#the stupid gay party event

[alteredsilicone]

(checks news) Dons got into the Eurovision final, good for him!

[halfdeadfriedrice]

this has now reminded me of the time i headed up the events committee of the lgbtq+ org in college but literally only because no one wanted to do it, and we did 2 things; cleaned up after basketball games to get money and threw a big drag show in one of the auditoriums. and i did So much work on the drag show, from getting the space booked, getting the volunteer cops to come, getting the organizers in line, communicating about set lists and with people, and the main other helper was just on the committee (actually made the set list and did the DJing i think); and then my VP helped run the day of-setup, which was great, because i have no sense for delegation and we had so many people ready to help, and she had done the decoration shopping.

and at the end of the night, drunk on the success and helping shove speakers and stuff into cars (which i had organized borrowing from the theater dept), one of my co-presidents of something told me i hadn't done anything and my VP had done all the work (to be fair, i think i was probably being snide about her at the time because she sucked and i didn't like her) and after that i think i had basically no interest in the group anymore which was good because it was the end of the year

[acowardinmordor]

Risk and Reward

Steddie-adjacent. Tw: homophobia

I always love fics where Steve makes himself Eddie’s alibi while Eddie is still unconscious/in a coma. Knows that it will work because he knows in this town there is no way anyone would believe that Steve Harrington would come out if it wasn’t real. No one would believe it, because everyone knows that his parents are always gone, because his dad is in Congress railing against the gays and their depravity and how they deserve to die and burn.

Steve saying it. Signing an affidavit about it. Giving quotes to the ravenous press. It has to be true. And everyone who doesn’t think it’s disgusting think it’s the most romantic thing in the world.

The government was stepping in, all eyes were pointed at Munson, and he was going to be thrown in a cell for life. Or, to save the cost of the trial, he would have vanished somewhere between the hospital and the prison.

Steve coming out stops that. Airtight alibi, reinforced by the knowledge that there will be consequences.

Eddie is safe, and the government has changed tactics, is blaming dead Jason Carver for it all. Eddie wakes up six weeks later, shocked to wake up at all, and trusts his uncle enough to play along. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were dating the Harrington kid?’ Eddie knows how to tell a story that leaves space for a player to fill in their side. He tells stories about little moments and always describes things from his perspective. That way, if it contradicts the story that’s already out there, he can make a find quip about how he remembers it different.

When he finally gets a moment alone with his uncle, two days later, his guess gets confirmed. Wayne knows damn well that Eddie’s gayer than a maypole, and also knows that Eddie has called Steve his nemesis for years. Wayne knew from the second Steve said it that it was a lie, and knew it would work if it was believed.

The only thing confusing Eddie - well, the only thing in this tiny slice of his world - is why his fake boyfriend/no-longer-nemesis, isn’t in the hospital too, playing the part. If the guy was willing to say it at all, then he’d go all in. If there was one thing Eddie’d learned during those days, it was that Steve only ever did something at 100%

And yes, part of him feels terrible that Steve did this just to save him. He feels awful knowing that this is going to ruin a chance for a normal life. Wayne said the Indianapolis paper picked up a story about it. But at the same time, he’s so fucking grateful. Steve saved him. Again. And now, at least for a while, they’ll need to keep up the story. He’ll get to hang out with him, pretend they’re dating, stand close and cuddle closer. He also feels bad about how excited he is for that chance.

It’s the next morning when Eddie realizes his uncle dodged every question about why Steve wasn’t here. Wayne dodged almost every question after explaining what happened with Steve and the press and the Feds in the first weeks. Then, nothing.

The party visits him that afternoon, a veneer of joy stretched thin over something worse. Eddie’s first guess is that Red didn’t make it. But he hears her a moment later, complaining about ‘these stupid casts slowing me down’. The kids aren’t as good at dodging as Wayne is. Eddie gets the story quickly, such as it is.

The Harringtons came home from DC, gave a few speeches in praise of law enforcement against a serial killer. They visited the families of those that died.

They sent an assistant to find Steve in the hospital to deliver a message. No one else heard it, but the best guess is that it was a threat. Steve went with the assistant. They haven’t seen him since. When Dustin confronted the Harringtons at their last event in town, all they’d say was that ‘our son is getting the best help, and we love him dearly’

Eddie looks at Robin when he hears that for what it is. She drops the kids back home and begs a sympathetic nurse to let her talk to Eddie past visiting hours.

“It’s been a month since he vanished”

“Where?”

“We don’t know, we tried, even Hopper - he’s not dead - couldn’t find him. And this guy named Murray. We don’t know.”

“But…. ‘The best help’. You know that means…”

“I know”

“He’s, Christ, Buckley, he’s straight. Ladykiller. He’s straight and they sent him to some—“

“Yeah, but Eddie… I don’t know if I should… I guess, not that it matters now, and he never said anything, but he’s my best friend. He’s my soulmate. I know him and I think… if his dad wasn’t like he is… if he’d ever felt safe saying so… he knew they’d be furious when he came forward as your alibi, but he told me they’d just disown him, and it would be over. He was scared, but he was okay with what he thought was going to happen”

“I thought he hates me”

“He kinda did”

“Not anymore?”

“No.” There’s a pause where they both think about where Steve might be right now.

“Maybe he hates me again now.”

“I don’t think he would, but…”

And Eddie thinks how weird it is to see spastic Robin Buckley, who rambled in the Upside Down and always had more energy that she could contain, acting so subdued. No. So broken.

They both heard the Harringtons’ speeches and ads when he ran for office. They know what the man thinks about people like them. They both heard stories about what the places are like, where someone can go to ‘get help’

“Do you think I’ll ever get to thank him?”

“No.”

“Do you think we’ll ever see him again? You and the kids at least?”

She’s quiet for a long time, before she picks up her bag.

“If he ever gets to leave wherever they put him, and we ever see him, I don’t think he’ll be the person we knew anymore.”

[eddywoww]

Listen

Steve as a frat boy who would obviously clearly very much never look at another boy and he has a crush on this girl who’s bi and Robin is like yeah I don’t think you’re her type at all but Steve is Steve and he keeps trying to charm her and it isn’t working, so he’s like hey Robin can I please come to your queer alliance meeting bc she’s gonna be there and I want to show her I’m an ally

And Robin is like I Don’t Think That’s What Being An Ally Is, Steve. With the blandest look on her face but she lets him come with her anyway because she thinks it could be entertaining and god knows watching Steve strike out is FUNNY

so Steve goes to a little introduction night for new members with her and he meets the “board” and their president is this like, guy. This guy who is unfortunately pretty in a way that Steve isn’t used to. And he wears all these rings and eyeliner and he’s so loud and boisterous and funny and Steve can see the girl HE likes watching THIS fucking guy and he just deflates because like yeah, of course. Of course Steve isn’t interesting enough here at college. He’s just like every other frat guy in existence and he doesn’t even know how to step out of his carefully constructed comfort zone

Cut to Steve holding a grudge against Eddie but still coming to events. Standing around with his arms crossed, all grumpy and pissed off because the girl he likes won’t even look at him and of course she’s always watching Eddie because everyone is always watching Eddie

And then one day Eddie confronts him but it’s not actually a confrontation. He just walks up to him at a party and goes “You know I’m gay, right? Like gay-gay. Like very into men, not into *insert girls name here*” and Steve is stunned and doesn’t know what to say. So he doesn’t say anything. No. He panics and runs out of the party and avoids Eddie for an entire week.

A week of over thinking. Because Eddie is gay. Which shouldn’t be shocking but Steve hadn’t been paying attention at their intros, he’d been too distracted by the stupid eyeliner. Which should have been an indication in the first place, really. He starts thinking about Eddie and then he can’t stop thinking about Eddie.

Until Robin invites Steve out to a nightclub and she’s being shady about it but Steve doesn’t even ask because he’s too stressed about his own thoughts to even realize but then he gets to her dorm and several people are there and one of those people is Eddie and he’s getting ready, laughing with all these girls and- and he offers to put eyeliner on Steve. Gets him up on the tiny bathroom counter with the door closed, the girls listening to music and shouting just beyond. And Eddie makes him stay very still, pencils the eyeliners on with gentle hands. Smiling at Steve, close enough to smell his cologne.

“Didn’t think you’d go for this,” Eddie says, quirking the funniest smile at Steve. It feels like a challenge, so-

“I’m very adventurous,” Steve says without thinking. Eyes blinking open a moment later to Eddie smirking at him. “That’s not- I didn’t mean-“

“Oh no, go on. How adventurous are you, Stevie?” Eddie asks, recapping his pencil. “Adventurous enough to stop being weird around me?”

“I’m not weird around you,” Is what Steve chooses to say. With all the air of a cornered animal, panicking for zero reason. Eddie raises an eyebrow and Steve deflates. “I’m not. You just- you intimidate me. That’s all.”

Eddie looks surprised, shocked maybe.

“And why’s that?” He asks. And it sucks because then Steve starts spilling his guts out to Eddie, right there in Robins tiny bathroom.

“You’re just- you’re confident and you wear these clothes that I don’t think I could ever get away with and everyone listens to you and watches you and flocks to you and I’m kind of just, like. Here, you know? Like I’m not as bright as you. A lot of people aren’t as bright as you.”

Eddie watches Steve for a beat. Really stares into his fucking soul.

“That’s stupid,” He says, smiling smaller now as he leans both hands in next to Steve’s hips. As he pushes into his space and doesn’t let up. “You’re so bright. It’s almost blinding. I’ve just been waiting for you to actually talk to me.”

“Yeah?” Steve asks quietly because yeah, he can’t think. Eddie is too close. He’s right there, leaning into Steve.

He mutters, “Yeah.” And finally kisses him. As it turns out, Steve wasn’t that interested in that girl at all.

[lauren-ce]

"A Nightmare at Green Lake" is a Queer Coming-Out Story

[This essay has a PDF version; the images are crisper there]

I'm probably nine months late to this particular party, but I just finished the excellent Reverse: 1999 event "A Nightmare at Green Lake" and wanted to make a case for reading it as a story about coming out, focusing on Blonney and her repressed sexuality. It's a love letter to horror films, and a love letter to girls that love girls. Crucially, it is more the latter than the former; Green Lake is a coming-out story that uses the horror film trappings as a storytelling device, not a hard and fast rule. Spoilers for the entire event.

(All my screenshots are taken from this video, which does a wonderful job capturing the entire event.)

The inciting incident in Green Lake began years before. Jennifer visits the camp regularly as a child, writing horror stories in her diary and reading them to Jessica, who loves them. Then, Jennifer suddenly has to move away, and thus, the Incident takes place.

Blonney/Jennifer threw her diary into the lake when she was forced to leave, drowning three things:

1). Her horror stories and love of horror

2). Her acceptance of her identity as an Arcanist

3). Her gay-ass self

She joins human society despite being Different and tries to blend in. She changes her name to Blonney, feigns an interest in fashion, and conforms to social norms. "Monstrous and forbidden" becomes a theme in this event which describes horror, but it also describes queer identity (this will be important later). Blonney discards her identity, drowning it in the lake.

Now allow me the rest of this rambling essay to make a point for that third thing (and to make the case that "loving horror" and "being an Arcanist" is the same thing as "being gay"). Throughout the first half of the event, we see Blonney consistently reject her love of horror movies. She calls them cliche and stupid, easy to make and low-class. Despite secretly loving them, she's built up a persona that isn't allowed to like horror.

Yet she takes an awful lot of offense to criticism of her script. . .

Anne, a recent hire to replace a sick member of Blonney's film crew (who is secretly Jessica in disguise), is mistreated by Blonney for being a naive, small-town country bumpkin that doesn't know anything. Within the movie that Blonney is shooting, Anne is typecast as the "Virgin": Christian, unassuming, sheltered, in contrast to Blonney's "Blondie": indulgent, vain, etc.

Oops, are the characters in the fake movie they're shooting maybe perhaps based on their real-world counterparts???

A contrast is drawn between the two by Blonney and the narrative at first. Throughout the rest of the event, the distance between them and their character archetypes will crumble. The important thing to remember is that Anne/Jessica is a representation of everything Blonney has rejected about herself.

As actual horror-movie type events begin to happen to the group, the characters are genre-savvy enough to realize they're in a horror story. The culprit, though this isn't revealed until later, is Anne/Jessica. She's an Arcanist and has been using her shapeshifting abilities to make a horror movie happen to the group. Ironically, the group looks to Anne as the "Last Girl", the pure and unsullied one that will survive the night.

In actuality, this is a false flag. Since Anne is Jessica is the Monster, she can't be the Last Girl.

The Last Girl is actually Blonney:

I spoiled it already, but the viewer doesn't learn until the halfway point that Blonney is actually from the area, having grown up and making frequent visits. This is why she sees herself in Anne, a gay girl from a small town. Game recognize game, gay recognize gay. Blonney uses a fake name for a fake identity. Jessica sees her actual self, and calls her Jennifer. This isn't a deadnaming, Anne/Jessica sees Blonney as she truly is deep down. Though Blonney doesn't realize it, Anne cuts her to her core, which directly leads to her mistreatment.

Anne's peculiar interactions with Blonney are some of the first hints we get of the true narrative: Why is Anne so nice to her, despite the way she's treated? And more importantly, how would Anne, a newcomer to Blonney's film crew, know Blonney's real name/true identity? Blonney certainly never would've told her, she rejects her own identity, after all. This is a big nod to the true workings of the plot. Anne knows more than what she lets on. Why does Blonney not realize that Anne knows more than she should? Because Blonney is actively trying to reject that part of her—she's blind to it. If she were to acknowledge that Anne knows her true self, then the story would already be over.

On top of rejecting her love of horror, Blonney also rejects her identity as an Arcanist. This identity alienates her from her friends—they consider her a peer up until the horror story begins happening to them. The very second it is no longer convenient, they reject her as one of them and other her. The only member of her original film crew that doesn't reject her for being an Arcanist is, you guessed it, Anne.

However much you despise us, many brilliant playwrights are Queer. I mean—"Arcanists".

Horror events continue happening: a butcher chases around members of the group and monsters attack others. Vertin (R1999's main character), along with Horrorpedia, Sonetto, and Tooth Fairy, provide support, killing monsters and moving the plot along. In many of the monsters the groups find notes, pieces of paper that begin to tell a story—stories within the story. Using their knowledge of horror tropes, the main characters stay alive while Blonney's human film crew seemingly perishes at the hands of the various monster assailants.

After one such attack, Tooth Fairy (an Arcanist), gives first aid to Blonney. During the scene the two have a small argument. Tooth Fairy refuses to use Arcanist medicine to treat Blonney, because Blonney sees herself as a human. This gives Blonney a chance at some introspection, her first time opening up during this event.

Even Blonney's blood knows the truth she's suppressed.

All this happens while Tooth Fairy treats her wounds. Interesting that they're on her inner thigh, hmmm? A MILFy doctor rendering first aid to a girl's inner thighs while explaining that she's rejecting her own identity? I'm sure there's nothing to read into here.

As the plot progresses, Anne repeatedly risks her life to save Blonney. She leaps from a car to save her from a monster, and she later kills the butcher that's been chasing them. This earns her Blonney's trust, which leads to the big, plot-turning confession. At the halfway mark, Blonney is able to sit down with Anne/Jessica and confides in her.

A gay awakening ensues: Blonney feels down about her loss of identity, wanting to reclaim her love of horror. Her facade, she explains, is just that. Blonney threw away her identity as a horror-loving Arcanist in an effort to integrate with society. This conversation takes place after a danger has just been defeated, yet is one of the emotional climaxes. Blonney begins to want to accept her true identity. Throughout, Jessica repeatedly praises Blonney, telling her how amazing and wonderful she is, all the while the two cuddle on a couch.

*Does a gay little hair flip after holding hands. "You can be rougher with me, you know."

To her horror, the rest of the group hears. They had this discussion in the same room, after all, but in contrast to Blonney's old friend group, her new friends support her wholeheartedly. Then, Tooth Fairy hands Blonney the symbol of her self-actualization: her diary, which she'd found in the attic (yes, the same diary that had been thrown into the lake!!! Blonney has now retrieved her diary, her love of horror, and her identity as an Arcanist, all the things she threw away as a child.

Blonney retrieves her diary, which represents suppressed homosexuality through multiple metaphors, and achieves self-actualization thanks to her supportive friend group and a girl with a massive crush on her. The Monstrous and Forbidden are now part of her. Now the gay things really step up.

What happens next is a direct result of Blonney coming to terms with her queerness: a woman in a wedding dress shows up and attempts to marry her.

Monstrous and Forbidden, all in one package.

The woman is a zombie (because we're working with horror tropes, yeah?) but the message couldn't be more clear. Blonney has opened up to Anne/Jessica about loving horror (being queer). Now Blonney must face what that means. Consider: the corpse bride searches for her beloved (literally another bride, this could not be more fucking clear). Who is to play bride to the corpse bride? It's Blonney! The corpse bride forces Blonney down and puts a wedding ring onto her finger. The narrative has allowed Blonney to come out—now it will test her resolve.

The corpse bride is a mixed bag of metaphors. Textually, the corpse bride is a character from the horror story written in Blonney's diary. She was killed by her husband and searches for him so she can place the wedding ring back on his finger. Metatextually, the bride represents Jessica: Blonney abandoned her, effectively "killing" her. Now the scorned bride searches for her lost love.

To sum up: Jessica=Corpse Bride:

1). She searches for her lost love every night (Jessica misses Blonney)

2). She wears a hempen collar (brides don't wear collars, but Jessica does)

Blonney rises to the challenge, she defeats the corpse bride with her newfound arcanist powers, and the group pieces together the clues that the bodies carry. Her new friends are proud of her!

Horrorpedia (annoying fuckwad that he is) nicely sums up the message: by embracing their identities, they can fight back.

All the horror story clues lead to the dead body in the water. "But wait," you say, "Green Lake doesn't feature a dead body in the water." Wrong! Blonney was dead all along, remember? The corpse is Blonney's diary! Her dead body is the horror-loving gay self she killed when she threw her diary into the lake to reject her identity!

More plot happens; the story reaches a climax with Blonney using her magic to aid the group's escape from a lighthouse. On the same shore that Blonney first told Jessica all her horror stories, the same shore she killed her identity on, they confront Jessica, now revealed as the Monster. This whole plotline is the result of Blonney rejecting her identity; now is the time to make everything right.

Jessica is proud of Blonney becoming her true self. However, she's also tired of waiting for her. She's tired of being alone. Jessica offers Blonney a life of bliss: a soft bed of moss for them to share, the sweetest forest fruits, and monsters to keep her company.

When Blonney refuses to live at Green Lake forever with her, it's taken as a rejection. A fight ensues—Blonney and her group win, but the emotional arc of the story has yet to resolve.

Blonney has a chance to reject her queer identity once more. She both does and doesn't. Blonney accepts the monstrous and forbidden by accepting Jessica, a literal monster, and her queerness, the Forbidden. She rejects the monstrous and forbidden by asking Jessica to come with her, to rejoin society, to hide their identities as Arcanists (queer) and live together. Jessica rejects this. She will not be closeted. (The fear she feels at being outed as an arcanist is very similar to the fear of being outed as queer in a hostile society, eh?) This of course puts Blonney under duress—how can the story end happily?

Vertin comes in with a grenade of an offer: Jessica can come stay in the St. Pavlov Institute with her and learn to coexist with people like her. She can live with people that don't see her as weird, despite being monstrous (queer), an Arcanist (queer), and a lover of horror (queer). Vertin hasn't done much up to this point outside of moving the plot along and fighting monsters; this is her time to shine, and she shines like the lesbian lodestar we know her to be. Her conversation with Jessica is tinged with language that could easily be read as romantic, but Vertin isn't here to steal anyone's girl, she's here to offer a happy ending for everyone that guarantees the goal of each party is fulfilled. Vertin's presence is what allows this story to ultimately break free from its horror trappings. Her third option is not a compromise; it is the ending we wanted.

And what an ending it is! It's happy and good in every possible way it could be. The happiness of the ending is a large part of why I call this a coming-out story primarily rather than a horror tale. A slasher film like the ones this event draws inspiration from would see Blonney (the true Final Girl) as the only survivor of her group, still running from the monster and her own self. Instead, all her friends survive, having been held captive in Jessica's den. Blonney comes into her own; she and Jessica reconcile—we get the gay end!

Blonney leaves to finish college as a self-actualized queer woman; Jessica acheives her wish of never being alone and joins the institute to gain an education herself. I have no doubt that they will reunite, and soon: the entire plot of R1999 is Vertin recruiting every arcanist she can to ensure their safety from the Storm. Blonney's future leads directly to St. Pavlov. (For further supporting evidence, see her voice line about taking Jessica for a walk! Even before Blonney graduates, they get to be togetherrrrrrrrrrr!)

Even if you don't play R1999, please please check out this event. It has a lot to say, and it's one of my favorite things I've read all year. The soundtrack fucking whips, and it goes far in helping balm the weeping wound of the tragic yuri that is Vertin/Schneider.

Again, give some love to the video that made this document possible.

I've rambled long enough, so I'll let Tooth Fairy wrap this up with a bow: Love Wins

[drdemonprince]

this is going to sound really stupid, but i always thought that queer community meant this very public life, going out to gay places, parties, events, sex. which i have never been able to really participate in (chronically ill/disabled, poor, living in the sticks away from everything). i never considered that things like supporting each other through crap, helping them figure themselves out, navigate the system for resources, get HRT, just hang out together, having each other's back when nobody else has, even banding together so people keep a roof over their head and food to eat all fall under that too (given that my social circle is like... almost entirely not allocishet and has been like that for many years now).

which somehow today's substack made me realize lmao

yeah capitalism has done a number on people. they think community means paying a $25 cover for a club or going to a show for a pop artist. we are so cooked lol. community is just getting to know specific people, having them know you, and having their back.

[hmslusitania]

Either 16 or 21 or both or neither

There was no specified ship, so it ended up being kind of pre-relationship TimKon

The party had been a questionable choice, Tim can admit that now. Nothing says “I’m so totally over a relationship, see how fine I’m doing!” like throwing a Halloween party, drinking a little too much at the sight of his ex-girlfriend making out with her new girlfriend who is, for most purposes, Tim’s sister, and then retreating to the bathroom because his more recent ex-boyfriend had actually taken him up on the invitation and brought a plus one.

Which is why he’s hiding in the bathtub in his own bathroom, not totally shielded from view by the novelty map of Faerûn shower curtain Steph had helped him pick out. At least it matches the elf ears that had seemed like a good idea six hours ago, and at least the porcelain he’s resting his face against is cooling and pleasant.

His relative peace — generally not helped by the thumping of the bass from the stereo in the party beyond his room — is interrupted an unknowable amount of time later by the bathroom door opening without a knock, and then he’s in the company of…

“What are you supposed to be?” Tim asks without lifting his head from the side of the tub.

Kon looks down at his “costume” which includes fingerless gloves, a denim jacket, and a black and red buffalo check shirt.

“Breakfast Club?” Kon prompts.

Tim blinks at him.

“Come on, we watched it for YJ movie night like last month,” Kon reminds him.

“I wasn’t there,” Tim says, miserable, and sags a little farther into the comforting embrace of the side of the tub.

“We were gonna do a whole group thing, right, except we decided you’d for sure have to be Ally Sheedy, not Emilio Estevez or Anthony Michael Hall,” Kon continues, unphased by Tim’s demeanour. “But then Cissie wanted to dress up like Wendy instead, and I’m pretty sure Cassie’s dressed up like me, which is kinda a head trip. And Bart had some whole situation where he can’t make our party because he got roped into babysitting Jai and Irey while they go trick-or-treating, because as screwy as my family might be, only when you’re a member of the West-Allen family do you really get to go babysit your, uh…”

“Second cousins,” Tim supplies.

“Huh, I definitely thought that was gonna be a weirder chain of relationship,” Kon says.

He sits on the bathmat next to Tim’s head and pokes him in the side of the face.

“Stop,” Tim says.

“So is there a particular reason you’re hiding from your own party in your bathroom?” Kon asks.

“I’m bitterly single?” Tim replies.

Kon considers him. “So, I get why you invited Steph, because she’s still for sure one of your best friends, and I’m pretty sure you’re, like, contractually obliged to invite Cass to events, and they’re a matched set. But like… your civilian ex-boyfriend who likes to conspiracy theory about the majority of the rest of your guests?”

Tim groans and shuts his eyes, only to have Kon pry one of them open and stare at him up close.

“I wanted to prove I was, like, mature and evolved and so totally over it,” Tim says, and feels stupid even saying it.

“Which is why you’re drunk in your bathtub, sure, yeah, I get that,” Kon says, and smiles when Tim rolls his eyes.

“You don’t have to be in here being nice to me, you can just like… enjoy the party,” Tim says.

“The party where my ex-girlfriend is dressed up in my clothes and making out with our other very good friend who’s dressed up like my all time fictional crush? That party?” Kon asks, and Tim snorts.

“Do you ever think about the fact you dated two girls named Cassandra and both of them turned out to be gay?” Tim asks.

“With really similar taste in women, also,” Kon adds. “And, like, yeah, every once in a while.”

Tim hums and closes his eyes again, but this time, Kon doesn’t pry his eyes open.

“I know you’re mad at me,” Tim mumbles finally. “You didn’t have to come.”

“I’m not mad at you,” Kon says, and this time the physical botherment he inflicts is tweaking the elf ear Tim had spent a stupid amount of time gluing on. “I was questioning your judgement, which is so not the same thing.”

“Judgement I definitely didn’t improve by throwing this party, right?” Tim guesses. Kon makes a noncommittal noise.

“Like I get that you have a thing for blonds with a penchant for getting into trouble, but…” Kon says.

“Not just blonds,” Tim mumbles before he can think better of it. He blinks when he realises what he’s said and finds Kon staring at him curiously. “I’m really fine, Kon, you can go enjoy the party.”

“Nah,” Kon says, and before Tim can move to stop him, he clambers over the side of the tub to squish into the narrow space between Tim and the shower wall, his combat boots which have a certain authenticity that say they might have been Pa Kent’s from the ’60s clunking against the basin. Kon wriggles his shoulders trying to get comfortable for a second, and then gives up and wraps his arm around Tim. It’s just for the better use of space, Tim’s sure, but it’s… it’s really nice. And when Kon tugs him sideways until Tim rolls over so he’s resting the side of his face on Kon’s chest rather than on the side of the tub, it’s so damn pleasant he can barely stand it. “I’d much, much rather be in here with you.”

It makes Tim’s heart flutter in his chest and he knows Kon can hear that, which is just embarrassing, and which he can only sort of blame on the alcohol.

“Yeah, okay, Bender,” he says, trying desperately to hit annoyed.

Kon gives him a full belly laugh that echoes off the bathroom tile, and squeezes him just a little closer. “I knew you’d seen the Breakfast Club before.”

Tim rolls his eyes and smacks Kon in the stomach with a light, open palm. It gets him another laugh, and maybe, just maybe, this party hadn’t been the worst idea after all.

[dollarstoreartsupplies]

OKAY here is the completely nonserious percy jackson npmd au thats been taking up space in my brain for weeks now because it simply needs somewhere to go:

New campers-

Stephanie Lauter:

I'm not overcomplicating this one: Steph is a daughter of Aphrodite

Solomon Lauter saw the hottest woman at some party where he was campaigning, and he’s is nothing if not ‘passionate’ and successful (by design) so it worked out

As far as Steph knows until her teens her mom ran off on her dad when she was a baby, and that’s fine, she doesn't give a shit, she’s never looked into it

Until, when she’s sixteen (because somehow she’s made it this long) Grace Chasity starts a rumor, her dad sends her to Abstinence Camp and the monster in the woods chases her right into camp halfblood

She gets claimed pretty promptly and Is Not A Fan

She’s thinks it’s pretty sexist and conceited and stupid and problematic for a whileeeee and refuses to look into it any more than ‘pink and pretty and misogynistic’ which like, doesn’t go well for her but she’s nothing if not stubborn

She’s fluent in French because of her mom but she doesn’t know that until she gets to camp and is genuinely so pissed off that the one school subject she thought she was good at isn’t even on her own merit

She’s got some vague appearance manipulation stuff, and once she realizes she does she exclusively uses it to change her hair color and make her eyeliner look good

She’s probably like camp way more if she knew about it earlier but the combo of her had having kept it from her and who her mom is and all the stupid games/worship expectations piss her off and she bails on most of the events/training/campfires out of spite

She definitely uses some close up weapon like a dagger or short sword

Grace Chastity:

Grace is a daughter of Ares 

(Her finding this out goes very poorly)

Im ngl i feel like somehow Ares ended up with Mark Chastity, I refuse to examine this thought but i think Mark Chastity had his first gay experience and woke up the next morning with a baby there somehow because Ares thought it would be hilarious and wanted to see what would happen

She gets chased to camp with Steph from Abstinence Camp and is fucking livid, the whole thing is insanely scareligious and ridiculous and everyone there is going to hell and she is so heated that Ares, once again thinking it’s really funny and slightly proud, claims her on the spot

Grace Chastity is out here with her sacreligious two gay dads

She really resents specifically who her dad is because in her head she is made for peace and love and spreading the word of god, she hates the idea of war or violence on principal, so she spends a lot of time at the strawberry fields or Pegusus stables because she does really like the flying horses :)

She refuses to take place in any camp activities or training and all her siblings hate her

At a certain point she’s able to harness a level of odikinesis (enhancing feelings of hatred and war) and it doesn’t go well

Chiron honestly is forcing her to stick around because he’s REALLY so very nervous about how the fuck it would go to have Grace loose on the mortal world right after she finds everything else

Her weapon is an axe

Obviously

AND THEN we’ve got the established campers-

Peter Spankoffski:

Okay so forgive me for my special little blorbo-fication of my guy but:

Pete’s a son of Nyx

He super fucking shouldn’t be, there aren’t demi-god children of Nyx, just monsters and minor gods, but him and Ted were kind of just… thought experiments? Like she was bored and very curious so she took a really shitty human and had a child with him (Ted) and then, in what Nyx’s head was barely any time at all but in human years was straight up 18 years, has another one (Pete)

Ted raises Pete for a couple years, but children of Nyx in general are just bad omens, and human children of Nyx who probably shouldn’t exist are no exception, so they get hunted down by monsters hard

Ted dies or disappears by the time Pete’s ten or eleven and he ends up at a camp

He’s a year round camper and lives in the hermes cabin because obviously Nyx doesn’t have a cabin (look okay i know that percy fixed that, but that bit of lore where any unclaimed or minor god children live at the hermes cabin is so fucked up and rife with angst and hurt/comfort potential is too much for me to resist so this is a universe where percy jackson does not exist)

His luck is horrible, like it’s a magical demigod ability how horrible his luck is and he’s well on his way to systematically having broken every single one of his bones one by one, they know him so well in the apollo cabin

NO ONE (and I mean NO ONE) likes him and he’s considered a camp wide jinx so he takes one for the team and personally exempts himself from any team events like capture the flag because no one is willing to have him on their side

A lot of newer campers generally assume he’s an Athena kid because he really enjoys learning/strategy/by-the-book stuff because it’s a lot easier than trying to get involved with the more dangerous athletic shit 

Because his mom is the goddess of night he’s very into outer space

His weapon is a bow and arrow, but he’s pretty good with most range weapons/anything that he can calculate aim for 

Ruth Fleming:

Ruth is a daughter of Demeter and she’s pissed about it

Her dad told her about being a demigod a couple years before she went to camp but he didn’t know who her mom was so she got very very into greek mythos and shit and was convinced she was a daughter of Athena or Aphrodite or someone else nine-year-old-girl-cool and was fucking devestated when it was the goddess of farming

Like, she’ll do all the things she’s expected to (helping in the strawberry fields, weeding, etc..) but she’s going to complain about it

She doesn’t even have any cool powers to go with it!!! it’s so unfair >:( 

She’s also involved with the camp’s theater department and is convinced it’s rigged against her because of who her mom is in favor of Apollo and Dionysus kids (in fairness…. it probably is) which is why she’s always stuck on tech 

She’s definitely got a crush of Richie’s dad

She’s a summer only camper for sure, monsters don’t hunt her down for any reason in particular or en mass so she can get away with it and fight off the ones that do, but she does kind of take offense to the fact that even monsters don't want her (even if they’d just kill her) 

Her childhood greek mythology obsession carries over so she knows every dumb little detail about every myth and will bring it up unprompted

Her main weapon is just a celestial bronze sword but i feel like when she first got to camp at 12 she bribed a child of Iris to change the color of it so it looks like… rose gold lmao

Richie Lipschitz:

Richie is a son of Dionysus

And sure, okay, I know what you're thinking: that doesn’t really fit…?

But to that I say oh boy it does, just not for Richie

For his twin brother Trevor however– 

Richie is kind of like the black sheep of his cabin, not that there is many of them, because his brother is perfectly cookie cutter what a Dionysis kid should be (he’s a theater kid, he throws good parties, he’s generally popular) and Richie is not

They both started camp at probably 10-ish, a little earlier than traditional because there were two of them which drew more monsters

His eyes are violet though which he thinks is very cool so he dyes his hair purple to match them

He sorta-kinda has chlorokinesis, specifically for grape and strawberry vines, which a. he also thinks is very cool, and b. he uses as an excuse to get out of training so he can hang out with Ruth

He's also really good at swimming and trying to work up the courage to ask his dad if he'd possibly be able to grant him the ability to turn into a dolphin but just like... only when he wanted tot and he could turn back

He really wishes his was an Apollo kid (though, obviously he’d never say that out loud) because of the artistic stuff, so he sort of just tries to gaslight everyone that because his dad is the god of the Arts that includes physical art like drawing so obviously that’s why he’s good at it

He’s a summer-only camper too but for the dumbest reason; their parents gave the twins a choice, but Trevor wanted to be able to go back to school to do school plays and Richie can’t watch anime at camp so they chose summer only

His weapon is just a normal sword but he’s campaigning to get a child of Hephaestus to make him a Katana

(They’re all three kind of outcasts in terms of their own godly parents, because Ruth and Richie don’t really fit the mold of ‘normal child of [blank]’ and Pete’s kind of just generally disliked because of his parentage, so they all sort of came together as friends out of necessity but now they’re just actually buddies and they hang out)

anyway who knows if ill do anything with this but its FUN and id love to talk about it forever they're just little demigod losers I love them

[thecoolblackwaves]

Family Of Nerds: Feanorian Modern AU

(I’m sorry this is somewhat Americanized I just don’t have enough knowledge about anywhere else to make those allusions) (Also please reblog with your own headcanons or other thoughts!)

Feanor 

Philologist; studies language history

Often assists at various museums, colleges, archeological sites, etc

Has published several books and given many lectures 

Creates his own languages like Tengwar for fun, also is a hobby blacksmith

Teaches his children many archaic languages no one else speaks and takes his family on "educational" vacations 

Also attends every convention known to man, even ones that have seemingly nothing to do with his own interests, dressed to the nines and spends his time there signing books and debating other people 

Loves his wife just as madly as the day he met her and is ecstatic he married his high school sweetheart

Idolizes his father. Would have done great following his political career if he hadn't "ruined" his public image by becoming a teen parent, ultimately feels he's made the right decisions for his life though and is happy with his work

Rivalry with Fingolfin over who can host the best dinner party (and you best believe he wears smart-ass punny aprons while cooking a six course meal for his guests)

Nerdanel 

Professional sculptor and multimedia artist

Teaches classes at an arts college 

Is known to eat the fruit out of the bowls her students are sketching when no one is looking

Cannot cook to save her life 

Enthusiastically attends every possible event in her family’s calendar no matter the weather or lack of skill at a toddler dance recital 

Dresses in a fabulously bohemian eccentric artist way; stole the show when she attended the Grammys with Makalaure and has been featured in several fashion magazines 

Carries all sorts of art supplies and seemingly random tools in her purse at all times, including a chisel, googly eyes, edible glitter, a bajillion hair ties, DW40, and peanut M&Ms

Has a calm, wise disposition that belies her truly chaotic nature

Often looked to for advice from her students and children and will only pull your leg when she thinks you’re being stupid 

Does give genuinely good advice though, mostly because she is uncanny in her ability to read people and observe subtle hints 

Maitimo

Studied communications, currently working as his father’s apprentice but hopes to find a position as a public relations specialist 

Uses his intimidating stature and loud, deep voice to his advantage as needed

Was born while his parents were teenagers and still living with their families, he remembers watching cartoons with Grandpa Finwe and being babysat by his uncles 

Also attended his mother’s graduation from art school as a small child and clapped until his little hands hurt 

Is painfully aware of how all his younger brothers look up to him - literally - and sometimes struggles with the pressures of setting a good example, though he does much better than he realizes 

Drinks his coffee from a mug that reads “don’t make this ginger snap” (Nerdanel has a matching one)

The gayest gay to ever gay, informs everyone of this via cheesy tee shirts gifted from his brothers and cousins 

Drives a minivan, claims he chose it because it was the only car that would fit his legs and not because he can haul his brothers around in it 

Frequently complains about missing the technology of his childhood but resents being called a millennial 

Makalaure 

Grammy award winning artist and composer

Created the score for a recent movie that bloomed his popularity and brought him to the limelight 

Has a Youtube channel with several music videos he definitely didn’t blackmail his family into filming with him 

Also performed on Broadway once and will not let you forget it 

Used to skip school to busk in the train station and once caught his math teacher also skipping school 

Extremely popular with interviewers, camera crew, and other industry specialists for his kindness and crazy stories about his family 

Donates large amounts of his royalties to children’s hospitals and other charities 

Used to hog the bathroom in the mornings to put on makeup and style his hair 

Practices Beyonce dance routines in the mirror, has convinced Curufin to do them with him before 

Spent a semester studying in Sydney, Australia and fainted after encountering a large spider in his dorm room 

Tyelkormo

Forest ranger at a National Park 

Works at outdoor summer camps every year, all the children love him and his giant fluffy dog

Also volunteers at animal shelters and the wildlife rehabilitation center at the National Park 

Creatine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; drinks so much milk Nerdanel used to tell him it was why his hair was white 

Wakes up at 5 in the morning to exercise (disgusting)

Got a long bow for Christmas one year (the note said Santa but he knows it was his mom) and practices in the backyard by shooting at Amrod’s pumpkins 

Metalhead, particularly likes viking metal and Nordic black metal 

Made Huan his own battle vest complete with dog-themed patches such as “Bad to the Bone” and “No Leashes No Masters” 

Tells the most terrible jokes you’ve ever heard then laughs like a seagull vomiting up a stolen bag of Doritos 

Extremely loyal to his family, sometimes to a fault 

Carnistar

Professional business accountant 

Also does taxes as a side hustle because “it’s so easy” 

Is obsessed with Oreos but will not admit it because of his brother's teasing about "Moryo's Oreos" 

Obligatory family goth and not ashamed of it 

Started mending his hand-me-down clothes as a necessity and got into sewing, now makes fantastic garments for his family and friends to wear 

Halloween is the only valid holiday, he spends the entire year making his costume (it’s usually a vampire or some fandom character)

Stays up until 3am gaming on a PC he and Feanor built together one summer, favorite game is currently Balder’s Gate 

Had to take speech therapy as a child and later some anger management classes.... because he got too good at expressing himself

Curufin

Silversmith and jewelry maker 

Specializes in accessories for ballet dancers and other performers 

Ballet dancer since he was young, never succeeded with a professional career but still practices daily and chose his specialty to remain part of the scene 

Holds a serious grudge against certain critics that failed his entry to ballet academy (will not sell his products to them or their schools)

Always looking for new business opportunities, not always in the most honest of ways 

Struggles with self esteem issues 

Has several cats and claims they betray him when they snuggle with Huan but secretly finds it adorable 

Frequently collaborates with Caranthir to make elaborate costumes just for the fun of it 

Made a tiara for his favorite cat, Princess Paws

Would sleep until four in the afternoon if you let him (or if Princess Paws didn’t wake him up screaming for food)

Amrod

Gardening Club President at his school 

Started a trade and barter farmers market after school to reduce waste and share the bounty of his and fellow club member’s gardens 

Frequently tries to convince his parents to turn their property into a “self sufficient homestead”, leaves pamphlets and pictures of adorable baby animals lying around the house 

Enlisted the help of his twin and Maitimo to build a chicken coop, forgot to ask Feanor’s permission first 

Demands payment in the form of fresh caught fish or deer jerky for the use of his gourds in Tyelko’s target practice 

Has definitely switched places with Amros to escape trouble or science tests 

Often neglects his homework for pursuits he feels are more important, will only do it without complaint when Carnistar tells him to 

Had eyes for the cool-looking red glow on the stove as a child and was banned from the kitchen for most of his adolescence 

Is generally a persistent and stubborn person (wonder where he got it from)

Amros 

Amateur photographer with an instagram following nearing one million 

Account consists of 95% nature photography and 5% “The Adventures of Huan and Princess Paws” as he follows them around the back yard 

Takes all of Makalaure’s headshots and creates his album covers, also photographs Curufin’s jewelry to upload to his retail website 

“Borrows” Carnistar’s prized PC to upload and edit his photos 

Conspired with Amrod to convince their elementary school classmates they were secretly Fred and George Weasley disguised as Muggles, ultimately failed because someone thought their accents “just sounded like they were copying Peppa Pig”

Still pulls out his British accent on occasion when someone needs cheering up 

Inherited Nerdanel’s keen observation skills, mostly uses them to blackmail his brothers into doing his chores 

But also gives the most amazing presents because he knows exactly what everyone truly wants 

[starry-bugs]

so sometime after the whole meeting vegetta and foolish thing, cellbit gets roped into coming to a lot of supernatural events as melissa's plus one, and so he shows up and he hangs out with melissa and its honestly not that bad. he gets to ask questions about supernatural shit and he gets free food and it's generally an all around good time.

the problem is now a bunch of vampires and other supernatural creatures think cellbit is melissa's trophy husband. and there's not really much he can do about it because they're people he only ever sees at these parties and he only really finds out when someone asks him directly about when he and melissa got together. and he's so shocked by it that he has no response and melissa takes him away from the situation and says she'll take care of it. (this only strengthens the idea that they're a thing and melissa is fiercely protective of her husband/boyfriend/whatever)

and cellbit feels bad about it all. because how can he explain to roier that people think he's in a relationship with his cousin? eventually he does tell him and roier looks at him and calls him stupid because he knows cellbit's gay and completely in love with him (and also he's melissa but he won't say that out loud just yet)

[mixelation]

I’m sorry I have to ask how would a throuple Deidara/Tori/Itachi work in this au? Who drives who craziest? What does the village think? More importantly, what does Kushina think?

i'm not saying i'd make this ~canon~ to the reborn au, but if i did i'd write it like this:

so it's actually kind of tricky to add deidara to the itatori fake dating power couple because despite both of them acting insane about it, they're actually almost entirely on the same page about what they want out of a relationship. neither of them are super into actual romance or physical affection, but having another person socially bound to show up and back you up is nice even if neither will admit it. itachi will die if he has to learn to be vulnerable with someone else but following tori around like a weird ghost at social events is just how life is sometimes, and if he says something out of line she'll roll her eyes and not cry over it. tori thinks itachi is rude and controlling and also there was that period where he actively wanted to kill her, but if she insists a good boyfriend would help her with X, he'll.... usually do it, even if X is an absurdly selfish demand.

and i think deidara does want active sex life, and he won't ADMIT it but he likes being dated. he thinks tori and itachi's relationship is really weird and also very annoying to him personally, how dare they. so we need something stupid and contrived to make the throuple even happen. such as:

tori and deidara are roommates.

deidara obviously knows their dating is fake, because he KNOWS them. also because usually when itachi comes over, tori just like. ignores him

like itachi is only there because he likes having Away Time from home, and spending the night at his girlfriend's is a normal reason to not be home. he knows tori wants her own alone time. he's just going to quietly hangout in their living room and then crash on the couch

deidara: ....but why are you H E R E

itachi: ? i literally just explained it?

i think at some point it's going to become obvious to the wider konoha populace that there's something off about ItaTori.... like itachi is konoha's most eligible bachelor so people are Watching because everyone KNOWS mikoto periodically interviews kunoichi about a potential marriage match, and no one has seen them even kiss a cheek, and also a few people have definitely noticed tori being Obnoxious On Purpose. itachi IS an asshole but bc the entire canon is obsessed with him, i've decided only his inner most circle has realized this. clearly tori is his evil, overbearing girlfriend he can't get out of a toxic relationship with

itachi: no :( if the rumor gets too bad this won't work any more and then i'll have to date an actual 18 year old :( tori i care about her problems so little. what if she tries to kiss me :(

tori, sailing right by the idea they should attempt to be more publicly amorous, because LOL: okay we're going to have to redirect with an even juicier rumor then.... let's see, what do people know.... we're not into each other enough, and also they think i'm a gold digger*.... i've heard people wondering what happens when you spend the night here.....

*she kinda is

tori: oh!

tori: i'm your beard because you're fucking deidara :)

itachi decides this is GREAT because he knows "publicly date a woman who could make you heirs while fucking your boyfriend on the side" IS the solution to the uchiha heir being gay. they barely have to change anything. they just have to catch him shoving deidara against a wall at a couple parties and then dragging him into a private room

the thing is deidara reacts exactly correctly to itachi doing this. he gets red and flustered. he acts embarrassed and twitchy when asked about it later. he's been obsessed with itachi for years.....

anyway they forget to tell deidara what itachi was doing until AFTER the rumor mill gets around to him, and deidara has to go scream alone in a forest for a while

deidara wants to blow them both up but then he looks deep down inside his soul and actually he would. like. to fuck itachi.......

i think deidara gets more frustrated with the entire thing more often because he has more interest in the whole stupid arrangement not being fake, so if i wrote it i think his addition would catalyze it moving into more of a "real" throuple, instead of "friends who mutually enjoy tricking other people for fun and profit social benefit"

as for who annoys each other most.... i think deidara has it in his head that tori > itachi because he decided it eons ago when he had more of a grudge against itachi, and he's not actually very good at changing his mind. so he's more forgiving of tori's annoying quirks while itachi is more likely to drive him insane. tori is actually more likely to actively annoying itachi, because most of deidara's annoying habits are very "it happens and then it's done," whereas tori is irritating over longer periods, and also sometimes entirely on purpose. for tori, i think itachi is generally more likely to pick at her nerves, but also since they've been In Cahoots more, she's more likely to forgive/understand him than in original flavor plasticity, and also deidara is less good at Cahoots which can annoy her

i'm imaging the fake dating starts when they're 15/16, with deidara being added a couple years later, so they're not actively under kushina while it's happening but she's invested in checking in on them when she can. because she doesn't have a front row view of the budding "romance," i think kushina just kind of assumes.... tori and itachi realized they were both Like That in the same direction and that's why they seem like a weird couple to others. she's more skeptical of the "tori is itadei's beard" rumor because that seems.... wrong. but when she talks to deidara about it he gains the most pained expression in the universe and she's like "oh no" because ACTUALLY this is a WILD LOVE TRIANGLE---

anyway when they become vaguely official, she's happy for them! also she's told minato every single detail with the same excitement she relates bad movies she watches, sorry if that makes mission reports weird---

i don't think the village at large would be... super into it? and also confused. they already don't like tori not being a Perfect Girlfriend, and the beard rumor was very exciting for a few months, but itachi being gay (bi? why is tori still there?) ruins a lot of personal fantasies, because either you want to marry him, marry your cousin to him, indulge in the fantasy of what being married to him is like, or you're one of those dudes who idolizes other dudes and your dude-idol's sexual life being your own fantasy one is very important. also don't tell deidara or tori how obsessed with itachi the village is they know and they don't like it.

caveat to the above: i think there's a subset of konoha that's really, really interested in deidara's sex life because. uh. hands. so "what do you think he does in a threesome" is probably semi normal bar banter, sorry deidara

[memoryoflooping]

chat i'm so scared. for how the rest of these are about to go tomorrow. but i might not see them tomorrow depending on how i decide to do things, new tanformer just dropped. we'll see.

loop 30 - -i don't think i'm getting any more new dialogue for doing everyone's quests… maybe i should not do them all… like once like i did with a bonnie-only completed one… but i fucking love isa's skill fuck this gay earth. idk. -save vaugarde wishes: 3 (4? if the fashion one counts? or the saving certain people ones??) other: 11 -siffrin is so damn hungry. whats his issue -"you're all cowards" option for the beautiful one???? -i think intent must also matter for wishes bc the save vaugarde list is really long… so wishing to save one person must also be a "save vaugarde wish" -SIFFRIN FORGOT TO LAUGH AT BOTH JOKES. NOOOO FUCK -"why shouldn't you take up time travel?" "because there's no future in it!" FUCK. siffrin be normal you got this. you can clutch this -"oh so we're going to ignore the whole hysteric laughing and crying huh" helppp. -oooo "why stardust?" -"distracting people with puns and jokes is the best way to evade stupid questions" just like siffrin does. loop def noticed that LOL -YES!!!!! MY PERSISTENCE HAS PAID OFF! TAKE THE FUCKING FLOWER YOU BLINDING FUCK!!!!!! -WHAT JUST HAPPENED???? BONNIE'S PORTRAIT WENT ALL BLACK???? -oh my god i could totally set up siffrin to one shot these fucking bosses i just did 8k damage to big ball head -why DID the head housemaiden record who wished for what? -she knows about wish craft… -hmmm… that is interesting. why is it just siffrin looping if it was everyone in vaugarde wishing for the country to be saved. siffrin isn't the key to victory, because the party can get up to the king on their own as seen in the spending a loop with loop.. i would consider mirabelle the key part of the party and not siffrin -"you have to go talk to loop in person" siffrin i'm going to kill you dead. fine.

loop 33 - -siffrin looping back based on his emotional state does check out actually -"you can't continue because somehow you know this is the end." -LOL HE TRIED IT ON LOOP -loop's eyes have diffrent shades? oh they do! i didn't notice -AWH he's drawing them! so cutes drawing! -siffrin's cloak and hat has backstitching, which means its durable. -made of wool, one thread up one thread down. -clothing that's here to keep you comfy and warm -awhhh someone wanted siffrin to me comfy and warm for a long time… -fucking KILLED that fucking tall as fuck saddness holy fuck i 9999'ed that thing. oh this just got so much more fun for me i'm doing this shit to the king after the paper jackpot -siffrin just automatically walked down the post boss hallway? -siffrin for the love of god you need to get out of the timeloop not embrace it rn -its too late for the loop to be fixed? but something went wrong… -"something goes wrong everytime" "it's because we did it wrong" -they didn't know the exact ritual. -the king might not have been defeated the right way… hmm -"i just hope that someday. you might learn to forgive us" loop 34 - -maybe siffrin does something wrong??? -going against the wish's will without realizing. hmm -ooooohhhh mirabelle always gets the last blow… hmm interesting. but why would a wish rot for just siffrin to do that? "save vaugarde" isn't something i think could be easily monkey's paw'ed into "trap this cunt in the timeloop until he personally kills that fucking king" -hmmm… i guess i could definately set up a situation in the king fight where siffrin kills the king before the scripted kill. but i already did something like that and it played anyway i think… -no yeah i'm with that train of thought. it's a lead but i'm not sure its right. -"these fictonal characters they've been replaced with." -defeat the king on your own. hm. boss i think you will fucking die -i need to do the friend events ? to get them as strong as they can be. well i would've done it anyway! yippeee! -oh shit act 5! that was pretty short! -uh oh. music slowdown. undertale. -the kid looks at you warily…. uh oh -i don't think wizard's make faces like yours -oh the statue is. glitched out? -UH OH the drawing of everyone! -SIFFRIN YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THAT -oh my god she slapped him -sif always teases mira. and she thought it was how he made friends. -always so mysterious -my god she's's pissed -well. i guess he's right about one thing. i'm only good at using the usual shield skill anyway. chat i'm so scared. -he was really squinty in that sprite i saw… like loop….. is he. acting like loop ? he's more like. aggressively using timeloop knowledge rn. -chat i'm so scared. he's about to start playing Doom on his personal relationships i think, seeing how this just went with mirabelle

[sleepymccoy]

I didn't like Benedict's bisexual arc. I think it pulled punches and tried to make the whole thing fulfilling and lovely, which it just wouldn't be. I'm on side with him being bi, but I think he should've had a harder time coming to terms with it

If I were writing it I'd've done it like this;

The queen has another Prince nephew visiting from The Continent

On The Continent, it is known and whispered about, they're all very gay

The Prince nephew is here on his tour, he's not particularly looking to marry

He rocks up at the men's club, looks around, and says, "why are we not all sucking each other off?"

Benedict is the first to be able to respond and takes him under his wing and teaches him how stuck up english society is

Queue a kind of cultural exchange thing, they become friends

Include Prince coming to family events, which gives Francesca another apparent suitor (even tho he's not, it's how the tonne read it) which gives her arc more drama

Include Prince going to a mixed class party like Benedict likes and making out with a dude which Benedict can't look away from for way too long

Include Benedict going to dinner at the palace so we can see the Queen completely befuddled by him, and the Prince in his fucking element

Eventually the Prince cracks and kisses Benedict

They feel each other up a bit before Benedict excuses himself

There's a scene where Benedict is like I didn't agree to it but it was hot

Style this realisation the same way the did Daphne discovering sexual desire and masturbation, I wanna see gentle camera angles like that on a man!

Anyway Benedict talks to someone, probs the artist guy from season one, about how he's definitely not into men or the Prince but he does keep wanking to the memory of kissing him

And the artist guy is like yeah that sounds like not into men kinda behaviour, alright

Artist guy gives him some helpful advice about love, rather than Benedict coming to it all on his own

I think Benedict has to be a bit terrible in this convo, call it unnatural a couple times ya know, before coming around to the idea

Artist guy deserves a fucking raise for dealing w Benedict. Wish I could remember his name. This scene would also flesh out his boyfriend a bit, which'd be nice

Prince apologises, they have some sexual tension scenes as Benedict is navigating what he wants

Antony asks a stupid question, proving he's oblivious

Benedict and the Prince find a moment alone at a ball, having both snuck off independently for a break, and Benedict initiates

They fuck pleasantly for a month before the Prince heads off to Egypt or something for his next tour stop

[bradandchris]

Whatever his boyfriend Brad said was fine. It was water under a bridge he's never seen, heard of, or planned to cross, but here's what he had to say as to polls. "Half this country was in an abusive relationship and either didn’t know it, know how to get out, or somehow convinced themselves the situation just didn’t apply to them despite not living in an isolation chamber for eight years."

Chris then noted humans remain capable of reasoning anything and then followed this statement by a renewed call for a better form of thinking. As for the more desirable poles, well...Chris said he "would always take two and never turn down left overs or twins. Yum!"

Before his boyfriend could react to the raunch, Chris took ownership readily admitting his suggested sexual antics rang to him "a bit old school Christina Aquilaria," meaning it was both hot and dirty minus a few 'r's' of course.

The fact was the two were at a pool party in WeHo where every beautiful man in Los Angeles was in a Speedo or something of equally negligible coverage so Chris naturally assumed "between PREP, chlorine, and whatever part of the spectrum of sunlight that killed microbes and such, this was essentially the definition of a very well calculated risk."

Leaving no space once again for Brad, Chris went on to mansplain "in reality it was hot partially because it was summer. There was also this whole climate change thing going on," but then switched gears saying the leftovers and twins thing being so hot mostly stemmed from a softcore he watched when he was 16 titled “The Grill” that followed the sexcapades of a men’s college swim team while attending their coach’s off season summer bbq.

The early 80’s flick was considered edgy in its day apparently because the coaches wife was away on a business trip leaving the boys to fend for themselves. Chris was quick to point out tho the viewers never learn what kind of business she was in. He assumed it was advertising as that’s what the lead lady in the flick “Mr Mom” did. That both films were coincidentally released the same year carried enough weight to take the one hole in the softcore Chris didn’t want right off the table.

Seeing himself in full truthing mode, Chris then physically reached into thin air, pretended to grab something, then did the gay ‘z’ snap as he declared the shenanigans at the pool party "not actually dirty, but dirty adjacent due to all the precautions both manufactured and natural taken by the parties attendees.”

It was then Brad finally dove in the poll/pole conversation he started but largely failed to participate in with a sharp "True." Everyone attending the event already knew not to bring up the responsibility already taken at the party itself as it defeated the purpose. They were there for a good time and much of that was indulging themselves in the wild care-free fantasy. If someone was stupid enough to show up knowingly with something that wasn't theirs that's another tomb-sized plot of real estate for dancing upon in recognition of this person's immediate social death.

Vengeance hardly ended there. The reprise occurred at this persons physical death pending anyone knowledgeable of the event outlives this person. 99% of the time they did as for whatever reason vengeance keeps people alive until it's achieved. At that point, you’re as good as dead yourself.

That last part never appealed to Brad or Chris so they chose the sweeter slow release option of dancing nearly naked while high as a kite once or twice a month. It werked a lot of negative energy out though it admittedly invited some wonky back in. No transformation of energy was ever perfect or completely clean. Oddly this was never really spoken to across the board from the underground gays all the way through to mainstream society and then some.

The spiritual death or the parting of this person's soul were also celebrated but occurred less frequently. It largely applied to those in the deepest of the deep usually either claiming hetero and/or some sort of divinity. Ironically, few of them had souls or any sign of spirit hence the small numbers. They either never had them in the first place or they were already goners by the time the gays got to them. Regardless, the offenders helped keep the dancefloors packed in the after-after-afterhours which was a very twisted way to say sometime between 8am and noon the following day.

Brad went on to say "they were all reasons to dance and do drugs. Taking responsibility certainly granted its freedoms but no matter the situation or level of involvement, people will always cross lines. It's how anyone knows where they are. Once they are established, you’re either stupid or a hero for crossing them." Brad paused for a few seconds of self reflection. "We jump on that ship so quickly when on the sidelines don’t we?”

Chris dove back in the chat with his own sharp "True.” Then a two second pause followed by another “True. And True.” He then pointed out for the sect of the gay spectrum this notion did apply to inclusive of themselves, jumping on the revenge train for the anti gays felt not too dissimilar in concept to the whole 'I'll do anything for science' phenomenon.

Chris looked to his right giving a facial expression as if pulling files in his head. “It was weird to see that go off the deep end in recent years. Science that is. How did the entire field of academics and study just not make the dinosaur/bird connection until just now? Ummmm. Ooops. We took the dinosaurs extinction as this grand dramatic exit for hundreds of years."

Chris paused for Brad's acknowledgement smirk as he knew that was a zinger. It also gave him just enough time to conjure up another to wrap this conversation up. Chris was horny and could see a platter of hot dogs floating their way. He nodded to Brad who turned to see, then motioned the tray boy to stay on course to them. When his boyfriend turned back his way, Chris could see Brad's excitement matched his own.

Chris let out and unrehearsed “nice” then mentioned the hot dogs filled out their buns quite well too. Brad smiled at the notion and thanked his boyfriend for such kind observations. Chris then proceeded to smash last hurdle to happy happy joy fun land by spending his last two cents.

“As for both polls and poles, whenever these f*cks come around, we will take them in.”

“We always do.” Brad whole heartedly agreed adding, “people always seemed surprised both of them were so versatile and open minded.”

They were when it counted.

[pretty-racha]

"you're different." | hyunho

College AU - Cheerleader!Hyunjin x Nerd!Minho - oneshot

words: 9.8k // warnings: smut, swearing, alcohol abuse/parties // 18+ dni if you are a minor //

Minho never liked sports.

Well, he never did until he saw him. Seungmin had pleaded with Minho to go with him to the football game the school was holding that evening, and even though he hated sports, he would go. For Seungmin. He wasn't even sure how they had become such close friends, them being in different years, but when they both picked up the same nerdy science book in the library at the start of the year, they had clicked. Seungmin was a sophomore, Minho was a senior. He had successfully avoided any and all sports activities and events - until now. Seungmin only wanted to go to support his classmate, Jeongin. They sat in one of the middle rows of the bleachers, Seungmin waving over to his friend who was standing with the rest of the cheerleader squad. Then he sees him. Minho had to do a double take, thinking the light was just playing a cruel joke on him, but there he stood. The most beautiful man he's ever seen.

Hyunjin had become a cheerleader as soon as tryouts started, already equipped with the gymnastic and acrobatic skills needed as well as experience from school. In school, he took extra classes for trampolining and gymnastics to hopefully get a scholarship for college - it worked. He met his best friend Felix during tryouts - the two have been inseparable since. If you saw one, you knew the other would be close behind. They did everything together, they may as well be attached at the hip. The only time they weren't together were parties. Hyunjin did not enjoy parties all that much. He also hated the stereotype that all jocks and cheerleaders were stupid - he was not stupid and neither were his friends. For example, Changbin took a mathematics major and he was one of the best Footballers he had ever seen.

"You have to come tonight!" Felix pleads, holding Hyunjin's hand and flashing his pretty doe eyes.

"If I say yes, will you let go of my hand?" Hyunjin sighs.

"I like holding your hand." Felix smiles.

"Oh, get a room." Jeongin rolls his eyes.

"Your boyfriend came to see you~ Maybe you two should get a room with your gay asses." Felix teases, gesturing to Seungmin. Hyunjin and Jeongin look over, the younger waving to his friend and slapping Felix's shoulder playfully. Hyunjin's eye catches on the man next to Seungmin, lips curling into a smile as he looks away. Now him, if he went tonight, he would go too.

"What's so wrong with being gay?" Hyunjin moves the teasing to Felix, watching him furrow his brows and look at him.

"Hyunjin, baby, darling, light of my life, I do not care if he's gay, look at us as proof, I care that he would be dating a nerd." Felix corrects. "I mean, they're all so weird and boring."

"Only because you can't pull anyone, even the nerds." Hyunjin huffs, stretching his arms.

"And you're stupid so they make you look bad." Jeongin adds. Felix gasps, offended at such accusations. Before he can even argue back, they're called into position.

Hyunjin was over the party as soon as he got there. Jeongin had abandoned him to find his friend, Felix had dragged him over to his other best friend and his friends - Chan, Changbin and Jisung. After a few drinks, he was just not having any fun. Yes, so fun to see couples eating each other's faces on every surface you turn to and people chugging an inhumane amount of alcohol. His idea of fun was to lay in bed with a book, or paint, hell, he'd even prefer to go to the gym. He heads into the kitchen to fetch another horrible tasting concoction, noticing Jeongin speaking to his friend Seungmin and that guy. He pours himself a drink into his red cup and heads over to them.

Minho was also fed up of the party. He enjoyed parties, sure, but not ones filled to the brim with idiotic jocks and their empty-brained cheerleaders. He was sure an eight year old was smarter than all of them combined. He drank quite quickly, hoping liquid courage would give him the strength to stay. 'For Seungmin' he would remind himself after every drink. He was sure his boredom was clear as day on his face and he had hoped it would stop anyone approaching him. But nothing stopped Hyunjin's curiosity. "So this is your friend?" Hyunjin asks Jeongin.

"Yes, Seungmin and this one is Minho." Jeongin gestures to them respectively, Minho just nodding as a greeting. "Guys, this is Hyunjin."

"You did great today." Seungmin smiles politely.

"Thanks." Hyunjin shrugs. He really didn't know how to reply to compliments, making him seem egotistical when in reality he is just not used to it. In school, people would have rathered cut a finger off than even look at him. That's when he decided he needed to change, grow his hair, hit the gym, clear up his skin - which he did.

"I'm surprised you haven't left." Jeongin chuckles, downing his drink.

"So Felix can hound me about it in the morning? No thanks." He huffs, following Jeongin and downing his drink too. He has to hold back a gag at the strength of the alcohol, did he even add a mixer?

"Not a party person?" Seungmin asks.

"Not really. I know, very out of character for a cheerleader, but it's just... Ugh." He rolls his eyes, handing Jeongin his cup and he grabs them both new drinks.

"Cheerleader who hates parties? Now that is surprising." Minho chuckles, sipping his drink. Hyunjin isn't sure how to react to the unreadable tone, just smiling and leaning on the kitchen counter that isn't occupied by some couple trying to consume each other. Even if Minho was insulting him, he didn't care - he just focused on his beauty. The way his face scrunches when he smiles, he wants to grab his camera and capture it. Jeongin hands Hyunjin a radioactive-looking drink, sipping his own. Hyunjin sips it, nose scrunching in disgust.

"Hyunjin!" A woman calls from behind him and he looks over, forcing a smile.

"Hey, Soyeon." He greets.

"Where's Chan?" She furrows her brows, expecting him to be with Hyunjin and Felix - they usually were all together at parties.

"Living room last I checked." He states and she smiles, kissing his cheek and running off through the crowd of people.

"Are you two..." Seungmin trails off, but it's clear what he wants to ask.

"Friends can kiss, you know. If they can't, she would be dating half of the football team." Hyunjin didn't mean for his tone to be so aggressive, immediately regretting the attack. He just hated assumptions. He hides his face as he takes a drink, quickly finishing the cup. He was sure that his liver was going to fail after that, already feeling it aging 20 years ahead of him.

"So does that mean we can kiss?" Jeongin smiles teasingly, poking Hyunjin's chest.

"In your dreams." Hyunjin chuckles. "I'm gonna go find Felix, you guys have fun." Hyunjin waves and pushes through the people, finally finding Felix with Chan, Soyeon, Changbin and Jisung.

"Hyunjinnie!" Changbin smiles, immediately cuddling into Hyunjin's side. They all drink and talk for a while, Hyunjin excusing himself to the toilet. He's glad the music drowns out the moans throughout the bedrooms, but they're still there, assaulting his ears. It's really disgusting, he thinks, I mean, can they really not wait until they get back to their dorm? As he approaches the bathroom, the door swings open and knocks him in the head. He stumbles back, holding his forehead.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" A familiar voice calls, causing him to look up to see Minho.

"It's okay." Hyunjin shrugs, rubbing the sore spot a little. "Maybe it knocked some brain cells into me." He jokes.

"Let me see." Minho frowns and moves Hyunjin's hand, rubbing a thumb gently over the small red bump forming. Hyunjin's breath hitches at how close he is - even a gentle breeze would crash their bodies together. His eyes fall onto Minho's face, watching his brows furrow and eyes droop in guilt as he observes Hyunjin's forehead. His hands were smooth, his touch gentle against the light ache on his forehead. He can feel Minho's breath on his neck, caressing his skin and suddenly the room feels very hot and very small and his nerves light up in anticipation. His cheeks flush red and he jumps back once he realizes how close he really is.

"See? It's fine. Nothing to worry about. See you around!" Hyunjin stumbles over his words, quickly entering the bathroom and locking the door. He covers his face as he throws his back against the door, blushing a deep red and sliding down to the floor. He eventually composes himself, doing what he originally intended to do and head back downstairs. He decides to call it a night, dipping out of the house when no one's looking and doing the short walk back to his dorm.

Minho stands in the hallway for a few moments, processing what just happened. He smiles to himself, glancing back at the door. He really made the most popular cheerleader flustered, now that was an achievement. He excuses it as the alcohol, but deep down he hopes it was because it was Minho touching him. Hyunjin's perfume lingers around him and he basks in it for a few moments,how did he just have a cheerleading performance and still smell so beautiful?  He felt fondness grow as he exhaled, composing himself and heading back downstairs.

Hyunjin flops onto the bed, room still spinning as he strips down to his boxers. He knows his dorm mate - Felix - won't be home tonight, probably staying in someone else's bed tonight so that gives Hyunjin all the privacy he wanted. He closes his eyes, thinking back to the altercation between him and Minho. He remembers how gentle his touch was, thoughts wandering to if he would be as gentle in bed or would he throw Hyunjin around like a toy. He can feel his dick growing in his boxers and he slips them off, stroking himself slowly. He continues imagining how Minho would look on top of him, using his body to get himself off. Would Minho wreck him? Leave him crying and trembling? Would Hyunjin let him?

Hyunjin opens his nightstand drawer, pulling out a bottle of lube and rubbing some onto his fingers. He presses his finger to his hole, pressing both inside of him. He gasps, slowly thrusting them. Would Minho do this, too? He presses his fingers into his prostate, gasping and pressing again. He speeds up his fingers, "Minho!" He moans. He continues moaning his name, squeezing his eyes shut as he cums all over his own chest and stomach. He pants, slowly removing his fingers. When he's recovered, he grabs some tissues from the nightstand and cleans himself up, putting the bottle of lube back into the drawer and shutting it. He throws the tissue into the trash, pulling his boxers back on and turning onto his side.

The next few weeks, all Hyunjin can think about is Minho. The bruise on his forehead faded quickly, only small, but it had served as a reminder of then. If he knew what classes he took, he would try to catch him 'accidentally' just to speak to him again. He couldn't ask Jeongin, however, knowing he'll immediately assume he has a crush. He does not. Just because he jacks off to the thought of him and imagines going on dates with him and thinks of him everyday does not mean he has a crush. No, he can't. He sighs, looking out the window. This class was so boring when students asked long winded questions, especially when if they had just read the material they would know the answer. It's not hard.

Minho had also thought about Hyunjin everyday, even when he had his alone time in the shower at night. He imagined what it would be like to paint Hyunjin's lips with his cum, his soft brown eyes staring up at him as he licks it up like a good kitty drinking his milk. He imagines how much Hyunjin would squirm under him, how much he would moan and beg.

He had found out Hyunjin's schedule from Seungmin, who had found out from Jeongin during casual conversation. He never asked for this information nor seemed interested when he was told, but this was the best news Seungmin had ever given him. He learnt that Hyunjin would spend every Thursday in the library as it was his day off, either reading or catching up with coursework. On Saturdays, he went to the gym and on Sundays, he would go for a long walk outside of campus for art inspiration. Minho also had Thursday morning free, taking the opportunity to 'accidentally' bump into him.

Minho enters the library at 10am - which is much earlier than he would ever wake up normally. He strolls through the book aisles, finding a book he likes the look of and scans the tables. He sees Hyunjin sitting alone at a desk in the corner, workbook open and typing quickly on his laptop with one earphone in. He sipped an iced coffee before resuming typing. Minho hesitates, was this weird? What if Hyunjin wasn't interested in being seen with someone like him? He doesn't get to decide as he blows his cover by dropping his book, a loud smack echoes through the library. The librarians glare at him and he mines a 'sorry' as he picks it up. Hyunjin's head snaps up, a small smile creeping onto his lips when he sees Minho. "It's you."

"Hi, again." Minho waves awkwardly, standing behind one of the chairs. "Any new brain cells?" He jokes.

"I wish, but no, sadly. You can sit if you'd like to, I'm just getting some work done." Hyunjin fully smiles. Minho accepts the offer, sitting down. Hyunjin looks back at his screen, resuming his typing and Minho opens his book. He pretends to read but he's unable to concentrate with Hyunjin opposite him. Hyunjin sticks his tongue out the corner of his mouth, concentrating, well, trying to. He has to remember to breathe normally, not letting his mind wander to unholy places. Hyunjin glances up - it was so obvious Minho was not reading that damn book. "You're not reading." Hyunjin observes, causing the older to look up from his book with wide eyes.

"I am!" He defends, the tips of his ears reddening.

"Oh yeah?" Hyunjin raises an eyebrow, looking up from his screen. "What sentence did you just read without cheating?" Minho doesn't answer, just staring at him. He really didn't have an answer, a good lie even, mind completely going blank. He really hated this. "Why did you really come here?"

"To read." Minho doubles down, looking back at his book. He was not about to confess he only came to see his face again, that he's been unable to get Hyunjin's flustered face out of his head since the party. That everytime he closes his eyes, he sees his face and whenever his mind is not focused on work, it's focused on him. He felt like a nerdy teenage girl who was crushing on the school's 'it boy' - it was embarrassing. "What are you writing?"

"Essay." Hyunjin states, turning the page in his workout and scanning over the words. "It's due at midnight but I've had no time to get started until now." Hyunjin sighs, leaning back in his seat. "I tried to get started last night but Felix kicked me out of the dorm to get laid."

"I bet you'll get revenge on him soon enough." Minho jokes.

"Yeah, I wish." Hyunjin huffs. "I might as well become a nun." Hyunjin jokes, sitting back up properly.

"You are full of surprises." Minho observes, expecting him to be quite sexually active, considering he was a cheerleader. That was their whole thing.

"Maybe you're just full of assumptions." An awkward silence falls between them and Hyunjin had never been so relieved to see Jisung running over to him. Jisung was in his gym clothes, sweaty and hair slicked back.

"Please tell me you have the notes for class." He begs.

"Who said you can speak to me? Besides, my knowledge isn't cheap." Hyunjin looks at him, deadpan. He was joking. Kinda. He would give his notes over, anyway, but he just loved to toy with the shorter man.

"You serious?" Jisung raises an eyebrow and sighs as Hyunjin just shrugs. "I'll buy you Starbucks?"

"Hmmm." Hyunjin crosses his arms.

"I'll do anything, please, I cannot fail this class." Jisung begs, holding his hands together.

"You really need to learn to take your own notes." Hyunjin sighs, opening his bag, opening the notebook and flicking through the pages until he finds the page of the neatest notes you've ever seen. He takes a picture, sending it to Jisung. "That's the best you're getting from me."

"Thank you!" Jisung smiles, hugging Hyunjin who tries to pull away. "I owe you my life." He runs out of the library.

"Ugh." Hyunjin brushes his clothes off. He could feel Jisung's sweat still linger on him and he contemplated running back to his dorm to shower, grossed out. He really was not a fan of touch, especially when the person was drenched with sweat and smelling like a whole gym locker room. Hyunjin was blessed with never smelling bad, always smelling like he's fresh out of the shower. He glances at Minho, who actually started reading the book during their conversation. "What are you doing for lunch?" Hyunjin drags his attention back to him.

"Meeting with Seungmin and going to the canteen, what about you?" Minho looks up from his book.

"Oh, probably nothing, just studying." Hyunjin shrugs, looking back as his computer dejected. He was hoping Minho didn't have plans, that maybe they could get lunch together, but he didn't want to make him cancel on his friend if he's already made an obligation. Minho pulls a piece of paper from his pocket and uses it as a bookmark, closing the book.

"You're not gonna eat lunch?" Minho questions.

"I will, after everyone else." Hyunjin lies, checking the time. "If you're grabbing lunch, you might want to go now. It gets busy soon." Hyunjin suggests. Minho nods and stands, grabbing his book.

"Make sure you do, skipping meals is not good, you know." Minho smiles softly, heading off to check out his book and meet with Seungmin. Seungmin is waiting outside the canteen doors, scrolling through his phone as he leans on the wall. He slips it in his pocket when he sees Minho, waving.

"Jeongin is joining us, by the way." Seungmin smiles. Minho nods, joining him in leaning on the wall. Jeongin appears a few minutes later, Felix in tow. "Hey!" Seungmin smiles, waving.

"I hope it's okay Felix joins us." Jeongin smiles back, Felix just crossing his arms.

"Not hanging with your bestie?" Minho asks, looking at the blond.

"If anyone interrupts his studying, they will not be walking out of here." Felix chuckles, shaking his head. 'But he let me disturb him?' Minho thinks to himself, following the others into the canteen. Maybe Hyunjin was just polite, it totally had nothing to do with the fact he was pining for Minho like a teenager in love. The canteen was always really busy, people sticking to their own 'cliques' at tables - it was very reminiscent of high school. They all queue up to grab their lunch, Jeongin leading the way to the end of the jock table. Jeongin knows no one would dare to say anything about letting nerds sit with them, scared of Chan and Changbin's reaction to upsetting their beloved maknae. Minho sits in the end seat, Felix next to him. Minho doesn't even listen to the conversation around him, picking at his food as he thinks of the handsome cheerleader.

They had made this a routine, Minho 'accidentally' finding Hyunjin in the library every Thursday morning and sitting at his table with a book or his own coursework. The table was always quiet, neither feeling the need to break the silence and instead to just enjoy each other's company. It was motivating for Hyunjin to keep on top of his workload, even taking on extra-credit classes. Hyunjin would always stay behind when Minho left for lunch, typing away on his laptop like time wasn't even moving. Minho didn't want to pull him out of his concentration to invite him to lunch, instead just waving and leaving without a word.

Minho wasn't sure how they ended up here.

Hyunjin had woken up late on Sunday, staring up at the ceiling in bed. He usually would get up, shower and take himself for a long walk to the local forest for art inspiration and some pretty photos. Today, he just didn't want to move - he wanted to curl up and go back to sleep. He knew it was the hangover from the party Felix dragged him to last night, neither getting back to the dorms until the early hours of the morning. He eventually gains the energy to sit up, looking over to Felix who was still fast asleep in his bed. He pushes himself through his morning routine - a nice warm shower, brushing his teeth, doing his skincare and finding a comfortable outfit for the day. Today he decided on some loose black trousers, a white tee and a chunky knitted cream cardigan. He slipped the strap to his camera around neck. He slung his tote bag filled with art supplies over his shoulder. He heads into their shared kitchen and grabs the fruit he had prepared yesterday, dropping the tub into his bag and throwing his keys into his pocket, walking through campus.

Most people were still in bed hungover or in their dorms, everything empty except for the few crazy people who also never took Sunday as a rest day, people like him who stayed productive all week. The sun was shining today, although there was still a harsh breeze that gripped onto Hyunjin's skin as he strolls towards the exit. A familiar face catches his eyes and he smiles to himself, catching up to him. "Morning, Minho."

"Morning." Minho turns around and smiles. "Going to the library?" Minho already knew he wasn't, but he didn't want Hyunjin to know that Minho had memorized his whole schedule from Seungmin. That's a one way ticket to being labeled a stalker.

"Oh, no, no, I'm going for a walk." Hyunjin chuckles, looking down. He found it really hard to form sentences when those eyes stared back at him, observing him so intently. He hated how flustered he would get when Minho would catch his eye across the room or any of his friends catching him staring, which he always came up with quick excuses for. "Would you like to join me? I mean, if you're not busy-" Hyunjin fidgets with his hands, keeping his head down.

"I would like that." Minho smiles. "Lead the way." Hyunjin nods and continues walking, taking Minho to his favorite spot. It was a hidden forest a half an hour walk from campus, a large lake hidden behind the bushes. Hyunjin had made a small hole to crawl through when he comes, squeezing through and helping Minho through. There were stepping stones to get to the other side to the flower field, Hyunjin hopping over easily. He turns around to see Minho staring at the mossy stones with anxiety.

"The water isn't very deep, don't worry!" Hyunjin calls over from the other side of the lake. The stones weren't big enough for two feet, but he quickly came up with a solution to get Minho over safely. He steps back over, holding out his hands. "Come on, I'll make sure you don't fall." He smiles. Minho reluctantly rests his hands onto Hyunjin's, taking a step forward as Hyunjin steps backwards. He wobbles a little, but Hyunjin just tightens his hands around Minho's to keep him upright. They make it over the stones safely, Hyunjin letting go of Minho's hands and turning away. A blush paints onto his cheek and he bites his lip. Minho looks around, observing the surroundings.

Hyunjin pulls out his camera, snapping a picture of Minho staring at the pink blossom trees that overhang above the lake. Minho was amazed this place was so close to their dorms and yet he'd never been here, or even known it existed. Hyunjin captures some more pictures of the blooming flowers and the way the sun reflects off of the clear water. He eventually leads Minho down the mud path to the flower field, brushing petals off of an old picnic bench nearby and sitting down. Minho sits opposite him, looking around. Hyunjin pulls out his sketchbook, his paints and a jar. He strolls back over to the lake, scooping some water into the jar and heading back to sit at the picnic table. Minho watches in fascination as Hyunjin starts painting, no sketch or anything, just painting whatever feels right.

As Hyunjin waits for the bottom layer to dry, he pulls out his fruit pot and opens it, offering Minho some. "It's fresh." He smiles. Minho takes a plump strawberry, biting into it as Hyunjin eats a grape. "If you walk down the river bank, there's a pond at the end with ducks and a wooden fishing pier. I don't recommend standing on it, though, it's really old and I don't think it's stable, but the ducks are really friendly." Hyunjin explains, smiling.

"How did you find this place?" Minho asks, grabbing a green grape from the pot and plopping it into his mouth.

"When I moved into my dorm, I wanted to explore local areas and I just stumbled across it." Hyunjin shrugs. "I never tell anyone it's here, I don't want them to ruin it."

"But you told me." Minho counters, tilting his head in curiosity.

"You're different." Is all Hyunjin replies before looking back at his painting, checking how dry it is. Minho blushes lightly, looking down at the table. They let the silence overtake them again as Hyunjin adds details to his painting, them both still eating the fruit Hyunjin had brought with them. After a few hours of painting, Hyunjin packs up his paints and leaves the sketchbook on the table to dry as he rises from his seat. He grabs a small bag of bird feed from his bag and leaves it on the table, pouring some of the contents into the fruit pot with the squashy fruit that neither wanted to eat. He smiles, gesturing for Minho to follow him, which he does. Hyunjin leads him to the pond, kneeling on the floor as a few of the ducks rush over, quacking. He places the pot into the floor, letting the ducks eat as he gently pets each one. Minho stays back, watching. "Guys this is Minho, okay? He's friendly, so be nice to him." Hyunjin speaks softly to the ducks.

They stay with the ducks until the food is gone, Hyunjin standing from the floor and brushing off his pants. He grabs the pot and turns to Minho, who is watching him with a fond smile. "What?" Hyunjin asks sheepishly.

"The ducks really like you." Minho gestures to the way they nip at his ankles for more attention, quacking.

"I come here and feed them every Sunday, so I guess they just see me as their weekly food delivery." Hyunjin chuckles, "the sun is starting to set, we should go." Hyunjin leads the way back to the bench, collecting his things and carrying the jar of water. He refuses to pollute the nature here with the paint water, so he always carries it out of the forest before dumping it. Minho braves the stepping stones alone, making it without falling, barely. Hyunjin makes it look effortless. They crawl back through the opening in the bushes, leaving through the small path. Once by the main road again, Hyunjin pours the water down the drain.

"Thank you for inviting me today. I enjoyed it." Minho smiles, looking at the man beside him.

"You're welcome." He answers timidly and looks down, blushing lightly. Hyunjin had never shown someone something so precious to him before, a warm feeling in his heart at the fact they enjoyed it like he did. He's never even gone with Felix before. Hyunjin can't believe someone he met a few weeks ago had become too dear to him, even if he may never tell him.

It's the start of the competitive season, meaning Hyunjin was much busier than he had been the previous weeks. Practices ran on for longer, started earlier and were more frequent throughout the week - on top of his already busy class schedule. He didn't just have performances with the football team, but also state competitions to attend. He felt like he was drowning in responsibilities. He was managing his grades quite well, the teachers allowing him extra time to complete assignments due to his cheerleading, given that's the only reason he came to this college - the scholarship. He made sure to never miss Thursday mornings in the library, however, the only time he gets to truly relax. One morning, he's just not able to concentrate on the work in front of him. He sighs, putting his head in his hands and leans back in his chair. "You okay?" Minho asks, looking up from his book.

"It's too much." Hyunjin removes his hands from his face, stress plastered over his face.

"What is?" Minho places his book down, giving Hyunjin his full attention.

"This! This stupid assignment and the stupid competitions and- Ugh!" Hyunjin sighs in exasperation, running a hand through his hair and taking a deep breath. "I'm fine." He sits back up properly, looking back at his laptop.

"You need a break." Minho states.

"I don't have time for that." Hyunjin shakes his head, forcing a smile and getting back to his assignment.

"When was the last time you ate something?" Minho asks, tilting his head.

"I don't know, yesterday sometime." Hyunjin shrugs, checking his workbook and typing again.

"Food is good for concentration and energy, you know. Please have lunch today." Minho frowns at the way Hyunjin shakes his head, ignoring him. "Why not?"

"I have practice at lunch." Hyunjin states, Minho can hear the annoyance in his voice but he was stubborn, he was not going to accept Hyunjin skipping lunch over something stupid as a grade.

"Then after." Minho crosses his arms. "You know, not eating enough lowers muscle mass and energy levels and that would really affect your performance at competitions. You don't want to let your team down, do you? That's why you're working so hard, after all." It may be a low blow, but Hyunjin seemed to respond to that, raising his head from his laptop and looking at him.

"Does it really lower muscle mass?" He asks, concerned.

"Yeah, your body doesn't just attack fat when you eat that little, it also attacks your muscles for energy because you're not giving it energy with food." Minho educates, hoping it gets through to him. "And no, fruit is not a substitute for a balanced meal."

"Okay, fine." He gives in, saving his work and shoving it into his bag with his workbook. Minho puts his book away and takes Hyunjin to the canteen. Seungmin and Jeongin are already there with the rest of Hyunjin's friends, waving at the two as they get into the queue. Hyunjin gets something healthy and some diet soda, sitting next to Felix. Minho sits opposite him.

"Can we just skip practice?" Felix complains, picking at his lunch.

"Don't be lazy." Chan shakes his head, sighing in exasperation. "Eat your food."

"You have to look forward to the party Saturday, which you can only go to if you work hard today." Changbin bribes.

"You only want us to win because you graduate this year." Felix sighs, pushing his tray away.

"And we've never lost before, pretty embarrassing to lose because of you." Hyunjin chuckles, taking a bite of his food and grabbing Felix's fork, picking up some of his food and making him eat it.

"This food sucks." Felix frowns, eating his mouthful.

"Is this all you do? Complain?" Jeongin digs.

"I don't complain that much." Felix pouts, eating his food on his own now.

"You do." Hyunjin counters. He glances at Minho, who looks away and at his own tray with a blush. They continue bickering while everyone finishes their food. "Guys what's the time?" Hyunjin asks, sipping his soda.

"It just turned 1pm, why?" Jisung answers and Hyunjin pulls his phone out from his pocket.

"Assignment results should be out now." Hyunjin navigates through his portal, finding his results and opening them. 96%. He does a small dance, smiling as he reads his feedback.

"How'd you do? I got 63%." Jisung sighs. "The feedback was so harsh, as well."

"I got 96%. Why are your grades so bad recently? Are you doing okay?" Hyunjin looks at him with a small frown.

"I'm just not finding the time to study. I'll work on it." Jisung smiles. "I'll beat you next time." He challenges, smirking. Jisung was really smart, but he just never applied himself to get the grades to show that, preferring to do things he finds fun like football or working out.

"You're on." They fist bump, putting their phones back into their pockets.

"If you need any study help, I'm free." Minho offers, looking at Jisung.

"You'd really help me?" Jisung smiles, Minho nods enthusiastically and smiles back. "Thank you!"

"We have practice, now. We're gonna be late." Felix stands, everyone following suit. Seungmin and Minho wave, heading to their class while everyone else goes to practice.

Saturday night comes and the party is very much needed, everyone finally relaxing and letting loose from their busy week. Even Hyunjin was enjoying himself, dancing and drinking more than he ever does at these stupid parties. He leaves the dancefloor for a refill, brushing his hair back that's stuck to his face and pouring a drink of half vodka and half lemonade. He looks around, the kitchen unusually quiet. He tastes his drink, nodding in satisfaction and finding his way back to Felix in the crowd. "Come outside with us!~" Felix pulls on Hyunjin's hand, him just accepting it. A lot of people were swimming in the pool or relaxing on the pool chairs. Chan lights a smoke, offering everyone one. Hyunjin shakes his head, leaning on the wall for stability.

"You look like you're having fun." Felix observes, leaning next to Hyunjin.

"Hm?" Hyunjin looks at him blankly.

"Are you having fun for a change?" Felix asks, smiling.

"I am!" Hyunjin smiles, nodding. He knows it would be better if he was with Minho, but he hadn't seen him all night so he assumed he didn't come this time. He rarely did attend these parties, even when Hyunjin begged him, so it wasn't a surprise he didn't come. He was a little disappointed. "I need to pee!" He groans, pushing himself off the wall and finding his balance.

"We'll be out here if you need us." Felix assures and Hyunjin nods, heading back inside and sipping his drink. He finally makes it up the stairs and to the bathroom - which is thankfully empty -, does his business and makes his way back to the living room, being careful not to fall over. He spots Minho leaning on the wall and talking to Jeongin, cutting through the crowd to see him.

"Hey~." Hyunjin smiles, waving.

"Hey." Minho smiles back. "You having fun?"

"Yes! This is exactly what I needed!" Hyunjin smiles, grabbing Minho's hand. "Dance with me!" He doesn't give Minho a choice, dragging him into the crowd with his hand around his wrist. Minho follows Hyunjin's lead, resting a hand on his waist. Minho hadn't drunk nearly as much as Hyunjin, it being noticeable through the way his dancing is more stiff than the man in front of him, but he still had a lot more than he usually would - if he hadn't drunk at all, there was no way he would've been dancing right now. Hyunjin takes a sip of his drink then presses the cup to Minho's lips, letting him finish the rest of the cup.

"Do you want a refill?" Minho offers, holding the cup.

"I'll come with you." Hyunjin nods and Minho leads the way to the kitchen, fingers intertwined so they don't get separated. Hyunjin would usually become a flustered mess over these small touches, but he's full of liquid courage and ready to risk it all tonight. Minho grabs a cup of his own, pouring them both fresh drinks. Hyunjin leans on the counter next to him, watching. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol but Minho looked stunning under the colored lights tonight, his lip forming a small smile as he inspects his face. Minho hands him a cup, sipping his own. Hyunjin thanks him and drinks.

Chan brings out the shots not long later - by 2am Hyunjin is surprised he's even able to walk. Minho had stuck by his side all night, going along with whatever Hyunjin wanted to do. Minho suggests - no, he tells Hyunjin it's time to leave at 3:30am. Hyunjin tries to argue back, but just accepts his fate when Minho grabs his hand and starts leading him towards the door. Hyunjin interlocks their fingers, biting his lip. "Where's your dorm?" Minho asks, rubbing his thumb softly over the back of Hyunjin's hand. Minho may also be drunk, but he was in much better shape than Hyunjin right now so it was his responsibility to get him back. Hyunjin points at a nearby building, Minho walking that way. It shouldn't take this long for Minho to find Hyunjin's dorm, but Hyunjin's directions were worse than a 4 year olds and they ended up going in multiple circles before they finally arrived at Hyunjin's door. Hyunjin hands Minho his keys and he opens the door, Hyunjin heading inside.

Hyunjin kicks off his shoes, turning to face Minho who is watching him by the door, leant on the door frame. "Are you not coming in?" He frowns. Minho tilts his head, furrowing his brows. Hyunjin holds out his hands. "Sleep with me tonight." Minho blushes, looking down.

"You're drunk." He chuckles, shaking his head.

"So are you." Hyunjin chuckles, grabbing Minho's arm and pulling him to him, their bodies crashing together. "So, stay with me tonight." Hyunjin wraps his arms around Minho's waist, eyes flicking down to his lips and back to Minho's eyes. Minho notices, smirking. The tension was so thick, even the sharpest knife couldn't cut through it. They've been dancing around each other for weeks, neither having the courage to make the first move, neither wanting to ruin a friendship for something unreciprocated. Minho gives in, leaning forward and connecting their lips softly. Hyunjin kisses back as Minho's hands slide to his waist - the kiss is gentle. Minho slowly pulls away, placing a hand on Hyunjin's cheek and watching his face redden under his skin. "Does that mean you'll stay tonight?"

Hyunjin wakes to Felix slamming the door to the dorm, rubbing his eyes and looking over at him. Minho is still fast asleep, curled up into his side. Felix doesn't even bother to look at Hyunjin, flopping down face down in bed. The glimpse that Hyunjin caught of his face showed how annoyed Felix was. Hyunjin glances at his nightstand to his alarm clock- 9:23am. It was too early for one of Felix's temper tantrums, especially when Minho was sleeping so peacefully next to him in the clothes from last night. They shared kisses as they laid in bed until they fell asleep, not bothering to get changed. "What happened?" Hyunjin croaks, clearing his throat.

"Jisung and I lost our phones." Felix lifts his head from the pillow, looking at Hyunjin. "Then when Chan tried calling you to help us find it, you didn't answer."

"Sorry, I must've put it on do not disturb." Hyunjin sighs, patting his pockets to find his phone. He lifts the blanket, looking but it's not there. "Where the fuck is my phone?" He holds his head, a sharp, splitting pain assaulting him as soon as he moves.

"Not you too." Felix sighs, sitting up. Hyunjin carefully checks Minho's pockets, pulling Minho's phone out but not finding his own. "Why is he in your bed anyway?" Felix furrows his brows, only just now noticing the man cuddled into Hyunjin's side.

"Mind your business." Hyunjin glares at him, slipping out of Minho's grip and standing up to look around the floor.

"Oh my god, did you two-" Felix is cut off by a cushion colliding with his face, he grabs it and throws it back but Hyunjin catches it. Hyunjin nudges Minho's shoulder gently, waking him from his sleep.

"Have you seen my phone?" Hyunjin asks softly, Minho shakes his head and hides his face into the pillow. Hyunjin smiles softly, all of his previous annoyance melting from his body as he watches him. Minho pulls himself up, looking at Hyunjin tiredly. "Sorry for waking you."

"You lost your phone?" Minho yawns, rubbing his eye.

"Three of us have." Felix chimes in. Minho takes his phone from Hyunjin's hand, sending a text to Seungmin to help look for them if he's not already been awoken by Jeongin.

"Where have you guys looked?" Minho asks.

"The dorms, where we were last night and where we would've walked to get back. They're nowhere to be seen." Felix sighs.

"Do you have a laptop?" Hyunjin reaches under his bed, handing his macbook over to Minho and unlocking it. Hyunjin's already signed into his apple ID, making Minho's job of finding the phones much easier. He gets up 'Find My Iphone', the location for Hyunjin's phone pinging immediately. "Last seen just now in... I don't know whose room that is." Minho shows Hyunjin the screen, his face dropping. Hyunjin stands without a word, storming out of the room. Felix and Minho jump up and follow him, Minho still carrying the laptop. They pass Chan and Changbin on the way, Felix gesturing for them to follow, which they do. Hyunjin reaches the location his phone pinged from, banging on the door loudly until it opens.

"Dude it's too early-" Ryujin groans, rubbing her eyes.

"Give me my phone back." Hyunjin demands, crossing his arms.

"What makes you think I took it?" She crosses her arms too.

"I have location tracking, dumbass. Now, give it back." Hyunjin huffs.

"You're no fun, you know that?" She sighs, disappearing into her dorm for a few moments before handing him the three missing phones. He hands Felix his and Jisung's, slipping his own into his pocket. She rolls her eyes and slams the door.

"I'm going back to bed." Hyunjin sighs, holding his hand out for Minho who shakes his head.

"I should get back and get changed, I'll see you around." Minho places the laptop into Hyunjin's hand and runs off back to his dorm. He runs into the dorm, leaning against the door as he shuts it behind him. Seungmin is lying in bed, scrolling through twitter.

"Where were you last night?" He asks, placing his phone on the bed next to him.

"I stayed with Hyunjin last night and we may have kissed." Minho smiles. Seungmin sits up quickly, eyes wide. "You cannot tell a soul, you hear me? I don't think he wants the others to know." Minho sits next to Seungmin on his bed, crossing his legs. Seungmin turns to face him as Minho shares every detail from last night, from dancing to ending up back in Hyunjin's dorm, Seungmin gasping and clapping excitedly for him. Minho can't help but get embarrassed explaining the kiss, covering his face with his hands and grinning.

Hyunjin doesn't see Minho until after the first competition he has on Friday, catching him in the hallway as they all arrive back at the college in the evening. Minho was with Seungmin, sitting on the floor by the canteen, waiting for them. As soon as Seungmin sees Jeongin, he jumps up and runs over to him, hugging him. Minho stands, waving at Hyunjin. "How was it?" Seungmin asks.

"We won, obviously." Jeongin grins and hugs Seungmin closely.

"Congrats." Minho smiles, walking over to Hyunjin.

"Thank you." Hyunjin smiles back, looking down. "This is only the start of the season so we still have lots to go, though."

"And you'll dominate them, too." Minho reassures, rubbing his shoulder.

"I'll break the news to Chan, Jisung and Changbin that we need another song." Felix chuckles.

"You make your own music too?" Minho asks, surprised.

"Yeah, it gives us an advantage." Felix smiles. "I'm gonna go see them now. See you in the morning!" Felix waves and runs off towards Chan and Changbin's dorm, planning to stay there for the night. All party plans were suspended until the competitive season was over for a while and everyone went home for the holidays. The competitive season lasted until May, if they made it that far, but there were a few weeks between competitions that meant they could at least party once a month minimum. Seungmin and Jeongin also bid their goodbyes, heading to Seungmin and Minho's dorm for some one-on-one time. They were really close like Felix and Hyunjin were.

"So..." Hyunjin trails off, fidgeting with his fingers at the awkwardness that is now shared between them. Ever since the kiss, they've both been at a loss for words around each other. Hyunjin was still embarrassed at how needy he was when he got that drunk and Minho just didn't know what to say anymore. He had so much he wanted to say, but nothing felt appropriate to say to someone of Hyunjin's status. He believes the kiss was a matter of convenience and not because Hyunjin was deeply in love with him. "Do you want to go to my dorm and talk?" Hyunjin asks.

"Sure." Minho nods, following the taller one as he leads him back to his dorm. They both remove their shoes when they enter, Hyunjin sitting on his bed with his legs crossed and patting the space next to him for Minho to do the same - which he does.

"I don't think I've ever asked you what your course is." Hyunjin chuckles, deciding that they should really get to know each other. Considering they spend every Thursday together, they've never actually sat and spoke about themselves; their course, hobbies, passions, aspirations, or even plans for when they graduate, which for Minho is the end of this academic year.

"I take science with math. What about you?"

"I do literature with art. So you want to be a doctor?" Hyunjin looks at him.

"Something along that lines. I'm actually not sure what I want to do when I graduate, I'm just taking things as they come, y'know? I would prefer to become a dancer, but there was no way I was getting on a course for that." Minho explains, fidgeting with the hem of his trousers.

"I love dancing! I actually used to take classes in school, but since I came to college I simply don't have the time anymore. I'm hoping I at least can become a writer or editor, if I don't get any offers while competing - even then, I don't think I'll accept them." Hyunjin smiles.

"Why?" Minho looks at him, tilting his head a little.

"It's a very stressful job and it brings a lot of attention, I mean, while we're at competitions we have tons of different agencies scouting for just one person in the crowd of hundreds of potential candidates. One agency paid for my scholarship, but I haven't received an offer to stay to work for them when I graduate. I know that's why my teachers push us so hard because they want the money that comes with our contracts if we get them, Felix and I have the most potential which is why we get pushed harder than the rest." He explains, sighing. "We're not just competing for a cheerleading career, but a modeling career too and there are even beauty and fashion companies there. It's why we get put on diets and strict workout regimes so often, because to them we're a product and our sell date is short for our age. It pays really good money but at what cost? I like being creative more than I like having money."

"They're stupid not to see that you're perfect as you are and that there's nothing for you to change." Minho rests a hand on Hyunjin's knee, "you don't need to change a thing." Hyunjin blushes lightly and keeps his eyes fixed onto a crease in the blanket ahead of him at the words, not used to hearing them - Minho would change that, even if it's the last thing he does in this life. "Look at me." Minho puts a hand on Hyunjin's cheek and turns Hyunjin's face to face him. "Don't change a thing, okay? Show them you, not what they want you to be." Hyunjin nods, leaning into Minho's gentle touch.

"I hope one day I can see me the way you do." Hyunjin smiles sadly. He wishes to swap bodies with Minho just to be able to see himself from his eyes, would he still feel bad about himself? What exactly does Minho see in him? What makes Minho stay? Hyunjin knew he wasn't someone people fell in love with, but rather someone to love for a passing time until their love is ready to serve it's true purpose. He can't even fathom the idea that someone with a brain like Minho's would choose him out of a crowd, nevermind an agency recruiter with hundreds of thousands of people they see a day. His words felt coated with sugar but inside were the bitterest of apples - they didn't feel honest.

"I hope so, too." Minho strokes his thumb over Hyunjin's cheek. They stare at each other in silence, communicating with just their eyes instead of words. Eyes tell stories that words can't express, of experiences not to be told and emotions not yet understood by words. They were truly a window to a person's soul. Minho leans forward, connecting their lips together for the first time since their drunken moment, letting Hyunjin set the pace. It starts off sweet, soft, but Hyunjin deepens it, parting his lips for Minho to allow his tongue to explore his mouth. He opens his legs, gripping Minho's shirt and guiding Minho on top of him. They pull away for air, Minho watching Hyunjin's expressions carefully.

"Do you have plans tonight?" Hyunjin pants, Minho shaking his head. "Good." Hyunjin leans forward, kissing Minho with a passion that he's been holding back the whole time they've known each other. Since the moment he saw him, he's imagined himself in much lewder positions than this - he wants him so bad. Minho disconnects their lips, trailing kisses down Hyunjin's neck and removing his shirt to continue the trail down his chest and stomach. He takes care to kiss every inch, thumbs rubbing into his upper thighs. Hyunjin gasps, his pants suddenly way too restricting. Minho kisses above his waistline, sliding off his pants and boxers achingly slow. He continue his kissing-assault down his thighs, before finally giving his dick the attention it's been craving by licking a stripe up his length so slowly Hyunjin wants to grab Minho's hair and force him down.

"Lube?" Minho asks, Hyunjin nods and pulls open his nightstand drawer, digging around and pulling out a small bottle of lube, placing it in Minho's hand. He pops open the cap, pouring some onto two fingers and rubbing it between them to warm it up. He presses a finger against his hole.

"Wait." Hyunjin gasps, Minho pausing and looking up at him. "I've never actually... Done this, before."

"Had sex?" Minho furrows his brows.

"No, I've never... Bottomed before." Hyunjin blushes at the confession, looking back up at the ceiling.

"I'll be gentle." He reassures.

"No, I can take it, do whatever you want to me." Hyunjin shakes his head and Minho was happy to oblige. He presses two fingers into Hyunjin, thrusting them slowly and scissoring them out to stretch Hyunjin thoroughly. It felt so much better than when Hyunjin would to do it alone, reaching spots his fingers cannot reach. Minho's fingers graze Hyunjin's prostate and he gasps, closing his eyes. He thrusts his fingers faster, using his other hand to stroke Hyunjin's length while his tongue teases the tip. Hyunjin reaches his hand down to run his fingers through Minho's hair. Hyunjin wondered how many times he had done this before, how many people he's ruined under his skilled hands, did Minho really get laid more than him? "I'm so close." Hyunjin whines, but Minho doesn't stop, if anything he presses his fingers harder into him. It only takes another skilled swipe of Minho's tongue and another thrust of his fingers to shove him over the edge as cum spills into Minho's mouth and over his stomach. Minho slips his fingers out, swallowing the cum that spilt into his mouth and kissing the inside of Hyunjin's thighs lightly.

He stands from the bed, stripping himself off and crawling between Hyunjin's legs, kissing him again. He pours some of the lube onto his own dick, stroking himself a few times before slowly pushing into Hyunjin. Hyunjin pulls away from the kiss to moan and grip onto Minho's arm. Minho stops when he's fully inside, letting Hyunjin adjust before he starts thrusting. The slow pace doesn't last long, Minho setting a brutal pace and Hyunjin can do is take it. His moans echo off of the walls around them, hands gripping the sheets. Hyunjin swears he sees God when Minho grabs his dick, rubbing his thumb across the tip before he strokes him in time with his thrusts. Before he can come, Minho pulls out. "Turn over." He orders, Hyunjin obeying and gets on his hands and knees. Minho thrusts back into him hard, causing Hyunjin to throw his head back with a moan. Minho leans forward to kiss Hyunjin's neck, leaving love bites in places he knows he won't be able to hide. Hyunjin's legs shake, the heat building in his stomach - Minho was getting close too, thrusts becoming more harsh. Hyunjin is unable to even warn Minho when he comes, arms collapsing under him as his chest falls onto the bed. Minho follows shortly after, catching his breath before pulling out.

Hyunjin lays on his back, panting, as Minho grabs the wipes he can see in the drawer and cleans them both up. He reaches down onto the floor, grabbing their boxers and dressing them both. He finally lays down, holding Hyunjin as he cuddles into his side, stroking his hair softly. Hyunjin falls asleep within minutes.

The next morning, Hyunjin wakes not long after Minho, who is scrolling through twitter with one hand and the other arm around Hyunjin's waist. He rubs his eyes, looking up from his spot on Minho's chest and at him. Minho notices he's awake and locks his phone, placing it next to him and looking at Hyunjin. "Good morning." He smiles, stroking a strand of hair out of Hyunjin's face. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did. Did you?" Hyunjin croaks, yawning. Truthfully, that was the best sleep he's every had. He wasn't sure if the ache in his back was from the competition or from what they did last night, his other muscles not nearly as sore.

"I did." Minho nods. Hyunjin reaches over Minho's chest, grabbing his phone and checking the time as well as his notifications. It was 9am and Chan had sent at least 10 messages asking what time he was coming to the gym as they normally met by 8am at the latest, Hyunjin sighs and places his phone back on the nightstand. He sits up, stretching and releasing another yawn. He doesn't even get a chance to get ready, however, before the door swings open and Chan walks in with Felix.

"You're late- Oh my god." Chan notices the situation he’s just walked into and turns away, resting a hand on his hip and staring at the wall. Hyunjin and Minho both blush deeply, Hyunjin pulling the blanket up to cover his chest as Minho hides his face in the pillow below him.

"Oh my god!" Felix gasps, covering his mouth with wide eyes.

"Can you shut the door at least?!" Hyunjin glares at them, Chan nodding and shutting it behind them before he finally turns back to face them.

"Wow, um..." Chan sighs, at a loss for words. This is not what he was expecting to see so early in the morning, especially when Felix assured him that 'Hyunjin just overslept like always!'. The room is filled with awkward tension, no one knowing what to say. Felix is in shock, still trying to process that Hyunjin and Minho actually slept together. Chan is just more embarrassed that he has seen them both presumably naked than the fact he knows what they did. Hyunjin's love bites were clear, fresh on his neck.

"So, considering you've already done your cardio, no gym?" Felix jokes, unable to cope with the silence anymore. Hyunjin grabs his shirt and launches it at Felix, who catches it and laughs, throwing it back.

"It feels like I've been caught by my disappointed parents." Minho chuckles, sitting up and reaching for his clothes on the floor, slipping his shirt on.

"I'm... I’m so confused." Chan rubs his forehead. "How did this even happen?" He gestures to the two of them.

"Do you really need a lesson on the birds and the bees?" Hyunjin joins in with the joking as he pulls his shirt on, watching Chan just shake his head and sigh again. Felix and Chan decide to let them get dressed, heading back to the gym to meet the others that are waiting for them. Hyunjin pulls on some sweatpants and changes into a clean tank top, tying up his hair. Minho slips on his trousers and wraps his arms around Hyunjin's waist, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I'll see you later." 

{ @mixtape-racha }

[wanderingblindly]

Some Cursed Lore™️ about my lestappen fic, Rules of Engagement:

I actually got the inspo for the Managing Director’s summer party from my actual MD’s annual summer event — which was today. Sunset by the pool and all.

So I had to sit at his beautiful estate in the countryside with all my coworkers and mentally scream that I wrote stupid gay rpf about it I hate myself

((I also cornered my MD to discuss formula 1 because I’m going to the Canadian gp next year and I won’t shut up about it))