#the mystery behind teddy

[disneyprincemuke]

midnights * mv1

since your breakup, max hadn’t thought of you. until he stumbled home by himself in the middle of the night.

pairings: max verstappen x fem!reader

warnings: honestly just heartbreak all around

notes: i started writing this when i found out my ex-boyfriend was dating someone new, and now here i am 💀 and i fear i am on my phone once more; i will credit the gif in the morning when i get to school

(next)

the lock clicks as max turns his key, the sound echoing in the eerily empty hallway behind him. he turns the knob and was greeted by his empty apartment.

max hasn’t been home in almost 2 weeks. the races and his media commitments, topped by other projects just made it so rare to find the time to come home. but that’s not the only reason he’s avoiding the confinements of these four walls.

he flips the switch in the entryway, slipping his shoes off. immediately, he notices the vast difference in the way his apartment looks — how strangely lifeless it feels.

he can’t exactly pinpoint what it is and it takes him a second to realise.

you’d emptied his apartment of your belongings.

the breakup happened in the 2 weeks he was away from home. it actually took place a night before his race. he’d grown tired of it too, the neverending misunderstandings and the fights.

so he let you walk away; you hopped on a flight back home.

he hasn’t exactly had the time to think about you since then. you’d only texted him once: two days ago to tell him that victoria will be the one with the cats until he comes back. he’d only replied with a simple ‘okay, thank you’.

he didn’t really know what to say either. he stared at your text message for 5 minutes before daniel called him over to start filming a promotional shoot. that was all he could come up with.

max walks further into the apartment you’d once shared. his eyes are darting all over the place, taking mental notes of spots that look different from the way he had left it.

the framed picture of you with the cats is gone, your magazines on the coffee table, the bowl of your collection of scrunchies as a ‘conversation-starter’ centrepiece — it’s all gone.

his apartment didn’t even feel like home. all of the things that made it feel like home just isn’t in here anymore.

max turns his body, taking a glance at the entryway. even your house slippers aren’t where they usually are. it’s as if you were never even here.

he takes a walk further in, glancing at the sofa. it seems so lifeless now without the teddy bear you brought in, and the blanket that you insisted was only for the living room.

he admits he misses the teddy bear. though, he was opposed to the idea at first, claiming that it’s taking up precious space that you could both be maximising together. it proved a lot more useful when he found himself hugging it when he’s on the sofa watching a show with you.

the remotes for all the appliances are no longer scattered over the furniture mysteriously. they are all lined up neatly on the edge of the coffee table, grouped accordingly. you hated arranging the console remotes for the simple fact that you were too lazy to reach forward an inch to start playing.

and it finally hits him, that in the moment of pride, and simply protecting his peace at the moment, he has now lost you.

for good, it seems.

max drops himself on the couch. he’s still looking around, desperately wishing that this was some cruel dream he’s in. he will wake up with you by his side, your hair in his face with his arm draped lazily around your body. he will wake up and you are still his, and he is yours.

he can only sigh. audbily, at the predicament he has found himself in. at the time, it didn’t occur to him to fight for you; to ask you to stay. he didn’t have it in him to ask you to find reason within yourself to change your mind.

then he hears a soft meow, followed by sounds of pitter patter against the floor of the apartment. before he knew it, the couch dips ever so slightly and then there’s jimmy climbing onto his lap to greet him.

then he hears actual footsteps, slippers dragging against the floor. he turns his head slightly, his one hand patting the feline’s head, and meets victoria’s eyes.

“max?”

“victoria.”

a set of lights by the windows are turned on, granting him a look at his younger sister. she’s standing by the door of the guest bedroom with a jacket hanging loosely around her shoulders.

she has a frown on her face, and a look that screamed she didn’t know what to say to him.

and then his heart breaks. instead of walking through those apartment doors hand in hand with you, giggling from the high you’d get from the bar in his private jet, he is sitting her all by himself. met by his younger sister, who would be gone by morning to go back to her family.

max can only smile sadly at her. he shrugs. “we broke up.”

“i know,” she answers softly, nodding understandingly. she approaches him cautiously with her arms slightly held up. “i’m sorry.”

“me too.”

max scrambles from his position and gladly takes in the hug that she’s offered him. he suddenly feels so small, his heart aching in his chest and his throat closing up. he feels the tears in his eyes as he hugs his younger sister slightly tighter.

she rubs her back up and down, hugging him even tighter when she feels his chest stagger slightly. now he’s sniffling and hands are moving up to his face to wipe the tears falling from his eyes.

“give it time,” victoria whispers, swaying slightly in an attempt to comfort the driver. “i promise everything will fall back into place. slowly, but surely.”

max sighs deeply. “i don’t know why i didn’t stop her from walking away.”

she pulls away from the hug, then tugs his hands towards the couch when he chases her embrace. she leans back, pulling max in for a tighter — and slightly more comfortable — hug.

“i know it sucks now,” she rests her cheek on the top of his head, squeezing his shoulder empathetically. “but let things sort itself out. it will be okay.”

there, in his sister’s arms, he cried for the first time since your breakup. he had been so busy that he hadn’t been able to process the whole situation at all.

the way you had shot daggers at him through your eyes that night, how he snapped at you when he noticed and how the fight had erupted from something barely of significance.

it was just over a cup of coffee — how you had made it with 2 sugars instead of 3.

from there, the topics of contention had evolved into something bigger. in the haze of both of your anger, past arguments were brought up and new ones were created just in that night.

then both of you grew tired. you ended up next to him on the couch of his driver’s room in silence. and you said, “i can’t do this anymore, max.”

and he had said to you, “i’m tired.”

but what he should’ve said was: “i’m sure we can find a way through this.”

but that’s not what he said to you. he stayed silent when you brought it up: “i think we need to break up.”

frankly, he didn’t really know what to say. at first, he was dumbfounded at what you said. never did he think, that when you first start dating, that a breakup would ever present itself.

max told himself, about 4 months into the relationship that there’s absolutely no way he’d end up with anybody else except you.

now, it seems he’s going to have to go through all of this by himself. start the whole thing all over again, unless something changes.

[berryyuni]

ni-ki as your boyfriend headcanons

pairing - bf!ni-ki x gn!reader genre - est. relationship, fluff wc - 828 warnings - skinship, pet name

౨ৎ reblogs and feedback are greatly appreciated !! <3 ✧˖° ... (library)

⊹ ࣪ ˖ jungwon | heeseung | jay | jake | sunghoon | sunoo | ni-ki

having ni-ki as your boyfriend also means having a built-in best friend. if you weren’t best friends before, you certainly are now. the two of you are inseparable. 

he absolutely loves to tease you. there’s never a moment where he doesn’t, it’s become a part of his daily schedule to clown you for something. never for a second think that you’ll get a moment to breathe in peace.

adding to that, ni-ki laughs at you A LOT. it’s all out of love of course, he just finds you very amusing to watch - plus he’s so in love with you, he’ll giggle just with you just sitting there, existing. he’ll even slip in a “you’re so cute”. the boy adores you.

connecting to the one above, he cannot - for the life of him - keep a straight face when he’s with you. he’s so so smiley around you, it’s very rare for him to be frowning around you. you’re his literal sunshine.

ni-ki’s the type of boyfriend to get jealous and sulky over your stuffed animals since you also love and cherish them. he claims that he should be the only one you’re holding at night. so what does he do? he’ll steal and hide them from you (in your own room so eventually you’ll find them).

he is a touch deprived boy. he especially loves it when you’re the one to initiate the affection first since he rarely ever expresses the fact that he wants it. and when he wants it and you’re not the one to initiate it, he’ll just do it. 

ni-ki loves it when you play with his hair. he just melts at the feeling of your fingers running through his hair, he can even fall asleep to it. as soon as you stop, he’ll immediately look at you like “ -_-“ and stare until you’d do it again.

he also loves to touch your head in any way for some reason. head pats, head rubs, head kisses, literally anything.

his home is basically the crook of your neck. he finds so much warmth and comfort whenever he lays his head in it. again, he can easily fall asleep by this.

whenever you’re doing something or even just standing there, he’ll pull you into his embrace and just hold you. he loves it when you’re in his arms. to him, you’re like a teddy bear to him.

his weakness is seeing you wearing his clothes. in his words it’s like you’re a “mini version” of him. even when he’s shopping for himself, he’d imagine how you’d look in that clothing item. he takes the saying “what’s mine is yours” very seriously.

like jake, ni-ki loves to stare at you. he thinks that you’re the prettiest person to ever exist and is very mesmerized by you.

also adding to that, he’s extremely fascinated by the things you do. a couple of examples would be whenever you do your makeup, when you’re cooking, when you’re phone, literally whenever you do a task. he’ll just be peeking over and watching you intensely and whenever you ask him about it he’ll simply just smile and kiss you on the cheek.

ni-ki loves to dance with you whether that’d be teaching you his choreo or simply just dancing together. it doesn’t matter to him if you’re good or not, he just loves doing what he loves to do with the person he loves.

he’ll constantly want to try new things with you and he gets so excited when you do so. it also heals his inner child due to the fact he’s missed so many opportunities to live his childhood so it means the world to him that he’s able to do it with his partner.

you’re each other’s photographers. and you have many couple photos together. no context is needed.

ni-ki also likes to show off in front of you. he’d be like “yeah, i can do that” or “hey babe, look what i can do”. there’s really no reason behind it, he just feels like it sometimes.

ni-ki’s ONLY soft with you. you know that mysterious persona he tries to put on? yeah, that’s completely gone the moment you’re in the vicinity. heart eyes will literally appear as soon as he lays his eyes on you. he’d also get embarrassed when you point it out to him.

he goes to you for anything and everything especially if he needs someone to confide in. you’re one of the only people he would have deep conversations with without feeling the need to hold back.

he feels like he can be his true self around you. like the others, he feels very safe whenever he’s with you. he knows that you wouldn’t judge so he allows himself to open up to you and show you every side of him.

©berryyuni 2024. all work is written by me. do not copy, translate or repost

taglist (open): @j-jinxee @suneng @cherrikii @ashtxrie @miniature-tragedy @laylasbunbunny @terrytyun10

[miwsolovely]

dad!ghoap au | ghoap x gn!reader

what could be

tw: suggestive themes of you squint just a little bit …

a/n: unedited … enjoy the crumbs dee !! wrote this in one ish sitting be proud of me

They’re here.

Of course they are, this is where they live, it’s cozy and domesticated, and intimate. You’re in their house, in their kitchen. Their daughter is sleeping upstairs.

You look at the man in the doorway. All too big and all too broad, taking up the height of the door. “Mr. Riley, how are—”

“Simon.” He says. He steps up to you and you find yourself taking one back, not ready to face this Goliath of a man. Not yet. “Call me Simon, love.”

Your mouth opens and closes expecting words to escape but none surface. If you were underwater, bubbles would be flying out your mouth, words upon words upon words trapped in them, floating up to the surface and popping before reaching the outside world.

You swallow a thick lump down your throat and look away from him, at anything but him. The cute, messy drawings of a family strewn across the fridge, perched in frames on the kitchen island, the set of keys in a bowl. The wet jacket that was just added to the coat hanger. “Mr. Riley,”

He places a large hand on your waist, almost where your hips curve and right where your heart pounds.

His deep voice sent vibrations from where his hand is placed all throughout your body, stopping air in your lungs, stopping your heart and then pumping it all by himself. “You don’t like to obey, do you pet?”

You let out a shaky exhale and try to keep your eyes from meeting his. His that evoke luminosity. Eyes that like the earth, hold mysteries in its depths, mysteries that you wish to pull from his deep caves and unknown mysteries and shine them with a blinding light. “I’m not—this is. . .”

“This is what?” He breaths, placing his thumb and forefinger on your chin with the gentlest of touches, the type of gentleness that he only graced with Johnny and Teddy. Now you. He guides your face towards his and you catch the gaze of his soft eyes.

“This—this isn’t right, it’s not—” You stammered, placing your hand on his, the one on your waist, the one that fit like it belonged there. The one that has his wedding ring on it.

“‘S not right?” He teased. Thumb playing with the fabric that wrinkled at your hip. Sending shivers that shook you to your absolute core.

Your breath shallows. “It’s not,” you think for a moment, removing your hand from where his is placed so delicately. “professional.”

“Oh really?” His eyes squint as he smiles. He smiles and it nearly sends you into cardiac arrest, nearly sends you plunging into his deep brown eyes in search for something, anything that could stop you from this, this bad idea.

You take two steps back, his hands falling off your skin live waves on sand. In response he takes one closer to you. You already miss the warmth of his palms on your skin.

“Mr. Riley—”

He says your name in response.

“Mr.—”

He places both his hands back on the dip of your waist. Back where they belong, your subconscious thinks. Firm and grounding. You suck in air as if it’s the last you’ll ever breathe.

“S-Simon,” You breathe and he smiles a smile that warms your heart. A smile that is only supposed to warm Johnny’s and Teddy’s hearts. Not yours. “This, your—your husband is—”

He shushes you. “My husband is the one that proposed the idea of us.”

Us? Johnny wants you? Is okay with the three of you, together?

You ignore his confession. “Your—your daughter is upstairs and,”

He takes another step forward when you take one back and his palms stay planted where they are.

You take one step back, not two.

One, because you felt the familiar heat of a particular man behind you. One, because if you took another, God himself couldn’t bring you back to the land of the living. The land of these two men.

“Upstairs an’ sleepin’ Bonnie.” A pair of gentle hands find their home on your hips, right below Simon’s. “Ye needn’t worry.”

You forget to breathe when between these two. Feel your heart clenching and your muscles tensing in want when you feel Johnny’s front press against your back, Simon just a hair away.

His nose presses against yours softly and you can feel Johnny’s soft lips on the side of your neck placing butterfly kisses on your skin.

You look up at the man before you, the man who forgets his glasses are atop his head most everyday, the man who smiles bright just for his daughter, the married man, whose husband is right behind you, whose daughter is, completely unaware.

“You. . .” You whisper. “You’re married.”

“Not officially,” Johnny confesses. When he speaks you can feel the tickle of his stubble on your neck and the repeated featherlight kisses delicately placed on your jaw. “We want ye, hen. Know that. Yer special to us. To Teddy.”

You feel Simon’s forehead gently bump against yours, redirecting your focus from the names spelt on the fridge to him and Johnny.

You’re special to us.

It feels like a thousand ton weight is pressing on your heart. Rich blood not able to access your brain making you start to feel dizzy, your hearing ringing in your ears. You’re dizzy from the spell they unknowingly put on you, a spell that makes you feel like you’re hallucinating when you feel one of Johnny’s hands travel low until it rests on your stomach, slipping underneath your shirt and pressing you further into him.

You close your eyes, biting harshly on your lip, enough to create a crescent indent in your lip, crimson bleeding out ever so gently, you do this so you can try to ignore the pulsing heat you can feel press against your ass. The heat of hands all over your body, soft but strong all the same.

“Kiss me.”

Your eyes snap open and you feel your breath catch in your throat. “What?” You mutter, your voice box barely able to form the notes to sing this little song they’re stringing out of you.

“He’s givin’ ye a choice Bonnie.” Johnny assures from behind you. Hands pawing at your hips slowly.

You swallow your dignity. “You’re not giving me a way out,” you counter, trying to twist your neck to meet Johnny’s eyes, but Simon’s hand on your jaw turns it back do you face him again.

Simon reaches up and swipes his thumb on your lower lip. He does it painfully slow so you can feel it. Feel the pain of your lip so you feel not even a fraction of the pain him and Johnny feel wherever you look their way and disappear among the crowd. “Do you want a way out?”

You blink away the fogginess that they guide over you and feel your blood run hot in your veins.

The rational part of you scoffs, but the you in control, the real you, internally smiles in joy. You feel yourself leaning up to Simon and you reach a hesitant hand to the side of his face. Simon meets you halfway and you feel along the jagged scar that raised skin on his jaw.

Two waves colliding in the vast expanse of the sea; thats what it feels like. Time standing still as you lost yourself in the way Johnnys hands felt on your skin, the way his lips felt against your neck and jaw. You imagine the salty breeze mingling with the sweetness of your kiss. All three of your hearts beat in harmony, echoing the rhythm of the ocean’s waves.

Johnny grunts and starts an assault on your neck, biting and creating marks that you find yourself wishing that they’ll last forever.

With a gentle smile, Simon parted from your lips and chuckled when he saw how your lips sought after his, the way Johnny’s lips stuck to your neck until he pulled him away with a gentle hand on his jaw. The warmth of your kiss was lingering in the air like a gentle caress.

You pressed your lips together and ran your tongue over your bottom lip, the sweet liquid of your blood melting on your tongue. You suddenly felt parched and your mouth felt dry. The effect of their spell.

You breathed out a heavy exhale and glanced up at Simon once more.

Your mouth was opening and closing, not knowing what to say, how to say it, how to say anything.

You took another deep breath and you’re sure they both felt it through your shirt. Through your skin. “. . . Us?”

Simon’s eyes brightened and Johnny pressed a long kiss near your ear.

“Wake up.” He whispers; and with a gentle kiss caressing your neck, they’re gone.

You come to on a groggy groan, bringing your hands to your face and wiping away the remnants of your dream; your unconscious wish.

You scoff and wipe away the tears stinging your eyes. “What am I doing? “Us” my ass.”

It had been a few months, a few months of longing looks and confessions left untold, and suggestive hand placement that you forced yourself not to dwell on.

That stupid dream; showing you, tempting you, with what you want and ripping it away from your clutched hands.

The remains of of it clung to your consciousness, begging to be made reality.

If it was reality, it would have been perfect. Every moment infused with an unearthly tranquility and joy and love.

But as the truth set in, when the real world woke you up with its cruel truth, your heart ached with longing, and the dream slipped away like sand through fingers, leaving behind a bittersweet yearning for a world that felt more real than the one you awoke to.

- please do not plagiarize, copy, or repost my works to other platforms !

- likes, comments, and reblogs are very appreciated <3 !!

©miwsolovely

[idesofrevolution]

A Night at the Kings Theatre

The Kings Theatre had been long abandoned by the city for over half a century, haunted by the memory of that fateful night in 1978. No one knows exactly what happened, but from tragedy arose legend. 143 people entered the auditorium that April night, prepared to see a terrifying new film just recently brought to America out of West Germany. "Der Kuss der Lust" was some sort of return to the German Expressionist Horror of the 1920's, a film scarcely heard of outside art houses in Berlin, and the hapless crowd came in droves. By the end of the showing, the police had arrived, the majority of patrons leaving the theatre in handcuffs or straightjackets. The city never released any information on the event, opting instead to board up the grand building and never speak of the subject again. That is, until 2024.

The group stared up at the Grandiose Marquee, excited for the long awaited return of their neighborhood movie palace. The four of them giddy with anticipation, they each had their tickets in hand: all found mysteriously in their post boxes that morning. Teddy stood with his mouth agape in awe at the sheer beauty of the facade, while Rod, Sabrina, and Pete gossiped amongst themselves.

"Yeah, it was literally in my mailbox this morning." Sabrina's characteristic monotone delivery making the two boys snicker.

"Girl I can tell you're sooo excited." Rod rolling his eyes at his roommate, well acquainted with her stoic persona. Pete stood looking down at his phone, trying to browse the theatre website to see what film they were about to be subjected to.

"All it says on here is 'Grand Opening Event.' It doesn't say what movie it is. OH! I bet it's that new one we've been seeing trailers all over the place about! The one with Ryan Gosling and Ross Lynch necking while Jennifer Coolidge just sits there!" Pete's boisterous and brash demeanor yet again shining through. A lack of volume control was a typical symptom of his theatre gay archetype, but nothing his friends were unprepared for.

"Shhhh. Look, they're letting people in!" Teddy hushed his little group, pointing to the tall gentleman at the door, now checking ticket stubs as the patrons slowly trickled inside. Teddy was merely along for the ride, roped into the outing by Rod, who was continuously concerned with his homebody lifestyle. "So we don't know what we're watching tonight, huh?" The three others shrugged.

"Does it really matter? It's something to do, Teddy..." Sabrina scoffing under her breath as they slowly inched toward the front doors. Teddy looked at the ticket man up ahead, his eyes sunken in and hunching over the audience members like Frankenstein's Monster.

"I bet he's in character for the movie! I've heard about this in class. They used to have all the staff act all spooky and improv with the crowd to get them in the mood for the movie! I bet it's a horror movie then!" Pete's enthusiasm was not exactly reciprocated as the boys shrugged and Sabrina rolled her eyes. Teddy felt a twinge of foreboding as they approached the towering man, each handing him their tickets. He stared at the group for a moment, the four tickets just hanging loosely from his grey fingers.

"Uh, are we good to go?" Rod stared at the man, whose head slowly turned down to meet his gaze before a demented grin crawled across his decrepit face. He bowed dramatically, waving his arm to usher them into the building, not a single utterance leaving his blue lips.

"Wow, impressive acting. Let's go, boys." Sabrina pushed the three through the open brass doors, Teddy's gaze having a hard time breaking with the strange man. His grin seemed to melt away almost instantly, returning to stonefaced indifference as he attended to the group behind.

"What the fuck was that?" Teddy turned to his group, Rod the only one taking the time to even acknowledge his query.

"Listen, they're just gettin' you in the mood! Like Pete was saying! Lighten up, man. I promise we'll take you home right after this, and you don't have to come out until next week. And we're doin' karaoke baby!" Rod nudged Teddy, whose response was a coy smile as he stared at his feet. He didn't want to be there, but for the sake of his friends he was making an effort.

The lobby was bright and opulent, the Beaux-Arts architecture perfectly coordinating with the beautiful exterior. Heavy red velvet drapes hung between the marble columns, a grand staircase likely bringing folks to the mezzanine, and a modest but well stocked concessions stand stood in the middle of the room. Historic film posters hung prominently against the walls: Casablanca, Dracula, Gone with the Wind, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, Rebel Without A Cause, Rebecca... all with bold 'COMING SOON' stickers plastered against the glass displays.

"I guess they're doing a whole retro movies vibe! Ooh! I wanna come back to see James Dean on the Silver Screen!" Pete jumped excitedly at the prospect, running over to the poster to take a picture as Sabrina walked to concessions to get popcorn. Rod and Teddy stood there, just admiring the grandeur of the space before the chandeliers began to flicker rather ominously.

"I think that means we need to find our seats." Teddy turned to look at Rod, who was squinting at the tickets to see what seat they'd all been assigned.

"We're in something called MEZ? What the fuck does that mean?" Teddy snatched the ticket, pointing to the top of the stairs in response.

"It means mezzanine, we're upstairs." Teddy motioned to Pete to rejoin them just as Sabrina returned with a gigantic barrel of buttery popcorn, munching away. The group ascended the stone stairs, avoiding brushing against the eager spectators as they rushed to their seats.

The auditorium was equally as grand. A massive brass chandelier hung prominently above the house, boxes lining the sides of the walls above row after row of velvet seats. The group made their way to their rows: Rod and Sabrina in row 3, Pete and Teddy in row 2 immediately in front. They took their seats as the vintage concessions ad played on the massive screen. Teddy heard Rod and Sabrina bickering about roomie problems he cared nothing about, as Pete blathered on about the history of the anthropomorphic dancing popcorn box. The mood in the room was one of excitement, of anticipation, yet for Teddy... it was off. The air felt stale and stagnant, the uncanniness of the movie palace long after it's prime seemed to hang differently in his mind. It felt like a time capsule, a liminal space where time had just frozen still, waiting to swallow it's naive visitors. Perhaps it was just the social anxiety, as Rod would likely dismiss it as. Yet, for whatever reason, Teddy sat on edge and alert. The lights began to dim, and a hush fell over the auditorium as previews began to roll for the films advertised in the lobby.

"Ooooooh! Bela Lugosi was so hot. Like seriously." Pete chimed with his typically chipper demeanor, stealthily stealing a handful of Sabrina's popcorn from behind him as they whispered deep in their argument. "Like can you even blame her for falling for him? I mean come on." Teddy just nodded along, peering around him at the crowd of exceedingly normal people watching the old trailer with glee.

The trailers ended with the screams of Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland; Hush, Hush Sweet Charotte ending it's preview as the room was flooded in blackness. Teddy swore he could faintly hear whispers emanating from all around him in the dark cavern, before the room was once again illuminated as the black and white title card brightly shone on the canvas screen. The words were in a strange font, clearly not in English.

"Durr kusss durr loost... Ahh shit is this some kind of foreign film?" Sabrina sighed and reclined back into her chair, taking solace in the handfuls of popcorn she'd been shoveling into her mouth. Teddy recognized none of the actors names as they quickly flashed before his eyes, nor could he understand any of the words in the opening credits. He didn't speak German, but he couldn't wait to rub the hiccup in Rod's face: yet another social outing turning out completely unintended. Thankfully, as the camera opened onto some old Baroque village, as dialogue began, he was relieved to see English subtitles scurrying at the bottom of the screen.

He struggled to keep up with the narrative, as the translation may have been rather poor to begin with, instead opting to focus on the increasingly strange sets these actors were traversing. From what he could tell, there was a nobleman of some sort who found a village woman he'd fallen in love with. The book was promising powers of love beyond human comprehension, and in his hubris, the nobleman tries to cast a spell of lust on the beautiful young woman.

"I mean look at the set design, it's giving Nosferatu. NO! Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.... Oooh it's so cool!" Rod nudged Pete with his shoe, shushing him as neighboring patrons shoot dirty looks in their direction. Teddy became completely enveloped in the bizarre imagery rather quickly. The film was almost dreamlike in quality, walls seemed to jut out in different directions, the lighting was dim at best and only illuminating essential props or entrances and exits for characters. The sounds of the auditorium slowly faded away into the periphery, and all that could be perceived was the muffled voices of the actors.

Time was not a consistent factor in the film, it just meandered from scene to scene, with disconcerting Dutch angles increasing dread at every turn. What felt like one minute could easily have been twenty, but fortune momentarily smiled on the encapsulated young man. Teddy felt his stomach rumble, momentarily breaking him from his trancelike state to reach behind him into their popcorn bowl. He'd fully expected a wrist slap from Sabrina, but after three or four handfuls of popcorn, that moment never came. This moment of sheer confusion pulled him out of his tunnel vision, if only to reassure Sabrina that he'd pitch in for the popcorn. As he turned around, he was met with a sight he never could have ever imagined.

Sabrina's head was turned toward Rod, and for a moment, Teddy thought they were just whispering to eachother, continuing their asinine argument over who ate the pickle chips the night before. Though as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room around him, it became clearer just what it was they were doing. Her lips were planted firmly on Rod's, his left hand slowly sliding up her thigh. Teddy quickly swiveled his head back to the screen, eyes wide with shock. Rod was a flaming queer, just as he was and just as Pete was. Sure, Sabrina was straight, but he couldn't imagine her boyfriend being thrilled at the sight of Rod necking her in a movie theatre.

"Dude! Look at their facial expressions! You don't even need subtitles, you just need to see their faces!" Pete's voice hummed distantly, being completely ignored by all around him, doing little to aid Teddy's growing discomfort. The sounds of wet, sloppy kissing began to ring out from behind him, their breaths shallow and low. Teddy's eyes darted around him, the faded outlines of the other patrons not getting any clearer, nothing but the film there to distract him. Especially as the sounds of comingling tongues abruptly came to an end, only to quickly be replaced by another more terrifying sound.

*Slurp* *Slurp* *Slurp* *Slurp* "Ahhhh yeah, baby..." It was unmistakable. That was Rod... With each stifled moan, every snarling growl and wet slurp, he could hear his friend's voice growing lower and lower. His growls becoming louder... rougher... more animalistic. Teddy stared forward, beads of sweat starting to seep out of his forehead as he listened to the two most ill-matched people get it on directly behind him. He heard their pace quicken, Sabrina's slurps turning into gags as he heard more bizarre sounds arising from behind. Creaking... The sound of shifting leather, or maybe it was tearing fabric... Or the sound of an inflating balloon... Teddy felt his breath start to quiver, as he looked down between the armrests, seeing Rod's Chuck Taylors start to wriggle and writhe. His eyes widened, seeing the black canvas fabric start to flush white, growing larger and larger. He recognized the Nike symbol starting to protrude from the sides of the sneaker, and as Rod's voice growled into an enraptured release, the Converse were now a pair of large, beat up AirForce1's, covered vulgarities written in black Sharpie. Teddy whipped his head back to the screen, Sabrina giggling as he heard the sound of a waistband snapping back to place. It was silent for a moment, Teddy too nervous to look behind him, but desperately wanting to know what happened to his friends.

"Ahhhhhhh yeah, babe." There was a thud, Teddy peering down to his right and seeing the gigantic sneaker resting on his arm rest. Taking a deep breath, he slowly turned his head. There, leaning forward with his hands on his head was Rod- or at least, someone that once was Rod. The tall, skinny little gay boy he'd befriended had been replaced with a gigantic, tattooed man. His hair cropped short, his muscles bulging, his shirt sitting on his thigh below his exposed torso now adorned with thick silver chains.

"Huhu, my bad, bro. When duty calls, am I right?" Rod grabbed onto his monstrous bulge, hiding behind the cum stained fabric of his white shorts. Teddy felt the blood rush from his head at the very sight of it. He watched as Sabrina, now equally scantily clad with tattoos, jet black hair, and devious grin mischievously slithered her hand beneath his waistband, grabbing ahold of his thick cock and slowly pumping. Rod winked at Teddy, turning again to Sabrina and kissing her once again.

Teddy whipped his head back to the screen, mortified and terrified in equal measure. He looked around him yet again, only seeing once again the dim outlines of the other patrons completely enveloped in the film before them. He turned behind him, doing his best to ignore the slimy sound of Rod's handjob to see the doors had staff members blocking each exit.

"Fuuuuuuck, bro. This shit is tight. Lemme tell you, man. I need this shit on Netflix." Teddy ignored Pete's typical unwarranted commentary, peering down over the house to see if the patrons below were also... different. Through the dark haze of the auditorium, he received his answer. The vast majority of the audience was completely enraptured with the film, not so much as flinching as they watched the nightmarish visions on screen. However, he'd started to notice the dim outlines of a couple people leaning in toward eachother. He couldn't pry his eyes away, so Teddy could only watch as he saw the patrons start to grope, kiss, and go down on eachother. A couple up front necking in the first row, two guys sliding their hands into eachother's pants in box 5, a group of what he'd assumed were bachelorettes just sliding their hands over eachother's breasts.

"Pete... Pete, we gotta get the fuck out of here." Teddy whispered to his friend, not taking his eyes off of the filth that was unraveling around them. Three seats over, one man was now bent over the railing of the balcony, three other men taking turns railing him right there in public to no outcry whatsoever. Teddy whipped his head toward Pete, still intently watching the film. "Pete! Pete, let's go!" He grabbed onto his wrist, feeling a strange rubbery texture tightly wrapped around it. He looked down, watching in terror as his friend's pristine watch slowly warped beneath his hands. Tightening until all that was left were three rubber bracelets in bright vivid colors.

Teddy's gaze slowly rose from his friend's hand as his fingernails slowly turned black. The rotund theatre gay was rapidly losing mass. His tight sweatervest growing looser and looser before his eyes. Fat seemed to shrink into nothingness as the sleeves of his shirt began to slowly rise up the length of his arms.

"Dude... I feel kinda funky, bro." The typical chipper demeanor was slowly vanishing, his eager eyes began to droop, as his short brown hair started to grow. The dark brown hairs quickly were flushed with a wash of bright blonde as it snaked out of his scalp down to the nape of his neck in sweaty, messy curls. His jawline was sharpening, his lips getting plump and thick.

"Pete... PETE!" Teddy screamed at the top of his lungs, not a single patron even flinching at the toil in his voice. "HELP! SOMETHING IS WRONG! SOMETHING IS VERY VERY WRONG!" Teddy shot up out of his seat, his ankle painfully hitting something hard. He peered down to see a heavily used skateboard resting under his friend's feet, absentmindedly rolling side to side as his loafers warped quickly into large, well worn white Vans. Teddy clamped his hand over his mouth as he followed the shifting clothes, up the khakis turning tight and ripped against lean thighs, up to the growing bulge and wet patch bulging out of his groin, up to the studded belt tightly wrapped around his lean waist.

"Heheh..." Pete's voice was growing duller, more coarse as the scent of sweat and cannabis began to waft off him. His sweatervest and shirt shrinking into a sweat stained white tee shirt, and as Teddy's gaze finally fell on Pete's face... he knew he was gone.

"Broooo this shit is sick... Oooh, man. I got a j in my pocket, man. I'll let you hit it if you let me..." Pete's fingers inched toward his belt buckle, slipping under the fabric of his jeans. "C'mon bro. Don't let Rod be the only one gettin' some dick attention tonight." He winked through the colored sunglasses hiding the red, stoned eyes behind.

"I..." Teddy nervously stood there as Pete unbuckled his pants, his twinky, sweaty hand sliding down into his underwear and wrapping around his slowly growing cock.

"Yeah, bro... Come let Petey take care of this." Teddy was lost in a moment of bliss as Pete slowly and tenderly stroked his cock in his pants, igniting the joint between his lips as he pumped.

"Whuh.... Wait... I uh... I need to go to the bathroom. Really bad. I'll be back, just give me a minute..." Pete smirked, letting his hand retract from Teddy's groin.

"Well, don't be too long, bro. My throat is waitin' for ya. Heheh." He stuck out his long tongue with a vulgar whip. Teddy wasted no time bolting toward the door, realizing only as he was chest to chest with the decrepit usher that the restrooms were merely to his right and left. The creepy man flashed the same unhinged smile, not budging an inch. Teddy burst into the men's room, leaning against the ceramic pedestal sink and peering into the mirror. He flipped the faucet, water flowing from the tap as he splashed it against his face. Then, he heard it. The creaking of leather. He looked down at his feet in horror as the New Balance sneakers he sported started to quiver and undulate.

"No... Noo... NOOO." He vigorously splashed his face with the cold water, rubbing his face like a maniac. It was only then that he started to feel the roughness around his upper lip and jaw. He couldn't bring himself to look into the mirror, as he felt hair sprout below his nose and stubble poking around his sharpening jawline. He could only peer down as he slowly began to accept his fate. The sneakers quickly stretched wide and big, a scuffed black leather replacing the grey suede as they shifted into a pair of heavy black harness boots.

His breath grew shallow and rapid, watching his sweatpants suction in tight around his inflating calves and thighs, turning slick and black. The comfortable grey Champion sweats were nearly skintight now, as if painted on atop his lengthening legs. The bottoms slipped into his boots and fastened beneath the damp fabric of his black socks, and the shiny black leather pants began to creak as his own bulge started to grow round and distended. Teddy gasped for air as he felt his shaft stretch out, a foreskin creeping over the head of his weeping cockhead, seeping into the sweat and cum inundated jockstrap now around his waist and thick ass.

"Ohhh... fuuuuuuuck." His fingernails turned black as tattoos began to sprawl from his knuckles up his swelling arms. The sweatshirt he wore felt tighter and tighter as his shoulders broadened and his torso stretched upward, taking on a lighter tone as little tears started to appear around the collar and along the seams. "Unnnnnnnnff" His voice started to dip lower and lower as the heavy sweatshirt's sleeves retracted in toward his shoulders. He felt himself sweating, wiping the sweat from his lowering brow and brushing the now frosted blonde tips of his mullet to the side. He looked at his hands, undeniably his own, yet completely unfamiliar; watching them as they slowly slipped lower toward his throbbing cock. He pulled up his weathered, well loved white tank top, the intricate ink across his rippled abs begging him to go lower and lower, his head throwing itself back as his fingers slipped into his creaking leather pants.

"Brooooooo you in here? What, didja fall in?" As he heard Petey's stoned ass voice echo off the tiled walls, he turned his head as he groped his slimy cock in his pouch. His three friends, vaguely familiar now, all sauntered in looking at him with knowing smirks. "Awww, Theo. I told ya not to get started without me."

Theo leaned on the sink, groping himself with a devilish smirk, beckoning his favorite throat goat to come gobble up his musky rod. Petey took a hit off the joint, handing it to Sabrina before getting on his knees before their bisexual bad boy. He opened his maw, Theo knowing right away what to do as he spit in Petey's eager mouth, and pulled out his throbbing dick. As the skater expertly wrapped his lips around his manhood, Theo turned to Rod and Sabrina, winking. Rod grinned.

"Yeah, boy. Gimme summa that, no homo though, bro." The 6'5 basketball stud sauntered over to his bro, planting a wet kiss onto Theo's supple, cigarette stained lips. As Sabrina took Rod's monstrous cock into her mouth, the four of them fucked in the bathroom surrounded by the stench of sex. Swapping partners at the drop of a hat, sucking face and dick with no hesitation, worshipping Theo & Rod's big smelly feet or railing Petey's tight little hole while Sabrina ate out Theo's sweaty rear. By the time the Usher came in to tell them the film was over, buckets of cum were splattered over the walls, floor, ceiling, and friends.

"Heh, c'mon guys. We can continue this back at my place." Theo wrangled his little posse of fuck buddies out of the bathroom, past the outrageous orgy slapping about in the auditorium. The four walked out of the Kings Theatre, stinking of cum and sweat in the night air, knowing fully well they'd be returning soon enough.

[lurkingshan]

The Miracle of Teddy Bear Saved the Gays

Last weekend, both @twig-tea and I had time off and were in the mood to binge something, so Twig suggested we finally watch The Miracle of Teddy Bear. Both of us had missed it while it was airing live (because it didn’t have international distribution) and had been given the impression by others that it had a sad ending that included some anti-queer messages. It was also very long, so we were not exactly rushing to get to it. But we are stubborn and like to judge things for ourselves, so we decided since we had the time and the show was now available, we should jump in. And imagine our surprise when we found out everything we had been told about it was wrong (we have our theories about why). This is one of the best queer dramas we have ever seen, with phenomenal acting, writing, and direction, and we have so much to say about it. The post that follows is co-written by the two of us. Strap in, folks, because it’s a long one.

If you haven’t seen this show yet and don’t want any spoilers, stop reading this right now and head over to YouTube, where international fans can now watch it for free with English subtitles. We’re going to go deep on the show below, and because this drama is designed to slowly reveal information in a very deliberate way, nearly everything counts as a spoiler. We’ll try not to give too much away in the early sections, but be warned!

The Story

The Miracle of Teddy Bear is the tale of a deeply traumatized gay man in desperate need of healing, and the teddy bear who comes to life to help him. In the process of taking care of his person, our bear uncovers deep family trauma and many secrets and lies, accidentally solves crimes, makes lots of friends, heals a family, and saves several lives. He is a very good bear, and through this adventure he contemplates his own existence, learns how to be human, and discovers what it means to truly love someone. 

This is primarily a family drama with important things to say about queer truth, and while it includes several bl storylines, it is not a romance. Intertwined with the family drama is a bl show within the show and a series of interrelated mysteries that slowly get unraveled as the story goes on. One of the things this show does best is parcel out information from various perspectives at the perfect time to keep the viewer one step behind—we found ourselves constantly almost guessing what the show was going to do next, but it always chose a direction a little to the left and surprised us in the best way. 

In the end, every question we asked was answered, and every time we thought a character’s motivation felt a little too shallow, we were given more. The experience of watching this show was deeply satisfying and really made us feel seen. This show gets us. 

The Characters

The Bear: Tofu

Tofu is the titular teddy bear who comes to life via drama magic and does his best to support his person. He starts the series incredibly innocent, and the show and his actor, Inn Sarin, do an incredible job of depicting the change in him as he lives life as a human, becoming more complex and less naive. Tofu is the heart of the show, and it is his love and kindness that enable the growth of the other characters in this story. 

The Core Family: Nut, Na, and Kuenchai

Nut is our protagonist, and his struggles with life as a gay man are the soul of this story. He lives with his mom, Na, and their dog, Kuenchai, and Tofu is his beloved teddy bear. Yes, Nut is a cranky ass grown man with a beloved teddy bear. It will make sense eventually, we promise. Nut is a bl novelist working through old trauma via adapting his work for the screen. Na is a woman who has been Going Through It, and while we start the story with only the vague sense that something is not quite right with her, we spend a lot of time on her history as well as her growth in the present until we get the full picture. The way Nut and Na’s stories are tied together gets to several of the core themes of this show (discussed more below). 

The Sides: Gen, Song, Prib, and the nosy neighbors

Our cast of friends and allies who support Nut and Tofu and have romantic trials and tribulations of their own. Without giving too much away, we’ll just say this: all of these characters have satisfying arcs, and some of them may have caused us to squeal in delight. 

Specters of the Past: Neung and Tarn

Telling you literally anything about them is a major spoiler so just know they are here and they are important and you will fully understand why and how by the end. Oh yeah, and Neung looks exactly like Tofu (or should we say Tofu looks like Neung?) for Reasons (which are explained! We love this show).

Villains: Saen, Sib, Jan, and Parit

Expect these four to show up often and cause a lot of trouble. Their motives and exact crimes are revealed over the course of the show.

Other Elders: Anik, Juea, Kanya and Sittha

They are mostly here to serve a few key plot functions and represent a spectrum of parental figures (related by blood and not) and acceptance of queerness.

And we cannot forget: The inanimate objects

In this show, inanimate objects can come to life under a certain set of magical conditions, and they are Tofu’s friends and helpers along the way. Some of their stories are shockingly touching! They also add some needed levity to the show, especially the grumpy ones. Special shoutout to the cactus and the spare blanket, our crime solving MVPs. We have to admit, the animation for these took a bit of getting used to, but within a couple of episodes we were cheering these creepy blinking eyes on. 

The Themes

And here is where we start to get into spoiler territory about specific character arcs. This show had so many clear and well-articulated themes, and they stayed consistent throughout the story.

Queer people can be happy

This is stated explicitly as well as demonstrated through multiple storylines: gay men can love each other, have good relationships and fulfilling sex lives, and get their happy endings. Those who argue that people should fight against their queerness because it will make their lives harder and keep them from happiness are not just wrong, they have it backwards. 

Queer people can only be happy by living their truth

This is perhaps the main thesis of this show, and it comes across in so many ways over the arc of the story. We see this theme exemplified in particular through Nut, Tarn, Song, and Gen, with each of them representing different versions of the queer experience that shape who they are and how they show up in the world. Even before the story tells you, it’s clear what kind of experiences each has had from his relationship to his own queerness and his general demeanor and outlook on life. Nut has survived an abusive homophobic father, and that shows up in his anger, his self-protective rejection of others, and his struggle with emotional regulation. Gen has been raised by loving and accepting parents who support his choices in all ways, and this shows in his good humor, balanced perspective, and confidence to be himself. When we say good media should show, don’t tell us its point, this is a fantastic example of what that means. 

Accept and love your queer children or pay the price

Relatedly, this story is very interested in the consequences for parents who fail their queer children, and explores a whole spectrum of acceptance from enthusiastic support to negligent ambivalence to misguided suppression to violent bigotry. We see so many different parents and parental figures react to learning about their gay sons and gain insight into them by how they respond—and only the ones who manage to get it together to love and support their kids get to keep their families. Critically, the adults who fail their queer children are convinced they’re acting in their best interests at the time, and we are along for the ride as the redeemable ones go through the stages of first admitting they were wrong but still thinking their intentions justify the pain they caused to fully acknowledging the damage they have done and making amends. 

Be patient with others, you never know what they’ve been through

That said, the show also invites us to stop and consider what might be behind aberrant behavior before judging it. Tofu is unfailingly patient with others, and even with the worst people in this story, he always seeks to understand why they are behaving a certain way before giving up on them. The show slowly and methodically reveals information that recontextualizes things we thought we understood and encourages us to keep digging for empathy and missing context. People in this story behave very badly and make a lot of mistakes, but a lot of it becomes more understandable once you have the full picture.

Unprocessed trauma will prevent you from healing and cause you to perpetuate harm on others

Speaking of bad behavior, so much of what’s wrong in this story is driven by unprocessed trauma of one sort or another. Nut’s anger is at its core a deep hurt from being betrayed by the person he trusted most to be on his side. Na’s refusal to live in reality causes her to continue to hurt herself and her son. Saen’s denial about his own actions leads to far-reaching consequences he could not imagine. And the healing process depicted in the show is not linear; people who have made mistakes in the series make them more than once and advance and regress as the situation around them changes. 

People are responsible for their own actions and inactions

And while the show is clear that trauma is the source of the bad behavior of these characters, it is also clear that this is not an excuse. Everyone in this story is held to account for the things they do, as well as the things they don’t, no matter how understandable their reasons are. The people who refuse to heal face serious consequences in addition to seeing the damage their unprocessed trauma causes others. 

Noble idiocy leads to everyone being unhappy

One of the biggest sources of said unprocessed trauma in this story is characters making self-sacrificial choices for the ostensible benefit of others and bringing misery to everyone in the process. We love a drama that recognizes noble idiocy for the selfish and destructive act it truly is and clearly says you have to communicate with your loved ones if you don’t want to make a mess of everyone’s lives.

You can’t appease an abuser

No amount of hiding who you are or making yourself small will convince an abuser to treat you better or guarantee your safety. This theme is most obvious in the main storyline between Nut, Sib, and Na, but Jan is another example of a manipulative and emotionally abusive character who other characters continually try to play nice with, to no avail. She takes every opportunity to be cruel, whether the person she’s talking to is kind or combative in return. The show reinforces that abusers will always find an excuse to justify their behavior; changing yourself for them is pointless. 

Love is wanting the best for someone, even if that means letting go 

This is really the show’s core point where romance is concerned: being with you may not actually be what is best for the person you love, and if your love is true you have to accept that. The people who could not see this—Saen and Jan—were the ones who continued to cause harm to their loved ones and themselves, while the characters who honestly worked towards the happiness of their beloveds even if that happiness was not with themselves—Tofu, Tarn, and eventually Prib—were rewarded by seeing that happiness play out and ended our story truly content. The MVP of this theme is Tofu, whose pure teddy bear love for his person became more complicated and selfish as he became more human. But in the end, he held to the truth at his core that Nut’s happiness was his happiness.

You can have more than one great love, and one doesn't tarnish the others

Which brings us to one of the most beautiful takeaways from this show, and something that dramas so rarely do well. Nut loves two different men, neither more than the other, and he never chooses between them. They both hold important meaning in his life and he honors that whether they are with him or not. When Nut is with Tofu, he remembers his past love with fondness but he is clear that these memories do not make his love for Tofu any less real. A lesser show would have had those moments where Nut was thinking about his past cause him to distance himself from Tofu. But in this show, Nut sharing his past and working through his lack of closure was when he and Tofu had some of their closest and happiest moments together. This show is extremely clear that we can have happiness with more than one person over the course of our lives, and it is not only okay but encouraged! 

The Resolution

From here, we will be talking about the ending, and so by necessity will no longer be avoiding major spoilers. If you’re intrigued by the above and want to avoid being spoiled fully, stop now! One of the things that is so brilliant about this show is the way information is slowly revealed, so if you think you would like this show we recommend experiencing it for yourself. If you’re still not convinced and need to know the ending before you decide, read on. 

In our view, this story ends exactly as the show signals it will from the very beginning—and the way it should—and the ending is unambiguously a happy one. Tofu realizes that he and Tarn’s life forces are tied together, that it was Tarn going into his coma that caused him to awaken, and that as long as he continues to live as a human, Tarn will not recover. We and the characters have come to love Tofu in his guise as a human, but the truth is he does not belong there—he is a teddy bear, and for him to stay by robbing an actual human being of their life would be wrong. The story took pains throughout to show us how tenuous and restricted Tofu’s existence is, because he is not a real person and thus can’t live a full life (for example, he can’t get a job or safely leave the house because he doesn’t have documentation or any life experience). We also see Tofu struggle so much with the added complexities of the human experience that he becomes ill with overwhelm multiple times. He repeats to us through the whole story that all he really wants is to be a comfort to Nut. While he finds value and joy in being human, it does not change who he is at his core. And so he allows himself to be poisoned by Jan, sacrificing his human existence to bring Tarn back and exposing Jan and Saen’s crimes in the process. 

With this decision, the other characters get the chance to mourn him and move on. Nut grieves, finally makes the connection between human and teddy bear Tofu, goes to therapy (!), makes peace with his mother, and writes his love story with Tofu as his next show. Tarn wakes up and begins his recovery, and he and Nut slowly reconnect and rekindle their relationship over time. Na finds joy in her lucid moments and enjoys time with her family, finally free of the hell Saen and Sib unleashed on her life. Gen and Song get their happy ending with acceptance from Song’s dad, and Prib’s fixation on gay men becomes clear when her new female love interest enters the scene (let’s go, lesbians!). We get confirmation that the nosy neighbors are, in fact, an elder gay couple. Even Kuenchai and some of the inanimate objects have character arcs! Kuenchai is instrumental in making sure Nut is reunited with bear Tofu, and we get to see a slipper gain some independence from her other half and a grumpy bolster cuddle in to comfort her people when they need it.

We end our story with several happy families who love their gay children and a call for marriage equality via Nut and Tarn deciding to marry whether it’s legal or not. Tofu is a bear again but his human life is very much not forgotten—Nut speaks to him every day, honors the love they shared, and talks about him openly with Tarn. And we even hear from Tofu again, see a final moment between him and Nut in a beautiful dream, and are reassured that Tofu is happy to still be with Nut in his original form and to see him living so well. It’s everything he wanted, and he made it happen. He truly is the very best bear.  

The Purpose

We wanted to take some space to get a little extra meta and talk about why this show matters so much in the broader queer media landscape. First, it was a landmark queer television event in Thailand—please read this post by @flowerbeasblog to get the background on its significance in the cultural landscape. This show was broadcast very intentionally to educate and send a message to a broader audience in Thailand than is typically reached via bl dramas. And that’s why understanding and taking its themes seriously is so very important.

This is a story that is deeply rooted in queer truth, written by a queer man who wants people like him to be seen and understood. The show puts forward an unapologetically pro-gay message on broadcast television (on a major national network! during primetime! that does not shy away from the sexual component of queer love!) and embeds important political commentary in a fantastic and engaging story in a format familiar and comfortable for the Thai audience. It’s not meant to be received as a romance, and its nuanced and mature take on love and relationships is certainly not designed for ship wars. The writer even turns directly to the camera and underlines this in the final episode: while he respects the importance of bl in the media landscape, he has a bigger agenda in mind for this show and important things to say.

And that’s why some of the discourse around this show is so frustrating. A small portion of international fans who watched this show live seemed to misunderstand it deeply and created such a false impression of it that it caused others to stay away. Contrary to some of the takes out there, this show does not have a sad ending, Tofu’s resolution is not remotely anti-queer, and there is no woman who ends up with Nut (we are so confused that this was anyone’s interpretation; Nut at every age and several times within the show explicitly shouts about how very extremely gay he is). To see this story as a tragedy because Tofu “dies”—which he doesn’t; his human body disappears but he returns to being a conscious and content teddy bear—is to misunderstand Tofu’s character journey, his narrative purpose, and his agency. We can only assume that shipping got in the way of comprehension here, and people who wanted to see human Tofu and Nut end up together focused on that to the exclusion of pretty much everything this show was saying and doing.

At the end of this story, Tofu is happy. To think that Nut was better off with Tofu than with Tarn is to not allow for the complexities of human experience; Nut did love Tofu, but he loved Tarn, too, and their relationship was a positive force in his life both before and after Tofu entered it. And Tarn was an actual gay human man in a coma who could not wake up while Tofu existed. Tofu was the creation of Tarn’s love for Nut; his existence was limited, and he found being a human extremely difficult. All Tofu wanted was to be Nut’s teddy bear and stay with Nut forever. He wanted Nut to be happy, because Tarn wanted Nut to be happy, and during his time as a human he worked to enable that happiness. He was instrumental in moving forward several stuck characters and uncovering many secrets, all of which were necessary for Nut to get to where he ends up at the end of the show. Being in a relationship with Nut was a bonus. He enjoyed the experience of being in love with Nut, but in the end he chose to sacrifice his human life so that Nut could have a permanent, lasting happiness with someone who was real. Tofu’s human death is not an example of the bury your gays trope; in fact, it is a total rebuke of it. Tofu, and this show, saved the gay men in this story and gave them full and happy lives. We cannot recommend watching and supporting this show enough.

[seneon]

★ 𓂃 KISS ME UNTIL MY LIPS FALL OFF.

some thoughts my mind wondered off to when i think about touya on a daily. contains fluff, tiny suggestiveness, and a lot of yapping¡ part two 🕷️ some hcs already has a fully written oneshot so you can indulge furthermore¡!

ONE .𖥔 ݁ touya definitely sits at the edge of a high-rise building, looking down and pondering upon the city as the cool air hits and plays with his hair. based on that one scene where he jumped down to burn toga's old house, if you're on the building with touya, at some point he definitely pushed you off the building. ok listen that sounds out of pocket and straight up mean but listen kay? he'll slither his arms around your waist and pull you close to him, then he'll just grab you and push you while he too, jumps off the building. it's definitely a guilty pleasure for touya to gamble his life along with the life of another person in his hands. for some reason, it's pretty romantic too... the way he'd hold you so close to him as you both fall. touya always lands perfectly with his blue flames, creating a cool effect and overall a thrilling experience for you ( you definitely did not almost shit your pants or cry your eyes out yeah ) ★ come around

TWO .𖥔 ݁ joker x harley trope. this guy might just probably love joker a ton, probably even a hugeee fan since joker's first debut in dc. he a lil crazy, js like joker for realz. and y'k what's perfect for a joker lover? a harley quinn girly. a bright, insanely cool and probably secretly obsessive possessive and just a tad bit insane girl ( that's not me tho 💔 ) ugh just imagine saying you'd die for him then you jumped into literal freaking acid and somehow still living and breathing when you don't melt off and he gets sick n tired of your shit and jumps in the acid pool to rescue and harshly kiss you after allat acid burning shi. miraculously you both survived and are reborn as whoever you guys are... living as the now psychotically villainous couple. ★ let the world burn

THREE .𖥔 ݁ touya gets the line "that boy is a real pussy pleaser" and you get "that girl is a real crowd pleaser" and it definitely matches the two of you. likeee do i even have to say anymore? oh i do? kay. you're pretty and nice and everything, often being a pleaser of the crowd and loving the attention people give you when you're in public. while touya is always behind you, following you around and scaring people with his intense sneer alone like a guard dog. in secret when you're both alone, he pleases you instead, telling you over and over again that he doesn't like it when you wear that one mini skirt in public which is only for his eyes to see. he's jealous and a bit angry, but he won't really hurt you. just a few fueling in his touch from his flames n that's all.

FOUR .𖥔 ݁ he's the one who ties and zips every single of your dresses. yeah... whether it be a corset or just a simple zip up top or something needed to do with ribbon that you can't reach. all you have to do is just walk up to him and turn your back to him. he'll immediately settle it for you, pulling you close by holding your waist then gently tying or zipping it up for you. of course, he often resists the fact that he could've just not done all of that and burn your bare back with his piercing turquoise eyes. touya makes sure to slide his fingers down your spine everytime after he's done tying your dress or zipping it up, just to give you some chills and tease you. ★ silky ribbons

FIVE .𖥔 ݁ this guy doesn't really talk or show that much love cuz he's edgy and probably wanna come off as mysterious and uncaring. but when he needs some comfort and affection, he just... puts you on his lap and hugs your entire form like you're his little teddy. touya will not utter a single word but will instead hold you tighter around the waist and lean his entire form on you. you can obviously tell a difference by his breathing when he first set you on his lap and after a few minutes in of embracing you. he'd calm down so fast with doing this. touya probably wants you to talk a lot too, just to hear your voice and perchance.. rest his eyes on your shoulders as you quietly yap about your day.

© SENEON 2024 ♱ do not repost, alter, or translate.

[bella-vib3]

Hello sister, pls pls write a small blurb/fic on this for me I’d die 🖤 ilyy !! - Ashlee

Ash !! Yes, I'd love to, pookie xx

Arguments

Eddie Teddy 😋🤞 (fluff headcanons)

☆

This man wouldn't take an argument seriously (unless 100% needed ofc)

If you accused him of something (like cheating) he would crack jokes about how the girls he knew acted

Giving him the silent treatment? Babes, he'd be laughing his ass off. He would also then play the guitar for you to apologise

Yk how people glare when they're mad? Yeah, well he'd just take that as you wanting to snog him (that word was funny to me I'm sorry)

If he was dragging you along with him to sell the mysterious magical powder, and you got upset over that (you silly billy) he'd laugh and kiss your forehead/hold you from behind while he made the transaction (which would probably make you turn away in actual embarrassment.)

He'd let you use his hair products for you curly/wavy hair.

You'd go to Metallica/rock concerts with him, and he'd lend you his (oversized) clothes (that ones specifically for ash 🫶)

HE'D CARVE YOUR NAME INTO HIS GUITAR FOR YOU. you cannot change my mind.

☆ That's all I can think of, but I !! might !! make a smut version 😋 ☆

☆ Bella

[annabelle--cane]

slightly more minor mysterious tmagp things still hanging in the air:

where the fuck is [ERROR]

where the fuck is colin

who is the "his nibs" keeping colin at the OIAR and why

what was up with alice's lingering paranoia after investigating the institute ruins + did it ever go away

is something fishy going on with alice's brother

did anything come of all that extra paperwork sam filled out

why did lena try to kill klaus

who was gwen's source that whoever arranged for the hit on klaus thought it had been successful

what's up with that email from "john" that sam got + does it have anything to do with how gwen got the video of the failed murder attempt

what were gerry and gertrude hiding behind that telltale liar's static

what's the deal with teddy's employment situation

what is the magnus protocol and what does it have to do with starkwall

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Steve knew how to stitch, and he knew how to sew. They were all skills his grandparents had taught him. His paternal grandfather, the doctor, his maternal grandmother, the seamstress. Eddie was currently lying in the hospital, moping about his scars. He was no longer wanted for murder but he was still in pain and scarred for life. Steve wanted to cheer him up, so he got him a teddy bear, but it needed something else. He decided to look for clothes for the bear, and he ended up in the children's section where he found a denim jacket along with a white shirt. He managed to find something to use as devil horns. When he got home, he got to work stitching the horns onto the bear and cut the sleeves off of the jacket.

The next day, his last day off, he went straight to the hospital carrying the bear. Shit, should he have gotten him flowers? Do guys get flowers for other guys? Steve spotted one of Eddie's nurses, the one who always gave Eddie the stink eye and talked nasty about him when she thought he was asleep. She was gushing about the flowers her boyfriend had just gotten for her. Steve waited until she left with her friend. He swooped in and took a flower from the bouquet, hiding it behind his back before hurrying off to Eddie's room. He was alone watching Scooby-Doo and singing along with the theme song.

"You know we got a mystery to solve, so, Scooby Doo, be ready for your act. Don't hold back and, Scooby Doo, if you come through, you're gonna have yourself a Scooby Snack. That's a fact," Eddie sang loudly and purposely off key, grinning excitedly at the screen.

Steve grinned fondly from the door. Dear god, this man was cute.

"Hey, Eddie," Steve greeted.

"Stevie!" Eddie exclaimed. "Whatcha got there?"

"It's Teddy Munson!" Steve said, whipping out the bear.

Eddie gasped, making grabby hands for the bear. Steve handed it over.

"Where the hell did you find this?" Eddie asked.

"I found the bear, but I added the other stuff. I cut up a baby's jacket and stitched on the devil horns," Steve shrugged.

"You made this. . .for me?" Eddie asked softly, his eyes wide as he clutched the bear to his chest. "Why?"

"Because you've been kind of mopey being stuck in here, and I thought you could use some cheering up. And I . . . I like you," Steve said.

"You like me?"

"Yes."

"You like me?"

"Yes!" Steve exclaimed and presented the flower to him.

"That tells me nothing!" Eddie exclaimed.

"I stole it from the nurse that's been giving you a hard a hard time," Steve said.

"You stole this from the Mistress of Evil?" Eddie asked, smirking. "Oh, you like like me!"

"Yes!" Steve blushed.

"Come here!" Eddie demanded.

"Why?"

"So I can eat your face," Eddie replied.

Steve laughed but let Eddie pull him in for a kiss. Steve pulled away and leaned his forehead against his.

"You are so cute," Steve said.

"Not as cute as you. Do you want to watch Scooby-Doo with me?" Eddie asked and pulled back the covers.

"I'm not sure I can fit," Steve said.

"I think you can, big boy," Eddie replied.

Steve snorted before gently crawling into bed beside Eddie, who carefully settled against him. Eddie hugged the bear tightly against his chest.

"Sorry, I didn't think to look for pins for his vest," Steve replied.

"Baby, you made me a bear with horns. It's more than perfect. Besides, I've got the perfect pins for our little guy," Eddie cooed.

It wasn't long before Eddie was nodding off in Steve's arms, and before long, Steve was asleep as well with the bear nestled between them.

[aphrogeneias]

I was wondering if you have any fluff headcanons similar to 'calling eddie angel' i want that boy to feel good in a way he never expected to receive, i want him to feel special x

eddie goes into relationships with the idea that he's the one who's gotta do most, if not all, of the pleasing. be it from wayne's advice — open every door for them, pull a chair before sitting, bring flowers on the first date, listen to them — or from reefer rick's weird chaps about how to please a woman, or even from his own ingrained notion that, if he doesn't prove himself good enough, they'll leave him.

leave him like everyone else in his life did. it's not a rational thought, but seldom he has been.

he especially doesn't want you to leave. he'd worship the ground you walk on either way, kiss the floor beneath your feet just because he feels like you deserve it, but the thought of losing you is earth shattering enough to make him double down on it.

what he didn't expect was that you'd do the same for him.

it leaves him dumbfounded at first. on your first date, when he'd given you a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers — one he'd never tell you were picked in the woods near the trailer park — and picked one up to put behind his ear. "there, for you to feel special too.". it stayed there all night.

you find out what his favorite snacks are, and mysteriously, they're always in your pantry. you know just how he likes to have his hair played with — after all the times he'd put your hand on his hair, silently pleading for your touch, you learned to do it always.

the mixtapes in his van, the new patches sewn into his battle vest, the small teddy bear sitting on his dresser. "if you got me one, it's only fair he'd need a sibling too.". their names match, not that anyone needs to know.

your weight over his body when the world becomes too much to talk, and your head on his chest when it becomes too overwhelming to stay quiet. he drowns in it, the omnipresent feeling of you. everywhere at once, meeting him in every way.

reciprocity wasn't a word eddie was familiar with until you. then, it's the only thing he knows.

[forthevillains]

Albert Wesker headcanons

[these will be purely my opinion on what he does and how he is in and outside of relationship. Also let me know if I should write NSFW headcanons too!]

~ Albert is not a very open person so it’s difficult to get to him in the first place. It’s not like he lacks emotions, but as he can get easily attached, he prefers to only interact with people he must and that stays professional

~ though if you managed to get through that tough facade of his, you’ve earned yourself a loyal ally, a partner, a friend. People always make him seem bad, but gladly you didn’t care and wanted to find out for yourself, determined to find out as much as you could about this mysterious guy. And Wesker really appreciates it, even though someone being so interested in him feels odd

~ he is still distant at the beginning of the relationship, but it slowly develops into something warm and intimate. You have to give the poor man time, he hasn’t been in a proper relationship in ages if ever at all

~ the definition of you fell first, he fell harder

~ also he’s an active pet name user, so it’s very rare for him to call you by your actual name, though the more he falls for you, the more common it is for him to actually do that. Definitely adds ‘my’ before he says any pet name when he’s talking to you, just to make it known that you are special

~ he very much prefers women younger than him for a mere reason of spending as much time with you as possible. He doesn’t age like a normal person and he needs someone who would meet him at the very end so that you could leave this world together. He also wouldn’t want you to stay behind, however if you were actually his age, he would surely take care of you and make sure you still feel beautiful despite getting old

~ with the relationship come the secrets that he was able to hide from you before you got together. It’s safe to say that this man is not really a green flag due to the scars his trauma left on him. He’s not good for you and even though he wouldn’t admit it, he’s aware (somewhere deep down)

~ Albert insisted that you two live together, he needs you by his side and even when it might come off as if he’s trying to just be controlling - he’s just very scared of either you running away or someone hurting you while he’s not there to protect you

~ when it comes to sleeping by his side, for the first few months he just sleeps on his side of the bed, leaving you enough space only until he’s deep asleep. Then he’ll subconsciously wrap his arms around your body, pulling you close and making a personal teddy bear out of you. He’s touch starved after all the years alone, so much that even if he tries to give you enough space, his body won’t let him do so. You better not tell him though, because he’d feel embarrassed. Just wait for him to do it consciously and enjoy it;)

~ he’s often busy meaning you’ll have to find a hobbies of your own inside the house

~ he’s very keen on taking care of you in his free time, especially your hair. It’s kind of a therapy to him, not just playing with it, but also washing or braiding, even dying it. He’s up to do all of that for you

~ when there’s something going on with him, he probably just leaves, so that he doesn’t bother you with his problems, but if you come to him, offering your love and affection, he’s up for it. He will gladly lay on your chest, wrapping his arms around your waist, closing his tired eyes. Might as well fall asleep in that position because the exhaustion would get to him

~ if you worked in Umbrella with him, then you’re aware of his plans for the future, though if you haven’t, he’s gonna keep you unaware for the rest of your life, feeding you with delusions he came up with. But don’t you worry, it won’t affect your relationship at all, he’s gonna make up for all the lies;)

~ he wouldn’t dare cry in front of you, if he ever cried at all. He’s not the type of person who would go cry to the corner, he usually overcomes the sadness with anger, so good luck calming him down

~ Wesker is actually a really good cook! He doesn’t have much time for it, of course, but when he does, he makes you delicious meals (he really likes to spoil you)

~ speaking of spoiling… His favorite thing to buy you is lingerie, without a doubt. It’s just a bad habit of his, whenever he sees something you’d look good in (which is everything in his eyes), he just has to buy it for you and then watch you try it on knowing that it’s going to end up torn apart in less than a week. He tries not to do so, but he’s so eager to have you at times he just rips your clothes off:( so he buys new new ones quite often

~ he often comes home too late, finding you asleep on the couch as you were waiting for him for too long. His heart aches at the thought of someone being so excited just to see him, of someone actually caring about him and loving him as he knows how much of a risk he’s putting you in just by being with you. He would come up to you, gently taking you in his arms and carrying you to bed. He wouldn’t join you anytime soon, but he’d definitely stop by just to look at your peaceful, sleeping form, wondering just why on earth did you choose him

~ loves it when you sit on his lap while he’s working or even while he’s just reading a book. One of his arms is wrapped around your waist, keeping you close, while he holds a pen/documents/book in the other. Your presence is very important to him, he loves touching you, feeling you. He needs you and having you so close brings him enough comfort to let loose (and if you’d look up at him you’d probably see a tiny smile on his face)

~ absolutely loves listening to you. Even when he’s exhausted after a very bad day, he’ll pull you close to him, asking you how your day went and just lets you talk, only reassuring you that he’s still listening whenever you stop. Your voice is comforting to him and it’s his way of relaxation, to just be close to you and listen

~ underrated opinion, but in my eyes he’d hate smoking. It’s basically killing you, so why would you do that? If you’re a smoker, he’ll ask you to stop, but won’t do anything against it if you tolerate that he doesn’t want you to do it inside the house. He’s still annoyed whenever you light up a cig though

~ he likes it when you take his sunglasses and try them on. It always gets him to smile for some unknown reason as he watches you giggle, happy that you have a thing of his in your possession, even if for just a few minutes

~ secretly, his dream is to settle down and live a life he never got to have. He’s just a broken man after all and having you gave him a different view on life. Of course, he still wants to save the world (in his own ways), but he also wishes he got to have a peaceful life by your side, seeing you smile everyday, traveling across the world if you’d like to. He wished he could be the perfect man just for you

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Setting: Alexandria

Summary: Your archer was a force to be reckoned with, cunning and fearless. Well, almost fearless.

Warnings: Brief appearance of a spider

A/N: I needed some fluff and giggles after the last couple of days. Thank you, @lazyneonrabbitt for helping me shape this!

*gif is not mine

The stew you were making was causing your mouth to water. Carol gave you the recipe and you decided to make it since there was venison available from the deer Daryl had brought back the day before. Rick and Michonne would have a meal when they returned. Carl had taken Judith out to enjoy the nice weather. It was just you and Daryl. 

The archer was downstairs, most likely adjusting the strings on his crossbow or making bolts. You hadn’t seen him for a little while but as soon as the aroma of dinner made its way down, you were certain he’d come floating up the stairs like a nineties cartoon character. 

You had just added a touch more rosemary and nearly dropped the entire container in when you heard:

“MOTHERFUCKER!”

The only time you ever heard Daryl yell like that was when there was danger nearby. How anything would get into the basement without passing you was a mystery. You quickly moved the pot off the burner and grabbed a kitchen knife, bolting down the stairs. 

“Daryl?!” You burst into the your shared room, looking around frantically until you spotted him, flattened against the wall in the far corner. What in the flying monkey fuck? “Daryl?” You lowered the knife and studied him for a moment. His expression was nearly blank but there was a fear in his eyes that made you question if he was maybe half asleep and still in the clutches of a nightmare. 

“There.” He rasped and pointed across the room. You saw nothing.

“There’s nothing there, Daryl.” Now, you were really starting to worry. 

“Are ya fuckin’ shittin’ me? S’right there!” He pointed again in a more frantic gesture. 

You decided maybe you should humor him just to give him some peace of mind, bring him out of whatever terror in which he was trapped. You made your way over to the other side of the bed, turning in circles, looking up and down. 

“There’s nothing he—” That’s when you saw it. The small, dark blotch on the wall. There is absolutely no way. “Daryl. Oh my god, Daryl.”

“What?!” He barked, still tense and unmoving. 

“Daryl Dixon, are you afraid of spiders?” Your face was absolutely twitching with the need to laugh. Your boyfriend— the rugged walker-killing outdoorsman ‘mess with me and I’ll put a bolt in your eye’ archer —suffered from arachnophobia. “How?!”

“Shuddup an’ get ridda it!” He snapped, watching you warily as you laid down the knife, grabbed an empty water glass, and tore out a page from your journal. You carefully coaxed the little guy onto the paper with the edge of the glass and trapped it inside while Daryl mumbled something about sending it back to hell.

“I’ll just—take this—outside.” You stuttered as a burst of laughter threatened to tear its way from your throat. 

“It ain’t funny!” Daryl hissed, maneuvering further away as you walked by, sliding his back against the wall until his hip bumped the nightstand. 

“Nope.” You let a giggle escape and heard him growl behind you. “Not one bit funny.” When you crossed the threshold and stepped onto the stairs you couldn’t hold it in any longer, doubling over to absolutely crack up and very nearly losing your grip on the glass. 

“I swear to christ, Y/N—” You heard from behind you, coming from still very much inside the room and far away from the arachnid. 

You would never give anyone ammunition to tease him. He got enough of that for being a soft teddy bear around you. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”

[rikiluvly]

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

🥀*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔡𝔦𝔣𝔣𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔰 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔭𝔲𝔩𝔩 𝔲𝔰 𝔞𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱

tysm to the anon that requested this! <3

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | more to come...

PAIRINGS: vampire!riki x human!reader

SYNOPSIS: you and your mom move into an old mansion after some struggles. but what happens when the mansion is actually occupied by 7 vampires and the youngest just can’t seem to keep his eyes off you.

GENRE: vampire au, fluff, a tiny bit of angst.

WARNINGS: mention of food, slight swearing, and Ni-ki is kinda rude.

WORD COUNT: 1,4k

you didn’t want to move houses. you thought your apartment was cute and cozy, but according to your mom, it was cramped and suffocating. so what she did was buy an old crappy mansion out in the middle of nowhere.

you and your mom were in the car driving on a gravel path surrounded by tall pine trees. turning a corner you could see the place you were moving into. it sure was beautiful at least, with vines covering the outside and a great big gate giving an eery welcoming vibe. to some people, they’d think it was haunted, but you don’t believe in that stuff.

our car pulled up and you stepped outside. you took some time to admire the place. you knew there had to be something wrong with it because the price you bought it for was weirdly cheap. your mum got the key out and unlocked the door.

once you walked in you were overwhelmed. jesus this place was ginormous. the ceiling had amazing carvings and the walls had beautiful paintings. you walked up the long stairway to the second floor. the stairway was magnificent curling around up to the next floor.

“y/n your room is the third door to the right!” your mum called out to you from downstairs.

“ok thanks mum!” you saw the door and opened it. wow. your room was the biggest bedroom you have ever stepped foot in. You took your time to explore the painted walls and ceiling. the ceiling was painted with clouds and the walls were a beautiful baby blue color. a four-posted bed was leaned against the back wall with navy curtains that could wrap around it. two windows were displayed on either side of the bed with bright red curtains. maybe some changes could be made.

"who are you?" a sudden echo of a voice was projected through your new bedroom.

"what?"

"I said, who. are. you?" the deep voice came again. was this house seriously haunted? you thought to yourself.

"that's an insult," came the mysterious voice.

"what?"

"Is that the only word in your vocabulary or something?" the person that occupied the voice was still nowhere to be seen.

"calling this place haunted can be an insult to us. we don't haunt we just... occupy it," you couldn't lie, the voice was beautiful and you knew the face behind it would be as well. but you can't seem to help to grow a dislike for whoever it was.

"I'm confused, me and my mom thought no one lived here?"

"no one does live here. well, not any humans anyway" all kinds of thoughts started running through your head. is this thing some kind of ghost?

"I would prefer it if you wouldn't call me a 'thing' beautiful,' oh you really dislike the voice now.

you started eyeing around your room looking for the voice. the voice that wouldn't show its face. you took a look under your bed, disappointed to find nothing but an old stuffed teddy bear that the past owners must have left. you reached to pick it up and examined the toy. looks like it has been well-loved. you thought.

you stood up only to be met with an unfamiliar face.

"glad you like my bear," the surprise caused you to jump slightly. you had noticed fangs had appeared on either side of his mouth as he talked. vampire? no. no way.

"ah, you're a lot smarter than I thought," the tall figure looked down at you as you couldn't dare to look into his eyes.

"who are you?" you asked looking back at the stuffed bear in your hands.

"seems like you stole my question there... y/n," he knows my name? you couldn't bare stay with this 'thing' any longer. so you sprinted around the tall physique and tried to get to the door. only for him to spawn in front of you and block the exit.

"how do you know my name?" you asked, scared for an answer.

"I'm a vampire... I can read minds," answering like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"you didn't answer my first question, who are you?" you asked hoping for an actual answer this time.

"Riki, Riki Nishimura," the vampire said showing off his sharp set of teeth. as threatening as they are, no teeth could scare you. just the thought of being punctured in the neck by Riki did.

"so, are you the only vampire that lives here, or are there more?" you asked hoping for an answer that confirms he is the only one.

"there are six more of us,' SIX?! you suddenly thought of your mom. what if she had come across one? you had to get out of the bedroom.

"I- I have to leave! my mom, she could have come across one and-" you stuttered hoping Riki would move aside.

"no need to worry about that, they won't be interested in your mum," his answer made you stop your plan to escape.

"why?"

"we prefer them young and fresh," he said taking steps towards you.

"what.." you said in a whisper.

"...nah I'm just joking. they are all out doing who knows what," you felt a weight lift off your chest. so they aren't blood-sucking creatures?

"oh, we still drink blood don't get that wrong but only on very... very rare occasions," you stood there waiting for him to say he was joking again. until he didn’t.

“so, y/n I better let you get to your unpacking, ya’ need any help.. I won’t be here,” he vanished.

you took some time to adjust to what had happened. you and your mom had just moved into a house filled with vampires. even someone like you who doesn’t believe in stuff like this knows that this was very much real, and very much happening.

you can’t tell your mom. you just can’t. life has just been so difficult lately and you know she needs this fresh new start, in a fresh ‘new’ home.

you opened the door to leave your room and sprinted back down the stairs

"mom!" you called out but didn't get a reply. what if Riki had gotten to your mom. a thought u would dare to think of again. you ran around the first floor realizing how many rooms there actually were. too many.

"mom-"

"oh hey honey I didn't hear you. everything going well in your new room?" she asked standing up from behind the kitchen counter.

no, I met a vampire named Riki who lives here with his six other friends.

"yeah, my room is really nice," you wish you could tell her the truth but the truth could destroy her. she seems so happy.

"well that's great, I just got dinner ready how bout you eat?" you lost your appetite a while ago but you still couldn't resist your mom's cooking, so you both walked into the dining room. In the middle sat an extremely long dining table with exactly seven chairs.

seven chairs. seven vampires.

you took a seat in the one furthest down the table, as your mom sat in the one opposite. she laid out a plate of pasta in front of you along with a glass of water.

"thanks, mom," you said politely as you started eating. your mom didn't sit down instead she started to walk away.

"where are you going?" you asked intensively.

"oh I already ate, you spent quite a lot of time in that new room of yours so I'm going to go wash up," she then left leaving you in the ominous, scary dining room.

"your in my seat," the vampire you had met earlier was again before you sat in the opposite chair.

"you seriously can't leave me alone can you?" you asked looking up as you took a bite from your pasta. his mouth turned into a slight smirk showing his sharp canines.

"no one has come here for the past seven years, what do you expect?" the same obvious tone that he had displayed before had come back.

"yeah, well I didn't know that," you said quietly looking down at your food, as he wouldn't take his eyes off you.

"look, don't expect the others to go as easy on you as I did alright?" easy? he scared the living hell out of you two times now.

"when are they coming back?" you wanted to know so you could be prepared. but they could also easily pop up in front of you at any time.

"right about...now," you felt a gush of wind come from behind you, blowing your hair up.

there stood six tall, handsome vampires holding cups of red liquid. which could only be one thing.

blood.

A/N: I accidentally deleted a 3k word fic and it's completely gone naur. oh well, I hoped you enjoyed this! 2nd part will be out soon.

[munsonsmixtapes]

Ben

Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

summary: Benedict saves your teddy bear when it falls into the lake and with the help of Edmund, he's able to repair it for you

taglist: @imgondeletedis @mayusenpai666 @littlebitb @sarahskywalker-amidala 

word count: 4.9k

cw: descriptive talk of grief (loss of reader's parents), graphic description of a nightmare reader has of her parents death

part one

Age Eight

Rain poured down onto the ground as you and Benedict raced around the garden. He had stolen Teddy from you and he was fully intending to give it back to you, but loving the thrill of being chased. Maybe that was just part of being a middle child: always trying to get attention. 

If you were being honest, Benedict was the only one you trusted to hold Teddy. He treated him like you did, with so much love and care. And you knew that he had just stolen Teddy to get a rise out of you and it worked like a charm. 

Benedict didn’t know what his feelings for you were, but he knew that they were more than friendly. But would have never told you that, fully intending on taking that secret to the grave. The only one he had told was his mother and only to ask for advice. She told him to just be himself and that wasn’t exactly what he was looking for. 

You followed him into the woods, calling after him, but all you could hear were his giggles as he ran away from you, moving faster because his legs were longer. You tried to keep up, but he was just too quick, zipping between the trees in the blink of an eye. 

He clutched Teddy to his chest, not wanting the thing to get wet as he came across a lake. The very one his mother always told him not to touch because she claimed that it was dirty. But why was he so drawn to it? The water looked so mysterious with the darkened clouds hovering over it. 

It was as if it all happened in slow motion. Benedict’s foot slipped in the mud and he tumbled to the ground, sending Teddy flying into the air. He tried to catch him, but it was too late. He plunged into the water with a loud plop, causing Benedict to gasp. He turned back to see you were still far behind and dove into the water to save Teddy before you could find out what had happened. 

Once you got to the edge of the lake, you noticed that Benedict was nowhere to be found. He was there one second and gone the next, seemingly having disappeared right before your eyes. You were panicking, hoping that he hadn’t fallen into the water. 

Just when you were about to dive in after him, he emerged from the water, Teddy in his hand, but the bear seemed to be missing an arm that Benedict was holding in his other hand. You felt relief rush through you as he collapsed into the grass, holding the bear out to you and couldn’t help but notice the apologetic look on his face. 

“Y/n,” he breathed. “I’m so sorry.” You didn’t know why he was apologizing. Teddy falling into the water had entirely been an accident. You knew he would never do something like that with malicious intent. 

“Ben,” you said, helping him to his feet, your hands still holding his. “It’s not your fault.” 

“I know, but I-” he cut himself off. “I’m just sorry.” Even through the rain, you could see that his eyes were misty. He knew just how much that bear meant to you and was feeling guilty for something that wasn’t even his fault. You reached up and wiped the tears that trailed down his cheek.

“Come on,” you said. “Let’s go inside,” you pulled him along, hurrying back to his house before Violet realized that the two of you had gone. The two of you were supposed to be in the study so Violet could keep an eye on you, but as soon as she left to go tend to something else, the two of you ran off. 

And now you were going to be in big trouble and Teddy’s arm was detached. Things were not looking good for you at the moment. You were heartbroken that your treasured stuffed animal was torn away, but you supposed that you couldn’t actually blame Benedict because it had been an accident. 

He grabbed your hand and the two of you rushed towards his house just as the rain was letting up. You were both in a panic that you were going to get in trouble, but if you were being honest, that was the least of your worries. You were just so concerned about Teddy and how you were going to fix him. He had given you so much emotional support over the years and there was no way you could just give him up. He was so special and one of the only things you had left of your parents.

“Y/n, I am so sorry, please forgive me.” You could barely hear Benedict over your heavy breathing, but you nodded your head. He already apologized once so you didn’t see why he felt the need to do it again. 

“Benny, I promise it’s fine,” you gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as you got back to the Bridgerton home, feeling like you had gotten there in the blink of an eye. You rushed up the steps to the back door and hurried to the study, grateful to see that Violet hadn’t come back in. 

Just as you were about to head inside, the two of you felt a presence behind you, followed by someone clearing their throat. You turned around and came face to face with Edmund who eyed the both of you suspiciously. 

You hadn’t spent as much time with him as you had with Violet, but he was always so nice to you, sneaking biscuits for you and the other children before dinner time when his wife had turned her back. You could see how close Benedict was with him and could definitely see a lot of his father in him. Whenever you saw the two of them together, you could perfectly see just how alike they were, both in looks and personality. 

“Went out for a little stroll in the storm, hm?” Edmund asked with a little chuckle. You felt relief rush through you that he was the one who had caught you. He would have never ratted you out and you felt safe knowing that he was going to keep your secret safe. 

Edmund eyed the bear in your hand and the arm in your other one. He slowly reached for the bear and the arm and let him take them, fully trusting that he wouldn’t let anything happen to Teddy. 

“How did this happen?” He asked, genuinely curious, no hint of anger in his voice. 

“He fell in the water,” you replied, your eyes getting watery as you recalled the memory. It was too painful to look back on and you could feel a large lump forming in your throat. 

“No need for the tears, darling,” Edmund assured you. “This is a very easy fix.”

“It is?” You asked, rubbing your eye with your fist.

“Of course,” he grinned. “I’ll lay him out to dry and have him stitched up in no time.” 

“Really?” You asked with a sniff as you continued to wipe your tears away. Edmund just smiled and gave your shoulder a squeeze. He knew just how much Teddy meant to you and wanted to fix him so you could breathe easier. You hadn’t let go of the stuffed animal since your parents had passed so he knew just how important it was to you. 

“Of course he can,” Benedict replied proudly, feeling nothing but pride that he got to call Edmund his father. “He can do anything.” You felt like that was true. Edmund was so talented in so many areas that you felt like he really could do anything imaginable. 

“I don’t think I can do anything, Benny, but I'm pretty close.” Edmund stood to his full height, still smiling down at you with that same reassuring smile. “I’m gonna go lay him out to dry and Benedict will let you borrow one of his furry friends until Teddy is all patched up.” 

With that, Edmund turned down the hall, leaving you and Benedict alone. The boy turned to you and held out his hand which you gratefully took and he led you up the stairs to his room. He was doing a nice thing for you and you knew that you were only borrowing a stuffed animal for the night, but it still felt strange. Almost wrong. You didn’t want to take it from Benedict and there was no other animal that compared to Teddy. 

They didn’t have your father’s nickname or your mother’s perfume that had definitely worn away over the years. There was one that caught your eye, though. It was a white bunny that looked a little worse for wear, but that just added to its charm. You had seen Benedict snuggle with it from time to time and wondered if he’d let you borrow it just for the night. As if he could read your mind, Benedict plucked the plush from his bed and held it out to you, his signature boyish smile plastered on his face. 

“Take it,” he urged, putting the thing in your hands. Since it wasn’t yours, you handled it with care even though it wouldn’t have mattered to Benedict if something had happened to it. He sat down on the end of his bed and patted the spot next to him, inviting you to join him. 

He turned to you, his green eyes filled with nothing but warmth as he laid his hand on the bed, his palm facing you, an invitation to take it. You slowly slipped yours into it and his fingers wrapped around it, warm and gentle just like him. He didn’t say anything, the gesture doing all the talking. His hand in yours was like a hug, as if he was whispering that everything was going to be alright. That he was there for you every step of the way. And he was going to be. At least, he hoped he would. To Benedict, his life wasn’t nearly as enjoyable until you came around. 

Sure, he could draw or paint or play with his siblings, but you were the one thing that he never got bored of. And the same went for you. Yes, you played with the other Bridgerton children, but Benedict just understood you in a way that the others didn’t. You could easily communicate with each other with just a look, almost as if you could read each other’s minds. 

And you weren’t sure how you would have gotten through the loss of your parents without him. He was there for you every step of the way. Your darkest days and your cheerful ones, he was there through it all, offering his hand for you to hold through it all. He was the sun that shone through all of the gray. 

“Thank you, Ben,” you said and he squeezed your hand in return. Three times just like always. He had done it the first time at your parents’ funeral, not to take attention, but just to simply show you that he was there for you when he didn’t have the words. And a lot of the time, he didn’t. They would get tangled on his tongue and it would most times just come out like gibberish. Benedict definitely liked to show, not tell.

“Of course,” he nodded. “I’d do anything for you.” You didn’t seem to grasp the weight of his words because all you did was nod, knowing that he cared for you, but not quite understanding in what way. And he didn’t mind that. He didn’t even understand what he had meant himself. All he knew was that was what you said to people that you cared about. 

“And I’d do the same for you. You’re…” you paused, trying to find the right words to say. “You’re my best friend, Benny.” Benedict beamed at that, his cheeks turning the brightest shade of pink. He supposed that was the perfect description for your relationship since neither of you ever seemed to put a label on it, loving the way it rolled off your tongue.

“You’re my best friend too.” You smiled back at him, a toothy one as you embraced, his bunny between the two of you, but still squeezing tight, sealing your newfound label with a hug. 

You stayed like that for a while, enveloping yourselves in each other, feeling the need to held on as long as you could, him wanting to show you how sorry he was for the events of the day and you, to show him that all was forgiven, that you really did know that it was an accident and that Edmund would have it fixed in the morning. 

You pulled away first as you realized that you should have been getting home for dinner, but not quite wanting to leave. You loved your aunt and uncle, but there was something so cold in the air at their house. Even though you had been living there for quite some now, it still didn’t feel like home. It was simply just a house. A house that was only supposed to be a place for a temporary stay, but now you were stuck there until you were married, or in the worst scenario, dead. 

Your room always felt cold, the last moment you had with your parents always on your mind. When you were there, it projected onto the walls, playing out over and over again on a tortuous, continuous loop. The memory of your aunt sobbing on the floor in the foyer had trapped you in its cage, her sobs still haunting your dreams. 

And your relationship with Eleanor and Gabriel had strained when they realized that they had to take full custody of you. They did it with smiles on their faces, but you could hear their hushed whispers when they thought you were out of ear shot. How they didn’t have the means to take care of a child and that was why they hadn’t tried for one in the first place. Of course, they weren’t blaming your nor your parents for what had happened, but you could tell that your relationship with them would never be the same because of it. 

“You can stay,” Benedict whispered, pulling you out of your thoughts, taking your hand in his once again. You could see the look in his eyes. The one that always got you into trouble. One look into them and you knew you’d do exactly what he said. But you couldn’t. Not this time. 

“I really can’t, Benny,” you whispered back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow,” he nodded and your hand slipped out of his before you headed to the door, Benedict watching the whole way, wondering what he was going to do with the ache in his heart that formed every time you went away. 

-

Rain pattered against the window as you tossed and turned in your bed, your eyes shutting tight as the same nightmare played in your head. It happened every night without fail, storm or not, disrupting your sleep, making it almost impossible for you to get any rest. 

It was always the same, the rocky waves, as the storm rumbled in the background, the carriage that held your parents, breaking into pieces, floating on the water along with your parents’ lifeless bodies as the waves carried them, watching them slowly sink to the bottom.

You woke up screaming, your breath getting heavy as you tried to catch it, feeling your throat constrict. Tears streamed down your cheeks as you hugged Bunny to your chest, slowly sinking into your bed as a branch knocked on your window loudly, thunk, thunk, thunk.

You shut your eyes tight, hoping that this was part of the nightmare, but when you opened them, it was all very real, very terrifying. Your eyes widened as you tried to keep them open, not letting sleep claim you once again. There was no way you could sleep again knowing what was waiting for you as soon as you closed your eyes. 

The door to your room opened gently and you stirred as a shadowy figure approached you, sitting up in your bed and holding out Bunny as a weapon as if he was actually a weapon. As they got closer, you realized it was just Fiona, letting out a sigh as she came to sit next to you on the bed. Without a word, she pulled you into her chest, smoothing your hair as she did so. This was a nightly routine, so you weren’t sure why you were always so surprised when she showed up. 

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “It was all just a bad dream.” It was and it wasn’t. It was because it wasn’t actually happening before your eyes, but it wasn’t because it actually did happen at one point in time. Your parents really did die, maybe and hopefully not that graphically, but you figured the nightmare was close enough to what had actually happened.

As if you didn’t already think about it almost every minute of every day, the memories came to haunt you in horrific visions as soon as your head hit the pillow. Even worse when it stormed, the rain always making the whole thing far worse. 

And the thing was, you used to love the rain. Preferred it, actually. The way it was like a lullaby that helped you get to sleep when you couldn’t. You liked to run out into it when you were old enough to do so and now you couldn’t even enjoy it because it was tainted with the worst of memories, the one that haunted your every moment. 

“Do I need to get Lady Watson?” She asked, getting up from the bed, but you pulled her back down, not wanting to be alone just yet. 

“Please don’t,” you whispered, unsure if she could hear you over the rain hitting the house mixing with the howling winds. 

“I won’t,” she shook her head, continuing to stroke your hair. “But I’ll only stay until you’ve fallen asleep, okay?” You nodded and shut your eyes, cuddling Bunny closer to your chest, wishing that it was Benedict who you were holding onto. There was something about his touch that instantly made the anxiety melt away. 

The stormy night quickly turned into a sunny morning, almost as if it hadn’t happened, the only remnants being the muddy grass in the garden. You woke up to see that Fiona wasn’t there just like she said she wouldn’t have been and slowly got out of bed, letting your feet hit the floor as you sat and contemplated. 

You could have gone to have breakfast with Eleanor and Gabriel, but knowing that the Bridgertons were just down the street and that your presence would actually be welcome made dining with them sound much more enjoyable. 

You could just imagine them all laughing together, genuinely enjoying each other’s company. You had only had tea with them so you weren’t exactly sure how their meals went, but you just knew that they enjoyed every second of it. You always knew that you would have been welcome if you had gone over there, but something about it didn’t feel right. You weren’t a Bridgerton, so you didn’t know what right you had to have breakfast with them without an invitation.

With dread for the meal, you let Fiona help you get dressed into your favorite dress as she just knew that you wanted to wear it. Funny how your maid seemed to know you better than your own family.

“How lovely of you to join us,” Eleanor greeted you with a smile, but something in her tone sounded sarcastic and made you feel unwanted. Gabriel didn’t even acknowledge your presence, eating his breakfast, not even bothering to look your way, almost as if you hadn;t even existed. 

He wouldn’t admit it, but Gabriel was beginning to despise you. You were the reason why his brother, his only family, had been dead after all. And he hated feeling that way, hating his blood, a child. A child that really was innocent in all of this, but from the beginning, he hadn’t liked you. Hadn’t liked your mother either. 

Elizabeth had been the bane of the man’s existence the moment she got engaged to Theodore. He was the one she promised she would be with for the rest of his life and then his brother, his stupid brother came in and swept her off her feet, leaving Gabriel with no one. And looking at you, seeing your father’s eyes, he felt the anger every time, so it was best to just not look at you at all. The best way to forget about the pain he went through.

But now all he felt was guilt. The anger he had towards his brother was something held onto until Theo took his last breath, something that would always eat him alive. Make him feel absolutely sick to his stomach every single moment of every single day. Something that would haunt him for the rest of his life because he couldn’t even man up for a single second to say the word “I’m sorry” and now it was too late. There was nothing he could do but let the guilt lock him away in its torturous cage for the rest of his time. And Gabriel supposed that was what he deserved. 

You hesitantly sat at the table as you were served your breakfast, which consisted of every food you could have possibly imagined. It was still something that was odd to you since your family didn’t have a lot, especially when it came to food. Seeing the table covered in the stuff almost made you feel out of place, like you didn’t belong. 

You nibbled at your toast as a cup of hot chocolate was poured for you, your aunt's voice filling the room again. You felt bad for tuning her out, but you still couldn’t seem to shake the nightmare from the night before. It felt more real than the others, almost as if you had actually been there. Almost as if you could have reached out and-

“Y/n?” Eleanor asked and your head shot up, dropping your toast as if you had been caught doing something that you shouldn’t have. She just smiled, something to attempt to put you at ease, but it didn’t. You still felt cold, like the storm was going to come and take you away too. 

“Hm?” You asked, finally giving her your full attention. She patted each corner of her mouth with ehr napkin and set it on her plate to let one of the servants know she was done eating. She then cleared her throat, as if she was going to make a big announcement.

“The Bridgertons have invited you over this morning,” she said before taking a sip of her tea. “Something about Betty?” She asked, furrowing her eyebrows as if she was trying to recall exactly what was relayed to her. 

“Teddy,” you corrected. 

“Right,” she nodded. “Teddy. After breakfast, Gabriel and I-” her words were cut off by her husband clearing his throat. “I’m sorry, I will escort you over there so you can retrieve Teddy.” With that, she excused herself from the table and Gabriel was quick to follow, not wanting to be left alone with you. You rushed to finish your breakfast, the things that had scared you only moments prior quickly fading away as you were only minutes away from being reunited with your furry companion. 

-

You skipped up to the Bridgertons front door and were let inside immediately, being led to the study where Benedict and Edmund were sitting. You barely even noticed them as your beloved bear came into view. He was sitting on Benedict’s lap, looking just as good as when you got him. And his arm was sewn back on, just like Edmund had promised. You could feel tears welling up in your eyes as Benedict held him out to you. 

You took him and squeezed him tight, promising that you would have never left him again. Not if you had anything to do with it. You couldn’t bear being apart from him, the ache too much, the feeling just as devastating as losing your parents as that was the only thing you had left of them.

You then noticed there was a scent to him. One that was very familiar. You would have recognized it anywhere. Your mother’s perfume. But how did Benedict know which one it was? How did he know that was one of the many reasons why you kept it so close? Because it was like you were hugging her every time you inhaled, almost like she was right there. 

You stepped over to Edmund and wrapped your small arms around him, your head resting against the middle of his stomach as you gave him a tight squeeze, a thank you for the nice thing he had done for you, a girl he barely even knew, just because she was friends with his son.

“Oh,” he said in surprise, then let out a chuckle before wrapping his arms around you, giving your back a light pat. 

“Thank you,” you said as you pulled away and he nodded, a smile kicking up at the corners of his lips. 

“You’re very welcome,” he nodded. “But I can’t take all the credit. Benny here,” he nudged his son with his arm. “Did most of the work. The perfume was his touch.” You turned to the boy, his cheeks turning pink as the attention was on him. 

You stepped in front of him, hugging Teddy to your chest as you did so. No one outside your family had ever done anything like that for you. Not that you had anyone until now, but Benedict clearly had a soft spot for you, wanting to do whatever he could to make you feel more comfortable. That seemed to be his number one priority ever since you came into his life. 

You pulled Benedict into your arms, squeezing him ever tighter than Edmund, he was quick to return it with the same amount of energy, squeezing you just as tight. And that was when Edmund decided to make himself scared, wanting to give you two a moment. 

You were so grateful, so overwhelmed with happiness that you weren’t even thinking about what you did next. You pressed your lips to his cheek in a brief kiss, not able to see his eyes widening as you did so. But the moment was over before he could fully process it and you pulled away just in time to see his cheeks turn bright red. He was absolutely adorable. 

“Thank you, Benny,” you smiled at him and the boy was damn near close to melting at the sight of it. He would do anything if it meant you smile like that again. He loved the look on you and really wished you would have done it more often, but he understood why you didn’t very often. It was something that you saved just for him, a private thing just between the two of you. 

“Of course, y/n,” he nodded, unsure of how he could even get the sentence out since he was still flustered from your kiss. He could still feel the ghost of your lips on his cheek and he swore to himself right then that he was never going to wash it again. 

You stared at him, wanting to keep the moment light, knowing that if he stared at you like that any longer, you’d be in tears. 

“Tag, you’re it,” you said with a giggle and Benedict was immediately snapped into the real world, no longer thinking about your lips, watching you race down the room. He just touched his cheek briefly, soaking in the moment before taking off after you, knowing exactly where you’d end up. 

He found you in the garden, underneath the giant willow tree, waiting for him. When you weren’t chasing each other around the garden, you liked to sit under the tree and color or play games, your own little spot that hid you from the world, a place for just the two of you. 

He raced over to you, planting himself right next to where you were sitting, scooting over to there was a place for Teddy to sit between the two of you. Benedict didn’t like how much he wanted to scoot closer to you, to take your hand in his to…kiss you. A featherlight peck just to know what it felt like. He wanted to do so many things with you. Things that even at his young age, he knew that friends didn’t do. 

And when you looked at him, all sweet like that, he felt so special. Like you saved that look just for him. He was not accepting that he was harboring a giant crush on you. And the thing was, admitting it to himself only made him feel worse. He was crushing on his best friend, his best friend who was completely oblivious who had absolutely no interest in him. But, as long as you were in his life, Benedict didn’t care what you were to him. And as far as he was concerned, you were there for the long haul. To stay, until death did you part. 

[rileyslibrary]

Meal, Under-the-Stars

Summary: Simon’s inability to show affection irritates you. Until Valentine’s Day arrives.

Relationship: Simon “Ghost” Riley x F!Reader

Word Count: 1,360

Notes:

angst/fluff

*sighs* it’s almost Valentine’s so *gestures aggressively at the fic*

i made sure it’s the least amount of cringe, pinky promise

Want more?

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You collapse in your bus seat, travelling home after another long day at the office. The chair feels too stiff, and the ride is too bumpy. That’s what you get for missing your bus and taking a different route. Damn it. Your neck is tense from the hours of hunching over the computer, and a pulsing pain has settled behind your eyes, threatening to rip your skull apart. As if your physical agony wasn’t enough, the bus’s noises aren’t helping. Without your headphones, you’re left to suffer in silence and listen to the people around you.

The two women in front of you talk nonstop about their upcoming Valentine’s Day plans. The first, with a smug look, reveals how her boyfriend has planned a romantic getaway to Europe. You can almost hear the silent “aren’t I lucky?” that hovers at the end of her sentence. Her friend humbly brags back about her partner taking her to a jewellery store where she can pick out whatever she wants. You suppress a groan and roll your eyes instead.

You turn to your left. Your attention is drawn to a man whose face is concealed by a towering bouquet of flowers. The sight of him and the enormous gift next to him makes you wonder. Could it be chocolates? The package seems too bulky for that. Lingerie maybe? It looks too heavy for delicate lace. Perhaps it contains the embodiment of his love for his significant other, ripped from his soul and transformed into a tangible form, you ponder sarcastically.

The image of Capitalism, dressed in a three-piece tailored suit and hat, sitting on a throne made of kitschy teddy bears, comes to mind. He sips a glass of wine made from rose petals and sneers at the spectacle before him: people spending their hard-earned money on unnecessary gifts and experiences, all in the name of love. When did a simple and sincere “I love you” become insufficient? When did it become necessary to spend a fortune on extravagant trips, sparkling diamonds, and wrapped boxes filled with empty promises? Did your grandparents go to such lengths to express their affection, or is this just the plague of your generation?

And why does this all bother you so much? Could it be that Simon’s inability to express his affection for you is causing your bitterness? You recall Aesop’s fable about the fox and the grapes. Like the fox, you cannot grasp what you want, so you try to convince yourself that what others have is, like the grapes, sour. Admit it: you’re envious of those who are happily celebrating Valentine’s Day, surrounded by love and affection, while you’re on your way home to a strained relationship, where love is shown through practical acts like fixing the thermostat or reminding you to take an umbrella on a potentially rainy day.

You knew he was reserved and guarded the moment you met him. “A mystery wrapped in a balaclava”, you used to jokingly call him. It took months of building rapport and earning his trust before he finally revealed his face to you. But, despite this, you find yourself wanting more. Wasn’t this enough? Get a grip, sweetheart; Valentine’s Day is for the rest of the world, not you two.

As the bus pulls to a stop, you rise from your seat and step off, feeling heavy and reluctant as you make your way home. The weight of your expectations slows your pace as if you are afraid to face reality—that the love you seek may not be the love he is capable of giving...

You reach the front steps, the cool metal of the key turning in your hand as you unlock the door. You push it open, the emptiness inside greeting you like an old friend. Something on the floor catches your attention; military bags and tactical gear are neatly arranged near the entrance. You look across the kitchen table to see a map with checkmarks on it. Has he been summoned for a mission and forgotten to tell you? No, it cannot be; this is far worse than you expected.

As you make your way down the hall, the noise coming from the bedroom fills the silence. The door is slightly ajar, and you push it open to find him standing before you, freshly showered and wrapped in a crisp white towel from the waist down. Droplets of water cling to his damp hair, with strands hanging over his forehead. His towering stature is imposing, his muscles resembling those of a Greek statue carved by a master artist. Like faded memories of battles fought, scars are dotted across his body, each telling a tale of modern warfare.

He smirks as you enter the room, but you can’t help the flare of anger that rises within you.

“You’re late,” he says, continuing to dry himself.

How dare he.

“Traffic,” you respond, trying to steady your voice. “Where are you going?”

“We are going,” he corrects you nonchalantly.

Huh?!

“W-we?” you stammer. “Simon, where are we going?”

“Out,” he says with a smirk.

You frown at him. You’re exhausted—tired of work, tired of the long trip back home, tired of his mysterious demeanour. You need answers—complete, coherent, straightforward answers—and you need them fast. Now.

“Care to explain further, Simon?” you ask, trying to compose yourself.

“We're going camping,” he says as he starts putting on his gear.

Your heartbeat quickens. Suddenly the grapes are not sour anymore. They seem sweet again.

“So, camping, huh?” you ask with a cheeky grin. “Why?”

“Don’t make me say it,” he says sternly. “I’ve seen enough atrocities to know what today is.”

“You never struck me as the romantic sort, Mr Riley,” you reply.

“Oh, but I am romantic, my love,” he corrects you. “Just not the cliché type.”

But, of course! That’s why you fell for him in the first place. He’s not your typical guy. He may not serenade you, but he’ll fix things with his own hands. And he won’t kneel on one leg to recite poetry, but he’ll ensure you’re warm, safe, and fed.

Fed. Food. Did he think about food?

“I’ll prepare something quick to take with us,” you tell him.

“No need to,” he replies. “I’ve prepared an outstanding variety of MREs for us.”

What a guy.

“What about me?” you ask pointing at his gear. “I don’t have the appropriate clothing for this.”

He looks amused. “That’s weird,” he comments. “I’m sure I saw something at the entrance earlier today.”

You stare at him, confused, dash to the front door, and inspect the gear you saw earlier. To your surprise, it’s all your size.

You slip into the gear, feeling its weight and texture against your skin. The material is rugged yet flexible, allowing you to move easily. You run your hand over the pockets, checking to ensure everything is in place, before returning to the bedroom.

As you enter, Simon looks up from his bag, and his gaze travels down your form. You stand tall and proud; sure, you’re still tired and in pain, but at least you’re happy. You twirl for him to get a better look.

He nods his approval with a smile. “You look like a proper camper,” he says jokingly. “I had no idea you had it in you.”

“Come on, Simon!” You shout, fists clenching at your sides as you stand in the doorway. “It’s Valentine’s Day,” you implore, your voice growing softer. “At least say something nice.”

He regards you, his lips curling upward in amusement. “Alright, alright,” he says, holding up his hands in surrender. “You want something nice?” He asks, and you nod, smiling.

“You got it.” He steps closer, towering over you, and gazes down with warm and tender eyes. “You look beautiful,” he says. “Absolutely stunning.”

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[jewbeloved]

How would the guys confess to you on Valentine's Day 💌

Note: This is 3 days late I know, I was on a writers block and I was having a fever and I kept throwing up in the progress while my stomach hurted and I missed a day to go to school on Wednesday to do my test because of that. And now I got a massive headache, everything is just spinning at once I can't take it anymore. 😭

Warnings: Absolutely none.

Characters used: The main boys.

Gender: Neutral

💙 Stan Marsh 💠

Man wants to confess to you on Valentine's Day, he literally be eyeing his calendar and keeping track of the days leading up to Valentine's Day.

But when the day actually comes?

Oh sh!t, he's already in a panic. He doesn't know what to give to you or how to even approach you in general to confess.

He went to Kyle for advice and even practicing his confession for you with him. He knows Valentine's Day can be a really special day for your friends and s/os.

He doesn't want to mess up or make things awkward by vomiting all over you like how he did when he was with Wendy :(

He probably might go with basic presents such as: chocolate, teddy bear, etc.

He will confess to you behind the school just in case his confession goes up in flames and he doesn't want other people to see.

"Uhm, Hi..(Name)...I know it's Valentine's Day and all....and I was just wondering if you wanted to be my valentine...". 💙💙💙💙💙💙

💚 Kyle Broflovski ☘️

Jews aren't supposed to have valentines-

Just kidding.

But seriously though every time this boy has a love interest it always ends up in a complete dumpster fire for him. (Not Cartman being the man cause for it anyways).

You and him have been good friends for a good couple of months and Valentine's Day has finally arrived.

This is his moment to shine and he won't let anyone ruin it for him, not even the fatass-.

He already got a big 4ft sized teddy bear with a heart box that has your favorite candy or sweet inside it. He also got you both matching outfits to wear if you accept his confession.

He probably might want to confess to you in the park near a big tree. (Yeah, classic romance confessions)

Please accept this boy's confession, it will literally make him the happiest jew in south park.

"Hi (Name)! I hope nobody else has confessed to you...or maybe they have. But I just wanted to ask you if you could be my valentine for this holiday".

❤️ Eric Cartman 🔥

Cartman is mysteriously preping for something and not being an ass as his usual routine?

I wonder what's on his mind.........probably you.

He obviously doesn't know what to get you for Valentine's Day and he probably doesn't care so he will just get whatever he feels you might like. He forced his mom to buy the presents though! :3

He probably wants to confess to you because you're the only person besides his mom who puts with his psychotic behavior and rude nature.

And probably because you don't make fun of him for being fat😭

The confession will be in his room because he doesn't want the guys ripping on him for having a soft spot for you.

He will confess in the mostly lazily and cheesy way in the first half before actually being honest with his confession.

"So it's Valentine's Day huh? This makes me feel like I am gay if I was doing this for the guys, but since it's just only you (Name), I don't mind it. As anyone would tell their s/o, will you be my valentine?".

🧡 Kenny Mccormick 🧸

He's poor asf how do you think he can afford even a gift for you?

He feels so sad at the times you give him something and he can't gift you anything in return due to him being the poorest kid in south park.

So instead of buying something, he tries to make a homemade gift for you with whatever he can find (He cleans the material he's using if he finds something useful out of the trash).

Definitely sneaked around alleyways and stole some spare changes from homeless guys so he can use it to at least get you a candy or snack he can afford.

Same as Kyle, he will confess to you in the park while bringing the homemade gifts and snacks he got you.

He wanted this confession to be special like the holiday itself so he took a bath in the river (without soap) and fixed up in his hair a little, not a lot though.

He decided to wear his Princess Kenny outfit afterwards.

"Mmmmm...mmmphmmmmhmmphmmmmmmmmhmmp!" (Im sorry Name...I know this isn't much since I'm poor and I can't gift the same amount you do for me and my family, but it's the least I could to repay my gratitude! Will you be my valentine?).

A new banner for my new south park Masterlist that I will be making soon.