#I think everyone might think there would be a freebie

[ivvmell]

a big part of cody enjoyer group always forgets that cody has some experience as mace windu's commander and i cant stop thinking about their dynamic and what a big besties they could be

#also that time when cody had to move to 212 after a17 #I think everyone might think there would be a freebie #but Cody is worse than a17 as a commander (in/pos sense) #after kenobis suicide tactics and anakin(in general) one clone was crying in hallway and asked windu to take him back

[jaeyunverse]

the perks of having a hot best friend

pairing: lee jeno x fem!reader

genres: fluff, crack, mild angst, best friends to lovers, college au

wc: 14336

warnings: profanity, sexual jokes, jeno is shirtless in a scene phew, too many idol features SORRY i lowk lost track of who i’ve included. i think that is all but lmk if you find something else!

summary: having a hot best friend is nice until you start getting butterflies in your stomach every single time you look at them.

note: JAEYUNVERSE COMEBACK WOOO i’ve missed writing long fics so much omfg but i’m shitting bricks as we speak LOL it’s been a while since i’ve posted something big and i won’t lie i’m hella nervous. i rlly hope you guys enjoy this fic ♡ please don’t hesitate to give me your feedback! here’s to hoping my writing skills haven’t become as rusty as i think i have hehe :’))

masterlist

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐊𝐒 !

01. an abundance of freebies and discounts

Lee Jeno knew the power his smile held. 

All it took was one flirty laugh combined with those sleepy eyes of his for people to melt. Being the resourceful person you were, you utilised that talent of his to its full extent. 

“Can you go and flirt with the cashier so she gives us a free muffin?” 

Your best friend gave you a dirty look. “You do realise this is supposed to be your treat, right?” 

“I am paying!” you exclaimed. “Just go do your thing and make her feel generous enough to slip a free dessert in our order.” 

Jeno rolled his eyes, but you knew you’d won. You almost always did. “Fine, whatever. You owe me one though.” 

“I’m feeding you because I owe you one,” you pointed out. “This makes us equal.”

“How riveting. I have to work so the person who owes me doesn’t have to owe me anymore.” 

“We can argue about this for hours or you can haul ass to the counter and place the damn order. I’ll Venmo you the money the moment you’re back,” you promised. 

Sliding out of the booth, Jeno said, “You’re lucky you’re cute. If this were Jaemin, I wouldn’t be letting him off the hook easily.”

You stuck your tongue out at him and shooed him away. Narrowing his eyes, he grabbed your wrist and pulled you along. 

“Hey!” you cried. “Don’t take me with you! The flirting won’t have any effect on her if she thinks we’re together!” 

“Everyone thinks we’re together,” Jeno muttered and got in line behind an old man. “She checked me out when we entered the cafe, saw you arm-in-arm with me and gave you the dirtiest look to ever exist.” 

You snorted. “Liar. You might be an eye candy but you do not command such a high level of attention.”   

“I’m telling the truth!” he argued. “I would know because I was checking out the drink she placed on the counter. I was trying to figure out what the person’s order might have been to get something so incredibly delicious-looking. I saw her out of the corner of my eye.” 

“Oh.” You frowned and took a step forward when the line moved ahead. “That’s unfortunate. Should we go to another cafe and try our hand at getting something free there?” 

“How about you stop being such a cheap skate for once?”

Slapping his shoulder hard, you grumbled, “I have to bear the weight of my goddamn rent alone while you share yours with three others! I need to cut down on certain things, asshole.” 

“My offer to move in with you next semester still stands.” Jeno wiggled his eyebrows. “I’m a really good housemate; ask the others.” 

“You live with boys. The disgusting things you do don’t bother them because they do them too.” 

He closed his mouth and thought about it for a second. Then, “Touché.” 

You rolled your eyes, but before you could make another snarky comment, a pleasant voice interrupted, “Good morning. What can I get for you today?” 

Jeno averted his gaze to the girl standing behind the counter and let a lazy smile take form on his lips. You raised a brow and watched in amusement. 

“Hey there. Can I get a Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino with 1 pump caramel syrup, 1 pump hazelnut syrup, and 1 pump toffee-nut syrup? Java chips too, please.” 

The girl—Lia, according to her name tag—looked surprised to see him blatantly flirting with you right beside him. Maybe he was right about every stranger assuming the two of you to be together, though you couldn’t fathom why. “O—okay.”

“What do you want, friend?” Jeno stressed the last word. Refraining to roll your eyes a second time, you said, 

“Iced coffee without milk. Could you add some sugar to the brew? I prefer my drinks to be sweet.” 

“Of course,” she said and nodded once, unfazed even after learning of Jeno’s status as an eligible bachelor. 

Snorting under your breath, you whispered to him, “Lia doesn’t give a fuck. You’re lacking.” 

He scoffed and nudged you away. “No, I’m not,” he whisper-snapped. “Get out of here. You’re killing my vibe.” 

You deadpanned and gave him a don’t-bullshit-me look but retreated to your booth nonetheless. The last thing you heard Lia ask was: “Anything else?” 

You’d only been sitting and scrolling through your phone for a few minutes before a hand slapped a receipt on the table in front of you. 

Glancing up, you inquired, “What?” 

“Read the order.” 

Dropping your gaze to the piece of paper again, you picked it up. An appreciative frown tugged at your lips as Jeno slid into his seat. “You managed to get us a free muffin and a free bagel?”

“Don’t ever question my talents again,” he ordered and leaned back. Resting his arm on the cushion behind him and placing his ankle on his knee, his attitude was nothing short of a king’s. “I won’t tolerate any further slander.” 

“Uh-huh,” you muttered, utterly unimpressed. Though you admit, a smile threatened to break out on your face and you had to bite your lip to keep it from escaping. 

Jeno raised an eyebrow, as if waiting for something. All you did was stare at him, and when he realised you wouldn’t budge, he did an extremely horrible and high-pitched imitation of you that should have deserved jail. “Thank you sooooooo much, Jeno! If it weren’t for your flirting skills, I wouldn’t have anything to eat. You’re my one and only saviour, and I don’t know what I would have done without—”

“Order for Jeno!” Lia hollered. 

Said-boy flinched and clutched his heart with his hand. “What the… That was quick.” Clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to you, the tips of his ears red and his face flushed. “Whatever. I’ll be right back. Venmo me the bill amount.” 

You snickered and watched him get up. However, before he could move out of earshot, you called his name. “Thank you for your service.” 

Jeno glanced at you over his shoulder and did nothing but observe you for a moment. Then, a lopsided grin took form on his lips and he mock saluted. 

“You’re welcome.” 

02. gives good boy advice

“What are you doing here?” 

Pushing past you, Jeno strolled into your living room and plopped down on your sofa. “Is that any way to greet your best friend?” 

You rolled your eyes and closed the front door. Sitting down beside him, you placed your laptop on your lap again and resumed going through your notes. “I’m being serious. Were we supposed to hang out today? Because I cannot. I still have three finals left.” 

“No, we didn’t have any plans today,” he said, peering over your shoulder to check what subject you were studying. It was Economics. Horrible memories from the previous semester resurfaced and he shuddered before continuing, “Your text said you wanted to talk about something important?” 

You paused and glanced at him. “So you came over?” 

“Do you want me to leave?” Jeno frowned. “I thought it would be better to talk in person.”

He stood up and dusted himself off. Eyes widening, you grabbed his wrist and forced him back to his original position. “That’s not what I meant! I do want to talk to you but—it’s weird. I don’t feel like dealing with whatever has happened right now and I’m getting second thoughts about asking you for advice.” 

Concern seeped into Jeno’s face. “Woah, are you okay? You don’t have to explain anything right now. Just tell me one thing: do I need to beat anyone up? I’ve got a few gym buddies who are ripped.”

You huffed a laugh and placed your laptop on the coffee table. Crossing your legs, you turned to face him. Upon watching you get comfortable, your best friend rolled his shoulders back and did the same thing. 

“Before I say anything, I need you to promise me that you won’t laugh. Or make fun of me. Or call me an idiot.” 

“I won’t,” he answered immediately, though he wondered what issue warranted you to require his word. 

Taking a deep breath, you nodded. “YangYang asked me out a few days ago. I’ve always liked him, but not in a way that’s not platonic. I fucked up and instead of rejecting him right there, I asked him for some time to think it over and kinda led him to believe that I would say yes.”

Jeno raised an eyebrow. “How?” 

“I told him he’s my type,” you mumbled, cringing at the memories that came rushing back. 

“What?!” he exclaimed. “How the hell did you manage to do that?” 

“I don’t know!” you whined and buried your face in your hands. “He came up to me when I was in the library and asked if we could talk! I didn’t know he was going to drop such a bomb on me so I said yes. Then he started talking about how he’s always cherished our friendship and how he’s so glad to have me.

“I started suspecting where his train of thought was headed when he added a but to his sentence. He said he’s liked me for a while now and he couldn’t keep it to himself anymore. I was flabbergasted once he was done! I’ve always viewed him as a good friend and I didn’t want to just turn his heart down!”

“So you told him he was your type?” Jeno asked incredulously. “I know I promised to not call you an idiot but you’re really fucking stupid, Y/N! It’s going to be hella awkward when the group meets up!” 

You groaned and closed your eyes shut, letting yourself fall on your back. “That’s not even the worst part.” 

Jeno grabbed your wrists and hauled you back up. His face was barely a few inches away from yours when he ordered, “Explain.”

Taking a deep breath, you continued. “I told YangYang that he was cute and my type but I wasn’t in a position to think about going out with anyone with still two weeks of finals left to get through. I thought he would drop it but he asked me if I would think about his confession after our exams and I felt terrible telling him the truth. So I said I would. Yeji called me last night and said she set me up on a blind date with this guy in her class. You know how fast word spreads here. YangYang is going to know I dangled him on strings only to go on a date with someone else!” 

“You’re going on a blind date? With whom?” 

You flicked Jeno’s forehead. “That’s not the issue!” 

“Well, I want to know!” he sputtered and slapped your hand away. 

“I don’t know! Frankly, I don’t care either. I made a bet with Yeji and I lost. Now I have to spend an evening with a random guy I don’t even want to seek a romantic relationship with.” 

Your best friend sighed in frustration. “This might be one of your biggest fuck-ups till now.”

“I know,” you said quietly and dropped your gaze to your lap in shame. 

“You’ll have to apologise to YangYang and tell him the truth. He’s a good guy and he doesn’t deserve any of this.” 

“I know.” 

“Hey,” Jeno said softly. You glanced at him to see he’d gotten up and was holding his out for you. “Come here.” 

You rose to your feet and let him envelop you in his comforting embrace. Burying your face in his chest, you whispered, “I never wanted to hurt YangYang. I don’t want to lose him as a friend.” 

“You won’t as long as you come clean and explain everything. Don’t insult him further by giving him more half-truths. Guys would rather know what’s the real deal than be lied to and find out from someone else. Not only is it hurtful, but it’s a huge blow to the ego.”  

Your lips curled in a small smile and you leaned back a little to look at his face. “Is this about your mom lying to you about the tooth fairy?” 

“Damn right it is,” he grumbled. “I gave an entire speech about her being my favourite person in the whole world. That’s not something you recover from easily.”

“It’s been 15 years.”

“It’ll take me another 15 to come to terms with the fact that I used to rip my loose teeth out and place them under my pillow when I needed money urgently.” 

You laughed and pulled yourself out of his arms. “I can’t believe I’m taking guy advice from you.” 

“Why?” Jeno exclaimed. “I’m a guy too! Plus, I always give good advice!” 

You giggled and plopped down on the sofa again. “I know. But you’re also Jeno. I’ve never thought of you as just a guy.” 

“I don’t know if I should be flattered or offended.” 

“How about you sit your ass down and help me study now that you’re here? I made flash cards.” 

Snatching the stack from your hand, Jeno teased, “Oh, how would you survive without me?”

“I don’t have to wonder about that shit.” You grinned. “There’s no way in hell you’re getting rid of me anytime soon.” 

He laughed. “And thank fuck for that.” 

03. hugs always make you feel safe thanks to all the beef underneath

You were going to drag Jeno to the seventh circle of Hell. 

You couldn’t afford to go grocery shopping with him when you had a huge exam the next day. You hadn’t studied shit and were one “have you prepared for tomorrow’s final?” away from a mental breakdown. 

It didn’t help that Yeji had called you in the middle of the night to clear a doubt she had from a chapter you didn’t even know had been covered.

You’d been panicking ever since and it felt like you were going to get a heart attack at any moment.  

“Doritos or Lays?” 

“Kick to the nuts or knuckles to the jaw?” 

Your best friend tore his gaze from the rack of chips and eyed you warily. “I said I’ll help you study tonight.” 

“You don’t understand, Jeno!” you exclaimed and ran a hand through your messy hair, pacing in the supermarket aisle impatiently. “I’m going to fail! Fail!”  

Groaning, Jeno grabbed your arm and forced you to face him. He held your shoulders and looked you in the eyes, enunciating each word as he reiterated, “You’re not going to fail. We’re going to pull an all-nighter in the library, but we need to be stocked up on food before we do that.” 

You sighed painfully. It burned your eyes to just focus on anything—how the hell were you supposed to stay awake for another day and write a three-hour-long exam after that? 

“You could have come here without dragging me with you,” you muttered. “I could have been studying at home instead of wasting precious time.”

Jeno frowned. “Any more time in front of your laptop and you would have gone insane, Y/N. Your eyes are completely red.” 

“Oh, that’s not because of the screen time. I cried before you came to check on me.” 

Huffing a small laugh that bordered on exasperation, amusement and worry, Jeno threw a few packets of Doritos in the shopping cart before slinging an arm around your neck. You let him pull you against him and wrapped your arms around his waist as the two of you began walking. 

“Well, you needed to get out anyway. I don’t remember the last time I saw you leave your apartment.” 

“I stepped outside yesterday to play with the neighbour’s cat,” you said defensively. 

“Not good enough,” Jeno popped. “We’re going to go get a massage once we’re done shopping.” 

You stopped in your tracks and peeled yourself away from him. “The final is in twenty-eight hours!” you yelled, staring at him incredulously. “Are you fucking stupid?!” 

“So you have plenty of time to de-stress before you start studying again!” he chirped, paying no heed to your concerns nor the people who had heard your outburst and were giving you odd looks. “Trust me, I went for a massage before my final and I was so relaxed. It helped me to focus too.” 

“Jeno,” you uttered his name with barely contained impatience. “I don’t have time. I need to cover a lot of shit before I go and sit in the fucking examination hall.” 

“And I said I’ll help!” he repeated, sounding almost exasperated. Pushing the shopping cart forward again, he studied the shelves and continued, “You always do this, Y/N. You freak out before a test and act like the world is ending only for you to do super well.”

“Well—” you began, stumbling after him— “that’s just my coping mechanism! The more worried I am, the better I do. But I’m screwed for real this time!” 

“No,” Jeno popped, placing a 2-litre bottle of Sprite in the cart. “I’m not listening to you this time. Especially not after you stayed awake for three days straight for your midterm.” 

You sighed again. There was no arguing with your best friend. “How long is this massage of yours going to take?” 

“We’ll be back at your place in two hours max,” he reassured you, patting your head. You swatted his hand away and gave him a dirty look. “I think we have everything we need to make it through today and tomorrow.” 

“Why do we need such a big bottle of Sprite?” 

“Party at my place this weekend. There’s a discount so I’m buying in advance.”

You frowned. “Shouldn’t you be stocking up on booze?”

“The guys said I have an alcohol addiction,” Jeno said, getting in line at the billing counter. “Which is, like, totally untrue but you know I never back down from a challenge. I’m going to prove them wrong by staying sober for two weeks.”

“Sure,” you snorted. “You’ll just find lame loopholes or cheat when no one’s looking.”

A sly grin took form on Jeno’s lips. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and drawled, “I know what you do when no one’s looking.”

“Really?” You feigned a gasp. “You know I sneak over to your house and steal your food when you’re not there?”

His smile dropped immediately. “Wait, what? That’s you? Not Hyuck?”

“The food thief is me but the one stealing your sheet masks is Hyuck,” you admitted.

“He steals my masks?! The ones I buy are expensive as fuck!” Jeno exclaimed, betrayal seeping into his features. His hands fell to his side and his eyes turned distant. “I can’t believe he’s been gaslighting me into thinking I do an extra round of skincare when I’m drunk.”

You giggled and pushed the shopping cart forward once the person in front of you was done. Placing the contents on the billing counter for the cashier to scan, you revealed, “Hyuck saw me raiding your pantry when you were at the gym. He used that as leverage against me for weeks before I saw him stealing your sheet masks and was able to finally strike a deal—he turns a blind eye to my robberies and I turn a blind eye to his.”

“Why’d you team up with him?” Jeno pouted. “I thought we were best friends.”

You laughed incredulously. “Seriously? That’s what you’re focusing on? Not the part where Hyuck and I used your stuff without asking?”

“Well, yeah, I’m pissed you used my shit. But I guess I’m just a little more bothered that you guys teamed up,” Jeno said and shrugged, fetching his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. “Because, you know, coming together to make people suffer has always been our thing.”

You raised an eyebrow, slightly amused by how he was beating around the bush. “Are you saying you wanna team up with me to get back at Hyuck?”

Jeno grinned. “I’m gonna screw over that motherfucker so bad. You get off the hook, though, because you’re cute and I need your help.”

“You’re impossible.” You huffed and shook your head. Taking the bag of groceries, you said to him, “Text me my share and I’ll Venmo the money to you.”

“You could buy me an ice cream instead.”

“No,” you denied immediately. “We’re not wasting time on ice cream. Massage and then straight home so I can pick up my study material and we can leave for the library.”

Thankfully, Jeno didn’t protest. He drove you to your apartment complex and waited for you while you packed your bag. Then, the two of you were off to the massage place.

An hour later, you were done and forced to admit that the massage had indeed helped you. It felt like all the stress had left your body. Thinking about the final didn’t make you want to cry anymore and things were actually looking up now that you were rested.

You were able to retain the knowledge better and it was easier to understand the concepts. Jeno quizzed you and provided you with an endless supply of coffee throughout the night.

Right before lunch the next day, however, the panic resurfaced as you were revising your syllabus for the last time before your final at 3. You couldn’t seem to remember anything you had studied the previous night. 

You could feel another breakdown coming, but before you could hyperventilate, Jeno scooped you up in his arms.

You hadn’t even realised when he’d come back from picking up your food. One minute, you were trying to control your breath and the next, your face was buried in his hard chest.

You held onto his shirt as his hands rubbed soothing circles on your back and he rocked you from side to side.

“Shh, don’t cry,” he mumbled and kissed the top of your head. “You’re gonna ace the final like you always do. You were able to answer all the quiz questions, so keep in mind that you are prepared. The pre-exam anxiety is just clouding your thoughts. Everything’s gonna come back to you when you sit down to write, alright?”

Nodding, you clenched your eyes shut and bit down on your lip to keep a sob from escaping. Jeno’s presence kept acting like a tether for you. It always had.

Maybe he was right about the final. Maybe he wasn’t. But at that moment, engulfed in his warm, safe embrace, it felt like everything was going to be okay.

𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐒 !

01. having to deal with a narcissistic asshole. 

It was an especially sweltering day. 

You were being baked inside-out despite wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts, your hair tied in a messy high bun. Adding to your torment was your broken A/C. You’d requested your landlord to fix it several times but your efforts were to no avail. 

You would have kept bothering him incessantly and gotten the job done if you weren’t so intimidated by him already. 

Sighing, you eyed your bathroom. A cold shower sounded like an amazing idea. Jeno wasn’t supposed to come over to watch the movie for a while anyway. 

Deciding to cool yourself and get rid of the sweat sticking to your body, you entered the tiny bathroom. A high-pitched squeal left your mouth the moment you turned the shower knob and the cold water hit your skin. 

“Fuck,” you cursed and flinched, turning the knob the other way immediately. Your shitty apartment didn’t even have a valve to adjust the temperature—the water was either mildly hot or ice cold. Showering in summer was always a big problem.

“God, I don’t wanna keep doing this,” you mumbled to yourself and stepped into your room again. 

There was this… thing you’d been doing ever since you moved into this apartment. Whenever it was hot, you’d work out so you’d get more sweaty. That way, when you showered under the ice-cold water, it didn’t feel as unbearable. 

It was weird and there probably was no science behind it, but you didn’t care as long as it worked. 

So, you rolled out your yoga mat on the floor and began warming up. 

Within no time, your skin was glistening with sweat and your hair was damp. You were struggling to complete the last push-up of your final set when someone knocked on your door, causing you to lose your focus. Your arms gave out beneath you, and you collapsed to the ground. 

“Woah, it’s boiling in here,” Jeno pointed out intelligently. “And you look like you’re one move away from dying. God, I can’t even breathe Why the fuck are you working out with the windows closed? Are you stupid?” 

Groaning, you rolled on your back and watched your best friend as he moved to the windows and threw them open. “Hey!” you protested weakly and raised a trembling arm in a pathetic attempt to stop him. “I’m trying to do something!”

Jeno raised an eyebrow at you and grabbed your hand, hauling you up effortlessly. “Oh, yeah? Pray tell.” 

You crashed into his chest and rebounded, but he tightened his hold on you. His palm hovered over your back in case you lost your balance. Steadying yourself, you glared at him and snapped, “No. You’re gonna make fun of me.”

“I won’t!” Jeno laughed, his eyes crinkling. 

“Stop, you’re doing it already!” 

“Okay! Okay, I’m sorry. I really do wanna know what you were doing.” 

You eyed him for a moment, waiting for him to slip up and start laughing again. But Jeno’s face remained mildly curious. Satisfied, you explained, “Well, because I was feeling hot, I decided to take a shower. The water here is very cold, though, so I decided to work out in a closed room because that would make me even hotter. If I get in the shower now, it wouldn’t feel as cold because my body temperature has already increased, and the water would be sort of neutralised.” 

A beat of silence passed. And then, “I know I said I wouldn’t make fun of you—”

“Then stop talking.”

“But did you not realise you could have mixed the hot and cold water in a bucket?” Jeno continued, clearly still talking. “Or, I don’t know, come over to my place to shower?” 

“You live with three other men.” You deadpanned. “I was not going to shower in your apartment with Jaemin, Renjun and Hyuck there. Also, I don’t have a big enough bucket, so I will be buying one today,” you added, muttering the last bit. 

Jeno rolled his eyes. “God, Y/N, I would have kicked the guys out.” 

“What makes you think they would have listened to you?” you asked amusedly.

“Okay, true,” he agreed. “They would have listened to you, though. If there’s anyone who’s bossy enough to get them out of the house on a hot Sunday afternoon, it’s you.” 

“Are you calling me bossy?” 

“Are you going to shower now?” he deflected. “You stink.”

“Shut up!” you exclaimed and slapped his shoulder hard, but laughed nonetheless. Moving away from him, you kicked him off your yoga mat and said, “You opened the windows and interrupted my workout, so I don’t feel as hot anymore. I think I’m gonna exercise a little more so I don’t die of hypothermia in the shower. You can take my laptop and choose a movie till then if you want.”

“How about I work out with you?” Jeno suggested. “We can have our gym bros moment.” 

“I don’t wanna have a gym bros moment with you.”

“Why?” he whined. 

Flicking his forehead, you said, “Because I know you’re gonna turn this into a competition, and I’m not in the mood.” 

“Scared?”

“You wish,” you scoffed. “I’m tired from all the working out I did before you came, and I’m not going against you when you have that advantage over me.” 

“That still means you’re scared. Pussy.”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, you got into the position for a plank. “Get out if you’re going to keep being annoying and not contribute shit to our gym bros moment.”

“I knew you’d come around,” Jeno replied smugly. You practically heard the grin in his voice when he said that. 

You closed your eyes and laboured your breathing as you felt your abdomen begin to burn almost immediately. “Had to, or I knew you’d keep irritating me.” 

Opening your lids, you turned your neck to see if he was doing the exercise with you. 

Your arms gave out the moment you saw Jeno shirtless, his bulging biceps on full display.

“Damn, you lost quicker than I thought,” he commented. 

“Why are you naked?!” you demanded in a shrill voice. 

Still in position, Jeno only glanced at you like you were out of your mind. “I was wearing a hoodie, Y/N. Did you expect me to do a plank in that furnace?” 

“Yeah!” you exclaimed. To your dismay, your eyes kept drifting to his well-defined muscles no matter how much you tried to focus on his face. 

To make things worse, Jeno noticed. And smirked. “Stop complaining if you’re enjoying the view so much. It’s okay to admit you have a hot best friend.”

Flustered, you scrambled to your feet and looked at the ceiling. God, you felt like a stupid middle schooler. It was insane how much of an effect Jeno was having on you. What was weirder was that your mind was drifting to places it had never been before. At least where your best friend was concerned. 

“Narcissus has nothing on you,” you muttered under your breath, and tried to gather your bearings. 

“Besides,” Jeno continued, having not heard you. “I do send you pictures sometimes. I don’t know why you’re acting like you’ve never seen me like this.” 

“Your phone’s camera is fucked, Jeno,” you grumbled. “The photos you texted me didn’t capture half of what’s actually there.”

No matter what you hadn’t seen, you’d felt whenever you hugged each other. It didn’t take away your surprise upon seeing the 2440p quality visual though. 

“Is that disappointment I hear?” he taunted. 

“No!” you exclaimed and finally looked at him again. At the sight of his working muscles, you muttered, “Can we stop now? You won.”

“Ah!” Jeno dragged the word as if he had just stumbled upon a revelation. “You want me to stand up so you can get a better view of my abs? Got it.” 

Your eyes widened, and before you could deny his ridiculous accusations, he was towering over you. Wiggling his eyebrows, he gestured towards himself and flexed dramatically. 

“You’re an idiot,” you huffed, unable to help yourself. 

“Yeah? Then I guess an idiot just managed to fluster the shit out of you.” Jeno smiled and ruffled your hair. Bending, he picked up his discarded hoodie and shrugged it back on. “I’ll go and get you a bathing bucket from the supermarket around the corner. Don’t freeze yourself to death.” 

You rolled your eyes. “I won’t.” 

“Also, do you remember the shirt I forgot here all those months ago after I got wet in the rain? Can you find it so I can change into it when I’m back?” He frowned and looked at himself. “I’ll eventually toast myself if I watch the movie in my hoodie.”

“Sure, but you’re stupid for wearing warm clothes in summer,” you commented.  

Jeno gave you a dirty look. “Sorry for assuming your A/C was in working condition. Besides, you always want to cuddle when we watch movies, so I figured you’d be more comfortable if I was wearing a hoodie.” 

Your cheeks warmed at that, your heart stumbling a beat. What was wrong with you? You’d always known Jeno was caring and went out of his way to do nice things for you.

Typically, you’d have felt grateful for how thoughtful he was being. 

Now, though, you felt that and… something else that you didn’t really want to acknowledge. 

“Whatever,” you said instead, trying to sound dismissive. Pushing him out of your room, you continued, “I’ll find it. Just hurry up with the bucket.” 

A few minutes after Jeno was gone, a notification popped up on your phone. 

[jeno]: clearer picture that i clicked on jaemin’s phone for your viewing pleasure :”) 

You blinked in confusion and opened the photo that was attached below, your eyes widening the moment you saw it. It was a zoomed-in gym mirror selfie of Jeno wearing nothing but sweatpants and shoes, his muscular abdomen on full display. 

[you]: did you crop jaemin? 

[jeno]: ???? [jeno]: wdym……. [you]: the photo’s dimensions are weird [jeno]: oh [jeno]: what the fuck [you]: LMFAOOO [jeno]: STOP I DIDN’T WANT YOU LOOKING AT HIM INSTEAD OF ME I’VE GOT A BETTER BODY ANYWAY AND I’M GONNA BUY A NEW PHONE SO I CAN SEND YOU CLEARER PICS WITHOUT HAVING TO CROP THAT FUCKER OUT 

You bit down on your lip to keep yourself from smiling too wide. Right before you were about to type a reply, you received another text from your best friend. 

[jeno]: so are you gonna tell me what you think [you]: FINE you’re hot. [you]: happy?  [jeno]: euphoric

Finally laughing out loud, you shook your head. 

Narcissus had nothing on Jeno indeed.

02. female friends ask you to be their wingwoman 

You didn’t think you’d ever accompanied Jeno to a party without having someone ask you to set them up with him. 

“Please,” Yoo Jimin begged for what seemed like the thousandth time. “Yeji said he was single!” 

Sighing, you mentally cursed Yeji for inviting Jimin to Jeno’s party. “He is, but I’m not setting you up with him.” 

“Why?” Jimin demanded rather aggressively, making you wonder what it would take for her to quit nagging you. “Do you like him or something?” 

It took a concerning amount of effort for you to refrain from rolling your eyes. “I do not.” 

“Then what’s the problem?” 

“I don’t know, Jimin!” you finally burst and gestured at your surroundings. “Maybe I’m not too keen on helping you out because you followed me into the washroom and cornered me! Maybe I feel used because you’ve never shown much interest in me even though I’ve tried striking up a conversation with you several times before!”  

Jimin’s features softened, and she looked away. “You’re right,” she muttered, guilt and shame evident in her voice. “I’m sorry for jumping on you like that.” 

You immediately felt bad for snapping at her. Pursing your lips, you tried to cheer her up. “Don’t worry about it. You don’t need me to set you up with him anyway. I know we haven’t hung out much, but based on what I’ve heard about you from Yeji, you’re smart, funny and social. You have no reason to be nervous while approaching Jeno.” 

For some reason, you regretted encouraging Jimin to pursue your best friend. A gaping hole formed in your heart, and you wished she would go for someone else instead. 

“Thanks, Y/N.” Jimin smiled gratefully. “I know I’ve been a shitty person, but could you give me another chance? I’d really like to get to know you more.” 

And just like that, the hollowness in your chest was gone. You gave her a genuine smile of your own and said, “I gotta pee right now, but does lunch tomorrow work for you?”

Jimin’s eyes widened. “Shit, I’m so sorry. I forgot where we were.” Rubbing the nape of her neck sheepishly, she replied, “Lunch works. I’ll text you tonight so we can talk about it.” 

The two of you exchanged your goodbyes, and then she was gone. A few minutes later, you exited the washroom as well and headed back to the party. 

“I missed you,” a voice slurred in your ear. Arms circled around your waist, and a face buried itself into the crook of your neck. 

You laughed. “You failed the challenge, Jeno.” 

“Where were you?” he demanded in an almost whiny tone. “It’s your fault! I wouldn’t have lost at beer pong if you’d been playing with me.” 

Patting Jeno’s back in consolation, you replied, “I’m sorry you have zero self-control and commit to things you know you won’t be able to do.” 

Jeno peeled himself away from you and pouted. “You’re mean.”

“Thanks. Let’s get wasted together,” you said, but then added upon looking at his already tipsy condition, “Or I can get wasted, and your ass can keep me company.”  

“Don’t you think one of us should be sober?” Jeno asked as you pulled him along.

“I’m not gonna hold back from drinking!” you exclaimed. “Let me remind you that you were supposed to be the sober one today and make sure I didn’t do anything stupid. I’m blaming you if I get naked in the yard.” 

Thanks to the music that was gradually getting louder as you approached the main party area, you didn’t hear your best friend’s response. You tightened your grip on his hand when the crowd thickened. Wading your way through the dancing throng, you finally reached the table lined with alcohol and food. 

You chose a bottle of Romanov and popped it open, drinking straight from it. You’d barely taken a few gulps when Jeno snatched it from you and put it to his own mouth. 

Throwing him a dirty look, you picked up another bottle for yourself. “Do you wanna dance?”

“I wanna throw up.” 

“Suit yourself.” You shrugged and aimed for the dance floor. A smile crept on your face upon seeing Jaemin; you were not in the mood to dance alone. 

“Y/N!” he hollered when he noticed you. Stumbling towards you, he pulled you in a quick embrace. “I haven’t seen you in so long!” 

“Finals!” you answered. Jaemin nodded in understanding and ran a hand through his hair, taking a swig from his beer. “Do you wanna dance?” 

You grinned. “You know I do.” 

The next few hours were a complete blur. The bottle in your hand was replaced by more one after the other, and when Jaemin deemed you’d had enough to drink, he gave you a red solo cup filled with water instead. 

It felt good to finally unwind after the horrible few weeks you’d had. There was no academic stress weighing down on you anymore, and though you were low on sleep, you didn’t want to stop partying. 

You just wished you and Jeno had gotten wasted together. While you were having fun with Jaemin, partying with Jeno was a different experience entirely. 

Right as you were about to take a sip from your cup, you felt an arm being thrown around your neck. The touch was so familiar that you recognised who it was immediately. 

“I missed you!” you exclaimed. Jeno looked down at you with a grin on his face, a pair of black party glasses sitting on his nose. His hair was damp and fell over his forehead. Maybe it was the liquor in your system, but you could have sworn he never looked better. “Let’s dance.”

“Dance?” Jeno laughed. “Haven’t you been doing that for the past two hours? Don’t your feet hurt?” 

Frowning, you glanced at your legs. “They do!” you exclaimed, and looked back at him again, your bottom lip sticking out in a pout. Feeling tears beginning to pool in your eyes, you mumbled, “But I still want to dance.”

“How about we go on the roof instead? The stars look pretty tonight,” your best friend suggested, trying his best not to laugh at you. “I didn’t drink at all after you left me. I’m sober enough to take care of you now.” 

Your eyes lit up at that. “Wow, that’s such a good idea! You’re so smart, Jeno. I love you.”  

Jeno’s lips finally twitched up in a smile. “I love you too, silly.” 

Plucking the solo cup out of your hand, he offered you an arm. You looped yours through it with a soft thank you and leaned on him as he led you upstairs. 

The two of you entered his dark room, and Jeno shut the door behind him. Only when the loud music was muffled did you realise your head was throbbing.  

He unhooked your arms gently and grabbed a warm blanket off his bed. Throwing open his window, he jumped out on the flat roof and looked at you expectantly. 

You staggered behind Jeno and took the hand he was holding out for you. His other hand hovered over your waist as you climbed on the sill. 

Thanks to the alcohol in your system, your balance was non-existent, and your legs turned to jelly the moment they made contact with the roof. Fortunately, your best friend was there to catch you.

You bumped into Jeno’s chest instead of falling to the ground. He wrapped his arms around you and steadied you, laughing a little at your antics. 

“God, how much did you drink?” you heard him wonder to himself. You mumbled an incoherent response and leaned against the outside wall of his room, watching him lay the spread on the floor. 

The two of you usually climbed the ladder that led to the slanting roof at the very top of the house, but you reckoned the boy in front of you didn’t want to risk taking you up there when you were so wasted. 

Jeno sat down on the blanket once he was done and peeked at you over his shoulder, patting the space beside him. “Come on.” 

Pushing yourself off the siding, you stumbled to him, tripping over your feet a bit. You were able to keep your balance, though, and a moment later, you found yourself lying on the blanket next to him.

Your shoulders brushed against each other, the warmth from his body seeping into you. It was summer, but the night air was still chilly, especially now that you were on the roof. You were thankful for the protection Jeno offered against the mild cold. 

The music was blaring once again now that you were outside, and there were no barriers to deafen it, but the volume barely bothered you. Your eyes were on the stars, trying to identify the constellations.

“I see Orion right there,” Jeno said, pointing at the sky. You followed his finger, and sure enough, there it was. “And there’s Ursa Minor.” He moved his hand after noting that you had recognised Orion. 

“I don’t see it,” you muttered, blinking heavily to clear your sight. 

“Can you see Polaris?” he asked, glancing at you for a moment. 

You raised your hand and pointed it at a random star that was nowhere near the one Jeno was referring to. “There.” 

Jeno snorted. “You could spot Orion, but you can’t identify the brightest star in the sky?” Without waiting for a response, your best friend grabbed your arm and directed it to the right star. “That is Polaris.” 

“Woah.” You gaped and lowered your arm. “It’s so shiny.” 

Jeno laughed again upon hearing the child-like wonder in your voice. You stargazed often and always challenged each other to see who could identify the most constellations in a minute. He knew the night sky was familiar to you, but seeing you like this reminded Jeno of the first time he brought you to his roof and introduced you to his favourite hobby. 

“Do you want it?” he teased. 

Eyes widening, you turned your neck to look at him, your faces so close you could count his lashes. “Really?” 

“Really,” he said and pinched your cheek, unable to help himself. “I’ll get it for you.” 

A wide smile immediately broke across your lips, and you threw your arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Thank you!” you squealed. 

Jeno chuckled, a little surprised that you had practically climbed on top of him, and part of him was caged under you now. He didn’t mind the sudden intimacy. It had always been his love language; any sort of physical contact with you—be it comparing hand sizes or carrying you on his back—warmed his heart. 

Patting your head, he asked, “You want me to show you the rest of Ursa Minor?” 

“Yes.” You nodded into the crook of his neck and peeled yourself away from him, but your head still rested where his shoulder met his arm. 

Brushing away a strand of hair that had fallen on your face, he averted his gaze to the sky. “Polaris is the tail of The Little Dipper. Now we move towards the left. See the star that’s above the brightest? That’s Delta. Epsilon is above Delta too, but the distance between them is not as much as the distance between the first two. Zeta is below—” 

You tuned Jeno out. He was still showing you the stars that made up the constellations, far too invested to notice that you were no longer paying attention to what he was saying and were looking at something much more beautiful instead. 

You’d always known your best friend was attractive. You’d have to be blind to not notice his striking features—they were sharp with a certain softness around the edges. His face always stood out in crowds and demanded people’s undivided attention. 

Rightfully so, you thought to yourself as you admired his perfectly straight nose and the shape of his soft lips, diverting your gaze to his eyes. You’d always thought they were his best features. They were warm and open and felt like home. It deserves to be appreciated. 

“Pherka, Eta, Kochab and Zeta form a—”

“You’re prettier.”

Jeno glanced at you, your faces mere inches away and those beautiful eyes peering into yours with slight confusion. “What?”

“You said the stars looked pretty tonight,” you whispered. “I think you’re prettier.” You paused for a moment, as if rethinking your words. Then, “I think you’re the prettiest person in the world.”

A fond smile crept on your best friend’s face, and maybe it was because your ear was in the vicinity of his heart, but you could have sworn you heard it thumping loudly against his ribcage. Lightly bumping his forehead against yours, Jeno whispered back, 

“I think you’re the prettiest person in the world too.” 

03. it’s very easy to fall for them, especially when they’re always so sweet and caring

The first thing you felt upon regaining your consciousness was pain. 

Your skull was splitting apart, the little bit of sunlight creeping in through the closed curtains rendering you blind. Nausea was beginning to set in, but your body was so weak that you weren’t sure you could make it to the toilet in time. 

You should have never drunk so much. Not only had you not taken any proper rest after working yourself to exhaustion during your finals, but had also danced to the point you couldn’t move your legs. Heck, you couldn’t even remember much of the party. You recalled leaving Jeno behind to party with Jaemin, but everything after that was a huge blank slate. 

The toilet was far away, but you could try reaching the dustbin near the study table instead of just throwing up on the carpet. Groaning, you tried to push yourself up. When that didn’t work, you put all strength in your abdomen and threw yourself off the bed. 

A shockwave of agony passing through your body rendered you immobile on the ground. You moaned in pain and curled in on yourself, covering your mouth with a hand upon tasting bile on your tongue. 

The door was thrown open, and a worried Jeno gaped at you lying on his room’s hard floor motionlessly. “What the fuck?” 

“Dustbin,” you croaked with much difficulty, tears springing to your eyes. They hurt so much you wanted to rip them out. 

Your best friend moved into action immediately. “I kept the dustbin right beside the bed in case you got sick, you blind twat truck. Along with painkillers and water on the table.”  

You found it in yourself to glare at the boy, but he ignored you. Placing the waste basket in front of you, he helped you up. You gripped the rim as he gathered your hair in his hand and held it up to avoid it getting in the way of your vomit. 

Right before you emptied the toxins in your body, you managed to say to him, “How capable do I look to you right now, you stupid toe-licking grinch man?” 

Jeno rolled his eyes and rubbed your back with his other hand, patiently waiting for you to finish. Once your heaving stopped, you took the tissue he was holding out for you and wiped your mouth. You felt much better after throwing up but you were still so tired. 

“Come on.”

You swatted Jeno’s hand away and rested your back on his bed, tucking your legs under your chin. “Too much effort,” you muttered and closed your eyes, willing the headache to go away.

“I was going to carry you to the bed, Y/N,” he said in exasperation. 

“I just need a moment,” you whispered almost incoherently, wishing he would stop asking you questions when you had no energy to answer. “A moment and an Aspirin.” 

There was some shuffling, and then you felt a hand brushing your matted hair out of your face. “Here.”

You peeled your lids open to see Jeno crouched in front of you with water and the painkiller you had asked for. Taking it from his hand, you popped it into your mouth and gulped down some water. 

For a few moments, you tried to regulate your breathing and calm yourself down. Jeno could tell you were gathering the willpower and strength to climb back on his bed. He wanted to help, but you clearly didn’t want it. So, he just watched you silently struggle.

He should have been with you last night; he hated that he wasn’t when he had promised to be the sober half. As far as Jeno was concerned, Jaemin was going to get an earful about keeping tabs on how much his friends drank. Never in the two years of friendship had he seen you with such a huge hangover. 

“Fuck,” he heard you curse under your breath. You moaned in pain as you pushed yourself up on trembling arms and fell on his mattress. Sighing, Jeno tucked you in and pressed a chaste kiss on your forehead. 

“Sleep well,” he said and made his way to the door. “I’ll wake you up for lunch. Renjun is making grilled sandwiches.” 

Your eyes flew open again. Fuck. You were supposed to meet Jimin. 

“Jeno, wait,” you blurted, and he stopped in his tracks. “I was supposed to meet a friend for lunch, but I don’t think I can make it. Can you cover for me?” 

Your best friend leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. “Which friend?” 

“Jimin.” 

“I thought she ghosted you.” He frowned. “Now you’re meeting her for lunch?” 

“No, you are meeting her for lunch. I don’t wanna be rude and cancel at the last minute. What if she already left?”

“It’s 10 in the morning.”

“Well, what if she turned down other offers because of the plans we made?” 

“She left an hour ago with Mark after passing out on the couch in Hyuck’s room last night. I doubt she’s had the time to turn down any other offers. Actually, I think she’ll be glad you cancelled. She looked pretty hungover when she left.”

“Why are you being so difficult?” you whined, wincing when the throbbing in your head responded to the sudden increase in the volume of your voice. “I’m only asking you for a small favour.” 

“I’m not being difficult,” Jeno defended himself and took a few steps towards you. “I’m trying to tell you that you may be overthinking this. Let me send her a text from your phone asking for a reschedule, and we can have some homemade lunch with the guys.” 

Sighing heavily, you averted your gaze from his and stared at the ceiling. “I just don’t wanna blow this. I think she’s really cool and I’d like to get to know her more. I’m good friends with everyone in our social circle except her. It’s awkward.” 

Jeno’s eyes softened at that. “Y/N, you’re not blowing anything. Rescheduling lunch because you both partied till you collapsed is not going to take away any points. Trust me.” 

Your best friend was right. You were overthinking this, but you didn’t exactly blame yourself. All your efforts to befriend Jimin had been futile till now. You didn’t want to do anything that could mess up the friendship that had begun to bloom last night. 

“Fine,” you finally relented. “Shoot her a text from my phone. I think it’s in my clothes bag—” you paused, your eyes widening. Lifting Jeno’s duvet in panic, you looked down at yourself. “Who changed my clothes?” 

“Ningning did!” Jeno answered quickly, the tips of his ears turning a bright red. He couldn’t understand why he was freaking out—nothing happened. 

You exhaled in relief, trying to get rid of the alien tingling feeling spreading throughout your body. Your cheeks were hot with embarrassment. “Okay. Well, my phone’s in my clothes bag.” 

Jeno busied himself, rummaging through your backpack that was on his bedside table. What you didn’t know, however, was that it was just a front for him to calm himself down. “Got it.” He waved the phone at you. “What’s your pin?”

“Your birthday.”

His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, and a seed of warmth sprouted in his chest. A dizzying sense of affection for you washed over him, drenching him in happiness from head to toe. “Really?” 

You nodded and closed your eyes. Turning on your side to get into a more comfortable sleeping position, you buried yourself deeper under his sheets. Yawning, you mumbled, “Day-Month-Year with leading zeros.” 

“My password is your birthday too,” he said quietly after sending Jimin the text. “A lot of them are. It’s the easiest set of numbers to remember.”

You didn’t respond. Jeno didn’t mind. He knew you’d already fallen asleep. Keeping your phone on the table, he smiled sadly and stared at your resting figure in longing. “Everything about you is so easy to remember.”

Jeno closed the door behind him as he left, none the wiser about the fact that you were still awake and had heard everything he’d said, your heart beating so fast that you thought it was going to leap out of your chest. 

Your best friend left, completely unaware of the fact that you were now entertaining the possibility of being in love with him. 

𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒 !

01. the green-eyed monster you resent makes an appearance more than you’d like

You genuinely couldn’t believe your friend group and their seemingly never-ending social battery. 

One would think that after a long night of partying, a person would stay at home the next day and take some much-needed rest. Your friends, however, thought it was a good idea to meet up for dinner and decide what to do over the weekend. 

You didn’t bother to remind them of the wonderful invention that was group chats. 

“We should drive up to the beach,” Mark suggested, flipping through the menu. “Summer just started, so I don’t think there will be a lot of people.” 

All of you were seated in a round booth at the back of a diner Chenle said he frequented. You weren’t going to lie; you could see why. The setting was very homey, and the cushioning of the sofa was very cosy—you were almost sure you were going to fall asleep even before your food arrived. 

Ningning, who was sitting beside Mark, peeked over his shoulder to see what was listed. Minjeong said, “That’s stupid. The start of summer is exactly when beaches get overcrowded. Most don’t get to visit the ocean during the year, so they make a beeline for the beach as soon as break begins.”  

“True,” you heard Jeno say. He leaned back in his seat and put his arm on the cushion behind you. You resisted the urge to lean in. Taking a sip of his water, he continued, “Besides, we’re already going to Jeju Island for a week next month. I don’t think we should drive three hours to go to the beach right now.” 

“What about karaoke?” Jimin piped up. She was sitting on the other side of Minjeong, opposite from Chenle, who was on the other side of the table. 

“We don’t need an entire weekend for just karaoke,” Chenle pointed out. “We could do it whenever we want.”

“Well, what about—” 

“Hey, can I take your order?” a female voice that was a combination of annoyed, upbeat, friendly and polite interrupted Minjeong. The girl looked a little flustered at being cut off, but she cleared her throat and mumbled a small yeah, just give us a minute.

The waitress did not move, so all of you awkwardly picked up the menu cards and began flipping through them. 

“The usual for me, Yuna,” Chenle said, smiling up at her. To diffuse the sudden tension created in the air, he began making small talk with her as she waited. 

“What are you eating?” Jeno asked. He was closer to you now, his eyes scanning the contents of the menu card in your hand over your shoulder. 

You shrugged. “I don’t think I’m eating anything. I’m not very hungry.” 

Jeno’s eyebrows creased, and he glanced at your face in worry. “You haven’t had anything since lunch. At least drink something.” 

“It’s fine.” You dismissed him with a wave of your hand and pushed the card in his direction so he could order whatever he wanted. “I won’t be able to finish anything by myself and I don’t wanna waste food.” 

“How about we share?” he insisted. “You eat however much you want, and I’ll finish the rest. Don’t go to sleep on an empty stomach.” 

An internal battle began. While Jeno’s suggestion was sensible, you knew he didn’t like to share his food with anyone. You remembered a time when he had refused to go on a second date with a girl because she kept nibbling on his meal. You didn’t want him to do something he hated just for your sake. 

“Really, it’s fine,” you repeated. “You go ahead and—”

“Hey, Y/N,” Yeji called, making you divert your attention to her. “You wanna share a triple-decker chicken sandwich? Chenle said this place is famous all over town for that dish.” 

You had to admit, a triple-decker chicken sandwich did sound tasty. But you’d just turned down Jeno, so you didn’t wanna say yes to Yeji. Shaking your head, you once again said, “I’m not hungry.”

“Why aren’t you hungry?” Mark frowned, overhearing your conversation. The rest of your friend group looked at you in concern. Ningning asked, “Are you okay?” 

You groaned. The last thing you wanted to do was explain to everyone why you didn’t have an appetite. “I’m okay. I’m just not hungry because I had a lot for lunch.”

“That’s a lie,” Jeno commented unhelpfully, and you smacked his shoulder hard in retaliation. He winced, rubbing the area of attack. “Hey!” 

“Shut up!” you exclaimed. Taking a deep breath, you said to everyone with as little annoyance in your voice as you could, “Please just order what you want. I still feel a little weird after last night’s party, and I don’t think I can stomach anything right now.” Before anyone could reply, you added, “I’m going to the restroom. Be right back.” 

Yeji looked a little stunned, but she got up from her seat and let you leave the booth when you requested her to move. Locking yourself in one of the stalls, you clutched your stomach and curled in on yourself, closing your eyes. 

Your period cramps were especially painful this time. Maybe it was because of last night’s exertion, but your cycle was early too. Your stomach was in too many knots for you to even think about eating anything. 

The washroom’s door opened, and you heard soft footsteps trudging towards you. Knocking on the only occupied stall’s door, a female voice asked, “Is everything okay, Y/N?” 

“Yeah,” you croaked, feeling tears burning your eyes. “Everything’s fine, Jimin. I just have period cramps, that’s all.” 

“Oh.” There was silence for a moment. “I have painkillers. Do you want them?” 

Exhaling through your mouth, you wiped your moist cheeks and stepped out of the stall. “Sure.”

Jimin smiled at you reassuringly and handed you a wet wipe, looping her arm through yours. “Don’t worry. I got you.”

Your heart swelled with happiness and gratitude. You’d wanted to connect with her for so long, and it finally felt like you were getting somewhere this time. Maybe you were being overemotional due to your fluctuating hormones, but you wanted to pull her into a hug.

“Oh, also,” you started a little sheepishly, “I wanted to apologise in person about cancelling on you earlier today. I drank and partied more than I should have. I thought about sending Jeno to cover for me, but he pointed out that it would have been awkward for you to see him when you were expecting me.”

“Woah, wait!” she gaped and took a step away from you. The shock on her face surprised you for a moment, but the feeling didn’t last long. “You’re kidding me! You should have kept insisting, Y/N! A lunch date would have been the perfect way for us to get closer!”

“I don’t think he would have considered the lunch a date because he was just a stand-in for me,” you said awkwardly, and threw the used wipe in the dustbin. 

Jimin waved you away as you walked out of the restroom and back to your booth. “I mean, yeah, it wouldn’t have been an official date, but it would have given me the opportunity to ask him out on a real one.”

“Right.”  

You hated the way you sounded. You hated the way your stomach churned, and your mood dropped. You hated that someone was pursuing Jeno. You hated that you were being forced to play Cupid, all thanks to your strong refusal to admit your feelings and the friendship you wanted to build with the girl next to you. 

“Oh, my God!” Jimin exclaimed, too immersed in her own fantasies to have noticed the change in your tone and demeanour. “I can make up for the missed opportunity by sitting next to him right now! You wouldn’t mind, would you?” 

You did mind. The idea of her making a move on your best friend made you want to dig a hole and cry. God, you were being so pathetic. This was completely unlike you, and you despised the way you were acting. You had to pull yourself together immediately. 

Besides, it wasn’t like you were ever going to explore these newfound feelings you had for Jeno. The last thing you wanted to do was ruin your friendship. Forcing an encouraging smile on your face, you said, “Um, sure! That’s a really good idea.”

“Took you guys long enough,” Chenle commented once you returned. 

You raised an eyebrow. “Did you have any other places to be?” 

“I mean I was worried.” He rolled his eyes. “We ordered food while you were gone. You sure you don’t want anything, Y/N?” 

“Yep,” you said, popping the last letter. “Scoot over and make space for us.” 

Yeji got up again and stood to the side as Jimin, and you slid into the booth. “The two of you better not make me get up again. I’m not budging even if you need to take a big dump.” 

“Sorry,” you muttered, smiling at her sheepishly. Making yourself comfortable, you grabbed your glass of water and dipped a straw in it, idly sipping the liquid. 

Jeno’s gaze caught yours from behind Jimin’s back. He pointed at her with a frown on his face and mouthed, “Why is she sitting beside me?” 

You waved him away and turned your attention to the rest of your friends. “Please tell me you guys finally decided what we’re doing over the weekend.”

“We did,” Mark piped up. “We’re thinking of going to an amusement park and then a water park.”

Jimin frowned. “Won’t those places be crowded as well?” 

“We just need to accept that most destinations will be. Everyone’s on break, so it doesn’t matter where we go. There will be people everywhere.” 

You agreed with Minjeong. “Amusement park it is. Can we hit the bars at night?”

“It won’t be much of a trip if we don’t.” Ningning grinned. “You sure you want to go clubbing so soon though? You were completely wasted when Jeno called me to his room and made me change your clothes last night.”

Mark snickered. “Are you scared of changing your own girlfriend’s clothes, Jeno?”  

Silence. No one spoke. 

NingNing was staring at Mark incredulously, and Yeji seemed to be suffering through an extreme case of second-hand embarrassment. Chenle pretended to flip through the menu while Minjeong grabbed her phone and scrolled through the apps on her home screen in an attempt to look busy. 

Jimin whirled to face you so fast that you wondered how her neck hadn’t snapped. You couldn’t even dare to look at Jeno to see what reaction Mark’s words had evoked out of him. 

Laughing awkwardly, you asked, “Who said we’re dating?” 

“You’re kidding me, right?” Mark scoffed in disbelief. “You guys are so bad at keeping your relationship private. Everyone knows there’s something going on between the two of you.” 

“Is that true?” Jeno asked, but no one present at the table dared to meet his gaze. “Do all of you think there’s something going on between Y/N and me?” 

“I mean….” Chenle began, dragging the word out. “You both are very close. People who claim to be just friends don’t cross the boundaries you two step all over everyday. But we’ve never seen you kiss either, so we’re not sure if you’re dating secretly or…” 

“You guys are crazy,” you interrupted. “Stop speculating about our relationship. It’s weird.” Turning to face a very betrayed-looking Jimin, you enunciated, “Jeno and I are just friends. That’s all there is to us.”

“Yeah,” Jeno added, glancing at you. “Y/N and I will only ever be friends. There’s no way I would date her. I don’t find her attractive in a romantic way.” 

Feeling a knot form in your heart and anger bubble in the pit of your stomach, you snapped, “Same. Jeno’s not even my type. I wouldn’t get together with him if we were the only people left on Earth.” 

Your friends exchanged knowing glances, and poor Jimin, who was stuck sitting between Jeno and you, made an attempt to diffuse the tension. “Okay, guys. We get it.” 

“I’m not sure you do,” Jeno hissed, staring all your friends down. “I can see your damn faces. The only way you’re going to believe I’m not into Y/N is if I prove it to you by going out with someone else.” 

Minjeong began, “That’s not—” 

“No, he’s right,” you fumed. Under the table, your hand curled into a fist. “The only way you guys are going to get this stupid image of Jeno and me being together romantically is if we date other people.” 

“The two of you are overreacting!” Yeji exclaimed. “There’s no need to get so defensive! We were wrong for assuming, and Mark was an idiot for opening his fat mouth. I’m sure you both would have told us if there was something. We’re all sorry.” 

There was a chorus of agreement on the table. Everyone genuinely seemed to be apologetic—except Mark, who was glaring at Yeji and looked mad for being called an idiot. His eyes met yours, and a sheepish smile took form on his lips. 

You huffed a small laugh and shook your head, but your heart was still in knots. There was a certain hollowness in the pit of your stomach. You felt sick and anxious. 

Did Jeno really have to say all those hurtful things just to convince your friends about your platonic relationship? He didn’t need to sound so offended and make your mutual denial a competition. 

Sure, you were the one who had declared there would never be anything more than just friendship between Jeno and you, but he didn’t have to cross the line by saying you weren’t appealing to him. 

Besides, you’d said what you’d said for Jimin. You didn’t actually mean the words that left your mouth. Considering the emotions you’d been feeling recently, it would be a lie to claim you didn’t hope for a different sort of future with Jeno. 

It didn’t matter anyway. A romantic relationship between the two of you wasn’t practical. Your best friend had never so much as hinted at wanting something more. 

In a twisted way, you were glad he said those wounding things. You needed to be pulled back to reality.

“Hey, Jeno,” you heard Jimin say once the food arrived and everyone started eating. “I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch and watch a movie sometime this week?” 

Bile rose to your throat. You hoped to God he would say no. You didn’t care if you were being a shitty person; you didn’t think you could take any more of this torture. 

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

Your eyes were trained on your glass of water, but you didn’t need to look at him to know he was surprised. As much as you hated eavesdroppers, you couldn’t stop yourself from wanting to learn where this conversation was going. 

“I am.” Jimin chuckled nervously.

Jeno didn’t reply immediately. The rest of your friends were engaged in their own discussions with the people sitting next to them. The table wasn’t silent by any means, but the only things you could hear were Jimin waiting for his answer with bated breath and the pounding of your heart in your chest. 

Then, “I would be honoured.”

Oh, you were most definitely going to throw up.

02. you fall for them

You hadn’t talked to Jeno ever since dinner with your group.

He hadn’t reached out to you, and you hadn’t tried to contact him either. You’d received a text from Jimin the next day about the specifics of her date with Jeno. They were supposed to meet up for lunch at a restaurant near your college campus and then go out to watch some sappy rom-com. 

He didn’t even care for rom-coms. You’d begged him to watch one with you countless times and he’d always turned you down. Part of you wondered if he knew Jimin was updating you about everything and he was purposely pulling this shit to get back at you. 

But you dismissed the notion immediately. No way were you so dense and self-centred. Maybe Jeno genuinely was into Jimin. 

Your phone began ringing, and you rolled over on your bed, blindly searching for it on your bedside table. God, you hated being woken up in the middle of your afternoon naps. It almost always guaranteed a headache. 

“Hello,” you said groggily, your throat raw and dry. “Who is this?” 

“Oh! Did I wake you up?” It was Jimin. She sounded upbeat. Your heart sank. “I’m so sorry!” 

Pushing yourself up, you rubbed the gunk out of your eyes and made your way to the window. The darkness made you bump into the corner of your study table, and you bit down on your lip to keep a yelp from escaping. Hobbling, you threw the curtains open and said, “No worries. My alarm was just about to ring. How was the date?” 

Laughter bubbled from the other end of the phone line. “It was cool! He is a really good guy. No wonder everyone is head over heels for him. He opened the door for me, didn’t let me spend any money even though I asked him out, was an excellent listener, called me pretty and beautiful, and drove me back home. Oh, God, and the eye-contact? It made him a hundred times sexier.” 

Seems legit, you thought to yourself. Jeno had always been a gentleman. The other girls you’d set him up with had pretty much given you the same feedback. Part of you felt relieved that this date hadn’t been any different than the others he’d been on. 

Except the rom-com part, of course. For the life of you, you couldn’t figure out why he would agree to something he hated. 

“Ah, I’m happy for you, Jimin!” you exclaimed, trying your best to mean what you said. Your own words tasted like ash on your tongue. “Are you guys going on a second date?” 

“I’m not sure, to be honest. He said he had a great time with me, but when I tried to ask him out again, he just hugged me. That took me by surprise, and I kinda just forgot.” She laughed. “I know good dates usually end with a kiss, but the fact that he didn’t go for one didn’t bother me.”

“Oh,” you mumbled. Sitting on the ledge of your window, you asked, “That sounds nice. Do you think you’ll try asking him again?”

The last thing you expected her to say was no. And the way she said it… she didn’t sound sad or upset or disappointed. She sounded like herself. She sounded the way one would when they talked about the weather. 

It confused you. Didn’t Jimin just say the date was really good? She sounded so happy and delighted. Why was she backing out now?

“I—I don’t get it,” you sputtered. “I thought you were into him. I thought you had a great time today. Why aren’t you going to ask him out again? Did something else happen—?”

“Calm down.” She chuckled. “Nothing happened.” 

“Huh? Then what’s the problem?”

“Nothing happened,” she repeated. “That’s the problem. I like Jeno. He’s attractive, funny and caring. He’s everything a girl would want in a guy. But there was no spark between us. I had a great time with him, but hanging out today didn’t feel any different than usual. It felt like I was hanging out with a good friend, not with a potential romantic interest.

“I was looking forward to exploring what I felt for him. Turns out, it was just physical attraction. It also turns out that he wasn’t into me at all. If it wasn’t obvious the night we all went out for dinner, it was glaringly clear today. I think part of the reason he said yes was that he didn’t want to hurt my feelings,” she added. “The other—major—part was that he’s in love with someone else, and I would rather die than be a homewrecker.”    

“Oh,” you said again. You didn’t know how to respond to that. What did she mean Jeno is in love with someone else? You didn’t dare focus on the last part of what she’d said. You didn’t dare hope that the person she was referring to was you. “Well, I’m sorry it didn’t work out between the two of you. I’m sure you’ll find someone else easily. You’re a delight. Anyone would be lucky to date you.”

Jimin laughed again. “If you weren’t in love with Jeno too, Y/N, I would have thought you were into me.” 

It took a second for the words to register, but when they did, you felt your heart drop to your stomach. Forcing yourself to laugh, you croaked, “Whatever do you mean?” 

Saying that was a mistake. You should not have asked her to elaborate. She was going to make you come to terms with your feelings, and all the time and effort you’d spent denying and trying to get rid of them was going to go down the drain. 

Before she could speak, you made a static sound with your mouth. Then, you pretended that the connection was really bad. “Wha—hear—you. Try—back. Hell—?” 

You hung up before Jimin could call you out on your bullshit. A moment later, you saw a text pop up. 

[jimin]: that was soooo unsubtle  [y/n]: idk what ur talking ab!!!!!!! [jimin]: sure [jimin]: also a tiny heads up [jimin]: i told jeno to stop being a pussy and an asshole so he’s on his way 2 ur place now [y/n]: WHAT THE FUCK [jimin]: i’m going 2 pretend u said thank u [jimin]: don’t forget ab our dinner date tmrw [jimin]: have fun <3 

It was crazy how the bell rang almost immediately after you read the last text. You wondered if the timing was planned and that Jimin had told Jeno to wait till she gave him the go-ahead. 

You trudged to the front door and took a deep breath before opening it.

“Hey,” Jeno mumbled with a small smile. His hair was ruffled, as if he had run his hands through it several times. “Can I come in?” 

Biting the inside of your cheek, you nodded and moved out of the way to make space for him to step inside. He shoved his hands inside the pockets of his jeans and stood awkwardly. 

“You can sit,” you said, feeling the corners of your lips curl up in amusement. 

He sighed and wove his fingers through his strands again. “Not before I apologise for my behaviour. I was completely out of line that day,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said those things. I didn’t mean them.” 

“So you don’t think I’m unattractive?” 

You meant to tease him, but the next thing you knew, he was standing toe-to-toe with you, a desperate and guilt-ridden expression adorning his face. “God, no. You’re the most beautiful person I have ever seen. I only said that because… because I knew it would hurt you.” 

Jeno was standing too close to you. You could barely breathe, much less think. But that didn’t stop you from asking, “Why would you want to hurt me?” 

He didn’t answer for what felt like an entire minute. He only kept staring at you, an internal battle raging inside him. Then, he let loose a breath of frustration and moved away. He refused to look at you, and your patience kept slipping with each moment that passed. 

Right when you thought it would snap, Jeno spoke up, “It hurt me when you said you and I would only ever be friends. I know how stupid it sounds, but it really did. For years, I’d been pining after you and hoping that maybe we could be something more in the future. I felt like an idiot when I realised wouldn’t ever view me in that light. 

“You got so defensive when Chenle said all our friends were suspicious of us being in a secret relationship. I couldn’t help but wonder if you felt disgusted at the idea of us being together. I got angry at myself for being naive and said those horrible things without even realising.” 

You didn’t know what to say. This was the second time you’d been rendered speechless in the past thirty minutes. It was one revelation after the other; you were having a hard time keeping up.

“You—you like me?” you stuttered. 

Jeno laughed humourlessly and looked you dead in the eyes. “I love you, Y/N.” 

“No.” 

“Yes.” 

You took a step back. “No, no, no, no—”

“Yes,” he pressed. “I’m sorry that I do. I know this changes everything, but I couldn’t keep it in anymore. I just—”

“Why would you go out with Jimin if you… if you love me?” you whispered. 

“Partly to see your reaction and partly in an attempt to get over you,” he admitted. “It didn’t work. I just—I just couldn’t stop thinking about you the entire time I was with her. I felt so guilty for saying such terrible things because I couldn’t deal with my emotions and come to terms with reality. I’m really sorry, Y/N.” 

You swallowed the lump in your throat. “I’m sorry too.”

“You don’t have to apologise for not loving me back—”

“That’s not what I’m apologising for,” you interrupted and walked towards him until your abdomens were touching. “I’m apologising for not seeing it sooner. I’m apologising for encouraging Jimin to ask you out even though it killed me. I’m apologising for denying my feelings time and time again. I’m apologising for saying we would only ever be friends. The last thing I want is for our relationship to be platonic.” 

Jeno was barely breathing. “What are you saying?” 

“I’m saying I love you too, Lee Jeno,” you mumbled and stood on your toes, cupping cheeks with your palms. “I’m saying I want you to kiss me.” 

The words didn’t register immediately, but his lips were on yours the moment they did. 

Jeno’s arm snaked around your waist, and he pulled you closer. His hand grabbed your neck from behind, and he tilted his neck to the side, deepening the kiss. 

Your breath hitched in your throat. All you could feel was him. Your nerve-endings were short-circuiting, and pure adrenaline was coursing through your veins. You didn’t think you’d ever been as satisfied and euphoric as you were right now.

Jeno’s lips slotted with yours perfectly. You smiled to yourself upon realising he tasted like chocolates. Your best friend always ate a piece before any event he deemed to be very important. He claimed they gave him good luck. 

Letting go of one of his cheeks, you grabbed the round collar of his shirt and pressed your mouth harder against his. The nights you’d spent wondering how kissing him would feel and then hating yourself immediately for having such thoughts amounted to this. 

You didn’t want to hold back. 

But you had to ask him a question. It didn’t matter how stupid or ridiculous it was; you wanted to know the answer. So, you broke the kiss and inquired with your body still tangled with his, “Why the hell did you agree to watch a rom-com with Jimin?” 

“Really?” he asked exasperatedly. “You wanna talk about Jimin while we’re making out?” 

“I wanna know why you watched a rom-com with her when I’ve been begging you to watch one with me for so long,” you corrected. 

Jeno was silent for a moment, as if contemplating whether or not to tell you. You raised an eyebrow. “Well,” he started, blowing out a breath. “She told me you set her up with me, and it pissed me off even more. I knew she’d tell you all about our date, so I suggested we watch a rom-com. I knew you’d be riled up once you realised.” 

You snorted. Who knew? You weren’t actually being a self-centred narcissist when you suspected the same. “You’re an idiot. I was already riled up you were going out with her.” 

“Oh, yeah?” he teased. “Why’d you encourage her in the first place then?”

“Honestly, at first, I thought I could use you to further my friendship with her,” you admitted. Jeno scoffed in disbelief. “Yeah, I know. That was kinda shitty of me. But when I realised I was falling for you, I pushed her to pursue you in an attempt to convince myself I was not into you. That obviously backfired and did the very opposite. I was horribly miserable. I wanted to shoot myself everytime I heard her gush about you.” 

He smirked. “She gushed about me?” 

“Oh, get over yourself.” You shoved his shoulder playfully. “How’d you end up here after your date? Jimin texted me that you were coming.”

“Tough, but I’ll try.” He laughed. “She was probably able to tell how disinterested I was. After the date when I dropped her home and hugged her instead of kissing her, she just confronted me and asked if I was in love with you. Then told me to not bother answering because it was obvious. She said she didn’t want to get in the middle of us and threatened to kick my ass if I didn’t come here to make amends immediately.” 

You grinned. “Oh, the things I would have done to witness that scene.” 

“It was scary.” Jeno frowned. “She hit my shoulder really hard when I said I was in love with you and called me an idiot for going out with her. I think she was angry at herself too for being oblivious to our situationship. It was one of the weirdest dates I’ve ever been on.” 

“Jimin actually said she had a great time with you. She told me it was nice.”

“Really?” he asked, sounding surprised. 

You placed a chaste kiss on Jeno’s mouth. “Hmm, I wonder how good the best date you’ve ever been on would be then.” 

He chased your lips and kissed you back deeply. Caressing your cheekbone with stars twinkling in his eyes, Jeno said, “I guess we’ll know when I take you out.”

“No way, are you officially asking me out on a date, Lee Jeno?” you asked, and let out a fake gasp. 

“Damn right I am,” he declared. “I don’t want the amusement park trip with our friends to be our first day out as a couple. Do you wanna grab some food tomorrow afternoon? We can go to the trampoline park before that.” 

You smiled softly. “That sounds wonderful. But,” you added. “No more flirting with restaurant staff for free food, or I’ll go ballistic on you.” 

Jeno laughed, and you thought it was the most beuatiful sound you had ever heard. His chest rumbled with the force of it, his eyes creasing to look like small crescent moons. Slipping his hand into yours, he squeezed once. 

“Wouldn’t even dream of it.” 

note: THANK U FOR READING TILL THE END WHAT ??? loads of hugs and kisses :’)) also i know i said this before but posting after a rlly long time has lowkey made me anxious LOLL i think i could have done better with the fic esp the end bc it’s a little rushed. honestly speaking i am ready to move on to my next wip and i don’t wanna spend more time rewriting this one :(( i still love this piece though and i would definitely love to hear your thoughts amigos!! stay healthy and hydrated <33

thank you to mira for coming in clutch and helping me out with the plot when i was stuck + giving me her honest opinion! thank you to dori too for reading parts of this fic and giving me her opinion as well! i love you both :D

taglist: @notbeforelong​ @w3bqrl​ @rikiflowers​ @mochisnlix​ @allorysayshi​ @hiqhkey​ @angel-hyuckie​​ @j4kesworld​ @timetoten​ @vantxx95​ @sweetjaemss​​ @ahnneyong​ @jennaissantes @sunshine-skz​ @baekhyunstruly​ @ja4hyvn​ @ily-cuz-i​​ @kdyism​ @keemburley @n0hyuck @luvenshiti @donutswithjaminthemiddle @mosviqu @deobitiful @jeonnyread @pjofics @venusprada @matchahyuck @tbzussy @babyksworld @bockhyun @rbf-aceu @ablackbtsstan @tamakofever @naemakkuri @sadgirlroo @fariylixie0915 @pradagukkie @babyjenono @hibernatinghamster @jaemnationnn @variety-is-the-joy-of-life @carelessshootanonymous @nctzennikki09

#jeno imagines #nct imagines #jeno scenarios #nct scenarios #jeno fluff #nct fluff #jeno fanfiction #nct fanfiction #jeno x reader #nct x reader #lee jeno #nct dream #nct #jeno oneshots #nct oneshots #jeno drabbles #nct drabbles #nct reactions #nct headcanons #nct dream imagines #nct dream scenarios #nct dream fluff #nct angst #nct dream angst #jeno soft hours #nct soft hours #nct dream x reader #nct dream oneshots #nct dream fanfiction #nct timetamps

[mymelloii]

Random Ren/Redacted HCs

---Minors/Ageless blogs DNI---

CW: Mentions of gore and stalking

_____

Ren has his eyes and mind on you 24/7, on the days you stay home so does he. Whenever you go out, whether it's with friends or to run errands he's always trailing close behind; far enough not to be noticed, but close enough to protect his angel.

-If you ever have the misfortune of coming across a creep during one of your walks, he'll promptly drag them into an ally way and give them the ass whopping of a lifetime before they can do any harm towards you. Typically he wouldn't even allow those types of people to approach you, let alone gaze at you, but on the rare occasion that someone does cat call you or even tries to touch you he'll bash their head into some good ol' concrete; without you noticing of course.

On the days you stay home are probably his favourites, he gets to watch you all day, doing your morning routine, while you busy yourself with your hobbies, or better yet watch tv/your preferred streaming service. As you lounge on your couch Ren is watches you through the camera he installed in your living room. Meticulously watching each and everyone of your reactions. Whenever you laugh so does he, if you start to cry or tear up, so will he. His emotions are practically interconnected with yours.

-His PC setup isn't anything notable, despite the fact he has 3 monitors, the first one capturing you, the one next to it being all open tabs of all your social media accounts, and the last one being work related or his screen saver of you. He has a simple wooden desk with a gaming chair, no RGB- though, he might have one of those mouse pads with a character that eerily resembles you.

Whenever he works, he loves having you on his main monitor; it truly makes him feel like your there with him. If he's alone, which is most of the time he is, he'll find himself talking to himself. Each topic of conversation is always about you, he's either commenting about how amazing you look today, or praising you for the littlest things. In his eyes everything you do is nothing less than perfection.

-Although he has a playlist of his own he loves listening to any and all of your favourite songs, doesn't matter what genre it may be he's all up on that shi. Extra points if it's romantic. He'll go on a daydream about you, imaging you, how whenever you listen to the song you can't help but to think about him and how your chest tightens up at the mere thought of him; as he feels with you. He knows every song in your playlist and all the lyrics to your favourite songs. Maybe one day you'll notice him and make a playlist just for him.

This one is less serious but as mentioned before on the 14DaysWithYou blog Ren had a red room phase. Though it was short lived I like to image that while he was selling the parts he obtained totally humanely that he often added a thank you note and one of those cute freebies you get whenever you buy from an Etsy shop. The note reading "Thank you for supporting my small business. Your patronage means everything to me! (*^_^*)" ITS SO DUMB DJKSDUVI

-In canon, he is extremely apathetic towards everyone with the exception of you. Which also makes him extremely accommodating towards your needs, he knows all your struggles even if you haven't voiced them to him yet. He accepts you and your struggles, no matter how big they may be; he'll always find a way to help you. This could be helping you with work, making or ordering special meals for you or simply listening to you vent. Whether it's mental or physical to him your health and happiness is his main priority.

Which leads me to that while he may be exceptionally caring, he's also remarkably jealous, towards everyone and everything that catches your attention. Now, he would never do anything that will harm you, but he's not above harming or black mailing others that get closer than he's comfortable with. Could be a coworker or a friend that is getting a bit too friendly with you which will enable him to scour every crevice of the internet to find any dubious rumors or photos including them. He'll also hack into their phone and go through their internet history and photos for more evidence against them. He'll then DM them through one of his burner accounts and present everything he found and threaten to leak all their information on multiple threads. Moth watch out 😨

-If the subject of your affection happens to be an animal or a stuffed animal he obviously can't go through those lengths. Although he would get jealous if he sees you cuddling with your pet instead of him he knows that the affection you feel is different and will opt to plopping himself next to you and proceed to get extremely clingy. He doesn't mind sharing you with any of your non-human companions as long as he stays yours.

_____

I haven't wrote in a while so srry if there's any run-on sentences + it's late so SPARE ME. Again these are all headcanons and if you wish to find canon content of 14DYW visit here, as well as to remember and respect the creators wishes and boundaries ^^

Side note I plan on writing more so if you have any suggestions please let me know! I haven't made a list of my do's and don'ts but please don't get offended if I don't take your suggestion!

#14dwy ren #14dwy #14 days with you #14 days with you ren #14dwy redacted #ren 14 days with you #14 days with you fanfiction #14dwy x reader #yandere #yandere visual novel #please dont flop

[sgiandubh]

Welcome to the shitshow

We have:

A ✈ sighting. No pics.

The MPC live, scarce details. No rings. Spartan decor. Suntan and out of Bonnie Scotland. No further details on destination, which might or might not be the same as the flight. Mark me, I think it is - he is in Gran Canaria and for a very precise reason: keeping his part of the deal and his Onlies on tenterhooks.

C is seen in Marseille, hullaballoo ensues. We pinpoint some coincidental details. I was expecting the shite to hit the fan in 4, 3, 2, 1...

And it did. With both sopranos hinting at the same person, but only one brave (or rather foolish enough) to push a name out there. Disingenuous, to say the least - but oh, how convenient for any given agenda. Because it's too easy, when you give out a name to a thirsty crowd to say: 'well, of course it's because of the shippers! They did this or that (sky is the limit)! They are to blame!' (excuse me?) and 'well, of course they won't say a word, now' (how convenient if the thing does not stick, eventually).

That was, IMHO, a strategic mistake and the petticoat is showing across the pond.

Around the same time, I started to get a different kind of Anon, day after day after day. Very brutal. Foul-mouthed. And...with some intel. I answered the first, but then when things started to 'happen', the coin dropped very quickly that: a) I did hit a nerve and b) someone or some people wanted me to push this particular agenda - remember when...?

For reference:

And then today, just in time for the long, boring, chilly and even snowy (depending on your location) week-end, the bomb dropped and the cargo was juicy:

A name. A woman. A gym. Not one, but three suspicious videos: the one with the leg, the one with the clear voice (unmistakably S!) and the one with the dog (and more S voiceover). How nicely connected. How fucking perfect.

An Airbnb close to the gym. What would a single woman traveler do in a three-bedroom gargantuan villa all by herself, when you are in Winterbird Central with a bajillion other accommodation options, is beyond any logic. So easily and lazily - OMG, date!

Unless...

Unless you conveniently forget some details:

Not one, but three different promos/endorsements, with a discount code to boot - 10% off, how nice!

The one that has been discussed by just about everyone:

The one that provided the discount code for new subscribers: Gymshark, a fitness attire manufacturer (https://eu.gymshark.com/).

And the most important one, hiding behind a humble hashtag: #metcon. Now I don't know you, but I'd rather digress about tea parlors and bookstores, and so had no fucking idea Metcon was, in fact...

Yup. Nike. A very recent model - expensive and sure, in need of immediate product placement/promo:

And so, for tax reasons, she just had to (mandatorily) include the #ad (as in advertisement, lest we'd not have naive Anons again!) hashtag.

Also, this, posted along the short reel with S's voice (but who cared, all 👂were there and only there):

That woman was working. She has, after all, 450k Insta followers. If she and S met at a gym in a winter destination very sought after by Scots should be none of our business. If they met again or have a regular training schedule does not mean they fuck or that we're going to look out for Remarkable Week-end 2.0. If they met in Hyrox GLA - so what? What is this, I beg your pardon, Gilead? People just can't hang out, like ever, I mean men and women?

🙄

But.. but... the gargantuan villa...?

Och. Sure enough, the place is correctly identified. You can check chez Marple. I am not posting it, because I do not want to and by now, I trust just about everyone has seen those pics. But this time, I am not going there. The name of that villa, even, made me laugh like a drain. I mean how more in your face can they be?

Who footed the bill of this rather comfy PR shitshow, reminiscing of Ha-wa-wee, 🐰 and whatever else you could think of? SRH?

Perhaps. But what if Nike did, as a freebie to a very good promoter? They sure can spare the dime and, to be honest, as we speak, there is no sign S and her share anything else than a gym schedule. What tells us with absolute certainty, at least at this moment in time, she is not there with friends, family or even a group of fellow promoters, Avon-style?

Oh, and the world is definitely a handkerchief, especially in GLA, it would seem. Wanna know who also follows her on Insta?

Paul Donnelly. Nope, not the chef. This Paul Donnelly:

The one who literally owes S a shitload of cash. A post that earned me a report (I was just explaining, if I remember correctly, that S would have been wise to legally secure that hefty loan, nothing more).

And now you know what? That post is gone, vanished, poof and I have no idea why. I surely did not take it down, I never do this.

And surely enough, just before I started writing, Filthy Anon came back and warned me there was more (pics, 👅👄) about McFitness. Surely enough, the same info (albeit toned down) was picked up by *urv in her comments' thread, about twenty minutes after Anon dropped by.

Agenda, anyone? God forbid!

You draw your own conclusions. I can only very honestly say:

Welcome to the Shitshow - the Winter Edition!

This page is not going to follow blindly your script, whoever you are. This page simply hopes to cleverly hit a nerve every time it considers necessary. Other than that, big effing deal, really. Ship on.

Sorry for the length. I was never good at summing up.

#fandom #shitshow

[vesper-tinus]

Hey can you please do male!reader having Lichtenberg figure and like maybe one day y/n takes off his shirt cause it’s like really hot and tf 141 is just looking at his back at awe ( this what they look like)

Hello, Kimdiedlater! Thank you for the request! Hopefully I managed to write something similar to what you were looking for. A little disclaimer, Lichtenberg figures tend to disappear naturally after a day, or similar, so I cheated a little bit and let Reader have them for a while longer 😉 Hope you, and everyone reading, will kindly overlook that small medical freebie.

I also apologise to everyone for the radio silence 🖤 Who knew a new year would be so busy?

𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 Platonic 141 x Male ! Reader

Summary: You got fried by lightning on your last mission, and the team only now see the consequences during a hot day. Keywords: Platonic, male reader, as always I make Price the team dad, mentioning of being struck by lightning, and there is medical inaccuracies. Wordcount: 1098.

“Fuckin’ hell, what’s this weather about?” Johnny complains, fanning himself with a magazine he nicked from Kyle five minutes ago. He’s splayed out on a cheap folding chair, comically reminding you of a plethora of renaissance paintings portraying women in all sorts of emotional states. Grief, mostly. 

Sweaty, sweaty grief. 

“Jesus,” you mutter in solemn agreement. Your shirt is starting to feel clammy, and the more you think about it, the more constricted you feel. The fabric is clinging to every curve of your muscled flesh, and it’s icky to say the least. You glance around at the others and their varying states of distress. 

Out of your ragtag team, Simon seems the least bothered.

He’s sitting near Johnny—a choice he probably regrets at this point—tattooed, muscular arms folded over his chest in silence. You have your suspicions that he’s enjoying the warmth, or maybe he simply enjoys Johnny suffering. If anything, he looks peaceful. Eyes shut closed, but with a subtle furrow to his brow. You haven’t seen him this peaceful in a long, long while. 

A little off to the side of Simon, Kyle and Price are discussing something you can’t hear, nor something you particularly care about. It’s too hot for thinking, especially on a day where you’re all off duty.

It’s only a day, but you’ll take any R&R you can get with the team. Fortunately, or unfortunately, you’re granted a longer rest than them.

Unnecessary, in your own opinion, but Price wouldn’t hear a word of it.  

Your attention drifts to Kyle who's pulling at the collar of his shirt, attempting to find solace in the billowing fabric. Given his expression, you doubt it was fruitful, and Price wipes his brow with a cool, damp towel. Fanning himself with his boonie hat. 

Johnny seems to have the right idea. He tossed his shirt minutes ago, leaving it to hang somewhere with little care. Something Price reprimanded him for, but who’s picking a fight in this heat?

So you follow suit, peeling off your olive green t-shirt, grimacing when you notice the blotches of sweat decorating it. At least you’re free from it now. You haphazardly hang it from one of the tent’s wires to dry—to get it out of the way—before rolling your shoulders. Better. Freer. 

“Holy shit!”

You peer over your shoulder, brow arched at the sound of your teammate’s surprise. You find Johnny slack-jawed and with eyes as big as a bug’s. It would have been endearing, had he not been a grown man—alright, maybe it’s a little endearing.

You can’t really blame him. What you have on your back is a unique phenomenon.  

A beautiful, fern-like pattern is spread across your back, spidering over your skin in an almost haunting manner. The spiralling branches have long since faded against your skin, and soon, they will remain a memory in your mind. 

At a glance, many might chalk it up to an ageing tattoo.

“Best close your mouth, Johnny, or you might catch a fly,” you tease, earning you a chuckle from your Kyle. A deserved one. Price watches over the team with mild amusement, shaking his head before returning his attention to the mission brief.

“Does it hurt?” Johnny asks, and when you look over your shoulder again, you see him watching your back, still bug-eyed, and still with the fascination of a child. “Is it permanent?” He’s closer now, hunched over, and you feel the ghost of his breath against your bare back. You can almost feel his fingers dancing across your skin. Almost. 

“Fuck sake, Johnny, give him some space, will you?” Simon lazily, but swiftly, kicks one of the flimsy plastic chairs towards the two of you, and it catches Johnny off guard enough to cause him to stumble into you. His warm hands now, positively, on your back.

Luckily, you’re a soldier with your feet firmly in the ground. There’ll be no falling over today. 

You snort in vague amusement, keeping your back turned to the group. “No, it’s not permanent.” You feel Johnny trace the intricate lines of your injury. The rough texture of his fingertips makes you shiver. 

“It’s called a Lichtenberg Figure. It’s the result of being struck by lightning,” you explain, recounting what had been told to you, the moment you woke up. “Apparently.” 

“Huh,” Kyle says, mildly impressed, “inflammatory response?”

“Got it in one.”

“Looks good on you—glad you're alright, though.”

You sit a little straighter with your sore muscles and preen, absorbing the compliment like dry soil does rain. You click your tongue as you send a wink Kyle’s way, subtly nodding your head in thanks.

“When did this happen?” asks Simon as you turn to face the crowd, rolling your shoulders. He’s wearing a casual mask, obscuring the lower part of his face. It’s unnecessary, really, you have all seen his face, but you also know it brings him comfort. You also recognise the telltale tone of concern in his voice. 

Annoyed concern, if anything. 

He doesn’t like being kept out of the loop, especially not when it comes to the team. 

There’s a subtle fluster on your cheeks as you avert your eyes towards the tent’s roof.

“During my last mission? There was a reason I got rushed to the infirmary when I returned.” You pause, crossing your arms across your chest. For someone who was struck by lightning, you are unnervingly casual about it. “Mostly to confirm I was alright after the initial checkup. Which I am.” You part a hand from the fold, gesturing in John’s general direction. “So if you could tell our dear captain here, that I’m fine enough to join you guys on the miss—”

“Nice try. You ain’t goin’ nowhere except to the infirmary for daily checkups,” Price counters, chuckling at your childish expression of disbelief. You know his firmness comes from a place of care, but you’re not appreciating the smug aura that lingers behind it. Was it not for this heat—and that he was your captain—you would flick the hat off him. 

“Whatever,” you mumble, settling back into your chair. 

“Whatever what?” 

“Whatever, sir;” you correct, attempting to keep the smile off your face. 

“Atta boy.”

The time passes slowly in the heat, and a part of you can’t help but appreciate it. You hate leaving the team behind, but what’s worse, is when they have to leave you behind. Your frown is subtly hidden behind the bottle of water as you take a sip, eyes casually watching each of your teammates. Your friends. 

Just come back safe, guys.

#cod mw2 #cod mw2 x reader #cod x reader #cod mw2 imagine #cod imagine #cod modern warfare #modern warfare 2 #call of duty #reader imagine #captain price #john price #captain john price #simon ghost riley #johnny soap mactavish #johnny mactavish #kyle gaz garrick #gaz #soap #ghost #141 #team 141 #kimdiedlater

[roleplayolyhedrons]

Where Do I Start?

Hint: It's not with D&D's 5th Edition.

If you’re looking to break into tabletop roleplaying games, you might be feeling like you’re trying to drink water from a firehose, or worse.

My recommendation?

Stay the f*ck away from Dungeons & Dragons, at least the three-volume set spanning over 1,000 pages. Instead, try something lighter.

Not convinced? I don’t blame ya.

Why lighter? you might be asking.

Lighter rulesets allow us to get our bearings, understand some fundamental concepts, and avoid being excluded long before we try to enter the hobby.

Still not convinced?

Think about it this way: When you were a kid, did you just jump on your bike, start peddling, and go a few dozen miles on

Think about it this way, too: You’ve probably played chess, poker, or any number of games. That’s great! You’ve probably played computer roleplaying games. That’s also great.

However, these aren’t the same as playing face-to-face, virtually, or otherwise, a game where you take on a single persona, sometimes more and sometimes other unusual things, interact with other players and their personas and deal with the conflicts and obstacles thrown at you by a referee, game master, or Dungeon Master.

In some roleplaying games, you might play as the player characters (PCs) and the referee. In any case, your imagination, and your ability to think through, play, and experiment is key. Some of these you’ve honed in other games. On the tabletop, you’ll bring them to bear.

These are different in that tabletop roleplaying games require players to go beyond simply clicking the right place, punching in the right combos, or laying down cards in a particular order. You need to think short- and long-term. Death is (mostly) permanent in many roleplaying games—no reloading saves to avoid death (although that should be a mechanic somewhere). You, as a player, need to rely on social skills, such as communication, playing nice, and collaboration with others. You’ll also need to think in terms of mechanics—how does this impact my play in-game, how can I use this to my advantage, etc.? You must manage resources, roleplay, problem-solve, and think creatively and critically to keep adventuring.

Roleplaying games can be easy, and they can be difficult to tackle. The best advice I can give, as an on-again, off-again player is this: Be prepared to fail, die, and have challenges. Also: Be active, negotiate, and make it an enjoyable experience for everyone by being there in the moment.

Where would I start now that roleplaying games have a bit more limelight?

I’d look for the freebies or the under $5/$10 (or whatever is cheaper in your local currency) games. The best places to start are the online quad: Itch.io¸ DriveThruRPG, Indie Press Revolution, and Exalted Funeral.

You also have Amazon and Lulu with some great indie games on those marketplaces, and you can never go wrong seeking out a local or regional game shop. With the COVID era behind us, some of these game shops have opted to sell online and deliver as well (keep an eye out for these shops).

Skim whatever you find, and then start playing with whoever is willing to go along for the ride—there are more out there these days than when I started, and it’s a great aspect of the hobby.

Need some suggestions? Here are a few to get you started (and, no, they aren’t D&D’s 5th edition):

Lasers & Feelings– Loads of people have hacked this game. The original rules are on it (click on the title for the direct link). Great for Star Trek-style games, space opera, and more. Easy to learn and play. Also: Easy to hack for homebrew games and long-term campaigns.

Breathless (Games) – The vast majority of the games built using the Breathless system are inexpensive, lightweight, super hackable, and friendly for beginners (click on the title for the whole catalog).

Cairn– For that classic D&D experience without the rules bloat.

Sherwood– A mixture of medieval fantasy, Robin Hood mythology, and arcane secrets unleashed.

Notorious — A fun science fiction game, with a recent expansion, that has you playing the notorious bounty hunters in a space opera universe similar to Star Wars.

Mothership – Uses a classic d100/particle die system. It’s a great intro to sci-fi OSR games that are easy to learn, play, and hack to meet any group or player's needs.

Ronin – An excellent solo roleplaying game.

Black Hack (Games) – Classic game hack of the original-ish Dungeons & Dragons, which includes sci-fi, fantasy, cyberpunk, and modern hacks of the original rules from The Black Hack (1st and 2nd editions).

P.S. All links above are not affiliate links. Happy exploring!

#indie ttrpg #ttrpgs #ttrpg community #roleplaying games

[cozycryptidcorner]

Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle

Okay everyone stay with me for this one. Everyone has hear of A Wrinkle in Time, but did you know that Meg and Charles Wallace had two other siblings???Twin boys Dennys and Sandy screw around in their parent’s lab and get yanked back to literal biblical times. Back to the time of THE Noah while he’s building his arc. With the nephilim and seraphim scooting around the desert landscape. It was integral to the development of my sexuality for all the wrong reasons. The nephilim and seraphim might have been able to deal with late nineties teenagers but they would never survive a zoomer.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

So Mr. Heinlein is. Unique. I mean from like a weird kink standpoint, but those in glass houses should not throw stones. He might be into some weird shit but I unironically like a Dune omegaverse au where Paul gets knocked up by Chanj so I will not be making any statements on his taste. I actually think Red from OSP can do it better justice than I

Viking! By Connie Mason

I have not read this one. It was a freebie at the library I work at. But according to the back, a Viking sees a lady bathing naked and thinks that he’s bewitched bc he cannot stop thinking about her. Interesting? It will be if I get my dirty hands on it.

[phaerlax]

Garu & Karu for 2, 3, and 7!

(I thought I was turning anonymity off instead of on when I sent you the ask lol)

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Hmmm I think it's related to my favorite thing to write (arousal effects). I love that when they get horny they activate Magical Boysmell that riles you up. And the self-lubrication... I think everyone self-lubricates in NU:C, and I don't pay attention to other bottoms so I might be wrong about this observation but- I feel like it's more emphasized with GaruKaru? Karu was dripping in his last room. I have come to like that. I also think it's super cute that they have a scent kink going on especially when it manifests as stealing Eiden's clothes to sniff 😭

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

This might be cheating because it's more about Eiden, but I guess it affects their character: I wish they got more pet play and got treated like a dog more 🗿 I especially wish Eiden would HOLD THE FUCKING LEASH instead of using every opportunity to virtue signal about how he sees them as equals and ghghhhrrrr! Stop being so wholesome!! I'm EVIL here!!! I also wish their dick was drawn smaller more often. . .

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

Oh I think it's how so often a writer will take the "only Master is allowed to touch my ears" thing and do something with it, especially in polyclan scenarios. Explaining how Garu came to allow the character to touch his ears, or the character coming up with an excuse that silly horny puppy eats up because he really wants them to play with his ears :3

Gonna throw in something the fandom does that I don't like as a freebie: describing their eyes changing color. I'm a truther. The game never does it for a reason...! I firmly believe that Karu's eyes don't actually flash gold when they switch. The player sees golden eyes to signify Karu, but everyone else sees no change. Change my min-

#nu carnival #nu carnival fanfic #nu carnival karu #nu carnival garu

[innershoesuitcasebiscuit]

I've noticed something again from watching the One Piece movie. I think this might have been caused by the way I took the screenshot.

It does remind me about a Zorobin art from a screenshot of a One Piece game where Zoro is looking at Robin's chest. (I don't know if it was photoshop or real)

But this screenshot really reminds me about it. This is a serious moment for them as Luffy was actually shot. I don't know if this is an animators mistake or not.

But ....

I zoomed it in, look~

Oh my Zorobin heart 💚💜~~~

Is my eye playing tricks on me? Everyone was looking at Luffy and at this time the one talking was Usopp and Chopper.

Then we have this,

Even though I'm a Zorobin shipper personally I don't think Zoro is jealous in this scene. Also it has a mistranslation for the word ojousan, it should be 'young lady'.

But ojousan is a formal way of addressing a woman that you actually don't know (for example the name or age)

Foxy's nakama was about to address her as anesan.

Anesan is a word only in anime I think? To address a madam (the wife of a yakuza/boss of a gang or if you have read gokusen then a term used for a female head of a yakuza/gang).

I think he's got a little crush on Robin.

But let's go back.

Zoro-san was going to react to it, I know for sure they know each other's age by now. Him saying nevermind? I think at some point Zoro might have been the victim of Robin's prank.

I think Robin was still upset by it. Look at how she looks at Zoro.

If looks could talk I bet it's going to be like this.

"You're going to get your dessert after this"

It's like an upset wife. My mom has this look whenever my dad comments on my mom's skin care product.

He would always tell my mom that she's going to get wrinkles and saggy skin as she's not young anymore.

I'm very curious about their interaction bts, One Piece is not a slice of life anime after all so we don't know how each member goes about their very ordinary no trouble day.

As for freebies, just ignore Brook's, Nami's and Foxy's butt.

A Zorobin moment. Zoro looking at Robin.

I bid you adieu for now.

💜💚🌸⚔️

#one piece #roronoa zoro #nico robin #roronoa zoro x nico robin #zoro x robin #zorobin

[thewertsearch]

In Davesprite's timeline, he and Rose - who presumably know a lot more about the game than we do - don't bring up the status of Jade's dream self, even though she'd have been safe from the meteor that destroyed her island.

If she was alive, she would have contacted her co-players - either through Pesterchum, or in person, via a daisy-chain of Gates and transportalizers. My working theory is that a dream self simply can't exist without its counterpart. You can live without it - lucky for Jade - but not the reverse.

Now that that's out of the way...

...yeah, I think Vriska has a pretty good chance of dying for good.

Doc Scratch seems to think her days are numbered. I don't fully trust the guy, but this statement has to pay off somehow - it's too heavy-handed to be ignored. Something Vriska does is going to go very, very wrong.

I don't expect this to happen anytime soon. She's around in the Veil during Project Trolling, so I think this Final Vriska Incident will occur some time after the trolls 'lose' their session to the Mistake. That sounds like something a 'winner' like Vriska would take personally, and maybe she'll do something drastic to try and squeeze a victory out of their defeat.

If I had to guess, I think Vriska will employ a dangerous cheat that backfires on everyone and everything - but especially her. She's been fucking around for most of her screentime, and eventually she's bound to find out.

I don't have too many other death predictions. I mentioned before that I think the Guardians might die, but that was one of a list of scattershot predictions I made for fun, without much evidence to back them up.

I think my justification was that the death of one's parental figure(s) is a common trope in RPGs and coming-of-age stories, and Homestuck is both. Plus, Kanaya was convinced that Sgrub killed the troll Guardians...

They don't really have much to do any more, do they? This session is unwinnable, so they can't fulfill whatever game purpose they originally had.

Shit, I've half-convinced myself now. I really don't want these guys to die, especially since we still know precious little about their motivations. I guess we'll see what happens.

Sollux's prophesized death is a freebie. I really hope he somehow pulls through, though, because I have a soft spot for the lil' nerd.

I think we've been told exactly how Lord English will be killed - and I'm sure Slick will be the triggerman. I'm looking forward to this.

I think our four kids will be sticking around until the end, as are particularly shippable important trolls like Karkat and Kanaya. I'm not so sure about the trolls that are getting less focus, though - I could see the likes of Gamzee or Nepeta dying if shit hits the fan.

I do have one more prediction. It's not a death, but it's adjacent.

I think Aradia is becoming progressively more alive. She's gone from a fully dead ghost, to a mostly dead sprite, to a semi-alive cyborg - and I don't think she's going to stop there.

Her body is already on the way out, and she's probably going to want a new one, without any of Equius's 'alterations'.

I predict that Aradia will have a new body made, and that this one will be an even closer approximation of her living self. Maybe she'll transform from a mechanical cyborg into an organic one - presumably one with her actual blood color.

#homestuck liveblog #full liveblog #act 5 #theories

[robininthelabyrinth]

For the miniprompts: a follow up for the unhinged Yangli one? Let her and Jgy be unhinged together, they both deserve it.

cont to this ficlet

“I could make it cheap.”

“No.”

“One coin. Any denomination, I’m not picky.”

“No.”

“Would you consider barter?” Jiang Yanli thought about it. “I accept sexual services.”

Jin Guangyao’s attempts to keep from smiling failed completely, the neutral expression he so prided himself on being able to maintain in any situation cracking in the face of Jiang Yanli’s teasing – as it so often did.

“I should hope you do,” he said dryly. “Given that you’re my wife.”

She beamed at him. “Oh yes, I know,” she said. “I remember. I was there!”

Jin Guangyao finally gave up and started laughing.

“I liked it much better than my first marriage,” Jiang Yanli said thoughtfully. “Everyone patting you on the back about how wonderfully noble you were for marrying your brother’s poor widow and raise Jin Ling as your own and all that…you know, I think Chifeng-zun was the only one who knew what was actually happening? I’m glad you changed your mind about wanting me to kill him.”

“Well, with my father out of the way, it became much easier to manage him,” Jin Guangyao said humbly, though he, too, was pleased about having changed his mind about having Jiang Yanli assassinate Nie Mingjue – even if it was mostly because the other man’s mixture of surprising insightfulness, aggravated righteousness, and growing sense of general resignation that those he loved were going to do whatever they wanted no matter what he said made his commentary especially funny. He’d actually rolled his eyes when Lan Xichen had commiserated with Jin Guanyao about having to break his engagement with Qin Su in favor of Jiang Yanli – it turned out to be tremendously piquant to have an audience in the know. “Anyway, thank you for improving my mood, but I’m still not paying you to murder those men.”

“But they were rude to you!”

“That’s hardly a crime.”

“They insulted me.”

Jin Guangyao frowned at once. “They did?”

“Well, they insulted my husband, which is insulting me,” Jiang Yanli amended. “But really, they’re being such awful people about everything – even your Watchtower idea. We’re clearly better off without them. Why won’t you let me kill them?”

Jin Guangyao arched his eyebrows at her. “Are you suggesting that I’m restraining you from doing something you want? You’re free to do as you like, you know that.”

Jiang Yanli pouted. “I’m a professional. I don’t do freebies – it’s far too easy to get into bad habits that way, solving all your problems with the same solution rather than thinking of them individually.”

Jin Guangyao considered that.

“Hmm,” he said. “You might have a point. I mean, I’d planned to have the entire clan slaughtered discreetly, but you’re right, I really shouldn’t do the same thing each time. Maybe a targeted assassination really is the right approach this time around.”

“And you tell me not to overreact,” Jiang Yanli sighed, shaking her head and pressing her lips to his cheek. “Now – let’s talk terms.”

Jin Guangyao put on his best innocent expression. “I thought you said you accepted sexual services…?”

#mdzs #jiang yanli #jin guangyao #my fic #my fics #alt headcanons

[notmoreflippingelves]

I'm biased as heck and I'm gonna go with one of my faves - how about 18, 22 and 25 for Francisco from EoA and a freebie question - thoughts on his relationship with Esteban pre and post series?

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

It gets much less screen time/focus than his relationship with the other characters, but Francisco's relationship with Isabel is very underrated and one of my favorites to watch. It's especially poignant and striking as Francisco is the oldest of the main characters, and Isabel is the youngest--but there is still so much understanding and affection between them. And the two of them have such similar personalities.

I feel like they are probably the most alike of all the Flores family members. Both are quieter and relatively even tempered (or at least compared to the rest of the family who are much more talkative and hot-headed), sensitive, creative/artistic. I'd also say that they are the two "wisest" members of the family and the most open-minded. (Though of course, they do have their very stubborn moments as well!)

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

Honestly, I don't think I've read a ton of Francisco fic, but not really sure that there's a ton out there. But I do enjoy the little I see of him as a background character in other fics. In terms of an aspect that I like (and would love to see more of), I really enjoy seeing focus on his relationships with Isabel and Esteban. Much of the Francisco content that we see in the show itself is understandably focused on his relationships with Luisa and Elena, so it's always nice to see fanwork delve deeper into his dynamics with the other members of his family. I've already talked a bit about his relationship with Isabel and I will talk more in another question about his relationship with Esteban. But yeah, these are really rich, underrated dynamics that have so much wonderful potential to be explored.

As for something I don't like, I read a fic once where Francisco died the day after "Coronation Day," and he sort of knew that it was going to be his last day, which gave him a bit of an extra vitality on the day itself. And just...it made me too sad. Plus, like Esteban was just finally reintegrated into the family again, Elena just ascended the throne. There's so much going on in Francisco's life at the end of the series that he should be there for. Yeah, I get that he's older and he might not be in the best of health (especially given his sweet tooth). But no, in my mind, all the characters (except Shuriki, lol) are functionally immortal for the foreseeable future.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

I liked Francisco reasonably well from the start, and I like him even better now. I find him a nice, calming presence for the Flores family. He gets a long reasonably well with everyone and is able to provide some very sweet moments as well as a little bit of humor.

26. FREEBIE QUESTION!!-- thoughts on his relationship with Esteban pre and post series?

While we really don't get to see all that much of it, I feel that Francisco's relationship with Esteban was very, very good-- pre-series, during the main timeline of the show, and post-series alike. In fact, I feel like I would go so far as to say that it's probably one of (if not THE) most positive relationship in Esteban's life. Esteban was around 8-9, when he was orphaned, so he likely remembers very little about his actual father. Instead, Francisco was the fatherly presence guiding Esteban through the struggles of adolescence.

He would've been the one who taught Esteban everything he knows about being a man. He would have been the one to teach him how to tie his cravat and how to shave. (My headcanon is that adult!Esteban decided to grow out his beard and mustache during the Dark Times specifically as a way of honoring his absent abuelo who has his own impressive facial hair). He was probably also the one to teach Esteban how to play the guitar and the one we see in "Secret of Avalor" may even have been a gift from him. (Shame that Shuriki probably had it destroyed at the end of the scene).

And the little hints that we see of their relationship in the main series suggest that the relationship continues to be strong. During Esteban's trial, Francisco is the only one to vote in his favor. His line about judging Esteban not for the mistakes of his past but the man he has become in the present--suggest that in Francisco's view, Esteban has become a man that he is proud of and one that is already worthy of forgiveness/a second chance. As a lonely, love-starved, fatherless boy, Esteban probably worshipped Francisco when he was a child, and so to hear that --even knowing Esteban's greatest mistake--Francisco is still proud of what he's become must have been so validating for Esteban as an adult. That's all he's ever wanted: to be a great man, a true son of Avalor just like his abuelo. Too bad Luisa then totally crushes Esteban's heart immediately afterwards.

I am also very struck by the throne room scene with Francisco, Luisa, and Cahu in "Coronation Day." While Luisa has the flashier role in the scene and the more powerful lines, I'd argue that Francisco is actually the one who ultimately inspires Esteban's decision to sacrifice himself for Elena.

Esteban watches Francisco call for a sword to defend Luisa from Cahu, hears Francisco ask him "why are you doing this, Esteban?" because Francisco still cares enough about him to want to understand. Esteban knows that Francisco is the kind of man that he himself has always wanted to be, the man that he should be. The man that maybe he still could be if only he had just one more chance. And then he does get that chance, and he's finally able to do exactly what Francisco would do--sacrifice himself to save his family.

I also have a lot of feelings about how the last interaction we see between the two of them on the show is at the end of Esteban's sacrifice-redemption-and-resurrection scene. We see Francisco place a hand on Esteban's shoulder as the scene fades to black.

#elena of avalor #francisco flores #isabel castillo flores #esteban flores #ask memes #i've also talked a bit about the whole 'esteban sees shuriki again in song of the sirenas and hides behind his grandfather' #but that was more from esteban's perspective #of him being so terrified of shuriki that he reverts again to the scared little boy who needs to hide behind the braver man for protection #but we can also consider it from francisco's perspective as well as esteban's #he doesn't care that esteban is younger and presumably stronger and by all rights 'should be' the one shielding him #no; for all that esteban is an adult who 'should' protect himself #he's still francisco's little nieto at the end of the day #francisco can and will protect esteban--just as he did that day over 50 years prior when his orphaned grandson was left in his care #ask meme

[theowlgoesmoo]

Work in progress, based on the ending of the first part of "Go Ahead, Take Her"

“I want to clear up a little misunderstanding, princess. I think you’ve got the wrong idea about your place here.”

He knelt down, until his chin was level with her forehead. She doubted he could get lower if he tried.

“You’re my hostage. That means you’re important to me, right?” He asked, a wide grin on his face. His yellow fangs shone in the silvery light too, making them almost glow.

Dot hesitated. That was… kind of obvious, wasn’t it? I mean, why else would he take her?

“Yes…?” She finally answered, leaning back from him a little.

“Wrong.”

He pointed a finger at her, the tip of his claw brushing her nose. She stepped back

“I don’t need you. You think your colony’s not going to give me my food just because I don’t have you?”

“No…?”

“Wrong again.” He sidled up to her in almost a waddle, closing the distance again.. It might have been funny, if it was anyone else but Hopper.

“They’re going to give it to me with or without you. What do you think they’ll do? Say ‘no fair’, take their ball and go home? This ain’t a game, runt. They’ll just have to watch as we take what’s ours, and they get nothing in return.”

He was still holding his drink. Dot could smell it as he sloshed it around in his hand.

“You’re not a key part of this, brat. You’re just… let’s call it a bonus.”

“A bonus.” Dot frowned.

“How about a lesson, is that better? That’s what you are, a lesson. Third rule of leadership, princess:” He took another, rather sloppy drink.

“Remind everyone why you’re the leader. Let’s just look at today, huh? I spent three decades of my life teaching you ants your place in the world, and what you owe to your betters. And then one year, you decide not to pay your dues. What am I going to-”

“It was an accident!” Dot yelled, interrupting him. Hopper scowled.

“Accidents don’t happen. Carelessness, laziness? That happens. But accidents? No. I don’t give a damn what happened to my food. All I care about is that I don’t have it, and it’s somebody’s fault I don’t.”

He glared at her, a fury burning behind his eyes - both of them. She stayed silent.

“Now, as I was saying…” He twisted his face into an overly-friendly smile, one that was painfully fake. “What am I going to do about that kind of carelessness? You think just smashing a couple holes in the roof and roughing up some of you losers would be enough to make the lesson stick? No. A bad storm will do that. I need to make it personal. I need to make SURE they remember what happens when they don’t uphold their end of the bargain. So, what do I do? Well, look what we have here. I’ve got their precious little Princess Blot-”

“Dot!”

“I don’t care. Their precious little Princess Snot is right here in my hands. And look! One of the idiots wants her back. Now I’m not one to turn down a freebie. Time to show these ants they don’t always get what they want. And so, here you are, with me instead of them. And they all know it.”

Dot was silent. She wasn’t a hostage. No, she wasn’t important enough for that. She was… what, a symbol? A punishment? That knife twisted again.

#a bugs life #a bug's life #anthro #princess dot #fanart #au #Hopper #art wip #pixar #dot

[omnybus]

So, a while back, I wrote about how I really appreciate my watchers and commission clients for being so respectful to me, and how I've never dealt with an especially unpleasant client before.

Well, seems I jinxed myself!

The other day I was messaged by someone who asked if I wanted to take part in an unpaid collaborative art project. Normally I would turn down unpaid work, but I figured I might as well hear out what his project was and maybe give it a shout-out to others (I'm too polite; that's my problem). So he sends me a PDF detailing the project in question.

Basically he wanted to make a series of MLP comics starring his OCs along with 20-30 second animations to introduce each one. He also listed several jobs for the members of this project to fulfill: sketching, inking, coloring, cover art, lettering, scriptwriting, character design, prop design, 2D animators, 3D animators... even a "scientist" to help explain the workings of magic and tech in this series as well as "roleplayers" to help with writing character interactions. Like 30+ jobs in total.

While he did give a brief summery of the setting (sci-fi fantasy set 1000 years in the future) and stated there was no set time limit, at no point did he say what the plot of these stories are, how long these comics are supposed to be, how many there were going to be, or really any kind of framework to build off of. Hell, he didn't even name his OCs, let alone provide reference pics. The only thing he offered was the "privilege" of "showcase your own OCs" (which I can already do in my own gallery), "improving your art skills" (which I do literally every time I draw), and the opportunity to "help someone achieve their dream" (no comment).

Overall, everything about this project was incredibly vague and nondescript, and was essentially all going to be made up on the fly every step of the way. I even asked if he had a way to communicate with the other members of this project and all he said was "I have my ways of communicating". Like... why not just tell me? I felt like someone was trying to indoctrinate me into a cult, but they forgot that cult leaders are supposed to be charismatic. It seemed that all he had to offer were a bunch of lofty but nebulous ideas, and this clown was expecting a bunch of people to waste their time and talents helping him write self-insert fanfiction for his OCs and waifus.

But the most audacious part of the whole thing was that included in the PDF was a link to another PDF that was essentially a list of reasons for turning him down, and his explanations on why he won't accept them. They're listed below the cut:

“I’m too Busy, So I have no time to do this.” Reason.

As I’ve explain that Time isn’t an Issue for there is no time limit in my Project.

“I only do Commission’s because I really needed money to pay my Bills and Foods.” Reason.

I’m guessing that you don’t get out much then, surely there’s a Job vacancies around your places somewhere.

“I don’t do Freebies for stranger’s, only Friend’s” Reason.

That’s good rhem because I asked for a Collaboration, NOT a Request nor a Commission for that matter.

“I only draw what I want, I don’t do others and I’m not accepting Commission's either.” Reason.

Then I don’t see what’s the reason or why you posted your Artworks online then for everyone to see, unless of course, you want people to be jealous of you.

“What you just stated IS a Free Project, I’m not wasting my times and patiences for a Project who knows how long that will not help me Pay my Bills.” Reason.

…………, So what’s the problem then?; Please re-read my explanation to know what I mean.

“I appreciate you’ll willing to invite me for such a Big Project but I don’t think my Skills in Artwork’s is impressive enough.” Reason.

If your Artwork’s isn’t impressive enough for me then please tell me these 2 things:

why do you think I invite you to join my Project then?

if you’re that low on confidences about your Artworks, why bother posting it online for everyone to see?

“I just don’t want.” Reason.

Explain specifically and in details why not? please

Which one is your Reason or do you have any other “Reasons” that I miss or don’t know about?

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Character asks

26: what do you like the most about Fue's relationship with his siblings

MORE FUE

26. (Freebie question)

Okay, so this one is something, for which it's difficult to give a concise answer. Quite simply because, well, short answer would be "the fact that they encourage each other", but I don't think that would really depict his relationship with either of them.

The thing is that with Mereo, it's almost a competition. Which is interesting, because they don't, really at least, have the same goal. I mean, they both want to get stronger, but their goals beyond that seem very different. Actually, I'm not sure if Mereo actually has a goal beyond "get stronger, find the next baddest bitch in the Strong Magic Region and destroy it, become the baddest bitch yourself", while Fue has the goal of "becoming the next WK". Though, I would argue that there are underlying reasons why Fue would wish to be the WK and Mereo doesn't, and that reason would be to keep people safe. They're both on a quest to find strength, so that they might protect. But their relationship does have rivalry-esque themes to them, especially on Mereo's part where she's determined to stay ahead of the curve "as that fool's older sister, I will take you down!!" Statements such as that, where she feels the need to do something as an older sister, or to do something, because if she went down there and then, she'd never hear the end of it, imply that she has the very prominent need of keeping those close to her safe. They also drive each other to be better through this, and that's something that I love about them. So, they would always be there to help and to protect the other, but they also drive each other to be better. With Leo, well, I've had a few conversations with different people about Fue and Leo's relationship, and while everyone seems to agree that Fue has the best of intentions when it comes to Leo's training and helping him grow, it's doing quite the opposite, and how the Vermillion (or Fire Vermillion anyhow) seems to be "demanding of strength" in a way. As in, sure, they would support Leo through anything, and would come to his rescue if need be, because they love Leo, but as Vermillions, they're also striving for strength and greatness (but "greatness" can be interpreted in a lot of ways). Which is placing a lot of pressure onto Leo. I don't think that "demanding" is necessarily the right word here, but perhaps "expecting" it? Sure Leo can take his time, but he's expected to become strong, and Leo feels the pressure to actually be and become strong. And I don't think that any of the parties involved really realize this. But instead of allowing Leo to really find his own path, he's put on a path to become, specifically, a strong knight through the means that they have at your disposal in the Royal Capitol (or Clover Kingdom). It was only in the later chapters that Leo was allowed to venture to Heart, which Mimosa had done before already. Why this is, I don't know. And for myself? I do adore the Fire Vermillion brothers. Leo admires Fue so so so very much, and while I think that Fue has the best of intentions with Leo's training, I don't think he's making the best decisions for Leo specifically. Fue obviously cares for Leopold. I think it was most concretely seen when Heart was under attack, and Fue was all fired up to go save Leo. But I also think that was one of the moments, or times, which proved to Fue that Leo, the baby brother of the family, is capable of standing on his own two feet. Fue just needs to see Leo as who he could be; a strong, capable knight, rather than someone to worry about. So, I think that the wish to protect one and another would be my favourite thing in both relationships Fue has with his siblings.

#black clover #fuegoleon vermillion #mer #leopold vermillion #ask game #anon flamelets #I think that the Vermillion family and its dynamic is quite complex #but the love is there #love and support are prominent in this family

[valeriefauxnom]

Ah, Doomsday Getaway. Probably quite a few people's favorite events, for the combination of music, story, etc, even if the freebie ultimately ended up a wash for quality.

But amid all the things going on, I just found this exchange a little bit funny even if what's being discussed isn't.

Everyone else has largely been crossing their arms and going 'nu-uh' to Carmen's claim and refusing to play the game.

Elisanne, though, quickly decides to start playing for the worst-case scenario that Carmen's words are 100% true, and then starts eyeing to try and set up a mass-murder/suicide scheme with Ranzal to force the game to end up with Euden as 'winner' since, well, it's pretty obvious Euden wouldn't play the game if his life depended on it (literally). As an aside, Elisanne definitely chose her prospective partner-in-crime well, as among the main 5, Ranzal as the more gritty, realistic, 'willing to get dirty for the boss' is probably the most likely to agree to do such a thing.

Ironically, even if they did team up to do this and pulled it off, Euden would then likely be the only one to die or otherwise suffer a horrible fate with the whole 'psyche, would-be winner, d'ya want to bite the bullet to resurrect all your pals' twist thrown in last minute. Funnily enough, though, this is probably like the singular time Euden expresses any hesitation at the notion of sacrificing himself for everyone:

However, I'll throw in a bit of a wrinkle to that initial scene. While that first scene ends with Ranzal's comment and is only implied what Elisanne was proposing it does return for a brief part in the next scene in more explicit terms.

...However (part 2), this scene turns around into this:

...which quickly is simply revealed to be just a nightmare Euden was having.

This is a minor conspiracy theory, but if Euden was dreaming that last part, was maybe the first part ALSO a dream?

Was Euden maybe fearing somewhere deep in his mind, that his friends were secretly starting to plot the murders of everyone besides him given their protectiveness? I might also point to the fact that Dream!Amane being able to guess so accurately what had happened the night before without actually knowing what they were discussing.

It just feels a bit too convenient, especially combined with Dream!Euden immediately being able to start 'taking action' and gaining a presence in the dream right after it seems like it might be too late, the kind of 'helpless nightmares' that a lot of people have. It also seems like the kind of nightmare he would have, as between actual events like Fractured Futures where he's helpless and forced to watch a Zethia die, to his overall character of 'having to save everyone/do everything' tendencies, I'm thinking Euden really doesn't like being caught feeling helpless to fix things.

Admittedly, I don't really have evidence either way, nor is it very important to the broader story. It's entirely possible that the first initial conversation with Ranzal actually happened, Euden overheard somehow, and then had nightmares of the second. The one piece of evidence to suggest part one happened is this tidbit, which implicates there was at least one time where the two of them were talking alone about something:

Even then, they might have had a private conversation wherein the trusting curse was triggered (since what we saw of that conversation, it wasn't triggered) that Euden saw but didn't hear, later had a nightmare imagining what was going on and then had Nightmare the Sequel later with Amane and Elisanne, trying to re-contextualize the nightmare with Ranzal dead instead of everyone else around them dropping.

So yeah, minor, inconsequential food for thought. With the cliffhanger at the end, though, I do wonder if they were plotting a sequel-style event or other followup later on. Wonder what that would've been like!

#dragalia lost #dragalia #Imagine if Elly and Ranzal DID agree that night and then later the whole soul/doll thing is revealed #...and then they have to go 'whoopsie daisy' because they actually started murdering when everyone else was dying because of words. #Everyone left just kinda side-eyes them. No wonder why there was a sudden split between obvious murder wounds and the mysterious ones! #Of course it's for the better they didn't but kinda funny in that dark sort of way nonetheless.