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#shut up this is literally the most entertaining movie I’ve ever seen
dsneybuf91 · 1 year
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In the Heights Stage vs. Film
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(Originally posted on August 1, 2021)
Ever since I began recognizing the cultural and historical similarities between the Philippines and Latin America, a result of Spain colonizing the Philippines 500 years ago, supporting talented Hispanic/Latin American entertainers has felt about as important to me as supporting talented Asian entertainers does. Consequently, I eagerly awaited the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s and Quiara Alegría Huedes’ Broadway musical In the Heights, about Hispanic/Latino/Latina Washington Heights residents trying to enjoy the last summer before their block’s gentrification. I felt that a look at the film – the first I saw in a cinema since Sonic the Hedgehog – would fall under my blog’s scope, thanks to Jon M. Chu’s direction.
I felt pretty familiar with In the Heights by the time the movie premiered: I own the Original Broadway Cast Recording, and attended a high school production. Compared to the other Lin-Manuel Miranda musicals I’ve seen on a screen, the movie would fall in the middle; the stories feel less engaging than Moana; but I find the characters more sympathetic than those from Hamilton. To explore the methods Chu, Miranda, and Hudes used to update the 2008 Broadway musical for 2020-’21 moviegoers, I’ve decided to examine their cinematic adjustments to one of the play’s literal showstoppers.
Look at the fireworks fly, light up the night sky!
-The whole cast, "Blackout"
On stage, "Blackout" dramatically ends both Act I, and the characters' Fourth of July festivities, when electricity in Washington Heights shuts down for the first of several nights.  The movie doesn't have an intermission, and moves the emotionally powerful "Paciencia y Fe" and "Alabanza" to follow "Blackout" on the same evening.  This required the writers and Chu to ensure that "Blackout" excites, but doesn't emotionally drain the viewer when combined with the following songs.
The film streamlines the drama of "Blackout" by emphasizing its most optimistic theme.  On stage and film, the number demonstrates that while a disaster can frighten, it can also bring family and friends closer together: Sonny and Graffiti Pete rally to lessen panic on their block, Usnavi and Abuela Claudia share a rare look at the stars, and Nina and Benny reinforce their love.  On stage, Sonny and Graffiti Pete fail to protect the bodega from looters during the blackout, delivering another reason for Usnavi to consider leaving Washington Heights in Act II.  Retaining this in the movie would've provided a darker spin on the song's theme, but would've also reinforced destructive stereotypes of short-tempered, selfish Latin Americans.  From a pacing standpoint, devastating the community twice in the same night - including "Alabanza" - would risk exhausting moviegoers.  Consequently, everyone in the movie remains focused on finding shelter in the scorching darkness, with Sonny and Graffiti Pete pyrotechnically guiding their neighbors.  Even without any onscreen violence, Chu ensures high levels of tension and chaos with his hyper-realistic direction, and by utilizing more locations than just the nightclub and the barrio.
Since In the Heights marks the first of several Lin-Manuel Miranda musicals promoting the importance of a positive legacy, it feels noteworthy that by removing any active efforts to destroy the block from within, Usnavi's temptation to retreat from Washington Heights remains the greatest threat against ensuring the residents' impacts.  It looms larger in the movie than it did on stage, where it takes until the second song of Act II - "Hundreds of Stories", which didn't make it to the screens - for his dreams of returning to the Dominican Republic to seem more like an attainable goal.  In the film, he starts turning his dreams into plans right after the first song.
On screen, "Blackout" accommodates some movie-wide examples of streamlined or added drama by relocating one verse, adding some more lyrics, and changing who sings it.  On stage, the number ends with some will-they-or-won't-they between Nina and Benny, who ultimately close Act I with a kiss.  The film reduces the number of obstacles in their romance, complicated originally by both Nina's difficulty finding the confidence to return to Stanford, and by her father, Kevin, preferring that she date another Hispanic or Latino.  Instead, Kevin and Benny seem to get along mostly well; this particular sequence illustrates it when they cooperate to direct other taxi drivers from the dispatch.  Nina's and Benny's subplot remains engaging through her poignant quest to figure out how she can forge her own legacy, while still honoring her family and friends.  All of this leaves them without much reason to sing an argument.
The movie instead gives the will-they-or-won't-they verse of "Blackout" to the main couple, Usnavi and Vanessa.  After the play separates them in the chaos, they don't reunite until the next morning, in a conversation that puts the future of their romance in doubt.  The film reunites them on the night of the blackout, but separates them again in song.  I'll admit considering their love the least interesting In the Heights subplot; whether on stage or on a screen, they seem to spend more time pining or disagreeing than actually doing anything amorous.  However, Chu adds tension to their arguments by filming both this verse and "Champagne" in sweeping, uninterrupted takes.  Having Vanessa willingly split up with Usnavi during the blackout also allows her to advance on her project of designing fashion inspired by Washington Heights, as part of a film-exclusive character arc.  While most of her development in the libretto involved falling deeper in love with Usnavi, the screenplay also has her strengthen her admiration of the barrio's beauty.
The movie relocates Usnavi's return to Abuela Claudia to before the final chorus of "Blackout", now optimistically preceded with their echoed assurances of, "You're not alone tonight!"  It also drives home the theme of a disaster's potential to unite, by having several other major characters spend the night with the duo.  Although, the verse only ends with those assurances because of the screenplay altering the time and manner in which Abuela Claudia shares some surprisingly positive news with Usnavi.  The new time makes her seem a little more senile than her stage counterpart, but the manner still delivers a resonant example of her helping Usnavi and Sonny when they don't expect it.
While "Blackout" creates fewer dilemmas than it does on stage, it remains dramatic by leaving some problems to resolve later.  In addition to the uncertain future of Usnavi's and Vanessa's romance, Washington Heights still requires several days to regain power.  With no intermission, the film appears to deliver a breather by instead moving "Paciencia y Fe" to this point.  Set almost entirely in Abuela Claudia's heat-stricken mind, the flashback-driven number originally followed "96,000" both in the play, and in early edits of the movie; the ending also received some new lyrics for the screen.  In the final edit, "Paciencia y Fe" provides an intimate contrast to "Blackout", before dropping a tragic bombshell on the barrio and viewers.
While In the Heights experienced a lot of restructuring and streamlining during the transition from Broadway to movie theaters, it remains an emotionally compelling watch.  Not all of my favorite songs made it to the screen, but not all of them feel easy to film, anyway.  Jon M. Chu's direction of the film remains energetic, yet doesn't frantically distract from the poignant character arcs - some of which feel more complete in the movie than in the play.  Both versions of the musical impress when after spending hours following average people live their ordinary lives, they elicit the viewers' interest in keeping the residents' stories alive.  Television might diminish the thrills of In the Heights, but the passionate and resonant film would still benefit greatly from a fruitful second life on home video and broadcasts.
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honeypiehotchner · 3 years
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kiss me on the mouth and set me free (Damon Salvatore x fem!Reader) -- one shot
Hi my lovelies! I know this is not my usual content whatsoever, but I’ve been watching TVD with my best friend (@treat-winchesterswith-kindness​) and she was begging for a Damon smut, so this is the result. And I have to say...I enjoyed the hell out of writing this one xx.
Beta’d by @treat-winchesterswith-kindness​ and @a-radical-notion <3
Warnings: (Birthday) SMUT! (Slight) virginity kink, Daddy kink, unprotected sex, fingering, oral (f receiving), biting (of course), size kink
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Damon’s fingers touch gently underneath your chin, tilting your head, forcing your eyes to meet his. Not for compliance, he’d never do that to you. But for attention, for focus, for sincerity. He wants you to know his true intentions, the kind that only you can see when you’re looking into his eyes.
The usual mischief isn’t there. Instead, swirling in his eyes, are the softest emotions you’ve ever seen. The most genuine. The warmest.
Slowly, you nod. Your silent, willing compliance. Your silent, please.
As he leans forward to connect your lips--
“Good morning, sleeping beauty.”
Your dream is ripped right out from under you by the smirking vampire standing in your bedroom. “Damon, what the hell?” You sit up in bed, rubbing your forehead. “What the fuck do you want?”
“Yikes, what’s with the attitude? My feelings are fragile, you know.” He grabs a pillow off your floor and hugs it to his chest as he quite literally falls onto the reading chair you have by your window.
Your only response is a glare.
“Come on, do you not know what day it is?”
“No,” you mutter, dropping your hands onto the bed in defeat. “What day is it?”
His expression is surprise, sadness, and unamused all at once. “Your birthday.”
“Oh,” you chuckle. You guess that is today. You’ve been so busy lately. You knew it was coming up, but you weren’t aware it was coming up this quickly. And now it’s here, and you have no plans.
Or at least you thought you didn’t have plans.
“Up, up, up,” Damon orders, waving his hands at you as he stands. “We’re celebrating, you’re not allowed to say no. Up.”
One thing you’ve learned about being friends with Damon Salvatore is that once he’s set in his ways, he isn’t budging. So, despite feeling like lead has been injected into your bones, you let him drag you out of bed -- literally. He reaches both hands out and you accept, wrapping your fingers around his and allowing him to tug you to your feet.
You and Damon have always been close. More than close, actually. You’ve never kissed or anything, at least not on the lips. He kissed your forehead once when you were sobbing over something. You kissed his cheek once in public when a guy wouldn’t stop hitting on you. And the two of you have held hands before, but more as an “I don’t want to lose you” measure in large crowds. You love concerts, and Damon does too (especially rock) but he hates the crowds because he hates losing sight of you.
You wouldn’t be surprised if everyone just assumed you and Damon are dating. You know the two of you aren’t -- because he’s definitely had sex with other women while you’ve been friends with him -- but you also know his behavior might lead others to believe otherwise. You also know that’s kind of his whole intention.
He’s protective. It’s what he does best. When you’re next to him, no one who isn’t your friend will look at you. And when you’re not with him, you’ve noticed the number of people who approach you with ill intentions has considerably decreased.
Once you’re known indirectly (or directly, you guess) as Damon Salvatore’s girl, no one comes near you. Exactly how Damon likes.
You don’t mind it. You hate being bothered. You’re surprised you let Damon bother you for as long as you did before you caved. You can’t lie, you liked it. You liked him. You still do.
But Damon isn’t the settling down type. He’s not the type to be monogamous, at least not from your experience. You do wonder at times what his goal was whenever he’d tell you about his sexual encounters. It wasn’t like he was bragging, but you couldn’t help but feel like he was trying to get a reaction out of you.
So, obviously, you didn’t give him one.
Damon doesn’t always get what he wants. He just thinks he does. And you like to make him believe that.
“Are you ready yet? I’m starving,” Damon calls from the hallway.
You roll your eyes. “No. And you can’t be starving, you’re dead.”
“I know,” he smirks, sauntering into your room. “Look at you.”
“Look at me?” You scoff. “I wore this outfit last week.”
“Yeah, but you look...hotter, I don’t know. Maybe it’s your birthday.”
You roll your eyes again, a habit you do most often when you’re with Damon. “Whatever. Where are you taking me?”
“Oh, just, all your favorite places.”
“You’re full of shit, Damon.”
+++
After a full day of doing all of your favorite things, most of which Damon hates, by the way. You have no idea why he’s been entertaining you all day, but you’re assuming it’s only because today is your birthday. He’ll go back to his usual self tomorrow and hang out with you only when it doesn’t involve things he hates doing.
“Which one of your comfort movies are we watching to end the day?”
You eye Damon skeptically from the kitchen. He’s currently on the couch, flicking through Netflix lazily.
You don’t want to question any of this until tomorrow, so you tell him which movie to queue up, and you hear him muffle a groan.
You return to the living room with a giant bowl of popcorn, plopping it in the middle of you and Damon. He presses play on the movie, and you eat your popcorn with a smile.
Of course, you should’ve known it was too good to be true for Damon to keep his mouth shut all day because about halfway through the movie, he drops the bomb you had been waiting on.
“So...you’ve really never had sex?”
You roll your eyes, but don’t respond.
Earlier today when the two of you were walking around, Damon kept pointing out cute guys. And they were cute, you’ll give him that, but you had no idea what his deal was. After five or six guys are pointed out, Damon asks you, “Come on, you’ve never had birthday sex? A one-night stand on your special day?”
You had laughed and shoved his arm, and confessed, “I’ve never had any sex, period. So no thank you. Can we please go?”
You knew it was way too good to be true when Damon dropped the subject immediately and moved on, letting you drag him away to your other favorite spot.
Of course, you should’ve known he was only waiting for the right time. You did know. Which is why you haven’t answered him right now.
But he keeps going.
“What about held hands? Kissed anyone on the lips?”
“First of all, you’ve held my hand, and second of all, of course I’ve kissed someone on the lips, I’m not a nun!” You lie.
He looks skeptical. “When was it?”
“I was…” He gives you the look harder, not compelling you, but might as well have been. “Fine. I’ve never had sex, and I’ve never had my first kiss. Are you happy now?”
“Of course I’m not happy!” He gives you another look, this one like you’ve gone batshit crazy. “You’re missing out on one of life’s greatest experiences!”
“And this is exactly why I never told you,” you toss a popcorn kernel at him, watching it bounce off his forehead. He looks up at it, but he doesn’t blink. “Not everyone thinks sex is all there is to life, Damon.”
“Okay, that’s not what I meant--”
“That’s exactly what you meant.”
“I just mean if...you’re waiting…”
“Please, stop. Talking.”
“You don’t need to wait.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Because I’m right here.”
You stare at him blankly. “What?”
He shrugs nonchalantly like he’s not the biggest manwhore around. “I’m here.”
“You’re joking. Quit fucking with me.”
“I’m not fucking with you-- Well, at least not yet--”
“Oh my God, shut up!” You laugh, swatting at his arm, hating the way you’ve gone hot all over.
Damon Salvatore is attractive. Scratch that-- He’s more than attractive. He’s the kind of attractive everyone says they want in a guy, but obviously, it’s too much to ask for, so they settle for a little less. You can’t ask everyone to look like a God, but Damon does -- though you’ll never let him hear those words leave your lips. Never.
The prospect of having sex with Damon has crossed your mind more than once. Probably a thousand times, if you’re honest, but you always knew it would never happen. He’s Damon Salvatore. First of all, he doesn’t do anything besides casual sex, and second of all, you’re pretty sure his sex only includes experienced partners. You don’t exactly fit either of those criteria.
You never even thought he looked at you that way. You figured if he had, he would’ve made more jokes or insinuated things. But he never has with you.
“I’m being serious, you know.”
At this point, fifteen more minutes of the movie have gone by. But you haven’t been paying attention.
“Can I ask why?” You say, keeping your eyes focused on the TV screen.
“Why what?”
“Why now? Why are you suddenly interested? Because if it’s just to get your dick wet, I will kick you out.”
“What do you mean suddenly interested?” He counters.
“What do you mean?” You fire back, finally looking at him. “The whole time we’ve been friends, you’ve had more one-night stands than I can count. You never flirt with me. And just today you were trying to find someone for me to have birthday sex with. Are you serious?”
“Okay, yes, I have had a lot of one-night stands, and yes, I was being...obnoxious today, but I have flirted with you.”
“Since when?”
“Since every day I’ve known you!” He cries. “Did you not notice?”
You slump back into the couch cushions. “Well, I guess not.”
More minutes pass. The movie plays and you try to pay attention, silently wishing the couch would swallow you whole right now. This shouldn’t be embarrassing, but it is.
“I’m not saying you have to have sex tonight, but whenever you’re ready...I’m here.”
“Of course you’ll always be there for that.”
“You know I didn’t mean it that way,” he says, and you would’ve brushed him off again if he wasn’t looking into your eyes so deeply, and reaching for your hand. Not in a way that insinuates anything, but for comfort.
Silently, you turn your hand over and let him hold it. “What if...What if I’m not ready for sex yet, but…”
“But?”
“But…” You sigh, averting your eyes back to the movie. “What if I want you to kiss me?”
“I can do that.”
You nod, but you don’t move. Your hand stays gently held in his, your eyes glued to the movie. You suggested it yourself, yet you’re nervous.
Distantly, you hear the bowl of popcorn moving to the coffee table. You feel the cushion beside you dip slightly as Damon scoots over. And then…
“You’re going to have to look at me if you want me to kiss you.”
You feel his fingers gently lifting your chin, turning your gaze toward him.
“Are you sure?”
You roll your eyes, not as harsh this time because you’re too busy buzzing with the fact that his fingers are still on your chin. “Just shut up and kiss me.”
“Okay, okay,” he teases, his thumb stroking your jaw.
He moves slow, not wanting to rush you, but he moves so slow that you wish he’d use his speed. Before you can make a comment about it, though, his lips are finally on yours.
Kissing isn’t what you expected. But since it’s with Damon, it’s amazing.
He still moves as slow as possible, his hand moving from your chin to your jaw, cupping your face, pulling you closer. You have no idea what to do with your hands, so you leave them in your lap, curled into fists.
Damon pulls back, pecking your lips once, then twice, before finally pulling away.
“How’s that for a first kiss?”
You don’t bother responding. Instead, you grip his shirt in both hands and pull him back to you, kissing him harder. A growl releases itself from the back of Damon’s throat, his teeth nipping at your bottom lip in retaliation.
You open up for him instantly, fists releasing his shirt when his tongue strokes into your mouth gently. His hands find your waist and squeeze, massaging your skin, tugging you closer until there’s practically not even a centimeter of space between the two of you. You wrap your arms around his neck, a small whine leaving your lips when he pulls back.
“Damon…” You whisper, your vision hazy, but in the best way.
“Look at me,” he says softly, his lips ghosting over yours.
You blink slowly, looking back into his eyes. “Hm?”
“Do you want more?”
You nod pathetically, still annoyed with him for stopping.
“Words, little one,” he taps your nose with his index finger. “What do you want?”
“More,” you say almost instantly. “I need more, Damon.”
“More it is,” he smirks, giving you what you need.
You inhale deeply when he kisses you, and when you exhale, your breath fills Damon’s lungs. Your fingers thread through his hair at the base of his skull, your arms keeping you steady around his neck. His lips devour you in every form of the word, claiming you, coaxing you to open up to him. His hands tug on your hips, pulling you into his lap, straddling his legs.
Your comfort movie plays on the TV in the background, the volume turned down, but still there. Somehow, it makes more of your nerves melt away. Damon’s touch makes the rest of them disappear.
Damon pushes your hair back from your face as he holds you captive with his kiss. Another nip to your skin and he pulls back.
“I want more,” you blurt, “but I’m not a one night stand.”
“You are most definitely not a one night stand,” he replies softly, pecking your lips. “If you want more, I’ll give you more.”
“Give me more,” you all but demand, rocking your hips. “Now.”
“Ah, ah, ah,” he tightens his grip on your hips, stopping your movement. “Just because it’s your first time doesn’t mean you get to do whatever you want.”
You fully stop your movement out of surprise and annoyance. “Why not?”
“Because…” He thumbs the pout from your lips. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“Damon,” you groan. “Just because I’m a virgin doesn’t mean I haven’t fingered myself.”
He chuckles lowly, grabbing one of your hands and lifting it up into view. “I am a lot bigger than your fingers, princess.”
You shudder at the nickname and fail to hide it.
His usual mischievous smirk stretches across his lips. “You like that?”
You nod. No use in trying to hide it.
“Princess,” he murmurs. “What do you want?”
“Fuck me,” you say proudly, already tired of the teasing.
He smooths his hands down your arms. “That’s not asking nicely.”
“Please, will you please just fuck me already?”
“Nice of you to say please,” Damon replies, pressing a kiss to your lips. “But I need to get you ready first. Don’t pout, kitten. Come on.”
He shifts his weight to lift you up, laying you back on the couch. Slowly, your pants are dragged down your legs. You wait for him to take your panties, too, but he doesn’t.
You lift your head, but Damon stops you before the comment leaves your mouth. “Patience, princess.”
You throw your head back into the pillow with a groan, one that quickly morphs into a moan when he mouths your clit over your panties. His tongue darts out to tease your hole through the fabric, smirking into your pussy as you squirm. He thumbs your clit before massaging your lips.
“There we go,” he murmurs. “I can feel you getting wet, and that’s what we need, Princess, I don’t want to hurt you...not unless you ask.”
A flash of a wet dream you had a few nights ago, where Damon’s mouth was in your neck, his teeth breaking skin only barely, but enough to taste.
“Did you just get wetter? Oh, Princess…”
The sound of ripping fabric fills your ears when Damon’s teeth tear your panties away. The sudden cool air on your wet pussy causes your hips to buck, and Damon’s hands promptly push them back down.
He crawls up your body, briefly paying attention to your collarbones and neck, daring to nip there, but not breaking the skin, and leaving as quick as he came.
His entire body covers yours as he leans down, pressing sweet kisses to your lips, smirking when he finds your lips already parting for him. And when your hands find the buttons on his shirt, he chuckles, but keeps kissing you, fiercer now as you unbutton every last one, leaving his shirt hanging wide open.
“You feeling good?”
“Do you really need to ask?”
“Just checking, baby,” he coos, kissing both of your cheeks, then your nose.
He slides back down your body, settling over your hips. Now, without the barrier of your panties, you can feel his breath on your pussy. Before you have time to process that feeling, though, Damon is diving in headfirst -- literally.
Damon is not a stranger to going down on a woman, and it’s actually his favorite thing in the world to do.
He doesn’t even try holding you down. One arm is stretched across your hips, while his other hand is busy massaging your lips, coating his fingers in your wetness. You expect him to thrust his fingers into you then, but a loud moan has you looking down to see Damon’s fingers in his mouth, tasting you.
He opens his eyes and catches yours, smirking around his fingers as he pulls them out of his mouth. “You taste good.”
You scrunch up your nose, earning a laugh from him.
“I’ll make you taste one day, kitten, you might like it.”
“Hmph.”
“Don’t start pouting now,” he says, keeping his eyes locked with yours as his fingers trail down to your entrance. “Just one for now, Princess,” he whispers, spreading your lips and pressing in.
One isn’t much, so all that you feel is pleasure and heat in your core.
“More,” you whine, lying back down, breathless. “Please.”
“There’s my good girl,” he coos, kissing your hip bone. “Asking so nicely. I’ll make you feel good, don’t worry.”
Another finger enters you and it is a bit of a stretch, but still not much. He was right, his fingers are bigger than yours -- and you’re sure his cock is bigger, too -- but it’s still not enough.
“More,” you cry, the word breaking into a choked moan when he scissors his fingers, opening you up.
“There it is,” he smiles, leaning down to flick your clit with his tongue before sucking gently on the bundle of nerves. He continues scissoring his fingers until he hears your moans growing quieter, and that’s when he adds a third finger.
Now you feel the stretch, but it isn’t painful. Your moan is louder than you expect, your back arching off the couch, and Damon swears for a second he might’ve stumbled upon an angel.
A small whimper leaves your lips when he curls his fingers, pressing into your g-spot ever so slightly. Not hard enough for immense pleasure because he doesn’t want to wear you out immediately, and he knows you aren’t used to that level of pleasure -- not yet at least.
He pauses his assault on your hip bone, never biting hard enough to leave a mark, to return to your clit. He’s not sure if you know it, but you’re close. He can feel your walls fluttering and squeezing his fingers, the tell-tale signs.
Once you feel his mouth back on your clit, sucking and nibbling gently, you’re blinded by the pleasure that crashes into you. It’s as if the skies opened up and struck you with lightning straight from the sun.
When Damon moans into your pussy, the vibrations send waves of pleasure through your every fiber, and you have no choice but to cum all over his fingers.
Something you do when you’re pleasuring yourself is you stop almost immediately, but Damon continues, milking every last bit of your orgasm until you’ve calmed down. He leans his head on your hip while he continues massaging your walls until he can pull his fingers out without hurting you or startling you.
The emptiness you feel when his fingers leave you is a little startling, but only so much so that you need something else inside of you. Which is why while he’s busy sucking on his fingers again, making a complete mess, you’re sitting up and tossing your shirt over your head.
“Woah,” Damon says around his fingers, his eyes widening when your bra comes off, too. “Hello.”
You almost glare at him. “I need you inside of me.”
Damon raises an eyebrow, licking his lips. “Pardon me?”
“Please,” you groan. “Please, I need more, I…”
“Shhh,” he shushes you, his fingers massaging soft circles into your thigh. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Please.”
He nods. “Lay back, Princess. I’ve got you, don’t worry.”
You obey, mostly out of exhaustion than compliance, and Damon knows that. You’ve always been a bit of a brat, but he’s seeing even more of it tonight.
He makes a show of shrugging off his shirt, watching you watching him, your arm bent underneath your head to prop you up. One leg is up and the other is down, and you look like Heaven.
Damon undoes his belt and tosses it away, taking note of the way your eyes follow it all the way to the floor. You don’t even look back to him until his pants are hitting the floor, and him stepping out of them catches your attention again. Black boxer briefs are all that is left, and they’re barely containing him.
He loves how intently you’re watching him. The genuine curiosity sparks in his eyes when he pulls his underwear down, kicking them aside. You blink slowly, marveling at the sight of him. He’s...pretty.
“Like what you’re seeing, baby?”
You nod slowly. “Mhm. Taste?”
“Next time,” he promises, kneeling on the couch, pushing your legs apart. “Tonight is all about you, Princess.” He presses a kiss to your lips to seal the deal, and you accept it, reminded of how empty you feel now that your legs are spread again.
You go quiet when you feel his cock nudging your entrance. He stretched you, but he feels so big.
“Is it...Is it gonna fit?” You ask, your arms wrapping around his neck again for support.
“I’ll go slow,” he murmurs, kissing your forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin. “You tell me when to stop, okay?”
“Okay.”
He kisses you again, sweeter and softer this time, but it’s only a distraction for when he initially enters you. He could tell you needed the distraction, and he was correct.
When you begin to feel him, your nails scratch his skin and he stops, staying there, waiting for your word.
He goes slow as promised every time you ask for more, and stops whenever you say so, or when your whimper is louder than expected.
Soon, though, he’s fully seated inside of you, and you feel sufficiently full. At peace. And ready for him to fucking move.
“Move, please, Damon, I need you to--”
He pulls out slightly and snaps his hips, knocking the breath out of you. He watches your face, but there are no traces of pain, only pleasure.
A rhythm slowly forms, one that you enjoy, until you need more and when you ask for more this time, Damon doesn’t hold back.
So much so that it forces a new name from your lips.
You didn’t mean to say it, but when he stops moving out of surprise, you can’t help but whine it once more. “Daddy, please.”
“God,” Damon groans, dropping his head into the crook of your neck. The rhythm this time is slow and dizzying. “Say it again.”
“Daddy,” you whimper instantly, bucking your hips, pulling him in deeper.
“Just like that,” he murmurs, lips ghosting over your vein. “You have no idea how hard it is not to just…” He pauses, letting his teeth graze over the sensitive skin there. “And when you call me that…”
“Daddy…” You cry out, feeling him nudging against your cervix.
“My sweet little girl,” he breathes. “Letting me take her virginity. That’s my Princess, my baby…” His teeth graze your skin again, teasing you, and then…
“Please,” you mumble, closing your eyes. “Do it.”
He freezes, and you feel it, but you’re tired of him freezing, so you wrap your hand around the back of his head, pressing his mouth into your neck.
“Do it,” you repeat, even more breathless. “Please.”
Damon can’t resist, not when you feel this good wrapped around him, when you’re begging, when you’re pushing him closer, yearning for it.
He speeds up his rhythm, chasing his high. He doesn’t trust himself to cum with his teeth in your neck, but he can cum right before, and sink them in while you’re cumming. The pain won’t be as intense while you’re mid-orgasm.
Almost as soon as you feel Damon’s seed spilling inside of you, your back is arching, your own waves of pleasure shooting through your body, your second orgasm of the night capturing you. And when you least expect it, because you assumed he had decided against you, Damon’s teeth sink into your neck.
It’s a feeling you’ve never felt before, but it’s one you’ll be asking for more often.
Your body relaxes, Damon’s now half-hard cock sitting snugly inside of you while he drinks from you, and when he finally is done, you’re floating blissfully.
You catch only a glimpse of his face before it returns to normal, and he kisses you gently to get your attention.
“How was your first time?”
“Amazing,” you murmur, scratching gently at the base of his skull. “Really...amazing.”
“Do you want me to move?”
“No,” you shake your head. “Stay.”
“Okay, well I need to pull out of you, but then we can cuddle.”
“Fine,” you huff, dropping your arms from his neck.
Slowly, he pulls out of you, leaving you empty once more, despite the pleasure still thrumming through your body. “You can warm my cock another time, okay Princess?”
“Hmph.”
He stands and shakes his head. “Alright, it’s nap time for you.”
You look up hopefully. “Bed?”
“Yeah, come on.” He slides his arms underneath your legs and back, lifting you up bridal style.
You’re asleep in his arms before he even makes it to your room.
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midgardianweasley · 3 years
Text
Movie Night
Movie night
Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader
Summary: It’s friday night, or more commonly known as movie night for the Avengers. A horror movie was put on and Y/N isn’t feeling so brave, luckily she’s got a Romanoff nearby.
Warnings: coulrophobia (fear of clowns), mentions of the IT movie and pennywise.
Word Count: 2.5k
Идиоты. - ‘Idiots.’
Requests are open!
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“I vote action movie”
“We watched an Action movie last week, Sam.” Steve pinched the bridge of his nose, briefly looking up and meeting my eyes, earning a small smile in return, attempting to provide some sanity for the man.
“Plus, do you not think we’ve had enough action for one week?” Bucky grumbled, this week having taken a toll on everyone. We were all exhausted from our missions, some more than others, the soldier being one of them.
“Okay okay, no action, damn” Sam put his hands up in defeat, accepting that he wasn’t going to win this one. A few more options had been suggested, Bruce suggested rom-com, Thor suggested comedy, Vision proposed a documentary, all of which were shut down with groans and sounds of protest.
I turned to my assassin girlfriend who had been sitting beside me watching the scene unfold with an amused smirk on her face, her green eyes darting around the room whenever someone else spoke and taking sips of the drink she had in her hand. I nudged her slightly to get her attention
“Hey.”
“Hi”
“If it was up to you, what would you choose for movie night?” I asked. She morphed her face into a thoughtful one, still with a slight smile on her face, taking time to make her decision.
“If it was completely up to me? I would-”
“Aha!” Tony interrupted with a loud snap of his fingers. “I know, we haven’t watched a horror movie in a while, and the new IT movie just came out, we can watch that” He smirked, proud of his contribution to the discussion at hand. I looked around the room, praying that they would pick anything else, literally anything, even Vision’s documentary.
Unfortunately, everyone seemed to be really into it as they all shared nod’s and “yeah” “sounds good” before splitting up to go and get their snacks and blankets to bring back to the large sofa.
Although I wouldn't admit it to the rest of the group, I was absolutely terrified of clowns and have been since I was a child. If there was a clown at a birthday party or an event, I’d pretend I was sick so that my mum wouldn’t make me go. She soon noticed a pattern in my behaviour, putting the pieces together and realising that I hadn't come down with the flu three times that month, I was avoiding the ‘entertainment’ of the parties.
She tried explaining that it was just a guy in makeup and a funny suit, showing off fun tricks and jokes. However, 9 year old me still refused to attend, faking a sneeze and hiding under the blanket.
“Woah, Y/L/N, you good over there?” Tony furrowed his brows, concern written all over his face. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I wish it was a ghost.
I regained my composure, nodding and sending a firm smile his way, hoping that would be enough to prevent any further questioning. With a shrug, he made his way out of the room and caught up with Thor to explain what ‘IT’ was.
“You don’t look so good, sure you’re okay?” Nat placed her hand on my back, rubbing small, reassuring circles with her palm. I wanted to put on a brave face and tell her I was fine, that there wasn’t a problem and my heart wasn’t racing with fear, but the look on her face, while caring and concerned, was also warning me not to lie to her. Not that i’d manage anyway, she always had ways of finding out the truth eventually.
I shook my head, letting out a small sigh and turning in my seat to address her. My eyes met hers and I felt my heart settle slightly just by looking at her, she always made me feel safe.
“What’s wrong sweetheart?” She whispered, her hand coming up to rest on my cheek, her thumb stroking my cheekbone in small movements.
“It’s so silly, really.”
“Nothing is silly if it’s upsetting you Detka. Tell me.”
“It’s this movie.”
The confusion was obvious on her face, yet she stayed quiet, allowing me to elaborate.
“I just, I’ve never been the best with clowns. Ever since I was a child, I’ve had this fear of them. If I saw one, I’d run in the opposite direction, which was more often than one would think. I mean, seriously, who wants one of those things at a party? What happened to princess parties? Or tea parties!” I exclaimed, my tone becoming more intense as I spoke.
Natasha nodded, I could almost see the cogs turning in her head, figuring out how to approach the situation. After a minute or two, she focused her eyes back on me and her hands had trailed down to meet with mine, interlocking them in the process.
“Do you want to skip it tonight?” She suggested.
“No, no, I don’t want to cause a fuss. Plus, I kinda don’t want the others knowing.”
“Are you absolutely sure? I’m sure we can pull a sickie for one night.”
“I’m sure. Just, can you stay next to me? And let me hide if it gets really bad?”
“Of course you can. I’ll be next to you the whole time.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
___________________
We were at the haunted house scene in the movie. There had already been jumpscares that I'd managed to avoid for the most part, but I don’t think I've moved past Georgie’s death yet, let alone have time to process the psycho killer clown on the screen.
Eddie was in a room alone, he was staring at this dirty, old fridge and a white hand had appeared, curling itself around and tapping on the side so you could only see it’s fingers. I tugged the blanket that was laid across Natasha and i’s laps and pulled it up to my nose, eyes still on the screen, but prepared to take cover. It appears as though nothing has changed from all those years ago.
As the fridge door creaked open, my blanket had raised higher and higher, my grip tightening by the second while the hand reappeared, this time, you could see it’s entire body contorted into this small space.
“Nope. No, absolutely fucking not. No.” I mumbled, covering my eyes with my fluffy shield. Luckily, Nat had stolen the sofa at the back, meaning I could skip the scary parts without anyone taking much notice, them being too entranced by the movie. Weirdo’s.
In my safety bubble I'd created, I felt my girlfriend’s hand on my thigh, rubbing small circles to reassure me that I was okay, and that she was here. I shuffled a little so I was closer to her, if that was even possible, her then adjusting so that her hand was still on my thigh, but another arm was wrapped securely around me, pulling me into her side a little more.
I assumed we would stay like that for a bit, until she started to shift more noticeably and lifted the part of the blanket closest to her, and put it over her own head, taking me by surprise, a faint gasp leaving my lips when seeing that she’d joined me.
“You doing okay under here?” She spoke softly, a hint of amusement playing on her face as she looked at me folded up into a ball.
“I am. This blanket protects me from all.”
“Of course it does, the fluffier it is, the more protection, right?” She quoted words i’d spoken earlier on when bringing in the blanket for us.
“Are you sure you’re not going to boil under there?”
“Nope. And even if I do, the fluffier the blanket, the more protection from cannibal clowns.” I’d explained proudly. Yes, I'm an Avenger that fights extraterrestrials and demigods and still runs to a blanket for safety, leave me alone.
We stayed under there for a minute or two, holding hands and sharing small kisses while the movie continued and we hid in our little bubble.
“C’mon lovebirds, the movie isn’t over yet, you can continue that when we’ve gone to bed if you must.” Stark called out, causing Natasha to roll her eyes and retreat back to her previous position.
I don’t know what ran through my mind, I clearly didn’t think twice about the situation I was in, my default being to follow Natasha and pull the blanket down and off my head. Upon resurfacing from my cocoon, I looked towards the Television. Bad idea. With a shriek that I'm almost certain could be heard from Asgard, I flew under the blanket again after seeing Pennywise with all of his teeth on show, edging towards Eddie to eat him.
Natasha’s arms wound their way around me again, slightly shaking now from the fright. Even though the blanket tended to muffle sounds, I could hear the room fill with laughter and comments from the Avengers.
“I didn’t know your voice could go that high Y/L/N”
“Pennywise! You scared Y/N!”
“Y/N, it’s literally-”
“How about you guys shut up and watch the movie? Otherwise I swear to god Thor, I’ll bring snakes in here and Sam, I’ll cut the wings off of your suit.” I heard the redhead next to me threaten, alongside some more punishments to the others who laughed, immediately silencing them, all of them knowing that she wasn’t one for an empty threat.
Even though the laughter died down and no more words were spoken, tears still built up in my eyes and were daring to fall down my cheeks. I feel so embarrassed. A room full of superheroes and I was scared to death over a fictional clown in front of all of them.
I tried to keep my sniffles to a minimum and at a level where no one could hear me, however, they seemed to have caught Nat’s attention as she whispered to me, loud enough for me to hear, but quietly so that it was only me that could hear.
“Mind if I come in?”
I chose not to verbally respond, instead, I pulled the edge of the blanket up, allowing her to bend down and make her way underneath. After making herself comfortable, she turned to me and did, what felt like study, my face before tutting under her breath.
“Идиоты. Are you okay?” I smiled at her speaking Russian. She often switched between the two, interchanging within sentences. I’d been around her enough to pick up on some of the terms, funnily enough she’d said that word so often, my understanding was immediate.
“Feeling a bit humiliated” My voice came out weak and slightly gravelly from the crying, her thumb immediately wiped the tears off of my cheeks, lingering afterwards.
“Don’t be. Everyone has their fears, you shouldn’t be embarrassed by having them. Okay? It just means you're human.” She patiently explained, sparking a question to leave my lips before realising.
“Do you have a fear?”
She smiled “mhm”
“Can I know what it is?”
She leaned in closer to me, lips hovering beside my ear so I could feel and hear her breathing quietly.
“Идиоты” She whispered, resulting in me clamping my hand over my mouth to limit the noise my laughter was making.
“There’s that smile I love.” She took my chin in her index finger and her thumb, her face once again, coming closer towards mine before our lips met in the middle, sharing a soft, quick kiss, distracting me from any embarrassment i’d previously felt.
________________
The movie had just finished, everyone was getting up and starting to clear up any mess they’d made, mainly popcorn that had fallen everywhere, Wanda and Vision being the main culprit, jumping at the scary parts had caused a popcorn avalanche near their seats.
Nat and I gathered our blankets and snacks we’d brought in, trying to ignore the slight tension hanging in the air, and just as we were about to walk to our bedroom, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Peter.
Rocking back and forth on his heels and fidgeting with his hands, he smiled.
“Hey, uh- miss Y/L/N. Miss Romanoff, sorry, I just wanted to come and make sure you were okay.” He rushed, clearly anxious to approach us considering the telling off Natasha gave everyone earlier.
“I’m okay, thank you Peter. You can call me Y/N by the way, ‘miss’ makes me feel old.” I chuckled, visibly seeing his shoulders relax at my response, he was really sweet, never wanting to get on anyone’s bad side. He’s a good kid.
“Sorry mi-,Y/N, sorry, I’ll remember for next time. That movie was pretty freaky, if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”
“I will, thank you.”
Feeling more relaxed, I made a slow but steady beeline for the bedroom, wanting to have cuddles with Nat and go to sleep, hopefully forget the movie ever happened. Soon enough, we were both changed into a vest top, I wore a pair of shorts and Nat wore a pair of sweats and we were in bed, facing each other with our legs tangled together, our noses bumping every so often.
“I love you” I mumbled in between kisses, eyes opening briefly to be met by her green orbs looking back at me.
“I love you more, Detka.”
A silence then overtook the room, only being able to hear the breeze outside and a slight whistle from where it was flying through the trees. I’d usually adore this, finding peace in the wind and the darkness, tonight however, it felt unsettling. All I could hear in my head was the soundtrack to the movie, picturing the bloody teeth and that creepy smile from earlier in my head.
“Love?” I nudged my girlfriend’s nose gently, hoping she was still somewhat awake.
“Mhmm?”
“Can you, can you possibly sing to me?” Her eyes fluttered open, a sleepy smile on her face, wrapping her arms tightly around me before humming a quiet melody, sending me into a blissful sleep.
By noon the next day, I had received apologies from everyone in the compound, a couple of bone crushing hugs from Thor and some complementary pancakes that Wanda had made with some help from Bruce, aprons on and covered in flour. Everyone tucked into their individual stacks, enjoying some lighthearted conversation, Nat taking the opportunity to press a small kiss to the back of my hand, I quickly returned the gesture. It was lovely.
Movie night was a rollercoaster, but at the end of the day, I was surrounded by the best people, and nothing would change that, not even the fear of clowns.
Though they’re still really fucking scary.
taglist: @the-dumbass-that-throws-knives
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xpeachesncream · 3 years
Note
Can i Request a Drabble where Aiko keeps sending taehyung Nudes and the reader gets insecure about her appearance bc of it? She compares herself to Aiko and it makes taehyung upset :/ im not too good with requests sorry if this isn’t clear
perfectly wrong | drabble [11]: it’s the way that she sits pretty with that perfect hourglass shape of hers in her nudes.
word count: 1.8k
warnings: cussing, implied sexual content, jealousy, insecurities about image/looks
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Okay, let's be real. Men love nudes. They all have needs, and they all love marveling at a naked body, especially when it comes unexpectedly. It could be a good, or bad thing. Whatever it is, they love that shit either way. I'm calling a man's bluff if he ever says he didn't enjoy looking at someone's nudes.
Taehyung isn't exempt. It was honestly the biggest highlight when he went on his fuckboy spree. Just the feeling of being wanted so badly that girls would send you nudes to grab your attention. Biggest ego booster.
Before anyone gets on his ass, he loves his woman and he quickly taps out of the snapchat so he doesn't see it for long. It's been Aiko's 5th nude so far, and he's already knowing what to expect when the notification hits his screen. He knows this shit.
You were there the first time she sent him a nude over snapchat. You both looked at it, confused that it had been sent to the wrong person since she hadn't sent him anything in between that movie selfie and this. It became a running joke for awhile, but it eventually died the less you saw or heard of it. You just actually didn't know she was still sending him nudes.
So, when you see her snapchat notification pop up on his screen again, you're a little taken aback.
"Aiko's still sending you snaps?" You ask as you hug Taehyung tightly while you both are cuddling on Jimin's couch, watching another yet unsatisfying episode of Unsolved Mysteries. You all had just finished watching The Hate U Give, Jimin throwing the channel on something random afterwards. He sat on the other portion of his couch, hugging a pillow tightly against his chest as he cussed to himself and mumbled questions about how people could stand this show if barely any of the episodes were actually solved.
You get the frustration, right? You just wanna know if they ever caught the killer, or if they found new clues, but most of the episodes end so abruptly with that 'if you happen to have any info regarding this case' message with the number to call.
"Yeah, it's whatever though." Taehyung says, keeping his eyes on the tv while you fiddled with his phone.
"Woah!" You say as you pressed on her snap, revealing her nude and on her bed, fingers trailing down to her lady friend. You tilted your head as you watched her begin to rub her clit ever so softly. The thing that gets you though is her body, and how she sat there, looking like a perfect hourglass. "Interesting." Taehyung looks at his phone and does a double take.
"Oh shit." He nonchalantly says as he also tilts his head confusingly while looking at the snap, causing you to shake your head and hit his chest as you tap out if it. The second thing that catches your eye is how many times her name comes up in his history.
"She's been sending you snaps?"
"Yeah, but I don't pay much attention to it." He caresses your arm as you slightly tilt your head up to look at him.
"Have they all been nudes?"
"Yes, but I told you I don't pay much attention to it, baby." You were unsatisfied with his answer, only because you just got a glimpse of what she sent tonight. You have no idea what the others looked like, but you were thinking it was just as this one was - the perfect position in her hourglass shape.
"Okay." Is all you say. You suddenly felt insecure as fuck, knowing your man had seen those snaps of her. She honestly looked like a fucking goddess and it kills you. He used to fuck her, for god's sake! Aka he used to have the hots for her to some extent?! He considered it once, and it makes you feel a little queazy knowing he could again.
"What happened?" Jimin asks from his side of the couch.
"Aiko sent Taehyung a nude." You flatly respond.
"Seen it, she's sent me the same ones." You roll your eyes because for Jimin, it's whatever. For your man though, please. Don't come up in his inbox with that mess. What the fuck was she trying to do here, show the world her coochie? She was feeling herself that much?
Shit, honestly. Single and with that body, you would be too. Fuck, that's annoying.
"Baby, it's nothing, okay?" He gently tickles your chin.
"Kaaaaay, I heard you." You say as bothered as possible. For the remaining time at Jimin's, you're quiet. Your mood has plunged. You just wanted to sulk in your bed. Taehyung takes notice, but he was going to wait until you two were alone to bring it up.
Which is now, in the car, in your guest parking spot.
"Okay, what's going on in my pretty lady's head?" He shuts off the car and sinks into the driver's seat, having the damn nerve to manspread in it.
"Nothing."
"Mm, not gonna fly with me, sweetheart."
"I just can't believe she's been sending you nudes."
"So what? It doesn't mean anything."
"Yeah right, with that body of hers? How could it not? You used to have a thing for her."
"Used to."
"Her body is fucking perfect, it's annoying."
"Babygirl, don't do that. I don't like when you compare yourself. You're the only person I know who's close to perfect." He boops your nose, but it leaves you unamused. You're just letting your feelings of insecurity and jealousy get to you that everything is clouded. All the things he's saying doesn't reach you, and you're literally in the mood to pick a fight for no whole ass reason over it. That was exactly one of your other bad habits that you had trouble unlearning.
"Whatever." You brushed him off, making him a little irritated with the way you were coming off over this. Again, Taehyung doesn't mind reassuring you. He loves doing it. He loves babying you and being the best he can be. But there were days where your attitude did get to the best of him, especially when he was trying. Taehyung hadn't given you a reason to make you doubt him since you two became exclusive, so he didn't think it was necessary for you to act the way you were acting.
"Really, Y/N? This isn't necessary."
"Why are you still even entertaining her snaps? Shouldn't you have gotten rid of her contact info already?" He grabs his phone and blocks her on snapchat, showing it to you before shoving it into the small storage space under the car's radio.
"There, happy?"
"Why are you so mad about it? I'm sorry you want to see her body so fucking badly."
"I'm mad because you're being a brat when you don't need to be." He looks at you intimidatingly with his piercing eyes. "You're putting words in my mouth. I never said I wanted to. Plus, I've told you time and time again that it was nothing and that it didn't mean anything to me." You roll your eyes, getting out of the passenger's seat to make your way up to your apartment.
Alright so, here's the deal. You feel like Taehyung is missing the point. Aiko looked so good in that ones nap. So good that you suddenly questioned your own look and felt completely insecure. You disliked hearing him say it wasn't a big deal, because it was. To you, at least.
Taehyung sighed heavily before going after you. He does a light jog, barely catching the elevator you had hopped into.
"Y/N, don't do that." You glared at him.
"It's not a big deal, right?" He sighs again before running his hand through his curly hair. The elevator doors open, but he wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you back in and preventing you from walking out. "Tae, let me go."
"Nah." He shrugs. "Not until we fix this." The elevator stays at their floor.
"You said it wasn't a big deal." You crossed your arms.
"Okay, I'm sorry." A good thing about Taehyung is that he's learned to be better about admitting his mistakes and saying sorry when he's in the wrong. "I shouldn't have said it in a way that would make you feel like I'm discrediting your feelings." You continue to look at him silently, the elevator suddenly going back down to the lobby. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner or get rid of her shit earlier. But baby, her snapchats don't mean a thing to me. I don't care how 'good' she looks or if they're nudes." He uses finger quotes. "It's still not you."
"I just--" You sighed, watching a lady come into the elevator to join you two to go up to the 8th floor. "I feel like I can't look that good. She had the perfect hourglass figure and she looked so good posing for her nudes. The perfect angle, her hair, the way she smiled through her eyes. I can only imagine what the others were like." He shook his head and shrugged.
"I honestly don't remember." Truthfully. He really didn't care about them, even if he took a quick glance. At the end of the day, they still weren't memorable because it wasn't his lady. "And I don't care if she has that, or whatever it is. I love you." He smiles toothlessly at you. You catch the lady scrunch her nose and smile at you both before walking off. "I love every single thing about you. You're the definition of perfect to me. I hate when you compare yourself because I really, really wish you could see the way I see you."
"Cheesy." It causes you to chuckle a bit and press your hand against his chest as he presses the button to your floor.
"Yeah, okay. You still like to hear it though, I know you." He smirks playfully as he pulls you into a hug and kisses the top of your head. "If it's not you, I don't want it."
"I honestly hate you sometimes." He shrugs before picking you up by the legs and carrying you, causing you to squeal.
"So then hate me."
"Put me down!"
"Say it to my face in bed, baby." He playfully smacks your ass in the hallway, allowing it to echo as he carries you to your apartment. It was hard to stay mad at Taehyung, but you were grateful you had someone like him who could bring you back down to Earth. You had your fair share of bickering and unnecessary arguments [because you liked picking fights with your attitude], but he was still able to show you that he would ride or die for you, no matter how silly things got.
That was your man, and your man only. Sorry Aiko.
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myhockeyworld87 · 3 years
Text
Ruined - Jamie Benn - Part 1
Word Count: 3,332
POV: Reader
Warnings: Language, smut, NSFW
Notes: So here we go with this new story that’s been stuck in my head and finally worked it’s way onto here. Please see the Masterlist for the synopsis. The first two parts should really be one, but I broke it into 2 because well sometimes I don’t have time to read long fics and then I lose my place, so I tried to make this a bit easier for anyone else that has this problem. So, Part 2 is coming out tonight as well. As always feedback is greatly appreciated. Happy Reading!
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You sat there staring at the piece of paper in your hand, debating back in forth in your mind about what you wanted to do. This was your dream offer, just not in your dream city. In fact, if you were being honest this was the last place you saw yourself moving, but could you or would you turn it down because of him. He’d dictated most of your high school life, and some of college, to give him that kind of power over your career now would be so stupid. Especially, when you literally hadn’t seen him in almost twelve years. He probably wouldn’t even remember you, but there was no way that you could ever forget Jamie Benn.
 It was your freshman year in high school when you’d met him. He was slightly older and had just come to your secondary school to play hockey. Jamie was quiet, which seemed kind of funny for a jock. They were always loud and boisterous, but maybe you were just going by the ones in your family. By default, he was thrown in with all the other hockey players and one so happened to be your older brother, who was also friends with Jamie’s brother Jordie. The three of them ended up being thick as thieves and drove you half insane at times. Well, maybe not Jamie. When he was at your house the two of you always ended up having some random conversation about god only knew what, but it was always entertaining. You easily got a crush on him after about the seventh or eighth time you were around him but kept that to yourself. Oh, it wasn’t like you weren’t pretty or anything. It was the opposite really. Cheerleader, as well as on the track team; you were one of the more popular freshmen in school, but you were also terribly shy and inexperienced when it came to boys. You always felt, well, awkward around them, not knowing if you would say the right thing or do something embarrassing. With Jamie though, it was different. He made you feel so at ease, but then maybe part of that was because he shared the same awkwardness that you did.
 You distinctly remember one night early your sophomore year, when your brother, Justin, and Jordie decided to take both you and Jamie to a party. They practically had the school slut, throwing herself at Jamie, but it was clear the boy had no clue what to do, as his hands awkwardly fumbled her advances. Which was fine with the jealous streak that suddenly went through your entire body. She attempted to kiss him, and with all eyes focused on him, he went to return it, only to completely miss her and end up bonking her on the head. In end, he’d laughed things off saying he was too drunk, but you knew that he’d only had one beer. He somehow slipped out of the cabin you’d been partying at, and back to the woods, after the incident. Of course, you’d followed him. “Hey Jame, you ok?” He simply shrugged as you sat down on the log beside him. “Justin and Jordie can be dickheads sometimes, you know?”
 “Tell me about it.”
 “I’m sure you’re a better kisser.” Oh my god, did those words really leave your mouth? Fuck. “I mean…like…” Jamie just sort of smiled over at you as you stumbled through words that seemed to be regurgitating out of your mouth. 
 “Maybe,” he finally said, staring off into the woods, then very quietly added. “I’ve never kissed anyone before.”
 You had to strain your ears to catch that last part, but you were definitely sure he said he’d never had a first kiss. “Oh,” you answered softly, with a hint of surprise in your voice, though inside you were giddy. Somehow, you’d just assumed that someone like Jamie, who was athletic and good looking had definitely been kissed before. It was surprising that he admitted it to you, and before you knew what was happening that same word vomit from before was making an appearance. “Me either.”
 “Really?” His question came almost as soon as you spit out the words. Why he found that hard to believe was beyond you.
 “Yes really.”
 “I just thought….well…” This time it was Jamie stumbling through a sentence instead of you. “I know that you and David have been hanging out a lot.” 
 “David?” While it was true, you’d been hanging out with one of the school’s top soccer players, it was for a completely different reason then stolen kisses. “I’m tutoring him in biology. If he fails, he’s off the team.” The words fell from your lips before you had time to fully think them through. “Please don’t say anything. He doesn’t want anyone to know.”
 “I won’t,” Jamie told you and you knew that you could trust him with this or any secret that you had. He turned toward you then, his eyes locking with yours. “I’m glad you’re only tutoring him.”
 “Oh, why? He seems like a nice guy or have you heard different…” you trailed off not quite sure of what or why you were even asking.
 “Oh, he seems nice. I don’t really know him.” Jamie ran his fingers through his hair then. A telltale sign he was searching for the right words. “I mean…I’m glad you’re not dating him, you know…because…well I thought….” He blew out a breath and you held yours. “Maybe you’d want to date me.” Goose pimples rose on your flesh at his words. This was the moment you dreamed about, and now, here it finally was. When you didn’t answer right away Jamie added, “That is…did you want to go on a date?”
 The corners of your lips pulled up into a smile and Jamie’s did as well. “I’d like that.”
 “Me too.” He adjusted himself so that he was sitting closer to you on the log you shared. Now only an inch or two separated the two of you as he hesitantly made a move to hold your hand. It hovered just above yours for a few seconds, both of your eyes shifting down to watch as he finally clasped your hands together, and then you were both shared a stupid grin. “Can I…kiss you?”
 You were speechless at all that had transpired in the last couple of moments, and so you just nodded, both excited and afraid to share your first kiss with Jamie. You moved in closer, while Jamie did the same. Your eyes slowly going shut as your lips drew near. Jamie’s lips ghosted over yours, just barely a brush against your skin as first, but then he added a bit more pressure and it was both awkward and wonderful at the same time. You both stayed that way for several heartbeats neither of you moving, both unsure what the next move was. His free hand, the one that wasn’t tightly laced with yours, came up to caress your cheeks, and then your lips were moving together and it was one kiss simply melting into a million more. Unconsciously, you sighed. Your lips parting open for him and his tongue darted into your mouth. Eyes flying open at the contact, you weren’t sure how to react. Of course, you knew what a French kiss was, had seen it on television a million times, but to experience it was quite different. You realized you could taste the beer he’d drunk earlier and something else, though you couldn’t put your finger on it. Tentatively, you let your tongue mingle with his, letting your eyes flutter shut once again so you could savor the feel of this kiss; your first kiss with Jamie Benn. 
 It was one of many that you shared with Jamie over the next few months. He took you out on several dates, mostly to the movies or to the little pizza shop you both loved, but most nights were either spent on your couch or his, where you’d watch hockey and then makeout until it was time for curfew. Your relationship progressed about as much as any fifteen going on sixteen-year-olds did; there was a lot of holding hands and quiet kisses. On night’s that one of your parents would go out and leave you both alone, it definitely went from first to second base rather quickly, and you learned that Jamie was definitely a boob man. He became an expert at unclasp your bra in record time, of course, there was a learning curve that involved a lot of fumbling around. 
 It was Jamie’s birthday, that you decided to give him a present he’d never forget. For the life of you at the age of fifteen, you couldn’t figure out why it was called a blowjob when you were definitely supposed to suck on his cock. Thankfully, you’d seen enough of your brother’s porn stash to know how to give a proper one and not look completely stupid. Though you didn’t expect to gag when Jamie thrust his hips into your face uncontrollably. At least you recovered quickly and were able to swallow most of his cum when it shot down the back of your throat. It was two weeks later that he finally reciprocated, by going down on you in the backseat of his car. While not the most romantic place in the world, his tongue flicking across your clit made up for the cliché atmosphere. 
 By the end of summer, you’d rounded all the bases but hadn’t hit a home run yet. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to sleep with Jamie; it was the exact opposite. However, there just wasn’t a time or place for the deed to get done. The two of you had discussed and decided that you wanted to make it special and not just make it some little box that you could check off in your relationship. This would be the first time for both of you, so while it was going to be memorable, you also wanted to savor it. As neither of you were eighteen yet, it wasn’t like you could go and get a hotel, for you’d thought about that option, and you’d already ruled at the car. With limited options in Victoria, you had no choice but to travel to your parents' second house on the outskirts of Vancouver. It was rarely used, as your dad only stayed there on business trips which had become less frequent over the last couple of years. Even though the house was rarely occupied, you came up with an elaborate plan for your parents to let you not only stay there overnight but travel there by yourself. Well, technically it wasn’t by yourself as you said you were going with your best friend Emma. Who covered for you, god love her.
 You weren’t sure what excuse Jamie had told his parents, but he picked you up at Emma’s house one Saturday morning and the two of you made the trip in less than three hours. It was a nerve-wracking drive, though Jamie held your hand most of the time. It wasn’t really the thought of having sex with Jamie that made you uneasy. It was the thought of having sex period. You were afraid it was going to hurt, but you kept trying to push past that thought, knowing that you wanted to do this, more so that you wanted to do this with Jamie. 
 It was awkward, just like all your firsts with Jamie were, but eventually, you two were able to move past that, and in the end, it was actually kind of amazing. Though the most wonderful part had to be falling asleep in Jamie’s arms. He’d made you felt so loved and cherished, and you’d known right then and there that you’d made the right decision to give you virginity away to this man. It felt like the two of you would be together forever.
 That was until the following Tuesday at school came around. There were stares and whispers everywhere you looked, or so it seemed. It wasn’t until lunchtime, that you finally found out what was going on, and then it was only from Emma. “Em, what is going on with everyone? I feel like half these guys are staring at me.”
 She closed her eyes as if mustering up the courage to tell you something she didn’t want to. “Jamie told everyone that you two slept together.” You gasped, then quickly covered up both your mouth and the hurt that came along with it. “That’s not the worst of it,” Emma said and it felt like your heart just sank into your stomach. “I also heard that he told people you two have been fucking for months.” There were so many ‘whys’ and ‘how could he’ running around in your head you couldn’t make heads or tails of them. Jamie wouldn’t do this, there had to be some explanation. Your eyes scanned the cafeteria looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found. You were just about to get up and look for him when Emma’s hand came down on yours. “There’s more. He said the only reason he was dating you was because you were easy.” Bile rose in the back of your throat and you wanted to just run to the girls' bathroom and cry, but Emma stopped you. “Don’t,” she said simply. “If you go, it will just feed more gossip. Act like nothing is wrong and that nothing happened. Like you don’t care.” Easy for her to say when it felt like your heart was being ripped out of your chest along with your reputation. “Breathe.” You hadn’t realized you’d stopped until she said the word. 
 The rest of the day was a complete blur. You couldn’t find Jamie anywhere. As soon as you could make it home after practice, you were dialing his number. His mom answered, “I’m sorry (Y/N), Jamie’s not feeling well. I’ll have him call you when he’s feeling better.” The next day passed and still the lingering stares, mostly from the guys, continued. You’d even had a few ask you out, to which you simply rolled your eyes and told them it would only happen in their dreams. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say and just added fuel to the fire, making it seem like everything that Jamie had said true. He avoided you yet another day and you were beginning to wonder if he was going to pretend to be sick the entire school year just so he didn’t have to face you. By the third day that you hadn’t heard from him, you knew it was done. No matter what excuse he could give you, it would never make up for not only what he said but the way he’d treated you afterward. You simply needed to move on. So, when you saw him at school the following day, you completely ignored him. He attempted to talk to you several times, but you weren’t having it. “Come on (Y/N), please just talk to me.”
 “I think you’ve done enough talking for the both of us Jamie. We’re through.” There was hurt in his eyes and you wanted to break down and cry right then and there, but you held your head up high and continued down the hall to your next class. It was two periods later that Emma was handing you a note. You unfolded it, seeing Jamie’s writing on the top.
 (Y/N),
I’m sorry. Please let me explain….
 That’s all you read before tearing the letter up and tossing it in the garbage can in front of Jamie, hoping he would get the point and leave you alone. He didn’t. As soon as you walked in the door of your house, your mom told you he’d called three times already. After explaining that the two of you broke up, and crying on your mom’s shoulder for a half-hour, though not mentioning the details of your breakup; she told Jamie not to call back when the phone rang again. Ever persistent, Jamie came banging on the door after dinner. This time it was your dad that told him he wasn’t wanted in your home, even though Jamie was practically begging him to let you in, while you sobbed in the background. He kept up the same routine over the next week, all with the same result until eventually, he gave up.
 Over the next two weeks, you could hear the whispers as you walked down the hall. Girls muttering that you were slut, while the boys were trying to figure out which one of them would get to sample you next; now that it was clear you were no longer with Jamie. The icing on the cake was when David, the soccer player you’d been tutoring told everyone that you hadn’t been studying at all; that he’d been sleeping with you for the last month. No matter how many times you said it was a lie, no one believed you. Your reputation was simply shredded apart all by a few words Jamie had uttered. So, after a couple months of being talked about, there was only one thing left to do, and that was to become that girl that they whispered about. If they were going to condemn you, you might as well earn it.
 Your junior and senior year, you became the girl that gave the star point guard a blow job behind the bleachers after the game, as well as giving one to the goalie, the wide receiver, and the captain of the debate team, and a few more as well. Jamie seemed to take out his aggression on the ice, dropping the gloves with opponents left and right, but you tried to pay him no mind. Until he finally went to play for the Grizzlies and you didn’t have to see him all the time. By then end of high school, you truly had earned the reputation that he’d given you, but you were sick of it. Tired of being looked at for only sex, you applied to schools in the US. Thankfully, while you’d jumping from penis to penis, you’d still kept up your studies and were accepted at every school you’d applied to. 
 When you received your acceptance letter from Georgetown, along with a scholarship, you jumped at the chance to put yourself all the way across the continent from not only Jamie but what you’d become. At University, you put your head to the books instead of on some unknown guy’s cock, studying constantly which earned you a 4.0 in undergrad, and basically allowed you have your pick at the top medical schools in both Canada and the United States. It was a no brainer when John Hopkins wanted you and during your time there, you were able to work with not only the Baltimore Ravens but the Orioles as well, all within your first year. Which had you taking up orthopedics and sports medicine as your specialty. 
 All of this led you to today and the offer you were currently mulling over. It was literally everything you’d ever wanted and allowed you to work with not only the NFL but the NBA and the NHL as well. It was the last one that had you rethinking it though. The pros well outweighed the only one con that you could think of and that was Jamie Benn. Who’s to say if he’d even remember you though? It wasn’t like you could forget him after what he’d done, but you let him dictate enough of your life; you weren’t about to let him continue. So, you typed up your written acceptance, then called Dr. Ellis to let him know you were taking the job. You’d made a new reputation for yourself this time around and you weren’t about to let Jamie Benn ruin this one. 
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btsmosphere · 3 years
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This is Rigged | KSJ
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~summary: just a night in with your friends, courtesy of your boyfriend. Although he may have a slightly different grasp of the rules to you... lion shifter!Jin x reader ~word count: 1.9k ~shifter au, domestic fluff Rating: pg ~warnings: basically nothing, ...the game is rigged? allusions to Lion King spoilers, that’s not a real warning but better to be safe haha ~a/n: this is my secret santa gift for the incredible Eva @aroseforyoongi​!! I really wanted to write something you would like as a huge thank you not just from me, but from everyone at the net for being such an amazing team mom! Joining @thebtswritersclub​ is honestly one of the best things I’ve done this year and I appreciate all the hard work you put in to make it so amazing💖😊as for this fic, I have never written a shifter au before, but I couldn’t get over this idea, so I went with it. I hope you enjoy it!
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“If you guys win?”
“You give me a kiss,” he said, smirking (you wish you could call it infuriating, but really, who were you kidding? It was endearing).
“Is that so?” you popped your hands on your hips, “and if I win?”
“Then… I’ll give you a kiss.”
“Ah,” you nodded, “I see. That is a good incentive. You’re on.”
Indulgent smile spreading onto his features, Jin leaned down with his lips puckered, but you ducked out of the way, holding him off at the shoulders.
“Not until I’ve won later!” you laughed, running from the kitchen and leaving him to fume loudly behind you.
“Yah! Don’t make me get my claws out!” he called.
But you knew he was already collecting up the dishes to wash.
Jin was sure he had convinced you to let your friends come for games night. In reality, you were going to say yes no matter what – they were your friends – but the promise of some love from your boyfriend was definitely worth stalling for.
To be honest, he was probably more than happy with giving you the love anyway. Aside from the obvious fact that he was your boyfriend, you had been working hard this holiday and he wanted to spoil you.
So some love, from him and from your friends, was certainly in order.
You knew his tactics for cheering you up. He probably knew you knew. But it didn’t matter – they worked perfectly every time, just as your ways worked for him when he was stressed or down. Good food was a must, and usually you two would end up on the couch as you stroked your fingers through his mane, hearing his deep purrs to affirm his lighter mood.
Of course Jin’s plan to make you feel great was a little more elaborate than that, only allowing you to snatch hugs while he called your friends and prepared what he called ‘nibbles’.
Eventually, you resigned yourself to stealing the snacks, although this didn’t go down well with Jin. After what must have been the sixth time he caught you sneaking away some popcorn, he promptly attacked you with a bear hug, pinning you onto the sofa while you squealed with laughter.
“I should have known,” you giggled, “all I had to do to get your attention was steal your food!”
“Okay, I get it,” he conceded, “let’s wait here until they arrive.”
Peppering your face with kisses, he slid off you and tucked you against his side. Though he flicked on the TV, neither of you paid much attention to it as you swung your legs over his lap and curled up against him, content with each other’s presence until the doorbell sounded.
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Tae rummaged in the little basket Jin had prepared, eventually producing a card, being sure to cup his hands and hide it from sight. A smug smile stretched across his mouth.
Tucking the card into his pocket, he swaggered forwards to stand in front of you all; you were spread across the two sofas, according to which team you were on.
And so it began.
“A movie!”
“4 words!”
“First word…”
As he bent his knees, the shouting started straight away. Trying to focus on him instead of laughing at your friends, you watched as he settled in a crouching position.
“Kneeling!”
“Stooping!”
“Floor!”
“Why would it be the floor, Hobi?”
“Maybe it is, you never know!”
“It’s not the floor, look, he’s shaking his head!”
“Hey!”
Two ears had sprouted from Taehyung’s head, and now fuzzy stripes made themselves known on his face. Curling his fingers, he made a pouncing motion as he showed his claws.
“Scary?” Jimin guessed first.
“Hunter!”
Suddenly the frown melted from your face, the answer clear to you.
“Crouching! It’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!”
Clapping his hands, Tae stood back up again, a proud smile coming your way. As he squeezed back in beside you on the sofa, you glanced at Jin. But though you had expected him to glare back at you from fear of losing your little game, however pointless it was, instead you were met with a cocky quirk of the eyebrows.
However, the way Yoongi’s eyes widened when he read his card gave you back some confidence. His cheeks turned bright red, but he huffed anyway and positioned himself in the middle of the room.
“I-I don’t know how to…”
“Yes you do Yoongi,” Jin urged, “get on with it.”
You weren’t sure you had ever seen a bigger eye roll than the one Yoongi gave, but he complied anyway.
“Okay… one word! Film?” Joon started, leaning forwards and studying Yoongi’s gestures.
“Nonono, that’s a musical,” Jungkook interrupted.
Yoongi nodded and moved on. Your eyes nearly popped out of your head when he turned to the side and started strutting, swishing his butt about with his hands on his hips. For someone who looked as embarrassed as he did right now, he was really going for it.
“Sexy!”
“Scarring?”
“Oh my god, is it Burlesque?”
“You’ve watched that?”
“It’s not Burlesque, look!”
The next to resort to shifting, Yoongi was now prancing around in a circle with his tail in the air.
“Tail! Bum!”
“Cat-rocity!”
“Jin, shut up-“
Even though you knew he was the most versatile shifter of the group, it still surprised you when he jumped and landed as a tabby cat, then a black one.
“Cheating! Cheating!”
“Hobi, Tae literally shifted in your round too.”
“I know! I know!” Jungkook leapt from his seat, hand dancing in the air, “It’s Cats! Is it Cats?”
“Yep,” Yoongi replied gruffly.
Turning back to his fully human form, he crossed his arms tightly as he sat back down.
“This is rigged!” you complained, “Charades is so much easier when you can change shape!”
“We can only change to one animal,” Jin replied as he got up to hand the basket back to your team.
“Sure does come in handy when your card is Cats, though,” you quipped in return, but Jimin had already got up.
Turning your attention back to the front, you watched as he swooped into the air, suddenly a small bundle of wings and feathers. Of course, he apparently had a tailor-made card as well. In fairness, it was quite entertaining.
Stopping in mid-flight, he brought a wing across his chest (over-dramatic, even as a bird) and flopped to the ground, landing in human form again, eyes closed.
“Death!”
“Getting shot!”
“Floor!”
“Hobi, what films do you know called ‘floor’?”
Back on his feet, Jimin was sticking his tongue out, waving his hands at the side of his head.
“Rude!”
“Childish?”
“A… a dead child!?” (he had fallen back to the floor)
“Time’s up!” Jin exclaimed then, eliciting groans from the three of you who slumped back on the sofa.
“Come on guys, it was ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’” Jimin got to his knees, “see? Mocking… bird… killed…”
“Too hard,” grumbled Tae.
Jin’s team was up next, and although they guessed Kung Fu Panda correctly, you thought it a fitting consequence that Joon was now stuck with fluffy black ears on his head. Usually a bear shifter, he clearly didn’t find it as easy as Yoongi to change it up.
Refusing to look at your scheming boyfriend, you focussed hard during the next round, not liking the fact his team was drawing ahead of yours.
However, their next turn crashed and burned, not without an intensely heated debate about the differences between Spiderman and Antman and how to suitably portray them.
Next up, you reached for a card, hoping you didn’t get a difficult one. If Jin could manage to fix the cards for the shifters among you, you hoped he would go easy on you.
Apparently not.
Despite not being able to change shape, you thought you acted out the Wolf of Wall Street pretty well. Jimin guessed it just in time, thankfully before you resorted to any of the… well, more explicit content.
Perhaps Jin had been hoping for that, you thought, smirking back at him as you took your seat.
By now the other team were back around to Yoongi, who, handily, had to act out the Cat in the Hat.
It didn’t take long.
From here on in, the game devolved into Jin’s laughter and your groans as the cards magically got harder for your team. Seriously, how can you go about Pulp Fiction in charades?
And then there was Jin, roaring in all his majesty and putting an imaginary crown on his head. There was no need for Jungkook to look so proud when he guessed the Lion King, anyone could have seen that. You were surprised at how long it took them, Jin having to throw himself from a cliff screaming and howling for them to guess it.
But who were you kidding? Of course your boyfriend was going to try to sabotage you, and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t having a good night, mind completely away from your work.
By the time you waved your friends off, you had laughed yourself sore at Hobi’s silly guesses and Jin’s dramatics, stuffed yourself with the damn nibbles and were ready to fall into bed and sleep happily.
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On leaving the shower later on, you found Jin already waiting for you in bed. Seeing you, he grinned – that endearing infuriating grin – and spread his arms wide.
“Where’s my kiss, then?”
“No way!” you scoffed, sitting on the edge of the bed with hand over your heart, “you rigged that game!”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You liar, Mr Lion-the-Witch-and-the-Wardrobe. We totally would have won!”
“But you didn’t,” he smirked.
You narrowed your eyes at him, only to be assaulted by light tickles to your sides.
“Hey!” you gasped, suddenly finding yourself underneath him. And gosh, no matter how long you had been dating this man, he never failed to make the blood rush to your cheeks.
Triumphant smile adorning his face, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to your lips. They lingered there, and only pride stopped you pulling his face closer still. When he eventually pulled away, a grin spread onto your face.
“Ha! You kissed me! I did win!!”
Eyes widening almost comically, a look of anguish quickly took over Jin’s face.
“Aargh! Nooo!” he cried, melodramatic as always as he flopped back to his pillow.
The sound of your laughter was all that followed as you climbed into bed next to him, satisfied when his arms circled your waist to tug your closer. Until he started trying to pull you over to face him.
“Give me a kiss!”
“Nope!” you laughed, “I won!”
A valiant effort was made on your part to squirm away from your boyfriend, ending with several kisses to your face and neck as he aimed for, and missed, your mouth. Coming in breathless gasps, your laughter rang out in the dim room.
“Spoilsport,” he muttered eventually, though he failed to sound genuinely bitter.
Finally dissolving, you hid your giggles in his chest as you settled in his arms. It was only once your eyes slid shut that he whispered into your hair.
“Did you have fun tonight?”
Pulling away to look at him, even in the low light, you smiled widely.
“Of course I did! Thank you, Jinnie.”
(It’s safe to say you both kissed each other, in the end)
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Thank you for reading! To Eva, happy holidays and I hope you liked it!💞
taglist: @aianloveseven​ @preciouschimine​ 
My main masterlist here
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grxceblqckthxrn · 4 years
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TDA characters as types of tiktokers
y’all KNOW i’m bored when i’m doing this shit lmao 
i’ll get around to doing the other TSC characters eventually TDA was just the first to come to mind also if you’re not actively on tiktok some of what i say might not make sense ahaha
also i named some tiktokers who yall can use for reference for some of them and from what i’ve seen they’re all fairly unproblematic so you should check them out!!
EMMA CARSTAIRS
okay so she’s DEFINITELY super popular and she uses her platform for good
she’s really funny and a lot of her audios go viral posts videos of her dancing saying that she cant dance but she’s actually really good at it
6M followers and growing fast 
 hypes up her boyfriend’s account ALL the time
calls out misogynistic/racist tiktokers through duets and KEEPS THEIR TAG IN THE CAPTION  
 she is not afraid of starting drama lmao
occasionally hops on POV and transition trends but its usually satire 
emma can’t act for shit lmao 
super active on tiktok and has a spam account
people are always asking her to drop the skin care routine but she doesn’t have one?? 
*pushes Zara down* “and no one’s gonna help her?? WOW some world we live in”
JULIAN BLACKTHORN
there’s no way he doesnt  have an art account lmao
a lot of his paintings go viral but 90% of his comments are 14 year old girls thirsting over him
yall know that pottery guy on tiktok?? the cute one?? (i searched up his account just for this post he’s @/daxnewman769) that’s the best way to describe him
literally all the famous tiktokers commission him
probably has like 4M followers lmao
will occasionally make about how respecting women doesn’t make you a “simp”
doesn’t get into tiktok drama tho
posts candid videos of emma and all his jealous 14 year old fans get so pressed but he shuts down anyone who says anything bad about her
sometimes does painting or drawing tutorials and he’s really good at teaching stuff lmao
CRISTINA ROSALES
omg okay so like yall know those really pretty girls on tiktok who are literal models and are always dropping tips on how to frame your face for pictures and best clothes and poses and whatever  ( @/ameliezilber is the first person that came to mind as an example)
thats her
alot of her content is just for the aesthetic
BLING EFFECT
GRWM’s all the time
10 step skin care routine 
GOOD VIBES
has a pretty decent following?? like at least 2 million
has a spam but it’s exactly the same as her main lol
also calls out problematic tiktokers but not by name
her entire account is full of body positivity and does a bunch of stuff on loving yourself
sometimes does POVs and all the comments are like “@ netflix hire her rn”
sometimes posts crack videos with emma and cute vids with mark and kieran
MARK BLACKTHORN
does a lot of reaction videos and duets
a lot of his videos go viral but he doesn’t have a huge following like maybe 800k
 everyone still knows him
gets at least twenty “are you wearing only one contact” comment about his eyes every post
he’s really funny without even realizing it 
sometimes goes inactive for weeks at a time and just forgets that tiktok exists lmao
shows off kieran and cristina ALL THE MF TIME AND EVERYONE IS SO JEALOUS LIKE HOW ARE ALL OF THEM HOT
KIERAN 
doesnt have a tiktok lmao sorry
but shows up so much on mark’s and cristina’s that a lot of people know who he is
DIANA WRAYBURN
unironically does POVs but is actually good at them??
lots of videos talking about the struggles of minorities like LGBTQ+ and POC and women
posts a lot of those vidoes that are like “what to do if you ever get kidnapped” “red flags in relationships” “most powerful parts of the body” etc
probably has like 500k followers 
at the end of the day she doesn’t really use tiktok that much tho ahaha
LIVVY BLACKTHORN:
does a little bit of everything??
posts dance videos sometimes 
omg her transitions are SO good
everyone is in love with her and she has to remind them that she’s a minor (i’m just a kid plays aggressively in the background)
posts videos that are just vibes?? like her skating at night, dancing in traffic with dru/her friends, walking through the city at night etc
lots of lip syncing videos to whatever sounds are popular and all her comments are like “i wish i looked like this” “guess im not eating today” and she gets so upset :((
she wants everyone to know that they’re perfect the way they are!!
also posts POVs sometimes and she’s not that bad at them ahaha 
probably has like 1 million followers 
doesn’t even need a spam just posts everything on her main 
shouts out her sibilings accounts all the time
overall just great energy
TY BLACKTHORN
never posts his face on his main but he does on his spam
yall know those accounts that post fun facts or psychology facts?? his is like that except he talks to explain them and everyone finds his voice SO calming 
he posts a lot of content of animals and everyone is in AWE with how good he is with them
his username is probably theanimalwhisperer or something djkfskjd
every single time he posts Kit on his account all the comments are like “OOH ICU” and “SHIP” and “ASK HIM OUT ALREADY”
he gives 0 shits about popularity on tiktok he’s just posting for fun because he likes teaching people about his interests
so he has like maybe 500k followers
lots of philosophical questions that has everyone questioning their existence
ugh i love him
KIT HERONDALE
be honest this is what y’all were waiting for 
yall know those unproblematic ppl that everyone refers to as the “king(s) of tiktok”???
yeah thats him
SO FUNNY
LIKE HIS CONTENT IS GENUINELY HILARIOUS
lots of sarcasm and satire
think @/adamkindacool  ?? (one of my favourite tiktokers lmao)
does reaction videos for those “pov: im the annoying hot cheeto girl sitting next to you in math class” videos
dark humor (not like rude humor but actual dark humor)
like “i put the baby in the oven and the pizza in the bed” type of jokes back when those were a thing
has like 4M followers but almost every single one of his posts go viral so he’s gaining fast
lots of pranks
starts a bunch of trends
any video he posts of Mina goes viral
sometimes he posts some really weird stuff that has everyone laughing so hard irl (@/benoftheweek)
he NEVER thirst traps but still gets a lot of those weird sexual fairy comments on his posts (iykyk)
TO BE CLEAR I MEAN THE FAIRY EMOJI ONES NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM BEING FAE 
reacts to the comments with a video of him just staring at the screen with the “oh to see without my eyes” or “im just sixteen” audio going on in the background which only encourages them to make more weird comments
anyways everyone loves him
any of his povs are pure jokes meant to make fun of pov’ers
posts maybe one serious tiktok every 5 months that talks about being respectful and using your platform for good
“i miss old tiktok”
posts a lot of random videos of Ty where, again, all the comments are shipping them except even more so on his account because everyone can see his heart eyes for Ty
collabs with Dru a lot and does a bunch of duets of her videos
everyone loves him bye
DRU BLACKTHORN
SO many memes
she deletes any hate in her comments bc she honestly doesnt care to respond to them and doesn’t need that kind of negativity in her life
but one time she got a “the f in women stands for funny” comment and she WENT OFF
does really dark povs sometimes that are really interesting
CLOWN MAKEUP + SCARY CLOWN TIKTOKS ( think @/avani ‘s clown make up posts
REALLY good at makeup and sometimes gets julian to do scary makeup on her for tiktoks and povs (like those ones with stitches over the mouth or skin peeling off)
huge ally!! posts a lot about minorities struggles and white privilege, and acknowledges hers
does movie reviews and stuff sometimes
“types of” videos
pulls a lot of pranks on her sibilings with livvy and sometimes with Kit
lots of body positivity + self love
calls out back-handed compliments
also has a lot of content like Livvy’s of just vibing in LA
julian and emma and mark go off at anyone who sexualize her in the comments
probably has like 650k followers
posts a couple of times a week
BONUS: 
JAIME ROSALES
lots of skateboarding videos idk he just gives me that vibe
doesn’t post that often but is super popular
like maybe 1.5M followers
really passionate about systematic racism
HATES all those privileged white boys using the “this is america” audio to pretend they’re oppressed ( this is a may 2020 thing so it probably wont make sense to anyone who sees this after lmao)
POSTS A LOT OF THIRST TRAPS LMAO 
also posts lots of videos that’s just him yelling about stuff but they’re really entertaining to watch ( like that guy sebastian @/sauceyogranny)
everyone thinks he’s super hot he always shows up in those “hottest boys on tiktok” videos except sometimes he’s just the token POC boy and it makes him mad :( 
DIEGO ROSALES
HIS ACCOUNT IS SO PRACTICAL LMAO
lots of tips 
“what to do if you’re trapped in the desert” “what to do if you’re kidnapped and stuck in the trunk”
doesnt reply to comments EVER unless it’s to clarify a point he made in the video or answer a question
has like 200k
okay thats it lmao im done bye this took me like an hour to make
i’ll get to all the other characters from the other series’ eventually 
also if yall are wondering abt the lack of f*ckbois in this post they’re coming dw
TMI CHARACTERS AS TYPES OF TIKTOKERS
TID CHARACTERS AS TYPES OF TIKTOKERS 
TLH CHARACTERS AS TYPES OF TIKTOKERS
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oneweekoneband · 3 years
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In the first cold hours of a new December morning, Taylor Swift once again revealed herself to be the primary antagonist in my hero’s journey. Weary and woebegone as I am, I will not waste strength on any attempt to deny that this latest attack has knocked me off balance, but I believe it is important that I—we, really, the lot of us who have been bloodied pitiably beneath this most brutal show of force—rebound immediately into a defensive posture so that there might be any hope at all for survival. Taylor’s second pandemic album will be released at midnight tonight, so I guess Shakespeare and his little “play” about elder abuse can get fucked after all. The album is called evermore. It was hubris, I can see in retrospect, which led me to tempt my enemy by writing all these words about her on this, the week of her birthday, knowing as I do that Taylor is one of those especially dangerous adults who make a big deal about both birthdays and lucky numbers. Icarus is my name now, covered in melted wax and tumbling to the sea. So as to steel ourselves for these horrors yet to come, I offer now, with not arrogance but the faith of the foolhardy, my best conjecture as to the content of each detestable track. 
willow - Could be about a tree. Could be about a girl. More likely it is both somehow, which is extremely pervy, and not just because that’s part of the plot of the unspeakably cursed The Raven Cycle novels, which I, a full blown adult with, generally speaking, normal brain function, voluntarily read for the first time this summer because some of us, ma’am, used the pandemic for activities that hurt only ourselves, not others. Well, happy holidays, tree fuckers.
champagne problems - Whatever this is, know that I will be considering it a work after Fall Out Boy’s “Champagne for My Real Friends, Real Pain for My Sham Friends” and I’ll be right to do so and many people will say as much admiringly and they’ll smile at me with pride and doff their caps as I go.
gold rush - If this song is anything but a loving, comprehensive summation of the children’s novel DEAR AMERICA Seeds of Hope: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild then I’m going to walk directly out of my home and, deadly virus be damned, keep walking until I’ve entered Taylor Swift’s instead, at which point I will begin to scream out a litany of complaints at the very top of my voice, ceasing only when her security team kills me or we fall in love.
tis the damn season - Worst case scenario this is a sad Christmas song (the best kind of Christmas song) and it devastates me in the most degrading way possible. Best case scenario it’s really bad and dumb and I can live without pain.
tolerate it - Many possibilities here. Could be about white-knuckling it through a period of depression, or a breakup. Most obviously, it could be about COVID-19 lockdowns keeping us trapped in our homes, disconnected from loved ones, going slow-brained and strange, bowls piling up, and suddenly so desperate for human interaction that even memories of having drinks with somebody from Hinge who quoted Friends twice in an hour are tantalizing in comparison to the touch-starved dreamstate of staying indoors... But I kinda feel like this is Taylor replying “COPE” from on high to my tweets about how I would rather be boiled alive than have to face the existence of this record.
no body, no crime (feat. Haim) - What would be very good is if this is a homosexual romp about Taylor Swift and the one hot Haim guitar girl with the really gay energy doing a murder together a la “Somethin’ Bad” by Miranda Lambert with Carrie Underwood, but honestly, it is probably another song about Gone Girl.
happiness - Impossible to speak on this since, thanks to Taylor Swift, happiness is something with which I have no familiarity. 
dorothea - Have seen chirping on the odious bird application about how perhaps this song title suggests that Taylor has written a song about Middlemarch, titling it for Dorothea Brooke, but I reject this because it implies that Taylor has read Middlemarch, which is a premise I cannot accept. Whether this refusal is out of self-preservation, being unwilling and in fact unable to face a world where Taylor Swift read and was moved to creation by the novel which was my most essential friend the summer I got dumped by a guy who I still had to work feet away from in a candle factory for another month, and about which Emily Dickinson (Emily Dickinson whose birthday it happens to be today, which isn’t to say that this means anything about anything. I am simply trying to batten down all hatches literally and spiritually in light of having been had once again by this numerology obsessed demon) once wrote "What do I think of Middlemarch? What do I think of glory.” or because I just at my core do not believe that Taylor has read a single book since Gone Girl I couldn’t possibly say.
coney island (feat. The National) : Some ungodly americana ass bullshit that is going to ruin my life. The thought of holy terror shaped like a horse girl Taylor Swift and trickster nymph in the body of a tax accountant Matt Berninger, two individuals I have allowed, separately, to cause me grievous psychic harm, having even the barest amount of one to one contact, even digitally, has made me want to peel all my skin off and put it back on flipped inside out so that I might, when I look in the mirror, see a version of myself which approximates how I feel.
ivy - Another song for the plant lesbians. That’s fine, and I’m happy for that community, but what I want to know, looking at this growing pile of songs named after women, is where, Taylor, is the song about loudmouth queen Inez, legendary gossip and, for my money, the star of folklore?  
cowboy like me - Putting it as mildly as humanly possible, to slit my throat would be less cruel. I am drawing a straight line from me writing illegible sequels to perfect film An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (itself a sequel) in crayon as a toddler, to Paula Cole’s “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” on the radio in my mom’s two door Honda, to me everyday after school in third grade changing into the cowboy costume my godmother bought, to me at fourteen internalizing a sense of righteous indignation that would take years to even begin to outgrow when Crash beat Brokeback Mountain for Best Picture, to the winter I dropped half my classes out of fear and sickness and read paperback westerns on the twenty third floor of the college library for tens of hours at a go, to the profoundly gay episode of Supernatural called “Tombstone” which is, yes, named for the profoundly gay cowboy film Tombstone, to the inspired and revitalizing pause in “Space Cowboy” by Kacey Musgraves where she’s like, “You can have your space........ cowboy”, to Mitski’s Be the Cowboy, to the perfect boygenius cover of certified classic “Cowboy Take Me Away”, to whatever the hell this is going to be.That line is not to make a point at all. It’s just that there is a line and beside it there is me, incapacitated.
long story short - Just like all the other times anyone has ever invoked this phrase in the entire history of human beings expressing themselves with language, it is going to be a huge lie, because this woman never shuts up.
marjorie - After all that Taylor has put me through over the years, she should have at least named one of these wretched things “ellen” after my dead Sagittarian grandmother, whose birthday is tomorrow, December 11th, which is again, the release date of Taylor Swift’s second album in sixth months, but it’s probably for the best that she didn’t because you simpletons would immediately think it was an homage to George Bush’s friend Dory the fish, and therefore gay, regardless of the actual text of the song, and it’d be the “betty” massacre all over again. That being said, this is almost assuredly another horny song about some mid-century white lady. Only days ago Taylor was telling Entertainment Weekly that she’s been watching a lot of movies in quarantine, and while she didn’t name 1958’s Marjorie Morningstar starring Natalie Wood, I wouldn’t put it past her.
closure - God, I hope this one is another Kaylor classic so we can all act like complete raving lunatics online from the confines of our own plague quarters for a few days. It’s been a hard year.
evermore (feat. Bon Iver) - I’ll be catatonic by this point. Who cares?
right where you left me - Yes, in hell.
it’s time to go - Yes, TO HELL.
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365days365movies · 3 years
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January 16, 2021: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
I am a massive comic book nerd. Not unusual these days, to be fair. But I’m definitely up there, as far as my obsession with Marvel and DC go. And, yeah, I stick mostly to those two houses, and their various imprints.
Why do I bring this up? Well...remember this movie?
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Kick-Ass was a pretty big deal when it came out in 2010, as it was a Marvel Comics movie that was completely unrelated to the relatively new Marvel Cinematic Universe. Based of a 2008 comic book written by Mark Millar and drawn by John Romita Jr., the film was directed by Matthew Vaughn, and featured a more realistic take on how real-world superheroes would actually work.
Vaughn and Millar by this point at least, were friends. Around 2012, they’re getting drunk at a pub together, and talking movies. The topic of spy movies come up, and how there hasn’t really been a good, non-parody, fun spy movie, and that there should be. And that was the bulk of their conversation.
Enter Dave Gibbons, a legendary comic book artist, whom you may know from drawing the comic book that was turned into this:
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Oh yeah, he’s a big deal. Gibbons and Millar end up getting together to write a fun spy comic book based on this idea. Vaughn, meanwhile, is getting ready to direct X-Men: Days of Future Past, the sequel to X-Men: First Class, which Vaughn directed. That’s a good movie, by the way, even if I have...issues...with the treatment of the X-Men in film. Maybe one day I’ll get into that, we’ll see what happens. Ask me about it if you’re curious.
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Anyway, Millar goes to Vaughn with this script, and Vaughan looks at it and realizes that he needs to direct this movie before somebody else makes it. So he leaves Days of Future Past, and he signs on to...
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I feel like it’s an obligation, as a comic book dude, to watch this film. I should also read the book, but I didn’t do that with Kick-Ass, so to hell with it! Let’s get this recap started! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Recap
Starting off with some Money for Nothing, and somewhere in the Middle East, 1997! We go into a stone temple, where some kind of mission is taking place. A surprise grenade causes the loss of one of the agents. The surviving agents are Merlin (Mark Strong), Lancelot AKA James Spencer (Jack Davenport), and Galahad, AKA Harry Hart (Colin Firth).
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Hart, feeling guilty over the death of this agent, tells his wife, Michelle (Samantha Womack) and child Eggsy (yes, Eggsy) of his sacrifice, and gives Eggsy a medal.
From there, we jump forward 17 years, to Argentina where...Mark Hamill?
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Holy shit, it’s Mark Hamill! Apparently, he’s playing Professor James Arnold, and being held hostage by a group of mysterious men. Just then, he’s rescued by Lancelot, showing up with some classic James Bond-style swagger and asking for a cup of sugar, sardonically.
He kicks the asses of these guys, but is SLICED IN HALF BY A MAN WITH SWORD LEGS WHAT THE FUCK????
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I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was watching the best thing I’ve ever goddamn seen. And as if that weren’t enough, she’s working for Samuel L. “Motherfucker” Jackson, playing Richmond Valentine. I am...I am so pleased.
We go to the Kingsmen headquarters, where Lancelot is being mourned by the Kingmen and their leader MICHAEL CAINE, REALLY, HOLY SHIT
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Ahem. Sorry, uh...the star-studded cast has basically caused me to have a minor aneurysm. Caine plays Arthur, the leader of the Kingsmen. Get it? I can dig it, I’m a sucker for a good Arthurian reference. Anyway, now that Lancelot’s dead, it’s time to find a new candidate. Apparently, the man that died 17 years ago was part of an “experiment” by Hart, which Arthur says has failed. Galahad calls Arthur a snob, and says that they need to evolve with the times. \
Speaking of that former candidate, how’s his son doing?
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Not stellar, it seems. His mom is dating a very unsavory gentleman, and not really taking good care of her youngest daughter. Eggsy (Taron Egerton), on the other hand, is a carefree delinquent. After engaging in an entertaining backwards car chase with the police (it’s cool), he gets arrested. He refuses to give up his friends, and he instead asks for a phone call.He looks at the medallion around his neck, and remembers that he can use the number of the back to contact someone for help. He uses a specific code phrase, but it appears not to have worked. But then, Eggsy is turned loose with little more than a phone call. That’s when Eggsy meets Hart.
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We find out that Eggsy has a high IQ and Olympic-level athletics, but has dropped out of the Marines, and has been arrested for drugs and other illegal activities. After being read out by Hart, Eggsy goes on an anger-filled diatribe about the differences in privilege between the two of them. Although it’s short, it’s a powerful speech.
But that speech is interrupted by the owner of the car that Eggsy stole the previous night, as well as his gang. They’re yearning for a fight with Eggsy, and they threaten Hart. He doesn’t take that well, as he shuts the doors and windoes to the pub. Time to teach a lesson.
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Yup, I’m giving this fight the posted video award. It might be short, but it’s also one of the best and coolest sequences I’ve ever seen in a spy movie. And OH, it’s giving me that gadget shit I was missing from the Bond movies.
After one of the most enjoyable fight sequences I’ve seen in a while, Eggsy’s understandably stunned. So is his stepfather Dean (Geoff Bell), the leader of the gang that Hart beat up in the pub. He’s not happy, and he beats Eggsy in their apartment, and that scene is...WHOOF. Much to their surprise, however, Hart’s left a device on Eggsy’s back. He threatens Dean through the device, and tells Eggsy to meet him at a tailor that he’d mentioned.
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Once Eggsy escapes from Dean and the gang via nest parkour tricks, he makes his way to the tailor, where Hart officially brings him into the fold, giving him the opportunity to become a Kingsman. He exposits the history of the agency as a private group of spies, meant to protect the world while not bowing to the bureaucracy that plagues government-affiliated spy institutions.
We get to go to Kingsman Headquarters proper, and yeah...yeah, it’s cool. As compared to the other recruits, Eggsy’s pretty obviously out of place. This, of course, is part of the point, as Hart believes the Kingsmen could use someone with different life experiences and background. That would be the experiment mentioned earlier.
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Eggsy’s competitors include Roxy (Sophie Cookson), who appears to actually be polite to him, unlike most of the potentials. They settle in for the night...but not for long. Their quarters fills with water, as the entirety of the Kingsmen head towards the showerheads and toilets for air. While they all succeed, Eggsy is the one who actually gets everyone out, by literally punching the window.
Unfortunately, for one of the candidates...it’s too late. These candidates could die in the hiring process. Rough.
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Sadly, Mark Hamill also doesn’t quite make it, as Hart finds him, surprisingly freed from Valentine’s capture. As he’s questioned, Valentine is forced to kill him via Suicide Squad implant, and barely escaped from his men. Valentine and his henchwoman, Gazelle (Sofia Boutella) are trying to figure out who the Kingsmen are, to no avail at the moment.
Back with Merlin, who’s training the Kingsman candidates! They’re all told to get a puppy! Aw. Eggsy chooses J.B. a pug, under the mistaken impression that it’s a bulldog. And I’m not a pug person...but that puppy is cute as shit.
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Time marches on, and the Kingsmen continue their training. Eggsy’s colleagues continue to discriminate against him, especially Charlie (Edward Holcroft). Hart, who was knocked out by the explosion, eventually wakes up. Valentine goes around to political leaders and proposes his plan to “save the world,” whatever that’s about to mean. Apparently, that includes giving the King of Sweden a surgical implant of some kind. Huh.
This, of course includes some, uh...conflict with Gazelle.
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Awesome.
Eggsy’s in the final 6! As Hart congratulates him over this, we finally get some exposition on Richmond Valentine’s plan. See, that implant is the Suicide Squad bomb that killed Hamill, and Gazelle also has one. Additionally, he’s released a plan to the world that will provide free internet and phone data...forever. Not ominous at all, that.
After a cool skydiving training sequence, only three candidates are left. Hart, meanwhile, poses as a wealthy philanthropist, donating to Valentine’s cause. As a result, he’s treated to an extravagant dinner...of McDonald’s. Yes, it is the best product placement I’ve seen in a while, in case you were wondering. That reveal was hilarious.
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Anyway, their conversation turns from talking about climate change studies and concerns, to their opinion of James Bond movies, in a lovely little piece of meta flavor. At this point, they would appear to understand each other’s role in the play, as it were. Forgot to mention, Valentine’s been kidnapping anyone who disagrees with his goals, while also distributing his free internet cards. So, there’s that. But he’s also trying to figure out what exactly the “Kingsmen” are. Speaking of...
Our three remaining Kingsman candidates are assigned a mission to seduce a young dignitary. However, all three of them make a mistake, and allow themselves to get drugged at a party, by someone wanting to know who Hart and Kingsmen are. When Eggsy wakes up, he’s been strapped to train tracks. Uh oh.
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Despite an oncoming train, Eggsy doesn’t give the man any formation. Which, of course, was the point. It’s Hart, helping to give the Kingsman candidates a little loyalty test, which both Eggsy and Roxy pass with flying colors. But Charlie...Charlie’s a coward who immediately gives everything up, including Arthur himself.
Eggsy gets to spend 24 hours with Hart, before being thrown headfirst into a mission. Hart explains that being a Kingsman means being a gentleman, which Eggsy isn’t. Hart, of course, plans to fix that.
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They head to the tailor, and check out some spy gadgets. And much to their surprise, Valentine is also there, under the guise of getting a suit. Hart takes the opportunity to recommend a hatter, who gives him a top hat with built in listening devices. I love it.
Eggsy, meanwhile, speaks with Arthur at Kingsman HQ. He’s commanded to perform one final test: kill his pug, J.B. Which...yeah, damn, that sucks. He doesn’t do it, understandably. Unfortunately...Roxy does kill her dog. She succeeds...and Eggsy’s kicked out of the Kingsman candidacy. Which feels like a bullshit play, if I’m honest.
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Eggsy steals Arthur’s car, then goes back home. As he’s about to confront his stepfather, Hart brings back the car via remote access, then explains to Eggsy that the gun was filled with blanks, and that Eggsy ended up giving up his shot. He also reveals that the first candidate to die...didn’t actually die! It’s been a ruse all along, meant to test the candidates under the strictest of conditions. Which sucks, obviously, because Eggsy’s out of the program.
And at that point, Valentine says something of note, revealing that he plans to go to a hate church in Kentucky to begin his master plan. Hart heads there, and tells Eggsy to stay put.
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We get treated to just...just the loveliest of sermons. Disgusting. But then...
...that’s the point, isn’t it?
Because Valentine uses the SIM cards to create a signal that drives the parishioners crazy. Hart’s also in the church, however, and he also starts going crazy. Which leaves the question: what happens when a highly trained spy goes up against untrained civilians, has a bunch of gadgets...and has absolutely no restraint whatsoever?
A MASSACRE, THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS. And most surprisingly, it’s a massacre that we actually SEE. Hart basically kills almost EVERYBODY in the church. I’ll put the video up, but...y’know, be warned here. It ain’t pretty.
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Hart comes to, and realizes exactly what he’s done. He leaves, only to be confronted by Valentine and his men. The Bond metaphor finally comes full-circle, explained directly by Valentine. But instead of explaining his whole plan and devising some complicated way to kill Hart that he’ll inevitably escape from...
He just shoots Hart in the head. Holy shit. And this is while Merlin, Arthur, and yes, Eggsy watch on through Hart’s home feed. Looks like a new Kingsman is needed.
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Arthur tells Merlin to assemble the Kingsmen. But Eggsy...Eggsy has other plans. Thinking on Hart’s words about wanting to do something good with his life. He goes to Arthur to talk to him about Hart’s death. Arthur invites him in for brandy. And that’s...when my mind exploded.
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HE’S FUCKING IN ON IT?!? Michael Caine, NOOOO! Turns out that Valentine’s convinced Arthur of his true plan: a culling. He believes that the Earth’s temperature because there’s simply too much humanity, like a body trying to kill a virus. And so...he’s going to make the virus exterminate itself. And that argument’s enough to win Caine over.
Turns out that the implant is meant to protect those individuals against a neurological signal emitted by the SIM cards, the same one that went off in the church. Arthur, realizing that Eggsy understands exactly what’s going on, poisons him, then asks if he would like to join them. Eggsy refuses...and Arthur sets off the remote poison to kill him.
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But NOPE! EGGSY SWITCHED THE FUCKIN’ GLASSES! I love this movie. Arthur dies, and Eggsy uses the opportunity to dig the implant from his neck. He takes that and Arthur’s phone to Merlin and Lancelot, who realize that they can’t trust anyone at this point. And so, the three of them - yes, the three of them - go to stop Valentine.
And, yeah...I can dig it. OH HOW I CAN DIG it.
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Roxy goes up in an experimental vehicle to bring down the satellite, Merlin is flying the plane, and Eggsy...Eggsy’s the one going in disguised as Arthur, in order to infiltrate the mountain lair of Valentine. Here, he and the other beneficiaries wait it out, while the world literally tears itself apart. Now wearing a bespoke suit and playing the role of a gentleman, Eggsy enters the lion’s den.
But as expected, it’s time to hit some snags. Roxy waits juuuuuust a little too long, and one of the balloons in her craft pops. As for Eggsy, he meets an old “friend” of his in the form of Charlie, who’s now working for Valentine.
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The missile’s fired just in time, as Charlie’s taken out and Eggsy runs for the plane. AWESOME climax here as Eggsy escapes. I mean it; it is VERY cool. They succeed JUST in time, and the satellite is destroyed. However, Valentine’s still managed to partially start the process, and they can’t do anything about that.
Eggsy’s gotta go BACK in, before Valentine gets another satellite to trigger the signal worldwide. Now armed with Hart’s AWESOME umbrella, he makes his way there under heavy gunshot. They’re also teaming up against Merlin in the plane, so he’s not doing great. And that when Eggsy has the idea...to turn the implants on. ALL of them.
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It’s amazing. Violence in fireworks. So, it’s too bad that it doesn’t stop the signal. It works, and people start to tear each other apart all across the world. But only for was long as Valentine has his hands on the desk. Eggsy manages to stop that by laying down some suppressive fire.
That provokes a response.
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..This movie is, for lack of a better term, fucking rad.
Gazelle and Eggsy have an awesome fight, worthy of any James Bond movie, seriously. I really want to give it the video post honor, but I’ve done that too much already. For god’s sake, I literally JUST did that.
Gazelle dies (it’s kinda goofy how she dies, if I’m honest), and Eggsy kills Valentine with her prosthetic leg. It’s over, as the signal ends, and Eggsy even gets the girl. Not Roxy, the Princess of Sweden. Not going into it, but it’s funny.
And that’s Kingsman: The Secret Service! Honestly, I gotta say, that was a rad-as-shit movie, and...
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Ooh, a mid-credits scene! Eggsy goes back home, to the pub, where his stepfather and mom are hanging out with the gang. And let’s just say...Dean’s gonna get a little comeuppance. Manners, after all, maketh man.
OK, THAT’S Kingsman: The Secret Service! And that, again, was pretty rad. See you in the Epilogue in a few!
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usertimothee · 3 years
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lights will guide you home
title: lights will guide you home fandom: wonder woman, dccu pairing: steve trevor x diana prince  rating: t summary: he falls half in love with her the first time he sees her skate.
(a wondertrev college au: in which steve trevor, a player on his university's club hockey team, helps run the school's ice rink when it's open to the public in december.  he expects it to be another boring year, until he meets a figure skater who just might change his life.)
read on archive of our own
author’s note: hi! this fic was written for @bearholdingashark as part of the wondertrev secret santa gift exchange run by ​@wondertrevnet
ice skating is my favorite holiday activity, but because of covid i haven't been able to go :/  so i decided the best way to make up for it would be to write a fic where out lovelies skate!
this was fun to write! hope you like it, jen!
xoxo, rebekah
lights will guide you home
He’s never excited to work the skate rental booth, even though he’s had to do it for the past three years.  Since he’s on his college’s club hockey team, he’s obligated to help run the school ice rink, along with his teammates, once it opens to the public come December.  He always picks handing out skates.  It’s the most boring, for sure, but it’s also the easiest - that means he can study for finals at the same time.  So while the other guys fight over who gets to drive the zamboni, he quietly and dutifully signs up for the skate rental booth, and leaves.
He also always signs up for early afternoon shifts; hardly anyone is there on the weekdays, which, again, means more time for studying.  He doesn’t expect this fourth year to be any different.
Except when he arrives at noon on December 1st, there are about ten kids already skating around on the ice, their parents sitting in a cluster in the stands, talking and taking pictures on their phones.
“What’s up with all the kids?” he asks Eleanor - one of the rink custodians he’s come to recognize over the years - who’s sweeping around the rental booth.  He throws his backpack on the counter as the older woman pauses her work and leans on her broom.  She smiles gently as she looks out at the ice.
“One of the girls in the figure skating club wanted to give free lessons this year.  So you’ll have some entertainment this year.”
He motions to his backpack.
“Brought my entertainment with me.”
“Well, this entertainment might be more entertaining, and I heard,” she says, moving her hand beside her mouth so she can fake-whisper in his direction, “it might be a little easier on the eyes, too.”
He rolls his eyes, and Eleanor laughs.
“Are you going to try and set me up with someone every year?”
Last year she’d convinced a young woman who brought her niece skating on a regular basis to go over and talk to him.  It had been hmms and yeahs and awkward pauses and forced laughs and had, decidedly, gone nowhere.
“I can only try, Steve.  Don’t study too hard, okay?” she calls over her shoulder as she walks away.
He gives her a thumbs up in confirmation, and then sits down and gets out his books.  He’s just about to put in headphones so he can drown out the Christmas music that plays throughout the arena at this time of year with some music of his own, but hears one of the heavy metal doors to the rink open noisily before he can hit play.  A loud but melodic voice rings out in the almost-empty building.
“I’m here!  Sorry I’m late!”
A young woman rushes in, racing past his table and throwing her bag in the bleachers, moving in such a hurry that he doesn’t get a good look at her until she takes the ice, gliding onto the slippery surface with ease.
Apart from her white skates and a deep purple scarf and matching gloves, she’s dressed in all black, long dark hair pulled into a messy ponytail.  She’s tall - taller than most figure skaters he knows - and lean, but she’s strong.  She must be, given her sport, but he can also tell in the way she’s carrying herself on the ice.  He can’t see her full face - only her side profile - but he can tell she’s beautiful.
The children flock to her easily, a couple tripping in their eagerness to get to her.  She skates over and helps them up.  Then, she tells the children to circle around her - in that same melodic voice - and turns.
When he sees her face, looks into her deep brown eyes, his jaw goes slack.
She’s beautiful, undoubtedly.  More than beautiful, he decides.  Breathtaking.  He literally stops breathing for a moment, and his next inhale is a shaky one as his heartbeat speeds up.
Their gazes are still connected, so he notices when her eyes go from kind to questioning.  He has a strange urge to get up and go to her, to take her hand and ask her gently what was wrong, when her voice sounds again.
“Is everything okay?  Do I need to sign in or something?”
Shit, I’m staring.
He’s staring like an idiot and he pulls his headphones out of his ears and briefly pretends to read the textbook in front of him before answering.
“Oh, uh, no.  No, you’re fine.  I just...I’ve never seen you before...around here.”
“Oh,” she says, still staring at him strangely, but now looking amused rather than confused.  She smiles, and his thumping heart skips a beat.  “I’m giving lessons at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays this December.”
It takes a moment to smile back, but when he does, he sees her relax a bit.
“Yeah, yeah.  I, uh, figured,” he answers, stupidly, still stumbling over his words like an idiot.
She smiles once more, and then turns back to the kids around her.
“Okay guys!  Who’s ready to learn to skate?”
A chorus of tiny voices answer her, and she skates to the middle of the ice surrounded by her small students.  He watches, mesmerized, as she begins to move with all the seamless, effortless grace in the world.  Studying is all but forgotten, and the beginnings of an enchanted smile turn up the corner of his lips.
“I told you it would be easy on the eyes, didn’t I?” a voice says from somewhere behind him.
“Shut up, Eleanor,” he says, still watching her, and the old custodian laughs.
* * *
He spends his weekend trying to muster up the courage to talk to her.  It’s like every cliché movie ever; he stands in his bathroom and talks to himself in the mirror, trying to think of smooth lines and cool looks.  He had looked like an idiot last Monday, and kept his sights on his books and avoided any more eye contact with her on Wednesday and Friday.
But it was a new week, a new day.  And he couldn’t blow it again.  He wouldn’t, he thought confidently as he rushed into the ice rink.  It didn’t even matter that he was ten minutes late.  He had practiced.
Since he’s late, she and the kids are already on the ice.  He sits down at the rental booth and pulls out his books, making a conscious effort to not look at her.  He doesn’t want to seem too eager.  Playing it cool was of paramount importance.  He even puts in his headphones, and presses play on his phone.  The soothing music he uses to study begins to ring in his ears.
He opens one of his textbooks, and begins to read…
...And the next thing he’s aware of is the pound of a firm knock on the table in front of him.  His eyes snap open, and he jumps slightly, disoriented and groggy.
He had fallen asleep.
He stayed up late the night before, completing study guides and endlessly highlighting his notes as he crammed for finals.  He only got about four hours of sleep, but he thought he would be fine.
Apparently, he wasn’t.  And now he had fallen asleep, and missed her, and now Eleanor was waking him up to tell him his shift was over or to tease him about sleeping on the job and - 
“Steve?”
The sound of his name wakes him up even more, and his heart leaps when he realizes that it’s not Eleanor’s voice calling to him.  Instead, it’s the melodic one he’d first heard a week ago.
He looks up, and there she is.  Her beautiful eyes stare down at him, the expression on her face puzzled but slightly amused.
“Steve?” she asks again, when he doesn’t say anything.  “Steve Trevor, right?”
And he almost kicks himself.  He’d been caught staring again, and he can feel his cheeks begin to warm as he blushes in embarrassment.
No, he tells himself.  Not again.  Pull yourself together.  You fucking practiced.
He quickly tries to think of something to say, his brain reminding him to play it cool on loop.
“How...how do you know my name?”
God, he’s so bad at this.
“Oh,” she says, lifting her hand and pointing her thumb over her shoulder.  “That nice custodian woman told it to me.  Eleanor, I think she said her name was?”
He sits up straighter so he can look past her body, and sees Eleanor by the doors to the locker rooms, waving at him cheerfully with a big smile on her face.  He resists the urge to roll his eyes, looking back up at the young woman in front of him and smiling.
“Yeah, I’m Steve. Nice to meet you.  It’s been fun watching you with the kids.”
Better, he thinks.  A little better.
She smiles brightly at the mention of her student.
“Yes, they’re wonderful.  I’m having an amazing time with them.”
“Well, they seem to love you.  You’re a great teacher.”
“Why, thank you, Steve Trevor,” she answers, her smile turning more gentle and kind.  “You’ve only seen me teach for three days, though.”
“Four, now.”
“Ah, but you slept through the fourth day,” she reminds him, and his skin flushes again.
She laughs at his lack of response, and again, his heart skips a beat.  He can’t help but smile.
“Yeah, I guess I did.”
They fall silent, and he’s briefly reminded of that girl Eleanor tried to set him up with last year, and all the awkward lurches and pauses that made up that conversation.  This silence is different, though.  It doesn’t make him nervous or uncomfortable, and he’s not scrambling for a way out of the interaction.
Instead, it feels warm.  Somehow familiar, even though this is the first time they’ve ever spoken.  And as they stare at each other, her chocolate eyes gazing into his ice blue ones, his smile grows.
“I was wondering if I could skate one of my programs while I was here,” she murmurs.  “I have a test tonight, so I’ll miss my normal practice time.”
“Doesn’t seem like you’ll be disturbing anyone,” he says, motioning with his hand to the empty arena.
She laughs again, and he decides that it’s his new favorite sound.
“Thank you, Steve,” she tells him, and turns toward the ice.
“Wait!” he says, getting up from his booth and catching up with her.  “Do you want me to play your music over the loudspeaker?”
Her eyes brighten.
“Could you?  I was just going to use my phone, but that would be a lot better.”
“Sure.  Just show me which track.”
She hands him her phone, and points it out to him.  He grins.
“Hey, I know that song.”
She hums softly, and begins to walk again.
“Maybe,” she tells him as she steps out onto the ice, turning back to face him.  “But I don’t think you’ve ever heard this version.”
She begins to skate backwards away from him, but his voice rings out again.
“I don’t know your name!”
“Diana,” she calls back to him, without stopping.  “Diana Prince.”
“Diana,” he whispers, as he watches her skate away.
* * *
He falls half in love with her the first time he sees her skate.
The moment she begins to move to the first notes of the piano, she is the embodiment of elegance and grace.  He rushes from the media booth and back down to the ice so he can get a closer look.  Even through the glass, he can see emotion she puts into every moment of her performance, watches as the expression on her face changes as the music speeds up, as the mood shifts.
Then, the music slows, and becomes softer.  She glides as if she’s one with both the ice and the music.  And when the music speeds up again, and becomes more intense, so does she.  Her jumps and twirls seem effortless, as she lands each one with a gentle precision.
He can’t look away.  The entire arena is filled with her performance - with her effort and emotion and heart and skill - and he’s enchanted by her.
When she’s done, and holds her final pose at the center of the ice as the music comes to an end, he realizes he’s been holding his breath.  He exhales slowly, and then takes a deep breath in.
Eleanor starts clapping from somewhere else in the building.  She finally breaks from her pose, and looks over at her, smiling.
But all he can do is stare after her, mouth slightly open.
It’s only when she begins to get off the ice that he gathers himself.  And he makes a decision.
He doesn’t care if he looks like an idiot, or if he’s being too obvious.  He’s done trying to play it cool.
He can’t go another day without knowing her better.
He walks to where she’s standing over her gym bag, looking for her shoes.  He taps her on the shoulder, acutely aware that this is the first time they’ve ever touched.
“Diana?”
She jumps slightly, and turns to look at him.  She doesn’t say anything, though.  It’s as if she knows why he’s here, and what he’s going to ask her.
“Will you get dinner with me Friday?”
She grins, her smile wider and brighter than he’s ever seen it.
“It would be an honor, Steve Trevor.”
She reaches up to where his finger still lingers on her shoulder, and places her hand over his.
* * *
The other half of him falls in love with her the first time they skate together.
After their third date, he asks her to teach him how to skate.
“I thought you played hockey,” she tells him.  “You already know how to skate.”
“Yeah, but I can’t skate like you,” he counters.  “And since we already know you’re such a good teacher…”
She smiles as they walk around campus, looking at all the Christmas lights the school has put up, hand in hand.
“I know I’m not as cute as your other students - “
“I beg to differ,” she interrupts.  “And would argue that sometimes, you’re even cuter.”
He blushes, and she laughs.
So they break into the arena. (Well, not technically.  He does have a key to the rink.)  It’s around midnight when they get there, after everyone has already left for the evening.  He gets them both skates out of the booth, and as they lace them up, she laughs.
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to teach you to skate in those things.”
“Hey,” he says, frowning.  “Don’t knock my skates.”
He does have to admit, though, that there’s a marked aesthetic difference between his clunky, black hockey skates and her delicate, white figure skates.
“Come on,” she says, standing up and taking his hand so he came with her.  “I might still be able to work my magic.”
They glide to the center of the ice, and she begins positioning his body, immediately going into teacher-mode.  He thinks it’s absolutely adorable.  She says she’s going to teach him a simple upright spin, but he has to admit that he’s not paying much attention because he can’t focus with her hands all over his body - on his hips, legs, chest, lower back, as she moves him in all sorts of directions.  He can only take it so long before he pulls back from her.
She looks at him questioningly.
“Steve, what are you - “
He skates forward slightly, and kisses her.
He kisses her, and at first he’s worried he’s made a mistake because her lips remain still, but then she moans softly against his mouth, and melts into him.  She throws her arms around her neck, and when his tongue swipes across her bottom lips she parts her mouth readily.
It’s his favorite kiss he’s ever had.  And he doesn’t know how long they stay there like that, kissing and holding each other, but they break apart only when they have to, and breathe against each other heavily.  They’re silent for a moment, but there’s a comfort in it, just like there was that day he first saw her skate.
“I thought you wanted to learn how to skate,” she says finally, jokingly.
“I do,” he ensures her.  “But I think I want to do this a little more right now.”
She giggles, and the sound warms him from head to toe.
“I think we’re in agreement there,” she murmurs.
They smile and stare at each other, him pulling her impossibly closer, and her running her fingers gently down the side of his face.
And in that moment, he knows he loves her.  The feeling consumes him, and he almost blurts it out right there.  But he decides to keep it to himself for now, for it to be a happy secret that lives inside his heart.  And instead, he does the thing he wants to do most in the world.
He leans forward, and kisses her again.
a/n: the song diana is skating to is the mashup of paradise and fix you by coldplay that maia and alex shibutani skated to for their long dance at the pyeongchang olympics.  i strongly suggest you look it up if you've never seen it or heard it!  not only will it give you a more complete idea of the fic, but it's a beautiful song and an extraordinarily beautiful program.
merry christmas to all who celebrate!  i hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season!
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joshuas · 3 years
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christmas spirit
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♫ pairing: park jinyoung x reader
♫ genre: slice-of-life, crack,  fluff
♫ word count: 2.9k
♫ warnings: Nil of note!
♫ summary: After a disastrous Secret Santa event two years ago, Park Jinyoung and you had carried an intense rivalry throughout the years. Will the christmas spirit be enough to mend your fractured relationship?
♫ a/n: I’m excited to finally post my first Christmas drabble of the month, with none other than Park Jinyoung as my muse. A little forewarning - a lot of these oneshots have at least some crack concept behind it (at my friends’ requests). Enjoy!
“You’re such a Scrooge, Y/N. Purposely working on Christmas? What have you gotten against “unnecessary gathering of extended family to awkwardly talk about what’s happened in your life, and being constantly hounded to get married by family members that you barely know, and exchange presents with people that have probably gotten you the same thing every year”? You barely show any Christmas spirit.” Your friend, Mina, scoffed, watching you get ready for work. “Okay, first of all, that was a direct quote so everything is wrong with what you just said, since it was literally my argument as to why family Christmas gatherings with extended family is dumb, and yes I do! Look at my scarf! It’s red.” You defended. “Christmas colours are red and green.” She rolled her eyes. “What kind of Christmas spirit are you talking about then?” You raised your eyebrows, placing your hands on your hips. “Oh you know. That hallmark Christmas movie magic - random acts of kindness to strangers, carolling, making dinner for someone who doesn’t have anyone to celebrate the holidays with.” She said dreamily. “Yeah, no. That sounds like a lot of effort and requires talking to randoms.” You said disgustedly. “Well then, I dare you to be kind to the first person that enters your workplace, if you’re so deadset against helping out ‘randoms’.” She smirked. “...fine. But joke’s on you. I doubt anyone will be working on Christmas.” You waved your hand dismissively, grabbing your car keys. “We’ll see.” She smiled mischievously.
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Work was extremely quiet, as expected. No one had come in, all opting to spend time with their families over actually getting stuff done. With deadlines in place straight after Christmas, you felt it was your duty, as assistant manager, to support your fellow colleagues in actually being able to meet that deadline. Another, more motivating aspect for you, was wiping the smirk off the other assistant manager, Park Jinyoung’s smug face. You hummed, typing away, “That sentence makes no sense.” A voice taunted over your shoulder. You turned, coming face to face with... speak of the devil... Park. Jinyoung. Even saying his name made your nose crinkle in disgust. Being probably one of the most irritating, hopelessly obnoxious perfectionists this world has ever seen, he was constantly getting on your nerves. You opened your mouth, then shut it instantly, remembering what Mina had dared you to do. Biting back a snarky remark, you fixed your face into a placated, polite smile, “Oh. Jinyoung. Are you the only one in today?” Please don’t be. Please don’t be. Tell me at least one person walked through the doors before you. He scoffed, “What? No comeback? I think you’re going soft on me, Y/N. And of course no one’s coming in today. No one’s as much as a workaholic as you.” You raised your eyebrows, “Speak for yourself. I’ve never seen you come in on a holiday. Don’t you usually hang out with your girlfriend or something?” Something flashed in his eyes, before returning to a blank, guarded expression, “I- You know how much I love to one-up you, Y/N. I’m not here for you. I’m here to beat you.” He sat down in his cubicle beside yours, turning on his desktop. “So... how did you know I was here?” You raised your eyebrows questioningly. “Mina told me.” He said without glancing from his computer screen. “I don’t understand how she’s friends with someone like you.” You muttered, typing away at your report. “What?” Jinyoung screwed his face up in annoyance. “I said—“ be nice, Y/N, “I said would you like a coffee? I was going to make some for myself. Tell me how you want yours made.” You internally groaned as he actually considered what you were saying. “I’ve literally never seen you use the coffee machine. Who’s to say that you won’t poison me?” He said dubiously. “I’ve used a coffee machine before. It shouldn’t be too different.” You said defensively. “...Alright, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and say yes — just black coffee for me.” He leaned back against his chair. You reluctantly got up, forcing a nod and a small smile as you entered the break room.
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Turns out the machine was a lot more different than the simple maker you had at home. Wasting half an hour on trying to figure out how to turn on the machine itself, you were seconds away from tossing it in the bin as Jinyoung sauntered up to you, reaching from behind you to flick the power switch on. Swallowing back an irritated remark, you gritted your teeth, painfully expressing your gratitude, “Thanks.” “Now, a thank you? What has the world come to? Are you okay?” He placed his hand against your forehead, “Are you sure you should have come into work today?” You delicately plucked his hand away, “As much as I appreciate your concern for my well-being, I’m perfectly fine and should probably be getting back to work.” “But what about the coffee?” He said, puzzled. “You’re obviously more qualified than me to work the coffee machine, so you can make your own!” You flashed him a grin, patting him on the back as you exited the room.
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A steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of you, “I figured you probably still wanted a coffee. You like mochas, right?” You looked at him in surprise, slightly touched by the kind gesture, “Oh! Um. Thank you.” You sipped at the coffee, the warm liquid heating your insides. “It’s okay... wow that was weird to say to you... no comment on how bad it was? Whether I poisoned you?” He looked at you quizzically. “Well— it’s not too bad.” You swallowed your pride back down, allowing him just this one compliment.
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The two of you had this rivalry as soon as you entered the firm. Being the ones pitted against each other since being interviewed for a position, as you went up the ranks, Jinyoung was always there. You were almost certain that your work colleagues had helped maintain this rivalry, purely for entertainment purposes. At first, the two of you were pretty civil... until your first annual Secret Santa event, where you both had each other.
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[2 years ago] ‘...and now I’ve just been rambling. Basically, what I’m trying to ask is... will you go out with me? Who am I kidding, you probably won’t even read this...’ You crossed out the last sentence, adding the finishing touches to your note in Jinyoung’s present. You wrapped it carefully before heading to work, nerves eating away at you as you went over 100 different ways that Jinyoung would react to your confession. Get a grip, Y/N.
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“Who do you have for Secret Santa, Jinyoung?” A gaggle of girls (who had an office pool going for who he had) surrounded the guy, hounding him for an answer on who it may be, and what he bought. “You know, asking him who he has basically defeats the purpose of Secret Santa.” You raised your eyebrows at them as they approached you and your colleagues in the courtyard. Jinyoung flashed you a grateful smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners, as the group of girls dissipated in annoyance. Your stomach fluttered. He was kinda adorable when he smiled. As the gift giving pursued, it soon came your turn. Smoothing down your clothes, you picked up your carefully parcelled gift, placing it carefully in Jinyoung’s arms. Slightly in shock of this revelation, he opened his present, eyes lightening up in excitement as he saw your gift. “Y/N! This— wow. How did you get this?” He gazed at you in wonderment. “Well, a couple of weeks ago you were a little bit upset about missing out on grabbing tickets for a certain author’s book signing. To be honest, it was purely coincidental... I actually really love that series too, and managed to grab tickets. So, I decided to buy you a signed copy of the latest edition.” You explained, blood rushing to your cheeks as everyone gathered around to see his present. He stood up, giving you a quick hug, “Thank you. This is probably the best Christmas gift I’ve gotten.” He whispered in your ear before returning to his seat. “So... Jinyoung, who did you have?” One of your coworkers questioned, looking curiously at the circular shaped present beside him. “Well... I actually had Y/N.” He placed the gift in your hands, his tone slightly laced with nervousness. Curious, you unwrapped the gift to reveal... a stress ball? Not gonna lie, that’s a pretty disappointing gift, considering what you gave him. Your coworkers teased and taunted, “Ooh Jinyoung, are you trying to say something to Y/N?” “What? That they’re a stress head? We all know that. Heck, they should know that.” “Haha... yeah. That’s exactly what I was going for.” Jinyoung said resignedly, trying to scope out your reaction and grab your attention. Dragging your gaze to his, you squeezed the ball, ignoring the unusual hardness within it (great, not only was it a cheap present, it was also faulty?), forcing a small but bitter smile, “Thanks, Jinyoung.” Of course he wasn’t any different to the rest of your toxic colleagues. You ignored the bitterness blossoming in your heart, tears burning in your eyes, as you excused yourself from the courtyard. Mentally cursing yourself as you thought back to what you had written at the end of the book, you prayed he’d never read it. After all, something like that could never happen now. Any feelings you had for Park Jinyoung had been replaced with resentment.
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You weren’t one to get too upset over materialistic things like that, but after analysing every other gift he had gotten your fellow coworkers, regardless of the occasion, you felt as though he had been to stingy, perhaps because he disliked you. Perhaps, it also showed how fickle you feelings were for him, but you didn’t care too much about that. And so, the slightly unhealthy rivalry began.
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After working solidly for a couple of hours, your stomach grumbled. Jinyoung glanced at you,
“Hungry already?”
Really? He was judging you over your bodily functions? “Of course not.” You turned back to your computer, ignoring further pleas from your stomach. “Y/N. I wasn’t saying that to judge you. I’m hungry too. How about we both head out to the courtyard to take a breather?” He rolled his eyes, and grabbed his lunch, heading for the door, glancing at you expectantly.
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The two of you sat in silence on the bench, quietly munching at your food. “Do you remember when we used to do Secret Santa out here?” He asked, glancing at you. “Mhm...” You clenched your jaw. “Your gift still triumphs as the best Christmas I’ve ever gotten. I’ve re-read that book more than any one I own.” He smiled softly, recalling the memory. You almost choked on your sandwich, “You read the book?” “Well... that’s generally what you do when you get a book.” “The whole book?” You pleaded silently for him to answer in the negative. “From cover to cover.” He nodded. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Sensing the silence, he spoke tentatively, “I read your note, as well.” You covered your face with your hands, refusing to interact with him. “...and—“ “And nothing! What you read was just— just an illusion!” You blurted out, about to bolt. “Wait, Y/N. That day. That day was so confusing.” He grabbed your hand lightly, imploring you to sit down again. “Confusing how? As far as I’m concerned, you got me a stress ball for Christmas because I was too much of a stress-head.” Your tone defensive as you crossed your arms. “Wait— so you never found it?” His eyes widened in realisation. “Found what?” You said, annoyed at his cryptic tone. “Do you still have the stress ball?” He asked, impatient. “Yeah, I think it’s in one my desk drawers.” You said uneasily. “Wait here, I’ll grab it.” “But I don’t want you to go through my... okay never mind...” A couple of minutes later, he came back, stress ball... and a knife. You glanced concerningly between the two objects as he cut a square of the stress ball off, taking out a small box. “You seriously couldn’t feel this within it?” He asked incredulously. “Well to be honest, I was more upset at the fact that you got me a stress ball when you got other people better gifts... like how you got Mina the tea set she was vying to get for a while... Also, how? How did you even think of putting a box in there? That’s— I don’t even know. The fact that you think someone would think of getting a knife to cut open a present someone has gifted them astounds me. To me, it just felt like a faulty gift.” You retorted defensively. “Obviously my creativity and quirkiness was lost on you, seeing how you thought I was cheap-skating your present. And, I got you a stress ball because you’re almost always clenching your hands! Yes, you stress, probably a lot more than half the people in this workplace, but I didn’t get you that to make fun of you. Clenching your fists a lot can cause stiffness in your fingers which could lead to rheumatoid arthritis [I’m no medical student but I did some research. Please don’t @ me if I’m wrong!] in the future. I don’t think you want to be paying off medical bills worth ten times the amount of that tea set for physical therapy. Besides, the actual gift is within this box.” He sighed exasperatedly, handing you the box. You opened the lid, revealing the most exquisite looking earrings, the gemstones glimmering under the sunlight. Written underneath the lid was a note, Y/N, I don’t really know where to start with this... but I really like you. Your work ethic constantly astounds me, the way you’re able to complete any task you set your mind to is a quality I wish I had. Not to mention your selflessness and kindness - the way you look out for our team and always go above and beyond what is expected is one of your most admirable qualities. So I hope this isn’t too forward of me, but I’d love to take you out for a date sometime. In fact, meet me at Glow Café at 9am tomorrow morning. I look forward to seeing you there. Whether you see me as a friend or share the same sentiments as me, I’d love your company. — Jinyoung P.S. I hope you like the earrings! I heard that they were your favourite colour :) You looked up at Jinyoung in shock, your heart warmed at the sincerity and kindness of his gift. “I—“ He broke you off, “It looks like we both had the same thing to confess back then. Perhaps if things had turned out differently, we’d be in a different situation to what we’re in now. But hey, we can’t fix the past, but we can change the future. And as much as I adore our banter, I’ve missed talking to you normally without sarcasm.” He held out his hand in a truce. You raised your eyebrows, impressed at his sudden maturity, “Look at you. I guess you’re actually starting to act like an assistant manager for our team. Is the Christmas spirit getting to you or something?” You shook his hand dubiously. “Ha ha. If we’re being completely honest, your sudden kindness did help bring things into perspective for me.” He pointed out. “Really? Wow, the Christmas spirit did get to you.” You laughed. “To be honest, I haven’t really been feeling the Christmas spirit since Yuna broke up with me.” He laughed bitterly. “She broke up with you? Why?” You asked incredulously. “She thinks I’m too much of a a workaholic.” “Welcome to my world...” you sighed. A silence fell over the two of you, as you contemplated in your head. “...So, you’re not spending Christmas with anyone?” He shook his head, looking dejectedly at the ground. Oh whatever. Do it, Y/N. Embrace the Christmas spirit. “Do you want to spend it with me?” You asked tentatively, “as friends. Obviously.” You added quickly. “Are you sure?” He asked, eyes wide. “Dead serious. I’m trying the no sarcasm thing, as you can see.” He laughed, “Okay. I’ll come. As a friend... Do I need to make anything beforehand? Do you need help with cooking? Do you know how to cook? I mean seeing how well you did with the coffee machine, I’m kind of concerned.” He questioned. “Slow down, Gordon Ramsey. Of course I know how to cook. I’m an adult, for God’s sake. And no, you don’t need to bring anything but yourself.” You smiled, standing up. “You speak so much about the Christmas spirit. But this. This is peak hallmark Christmas movie cliche.” He noted, lightly elbowing you. “I guess it is.” You shrugged your shoulders as the two of you went back to work, laughing and chatting away, as friends that had not seen each other in a while. Perhaps it was the Christmas spirit that had brought the two of you closer together. After all, the two of you spent many more Christmas’s together... not just as friends.
✿ masterlist!
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purplesurveys · 3 years
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1264
Who are you subscribed to on YouTube?  Oh man, I’m probably subscribed to over a hundred, if not 200. I’ve subscribed to channels relevant to interests I’ve had over the years, and since it’s not my habit to do spring cleaning on my feeds, the subscriptions have just keep piling up even if I no longer keep up with literally like 98% of them.
Do you like to go to the farmer's market?  I don’t think I’ve ever been in one yet. They aren’t very common here and the ones we do have are pricey and mostly inaccessible to the everyday consumer, I’m sure.
What will (or was) the color of your wedding dress be?  I wouldn’t want any other color than white.
What's your favorite melon?  I don’t like fruits.
What was the name of the last pet of yours that died?  Arlee. Technically my family mostly considered her as just Nina’s pet, but the sting was felt all the same when we learned she died.
When was the last time you wished the day would just get over with?  Yesterday, because it was Friday. Pretty self-explanatory, I wanted to get to the weekend so I can finally let go of work for a couple of days.
Name one person you've never had a fight with:  Andi. I think we’re both afraid of pissing the other off, which works out for us lol.
What are you currently listening to?  I can just hear the really loud whirring of my electric fan because it’s a grossly humid day today.
What would you rather have: cat or dog?  Dogs.
Who is your least favorite person in real life?  I have a lot of uncles I just don’t like.
Do you ever watch anybody's live stream of... anything, really?  Technically, yeah. I will sometimes tune in to livestreams of lofi music on YouTube, but I do it to listen, not to watch. 
Does your house have security cameras?  No.
If you go grey as you age, would you dye your hair or let it be?  I think I might dye it for a certain period of time, but I also think I would eventually reach the point where I’ll just accept it and slowly let go of the dye.
What was the last establishment you stopped going to due to bad service? What happened?  I haven’t run into much bad service, but I’ll never forget how long my order and bill took for Mad Mark’s. I never really vowed per se to never go back there again and I definitely didn’t confront the staff, but I haven’t eaten there since that incident.
What soundtrack do you listen to the most?  Not a big soundtrack listener.
Was there a family secret you weren’t told about until you were an adult?  Nah, they’re kept from us until now. The biggest one I’ve heard about was having a kleptomaniac in the family but we were never told who it is.
Do you have an opinion most people you meet seem to disagree with you?  Yeah, my dislike for fruits.
What’s something you like to have many options to choose from?  Clothes, I guess, like bucket hats. I don’t shop a lot and clothes aren’t a priority in my budget, so when I do pick out clothes, it has to be exactly what I want so that I don’t feel it was a waste of money.
What’s the strangest decorative object you own?  We have several quirky, disconnected decor in the living room from gifts we’ve acquired over the years. One object I can tell you about is the polar bear glass figurine we have on the coffee table.
What’s a thing you couldn’t imagine doing with your life right now?  Dating around.
What’s been your proudest moment?  Managing to stay alive this year and turn my life around for the better when I thought there was no hope.
What’s the filthiest non-pornographic movie you’ve seen?  Eyes Wide Shut, probably.
Do you know anyone who doesn't seem to be fond of animals?  I don’t think so. Like any animal...? I would find that quite odd, honestly. And I wouldn’t want to be friends with them if we weren’t already close .
Are you planning any outings or trips anytime soon? Whereabouts?  No, nothing set in stone. I do want to fly out to South Korea soon, though.
Do you know anyone who has a phobia of a certain animal?  I know a few people who are afraid of dogs.
Is there a particular brand of technology/electronics that you prefer?  Yeah, Apple.
Is there a singer whose voice gives you goosebumps/chills?  Hayley Williams and Jin, especially when he’s belting; and I don’t listen to her much, but I find that Billie Eilish has a unique voice that sounds really nice.
And is there a singer whose voice you simply can't stand?  Selena Gomez for some of her songs, Meghan Trainor for most of her songs.
Are there any authors that are particularly dominant on your bookshelf?  No.
Have you seen any photographs or videos that made you smile today?  Sure.
Which item in your fridge are you most looking forward to consuming? My aunt sent over this gigantic-ass slab of salmon that I can’t wait to eat as sashimi. I already had a few pieces last night and it was hea ven ly.
Has anyone you know got into a new relationship lately?  Hmm, I don’t think so. I know my coworker Dev got into a relationship a few weeks ago but it fizzled out as soon as it started because the guy was shitty.
If you menstruate, do you experience much PMS prior to it?  Only on the emotional side; I rarely get physical symptoms. I usually feel down or emotionally heavy a few days before my period.
Have you ever had a tattoo covered up or added to?  No, I don’t have any tattoos. Can you remember the last time you had a sudden change of mind?  Hmm, like last night. I wanted to stay up to maximize the weekend, buuuut I decided against it and slept instead since I had been up since 2 in the morning.
When was the last time you did something on a whim?  Two weeks ago when I impulsively dropped a thousand bucks to have cheese tarts delivered to Angela and Reena, hahaha.
Were you raised by both of your parents? If not, then who raised you?  My mom, grandma, and one of my aunts were the main people who raised me. Dad works overseas, so he was never at home much.
Have you ever began a relationship with someone you knew for less than a week?  No, I wouldn’t do that.
Has one of your friends ever tried to ‘hook you up?’  Mik tried to pair me with one of his friends just days before I finally implied on social media that I was no longer in a relationship. It was a cool ego boost but I declined, since my emotions were still super turbulent then. Andi tried to initiate sex with me once too, but I also declined.
What is your card game of choice?  I hate card games; I can never seem to understand them lmao, though that’s really more of a me problem than anything else.
What is your favourite books series?  Growing up, I really loved the Septimus Heap series. But the thing about it was that I got into it while the series was still ongoing; and with how bad my attention span is, I always forgot the events/plot whenever the newest book came out. 
So whenever that happened I had to read the entire series from Book 1; eventually the number of books I had to reread/revisit became too many (it was a seven-part series) and I simply just lost the time to read and I never got to know about the conclusion.
Do you prefer landmarks or street names when being given directions?  Street names – more precise. Landmarks to me can be pretty subjective – a green building might look blue to me, and I could just end up being lost.
Do you read the prologues in the beginnings of books?  Sure.
What was your favourite gym class moment?  If I genuinely like or already play the sport that was being taught. That’s why PE table tennis was a lot of fun for me.
Do you think that ocean boardwalks are fun?  I’ve never been on one but I imagine they are fun, yeah.
Do you dread when people ask you to sign their yearbooks?  That’s not a tradition here.
Do you have a favourite Scooby-Doo movie?  No. I was too young for Scooby-Doo in a sense that I do remember watching the movies as a 3/4 year old as they were kept on in the background at home, but I didn’t get any of the plots/didn’t really appreciate the films.
Do you think it’s cute when toddlers try to run away and fall down?  Sometimes, yeah. If the fall looked nasty I would obviously be concerned.
Do you enjoy listening to your grandparents tell stories of their past?  Honestly, only one of my grandparents would be the type to do this but he’s been dead for six years now. It’s a big shame he passed before I could bond with him the way I had always wanted to. My three other grandparents are either too closed off or too quiet to share stories from their youth.
Do you have a crush on someone? Nah, nothing more than a celebrity crush.
If so... what does his/her name begin with? 
What attracts you to them? 
Do they know that you like them? 
If they don't know, why didn't you tell them? 
Name two people that you miss:  Angela and Laurice.
Have you ever seen Titanic?  More times than I can count. I’m sure I memorize like 80% of the script, too.
Have you ever swam with dolphins?  No. I’m not so sure if I’ve seen dolphins, either. Maybe I have? Or maybe I’m confusing it with whales...idrk.
When was the last time you had a stomachache?  Wednesday.
What's going to bed early for you?  11 PM or midnight.
Do you want to have a big family in the future?  I used to, but I don’t think that’s the future I want anymore. One or two kids should be okay.
What was the last thing you did that gave you a rush?  Technically speaking, an orgasm, I guess?? Lmao idk
Favorite Nicholas Cage movie?  I don’t think I have one.
Have you had your Covid vaccine yet? Which one, if you have?  Yeah, I’m fully dosed. Sinovac.
If you've had your vaccine, did you experience any side effects?  I was suuuuuuper tired right after my first dose and I wanted to be knocked the fuck out, but I went right back to work after the shot because I am allergic to filing leaves hahaha. Second dose went smoothly.
What's the next item of clothing that you intend to buy for yourself?  A bucket hat or maybe one of the Fila x BTS shirts because the collection is actually quite cute!
What Facebook groups have you found the most helpful?  I join Facebook groups to be entertained, not because I actively look for advice.
Do you like your butt? Why or why not?  Yeah. It...has a good form hahahahahaha.
Have you ever personally been a victim of homophobia?  Yes, a few years ago I went to a food park with my ex-girlfriend. I was already not feeling my best that day to begin with, so having to see an old woman stare daggers at us for what felt like years really stung. I felt small under her look and almost cried, but in the end I felt angry that I momentarily felt shame about my relationship. I decided to just piss the woman off on purpose and do PDA right in front of her.
Do you think you’d be happier if you had a pet? I have two dogs at present and I know they make me extremely happy.
Who was the last person you went on a date with?  Gabie.
Were you ever hospitalized as a little kid?  No. The first and only time I was hospitalized (other than being birthed), I was about 12, I think.
What’s your favorite way to curl your hair?  I don’t do that. I rarely style my hair.
At what age did you start swearing?  I was 11.
What is something you physically can’t do?  Ride a bike.
What do like better, apples or oranges?  I don’t like any fruits; but in terms of flavored stuff, I like orange-flavored food, especially chewy candy, slightly more.
Around the holidays, do you hope for snow?  Well, no.
What are your top two favorite bands?  Paramore and Against Me!
How many people do you 100% trust?  There are a handful. I generally trust easily just because I like to believe all people are kind and loyal – but I can also take it away in the snap of a finger.
Do you care what others think about you?  Not so much.
Has anyone ever called you a bitch?  Sure.
Did you watch Teletubbies when you were younger?  Yeah but just super super faint memories. It wasn’t one of my main shows.
Do you have any licenses other than your driver's license?  I don’t.
Could you live the rest of your life without eating meat?  I doubt it. I could try, but I think I’d get cranky and start looking for meat way earlier than I would like to admit.
Have you ever had a rolling backpack?  Yup, if you mean a stroller. I think I’ve answered this on a previous survey.
Did you make any money today?  No, because it’s a weekend. What was the highest place you've ever jumped from?  Nothing dramatically high. I’ve had acrophobia-themed nightmares in the past, so even though I don’t actually have a fear of heights, the idea of jumping from a high place still makes me antsy.
Have you ever gone swimming in a river?  Not that I can recall.
What was the last souvenir someone got you?  I dunno if it counts but Andi bought merch from the AEW shop but made sure to also get a CM Punk sticker set for me :(
Do you have a favorite remix of a song?  Remixes have never been my thing. What do you think is the most saddest sounding instrument?  Piano.
Do you really pay attention to the ratings on movies?  Yeah they can definitely affect the level of appreciation I hold towards a film. For instance, if I genuinely enjoyed a movie only to find out it has average to bad reviews, it invites me to think more critically about the movie.
Do you have a favorite species of wild cat (tiger/lion/cougar/etc.)?  No.
If you had $500,000, what would you do with it?  Give half to my parents and let them do whatever they wish it. With the remaining P12,500,000, I’d probably get myself my own condo and have it fully furnished, then get braces, then get a new phone and laptop. I’ll have a bunch of money still left, I’m pretty sure – the rest of it I’ll save.
Did the last person you touched lips with have a kid?  No. I mean, I have honestly no clue what’s going on in her life now, but I know she doesn’t want kids so this is very unlikely.
"First loves are never really over." Is this true for you?  It’s true in a sense that she left me a lot of trauma and self-esteem issues that will irrevocably always be a part of me now even though I’ve worked hard to resolved most of them by myself.
Did you like Michael Jackson before he died?  Yes, because he has always been my favorite singer’s role model.
What are some things that would make you break up with someone?  I don’t know how to answer this question, honestly. All the red flags were thrown and tossed and slapped into my face and down my throat for six years yet I never left. I don’t actually know what my limits are, and I believe it’s because my coping mechanism has to just accept things and suck them up no matter how bad they get. That’s what I’m trying to change for myself now.
What was the worst breakup you've ever had?  I’ve had two breakups with the same person, and the second one was worse.
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unspokenfaith · 4 years
Text
Maybe I Could Have Loved You
Pairing: JJ Maybank/Kiara Carrera Rating: T+ Word Count: 2719 Genre: Angst/Humor (a bit of everything really) Summary: Emotions run high the night before Kiara heads to Kook Academy. When the boys throw her a going-away party, JJ realizes something. But all the drinking and the somber occasion makes him wonder if what he's feeling is even real.
I'm sure this has been done plenty of times, but I was inspired by the "I know that door's locked because I've tried it” line and also the Jonas Brothers song "Make It Right." We love a slow burn and mutual misunderstanding.
AO3
If there was one thing JJ would not miss about Kiara once she went to Kook Academy, it was her need to perform damage control in unnecessary situations. The way she was acting, it felt more like an obligation than a party that he, Pope, and John B put together for her.
JJ thought it was a stupid idea to begin with. How different was it from any other day with the four of them at the Chateau? But when he offered his wisdom to John B and Pope, he was met with two pairs of glowering eyes, and the latter shoving stapled construction paper chains into his hands.
Anyway, it’s not as though he was going to say no to an occasion to drink, however extraneous it was.
Kiara scowled as she picked up a broken glass that Pope knocked off the counter after a theatrical response to John B’s joke. JJ made a mental note for tomorrow to say he told them so.
“I can get that, Kie,” John B said. “Just leave it. I’ll pick it up later.”
As he spoke, she was already standing over the trash can.
“Oh, God, did I do that?” Pope brought both his hands to his face, his mouth hanging open. JJ can’t remember the last time he saw Pope this drunk, if ever.
“Nope. It was the ghost,” Kiara said, washing her hands off in the sink.
John B’s eyes widened. “I have a ghost?”
“Hey, isn’t this, like, reverse feminism?” JJ interrupted.
Kiara looked at him like his head grew three sizes.
“What?”
JJ snapped his fingers. “Menism! This is menism. Girl cleans up after all the boys. It’s some 1950s bullshit. Menism.”
“You mean sexism?” Kiara said.
He slammed his hand on the table. “Damn it, Kie! You couldn’t let me have it? Not all of us are smart enough for Kook Academy.”
She shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear while busying herself with drying her hands off.
“Asshole.”
He couldn’t see her face, but he could’ve sworn he heard a smile in there somewhere.
“Kook,” JJ replied.
“Not yet she isn’t,” Pope said matter-of-factly with a finger pointed in the air. He blinked a few times as though he were struggling to stay awake.
Kiara reached across the counter to pull Pope’s shot glass away. “Maybe lay off a little. How many have you even had?”
Pope concentrated on his hands for a moment before holding up six fingers.
“Seven.”
“In his defense, I don’t think he’s ever done shots before,” JJ said.
“And that makes it better?” Kiara rolled her eyes, rinsing out the glass. She might as well put some gloves on and open the dishwasher at this point. At least Big John wouldn’t return to a pigsty when he came home.
JJ took another shot of Tito’s before his own glass could be revoked. “Do you guys think I could make it at Kook Academy?”
“Dude, you literally just said you aren’t smart enough,” John B said.
“I never said that! I said, ‘Not all of us are smart enough for Kook Academy.’”
“Hey, guys, it’s a full moon!” Kiara leaned over the sink, peering up at the sky.
John B continued, “So that ‘not all of us’ didn’t include you?”
“Are you using double negatives now?” JJ closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t think. Pope, back me up here, bro.”
But when he turned around, he found Pope lying starfish-style on the couch with his head hanging over the armrest. Maybe it was for the best that Kiara cut him off when she did.
“Poor baby,” JJ cooed before downing another shot.
The night air blew through the cracked window, teasing a September chill that caused Pope’s nose to twitch. JJ was sure he would be cold if he was sober, but all he felt now was a burning sensation in his throat and tingling skin that had nothing to do with the wind outside.
“Hey, where’s Kie?” he asked, suddenly very aware of her absence.
John B shrugged. “Bathroom?” He picked up a blanket off the floor and threw it over Pope who was now snoring for the first time in his life. And unfortunately for anyone in earshot, not quietly.
“Tell him to shut up, will you?”
JJ didn’t give John B time to respond because he pushed himself up from his stool and wandered out the side door, taking the bottle of Tito’s with him. Pope’s snoring faded to the background, so now all he could hear was the faint rustle of the trees and a chorus of crickets chirping from every corner of the yard. The water glistened in the dark, reflecting the stars like tiny shards of a broken mirror. In a few months’ time, it would all look different, and he was going to miss it.
“Hey, stranger.”
Kiara’s voice came from behind him. She was sitting on the roof of the Chateau with her arms hugging her knees. The full moon shone a pale light on her warm brown face, the late summer breeze gently blowing her hair.
“Kie? What the hell?” His jumbled brain couldn’t make sense of how she managed to climb up there on her own, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try it out for himself.
He stepped up to the porch and assessed the distance from the floor to the roof, looking for the easiest place to climb—with little luck. So he backed up, dropping the half-empty bottle on the grass, and took a deep breath.
“Okay, look out. Coming in hot,” JJ said, rubbing his hands together.
Before he could make a run for it, Kiara cleared her throat and pointed to the other side of the front door at a ladder leaning on the rooftop.
“As entertaining as that would’ve been, I’d rather not have you die on my account.”
“Oh, excuse me. I’ll go die on someone else’s then,” JJ said, holding his hands up. “I saw that ladder by the way. I was just trying to be chivalrous.”
“Uh huh.” Kiara grinned.
When he picked up the Tito’s and walked over to the ladder, she added, “Can you maybe just leave that there?”
JJ waved her off. “Nah.”
With one hand, he pulled himself up the first few rungs, then threw his other arm up in the air.
“Look at me now!” he shouted to the sky. But after nearly losing his footing, he grabbed the ladder with his other hand as best he could without dropping the bottle.
“Okay, seriously, stop.”
Kiara came to the edge of the roof, reaching out her hand to help JJ the rest of the way. Not that he really needed it. He was managing just fine on his own. Still, he mumbled a quiet “thanks” before falling back next to her, losing one of his shoes in the process. When he heard it hit the ground, he laughed to himself. Kiara studied him like he was a zoo exhibit.
“How many have you had?” she asked.
“Come on, Kie. That’s a personal question. A guy never kisses and tells.” He pressed a finger to his lips.
“Oh my god, JJ. I meant shots.” There was an impatient edge to her voice, but he thought he saw her blush. Must be the drinking goggles. “Like I would want to know that.”
“Well, well, well. Kiara Carrera, are you slut shaming me?”
She pushed his arm. “You know what I mean.”
“Mhm, sure.” JJ smirked.
“You are so...”
“Hot? I know. About time you said it.”
“I was going to say annoying. Thanks for proving my point,” Kiara said, grabbing the bottle as though one more sip was going to make him say something she wouldn’t forgive.
JJ laid his head back on his arms, strangely comfortable considering he was on a sloped roof. He’d take the crickets over Pope’s snoring if it meant sleeping soundly.
“What were you doing out here anyway?” he asked.
“I wanted to see the moon better. The trees were blocking it. See?” Kiara pointed to the moon, a white orb hanging over the water like a guiding light. She was right—a clear, uninterrupted view.
“What’s with you and moons anyway? Is this a Twilight thing? I thought you didn’t like those movies.”
Kiara rolled her eyes. “It’s not a Twilight thing. It’s astrology. A full moon usually means intense feelings or, like, an emotional climax.”
JJ raised a brow. “Climax?”
“I knew you were going to say that,” she muttered, pushing her hair behind her ear.
“Sorry. Continue with your...anthropology.”
It sounded like a load of bullshit to him, but watching her talk about the moon’s climax was the most emotion JJ had seen from her all day. If he had known, he would have hung a bunch of construction paper moons on the walls instead.
“It’s just that it had me thinking. The night before going to Kook Academy and everything.”
JJ’s brain was already muddled from the vodka. Trying to understand where she was going with this spun his thoughts in circles.
“And?”
“I don’t know. It’s just...I guess I’ve just kind of accepted that it was happening all summer without really thinking about it. Like, I don’t know how to feel about it now that it’s really happening, you know?”
He nodded, mostly because that seemed like the appropriate response. She wasn’t making sense, but what he did comprehend was something he had never, nor probably would ever experience. JJ had been in the same school system since he could talk, and he certainly wasn’t going to college someday. His entire life has been more or less the same. It was difficult for him to imagine how Kiara could be thinking, someone with years of opportunities waiting for her. Typically, the only choice JJ had to make was what he was going to eat for dinner that night.
“Hey, I wouldn’t even worry about it. I’m sure you’ll fit right in with all those idiots.” He knew immediately after he said it that it was an insensitive thing to say, even if it was honest.
Kiara glared at him. “I know you hate them, or resent them or whatever. I do, too. But my parents worked really hard for this, so I’m just going to suck it up and make the most of it, okay?”
“You make it sound like you’re going to prison,” JJ mumbled.
Part of him--whichever part that wasn’t completely wasted--told him he was being a jerk, but he didn’t know how to stop now. Maybe it was the liquor, or maybe it had only just dawned on him, too that this was her last night.
Much like going to school, or hiding from his father after a long night of drinking, or waking up to the sun rising over the marsh, he couldn’t remember a time where he didn’t have Kiara in his life.
It’s not as though it would be forever; JJ knew that. But he had become so accustomed to the four of them hanging out every day that he hadn’t imagined how things would change once she went to a fancy prep school. Would they see her on the weekends? Would they even have the same days off? Would she forget about them after weeks turned into months?
“Could you cut the crap? I know I’m really privileged. I’m a Kook. I have nothing to complain about. I get it. But could you please for one second just-”
“I don’t want you to go.”
The words came out before they even became a rational thought.
Kiara opened her mouth to respond, but nothing transpired. This had to be the most vulnerable JJ ever felt with her. No jokes, no banter, no crude comments that got under her skin. And now that he said it, he might as well unlock that door.
“I mean, I want you to go. I’m sure you’ll have the time of your life. And you deserve that. You really do. But we’re all going to miss you like hell.” JJ was standing on the rooftop now, and probably going to fall any second, but he didn’t care. “I’m going to miss you, Kie. You’re, like, my best friend in the whole world and you’re leaving tomorrow. And I...I think...maybe…”
“Okay, JJ, stop.” She laughed nervously, guiding him back down to his original spot. “I get it. You don’t think I’m going to miss you guys, too? Besides, I’ll be-”
“No! Just let me get this out. I really think I-”
“JJ, you really need to snap out of it,” she said firmly, grabbing his shoulders. “Before you say something stupid.”
“How do you even know what I’m going to say?”
“Because I know you. I’ve watched you do it so many times, especially when you’re…” She gestured vaguely. “Like this.”
JJ shook his head, searching for the right words. This wasn’t at all where he was expecting the conversation to go. The worst part was he had nothing to prove her wrong. Even if he didn’t always remember it the next day, he couldn’t deny that he’s had similar interactions with who knows how many girls.
“And that’s not a bad thing! But I just don’t want you to say something that you’ll regret tomorrow,” Kiara said. “Because you’ll be seeing me again after you wake up in the morning, and we just...really don’t need to go there.”
All he could do was nod, even though what he really wanted to say was “again” might not be for weeks. JJ looked anywhere but at her. If he could go back to mere minutes ago when the only wracking his mind was Pope’s obnoxious snoring, he would. Now he wasn’t quite sure where to go from here.
Kiara pulled him into a hug, his face pressed into her shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes, unspoken thoughts drifting away with the wind until they disappeared into the midnight sky. Maybe she was right. Maybe JJ did get caught up in the moment, and in his drunken state confused all of the emotions running through his head. Maybe the warm feeling in his stomach was just the alcohol and not Kiara’s hand on the back of his neck.
When she finally pulled away, a chill went down his spine.
“Well, I should probably get going. Big day and all tomorrow. But you…” Kiara poked his chest. “Need to go to bed. Or drink some water or something.”
JJ laughed, but it came out more like a cough. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll go do that.”
“I’ll see you soon, okay?”
Only now did JJ meet her gaze. Her eyes were glistening with moonlight, and something else, too.
“You’ll come crawling back.” JJ managed a smile. “You’re going to miss all our craziness.”
She laughed. “You’re not wrong. Plus, I don’t think you guys can survive a week without me.”
“You’re not wrong.”
The smirk on her face was contagious, and the breeze pushed her hair so that it clung to her mouth. Without really thinking, JJ reached across to tuck it back behind her ear. His hand lingered longer than necessary, and he didn’t realize he was staring until Kiara cleared her throat and stood up.
“Um...I’m going back down to say goodbye,” she said, handing him the bottle of Tito’s. “And don’t have any more of that.”
JJ saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”
He watched her climb down the ladder, and couldn’t help but feel like she was avoiding his gaze on purpose. When she reached the bottom, he caught her sad smile before she disappeared through the front door.
After staring at the moon for a while, and thinking about emotional climaxes, and the inexplicable look on Kiara’s face when he touched her face, he fell asleep. She was right about one thing. When JJ woke up the next morning, he would regret a lot of what happened last night. But she was wrong, too. He couldn’t regret something he never got to tell her. Because when the sun rose and the rooster crowed, he didn’t feel any differently.
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34. Ivory
Previous Trigger Warnings for mentions of underage/revenge porn, mentions of eating disorder Word Count: 8388
Between Grace making that post of her rapping along to Captain Hook, her saying "aye aye" to Simon in comments, and this photo of Simon's D print in the gray sweatpants, I'm starting to think he's packing a curve 👀
Simon Laurent "liked"
Commenter: He is! Did you never see the old sex tape?
Poster: The WHAT? No… But, wait… I thought that they dated in school. You mean like something that happened after that?
Commenter: They were in school, but it was online for the longest time before she snitched, so I’m sure somebody still has it out there…
Poster: That’s gross. I’m not that desperate to see it that I wanna look at some kids doing it. No thank you.
Simon Laurent “liked”
Commenter is blocked by Simon.
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Grace was in the grocery store with her mother and brother, and Zasha, a white samoyed puppy that Mrs. Monroe had purchased from a breeder… to potentially train to be in competitions, and Zasha’s handler. Why did Mrs. Monroe bring Zasha into the store, just to have someone else hold her? For the same reason that the nanny was also there, tending to Montanus. “Because, that is literally what I pay them to do.” But… we’re at the grocery store and didn’t even have to BRING them! Grace didn’t argue.
However, she did wonder if she was suffering from some type of weird mid life crisis, or just a rich, bored woman whose husband was working more and more all of the time, despite supposedly getting closer to retirement. Then, she wondered if they weren’t doing so well. But, she kept those wonders to herself, as it would frighten her to know whatever the truth was if it was anything other than her mother did whatever she wanted because she could afford to. 
Plus, she wanted to get out of the house, and apparently that had been reduced to tagging along with Grace at the grocery store, in case she needed help. “You’re almost 6 months, correct? How has it been? Online, one would swear that you’re Diahanne Caroll in her prime. You’ve rarely broken a sweat. Is that for your fans?”
Grace shook her head and read the label of something before putting it into her cart, “I haven’t had any problems, except for eating way more than I used to and getting gas, but those calcium chews usually help with that and I bounce right back. You know, I’ve always taken really great care of myself, think things through and pay top dollar for the finest self care. I guess that the baby is pleased with their temporary temple.” She smiled at her mom and noticed the woman looked leery. “I know… you had a very rough pregnancy with me. Believe me, I remember this fact, but I haven’t been having that experience, personally. In fact… Did you know that I’ve gained THOUSANDS of new followers since they’ve seen that I was pregnant. Pregnant people have been asking me what I use for this and for that and I’ve been plugging my brand, since we’ve got the pregnancy line now. It’s been sensational. I’ve had a blast!” 
Grace had been working on a blog about her pregnancy, which she began with a video addressing all of the questions to all of the people who were not her. 
“Hey, Those That Are Graced!” She’d cheered into the camera, “Happy New Year! I know that I’ve been unavailable to reach out too, and believe me, I do miss interacting with fans and followers, but I am currently not working on my career, to focus on other things in my life. Just to touch base with everyone, I feel like we’ve had this discussion before and those of you who actually respect me would definitely not need it repeated, but there have been so many new faces of possibly unfamiliar followers that I am revisiting notes that I have in all of my bios… 
First, my professional life is one thing, my private life is another. I extend myself professionally, and over the past few months, even though I have not actually been working, I’ve still been spending time providing everyone with content. Please do not send messages, comments, or questions for me to any of my friends, and especially not to my family members, Hazel in particular. She is 12 and shouldn’t have adults bothering her for information that not only isn’t her concern, but isn’t your concern. She wants to be able to enjoy the limited hours of screen time that she’s allowed. That becomes difficult for her when people are asking her hundreds of questions that literally are related to her mother’s sex life. 
Second, my professional life is offered at my discretion, as well. Whenever there is product that I think you should try, I will announce it. If I’m not familiar with a product or no arrangements have been made for me to try a product or I’m unaware of a product… my comments is not the place for said product. That is including everything from your all natural care supplies, book recommendations, your demos, your dance videos… Like… I LOVE receiving those things, but whenever I open my comments back up, that is not where those things go. 
I have links for email addresses for avenues of business, entertainment, etc on my website, and if nothing else, my website is featured on every form of social media that I have. I am the person who goes through those emails. I am NOT the person who checks my social media messages, so you will never get a response from me through those and run the risk of me not seeing something if you send it there instead. 
Third, my spaces have boundaries and moderators to enforce those boundaries. Whenever you’ve been allowed to be a guest in any of my spaces or my child’s spaces, you treat that shit like Afropunk - “No sexism, no racism, no ableism, no homophobia, no fatphobia, no transphobia, no hatefulness.” And then, since I’m not Afropunk and I have even greater needs, and can’t believe I have to say this much else: No pedophilia, no inappropriate interactions with a minor, no incestuous ideation, and no nudity. My moderators are quick, but not perfect. Your fellow guests and neighbors in my spaces should never have to see jokes about my mother and I engaged in sexual acts together, or worse, my UNDERAGE daughter, and no - Hazel and I posting a dance video is not an invitation for someone to make comments that because she might be fluid in her movements that it is sexually suggestive and if ever we find one of those headass posts where you put a photo of my beautiful daughter up, say something obscene or rude or ask, “Thoughts?” Simon finds out your IP address, sometimes more than that and he doxxes your ass. Ask around. If threats of violence or suggestions of harm are given… he might show up at your house and I don’t know what to even tell you about that one, because I’m not at liberty to say, according to the lawyers.” 
She smiled, relaxed, unclenched her teeth that she realized had been clenched since she began her greater needs. 
“Fourth, leave Hazel alone. She isn’t going to add you, because she is not allowed to add adults that she does not know. If you follow her public figure pages, those are for her poetry, her brand, her rapping, her artwork, her theater program, and whatever announcements she wants to share with her fans about her personal life, which is usually vague and innocent. If Hazel posts that she had a great time at the premiere of some movie, that is not the place to ask her personal questions. The place to ask her personal questions is nowhere! We don’t have a space created for strangers to ask her personal questions. She sometimes will be allowed to grant an interview, in which she will answer a professional about appropriate questions that have been approved.
Fifth, shut up about Simon! Shut up about Simon! I swear to you… In the past few years that Simon and I have been in communication and the ones that we’ve been in close communication, I KNOW that you realize that we are communicating, but that falls under my private life, which I have not created a space in the public for.
Now… you may speak with Simon about whatever things he speaks about in his private life, I can’t control that, but what I can control and do control is what he will or won’t say about me, even in HIS space. Yes. I got it like that, and what will happen, is Simon will be seeing this, and he is very good at remembering details and he will memorize everything that I’ve said here and he will respect that and enforce it, even in HIS space. 
Which leads me to my last thing… There’s a lot of Esmoroth fanfolk in my spaces now and you all act a certain way in your little Esmoroth corner of the Internet… but in here, in Grace’s space, you better act like you’ve been tossed to the feet of the Idol Princess when her pheromones are igniting the internal flame of servitude. Because, we stan the Idol Princess in this space, and you’d better act right.”
After the release of the 3rd book and return of the Idol Princess aka the Future Queen, several fans were disappointed and had called Simon out for “pandering.” But, several MORE fans came around. He was competing for top spots with the YA novel greats after the 3rd book. But… that also meant more fans to be in Grace’s business. 
Her New Year’s announcement remained pinned at the top of her page and the next post was text, “Oh, yeah. Last but not least, you may have noticed that I’m pregnant. I’ll be featuring some of my favorite findings on my maternity journey here, so please stay tuned if you’re pregnant, expecting, or planning, for what I think and hope will be some helpful tips for your journey!”
Most of the Esmoroth fandom didn’t like her very much, but they also “just couldn’t stay away. Aside from the Grace in Maternity blog, she still didn’t have social media open for commentary, though she did sometimes pass through Simon’s or Hazel’s comments and engaged a little bit with them. She pinned the video to other sites and then just didn’t really visit them again much.
“I could barely walk whenever I was six months pregnant. I had the finest of everything, too,” Mrs. Monroe broke into her thoughts. “Then again, I had what they now call an eating disorder for several years. I… wasn’t completely… well whenever you were announced…” she looked guilty, like she did whenever she faced her own failures as a mother. “We had to get a 24 hour nurse to keep me… healthy. By seven months, I could hardly get out of bed.”
Grace furrowed her eyebrows, “Mom… you’ve never told me that you had an eating disorder. Did you ever get help for it?”
“Help? Oh… like… whenever I had to be rushed to the hospital multiple times? Yes. I got help.”
“MOM… Did you ever heal?”
“Wait, are you asking me if I have disordered eating now? Heaven’s no, Grace. I was trapped with your father by the time you were born. I eventually realized that I had to be more… alive and well than I did flawless. We hired a nutritionist and personal chef.”
“Mom… a lot of people need psychological help for something like that.”
“And I come across to you as ‘a lot of people’? Hmph. It’s pathetic enough that I allowed myself to be so weak. I wasn’t going to beg someone to give me the strength I needed.”
“That’s not what it’s like at all…” Grace cupped her mother’s face and said, “There may be things that people need to help you with, Mom. That doesn’t make you weak or whatever else you’ve convinced yourself of. It didn’t make me weak when I needed to get help. It doesn’t make Hazel weak when she needs help…”
Mrs. Monroe waved Grace’s hands off of her face, “As long as you’re fine, have no other concerns.”
“Mom…”
“Were you done with the shopping?” Grace sighed and continued moving. 
.
Simon was pacing, clenching and unclenching his fists. Several of the message boards, every one of his social media platforms, and even at least one of Hazel’s. He’d taken her devices away, but now she was angry and he certainly couldn’t find the words to explain beyond, “You can’t be online right now.” She was scribbling aggressively in one of her paper journals, and fuming. They both were fuming from different but related reasons.
Grace came in with her little shopping entourage and Hazel rushed to her, furiously. 
“Your BOY TOY took my devices DURING screen time and REFUSES to give them back!” Grace’s eyes went wide and she turned to look at Simon, who was pacing and didn’t even seem to hear the accusation, notice that she came in or to see Monty. Something was absolutely wrong here. 
“Help get the groceries and I’ll get your devices, okay?” Grace said and cupped her chin. Hazel was still breathing heavily as she stormed out towards the groceries and Mrs. Monroe settled on the couch. Grace took Simon’s hand and he was startled by her sudden touch. But, the moment he realized it was her, he let out a deep breath and wrapped her up in a tight hug. “Hey. Let’s go talk, okay?” She suggested, rubbing his back. He nodded his head, but didn’t move from the spot or lessen his hold on. She squirmed a little bit and said politely, “Oxygen, Gray Eyes..” He let up and rushed out of the room. Grace followed and watched him flop on the bed and cover his face with his fists. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“We’ve been doing SO well…” He said, shaking his head. 
“We have.” So, this is something that he did wrong? “And the only way that we continue doing well is to be open and caring with each other.” He slicked back the wild hairs that weren’t pulled into his ponytail. He appeared to be in a lot of pain, but she had to get whatever this was settled. “Should I go online? Will I see what happened, if I do?” She pulled out her phone, mumbling, “I’m guessing that’s why Hazel’s stuff was confiscate-” He snatched the phone from her hands and she let out a yelp, both at the audacity and the fact that she didn’t even see him get up. 
“No. I have to tell you. You can’t find out on the Internet. SHE can’t get on. She CAN’T!” 
“Why can’t she? Because, she’s pretty pissed and it IS her screen time…”
“Because, the internet is relentless and unkind, and she’s too young to have to deal with how much. Not today. She’ll… I’ll… give her extra time once it's died down.”
“Tell me what’s going on, Simon.”
He frowned, “Someone brought the tape up.” At first, she was confused. Was this something about the movie? Why would he be so upset as to take Hazel’s… “And it’s recirculating again. I’ve been reporting it and fans have been reporting it and it gets taken down, but more and more people have seen it now and it’s just… too much. I don’t want her to run into it…” NOW, she understood. That tape… which… technically… it was done with a webcam, so it was never a tape, it was a recording, but… “I saw it again… not watched it, but you know, saw a portion of it whenever I was reporting it… God…” He sat down on the bed, “You’re a kid, Grace. You had the rounded face and everything…”
“Ummm… You’re a month and a day older than me, Dude.” she said, sitting down, trying to pretend that she was more calm than her heart was allowing. She could barely breathe, thinking about the feelings that just mentioning that used to bring up for her. She wasn’t sure how she might react to seeing it come up somewhere. But, maybe she should try…
She gently took her phone back, despite his struggling. One stern look and he let it go, realizing that she was determined and he was probably already in a lot of trouble, if something had been triggered. She nodded, “Yep, looks like a few people have tagged me, asking me if I saw that somebody posted it…” She went to the video and he clenched the bedspread, moving his legs uncontrollably and looking straight ahead. “You know, a lot of people used to say that you couldn’t see your face in it, that it was out of frame, but it does come into frame a few times…” she said. She paused, “See?” He shook his head. “Simon, you’re not even gonna indulge me a little bit at a time like this?”
His frown deepened and he took another long breath. She was right. SHE was the victim in this. The least he could do was take a look at his disgusting handiwork. He saw himself and he recoiled. “You were a kid, too,” she said. “Sure, at the time, this hurt more than anything my brain can recall. But… I do know, as a grown ass woman, you were wrong and also were a child. Both of those things can be accurate.”
“We’re only a few years older than Hazel, there. If some kid did something like this to her… I would…”
“I would hope that you’d remember that you were their age once and just as bad.”
“Is… is that how you would react?”
“Oh, hell no. I’ve never done anything like this. I’d kill that fucking kid. But, you would have to be the adult that fucking pulls me off of him…” She laughed and scratched at his beard, “But, nothing like this will happen to Hazel. She’s a good judge of character and we know all of her friends.”
“Your parents knew me too, and I think that they’re pretty good judges of character. Your mom at least. She always knew that I was rotten.”
“No she didn’t! She knew that you weren’t rich, and in her head those two things were the same thing. She knew that you were controlling, and she thought that I was going to sacrifice myself for you, but she didn’t think that you were going to straight up try to assassinate my entire character.” He looked away from her, “And NOW, you are very diligent in making sure that you aren’t crossing any lines, with me and with Hazel, my mother, my father, and I think people in general. This wasn’t long enough ago that it’s not hurtful to think about… but it was long enough ago to not beat yourself up over. But… It is a burden that you designed. So, it’s only right that you explain to Hazel exactly why she shouldn’t be online right now.”
Hazel took it so much better than she had taken him taking away her computer and phone. “Are you serious? I’ll just avoid social media. You KNOW I don’t wanna see anything like that, myself, but I already knew that it existed out there somewhere.” She shook her head, “I don’t like the way you look with clothes ON, think I’d run the risk of seeing you without them?” 
Grace suggested, “Is there anything else you want to say to him? Maybe about how you broke the news to me when I got home?”
“Oh..” Hazel flared her nostrils and rolled her eyes, “Sorry I called you Mom’s Boy Toy… You kinda are, but I shouldn’t say it…” 
Simon laughed, mostly because he was relieved that she wasn’t scarred by him having to talk to her about this video resurfacing. “You kidding? I’m gonna put that on a t-shirt.”
“No cap? Because I have SO many where that came from.”
“We’ve gotta brainstorm.”
“Simpsona T-shirts can be your new thing…” And just like that, Grace watched them be best friends again. Hazel could get mad and stay mad for a long time, but she didn’t like to argue, so even whenever she got mad, she tended to stay to herself until she wasn’t. The two of them left to go sit on the swing set outside of the house they were renting, and Grace sat by her mom on the couch. 
“I don’t even want to know what that was about.”
“Cool, because I wasn’t gonna tell you.”
���You don’t have to. One of your “boy toy’s” fans will.” Grace laughed and then threw her head onto her mom’s shoulder. The woman gasped at first, taken aback by the show of affection, but then placed her hand on Grace’s. “You’re a very good mother to both of them. You’ll be a good one to that one too.” she pointed her free hand at Grace’s belly.
“Did you just…?”
“Come on, you’ve been raising yourself a man since you met him and I’ll stand by that forever. Might get it engraved on my headstone.”
Grace cackled, “I absolutely AM NOT raising him!”
“He is literally a life sized puppy that went through a rebellious phase where he kept biting you!”
“Well, I finally realized that I have the power to curve that behavior… and trust me, Mom… It’s not something you’d do with somebody you’re raising.” Grace stuck her tongue out.
“Get off of me you scoundrel!” Her mother joked. Grace just laughed and held on tighter. The woman put her arm around her. “Are you okay, Darling?”
“Whenever I was hurt or scared as a little girl, I was more afraid of admitting it to you and Daddy. I would be more hurt by the thoughts of how little you would think of me if I openly showed imperfection. Not feeling that way took a long time and a lot of work. So, now, if I have a hard day, I’m not too proud to lay on my mommy and say so.” She looked to gauge her mother’s reaction. She was always speechless whenever Grace got emotional. 
She’d never learn past those suppressing ways and it amazed Grace that her mother didn’t realize how much her and Simon were alike in that way. Simon had to work really hard at it and her mother was too proud and pampered to put in such effort. But, whenever Grace booped her nose, the woman’s eyes flickered amusement, ever so slightly. Now, she pushed Grace off of herself and opened her arms to receive Montanus. “Take a photograph of me with my children,” She told the nanny. “One with the two human ones, then we’ll add the new fur baby…”
.
She still hadn’t made any announcements about her status with Simon, nor had she spoken about her pregnancy outside of the maternity blog by the time Valentines’ Day rolled around. But, one thing that she did was allow for Simon to share maternity photos. That was her “gift” to him. 
There. Were. Tons. 
Simon took photos of everything. He had a copy of every ultrasound. He had an electronic journal of every detail that came up. So, whenever he posted the album “Countdown to Ivory’s Arrival,” he had more photos than most of the fans were probably going to look through. Therefore, he left many of them private, with only close friends able to view, and the ones that were public were his favorites of the candids of Grace being pregnant and gorgeous, some of the ones from photoshoots that she would post, and the professional maternity photos that they had taken so far. They took some each trimester, as a family. 
The ones at her three month mark were taken in New York, early November (around their anniversary, whenever he was in town. They had fall colors and all three of them were absolutely stunning. Hazel was impressed with how well that Simon cleaned up, so much that whenever he showed her older photos of himself, she thought he was a different person. She had no idea how right about that she was. Simon being both subservient and also a mega diva himself was absolutely salivating every time Grace did something, but also, it was him who insisted, "We have to have a photoshoot each trimester, each with a different theme.” She agreed on the trimesters, but wasn’t feeling the theme part so much. She told him that they could simply have the season be the theme.
They had three changes of outfits for each set. Grace had a gown made much like the one that she had worn to the fall festival in 9th grade (the one that the Idol Princess’ gown was very heavily based on, the one that Simon had taken photos of her in, getting her first beauty deal underway), one that Simon saw her in and immediately began crying. “You’re… gonna ruin the photos,” Hazel told him. 
There were candid ones of him crying. Her favorite was one where he was crying, Grace was trying to comfort him and Hazel dropped in front of them, bombing it with a prison pose and her tongue out. She had on a yellow pantsuit with fall leaves in her hair, her signature look being wearing leaves in her hair. Simon’s yellow suit was similar to hers, but way more expensive and the red accents, instead of the orange ones that Hazel elected. 
The orange outfits were Hazel in orange overalls, Grace in a romper and Simon in a jumpsuit that Hazel insisted was “the most expensive prison wear in the world.” The red ones were regal matching dress attire, Grace in a two piece dress to show off her belly, Hazel in the same floor length evening gown, but one piece, and Simon in a red suit, made of the same material. Hazel’s hair was down and flowing. Grace’s was gathered up, with most of her afro pulled forward, cascading out of the jeweled red head dress she wore, and Simon’s usually (these days) flowing hair was pulled into a ponytail, with the undercut showing. He was generally self conscious about it, but Hazel put little red jewels over his scar, so even though he was still anxious about his hair, he was proud of her accessorizing enough that he wanted to confidently show it off.
The six month ones were taken in January, and done in all white, which Hazel said, “Looks fabulous on mom and me, but you look like the abominable snowman,” to Simon, on the day of. They were in California by that time, but took a little trip to the mountains because the Monroes had property there that Simon remembered had beautiful scenery that he wanted to have family photos at. 
They did all white shots and winter blues. 
Whenever Simon posted them on Valentines’ Day, Hazel joked in the comments, “I still say that we need to crop your face out.” 
People loved the maternity photos, noticed that Grace did NOT have any on her page and she didn’t comment or react to any on Simon’s page. (Yes, these people pay entirely too much attention to the lives of celebrities that they didn’t even KNOW), but someone did some investigating and found Grace’s pregnancy blog. So… even though that was mostly a completely different following, others stormed into the space, thinking that FINALLY, some place where Grace has actually been interacting and will interact with us. She literally ignored anybody that wasn’t asking about helpful tips for their own pregnancy or giving her helpful tips and the title changed from, “Grace in Maternity” to “Y’all Can See This is a Mommy Blog, Right?”
A few people were seething, but funny enough, Grace’s faithful mommy following were more along the lines of, “Wait… You’re FAMOUS, Monroe Mommy???” After that, she had a hoard of moms check out her other life. She enjoyed having more of them in her fan base, though she also had a lot of ones who had always known being like, “Y’all seriously didn’t know Grace Monroe?” and her favorite quote ever on that blog, “Hell, her album is the reason I AM pregnant!!!”
Meanwhile, Simon had been less likely to play around with any of the fans ever since the video thing. He’d made that very clear, and then sort of stopped interacting with them. He didn’t even go through to like people’s comments anymore. Some of them would say things like, “Whoever resurfaced that video, if we find you, it's on sight for making Simon hate speaking with us!”
Sometimes a person would “Lol” and contend, “He’s too busy working on the Esmoroth movie. He’s not here because of the movie not some fuzzy sex tape from years ago.” 
Those were the only ones that he’d respond to just to say, “No, they’re right,” and nothing else. 
He wasn’t as busy on the Esmoroth movie as he intended to be. He was working on more tech and models for the movie than any other movie things. For one thing, the script was being adapted, and casting was hard. The casting director wanted to get a different type for the Idol Princess, but Simon was extremely firm and clear that the Idol Princess HAD to look exactly as described in the book. “There are parts of the story that are directly related to her looking the way that she does.”
“We can adjust those parts,” the director had said, hoping to appease him. 
“The Idol Princess looks like my childhood best friend. Her look is non negotiable,” he had told them. They didn’t believe in non negotiable, apparently, because the girls that were being considered were all much too light. Whenever Simon had rejected them all, they informed him of those girls’ filmographies and their agents and other people said agents represented.. “Maybe they have that type of record because people are hiring them for roles that were meant to be for someone else. Just… give me all of the call sheets for girl characters who auditioned.” 
He went through and disqualified half on looks alone (not to say that they weren’t pretty children or whatever, but they didn’t look like the Idol Princess). Whenever he had the stack of dark skin girls, he went through, checking their filmographies and auditions.
He asked Hazel for her opinion and she suggested a name that he recognized from his rejected stack. He pulled it back up and looked at the light skinned girl in the photo, "Do you mean this girl, Hazel?" He wondered.
"Yes! She's a really good actress!"
He furrowed his eyebrows and pointed out, "But she doesn't look like the Idol Princess. The Idol Princess has dark brown skin, tightly coiled hair, full nose and lips, and dark brown eyes. This girl has none of those things."
Hazel shrugged her shoulders, "She's really good though."
"Well… maybe some of these other girls are really good and people just don't want to see them in stuff like this." 
Hazel frowned and she asked, "Are you accusing me of favoring her because she's got features like mine?"
"No. I'm just saying that she doesn't look the part. You're usually really good about that kind of thing, Haze."
"Well… I don't know anybody in the age range that looks like the description of the Idol Princess." She folded her arms, "But like you said, maybe that's because people take the easy way out and just get the pretty Black girl that they know of to play a part instead of being true to characters. I've definitely read more books with dark skinned girls than I've seen in movies…"
"Here are some of my choices," he said and spread the sheets out before her. "I think this one has the look, but I think this one had a better audition. BUT, she was auditioning for a background character and this one was auditioning for the Wicked Heiress. Maybe she just didn't have that role in her and should audition for the Idol Princess, so we can know for sure.."
"I think that maybe they should all audition for the Idol Princess again. What if they just didn't believe it would be realistic that they'd get offered a job like this, especially if bigger stars are being considered? Sometimes, I have to talk kids into auditioning for our productions because they're worried that the same actors will win out anyway."
He gave her a side smile, "I think you're onto something, Haze."
.
Hazel sent out the invites for Grace’s baby shower. Unfortunately, all of Grace’s friends lived elsewhere, so it would be an expensive trip. Fortunately, they had money, so the Monroes could foot the bill for everyone who didn’t just have the means to travel across country for an event. 
Meta flew in with Damita from New York the previous week, but he made some business plans to collab with a Cali artist that week, so he was working, as well. Meanwhile, Damita and Grace were spending the week reconnecting and chilling. Shana and Iza came in from Atlanta the night before. Gharrisahn was already in LA for work, so she would swing by the day of. Grace’s parents arranged for Mikayla and Tulip to come down. They were in coach on the same flight that Lucy’s and Lindsay’s moms and they were in first class, so they’d all meet the driver upon landing.
Hazel had on a headset, along with Simon’s assistant and Grace’s assistant, because Hazel had arranged the shower and she wanted to make sure that things went how she meant for them to. 
Grace was in a custom made gown that was inspired by Book 3 of Esmoroth and Simon had been at her side simply staring at her for the entire time she had it on. It had been a surprise. A very nice one that he apparently loved. She hired the costume designer for the movie to make her several pieces, but this one was like the one that the Idol Princess resurrects in. Grace was now hip to the lore enough, mainly from paying attention to Hazel’s ravings, and her and Simon’s movie chat. 
For the most part, Grace didn’t want to have a shower. All of her friends lived elsewhere, the baby was due sort of close to Hazel’s birthday and she still wanted Hazel to be able to have a party - which she doubted would be able to happen if she waited until after they were born, so she wanted to have Hazel’s birthday party, INSTEAD of a shower and Hazel said, “How about you just worry about slaying everybody in your peak perfection pregnancy, and I’ll take care of the shower?” 
With the financial backing of GlamMother, her dad’s big brain, and her own penchant for moments and aesthetics, Hazel tended to be very good at making things come together. She even produced some choreography (Doereography, as she called her pieces), for her and her mother to perform, because, yes, Grace was good and swollen by May, but she also could still do mostly everything that she was doing before with that additional bundle. It did throw her balance off a little and she couldn’t lift Hazel at the moment, but she kept up with every step of the Irish step dancing that Hazel put into the choreo, and she absolutely could still nail every Haitian movement. Hazel wanted to make a birthday choreo with ties to her heritage, and Grace was always very supportive of her doing anything that made her feel connected to her identity. 
For good measure, Hazel looked up cultures from Grace and Simon’s heritages too. She was most accustomed to American jazz/hip hop and ballet. She started at 6, with Grace and when they were apart, Grace used to make instructional videos and post them just for Hazel. Whenever she was 10, she started to tap, and all of the other things in between, she and Grace perfected, and whenever she really wanted to nail something, they’d call in a world class trainer. 
Hazel felt that a world class trainer was needed for the baby shower. Grace very much so disagreed. So, Hazel got her grandmother to get them. “Next time, simply come to me first,” the woman had said. 
Hazel opened up with one of her raps. Her mom’s friends (as always) got their entire lives whenever she would flow - which was possibly the reason that she honed her talent, if she thought about it - and even Simon would be into the groove with things. He didn’t have the best rhythm, but he certainly always looked way taken up with her talent. Grace bouncing around with a round belly was everything in the world to Hazel, and when she was done, she waddled over to hug her. 
They played games, did some traditional shower things and some new things too, that Hazel consulted with celebrity event planners for. When it was time for gifts, Grace froze, looking at the way that everything flowed. It was like her 16th birthday again and she felt like she might have a panic attack. “Grace… It’s okay,” Simon said. She looked at him on the other side of the tete a tete and he smiled, “I learned my lesson. This is straight up simply tribute.” He kissed her on the forehead and she calmed down to receive gifts and cry about everything, but manage to not look ugly doing so, because no matter how comfortable she had gotten over the years, that was still engrained in her as a huge no-no.
Winding down from the party, she found Hazel and her friends at the photo booth, having switched out their baby shower outfits for their birthday party outfits. “Where’s Simon?”
“Bullying people about their gifts,” Hazel said nonchalantly. 
“Oh God…” Grace raced over and smiled, “Hey… what’s uh… what’s going on?”
Mrs. Monroe stood behind Simon with her arms folded and Mr. Laurent was in front of them. Simon answered, “Well, I’m giving people things back that went against the specifications for the list.”
“I don’t remember making specifications for the list.”
“You wouldn’t, because you didn’t, I did. You aren’t particularly great at meticulous things and you don’t pay attention whenever I’m telling you plans like these,” Simon said.
“We’re not gonna send a gift back with the person who gave it to us.”
“What are we gonna do, donate it to charity? Because I am not putting this together for our baby. This company uses…”
“Thank you, Mr. Laurent. Thank you for coming and thank you for this gift.” She gave the man a pat on the hand and smiled at Simon. He was still frowning, along with her mother. “You’re backing him up, now?” She got flashbacks of whenever they used to gang up on her and she was very salty that she had to defend MR. LAURENT of all people against the devastating team and Simon and her mother could be.
“He specifically said nothing from that company ON THE LIST,” her mom said, beginning a tirade against this man, with her and Simon taking turns on letting him know exactly how he’d fucked up.
“Their product is cheap and substandard.”
“They’ve decimated the supply of the people in the area they harness things from TO make cheap product.”
“And they use slave labor!”
“Child slaves.”
“OKAY! Okay… That’s a good company to boycott. But hear me out… Mr. Laurent is a simple man who shops at like three places and definitely doesn’t look up things like that,” Grace said.
To which Simon and Mrs. Monroe both reminded her, (loudly) “It was on the list!”
“I made it clear which companies we weren’t accepting gifts from!”
“It’s already bought.” Simon was going to continue complaining, but Grace took his hands and placed them on her belly and he immediately softened up and stared at it. “This is the most important thing, right?”
He looked up at her and cupped her face, shifting himself to touch foreheads with her. Hazel appeared out of nowhere to bomb the photo that they weren’t even expecting Lucy to take. 
.
“Wait, that was it?” Grace wondered. Let’s be clear… she did go through a lot of pain and it was a tough time in the birthing house, even with Simon right beside her and Hazel, her mother and her best friend nearby. But… it felt like there should be something else happening or that something was missing, that she had neglected something, or like something didn’t happen that was supposed to. 
She supposed that she had simply set her expectations so deeply into the thought of pain, struggle, blood, sweat and tears, that when it came… her imagination had actually run wild. Simon had kept telling her she was doing well and how he was proud of her and other affirmations. He was holding the baby now while she was being cleaned up. 
“Did everything happen?” Grace asked. 
Hazel went over the checklist with her. Yes. Everything happened. “Did I pass out?” No. She was awake. She was there for every grueling minute. It just was a different experience for her than what her mother described, than what she read and interpreted. 
The professionals explained to her how her birthing went relatively well, what to do next, etc. Charlotte, from the center, even talked to her about how it’s not only different for everyone, but how all four of her own pregnancies and births were different from the last. Grace was expecting something terrible to happen within the first few days, just because it didn’t seem like everything had happened! The paranoia died down on day 3 and she simply was back to cuddling with her new baby.
They looked like her, so far. Hazel made them a stuffie of a potato in a diaper… the baby just looked like a potato. She didn’t know how else to express that. Simon worshipped them. He was constantly holding them whenever Grace wasn’t. He was close by whenever she fed them. He took so many photos on his phone that within days, he surpassed all of the ones he had of Monty from the past several months.
NONE of those were going online any time soon. Grace had only posted a few days after giving birth her experience with having done so. She bounced back so quickly and looked so effortlessly beautiful that some people were claiming that she had been trolling and was never actually pregnant. She found that funny, but it also was her cue to duck away from the Internet for a while again. 
The first month of Ivory’s life, they were for the most part a quiet baby. Simon frequently worried that something was wrong, checking, rechecking, then coming back and checking again that they were breathing, awake, happy, etc. Grace was more like, “You’re so gross. Look at you! Drooling all over everything. Little slobbery monster!” She spoke in a high pitched voice that made Ivory smile and kick their little legs around.
“GRACE! Don’t say that!” Simon insisted. “You’re gonna make them feel bad.”
“No way! Ivory’s a tough little cookie, like their Mama. I gonna bite you, Cookie! Mama gonna bite you!” Then she playfully nibbled at their feet and hands. 
Simon studied the baby for a while and determined, “They seem to be enjoying it.” He would then relax a little. 
Hazel was the only person allowed to post photos of Ivory, and comments were always closed. The first one was on Hazel’s birthday. She was in a sundress, tanned a little more than usual and Ivory and she had on matching rompers and sunhats. “Ivory came 13 days before my 13th year. They really said, “I’ma be 13 too, Sis.” Look at them. Tiny. Tiny Potato. Sis has your back for life. #taurustribe #jk #idcboutthat #MonroeSibs #Doetography #HouseLaurent 
And there it was. All that anyone needed to see. You honestly couldn’t tell what the baby looked like, but how could anybody doubt Hazel’s hashtag “House Laurent?”
Simon sort of liked having a private family. He wasn’t sure why he had been so eager to have people acknowledge things before. Even one year ago, he needed for somebody, anybody to know that he slept in the same bed with Grace Monroe. He needed for her to say “I love you.” He needed to hear Hazel call him “dad.” He still loved those things, but he had everything he could have ever wanted… it just looked different than he thought it would. 
Why did he want to “take care of” Grace for so long? She was caoable of taking care of herself, probably better than he was of himself. She had talents (was ALREADY back to working on new dances with Hazel and new music), qualities… God… that smile made him weak… She had several other things too, but if he sat there making a list, he’d be there for a while, and he COULDN’T be there for a while, because Ivory was six weeks old and Grace told him that he could take them with him to work. 
He began strapping the baby into the stroller… “Are you… where are you trying to take my baby?” Grace asked.
“My calendar says that they’re six weeks old. I can take them to work with me.”
 Grace put her hands on her hips and Simon frowned. “You said it. I have a recording of you saying it.”
“Well, I said that we shouldn’t take them anywhere before six weeks…”
“And I set my calendar,” Simon completed the thought and pulled the diaper bag onto his shoulder. “Abigail is bringing Monty, so they’ll have a play date.”
“Oh, she is?” Grace asked, toweling herself down. “Hold on. I’m coming.”
“Grace, I’m gonna be late!”
“I’m not letting you go be a Daddy sized snack with TWO cute babies on you with a cute, perfect bodied nanny with no friends!”
“I don’t think she’s all that cute and I have no idea what her body looks like!”
“It doesn’t look like she pushed a baby out of it six weeks ago!”
“NEITHER DOES YOURS!” 
She came into the room, changed up and smiling, “Awww. That’s so sweet.”
“How did you?” She looked perfect. She looked perfect and she couldn’t have taken any longer than five minutes. And she thought she had anything to worry about? But, he wasn’t complaining. If he had Grace and the baby around, that was just better, all around. 
“I’m staying here,” Hazel told them and continued dancing in the mirror.
Grace was standing on the scooter, with Simon behind her, sporadically kissing her on the neck every now and then, making her smile and gush. Whenever they pulled into the studio Simon took the baby out, which Grace noticed was wearing an oversized heather gray, “Proof he got lucky with Grace Monroe” onesie. “Simon! What did you…?” She gasped and saw that he had a shirt, the same color that read, “I got lucky with Grace Monroe.”
“In my defense, you weren’t supposed to be here today!” Simon told her. 
“How many shirts and onesie sets did you buy?”
“Not a lot. I bought WAY MORE t-shirts than I did onesies.” She fell behind a little and the back of that man’s shirt said “Grace’s Babydaddy.”
“Simon…”
“In my defense… You were right there whenever I walked out of the house wearing it.” She laughed. “It’s just in the studio. I’m working on some mechanics. There’s not gonna be cameras on me or anything.” She was still pouting. “I know that you’re super secretive, but I’m sure that most of the people who give a damn about what we do already know that this is indeed my baby…”
“It’s not that.”
“Well, what is it?”
“Ugh. I wanted to do this whole reveal thing for you on Sunday! I was gonna make this long, sweet post and open my comments and EVERYTHING. Now, I feel like it won’t have the same effect…” His eyes were already all watery, just from her THINKING about doing so.
“Sunday is Father’s Day…”
“Yeah. I can keep my own secrets. Not tell people about my pregnancy or who I bone or how I share time with my daughter or whatever, but I didn’t plan on making you stay in the shadows of my spotlight for the rest of our lives, especially when it comes to this. You’ve been an immense pain in the ass, but you’re a wonderful father and I figured it’d be a good… coming out of sorts for me to acknowledge that on that day.”
He cradled Ivory closely, “You can still do that.”
“Well, you’ve announced it all over your clothes and also… I just told you the entire plan!”
“I love knowing plans!” Simon said. “Here.” He took off the shirt and threw on his hoodie, which it was too hot for and then they changed the baby’s onesie too. “I sort of want to eat it up whenever people actually find out from you that I am indeed, who you bone.” She laughed. “This is the best spoiled surprise that I’ve ever had!”
“Well… I didn’t tell you ALL my plans, so there’s still stuff to look forward to.”
“Yeah?” He asked, casually as they walked inside.
“Mmm hmm.”
“Can I have a hint?”
“Something that starts with the letter P.” Simon turned red and she smiled brightly.
“Uh. Didn’t put THAT on your calendar, did you?” 
His lip dropped, “I DIDN'T!” He frowned, “In my defense… we don’t really do that enough for it to have been something I was counting down to.” He smirked, “But every time we do…” He raised his eyebrows and smiled at her. She bit her lip and shook her head, “Nope. Sunday. You aren’t gonna beard break me, Mr. Laurent.”
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Survey #340
“wash the poison from off my skin  /  show me how to be whole again”
What is one thing that you took to show and tell as a kid? I have this oddly specific memory of bringing my little Snorlax plushie for one in pre-k. I remember thinking everyone thought I was weird for liking Pokemon as a girl. Do you remember losing your first tooth? I don't. Have you ever been addicted to a game? What game? I think I was addicted to World of Warcraft at a point, but it's honestly hard to tell. My depression was just so abysmal that it was the one thing I got even a smidge of not even joy, but active distraction out of because the options of what you can do in the game are essentially limitless. Are you afraid to pop a balloon? Not really, but it does make me jump because I don't like loud noises. Name one person you’d like to see this month. Bitch we fighting Covid, stay away from me. When was the last time you laughed when you shouldn’t have? I don’t know. Which was better: the first The Lion King or the second? They're nearly tied, honestly, but I prefer the original. Do any of your grandparents have a tattoo? I KNOW my maternal grandmother didn't, and I don't believe any other grandparent did, either. When was the last time you had a bubble bath? Not since I was a kid. What do you usually buy when you go to the corner store? You mean like, a gas station or dollar store? Something small like that? In that case, I'll usually look for a Mountain Dew Voltage sometimes along with something Reese's-related. Do you believe that your pets feel love towards you? My cat, absofuckinglutely. He so obviously loves me. I know my snake doesn't though, considering reptilian brains just physically aren't capable of creating that emotion. She does, however, obviously trust me and definitely seems to enjoy coming out of her terrarium and thus hanging out by me. Bubbles or sidewalk chalk? I loved drawing with chalk, but I like bubbles more. I just love how they catch light and have such beautiful colors to share. What do you use to tell time when your gone out somewhere? My phone. Are you proud of your body? FUCK no. I wish I still was, goddammit. I used to be so fit, and it's funny, because even back then at like, 118 lbs at 5'4'', I thought I was kinda chubby. Like bitch shut the fuck up. Watermelon or cherries? I honestly don't like either, but I'll definitely pick watermelon over cherries. They're disgusting. What is your all-time favourite song? "False Flags" by Massive Attack. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Biiiiiitch guess lmao. I think everyone has, though. What is the band you’ve listened to most lately? Definitely 3TEETH. Love 'em. Favourite brand of cookies? Hm, good question. They've gotta be good at making SOFT chocolate chip cookies, though. I don't enjoy crunchy cookies nearly as much. If you could meet anyone who lived before your time, who would it be? I don't really know. Oh, y'know, chatting with Edgar Allan Poe would probably be cool. Do you pay for your own things? I literally can't. It's embarrassing. Have you ever been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance? No. What is one thing you’d never want your parents to find out? Certain sexual things I've done, probably. When you were little, did you like Dr. Suess books? Of course. Have you ever felt trapped in a relationship? I felt that way in my friendship with Colleen, but no romantic relationships. What would you consider unforgivable? Rape. Like no, go to hell. Do you like eating out at restaurants? Pre-Covid, yeah. What do you dislike the most about being the gender that you are? Probably how heavily judged women are for having ANYTHING "wrong" with their appearance. You could be five pounds over what is "normal" for your height and you're seen as fat. One strand of body hair, and you're disgusting. Bushy eyebrows, you're now manly. I could go on and on. Do you think that weed/marijuana should be legalized? Yes. Rate your typing speed on a scale from 1 - 10? 10. Do you enjoy tanning? Ugh, no. Just sitting there doing nothing but sweating. Have you ever written anybody an anonymous note? I have not. What is your favorite condiment to go with french fries? Ketchup. Have you ever laid in a hammock? Yeah; we used to have one. It was the best when we lived in the woods. Do you blow dry your hair or do you let it air out? I just let it air dry. Candles or incense? I prefer incense. Can you juggle? No. Your favorite vegetable? Broccoli. Do you catch lizards? No; I don't like terrifying wildlife. I'd much rather just take pictures of the little guys and let them go about their business. If we returned to a world without internet, what aspect of online life would you miss the most? YouTube, haha. It's more unique and personal entertainment than television, imo. Are you craving anything aside from food, and if so, what? I want a new piercinggggg. What was the last change you made to your lifestyle? I'm *trying* to get back into regularly making art, along with reading. I'm also really trying to implement drinking more water into my day. What was the last thing you gave up doing? *shrug* What was the last thing to boost your self-esteem? What sort of things typically make you feel good about yourself? It really, really helped to hear my PHP group enjoy my poem about gay rights so much. I was so terrified and did NOT want my therapist to share it, but it turned out being very beneficial. To answer the second question, it's pretty much stuff like I just mentioned: positive reactions to things I create. When it comes to food, do you prefer crunchy or softer textures? Definitely softer. Do you prefer savory or sweet things for breakfast? Hm. Depends on the day, ig. What is something small that you take extremely personally? I'm blanking. What was going on the last time you couldn’t sleep? I just... couldn't sleep. That's not rare for me. Have you drawn anything recently? I recently drew a picture of a still from Rammstein's "Mutter" music video, and I'm now working on Sara's 'kat Alucard. If you're going somewhere close by, do you walk? No. One simply does not walk in this town and not fear being shot. Do you prefer colorful notebooks over plain ones? I like colorful ones, particularly those with a nice pattern or something on it. What's your most ambitious goal? I'd consider wanting to be a successful freelance photographer to be rather ambitious. Do you know anyone named Alex? Well, knew, by this point. One of my closest online friends that just got a boyfriend and fell off the face of the planet when we used to talk every day. I'm still hurt about it, honestly. What's your favorite kind of pie? I don't like pie because of the crust being so, well... crusty and crumbly. Have you ever chatted someone up and scored a date? No. How far would you go with someone you just met? Not very far at all. All you're getting is a hug, if even that. What's your favorite meal to have for dinner? I mean, it depends on what I feel like having. I don't have a set favorite meal. What do you daydream about? The future, mostly. People I miss. Have you ever known someone online and then met them in person? If so, which website did you meet on? Yes, Sara. <3 We met via YouTube back when it had much more social connection. Have you ever been to the beach? Yeah, a good number of times. When was the last time you were sick and what illness did you have? I don't believe I've been ill in any sort of way since I had that ungodly ear infection a few years ago. Have you ever been kicked out of somewhere? Yeah, Colleen's house. Mom once tried kicking me out of the car one night otw home, but I didn't listen. Have you ever intentionally trolled? No. How many siblings do your parents have? Mom has two brothers and I think one sister, and Dad has one sister. Who last held your hand? My niece or nephew, dragging me somewhere, haha. Have you seen all the Lord of the Rings movies? No, not interested. What was the last thing you watched on YouTube? I'm watching John Wolfe's playthrough of Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. It's so funny how like... every let's player I watch doesn't enjoy the game, like they miss the incredible symbolism and shy away from the advanced language, and sometimes it's just frustrating to watch them; I only do because I enjoy the game and want to see more people experience it and relive it vicariously. It's very high on my list of favorite games. What sport do you find yourself best at? I wouldn't know; I haven't played any sports in years. I was pretty good at softball as a kid, though. Do you think makeup on guys is freaky or sexy? My opinion shouldn't matter; a man can wear makeup whenever he damn well pleases without worrying what others think. But anyway, I tend to find it attractive, especially if it's goth makeup. Have you ever been accused of a crime you did not commit? No. Do you like pickles? I love dill pickles. What was the craziest moment of your life? Probably just lying in that hospital bed following my OD, my mom and two best friends just sitting there with me. It was such a weird, weird feeling. Like I was just so done, frustrated beyond what I can say. I remember thinking it was almost funny, just how it all built up and went wrong. Where do you spend most of your time? In my room on my bed. What is your favorite muffin? Chocolate chip. Would you ever get a boob job? I already know when/if I lose the weight I want to, it will be kind of a big deal to me and my atrocious body image to get a breast lift. Being overweight ~does things~ you know, and god knows I want every trace of it that can be erased gone. Would you ever go on a reality TV dating show? That's a massive "no" from me, buddy. Would you rather be inside or outside? It depends on where I am and the temperature outside, but generally, inside. Do you like the current president? Well, I voted for him, so I can't shit-talk much. I don't know the true depths of him as a person and all he stands for, though; when I decided I needed to vote, I just did some research on his core values. I don't have any complaints yet, from what I've seen at least, which isn't a lot. Do you whiten your teeth? I've used whitening strips before, but I don't now because they're not that effective. If it's financially plausible at some point in my life, teeth whitening is another thing I want to have medically done because of my previous horrible self-care. My teeth have a clear yellow tint and I hate it. Do you get cold easily? No; it's actually the opposite: I get hot easily. What was the worst sickness you ever had? Probably this one stomach bug I had where I just threw up relentlessly. Like eventually barely even bile would come up; it was just dry heaving. My stomach muscles were in agony. Was your childhood wasted by something? No, thankfully. Would you rather die during an adventure or die like a normal person? A normal person. The idea of having such a sudden death stresses me out for multiple reasons; I mostly don't want my family to just be suddenly devastated, and I honestly want to come to peace with the fact I was dying. Like, find my life's own closure instead of just having it ripped away. Have your parents ever tried to commit suicide? Jesus, I sure hope not. Do you have a gag reflex? A very strong one. Do you ever fantasize about trying drugs? I've wondered before what the effects of weed would be like for me, but "fantasize" is definitely the wrong word. Would you rather have sex before you’re married or wait till marriage? It'd be up to my partner, honestly, because I'm fine with either. What is the nastiest dare you have ever committed? I never did dares because I thought they were stupid. Like I'm not gonna do dumb shit just to show you I can. Do you know anyone who has been raped? I think I might? Have you ever asked someone for a tampon? Yeah. Do you have any exes you can’t stand anymore? No. Are you more of a phone or a computer person? Computer. Do you prefer headphones or earbuds? Earbuds. Headphones are just big and clunky and in the way when you use a laptop in bed, plus they irritate my skin. I like how earbuds actually go in your ears for more direct hearing. Would you ever consider adopting a child with a severe mental illness? If I wanted children, no, because I don't think I'm capable to give a child like that adequate care, being so mentally ill myself. I wouldn't want to risk worsening their condition. Favorite thing to do with a significant other? Play games together, particularly cute multiplayer ones that are more about the experience of playing together versus getting past difficult obstacles and such. Like for example, one of my favorite memories with Jason is simply playing Little Big Planet together. Favorite ice cream topping? I don't like many toppings on my ice cream, but I do love melted hot fudge. First boyfriend/girlfriend’s name? Aaron. Do you support PETA? Considering they are incredibly self-righteous extremists, no. Do you believe in the Big Bang Theory? Well, I believe in some sort of "god" figure that created the universe, so I don't think so. A condensed ball of nothing exploding to create something so extravagant? It sounds pretty far-fetched to me. But then again, maybe that semblance of a "god" I believe in created the universe through that, idk. It doesn't really matter now, though, does it. What happened happened, I'm not very concerned with it. What insect can you not stand the site of? It's more so larvae that I can't stand the sight of, like maggots and stuff. They make me squirm. Do you like Doctor Who? I've only seen one or two episodes, so I can't say. Do you approve of gay marriage? Of course I do. I'm bisexual and would like to get married, so I might marry a woman. Are you into politics? I'm really not. Do you think the world is ending soon? Nah, even though it sure does feel like it sometimes. Ever been to a mosh pit? No, they don't seem very fun at all. Do you like to debate? NO. NO NO NO. Do you like the band System of a Down? Yeah, I do. Are you German? It's a big part of my heritage. Do your parents like your best friend? Yes. Who’s someone you can act your complete self around? Sara, 100%. She's the only person I feel entirely comfortable around when it comes to being myself. Do you believe in Friday the 13th? I don't believe in there being any supernatural power to it, no. Who is your favorite rapper? Eminem. What age is your youngest aunt? Uhhhh I have no idea. Do you like bowling? Sure, it's fun. Do you like roasting marshmallows on a bonfire? I do. What shows or characters scared you as a child? Ghostface from the Scream series was my worst fucking nightmare. I couldn't even see pictures of him without crying. The King Ramses guy from Courage the Cowardly Dog also gave me a number of nightmares. Something about the way he was animated was very unnatural and unnerving to me.
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