#which wasn’t much like I said I was mostly cast out lol

[ihavemanyhusbands]

Vidas Pasadas (Past Lives)

PART THREE: THE HERO ALWAYS GETS THE GIRL

Also on AO3

Part One // Part Two // Mini-Series Masterlist

Pairing: Cooper Howard/The Ghoul x Latina!Reader (Spanish speaking)

WC: 5.9k words

Chapter Summary: It was always meant to end up this way, wasn't it? Some things never changed.

Warnings: Minors DNI this fic is 18+, canon typical violence, reader kidnapped by raiders, the ghoul being the ghoul, cursing, some injuries (very mild whump), mentions of death/loss, heavyyyy angst (happy ending tho!), only a little Spanish dialogue, love confession, smut, unprotected p in v, oral (fem receiving), irradiated creampie (with RadAway after lol), aaaaand that's all I can think of but please lmk if I missed anything!

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In the Past….

You had been restless all day, unable to explain why. Something just didn’t feel right, and not knowing what it was made you feel even worse.

Your house had felt large and empty as you paced around it, smoking. All those long hours, you were acutely aware of the clock’s ticking — Time relentlessly marching on, waiting for no one.

 Once you’d actually gone to bed, you’d tossed and turned long into the night. The moon shone faintly through a gap between the curtains, barely illuminating your bedroom. You could not face the yawning void of solitude you found at that hour, so you got up. 

Things had gotten much trickier in a short amount of time. There had been many more bomb drills, more fear and paranoia, and substantially fewer job opportunities.

Cooper was no longer acting. He simply wouldn’t get cast anymore, so he had to look in other directions. The loss was tremendous, for yourself and the industry. Moviemaking didn’t quite feel the same anymore, its luster having faded.

You saw him much less, but you still tried to keep in touch. You’d even helped him care for Janey a few times when he had to take an odd gig that would run late. Slowly, he was becoming a shell of the man he formerly was, and you felt helpless to stop it.

But that night, you couldn’t hold yourself back, leaving your house in just a coat and your night dress, like a ghostly apparition. The drive there was nebulous, like you were moving on autopilot. You drifted up the steps and pressed the buzzer to his apartment a few times.

When he came down to see who was at the door, he looked a little worse for wear, like he’d been having a hard time sleeping, too. He ushered you inside, not wanting you to be out in the cold.

“What happened?” Cooper said, worriedly searching you for any sign of injury. “It’s the middle of the night, why didn’t you telephone?”

“I’m so sorry, Coop,” you said, as if waking up from a trance. “Did I wake you up?”

He shook his head, leading you to the old, rickety elevator and pressing the button to his floor. 

“No, I was up. Lucky you didn’t wake Janey, though. She’s with me this weekend.”

You covered your face with your hands, ashamed. “Oh God, I’m a mess, aren’t I?”

He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, worrying even more at your clear distress. He guided you to his unit, which was smaller than you’d imagined. It’d been a while since Cooper and Barb’s sudden divorce, but he barely seemed to be settling in. The walls were mostly bare, and the sparse furniture seemed to have been included with the unit. There were only a few pictures, mostly of him and Janey, but a few of just his daughter. 

He had never really told you what happened, but the change had seemingly occurred overnight. He simply said he was done, that he couldn’t even look at her anymore. You were still pretty baffled about the whole thing, but it wasn’t your business to pry about. You simply supported him however you could.

Barb had not gone easy on him, having the best lawyers Vault-Tec could afford. He had Janey some weekends, but he didn’t get to see her nearly enough. It was a bad situation altogether, and you were sad for everyone involved.

“Cozy,” was all you could whisper after a moment of silence, to which he snorted derisively.

You went to sit on the couch, arms around yourself. The two of you kept your voices soft so as not to wake Janey, and you felt a pang in your chest knowing she was near. She was such a bright ray of sunshine, and you were glad that she and Cooper had each other despite everything.

And especially on a night like that one, when the world seemed to be holding its breath in anticipation of something.

“Drink?” He offered, already pouring himself a glass of scotch in the small kitchen.

You nodded, sniffling, trying to keep the tears that threatened to crawl up your throat at bay. He shuffled back over to you, a frown still on his face.

“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?” He encouraged, handing you the glass and sitting next to you on the couch. 

How could you possibly explain the feeling of grief you had, when you hadn’t really lost anyone? 

Not yet, at least.

“I don’t know, I just… I had to see you,” you said, taking a sip of your drink. “I didn’t even think about it, I just got in the car and drove.”

“Well, ain’t that sweet,” he chuckled, the sound a little awkward. “But it couldn’t wait until morning?”

“No, Coop, I can’t even explain it. If I tried, I’m sure you’d think I’m crazy.”

“Try me,” he said. “You know you can trust me.”

You set your glass down and scanned his features for a moment, committing them to memory. Then, without a word, you leaned in and brought your lips to his chastely.

 You had kissed dozens of times in the past, but for the first time, it was as yourselves. Love was the only thing you could give him then. Years worth of it had accumulated inside of you, with nowhere to go… until that moment. 

But your heart was breaking at the same time. Instinctively, you realized this would be your only opportunity to do so. Tears swam in your vision, but you turned your face away before he could see the one that escaped.

Cooper blinked, too stunned to react. You sniffled, pulling back, hands wringing anxiously. He shook his head, snapping out of it.

“Why are you crying?” He asked, hands cupping your face. “I ain’t that bad of a kisser, am I?”

You let out a sad little chuckle, which sounded more like a sob.

I love you, you wanted to say. I love you, I love you, te amo con todo mi corazón*. Please find a way to live, whatever happens.

(*I love you with all my heart)

“Please, take care of yourself,” you pleaded softly instead. “Give little Janey a kiss from me.”

And with that, you got up from the couch and left him like a thief in the night. He’d called for you, but you’d been faster, running down the stairs and heading back to your car. You simply couldn’t handle it anymore. The waiting, the fretting, feeling so fucking helpless…  Wouldn’t it be better just to get it all over with?

The rest of the night blurred into a gouache rendition of melancholy and self pity. In the morning, as soon as you were able, you phoned Bud Askins — the Vault-Tec executive who had organized your admission into Vault thirty one — to ask for an expedited entry.

And just as he picked up the phone, you looked out the window and saw the enormous, fiery mushroom cloud rising as if from the depths of hell itself.

——————————————

The Present….

“There she is,” one of the raiders pointed at the old TV screen, where one of your movies was playing. “No wonder she looked so goddamn familiar. Got ourselves a movie star, boys.”

“Gotta be a clone or somethin’, no way she’s lived this long,” another one said.

“What does it matter? Whoever buys her won’t be able to tell the difference. Fresh meat’s hard to come by, and this is the luxury kind,” the first one gruffed, looking back at you over his shoulder. “Isn’t that right, baby?”

You could only glare at him from your spot against the wall. You were gagged, your ankles and wrists bound by old rope. Two days had passed, in which the raiders hadn’t done much other than tie you up and haul you around. You’d gotten a few scraps of food, but not nearly enough to even be considered a snack. Thirst and hunger clung to your very bones, but you were lucky that your survival instincts had kept you going so far. 

You might not have been a fighter before, but now you were determined to keep yourself alive at all costs. It hadn’t taken long for you to realize that things were truly ruthless in the wasteland, and it all basically narrowed down to kill or be killed. 

You weren’t sure yet if you’d be able to go through with something like that, but you had no other choice but to try if it came down to it.

You were still holding out hope that the ghoul would come find you, but you were well aware that you couldn’t just rely on that possibility. You were running low on time, unsure of how long exactly the potential transaction would take to complete. Or if they would grow tired of searching for buyers and try to possess you themselves. 

You would not let it get to that, though. You were just trying to devise the least recklessly foolish escape plan possible.

The raiders had holed up in an old supermarket, which seemed to be their usual base. Most of the empty, broken shelves had been pushed against the walls to make space for whatever furniture they had managed to find. A few shelves surrounded the space like a makeshift barrier, shielding the rest of the building from view.

Rations, old clothes and other miscellaneous objects were scattered about carelessly, but you didn’t notice many weapons, which was potentially a good sign. More valuable loot was stashed in empty freezers, and you were frankly surprised they hadn’t tried to shove you in one, too.

The raiders went back to watching the movie, your own voice sounding strange and faraway to your ears. And then… you heard Cooper’s voice, that southern drawl bringing your attention to the screen. It was the scene of his Feo, Fuerte y Formal speech, when his enemy was at his feet.

Though the screen was riddled with static, you could still see the determined look on his face. Hearing his voice again gave you strength, but it also gave you pause. Why did it feel like it hadn’t been that long since you’d last heard it?

You thought back to the day you’d been abducted, still unsure if you had hallucinated the ghoul screaming your name. Even his voice had sounded different there, but not unfamiliar – more like a dream that had slowly devolved into a nightmare.

 There was a nagging feeling at the back of your head that wouldn’t let you rest until you had some answers, but it would all have to wait for a later time. 

For the next hour or so, you slowly moved your wrists back and forth in an attempt to loosen the ropes. You went still whenever any of them looked at you – like a deer in headlights, sweat trickling down your spine – but luckily, none of them seemed aware of your actions.

At some point, you had to fully stop as most of them prepared to go out scavenging, leaving only one man behind to guard you.

“Shouldn’t give you much trouble, but you know what to do if she does,” the leader had said, looking right at you with a shit-eating grin. 

But the raider left in charge hadn’t seemed too worried about you being a threat, falling asleep on one of the couches soon after they had left. When your wrists were rubbed raw and bloody by the rope, you soldiered through the pain until adrenaline kicked in, and you managed to loosen the knots enough to free one of your hands.

You swallowed down the nausea that crawled up your throat at the sight of your mangled skin. Keeping one eye on the sleeping raider, you began to attempt untying your ankles, but then you heard a crash at the front of the building. The raider woke up with a start and you had a millisecond to hide your hands behind your back once more. 

“What the fuck was that?” he muttered, looking around frenziedly.

You shrugged helplessly, your heart nearly leaping out of your chest. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he stood, grabbing a weapon. You whimpered, momentarily fearing he might use it to prod you further, but he stayed put.

“You better not try any stupid shit, alright?” He said, pointing it at you in warning. 

You nodded quickly and he crept around a shelf, disappearing from view. It was eerily silent after that, except for your blood thundering in your ears. You waited for him to return, unmoving, for what seemed like an eternity. 

There were a few more sounds somewhere out front, but you couldn’t quite discern what they were. Still, you didn’t really want to wait around and find out. Who knew if you’d get another opportunity like this?

But just as you decided to push your luck and reached for your ankles, you heard footsteps. And with those footsteps, there was the familiar, faint clinking of spurs that you had come to know.

The ghoul suddenly rounded the corner, holding the raider’s bloodied machete, which matched the blood spattering his clothes. Talk about a guardian angel, you thought, somehow finding humor to keep yourself from absolute hysteria – even as your eyes welled with overwhelmed tears. A muffled sound escaped your throat, but there was still tape covering your mouth, so all you could do was widen your eyes.

“There y’are,” he said with what seemed to be a relieved grin, but it was short-lived. “Oughta kill you myself for makin’ me go through all that trouble to find you…”

He crouched in front of you to free you from your binds, tossing the weapon aside. You gasped as he ripped the tape from your face, momentarily glaring at him for his lack of gentleness. But your own relief outweighed any frustration you felt, and without thinking you threw yourself at him, your arms wrapping around his neck. 

He froze, feeling the jackrabbit pace of your heart against his chest. The breathed-out thank you in his ear almost gave him goosebumps, but he kept himself composed. You yourself couldn’t believe that you were so elated to see him, having been terrified of him only a week prior.

But now it didn’t seem to matter, because even if he groused about having to do the work, he had still come to find you. 

“Alright, alright, that’s enough of that,” he said, shoving you back. “Get up, we gotta get outta here before the rest of ‘em come back.”

He hauled you onto your feet, steadying you when you almost stumbled into him. You glanced at the TV, where the movie had been paused on a close-up shot of Cooper.

You hesitated, suddenly transfixed by an emotion that was getting close to realization. The ghoul followed your line of sight and grimaced, averting his gaze. 

“You feel it too, don’t you?” You said, the words spilling before you’d even thought them through. “How ironically familiar it all is, in a fucked up way.”

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. When you looked over at him, something ill-concealed in his expression confirmed things without him having to say anything.

His eyes hadn’t changed… how did you not see it before?

You took a step closer and that seemed to snap him out of it.

“No idea what you’re goin on’ about,” he gruffed, turning away. “Now get movin’ or I’ll tie you to my belt and herd you like cattle. Andale!”

You pursed your lips at his stubbornness but trailed after him. You watched his back, hunting for more details to further reassure yourself you weren’t crazy — His posture, the way he walked, his strong shoulders squared proudly, as if in preparation for whatever came.

There was still so much to say, but first, you had to get as far away from this serpent’s nest as possible. 

On the way, he found an old tire iron, tested its heft, and then handed it to you. At least, it seemed less daunting than a knife or a machete, and arguably less bloody. The world might be a cruel place, but he would try to help minimize the blow as much as he could. In his own way, of course.

 He pushed out of the secret entrance at the side of the building, and you almost slammed into his back as he abruptly stopped. 

“Well, fancy seeing you here boys,” he said before you could even ask what was wrong, and a stone seemed to drop into your stomach. “Jus’ came to collect what’s rightfully mine. We’ll be on our way now.”

“Like hell you are,” came the barked reply.

You peered around him and saw only a handful of the raiders, the leader nowhere in sight. Somehow, that made you relax a little, the odds slightly more favorable. Not that you didn’t believe the ghoul could handle the whole group, but you just didn’t want to take your chances.

“Oh, yeah? And who’s gonna stop me? You?” The ghoul drew his revolver before anyone else could react, firing a shot directly at the raider’s head. “Whoops, I guess it ain’t gonna be him, after all.”

A stunned moment passed before the raiders were all launching themselves at him. You pressed back against the wall, watching how the ghoul moved with a swift, deadly grace. Two were down before they even knew what was happening. 

You moved from your spot to try to find some cover in case any stray bullets flew by you. Crouching by some rusted oil barrels, you kept your eyes on the action, listening to the ghoul laughing at a failed attack.

Then you noticed movement elsewhere. While he was facing off another three of them, a raider that had broken off from the rest was slowly inching closer behind the ghoul’s back.

Yelling out a warning would probably hinder more than help him, so you took a deep, fortifying breath and crept behind the raider. You tried to keep control of your breathing as you got closer, taking deliberate steps. You adjusted your grip on your weapon a few times, your palms sweating like never before.

But just as you closed the distance between you and raised the tire iron over your head, one of the other raiders yelled Watch out!

Still, you swung, striking him right across the temple with a sickening crack. He crumpled, knocked out cold, and everything moved quickly after that.

 In all the distraction, the ghoul dove forward and sank his knife into the nearest raider’s stomach. Then he turned them both around, using him as a shield before he shot the other two raiders.

Once they were all on the ground, he looked at you over his shoulder and grinned. 

“Well, well, look at you watchin’ my back for me,” he said, seemingly impressed. “Doesn’t make us quite even, but getting closer.”

You let out a breathy laugh, but your mouth suddenly filled with saliva, and you had to keep yourself from throwing up. All of the day’s events were starting to catch up to you, and adrenaline could only keep you on your feet for so long.

“Can we just uh… please?” You said, gesturing into the distance vaguely. “If I don’t eat something soon, I think I’m gonna pass out.”

He sighed, jerking his head to one side in a motion for you to follow. “Better hope there’s still rations in your pack, then, ‘cus I ain’t a free meal ticket.”

———————————————-

You slept for what felt like days, waking up disoriented to find the afternoon sun high in the sky. You rolled onto your back, wiping away the drool that had trickled out of the corner of your mouth. You were sure you looked just as terrible as you felt, but it was the least of your worries at that moment.

The abandoned parking structure you’d camped out at was cool and shaded, the wind blowing through it. It’d been dark by the time the two of you had found it, and you could only remember wolfing down some food before promptly passing out. 

Your wrists had been bandaged at some point, a small courtesy from the ghoul. Proof once again that he cared, despite his tough, biting exterior. The warmth you felt in your chest reminded you of what was still pending between you, and how it could wait no longer. 

You sat up and looked around, gathering your bearings. He wasn’t too far away, standing at the other end of the lot with his back to you. He was looking off into the distance, lost in thought. 

You watched him for a moment, wondering what was going through his mind. Wondering if maybe, just maybe, your thoughts were running parallel. 

Only one way to find out.

You got up, wincing at the deep ache in your muscles. You started to shamble over to him, but you only reached halfway before you were no longer brave enough to get any closer. 

“Cooper,” you called, voice tremulous. “… It is you, isn’t it?”

The ghoul turned around slowly, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. He was quiet for a moment, for once seemingly afraid to meet your gaze.

“Still stubborn as a mule, aren’t’cha?” he said, trying to mask the nostalgia in his voice with wry humor. 

You let out an amused huff. “Always drove the producers crazy.”

“Well, it wasn’t just them.”

Finally, he looked up at you, his gaze much softer than they’d been the past few days. At that moment – despite the ravages of time, radiation, and even misery – you could still see the Cooper you had always known. And while you were elated by the revelation, your heart also hurt to think he had undergone so much by himself, losing who he was in the process. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You asked, knowing it was likely a selfish question. “From the beginning?”

“I never… thought you would see me like this,” he said, swallowing hard. “After that night, when the bombs were dropped, I didn’t know what happened to you. I just assumed you were…”

“Dead,” you finished for him. “I thought the same about you.”

Silence hung heavily for a moment, and you weren’t sure if you should move or not. 

“What about your family?” You asked, bracing for the worst.

“Lost,” he said simply, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “I got Janey to one of the vault’s on time, but there was no space left for me.”

His pain was palpable, making your heart shatter anew. But how to take it away from him? It was impossible to just erase all that had happened, but you could at least help him shoulder the burden.

“Cooper…” you breathed, finally closing the remaining distance between you.

He shifted uncomfortably, angling his head away. You reached up to gently cup his face, making him look at you.

“A face not even a mother could love, ain’t it?” He murmured, braced for whatever reaction you’d have to him now. 

He expected disgust and rejection, but that was far from what you felt then – A yearning so deep you feared it would fully consume you. The world had fucking ended already, so why not confess how you felt? Nothing worse could happen if you did. 

“My feelings for you have remained intact for more than two hundred years, Cooper. You really think this is going to change my mind?”

He blinked in surprise, his eyes searching your face for any sign that you were lying. You merely smiled, open and earnest, letting him digest your words.

“That night, when you kissed me… My mind was all over the place. I didn’t know what to think, what to say, but you ran away before I could even try.” He chuckled weakly at the memory. “Somehow, I felt it was a long time comin’, but a part of me never thought it was possible.”

“I’m sorry it was all I could give you then,” you whispered, and he placed a hand over one of yours. “If only we had known…”

“Say the words for me, will you?” He rasped, face inching closer to yours. “I won’t believe it until you say it.”

You didn’t hesitate. “I love you, Cooper Howard. I loved you before, and I love you now, just as you are.” 

“You sure about that?” He said, but his resolve was crumbling.  “Not much room for love in places like this, especially with folks like me.”

“We’ll just have to make room for it then.”

He raised his hairless eyebrows, both pleased and amused at your conviction.“Just like that, hmm?” 

One of his arms snaked around your waist slowly, pressing you closer to him. Your eyes dropped to his mouth, desirous. The fire he saw in them ignited him as well — A long lost feeling that was returning to the surface with a vengeance.

“Bésame,” you sighed, mere seconds before his lips were melding against yours. 

You kissed with an almost frantic desperation, tightly clinging onto each other. It was the kind of kiss you had always dreamt of — devouring and insatiable, eager to fuse together.

His hands were curious but hesitant, roaming up to your ribcage and down to your hips, but no further. You grabbed one of his hands and placed it on your chest, not only as permission, but also so he could feel how your heart pounded for him. 

His own longing overflowed, clouding his senses. A part of him had still been unwilling to believe you could actually love — much less tolerate — what he had become. But when you moaned softly into his mouth, he knew he was a lost cause.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t very good with words that weren’t scripted. But fortunately for you, there were other ways he could demonstrate his devotion.

You arched into his touch as he palmed one of your breasts, a low sound in his throat. He moved to kiss your neck, lavishing your collarbone with his tongue. He wanted to kiss you all over, but he would need to get you bare first. 

You let him tug your blouse over your head, his gloves subsequently coming off. His hands were calloused as they returned to touch your skin. The tips of his fingers teased the waistband of your pants, and he smirked as you frowned up at him. 

“What? I wanna enjoy every moment of this,” he drawled, eyes dipping lower to watch your chest heave. “So many times I tried to imagine how I would do this. Sometimes I would unwrap you like a present… Others, well, let’s jus’ say I was like a coyote getting ahold of a chicken.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the morbid description, strangely not put off by it. “How romantic. I’m still trying to decide how I’ll take yours off.”

He shifted, something like panic flashing in his eyes for the briefest second. “Hold your horses, sweetheart. I ain’t done with you yet.”

You understood his hesitance immediately, deciding not to push it for the time being. You had years of patience under your belt, and his trust was something you did not mind earning again. He removed only his duster, draping it on the floor. 

He undid your belt and knelt in front of you as you wiggled your hips to help him take your pants off. There was a puff of warm breath against your navel a second before he planted a kiss on it. You shuddered as his teeth snagged the hem of your panties, pulling them down.

There was a noticeable wet spot on the fabric, which made him groan. His cock was straining against his pants already, but he wanted to focus on you first. 

“Come here, you,” he rasped, grasping your hips and bringing you down with him. 

As soon as you were on your back, his mouth was on you again. He’d wanted to feast his eyes first, to take you in in your full glory, but he found he couldn’t keep himself detached from you for too long. 

He kept his promise, slowly working his way around. You surrendered to his adoration with ease, every caress and every kiss awakening every part of you. At some point, you reached a level of sensitivity that had you whimpering at the slightest touch. The light sting of his teeth on your nipples sent electricity straight to your core. 

He lost himself in your smell and your warmth and your softness – a supplicant finally worshiping at his sacred temple. When his mouth finally sealed over your clit, your back arched off the floor, taut as a bow. 

“Cooper,” you gasped, delirious with lust. “Please, I-I need… Let me touch you, something, please!”

He shushed you gently, arms wrapping around your legs. “Just lie back and let me take care of you, darlin’.”

You wished you could say you lasted some time under his ministrations, but you came with embarrassing ease. That first orgasm hit you like an avalanche, sweeping throughout your whole body. You clapped a hand over your mouth as you cried out, not wanting to be too loud and potentially attract unwanted attention. 

He let out a faint chuckle, lapping up your release with gusto and nearly making you come a second time. He found he especially liked teasing your clit with quick little flicks of his tongue, your moans higher pitched. You tried squirming away from him, nearing overstimulation.

“You’re killing me, Coop!” You couldn’t help but giggle hysterically, pushing at his head. “Por favor!”

He pulled back, grinning roguishly as he licked his glistening lips. “What can I say? Seems I can’t get enough of you.”

“Then take me already,” you pleaded. “I can’t wait any longer.”

He needed no further convincing. He unhooked his arms from your legs and his body slid upwards until your faces were level. He was quick to undo his pants and push them down, bending down to kiss you as he took his cock in one hand, stroking it. 

You brought your knees up to his sides as you tasted yourself on his tongue. Slowly, he pushed inside of you, leaning his forehead against yours so he could see your reactions. Brows furrowed, mouth slack, cheeks flushed – you were the prettiest picture, in his eyes. 

“That’s it,” he exhaled as he buried himself to the hilt. “Takin’ me so good, like you were made just for me.”

“You’ve a-already made it clear th-that I’m yours,”  you said with a teasing little smile that you could barely hold as he started to move. 

He remembered his words to the raiders, letting out a breathy chuckle. “I did say somethin’ like that, didn’t I? Guess it must be true, then.”

His strokes were long and slow at first, letting you feel every inch as he stretched you. His eyes were fixed on your face, drinking in your features and reassuring himself that it was not a dream. He knew he wouldn’t last too long either, for all he teased you about it.

He started going faster, the snap of his hips harsher, as you begged for it. Pleasure was overtaking him, wiping his mind clear of everything that wasn’t the present moment. Your name left his lips like a prayer, his eyes heavy lidded and glazed over with ecstasy. 

“Fuck, sweetheart,” he moaned. “I-I love you. Fuck, I love you.”

You clung to him, afraid that if your heart went any faster, it might stop altogether. Soon enough, he felt you tightly squeezing around him, and he knew you were close once again. He was right there with you, driven by your pleasure, and then you pulled him in for a kiss. 

He felt you tremble under him as you came, the intensity not letting you make more than a small, choked sound. With a long, rough groan and a deep thrust, he spilled inside of you. Lost in a feverish oblivion, having forgotten when the last time he’d experienced it was… if at all. No drop was wasted, in the end.

During the comedown, you lay there panting, his added weight on top of you comforting. You looked at each other and laughed, elated at the whole thing. It felt like no time had passed at all, somehow. 

“Tryin’ to steal my soul already,” he said, a fondness in his voice that made your stomach flutter. “Hold on, I need to get some RadAway in ya.”

Breathing heavily, he slowly pulled out of you and got to his knees. He tucked himself away and reached for his pack. He pulled out a yellow IV bag, which you recognized from Bud’s few lessons about the wasteland. You hadn’t even thought about it until then, but you were immensely grateful he had been prepared. 

He hooked you onto it delicately and slumped back down beside you, lying sideways. You grinned, snuggling closer to him. His fingers traced lazy circles on your belly as he looked down at you, adoring. 

The real world slowly crept into the edges of your mind, anxiety at being separated from him suddenly spiking. Now that you had him, there was no way you would just let him go. 

“I don’t know what I should do now,” you confessed, voice low. “I know I want you, and I want to be with you, but what about New Vegas? Do you think they’d send someone to look for me?”

He thought about it for a moment. “Maybe. It’s very possible, you never know. You’re more valuable than you realize, and I ain’t just sayin’ that ‘cus I’m biased.”

You snorted, shoving him playfully, but he continued. “But… I think I should still take you there. My sort of lifestyle in the wasteland ain’t for you, darlin’. I almost lost you once already, very stupidly.”

“That was my fault, though,” you said, pained at the guilt in his voice for not being able to protect you.

“Everybody makes mistakes. You could make a hundred more, but one of ‘em might just cost you everythin’. I ain’t takin’ those chances.”

“Well, you’re certainly more forgiving now…” you muttered, rolling your eyes. “But then what? You’re not just gonna drop me off at twenty one for safe keeping, are you? I would kill you.”

He laughed. “Oh, I don’t doubt it. But it won’t come to that, we ain’t stayin’ in the vault.”

“Oh? We aren’t?” 

“There’s a few settlements out there that are safe and, uh, friendly to my kind.” He cleared his throat, not wanting to bring much attention to his current state of being. You took his hand, squeezing his fingers, and he returned the gesture.

One day, you would make sure he would never doubt his worth ever again. You admired his strength and perseverance, soldiering through an unforgiving environment, continuing to live. He was certainly different from the hero that he always played in the movies, but he was a hero nonetheless. In your eyes, at least.

“Well, well… That’s all it took to bring you to your knees, huh?” You teased, raising an eyebrow. “You really thinking of settling down?”

“Oh, I ain’t retirin’, sweetheart,” he said with a huff. “But if you’re askin’ if I’m thinking of going steady with you, well…”

The two of you shared a knowing look, smiling at that echo from the past. At that moment, you felt that things might just be okay after all. You had been through worse things, jumped through bigger hurdles, and yet you had still arrived there. Who was to say you couldn’t handle more?

“Kiss me then, and let’s seal the deal.”

------------

[star-going-supernova]

prompt: since you said you wanted to try writing for your siblings au again, i would love to see a oneshot with gregory, annie, and vanessa :) maybe gregory has a broken bone and theyre sitting at home with him and hes just stewing in anger of not being able to move off the couch?

(thank you for the wonderful au btw!! one of my favorites)

Tumblr generated prompt 43! Just some siblings AU silly stuff in this one. I’m not a doctor, so don’t pay too much attention to the injuries and whatnot, lol. You're welcome! I'm glad you like it!

Blame the Centipede 

Annie had to take a moment to muffle her chuckles into her hands before regaining her composure. Once she was sure she wouldn’t laugh in their faces, she picked up the snack-laden tray she’d prepared and left the kitchen. 

A pouting Gregory and a sulking Vanessa sat on the couch in the living room of their apartment. Gregory’s left ankle was in a blue cast, his crutches leaning against the arm of the couch beside him. Vanessa’s right arm was secured in a sling, and she had a dazed look about her from the painkillers. 

They’d left a spot open for her in the middle, and after setting down the tray, she fell back into the cushions, keeping firm control of her expression. 

But her poker face was far from perfect. Vanessa slumped down further before wincing and pushing herself back up. Gregory glared at his cast. “It’s not funny,” he mumbled. 

“I’m not laughing,” Annie immediately denied. The corners of her mouth twitched upward. 

If the accident had been serious or traumatizing, she really wouldn’t be. But it hadn’t been, quite the opposite, so it was only out of the kindness of her own heart that she wasn’t mercilessly teasing them. 

“Movie?” Vanessa grumbled. 

It was day three and their sixth movie. It was going to be a long few weeks with her roommates mostly immobile. Gregory had already developed a glint in his eye that spoke of his accumulating restless energy. He was going to cause trouble soon, Annie could feel it. 

She queued up the first Indiana Jones, one of the few movies they could all agree on, and passed each disgruntled sibling their snacks. Annie swallowed back her comments as Vanessa fumbled with her bowl of pretzels, reduced to one functional hand. Gregory tried to find a comfortable position while keeping his ankle elevated. 

Not that she’d ever say so, but she was glad they’d both gotten hurt. Simply because one of them being down for the count would have utterly tormented the other, and there surely would have been blood drawn. As it was, they were both partially responsible, and they were both suffering the consequences of their actions. 

For a while, the movie distracted all three of them. But Gregory began fidgeting before it was even over, which was highly concerning. There was only so much that an energetic kid like him could be engrossed in, and it was way too early in their recovery to break out Monopoly. 

Vanessa seemed to catch on soon after Annie. She silently mouthed a curse up at the ceiling, making Annie snort, before leaning forward to send her little brother the stink eye. “Don’t tell me you’re bored already.” 

“I’m so bored!” Gregory groaned. “Can we go outside? Or just me, you guys don’t have to.” 

“No,” Vanessa and Annie said together. 

“You’ll just get yourself into more trouble or something,” Vanessa added. “You’re not going anywhere without adult supervision.” 

Gregory groaned louder. “Literally, can we please do something that isn’t watching another movie? My brain’s gonna start leaking out of my ears soon.” 

“We could do a puzzle,” Annie suggested. She’d suggest video games, but they didn’t have any. None of them really had time or the inclination to camp out on the couch for hours on end, sucked into this or that game. 

Probably why this forced stillness was so difficult for both of them. 

Vanessa made a noise that said please not a puzzle but also I’m desperate. Fair, as Gregory would probably resort to war crimes soon if they couldn’t find something engaging for him. 

Annie glanced at Vanessa, saw the sling, and a sneaky giggle immediately escaped her control. Vanessa rolled her head along the couch cushion to level a grumpy glare at her. 

“It’s not my fault that it’s funny!” Annie finally broke. She snickered. “A seesaw, Ness! A seesaw! Gregory managed to break his ankle, and you managed to break your collarbone and dislocate your shoulder—on a seesaw! It doesn’t get much funnier than that!” 

It had been glorious. She and Vanessa had been lazily going up and down, with Gregory balancing right on the fulcrum. And then Vanessa had told him there was a centipede on his shoe, he’d half lost his balance, half threw himself into the air, and he’d pretty much landed on Annie. Most unfortunately, since her side of the seesaw had been more up than down. 

The extra weight had taken them straight to the ground, doing little more than brushing Annie’s behind. Gregory landed funny, breaking his ankle, and Vanessa, taken by surprise, was basically launched off her seat. Except she’d held on with one hand, yanking her shoulder out of socket as it took her full weight at an awkward angle, and then she’d smacked into the fulcrum when she did let go, fracturing her clavicle. 

Annie had quite uncharitably been laughing when she called for an ambulance. 

“We never should have stopped at that park,” Vanessa said to herself. 

“Ugh! I want to go to the park!” Gregory said. “That sounds like so much fun right now.” 

“After what happened,” Vanessa cried, “you want to go back?!”

“It wasn’t the park’s fault! You know I hate centipedes!” 

“You shouldn’t have thrown yourself at Annie!” 

“It wasn’t like I was aiming at her!” 

Annie sank down into the couch and opened a pack of Hostess cakes, letting their argument wash over her as the bad guy’s face melted on screen. Pretzels and chips began to sail over her head in each direction. Ahh, her weird sibling roommates. She wouldn’t want them any other way. 

[showtoonzfan]

so how do feel about the Niftty design but also know that all the main characters are done what's your overall thought on all changes that for me weren't needed plus the added red (normally i wouldn't mind all the red if it was different shades for each character but so far there all wearing charllie's red hue)

My mind has been on SO many other things recently, that I literally forgot about the nifty “redesign”, even though I said I would review it lol. So since the question is here, I’ll talk about it!

Once again her design didn’t change at all, mainly her clothes and a few color switches, but not anything major. I was disappointed of course to see that she looks nothing like a bug or has bug features like viv had stated, since they had the chance to add something that would give that vibe but once again the character doesn’t really look like or resemble what the creator had in mind for them. How hard would it have been to add an antenna? Or make her mouth look different? I know I sound like a broken record with this one as well but Nifty was another one of those characters who I didn’t think looked very…demonic either. She honestly just looks like a noseless child with sharp teeth (just like the rest of the cast) and one eye. If Viv was going for this 1950’s cyclops bug demon, this wasn’t really what I pictured, but that’s just me bitching about her design in general though. As for the changes, once again this picture proves how nobody on this team knows how to use colors. The background is mainly pink, red, and a hinge of yellow, and guess what? So is her design. Her brown scarf and arms are black now, which only makes the design look more boring and standard, since red and black are also colors that viv blends too much within the other characters. The brown before at least made her stand out a tad, but again, now it’s kinda basic. It seems like whenever Viv TRIED TO change the overused colors on these characters, she would always pick white or black. You DO realize there are other colors in this world than white, red, black, pink, and yellow right viv? The only thing I’m glad that they did was change the yellow skin, not just because of Nifty being Japanese, but mainly because I was so sick of seeing pink and yellow. Then again, her design does have some yellow in it still, it’s mainly the reddish pink I’m bothered by, and it doesn’t help that her whole dress is all that one color now, aside from the white apron. I also actually LIKED her orangish eye, because orange believe it or not, is a color I thought would look GOOD on Nifty, but now it’s just pink. I will say that if you compare the two designs, she definitely isn’t as brightly colored as she was before thank god, but she’s still red. At this point I 100% feel like the visual elements of Hazbin are going to look EXACTLY the way the pilot did, where the characters just MELT into the backgrounds because Viv….a person who went to ART school, decided that it was a good idea to make your background color palette’s the same color as your character’s color palettes. So yeah I’m not happy to see Nifty is mostly reddish pink now. AGAIN, this wouldn’t be a problem if Nifty was the only pink colored character in the show, but she’s not. You’ve got Alastor, Charlie, Husk, AND Vaggie now thanks to Viv’s ungodly obsession with the color red, and before people go “it’s to match the color of the hotel!”- yeah I’ll call bullshit lol, we all know why the characters have hues of red on them, and that’s because viv can’t pick a damn different color.

Oh, and of course there’s this other character who’s name is Keekee, and they’re apparently the hotel key, that has this cat form. This character did appear in one old speedraw that Viv did, so I always wondered who that was. However, I don’t really care for this…character, I don’t think they’ll add much to the show other than being cute kitty service for fans, so I’m kinda ehh on that. Other than that, that’s all I have to say for the Nifty redesign. Again, I really think she would have stood out if she were the only brightly colored pink character. It would make sense since she’s supposed to be cheerful (and a rip off of pinky pie), but like I said, she isn’t the only brightly colored red character. Her outfit is also boring, sure she looks like a maid I guess but not really something I would say gives me a 50’s vibe. I’ve seen more creative redesigns, that’s all I’ll say.

[k1ll3r-k4rg0]

To any troll who is currently in the imperial military: What was your job back when you were on planet?

that’s everyoneee hehe all of my trolls r fleet trolls. i’ll do my mains for now. these r kinda ooc.

Ryf: “The government assigned me barista at troll!starbucks because that’s just what lowbloods do lol. it was absolutely shit. If I’d been higher caste, they might’ve given me something cool like library but nooo.”

Warren: “i killed people n that was alright but it coulda’ been nice to have done some jobs or somethin’ to get some more shit n money n stuff but i wasn’t in the system until like the last year or so but coz there’s so many trolls in those archives n shit they done completely fuckin’ overlooked how i just popped up out of nowhere of conscription age like one year after my account was made n shit but it’s wahtever. jay said he’d get me a purple chip n i did that for a while but it weren’t under my name n shit n i wanted my own account so we got one of ryfraf’s friends to log me properly into the system n that did the trick jus’ nicely. previous purple had a job doin’ architectural plannin’ with a firm which i showed up to half the time but they didn’t really fuckin’ miss me n it was mostly just free money. coz it was like. i was expected to oversee the midbloods drawin’ up the drafts n shit. which i did. but i also had some guy workin’ with me n’ he knew i’d killed his partner n that scared the shit out of him so he didn’t say anythin’ to the firm we were workin’ for or anything. he was kinda’ hot. i fucked him sometimes. that also got him to shut up.”

Jay: “I was a police officer. : )”

Mars: “That was so many fucking sweeps ago. I’ve mostly been in the court doing court things. Lots of accounting. I miss accounting. Then after that, well... I suppose it wouldn’t be on planet anymore would it? Because I went directly to being an admiral. Conquered a lot of territory. They think I’m too much for that now, though. Whatever. I’ll get back to doing it eventually, that’s for sure.”

Cody: “I was in school. With Elliot and Derek. I did a few odd jobs here and there for anyone who wanted to hire me for shit. Did some fucking tutoring for idiots. Half the time they couldn’t understand what I was telling them but whatever. They fucking payed me. Midbloods and highbloods are so shit with math sometimes it’s unbelievable.”

Elliot: “We worked in a fucking pizza shop. It sucked. I wanted to kill everyone who came in through that fucking door.”

Derek: “I found the pizza shop alright! Elliot’s just easy to anger. However, I did do some tutoring as well. That was a real pain. Cody’s right. People are fucking stupid.”

Zyrehn: “I’m too rich for that shit. I’ve never had a job in my life.”

[re8medieval]

The Harem of House Dimitrescu

Chapter 1: The Noble

Warnings: Mentions of NSFW

Welp. This is my first Re8 fic with an OC so please go easy on me lol. I’m starting to build up the lore for my AU so any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks for reading!

The walls of Castle Dimitrescu stood ominously over her like the gates of Hades, and standing in front of the entrance was Cerberus in her gargantuan glory. The moonlight caught her armer in a way that cast a divine glow. Greta approached with her head held high. She wasn’t just some blushing noblewoman. She was a Heisenberg. Whatever fate was in store for her, she could handle it, for she was raised to be as strong as the horse on her family’s crest. The lady of the castle appraised her languidly and an amused smile played at her lips.

Greta was regarded courteously and led into the enormous estate. An array of servants, all female, bowed their heads at her. Greta involuntarily felt her chest swell. If there was any good to come out of this betrothal to her family’s ancient enemy, it was the fact that she was no longer just a nobody under Mother Miranda’s thumb. Here, she was somebody. Here, she had power. She didn’t care if she had to become the gigantic bitch’s personal blood bag for eternity. She was going to take what she was owed and restore her family’s honor.

A giggling sound could be heard all around her. Greta thought she was imagining it, but then, a swarm of flies emerged from the shadows, hovering right in front of Greta’s face. It took all of her willpower not to jump back. Three figures took form, all dressed in dark robes. Their faces were gleeful despite being covered in dried blood as they surrounded Greta, one of them tugging on and inspecting the layers of her formal dress. Another looked up at Dimitrescu while bouncing on her heels.

“Is this her, mother?” She chirped. Greta had heard many-a-rumor about the three daughters Dimitrescu and their violent tendencies, but she wasn’t expecting anything like this. Unlike the monstrous image she had in her head, their behavior was distinctly childlike.

“Yes dear,” said Dimitrescu, bending down to brush a stray red hair from her daughter’s face. “And since Greta will be joining our household, I expect that you give her the same respect you give me.” The girl smiled joyfully and clapped her hands together.

“Can she braid hair mother?” Another daughter spoke up excitedly, although more calm than her two sisters who seemed delighted at the idea.

“Perhaps another time. She must be tired from the long journey. How about you show her to her chambers?” The Lady suggested.

Greta couldn’t bring herself to comprehend anything that was said. It felt like she had been swept up into a whirlwind trying to keep track of the three daughters. One thing was for certain; she wasn’t at all prepared to be a stepparent.

The week leading up to the ceremony went by so quickly that Greta still couldn’t believe it when she was being helped into her wedding dress. When the maids put on the finishing touches, she turned and looked into the mirror. She could hardly recognize herself. The ceremony itself was a blur. It was mostly formalities anyway. It’s purpose was to reaffirm the public’s respect and admiration for their monarch and the four houses. At the reception, despite her nerves, Greta found comfort in the fact that Alcina was a natural at entertaining guests. That way, she could just sit back and leave the talking to her, now, spouse. Her younger cousin, Karl, was understandably seething at the far end of the table. It had to hurt seeing the only family he had left be forced to marry his sworn enemy. She made eye contact with him and his expression turned from pissed off, to solemn. He wasn’t the type to show much emotion other than anger, but Greta could read him like a book. The way his eyes bore into her, almost desperate, he seemed to be trying to assure himself that she would be ok. She gave him a subtle nod, affirming that she could take care of herself, which seemed to comfort him at least a little.

Greta watched herself be undressed by maids for the wedding night much like she had done that morning when they were putting her in all the bits and bobs for the ceremony. Tonight she was to perform her first duty as the Lady’s consort. The Heisenberg in her grimaced at being the one to ensure the future of House Dimitrescu. She tried not to show how nervous she really was, but one of the maids had obviously noticed the tension in her body.

“Don’t worry dear. Her Ladyship isn’t as savage as the rumors suggest,” she said. A part of Greta wanted to ask how the maid could know such a thing, but she kept her mouth shut. She was left in only her thin chemise when the maids scurried off, but not before offering varying words of congratulations and encouragement. Left alone, Greta sat on the bed and tried to calm her shaking hands. After what felt like an eternity, there was a knock on the door. Greta quickly stood up to greet her visitor.

“Come in,” She called out, trying to keep her voice as even a possible. The knob turned with a click and the old door that was twice Greta’s size whined in protest as it was pushed open. Her new wife, in a similar state of undress as herself, stepped inside. Greta tried not to let her eyes wander. Despite being in her undergarments, the Lady carried herself with the same grace and confidence as usual. They stood a few feet away from each other and for the first time since meeting the woman, Greta could sense hesitation. During their first meeting, Greta’s lace and silk stood out in stark contrast to the Lady’s steel, but now they were on an even playing field. Lady Dimitrescu abruptly moved to sit on the bed, slightly brushing against Greta as she passed. Greta felt herself shiver at the touch, then internally scolded herself for showing weakness. She had never been with someone this way, never had the time, but she knew well enough how things worked. Her heart was racing as she sat next to her Lady on the bed. Even while sitting, she still towered over her.

“I take it you know how the wedding night usually goes?” The Lady, spoke carefully, almost posing the statement as a question. Greta nodded, not trusting her own voice.

“Are you nervous, dear?” She asked. Greta felt something in her convulse at the term of endearment. Much worse, she detected a slight hint of sincerity. Greta tried to convince herself that it was just a ruse, made to lure in her prey.

“Mother Miranda wants the act done as soon as possible, but I prefer my lovers to be willing. If you do not wish for it to happen tonight, then I understand. We could keep it our little secret,” The Lady said. Her lips quirked with a hint of mischief at the notion of keeping something from the Monarch. Greta felt a wave of relief rush through her body, but she also felt a surge of determination. Without thinking, Greta reached out, grabbed the Lady’s large hand, and awkwardly placed it on her breast. At this, Dimitrescu’s stoney face visibly cracked until she burst into laughter without removing the hand. The grandiose facade crumbled before her very eyes, and Greta felt herself blush. She couldn’t help but feel as if she was seeing something very private. Without the pomp and false splendor, the head of House Dimitrescu looked more attractive, Greta thought.

“Ah, my apologies, but are you sure you know what you’re doing, dear?” The lady said after the laughter had subsided. There it was again: “dear”. And Greta found that she didn’t hate it as much as the first time.

But, not liking the questioning of her knowledge, Greta steeled herself and fixed the Lady with a hard look, one that she returned with an amused smirk. Wordlessly, she was taken into the Lady’s mighty yet graceful arms and lowered onto the pillows.

“Lady Dimitrescu-“

“Call me Alcina,” The Lady interrupted.

“Alcina,” The name felt strange on her tongue. “I haven’t done anything like this before.”

“No offense, Dear, but I could tell,” Alcina answered, amusedly. She stroked the side of Greta’s face with her knuckles so lightly that it tickled. “Do not worry your pretty little head. I’ll be gentle.”

[erieren]

𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 — 𝐈𝐕

pairing: goth!mikasa x loser!eren

content warnings: oral sex (f receiving), fingering, virginity loss, cumshot (lmk if i’m missing something)

word count: 6.5k

summary: it’s the night of senior prom, and things take an unexpected turn.

notes: let’s ignore the way it took me 8 months to finish this lol but the finale is finally here

previous chapter | series masterlist

just a couple days ago, eren somehow convinced armin to ask annie to go to prom with him. mikasa took it a step further by convincing them to go to dinner with her and eren before prom started, kind of as a double date. it was honestly a miracle how armin managed to get ahold of annie. with it being the end of their last year of high school, senioritis was hitting everyone hard; annie was no exception. her truancy got worse as the days passed, and her teachers even stopped guessing if she was going to show up to class at all.

mikasa met eren at his house earlier because carla insisted on having a mini photoshoot before they left. although mikasa was eager to cooperate, eren desperately just wanted to leave and get the night over with. it took a while since mikasa suggested doing about a hundred different poses, and they were late to meet up with armin and annie. luckily, they had secured a booth for all of them since it was a pretty busy evening already. 

dinner was as normal as it could be. mikasa was the one carrying the conversations, mostly because she was pretty much the only one looking forward to going to prom. what annoyed eren wasn’t her constant chatter though. it was the incessant crying of children throughout the restaurant and the loud clattering coming from the kitchen. he was already on edge from the amount of people, but this just made things worse.

mikasa notices that eren feels somewhat relieved when they finally leave, but his uneasiness returns once they arrive at the venue. bright lights strobe on the dance floor, and the blaring music could be heard from outside the building.

“hey,” mikasa whispers to eren as they get out of the car. “we’ll be alright. we don’t have to stay the whole time if you don’t want to.”

“no, it’s fine,” eren reassures her with a small smile. he extends his palm out to her, and she places her freshly manicured hand on it. there’s a line forming at the entrance of the building where a couple staff members check everyone in, so they patiently wait until they reach the front.

the venue itself is beautiful; it’s situated alongside a river, and the setting sun casts a vivid reflection in the moving water. a grand crystalline chandelier hanging from the ceiling above the foyer, with two sets of stairs leading to the second floor which is, undoubtedly, off limits for the event. the banquet hall has neatly arranged tables, as well as a table against the back wall that’s loaded with snacks and beverages. many people are already having the time of their lives on the dance floor.

“hey, um, annie and i are going to the photo booth,” armin says as they approach a table. “we’ll meet up with you guys again in a bit.”

eren and mikasa sit down and watch as more and more people enter the banquet hall. it seems like jean never found a date because he came strolling in with his two best friends, Connie and Sasha. Pretty much every table was full, and mikasa realized that when the trio started making their way over to her and eren.

“well if it isn’t eren,” jean said through a forced smile. “and my lovely mikasa. how are you, my dear?”

“i’m okay. thanks for asking,” she simply brushed him off, yet jean had literal hearts in his eyes. he took a seat next to mikasa, while eren stared him down. “it’s a full house tonight, you don’t mind if we sit with you, do you?”

eren was about to lash out and say something that he’d regret later on, so mikasa kicked his shin under the table. “yeah, don’t worry about it! just save those two spots for armin and annie.”

the two blondes returned shortly after, with cheesy grins plastered on their faces. they didn’t seem to mind jean and his friends being there.

“eren, let’s dance!” mikasa exclaimed over the music.

he leaned closer to her so that he wouldn’t have to yell. “i don’t know, i don’t really like to dance.”

“oh, come on! it’s prom , eren! you have to dance with me!” she pouts. there’s a look on jean’s face that reads if you won’t dance with her, then i will and eren is not willing to take any chances tonight. so he grabs the girl’s hand to help her stand, and he leads them to the dancefloor.

it’s basically a mosh pit with how close together everyone is; bodies clash as people jump around and move erratically. this is definitely not eren’s scene, but he’s eager to please his date tonight. bruno mars’s “treasure” starts playing, and mikasa excitedly laughs. she moves in time to the music, running her hands over her body while singing along.

“i know that you don’t know it, but you’re fine, so fine!” she points at eren in the midst of her dancing and even winks at him. he hears his heart hammer in his chest, going into overdrive at the simple gesture. as the chorus starts, she brings their hands together and starts haphazardly waving their arms around.

eren tries to keep up with her movements, but he’s just so unsure of himself. the way she moves so freely and without a care in the world is hypnotic, and he can’t help but just stare at her in awe. 

“that was so much fun!” mikasa all but shrieks when the song finishes. “but now i’m thirsty. let’s get some punch!”

she leads him away from the mass of dancing people and to the table of refreshments. there’s an assortment of chips and candies along with a large bowl of fruit punch which was inconveniently unattended. but without a second thought, mikasa pours some into a cup before taking eren back to their table, where armin compliments her dancing.

“mikasa, wait!” eren warns right before she takes a sip. her eyes widen and brows furrow as she halts her motions. “give that to me.”

“you could’ve gotten yourself a cup. we were just there,” she says but hands him the cup nonetheless. she watches as eren sniffs the juice before peering into the cup and finally taking a sip.

“i had to make sure it wasn’t spiked or anything. which, by the way, it’s not.”

even though it was the bare minimum, mikasa finds his actions to be so admirable. most people probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought. he takes the cup back from him and takes a swig.

the night goes on and more songs play; the lyrics are being screamed by the tireless crowd. mikasa ends up taking everyone at their table, with the exception for jean and connie, back to the dance floor, forming their own little group. she passes herself around amongst them, taking turns dancing with each one. 

and when it’s eren’s turn, the spotlight lands on her in the most majestic, heart-stopping way. the lip gloss she had on is smeared from when she drank the punch, but she’s still the most beautiful person in the room—no, in the whole universe. he sees her lips move, but he’s so lost in his own thoughts that he doesn’t realize that she’s actually trying to talk to him. but when he finally comes back to his senses, she’s already detached herself from him to dance with sasha. looking around, he sees that jean and connie have joined the popular clique with historia and company. now, he doesn’t have to worry so much about him being near mikasa. after what seems like hours, he feels the exhaustion catching up to him. 

“hey, armin!” eren shouts over the music.

“yeah?” the blond yells back.

“i’m going to the restroom, do you wanna come with?”

“no, i’m good. thanks though!”

eren slips away from the crowd and into the foyer to search for a restroom. some other people were out there mingling about, perhaps because it had gotten too hot in the banquet hall. he thinks it would be more convenient if there were signs pointing to the restrooms because he’s having so much trouble finding them, and he doesn’t really want to ask someone for directions. 

“alright, alright everyone,” principal zachary speaks into a microphone, back in the other room, getting everyone’s attention. “as the night comes to a close, it’s time to announce this year’s prom king and queen. remember that you are all winners, and thank you for celebrating with us tonight. now, may the prom court come up to the stage.”

a moment passes to allow the court to make their way to the front of the room. mikasa watches as jean, historia, reiner, and more people file onto the stage.

“the prom king for this school year is… jean kirstein!”

his friends let out boisterous chants and hoots as he takes a step forward. reiner gives him a firm pat on the back as the crown is placed on his head. he’s also given a sash before the queen’s crown and sash, along with a rose, is handed to him. looking at historia, he smiles because she knows that his plan is about to go down.

jean never gave up on his chase after mikasa, despite being curved countless times and even ignored. so he came up with a plan to make mikasa the prom queen—since he would obviously be prom king—and it was no easy task. she didn’t bother to run for the position so with the help of historia, they convinced basically the entire school to vote mikasa in as a write-in candidate. and luckily for them, word never got around about it, so mikasa would totally be clueless.

“and the moment you’ve all been waiting for: this year’s prom queen is—drumroll please—mikasa ackerman!”

mikasa gasps as the crowd erupts in cheers and claps and the spotlight hones in on her in the crowd. her face flushes from all the sudden attention, and suddenly she’s being pushed towards the makeshift stage. she turns around looking for eren, but he’s nowhere to be found. armin looks just as confused as she does, but he doesn’t do anything to try and help her.

she awkwardly gets on the stage and shuffles towards the center where jean stands. historia’s got a sickeningly sweet smile on her face, and in that moment she figures that she must have been behind this because there was no way that she didn’t win.

boing her head, she allows jean to crown her prom queen. he helps her put the sash on and he delicately hands the rose to her. the intro to coldplay’s “yellow” starts playing when she faces the crowd again.

“may i have this dance?” jean asks once everyone finished applauding.

she agrees, but she’s searching for a familiar pair of green eyes in the crowd. she starts to panic because he’s nowhere to be seen as she’s being guided to the dance floor. jean rests his hands on her waist, while mikasa wraps her arms around his neck, being cautious of how close they are.

“you look stunning tonight,” he whispers in her ear. more people have coupled up around them, slowly swaying to the music.

“thank you.”

eren returns to see that the lights have dimmed a bit more, and that all the couples have occupied the dance floor. looking at the table, he sees that only connie and sasha are sitting down. in the crowd, he spots annie laying her head against armin’s chest, as he pulls her impossibly closer to his body. and oh no…

the thing eren feared most tonight is actually happening. in another man’s arms is the woman he loves. he feels his heart crack and split into a million different pieces. her back is facing him, but he can see jean’s face clearly; there’s a devious glint in his eyes when they meet each other’s stares. it’s suddenly too hot in the room, and despite just coming back, eren rushes to the nearest exit he can find. he finds it hard to breathe like there’s water in his lungs, and the tears forming in his eyes blur his vision. he lost. he lost mikasa, he lost to jean.

“fuck,” eren’s voice cracks. he wants to scream, to let the world know how much pain he’s in. there’s a fountain nearby, and he sits on its edge. the falling water is enough to drown out his cries.

“where did i go wrong?” he looks up to the moon, hoping it’ll provide an answer.

———

“jean, i’m sorry. i can’t do this,” mikasa stammers.

“what? do what? at least let the song finish,” he argues, gripping her waist tighter. 

she tries pushing herself away. “no. no, no, no. i need to find him, jean.”

“who? eren? forget about him, mikasa. he’s just a loser after all. you deserve better than him,” he leans down to try and kiss her, but she’s already had enough.

“let go of me, you freak!” she exclaims, stomping her heel down onto his foot. he curses and pushes her away, causing a scene. the music continues playing, but the people around them are startled as they watch the scene unfold. mikasa storms away, pushing past people to get the hell out of there.

she calls eren’s name out as she enters the foyer, and continues to call out for him while looking for the restroom. after a couple more minutes, she finally finds it and nearly kicks the door down. a couple boys inside stare at her in shock, but none of them are eren. she debates checking the upstairs area, but she doesn’t want to risk getting caught. defeated, she lets the moon guide her outside.

the spring air feels sticky on her skin, and not only does the breeze cool her down, it carries along a soft sound. the sound of sniffles and broken sobs. it’s heart-wrenching enough to hear; she figures that whoever’s out here must be hurting a lot. wobbling down the gravel path, she continues towards the fountain.

“oh, eren…” mikasa nearly cries at the sight before her. on the other side of the fountain sat eren with his head in his hands and his blazer sloppily folded next to him. she crouches down to his level to try and get a good look at his face, but he turns the other way. 

“go away. don’t want you to see me like this,” he mumbles. 

“well if you’re not going to look at me, at least listen to me,” she takes a seat next to him.

“you know that i didn’t even run for prom queen. i don’t know how i won… and i couldn’t not dance with jean.”

“you could’ve just said no or walked away.”

“it’s not that easy.”

there’s an uncomfortable silence between the two, though it’s soon drowned out by the start of an upbeat song that starts to play from indoors. eren can’t bring himself to look up yet since the tears haven’t stopped falling from his eyes.

“let’s ditch this place,” mikasa says after a couple minutes pass. “we can leave and go to my place.”

eren lifts his head from his hands at looks at her like she’s crazy. “w-what about armin? and… i know how much prom means to–”

“it doesn’t mean anything compared to you, eren. this?” she removes the crown from her hair, “it’s worthless to me. i don’t deserve it.”

it slips from her fingertips, but eren is quick to catch it before it reaches the ground. she’s confused when he stands up to his full height and raises it above her head. 

“let’s go, my queen.”

———

luckily for mikasa, she has the house to herself for the weekend. her parents are out of town for a little getaway. it’s dark inside when the pair enter the home, but mikasa illuminates the space on her way to the kitchen. she tells eren to wait outside on the patio while she prepares some stuff; he doesn’t know what to expect from her, but he decides to turn on the patio lights that are strung up above the yard.

she returns with a small speaker in her hand and a smile on her face upon seeing the lights. after she spends a couple seconds scrolling through her phone, she sets it down and approaches eren with open arms. “falling for you” by the 1975 starts to play when he welcomes her embrace.

“i’m sorry we didn’t get to slow dance earlier. i hope this makes up for it,” mikasa whispers against his neck.

“i uh… i don’t really know how to slow dance,” eren admits with a blush, earning him a chuckle from the girl.

“okay, well it’s not hard. it’s just like any other kind of dancing; you gotta do it to the music. except there’s not a lot of movement here.”

eren watches to make sure he’s not stepping on mikasa’s feet. once he’s got the hang of it, he meets her eyes which are already staring at him. he can’t help but blush even more. she thinks he’s really cute when he’s flustered.

she switches up her movement after a while and does a little spin, but she gets tripped up in her heels causing her to lose balance. but eren is right there to catch her. with a steady hand on her back, she keeps him from falling down. in that moment, they’re trapped in time, staring into the universes of each others’ eyes. they’re in their own little world, just the two of them existing together. the beats of their hearts in unison grow louder in their ears, to the point where the music is almost inaudible. 

he helps her back up, pulling her into his chest but also nearly making their lips collide. too stunned to speak, mikasa rests her chin on his shoulder.

“your heart is beating really fast,” mikasa comments.

“yeah. i’m nervous.”

“why?”

“you make me nervous.”

pressing a hand to his chest, she puts a bit of space between their bodies. “why is that?”

eren hesitates. the dreaded question he’s been hoping to avoid finally comes up; but it’s now or never, he convinces himself.

“because i really like you, mikasa.”

he avoids her gaze while she starts to play with the collar of his shirt. he worries that he might have said the wrong thing, or perhaps it was not the right time. what if she doesn’t feel the same way? the thought scares him to death, and now he thinks it would be better if she doesn’t say anything.

“to tell you the truth,” she begins and oh god, this can't be good, “i really like you, too. but… i don’t want a relationship with you purely based on what we’ve been doing these past couple months.”

she only has herself to blame for that. after all, she is the one that became so set on being the one to ruin his innocence. they’re at the end of the road, and mikasa planned to just finish what she started, but now eren is making it hard for her. he feels his heart sink to his stomach once her words process in his mind. 

“n-not like that! i mean maybe, but not just that! i’ll work for it. i’ll show you that i’m good enough, i’ll show you that i can love you–”

the plumpness of her lips on his is quick to shut him up, but his eyes are wide open in shock. after it settles down, he leans into her touch and kisses her with as much fervor. the hand that was once planted on his chest snakes its way up his neck and cups his cheek, pulling him closer.

“i’ll be yours for tonight,” she murmurs between kisses.

and that’s all it takes for eren to sweep her off her feet and carry her inside bridal style, completely disregarding the speaker and the lights. after making sure the sliding door is locked, he carefully takes her upstairs and to her room. she kicks off her shoes before he lays her down on the bed. that may not be the answer he was hoping to receive, but it’s better than nothing at all.

he knows what is about to happen; the moment he has prepared for is finally here, yet he feels so nervous. it’s evident in the way his hands tremble so much that he struggles to undo his belt and take off his pants.

“relax, ren. i’m not going anywhere,” mikasa calls from her spot on the bed. her tone and words are comforting, and eren finally succeeds in taking his pants off. he debates just tearing his button-up shirt because of how impatient he is, but her voice lingers in his mind.

he climbs onto her bed as he undos the last few buttons before helping her shimmy out of her dress. underneath her dress is just some black, lacy underwear; there’s no bra to cover her cleavage, and eren can feel his cock growing harder in his boxers.

“can i…” he trails off, too hypnotized by how perfectly her breasts sit on her chest. they’re so round and soft, but he waits until he’s granted permission to touch them. once she gives him the green light, he goes straight to work, taking one in his mouth and caressing the other. she can feel the desperation practically dripping off of him like sweat on a hot summer day. it’s so raw, and his movements are so erratic, roaming his hands down her sides and reaching her thighs.

his lips leave a trail of kisses down her chest, to her ribs, and along her stomach, leaving a peck right above the hem of her panties. nearly ripping them off of her legs, he delves in between her thighs, greedily lapping at her cunt like a starved man. her manicured hand flies to his hair, grabbing at his roots perhaps a little too hard, but the brief pain doesn’t even faze him. “eren, slow down,” she pants, “we have all night.”

“i can’t,” he whines, the strain in his voice giving away just how needy he is. “i need you, mikasa.” the words spoken against her pussy send vibrations throughout her whole body, making her mind become clouded. her grip on his hair loosens only a little bit, and she bites her lip in an attempt to stifle her moans, but the feeling of his tongue on her clit is too much. “i need you,” he repeats.

the moment eren slips two of his fingers inside her pussy, she feels as if she could pass out at any second. he uses all his strength to pull away from her, and he catches himself chuckling a bit when she groans in frustration. “i almost lost you there. stay with me.”

“i’m right here,” she assures him with a tug on his arm, urging him to continue what he was doing. desperation oozes out of him, permeating throughout the air and intoxicating her. it’s such a raw, carnal desire; it leaves her wondering how one could be so desperate while also being so inexperienced. the curl of his fingers makes her delirious, and when he hits that spongy spot over and over, she’s done for. her stomach tightens at an alarming rate. maybe it’s the lewdness of it all, or perhaps it’s the fact that it’s with eren . the boy that she’s grown to love; the one that’s loved her for god knows how long. 

he tirelessly laps at her sloppy cunt, flicking his tongue across her lips and around her clit. copious amounts of spit dribble down her plush thighs, seeping into the linen sheets that also wrinkle under her grasp. he can feel the way her cunt squeezes down on his fingers, and how her incessant mewls signal that she’s already about to cum.

“fuck , i’m cumming.” her voice strains. eren doesn’t stop, not even when she clasps her thighs around his head, not when her juices stain the lower half of his face. he continues licking her up and cleaning the mess that she made. 

“eren, eren, that’s enough.”

“sorry,” he says sheepishly while wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and stuffing his fingers in his mouth. “i got carried away.”

“do you want me to suck you off?”

“no,” states, and she’s taken aback. “i’m sorry, mika. i can’t wait.” he basically shoves his boxers down his long legs, exposing his leaking cock. it slaps against his lower abdomen, leaving a splatter of his precum in its wake. 

“wait. let me get a condom.” mikasa pushes herself off of the bed and reaches over to her nightstand. she digs around for a bit until she feels the box of condoms that she bought the other day. eren doesn’t question it; if anything, he’s impressed that she’s the one that came prepared. 

“i don’t know how to–”

“i’ll do it for you.” she takes one of the foil wrappers out and tears it from the roll before carefully ripping it open. “for future reference, make sure you’re putting it on the right way. then, pinch the tip to leave some space. if you don’t, it might break. i don’t think you’d want that to happen.”

her hands glide down the length of his dick as she rolls the condom onto him. his heart goes into overdrive when she lays back down, spreading her legs and offering everything she has to give to him. she finds it cute how he just kind of unknowingly stares at her pussy with his dick in his hand. it’s as if he’s gone clueless as to what to do. but something in his brain snaps, and he inches closer to her body. he guides his dick to her folds, teasing her clit when he presses it flat on her, sizing her up.

“mikasa, there’s no way– how is that gonna fit?!” he asks in disbelief.

she can’t help but laugh. “it’ll fit, ren. just wait and see.”

“but look! not to boost my own ego or anything, but it’s gonna be impossible. even you said i’m big!”

“eren.” there’s a smile on her lips when he looks at her. “shut up and fuck me.”

“i uh–” he stammers, blush tinting his cheeks pink. “i don’t know how.” he’s still so innocent, even after everything they’ve done. what a shame that it’s about to change.

mikasa reaches between her legs and pushes his dick down until the tip rests against her hole. “it’s kind of like using your fingers, except this time it’s just your dick. you go in and out. maybe grind your hips when you go in; there’s not much else to it.”

“a-are you ready?”

“are you ready?”

he nods. “i’ll go slow at first.”

he isn’t sure if he said that more for her or for himself, but he doesn’t think too much of it when he begins to move his hips forward. waves of heat and pressure welcome him; it feels suffocating. he sharply exhales after bottoming out, only then realizing he was holding in a breath which is probably why he felt like he was going to pass out. 

no amount of foreplay could’ve helped mikasa prepare for the feeling of eren stretching her walls out. instantly, she notices that this is different—much different from her first time with jean. he hasn’t even started moving yet, giving her time to adjust to his size, but she already feels so full.

“you’re so fucking tight,” eren says through his teeth. “ god, it feels so good.”

“you can move now.”

he’s hesitant to move, fearing that he might be overwhelmed with the feeling to cum. but just as slowly as he entered, he pulls his hips back, strings of her slick connecting their bodies until they become thin like a spider’s silk. mikasa thinks he’s so cute the way his face scrunches up as he focuses on not cumming. she lets out a gasp when their hips meet again; throwing her head to the side, she sees eren’s arms start to wobble under his weight.

“do you want me to be on top?” she offers.

“no!” he cries. “i mean, i wanna be in control.” he takes it upon himself to start increasing the pace of his thrusts, letting the sound of his skin against hers echo off of the bedroom walls. her chest heaves as he finds a steady pace; with each thrust, her tits bounce.

eren wishes he could stop time and live in this moment forever. it’s just the two of them existing and making love under the moon. her moans turn into the melody of his new favorite song that he never takes off of repeat. 

“oh fuck, just like that.” she doesn’t tell him to go harder or to speed up, allowing him to do things at his pace while also letting him know that he’s doing something right. 

“you like that?” he asks with a pronounced thrust of his hips. 

“fuck yes.” her eyes roll back and her fingers get tangled with the sheets. a layer of sweat coats both of their bodies, but the heat just adds to the intimacy. she can’t get enough of the way his cock slides against her walls, hitting just the right places; when his thumb starts to circle around her clit again, it’s almost too much. her hands fly to eren’s back, digging into his skin, leaving red crescents on his raw canvas. 

it’s crazy how carried away eren gets. his starts to fuck her as if his hips have a mind of their own, increasing the force behind them to try and get as deep as he can inside of her. it becomes arrhythmic; his mind can’t keep up with the pace he set. he’s already addicted to hearing her moans, getting drunk on each and every sound that slips out of her mouth.

“your pussy feels so good around me,” he says. he’s in a trance, lost in the feeling of her fluttering walls every time he grinds his dick against her cervix. and every time he hits it, her nails drag lines up and down the expanse of his back. her inner thighs get wetter by the minute, and eren, surprisingly, shows no signs of stopping.

“eren,” she whines. “s-so big. i can feel you here.” one of her hands falls from his back to take the one he has on her clit, moving it up to her lower abdomen. he presses down on that spot and can barely make out the sensation of his dick sliding in and out.

“holy shit, i think i might cum,” he panics, slowing down his thrusts. his arms nearly fail him, but he falls onto forearms, caging mikasa’s head in between them. 

“take your time,” she giggles before lifting her head up to his neck. she nips and nibbles at his skin, running her tongue over the red spots that form. after about a minute, he regains his composure and continues to rut his hips against her. he brings their lips together, swallowing her moans. he blindly searches for her hands and intertwines his fingers with hers, pressing the backs of her hands against the sheets.

he knows he can’t last much longer, but he doesn’t want this to end. pulling away to get a breath of air, he admires mikasa’s fucked-out state. her eyelids droop, showing slivers of white whenever her eyes roll back, and her sweat only highlights the rosy blush on her cheeks. it’s a sight that he wants to see time after time; he could never get sick of it. 

eren abruptly stills his movements, much to her surprise. “did you…”

“n-no,” he stammers, the flush of his face growing a deeper shade of red. “i just wanna try something else.” his hands find the back of her thighs and lifts them up, pushing them against her chest. she gets the hint and latches her arms behind her knees, keeping her legs in place for him and putting her pussy on full display for him. 

“fuck ,” he mutters under his breath, feeling his mouth salivate. “so pretty.”

“eren,” she whines. “come on. i need you.’”

“okay, okay.” her slick makes it much easier for him to slide in and out of her velvety walls, and a wet squelching sound fills the room again. his pace is just a tad faster than before, but he’s mindful to not go too fast.

“god , you feel so good, eren. keep going.”

“i’m close.”

“me too. j-just don’t stop.”

she wants to reach up to his face and sweep the hair away from his eyes. she wants to see him fall apart when he finally spills his cum into the condom. and luckily for her, he takes a moment to move his hair out of the way, not stopping his hips in the process. his fingers dig into the flesh of her thighs for leverage before choosing to rub circles on her clit again. he’s conflicted and unsure of where to focus his eyes; he settles on getting hypnotized by the way his cock disappears between her folds.

“if you keep on squeezing me like that, i’m gonna cum,” eren pants. she seemingly ignores him, closing her eyes and throwing her head back in bliss.

“shit, i’m cumming, i’m cumming!” mikasa squeals. her pussy has a death grip on his dick, clamping down on it as she releases on him, soaking his pelvis and thighs. her body convulses against the bed; her arms, now too weak to hold her legs, fall next to her and she claws at the sheets.

he fucks her through her orgasm with his approaching rapidly. she has half a mind to push him away; the overstimulation becomes too much, especially after two orgasms. his pace begins to falter and before he can bury himself to the hilt, she cries out to him. “cum on me.”

“on you?!” it catches him off guard, and he’s not even sure if he can pull out in time. her pussy just feels so good, but the way she desperately nods her head is enough for him to do it.

after pulling out, he practically rips the condom off of his dick and starts stroking it. he can’t hold back any longer; thick ropes of his cum shoot out and cover her body. “f-fuck! i love you, i love you, i love you.” most of it lands on her stomach, but some of it reaches her tits as well. once he’s sure that he’s got every last drop, his body slumps and he falls next to her on the bed, face down in the pillows.

his body heaves with every breath he takes, and he has to force himself to stay conscious. mikasa, on the other hand, starts to get up while trying—and failing—to stop his cum from dripping onto her sheets.

“are you okay?” she asks once she catches her breath.

“i know i said this when you gave me head, but now i actually don’t think i’ve ever came that hard in my life,” he admits, voice muffled.

she laughs at him and nudges his shoulder. “come on, let’s get cleaned up.”

———

after a refreshing shower and a change of bedsheets, the two lay with each other in her bed. the sounds of passing cars and crickets fill the gaps of silence between them. with her head on eren’s chest, she listens to his soft breathing. his arm is loosely wrapped around her waist, keeping her close. his drooping eyelids beg for him to sleep, but he refuses to give in until he knows she’s asleep.

carefully reaching over her body, eren grabs his phone off of the night stand. unsurprisingly, there are a number of missed calls and texts from his mom and armin. he sends them both a quick text saying that he’s spending the night at mikasa’s place before tossing it to the side. 

eren takes a moment to appreciate how beautiful mikasa truly is. from the way her lips slightly part to the way her bare chest rises and falls, everything about her is just perfect. with a touch as light as a feather, he wipes away a stray eyelash on her cheek.

he can’t help but wonder what their friendship will be like after this. the words “i’ll be yours for tonight” keep replaying in his mind like an earworm. the need to prove himself to her is overwhelming; the thought of her being with anyone else upsets him. he thinks back to when she danced with jean earlier that night, and his chest tightens. 

“eren.”

he recalls when mikasa first admitted to losing her virginity to jean. at first, he was indifferent about it. but the more he dwelled on it, the angrier he became. no, angrier isn’t the right word. he was jealous , but he would never admit it.

“eren .” mikasa’s hushed voice cuts through the silence like a blade, more stern this time, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“wha- huh?”

“you’re squeezing me too much. i can’t breathe.”

he comes to the realization that he does in fact have a death grip on her hip; his blunt fingernails leave red crescents in their delicate skin. his face burns, and he immediately relieves her by letting go. his body overflows with embarrassment, so he turns the other way and covers himself with the duvet. the feeling of her arm draping over his body makes him stiffen since it was so unexpected.

“we just had sex, don’t get all shy on me now.”

“sorry.”

her fingers graze his body, tracing random shapes in order to soothe him. “do you actually love me, eren?” she already knows his answer; hell, he was saying it as he released his cum on her. but it could have been a heat-of-the-moment thing. she just needs confirmation but instead, she’s met with hesitance.

“i– uh…” he stammers, unable to form words, much less coherent thoughts. she anticipates his response with a raised brow, but he just sputters like a fish out of water. after taking a deep breath, he recollects his bearings and faces her. “yeah, i’m kinda in love with you.”

“well i kinda think we should go on a date this week.”

“really?” eren’s heart rate spikes in excitement. if he were a dog, his tail would be wagging and he’d be jumping around all over the place.

“yes, really.”

“where do you want to go? or what do you want to do? we can have a movie night—i know you’ve been wanting to rewatch Twilight—and then we can…” he continues rambling, spewing out countless date ideas, but all mikasa is focused on is the way he’s shamelessly excited to go on a date with her. 

she reminisces about everything that has happened that led to this specific moment; from that first night she dreamt about eren to teaching him how to eat pussy, it’s crazy to think that all she wanted was to watch him fall apart at her mercy. but that feeling grew to be something much more beautiful.

[yeetlegay]

Sorry if you've already answered this elsewhere, but do you think we're getting the "You never trust me!" scene in ep7? That's my most anticipated scene since the trailer, and I'm thinking that since they already gave us some fluff content in the side story ep, maybe they're gearing up for more angst in ep7? I just wonder since it seems like there is a lot they'll have to hash out before the pool scene in eps8 or 9, and this scene seems like peak angst/mistrust. But then again, Apo did say something about KP being in their honeymoon period right now? Just how long that will last is the question.

Ok I know I’ve been manifesting this scene loudly and often for ep 7 bc this Saturday is my bday, but I’m gonna be edgy and say I actually think we’re getting the pool scene this week.

HEAR ME OUT OKAY

Yes Apo said the pool scene was in ep 8 or 9 but the fact that he wasn’t sure which of those eps it was makes me wonder if maybe the guess was a little off. Or maybe they moved some scenes around and the pool scene ended up being in ep 7.

I think we might be getting a small time skip. Porsche will have to be at least mostly recovered to go do all that fighting in the preview, which means Kinn will too, so their injuries wouldn’t prevent them from getting frisky in a pool.

When the cast/directors talked about the pool scene, they basically said it was the scene where they affirm their feelings for each other after some kind of important confession scene/conversation. Given how they’re acting at the end of that side story, I can’t imagine that conversation happening too far in the future.

I would really love for their “second first time” not to be a response to some shit Vegas has pulled, which is what appears to be happening in the bathroom scene. They deserve a first time that’s just about them and their feelings rather than external pressures bringing them to a breaking point.

That line “You never trust me” is weighty with context that we don’t have yet. I don’t think they’ll have time to build up that lack of trust and jealousy effectively in the span of one episode. I could be wrong, I mean the pace has been kind of insane considering how much ground we cover in each ep, but I feel like that’s a BIG line and it’ll take more time to really make it stick the landing.

Kinn and Porsche’s body language in that scene gives me the impression that they’re already used to being physically close to each other. That doesn’t feel like two people who are still in the initial stage of their relationship. Idk the vibe just isn’t quite right.

Apo has called ep 7 their honeymoon period. He could just be being a cryptic little shit lol, but the pool scene feels very….honeymoony lol.

Idk anon I just have this feeling now that we’re getting the pool scene before the bathroom scene, and even though the bathroom scene is the one I’m most anticipating (for the drama! the angst! the tension!), I’m not gonna turn down the pool scene for my bday gift instead if it happens lol.

If tomorrow it turns out I’m 1000% wrong and a clown, you didn’t see this. 😶‍🌫️

[falcqns]

Hi, first of all i love your work 💕 and second, I wanted to request a Chris Evans angsty to fluff one shot? Where he is much older than the reader (she’s in her early 20s) and they have confessed their attraction for each other but are not sure how to proceed, nothing much happens during the confession. But the next day there’s an event or party where both attend separately, during it they stare at each other from across the room but suddenly Chris is crowded mostly by women much older than you and they flirt with him, and he sees you getting sad and insecure about your feelings and about his feelings too and obviously your age, so maybe you run off somewhere else and he decides to follow and then reassures you he likes you, then it’s all fluff? Maybe with a kiss at the end?🥺 thank uuuu!! I hope you’re having a nice day💓

Age Gap

pairing: chris evans x younger!reader

warnings: age gap, fluff, angst, insinuations to smut, hannah montana reference lmao

a/n: thank you for the request and i hope you enjoy! also i wrote this on my phone so i apologize for any mistakes lol

being 21 and having a crush on a 39 year old was tough.

finding out that that 39 year old felt the same was even tougher.

when you got the chance to audition with him for his new movie, Deep Silence, you jumped at it. just getting to be in a room with him blew your mind, but when your agent called you and told you you got a role, you were ecstatic.

you had originally auditioned for the role of Emma Garner, Chris’s characters daughter, but he decided you were perfect for the role of his characters wife, Francesca Garner instead.

you had no idea why. you were barely 21, and he was 19 years older than you. it would make so much more sense for you to play his daughter, but you accepted the role of his wife nonetheless.

at least now you won’t have to watch your crush kiss another girl, something that was all too familiar in high school.

when you two had your first love scene, you were terrified. how were you going to keep the fact that you were incredibly attracted to your co star a secret while acting out something that is so private?

you had a suspicion that he felt the same during filming, when he’d purposely ground his hard on into your centre and rasped into you ear “if you liked that”, but he ran away to his trailer before you could ask him about it.

you thought he was finally going to talk to you about it when he approached you a few days later, but he ended up just asking if you wanted to go to disneyland with him and Scott and his boyfriend, to which you accepted.

the day was fun, with the four of you taking lots of photos, going on lists of rides, eating lots of food (that ultimately made Scott throw up after one two many churros and and a ride on Seven Dwarves) and ended in you guys watching Happily Ever After. About halfway through, Chris pulled you into his arms, and pressed his lips to yours.

as soon as he kissed you, all the background noise faded away, and the two of you stood there like teenagers making out for the rest of the show.

when that happened, you thought for sure that he’d finally ask you out. you’d ask him out, but that seemed insanely intimidating, and you weren’t down for that at all. but, he didn’t make a move. other than kissing. he’d kiss you constantly, but it never progressed passed making out, and you were a little disappointed.

eventually, comic con came up, and you wouldn’t be attending with Chris, rather than the TV show you were a regular on. you had spotted him watching you in the crowd, thanks to your favourite actress who was also on the panel with you. you attended his as well, and even asked a question, as your movie hadn’t been announced yet, so people wouldn’t know you unless they watched your show.

then, the after party rolled around. you had messaged briefly, but hadn’t really spoken, something you were hoping to do tonight. you had reached your wits end, and just decided to man up and talk to him about where you two stood.

but, you couldn’t find him. you’d wandered around with your co stars and talked to a few directors and casting agents to get your name out there for future projects, but you couldn’t for the life of you locate Chris.

Until you got to the bar. you had just ordered your favourite drink, when you spotted him at the other end of the bar. but, he wasn’t alone. he was surrounded by five or six women who were definitely much older than you, and your heart sank.

it didn’t shatter, however, until you saw Chris flirting back. your eyes welled up with tears, and you tried to wipe them discreetly without Chris or anyone noticing, but of course that didn’t happen.

Chris was doing his best to ward off the ladies swarming him, so he could come and find you. he had been leading you on for too long, and he just needed to ask you out already, before another guy snatched you from his fingers.

suddenly, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and looked up, thinking it was Scott coming back with more food, but his heart dropped when he saw you. you were stood there, looking absolutely magnificent, but your eyes were full with tears, almost to the point of spilling over onto the cheeks he loved to kiss and hold in his hands so much.

he looked at the swarm of ladies that had formed around him, and swore, realizing what you were probably thinking.

he watched as you turned and stormed away, towards the door. he politely excused himself, and headed after you.

he followed you out the door he watched you disappear through, but his heart sank even lower when he realized you weren’t there. he was about to go back inside and ask your co stars for your room number, when he heard the tell tale signs of your sobs coming from a hidden alcove to his left.

he ran down the steps and over to the alcove, and his heart broke when he saw you. you were leaning against the wall, you head in your hands. loud sobs were escaping your mouth, and he knew for a fact you had an endless amount of tears running down your face, the saltiness of them probably already swelling your beautiful face up.

he wasted no time in coming over to you and wrapping you up tight in his arms. you tried to pull out of them, but he stood firm, and eventually you relaxed.

“i’m so sorry.” he whispered, and your sobs subsided. you shook your head and looked up at him.

“no. i’m sorry. i’m sorry that i was born in the wrong generation, because maybe then one of us would have the courage to ask the other out without fear of judgement. i’m sorry that i’m not as mature as those girls, or as talented. i’m sorry that i probably read into things like i always do and ruine-“ you began; but was cut off by Chris soft lips.

when he pulled away, he rested his forehead atop yours. “no. don’t. you’re perfect. so fuckin’ perfect it scares me sometimes. it absolutely terrifies the shit out of me how perfect you are because i don’t want to hurt you. you’re so young and innocent, and i love that about you. i don’t want to be the one to crush that innocence that i love so much by hurting you. but, i shouldn’t have let that hold me back. we’re both legal, so age is just a number. i should have told you that say i fuckin’ dry humped you on set.” he said, and you laughed at the last bit. “i love you so fuckin’ much, y/n, it honestly scares me. but being scared is good. it makes me human, and i’m not letting that hold me back from treating you the way you deserve to be treated. if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, i will spend the rest of our time together showing you just how much i love and appreciate you.” he said, and you looked up at him. “will you be my girlfriend?” he asked softly, and you nodded in happiness, your lips pressing to his.

Chris smiled into the slightly salty, but still loving kiss. he finally had you, and he wasn’t going to let you go. you were his whole world, and he was kicking himself for not realizing it sooner.

the two of you were currently walking hand in hand back to the venue, when you spoke up. “that was the sweetest speech. i’m not mad at you because of those girls. i realized shortly after that you wouldn’t do anything like that, but i thought maybe you’d realize that they were better than me, so that’s why i left.” you explained, and Chris tugged you in closer to his body.

“that makes me so happy, sweet girl. it was a mistake letting those girls do that and i should have stopped it sooner, but everybody makes mistakes.” he said.

you giggled before responding. “everybody has those days.” you said with the straightest face possible and Chris turned and stared at you for a second before realizing the reference.

“Hannah Montana? oh my god you’re so innocent,” he said, moaning the last few words into your ears, his hands gripping your waist to pull you against him.

you bit your lip and smiled. “i’m not completely innocent,” you said right back, and smiled in happiness when you felt him hardening against your stomach.

“mmm, really baby?” he moaned, and you nodded, before whispering in his ear.

“take me back to your hotel room and i’ll show you.”

[iclaimedtobethebetterbard]

tropes and teasing

Fandom: Sanders Sides Characters: Logan, Virgil Rating: Teen & up Relationships: Analogical Warnings: Language, mention of smut (in the context of a character writing fic, not actual smut. fic-ception i guess lol) Word count: 1624

Read on AO3!

My writing masterpost

Starlight Universe masterpost

analogical week 2022 start - previous - here - next - masterpost

Summary: Logan did not intend for anyone to ever find this secret out. Oops.

Notes: Day 4 of @analogicalweek 2022! This is for the prompt “AU.” Takes place early in the first year of analogical’s marriage. also i don’t know anything about star trek so i apologize for inaccuracies lol

-

“God, I used to read so much Star Trek fanfiction as a teen,” Virgil said reminiscently, tipping his head back against the couch and reaching for another handful of popcorn.

“Really?” Logan said from his seat beside his husband on the couch, curious. “I wouldn’t have imagined you’d have been particularly into the show.”

“Oh, I mean, it was never my top fandom, but it was always kind of there, you know?” Virgil shrugged. “My mom really liked it, so she introduced it to me. I guess it was kind of a comfort fandom when I got older. Nostalgic, or whatever.”

“Ah,” Logan said. “I see. I discovered it in middle school.” He tilted his head to the side. “Oh, I think it must have been a special interest for a few years there.” He’d never made the connection before; it had been close to a year since he’d found out he was autistic, and little things about his life kept clicking into place every so often in light of this information. Star Trek evidently being a case in point.

“That does not surprise me even a little bit,” Virgil informed him fondly. “Nerd.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “Shut up,” he said, smiling.

“Make me,” Virgil teased.

Logan picked up a handful of popcorn and shoved it into his husband’s mouth, which sent them both into giggles, Virgil covering his mouth with his hand to avoid spewing popcorn all over the living room.

“Okay, I guess I should have seen that coming,” Virgil commented after a moment, swallowing the popcorn at last.

“Probably,” Logan agreed. “I like that you describe the show as comforting. That’s how I feel about it now, too.” His interest hadn’t been as strong in a few years, but it was still there, just softened down to a warm glowing core deep inside him.

“Yeah. I’d always search up the Spirk tag on AO3 when I was feeling down.” Virgil rolled his eyes. “Which, y’know, teen angst me did kind of a lot.”

Logan frowned, putting a hand on his husband’s arm.

“I’m okay, L.” Virgil took the hand and raised it to his lips. “Don’t worry.”

“I don’t like it when you are unhappy,” Logan said, still frowning.

“I know, babe.” Virgil cast him a comforting look. “I’m plenty happy now, okay? This is a great way to spend the evening. I’m good.”

“Okay,” Logan acquiesced after a moment, doing his best to wipe the frown off his face. “What kinds of fanfiction did you like to read?”

“About Star Trek?” Virgil asked. When Logan confirmed with a nod, his husband went on, “Well, I said Spirk already. Mostly that. Or else platonic stuff.” He grabbed the remote and paused the TV. “Sometimes I’d branch out into Daforge, if I wanted to spice things up with the Next Generation stuff, or a couple other things depending on what I was feeling. I went for lots of whump and hurt, with or without comfort. It was, like, cathartic, or whatever. But there was this one author I liked who did, like, more long-form, plot-heavy stuff. Which is the kind of stuff I usually would avoid, but I got into their stuff anyway because I read a oneshot they did once that was fantastic—Spock had to kill Kirk for some reason, I fucking cried, I loved it—and it got me to take a chance on their other stuff, and it was really good. Like, published novel levels of good. They were one of my favorites, even though most of their stuff wasn’t the kind of fic I usually read.”

“Fascinating,” Logan commented. “You’ll have to show me.”

“First of all, the fact you assume I still have all my old cringey fanfic accounts? Ouch.” Virgil seemed amused. “But accurate. Second, the assumption that I still remember enough details years later to find that fic?” He paused. “I mean, okay, again probably accurate. But come on. Leave me some shred of dignity, L.”

“I was not mocking you,” Logan protested.

“Oh, I know, babe. But it’s still funny.” Virgil took another handful of popcorn and munched it, considering. “Actually, I bet you would like their stuff,” he said thoughtfully. “It seems exactly up your alley, now that I think about it. There was this one really awesome long-ass multichapter piece they had, it was a college AU but it also had, like, a murder mystery going on that Kirk and Spock teamed up to solve, and there was this whole rivals-to-begrudging-allies-to-friends-to-lovers thing. All of it was super well researched, too, I think the author actually said they’d based it off some old crime case they learned about.”

Logan blinked several times and worked very hard on controlling his facial expression. “…Really?”

He must not have done as good a job at acting natural as he’d hoped, because Virgil squinted at him. “Uh, yeah. You good?”

“Fine,” Logan said quickly. “Just—uh—fascinated by the premise. Do you remember anything else about it?”

“I dunno. The smut chapters were really hot,” Virgil said, shrugging.

Logan choked on air. “Ah,” he said faintly. “Yes. Those. I see.”

Virgil snickered. “And those were also, like, excruciatingly well-researched. The author always linked a bunch of sources in the notes for the chapters, and had a whole long rant one time about safe sex in real life. It was weirdly wholesome, actually.”

“That’s—that’s great,” Logan managed.

Virgil paused, eyeing him sharply. “Babe, you’re acting really weird,” he said, frowning. “What’s up?”

“I—” Logan hesitated, reluctant to answer. “What was the author’s username? Do you remember? By any chance?”

“Uhh.” Virgil frowned, concentrating. “It was some kind of pun, I know that. A dirty one.” He snickered. “And a reference. It was clever.”

“Oh,” Logan said, his voice cracking. “Well. That’s—I see.”

“Hang on.” Virgil looked at him sharply. “Do you, like, know the fic I’m talking about?” He looked delighted. “You read fic when you were a teen?”

“I—well, in a manner of speaking, yes,” Logan hedged, his face burning hot all the way to the tips of his ears. He avoided his husband’s eyes.

There was another pause. Then a gasp. “Logan, you’re not saying you wrote it, are you?”

Logan hid his face in his hands. “Maybe?”

Virgil made a wordless noise of gleeful delight. “Holy shit,” he breathed. “Uh—shit, what was it called—the fic was, uh—oh, I’ve got it.” He snapped his fingers. “It was called Journey to Scarlet. I think it was a reference to a couple different things.”

Logan groaned. “Oh god. Yes.” He hiked his legs up onto the couch so he could curl into a ball. “I have so many regrets right now.”

“That was you?” Virgil pressed, delighted.

“Yes,” Logan admitted, muffled, into his crossed arms.

“Holy shit, this is like a fake tumblr post come true,” Virgil said, laughing uncontrollably. “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I fucking married my favorite fanfic author. This is the best day of my life.”

“I’m going to look up my login and delete it all,” Logan said into his arms, only half meaning it.

“Noo!” Virgil protested, laying a hand on his arm. “No, babe, it was really good, I swear. I bet it still gets hits, even.” He tugged at Logan, guiding him to curl up in Virgil’s arms and lay his head on his husband’s shoulder. “I’m not making fun of you. Promise. I really do think this is awesome and hilarious and great.”

“I never told anyone about my account on that site,” Logan mumbled into his neck. “I’d always delete my search history after going on it.”

“Aww.” Virgil pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I promise whatever embarrassed you about it, I did way worse shit than you did and read things much more eye-bleachingly shameful than you did. I fucking guarantee it. And I linked my profile on all my regular social media.”

“You what?” Logan gasped, startled out of his embarrassment in spite of himself.

“Yeah. I did lots of deeply cringey things that I regret letting people witness, with everything in me,” Virgil said, snickering. “But, like, it’s kind of funny now, I guess.” He pressed a kiss to Logan’s forehead. “I’m not judging you, hon. Promise.”

Logan made a face, though he did not doubt the veracity of his husband’s words. “Okay,” he agreed, tipping his face forward to hide in Virgil’s neck once again.

“Shh. There, there.” Virgil patted his head. “Poor thing,” he teased gently. “You wrote very good stories with very hot smut, oh no, however will you recover?” He sounded intensely amused by this entire situation.

“I wasn’t planning on anyone finding out about them!” Logan said with a somewhat pitiful whimper.

“Okay, babe,” Virgil soothed. “I won’t tell Remus. Promise.”

“Oh, god.” Logan shuddered at the thought. “Thank you.”

He could still hear a note of amusement in his husband’s voice. “Of course, babe.” Virgil lifted Logan’s face and pressed another kiss to his forehead. “Want to watch some more actual Star Trek until you feel better?” He gestured towards the TV, still paused midway through the episode they’d been on.

“Can you still hold me?” Logan asked in a small voice.

Virgil grinned, petting his hair. “Definitely.”

Logan relaxed somewhat, rearranging himself so he could lean on his husband and rest his head over Virgil’s heart. Virgil’s arms came up to cup firmly around him, fingers running through his hair and scratching his scalp as the episode began playing once again.

Logan had to admit, beginning to feel warm and safe and sleepy, that this was not a particularly terrible outcome to this situation.

-

Taglist (ask to be added/removed!): @just-a-little-anxious @theimprobabledreamersworld @the-sympathetic-villain @your-local-crackhead-gremlin @peruviandesertfox

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

bullseye, m | jjk

pairing(s): jungkook x reader

summary: Are you the insufferable, cocky, absolutely-no-good-for-anyone female equivalent of a fuckboy? Maybe. Okay, yeah. But guess who decided to come along and interrupt your conquests? Jeon Jungkook. What now? Complain to your best friend Kim Taehyung all day or fucking do something about it?

warnings: rated M (18+) for language; alcohol consumption; Taehyung getting shitfaced lol; you're a cocky asshole and so is Jungkook, welp; schemes; smut (fem reader, making out / dry humping in public, cowgirl, m-masturbation, edging / orgasm denial, penetrative sex, so much kissing); non-idol!BTS; (secretly pining) fuckboy!Jungkook x bisexual, fuckgirl!reader; ft artist, best friend!Taehyung; mostly reader's POV with a short JK's POV

yes, it's purple-haired Butter JK

--

now playing – 마.피.아. in the morning by itzy

“Are you kidding me? Fucking Jeon Jungkook, again?”

“You need to calm down,” Kim Taehyung said, patting your shoulder and handing you a mojito.

“What I need is a fucking bow and arrow to shoot down this fucking pest!”

“I know you were the archery champion in high school, but that’s still a weird thing to think,” replied that baritone voice, pushing you into a chair so he could sit down as well, observing you violently chugging down the entire mojito in your rage. He seemed highly amused, looking a bit like a young French socialite in a black beret, loose tan dress shirt, and black slacks with black loafers. Gold accents because Kim Taehyung was that bitch. “Never ceases to impress me that you can do that.”

You pulled the glass from your lips, ice and mint clinking. “This is the third girl I’ve been dating that he’s just–” You flapped a hand in the general direction of the crowd at the bar, completely ignoring Taehyung’s comment about your record-breaking skills of draining cocktails. “–unashamedly making out with when clearly I’m right here.”

Taehyung rolled his eyes, far too crass for how drop-dead handsome he was, but it seemed that he didn’t care. “I doubt he knows you’re here or that you’re dating them. And to make it fair on him, you were casually dating them all at once, so technically, no one is at fault here,” he added.

You narrowed your eyes. “I wasn’t–”

Taehyung gave you this look.

The look of ‘shut-up-you-know-I’m-right’.

Being your best friend, he had a right to do that.

“Shouldn’t you be mad at the girl anyway? Being faithful and all that, which, by the way, you are not.”

“Dating is not the same as being in a relationship,” you argued.

“Mmm, so fucking them is not indicative enough that you should be less of a fuckboy.”

“I’m not a fuckboy,” you muttered. “I’m a woman.”

Taehyung raised an eyebrow. “The general term still stands because you’re a class-A asshole.”

You closed your eyes and sucked in a deep breath, trying not to bolt home and buy a bow and arrow online to shoot, not Jeon Jungkook, but Kim Taehyung, because he was testing your last nerve with the truth.

“Again, why are you not mad at them?” Taehyung reoriented the conversation with a sweep of his arm when you opened your eyes, prompting your gaze to shift and witness Jeon Jungkook with his tongue down a pretty girl’s throat. This cheeky bastard was even wearing a leather jacket and white shirt, just like you. The only difference was that you wore a leather miniskirt and he wore black jeans with rips in the thighs, but both of you were wearing heeled black moto-style boots.

“Because he’s the denominator in this equation,” you snapped, smacking your glass on the table.

“Please do not make math references. My brain is not made for that.”

“Fractions? Tae, seriously, are you defective or–”

“Maybe he’s doing it to piss you off.”

“Well, I am pissed off!”

The bar was very loud with music and noise. Your shout was still clearly heard. Neither you or Taehyung seemed to care that people turned to look at you two and shake their heads.

Taehyung shrugged. “Then he succeeded.”

You clicked your tongue. “Why, though? I didn’t do anything to him. He just started popping up stealing my girls. What if I switch back to chasing dick and he takes them too?”

Taehyung snorted. “I doubt it. You’re just continuing on this train because you’re stubborn.”

As usual, he saw right through you.

He raised an elegant hand and tapped his lips. “Maybe he likes you.”

You gave Taehyung the most disbelieving, fiery, indignant look that you had ever produced in your life.

“Or, he doesn’t,” he hastily corrected. “Let’s face it, sometimes I don’t even like you and I would murder for your dumb ass.”

You tapped the melting glass of icy mint onto the tabletop.

Menacingly.

“If you think about it,” Taehyung began tentatively, scooting his chair slightly away from you with your flaming eyes boring holes in the back of Jeon Jungkook’s head. His hair was dark violet now so you could spot him easily, pinning your (not yours, but you know, that was your prey at one point) girl against the back wall of the bar. “He always goes after your target. He wants you to notice something.”

You watched a YouTube video once about making your own bow and arrow. It didn’t seem that difficult, all things considered. Sharpening a long stick with a knife and–

“Stop thinking about murder.”

You jerked your head back to Taehyung and his honey-brown curls framing his amused expression. You glared in response.

“I’ve never interacted with him a day in my life,” you frowned, abandoning your homicidal tendencies for the moment. “What does he want me to notice?”

Taehyung gave you a pained look. You returned with a black stare. Then he sighed and shook his head.

“He’s a fuckboy. You’re the female equivalent of a fuckboy. What do you think he wants?”

“My body count?”

Taehyung slapped his own face, muttering under his breath. “… be part of your body count.”

“Sorry, what?” You raised your voice over the bass. “Can’t hear you over the music.”

He raised his head. “I don’t know. Fight him. See what happens.”

“I’m not gonna win a fistfight.”

Taehyung looked ready to fistfight you.

You stood up, dragging him by the arm. “Come on, wingman. I need another drink. I’ll buy, since you got me the last one.”

Taehyung laughed, loud and full, yanking his arm out of your grip and clapping a hand around your shoulders, pulling you to him so your body knocked into him. You grimaced, now forced to walk side by side with him, not seeing the looks shared between the patrons witnessing you two together.

“Now we’re talking. I wanna get trashed.”

“Cure for a broken heart, am I right?”

“Mine’s shattered,” Taehyung chuckled, rubbing the left side of his chest playfully, but you couldn’t help but notice the hurt in his eyes. It was his idea to go out tonight and assist you with getting laid but, one, you didn’t need assistance and, two, he had recently broken up. It was pretty obvious he just wanted you to buy him drinks and have an excuse to do something.

Which was fine with you, until Jeon Jungkook showed up holding your previous eye candy.

Hmph.

Whatever, you had a Taehyung to nurse back to health with an obscene amount of alcohol.

-

Two hours later, you were standing in the men’s bathroom, holding Taehyung’s beret with one hand and his hair in the other as he vomited loudly into the toilet.

“Sup.”

The guy looked in the stall and then looked at you.

“You’re not supposed to be here…”

You raised an eyebrow. “You wanna hold his hair?”

The guy slunk away at your dismissive tone.

Taehyung tapped your thigh and you patted him on the head soothingly. He flushed and coughed.

"S... sorry," he croaked wetly.

You chuckled. "Wash your mouth, ya nasty."

He got up and you straightened his clothes in an almost maternal fashion.

"Need water, I think..." he winced, stumbling past you to the counter. You followed him to make sure he didn't hurl in the fucking sink.

"I'll be right back. Don't do anything crazy."

"Heh, that’s you," he slurred as he put his hands under the tap to wash up.

You plopped his beret on your head and sauntered out of the men's bathroom, unbothered by the stares and the people trying to catch your eye. It took you no time at all to waltz to the counter and obtain the water, striding back to the men's bathroom with the tall glass.

Only to run into you-know-who.

The girl sputtered your name in surprise as if she hadn't met you in this very bar a couple of weeks ago.

You completely ignored her existence, narrowing your eyes at the smirking face of Jeon Jungkook.

There was no denying his attractiveness. His purple hair was a little messy now, curling around his high cheekbones and large brown eyes. The dim light of the bar cast strange shadows over his chiseled jaw and shapely lips, curved into a devilish grin. He had a mole and red lipstick residue underneath his lower lip.

You had a strong urge to douse him and his leather jacket with your giant glass of water.

Taehyung was the one who found out Jungkook's name for you. You sent him on the mission after the first time this little shit started meddling in your business.

At this moment, you remembered that.

You pointedly looked away, walking past Jungkook, knocking into his arm forcefully and on purpose, annoyed that he seemed pretty strong under that jacket, muscular and lean. Whatever. You had a large bear cub named Kim Taehyung to take care of. You didn't have time to waste on Jeon Jungkook.

"Hey."

You stiffened at the deep, silvery voice. Of course. He had to have a sexy voice too. Bitch.

"You should apologize."

Your eyes flickered to the glass of water. It was pretty cold in your hand. You raised your chin back up, facing towards the bathrooms.

The choice was easy.

You continued waking and raised your free hand to flip Jeon Jungkook the bird, off to deliver the water to your best friend.

Some guy at the urinal screamed as you entered the men's bathroom but you completely ignored him, only focusing on Taehyung, who was gripping the corner of the sink, turning not to pass out, pallid face dripping and looking green.

"Drink this and I'll take you home."

-

"Ugh, thanks for the other day... sorry I wasn't the best wingman... I ended up making you exorcize my demons instead..."

You laughed, jabbing a toothpick in the steaming fried chicken. You and Kim Taehyung again, hanging out in the afternoon at the local chicken spot.

"It's cool. I know you needed it."

Taehyung frowned. "If you knew, why did you play along?"

You shrugged. "You would've done the same for me."

He smiled and popped a piece of crispy chicken in his mouth. "Yeah, if you ever had a serious relationship for once."

You glared. "This is a non-judgment zone. Shut up."

He chuckled. Then he leaned in and you grimaced, catching a whiff of his chicken breath. He was wearing a pinstriped shirt and neglected to button the first two because he was too hot to bother with some stupid buttons. You weren't going to say you could relate, but you were wearing a loose black sweater dress that was bordering on flashing your panties, so, maybe.

"I heard from a little birdie that you had a run-in with the bane of your existence."

You raised an eyebrow. "The tax man?"

Taehyung rolled his eyes. "No, the other one."

Now it was your turn to roll yours. "Oh, right. The Dark Lord."

Taehyung gave you a weird look. "Is that a movie reference or..."

"Harry Potter, ever heard of it?"

"You're such a nerd."

"That's not... anyway, so what?"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "He spoke to you."

You narrowed your eyes. "Where do you get your information?"

He fidgeted. "Uh... a reliable source that chooses to remain anonymous."

Your eyes became slits. "Who."

Taehyung stick his tongue out at you. "The whole point of anonymous is you not knowing!"

"Who are you, fucking Rita Skeeter–"

"Stop with the weird references!"

"For fuck's sake," you hissed, causing a mother sitting at a table near yours to chastise you, covering their kid’s ears. You frowned, lowering your voice. "Alright so what? He opened his mouth; nothing original came out." You jabbed another piece of chicken.

"Well? Feel any tension? Sweet romance? Unbridled fury?" Taehyung piped, greatly interested in your two-second interaction with Jeon Jungkook.

You chewed, huffing. "I had a big kid to take care of. I didn't give a shit."

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" he shot back.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, you’re more important to me than poking his pretty eyeballs out of his head, so I didn't even reply."

Taehyung paused, mid-chew. "Really?"

"Yes, I didn't say–"

"No, that I'm important to you."

Taehyung was doing that thing where his big brown eyes went all sparkly and sentimental. It was making you uncomfortable. Bad with feelings and all that. The only reason you tolerated it was because Taehyung had been like this ever since he was that dorky weird kid you defended from bullies in elementary school. A folding chair was involved and you might have watched too many WWE TLC (tables, ladders, chairs) matches as a kid, but hey, those bullies didn’t bother Taehyung ever again, did they?

You got sent to detention for the rest of the year and anger management counseling appointments, but Taehyung remained your friend throughout the whole ordeal and for years to come, tolerating your poor life choices so… worth?

You reached over and shut his open mouth. "Of course, you are, that's why I'm not calling you a disgusting pig for chewing with your mouth open."

"Oi, that's bullying!"

"You bully me all the time," you snorted and the same mom made a noise of distaste that you pretended not to hear. "Like now you keep bringing up the spawn of Satan."

"You're also the spawn of Satan, by the way."

"Yeah, and you're my guardian angel and he ain't got shit, so I’ve already won this war."

Taehyung laughed nervously.

"Er, yes... totally..."

-

Another day, another conquest.

Well, you had to find the prey first, but that wasn’t going to be hard.

“You’re a chronic asshole.”

“Thanks, Tae. You sure you don’t wanna come?”

He rolled his eyes at you as you shrugged on one of his black dress shirts. You checked the tag. Silk. Damn. Kim Taehyung was a fancy bitch. He leaned against the closet doorframe as you fitted your black leather corset-style belt at your waist to cinch it in. You often raided Taehyung’s closet and paired it with your accessories. Did he enjoy your fucking in his clothes? Probably not, but you always returned them cleaned in the proper way, so he couldn’t complain.

He did anyway.

“No, I don’t. Let me sulk.”

“Ah, yes, moody starving artist, I’ll let you be,” you snickered, slinging the waist bag over your shoulder, wearing it across your chest instead of your hips. You lightly punched him in the arm and he pretended to topple over exaggeratedly. “You going to paint today?”

He shrugged. “I think. Dunno what media I want to use.”

“Just use a bunch of different ones. Your mixed media stuff is amazing,” you replied, waltzing out of his bedroom, past his messy studio with a blank canvas balanced on a wooden easel in the center of absolute chaos of paints. You helped him organize them once, but Taehyung often was too in the zone to pay attention to neatness.

“When’s the exhibit? I want to drop by,” you commented, seeing the line of his works safely wrapped up, leaning against the wall.

“Um… next week, Thursday through Sunday,” Taehyung replied sheepishly, cheeks flaring red at the mention of his own art exhibit. He was humble even though he was talented. “I’ll text you the address. Don’t show up looking like a high-paid escort.”

You tucked your feet into your heels and raised an eyebrow.

Silk black men’s shirt worn as a dress, belted at the waist to show off your curves, bare legs out, toned calves standing out due to your sleek black high heels.

“Who, me? Never.”

Taehyung shook his head. “Text me if you need a ride.”

“You got it.”

-

“You have got to be kidding me.”

You tapped your nails on the bar, having already finished your peach mojito.

“Fucking Jeon Jungkook, again?”

You needed to invest in a bow and arrow, like, yesterday.

Shoot right between his pretty eyeballs. Dude even pulled back his long, deep purple hair into a smooth ponytail with wispy strands framing his sculpted face. Was that damn eyeliner and mascara making his eyes look sharper, sexier? Fuck, he even knew how to make himself look even hotter.

Not as hot as you, of course.

“How does he always know where I’m at?” you muttered under your breath, turning away to look at the bartender and order another mojito. Watermelon. It seemed interesting. Fuck it, you were going to focus on drinking rather than the thorn in your side, Jeon Jungkook and his black dress shirt halfway buttoned and his tight-fitting black slacks with sleek oxfords. The bartender slid your glass in front of you, a gradient of pink to transparent with a little sprig of mint on top. It was a pretty drink.

You reached into your waist bag to pay, but the bartender stopped you.

“The gentleman over there paid for you. A gift.”

Oh? Maybe a potential for the night. You shifted your gaze to–

Oh.

“Tell him to fu–”

But the bartender was already off servicing other customers on this busy night.

Shit.

You know what? Fine. He put himself up as the target. He wanted to play this game.

And you never missed a bullseye.

You tilted your head to survey Jeon Jungkook out of the corner of your eye, making his way over to you, bringing your drink close to your lips. He stopped right next to you. The colorful lights of the club made rainbows dance across his lightly tanned skin and his dark lips, curled into a smug smirk.

“Hey.”

You cocked an eyebrow.

Drank.

Mmm, fuck, that was some deliciously smooth rum. The watermelon was a refreshing addition to the mint too. You probably weren’t meant to drink it all at once, but you were glaring at Jungkook who was pointedly watching your throat swallow and it was aggravating you more and more, the entire drink disappearing in record time, leaving nothing but ice and mint.

You smacked the glass down on this table with a hiss.

Jungkook purred your name with that deep, silvery voice of his. His eyes flickered down to your exposed collarbones and then back up to your face.

You clicked your tongue.

Then you turned away from him dismissively, walking past him, knocking into his arm forcefully and on purpose.

But instead of letting it happen, Jungkook shifted his weight and slid to block your path. You stopped, eyes darting up to narrow at that conceited little brat’s face. Now you could smell his cologne, fresh, sensual, a mix of pungent dragon fruit and black coffee.

Hold on.

You inhaled. Yup, no mistaking it.

That was your perfume.

Jungkook grinned as the realization hit you. How did he know what perfume you used?

“The fuck you want?” you growled.

He licked his lips slowly. He ticked his chin, taunting you.

“Finally got you to talk to me,” he purred, chuckling.

Alright, you were past causing actual bodily harm these days – jail being your primary reason – but that didn’t stop you from staring down Jeon Jungkook and his self-satisfied smirk with your signature tapering of your sharp stare.

You just stood there.

Menacingly.

He bit his lower lip, exposing that tiny mole underneath, shivering under your gaze. “Are you mad at me?” he asked, almost innocently, but there was no chance in hell that he was.

You quirked your head, lifting your chin defiantly. “Absolutely fuming,” you replied acidly.

He took a step towards you, closing the distance, so close you could feel his warmth, your breasts brushing against his chest. Now people were whispering around you two, sensing the tension between you and Jungkook. The similar outfits, the same violent energy, the same predatory aura.

As if the fox had confronted the wolf.

“What’s there to be mad about when we play the same game?” Jungkook drawled.

Cocky. The fox was so damn cocky.

“You’re just nibbling on my leftovers,” you countered, stepping forward so you pressed against him, burning body heat to burning body heat. “Which makes you the scavenger.”

Jungkook leaned down, dark brown eyes glittering with amusement.

“Then why so angry?”

His lips ghosted over yours, breathing in your exhale.

“I’m just a pest, right? A mere annoyance in your eventual victory.”

His lashes lowered, arrogant smirk reaching his dark eyes.

“Play your ace. Let’s see if it works,” he purred in the deep, sexy octave of his.

Shut up.

A low snarl rumbled in your chest.

“Shut up, Jeon Jungkook.”

You gripped his belt and yanked him to your body, rolling your crotch into his, your lips colliding with that maddening smirk, alcohol, dragon fruit, black coffee, flint igniting the dry wood, devouring his lips hungrily, his hands sliding up your sides, and his smile.

Triumph.

-

Shit.

-

You couldn’t give two fucks about Jeon Jungkook and he was into it.

Like the impossible enigma, he couldn’t figure you out but he was drawn to you anyway. The whole world was your plaything, and you treated it as such. There was something exciting about you, the thrill too irresistible to avoid when you made your presence known. Always you and that teasing smile, never getting serious, making everyone hesitate to take it farther with you. Who could blame them with your borderline brash attitude and ease of moving from one to the next?

That and your friendship with Kim Taehyung, who was a whole damn tiger next to your wolfish nature.

At first, Jungkook was intrigued.

As time went on, he became frustrated and annoyed.

What gave you the right to ignore him?

You picked up guys far less attractive than he was, not that he was that vain but, seriously, he was right here! Waiting to be caught. He didn’t try to interfere at first. In fact, Jungkook wasn’t even the sleep-around-and-mess-with-feelings kind of guy. But the more he watched you, the more impressed he was, seeing the way you charmed your way into everyone’s hearts, the way you focused on them for that moment, making them feel like they were the most perfect creature on Earth before slinking to the next, leaving them with a pining heart and lost in fantasies of what-ifs.

And, yeah, you were hot.

What was Jungkook going to do?

He could do nothing.

Or he could befriend Kim Taehyung, get under your skin, and make you notice him.

Not a scheme, per se.

Kind of a scheme.

Alright, definitely a scheme.

In Jungkook’s defense, your best friend Taehyung was all for it. Taehyung was the one who came up with all the ideas, informed him of your location, and the names of the girls you were after.

“Give her a taste of her own medicine. She needs a reality check.”

The problem was, Jungkook didn’t really want to let you go now that you were in his arms.

-

“Silly pretty boy.”

You had his chin in your palm, pressing your thumb against Jungkook’s lower lip, opening his hungry mouth to tease him with your tongue, tracing his soft lips and thrusting in, his low moan filling your lungs. His hands on your waist tightened, pulling you closer even through you were already in his lap, murmurs and eyes on you, but neither your nor Jungkook cared, used to this by now.

You were, after all, making out in the club.

The chair scraped against the ground as Jungkook firmly placed your thighs on either side of his, thrusting upwards into your core, letting your feel his rapidly growing hardness with every one of your kisses. Your hair feathered his cheeks and shoulders as your free hand toyed with his ponytail, twirling it in your fingers, smirking into his lips with his gasp from you grinding back down on his crotch, rolling your hips into him.

“Thought I was the bane of your existence?” Jungkook taunted under you, squeezing your ass through the silk and meeting your movements, staring into your eyes with his. So dark, so smokey, so fucking sexy, almost like looking into a mirror, because you too wore similar makeup, maybe a little darker and a little more of a flick to your eyeliner. “Just going to kiss me to shut me up?”

You wouldn’t be surprised if the other clubgoers were eagerly watching now, waiting to see what was going to happen between you and him.

“I don’t need to be on your mouth to shut you up,” you mused, tugging his ponytail back and kissing down his neck, tongue tracing the contours of his muscles, feeling him shudder under your lips and teeth, lightly nipping at his skin. Tracing circles, gentle kisses, relishing in his gasps and his tightened grip on you, letting your breath linger for that extra second, that extra what-if, kissing back up his neck and onto his jawline, murmuring his name sweetly, tip of your tongue curling around his earrings and bouncing them, sighing softly in his ear.

“Can’t claim my leftovers when my leftovers are you, now can you, naughty boy?” you chuckled darkly, pressing your breasts on his hot chest and your clothed pussy on the tip of his stiff length, rutting against it, making him hiss your name.

“I have no intention of being leftovers,” he growled into your ear.

Your eyes flew open as his lips transfixed to the space under your ear, sucking hard, forcing you to squeeze your thighs at the attack on your erogenous zone, sparks of arousal flinching through you, soaking your panties. You gasped, hips bucking into his needily, barely processing his words, his tongue flicking against your throbbing skin, lips and teeth, and then his mouth was moving, traveling up your earlobe, nipping at the curve, your eyelids fluttering, clutching his purple ponytail tightly.

How did he know? Did he ask your previous conquests to spill the information? There was no time to think, his hands traveling up your back, clenching fistfuls of your shirt and digging his nails into your back, your body responding and squirming against him, the quiet whine of his name escaping your lips and drifting right into his ear.

“J… Jungkook…”

He groaned, turning your head forcefully, him kissing you this time, just as ravenous, just as powerful, basically simulating sex in the middle of the fucking club with the way your hips were twisting into his and he was thrusting back against you, breathless, whispering in your mouth so only you could hear his words resonate in your chest.

“Fuck, you’re so hot, you turn me on so fucking easily, I just have to have you,” he murmured, his forehead pressed against yours, capturing your lips again and again. “There’s no way you’re any good for me, but I don’t care, fuck.”

You snickered, eye to eye, trapped in those expanding pupils and his heavy pants. “They say the same about you, Jeon Jungkook.”

You felt him smirk. “Nah, not me. No one calls me the spawn of Satan.”

You raised an eyebrow. “You sure? Because I do.”

Jungkook’s tongue licked your lips, making your shiver in delight. “That was special treatment. Just for you.”

Hold on a second.

Through your hazy buzzed brain, you began to piece the puzzle together. With each part falling into place, the amusement in Jungkook’s eyes grew and grew, seeing you fill in the missing blanks. Your eyes widened and you curled a finger around his ponytail, yanking roughly to pull his grinning face away from yours. You jerked back, but his strong hands held you in place.

Wispy strands of violet framing that devious expression.

“Taehyung,” you breathed, venomous.

Jungkook had the audacity to cock an eyebrow.

“Yep.”

You were going to kill Taehyung. That little shit! Taehyung was no idiot, so he must have planned this somehow. He always telling you to get serious and stop messing around. That’s why Jungkook always knew who you were dating, where you were, and what you were wearing! Did Taehyung recruit Jeon Jungkook to trick you? Fuck! He was dead meat, scheming against you like this!

Jungkook brought you out of your homicidal tendencies with a soft drawl of your name.

“For the record, he was helping me out,” he murmured, pulling you to him, pressing your chest to his. You narrowed your eyes, his hard cock still throbbing against your panties. “I want you.”

He lowered his face, breathing hard.

“Not just like this.”

Your eyes widened.

“I said I’m not going to be leftovers.” Looking deep into your eyes, holding you tightly. “I’m not going to let you throw me away like the rest.” Every inhale making your body rise into his touch, his deep, silvery voice saturated with lust and determination. “I’m going to make you fall in love with me as much as I am in love with you.”

You opened your mouth to retort, but…

Jungkook gave you this look.

The look of ‘you-know-you’ve-already-lost’.

You could sit here and pretend, but you were also grinding back onto his dick right out here in the open, clutching his purple hair and his pretty face. His hard body was tucked snugly in your thighs. That smug little smirk. Shit, shit, shit.

Jeon Jungkook got you and he got you good.

He knew it too, his hands sliding down and grabbing your ass again, rolling his hips into yours.

“Come on. Let’s fuck.”

-

“Oh, fuck, yes, yes, yes!”

Jungkook threw his head back onto his pillows, exposing his straining throat, veins popping out, clutching your hips strongly to rut back against you as you smacked your crotch down onto him, riding him hard and fast, your hands next to his head, his long purple hair a mess even if it was still in the ponytail, sweat glistening on his forehead, moaning loudly with your walls closing in on his hardness. You were too busy fucking the daylights out of him to say anything, but Jungkook had plenty to say, hazy eyes opening and gasping as he viewed your body hovering over him, naked with his hickeys on your neck and breasts, strong thighs flexed on either side of him, his rock-hard cock repeatedly disappearing into your tight, wet hole.

“Fuck, I knew it, I knew you would be so fucking good and so fucking sexy,” he whined, nails digging into your hips and adding more force to your thrusts.

Your clothes and his clothes were all over his bedroom floor.

Your phone was on his nightstand.

Tonight, you sent one text to Kim Taehyung.

I’m gonna buy a bow and arrow and shoot you in the ass.

You screen flashed, indicating Taehyung had replied. One quick flick of your eyes and you smirked.

Oh shit.

Jungkook squeezed your ass, making your return your attention to him.

“Focus on me,” he begged, blown-out pupils. “Only me, please.”

“So needy,” you teased, licking your lips slowly. He groaned under you, mouth opening, his pretty pink tongue lolling out, desperate to be sucked. “If you think you can keep me, you’ll have to last longer than this, Jungkook.”

He swallowed hard at the way you said his name, a mixture of warning and desire.

“P-Please… it’s too good, I-I can’t…”

You redoubled your efforts, roughly slapping your hips into his, enjoying the loud sound and the way your core tightened, constricting him inside you, telling him he couldn’t cum until you did and deliberately holding yourself back, shifting your attention when you felt it rise, denying him over and over, until he was like this, whole body shaking, grasping your ass, sweat on his chest. His right arm, covered in tattoos, looking extra delicious in the moonlight, so fucking perfect with his forearms flexed with tension. You purposefully stared into his brown eyes overtaken with lust, his lips trembling from denying himself his own orgasm.

Jungkook whimpered your name.

On the verge of breaking, helpless at your command.

A sharp throb inside you, wildly turned on by his duality.

You smirked.

“Jungkook.”

You inhaled deeply, sighing in satisfaction with the wave of pleasure, intense shivering pulses running up and down his length, sinking down so he could feel it all, the tight and rough massage of your orgasm taking over, low moan of his name emitting from your throat, and Jungkook followed suit, louder and lewder, eyes rolling back as he shot into the condom with jerking hips, burying the twitching head deep inside you, swelling the latex with thick cum, rocking you back and forth on his length, your juices dripping down and coating the inside of your joined thighs.

“Oh, fuuuuuuuck, so good, s-so fucking good…”

You know what, he was right.

It was so fucking good.

You savored it, the ecstasy that seemed endless and overwhelming, squeezing Jungkook between your thighs and moaning, just something about it, so satisfying and gratifying listening to his wheezing gasps and content whimpers, lowering yourself to his face, and he raised his, your hands sliding under his head, giving him what he wanted, light, maddening, carnal kisses, his cheeks, his chin, his quivering lips, whining your name, pleading with you to play with him more, more, tugging on his ponytail and his hands stroking your breasts, rolling your hard nipples between his index and thumb fingers, shaking at your hissing inhale.

“Hey,” you murmured, clenching him between your legs to get his attention.

Jungkook blinked at you, brown eyes unfocused, panting hard. “Y-Yeah?”

“You should apologize.”

The side of his swollen lips quirked upwards despite his fucked-out state. His deep voice was slightly hoarse. “What for? Tell me and I will.”

You raised an eyebrow. “For your scheming and using my own best friend against me.”

Jungkook smirked slyly.

“I’m sorry.”

He lifted you and made sure he had the condom before he pulled out, still semi-hard. You narrowed your eyes. He sure as hell didn’t sound sorry. Didn’t look sorry either, peeling the condom off and crawling over the bed to toss it in the trash before straightening.

“Sounding insincere there,” you remarked coolly, balancing your chin on the back of your knuckles, elbow on the bed, tapping the air impatiently.

“I mean it,” he purred, reaching for the towel beside the bed and knocking the condoms from his nightstand to the sheets. His right hand wrapped around his glistening length, still covered in lube and his cum, toned hips thrusting into his closed fist, grinning with his lower lip between his teeth as you watched him.

“I’m so, so sorry.”

Slowly jacking himself off as his eyes roamed over your curves, moaning lustfully, lingering on your legs, clutching the towel in his left hand so hard his knuckles were pale, forearms flexed, the slick head of his cock turning purple-red, emerging from between his closed fingers, throbbing as it was choked by his harsh grip.

“Let me make it up to you,” Jungkook shuddered, stroking faster, making wet squelching sounds, his muscular thighs bulging with effort.

Fuck, he was so damn attractive.

You kept an indifferent look on your face, raising your leg, your free hand sliding down, tracing the outside of your already wet opening. Those hungry dark brown orbs immediately fixated on it, moaning imploringly as you dipped your fingers in it, soft squishing noises as you spread open your soaked pussy, slipping a finger in your heat, gently thrusting.

He gasped your name, begging you.

It made you wetter, seeing his want. He knew it too, brutally fisting his cock, hips quivering.

“Stop.”

Jungkook whined despairingly, pulling his hand away, his stiff cock bouncing from the swiftness of the movement, cutting off his own orgasm. He sucked in a shivering breath, tipping his hips up to you so his glossy, hard length twitched.

You shifted, laying back against his pillows, opening your legs.

Smirk on your lips.

“Mmm, fuck, yes, fuck me with that.”

Jungkook smirked back.

It took him no time at all to wipe his hand and crotch off, ripping open another condom and moaning as he rolled it down, the mere contact of the thin encasement stimulating his sensitive skin. He slid up to you, gripping your knees and spreading you even wider, pressing the tip against your drenched heat.

He whispered your name, like sweet smoke.

“Hm?”

Jungkook leaned down, kissing you deeply as he sank into you, drinking in your gasp at the fullness.

“I’m going to make you feel so, so good,” he mumbled into your lips, pecking you softly.

He was about to retreat but your hands snapped up, tangling into his messy violet waves, clutching his ponytail. Jungkook blinked at you, questioning.

“Not too far away,” you said with a playful smile. “I wanna see that handsome face of yours.”

He bit his lower lip, tiny mole and wicked grin revealing themselves.

“Okay.”

He lifted his hips and plunged fully into you, the connection of your hips making a loud, wet smack.

“Fuck, Jungkook…!”

And you could tell from his elated expression and his furious pace that he was ecstatic at your response, chasing it, chasing you, moaning as you caught him between your thighs and wrapped your legs around his waist, gaining some leverage and meeting his thrusts, fingers tightening in his soft hair, fuck, so beautiful, the way the pleasure overtook his handsome features, his hazy dark brown orbs shrouded in lust, his pink lip trembling in his teeth, sharp jaw set, but still maintaining a little bit of that cunning exterior that ensnared you in the first place, unknowingly at the time, the side of his lips ticking up, this cheeky bastard.

Jungkook saw the way you looked at him.

He adjusted the position, hitting deeper, swelling inside you, and, fuck, you couldn’t help it, you smirked too because he was so, so full of himself and so were you, insufferable, troublesome, competitive even now, the obscene smack of his crotch hitting your hips, wet and noisy, the squish of your juices smearing against his inner thighs as you wildly matched his rapid, bruising rhythm, your moans blending together, sweet hot harmony, his bedframe ramming against the wall, and, as usual, neither of you caring, far to occupied with yourselves, pleasure snaking between you, up your spine and into your head, mixing with the light buzz of alcohol, a different kind of euphoria from every other one-night stand, because this was Jeon Jungkook and he wasn’t going to be a one-night stand.

His lower lip popped out of his teeth and he gasped your name.

Longingly, breathlessly.

Was he thinking the same thing?

You lifted yourself a little, your hands molded to his head, whispering intensely against his shaking lips.

“Don’t worry, Jungkook. We have all night and the morning.”

Fuck, he had a brilliant smile.

It was actually doomed for you, but you weren’t mad about it.

Eye contact, and he didn’t waver, thrusting deep into you, low moan pulled from his chest, jolting shudders sliding down his shoulders and then in between you and him, his cock twitching and spilling into the condom again, roughly clamped by your tightness, and you were already there, falling over the edge with a soft cry, straining your neck and pushing his head down to you to collide your lips with his, greedy for his kiss, his taste, his whimpers at your forcefulness.

“Jungkook, ah…”

He said your name in the same tone, delicate and possessive, a bullseye right to the heart.

-

“On one hand, I’m glad you’re finally serious about someone.”

You paid absolutely no attention to the annoyed baritone voice of your best friend.

“On the other hand,” Kim Taehyung gritted out, smacking you in the shoulder blades as you crawled into Jeon Jungkook’s lap, kisses intensifying, a needy whine in his chest, his hands wrapping around your waist. “Really feeling like a third wheel, you two! Stop making out for one goddamn second!”

He threw up his hands as both of you pretended to be deaf.

-

interlude respect drabble — "how much did you see?" popcorn drabble — "who are they?"

part ii threesome, ft kth — got it bad

--

masterpost

[emerald-chaos]

Insomnia

*gif not made by me, credit goes to the owner*

Hi Everyone! So it's been probably like...10 years since I wrote my last fic lol. Watching TFATWS has rekindled my undying love for Bucky Barnes and I just couldn't help but start writing again. I had to get my feelings out! I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I've been considering writing some more parts...so tell me if that's something you'd be interested in! I appreciate any and all constructive feedback or just feedback in general! Much love.

Pairing: Reader x Bucky Barnes

Word Count: 2533 (lowkey popped off...oops)

Warnings: Just in case...vague allusions to a dark past, struggles with mental illness, explicit language, and some suggestive conversation. Oh and some really bad jokes lol. Fluffy and angsty.

No matter how much you tossed and turned, how many sheep you counted, or how much you prayed and pleaded to any higher power that would listen – the release of sleep just wasn’t going to happen. You’re not sure why you were surprised, it’s not like this was the first time. You let out a heavy sigh and toss off the covers. This has been a nightly occurrence for as long as you can remember. When you were trying to rest, when there was no noise to block out the images in your head, it was a battle. A battle which you have always lost.

You flip on the bright florescent lights of the bathroom as you trudge in, dragging your feet in exhaustion. It takes a minute for your eyes to adjust to the harshness of the light as you place your hands onto the countertop. The cool marble feels good against your palms as you close your eyes and lean your head back, another sigh leaving your lips. You twist your neck from side to side, trying to release some tension and maybe get a satisfying pop. No such luck. As you open your eyes and gaze upon the person staring back at you a small laugh tumbles from your chest.

Jesus, she looks awful.

The dark circles that permanently reside below your eyes appear more pronounced than usual. The corners of your mouth hang low and you just look…tired. Like you were rode hard and put away wet.

The bottle of melatonin tucked away on your counter catches your eye. You pick it up and twirl it as you inspect the writing. “Sleep Support” you read, “may help promote restful sleep”. What a load of shit. You place the bottle back down and inspect the orange one next to it. The pills inside were about as useful as the melatonin. Nothing seemed to quiet the voices or stop the scenarios that plagued your mind. You splash some cold water on your face and grab for a towel to pat it dry. Your eyes drift to the mirror again, as if though the water was going to wash away the dead look in your eyes.

Yeah, fat chance.

Before you know it, your legs are carrying you through the compound. The only sounds present are the whirring of various appliances and the soft patter of your feet against the tile floors. The moonlight casts shadows over the various pieces of furniture and lights your path. Your fingers curl around the handle as you pull the sliding glass door open. The crisp outside air kisses your skin as you step out and close the door behind you. You find yourself settling down in your usual spot on the balcony and you sink into the comfort of the chair.

Many a sleepless night has been spent out here, admiring the way the moonlight gleams off of a nearby pond. Before the compound and the balcony, it was a fire escape and a bottle of bourbon. You kind of missed that coping mechanism a little bit. You were thankful, of course, to call this place your home. Thankful to feel safe for once. Thankful to be a part of a team that felt like more of a family than any sorry piece of shit who had been in your life before. Not that you were bitter about that or anything. A little baggage builds character. However, life hasn’t always been kind to you and your stupid brain had a cruel way of constantly reminding you of that fact.

In all honesty, Tony rescued you. You absolutely hated to allow him to relish in that fact, but it was true. He took a chance on a royally fucked up kid out of college who managed to skate by and earn a mechanical engineering degree. If you were to ask him, he would say it was because the first words you said to him were fuck off. Apparently, something about that translated to, “hey, I would be a great addition to your tech and development team”. Although, you were pretty sure you just really meant that he should fuck off. I mean, the guy’s reputation does have a bit of moral gray area to it. Somehow, some way, your tenacity made an impression on the billionaire. Now here you were - living at the Avenger’s compound, sitting on a balcony at 3:30 in the morning because you couldn’t turn your brain off long enough to find some peace and sleep. What a life.

Even as you were sitting here in your special spot, reminiscing about some actual good memories – your brain still tried to drift into the darkness. Glass breaking; voices, thick with hate, engaged in a screaming match, and the cold nights spent trying to find a safe space to eat and lay your head. Your fingers gripped into the arms of the chair as you felt the heaviness in your chest increase.

“God damn it,” you cursed through gritted teeth.

The panic attacks were a second nature at this point, but you still really hated when you lost control. Your eyes closed tight as you tried to rack your brain to remember the bullshit your therapist had told you earlier in the week. Something about 5 things you can see?

“We gotta stop meeting like this, Doll”

The voice ripped you from inside your mind and back to reality. Your eyes opened and were met with a beautiful pair of cerulean ones. You blamed the skip in your heartbeat on your fading panic attack - although, you knew better than that.

“Well, it seems to me that the only logical conclusion is that you’re stalking me, Barnes” you quipped as a grin spread across your face.

“Could say the same about you,” Bucky retorted as he sank into the chair beside you, “besides, been doin’ this a lot longer than you’ve been around”.

You rolled your eyes, but the super soldier had a point. Almost each and every time, aside from the ones that happened when the team was away, you two would meet like this – here on the balcony, both searching for something to replace the sleep that neither of you could find.

“Yeah, we get it, you’re old” a laugh fell from your lips as Bucky snorted at your remark, a grin remaining ever present on his lips.

The familiar silence took over as he leaned his head back against the chair, closing his eyes. Meanwhile, yours were hungrily taking him in - tracing over the stubble on his chin, the soft pinkness of his parted lips. Recently he’d gotten his hair cut and even though you much preferred the long hair, you would rather die than actually admit that to him. Your crush on the 106 year old grumpy ass was one of your best kept secrets. At least, you thought you’d kept it from being painfully obvious.

The man sitting before you, he had a tough exterior and a horrific history, but you knew him better than that. You knew about the way his nose scrunched up when you made him laugh and the way his eyes looked as he listened intently to every story you ever told him. You knew the sweet melody of his laugh and the far off stare that meant he was also held captive by his own thoughts. This late-night rendezvous had become somewhat of a routine for the two of you and you would be lying if you said it wasn’t your favorite part of the day.

The first time it was a short nod and typical white person, thin-lipped smile as you left to find a different spot to suffer alone. Shortly after, it developed into cohabiting the balcony – staying on your own separate sides of course, only occasionally sharing words. Then, before you knew it, the two of you would be sitting beside each other, shooting the shit like you’d known each other for years. Just two, incredibly fucked up individuals, trying to make each other feel a little more human.

Bucky had always given off the quiet, brooding energy. Typically he kept to himself, other than with close friends like Steve, choosing to stand in the corner and listen to the conversation rather than be a part of it. Occasionally he would give a quip during a meeting that would catch people off guard, but mostly he just sat there and stared. The Bucky you had come to know was nothing like the person that others wanted to make him out to be. Sure, at one point he was a masterful assassin who killed like he got pleasure from it – but that wasn’t him. The Winter Soldier and Bucky Barnes were not synonymous.

If only the world could meet Bucky at 3am.

“What’s going on in that empty head of yours over there?” Bucky’s voice once again brought you back to reality as you laid your eyes on the familiar grin plastered across his face.

“Please,” you huffed, cheeks tinted a light shade of pink at the thought of him catching you staring, “which one of us has a college degree again?”

His laugh was a symphony to your ears. Your smile mirrored his when he opened his eyes and turned his head to look at you.

“So, what is it tonight? That nightmare again?” he asked, voice dropping an octave as his facial features softened in a way you really hoped only you got to see.

“Mm, not quite” you responded, your voice a broken whisper.

Bucky wasn’t the type to pry, but with you he wouldn’t even have to. Talking to him, sharing your deepest secrets and fears, telling him about the nightmares that kept you awake at night – it all came easily. Too easily.

“This week it’s...it’s that image of my stupid mother. Standing there with her black eyes and busted lip, telling me that it was me that was the problem. That it was me who...” you swallowed hard, the heaviness creeping back into your chest and tears fighting to wet your eyes. God you hated that you let this get the best of you.

Just as your mind started to bring you back to that dark place it was interrupted by the feeling of warmth spreading over your body. You looked down to see Bucky’s large hand resting right above your knee. When your eyes met again, he gave you a soft look that made your heart scream.

“I’m sorry,” you could tell he meant it as he gave your knee a soft squeeze.

A small smile flashed over your face and you had to resist the urge to reach out and cup his soft, stubbled cheek in your hand.

“Hey, we’re all a little fucked up, right?” you joked.

“Some more than others,” he replied, those beautiful wrinkles appearing around his nose as he scrunched it up with another laugh.

“Thanks, Buck... I’m sure you’d rather be doing anything other than listening to my sob story,” you reluctantly broke eye contact and looked down at the hem of your shirt as you fiddled with it in your fingers.

You were all too aware at the loss of contact as Bucky drew his hand back and leaned back into his chair.

“Doll,” he started as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes again - you could swear you almost saw a grin on his lips, “there are very few things I’d rather do than sit with you on the balcony at 3am”.

At that moment it felt as though time stood still. Sure, you had flirtatious banter back and forth occasionally and made a habit out of spilling your deepest regrets to each other during the wee hours of the morning, but this felt different. This felt like a confession.

You’d be lying to yourself if you tried to convince yourself, or anyone else for that matter, that you didn’t have a thing for him. I mean - who wouldn’t? The guy was a gentleman; he was soft spoken and caring, he was a dork who loved to crack jokes at the most inappropriate times, the type of person who would give you the shirt off of his own back if it meant you were taken care of.

He....well, he was Bucky.

And god damn it if you didn’t love him.

You’re unsure of how much time has passed, but one minute you’re sitting on your chair, chewing your lip and droning on about the man in front of you in your head. The next minute you found yourself on his lap, knees seated on either side of his waist as your legs straddle him and your hands connect with the skin they so desperately craved to feel. Bucky’s eyes opened slowly and met yours as you let the pad of your thumb gently run along the curve of his bottom lip. The uneven breaths leaving your chest hitched as you felt his hands grip your hips softly. Refusing to break eye contact, Bucky gently pressed a kiss to the pad of your thumb. You dragged his lower lip down briefly.

“Well,” he began. His voice was barely above a whisper but it’s thick, lustful tone made you shiver from head to...well, you know, “are you gonna kiss me, Doll? Or do I have to do all the work myself?”

He barely finished his sentence before your lips captured his. It was messy, almost all teeth and tongue. It was needy, as if it was the last time either of you would ever kiss anyone again. It was fucking incredible.

Bucky’s metal arm snaked up your back and found its way into your hair, curling his fingers gently around the strands at the back of your head, as his other arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you closer to his form. He was intoxicating. This whole situation was something you had briefly imagined months ago, but ultimately pushed out of your mind. There was no way that he would ever be interested in someone like you. Yet, here he was, tongue fighting for entrance into your mouth.

You aren’t quite sure who pulled away first. Both of you were gasping for air, chests heaving up and down as you both stared into each other's lust-blown pupils.

“You kiss pretty well for someone who hasn’t had a girlfriend since 1940,” you teased, laughing as he rolls his eyes at the comment.

“You just don’t know when to shut that mouth of yours, do ya?” he practically growled, ever so slightly tightening his grip on your waist, and you almost lost it from just the sound of his voice alone.

“Why don’t you make me, Barnes?” you leaned in close, warm breath fanning over the shell of his ear.

A yelp escaped your throat as you were suddenly jerked up to a standing position, locking your ankles behind his back as he effortlessly held you up by your thighs.

“Oh Doll,” he chuckled darkly into your neck, almost making you pass out from the sensation, “I thought you’d never ask”.

[drabsyo]

I was wondering...I was always confused about Narcissa’s hair. It’s been a while since I read the books. Did she color it blonde to show her now belonging to House Malfoys. Or was it naturally blonde? Movies confused me a bit I guess.

Yes, this had me confused too! I've agonized and toiled over it, more than I probably should, about how I should draw her hair because people have generally different views, which is totally understandable! 💕

And I've always wanted to discuss it, so now that I've been given a reason to... Well.

If you take a look at some of my Narcissa fanart, you'll notice the different ways I'd color her hair. I was so confused. Is she a light blonde? Dark blonde? A mix of raven hair and blonde hair? If she has blonde hair then why does her family have (mostly) dark hair? And WHY does she have blue eyes?! This woman is absolutely confusing! (Which is kind of, you know, fitting because Narcissa always loves to be a mystery to literally anyone lol)

So I did my homework, asked around, and scoured every bit of information, canon or otherwise, that I could find about her. It led me to this:

In canon, this is what the Black sisters look like. You can find the page here. Narcissa is a child here, and already has blonde hair. So we can go ahead and safely assume that she was born with natural blonde hair. But in the films, Narcissa has black and blonde hair. I don't actually know why they gave her that hair color, maybe so that the audiences wouldn't question her blood relations with the Blacks--I don't know. I really don't. But now we have a book version Narcissa, one who has full blonde hair. And a movie version Narcissa, one who has raven and blonde hair. At least, that's how the different hair colors started: a movie version, and a book version.

So... here's where it gets confusing.

To my knowledge, it isn't actually explained why her hair color is the way it is in both the movies and the books. Having blonde hair does raise many questions, how is she the "only" blonde in a family of dark hair and dark eyes? To top it all off, it gets even more confusing, because fanon writes and draws her either as a full blonde or a mix of raven and blonde hair. We just have this large pile to sift through of her having either hair color. No one actually explains anything. She's just... infuriatingly there. She's either blonde or raven haired and blonde. BUT fanfiction writers, as I've observed, give their own reasons why Narcissa's hair color is the way it is in their respective stories. And it's actually pretty creative and interesting! It adds even greater depth to her character, and it fits the narrative of the story even better. Remember, the character we're dealing with is Narcissa Black. One of her main traits is "she won't do anything unless there is a clear purpose behind it." This character is deliberate, meticulous, and she makes sure to plan ahead at all times. And so, some fanfiction writers decide to play on that.

You can skip this part if you want to avoid spoilers but I've compiled a small list of instances in (Cissamione) fanfiction where Narcissa's hair is mentioned.

🔹 In Extinction by rubikanon in Chapter 10: Build and Break, Hermione asks Narcissa about it. Here, Narcissa has black and blonde hair. She explains that she only decided to dye it blonde to "fit in with the Malfoys." We can gather two things from that alone, which resonates with her character perfectly: 1.) Narcissa is loyal and 2.) Narcissa purposefully wants to show the rest of the world how loyal she is by committing to having blonde hair. The woman has some serious commitment, and it shows. But now, the way that it's slowly growing back into her natural black hair color, hints that perhaps Narcissa no longer wishes to fit in with the Malfoys. However, if we take an even closer look, we can safely assume that Narcissa isn't the kind of person to just leave her hair color "unattended" like that. Remember, she's meticulous. And this is a big deal for her, the fact that she's just kind of letting it grow back instead of either fully dyeing it back to black, or dyeing it back to blonde. It suggests that perhaps she's a little unsure this time, perhaps it is her uncertainty that is the reason why it's now a mix of both. Another grey area? Or maybe it's actually something more deliberate? Maybe now, she likes that it's a mix of both. That other half now being solely for Draco, and not to fit in (completely) with the Malfoys any longer. Who knows why Narcissa does things the way she does? We can speculate to the ends of the earth, or be as smart as Hermione Granger (or with the case of Extinction, see Hermione's thoughts), but something tells me we'd still be a good step behind.

"Which one is your natural hair color?" I wondered aloud.

(Narcissa) She glanced up at the unexpected question. I was relieved she hadn't sensed my attention yet. It's not like I meant anything by it, I told myself. She was so beautiful, one couldn't help but notice. And feel physically drawn to her. And want to see her two-toned hair fanned across her back, slipping over the bare skin, silky beneath my fingers...

"Why do you ask?" Her query brought me back to reality, and I hurriedly corrected my imagination to include a pretty dress covering the rest of her.

"I don't know." I chewed the inside of my cheek, suppressing my other thoughts. "I'm just curious."

Her gaze returned to the fire. "You've seen enough of my relatives to guess which color is genetic. The blond is something I added to fit in with the Malfoys, after Draco was born." She was quiet for a moment. "He looks so much like his father. I suppose I wanted to share some resemblance."

🔹 In Killing Me Softly by Looktotheedges in Chapter 4: Nagging, Hermione suggests that perhaps Narcissa is part Veela because of her blonde hair and very attractive features, like Fleur. Which is this whole other theory/plot that's very interesting, but won't be discussed in this post. Narcissa tells Hermione that Sirius has always been blonde, and that it isn't out of the question for her to be blonde either. Sirius Black. A blonde. I know! Maybe it's there because it's funny that Sirius is actually blonde like Narcissa. Prissy, haughty, lady-like Narcissa. Arguably the 'girliest' cousin that he has. No, no, no. He doesn't want to be anything like Narcissa. Anyway, if that's the reason, I think that's hilarious and cute.

Narcissa turns away. 'I am aware my appearance is frightfully drab. Work has been…'

Hermione holds back a disbelieving scoff. 'Narcissa. You always look beautiful. And you’re talking to the witch with grass in her hair who practically lives in her office all week.'

Narcissa just leans further over the crib. 'A blonde little boy. It has been so long since… I can almost imagine…'

Hermione stands next to her. Looks down at the peacefully sleeping Louis. He does look remarkably like Draco. 'Are you sure there’s no Veela blood in you? You weren’t secretly switched at birth?'

'Like a changeling?'

'It would explain your blonde hair.'

'Sirius was also blonde, it is not completely out of the question for us Blacks.'

What?!

(...) 'I know. But it is the truth. He was blond until he was about seven… then it began to darken. Mousy. Dull. He wanted to look cool and brooding instead, so he got his hands on some kind of charm right before he set off for Hogwarts. A new, edgy Sirius. It was around then he forbade us from calling him Siri. Said it sounded too girly.'

🔹 In Fixed in Time by TheWorldsaBeastofBurden in Chapter 9: Sisters and Saviors, it's also tackled a little humorously. Andromeda let's a little comment slip while they're in the middle of trying to heal Hermione. Something funny, something that suggests Andromeda and Bella, when they were children, have always wondered why Narcissa is blonde unlike them.

The first words spoken occurred after they’d risen and attempted their casting. Andromeda’s preparedness to take on their task had been clear in her mind so Narcissa rose with her sister, wrapped an arm around her waist and held her near as the woman raised her wand to draw up the rest of the injury she’d dropped, half a slash across Hermione’s hip bone…

That remained half, as Andromeda growled out, “...it isn’t working.” she looked to Narcissa, “Why aren’t you powering me?”

What nonsense? “I am!” she insisted. She was! Or “I- I am trying to!” Her magic was active and alive, pulsing to rise from her skin and transfer into Andromeda’s but it- it wasn’t working! “Could...could it be that you were disowned?”

“Disowning doesn’t take away the fact that we share blood, our magic is directly related. Ugh, Bella always said you were adopted!”

“Oh ha- oh.”

“...oh?” Andromeda returned.

“...it’s not an issue of power. It is what I intend to aid in casting,” Narcissa slowly worked out. Oh, it was most blessed Mister Goyle could be brought to assist the present Hermione. If her present self had been brought to aid Andromeda? “...I cannot harm Hermione.”

Andromeda sighed with some frustration. “I understand you are so tenderly in love-”

“It isn’t- I’m avowed! I- when we arrived from the future we had to escape Malfoy Manor, I couldn’t bring Hermione through the wards without...I couldn’t add her directly, that would be visible. I had to...attach her permission to mine.”

🔹 In Glass Silence by Zarrene Moss (Menzosarres), which probably gives one of the most interesting backstories for Narcissa's hair, for why it's blonde. I can't put a clip of the scene here without hogging up a huge chunk of space on your dash, so I'll try to explain it as best I can instead.

Understand that these come with serious 🛑spoilers🛑 so please do read it at your own risk.

In Glass Silence, Narcissa's hair and eye color was black at birth. But after an accident with raw magic, something Bellatrix wasn't able to control when they were children, Narcissa almost dies. Bellatrix, using even more raw magic, tries desperately to pull Narcissa's "life force" back, but at the cost of losing the eumelanin that made Narcissa's eyes and hair black. Narcissa survived, but now has very little eumelanin left, which is why she's so pale, blonde, and has blue eyes. Every time Narcissa looks at a mirror, her reflection is a reminder of the day she almost died. Bella, on the other hand, is reminded of that day every single time she looks at Narcissa.

So! These are only a few fanfictions I could think of at the top of my head that tackles the issue of Narcissa's hair. In the books, to my knowledge, she is described as having blonde hair and very pale skin.

But let's take another deep dive, if you're up for it.

These are mostly theories, which are largely unconfirmed, but I think they're interesting to think about.

There's this description in the wiki:

"Narcissa Malfoy is described as tall, slim, "nice looking", and very pale, with blue eyes, long blonde hair, and a clear, cold voice. Her hair colouring thus differs from most of the House of Black, who generally have dark hair, though Narcissa does possess the arrogant good looks characteristic of her family."

There's also this pinterest photo of the Black sisters being compared to each other side by side, descriptively and physically. I'm so sorry, I don't know who drew it, but here's a link to the post on pinterest.

"Narcissa threw back her hood. She was so pale she seemed to shine in the darkness... long blonde hair streaming down her back."

Which is interesting because this hints that she's... different. It's a bit literal in this sense--she comes from a pureblood family, arguably the most influential and notorious one, the Blacks, who mostly have dark hair and eyes, and yet her physical appearance directly contrast that. There's also the matter of her namesake. She's the only Black to be named after a flower instead of a galaxy or a star. We aren't really given any explanation why she's the only one who's different. Even Sirius, who fought and died for the side of the Light, is named after the brightest star in the sky. Even Andromeda. It's been said that this is actually meant to be a parallel of some sort to Lily Evans. Narcissa and Lily are both named after flowers, even Petunia (Lily's sister). And I know there's this thing where it's a tie up to how Harry was ultimately saved by a mother's love: Harry lived at the beginning because of his mother's love, and Harry lives once again at the end of the books because Narcissa, a mother who wanted to save her own son, saved him.

If you read that scene in the books where Harry is saved by Narcissa, the whole scene is actually... pretty soft? There's that sort of disarming softness about Narcissa in that moment, where Harry expected to be callously dragged and prodded for a heartbeat. Instead, he gets a surprisingly gentle touch, a curtain of long blonde hair shielding him from the darkness, and the kind of tenderness he wouldn't expect from his enemies, "Is Draco alive?"

It's almost like Narcissa's appearance is something of a "tell". With Andromeda, she's described to have kind eyes, open, unguarded. She inherited her family's dark eyes and dark hair, and she even looks like Bellatrix's twin. I suppose we could say, Andromeda wants to fight that in any way she can by being openly kind. Narcissa is quite literally the opposite--guarded eyes, stoic expressions, cool and calculated emotions. We're veering into this fine line between fanon and canon in terms of their characterization (but only due to lack of canon materials) but personally, I think Narcissa having blonde hair and blue eyes is somewhat more fitting for her character. Again, this line:

"Narcissa threw back her hood. She was so pale she seemed to shine in the darkness... long blonde hair streaming down her back."

It's like that one glaringly obvious hint that everyone overlooks simply because... because it's the most obvious one. "Me! I'm different! I'm the last person you'd expect, but it really is me!"

Anyway. I've rambled on long enough. Hope this clears up some of that confusion, anon. Hoping it didn't ADD even more confusion... 😂 At the end of the day, this is just me speculating, gushing, and being One Big Fool™. So.

But either way, blonde hair, dark hair, mix of both, I adore her. Pretty much.

[reallyhardy]

went through the goes-wrong-verse playbills/programmes - that is, ‘the play that goes wrong’ and ‘peter pan goes wrong’ (thank you @cornleypolytechnicgoeswrong​ !) trying to piece together each society member’s career within the society PLUS if possible whatever it was they were doing at the polytechnic (university) course-wise, along with whatever other character snippets they give. this is mostly to inform me when writing but i thought it’d be useful for other mischief/goes wrong fans!

chris bean:

as of TPTGW is the ‘newly elected’ head of the drama society, and is known at the university for his charitable & philanhropic work. he has six acting credits within the polytechnic to his name.

i was going to presume his choice of course at the uni was acting or directing, but his PPGW bio states that his ‘dacting’ (directing and acting) is all self-taught, so who knows. maybe he’s just in the society because of his aforementioned charitable work.

robert grove:

has starred in 40 productions with the society since 2002 (when he began work at cornley polytechnic as a caretaker - i’m taking this to mean he was never actually a student there.) anyway wow explains why they call him a “veteran actor” lol.

he offers acting lessons (reacting, gesturing, emotioning and acting) and can be contacted via twitter @robertgoodactor. i’ve looked this twitter account up and it does exist it’s just not been used since 2017 - that said there are some in-character photos of henry lewis as robert and nancy zamit as annie on there and plenty of tweets.

he runs an extremely dubiously safe cornley youth theatre program and can be contacted at his email robertgoodactor@hotmail.com (membership fees are non-refundable.)

trevor watson:

in TPTGW is arbitrarily from ‘the north east’ (rob falconer’s portrayal, whereas chris leask’s portrayal is firmly and specifically scouse.)

he has a twitter account (rob falconer’s portrayal) @trevtechie, with i think probably the most tweets of the cornley twitters. stopped being updated in 2017.

his participation in haversham was to complete an electronics module - as the light and sound technician i’d assume his course was in this kinda field.

he states that after haversham he wants to never work with the cornley drama society again, but as of PPGW he’s “following in his parents footsteps” and has pivoted to possibly actually studying stage management. (his PPGW bio states that he’s in his final year at the uni for the 3rd time running. so it could mean his staying on with cornley is like partially due to failing his course?)

dennis tyde:

in his TPTGW bio it states that he joined the drama society after failing to get in to any other societies.

he didn’t live on university campus and commuted in from his parents’ house. he mostly just wanted to make friends - he’s interested in snooker and wants to meet like-minded people.

in his PPGW bio he still wants to make friends and says you can reach him via twitter @dennistyde. i checked this account too and again it does exist but hasn’t been used since 2013, and there are only 3 tweets so its much more bare-bones than the others. i like his one tweet about drinking a mug of bovril to calm his nerves before a show.

as of 2021 in promotional vids we learn that dennis and robert now live together.

max bennett:

in TPTGW bio it says he was a first year studying human geography and crime which i was surprised about but sure okay. it also says here that he happily donated “a large portion of his recent inheritance” to the society to help fund it.

at the bottom of TPTGW’s cast page it states that the west end performance of the play is “made possible by a generous legacy from claude bennett” who’s presumably max’s grandfather? or just father? idk

his TPTGW bio also says his favourite movie is the legend of bagger vance which i’ve never seen but is apparently a will smith golf movie.

his hobbies as listed in his PPGW bio are chess, cooking & hanging out with friends and fam. he also dedicates his performance in PPGW to his grandma claire, which is sweet.

annie twilloil:

as of TPTGW she’s designed, built, painted, costumed & stage managed every cornley show for the past 3 years. in the PPGW bio, it states she’s studying cognitive behavioural therapy and pottery, and has taken up life drawing at the student’s union (as the model.)

after haversham, she apparently had an internship lined up at the bolton octagon.

she has WILD backstory in her PPGW bio that says she dedicated her performance to her estranged husband julian who she hoped was in the audiance and two children frangipani and ylang-ylang. not sure if the kids are with her or with the husband but either way, wild. nuts. pretty funny but also pretty tragic.

she’s also got an ad out looking for a new bloke (i suppose if her husband isn’t in the audience) apparently she’s been left by boyfriends previously for an air hostess, a stripper, and a coal miner.

she also enjoys knitting and playing the banjolin (an instrument she made herself.) her email address is greatfunmum@hotmail.com.

she has a twitter account that again hasnt been used since 2017 (@annietwiloil). a couple tweets chronicle dave hearn’s shoulder dislocation but as max so i guess its canon that max also dislocated his shoulder, but he did it while trying to open a twix? lmao

sandra wilkinson:

in her TPTGW bio it states that haversham manor is her 11th production with the company. idk how frequently they put on shows.

she won some kind of local kids beauty pageant in 1998 and did some modelling for a local restaurant (the sunam balti house, which apparently the cornley crew frequent? or have at least been to - seems they struggled with spicyness levels there, especially dennis.)

nothing on her course at the university, i might just take a stab and assume she was actually doing acting, since her bio is mostly about her being a performer.

she’s a big fan of jeremy irvine, they mention him in both of her bios.

jonathan harris:

is a total health & fitness guy. his course at the uni is in physical education and he’s also a model, though who’s to say what for. in PPGW this is expanded and he’s moved on to being a combo model/actor/photographer/lifecoach.

he loves his outdoor sports: mountain biking & kayaking are noted.

he had a bath salts advert out and he hoped it was gonna go national.

lucy grove:

her surname IS grove! i wasn’t sure, but that’s confirmed. not really much about her in there, because the bio is written by robert and he just used it to gas himelf up.

can’t tell if she’s a student at the university or just in the society through robert. genuinely there’s just not a lot to go on when it comes to lucy.

another note is that the murder at haversham manor and the version of peter pan that the cornley crew perform are both written by ‘susie h. k. brideswell’ who i guess either chris knows or chris is a big fan of?

other notes... they try so hard to make out like the characters aren't all the same age like implying that robert is genuinely older than most of them etc etc but ofc the cast featured in the TV broadcasts are all visibly the same age... ofc all this is just comedy innit so you can take it or leave it

also i realised that the american version of TPTGW calls it “the cornley university drama society” since i guess you guys dont have polytechnics over there. a polytechnic is like... a university that offers the arts (among the classics you know science law what have you) basically. by 2021 in promotional videos etc. shields in character as chris has dropped “polytechnic” altogether from the group’s name (but varies between calling it ‘the cornley drama society’ and ‘the cornley amateur dramatics society’) i assume to reflect how much time has passed since the group put on their first production under chris’ leadership - and that now they’re simply operating unattached to the university because they’ve become a real family. love love love, sillyness and love.

[cryptidmads]

good evening nsr community, i went through the ama from today and came back with an armful or two of lore. there’s a bunch more than last time, and i included bbj as well as the npcs. cozy up, check under the cut, and prepare for a long read. enjoy!

today's ama featured wan hazmer and daim dziauddin again, as well as concept artist ellie and animator ben fong.

BUNK BED JUNCTION (FT. DK WEST)

- mayday and zuke live in the sewers because they're an underground band. it's a pun - there were originally two variations of bbj leaving the sewers - one with mayday hi-fiving gigi (which had a 95% chance of happening), and one with zuke awkwardly fumbling and attempting to hi-five gigi (which had a 5% chance) - one of the inspirations for mayday and zuke were the two main characters of samurai champloo (zuke was jin, mayday was mugen) - someone asked about if the rest of the cast had their own shadow puppets. ben suggested a lemur for mayday, while ellie suggested a zucchini for zuke. she may have been joking. - mayday's guitar solos were done by different people, but zuke's drum solos were all done by bruno valverde. - zuke was the one who implemented the canister thing into mayday's guitar. - someone asked who of the cast are the introverts and who are the extroverts. mayday is an extrovert, zuke is an introvert. - the team does have a bit of lore for mayday and zuke and how they met, but they want to save it in case of a future project. - mayday was inspired by both genevieve from company of thieves and the unbreakable kimmy schmidt. - ben did the animation for mayday swinging the hammer in the workshop. - haz recalls seeing some fanart of mayday being brought up as a rich girl. he doesn't remember the artist, but he does like the idea. - the japanese version has zuke say he has a phd rather than a master's degree. this is apparently a mistake. - the pattern on zuke's pants was inspired by jolyne cujoh and prosciutto from jojo's bizarre adventure. - zuke's toilet seat collection came partially from a story from one of the environmental artists where one of their high school friends pranked another friend with a toilet seat. - zuke does a lot of reading and is naturally inquisitive about things like tech and mechanics. - dk west's shadow puppet abilities might run in the family, and zuke may have it as well. - both zuke and dk west are connected by percussion (zuke with the drums, west with the hand claps) - zuke and west weren't always designed to be related -- west was originally designed as "some guy who comes and goes," but was made into zuke's brother later on in production - dk west is an extrovert.

DJ SUBATOMIC SUPERNOVA

- djss' dj name is obviously a stage name, but the team didn't have a real name for him in the script or anything. - haz joked that his name is bob salad. that's not canon but from what i seen the chat loved it lol - haz brings up the symbolism of djss spinning the planets around himself and how it represents that he thinks of himself as the center of the universe. - ellie helped design the districts, and something she noted about dj's is that it's supposed to look the "slummiest" because he cares more about himself and less about things like blackouts. - dj had some lines cut from his boss fight. those lines? mini lectures towards bbj during every phase. they were cut because the team felt like they were too much for the game, but they want to share them one day. - daim says that dj could be either introverted or extroverted becuase of how much time he spends alone looking at the stars. - dj was never planned to have an approach segment, but funk fiction wasn't told that, so he made him an approach theme anyway. - dodo ice pops are traffic light flavoured, which is a popular ice cream in malaysia. it's strawberry, pineapple, and lime flavored.

SAYU AND THE NERD SQUAD

- three of sayu's creators were based on staff members at metronomik. remi (voiced by ben) was based on one of the programmers and one of the environmental artists (ellie calls him "the lovechild of two dudes"), tila was based on (and voiced by) ellie herself, and dodo was based on danish mak (another environmental artist who also voices him). - sofa wasn't based on anyone in particular, he was more of a "general otaku guy" according to ellie (though haz joked that ellie could just say he was based on him). - dodo is daim's favorite npc -- he also designed him! - sayu was ellie's favorite character to design. she loves drawing mermaids. - the progression in sayu's fight where you go deeper into the "ocean" is supposed to be a metaphor for going deeper into the internet/the deep web. - ellie suggested that if sayu were to have a shadow puppet, it would be a cat. - as for the introvert/extrovert debate, daim says sayu is technically comprised of 4 introverts. sayu herself is the extrovert mask they wear. - sayu's ahoge is a submarine periscope. remi looks through it in one of the cutscenes. - sayu's not a mech. she's remotely controlled by her creators from their computer room. - the backstory between remi and tila is meant to show that artists can come from all sorts of backgrounds.

YINU AND MAMA

- yinu's promotional video was one of the first ones done before they brought in lzbros, so it originally looked different from how it looks in the game now. - yinu's mother's eyes are yellow because she spends most of the fight focusing on yinu (who is mainly yellow). when her eyes go blank white, it represents that she's momentarily forgotten what she loves the most. when her eyes become yellow again after the fight, it means she's remembered yinu and her piano playing. - the way ellie describes natura is that yinu is a plant and her mother is very protective of her, and one of the distinctive features is that there are a lot of domes with plants inside, particularly on the roofs of the houses. - yinu's commercial was not intended to reference little miss fortune. the commercial was shown in 2018, while LMF came out a year later. - yinu's mom turning into a giant tree monster isn't exclusive to her just being angry at bbj. apparently the whole plant thing runs in the yinu family.

1010

- 1010's concept as a boy band had been around since before the team started production, but they were the last to be fully designed -- their designs weren't finalized until way later on. - 1010 were ellie’s least favorite characters to design. she doesn't like drawing guys OR robots. - 1010's early designs had them wearing tuxedos. - 1010 do have memories. - the inspiration for the butt plates came from one of ben's gundam figures from his collection in the metronomik office. thanks ben. - ellie's favorite member of 1010 is purl-hew/blue. - eloni/green is apparently the rapper of the group. - the jingle you hear from the carousel in metro division is a carnival remix of 1010's boss theme. - the numbers underneath 1010's names on the autographs are completely random.

NEON J

- neon j is a dancer. daim explains that in addition to being in the navy, dance has always been his true passion. - in the final phase of 1010's fight, he was originally supposed to control the dance moves of the factory as he was fighting you, but it was cut due to limited resources. - daim designed neon j based on ellie's designs for 1010. - neon j's factory's dance moves were all animated by ben -- no mocap needed. the factory was also his favorite thing to animate. - daim says that "neon j is to tatiana as soundwave is to megatron." basically he is extremely loyal to tatiana. - neon j was one of earliest members of nsr. - neon j seeing 1010 as his sons wasn't planned, but daim loves the concept so much that he could see it being canon. - daim says neon j's brain is "probably" still inside the monitor head. somehow. - neon j is an extrovert. - haz likes the idea of neon j being blind and using his sonar to "see" things. ben joked that the screen worked like giant glasses. - neon j originally had red dots that would pop up on his face when the sonar moved by that were meant to represent acne, and that would've been the reason why he's mostly behind the scenes.

EVE

- in mayday's side of the room when eve splits up bbj, the hands all over the walls are meant to be there to show how eve is angrier at mayday than she is at zuke. - the time signature for the music in mayday's room during the fight is 6/8, whereas in zuke's room it's 4/4. - ellie suggested a platypus shadow puppet for eve. the rest of the team seems to be on board. - eve was ben's least favorite character to animate. he said he struggled with animating her dance moves because it was something he'd never done before, and he still doesn't think he did a good enough job. - eve was born with her split skin tone. - apparently eve's near scrapping had something to do with costs. haz was the one who stopped it from happening. - eve's outfit was partly inspired by beyonce, while her jacket was partly inspired by ariana grande. the team took some inspiration from bjork, as well. - the sleeves on eve's jacket were apparently limbs at one point. - eve is an introvert.

NPCS/OTHER CHARACTERS

- part of tatiana's symbolism is how she used to be a rock star, but her flame/passion slowly burned away, and now she's just a rock, referencing how she was literally on fire as the rock star kul fyra, but now looks burnt out. - daim thinks kliff is older than tatiana, probably over 50. - in addition to the neon j dance lore mentioned above, kayane rambling about neon j after the 1010 fight was supposed to be connected to her watching neon j dance. - ben and haz's favorite npc is mia, and ellie's is dj zam. - dj zam was inspired by one of ellie's college friends, who she says "makes you feel comfortable to be around". - ellie thinks dj zam's neck tattoo says "i love mom". - amal the unicorn was inspired by lady amalthea from the 80's animated film "the last unicorn". he was originally written to be a real talking unicorn, but it was changed partially because his horn wasn't in the right spot on his head. - zed was based on game designer dzaid and has hyperacusis, a hearing disorder that makes it difficult to deal with everyday sounds. - yiruk's name is an anagram of kiryu, the protagonist of the yakuza games. - chef sunshine's design is a homage to julia child. she originally had a bigger physique, but was changed to match lylia's bubbly performance.

[spaceorphan18]

have you ever read a detailed post about the glee cast’s singing voices? like all about their technique and stuff? reading your reaction to the ‘vocal coach reacts to glee’ video makes me want to know more!

Hmmmm, not really! Not from a professional vocalist POV, I don’t think.  (That I’m aware of.  This does remind me there was one vocal coach in fandom, and she hated Blaine, and I wasn’t too fond of her, or her analysis, so I won’t point you in that direction.) 

My background is in music, but not in vocal performance.  But I can give you a quick rundown of cast’s musical abilities if you like, though they won’t be huge on the technical side of it.  

ETA: I started this a while ago before I started doing the music retrospective - I’ll probably try to explore a little more as I do those.   If you guys want more conversation about one person in particular, let me know! 

But for now... 

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Matthew Morrison: Is a classically trained musician with a very good voice.  It’s a shame Will was such a tool, because Matthew Morrison was very talented, had the ability to do a lot of great things with his voice.  People joke about his rapping -- but I think this stemmed from the issue that his background is in musical theater -- which teaches you a cleaner and more traditional way of singing -- opposed to a pop or rap style.  He doesn’t have the grit that rap often has, which makes it a little too much like a Kid’s Bop version of something.  When singing musical theater, though, he really shined. 

A number that showcases ability: Make ‘Um Laugh

A number that isn’t so great: Ice Ice Baby

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Lea Michele: Lea does have a very good and solid voice.  She’s also been classically trained.  The one drawback is that it hinders her a bit on pop music, she lacks some of the grittiness often needed on a lot of the pop songs.  She also starts to lose some of her classic training as the show goes on (which I think is a shame) so that she can get some of the shine off her voice to make a transition to pop music.  

She has one vocal tick that drives me crazy, though -- she has a tendency to slide into her notes instead of hitting them dead on, which gets worse as the show goes on, and it makes her sound a little screech-y at times.  But for the most part -- she is really good. 

A number that showcases ability: Don’t Rain on My Parade

A number that isn’t so great: Ooops...I Did It Again

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Amber Riley: The cool thing about Amber is that you get to hear her grow as a musician as the show goes on.  She had already started to get vocal lessons before the show started, but at the beginning, she was still a bit raw and unrefined in her technique.  But you can tell she did practice, and her voice is developed beautifully as the show goes on.  She was one of the best, well rounded vocalists on the show.  She had a good handle on pop and R&B music, but she could sing musical theater rather clearly, too.  She has great breath support - and can belt numbers out while still retaining the quality.  Can’t say enough good thing about Amber’s voice. 

A number that showcases ability: Someday We’ll Be Together

A number that isn’t so great: Sweet Transvestite (It’s not bad - but it’s my least favorite Mercedes solo.) 

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Cory Monteith: Cory wasn’t a vocalist.  And, to be completely honest, I thought it was some kind of joke when they introduced him as some kind of hidden musical gem when Will hears him singing the showers.  He did really well with classic rock that’s allows not only for a weaker voice - but is often not as technically hard.  And I have to wonder if Cory got lessons, because he did get a lot better as the show went on, and I think his season 4 work is great! 

I will say that sometimes they pushed his voice a little too far.  A lot of times songs were either too high for his range and he often sounded like he was straining.  (The most notable of which is A House is Not a Home - which is far too high for him.)  That said - I think he did reasonably well along side Lea - mostly because often sang pop duets.  

A number that showcases ability: I’ve Gotta Be Me

A number that isn’t so great: Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore

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Chris Colfer: Chris is such an interesting study due to the uniqueness of his voice.  He’s got a huge range both in terms of genre and literal range of voice.  He can sing quite a few octaves.  He’s got a great, clear sound, too, which is why he’s great with theater numbers.  Interestingly, Chris’s voice did drop over the years, and while I know people love his higher range, he has a gorgeous lower range that wasn’t used as often (and is often my favorite.) 

The one (nitpicky) issue was that Chris’s voice ended up getting pigeon-holed.  I know singing Diva-Broadway songs was his schtick - but it would have been nice to hear him sing a bigger variety of songs.  He wasn’t the strongest on non-ballad pop music, but they also didn’t give him that very often.  

There’s also the fascinating unusualness in that, Chris could really sing duets very well with people -- but in group numbers, his voice sticks out like a sore thumb, and he was often left out of some of the more general songs because of it.  His voice just doesn’t texture very well - which is why I get why they did what they did.  

A number that showcases ability: Being Alive

A number that isn’t so great: I’ll Remember

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Kevin McHale: I feel like people are often surprised when they sit down and think about it, but Kevin has a great voice.  He has a solid range, and he’s able to do pop music very well (I believe it helps that he was in a professional boy band for years.)  Not sure if people noticed - but he’s often the lead on group numbers that don’t need to be related to specific story or character points.  Which is a bummer for Artie’s story - but if you’re a fan of Kevin’s voice, you get a lot to choose from.  

Kevin was also able to handle a lot of the musical demands that I think some of the other males weren’t? He’s a much better singer than Cory - and could handle leading a full number.  His voice isn’t as unique as Chris’s and can texture really well.  In addition he was fairly versatile.  He might have been the best rapper the show had, lol. 

A number that showcases ability: For Once In My Life

A number that isn’t so great: Addicted to Love (personal taste choice - I just don’t like the song.) 

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Jenna Ushkowitz: Jenna is another one who is classically trained.  She has a strong, solid voice, which was unfortunately not showcased all that well on the show, and because of that, I’m not sure how she does on a wide variety of music.  I do think she sounds a little generic - but not helping is lack of being featured.  

A number that showcases ability: I Don’t Know How To Love Him

A number that isn’t so great: Gangum Style (She does fine - but the fact that they made her do it in the first place...) 

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Dianna Agron: The interesting thing about Dianna is that she has a really nice low female voice.  The fact that they never gave her any punk or harder rock was really a shame, because I think she would have done really well with that.  The funny thing is that, more so in the beginning, they show tried to make her sing songs that fit her character - but weren’t necessarily great for her voice.  I feel like it wasn’t until late season 2 did they start really using her voice for the better.  

A number that showcases ability: Never Can Say Goodbye

A number that isn’t so great: It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World

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Mark Salling: Mark had a really solid voice - that often lent itself well to folk and acoustic really well.  He was good with softer pop and classic rock, and the show showcased that pretty well.  I think, in general, Mark was a much better vocalist than actor, and the show often picked good music for him to sing - which helped with his character.  I don’t have a whole lot to say, only that I think he was underrated as a vocalist, but I get it - with all the other baggage that comes with talking about Mark. 

A number that showcases ability: No Surrender 

A number that isn’t so great: Fight For Your Right (to Party) (I don’t think it’s bad - I just hate this song.) 

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Naya Rivera: Naya is a little tricky.  I think she has a good, smoky sound to her voice that makes her excellent at things like pop and R and B.  (Shame she didn’t have a good jazz number to do on the show - she would have been great at that.)  I think she was really versatile, though, and handled her Broadway numbers really well.  I do think she was somewhat pinched and nasal at times - and while I do think this was a stylistic choice, to me it’s not my favorite type of vocal sound.  But I do think she was really good at the numbers she was given, and was one of the most talented female vocalists on the show. 

A number that showcases ability: Back to Black

A number that isn’t so great: Alfie (I think I may dislike the song more than her singing on it.) 

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Heather Morris: Heather wasn’t a singer, and I do think it showed at times.  She often had to have her voice autotuned more than anyone else on the show.  That said - she did do Britney Spears really well, and I think she deserves credit for that.  

A number that showcases ability: I’m a Slave 4 U

A number that isn’t so great: Dinosaur

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Chord Overstreet: Chord’s background is in country - and that shows a bit through his singing - he’s got a bit of twang in his voice, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.  He’s a fun singer.  I don’t think the show knew exactly what to do with him (voice or character) but there’s a lightness to his singing that makes him easily adaptable to pretty much anything you throw at him. 

A number that showcases ability: Red Solo Cup (You think I’m joking - but I think this is the most fun Chord has singing a song.) 

A number that isn’t so great: Girls on Film (I think just by default of me liking everything else better.) 

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Darren Criss: Ah, Darren, where to even start.  The thing about Darren is that he may not be the strongest singer, his voice is a little wobbly at times, and his range is somewhat limited, but his showmanship is just completely beyond nearly everyone else.  Darren has the unique ability to draw you in with his singing and hold you captive.  There are technically better singers on the show - but Darren just has this amazing ability to really sell a performance.  And I do love his voice, even if there are some limitations to it.  I really could gush about Darren’s performance abilities, but I’ll refrain... 

A number that showcases ability: Teenage Dream (Both Versions) 

A number that isn’t so great: Piano Man (Which isn’t bad - I just think the show had done it better, and it’s a rare time that felt like Darren was kind of phoning it in.) 

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A quick run down of others, but first a quick aside - as they started adding people in, vocal ability starts being a factor.  I think a lot of the newer characters could sing better than they could act, which was both helpful and a hinderance.  I think we began to get more solid musical numbers as the show went on, but sometimes acting wasn’t always top notch - and across the board, old and new, hitting a combo of acting and singing ability didn’t always happen.  

Harry Shum Jr.: Not really a singer - but the show often played to his strengths, and his few songs played off the fact that he wasn’t a great singer to great aplomb.  

Jane Lynch: Can hold a tune, even if her voice isn’t the best - is really great at musical comedy. 

Jayma Mays: She has more singing ability than the show allowed to showcase, however, she’s another one whose voice was really unique, and doesn’t texture very well.  

Damien McGinty: Is actually a very good singer.  However, he’s very generic, too - which makes him a little on the bland side. 

Sam Larsen: I think he was fine - I don’t think he sang enough on the show for me to make much of an impression one way or the other. 

Alex Newel: Fucking Fantastic! Alex might be one of the strongest vocalists on the show - has great range, energy, and vocal control.  

Melissa Benoist: Her voice tends to lean on the pop-ier side, but it’s a solid voice, and her work on the show was pretty good.  

Jacob Artist: Has a strong voice, and could sing genres that weren’t often featured on the show (like hip-hop and R&B).  

Blake Jenner: His voice is fine, but like Damien McGinty, it’s generic and a little bland. 

Becca Tobin: She has a very quirky voice that brings in a different and unique sound.  They didn’t use her much, though, so it’s hard to comment. 

Noah Guthrie: An amazing singer, has a really unique sound, but is able to do blend in well with others.  

Samantha Ware: Another amazing singer.  She’s in full control and can do really great things with it. 

Billy Lewis Jr: Has a good, solid voice.  Not as strong as Guthrie, or some of the other guys, but he’s a lot of fun to watch. 

Laura Dreyfuss: Like Becca Tobin - has a uniqueness to her vocal quality that makes it stand out a little, but she’s still a solid singer. 

Marshall Williams: His vocal ability is okay.  It’s better than his acting ability.  I’m slightly confused how this dude got cast, tbh.  

[korra-the-red-lion]

Legends of Tomorrow and the Zarlie Incident: Is it happening again?

As many fans of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow are aware, during season 4 and 5 of the series, the ship “Zarlie”, a pairing of Zari Tomaz and Charlie, became quite popular during this time, especially during season 4.

Zari was a fan favourite character who was introduced in season 3. Throughout the season, Zari kept mostly to herself until she began to warm up to the others on the Waverider. Due to Zari’s closed off nature, she never had a LI in season 3. There were jokes about it, of course. Zari was very attractive to one Mr. Jonah Hex, and honestly. who wasn’t from the Waverider, haha? We’re told them as viewers that Zari is attracted to men. Sounds good.

Then s4 rolls around and Charlie gets introduced to the crew. Charlie takes an instant liking to Zari, affectionately calling her ‘Z.’ Maisie previously played Amaya on the previous two seasons, who was quite close with Zari as a friend, so it only makes sense that there is some chemistry between the two actors since they’ve been friends for awhile now. I wasn’t surprised when people starting shipping the two of them, thus the ship ‘Zarlie’ was born. What I wasn’t expecting was the writers to play into it. They had some pretty close scenes, and by close I mean there wasn’t enough room for two hands between their faces. And Zari made a comment about Charlie picking Amaya’s form because she was hot, implying that she thought Amaya was attractive. Thus the infamous scene happened:

No denial from Zari, just her usual annoyed look she got whenever Charlie started picking at her. Thus, the Bi Zari headcannon was born and mostly accepted by everyone in the LoT fandom. Of course, with Avalance and I believe Constangreen at this time, many people doubted it would become canon. And unfortunately, shortly after, Nate and Zari began dating, which felt sudden to me personally, and Steelhacker was born.

However, Steelhacker canon did not stop Zarlie from continuing. If anything, the writers only added more fuel to the fire so fans could have discussions. This is where I started to get annoyed, because why continue to bait the pair if you have no intention of making it canon? It felt a little dirty to me, even as I enjoyed the banter and chemistry between the two of them. Oh well, I thought at the time, it’s just shipping for fun now.

Season 4 ends with Zari being replaced by Zari Tarazi, or Zari 2.0 if you will. People still shipped Zarlie, though it was mostly from Zari 1.0. Fans were a little put off when Charlie said she slept with Behrad, but it also called attention to the fact that Behrad technically replaced Zari from the original timeline, meaning that Charlie wanted sleep with Zari, yes? Very confusing, but in a weird way, it was almost like they canonized the ship further.

Maisie had been on record several times acknowledging the chemistry between the two, and how much she wished they could have explore that more. Then of course, the news of the filmed but deleted kiss broke out and everyone from the Zarlie fandom lost their mind. There was a kiss, so in some strange way, Zarlie is canon, but only behind the scenes. From a show that does have amazing queer characters and content came a strangely bizarre queerbait that is now semi-canon, but only because the news of the kiss came to light, otherwise it would be another ship lost at sea, dragging people down with it as it lured them with its content. That should be the end of it, right?

Wrong.

Season 6 came out this season with Astra, the villain being manipulated by the Fates in season 5, being elevated to main cast. Joining her was newcomer Esperanza “Spooner” Cruz. Some people were hesitant because Astra was a bit of a polarizing character in s5, with reason. And of course, with any new character coming in, people are worried on how they will fit into the show. However, Spooner easily became a character that people enjoyed, and she somehow grounded the show, due to her very emotional character arc.

Spooner and Astra didn’t interact much until the animated sequence, when Astra turned her into a fork, much to the fans delight. Spooner actually encouraged Astra and after that, the two slowly became friends. They could have some snarky yet fun back and forth conversations and remarks to another, and the two actors played off each other well. They also connected from their lost mothers, Spooner who thought her mother had been taken by aliens and Astra who lost her mother to hell. They had a sort of emotional vulnerability between them that only they could understand.

Then the bowling episode came out and I think this is when the ship really got rolling. There was the big hug at the end of the match were a much taller Astra scoops Spooner up off her feet into a massive bear hug, smiles between the two. I know this is when I became a solid Esperastra shipper.

The pair continued to partner up after this. They partnered up again during the Clue-esc murder mystery game. Something that is very interesting about this is the pairings themselves. Ava gets killed by Sara right away (lol) and Nate dies shortly after, with Sara following behind. When Sara dies, her and Ava are shot together in a typical lovers pose in death. Makes sense, as they are engaged. Zari 2.0 is paired with Behrad and John, her brother and her lover respectively. Everyone is paired with someone they love. So...Astra and Spooner are paired up. Okay, no comment. JUST KIDDING. They die together, and this is shot in such a romantic way:

I know it’s dark, my apologies. But Spooner is leaning on Astra, and Astra is falling on top of Spooner. I’ve watched and read a lot of stuff, and this is a typical lovers in death position as well. 

Then we get to the final two episodes which see Spooner and Astra pairing up again. Spooner leans on Astra for emotional support throughout these two episodes, because she knows that Astra understands what she’s going through. Astra was devested when she thought she lost both Spooner and John at the same time. Luckily, Spooner did come back and the two shared a very emotional hug.

Now, this is where it gets a little frustrating as a fan. The writers and showrunners have stated clearly that they are Just Friends(TM). It seems like, based on some decisions from this past season, the writers are pushing for Astra/Behrad, which is like, not terrible but a little strange. However, Tala Ashe (Zari), has been on record to say that she thinks the actors have great chemistry and she ships them. So there is clearly a small divide yet again. So, if season 7 leans into this any more, is Esperastra the new Zarlie?

Of course friends can love each other, hug one another, and use each other as emotional support. However in this case, there does seem to be some underlying tension between the two that I wonder if the writers are going to explore. Is Esperastra going to stay friends, or end up becoming yet another queerbaited sapphic couple from Legends of Tomorrow? I guess only time will give us an answer on this. However, I will say, the parallels between the two ships is slightly uncanny, and perhaps even intentional. Zarlie connected by being two people who felt lost without family, and Esperastra may be doing the same thing now that John is gone, who was functionally Astra’s only family left.

Let’s hope Legends of Tomorrow doesn’t do the same thing twice.