#they would get on like a house on fire and they’d absolutely make each other worse

[apple-of-my-pie]

this might be a niche crossover but i do believe in my heart of hearts that greg house and rebecca bunch would be BFFs

[connorsbonez]

Stalkers and Cryptids

Meeting the Bat Family

1. Danny

Since him and Wes got together with Tim at the same-ish time, it was decided that they’d get introduced to the family one at a time before going together, and for some reason, Danny got chosen to be the first to go.

It went surprisingly well! The siblings loved him (at least, they think Damien does, maybe Danny will have to convince him through the means of Cujo) and it took Bruce a moment but he came around

Duke thought Tim managed to bring the personified sun into the house at first before realizing ‘oh, it’s a person’ and switched to ‘what the fuck is up with you’, pulling out some sunglasses before asking Danny who straight faced told Duke that he ate a lot of glow sticks as a kid.

Duke asked what they tasted like.

Cass and Danny stared at each other for five minutes before nodding and continuing on like nothing happened.

Steph and Danny had to be physically separated and it was agreed to never leave those two alone. No matter the circumstances. Tim is terrified and rightfully so.

So everything was going pretty great.

And then dinner happened.

Fenton Curse reared its ugly head in the form of Danny accidentally touching the chicken with his bare hands. He barely got in an apology before the chicken jolted upwards in vengeful fury and dragged everyone into a recreation of the Cold War. Food was splattered on everything and everyone, the table was flipped to the side in an effort to be used as a shield, screams of the damned as the chicken descended upon them with a large butcher knife, something was on fire, and Alfred was loading up his shotgun crouched behind the table with Danny on one side and Bruce on the other looking like he was astral projecting but not at the same time.

It was agreed that this dinner was never to be spoken of. Ever.

Danny wore gloves from now on when he came over for a meal of any kind.

Dick had to wear a hat for a bit after the chicken managed to take off some of his hair, leaving a bald spot (Steph tried to shave his head completely to ‘even it out’)

2. Wes

They waited two months before bringing Wes to the manor and after what happened with Danny, the family was a touch more wary. Dick jokingly(ish) asked if Wes would bring anything alive, he replied with ‘Not unless you pay me’ and didn’t elaborate further.

You’d think they’d calm down after interacting with Wes for a bit because it wasn’t like he was horrible, he meshed well with the others and they could find themselves genuinely liking Wes if not for a small little thing or two. It was going too well. Wes seemed to know how to interact with all of them, barely making any mistakes that came with interacting with new people, it was off putting to the vigilantes. (Except Tim, he didn’t notice a thing odd about it)

Along with the fact that the ginger seemed to sometimes ask very…interesting questions that made the others pause. Wes can’t help himself when it comes to knowing things about people that he’s talking too, he held off this long and now he can’t help but slide in a few questions and comments here and there…just to see if they notice.

Wes could acknowledge that he found it a little funny how much he was driving the Waynes up the wall.

Bruce kept staring at Tim, as if trying to telepathically get answers from him. Tim pretended not to notice his gaze.

Someone tried to give the shovel talk and Wes responded by saying their credit card information in a deadpan tone.

This visit also somehow managed to go to hell, this one didn’t even make it to dinner. The disaster kicked off with Wes and Damian, no one is quite sure what was said but it ended with an absolute cat fight, with Dick holding back Damian who had a bruise already blooming on his lower jaw and Jason holding back Wes who had a small knife lodged into his thigh and promptly bit Jason when he abruptly grabbed the ginger.

Jason later got checked for rabies.

Wes refused to give the knife back, having left with it still in his thigh. (Danny got it out and was unsurprised by the series of events when told.)

(Batman definitely went to their apartment later that night.)

3. Bernard

This wasn’t the first time he met the Wayne Family but it was the first time he’d be meeting them as Tim’s boyfriend instead of just friend.

So obviously the meeting went find, they already knew who Bernard was so it wasn’t a get to know you meeting but a shovel talk meeting + meeting the third boyfriend

Bernard was the only one really intimidated by the shovel talks

Most peaceful night, Bernard told some of his theories during dinner, including how Superman, Batman, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Lex Luther were in a polygamy relationship. Jason was dying (metaphorically this time) during dinner as well as the other siblings, Bruce not so much and Damian tried to act like he didn’t find it funny (Dick swears he did).

He was the only one Bruce didn’t feel the need to heavily research. (Because he already did that when he and Tim first became friends)

( I kinda hate this but whatever, it’s been in the drafts for far too long. )

[comradekatara]

How much do I need to pay for some more aang and suki shenanigans?

same girl!!! their friendship (that is almost entirely hypothetical and mostly exists in my head) is soo important to me i just know they’re best friends. like obviously the fact that suki is close with appa and momo already signifies a lot about the nature of their relationship, but they barely interact throughout the show, which makes sense considering that suki is mostly there to supplement sokka’s character and all her other interactions with the gaang are fairly limited (katara and suki friendship though….. also deeply important. to me). but as the most emotionally healthy, stable, self-possessed, and just straight up cool members of the gaang, i just know they’d get along like a house on fire.

i think suki would pretty quickly come to see aang as a little brother figure the same way sokka does, and suki would be the big sister he never had in return. and they definitely get into all kinds of little adventures together after the war, like aang telling suki about the cactus juice incident and suki immediately being like “omg we NEED to try that (don’t tell sokka and katara)”, or going around helping rebuild villages and relocate displaced peoples together, or pranking each other in increasingly crazier ways.

oh yes the aang and suki prank war is very real (toph and katara have a concurrent prank war going on of course; zuko who is far too sensitive & gullible, and sokka who is far too anxious, refuse to be caught in the crosshairs of either of these conflicts). it starts at the western air temple and ends when both of them are dead. everyone on kyoshi island genuinely worships aang like a god and so they think suki is absolutely fucking insane for putting cactus juice in his smoothie right before he’s supposed to deliver a big speech, but she’s just like “no it’s gonna be so fucking funny, just trust me.” (and it is.)

the “putting a “snake” in your sleeping bag and humiliating you in front of your almost boyfriend and his hot dad -> reading katara a really bad poem and then claiming that aang wrote it for her -> loosening the bedframe in your bedroom on ember island so that it crashes during sex (the point at which aang learned NEVER to make sokka collateral damage in these escapades) -> making the whole gaang sit through a colonialist propaganda play just because you know it’ll piss aang off -> putting hot sauce in your red face paint so that it stings and burns your eyelids so bad throughout the entirety of zuko’s coronation day -> nearly causing an international incident because you straight up endangered the life of the avatar” pipeline is so fucking real you guys.

and for what it’s worth, a lot of people assume that aang and suki actually hate each other, and that’s why they’re so invested in this prank war. but they love each other deeply, and that’s evident whenever they’re not in the middle of concocting a nefarious revenge plot, like when they go for long walks together, or just sit and chill outside, or cook together, or any other one of the many other activities they enjoy in each other’s company. they don’t hold grudges either. the pranking is fun for them because they’re both secure enough in themselves to understand that it’s being done out a shared sense of joy and whimsy, and not out of any desire to genuinely antagonize the other. to be fair, sometimes their pranks do actually go too far in various ways, but again, no hard feelings. it’s just a testament to the skill of the pranker, and an invitation for the other to step up their game.

[stoplickingmyneck]

fuck it. ronance wedding headcanons

- they def had an unofficial lil backyard “wedding” with the party back in the 90s. like, jeans and tee shirts and 15 dollar rings and eat hot dogs around a fire pit unofficial

- they kept those cheap ass rings on 24/7, and when they finally rusted and crumbled and were absolutely unwearable they put them in nancy’s ballerina trinket box, the one robin’s still fascinated by after all these years

- when they bought their first house (they move to indianapolis so nancy can work for the star btw, i feel like robin would be some sort of counselor too?), the first thing robin did was take a big ol bulletin board and nail it right to the bedroom wall. for the next twenty years it became their dream board, where they’d pin magazine clippings of suits and dresses, rings and bouquets and venues, dreaming of the day it could be their turn for real

- they have a record player in their kitchen and play cheesy slow music, elvis and frank sinatra typa stuff, while they cook or eat dinner or do work at the counter. every time a song that nancy likes comes on she begs robin to slow dance with her, and she grudgingly agrees every time. and robin fucking sucks. tripping over nothing, not knowing where to look or put her hands, getting flustered at every little move her girlfriend makes. nancy jokes that robin better not be like this during their first dance, and robin grumbles back that she’d rather hire a stunt double than suffer through this (she secretly loves it tho)

- attending weddings is so hard for them. not that they’re not happy for the couples, but because they know they might never get one of their own. when they get. home from max and lucas’ wedding, nancy breaks down in robin’s arms, sobbing that it would be so much easier if she were straight. robin holds her tight and reassures her so gently, and after she calms down they pull out the stack of wedding inspiration books they’ve acquired over the years, put on an old rom-com, settle side by side on the couch and stay up until 3 am gushing over ideas

- in 2015, the moment the announcement comes out that the supreme court legalized gay marriage, nancy speeds home from work, like, 20 miles over the speed limit and finds robin on the front steps, sobbing her eyeballs out, a big dumb grin on her face. nancy gets down on one knee right there on the driveway, not caring that it’s pouring rain and she doesn’t have a ring and and she looks like she just stepped out of the goddamn upside down. robin drops to the ground in front of her and kisses nancy harder than ever before

- nancy wants a traditional wedding. robin wants fun and unique, none of that “old-fashioned bullshit”. they butt heads over it constantly during the planning process, but slowly grow to adore each others’ styles and compromise on every detail

the invitations ^^^ they have a cute lil spring wedding right before their 50th birthdays😇

robin’s suit n nancy’s dress ^^^ nance would absolutely be the typa girl to wear karen’s old dress and robin would want the most basic, no frills suit to ever exist

their shoes ^^^ robin can barely stand on her own two feet so heels were out of the question. nancy spent weeks and weeks learning how to embroider just so she could surprise her fiance with cute flowered converse at their bridal shower. robin cried

their hair ^^^ idk what to caption this with lol

their flowers ^^^ ruth n rose colors, Nancy thought it was fucking hilarious when robin suggested it so it stuck. the idea of robin in a boutonniere makes me drool too

the ceremony n reception ^^^ nance wanted to get married in a big white church like she saw in movies when she was a little girl, robin wanted someplace quaint and cozy to spend the night surrounded by her best friends. worked out perfectly

their rings ^^^ adorbs

the cake^^^ robin would 100% take nancy's last name bc she worships her wife and fuck stereotypes

^^^ i like to think steve jokingly suggests they serve ice cream, a lil nod to their scoops days, not expecting robin to adore the idea and immediately write it down

best men steve and jonathan ^^^ they wouldn't have bridesmaids cuz what other women do they need in their lives tbh👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

other stuff:

-being apart for like 3 hours while they get ready is torture. before the ceremony they do that first look thingy where they're standing back to back on opposite sides of a wall and they're holding hands and they're so nervous and giggly and then they do a countdown and peek around and both of them just stand there in shock. like they just watched the sky open up and an angel fall to earth. and then nance throws her arms around robin's neck and they start bawling cuz they realize their 20-plus-year dream is coming true UGH. when they step back robin runs a finger through nancy's curls and whispers how she's as beautiful as the first time she laid eyes on her and nancy melts

-they walk down the aisle hand in hand, exchange long sappy handwritten vows, and fall so perfectly into place when they kiss. it's like a scene from a disney movie. not dry eye in the damn building

-at the reception, there's lil charcuterie boards at each table, and they serve wood-fired pizza cuz it's what they ate on their first date (plus it's robin's fave)

-steve and jonathan bring the HOUSE down with their best men speeches. steve's is full of embarrassing jokes about robin that make her face turn red, and when he brings up how she peed her pants in the russian lab she jokingly (kinda) threatens to slit his throat. jonathan's is so sweet and tender and you can tell he still loves nance so so much

-after the speeches robin excuses herself outside and comes back 5 minutes later with a guitar. she plays a song she wrote for nancy. it's generous heart. because maya is robin in this world and doesn't exist and tbh i don't care. it's incredible

-their first dance song is first day of my life by bright eyes

-i hate ted and idk anything aboutt robin's dad so they don't get dances whoops

-nancy cuts the cake because robin with knives is a death wish

-the ice cream cart is a huge hit (steve brags about it for years). robin's a chocolate girl and nancy's a lemon sorbet lover

-they drink champagne and dance to 80s music until the ceiling spins. around midnight nancy grabs robin's hand and pulls her through the crowd to the balcony. they sway there together under the stars, foreheads pressed together, pressing an occasional kiss to the other's cheek. in that moment, they both agree nothing on their dream board could be as good as this

-ALSO instead of a honeymoon they take a road trip, driving route 66 to california, stopping to take pictures at every little landmark and singing at the top of their lungs for hours💘

[tellodona]

silly little om request if you don’t mind

om brothers with an mc who tends to overheat/gets sensory issues from clothes so they just tend to walk around in their underwear, usually they’d do it in their room but this time they weren’t bothered enough to put anything on so they just like walked into the living room or something

can be male mc can be gender neutral up to you

and happy new year btw _(┐「ε:)_

i don't mind at all ! and happy new years to you as well !

the brothers with an mc who has heat sensory issues

heads up: gn!mc, slightly suggestive in asmo's (expected, really)

lucifer

he's busy as he usually is in his study, naturally, but he'd of course stand up and leave for a while to do something. maybe get something to eat or drink or make sure half of the house hasn't burnt down to the ground yet

as he exits, he passes by the living room and nods to himself when he peeks in that it's still in shape, the fire still crackling in the fireplace, you in your underwear, the couches are still there-

wait

mc, why are you in your underwear???????

he does a double take, blinks like three times

oh diavolo, you are in your underwear

he doesn't even think much how it would affect him, he's more or less concerned about you since it was a colder weather today

"mc, why aren't you wearing any clothes?"

he would confront you with the most confused face ever, but there was still a frown

be glad he was the one who found you and you're in the house of lamentation, because if lesser demons-

oh, you have sensory issues

he stops himself from talking for a while

after a minute, he nods in understanding

humans do have a different body construction, after all

but he can't just have you walking around the house in your underwear and ushers you to go back to your room

as soon as you wake up in the morning, you'd find the house a little colder, your uniform loosely fitted, and a message in the group chat about installing air conditioning

mammon

he just got home from his modeling gig in majolish, and they gave him a few bags as samples from his photoshoot

he is totally going to show them to his favorite human!

bags in hand, he trudges to your room with a wide grin

a few steps away, the door suddenly opens and you walk out

he was about to greet you when he looks down

oh his face is red

"MC!!!!!!!! YOU DUMB HUMAN!!!!!!!!"

as if he was running for his life, he dashes to you and pushes you back in your room and closes the door behind him

it was like his whole body was boiling from embarrassment

"wear something, for devil's sake!"

he has the back of his hand on his eyes, and is looking away, his face red

the both of you are just standing still

he isn't looking at you at all

"are ya done or what?????"

he hasn't heard you move

you carefully explain to him why you're just in your underwear

oh

he gulps, then he feels the bags from majolish beside his feet

he kicks them towards you

"check them if they're comfortable... o- of course! you'll owe the GREAT mammon for this one!"

they were absolutely comfortable, i'm imagining mammon naturally taller than you as a demon, so the clothes are a little bigger than you

if you thank him, he'll go "obviously, this is something your f- first man should do! thank me a ton!" and he still haven't looked you in the eye

tomorrow, he brings you to a tailor to resize your rad uniform

he'll always bring a mini fan everywhere you both go

leviathan

this man hasn't left his room in weeks probably

it's time for the super secret mission!

mission: get food from the kitchen without being seen!

he tiptoes out of his room, closes his door as quietly as possible and-

slams right into you

the both of you fall to the ground, him right on top of you

o. m. D! is this that trope where the mc and the love interest bump into each other and have a romantic look into each other-

"i- i- i- i'm so sorry, mc! i didn't-"

he looks down and realizes

he SCREECHES

jumps right off of you, like, this man at least jumps five feet in the air as he does so

maybe because they're used to it, the brothers didn't even think of checking in on him

this man is crying

and is also a blushing mess

he keeps repeating sorry over and over that you had to shake his shoulders to get him to listen to you

you explain in simple details about why you're in your underwear and make sure he's getting everything into his head

he stops for a moment, and nods slowly

he understands how you feel, he himself has his own sensory issues too, and a little surprised his friend is the same way

"s- still... i'm sorry, mc..."

after he got his food and drinks, he spent the whole night researching and sewing

you wake up to a pile of clothes on your desk

satan

is in the library reading god knows what

he's very into whatever he's reading, but he hears light foot steps entering the library

knowing it's you, he greets you before looking up at you

he errors

he slams his book right onto his face, you could see the tips of his ears tinged red

"m- mc... why aren't you wearing anything?" you could barely hear his muffled voice

you mention why

he still hasn't put the book down

"i- i see..."

he slowly stands up, book still in his face, and walks out of the library (he trips like three times), once he's out, he puts away the book and dashes to his room

he spends the whole day studying

when you were finished doing whatever you needed to do in the library, the atmosphere felt a little colder

your phone pinged with a notification in the group chat with "we'll be experiencing human world winter for a while" "what"

asmodeus

was actually looking for you

you're not in your room, you're not in his room, you're not in the library-

just where are you, mc?!

he passes by the music room and sees a lone figure inside, in their underwear

? huh

what's a lesser demon half-naked doing in their-

oh, it's you

...

IT'S YOU

"mc, what are you doing here? i've been looking all over for you!"

he whines as he goes to you, but wears a sly smile and a cute blush on his face

"why are you in your underwear, hm?"

he leans closer, but is in a comfortable distance still in case you might pull away

you explain to him about it

his mouth goes o and nods in understanding

"is that so, mc? you should've told me!"

he practically drags you to his room and looks through his stacks and stacks of oils, lotions, literally anything

you're now holding five bottles of cold-feeling lotion, three stacks of clothing, hair pins, hair clips and hair ties

"hm... i think those are too little..." they're too much

just tell him if you ran out, mc! he'll personally scavenge the entire devildom for every stock!

before you know it, majolish is advertising oversized clothes

beelzebub

he just got home from his morning jog, sweat all over him

he's so hungry... maybe sneaking in a bite before breakfast wouldn't hurt...

he sees you in the kitchen wearing nothing but your underwear

oh, and you're also sweaty

his cheeks tint red a little, as he looks away, embarrassed

he clears his throat, "oh, uhm... did you also work out, mc?"

maybe

you'll explain to him while you hand him a sandwich

he munches on the sandwich, before nodding slowly

"oh... is it like food overcooking?"

...?????

nobody knows the answer to that, chat

you just nodded and went about your day

from then on, you start to notice beel always offering you a bottle of water every time you see each other

he also brings a cup of ice cream with him and somehow it doesn't melt and he only ate like a spoon of it before giving it to you

belphegor

he can't sleep peacefully

so he snuck out when beel was snoring, and went to the planetarium

he sees you sitting on the pile of comforter and pillows he set up and he grinned

oh, he's definitely going to sleep-

where are your clothes.

he physically stops, mouth open

you only turn to see he's there when he drops his favorite pillow on the ground

he's malfunctioning

"mc... where the hell are you clothes??"

his cheeks are bright red

doesn't even look away because of the shock

you explain it to him as much as possible because he looks like he's about to drop dead

"oh... huh."

he hesitantly sits down beside you

"so... what do you do about it? just walk around butt-naked?"

you end up talking about it the whole night until he just falls asleep on your lap

you wake up to find him missing, but a fan is by your body

this was so fun to write !

[yurrfttboyy]

My big brother’s best friend Anthony had been around my whole life. He was as straight as my brother, a total gym rat who’s primary interest was video games and puss*. I don’t remember when exactly, but at some point I started stealing whiffs of Anthony and my brothers rank shoes when they would be in the basement playing video games. He would come over at least 3 nights a week and they’d just spend hours down there gaming and talking about chicks, while I’d be nonchalantly finding reasons to walk past the front door so that I could bend over and dive face-first into their shoes.

One day, Anthony came up to use the toilet and I didn’t know. He came around the corner to find me buried in his dirty, obviously rank shoes, but he didn’t say anything. He stopped for a second, looked down at the tent in my shorts and chuckled briefly before continuing back down to the basement, without a single word.

Years later, after my brother moved away to start a new life, Anthony hit me up. He had been struggling to keep a job, as he was rather lazy and didn’t like to work. He knew that I had a successful career, and apparently remembered how much I liked his feet, because he told me in his email that he had a proposition for me. He said that he would make me his foot slave if I agree to give him half of my income.

I was intrigued, and knew that I could afford it, so I offered to meet him. We met at a nice restaurant, i of course agreed to pay for us both, and we discussed it further. He told me that his parents were going to throw him out if he didn’t find a steady income soon, and that he’s had several jobs but couldn’t stand any one of them, and inevitably ended up quitting or getting fired for poor attendance from each one. I understood his situation, and desperately wanted to be his foot slave, so I agreed.

He told me to pay for his meal and then to go buy a small, metal chastity belt to put on. He told me that he was repulsed by the idea of me touching myself while thinking about his feet, so enforced chastity would be a mandatory part of the deal. He told me once I had it locked on and had my first payment that he would come to my house to collect the keys and my payment, and I’d finally get to drag my tongue across his rank soles.

****

That was five years ago, and not a thing has changed. Anthony lied to his family and told them he found a descent job, they all believed it and couldn’t be more proud. I’ve spent the last 5 years supporting him entirely, all while locked in chastity and constantly being fed his grimy foot sweat. We live together in “his” townhouse that I paid for, only I stay in the basement and out of his way unless he needs me to clean his feet or do some other menial chore for him.

I’m licking his feet right now, after a long day of playing basketball with some friends out in the park without socks, when he starts chuckling loudly. “Hey fag, I just had a chat with your brother. He’s coming to town next week, I told him he could stay in the guest room. I can’t wait to catch up, it’s been too long.” He told me, all while luxuriously wiggling his toes in my face. “While he’s here I expect total obedience out of you, don’t forget who and what you are. You will still be responsible for all domestic chores, you will still cook and serve all meals to us BOTH, and you will follow any order that my guest has to give, no matter how humiliating or ridiculous, do you understand me?” He said, moving his foot away for a moment to glare into my eyes. I meekly responded with a “yes sir”

“Good boy. I’ll be testing you while he’s here, and I expect absolutely zero fuck-ups. He’s not your brother anymore, you are a slave and he is your master’s best friend, and you WILL treat him accordingly.” All I could do was keep licking his feet and dread what was to come next week…

[mha-grievances]

Sorry for not being on in, like, forever. Life’s just gotten in the way.

Anyways, that’s not what I wanted to talk about today. What I really wanted to focus on is something I’ve been thinking a lot on lately, and that’s the idea of asshole characters.

Obviously asshole characters come in all shapes and sizes. Each have their own motivations for being an asshole and/or unfriendly individual. Katsuki, Shota, and Hitoshi are asshole characters themselves, but why is it that I dislike them so much?

At first I thought I didn’t like asshole characters in general. However, I then remembered that there are several characters people would classify as assholes/unfriendly individuals that are characters I adore. Lysithea from Fire Emblem 2 Houses and Natsuki from Doki Doki Literature Club are characters who are rough around the edges and aren’t nice to people immediately. The reasons behind their behavior aren’t too far off from why Shota and Hitoshi act the way they do, that being trauma, so why am I able to look past their behavior and not that of Shota and Hitoshi? With Katsuki, it’s obvious, but the other two had me scratching my head for a bit.

The answer, outside of the fact that Lysithea and Natsuki are multi-layered characters written far better than Shota and Hitoshi, is that the girls are REACTIVE assholes while Hitoshi and Shota are ACTIVE assholes.

What do I mean by that? Well both Lysithea and Natsuki for the most part keep to themselves. Something that someone does ends up causing them to snap. For Lysithea, it’s when she feels that her time is being wasted after someone approaches her about something irrelevant. For Natsuki, it’s a defensive mechanism triggered by a perceived attack on her character. Now, is that an excuse for their behavior? No. There are better ways to defend yourself and to get people to stop talking to you, but it’s at least understandable that they’d snap due to their traumas.

Katsuki, Hitoshi, and Shota aren’t like that. When they’re an asshole, it isn’t because they’re provoked into being one by someone else’s actions, but because they’re the ones doing the provoking. Katsuki’s rude and aggressive to everyone around him, choosing to make the life of another boy absolutely miserable without any provocation. Hitoshi decides to mock 1-A and issue his “challenge” not because anyone approached him, but because he himself is looking for trouble. Yeah, Katsuki gave off a shitty first impression, but Hitoshi already was planning on challenging 1-A from the beginning. Shota’s the one who controls his teaching style and is a position of authority. Rather than do his job, he’d rather tear someone down.

Am I supposed to sympathize with these so-called heroes? I for the life of me can’t seem to do so. Meanwhile, with characters like Lysithea and Natsuki, I can because they don’t mean to be an asshole, it’s just that they want to be left alone.

Now, am I saying reactive assholes are better characters than proactive assholes? No. Proactive assholes can have great character development. The problem is that proactive assholes are tougher to warm up to, especially when they’re meant to characters the audience is meant to root for. MHA’s writing does nothing TO make people want to root for these guys. They’re just assholes who wanna throw their weight around and never receive punishment for it/are called out for it. Hell, MHA seems to think these characters ARE in the right for being the way they are and/or doesn’t take the fact that they are assholes seriously (looking at you Katsuki).

Anyways, I thought I’d write this up to really explain more of my thought process and why Katsuki, Hitoshi, and Shota bother me so much whereas I find myself adoring characters such as Lysithea and Natsuki.

[manwrre]

i am absolutely ravenous for a jennifer’s body themed harringrove fic. and if i write it, it’ll be purely self indulgent so please don’t make me (make me make me make me).

like, i kid you not, when i say that billy’s the perfect character/candidate for any kind of possession trope. he’s pretty and popular— with his half-wild grin, fervent eyes and untamable hair. he’s smart and charismatic like no one’s business and anyone would be drawn in by him; he’s a perfect homme fatale.

he’s also strong and young. he’s healthy and quick and in his prime, so if a demon really wanted to make an apex predator out of someone, he’d be ideal. because no matter how great of a hunter anyone or anything is, isn’t it all the more rewarding when the prey comes to you?

so i can imagine steve and billy becoming such good freaking friends after the night at the byers’. once he’s sobered up and off the adrenaline high, i know for a fact that the sight of steve’s bruised face would probably make billy sick to his stomach. so he’d apologize, right? and they’d get on like a house on fire because they have sm in common.

it doesn’t take long for them to start crushing on each other (unbeknownst to either party because we love pining). so one night, billy takes steve to this underground metal-grunge club and in steve’s head, it’s a freaking date (and billy’s too). they spend most of the show just wrapped up in each other at the bar and messing around in their familiar, little way that makes steve’s heart race.

until yk, he goes to the bathroom and comes back to find billy’s seat empty. the bartender’s no help, really. he mentions something about billy walking off with a guy and steve’s stumped. he’s hurt because surely, he understood this right, so why would billy leave with someone else? so he waits and waits and waits before heading home, livid.

but imagine his surprise, hours later, when he wakes up to a commotion in his backyard and it’s billy.

billy, whose usually perfect curls are a mess and who looks like he can barely stand on his own two, god-given feet. billy, who snaps his head in steve’s direction at the sound of the door sliding open and stares at him with wide, frantic eyes.

“steve,” his voice cracks and his shoulders slump in what might be relief.

“jesus christ— billy, where the fuck have you been?” steve hisses, dropping the bat and rubbing at his burning eyes because he’s exhausted.

because at the core of it, he’s still pissed that he’d been ditched, of course and so sad and he would hate for billy to see him cry.

that is, until the blonde practically falls into his arms and all steve can do is cradle him against his chest while billy shakes.

he’s cold, like he’s been out here forever in the midwestern fall but he doesn’t seem bothered as he blindly clutches at whichever parts of steve are closest— his shoulders, his arms, his back and presses his face into his neck.

all the while, he’s murmuring something low enough that steve can only pick up bits and pieces; his own name and a mantra of pleasepleasepleasepleaseohgod.

it’s only then that he notices the dark sludge staining the blonde’s clothes and the front of his bare chest; half-dried and pungent and he freezes.

“billy… billy, what’s this? are you hurt?”

and he’s looking him over for a sizable wound because the amount of blood spells nothing less than extensive damage and gore. so it’s safe to say that he’s confused when he finds nothing but a few scratches. nothing that warrants this amount of blood, which means that it’s not his. but,

it’s someone’s.

he doesn’t notice that billy’s stopped moving until he looks up to find the blonde already staring at him, though.

his eyes are damp with unshed tears and he’s got his lower lip caught between his teeth; worrying the skin there. and he looks so far away. closer to the outskirts of hawkins, than here in steve’s backyard.

“steve– i, listen…i just,” he whispers, his brows furrowing and face contorting into something ugly for all of a second; something pained.

when he speaks again, it sounds wet. it sounds wet and he’s so scared. steve’s never seen him this scared.

it makes his own heart race in response; filling the spaces where billy’s must be skipping a beat.

“i think there’s something wrong with me. like really, really, really wrong with me— i dunno what i did, i dunno what to do, god, it was just…i think….”

“steve, i think there’s something inside of me.”

[bnha-more-like-bnh-gay]

KiriDeku but they're 2 complete strangers stuck sitting next to each other on a 16-hour long flight ✈️

Y E S !

Kiri probably struck up the conversation first just because he’s a bit more self assured and out going

But they got on like a house on fire

They’re both so excited and caring😭

That being said. Izuku was dreading this flight. He is stuck for 16 goddamn hours next to strangers. Strangers are not typically very nice to izuku. Izuku gets anxious around strangers. Because izuku gets stressed, he tends to ramble. Rambling tends to make strangers angry.

The lad had not been looking forward to this adventure.

When he sees a boy who looks to be about his age in the seat next to him wearing some hero merch, he feels a little bit less dread.

Kiri probably commented on izuku’s hero merch, which prompted izuku do go on an ADHD hyperfixated/autism special interest induced rant on it leaving Kiri so very bestowed and intrigued

Is this kind of low hanging fruit? Yes. Is it still true? Absolutely.

After izuku’s initial deep dive into whatever hero merch he was wearing that day (it was all might), kiri asks if all might is his favorite hero.

Yes. Yes, he is.

Izuku then asks kiri who his favorite hero is!

Crimson riot is then passionately discussed for a good 45-80 minutes

Topics of discussion eventually veers to varying subjects. School, music, why they’re on the flight, what they intend to do in the future, etc.

For the sake of this, let’s say they are flying wherever for a class trip. Both of their schools partnered up. Obviously.

Well. Our lads spend a good two weeks doing everything together. Seeing the sights, doing volunteer work, etc.

Sadly, it is over 😔

HOWEVER,,,,,, the lads do not live very far away from each other and they have already exchanged phone numbers :)

Over the next few years, the lads become the very best of friends.

Kiri one time sees how izuku is treated at his school and personally demands that he transfer to his middle school.

After long discussions, two teary eyed Midoriyas, and three teary eyed kirishimas, izuku and kiri are now attending the same school

The tale of how they end up in a relationship does not happen until a good few years later

See, for izuku, he’s just kind of oblivious when it comes to romance. He also tends to assume people don’t like him.

For kiri, I feel like he would realize that he likes izuku quicker than izuku realizes he likes kiri, but kiri just doesn’t want to potentially ruin their friendship.

I might be wrong, but that’s what I’m going with here

So, eventually, after these lads have spent a good long while pinning, someone asks them if they’re ever going to get married

They are both quite shocked as they had not previously been in any relationships

This shocks everyone else, because clearly they have been dating for years

I don’t know why, but my favorite kirideku getting together trope seems to be they’ve been dating for years without either of them realizing.

I just think it fits for them. They’re both just kind of comfortable around each other. Being with one another feels natural. They’re very complimentary for the other. I just feel like they’d transition from friends into romantic partners (obviously still friends, but you get it) seamlessly

But yeah! The lads are living happily ever after and nothing bad happened to them again, the end :)

THANK YOU FOR SENDING THIS!!! I love it🥹🥹🥹 I hope you enjoyed this!!!!

[spaceyaceface]

He Fell In Love (Steve Harrington x Reader)

Pairing: Steve Harrington x fem!Reader

Warnings/Cliches: Friends to lovers, idiots in love, (mutual?) pining, def a fix-it fic, everyone is fine what are you talking about, very minor spoilers for vol 1

Request: how about best friend!steve and the moment he realizes that he's in love with the reader? - Anon

A/N: This was going to be different but then it just happened the way it happened, please enjoy. I’ll probably definitely absolutely make a part two if yall want it. EDIT: Part 2 is here!

WC: 1.8k

TAGLIST OPEN

REQUESTS OPEN

Steve always looked forward to Saturday nights nowadays. After all the hell he’d been through, something as mundane as a movie night was like therapy. Not quite as good, but close. 

He figured there would be a good turn out that night. He’d brought home a new release, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Most of the younger kids had seen it in theaters already, but insisted the rest of them had to see it, too. 

He was hosting at his place tonight, as he usually did. For as long as he lived in his parents’ house, he was content on abusing his right to use their property when they were out of town. He was getting the popcorn bowls ready when the pounding on the door started. 

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” he called out, making his way to the door. “Keep your pants on!”

He opened the door and the kids all came tumbling in. “You know, I really don’t need you all banging like that every time you come over. When it finally comes off its hinges, you’re paying for the new one.” 

“Relax, Steve,” Dustin said, taking off his shoes on the ground by the door. 

Steve rolled his eyes, picking up all the coats they had discarded and putting them into a somewhat organized pile. “It’s always ‘Relax, Steve,’ and never ‘Sorry Steve, you’re right, how inconsiderate of me.’” 

“Because you’re never right,” Dustin fired back. He stood up. “Hey, wait up!” He called, racing after all the other kids as they’d made their way to the living room, chattering excitedly. 

Steve’s frown disappeared when he head a chuckle from the doorway. Y/N came in the rest of the way, shutting the door behind her. “That’s what you get when you invite teenagers over.” 

He smiled at her, folding his arms as he leaned against the wall. “Please tell me we weren’t that bad.”

“Probably worse.” 

“Probably,” he replied. “Robin and Eddie coming?” 

“Nah. Robin flaked on us because Vickie asked her to do something tonight, and Eddie is at band practice. They managed to score a gig.”

Most people in their group came and went each week. None of them minded if another made other plans or did something else; they had something much stronger keeping them together. After the experiences over the years--and especially a few months ago--a weekly movie night was a constant that they all relied on from time to time. Of all of them, Steve and Y/N were the most consistant with the tradition. For Steve, it was because he didn’t have many other friends. He could have been asking girls on dates, (which he still did occasionally), but there was something about movie night that kept him content most of the time. 

Y/N and Steve walked into the living room. Max and Lucas were sitting next to each other on the ground. Will was sandwiched between Dustin and Mike, the two of them arguing about something on each side of him--his eyes went between them like a game of pong. Mike had his arm around El, who was braiding Max’s hair at her feet. Robin had just taught her how to braid recently, so she was taking every chance to practice as her own hair grew back out. 

No was sitting on the smaller sofa, so Steve and Y/N claimed it as their own. As soon as they said, Steve threw his arm onto the back of the couch, just behind Y/N’s shoulders. 

“Hey Mike,” he called, interrupting the debate. “Is Nancy coming, or are we good to get started?”

“She’s ditching tonight, her and Johnathan went to dinner or something.”

Steve nodded. A while back, that would have caused a sharp pain in his chest. But at some point, it had changed to a dull ache. And one day, it disappeared all together. 

He wasn’t sure what had changed, but it felt better. 

Dustin got the movie started and Y/N went to the kitchen to fetch the popcorn. She distributed a couple of bowls to the kids, keeping the largest one and plopped back down next to Steve. He chuckled. 

She gave him a glare. “What?”

“Oh, nothing, you’re just greedy as always,” he mumbled as the first scene began. 

“I brought it to share with you since you usually complain there’s not enough, but now that you said that, yes, yes I am greedy.” She moved herself to the furthest part of the couch, taking the bowl with her. 

“Hey! You know you can’t eat it all by yourself!” 

She shot him a playful glare. “Watch me,” she said, shoveling a buttery handful into her mouth. 

He scoot over, pressing himself to her side and tried to snatch a handful, but she held the bowl away from him. He groaned. “Fine, I take it back, you’re not greedy. Can I have some now?”

There was a loud shushing noise, and Steve looked over to find Max glaring at the two of them. Y/N rolled her eyes and set the bowl into his lap. 

He grinned. “Thanks.” 

They stayed side by side, and at some point, his arm found his way from the back of the couch to over her shoulders. This wasn’t unusual. It was something he loved about his friendship with Y/N. It was all just so easy around her. Since taking down Vecna, they’d spent a lot of time together. She had been Eddie’s friend and had joined the hunt to find him, managing to get herself caught up in the whole mess. But like the rest of them, she seemed grateful for the little family she had found on the other side of disaster. 

For a while, Steve had considered Robin his best friend, but it seemed like she’d gotten some competition lately. They hadn’t grown apart by any means, Y/N and Steve had just gotten so incredibly close. 

Because, despite what he had expected, Y/N was... well, she was Y/N. She’d talked him down when things with his dad got heated, and he’d stayed up with her on the nights she couldn’t close her eyes, afraid of what she would see. There was something between them that wasn’t between him and Robin. He couldn’t quite tell what it was, but it meant more to him than the world. 

The movie came to an end, and Steve turned his face toward Y/N’s, who was resting her head on his shoulder. “You awake enough to drive the gremlins home, or do you want me to?”

She sat up. “I’m awake, but I wouldn’t mind the company if you want to come.”

“Sure, I’ll be generous enough to grace you with my presence for an extra half hour,” he said as he stood. 

She rolled her eyes. “On second thought...”

He laughed. Something flickered in her eyes when he did, but it was so fast he figured he was seeing things. “Nope, you’re stuck with me, L/N. Just like you’re stuck with the rest of these twerps.” He held out his hand to help her up. 

As she took it to stand, she smiled. “Honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.” Her eyes looked surveyed the kids, all in various stages of waking up. Her gaze was soft, full of affection. Steve couldn’t help but think he looked at them the same way, too. 

The drive home was uneventful. Once the kids woke up enough to get into the car, Y/N took them each home, waiting in their driveways to make sure they were safely inside before heading to the next house. Soon it was just her and Steve in the car, driving back to his place. Her hands tapped on the steering wheel in time with the music on the radio. 

Steve yawned. “I’m glad you’re driving. I’m about to pass out.” 

“Yeah?” Y/N said, glancing over at him. “You been sleeping ok?”

“Past couple of nights were rough. I’ll be out like a light tonight.” 

She put the car in park once she pulled into his driveway. “You can call me anytime, you know. That offer still stands.” 

He gave her a soft smile. “I know. It’s not as bad as it used to be. What about you, you doing ok?”

She gave a gentle nod. “Most of the time.” 

“I think most of the time is all we can ask for.” 

He was truly grateful for Y/N, how quick she was to check up on him. She spent a lot of time caring for others, and putting herself on the back burner. He’d learned that in the last few months of watching her play babysitter with all the kids, making sure they were feeling all right, that they were sleeping, eating well, coping. She’d done the same thing to him, and as soon as he realized she was letting herself deal with things alone, he jumped to be there for her. 

But that was just the way Y/N was. Kind, caring, loyal. She’d fight tooth and nail when it came down to it, but when the smoke cleared, she was there to put things back together, even if she was broken herself. 

That’s what he loved about her. 

Steve froze. His heart started to hammer in his chest. He did, didn’t he? He loved Y/N. He loved the way she made him laugh, even at the worst of times. He loved the way she looked at the kids, eyes full of warmth he had seen no where else. He loved the way she felt in his arms, the way he felt complete when he held her. 

He loved her, completely, utterly and irrevocably. 

And damn if he wasn’t still falling. 

“Steve?” Her voice brought him out of his trance, and his eyes shot up to meet hers. He almost regretted it--now that he’d made sense of it all, he felt like he could never look away. “You okay?”

“Y-yeah. Sorry, I was, um.” Words tumbled clumsily out of his mouth. But how was he supposed to function when she looked at him like that? “Thinking. I was just thinking.”

“Thinking what?” she asked slowly, confusion written across her face. 

“Nothing.” It came out much too quickly. He cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from her, glancing out the door. “Nothing, I should... should go?” It came out like a question. He hadn’t meant to do that. 

“Yeah,” she said softly, brows furrowed. “Yeah, you should get to bed. Are you sure you’re alright?”

He let out a small sigh, regaining a bit of his composure. “I’m sure. I’ll... I’ll tell you about it later, ok? Just not right now. Promise.”

She hesitated before nodded. “Ok. I’m making you stick to that promise, Harrington.” Her hand rested on his shoulder. “Go get some rest for me.”

Anything for you. The thought came naturally. And he meant it. 

“Thanks, Y/N.”

He got out of the car, trying not to look back before going inside. The feeling of her stare on his back followed in to the front door. Once he walked in, He let out a sigh, trying to empty the butterflies that invaded his stomach. 

He was doomed. 

[ilguna]

my official tbosas thoughts. WARNING spoilers ahead and double warning, i am all over the place

FIRST i wanna say that their attention to detail is truly like!!! the beginning scene where the man is cannibalizing (? i believe that’s what i saw, OR it was the dog, it was so dark that i missed it) and young tigris was talking about the things people do when they’re desperate. it made me think about how the capitol is SO traumatized from the dark days that they’re still storing food in the capitol, 65 years later. which is talked about in mockingjay while the squad is storming the capitol.

ANYWAY, i think it’s really interesting that they cut the film into three parts, because that’s how the books have always been done. but it was a weird change considering that hunger games, catching fire and both mockingjays did not have that black screen with the section title. nonetheless, it didn’t bother me.

the way that they set up the scene for them being inside the house w the cockroach was pretty perfect. all i could think about was the cabbage soup in the book. but they did the food aspect by showing off the fridge and it having no food in it.

i think tigris was pretty perfect, i wouldn’t have changed a single thing if i’m being honest.

umumum I don’t remember dean highbottom having an addiction in the book? and i’m the hunger games nerd in my family so it was weird not being able to answer the question on what he was taking (i know it’s revealed at the end but still) because i don’t remember it being mentioned. in fairness, i haven’t read tbosas in YEARS.

i think they missed the true sinister possibility with gaul. because the whole paper scene and clemensia getting bit, resulted in her getting scaly. i kept waiting for her to pop up (and for coriolanus to visit her) because it would show that gaul was more of an evil character that what she already presented as.

as for dear old lucy gray, i hated the accent. i hated every minute of the accent. and the faces that rachel made when she sang were… odd to say the least. speaking of singing, it was even weirder to see the capitol to have such an emotional reaction each time she did. bc it was literally every scene.

they truly managed to secure the fucking awkward aspect of her singing on the reaping stage. cause grabbing the microphone was nailed.

tributes were exactly like i had imagined them to be, i wouldn’t have changed anything there. i totally forgot that the whole sponsor drone thing was fucked up until that first gift was sent and it almost killed somebody. because they’re made to target the tribute and won’t stop.

also that one tribute escaping out of the arena when it was blown up? absolutely beautiful. that’s another detail. as well as arachne getting stabbed in the throat bc she was teasing her tribute with food. i wasn’t sure if they’d show that.

hmm, beyond that i don’t really have any thoughts. it ended the exact way it had in the books, more or less. i don’t think they skipped a single scene??? besides coriolanus properly meeting lucy gray’s family at their house, i think.

and we didn’t really get a good introduction to the covey, something i don’t mind.

all in all, definitely my favorite film now.

—

EDIT: i’ve had some time to think about the movie/book.

listen, i’m not mad by any of the changes. like i said, they covered a lot of what happened in the book.

what they never mentioned: the three C’s. chaos, control and contain(?) i believe. i would’ve liked to see that implemented more with gaul while she was making her point on what the hunger games are about.

also, the DRONES! another thing i was waiting for (after i remember that the drones targeted the tribute they were designated for) was the tribute (teslee) literally hacking them and using them as a weapon against other tributes.

that’s all i have for now!

[damned-punk]

Would you date Kid if he was a real guy? 😎 If you could spent a day with him (and the crew maybe) what would you do?

I would absolutely, without a doubt, date Kidd. I think that we would have a lot in common especially when I think of the similarities in our personality, interests, and how difficult our childhoods were.

If I could spend a day with Kidd and the crew, I’d want to spend it on the Victoria Punk at sea so that everyone would be in the same place at the same time. I’d want to do some simple but fun things like listen to music, do each others makeup, paint each others nails, and play card/board games. I’d want to sit in Kidd’s workshop and watch him make something while getting him to talk about what he’s building. We don’t really get to see him making things outside of battle but it’s heavily implied that he’s always tinkering so it’s something I’d want to give some appreciation to. I’d like to watch Killer work in the kitchen and maybe have him show me how to make one of his favorite recipes if he would be up to it. Much like Kidd, we don’t really see him outside of combat so it would be neat to talk about his interests or just give him the space to talk about whatever is on his mind.

Heat and Wire are portrayed as quiet intimidators but we know that they have big hearts because they readily laughed alongside Killer after the SMILE incident so that he’d feel more comfortable. I think it would be fun to talk with them about how they dress and how to come up with such a unique style. That also goes for everyone else on the ship, but their appearances stick out to me in particular. I’d ask Heat about his fire breathing and how he settled on that style of fighting because it’s such a neat skill but I’d imagine it’s a difficult one to master. Wire doesn’t seem to talk much at all but I just know there’s a mountain of a personality underneath the silence so I’d try to interact with him in a group setting where the conversation could volley more comfortably.

Bubblegum, Dive, UK, Pomp, Boogie, Mosh, Quincy, and House are the people that I think would be up to the most shenanigans. It would be so fun to hang out and spur them on, especially when they’re actively trying to irritate Kidd. I can’t exactly explain why, but I think it would be fun to pester Kidd the same way he does to others. All too often the fun aspects of piracy are overshadowed by the lesser desirable aspects of that lifestyle so it would be nice to really take the fun moments and roll with them for as long as possible.

I genuinely feel that once they’re comfortable and could establish trust with someone, they’d be one of most fulfilling and enjoyable groups of people to become a part of. I can say with complete certainty that there would never be a dull moment. ♡

[lemonyko0]

Is There Somewhere - jjk

try putting an unstoppable force (alcohol) and an immovable object (two horny teenagers) and you get me and jungkook making out at a party our freshman year of college.

» genre: fluff! angst, secret relationship, friends to lovers

» word count: 4.3k

» warnings: mention of blood, sex and profanity.

Is There Somewhere - jjk

There's always a certain fear that comes with having it all. The moment you realize you have something you couldn’t stand to lose, the notion all humans choose to ignore, that everything is finite, mortal, begins to creep into your mind. Some are fortunate enough to ignore this, to not let the fear of the future dictate their decisions. Others play it safe, or are completely driven by their fears and anxieties.

I sit around a campfire with several of my best friends. We’ve known each other for years, grown up together, went from playing tag in the schoolyard to drinking in our parents' empty house. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for a single person here, but telling them the truth is apparently the exception to that rule. Can’t I have the best of both worlds?

I believe deep down that they’d be supportive, that this wouldn’t be that big of a deal and they totally wouldn’t see it as breaking the rules or putting the group on the line. However the possibility that any of that is remotely true, is enough to turn me away from telling anyone. Ever. We’ve discussed our groups ability to withstand the tests of time for years, theories ranging from normal to psychotic depending on who's bringing it up (namjoon whose more than happy to give his genuine input or taehyung who merely wants to speak as much nonsense as humanly possible, at all times). The only thing we’ve all agreed about were three things. 1: arguments are resolved quickly and calmly, and never talked about again. 2: the “know your audience” joke, which is our kind way of reminding each other a joke may have been distasteful or too far. And the final 3: we don’t date each other.

“It just always seems like as soon as you have a couple in a friend group it's just bound to implode.” taehyung shrugs, rotating his double marshmallow inside the fire (we’ve told him they’ll burn, he is not concerned).

Mina frowns, “I don’t think so. A general statement like that is too vague, it really just depends. I think we could do it.”

Taehyung looks up surprised, “You and I?!”

Mina’s eyes widen and she looks at him bewildered, “No! Idiot, our little group. I think we could withstand it.”

He laughs at her, “You’re just a hopeless romantic and chronically single. You’re pro-love in any situation.”

She ass-eyes him and slouches in her lawn chair, “You’re mean. I like a good friends to lovers trope, I think it's romantic. Especially if they’ve known each other for years, I mean, come on, a single person knowing just about everything you’ve ever done, bad and all, and still choosing you? Who doesn’t want that?”

Taehyung lifts his charred marshmallows out of the fire with a satisfied smirk, “Perfect.”

Jungkook laughs beside him, joining him on the log bench with the rest of the s'mores fixings. “Jesus Taehyung, who's going to eat those?”

“Me.” He says admiring the food.

I watch the fire crackle and try to move past the conversation previously being held. I figured Jungkook of all people would also pretend to have no say or care, being my boyfriend and all.

In our defense, we did not see this coming. Try putting an unstoppable force (a horny teenager) and an immovable object (alcohol) and you get me and Jungkook making out at a party our freshman year of college. And I even consider myself a very rational human being. I put others before me, I make good decisions, I am a responsible person who makes responsible decisions. And yet, somehow, there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop myself from seeing Jungkook.

I make it sound simple, like we realized there was nothing to do and we did nothing, but damned did we try. The morning after the party was an awkward one. We hadn’t done any irreparable damage at that point, it wasn’t like we slept with each other, we’d simply had too many drinks. I would’ve kissed anything remotely human-like with that much tequila in me.

All I remember is waking up in my dorm room at the sound of gentle knocking on my door. “Go away.” I mumble through restled bedsheets.

“I brought you iced coffee.” Enough said. I leaped from my bed, not bothering to debate who actually was at my door, and especially not what I looked like or what I was wearing. This became obvious as I opened the door to Jungkook, who is always noticeably well-kept (unless you catch him in the mornings, but that’s an impossible task as he wakes up at ungodly hours to exercise). He grins and hands me the coffee, one of his own in his other hand. I thank him and close the door behind him as he invites himself in, admiring my room. “You finished decorating.”

I nod, sitting back down on my bed and groggily sipping on my drink. “Yeah, now I just need to hang those photos, but I need a step stool or a chair.”

He looks around before finding the string lights with clothespins but no photos attached. “You can’t reach that?”

I scowl at him, “No.” He chuckles, taking the pile of photos I have and halting them before handing them to me and standing on my bed. "Is there any specific order you want these in?”

I shake my head, “No, and you don’t have to do this, I was gonna try to convince the cute guy down the hall to do it for me.”

He narrows his eyes and begins clipping the photos, “Why have that cute guy do it when you could have this cute guy do it for you, and better?”

I look up at him but he pretends not to see me, busying himself with the task he gave himself. “Because it’s actually just a ploy to get him in my room so he can rail me.”

He winces and I laugh, having said it on purpose to elicit such a reaction, “Gross Y/N.” I join him by standing on top of my bed and begin clipping the photos he gave me. We work in silence for a few minutes, and apparently teetering back and forth and on my toes on my bed is not as easy as you’d think. I catch myself a few times and as does Jungkook, usually one of us moving throws off the balance of the other, until one fatal lean back to check if the photos in front of me were equidistant leaves me entirely unbalanced and falling (thankfully) onto my bed, but (not so thankfully) taking Jungkook right down with me.

I can’t give you the details of how exactly he fell, but however he fell he managed to drop face first, and his nose collided with my hip bone. I cuss and groan before looking towards Jungkook, who does not seem to find this half as amusing as I do, “are you okay?”

He finally looks up to me, eyes wide and panicked as blood runs like a stream out of his left nostril, “i-is my nose bleeding?”

I took him out of my room and to the nearest restroom I could find and instructed him to sit on the counter and lift his head. He grumbles and complains the entire time, “I know what to do, mom.”

I laughed as I wet a bundle of paper towels, “Oh yeah, you had a bloody nose like every day in middle school.”

He tries to shake his head and grins, “Yeah, it made me look cool and tough but I had to have missed a month's worth of recess.”

I hand him a paper towel and he plugs his nose with it. I jump up onto the counter with him and begin cleaning him off, “God you made a mess.” I mumble, wiping at his face and even his neck, “hope you didn’t get any on my bed sheets, I just bought those.”

“I think you’re forgetting I’m entirely in this situation because of you.”

I scoff, “I told you you didn’t have to help me.”

“I just wanted to talk to you.”

I stop wiping and let my hand drop to my lap, “What about?”

He moves the bloodied towel away from his nose and looks down, and I make a mental note of how close I must have gotten when I was helping him, and he notices too, but we’re both too stubborn to move. By this point, I hadn’t decided what I was going to do if Jungkook brought up the night before. I was hoping, like me, he’d also pretend it never happened and move on.

I was wrong. There was no time to run through every scenario, I mean he woke me up for god sake. I had no idea what to do or what was going to happen.

“I mean, don’t you think we should talk about it?”

Out of all the possible things I could have done in that moment, I chose to lie. “A-about what?”

He looks at me with brows furrowed before his gaze falls to the tile below us, “So you’re going to pretend you don’t remember.” He chuckles, “You know, I thought you might, but I had more faith that you’d be able to reject me honestly than lie to me.”

His words break my heart, “Jungkook I-”

“No, don’t please.” He turns to climb off the counter and walk towards the bathroom doors, and I’m unsure what possessed me to do what I did, but with no ounce of hesitation I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back. My method of stopping him had worked, but apparently my brain on a whim only thinks ahead five seconds, and as soon as he looked down at me I was absolutely speechless.

He turns to walk away from me again and I guess I was lucky enough to have one last chance, this time spinning him around myself and looking at him with just as much passion as he showed me, and I pushed up on my toes and grabbed the back of his neck, rather forcefully pulling him into a kiss.

It was not my finest moment, but it got the point across. I definitely caught him off-guard, but once he realized I had no intention of pulling away this time he quickly took control. It was as if we had both silently agreed to let go of the shackles just this once. I let him back me into the wall and lick at my lips, pressing against each other and kissing almost greedily. I let my hands run through his hair and his hands raked my body, trying to find a spot anywhere but never settling, like he couldn’t have enough of me.

It wasn’t until the bathroom door opened that we could pull away from each other. In walks a very disheveled looking freshman girl, whose face wrinkles in disgust upon the sight of us.

“W-we were just leaving, bloody nose.” I chuckle awkwardly and point at him, passing the less-than-entertained girl and dragging Jungkook back into my room.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding once I closed the door behind me, leaning against it and catching my breath as Jungkook does the same against the desk across from me, pulling out the chair and sitting on it. His nose begins to drip again and I chuckle, handing him a tissue.

He looks up at me before taking it with a grin, “thanks.”

Silence falls again. The tension built up in one tiny room could not be cut with a chainsaw. “So, that was something.”

I nod, tucking my lips together, “Yep, sure was.”

He sighs and runs his hands through his messy hair. It’s a mess because of you. “Y/N, c-can I just be honest? Because I’m tired of doing this.”

I furrow my brows, “Tired of doing what?”

He throws his hands down defeatedly, “I’m tired of pretending there's nothing between us!” He confesses, I stand silently, racking my brain, “I’m tired of treating you like a friend when you haven’t felt like one in months. I figured I just had a crush, a-and it would pass eventually, but it hasn’t and I can’t get you out of my head. You’re driving me crazy with all this joking and flirting and kissing me a-and not even entertaining the idea that you might like me back.” I stare at the ground. Radio-silence in my mind. I hear him sigh, “Is it too much for you? I-I mean, can you say anything?”

I open my mouth but all that leaves it is hot air, and I look at him, and suddenly the words spill out, “I like you too Jungkook.”

His eyes lighten but he doesn’t seem convinced, “So why have you been so, mean and indifferent towards me?”

I sigh and lean my head against the door, “To punish myself for falling for you. I didn’t mean to hurt you as well.”

He looks hurt, “Why would you punish yourself for liking me?”

“Because we can’t be together, Jungkook. In any way.”

He rises from his seat and stands in front of me, “Why not?”

I let my head fall and look up at him apologetically, “Because, think of the repercussions if we don’t work out. Not only is there a chance we lose each other permanently, forever, but there's also a chance we take our friends with us.” I laugh, “Hell, we could take the entire group down with us.”

He shakes his head, not believing a single word coming out of my mouth, “You always think the worst Y/N, us being friends only puts us in a better position to start a relationship, not a worse one.”

I stare at my socked feet, “There’s just too much to lose Jungkook, I-I can’t take that chance.” He exhales and lifts my chin. I can tell he wants to kiss me by the way he stares at my lips, and I know he’ll break me if he does. “Don’t.”

He shakes his head, “Stop me then.”

And I don’t, he presses our lips together and I don’t so much as push against him. I let him lift my arms around his shoulders and rest his arms against my hips. This kiss is entirely different to the last, or any. It lingers for minutes after he pulls away.

“Do you really want to walk away from this knowing you never even tried?” He asks, hardly parting from me to ask such a question, his lips brush against mine as he speaks, and he kisses me more the longer I take to respond.

I pull away this time, “I-I want to fight so bad, but I can’t take losing you, or anyone else.” I feel myself beginning to choke up, tears threatening to brim in my eyes at the dilemma presented in front of me.

He nods, “I understand, I really do, so I have an idea.”

I look up at him with eyes filled with hope, “What is it?”

He smiles and leans his forehead against mine, “Be mine, in private. We don’t have to tell anyone else, we can sneak around and do everything normal couples do, except we just don’t tell our friends.”

I bite at my lip, “That might work…”

“And if you’re right, we do end up not working out, that way no one knows and we can just go back exactly how it was before. Or at least, act like it's the same, no damage done to the group.”

I hum and think it over. I can’t think of a better compromise myself. Jungkook’s always been the mediator whenever arguments arose. He always finds a middle-ground, and I’ve always admired his skills. “Okay.” I whisper.

“What was that?” He teases.

I grin, “I said, okay, I-I’ll go out with you- oh!” I can hardly finish my sentence before he’s grabbing my hands and swinging me around my room and throwing us onto my bed in a fit of giggles.

“Good decision. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some stuff I need to do.” He says, lifting himself off my bed.

I pout and watch him grab his coffee, “You’re leaving already? What do you have to do?”

He smiles and takes a sip, “Need to eat lunch, finish unpacking, and I think I promised to meet Jimin in about three hours.” He checks his watch and leans against the desk, and I take that as an open invitation.

“Well for the next two and a half hours I’ll be your helper.” I jump up beside him and sling his arm around me with a grin, “Let’s go!”

And from then on out, for five months, Jungkook and I have been doing exactly as we discussed. A couple in private, friends in public. And as a testament to his skills and our sneak 100, everything has worked out.

But as the days wear on I can tell he gets more and more tired of the double-life. He’s asked several times about just telling them, and each time I argue it.

Today has only solidified my opinion, that our friends would not be as understanding as he thinks they’d be.

“What do you think, Y/N?” I hear Jungkook ask me over the fire crackling in front of me. I look up at him, knowing only he could read my expression as what it was.

“Think of what Jungkook?"

He nods, “What Mina and Taehyung were talking about. Do you think it would be a bad idea if someone in our friend group got together?”

I hum and stare into the dark abyss of the woods, “I think the fact that none of us have tried is a big reason why our friendship is as strong as it is.”

“That doesn’t mean the idea itself is inherently bad, though.” He makes a s’more and puts it in his mouth, fixing the other marshmallow while he finishes the first, “You know, we’ve talked about this a lot haven’t we?” He asks, looking at Taehyung, who laughs, “I guess.” Jungkook nods and turns his attention back to me, “Do you think there’s any chance that a relationship wouldn’t actually affect the group at all? Or that it may even be beneficial?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying my best to portray the message ‘stop fucking talking’ as best I could without outright telling him to shut up. “You never know.”

He grins, “That’s the spirit, you and Taehyung are so pessimistic.”

Taehyung chuckles, “You and Mina are deluded by your chronic bitchlessness.” Jungkook scoffs and shakes his head but Taehyung continues, “I mean Mina I get, but seriously when was the last time you got laid. It’s like you’ve been celibate since school started, I’m beginning to worry you’ve forgotten a major part of the college experience.” He’s obviously joking, and Jungkook usually laughs it off, but instead he says the outright dumbest thing he’s ever said.

“Two days ago actually.” He says confidently with a smug grin, which quickly falters as Mina and Taehyung’s head snap around and look at him.

“Two days ago?” Taehyung asks, Jungkook opens his mouth to make up some excuse but the damage was already done, “two days ago, and we’ve been on this trip for… three?”

He shakes his head and laughs, “No, no, the day before we left, i-it doesn’t feel like we’ve been here for three days already.” He laughs it off but they don’t seem to have entirely bought his act.

I’m in awe of his insensitivity and ignorance and quickly rise from my chair to say I’m going on a walk. “In the dark?” Mina questions but I ignore her.

I cool off for a moment but only get about 30 seconds of silence before I hear what's no doubt Jungkook running towards me. He breathes deeply and walks beside me, “I pissed you off didn’t I.” He states.

“You think?”

He sighs, “That’s my bad, I-I took it too far. I’ll drop it, I promise.”

I tug my blanket around my shoulders, “They’ve made their opinion pretty obvious, Jungkook. Maybe one day, but not now.”

He nods, “I understand, although it is worth mentioning the only voice of opposition is Taehyung, of all people. I take any opinion of his with a grain of salt.”

I quietly chuckle, “That’s fifty percent of that conversation, the rest didn’t chime in cause they weren’t listening, thankfully. Since your big mouth decided to tell the entire wilderness you had sex two days ago.”

He grins and scratches the back of his neck, “I’ll admit that wasn’t my finest moment.” He sighs and shoves his arms in his pockets and flips his hood up.

“Are you cold?” He shakes his head. “Go back to the fire.”

He smiles at me, “You first.”

I take a deep breath and look at him, “I want to be alone.”

He shakes his head, “My father raised me right, I can’t leave a pretty girl alone, especially not in the dark woods.”

I stop walking and eye him, “You’re annoying. Do you know that?”

He grins and pulls me towards him, “Absolutely. And the longer you stay out here the worse I will get, so for my sake and yours, let’s please go back to the fire.”

I sigh and turn us around and listen to him excitedly babble the entire way back. As we’re approaching the others he leans over and tells me, “I’ll spend the rest of the break making this up to you, if you let me, of course.” He grins charmingly, parting ways to sit down on opposite sides of the fire.

The conversation between all of us dies down soon after. All of us groggily, somewhat drunkenly staring into the fire.

Until one person giggles, then another, and another. Yoona, who’s sat beside Namjoon and was the first to laugh, gets nudged by him and he tells her to shut up. She shakes her head and defeatedly looks around. “I-I’m so sorry guys,” she cracks up, “I can’t take it anymore, it’s almost mean at this point.”

I look around and receive about a fifty-fifty in looks. Mina, Taehyung and Jungkook look at her like she’s insane while the others all hold back their giggles and grins.

“What the hell are you laughing about?” Taehyung finally asks, annoyed they left him out of a joke.

She looks at Jungkook and then me, “You two do know that we know… right?”

Jungkook and I glance at each other and shake our heads, “What do you mean?”

Yoona sighs and leans forward, “We know you’re seeing each other, or fucking, we’re not sure entirely, its a running bet actually.”

“Yoona you’re such a buzzkill!”

“Snitch!”

One by one they all jokingly berate her, and I sit back absolutely dumbfounded. “How long have you known?”

She shrugs, “We all just kinda brought it up to each other, and Jimin and Namjoon were debating whether you guys were dating or just having sex, and frankly I am tired of hearing them whisper between me, so what is it between you guys, exactly?”

Jungkook tries to jump on her question but I’m quicker, “Wait, so, you guys aren’t like, mad? At all?”

They all look at me like I’ve lost my mind, “Why would we be mad? We’re your friends, we want you to be happy. All that debate about how we all stay friends is just that, debate. It’s just talk. Life happens, you don’t always get to decide who you’re attracted to.”

Yoona soothes my nerves and I have little time to relish in the relinquishment of my fears as Jimin eagerly jumps into the conversation, “But seriously please tell me you guys are just fucking and its not serious yet-”

“They’re definitely dating.” Namjoon intersects.”

They bicker back and forth until Jungkook throws an acorn at them, effectively hitting Jimin and silencing them both, “We’re dating, eat shit Jimin.”

He opens his mouth offendedly and Namjoon raises his arms victoriously, and like normal, they continue to argue like children.

Mina and Taehyung are the first to go, walking towards the tents and calling it a night, soon followed by most others. I don’t pay much attention to anything, my mind much too occupied by the events of the night as I stare at the burning firewood.

It isn’t until a hand reaches in front of me that my attention is drawn back to reality. I follow the tattooed arm up to see Jungkook’s smiling face, “Call it a night?”

I nod and take his hand, letting him lead me to our tent. I suppose now I notice they always let Jungkook and I pair, I always assumed it was what happens when there's only three girls, the thought never occurred to me that they could have done it on purpose.

We get comfy in our sleeping bags and I feel him reach a hand out, letting it dance across my back, “You wanna talk about it?”

I turn to face him and shake my head, letting a dopey smile spread across my face, “Nothing to talk about. Just enjoying that massive weight lifted off my shoulders.”

He kisses my head, “Good, you didn’t deserve to carry that.”

“I still don’t regret it. Kinda liked sneaking around with you.”

He hums, “I’m sure we’ll find other ways to keep things exciting.”

I close my eyes, letting myself slowly drift off, “I’m sure you’ve got a list of ideas already.”

* ੈ✩‧₊˚* ੈ✩‧₊˚* ੈ✩‧₊˚* ੈ✩‧₊˚* ੈ✩‧₊˚* ੈ✩‧₊˚

figured i needed to sprinkle some fluff into my very smutty jjk list. here u go! as always thank u for reading and hope u have a serene day <3 - ara :)

masterlist | taglist

tag list:

@marvelahsobx @notbotheredtho @fragmentof-indifference @jwnghyuns @chl8e-blog @heronstairsxd @isab3lita @shescharlie (sorry this is a repost cause i messed up 1st one)

[crescent-nyx]

BLACKPINK members as moms

Just a random ass post to “late” celebrate mother’s day :)

Jennie:

-Jennie would be that ‘cool mom’. All the other moms on the block would be green with envy because their kids be preferring Jennie. She’d be the type of mom that’s always up to date with the new trends. She’d be giving fashion advice to both the boys and girls in the house. I think she’d be very classy, teaching her kids how to cook and clean. She’d be giving them dating advice and shit. Her kids would feel safe to come to her with anything. She’d be a very hands on type of mom too. I don’t see her hiring nannies. She’d be doing it all herself. She would definitely be very affectionate. Constantly reading to her babies, cuddling them, kissing them etc.

-Absolute momma bear. She’d kill anyone before they could even think about harming her children. She’d be the type of mom to start screaming at a 5-year-old because they pushed her toddler. Would also definitely be on the PTA because she wants to know what the teachers are planning on doing to her kids. She watches the news a little too much to trust adults blindly with her kids. She’d also have that app download on her phone to see what kind of people are moving into the neighbourhood. She’d also hire tutors if she notices that her children are falling behind or their performance has been flunking.

-I think Jennie would definitely be a boy mom… 1 daughter at most. I know it’s weird, but I really don’t see Jennie having little girls. I think she always wanted too though, but then had little boys and would never go back. She’d definitely be a soccer mom, all fond and protective over her little boys… Until they fuck up, then she will definitely lose her ‘cool mom’ status. Jennie wouldn’t think twice about throwing a slipper at her children if she catches them smoking, bullying a classmate etc. She’d be that mom to make her kids write a whole ass apology letter and make them read it in front of the entire school. Jennie deals with so much shit everyday from horrible people on the internet too - the slut-shaming, rumors, lazy accusations etc. The last thing she’d want would be for her children to be like them as well. She’d definitely want to raise gentlemen. I think she’d also be one of the strictest ones. Her kids would have limited screen time, early bedtimes and there’d be no walking to school when it’s dark out. Realistically speaking I think she’d have two children - either two boys or one boy and one girl.

-As for cooking… Jennie would be a whole chef. I don’t see her as the type of mom to take her children to McDonald’s or give them a glass of coke before the age of like 7. She would want her children to be healthy, and she’d cook for them every night. No matter if she’s tired or just worked for 48 hours straight. First thing she’d do is cook something healthy and delicious for her and her children, and then she’d take care of herself. I also see her making her children’s cakes on special occasions and try her best to decorate it the way they would want her to. She’d definitely spoil her kids rotten, but remind them of how blessed they are constantly, and would never raise bratty children.

Jisoo:

-I see Jisoo as the most relatable mom. She’d be that typical suburban mom with about three kids (two girls, one boy or the opposite), living in a nice big house with a white picket fence around it. She would definitely have her children do extracurricular activities - one or more for each child. They’d be doing sports, playing instruments and be in at least one school club - preferably music or drama because those were the ones she liked and she wants to share her hobbies with her little ones. Jisoo would also definitely be on the PTA, organising bake-sales, sporting events… You get the gist.

-Jisoo would also be a very logical mom. She’d be supportive, but definitely be a little hard on her kids. If her children want to become artists, Jisoo would be the first one to fire it down. She’d urge her children to focus on finishing high-school and college first. She’d ask her kids things like ‘What if you don’t finish school, and the acting career doesn’t work out the way you wanted it to? And I’m no longer around because something happened? What then? You have no degree, everything is getting unaffordable… You’ll end up homeless, begging for water, food and shelter. That’s not what you want.’. Her kids would often think she’s a little emotionless, while in reality - she’ll be crying herself to sleep every night because having children while managing everything else she’s doing is exhausting. I feel like she’d often hide how she really feels from her kids, not wanting them to see her as weak. Honestly, her kids will have seen their dad cry more than their mom.

-On the lighter side of it all, she’d be a total boss mom. Her kid would be challenging her to a game of this new video game that they’re into and Jisoo would beat them within a minute. She’d be that type of mom that’s just better. The kids challenge her to a game of tekken, we both know who’s winning that. She’d take her kids to the arcade to ‘spEnD tiME wiTH tHeM’, while in reality, she just wants to beat them and show what a badass mom and how young she still is.

-All the other dads and moms would be secretly crushing on her. Like, she’d be waiting to pick her child up from school and Jimmy’s dad would be flirting with her. Of course Jisoo is still a queen and would definitely rat him out to his wife because… moms supporting moms obviously.

Rosé:

-Girl mom 100%. Honestly, do you see Rosé as a boy mom? Because I definitely don’t. I see Rosie as the type of mom to be wearing these mommy and me outfits 24/7. Doing her little girls’ hair would definitely be one of her favourite pastimes. I also think she’d be the most grandma-y one of the group. Like, her kids would be coming home from school on a cold day and Rosé would be welcoming them with a plate of freshly baked, hot chocolate chip cookies - prepared just the way her kids like them along with a glass of milk.

-Music would definitely be a recurring thing in the house. The kids would wake up to Rosie cooking with a nice indie playlist setting the theme in the background. She’d definitely want her children to play an instrument - preferably the piano or guitar. She’d be singing her kids to sleep, take them to work when she’s working on a new song to get insight from them to see what ideas they could have for her records.

-She’d definitely be into that gentle parenting. Unlike Jennie, Lisa and Jisoo, I don’t see Rosie yelling at her kid - ever. I think she’d be all about that positive reinforcement and time-out corners only to just talk about their wrongdoings afterwards. She wouldn’t really ever lose her cool with her children, no matter how much they push her buttons, annoy her or act up. She’d just stay calm and patient with them, wait for them to calm down and then punish them accordingly without ever turning to hitting or yelling. I also see her homeschooling her children more than the other girls. I think she’d be the only one patient enough to handle it.

-I think Rosé would have like two or three daughters, definitely no more than that because she’d want to evenly distribute her attention to all her children and wouldn’t want them to feel left out. She’d also teach independence from an early age and teach them that if they want something, they’re gonna have to achieve that themselves. They want to go study in another country? ‘Fine, go ahead - get yourself a nice job on the side so you can help pay for the tuition.’ Kids are ashamed of their mom dropping them off at school? ‘Okay, walk then. I won’t be dropping you off anymore.’ They don’t like the food she cooks? ‘That’s fine, then make your own dinner. You’re old enough.’

Lisa:

-Oh boy… Lisa as a mom… Saved the best for last. Where do I even start? Lisa would be the weirdest mom ever. Like, it’d be 12AM, and her children would be having a sleepover, watching a scary movie. And Lisa would start turning the power on and off, flickering the lights and shit. Barge in with the ugliest face mask ever on her face. She’d hide under their beds and pull their legs when they dangle their feet off the bed just for the lols. She’d be telling her kids not to drink alcohol, and then get wasted in some bushes with her older kids. Whenever the kid’s friends come over she’d be the type of embarrassing parent that’d be all like ‘This is so dope!’, ‘I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom.’ and ‘What are you kids doing? Playing Fork Knife?’ or whatever else game they’re into.

-On the flip side, she could be very serious too. She’d be the typical ‘I ain’t one of your little friends’ mom. Her kids would honestly piss their pants when she’s angry at them. She wouldn’t take shit from her children. She could never be a parent to rude, ungrateful brats and she’d make sure that her kids don’t disrespect her or anybody else. She wouldn’t allow them too. Though, she could definitely be the strict parent, she would be very loving too. She’d constantly give them hugs and cuddles and be at every single one of their sports events yelling at the referee because her kid was tackled. She’d definitely embarrass her children, but when they grow up, they will learn to appreciate the fact that Lisa was always there for them no matter what.

-Unlike Jennie and Rosé, Lisa would have no problem with sending her kids to go eat at Pizza Hut or Taco Bell every once in a while. She’d cook for her kids, but wouldn’t have the time and patience to do it every single day. That might also be because I think she’d have the most kids, which means, more mouths to feed. I think Lisa would have about four children - two boys and two girls.

-Lisa would also definitely get along with all the other moms in the neighbourhood. She’d be that mom that buys flowers for new families that movie in and tells her children to go ‘play with the neighbour’s kid’.

Some more (AI) photos just because…

[kstewdeux]

@sometimes-icanstillhear-sitboy

InuPrompt 2022: Headcanon (11.13.22)

Summary: Gramps has a doctor friend helping keep Kagome’s absences under wraps.

Inhaling deeply, Gramps watched as the elevator doors slip open while a growing sense of dread filled his gut. While he usually had the energy for these visits, it was getting harder and harder to avoid the truth. Especially from a man he had known since childhood. They’d bonded over their mutual beliefs so long ago. No one believed in legends anymore. The existence of the supernatural chalked up to make believe. It had been a common ground. A boy who had been taught about the history of the world and a boy who just desperately wanted to believe in such things. They’d both pursued different career paths. Gramps carried on the tradition of his house while the latter became a doctor but they still met on a nearly weekly basis.

Stepping onto the elevator, Gramps slowly turned and faced the door. The topic of the interview and mask incident would undoubtedly come up. A little girl thanking a dog earred man. The obviously false explanation that a sewage leak was to blame. In a way, Gramps was grateful the truth had been cleanly swept under the rug. But…the shrine had been involved.

Sure enough, when the doors opened once more, the small balding man with his turtle like appearance was already waiting.

“Come. I have found something new,” the man whispered excitedly as he continued glanced around to make sure they were alone, “You’re going to love it.”

“Hiro. Always a pleasure,” Gramps offered with a weary half-smile as he followed his friend through the empty halls.

“It’s quite extraordinary. The x-ray showed the tibia broken at three points,” the elderly doctor began with a nervous energy as he stopped and fumbled with his keys, “Yet one week later no sign of previous injury. None at all. The bone healed in less than a week. He said it was a mistake but I know what I saw and have the evidence to prove it.

“Do you now?” Gramps sighed before sighing heavily when the door opened and the dreaded conspiracy board was exposed, “I take it that-“

“That’s not all,” the man continued excitedly while locking the door, “I recently had another patient come in who had hereditary sensory autonomic neuropathy. That’s fifty confirmed cases right here in Tokyo. There are supposedly only 300 confirmed cases world wide yet I’ve seen fifteen patients in the last year alone. No relation to each other. At least not one they’d disclosed. Last one came in yesterday.”

“Is that so?” Gramps mumbled in a bored tone as he took a seat, “A blessing and a curse to not feel pain. I wish I had that-“

“Ah see but you wouldn’t. Usually it is quite degenerative. Takes it toll. Pain is the body’s warning sign. These individuals came to me for broken bones. Common injuries and much more severe ones as well. A deflated lung in this most recent case. She’d come in for shortness of breath,” his friend explained excitedly, “I documented it. Her lung was actively healing itself and I have the live footage of the scan to prove it. And another patient came in Wednesday with face tattoos that clearly weren’t tattoos. Smooth and flawless and the color...”

“Fascinating,” Gramps interrupted with what he hoped was a genuine smile, “Now-”

“Wait. Wait. I thought you’d find this interesting as well. One of the nurses on the pediatric unit told me about a haunting,” the man enthused as he moved to the board and pointed to a blue pin on the sprawling map of Tokyo, “Window blown out. Multiple accidents. Coma patient nearly thrown from the window. And best of all...”

The pause for dramatic effect made Gramps eye twitch. That was until he noticed very troubling photos among the clippings pinned to the board and his heart absolutely sank.

“Photographs of a mysterious man clinging to the hospital wall. Jumping from building to building. Rushing into a blazing fire and emerging without injury,” the man finished triumphantly before pointing to a nearby apartment complex, “Same description that was given by that little girl who said she was plucked from the air. Clear irrefutable evidence of demons among us.”

Scratching his nose, Gramp’s mind scrambled to find a way to dismiss these allegations that were actually probably spot on. Yes, a talk with Inuyasha definitely was in order. Surely, Hiro was not the only person who had such photographs and not the only one trying to get to the truth of the matter. Heaven help the boy if the conspiracy magazines started investigating.

“Have you shown these things to anyone else?” he decided on and his friend’s excited face fell.

“Well. No,” the doctor mumbled as he wrung his wizened hands and visibly deflated, “The photos are blurry and the witness wouldn’t go on record. But you see what I’m saying, don’t you?”

For a moment, the briefest of moments, Gramps desperately wanted to admit everything. His friend looked so defeated and miserable as he pushed the board back into his office. It was the shuddering sigh as the door clicked closed that did him in.

“You’re here for another note, right?” his friend mumbled as he crossed to the kitchen counter to grab his pen, “What is the excuse this time?”

A minute passed then two as his friend waited patiently - clearly disappointed that his old friend who used to be very interested suddenly acted like he dreaded meeting with him at all. It wasn’t a secret that this...hobby wasn’t widely shared amongst his other friends and acquaintances. In fact, Gramps was fairly certain he was the only person who knew the board and Hiro’s belief that something was out there.

“Kagome...”

Gramps warred with himself for a moment before saying to hell with it.

“Kagome is a priestess in the feudal era fighting demons alongside the demon you see in those photographs,” Gramps finally offered and immediately regretted saying anything at all. The reaction wasn’t what he expected. Namely, there wasn’t one. His friend stood stock still. Blinking slowly like he hadn’t heard anything at all. The silence grew so heavy and tense that Gramps almost took it back and claimed it was a joke. But, thankfully, Hiro beat him to the punch.

“Can...can I meet him?”

The question posed was soft and unsure. Like he was expecting to be told this was a joke.

“Kagome should be returning in the next few days. I will ask when they come as they normally come together,” Gramps offered before blowing out his cheeks, “I trust you with this Hiro. I trust you like I’ve trusted you my whole life. So when I beg you not to repeat this. To not have any of this anywhere in writing...”

“No. No of course not,” the doctor breathed as his lips twitched upwards like he was finally getting over his shock, “I would never betray you. Never put your family in danger. I just want to see for myself. That’s all.”

A second’s pause.

“So I take it Kagome doesn’t have agoraphobia? I did think it was odd,” he teased happily as he shrugged his shoulders and readied his pen, “What excuse are we making up this time then?”

“Arthritis. Severe,” Gramps offered with a warm smile, “And probably something that would explain bruises. The feudal era has its dangers.”

“I imagine it does,” the friend laughed once as he tapped the pen against his lips, “Well, if she ever does need medical treatment, please know I am always available and can be discreet. Heaven knows there must be some injuries that...can’t be explained?”

The giddy grin at that comment had Gramps laughing once himself.

“You will call me. No matter what they decide, won’t you?” his friend asked after a moment as he jotted something down and ripped the prescription pad off, “I understand if he doesn’t want to be identified.”

“I will let you know old friend,” Gramps promised before his lips twitched upwards, “Maybe he can even help you understand some things that will help you with your...less than human patients.”

“I would like that very much,” Hiro hummed happily before sighing happily and moving to a cabinet, “This news calls for a drink. Do you have time?”

Gramps did indeed and the meeting was eventually arranged. Funny thing was, shortly after the meeting, Hiro looked up when a knock at his apartment window caught his attention.

There he was. The demon who had proved definitively that the crazy old doctor wasn’t all that crazy after all. In one graceful move, the boy swooped inside once the window was opened and looked around as he dusted his hands.

“You’re pretty easy to track. You know that, huh?” Inuyasha asked casually before making a face and laughing once, “I want to see the shit you’ve got on demons here while I got time.”

Nodding slowly, Hiro tried to steel himself for the inevitable. To be told he was a crazy old man and that everything - other than this boy - that he’d put together was just his own imagination.

“I h-have the board,” Hiro offered before clarifying when Inuyasha simply looked confused, “Records I mentioned. If you wish to see.”

Smiling, Inuyasha nodded once and leaned casually up against the wall. The man would never know how huge it was that Inuyasha had not only sought him out but that he actually felt comfortable in his presence. But to the half-demon, if Kagome’s grandfather trusted this man with secrets like this, Inuyasha trusted he could trust this old man as well.

“So...” Hiro breathed as he pulled the board into the tight living room and cleared his throat, “I’m not sure if these...”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” Inuyasha laughed as he moved closer and plucked up one picture, “That little shit’s still around?”

“Wh-”

A photo was flashed of a middle aged man with brilliant green eyes and a sly grin.

“I mean, you wouldn’t be able to tell. I only know from…well I’m not sure actually,” Inuyasha laughed once as he wrinkled his nose and scoffed, “But where the fuck has he been? That would’ve been nice to know.”

“Mr. Nakamura?” Hiro offered quietly - deciding to ignore the cursing in favor of learning more, “He works for some civil department I believe. Has a wife. A teenage daughter. They sometimes come in.”

Inuyasha snorted and continued glancing over the board.

“What did this dumbass do to get on your board?”

“Nothing really except his eye color changes often. Brown. Green. Sometimes blue. Thought it was odd so…,” the doctor admitted before realizing that Inuyasha knew who that man was which meant, “So Mr. Nakamura is a demon?”

“Yeah, he’s a kid now,” Inuyasha made a face and amended, “Then I guess. Fox demon, ya know? Shapeshifter but he had a thing for humans so I wouldn’t be surprised if the daughter’s only half.”

As Inuyasha confirmed a few more of the photos were probably demons and gave a truthful account of suspicious events on the board, the man went from being relieved he wasn’t insane to wondering how he could be a better doctor for those living in hiding.

“Tell me something. Since I apparently have multiple demon patients, is there anything I should know? Things to avoid?” Hiro asked as he wrung his hands, “Your...Kagome’s grandfather tells me you both are injured frequently.”

Inuyasha nodded absently before letting out a heavy sigh. A long pause followed while the half-demon moved to the other side of the very full and very large easel.

“Pain. I don’t really feel pain,” the half-demon admitted before clearing his throat and plucking up a different picture, “I mean, I do but I don’t. More...more cold. Dizzy. Hard to breathe. Hard to move. Like I know I’m hurt but I can’t necessarily feel the injury if that makes sense.”

Hiro did not think that made sense but he took mental note of it nonetheless.

“I mean, I’ve been hurt when I’m human so I know what pain feels like and it’s not that,” Inuyasha finished lamely before cocking his head to the side and adding, “And healing. It’s fast. Like bones. Bones fully heal in like a day so you’ve got to be quick in setting it or you’ll have to break it again. That’s probably why that guy came to you for pictures. The one you said. To make sure he set it right.”

“A day?”

Inuyasha nodded absently before slowly pinning the photos back on the board. Every so often he paused and opened his mouth like he wanted to speak but didn’t.

“Ya know, I was afraid all the demons were dead. That all my friends were...” the boy finally admitted in a strange tone before his eyes once again found the photo of the grown up yet transformed Shippo, “Well some must be but some aren’t. He’s not. Good…good to know.”

Smiling softly, Hiro had to agree. All these things were very good things to…

“Wait, did you say you turn human? Fascinating. Tell me more.”

Over the next few months, Inuyasha’s visits surprisingly became quite regular. To the point where Hiro stopped locking his window in the hopes that Inuyasha would simply let himself in to pin a new finding on the increasingly full board while he was away. That the boy would have new insight into demon physiology. New advice. It certainly was helping with his practice with absolutely fantastic results. A more aggressive regime and quicker action seemed to do the trick most of the time resulting in much happier patients. As a result, each month he found himself busier. Each new patient marvelously different in their own way. Despite having no specialty in the matter, twenty eight of the fifty individuals with that rare disease that blocked pain now had him as his PCP. It was absolutely wonderful.

And then Inuyasha’s visits stopped without warning. Months turned to a year and Hiro began questioning his own sanity. Perhaps there had never been a strange half-demon man who was interested in what he had to say. He truly was as crazy as everyone had always said. His old friend still talked about his granddaughter and the man but doubt creeped in. Perhaps it was just out of pity.

The board was disassembled. Pictures and clippings and ‘evidence’ thrown in trash bags. Absently discarded never to be seen again.

Life continued on until one day something changed. Specifically, it was an appointment for Mr. Nakamura’s annual. The man that Hiro’s ‘imaginary’ friend thought he knew. To say the old man was dreading this appointment would be the understatement of the century.

So it was, with a heavy sigh, wizened knuckles rapped at the door before turning the handle.

“Inuyasha apologizes for missing his appointments,” the green eyed, red haired man chuckled as his nine tails lazily swayed behind him. As the old man stared at the demon in all his glory casually perched atop the examination table, he couldn’t help but gape.

“He sent you did he?” Hiro breathed in awe and the far too amused fox demon nodded.

“You came highly recommended,” Shippo chuckled, “ I doubt you’ve had a human patient in years. Well, okay, maybe you’ve had one or two.”

Letting out a relieved laugh, Hiro smiled and closed the door behind him.

[debbiechanclub]

Murky Waters, Part 2

A Bullet Club horror AU

Pairings: David Finlay x OFC; Jay White x OFC; past Matt Jackson x OFC Word Count: 2,656 Warnings: Only alcohol use and language in this part

The group arrives at the cabin, and an unwelcome guest turns up.

Read it on AO3 | Masterlist

Tag squad: @aussiearrow @statdaddy @knifepervert @sldghmmr @rusevday @missbrownstone @meteora-fc @bec0m @thatgirlforever5 @rocca09

The sun had just kissed the horizon when they arrived at the lake, and it cast everything in a soft golden glow. The water sat still and sparkling and deep, and tall pines trees reached up toward a clear blue late summer sky. Even the cabin looked surprisingly quaint and inviting, and it almost felt like they’d stumbled into a fairytale after a long journey.

But Chloe hoped it was the watered-down Disney version and not the horrifying original.   

“Haunted or not, this place is sick,” Riley decided as they entered the cabin. It looked like a mountain lake house Pinterest board come to life, cozy and rustic with pine-knotted walls and themed décor. Large picture windows flooded the two-story living room with natural light, and French doors led out to a deck with a fire pit table and a large hot tub. The kitchen was small but fully equipped, with a live-edge wood bar top and forest green cabinets. A narrow staircase to the right of the entrance led to an open loft with both an air hockey table and a full-size arcade cabinet. They might be in the middle of nowhere, but they’d have absolutely no problem entertaining themselves for the weekend.

“Alright, there’re two bedrooms down here and two upstairs,” Nick explained as they all gathered in the living room.

“So we’re short a bed, then,” Riley figured.

“Chloe and David can share,” Jay smirked.

“Subtle,” David returned. Chloe just laughed to herself.

“Well, the couch is a pull-out, so not really,” Nick informed them with a point at the couch. “But you guys can work that out yourselves; I automatically get a bed because I drove.”

With that, Nick disappeared upstairs to stake his claim, and the rest of them looked hesitantly around at each other. It seemed obvious that either Riley or David would end up on the pull-out; as the only couple, Jay and Alyssa were entitled to a bed, too, and no one was so cruel as to make Chloe sleep on the couch.

“I’ll take the couch,” David finally offered.

“Works for me!” Riley proclaimed, and he grabbed his bag and bounded upstairs; he’d obviously been hoping David would volunteer. Alyssa rolled her eyes as he ran off.

“I guess that means we’re choosing from the two rooms down here,” she stated.

“I’ll take whichever’s smaller. Which is probably this one,” Chloe said with a nudge of her chin at a room just off the kitchen.

“Where’s the other one?” Jay wondered, and he and Alyssa went in search of the second bedroom while Chloe went to inspect the first. Like the rest of the cabin, it was charming and snug. A full-sized bed took up most of the space, and a window on the far wall offered a view of the lake through the trees, still glittering in the late afternoon sun. The water was a lot closer than she’d realized, just a stone’s throw from the house, and a small pier led out from the sloped backyard into it, an old canoe pulled up onto the rocky shore. It painted a peaceful, serene picture. It was beautiful. But the longer Chloe looked out at the lake, the more a niggling feeling grew in the pit of her stomach that something dark lurked just beneath the surface.

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked lightly on the open door. She turned around and saw David in the doorway, two beers in hand.

“I figured you could use one of these,” he said.

Chloe breathed out in appreciation. “You figured right.” She took one of the bottles and twisted open the cap. It was lukewarm from the drive, but the familiar rich, malty taste helped settle her nerves, if only a bit.

“Unlike Jay, I didn’t want to just assume you’d be okay with sharing a bed,” David said.

Chloe coyly tucked her hair behind her ear. “I appreciate that,” she nodded. “But, you know… we’ll see how the night goes.”

She smirked at him, and David returned it, an unspoken sentiment between them. They both knew damn well he wouldn’t be sleeping on the couch.

Smack!

“Jesus!” Chloe jumped and put a hand to her chest at an unexpected sound from inside the room. Her heart hammered under her palm. “What the fuck was that?”

“It sounded like something fell in the closet,” David said. He pivoted toward the closet and slid open the pocket door. “Oh, shit.”

Chloe didn’t like the sound of that. “What?”

David bent down and picked something up off the closet floor. A long, flat box—and Chloe froze when she saw the word printed on the side of it. Ouija.

“Our creepy friend at the gas station wouldn’t be happy to see this,” David quipped.

“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” Chloe breathed. Her heart was practically thrumming out of her chest now. “It just fell? From where?”

David peered into the closet. “The shelf, I guess.”

Chloe crossed the room to get a look inside herself. The closet was small and simple, with a single shelf and rod. Unless the box had already been teetering on the edge, she wasn’t sure how it could have fallen, much less with as much force as it had. It had sounded like someone had shoved it. Like something had wanted them to find it.

“It looks like it’s been in there a while,” David noticed. He wasn’t wrong; the box was old and covered in a thin layer of dust, one of the corners ripped and flimsy. It could’ve been sitting there decades, for all they knew. The sour taste of warm beer crept back up Chloe’s throat.

“Well, it’s not gonna be in there anymore.”

She took the box and walked back out into the living room, looking for somewhere to quickly stash it out of sight. Her eyes landed on the entertainment center; that was good enough. She opened one of the cabinets, pushed the Ouija board inside, and firmly shut the door. No one else needed to know it was there.

“Feel better?” David asked.

“A little,” she said, wiping the dust from her hands on her jeans. “But you might as well just go ahead and put your stuff in the room now. I’m not sleeping in there alone.”

* * * *

The temperature dropped with the sun, and once they’d all settled in, everyone gathered around the fire pit on the deck, drinks in hand, music streaming from a portable Bluetooth speaker Riley had brought; and between the alcohol and the atmosphere, the White Lady wasn’t a thought in anyone’s mind.

“Whose turn is it?” Jay asked.

“Mine,” Nick answered. He leaned forward and drew a card from a stack on the table—a drinking game that Alyssa had purchased just for the occasion. “The person who most recently used the bathroom drinks,” he read. He looked over at Alyssa. “Bottoms up.”

She rolled her eyes and took a drink. “Shouldn’t have broken the seal!” Jay proclaimed.

It was Alyssa’s turn next. She drew a card—and her expression went flat. “Everyone who is shorter than you drinks.”

Riley laughed. “So no one then.”

She just flipped him off.

“Draw another one,” Chloe said, but Alyssa was already on it.

“Flip a coin. If it’s heads, you drink. If it’s tails, everyone else drinks,” she read.

Riley groaned. “These are boring. Where’re all the sexy cards?” he complained, but Alyssa paid him no mind.

“Does anyone even have a coin?” she asked.

“Here,” David grabbed a discarded bottle cap and tossed it to her. “Top is heads, bottom is tails.”

She balanced the bottle cap atop her thumb and flicked it into the air. It landed on the deck top-down. “Drink up, bitches!” she proclaimed, and everyone else took a drink; some larger than others.

Riley was up next. “Alright, give me something good,” he willed as he drew a card. He flipped it over with a flourish—and a mischievous grin spread over his lips. “Okay. The person after you can ask you any question. You can either answer truthfully or refuse to answer and drink.” He looked at Chloe; that meant her. “Don’t disappoint me, Chlo.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him, thinking. Knowing Riley, he wanted her to ask him a certain kind of question; and luckily for him, she had enough of a buzz going that she was willing to oblige.

“Alright. Tell me, Riley: do you have a daddy kink?”

“HA!” Jay laughed out loud. “Come on, you can’t just tell he does? It’s practically stamped on his sleazy, mulleted forehead.”

“Well, he needs to answer or drink,” she said. Riley smirked at her.

“I don’t know, Chlo. I could answer now… or you could find out later.”

David and Alyssa both scoffed. But Chloe didn’t miss a beat. “If you’re even good enough to get me to call you that.”

At that, everyone loudly oooed and winced and laughed at Riley's expense. “Jesus, where the hell has this Chloe been?” Jay asked.

“For real. Matt was hiding her, apparently,” Riley remarked.

“Alright, if you’re not gonna actually answer, you might as well drink,” Nick said, and the mood notably shifted. Riley shot him a sidelong glance and took a drinked of his beer. Chloe shifted awkwardly in her seat and pulled the sleeves of her hoodie down over her hands.

“It’s your turn, Chlo,” Alyssa urged to get the game back on track. Eager to do the same, Chloe drew a card and cleared her throat.

“Everyone who is single drinks,” she read.

“Cheers,” David said to her, and they clinked their beer bottles together and drank. On the other side of the circle, Nick and Riley drank, too.

David was up next. He picked a card, and a slow grin pulled at his lips as he read it to himself before reading aloud.

“Pick someone and guess the color of their underwear. If you guess correctly, they drink. Otherwise, you drink.”

“Chloe,” Jay coughed. Chloe bit her lip and fidgeted in her seat again, fighting back the blush creeping its way into her cheeks. But she lost the battle when she noticed David studying her.

“I’m gonna say… gray,” he guessed.

There was a pause as everyone waited to see if he’d guessed correctly—and then Chloe drank.

“Nice,” Jay smirked.

“They’re gray with black flowers on them,” she revealed.

David just grinned at her. Her blush deepened.

“My turn!” Jay announced, and he eagerly pulled a card from the deck. His eyes lit up in the firelight when he saw what it said. “Oh, here we go. Pick someone to dare. They can either perform the dare or refuse to and drink.”

“Just drink?” Nick questioned. “That makes it way too easy to get out of the dare. You should have to shotgun a beer, or something.”

“True, but I’m daring Riley, and we all know he’ll do anything.”

Riley nonchalantly beckoned Jay with a hand. “Bring it, then.”

Jay watched him for a minute, drawing it out. And then he said, “Why don’t you go for a little dip in the lake?”

There was a pause as the legend of the White Lady was suddenly brought back to the forefront, the danger of going for a swim after dark.

But Riley wasn’t nervous about it. “Fine. I’ve never cheated on anyone, so I don’t have anything to worry about.” He stood up and removed his beanie and hoodie and toed off his shoes and pulled off his socks.

“Okay, White Lady or not, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Alyssa said. “It’s pitch black out there and you’ve been drinking.”

“So come supervise, then,” Riley said, and before Alyssa could point out that she’d been drinking, too, he started down the steps off the deck that lead to the water.

“Actually, we probably should make sure he doesn’t die,” Jay said, and he got up and went after him. Alyssa followed, and Nick went, too, leaving Chloe and David alone by the dwindling fire.

“You don’t want to go?” David asked her.

She quickly shook her head. “No. I’d rather go get in the hot tub.” She stood up and sent him a look over her shoulder. “Want to join me?”

A corner of David’s mouth quirked up. “Absolutely.”

* * * *

David changed in the bathroom so that Chloe could change in the room. When she returned to the deck, he was climbing into the hot tub.

“Did you have any trouble getting it going?” she asked as she walked over.

He shook his head. “Nah,” he returned, and he did a double take when he saw her in her bikini. It boosted Chloe’s confidence. That was the reaction she’d been hoping for.

She climbed up onto the edge of the hot tub, and David offered her his hand as she slid into the bubbling, illuminated water next to him. They sat close, his arm resting behind her, their knees touching under the water, and Chloe couldn’t help but notice that she’d never felt as comfortable in her own skin with Matt as she did with David right now.

“Are they still out there?” she curiously asked. She’d thought the others would have returned by now from Jay’s dare. But they weren’t, and the only thing Chloe could hear other than Riley’s playlist still streaming through the portable speaker was the distant song of crickets and frogs in the night.

David turned and looked behind them into the dark, in the direction of the water. “I guess so,” he said. “They can take their time, as far as I’m concerned.”

Chloe bit back a grin. Part of her wanted to just throw caution to the wind and kiss David right then and there. But he spoke again before she could.

“So… I know things didn’t end well between you and Matt, and I know it hasn’t been long since all that happened, so I completely understand if you don’t want to get into anything right now. But… I’m just letting you know that I’m interested, because I’d kick myself if I didn’t.”

Chloe looked bashfully down into the water. “Oh, so you’re interested?”

“I’m very interested,” he confirmed with a grin.

She looked back up at him. “I am, too.”

His smile widened. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “What happened with Matt is over and done with; I’ve processed it and moved on. And if I’m being honest… I don’t think he and I would have ever gotten together if you hadn’t gone to Germany, anyway.”

David didn’t hesitate. “I know you wouldn’t have.”

There were the tingles again, all over, a warmth spreading out from Chloe’s core, and then David was leaning in. She closed her eyes and tilted her mouth toward his—

“Is anyone out here?”

Chloe reopened her eyes and whipped her head around in shock. It couldn’t be—but it was. Her heart plummeted to her stomach. “Matt?”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” David breathed.

Matt walked out onto the deck, a delighted smirk on his face at finding Chloe in the hot tub. But it visibly faltered when he realized she wasn’t alone. “Hey, Chlo. David.”

David didn’t respond. Chloe wasn’t much more welcoming.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Matt’s eyebrows arched. “It’s nice to see you, too.” He eyed them, David’s arm still around her. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Little bit,” David muttered just loud enough for him to hear. Chloe tried not to laugh and put her hand on his thigh under the water. She wanted him to know that Matt’s sudden appearance didn’t change anything of what she’d said.

“Okay,” Matt breathed, deliberately ignoring the remark, “well, where’s everyone else? I didn’t see any—”

“AHHHHHH!”

He didn’t get to finish his question. A blood-curdling scream ripped through the night—and it came from the direction of the lake.