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gamerwoo · 3 years

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[Tales from the Pack] Chan: Homewrecker (Part Two)

Characters: Chan x female reader

Genre/warnings: werewolf au, fantasy, a little fluff, angst, abusive relationship stuff

Word count: 2,728

Summary: Chan caught your attention as soon as your eyes met across the market. Something about him drew you to him, and you knew you were meant to be. However, you were already taken and arranged to be married on your next birthday, so you could never be together.

Previous | Next | Homewrecker Masterlist

Chan had been wanting to see you all week, but between Luhan and Dae coming to visit to see Eunjin, and then her and her mate going to visit Jiung and his pack for a few days, he felt it was best to stay with the pack rather than go out to the market where he could possibly get himself into even more trouble if he were caught -- he did try to change his appearance like his brothers who had been spotted by people in town, but there was still a chance of getting caught. But as soon as the couple had returned safely from their trip, he went straight to the market to go in search of you.

You returned every day, half because you wanted to get away from your family and their plans for your marriage, and half because you wanted to see the strange boy that had caught your eye. There was just something about him that made you feel…something. You didn’t know what it was, but you knew it was a good feeling.

To your dismay, nobody had shown up all week. You wandered the booths for hours and hours, but you never saw any sign of any of the strange boys from earlier that week. You felt like you wouldn’t actually ever see them again, but what did you expect with your awful luck?

You’d been at the market all day, and judging from the sun in the sky, it seemed to be about mid-afternoon. You had hardly eaten, so you went up to a stand to grab something to eat. Fishing in the pocket of your dress for money, you felt a presence beside you.

“I’ll take care of this,” the voice said before holding a hand out to the vendor, giving them a bill. You stopped what you were doing and turned to the stranger, coming face to face with a grinning Chan as he looked down at you, “Hello again, _____.”

You almost gasped at how happy you were to see him, and your excitement almost had you tossing your arms around his neck in a hug. Instead, you began to bounce on the balls of your feet, making him laugh.

“You’re here!” you exclaimed as he grabbed a fresh apple from the vendor. “I didn’t think you’d come back!”

You didn’t know, but Chan’s heart was soaring knowing that you were waiting for him. He couldn’t fight the happy rumble that sounded in his chest, but it was too loud and busy for you to hear it, “Were you watching for me?”

“All week,” you admitted shyly, your cheeks turning a light pink that made Chan so fond of you.

‘God, my mate is so cute,’ was all he could manage to think when he looked at you and heard you speak.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” he smiled, bowing slightly as he held the apple out for you.

With a giggle, you took it and held it to your chest like it was a precious gift, “It’s probably weird of me to want to see you; I hardly know you.”

“Why do you think I showed up today?”

You cocked your head to the side, “Did you really come here for me?”

He shrugged, “I’m not the one who does the shopping, so I have no other reason to.”

Chan heard your heartbeat pick up, causing another happy growl. He wanted so badly to hold your hand and pull you to him and kiss you breathless, but he had to remind himself that not only would that be too sudden, but you still belonged to someone else.

Someone you didn’t want to belong to.

Chan hadn’t mentioned it to any of the pack because he knew they wouldn’t approve, but he planned to offer to take you away from the life he knew you didn’t want. He wasn’t completely sure about your home life, but he wanted to know everything about you. He was determined to get more information before making a final decision.

But at the moment, his only plan was to get you away from your fiancé before you turned nineteen.

“So, _____, how've you been?” he wondered as the two of you began to walk side-by-side through the market.

You hummed softly as you tried to think of everything that had happened the passed week, “Well…my family has gotten suspicious of me going to market every day. They think I’m meeting with a secret lover, apparently.”

“Ah, so that’s what I am?” Chan joked with a chuckle, making your already pink face turn more red. But then he turned serious, scrutinizing your body. “They haven’t hurt you, though, have they?”

You sighed, subconsciously rubbing your left forearm, “They did something a little…extreme…”

Chan’s eyes widened, and he grabbed your hand and tugged you over to a secluded area, covered by shadows from nearby buildings. He put his hands on your shoulders and looked at you intensely, his brown eyes studying you.

“Did anybody hurt you, _____?” he asked.

You shook your head, “No! Well, I mean, the procedure didn’t feel good but--”

“What happened?” he demanded, and you swore you heard him growl.

Part of you didn’t understand why this stranger seemed to be so protective over you. He only really knew your name, yet he was acting so concerned for you. But on the other hand, you liked the feeling. Even your fiancé never really seemed to act like he cared much about your well-being. You weren’t really sure why he wanted to marry you, anyway.

“His family wanted to make sure I wasn’t sneaking off anywhere,” you explained, holding your forearm out for him to see the small, raised scar on your skin, “so they put a tracker in me. They know where I am no matter what.”

Chan didn’t like this one bit. Not only would it make it harder for him to take you away and protect you, but it was just inhumane! Who in their right mind would put a tracker inside a human just because they were paranoid? Werewolves were some of the most territorial creatures when it came to mates, and even he would never do something like that.

He had half a mind to grow his claws out and tear the tracker out then and there.

“Chan!” a familiar male voice shouted behind him.

Before he could do or say anything about your tracker, he turned to see Hansol walking over to him, and Yeji for some reason following behind him with a sunhat on her head to hide her ears.

“What are you doing here, Sol?” Chan wondered.

“Hansol, right?” you asked, recalling his name.

Hansol smiled, but it seemed a little forced, “Hello again, _____. This is Yeji, my… My, uh…”

“Sister,” Yeji said with a chuckle at Hansol’s sudden lapse of thought. “He’s just a little flustered over Chan.”

The pup really didn’t want to be rude, but he had things to attend to, such as making his mate his instead of some asshole’s who didn’t trust her and treated her like some sort of pet. But it was clear Hansol knew something was up with the youngest of the pack by the way he had looked at him and made a point to interrupt his time with you.

“Sol, why are you here?” Chan repeated, a little more forcefully this time. “And why’d you bring Yeji with you?”

“What, I can’t leave the house?” Yeji asked with a playful smile. “Jihoon’s busy with yardwork anyway, and we all know I’m not doing that. Hansol mentioned coming to the market, so I tagged along.”

“So you just came here for fun?” the younger wolf asked.

"Technically, we have errands,” she explained before listing off, “Soomin asked for some supplies, Jeonghan wanted more of that honey bread since Junhui ate the last of it, Josh needs... What did Joshua want again?”

You were lost on everything they were saying, but you were just glad that Chan had come back for you. Something about him felt…safe. You weren’t sure why since he was just a stranger, but it was comforting anyway. He was still better than your family and fiancé, that was for sure.

As if he could somehow tell you were thinking poorly of him, the devil himself made his way through the crowd with two guards, clearly looking for you. He looked up from the device he was using to track you and locked eyes with yours. He didn’t like seeing you with strange people he didn’t know, especially two men.

You visibly gulped, and it wasn’t only Chan that took notice. Yeji and Hansol followed your gaze while Chan tried to grip your upper arms. You quickly shook him off and stepped through the small crowd around you.

“Hello, Donghae,” you greeted him politely, keeping your eyes on the ground as you knew he was angry with you.

“Don’t be afraid of me, sweetheart,” he cooed, which only made you more afraid of him. “Why don’t you introduce me to your friends?”

As much as you didn’t want to – you wanted to keep them as far away from Donghae as possible – you knew better than to go against an order from your fiancé. You turned around as he took your hand and looped it through his arm as if you two were actually a happy couple. However, walking toward Chan and his friends with Donghae so close, you could feel the anger radiating off of him.

Cautiously, you looked up to see all three of them staring at you. Yeji looked curious, Hansol looked curious, and Chan looked downright angry. You assumed it was because he knew what your fiancé had done to you, but you also didn’t want Donghae knowing you told other people about his treatment toward you.

You tried to hold your head up higher, hearing Donghae’s voice in your head calling you a ‘pathetic, shy girl’ like he had done before, “This is my…fiancé, Kwon Donghae.”

The man beside you gave a smug smile, bowing to your friends to play up the ‘good fiancé’ bit. Politely, Hansol and Yeji bowed back to him. Chan didn’t. Thankfully, your fiancé was too busy being cocky to realize.

“Thank you for keeping my beautiful fiancée company,” Donghae told them, although you could tell clearly that his sincerity was an act.

Hansol didn’t seem to think so, smiling warmly at him, “Of course, we really--”

“However, that will not be necessary,” he continued, his smile dropping. Now, he just looked bored speaking with them, as if they weren’t worth his time – which, in his head, they weren’t. “_____ doesn’t need to be babied, and she doesn’t need friends. I already provide her with everything she needs. If I catch any of you with her again, it won’t be good.”

“Shouldn’t that be _____’s choice?” Chan spoke up sharply, his brown eyes glaring straight at Donghae.

He’d never been talked back to since he was the son of a higher-up in town, so he was visibly shocked by this, “Excuse me?”

“Clearly you aren’t keeping her company, so somebody has to,” the dark-haired boy continued. “Besides, she seems to enjoy having some actual fun.”

You didn’t have to look at Donghae to know his angry gaze was on you now. “Is this true, _____? Do you enjoy hanging out with these people over your loving fiancé?”

“Well, I--”

Your chin was grabbed roughly as he forced you to look at him, and you could’ve sworn you heard someone growl. From your peripherals, you saw Hansol and Yeji place their hands on Chan, who was now shaking from anger.

“Look at me when I’m speaking to you,” Donghae ordered through clenched teeth, his face inches from yours. “Now answer me.”

“N-no…” you lied nervously.

He continued to search your eyes for a moment before he finally let you go and stepped away from you, “If you’re not back to my house in fifteen minutes, you’ll be in big trouble. We need to have a chat.”

With that, he turned and left with his little posse of guards that he’d brought with him. The four of you watched him disappear into the crowd before Chan was grabbing your hand in his, automatically calming you.

“What the hell was that?” Yeji wondered quietly.

“_____,” Chan’s soft but intense voice was what made you look away from where Donghae stalked off to. When you looked at him, he definitely still looked angry, but his features softened when he saw how afraid you looked. “I won’t let him do anything to you.”

You shook your head, already having accepted your fate once the tracker was put in your arm, “Nobody can do anything to stop him. His father practically runs this town, and he--”

“Then I’ll take you away from the town,” Chan promised, a small smile forming on his lips. “I’ll take you somewhere they have no power, and you won’t have to worry about him anymore.”

As much as his promise made your heart flutter, you couldn’t help but wonder why this strange boy you hardly knew was telling you he’d risk his life to get you out of your bad situation, “Why do you want to help me?”

He just shook his head at your question, “That’s not important. I’ll try to come see you again, okay?”

“My house is usually empty during the week,” you told him eagerly – maybe too eagerly. “It’s on the same street as the flower shoppe, and there’s pink flowers out front.”

“Oh, I know where that is!” Yeji spoke up. “Chan, I can bring you.”

Chan smiled widely at the older girl before turning back to you. He knew he should wait a little bit as to lessen the suspicion on you. The last thing he wanted was for Donghae to hurt you some more.

“Two days?” he asked.

You nodded, “Two days.”

You made it back to Donghae with time to spare thanks to your running. You were sweaty and out of breath, but you wouldn’t have to face any extra consequences. However, when you went to his room, he was pacing and wasn’t paying any attention to you.

“Donghae?” you asked softly.

“Who was that girl?” he asked you, his voice a mumble as he was deep in thought.

“I…I don’t know.” you told him honestly. “I've never seen her before. Sh-she said her name was Yeji, but...”

“I know she’s not a resident of this town,” he continued, not looking over at you, “and those men you were with also strike me as suspicious. I think those are the werewolves the guards have been dealing with.”

Your eyes widened as your breath caught in your throat. You thought werewolves were just some legend; a scary story. There was no way they were actually real, right? But if Donghae was saying they were…

“…What does that mean?” you asked quietly.

“If there’s a new person being spotted in our town, then they must be imprinting,” Donghae stated, finally standing still in the middle of the room. “They must live nearby if them and their mates are coming to my town.”

He spat out the word ‘mates’, and something about it didn’t make you feel good.

“Not to disrespect you, Donghae,” you began, which made him give you a sharp look. You gulped, “but…what has led you to believe they’re a pack of werewolves? I didn’t even think they existed...”

“Stupid girl, weren’t you listening?” he groaned. “Of course they exist! And our town has been dealing with them for a while now. We had caught one and its disgusting mate, but they got away. Now, this new girl shows up with two suspicious men but they don’t actually have residence here? This Yeji is one of their mates, and the pack must be nearby.”

“What if they’re just out of town?”

“_____, I know a werewolf when I see one!” he roared. “And do you know anything about werewolves, you stupid girl? Hmm?”

You didn’t have an answer for that.

“Exactly,” he stated before calling out for guards. Two of them showed up immediately. “Send a team to the surrounding forest tonight. I’m afraid we have a werewolf infestation.”

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storiesforallfandoms · 3 years

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enemies to lovers ~ mark;midsommar

word count: 2890

request?: yes!

“Midsommar imagine where Mark and reader aren't friends and always fight when the group hangs oit with each other so Josh, Dani, and Christian lock them in a room and they end up admitting their feelings and kissing or smth?”

description: when their friends grow tired of their “rivalry”, so they decide to force them to admit their feelings for one another

pairing: mark x female!reader

warnings: swearing

masterlist

Dani raced into the library and sat in front of me. The sound of the doors slamming and her bag loudly rustling caused the other studying students to shush her.

“Party at Christian’s house,” she whispered to me, although we still got a few glares from the surrounding tables. “Tonight. I’m going around 8 to help set up.”

“I have an assignment due Monday, Dani. I can’t go to a party,” I told her.

Dani scoffed. “You have all weekend, and you already know you’re gonna pass. Take one Friday night to let loose and have fun.”

I looked down at my assignment and thought for a moment. “Will...will Mark be there?”

“You know he will be. He lives there.”

“Then no, I’m not going.”

Dani rolled her eyes at me. “You have to get over this stupid feud with Mark. You run with the same friend group, you have to get along eventually.”

“I’ll try when he does.” My outburst earned us more shushing and dirty looks.

My fight with Mark was not my doing. It was the opposite, actually. I had tried to be friends with Mark. When we first met, I was nice and friendly. He was the one who decided to start everything off with insults and harmful comments.

Since then, we never got along. I still tried to be friends with him, for Dani’s sake more than anything. He was Christian’s best friend, and roommate after all. It’s not like I could actually avoid him or anything. But my attempts were proven futile time and time again, as Mark just continued to be a complete and utter dickwad towards me, for no reason other than he was just an asshole.

Knowing I was too frustrated to continue working, I packed my things into my laptop bag and walked out of the library. Dani quickly followed me out. Once the doors closed behind us, she began talking again.

“Okay, you’re right, I’m sorry,” she said. “I know this is all on Mark. I still don’t get what his problem is.”

“He’s a jerk,” I responded simply. “And a fuckboy, and all those bad words to describe a guy. I don’t match up to his standards or whatever, so he has to put me in my place.”

“But you’re like me, and he seems to like me.”

“But you’re dating his friend. I’m not saying he wouldn’t be nice to you if you weren’t, but by proxy he has to be nice to you or else Christian would beat the shit out of him. Me, on the other hand, I’m fair game. He doesn’t like me, I have no legitimate ties to any of his friends. He’s free to verbally abuse me as he desires.”

“It’s still not fair,” Dani sighed. “And it sucks because it puts this strain on you and me hanging out whenever Christian and his friends are involved.” She shook her head then shrugged. “I don’t know. You are free to come to the party if you want, though. I’d rather you be there, though. We haven't let loose together in a long time.”

“I’ll think about it,” I told her. “I’ll text you if I decide to come.”

She smiled and gave me a hug before racing off for the class I knew she was late for. I laughed and rolled my eyes before going the other direction.

~~~~~~~

After a lot of internal debates with myself, I decided to go to the party, but only for Dani.

I planned everything out the minute I got out of class: I’d show up early enough that I wasn’t the first person there, but that there weren’t too many people already. Just enough that I could slip in without Mark noticing I was there. I’d stay for an hour or two and hang out with Dani, then I’d go home before it got too crowded, or before the great asshole himself found me.

I got ready at my place and decided to drive myself, so I wouldn’t have an excuse to stay too late and drink. I even parked down the road to make sure I’d be able to leave without being blocked in.

Unfortunately, my timing wasn’t exactly the best as I was the first person to arrive, besides Dani who was still helping set up. The minute I walked through the door, she bounded towards me and hugged me tightly.

“You came!” she said. “I’m so glad!”

“Yeah,” I said, trying not to seem as awkward as I felt. “I decided fuck it. Like you said, we haven’t let loose together in a while. Although, fair warning, I won’t be letting loose too much tonight. I drove myself, and I intend on driving myself home.”

“That’s fine, I’ll pump you full of water after I make you so wasted you can’t walk straight,” she said with a nonchalant shrug. I laughed, although I wasn’t sure if she was completely joking or not.

“You realize you’re supposed to show up fashionably late to parties, not fashionably early, right?”

I cringed at the sound of the voice I wanted to hear the least. I looked past Dani to see Mark standing in the kitchen, putting drinks in a cooler that was set out on the counter.

“Oh wait, I forgot, you have a self curfew. Wouldn’t wanna fall behind on next week’s homework,” he continued.

My body tensed and my grip on Dani’s hands tightened.

“Mark,” Dani snapped.

“What?” he asked. “I’m just saying. I’m sure Miss. Teacher’s Pet can afford to be an actual college student for the night and actually attend a party like a normal person.”

I had to bite back the tears I felt welling up in my eyes. This was why I didn’t like hanging out with the friend group. I really felt like I didn’t belong there, and it was all thanks to Mark.

“Open your mouth one more fucking time, asshole,” Dani hissed. “This may be your house but I will not hesitate to kick your ass to the curb.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

“Ignore him,” Dani whispered to me. “I’m glad you’re here early. Wanna help set up? Christian wants to do beer pong and the table is down in the basement.”

“Where are you guys gonna put it?” I asked, looking around their cramped living room.

“I don’t know, I told Christian I’d figure it out,” Dani responded, waving away my question. “I just need help bringing it up.”

I shrugged and followed her down to the basement. Like the rest of their place, the boy’s basement was also a mess. It was hard to know where we’d be able to find anything since it looked like everything was just thrown around.

“I’m not shocked,” Dani said upon seeing the state of the basement.

“Neither am I,” I responded. “Do you know roughly where it is?”

“No idea,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll go ask Christian. You look around, give me a second.”

She raced back up the stairs. I looked around the messy basement. I had no desire to dig around in someone else’s mess, but I figured the quicker I found the ping pong table, the quicker I could get out of there.

I heard the door to the basement open again as I was shifting some boxes around. However, instead of Dani, the voice I wanted to hear the least spoke up.

“It’s not over there.”

I spun around to see Mark walking past me towards the wall opposite of the stairs.

“Where’s Dani?” I asked.

“She sent me down to get the ping pong table. She said she wanted to do the last of the stuff upstairs.”

“What else does she have to do?”

“Beats me. I think this is the only thing.”

Mark shoved some stuff aside and pulled the folded pool table from against the wall. I started to approach, but hesitated. “Do you need help with that?”

“No, I got it. Go open the door for me, though. I don’t wanna drop it going up the stairs.”

I quickly bounded up the stairs, excited to get out of that situation. I went to turn the door knob, but found that it wouldn’t budge. “Did you lock the door behind you?”

“What? No. The doorknob locks from the other side.”

“Well, someone locked us down here.”

I heard Mark’s footsteps behind me on the stairs. He reached past me to try and jiggle the doorknob himself. The stairwell was so close that he had to basically be pressed against me. Despite my distain for Mark, I couldn’t help but feel nervous with his closeness. I could smell his cologne, and it made me feel weak in the knees.

When the door knob wouldn’t turn for him, he began beating on the door. “Hey! Guys?! Did someone lock the door?!”

There was no response. My heart began to race, this time in a bad way. I started thinking of the worst, that something had happened to everyone upstairs and Mark and I were going to be locked in the basement until someone came to find us. Who knew how long that would be?

“Is there a window we can climb out?” I asked.

“Don’t be so dramatic, there’s gotta be someone out there to let us out,” Mark responded before banging his hand on the door again and calling out for someone to come open the door.

“I know. I just wanted to know...just in case.”

“Someone will come get us eventually,” Mark repeated. He sat himself down on the stair and looked up at me. “You can sit while we wait. Better than standing.”

He was gesturing to the stair just behind him, which would’ve still had us sitting far too close to one another. Despite my weird feeling from being close to him moments before, I was remembering why I didn’t want to be locked down there with him. I shook my head and pressed my back against the wall.

“Why?” Mark asked.

I wasn’t prepared for the question, so my brain didn’t exactly have a response ready. I stuttered out some nonsense before finally saying, “I-I’d j-just prefer to stand.”

Mark rolled his eyes at me. “Suit yourself.”

It felt like no time was passing as we waited to hear someone outside the door. There was no way to tell how long we had been waiting, and we had both left our phones on the other side of the door. Convenient, huh?

I kept shifting weight between my legs but they were still starting to hurt. I was hoping Dani would finish with setting up soon, or would realize Mark and I had been gone for a long time, and would come to find us. Just thinking about sitting on their comfortable couch was making my legs feel more and more sore by the second.

Noticing my discomfort, Mark grabbed my arm suddenly and yanked me down to sit next to him. I stumbled a little, nearly falling down the stairs, but finally settled onto the stair just behind him. The narrowness of the stairwell caused Mark to brush against my mostly bare legs, which caused my stomach to fill with butterflies.

“Looking at you was making me tired,” he told me. “I don’t understand why you were being so stubborn about sitting down. I’m not gonna bite you or anything.”

“You might,” I muttered to myself.

“I’m not into biting,” Mark responded, smirking at me over his shoulder.

This was new. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Mark was trying to flirt with me.

“I don’t get you,” I blurted before I could stop myself. I could feel my face burning with blush, but I couldn’t take back what I said now.

“What do you mean?” Mark asked, looking at me with a confused look on his face.

“Maybe 10 minutes ago, you were insulting me about being a teacher’s pet and mocking me for showing up so early to the party. Now you’re here giving me a look as if I’m one of those poor girls that you pick up from the clubs every weekend. Can you just decide if you hate me or not and leave it there.”

I was just as shocked by my own outburst as Mark seemed to be.

“I don’t hate you,” he admitted.

“Well, you have a weird way of showing that,” I responded. “You thrive off of making fun of me. I’m pretty sure that’s, like, the definition of not liking someone.”

It looked like he was taking a moment to take in what I had said. Finally, he spoke again. “I guess...I guess I’m not exactly the nicest to you.”

I scoffed. “That’s an understatement. I dread having to hang out with Dani when it means you’re going to be there, too. She had to convince me to come here tonight, and the reason I came so early was to leave just as early so I wouldn’t have to be here with you for so long. The things you say are fucking hurtful, Mark. You make me feel like dirt. Like less than dirt. I don’t understand why you treat me the way you do when I’ve been nothing but nice to you.”

“I know, I know. You’re right,” he said. “Some of the things I’ve said...I’ve taken it way too far. I’m sorry.”

Did Hell just freeze over?

“Did...did you just...?”

“I did. Wanna hear it again? I’m sorry for being such a prick to you, (Y/N),” he repeated. “It’s so wrong of me to act that way, and I’ve taken some of my comments too far. I’m truly sorry.”

I was stunned into silence at this. I couldn’t believe that he was actually apologizing. Never in a million years did I ever think I’d hear the words “I’m sorry” come from Mark’s mouth, and that he’d actually mean them! I was starting to wonder if this was all some sort of elaborate prank he was pulling on me.

“Why do you make fun of me?” I asked. “I’ve tried to be your friend since day one, I don’t think I’ve ever did anything to you.”

Mark looked down at his hands. I could see him trying to work his way through some type of response. Finally, he sighed, sounding defeated, and responded, “Because I like you, and I didn’t think you’d ever like me. So I thought it’d be easier just to push you away than to even try and be friends.”

Well, tonight really is just filled with surprises, huh?

“That’s...a lot to unpack,” I said. “First and foremost, why do you think I wouldn’t like you? You haven’t even given me time to get to know you.”

“You wouldn’t want to get to know me,” he said. “You’re this perfect person in every way. You’re excelling in your classes, you’re so hard working and determined. I’m basically the exact opposite of that. I have zero drive to do school work, I’m just barley passing. I have no idea what I’m doing with my life, but you seem so sure of everything. A girl like you would never fall for a guy like me. And I mean...that fucking stings, but you’re probably better off that way. I’d just hold you back.”

I let his words settle in for a moment. I wasn’t sure what to say. I wasn’t even sure how much I believed him. After so long of Mark mocking me and putting me down, I had a hard time believing anything he had to say.

“What makes you think I wouldn’t try to help you with that stuff?” I finally asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean...if you had told me this from the start, we could’ve worked on that together. I could help you with school work, and help you figure out what you wanted to do with your future. Even if it took years to figure that out, I could’ve helped you.”

Mark lifted his head to look at me. “Would...could you...do you have feelings for me, too?”

“I might,” I admitted, “but you have to work to find that out. You’ve been treating me like trash since we met, it’s not exactly the best start to a relationship. So, I propose we start over.” I held my hand out to him. “Hi, I’m (Y/N).”

He smiled at me and shook my head. “I’m Mark.”

“Nice to meet you, Mark.”

His smile was actually really nice. He looked handsome when he wasn’t trying to be a colossal douchebag.

Near seconds after our little make up, we both heard the lock to the basement door turning. We quickly rose to our feet as Dani pulled the door open, trying (and failing) to hide the grin on her face.

“I didn’t realize the door was locked! Sorry guys.”

Dani had always been a bad liar.

Mark and I shared a look before he walked out of the basement before me, completely abandoning the ping pong table, which was why we had gone down there. Dani was smiling brightly at me as I passed her. I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help but smile back as well.

#mark #mark imagine #will poulter #will poulter imagine #will poulter x reader #midsommar #midsommar imagine #imagine #one shot #request #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom

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svtegg · 5 years

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spaghetti and confessions (SVT apocalypse!au)

♡ wordcount: 3,1k ♡ chapter 12/? (ch.1, ch.2, ch.3, ch.4, ch.5, ch.6, ch.7, ch.8 ch.9 ch.10 ch.11)

♡ this won’t make any sense if you haven’t read the last part so make sure to catch up on those before reading! they’re all linked above!

♡ rating: PG-13 death/violence, language

♡ pairing: svt x reader

The warm, green summer quickly faded into fall, deep yellows, browns and hot reds taking over the tree lines surrounding the camp. The birds and other wildlife neighboring the site seeming to calm down as the temperature dropped slowly with each passing day. I had gotten to know the boys better with time, now seeing them as my group. I had grown closest to Mingyu and Soonyoung, Seungcheol still being the one I had spoken the least to even after almost two months. The leader of the group seemed to have warmed up to me a little more, often asking for my opinion or help on different tasks. Mingyu and Chan had decided, after the run I had gone on, that my shoulder needed at least a month to heal, so I had been put on cooking and cleaning duty for the last couple weeks.

As I stood in the kitchen and peeled some of the onions that Wonwoo had brought in from the growing garden out back, the door squeaked open. I turned my head slightly to look over my shoulders to peek at the newly arrived person. “Hi Jun!” I smiled at the man that had just come in through the swing-door from the dining area. He smiled back, flashing his upper teeth as his lips parted in a friendly smile before I turned back to the task in front of me. The man Joshua, Soonyoung and I had rescued along with Jihoon about a month ago had made a slow recovery, his face slowly filling out as his wounds and bruises healed. He had been slashed in the stomach by one of his crazed group members from the boat him and Jihoon had lived on for two years. His left leg had almost been broken in the brawl so now he was limping around on some makeshift crotches that Wonwoo had built him.

“What’re you making?” He asked as he peeked over my shoulder, his chin resting on my shoulder for a few seconds before he pulled away to lean against the white top counter. He was intently looking at my hands as they unpeeled the brown skin from the onion. I looked up at him, once again struck by how handsome he actually was. “I’m going to try and make some pasta, actually.” I answered, my eyes quickly shifting back to the vegetables on the counter. “You wanna help?”

As he cut some of the fresh tomato, we made light conversation. He was telling me about an incident in his group when the door swung up again. “Y/n, come help Mingyu and Chan, Joshua and Soonyoung came back-“ Minghao rushed in, half out of breath. I looked up at the man, his long black hair disheveled, probably from running, eyes blown wide and mouth half agape. Before anyone had time to mutter anything I bolted out from the building yelling over my shoulder at the two men to finish the food for me. The soil underneath my boots crunched as I took quick steps towards the familiar vehicle parked in the middle of the courtyard. The entire side of the car was smeared in brown, and I could only hope it wasn’t blood from anyone living.

I could see Mingyu’s back from where I was positioned, and the top of Chan’s head, his black hair ruffled and sticking into the air. And Joshua standing beside them, his face dark and dirty, speckled with splotches of dirt and blood. Soonyoung. It had to be him. Something was wrong. I could feel my heart drop into my stomach as I quickened my pace to make it over to the small group of men. The air was warm as I took a few deep breaths, the last bit of summer floating in the smell of grass and pine trees. As I took the last long steps over to Mingyu, my head was swimming, my heartbeat making my chest vibrate in time with each pump. “Josh, come over here and help me with this.” I heard a familiar voice say from the other side of the car and as I looked over at the person the voice was coming from I felt the breath I was holding leave my lungs. Soonyoung lifted a cardboard box and quickly walked away, Joshua trailing behind him with a tattered green backpack in his hand.

“Y/n….” Chan muttered, snapping my eyes that where focused on the two men who were turning the corner of the building I had just emerged from. I looked at the younger boy, then down at the ground where a tall man was lying. His black hair was messed up, sticking into the air crazily and his entire body was covered in dirt. He looked to be unconscious, eyes softly closed and face relaxed and still. From the right side in his chest, the handle of a knife. It looked to be the knife Joshua often carried on him. “What happened to him?” I said as I kneeled down beside Mingyu, who was squatting by the stranger’s feet. “Apparently, he had been trapped in one of those raider traps downtown, and when Joshua and Soonyoung tried to help him he had misunderstood and thought they where gonna kill him. It was a whole mess and they had to knock him unconscious on the ride back here because he kept trying to escape. Joshua accidentally lodged his knife into his shoulder when they stuffed him in the car.” Chan explained, looking down at the stranger, seemingly in worry. “How do we go about getting the knife out?” Mingyu rasped, running his hands over his face as he sighed.

I reached over gently, using the knife I kept strapped to my thigh to cut the dirty, sweat soaked shirt up. The mans chest and abdomen was covered in dark bruises, some looking fairly fresh and others almost yellow and green. The three of us decided to move him to room 5, which was the room we used to store all our medical supplies and medicines in, the bed in the middle of the room serving as almost a surgical table as Mingyu and I got to work trying to remove the blade from the mans chest. Chan was bandaging him up as I was cleaning off my hands with a rag. I slumped down into the garden chair that was placed by the door, looking over the strange man. “What happened to this man….” I silently wondered more to myself than anyone else as Mingyu appeared in the doorway. “He’s still unconscious?” He asked, a smart smile playing on his lips as he looked between me and Chan. I looked at him quizzically, knowing he had planned a stupid joke or something, the smile looking awfully similar to the smile he had bared the time he made the clown joke that no one had laughed at. “Yeah, why?” Chan said, his head lifted up from the sleeping man to look at Mingyu with a wondering look, his dark eyebrows almost disappearing into his hair as his eyes grew wide and round in surprise. “Oh, I just wanted to know what this guys name is!” Mingyu snickered as he pulled on a leash, a medium sized dog happily strutting into the room.

The dog was big, looking to be a mix of a German shepherd and something else, and when the animal spotted me it jumped up into my lap to greet me, its big paws resting on my thighs as it licked my hands to say hello. I could feel my heart melting. It had been years since I saw a dog, and even longer since I met a friendly dog, most of the canines where becoming wild at this point. As I petted the dog gently, cooing and talking to it I didn’t notice the previously unconscious man stirring on the bed.

The big dog tried several times before it was able to jump up on my lap and settled on my thighs after letting me pet its ears for a few minutes. Its fur was slightly stiff from not being washed and the animal smelled very strongly of mud and something else, its black and chocolate brown spotted fur lightly scratching my palms as its fluffy tail slowly hit my upper arm in an effort to show it was happy. As the dog started to fall asleep in the comfort, I looked up at the men in front of me. Mingyu was helping the man I didn’t know sit up while Chan opened his bottle of water to give him. The man looked exhausted, his face and clothes dirty and worn, dark circles around his eyes that made him look like he was already dead. He chugged down the water that Chan handed him, Mingyu chuckling from behind him as he stacked a pillow up along the wall so he could comfortably sit back. His cut shirt hung loosely around the clean, white bandage across his chest and the white fabric shone out at me through the dirty green material of his top. The man thanked Chan in a raspy and husky voice as he leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes in exhaustion, a ragged breath escaping his dry and cracked lips.

His face was, despite looking so dirty and exhausted, undeniably handsome. He had a long straight nose that stood directly out of his face, his cheekbones high and jaw chiseled in a perfect v shape. As Chan left with the dirty tools and the empty plastic wrappers that had previously held the bandages and alcohol pads that had been used to cover the small wound on the chest of the man sitting in front of me, a quick promise to bring some food for both the stranger and the dog leaving his mouth before he softly closed the door behind him. The man across me took a deep breath, the air leaving his lungs in a shaky ‘thank you’ as he looked between me and Mingyu. As Mingyu moved to sit at the edge of the bed, the dog in my lap lifted her head to look up at the man moving in front of us, watching over him until he settled at the edge of the barren bed, the mattress squeaking lightly under his weight as he shifted his body towards the man on the opposite side of him. “How do you feel?” Mingyu said, his voice sounding exactly like it did when he asked me that very question a couple of months ago. The man answered he felt fine, despite the circumstances, and then went into apologizing for causing trouble for Joshua and Soonyoung when they tried to help him earlier. I moved my hand over the back of the dog that had now settled back down in my lap, letting my fingers bury themselves between the thick strands of hair that stood up against the skin of my hand.

“I was stuck in one of those human traps that the raiders in Incheon have set up around the city. I was totally out of it, been going the last few weeks without much water and food and walked right into one. When your guys found me, I had been in there for hours, I thought they where gonna kill me. I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry.” He apologized, his head bowed and voice quiet. “You don’t have to apologize.” Mingyu reassured him, leaning down to pat his outstretched calf. “Where you alone?” I asked silently, my eyes not leaving the strangers face for a second. Some of his black hair flopped down into his face as he lifted his head to meet my gaze. His eyes looked scared, but also unsure. He nodded, then quickly gestured weakly to the dog in my lap. “She’s the only company I’ve had since I got separated from my group. Its been a while. I don’t know where they are now.” He stated, his voice barren and small as he avoided my eyes to look up at the roof. “What’s her name?” I continued, trying to make my voice sound as comforting as I could muster to ease the stranger across from me. I didn’t want to ask him questions that might make him uncomfortable or scared, so I opted to talk about his dog to make him more relaxed. “Sun!” The man smiled gently, his head still leaned back against the wall. “She’s really smart.” He explained as he told us about his four-legged friend. Mingyu let him go on for a while before he interjected. “What’s your name?”

“Lee Seokmin.” The man answered right away, his eyes meeting mine for the second time. There were a few seconds of silence before a soft knock on the door snapped us all out of our trances. The dog didn’t react at all, seemingly in a deep sleep as the door opened and a smiling Chan walked in with Seungcheol and Joshua in tow.

“I’m sorry for causing so much trouble!” Seokmin burst out as he recognized Joshua, apologizing again until Joshua smiled gently down and mumbled a don’t worry as he looked over at Seungcheol. “This is Seokmin.” Mingyu stated, looking up at Seungcheol who was looking around the room, his face completely expressionless and eyes bouncing around the room restlessly. “And this is Sun.” The tall man continued, gesturing to the dog in my lap. Chan managed to slip between the two men standing in front of the bed and handed Seokmin a plate of spaghetti with a gentle smile, his head nodding in a sort of ‘youre welcome’ gesture as the dirtied and exhausted man thanked him quietly. “Have you ever killed a human?” Seungcheols scarily deep voice suddenly said, his tone serious and dark. The dog resting on my thighs quirked up in surprise and looked up at me. I slightly moved my legs, and she in turn jumped gently down onto the carpeted floor and shook her huge body softly, the flimsy collar rustling along with her movements. I heard Seokmin gently answer with a ‘yes’ as I motioned for Chan to follow me outside, knowing I wasn’t interested in hearing the conversation that would be ensuing the questions Seungcheol was about to ask the newly arrived man. I picked up the makeshift leash connected to Sun’s collar and lead her outside to the stairs and sat down on the wooden porch.

The sun had started setting and the sky was slowly being overcome with a deep blue, microscopic spots of white appearing over the mountains in the east. Sun sat beside me, her rapid breathing along with the sound of the wind rustling the treetops and the birds singing their last songs of the day masking the sound of Chan closing the door to the room filled with the talking men.

“Hi Sun.” Chen whispered as he stretched his legs out in front of him, the sound of small stones and pebbles digging into the dirt beneath his feet accompanying the sound of the dog laying down onto the wooden surface, her slightly overgrown nails scratching the worn out wood. There where a few beats of silence before any of us spoke again. “Those raiders are the worst thing to happen since this entire apocalypse thing started.” Chan spoke softly, his hand resting on Sun’s back, petting her gently as she let out a sigh almost sounding like she agreed to the statement. I hummed, leaning back on my hands to look up at the sunset sky. The golden orange reaching over the mountaintops to say goodnight, creating a warm glow over the surroundings and making Chan’s face look almost like it was dripping in gold. “The only person I’ve ever killed was a raider.” He stated; his gaze fastened on the disappearing glimmer of the sun behind the rocky tops in the foggy horizon. I let my eyes wander over to him, he’s smiling down at the resting dog as if he didn’t just talk about taking another person’s life. I don’t answer him, half waiting for him to continue but also not really knowing how to respond to his confession. The boy coos gently at the dog as it sneezes slightly, shaking its head before lying back down with a yawn. “I blew up a car when I was on my last run with Joshua and Seungcheol. They got caught off guard by a gang of them when we were looking for antibiotics in a closed of pharmacy close by Incheon Airport. I blew up a car to save them, but I managed to get this at the same time.” He lightly states, a slight smile playing on his lips that contrasted heavily to the topic he was talking about. Chan moves his hand to pull down the right shoulder of his black sweater, revealing a pink scar across the outside of his shoulder. I look up at him questioningly, my hand moving up to touch the healed skin. He laughs slightly and nods.

The scar is about 4 and a half centimeters wide, probably about 10 centimeters in length. The skin is smooth and the wound looked to have been healed pretty well. His smooth and warm skin glide lightly under my fingertips as I let them run up and down the mark a couple times. He shivers and laughs quietly. “It tickles a little” He whispers as I pull my hand away with a chuckle. “You look badass.” I wink at him, putting my hand back behind me. He chuckles and move around to dig in his pockets, pulling his hand out after he found what he was looking for. “Here Sun, you hungry?” He gently muses as he unwraps a piece of folded paper, his voice high pitched and cute as he hands Sun some of the left-over meat from the spaghetti sauce. The dog happily ate what the boy handed her, her fluffy tail slapping excitedly against the wooden porch underneath her. The three of us sat for a while, the low chattering from inside the room behind us becoming louder. “You should go eat, y/n, don’t you have watch duty tomorrow morning?” Chan asks as he gives Sun the last piece of meat. I once again hum, hugging my knees up under my chin as a cold breeze blows past my exposed arms. “I’ll take her. You go eat.” The boy smiles as he gestures down to Sun who’s now licking Chan’s hand thankfully. I smile and get up, giving the dog one last pat on the head before I slowly make my way across the open space to enter the dining area.

a/n: sorry for any typos this isnt proofread at all lmao!!!! hope you enjoy it still! thank you for reading uwu

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heytheregreeneyes · 4 years

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How come you gave up on 'Something Just Like This'? I loved that fic

So here’s the thing...

I haven’t given up on Something Just Like This. I actually still love that fic dearly and very much intend to finish it (and I need to do it soon before Tyler steals all of my ideas like he did with Jenna’s pregnancy reveal *shakes fist at Tyler*).

As you all know, this past year I hadn’t felt much like writing and I couldn’t figure out why... until the other night at work. I was sitting at my desk, staring off into space and thinking about dialogue for the current chapter when it hit me like a freight train why I haven’t been writing. I had had an epiphany!

My eyes literally got wide as I sat straight up, gasped and literally said “Oh my God,” out loud. It was so obvious, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before. And the first thing I did was text @ohfrickfanfic (who agrees with me), even tho it was somewhere around 3:25 in the morning. So if you wanna hear the story behind the fic, buckle in kids, cause it’s gonna be a long one, and it’s gonna get deep.

So as you all know, I started writing Something Just Like This in July of 2017. I was 4 months pregnant with my 3rd surrobaby, who was due in December on Christmas Eve. I was writing as fast as my fingers could fly and was banging out chapters probably once a week. Sometimes twice.

December 12, 2017 - SURROBABY IS BORN! After this, chapters obviously slowed down so that I could pump milk and get my life back to somewhat normal again.

Six months later, in June of 2018, I finally reached the end of my six-month contract for pumping breastmilk for Surrobaby #3 and I started working at my current job at the hospital. I am a CNA and it just so happens that this hospital is where all the surrogate babies were born IRL. I have been super lucky and I now work in that very department, which is where I have wanted to work all my life! Serious life goals, guys. But as you all know, nurses work insane shifts and long hours. I work overnights, 13 hours at a time, and so writing slowed down even more since I was now working my first job outside of the home in about 9 years. For the next few months, chapters are still being posted, but much more slowly.

Things are moving along great... I’m still writing, albeit a bit more slowly, but chapters are still being posted

April 2018 comes and my grandpa dies... my emotions took a huge hit. I had grown up very close to my grandpa and I couldn’t write happy things when I was in such a sad place. It was rough.

Writing slows even more over the summer, but I am still writing, still posting, still planning, still rough drafting, still plotting scenes, and still writing dialogue.

September 2, 2018 - I meet HIM. I don’t want to give out his real name, so we’ll just call him William. I will never ever forget that night. I wasn’t even supposed to be at work that night; it was my night off but they had sent out a text that they needed help, so I picked up an extra shift. Around midnight I got a call that they needed me to pass off my patients so that I could go down to the ER and be a 1:1 for a patient suffering a panic attack. I gather up my things, head down to the ER, get my assignment, go to his room, and...

That was that. He had been sobbing and when he looked up and saw me, he suddenly took one last big breath and stopped crying. He calmed. We got to talking over the course of the night and it was like we had known each other for millennia. We were immediately comfortable with each other, had each other's sense of humor, shared similar life experiences, you name it. This was the night I met my best friend.

He was still hardcore in the middle of a panic attack and didn’t like to be touched, but somehow I was allowed to touch. He openly admits to how much he despises hospitals and no one was allowed in the room, but somehow was calm when I was there. Do you believe in fate? Cause I do.

A week goes by and we now are either talking/texting/video chatting/instant messaging all day and all night, about anything and everything. Our phone calls go on for HOURS and often would end up talking all through the night. Turns out that he has severe anxiety and hasn’t left his house in over two years. Neither of us could believe how quickly we connected and bonded, but the new friendship was a blessing for him and me both. Because of his anxiety and tendency to call/text/message me if a panic attack hit, he earned his own ringtone, text notification sound, and custom volume so that if he called or texted in the middle of the night, or if I was out in a busy area, it would wake me up or ring loud enough so that I could stop and answer.

September 18, 2018 - Two weeks after meeting William, my world gets turned upside down. I lose my mom. She was only 52 years old and died very unexpectedly from sudden liver death. I was DEVASTATED. William was there for me throughout the whole thing, something I didn’t expect since we had just met barely two weeks earlier. In fact, one of the last things my mom ever said to me was “make sure you take care of that sweet boy”. I’ll never forget it.

After my mom died I didn’t feel like writing for a long time. Again, it’s hard to write happy things when you feel so sad and shocked.

So this past year goes by and things level to a norm. William’s depression and anxiety waxes and wanes. We’d hang out in person at his house sometimes, mostly just making fun of each other and enjoying each other’s company. We still talk and text multiple times every day, and had gotten into a habit of sleeping while on the phone.

Then mid-October this year, something changed. We still do all of our normal stuff but he had started to say that he hated not being able to leave his house, hated the way he felt, hated not being able to do stuff, felt like a failure and a coward, etc. All things he has said before, but this time was just hitting him so much worse.

The night of October 22nd is when things really changed. To me, that’s the day I had breast reduction surgery, but that’s also the day communication between us stopped. He stopped calling, he stopped texting, we no longer messaged or chatted on discord... He was gone.

Let me tell you that this felt exactly like another death. How could I lose someone I was so close to? Did I say something wrong, did I do something wrong, did I make him feel bad, did I scare him somehow... all these questions were running thru my head, constantly, throughout the days.

One night I texted him that we needed to talk so he called and sort of, got onto me. He said that I did nothing wrong, that I didn’t say or do anything, that he just couldn’t handle things very well at the moment and he would see texts but just didn’t have it in him to reply. He lacked the energy to call and carry on a conversation. didn’t want to do anything but be by himself. He told me that he loves me and that he misses me, but this is just how it gets sometimes. it just be like that.

I understood. Depression fucking sucks and it just sucks the soul right out of you sometimes. I was there for him but right now, he just needed alone time... something he hadn’t required in over a year... and something I definitely was not used to.

So there I sit this past Saturday night at work, thinking about my fic and writing dialogue in my head like I had been the last few weeks when it hits me.

‘Oh my God,’ I thought to myself. ‘I just figured out why I write fic and why I had stopped for a bit... until now.’

IT FILLS A HOLE OF LONELINESS AND LONGING!

I texted @ohfrickfanfic and she replied, “you were lacking male attention so you made up for it by writing fic but then you met William and he filled the void but now he’s not giving you as much attention so you feel you need to fill that void again.”

I’ll be damned if she’s not 100% right. I had love. I had someone who loved me, someone who genuinely cared about me and for me, asked how I was, loved my family, wanted to know what I was up to, took interest in my life, valued my opinions, asked my advice and took it to heart, called me his, called me pet names, gave me hugs and kissed my forehead.

When it suddenly stopped, ngl I cried quite a few times. I was heartbroken. I went into my own depression and that is when I got the want to start writing again. I’ve always wanted to write and finish SJLT, but now the urge is there.

Things are slowly getting better. He calls every now and then... more often all the time. He teases me and texts sometimes and sends me messages on snapchat, just not NEARLY as often as before. It’s been over a month since I’ve seen his face and I hate it, but I can see my best friend slowly coming back to life. It’s tough because I miss him so fucking much, but he’s coming around and trying to battle his anxiety.

As far as the fic goes, I NEVER gave up on Something Just Like This and it WILL be a finished fic if it kills me. As it stands now, there are only about 3-4 more chapters to go before the fic is finished, and I would like to get it out before the new year... again, before Tyler Joseph steals all of my ideas that I’ve had planned for Josh for over two years. *shakes another fist at Tyler*

I really do appreciate all of you sticking with me and the fic for this long. Allowing me to grieve the loss of my loved ones and asking for updates on the fic... it lets me know that you like it and that my work is wanted.

I won’t let you down.

#something just like this #fanfiction #fanfic #josh dun x reader #encoreo #reader-insert #reader insert #fan fiction #depression #anxiety #about me #update

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topweeklyupdate · 6 years

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TØP Weekly Update SPECIAL TRENCH EDITION (10/6/18)

Ya’ll have had time to listen to the album. Some of you have it memorized already. So let’s pick apart Twenty One Pilots’ latest project track-by-track, explore the new themes and sounds that the band is exploring in this era, and also catch up on all of the latest news to come out in just the last two days.

This Week’s TØPics:

A Complete Look at Trench

My Blood Music Video

Twenty One Pilots to Return to the American Music Awards

New Interviews About the Album

Picking Fights with Gaga? (Not Really, No)

And MORE!

Track Analysis:

Before we get started, we should acknowledge Trench’s wonderful liner notes, which besides boasting some stellar artistic design reveal a great deal of important information about this album. First, the overall cohesion of the album, like with all of the band’s albums save for Blurryface, can be attributed to the shared vision of the same production team on every track. The impact of Paul Meany on this entire album should not be understated: Paul co-produced every track save for “Levitate”, which he is instead given main credit for with Tyler listed as co-producer. He is also given writing credit on half of the album for his arrangements, again including “Levitate”. We musn’t forget the other heroes: the album was mixed by Adam Hawkins and mastered by Chris Gehringer. Also, the “thank you”s are both touching and occasionally very funny (“And to our haters, we know you liked stressed out.”)

I’ve already expressed my thoughts and reactions to the four previous singles in prior updates, so feel free to look back at them to fill in the gaps.

“Morph” starts us off real strong with an absolutely stellar groove (thanks, Paul). Lyrically, the track features Tyler ruminating on death, considering its inevitability, worrying over its proximity, and questioning what comes after. It’s the most he discusses faith on Trench; Tyler considers looking “above” for answers a “blind belief”, but he still chooses it anyway, with some reservations. Ultimately, Tyler resolves to “morph to someone” else, to stay on the defensive against the insecurities leveled at him by Nico and keep moving forward. The song also features a “Judge”-esque shout-out to our boy Josh Dun within the stellar ending run- fitting, considering just how good his drums sound on this track in particular.

“Chlorine” is a definite highlight off the album, as it constantly mixes up flow and structure while never losing it’s laid-back psychedelic groove and its consistently excellent metaphorical examination of Tyler’s strained relationship with fame. I’ll be singing that hook forever. And the bridge. And that ending break-down that definitely sounds like a No Phun Intended sample. This thing’s a bop, potentially the best track on the whole project- and that’s really saying something.

“Smithereens” is an odd duck that feels like it doesn’t quite fit in on Trench but is nonetheless a very sweet and enjoyable tune. I mean, it’s love song that snuck onto this album that’s literally about writing a love song and sneaking it onto an album; I have to commend Tyler for being ballsy, clever, and artistic with his grand romantic gesture. I also have to commend Mr. Meany for sneaking that beautiful woodwind section in.

Before I even heard the album, I knew “Neon Gravestones” was going to be the stand-out track for a lot of folks. Rock Sound had promised that this would be the song that saves people’s lives, and hopefully it will. Tyler’s spoken word musings regarding celebrity suicide were always going to be controversial, and publications like The Atlantic and Alt Press have already questioned exactly what he means to say with the song. As someone who just recently lost a loved one to suicide, even I’ve struggled with this song’s message somewhat. Does Tyler disrespect the memory of those that have passed by telling us not to glorify them in death? It skirts close to the line a bit, and he certainly could have gotten a bit more specific in how he suggests we should react. But he reigns it back from the edge, as Tyler so often does when discussing mental illness, by placing the focus on his own lived experience. “If I lose to myself” is the most gut-wrenching lyric Tyler’s written in ages, and it really sells that this idea is something that Tyler truly wrestles with in dark moments. We really do have to de-romanticize suicide if we want to have a chance against it, and I’m proud of Tyler for taking those steps in a public way that can also help others. And the production? Simply bone-chilling.

“The Hype”, aka “Wonderwall” meets “Bittersweet Symphony”, is another highlight. Simple lyrics, sure, but comforting ones. Particular praise goes to the ending, when the echo effects layer onto the vocals and the ukulele comes into mix. One of many great “night-time driving down the highway” songs on this half of the album.

“Cut My Lip” is pretty easily my least favorite song on the album, which is not meant a harsh criticism at all. The overall vibe is very enjoyable, and I especially love how Tyler says “contusions”, but the song is just twice as long as the lyrical content actually warrants. It really is largely saved by Josh’s intricate drumming and Paul’s intervention with the reverbing psychedelic synths: it sounds just as sick as the rest of the album in those respects.

The last two minutes of “Bandito” may just be the best part of the entire album; Paul (I assume it’s Paul) really outdid himself with that composition. The rest of the song is great, too, with “I’m still not sure if fear’s a rival or close relative to truth” in particular standing out as an all-time Tyler Joseph lyric. I can’t wait to hear this live... God, I hope this is played live...

“Pet Cheetah” is... weird. But with a name like that, we expected as much, and it only makes all the more sense when considering the subject matter: writer’s block. Tackling that subject head on really seems to have given an extra boost to Tyler’s creative energies: his rap verse is straight-up fire in terms of both wordplay and passion. All in all, a fun curiosity to come back to when we want to remember that time Tyler wrapped about naming a cheetah after acclaimed British action star Jason Statham.

“Legend” is one of those songs that really is beyond criticism by virtue of its subject matter: Tyler mourning the loss of his grandfather. I do wish the song was given a bit more polish around the edges, but it still boasts a gorgeous horn section, and the rough sound helps demonstrate that this was a deeply personal project that we’re privileged to be able to hear at all.

“Leave the City” is the perfect ending note for this project. As Zane Lowe said, it never fully reaches the crescendo it seems to be building to, and all the better for it. The inclusion of a call to “stay alive”, now directed inward toward Tyler himself, remains a powerful rallying cry of hope, even while it expresses a sense of resignation to knowing our personal battles may never end. There’s no clear answer, only the promise that we are not left alone to face what the future holds. And that’s enough.

Taken all together, Trench was not the album I was expecting, and not at all in a bad way. There was relatively little in the way of “Jumpsuit”’s harder edge, nor was it as obtuse and concept-dedicated as the initial marketing had indicated. But it was still incredibly daring and ambitious, tackling song-structures and concepts that few pop artists (if we can still call them that) would dare approach. While I would have loved an album much more strictly dedicated to telling the story of Dema, I don’t know if most people would have, and that kind of railroading would have prevented Tyler from getting as personal and deep as he does here. There are ideas and individual lyrics on this project that have left their mark on me like few pieces of music have since... well, Vessel. It might not match that album in my own heart, but it might also objectively be the best thing they’ve ever done.

Major News, Releases, and Announcements:

Shockingly, we’re not even close to done. As reported in the last update, the album’s release was accompanied by the release of an all new music video for “My Blood”. Unlike the prior three videos, this narrative takes place completely outside the world of Dema and Trench, featuring two rebel brothers dealing with all that suburban teen white boy angst (been there) and attending a real funky Halloween party in skeleton onesies, all leading up to a satisfying Fight Club revelation.

The video is also the first one since “Tear In My Heart” to not be directed by Mark Eshleman or Andrew Donoho. The Clique’s new friend Tim Mattia has been directing some major music videos since 2012, including Troye Sivan’s Blue Neighborhood project, Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen”, and major singles from The 1975, Zedd, Chris Stapleton, and many more. You can definitely tell the difference from the aesthetic (particularly Tyler and Josh being relegated to a glorified cameo). Still, it was a refreshing change of pace, and I look forward to seeing if it helps the song pick up any momentum at radio.

Upcoming Performances:

American Music Awards, Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, CA

Capacity: 7,100

On Thursday, we reported that Tyler and Josh would be signing copies of Trench in Hollywood this coming Monday. Turns out they weren’t just looking for some California sunshine- they’ll be performing at the American Music Awards. This marks their first professionally filmed performance this era and their first award show performance since... well, the last AMAs, where they put on a stellar show. Current reports state that the band will be playing “Jumpsuit”, but I would not be at all surprised if they mashed it up or tried to do something clever and attention-grabbing. Whatever they play, seeing the boys back playing live will certainly do wonders for promoting Trench- and it will definitely make me happy.

Other Shenanigans:

Oh, we’re still not done. Irish radio station Today FM aired an interview they held with Tyler back on the Complete Diversion media day. The interviewer is brilliant and asked a bunch of thoughtful questions that show that he’s done his homework and cares for the band and its fans. Highlights include:

Tyler says that he doesn’t want to talk too much about the “easter eggs” of the marketing campaign (probably referring to dmaorg.info) because he feels it might take away some of the punch.

Tyler shares some very wise words about being aware of the cyclical nature of mental health and self-improvement. He didn’t end the album with a definitive answer because he has recognized that, in our individual journeys, we regularly get sent back to Square 1 and then are left all the more discouraged because we feel the effort is futile. Tyler suggests that awareness that will happen in advance- and that we are all doing it together- will help us to get back to the place we fell from more quickly each time.

Tyler says that it’s incredibly “heavy” to hear fans say they saved their lives, and that he’s tempted to brush it off rather than deal with that weight. However, they recognize that their platform has given them a responsibility to serve their audience.

When confronted by the possibility that folks wouldn’t like the new imagery, the band had to fall back and just do what they thought was cool. They were so relieved by how well the Complete Diversion show went and how receptive everyone was to them.

The band will absolutely be moving forward with this Trench story- it’s not done yet, not by a long shot.

Australian music site Music Feeds also published a text interview with the band that’s another must-read:

Tyler discusses how Trench is largely meant to represent the “space between spaces”. He was particularly feeling strange about leaving Blurryface to approach this new album, so he channeled that struggle with finding yourself in a liminal space into the music.

He’s hinted at it in the past, but I believe this is the first time Tyler bluntly says that Blurryface is Nicolas Bourbaki.

Tyler jokes that they filmed in Ukraine because the workers don’t take lunch breaks and it saved them money.

Tyler says that all of the songs on the album “completely destroyed him”, but says that “Legend” was the hardest of all because of the subject matter and how he was still developing it as his grandfather passed.

Josh is looking forward to playing “Morph” live because of how different the drum pattern is from their previous work.

Tyler’s still listening to a lot of Death Cab for Cutie, while Josh is mostly just listening to podcasts like Lore.

“You can’t touch a hole.”

Also, in case you missed the title image, the band made a cute joke about A Star Is Born, whose soundtrack is increasingly looking like it will knock Trench away from a #1 debut. Some Lady Gaga stans are mad about it, I guess, but come on, that picture is hilarious.

Listen. We’ve been here for a long time. You’ve done a lot of reading of my inane ramblings. I was going to sum up some of the early reviews for the album, but I think I’m going to save that for the next time. Hopefully I’ll be able to include the opinions of a certain Melon... Catch you Friday.

Power to the local dreamer.

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