#we stan an awkward not yet couple

[rownanisntwriting]

WIP INTRO: Black Forrest Cake

I am finally handing over BFC's WIP intro! It has been a long time since I have been able to properly make a post. My laptop died on me, and I just recently got a new one! Whether or not you care, you know now.

disclaimer: this is an original work, and any sort of plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Genre: Adult literary fiction (?)

Synopsis: Front worker Rosemarie and dishwasher Simon find out the owners of Good Intentions aren't all that good.

Setting: someplace in Illinois

Trigger warnings: violence, blood, animal death, cult depictions, death

The vibes: misty mornings, pot-roast, Gilmore Girls, chipped green nail polish, summer into autumn, doc martens, mohair cardigans, bruised knuckles, almond cookies, bitter black coffee, an awkward pairing, kind smiles, sweet tea, autumn leaves, hushed whispers in a closet, bitten lips, soft glances, awkward pining, a cult in the woods, muddy footprints, a butchers knife.

click me for the playlist! and click me for the pinterest board!

Snippet from the first chapter "Maraschino Red" below the cut!

Almonds hide the taste of cyanide; this fact Rosemarie will always remember as she places a cookie on the porcelain plate, a single almond half placed carefully in its center. In front of her stands a mother with her child, bags bruising her under eye, a strange compliment to the blue veins beneath her translucent lids and olivine eyes. She already has a mug of coffee at her table—black, but Rosemarie watched her empty three tan packets of brown sugar into her cup.

let me know if anyone would like to join a tag list! otherwise, it is nice to be back at it!

[angel-gone-south]

Razorblade Kiss

Incubus! Kyle w/ Reader

°•. ☾ .•°

You hummed along to the music, happily dancing in the crowd of Crimson Dawn fans. They had been your favorite band for years, fitting a niche of Midwest punk-rock you had never known you needed. You’d been lucky enough to be dormmates (and besties) with the guitarist’s ex, Tammy, who he still owed a couple favors.

Your favorite member by far was Kyle, the bass player. He always had such spunk, it entranced you. You barely even paid attention to the main singer, Stan, much preferring to watch the bassist's ginger curls bounce in his ponytail behind him as he strummed the thick cords of his instrument.

As the song ended, you looked up to see Kyle wiping his sweat-soaked forehead. He glanced your way and you shuddered. His almost electric green eyes pierced you, as if looking into your soul. You calmed down, considering it was probably just him picking a random section near the front. Right?

He smirked as he switched places with Stan, which was unusual. Normally the only one who did that was the drummer, Marjorine. Mostly because she was the only girl, and drums were the only thing Stan could play.

Ah, that made more sense. Everybody had to trade around, Marj taking guitar and Kenny taking the bass so Stan could sit at the drums.

Kyle started to hum as everyone kicked in, and you were utterly entranced by his voice. You felt lucky to hear him vocalize.

“I taste death, in every kiss we share,

Every sundown seems to be the last we have.

Your breath on my skin has the scent of our end,

I’m drunk on your tears, baby can’t you see it’s hurting?”

You started to get queasy. Uncomfortable, even, because this felt directed. The whole song you weren’t dancing, just nervously trying to avoid his gaze when it would sweep over you.

Soon enough their set was over. You’d spent the last few songs utterly uncomfortable, but Tammy still had one surprise left for you.

“Come on! Ken invited us backstage with them.” She grabbed your wrist, tugging you along. You had no time to protest before you stood in front of the dressing room door.

“T-Tammy, I-” Yet again you were cut off, this time by the dusty blonde guitarist opening the door.

“Tammy! You made it! Who’s this?” He beamed, happy to see Tammy. They were still friends, after all.

“My roommate I was telling you about! This is [Name],” You waved, an awkward smile gracing your face as she continued. “They’re your biggest fan.”

“Really? Come on in! I’m sure everyone will be happy to meet you.” You nodded, stepping through the threshold into the suffocating room. You felt a gaze upon you, almost predatory. You looked about, catching the eyes of the man guilty.

Tammy dragged you to sit on the couch next to him, beginning her chat with the other three members as you sat in silence with the ginger. You swallowed thickly, staring at the floor in front of you rather than the man on the opposite end of the couch.

“Boo,” You squeaked when you felt his hot breath hit your ear, cascading down your neck as he chuckled. “Jumpy, are you?”

“Y-Yeah, sorry.” He shook his head, grinning. You noticed his canines were pointy. Some sort of dental cosmetic maybe?

“No need. Kinda cute, if I’m honest,” You took in his face closely for the first time. He took your breath away. “Are you liking what you see?”

His teasing tone snapped you out of your trance, and you turned away with a deep blush. It was then you noticed you and Kyle were alone, now. You wondered where the rest had gone as he spoke again.

“Tammy said I’m your favorite. Is that true?” He leaned ever closer.

“U-Um, yes…” You answered nervously, turning yourself on the couch to more easily face him. He hovered his pale hands above your hips.

“Can I?” You nodded, not trusting your voice to come out as your heart raced. “God, you’re pretty.”

You yelped as he pulled you up to straddle one of his legs, bouncing it slightly and grinning.

“I think you’re the cutest fan we’ve got,” He gave you that same, wolfish grin as he looked your flustered form up and down. “I like how you react to me.”

You whined. Sure, youd had dreams about it before, but you never thought you’d actually get to be in a room with him. His cold hands grazed up your thighs, giving you goosebumps.

“Can I kiss you, sweet thing?” He asked softly, gently pulling you the rest of the way on his lap. You nodded shyly, and he leaned up to lock his lips onto yours.

He tasted of something sweet. You couldn’t put your finger on it. It was like something from a long time ago that you only now remembered, and god, it was good.

You couldn’t describe how kissing him felt. Hot. Passionate, maybe. It all came back to that one word, addictive. You felt like you could do this with him forever, letting his hands slide up your shirt to caress your soft skin while he slipped his tongue gently in your mouth, slowly entangling with yours.

You pulled away for air, panting, a string of saliva and your hands in his curls connecting the two of you. He stared at you, that same cocky look with something behind his eyes. He silently moved his hands again, grabbing softly at your ass, hips and thighs as he buried his face in your neck.

You gasped and mewled, embarrassed as he left marks and kisses across the expanse of your neck and shoulders. You felt dizzy, like something was sapping all of the energy you had left.

He cooed at you as you practically went limp in his arms, moving to lay on the comfortable couch with you on top of him, head on his chest.

You grumbled happily, feeling his warmth and hearing his heartbeat as you drifted off for a quick nap.

°•. ☾ .•°

“D’ya think he’s done yet?” Marj pouted as Kenny reached an arm up the vending machine that stole her dollar.

“Maybe. I’m not gonna be the one to check.” He frowned, grabbing around blindly as his cheek pressed against the glass. Stan laughed and snapped a photo, which even got Tammy giggling.

Kenny made a small noise in triumph as he grabbed a candy bar from one of the slots, but…

“Aw man! I’m fucking stuck!”

°•. ☾ .•°

help i love them.

[groundnul]

Through the Glass (Giyuu Tomioka x GN!Reader)

Prompt: “Rengoku's such an inspiration to me (we stan a king, tbh) and Giyuu is so criminally underrated (the dancing one was so cute) and I'm always happy to see more of them. Could I request a food date with Kyoujurou or an aquarium date with Giyuu? Either format would be welcome, thanks!”

Summary: A work event-turned impromptu outing leaves you alone at an aquarium with Tomioka Giyuu, the notorious hard-ass of Kimetsu Academy who has a soft spot for you that even he has yet to discover. As these feelings rise to the surface, he is left to wonder: will he sink or swim? 

Word Count: 10.1K 

Warnings: brief mentions of insecurities, generally awkward interactions, slight miscommunication/lack of communication, children, sharks  

note: pretend like i didn’t just disappear for two years before coming in and dropping the longest one-shot i’ve ever written. kind of tried a different format with these! a mix between headcanons and a fic, really. let me know what you think!

being a fellow teacher at Kimetsu Academy, you’ve known Giyuu for a couple years now

you started teaching a little after he did, and while you operated in different departments and different parts of the school, you’ve still gotten to know him gradually through schoolwide functions, staff meetings and disciplinary proceedings

you had always considered Giyuu to be incredibly methodical, meticulous and strict – in all honesty, he’s kind of a hard-ass, but at least he’s a well-intentioned hard-ass

on the surface, he’s always on time, stringent with deadlines, and someone who, for the most part, plays by the rules

and as fate would have it, his eye for detail and deadlines put him in charge of tracking staff assignments

so you have been unlucky enough to find yourself on the wrong side of a pointed stare as you entered a room only seconds before a meeting began, and had the pleasure of being confronted by a barrage of minor corrections to paperwork 

these conversations are usually short and pretty awkward, him pointing out your shortcomings with red ink and sticky notes, but he’s never mean-spirited. just uncomfortably cold

to be entirely honest, you were convinced he didn’t care much for you – you caused lots of small problems here and there, and surely inconvenienced him more times than you can count

but still, you always greet him in the mornings and as you pass him in the hallway, and you generally try to strike up a casual one-sided conversation as you wait for meetings to start (assuming you arrive with time to spare) or after you finish correcting whatever embarrassing mistake you made

you respect that he’s only doing his job, and while his seemingly calloused demeanor does him no favors, you don’t think he has bad intentions

he’s simply doing his job a little too well, while you’re doing yours… kind of not as well

so needless to say, this is definitely your first date!! but not intentionally

initially it was supposed to be a work outing amongst a few of the staff members of Kimetsu Academy to try and Build Character and whatnot

but literally only you and giyuu showed up

you were awkwardly waiting for the others inside the aquarium on a bench together for twenty minutes

he seemed indifferent, but judging by the increasing frequency of checking his watch, you could tell Giyuu was growing restless

you tried to distract from the silence with questions

to which he responded politely but curtly (as expected)

“Have you ever been to an aquarium?” you ask Giyuu, waiting for a lull in passers-by so you wouldn’t have to shout. His head turns slightly to you, meeting your eyes for just a moment before pointing his gaze elsewhere.

“Once,” he states matter-of-factly. “When I was younger.”

You nod kind of exaggeratedly in response, murmuring “nice, nice” aimlessly with a smile. Your eyes flicker between him and the families passing by, keeping an eye out for anyone you work with.

“Did you have any favorite exhibits when you went?” you ask again after a beat of silence, trying to ignore the palpable awkwardness of the situation.

He thought for a moment, indicated by just the smallest shift in his expression.

“Not that I can remember,” he answers honestly, suddenly studying the pavement beneath his shoes. Perhaps brevity is a practiced talent. His eyes eventually shift back to his watch.

You nod again with a small “hm” of understanding, adjusting the bag in your lap a bit. He quietly unfolds a map of the aquarium beside you – where did he get that? – and starts scanning the layout. It grows quiet again, and this time you can’t help but check the time for yourself on your phone. The rest of your group is about 20 minutes late, by this point.

“I guess it’s taking everyone a while to get here,” you comment, unlocking your phone. “I’ll go ahead and text Rengoku-san to check in.”

Giyuu gives a small nod in response, and you set to typing your message. After giving it a once-over, you press send and await a response.

“Okay, done,” you say with a smile, locking your phone again. Giyuu doesn’t respond, his eyes still roaming around the unfamiliar map terrain.

Silence settles in again, and you’re left twiddling your thumbs, looking mindlessly at the rock walls surrounding you. You nearly fall into a trance as you study the winding cracks in the architecture, the sound of Giyuu’s voice startling you.

“--t about you?” he seemed to ask, eyes falling on your figure for the first time in a while. You grow warm at the sudden attention, embarrassed for zoning out.

“Hm?” you inquire as you meet his eyes, hoping he’ll repeat whatever it was. His eyes look to the wall behind you for a second before meeting yours again.

“An... aquarium,” he repeats. “Have you been to one?”

“Oh!” you laugh quietly in relief. “Yeah, I went a couple times when I was kid. With school and family, I think.”

He nods much like you did before, only much less noticeably, offering a “mm” in response. After an uncomfortably long silence, he offers up your own question to you again.

“Any… favorite exhibits?” he asked. Out of your peripheral, you could see one of his hands fiddling with his jacket cuff. He was wearing a black variation of his usual blue tracksuit. 

You thought for a moment, tilting your head to one side and then the other as you considered the question.

“Actually, I really liked seeing the dolphins!” you chuckle, remembering how you’d begged your parents to watch their hourly show. “But I’m not sure if that really even counts.”

Another polite nod was interrupted by buzzing from the phone in your hand. Turning the screen over, you see an incoming call from Rengoku Kyoujurou.

“Ah, sorry, it’s Rengoku-san,” you explain briefly before answering the call and pressing it firmly to your ear.

big mistake holding the phone so close

cue: wincing and pulling the phone away immediately because of how unintentionally loud kyoujurou is

after explaining that you and giyuu were already inside the aquarium waiting, you were kindly informed by your coworker that the outing had been moved to next weekend (something that was conveniently not mentioned to Giyuu or yourself)

he apologizes for the hiccup in communication and says he’ll get the tickets comped for you, which is nice, but you already came the whole way here

and now you’re caught thinking about just how weird it was to have this little outing planned in the first place. what were you supposed to do, bond with your coworkers over fish or something? anyway

a little annoyed but accepting that it was just a misunderstanding, you thank him and hang up

after you tell giyuu the event was moved he just sighs and looks at his watch again, kind of unsure what to do because bro really planned his entire week around this one event he doesn’t get out much okay

Another awkward silence settles over the two of you as you try to find something to say.

“So… what do you want to do?” you ask tentatively. Your question is met with one of his own.

“What do you mean?”

This time it’s your turn to anxiously fiddle with the sleeve of your shirt, searching for the least weird way to ask this.

“Well, do you still want to look around?” you reason innocently. “I know the outing was moved, but we already have the tickets and all…”

You’re met with silence and a slightly wide-eyed stare, which sends you into a panic.

“If not, t-that’s okay! I mean, I’m sure you have better things to do on a Saturday,” you rush to clarify, not wanting to accidentally guilt him into spending any more time with you than necessary. “Or if you just want to look around by yourself, that’s okay too, I just–”

“That’s fine,” he states plainly, cutting your nervous tangent short.

“I– Huh?”

A beat of silence passes at his unexpected answer.

“I said that would be fine,” he clarifies a little louder, perhaps thinking he was too quiet the first time. His expression returns to its usual withdrawn state, punctuating his sentence with a distinct lack of enthusiasm, but you don’t mind.

It still takes a moment to sink in that he actually said yes, but once it does, you’re almost embarrassed by how excited you suddenly feel. You haven’t been to an aquarium in ages.

“Really?” you ask, anticipation as toned-down as you can muster. Wouldn’t want to seem too eager for an impromptu aquarium adventure with your emotionally-distant coworker, right? “Are you sure?”

He offers a simple nod in return with a “mhm” to re-confirm his answer. You unconsciously flash him a wide smile.

“O-okay! Cool! Let me just, uh,” you throw your bag over your shoulder, fumbling to situate yourself as you stand. You exhale in preparation. “Okay. Where should we go first?”

and so begins the aquarium trek!!

now giyuu is the type to go with the flow on just about anything in these kinds of situations

he doesn’t really have any particular desire to see a certain exhibit or anything, he’s for real just along for the ride

so it IS going to feel like you’re just dragging him around sometimes, and you probably are, but he doesn’t mind. he kind of prefers it, actually?  

ironically, it’s generally his complacency that earns him a bad rap with the other teachers for his withdrawn demeanor and reluctance to jump in on group activities

while he is resistant to the idea he is widely unliked, he can still tell there is a tangible divide between himself and some of his coworkers

generally he’s reclusive. he doesn’t go out drinking with the other teachers or partake in small talk, opting to either listen in silence or leave. whether or not this is a conscious decision to exclude himself is unclear

which is why it was surprising he agreed to not only come to an aquarium on a work outing in the first place, but stay with you to explore following its rescheduling

he’s been called lots of not-very-nice things, most equating to the idea of him being snobbish or a wet blanket, and from your perspective he just seems withdrawn and kind of cold  

BUT you can tell something seems… weird. you hear a decent amount of complaining from your more vocal coworkers about him and his rules, but rationally you think he wouldn’t willingly ostracize himself in his own workplace

plus not all of your coworkers dislike him! teachers like kanae and kyoujurou get along with him just fine. granted, you’ve never seen them not get along with someone, but still  

and moreover, he’s not malicious – he’s harmless, even, bar the occasional dings to your self-esteem from his pointed criticisms. also the heavy-handed dress code violations he hands out, but that doesn’t really affect you. and! this outing is arguably only kind of work, so maybe he’s different! either way, you wanted to give him a chance. what’s the worst that could happen?

now, giyuu………. has a soft spot for you. but probably doesn’t even realize it. you are never harsh towards him, you never make backhanded comments or ignore his existence altogether. he likes you, even– he hasn’t put the pieces together that his feelings might be romantic in nature, but he can tell he finds a certain comfort in your interactions

whereas in your eyes all you do is cause him problems, in his eyes, you aren’t any more or less competent because you make mistakes

what matters to him is how you handle them. always with a smile and quick on the turnaround – the same could not be said for others he is responsible for correcting

you always listen to whatever he has to say (even if he has to say it twice just so you can hear it, sometimes) and you try to never make the same mistake twice

you’re kind and resilient, and most people seem to like you. your warmth draws people in like moths to a flame.

in any case, you seem like polar opposites

so when YOU were the one that proposed venturing through the aquarium together of your own free will, he was more than a bit taken aback

he’s never understood how to get close with people. he’s not good with words, and he’s not the most social. it’s something that largely escapes him, forces him to move in silence with small gestures that usually go unnoticed like turning your desk light off for you after you’ve left, or making sure the mug you use during lunch is always clean

and he does all of this without expecting anything in return, simply because the kindness in your eyes makes him feel fuzzy and the spirit with which you move through life leaves him in silent awe

so asking him to spend time with you… alone, in a public place… on the weekend… now officially outside of work hours? consider this man thrown for a loop

of course he’s nervous, but he’d regret it if he said no

so he agrees, and now he’s here with you. what is he supposed to do now?

all of this is swirling in his head as you take the lead just slightly in front of him

Your first stop isn’t really a stop– it’s a walk-through tunnel created to look like a broken ship. Several small inlets in the faux woodwork give way to panels of aquarium glass showing an artificial sea floor decorated with coral, mollusks and several varieties of small schooling fish. Children rush back and forth between the many lower-height glass panels, calling dibs on a certain fish or creating little games with their friends. Giyuu’s eyes track their movements cautiously as you both walk.

It was obvious this area was more for kids than adults, but there were enough glass panels at your height to get a good view of the action. Giyuu looks on similarly through his own window about a foot away, eyes scanning the sea floor seemingly indifferent as a stingray emerges from the sand, previously undetected.

Suddenly the many children from before swarm over to you both, faces pressed against the glass beneath you in wonder as they shout in excitement. One child even slips between the gap in Giyuu’s legs, head poking through the other side by his ankles for a better view. You notice immediately as Giyuu tenses at the obvious intrusion. His head minutely whips quickly from side to side, thinly masking a silent plea for help.

It took everything in you not to laugh as you back away from the glass and tug Giyuu by his sleeve away from his accidental captor, gently removing two little hands from his legs with an “excuse us” so he could make a break for it. The child seems unfazed as they move even closer to the stingray now skirting the glass. The second you were out of the pirate ship, you finally let your laughter free, bringing a hand up to cover your mouth as you let out little apologies between laughs.

“Sorry, I just–,” you start, letting out another giggle involuntarily. “That was sweet. Are you used to being around kids? Younger ones, I mean?”  

It takes him way too long to realize you just called that interaction sweet, and it takes you way too long to realize you might have just crossed some kind of unspoken workplace boundary.

“No,” he says quietly, clearing his throat. You offer an understanding “hmm,” in response, another small laugh escaping you.

“It definitely takes a while to get used to,” you comment, taking one last deep inhale to calm yourself. “Ready to keep going?”

it took a little bit for Giyuu to regain his composure following the embarrassing incident with the child

initially he thought were laughing at him, mocking him for his poor handling of the situation

it wouldn’t be the first time he was on the receiving end of something like that

but… then you said it was sweet. ??????

now, giyuu has been called cute before. being as handsome and aloof as he is, it kind of comes with the territory. that being said, he’s never really paid these comments any mind; the people they came from would soon find him disinteresting or unpalatable, opting to move onto someone hopefully more receptive to their advances

so normally he brushes it off and moves on. but coming from YOU? someone who at least kind of knows him, someone that has seen these parts of him already?

fills him with a feeling so foreign he can’t quite name it

and your laugh… he’s never heard you laugh like that before. it felt carefree, joyous. different from the polite laugh he’s heard you offer to coworkers in passing

and it’s at this moment he realizes he wants to hear you laugh like that again (preferably not at his own expense)

unfortunately this moment of realization is over almost as quickly as it began, fading as you both enter the next exhibit: sea turtles

he watches now as your eyes switch between the handful of sea turtles swimming about in their large tank, poking themselves up at brief intervals for air around the many rock structures in the water. the light is dim in the rest of the room, lit mostly by the tank itself

you make a comment about how big the turtles seem, but all he can do is silently agree as his eyes scan around the room over the other handfuls of people vacillating between areas

he notices two children from before barreling forward after one another down the hallway, lost in an intense game of tag

Blue eyes switch between your form and the approaching children. He instinctively reaches for the whistle that usually lives around his neck only to remember it was the weekend.

“Watch out,” he says to you instead, stepping towards the glass slightly himself. When he notices you seem lost in the view, he surprises himself by placing a hand on your shoulder, gently pulling you towards him.

At his touch, you seem to startle and look at him, finally noticing the rambunctious children zipping by. Your head shifts from Giyuu to look over your other shoulder, watching as the two continue on down the walkway.

“Thank you, sorry,” you laugh out softly in embarrassment, looking back to him as his hand retreats from your shoulder, wondering Why did he do that? “Guess I should be paying more attention.”

He quietly clears his throat, putting some distance back between you as he moves to examine the map he found earlier again.

“They shouldn’t be running,” he offers in response, inner-hard-ass peeking through on cue. “Where to next?”

He glances at you briefly when you don’t respond, handing you the map so you can see what’s up ahead. You thank him, taking the map in both hands as you try to get your bearings. With a furrowed brow you try to discern your current location – this is quite literally the least intuitive map you’ve ever seen. Maybe that’s why Giyuu spent so long looking at it earlier.

Sensing your confusion, he steps closer once again, left shoulder just barely brushing against you as he points to a spot on the map with his right hand. His fingers trace over two pathways, likely your next options for exhibits.

You see his lips moving, but his words are in one ear and out the other as you try not to think about how warm his hand felt earlier, or how his face seems so close to yours as he explains. And you are definitely trying hard not to notice how full his lashes are at this distance or the way his top lip dips into just the slightest cupid's bow that you really kind of want to–

You cut the thought off immediately. Thoughts about kissing a certain gym teacher during an aquarium visit are strictly forbidden from this point forward.

As you feel your face heat at the mere implication, you’re grateful for the blue-green glow of the aquarium hopefully obscuring your over-reaction to his simple gesture.

Clearing your throat, you notice him staring expectantly at you. Were his eyes always this pretty?

“Uh, t-this one looks fine,” you stutter out, cursing at your lack of composure as you point to one of the areas you vaguely think he referenced moments ago. His expression shifts the tiniest bit as his brow pulls down, seemingly in concern.

“Are you alright?” he asks, head tilting slightly to the right as he examines you. It makes your eyes go wide, heart hammering in your chest as you take a step back, suddenly overwhelmed by the proximity. The strained “mhm!” you respond with earns a brief look of subdued suspicion before he turns to lead the way.

you’re glad he turned when he did, allowing you save even a fraction of face

it wasn’t the first time he’s been physically close to you, but it was the first time you could see his face while doing so

usually it would just be him leaning over your shoulder to explain paperwork corrections, and while you may have been slightly flustered then, you were at least turned away

but this time… this time you were looking at him and he was looking at you and the confusion of suddenly wanting to feel his lips on yours mixed with the alarm you felt overtook you

and he said something about it

you find yourself wanting to bang your head into the nearest glass surface in sheer embarrassment

but if you thought he was quiet before, the next half hour is so excruciatingly silent that you start to worry

you receive no response to your utterings of wonder as you pass by different tanks, no “hmms” or nods

though he initially took the lead from the sea turtle exhibit, you’ve somehow ended up back in front. as you both slowly follow the crowd through the next few rooms of saltwater fish exhibits, he seems more intent on putting space between the two of you

the lofty silence gives you far too much time with your own thoughts. you begin to wonder if you’ve done something wrong, worried he’s not enjoying himself (you briefly wonder what it would look like if he was enjoying himself, but find yourself drawing a blank)

it wasn’t until you got to the jellyfish exhibit later that he seems to relax again

The large, cylindrical tank emits a comforting blue glow into the dark room as the two of you approach. Jellyfish dance in the center of the room, long tentacles moving in time as they swirl. Airy, ethereal music plays quietly from the speakers overhead.

A near-inaudible “wow” escapes you, subdued as if in fear of ruining the atmosphere. Your eyes are trained on the flowing tendrils of a particularly large jellyfish, its shades of red, orange and cream floating weightlessly in the water.

Giyuu approaches the tank from beside you in silence, but unlike in the sea turtle exhibit, he looks utterly entranced by the mysterious creatures before him. Sapphire eyes follow the symphony of movement, curious. His fingers trace the glass as one moves past, just beyond reach.

You find yourself unable to look away from his child-like gaze, suddenly enamored by the uncharacteristic innocence on display. It’s when his eyes meet your own that you realize you’re staring. You offer only a small smile in return, gesturing slightly to the wooden seats behind you.

“Wanna sit?” you whisper, waiting for his small nod in response before taking a seat on the right. He sits a little after you, enough room for another person between you. Time seems to move slower here. You’re not sure how long the two of you stay like that, caught in the semi-comfortable silence.

He seems much more at ease in this moment, hands folded neatly in his lap as he marvels at the sight. The stiffness in his shoulders has faded away, the harshness of his eyes tempered. Shadows from the soft light carve out his features, highlighting the outline of his brow to the sharpness of his jaw. He almost looks like a painting.

This is kind of… nice, you think to yourself. Maybe I was worried for nothing?

Several minutes pass in relative silence, but the entrance of a small gaggle of rowdy children eventually breaks the two of you from your reprieve, attention turning in tandem to watch three pairs of light-up tennis shoes stop directly in front of you. A weary mother emerges seconds later, apologizing for the intrusion and moving the children off to another side of the tank. Alas, it seems your time here is up.

“You ready?” you ask with a smile, eyebrows raised. He offers a nod again, this time with a small “hm” (progress!), moving to follow your almost hesitant steps back into the outside world.

once your tiny bubble was popped, giyuu is sent spiraling back into the reality he finds himself in

in the sea turtle exhibit, you seemed to react badly when he got close to you. you were stuttering, backing away from him, even. he wasn’t trying to pull anything–far from it, really– but it did kind of hurt

now was this misguided? most certainly. never once did it cross his mind that your reaction may have been because you enjoyed his closeness

but that didn’t stop him from trying to give you space so you didn’t have to be near him if you didn’t want to be

however

while he’s not the most astute observer when it comes to emotions, he did vaguely pick up on some of the dejected looks you were unknowingly sending his way  

and then he was even more confused because he was like?? is this not far enough??? do i have to go even farther???!? and then he’s kind of sad because he likes being near you :/

but then… he also saw saw the gentle smiles you gave him in the jellyfish exhibit, pretended not to notice your subtle glances towards him

and now, after the exhibit, you seem happier. what changed?

he’s still pretty confused but… at least you’re smiling again

the next few exhibits pass easily, him quietly agreeing with comments you make as you move forward

the flow of conversation seems to match what it was at the beginning of your visit, which is good, you think

after a brief interaction with the map again – which he just handed to you this time, not wanting to chance it – you two decided to circle back around to the other avenue you didn’t take from the turtle exhibit

a clownfish cave, stingray touch-tank (which was far too crowded and germ-ridden for either of your tastes – a fact you were briefly able to bond over) and seahorse exhibit later, the two of you are back where you ended previously outside the jellyfish

from this point it’s a one-way path through to the food court at the halfway-point in the aquarium

located between here and there, though, is a (frankly huge) walk-through aquarium tunnel

Giyuu has stopped trailing behind you at this point, more so walking beside you as you traverse the boundary between floor and glass. Your first step is cautious, almost weary that one more person in the tunnel would surely be the breaking point. But of course, the tunnel holds sturdy and you continue with slow steps into the fray of curious people.

“This is so cool,” you comment, looking to Giyuu excitedly before eyeing a large fish swimming past him. You swiftly cross behind him, taking a closer look at the sealife beyond the glass.

Small schools of fish skirt back and forth over the artificial sea floor, while larger fish varieties swim overhead, barely missing one another in their practiced movements. Crouching closer to the floor, you see a variety of starfish, coral and a pair of scuttling lobsters amid the seaweed, duking it out over something.

“Oh my gosh, they’re fighting! C’mere, they’re right here!” you say excitedly, waving Giyuu closer so he can see. He hesitantly shuffles towards the glass to your left, peering over you to view the crustaceans in question. They were indeed fighting, it seemed, as each male used its dominant  claw to smite the other. You tear your eyes away from the scene as if to make sure he’s watching, the wide smile on your face followed by a laugh.

“What do you think they’re fighting over?” you question, eyes scanning the terrain. The lobsters bobbed towards one another repeatedly, the larger of the two moving to strike shallow blows on the smaller.

“... Food?” Giyuu reasons after a few moments, uncertain if you were actually looking for an answer.

“Hmm, maybe,” you respond, nodding your head as you consider the possibility. “Who do you think’ll win?”

Your enthusiasm in eliciting responses from him is something he’s not used to–at all–but strangely enough, he doesn’t mind. The excitement in your eyes makes him nervous, though. 

“... The bigger one, probably,” he answers practically, standing to his full height again.

“Mm, makes sense,” you surmise, pupils still fixated on the dueling opponents. His eyes are drawn to your expressions as you observe the two, watching as the laugh tumbles from your lips following a particularly silly looking move from the smaller lobster. He quickly averts his gaze as you stand again.

He steps back once more towards the center of the tunnel, looking overhead. A strange peace settles over him as he watches the fish swim by, the rippling water above them creating a kaleidoscope of light on the glass below. A chorus of “oohs” and “aahs” overtakes the other visitors as a shark passes over, its presence making waves among the other sealife fleeing from its path. A brief silence passes between the two of you.

“Have you ever seen ‘The Meg’?” you suddenly ask, eyes trailing after the shark. His expression switches minutely to confusion.

“No,” he responds, not sure of what you’re talking about. Evidently you take this as permission to explain.

“Well, it’s this movie about a huge prehistoric shark terrorizing people. There’s this one part where it bites a glass tunnel while a kid is inside and leaves these giant teeth marks,” you describe, gaze finally landing on him as the shark exits your view.

The look you’re met with makes you giggle, the ever-so-slight unease in his expression seeming out of place.

“Don’t worry, it’s not real,” you respond with a laugh, patting him lightly on his shoulder in reassurance. “Well, the shark was real, but that was a long time ago.”

He only looks slightly comforted at the new information as you walk ahead a bit, dodging kids and other visitors. You miss the slight widening of his eyes at your casual touch before he’s following behind you again.

you?? touched??? him?????

he tries really hard not to think about it. tries and fails

… do you not mind if he’s close to you? you also called him over just before to show him the lobsters. and you were excited

maybe not for him, but excited nonetheless

here are his thoughts on the matter: you speak to him kindly and your touch is gentle. it’s nice and makes him feel warm inside

and he decides right now that so long as he can remain close to you, he will be content

he doesn’t know what it means, but… he he thinks he likes it

so as far as you know, your time in the tunnel continues rather uneventfully and it isn’t long until you’re exiting the other side into the food court

during which, he is internally reeling but enjoying himself nonetheless

neither of which you would know by looking at him

The two of you are led to a large, oval room with high rafters and skylights. Some areas take on a more tropical theme with cartoon fish and 3D waves poking out of the walls, while others are more riparian, fake varieties of lush vegetation climbing up pillars with cartoon frogs and lizards dotting the way.

You ponder over the options for lunch in front of you, most of which have several people waiting in queues to order. A large food court sits across from the vendors filled with families, couples and school kids alike, conversations melding together to form one giant mass of voices.

“Wanna get something to eat?” you ask over the noise, looking to him for an answer.

He nods, surveying the lines for food. You agree to separate and meet back up after you’ve got your trays.

Wandering for a bit, you eventually settle on a place called “Sukiya” and order Gyudon, a fatty beef and rice dish. Simple, but filling enough, you think. You are only halfway through the aquarium, after all.  

As you wait in line, you mill over the crowd once more, watching as toddlers make messes of themselves and friends laugh with one another. You find yourself eventually searching for your coworker amongst the crowd, using black clothing items to narrow down the search.

You’re about to give up when you suddenly catch sight of his raven hair. He’s scrolling through his phone while he waits in the line for a seafood place, black jacket tucked into the crook of his arm. The white shirt he’s wearing underneath reveals a closer look at his physique, the toned muscles of his arm tensing as he readjusts his posture.

Have I never seen him with his jacket off?

Thinking back through your interactions, you’re not sure you have. Maybe in the mornings occasionally, but usually you’re too busy rushing to your classroom to notice. As he shuffles ahead with the rest of the line, his side profile becomes more visible. It’s suddenly feeling a little stuffy in here. Much to your chagrin, you’re left with one very damning thought.

Has he always been this... hot?

Eyes wide and face growing warm, you don’t let your eyes linger too long on him in fear of somehow making eye contact across an entire food court. If someone could look inside your brain right now, they’d see the blaring alarms, red flashing lights and frenzied shouts of panic instructing Operation: Get The Hots For Your Coworker be terminated immediately. Luckily, you’re the only one privy to those thoughts. You inhale deeply, hoping to calm the wave of sudden anxiety in your chest.

Way to pick the worst possible time to come to this realization.

As you turn back to your own line, you realize you’re up next to pay. After inserting your card, you grab the small tray with your meal and turn back to face the crowd. Looking back to your cohort, you notice he’s still in line, nearing the front. You gather the resolve to search for a table, efforts fruitless as you wind through the seating area. Finally, you notice one table off in the back opening up.

The table-for-two makes for close quarters, but it will have to do. You set your tray down on the far side before noticing a trail of crumbs and leftover rice on the table. Taking a napkin from your tray, you unfold it and wipe what would be Giyuu’s area and seat before doing the same to your own. Crumpling the napkin up, you set it on the side of your tray before brushing your hands off. When you turn around, Giyuu is standing a few feet away with his own tray of food.

How long has he been standing there?

“H-hey!” you greet, standing to your full height as he approaches. “Uh, I’m gonna go wash my hands, I’ll be right back!”

You don’t wait for his response before b-lining it to the nearest restroom. You spend what one would call a reasonable amount of time in a stall, convincing yourself that even if he is hot, it’s fine and you shouldn’t make it weird. Really, it’s fine. Everything’s fine.

It was not fine. But you had already spent too long in the bathroom to just be washing your hands, and you were certain he was wondering where you were. A few more deep breaths later, you step out of the stall, wash your hands and make your way back to the table. His jacket is hanging from the back of his chair, once again showing off his white shirt and lower forearms.

Just act normal.

Giyuu looks up from his food as you approach, chewing and swallowing the bite in his mouth before putting a napkin to his lips. You smile and let out a “hey” again as you slide into your seat, setting your bag down to pull your chopsticks from their paper sheath. Removing the small lid from your bowl, you eagerly eye the tender beef slices still slightly steaming in place.

“Oooh, this looks good! “ you comment, whether to you or him is unclear. “What did you get?”

Perhaps your question caught him off guard as his eyes widened the smallest bit, body stilling at the sudden attention. He looks down to his food and then back up to you before responding.

“It’s, uh… daikon and salmon,” he states plainly, sitting a little straighter.

“Nice!” you reply, carefully taking your first bite into your mouth. The meat is beautifully cooked, the flavors subtle but just right. A small “mm” escapes you as you finish the bite. He takes this as his cue to go back to eating, his quiet demeanor seemingly content. After a minute or two, he takes a small break to sip from his glass.

“How is it? D’you like it?” you ask innocently, chopsticks paused as you await his response. He offers a small “mhm” in return as he puts his glass down.

“...How is yours?” he asks after a few beats of silence. You smile at him again.

“It’s really good, do you want to try it? Here–” you begin to search through your meat for the juiciest looking one, picking it up between chopsticks and moving to place it in his bowl before pausing. He grows still as he watches you. “Wait, are you allergic to anything?”

He’s back to that minutely-wide-eyed stare as he processes your question, shaking his head no after a moment.

“Okay, cool,” you say as you place the meat gently into an empty part of his bowl. You go back to eating, not wanting to put pressure on him. After he carefully maneuvers the strip into his mouth and chews, you pipe back up.

“Good?” you ask, patiently awaiting his reaction.

The dip of his head up and down while he swallows is enough to tell he enjoyed it.

“Good,” you say with a small laugh, returning to your own bowl. A minute or two later, you just barely catch him reaching across to your plate while you take a drink.

?!?!

Your eyes widen in shock and you lower your cup, setting it to the side gingerly to see what he did. Much to your surprise, on the left side of your bowl is now a piece of salmon with daikon.

How was he so fast??

And is he giving this to you?

“For me? Are you sure?” you ask, surprised and also concerned you may have guilted him into returning the gesture. He looks to you, answering with a simple nod in confirmation before finishing off the last few bites of his food.

“Ah, okay! Thank you!” you say as you pick up the bite of simmered salmon between your chopsticks. Popping it into your mouth, you’re pleasantly surprised at the quality and mix of flavors. Giyuu’s eyes are watching you expectantly as you chew, and you try desperately to control any form of heat rising to your face at the attention. 

“That’s really good!” you assure him with a smile, bringing up a hand to cover your mouth as you finish swallowing. He seems to relax slightly at your response with just the smallest smile on his lips.

The smile fades as quickly as it appeared as he wipes his mouth a final time with a napkin before laying it beside his now-empty bowl. You finish the last few bites of your own food in silence before following his lead.

“Are you finished?” he asks, hands gripping the side of his tray. When you say yes, he stands, moving to stack your tray, bowl and glass with his.

“Oh, that’s okay, I can do that,” you interject, hand reaching out to take it from him.

“I’ve got it,” he responds, almost gently, as he straightens and heads to the nearest dish drop-off. Watching him go, you notice the white shirt again. Looking down, you realize he forgot his jacket on the back of the chair. You grab it along with your bag and meet him outside the seating area.

“Here,” you offer, handing it over to him as you approach. Seeming a little surprised again, he takes it from you with a small “thank you” before shrugging it back on.

Welp. There goes the gun show.

You ignore your decidedly unhelpful thoughts as you peer around the room, trying to locate the exit.

“Uh…I think it’s this way?” you ask, gesturing forward and to the left toward an arched hallway bathed in green.

And with yet another small “mhm” and a nod from him, you’re off to your next stop.

Giyuu follows dutifully behind you, his face not betraying the cacophony of confusing thoughts swimming in his head

he was definitely caught off guard when you offered him a bite of your meal, but the fact you were thinking of him did make him feel happy

he was too shy to immediately give you some of his in return, but had been saving the best bite for last anyway. and he was also happy you liked it :)

he for sure thinks he would like to go eat with you again sometime if he gets the chance. it was comfortable, and he enjoyed your reactions

Maybe you could… eat lunch together someday?

But like so many facets of his life, his self restraint is ever-present here. He will refrain from “selfishness,” cherishing the experience without asking anything more from you

A winding and counterintuitive path to building intimacy if ever there were one, but he knew no better than you the feelings threatening the rock-solid walls he’s built between himself and others

But little moments like this – eating together in the food court, walking through the exhibits, making idle conversation – they are all small glimpses into something he craves so badly but lacks the words to express

Even so, he trails behind you in quiet contentment as you navigate the Mangrove and Rainforest exhibits, pointing excitedly to the various reptiles, birds or small mammals in their enclosures

As you’re reading the species description for a particularly cute snake, he takes a look ahead to see what exhibit is up next

He scans the horrendously designed map, deciphering the key as he mindlessly follows in your footsteps toward several frog varieties 

Eventually, he locates the rainforest exhibit, and looking ahead sees a rock pool with presumably more touch tanks–hard pass– and a theater

But just a step beyond that was the outdoor arena, where little cartoon dolphins and seals swam on the page

Dolphins… you liked those, right?

“(Y/N),” he calls quietly, catching your attention. You look up from the poison dart frogs with a “hm?” to see him pointing at something on the map held out to you.

“Did you want to see the water show? It should be starting soon,” he asks, finger hovering over a box reading “Stage Times.” According to the map, there was one more show today, starting in about ten minutes.

“Oh yeah! That might be fun, what do you think?” you ask nonchalantly as if you weren’t ready to break into a full sprint to make it to the arena in time.

Despite your attempt to play it cool, the sparkle in your eyes was not missed by Giyuu.

He nods once, excitement met with quiet determination. Before you know it, you’re speedwalking through the crowds of parents and children, sidestepping strollers and screaming toddlers as you make sure Giyuu is keeping up.

Before long, bright blue gates for the outdoor arena come into sight, and you let out a triumphant laugh.

“We made it!!” you say, turning too Giyuu with a wide grin. You look more excited than he’s ever seen you, and he gestures for you to move up in line as the family in front of you gains entry.

“For two?” the attendant asks, stamp at the ready. You nod eagerly, extending your arm to receive a dark blue wave on the back of your hand. Giyuu does the same, his usual deadpan stare silently watching as the dark ink stains his skin.

After gaining entry, you pass through a tall blue arch, the smell of saltwater washing over you. An expansive pool of water greets you as you walk in, spanning the edge of the outdoor arena. Looking around, you see several rows of bleachers under orange sun shades, filled to the brim with children just as excited as you.

You scope out the remaining seats, and Giyuu lets you take the lead as you choose an open spot on the second row, off to the left. You smile politely at the family behind you as you take your seats, and there’s hardly even time to settle in before the announcer comes on the loudspeaker, welcoming aquarium-goers and highlighting rules of the arena.

Soon after, a cheery voice comes over the speaker, this time from the aquarium employee running the show about 15 feet from the bleachers. She’s small in stature, dark hair pulled up in a ponytail sticking out the back of her visor.

“Hello everyone! My name is Asa, and I’ll be introducing you to some of our sea friends today!” said the speaker, her overly-excited voice rousing cheers from the children surrounding you.

You watched in glee as a line of three seals plopped up on the platform behind her, each introduced with a name and trick. You giggled along with the children as the seals waddled, barked and rolled. Eventually, the seals returned to the water, showing off swimming formations, speed and everything else such cute little creatures were capable of.

Before long, the seals had to say their goodbyes, sliding into the water with a chorus of disappointed children waving them off. But just beneath the water you could see shadows moving, your anticipation building– and just like that, it burst, with two striped dolphins leaping from beneath the still surface to say hello.

You cheered along with the children as the dolphins splashed back into the water, growing ever-closer to the bleachers with each expert movement. The dolphins swam circles around each other in the center of the arena before swimming up to the aquarium worker’s platform.

An awed smile overtook your features as the top of the dolphin’s heads popped up above the water while they were introduced, Iru and Kai. Each had two striking black lines down their sides, but Iru, the larger of the two, had a large scar over the left side of its forehead down to its beak.

“Iru here was rescued after being hurt in the wild two years ago, and she’s been with us ever since,” Asa explained, leaning down to pet her darker beak. She nudged upward toward Asa’s hand, relishing in her touch from above. “Kai was actually born at the aquarium a year and a half ago, but his baby fin here makes it hard for him to survive in the wild.”

On cue, Kai flipped to his side, showing his stunted right fin. Your heart sank a little at the thought of their pain, saddened gaze looking to Giyuu to gauge his reaction. While his attention stayed glued on the dolphins, he nodded forward to point your attention back to the front as Asa perked up and the dolphins did a spin.

“But we’re so happy to have them here with us now! Iru and Kai, why don’t you show everyone some of your favorite tricks!” Asa stood, gestures prompting each of the dolphins to swim off to the left and right for their first set of tricks.

The tricks started simple enough, leaps into the air or through hoops, but soon divers were introduced and began showing off just how much skill and intelligence Iru and Kai held.

Time passed quicker than you would have liked. The next twenty minutes of feats from the wonders of nature before you were quickly coming to a close, and you felt like it had only begun.

”Alright Iru and Kai, come on back!” Asa called, the dolphins listening in kind. The two swam right back up to the platform, ready to say their farewells.

“We had so much fun with all of you today, but Iru and Kai have to say bye now,” Asa says, sadness clearly in her voice. “Before we do that though, we have one last trick to show you!”

On cue, Iru swam off to the left by your spot in the bleachers and Kai to the right, each popping up behind the fenced area at the front. You grinned widely at the sight of Iru up close, wondering at her beauty.

“Alright, say bye-bye!” Asa shouted.

The next few moments moved in slow motion, and it was only then, as the dolphins whipped around to the side to send a tidal wave to the audience, that you noticed the glaring “SPLASH ZONE” sign plastered on the seat and wall in front of you. Maybe there was a reason these seats were empty. 

Delight shifted to fear and surprise as the water grew nearer, impending doom mere milliseconds from impact. You brought your arms to haphazardly shield your face, a shout of surprise escaping you and several of the audience members near you. Just beyond the approaching curtain of water were spray fountains from the front of the arena, shooting wildly out into the audience. Giyuu’s right arm extended in front of you in a vain attempt to shield you.

But no such luck. In less than a second, you were soaked from head to toe, sputtering as the sea water assaulted your senses.

Looking to Giyuu, you saw his hair was soggy, sticking to his face on the sides as water dripped down. As stunning as he looked dripping wet, he was in shock–a look you’ve never seen on him– and all you could do was laugh at the absurdity.

Loud guffaws escaped you as you grabbed onto Giyuu’s sleeve in front of you to steady yourself, his confused eyes meeting your joyous ones. You stayed like that for a few moments, wiping tears of laughter from your eyes as Asa bid her goodbyes to the crowd.

Your grip on his jacket loosened, replaced with two quick pats.

“Oh man, that was good,” you relent breathlessly, still giggling to yourself.

“Are you alright?” he asked in that flat tone of his, but amusement lie somewhere in his eyes. You laughed again, reassuring him as he slowly pulled his arm back to himself.

“Yeah! Just a little wet,” you snicker, wiping some of the excess water from your face. “What about you?”

He nods, mirroring your actions and sliding a few fingers through his bangs to get the wet strands out of his face. Had you been a lesser man, you would have died on the spot.

Instead you clear your throat, averting your eyes as he stands, flicking water from his jacket before handing it to you. Pointedly ignoring the taper of his waist beneath his black joggers, you reach tentatively to take it, confusion etched on your features.

“Oh, do you need me to hold it?” you ask, grasping the fabric between your fingers.

“No, you should…” He averts his eyes from you, the smallest of rosy hues appearing on his cheeks as he clears his throat. “Cover up with this.”

You look down and have the startling realization that the thin fabric of your light-colored shirt has soaked through as well, showing off everything underneath.

You could die right now. Really, you could. But instead you choose to quietly mutter an expletive, thank Giyuu for his jacket and slip it on, zipping up the front.

Dignity slightly restored but pride absolutely shattered, you turn to him.

“So, um… gift shop?” you ask, still buried beneath approximately 15 levels of shame and embarrassment. He nods, gesturing for you to lead the way, and you take the five minute walk to regain any remaining composure you can.

the next several minutes are spent in an extremely awkward silence as you look throughout the various trinkets, t-shirts and keychains

though the air inside is a bit chilly, you’re thankfully kept pretty warm by giyuu’s jacket

speaking of which, he can hardly look at you right now because of a) what happened earlier and b) the sight of you in his jacket. So he is just… trailing behind you as you shop

you excuse yourself to the restroom for a chance to get a good look at yourself, but on the way in, spot a screen with several photos on display

amid a variety of blue and orange displays are photos from the outdoor arena, capturing in full color the delight of children and parents alike

and off to the far right was a photo of you and giyuu a half second before the water hit, a sharp look of panic across his face as his arm was shooting out in front of you. next to him, you look as if you’ve seen a ghost, arms halfway shielding your face in preparation

as the photos scroll through, though, there is a second taken just a few seconds later

it’s perfect, you think

Giyuu is idly standing near the front of the store, having had more than enough time to look around in your absence. As you approach him, he notices you have on a new baby-blue crew neck shirt you picked up from the store, your previous one from before shoved haphazardly in the giftshop bag.

“Hey! Sorry for the wait,” you greet, looking far more refreshed after your visit to the restroom. “Ready to head out?”

He nods simply, choosing to walk alongside you toward the exit. Groups of parents and children move en masse toward the turnstiles, forming lines at the front. You both wait patiently in a surprisingly comfortable silence, the excitement of the day finally wearing on you.

After making it past the entry barriers and onto the sidewalk near the road, he realizes this is where you part ways. You pause in your stride, turning to him.

“Here’s your jacket back, sorry about that,” you say, extending it toward him. He takes it from you gently, tucking it over his arm.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he states matter-of-factly, but there is a certain gentleness to his tone this time, a quietness in his voice.  

A silence settles between the two of you as he contemplates how to say goodbye.

“By the way, I um…” you fumble your words as you reach into your bag, extending two small trinkets on your palm toward him. “Do you want one of these? They were making them inside.”

His brow furrows just slightly as he angles his head to look at the objects in your hand. On the right is a small photo of the two of you during the outdoor arena show, taken just after the water had splashed into the crowd. Your face is alight with laughter, and to your side, Giyuu dons a look he doesn’t quite recognize on himself. Something soft, almost, as he sees the pure joy radiating off of you, your hand clinging to his arm as delight and surprise overtake you.

Attached to the light blue frame is what appears to be a small plastic figure of Iru, the dolphin from the show. The larger and older of the two, if he remembers right. On the other keychain is the same photo framed in darker blue with a small figure of Kai, the other striped dolphin.

Did you… pick these out?

He stays quiet as he observes the small trinkets in your palm. As is so often the case, you mistake his silence for rejection, quick to backtrack.

“It’s okay if you don’t want it! I just thought they were fun,” you are quick to explain, still unsure of his reaction.

Eventually, he reaches forward, gingerly picking up the darker blue one with the Kai charm. The brief graze of his fingers on your palm sends a shiver through you as he looks thoughtfully at the keychain.

“Thank you. It’s… nice,” he says after a pause, pocketing the item in his black track pants.

“It’s no problem,” you reassure. “Thanks for, uh, hanging out today. I had a great time, all… mishaps considered.”

You huff a laugh at your own expense, knowing so badly what you want to say next but still building up the courage.

“I appreciate the invi–” “Anyway, let me know if you–”

You both pause mid-sentence, looking at each other in embarrassment at the misstep.

“You go ahead,” you say, gesturing to him.

“No, you,” he insists, shaking his head.

“Well, um, I was just going to say let me know if you want to do this again sometime or something.”

“Won’t we be coming back here with the other teachers?” he asks, clearly missing the point.

“Well, uh, I mean… it doesn’t have to be the aquarium,” you laugh nervously out of reflex, suddenly wishing you could crawl into a hole forever. “But anyway, yeah. No pressure, I just had fun and wouldn’t mind… Um. Yeah.”

Your hands gesture in the air aimlessly as you flounder. You have to pat yourself on the back for putting together probably the least helpful response known to man. Really, good work. Absolutely indecipherable.

In your sudden embarrassment, you don’t realize as Giyuu’s eyes widen just a fraction, taking in your words. 

“I… enjoyed today,” he offers after a brief and unbearably awkward silence, sounding as if he’s still processing the day himself. “We can do it again. If you want.”  

You feel your heartbeat quicken at his choppy sentiment, heart thrumming happily in your chest. The grin you send him leaves him in a similar state.

His fingers trace over the smooth plastic of the frame in his pocket as you say your goodbyes, his steps unusually slow as he watches you disappear around a corner to the nearest subway station.

Once you’re out of sight, he fishes the keychain from his pocket, swiftly affixing it to the rest of his keys before setting off on his own way home with your kind words echoing in his head. The sunset hues peeking through his bedroom window seem strangely more picturesque as he settles on the edge of his bed after returning home, thumb brushing carefully over the plastic frame of the keychain.

Much of his life has been spent watching others through the hardy walls of his own glass enclosure, witnessing as they navigate life and love and everything else. And as hard as he has tried, slamming fists and feet against the barrier, the walls have yet to give, leaving him hopeless in his efforts to reach and be reached.

But this difference between himself and others is not something he has yet come to terms with. Denial is a far easier pill to swallow. Even so, you make him feel as if the ocean between himself and others is not quite so vast–like the glass isn’t quite as thick as he was led to believe. 

Today was his first spark of hope in a long time that maybe there is more to life than his own self-imposed solitude. 

That is not to say he understands, and he will not for many months to come, exactly why you inspire such feelings of hope and longing within him–but it is not unwelcome. Not by a longshot.

a/n: hi!! this is so long. and i have no excuse for why i haven’t posted on this blog in ages. but i hope you like it!! it’s been in my drafts for so long mostly done and i finally got the urge to finish it 

[wintergrew]

Kydi is pretty ded at the moment so here are some of my HCs

I'm not "Kyle forgives Heidi for the Cartman shit and redpill/antisemitism right away and they get together immediately." At all. I view them as not really being around each other at all for the rest of Elementary School and all of Middle School.

I like to think they get together for real in high school. They are both incredibly smart and in all the honors classes together.

They get paired up on an assignment and it's really fucking awkward, given their history. Kyle knows that Heidi has been unassuming and presumably kind enough outside of those few weeks with Cartman, but like...he doesn't know what she really thinks nowadays. Heidi also (deservedly) assumes Kyle probably still hates her for what went down.

They get along, but things are still extremely awkward as both have their guards up and are unwilling to address the elephant in the room. As it becomes increasingly clear they're both attracted to one another, it gets increasingly awkward.

Eventually as the mutual pining bubbles and bubbles, one day Kyle just sorta straight up asks her about all of it. Like "Hey remember all that shit with Cartman and you calling me a filthy Jew? I think we need to talk about that before anything else."

Heidi is genuinely remorseful for all that shit. She's been trying to make amends in terms of putting her efforts to positive charities, activism, etc. But the biggest problem is that instead of addressing what she did, she tried to pretend it never happened. And well...she was literally only ten years old, but Kyle and her actually discuss things like the more mature teens that they have become.

Only after they air out all that baggage and work through it, does Kyle finally formally ask her out.

Once they're together, however, they become absolutely insufferable to everyone else. Over night they become that obnoxiously perfect nerd couple that are obsessed with each other, finish each other's sentences, and seem to always be on the same wavelength. Stan is happy for Kyle, but he gets super annoyed in the beginning.

(Note: i do like style, but in universes i think of where Kydi is a thing Stan and Kyle only have platonic feelings for each other.)

Kyle and Heidi stay together the whole time. Even Creek break up temporarily (Creek is my OTP and isn't a slight against them, I love them getting into petty fights and saying they're done for good when it's clear to everyone that's bullshit) but Kyle and Heidi just... don't. Which doesn't mean they don't have arguments like any couple, they're just that annoying couple that never breaks up.

At the same time, it's not like they're hated or anything (except by a seething Cartman). It's mostly light-hearted eye rolling. I see them both as decently popular in high school.

As an adult, Heidi converts formally to Judaism. Kyle isn't extremely religious (and it wouldn't be an Orthodox conversion) and he'd marry her even if she didn't (so it's not just a "marriage conversion") but she genuinely wants to. Plus, she knows it means a lot as it's matrilineal and means their kids will be Jewish.

They have a nice Jewish wedding shortly after they get their bachelor's degrees and have kids after they get their graduate degrees. I like to think that the kids in post covid are theirs.

They both have decent yet not-flashy jobs, and are both very family-oriented and a very cute and happy family💕

[erenfox]

Y'all.

Episode 4.

It's the best piece of work Marvel has made after they made IW and Endgame.

spoiler alert 🚨

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lemme start off with our favourite Miss Jolly Rancher Unhinged Clock and Victorian-Era HWR Fangirl. I KNEW Ravonna had somehow helped HWR in building the TVA, but him erasing her memories was straight up evil.

Then we come to the absolutely gruesome deaths of Dox and the others. HOLY SHIT MISS JOLLY RANCHER IS AWFUL like she was enjoying every second of Dox and her hunters literally getting crushed to their deaths. B-15 was traumatised, to say the least and you can see on Ravonna and Brad's faces a hint of disgust. But Miss Minutes grinning like that - outright disturbing.

I can't get over OB and Victor fanboying over each other's work - it was so funny yet wholesome.

Now let's talk about Loki and Sylvie. As a diehard Sylki stan you know I am, my fangirling heart was overjoyed seeing these two lovesick ducks working together willingly! I mean, yea, they did have that rather awkward talk in Pie Land (mind you that's it's official name henceforth) but after that they worked together as teammates! Now I must say, I completely agree with Sylvie on snapping on Mobius, because, well, yeah, the multiverse is a bigger priority than pie and I legit don't get why tf antis hate on Sylvie for doing so. Like you hated her for not giving a damn abt the TVA + the multiverse, but now when she stood up to do so y'all are hating on her again?? Like?? Make up ur mind, smh.

Anyways, back to Sylki. Sylvie got stuck in the elevator and the way she and Loki worriedly called out each other's names was so soft! And the "You ok?" trope CAME BACK OMG! THAT PHRASE IS LITERALLY THE BACKBONE OF SYLKI! When I tell you my fangirling heart screamed with joy omg-

The the whole paradox scene which brought Ep 1 back in a circle. I absolutely loved the way our Loki realised what he had to do and went real slow to prune his past self just so that Past Loki could get a glimpse of Sylvie; which would then lead him to be more determined than ever to go look for her. And I quite literally died on Sylvie being confused af as to wtf she just witnessed.

Then there's the telephone scene. OH MY GOD it was literally OB all this time when fans were out here speculating it was Kang or someone lmao. Both Loki and Sylvie yelling simultaneously to turn the security thing off gives out so much Couple Vibes, I absolutely loved it AAHHAHAH-

AND. THE. BRAD. SCENE. OOF.

our friendly neighbourhood lovesick ducks teaming up to enchant Brad was just too good. Loki in his hot, creepy voice luring Brad into a dark area while Sylvie very swiftly just straight up grabbing his face from the back - pure horror. Absolutely loved it, 10/10. Tho I must say, to do execute elaborate scheme, these two must have done some detailed planning (=more Sylki moments we were robbed off).

BUT THAT ENDING DUCKING MURDERED ME BROO OMG

Can we talk abt Victor's redemption? Man had been portrayed as evil since Quantumania, and has been manipulated by both Ravonna and Miss Jolly Rancher, but at the end of the day, he was a sweetheart. Man fanboys OB and basically became besties with him and Casey, worked together to create the solution to a mess he most certainly didn't want to be a part of, and then himself stepped up to fix the Loom once and for all to prove to everyone (and not let Sylvie's choice of sparing him go to waste) that tho he contained HWR's DNA, he wasn't HWR - he was a far better person HWR could have ever been. Seeing him getting spaghettified was tragically heart-wrenching, man deserved so much better :(

BUT HOLY SHIT DID THAT ONE HECK OF A GODDAMN CLIFFHANGER LEFT ME SPEECHLESS LIKE WTF WAS THAT?? U can't just kill off a character who had redeemed himself, and then make our main character and his homies watch literally EVERYTHING THEY WORKED SO HARD FOR GET ANNIHILATED TO THE GROUND-

But we know our God of Mischief isn't dead, and so are his homies eheheh.

However the looks on everyone's face was tragic. Loki knew all was lost and had tears in his eyes. Sylvie looked like she had accepted defeat and her death. Mobius and OB were in denial, refusing to believe that Victor was dead. Casey and B-15 looked horrified, as they realised what was to come now upon them.

Tldr, this episode was an ABSOLUTE BANGER. IM READY TO CLAIM IT SUPERIOR THAN ENDGAME, come and fight me. Its a top cinematic piece, and the suspense to Ep 5 is eating me up.

Ig i should go and study for the 4 tests this week before ep 5 ;-;

[karakulialiny]

On Valentine's Day, I wanted to publish a mini series of drawings called Types of Romances in Fiction. There, using the example of some of my favorite couples, I show different types of relationships. This idea came to me on February 13, so I had absolutely no time to implement all my ideas on time. And considering that recently my tablet has been charging 10 times less than before... But now, I've finally finished this series!

Anyway, there's Michael and Charlie from my FNAF AU. After Evan fell into a coma, they dated for some time (mainly to provide moral support to Michael), then Charlie fell into the hands of William and what you already know about happened.

Fun fact: for a solid 1,5 years (from late 2020 to mid 2022), I thought that Robbie was Purah's and Impa's brother. However, I had some doubts because no one portrayed him as such. All my doubts were confirmed when I saw a decent amount of PuRobbie ship arts on Tumblr with the artists saying that Robbie indeed is not related to Sheikah sisters. And you know what? The romantic relationship between these two makes a lot of sense. It's mystery for me, why Robbie ended up with Jerrin, but I have one theory that I want to present in one of my future fanfictions (which I won’t write soon, because I haven’t overcome my writer’s complexes yet).

It's finally time for my absolute OTP😍😍😍 I really like the headcanon that Zelda had to go on dates secretly because she was afraid of being judged by the royal nobility. Mainly for the reason that Link acted like an idiot very often, and if the princess admitted to everyone her feelings for him, then she would be treated with less respect, and this is very important for Zelda as a future queen. But a woman in love remains a woman in love, and she wanted to feel loved.

Yes, I know that King Rhoam would not really be against their relationship. These Link and Zelda are from my AU (as well as Purah and Robbie from the picture above), and what I know about this so far is that the royal guards along with knights would not believe that Link was the chosen one after they saw his clumsiness, naivety and how he completely calmly eats rocks. Then, the young man became a laughing stock among the ladies-in-waiting and even the court cooks. Zelda didn't want everyone to laugh at her when they saw her romantically involved with Link, so they met in secret.

A lot of things happened between Stan and Wendy from South Park. They were either head over heels in love with each other, then they broke up, and this became a real springboard for various kinds of fan fiction. In my AU, there will also be a small story arc dedicated to their relationship, but I don’t yet know how exactly all this will happen, where it will begin and where it will end.

It's been a long time since I drew a Lackadaisy character, and portraying Ivy and Calvin as the personification of love at first sight was a great excuse. If anything, I simply redrew the moment of their first meeting from the comic.

As the final entry of the series, I decided to draw Hancock and Luffy. Honestly, unlike other pairings in this series, I'm not really into this one. At least because I find it quite tragic to fall in love with someone who OBVIOUSLY has no interest in you. Of course, I could portray the more interesting for me pair of Phineas and Isabella as an example of a non-reciprocal relationship. But the fact is that in the end, Phineas still reciprocated, and we are talking about a completely non-reciprocal relationship here. At least I thought it was funny how Hancock goes from being a cold-blooded lady to being an awkward teenager once she sees Luffy and then goes back to her old self. She reminds me so much of my OC Miranda 😆

Happy long-ago Valentine's Day, folks😘

[holobethyname]

📝 sf rant #2

🍃 On Fansigns/Fancalls and Asking for/about HOLO

Let me preface this by saying some things. I understand that the fans paid for the calls with their money, so they can do whatever the hell they want. I am not claiming that I know better how to spend the few minutes they have with the idols, but I just hope that some of these fans are more conscientious when interacting with them.

Since I haven't had the opportunity to get into fansigns or fancalls with idols (specifically Haechan), I can only form my opinion from the video recordings that pass through my Twitter timeline.

For context, these online fansigns last only for a few minutes. I think the longest I heard of was 8 minutes, but most are 2-3 minutes. That's a really short time for the amount of money spent to get a slot, but perhaps for most of the fans, a few minutes of interaction once (or a couple of times) with their favorite idol is worth the price.

That said, I have seen a lot of fellow fans who secured a fansign slot asking their mutuals or people from their subfandom what to do during those 2-3 minutes. I appreciate this kind of fans so much.

I've seen this a lot among sunflowers, and I'm glad that most of us are on the same page: congratulating Haechan, mentioning some of his achievements that he may not be informed of yet, talking about his music, some random Haechan-related stuff, and showing pets among others.

Of course, there are some that do things that I personally won't do, hence this rant, but again, it's their money.

Since I entered the fandom during the pandemic, I've only seen a few face-to-face fansigns. I'm more familiar with online fansigns but it doesn't mean that I am unaware of what happens during the face-to-face ones.

I know of that NCT 127 fansign where someone attended wearing a bridal dress and Doyoung looked disgusted surprised. This actually happened to Haechan on an online fansign where he was made to pretend as a groom, marrying the fan in a bridal dress and white veil. I know I'm not the only one who found this weird, and Haechan also looked awkward.

I wonder if the Neos talk about their weird fans after the fansigns like those that make them act like animals, the ones who command them to call themselves stupid or whatnot, those that force them to take selcas using their personal phones, etc.

I'm not shaming gf stans on fansigns. You do you, I guess. Plus Haechan usually indulges most of them and he likes teasing people. He gets shy on some occasions (when he's hit with a cheesy pick-up line or when he's caught off-guard /pos) which is always a treat for everyone because the boy is super confident and rarely gets shy.

Sure, fan service is a part of the idol industry, but idols are still humans. This goes without saying, but they also deserve to be treated with respect. I just hope that fans on these online calls stop making them do stuff that they are not comfortable with.

(Always ask if they're okay with it. Also, some idols, like Haechan, will mostly agree with whatever for fans, so learn to read body language. Anyway, just be a decent person.)

Moreover, we are still fans. There is still a boundary between idols and fans. At the end of the day, they are still strangers to us, and we are much more of a stranger to them. So, boundaries.

One more thing about fansigns that give me the ick are shippers who forward their shipping agenda to the idols. I'm pretty sure some, if not most, of these idols are aware of ships among their group members, but that is not a warrant to be so shameless about it on fansigns.

[I still wonder how fans can still insert shipping in a 2-minute fancall because I'd run out of time praising Haechan alone.]

There's already a whole debate on shipping, rpf/rps, so I don't want to delve deeper into that. I'm not one to stop people with their shipping agenda. Again, you do you. Just remember that you have avenues to do that. That's why there's a whole rps/rpf community on social media platforms (on Tumblr!!!) where you breathe life into your headcanons.

So, boundaries.

I don't know how idols deal with the knowledge that people ship them with their bandmates. I guess they are just chill about it, but you know, if we can be mindful (and perhaps not create an awkward atmosphere among the members being shipped), let's do that. Or I don't know. If you can't keep it to yourself, be subtle? 😭

This is also related to shipping, but it rubs me wrong when a fan who is on a fansign with an idol is talking mostly about another idol. Uhm, you should've just attended the other idol's fansign? Some idols may be fine with that, but personally, If I were an idol, I'd feel disrespected.

Now, onto the more positive things, before I talk about something that I feel conflicted about, and I'll just enumerate since there is no explanation needed.

Haechan praise: (he gets really shy sometimes and he doesn't know what to respond, that's when we know the fan has got him) complimenting how he's doing so far for the promotions, his vocals and dance, or really anything worth-mentioning that he did recently

Talks on Haechan's music: future music plans, genres of music he wants to do, songs he currently loves, musical inspirations

When fans request him to sing something

Talking about his hobbies, food preferences, pets (and showing him fans' pets)

Showing him video edits of sunflowers' messages for him, link to a compilation of fan letters

Mentioning stuff about him that he may not be aware of yet: how he has a lot of kpop idol fanboys, celebrity fans, my personal favorite is when one of the people i follow informed him that she mentioned him to Michael Jackson's nephew

Joking with him, and trying to make him laugh

I'm not really a fan of the Tiktok challenges that they make him do, but he really looks adorable trying the challenges in some, and I'm also glad someone showed him his viral Untouchable Tiktok edit

So, this is the thing I'm conflicted about. Recently, Haechan has been sending messages on Bubble about how fans will not regret supporting him. He's also said this to a fansign. I only saw one video but I'm not sure if there are more. He's telling us to wait a bit more. It seems unspoken but it's like a request to keep holding on to him? Am I the only one who feels that way (and my friend, too)?

We think that he probably feels burdened whenever people ask him about solo activities, dance covers, song covers, solo albums, new music, etc.

I cannot blame sunflowers for talking about solo stuff and asking him, because honestly, I'd do it, too. He was so excited talking about solo stuff prior to the release of Love Sign. Then, we figured after the release that maybe he was so giddy in his seat because he was gonna surprise the fans with a song he wrote. To us, that translated to "he likes it when we talk about his solo stuff and when we ask him about his solo career plans".

Besides, for the lack of solo stuff in the past 6 years, we all feel like he deserves to have more activities and more opportunities to grow individually at this point. For someone that talented, he can do it and he will succeed.

However, thinking about it these past few days, I feel conflicted. Haechan's just 22 years old and honestly, he has a lot on his plate as an idol and a member of three active NCT units. His schedule is so tight that he barely has any rest in between. The way SM's making him work is unhealthy, unethical even. Also, sure, we can blame it on SM's capitalist mindset but I cannot help but feel for Haechan since he's the one we're asking for schedules from. Not directly SM. So yeah, he carries that burden alone.

It's not like Haechan doesn't want to release his own music. That's his dream: to be a singer-songwriter. I bet he's itching to do it, too. However, no matter how talented or how big his fanbase is, the decision to release a solo does not rely solely on his hands. There are a lot of aspects to consider: the company, the budget, the staff, the time that will be spent on his activities which is equivalent to his time out of the units he's in.

There's also the factor that Haechan's a good team player. I think he feels the responsibility, as a vital member of the units he's in, to think about the group first (which is sad since I really think it's high time for him to focus on himself).

We're such in a fucked up position, especially Haechan, that it makes me think that even if I want the world to know Soloist Haechan as soon as possible, I don't want him to feel like I'm disappointed in him for asking and asking when he cannot do anything about it. I don't want to pressure him, especially at a time where more than the pressure of releasing something (which is such a drain on an artist's creative juices), he needs to know that people support him and are willing to wait for him.

So, parting words, since this has been such a long rant, if you're ever on a fansign with Haechan, please reassure him that we can wait and that we will always want the best for him. If that's going at his own pace and focusing on the group more, no matter how if we agree or disagree, it's his career anyway.

The recent bubbles and fansign conversations just bothered me really and made me rethink this with a friend. I don't want him to feel like he's gonna lose fans because he's not powerful (?) enough or that he's not greedy (?) enough to demand that he be given something for himself and halt other activities for him or whatever.

Please let him know that we won't get tired, and that we will stay to support him until the time comes when he can already focus on himself. We all know that day will be worth it.

[strayclown101]

2022 kpop recap

in light of the new year I've decided to talk all by favourite releases/groups that either came out this year ( I've also included songs i discovered  this year), i won’t be  including  any releases I've already reviewed. in no particular order.

catch & release-H1 KEY: i found this song like a couple months ago and i love it so much, the only way i can describe is if ITZY released flip a coin by BILLIE, it’s so good.

shakalaka - dal shabat: this song is sooo good i love the instrumental it  sounds glittery. i wish there were performance videos because i really wanna see the choreography.

forever 1 - SNSD: this song is so amazing, i already have a soft spot for group reunions but this song slaps, i feel like if you enjoyed queendom by red velvet or scientist and TTT by twice this song is right up your alley. also whoever was responsible for the final chorus deserves a raise for  the pure amount of emotion in her voice.

designer nct 127: i love this song so much it’s so nice, i love R&B so much anyway but SM’s producers  really understand the genre.

copycat - APINK CHOBOM: the vibes this song have are immaculate, there's something so nostalgic about it.

AOA: I've listened to AOA casually  but i recently decided to check out their Bsides and they have so many good ones, my recommendations are: cherry pop, super duper, 10 seconds and short hair(which isn’t a b side but still bangs)

F(X): similar to aoa I've always enjoyed their music but i’ve never really dived into their discography besides title tracks my recommendations are: love, chu ♡ , mr boogie, when  i’m alone and every bside off the pink tape album.

lovelyz: my recommendations are: obliviate, my little lover, babydoll and dream in a dream.

 chesire - itzy: this song slapped so hard in fact the entire album was fire.

baby i miss you - 2NE1:this song is so pretty, for some reason it reminds me of new jeans like if this song was released now it would go to new jeans.

tell me- wonder girls: she bangs idk what to tell you, i’ve started  listening  to this song every time i do my makeup and honestly  it’s changed my world view. 

onlyoneof:yeah so i just realised i haven’t mentioned how much i love  onlyoneof on this blog yet which is crazy because out of all the 4th gen boy groups i keep up with  onlyoneof have one of my favourite discographies, they remind of NCT and stray kids  because people kinda shit on them  because they have experimental title tracks which is so sad because they have some of the most back arching,toe curling, eye rolling Bsides known to mankind. anyway my recommendations are: coy, fragile, Dora maar, PicassO, instinct, tear of gOd, night flight, seamless mind, gaslighting, skinz, suit dance, sage, onlyoneof you, blossom, libido and savanna.

onf:nothing but bangers, i need all of tou to stop sleeping on them immediatley, my recommendations are: dry ice, beautiful beautiful, my genesis, belle epoque, we must love, summer poem, summer rain, the dreamer and the realist (the trabsition from the dreamer to the realist legit  made my draw drop) 

sf9: are you are hardcore fan of taemin ? have you been missing his music since his deptare to the milatery? are you a fan of wonho? do you love spider by hoshi, limbo by jun and pose by kino? then i have just the boy group for you, my recommendations are: fire, savour, trauma, good guy, scenario, now or never, summer breeze, tear drop(it sounds like a boy group version of panorama) and their cover of taemins move.

ciipher:are you a stay? are your favourite stray kid songs awkward silence,gone days and get cool? THEN STAN CIIPHER my recommendations are: i like you, solo, fire, blind, moon  night, fame, you and stay.

mirae: DO IT FOR DONGPYO but for real my recommendations are: drip drop,juice, killa,  snow prince and marvelous.

bae173:please their so good, song recommendations : crush on you, loved you, jaws, DaSH, GET HIM ugh.

TAN:if you like exo or seventeen then stan tan immediately my recimindations are: du du du: beautiful lie, walking on the moon, sing with you and  midnight.

tfn: atp i feel like nugupromoter but for boygroups if you like cravity or treasure my recommendations are: asuabalbalta, edelwiess, run up and when the sun goes down.

Anyway I’m gonna end it here, wow this really got away from me, I might start doing this monthly or something anyway I hope you enjoyed this, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! :) bye

[georgiaheartsdilfs]

→ sex scenes chris e x f!reader

prompt ↪you and chris have been friends since captain america's first movie and have been dating for a year or two and you recently released a new movie, whilst in another country you and chris are doing an online interview with the same person but since you are not out to the public yet you have to pretend like you arent in the same room. "how was is filming the sex scenes with chris?" warnings/other notes ↪this is short and has mentions of sex Chris and I had been sitting around for a couple of hours before our interview, we have been able to keep our relationship a secret for almost two years but recently we've been sloppy. Since the release of our new movie we have been caught out eating a few times which I suppose doesn't suggest we are dating but it does suggest we are friends outside of work. We had gone to London for a press conference on our new movie 'Fate' which is about a man and woman who constantly keep meeting each other in the most random places and eventually realise that they are in love just from every encounter, every glimpse. "Why can't we tell everyone" Chris whined, he liked the idea of telling everyone but clearly I didn't given the hate comments and all the jealous fans. I wasn't quite ready "you don't need to read them i'll even block every bad comment about you" he smiled sweetly. I kiss his cheek "Chris you know I would but it's just scary, why does the whole world have to be invested in our relationship" I say checking the watch "oh shoot the interview is in ten minutes" I continue standing up as does Chris. "how do I look hunny" he asked and I chuckle "wipe your cheek I left a mark and you look handsome as always" I say as he blushes "i'll see you in the interview partner" he winks and I laugh walking off into the bedroom.

Chris had joined the interview call before me since I struggled to type in my password, I join a minute or two late laughing "sorry my fat fingers kept missing the last few letters of my password" I smile as Chris and the interviewer chuckled. "no worries, are we all ready?" the interview Kerry said, Chris and I both nod with a smile. "hello everyone welcome to the first ever virtual interview for the movie Fate, joined with me are the two stars Chris Evans and Y/n Y/l/n" Kerry said and Chris laughs and I start clapping "whoop whoop" I say making everyone laugh. "Let's just start of about how are you both, how are you feeling I know you're in London for the press conference" she smiles and I wait for Chris to say something. "oh its great you know we get to meet all these people, new faces but we still get to do it with our friends you know so we aren't alone in London yeah its fun" He says "Yeah" I agree with him. "If you both were to message Sebastian Stan who would he respond first to?" Kerry asked "oh definitely me" I say and Chris laughs "I was messaging him on the couch right before the interview" he says "yeah but sebastian loves me way more than you" I point at my camera "Why don't we test it" he says cocking an eyebrow. I grab my phone out of my pocket quickly typing in Sebastian's name before typing a message hey buddy, how are you? miss you x "I sent it" I smirk "that's unfair you literally spend all your time on your phone" Chris whines "oh not so confident now huh" I laugh. "Now I just want to get this questions out in the wind you know, what was it like filming the sex scenes. Obviously you guys are great friends, was it awkward?" Kerry says and Chris and I laugh, of course it wasn't weird given the amount it times we've done it but we couldn't say obviously. "Chris?" I ask as cheeks go red thinking about last night "Oh uh it's not awkward at all, I think we are in the part of the friendship where everything goes i guess" he says laughing "thats a part of a friendship?" I question him and we laugh. "HE MESSAGED ME" I yell sort of loud and it echos through to Chris's microphone and Chris goes read. I immediately cover my mouth in embarrassment "what did he say?" Kerry asks thankfully she didn't hear. "uh I said hey buddy, how are you? I miss you and then I added a little kiss because i always kiss him on the cheek" I say clearing my throat "and he responded, you beat him by a second i'm good just the same old how are you? and he added a yellow heart" I continue and Kerry claps "well that settles it. Chris laughs looking at his phone "he just messaged me back with, sorry buddy she beat you by a second love you both so much" he says and I laugh. "Sebastian loves me more that's why, I'm telling you" I chuckle, my phone went off and Chris had messaged me you were so loud 🥲 I respond with obviously, I love Sebastian why would I not be loud and Chris rolls his eyes. "Now relationship rumors, we need to get this one out too. We see that you two go everywhere together. Of course you guys could just be bestfriends but we just want to know are you both dating?" Kerry had asked and I go red. "Chris I am so in love you with" I say jokingly "you have it there folks, y/n is in love with me" Chris says pointing at his camera "and you're not?" I ask him "sure I am" he says. "is this official" Kerry says "nah i'm kidding, he's my best mate, always and forever". The interview ends and I let out a loud and frustrated sigh. My door swings open and Chris runs over picking me up "sex scenes" he says spinning me around "out of all words" i laugh as he slows down carrying me to our bed. "should we do a sex scene without the camera?" he asks "right now?" I ask "mhm" he nods "lets do it" I say. you can imagine the rest.

[graciegoeskrazy]

a funny way of showing things 2

Pairing(s): Sebastian Stan x teen!daughter!reader, Lily James x teen!reader

Word Count: 1277

Warnings/Content: some language, angsty (but u already knew that), anxiety mentions

A/N: ITS TIME. Thank you for all the support on part 1. I hope you enjoy the long awaited part 2!! Let me know what u think. Please do NOT repost my work on any other platform. This is my ONLY ACCOUNT.

Weeks had passed. 3 weeks and 4 days to be exact. You barely spoke to your father or his girlfriend, and kept to yourself a lot. Some friends noticed a difference in your behavior. The fact that you were more reserved was a major sign indicating you were not okay. The outgoing, loud, charismatic young women they once knew was nowhere to be found. Being the amazing friends they are, they knew and understood that you would take your time and come to them for help eventually. They were always there for you, unlike some people.

Being alone gave you a lot of time to reflect. With the dance season over and the school year wrapping up, you focused on your grades a lot more than usual. You never realized how much you liked school. Like actually. And you were good at it too! Your grades were pretty good before, but now? Straight A’s all around. The bonus was, it kept you distracted from the shittiness at home while also letting you do something productive. It was a win-win.

Home was complicated to say the least. Lily had basically moved in with you and your dad which honestly was the least of your problems, but you never said more than, “I’m leaving” or a “hey” to your dad. There were a couple of times where he would have to sign your test paper so you could bring it back to school and show your teachers that your parents saw your grade. That was the closest interaction you both had with each other during these past few weeks. He could see you improving, but he never said anything afraid of what would happen.

Ever since the competition season ended, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, you and your friends would go to someone’s house for a study session. You would never really work together but having each other’s company was nice and comforting. You were packing up your things when you heard a knock at the door. You turned and paused stiffening slightly when you laid eyes on the couple at your door.

“Can we uh come in for a second?”

Is today something special? Like a holiday? Why is he talking about this now? Why?

You simply nodded and slowly sat up from your awkward position. They slowly made their way to your bed and cautiously sat down.

“We um…we needed to talk to you for a second. Is that okay?”

You never nodded but your dad continued anyway.

“I don’t know how to say it without making it awkward, so I’m just gonna do it. I just booked a new project. It’s back in L.A. and I know we just moved back home but, I’m sorry. We gotta go by the end of the school year.”

You're joking.

“We? Like…me too?”

They slowly both nodded. “Yeah.”

“…oh.”

Shocked was an understatement. Yes - he books new things all the time. Yes - this has happened before. But you never saw this coming. He never even mentioned a new movie in awhile, but after all, things have been different.

“But- um…what if I just stay with Grandma? I can take myself wherever I need to be, and we can take care of each other any way we can! Just like when I was younger-“

“Sweetheart, we both know she’s getting older. It’s not good for her to look after you.”

You wanted to fight back. Say that you would take care of her while you were home, but something inside you wouldn’t let you do it.

A familiar feeling. The same feeling as that night. It was back. The feeling of being so small yet so tall and powerful at the same time. The feeling of endless anxiety crashing over you and pulling you deeper making it harder and harder to swim back to the top. Too overwhelmed. Too many thoughts swarming your brain. Too much.

“Y/N? You okay, hun-“

You still didn’t want to fight. “I don’t want to move back. I would like to stay here.”

He was taken aback by the politeness. He slowly got up and kneeled down in front of you. “I’m sorry sweetie. I know you don’t want too-“

“I have to go.” You got up and walked past your dad and headed towards the door. Lily and him both exchanged confused looks before running after you.

“Y/N! Wait. I want to-“

The feelings - whatever they were - were too strong. They consumed you fully, more than they have in years. You’ve dealt with anxiety for as long as you can remember. You tried to go back to what you were told to do whenever things like this happened, but the only thing you could think of was him. Your father. After all the shit you’ve been through, he has been there for you through every single part of it, as you have him. He’s all you could think of. The good parts and the not so good parts, he was there. So, you did what you always did. Hugged him.

It felt so foreign, yet so familiar. You missed it. He didn’t hesitate to accept the gesture and pull you tighter and tell you everything was gonna be alright. You’ve heard that phrase for what felt like a million times, but every time he said it, it felt true. It felt like there was still hope even in your darkest hours. It was always the tiniest glimpse at the end of the tunnel, because no matter where the tunnel ended, you knew you would always have him.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so overwhelmed with everything, but that’s the thing I don’t have anything except school because it’s the end of the year and I don’t have dance anymore, and I feel so stupid because things are going great, my life is going great, and I can’t help but cry because I have these stupid emotions in my head about stuff I don’t even understand and ethier want to understand or don’t want to understand at all. And I’m pushing all my friends away because I won’t talk to them because I’m too scared for some shitty reason I don’t understand. I’m losing everyone and everything and I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

He listened.

Like he always does.

Like he always will.

“Shh. I need you to take deep breaths for me baby. In and out.”

After following his instructions you continued. “I'm so tired dad.”

“I know.”

“And I'm sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, my love. You did nothing wrong. Ever. I'm sorry.”

“I love you.”

“I love you more, baby girl.”

He kissed the top of your forehead. “Come on, let's go lay down.”

You finally stepped away from your dad and noticed Lily was long gone. Your dad led you to your room and tucked you into bed.

“Can you lay with me?”

He nodded and smiled. “Of course, my love.” He turned on the TV and turned it to a random channel to keep him entertained while you rested. He also turned the volume down so you wouldn’t be disturbed.

After only a few minutes you noticed a figure peeking in through your slightly opened door. It was Lily. She saw that you noticed and quickly tried to get away, but you told her to come join you and your dad, too, which she obeyed.

Everything felt good. Everything felt right. And to feel that way, you needed to be with him. It didn’t matter what you were going through, or where you were. He would always be there. And that would never change.

[cbmagus49]

I love the beard you gave Stan for your next summer AU. Tell me more about this au, please? your art is always lovely to see pass my dash

Awwww thank you 💛 I'm not the greatest at articulating my ideas but I'll try to get my thoughts in order enough to explain it then ^^ Prepare yourself for a big ol' infodump :P

Okay oh boy uhhhh here goes, so the

Second Summer AU

is basically exactly what it says on the tin; it's my ideas for what the Pines family's next summer in Gravity Falls might be like. There are a lot of interesting ways that the events of the finale would change up the status quo, as well as character dynamics and relationships that didn't have time to be explored much, and I want to try to explore as many of them as I can!

I only have a handful of ideas that are fleshed out enough to be actual episodes, but I'm hoping I can come up with enough content to make this into a whole season ^^

Some general stuff I wanna include:

Soos and Melody!! Just in general. More of them. Also they get married by the end :)

Lots of Stan and Soos bonding ^^

Melody being the responsible mum figure the disaster Pines family sorely needs

Might add a bit of light shippy stuff, nothing huge just cutesy fluff and developing crushes (I'm rather partial to Dipacifica and MabelxCandy, I think they're cute and would fit pretty well with the canon ^^)

Really interested in how daily life at the shack would change now that Soos and Abuelita (and presumably Melody) are living there

Dipper and Wendy without the awkward crush being the bff dream team they were always meant to be

Pacifica working at Greasy's and forming an unlikely friendship with Lazy Susan

Stan and Ford going along on adventures with the kids

Ford spending time with Mabel!!! We hardly got anything with those two in canon and frankly we were robbed!!

Ford interacting with anyone actually

Gideon legitimately growing as a person and being Mabel's friend again

Stan being a bad influence great role model for Wendy

Pacifica making amends with Candy and Grenda and joining Mabel's group

McGucket cooking up some really crazy stuff with his new-found wealth and resources

Maybe some mystery trio?

I wanna involve Robbie in some way but I'm not sure how yet

I'd like to have Dipper and Mabel's parents show up at some point, Shermie too

More Candy and Grenda

Melody chaperoning the kids' adventures as the sole responsible adult in Gravity Falls

I also have a couple of specific episodes in mind :)

An episode where Ford is running the shack, probably the B plot for a Stan and Soos ep

An anthology type episode of Stan and Ford telling the kids about their Sea Grunk Adventures, featuring the thrilling origin story of Stan's beard

Another anthology one focusing on the townies between summers (I think a whole ep that doesn't have any of the Pines family could be really interesting ^^)

Monsterfalls ep, probably a two parter

Hope that sums it up nicely 💛

[angie-baebii]

My Top 10 BL Dramas of 2021

This is long af so enjoy!! :)

Honorable Mentions ⬇️

Light On Me(8/10)

Okay, so first I loved Light On Me a lot and looked forward to it every single week but it is in the honorable mentions despite my love for it simply because I feel as though the writers paid too much attention and put too much focus onto Taekyung and Daons' "relationship" despite the fact that they wouldn't even be ending up together at the end of the series.

focusing so much on a side ship that was never gonna have anything come out of it just didn't make any sense and because of it, it actually would have made more sense if Taekyung would have ended up with Daon even though I would have hated that.

anyway, while I loved Tae and Shinwons' chemistry I do think ultimately we should've gotten more from them throughout the show.

Re-watch Value: 7/10

Golden Blood(5/10)

Golden blood was an aight show and sometimes the acting was a bit awkward on Sun and Sky' side. I originally started watching the show because Gun was in it but ended up finishing it because of Bank and Pitch, their relationship was nice and they had a lot of chemistry. Bank and Pitch made the show worth finishing and I would re-watch for them alone.

Give them a series people!!

anyway, Re-watch value: 5/10

(Just for Bank and Pitch)

Fish Upon The Sky(5/10)

Honestly, while this show was airing I did look forward to it every week for Mork and Pi but towards the end I realized that I was tuning in for Duean and Meen and also just to see Pond because he's illegally beautiful.

Duean and Meen stole the show and I don't know if that comes from me always having second couple disease or if it's because I love Neo so much and he cracks me up every time he's on the screen but either way they stole the show and they gave me something when I felt like I was getting nothing

Re-watch Value: 6/10

(for Duean and Meen)

Top 10 ⬇️

#1. Bad Buddy(10/10)

Bad Buddy has of course came in at the number one spot despite not even ending yet because it deserves it. period. I wait every single week for Frigay and then feel sad when Saturday comes lol.

Ohm and Nanons' close friendship has come together to truly give us a masterpeice full of chemistry and love that you can feel it’s real even though it comes from friendship and not a relationship and it really caused us to love their characters and journey so far.

I knew I would love Ohm's acting because I've been a stan since 2017 but Bad Buddy made me see that Nanon is so good and I would love to watch him in something else as well.

Re-watch value even though it hasn't ended: a definite 10000/10

#2. To My Star(10/10)

First off don't ever ask me about To My Star because I will in fact talk your ear off about it. were there only nine short episodes? yes, but will I talk about it as if it is on it's second twelve episode season? yes, yes I will. Seo Joon and Ji Woo had so much chemistry even when Ji Woo was trying to pretend they didn't.

Ji Woo tried so hard to be a rude person to Seo Joon but he ended up caring about him right from the beginning. their love story just always makes me so happy but anyway, I won't even say all my feelings about To My Star because then this post would be way too long.

Just know I've watched it a lot and I'm in love with both Seo Joon and Ji Woo and I am very impatiently waiting for season two

(Translation: I am in fact dying inside :) )

Re-watch value: 10000/10

#3. You Make Me Dance (10/10)

I have watched You Make Me Dance almost as much as I have To My Star. two lonely humans Shi On and Hong Seok meet and create magic. their love story was fast and slow at the same time which is crazy considering the amount of episodes we got and the length as well.

you would think because the show was so short the relationship would feel fast paced and rushed but yet it never crossed my mind that it did. their story felt perfectly paced and just right.

Shi On and Hong Seok didn't know each other very long yet they both knew they couldn't and wouldn't choose to live without the other. It was beautiful and I am still obsessed. also the OST for the show is chef's kiss it currently stands at #78 on my top 100 of the year on Apple Music go listen to it guys.

WHERE'S MY SEASON 2!?!?

Re-watch value: 10000/10

#4. Don't Say No(8/10)

Just for starters about Don't Say No, I watched the show because Ja and First have really good chemistry and they made me fall in love with the thought of Leo and Fiat being a couple from one scene in TharnType and I just ran with that.

were there things Mame could've changed and made better or took out all-together? yes, very much so. for starters, that bitch with the afro(?...) should have never been able to blackmail Fiat into sleeping with him to protect Leo. Fiat should have never went through half the things he went through.

I feel like Mame just thinks of one bad thing and just goes off of that and then just ends up with twenty bad things that for some reason she decides to keep. But other than the obvious bad things Mame can't seem to leave alone, I loved Ja and First' chemistry as usual and I would watch again while ignoring the plot of course because Mame is trash, but we already knew that.

Re-watch value: 10/10

#5. History 4: Close To You

(10/10)

Listen, we're not talking about Xing Si and Yong Jie let's forget about that relationship for right now even though I love me some Xing Si and he is so beautiful lets not make this post about the brother relationship lol.

Mu Ren and Li Cheng had such a good relationship and a pretty good progression from friends to boyfriends and even though they stumbled sometimes they were also pretty good at communication which a lot of couples in BL could learn from them.

The show is super good and I have watched it quite a bit and always have the urge to binge it. if you haven't given it a chance I recommend you do and just skip Xing Si's scenes with Yong Jie :)

Re-watch value: 10000/10

#6. Beloved In House: I Do

(10/10)

To be honest since this show dropped I have re-watched it quite a bit. I think once every month I get the urge to binge it lol I actually just started it again earlier. Yu Zhen and Shi Lei were so good together.

I didn't even pay attention to the side couple and that's a rarity for me because if you know me you'd know I have second couple disease but with Yu Zhen and Shi Lei why would you pay attention to another couple? their chemistry was just really good and I think the casting did really well with picking them for the characters. They molded well together.

Re-watch value: a definite 10000/10

#7. Kieta Hatsukoi(10/10)

Kieta Hatsukoi was such a good series that if it came on earlier in the year it most likely would have been a bit higher because with this list I'm already conflicted with the spot I put it in. I started binging it after it ended 'cause I wanted to wait and I'm glad I did because once I started I couldn't stop, it was that good.

it was hilarious and had me cackling at seven in the morning, it also did a really good job with showing Ida and Aoki's conflictions with liking one another. Aoki because he thought he liked Hashimoto and the thought of liking a guy never passed his mind and Ida because he never liked anyone.

I thought they did a really good job at showing both their emotions with this new revelation of theirs. the pace was very good as well and not adding a kiss at the end just made sense with them still getting used to each other. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Still hoping for a special episode or movie in the future like Cherry Magic though.

Re-watch value: a definite 10000/10

#8. A Tale of a Thousand Stars (8/10)

A lot of people would probably disagree with the spot I have put atots at because it was and is very loved and I love it as well but to be honest, the reason why atots is this low is because I love all of these dramas so much and had such a hard time with the placements.

also because I'm a depressed person and I look for happiness in my shows to help with it and I just feel like there were times the show was too depressive for me but other than that, love the show and EarthMix of course and I can't wait for their next dramas :)

also the scene at the airport is still one of the best and I could watch it all the time

Re-watch value: 8/10

#9. Lovely Writer

With Lovely Writer a lot of people didn't like Nubsib but to be honest I really liked Nubsib and I liked Gene a lot as well. I thought both characters had their flaws instead of focusing on one characters flaws(i.e, Nubsib) like others did I was able to enjoy the show more that way.

I feel like others took a lot of things in the show too seriously but that's my personal opinion on it. the show was good and I would watch it again, which I have. I do think there could have been more but hey, that's why it's at #9 right?

Re-watch value: 9/10

#10. Utsukushii Kare

The series name is My Beautiful Man and the show was beautiful as well. I feel as though the way the show was shot let us feel how both characters felt very well. we got to see into both of their minds instead of just one the whole way through, it showed us how we perceived Kiyoi most of the series wasn't really how he was and how you would think he thought of Hira based off of how we seen through Hiras' wasn't correct at all.

he didn't think he was better than Hira and he was actually pretty sad and alone and just wanted Hira to see him the way he seen himself, not a king but a regular man that just wanted the person he loved(Hira) to love him back. did Kiyoi have toxic traits? yes. but do all humans have things they could fix about themselves? yes as well so lets not act like Kiyoi is the devil reincarnated.

anyway, I love this series so much and the only reason why it's so low is by default because of the amount of episodes

Re-watch value: 10000/10

if you made it this far thank you for reading this mess of my thoughts, love ya!! :) and Happy New Year!!

[severusdefender]

I think I understand the dumb narrative of James Potter redemption arc. You're not gonna believe this,,,they are doing what we are doing its our own arguement but a different font. So I'm not so sure who made that lovely essay between redemption VS attonment. But I think a majority of people (and also because main stream media encourages it) assumes that redemption comes after doing evil (snape) and that they had this whole hidden side to them(James) and it's just years of brainwashing at this appealing socially awkward yet endearing charecter (it's why a lot of people can enjoy regulus and draco but not snape) .

With James Potter his redemption arc would be literally his death, because there has been no evidence to show remorse for the ones he hurt, there's evidence to show that he's more than just a bully which apparently is enough to sway the masses because why wouldn't it? (he is the hero whos lack of awareness around girls (Evans) is endearing because he hasn't given up (on love! 1!1))

But then you have snape a man who's back story comes who is this odd piece of this narrative puzzle whos friendship with someone who's the heros lover is her only fault (which by the way is rude and disturbing because that sort of encourages the whole purity arc which is problematic in its own sense). He is the one who calls her the slur, she is the one who realizes its not worth the trouble and it fits James arc (I have said this once and I will say it again fucking Lilly Evans shouldnt have been James redemption arc also what in the 'I will fix him disease' is this?). He is the one who plays the role in this lovely couples demise. But his atonement of his sins is seen as something that he's supposed to do because he is narrated as the bad guy. Like you already 'killed' them aren't you not supposed pay the price. (which by the way is something dumbledores manipulative ass did and if you resonate to that belief you are a prick).

James whole thing was that he was this whole different person of not for snape which is this whole new level of victim blaming and snapes entire thing was he accepted fault but his price should have been all that he went through without a morsel of remorse. Making it easier for mauruaders stans to forgive James for his cruelty, but not snape to correct his mistakes.

This mentality btw is beyond flawed due it's embedness is purity culture and morality culture. I do think james and Lilly belong together the same way I think fishes live in water, it's surface level understanding. I just prefer snapes charecter as a whole due to the fact he believes his life needs to be an abstinence of meaningful relationships because that's what's always been told about him and that's what he's thinks he's only capable of. The selflessness displayed without changing charecter shows that atleast in the slightest sense snape knew what he did was wrong and he accepted that and wanted to change that. James on the other hand didn't have that.

Snape's redemption arc is why James's falls flat. We have 7 books and 17 years behind Snape's arc. James only has, 'he changed and Lily dated him.' This is why James stans try their best to belittle everything good that Snape did because they're aware that James cannot compete. Not morally, not even in terms of character

[richiesluvr]

“she looks just like a dream, the prettiest girl i’d ever seen, from the cover of a magazine.”

based off the song by eyedress

a/n: richie is about 20 in this :)

the sound of the wind passing by harshly and the soft tunes of the radio were the only things y / n was hearing. they didn’t even notice richie was talking until they turned their head to the side and saw his lips move.

moving to turn up the windows, the loud noises of the wind disappeared and richie’s voice finally came into focus.

“sorry rich, what were you saying?”

“i was just asking if you wanted to get a hotel tonight, not really in the mood to go home just yet.”

y / n could tell how badly he wanted this, so of course they obliged.

“of course , how much you got on you?”

“uh, about 300?” richie smiled sheepishly and y / n laughed,

“how about i get us a room and you get us food?”

“yeah, sure. oh! did i tell you about how eddie’s mom literally groped me at dinner yesterday.”

y / n ’s eyes widened, “you’re fucking lying.”

“no, i’m not! her hand was all over my wang, with my jeans on obviously. stan saw it too!”

“yuck.” y / n scrunched their face in disgust.

“it was sick, i’ve always wanted to bang a mom. hey, maybe i’ll bang yours next.” richie grinned, his white teeth on show.

“fine with me, i fucked your’s while her ass was on the pole she works at, i made a couple hundred that night.” y / n mirrored his grin and the two met eyes for a couple seconds before richie flickered his eyes back to the road.

“yeah, yeah keep talking. don’t be mad if you hear your mom screaming my name while i-”

richie’s voice was cut off when the tune of a familiar song fills the car, a sheepish smile taking up their faces.

“in the car, cruising along with you, and my baby, you know that i got you.” richie sang along, it was the song that played the time they kissed, the one song they wouldn’t dare to skip.

of course that moment wasn’t brought up ever again, why would they ruin their friendship on purpose by talking about stupid shit like a kiss?

friends kiss all the time, right?

“hit the road, i’m taking off with you. not in a hurry, there’s something about you.” y / n sang along reminiscing the memories of their lips on his, his soft but rough movement, the sparks that- stop it!

y / n shook out of whatever trance they were in and continued cruising with richie before pulling up an address for the nicest hotel by them.

they arrived shortly after, the song had emitted an almost awkward tension between the two, but it wouldn’t be long before it disappeared.

“hello, welcome to garden’s inn, how can i help you.” the desk lady asked and y / n smiled.

“hi, can i get your nicest suite for one night please?”

richie hit there shoulder, “we don’t need the nicest one dumbass.”

“i’m the one paying dumbass, i’ll get whatever room i want.”

“of course, that will be $1,000, do you.. have that kind of money on you? i can look for something more in your price range if you want.”

y / n struggled to keep their smile, what about them looked like a broke teenager to this person?

“no, that’ alright,” taking out their wallet y / n grabbed $1,200. they knew it wasn’t smart to keep that much money on them but what else was money for if not spending? besides, their family had more than enough.

“keep the change.” y / n grinned before grabbing the key card placed on the desk, richie’s hand, and turning away.

“i hope you know how sexy it is when you get all boss bitch on people.”

“yeah, yeah, keep your trap shut trashmouth.”

their day mostly consisted of them chilling, a lot of conversations and one movie.

y / n was currently in the arms of their best friend, pure happiness on both of their faces.

y / n’s eyes involuntarily flickered up to his face, scanning all his features. the slight curve his lips rested in, his sharp cheekbones, the direction his hair moved in, the way his glasses rested on the bridge of his nose-

“admiring or creeping?” richie asked with a smirk, y / n felt their face get hot.

“both?” richie’s face turned slightly red but his eyes flickered back to the screen and y / n frowned, missing his attention.

“rich?” he hummed in response, “look at me.”

his eyes moved down and his eyebrows scrunched in confusion, “what’s up-”

“can i kiss you?”

“wh- wa- what?” richie stuttered in complete shock.

“can. i. kiss. you?” y / n repeated slowly.

richie nodded slowly and y / n moved up slightly before slinging their leg around his sitting body and straddling him.

his hands immediately held their waist, steadying them, and their faces inched closer, the light from the fireplace providing a perfect brightness.

finally, their lips met and it was as though they finally knew why they had thought of the other’s lips so much. their lips were perfectly in sync with the other, fitting as though they were made for each other.

y / n tugged on richie’s shirt and he took it off before moving to do the same thing to them, in that moment richie knew that their was something about y / n, something about them that made them completely irresistible to him. they were the prettiest person in the world to him, though that was a known fact. he didn’t exactly hide how he thought they looked straight out of a magazine.

their clothes were hitting the floor one by one and goosebumps raised on their skins, however the fire place and each other were the only things needed to keep them warm throughout the cold winter night.

[ariendiel]

Hey, I hope this isn’t a super annoying question but you’ve altars got such beautiful and positive content - what helped make a Noah route more enjoyable in the actual playthrough? Any advice you can impart?

Not annoying at all! I love these kinds of asks, so thank you! 💗 I'll make this my detailed guide to how I make the Noah route enjoyable (to me at least), but without playing it as a burn-the-villa route because I actually don't enjoy my MC being mean... Hope it might help some of you at least!

Please note this all requires projecting a lot of feelings etc. onto MC, which I think is a requirement for most routes to be fair. I'll add this post to my masterlist and will replay the game soon-ish (and for the last time) to make sure it all makes sense with any possible changes etc.

My guide to a nice* Noah route

Day 1: Choose Noah, I never minded that Hope "stole" him (it happens) but it does help if you – like me – want to create a "what if?" storyline in your head while playing. I've also never been a Bobby stan**, so I don't mind being in a friendship couple with him and just reject him. ** If you're a Bobby stan, probably choose someone else.

Don't flirt with anyone else at first, that way he will approach you during the evening and you can chat for a while before Hope comes to, uhm, collect him.

Day 3: Since MC is in a friendship couple with Bobby, and not really interested in anyone else here, flirt with and couple up with Rocco. The sympathy you get throughout Roccogate, while also forgiving Marisol, is quite nice – especially because you get protective Lucas.

Speaking of Lucas, I tend to flirt with him during etc. but then purposefully don't save him so that MC is again left feeling like there's no real option for her (Bobby is her friend, Rocco grafted on someone else, and now Lucas has left). This helps in the build-up to Operation Nope. Choose Henrik here if he's your preferred part of Lurik.

Day 7: Help Noah win the Mr. Love Island competition (I'm still salty they changed it so that Bobby is the one to approach MC initially. But just imagine Noah is the one doing it).

Day 9: Choose Noah for your Villa date. At this point, I headcanon MC and Noah as very good mates who increasingly look longingly at each other. Nope is rapidly falling apart, and book boy is feeling lost. The date is also just lovely in general. Hope picks first at that recoupling though, so pick Bobby.

I would recommend coupling up with Bobby here, but this time because he actively will encourage you to participate in ON. Like, you can project onto him whatever motivations you like, but it definitely makes MC kissing Noah feel a bit more... valid?

Day 10: Kiss Noah during Operation Nope (I don't like to be too enthusiastic when they plan it though, feeling pity for Rahim especially).

Day 11: If you don't like Jakub: Go on the date with him, and hate every moment of it. Break up with Bobby, saying your head's turned.

Day 12: Listen in on the conversation between Noah and Priya, it's quite cute I think – and makes it clear that Priya is quite bitter Noah is into MC and not her. This, I think, is why she later is the one to purposefully tell Hope in front of pretty much everyone that Noah is into MC and wants to couple with her.

That night, when the big argument happens, there are a few dialogue options I'd recommend over others: 1. Suggest coming up with a compromise. 2. Suggest giving Noah space to think. 3. Admit you like him, but say you won't act on those feelings. This way, Noah won't snap, Hope will forgive Priya, but not you, and at least to me it feels like MC is genuinely just tired of the whole thing and Hope yelling at her. Note: I haven't played the game in a while, but will do so soon to make sure these are all the same as they were over a year ago.

Day 13: Disaster recoupling! Noah will pick you, and just enjoy this for as long as it lasts. Literally it is so lovely to be coupled up with him and you get to learn quite a lot about him. Kiss him before going to CA.

CA: Ugh, just get through it. I prefer to stay loyal to Noah throughout, mostly because suddenly MC's girl"friends" don't think she wants to be serious with him and at least this way it proves them wrong.

Day 17: Noah switches to Blake. This man's a notorious over-thinker, and a combination of insecurity and Blake playing the game made him switch. Don't think too much about it, other than take note of how he switched to the girl that managed to "mimic" MC in how she behaves, rather than the one that looked like Hope. It's the little things, really. Say you're happy for him, and just enjoy how genuinely sad and apologetic he is, but also how he almost certainly thinks he's completely blown his chances with MC for good.

Day 18: THE PAIN. Everyone ignores MC and her feelings completely, instead working together to get Hope back with Noah for some bloody reason. The worst day on a Noah route, but you can tell Noah isn't really into it, and by this point it's hard to tell if Hope is just playing the game or not (I choose to imagine her knowing she has to be with Noah to have a chance at winning. I love her, but she's competitive and wants to win).

During the recoupling, I usually choose to save Jakub and stay with him in a miserable couple until the end. But choose whoever you're not really interested in from here on out.

Day 19: Fail the ‘Mister and Missus’ challenge. Your partner, or Jakub at least, will be genuinely mad at you for it. If you have low enough relationship points, Noah will make you breakfast the next day. ❤️

Get through these days and the gossip-sneezer drama as best as you can, ignore Hope and flirt with Noah when you can. Honestly, the chemistry and building (s*xual) tension between him and MC is so good if you're into him.

Admit to Chelsea you're into him***, that way you get to chat with him on the roof terrace, say you like him. *** I can't remember the day this happens on, but will check later.

Day 22: Flirt with Noah that morning, and notice how Hope is acutely taking note of it, because not much later she'll corner MC and ask her who she fancies. Here, you can't say Noah, the game forcing you to say someone else (I say Jakub because my poor MC is coupled with him and it feels like the "right" choice, but choose whoever you want to couple with). After you say a name, Hope will literally sprint out and tell this person, before quickly going to Noah – most likely to tell him about how much MC fancies [insert name here]. This, combined with literally everyone expecting it of him, is why Noah blows his last chance at being with MC and chooses Hope at the recoupling.

I think we mentioned it quite a bit in our Noah character analysis (here), but note how his speeches when choosing Hope get less and less emotional and more robotic as time passes.

Don't do any gem options with your partner by the way, and don't kiss them etc. Treat it like a simple friendship, and nothing more. It makes it a lot easier to imagine that they're only really with MC and laying it on thick at times because they're in it for the money.

Day 24: Whoever you sent home out of Lurik comes back, you can swap to them without hurting your chances with Noah if that makes it easier to steal the money. I still don't like to outright cheat or flirt with them though.

Again, just enjoy and take every single moment you get with Noah to flirt with him. He flirts back and is so very clearly into MC it hurts.

Day 28: Say no to being your partner's girlfriend (if you haven't flirted with them much up until here it's super awkward and feels forced). Noah won't have asked Hope to be his girlfriend either, so neither of you will technically cheat later, as they're pretty much just formally coupled up. Agree to chat with Noah on the roof terrace that night, and straight out admit you like him – don't go for the kiss... yet.

Day 29: Just get through the prom knowing that all Noah and MC, depending on how you project, can think about is the other. Hook up on the roof terrace that night, and accept that Noah won't just run back in and break up with Hope right away (it doesn't make much sense to do so, and Noah is not one to act rashly).

Day 30: Steal the money. Go talk with Noah and Hope first. Noah breaks up with Hope and you get that wonderful pool scene with him where he says "I love you".

Good luck, and let me know how it goes or if you have any questions! Now go get that sweet pixel librarian 📚

[falloutjay]

Wait we can request more than once? Okay then... I wish for Craig x Insecure! Reader (and also kind of x Tweek). So basically we get into a relationship with Craig, at first our personalitiy from very cheery and everything is peachy keen at first.

But then Craig starts ignoring us or shrugging us off, thats when we start being insecure and start thinking dark things like: what did I do wrong? Is there someone else? Am I that annoying?.

So trying to be progressive with her life, we take a job at Tweek coffee, (also sidenote everyone noticed our change in behavior and were worried, but didn't know how to ask how). So Tweek becomes the brave soul to ask us what's wrong. And we spill our problems out to him, Tweek doesn't know what to do but gives us a shoulder to cry on , few weeks roll by, and we find we have alot in common with him, so we start hanging out with him, almost completely forgetting about Craig. (It's up to you if you want Tweek to gain feelings for us)

By this time, Craig has started to notice and gets in the same position as we were (although more jealous than insecure), it isn't until a girl makes a comment about how she'd leave Craig too if he treated her like that, does Craig connect the dots and apologizes, they compromise their relationship and try to be a better couple and be peachy again (or you could do another ending where Tweek goes 'Treat you better' and fights for us).

I'm so so so sorry that I took so long! I just really wanted to take my time on this and really get into it, since I love the request! <3

I'm also sorry that Tweeks route is shorter but hey, at least we can choose which of the two deserves our love. :)

Thank you for being so patient and requesting! <3

_____________________________________

Craig Tucker x Insecure!Reader X Tweek Tweak

The sun on your skin felt wonderful. There is nothing better to do, than to hang out outside on a sunny, warm, and beautiful day in South Park.

To your luck your relatively new boyfriend Craig asked if you wanted to hang out with his friends and him when they would go to Starks Pond. Naturally, you said yes, getting finally a chance to also hang out with his friends.

While the guys were busy playing catch with a ball, you and Bebe, Clyde's on/off Girlfriend sat on the picnic blanket that she bought along.

It was also the first time you hung out with her and honestly, you were happy to basically get to know all these different people.

Bebe was a ray of absolute sunshine, and her boyfriend was the funniest dork you had ever seen.

Token was a more serious guy but oh so nice to you as well. Tweek and Jimmy were nice too and the quieter ones of the bunch.

"So... You and Craig huh?" Bebe asked you and you finally preyed your eyes from the black-haired boy away.

"Yeah. I was surprised when he asked me out." You laughed and Bebe did so too.

"How come?"

"I don't know. Kinda thought maybe I was out of his league. I'm not the most popular person around school and most people don't know me. Unlike you guys. You and Stans Friends are basically famous."

"That's only because of all the weird shit that sometimes happens around here." You nodded.

“So, how is he?” Bebe continued her questioning and you thought about it for a second before answering.

“Honestly, he’s a real sweetheart. Totally not like you would imagine him to be when you don’t know him too well.”

“That sounds so cute.” Bebe said dreamingly.

Your conversation was disrupted by a ball flying towards you. It landed just a few feet away from the blanket you and Bebe were seated on and Craig came sprinting.

He smiled when he picked up the ball and came closer to you.

“Sorry for that. I think Token was distracted by your beauty.” Bebe giggled in the background and you had the widest smile possible on your face.

“No problem. But I think you need to tell Token I’m taken then. By the prettiest boy around the school.” Now Bebe rolled her eyes.

“Ahh, to be in love like that again.” Now Craig couldn’t contain his laughter. He looked over to where Clyde was standing and obviously waiting for him to bring their ball back.

“Go back. They are waiting for you.” You said, pointing over to the boys. Craig nodded, but quickly pressed a kiss onto your lips, before sprinting right back to his friends.

 It was a beautiful day that was always on your mind. Now more than ever. Recently Craig had been rather cold to you and you really had no idea why.

He simply became less and less affectionate, when you would do something together, he barely talked, and he generally seemed changed.

He was angrier, cold, and seemed distant. It hurt you a lot, but talking to him about it was impossible, since he would just not admit that something changed.

It started getting to you. It poisoned your heart and mind that he was behaving in such a way towards you.

Maybe…Maybe he was seeing someone else... But no. Craig wouldn’t do that…Would he? Maybe he just realized you're annoying but didn’t want to break up.

“H-Hey Y/N!” Jimmy called out to you.

You waited for him to walk up to you since you were getting books for the weekend out of your locker. When he was finally next to you, he seemed giddy.

“I was wo-wondering if yo-you’d like to help TimTim and m-m-me with a project?” He asked, a pleasant smile on his face while he waited for your answer.

That smile turned into a frown when you shook your head.

“Sorry, I think I will just stay at home this weekend. I'm not feeling too well…” You lied, hoping Jimmy would not see through your fake smile.

Of course, he saw right through it, but he didn’t know what to do. None of your friends did. They all noticed how different you had become, how you smiled less and less and seemed more in thought.

They weren’t sure what to actually do, or how to help, so they just hope that you would maybe come to them and talk about it.

“Oh o-okay. No problem.” Jimmy said, and you could clearly hear that he was hurt, but he already continued walking.

You starred after him, wishing you weren’t so complicated. You felt like you kept only hurting everyone around you. With a deep sigh, you closed your locker and shouldered your backpack.

“Maybe…Maybe I need to change something…” you mumbled while walking towards the school’s entrance.

Craig had football training anyway, so it’s not like anyone was waiting for you, or that you had any desire to talk to anyone.

Someone hesitantly, you pulled out your phone and went onto Craig's contact.

“Hey, you got time this weekend? <3”

The least you could keep doing is trying you told yourself, even if you felt more and more like an idiot. A few minutes later you got an answer from him.

“Sorry, no time. Maybe next weekend.”

You wondered how many times he had said that by now. It felt like a million times.

Were you really that horrible that he couldn’t stand you anymore?

That it was too much to give you a merciful breakup instead of keep dragging this to the inevitable? And yet you also refused to break up with him.

There still was this small hope that maybe he would come around, see he was being a dick, and change his ways.

You loved him a lot.

And whenever you thought about breaking up, your heart ached. It was a horrible situation for you. And you wished you could escape it.

 “Okay, Y/N. I think that’s all you need to know. If you have any more questions, you can ask our son, Tweek when he will arrive. He got a doctor’s appointment today, otherwise, he will be here before you. He’s weird but nice.”

“Eh…Mister Tweak, I know him, we got to the same school and sometimes meet up.” You said, raising an eyebrow.

Mister Tweak, your new employer, simply smiled. You sometimes weren’t sure if he actually listened.

He was an odd fella, but you were just happy to have a little side job, that gave you okay money and had good hours.

You were looking around the shop in your new Tweeks Bros. apron when the door flung open. Tweek stepped into the shop, rambling about god knows what, and took his backpack off.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he laid eyes on you.

“Y-y-you applied here?” He questioned, seeming genuinely surprised.

You and Tweek didn’t hang out that much. He and Jimmy were little busy bees and therefore weren’t at every hangout, unlike Token, Clyde, and Craig.

“Yeah, I thought I…Might need some change or something like that.”

Richard Tweak clapped his hands and proclaimed: “Good, you two seem to get along. Then I will go home. Have a great first day, Y/N!” Tweek and you watched his father leave.

“So…What happened to the well-known fact that your father is a cheapskate and hires no one to save money?” You asked.

“My mother u-urged him to hire someone so that he can be home more. No idea how she convinced him.” Tweek smiled awkwardly, as so did you.

You never noticed before how little you had talked to the twitchy blonde.

Tweek walked behind the counter where you were and also took his apron.

“My dad already explained the basics?” He questioned to which you nodded. “Good, because honestly, I-I suck at explaining things.”

You loved Tweeks smile, and it involuntarily made you smile too.

“Well, I hope this job will get my mind off things.” You mentioned absentmindedly and the blonde cocked his head to the side.

He would love to ask what going on, but he felt awkward. Like it wasn’t his place to ask. And yet in a short-lived moment of bravery, he asked: “Yo-You’re... alright?” His anxiety shortly piped up, making him scared that maybe you didn't appreciate being asked if you're okay and that he already messed up with you.

You let out a deep sigh, the fake smile appearing once more.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

“I feel like you’re lying about it.” Tweek wanted to slap his hands over his mouth, felt incredibly surprised that it just came out of his mouth and he immediately mumbled a quick sorry.

“It is fine. It’s just… I don’t know if I can tell you. You’re friends with Craig and shit.”

“D-don’t worry about that, honestly. I wouldn’t dare to tell anyone anything that yo-you tell me in private.” Tweek said, stepping closer to you. He pressed his index finger onto his lips, smiling at you.

“Well…Since you're the first guy to ever ask me...I just feel like Craig doesn’t like me anymore. Just…Whenever I ask him if we want to hang out, he tells me off, he doesn’t kiss me or anything, I just… Maybe he has someone else on his mind already.”

Tweek felt overwhelmed by your sudden confession, not having thought you would actually tell him.

“If you want to hear my honest opinion as someone who is close friends with him, there is no one. Craig is not that kind of guy. Maybe there’s a lot going on with him right now and he just can’t tell you. M-maybe give him some space and he'll come around. I know we not really all that close or anything, but if you ever need anyone to talk to, I-I’m here.”

You smiled, feeling actually better, even if you never would have thought talking about it would help.

“Maybe you’re right. And I now have a job, so some time apart might be the right thing.” You shrugged.

You heard the bell above the entrance door ring, signaling a customer arrived.

“Well, let’s see how you do on your first day.” Tweek smiled and gave you a little notepad to go and take the customer’s order.

 Weeks had flown by and you had a wonderful time at Tweeks Bros.

Tweek’s parents were incredibly sweet to you, sometimes making you coffee or giving you a cake or cookie free of charge.

Tweek himself had become a really good friend to you. Outside of work, you now hung out at school, sitting together at lunch, or sometimes even hung out on the weekend.

When Craig and you would meet up on rare occasions you texted with him. Tweek was a wonderful person to talk to.

There even was an incident when Craig asked you to hang out and you declined, stating that you had already promised to Tweek that you two would bake cupcakes that day.

“Wait, so you love Fav/Flavor cupcakes too?” Tweek asked feeling giddy, as you two were out shopping.

“Yes. I never found someone who loves them as much as I do!” You happily proclaimed, feeling amazed at how much you and the blonde had in common.

While nearing the checkout area, Craig spotted you two.

He was out shopping with his family. Somewhat angry, he stomped over.

“So you’re busy today, Y/N?” He said sarcastically and let his eyes wander over you two.

“Yeah, like I said. Me and Tweek are baking today.” He nodded, looking obviously not pleased.

Tweek shifted around uncomfortably, hoping this ordeal would end.

“Well, we gotta get going, those cupcakes aren’t making themselves. I'll bring you one on Monday if you’d like.” You smiled.

Craig only stared coldly at Tweek, who wished the earth would just swallow him whole.

“Okay. Have fun then.” Craig mumbled and walked away fuming.

“C-c-come on, Y/N, let’s get going.” Tweek said, tugging you along to the checkout.

“Bullshit. I’m sure Tweek is hitting on them!” Craig fumed, walking up and down in Tokens living room.

Token, Clyde, and Bebe were all there to see Craig's emotional outburst.

Bebe was leaning on Clyde, reading a magazine while Token and Clyde tried their very best to keep their fuming friend calm.

“Tweek? Tweek Tweak? The shyest, weirdest kid in our goddamn school? Are you on fucking drugs?” Token exclaimed, not believing the bullshit Craig kept on spewing.

“Token is right, Tweek is not that kind of guy. He’s our friend and he’s a pure soul. You’re seeing danger where there is none.” Clyde said and looked at Craig with a worrying expression.

Craig huffed and let himself fall onto the opposing couch to where the others were seated.

Bebe kept chewing her bubblegum.

“What ya mean seeing danger where there is none? There is?” Bebe mentioned now sarcastically and kept reading her magazine, obviously not understanding any of the guys here.

Craig made a questioning sound, hoping Bebe would elaborate. She didn’t seem interested in answering until Clyde asked her politely.

“Oh my god.” She exclaimed annoyed and sat up, closing her magazine.

“Craig, do you honestly think you have been a good boyfriend? Because, frankly, you haven’t been great at all. You always ditched Y/N, kept them at distance, you didn’t give two flying fucks about the relationship and now you’re mad they turned to someone how obviously cares more about them? I would have broken up a long time ago. Consider yourself lucky that they didn’t do so already when Tweek seems like a much better option than you are right now.”

Craig's heart stung, and Clyde looked at his girlfriend in shock.

“Honey, you can’t just say that!” Clyde whispered, but Craig stopped him.

“No, I guess she’s right. I was a dick I think. I need to apologize.” Bebe nodded and so did Token. The black boy looked over to the blonde woman, mouthing a “Thank you” to her, to which she smiled.

 Craig felt like an idiot. A big one. He was now standing here, flowers in his hand, looking through the glass windows of Tweek Bros..

He saw his girlfriend laughing together with his blonde friend and his heart hurt when he saw it.

He loved Y/N. He didn’t want to lose them.

So, with a little confidence, he stepped into the coffee shop and Tweek was the first to spot him, he smiled at him waving.

When he spotted the flowers in Craig's arm and his nervous expression, Tweek could easily guess why he was here. So, he excused himself from Y/N and went to that back of the shop.

Confused, you turned around and seeing your black-haired boyfriend standing there, looking all awkward made you smile involuntarily.

“H-Here. These are for you.” Craig mumbled, passing you the beautiful bouquet of different flowers over the counter. He extended his hand, asking for your, which you gladly gave him.

“Hey, I know I have been a dick recently and I wanted to apologize. I really didn’t see that I had hurt you and there was a lot going on for me, which is why I wanted to stay alone for a while. I now know that that’s stupid. So, I am asking, can you please forgive me?”

You felt dumbfounded. This was everything you wished for, ever since Craig started being so cold and here, he was, flowers and apology were already given and now it was up to you to decide if you two still had a future ahead of you.

You kept opening and closing your mouth, not really knowing what to say at all.

You wanted to get words out so desperately, but you simply could not…

  If you choose Craig:

 Finally taking a deep breath, you smiled and with teary eyes said: “You’re forgiven. Just…don’t ever do that again.”

“Never ever again.” Craig agreed and you quickly walked around the counter to hug him.

While he held you close, he whispered to you.

“I’m sorry that I have been so cold. My grandma died recently, and it affected me more than I thought it would…I just wanted to be alone.”

“It’s okay.” You whispered back, just feeling happy that your beloved boyfriend came around.

“So, to make that lost time up to you…” Craig broke away from your hug and you smiled contently at each other.

“Wanna go out for dinner next weekend?”

“I’d love to, honey.” The bell of the shop rang once more, and some elderly men came in.

“Seems like I gotta go back to work.” You mumbled, watching the men get seated.

“Yeah. So, I’ll be on my way, don’t wanna keep you from work. You look cute in your apron though.” You giggled, biting your lower lip.

“I’ll text you when I’m off work.” He nodded, waved, and went outside.

You stared after him for a moment before you took the new customer's orders.

While preparing the coffee and cake Tweek came back and looked at you with a curious expression.

“He apologized and invited me for dinner next weekend.”

“S-sounds amazing. Does that mean… you will stop working here?” He asked and you immediately shook your head.

“Not at all. I love it here and I love working here with you.”

Tweek smiled widely, happy that his friend would stay with him in the shop.

“I really hope you got some nice clothes for that dinner.” Tweek said while he had a glance at your note block to help you prepare.

“I have something in mind. But maybe you’re interested in coming over and help me pick something fitting? And before that, we will try that new recipe for the raspberry cupcakes and banana bread?”

You asked, sincerely hoping Tweek was onboard.

“Yes, that sounds great.” You were somewhat thankful that Craig had been acting so weirdly.

It allowed you to really get to know the blonde coffee addict that you would now even consider your best friend.

“But n-next time he acts up, offer him some cupcakes with la-laxatives in it.”

The customers were looking over to the two laughing idiots behind the counter.

“Oh my god. Where did you get that idea?”

“Have I ever told you the story of W-WikiLeaks and how Cartman got thrown under a bus by t-teachers?”

“No?”

“You’re in for a treat, trust me.”

The following weekend was wonderful for you.

You had a great afternoon with Tweek, baking and trying on outfits, and your dinner with your boyfriend was amazing too.

You had never seen him so well-kempt and without his signature hat, so it came as a surprise when he stood outside of your door like that.

The dinner itself was a new fond memory of yours. You ordered food and talk for hours on end, catching up on what you two had been missing out on for so long...

  If you choose Tweek:

You didn’t know why your heart arched; you had known it for so long already but just hoped that you didn’t have to do this.

“I-I…” Craig stared at you.

“I am sorry… I just think we should break up…I think I caught feelings for someone else.” You decided to be completely honest and noticed the change in his expression immediately, even if he tried to play it cool.

“I could have guessed that. Tweek is not a bad guy at all… I just want you to know, I am really sorry for how I behaved and maybe we can remain friends?”

“We will see, Craig.” You awkwardly nodded at each other and he left the shop, obviously defeated.

Tweek poked his head out from the backdoor and questioned where your friend went.

“Home, I guess. We broke up.”

Tweek walked towards you and gave you a hug.

“I-I am so sorry to hear, b-but how come. I thought he wanted to apologize?” “I-I-…guess I just don’t feel the same anymore... My time here at the shop and everything made me realize that I can do better…And you proofed me that especially.”

You took his hand in yours, and he jittered and twitched insanely in this for him unusual situation.

You noticed the red blush on his cheeks, and you smiled warmly at him.

“You treated me so much better than he did recently.”

“Well…I-I-…I d-do like you.” Tweek managed to stutter, and you felt your face heat up.

“Hey…Maybe want to hang out next weekend and make dinner together? My parents are out of town.”

Tweek nodded, feeling happy when the bell above the door made you two instantly gain distance.

To Tweek this was new, a close friend of his hinting that they like him and everything.

That was simply too much for him.

The pressure he felt was immense and yet, he felt happy, giddy… In love.

He felt bad for Craig, his friend, and yet happy since you choose to spend time with him.

That slight red blush kept lingering on his cheeks, as he watched you work. With such ease, you managed to make his head spin.

“Just keep doing you. She liked you well enough until now!” He thought to himself to keep calm.

He just had to keep on doing what he did until now and everything would be fine. Basically, a date with the girl he liked the next weekend?

He will try to manage…