#someone doesn't like her song and she's subject to someone else's judgement and she sees how much that sucks. just ONCE

[llycaons]

oh my fucking god of COURSE she feels the need in the middle of a serious conversation to ANNOUNCE oh of COURSE I would never go to times square to see the ball drop, that's SO gouche and BENEATH me lady shut the FUCK up you are not better than anyone else just because you're rich and get attention for singing holy shit I hope this bitch (the CHARACTER not the player) dies. and this is ironic as hell because there is literally nothing tackier than loudly proclaiming how classy you are so. fail

[masterjedilenawrites]

Blueberries and Cowboys: Chapter 4 (Cowboy Path)

A choose-your-own-adventure style fic. Refer to this Masterlist for previous chapters and alternate paths.

Chapter 4: The Party (Cowboy Path)

Pairing: Eli x reader

Content: Drinking, some angsty pining

Length: 2.4k

AO3 Link (In case you like it better over there, it’s okay, no judgement)

The gala was as elaborate and ostentatious as you would expect of a formal event at the Imperial academy. It was like the whole ballroom shimmered as glasses of drinks were passed around and ornate dresses swished about in dance. You'd certainly never been a part of anything so grand from your home world before.

The sight made you pause as soon as you entered through the doors. It was breathtaking.

You let Thrawn guide you around the ballroom, barely registering his path as you took in all the shiny and expensive details around you. You were especially enchanted by the handful of couples circling around the dance floor, seemingly floating along with the music. You hadn't danced in so long... properly, anyway. Shimmying around your room in your underwear after a shower did not count.

"The music is quite pleasant," said Thrawn from beside you. For a moment, you forgot that part of the plan for the night was to substitute the names of your targets for other subjects, so any potential eavesdroppers would be none the wiser to your true intentions. Anything related to music was supposed to symbolize one half of the plan: Eva and Arden. But because you were so caught up in the spectacle around you, and your inner longing to genuinely engage with it all, you didn't immediately pick up on Thrawn's true meaning.

"It is," you said with just a hint of wistfulness. Your eyes happened to be watching one of the more gracefully dancing couples, the only signal to Thrawn that he needed to help you refocus.

He cleared his throat just loud enough to get your attention and then flicked his eyes toward the entrance of the ballroom meaningfully. You followed his gaze to see Eva and Arden had now arrived. Eli would be keeping an eye on them, while you and Thrawn would track Burdick. Your heart sunk as you were reminded, yet again, that you were not here for a good time. Tonight was about Thrawn's mission.

"Do you think Eli has noticed? The music?" you quickly supplied, hoping Thrawn wouldn't doubt your support.

"Yes, he seems to be enjoying it." Thrawn then looked to a different part of the room, where Eli was standing next to his date. Sadie. She was a tiny thing, with perfect proportions and well-styled hair and wearing a dress that left nothing to the imagination. You suddenly realized who she was, not having connected the dots before. She was in a few of your combat classes and had this weird habit of pumping her fist in victory every time she landed a good hit. You and Eli had made fun of her together. Why was he now going out with her?

"Yeah, he does..." you said absentmindedly as you watched your friend. Eli was making a show of casually looking around while really paying extra attention toward the couple by the entrance. But then Sadie linked her arm in his and looked up at him with a sweet smile, and he returned the gesture with a smile of his own. Your previous feelings of awe and fascination over this event were quickly turning into something much more sour.

"Did you also notice we have an assignment due soon?"

The comment from Thrawn made you blink away from the troubling scene in front of you. The Chiss had not been watching Eli, actually sticking to the plan and scanning the crowd for the other person of interest. Commander Burdick, who would be referred to by discussions of homework, another innocent topic. Thrawn had finally spotted him over by an hors d'oeuvre table.

"Thanks for the reminder," you muttered. A tray of drinks passed by, held aloft by a protocol droid, and you took the opportunity to swipe at one and down its contents in one go. You could see Thrawn eyeing you curiously from your peripheral, but you made it a point to not look back.

"Perhaps we should stand out of the way," said Thrawn, taking hold of your elbow and guiding you through the crowd and over to an area where several tall cocktail tables were set up. You set your empty glass on the surface of one of them and leaned restlessly against it. Your eyes kept wandering toward the commander as he munched furiously on some kind of cubed meat, glowering at all who passed by. Eventually you'd have to help make sure he was glowering at Arden long enough to maybe get some ideas, but right now, with the night only just beginning, there didn't seem to be much need for you to linger.

"This is a fun song. Maybe we could dance for a bit? Pass the time?" you asked, swirling your empty glass around in a bored manner.

Thrawn stared at you for a moment, most likely trying to determine if you were using the special code that you were supposed to or if you were actually talking about music and dancing.

"I think we should discuss the assignment that is due," he said, almost in a reprimanding tone. "It is rather important."

You swiped at another tray of drinks passing by, muttering over the rim of the glass, "Who goes to a party to talk about homework?"

You were being salty; you knew that. This mission was important and you cared about it. You cared about your friends and what this meant for them. But it seemed the more alcohol you took in, the more annoyed you grew toward those friends. Thrawn was such a stick in the mud, and Eli was apparently a big flirt. Was this really the best way to fix their problem? Was it really worth missing out on a fun evening?

Thrawn didn't seem too pleased as you downed your second drink in a matter of minutes. He cleared his throat in that way he did when he was about to lecture you. You cut him off before he got the chance.

"So what was that surprise you were talking about earlier?"

He blinked at you. "I never mentioned a surprise."

"Yeah. You said you didn't disappear, you were working on something, and that I'd see soon enough. Well? What should I be seeing?"

He reached across the table and gingerly took your empty glass from you with a frown. "You hadn't noticed? There is only one assignment."

It was your turn to blink at him. He sighed and jerked his head to where Burdick was still standing.

"I made sure his date would be delayed in arriving," he said very quietly; you almost couldn't hear him above the din of the party. "So he wouldn't be distracted."

You looked over at the Commander, not very subtle in your observation of him, so it was no surprise the man noticed your staring and frowned even more deeply.

The sound of your name caused you to snap back to Thrawn, who was circling the table to lean in closer. He seemed upset; or, as upset as Thrawn could ever seem through his calmness.

"If you have other things you wish to be doing, I would much rather you leave for them, instead of staying and causing problems." His voice was low in your ear. You sighed at his words, feeling bad for how you'd been behaving.

Just a little bit.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite student," came the voice of Commander Burdick. The man had apparently decided to come over after discovering you'd been staring at him, however, he was very clearly addressing Thrawn and not you. "I'm surprised you'd even come to an event like this."

"The Academy has provided a generous occasion tonight," Thrawn slipped out of his scolding of you and into his usual demeanor without missing a beat. "It would have been in bad taste for us to not attend."

Though it had been your staring that'd called him over, it was only when Thrawn referred to you collectively that Burdick finally acknowledged you. He gave a grunt as a sort of laugh.

"What about that scruffy little friend of yours? He doesn't care about taste?"

"Eli's here..." you heard yourself saying. You also felt Thrawn tensing beside you. You tried to give him a reassuring look as you turned to point out your friend behind you, moving about on the dance floor with Sadie. And just beside them was Eva and Arden, as you knew they would be. The two couples seemed to be trying to one-up each other with their dance moves. You quickly turned away so you wouldn't have to register how exciting and intimate it all was.

"So I see," Burdick hummed. You couldn't tell if he still had the same frown from before, or if it was a new one in response to seeing his ex with a student. "You're not a dancer, Thrawn?"

"Only when the mood strikes, sir."

"Well if you don't show your woman a good time, someone else will." Burdick took a step forward and held out a hand toward you. Your eyes grew wide, panicking. That was certainly unexpected.

Thrawn quickly, and smoothly, jumped to your defense.

"Sir, I'm afraid she is not feeling well. I have simply been keeping her company."

Burdick looked between the two of you, and then briefly beyond at the dance floor, before giving an odd smirk and retreating.

"Very well. Enjoy your... company."

The Commander turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd. As you watched the back of his head, you couldn't help but wish you hadn't frozen and had accept his offer to dance. It was probably going to be the only offer you got all night.

"What... were... you... thinking..."

You looked over at Thrawn, surprised he was still upset. He was pinching the bridge of his nose and scrunching his eyes.

"Huh? I made sure he noticed Eva," you defended yourself. "He asked me to dance, probably to make her jealous, but since that's not happening, he'll be able to focus his revenge on Arden now."

"That is quite the assumption, based on absolutely no evidence."

"There is too evidence--"

"And apparently we've abandoned all secrecy and discretion, too. Might as well announce what we're planning to the whole ballroom while we're at it."

Thrawn's piercing eyes looked down on you, looking more like fire than they ever did. You bowed your head for a few seconds, needing to escape the heat and cool down.

"I'm sorry," you said, finally looking back at him. "I didn't mean to... mess up on the homework."

You offered what you hoped was an endearing smile. Thrawn only left you hanging for a second before he relaxed just a little.

"You did not mess up," he stated, returning to his side of the table and finally taking up the drink still left sitting there. "But perhaps you should just observe for the rest of the night."

And observe you did. The rest of the evening seemed to both pass by in a shimmering blur, and crawl forward at an unbearable pace. You observed couples dancing, laughing, even kissing. You observed how the energy of the ballroom shifted from eager liveliness to unhurried intimacy as time drew on. You observed the hors d'oeuvres dwindle and the champagne lose its bubbles and the lights dim ever-so-subtly.

Occasionally you actually observed the "homework," whenever he happened to pop out from the crowd. Thrawn did most of the note-taking, pointing out under muttered breath how the commander was still fixating on his ex, how his frown seemed to change from grumpiness and anger to determination and craftiness. Whatever that meant. You couldn't ever pretend to notice half the signs Thrawn did.

But most importantly, you observed a certain shaggy-haired boy from Wild Space.....

The way he danced, somewhat stiffly, but not as clumsy or awkward as one might expect from someone who couldn't figure out a tie.

The way he seemed to so effortlessly keep an eye on his despised classmate while still paying attention to his date and all her friends.

The way he casually hung out with her friends in between dances, as if he'd always been a part of their group.

The way he held her.

The way he looked at her.

At some point, you'd finished off your fifth glass of champagne, and you were definitely feeling the effects of it. That was what you were feeling, you told yourself. Your stomach was in knots and your brow was feeling warm and your heart was beating in your ears, all because of the alcohol. It didn't have anything to do with your guilt from upsetting Thrawn earlier, or the fact that even though Eli had nodded your way a few times in acknowledgement, he hadn't once come over to make good on his promise to save a dance for you. Nope. It was the alcohol and nothing else.

"Thrawn," you said quietly, breaking the Chiss's concentration on something-or-other across the way. "Do you mind if I call it a night? I'm pretty tired."

His eyes flickered over at the amount of empty glasses you had collected beside you, but he didn't comment on it. Only nodded in understanding and returned back to his mission.

You sighed as you picked your way through the crowd that remained. Quite a few students and teachers had already left for the night, but plenty still remained, and it baffled you just how many were hoping - and fighting - to earn to a place in the Empire.

And then something caught your eye just as you made to push through the doors and out into the night. One last thing to observe.

Eli and Sadie were swaying to the slow song playing, just off the actual dance floor. It was like they were in their own world. Her hands rested against his chest, and his chin laid atop her head, and they turned in slow circles as they rocked back and forth, holding each other close. When Eli's face finally turned toward your view, you swore your insides were threatening to crawl up your throat and spill out all over the shiny floor.

His face was relaxed, content. His lips were turned upward in a pleased sort of smile you'd only seen a few times on him before, usually after he'd told you a nice childhood memory, or after he finished a hearty meal. This wasn't an act; this had nothing to do with the mission or your purpose here at this dance. He was happy, holding her.

Just as his eyes wandered from whatever peaceful place they'd been resting and locked onto yours, you finally pushed through the door and left.

[out-of-jams]

Hey, could I request a drabble where y/n has hooked up both with Hoseok and Jungkook but told both of them that she doesn't want something serious/it was just casual and they're both fine with it, but Jungkook is secretly in love with her and wants to confess after a while, only to find out that y/n is in love with Hoseok and confessed to him and now they're in a relationship? Just a lot of angst, I want to suffer please... Hopefully it's alright, if not it's totally fine! 💜

Whoops, I didn’t intend for this to be so long hahaha. Hope you like it! 

Word count: 1.1k

“Hey, noona.”

The greeting spilled from Jungkook’s smiling lips as he leaned against the frame of your front door. A plastic bag dangled from his fingers, bringing with it the savory aroma of chinese food that you recognized from across the street. He’d shown up to your apartment unexpectantly, not even giving you the forewarning to put on pants. Though you probably shouldn’t be answering the door in only an oversized T-shirt anyway.

“What’s up, Kook?” You stepped back and gestured for him to enter. Jungkook closed the door behind him and toed off his boots. The husky aroma of his cologne mixed with the smell of food in a dangerous cocktail of temptation.

“Since we stayed up late gaming, I figured you’d sleep in so I brought lunch.” He smiled down at you with his large, doe-like eyes.

From the very first time you laid eyes on Jungkook, you judged him as someone who was innocent, who hadn’t yet expierienced what the world had to offer. And when he’d shyly approached you in your shared psychology class and asked to be your partner for the upcoming project, well, you couldn’t say no to that face, could you?

But boy, you couldn’t have been more wrong with your initial judgement of him. Sure, Jungkook could be overwhelmingly adorable sometimes, but like a switch, he could go from cuddly to cocky. The pure, naive light in his eyes would flip and turn into something darker, something tempting. And you’d be a liar if you said that you hadn’t taken what he had to offer more than once. Jungkook was attractive and sweet and surprisingly knew what he was doing in bed.

He was one of your closest friends.

“You’re literally a god-send.” Just as you reached to take the bag of food from his hand, the man jerked it quickly out of your reach. He ignored your pout, mentally filing it under adorable, and walked past you into your kitchen. Jungkook had been to your place so many times it was like he practically lived there.

“I can do that!” Your offer went ignored as you scurried to catch up.

“You were up late. I’ll do it.” The sounds of plates and silverware met your ears, Jungkook rifling through the drawers and cabinets in your kitchen.

“What kind of logic is that?” With a pout you plopped down on a stool at the kitchen island and your chin met the palm of your hand. “We literally went to bed at the same time!”

Jungkook just shrugged and placed a plate and utensils in front of you. As he turned to dig around in the takeout bag he asked cheekily, “How would you know? You fell asleep online.”  

“Anyway,” you rolled your eyes playfully and watched as he spooned food onto your plate first. “How is your mixtape coming? Any progress on that new song?”

His hands paused for a split second before he continued filling your plate. With a flash of pink, Jungkook wet his lips and flickered his eyes up to meet yours. “I…yeah. It’s almost done.”

“But?” You prodded. Having known him for as long as you had, you could tell when Jungkook was witholding information from you. And seeing as how he was refusing to meet your stare, you placed a hand on his to still his movements.

Jungkook’s gaze met yours as he tongued his cheek nervously. “There’s one more song I need to add and…well, I want you to hear it before I do. If you want to, I mean. No pressure! Just…I would love for you to listen.”

His words trailed off softly, like he was preparing himself for some kind of rejection. You squeezed the hand that you still held in yours with a smile so gentle that Jungkook’s chest filled with so much something that he wasn’t sure he could hold in much longer.

“I would love to listen to it. What’s it about?”

“I–” And there he went being nervous again. Bottom lip caught between his two prominant front teeth, Jungkook hesitated before opening his mouth. It was now or never. “It’s um, it’s actually about y–”

Whatever he was about to say was rudely interrupted by the ringing of your cell phone. It pulled your hand off his and you sent him a sheepish, apologetic smile before leaning over and picking the device up from where it lay on the island. Your mumbled sorry rang clear in his ears, but that was okay. He needed a moment to prepare himself anyway.

But a moment wouldn’t be enough. It would never be enough to stop the feeling of his heart shattering into hunderds of pieces at the sound of your voice. A sound that he thought would only ever bring him comfort, never this.

“Hey, baby.”

The spoon in his hand went limp and the pieces of rice that dropped onto the island went unoticed. Because his attention was too busy focused on the way your eyes lit up with something that he wanted for so long to be able to be directed at him.

His lips parted at the way your own stretched into a blinding smile. The kind that would brighten up even his darkest of days.

And his heart knew only pain as your own called out to someone else.

“I love you too, Hoseokie. Yeah, I’ll see you tonight. Bye!”

Finally, finally-but-it-was-too-late you hung up the phone and placed it back onto the table. And you smiled at him like everything was okay. Like nothing was wrong. “Sorry, Kook. Now, what were we talking about?”

“Are you dating Hoseok now or something?” The words flew from his mouth without permission and you scrunch your eyebrows at the way his voice broke on the last syllable.

“Yeah. We–”

“Since when?”

You couldn’t help but blink at the wounded look on his face. Jungkook always had been very expressive with his emotions, even if he wasn’t always able to verbalize it. Slowly, you answered. “Not very long. About a week or so.”

“Oh.” Oh, oh, oh.

“Uh-huh.” You nodded and changed the subject, completely oblivious to the war waging inside him. “We were talking about your song right? What’s it about?

“Nothing. I–” The spoon in Jungkook’s hand fell into the cardboard container of rice. “It’s about nothing.”

Becuase that’s all he was to you now.

Nothing.