "No, you didn't hurt me. Dap me up." you held out your hand and he stared confused.

"What you up?" he chuckled.

You smiled before lifting his hand and doing the movements for him, "Just like that." he finally got it down and smiled.

"You Americans are definitely odd." he teased.

You tossed him a wink as an assistant handed you a robe, "See you in ten, Holland."

"And that's the handshake. It's not really a handshake, more of a greeting. I just did it after our first intimate scene because Tom was acting weird and I didn't want things to be awkward." you explained with a shrug as Adrien and Tom laughed.

Tom nodded, "I thought I hurt her! So I asked if I did and all she said was 'dap me up', like, what?" he laughed with you.

"You guys have really great chemistry on and off screen." Adrien complimented making your cheeks heat up.

You nodded, "Thank you. It took a lot of work to break through his industrial ego." you joked with an exhausted sigh as Adrien laughed.

Tom gasped beside you, "I do not have an industrial ego!"

"Mhm, sure." you joked before reaching over and giving Tom's thigh a gentle squeeze, "I meant indestructible."

Tom huffed and crossed his arms, "This is bullying."

Adrien laughed again, "We have to talk about something," he started and you already knew what was coming, "Lots of fans have speculated that the romance on screen carries on off screen." he smirked.

You and Tom laughed nervously. Almost awkwardly.

The situations that you went through with Tom while filming definitely built your relationship with him and strengthened it. In all honesty, you didn't know if the feelings you had for him were reciprocated.

In Tom's head, he was adamant that you had no feelings for him beyond the big screen. Both of you were too timid to confess first. His feelings for you developed a few weeks into filming and since then have only gotten stronger as your friendship grew and you spent more time together.

The amount of times that this topic had been brought up today was tiring. Every answer was the same: "No, no. We're just really good friends."

You decided to joke around, "Honestly, I've asked Tom out at least twenty times and he keeps rejecting me." you pouted and sniffled.

Adrien let out a joyous laugh as Tom gasped and choked on air at your words.

"That is not true! She has never asked me out!" he defended himself.

You shook your head with a deep frown, "He's broken my heart too many times. This is probably my last time acting with him." you continued on with the joke.

Tom shook his head furiously, "That is one hundred percent false. If she had asked me out, we would already be dating." he let the words fall from his lips without a second thought.

You fought the instinct to snap your head towards him. His confession catching you off guard. You played it off with another pout and shrug. Unsure if he was joining in on the prank or not.

Adrien raised a suggestive eyebrow, "What I'm hearing is that Y/N just needs to ask you out and we have our new couple."

You fake gasped, "Why do I have to ask him out? He should be asking me out with a million roses and a horse drawn carriage." you flipped your hair over your shoulder.

"You don't even like roses." Tom laughed, "You like dandelions because they turn into those fluffy things that you can make a wish with." he remembered the information off of the top of his head, "And because it sounds like you're saying 'dandy lions' when you say their name."

You nodded with a smile, "A million dandelions then. And maybe I'll think about it." you joked with a yawn making the two men laugh.

"You heard it here first. We have a new couple on the rise. Tom just needs to find a million dandelions and a horse drawn carriage." Adrien laughed again.

Tom scoffed dramatically, "Find? I already have them in my garage, ready to go."

Adrien cheered as you felt a heat creep up your neck, "Did I say dandelions? I meant daisies."

"Got those, too." Tom smirked making you roll your eyes.

"Okay, we need to end this interview before Tom buys all the flowers in Berlin." you joked.

After the interview ended, you said your goodbyes to Adrien and the crew before you and Tom made your way back to your temporary hotel suite for the week of press junkets.

Tom walked you to your room, stopping at the door, "That was an odd interview." he chuckled.

You nodded, "Indeed. It was fun, though." you smiled and he returned the expression.

There was an awkward beat of silence before he spoke again, "T-that whole asking me out thing. You were kidding, right? Like, just a show for the cameras?" he laughed nervously.

You swallowed air before replying with a timid smile, "Y-yeah. Totally. Just for the fans." you nodded again, "Um, I should head to bed. More interviews tomorrow. See you in the morning." you gave him a little wave before turning to your door and pulling out your key.

He nodded with the smallest of pouts before turning on his heel and starting the walk back to his suite.

Just as your hand was turning the knob, Tom's voice called out to you again.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" he spoke in one breath.

You bit your lip to conceal your smile, but it was no use. His question sparked a flame in your stomach that wasn't dying out anytime soon.

You turned with a bright grin, "I'd love to."

His features went from pure fright to relief in a matter of seconds, "G-great. I'll- uh, I'll text you the details. Goodnight." he gave you a little salute making you laugh.

"Sounds good. Night, Holland." you nodded your head before entering your hotel room.

You leaned against the door as soon as it shut. A euphoric glow radiating off of you. You were going on a date with Tom Holland.

Tom happily punched the air. Skipping down the hallway, a new found joy in his step. Chris Hemsworth walked out of his room and examined the gleeful boy.

"What's got you all smiley?" he chuckled.

Tom stopped and smiled, staring at the ceiling, "I just got myself a date."

Chris raised an impressed eyebrow before laughing, "You really are Peter Parker. Night, kid."

"Goodnight, Chris." Tom's smile never faded as he made his way back to his suite.

Not even ten minutes had gone by since he last spoke to you and he already missed you. He pulled out his phone and pressed on your contact.

Tom: sorry i didn't have any dandelions. hope you can make an exception x

Y/N: i suppose but the horse drawn carriage is a must x

[catzula]

Kiss me so you won’t forget

》 35 An awkward kiss given after a first date. / Kuroo Tetsurou

Synopsis: 6 year old you sealed your promise with Kuroo with a kiss (on the cheek, but its still a kiss... right?) A promise that you would remember and wait each other until Kuroo could buy you a ring. You still remember, but does he?

Even though you weren't exactly best friends, you knew who Kuroo Tetsurou was, and really, who didn't? He was the captain of the volleyball team, one of the most handsome guy around, so smart and so cool, and also your first kiss.

Okay, okay, maybe not your first kiss- it was a small peck on the cheek, but you still counted it. You remembered the day it happened, you and he were playing in the playground, and even though you had just met that day, you felt like you knew each other forever.

He had told you he was going to marry you at the end of the day, and you still remembered the proud smirk on his lips as he promised you, his warm -and dirty- hand holding yours, those odd, golden eyes sparkling. "Just wait," he had told you, "wait till I can buy a ring." You nodded, trying to hide your joy from him.

"Promise me you won't forget me, 'kay?" He told you with a serious face.

"Okay." You had muttered, fidgeting your hands.

"And if I see any other boy here playing with you, I- I-" when he couldn't think of any threats, he held your other hand too, now holding both your hands, looking deep into your eyes. "I'll be really sad."

At that, you had smiled sweetly, without thinking much about it, you leaned in, and your lips touched his chubby cheeks. "I won't forget," you giggled, a kiss worth a promise. "But you have to promise you won't forget either."

And here you were, still remembering the day as clear as day, knowing it was a childish game, but still waiting. You had never forgotten about him, even though you hadn't seen him ever again, not until the first day of college, anyway.

A freshman, standing in the middle of the almost empty room, looking around like a fish out of water. You had no idea where your class was, and it didn't help to know your first ever lesson was Chemistry, your arch-nemesis. You thought of asking help from the people around you, but they all looked too mean for you, like they all were watching and snickering at you. Well, it was an exaggeration, they didn't really care about your presence there, and although some were laughing at the fish-out-of-water expression you had on your face, it was because you reminded them of their first day. 

Still, even though the paranoia you felt wasn't rational, it was there. So asking just anyone was out of the question. Chewing on your inner lip, you walked out to the hallway, hoping you could at least find a teacher so you could ask where the fuck the chemistry lab was. But instead of going to the d-block as you should've, you found yourself out in the garden. 

"Oh my god," you muttered to yourself, rubbing your temples as you looked around, this time even gathering to courage to go and as someone. That was when you saw a head of dyed blond hair bending over the game console in his hands, looking very uncomfortable as he sat on the very edge of the bench.

You didn't want to, but you found yourself walking towards the blond, his eyes never once leaving the screen, his fingers moving smoothly over the buttons.

"E- excuse me?" You muttered when you stood there a few seconds, and he didn't notice you. He visibly flinched at your voice, averting his eyes to you. "I'm, uh, I'm a freshman." You told him as if that explained everything. When he didn't answer, you cleared your throat. "I'm looking for the chemistry lab? I'm very late, and-"

"Kenma." You heard someone call from right behind you, the voice sending chills down your arms for an unexplainable reason. You turned around on your heels to see just who it was. He stood a few steps away from you, brows slightly furrowed as his golden eyes studied your face. Golden eyes that were too familiar. It didn't take you long to recognize who it was, the unruly, raven hair of his being the biggest hint. 

(You were a bit surprised he kept the hair though, because really, what even is that?)

Your lips parted, letting out a small gasp as you recognized, connecting the memory from so long ago with the tall boy that stood before you. The way his eyes examined your face, he probably thought he had seen you before, and you waited for him to remember, heart pounding in your chest because finally-

"I've been looking for you all around." He spoke softly, voice laced with concern, and your eyes widened, gaping at him because his words could only mean that he remembered, he really remembered. 

It took you a few seconds to realize he hadn't. His eyes weren't on you anymore, but on the small boy that slouched over his game. Kenma, ever the perceptive boy, noticed the slight slump of your shoulders, the disappointment that flashed in your eyes.

"I was here." Kenma shrugged, his eyes once again finding his game console. "Could you help her, though? She's lost, apparently, and I'm about to face the boss." 

"Oh, sure." He shrugged, a grin suddenly appearing on his lips, eyes slightly narrowing in a flirtatious manner. "Freshman, huh?" 

"That obvious?" You muttered, forcing a nervous laugh, and he chuckled. "Yeah." 

~~~

The walk felt like an hour. You quickly noticed Kuroo was pretty popular by the looks and whispers that followed you both, and frankly, this was not the first impression you wished to give. 

You anxiously fidgeted your hands, your gaze on your steps as he talked about... something.(what was he talking about again? You had forgotten to listen.)

"And, this is the chemistry lab." He told you, stopping suddenly and causing you to fall off balance. "Woah, careful." He grinned, holding you by the wrist before you fell flat on your face.

"Thanks." You told him with a giggle, biting your lip when you looked at the time. "The class is literally over in 10 minutes." You sighed. "I'll just skip it."

"Wow, rebellious, are we? And skipping chemistry? You must be out of your mind." He teased, chuckling. You shrugged, smiling back. "I don't really like chemistry anyway."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." He frowned, "come on, there are benches right around the corner so we can sit."

"Oh, it's okay, and you probably have classes anyway. Thank you so much for helping me, though." You told him with a smile, feeling bad for parting since he was fun to be around, but you didn't want him to feel like a babysitter. 

"My next class is also in this block, don't worry about it. What's your next class? We don't want you to get lost again, you know?" He grinned, making heat rush to your face. "It's math... I think." You answered as you followed him to the bench. 

"Here you go." He told you when he came back from the automat, a can of coffee in his hand. "The coffee tastes like shit, but it still does the job." He kept talking as he opened the can, making a face as he downed the coffee. 

"Oh, shit." You coughed after you took a sip, making him laugh, the rich voice making you shiver. "I told you." 

You sat there until the next lesson, the conversation never-ending, full of laughs, and it felt like that first day you had met. It felt like you knew each other all your lives, like you hadn't only met that day. Still, you neatly avoided ever talking about how you had met before -or that he had proposed to you-. It did kind of sting that he didn't remember when you hadn't forgotten all these years, but it was okay. You were kids, after all.

"You know, this was nice." He told you when you stood up to go back to your class, running one hand through his hair, he looked... nervous?

"It was, thank you for your help." You told him. "And the very bad coffee, too." You added, once again making him laugh. "It's a pleasure." 

He bit on his lip, his eyes locked to yours as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Or maybe it was... Did he finally remember?

"Would you like me to walk you to the class? Do you remember the directions?" 

"It's okay, I remember." You chuckled, missing the letdown look in his eyes. "Oh, okay." He muttered. 

Oh. 

You turned around to walk to class, stopping mid-track when you heard him call your name. "Yes, Kuroo-kun?" You asked sweetly when he didn't say anything for a few seconds. 

"I was thinking..." He muttered. "I can... you know, give you my number." He scratched the back of his neck anxiously. "So I can help if you ever get lost." He added when you didn't answer (you were still trying to process that he offered you his number?!)

"Oh, that would be amazing!" You told him a bit too excitedly. "Th- that's really sweet, thank you." You tried to suppress your grin as he entered his number into your phone. 

"You can always text me." He told you with a fake chough that was meant to hide his embarrassment. "Not only when- I mean if you get lost, but also if you ever need any help. Or just anything, really." He chuckled when he noticed your flushed stare. 

"You should probably go now," he told you. "You class is about to start." 

"Oh, shit!" You muttered, starting to run as you realized he was right. 

~~~

"Oh, hey Kenma!" You greeted your friend when he walked towards you. You were glad he had relaxed around you, feeling safe when it was just you two. 

"Hey, Y/N." He greeted back quietly. "Waiting for Kuroo?"

You nodded with a shy smile, averting your eyes from his golden ones to your hands. "He should be here any minute now."

"I doubt it." Kenma shrugged. "He was trying to shape his hair last time I saw him. He has been working on it ever since." He snickered villainously. "And that was 3 hours ago." 

You couldn't help but laugh at that, the image of Kuroo's frustrated face as he tried to rule his hair somewhat, making your shoulders shake with laughter. 

"What are you laughing at?" You heard someone talk from right behind you and making you jump in your place. "N-nothing!" You answered instantly when you recognized him. 

"I thought you were going to fix your hair." Kenma muttered, his words causing Kuroo's face to twist with shock, anger, and disappointment. 

"I did fix my hair!"

~~~

A date with Kuroo Tetsurou. 

You always imagined it would be amazing, but not this good. It was unfair how funny he was, how smart and good-looking. It was always enjoyable to be around him, but having his full attention on you, like this, romantically, was something else. 

It hadn't taken long after that second first time you had met for him to ask you out. You were hanging out almost every day anyway, he usually accompanied you to your classes, sometimes even waiting for you. 

So here you were. Kuroo had decided to go on a picnic for your first date, brought cookies and sandwiches and this time decent coffee, even fruits, and at least 20 bananas? You didn't ask him about the bananas, though.

You had been sitting there, on the top of the hill, for hours now. The sun had already set, stars showing up in the sky, but neither of you wanted to part. 

Kuroo was leaning on a tree, his arm slumped on your shoulder, pulling you towards his chest. It didn't feel awkward or odd to be in this position with him, but you weren't sure why (or how). You skid closer to him, dropping your head on his shoulder, aware of the grin on his lips when you didn't push him back. 

You sat like that for god knows how long, only deciding to go back when he noticed you were about to fall asleep between his arms. The ride back to your house was silent, the comforting kind that made you both smile. It was dark, the lights coming from the traffic every once in a while illuminating your pretty face, causing him to think this was yet another dream. He had no idea how he managed to make you fall for him, too, but Kuroo was grateful he did.

He tapped your shoulder slightly when you arrived, waking you up from your daze. "Y/N." He muttered, smiling. "We're here."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I think I fell asleep." You answered with a cheeky smile. "So I thought." He chuckled. "So, uh, thank you for today." He told you, rubbing the back of his neck and causing you to scream internally at how adorable he was. 

"It was really nice." He kept on awkwardly when you stood silent and fiddled your fingers with your now unfastened seatbelt.

"I had so much fun, too." You answered, biting your lips as you thought of what to say next, but he acted before you.

"By the way, Y/N, you know this was a date, right?" He suddenly asked, the question leaving you dumbfounded. When you didn't answer him for a few seconds, he felt his eyes widening. "Y/N- are you seriosuly-"

"Kuroo, what the hell?" You asked, unable to control your laughter anymore. "Of course I knew this was a date!"

"Ah, damn, my heart almost stopped." He clutched his chest, only making your laughter louder. "Why would you even ask that?"

"Oh, I just... wanted to confirm it so I could tell you something." He muttered, not proceeding whatsoever. "And that is?.." You persuaded him, making him chuckle and lean forward to bring his face closer to yours. "I wanted to tell you that- that I like you. A lot." He finally admitted.

"I like you, too." You whispered, suddenly aware of how close his lips were.

"And I really, really want to kiss you." 

"I'm not- I'm not stopping you." You confessed, making him chuckle just before his lips touched your lips. It was a small peck, his soft lips pressing yours slightly, his touch on your lips lingering a few seconds before he pulled back. 

"I think-" He whispered, slightly breathless because of the excitement and the way his heart pounded in his heart. "I've fallen for you hard." He chuckled. "I'm not- Umm, I'm sorry our first kiss wasn't in somewhere more romantic, though." Kuroo told you, and you could see the slight disappointment in his eyes. 

You bit your lip (the feeling of his lips still lingered on yours), chuckling anxiously. "You know, this wasn't exactly our first kiss." You shrugged.

"What?"

"I, umm, I did kiss you on the cheek before. To seal... a promise."

His brows furrowed, trying to understand what you were talking about, confusion evident in his eyes. "No, you didn't." 

"Kuroo," you told him with a mysterious smile. "I did." 

You opened the car door, knowing by the slight widening of his eyes, he was an eyelash away from remembering. "Well, good night." You smiled, enjoying the look of shock in his eyes. 

You shut the door just as he shouted your name, "Y/N, wait, I remember!"

~~~

Even though you weren't mad at him for forgetting, Kuroo still made up for it with thousands and thousands of more kisses.

[tobeornottotc]

Tharn and Type Seven Years Ep 2: Observations and Comments

Wow, what can I say except yes finally after a bit of worry about how this season was going to be especially after being scarred by A chance to love (like Tin and Can are cute but the lack of a good plot and waste of side characters still hunts me to this day), I really came weary into Tharn and Type season 2, but thing is as much as last week the editing, sound issues and some lightning issues worried me, I kind of really enjoyed seeing my couple once again. It was just a bit different to the feeling in season 1 for me (it should be we're seven years in we're meant to have maturity, domesticity, and slower less angsty relationship from Tharn and Type) but yeh because of this different feeling I wasn't sure what to say about this show. But Episode 2 took me back to my love for this couple, and I couldn't help but go through excitement, tears and also just nostalgia for how much it called back to season 1.

 As much as Tharn and Type have grown up and had their issues, the way they settle them now is different, their dynamic is still the same they're still passionate and crazy about each other but its the little things as well that shows how mature they've become, even though Type may curse out everyone including Tharn because that's his personality its the softness from him for me that warms my heart, its the way he's absolutely devoted to Tharn: he still calls out his father and says he'll be a widower without him,(already seeing himself tied to him in a marriage without the actual involvement of the law and people), its the way he ensures that Tharn is protected from being hurt when cooking and worrying about the little scars on his hands, its the way he pridefully tells everyone who he trusts that he's looking at his man and he's not ashamed to look longingly and lovingly at Tharn as he sings their song. It's so beautiful, and it's just so incredible to see his growth and see how absolutely devoted he is to Tharn despite Tharn not fully seeing so. 

Tharn, on the other hand, is the same as always 100% focused Type and making sure Type knows he's his, I just love how they talk to each other, how despite fighting all the time for seven years they find it like a comfort to expose their flawed selves to each other knowing they won't back away. I love how Tharn and Type still have those moments where they show they clearly need each other for comfort and just warmth (cuddle scene and Tharn apologising) and I love how despite having disagreements they go back to normal the next day and ensure that they don't fight for too long. It's just precious and its what I love about them. And of course, their passion which one of the reasons for why they are so great, that chemistry has just gotten better and better and that kiss blew me away in the bathroom. Mew and Gulf are clearly now used to each other, and so much more in tune with each other, their chemistry, sensuality and seductive could be felt from the screen, and I felt like an interloper watching it. It made me scream, made me laugh, but it made me blush, and I remember how much Mew and Gulf engulf the whole show with their chemistry and passion. I'm jealous, to be honest about it all.

Other things to notice

Phu and Cir: They're adorable, their skinship shocked me wasn't expecting the amount of PDA we got from them but I ain't complaining it makes me appreciate this show even more. Phu and Gun are the antitheses to Tharn and Type, they're adorable and soft and proud of their relationship in public, they don't seem to fight or argue, and they have a sweeter dynamic to them, but I do hope for a plot for them instead of just cute stuff because I like their characters and I like the actors. But right now I see what they're here in the show for, they keep being a reminder to Tharn about his own hopes and dreams for what he wants from his relationship; he wants what they have, he wants to be overly affectionate in public and to able to call Type his in front of everyone just like Cir does. So they do have a use, and I don't want people to see them as like just fan service.

Fiat and Leo: Fiat is spoilt, and he gets his way we can see that he goes a bit unstable when Leo is away for a while. Almost he's reliant on Leo, and he's not used to being away from him. Leo is fiercely protective of Fiat as we see his friends keep updating and worrying about Leo's reactions to them not doing Fiats bidding or hurting him. For Fiat I love this actor, he's stubborn and like he doesn't give in typically, childish and immature, and I'm guessing Leo is the opposite. Still, Fiat reminds me of how I felt about Type, he's annoying and flawed, but he's somewhat lovable and intriguing. I can't help but want to care for his character and know more about him, and that's all because of his acting and charisma. I'm so excited to delve deeper into his character, and I can't wait to see how Leo plays a part in this.

The boss: Type isn't someone who likes to be patient so that he will explode later on this person. The question is why is the boss of Type so rude, and disrespectful, he's so like hyperfocused on trying to make Type seem so weak. From what Type has said its to do with jealousy, but I'm not really if that's all it is, he's jealous about Type being so handsome, and charismatic and liked by women that he feels some kind of inferiority complex? Because to be honest just because his girl hit on Type, it's very unprofessional of him to act this way, and I am not okay with it. I cannot wait to see Type punch the living daylights out of him. Eww

Khunpol and Champ: My babies, my soft, cute, sweet babies. They probably will be angsty soon, but I love them already. Champ is one fluffball so much more gentler than he was in Season 1, he's adorable, clueless about love and I'm sure Techno is going to play a massive role snooping and trying to set up Champ and Khunpol. As for Khunpol I can see already that baby boy has a crush on our Champ (even though Champ is so clueless) but the girlfriend mention and the relief on his face when he realises there is none, the way he laughs and gets excited when he saw Champ and a bit of disappointment when he saw Type walk into their conversation pretty much already tells me what I need to know about these two. Khunpol is shy and gentle and wouldn't really try to make anything happen, but he'll probably wait longingly for Champ to recognise how he feels. And Champ is going to be very naive and very dumb about the situation. They kind of remind me of King and Ram in my engineer, Khunpol screams King to me acts innocent and sweet like he doesn't know what's happening but secretly holding and panicking about feelings. And Champ is more like Ram,  a bit distanced from that feeling but soon will realise what's happening. Either way, my babies are making me so excited the way they make each other smile, the skinship from Champ to Khunpol which is automatic apparently and something he just likes to do because he sees Khun as cute and fluffy. Squeal, my heart is about to be stolen by these 2, can't wait to see how they unfold.

Overall this episode of Tharn and Type 7 years has been a blast from the past, I have had so much fun rewatching it and its made me so happy and excited for what's to come. If we get more stuff like this, then Tharn and Type is probably going to stay my favourite show. Still, I am so in love with everything in this so far/  I also wanted to say that it's nice to see them have conversations this episode about work and how they've changed, it's genuine and also very warm to see how they had grown up and graduated from uni when in the past season we watched their immature selves act childish and young and react that way in situations. This show is meant to be a more mature version of Season 1, and I think it's doing that so far. Also can Mew please stop looking so good? Like I can't deal with it, and Gulf as well likes in that uniform like please let me breathe. Haha. I can't wait for the next episode.

[tuiyla]

As a Santana fan, does it bother you when people compare her to Sebastian? I feel like those who think Santana and Sebastian are the same or act like the two of them would be best friends have a deep-rooted misunderstanding of her character. I don't get why people think she'd enjoy hanging around someone who was so racist to her and assaulted one of her friends.

Okay so I read the first few words and immediately knew my answer was going to be "yes it does bother me" lmao. As a Santana fan there are so many things that bother me and most of them are about the fandom and its perception of her.

I have... a lot of thoughts on Sebastian, but none of them are too substantial if you know what I mean. They don't keep me up at night because at the end of the day he wasn't a substantial character, and I find it fascinating in a distant sort of way how incredibly popular he apparently was/is in the fandom despite that. Grant Gustin I guess, what can ya do. That said I have two, actually maybe three ways of answering this.

I wrote about the comparisons between the two not long ago on reddit, if you're interested in that. I've had enough of people going "oh he's the male Santana haha both are so bitchy" when, narratively, there's such a rich parallel between Santana and Karofsky instead. No, Sebastian is not the male Santana. So I'm with you anon, those who think they are the same are really not getting something right about either of them but mostly Santana. Why would you bring him into this when there's a perfectly good male counterpart to Santana's story right there. They were even beards!

As for the best friends thing, hmm, yeah. So listen I'm such a sucker for Santana having a friendship with literally any of the characters. From the more obvious like Mercedes or Rachel to the more obscure like Emma or, again, Dave, I'm so down. When it comes to Sebastian? I don't know. I think again you're right that Sebastian did messed up things and was super racist towards her and while Santana was clearly no saint, they were on such different levels. And does she seem like the forgiving type? I think not lol.

So I don't know, I think her banter with a reformed and genuinely remorseful Sebastian could be fun; him smiling at her during What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) made me believe there could be mutual respect there. If he stuck around and toned down the sadism by like a 100 they could have worked as semi-friendly rivals. One bitch to another, you know. But most of what we see of canon Sebastian is incompatible with the Santana who tries to be there for her friends and uses her bitch powers to protect the ones she cares about. So you know once again I agree that it shows a deep-rooted misunderstanding of Santana and her mean streak to say that she'd be friends with pre-On My Way Sebastian. (And let's be honest we didn't see much of the "reformed" Sebastian, and it'd take a lot for Santana to just get over slushie gate and his general behaviour.)

And then there's a third dimension which you didn't ask about but I think we're thinking it, which is many people shipping the two. I'm not here to shipshame in any way, you do you, but it does get annoying when people automatically assume the tension of Smooth Criminal was sexual chemistry and say that Sebtana should have been explored. They're both gay, so there's that. I've actually had discussions about this in the fandom and that's a whole other topic, "straight" shipping canon queer characters and how it's any different than queering "canon straight" ones. It is different, I'll just say that. And again, ship whatever you like, but this is once again something that usually shows a misunderstanding of Santana's character. She and Sebastian are not the same, their brand of cruelty is not the same and even if they weren't both gay they wouldn't work in canon because they're incompatible on that moral level. Is Santana particularly moral, maybe not, does she get carried away, you bet, but she's so far removed from Sebastian's arrogance and utter disregard for other human beings.

That was longer than anticipated but thank you for taking that journey with me because I do have thoughts on it. All that said, I really don't mind Sebastian as a character. I think he works perfectly well as what he was meant to be and Smooth Criminal slaps, it slaps so hard. I enjoy his scenes with Santana and I think it was interesting to see her go up against someone who's not afraid to bite back. In fact, Sebastian being more cruel than her and more careless, more willing to hurt others for the heck of it, the fact that they're different is what made it work. But Dave remains the superior mirror to her character and journey.

[patchoulimademoiselle]

Guilty. (Part 1.)

Part One.

Steve Rogers (Lawyer AU) x Reader Insert. 

Word count: 3.8k

Warnings: Work place romance, smoking, self destructive habits, language, adult themes. (No smut just yet lol.) 

Masterlist. 

Part One: 

Your cell phone rings, a sound that pulls a loud groan from the back of your throat, the sandwich in your hand thrown down onto your desk as you blindly dig through your purse for it, eyes sharp as you stare at the girl sitting across from you, Wanda. "It's my boss," Your tone is clipped as you look down, "Stay quiet."

You sigh, push your hair from your face as if he could see how relaxed you were moments ago, muster up a second wind of energy, and rise to your feet as you take the call. "Steve, finished so soon?"

"Cut the shit, Y/n." He's speaking over the plastic straw between his teeth, sipping on an iced coffee no doubt. "I know you're goofing off with that stupid assistant of yours."

You're lucky he isn't on speaker, and you walk quickly out of Wanda's ear shot. "Be nice! She's new, just like I was."

He hums, the sound of his dress shoes clicking against pavement and cars driving past tells you he's walking. "But you were never dull, never as dense. You wouldn't still work for me otherwise."

You, an assistant, were gifted your own assistant. The work load you take on under Rogers overwhelms the responsibility you still have at the firm, and so they decided to assign someone under you, unheard of and argued among the people above you, but Steve thought it was a good idea. All he saw was dollar signs, you moving up with your reputation and gifting him a chance to charge more for both of your services in the court room.

But Wanda was young, too young to understand the importance of the work she does here, too hung up on boys and partying to see her job as anything other than a job.

"You didn't call me to talk about this." You push open the doors to the balcony in his office, stepping outside for fresh air.

"No, I didn't. I'm done with my client, I'm sending you my location."

He doesn't give you a chance to protest, hanging up the call, a text message coming through seconds later. You groan, heeled foot tapping on the pavement as you weigh your options. You had expected to have at least another two hours free to train Wanda, but that had just been stolen from right under your nose.

You count your steps back to your desk, a nervous tick you picked up in law school, plopping back down to finish your sandwich, roasted turkey breast with all the trimming.

"Wanda," You speak over half chewed food, manners gone out the window in your rush to find an excuse to slip away. "I've been called out, something important has come up with a new client." Her eyes snap up to you from the stack of papers in front of her. "I'll be back as soon as I can, just stay by your phone and I'll let you know what's going on."

She looks nervous, never left here in your office alone before, and you feel bad, remembering how it felt to be new in such a large place. This was a building full of people with their heads in their asses, established lawyers with years of experience under their belts. She was prey among wolves, protected only by your presence, and now you were leaving her.

"Don't leave this office unless it's to use the bathroom." You say. "Don't be loud, don't speak to anyone, keep your head down and stay out of trouble."

All things you wish Steve had told you, all things you had to learn on your own. It's hard being a woman studying law, you're automatically ruled out simply for being a woman.

You offer her a gentle smile, reaching into your wallet and pulling out a twenty dollar bill. "Door Dash some food if you want, or waste it in the vending machine, just remember to take a break and hydrate yourself."

She looks doe eyed, "Thank you." She says, and you're tempted to just bring her along and shove her into the back seat of your car, tell her to stay quiet and to not repeat anything she might hear.

But Steve would throw a fit, you can see it now, a ghost of a smile coats your lips as you leave her behind, stuffing the last of your sandwich into your mouth as you scoop up your purse.

You're tired, Steve called you in early this morning to get some work done before your assistant was scheduled to come in. A new case was dropped on his desk, and you made arrangements for him to meet with his new client immediately. He took a cab, slightly annoyed that you weren't free to take him there, but there was no excuse now, not with your assistant busy at work, you could slip away for a little while to do the second part of your job, assist big shot lawyer Steve Rogers.

The address he gave you was a coffee shop, but naturally he's walked a good block away from it by now, bored and restless in the city of New York waiting around for you, and you honk your horn when you see him walking, phone pressed to his ear.

He gets in, tossing his brief case in the back seat, pressing his phone to his chest. "Find some food? I could go for a burger."

Steve is very particular about what he eats, especially all American classics. He's craving something greasy probably, a nice greasy sloppy burger with salty fries and a thick shake. You're slightly pissed that you ate already, because eating again will ruin your appetite for dinner, but you wouldn't turn down the opportunity for good food, especially if Steve is going to be paying.

He wraps up his phone call just as you swing by Five Guys, parallel parking across the street from the diner. He stares at you for a moment, eyes squinted and glaring until you pull a face at him. "What?" You ask, shifting in your seat.

"This case is being paid for by the state, our client has no money." He says, "He's suing because of wage violations."

You shrug, settling back into your seat, not understanding his tone or expression. "So? This is easy for you."

"It's against Stark Industries."

You frown, eyebrows knit. "Oh shit."

"Yeah," His chuckle is almost nervous, pushing the car door open to get out. "Shit."

You walk across the street together, and you make a show of clinging to his arm for support. He glares down at you, but let's you, baby blue's almost welcoming your touch as he helps you across the street. Then he's shrugging you off and ushering you inside the diner.

"I'll pay," He says. "But the next one is on you."

You kiss his cheek in thanks, whispering your order in his ear and then ducking off into the ladies room, running wet fingers through your hair and swiping on a new coat of smudge proof lipstick.

Your relationship with Steve Rogers is a complicated one. There's chemistry, obvious chemistry that often leaves you flustered, just like this, but he refuses to do anything about it. In fact, you've talked about it before, the backs of your thighs pressed to his desk top as he kissed you, telling you that he couldn't, wouldn't go any farther because if his career has taught him anything at all it's that you don't shit where you eat. If word got out that you two were an item, you would be torn to shreds in the court room, all credibility out of the window, and he would be forced to fire you to save his reputation.

But it's still there, lingering in the way he looks at you and talks to you. That fire is still there, and one day it was going to consume you both.

You undo a couple buttons on your shirt and untuck it from your skirt, rolling up your sleeves and letting go for a moment, the heels you wear suffocate your feet, so you slip out of them, carrying them back out into the seating area to find Steve. He's sitting in a booth next to the window, glaring sharply at you as you walk over, your food waiting for you.

"You look like a slut."

You laugh, snatching up your milkshake as you sit, sucking the thick liquid through a straw. "No, I look like I'm not stressed out for once." You nod to him him for emphasis, his forehead wrinkled. "You should try it."

He's wearing his suit jacket still, which he quickly shrugs off and places beside him. He rolls up his sleeves as well, plucking a fry from his plate as he alternates sleeves, eyes never leaving you as he copies your current state, reaching up to undo his tie and unbutton the top of his shirt.

"Better?" He sweeps a hand through his hair, reaching for his own shake, and it makes you smile.

The sun hits his face just right, lashes looking elongated against his cheeks each time he blinks, the direct sunlight revealing a hint of green hidden in his eyes.

"Much," You reach for your burger, needing to distract yourself. "Now tell me about this guy."

"Barnes." He says, clearing his throat, talking around a mouth full of chocolate shake. "James Barnes. He's owed two weeks of pay and Stark Industries is refusing to pay it, something about the prosthetic he wears being a violation of his working contract."

"That's bullshit."

"Sure, but Stark has good lawyers." He says, fingers pinching up a bunch of fries. "He'll find a loop hole."

"So what are we going to do?" You ask, juice from your burger coats your fingers, and your chin, hands too full to wipe the mess away.

Steve regards you for a moment, takes you in as the mess you are, and his touch is gentle as he reaches over with a napkin to wipe your face. "You are going to sit in your office and dig up everything you can on Stark Industries and James Barnes. I'm going to do a bit of field work, find out who his lawyers are and how dirty they're willing to play it."

You hum, mouth full. "This is good."

He rolls his eyes, dropping the napkin and going for his own food. "I can tell, you've made a mess of yourself." There's a husk to his voice that's far too suggestive, and you do all you can to ignore it.

A part of you is worried about the case. You're never seen Steve so worked up about one before. Tony Stark is known for burning lawyers to get his way, and he pays much more than the state could ever afford to pay you to take a case. But you're determined to help out as much as you can, the case is a simple one and will go in your favor on it's own, but these kinds of people don't play far, which is why it's important to figure out what tactics they will use in the court room.

You sit there for about an hour, eating until you can't, bickering and tossing an occasional fry to get your point across. All in all Steve Rogers is good company. Some people will never get to know that, his reputation precedes him, scaring away anyone who dares to get close. But you know better. You know that there's some kind of gentleness in his hard glares, you know that he cares even despite the cold tone of his voice, his eyes warm and kind even if his jaw is set in anger.

He cares about you, more than he would ever say out loud, and you're lucky to be good at reading him. You would never know otherwise.

When you get back to the firm, Wanda is where you left her, fresh Subway on the corner of your desk, and Steve grumbles as he makes his way back into his own office, which you glare at him for. She's done a majority of her work, filing, and you feel bad to add another task to her list, but you're on a case after all, and there is urgency.

"Wanda, be a dear on fax me everything we have recorded on Stark Industries." You say, dropping your bag and once again slipping out of your heels. "Check all records, I want everything, no matter how minor."

She nods, tapping the stack of papers in front of her. "What about this?"

You shrug. "It will be there. Save it for tomorrow, you can go home after you do this last thing for me."

You can see the way her eyes light up, and you smile to yourself as she gets up to do as you asked. You settle at your desk and power on your computer, waiting for her to send the information over. In the mean time you straighten up, adding to your pile of items to shred, something else you can have Wanda do tomorrow, collecting spoiled food from the mini fridge in the corner, tossing out piling up take out trash and organizing your desk.

Steve hears the commotion, pulling open the dividing doors between your offices, and pokes his head in. "Sent her home?"

"Soon." You say, "Need me for something?"

"Not really, I just don't care to babysit."

His attitude about your assistant is understandable. Steve works in a particular way, and you've since been accustomed to making things work. Wanda only slows him down. Well, at least that's how he sees it, because she slows you down, which then slows him down. But you were new once too, just as slow an annoying as he finds Wanda, and you understand how it feels to be the new girl. She's young and a bit naive, but helpful, and you won't let Steve Rogers scare her away.

"Stop being rude," You snap. "She's trying, and she hasn't made a single mistake yet." You sigh, exhaustion setting in as you pinch your eyes. "I'm going to pull an all nighter, dig up some dirt for you."

He drums his fingers on the door, pushing it open wider. "I have some dirt to dig up on my own as well. I also need to schedule a meeting with someone, I'll be here a while."

It reminds you of when you were newer, eager to please, you would sprawl out on the floor of his office with your cheap laptop and notepad, the two of you fueled up on garbage coffee and staying up all night to prep for a case. It doesn't feel that way anymore, there is no enthusiasm because there are no risks. Steve is one of the best in the country, he's never lost a case, and you've proven yourself by being at his side for so long. But this is different. You're going up against someone with power, someone loved by the people. The risk is mild, but very much there, and it has you both anxious and on the edge of your seats again.

“I'll fish out my laptop and we can work together?" You offer, unsure of what he'll say. But his subtle nod back into his office is answer enough for you, and you watch as he spins on his heels.

"Dinner is on you."

You huff, rubbing your face, mentally preparing you for the night ahead. "Of course it is."

You send Wanda home, double checking the faxes she's sent up from records, every case Stark Industries has ever had displayed before your eyes, and you tell her to come in as soon as she can tomorrow morning.

You won't be getting any sleep tonight, so you do all you can to make yourself comfortable, fishing a pair of leggings out of the trunk of your car to change into, and ordering takeout for you and Steve to eat while you work. You power up your laptop, pushing your desk through the dividing doors to line with his, working across from each other to put together some counter argument for any bullshit Stark and his people manage to come up with.

The hidden elements you find are shocking, police officers paid to go on trial and lie, lawyers who were burned for trying to go up against Stark, judges fired and discredited for being tipped off, all real cases that the media hasn't covered. Stark has his toes dipped into every industry there is, including the media, any and all press about either him or his company is filtered through his payroll. You greedily take notes, writing down names and dates, and a few details and citations to type up later into official statements.

Steve seems to be having a hard time though, his coffee cup once again empty, his fingers laced together in his hair, eyes staring blankly at the computer screen in front of him. He's trying to get dirt on Stark's lawyers, find out who is working with who, and who he can trust to get information from. But everyone has been sworn to secrecy, tipped off and paid to stay quiet. If Steve dives down the wrong path, it can trigger a chain reaction that will make it's way back to Stark, and all the work done to build a solid case against him will be for nothing.

"Steve?" Your pen taps as you wait for his eyes to meet yours. "Smoke break?"

He nods, rising far too quickly from his seat, and you follow after him, fishing a pack of cigarettes from your purse and a lighter for him.

Smoking isn't something you condone. In fact, you find it disgusting. But the nicotine rush does help you concentrate, it helps him far more than it helps you. The coffee has been enough, especially since you've had three cups of it. But after living this way for so long, after wiring your brain to work under extreme conditions, sometimes it takes the extreme to get the gears turning. For Steve, smoking is considered and extreme.

He takes it from you with a gentle thank you, fingertips brushing yours as you both step out onto the balcony. He lights a cigarette quickly, taking it between his lips, and the way he visibly relaxes scares you a bit.

You can't help it, fingers reaching to grab the collar of his shirt. The moon hits his skin just right, his eyes seeming to twinkle as he glances down at you, cigarette tucked between his fingers as he reaches up to grab your chin, pulling you into a sweet kiss.

He tastes like sugar, his lips warm as they press against your own, and your eyes flutter close at the sensation. It's scandalous, two coworkers sneaking a kiss on the balcony of the law firm they work out, concealed in darkness, but still not safe from the consequences of getting caught. It drives you further, makes you moan in his mouth as his grip adjusts to your throat, holding you in place, drawing it out of you.

Then just like that he's pulling away, forehead wresting against yours as he takes a deep breath to control himself. It's unspoken, but understood. You can't.

"Maybe we should wrap up in a few hours." You suggest, eyeing his wrist watch. "A bit of sleep will do you good."

He snorts, and you have your answer. "Leave if you want."

You both know you won't, so you share a cigarette on the balcony at three in the morning, lips tingling with the ghost feeling of his lips on yours, waiting for the sun to rise and the caffeine to leave your system so that you can refuel.

The smoke break works, Steve is lively as ever for the next couple of hours, putting together his to do list for the day, and you type up your findings for him. When the sun comes up, you go your separate ways. You go home to freshen up, and he heads out on his long trail of hunting. You text Wanda, asking when she'll be able to come in. She tells you that the metro won't be at her stop for a couple of hours, and you offer to pick her up instead. She doesn't refuse.

You shower, change clothes, style your hair, skipping out on breakfast in hopes that Wanda will want to grab something on the way.

The address she gives you is near the college campus, no doubt a dorm she shares with other people. Her hair is a little frizzy, her dress wrinkled, you notice immediately that she hadn't been prepared to come in, but you don't mention it. Instead you ask her where she wants to get breakfast, and in true college kid fashion, "Starbucks" is what she requests.

You both get muffins and coffee, and she thanks you, once again for treating her to a meal. She's starting to warm up to you, smiling more, unafraid to speak her mind. "Can I ask you something?" Her lips are wrapped around the green straw, plush and pink, and you realize how pretty she actually is, even with no effort really put into her appearance today.

"Sure." You shrug, eyes on the road ahead of you as you drive to the law firm.

"Are you and Steve dating?"

The question nearly makes you crash, you sputter for a response, cheeks flushing and breath leaving your lungs. She smiles. "It's just that the way he acts when I'm around-"

"Don't worry about him." You cut her off. "He's just old and cranky."

She smiles, but shakes her head. "I don't mind it, I've had worse. But I've noticed how protective he is over you and over his work. It seems to be the only thing he cares about."

Her words surprise you a bit, because you didn't think about it that way. You saw his mistreatment of her to be simply that, another big guy picking on a little guy. You didn't think for a second that he was just trying to protect you.

"That doesn't make it right." Is all you can say.

"I can handle myself, Y/n." She says, reminding you of a younger version on yourself. "It's the case you're taking on that you need to worry about."

For once, you see Wanda for who she really is. Not a shy timid girl who hides behind good behavior, but a law student, smart and witty, knowing when to hide behind a facade and when to actually speak her mind.

She knows something, if not about the case, then about Steve Rogers, and given the far away look in her eyes, she isn't a girl you should underestimate.

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

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[tomsrebeleyebrow]

Hi! Can I ask for a blurb where the reader is insecure about being in a relationship with someone bc she's afraid of getting hurt due to domestic violence that happened in her family so she tells Peter about it and he comforts her? I definetly get it if you don't feel comfortable about writing or if it's a trigger to you, hope you're having a great day/night 😊

A/N: what a heartbreaking request 🥺😢 but in this house, we always provide happy endings even when talking about harsh subjects. so here it is, dear nonnie 💕 all of you out there, care about yourself and never hesitate to talk about it, please. stay safe sweethearts 💖💗

‘Stay safe, Cheer up’ blurb event

A BIT ANGSTY BELOW (MENTION OF VIOLENCE), SO BEWARE! (FLUFF ENDING)

You’ve been in love with Peter since the beginning of secondary school but never dared to confess. Your shy nature always took over in anything you did, acting almost like a shield, a shield you slowly built around yourself year by year to protect you from a lot of things: stress, love and mostly violence.

But how were you supposed to know Peter would actually confess to you once in high school? You still recalled that day when the nerdy boy came to find you at the school library as he somehow knew you would be the only one there at that time.

And you accepting to go out with him definitely shocked your friends, and your own self. But you and Peter were undeniably the cutest couple that could exist, and anyone would agree on that. Two awfully cute teenagers in love.

But something was wrong and Peter felt it - not with his Peter tingle. Even after going out for now four months, you acted a bit strange towards the boy when he got rather close to you, like when holding hands or even sitting close next to each other. Your body seemed to stiff automatically, your facial features tensing as you then began stuttering about weird and nonsense words. As if maintaining some distance between you two on purpose. Mostly, you haven’t said to Peter the three famous words he magically told you to ask you out. He was always the one saying them, hoping you’d say it back to him too but without pressuring you.

I love you.

But still, you never did.

Despite whatever people say, Peter was really observant - this time thanks to his spidey senses - and he was determined to understand what was going on one for all. You already refused to hang out to his apartment multiple times, so the boy asked you for a date on Saturday, only consisting of sitting in the nearest park next to where he lived, to chill around like normal teenagers.

Arrived that day, you both casually sat on a bench drinking soda Peter brought along for the date. People were coming and going in the park, children running after each other on the grass and dogs playing at fetch. A normal Saturday. As you were talking about the next chemistry project of next week, Peter gulped before gently interrupting you, still not too abruptly.

“Err- (Y/N), can I ask you something?”

“Sure Peter, what is it?”

Peter took a deep breath in, hoping to gather some courage and finally spoke again.

“Alright- don’t take it the wrong way, okay? B-but like, I wanted to know- uh... does going out with me bother you? Like I know I’m kinda awkward- okay, a lot actually, so you may have forced yourself to not turn me down... But it’s like you’re building invisible walls around you when I’m near you, w-well that’s how I see it, so you don’t have to-”

Suddenly Peter’s rumbling stopped as he glanced back at you, since you didn’t say a single word. And that was when he noticed you, head low and hiding between your shoulder as if to disappear, and looking away from him.

“Oh God- I’m s-so sorry, (Y/N)! I didn’t mean to hurt you! A-At all! I-I just wanted to understand-”

Peter rumbled again, frantically moving his hands around because his intention was definitely not to upset you, and now he was scared he definitely fucked up any of his chance for you to open up to him.

“... I’m sorry.”

Your voice was like a shy whisper, barely audible but Peter caught it, and cut himself off, almost shocked but mostly confused. Still, he decided to let you talk.

“You’re not the one at fault here, Peter, but it’s me and only me. I just- I-I’m scared...”

You rearranged a strand of hair behind your ear, something you usually do when you’re stressed, your hand slightly trembling. When you finally dared to turn your head back to Peter, you could perfectly read in his eyes he wanted you to proceed in your explanations. So that was what you did.

At first, you were still torn apart from talking about that matter with Peter or not but then, the look in his soft coffee eyes almost screamed to know more. That was Peter, always here to help someone in need. And this time, Peter wanted to help you desperately, the one he grew to love more every day he spent with, to reassure you, to comfort you. At all cost.

So you opened your heart to Peter and exteriorised the morbid thoughts that settled deep inside your being long time ago. How trusting people and getting close to them became nearly impossible since your dad started beating your mum during harsh arguments. Even when you closed yourself in your bedroom, you could still hear her pleadings and cries mixed with your father’s screams. Closing yourself in your wardrobe didn’t change a thing. Your nights got more agitated, nightmares being more frequent than actual dreams, and you kept praying every night to not get hit in return. For nearly seven years, you endured all this violence towards your poor mother, who couldn’t do anything but only plead you between sobs to not say a word to anyone, at the risk of you being in danger too. Even when your dad left you both, your trust towards men was just inexistent and, as sadly as it sounded, Peter was now paying the price of this.

The boy listened to you until the end, carefully and quietly, his eyes never leaving your face. Each of your words etched into Peter’s mind, a heavy feeling soon growing inside of him as your story kept going on. Anger. Not towards you of course, but towards that person you still called “father” who dared to violate your mother in front of your innocent self for so long. Anger towards that paternal figure who made you fear men’s presence near you. An extreme anger because due to that traumatic experience, you were even scared of Peter, your own boyfriend.

But that anger slowly faded into sadness, because dwelling on your though past brought back some bad memories you tried to forget after all these years. And that was when Peter understood he would be the one left to pick up all the pieces of your hurt self, to gather them one by one and finally be able to put them back together.

“(Y/N), look at me please.”

With glossy eyes, your head slightly raised back to look at Peter again, cheeks also a bit red from keeping your tears in. Gently, Peter extended both his hands to you, palms facing the sky. Intrigued, you looked at him before slightly putting your hands on his to rest.

“No one in this word deserve to go through what you did during all these years, (Y/N), and for sure neither you deserved it at all. But remember that I will never raise a single hand at you, that my hands will only provide you comfort and warmth when you need it. And I promise to cherish and protect you from whoever would hurt you in any way. I want you to fully trust me, and I know it may take some time but I don’t care. We will take baby steps and we will make it, okay? Together. I can’t just let you deal with it by yourself anymore. You’re so dear to me and deserve to be happy. Please (Y/N), let me help you-”

As Peter basically forgot how to breath during what sounded like a second love confession, he got interrupted when you threw yourself into his arms. That actually caught the boy by surprise but he didn’t dare to circle his arms around your body, not really knowing how you would react. But he quickly changed his mind as soon as he felt your small hands tightly grip onto the back of his shirt, so his arms gently surrounded you to bring you closer. He rested his cheek on the crown of your head while yours lightly pressed against his torso, his heartbeats soothing your agitated soul.

This was during the embrace you finally knew what you needed to know after all this time: everything would be fine, as long as Peter was by your side.

“Thank you, Peter. So much.”

“I’m here, (Y/N). And always will I be for you.”

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