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harrystylescherry · 4 years

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Ungodly Hour Part Two

a/n: oh god....i am a SINNER. it’s literally 4 am and i have been working on this all day. i know i said it would be up HOURS ago...but i couldn’t stop. anyway...enjoy, whores.

what it is: fluff and SMUT

word count: 14.6k

warning: choking

READ PART ONE

MASTERLIST

MOODBOARD

pls pls pls reblog if you liked it :)

Harry wanted to call you the next morning.

He sat in his bed, phone in between his legs, finger between his teeth and tried to talk himself into it.

On the one hand, he wanted to see you, desperately, but on the other, if he had completely ignored what you said, your request, it might give you an idea of him that he didn’t want. He didn’t want you to think you were a rebound or that he didn’t take what you had said to him seriously, but he also didn’t want to not reach out at all and make you think that he wasn’t interested or that he had forgotten about you because he hadn’t and he knew that he wouldn’t.

***

The first surprise came the morning after that night as you were walking to get coffee with a work friend: the Instagram notification that Harry had followed you. From all the social media stalking you did of him last night (looking over the carefully curated grid you had already seen a few times before) you noticed that the man took who he followed on social media very seriously--and so you were only a little embarrassed when your stomach did a flip.

You smiled at the notification before slipping your phone into the back pocket of your jeans.

“What are you smiling at? Good news?” Your friend asked.

You shook your head softly, but the smile didn’t move, “No, just this guy from last night. He followed me on Instagram.”

“You’re that happy over a follow? Must be some fucking guy.”

“We’ll see.”

***

The second surprise came two weeks later when he liked one of your pictures. It was one of you out with your friends, at some tiny pub you couldn’t remember the name of. Your head was thrown back in laughter, right arm wrapped tightly around Penny’s waist as she was in the middle of yelling something to whoever had taken the picture. The whole thing was slightly blurry, but it looked fun. You looked fun--which you had all of a sudden cared about.

You didn’t want to admit it, but ever since he had followed you, you had been hesitant about posting, automatically concerned with whether or not he would like the photo. You weren’t even sure if he used Instagram like that, like everybody else; if he tapped through stories in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep and made sure to like the pictures of his friends when they posted. And usually, you never cared about likes--from anyone. You never got annoyed at boyfriends for not liking pictures or taking a guy you were talking to not liking yours but liking others as a sign of him losing interest. You never cared like that, but all of a sudden, a like from Harry was important to you.

Maybe you needed to know that he was still thinking about you, needed to know you could still catch his attention, still be the girl he was interested in, needed to know if he still knew you existed.

So, when you saw that stupid little notification, your heart leapt.

You had a feeling you would be thinking about him for weeks and you were right. You really liked him. You still wanted him in more ways than one which was nuts because you weren’t even talking. You barely knew him, hadn’t seen him in weeks, and yet you were still completely infatuated with him.

If he never called, you would be crushed.

***

“I’ve already seen three screenshots of your like on Twitter.” Jeff chuckled as he walked into Harry’s living room, where he was lounging on the couch.

“So? She’s a photographer. It’s not weird for me to like her pictures or follow her or anything.”

Jeff held his hands up in defense, “Never said it was.”

Harry didn’t respond, eyes still glued to the picture you had posted. He wondered if you had met any guys there or if you had gone with any guys. He felt jealous over a girl he barely knew, but he couldn’t help it. You hadn’t left his mind for a single moment since you walked away from him outside the club and having your number in his phone but not being able to use it was killing him.

Mitch reminded him that he could easily call you, but he knew that if he did, without taking the time that you told him to, nothing would happen between the two of you. You had only known him for a few hours and you were able to read him like a book. You saw that he was hurt, you understood what was going on with him and you told him that you liked him--too much to just be his for the night. You knew about the songs and the other girls and his ‘funk’ as Mitch liked to call it, which meant that you knew that two weeks wasn’t enough time for him to get over all of it.

And it wasn’t.

Just a few days ago, he had written a few verses about his ex. They weren’t as sad, but they weren’t exactly happy, nor was there much distance between himself and what he wrote. He wasn’t at the point yet where he was using his already felt feelings and gotten-over memories as material; he was still in a place where he was writing through his feelings, using his songs to relive some of his favorite memories--and also some of the worst.

“Coming out later?” Jeff asked, flicking Harry on the back of the head to get his attention.

“No.” He locked his phone and stood up from the couch, stretching his arms above his head.

“Really? Two weeks ago you were jumping at the chance to go out.”

He shrugged, “Just not feeling it lately.”

“Okay, well, if you change your mind, you know where we’ll be.” Jeff swiped his phone and wallet off of Harry’s coffee table before saying goodbye.

Once he was gone, Harry walked over to the part of his house he had converted into his home studio. He sat on one of the plush armchairs with a sigh and then picked up his black moleskin from where he had abandoned it on the floor the night before.

He flipped it open to the song he had been working on the day before--the one that was about you--but he couldn’t focus. Wonderings of what you were doing floated through his mind, distracting him from getting down the effect you had on him. He had been working on this particular song since the night he met you; he had pages filled with crossed out lines, jumbled verses, circles drawn around parts of phrases that sounded good enough to keep, but he was finding it impossible to finish.

Everything he wrote was always so personal, so specific and particular, even when it sounded vague or universal--and he didn’t know you like that yet. He didn’t yet know what songs you chose when faced with a long drive, how you took your coffee--or tea (he didn’t even know which you preferred), didn’t know a single thing about your family, where you really came from, if you spent Sunday mornings in bed listening to an old record or if you went for a run each day, dance music blasting into your ears.

He knew you liked going out, that you liked to dance, that you wore a technicolor dress that glittered under the lights and that your smile was the most intoxicating thing he had ever seen. He laughed when he thought of how biting your wit was, how quick it was, almost like you had known each conversation in advance, always ready to make people laugh, or surprise them.

He rubbed at his eyes, every idea he had in his head already scratched into that book and slunk down further into the chair, his legs straightening out in front of him. He looked around the room, eyes roaming over the guitars, piano, cords flowing from equipment that sat on desks and shelves.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw it. It was wedged in a pile of cords at the back corner of the room.

He pushed himself up from the chair and walked over. He bent down and picked up the bright yellow sock, staring at the small white daisies that dotted the worn fabric. His hand dropped down to his side, the sock still in his grip.

He saw her gliding around the room on her tiptoes in her flower socks and oversized t-shirt. Her hair was shoved in a messy bun on the top of her head and she held a cup of tea in her hand as she floated across the mismatched rugs, singing along to the melody he had just put together as he sat in that same chair, guitar in his lap and a smile on his face.

He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. This wasn’t the song he had wanted to write today, but it was the one he had to.

He decided, a few days after that night, that the best way for him to get over his ex and be ready to be with someone else was if he really made himself [feel] it. He needed to finally let himself feel sad whenever the moment came, to mourn when he saw something she had forgotten to take or something he had missed when throwing stuff away. He needed to stop pushing the sadness away, shoving it back down, deep into the back of his mind because if he continued, it was never going to go away. He needed to let it leak out, bit by bit, until there was none of it left.

So, for the past two weeks, he let himself feel sad. He finally went through his camera roll, finally went through the polaroids that she refused to take when she left, he threw out the sweatshirt of hers that he was hoarding, just in case he needed an excuse to call her on a night where he drank too much and felt too needy.

***

It was three and a half weeks since the two of you had met and you still hadn’t gotten a call.

You were sitting at your desk at home, combing through prints of a collection you shot for a designer you had worked with before. The entire collection was so ethereal and so you had really worked hard when it came to the lighting, trying to get it to filter through the leaves of the trees, played around with it for hours in photoshop in order to get its haziness just right. You were meeting the designer for lunch to show her the work, go over anything she wanted retouched or redone, go over her final selections for the look book she was putting together.

You tried hard not to think about Harry, but most days he stood at the center of your mind, your attention always drifting back to him.

He was in your dream the night before, in the same cream suit, with his same bright smile, but the night ended differently in your dream. It ended with him laying next to you on your bedroom floor, sweaty, chest heaving.

You spilled your coffee across your small counter that morning, momentarily distracted by the images of him shirtless and sweaty that flashed in your head. You had to rewrite the same email three times because you kept losing what you wanted to say, the idea that maybe he would never call torturing you.

Obviously, you had wanted him to call, you were hoping for it, but you weren’t sure how long you were going to have to wait until he did--if he did at all.

You tried to ignore the possibility that he would never call. Despite all he had said that night, you were sure you would’ve just ended up as another rebound--but you were starting to think that maybe that would’ve been better than being nothing at all?

You sighed in slight annoyance with yourself for not being able to shut your brain off as you packed the prints into a folder and then slipped them into your tote bag.

He had liked another one of your pictures--just a shot from a shoot thanking the designer for the opportunity--and you were embarrassed to admit that you had spent way too long staring at the notification when you got it.

You spent the tube ride to the restaurant wondering what he was up to, if he was making any progress in terms of getting over his ex, if he had thought of calling you at all.

You knew what it was like to be on the rebound. You weren’t lying when you told him that you had been in his exact spot half a year before. Your ex had crushed you when he broke things off and so you gorged yourself on men. You went out all weekend, every weekend, kissing guys and going home with them, enjoying the feeling of being wanted. You needed it to erase all the sadness of the week and so you understood him in that sense. You didn’t judge him for seeing you as a rebound or wanting you to be one, but that didn’t mean you had to be okay with being one.

Being in that same position a few months ago also meant that you knew that he might never call you. There were plenty of guys who you had met at bars or clubs that you swore you liked, that you wanted to go on a date with--but more often than not, you liked them because they were paying attention to you, they were making you feel wanted again, which was something you had missed post-breakup. Maybe the next day you still thought about them, but come that next weekend, you barely remembered their name, on to the next guy who promised to make you feel better just for that one night.

Harry could’ve easily moved on to someone else by now. He could’ve gone out the weekend after, maybe the night after and found some girl more than willing to spend the night in his bed, completely erasing you from his mind.

You took a seat at the tiny table out on the back patio of the small restaurant and hung your bag on the back of the chair before pulling out your phone. Lily, the designer, was running a few minutes late but told you to order a bottle of wine. She was always one for a boozy work lunch and you never minded.

You ordered a bottle of pinot grigio from the waiter in a short sleeve dress shirt and dark blue pants when you caught sight of a curly head and your heart stopped.

He was sitting a few tables away, sunglasses pushed up onto his head, holding back his brown hair. His back was to you, but you could see his plaid pants and the green corduroy jacket he was wearing. He wasn’t wearing any rings, from what you could see when he moved his hands as he talked, but you saw the edges of tattoos peeking out from his sleeve.

“Harry?” You whispered, not wanting to actually draw attention to yourself.

You willed him to turn his head, just for a second. The chatter around you was too loud and he was too far away for you to hear his voice and so a quick glimpse at his profile was your only hope.

The waiter’s return startled you out of your intense staring. You thanked him as he poured you a glass and set up the wine with the chiller on the table. The second he walked away, your eyes were back on the brown haired guy, your fingers tapping on the table in anticipation.

You sat up a little straighter in your chair when you saw him start to get up from his seat, your hand reaching out to the stem of your glass, not knowing what to do with your hands. You looked away as he started to turn around, not wanting to be caught staring if it was him or not. Your eyes were trained on the hand that was fiddling with the glass’s stem and just as he was walking past your table, you looked up.

He gave you a nod as your shoulders sagged. You nodded back and sent the stranger a small smile.

It wasn’t him. Of course it wasn’t him. That would’ve been too easy. Also, London was rather large and the chances of you running into him at all were extremely slim; especially since you knew he lived in North London and you resided in the East End. It wasn’t exactly far but they were like two completely different worlds.

You sighed and took a sip of your wine, sliding down a bit in your chair, hoping Lily would arrive soon so you had something else to distract you.

***

“I can’t believe you haven’t called her yet.” Charlotte plopped down on the couch perpendicular to the one Harry was laying on.

They were at the studio, playing around with several songs Harry had written.

When he was flipping through his notebook, Mitch didn’t miss the page with your name at the top of it.

“What about that one?” He asked as Harry passed right over it.

“What one?” He cleared his throat.

“The one that said “(Y/N).”

“That’s not a song.”

“It’s not?” Mitch asked.

“No, it’s...a mess. It’s just a bunch of random shit that I can’t get to make any sense.”

“Maybe you would be able to make sense of it if you just called her and went on a fucking date.” Mitch smirked.

Harry shook his head, “M’not ready.”

“Harry, it’s been almost two months.”

“A month and a half.” Harry made the correction as if it made it any better.

“Whatever. It’s been several weeks. Don’t you think she’s going to get the idea that you’re no longer interested?”

He shook his head, “No. I’m doing what she said. I’m getting over all the shit before I call her. She said that she would answer whenever it was that I called. She knows I’m interested.”

“If you say so.” Mitch patted him on the back, “Now, which one of these do you want us to work on?”

“I want to.” Harry ran his hands over his face before pushing himself up, sitting with his back leaning against the arm of the couch. “I really want to.”

“So then call her.” Charlotte shrugged as if it was so simple.

“I just...don’t know yet.”

“Don’t know what?”

“I don’t know if I’m ready. Like, what if I think I am, but then she ends up being right?” When he saw Charlotte’s confused look, he elaborated, “What if I think I’m ready, or I know I’m not but take her out anyway and then I end up spending the whole night comparing her to you know who? What if I ruin whatever chance I have with (Y/N) because I’m still hung up on someone who isn’t even in my life anymore? I just don’t want that to happen.”

“I don’t think it will.” She assured him. “She was really cool. And funny. Look, I don’t want you to fuck it up either, trust me, because if you do, we don’t get to go out with her again and that would be deepy disappointing.”

Harry laughed lightly, “That was fun, wasn’t it?”

“So much fun!” Charlotte smiled. “If you don’t think you’re ready then you shouldn’t call her, but I do think you’re overthinking it a bit. Yeah, you’re still writing songs about you know who,” She gave Harry’s leg a poke, “but it seems to be a lot easier for you now. You don’t look all tortured when we work on them. You seem a lot more okay than you did a month ago.”

He knew she was right. Sure, there was still a twinge in his heart whenever he sat down to write something, whether it was good or bad, but it felt more like the kind of tug that came with all kinds of lost moments, bittersweet memories. He didn’t think he was as heartbroken anymore, but still, he was too scared to fuck it up.

“I haven’t gone out since; haven’t been with anyone else either.” He admitted.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged, “Haven’t really wanted to. I don’t think it was really helping anyway.”

“Me neither.”

“Kind of just want to relive that night over and over, which sounds so bloody stupid. I was one fucking night--but she’s in my head all the time, you know? How pathetic is that? It doesn’t even make sense. I don’t even know her.”

Charlotte sighed, falling back and sinking into the large leather couch. “I don’t think it’s pathetic at all, Harry. And it makes sense. You can like someone you only met once. You may not be able to have serious feelings for them but you can like them. She’s likable. You’re attracted to her and interested in her. That’s nothing abnormal. You’re not going to stop thinking about her until you call her.”

“Don’t think I’ll stop thinking about her then either.”

“Even more reason to give her that call.”

***

The third surprise came when he replied to your Instagram story.

It was two in the morning and you were binging all of Peaky Blinders, a glass of wine in your hand, a bag of microwavable popcorn in your lap.

You quickly pushed your wine glass onto the tiny coffee table and pulled your phone from where it lit up on the arm of your couch. You swiped the notification open with one hand while the other paused the show.

Congrats, love! you’re gonna do great :)

You were smiling so big that it hurt.

You had posted a picture on your story of you and Matthew Williams, the new Creative Director of Givenchy. For the past two months, you had been talking to him and the team over there about possibly shooting something for them, a new campaign that you didn’t have the full details of yet, but a few days ago, you had gotten the call that you got the job.

It was going to be your first shoot for a major designer and you were over the moon. That night, your friends had taken you out to dinner to celebrate and you called your mom who squealed praise over the phone.

Along with his message was a heart eye emoji reaction to the picture.

“Interesting.” You muttered, kind of surprised that he was an emoji user.

You reread the message at least three times before deciding that you should probably answer since it would tell him that you read it.

Thank you! I’m really excited :)

You figured that was good enough. You said thank you and added a little extra, giving him the opportunity to continue talking to you if he wanted to.

You saw seen pop up underneath the message but then nothing else came.

Five minutes later, there was still nothing.

Another five minutes after that, you decided to put your phone down and dump out all the hope you were holding.

***

He didn’t know how to respond.

He could ask you how you were, but he didn’t want the first conversation that the two of you had in almost two months to be done through instagram. If he texted your number, it was going to be to ask you out on a date--and he couldn’t do that, because he was leaving to go to Italy for two weeks, needing to meet with Alessandro to talk tour outfits and the next Gucci campaign.

He couldn’t ask you on a date that would end up being three weeks from now, nor could he ask you to go out with him that weekend and then disappear for two weeks. In his mind, it wouldn’t be right. Also, he had a feeling that if he went out with you before he left, his time in Italy would be torture and he would be counting down the hours until he would be able to see you again--he couldn’t do that to himself.

He locked his phone and pushed it away from him on the counter.

Then he picked it up again, opening your conversation.

If I don’t answer, will she think I’ve lost interest?, he asked himself. No, he decided. Messaging her surely shows her I’m interested.

***

You faith in ever getting that call was rapidly decreasing. Two months. Five months since his break up. Wasn’t that enough?, you thought. Isn’t almost half a year enough?

You had to remind yourself that you didn’t know how long they had dated for, didn’t know the nature of their relationship, didn’t really know how deeply he had loved whoever this woman was.

Maybe five months wasn’t enough. Maybe six months wouldn’t be either--or seven or eight. But could you wait that long?

You shook your head at the thought, realizing that you couldn’t. Penny was already shocked that you had waited this long for him to call. Even more shocked that you hadn’t given any other guy a chance, completely floored that you still had hope.

“You’re hung up on a guy you met once. You didn’t even fuck him and your, like, in love with him or something.”

You were scrolling through Instagram, looking at the feeds of the other photographers you knew Givenchy had worked with, just curious as to how their vibes compared to yours.

“He’s sweet and hot and...a really good kisser.” You sighed.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, if Harry Styles had kissed me you’d be hearing about it for the rest of my life. I would never get over it. A part of me would always hope that he would call me and kiss me again...but I wouldn’t not kiss other guys, or not agree to go out with other guys.”

“It was just...different, Penny.”

“He kisses a lot of girls, (Y/N). You said it yourself, you were supposed to be a rebound.”

“But I wasn’t.” You reminded her.

“Because you rejected him!” She took a sip from the latte she had bought on her way to yours. “Which, you’re fucking nuts for, by the way. Harry Styles? You fucking rejected a god. Nuts.”

You rolled your eyes before clicking back to your feed.

“Oh my God.” You mumbled. You stared at the green circle surrounding Harry’s profile picture.

“What? Did he text you?” Penny perked up where she sat across from you on the couch.

You shook your head, “Uh, no, but he...added me to his close friends.”

“What? How do you know?”

“Because I’m looking at the green fucking circle right now.”

“Oh, fuck.” She put her coffee down and scrambled over to you on the other side of the couch. When she was squished next to you, both your eyes on the circle, she poked you harshly. “Don’t just sit here, fucking click on it!”

You tapped it and waited for it to load.

“Where is that?” Penny asked as you held down the first part of the story. It looked like a vineyard.

“Don’t know.” You let it move to the next one, which was another picture of what still seemed to be a vineyard, but this time there were people in it, a candid of who you guessed were his friends, talking.

“Italy.” You said when you saw the geotag in the bottom corner.

“Well, guess we know why he hasn’t called.” Penny commented as she let her head drop to your shoulder.

“Yeah, I guess so.” You clicked to the next and last one: Harry sitting at a table with a few friends, holding up a glass of red wine, a huge smile on his face. You couldn’t help the small smile that slipped onto yours. He just looked so cute.

“Do you think he’s been there the whole time and that’s why he hasn’t reached out?”

“I’m not sure. And technically, he did reach out. He responded to my story, remember?”

“You should swipe up and say something.”

You locked your phone and dropped it into your lap. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. Say that you hope he’s having fun? Ask him when he’s getting back? Why the fuck he hasn’t called?” She stood up from the couch and started pulling her hair into a ponytail. “The man will add you to his close friends but won’t bloody text you. Makes no sense.”

As wrong as Penny was a majority of the time, she was right just then. He liked your pictures and added you to his private story, but there was no actual communication.

“He’s just busy, Pen. Still working on himself.”

“You don’t actually know that.”

***

You had seen it. All of it. The whole story, but you didn’t say anything. Didn’t react at all.

He felt like a fucking teenager, trying to bait you into talking to him through social media. He could just fucking text you, but for whatever reason, he didn’t.

He had been in Italy for a few days already and it was on the fifth day that he had his epiphany.

He thought about you every day he was there and his ex didn’t cross his mind once. Even when he looked to see if you had seen his story, his eyes glazed over her name, not even registering it, as he searched urgently for yours.

He took that as a sign that he was really over her, really ready to move on--with you.

He had already decided that he was going to call you the night he got back and ask you out, but he wanted to make sure you were still interested, which was what adding you to his private story was supposed to help with.

“Harry, what do you want the girl to say?” Jeff asked from his seat next to him at the table. “Really, what is she supposed to say? You haven’t talked to her in months and you’re the one with her phone number.”

“I don’t know. I just want to make sure she’s going to pick up when I call.”

“Didn’t she say she would?”

“Yeah, but--”

“No, buts. Stop being a baby and call her.”

Harry sighed and locked his phone before slipping it into his pocket.

He couldn’t wait to be back in London.

***

A week later, you were going through a bunch of emails about the Givenchy campaign, writing down any important information about the trip--you were informed last week that you would be shooting in the French countryside--when your phone lit up with a text from Penny.

Go and force a run in

Attached was a twitter thread about Harry being seen at the same coffee shop in London for the past three days. It was near one of the studios and he had gone in at least five separate times.

that’s psychotic. I’m not doing that

why not? He’s back and still hasn’t called. Its time to force his hand and u don’t have his number. This is the only way.

You rolled your eyes. You couldn’t do that.

Am i just supposed to go and hope that he’s there

yes

you need help

worst case scenario he’s not there and you get a coffee and go home. But if he is there, you can finally talk to him and find out what his fucking deal is

well what if he is there and i dont get the answer i want

block him and pretend u didn’t just spend the last two and a half months pining over a guy who doesn’t want u?

bitch

just go and tell me what happens. I want live updates

You closed your laptop with a huff. You weren’t going to do this, were you? You weren’t going to sit on the tube for close to forty minutes just because there was a chance of running into Harry, were you?

You stood up from your small desk and walked to where your wardrobe was in the corner of your studio apartment. You rummaged around until you found your favorite pair of Levi’s, the ones that made your ass look tight as hell.

So, you were doing it.

You pulled on the jeans and a tight white t-shirt. You put on a bit of makeup and tossed your hair into a ponytail before stepping into your red leather booties, pulling the frayed hem of your jeans over them.

You packed up your laptop, wallet and keys and moved swiftly out the door, refusing to give yourself a second to change your mind.

***

The coffee shop was small. The stone outside was painted a navy blue, a yellow awning stretching over the front door and the small tables that dotted the outside.

You pulled the door open and walked in slowly, immediately looking around at the crowd of people inside. About half of the tables were taken up, but you didn’t see Harry among them. You didn’t think you would but double checked anyway. You got on the short line and craned your neck a bit to see the faces of the guys on line in front of you. You sighed when none of them were Harry.

You had more emails to answer and you didn’t want to waste the trip, so you decided you were going to order, find a table, and get as much work done as possible.

Once your cappuccino was in hand, you walked over to an empty table in the corner carefully, afraid of spilling the coffee over the side of the pristine white cup.

You sat down and immediately pulled your laptop out. You went to your email account before taking your small notebook out of your bag and getting back to work.

It had been two hours and you had two cappuccinos, answered every single email in your inbox, mapped out what you needed to prepare for the trip that was coming in a few weeks and even edited some photos for a friend that she didn’t need for another two weeks.

You had officially run out of things to do and you refused to get another coffee and simply sit there, hoping Harry would wander in. You packed up your stuff and stood from the small metal table, making sure to push in your chair. You picked up both of the cups and dropped them off at the counter.

You went to grab your phone out of your bag as you turned around.

“Fuck,” you whispered when you slammed into something hard.

“(Y/N)?”

You froze at the sound of Harry’s voice. You brushed your ponytail over your shoulder as you looked up at him. “Hi.”

White Gucci sunglasses were perched on his nose and his hair was clipped up away from his face. He had on a black Columbia sweatshirt and white pants.

“How are you?” He asked, moving the tray of coffees from his right to his left hand.

“I’m good. I had a meeting a few streets away.” You felt the need to give an explanation as to why you were in that particular coffee shop, even though he didn’t ask.

“Oh, for the Givenchy thing?” He scratched his stubble. You noticed that his nails were painted a different color than the last time you saw him--but of course they were, that was months ago.

You nodded, taking the white lie further. “Yeah.”

“I know I already said it, but congratulations. That’s a huge deal.”

You smiled at his praise. “Thank you. It really is. I, like, don’t know what’s going on but it’s great.” He smiled back and you cleared your throat. “How’s everything with you? I saw that you were in Italy.”

“Good, good. Yeah, me and the band are in the studio a few streets away, actually. Working on some stuff. And yeah, it was for some tour fittings. It was great.”

“It looked like it.”

He moved the coffees back to his right hand and pulled out his phone. “Just Mitch, one sec.” You smiled and he answered the call. “Yeah, I’ve got the coffees.” Pause. “You finally got it?” Another pause. “Alright, I’m coming now.” He slid the phone into his back pocket and scratched the back of his neck.

“I’m really sorry, but I’ve got to go. We’ve been working on this one bit all day and Mitch finally figured it--”

“Of course.” You cut him off and waved your hand as if it was no big deal.

“We’ll talk soon, yeah?” He looked at you, eyebrows raised, eyes full of hope.

“Yeah.” You gave him a nod and he grinned.

“Alright, see you later, love.” He waved as he turned around and went out the front door.

You took a deep breath, holding in a groan of frustration.

That’s it? You thought. After all of that, that’s it? Your shoulders sagged and your mood instantly deflated.

You finally pulled out your phone and checked your messages. There was one from Penny.

the girls wanna go out tn pls say you’ll come

You hadn’t gone out in a while, always citing some excuse which was never the truth. If the interaction with Harry hadn’t happened, you would’ve definitely said no, but you were feeling slightly rejected and in deep need of some fun.

i’ll come

***

Harry walked into the studio and placed the tray of coffees on the coffee table in between the couches.

“Why do you look like that?” Sarah asked as she reached forward for her drink.

“Like what?” Harry fiddled with the strings of his hoodie.

“Like you’re freaking out.” She said.

“I just saw (Y/N) in the coffee shop.”

Sarah smiled, “And you asked her out.”

Harry shook his head, “No, but I talked to her.”

“Jesus,” Sarah shook her head and walked away.

“Harry...you’ve been talking about asking her out every day we’ve been in here. You texted me from Italy and told me you were ready to ask her out.”

“I know.”

Mitch looked at him as though he was an absolute idiot. “So why didn’t you.”

“I don’t know! I got so nervous I’m pretty sure I blacked out.” Harry pulled his sunglasses off and dug his knuckles into his eyes.

He wasn’t lying. The minute he saw you his brain stopped working. You looked so fucking pretty with your bright eyes and pink cheeks, your tinted red lips and those jeans. They hugged every curve you had and he was pretty sure he had spent the entire interaction forcing his eyes away from your hips.

He had the call perfectly rehearsed in his head: he was going to ask how you were, then he was going to crack some joke about how long it had taken him to call you, then he was going to explain that he took what you said seriously and how he realized that he was finally ready in Italy when thoughts of you had completely replaced thoughts of his ex, and then he was going to as you to dinner.

He had it all planned out, down to his last word.

Seeing you in the coffee shop wasn’t part of the plan and so he didn’t say any of that.

He already regretted it.

Mitch had walked away to go talk to Sarah. He turned his attention to where both Adam and Charlotte sat on one of the couches. “I should call her tonight, shouldn’t I?”

“No shit.” Adam said before taking a long sip of his tea.

***

Your heart wasn’t in it.

You looked great. You had one of your favorite outfits on, had a bit of glitter on your eyes, a nude-pink lip and your hair hadn’t fought you once while getting ready--but you couldn’t get into it.

Your disappointment had followed you out and all you kept feeling was the sting of rejection over and over again. He had the perfect opportunity to ask you out and he didn’t.

When Penny asked how it went, you told her that you didn’t see him, not wanting to hear her say ‘I told you so’. You were going to keep the rejection to yourself and pretend that it didn’t even happen.

You had been at the upscale bar for almost an hour, but were still only on your first drink. You were milking it, not in the mood to get drunk or party--or even dance, which was so not you.

You decided you needed to get it together. Why were you sulking over a guy you met once? A guy you only kissed once. A guy who told you he liked you, that he would call, but then never did. That was months ago. You needed to let it go.

You downed the last of your drink and made your way towards the bar, determined to have at least a little bit of fun.

***

Harry didn’t get home until 10:30.

He dropped his stuff at the front door before hopping up the stairs to take a shower.

He was trying to figure out whether or not he should call you the entire time. It was late and there was a chance you didn’t pick up. He knew you were probably out since it was a Friday and that you could send him straight to voicemail, not recognizing the number or just let it ring and ring and ring, which would absolutely kill him.

She could pick up, he reminded himself. Even if you were out, there was a chance of you picking up. You might be drunk, but still. If you were drunk, it might be a bit easier to explain why it had taken him so long to get his shit together. Your wit might be slowed just a little, letting him go unscathed. He shook his head at the thought. You were drunk last time and it was biting as all hell.

“Fuck it.” He said as he turned off the water.

He stepped out and wrapped his towel around his waist. He grabbed his phone from where it sat on the bathroom counter and pulled up your number. He wandered over to his bed as it rang.

***

You placed a hand on the front pocket of your trousers, double checking that you weren’t imagining the vibrations. When you felt that your phone was, in fact, ringing, you fished it out of your pocket and checked the caller id.

Your eyebrows furrowed when you saw the number, not recognizing it in the slightest. You were a second away from hitting the lock button and shoving back into your pocket before you remembered: Harry.

You motioned that you had a call to your friends and they nodded. You turned away, already walking towards the exit.

“Hello?”

“(Y/N)?”

“Yeah?” You were almost yelling.

“Hey, it’s Harry.”

“Hey! What’s up?”

“What? I can’t hear you,”

You rolled your eyes as you pushed through a group of drunk guys. “One sec!” You yelled into the phone.

You pulled the phone from your ear so you could use both hands to push the heavy door open.

You shivered slightly at the cool fall air and stood off to the side of the entrance and brought the phone back up.

“Hey, sorry. I’m outside now.”

“Hey. You’re out?”

“Yeah, just at some bar with a few friends. What are you doing?”

“Just got home from the studio.”

“Long day?”

“Yeah.” He paused. “It was really nice seeing you today.”

“You too.”

There was another bit of silence. You could feel the tequila heating your cheeks and knew that if you didn’t get the answer you wanted, you would instantly regret this question and hate drunk you forever.

“Are you doing anything right now?”

“Uh, no.” He seemed surprised by your question.

“You hungry?”

“Yeah, actually.”

“There’s this 24 hour diner I go to in Shoreditch, it’s near where I live. Want to grab a bite?”

“Yeah, I’d love to.” He still sounded surprised.

“Cool. I’ll text you the place? Meet you there?”

“Yeah, sounds good, love.”

“Cool. See you in a bit.” You hung up quickly and released a breath. “Fuck yeah,” You whispered, impressed with yourself.

You texted in the girls group chat that you were taking off and Penny sent back a suggestive emoji. You knew all the girls were definitely interrogating her about where you were going and who you were meeting but you trusted her enough to know that she wouldn’t tell them his name.

You made sure that your wallet and keys were still tucked into your other pocket before setting off towards the tube station.

***

Harry was slightly embarrassed.

You asked him out. He was floundering and you had to save him. His annoyance with himself creeped up and grew, taking over his entire body until his hands were shaking slightly.

He was mad at himself. He made you wait months for his call. He walked away from you today at the coffee shop. He couldn’t get the words out on the phone. He made you ask him out. He made you make the move. He felt like an asshole. Again, you had to take charge, you had to lead him.

While he admired how sure of yourself you were, how confident, how completely great you were, he hated that he was incapable of getting it right.

You’re not going to fuck this up tonight, he thought as he pulled his white t-shirt over his head.

His phone lit up on his bed and it was a text from you. You had sent him the google map link to the place and a simple instruction: hurry up

He smiled and texted you back, telling you he was on his way.

He quickly pulled on his gray trousers and shoved his feet into his white vans. He pushed his hair back off his forehead and stepped into his bathroom, spraying himself with his cologne. He ran down the stairs, grabbed his keys from the small bowl next to the door and his forest green overcoat from the hook before jogging to his car.

He typed the address into his gps and groaned when he saw that it was almost a forty minute drive.

“Bloody Shoreditch,” he mumbled to himself as he pulled out of his driveway, stepping on the gas a little as he drove in your direction.

He spent the drive going over what he was going to say and how he was going to act. Was he going to kiss you ‘hello’? You had kissed before, but it was so long ago he didn’t know if it was appropriate. He knew he wasn’t going to shake your hand and decided that a hug would probably be alright.

He took breaks in between his thinking to mumble words of road rage under his breath, in disbelief at the traffic he was experiencing at almost 11:30.

He made the last right and sighed in relief when he saw the diner on the corner.

The entire outside was painted black, a large and bright red OPEN sign flickering in the window.

He pulled over and parallel parked in front of it before doing a double take when he saw you standing outside, your face in your phone.

As he was getting out of the car, he could hear your heels clicking against the sidewalk as you walked towards him.

“It’s about fucking time.” Your tone was playful and he smiled.

You looked amazing; your pants were wide legged and a dark teal, hugging your waist and hips perfectly before falling loose around your legs. He could see your lacy black bra through the extremely sheer and tight white t-shirt you were wearing. Your hair fell over your shoulder in waves and your lips were red, a darker color than you were sporting earlier in the day.

“Holy shit.” He whispered, completely unable to keep the words in.

“Is it safe for me to take that as a compliment?” You tipped your head to the side, shoving your hands in your pockets.

He chuckled as he stepped onto the curb and opened his arms to you for a hug.

You stepped into him, slipping your arms under his coat and around his waist. He felt goosebumps raise on his arms and neck at your touch, which was a bit cold, and he placed a kiss to the top of your head. “Yeah. You look great.”

“Thanks.” You both pulled away from the hug. You took two slow steps backwards and motioned for him to follow you. “Come on.”

You pulled open the big red door and he followed closely behind you.

“Hey, Reg!” You called to the guy behind the diner counter when you entered the large space.

The booths were made of worn red leather, as were the stools that sat under the counter. The tables were white with a metal trim and the floor was black and white tiles.

Harry looked around at all the old time-y pictures hanging on the walls, “It’s a proper diner.”

“Of course it is.” You said over your shoulder.

A man, who Harry assumed was Reg, called a hello before quickly moving from behind the counter.

“No girls tonight?” The older man with a gray mustache asked in a thick accent as he grabbed two menus from the wooden stand.

You shook your head. “They’re still at the bar.”

“Ah, so this is a date?”

“Reggie!” Harry watched with a smile as you chastised the older man.

“I’m sorry! I’m so used to seeing you here alone or with the girls!” He motioned for the two of you to follow him.

“Am I the first guy you’ve ever taken here?” Harry leaned forward and asked in your ear.

You said “no” at the same time Reggie said “yes.”

“Reg, you’re making me look awful here.”

“Impossible.” He waved you off and set the menus down into one of the booths in front of the window.

You settled into the booth, emptying your pockets into the spot next to you so you could sit more comfortably.

Harry looked around. “We’re the only ones here.”

“I don’t know what it is with you UK people. If this was New York or LA this place would be packed on a Friday night. Everything here closes so early. Everyone goes home so early.”

“Not true.” Harry argued while picking up the laminated menu and scanning it.

“It is. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t be the only two people here.”

You watched him look over the menu, already knowing what you were going to order.

He looked a little tired, but still sexy. His hair looked a little damp, his stubble still covering his jaw which you loved. He propped his chin in his hand as his brow furrowed.

His eyes flickered up and then he looked at you again, a grin on his face, “You’re staring.”

“And? Not like you’re any stranger to it.” You smirked and he tried to cover his growing smile with his hand. “Or do you not remember that, since it was, you know, months ago?”

A pain in the ass--and he loved it.

“I deserve that.”

You bit your lip and slid the menu around with your finger. “Not really, but I couldn’t not say it. It was too perfect.”

“Not really? I left you hanging for months.” This wasn’t exactly how he wanted this conversation to go--at all--but everything was so natural with you. He didn’t feel the need to say what he had rehearsed over and over again because there was no tension. You made it so there was no tension.

Before you could respond, Reggie returned to take your orders. You both ordered sodas and cheeseburger with fries.

When he was gone, you picked up the conversation. “I told you to call me when you figured your shit out, when you were ready. I can’t be mad or, like, upset or bothered by how long that took. That would make me a hypocrite and I fucking hate hypocrites.”

You took a sip of the water that Reggie had brought over. “You did figure your shit out, right?”

He nodded and moved his water between his hands, not meeting your eyes.

“I did. It took fucking forever, but yeah.” He sighed, “You know, it wasn’t until Italy that I really knew. I wanted to call you the whole time, but I knew I couldn’t and things got muddy for a while, like I was almost there but...I wasn’t.” You nodded, showing him that you were listening. “And then we were in Italy and I realized that I hadn’t thought about her once. All I thought about was you.”

“Yeah?”

He lifted his eyes to look at you, “Yeah. Couldn’t stop.” He scratched at the side of his neck, “Haven’t stopped since I met you actually.”

You raised your water to your lips, trying to cover the blush that had blossomed.

Reggie came and dropped both your food and drinks at the table.

You pulled the red basket towards you and picked a fry out and took a bite.

“This is when you tell me you haven’t stopped thinking about me either.” Harry said before popping his own fries into his mouth.

“Is it?”

“Mhmm.”

“I haven’t stopped thinking about you either.”

He rolled his eyes. “Now say it like you mean it.”

“I do mean it!”

“Sure you do.” He teased.

You got serious for a moment. “You really think that after all this time, I would’ve asked you on a fucking date if I wasn’t so hung up on you?”

“Hung up on me?” He popped more fries into his mouth.

It was your turn to roll your eyes, “Shut up.”

“I’ve been pretty hung up on you too.” He winked.

You followed his lead and picked up your burger, the both of you taking a bite at the same time.

As you ate, he asked you about the campaign.

“It’s shooting in France.” You said, excitement laced in your tone.

“Really?”

“Yeah, in the countryside. I’ll be gone for a little over a week. I’m so fucking excited. They told me some of them might even be in Vogue, which is...wild.” You shook your head, still in slight disbelief that it was real.

“That’s amazing, love.”

“How’s that album coming?”

He finished chewing and wiped at the corners of his mouth with his napkin, “Good. Different than I thought.”

“How?” Your brow furrowed, genuinely interested.

“I mean, we haven’t even toured Fine Line yet so to even call it an album is a bit premature, but when I had that breakup and just started writing so much shit, I thought that it would just end up being the next album, that it would just write itself, you know?”

“Mhmm.” You took a sip of your drink before grabbing another fry.

“But these past few months, I don’t know. I don’t want to write an entire album about one person again--or maybe just not that person.”

He looked at you, munching on your fry, patiently waiting for him to continue, completely unaware of what he was implying.

When he didn’t continue and just stared at you, you prompted him. “So it’s going good then?”

He shrugged, “I guess. I’ve pretty much scraped everything, though. I think I need new inspiration.” He looked over at you again and you squirmed under his gaze.

He laughed under his breath. You weren’t catching on in the slightest.

“What are you laughing at? Are you laughing at me?”

“No.” He smiled--and then laughed again.

Both a little offended and embarrassed, you tossed a fry at him, hitting him right in the chest.

He picked it up off his lap and ate it, beaming.

***

“Holy shit, it’s cold.” You said as you stepped into the cool air. It was almost October and it showed.

Harry quickly pulled off his jacket and draped it over your shoulders. You thanked him and slipped your arms through the sleeves.

He unlocked his car and moved towards it but turned around when he noticed that you stopped walking.

“When was the last time you took the tube?” You asked.

“Take the tube? To drop you off?”

You snorted, “Who said you were just dropping me off?”

***

“I haven’t done this in ages.” Harry said as he clicked around the screen cluelessly. He had a ridiculous smile on his face.

“I can tell.” You swore you had never seen someone get so excited over buying an oyster card. You smiled as he hit another wrong button and clicked his tongue.

“Alright, move it.” You bumped him over with your hip. He stood close behind you, watching you click the right buttons without a second thought. He had one hand resting above the machine, holding his weight as he leaned over you, his chin hovering right next to your head.

“Is that Harry Styles?” You two heard some girl's voice whisper behind you and he adjusted the way his body was angled so they couldn’t see his face and leaned down so his lips were right next to your ear, half of his face covered by your hair.

“Do you care if people see you with me?”

“Do you care if people see you with me?” You whispered at the same volume, not taking your eyes from the screen as you waited for the machine to tell you to tap his card.

He shook his head. “No.” He kissed you lightly on the cheek.

“Then no.” You turned to him and handed him his card.

He took his opportunity, refusing to be a fumbling idiot again.

He leaned in the inch it took to close the space between the two of you and placed a soft kiss to your lips. Just one.

He pushed himself off the machine and grabbed your hand, “C’mon.”

You were a little too stunned to speak. You weren’t going to pretend like you weren’t. Him kissing you in front of an oyster card machine, in public, actual public, not some dark back alley of a club was the last thing you were expecting.

You followed behind him, tapping your card after him. When it came to the fork where you had to choose which line to take, you pulled him down the stairs of the one that led to your flat.

“Of course.” You mumbled when you saw that the train wouldn’t be there for another six minutes.

“That’s not long.” He said as he trailed behind you.

“That’s forever.” You said over your shoulder.

You finally stopped a long ways down the station, making sure the two of you were away from most people. The station wasn’t very busy at all, only a few people were spread out on the platform, but still.

You leaned your back against the cool white wall and watched Harry walk towards you, your hands hanging down at your sides, the sleeves of his coat completely covered your hands.

He stopped in front of you and slipped his arms underneath the coat just as you had done to him earlier. He squeezed your waist and dropped his forehead down to yours. “S’huge on you.” He kissed you again.

“Comfy, though.” Another kiss. “I like the color too.”

“I like you.”

You gave him a light shove in the chest and rolled your eyes at how cheesy that was.

“God, Harry.”

“Too much?”

“A little.” You leaned up to kiss him again as the train pulled into the station, sending your hair flying up in both of your faces.

He stepped away from you and pushed the sleeve of his coat up so he could hold your hand.

When you stepped into the last car, you did a little happy dance when you noticed it was completely empty. Harry pulled you over to sit down, pulling you close to him as he did so, making it so you ended up half on his lap.

He relaxed into the grubby seat, a content smile on his face. “It’s been ages.”

You leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, “You said that already.”

“I know, I just...forget what normal stuff is like sometimes. Like, if I wasn’t doing what I was doing, I would probably hate it, like I’m sure you do, like everyone does. I’d probably hate that it was always delayed, that it was crowded, that it was hot during the summer, that it was expensive and all that, but I love it.

“You love it because you can’t have it. Peacefully, I mean. You wouldn’t be able to get on like the rest of us do during rush hour and just stick your headphones in and not be noticed or cared about by a single person.”

“Yeah.” He sounded a little disappointed and you frowned. You had never really thought about the fact that he missed out on such mundane shit like the tube until you saw him ready to get in his car in front of the diner and realized he was the only person you knew in London who even had a car. Your shock wore off when you realized that it wasn’t just because he had money, but because for him, it was the only way to really get around.

“Well,” you reached over and gave his thigh a squeeze, “you ever want to take a nice, quiet tube ride in the middle of the night again, you know who to call.”

You patted his thigh twice when the tube doors opened. “This is us.”

“Only two stops?” He frowned at the Mile End sign.

“Yeah.”

“I wasn’t ready to get off.”

“I would say you could take it home, but like everything else in London, it fucking stops running way too early.”

He chuckled and grabbed your hand again as you walked up the steps.

“Oh, fuck, don’t you need my address?”

Harry looked confused before realization dawned on his face. “Shit, yeah.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened the messages between him and his assistant before handing you the phone. You typed out your address quickly and let him know that there were usually a spot or two open right in front of your building.

“Thanks.” Harry said before slipping it back into his pocket.

You emerged from the tube station and started walking left, towards your building.

“I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been over here.” He said as he looked around at the street. There was a small co-op across the street, a Starbucks right next to it, and then a real estate company right underneath this massive green walking bridge. He looked ahead at the several bodegas and at the fried chicken place you had frequented often, when you couldn’t be assed to cook.

You walked hurriedly across the street, barely bothering to look both ways as he yelled at you to be careful.

“I used to love that place.” He pointed to the Whetherspoons as you passed it.

“I’m there literally every Sunday. All my friends live pretty close so we meet there for drinks a lot too.”

“Any good pubs around here?” He asked.

“Yup.” You said as you stopped in front of a dark red door, a few feet away from the pub’s entrance.

He raised his eyebrows, “You live above a pub?”

“I do.” You said as you punched the code in. When the lock buzzed, you heaved the heavy door open.

You bypassed the gold mailboxes and started going up the wooden stairs.

“How many?” Harry asked from behind you.

“Five.”

“Fuck.”

***

“I did not enjoy that.” Harry panted as you walked towards your door.

You smirked, “For someone who looks so fit you sure are out of shape.”

“Alright,” he said, the offense clear his voice.

You snickered and stopped in front of your door.

“4C?”

“Making a mental note?”

“Of course. Got to know where to send the flowers.”

You shook your head and blushed. You shoved your key into the lock and pushed your door open.

Your apartment was kind of messy. Clothes sat in a small pile on your floor, the aftermath of trying to find an outfit for tonight; there was two mugs and a bowl unwashed in your sink, half dead flowers sitting on the tiny kitchen table; the pillows on your tiny couch were not set in their rightful place and your bed wasn’t made.

“In my defense,” you said as you kicked off your heels next to the door, “I didn’t know that you would be coming here.”

“S’cute.” He said as he looked around.

He loved your place. It was small and cozy. Your small couch was a deep maroon, the pillows cream and mustard colored. The rug it sat on looked worn and soft. You had painted your kitchen a deep green and the counters were white. The two person table in between the two spaces was a dark wood, the chair to match. There was a half wall separating the living room space and the bedroom one. Your comforter was a pale pink and your sheets were cream, the same mustard pillows from your couch paired with a few pink ones.

You pulled off his jacket and hung it on the wooden coat rack you had to the left of the door.

“Want some water?” You asked as he kicked off his shoes.

“Please.”

He followed you to the kitchen where you took two cups from one of the cabinets. When he looked into the cabinets with his brow furrowed, you explained. “None of my shit matches. I can never decide which ones I want so I end up always buying one of each. None of my plates, bowls or mugs match either.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, my mom hates it.”

A weird silence had settled over the two of you and you could feel it--the tension.

It was late and he was in your apartment, just the two of you, alone.

You had wanted him since the second you saw him. Every time he touched you the warmth between your legs grew. You spent the entire subway ride squeezing your thighs together, trying to ignore the fact that you were practically on his lap, his hand gripping tightly to your waist.

Now, he was in your space and he looked so...masculine and you were almost too ashamed to admit how much it was turning you on.

He held the cup with bumble bees painted on it in his hand, waiting for you to take a sip out of your striped one before he did. Your eyes traveled over the ink of his tattoos as he drank and they landed on his throat. You watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.

You hadn’t slept with anyone in months...and you were feeling your withdrawal.

“You’re staring again.”

“No I’m not.” You quickly brought your cup to your lips.

“C’mere.” He motioned you over to where he was standing on the other side of your tiny island and you walked around to stand in front of him.

His hands went to your waist and he started lightly tugging at your t-shirt, untucking it from your pants, your eyes on his the entire time. He pushed it up a a little more once it was out and placed his palms on your bare skin, his fingers slipping under the thin material.

He dragged his hands up, pushing your t-shirt up with it until his thumbs brushed the wire of your bra. He leaned down and connected his lips to yours, kissing you hard. Your arms went around his neck as you pulled him further down to you. He slipped his tongue inside your mouth and you let a sigh slip; he tasted sweet and his lips were soft against your own. You stood on your toes so he didn’t have to break his neck to kiss you and moved your hands into his hair, tugging slightly when he dug his fingers into your ribs.

He slid his hands back down your body until they landed on your ass where he gave a harsh squeeze. You nipped at his lip in response and he let out a soft moan. He kept one hand planted firmly on your ass and the other moved back up, running over your covered breast and stopped when it was on the back of your neck, squeezing lightly and pulling you closer to him. You ran your hands down to his chest, gripping at his t-shirt as his tongue circled over yours.

You pulled away for a second to whisper, “Bed.”

He reconnected his mouth with yours, and looped his arms under your legs, lifting you. He turned and carried you to the corner of your studio where the bed was, setting you down on your back, him hovering over you.

He held himself up with his left arm and his right hand played with the hem of your t-shirt. “Can I?” He asked against your lips.

You nodded.

“You sure?”

“Harry, I’ve been waiting for this for months. Just fucking take it off.”

He smirked and you immediately knew that you had made a mistake.

“Months, huh?” He let go of your shirt. “Maybe I should make you wait a bit longer then, yeah?”

“Fucking dick.” Your lips grazed his as you said it. You removed your hands from his shoulders and crossed them as you grabbed your shirt, swiftly pulling it over your head and tossing it on the floor.

He chuckled into your mouth as his right hand went straight to your bra, his fingertips grazing over the thin lace covering your nipple. When it hardened at his touch, he gave it a soft pinch causing you to inhale sharply. You had gone over two months without being touched and every part of your body had become sensitive.

He pulled down the lace to expose it and broke your kiss, burying his head in your neck, leaving open mouthed kissing along your skin as his pinched at the sensitive bud, pulling soft moans from your lips.

You reached your right hand to his back and grabbed at his t-shirt and pulled on it, signaling that you wanted it off. He stood on his knees and reached his arms behind him, pulling his shirt off swiftly and dropping it on the floor with yours. You had to bite on your lip to hold in the groan that desperately wanted to escape when he ran a hand through his hair, his chest fully exposed to you, the swallows and butterfly on display.

You reached for the waistband of his trousers that ended right underneath his belly button and tugged him back down on top of you. He kissed your jaw and then down your neck, then dragged his tongue down your chest until he could swirl it around your nipple, before closing his mouth around it, teeth grazing the small bud, causing your back to arch slightly. His right hand moved from your side down to your thigh, pulling it up so you could hook your leg behind his back. He pushed your pant leg up and slid his hand under, feeling the soft skin of your thigh up until his hand was a few inches away from your ass, where the fabric got too tight, not allowing him to feel you. He dug his fingertips into your skin as he moved from your right nipple to your left, swirling his tongue and nipping at it slightly as you gripped the hair at the nape of his neck.

He removed his hand from where it was on your thigh and brushed it across your hip before dipping it down to your center. For a second, you were worried that he could feel how wet you were through the fabric of your pants, which wouldn’t exactly be a problem but his ego was fine, he didn’t need to know exactly how badly you wanted him.

You whimpered when he barely applied any pressure, just brushed the tips of his fingers over your clit again and again. He was watching you as he did it, waiting for you to ask him to take them off. You were so confident all the time, seemingly always in charge, somehow always the dominant one--at least you were every time he had been with you--and he just wanted to be in charge for once. He wanted you to need him and say please and ask nicely.

You swallowed the beg back down. You were so close to asking him to touch you for real, for him to slip his hands into your pants and feel how wet you were for him, but you refused to do it. You didn’t want to. You felt as if you had already revealed how desperate for him you were and you didn’t want to add to it.

He applied a little bit more pressure and then quickly took it away.

“Harry,” you whined.

“Yeah, love?”

You whimpered in response. He teased you again, causing you to buck your hips into his hand involuntarily.

“If you want it, all you have to do is ask.”

You leveled him with a glare and bit down hard on your bottom lip, stopping the moan from escaping as he applied pressure again.

He nudged your nose with his, “Just say ‘please’.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

He rubbed his thumb in circles over your clit and your jaw clenched. “I think you do.”

He kept his thumb going in circles and you couldn’t hold in the moan anymore. “Fuck. Please.” You breathed.

He removed his hand from where it was between your legs and thumbed at your bottom lip, his hand holding your chin. “What was that?”

“Please, Harry.”

He kissed you slow and deep before pushing himself onto his knees again.

He unfastened the hook of your pants and then the button and slowly pulled the zipper down. You watched as he raked his eyes over your body as he pulled them down your legs, his tongue swiping over his lip.

You suddenly felt self conscious laying before him like that, in your matching set, him above you, eyes roaming over every inch of your skin. You went to push your knees together, not wanting to feel as exposed but his hand landed on your left knee and he shook his head. He pushed your knees back open, his left hand trailing down the inside of your thigh until he was toying with the edge of your panties. He dragged his fingers over your center. “Fuck,” he whispered when he felt how wet you were.

He moved down so his head was between your legs, his hands gripping the sides of your panties. “Can I?”

You nodded. A string of curses left his mouth when he moved them down your thighs, a ribbon of wetness following. You let your legs fall open as he put them down on the floor.

His hands were back on your thighs, squeezing the skin as he placed kisses so close to where you were dripping for him that you shuddered. He was so close that you could feel his breath on your clit. He dipped his finger tip into you, “Fucking hell.” He looked up at you and saw you watching him, biting on your thumb, trying not to lose it, to beg.

“You always like this?” He asked and you shook your head. You weren’t lying. You don’t remember ever being this turned on. You don’t remember wanting anybody this much, to the point where you could cry. If he didn’t touch you soon, you were going to start yelling.

He pulled his finger away and flicked his tongue over your clit. Your hips bucked and your hands flew into his hair. You saw him smile before doing it again and getting the same reaction. He circled your clit with his tongue before sucking it into his mouth.

“Fuck, Harry.” You groaned, eyes shut, head back against the pillow.

He kept that steady rhythm, circling, then sucking, then flicking, then nipping as moans flew from your lips. He groaned each time he heard his name, his cock twitching in his pants.

He heard how ragged your breathing had grown and how short it had become. He could feel your belly tighten over and over again under his open palm and had a feeling you were getting close.

He slid a finger into you and you sighed, and then pushed in a second when he felt how soaked you were, knowing you could take it.

It was when he started curving his fingers that you knew it was over for you. Your hips bucked each time he curled them into you and you pushed his tongue into your pussy, needing more, your grip on his hair tightening.

“Harry, I’m gonna cum.” You breathed as he pushed down on your stomach, trying to get you to stop moving.

“Fuck...fuck...fuck,” You cried as your legs began to spasm, your entire body taken over by a tingling sensation. He continued to lick you and finger you as you came down and didn’t stop until you pulled his head off of you, too sensitive to take anymore.

He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and climbed back on top of you. He kissed you and you tangled your hands back in his hair, sighing in contentment. He brought his fingers up and inched them in between your mouths. You knew exactly what he wanted. You stuck your tongue out and licked yourself off of him before closing your mouth around his fingers entirely, letting him push them back until you could feel the cool metal of his rings on your lips.

He kissed your jaw as you sucked on his fingers. “You tasted so good, love.”

He was pushing his hips against yours and you took the hint. You pushed his shoulders lightly until he sat back on his knees and you pushed yourself up. “Your turn.” You said as you crawled towards the foot of the bed. You pointed to where you had just been and he followed your unsaid orders, sitting upright against the headboard, his legs straight out in front of him. You kneeled in between his legs and started undoing his pants. He started to help you push them down his legs but when you saw that he was planning to keep his underwear on, you shook your head. “Those too.”

Once they were in your hands, you dropped them onto the ever growing pile and then scooted back a little further.

He watched, his mouth open just a little, as you lowered your head and poked your tongue out, running it lightly along the underside of his cock. You closed your lips around his pink tip, swiping your tongue to collect the precum before sucking harshly and releasing. He whimpered and you smiled.

You moved your hand and brushed the back of your fingers lightly over his balls, looking up at him. “If you want it, you have to ask for it.”

“Fuck. I want it.” He breathed.

Easier than you thought.

You pulled his cock from where it rested on his stomach and put his tip back into your mouth. He leaned forward a little so he could run his hand down your back and stopped when he got to the clasp of your bra. He popped it open and pulled the straps down your shoulders as you took him into your mouth.

“Holy…” he trailed off and gathered your hair in his hands so it didn’t get in your way and so he could watch.

You sucked him slowly, making sure to suck harder when you got to his tip, hollowing your cheeks and going down far enough that he tickled the back of your throat.

You pulled your thumb into the palm of one hand and breathed deeply through your nose, a bit overwhelmed with how big he was, but you weren’t ever one to give up.

“I--fuck.” He pushed you down, causing you to gag, tears springing to your eyes. He pulled you off of him quickly, letting go of your hair and then tucking it behind your ear.

“Shit, I’m sorry. Are you alright?” He searched your face and you nodded, wiping the tears from our eyes and squeezing your thighs together. You weren’t sure what time was the proper time to tell him what you liked--that you liked it when you gagged on a guy’s cock, when he pulled your hair and fucked your mouth.

“You don’t--I like it.”

He sighed and closed his eyes, “Fuck, okay. Go on then, love.”

You moved back down and he gathered your hair back into his hand. This time, every time you moved down, he pushed your head down, hitting the back of your throat, making you gag with every few pumps. You spit mixed with his precum and dripped down your chin and his cock as tears were surely messing with the mascara on your eyes.

“I can’t--fucking hell.” He groaned before pulling you off of him. “I can’t take anymore.” He whispered as you wiped the spit off your chin.

He pulled you into him and connected your lips to his, your bodies flush against each other. Without disconnecting your mouths, you straddled his waist and he wiped the tears from your cheeks.

“You looked so pretty sucking me.” He mumbled against your lips and you hummed into his mouth, slipping your tongue over his.

“I want you to fuck me.” You had started rocking your lips over his cock, his tip sliding over your clit, and you already felt another orgasm building.

“Yeah?”

You nodded as you kissed him.

He wrapped his left arm tight around your waist and used his right to push himself down the headboard just enough so he could flip the two of you over, your back brushing against your soft comforter. You pulled it from where it was bunched up behind your back and he helped you.

He kissed your lips and then your cheek. “Condom?”

You shook your head. “I’ve been on the pill for years.” You looked him in the eyes, hands on his shoulders. “When was the last time you got tested.”

“A few months ago. About two weeks before the night we met. Clean. You?”

“A month before we met, but I hadn’t fucked anyone since I got tested. I’m good.”

He went back to kissing you and you let your legs fall open so he could line himself up with your center.

“Fuck, you’re still so wet.”

You smiled against his lips, but that quickly went away when he pushed himself into you.

“Oh…” You groaned, squeezing your eyes shut as you tried to adjust.

“Can I move?” His voice was strained.

“Mhmm.”

He pulled out of you slowly and moved back in again, a long moan slipping from his mouth. You whimpered as he filled you, tears already sliding down the sides of your face from how deep he was hitting.

He rested his forehead on yours, your eyes connected. Your breaths came out ragged as he groaned. You grabbed the hand that was gripping harshly at your waist and pulled it up your body. He let you drag his hand up and place it at the base of your neck, his eyes never leaving yours. You covered your hand with his and squeezed. He took the hint to move his hand up further, the heel of his palm resting on the base of your throat, his fingers and thumb on either side of your neck. He applied pressure, your hand still on top of this and your eyes fluttered shut.

“Holy fuck.” He whispered before placing a soft kiss to your parted lips.

You moved your hand so it was wrapped around his wrist as you moaned, him still thrusting in and out of you slowly. You squeezed his wrist, prompting him to squeeze your neck harder.

“You like that?” He asked.

You groaned in response.

“Use your words, love. Do you like it?”

“Yes. Fuck, Harry. Faster.” You sighed.

He sped up his thrusts but still slammed into you, reaching so deep it almost hurt. His fingers squeezed around your neck each time you squeezed his wrist. Your legs were wrapped around his waist and your hands were in his hair, pulling harshly, and then moving down his back where your nails scratched at his skin before leaving marks after digging into it.

“I’m close.” You said, your voice tight. Each time his pelvis rubbed against your clit you felt your stomach tighten, the butterflies slamming themselves against your insides.

“Fuck, love. C’mon. Tell me what you want.” He whispered against your lips, his fingers tightening around your throat.

You gasped, “Harder. Deeper. Please.”

You could feel his back flex under your hand and his biceps tighten when you dug your nails into them.

Your eyes closed as your hips started to move.

“I’m cumming.”

“C’mon, love.” He kissed your jaw as you cried out, gripping onto him. “That’s it.”

He felt you tightening around him and knew he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He buried his head into your neck and his hand loosened around your throat.

“Fuck, I’m gonna--I can’t.” His hand cupped your jaw and his thumb rested on your bottom lip as he spoke into your shoulder.

“Cum, baby.”

You felt him sink his teeth into your shoulder as he groaned. Your hand went to his hair and he pulled out of you quickly, emptying himself all over your pussy. His mouth stayed glued to your shoulder as he finished, only releasing your skin when he had fully come down. He peppered it with kisses, leading up your neck and then landing on your lips.

He fell onto his back beside you, panting.

You pushed yourself up to go get the towel, exhausted and ready for bed.

“Where are you going?’ He grabbed your wrist.

You leaned over and pecked him on the lips. “Gonna clean up. I’ll be right back.” He nodded and let you go.

You went to the bathroom and wiped yourself off, making sure to pee quick. You grabbed a hand towel for Harry before you exited the small bathroom and made a quick stop at the kitchen to get both of you another glass of water.

You handed him the towel and he thanked you. After he cleaned himself up, you gave him the water and he took a few sips before placing it on your bedside table.

“Come here,” He held his arms open. You crawled up against him and he pulled the disheveled covers over the both of you.

You were tucked into his chest, resting your head on his bicep. He trailed his fingers over your neck and then your shoulder, where he had bit you. “Sorry.” He mumbled, looking a little embarrassed.

“It’s okay.” You cuddled closer to him. “It didn’t hurt.”

“Is your neck okay? It’s red.”

You nodded as you traced the butterfly on his stomach with your finger.

“Can I stay?” His voice was muffled by your hair.

“Mhmm.” Your eyes fluttered closed. “The day after that too?”

“Yeah? And what about the day after that?” You could hear the smile in his voice.

“Mhmm. Always.”

“Always?” He squeezed you tighter. “I like the sound of that.”

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dimonds456 · 3 years

Note

*sees your tags about being salty about suf spinel*

YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THAT AND NOT SHARE YOUR SALT /LH

Okay, but I'm warning you, you asked for it.

LONG POST WARNING.

LIKE A REALLY, REALLY LONG POST WARNING.

Dimonds456 Presents: How They Did My Baby Dirty: An SUTM and SUF Analysis on Steven and Spinel (Told by a Progressively More and More Angry Narrator)

THE CONTEXT: There was a post talking about how you think a character will fix everything, but then they wind up making it works. My tags were "#*looks at suf spinel* #I am still salty about that like the bitch I am fghdjskgfa"

Grab some water, guys.

Let's start by talking about Steven for a moment. In the original show, when we were following him as a 12-14-year-old, we watched as he built up trauma and then learned how to hide it expertly well, to the point that most of the audience didn't even realize he was struggling.

You can actually pinpoint the seconds he makes those decisions, too. The best example is in "The Test," when he's storming up to the gems. He's pissed. His fists are clenched, he's got that anime eye shadow overlay on his face, he's frowning, all that. the Crystal Gems are clapping for him and lying to his face, and he KNOWS they are because he overheard them talking about how it was "impossible for him to fail" that test (- Garnet).

And yet... he also overheard them saying that they're just trying their best. They don't know what he needs. They never really have. No one is sure. So, Steven realizes that by picking a fight, he would just be making it worse for them because they would know they messed up, and nothing gets solved, and everyone gets more depressed and Amethyst and Pearl go back to fighting each other and- well, you get the picture. He doesn't have a full understanding of what's going on, so his kid brain went "so I can either be angry at them and cause problems, or I can tell them I did a good job to make them happy."

"I can lie to make them happy."

He storms down there angry, still mulling this decision over. He drops to the floor, frowning and pissed, and says "I can't believe you guys." He is so close to yelling at them, and yet, when he looks up at them...

"That was so... INSANE!"

You never would have been able to tell. It was right there. That moment. And then he never stops. For the ENTIRE REST of the series, he NEVER STOPS. He puts the Crystal Gems above himself every time. Think Rose's Scabbard, The Message, The Return/Jailbreak. The Cluster. Peridot. Dealing with Jasper. The zoo arc (ESPECIALLY the zoo arc). Aquamarine. Then pretty much the entirety of Season 5.

(NOTE: I went back and rewatched that scene for the screenshot. There is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it lip tremble in there too! D,: )

He lives for the people around him, and not for himself. Almost never for himself.

Put a pin in that.

Now, let's look at his maturity. People thought that was just him being mature, right? That he grew up. No. That was not it at all. He was learning from his own behaviors as well as the people around him, and building up this idea that he had to "fight to be everything that everyone wants [him] to be when [he's] grown" (- Steven, the extended intro).

Yes, he matured, but not because of that. He started making various decisions to benefit the group that oftentimes he wasn't fully comfortable with, but something he believed would be better for everyone.

Put a pin in that.

Then, later in Future, we see it all manifest. He is selfless to a fault, to the point that he can't think of himself in a positive light in the sense that he's good. We see it a couple of times, but especially in "Prickly Pair," when he vents to Cactus Steven about everything that happened. He feels useless, which is taking a toll on his mental health.

"Why do I need to be needed?" He needs to be needed because that's everything he was as a kid. His entire IDENTITY rests on his ability to help other people, no matter what happens to him. He literally sacrificed himself for them countless times (the big one of course being the Aquamarine incident), and now as a teenager, his whole sense of self is wrapped up in this need to get up and do something to make the world better.

And when he can't make the world better, his world falls apart.

Put a pin in that.

Now, let's talk about Spinel, the moment we've all been waiting for.

Spinel, as a gem, was made specifically to be a friend. That is her niche, and her purpose. Her reason for existing. At first, she and Pink Diamond got along very well, as shown in the flashbacks right before Drift Away plays (I headcanon she has illusion powers and was literally projecting her trauma, but that's a completely different post).

She and Pink vibed together for who knows how long, until one day, Pink started to not like being around Spinel anymore, finding her annoying and childish. We don't know what really caused the switch, just that it did happen (but of course, I have headcanons for that, too). Spinel never realized until it was FAR too late.

Steven actually describes his younger self as annoying at one point during the Diamond Days arc, when he decides to throw the ball, so I'm legally allowed to make this comparison.

Steven and Spinel were the SAME. They were both young and dumb, and something that at least a few people found annoying. People put up with their BS though, since they cared about them. But, while Steven realized this and matured because of it (or bottled up his emotions, to each their own), Spinel never did. She never matured. She was never given a chance.

In the movie, we saw her as a child, and watched as she played with Pink and never tried to be or do anything else, to the point that Pink Diamond thought to realize she might be struggling (and maybe Spinel didn't, either!).

She lives for the people around him, and not for herself. Almost never for herself.

And when she can't be friends with this one person, her world falls apart.

Sound familiar? It should. I literally pulled from things I said earlier lol.

Spinel and Steven are mirror reflections of each other. Reset!Spinel is 14-year-old Steven, completely devoting her entire self to one idea. Steven's was helping others no matter what, Spinel's was serving Pink no matter what. Spinel is like a combination of 14 and 12-year-old Steven in this sense, honestly. Goofy, without a care in the world, except one thing: the people around her. She would do anything for Pink, just as Steven would do anything for his family.

Now, Pink Diamond left Spinel. We all know this story. She left Spins there in the garden for 6,000 years because she grew more mature and started a rebellion, effectively forgetting about this one gem she kinda stopped caring about standing there.

Personally, I don't think Pink had any malicious or even intentional intent in that, but this ain't about her. This is about how Spinel continued to sacrifice herself for Pink, even when Pink didn't need her to anymore. She wanted to please Pink 24/7, all day every day, to the point she self-sacrificed and stood perfectly still for her for millenia.

Now, back to Steven. The gems don't need him anymore in Future, right? They've all grown up and matured and headed off towards their own futures, effectively stranding him alone in terms of self-identity and self-worth. But he stays there, ready to assist at the drop of a hat, or- in Future's case- the call of a phone.

Episode 6 anyone? The one everyone says shouldn't be in Future? That it should have been cut to allow more focus on Steven himself? The fusion episode? YEAH. THAT. He is running himself RAGGED to try and help others, to give himself a purpose. He is self-sacrificing. (He's a professional, don't worry. /j)

Steven metaphorically planted his feet down and decided that he was going to devote himself to the people around him.

Spinel's feet were literally tied down soon after she made that very same decision.

Okay, enough with the backstory. Time for the salt.

In Future, Steven is at his lowest low. He is running to the Diamonds for help, to see if there is SOMETHING they can do to help him. And we first see Spinel.

Spinel has been through the ringer on a lot of the same mental problems Steven himself is facing. She self-isolated, watched as everyone grew up and left her, and then began to lash out because of it. She understands what he's going through. We even see her concerned as Steven starts to tell her why he's there.

Spinel takes him from Diamond to Diamond, until he's running out of White's room in a blind panic. Spinel is able to catch up with him, and Steven realizes the same. SHE GETS IT. He turns around and says "Hey, you used to have vengeful thoughts!"

Spinel replies "Ohhhhh yeah, but I don't have 'em anymore."

"How did you make them stop?"

She then goes on to sing Change to him, effectively cutting that conversation short.

On paper, that sounds very in-character for her. She's goofy! And that is what worked for her! But the problem is that they had to dumb her down in order to make that character decision work. In the movie, she was shown to be observant and able to put two and two together, even if she often jumps to conclusions (see her being the one to figure out that the gems needed to remember their "pieces," as she remembers the Garden, her re-realizing what Pink did, and her meltdown later when she reactivates the injector).

Spinel is smart. It should have been in character for her to realize that Steven was panicking just as she had been, and needed to be talked to gently. But no. Instead, she starts belting out Change, which given Steven's situation, would not work for him.

At the very least, she would have started doing little tricks or started trying to get him to join a game, which would have taken his mind off of it (to her anyways, that wouldn't have worked either), which then could have prompted further discussion.

Then, once they finally start talking, Spinel could have been able to share some legitimate advise. She was hurt and lashed out. What worked for her was opening up to others and letting them in, learning to trust again (which Steven also has problems with- he can't trust that the Gems won't break down the second he turns his back. Trust does NOT equal love, there is no doubt he loves them to no end), and allowing other people in.

That is what Steven needed, too. He needed to let his guard down and just talk to someone. Sure, Spinel was not going to be a fix-all, but she could have at least offered some insight on what to do.

She UNDERSTANDS him. They are a reflection of each other.

But instead of offering help, Spinel made it worse. She was dumbed down to allow the rest of Future to happen, to make Steven feel even worse. Because- and here's the kicker- because the one person who MIGHT understand him doesn't, that means there's no hope for him.

At least, that's how he sees it. And so, the denial- and "Everything's Fine"- begins.

Here's the thing, though; they DIDN'T NEED to make that decision. If the Crew wanted to have Spinel not understand Steven, then draw the line of her being a Gem from Era 1, used to the Diamonds shattering people.

Steven has killed Jasper and revived her at this point, so maybe Spinel offers that at least he's trying to get better, just like the other Diamonds! See, they're doing so great now! And then that makes him feel worse since he IS trying to do better, but is only failing, while the Diamonds- who were MADE to be nasty dictators- are doing better than him.

The Diamonds shattered a lot of people, and they're doing better than Steven, who has only shattered one person, and not even on purpose. How horrible is that?

Then boom. THERE'S your angst, with a much smarter, more helpful Spinel.

Look, I knew going in that Spinel wasn't going to be able to help. The finale had to happen somehow, and we hadn't seen Wormy Boi yet. I have always been a storng believer of the corrupted Steven theory, so I knew it was bound to happen. But I was hoping that Spinel would at least try. But she really didn't. She just brushed him off, offering really loose advise that didn't even fit his situation and thinking that would be enough.

No. It's not.

I can see where the Crew was coming from. I still love that episode, and I love seeing Spins in it (until that exact moment). This is probably the only thing in SU that genuinely gets me mad. Or, well, maybe not mad, but definitely annoyed and- you guessed it- salty.

I have an unfinished fic where I kinda delve into Spinel's head for that episode called "A New Start". If you really want my thoughts on where Spinel's head was at, there's a bit in there that really explains it. In the fic, Steven decides to rejuvenate himself and brings Spinel along with him, and that's all the context you need for this.

I cannot explain that moment in the climax of the episode, though. Maybe she thought it would make him feel better, or that maybe he really did just need to open his eyes and see the error of his ways (which doesn't make sense, he KNOWS what he did). Maybe she thought that being silly would help somehow.

But you'd think she'd learn from her time with Pink as she grew more annoyed with her, but apparently not. Or maybe she would realize for a second that being loud and annoying was bad. Or maybe she doesn't learn.

Either way, it- and she- was dumb. And they did my baby dirty.

*drops mic and walks away*

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rivalsforlife · 3 years

Text

Phoenix Wright: The Truth Reborn: Oh No We’re Doing This Again

hi.

Nearly two months ago, I wrote an essay summarizing and making very wild conclusions about the second Takarazuka Musical. I did this about two and a half years after watching the first Takarazuka musical. As such I did not have the full context for many things from the musical and was relying mostly on my memory, which blocked many things from this musical for my own safety. However, just this week, I decided to rewatch it, because I enjoy tormenting myself. I said I wouldn’t write anything on it. Here I am writing something on it.

Here’s the youtube thumbnail so that you know what you’re getting yourself into. And here, of course, is the link. This is the HD version which may be slightly more pleasant to watch. Maybe.

It was not quite as cringe in a funny way as the second musical to me, and therefore this essay may be less funny, but I feel like I’m doing a disservice to people by providing a summary of the second musical while completely neglecting the first. Quite possibly doing this is even more of a disservice. I just eagerly await the day that the third musical is translated because *that* will be the day that I finally shuffle off this mortal coil. Either way, I want to write this stuff down so that I never have to watch the musical again out of curiosity.

The following essay will contain major spoilers for both the first and second Phoenix Wright Takarazuka musicals, as I will be using many points from this musical to argue my thesis of the second musical. ... like you were going to watch them anyways.

This one broke 8k. I’m dead inside.

Introducing The Director

Again another disclaimer that I don’t have anything against the actresses or the theatre troupe. I DO have something against Suzuki Kei, who I recently learned is the writer and director of all three of the Ace Attorney Takarazuka musicals, and is quite possibly my mortal nemesis.

This man is the one who brought this monstrosity into the world.

This man, allegedly, cleared the first four ace attorney games *seven times* before sitting down to write these musicals. He played these goddamn games seven times and did not take in a single word. The man clicked through them mindlessly while watching a badly written legal romance drama in the background and got them completely confused. I genuinely have no idea how this man could have played these games more times than even me and yet managed to get so many characters (MAYA!!!!) completely and utterly wrong. This haunts me every day, truly.

This man played Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations, and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney seven times. SEVEN TIMES EACH!! and was told to create a musical based on the series. He played these games seven times each and you know what he said?? You know what he said?? “This sucks, I’m getting rid of all of Phoenix’s backstory, butchering half the characters, and writing Phoenix/Lana fanfiction, but also rewriting all of Lana’s backstory so that she was Phoenix’s childhood friend, and you know what, I’m changing her name for good measure.”

I think this man played the games seven times each and then hated it so much and was so sick of it he tried to write something that destroyed as much of the series as possible while still being vaguely recognizable. And then somehow it became a massive hit because people like me see this and go “what the actual hell” and watch it, or people who haven’t played the games see this and go “wow what a great musical!” and then he wrote TWO MORE, destroying EVEN MORE every time in his wake, until finally, finally, he stopped after making Edgeworth straight and time traveling into the past to face off against a corrupt Gregory. I guess that was the last straw.

I have to issue a disclaimer here that for legal reasons this is a joke. I don’t actually hate this man and would not punch him in the face if I met him because that would be rude, and he is entitled to his wrong interpretation of the games. I don’t know what his thought process was. But allegedly he did play the games seven times according to the wiki. This whole essay here is satire and not slander and I don’t want to offend this guy if he somehow stumbles across my nonsense tumblr post. At the same time: Suzuki Kei blink twice if you need help.

Anyways half the reason that I’m making this essay is because I want to share my fake ao3 page for this musical. The other half will become apparent later.

Sorry if that’s illegible because of tumblr quality it’s not really important. All you really need to know is that it’s a fake ao3 screenshot for the musical. Also in the author’s note I said he played the games four times but it was actually seven I just remembered wrong because I didn’t want to believe it.

at this point you may be like “Grace shut up and get to the actual musical” and okay, fine, let’s start this nonsense. Also note that I may be referencing things from my essay on the second musical very frequently; I’m not going to force you to go read that though because the fact that you’re reading this is enough of a torment already.

The Musical Begins

Unlike the second musical, this one opens with some narration from Phoenix.

Transcript:

Phoenix: I’m reviewing a particular case at the moment. To me, this case... is one I’ll never forget.

Immediately I think this is important because it establishes that this whole musical takes place in a flashback that Phoenix is reflecting on. Why is this important? Because we know, by the time of the second musical which takes place three years later, Leona is dead.

Knowing that Leona is inherently doomed to die of her Sad Woman Disease paints this whole musical in a different light. It’s not Phoenix reflecting on how he got back together with his lover; it’s Phoenix dwelling on their past together, and the opportunities they had, before her life was so cruelly and inexplicably taken away. We don’t know if Phoenix’s reminiscing takes place before or after Leona’s death... but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was after.

Phoenix, still in the present, starts to sing. “A wave appears on the horizon like a mirage, it trembles, then vanishes. Your voice, carried upon the waves, fades upon the shore, erasing the splendor of the past.”

This line actually shows up in the second musical, sung by Lucia about her imprisoned fiance quite possibly. It’s kind of hard to tell what the meaning of these songs even are. They’re too abstract for me I think. But this line appears very frequently in the first musical when Phoenix is thinking about Leona.

Then we enter the flashback time.

Phoenix inexplicably yells at a newspaper saleswoman. This is not relevant to anything whatsoever. Then Larry barges in to the office, looking for Maya. Phoenix describes him as “A real trouble maker, but you just can’t hate the guy”, the latter part of which I think many people would disagree with.

Well, afterwards, Maya comes in. Phoenix describes her like this while making exaggerated “can you believe this shit” gestures.

Transcript:

Phoenix: She’s as ditzy as they come. Oh, and about the outfit... Apparently she comes from a family of spirit mediums. Try not to make fun of her, okay?

Suzuki Kei personally has it out for Maya and I can never forgive him for it. Maya in these musicals is here for pure comedic relief but it’s not even comedic because I just get so angry. How can you play the trilogy seven times and think this about her?? The girl who figured out DL-6?? The girl who told Phoenix to sacrifice her life in order to find the truth?? The girl who put on a brave smile in order to try and cheer up her younger cousin even after she saw her own mother murdered right in front of her eyes?? That Maya Fey?? Ditzy as they come??????

Ugh. Moving on.

Maya and Larry run off, leaving Phoenix to watch the American Broadcast.

Important things to note here are the Godot mug, the little line up of what I think are the messed up little ace attorney figurines beneath the screen, and the fact that while this broadcast is supposedly from and to America the screen is actually not at all showing America. Like literally almost everywhere in the world except North and South America.

The broadcast says that Leona Clyde, age 24, was arrested for murdering the senator Robert Cole! Leona Clyde -- that’s Phoenix’s ex-girlfriend! He runs off to the detention center.

She is not happy to see him.

Leona: Mr. Wright... I’m not the woman you once knew.

Let’s Play A Matching Game

Sorry for the abundance of screenshots that are going to be throughout this section. Phoenix convinces Leona to let him defend her. Some of the conversation seems... familiar.

Leona: No one would defend someone who admits to killing a senator. I’m waiting for a court-appointed attorney.

Edgeworth: Every defense attorney I’ve talked to has turned me down.

Phoenix: In that case, let me defend you.

Game Phoenix: Let me defend you.

Leona: Don’t be ridiculous!

Edgeworth: Don’t be ridiculous.

Phoenix: I’ll never accept that you’re a murderer. Let me prove your innocence!

Game Phoenix: Huh? Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to prove that Miles Edgeworth is innocent.

Leona: I’ve already confessed my guilt.

Gumshoe: He confessed that he did it! In court!

Leona: It’s foolish to think you can win this case.

Edgeworth: My case is near hopeless, Wright.

Leona: (in response to phoenix offering to defend her) No you won’t! Don’t ever come here again.

Edgeworth: Look, just go away, and leave me alone!

Phoenix: You of all people should know. Once I decide to do something, I see it through to the end.

Edgeworth: Once you start on something, you always see it through, don’t you?

Leona: I never thought that you’d be representing me.

Phoenix: Ah, who could have guessed this day would come?

Edgeworth: Not me.

Phoenix: You believed in me. You saved me. And this time, I swear... I swear I’ll save you!

Game Phoenix: Edgeworth believed in me, and I believe in him. I’m the only one who knows the real Edgeworth. I’m the only one who can help him.

I could’ve done a few more, but tumblr is already threatening to murder my laptop.

So long story short, Phoenix manages to convince his lover to let him be the defense on the case. Then immediately after swearing to save Leona, he starts singing a song, which I’m not screencapping because this is enough:

“As long as there are people in this world, there’s only one path I will follow! As long as there is love in this world, there’s only one path I will believe in!”

Edgeworth sings this in the second musical after saying that he returned to California because of Phoenix. Phoenix sings it now after swearing to defend Leona. You draw your own conclusions.

And then we finally get the opening credits. Eleven minutes in.

Just Pretend This Is Narumitsu Fanfiction

Following the credits, we see a beautiful beach. Couples (exclusively heterosexual, of course,) dance and embrace in the background for some time, before revealing Phoenix and Leona, in the Even Further Past, before the LSATs or whatever the ace attorney universe’s excuse for law school exams are.

Phoenix establishes his absolute hatred of change, an important characterization moment.

Phoenix: The view here never changes, huh?

Phoenix reminisces on when they were kids. Leona’s parents were both lawyers (they’re both lawyers) and sometimes they would be like lawyers with her when she was a kid. This inspired her to also become a lawyer after their tragic death of Sickness. They never specify what the sickness is that caused two people who must be relatively young to die while Leona was in her early twenties at the latest. It may be whatever sickness claimed Leona’s life later. Sad Woman Disease. (Sad Man Disease for her father, I guess?)

Phoenix also talks about why he’s becoming a lawyer.

Phoenix: Watching you chase your dream inspired me to become a lawyer too.

So, it’s not “my childhood friend looked sad in a newspaper” because I guess that makes no sense or is too gay or something. But this is another important piece of Phoenix characterization. His entire life so far has been focused around Leona. They’ve been friends since they were kids, and then Phoenix decided to become a lawyer solely because Leona was becoming a lawyer. Not even to try and get back into contact with her after she moved away or anything; just because he’s so obsessed with her that he wants to have the same career as her, then they can run a Mom & Pop Law Firm or something, years in the future, after years of happy marriage and a few children or like whatever the hell.

Well, there’s a few steps they’ll need to get to that. At this point Phoenix still hasn’t confessed his feelings for Leona. He does so here, on this beach.

Leona tries to protest.

Leona: But I’m pushy, selfish, and only care about my goals... You’d get fed up with me.

Phoenix: That’s what I’ve always admired about you. That’s who I’ve been chasing all these years. That’s the only person... I love.

Sooo, Phoenix, your type is pushy selfish people who only care about their goals...? In the first, older lower-quality video translation it was “only care about my work”, too. Hm. Things to think about.

They sing a little duet together. Then we go back to present-day of what’s technically still a flashback. Whatever. Murder is happening.

Back To The Murder

So some plot things to establish: Leona is the legal counsel of Governor Miller, who is running for president in the AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. After the flashback so that Phoenix has some time to change clothes, they show an interview of him talking about the murder.

Governor Miller: I vow to forge a peaceful country with my own two hands, and to prepare myself for whatever may lie ahead.

Reporters: Through thick and thin, he’s a friend of the people!

The Takarazuka musicals are not very good at hiding their killers.

Phoenix: Oh yeah... It’s almost time for the presidential election, isn’t it?

NEVER FORGET, WRIGHT. THIS IS AMERICA. LAND OF THE FREE! god what even was that line.

Anyways, we meet Gumshoe, who is incompetent once again. Maya runs around the crime scene, picks up the murder weapon, puts her fingerprints all over everything, moves things around, all while Phoenix is like “lol get a load of the world’s stupidest girl” or whatever. But who cares about that.

It’s time to get to the only valid part of this musical.

Edgeworth’s Gay Little Villain Solo

You may have seen this one before.

Edgeworth arrives, but not really. It’s like Phoenix heard Edgeworth was prosecuting and immediately entered a dream-like state, where Edgeworth is heralded by the sound of trumpets in Great Revival. He’s played by a different actress than in the other two musicals, since I think she retired in between the six or so months from this musical to the second. She still plays the role well, though, or as well as can be when you’re written in an ace attorney Takarazuka musical.

Shrouded in scarlet solitude... it’s Edgeworth.

Yes, those are six Edgeworths. Yes, they pick Phoenix up and carry him around and dance with him. Yes, it was probably not meant to be at all homoerotic.

He sings a song that’s called “My rule”. I only figured this out later, but it’s loosely based on a “catchphrase” of his in the Japanese version - in game 1 he says something along the lines of “All I can do is get every defendant declared guilty! So I make that my policy.” In DD in his dramatic anime introduction before the trial, he says “I intend to question the defendant with all I have. For that is a part of my creed.” “So I make that my policy” and “For that is a part of my creed”, to my understanding, are both translated from the same line, which I think is like, “sore ga watashi no ruru”, “That is my rule.” (If I’m wrong, please correct me.) In this song he sings about how he’ll reduce all criminals to ash and such, basically talks about his game 1 prosecuting strategy as “my rule”.

It’s very fun and probably if you want to only watch one number of this musical, it can be this one. It starts about 26:10 in the video I linked.

Once the musical number is done, Phoenix and Edgeworth stare at each other, and the background fades into the courtroom, so court begins. I feel like I should note that Phoenix has not picked up any evidence or talked to any witnesses in this investigation except for Gumshoe, since Maya just moved some things around and then Phoenix had some weird fever dream about Edgeworth which presumably took up the rest of the day.

The Trial, Day 1

Edgeworth: Consider it a prelude to the poignant Greek tragedy that’s about to unfold.

Maya: The real tragedy’s your pompous attitude!

Those are the only screenshots I took of this trial day. Here’s a summary, though:

The trial starts off with Leona confessing, Phoenix says “no I think she’s innocent”, and since ace attorney doesn’t care about the defendant’s wishes he’s allowed to proceed. For some reason Leona lets him do this without complaint.

Gumshoe is the first witness, he claims to have caught Leona red-handed at the scene of the crime, standing over the corpse. Phoenix tries to claim that since Gumshoe didn’t see Leona committing the crime, he didn’t actually catch her red-handed, to which Edgeworth responds “What do you think being caught red-handed means?”

Once Gumshoe is dismissed, Lotta takes the stand. She has a photo of the actual moment of the crime, where Leona is holding a knife in the air in front of the victim.

The Takarazuka musicals like to do this thing where the image is blurry and zoomed out, but then Phoenix will go “I’VE NOTICED A CONTRADICTION” and it zooms in really far as the resolution increases drastically in order to show you the contradiction that is impossible to spot for yourself, because they don’t want people figuring out the mystery in this musical based off of a video game where you have to solve the mystery yourself. Anyways Phoenix zooms in on this photo and sees that there’s blood on Leona’s hand, presumably before she stabbed the victim. How did it get there?

Edgeworth suggests the victim was stabbed multiple times. Phoenix says the autopsy report contradicts that. Edgeworth, uncharacteristically, does not update it to suit his argument.

Phoenix concludes that this photo is not showing the moment Leona stabbed the victim, but the moment Leona removed the knife! ... Which somehow casts doubt on her having been the one to stab the victim. Because as everyone knows, anyone wanting to kill someone would never remove a knife, it’s not like they’d bleed out faster that way, or anything.

And this whole contradiction is confusing because presumably if the victim was stabbed and then the knife was removed, they’d know that happened, because then the knife would not be found stuck in the victim’s body, since the victim was only stabbed once. So this shouldn’t be news to the prosecution that someone removed the knife after stabbing. But the investigation was headed by the most incompetent version of Gumshoe ever, so. sure. I guess no one knew.

That at least manages to extend the trial another day.

This Totally Has To Be Illegal

After the trial, Phoenix goes to talk to Governor Miller, aka Mr. Totally The Real Killer. Phoenix asks him why he decided to hire Leona as his legal advisor.

Basically, it’s because her parents were both renowned lawyers. Her father was a Chief Prosecutor, and her mother was a defense attorney. ... a prosecutor and a defense attorney couple... who does that remind us of...

Phoenix points out that just because her parents were good lawyers, it doesn’t mean she’d necessarily be one. Miller says that, sure, but she is actually really talented, and her law school marks were spectacular. Phoenix says “WHY WERE YOU LOOKING AT HER LAW SCHOOL MARKS”, like it’s somehow? suspicious? for a government official hiring legal counsel to look at their law school marks?

Apparently it IS suspicious because Governor Miller freaks out and asks if this is an interrogation. Before Phoenix can press much further, he gets a phone call, and leaves Phoenix alone in a big room.

So naturally Phoenix behaves like a fully grown adult running a law firm.

If all he did was sit in the chair, lift up a desk lamp, and poke his finger on a pen, that’s one thing. But then he leans over, OPENS THE GOVERNOR’S DESK DRAWER, and finds a knife that’s just sitting there casually. It looks like a butter knife. It’s not anything major. Maybe the dude just wanted to butter his toast?

I mean I know Phoenix will dig around in stuff whenever in the games, but he has no reason to suspect Governor Miller at all, much less dig through his drawer probably full of confidential government documents to lift up a knife that he thinks is suspicious. It’s not even covered in blood or anything?

Naturally Governor Miller’s assistant comes in just then, and Phoenix puts the knife. in his breast pocket.

bud. It may look like a butter knife, but putting knives up against your chest is not a great idea. Much less stealing a knife from a governor?

Well, in his panic, he accidentally knocks over a bunch of books on the desk. The governor’s assistant helps him pick them up, and they find a photo. Look a little familiar?

The photo has the assistant, the victim Robert Cole, Governor Miller, and the victim’s brother who died in an incident two years ago. He’s the “Neil Marshall” of this musical, and he died in what was essentially the SL-9 incident. Same general premise, except it occurred in the courthouse, and the names are different.

AND FINALLY WE REACH THE END OF ACT 1. They do a musical number here which is a weird sort of mashup of the main opening credits song, Edgeworth’s Villain Solo, and the love duet between Phoenix and Leona. They are all such different songs that it sounds a little weird.

ACT 2, FINALLY

The act begins on a sour note with Maya playing with the knife and showing off her characterization, which is one of the most infuriating Maya characterizations you’ll sometimes see around the fandom by people who don’t like Maya.

Maya: Let me whip up my special spirit channeler hamburgers!

sigh.

But then we’re saved (?) by the arrival of EDGEWORTH, who is presumably just here to chat. He asks Phoenix if he’s defending Leona in hopes of winning her back, then says to keep out of it, since it’s a very important case and he can’t understand the gravity of it.

Then Phoenix says this.

Phoenix: Would you be saying that if you were the one on trial? The defendant is in a dark prison, reaching out for hope... Can you imagine the loneliness and sorrow of being ostracized?

CAN YOU IMAGINE IT, EDGEWORTH? CAN YOU IMAGINE IF YOU WERE ON TRIAL AND I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO WOULD DEFEND YOU AND BELIEVED IN YOUR INNOCENCE??

Edgeworth responds to this by essentially rehashing his speech in Turnabout Sisters about how he needs to find all defendants guilty because he can’t guarantee their innocence and all that. Maya gets upset and leaves so that Phoenix and Edgeworth can talk about their childhood in private.

Phoenix once again complains about how people change since nine years old.

Phoenix then says that he has something Edgeworth doesn’t: the POWER TO BELIEVE! Then Maya comes in and tries to spike Edgeworth’s coffee, so he leaves.

The Class Trial

Phoenix explains a bit about Edgeworth and his backstory to Maya. Namely, the class trial. Phoenix was accused of stealing lunch money, Edgeworth stood up for him, but instead of Larry, Leona stood up for him. I guess Suzuki Kei thought “oh the class trial, if Leona stood up for him, it would be so romantic, because she’s a woman, and he’s a man”, or something like that.

Edgeworth wanted to become a Great Lawyer Like His Father! But then he turned cold as ice.

Phoenix: His father got too deeply involved in a case... and paid for it with his life. Edgeworth saw him murdered. He was never the same again. I bet he couldn’t forgive the criminal.

Yeah I bet he couldn’t ever forgive the person he thought killed his father all these years, Phoenix. I bet he really hates that person, Phoenix. I bet he has nightmares about that person killing his father or something, Phoenix.

Phoenix: He vanished, then returned without his mercy or compassion. He had become a monster. When he lost his father, he also lost the ability to believe in others.

So like... one of the most chilling things about this musical is that they never actually solve DL-6. This probably roughly takes place 15 years after DL-6, since they were about the same age when the class trial started, and at least Leona is 24 now. The next musical takes place three years from now, and in it, Edgeworth refers to von Karma as his mentor, implying he’s still around and doing things.

So, in addition to everything else going wrong with this musical, DL-6 still happens, but von Karma never frames Edgeworth for it fifteen years later. The statute of limitations runs out, and von Karma forever gets away with his crime. And Edgeworth has no idea.

What changes did they make to DL-6, though, you may ask? I’m desperate to know as well. In the third musical, which I’ve watched because I hate myself but am unable to fully understand because I don’t know much Japanese, there is a scene where Miles flashbacks to DL-6. It’s abstract, but he makes gun-throwing motions at Gregory, followed by a gunshot sound.

Therefore, in this musical’s internal canon, either Miles Edgeworth shot his father, or he believes he did for the rest of his life.

... moving on.

Phoenix: But he still has his humanity. It’s still there, deep down inside!

At least, if nothing else, Phoenix still believes in him. Even this Takarazuka Musical couldn’t touch that.

The Feenie Sweater

Right after this, Larry barges in, and Phoenix leaves him alone with Maya. The musical tries teasing Larry/Maya, but fortunately, Maya’s having none of it.

Maya: You’re barking up the wrong tree.

Props to this musical for not being as bad as it could have been.

After this, the two sit down on the couch, and Maya asks for more gossip on Phoenix and Leona. Larry launches into a story, which turns into a flashback that ends up being narrated by Phoenix halfway through. This one’s about Phoenix and Leona’s relationship.

This is an interesting line in here, “I’ll guide you to the future”, for it loosely referencing the sort of love ballad Phoenix sings with Lucia in the second musical which is about “I’ll take you to that radiant future”, and he later sings to the memory of Leona right around the time of his big spiral into despair.

I’m sorry if you haven’t read my other essay and just said “wait what” to what I just typed.

Leona was getting ready to move to New York to defend the weak “in the big city”. This is rather strange wording because it implies that California does not in fact have a big city. She says some things in her conversation with Phoenix that probably plant some of his later issues.

Leona: This is the first time we’ll be apart since we were kids.

Leona: We promised we’d always be together.

Leona: I’ll be waiting. Waiting for you to come to me.

Haha. Sure would be a shame... if something were to happen... and they wouldn’t be able to be together anymore...

So some dancers wearing black come in and take off their outer jackets, to symbolize the passage of time. They circle around Phoenix and Leona. In this, you can just barely see, Phoenix is wearing a pink sweater beneath his jacket.

“Oh,” I think to myself, “Is that the Feenie sweater? Are they including it here as a reference to the games?”

Then the dancers keep moving.

THAT IS NOT THE FEENIE SWEATER. That is a pink sweater with a sexily drawn woman on it.

This is the other half of the reason why I decided to go through with making this essay.

This is so incredibly funny to me. Suzuki Kei Who Has Played The Games Seven Times has seen the hand-knit bright pink sweater with a giant red heart on it seven times. The sweater Iris, Phoenix’s girlfriend, lovingly knit for him that he wears all the time even though it is one of the tackiest, cheesiest items of clothing to ever exist. And so, when the costume designers were designing the clothes for College Phoenix Wright, they asked themselves: “Should we include the Feenie sweater?”

and “NO,” someone must have shouted, “NO, we can NOT include the Feenie sweater, it is PINK and it has a HEART on it and it’s TOO GIRLY. Phoenix Wright is a MANLY MAN. He would not EVER wear something PINK with a HEART on it.”

“BUT,” someone else said, “it’s a REFERENCE to the original games, where he DID wear a pink sweater with a heart on it! We MUST include it to pander to the fans!”

“WAIT,” a third person interjected. “I have a BRILLIANT IDEA. We can keep the pink... But to make it VERY CLEAR he is a heterosexual, masculine male... we put a sexy woman on it.”

And Person Three Got A Raise.

Thank god we’re finally halfway done this musical.

We Just Have To Go On With Our Lives Now

There’s plot or something happening. Leona breaks up with Phoenix inexplicably over the phone. Probably because of that freaking sweater. Imagine wearing that. God.

Eventually we go back to Phoenix talking to Leona, and he asks about the Jack Lyon case, which is the rip-off version of the Joe Darke case. Leona is pretty cagey about it, but Phoenix proves that she was there in the gallery that day. Leona refuses to answer, claims again that she killed the victim in her case, and leaves.

This makes Phoenix sad, so he starts singing.

Phoenix: I want to bring you back! I believe in you.

If this sounds familiar, it’s the part where I started absolutely losing my mind in the second musical because this line had never shown up before then, I’d forgotten it was in this musical, and Phoenix was screaming it alone in a red room, so I thought he was like desperately resorting to a necromancy ritual in hopes of bringing Leona back to life.

Instead, this line actually has CONTEXT, though it does just end up enforcing my theory. This is Phoenix mourning what he used to have with Leona, wanting to bring the “old her” back, because he’s devastated that people sometimes change. There are several flashbacks of their college days where he’s wearing his Sexy Woman Sweater. He does succeed in winning her back at the end of this musical. Before she dies, of course.

Phoenix in musical 2 still believes that he can bring back what he used to have with Leona... even beyond death. That’s something affirmed by this musical. I’m very grateful to it for somehow managing to enforce my nonsensical theory.

Doctor Ema

After this, Phoenix returns to his office, and meets with someone new.

That’s right! Only now, halfway through the musical, do we actually get to meet the Ema-equivalent to Leona’s Lana-equivalent. Her name is Monica Clyde. She has little rainbow heart stickers on her briefcase, which is the closest thing this musical has to acknowledging that gay people exist.

But what does this little briefcase contain, you may ask? Scientific investigation tools? No.

A full surgical toolset. Because you never know when someone’ll get sick, or when someone will need an entire operation in front of you. I guess.

So yes, Monica Clyde is not a forensic scientist in training, but a doctor! She decided to become a doctor because of her parents, who passed away of The Sickness, and so became a doctor in order to save lives like theirs.

Once more this has much darker and deeper implications than the musical is even aware of, because Monica is so anxious about treating sick people that she carries a full surgical toolset around with her at all times, scared to lose someone like she lost her parents... and then sometime in the next three years, Leona, her big sister, is going to die.

Of what? The strange Sickness that claimed her parents? A car accident? A botched spur-of-the-moment surgery? Whatever it is, Monica was unable to save her, even when she’d been training her entire life for it.

Monica is not mentioned at all throughout the second musical. It’s as if she does not exist.

Because unlike Ema of Rise From The Ashes, Monica is not at the heart of this story. She is, primarily, a plot device here to make Leona not trust Phoenix so that he can angst about their relationship.

What a mess this world is.

The Trial, Part 2

Rather than try to prove Leona’s innocence, Phoenix wants to link the current case to not-SL-9, the Jack Lyon case. He does this by showing this picture.

Senator Cole, the victim, is in this picture. His younger brother whose name I’ve forgotten, the victim of not-SL-9, is also in this picture. They are brothers. It is apparently novel that they are in the same picture, and somehow makes their cases linked.

As well, Governor Miller is in the picture. I guess you could say like... Governor Miller’s legal counsel is the defendant, so that’s another link? Even though the Governor would presumably know a Senator, so this isn’t an unusual group. Right now Phoenix has absolutely nothing to prove that these two cases are linked other than “hey, these two victims are brothers”, but apparently it works. So they spend a lot of time talking about not-SL-9, since Leona has confessed to the murder on day 1 and there is absolutely nothing indicating that she can’t be immediately declared guilty.

They hid the fact that Monica was a hostage in this not-SL-9, meaning that some of the case records were forged. Here’s Edgeworth’s reaction when this comes out.

Edgeworth: This is an outrage! I’m the most influential prosecutor in America! There’s nothing I don’t know!

In RFTA, when Edgeworth learns he’d been using forged evidence to give a man the death penalty, he is devastated, his entire worldview is shaken, he sees himself as a monster who could end up becoming horribly corrupt if he isn’t stopped.

Musical Edgeworth goes “I DIDN’T KNOW SOMETHING???”

It’s certainly strange characterization, but I guess Edgeworth is further behind in his character arc than in RFTA, so... ugh. Fine.

Phoenix calls Monica out as a witness to prove she was involved in the case. This causes Leona to panic, and try to dismiss Phoenix as her attorney, like Lana in RFTA, but Edgeworth interjects to call Monica in anyways. He and Phoenix have a little moment.

Edgeworth: You said to believe in others. I suppose I’ll try believing in you. Try to keep up.

Phoenix: Edgeworth!

So Monica comes to the stand to testify. We get to see this picture of Monica being held hostage, and not-Joe-Darke’s incredible eyeliner.

Lots of it is very similar to the actual RFTA, except instead of the victim being stabbed on the knight with the giant knife, he’s instead stabbed with a regular old knife. Leona still refuses to admit to what really happened, until Edgeworth convinces her to believe in Phoenix.

Edgeworth: Your attorney is a runaway train with a one-track mind. Yet he placed all of his faith in you. Believe in him. You owe him that much.

Leona testifies, and says that when she found the victim, he was stabbed with a scalpel.

Here is where things get weird.

Scalpels Can’t Kill People

So basically earlier in this trial, they talk about how Leona knew that the knife that stabbed the victim was double-edged despite being buried in his chest. The judge questions if this means Leona killed him, but Phoenix is quick to say no, she was searched when she entered the courthouse and couldn’t have concealed a knife.

Yet, Monica was able to bring in her surgical toolkit which contains several sharp knives, scalpels, scissors, etc.

This is the first major contradiction.

Leona continues to say that when she found Monica, and the scalpel stabbed in the victim, she also ran into Governor Miller, who if you haven’t been able to tell yet is the Gant-equivalent of this musical. He offered to help her with the cover-up, etc.

The next bit goes a lot like RFTA. Phoenix accuses Governor Miller, who barges in, says Phoenix has the decisive evidence in his pocket. This is the “butter knife” that Phoenix took from his office when he dug around in confidential documents and stole it for no particular reason. It has Monica’s fingerprints on it! ... And Phoenix’s and Maya’s too probably because they were handling it without gloves, but they don’t mention that part.

Leona cries about how she shouldn’t have trusted Phoenix because he was apparently now blaming Monica, Monica looks terrified, she and Leona have some good sister moments but it’s not as good as it could be if the story was actually about Leona and Monica like how RFTA was about Lana and Ema. But Phoenix has the decisive piece of evidence that can turn this around.

It is this:

Phoenix: Scalpels are made for medical incisions, not stabbings. So how did it stab the victim?

...

... What?

So like. Yes, scalpels are made for medical incisions. Medical incisions often involve cutting through flesh, very easily. As a result, they are sharp. Extremely sharp. As in: their purpose is literally to stab people, very specifically.

Yes, they’re easier to control, so that surgeons don’t regularly stab people how they’re not supposed to be stabbed, but it’s not like, impossible to stab someone in a killing way with a scalpel? Admittedly, I have never tried to kill someone using a scalpel. And I do not have experience using a scalpel for surgeries because I am not a surgeon. But I’m pretty sure, if you take a sharp scalpel, and you stab someone in the chest with it with a reasonable amount of force... they die.

Like, is this a particular kind of scalpel that is not very sharp? Is the problem that the blade doesn’t match up with the initial wound? But even then, we don’t have the original unforged autopsy report or even a picture, so how would Phoenix know what the original wound looked like to say it didn’t match up? And even then why wouldn’t Phoenix say that instead of SCALPELS CAN’T STAB PEOPLE???

This is his decisive contradiction and it makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE TO ME!!!

Well Darn I Guess Scalpels Can’t Kill People

This is such a decisive piece of evidence, that scalpels can’t kill people, coming from the man who thought “caught red-handed” does not involve being caught standing over a corpse with blood on your hands, that it causes Governor Miller to confess.

Unlike Gant, who created the murder with Neil Marshall both to ensure that there was decisive evidence to convict Joe Darke, a serial killer who had not left any decisive evidence behind, and gain control over the prosecutor’s office in order to pull similar stunts to get criminals convicted using false evidence, Governor Miller does not have that as his motive. After all, he’s not a police officer. Instead, he ended up accidentally killing not-Joe-Darke, and then set up the incident in order to get Leona on his side. As her parents were both influential lawyers and very respectable, having her and her parents’ reputation on his side could help him become President of America Where This Takes Place.

So, let’s just take a moment to run over some of the things that made the original Rise From The Ashes great, in my opinion. Just for fun.

1 - The heart of the story between the Skye sisters. Lana closing off to protect Ema, Ema wanting to get through to her sister and get back to the way things used to be. Phoenix, in this story, is more of a bystander to this plotline rather than in the heart of it himself.

2 - Edgeworth’s Character Development. Basically RFTA creates an interesting transition between Turnabout Goodbyes and JFA. It causes Edgeworth to re-evaluate everything he knows about being a prosecutor. So quickly on the heels of Turnabout Goodbyes, it crushes the last bit of hope in him. It compares him to Gant, who also hates criminals, and forces him to wonder if his hatred of crime will one day lead to him being a criminal himself. He’s already convicted one person on forged evidence; how many others could there be?

3 - The Ends Justify The Means. ... wait come back, don’t leave. What I found neat about this case was also Gant’s motive. At one point he was presumably an honest person who hated crime and wanted to stop criminals. But over time in the police force, he became corrupted. He wanted to have all criminals convicted. So what do you do when you don’t have the evidence to convict them? Joe Darke was a serial killer who has killed several people and may have killed more if he’d gone free. The only way to stop and convict him was by using forged evidence. Other criminals could hide evidence to get away with their crimes, so people like Gant would make it up to catch them; but then when do you stop? What happens if there’s no evidence because someone is truly innocent? When does the line between “this person is a criminal and I want to stop them” and “I just want to convict everyone I’m dealing with” become blurred? This is also something he shares with Edgeworth and helps to advance his character.

All three of these things are either lessened or outright ignored in this musical. Leona and Monica’s story takes a backseat to Phoenix and Leona’s Love Story, with Monica only showing up halfway through, and mainly as an excuse as to why Leona is withdrawn. Edgeworth doesn’t seem to blame himself for the forged evidence he used, and doesn’t have a crisis questioning his morality over it. And Governor Miller’s motive is purely power. Unlike Gant, who would have become Chief of Police whether he solved SL-9 or not, Miller needed Leona to win the presidency. And instead of asking her to help him with his campaign like a normal person, he just blackmailed her instead.

... How do you play the games seven times and miss this much?

The Case Finally Ends

god. we’re almost there.

The case ends, Leona is declared not guilty but will still face trial for covering up murders and such. Probably less of a sentence than Lana because she was not involved in ongoing police corruption? Either way she’s dead in three years, so she’s got something a bit more concerning coming up.

She’s led away. Phoenix sings a bit about Leona before being interrupted by Edgeworth... who has something important to tell him.

Edgeworth: You awakened within me those once-cherished emotions I had discarded. I see visions of a distant, nostalgic past.

So basically this is the unnecessary feelings of the musical. Something along the lines of “seeing you again and fighting for my former ideals is making me question many things about myself.”

How does Phoenix respond?

Phoenix: Edgeworth... Try talking normally for a chance.

Sure, we were all thinking it, but that’s a little cold, Phoenix.

Edgeworth tries a smooth recovery.

Edgeworth: I don’t do... idle chit-chat.

This doesn’t accomplish much. So he leaves to allow Leona to visit with Phoenix alone. He’s got to go change for something more important coming up.

Leona and Phoenix decide that they’re going to get back together once Leona is done her sentence! They make a promise that is very funny if you know she’ll be dead in three years.

Phoenix: I’ll be waiting. For you.

There are a lot of hugs here, I’m not screencapping them all. There are also several moments where their faces get very close together and like, their nose brushes the other’s cheek or something, but they never actually kiss. Is it because the actresses weren’t comfortable with it (valid), or they thought kissing would be too much for the musical (sure, whatever), or since both characters are played by women the show staff did not want two women kissing on stage (probably the real answer)? I don’t like watching kisses, but I kept bracing myself for one and then it never happened, so.

Phoenix ends the main part of the musical with one last musical number starring my personal favourite piece:

Phoenix: I want to bring you back! I believe in you.

I like to think that at this point, this is present-day Phoenix, after finishing his reminiscing, still desperately wishing he could bring Leona back from death.

But alas, he cannot. And so, after one last daydream of them dancing together on the beaches of California, singing about their love, the musical ends.

Dance Time!

This starts at exactly the two hour mark, if you’re interested in watching what is, once again, one of the only fun parts of this musical.

Seriously, Edgeworth’s actress kills it here, when I first saw this I went “oh, this is why I saw so many people being gay for her on twitter.”

Edgeworth’s song is an encore of “My Rule”, so it’s lots of fun. Afterwards Phoenix gets another fun piece.

Then we get to the love ballad part, which I can probably overanalyze, I feel like I haven’t done enough ridiculous over-analyzing in this essay in comparison to the other.

Uhhh so the fog represents how Phoenix feels lost in this world without Leona. You can see it in the second screenshot separating the two of them, representing the barrier of death between the two of them. Idk it’s midnight I’m getting worn out from having to think about this musical for so long.

But his mourning over Leona’s death becomes even more apparent in the credits, where Phoenix sings that one line again:

Phoenix: I want to bring you back! I believe in you.

I’m not fixing that screenshot, I think it’s oddly fitting, in a way. That’s me right now.

Then at the very end, he sings this song.

Phoenix: I’ll spend... this eternal life... soaring through... the heavens!

Technically, this refers to his name Phoenix, but let’s dig a little deeper. He spends the rest of his life soaring through the heavens... the heavens that Leona went to after her untimely death, perhaps?

Overall, the musical becomes much more interesting when you just see it as a prequel to the second musical. This musical establishes many core concepts of Phoenix’s character: his refusal to believe in the concept of things changing, for one, and also his extreme dependency on Leona who he was never separated from since they were kids and where he based his entire life around her dreams and ideals. All he can think about is her. And in the end, he promises to wait for her in California.

Yet, to paraphrase Miles Edgeworth, all that is waiting for him is her death. Their dream of opening up a Mom & Pop Law Firm will never come true.

Thanks again for bearing with me even though this wasn’t as funny!

#ace attorney #phoenix wright the truth reborn #idk maybe someone wanted to know what the first musical was like without actually watching it?#my essays #my posts #i'm TIRED i'm going to BED goodNIGHT #this is less funny jokes and more actually criticizing the musical #because so much of this is like. wow. you really thought that was a good idea huh #just skip to the feenie sweater part honestly that's the funniest part of this musical

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ectonurites · 3 years

Note

hey! how knowledgeable are you on stephanie brown? because i got in a bit of an argument with a dc fan on reddit who claims she's all these awful things, but im still relatively new to steph and i want to see what was true and what wasn't. link to screenie right here: https://ibb.co/vh6CYCJ

these may be matters of opinion, but even then, i'd like to know your take. i haven't read her firsthand often enough and i trust your judgement over this random redditor who seems to have some sort of blonde-woman related trauma left untapped.

I'm not necessarily the most knowledgable on her in the world, but I do know a decent amount because she's one of my absolute faves and I love her

But ohhhh boy that screenshot is a lot.

I will say that several of the things this person brings up are based in canon but are taken in the worst faith and framed in the way that makes her look as bad as possible, if that makes sense? It’s ripping things away from any context, because there's a very clear bias against her here.

I'll go through it point by point under the cut

First of all though before digging into this, I want to make it clear she was a 15 year old for the majority of the things this person is talking about. Like just pause for a second and remember she’s a 15 year old victim of abuse. That is something that I think factors into a lot of her behavior! Anyways, I kinda while doing this got into a ranty 'talking at you' format in response to the person who wrote all that, so don't take any of this as me yelling at you who asked the question/you anyone reading this.

"She always acted entitled" - Saying Steph is entitled is absolutely ridiculous to me. Stephanie grew up with a very unstable childhood due to her dad frequently being in prison and her mom dealing with a drug addiction, living in a lower class part of the city. Tim is entitled. I don’t mean that as like a bad thing about him, but he is based on his living situation, she is not. She has wanted life to be better for herself and her mom, and is determined about that, but she is not and does not act entitled.

(Secret Origins 80 Page Giant)

"and stubborn" - I will give you stubborn though, that one is true. She’s stubborn as hell! I don’t really see that as a bad thing though, pretty much every bat is stubborn?

"demanding that Batman and Robin accept her untrained ass" - Steph may have been untrained in fighting but she's shown to have exceptional gymnastics skills from the start, and at one point Bruce even says that with the right training she could be as good if not better than Tim (in Robin #88)! So like... her realizing she enjoys trying to be a hero after she tried it out to deal with her personal business, so she looks to the local experts… and is determined about it… how is that a bad thing? It’s also not like she walked up to them and said ‘im perfect as i am let me in’ what she wanted was a chance to be a hero. But she also wasn't even really looking for approval, either, not having Batman's blessing was never going to stop her. ("So excuse me if I don't jump when you bark, Batman." in Robin #16) Later when Bruce does bring her in to train (and she also gets to train with the BoP) she's excited! She’s stubborn about wanting to be in the hero business, but it’s not like she’s unwilling to work for it.

"advocating leaving criminals to die because they 'deserve it'" - She’s a 15 year old who grew up knowing firsthand how dangerous Gotham criminals can be because of her dad, of course off the bat when they’re in a dangerous situation where any of them could die (because that’s the context here, this is in Robin #35 where they’re trapped in some super dangerous snow) she thinks they shouldn’t go back for another criminal who just tried to kill them and should instead save themselves. But she also literally WITHIN THAT SAME ISSUE then says she realized she learned something after listening to Tim and trying to save the guy! In the same issue! Characters in a story aren’t supposed to be perfect from the start… they learn things along the way???

(Robin #35)

"trying to steal from the shops they just stopped from being burglarized" - She’s 15 and doesn’t have a ton of money. She was gonna take two sodas, and when Tim said not to do it she paid with very little fuss. They stopped people who were robbing the place at gunpoint for prescription drugs. If you can’t understand the difference in severity between those things like… I do not even know where to start. (this situation is in Robin #56 btw)

"forcing physical affection onto Tim despite his visible discomfort and repeated objections (not even stopping when he told her he had a girlfriend)" - This one I will give you because she did cross boundaries with all that! But I do also want to clarify that she didn't start coming onto him until after Tim kissed her first (in Robin #5) while not telling her he had a girlfriend. That doesn’t excuse her later actions but for the first issue that she’s coming onto him from her perspective he expressed interest and she was just returning it! She even specifically says 'Maybe I should pay you back for saving my life the same way you paid me' (in Robin #16) before kissing him. That first time she kissed him unprompted was under essentially the same circumstances he kissed her unprompted, and she literally did not know about Ariana until after the fact. From that point once she knew about Ari she definitely should have backed off and she didn’t, that’s a very fair thing to criticize about her as a character. But Tim lead her on first, and I feel a lot of people like to casually forget that when talking about this situation. The way this is phrased of ‘not even stopping when he told her-‘ implies she was repeatedly doing the bad behavior before he told her, which is not the case. She still did bad things here but don’t misrepresent the situation.

"And lashing out at Tim, her mother, and her classmates in violent fits of anger" - Every comic book character lashes out at other people for the sake of drama like, I dare you to come up with a well-known superhero character who hasn’t done shit like that to a partner/family/friends in a moment of high tension/stress?

"She treated the girls around her like they were stupid bitches" - frankly this ones a little too vague like, I'm not sure off the top of my head exactly what they're talking about? in that era right around her pregnancy and stuff I really don't recall her being mean with other girls? I could be forgetting something I guess but the closest I can think of is a bit after this period of time when she has the confrontation with Greta in Young Justice but that was Greta attacking her first, not the other way around.

"got insanely jealous if Tim so much as expressed concern about another girl" - Steph getting jealous and thinking Tim was cheating isn’t that crazy when STEPHANIE BASICALLY WAS THE OTHER GIRL DURING TIM’S LAST RELATIONSHIP? Tim has cheated a little bit before! Tim cheated on Ari with both Jubilee from Marvel (during a crossover thing where he even mentions Ari specifically so it’s not like this was out of continuity/a setting she wasn't an issue or something) and also with Steph. While most of the kissing between them was Steph coming onto Tim which I wouldn’t count as cheating on his end, he did still kiss her which I would count. Not to mention that the jealousy thing (I imagine they’re talking about the instance with Star, the girl who taught Tim to skateboard, this arc of stuff starts in Robin #80 and continues for a few issues) is happening during the time she’s dating him while she still doesn’t even know his real name. He literally has a whole other life she doesn’t know about, and is someone who has initiated romantic moments with other girls while in a relationship multiple times before! With that in mind I don’t think a 16 (she's def 16 by this point) year old girl being kinda paranoid about how he interacts with girls he might know in his civilian life is that unreasonable? The later big instance with jealousy is the Darla situation- where Steph sees Darla kiss him and gets mad about it (and doesn’t talk to him about it) and thats what prompts her to become Robin. The important thing to remember about Steph in this time frame is that DC decided she had to die and they wanted to make her Robin first to drum up more attention for that death. They were doing ooc things with her to set those pieces in motion, and that needs to be taken into account. I think her getting upset about seeing something like that isn’t even ooc, but her using it as motivation to become Robin and not even saying anything to him about it is. In the earlier instance where she’s upset/jealous about Star, she does communicate to him what’s going on at least a little bit on the rooftop after they’d saved her. She makes it clear the thing she was upset about is that she feels like she can’t trust him because she doesn’t really know him while he knows everything about her, and that’s why she thinks he’s cheating. Her reaction to the Darla thing is not in line with how earlier in canon Steph would have handled the same situation, because they wanted her to die and needed a way to explain her becoming Robin.

"and expressed that jealousy by accusing him of cheating and throwing things at him" - I just addressed the cheating stuff but the throwing things was fucking slapstick oh my god this is a comic book for kids/teens like. ah yes this is horrible abuse in this little funny montage of how Steph wants him to leave her alone because she’s mad at him and he refuses to give her space

(Robin #82)

I don’t think anyone at DC or even in fandom would/should try to argue she’s perfect, because she’s not! And I don’t want her to be because perfect characters are boring. Steph is flawed, Steph has been compared in canon to Robin-era Jason by Cass & Bruce

(Detective Comics #790)

And I think these highlight some of her very real flaws that are an interesting part of her character. These plus her stubbornness and determination are part of what makes her her.

And for fuck's sake the world was mean to her, and to act like it wasn’t is just blatantly ignoring a lot. A criminal father who made her life really difficult (‘when my dad was mad at me he’d lock me in the closet!’), that time she got kidnapped for two weeks and her mom had left her (a 15 year old) alone at home so long she didn't even find out it happened (in text Steph says Crystal was visiting friends, a lot of people interpret that as her mom possibly being in rehab for her addictions again), that whole thing about how one of her dad’s friends tried to sexually assault her as a child, also just how due to her dad's work sometimes criminals would be living in their house (Literally the fucking Riddler at one point!), the fact that we as an audience watched her get tortured for several days because a plan she tried to enact to prove herself backfired since Batman didn’t trust her with important information (something Selina even calls him out on in her internal narration), like… sorry but in what way is all that not the world being mean to her?

She was Robin, she dated Robin, she likes Eggplant (because purple would've looked stupid), and makes jokes. She’s also impulsive, headstrong and determined, and wants to prove to herself and others that she can be more than just the daughter of a shitty criminal, that she can actually be a force to do good in the world.

She’s a complex character, and nobody is required to like her, but to act like she doesn’t have a single redeeming trait is ridiculous. You could write a paragraph like that with the worst moments of basically any character and make them look like shit if that's what you were setting out to do.

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chrisjake-cp · 3 years

Text

History 3 Trapped Filming Diary (full English translation) - Days 1-10

Just before you start reading, a little note of explanation: the author of this diary will frequently use the character’s name when they mean the actor. I have added the names of the actors between square brackets sometimes to avoid confusion. Also between square brackets you will find some words that are implied, so I added them in the translation to make the translation a bit smoother, but they aren’t included in the Chinese text.

The book’s author will also talk in the first person POV sometimes, refering to themselves as either “I”, “we” or “this little editor 小编”. So each time you see me write “I”, it is not my own opinion I’m inserting in the text, but the author/editor’s. If I have anything else to add or explain myself, I’ll add it in a note at the end of the text.

I’ll repeat: I don’t own the book so I can’t post my scans of the pictures that came with every day. So I posted some other pictures of the scenes that were being filmed with each day. These pics belong to LINE TV or Choco Media, or I’ve taken screenshots.

Day 1-10 under the cut.

Day 1

The first day of shooting happened to coincide with ‘Li Dong’⁕ but the temperatures of that day soared to 29 degrees. The crew was going sleeveless, but the actors were all wearing sweaters or dress shirts. Tang Yi, who had on the most, was wearing a turtleneck sweater and a suit jacket on top at one point, but he didn’t sweat very much.⁕ Meanwhile A De [Stanley], wearing a shirt and a suit jacket, was [clad] the ‘thinnest’ at the scene. When he got off work and took off his sweaty shirt, the wardrobe department exclaimed: “This shirt is so wet!”

Officer Meng’s scenes for that day consisted of eating from 10 am in the morning until 6pm in the evening. He basically ate from when he got to work until he got off work. All in all he had two large bags of rice and poured 4 liters of coca cola. Junhao [Jake] will start sweating profusely and start flushing when he eats spicy food, so as soon as the director yelled ‘cut’, the crew would immediately pass him a plastic bag so he could spit out the spicy Kung Pao Chicken he was eating.

⁕ Li Dong 立冬 literally means ‘establishing the winter’, so it is some kind of winter solstice in Asian culture. In the Gregorian calendar, it falls on 7 or 8 November. According to the IG stories of some of the cast of Trapped, it was indeed 7 November 2018 when shooting started.

⁕ Chris apparently doesn’t sweat much, no matter how hot he gets. He says as much in his vlog as well. I envy him, because I’d just be sweating buckets like Stanley.

Day 2

The first meeting between Tang Yi and Wenhao is also the second time that Chengyang [Chris] and teacher Jiakui [Chen Jiakui, the actor who plays Chen Wenhao] worked together. They cooperated for the first time on a movie. At that time teacher Jiakui served as the movie’s drama teacher. When Chris had gone through make-up in the early morning, he sat alone in a corner with the script. You could easily see that he was conflicted and upset. [For the other movie] teacher Jiakui was Chris’ mentor, but here Wenhao was the target of Tang Yi’s revenge.

In the process of their scenes where they faced each other, the director hoped that Tang Yi could hate Wenhao even more, but Tang Yi’s personality is subdued and calm. So how could he fly into a raging fit and still keep his calm? In a part that was not captured on camera, teacher Jiakui aggravated some lines to make Chris more infuriated. Afterwards teacher Jiakui also said that the role of Tang Yi is not easy to perform. [Tang Yi] is a young mob boss, The hate in his eyes must therefore also carry a bit of youthfullness, which is difficult to experience for normal people in the course of their lives.

Day 3

Today was the first time that Zhaozi arrived on set, and while he was bored waiting for his scenes, Zhaozi started to act as the shop’s clerk to sell suits. Apart from suits, bowties and regular ties, he even managed to sell shoehorns. By oneself, the words just kept on flying out of his mouth which left Shaofei beside him looking dumbfounded (if you want to see Shaofei’s dumbfounded meme-like look, you have to absolutely watch the behind-the-scenes on the DVDs)⁕. [Shaofei] continued to shout “If you buy a shoehorn you get Zhaozi for free with it, please someone take Zhaozi away, Unit 3 can’t stand it anymore.”

Boss Tang was tired, and took a nap in his own shop. ‘Just a little while will do. Shaofei and A De, you two be on the lookout for me, and if the director is coming, remember to wake me.’

⁕ Excellent advice. Please do watch the behind-the-scenes after finishing this book, because a lot of what is written here is visualized in the bts. The bts are arranged per episode though, and not per filming day, but it’s still amazing to be able to see what went on.

Day 4

The set for the offices of Investigation Unit 3 is actually the office of LINE TV’s Choco Media branch. The contemporary industrial style caused the atmosphere among Unit 3 to be even more lively.

For Unit 3’s first scene together, the director used a one-shot to have everyone appear on the scene, which meant that the first time all the actors were present, they had to have a ‘chemistry’ test. But apart from the actors, chemistry also had to be there for the whole staff, as the directing crew, the camera crew and the sound crew, really everyone, also had to follow [the actors] along⁕. I still remember that by the 20th take, everyone’s lines ran very smoothly, the shot was satisfactory and everyone was where they were supposed to be. The director and the crew were holding their breath in concentration, and just when they thought they’d succeed, A Zhi [character Zhou Guanzhi, played by Kass Tsai] forgot a line in the very last sentence hahahaha. In the end, this round took 27 takes.

⁕ The author uses a metaphor/reference here. They write 乾坤大挪移 which means something like ‘The Great Shift of the Cosmos’ and is apparently a kind of martial art from a martial arts novel. It consists of 7 increasingly difficult skill levels, whereby the 7th level is almost unattainable. In other words, shooting this one-shot scene required the whole cast and crew pulling off this great cosmos shift, and thus was a big, big challenge.

Day 5

After we shot the scene where the two idiots from Unit 3 [Shaofei and Zhaozi] got into trouble and received an explosive scolding by Dapao [Shi Dapao, the name of Unit 3’s Captain]⁕, the director told Shaofei that she wanted to add a scene where he sat next to the window thinking about Sister Lizhen, continuing in the same mood [as the previous scene]...Everyone in Unit 3 felt that Shaofei was continuing to set his teeth into a meaningless old case. If there had only been some progress in the investigation...but [Shaofei] not only didn’t find any new leads, but he also got into trouble everywhere. If Sister Lizhen would still be alive, he wouldn’t be like this now...Shaofei really, really missed sister Lizhen. Rather than say that the director added this scene at the last moment, it’s more like she deliberately didn’t tell Junhao [Jake] that she would add this part.

When they were shooting, the director played the music from the music box through the megaphone and from time to time talked as well, to provoke moody feelings in Jake. In the end Jake grabbed his phone and scrolled through his mother’s Facebook, and to all our surprise Jake started bawling, so much so that even after the ‘cut’ he couldn’t stop, until the director walked over and lightly patted him on the back. To be able to cry like that in a short amount of time, even he himself hadn’t expected that.

⁕ How much fun is it that the name of the Captain of Unit 3 literally means big cannon, when he explodes in anger all the damn time? 😂 I am quite convinced that in the hospital scene where Shaofei tells Tang Yi of his fortune-telling and that only a cannon can strike him down - he uses the exact same wording ‘dapao’ - it’s actually an inside joke and he may not have meant ‘cannon’ literally.

Day 6

Today’s weather couldn’t be called very fine, and when we were shooting until 3 or 4 P.M., the daylight was almost gone, just when the filming location had large windows in every corner that reached the ground. Our funny director said “Why did the production team run out of light after 3 P.M.? Did they forget to send notice⁕ to the sun?” This caused the crew that was present to not know whether to laugh or cry. But in the end, before the sun got off work, everyone else smoothly finished their job as well.

⁕ the term “to send notice” is quite literal, but the word is indeed an entertainment industry term as well, that means to hire someone for a short amount of time or for a specific show, without there having to be a longer-term contractual agreement. So it could also be translated as “did they forget to hire the sun [to star in today’s scenes]?”

Day 7

It was a day with complicated feelings for Shaofei and little Tang Yi, as Shaofei discovered Tang Yi’s past history.

Before going to meet the adoptive father of his lover, of course Shaofei had to straighten himself out first and shave his beard to leave a good impression. In the evening, today’s final scene was shot. Before starting filming, the director hoped that [Tang Yi’s] adoptive father could guide little Tang Yi’s mood, because the intensity of this scene needed to bring out the reason why Tang Yi’s feelings for Tang Guodong ran so deep and make everyone feel the warmth that Tang Guodong brought to Tang Yi even more.

Under the constant conflict of raising [little Tang Yi] through much difficulties, a loud and clear slap came down heavily on little Tang Yi’s face. The silence at the [shooting] site caused the loud sound to be infinitely amplified, and the director and the crew were all shocked. When the ‘cut’ sounded, little Tang Yi instantly started crying, and the director rushed to the room immediately. On every crew member’s face was reluctance and shock. Meanwhile the adoptive father sat with his head down on the sofa, full of remorse.

An extra tidbit from the same scene: the crew’s love for little gadgets

There are always a few conspicuous toys in front of the director’s monitor. She explained that these were toys that members of the crew who are close to her gave her to alleviate stress. I don’t know which toy is the director’s favourite?

Day 8

For the setting of the toilets of Unit 3 we actually used the toilets in a department store. Zhaozi, who arrived at the store very early in the morning, was hit on by an older lady who was just coming into work. The lady said: “Aren’t you Zhao Youting [Mark Chao]? You definitely are Zhao Youting!!” Even though Zhaozi went on to deny it, the lady didn’t listen and believed that this handsome guy in front of her was Zhao Youting himself.

Actually, Zhaozi passed on the above story [to us], and no one actually saw this older lady. Zhaozi often tells bluff stories with a straight face, but I [this little editor] have my reservations about its credibility. But be as it may, after he was told that he looked like Zhao Youting, Zhaozi’s acting skills immediately leveled up. So okay, whether or not the story was real, we thank this lady ‘from the legends’.

Day 9

Can I call you dad after this hug?

I still remember the story of a friend coming out to his mother. He said to his mom: “I’m sorry if this thing disappoints you. I don’t dare to ask for your blessing. I just hope that you can show some understanding.” Through a chat message, his mother could only briefly reply: “If your other half is a good kid, I will give you my blessing.”

Many people in a same-sex relationship don’t dare to confess to the older generation and they don’t dare to ask for their blessings. Their only hope is not to be hated. It’s like that facing this society, and it’s the case when facing your beloved family. When Wenhao and Shaofei met each other, Wenhao gave Shaofei a hug. This hug must have carried [Wenhao’s] unspoken blessing.

No worries, dear father-in-law. I, Officer Meng, will take care of everything (pats on the back).

Wenhao and Guodong together brings its own hint of romance.⁕ The fighting was very intense that day, so much so that the police dispatched a Quick Fight Force team in concern [for the situation].

⁕ The term that the author uses is 腐味 (fuwei, the taste of fu). The first character, ‘fu’ is the same ‘fu’ that is used in terms like fujoshi 腐女子 and fudanshi 腐男子 (which are Japanese) but it’s the same pronunciation for that first character. So the author implies that there might have been something more than friendship going on between Chen Wenhao and Tang Guodong. They imply the same thing later in the book as well (day 60, where the two are called a CP).

Day 10

A Mei [Stanley] who portrays A De, said that he was the expert in getting beaten [in this drama]. I say that Stanley definitely dedicated himself to taking on that role. Many times his head bumped into the wall and the crew told him to take a break, but Stanley couldn’t stop yelling “no no, hurry up, I’m familiar with it now!”

All the way through the end Officer Meng and Vixen⁕ no.1, A De, cheered each other on before ‘Action!’ [was called].

⁕ The word for vixen is ‘fox spirit’ 狐狸精 in Chinese. I love that and I could probably write essays on this subject. In classical Chinese literature, foxes were most of the time portrayed as (mainly female) temptresses who seduced males for sex and then didn’t shy away from sucking the soul out of them, kind of like a succubus. If anyone is ever in the mood for some academic literature about foxes in late imperial China, I've got you covered https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3237790-alien-kind

So A De and Andy are constantly referred to as these foxes who want to seduce Tang Yi and snatch him away in front of Shaofei’s eyes.

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helloalexy-smile · 3 years

Text

riverdale, jeronica teachers

inspired by @mydairjeronica’s teacher screenshots~ As Riverdale starts it’s early morning, the fog begins to fade over Sweetwater and birds begin to chirp their way through the fall semester at Riverdale High. We see the now quiet and Ghoulie-free streets start to glisten lightly from the dew, and a bright and gleaming Archie Andrews and glowing Betty Cooper stop from a light jog in front of the Cooper home. They both smiled at each other, refreshed from the run but also glowing from being with each other yet again in secret by the river.

“That was a nice run,” Archie smiles, his light breaths peeking through as he couldn’t hide his content from being with Betty again.

“Arch, I gotta get inside, but meet me after? Maybe we can walk--”

“Jug is staying with me, he came over last night and needed a place to crash.”

Betty instantly changed her tone, taken back by the fact she forgot that they were seeing each other in secret. Archie’s staggered breaths broke their hesitation and they both let out an awkward chuckle.

“Maybe tonight we can… meet up for a plan?” she suggested, her eyes meeting his as he nodded lightly.

This would be the first day that the four horsemen have returned to Riverdale High as both alumni and faculty at the school, and an early start began with Jughead brushing his teeth, still hungover after his last shift at Pops’ and a rough night writing at the new Whyte Worm as well as moving into the Andrews’ home.

As he sleepily washes his face and groans, he hears Archie coming back in and sighs, yelling from the bathroom: “you’re not in the military anymore, ya’ know!” Archie lets out a light laugh and replies, “hurry up! We’ll be late!”

At the Pembrooke, Veronica eats her breakfast, finishing her coffee and listening to the latest Financial commentators for any breaking news in the market. Smithers comes into the dining room with a package.

“Miss Veronica, a package from… your husband has arrived.” he said, his voice ringing of a dread for his concern regarding her hovering partner.

“Thank you, Smithers. You can just leave that there, I’m not planning to open it.” she said, her eyes hidden behind her reading glasses as she focused on her notes for her first class.

“Will you need me to drive you?” he asked, concerned about the meaning behind the package.

“No, Smithers, I think a nice walk through the town will be nice before I sit in a classroom all day.”

---

Betty, Archie, and Jughead rush into the halls at Riverdale High, a school flooded with new faces and full of a fresh new start. As Archie makes his way to the gym, he and Betty take a second before they part.

“Should we-”

“We should-”

They laugh at their newfound awkwardness in public, unsure of what to do or say next since it was fresh and held no expectation.

Jughead rushed into his new classroom, stopping for a second to admire the nameplate Kevin made for him, and grabbing a piece of chalk to get his first author’s name on the board.

Students begin rushing in, the bell ringing, and he already hears the class clowns making their way to the back, his sigh releasing past memories along with it.

“Okay, everyone! My name is…”

A group of wide-eyed students sat in front of him, none of them aware that he was now a published author and he had sat in one of those seats just 7 years before them.

“Mister… Jones -- I’ll be your new English Lit teacher… and today we’re starting off with one of the greats…”

Some students rolled their eyes, the others sighed, and some began to chuckle at the awkward pauses and rushing Jughead spoke with.

“John... Steinbeck.”

He could tell it was about to be a long day.

---

Veronica strolled through the town, wanting to see for herself how the businesses looked, her eyes narrowing as she caught Reggie driving a car past her to Riverdale High, the bell already ringing. She made her way to Pops’ walking in and finding her way to Tabitha.

“Good morning, Miss Tate,” she exclaimed, her smile charming Tabitha as her curiosity sat on the tip of her tongue, “I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Does that favor have money involved?” Tabitha replied, her smile radiating back to Veronica’s, the two on the same wavelength.

“Are you able to save that booth for 5 of us this afternoon? We’re gonna need shakes and burgers to tag along.” she chimed, and Tabitha smiled through and through.

“If business isn’t booming, that booth is all yours. You may need to put a deposit down-”

Veronica winked, passing a bill to Tabs, strolling her way out and towards the school.

Passing through the hall, she heard the bell ring for the 2nd period and the call for her first class. She made her way around the corner and remembered when Kevin and Betty toured her through the school and smiled lightly.

After a bustle of students rushed past her, she stopped abruptly, her eyes catching Jughead rustling through his hair, and Steinbeck written largely across the board behind him. His glasses caught a glare from the light of the window as he leaned over his desk. He looked stressed, maybe - hungover?

“Oooh, Steinbeck…” she joked, catching his eye quickly as she leaned against his open door frame in her green top and black pencil skirt. “East of Eden… a story of good and evil, Cain and Abel…”

Jughead smiled, amused he asked, “You know Steinbeck?”

Her smile faded softly as he picked up one of his handouts and disappointingly mumbled, “Apparently, he’s written some of the most boring books in the last century.”

“Well, I think it’s a good pick.” she said confidently, winking at him as she backed away slowly and began to make her way out into the hall.

Jughead knew they had not been close, but it was nice to see a familiar face in a way, having his other two friends close but so far away.

---

Later that evening at Pops’, Jughead and Veronica sat across from each other in silence. In exchange for chocolate milkshakes, the two had coffees, and instead of words they both typed away at laptops. Having waited for hours for the other three (Betty, Toni, and Archie), the two were left to their own devices - literally.

“So, about Steinbeck…” he said, hesitating, but realizing there wasn’t much to talk about, even though he enjoyed the company in a way.

Veronica looked up at Jughead through her reading glasses, as he stared into his screen - pretending to avoid the conversation he started.

“Quiz me.” she teased.

#jeronica #personal #fanfic #jughead x veronica #jughead jones #veronica lodge

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chrisevansszn · 3 years

Text

THE GAMES WE PLAY PT 4‼‼‼‼

FINAL CHAPTER ‼

1.6 Word Count

*quick recap*

The ride was nice, and you guys held hands the whole way home. When you got back home yall decided on order Door Dash. You both were taking off your shoes and such when the doorbell rings.

“That’s odd”, Chris says. You both was still standing in the hallway, and Chris walks up to the door and opens it. Standing there is his ex, Lily James with a bottle of wine.

“Hi there”, she says.

Chris stops and stare for a second, and then finally says “Lily. What a pleasant surprise.” “I just thought a nice pop up would be ok since you just finished the premiere maybe we can celebrate”. Lily holds up the bottle of wine.

She still hasn’t noticed you standing in the hallway. Her eyes are directly on Chris.

“Well,”, Chris says, “I do have a friend here.” He moves to side and opens the door a little wider revealing you. “Oh, goodness”. Lilly blurts out. “I had no idea”.

You smile respectfully and walk up to the door to shake her hand. “Y/N, nice to meet you”. Lily shakes your hand back but not in a super friendly way. “Lily”. It takes you back. “Chris, please let Lily join us for a drink to celebrate our premiere”, you say. You turn around to walk towards the kitchen.

Chris and Lily follow behind. Lily hands Chris the wine to open and you both sit at this kitchen bar. Chris begins looking for the wine opener and remembers he left at his wine bar next to the living room. He walks out.

Lily looks at you. “Are you and Chris dating?” Your faced grimaced. You couldn’t believe that she had the audacity to ask you that. “I don’t think that is any of your business”, you reply. “Well, you know Chris is a lady’s man…if you are thinking about taking things to the next level, I wouldn’t recommend it…from personal experience”. Lily gives you a fake smile.

“Well, what the fuck are you doing here then?” You don’t have time for the games.

Chris walks back in. “Ok, ladies I finally found it”. He popped the bottle open and grabbed some glasses. He notices that something is afoot. “Is everything ok?” He’s asking both of you.

You waste no time. “Lily asked if we were dating. I told her it was none of her business”. He stopped pouring. “She also said that if I was considering taking things to the next level with you that I shouldn’t, because you are a lady’s man.” Chris set down the glass and the champagne.

“Lily, stand up. Get your shit and go”, she says without hesitation. “Chris, I didn’t-…” “NOW, Lily. You came here to start some shit and I won’t allow it.” He pulls her chair back for her. She gets up and he follows her down the hallway. You can hear him say “I don’t want to hear that bullshit” and closes the door.

Maybe you shouldn’t have said that! BUT she was being a bitch for no reason. Chris walks back in. “I am so sorry. I had no clue she was going to show up.”

“It’s ok. Damn ol girl got put out before she could have a sip of her wine”. Chris throws her wine in the trash. “Her fault”.

You and Chris continue the night drinking and playing card games. You just love how simple this man is. Then you get a message through Instagram. You click “unread messages”, but don’t actually click the message just yet.

Sender: Lily James

You pre-read the message.

“I just wanted to let you know Chris invited me to visit last week. I don’t know what you guys have going on, but I wouldn’t just show up like a creeper. Here are the screenshots to prove it”.

You hesitate. Chris is looking at his phone not really paying attention. You both are fucking wasted. If you click this message Lily will know that you read it. You think…and think…and think.

Chris is not your man. These messages have nothing to do you with you.

You click it.

It’s Chris professing his love for Lily and how much he missed her. That he only has eyes for her. That he wants to try it again, and to come down for the premiere so they can spend some time together.

Why would he invite you after her? You keep reading….she declined his offer. You were the back up option. You are completely intoxicated, and your emotions are beginning to get the best of you.

“Chris”. He looks up. “Yes”. “Lily is messaging me on IG and sent me screen shots of you asking for a second chance and to come to LA for the premiere. She declined…was I just a backup?” He froze. You can tell he was processing everything. “She sent you screenshots of mine and her text messages to you?”

“Correct.”

He ran his hand over his beard. “I….wanted to see if there was anything left between Lily and I.” “So I was a backup bitch??”

“Y/N, no!” “Yes, I am Christopher”. You stand up.

Its literally 2AM and your flight leaves out in 6 hours.

“Y/N please sit so we can discuss this.” “There is nothing to discuss Chris. You are not my man and I am not your woman”. His eyes grow big. “I do not have times for these games with you, Chris. If you just wanted to fuck I would have been fine with that. Don’t cuddle with me, hold me, and whisper a whole bunch of nothing to me”. “Y/N I never said I wanted to be in a relationship with you. Why would you even assume that?” Chris finally stands up.

You are taken back by what he just said.

“You know what Chris; you are fucking right. Why would I? You’re damn near 40, still no wife, still no kids, all alone, and maybe that’s the life you so deserve.” That hit a soft spot.

“FUCK YOU Y/N! You don’t know shit. I’ve been working my ass off in my 30’s and neglected the one thing that I’ve always wanted the most in my entire life. A fucking family!” You both are standing face to face.

You’ve never seen Chris so upset. You’ve never heard him raise his voice, but all that ended today.

“I am going to pack my shit and leave”. “Where are you going to go Y/N, it 2 o clock in the fucking morning!” He screams at you. You begin to walk off, and Chris grabs your arm. “You are not leaving, that’s ridiculous.” You yank your arm back. “Don’t touch me”.

You begin down the hallway, and he follows you. You enter the guest room and throw your suitcase on the floor and start placing your items in there. Chris is standing in the doorway watching. You are on your knees googling hotels so you can leave. Chris closes the door and locks it. You and him are in the room. He comes and snatches your phone out of your hand.

“Are you out of your mind?”, you yell and stands up to try to get your phone back. He holds it up high over his head. “Chris, give me my phone now!”

“Listen to me….listen to me NOW! Please don’t leave. I will leave you alone, but you must promise me you will not leave in the middle of the night.”

You stop. You both are looking each other in the eyes.

“I will take you to the airport in the morning like I had planned.” He gives you your phone back.

“I am going to bed.” You can hear his footsteps going down the hall. You are so emotional and drained. You look at your phone 3:05AM. You change clothes and peep down the hall and you can see a light coming from Chris’ room. He normally sleeps with his door closed. He’s making sure you don’t leave.

You finish packing quickly and lay in your bed. Sleep really isn’t finding you right now. Then you hear footsteps headed your way. Your bedroom door is open. Chris knocks respectfully.

“Hey”, you say. “Hey”, he replies. Chris walks over and sits on the bed. “I just want to apologize for everything. I never wanted you to feel second. You are so special to me; you have no idea. I did reach out to Lily and I am happy she declined. My intentions were to never hurt you. Do you forgive me?”

Well...how can you stay mad at him?? Those blue damn eyes! “I forgive you Chris”.

He leans over and hugs you.

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“Absolutely.”

Chris crawls into bed with you and holds you close. You both fall asleep. Your alarm goes off at 6:30AM. You both are dreading getting out of the bed. You throw on some joggers, hoodie, and some Nikes. Chris makes you a fresh cup of coffee, while you give all the goodbye kisses to Dodger.

The drive to the airport was quiet. You were holding Chris’ hand. You arrive to the airport, and he helps you with your luggage. “Thank you again for everything Chris.” “You are absolutely welcome”. You give him a kiss on the cheek, paparazzi are starting to swarm.

“I’ll text you when I land back in Texas.” “Sure thing”

“Bye Chris”. “Bye Y/N”.

You enter the airport… and never look back. Maybe it’s best for you to keep Chris just as a friend.

I hope each and everyone one of you enjoyed this one! 💜💜💜

@thatoneperson5000

@stylesann

@melannie77

@jst-sayhell-no

@kcath-rb

@hopefulbonkvoidland

@thummbelina

@lovinevans

@mrspeacem1nusone

@thesecretlifeofdaydreams-bl-blog

#chris evans x reader #chris evans fanfiction #chris jamal evans #chris evans #cevans #fanfiction #captain america #marvel #andy barber #defending jacob

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yepiamthesmileyface · 3 years

Text

Just Friends(?)

[Image description: screenshot of an ask sent by @nemesis-is-my-middle-name reading “38 - Everyone thinks we’re already dating, but we’re just best friends- oh wait? (if ur taking prompts idk)” end image description]

Read it on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28347906

Going to a Denny’s after a case was always a gamble. On one hand, there was hot, cheap junk food at whatever ungodly time they wrapped up their investigation; but on the other, sometimes the Denny’s had specimens like this. Vivi sighed, shoving a huge bite of her pancakes in her mouth and trying to tune out the ravings of the old white man who had stormed up to their booth — at three in the morning, mind you — and started screeching about how you should be ashamed of yourselves, displaying such perversions in public!! and three people living in sin!!

Normally, Vivi would have at least been making snarky comments, if not actually challenging him to a fight for insulting her and her boys like that, but...she was tucked comfortably under Lewis’s arm, the hand that wasn’t holding her fork reached across and resting on Arthur’s thigh. Also, it was literally three in the morning, she was covered in mud and slime from chasing a giant frog-creature around in a nearby river, and she had been awake for twenty-one consecutive hours. She took another bite. The pancakes tasted extra good for the exhaustion and ache sunk into her bones, strawberry topping and whipped cream and thick fluffy pancakes and maple syrup...it was almost enough to get her to forget about the man shrieking at them. She glanced back over at him, idly noting that his face was turning an interesting shade of puce.

The waiter walked back over with the same jaded, unfazed look he wore when the three of them had staggered into the Denny’s, soaked to the bone and absolutely covered in muck. He folded his arms and stared at the old man. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You’re disturbing the other guests.” The old man turned to look at the waiter, puffing up not unlike the giant frog the Mystery Skulls had captured and returned to its actual habitat not half an hour ago, and rapidly deflating as he took in the completely impassive, almost dead-eyed stare of the late-night Denny’s waiter. He hurried out of the building, spitting one last insult about how they were all going to hell for living in sin. Given that he had used that particular phrase about nineteen times, it had kind of lost its fire, as far as Vivi was concerned.

Vivi felt some of the tension drain out of Lewis, and she turned her head, looking over at her boys. Lewis looked relieved and tired, catching her eye and smiling at her, soft and warm and completely unguarded. There was a streak of mud high on his cheek, almost matting in his no-longer-pristine hair. She smiled back, the expression billowing up like a balloon on a current of love, and reached up to wipe the smear away. Lewis leaned into her touch, and she cupped his cheek for a moment before wiping her hand on her skirt and leaning forward a little to peer around Lewis’s chest in order to check on Arthur. In contrast, Arthur looked like a live wire of tension, like he would either shatter or vault over the table and sprint away if anything else happened. Her smile dropped.

The waiter turned to them, ready with a scripted apology that actually carried a note of sincerity that Lewis quickly waved off. As he took care of talking to the waiter, Vivi leaned across him, patting Arthur’s leg quickly to get his attention.

Arthur jumped, nearly hitting his knees on the table. Vivi felt a little guilty, but quickly pushed through. “Hey. It’s alright. He’s gone.”

Arthur met her gaze, eyes wide and grin forced. His hair hung limp around his face, framing him beautifully in dark gold. “Y-yeah. Plus — plu-plus, h-he — was, wasn’t even may-making any, any, any se-sen-se.”

She bit her lip. If his stutter was coming out that strong, he was either much more anxious or much more tired than she thought. Probably a combination of both. Pulling up a warm, playful grin from the depths of her chilled bones, she said, “Yeah. I mean, his argument was both really painfully dumb and also really Christian-centric! I mean, hello, not everyone is Christian, I’m definitely not, so, like…”

Arthur continued on like he hadn’t even heard her, leg starting to bounce under the hand she just realized she never moved. “I me-mean, I mean, he — h-he — we, we’re — I mean, we’re jus-just, just friends. Wh— I do-don’t kno— I dunno why h-he tho-thougth we we-were —”

Vivi felt Lewis freeze under her, and she wasn’t far behind. She felt breathless, like she had been punched in the gut, like he had slapped her in the face instead of saying those three little words bouncing around her head. We’re just friends?! “Wait. Wait, what?!” The words came out closer to a whine than she would have liked them to, but she was too stunned to really care.

At the same time, Lewis gasped like he had been shot. “You’re — are you breaking up with us?!” He sounded like he was two seconds away from bursting into loud sobs in the middle of this Denny’s.

Arthur’s mouth dropped open, and he stared at them with eyes the size of dinner plates. A stunned silence fell over their booth, broken only by the wavering sound of Lewis’s breathing.

Before any more drama could happen, Vivi held up her hand, forcing the words out past the cold spot that had taken up residence between her lungs. “No. Nuh-uh. Arthur, one word answer, and we’ll talk about this all when it’s tomorrow. Are you breaking up with us?”

Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times before volunteering a tentative, “N-no…?”

Her shoulders slumped as she let out an explosive sigh. “Alright. Let’s — tomorrow? Tomorrow, when we’re not all so tired, we’re gonna talk about this, yes?”

Arthur nodded slowly, still boggling at them for some reason. Vivi was too tired to puzzle his behavior over properly, so she just glanced up at Lewis, who also nodded, unwinding his arm from around her to wipe at his face.

The rest of the night seemed to pass in snapshots to Vivi’s tired mind. Their dinner being boxed up. Walking back to the motel, just across the parking lot. Patting Mystery on the head and telling him he’s a good boy yes he is. Collapsing face first into the delicious crisp coolness of the starched motel bed. Lewis’s deep, tired chuckle as he took her glasses off her face. The weight of another body next to hers, but not the two she had become accustomed to after countless nights on the futon in the van.

The next morning, she woke up slowly to the smell of coffee, and made to roll over so she could sit up. Instead, the world plummeted around her as she rolled right off the bed with a sharp, panicked yelp, caught in a devious trap of tangled blankets and sheets. A soft, almost stifled snort came from her left, and a pair of hands reached into the gordian knot of fabric, deftly untangling her. She squinted up at the blur of color and fuzz, the pale yellow-orange blur instantly recognizable as Arthur.

Vivi huffed, knowing full well he was smirking at her, the bastard. “Oh, like you’ve never rolled off the bed before.” She flailed her hand towards the bedside table, groping around blindly and not finding her quarry. “Where the hell’re —” A yawn interrupted her, wide enough to make her jaw crack.

The Arthur-blur disappeared for a second, and when he came back, he slipped her glasses into her hands, his hands nice and warm where they made contact with hers. “Lew had ‘em over on his side of the bed for some reason.”

She slipped her glasses on, and the world came into rose-tinted focus. “Thanks, Artie.” She looked around the motel room, noting a distinct lack of giant purple-headed fops and talking dogs, and frowned. “Speaking of, where is he?”

“He’s grabbing all our meds from the van, I think. At least, I’m hoping he’s grabbing all of ours, he just said he’d get the meds, but I didn’t —” Arthur cut himself off with a swig from his travel mug. “Oh, and Mystery took himself out for a walk a couple’a minutes ago.”

Vivi laughed. “He’s probably definitely grabbing all of our meds. Did he make coffee, or did you?”

“It’s from the breakfast buffet, actually. Burnt, but not horrible. Better than that place in Staccatto, anyway,” Arthur shrugged, walking over to sprawl on the couch. “I grabbed you a cup, too, don’t worry.”

“The mud we were wading around in yesterday woulda been better coffee than that place in Staccatto,” Vivi grumbled, picking herself up and making a beeline for the coffee. “I’m pretty sure it was dirt. At least fifty percent dirt.” Leaning against the wall as she drank, she picked at the feeling that she was forgetting something. Something important, not just the fact that she forgot to shower last night and as such was still covered in itchy, flaky mud and sweat and her socks were sagging down without fresh sock glue — she shook her head to clear it. She was forgetting something important, something that had happened the night before. The case had gone well, they were paid half upfront and they would get the other half later that day, Lewis was getting their meds, breakfast was either the buffet or leftovers...leftovers. Wait. Her eyes widened as the whole Denny’s escapade came back to her in a flash. The bigoted old man who had practically burst a vein yelling at them, Arthur’s comment about them being just friends — but he wasn’t breaking up with them, apparently???

Downing the rest of the coffee in one gulp, she glanced towards the door, then back to Arthur. She should wait, Vivi told herself sternly. She should wait for Lewis, because Lewis was an important part of their relationship, and he should not be left out of serious relationship discussions.

Luckily, she was saved from the antsy feeling creeping around under her shoulder blades by the sound of the door opening. Lewis ducked in, a tote bag bearing the logo of a kitschy tourist trap in his hand. He beamed as he noticed her, walking up and giving her a good morning kiss.

Vivi laughed, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him away lightly. “Lew, I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet! No morning breath kisses, we all agreed those were the worst.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Arthur start, but Lewis just laughed, walking over to the table and setting the bag down on it. He started to unpack, first his own rainbow pill caddy, then Vivi’s cylindrical one, and finally Arthur’s loose assortment of orange bottles. “Fine, fine. Meds, everybody, come and get it.”

Once they had all taken their various medications, and Arthur had been chided into using his coffee to take his meds instead of taking them dry, Vivi took a deep breath. “Okay. Boys, I think we need to have a serious conversation now.” Arthur stiffened, and his eyes darted towards the windows. Vivi immediately strode forward, sitting down on the couch next to him. “I will sit on you if I have to, Artie,” she warned him, only half joking.

Arthur sighed and slumped against the couch, covering his face with his hands. His ears were cherry-red, and Vivi couldn’t help but find it cute.

Despite the cuteness, she shared a worried glance with Lewis as he settled down on the bed across from the couch. Lewis shook his head, a worried frown pulling at his face. She took another deep, grounding breath, setting her shoulders and sitting up straight before she looked at Arthur. “Okay. Arthur. What was that last night? You — you said we were just friends,” and those words still stung like a winter wind, “But then you say you’re not breaking up with us?”

It came out a touch more accusatory than she wanted it to, and Lewis took over with a gentle, “We’re not mad, Arthur. Not disappointed, either, but — if you don’t want us to even say we’re dating when we’re in public, I wish you’d told us earlier. It’s okay if you don’t! It really is, I get it, but…”

Arthur went impossibly redder, and curled in on himself, drawing his knees up towards his chest. “I dndwrdn…” he whined, muffled by his hands.

“I didn’t catch that, sorry,” Vivi said, wrapping her hands lightly around his wrists and tugging gently, trying to get him to lower them.

Arthur took a deep breath, dropped his hands, and half yelled, “I didn’t know we were dating!!!” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his hands shot back up so fast he practically slapped himself in the face.

Vivi sat back, stunned. He...didn’t know? How could he possibly not know?!

“I — I, I, you — you never asked!” Arthur yelped.

Oh, she had said that out loud. “What do you — Arthur, we asked you out two months ago!”

Lewis raised his hands in a T, using the same tone he used on his sisters when they were getting too rowdy. “Okay, you two, time out!”

They both fell silent, turning to face Lewis.

Lewis tilted his head, looking at their boyfriend. Who...apparently didn’t know that he was their boyfriend. “Arthur...do you really not remember? We asked you out when we were back home, almost two months ago.”

“Okay, yes, it was a month, four weeks, and five days, not two months, but I don’t think semantic arguments are gonna be a big help here, babe,” Vivi grumbled.

Arthur shook his head wordlessly, still hiding his cherry-red face.

A month, four weeks, five days, and a handful of hours ago…

“It honestly feels so weird not living out of the van, doesn’t it?” Vivi mused, taking a bite of pizza.

“It really does. I’d completely forgotten what it was like to be woken up in the morning by forty pounds of overenthusiastic child launched directly at my sternum,” Lewis laughed, rubbing at his chest.

“Lew, we’ve only been road tripping for three months. That’s a bit quick, big guy,” Arthur snickered, pausing to shove half a slice of his weird oyster pizza in his mouth.

“It was so nice, though! The most I had to deal with while living with y’all is your pointy elbows!” Lewis leaned over and mussed Arthur’s hair. A laugh bubbled out of Arthur as he batted at Lewis’s hand futilely, trying to save his cone of hair gel. Laughing, Lewis subsided, pulling back. “But, yeah, I woke up this morning with a Cayenne-shaped bruise right on my sternum.”

Vivi winced sympathetically, shaking her head. “Ouch. Did she mean to?”

“Nah. Just excited.” Lewis’s smile turned fond. “They missed me. Demanded souvenirs and made me sit down and be their personal giant teddy bear as they watched Moana for the eighth time. Then Paprika gave me about twenty bead bracelets. When y’all come to the Paradiso, she’s got your piles waiting.”

“She’s still doing bead bracelets?” Vivi asked, a note of excitement in her voice. The last time they had all gotten bead bracelets from Paprika, it was right after the Peppers had explained what transgender meant, and the three of them had all gotten a bead bracelet with the word transgender wildly misspelled, the pink, white, and blue of the flag slapped randomly on there. It was the best piece of jewelry she owned — hers said “trasgenner”, Arthur’s said “trainsgandr”, and Lewis’s said “trasgeneer”. Paprika had been very determined to do it on her own, and had just gone with her best guess on each one.

“Yep! She’s got one for both of you that has your favorite animal as a charm,” Lewis revealed, grinning.

“Perfect!” Vivi did a very restrained fist pump.

Arthur hummed, staring at the pizza boxes on the table. It was almost a full twenty seconds before he grabbed another slice. “That actually sounds really nice. Both the, the bracelets and the personal teddy bear Moana thing.”

“Honestly, it wasn’t bad at all.”

Silence descended on their table, comfortable and companionable. Vivi shut her pizza box, setting her elbows on the table and propping her head on her hands, studying the two in front of her. Butterflies were building in her stomach — they were just both so beautiful, the warm noonday sunlight making both her boys glow in different ways. Arthur looked like he was wreathed in gold, his hair and eyes shining the same color as the sunlight. On the other hand, the warm light brought out the full richness of Lewis’s skin tone and made his hair gleam like the satin of his ascot, as well as glinting off his sparkly magenta nail polish. She made eye contact with Lewis, jerking her chin towards Arthur and wiggling her eyebrows.

Lewis blushed, glancing at Arthur nervously. Arthur, completely oblivious, simply leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting closed. He didn’t look tired, or, at least, not drop dead exhausted, just relaxed, happy, and full, so Vivi took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders.

“So, Artie...there’s something we’ve been meaning to ask you.”

Arthur opened his eyes, meeting her gaze curiously. There was no undercurrent of nervousness in his eyes, and Vivi was warmed to the core by his trust in them — she had asked an extremely open-ended question. “Huh? What’s up?”

Lewis cleared his throat. “We want to ask you if...Arthur, would you like to go out with us?”

“I thought that’s what we’re already doing right now…?” Arthur looked adorably confused, brow furrowed as he looked between them.

Vivi shook her head. “No, like, as a date. Will you go on a date with us, and-or be our boyfriend?”

Arthur sat very still for a long moment (she wasn’t even sure he was breathing) before a grin unfolded across his face, as resplendent as the sun itself. “Yeah. I’d — I’d really love that. I — yeah. Yeah, I’ll go out with you and be your boyfriend.”

“Oh, perfect!” Vivi squealed, barely restraining herself from launching across the table and kissing him until he was more lipstick-mark than man. “When works best for you? Should we go somewhere in town, or wait til we’re on the road again? There’s this sushi place in Tremolo that I’ve just been dying to try, we should go there, if we’re waiting til we’re on the road again. Or just in general, it seems really good and I haven’t had good sushi in ages.”

Arthur tilted his head, clearly considering her words. His smile took on a wistful edge. “...y’know...I don’t really need all the fancy date stuff. Just...I’m happy to do what we’ve been doing, just...together. Having you guys be — being with you guys, romantically — that...that would be enough for me,” he said softly.

Lewis grinned over at him, soft and sappy, and opened his mouth. Before he could say anything, his phone rang in his pocket, and he pulled it out, grimacing a little as he checked the caller ID. “It’s Papá. Hold on, I gotta take this.” He stood up, stepping a bit away. Not a minute later, he stepped back, regretful smile firmly in place. “...sorry, guys. I’m needed back at the Paradiso for free childcare,” he joked.

“Aww…” Vivi was really only half disappointed. They had pretty much finished up lunch, only a few slices left between the three of them (none of them hers), and she had a shift at the Tome Tomb coming up soon, anyway. And, more importantly, they had asked Arthur out and he said yes! Their couple was now officially a polycule!

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck. “I can — give you a ride. I gotta get back to Uncle Lance’s place anyway, I’m...” he trailed off, and Vivi waited maybe ten seconds for him to finish his sentence before accepting that he had lost his train of thought.

“Well, then...the Tome Tomb ain’t far, I can walk. I guess this is the end of our first date,” Vivi sighed. She stood up, standing on her tiptoes and pulling Lewis down for a chaste kiss before walking over and pressing a kiss to Arthur’s stubble-roughened cheek — familiar territory that should have been safe enough, she did that in the post-case exhilaration at least half the time.

Arthur blushed bright red anyway, and she left with a bright laugh, walking on clouds with the universe held in her hands.

A month, four weeks, five days, and a handful of hours after that…

Arthur groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Really?! I — guys, I had been awake for, like, two solid days at that point!”

“So you — you don’t remember us asking you out at all?” Lewis asked, shocked.

“No! Or — well — ki-kinda? I — kinda thought I was dreaming…” Arthur trailed off into muttering, fidgeting with his bracelets and not making eye contact.

Vivi paused for a moment, eyebrows creeping up. “Wow. Way to inflate our egos, there, Artie,” she joked.

“Wh— how am I inflating your ego?!” Arthur jerked his head up to look at her.

“We asked you out and you literally thought you were dreaming. We’re literally your dream partners!” She cackled.

Instead of laughing, Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, looking down, his words spilling out in a jumble. “Um. Y-yeah, actually...I — didn’t think it was — I, I mean, I’d, um I’d had dreams...like that...before. And...uh. Since then if I’m being honest.”

Vivi felt a blush rising in her cheeks, and she covered her mouth.

“That’s...that’s incredibly sweet, Artie…” Lewis managed, blushing harder than she was.

Vivi cleared her throat. “Sap,” she managed, shaking her head fondly.

Arthur took a deep, shaky breath. “So, um. Can...can we start over? On dating? I do — I really, really do want to date you guys, for real, I just...didn’t...know?”

“Of course!” Vivi and Lewis exclaimed in accidental unison.

“And this time you’ve definitely slept enough to be lucid,” Lewis added on lightheartedly. “You were snoring before I fell asleep.”

“Well…” Arthur smiled, lopsided. “I’m pretty sure I am, anyway. Lucid, that is — and how could you hear me snoring over Vivi’s, anyway? But, uh —”

“— Hey!” Vivi interrupted. “I don’t snore that loud!”

“You sound like a train, Vivs,” Arthur teased, before clearing his throat. “But, uh. Anyway. Wanna...wanna pinch me so I’m sure I’m not dreaming this time?”

Vivi smirked at him. “I’ll do you one better, actually.”

Before he could respond, Vivi leaned over, pressing a kiss to his lips. It took him a moment to react, startled, but he hesitantly started to kiss back after a second or two. There weren’t any fireworks, at least for her; if anything, it felt like being electrocuted, but in a good way, sparks shooting through her whole body, curling her toes and making her fingertips tingle. Arthur’s hand came up to grip at her sweater. Vivi kept the kiss chaste, and pulled back after a moment, glancing at Lewis.

Lewis pouted at her, a smile tugging at his lips and his voice. “Aww, I wanted to kiss him first, you got to do it at the restaurant.”

Arthur licked his lips, breath coming out a little funny, and swallowed hard before he got up and stepped towards Lewis, grinning crookedly. “W-well...consolation prize?”

Lewis let out a bark of laughter, startling Arthur into jumping a little, and pulled Arthur close with a gentle hand. “I can live with that,” he murmured, leaning in to kiss him.

Vivi settled back, watching her boys kiss from the lumpy motel couch. It felt like coming home, like kicking off her shoes and shedding her stress as easily as taking off her scarf. She ran her tongue over her teeth absentmindedly, and grimaced. “Whoops. Sorry, Artie, didn’t mean for our first kiss to be a morning breath kiss.”

Arthur broke away from the kiss he was sharing with Lewis to blink at her, swaying a little bit. “...huh?” he managed, brain visibly rebooting. “Oh! Uh. It’s okay, I don’t think I...noticed?”

“Still, it’s the principle of the matter,” Vivi wrinkled her nose, standing up. “I’ll be right back, you two keep doing what you’re doing.” She tossed in a wink for good measure, and made her way to the bathroom with the accompaniment of Arthur’s flustered squeak and Lewis’s deep, rich laughter.

#msa #mystery skulls #mystery skulls animated #lewvithur #vivi msa #vivi yukino #lewis msa #lewis pepper #arthur msa #arthur kingsmen #they're stupid your honor #aaaa sorry it's been like 8 kajillion years since you requested this #people talk to me #my writing #nemesis-is-my-middle-name

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blueeyedgeorgie · 4 years

Text

Controlling My Friend’s Phone-A.E

“ can u write either Alex or Will's gf going on Callux's channel to take part with the "controlling my best friend's phone for an hour" series, and he totally messes with her, but at the end it turns out he finds cute messages between them or smthing?“

Pairing: ImAllexx x Reader

Word Count: 1.7K+

______________

"Y/n, Welcome to the channel," Callum had smiled into the camera. "What's up?" Y/n grinned, giving a wave to the camera. "Not much, besides the fact I'll be controlling your phone for the next hour," Callum looked over to his friend, outreaching a hand, motioning for her to hand over her belonging. "I'm scared," Y/n shook her head, hesitantly pulling out her phone. "Oh, you should be," He smirked, snatching the phone from her. "Alright, time to unlock your phone." "Oh god..." Y/n trailed off, beginning to press in her password. The screen unlocked, revealing all of Y/n's apps. "Twitter time first!" Callum pressed open the blue bird app. "Don't post anything that could put me in a scandal, please," Y/n began to bite at her nails. "Like?" "Nothing, homophobic, trans-phobic, racist, or offensive," Y/n shook her head. "Wow, the bar is so low," Callum let out a laugh. He began to type up a tweet. "Boys, come slide in my DMS. I'm bored." "No! Are you fucking kidding me?" Y/n practically howled, "I'm dating someone!" "Oh, so I shouldn't put the kissy-face?" Callum laughed, being to open the emoji keyboard. "Why did I agree to this?" Y/n shook her head. "I'm putting a kissy face," Callum had pressed the 'post' button, sending the tweet out into the world. "Goddamnit, Callum," Y/n shook her head. "Alright, Instagram time," Callum smirked. "I promise I won't leak your nudes." "Wow," Y/n shook her head, looking at the camera. "Guys, I promise I don't have nudes, I'm not a whore." "Let's put something on your story," Callum smirked, swiping to the left to open the camera. "I'm thinking along the lines of... 'Guess what's coming in nine months?' With maybe a few baby emojis." "Oh god," Y/n shook her head. "I am gonna get into some type of scandal, aren't I?" "Probably," Callum laughed with a nod as he hit the 'post' button again. "What else should we do?" "Up to you, I guess," Y/n bit her lip, watching Callum scroll through her apps. "I'm positive you have George Memeulous's phone number," Callum grinned. "What are you planning?" Y/n raised a brow. "Let's start thirst texting him, why don't we?" Callum had opened up Y/n's text messages. "Oh, no!" Y/n practically shouted. She got up, walking out of the camera frame. "You're really trying to get me canceled, aren't you?" "Alright, I'm gonna text him," Callum laughed, opening her texts between her and George. "Holy shit, your guys' conversations have been so dry." Callum scrolled through their texts, "Seriously? 'Hey, do you want some food, I'm gonna order some dinner.' You guys are so boring." "You're really going to ruin my friendships, aren't you?" Y/n shook her head as she walked back into the camera frame. "Anyways, time to text him. 'Hey Papi, whatcha up to?' Omgod, this is gonna be fun," Callum let out another laugh. "He's gonna know something's up," Y/n shook her head. "While we wait for him to reply, let's text up the other boys," Callum had pulled up Y/n's texts with Will next. "Lemme think... 'You're so fuckin hot, ditch Mia for me, baby.' I love this so much," Callum smiled, beginning to text Will. "Oh, no! Mia and I are so close! I'm not gonna have any friends after this," Y/n brushed a hand through her hair as she let out a long sigh. "James's turn next!" Callum smirked, "I'm gonna say... 'Can you do me a favor and lemme peg you?' You're gonna have to apologize to everyone after this, Y/n," Callum shook his head. "This hurts me. You've hurt me. How could you do this to me?" Y/n cringed. "You had a week to tell your friends something weird was gonna happen on your texts and social medias," Callum looked over to Y/n. "I'm gonna need bleach after this," Y/n sighed. Y/n's phone buzzed. "Oh, George texted us back!" Callum grinned, reopening Y/n's texts with George. " 'Y/n, are you alright?' Oh, he already knows something's up," Callum shook his head. "I told you he was gonna know something was going on," Y/n bit her lip. "I can fix this. 'I'm okay, but I'd be better if we were together at the moment." Callum smiled, continuing to text the commentary YouTuber. "Let's see, James left you on read!" "I'm not surprised. I'm friends with his girlfriend, I feel horrible," Y/n hid her face in her hands. "We're not gonna poke the bear with James because you're already getting into enough trouble," Callum smiled. "Will still hasn't opened your text yet." "I'm scared," Y/n returned to biting at her nails. "You should be," Callum looked over to her again. "Let's open Twitter again." There had been plenty of DMs sent to Y/n on Twitter with a lot of confused replies to her tweet. "This is absolutely amazing," Callum scrolled through the replies. "I'm gonna tweet something new." "I'm gonna get so fucking canceled," Y/n sighed. "Alright, I'm gonna say... '5 likes and I'll burn ImAllexx's Internet Sensation merch," Callum was already typing. "No, not Alex! You've already done so much, why Alex?" Y/n was freaking out at this point. She was surprised Alex hadn't tried reaching out to her yet over what she was posting and texting to his friends. James should've told him what Y/n texted him by now. As expected, Y/n's phone began to buzz again. Only this time she was being called by her boyfriend, Alex Elmslie. "No!" Y/n yelled, grabbing onto the roots of her hair, "he knows something's wrong!" "Y/n, I'm gonna pick up. You can't talk though," Callum smirked. "Are you crazy?!" "Hey, I'm controlling your phone for the next thirty minutes," Callum grinned, hitting the green pickup button. "Y/n, are you alright? I'm so confused over your tweets, is this some kind of joke? James also told me you sent a sext to him? What the fuck? Do you have something to tell me? Do you wanna break up?" The more Alex spoke, the more Y/n's heart broke. Alex suffered from anxiety, so she could only imagine how he was feeling right now. Y/n bit her lip, making eye contact with Callum, he only put a finger to his lips, motioning for her to stay quiet. "Y/n, are you there-" Alex had been cut off by Callum hitting the 'end call' button. "That was so mean! He probably thinks I'm cheating on him or something!" Y/n brushed a hand through her hair. Within seconds, Y/n's phone buzzed again. This time she had received a text. It was from Alex. 'Y/n, please talk to me, I know you're there.' "I'm going to end up getting dumped by Alex by the time this is over," Y/n shook her head. "I'm texting back. 'What are you talking about? I am completely normal.' But in all caps," Callum laughed, already typing. "You're so mean!" Y/n's eyes widened. "As Alex texts back, let's look back through your texts with him," Callum smiled, beginning to scroll up. "Oh god, you two really are an adorable pair." Thank you, I guess? I mean, I don't know if we're gonna last after this video," Y/n gave a shrug as she watched Callum. "You two were literally planning a Star Wars movie marathon tonight, now I'm starting to feel shitty," Callum let out a sigh. "Honestly you two seem like such a power couple with these texts." "Thank you, can I have my phone now?" Y/n put out her hand, motioned she wanted her phone back. "I have 15 more minutes left. Now let's look at your photos!" Callum hadn't found anything special. Most photos where just screenshots of random stuff, but finally he found a photo album he really liked. "You have a photo album titled, 'Alex' with a heart emoji?" Callum grinned, already opening the album. "Oh yeah," Y/n gave a nod, smiling at the tens of photos she had of Alex. There were a decent amount of photos Y/n had taken of Alex. Some of them were funny, most of them were pretty cute. There was a photo of Alex downtown. They had been walking downtown after seeing a movie. As they were waiting to cross the street, Y/n had stolen photo of Alex smiling at her, cars were driving past in the background as the sun was halfway down. There was another photo of Alex, Y/n's hand was placed underneath his chin, squeezing his cheeks together, causing his lips to squish together. Photo after photo, each one had a special memory, it didn't matter if the memory was big or small, they were all important to Y/n. Even though she and Alex had just started dating only a few months back, there were plenty of good memories they shared. Finally, Callum finished gushing over photos, talking about how he thought Y/n and Alex were 'couple goals'. "I guess I can give you your phone back now," Callum gave a shrug as he handed Y/n's phone back to her. "I've got to go and do damage control now," Y/n sighed, already opening Twitter to delete the tweets Callum posted. "Good luck with that," Callum smiled. Callum began the outro as Y/n was texted her friends her apologies. She felt bad that Cal had texted weird shit to her friend's. 'Hey, Alex. I'm sorry about everything. I was filming a video on Callux's channel where he stole my phone for the past hour, none of that was me, I promise. I love you too much to be like that.' Within seconds, Alex had begun to type back. 'It's alright, Y/n. I'm just happy none of that was you. I love you too. Are we still on for a movie marathon tonight?' Y/n smiled at the text she received. Thank god Alex wasn't gonna hold this against her. 'Of course, I'll call you when I get in my car.' 'Okay.' Y/n placed her phone in her back pocket as Callum finished up his outro for the video. "And if you're curious where you can find Y/n, I'll be leaving a link in the description to her YouTube channel," he smiled to the camera. Y/n gave a wave, a smile appeared on her face. "This video made me anxious for an hour," Y/n spoke up. "Anyways, I'll see you guys next time!" With that, the camera was turned off.

Taglist:

@daddydobrock

@anyasthoughts

@multifandom-but

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asterekmess · 3 years

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S3A - E9

The last episode took me Hours to get through with all my notes, let’s hope this one doesn’t hurt my fingers so bad.

My fingers hurt too much to come up with a clever pun so Read More:

Thoughts:

This is a dumb first bullet point, but I love Tara’s hair. It looks like it’s braided or something, then in a bun at the back? I like it.

What exactly was the reasoning for her walking into the school alone like this? Let alone going That far into it? If it’s a 911 call that she’s so nervous about she has her hand on her gun, then shouldn’t there be more than one officer??

ALSO, that seems like Very Bad routine procedure? You got a 911 call (but we get no explanation as to what it was FOR) and the first thing you say when you see someone is “Why are you here?” shouldn’t you be asking “Who made the 911 call?” And then you tell them to leave, and to tell anyone Else they see to leave. When they could easily SEE the person you’re wanting to aim a gun at and TELL them to leave because there’s a cop in the school.

So I’m torn between Julia being just that sick and wanting to terrify each of her sacrifices (which...she talks about them like she’s Genuinely sad she had to kill them, but it was necessary to save the world, so that doesn’t sit right with me?) or fear being a Necessary part of the ritual, like, that the sacrifices Couldn’t be willing?

Honestly, Lyds, that’s so smart and reasonable. “I had to have the weird blackout to get here. YOU get to go find the body.”

What was the point of the staging in the shower room if she was gonna get thrown onto the sign?? Why move her at all?

ALSO if this is supposed to be a threefold death, then didn’t she do it wrong? She killed Tara by strangulating her, but didn’t do the head bash or the throat until after she’d moved her body, for some reason??? Don’t they need to happen like..near the same time?

No to mention that there wouldn’t be much blood bc her throat was slit After death, so the blood wasn’t pumping. Even laying her down wouldn’t render a large amount. But they’re going for horror, so...i guess i’ll let it pass.

Why does it feel like Julia is going after people close to STiles specifically? First Heather, now Tara? And then his Dad? That’s a weird coincidence when she’s got the entire town to choose from.

Also, sheriff, i love you, but ‘they’re not going to get away with killing one of our own.” is a REALLY fucked up line. Police getting pissed ONLY when other Police are the ones killed is SO FUCKED UP. Logistically, police are FAR more likely to get killed than citizens are, aren’t they? They’re the ones that’re supposed to be running into danger? Like, Soldiers don’t Only get pissed when other soldiers are killed, right? It’s literally like...your job to be in potentially fatal situations? that’s not even my point! My point is that your line implies that law enforcement was Half-assing it before a cop got killed. half a dozen people have died, so Beacon Hills should be Swarming with cops, but for some reason the big guns don’t come in until a cop dies? Your phrasing sucks, Noah. Were you gonna let them get away with it if they killed everybody BUT the cops? I’m being sarcastic on that last bit, btw.

I’ll admit, it’s nice to get some actual SUNSHINE in CALIFORNIA

Is Chris letting Allison stay home because she saw a dead body? FOr as long as she wants? I’m so confused, she’s seen Much worse things, shouldn’t it like raise an alarm that she’s choosing NOW to stay home?

Your badassery is tainted by the fact that you’re wearing a dress and fishnets, Allison. If you’re gonna go hunting put on some pants. or shorts AT LEAST. that’s just not Practical.

I love how blatant a lie Stiles is telling Julia in class. “do you play?” “No, my father does” when we Know he plays, and besides if his dad plays then stiles MUSt because that’s a two person thing most of the time? But no, he doesn’t want Julia to know Shit about him.

the loyalty of Lydia not going near Aiden after learning he killed Boyd is SO refreshing. I TOLD you, if she knew Aiden was a murderer she’d never have gotten with him in the first place.

NOt Derek. CORA. MY BABE BONDS FAST. (I mean, she was locked in a bank vault with him for however long)

FIrst off, I love Stiles losing his shit. Second, the acting here is so sub-par, and it looks like a writer’s mistake. okay, so, in acting, interruption is an ART. You have to let someone say enough to get their line across, but INterrupt them before they can finish in a way that looks natural. And you have to make sure not to come in late or you get an awkward pause (this is more common with newbies bc experience actors don’t stop their line, they keep it going until you figure it out.) So like The line is ...And shove it up your freaking--” Now, Scott needs to interrupt without being late, otherwise, unless Stiles Continues the line, he’ll pause after saying ‘freaking’ and it’ll be noticeable. here, the way scott interrupts him feels So Wrong, in part because he let’s Stiles get so far into his threat.

Also, I’m fucking pissed that Scott is downplaying how angry Stiles is. “okay, we get it.” is just...a garbage way to respond to a friend who’s hurting and clearly on edge, thinking Ethan is threatening him.

Exactly How do you “Know” Ethan didn’t want to kill Boyd? You weren’t there, fuckface.

Is this set after school? They’re shouting their heads off and no one’s coming? Even Stiles was shouting about wolfsbane.

THAT IS NOT HOW ACTUAL WOLF PACKS WORK YOU FUCKER. THAT’S A GARBAGE MYTH.

Hearing Cora’s little gasp as her head hit the wall hurt my heart.

Normally I’d be pissed about the girl standing back and not doing anything, but Lydia would be ripped apart and I do not blame her for shouting from the sideline.

I don’t understand what the hell is going on with the Chris stuff. Like, I guess he’s supposed to be looking into it on his own, but that still doesn’t explain where he got the information on this very specific ritual.

But I do understand Allison’s hesitance to outright ask her father what the fuck he’s doing, since last time that happened she was taken to a chained up derek in an underground tunnel system. Finding out her family are monsters is kind of her entire life, unfortunately.

Honestly, fuck yes. Cora go off. Though, I’m sad that no one is mentioning Erica, like At All. You realize she ALSO died at the hands of the ALphas, right? why does no one mention her when they talk about getting revenge?

I...am not talking about this scene.

I gotta say that I enjoy the fact that Allison called Stiles. That’s just...that’s p cool. BUT while it’s cute that her contact picture is from her conversation with Stiles in s2, it’s weird bc it’s a screenshot of the show, and we know that Stiles wasn’t taking pictures at that moment. But the effort is sweet!

I will say that it’s interesting that Cora doesn’t fight Stiles about helping him with his dad. She just finished yelling at Scott, Lydia, and presumably Stiles, and she’s clearly unhappy with literally everyone but Derek, but she’s been very humoring of Stiles. In every scene together, even when she’s snarking at him, she’s not an Asshole.

This conversation with Morrell makes...no sense. Scott literally said in the last episode that good liars wouldn’t have jumping heartbeats when they lied. Then he immediately went to ask Morrell if she was the killer and believed her (even though she’s sketchy as fuck) just because her heart didn’t jump. Wtf?

“But if I kill someone, I can’t be a True Alpha, right?” WHO SAID THAT EVER? WHO TOLD YOU THAT? SINCE WHEN? WTF?

I don’t know if it was intentional (maybe they mention it, but i haven’t gotten that far) but technically having this history teacher disappear leaves an empty class for Kira’s dad to fill when she shows up. Which is neat.

I will forever be angry that Aiden is touching Lydia here. He shouldn’t be near her. And that’s not even me being cranky! She IS PISSED AT HIM. She was avoiding him before today and even then the only reason she went near him was to act as a distraction.

Also, again, I am amazed at Cora’s PATIENCE with Stiles here. Seriously, they’ve clearly been there for a while as Stiles tries to find the words, but Cora didn’t just get pissed stand up and say “I’m a werewolf. People are dying. Help.” She continued to wait for him to talk.

When does stiles rearrange his room? I swear in the beginning of this season it was still in the previous formation with the corner bed sticking out and the desk under the window. Now the desk is facing a totally different direction and his bed’s up against the wall. It’s great, but like, when does it happen? Isn’t this literally the second time we’ve seen his room the whole season?

that’s such a weird text. “Mr Westover Missing” like I don’t know if it’s from Lydia or Scott, but you’re allowed to add some detail? Your keystrokes aren’t limited and there are no government agencies watching your texts for information.

Oh, poor Cora. I honestly wasn’t expecting to bond with her so quickly when I first saw her, but there’s something about getting to see characters being calm that really helps me vibe with them? Like, when they’re nothing but Fight Fight Fight it’s hard to actually relate in any way, but when you actually get to see them talk or relax, then you worry about that being taken away from them.

However much I hate Isaac and everyone else Constantly saying “But I want Scott here. We should ask Scott, blah blah blah” I will say that it’s getting REALLY annoying that Allison’s entire personality is “I”m going to run in with almost zero backup bc I want to be powerful and strong, but then I have to be saved bc I refused to ask for help in the first place.”

Wtf do you mean ‘i’m not that good at this yet’ Isaac? You’ve been a werewolf for literally like 5 months, only like two months less than Scott, and you were LIVING with a born werewolf for that ENTIRE time.

Chris you were shooting at nothing for like two-thirds of that time. That was an empty room. ALSO, if you’ve been there the whole time, why did you wait until he was dead to come out shooting?

Chris yells “help Him” and you go run to stand next to his body without bothering to pull him off the cord around his neck? You realize he might not be completely dead right? Or is his throat already cut?

Also, I wanna note, it was daylight when Cora passed out. Now it’s dark! He went to the ER with her and STAYED with her. I get that people say STiles is kind of callous, but he Constantly goes out of his way for near strangers, and I don’t think that should be overlooked.

No youfcking wouldn’t have Chris, you had tons of time while they were using the garrotte and you just stood there. They came in just before the kill was done, and except for Tara Julia has been leaving people’s bodies where they fall so she wouldn’t left right after. You were NOT ‘this’ close.

Yeah, yeah, and you’re both fucking guilty of being incapable of conversation. Chris you are the adult here, fucking act like it. You had a million chances to confront your daughter and you didn’t. Apparently that’s a habit she picked up from you.

What are they talking about, Scott healing himself?? He was thrown back, he wasn’t injured. I literally just went back and rewatched that scene. He falls backward and he’s completely fine. Stiles, there are so many better instances you could point to. For example, things that actually Happened.

That line is never gonna not hurt.

Stop touching Danny. Stop being near Danny. You are a literal serial killer, get your hands off him. GOD. your brother literally said he would murder danny if he saw you with him anymore, why are you putting him in danger? FUck you.

.....okay, lydia’s speech was meaningful until she fucking turned it into scott worship. Why couldn’t you have stopped at letting her say “maybe I’ll find them before it happens” Why couldn’t it be about HER for once? Why did you have to make it about how everyone thinks sunshine comes out Scott’s ass even though he’s literally not done a single thing to warrant it. He hasn’t Saved Anyone. He hasn’t done Anything to warrant all this trust. Lydia wasn’t there when he made Derek kill Gerard. SHE was the one to save Jackson. And Scott was the one who had to be saved BOTH when Allison had to stitch him up and when Stiles had to go after him in the gasoline. Jackson is the one who saved Lydia when Peter went after her. Scott Didn’t save deaton, that was Noah. He wasn’t the one who killed Peter, that was a combination of Stiles and Jackson’s molotovs and Derek’s claws. Scott wasn’t even the one to protect Lydia when Derek and the pack went after her, that was Stiles, Allison, and Jackson. SHe had no idea that Scott was even THERE until she ran out of the house. Scott didn’t stop Matt, that was Allison’s family scaring him off and then Gerard killing him. THe only possible thing that could count was him saving the two little kids while Boyd and Cora were running around in the woods, and Lydia doesn’t even KNOW about that. Scott has canonically done NOTHING worth all this faith and ‘leader’ nonsense.

were...were they hinting at a Scott/Lydia relationship before they brought Kira in? Holding hands isn’t really a friend thing...?

That....is the softest most broken little ‘hey’ that I’ve ever heard and I’m Instantly on the verge of tears, holy shit.

Derek, honey, what do you mean ‘not again’? You’ve never left Cora, unless you count moving to New York with Laura and Cora was in South America! This line would make so much more sense if they’d given us Any idea what happened to Cora after the fire.

Normally, i’d be annoyed that Melissa is just ignoring the laws about paperwork. I’d even be annoyed that she did it for the Sheriff. BUT, Melissa is in the know about the supernatural and she KNOWS that the murders are supernatural. I’m sorry but Supernatural needs trump human laws. Melissa is totally a boss for this.

EYYYY actual druid (specifically magician druids) thing they got right (though i’m not sure it was on purpose). Magician Druids were Very Well Known for their nature magic. For causing storms and droughts and high winds and fog. The building storm around the school is like, Peak magician magic.

God, it really....it really grinds my gears watching Isaac’s progression toward the most abuse he can find. You notice how, in season 2 when Derek was attacking the Betas on the regular and doing awful shit like breaking Isaac’s hands, Isaac was loyal as Fuck to him? (right up until randomly going to Scott to decide whether to leave town) Then, this season, we start off with Derek being pretty fucking gentle, there’s no indication that he’s been continuing the abuse. Isaac questions his command and Derek’s response is ‘do you trust me?’ to which Isaac easily says yes. In fact, Isaac asks Derek to be the one to hurt him for the memory seeking thing, and Derek refuses because he wants to do what’s Safer for Isaac.Then he throws the glass and Isaac bails bc it’s a direct reminder of what his dad did. Only he goes to Scott, who was incredibly violent toward him in the previous season. (And who we know will be violent toward him in the future as well) But the only time he lists away from Scott, is to go after Allison, who Tackled him to the ground and held a knife to his throat, and whose father inherently hates werewolves and is a constant danger to him. Yet he never goes in the direction of people who Haven’t hurt him. He could go to Deaton, who’d taught him the pain-drain thing and was nothing but kind to him in that short time. He could’ve gone to Boyd after Derek’s lashing out, his pack member, who would never hurt him. Hell, he hates Stiles’ guts, but he could still have gone to him. Stiles was the one to help Derek free him from Jail after all, and he’s not wanted anymore so Noah wouldn’t have anything against him. Stiles may have threatened Isaac to keep him from hurting Lydia, but he never personally laid a hand on him. But he went to Scott. Someone who’s beaten him bloody multiple times.

So, really focusing on the details here, but on Julia’s death record, her ‘jane doe’ occupation is listed as “Child” Oh, and apparently there was Froth present on the body.

Okay, so I think I understand what they’re saying. The reason Julia lived after getting to the hospital was because the birds sacrificed themselves and their life force kept her holding on. Now, either this was a spontaneous thing, and the birds did it For her. Or she Made them, because we know she doesn’t need to Be There to control weird shit. She could’ve set it up before she left the Nemeton or passed out or whatever. My confusion is. If that’s the explanation for the bird suicides, then what the Fuck happened on the first day when all the birds came crashing through the window?? There was no reason for that to happen. She was totally fine! And doing it to frighten people doesn’t make sense because she set off the radars of everything supernatural in town. (And Stiles.)

This kind of mass mind-control is kind of insane and makes the situation with Derek just That much more awful. I am so sickened.

Now, on the subject of the chanting, I assume it’s part of the ritual since it’s present at the deaths so much. The question is, where did Julia Get it? THOUGHTS: This chant isn’t present at any of the virgin kills. It’s not there with Heather, and while we don’t see the boy at the pool’s abduction/death, Emily Also didn’t hear it during her hallucination. What if it’s part of the virgin sacrifice perk? Like, Julia could Only Use it after killing the virgins, because it’s got some kind of mind-control thing about it?

Wh--why didn’t Julia tape her arms down before she woke up? Why make the garrotte before ensuring her victim couldn’t Punch her in the face??

I thought you JUST said she wasn’t going to be a sacrifice?

Still confused. You didn’t sacrifice Lydia, so that doesn’t count as the third philo, but then the teacher who died onstage wasn’t a threefold death, or the hanging thing, they just got their throat cut and they were poisoned. So....what? Was that supposed to count as your sacrifice?

Nobody TOUCHES Noah, who managed to be the only fucking cop on tv i’ve ever seen follow sensible procedure which is to shoot them in the fucking leg when they walk toward you menacingly, rather than threatening to shoot them in the head and doing nothing.

Final Thoughts:

There was a lot in this episode that didn’t make sense. It’s very clearly an amping up for the finale thing, but it’s annoying that after all this time they’ve essentially made the Alpha pack a time waster. The whole thing with getting Derek in the pack is relatively meaningless now that there’s a Darach going after the Alphas. I dunno, feels kinda off.

Anyway, onward.

#personal #TeenWolf-Rewatch #anti-Scott McCall

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