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justmybookthots · 3 months

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Hello Stranger

I didn't mean to finish this novel in one sitting, but that I did. I have to say that the first half of this book was possibly the most enjoyable thing I've read all year (yes. It has been less than a month since the new year started, so… this is not a big statement). I was enraptured and eating it up like a madman. The second half was less intense, and the denouement a little underwhelming, but overall I really liked this book.

It is so hard for me to find a hero that I don't find annoying or cringe-y in contemporary romances. Or maybe I've just been looking in the wrong places. I don't know. I had gotten this book from the library and I was VERY wary about borrowing it because I felt it was going to be a disappointment.

But it wasn't—and I must say that while it isn't going to leave an indelible mark on me like Love Theoretically did, I still enjoyed it (especially the first part of it) very much.

Things I liked:

Joe/Oliver. I mean, is this supposed to be a spoiler? Caricanread was saying the twist about him was very obvious and I'm gonna level with you… I do not know if I would have seen the truth coming right away. I'm sure I would have guessed it at some point but man, if I had not known the twist beforehand, I might have been quite confused and put out by Joe/Oliver. Anyway—my point here is that THIS book is the reason I love the miscommunication trope sometimes, haha. I ADORED the premise of the misunderstanding about Joe. And Joe was such a fucking sweetheart that I was practically going 'aw' at how kind/giving he was. Like honest to God, I want to give him a hug sometimes, because he's so precious. (Also!! When he turned off the breaker to put a halt to the party because Sadie was overwhelmed… like, SIR.)

The comedy that arose from the misunderstanding was KILLING me. At some point, Sadie hears him talking about a "one-night stand" and he was going on and on about how obese she was and I was DYING because I knew he meant an animal but Sadie thinks he means a human woman he'd slept with and I just… I can't. I CAN'T.

Also like, I just really have a thing for men who are doctors, and I guess veterinarians count in that category too? I wish more of his vet-ness (yes, am making up this word) had come into play later on, but alas.

Also the ending conflict that arose from the misunderstanding between both leads was really delicious and neither of them was in the wrong / I could understand where they were each coming from. But I cannot say I genuinely loved how it was handled (but more on that later).

This book was sooooooooo insightful to me about the condition of face blindness. I kinda felt like crying at some parts because I was really emotional about what Sadie was going through. And I didn't really understand how you could look at someone's features and not compute a face until they mentioned it was like looking at a face upside-down and I was like, OH. OH. I finally GET IT.

I loved that breakthrough moment Sadie had with her dad, and the revelation about her mom. I was also surprised Lucinda wasn't that much of a bitch, but what I found out at the end about her always believing Parker over Sadie was very enlightening.

Loved the whole concept that Sadie didn't really pay attention to anyone UNTIL she got face blindness. That was a wonderful irony, and it really stressed on the concept of empathy being something in our control all along.

Things I didn't love:

Okay, how they handled the misunderstanding (Sadie breaking up with Oliver for Joe, Joe ghosting her afterwards) was not to my liking. If Sadie could take the time to call and text Joe after he left her, he could have taken the time to try to stay and figure out who she'd supposedly left him for. I adore a consent king, and he was definitely that, but I also want some more perseverance from him before he just… gave up. Also, Sadie dealing with the nastiness at the art show made me feel so bad for her, and she had to deal with that alone because he'd left. I mean, I GET why he left, and why it might seem so ludicrous for him to stay, but I suppose I'd wished he put in more effort beyond nursing his own hurt feelings.

It's a pity because the premise was delicious but some of the execution fell a bit flat for me towards the end, at least regarding the romance. There were definitely some things I would have done a bit differently for the swoon factor, but this all boils down to personal preference.

Kind of weird Joe's ex-wife just popped out of nowhere just so that Sadie and Joe could fake a kiss. Like, literally: she appeared, saw them kiss, and then dipped from the story forever. LMAO. Typical romance hijinks. Also, I find it unrealistic that a woman would cheat on a man because he was too HELPFUL. What?????????????

Okay, so I found too many things too good to be true for my liking. Mr. Kim, letting Sadie stay at his place for free without rent?? Sir. Mr. Kim, buying Sadie's painting with an ungodly sum of money? Sir. The whole thing seemed incredibly unrealistic. And the last part when Sadie's ex-friend came to stick up for her came off cartoonish, especially when she ended the speech with a grand "Between Sadie and Parker (the evil stepsister), you should always pick Sadie". I know it's supposed to be moving and emotional but I was cringing. I can't explain why except it felt very juvenile and the way this plot thread was wrapped up was too convenient.

This is both a Thing I Liked and Disliked. I appreciate the fallacy of confirmation bias that's being emphasised here, but in fiction it's kind of delicious because it helps fuel misunderstandings, and I… like a misunderstanding trope that's done in the way I enjoy. IMO, confirmation bias is a fun tool in fiction to orchestrate shenanigans between characters. So this messaging got a bit lost in translation for me. However, I do know that this is probably how general fiction works, and this could be why I don't read that genre (is that a genre?) much.

Overall, I'm happy with this read despite its flaws (or maybe not flaws. Just things I took issue with), and I am so, so relieved that the library book I borrowed actually didn't let me down. The weirdest part is that I always knew this book existed because booktubers mentioned it sometimes but I kept dismissing it for some reason. Maybe I saw a bad GR review? Maybe I just didn't trust those booktubers because they liked books I didn't like? I don't know. Can't remember.

Sometimes, I really just need to give things a shot.

- 24 Jan 2024

#hello stranger #katherine center #romance books #book review #romance #booktok

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coquelicoq · 2 years

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apparently kazuo ishiguro published a new novel in 2021 and a new collection of ken liu short stories came out in 2020 and no one told me. clearly there is a problem somewhere in my information pipeline.

#putting both of them on hold immediately #new ken liu stories you guys what the fuck!!!!!#books #to read #i am super far down on the list for the ishiguro novel but i should get the short story collection in not too long #i guess i could buy them? i hesitate to buy books i haven't read before mostly because the library due date #(though nominal since they did away with fees)#is what ensures i actually read the book and it doesn't collect dust forever #but if i'm really hyped to read the book then i might make an exception #maybe i will ask for them for christmas?#what other books came out recently that i need to know about?? i already have fonda lee's jade legacy on hold #idk if it has actually come out yet or not #i heard about janelle monae but GET THIS i had actually searched 'janelle monae' in my library catalog like...maybe 3 days ago?#to see if the short story collection had come out yet or if i could at least get a spot in line for the eventual hold list #but it was not in there yet :(#and then yesterday there was that article saying it's been completed! the timing #i did already read the carry on sequel that came out earlier this year #though again i had no idea about it until a friend was like hey i bought this and you can borrow it and read it first if you want #i was not paying attention because i was underwhelmed by the second book in that series #and also because i just have not been paying attention to book releases for the last two years apparently #same friend had to tell me about winterfell #i'm currently reading exit west and really love the writing style so i should look up the author's other stuff #and i'm reading the queen's thief series which i have mixed feelings about

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shivada-jade · 3 years

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reply back

modern!au/idol!au

characters: aether, lumine mentions: venti, xiao, kazuha, barbara, azhdaha warning(s): swearing because lumine and aether are siblings

notes: i've been lACKING these idol au's so im gonna write more idol au's because i nEEED it

You were seven when you were introduced to the twins. Coming from a foreign land, you struggled with the language they spoke in, but they were patient with you and taught you their language and much more. The twins were multilingual and explained it was from their frequent traveling and relatives from different places.

You and the twins were close, but Lumine spent more time with you, making Aether whine a lot. He would always poke sticks at you and hide your legendary, full art Pokemon cards to catch both Lumine's and your attention. It does work, but Lumine's mad.

"Aether!" She'd scream with a lisp because of a missing tooth. "Stop doing that!"

Oh, but Aether is a sibling, meaning he'd play the 'innocent' card. "Stop doing what? What am I doing?"

In the end, you'd always have to call their parents when they fist fight at the sand pit. "Aether and Lumine's mom! They're fighting again!"

"Again?" The tall blonde sighed. "Thanks for telling me, hon."

After a good scolding, Aether and Lumine would be totally okay the next minute like nothing happened. You were used to their banter and rightfully took your Pokemon cards back. Lumine stuck a tongue out, blowing a raspberry at Aether when he turned his back, grabbing three large sticks.

"Fight me!" He cried with glee, giving one stick to his sister and one to you. "I will be the grand king of the sand pit!"

You vaguely remember the rest. Maybe you lost the 'sword duel,' or maybe you didn't, but what you did remember was this tall kid playing with his cat and eating the sand. Forget the kid, the only thing you remember is his cat's name called Azhdaha.

Your hands close your story book. You would never admit to your friends, but Lumine and Aether that you still read fantasy. The other kids in the neighbourhood would laugh saying what you were reading is a kid's story.

"So what if it's a kid's story? If you like it, read it," Lumine says aggressively while Aether opens the door for both of you.

"Lumi's right. They think they're all grown up, but they're kids too," he closes the door behind him, waving goodbye to your grandma rocking on the porch. "What's the story about anyway?"

You walk ahead, leading the two to a local mall. Every week, Aether, Lumine and yourself would spend Fridays and Saturdays together.

You and Lumine often joke how Aether doesn't do 'Saturdays are for the boys.' To which, Aether would scoff and reply with, "Boys who say that are stupid, not all but most. Saturdays are for spending time with people you care about. I don't care if they think I'm weak."

You step foot in the bus, tapping the card to pay for your admission. The twins, walk behind, doing the same and sitting next to you on the bus.

"It's called 'Songs of a Siren.' It's cool, you should check it out." You say, scooting a bit closer to the side so Lumine could have more pace to sit. The bus is packed. Teenagers littered inside, only a few adults were there including the bus driver. "Let's leave. Teenagers stink."

"...But you are one."

"Well-"

After the next stop, you push yourself through the crowd, trying to exit. Lumine pushes people, muttering a few 'excuse us' while dragging her brother. Your feet land on the concrete sidewalk and you finally breathe freely.

You see the twins finally get off the bus and tilt your head, "Let's go, the mall isn't gonna wait for us."

Entering the mall, the first thing you pass by is a clothes shop. You and Aether share a look, quietly doing rock-paper-scissors behind Lumine who's beaming to go inside.

Rock.

Aether chooses paper.

You droop to the floor because you're dramatic, knowing that once you go in the shop, you'll be the one carrying Lumine's purchases.

"Alright, Lumine," you say sighing. "Let's go shop."

You see Aether in your peripheral vision, pumping his fist laughing a quiet, "Yes!" when Lumine takes out her wallet.

"I know you did rock-paper-scissors." She counts the bills from her wallet, "But I'm buying for Aether which means even if you carry the things I buy, Aether's gonna have it much worse because he will be trying on everything I tell him to wear." She grins, settling with a black debit card.

After hearing this, Aether tries to walk in another shop to avoid dressing up for Lumine, but his sister quickly catches on and pulls him by the ear and walks in the clothes shop.

"Let's go!" She says to you, "These clothes won't shop themselves!"

...

"This one?"

"No, you look like grandpa in that outfit."

"Well what if I like looking like grandpa, huh? What are you gonna do about it?"

"Some people can pull off the sexy grandpa look. You're not 'some people.'" Lumine pulls out another outfit from the rack. "Try this one," she laughs, seeing Aether's horrified face and pushes him in the dressing area.

This is the ninth clothes shop you three go to, and you were starting to feel bad for Aether who had to wear every outfit Lumine wanted him to wear.

"Lumi," you say calmly, having trouble holding five shopping bags on each arm. She's on a shopping spree and you wonder how she gets all the money to buy these things. "That should be enough shopping for the day. I'm hungry."

The blonde lifts a hand. "Hold on a second," she smiles before banging on the changeroom door, "AETHER LET ME SEE THE FIT."

You can hear the loud sigh from the other side of the door as it slowly opens. He only peeks his head out, shyly mumbling, "This is embarrassing. I don't want to walk out like this."

Lumine rolls her eyes and pulls the door open, revealing Aether in a white dress shirt and dark pants.

Aether lifts an arm, inspecting the design. "It's a bit..." he pauses, thinking of a way to not offend his sister. "It's not my style." His eyes seek for your help to back him up, but you couldn't. The style on him looks so ethereal to him, and Lumine has the same idea.

His twin ran up to an aisle and picked out two accessories: a silk cloth and a floral pin. Lumine shushes Aether who tried to punch her.

"Shut up Aether, you'll look great." She pins the black rose onto the front of his shirt and ties the silk cloth around his neck. She steps a few steps back, making a rectangle shape to symbolize a picture frame and elbows you lightly. "He looks okay for once."

Okay is underwhelming, but to describe Aether better, he looks celestial. The warm studio lights hug every angle of Aether from head to toe. His golden eyes seem to brighten more and the outfit only accentuates his physical traits more.

From the corner of your eye you spot a tall-ish man who has been wandering past the same aisle but never picking anything up. He wears ordinary clothes- a T-shirt and jeans (rather stylishly), but you know from his incoming aura he's more than just an ordinary person.

You tap Lumine discreetly while still holding onto her shopping bags and tilt your head towards the man.

Aether, who keeps picking on the cloth around his neck goes frigid when the strange man walks up to him.

"Hey kid," he says cooly. He looks Aether up and down, lifting his shades to see clearer, and pulls out a small business card from his pocket. "You look like idol material. Ever thought about being a part of a boyband?"

Out of politeness, Aether takes the card and laughs nervously, "Not really" He looks at Lumine and you for help, but you two pretend to not know him when he turns to you.

The man shoves his hands in his pocket, blowing a bubblegum and popping it. His hair slightly tousles when he turns, waving a hand.

"If you ever do decide if you wanna be an idol, auditions are held next week at 10AM," he saunters off. "If they ask who recruited you, tell them a man by the name of Valentin did."

His lavender irises looks back once more before leaving the store, "The people from Teyvat Entertainment are introduced by my very hands. Don't disappoint me."

The automatic sliding doors open for him and he waves the store greeter a goodbye.

You see Aether's eyes scanning over he card Valentin gave. His lashes flutter quickly, signaling you and Lumine he was either shocked, or confused.

Lumine grabbed the paper, a habit she picked up due to being a twin and having to share everything with Aether who won't share. Her lips part, showing the card to you.

Teyvat Entertainment.

A company who created the world's famous DCKZ and the idol, Barbara. Teyvat Ent. has one of the youngest, top rookies of the year because of a group called TVT Dream. A company with many celebrities' and the business card is legit.

A store worker no older than your age meekly walks up to the three of you and asks, "Hey, uh. Are you ready to purchase your clothes?"

...

Aether shoves Lumine (don't worry she shoves him 10x harder) on the stairs while you watch from a safe distance.

You wave hello to their mom before waltzing into their home like you did many other times. You were their third child in their mom's eyes.

You slam the twins' room open and lay yourself on the bottom bunk of their bunkbed. "So do you wanna check Teyvat Entertainment?"

You fish out your phone from your pocket and hand signal for Aether and Lumine to come close to see. Your phone turns on, showing the lock screen of the twins in their embarrassing toddler moments then unlock it. Quietly laughing at the twins who have their faces beet red from the photograph.

"Why do you have that pic? DELETE IT."

"Did mom give that to you..."

You ignore them, opening up Google and typing in the Teyvat Ent. website and search their contacts. You ask Aether for the business card, comparing the two numbers side by side, and Valentin is indeed one of the scouts for the company.

You shut your phone off, hugging the two siblings together tightly. "Whether Aether decides he wants to be an idol or not, we'll still be the best of friends."

Lumine grins, squishing your cheeks, taking a closer look at you. "Well, duh. Are you scared we'll fall apart? No, if anything you should be scared we're never going to leave you alone even if you're 60 and married."

You pinch her cheeks and start to say something until you hear sniffles and coughing. You turn to Aether who was hiding his tears.

"Shut up, I'm not crying." He harshly wipes away the water falling from his eyes, "When I go famous, I'm going to give you my autograph so you can sell it and eventually get 20 cars and houses."

...

You were a teen when the dark-haired Valentin scouted Aether to be a trainee in Teyvat Ent.

You note that without Aether, their home is extremely quiet. It's odd not seeing Lumine scream at Aether for taking her hair clips. It's odd not seeing Lumine aggressively pull on the colourful flower hairclips on Aether's hair, just to get the clips back. It's so odd not seeing Aether is general.

Lumine scrolls through her phone, looking for furniture to add to her new apartment she shares with you. The only thing in the newly bought apartment is three mattresses, three plates, and three cups, just in case Aether visits. Though, Aether visiting is rare. His visits only happen during December for Christmas, but even then he had not visited. It's been two years since you and Lumine last saw him.

You stare at your last sent messages to the blonde boy.

▶ hEY. (threatening)

▶ take care okay? lumine's worrying all the time for ur health bc she keeps watching yt vids on how idols over-do themselves from training

haha thanks for telling me

are you sure it's not you who's worrying 🧐🤧

the last thing lumi sent to me was "FUCK YOU"

▶ well the last thing you sent to her was "U BUTT"

▶ and she took that seriously

are you siding with her?

▶ yes

oh okay, frick you too seen three months ago

Your feet pad against the wooden tiles, grabbing a glass of water while scrolling through twitter. You lift the glass to your lips and almost choke from the water you drink.

You click the link on the phone with the title "Debuting boy band already claiming the hearts of many! Please welcome 4nemo!" Four boys stand in the picture, one being Aether.

You place your glass to the sink and run to Lumine, sitting next to her and who her your phone. She reads it over and visibly shakes. You swear she was about to cry until she takes the phone from your hand and starts throwing it, "AETHER THAT BITCH. HE DEBUTES AND SAYS NOTHING."

You're mortified and pull your friend away from your phone, "THAT'S A NEW PHONE, STOP." You push her away and run to your device, clicking on the link.

"One, two, three! Hello we are," Aether, the familiar blonde says.

His group members follow after him. "4nemo!" They say in chorus. One by one they start introducing themselves.

"Hi I'm Aether!"

"Kazuha," one says with a raise of a hand.

An energetic member steps up with a grin, "And I'm Barbisabeto!"

"He's Barbatos, forgive him." Teal undertones make it's way to the camera, "Hello, I'm Xiao.

The one with twin braids step up, mischievously grinning. "Please take care of us and support us during our journey through the music industry."

His teal eyes squint behind the camera, whispering to the member behind him. "Psst, Xiao. I can't read I'm blind."

Xiao rolls his eyes and steps up, slightly bowing, "Please support our debuting group, we will see you in our music videos."

But Lumine and you never paid attention to what they were saying. Both of you just started crying insults of endearment to Aether because he looks so... different. His face had mature and he's a real idol now.

Reality sinks in.

Now that Aether had a growing fanbase, it's going to be harder to contact him.

"Lumine, how are we going to talk to him now?"

Lumine ponders a bit, resting her chin on her hand before smirking. "Let's create an Aether hate page."

"Yes, let's do it."

After a quick recording of Lumine and yourself, you posted the video online, and soon enough, it goes viral.

Lumine laughs, replaying the video.

"This one's for the boys with the booming system," You say monotonously in front of the camera like what you said was a speech instead of a song. "Top down, AC with the cooler system."

Lumine comes on screen, flipping her middle finger at the camera. "When he come up in the club, he be blazin' up. This one is actually not for the boys with the booming system. This is for the BITCH, AETHER WITH THE BLONDE BRAID. Look at you with your ugly ass smile," She speaks in one breath and it amazes you. "Make sure you get millions of hits or it's all for nothing. Oh Aether's an ass."

The screen shows your hand scooping the phone up and waving good bye with Lumine still dissing Aether.

You nudge Lumine, showing a comment written at the bottom of the video, covering a laugh.

"who's aether?"

"huh??! aether?"

"lOL Why Does The Person On The Left Look Like Aether?"

"OH 4NEMO DABUTE. SHUTUP YOU ANTI. THEY'RE GORGEOUS. YOU'RE THE ONE UFLY" ➡ "ahisfdh you obvi didnt watch the whole video. she said "make sure get millions of hits"

Lumine grins, commenting at the people calling her ugly and Aether way better looking. "Lol, IKR. the one on the left is trying too hard to look like Aether. it's like shes tryna be a twin or smthn"

Though, because of your viral "hate" video, 4nemo's popularity sky rockets because of the unknown 'Aether' of the group.

...

Aether watches the video on the news channel, because that's how popular the video got. He looks at his manager, "Can I send a hate video back?"

"Aether, no."

But the winds are troublesome as the ocean, because a boy with teal tips on his hair snatched the managers phone, running and giving it to Aether. "AETHER. DO IT RIGHT NOW."

...

It was a shock to you seeing people follow your twitter account.

"LUMI, [NAME], IM SRRY I LOST MY PHONE AND DIDNT WANNA TELL ANY1 OR THEYLL GROUND ME," said the tweet, tagging you in comments.

Lumine doesn't have twitter, so when she looks over your shoulder seeing the tweet with her name on, she grabs the phone and locks herself in the bathroom, "R U FR AETHER?U DIDNT REPLY TO MY HAPPY BDAY. WE SHARE A BDAY DUMBASS"

She calmly unlocks the door, giving your phone back casually while you whine, "Lumine! This is twitter! They're gonna cancel me!"

"I'll cancel them back."

Ding! You receive a post with you name under the comments again.

hello, i have to apologize for our member stealing the manager's phone to tweet that. i swear that kid's the most responsible, but he's been triggered. #kazuha

You quickly type back, under the hashtag 'kazuha.'

"@/4nemo sorry uh thats one of ur members twin & shes mad that aether never gave her a bday present when she gave 1 to him #kazuha"

notes: psst here's where i got aether's outfit inspo when they were outfit changing at the mall

#genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #4nemo #aether x reader #lumine #aether #lumine x reader #genshin fanfic

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ialreadyreadthatfanfic · 2 years

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It's been 20 years

I've always been a proponent of firm divide between fandom and creators, and by extension, between creation and the creator. It was instinctive, mostly because I find the idea of creators commenting on fanworks in public invokes in me very strong embarrassment, both first- and second-hand (and it kinda ties in with the reasons I don't vibe with RPF). And in many ways, this is a very comfortable seat to be sitting in! The author is dead, my city now. If the actor playing my fave says something stupid, I don't have to care about it. I was into MCU, I was into Sherlock, I was on Tumblr in 2012, I am familiar with the ways that creators, actors, writers can fuck over fandom and be fucked over by fandom. It is very freeing to Not Care. But sometimes even shooting the author at point-blank range is not enough. This is about JKR and Harry Potter series, actually. In last weeks I've heard some echoes about the new HP game, the one where the plot is apparently that you're stopping goblins from taking over white wizarding world and kidnapping white wizarding children, or something like that. Frankly, I don't want to go looking for more details to make myself angrier, the gist is that it was made by racist people, it's bad, and you know a person crossed some kind of moral horizon if a literal war criminal (Putin) invokes your name to prop up his propaganda! Looking back, it's kinda bewildering how she ended up where she's at if you weren't paying attention. There was a post on Tumblr - which sadly I can't find now - that summed up how it happened, how she started more liberal-aligned, through her clumsy attempts at retroactively making series more inclusive ("Dumbledore is gay but it's not plot relevant") and then how she descended into being a TERF. Consequently, we - as in fandom - are having some very relevant discussion on how to deal with that. Harry Potter is too big, and JKR is too involved with her creation to ignore the issue. She's still making money from it. She has a Twitter, she has a platform, she is having real world impact. Which is why I'm writing this, even though I haven't actively participated in HP fandom for years at this point. It's making me uncomfortable (which is good) and it makes me re-evaluate my connection to and attitude toward her works. HP was my gateway to the fandom. I was a young teen and the religious media in my country were decrying the series as morally degenerate and when I started to read it I indeed went "morally bankrupt" at speed of light in exactly the way these media predicted. It took me barely three months to go from reading these books to reading gay fanfiction! When you're raised catholic in almost entirely catholic country, such journey is a thrill and a revelation. HP fandom was so big and vast that a precocious tween with unmonitored internet access could get exposed to very different world-views and end up really expanding their horizons. I cannot help but look fondly back to that part of my fandom experience, and I cannot help but remember fondly the communities, the fanworks, the batshit crazy wank. The last time I let JKR make money off me was when I paid for tickets to the first Fantastic Beasts movie, I think. The experience was ok in so-so way, a bit underwhelming, so that along with whatever glimpses of JKR twitter reached my carefully maintained Tumblr dash, it just so happened that I didn't get drawn back into HP. Her media presence corrupted the franchise like harmful radiation, and I'm not inclined to touch it any more. I don't feel quite the same aversion when I go through my folder full of saved fanfics from back when I was into HP, and I'm not removing my HP fic bookmarks, or anything like that. I still believe that the author doesn't and shouldn't intersect with the fandom. But there is a certain MZB-eqsue effect (MZB - Marion Zimmer Bradley, the author of and the reason why you probably didn't read "Mists of Avalon"). Even if I hadn't moved onto different fandoms by now, I would be distinctly

unenthused about HP by now. HP fic, these derivative works, I'll probably still enjoy, but the source material?... Ah, I guess there's a pang of regret originating from my nostalgia, but I'm fine if it fades into obscurity and becomes largely irrelevant. We can shoot the author, we can proclaim the author dead; however, the corpse is still stinking up the place.

Dear JKR, if only you weren't such a piece of shit! Then we wouldn't have to throw you out along with your stuff in order to air it all out.

#jkr #hp fandom #harry potter #fandom life #my stuff #nebra original

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metaphor-cheese · 3 years

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Anyway after that convo abt buford protecting baljeet i was reminded of one of the first things i wrote when i got back into pnf

———

Bill glanced around the mall outside wedgies, searching desperately.

“Come on dude, you came unprepared, just admit it.” A bored voice commented next to him. “No nerd, no entry.”

“I can prove myself!” The boy angrily defended, poking the unimpressed bouncer in the chest in an attempt to intimidate him. “Just let me find someone-“

“What do you think’s gonna happen?” Another bully mocked from inside. “A nerd’s just gonna materialise because the almighty william needs one?”

“IT’S BILL!” The boy roared. He didn’t have to put up with this kind of slander! He was top dog at his school back in Seattle.

He turned back to scanning the available area with his eyes as the bouncer turned around and began shutting the doors to the gym. “Come on, come on...” he mumbled to himself, frantically. “I just gotta find one ner-“ his voice cut off in an instant and his eyes bugged out.

There, across the way, a small indian boy was exiting a bookshop. He was dressed in overalls, his arms were piled high with textbooks (despite summer just having started) and he was talking to a boy with a triangle head about what sounded like science.

He had to be the biggest nerd Bill had ever seen.

His mouth twitched into an evil grin.

“Hey!” He called back to the bouncer, just before he closed the door.

“Ugh, what?!” The taller child whined. “Don’t make me hang you from the flagpole, new kid!”

Ignoring the threat, Bill pointed to the boy with a smug grin. “You were saying about how I couldn’t find a nerd?”

Instead of shocked like he’d expected, or horrified and defeated like he’d hoped, the bouncer instead looked serious. “Yeah, man. Not happening. That’s Buford’s nerd.”

Bill scoffed. ‘Buford’s nerd? You couldn’t claim nerds! It was a free country! And even if it wasn’t, Bully Billy took what he wanted.

“I’m serious, bro.” The bouncer stressed, beginning to white knuckle the door handle. The bullies who had gathered around the window to laugh at him being kicked out also looked anxious. “That one’s off limits.”

“We’ll see about that.” With a roll of his eyes, Bill strolled over to the younger kids.

“I cannot believe I got such a discount on these textbooks!” The indian boy was squeaking excitedly as he struggled with his heavy stack. “You do not know what college kids are paying for these nowadays.”

“Hey poindexter!” Billy interrupted, pointing at him. Despite making it clear who he was referring to, the boy and his small entourage still looked around curiously as if it was unclear. “Ugh. Overalls!” The boy shifted his stack of books to balance precariously at his hip and pointed to himself in with a questioning look. “Yes you! Drop the books.” Bill sneered.

With a confused blink, the boy replied simply. “No.”

“What? You’re talkin’ back to me, runt?!”

“Well, yes.” He said matter of factly. He narrowed his eyes. “What reason do i have to listen t-“

Bill didn’t let him finish. He wasn’t about to lallygag around when he had his dominance as a bully to assert. With one swift move, he reached down and yanked the child up by his underpants. The little shrimp let out a high pitched yelp as he did so, and his friends gaped in shock.

“Well...” the boy chuckled, nervously. “That was unpleasant.”

“Put him down!” One of his friends- a girl with a pink ribbon- demanded, angrily.

“Yeah, he didn’t do anything to you!” The triangle-headed nerd from before chimed in. Bill decided to make him his next victim, after he made an example of the kid in his grasp.

“Or else what?” He mocked, beginning to absentmindedly stroke the boys curly hair for a few seconds before harshly yanking with no warning. The three’s glares intensified as their friend yelped in pain again. “Hmm?” Bill continued. “What’re you gonna do? Go cry to mommy?”

“No.” The boy in his grasp said with sudden calmness, catching Bill’s attention. When he looked back at him, he saw the kid had his arms crossed and was shooting him a confident (and slightly condescending) look. “I will do this.” As he finished speaking, the indian boy took a large, dramatic intake of breath. Bill noticed the other kids giving each other similar, knowing looks of confidence as the tall, green-haired one handed out ear plugs to the others. Before he could question what was about to happen, however...

“BUUUUUUUFOOOOOOOOOOOOORD!”

Bill swore his eardrums burst at the sound, and he was honestly surprised the high pitch didn’t make all the glass in the mall shatter. As he stumbled backwards from shock, he barely managed to make out a dark grey shape skid around a nearby corner. A split second after the sound stopped, he noticed the shape was a chubby kid in a black shirt holding a half-eaten soft pretzel.

“What- what’s happ’nin, where’s the fire?!” The kid exclaimed in frantic alarm, hurriedly looking this way and that. When his eyes settled on Bill and the boy he was holding, however, it instantly steeled into something murderous.

The whole area seemed to go quiet as, who he presumed was, ‘Buford’ slowly stomped his way over to Bill and the overalls kid. Despite his young age and stout physique, even grown adults around Bill covered their mouths in silent horror and hid behind display signs as he passed.

Once he got in front of the two of them, the boy in Bill’s clutches brightened up. “Buford!” He greeted, happily- but the other ignored him.

“Drop the nerd.” Was all he said to him, raspy voice going as deep as an 11 year olds could. When Bill paused, he pointed to the ground and screamed “NOW!”

Bill glanced around him at the terror on everyone’s faces. At the quivering salespeople and the cowering bullies behind wedgies big fancy windows. He raised an eyebrow, looking back and forth between the horrified masses and the slightly-larger-than-average preteen in front of him.

With a quiet scoff, he rolled his eyes. Clearly becoming top dog in this town was gonna be easy.

Giving the kid a smug look, he asked “Or else what, shorty?”

One moment he was looking down into a pale, chubby kid’s furious gaze. The next, his vision was fuzzy black and stars as his back hit the ground. A tight pain erupted from his stomach a moment later, and he rolled over and began wheezing as he huddled in the foetal position.

Baljeet shrieked only for a split second as he fell, before he landed in a familiar palm with an underwhelming ‘plop’. He glanced at the person holding him up and smiled. “Thank you, my friend.”

“Y’welcome, ‘Jeet.” Buford said casually as he lowered his arm so his friend could hop off his hand.

Phineas, Ferb and Isabella wandered over to the two of them to look upon the devastated boy.

“Wow.” Phineas said simply, noticing that the older kid still hadn’t stopped wheezing. “That was some sucker punch.”

“You’ve learnt well.” Isabella praised, patting him on the arm. Ferb nodded.

Unable to not brag at least a little, Buford leant back and pretended to inspect his nails. “Yeah. It was a pretty good hit, wasn’t it?”

“Though I certainly hope you did not do any lasting damage...” Baljeet fretted, looking with concern at how long it was taking the bully to recover.

As if in response to his pity, the kid struggled to his feet. “That was a cheap shot.” He spat, cheeks red with embarrassment. He brushed himself off and pointed intimidatingly at Buford. “Let’s settle this the real-“

“Hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up.” Buford calmly said, waving his hands in a ‘stop’ gesture as he walked up to him. If only from confusion, Bill did quiet, letting him get close. “Do you really wanna do that?” Buford asked. Bill glared at him.

“Yes.” He said seriously.

He vaguely registered a series of shocked gasps from all around him.

Buford looked surprised for a moment, before shrugging. “Alright.”

Just like before, it all happened so quickly.

One moment Bill had his feet planted firmly on the ground. The next, he was being yanked into the air by his shirt (how was that even possible when this kid was smaller than him?!) and then the next, landing roughly into something hard just as he tried to fight back. It took him a moment to regain his bearings, but when he did, he tried to clamber out of the tiny bin- only to see Buford’s face blocking his view of the light.

“Listen up here, dillweed, ‘cause I’m only gonna say this once.” Buford snarled. “This is MY turf. Those,” he pointed to the rest of the kids. “are MY friends.” Leaning in close, and lowering his scratchy voice again, the kid growled. “And if you wanna survive in this town another day, you’ll leave us the hell alone and never touch one’ ‘em again.” With a harsh poke in the chest, he added “Got that?”

Before Bill could even consider responding, Buford continued. “Good. Sayonara.” Something harsh hit the side of the bin and then bill was rolling, rolling, rolling until-

“AAAAAHHHHHH!”

The five kids gathered around the escalator to watch the bin speed down it and then straight out the front door, all to the tune of the bully’s screams.

“Goodbye!” Baljeet called after him, with a satisfied giggle.

“Yup.” Buford added.

For a few moments, they watching in silence.

“...Man, he’s really going far.” Isabella commented.

“I’ll say.” Phineas added. “Hey Ferb, pass me those binoculars.” The green haired boy did just that and his step-brother laughed good-naturally at whatever he saw through them.

“Hey, cool, he made it to the skatepark!”

“Ooo, let me see!” Baljeet cheered, reaching for them.

Buford looked on with a fond smile at his friends laughing over the view. When his ear twitched at the sound of a solitary ‘aww’, however, he turned and glared at the cause. The instigator- a teenage girl- proved not to be the only one staring at him, as huge swabs of the mall were still warily watching him. One quick glare in each direction quickly solved that problem, however, and Buford nodded to himself in satisfaction.

“Alright, this is gettin’ old.” He interrupted Isabella and Baljeet’s arguing by physically easing himself between them. “Who wants corndogs?” He offered.

Instantly, Ferb’s hand went up, and Phineas and Isabella responded rather quickly with ‘me!’s. He nodded and turned to lead the way.

“Were you not just at the food court?” Baljeet commented, wryly, as he followed.

“Hey, I didn’t get to finish my pretzel!” Buford defended.

And thus the group of kids’ normal banter started up again, and the regular background noise of the mall resumed.

Meanwhile, across town, a dazed pharmacist rolling down the skating rink strapped to a buggy passed a child in a bin rolling the other way.

“You too, huh?”

#long post #my writing #phineas and ferb #:p

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ihearthes · 3 years

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Author: @ihearthes Pairing: Harry x Unnamed OFC Rating: Light Smut Word Count: 3500 Inspired by: @wanderlustwaving and “The Lady or the Tiger” by Frank Stockton

His eyes dart around the bar, seeking her. She has to be here. It’s tradition. Their tradition. January 1st. Every year. Sunset. Anguilla. The Four Seasons.

Harry had booked this table nearest the bay a full year ago, confirming it in mid-June and again in early December. Sitting silently, his eyes shaded behind his sunnies, he watches the giant ball of fire as it descends into the water. Less of a sizzle than one would expect. Each sip of his Casamigos Blanco over ice is perfect. The sky lights up with oranges, reds, and yellows that are reflected on the clouds, resembling the Monet painting San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk which he had viewed in Cardiff. A second version hangs in Tokyo at Bridgestone Museum, and he had been lucky enough to see it once.

The longer he watches its descent, the more he realises that this sunset is different from the paintings he’d seen. His fingers itch for watercolours or acrylics even though he knows his amateurish strokes would never capture the beauty. Last year, the sunset had been underwhelming, the clouds obscuring rather than reflecting the colours. Their first year, he had been unable to believe what he was seeing. It had been stunning with the reach of the palette across the sky, like tendrils of smoke straining to hug the entire planet. Now he captures his journal from the extra chair, opening it’s leather binding to a blank page. Flipping back to the beginning of his journal, he finds a sketch of her leaning on the railing -- drawn from memory years after their first meeting. His mind casts backwards to the non-date that had launched this annual trip.

“Wow.” The voice belongs to a woman who steps to the railing next to him, leaning forward and twisting her head to take in the full sunset. Glancing at her, he does a double take as he recognizes her. Holy shit. She’s even more stunning in person.

“Oh, I’d give it a solid 8.5,” Harry’s calm voice is the opposite of his turbulent emotional state.

“Seriously? It’s much closer to a 9.2.”

“You’ve lost your mind. It’s worthwhile, but not a 9.2,” he scoffs, shifting his body slightly closer to hers. He turns toward her, planting a single forearm on the railing as he observes her in her floral sarong that matches her bikini top. Her hair is bundled lazily on top of her head, and her tanned feet are encased in strappy sandals. Surreptitiously, he takes in her curves while she’s examining the sunset.

Twisting her head quickly, she catches his eyes on her ass. Rather than blushing, he smiles at her instead, well aware that the dimple is doing it’s job appropriately. The live steel drum band starts a new song, and she boldly turns to him, holding out her hand. “Dance?”

He doesn’t respond verbally. Grasping her fingers, Harry wraps one arm around her waist, stepping into her and leading them in time with the music. When he twirls her rather expertly, she laughs, planting a hand on his chest and gazing up at him with what appears to be a phony bashfulness.

“I didn’t know you could dance,” she laughs.

“Clearly you’ve never seen me live on stage,” Harry smirks.

She clucks her tongue, “Oh, but I have. I said what I said, Styles.”

Looking away from her, he can’t help the smile that breaks loose. Damn, she’s got moxie. And it’s intriguing and beguiling.

“You’re here alone?” he wonders, his eyes roaming the outdoor space. It’s filled with strangers -- to him anyway.

“Tonight only. Yes.” She twirls him, and he grins at the move.

“Me too.” The soft words are spoken into her ear as he’s drawn her closer. “I like to spend the first night of the year reflecting on the previous year.”

“Isn’t that what New Year’s Eve is for?” she wonders, her voice breathy.

“Nah. That’s for drinking and celebrating with friends. Today is for reflection -- looking backwards and forwards simultaneously.”

“Planning to conquer the world this year, Mr. Styles?”

“Indeed.” Arching an eyebrow, he mimics a cartoon villain, drawing his pinky to his mouth.

She slaps at his chest, and he desperately wants to kiss her in that moment. After all, they are flirting, aren’t they?

“Are you going to offer me dinner?” she asks boldly. “And take me to your room afterwards?”

Woah. Definitely gutsy. “Depends,” he whispers as he spins them both around once more while the band winds down.

“On what?”

“On what kind of sushi you prefer.”

“Ah!” There’s a gleam in her eye that he can’t resist. She’s playful and not shy about being the seductress. Harry finds the combination heady. Waving her hand in dismissal as she turns towards his table, “I usually try whatever the newest offering is -- especially if it’s fresh from those waters.” Fingers waggle in the direction of the bay, and he wants to grasp them out of the air and wrap them protectively in his own hand.

Instead, he applauds the band before following behind her. At the table, she drags her chair from the opposite side of the small round table until she’s sat beside him. With his questioning glance, she again gestures towards the bay. “I’m not going to miss that sunset just so I can stare at your pretty face.”

Rather than sketching the sunset, he attempts to paint the current sight with words. Everything he writes seems trite: clementines, flames, majestic, radiant, blush, hearth.

Where is she? Yes, it had been a year since they had spoken, but surely she would have sent a message if she weren’t planning to join him? Why hadn’t they exchanged numbers? Followed each other on Instagram?

But he knows why. The mystery. The transcendental experience. The enchantment of meeting once a year, incognito, in this particular and magnificent place. No knowledge of each other outside of this 24 hours that belongs to them alone.

Which is ridiculous. Because he certainly knows who she is and follows her career. And he would be astonished if she didn’t also pay attention to his. A few times this last year they had coincidentally been in the same city simultaneously, and he had seriously debated trying to locate her. Contact her manager maybe. Or put out feelers that would certainly have stretched to her ears like an old-fashioned game of Chinese Whispers (which of course isn’t what he should call the game now; it’s racist). The message, though, would have been garbled but sufficient for them to meet up.

Every time, he refrained. Their unspoken commitment was to this place and this one day a year. Now he regrets not making contact. Had she decided that one day a year wasn’t worth the effort? Was she even now canoodling with someone else? There hadn’t been rumours of any recent love affairs on her end, and he snatches his phone anxiously to search her name just in case she connected with someone during the last week.

Picking up his now-empty glass of tequila as he scrolls through his phone, Harry draws an ice cube into his mouth, swirling it on his tongue to relish every tiny bit of the liquor there. The burn has vanished as it’s taken him nearly an hour to drink one tequila. No record of any new beaus. Maybe he should follow her now on social media? DM her? What would he do if she didn’t show? How much longer should he wait?

“Oh yum! This roll is even better than last year’s.” She proclaims as she rushes to grasp the last bite of the Ceviche Roll.

“Hey! That was mine!” Harry protests, laughing as she stuffs the full piece in her mouth.

“Order more,” she mumbles around the rice, fish, and seaweed flavored with citrus and cilantro.

“Nah, I’ve got a different appetite now,” he murmurs, watching her lips as she chews the sushi.

Freezing, her eyes rush to his, and she slowly finishes the sushi she’s been eating, swallowing slowly. He wishes that she would move her chair to his side of the table like she had the previous year. This time, they’re seated on opposite sides of the table, but at an angle where both can watch the setting sun.

“What?” Her look has made him nervous. “You’re not going to tell me you’re seeing someone, are you?”

Her hair twirls as she shakes her head. “No. Broke up with him last week in anticipation of this.”

Having sipped his tequila, Harry chokes at her words. Coughing, he grasps the table with both hands. Holy fuck. She didn’t really expect him to --

“Kidding!” Her giggle lights up her eyes, bringing a light blush to her face. She’s truly stunning. Maybe even more than last year.

When her foot, sans sandal, caresses his calf under the table, he knows that the night is going to be filled with sex. Fun, hot, brilliant sex that will last most of the night. Hmm...perhaps it would be best to fortify himself for their escapades. Raising his hand, he flags down the server.

“Sir?”

“Another Ceviche Roll, por favor. Plus a bottle of Casamigos.” He pauses as her foot makes its way further up his leg, and he wonders if she’s going to slide under the table completely. “Send it to my room, please.” Voice catching as her toes make contact with his crotch, he demands, “Put it all on my tab please. I’ll settle up later.”

With a nod of agreement, the server disappears. Quickly Harry rises, adjusting his slacks as he glances around the room.

“Let’s go,” his voice rumbles.

“But H -- the sunset,” she whines.

“My room has the same view,” he insists, holding out his hand which she grasps. Gracefully sliding her foot back into her sandal, she rises and glides behind him towards the elevator.

His stomach rumbles at the thought of eating, and he debates ordering food. The sushi at the sunset lounge is always fresh. In the past, though, they’ve enjoyed the dishes together, trying new ones every year. Dejected, he places his glass harshly on the table, his disappointment at her absence radiating across his psyche like the colours of the sunset.

“I would say it’s a solid 8.5,” her voice sounds from over his shoulder, and he twists in surprise. Like the sunset beckons the stars, she summons happiness to his soul. He scrambles to rise, kissing her on both cheeks, his lips lingering each time. Not too long, though, in case others are watching and photographing. Which he always assumes these days. Fans. Paps. No privacy exists anywhere.

“Hi,” he whispers, grateful for her presence, but unable to say the words that would tell her how worried he’s been. That might reveal too much of his emotions. And his heart.

Fuck. When had his heart gotten involved? And why hadn’t he realised before this particular moment?

“You agree?” she smiles, gesturing to the sunset.

“I would say it’s a 9 or maybe even a 9.2,” Harry smiles, his dimple making an appearance to rival the sunset in front of them.

“You finished your drink,” she nods at his empty glass.

“I started early.” It’s a lame excuse, and he knows it.

His annual partner tilts her head in his direction. “Or maybe I’m late?”

Not knowing how to respond, Harry waits, his fingers playing with the coaster underneath his drink, spinning it around, the glass slowly rotating with the cardboard circle with the restaurant’s name on it.

“I debated,” she whispers, “unsure if I should…”

The server appears, a smile on his face. His white trousers and white shirt are complemented by a blue scarf at his neck, his accent strong.

“What can I get you?”

Harry notices the man’s gaze on his companion’s breasts which draws his own attention to the bosom swelling around the buttons of her frock, which he just now notices has sunflowers across the lower half of the skirt. Was that on purpose?

When she exchanges a knowing glance with Harry and smoothes the fabric over her legs, it becomes clear that she knows exactly what she was doing by choosing this dress.

He shifts in his seat.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” she announces.

Harry reminds the server, “Two Casamigos on the rocks please. And your newest sushi roll with light brown rice please. Thanks.”

Nodding, his date agrees to the order, and he’s relieved that at least the basics haven’t changed in the last year.

“You were saying?” he prompts as the steward moves away from them.

“Oh,” she blushes, her cheeks tinging slightly pink. “I just...wasn’t sure…” She swallows, her head down before she makes eye contact with him, “that this was a good idea.”

Taken aback, Harry settles his bum more deeply in his chair, feeling blindsided by the comment, wishing he had his tequila to soothe him in this moment. “I see,” he mumbles.

“Harry --” she begins, and he waves a hand in her direction.

“It’s just casual,” he unceremoniously argues, “right?” But his heart clutches at the phrasing.

Her eyes drop to her lap where her hands are entwined. “Yes. I guess.” Her whisper makes him sweat. Fuck. Had she decided this was it? The last time? “It’s a pretty sunset,” she adds.

“Absolutely,” he concurs, anxious at what else she might say. Silence descends on the table much faster than the stars appear in the sky above them. Should he be vulnerable? Tell her how he feels? What he’s thinking?

This year’s live steel drum band begins a new song, and without pause, she rises, holding her hand out for him to grasp. Grateful for the reprieve, he joins her in their corner of the outdoor restaurant, placing one hand on her waist as she rests her head on his chest. Together, they sway, and his mind wanders.

“I need another lime!” she shrieks gleefully, holding the bottle of tequila in her hand. Harry shakes his head from his position flat on the bed. They are going to need clean sheets before they sleep tonight. Maybe they will go to her room for actual sleep?

What the fuck is he thinking? As if they had actually slept during their rendezvous in the previous two years.

“Here. Hold this,” she laughs, thrusting a lime towards Harry to place in his mouth, pulp out.

“Mhm. Me next,” he mumbles just before his teeth wrap around the green rind.

“You bet,” she giggles. Settling herself on the bed as she straddles him, her soft parts landing on his cock encased in its bright green briefs. She slides down his legs and leans forward, holding the bottle of tequila out to the side. “Mmmmm.” Licking a stripe up from the base of his underpants to his navel, she sprinkles salt there before tilting the bottle of Casamigos and allowing a shot of tequila to land in his taut navel. He’d worked hard on his abs the last couple of months, knowing that he would be lying here with her. They’ve got definition that most blokes only dream of.

Quickly, her tongue captures the salt before she sucks the tequila from his belly and shifts forward to suck the lime that’s in his mouth. Fuck. If he hadn’t been hard before they started this game, he’s certainly got a hammer between his legs now.

As he releases the lime for her, she grips it in her teeth, leaning backwards in her bra and panties, her core now on his chest, and he can’t resist reaching out with a single finger and tracing a pattern over the treasure he knows is underneath.

“You waxed for me this year,” he comments.

“No,” she protests, “I waxed for me this year. You give great oral, and I wanted nothing to get in the way. It’s been far too long since my pussy has been properly eaten.”

“Oh?” Harry’s eyebrow raises, as he knows a couple of people who she dated during the previous year.

“Yep. I would say,” she smiles, leaning down to capture his mouth in a kiss, her lips hovering just above his, “about exactly a year.”

“Hey…” he begins as they finish their silent dance just as their drinks arrive along with the plate of sushi, but he’s interrupted.

“Here are your drinks. Our newest sushi roll is the Hot Lover,” which makes Harry cringe and shift again in his seat. “It’s spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, and avocado wrapped in soybean paper.”

As he places the food in front of them, Harry smiles sadly and nods as the gentleman fades away into the restaurant, like the sunset has drifted into the ocean.

“You were going to say something?” she asks, and he loses all of his courage.

Shaking his head, he grasps a piece of the sushi roll between his fingers, sliding it onto his tongue.

“Not bad,” he comments as he chews, trying to tuck the food in his cheek so he’s not rude.

“It’s really not got a lot of flavour,” she grins as she mimics his eating habit. “Kind of boring.”

Did she mean their relationship? Was this one of those double-entendres? Swallowing the fish and rice concoction, he sips his tequila as the sushi sticks in his throat. For some reason, he wants to cry. It makes no sense, but the tears come unbidden to his eyes. Fuck. Looking away, he sips more of his drink as he watches the remnants of the sunset fade away, blinking furiously.

“I wanted to call you when we were both in New York this year,” he comments softly.

Her fingers pause halfway to her mouth, the soybean-paper-wrapped piece of sushi hovering near her lips. Harry watches as she debates how to respond to his comment, finally placing the fish on her tongue and chewing slowly. Unable to draw his eyes from her mouth, he unapologetically watches as she savors the restaurant’s latest speciality. Eyes closed, she moans. Her hands clutch the table on either side of her, and Harry feels his mouth go dry.

Once she devours the food, she sips her tequila on the rocks, and he can visualize her tongue swirling the liquid around as she either tries to clear the flavour of the fish or fully taste the liquor. After all, her tongue has done that same move to his most favored body part. When she finishes, she makes eye contact with him, her hands resting on either side of her plate, fingers curled. Taking a deep breath, she straightens her fingers flat without breaking eye contact. Fuck. He’s sweating.

“Truth be told, Harry -- I desperately wanted to call you when we were both in Edinburgh that time.”

“Why didn’t you?” His words are faster than his brain, and he immediately wishes he could draw back the question.

“You know why,” she replies, and he nods because he does indeed know all of the reasons. “The sunset --” Her attention is drawn to the colours in the sky, “is lovely, don’t you think?”

“Honestly,” he admits, “I would say this is the best one of all of the times we’ve sat here together.” The words make him cringe. He wants to keep things light, but something about the moment prevents fluff. It feels momentous. Overwhelming.

He watches as her eyes stray from his to the sky before they tear up and she nods in agreement. “Yes, Harry. I would say this is the most breathtaking of the sunsets we’ve seen.”

Did that mean that this would be the last one? Neither of them is getting younger. Sooner or later, one of them will meet “the one”. And then where will the other be? Stuck on an island with a sunset alone? Fuck. He doesn’t want to be that person. But he truly doesn’t want that for her either.

“It’s a sensational sunset,” Harry pleads, his eyes not leaving her face, not straying to the glorious colours, not denying that they have some chemistry together. Why hadn’t he made a play for her before now? Was a hookup enough? Would he be happy if this is the last one?

“Harry,” she sighs, sipping her drink again. “I wonder ---”

The band starts a new song, and he shakes off the sound, willing her to continue. A group at the table behind them sings ‘Happy Birthday’ while another table nearby bursts into laughter and somewhere a server drops a tray of glasses, the shattering drawing applause from a few assholes close to the debacle. Harry ignores all of it.

“Yes? Go on,” he encourages.

“Maybe…” she bites her lip, looking away from him towards the sunset.

“Yes?” His throat is dry, but he doesn’t reach for his tequila or his glass of ice water. Instead, his gaze remains riveted on her.

“Do you think that perhaps we could…”

His breath catches in his throat. What would she say? Would she ask for some random sex act? Cancel their relationship permanently? Or possibly -- miraculously -- suggest that they celebrate more sunsets together instead of just once a year. He holds his breath, waiting impatiently.

“I mean, it would probably be best if we...”

A/N: Reblogs are love, my readers. I appreciate the likes, but reblogs help others find the story and, quite frankly, encourage me to continue publishing here.

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #my writing #harry styles one shot #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry fanfiction #original writing #harry styles imagine

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katyamorrigan · 3 years

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‘A Hotel on the Board is Worth Two on the Geldstraat’ - Chp. 1!

Gang banner by @verdiris

A Hotel on the Board is Worth Two on the Geldstraat

A trunk of contraband items ends up in the hands of the Crows, but the item that piques their curiosity most is the large box labelled “MONOPOLY”. Kaz is out of the Slat for the time being, so of course they decide to play it. Was there ever a mission more likely to fail than six criminals with lethal skills and undeniable emotional ties all trying to build a make-believe empire without killing each other in the process? Answer: yes - all of the above while attempting to pull off a heist at the same time.

Turns out board games weren’t the only interesting items shipped into Fifth Harbour that afternoon, and now the Razorgulls are interested. It will take all of the gang’s effort to break into two buildings full of rival gang members, regain possession of the contraband, and make it back to the Slat in one piece. And that’s without the inherent strains of playing at business negotiations with a group of decidedly underhand friends.

Join the Crows as they cheat, steal, lie, and bribe each other, all before the heist has even begun.

I am so excited to finally get to share the fic that I have been working on for the @grishaversebigbang over the last few months - A Hotel on the Board is Worth Two on the Geldstraat! Getting to take part in the Grishaverse Big Bang 2021 has been so much fun, and I have had the honour of working with an absolutely incredible gang of artists and the loveliest beta reader. It’s been an absolute blast, and this is one of my favourite things that I’ve written. Thank you so much to everyone that I’ve worked with, and I hope that you enjoy reading and admiring the story and art that we’ve created!

Here is everyone in my gang, with links to the work that they’ve created (some art may relate to chapters of the fic that haven’t been posted yet - the fic will be posted in its entirety within the next 3 weeks and the art will be linked within the fic on the relevant lines, but also there’s nothing that will spoil the story for you, so don’t worry!):

Corporalki: @davonysus (who is the most wonderful beta reader, thank you for everything that you contributed to this story!)

Materialki:

@ciph3rrr with hilarious Crows-minus-Kaz Monopoly shenanigans from Chapter 1

@j-wirth with this brilliant Inej and Wesper moment inspired by Chapters 2 and 7

@bloodysusher with a gorgeous group moment in Chapter 7

@verdiris with some amusing Kaz geniusness from Chapter 7

@maximumbluebirdpatrol (link still to come)

@emmaxtw (link still to come)

There are 7 chapters in total, so I shall be uploading a new one every Tuesday and Saturday until 25th September. Look below the cut for an excerpt from Chapter 1, and if you want to read the full thing (and check out the collection of all the other incredible pieces created for the GVBB) then click either of the links. I hope that you enjoy!

AHOTBIWTOTG Chapter 1 Excerpt:

The front door of the Slat opened with a loud clatter, and slammed shut on itself seconds later. It made Inej jump in her seat as she sat going over ship documentation - which, as it turned out, there was a lot of - in the front room. Nina gave her a look, and Inej wrinkled her nose back at her; the Wraith didn’t startle easily, but equally, there was usually less banging of doors while she tried to organise her finances.

“Honeys, I’m home!” Came Jesper’s voice. “And I brought treats!”

“It had better be more exciting than that time you came back from Cilla’s Fry with meat pies,” Inej called back. “That was underwhelming.”

“Speak for yourself,” Nina chimed in. “I was more than happy to finish up those.”

“We know.” Matthias gave her a knowing look, and Wylan sniggered as she raised a single finger at him in response.

The bickering that came from everyone trying to work on separate projects at the same time was one of the many reasons that Inej hadn’t made it past the first page of her sailing license. That being said, she joined in the chuckling at Nina’s expense.

“Oh, it’s definitely better than Cilla’s pies, but you’ll have to take a look for yourself.”

Jesper rounded the corner, a large trunk tucked under one slim arm. His face was bright from the brisk, cold air of the streets, and a bead of sweat dropped from his chin as he deposited the luggage on the table beside Inej. She sighed heavily as the wad of pages in front of her jumped with the sudden extra weight.

“Sorry,” Jesper grinned. She just rolled her eyes fondly in response.“Come on, who wants to see what I’ve got?”

Nina, Matthias and Wylan all got up from the neighbouring table and crowded around Inej and Jesper. It was uncomfortable having so many significantly taller people stood behind her while she was sitting, so Inej scooped up her papers and deposited them on the floor, taking their place on the table so that she could get a good look at the trunk.

“Where did you get that?” Matthias asked.

“Well, our dearest Kaz decided to put me on shipment duty and I had to wait around at the Exchange for a boat full of contraband to come in. It took hours, so as soon as I saw something that looked interesting, I used my innumerable skills to swipe it so that we could take a look inside.”

““Innumerable” is a long word for you,” Nina quipped.

A bubble of laughter rose up amongst the group, and Jesper stuck his tongue out childishly. “Fine, no contraband for you.”

“No, I want to look!”

“Be nice, then. I get first dibs on anything cool because I found it.”

Matthias snorted. “What happened to the ancient rule of “finder’s keepers”?”

“I found the trunk, therefore I found anything that’s inside it by proxy.”

“Can we just open it up?” Wylan said impatiently. “I feel like we’re building expectations by arguing like this – it’s probably smuggled whiskey or something.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Kaz?” Inej asked. The others gave her a look of incredulity. “Where is he, anyway?”

There was a brief moment of looking at each other for answers, before Jesper answered decisively. “If he was so worried about what came in on the boat, he would’ve gone himself. And if he isn’t here now, then he’ll just have to accept whatever is left over from the spoils.”

“We aren’t actually pirates, you know,” Inej said.

“Not yet,” Jesper stage-whispered in reply, and Inej found herself grinning, pleased. “Gather around, then.” He beckoned everyone closer like a ringmaster at the centre of a performance.

Inej was surprised to find that her heart was actually beating faster with the thought of what might be inside. Wylan was probably right that they were getting themselves worked up over nothing, but all the same, she couldn’t help hoping that they found something rare or exciting. Perhaps it was gold? Guns? Something dangerous? You could never know when it came to the imports of Ketterdam, and for once Inej was glad for the intensity of life in the city. It could very well be something extraordinary.

The catches on the front of the trunk lifted easily, but there was a thick knot of string around the middle as well. Jesper struggled to untie it, so Inej slipped a knife from her sleeve and cut it off with one flick of her wrist. Giving her a mischievous look, Jesper dug his fingernails under the lid and with a crackle of flaking rust, the trunk opened.

On top there was a loose gauzy scarf clearly intended to keep moisture out of the trunk on the long sea voyage, which had definitely served its purpose; the red print had blotted itself onto the inside of the lid, and there were water stains on it where it had protected the rest of the cargo. Matthias and Nina went to grab it at the same time, but it ended up in Nina’s hands regardless as he passed it to her with a shy smile.

“I thought you would want it, so I was making sure no-one else got there first.”

Wylan made an exaggerated gagging noise, and Matthias’ expression quickly reverted to his familiar scowl.

“Aha!”

Jesper reached forward and pulled out two pistols, both only a little rusty and with a single blue gem stamped into the body of each. With impressive speed he turned around and mimed firing two shots at the wall before holstering them beside his favoured revolvers.

As Matthias pulled out a slim soft-covered book, Inej realised that she was far too focused on the discoveries of her friends and was going to miss out on finding her own treasures otherwise. Lifting up two more scarves – this time green and blue – she found another couple of books which she handed to Nina. Her friend’s focus was pulled away from adjusting her hair under her newly matching scarf to flicking through the pages and wrinkling her nose hard.

“I don’t recognise the language, but I can understand it well enough,” Nina mused.

“Where did the boat come in from, Jesper?” Wylan asked as he opened a small wooden keepsake box full of golden rings in varying levels of ornate decoration.

“Kaz didn’t say, and I’ll be honest, I didn’t pay much attention.”

Nina tutted and continued her reading with Matthias peering over her shoulder. With fingers now covered in rings, Wylan pulled out a long fur coat that smelt of mould. Removing its furry cuffs from the case, Inej reached into the trunk for what seemed to be the last item: a big box made of thick card, with a green cover and the word MONOPOLY emblazoned on the top. The lettering was incredibly clear, but it didn’t look as though it had been done by hand or with a printing press. It had an odd shiny feel to the outside as well, like it had been coated in order to keep out the damp.

Inej sat it on the table and lifted the lid. It came off easily, and revealed a large square of that same thick card in bright red that unfolded into a larger board with regular markings on it.

“What in the Saints’ names is that?” Nina remarked, putting down her reading material.

“I have no idea. It was at the bottom of the trunk.”

“Is it a map?” Wylan suggested.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Inej murmured as she put the board down and looked at what was left in the box.

Underneath that map-like object was a tray divided into several compartments, with little silver tokens collected in one, some colourful playing cards of an unknown variety in another, and some appealing little houses done in an unusual material in both green and red. Beside those lay a rack of what looked like currency, in the same shape and thickness as notes of kruge. Jesper immediately started rifling through it all, mixing up the various collections and inspecting them all with irregular attention. Although Wylan slapped his hand away with a tut, it clearly wasn’t out of lack of interest.

“What is it?” Nina asked again. Taking the board in her hands, she began to stumble through the words written on it.

“Collect 200… something, looks like it could be a currency symbol because it says “salary” after that, as you pass GO... Old Kent Road, another amount of money… sixty? Community chest, Whitechapel Road, same amount of money as the other square…”

As she turned it over in her hands, a slim white booklet fell out onto the table. Inej started forward and managed to snatch it up before anyone else did, although the gesture was useless as she immediately handed it to Nina, who skimmed over the first few lines and let out a delighted noise.

“It’s a game! A board game! Seems like you play by going around the board which has place names marked out on it, and you buy up the land so that you can build houses on it. And you compete to earn the most money.”

“Who’s sending weird foreign board games to Ketterdam?” Wylan said incredulously. “Are you sure it’s not got something contraband hidden in there somehow?”

Inej laughed. “Does a game based on financial gain not strike you as the most Kerch thing in the world? I can well believe a mercher bought this to educate their children on the fun of working under Ghezen.”

Wylan cracked a grin at that, and Nina snorted. She pushed the box towards him.

“Take a look if you want.”

He lifted up the tray of items and ran his fingers along the underside, then looked inside each of the little model houses as if there might be gemstones wedged in the base like on Jesper’s guns. Wylan tapped along the top of the board, but there were no hidden compartments or secret openings. It seemed as though they had genuinely come across some kind of entertainment from another country.

“Shall we play it?” Jesper said with a broad grin at everyone. “We’ve got nothing else on, have we?”

“I’m meant to have applied for my sailing license by the end of next week,” Inej said weakly, but she wasn’t much interested in her own excuse. This bizarre-looking game they had stolen by chance had already caught her attention far more than boat permits and crew-hiring documents.

“I’m happy to,” Matthias said, and Nina and Wylan nodded fervently as well.

“Perfect! Let’s not disturb everyone’s things down here, we can take it into another room.”

“Nobody’s bedrooms are big enough,” Nina complained. “Kaz is too cheap to give us enough space to actually enjoy our stay at The House of Brekker.”

“His bedroom is, though.”

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razberryyum · 3 years

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TGCF donghua Episode 11 Thoughts (SPOILERS for episode and novel!)

Ok I didn't think they were actually going to kiss, BUT for a heart-stopping second I thought they were gonna get close enough before cutting away. Just to tease us, if for no other reason. I actually held my breath. It was still a big tease nonetheless but I am still grateful for the scene because my God was it beautifully done. The focus on Dianxia's lips as he says Hua Cheng's name, the way his breath catches as HC leans closer, the world fading away around them, HC's ponytail gently falling forward just so, the way they just focus on his lips just as if from Dianxia's POV....all of it just screams romance. Once again, that was all the work of the donghua's team. In the book, this moment occurs when they're actually back at Puqi Shrine, and Xie Lian's actually in the middle of cleaning a table when he very nonchalantly addresses Hua Cheng by his name. It was cute because Dianxia did it so casually but hardly THIS romantic. So, really, hats off to the donghua team!

Actually other than that last scene, of course I am grateful to the donghua team for many other moments in this episode. To start, whenever they show San Lang protecting Dianxia.

We know Xie Lian can definitely take care of himself, but I appreciate that Hua Cheng's instinct is always to protect him anyway. I actually thought that's why he gave himself the name," Hua Cheng". The words translate to "Flower City", and in the olden days, a city had walls protecting the people in it, so I figured that Hua Cheng chose this name to represent how he will always protect Xie Lian, that his protection is all encompassing. Lol, I can't wait to find out how wrong I am.

Even though Hua Cheng's fight with Pei Su was mostly off screen and limited to quick flashes of swords clashing, what they did show of Hua Cheng in his "real" form was DELICIOUS.

I am grateful to the donghua team for Hua Cheng's adorable reaction to Dianxia being cheeky. Too precious!

Our General Hua looking like a god in armor...and the way he made bis appearance in that scene too, like a savior coming to rescue mankind...or in this case, Banyue.

This scene actually made me tear up. I don't remember thinking Pei Su was that attached to Banyue when reading the book, but that might've been my fault for not paying close enough attention when HuaLian weren't directly involved. I was actually wondering how they were going to conclude the Banyue arc in just one episode since it felt like they would have to pack a lot into just 20 mins or so, but I think they did a really good job of wrapping it up. Didn't feel rushed or that anything important was missing.

I love both of them already, but I want to especially commend the donghua team's character design for The Wind Master. I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read the book, but trust me when I say THAT is a brilliant bit of character design. They will have to change two things about her next season but it's like she's mostly there already. 😂 I also love her voice and voice performance (by VA Qiu Qiu), so perfect for the character. I seriously cannot wait to see more of her next season, especially after hearing that news about the VA. 😁

I guffawed. This was a bit of brilliance too. Man, I just love the donghua team! They really did such a GREAT JOB bringing TGCF to life. I mean, is there really anyone who hates this adaptation?? I guess if you weren't into Xie Lian and Hua Cheng's relationship, the case of the week parts might be a bit underwhelming, but what I appreciate about them is that they inevitably link back to Dianxia and his past, or introduce us to new characters which then opens up the world. They always have a purpose, leading to bigger things. As a first season I think it was pretty strong, what they changed from the source material were usually positive alterations. I mean, I'm reading the book now because of this show, after putting it off for so long, so I'm definitely converted.

I do have to say though that the season did end on a rather odd note since it felt like there should have been just a few more beats before the end credits. It was a little abrupt imho, but it still is miles better than poor SVSSS's season finale, which ended on a freaking scene transition.

Of course there's still that special HuaLian episode on February 16th, so I guess technicallyyyyy this first season hasn't quite ended yet. The special looks to be picking up right where this episode leaves off: with Dianxia having a conversation with Hua Cheng back at Puqi Shrine about his role as Ghost King and other related topics. I'm not sure why it's airing a month and a half later, or why on February 16th instead of Valentine's Day, but I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm just grateful we have more TGCF and HuaLian to look forward to. Second season is already in production, and apparently the theme song for it will drop tomorrow! A live action has been announced which they're still casting, and honestly some of those casting choices scare me so depending on who they end up deciding on, I might just gonna stay away from that completely and stick with the donghua and book.

Novel Reading Progress...about to finish Book 2... SPOILERS

MXTX-laoshi is a total sadist giving us THAT kind of sex pollen scene when nothing could be done cuz Hua Cheng's still a little bean sprout...I love Dianxia, love him more now knowing he was a pretty flawed human being, that he's absolutely not perfect...his heart is warm but his actions are sometimes quite cold...I blame his privileged upbringing and his youth and inexperience for some of his rash decisions...he means well but of course the road to hell is pathed with good intentions...wish he would stop forgetting about little Hua Cheng though, poor baby...the more I read about the human face disease the more I don't want to...just, overall, I feel this heavy weight on my heart now because I know things are going to go from worse to utter calamitous shit soon. I am SCARED, preparing my heart for breakage.

To read the TGCF novel: https://tgcfmxtx.carrd.co/

#Tian Guan Ci Fu #TGCF #Heaven Official's Blessing #HuaLian #TGCF donghua

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algernoninwonderland · 3 years

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Hi! Thoughts on kwamibuster?

It's bad. It's really bad. Like, really really bad.

So, Kwami Buster. This one's very much not good.

I didn't like it then, I don't like it now.

The good

Plagg and Tikki bickering is sort of funny.

Kim. What a dumbass. He’s probably a flat-earther. I love how stupid he is.

Alix looks mortified by her brother. She’s perfect.

Monsieur Banane, Banananoir’s backstory starts here and it’s glorious. Banananoir parkour is kind of fun, I guess. Very late 2000s internet humour.

Multimouse is cute with the glasses.

Marinette’s strategy is clever, for this show. Sort of. If you don’t think about it for too long.

That’s it. That’s all I have to say about this episode that is nice.

The bad

The storyboarding is weak. The directing is weak. There are very few interesting shots. The action doesn't flow very well.

Kwami Buster isn't fun, her power isn't made to be all that interesting. She's just there.

If you like paying close attention to details, you’ll hate this one. Plagg eats the reblochon, right? No he doesn't. The cheese is a flat image, not a 3DCG model, therefore someone has to crop it via Photoshop to suggest that Plagg’s eating it. Doesn't work, it looks awful. Mme Bustier is holding a history book although this is meant to be a French literature class (you can see it clearly for five good seconds). And that's like the two first minutes of the episode. This show doesn’t seem to have enough props, and it’s surprising considering that each episode has a new lucky charm.

As always, poorly-written dialogue is poorly written. They sure use “scientist” a lot in this episode.

Chat Noir and Ladybug arguing is very abrupt. They meet up and they look ready to fight and all, and thirty seconds later, they start arguing.

Hideous rendering is hideous.

Poorly-timed animation is poorly timed.

Underwhelming design for Multimouse is underwhelming.

The kwamis are terrifying.

The ugly

The whole secret identity business is stupid and it’s wasting my time. It’s not exciting, it’s not fun, it’s just boring. Wasn’t it like season 1-2 stuff? The threat of Fu taking the Miraculouses away doesn’t scare anyone, and especially not the audience. They replaced that with Hawk Moth in season 4 and it works much better.

The possibility of the love square discovering each other’s identity doesn’t work as they hardly spend any time together in this episode. It’s a failure. There’s no suspense, there’s nothing.

The whole Multimouse conundrum and wearing multiple Miraculouses at once, using multiple powers at once while using your special ability should basically fry you alive, based on what the show has told us. But apparently Marinette has a high count of midichlorians or something, so she just… Does it? She winces once and then that’s it she can just do it. “She’s truly special” or so the show tells us. Wasn’t she meant to be a normal girl with a normal life or something along those lines?

I get that she’s supposed to be strong and an inspirational figure for young viewers, but introducing a difficulty and having your hero overcome it not twenty seconds after it’s been introduced with no explanation as to how it's done doesn’t show us that Marinette is strong, it shows that the writing is cheap.

Vore and shrinking in one episode? Really? Fuck off.

Remember when Illusion could only create a convincing image of one specific thing? The writers don't. Marinette must be hella good at working with Trixx, because hot damn is this a complex one, way beyond any other illusion we’ve seen so far.

Remember when using one Miraculous' special ability meant you'd de-transform soon after? The writers don't. Marinette does whatever she wants because she's a special special girl who already has everything figured out. How? She's a special special girl. Why? The writers couldn't be bothered to find anything better.

Adrichat isn’t clever for mixing collège and maternelle, the writers just think you’re stupid enough to think this is a good solution to the episode’s conflict. It isn’t. They just dumbed everyone down.

It’s a bad, charmless, unfunny episode. It’s a slog outside of Kim, Alix and Banananoir, and I felt like I was wasting my time watching it. There's nothing of value there. This episode could have easily not happened and it wouldn't have made a single difference.

#ml #miraculous #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #master fu #ml salt #ml writers salt #ml canon salt

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pla-teau · 3 years

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WANDAVISION SERIES FINALE THOUGHTS

WHOEVER’S CUTTING ONIONS NEEDS TO S T O P.

hayward | i was one of the many few who really wished death on the man cause he’s just the worst. this man emptied his clip at two children. i’m glad jimmy was able to pull a fast one on this dick and that darcy hit him with the ice cream truck and very happy to see the man being taken away in cuffs.

vision vs. vision | while i would’ve enjoyed seeing them fight it out until one completely lost, it wouldn’t be vision without some philosophic conversation. it’s true vision fashion. he doesn’t fight unless it’s a last resort. he’s logical and can assess other means in which to deter a foe. truly enjoyed the scene and now i’m just curious as to where tf white vision yeeted off to after regaining the memories from hex!vision? some have speculated possibly wakanda since that is the place where he died. twice. i would love to see him possibly interact with shuri since she would’ve appeared in the memory montage that hex!vision provided him with alongside other events from infinity war.

agatha (aka not mephisto) | overall, i loved agatha as a character and i’m glad she wasn’t killed off by the end of the series. i know she was more villainous in the show but i’m glad they somewhat neutralized her even if it was by cruel punishment brought upon by wanda to keep her trapped in westview as a nosy neighbor. it keeps the door open for us to see more interactions between her and wanda. i’m also glad that she was the foe wanda had to go against. i know many (like myself) speculated mephisto would appear and be revealed but i’m happy i was wrong about that. this is the first entry into phase four and to spill out a big bad right away? probably not the best move. i know ant-man 3 is planning on introducing kang the conqueror so i wouldn’t be shocked if mephisto is used as a red herring to distract us from the actual big bad of the phase, kang the conqueror (while still keeping mephisto around obviously for future battles and possibly use him as a big bad down the road).

family is forever | i was sobbing when seeing the hex start shrinking down in the distance outside the boys’ window. i love that wanda and vision made the move to put them to bed as a way of saying goodbye so they wouldn’t have to see them disappear. i hope to see these same boys come back cause i think no matter what your theory was on them, viewers fell in love with them. if planning for young avengers, i cannot wait to see them be a part of it. given that these boys weren’t real and not actually wanda’s children, i think they’ll go the route that they’ll find each other even if not as a blood related family but reincarnations that know that wanda was their mother in one instance and see her as a mother figure (alongside their actual mothers, of course). i just love them and i really wish they stuck around but i know this won’t be the last time we see them!

wanda’s outfit | i love it and i think pays homage to her comic book costume while still fitting the aesthetic of wanda and the mcu. love the attention to detail and the pattern on her headpiece. someone on here also pointed out in a post how it resembles magneto’s suit and it makes me love it more because of that. in conclusion, this is the scarlet witch and she’s hot.

wanda and vision’s farewell | if i was sobbing at billy and tommy’s fate, i was wailing by the time these two started saying goodbye. we learn that the main reason vision was able to be created the way he was by wanda was because of the mind stone. while she is the scarlet witch, she was exposed to and enhanced by the mind stone that ended up becoming vision. like she said, it’s a part of her. he lives on in her and overall, this scene just cemented that these two are meant to be together. they are going to be that power couple in the mcu moving forward, together or apart. we know these two are meant for each other and have so much love for each other and will find their way back always. while they may change, the one thing you can bet your ass on is that they fucking love each other.

ralph bohner | the twist that no one saw coming - peter is ralph. it’s clear that he was being controlled by agatha because the moment monica took off the necklace, he woke up from her spell. a lot of people are swirling around to say that he’s probably woo’s missing person. we don’t know that and it’s something that’s left unconfirmed. while i would’ve enjoyed the reveal to be peter actually being peter from the x-men universe, i’m also happy he isn’t. yes there was a lot of fanfare and hope for this series to introduce the multiverse but in retrospect, it would’ve been too much to throw at us at the beginning of phase four. throwing in the multiverse right away would’ve taken away from the series being about wanda (separate point i’ll get to at the end). do hope to see evan peters in a future mcu project, though!

wanda’s story moving forward | i hope wanda becomes a sort of anti-hero for the future. this does set up her appearance in doctor strange 2 and i can’t wait to see what she does. while agatha said she’s destined to destroy the world and her power exceeds the sorcerer supreme’s, i hope the writers don’t make wanda into this villain that loses her logic because of extreme power. wanda has proven agatha wrong already by acknowledging the error in her ways. when she realized she was hurting the people of westview, she let them go and stopped hurting them. she learned that yes, she is hurting them without knowing so what she has to do is let them go. wanda has learned throughout her years with the avengers the consequences her powers can have on people. we know she’s never been trained by a witch and yes, that makes her dangerous with her chaos magic. the second post credit scene shows us that she’s determined to teach herself even if it’s through the darkhold. in seeing what she’s done and the power she holds, i think wanda will be this gray moral character. she holds a great deal of power, the most powerful being on the planet at the moment, and that can cloud her judgement at times. despite being an avenger, this show has really shown us that wanda is alone. while she was with the avengers, what have they really done? they kept her in check and helped her utilize her powers for good but then when civil war happened, she was detained and treated like a weapon of mass destruction. the avengers are clearly nonexistent and those that are around, haven’t bothered with her. i also hope that this new phase of marvel kinda tears down the original avengers and their actions because while intentions were good, not everything or everyone was perfect and there’s consequences. and i hope those consequences are shown through the main characters of this phase like wanda.

the complaints | while i loved this show so so much, i did have some issues. while i enjoyed that this show fleshed out more of wanda’s past, i’m sad that they didn’t confirm or at least try to make wanda jewish since they completely erased her romani roots from the comics. this goes back to my whole thing with representation which i’ve mentioned before in response to an article. while i love elizabeth olsen’s portrayal and care she has for wanda, a romani actress still should’ve been cast from the beginning. the least they could’ve done was at least make her jewish even if ever so subtly because that is the other half of wanda’s identity, even if it’s been retconned often. if they are never going to confirm her as magneto’s daughter in the mcu, at least honor that aspect of her identity if you’ve erased one major one already. representation matters and i wish they tried to do right by the character since they clearly paid close attention to other aspects of her comic book history and took a deep dive into her mental health. come at me for these thoughts but i’ll stand by them. another is just directed at the press for the show (i’m looking at you paul bettany). while fans went ham on the theories and marvel will do anything to misdirect you, i think there should’ve been a clear up from marvel about bettany’s claims of a big cameo coming in the series when it was about himself. i get you don’t want to spoil the show and the big surprises it may hold for the audience but still. i think there should’ve been someone behind the scenes or bettany’s publicist could’ve kinda told him to stop hinting at a super duper big cameo. yes, fans got carried away but i think when you’re doing press for marvel, it should be somewhat common knowledge that fans are going to analyze and try to figure out wtf is gonna happen. it’s fun theorizing, don’t get me wrong but when it’s gone the way it has for this show, i think it leaves a lot of people unsatisfied. i’ll admit i was being a clown thinking i’d see patrick stewart as professor x again since he’s an actor paul’s never worked with before and would be a huge fan service for the audience like in the mandalorian season finale. tldr; crazy fan theories comes with the territory. my final grievance actually has to do with the set up for monica’s engineer. i was also hoping we’d someone big or someone that could be big in the future, possibly it was a skrull at the end but the tone and way monica talked about it, i think it was underwhelming to see a character that we came not to care too much about.

final thoughts | overall, i loved this show and it was refreshing to see marvel embrace the magical side of their universe as it continues to expand. the cast was amazing. everyone in the cast and crew deserve awards because this really gave us a show about wanda. i think a lot of people lost that (including myself) with all the theorizing; goes back to my complaint about press for the show. it gave us a show that dealt with trauma and grief in a way we haven’t seen before in marvel’s cinematic universe. i’ll admit i didn’t care much for wanda as i did with the others but this show made me care for her a lot more and made me a bigger fan of her and vision’s story. it grounded itself in dealing with wanda’s grief and trauma in a new way while also exploring her character more. so i’m happy that we didn’t get a super big cameo or that the multiverse wasn’t confirmed because then the tone and attention would’ve shifted away from this story being about her. i hope marvel can give us shows like this that make us care about a character’s emotions and feelings rather than just how cool and badass they look in a suit. it was clear that the cast and crew made this with such love and care that had good storytelling and kept us on edge every week. i hope that marvel can show us these types of stories and ranges from characters in future movies as well.

#scar’s thoughts and rants #scar’s theories #wandavision #wandavision spoilers #marvel #mcu #peter maximoff #monica rambeau #darcy lewis #jimmy woo #agatha harkness #vision #billy kaplan #tommy shepard

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actuallybarb · 3 years

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The Aftermath ~ Part 2

Summary: y/n gets knocked around by a water monster, has secret-sharing time with peter, and decides mj is more important than her pride. sleep deprivation and caffeine consumption are definitely involved.

Pairing: peter parker x reader

Warnings: swearing, angst, fluff, mysterio being a dick, trauma, it’s marvel what did you expect

Word Count: 3978 give or take

A/N: endgame is canon, *vomits*, but we’ve all got a thing for broken peter parker, even if all i want is his never ending happiness

///////////

“I can’t believe you punched Flash.” Brad, of course, decided to sit next to me on the gondola ride to the hotel. Figures.

“You better believe it, ‘cuz it actually happened.” I tried to pay as little attention to him as possible and just take pictures on my phone, but he kept talking.

“Why don’t you like me?”

I groaned. “Because, Brad, you ask stupid questions like that.”

We pulled up to the hotel and were all sufficiently underwhelmed.

“It’s flooded!”

“The hotel is sinking?”

I considered helping the hotel out, at least while we stayed at it, but there wasn’t much hope left for it. I took my room key and thanked my lucky stars I didn’t have a room on the ground level. In fact, I was sharing with MJ. I waited patiently behind her as she jiggled the door open.

“Is it safe to assume the building will crumble any second now?”

MJ burst out laughing. “I think that’s an understatement.”

“If I get TB, I’m suing.”

“The hotel?”

“Harrington.”

She smiled. “C’mon, let’s get outside before we drown.”

We walked along the water and let the sun happily reflect on our exhausted faces. Everyone was enjoying themselves, but I was starting to feel queasy. It was almost imperceptible, but I could feel the city moving with the water, and it was making me sick. I started lagging back and tried to find my “sea legs,” but Peter noticed and stuck back too. “You alright?”

I plastered on a weak smile. “That long flight is catching up with me. I’m just going to grab an espresso, I’ll meet up with you guys soon.” He looked at me one more time before nodding and meeting the rest of the group.

I didn’t completely lie — I was getting an espresso. But I wasn’t going to catch up with them, at least, not for a while. I needed to get away from the water, even just for a little bit.

I can’t fly, per se. I can control the air currents around me and change them how I want them too, like I did on the airplane with the turbulence. I can do that with most elements, (except wood, I hate wood) and that gives me a heightened awareness of them. I’m basically the Avatar and the characters from Percy Jackson. All I have to do is shave my head and tattoo blue arrows on my body. (And, yes, I did watch all seven seasons of the two series and read all ten Percy Jackson books to actually figure out what the hell it was that I could do. It helped. Clearly.)

I just lifted myself to the top of the coffee shop. I’m a sucker for espresso, I like to be close to it. The distance helped. I felt grounded enough to walk on the normal streets of Venice again, but when I touched down, I suddenly lurched to the right.

“What the hell,” I muttered. I got my answer soon enough. A huge river monster was crashing its giant water arms on anything it could see. And I was directly in its path. “Oh, shit.”

I shouldn’t have been as terrified as I was. I mean, come on, I can control water. Dissipate the water man, Y/N, I can almost hear you yelling at me. Shut up, I was scared. This thing was twice as tall as any of the buildings, and it had a direct path to anywhere in the city. Me, a seventeen year old girl, against that? Not a good idea.

So, like any logical human being, I ran. And I still got clobbered with water and ended up actually falling into the water. Let me just tell you, Italy needs to get a Brita, ‘cause their river is nasty.

But, once I was actually in the water, the river monster looked a lot less intimidating. Sure, the water was churning around and sucking everything into its path, but I was in my element — literally. I got close to it, like, really close. I pushed against the flow of the water and tried to stop the monster from forming, and it worked, for a little bit. It slowed down, and I got some newfound momentum, when all of the sudden, it all stopped, and tons of water crashed to the surface. That was my cue to leave, but then something caught my eye. A flash of metal was in the water. Luck would have it, though, that I could bend water and metal (shout out to Toph Beifong). I latched onto the metal and pulled it close to me, but I couldn’t make out what it was. Didn’t mean I would trash it though, this water was disgusting enough. I tucked it in my pocket and started swimming to the surface.

I got out of the water actually pretty close to the rest of the class, but I was the only one completely drenched.

“Oh, Y/N, good! We’re all here,” Mr. Harrington celebrated. “Let’s get back to the hotel, your families will want to know you’re all fine.”

“You’re soaked.”

I shivered, even though it wasn’t cold. The temperature difference between the water and the air was enough to make me shake. “Astute observation, Brad.”

“Here, you can have my jacket.”

“Thanks, but I don’t want it.” I kept walking and managed to bump into Peter. “You got wet too?”

“Just splashed. Did you get thrown in?”

“Yeah, the bastard caught me by surprise. I’m okay, just cold.”

“Here.” Peter slung his backpack around and took out a mostly dry sweatshirt. He gestured it my way, but I didn’t take it. “It’s just a jacket, Y/N. You’ll get a cold with your hair dripping all around you.”

I knew that wasn’t how colds worked, but I took it anyway and let it soak in the water from my hair. It helped, surprisingly, at least making me not shiver. We made it back to the hotel with no other complications, aside from Flash tripping over his own shoelace because he was too busy recording for his Instagram followers to pay attention to where he was going. I quickly went upstairs and changed out of my clothes, putting on a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt that used to belong to Jessica. The room had a tiny balcony, and I took advantage of it and laid out all of my clothes and Peter’s sweatshirt. The last thing MJ or I needed was a puddle of water to slip in.

I went back downstairs and sat close to the top of the stairs, not wanting to get anywhere near the water at the bottom. MJ was a few steps below me, and Peter was leaning against the stairs, talking to someone on the phone. He hung up, and I slipped past MJ and wrapped around to the phone. I was about to dial, when I remembered something. “Hey, Peter.”

“What’s up?”

I pulled him away from the stairs and whispered, “Is the plan still working?”

“The—oh, that plan. Uh, yeah, I think so. I got her this necklace of a black dahlia from a glass shop, and I want to give it to her at the top of the Eiffel Tower.”

I smiled. “That’s adorable. I’m going to use the phone, do you mind?”

“Oh, sorry, I’ll get out of your way.” We smiled at each other, then I grabbed the receiver and dialed.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mom, it’s Y/N.”

“Oh my—John, it’s her. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Harrington wanted all of us to call our parents, so this is me, doing my due diligence. We’re still set for Paris tomorrow, so I’ll call you then, okay? Love you.” I didn’t even really wait for them to respond before I hung up. Truth was, I didn’t want to talk to them. I didn’t really want to talk to anyone, but I had to make one more phone call.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Jess, it’s Y/N. You watch the news nonstop, so I figured I’d call, let you know I’m okay.”

“Thank god, I was so worried about you. What happened?”

“This water monster literally came out of nowhere and knocked me straight into the murky junk, it was disgusting.”

“Were you able to help at all?” Jess was one of two other people in the world who knew about what I could do. She was the one who bought me the tv shows and books, of course she knew.

“I slowed it down at some point, but then all of a sudden it just dissipated, it was weird. I did find this weird metal thing in the water, I picked it up. I’ll send you a picture of it when I get the chance.”

“Okay. Call me soon, got it?”

“Count on it. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

I wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore, so I walked up the stairs, ready to succumb to the moldy mattress in my room. Unfortunately, I had to collect my clothes.

Everything was nearly dry, and Peter’s sweatshirt was definitely dry, so I brought them inside. I almost didn’t want to give Peter his sweatshirt back, just because it was so soft, but knowing him, it was probably the only one he brought, so I walked the ten feet to his front door and knocked. I wasn’t told not to enter, so I turned the knob and walked in. “Hey, Pete, I—“ I stopped with my hand by my face, terrified. A small dart was less than an inch away from my palm. I turned to the man in the corner who was holding the gun. “Did you just try to shoot me?”

“You’re the one who came barging in.” The scary looking guy with the eyepatch leaned forward. “What’s your name?”

I laughed heartlessly. “Ha, yeah, like I’m going to tell the man who just pulled a gun on me.” I looked at Peter and threw his jacket at him. “I brought this back.” Then I turned to the man in the chair. I crunched the dart, letting it fold on top of itself before his eyes, then I let it fall to the floor. “You can keep that.” I looked at Peter one more time, then slammed the door on my way out.

MJ was laying on her bed when I walked back in, but she could tell something was up. She had impeccable observational skills. “You good?”

I was pacing, a bad habit I picked up after The Snap first happened. “I just need to look something up.”

“Well, the hotel might be sinking, but they’ve at least got good wifi.”

I finally sat and opened my laptop, then turned on my VPN and put the whole device on ‘incognito mode.’ I had some serious investigations to conduct, I didn’t need the government to see what I was doing. Okay, I only had one serious investigation, but that could possibly have lead to more, so I kept my guard up.

First search: scary-looking black man with an eyepatch. The guy’s face was the first image that popped up. Nick Fury. Ex-director of SHIELD before all of that went to shit. Now he’s running some ‘underground’ SHIELD, I guess. Now I know the guy’s name.

But why was he talking to Peter? And why did he shoot me?

I was up all night doing research. Not just on Nick Fury, but on the metal piece I had found in the water, the Avengers, and as much as I could find on Peter Parker himself. Sooner than I thought, the sun peeked between the curtains at the window and MJ’s alarm came blaring through the speakers on her phone.

“Morning,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes and finally taking a break from my computer screen.

“Did you sleep at all?”

“Are you going to yell at me if I say no?” MJ just pursed her lips. I knew she wouldn’t.

It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve pulled an all nighter. At least this one was productive.

“What’s on your bed?” She picked up a small spring and looked it over before putting it back beside the rest of the pieces of the metal thing. “Did you take apart your toothbrush?”

I chuckled. “No, I found this thing in the river when I got knocked in. I didn’t know what it was, so I took it apart.”

“Have you figured it out?”

“Not yet.” I rubbed my eyes again and groaned. “We’re going to Paris today, right?”

“Yeah.” MJ stood and stretched and I caught the smallest smile on her face when she replied. I smiled too and packed up my project. Something for another late night.

We were escorted outside with our luggage in tow, but Mr. Harrington happily informed us we would be taking a bus to Prague instead of a train to Paris. You’ve got to be kidding.

Peter was walking to the bus in front of me, but I grabbed his arm and dragged him away. “What the hell, Peter?”

“You can control metal?” He was in awe. His admiration would’ve been flattering if I wasn’t so pissed.

“You had Nick Fury in your room last night. I almost got shot last night. What the hell is going on?”

“It was only a tranquilizer, you would’ve been fine—“

“That’s not the point, Parker!” I basically hissed at him. He looked a little surprised that I was so upset. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down enough to not start shouting. “We were attacked by a water monster, I almost got shot, I didn’t sleep, and now four people in the world know what I can do, so give me some damn answers, because I sure as hell deserve them.”

Peter looked around, like he was looking for an escape, but I was ready. I might not have slept in almost 48 hours, but I wasn’t going to let him get away so easily.

Then Harrington was calling us over to the bus. Perfect timing.

“Can we talk on the bus?”

I nodded and let him lead the way to the back. Surprisingly we were the only ones that occupied those seats and the ones surrounding, but that’s what happens when you get a bunch of nerds in the same vehicle—they all sit in the front. He sat low in his seat, and I did the same, and I let him start the conversation. Prying it out of him wouldn’t be too successful, I figured, not with something like this.

We got fifteen minutes out of the city before he started talking. “Fury wanted me to go with him to meet this guy who defeated the Elemental yesterday.”

“Why you? And what’s an Elemental?”

“The water monster, it’s called an Elemental. And he asked me because I’m—I’m,” his voice dropped to an even lower whisper, “I’m Spider-Man.”

I almost didn’t believe him.

I almost burst out laughing at the hilarity of it all. Peter Parker, Spider-Man? Ridiculous.

But, remember, I learned from Toph Beifong. I can tell when people are lying.

And Peter?

Peter wasn’t lying.

Well, shit.

How do I even respond to something like that?

“Okay.” Good one. “Who was the other guy you met with?”

“You—you’re not surprised?”

Oh, young Parker, I was dumbfounded. But I had learned two years earlier how to control my heart rate, so he would never know how freaked out I actually was.

“You saw me stop a dart mid-air, Peter, you being Spider-Man is hardly out of the ordinary.”

He looked relieved, but he still hadn’t answered my question.

“Who was the other guy?”

“Oh. His name is Quentin Beck. He’s—“ another low whisper, “he’s from an alternate universe. He fought the Elementals before, and he and them got sucked into our universe when Tha—Hulk brought everyone back.” He didn’t look me in the eye when he talked about the snaps. I wouldn’t either, but I felt the little blip his heart made at the mention of Thanos’s name, so I didn’t push. Even though Quentin Beck and his story sounded like bullshit.

“Do you have a picture of him?” Peter looked at me skeptically, but hooked up his mask to his phone. A somewhat blurry picture of Quentin Beck popped up, and he sent it to me, but he didn’t seem happy about it. “I just want to know who to look out for. If I start chucking rocks at people, I don’t want to hit the wrong one.” The lie seemed to relax him a little bit. It wasn’t a complete lie, I did want to know who to look out for, but I also wanted to find this guy in our universe. “What’s the plan now?”

“They think another one will pop up in Prague—“

“Peter, we’re driving toward Prague. Shouldn’t we be going away from it?”

“I have to help fight this thing—“

“Let the Beck guy do it!” My voice had risen above a whisper and Peter quickly shushed me. “He’s done it before, he can do it again.”

“They need my help, I can—“

“Peter.” He kept muttering, convincing himself he needed to help, but I wasn’t having it. “You don’t have to save the world, Peter.”

That got him to shut up.

“Yes, I do.”

“No, you don’t. You don’t owe the world a goddamn thing.”

“Help me.” That got me to shut up. “Help me fight the Elemental.”

“Why the hell would I do that?”

“Because you’re one of the only people who can! The next one that’s coming, they’re pretty sure it’s the fire elemental, and any time it absorbs metal it can get stronger. You can help us beat it by keeping the metal away from it!”

Oh. He didn’t know I could do more than that.

“Peter, I — ”

“Please.” Peter Parker had the best puppy-dog eyes I had ever seen in my life. But I wasn’t convinced.

“I’m here for a school trip, Pete, not to save the world.”

It’s like I sucker punched him. He deflated immediately and looked away, and I got up and moved a few rows ahead.

I wasn’t opposed to helping, but I didn’t want to get near Quentin Beck until I had a full story on him. And that would take a lot of research and caffeine.

“Hey, Eugene.” We had stopped for a bathroom break and he was still using his phone to update his Instagram followers on all of the happenings on our way to Prague.

“Are you here to break my jaw again, Y/L/N?”

I looked at his face and didn’t see any swelling, barely any discoloration. “Nope, you’re healing nicely, I’m impressed. Do you have a hotspot?”

“Why do you think I have a hotspot?”

“Because you’ve been on your phone the entire trip.”

“What will you do for me if I let you on it?”

I rolled my eyes and groaned. Of course he would ask for a favor. “Anything. Within reason.”

“Can I cash in on the favor later?”

Goddamnit. “Sure, whatever.”

He laughed maniacally. “Okay, Flash Hotspot is the user, and spidermanrocks is the password, no spaces, no caps.”

“Really, Eugene, you went with that password?” I almost had to laugh. He would have an aneurysm if he knew who was really Spider-Man.

“What?”

“It’s a bit obvious, don’t you think?”

He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. What were you doing with Parker?”

“Plotting the downfall of the European Union.” I let out a laugh. “We were talking about the water monster, and how there’s a light festival in Prague that’d be cool to go to.”

“Gonna go on a date with Penis Parker?”

“I was actually thinking about asking Brad.” That made Flash laugh, and I smiled myself. “But seriously, stop calling him that.”

“Whatever.”

Peter looked flustered as he got back on the bus, but I didn’t pry. But Brad looked awfully smug as he sat beside MJ. Focus, Y/N, you have to find Quentin Beck. I hunkered down in my seat and slipped my headphones over my ears, then logged onto Flash’s hotspot and got to work.

The number of illegal websites I went on was not something I’m willing to admit out loud, but I couldn’t find anything. Not a single facial-recognition scan showed any results for Quentin Beck, and I tried as many as I could get my hands on. But the more I looked at his face, the more I felt like I’d seen him before. And honestly, it was pissing me off.

I stared at the image on my phone, and I had a gut feeling it had to do with Tony Stark. This Beck guy was somehow connected to Stark. It’s like the answer was on the tip of my tongue. I rubbed my temples in frustration, wishing I could just reach into my memory and pull out the information when it hit me. “Memory, you’re so stupid, Y/N.”

Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing, affectionately called B.A.R.F. was presented by Tony Stark at a lecture he did at MIT almost seven years ago. But this guy had released a paper about it six months before—a guy named Quentin Beck. I remembered reading about it for a school project, and the picture of the guy was the same person Peter met.

“There’s no way.”

I looked up the article, and sure enough, I was right. Quentin Beck was the scientist behind the technology, and he was an employee for Stark Industries when the article was published.

Great, now I had to break into Stark Industries and access their archives while on a hotspot provided by Eugene Thompson. Lucky for me, we pulled into the parking lot for our much improved hotel, which meant free wifi. Unlucky for me, Mr. Harrington now felt he needed to start bossing us around, considering he was the teacher. Which meant I had to put my investigations to the side. For now.

“Okay, kids, grab your room keys, same roommates as before. Meet back in the lobby at five o’clock for the light festival!”

MJ and I dragged our cases up to the third floor. We each chose a bed, but she was moody, more than her usual angst. But I didn’t have time to play therapist. “Did we get a wifi password?”

“Uh, yeah.” She passed over the card after logging in herself and sat on her bed, glancing back at me every ten seconds.

I was typing away madly, but her stares were making me uncomfortable. “Why are you staring?”

She looked away quickly. “I’m not staring.”

“You were totally staring.” I kept clicking and typing. “What?”

“What are you looking for? I know you stayed up all last night on your computer.”

To tell or not to tell, that is the question. Not a very hard one, but it’s still the question. This secret isn’t mine to make public, though. “I’m trying to prove someone wrong.”

“Who?”

I hesitated. “Peter.”

“Why do you need to prove him wrong?”

“Because he’s gotten his idyllic little hopes up and I want to squash them like a bug.” I glanced at her and smirked. “I’m kidding. I just don’t think he’s right about something, and I’m proving it.”

She nodded, not entirely convinced. “You’re coming to the light festival, right?”

I looked at her. Really looked at her. She was pulling her long sleeves over her wrists and switching her weight from foot to foot—uncomfortable as hell. I gave her a genuine smile and closed my computer. “Wouldn’t miss it. Wanna help me figure out what to wear?”

Friends come before saving the world any day.

tags: @eridanuswave @vampirestrawberries

#peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #peter parker series #peter parker oneshot #marvel #marvel comics #reader insert #peter parker x mj #ned leeds #michelle jones #flash thompson #spiderman far from home #mcu #spiderman #avengers

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bigheartedsky · 4 years

Text

Next Life

Pairings: idol!Yoongi x fan!Reader

Genre: Angst, Fluff; one shot

Word Count: 5.6k+

Warnings: none that I can think of..?

Summary: When a stranger in a bookstore starts talking to you about book recommendations and slips you his number, you finally feel like you found the one. Even though you could only see his eyes, the rest of his face covered by a cap and mask, it was like lightning went through your body. But will it really work out or does your little love story have more surprises for you than you thought?

a/n: this is one story I had in my head for years actually since I’ve always wondered what it would be like to meet them randomly. I’m a realist so in my eyes it wouldn’t go that smoothly so here you have a very angsty, but also fluffy story~ thanks to my lovely beta reader @yeontanismypresident for proof reading again! You’re a huge help since English isn’t my first language and I’m always glad to hear feedback!!

Masterlist

“We still have an hour before boarding starts.” Your best friend checked her watch while you came to a halt in the middle of the waiting area.

“Do you want to grab something to eat or drink? I’m actually really craving a coffee.” She added while looking around, but your focus was already on a quite different place that had nothing to do with food. Alex followed your eyes before sighing and chuckling. The chuckle brought your attention to her and you remembered that she had just asked you something.

“Sorry. Food sounds good. Would you mind if I-“

“Went to the bookstore before?” your friend grinned, finishing your sentence and you gave her a sheepish smile, apologizing with your eyes. “Sure, go ahead. I’ll save you a place at the Starbucks over there. I know you can’t keep away from books anyways so no surprise there. No wonder you work at a bookstore.”

You followed with your eyes where she was pointing at before nodding and smiling. That same smile on your lips, you entered the bookstore, taking in the familiar smell of new books and magazines.

Which one of you should I add to my collection this time…? I need something to read on the flight anyways.

You let your fingers gently stroke the top of the books while walking past them until one of them caught your interest. Reading through the description on the back, you didn’t notice how someone was slowly approaching you.

“That one is boring.” A male voice said right next to you - although it seemed more like he mumbled it to himself rather than actually directing it at you. You looked around confused, making sure you were the one he meant. He stood right next to you, skimming the books you both were standing in front of, and grabbing one of them to check it before laying it back on the pile.

“Excuse me?” he looked at you for a second, eyes meeting yours, and you felt for a second as if the whole world stood still. It was like a lightning that went through your whole body to find home right where your heart is. You never felt like this before in your life.

Is that what love at first sight feels like? you wondered while still staring at him. You’ve always been a romantic, but very realistic person, which made you like that thought, but at the same time shake it off immediately.

This was so weird.

He held your gaze for a second, before looking back to the book in your hands and tapping on it. He was wearing all black and his face was barely visible due to a cap and mask – both black as well. His hands were really pretty, you noticed while he tapped the book in your hands for a moment, with slender, long fingers, making you wonder what it would feel like to hold them.

What the hell is happening to me? I haven’t said three words to him yet I’m fantasising about holding his hands?? I need to read less romantic novels.

“This one is boring.” His words pulled you back into reality.

“It’s well written but the plot is not well thought out and the ending is very unsatisfying. The character development is underwhelming as well. There are better things to choose.” He explained in such a nonchalant way, it almost made you smile. Cocking your head to the side curiously, you stared at him for a second before putting the book back.

“Okay. Suggest one to me then.” His eyes met yours again after saying that. He looked surprised but it only lasted a second before he started looking around.

Somehow, I feel really comfortable with him. He seems so familiar the way he’s speaking. As if I’ve known him for years.

You got pulled back into reality when he suddenly started walking towards one of the shelfs, taking one book and reaching it out to give to you without a word. Looking down you read the title out loud.

“The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I’m impressed.” You looked up at him grinning. “That’s a really good choice. A classic and to your luck I haven’t read this one yet.”

Was that a smile coming up to his eyes? It’s hard to see through the mask, but I think it was. Cute…

He cleared his throat before looking around again and then back at you.

“What about you?” he suddenly asked, ears glowing red. You looked at him confused for a moment until he added almost impatiently. “A book you would recommend me.”

“Oh! Uhm… let me think.” Your eyes start roaming all the books in the store. It was your job but still, sometimes it took quite some time for you to recommend books to people you just met. But then one book caught your eye that never failed to make you smile. You weren’t sure if it was his style, but because your own experience reading it was so special, you chose to recommend it anyways.

“Here, Into the Magic Shop by Dr. James Doty. I don’t know if this is the kind you like to read, but personally it helped me a lot when I was feeling down so… yea.” You slowly felt yourself blush and grow nervous the more you tried to explain to him why you recommend it.

“Someone once recommended it to me telling me that it holds the key to creating your life the way you want it to be without dying due to stress or overthinking. It made me change my perspective on work and life itself and rethink my life choices a lot.” He looked at the book nodding. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw you chose this one at first but when you finished explaining he forgot all his worries and just accepted the offer. His eyes darted to the price tags of both books you had chosen for each other and after a moment of thought he gave you “Into the Magic Shop”.

“Pay this for me.” He said shortly before turning to go to the register to pay for the book he had chosen for you. You stood there dumbfounded for a second before quickly following him to pay too. After he finished paying, he stood at the other end of the register and did something you couldn’t quite see with the book while waiting for you to finish too. After you finished, he held out the book for you with one hand, and his free hand to receive the one for himself. You traded the books and you couldn’t help the smile on your face, especially as his fingers lingered on yours for the briefest moment while trading them, electricity and warmth running through your body and making you blush. You hoped with everything in you that he felt the same things you did.

“Thank you.” You said smiling from ear to ear. Your heart was beating a little faster and you felt like a teenager crushing hard on a stranger right now. The smile was tugging on his eyes again and you could see that he was fighting it a little.

Should I ask for his number? I don’t think I can live without seeing him again. I would definitely regret it. Okay here I go!

But just as you were about to ask him for his contacts, his voice cut off your attempt before it even began.

“Keep it safe for me, okay? See you.” And with that he turned and walked out of your view before you could say anything further. At first you felt regret but then another feeling spread throughout your body instead - confusion and hope.

See you?

Somehow the promise of these two words made you smile even more. You looked down at the book, noticing now that this one was way more expensive than the one you paid. Your eyes darted to the place you had last seen him but he was already gone.

He took the more expensive one on purpose... You started feeling all warm and fuzzy thinking about this small gesture.

Packing the book in a safe spot in your bag, you started making your way to the Starbucks. Of course, Alex started complaining a little about you taking way longer than normal, but that made her have an excuse to get another one of her favorite Frappuccino’s, which she definitely wasn’t angry about. You still don’t know why but you didn’t immediately start telling her about the handsome bookstore stranger. Well, you thought he was handsome due to his eyes being on show – and very pretty – but you weren’t really sure what he looked like. You didn’t even know his name and still here you were daydreaming about that moment over and over again while somewhat listening to your best friend talking about her favorite TV show at the moment.

“Good afternoon passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 713B to London. We are now inviting those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you.”

Hearing the announcement, you slowly started packing up your stuff to leave for your gate, knowing it is still quite a walk.

“Wouldn’t it be crazy to meet one of the BTS members randomly at the airport today?”

“It would be. But it would also be highly unlikely.” You laughed at your friend’s enthusiasm for that imagine.

“I mean, it’s not that unlikely! Think about it. They had concerts here on Monday and Tuesday. Today is Friday and tomorrow will be their concert in London.” Alex paused for a second to calm herself down from knowing she would see them live in less than 48 hours from now. “It’s not that unlikely for them to fly to London today!”

“But it’s unlikely for them to wait here with all the normal passengers for their private jet.” You scoffed but still you found yourself wondering what it would be like to actually run into them.

I just hope I would treat them normally. Best thing would be if I don’t even recognize it’s them until later. Don’t wanna scare them away...

You laughed a little at your own thought while taking out your boarding pass and passport.

You waited for the plane to be all the way up in traveling height before you took out the book the stranger bought you. You couldn’t help the smile on your face while looking at it, thanking god for distracting your friend with the on-board movie program so she didn’t notice. Opening it you flicked through it with your finger sliding over the side of the pages. You loved the feeling and sound it made when you flicked through all the pages of a book. Used to seeing the photobooks of K-pop albums stop at a specific page, with a photocard in between, you weren’t surprised at first when it happened with this book too, but when it hit you that this shouldn’t happen with a normal book your heart rate immediately picked up. You took out the piece of paper stuck between the pages to unfold it.

[When I saw you today, I felt like I walked into my Magic Shop. Tell me if you like the book.

+82 36 XXXX YYYY

- Min]

So, his name was Min?

You smiled to yourself when suddenly your best friend exclaimed.

“Someone snuck you their number????” you blushed and shushed her, looking around apologetically to the people around you. Sometime while you were reading the message, she must’ve looked at you and seen the message. Not being able to hide anything anymore, you start telling her about everything that happened, and even though you were the one with a huge crush, she seemed more excited than you. You had to promise her to message him right after you guys landed, which you didn’t mind since the relief you felt knowing you can contact him anytime now made you all giddy and impatient for the plane to finally arrive at its destination.

“Who knows where this guy is from! You said he had a Korean accent, but does he really live in Korea? You never know where people live even if they have an accent. Our world is so globalized that you can basically live in Italy as a Chinese person and have half Swedish parents! Anything is possible.” Alex was at this since you finished telling her the story.

“I don’t know. But I hope I’ll find out.” You simply said before you started to dive into the world of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

[12:56 AM – Y/N]

[Hey Min! This is the girl from the Bookstore. I started reading The Alchemist on my flight to London and so far, I really like it. Thank you for the recommendation.]

[01:34 PM – Min]

[I’m glad you like it. How was your flight? And I need your name so that I can save you.]

[01:35PM – Y/N]

[My name is Y/N and my flight was good. How was yours? Or are you still waiting for the boarding?]

[01:36PM - Min]

[We arrived a few minutes ago, too. Your book is not bad as well, btw.]

[…]

“Are you still texting with Min?” Alex asked grabbing herself a plate at the breakfast buffet of your hotel.

“Yea. We’ve been talking all night about music and books and somehow lost track of time. We have a lot in common and I honestly feel good about this. Everything is so easy and just falls into place.” You blush, telling your friend about the things you talked about.

“And you won’t believe it, but he’s actually in London as well. Says he has some work to do here before flying somewhere else. And he asked if I want to meet up the day after tomorrow with him.”

“But our flight back leaves tomorrow.” Alex frowns at you, unhappy with how your love story isn’t exactly like the fairytales, where everything turns out perfectly.

“I know. I told him that as well so he asked me to meet tonight after he’s done working…”

“Oh my god!! You have to go! Please tell me you’re going.” You sighed.

“Honestly, I really really want to. But our plane leaves so early we have to get back to the hotel immediately after the concert to start packing and leave for the airport. You know that our schedule is too tight for extra trips.”

Your friend was suddenly very quiet, making you look up from the buffet in front of you and at her. She looked deep in thought, looking at the eggs as if her life depended on the decision between boiled or scrambled egg. Then all of a sudden Alex exclaimed, making you almost drop your plate in surprise.

“How about we pack everything now and I’ll ask the taxi driver to pick you up at the spot where your lover boy wants to meet you! You could spend some time with him then and I’ll get our luggage and pick you up with the taxi later. It’s perfect! You just have to pick a spot that’s not too far away from Wembley.” You thought about her words for a long time, running the numbers if it was really possible to do or not.

“Okay. I’ll ask where he wants to meet.” You started smiling while typing the question in your message bar.

The BTS concert that evening was far more than just amazing. It was wonderful. You were absolutely stunned with how good they actually were live, having only seen them on screens or listen to their songs digitally. You were so excited and talkative after the concert that you almost forgot your date with Min for a second. You quickly made your way to the bathrooms, changing into something that wasn’t drenched in sweat and putting your other clothes in a bag for Alex to take with her. You checked yourself in the mirror one last time before jogging out to Alex.

“If we hurry up, we can see them leave the hall before you have your date. I heard that they leave while everyone is busy looking at the fireworks and my friend – who works here – told me where the exit for the stars is.”

You didn’t really want to be one of the fans who stalked their idols but you thought that just watching them leave the building from far away wouldn’t hurt, since many fans did this. And just as you wondered if others knew about the exit too, you were greeted by a crowd of people on the stairs in front of you. They were all waiting for someone coming out of the one exit in view to say a final goodbye. Instead of squeezing yourself on the stairs with the others, Alex pulled you over to the other side where a small balcony-like structure, that was somewhat hidden if you looked in its direction from the stairs, had an even better view on the exit.

And then they came out. You could see them all clearly, being not too far away but also not too close to them. Two huge black vans pulled over for the members to get in. You were excited to see them one last time until one person came into view.

All in black with a black cap and a black mask, holding a book in his hand that you could even identify from where you were standing at. Your thoughts were racing.

Min…? Min… No way…

You pulled out your phone as quickly as you could, dialing his number with shaking hands and waiting for him to pick up. You prayed it wasn’t the man in front of your eyes, knowing exactly what that would mean for your growing relationship with him. But there he was, pulling out his phone and greeting you while making his way to the car, about to get in.

“Sorry, I’m running a little late. Are you already there-?” he stopped when he heard your quiet and breathy response.

“Min…Yoongi…?” his head shot up, meeting your eyes immediately. Tears were swelling in your eyes.

No… why… why does it have to be you?

You turned and just ran, ending the call - a faint call of your name ringing in your ear - and putting it back in your bag. Alex needed a second before she realized what was happening. She waited until Yoongi got in the car – hesitating and staring after you for quite a while – before she tried to catch up with you. Which she did since Alex has always been the sporty one while you were the bookworm in your friendship.

“Y/N! Whoa whoa whoa, stop!!” your friend ran around you, making you stop by standing right in front of you and grabbing your arms gently. “What just happened there?”

“It’s him! M-Min is- He is-“

“Min Yoongi…? Wow, didn’t see that one coming.” Alex replied quietly, almost to herself.

“But what the hell are you doing, running away instead of going to the place you guys are supposed to meet??” she stared at you intently trying to get some sense into you.

“He’s an idol, Alex! And I’m his fan. This can’t work out. The entertainment, the fans, the members… they won’t just sit there and watch us become a couple.” you were panicking completely.

“Okay you have a point there, but you still have to talk to him about this. You can’t just run away from this without giving him a chance at all. Please, Y/N. Go to your meeting spot.” You looked into the eyes of your best friend, unsure of what to do. You felt insecure. Every single flaw that you saw in yourself was suddenly even more obvious than before.

“What if he doesn’t show up?” you asked timidly.

“Then he’s an asshole that doesn’t deserve you.” You smiled a little at that, especially since you knew he was Alex’s bias and she would never actually think of him as an asshole.

You weren’t far away from the bridge he wanted to meet on. With every step you took, your heart started beating faster and louder. Your whole body was shaking, wondering if he was going to show up or not. You turned around the corner, the bridge coming into view, slowly making your way on top of it. It was a bridge only for pedestrians and it wasn’t surprising to see it almost empty due to it being past midnight. As soon as you arrived the beginning of the bridge on your side of the small river, you could make out a person standing in the middle of it, leaning on the railing with his head resting in his hands. He looked distressed.

Your heart was beating like crazy and when you were just a few steps away he suddenly looked at you. You both paused and your rapid heartbeat slowed down immediately. His presence had a calming effect on you, which you would have never expected in this situation. He was still wearing his cap but he took off the mask, holding it tightly in his fist.

Silence.

You stared at each other both weighing what would be the best thing to say. You could see his struggle with the right words so instead of letting him suffer more, you started.

“Sorry for calling you with such a bad timing.” You smiled sadly, walking up to him and joining him in leaning your hands on the railing too. You left a small space in between just to make sure he wasn’t getting uncomfortable.

“So, you’re an ARMY?” he asked simply, not letting any emotions show.

“Yea, I am.” You could see him nod.

“Did you know it was me?” his jaw clenched at the thought of you maybe knowing and not telling him.

“Do you really think I would’ve reacted this way today if I knew?” you looked at him questioning if he even thought about his words before asking this. It made you angry that he actually thought you could do something like this. But then again you knew each other for a little more than a day so you couldn’t really judge him for it.

“I had to ask.”

“Sorry. Of course, you would be leery of someone you barely know.” You apologized after considering his point of view.

Silence again.

A shiver was running down your body. It got really cold now compared to the warm weather during daytime and you wished you had kept on your BTS jacket instead of giving it to Alex to take to the hotel with her. A shirt and skirt really weren’t appropriate for weather like this. You suddenly felt something heavy on your shoulders and immediately warmth spread throughout your body. You grabbed at the fabric of the long black coat Yoongi was just wearing seconds ago, that was now placed on your shoulders to warm you instead.

“Won’t you feel cold? If you get sick everyone will be sad.” You quickly told him wanting to give the jacket back.

“I rarely get sick and was feeling warm anyways. Also…” he pauses to look at you for a moment before looking in the distance again. “if you get sick, I’ll be sad.”

You blushing would be an understatement. You were completely speechless just simply staring at his side profile. He was avoiding to look at you at any cost.

“I mean, you are our fan after all. And ARMYs are everything to us.”

“Ah… right.” A bittersweet feeling spread in you. You were glad he was kind to you, but sad because he was now only seeing you as a fan and not as a woman anymore. Biting your lower lip, you assembled all your confidence to finally say the words tormenting you.

“If it’s uncomfortable for you we can stop talking. I’m not gonna stalk you or spread your number. If you want, I’ll delete everything and throw away the note right here.”

Please say no please say no please say no

“I think that’s the best for both of us.” A sharp pain hit your heart right when you heard him say those words. You just nod and take out your phone with shaking hands. Tears gather in your eyes and you can’t see anything on your screen, nor can you type anything. His hand suddenly wraps around yours, phone still inside. You look up at him and – are those tears in his eyes?

“But I don’t want to do it.” He added to his last statement.

“Yoongi…” you turn to face him. “Just think about it. This can’t work. You work in Korea as an idol and I’m a simple bookshop worker here. You’re on watch 24/7 and I don’t want to be the cause of your first scandal. I don’t want to be the reason you get a bad image and have to struggle with bad comments. I don’t want you to get hurt because of –“

He pulled you to his chest, not caring that his coat fell off your shoulders in the process and just held you there.

“Me too.” he whispered into your shoulder. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Wrapping your hands around him you cried into his chest, knowing that the guy you felt like could finally be the one, is the only one you could actually never call your own.

You stayed like this until you calmed down and after a long time of talking you both decided that, if you want the other to stay safe, the best thing would be to stop this before it even begins. You deleted his number in front of his eyes, including all messages and took out the piece of paper that started all of this.

“I can’t throw this out. Can you please just take it with you? It’s too precious to me.” You put it in his hand, closing it around the piece of paper. He nodded and you smiled sadly while a taxi pulled up at the end of the bridge honking. You both looked at the cab in question.

“That’s me.” You looked back at him taking off his coat, that was wrapped around your shoulders again and put it around his’ instead. You gave him a shy kiss on his cheek while you leaned in looking at him sadly one last time.

“Maybe if we’ll meet again in our next life it will work out… us meeting as equals.” he held your hand tightly while you said that. He didn’t want to let you go and he was wishing right then and there that you could just come with him and be his little secret. But he knew that it was selfish so instead he did the only thing that made him feel somewhat better about everything.

You heard another honk from the taxi, followed by your friend calling your name because the time was running out.

“I have to go.” You told him wanting to let go of his hand but he held you in place now fiddling with one of his silver bracelets he was wearing. It was a simple bracelet on the chunkier side, more of a design made for male customers. He put it on your wrist quickly as if it was a promise.

“Until next life.” He said to underline the wordless promise he just gave to you. You started tearing up again before finally making your way to the cab quickly. You practically ran to prevent losing yourself in your feelings completely.

As soon as you got in the car it started driving. You stared out the window, vaguely able to make out Yoongis form as he put the silver ring you always wore on his pinky finger. You slipped it into his hand as soon as he finished putting the bracelet on your wrist. As his figure became blurred with increasing distance, your heart started aching more and more. By the time you arrived at the airport you were breaking apart – your friend’s arms were the only thing holding you together.

The last months were pure torture. You never experienced such a bad heartbreak before, and you didn’t even understand why you felt such a deep connection with someone you actually only talked to for roughly two days. He was the one, and you knew you wouldn’t find anyone that could take his place. He was perfect for you, but you let him go. It was better that way. At least that’s what you were trying to tell yourself.

“Y/N!!!!” you jumped, almost falling down the stairs of the small staircase you used to reach the higher shelves. Alex came storming into the bookstore you worked at with her phone in her hand, something playing on the screen. You’ve been daydreaming a lot ever since you came back from London, making you jump way more than usual when your best friend came in, yelling like this.

“What’s wrong, Alex?? Is someone hurt?” you looked at her in worry since normally she would never barge into your workplace like this.

“No one is hurt. Or actually I think someone is very badly hurt. Look.” She shoved her phone in your hand, and you couldn’t help the pain you felt when you saw what was playing on the screen. It was a live stream on Vapp and greeting you there was none other than Yoongi.

He looks so tired… Does he sleep well?

“Why are you showing this to me?” you asked her, feeling the sharp pain in your heart again.

“Listen to what he’s saying! I’m not sure if I understood everything correctly but I think he’s talking about you!”

You looked around unsure of what to do before you took the headphone from your best friend and started listening intently to what he was saying in korean. Your Korean was actually quite good, having spent way too much time to learn more of it as a distraction over the last 2 months.

“…yes, so as said that person, I met her at the airport and she recommended this book to me. She told me it helped her a lot with stressing less in life and made her rethink her choices in life. And, well, it honestly has the same effect on me now. I’ve been wondering what is the most important thing in my life right now and I’m thankful to her for giving me such a good life lesson.” He started playing with a silver ring on his pinky.

My ring… Your hand went to the bracelet around your wrist immediately.

“I came to the conclusion that if I keep pushing things that I want to do to a different time, it’s no good. And damn, ‘next life’ is so far away.”

Your heart rate picked up immediately. You couldn’t believe what you heard. Everyone was confused to what he exactly meant by that statement but he didn’t answer any of the questions. Instead he just stared blankly, thinking hard, for a moment.

“Sorry for this abrupt ending but I’m going to end the vlive here. I have something to do. Don’t skip your meals, it can weaken your immune system. Don’t catch a cold. Thank you, everyone and see you later.” And with that the vlive suddenly ended.

“What happened?” your best friend asked when you gave her the phone back.

“He said he had something to do and suddenly ended the live. But before that he said that I quote: ‘next life is so far away’” you looked at Alex with big eyes. Having explained to her what went down on the bridge two months ago, she immediately knew what that meant.

“You don’t think he meant-“ She stopped talking as soon as you both heard your phone start ringing. Your heart was beating like crazy and even though you tried to tell yourself not to get excited or have any expectations, you did either way. Looking at your mobile phone screen you saw a number that wasn’t saved in your phone. A Korean mobile phone number.

You answered the phone with a simple greeting because you knew immediately who was on the other end.

“I can’t wait until fucking next life.”

His voice was calm but you could hear the desperation and pure exhaustion in it. Tears started gathering in your eyes, not even sparing a second before rolling down your face. You couldn’t help the sob that left your mouth.

“You were supposed to delete my number! Calls from overseas are expensive!” you sobbed into your phone.

“I don’t care. I’m going to pay the bill for you. Just tell me – honestly – if you feel the same way.” You sobbed again. Alex looked at you with a compassionate smile, knowing exactly why you reacted the way you did. It pained him to hear you cry so much, and it made him tear up himself. Even if he wasn’t the type to cry easily, hearing you cry just had that effect on him.

“Please, don’t cry, Y/N. I’m not going to call again, just please stop crying.”

“N-NO! I’m so glad you called… I-I’m sorry for crying. I’m just s-so happy…” you tried sounding as normal as possible, but you just couldn’t avoid the hiccups here and there. “I was hoping every day that you would call. I was so stupid back then. Please forgive me, I can’t wait until next life either!”

The next things you hear are just a big exhale, a chuckle and sniffles.

Is he crying, too? You wondered, hearing him speak a second later.

“Okay, now that that’s settled. Who is going to visit who first?”

Masterlist

a/n: I hope you enjoyed reading!! If you liked this story don’t be shy and just tell me! If you guys liked it I would be willing to write a second part. But only if you insist... (jk I would be thrilled if you wanted a second part). You can also check out my other stories if you like~

#next life #bts #bigheartedsky #bts x reader #bts angst #bts fluff #bts x y/n #Yoongi x reader #yoongi x y/n #suga x reader #min yoongi #myg #min suga #bts fanfiction #bts one shot #bts imagine #bts scenarios #bts imagines

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thornsofdeath · 4 years

Text

phf rants

as i’ve made clear im rlly impacted by this book. dont mind my lowkey venting

damn this is long

mista's coldness towards fugo / the stadium scene as a whole

it really really hurt me to see mista treating fugo, his old partner, his old friend like a dangerous enemy. i know he had his valid reasoning, but that very specific kind of angst shatters me. mista had his gun pointed at fugo for the entire stadium scene, not wavering for even a second. the worst part? it seemed like mista was trying to purposefully incite fugo to snap by right out insulting him and his stand, saying he was glad when fugo didn’t get on the boat. it seemed like he was egging fugo on just so he had an excuse to kill him, to get one more thing off his list of concerns. fugo as a person meant nothing at all to mista. when mista said “kill these traitors, or we’ll kill you” i wanted to cry. mista goes on about hoe fugo is a massive threat because purple haze is unhinged and can wipe out the enitre population if he wanted. fugo politely corrects him, as PH only has 6 capsules and can only attack 6 times in a day. did i see myself in that scene and feel fugo’s pain of just wanting to be left alone and not have to think about the past or the future, silent and melancholic during intervention and just feeling like the only way out is to kms right then and there? thats a secret ill never tell. phf makes me smad.

there were some little details in purple haze feedback that got me thinking as well. in the 6 months between fugo’s leave and his cold reuniting with mista, fugo was playing piano at a bar. Most of the people who bring this up refer to it as just some cool trick he could get because he’s a rich kid. he is not. in flashbacks, it’s shown that bruno only knows how to cope with distress by isolating himself and bottling everything up. god, did i feel that. sheila e’s life goal was to kill illuso (to avenge her sister) and swore her life to giorno after finding out he killed him, it’s ironic though because in reality fugo had killed him, and in the first part of the book, they weren’t exactly friends.

another part that really just made me wanna sob and bash my head into a wall was seeing fugo’s pure self hatred. since he was a child, he had it drilled into his head that if he couldnt produce results, he was worthless. after being disowned and thrown into jail with no future, he was completely hopeless. even after bruno came and took him in, he was never free of his liabilities. no matter what he did, he couldnt help seeing himself as some monster, failure, and burden. (kinnie moment) it worsened when he had to abandon bruno’s gang, his only saving grace was bruno, his light, hope, and acceptance. now he was stripped of that, gripped in fear knowing too well that betraying passione would end horribly. deep in his heart he wanted so badly to join them, to join his found family, but the logic he had drilled into his own head of knowing that betrayal was foolish and futile wouldnt let him have his way. hes back on the streets, just like how he was (or wouldve been after getting out of jail) after being disowned. he got a piano gig at a bar, and let himself wallow in grief and depression for 6 months. throughout the events pf PHF, we still see him clinging to memories and trauma. they say “what you let consume you will define you”, and i couldnt begin to describe it any better. putting all of the guilt and blame on his own shoulders, feeling he deserved it all and more.

either i wasnt paying enough attention (this bitch got some rereading to do) or the purple haze distortion scene was kinda underwhelming. his character arc felt kinda rushed, like most of the book was establishing his bad state and constant flashbacks, and then all of a sudden he has confidence in his abilities and believes in himself. of course, im overjoyed he did get growth, and had a happy ending (depends on how you interpret it). stan fugio

vittorio’s fascination with pain really got me feelin. hgghhhhhhhh hh hnnhhhhh. he describes it well, wanting to feel his life force/energy in the form of pain so that he didnt ‘go extinct’, and the writing of it just saying straight up ‘cutting himself’ ‘hurting himself’ ‘self harming’ made my skin crawl. as someone who suffers with shit like that its both painful and relieving to know a character who has similar habits, whether it’s for the purpose of activating his stand or just to cope.

2 times in phf, fugo does some kind of suicide attack. of course, he survives both. it’s never made clear whether or not he intended to die/didnt mind dying as it was a way of accomplishing his mission, but either way it got me heavy breathing. the last one especially, when he bites a virus capsule to kill volpe. did he know he’d grown and purple haze would miraculously save him with his own genius plan, or was he going out with a bang? luckily for me it wasnt really gone over like ‘hey you couldve died from that are you doing ok mentally’ or else i mightve felt nauseous reading it. im all for angst, but idk how much more i can take when its day 87 of quarantine and im numb as fuck just waiting to break down.

angelica’s stand night bird flying (is probably not that complicated im just fuckin dumb) made fugo and everyone else hallucinate/dream. in fugo’s dream, it was pretty much an ideal au. he was permitted to see his grandma when she was near death (preventing the professor scene), met bruno (fisher boy with fisher dad) on a boat and they became friends, nara went back to school and was doing good overall, abba remained a cop but didnt do any bad things, the whole group was all just good friends having a fun time. god i would licherally sell my body and soul for them all to be happy like that and all live.

the concept of abandonment also messed me up, just the feeling that everyone say fugo as someone who abandoned the group in their hour of need out of selfishness made me wanna cry angry sad depression tears. hes a good man! let him be ok and happy i will fight all fugo haters no cap

every time i think back to the fugio restaurant scene i just. idk man it hurts me. the pessimistic bitch in me says that it would be unrequited and fugo would only be more sad because even through his efforts, he’s just another pawn working for giorno. on the other hand, it makes me soft n giddy because?? omyfucking god giorno asks fugo to call him giogio when NOBODY ELSE IN THE BOOK had referred to him as that. the fuckin “if grief anchors your feet, let me share it” part makes me wanna jusyt. complete my kin transformation into fugo and be a sobbin g shaking mess in his arms as he tells me its all gonna be ok. was that a vent? absolutely. anyways, its pretty damn special for the don of the mafia to invite you to breakfast at a fancy restaurant before the place opens and its just the two of you. giorno fixes fugo’s injuries and tells him that he’s proud of his growth, and that he knew fugo could do it. dude?????? if i didnt already know i was a lonely affection/affirmation/attention starved bitch that wouldve done it for me.

holy fuck that was longer than i expected it to be. i do feel better tho

#phf #purple haze feedback #fugo #pannacotta #pannacotta fugo #fugo pannacotta #jjba #jojo #mista #guido #guido mista #mista guido #giorno giovanna #giorno #giogio #fugio #vent #rant

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heyyyharry · 4 years

Text

Harry thinks Y/N is his secret Santa

(A Flatmate Christmas Special!)

Word count: 3.3k

This takes place before the flashbacks in the Christmas special in book 2 :)

Merry late Christmas ho ho ho 😂

“Why are you guys doing Secret Santa a whole week before Christmas?”

“Most of us will go home for Christmas so we want to do it early,” Harry whispered back to Y/N so everyone at this long table couldn’t hear them. “Fyi, you’re looking extremely nervous. Relax, they won’t bite.”

Despite what he’d just said, Harry knew it wasn’t easy for her to sit there with his friends and have Layla give her the kind of look that he would only see in his nightmares.

“Yes, Layla?” Louis said once he'd finished explaining the rules.

Layla lowered her hand, still glaring at poor Y/N. “What is Harry’s girlfriend doing here?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Harry blurted, making Layla scoff.

“Then she has more reasons to not be here.”

“She’s here because I want her here. Please shut up.”

Everyone was shocked by what Harry had just said. Even Harry himself could not believe he would live to say that to Layla. His mouth clamped shut as he thought his life would end right there at that table, but Layla was too appalled to even say a word let alone hurt him. Well, at least Y/N seemed proud of him. He felt like a hero.

“The more the merrier!” Niall exclaimed while rubbing Layla’s back to calm her down. “Why don’t we get to my favourite part. Lou?”

“Oh, yes!” Louis chuckled nervously as he turned around and pulled a Santa hat out of his bag. “So now, I will give the hat to each of you. There are eight pieces of paper, each with one of our names. You will close your eyes and draw a name, if it’s yours, take another one and put your name back into the hat. Got it?”

“He’s talking to you, dumbass.” Layla shot Y/N a glare and the poor girl hurriedly nodded her head.

“Don’t worry about her, she’s a dick,” Harry said, making her smile. She seemed less nervous than before, which also made him less nervous.

Louis told Y/N to go first and handed the hat to her. Harry studied Y/N's expression as she read the name on the piece of paper before putting it into her pocket. She seemed indifferent so it couldn’t be him, right? Or maybe she was playing cool so nobody would know.

“Harry!”

Harry blinked fast. Everyone was staring at him.

“It’s your turn," Y/N said, giving him the hat.

He could hear Layla curse him under her breath for taking so much time but he decided to ignore her and closed his eyes to draw a name.

Please be Y/N. Please be Y/N. Please be—

Trix.

His smile dropped as he put his paper away. Giving the hat to Niall, he turned back to look at Y/N, but she was talking to Louis and wasn’t paying attention to him. A part of him was sad that she didn’t seem to care who he got; another part of him was also sad because he didn’t get her.

He didn’t want to sound ungrateful. Everyone would kill to get Trix because Trix got excited about anything. She would love everything you gave her. The hardest person to please would be Layla, but she was someone else’s business, not him. Thank God.

Still, he really wanted Y/N.

“Who did you get?” he asked her when they walked out of the cafe after saying goodbye to their friends.

She seemed chilled so it probably wasn’t Layla. But there were five people left, himself included, who was it?! He really hated second-guessing.

“You know I can’t tell you.”

That was the response he’d expected but not what he wanted to hear.

“Is it Niall?” he tried anyway, thinking he would get the answer based on how she reacted, but Y/N kept that same mischievous smirk on her face and he hated to admit how much it turned him on right now.

“It’d be so funny if you got Layla,” he tried again, adding a nervous laugh, but still no luck for him as her expression stayed the same. “It's not Liam, is it? He already has everything so good luck finding a good present.”

She didn’t even look at him and just kept on walking.

When they stopped at a red light, Harry blurted out, “it’s me, right?”

This time, she glanced up at him.

He tried to look for a clue in that stare she was giving him, and maybe he’d been looking too much into it that he believed he might have got the answer.

“Fine,” she said when the pedestrian light turned green and everyone crossed the road except for them. “I’ll tell you my person if you tell me yours. If I have to break the rule then so do you.”

There’s no way I'm gonna tell her—

“I got Trix.”

Fucking dumbass, said the voice inside his head but he ignored it as always.

“Now, tell me yours,” he said, looking hopeful.

As the corners of her lips turned up, Y/N took a deep breath, tiptoed and leaned in closer. His heart was pounding so hard and fast that he feared it might jump out of his chest and start sprinting across the road. If she said it was him, he might—

“No.”

“What?” His smile dropped in an instant. “But—”

Y/N didn’t wait for him to finish and just walked straight ahead as the light turned green for the second time. He hurriedly chased after her, shouting, “I’m very angry at you!”

But goddammit! How was he still turned on?

“Go to the mall with me.”

“Why?”

Harry sat up on the couch, raising an eyebrow at his flatmate who was already putting on her coat.

He didn’t want to sound crazy but he’d spent the entire day analysing every word she’d said to him to figure out whose name she’d drawn. He could’ve spent all that time trying to come up with the perfect Christmas present for Trix. But sorry Trix, I hope you love snow globes...

“I need your help with the Secret Santa thing since you’re a guy.”

“Ha! Your person is a guy!”

“Congratulations, you eliminated Layla,” Y/N said with the most underwhelming tone as she pointed to the door. “Now can we go?”

He huffed, rolling his eyes. “I hate you.”

If only he could really hate her.

Christmas shopping was the worst! Going to the mall at this time of the year was no different from suicide, but Harry kept telling himself he was doing this for Y/N, and possibly himself too.

It made sense right? If it wasn’t him, she would’ve told him already. It’d be easier for her to find the perfect present for this person with his help since he knew what his friends liked and she barely knew them. Y/N was a smart girl. She knew what she was doing.

“What would you want for Christmas?”

“Me?" He flinched. "Why are you asking me?”

“Because you are a male?”

“Why me specifically?”

“You’re my flatmate! It’d be weird if I asked Niall or Lou or Liam, right?”

He didn’t believe her, but if she knew he’d cracked the code, she might not trust him to go shopping with her anymore. He had to play dumb. It was the only way.

“What are you giving Trix anyway?” she asked as they kept on walking aimlessly ahead.

“A snow globe.”

His answer made her cringe. “That’s lame. Would you get that for me if you were my Secret Santa?”

Of course not! You’re different!

“Why? Do you prefer having me as your Secret Santa?”

“I’m indifferent.” She gave a shrug and he smirked.

“Yeah right.”

As expected, she said nothing and changed the subject, “where the hell are we anyway?! I need a map.”

As Y/N went on and on about how crowded the mall was and she couldn’t see anything but people, Harry stood there, gazing at her.

He had always hated those cheesy scenes in movies where the main character looked at the person he or she loved and everything started moving in slow motion, the noises were cancelled out and the background was blurred as if they were the only two people in the room. But ever since he discovered his feelings for Y/N, he’d been just like one of those lovesick characters.

“Harry?”

The voice pulled him right out of his thoughts. The girl didn’t wait for him to react and just pulled him in for a hug then grabbed his face to shove her tongue into his mouth. He instantly pushed her away, horrified.

“What?!” She scoffed as if she hadn’t just sexually assaulted him. He didn’t even know h—Oh wait.

“Penny?”

“You do remember me,” Penny said with a smirk, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

Of course he remembered her. She was one of the best sex he’d ever had.

No, no, no, no, no! You do not get to be a whore around Y/N! Get your shit together! said the voice inside his head as he frantically looked around. Wait, where’s Y/N?!

“I gotta go, Penny. Nice shoes!”

Penny immediately grabbed his hand. “You can’t kiss and run, love.”

“I didn’t kiss you...you—”

“Shh!” Penny put a finger to his lips, taking a step forward so their lips were almost touching but just barely. “I’ve missed you,” she murmured, batting her eyelashes at him. “I can’t stop thinking about you. Can I see you tonight?”

If this was a couple of months ago, he would say yes or even take her back to his place right now. But the new and improved Harry, the person he wanted to become for Y/N, would have to decline.

“I’m sorry but I can’t.”

Surprised and confused, Penny raised an eyebrow. “How about tomorrow night?”

“No, I mean...not...ever,” he said cautiously before removing her hands from his shoulders and taking a step back.

He wasn’t going to explain anything, but then he remembered how insecure Penny could get. After every hook up with him, she would ask him if he thought she was pretty and she would continue asking even though the answer was ‘yes’ every time. He couldn’t hurt her feelings now. If he did that, he didn’t deserve Y/N.

“You’re a great girl,” he said as Penny was about to leave. “But...I’m having a...thing with this girl and...um...I can’t be with anyone else...because of her.”

“A thing? Like...a relationship?”

“No.” He scoffed, shaking his head. “I don’t do relationships. It’s just…this thing um...I don’t want to be with anyone else but her.”

“So like a relationship?”

“No!”

“Do you want her to be with anyone else?”

“Of course not!” As he instantly realised how defensive that sounded, he cleared his throat and lowered his voice, “I want to be with her and I want her to be with me. Like...just the two of us. I-I want to be the only person she kisses, the only person who gets to hold her hand, the first thing that comes to her mind when she wakes up, but...I don’t want to be her boyfriend.”

I don’t know why I'm telling you this but it feels good to say it aloud...

“Okay, I get it,” Penny said with a big smile. “Well, good luck with your non-relationship thing. Have a merry Christmas with your non-girlfriend.”

Harry didn’t know how to respond to that so he just waved goodbye and watched Penny disappear in the ocean of shoppers.

That was embarrassing, he thought. But now he had to find his non-girlfriend and get the fuck out of this living hell.

After wandering around on his own for nearly half an hour, Harry finally spotted Y/N in one of the crowded fashion stores. He was about to go in with her but then he saw her grab a blue scarf and wrap it around her neck.

Thinking no one was watching, his flatmate stood in front of a mirror and started smiling at her reflection while posing like she was doing a photoshoot for Vogue. It was so adorably hilarious that he could not let himself interrupt her. He decided to wait outside.

Y/N took off the scarf and stared at it for a long moment before she made up her mind and brought it to the checkout counter.

Harry's heart fluttered as he stood there, grinning like a fool while imagining himself wearing the scarf everywhere he went.

Gosh, she got me a scarf. That’s so thoughtful and intimate. I cannot believe it.

“There you are!”

He almost jumped when he heard her voice, and before he knew it, she was standing in front of him.

“Sorry.” Harry cleared his throat. “I was distracted by a man dressed like an elf.”

“Were you busy shoving your tongue in the elf’s mouth too?”

Shit, she saw the kiss.

“It’s not what it looked like.”

“Whatever. Let’s get out of here before I have a panic attack.”

“Hold on!” He grabbed her wrist, pointing to the bag she was holding. “What’s that? Did you buy something already?”

Y/N tilted her head and squinted her eyes at him. “I’m not showing you the present Harry.”

“Right, right.” He nodded fast but couldn’t stop smiling. “Whatever it is, I’m sure the person who receives it will love it.”

And might or might not be wearing it everywhere he goes, even the shower.

“You’re acting weird,” she said, lifting an eyebrow. “Are we leaving now or do you have another tongue appointment?”

“Okay, I did not kiss that girl. She kissed me.”

“Sure.”

“Stop it, you don’t believe me!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Do not ‘uh-huh’ me like that! Y/N!” he raised his voice, pushing his way through the crowd and chasing after her.

“A snow globe?! Oh my god, how did you know I've always wanted one?! You are the best Secret Santa ever!”

Everyone rolled their eyes as Trix hugged Harry while squealing and giggling like she’d just won the lottery. Before Trix could begin with her thank you speech and start praising Harry for being a great friend, Layla raised her hand and demanded to see her present.

Niall wasted no time to put a huge box on the table, causing everyone to ‘wow’ed, and Layla to grip her chest as if her heart was about to burst with happiness.

“This better be LV or Gucci!” she said and quickly unwrapped her present. To her disappointment, it wasn't neither. "It’s...another box.”

Niall stayed silent as Layla started unwrapping the second box.

“And...another box?! Are you fucking kidding me? Don’t you fucking dare film this, Louis!”

“I’m not gonna post it!”

“You got two boxes! That’s so cool!”

“Shut up, Trix!” Layla grumbled before shooting Niall another glare and taking a deep breath. Everyone was impatiently waiting for her to unwrap the third box...and the fourth...and the fifth...and the sixth...and…

“A necklace.”

“Surprise!!!” Niall cheered, but the look on Layla’s face shut him up in an instant.

“Is Niall going to die?” Y/N whispered, making Harry laugh.

“Layla won’t hurt Niall,” he said, and she sighed in relief.

“Good. He can’t die before he opens my present.”

Harry turned paralyzed right as he heard those words. Everyone was laughing at Layla who was hitting Niall with the biggest box even after thanking him for the necklace, but Harry was just sitting there with a blank face.

He didn’t even react when Niall pulled out the scarf from the box Y/N had wrapped herself last night. And he didn’t react when Niall said how much he loved it and that it was the most thoughtful gift he'd ever received.

Harry knew Y/N had never said the scarf was for him. He had come up with all of that himself, but he couldn’t help it. He was mad at her.

“Ugh, I want the mug Layla got you,” she said as they walked home together. London got more crowded at night which was why she was walking so close to him now. If he hadn’t been mad at her, he would’ve been over the moon.

Y/N was ignorant of his attitude and just kept on talking. “Thriller books aren’t for me. But don’t tell Lou, okay? I’m sure this book is great, just not for me.”

He didn’t say a word when she put the book back into her bag. It was then that she realised he’d been quiet for a reason.

“What’s wrong, Harry?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking?” She looked thoughtfully at him, smiling. “Is it about the scarf?”

“No.”

Y/N snorted at his short reply.

What’s so funny?! I’m mad at you, Y/N!

“Did you think it was for you?” she asked.

Yes?!

“No.”

Y/N didn’t say anything else as the two of them continued walking in silence. It was getting colder and Harry didn’t want to be petty but he couldn’t help himself.

“Niall got a new scarf to keep himself warm tonight. How lucky was he?”

He was too mad at her to even feel bad or ashamed then, but he didn’t understand why she was smiling. She must have thought he was a joke. Well, he was. He sounded like such a loser. She would never want to date a loser.

Woah, woah, woah, where did that come from?! No relationship, remember?! What’s wrong with me today?!

“A scarf is like the most basic Christmas gift in my family,” Y/N said as they stopped at a crossroad and he finally turned to look at her, taken aback by what she'd just told him. “When you don’t know what to give someone, buy them a scarf. I didn’t know Niall that well so I got him a scarf. If it was you, I would’ve put in more effort and gotten you something meaningful.”

'If it was you, I would’ve put in more effort...'

'If it was you…'

As his brain kept replaying that same sentence over and over again, he didn’t realise how big he was smiling. But as he snapped out of it and saw the way she was smiling back at him, he felt even happier than before.

Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were a darker shade of pink because of the cold. Now that he’d paid attention to them, he couldn’t look away. If only he could just lean in and kiss her right now...

“Y/N.”

“Hmm?”

Her hand is right there. Hold her hand!

“What, Harry?”

Hold her hand, dickhead!

“You’re getting me a cooler Christmas gift, right?” he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets as the voice inside his head screamed at him, “pussy!”

Y/N didn’t suspect a thing as she gave his shoulder a nudge. “Don’t get your hopes up. But...I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Maybe? What’s that supposed to mean?”

The green light came on and the girl walked ahead, leaving him behind again.

“Wait for me! It’s cold!”

“Then walk faster and you’ll warm up!”

“I hate you!” he shouted at her. But goddamnit, he could not love her any more than this.

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfics #harry styles fanfictions #harry styles writing #harry styles series #flatmate!harry #harry styles blurb #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles fluff #harry styles one shot #harry styles one shots

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obscureoperations · 3 years

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i have yet another prompt for you because i cant stop thinking about this sweet man and of course, im a goth hoe. So, Martin with a goth crush or s/o. I feel like he'd be interested by them especially since the people in his town would also treat them p bad because it's mostly full of old folks. would he know what goth is? I kinda feel like when he first sees them he thinks they're a vampire too lmao. would he be intrigued by them and stalk them about?

Oh nice! I think Martin would be intrigued right off the bat, their appearance certainly drew attention. He would probably notice them the second they entered Cuda’s shop. He couldn’t tear his eyes away out of sheer curiosity. He could clearly see how some of the old women would sneer at you and whisper under their breath. For the most part you remained completely un-phased. If anything, their attention seemed to amuse you. You carelessly stroll past Mrs. Belini, whose lips were already curled into a bitter sneer. The old bag was practically vibrating with anger over the fact that you barely spared her a second glance. “Cuda! You really need to mind who you let into the shop! This is an old person’s town after all, how would it look?!”

“Mrs. Belini... calm down. She is just like any paying customer. She has a basket... she fully intends to shop.”

“That’s not the point you old crone..Just look at her state of dress..It’s clearly upsetting the other customers!”

Martin briefly scans over the near empty aisles. The few customers that they had were completely preoccupied.

“I just think that you...as the owner should...”

Belini’s voice begins to fade into the background.

His attention was fixed on you as you leisurely select your items. Not a care in the world, the basket rests comfortably on your arm. You seemed to have all the time in the world. He had never seen anyone like you in real life... or at least not up close. You looked like one of the people who would stand out in front of that dance club on the far end of town. Though not quite as intimidating. Clad in black from head to toe, not a varying shade in the mix. Inky hair cascades down your back,straight cut bangs barely conceal kohl rimmed eyes. Your skin was pale, almost lily white. Long slender legs clad in fishnet, the boots you wore gave you about a quarter of a foot’s more height.

He couldn’t understand what was so offensive about your look. Yes it was different,but was that necessarily a bad thing? In a pallid town like this, what was the harm in a little more absence of color? He continued to watch as you moved about the store, more and more questions forming in his head. Where did you come from.. were you new? What was your name... what did you do? All questions began to muddle together the closer you got to the counter. He quickly glances away, busing himself arranging the desk. Placing a new stack of bags on the rack. Anything to avoid looking at you.

“Is this the check out?”

Your voice was not anything like he expected. There was a playful lilt in the tone, an almost airy sort of whisper. It reminded him of the wind as it moved through the branches at night, over the rafters into his bedroom window.

“Yes. “He offers quietly as he begins to scan each of your items. He can feel your gaze boring into him, it was unwavering, yet it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. He tried to steady his breath, he didn’t want to appear too flustered. He begins to carefully scan and place your items into the bag. His eyes honed in on your hands, lightly poised resting against the counter. Long glossy black pointed nails absentmindedly tap against the tile. How could you wear those things, couldn’t they break during the day? During mindless tasks? With his gaze pointed on your hands, another thought flashes briefly through his mind… He stills himself, wishing it away completely.

“Are you new here?” You ask almost suddenly. Heat begins to rise to his face.

“I am. I’ve been here for about a month.”

“Cool... So am I. I’ve been here for like two days...”

His head snaps up suddenly, the moment his eyes land on your face he’s taken aback. Not ghoulish in the least, the way Mrs. Belinis complaints had implied. Hauntingly beautiful were the first words that came to mind. You reminded him of one of the ladies in an old comic book he used to have. Always depicted somewhere near a graveyard, skin tight black dress that left next to nothing to the imagination. Like that, but better-- your eyes were large and searching, the ink around them drew him in further. Your skin was smooth and clear, at least three shades lighter than his own. If it was makeup, he would be none the wiser. It seemed to illuminate under the fluorescent light, it gave you this almost ethereal glow.

He nods his head, quickly reaching for more of your items, placing them in the bag. He didn’t know what to say. “Oh that’s nice.” Was a bit underwhelming, but at this point his brain wasn’t running on all four cylinders.

Gosh she’s pretty… like really pretty.

His hands unconsciously begin to shake. It wasn’t the blood this time he was actually nervous. Every second that he didn’t reply felt like an eternity. Why couldn’t he come up with a simple response? He felt almost frozen in your presence, but not in a bad way. He wished he could just look at you for a moment and not have to speak

“What’s your name?” You ask suddenly, nearly causing him to drop the scanner.

“M-” He clears his throat. “Martin. My name is Martin.” That was alright. He didn't stammer, at least not too much.

“Nice to meet you Martin… Im y/n.. I’m gonna be here for a couple of months, hopefully I’ll get to see you around.”

And with that you were gone, change left on the counter as a tip. He was already thinking of ways he could find you. You paid in cash so there was no check or signature, but surely he could figure something out. He already decided that it was important. The thought never crossed his mind that you were going to be the next one. Far from that. If anything he wanted to see you walking about, alive and animated. He was already fascinated. How were you so impervious to their jeers? Where did you come from, he had to know. Why did you dress like that in real life? “Vampira! That was her name.” Did you think you were just like him?

He would follow you the next couple weeks, learning nothing new asides from your address, and the fact that you would stroll through the cemetery on some days.Fingers ghosting along the tombstones with a certain mournful look in your eyes. Pausing to rest against them in the middle of the day. You were his new favorite person to watch, with no other intent than to ensure that you got home safely. The day that you strolled into Cuda’s shop with the sole intention to see him, was pretty much burned into his brain. You bypassed Mrs. Bellini almost fast enough for her head to spin. You paused directly in front of the counter.

“Martin, I really want to show you around town. Can we go out?”

~~~

I want to delve more deeply into this, maybe in the form of head cannons. But not tonight.

#Martin 1977 #martin 1978 #martin/reader #martin/you #martin/fem reader #goth #its goff! I love it

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