#oh.........doomed guy w/the eyelashes..........

[cathartes-aura-shitposting]

controversial opinion that currently i have that i feel like i want to rant about:

man, i'm gonna sound offensive (and i'm trying not to be here, please read it all), but something has been bothering me and i feel like i need to share this.

in terms of drawing cartoon anthros, it is OK to give SOME stereotypical feminine/masculine traits to female/male characters (respectively speaking), and especially when anthropomorphizing things that otherwise do not have any significant gender differences or even gender at all.

i and surely many others are guilty of doing this as well.

HOWEVER, there is a thin but also rather blurry line when it comes to HOW extreme these gender differences are. there is a difference between...

.. "yeah, they're male and female, but still are clearly the same species of the same world"

...and..

"dear lord, i get they're supposed to be male and female but they look like two completely different creatures altogether"

and, let me make this clear before continuing: i get such extreme difference between sexes happen in nature as well (ask about peafowls, betta fish, ect). I'm talking when you add features to something that doesnt have such diferences.

taking my own anthro creatures, for example:

these guys are the elkinets, my own aeromorph ('humanoid' aircraft) species. this post specifically is the best example i currently have; they're the "intercrosses", and you can read a bit more about them here.

but that's not my point. my point here is that i, too, am rather guilty of doing that sort of cartoon logic. females have eyelashes and slightly curved chest, males do not. also, in the lore i have for them, females are supposed to be slightly larger than the males.

however, this in my option, is really all one really need to pull the while "this guy male, this gal female": eyelashes and maybe some kind of "Boob"-like structure. it's clear that they're still very much supposed to be aircraft.

IRL aircraft do not have a gender. in the grand scheme of things, aircraft are genderless. they do not adhere to standard gender expectations. what artists and other people see as "feminine" or "masculine" or "Genderless/gender-neutral" in aircraft is purely subjective, though perhaps the media could be to blame.

anyways, where was i? oh, yeah. weird gender designs.

NOW, If you're going to cross than line and make the gender differences exaugurated/extreme, the least you can do is make it interesting in a good way.

a "good" example of extreme differences "gone right": seton academy (which i haven't watched yet, so feel free to grill me for this)

notice how the male characters have animal heads while the females are just kemonomimis (human w/ ears + tail). there's no explanation of this.

alot of people seem to have problems with this, to which i understand as to why. but, at the very least, it's somewhat "unique". it at least

and if anybody where to pull the whole "Man=more monster, women=literal humanoid female" one of the best things you can do is to have it "Make sense". maybe the reasons for the females to look more human is that the males are so scary/unnerving (Lovecraftian/cosmic horrors, i guess) that it's easier to have the females make contact with humans because they're "less scary". maybe perhaps the males uses the overly feminine females as "bait", luring in unsuspecting human travelers into there doom.

but the deer from open season are fucking inexcusable.

something about this just didnt seem right. sure, yeah, they're not THAT BAD from intitial glances (especially adding the "It's Just A kids' movie!!1!!" excuse) but there are literally two things that bother me about this beside the exaggeration between the gender difference:

1-elliot is bipedal while giselle is quadrupedal. that for me didn't quite make sense. Elliot could've been quadrupedal too and it wouldn't effect the narrative because you can still have him be bipedal at times like a lot of cartoon animals are. though, granted, their children in the later movies are bipedal too, so I guess there's some though put into it.

but, also, something which bothered me EVEN MORE (because i recently realized this).

2-they're deer. and, while it does specify the species, i presume they're supposed to be white-tailed deer. do you wanna know something about white-tailed deer?

males. have. antlers. female. do. not.

let me repeat: their is already a difference between the two genders, and that's the fact that males have their trademark antlers while females do not. and that's with the most obvious differences. adding some slight masculine/feminine trait is ok, and especially since antler's are a seasonal thing. but if they're already a noticeable difference between the two sexes, the what's the point of going to such extreme lengths like this movie did?

but guys, while doing research (because i haven't seen the movies in a long time), i came upon something even worse about the character designs in this franchise.

i learned that Ian is also a deer, and again, presumable the same species as the other two. you wanna know what he looks like?

this:

now, i do SOMEWHAT get where the movie was coming from, since he's supposed to be Eliot's main rival in the first movie and of course he's gotta look more "Tougher" and "manlier" than him, not just in attitude but design as well.

however, do you wanna know what i thought he was when i first saw the movies, and continued to think right up until doing research for this rant?

an elk. i though he was an elk. which, in all fairness IS a deer, but a completely difference species at that.

and for comparison between elk and white-tailed deer:

now, look at Ian, and then look back at Elliot and Giselle. now look at this image i pulled up.

now, maybe, JUST MAYBE, he is indeed an elk, and the movies never specified that he is an elk. in which case, yeah sure. but if so, WHY NO FEMALE ELK? all of the deer that look like elk in the movies are all male, so where's the female elk?

that is, unless of course they weren't thinking when they made the designs and thought that all deer species where the same and that nobody would notice.

now, boog and ursa have a similar issue in desgin:

they look like they're from two different series, but they're part of the same movie franchise. clearly the designers were, again, not very good with their designs.

however, it is excusable to some extent because both of them still are brown bears. both clearly are meant to be the same species, and while yes the design is distracting (and doesnt make too much sense) it at least works.

TL:DR: if you're male and female characters look like two difference species, you better try coming up with a good explanation for it.

#why the fuck did i make this god damn post??!! #why?!!

[sparklysung]

✨ADRENALINE RUSH – n.j.m.✨

© sparklysung – 2021. all rights reserved. no reposts, modifications and/or translations allowed.

pairing – na jaemin x female!reader

genre – smut, slight angst | non-idol!au, school!au

warnings – good boy!virgin!jaemin, bad girl!experienced!reader, corruption kink, unprotected sex (wrap it up guys), breeding kink, slight exhibitionism (library), creampie, marking, overstimulation

word count – 3.416 words

note – i got too much into it lol. it turned out so long, i’m sorry for that. i do hope you like it, i’ve been working on it for a few days now and it’s been rough. i’m hoping there aren’t too many errors, and if there are i apologize in advance, i know they are annoying. either way enjoy!

summary – as the local bad girl, your reputation was rather infamous. jaemin knew this and so he tried his best to stay away from you. but after getting paired up for a genetics project, he didn’t stand a chance against your desire to ruin his innocence.

taglist – @junguwuuu , @prvncejxon​, @carelessshootanonymous

part i ; part ii

you were mindlessly playing with your pen, doodling on the margins of your notebook, ignoring completely what your genetics professor was explaining on the board in the front of the classroom. 

that’s how class usually was for you; not paying attention to anything, just messing around with your highlighters, drawing more doodles to add to your collection or observing your classmates –not in a creepy way, though–. your professor wasn’t that clueless for you to nap until the end of the class, so you took advantage of whatever could keep you awake. 

when your hand started to cramp due to the constant movement, you started looking around the room with a bored expression, letting your thoughts go to anything and everything that seemed the tiniest bit interesting. that was until he caught your eye.

na jaemin. perfect na jaemin. excellent grades, the teacher’s pet, always so polite to everyone. the type of guy every parent would want their daughter to date and the perfect role model.

and you were the opposite. you never really cared about school; getting high scores was useless from your point of view, so you never took it seriously. you were used to sneaking out of your house to attend parties and going home drunk with a different guy each weekend –cause life is short and why not–. your lifestyle earned you a ‘bad girl’ reputation, as well as the protagonism of multiple not-so-nice rumours.

you two were so different from one another, belonged to completely different worlds.

that’s why you were so intrigued by him.

it’s not like this was the first time you notice him, you can’t just not notice him. he was gorgeous, to say the least; perfect face, flawless skin, sparkly round eyes adorned with long eyelashes, pink plush lips, fluffy hair with soft dark locks that fell beautifully on his forehead, framing the soft expression on his face. oh yeah, how could you forget that long neck of his, with a prominent adam’s apple that made your mouth water with the thought of marking it with purplish bites. you’ve wanted to ruin him since the first day you laid eyes on him, make him break under your touch and need you as much as he needs oxygen to breathe.

“so, before the class comes to an end, i’m going to assign you in pairs for the project i was talking to you about a few minutes ago.” groans of annoyance were heard from all around the room, finally making you pay attention.

as the professor began mentioning the pairs, your attention drifted once again towards jaemin. he looked genuinely interested in what was being said; eyebrows furrowed in concentration while waiting for his name to be called.

“kim sohee and lee donghyuck,” your eyes wandered down toward his broad shoulders, strong arms and slender fingers. your teeth nibbled with your bottom lip, nails sinking against the palm of your hand as you felt your panties grow damp by the sole idea of him fingering you. 

“na jaemin and y/l y/n,” your head snapped first in the direction of your professor, and then to his, who looked rather nervous sitting down a few desks in front of you, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. indeed, jaemin was nervous, so nervous that he felt like he was about to pass out. he could feel the looks full of pity his friends were throwing at him and it was making him feel even worse. he wasn’t too pleased either with the shot of excitement and anticipation he felt spreading across his body. you looked down at your hands, hair slightly covering your face as you tried to hide your devilish smirk.

you didn’t bother to listen to the rest of the pairs, being already too immersed in thoughts about every possible scenario that could take place while you two worked together on the project.

~.~.~.~

as soon as class ended, you threw your bag over your shoulder, making your way towards jaemin’s table and earning a couple of looks of disapproval from his friends. not letting that affect you, you approached him with a sweet smile plastered on your face. “hey,” his face shot up to look at you, hands still working on getting all his belongings inside his bag. straightening his back, he tried to look unaffected by your presence. he nodded his head shortly as a greeting and decided to get this over with as fast as he could.

“let’s work on the project at the library, right after class,” jaemin said, trying to sound confident, but you could see right through him; he was nervous. he figured that a place full of people was less risky rather than either of your houses, where you’d be alone and the possibility of something happening was a lot higher. you shrugged your shoulders, not really minding the location, “see you later, pretty boy.” you winked at him before making your way out of the room, leaving a flustered jaemin behind.

you were bad news, your name only coming up in conversations about breaking the rules, hookups during parties with lots of alcohol involved and other rumours. he knew he wasn’t supposed to feel like this, all about you screamed ‘danger, beware’. and his friends had warned him, always making sure to constantly remind him not to get closer than needed or he would be doomed. but he couldn’t stop the fast beating of his heart nor the butterflies that erupted in his stomach. 

jaemin was certain this wasn’t going to end well, at least not for him.

and he was right.

~.~.~.~

a few hours later, jaemin and you were sat side by side on a slightly secluded table. he decided against sitting close to the entrance, as the internet connexion wasn’t so good and you were required to do internet research. he felt on edge every time your thigh brushed lightly against his, though he wasn’t sure if you knew what you were doing or if you were completely oblivious to the small touches.

but you sure weren’t oblivious of the way his body reacted with each of them, fingers gripping tightly the edges of the book he had opened in front of him. you on the other hand pretended to not notice, intently reading the thesis you had found in google scholars about multifactorial and complex diseases.

at some point, you figured it was time to make your move and shoot your shot. it seemed like he liked your proximity and lingering touches, as he had never –in all the time you’ve spent in the library– made an attempt to pull away or make you stop. also, by the look of the prominent tent forming inside his school pants, he appeared to actually be really fond of it. smiling to yourself, you continued as if nothing happened.

jaemin was internally panicking, he was aware that eventually you were going to notice his little –not so little– problem. he wanted to either bury himself underground or lock himself inside his room and wait until he passed away from inanition, starvation or dehydration, whatever happened first. he tried thinking about disgusting things to make it go away, like strawberries or the time when he was dared to lick his friend donghyuck’s sweaty foot, but nothing seemed to work.

you could make out the outline of his hard dick from the inside of his pants, biting your lips to contain the smirk making its way to your face. your hand snaked up his thigh until it was close to where he most needed you, making him shudder and squirm nervously under your touch. “w-what are you doing?”, he managed to ask, swallowing the lump in his throat. this was the first time a hand that wasn’t his own was touching him. because, of course, he wasn’t that innocent. he had needs like every guy his age, hormones all over the place and making him painfully aware of the pretty girl sitting so close to him. your scent intoxicating and addictive, almost making him lean closer.

you didn’t even care to respond, too fascinated by the feeling of his clothed member against your hand, hot and heavy. “s-stop, this isn’t right, w-we can’t do this here.” the panic present on his voice made a chuckle fall from your lips, making jaemin shrink in his seat. 

“someone’s gonna hear us, w-we’ll get caught.” he didn’t know what else to tell you to make you stop, how could he convince you to stop when he didn’t want you to? you ignored his words and kept going, the idea of getting caught causing wetness to gather inside your panties. “then you’ll have to keep quiet,” the moan that slipped from his lips made you rub your thighs together to ease some of the tension.

you freed his member from the confines of his pants and briefs, pulling them down just enough for you to have easy access to it, but not so much to make it too obvious. he was big; thick enough to stretch you out nicely. you hummed in approval, spitting in the palm of your hand, going to grab ahold of his cock and slowly start to pump him. jaemin threw his head back, eyebrows furrowed, eyes closed shut and mouth agape in a silent moan. “does it feel good baby?” he hummed quietly, not trusting his voice. he leaned his body closer to yours, chest against your side while his head rested on your shoulder. “so needy”, you mumbled mockingly, to which his hips bucked slightly.

jaemin felt in cloud 9 having your soft hand wrapped tightly around his sensitive dick. he knew all of this was wrong, but it felt so good. he opened his eyes enough to be able to see you work on his shaft. your thumb flicked against his slit as it spread the leaking precum from the tip to the base. he was trying his best to avoid letting out any sound, afraid of drawing unwanted attention.

you could feel he was getting close by the stuttering of his hips, desperately thrusting back against your fist. and, as much as you wanted to see his face while cumming, you weren’t going to let him just yet. you needed him and you needed him now, your slick arousal starting to run down your inner thighs. you’ve had enough.

your hand stopped its ministrations, making him whine softly at the loss of friction. moving to straddle his thighs, you threw your leg over his until you were comfortably sitting on his lap, skirt riding up from your new position. your thin arms snaked around his neck, one going to tangle in his hair and the other to caress his jaw. his hands positioned themselves instantly in your hips, holding onto you for dear life. his eyes nervously wandered over your shoulder, making sure nobody was paying attention to what you both were doing.

you pulled his chin to get him to look at you, eyes hooded and filled with lust. you looked so hot, face flushed a pretty tone of red, eyes sparkling with mischief. he knew he would be jacking off to the thought of you for the rest of the year, if not for the rest of his life.

his thoughts were interrupted, heavy lids almost closing once again and mind going blank, as he felt you roll your hips against his hard cock, which was standing tall in between your bodies. biting your lip, you leaned in to kiss his, feeling for the first time his plump, soft pink lips against yours. a moan escaped your mouth at the sweet taste of his tongue, fighting against your desperately as if he would never be able to savour you again.

rising from his lap slightly, you used one of your hands to position the tip of his cock against your entrance and the other to push your panties aside. a soft groan left jaemin’s lips as he felt the wetness of your core. as you were about to lower yourself on him, he stopped you, fingers digging against your sides. “i-i have never done anything like this with anyone.” if you were being honest, you found his nervous stutter quite endearing. “then let me ruin you.” that was all it took for him to give in to you.

you pumped him a few more times, making sure to completely coat his shaft with both of your arousals. as you lowered yourself on him, you pulled him in for a heated kiss, swallowing his sounds of pleasure. when you had finally engulfed the entirety of his cock, you began moving your hips in circular motions, waiting for the both of you to get used to the feeling. the friction made him pull you closer, face buried in the crook of your neck while small whimpers left his lips, going straight to your core. your walls clenched around him tightly, drawing a loud groan from his chest, eyes rolling to the back of his head.

you kept kissing him, swallowing his groans and moans. he felt so good filling you up with his hard cock, he fit perfectly inside of you, as if he was made just for you; like a puzzle piece. “you feel so good, baby, stretching me out, so so good,” you praised him sweetly, hand running through his soft locks.

jaemin seemed to be unable to get enough of you. he didn’t want this to end, he wanted to stay with you –preferably inside of you–, be able to feel you so close and know he is the one who is making you feel so good.

“wait, fuck,” he gasped trying to catch his breath, “wait, i’m g-gonna cum if you keep going.” it hadn’t been long, but he was already worked up since you started touching him earlier. “is that so? remember we’re not using a condom, baby. if you cum inside me i could get pregnant.” you hummed, trying to get a reaction to your words out of him. and you got it as a higher pitched moan fell from his lips, feeling his grip on your waist tighten.

“you’d like that, wouldn’t you, huh?” you quirked an eyebrow, smirking to yourself when you felt him twitch inside of you. “yes”, he whimpered, vision blurred, the pleasure overpowering the fear of being caught. he found himself enjoying the thrill more than he should, almost embarrassed with how easily you could make him lose all his self-control. he knew you were playing with his mind, pushing him just enough to make him risk everything; his reputation, his image. exactly how you managed to get him to lose his innocence.

“what a filthy little boy, who would have guessed perfect student na jaemin was so much of a slut”, you whispered in his ear while raking your nails down his chest. jaemin could only buck his hips to meet yours, desperate to feel more, thighs burning from the effort. he was getting restless, unable to keep quiet as moans rolled off of his tongue with every roll of your hips. your mouth attached itself to his neck, biting harshly to leave pretty red marks that were soon to become purple. the sound of pages turning and typing on the library’s computers reminding you of where you were.

“please, i’m so close,” he didn’t even know what he was pleading for anymore, the only thing he knew was that he needed you, all of you, in every way possible; in every way you were willing to let him have you. “wanna cum inside my tight little pussy, baby? wanna fill me up with your hot cum and put your baby inside of me?” with glassy eyes and hot tears threatening to fall down his crimson cheeks from the overwhelming pleasure which was almost making him dizzy, he let out a string of ‘yes, yes, yes’. his hands clutched your hips to bring you closer, digging his nails on the flesh and leaving crescent moon shaped marks. a moan slipped from your lips, only increasing his desperation.

you picked up your pace, your naked thighs slapping lightly against his clothed ones. the both of you could hear the wet mewls your cunt made every time you lowered yourself on him until he was balls deep inside of you. his hips raised to meet yours, hitting your most sensitive spot with the tip of his cock, as he tried to match your fast rhythm.

jaemin didn’t know what to do with himself. he knew he had to be quiet or else someone was going to realize what was going on, but he physically couldn’t hold the sounds in. in fact, he could almost taste the faint taste of copper from biting too harshly on the flesh of his lips. on the other hand, you didn’t seem to have as much trouble to keep your cool, as only a couple of sighs of pleasure left your lips from time to time. little did jaemin know you were struggling to keep your mouth shut. every thrust of his hips causing him to hit deeper, the fucked out look in his face motivating you to go faster.

though you weren’t as close to cumming as he was, you knew this was his first time and it seemed like he was about to combust. it wouldn’t be so nice of you to make him wait longer, would it? “cum for me baby boy,” and that’s all it took for jaemin to reach his high, hips stuttering and hands trembling. feeling his seed paint your velvet walls, your hand went down your body to find your clit, starting to rub circles against your sensitive bud. a wave of pleasure shot through your body and made your hips jerk roughly against him. the sob jaemin let out went straight to your core making your climax approach faster than you would have thought.

taking advantage of the slippery mess he had made of the both of you, you slid up and down on him faster and with more strength. jaemin, seeing as you weren’t going to stop anytime soon, started growing impatient. “t-to much, p–ah, please, it’s too much”, but you didn’t stop, gripping his strong arms and grinding harder against him. “no, no, please, it hurts” he cried out desperately, begging you to stop bouncing on his oversensitive cock. you shook your head and pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt. you smacked your mouths together, diving in for another sloppy kiss that had jaemin weak on the knees and a moaning mess.

when you tore away from him, jaemin brought his fist to his face and bit it hard, trying equally as hard to control himself. his second orgasm of the day was coming closer and oh was it going to be strong. when it finally happened, his eyes rolled to the back, head dropping back. that was the last straw as you felt yourself coming, walls tightening and clenching around him to milk him dry, the movements of your hand becoming sloppy. he felt light-headed, slightly blacking out for a few seconds until he managed to recover his consciousness.

using his shoulders to help yourself off of him, you let him slip out of you. jaemin winced from the oversensitivity, hands quickly tucking himself inside his pants. as you fixed your ruined panties and messy hair, properly tidying up your clothes, you once again threw your bag over your shoulder. he eyed you with a disoriented look in his face, confused as to what you were doing.

he saw you turn around on your heels before walking out of the library, only your panties preventing his cum from running down your thighs. you left him there, without a single word, not even spared him a glance. you walked away from him as if you didn’t just fuck the life out of him, as if he hadn’t just gifted you his virginity, or more like as if you hadn’t just stolen it. as if all the kisses you shared and loving pet names you used on him meant nothing.

and the worst part of it all was the pang of hurt jaemin felt in his heart when realization fell down on him like a bucket of cold water.

to you, that moment meant nothing. because to you, he didn’t mean anything.

–lia:)

#jaemin #nct smut #nct dream smut #nct dream #nct u #nct imagines #nct au #na jaemin #jaemin smut #jaemin scenarios #jaemin imagines #kpop #kpop smut #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop boys #smut #nct #nct x reader #nct 00 line #00 line #jaemin writing #jaemin fanfic

[just-another-author-i-guess]

Bets:

Requested: yup

Warnings: she/her pronounced reader, mentions of hickey’s because I’m gross

Pairing: Zuko x reader

A/N: so this was a request, and I’ve been really excited to make it! I hope it turned out okay! In this, you’re Zuko’s secret girlfriend, you’re also Katara’s twin. Even though you and Zuko have been acting like two fools in love lately, the gaang still seems completely oblivious to the fact that the two of you are dating. You get tired of the gaangs obliviousness, and decides to make a bet. Who will win?

~

“When the war ends, I swear, the first thing I’m gonna do is buy us a sofa,” Zuko complained, back tired and bruised from having laid on the hard dirt all day. You giggled at his statement, and shifted your legs, trying to make him lay a little more comfortably in your lap. He hugged your leg tight, pouting into it at the discomfort.

“You’ll buy us a sofa? Wouldn’t that mean we’d have to live together?” You cheekily replied, heart beating as you looked down to meet his soft eyes.

This was the first time, he had ever really brought anything with the war up. You both knew it was coming to an end, of course, you both believed in Aang to end it. But never had any of you discussed what to do after, you couldn’t keep your relationship a secret forever.

Zuko would have to go back and claim his right to the throne of the fire nation, and you had to go back to your village. Of course you missed gran gran, and all your old friends, but the thought of having to leave Zuko was almost unbearable.

“Of course we’d have to live together, don’t think you can escape that easily,” Zuko replied, tone soft as he looked up to meet your sparkling eyes.

He wanted nothing more than to marry you, he wanted you to be his fire queen, but he didn’t know how his people would react. After all, you were a water bender and you were from the southern water tribes, and not only did he have to worry about his people, he had to worry about your family too.

He knew your relationship with your siblings, especially your twin sister, was very strong, and he wasn’t ready to get his ass kicked by the water tribe siblings just yet, even though you had been acting awfully much like a couple lately.

You saw the furrowing of his eyebrows, and gently reached a hand down to cup his cheek, making him look up at you.

“What’re you thinking about? You look so worried..” you trailed off, brushing your thumb gently over the burned skin of his cheek.

“Do you think they’ll accept me?” Zuko asked lowly, eyes nervously searching yours.

“I have done so much damage to your village and your people, if it was me I wouldn’t be ready to forgive me just yet-“

“Zuko,” you interrupted, making him stop his little rant.

“It’s fine, I could forgive you, so can they,” you said, determined to keep the worry away from your handsome prince’s face.

Zuko let out a grumpy sigh, indicating he didn’t believe your statement to be completely true. You merely chuckled at his antics, and gently brushed some hair out and away from his forehead, to plant a light kiss there.

“We can’t keep it a secret forever,” he mumbled, as you gently kissed his cheek.

“I know,” you sighed, when suddenly an idea lit in your head.

“Tell you what, we could make a bet out of it? Who do you think will notice first?” Zuko sat up, hair a mess from when you had buried your fingers in it earlier, and another pout stretching his pretty lips out.

“y/n, that’s a stupid idea,” he complained, and you rolled your eyes at the grumpy prince.

“Don’t be such a party pooper, it’ll be fun! Now, who do you choose?” He narrowed his eyes, knowing he had already lost the battle to your stubborn self.

“Choose?” He asked, a slight whine to his voice as he talked, and you rolled your eyes yet again.

“Who do you think will notice first, dummy,” you said, tone slightly annoyed as it was now Zuko’s turn to roll his eyes.

Zuko sighed, but finally gave an answer, “I choose..Toph and, uh, Sokka-“ you had to keep yourself from laughing too loud, at the mention of your older brothers name. He couldn’t possibly be serious, could he?

“What?” Zuko asked, shooting you a glare, but quickly changing his frown into a little smile, when he saw your laughing face.

“You can’t be serious, Sokka wouldn’t even know love if it slapped him in the face,” You wheezed, waiting for the moment Zuko would say he was joking, but it never came.

“I’m just saying, the guy has a girlfriend and all, I’m sure he’ll catch on to it soon enough,” Zuko tiredly explained, and you held up your hands in mock surrender, while still giggling like mad.

“Alright then, that leaves me with Aang and Katara, be prepared to loose,” you teased, thinking Zuko had already given up, you could never have been more wrong.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t hear you over my victory,” he teased, a cheesy grin breaking out, making him look oh so adorable.

“Fine then,” you giggled, leaned forward to plant a sweet kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“Let the game begin.”

~

Next morning, had started with Zuko going out of his way to make you sit next to him at breakfast, even going as far as draping his arm lazily over your shoulders.

Not even a single stare had been thrown your way, as everything just went on as normal. Both you and Zuko decided, that it was time to try something more risky, and so you did.

After dinner, you practically glued to Zuko’s side, you cleared your throat.

“Goodnight guys, we’ll head to bed now, sleep well..” you awkwardly said, stretching your limbs as you talked, Zuko quickly standing up to wrap his arms around your waist.

“Goodnight guys! See you tomorrow!” Aang happily waved goodnight, innocent as ever, and you groaned in frustration as you turned to walk away, still with Zuko’s hands and arms all over you.

Nobody even questioned why you were going together, nor did they seem to notice the hungry stare Zuko had been sending you the entire evening. This was going to be way more difficult than you originally thought.

As the two of you entered his tent, Zuko let out a frustrated groan, falling onto his sleeping mat.

“How can they be so dense? We’ve literally done every single thing, and there they are, just waving goodnight to us like nothings happening,” he buried his face in his pillow, as you let your body drop down next to his, and bury your face in his warm back.

“Mhm,” you answered, eyelids already feeling heavy, as you relaxed into him.

Zuko tiredly sighed again, and turned around, to cuddle you, wrapping his arms around your waist and letting you bury your face in his hard chest.

Suddenly your lips were moving, smirking into his chest.

“Sokka and Aang sleeps in here too, right?” You asked, looking up at him from under your eyelashes, hoping he was catching on. The smirk that stretched across his lips, told you he already knew what you were saying.

“Yeah, it would be a shame if they were to walk in on something,” he said mischievously, just as he bend his head down, so his lips could catch yours.

~

The next morning, you had woken up snuggled tightly and comfortably in Zuko’s arms. The sunlight had hit your face, and you had realized that both Aang and Sokka were in the tent.

Quickly, you removed yourself from Zuko’s sleeping form, hearing his small sleepy protests, as you red faced went out to help Katara with breakfast.

“You and Zuko seem to be getting awfully close,” Katara mumbled, as you were standing besides her, washing the dishes in a river nearby.

“W-What do you mean?” You asked cheekily, thinking you were about to win the bet, you and Zuko had made earlier.

“You know, you didn’t use to be alone together this much, I’m happy that you’re becoming friends and all-“

“What?” You interrupted your twin, making her shoot you an annoyed glare, you knew how much she hated getting interrupted.

“You think we’re becoming friends?” You asked, eyes wide, as the realization sank in. They all just thought you were good friends. How ignorant can they be?

“You guys aren’t friends?” She asked, head tilting as she talked, confusion lazing in her words, and you realized how your sentence must have sounded to her.

“No-I mean, yeah, but no,” you began to explain, almost choking down your own words, as she looked at you funny again.

“What?” She asked, and stopped cleaning the dishes for a while, when she was too busy trying to figure out what you were saying.

“Just-I’ll- nevermind,” you said, cheeks aflame, as you started to wash the dishes in a furious pace, almost breaking a few plates.

~

Sitting by the campfire, everything went on as it normally did. Nothing more.

That was until Aang accidentally touched your hand, when shifting in his seat. Instantly Zuko’s not so discreet jealousy shined through, and he almost growled at the poor avatar, before pulling you into his lap, your back flush against his chest.

Your cheeks flushed with red, but quickly died down again, when the others didn’t even lift their gaze to look at you, except for Aang, who gave you a funny look but soon brushed it off.

At the ignorance, Zuko let out a low, frustrated growl into the junction where your neck meets your shoulder. The little action, cause shivers down your spine, as you looked nervously around at the others.

Your reaction didn’t go unnoticed by Zuko, and soon he was gently kissing at the spot, causing more shivers to run through you.

“Z-Zuko,” You rasped, trying to get his attention, and trying to stop him before he got carried too far.

It was already too late, and after hearing your little protest, you could feel him smirk as he bit down a little harder on the spot, causing a slight whimper to escape you.

That whimper would be the doom of you, as Sokka’s ears instantly perked, and he looked over to you and Zuko. It was already too late, and when he pulled away, there were already a big, dark hickey forming, very visible to everyone who would even dare to look your way.

“Flameo is dating my little sister!” Sokka wheezed out, face instantly going red and expression changing from everything between happiness and devastating horror.

“Seems like I won, then,” Zuko said, tone cocky as you glared at him and quickly pulled your hair in front of you, to try to cover the hickey as best as you could.

“y/n, is this true?” Katara asked, tone slightly panicked and a judging look resting on her features.

“Uh-I-I-“ You stuttered, suddenly loosing the ability to talk, as you could feel Zuko let out a huff off air behind you.

“Yes, that is true, I’ve known for a couple weeks now, they’re really getting at it guys-“ you slapped a hand over Toph’s mouth, looking at her with shocked eyes, face turning redder by the second, as you felt Zuko stiffen behind you.

“You’ve known?” He asked, horrified, and Toph licked your palm, making you quickly retreat it as she answered.

“Yep, it’s impossible not to know, considering how much you guys-“

“Okay, I think we heard enough!” Katara cut her off, looking at the two of you with a horrific expression, you and Zuko looking back at her with equally terrified expressions.

The rest of the night was spend teasing the two of you, until your faces were so red, they could very likely explode. Actually, the next few weeks were spend that way, but hey, at least you didn’t have to keep it a secret anymore.

#i hope this is okay #zuko x reader #prince zuko #avatar the last airbender x reader #avatar the last airbender #avatar toph #avatar katara #avatar zuko #avatar sokka #avatar aang #prince zuko fanclub

[dolphin-enthusiast]

Part 10

I came to accept that my headache is permanent and I should accept it.

Fun fact! My ADHD brain is messed up!

This is what I’m supposed to look like when I draw.

Hair is in a ponytail, brushed. Glasses on, mask in case of emergency and my earrings in the right position.

This is how I actually look.

The same 2 chunks of hair just came out of my neat ponytail, no glasses, I don’t even know how I see lines, and everything’s a mess

And me, but after showering.

And I shower with my glasses. I am in shambles, I’m nowhere near beautiful in both of my country’s standards. I may feel like garbage 18/6, but I’m cute garbage who’s finally starting to value herself. Himself or themselves sometimes.

(ALSO AKINATOR

BOI HE WANTS IT TO BE JOSEPH. Still couldn’t get Shoesuke.)

Koichi and I were cleaning the classroom. “Koi, haven’t you noticed that for some reason, we’re spending a little too much time together?” “I mean, I feel like it’s not enough!” “For me is overbearing, I’m not used to this much social interaction... in fact, you feel like a brother and I’m also not used to that kind of love.” “What are you wearing though?” “Some cleaning clothes, I tend to spill everything and while I was cleaning the tubes, some jackass forgot to empty some unknown liquid so I’m disinfecting it.” “But you’re still wearing makeup?” “I never wore any.” “Wait, those are your real eyelashes?” “Yup, everyone in my mum’s side of the family has log ass eyelashes- *sound* . W-What was that?” “Probably nothing.” “It’s me guys~!”

“AAAA!” “SHIT, CAN YOU LEARN TO SAY ‘Hey guys, it’s me!’ BEFORE YOU COME IN?! JESUS CHRIST YOU GAVE ME VIETNAM FLASHBACKS.!! I SWALLOWED A STRAND OF YOUR HAIR AT A CAFE AND IT DAMAGED MY THROAT!! BE MOTE CAREFUL NEXT TIME, BABE!! !” “Y-Yukako...” “Babe..! Anyways...What are you guys doing? And what is Sky wearing?” “Well, my boi who’s smaller than the atoms, king of the bacteria, who’s smaller than a cell, Shawty here and I share chemistry and the teacher saw we were closea and we’re cleaning it for 4th period. Did your brain suddenly go off? I have some fidgeting toys if you need to(by that it’s just a pen I carry that does an oh so satisfying click.)” “Oh..” She then tells us to forget about the confession and asks to be just regular friends. “Oh, it’s ok,Sugar! I regret a lot of things time to time! It’s fine!” “That’s good! I’ve been thinking all night what would I do if you refused.I got a little present to show you my appreciation!” whisper to Koichi. “You know Koichi, I may just be paranoid from experience, but if she gets a rag and something that smells sweet and pungent, run and tell everyone I love them.” And to my delight it doesn’t smell like rags and chloroform.

It’s sweaters. “I made them especially for you. I just finished them this morning.” I try my own, I mean, it’s not like I have anymore clothes. “Fantastic,they fit perfectly! I only knew your height and bust size, so I was worried about the shoulder and weight!” And I’m both smiling and crying “How the hell did you know that...? I don’t even know my own measurements...” “And I have your día de muertos skull makeup and a flamboyan on yours!” “Wait, you’re Mexican-Puertorican?” “Yup...” “But you look Korean!” “No one in my family is Korean... we don’t know why I look like this... The real question is, how did she know it...” “And I even made lucky charms for you! I hope you find your perfect matches!” I whisper to Koichi “Puta vida(It’s like, fuck my life, fucking life.) she knows me better than I know myself...” “I wanted to eat lunch with you guys!” I whisper to Koichi, “Wait, in lunch we actually eat?” And he whispers back “You didn’t?” “Fuck no, my school’s food was shit and at my university I was the only kid so I never got any food.” “What did you even eat?” “25% orange juice with pulp, an apple and if I’m feeling special, a very deep breath.”

(I have to respect my dreamscape, that’s actually what I have for lunch and I can’t sneak out to the university that my school has in time to actually eat.)

And she pulls out 2 different bento lunches with a love theme. She explains Koichi’s lunch “And for Sky’s, I made something different! I replaced the shrimp with some freshly baked ‘pan sobao’ as the locals call it because she’s allergic to almost all sea creatures. She can only eat a specific type of salmon so I got it fresh from the boat. I also picked out each individual bone! She also doesn’t like peppers, so I replaced them with dessert, a cup of rocky road ice cream! Usually, people put peanuts and where she comes from, they put a little milk in it, but she’s allergic to both peanuts and milk, it’s marshmallows!”

(Damn, it even gets my allergies correct. BUT I STILL CANT FIND OUT THE DAMN DATE. Merito questa punizione? Forse è così. I’m glad those Italian lessons I accidentally stumbled on when I was 6 are still in my memory.)

“Koichi, is it too late to run?” “Yes.” “You two must be very hungry! What do you want, the shrimp and bread first?” And she tries force feeding us until “Guys! Are you slacking off there? You need to take out the trash.” “OH SHIT, I FORGOT!!! THANKS CLASS PRES !!” And Koichi and I frantically grab the trash cans and she helps us “Oh, Sky! I also cleaned your uniform. You should really be more careful.” “I know. Hey,Yukako!” “Huh?” “I should’ve done this sooner but I forgot I wasn’t the only person in the planet, here! My phone number. If you need anything, you can call. Unless it’s 9pm. I go to sleep at 8:30. And I wake up at 6:30. I’m not available those hours. Ok,bye!” “!!” On the way out, “I know I doomed myself with that. I’m a psychic, but let’s be honest. That’s the most someone has ever cared for me since I was little. Plus, it’s a friendly gesture!” After school, the girl was walking out “You! Wait! Can you not approach Koichi and Sky anymore?” “You mean Koichi Hirose and Sky-Chanyeol Guadalupe? Yamagishi what are you talking about?” “I CLEARLY SAW IT!!” “What did I do for you to treat me like this?” “If I see you with them again, you’re gonna get it.” Yadayadaya, threats, hair is on fire, Josuke and Okuyasu realize Yukako is the hair stand user.

Part 11 soon!

#yall b lookin on point as always 👁️ #submission

[luniellar]

I See You - Chris Evans X Reader (One Shot)

A/N: I’ve always wanted to write a one shot like this where I do a Disney crossover and I’ve super happy to share it with you guys. I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Just a slice of life featuring your husband, daughter, and dog. Oh, did I mention that your husband is Chris Evans? Yup, I got your attention now. - It’s your Anniversary and Chris asked for a weekend together, just you and him.

Word Count: 2K

“Y/N, we’re going to be late!” Chris called from somewhere downstairs.

“I’m almost done!” I shouted towards the direction of the stairs leading downstairs loud enough for him to hear. Was two hours too much to ask for me to get ready? It was our night together for the first time in forever and I wanted to make sure that I looked perfect.

Thanks to the courtesy of Chris complaining for the third week about how we needed a weekend between us for our Anniversary, Emily, our daughter, was at her grandparents' house with Dodger. After seeing him pout around the house, I finally gave in last week. A weekend together didn’t sound like a bad idea. Plus, it was our Anniversary.

After applying a little bit of gloss on top of my nude lipstick, I ran into the closet. I pulled the little black dress from the hiding spot and slipped it on. I’ve had eyes on this dress since last month and tonight's dinner was going to be its debut.

“Y/N, we’re spending the weekend in bed if you don’t hurry up!” Chris called again.

I reached behind to zip up the dress and quickly realized my arm was only flexible to a certain angle. I needed Chris to help me with the rest. Rushing out of the closet, I quickly found the pair of black stilettos and stuck them on my feet and headed down the stairs.

Halfway down, I quickly realized the lights were dimmed on the entire first floor. Confused, I took each step slowly as my heels clicked softly with each step. The last 3 steps of the stairs had candles lining the sides of it. Pass the candlelit stairs, I saw why the rest of the house was so dim. Lit candles of all sizes and all shades of white filled up every inch of the house. The sweet fragrance from the candles surrounded the space around you as I looked around in awe. It was so beautiful.

From the other end of the house, Chris appeared in a fitted black velvet suit with a matching skinny black tie. He had a wide grin on his face and he walked over to me with his fancy black shoes softly tapping against the dark hardwood floor. In his left hand, he was holding onto a bouquet of red roses surrounded by a cloud of baby’s breath.

“Y/N,” he said as he reached out his right hand to you.

I met his warm touch with my hand as I took a step closer to him. He handed the bouquet to me and I gave him a small thank you peck. The red roses in the center were shaped into a heart and the contrasting white fluff made the heart shape even more prominent. I brought the flowers up to my nose and sniffed the floral scent before placing it down on the stairs behind me.

“Chris, did you do all of this?” I whispered.

“Do you like it?”

“I mean… I don’t-” I stumbled around my words trying to find the right words. “Chris, I don't know what to say...I’m speechless,” I muttered.

I didn’t know how I could describe what I was seeing right now. Did he know that the lantern scene in Tangled was my favorite? How did he get all these candles in here while I was getting ready? There were so many thoughts running through my mind.

“Hm, that’s funny,” he smiled.

I put a hold on my inside thoughts and looked up at him.

“That’s exactly how I feel when I see you, like right now for example,” he said looking at my eyes.

I felt my heart race as I was standing there, truly speechless. From his eyes, I saw the same look in his eyes that I saw during our first exchange of hello years ago. It was filled with anticipation, confidence, and a hint of nervousness.

I laced my fingers in between his. “You know that’s exactly how you looked at me when we first met?”

“Did I?” He asked, clearly amused by the thought I remembered how he looked at me when we first met. “I must have fallen in love with you at first sight then.”

My face was uncontrollably warm as I diverted my eyes from him to cool off. I wanted to cover my cheeks with my hands and hide my thumping heart that I knew he could hear at this point. Since we met, my friends always believed that Chris had me in a trance. Crazy, I know. But, I had some good evidence to back up my claims. For example, I hated the thought of spending a summer day under the sun. My justification was why go outside if I had a functioning AC at home? But now, I make the effort to make sure Emily gets a chance to be outside whenever the weather allows. I hated Disney movies and classics and only watched action films. Now, Chris, Emily, Dodger, and I gather around our TV every Friday to see who memorized the most lines from every Disney classic. I should also mention how I’ve been beating Chris at his own game.

“Mrs. Evans,” he whispered as he placed his other hand on my chin and slowly turned my head to face him. As I caught his long eyelashes and blue eyes, my breath was kicked out of my lungs. “You know, I can just stare at you all day like this.”

Pulling my hand from his, I wrapped my arms around his neck and his hands followed, gently landing on my hips. “That’s what I was thinking about you just now,” I whispered. “Are you sure you can’t read my mind?”

His grip tensed around me as he exhaled in frustration.

“If I kiss you right now, I know I won’t be able to stop myself.” He answered, leaning his head towards me.

I smiled remembering all the times our makeout sessions turned into something more at random places. Let’s just say, we were VIP members of the Mile High Club.

“Well, if you help me zip up this dress, we can go out for dinner.”

Pulling away from him, I swept my hair to the side. I turned around so that my halfway zipped dress was facing him.

“Y/N,” I heard him say as his hand touched my zipper. He held onto the zipper and leaned close to me. His head burrowed into my shoulders and his lips grazed the sensitive skin on my neck.

“Chris,” I warned.

Despite the not-so-intimidating warning, the zipper slowly moved down, unzipping the dress. When the zipper reached the end by my lower back, Chris’ hand moved onto my bare back. I felt his hot longing touch against my warm skin.

“Baby,” he whispered, his warm breath embracing my skin. His finger traced down my back, over my vertebrae. He knew what that did to me. As I turned, I reached out for his face with my hands and locked my lips with his. Our kiss quickly ignited into a hot mess as his tongue explored every part of my mouth and mine did the same. By the time we pulled away, my dress was barely holding on, stretched over my shoulders. We were both exhaling irregularly to catch our breaths.

“Hold on, before this I still have something to show you,” he said as he took off his suit jacket and placed it over my shoulders. It wasn’t like him to get distracted from what was going to happen soon and change subjects. He took my hand and pulled me along. As I followed behind him, I was mesmerized by the way candles lit up our shared space in the loving light. 

“Okay, you have to close your eyes from here.” I did what I was told and closed my eyes. I heard his footsteps move behind me. I felt his hands over my eyes, covering them. “Slowly, take one step at a time.”

“So, am I walking to a fire pit of doom?” I asked, carefully taking one step at a time as he said. When I took a step, he followed right behind me.

“Maybe,” he laughed.

I stopped abruptly in place and Chris’ body made a soft thud against my back. “Okay, okay. I’m joking, he said. “Plus, I won’t let that happen to you.”

Satisfied with his answer, I continued to walk with his footsteps right behind mine like a shadow.

As we continued to walk, Chris was directing me when to take a big step or a small step. From my memory of the house layout, I knew that we were headed for the backyard door. He asked me to step over the door ledge carefully and I immediately felt the warm summer night breeze blowing on my face.

“Okay. stop.” He whispered.

“Can I open my eyes now?” I questioned moving my hands over his on top of my head.

“If you can answer this question.”

“Do I have to answer in Jeopardy form?” I asked and he made a small “hm” as he was seriously contemplating it.

“No,” he answered eventually and I giggled at his adorableness.

“Okay, bring it,” I said.

“Okay, Y/N,” he paused for a second. “Do you love me?”

I was so confused by the easy question that I didn’t know if it was meant to be a trick question. I felt his silver band around the fourth finger of his left hand with my hand.

“Yes, I love you, Christopher Robert Evans,” I replied confidently.

“Good to know,” he said. The way he said it, I knew that he was grinning.

“What’s your favorite Disney movie?”

Without hesitation, I answered. “Tangl-”

His hands left my face and I was overwhelmed beyond words. My eyes immediately started to well up with tears. In our own backyard, hundreds of light lanterns laid scattered in front of us. Then, from somewhere behind me, the music to Tangled’s ‘I See The Light’ started to play. On the first note, the lanterns started to lift up to the sky in concert. The midnight blue sky was filled with warm lights that slowly drifted up the sky lighting up the path. I felt a light tap on my arm and I looked over at Chris with a light lantern in his hands.

I smiled at him, wiping the happy tears from my face. “Chris,” I managed to say to get out before I ended up bursting into a stream of tears. He looked down at the lantern and I placed my hands by his. The warmth of the candle against the delicate paper embraced the palm of my hands.

“Now she's here shining in the starlight,” he started reciting the lines to the song I knew so well. He was so corny and I loved him for it. “Now she's here suddenly I know. If she's here it's crystal clear, I'm where I'm meant to go.” He smiled and glanced down at the lantern.

I replied to his lines, “Now that I see you.”

We both let go and the lantern slowly floated to the top. I stared at it as it went up and joined the rest of the other lanterns in the sky. When I looked over at Chris, he was already staring at me. Our gazes met and I threw myself into his arms.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He wrapped his arms around me and held me close against his body. “You’re welcome.”

When I looked up and he kissed my forehead. “I didn’t expect you to cry, it was a nice surprise” he smiled.

“Shhh,” I said to him, embarrassed. “Tangled is my favorite movie.”

“Oh, in that case... did I mention that ‘50 Shades of Gray’ is my favorite movie?”

“Chris,” I nudged him back playfully. “Well, we can make that happen anytime.”

“Tonight,” he whispered as he leaned in for my lips. His lips were delicate, different from our kiss before, as it grazed over mine. He inhaled my breath and our lips entwined as we drowned into our version of a romantic kiss. I heard the song fade away in the background as I reached for him and pulled him deeper into our own perfect Disney love story.

#Chris Evans #chris evans fic #chris evans imagine #chris evans x reader #Chris Evans fandom #Chris Evans x you #oneshot #one shot #completed #fanfic #fanfiction #romance #slice of life #tangled #disney #I see the light #crossover #luniellar #luniellar fiction #love #fluff #Chris Evans x y/n #reader #your name #y/n #disney movie #anniversary #surprise #gift #light

[astralmaenad]

Back again with another question if it's not too much of a bother! How do the makeup routines of the boys differ? Do the Egyptians take a while to adjust? Will any amount of concealer hide the circles under Setos eyes?

It's never a bother anon! Pardon the late reply, the heat must have gotten to me last night 😓Their routines differ considerably in that for instance Mahaad is more likely to do just eyeliner and go on a normal day and keep the full face for an outing or a more formal occasion. He still does his eyeliner like he used to (bold and w shapes) but prefers more neutral/earthy tones when he rly goes for it. (One time Seth made him wear false eyelashes for a KC event tho and he now despises them w a passion. Don't give him those.)Atem is somewhere in between, no makeup at home but the moment he steps out of the house he's gonna look flawless. He is the one who leans the most towards modern makeup trends, will change his routine according to time of day and place, will try lots of new stuff he saw on the internet and keep or discard them accordingly. He is the one who gets them into contouring in the first place, after Malik introduces him to youtube makeup videos and dooms them all (altho Seth might be better than him at makeup. It's fine.. This is fine...) Now Seth? Oh boy. Go big or go tf home. Full face bitch. For the longest time he will wear full coverage everything to hide his freckles. Goes all out w the eyeliner (applied w a brush, has it in black, silver, gold and blue, and will combine two some days), he will wear nude browns but also shimmery metallics and lots of blues. It works bc he's Seth. He also Has To straighten his hair before being seen anywhere outside (that's 1 hour in and of itself). The resident tiny goth does not understand how these people use all these products so effortlessly. He has an eyeliner pen and when he applies it they can't speak to him or look at him or -gods forbid- move him in any way. He will happily sit and let them do whatever to his face tho (😏) and always loves the results, no matter if sometimes he can't rly wear it out (thanks Seth). To answer ur question about him, i think Seto wears the billion dollar tired look on most normal days and doesn't rly care. But on public appearances and events he will put concealer on and if he's going to be standing on a stage he might even consent to some kind of no-mekeup makeup look just to liven things up bc a guy has to keep up w the bfs now. And when u r standing on a stage next to Seth who is blindingly sparkling head to toe, u rly gotta up ur game. (He let Seth put eyeliner on him one -1- time at home after a lot of pressure. It backfired horribly on Seth 🙄). Ty so much for the asks anon each one adds years to my lifespan ok. I hope this mess answered ur questions! 💕

#Anon #jaspershipping

[imagineclaireandjamie]

The Break Up

Part 2.2:

The taxi from Glasgow airport to the central was spent in utter silence. Claire’s flight had been turbulent and agitated. Once she’d raced through the airport and had been boarded, she had sat, wiggling her foot nervously. At least three times during the flight, Claire had changed her mind as to whether she should actually go to the hospital. It was ridiculous. She was on the plane now, it would be counterproductive to land in London only to turn around and go home again.

Once she’d disembarked one plane and been ushered onto the next, Claire had finally accepted her decision. She’d caught a glimpse of London as they flew further north and her heart calmed, her subconscious quashing any final reservations.

As the blue and white glow of the hospital sign came into view, Claire held her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stop herself from throwing up in the back of the cab. Squeezing her eyes shut, she battled with the panic as she paid, the British currency seeming so foreign between her fingers.

“Thanks,” she whispered as she gathered her luggage and sloped into the A&E entrance.

It was quiet and calm as she strolled down the all but empty entrance corridor towards the reception desk.

“Hi,” she said, addressing the nurse hovering by the desk, “I’m looking for a James- ah, Jamie Fraser? I’m Claire Beauchamp, someone called me about him.”

Nodding, the nurse's eyes went wide as she took in Claire, cold, disheveled and plainly well traveled. “Aye, I ken the man. It must have been Carol who called ye, said ye seemed fair fashed by the situation. You’ve come here from America then?”

“Y-yes, I needed to make sure he’s alright,” Claire added, feeling the need to justify her existence. Jenny had certainly been here and knew she’d been contacted from the look on the staff nurse's face. Claire’s stomach flipped and the chicken dinner she’d been fed on the plane sat like concrete in her belly.

“Aye. Well, he’s along here. Did ye want to follow me, lassie?”

Nodding, Claire pulled her suitcase behind her, hiking her rucksack over her shoulder as she tugged her coat across her chest. The walk felt like forever, and yet the halls were still familiar to her as if she’d only been here yesterday. Although she’d work in Inverness general after her training, Claire had begun her internship in Glasgow. Concentrating on that, she forced away the feelings of impending doom as she walked closer and closer to Jamie.

“Here,” the nurse pointed, her thumb stabbing towards the only open door on the private corridor. “Careful though, Ms Beauchamp, he’s in a bad way.” “Is he still stable, though?” Claire returned. She’d seen victims of road traffic accidents many a time so she had an idea as to the state he might be in. But his external appearance wasn’t her issue.

“Och, aye. The Doctor has cleared him for internal bleeding now. He’s still no’ awoken though. We weaned him from the drugs keeping him under a few hours ago but he’s a stubborn one.”

Claire smiled, her eyes welling with tears as she glanced towards the door, “he is, that or he’s enjoying the break. The calm before the storm.”

The nurse made a very clear Scottish noise, nodded and tipped her head towards the door. “In ye go then, lass. Just dinna gi’ him too much of a shock, ken?”

Claire bit her lip before taking her leave of the nurse without another word. Her energy levels were dipping and she’d need the rest to face Jamie - if he woke during her visit. She entered the room with added caution, sliding her suitcase into the corner before turning round slowly to face Jamie.

Tears welled in her eyes and fell down her cheeks as she looked over his prostrate form. The tubes and wires flowed from his left forearm but there were significantly less than she’d imagined there would have been only days before. An oxygen tube still sat sloppily under his nose and the heart monitor beeped softly in the background as she rushed to his side and fell to her knees.

“Oh...Jamie,” she sobbed, her hands skimming over his bicep as her tears fell against his ashen skin. He was pale, paler than she remembered him to be but his skin was also marred by cuts, welts and bruises.

Bolting upright, Claire felt a miniscule movement that pulsed through her fingers where they lay on Jamie’s arm. It was small but purposeful, enough that her eyes were focused now on Jamie’s closed ones. His eyelashes fluttered, the subtle shadow of his thick lashes moving gently against his cheeks as his lips twitched.

Claire felt her heart lurch as her fatigue suddenly fell away replaced by utter shock. She’d known it was a risk, her coming here. She had known that he could and would most likely be awake at some point during her visit but Claire had envisioned having some time to prepare for this moment.

Stepping back slightly, Claire held her breath as she watched the careful flickering of Jamie’s movements. First it was just a few twitches here and there, but then he swallowed and moaned audibly, his tongue peeking out from between his lips to moisten them. Knowing it wouldn’t be long before he opened his eyes, Claire held her hands steady twisting the ring she’d received from her mother after her death around her finger.

“W-what happened…?” Jamie croaked, squeezing his eyes together as he tried to shift himself into a comfortable position beneath the mass of wires and blankets.

Claire knew that he probably wouldn’t expect her to be there, but she was the only one in the room. Swallowing back the vile taste that had taken root on her tongue, she started to speak knowing that once she’d opened her mouth there was no going back.

“You were involved in a hit and run, from what I’m told…” Claire whispered, her quiet voice carrying across the almost silent room. She watched as Jamie clenched his unhindered left hand against the sheets of the bed, his eyes flickering beneath their lids as he realised that it wasn’t the nurses or Jenny talking to him.

“Claire?” He asked, his voice low and gravelly from disuse.

“Yes, Jamie. It’s me, Claire.”

“It’s sae good to hear yer voice again, Claire.” Jamie added, before Claire could continue.

Sobbing, Claire put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from crying out loud. His words warmed her, but she knew things would be different once he started to regain full consciousness. It was clear that he missed her from Jenny’s cutting words and the fact that he’d left her as his emergency contact, though her prolonged absence had long lasting consequences.

“It’s good to see you again, too,” she replied finally when she was sure that her voice wouldn’t abandon her. “I didn’t-- well, I wasn’t sure y-you’d want me to come…”

“Dinna be daft,” he sighed, “I’m glad s’you who’s here. Jenny would yank my balls off fer being so stupid…” he continued with a splash of humour in his tone.

“She told me,” Claire responded, giving Jamie a chance to roll over and open his eyes whilst she explained herself, “Jenny did. We met in Boston accidentally and she told me about the trial. About how they managed to get the case thrown out. About your innocence.” “Aye,” he replied, his blue eyes locked on her whisky ones - tears welling on the bottom lids as he watched hers water too. “They worked hard, Jenny and Ian. They paid a m-man...a guy called Ned Gowan. He was incredible.”

Claire nodded, the first of her tears falling, making damp tracks down her cold cheeks. “I shouldn’t--”

“Neither should I, Claire,” Jamie cut in, his face twitching in pain as he tried to sit up. “But we dinna need to werrit about the past now, aye? It’s done.”

Pushing the tips of her nails into the palms of her hands, Claire held back from saying anything more. So much as she wished their paths had been different, he was right, there was no going backwards now, only forward. Licking the salt of her tears from the corners of her mouth she shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she smiled sadly across at Jamie.

“I’m still sorry for it, Jamie.”

Resting his head on the thick pillow, Jamie closed his eyes for an extended period of time whilst Claire stood awkwardly close by. Smiling to himself, he revelled in her quiet company, his mind bringing up all of those happy moments before captain Randall’s arrival in Inverness.

“I hope ye dinna think me rude,” he began, changing the topic of conversation, “but what brings ye back now, Sassenach?”

The pet name he used to use for her rang in her ears long after he’d finished talking making her heart miss a beat. Having been by herself for so long, Claire had nearly forgotten all of the tiny warming feelings that being close to another elicited within her. But now, here, in the presence of the one person who’d set her alight all those years ago, those memories were slowly resurfacing beneath her skin.

“I got a call from the hospital,” she replied as soon as she was able, “I’m your emergency contact still.” Shrugging her shoulders, Claire tried to make light of it but it was clear from the inflection in her tone that it wasn’t as blase as she was making out.

Before Jamie could question her any further there was a flurry of activity at the door and Claire took another measured step backwards as Jenny, Ian and Jamie’s uncle Murtagh came bounding into the room, wide smiles plastered on their faces.

“You had us worried sick, brother!” Jenny half-screamed, her voice almost bursting Claire’s eardrums as she tried to make herself blend in with the background.

It was Murtagh who noticed her first, his brows scrunching together as he clocked her, hunched shoulders and all, hovering by the small window. “Claire,” he asked, his voice guarded as he whispered the question, “is that you, lass?” He didn’t seem altogether displeased by her sudden arrival, but Claire could tell by the look of abject horror that crossed across Jenny’s face that not all of the Fraser’s would be pleased by her sudden appearance.

“Yes, Murtagh,” she replied quietly, “it’s me. How are you?”

Sweeping her up in a bone crunching hug, Murtagh pulled Claire firmly against his chest and held her tight. His large hand found its way into her hair and he kissed her heartily on the cheek before placing her back down again. “Weel, my girl,” he said, “yer certainly a sight for sore eyes. How have you been?”

“She’s fine, Murtagh,” Jenny snapped, incredulous that Claire seemed to be stealing attention from Jamie. “Two arms, two legs and still breathing I hasten to add.”

Balking at the venom hissed in her direction, Claire bowed her head and made to collect her belongings. “I’m s-sorry for intruding,” she returned calmly, “I’ll go now.”

“No…” Jamie perked up, his voice still sounding small in amongst the much louder pitch of his sister, brother-in-law and uncle. “Please,” he continued, as he pushed himself upwards only to flop back onto the bed. “Ignore Jenny. Stay, Claire.”

Jenny’s eyes went wide at the dismissal of her concerns and she went red in anger. Focus locked on Jamie once more, Claire tried to rein in her emotions as she tried not to notice Jenny and the rage bubbling beneath her less than cool surface. She hadn’t flown all the way to simply leave and that part of her that wanted to show how sorry she was ached to remain close to Jamie in whatever capacity he’d have her around.

“Are you sure, Jamie?” She asked, clearly shocked at his outburst. He’d never outwardly defied his sister in front of Claire when they’d been together. The sight of her restored to him, though, had obviously given him some courage in the face of the eldest Fraser.

“Aye,” he returned, “ye’ve travelled all this way.”

“Alight,” Claire said, “but I’ll go and check in now, if you don’t mind. I’m sure you have plenty to catch up on without me.” The bashful hint to her tone made Murtagh smile sadly in her direction, but Claire could tell that Jenny was about ready to burst. If she didn’t leave now, she was certain to get a mouthful from the bawdy Scot.

“I’ll walk you out, lass,” Murtagh added cheerfully, patting Jamie gently on the shoulder as he helped Claire to pack up her belongings.

Quirking a smile over at Jamie, Claire followed Murtagh out of the crowded hospital room. “I’ll come back tomorrow, if you don’t mind?” She asked, wanting his permission now he was awake.

“Aye, I’d like that.” Jamie replied as Claire disappeared nodding as she went.

Walking closely by Murtagh’s side, Claire remained silent, drinking in the calm quiet of the man as they trudged closer to the reception of the hospital.

“I just want to say one thing, Claire...” Murtagh finally said as he passed Claire her suitcase back.

Holding her breath, she awaited the disappointment speech from him. Murtagh had been the one to convince Jenny of Claire’s goodness when her and Jamie had first gotten together. Although not actively victimised by Jenny’s sharp tongue, Claire was an outsider in the Fraser’s world especially in the beginning. But one talking to from Murtagh and all side glances had stopped.

Of all the Fraser’s, Jamie aside, Murtagh was the only one Claire had felt horrid leaving behind with no word.

“...and I don’t want anymore ‘sorrys’, aye?”

“Alright,” Claire answered and then went quiet.

“Dinna leave us wi’out so much as a goodbye again, ken?” He said, his bushy brows meeting in the middle of his forehead as his eyes held hers, seriousness coating his face.

“What if Jenny murders me in my sleep?” She joked, a pleasant shiver of acceptance rolling through her at Murtagh’s words. She’d always known how much affection Murtagh had held for her, but he was a man of few words and never actively told her how much she meant to him. Those few sentences proved that even time apart hadn’t dulled his devotion to her and it warmed her heart.

“Ach,” Murtagh chuckled lowly, “do ye think I’d let her do that? But in all seriousness, Claire, we’ve missed ye...a lot.”

Holding her hand over her chest where her heart was steadily beating beneath her ribs, Claire climbed into a taxi and nodded at Murtagh as the door closed behind her. As the cab drove off towards Claire’s hotel she began openly sobbing for the first time since she’d landed on British soil. The emotions of the day spilling over as they battled the late evening Glasgow traffic.

Whatever had gone before, Murtagh had given Claire some hope. Nevermind the mistakes that had been made on her departure those four years ago. Hidden in the relatively safe confines of the small car she felt buoyant. Jamie was awake, he had asked her stay and she was certain that, despite some misgivings, she would be able to fix it. Holding Ellen Fraser’s pearls close, Claire breathed in a deep, soothing breath.

She *would* fix it.

#;Mod MBD #The Break-Up #Jamie X Claire

[jaeminlore]

werewolf!sicheng

here we go w the next monster in the monct house

the way sicheng appeared is a bit of a sad tail tale tbh

so as a werewolf, sicheng was a part of a pack deep in the woods behind monct’s house

he didn’t even know it was there tbh

in case this isn’t obvious,,, sicheng is the runt of his pack

and he basically gets picked on all the time especially by the alfa and the beta of the pack

like they make everything extra hard on him and basically scold him when he can’t do the impossible

and one day sicheng has just had enough like he’s terrified that his own pack members are going to go too far with their punishments and actually kill him

he used to be afraid of running away bc he knew that he would be officially classified as a rogue and his scent wouldn’t belong to any pack

he’d be on his own,,,, and treading back into any kind of pack territory would be an immediate death sentence

and he’s scared and alone,, but he knows this is what he has to do

a pack is supposed to be a family,,, and sicheng only feels like a prisoner

so one night he darts off

he’s the quickest werewolf in his pack, so this works in his favor

OH wait let’s describe the wv: werewolf visuals for a moment shall we

okay you know during johnny’s communication center when winwin looks super duper soft and his hair is that pretty shade of copper brown i know y'all sleep on his visuals but you have to remember look

bc when sicheng transforms into his wolf version, his fur is that same soft copper and his eyes are still big and curious to the world

and he’s limber, both as a wolf and as a human

but he isn’t the slyest,,,, and within ten minutes of running he can already hear his alfa howling from the pack headquarters

it’s threatening and scary and maybe ten minutes is a good head start in human speed but as a werewolf sicheng is doomed if he doesn’t find a hiding place quick

he darts to the left until he sees a light,,,,,, which he realizes is a human house

and…….. tbh………. he’s never seen a human before like he’s heard a bunch of legends about how they’re scary creatures who poke monsters w pitchforks and light werewolf homes on fire

so he’s highkey terrified to go anywhere near the house

but he needs to hide, so he squeezes through the doggy door in the back door of the house

and he panics once he’s in the house bc he can sniff humans and he’s terrified of them finding him so he runs up the stairs,,, into the first room he can find,,,, and he crawls under the bed

and he’s just hoping all the werewolves in his pack won’t come into the house,,, but he knows they can smell him,,,,,

so hesitantly he creeps out from under the bed and looks around for any kind of cologne or perfume

his eyes finally catch on an entire perfume shelf lol like whoever owns this room must collect them for the aesthetic or smth

sicheng just thinks he’s lucky

he transforms back into his human form and like grabs the vials,,,,, and just pours them all over his body,,,,,, and then he pours the rest into the carpet, transforms back into his wolf form,,,,, and rolls around in it to mask his natural scent

this is how you find him LOL

you had just gotten back from your classes and you can smell the absolute floral and fruity storm wafting from your room

and you walk in to see a wolf rolling around in spilled perfume

and tbh you’re a bit startled at first, but you’re even more startled when the wolf notices you and retreats to the corner of your room, its tail between its legs

“hey,,, doggo,,,, idk how you got in here but would you like some food? my moms got a whole t-bone steak in the freezer that i kinda don’t want to cook up so,,,, you can have it if you want”

and the wolf kind of cocks his head to the side as if it’s confused,,,,,,, and before your eyes the wolf forms into a boy,,, a rlly cute boy that is

and he pulls his knees up to his chest like “aren’t you going to poke me w a pitchfork for stealing your perfume?”

you kind of shrug like “look my grandma gets me new perfume every year for my birthday and christmas so i’m just glad they’re finally getting some use.”

“oh” and his voice is so soft and low like he geuinely looks scared of you,,,,, he keeps discreetly checking you out through his eyelashes, only to duck down when you make eye contact w him

“why’d you put it all on anyway?”

nd v v quietly and slowly, sicheng explains how he is a werewolf running away from an abusive pack,,,, and he’s afraid of being caught

and youre like dude!! don’t worry abt it let’s get you cleaned up and fed before i call some friends

so while sicheng takes a bath and gets all the dirt, grime, and fragrance off of him,,,, you call up human!doyoung,, who you know from university

“yo don’t you live at that monster house? can you take one more?”

doyoung agrees to set up a sleeping place for yet another monster

so when sicheng comes out of the bath, freshly clothed in an oversized sweater and some sweatpants you found, you grab his hand like “i found you a place to live!”

and he’s lowkey not rlly excited like he’s already met enough new people for one day thank you very much

but you’re persistent that these people will help him a lot more than you ever could

and you lowkey can’t have a boy at your house when your parents come home it just won’t end well

so sicheng agrees and you drop him off at the monct house

and the first to welcome him is zombie!yuta, who smells like a mix of rotting flesh and honey, and witch!mark, who is excited to meet his new roommate

and sicheng is pretty closed off for the first few days like he accepts the food doyoung slides under his door and then he sleeps the rest of the time

now listen,,,,, around the full moon,,,,, werewolves are forced to transform to like their top physical wolf form

and it isn’t like the soft wolves in the forest,,,, it’s like those creepy walking wolf creatures with elongated spines and long nails

and it hurts a lot,,,, but it can also make sicheng rlly horrible for the night like every wolf gets bloodthirsty and violent and just wants to kill

sicheng warns the rest of the boys abt this and they agree to lock him in a spare bedroom for the night

and none of them can sleep during the night bc sicheng is howling and whimpering and he sounds like he’s in so much pain

mark leaves in the middle of the night to his room to “work on something”

and shapeshifter!jaemin,, after nearly biting off his lower lip in worry, finally transforms into a puppy and toddles over to the bedroom to peak under the crack in the door

he barks for a bit,,,,,,, and it’s like the wolf in sicheng felt a bit of comfort

like wolves are pack creatures and can get super lonely, alright,,,, and sicheng’s been lonely his entire life like he’s never ever been comforted by anything or anyone before

and the rest of nct take after jaemin’s lead,,, like forest fairy!jeno does what he can to try and make passion flowers (which have been proven to calm a dog’s seperation anxiety) grow under the door

witch!mark comes out of his bedroom w a few potion vials under his arm and soot in his hair “i made some healing and sleeping potions for as soon as he’s out of there”

and doyoung calls you bc well,,, you knew sicheng first and he feels it’s important you know what’s happening

but when you get there they seem to have it under control

ghost!jaehyun slides through the walls every hour to update everyone on sicheng’s condition,,, and the worn out werewolf has fallen asleep to the sounds of jaemin speaking puppy talk to him and the sweet scent of the calming plants jeno keeps growing out of nervousness

the next day when sicheng comes out everyone is babying him hardcore

like vampire!taeil wraps a wool blanket around his shoulders and imp!chenle and imp!jisung decided to refrain from unscrewing the salt jar, just so sicheng could have a peaceful morning, and witch!mark is shoving potions down sicheng’s throat

even swamp monster!taeyong becomes motherly w his water bottles reminding sicheng to stay hydrated after his long night!!!!

and sicheng just starts crying???

invisible man!ten is like what did we do what did we do taeiL YOU MADE HIM CRY

but sicheng can only shake his head like “i’m not upset,,, i’m happy”

you dump an entire steak meal in front of him like eat this while you talk you need strength

but all of nct are waiting for an explanation

so sicheng just opens up abt his previous pack and how mean they were for no reason,,,, and he lifts his shirt to show everyone all the scars he has from their cruel punishments

and he looks at you, who nods for him to keep talking,,,,,, and sicheng finally looks at the rest of monct like

“you guys have shown me what a true pack is,,,, i’ve never felt this loved and safe,,,, thank you,,,”

and now it’s an entire monster crying fest like you write your number down on a note and leave it for sicheng before getting the heck out of there

bc when taeyong cries it’s like a mini flood and no one wants to be ankle-deep in that swamp water if they can help it

but everyone is so touched they can’t help it???

IT’S A GROUP HUG

and after that sicheng is a lot less quiet around the boys and you

he helps cook and clean and sometimes gets caught chasing his tail when he’s bored

jaemin still transforms into a puppy whenever he wants just so wolf!sicheng has someone to run around with

and sicheng doesn’t call you bc he has no idea how to use a phone

taeil helps him w a lot of stuff like that

yuta tried to teach sicheng how to flirt but that rlly didn’t turn out great

turns out sicheng can’t flirt at all and has no idea how to act on a date like your first date consists of food cooked by taeil and then a nap on the couch

10 outta 10 really you thought it was great

so yeah sicheng is still learning some stuff

but he learns rlly fast and his savagery skills even outdid the dreamies after he practiced a bit

he’s a great edition to the house

except when he transforms into a wolf and sits on the couch,,, he sheds everywhere and doyoung will not hesitate to chase him w a vacuum cleaner

yeah,,, and also,,,, after a few months sicheng stopped being able to smell his old pack,,,, so they must’ve left the woods to find a warmer home for winter

sicheng is so releaved and happy

he finally has a home and friends who love him and a person he highkey already has his heart he just doesn’t quite know what that means yet

so yeah,,, that’s werewolf!sicheng !!

this was fun to write! sorry there wasn’t much sicheng x reader! anyway, part of the collab w @trickortaeil ♥️

#nct scenario #nct scenarios #nct au #nct imagine #nct imagines #monster!au #monster!nct #nct reactions #winwin au #winwin scenarios #winwin imagine #sicheng au #sicheng fluff #sicheng scenarios #winwin fluff #nct fluff #destwrites

[sweetnestor]

Stone Cold | november pt. 1

university au + platonic + romantic + angst, teamiplier + jack

sequel to: Story of Another Us | also on ao3 | previous chapter

Bella’s song choices: Shoutout to my Ex by Little Mix, Hair by Little Mix

I wasn’t sure what was getting more attention: my tutorial with Jack, or his Antisepticeye Halloween finale. I mean, Jack always got millions of views on his videos. Why did I even have to think about it?

The most I was getting was more tweets from other YouTubers and people from Jack’s community. I received a lot of compliments on the Dollhouse tutorial, which made me happy and even more proud of it. For the last bit of October, it brought me out of my depressive mood. I didn’t expect it to last, given that I wasn’t entirely content. I wasn’t exactly sad, either. It was an empty but chill feeling. I felt good about my success, and how my YouTube channel was taking off. But I still felt down about certain things, like the breakup, my crippling loneliness, and just life in general. Naturally, that wore off and was replaced with crippling anxiety because homecoming was just around the corner.

I was still dreading the whole thing, and planning my makeup look wasn’t helping anymore. I was starting to lose sleep over it. I was considering going back on Xanax just for this occasion. I was spending money on various beauty products I knew I wasn’t going to use. I was typing on my laptop with shaking hands, and then I went to another site in between purchases.

The hashtag “ytuhomecoming” was starting to circulate on Twitter, and the only good it did for me was telling me which intimidating vloggers would be going. Well, all of the more successful vloggers were intimidating to me, and plenty of them were definitely attending the dance. I was debating taking a shot for every YouTuber I was afraid of, but then I was sure to die from alcohol poisoning.

Actually…

“Baller!” called Jack, who was finally home from recording.

I jumped at the sound of his voice, my intrusive thought immediately cutting itself off. I wandered out of my room, finding Jack placing his backpack on the sofa.

“Hey, how’d it go?” I asked, leaning against my doorway.

“It was good. The bus is weird. I’m tired now, but still full of energy.” He moved side to side, doing a little dance.

“You know, I’m starting to think you’re taking all of my energy,” I joked, watching his movements.

“I have enough energy for the both of us,” he corrected. “I do all the moving in this relationship.”

I giggled. “And I do all the sleeping.”

Jack pulled his phone out of his pocket and went to connect it to the small speakers I had on the coffee table. “Pick a song.”

“What kind of song?” I asked.

“Something jumpy and dancey.”

I told him the name and artist, and he quickly searched for it with a smile on his face. “Of course you would go for Little Mix,” he commented before the song started playing.

“This is a shoutout to my ex, heard he in love with some other chick Yeah, yeah, that hurt me I’ll admit Forget that boy, I’m over it”

Immediately, I started singing along, bopping my head to the tune. Jack held his hands out to me, encouraging me to come and dance with him. He was persistent, so I took his hands and timidly began moving from side to side. Once I got over the shyness, it turned out to be really liberating. Here we were, two single people repressing our emotions while dancing to a song about shitty exes.

“You made my heart break and that made me who I am!” I sang as I jumped around the living room. “Here’s to my ex, hey look at me now!”

Jack was trying to sing along, but he didn’t know the words as well as I did. He did frequently make his arms in the shape of an X over his face every time the word ‘ex’ was used. But then, he suddenly stopped dancing and placed his hands over his eyes. Then he plopped down on the couch, slumping over, his shoulders shaking.

I quickly paused the music and sat down next to him. Honestly, I expected one of us to crack, and I thought the first one would be me.

“I miss her so much,” he whispered.

My heart breaking, I placed my arm around him. I was at a loss for words. But he had plenty to say.

“I-I don’t know what to do w-without her… she doesn’t want to t-talk to me. She just left without telling me… I don’t know what to do…” His voice cracked on the last words, and he hunched over even more.

Left with no warning? I couldn’t imagine Signe being like that. Then again, I never thought I would see Jack break down like this.

“What happened?” I asked, cowering internally in case I accidentally hit a nerve.

Jack sniffed and sat up straighter. His eyes were red from all the tears. He looked so devastated, so unlike himself. It was painful to watch.

“I don’t even know where it began,” he spoke, his voice shaking. “We argued about dumb shit, then she started getting distant. I thought she just wanted some space, I didn’t think she would fly to fucking Denmark overnight. And then fucking dump me over a text.”

“No fucking way,” I said in disbelief. “Why did she have to leave like that?”

“She’s avoidant,” Jack explained. “I mean, I didn’t know she would go as far as leaving the fucking country. I thought she was getting better with being distant… but she never liked to face problems head on.”

I hated thinking like this but… if that ain’t me.

“What were you guys arguing about that made her leave?” I wondered.

Jack sighed, wiping his nose with his sweater sleeve. “Different things. The future, moving, mostly moving. Especially since I was traveling a lot for YTU. The first time I left really hit her, but she never told me until I was planning to go back. I told her to come with me, but she said she already did enough moving when she left Denmark for Ireland. I understood that, what I don’t understand is why I woke up the next morning with her and all her things gone.”

“And you still came here regardless?”

“I was ready to drop out of YTU for her. I was going to talk about it with her, but she was already gone. I tried explaining to her what I was willing to do to make things work. But instead, she broke up with me. Said it was too late, and that I was more in love with my career than her. Afterwards, I just felt really alone… so I registered for classes and came here.”

I didn’t know what to tell him. We were both abandoned in different ways. I could barely cope with my own, how could I help Jack? What could I say to make it better?

“I’m so sorry,” I told him. “I can’t believe she did that…”

“Me either.”

We were both silent for a while. What else could be said about this situation? I felt just as helpless as he did.

“So Signe left you because she didn’t want to deal with your problems,” I said, “and Mark left me because he fell for someone else.”

“Pretty much,” Jack concluded.

~

The week leading up to homecoming was filled with many deliveries from many places. I do a lot of online shopping when I get nervous. Or when I’m depressed. I was sure Jack had noticed that I got three packages delivered on the same day, but he never said anything. Most times, he was in class or in his office on campus, so I had plenty of time to stash the boxes and bubble wrap. At the same time, I was running out of space in my bathroom for all my makeup purchases. At least I had plenty of options for my homecoming makeup look.

I was good at ignoring my frequent shortness of breath. I didn’t worry about it because it usually happened right before anxiety inducing events, like going to the store or driving somewhere I wasn’t familiar with. My appetite was affected also, but I made sure to keep my stomach occupied with bottles of water, and sometimes a granola bar. It was easy to hide my trembling hands too; I just had to frequently fidget with my phone whenever I was around Jack. It was hard to keep myself from clenching my jaw, though, except for when I chewed gum. Sleep was out of the question, too.

But I had done things like this before. I could handle it. I mean, did I spend every waking moment with this feeling of impending doom? Yes. Was I completely dreading the dance and facing all my significantly more successful colleagues, along with my ex? Oh, absolutely. Was I only doing this because Jack had asked me to? Yes…

He was excited. This is what he came here for. He wanted to be around his friends and spend time with them. I was one of his friends, as well as his date to this cheap, high school-esque thing. The things I’d do for this man…

On the day of the event, I sat in my bathroom and glared at my reflection. My hands were clutching the ends of the counter for dear life. I had been in here all day, telling Jack that I needed all the time I could get getting ready. My hair was already done, simple waves and an equally simple high ponytail that took only about two or three hours.

The anxiety had been coming in waves all day, and it was currently hitting me, which was why I was angry at myself. I tried taking deep breaths, I tried to slow down. Mark would always tell me to take it one step at a time, but thinking about him made me tear up. The one person who could calm me down now made me want to crawl into a hole and hide.

My stomach turned as I remembered that he was going to be at the dance with Amy on his arm. I shut my eyes and placed my hand over my mouth, trying hard not to sob out loud. I couldn’t let Jack know how unstable I was about this whole thing. I didn’t want to dampen his happy mood.

I sniffed and wiped my eyes, trying to pull myself together. I pulled out one of my eyeshadow primers from the drawer, intending to start my makeup like I usually did. It was difficult due to the tears. Difficult, but not impossible. I just had to keep telling myself that.

Here’s another thing I do when I get nervous: I overdo it with the makeup. Typically I avoid intense, bright pigments, false eyelashes, and cream contouring but today, I felt the need to go all out. Good thing the dress code was to match your date, because I went to town with the bright green pigment I had picked out. I used that single color and blew it out on my eyelids, and then I added green glitter. The wings I created were actually impressive, given how shaky my hands were. I felt better by the time I had finished with my eyes. Oh, and I had to put extra effort into my wrists as well. I had to bust out the luxury makeup to make sure it would last.

I looked pretty great once I finished with my face entirely. It was ironic, actually.

“Bella!” called Jack from my bedroom. “How long until you’re ready?”

I checked the time on my phone. I had spent over an hour on my makeup, which added to the large amount of time I had spent on my hair. I hadn’t spent so long getting ready in quite a while. I could only hope I hadn’t made us late.

“Not long!” I called back, dashing out of the bathroom to grab my dress.

However, I stopped in my tracks, when I found Jack standing in the doorway. He was wearing a clean black suit and his glasses. My eyes traveled down his figure, impressed.

“Do I look okay?” he asked, noticing my gawking. “Is this black enough for you?”

I cracked a smile. “It’s not as black as my soul, but it’ll do.”

He rolled his eyes, amused. “So I look good?”

“Amazing.”

I grabbed my dress from where I lied it out on the bed and then went back into the bathroom to change. I looked in the mirror, unable to shake the crippling anxiety. All I had to do was survive the drive over to campus and then I could drink the nerves away. That, and I couldn’t let Jack leave me alone for too long.

Before going to meet my date, I turned my neck from side to side, making the bones pop. It helped relieve the tension in my neck and shoulders, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to fully relax until I had a freaking margarita in my hand. I quickly left the bathroom, pulled on my heels, and then went to find Jack in the living room.

He stood up from the couch upon my entrance, and he smiled. “Look at you.”

For some reason, that didn’t help the anxiety. I looked down at my dress. “Do I look bad?”

“Of course not, you’re beautiful!” he told me, approaching me. “I have a present for you.”

My eyes widened. “Were we supposed to get each other presents? Shit, I mean, I-”

“Oh no, no! This is just for you, because I know you get nervous at big events like this.” He reached into the inner pocket of his blazer and pulled out a black, glittery flask. “It’s tequila. I know they’ll have an open bar at the dance, but I just wanted to thank you for actually doing this, despite how hard it is for you.”

For the first time in weeks, I felt myself physically relax. “You get me.”

~

You would think it was some kind of movie premiere with how the front of the university was set up. There was a red carpet spilling out of the front office doors. There were barriers set up on either side of the carpet to keep fans in control. Vloggers had to walk down a red carpet to get into the school. If that wasn’t the most extra thing…

Jack and I made it through that, only stopping for a few selfies with some fans. One person asked if we were dating, as expected, and I graciously said no. The second we were inside the office, I pulled my new flask out of my purse and took the first drink of the evening. The burning in my throat was my salvation.

“You okay?” Jack asked, sounding amused.

I replied with a strained “Mhmm,” before shoving the thing back into my purse.

“Shall we?” He offered his arm now that we were out of view of the fans, and I gladly accepted.

We walked through the back doors of the main office, leading out into the courtyard. It was decorated with balloons, twinkly lights, neon lights, any kind of light. White, circular tables were spread around on either side of the large dance floor. Directly in front of the fountain was a DJ who was blasting music on these giant speakers. There was a mini bar set up with a young looking bartender (probably the same one that worked at The Tube), and a table full of desserts with a giant jug of water. Actual. High school.

I gazed around the area, making a mental note of who to avoid. Tyler Oakley: avoid until third drink. Dan and Phil: avoid completely. Felix and Marzia: avoid, unless Jack brings me to talk to them. Shane Dawson: avoid, unless he talks to me first.

“Ooo, I see a chocolate fountain,” Jack said, dragging me over to the dessert table.

While he consumed all the sweets his body could contain, I took another drink from my flask. I could feel my “avoid” list shrinking as the tequila went through my system. Good thing too, because just as I coveted my maladaptive version of a security blanket, Jack and I were approached.

Two guys, one of them I recognized. The taller one, with curly brown hair and a husky, built form was Tyler Scheid. I had never properly met him, but heard plenty about him through Mark in the past. The other one was much shorter, had fading blue hair and these big, adorable glasses perched on his nose. They were both wearing nice red button up shirts and black pants.

“Hey! What’s up, guys?” Jack happily greeted them. “You just get here?”

“Yeah, Mark and Amy are parking the car,” Tyler replied.

“And you’re each other’s dates?” he asked, gesturing to their outfits.

“It’s a four way thing,” said the guy with blue hair. “We’re all wearing red. Kathryn was supposed to come too, but she got sick.”

“Oh, well this is my date, Bella.”

Shit, it starts now.

Tyler’s face filled with recognition. “Mark’s Bella?”

“Just Bella,” I corrected, holding out my hand. “Nice to meet you!”

“Right, sorry,” he said, shaking my hand. “I’m Tyler, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Ah, same.” I smiled. Thank you tequila.

“I’m Ethan,” greeted the blue boy, going to shake my hand. “I just moved here.”

“Oh, well, welcome!”

“He’s just getting to know people here,” Tyler added.

“I’d definitely love to get to know you,” I said impulsively, gently squeezing Ethan’s hand before letting go. Okay tequila, calm down.

Jack laughed before the awkwardness could take over. Then he changed the subject. “So you said Mark was coming?”

“Yeah,” Tyler said before pointing behind me and Jack. “There he is now!”

Nope.

“I’ll be at the bar,” I announced, quickly excusing myself from the situation.

“I’ll come find you in a bit!” Jack called.

Once I was at my desired location, I took a seat and ordered that freaking margarita I deserved. Honestly, no amount of alcohol would make me want to be around Mark, let alone Mark and his girlfriend. I did watch them from a distance, though, like the sad sack of shit I was.

Mark was wearing a shirt so red that it made his faded hair look orange. Amy was wearing an equally red, slim dress. They each greeted Jack with a hug, looking happy as ever. I saw them conversing, and quickly looked away when Jack gestured to where I was sitting. I was sad. I drank some more.

I kept my eyes on the floor as I sipped my drink, and I nearly froze when I saw a pair of feet approach in front of me. I knew it wasn’t Jack, so I hesitated before I looked up.

“Hello,” greeted my lovely little ex boyfriend, who was smiling nervously.

My straw was still in my mouth, and I sipped even quicker, not even taking my eyes off of him. While I remained silent, he ordered a cocktail, probably for lovely little Amy.

“How are you doing?” he asked, sitting in the stool next to me while he waited for his drink to be ready. I didn’t turn to face him.

I was honestly surprised at this question. I was also angry. At least I wasn’t anxious anymore. “Why do you care?” I spat.

Mark didn’t say anything at first, which made me look at him. I caught him barely taking his eyes off of my arms.

“Can you not do that?” I snapped. “Look, I’m fine.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” he said seriously.

I rolled my eyes, even more infuriated. How dare he abandon me and then come and ask how I’ve been since then? “You don’t need to babysit me anymore! That’s pretty much why you left, isn’t it?”

With that, I made my departure. I stood up, praying I wouldn’t stumble on my heels, and I walked off. I sat down at an empty table, sulking. I looked down at my half empty cup and decided I would need something stronger if I was going to survive the night.

“Hey,” greeted a female voice I normally would have jumped at if I was sober.

“¿Que honda?” I greeted to Aria, who was looking as equally glum as I was.

“Pinche pendejo ya llegó,” she replied as she sat down next to me. She had her own half empty cocktail, and she drained the glass before continuing. “He showed up matching with his best friend! So much for trying to make things work after his tour!”

“He told you that?” I asked.

“Well, it wasn’t a promise, but I didn’t want any of the shippy, fan service crap,” she explained. “And he told me he would tone it down after he made bank with his tour last year. ¡Pero, miralo! I bet Tumblr is going crazy that he came to this fucking thing with his best friend.”

“Hmm, I remember the Septiplier shit from my last relationship,” I said. “Which ship did you get stuck with?”

“Phan.”

My eyes widened and my jaw nearly dropped. “Ayy, mija. I’m so sorry.”

Aria shrugged and rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing. It’s just, y’know one of the reasons we broke up. And now it’s just what’s keeping us apart. No big deal.”

I sighed. “If it helps, I just saw my ex with his new girlfriend. And he came and tried to talk to me like nothing was wrong.”

“Ouch.” Aria paused and then stood up. “I’m ordering shots, I’ll be right back.”

Finally, a woman who understands me!

When Aria returned, she had three shots instead of two, and she had Sophie by her side. My mood dropped once again.

Sophie, clad in a silver, sparkly maxi dress, smiled and waved awkwardly at me. I returned a mildly bitter smile and said nothing.

“Okay, drink up, hijas,” Aria said, placing our shots on the table.

We each took a small, clear glass of… I didn't know what, clinked, and then drank. Judging by the familiar burn in my throat, it was more tequila. I was fine with that, I had plenty to last me through the night.

“Alright, let's go dance!” Sophie suggested, hooking her arm with Aria’s.

“Bella, come on!” she offered, gesturing for me to stand up.

“No, no, you guys go!” I insisted. “I have to wait for my date, anyway!”

“Let's go!” Sophie said to her small friend as she dragged her to the dance floor.

I sat back and sighed. I took out my phone and looked on Twitter. There were already pictures of different vloggers together, fans conspiring against whatever ship, and many drunk tweets. I added to that last pile.

“I am tipsy and lonely lmao how are u guys??”

And I hit send. Then I slouched in my seat, resting my feet on the next chair over. When was Jack going to come and rescue me?

“Hey!” called a male voice that made me turn.

Ethan was coming over, and that made me sit right back up. Was he talking to me? I looked behind me to make sure no one was beckoning him over. When I turned back he was standing by the empty chair next to me.

“It's… Bella, right?” he guessed. When I nodded, he asked, “Can I sit with you?”

“Sure,” I replied. “What happened to your friends?”

“Ah, Mark and Amy are lost somewhere on the dance floor,” Ethan said, “and Tyler went to do shots with Jack, and I haven't seen either of them since.”

I chuckled. “You're not drinking?”

He shrugged. “I just turned twenty.”

Drunk Bella was coming through. I leaned in closer to him, as if we would be overheard despite the loud music. “Do you want me to buy you something? Because I totally will.”

He seemed amused by that. “No thanks. I'm good. I'll make Tyler do it later, since he ditched me.”

I nodded and sat back. This was a lot easier with alcohol in my system. “You just moved here, right? Where you from?”

“Maine,” Ethan replied. “I've been here for like, two or three days.”

“Aahh, an east coaster. You're gonna have a fun summer here when that happens.”

“Yeah, I heard. Are you from around here?”

“Palm Springs, it's in the middle of the desert, and like… three hours away from here,” I explained as I pulled out my flask again.

Ethan hummed. “At least you're closer to home. I miss my family.”

If I was sober I wouldn't have said anything at all. Hell, I wouldn't even be here to begin with. “You're lucky you have a family to miss.” And I took another swig of my tequila.

He looked at me, but I didn't return the gaze. I could see his look of pity from my peripherals. I wasn't that bothered by it at the moment.

“Anyway, I'm drunk, don't pay attention to me,” I added casually. “Tell me more about you, Ethan. Are you a student here or something? What kind of videos do you make? Or something?”

“Um… yeah, yeah I was taking classes online, then Mark asked if I wanted to move over here to make some videos with him. So I was able to transfer into actual classes. And uh, I make gaming videos.”

The mention of Mark sent a gross chill down my spine. He couldn't seem to go away, could he? Of course the cute guy with cute hair and cute glasses had to have a connection to my stupid ex.

“Nice, I love video games,” I said. “I just make beauty videos, nothing special.”

“Oh come on,” Ethan said, nudging my side, “I've seen that doll tutorial with Jack. It was badass!”

For the first time tonight, I genuinely smiled. “Thanks, you're sweet.”

We were quiet for a little bit, just gazing at the people dancing the night away. I felt calm, but that was only because I was drunk. Ethan spoke up again after a while.

“I gotta ask,” he prompted, “are you and Jack dating now?”

I nearly burst out laughing. However, I just patted his shoulder. “Nah dude, we're just friends and neither of us had dates. We settled for each other.”

“Oh, okay. Sorry if I was nosy or anything.”

“Don't worry about it. I can see why people would think we're a thing. We’re both going through breakups at the same time, we're here as each other's dates. Looks fishy, I know.”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, Mark was wondering too. That was the first thing he asked Jack when he saw him.”

I scoffed. “I don't see why he should be concerned, considering he just dropped me for another girl, but whatever I guess!”

“Are you serious?” Ethan sat up, sounding shocked. “He dumped you for Amy?”

“Yup. Just came over like, ‘Hey, I found someone new! Buh-bye!’ Like, thanks! And then he had the nerve to come and talk to me like nothing’s wrong!”

Ethan sat there in stunned silence. “That really sucks. Maybe he felt guilty or something.”

“He should, I'm fucking great.” I paused. “Actually, that's a lie. But you're cute, and it would be fucking rad if you liked me, but whatever.”

He blushed and then opened his mouth to say something, but we were graciously interrupted by our dates. Tyler came and plopped down next to Ethan, and Jack came on my other side with some bottles of water.

“How you kids doin’?” asked Tyler in a much slurred voice than when I first spoke to him.

“Good. Me and Bella are best buddies now,” Ethan replied.

“Correction,” Jack said, handing each of us a water bottle, “you and drunk Bella are best buddies.”

“Yeah, sober Bella is quiet, nervous, and boring,” I added.

“I'm sure I'd like sober Bella too,” Ethan reassured.

I placed my hand dramatically over my heart. “Ayy, mi corazon! What a sweetie…”

“Drink your water, Baller,” Jack told me, nudging my bottle.

“Good idea,” I said, downing half of it.

Just as I put it down, a specific song began blaring through the speakers. I gasped, my mouth dropping open, and I looked at Jack excitedly. “Is this ‘Hair?’”

“Yeah!” he replied enthusiastically. “You wanna go dance?”

I nodded, completely forgetting about Ethan and Tyler sat beside us, and I followed Jack onto the dance floor. I almost didn’t notice Mark and Amy coming out of the crowd, then I wouldn’t have remembered that Mark hated this song. Then I wouldn’t have realized how much I could relate to this song now.

“‘Cause he was just a dick, and I knew it Got me going mad sittin’ in this chair, like I don’t care Gotta get him out my hair!”

If I wasn’t wearing heels, I would have been jumping all over the dance floor. Everything felt so much easier when I had alcohol in my system. But I hated that that’s what I had to resort to so I could be somewhat of a normal person. Sure, I felt free and fun for the moment, but the next day I was going to absolutely loathe myself and I wouldn’t be able to look anyone in the eyes. This was basically why I never went out. I would have to drink or pop a pill, and then I’d wind up regretting it the following day.

_______

next chapter

#jacksepticeye x oc #crankgameplays x oc #jacksepticeye x reader #ethan nestor x reader #sc fic #sweetheart writes #i completely forgot about her wrists and had to quickly go and add a sentence bye skdsfjlkdsg #oh and i wrote this chapter like a month ago and i barely put in the scene w ethan like 2 nights ago #and yeah novembers getting 2 parts bc of REASONS