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#they WILL be friends whether sl likes it or not

wifiwuxians · 1 year

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'don't touch me.' 'i'm not. (:'

amazing commission i got from @sparklingpixies that i could not be happier with, seriously look at these boys!!!! i can't stop looking at it, it has so much charm and personality and it's exactly what i wanted...

these two and their endless list of possible shenanigans live rent free in my head

#song lan #xue yang #you know how sometimes you just want an incredible artist to draw what you draw #just so you don't feel so alone and also because you think their style would be absolutely perfect for it? that's what happened here #thank you so much i ADORE your art style AGH #world needs more sl art #and more art of these two just hanging out NSA #the hot-cold dynamic is just. my favorite thing and the backdrop is SO CUTE JUST AHH #they WILL be friends whether sl likes it or not

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ufolvr · 8 months

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Robot characters who are given names like SL-308-62 but instead of their human friend going Well let's call you Sally for short, they instead ask the other if they Like their current name.

"Do you like your serial number?" they ask. "Yes, quite. It reminds me of who I am" the robot replies. "I have heard others like me go by different names after some time, and maybe one day I'll choose one for myself, too. But right now that is my full name, yes" they continue.

Because it's not your decision to make whether or not the robot will receive a new name. It should be theirs only. What's the difference? One is more complex and the other is simplified. They were both given by strangers instead of themselves.

"62 will do," they conclude. "It's my model number - there will be no other 62 after me."

#silly example #just thinking about seven threes full serial number. i appreciate that its current given name stems from it #not in a dehumanizing way. not to me. thats who it is.#📡 incoming transmission 📡#self insert #selfshipping #selfship #self ship #robot f/o #robots

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worldlxvlys · 3 months

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can you do more texts w toxic!gf!reader + chris? u write them so well 🫶🏻

texts w/ chris who has a toxic! gf (part 3)

chris sturniolo x reader

warnings: cursing, chris is in a toxic relationship

INCOMING CALL: CHRIS <333

accept decline

“hello?” he answered, his voice cracking slightly.

“hey, you doing ok?” i asked.

“are you?” he asked, trying to shift the focus off of him.

“nice try, but i asked you first” i said.

he chuckled lightly at that, before answering, “i will be when you get here. just seeing that pretty face is enough to cheer me up”

my face broke into an embarrassingly wide grin, and i tried my best to regain my composure.

“good, cause according to find my friends, i’m a minute away”

“i think your phone is slow cause i see you” he spoke.

my eyes scanned the streets through the windshield, looking for the green fresh love crew neck he had on when i dropped him off.

finally spotting him, i drove to him and pulled over.

he hung up the phone as he opened the car door, climbing in.

without a word, chris leaned over the center console and pulled me into a hug.

i gently rubbed his back and pressed a light kiss to his neck.

he took a deep breath in, nuzzling his nose into the crook of my neck.

“i love you so much, chris” i whispered to him.

although he didn’t realize the deeper meaning behind the words, it still felt good to get it off of my chest.

“i love you too, ma. more than you know” he whispered into my neck, his breath tickling my skin.

“she’s a fucking idiot” i spoke as i pulled away, looking him in the eyes.

i brought my hand to his cheek, lightly rubbing it.

“she doesn’t deserve you, chris. i swear to god if i was her, i would never treat you like this” i glanced down at his lips quickly before letting them return back to his eyes.

“you deserve someone who cares about you. someone who’ll look out for you, and be there for you. someone-”

“like you?” he cut me off.

my breathing began to pick up as he stared into my eyes, both of us waiting for the other to make a move.

“chris” i whispered as he leaned in slightly, our noses touching.

suddenly, chris’s phone loudly rang out, signaling he was getting a call.

we both jumped away from each other in surprise, being caught off guard.

“shit” he breathed out, before answering his phone.

“layla? what the hell do you want?” he spoke.

i leaned back in my seat as he continued to talk to his girlfriend, and i attempted to collect myself.

hearing her name was a painful reminder of the reason why i’ve been shoving my feelings for him aside, he has a girlfriend.

i swallowed harshly, trying not to let my face reflect how hurtful the reminder was.

when he finished, he turned to face me.

“did she apologize?” i asked, already knowing the answer.

“no, she didn’t. she pretty much just told me i was overreacting and to come back” he spoke in an annoyed tone.

i rolled my eyes at this, “of course she did. she doesn’t care about anybody’s feelings but her own”

“she’s not always like this, you know? i think she’s just dealing with a lot right now” he spoke up.

“yeah, well, that doesn’t give her the right to take it out on you. and it’d be one thing if she apologized to you and took accountability, but she doesn’t even think she’s doing anything wrong”

he let out a heavy sigh, it was clear that he was overwhelmed. “i know”

“alright, it’s fine. let’s go do something to take your mind off of it. where are we going?” i asked as i buckled my seatbelt.

he followed suit, pulling his seatbelt on. “no clue, got any ideas?”

after thinking for a minute, i spoke “well, i know you’ve been wanting to do a picnic date for a while, whether you’ll admit it or not” he smiled at the thought of it. “and it’s pretty early in the day still”

he raised his brows at me, urging me to continue. “so, how about a picnic date with me?” his eyes widened.

“as friends of course!” i rushed out quickly, “since you…have a girlfriend” i awkwardly trailed off.

“yeah, sounds good” his smile faltered the slightest bit at the mention of her, but quickly grew again.

“aww, you do pay attention when i talk” he spoke.

“of course i do” i looked at him weirdly, before continuing. “looks like we’re getting some food” i grinned.

christophersturniolo just posted !

💟💟💟💟

MASTERLIST #1.

MASTERLIST #2.

tag list: : @lustfulslxt @flowerxbunnie @sturnssx @mattslolita @its-jennarose @sophssturn @bernardsleftbootycheek @queen161718 @cupidsword @imwetforyourmom @nickmillersn1gf @stramboli4life @mattsneezing @chrisstankyleg @sturniolobltch @ciarasturn1 @bethsturn @bernardenjoyer @mbbsgf @rac00ns-are-c00l4 @ssturniolo @blueeyedbesson @mxqdii @sturniolowhore @heraakayourname @defnotayonna @urmom2bitch @abbie13sworld @starsturniolo @hearts4chriss @theyluv-meee @carolinalikesthings @itzdarling @chrisstopherfilmed @judespoision @sstvrnioloo @littlebookworm803 @nicksdrpepper @chrisloyalgf @robins-scoop @fandomhopped @chr1sgirl4life @bbglmfao @55sturn @sturniolololover @meg-sturniolo @mattsnymphette @leah-loves-lilies @vanteguccir @ineedchriscock

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featherlouise · 5 days

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Exploring some concepts for a slightly older Ghost!! I imagine them as about 8-9ish during the game.

I’ve been neglecting them in most of my AUs lmao, I think it’s time for some Ghost centric stuff shxhxjxj (also they’re VERY fun to draw)

After killing the Radiance, the siblings take some time to rest and recuperate, and at some point decide to try and rebuild Hallownest. Hornet takes over Deepnest, taking her rightful place as Queen, while Hollow becomes king of Hallownest. While Ghost is technically the crown prince, it’s more in name than anything, as they would rather run the Path of Pain handcuffed in the dark than have that kinda responsibility (also they’re like. 13 by this point)

Some tidbits about their design and this AU for those interested:

- They resemble their mother more than PK, and as a result their horns are more like branches and grow to resemble antlers!!

- They also have a faint wood grain pattern all over their body

- Vessels typically have small glowing white dots on their bodies, and darker spots on their face and horns (I’ve been referring to them as soul spots and void freckles shbxxn), and you can generally tell whether they’re more proficient in soul magic or void magic depending on how many of either they have!!

(E.g. Hollow has a few void freckles, but they are COVERED in soul spots, meanwhile Ghost has a few soul spots but they have a TON of void freckles).

When they come into their power as Shade Lord, Ghost’s soul spots are swallowed by their void, and as they get older more void freckles appear until their horns are entirely black.

- I like the idea of Ghost’s power as SL showing in their physical form more as they get older, like their mortal body can’t contain their entire being, so it leaks out in the form of wispy void hair, void freckles, etc etc

- When they started rebuilding, there became a sudden need for formal clothing once again, so Hornet raids every closet in the White Palace to cannibalise the different dresses and robes into something presentable (luckily Ghost fits into most of Hornet’s old stuff)

(Assume the White Palace appears again at some point (finding PK’s corpse is a VERY fun time for Holly ahahaha))

- With the discovery of kingdoms beyond the Wastelands (via Silksong), the siblings start reaching out in the hopes of establishing some trade routes, and getting some help with the rebuilding effort

This opens some opportunities for visits from neighbouring royals (and pooossibly some new friends for Ghost, they need to meet people their age lmaooo)

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writing-in-glitter-pen · 8 months

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I’ve given it your name

so I had the sereniteapot conversation with Diluc where he awkwardly offers to name a drink after the traveler and BAM a WAVE no no a FLOOD of inspiration hit me. This dork has all of my attention now. I just have to write about how he falls in love with you ♡

also I CACKLED when the traveler was like ummm...maybe not...

poor Diluc (ㅠ‸ㅠ) he was trying to shoot his shot

don't worry love, I'll fix this.

Diluc x fem!reader II fluff

Nothing could shake Diluc.

In every sense of the word, he was a man of steel. From the way his armor forebodingly clangs as he protects the streets of Mondstadt from the dark of the night to the stone faced expression he wears like a birthmark.

No one could have a conversation with him without shaking in their boots at their approach, wary of drawing his intimidating gaze. Angel's share had a pattern of always being much less rowdy when Diluc was bartending...

Adelinde and Kaeya were the only two people who had no circumspection when it came to their family member. And yes, even though Adelinde is a maid and Kaeya is his estranged brother, there was a silent, subconcious agreement between the three that they were a family...whether they liked it or not...and Adelinde seemed to be the only one to like it.

Adeline could nag Diluc about taking care of himself and Kaeya could bug him to no end without any fear of his retalliation. Sure, Diluc would swing Kaeya like a claymore into the fountain at the heart of the city without a moment of hesitation, but Kaeya would never be afraid of him, not like strangers were.

Diluc did not mind the distance between him and others. He was resolved in limiting his relationships, limiting how close he'd let somone get to him, always concerned with what ulterior motives a person is hiding...

...then you came along.

The night you walked into his tavern, the world seemed to change it's hue. The moment he first saw you, it was like you'd pulled all of the air out of his lungs. You were...so beautiful. Just your features alone moved him in a way no other person had. His eyes followed your movement throughout the room as you mosied around to chat with your aquaintances and friends. An aura of soft, comforting light eminated from you, brightening the atmosphere of the room just by your presence in it.

You were glowing. So much so that he felt like he had to avert his gaze to keep his eyes from burning...but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pry them from you.

For once, he was the one afraid of drawing the attention of another person.

But there you were, propped up on his counter by your forearms, beaming at him like his own personal sun.

"Good evening! Could I get a Death After Noon, please?"

Of course your voice had to ring like the purest silver bell. It sent shivers up his spine. He was truly beginning to wonder if you were an angel...

...to the point that he was so lost in thought he forgot to respond, and he was staring.

It didn't help that his resting gaze was a foreboding grimace.

"...would that be alright?", you asked, confused. Did you offend him?

He came to, giving his head a quick shake and clearing his throat.

"...certainly." was all he could state, quickly turning his attention to fixing your drink.

Diluc had a strict rule against accepting orders for Death After Noons. Whenever a guest would request it, he would authoritatively refuse. The cocktail was Kaeya's favorite drink, so Diluc had banned it from his tavern as a way of deterring his drunkard brother. If Kaeya wanted his treasured liquor, he would just have to bug Diona for it instead...and Diluc felt more secure having Kaeya at her tavern to look after her. But he would never admit to that.

The fact that Diluc had shown not even a moment of reservation at your request had heads turning.

In a blink of an eye, Diluc sat your cocktail in front of you in the prettiest glass he had. Although he hadn't made this drink in who knows how long, he was careful not to let it slip below perfect standards; even though you were only a stranger, he was...desparate for you to like what he made for you.

He expected you to take it and leave like the other patrons did, as no one but a blacked out Venti felt comfortable in the close proximity to him, but you slipped right onto the barstool in front of him and scooted yourself up to sip the drink.

The pleased hum that left your throat had Diluc awash with pride.

You were a treasure.

"So this is your tavern?"

...was that addressed to him? He wasn't sure if he had just hallucinated or not. Did you...want to talk to him?

"...hello?"

With another jolt of recognition, he snapped back to reality. You really were trying to talk to him.

"Sorry, yes. I own the place."

"You must be Diluc then! Kaeya's told me a lot about you."

"Oh, has he."

Fuck.

He could not mask the distaste in his tone, having nearly growled the statement before he could catch himself. If his odd response time and tense physicality hadn't already deterred you, his intimidating attitude was sure to. He braced for your discomfort.

"So you really don't like him!" you giggled, taking another gleeful sip of your drink. "That's alright. Hating your family members comes and goes."

Every statement you made had him reeling. You fell right into step with him despite his awkward pace--everything about him that had even his close aquaintences in a cautious state of mind flew right over your head. You looked right past his guarded demeanor and spoke to him, not his personage.

"...I suppose it does.", he agreed; it was hard not to see your point when your voice was so charming.

The way your twinkling eyes held his softened his gaze--your joyful character brought the faintest upturn to his lips. The cheer in his typically cold expression had the drunkards of the tavern pouring their drinks out--cutting themselves off for the night because the liquor must have them seeing things. Diluc Ragindvr can't smile.

"What's your favorite drink?", you asked, not wanting your conversation to die out. You just had a natural affinity for him; his elusive and restrained character made you want to learn more, and despite his first impressions, he seemed like a nice guy!

As he answered that he doesn't drink and your conversation continued on, he tried to compose the bashfulness your attention caused him, busying himself so he wouldn't have to look you into your gorgeous doe eyes. Their existence alone threatened to send him into cardiac arrest. He was white knuckling his countenance, battling with his body to keep a blush from staining his cheeks every time his gaze met yours.

You were a chatty one, jumping from meaningless topic to meaningless topic with a tell me about this, tell me about that, how do you feel about this?, what do you think about that?

Diluc loathed small talk. Not only did aimless chatter annoy him, he also just wasn't good at making conversation that wasn't straight to the point. He had trouble with bluntness, and had to think about his responses thoroughly before he stated them--it was exhausting to converse properly, so he didn't like to waste energy doing it with no purpose.

...but somehow, it wasn't as hard with you. There was no limit to your understanding, so he felt safe getting tongue-tied or making conversational mistakes. You didn't seem to mind at all, which kept him talking, and if a chat with him would entertain you, he would gladly participate.

You stayed all the way until closing, never leaving the best seat in the house. Even when he had to attend to other customers, breaking the flow of your conversation, you'd wait patiently for his attenion again. You were such a sweetheart, he couldn't imagine what he did to earn your interest, but he was completely, hopelessly stirred by you.

When you tried to pay your tab, he was almost offended, closing your fist before you could set your mora down--an action that sent the palm of his hand that connected with your soft skin ablaze.

"Our discussion was payment enough."

Your smile gripped his heart like a vice, your adorable "thank you" ringing in his ears even after you'd turned and left.

"Eye talg to you all tha time an you don pay my tab?", slurred the drunken bard who had made the dark corner of the bar counter his permanent residence.

"Go home, Venti."

˚₊‧꒰ა❤︎໒꒱ ‧₊

From then on, you and Diluc had become budding friends! Your visits to his tavern were always appreciated; you held his willing attenion for as long as you'd stay, and the more you learned about one another, the more your fondness grew.

You two had even started meeting outside of the tavern, taking walks together or sharing lunch--and when you'd need to leave the safety of the nation's gates to run an errand, he'd insist on accompanying you, no matter how busy his work day was.

Soon, the goo-goo eyes you gave each other that the tavern patrons momentarily mistook for the brink of alcohol poisioning became the gossip of Mondstadt. There was not a civillian of the nation that didn't have an interest in the wine tycoon, meaning any crumb about his rumored love life was devoured gluttonously. After the hearsay reached her ears, Donna dissapeared for a week. Now, the flowers in her shop get a little extra water every time you walk by...because she sobs into the pots.

The only person in the entirety of Mondstadt that hadn't been made aware of Diluc's obvious crush was you.

You were too wrapped up in your own feelings for him to notice his hints slapping you across the face.

The way he'd offer to help you out with difficult tasks or get you something that you want, or even go as far as to give you little gifts that he'd come by with you in mind, all went right over your head. Sure, they'd have your heart fluttering, but you were afraid to assume his intentions, mistaking his favor for you as just courteous friendship.

You'd developed quite a collection of his affections: a small bundle of lavender he'd cut for you on his walk into town--that you'd dried and kept as a decoration in your room, a special glass he'd reserved for exclusively your drinks at his tavern, even falcon privilages.

If you needed to send a message to him, it'd be expedited by his dutiful bird. How his falcon always happened to be around when you needed to send word to Diluc, you hadn't a clue...unknowing that he had charged it with looking after you in his stead. He needed to be sure that if you were ever in danger, he'd be alerted immediately; the thought of you being defenseless in the face of peril had him clenching his jaw in anxiety--you were just too perfect to be left vulnerable to the darkness of this world.

Though his heart would sieze with panic every time he had an incoming message from you, assuming you were in desparate need of his help, he couldn't stay mad about the mini heart attack you gave him when the non-emergency message you sent was a sweet invite to yours for tea or a funny thought that had come to your mind.

He kept every single letter.

At a certain point, the sparse, light touches and amorous looks between you two became increasingly indicative of your shared feelings.

After the last time you hosted him for tea, and that moment where you two were saying goodbye at your open front door...standing just close enough to feel one another's breath on your lips...both of you hesitating just long enough for the other one to lean in for a kiss...before he politely cleared his throat and took his leave...

...that had you sleepless, tossing and turning with butterflies, all night.

You were dying for him to make a move on you.

...but that was a challenge for Diluc.

He was respectful to a debilitating degree--the last thing he'd want is to make you uncomfortable if his affection for you is not reciprocated. He'd hate if any mistake of his were to weaken your close relationship.

He didn't have what you two had with anyone else--he cherished your connection. If it was scuttled by his doing, the grief he'd feel would be immense.

And beyond that, he's never been skilled at expressing his emotions. At a certain point, intentionally having your guard up leads to an inability to let anything come out. Every time he's tried to tell you how beautiful you look, how dear to him you are, the words just get jumbled up and can't escape his throat. He always ends up saying something like, "this day has been a nice one.", or, "I appreciate your time.".

He doesn't know that those statements settle in your heart and make their home there. That you don't forget them.

After that moment you shared at your front door, where he had to mentally restrain the animalistic urge to just pull you in for a kiss then and there, he decided he could no longer let his adoration for you go unsaid.

Truly, he knew he had a responsibility to say something for fear that if he didn't, and you continued to see him, he'd eventually lose that mental struggle and throw aside his composure as a gentleman in lieu of satisfying the need to touch you, to have you.

It had become an unbearable craving.

The night he confessed, you'd entered Angel's share at your scheduled time--the hour of night where there's typically a lull in activity at the tavern, when everyone has drank just enough to need to slow down and you can have Diluc's undivided attention.

When you rolled into the seat that practically had your name on it at this point, he'd already had a drink waiting for you in the signature glass he'd gotten for you--modeled after a small lamp grass flower with a blue hue.

From the look of it, you didn't recognize the cocktail he'd made for you, and after taking a sip, you realized it was nothing you'd tasted before; it was sweet like honey and had a sour sting to it with floral notes, and the typical sharp taste of alcohol was well disguised, making it slip down your throat pleasantly.

Your happy hum after tasting a cocktail he'd made for you never failed to fill Diluc with satisfaction.

"Is this a new recipe?"

He nodded once.

"What's in it? It's divine.", you sigh, trying your best to keep from downing it too quickly.

"Mead, honeysuckle, lemon juice, gin...", an influx of nerves ran up from his stomach to his heart, but he refused to cower, "...and all my love for you.".

Your attention snapped from the golden drink to his face, surprise turning your cheeks pink and making your eyes go wide. Your gaze met his, which had been intensely focused on you since you'd walked in. You now found him leaning over you, face just above yours as he supported himself with his large hands on either side of where you sat---less of caging you in, and more of framing you, like a beautiful piece of artwork he stayed to admire.

"...I've given it your name."

This felt like a dream.

He'd formulated a cocktail with you in mind, using a god-given honey wine and the sweetest flower in existance, designing an original, saccharine flavor full of warmth and life...full of his deepest adoration...and gave it your name.

He gave it your name.

"...may I kiss you?", he breathed, a quiet desparation in his voice.

Not a moment after your speechless, timid nod, his restraint snapped and he closed the short distance between you two, finally claiming your lips as his own.

And, just like he imagined,

you were sweet.

˚₊‧꒰ა❤︎໒꒱ ‧₊

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theminecraftbee · 6 months

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do you think dl pearl and sl lizzie would've gotten along?

OKAY SO I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS. and i think the answer depends on a lot of factors actually because like... okay lizzie and pearl have SIMILAR arcs but, crucially, they have different responses and attitudes about those arcs and also two hurt people who are lashing out at others. are not. in a headspace to easily make friends necessarily.

so we're gonna have to... i think it depends on whether you say "these are those guys in the MIDDLE of their arc" or "these are those guys AFTER their arc". most of the time i think people mean "if they're in the same series" so it would be during, and the answer is "i think dl pearl would be a LOT more willing to make friends than sl lizzie would be".

so like okay. let's unpack that. so let's start with dl pearl. while she's somewhat defined by being alone, lashing out at people, it's 5 am pearl she's doing questionable things and isolating herself in response to the fact everyone has shunned her, it's not that she doesn't want friends. she opens MOST of her interactions with being willing to open a hand of friendship, it's just that everyone rejects her as 'crazy' or 'dangerous', or she's just like, not really wanted as a friend for some reason or another. and then she lashes out, and tells herself she's fine alone anyway, but the key is she does want the friends.

also of note is that, while pearl is associated with being a red name because her COLOR scheme was red and she had her red name skin on basically the whole time, she... wasn't. she wasn't a red name. she was one of the last yellow names actually she only went red in basically the last episode. she was PLAYING UP being red. she was PLAYING IN to the narrative she was dangerous. but she... wasn't actually on red, and while she's often ATTRIBUTED revenge as a motive, it was less revenge and more a defensive "if you're going to treat me as evil i'll show you evil", if that makes sense.

so like, i could see pearl, in a similar scenario to when she allied with ren and martyn, trying to befriend lizzie. because she would see herself in lizzie! hell, arguably secret life pearl DOES do that! but even mid-arc, worst of herself double life pearl would go "oh you ALSO have a broken heart maybe we can be demons together?" to lizzie i think.

the problem is that i don't know if lizzie would buy it.

SO. secret life lizzie. so the thing is about secret life lizzie is that she is ALSO rejected by the people around her. the difference is, it's not for some perceived quality in her that makes her dangerous; she sort of starts isolating herself first, before she tries to reach out. this is because if i had to attribute a trait to life series lizzie it might be paranoid? ineffectually paranoid, she's not paranoid in a way that's useful, but like. she tends to perceive everyone around her as Weirdos who are Dangerous and Out to Get Her. she's the only sensible one around here in her mind. (note that this is not me assigning lizzie of all people as ACTUALLY the sensible one are you kidding me have you seen that lady. this is me saying this is how she tends to see the world.)

this, in turn, works against her. when she's first trying to get everyone to sleep and then everyone to go to the end--in other words, getting everyone to show up to her party--they don't. and it's not, typically, so much because they personally distrust her. (note the way people talked about lizzie was REALLY not the same way people talked about pearl at all!) it's because lizzie has given them no reason to trust her. she's not an ally, she's obviously trying to do a task, it's possibly a trap, the end is really dangerous, so... thanks but the last party in this series had explosives under it.

the END RESULT is still lizzie being isolated! the END RESULT is still her resentful and alone after no one but joel shows up to her slumber party! but the root causes are a little different. true, you could argue pearl is rejected in part because of her own actions, but it's not in the same way lizzie is. pearl was WILLING to trust, even afterwards, and gets rejected both because of a system that ended up stacked against her and because of one mistake she's not being allowed to make up for. she's persecuted and seen as evil. lizzie, meanwhile, is rejected indirectly, less a rejection of her as a person and more a result of the fact that lizzie doesn't play the social game well, doesn't trust anyone herself, and puts herself at risk as a result of that.

anyway this also adds up with. lizzie was turned red by a horrible careless accident by jimmy. pearl was turned red as part of the final hunt of all the red names on the server, an intentional act. lizzie died first. pearl died last. lizzie was resentful and wanted revenge as a red name, both because of her rejection and because that's who she is as a person. pearl wanted to win as a red name, and her actions as a red name more followed from her already existing actions. pearl was willing to trust and have loyalty, but no one was willing to return it. lizzie doesn't want to have to trust or be loyal in the first place.

the RESULT? i think double life pearl would offer to be friends with lizzie and lizzie would decide that pearl was a crazy person who was mocking her. and which way that ends up resolving to--a friendship, an enemyship, a mutual respect--would be a FASCINATING story to explore from there.

anyway there are people who are better lizzie and pearl experts than me who probably have more to add her and bits of my character interpretation to confirm or deny (lord knows i could have them very wrong i am not good at writing out meta that isn't in the form of a fic) but in conclusion: this too is yuri,

#answered #secret life smp #double life smp #pearlescentmoon #ldshadowlady #BECAUSE THIS ENDED UP BEING AN ESSAY AND A HALF I WILL MAINTAG IT #i don't normally do meta posts but when i do #also god someone write me this fic PLEASE #please i need them to interact PLEASE

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philistiniphagottini · 2 months

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hi i hope you don’t mind my coming back 😅 as i mentioned before i really enjoyed how you wrote my request before! c:

i had this kinda specific idea of something along the lines of a confession that gets rushed along via the ever famous only one bed trope with cloud strife? soft cloud is rare and underrated <3

thank you if you take this on, as always no pressure! all the best!! :D

Hi, welcome back! :D Oh my god yes, we need more soft Cloud, he's such a sweet bean. Thanks for the request, I had a lot of fun writing this. And sorry, I got a little carried away and it's over 2.5k words :P I hope you like it~

cw. fluff

"Sorry, this is all they had left…"

You blinked slowly, eyes drinking in the current predicament both you and your friend, Cloud, had somehow managed to land in. Your eyebrow twitched in irritation as a loud sigh fell from your parted lips, blowing a few stray strands of hair off of your exhausted features. Just great. Of course, the only room left available in this cheap ass motel just so happened to only have one bed in it. Yep, that would be your luck.

Your tired eyes scanned the dimly lit room, the light flickering occasionally as it struggled to stay on. You could empathize. After a tiring day of running errands and fighting off monsters, your lights were struggling to stay on as well. You noted how small the room was and it only caused you further irritation, seeing as how you and Cloud would have to huddle together like mackerel and live on top of each other for the next few hours. But what did you expect for such a cheap price? And there was no way in hell you were sleeping outside again. You had enough fill of outdoor camping to last you a lifetime. With another small huff you gave Cloud a tired look, noticing how the tension in his shoulders had yet to ease since he broke the news. It was highly inconvenient for both of you but it wasn’t his fault. No, you’d just let the owner have an earful in the morning. Right now, you were too exhausted to complain. You just wanted sleep.

"It’s fine, Cloud" you said, a small smile tilting your lips as you tried to ease his worries. "It’s not your fault."

He nodded along to your words but a pensive frown still tugged at his lips, eyebrows pinched together as he silently chewed on his lips. It was obvious something was bothering him but you decided not to push it further. Instead, you dropped your bag at the foot of the bed and proceeded to kick your shoes off.

"Well, we could complain about this all night but it’s probably better to just get some rest" you stated.

Your eyes flickered back to where Cloud was. He had yet to move from the door. You sat at the edge of the bed, the springs creaking loudly in protest as your heavy boots hit the floor with a dull thud.

"Could you close the door?" you asked.

Cloud finally stirred from his thoughts at the sound of your voice. "Huh? Uh…sure."

He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. He dropped his bag beside yours as his eyes scanned the room. There really wasn’t a lot of floor space left and he was starting to regret booking a room here for the night. He should have tried to find somewhere else. Though, he doubted you would have been too pleased with that idea. You had claimed that if you had to stay seated on his bike for even one more mile you were going to hurl. His eyes flickered in your direction as you scooted further onto the bed, deciding to settle one side as you rearrange the pillows to your liking. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly, heart racing in his ears as his cheeks started to burn. He didn’t know if his poor heart would be able to handle this tonight. Having you sleep so close next to him, barely any room between your bodies. He was pretty sure if that happened the massive crush he had on you was going to inevitably get so much worse after tonight.

Cloud continued to stand at the foot of the bed awkwardly, debating whether he could actually huddle up into a ball on the floor and sleep comfortably. His attention snapped back to you when you cleared your throat.

"What are you doing?" you asked.

Cloud opened his mouth to speak but he decided to close it. He gathered his thoughts, eyes flicking nervously between you and the floor as he finally spoke up.

"I think I should sleep on the floor tonight" he mumbled softly.

You rolled your eyes so hard they almost disappeared into the back of your head. "No, you won’t."

Cloud’s frown only deepened. His lips parted but you cut him off before he could argue with you.

"You are not sleeping on that shitty floor tonight. There’s no room for you down there. Just take your gear off and get into bed."

"But-"

"I don’t want to hear some bullshit about you trying to be considerate, Cloud" you continued. "We’re grown ass adults; we can sleep in the same bed without it being weird."

Cloud’s posture was still tense, like he was anticipating an attack from an unknown source. You offered him a soft smile.

"I promise I won’t bite" you added with a teasing remark.

Cloud scowled softly as he waved his hand at you dismissively. "Alright, alright. I get your point. Man, you’re stubborn."

"Takes one to know one~"

His lips twitched into a ghost of a smile as he turned his back to you, proceeding to take off his clunky gear and settle in for the night. His heart would not stop racing, fingers trembling as he undid the various clasps and buckles of his uniform, both elation and trepidation making his blood boil beneath his skin. And if it wasn’t for his own heartbeat droning so loudly in his ears, he might have been able to pick up on your own rambunctious heartbeat threatening to break free from your chest. You were silently screaming on the inside as you buried yourself under the covers of the blanket, mind swirling with thoughts that kept spinning like a record so fast that it made you dizzy. You started picking at the lint under your fingernails to try and keep your mind occupied but it wasn’t working. You were going to spend the night with the man you liked and it made your head feel giddy. You had been friends with Cloud for a very long time and somewhere along the way, your feelings for him shifted. What started out with mutual respect and pure platonic feelings bloomed into pure affection and ever longing yearning. You didn’t know if your poor heart was going to be able to take it this evening, having Cloud so close to you.

Once the last of Cloud’s gear clattered to the floor he straightened his back with a long sigh. He was tired so tired and sore from such a stressful day, yet the tension in his muscles refused to ease. He doubted he would get any rest tonight sleeping next to you. He stepped towards the door, making sure that it was locked before securing his weapon close to the side of the bed he would be sleeping on.

"I’m going to turn the light out now" he said.

You hummed in response, eyes falling shut when the light switched off, bathing the room in darkness. You tried your best to remain still, hands clasped tightly to your chest as your ears perked up to the sound of Cloud moving to the other side of the bed. Your pulse spiked rapidly as the mattress abruptly dipped, springs creaking as he settled in beside you. He hesitated for a moment but decided to join you under the covers, his back almost touching yours as he subconsciously shuffled closer to the warmth your body provided. You could feel him so close to you and you almost rolled away as your heart threatened to leap out of your throat. But if you did that, you’d just end up on the floor. This bed could just barely fit both of you on it. At least it was decently comfortable. Not the best but you’ve slept on worse. And at this point, anything was better than the cold scent of dirt and the unforgiving earth beneath you.

"Goodnight" you whispered into the darkness.

"Night" Cloud replied softly.

You buried your face further into your pillow, body curling further into yourself as you tried to focus on sleep and not the warm body that was resting right behind you. The soft chirps of crickets filled your ears, accompanied by Cloud’s light breaths tumbling from his slightly ajar lips. The darkness was a small comfort as your eyes felt heavy and you tried to get your wandering mind to sleep for the night.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Then fifteen minutes passed.

Your eyes cracked open as an irritated huff stirred in the back of your throat. You fidgeted, moving your body to try and fall into a more comfortable position. Your eyes slipped close once more as you nudged your cheek against your pillow. Another five minutes eventually passed. A long sigh blew out your lips as you flipped onto your back, eyes peeling open to stare at the ceiling above your head, the old fan spinning above you barely even blowing a gentle breeze in your direction.

"Cloud, you awake?"

He hummed in response.

"I can’t sleep."

"Me neither" he admitted.

You turned your head in his direction, a frown pulling at your lips as you stared at his back. His shoulders were almost pressed against his ears, tension winding tight in his muscles as his body refused to relax next to you.

"Are you okay?" you asked. "You’ve been tense ever since we got here."

Cloud nodded; strands of his wild blond hair ruffled against the pillow supporting his head.

"I’m fine."

You didn’t believe him. You rolled over to face him, your breathing wavering as you slowly reached out to him. His spine went rigid as you placed the warm palm of your hand between his shoulder blades, his skin erupting with goosebumps at your mere touch. You slowly ran your hand along the ridges of his spine, trying to soothe the ache in his muscles.

"Come on, you can tell little ol’ me" you spoke gently. "Something is clearly bothering you."

"No, it isn’t" Cloud denied.

"Yes, it is" you prodded, your fingers poking at his arm. "Tell me."

"No."

You scowled. "Cloud-"

He couldn’t take it anymore. The soft melody of your voice whispering so soothingly next to his ear, the soft dulcet tones of concern lacing your voice. The way your hand felt on his body, accompanied by the trace of your fingertips. His head felt like it was going to explode, heart swelling with so much affection that it all came spilling out.

"I like you" he blurted.

As soon as the words left his lips, he wished he could pluck them out of the air and shove them back down his throat. That was not supposed to come out. This was not at all how he imagined he would confess to you. Any scenario but this one. Perhaps you hadn’t heard him? But that thought was quickly dashed. Your silence spoke volumes.

You fell eerily still behind him, the ministrations of your hand pausing. You stared at the back of his head in disbelief as every single thought in your head came to a screeching halt. Did you hear him right? Surely you didn’t. There was no way Cloud thought of you more than just a friend…right? Your tongue darted over your dry lips as you swallowed the lump in your throat, the gears in your brain working overtime to start moving again.

"I…huh?"

That was the only response that could work its way out of your mouth. You were frozen stiff, eyes wide and ready to pop out of your skull. Cloud shifted, slowly turning over to face you. Even in the darkness, you could see the bright shade of pink that dusted his cheeks and crept up to the tips of his ears. His eyes flickered around nervously, refusing to settle on one part of your face and instead focusing on any minute twitch in your expression. He sighed. You had obviously heard him and there wasn’t any going back now. He had to be brave and take the plunge. His hands slowly reached out and grabbed yours, fingers curling around your wrists and pressing against the sensitive pulse of your wrists. Your skin was boiling as he looked down at you with lidded eyes, lips so close you could almost taste him on the tip of your tongue. You did not pull away and he saw it as a sign to press forward.

"I said I like you" Cloud repeated, his voice much softer and intimate than before. "I have liked you for a long time now."

The tension in the air was so thick now you could cut it with a knife. The longer you continued to stare into Cloud’s bright eyes, the more you realised how sincere his words were. He wasn’t joking. He was serious. If you were dreaming right now, then you didn’t want to wake up. His warm breath tickled your skin as you took a deep breath, his familiar scent curling in your lungs and making your chest feel light. His fingers rubbed against the sensitive skin of your wrists; the pads of his fingertips lightly calloused from years of fighting. You were silent for a long time as Cloud patiently waited for you to pick the right words out of your head to respond. Much like his confession, the next words you spoke were rushed out on impulse.

"Kiss me."

Cloud blinked rapidly in response, the flush of his skin getting hotter as he stared down at you.

"Huh?"

Now it was his turn to act dumbfounded.

"Kiss me" you repeated, softly; slowly.

Your eyes lingered on his lightly chapped lips, the soft curve so enticingly inviting. The emotions inside of you were ready to boil over and you weren’t sure if you were going to start laughing or crying from the intense swell you felt inside your chest. You sucked down a sharp breath as Cloud suddenly leaned in and closed the distance between your lips. His lips were a lot softer than you imagined and before you knew it, you were kissing him back. The contact between you was much too brief for your liking. When Cloud pulled away to allow you to catch your breath, you were eager for more.

"Again?"

He obliged and placed another chaste kiss on your lips. Your eyes were lidded when he pulled back.

"Again."

You barely got the words out before your lips were smothered by his again. A contented noise stirred in your throat as you threw your arms around his neck, body pressing and tangling closer to one another in the passionate embrace. You were so happy that words couldn’t describe. It felt like a weight had been lifted off you, months and months of one-sided pining finally being reciprocated in a way you didn’t think possible. You didn’t know if you could pull away once you got a taste. The tension in Cloud’s body finally eased as his arms coiled around your waist and squeezed you tight, his excitement and relief of your acceptance expressed in the way he pressed his lisp to yours, his awkwardness slowly fading with each small brush.

"I like you too" you suddenly said; realising that you actually hadn’t verbally confirmed your feelings.

Cloud smiled softly as he pecked your lips once more. He didn’t need to hear you say it. All your affection for him had already been poured into your breath-taking kisses.

"I’m glad" he replied, lips tasting the shape of your mouth.

He squeezed your waist tightly, grip nearly bruising as the air was slowly squeezed from your lungs. You couldn’t contain your breathless giggles. You nuzzled your face against his, the tip of your nose brushing along the bridge of his as you smiled softly.

"I think we have a lot of lost time to catch up on" you said.

#my writing #request #ff7 #ff7 cloud #cloud strife #cloud strife x reader #gn!reader #x reader #fluff

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pinkorchidsinspring · 4 months

Text

Why is no one talking about how Taylor named herself “chairman of the tortured poets society”?

Don’t swifties see that if not her sexuality- Taylor has been tortured by something, internally, externally even?

What could a white billionaire such as the Taylor Swift be tortured by?

I’d go as far as to connect it to the lakes:

A SONG WHERE SHE LITERALLY SAYS:

Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die

And then proceeds to list all the reasons she wants to go to the lakes?

The hunters with 📱 cellphones

Sounds a lot like the fans… specifically the ones who don’t know when to stop, and think that they have an invite to criticize her body, and sexualize her friends, and write headlines like “Do you have to be a supermodel with a**ets to be in Taylor’s circle?”. She’s tired of the dissecting, of the sheer inability of these people to ignore any queer references she makes in her art, in order to benefit their ice queen sl*t! Narrative of her.

She doesn’t belong in this society, much like the poets before her.

This homophobic society that will rip apart anyone who pushes the boundaries. That will make any snide remarks possible if she came out, like “for a queer woman” at award ceremonies, or reduce her to her body if they can’t hate on her art.

Her beloved doesn’t belong in this society either

I wonder why her beloved doesn’t belong in this patriarchal, set-up-for-straight-white-males society if he’s a straight white male? “Oh he’s more sensitive than other men”… or Maybe her beloved is a gay woman…🧍‍♀️

Old issues that should be over, have burrowed under her skin, and now hurt her in heart stopping waves of hurt

I don’t even need to say anything about this one.

Name dropping sleezes who tell her what her words are worth

Whether this is a direct reference to Kanye, and scooter, or just in general people who do this. Seems like she’s speaking against the people who tell her what her words are worth… after all, shade never made anybody less gay…

She wants auroras and sad prose

Are none of you getting yet that she’s got a lovely woe is me closeted lesbian thing going on here?

She wants wisteria to grow over her bare feet, because she hasn’t moved in years, and she wants her muse right by her side when it’s growing.

Open your eyes. She wants her muse to be standing by her side WHEN THE WISTERIA GROWS, does that sound like someone who is allowed to stand next to who she wants to on a red carpet without judgement?! Oh and by the way @sunshineheist brought to my attention that wisteria and lavender grow all over the mountains in Big Sur. She’s just writing songs about her mortal enemies though. Obviously.

In conclusion, this is no consequence:

#thank you #the tortured poets department #taylor swift #gay icons #kaylor

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kithtaehyung · 2 years

Text

anytime (3tan) (m) | myg

title: anytime pairing: 3tan!yoongi x reader(f) series: masterlist | three tangerines | fireworks | house party | basketball | stay | sidewalk talk | friends | dalo | like that rating/genre: m (18+) ; angst , fluff , smut ; brother’s best friend au, implied age gap au summary: your brother is finally back. which makes for a bunch of conflicting worries that you may need to address. warnings: angst, yoongi in general lol, lots of dialogue i’m so sorry, tae being a menace, yoongi on the phone, 3tan sibling scenes!!, thinking thinking, jimin being jimin, masturbation, dirty talk, sl*t mentions, did i say yoongi on the phone?, alcohol, house party, so many interactions, just… yoongi🥺 note: ah.. well. it’s finally here. thank you endlessly to @sugakookitty for being the angel beta you are, and thank you all for being so patient and understanding as i worked on this while still recovering from the writing process of dalo! i know it’s been a minute, so. i worked like hell on this the past week. if you haven’t read any of the three tangerines series yet, i highly recommend reading those first! it will make so much more sense lol note 2: saving the rest of my thoughts for the end bc i have many! just enjoy :D total word count: 16k+ release date: july 23rd, 2022, 2:17pm est

Back to normal.

With the coming of one, singular sunrise, everything has gone back to normal.

Curling your fingers into worn sheets, you stare unblinking at the space once occupied. At the way the material has bunched in frozen peaks and valleys, previously crinkled by passion and loudly unspoken feelings.

Whatever transpired just hours ago will be imprinted on your soul forever. You may even wear it on your sleeve, if only to remind yourself that something shifted between the hours of suspense and shelter.

Because Yoongi didn’t just let you into his place last night.

He let you into his heart.

Through his actions, his decisions, his words. All of them served as a door, his eyes the windows that couldn’t lie about what they contained.

You don’t know much still. And you will come to deny a lot more. But one thing is for sure: since you stepped foot inside, you aren’t sure if you’re ready to leave just yet.

Or ever.

Fucking hell, your chest feels so hollow it’s a wonder you’re still functioning—

“Yoongi? What are you doing here?”

Your eyes snap to your open doorway.

“Sup.”

What.

Catapulting yourself out of bed, you’re already warring with yourself on whether to go out there or not. Because what the fuck is happening?

Why is Yoongi still here?

You skid to a halt at your entryway, as if the edge of a cliff is millimeters from your toes.

It may as well be. You seem to be in freefall already.

Bits of conversation can be heard from where you stand, and you strain your ears to pick up every single word you can grab from down the hall.

“—happening?”

“Relax. Something went down last night.”

“What the fuck. Here?”

“Dalo.”

“The fuck happened? Why didn’t anyone—”

“Jimin took care of it.”

Your brows could kiss from being so close.

What the hell is going on?

One, why is Yoongi talking so calmly? Two and three and four, why isn’t your brother as loud as you thought he’d be?

“He was there, too?”

“Yeah. But she’s okay. I’ll head out now.”

Fuck fuck fuck your heart is already suffering from how you woke up. Because you never got a chance to say goodbye.

And now it’s gonna happen a second time?

Do you step out? Do you stay there? Can you handle either one of those options?

Your feet are already moving on their own accord, oversized shirt slightly catching in the wind you make in your approach.

Wait, when did you even put clothes on? You don’t remember a single thing after…

Stop. You can’t worry about that now. Right at this moment, you just need to see him.

Because you don’t know when you’ll get another chance.

Their voices are a lot clearer the closer you get to the main hallway.

“K. You good?”

“What? Yeah.”

“Okay. Thanks for looking out, dude. Fuck.”

“No sweat. Apparently she didn’t even need us. Almost fought him herself.”

You freeze midstep as your brother huffs a small sound.

“That right?”

“Yeah, Chim was saying something like that.”

“Good to know. She could whoop my ass if she wanted to, honestly.”

Yoongi’s hum of amusement is nothing but agreeable. “She should.”

“Bitch. Outta my house.”

They both laugh and start saying goodbye, which pulls your feet into the hall completely. Standing. Staring. Probably an absolute wreck but you don’t care.

Yoongi’s shoulder taps your brother’s before he spots you, and you can tell that he didn’t expect you to be awake.

All the oxygen is yanked from your lungs as his eyes still on your awaiting form, but you can’t do anything because you get another look and greeting,

“Morning!”

“Morning,” you croak, voice chipped and hollow.

Eyes sliding back to Yoongi, you wanna say a lot more than that. But words are all competing against each other and clogging up your throat—because you can’t.

How do you thank someone for being so perfect? How do you show what you want to say without confessing something no one else present should hear?

An entire glossary of terms jams inside your teeth, black letters staining your tongue. In the end, you settle with,

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Your airway seizes. Ducts burn.

Don’t react. You cannot. No matter how hard your heart is clenching right now, you cannot make this seem like anything more than gratitude.

Despite it being so, enormously more than that.

You nod, which Yoongi takes as a cue to regard your brother. “See ya.”

“We’ll catch up later.”

Your overnight guardian agrees with a nod of his own, and you wonder if he thought about looking at you one more time before departing, or didn’t think about it at all.

When the door shuts, it’s like a switch that triggers you to spin around and head back to your—

“Hey, come here.”

Goddamn it.

“Hold on,” you rush out as you back around a corner, palms rubbing your eyes before steeling your lack of any resolve. After seconds, you make your way back to the front.

Only to get crushed in a hug, arms encasing and smushing you into a fresh tee.

Because of what happened, because your heart is in halves, or because of your brother being the stupid, soft idiot he is sometimes, you don’t push him away. Maybe it’s all three and something extra. But you exhale deep, feet still, trying incredibly hard to not to show anymore tears.

“Sorry I wasn’t there.”

Brows pinched, you shift your head. “You would’ve gotten arrested.”

“Did you have a good time before that?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s good, at least.”

Though the moment is needed, something feels odd.

Normally, this would be the part where he goes back to his normal, judgmental, assumptive self. Something about “you were still there” or “you still could’ve avoided it somehow.”

But he doesn’t say anything like that this time.

What’s up with him?

Breathing in, you smell his familiar cologne before asking, “Isn’t this the part where you yell at me.”

“Oh, I’m fucking pissed,” he admits before loosening his hold. “But nah, not at you.”

“Good. Because I’ll just yell at you, too,” you sigh. After he scoffs, you extricate yourself and add, “If I wasn’t so tired.”

“You okay, though?”

“Yeah.” You step away and he lets you, and you use that opening to head into the kitchen.

Do you feel like cooking? No. But it’ll be a good distraction. From how you feel, from last night, and from this already strange morning.

“You sure?”

Opening the fridge, you take some things out while repeating, “Yeah. Yoongi and Jimin were there.”

“I heard.”

You set down all your items, moving to fetch a pan as your brother leans against a counter with his arms crossed. Interest somewhat piqued, you wonder why he’s burning holes into the perfectly fine tile.

Why is he acting like this? Why hasn’t he even asked about Yoongi?

“What were you wearing?”

“Excuse me?”

There he is.

“Was it what you wore—”

“You know damn well what I wore doesn’t matter, so quit asking,” you bite, slamming the pan down a lot harder than you intended. Or just as hard.

Infuriating. Even though your brother is overprotective as fuck, he should know better than that. Wasn’t he just asking if you had fun? What did any of this have to do with your outfit?

“Shit, sorry,” he backtracks, face scrunched and a palm digging divots into his forehead. “I just—I’m jet lagged and pissed but you’re right.”

After chucking some food scraps in the pan, the sizzles that spring forth serve as the only sounds in the kitchen. Hints of hot butter bloom around your cheeks, and you contain your need to aim daggers your brother’s way, knowing that his fuse should run out in due time.

Both of your attitudes should change as soon as the meal is ready anyway.

Finally sparing him a glance, you notice that he’s still angry with the floor, cheek prodded in deep thought and brows set in a peculiar line.

Hmm. He could just be pissed this happened while he was out of town.

But something still seems really weird. Odd. Like you have all the right pieces but they’re for a completely different puzzle.

Turning the burner low, you take a nearby electric kettle from its stand. “What’s up with you?”

Your sibling’s eyes follow as you fill the glass container. “Nothing,” he mutters. “Just tired.”

“How about this,” you offer, back to setting the kettle down and starting it with a click. “I let you eat all the food, and you let me know the truth.”

“About what?”

The conversation you heard between him and Yoongi was way too suspicious. How did he not even flinch at Jimin being involved? Wouldn’t he question it just a tiny bit that both Yoongi and Jimin were with you? At a club, no less?

Nothing makes sense.

“About what’s on your mind,” you finally respond, voice heavy with exhaustion.

It’s a wonder you’re even awake. The lingering effects of last night hang onto you like bricks, both from your body and from your overworked brain.

Truthfully, you want nothing more but to sleep and forget about everything for the time being. “But if you really don’t wanna tell me, then whatever.”

Your brother just watches as you divvy the food into two servings instead of one, bringing them to a familiar table backed against familiar windows. When you turn, the slight scrape of a chair follows as he sits at his usual spot, and it’s quiet as you pour some tea.

Just like you have every time he comes back from a trip.

You don’t know when that started becoming tradition. But it has become instinct at this point. Just one of the few things you do as a family, whether it’s in the early, dewy hours of morning, or when even birds are fast asleep.

Steam spirals from his cup as you set it down with a heavy clunk. Taking your usual spot adjacent to him, you scoot your chair in. Not particularly doing anything else.

“Thanks.”

“Mmhmm.”

Neither of you move to eat.

Work crawls just as slow as your mind does, with the sludge of all your thoughts and worries jamming its various gears.

What do you do now? How are you supposed to feel after an unforgettable week you can’t get back?

You said yourself that things will go back to normal. But saying something is a hell of a lot easier than actually living it because you feel ridiculously incomplete. One check in the mirror would show that you’re all in one piece, sure.

But on the inside?

Your chest is both a lot heavier and a lot lighter than it used to be. Like a significant part of you has been replaced with solid stone.

How that’s possible, you can’t even begin to fathom.

Retreating to the bathrooms, you shut yourself in a stall and fish out your phone, staring at a lockscreen that shows no notifications that have your heartbeat skipping.

Can you even text him?

No, right? Yes? Maybe?

If he’s at work, he’d be way too busy to just text. But if you send something weighty, he may not respond to that, either. If he’s with your brother, that could result in a talk you don’t wanna have yet.

Ugh.

Why is this even harder now!

But Yoongi said he’d figure something out. Knowing him—because you’d like to think you do now, to some degree—he wouldn’t just say that for nothing. He wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it.

Still… The mere notion of texting someone shouldn’t make you go through a mental maze.

Squeezing your eyes in frustration, you decide to let your fingers write for you.

Only to find out that they’re just as indecisive.

You [typing]: hi

You:

You [typing]: hi old man

You:

You [typing]: hey

You:

Hearing someone come in, you click your phone shut, sighing before lugging your heavy heart back to work.

And it’s the most un-Friday Friday you’ve ever been through.

“Door’s open!”

Upon entering Taehyung’s place, you’re immediately hit with the smell of bread.

Is he making his signature sandwiches? You would’ve asked him to make you one if you hadn't arrived with lunch.

Have to repay him for his favor, after all.

Why does that feel so long ago?

Setting your bag on his couch, you catch sight of him in the kitchen a half-room over. “Hey, Tae. I’m paying up.”

Immediately, he whips his head around. After eyeing the bag you put on his coffee table, a dramatic groan sails out of his mouth. “Damn it.”

“What?”

He looks at you before observing something you can’t see. But it turns out that your assumptions were correct. “I just wasted a shit ton of jelly.”

A laugh escapes as you start taking out what you brought, paper bag obnoxiously loud. “Just leave it for dessert!”

“Nope. It’s best fresh.”

You pause. “Then have that instead?”

“But I want your food now.”

Damn it, Taehyung. You massage your forehead out of necessity, knowing you will never fully understand this man’s brain. “Okay,” you relent. “Bring it over, I’ll eat it.”

Both of you settle onto his sofa after he grabs some plates. While searching for a movie, he runs through everything you told him on the way from work,

“So he took you back to his place.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Took you home.”

“Yeah.”

“And stayed.”

“…Yeah.”

“Well…” Your friend leans back, raking dark bangs away from his forehead. After a pause so long that it makes you nervous, he breaks, “Shit.”

“I know,” you sigh, staring at the small, weighty to-go rice in your hand. “He did so much.”

“I mean…” While you’re still stewing in contemplation, he hunches forward to grab a hefty portion of noodles. And when he continues, it’s nothing like you expect,

“Pretty sure that means he’s yours.”

Fuck.

The box in your hand almost hits the floor. Heart beating in over-over-overdrive, you find it hard to process any coherent thoughts. “Be serious,” you shoot out, fingers tight around the container.

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

“The bar was already low, mister fresh jelly.”

Taehyung simply turns to aim a smirk your way. “You’re the one that put it there, Missus Min.”

And he bursts into laughter when you hide your face behind the rice.

“Shut up, please,” you groan, earning even more hearty chuckles from your best friend.

“No! You’re so gone, look at you!”

Sighing in a mix of embarrassment and pain, you set the box down and start gathering your own food. “It’s not like that, Tae. We’re not together, remember?”

The sound he makes is enough to show how convinced he is. “I’m not even the one in your situation and I’m swooning. How can you not see what’s happening?”

“It’s not that I can’t.”

“Then what?”

“It’s that I shouldn’t,” you whisper, moving stuff around your plate. “Even if we were a thing… we’d have to just sneak around. Like damn kids.”

While you’re wallowing in your own thoughts, Taehyung sits in silence, too. The movie he finally settled on rolls the beginning sequence, but neither of your gazes fall anywhere close to the screen.

After awhile, you hear him comment, “Sneaking around… Ah, that’ll break you.”

There’s a weight attached to his words, and your eyes can’t help but follow them to the floor.

Why does it feel like he’s talking to more than just you? He’s been acting pretty shady the past week. Or is that just you projecting your own sneaky behavior?

Well. Inconspicuous or not, it’s not going great.

Exhaling, you slowly admit, “Jimin already knows.”

Taehyung’s sudden stare makes you wince.

“I don’t know how,” you sigh onto your food. “But that night, Yoongi just said that he knows. I don’t know how the fuck that happened unless he said something, but. I also don’t see why he’d do that.”

“Umm.”

You turn.

“That’s on me.”

“What?” Completely thrown, your jaw unhinges from betrayal. “You told him? You snitched?”

“No! No.” In his haste to placate, Taehyung bites his lip and sighs, hand patting the sofa in defeat. “Not exactly.”

“Then how…”

“He was here. The night Reia called me.” He claws through his hair, a little rougher than last time. As his bangs sway forward in rebellious waves, you wonder if there’s more to the story he tells. “When I had to cover for you.”

“Oh.”

“It was weird. He was actually flipping out when they said you weren’t responding.”

Wait. Jimin? Why the hell would he do that? If anything, you’d think he would just sit around and watch everything unfold with amusement. “What the? Why?”

“I dunno. I was obviously dealing with a lot so I didn’t really process, but. After I hung up, he kept asking me where you were.” He shrugs. “So I told him where you could be.”

“What did he say?”

“Not much, actually. He looked… Fine? Then obviously he connected the dots, so. Pretty sure he suspects at least something now.” He inspects his nails before choosing one to bite, a habit he still hasn’t grown out of. “Sorry.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” you quickly assure, wondering what any and all of this could mean. While some things make sense now, there’s even more questions coming to the forefront. “I’m just confused.”

“Same.”

Why did Jimin react like that? Why did he question Tae where you were? It makes practically zero sense, just like his little tease before the intramural game.

Now you really need to know what the fuck happened there. If you get the opportunity to find out, you’re not letting it escape.

But first…

You flash a smug look at your best friend.

“So… Jimin, huh?”

And he stops biting to aim big eyes your way. Then forward.

“It’s complicated.”

You:

You [typing]: thank you

You:

“Oh, my god, hi!”

“Hey, Yuri,” you sigh into your phone. As you drop your bag onto your bedroom floor, you apologize, “Sorry I didn’t answer earlier.”

Her voice is enough to penetrate through your other ear, so you set the device on speaker before tossing it on your comforter.

“No worries! Just wanted to check on you.”

Comfy clothes. You need to be in comfortable clothes as quick as possible. As much as you love Taehyung, his insistence that you come straight from work meant prolonging your discomfort.

You shuck your work garments off while halfway responding, “I’m fine.”

“Okay… You don’t really sound like it, though.”

“Yeah, I know,” you sigh again, pulling a tee over your head.

You still haven’t gotten anything from Yoongi. There’s barely any fight in your bones right now. “But it’s whatever.”

“I’m sorry. Did something happen last night? Do you wanna talk about it?”

Classic Yuri with the onslaught of questions. Always wanting to kn—

Wait.

What did she ask?

Jimin didn’t tell them?

Huh.

You just figured he said what went down before rallying them to leave Dalo. The fact that he didn’t say anything strikes you as a little out of character.

Well. Now paired with what Tae mentioned… Maybe something should make sense here.

“Babe? I’m so sorry if I’m being annoying.”

“Oh, fuck, my bad,” you rush out. “You aren’t. I just thought you all knew.”

“Well, maybe they know. I was just way too drunk.”

“Ah, yeah.” A chuckle leaves your mouth. “Damn, you were gone gone.”

She elongates her agreement before adding a bit of explanation,

“It’s all Rohan’s fault.”

Exaggerating a sigh, you shake your head as you flop onto your bed. “Do I need to draw swords?”

Her laugh always reminds you of bubbles. Pretty bubbles that fill grassy backyards and playgrounds with pops of delicate rainbows.

“No, I’m kidding. He actually… Umm. He asked me out.”

“What!” Air rushes around you as you shoot up on your elbow, moving to change the call into a videocall instead.

Another laugh erupts before the call is switched, and you stare right into Yuri’s frustratingly perfect skin as she’s walking down a hallway. “Bitch!” you yell. “When!”

“Wait, hold on.” Her smile is all you see until she enters a room, and the movements make it through your phone before she answers, “Earlier today!”

“How?” You’re so delighted that your smile is genuine, ears perked and ready to hear every little thing about how this all happened. “What did you say?”

“I didn’t think you’d be this invested,” she giggles before sitting on her bed. Propping her phone on what you think is a pillow—or one of her many plushies—she fixes her hair while continuing, “You usually just tolerate stuff like this.”

“I mean,” you stutter, realizing that she’s right. You never truly bought into all the mushy stuff since your experience with relationships isn’t exactly sunshine. Rainbows? Yeah. But not much sunshine.

Not until recently, at least. “True, but. I really am happy for you.”

“Thank you,” she squeals, expression a mix of gratitude and delight. You can tell she wanted to talk about it but held back, which makes her storytelling even more special. “It just— I was so surprised! He took me to this super fancy place, right? And then he even bought me a ring—”

“A ring? When’s the wedding?”

“Okay, I flipped out at it, too, but! He said he just really wanted to get it for me.”

“Damn.” Your curve is warm. “That’s fucking cute.”

“I hate him actually,” she whispers, to which you chuckle at while feeling like your chest has suddenly caved in. “Maybe your little mystery man will do something, too!”

And an overwhelming feeling of sadness swallows you whole.

“Maybe,” you murmur, heart slowly bleeding out of the cracks Tae warned you about. “Maybe.”

“Oh, I’m also inviting everyone over tomorrow. Can you come?”

“Yeah, that sounds—” You stop when you hear the front opening, and your brother’s voice is distinguishable even through your bedroom door.

Looking at the time to see how many hours you have left to wallow in suffering, you sulk after you count. Desperate and slightly melancholy, you ask, “Actually, can I just come over now?”

“And spend the night? Duh!” Yuri gets up and goes out of frame, but you can still hear her. “Mom’ll be happy to see you again. And she’s been making mandu all day, so. Hope you’re hungry.”

You could cry.

Dumplings?

Comfort food is exactly what you need right now.

“Starving,” you manage through a half-smile. “I can leave whenever.”

“Then hurry up!” She finally reappears in the frame with more casual clothes, and you wonder if you caught her just as she was coming home from her date. “We aren’t done talking about mystery man. I have so many questions.”

You fake a groan, brain churning with mixed emotions.

Of course you wanna scream about him from multiple rooftops. But you also just yearn to talk about him openly at all, and the fact that you can’t has you shutting yourself in a proverbial basement.

“Okay, okay,” you acquiesce anyway—as usual. “Be there soon.”

After you both end the call, it doesn’t take you too long to pack. You don’t necessarily need to change, either, so you’re vacating your room in no time.

Voices spill into the hallway as you make your way to the door.

“Going to—”

Stopping in your strides, your bag swings into your thigh while you count four pairs of eyes. Two of them you recognize as people in your brother’s friend circle, and one of them…

Mystery man himself.

“Oh. Hi, guys.”

They all greet you in varying volumes, with Yoongi simply throwing a look over his shoulder from his seat on the couch.

How the fuck does he look better each time you see him?

Turning to your brother—definitely not to stare too hard at someone else in the room—you announce, “I’m staying at Yuri’s.”

“K. You eat yet?”

Your hand connects with the doorknob but your shoulders spring up in excitement. “No, but her mom’s making mandu,” you giddily respond, stretching out the ending syllable in singsong.

One of the guys shouts from his chair, “Hey, bring some back!”

“No!” You laugh as your brother does, because he already knows what you’re gonna say. “I never share dumplings.”

“It’s true.”

“Dumplings sound good as fuck.”

“Why do you think I want some?”

“Okay, I’m really leaving now,” you huff through a smile before sparing one last glance at Yoongi.

And the slight, upward lift of his mouth makes your pulse jump.

Good sign. That’s a good sign, right?

You really hope they don’t notice how incredibly shy you become. “Have fun.”

“See ya!”

“Bye!”

“Later!”

With their goodbyes on your ankles, you head out the door, exhaling like you just ran a marathon.

The night at Yuri’s is refreshing, with her mom doting on you and having you eat until you can’t move from the dining table. After a comforting, talkative meal, you’re able to speak somewhat freely about things in the plush castle that Yuri calls her bed.

You tell her what happened at Dalo, to which she hugs you tight enough to squeeze out some tears. And you tell her about your so-called mystery man, if only to bring her out of the sad funk your scare put her in.

And with each wholesome scenario, you see her perk back up to normal. There’s still some lingering pity and understanding in her eyes—understandable and relatable—so you decide to tell her more than you initially intended.

Remembering everything the two of you did together, though, it’s no wonder you feel a vast emptiness in your chest. Whatever happened during this week will be remembered for years and, even if that is all you get with Yoongi, it can be enough. More than enough.

Or can it?

An outright squeal causes you to retreat into your shell. “You’re so in love!”

“Shh!”

“What! You totally are.”

Covering your entire face with one of Yuri’s plushies, your muffled reminder is the same you gave Taehyung, “We aren’t even a thing.”

“Yeah, right. You’re practically married.”

The stuffed hamster quickly ends up in her face.

Giggling, she clutches it in her arms while being downright ridiculous. “I bet you even picture yourself having his kids.”

What?

Your mind fizzes, bubbling with a million scenarios you hadn’t even thought of yet and all of them are giving you grief.

Could you really? Something like that? Why is the answer already solidifying in your mind?

You’re so caught up in Yuri’s earlier statement that the next one almost goes unheard.

“Mystery guy would do anything for you. And I don’t blame him at all.” She runs a couple fingers through her hair, eyes viewing stars beyond her canopy. “He probably would’ve lost his shit if he saw—”

Her pause ends when she turns your way. “Oh, crap. Sorry if—”

“It’s okay,” you whisper. “You’re probably right.”

“Sorry. I’m still upset just thinking about it. I would’ve lost my shit, too.”

“Jimin was there. As far as mystery man, I dunno.” You readjust yourself on your side to face her, but your eyes stay glued to her sheets. “All my exes moved on pretty damn quick, so. Who’s to say he won’t.”

“Probably him.”

It’s so spot on that your breath catches in your throat.

How are things so obvious to her? Are they this obvious to everyone else and you’re simply the only one blocking yourself from what’s really going on?

This is some mental punishment for consistently being told or shown you’re not worth someone’s time, isn’t it? Isn’t it?

Why the fuck do all your exes get this much power over you?

Voice tiny, you finally whisper, “If you say so.” You go to grab another plushie, hugging it and finding comfort in its fluff. “I’m just still unsure about the whole thing.”

“I was, too. But… Rohan saying something first made me realize that I could’ve done the same. And we probably would’ve been happier a lot sooner.”

“Why didn’t you before again? He’s older or something?”

Yuri sighs before brushing nonexistent hair on her plush. “Mm, that was part of it. Really, I was just worried people wouldn’t, umm. Accept him? I guess?”

As she laughs to herself, she doesn’t see the look on your face. “But honestly… Who really cares, anyway? He’s a good guy. And why should I care, you know?”

If only you were as strong. You feel like you’re witnessing a champion, cheering Yuri on from the sidelines as she overcomes all obstacles to break the final ribbon.

Because she’s gone through shit similar to yours. So to see her conquer her past makes your future just a bit brighter. “I’m happy for y’all.”

“Thanks!” She grins, adorably puffing her cheeks on her beloved hamster. “I’m rooting for you both, too.”

Swallowing, you only nod, not a single word daring to run out of your mouth.

Can you also do it, though? Make it to your own finish line?

Maybe.

But you don’t even know if you have one yet.

You:

You [typing]: i

You:

You [typing]: sgskgskdl

You:

The neighborhoods in your town haven’t changed much.

Aside from the trees being taller, almost everything else is the same. Cracks still residing in the same sidewalks; kids still riding the same bikes; one random elderly on their front porch still eyeing everything with suspicion.

Even the people seem to have stayed. You still recognize a good amount of them as you and your friends currently traverse down one of the worn, sunny sidewalks.

While Reia and Yuri laugh about something together up ahead, you and Dom lag behind to people watch.

“Mm, there goes Missus Gata again.”

“Is it really still Missus?”

“It is. But are you surprised?”

“No.”

Both of you politely raise your arms in greeting, watching as the older lady moves on to water another rosebush.

From your friend’s hard angles and posture, you can tell that she isn’t done with you after your alarming confession to her and Reia. After they arrived at Yuri’s, it wasn’t long before you were told to let them know what happened, since apparently they weren’t briefed on it, either.

But you don’t expect her to talk about it so soon—and in broad daylight.

“So that really happened? At Dalo?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I am not.”

Though her mouth forms shapes, she doesn’t offer anything else, shaking her head and biting her lip instead.

You use the heated pause to point out, “I’m just shocked Jimin didn’t say anything.”

“Honestly? I’m a little glad he didn’t. Because I would’ve hunted that motherfucker down.”

“Hey!”

The two of you look ahead to see Yuri wave before pointing, and you follow her hand to one of the small playgrounds dotting the area.

It seems even that area hasn’t changed. You still see the familiar swing set, jungle gym, and seesaw taking residence there.

Since it’s currently vacant, all four of you walk up to different structures, with Reia and Yuri taking the swings and you and Dom the central climbing gym.

Heart heavy, you wonder if you can say what’s been plaguing your mind since yesterday. The others are far enough away to not hear what you’re about to disclose, right? And Dom would know to keep it down.

But is outside really the right place for something like this?

You make a decision as your friend steps onto the first couple platforms. Feet planted, you squint up and admit,

“That wasn’t everything that happened.”

Immediately, Dominique turns to face you, brows scrunched in waiting.

Huffing, you grab onto a pole to lift yourself onto the steps. The metal is warm instead of scorching hot, and you briefly wonder if the paint is new.

Focusing, you continue as you follow Dom up to the top level of the gym, “He took me back to his place. Made sure I was good.”

“Mm. How’d that go.”

Over the creaks of swings and loud laughter, you give your friend a rundown of how the night went. How Yoongi never left your side until you said it was okay; how he told you it wasn’t your fault; how he drove you home and surprisingly stayed the whole night.

You leave out the more intimate parts, but Dom is still rooted in her opinion.

“What did I tell you? It’s far from over.”

Looking down at the rest of the playground, you lean on a bright railing and sigh, “He hasn’t said anything since he left.”

“Have you?”

You wince. “…No.”

A snort pings off your shoulder, and you watch as Dom joins you, looking at the others with sun-narrowed eyes. “Well. I’m no expert on his type, but. I don’t think he’s gonna say anything until you do.”

Your lips purse as you agree in silence. That’s what you’ve been thinking was the case, which makes your indecisiveness even harder to deal with.

And yet, you still haven’t gotten rid of the little devil wedged deep inside your ear. “But what if he’s just… I dunno, moved on already?”

“Oh, come on. Really?”

“Fuck, okay. Fine,” you easily bow out, knowing your doubts are getting less and less traction. Things are finally starting to sink in, especially after Dalo—and your conversations from yesterday.

Pushing off the metal, you grip it until heat permeates your palms. “But it’s complicated. Like, I know there’s something there. But I also don’t get it, you know?”

“Oh, you get it. You just don’t want to. Cus you’re scared of what it really is.”

“Maybe,” you muse, leaning forward again as a merciful cloud blocks the Sun. “But. It’s not like anything can happen anyway.”

“Why not? Look at me and tell me why you both can’t just date already.”

You freeze, the words said aloud enough to ignite your entire body. A brief skip or two punctures your chest, and you feel every limb liquifying into mush all at once.

Finish line. Is that your finish line?

But no one else is in your situation. So no one else would understand why your course is a bit more complicated than others.

Turning, you nudge your chin into the crook of your elbow. “Because… Well, what if it doesn’t work out? What if there’s a fallout and my brother gets involved?” Sorrow overpowers hope on your tongue as you avert your gaze. “I don’t want them to suffer because of me.”

“What if it does work out? What if everything is completely fine?”

You flash your eyes back upward.

Dom sighs before she crosses her forearms. “Listen. I’m gonna need you to fight that stubborn ass head of yours and think about this for a second. Yeah, it could be messy. But is that enough to stop you from trying?”

Well. Your head is undoubtedly stubborn.

But it’s even more difficult when it goes by precedence.

“All my exes have been messy. I don’t want to do that to him, too. What if it’s me?”

Your deprecation is knocked off the climbing gym by a scoff. “What? Girl. What are you even saying? That dude blew off the entire neighborhood. For you.”

“Dom, please,” you beg as she straightens. “I don’t—”

“Do you miss him?”

“What?”

“Don’t what me. Do you miss him.”

Your eyes once again find the playground floor, drifting over to the untouched seesaw.

If only your mind was that still.

Sighing, you answer, “Yeah.”

“Exactly. And it’s been, what, two days?” You hear nails tap the railing in fed up metallic pings. “How would it feel if it was a month? Fuck it, a year? What then?”

“I’d…” You let your answer fade, not knowing how it was going to end anyway.

Because before, you were completely okay not hearing about Yoongi for months at a time. Seeing him once while back home was just a passing event—albeit a handsome one—so the time between didn’t really affect you.

But now?

Thinking about that same scenario feels like how agony must taste. No matter how many times you swallow, you can’t seem to get the suffering out of your mouth.

So you readily admit, “It would hurt so fucking much.”

“Exactly. And I bet you everything that he would feel the same.”

Dom leaves your high perch after that, and you lift your head before clanging after her to another section of the structure. “He hasn’t even said anything, though.”

“Neither have you! Both of you haven’t.” When she comes to the edge of a sturdy bridge, she looks over her shoulder to add, “At least he has an excuse.”

While you join her on the blocks, you ask what she means.

“He probably doesn’t want your brother catching on or something.” Finding a spot to settle in the very middle, the two of you lean on the rails to watch cars drive past a ways away. “I hate this whole let-them-talk-first shit he’s pulling, but. It kinda makes sense this time.”

Not encased by towers, it’s easier for your voices to get lost in the open summer air. Your mind seems to clear a bit, too, if only to be a little more accepting.

Because Dominique’s argument has made the most sense thus far. “What do I even say?”

“I dunno. Hi? I miss you? I love you and I’m an idiot?”

And the amount of sense plummets to zero. “Dom!”

“What? I’m right!”

Tripped up by a new phrase that has your heart gasping, you think the bridge is swaying a lot more than it truly is. Swaying, rocking, twisting, looping. You may as well be on a rollercoaster with the array of emotions you feel spiraling across your veins.

Nope. There’s no way.

You brace yourself and think about more concrete things. Concepts that you can grasp in the present.

And suddenly, texting Yoongi doesn’t sound difficult after all.

“I could just say hi and see what happens.”

Your logical friend turns to look at you before providing more advice, “Don’t overthink this. Just initiate. Every other time, he better commit.”

A smile finally graces your face as you softly nudge her with an elbow. “Look at you,” you joke. “You warming up to him?”

“I never said that.”

Her laugh joins yours after a second, and the calm silence that follows reminds you of every summer you’ve ever lived.

When the curve of your grin starts to fade, Dom’s voice floats on the breeze once again. “Look. All I’m saying is… He makes you happier than I’ve ever seen you. And I think that’s cus he makes you happy with yourself.”

Well.

Fuck.

Your mouth sets into a bittersweet line, feelings threatening the corners of your eyes. As an impossible memory of another playground comes to mind, you sigh, “He does, Dom.”

She slings an arm around you, tone even more airy and fleeting. “What can I say? I’m always right.”

“Almost always,” you correct, happy to defend Yoongi just as your friend did minutes prior. “Since he isn’t the same as you thought.”

“Y’all! Let’s get ice cream!”

Both you and Dom peer down from your perch before she yells, “Don’t have to tell me twice!”

Voice soft, she whispers to your unsuspecting friends below.

“With you? Yeah.”

You look her way.

“So what does that tell you?”

You [typing]: hey

You:

You [typing]: how’ve you been?

You:

You [7:17pm]: hi

After a fun but tiring weekend, you make the trip back home to your brother settling onto the couch.

Shucking your bag off, you take out a plastic baggie filled with frozen dumplings that you got sent home with. Because no matter how profusely you refused, your stubbornness is no match for a mom’s insistence.

Your sibling throws a look over the sofa. “Damn, how many are in there?”

“I dunno but they’re all for me!”

He laughs before turning back to face the TV, head shaking at your unwavering selfishness. “Well, save those for later. I got food.”

“Yeah, yeah, I was gonna.”

In minutes, your prized possessions fill the freezer and your stuff occupies your room.

A movie you vaguely remember from childhood is on, but your attention isn’t too focused on it as you grab a plate. Instead, you find yourself staring at your lock screen, conveniently hidden from sight by your thigh.

No messages.

This really is so much harder.

“How’ve you been?”

“Ehh, good,” you respond at your untouched meal. “I have an interview soon.”

He munches while staying fixated on the television. “Oh, yeah? Where at?”

“Downtown.”

“Damn, nice.” Scarfing down another bite, he continues, “I was wondering if you were gonna go for another gig.”

“Yeah,” you sigh, pushing your food in various directions. Even though it smells delicious and inviting, anxiety about the upcoming interview sinks its talons in your brain. It being a Sunday certainly doesn’t help, either. “I’m just ready for a change. At least you’re smart and found a sick job right out of school.”

You wish you could be like your brother: successful, uncompromising, also seemingly lucky. To see him finding success at every turn makes you feel unaccomplished, despite having a good amount of achievements yourself.

He just seems more driven than you. While it’s admirable, it’s also slightly demotivating. Because you feel like you won’t ever reach that same potential. Like an ink stamp of his persona—never fully transferred.

“I mean, that’s a way to sum it up, but.” He sets his food on his lap, suddenly quiet. “Not really how I saw it.”

You watch as he adjusts the watch on his wrist, admiring its craftsmanship with a determined stare. “I knew I had to support us somehow. Couldn’t settle for just anything.”

“I know.”

There he goes again, shouldering everything himself. No matter how much he’s done or how hard he’s worked, he never holds his efforts over your head.

Truly, the only glaring fault he has is his protectiveness, which even then is hard to argue with considering the circumstances.

He just needs to know he shouldn’t worry so much.

“And honestly, the pay raise was the only reason I took that promotion. The travel is nice, but…”

“Oh, don’t worry about me.” You set your plate down on the coffee table, fully deciding to not eat just yet. “I’m an adult, you know. Survived being away for school, right?”

“Yeah. But… I just. I feel sick thinking about what happened.”

“Well. So do I.” You rest your elbows on your knees, eyes burning into the ground. “But I’m here. Yoongi and Jimin… Even if they weren’t there, I would’ve found a way out.”

“What happened anyway?”

“Umm.” You swallow. One would think a story like this should be easy to tell on the third go. But not for you. “All I remember is Jimin getting me after I shook the guy off. Then Yoongi… He brought me home.”

Trying not to show emotion at a time where your heart isn’t quite operating should be an Olympic sport. You can feel its heavy thumps with every syllable as you finally continue, “And stayed until you got here. Apparently.”

For a moment, only the movie fills the living room with sound. Both of you sit in weighty silence as ponderous as your thoughts. Thinking, wondering, contemplating.

It’s him that breaks first. “I owe them.”

“Same.”

“They could've told me, though.”

You disagree, looking at the floor and checking your phone in the process. “And had you flipping shit, boarding the next flight for nothing? We were fine.”

“But what if you weren’t? You know I’d do that shit for real if I had to.”

“I know.”

“I got you.”

When you look up, you find your brother glaring straight through the screen. He’s clearly still bothered. But shouldn’t he just be happy that you’re okay?

You still don’t know why he hasn’t said a single thing about Yoongi being here.

Maybe… Just maybe—

You finally remember something. Something that had you raising your brows for a short period of time. Wondering what that could be about, you bring it up, “You said to call Yoongi, too. If I needed anything.”

That seems to snap him out of whatever headspace he was in. Turning to you, he asks, “I said that?”

“Yeah. Before you left.”

“Huh.” You watch as he looks down with furrowed brows. “Yeah, well. He’s my brother, so. Makes sense.”

Of course. They’re thick as thieves, him and Yoongi. He’s called him his brother multiple times before.

But it pricks the side of your heart just a bit this time.

“Speaking of that fucker, I feel like he’s seeing someone.”

You freeze, never having sweat accumulate so fast in your goddamn life. “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s weird. He’s been quieter than usual. Just sucked into his phone.”

…His phone?

“Oh,” you croak before clearing your throat.

What the hell do you say? How would you respond to this conversation normally, let alone having an inside scoop? It’s borderline awkward.

“I mean, he could be busy with work?”

“True. But I usually know if he’s serious with anyone. And he kept dipping out early this whole weekend.” He starts gathering his trash from the table before pausing. “Wait, you know where he works?”

Coughing again, you pivot, ignoring his weird look. “I meant, in general. I assume he’s a contributing member of society.”

Your brother just furrows his brows once before continuing his cleaning. “Yeah, he’s working on big shit, that’s for sure.” As he passes to throw his garbage away, you pick your phone up to flip it over. “Speaking of, I’m hosting another party here on Friday.”

Confused, your stare pins onto his back. “Seriously? Didn’t you just have people over last Friday?”

“It’s summer? And I have things called friends?”

“Can’t Jimin host?”

“Nah, his parents are back until next month,” he explains before chucking everything in your kitchen bin.

“Oh.”

“But, what I was gonna say was,” he smiles, walking back to the coffee table to grab his phone. “You’ll wanna be here for this one.”

“…Why?”

Wiggling his device at you, he vaguely responds with a mysterious, “You’ll see.”

You sigh, hoping it’s not just another excuse for you to stay home and cook. That’s what usually happens during big house parties at your place.

Well, the few times that weren’t outside cookouts. With a quick thought, you remember that it was usually Yoongi that grilled during those. “Okay… Can my friends come, too?”

“Yeah! I don’t care. A lot of people’ll be here.”

“K.”

“Eat.”

You end up not doing that, instead getting up to go to your room. There’s simply too much on your mind, from your interview to a certain person that you can’t shake off.

Hearing your brother talking about work didn’t help, either. You wanna be able to help financially, even if he never expressly asks. If you manage to snag this interview, it’s possible that you can start contributing.

“Hey, listen.”

You turn. “Huh?”

Filling the middle of the hall, he seems to be in the same deep pit of thoughts as before. “There’s something you should know.”

“About what?”

“About th—”

A knock on the front door causes you both to flinch. Eyeing your sibling, you watch as he goes to open it after offering, “I’ll tell you later.”

You furrow your brows but wait to see who knocked, tensing when you hear who your brother welcomes in.

“Hey.”

“Sup.”

What the hell.

This is the second time Yoongi’s appeared at your house—two more times than the amount of chances you’ve spoken to each other since Friday morning.

But you can’t act weird around him. Last time was almost bad enough. So while the door closes, you only ask them out of curiosity and nothing else, “What are y’all about to do?”

As Yoongi looks right at you, your sibling replies—way too nonchalantly, “Got people coming over soon.”

“Tonight, too?” Why! Since when was your house the hottest one on the block? Did they always go this hard while you were away?

You check your phone while commenting the obvious, “It’s Sunday!”

Undeterred, the boys move into the living room, and you trail after them as your brother asks, “And? It’s not like you have school tomorrow or some shit.”

“I work? And so do you?”

“Relax. It’ll be chill this time.”

You have no damn clue what chill means to him, but if people are already coming then you can’t exactly argue anymore.

Plus. Yoongi’s here now—which, quite frankly, is already making you feel better.

It’s magical, really. How he’s able to make you feel more at home in your own house.

Eyes rolled, you find compromise, “Fine. At least lemme make something so I can eat in my room in peace.”

“Uh uh, you just made a plate!”

“I don’t want that.”

“Wow.”

You dismiss him with a flick of your wrist. “I’ll put it in the fridge, don’t worry.”

“Whatever. Hurry up and cook then. They’ll mooch.”

“Of course they will,” you scoff, already walking into the kitchen. “Crackheads.”

You finally hear a small huff of amusement, and your mood perks from that one, comforting sound alone.

God, you miss hearing that as often as possible. Which was strangely a lot, considering it’s Yoongi.

How long has it been? A mere two days?

According to your heart, it’s been weeks.

Maybe that’s why you aren’t afraid to address the both of them when you ask over running water, “Actually, can I get a little help?”

Yoongi lifts his head to regard you immediately, while your brother cranes his neck from beside him. “Really?”

“Uhh, yes? Y’all would get some, too.” Catching sight of Yoongi’s expression, you think you see something in his eyes. Something unexplainable, but yet so, strangely familiar.

It’s almost enough to send your words tripping over one another as you dry your hands. “I just, umm. I don’t want anyone else eating my food so I wanna hurry.”

“Our food,” your sibling corrects as he watches his friend walk up before he does. “Yoong, you can chill.”

“It’s cool.”

“He’s a better cook than you,” you chide from the fridge, giddy that Yoongi’s taking your offer but wait oh fuck did you really just say that out loud goddamn it—

“Hey, that’s not fair! That’s only cus he hogs grilling duty every time.”

“Could’ve always helped, you know.”

“Nuance.”

Good. So either your brother didn’t catch that or just figured you knew from those cookouts and parties. Totally not from cooking alongside his best friend for the better part of a week. Cool.

Clearing your perfectly fine throat, you set some foodstuffs on the island with dull thumps, letting both of them know what you want done with each part of the meal.

“Damn! You aren’t feeding the whole party?”

“Nope.” You hope Yoongi realizes what you’re about to make, and you smile at the same ingredients you used to cook what he brought to the studio. “Just us.”

When you spare him a quick glance, there’s something in his expression. It’s small. It’s subtle. But it’s there.

And it’s enough to know that he might be missing you, too.

“Are y’all done cutting?”

“Yeah, almost.”

“K. Ready when you are.”

While they’re both busy by the sink and talking about various things, you’ve been nursing the pots and pans on the stove.

In typical you fashion, you did end up caving, deciding to make a lot so that more people could eat. Cooking and serving usually go hand in hand, and you do enjoy seeing when someone likes what you made.

Plus, you need an excuse to see Yoongi’s reaction this time, since you were robbed when he ate at the studio. You aren’t asking for much, right? All you have to do is stick around for a bit so you can get some closure.

A vibration could be heard from the island, and all three of you turn from your makeshift stations.

It’s your brother’s phone. “Ah, shit. Lemme take this.”

You watch as he wipes his hands before swiping his device, squashing it to his ear with a shoulder. As he passes you, he just tilts his head,

“You can put mine in.”

“You could’ve just—”

“Hey! Y’all coming tonight?”

Your scoff follows him around the corner.

Why do you even ask him for help? He always does this!

Whatever.

You move to grab his stuff only to see Yoongi a few steps away with it already.

“Where do you want these.”

Oh.

All you have to do is answer him. Truthfully, you could just point and that would be enough.

But you can’t. You can barely take another breath with him looking at you, dressed in a set that has you weak with bangs lingering dangerously over his eyes.

He’s right there.

And you feel like he couldn’t be further away.

Swallowing your misery, you finally move and gesture to a pot. “This one.”

Without pause, Yoongi walks up next to you, sliding everything in and putting the cutting board down with a clunk.

Spices fill your nose as sizzling tickles your ears, but all of your focus is on wondering what he’s gonna do next.

Is he gonna walk away now? Keep acting distant? Tell you to stop blatantly staring when your brother could walk back in at any—

“Sesame.”

A blink. “Huh?”

He turns to look at you before shifting his eyes to a slim bottle on the counter. “There’s sesame oil this time.”

Ah.

You didn’t put that in last time because he didn’t have any.

How the hell did he remember? Even you didn’t think about that.

Lip bitten, you face your pan, shyness now accompanying your sadness.

Of course he would remember. Of course he would point that out. It’s so inherently him that your heart almost slips into the pan in front of you.

If only it were just the two of you still. You wouldn’t have to be on edge or worry about where you stand with him.

Though Tae’s label and Dom’s question still ring in your ears, those are going to stay nothing more than a dream. A wonderful scenario you can keep imagining at night, or during a confession scene, or simply while driving to a job you aren’t happy with.

“Yeah,” you whisper, hearing your brother’s voice move further across the house. “There is.”

“Fuck it, come here.”

You don’t even get to question what’s happening before your chin gets tugged and your lips seized, breath sucked all the way into your lungs while shoulders meet your ears.

Colors burst as Yoongi lets you go as quickly as he claimed you, and your vision spins as he darts his eyes between yours.

“You staying?”

Stars. Stars. Your eyes are stars. “Huh?”

“When they get here.”

“Why?”

Unwavering, he admits as plain as day,

“I wanna see you.”

He what?

Stunned, you start to say his name before you feel him squeeze your ass, tugging you flush against him and causing your stomach to backflip off a top rope because what the fuck?

“Also.” A bit of teeth shows behind his curve as his greeting glides out in a low, smug as fuck,

“Hi.”

…What the hell! What is he doing!

His laugh while you panic shove him off is aimed at the stove instead, and you’re left to gawk at his side profile for what feels like hours. And hours.

Yoongi did not just do that in your own house. No way. Absolutely no way.

As he spares you a quick glance again, his eyes roam across your face before he quietly hisses in mirth, grabbing a spatula and stirring what he dropped in the pan seconds—hours?—earlier.

Your breath finally returns when you hear your brother’s voice enter the hallway again. “Yoongi…”

“Hmm?” When he sees you watching him, his expression drops in a way that has you melting. “Shit, too much?”

“No, no. I just—” As much as you would replay that tiny moment over and over again, it only reminded your heart of better things. Of easier times. And it’s banging against your chest like an animal to the point where it physically hurts. It hurts it hurts it hurts.

Fuck it.

Launching forward, you tug him back in for another kiss—rushed, desperate, simply not enough. Your nails dig into the soft material of his shirt, as if the animal inside of you is claiming prey after absolute starvation.

His lips are just as—

Footsteps and goodbyes sound off around the corner.

Retreating with all the willpower you have left, everything you’ve wanted to say over the past fifty or so hours comes out in three loaded syllables,

“I miss you.”

And you have to move away as your sibling enters the kitchen, eyes welling impossibly fast and lungs on fire.

“My bad! Got carried away.”

“Who was that?”

“Rohan.”

“He’s not coming.”

“Nah, he said he was.”

“Uh huh.”

While they converse, cold fridge air snaps you back into normalcy, and you pretend to rummage around for nothing before shutting it with a small thump. “Took you long enough,” you snip as you go to grab Yoongi’s cutting board, since he took your brother’s instead. “We’re almost done!”

“Ah, damn. I thought you’d be finished already.”

“Lazy!”

“Hey, I helped!”

“Useless.”

“What!”

A small snort leaves your nose as you bring Yoongi’s cuts to the stove, mind a little clearer despite his surprise attack.

Because even though your heart wants plenty more than whatever the hell just happened, your worries have retreated for now.

He kissed you.

He wants to see you.

Dom, as always, has been right this entire time.

You feel like you could fly with how light your shoulders feel. Even the food smells better and looks more appetizing.

Eyeing your brother across the kitchen, you ask with newfound glee, “Would you rather be lazy or useless?”

“Doesn’t matter if he’s both.”

“Bitch! Move over, I’m doing the rest.”

As your brother shoves into his friend’s side, he meets resistance as the latter pushes right back with a strained laugh.

Immediately, you back up as they struggle over the utensil, laughing in earnest and then some.

“Gimme the spoon!”

“No! You’re gonna fuck it up!”

“I’ll make it better if you just—”

“Hell no! Fuck off!”

Fools. Both of them are complete fools! Your cheeks legitimately hurt from seeing them wrestle over a goddamn spatula, so much so that it’s hard to form words.

It’s only when your brother knocks the pot a little too hard that you intervene with a string of sounds, “Stop, stop! You’re gonna knock it over!”

Both of them cease while you walk up to Yoongi’s other side. “How about you both fuck off and I finish by myself, yeah?”

Before either of them responds, the doorbell does, and your brother leaves immediately. “Coming!”

Which leaves you alone with Yoongi for mere seconds.

And he uses them to his complete advantage.

“Show me that sometime.”

Something is placed in your hand before you fully register what he means, and your jaw drops before he walks away with a goddamn smirk.

Motherfucker, he didn’t have to wink, too!

Breathing in, you curse him out before looking at the spatula you now possess, curling your fingers around the warm handle.

He wants to see you?

Texts be damned.

Greetings flow out of the entrance as a group of people arrive, and you smile while busying yourself at the stove. When you hear your name being called, you turn to say your hellos and let them all know food’s almost ready.

One of the guys almost steps foot into the kitchen to see what you’re making, but both Yoongi and your brother halt and spin him with light touches.

Sparing a glance at your sibling calling him impatient, you wonder if he knew Yoongi did the same thing.

But more and more people start coming in, and soon music fills the house to compete with pops of conversations.

Wasn’t tonight supposed to be relaxed? You don’t even think there’s enough food for everyone. While your brother starts pulling alcohol from the counter, you question with heavy judgment,

“This is a chill night?”

He looks out into the living room with a tsk. “Meant for it to be. Guess people just tagged along.” Grabbing a bag of solos from a cabinet, he apologizes, “Sorry.”

“Kick’em out early, please.”

“Yeah, I can.”

Everything you prepared smells divine. You even hear someone comment on the smell from a room over while you’re finishing up. After getting out disposable plates—because you can cook for people but you are not cleaning up after them—you announce that the food is ready.

“Thanks!”

“I’m starving.”

“You better not hog everything again.”

“It was one time.”

Standing at the bar, you watch as all your brother’s friends congregate in the kitchen, observing everyone’s conversations and keeping to yourself as much as possible.

Some of them you recognize from his team, and some of them you’ve known for quite awhile. It’s a lively bunch, and you admire your sibling for keeping up so many friendships all these years.

“Y’all better thank her. She made all this shit.”

Oh, god. So many eyes on you.

After the cacophony of gratitude and comments on the food, you smile without teeth. “Just leave a little for me. I’m still hungry.”

“K!”

You don’t trust hungry crowds, but at least you still have your brother’s leftovers in the fridge.

The doorbell rings again and, since you’re the closest, you vacate the bar and head to the front.

To your surprise, it’s Jimin waiting on the welcome mat—the man you need to thank for Dalo.

“Hey,” you greet instead, letting him in. “Anyone else with you?”

“Hello, love.” His smile is always so charming, and it currently contrasts with the all black fit and cap he’s sporting. “Just me.”

“There’s food in the kitchen,” you offer as the door closes with a thump. “If you’re hungry.”

Thank him, too. Just say thank you for what he didn’t need to do but did anyway.

“I just ate, thank you—hey!”

And your chance evaporates.

You watch as he starts his routine, saying hi until he’s gotten to everybody. The habits of a true host, you figure. He could run for council one day with those mannerisms, especially with a force like Taehyung by his side.

You really hope whatever they got going on works out.

Well. Maybe you can catch Jimin some other time tonight. There’s no point in doing it now.

When you get back to your spot at the bar, you see that another plate has materialized next to yours.

Did anyone take your seat? Is this someone’s food?

Glancing around, there isn’t anyone else other than someone getting their own portions. All the other people are scattered about the house or backyard.

Huh.

Despite feeling like a fly on a wall, sticking around is somewhat enjoyable. Not having to socialize too much takes some pressure off your shoulders, and sparing glances at Yoongi wearing one of his beloved tracksuits is always a plus.

Your brother said he’s been sucked into his phone often, but you haven’t noticed that tonight. He’s mostly been talking and listening to people, even smiling and joking a bit, too.

“Wait, didn’t one of y’all tag that abandoned pool before?”

“No?”

“Yes, you did! Wait, no. It was Yoongi!”

“That wasn’t me.”

“Oh. I swore it was. It was sick, too.”

“Okay, maybe it was me.”

Laughter erupts as he grins into his cup.

“You and Jimin, man. Troublemakers.”

The latter lazily points in defense. “Doesn’t count if you don’t get caught.”

“That’s even worse.”

“You guys were terrible.”

“Hey,” Yoongi pipes up, room hinging on his set brows and waiting on his argument. But, after a pause, all that comes out is confident agreement, “We still are.”

And more laughs pierce the surrounding furniture.

Even from your position a ways away, you hunch forward in your amusement. But there’s another reason for your grin.

He’s so handsome when he’s happy.

Has he always been like this around his friends? You know Yoongi’s not the extroverted type, but to see him so comfortable around people makes you feel at ease.

Except when his eyes shift to you.

Because it feels like you’re the only person he’s acknowledging in those moments, which throws all thoughts and feelings into a stew that rivals what you made tonight.

All the times before, you’ve turned or scurried away.

But now, you decide to exude pure joy from your lonely spot on a wall, and you see a brilliant spark take root in his eyes.

A half hour later, you still wanna thank Jimin for what he did, and you finally get your chance when he enters the kitchen to refill a cup.

Coming up next to him, you grab a little liquor of your own before you blurt over the music,

“Thank you.”

Jimin looks your way, eyes watching over the lid of his solo.

“For Dalo.”

Straightening, he shrugs. “No need.”

“But I’ve been wanting to.”

“Not surprising,” he says through a smile. “You and your brother. So stubborn. You can text me, you know.”

Laughing, you take a sip and let the subtle burn slide down your throat. “I think he’d interrogate you if you were texting me.”

“I can take him.”

Jimin will forever be Jimin. It’s admirable, really. If he was the one you were seeing, who knows how many texts would have been sent since Friday.

But he’s not.

The one you’ve been seeing is a room over, someone you haven’t been able to approach since he stole oxygen from your lungs.

You thought watching Yoongi having fun would be enough. But with each passing minute, you found yourself increasingly incorrect. Yearning took over like a weed, quickly overrunning your chest and making it hard for you to accept being a mere wallflower.

Just like the sear of alcohol, something else settles into your stomach. And it’s not pleasant, or wanted.

Even if you dated Yoongi, how the hell could you navigate that? There’s no way things can just change and suddenly you’re sitting right beside him at parties. Or anywhere. At least, not without his friends giving you strange looks or past hookups chucking malice your way.

Some of them can even be here right now. Which you would rather not think about, so your next sip is bigger than the last.

Because all you’ve been is a younger sister. Not really part of their group or age or whatever else that separates your world from theirs.

People say to look at the bigger picture.

But you don’t particularly like the way yours is turning out.

Fuck, your heartbeat is super, super loud right now.

“You okay?”

“Huh?”

Instantly, sounds and voices reach normal clarity. The heavy thumps you hear aren’t your pulse, but bass from the music instead. When you blink, Jimin is already regarding you with curiosity, a hand on your arm in concern.

Shit. How long were you just standing there? “Oh. Just thinking.”

“About Dalo?” He slides his palm off, leaving a million questions in its wake. “It’s okay, really.”

“No, not that,” you sigh, nostrils singed from your drink. Staring out the kitchen windows, you respond as airily as the smoke that drifts over your back porch. “Not that at all.”

“Basketball? Ah, yeah.”

Huh?

You whip your stare to his, which causes his jaw to shut in an instant.

Because either he really just wanted to bring that up again, or he misheard you terribly over the music.

Miraculously, your opportunity presented itself. So you are not letting it slip by this time. “What about it.”

“Nothing.”

Fuck that. Frowning, you don’t back down. “What do you mean, Jimin. You said you would tell me.”

“I figured you would’ve known by now.”

“No one’s told me shit.”

Unblinking, you watch as he licks his lips in thought. You hear a few feet on the kitchen tile, but nothing can stop you from getting this information now. Not stares, nor whispers, or even your brother.

And he seems to pick up on your determination. He’s the one that called you stubborn, after all. Eyes shadowed by the rim of his hat, he sighs in defeat, “I’ll tell you, but. I feel like either of them should instead.”

You find that your fingers actually grip the side of his shirt. “Please,” you whisper. “Now I’m starting to get worried.”

Because what in the hell could be so significant about that day? It’s better if your brother or Yoongi tell you instead? What the hell does that mean?

After several grueling seconds, Jimin waits until the last people leave the kitchen. You observe the way his eyes covertly scan, and you peer over your own shoulder to gauge the room.

Finally, his voice drifts through the empty air when he surrenders, “Okay. After you left… Something went down.”

Your hand drops from his side. “What?”

“Uhh.” He steps back and fixes his cap, eyes storming with conflict. “Fuck, I really shouldn’t be the one telling you.”

“Tell me anyway.”

Because now? Now you need to know. Your heart is pounding and you’re pretty sure the next song is good but you can’t exactly hear it. All you’re focused on is what he is going to tell you. Because he gave you a bite and now you’ll fight for the entire course.

But no further coercion is needed. Jimin continues, seemingly unable to look your way. “Some dude made some threats.”

“Threats? To who?”

He glances at you before sighing. And you have to answer yourself.

“Oh. Me? What the fuck?”

“I told you—”

“Jimin… Why the fuck didn’t anyone tell me?”

“I can’t speak for them, but. They probably just didn’t want you to worry.”

“Were they really that bad?”

He prods a cheek before divulging the last, most crucial part. “He threatened to find this house, so. Yeah.”

Well. That’s definitely a lot worse than you thought. You can take empty threats; everyone goes through shit like that. But for someone to threaten to find an address? Were they really… That…

Serious?

Hold on.

Hold on hold on hold on.

Your words feel like suspense itself on your tongue.

“Wait, so… That whole time…”

Jimin just stares—stares, and stares, and stares—while everything hits you like a train.

The whole week.

That entire time.

Yoongi was keeping you safe.

The key. The goading you into coming over. The way he kept looking over his shoulder while you walked at night. Telling you that Jimin knows.

This also explains why Jimin freaked out at Taehyung’s place. When he overheard that you weren’t responding.

A chill pops in your chest like dry ice, freezing everything over in seconds.

You heard Yoongi saying something went down when your brother came home. Voice shaking, you ask Jimin even though your heart knows the answer,

“Was… Was the guy at Dalo…?”

He sets his cup down before gripping the counter in both palms, and he doesn’t need to say anything else.

“Almost lost our goddamn minds.”

You start feeling your fingers tremble before a hand clamps over your mouth.

Fuck.

Oh fuck, oh fuck.

No wonder the fucker looked familiar; no wonder it felt so off; no wonder Jimin’s heart was racing as much as yours was.

Everything in your brain is spinning, thoughts leaping from one end to the next and bumping and screeching and popping and—

You need something. You don’t know what. Yoongi. Your room. To be alone. His place. Nowhere. Is it stuffy in here? You need space. Space.

Space.

“Thank you,” you rush out. “For telling me.”

And you quickly excuse yourself, almost missing the pair of eyes watching your hasty exit to your bedroom.

Everything’s completely blurry when your door shuts behind you. Cursing, you run your hand across your nose before a storm of thoughts jolts your body.

It’s too much.

The feelings swirling in your chest have no place to go but out of your ducts, pinging onto your floor and into your clothes.

Are you overthinking this? No. You think and think and think but by god you are pretty damn sure about this one.

Why would he do that? No one has ever gone these lengths for you. At least, no one other than your brother, who’s had it ingrained in his blood since forever.

But Yoongi didn’t have to go this far. Neither did Jimin, for that matter. They both could’ve just passed it off as a bluff, or forgotten about it as soon as the next day rolled around.

Fucking hell, how they must’ve felt at Dalo.

There’s an unspeakable pang in your chest just thinki—

Your phone’s vibrations scare the shit out of you, and you check to see who texted before another hot batch of tears roll down your face.

Yoongi [10:04pm]: What’s wrong, doll

Goddamn it.

What do you even—why did he—how are you supposed to answer? All you want to do is wrap yourself in his embrace and never leave. You wanna walk past everyone in your house and stand in front of him, if only to tell him a thousand and one thank-you’s by catapulting yourself into his arms.

But you can’t do any of that. And it sucks.

You [10:06pm]: he told me

You [10:06pm]: about basketball

You stumble to your bathroom, bracing yourself on your counter before removing all the gunk from today in a wash.

It’s not like you’re going back out there. Not after looking like a legitimate trainwreck.

After you’re done, you see that he texted back, throat constricting at his continued concern. Always his concern. Always his effort.

Holy fuck, his effort.

Yoongi [10:09pm]: Talk to me

You [10:17pm]: i really fucking want to

You [10:17pm]: but i can’t

Yoongi [10:18pm]: Gimme ten

What? He’s not gonna leave and call you, is he? It’s late but it’s not super late. If he dips out now, wouldn’t that be too early?

Well, your brother did say he was leaving early all weekend. Probably to work on something.

But regardless. You can’t position yourself as someone that makes him leave just out of selfishness. He can still have fun while he’s here. You can wait.

After what you heard, you can wait as long as he needs.

You [10:20pm]: what no. you don’t have to leave

Yoongi [10:20pm]: I know

A sniffle.

What the hell did you do to deserve any of this?

As you settle into the cold of your sheets, you let out a few more tears.

Because now, more than ever, you wanna run right for that godforsaken finish line.

Though it’s been more than ten minutes, you don’t mind. If anything, Yoongi’s given you time to process everything, tears hardening on your cheeks and soaking into your pillowcase.

Even before he gave you that key, he was protecting you in his own ways. For fuck’s sake, he even came over the day your brother flew out, probably just to check on you. So many things. So many nights.

Recalling how you joked about walking home, now you feel downright awful if you scared him somewhat.

When he finally calls, your throat tightens, but you answer the phone regardless.

“Hey, doll.”

His voice is a salve for your wounds. “Yoongi… Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

You hear a long sigh, the low hum of his car filling the space right after.

“Fucking Park.”

“I made him tell me,” you defend. “Since no one else ever said anything.” Waiting, you trace your fingers along one of the divots in your sheets. And you’re unsurprised when you realize it’s in the spot he took residence before.

“I’d rather you worry about normal shit.”

You freeze.

“You don’t ever need to worry about that.”

The entirety of every language you know escapes you. For his explanation renders you speechless.

Jimin was correct in his assumption. But it doesn’t take away from how you feel. How grateful, how terrible, how indescribable you feel.

That’s a long time to shoulder something and not say a word about it. And from his reaction, you don’t think he planned on saying anything at all. “But that whole time… You…”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

He’s downplaying. Why is he downplaying? From the way Jimin spoke, those threats weren’t light. And Yoongi cannot tell you it was nothing considering how he acted after Dalo.

Fuck.

After Dalo.

How he was the whole night after suddenly cakes your throat to the brim.

Because it was already enough to make you rethink some things. But now? After knowing the whole truth?

Fucking hell, Min Yoongi.

A wave of emotion cradles you into its swell, and you feel something warm spread throughout every fibre of your being. It’s comforting, it’s peaceful, it’s healing.

Suddenly, even the normal shit doesn’t seem worrisome at all.

Breath shuddering, your chest aches so much that you almost consider sneaking out of your window to follow him back home. “He told me,” you whisper into the line, tears threatening to splash onto your screen. “The guy at Dalo.”

A curse shoots out before you’re back to hearing the ambiance of the drive.

Yoongi really didn’t want you to know that part, it seems.

And truthfully, you get it. You don’t think you would’ve told anyone something like that, either.

“Jimin knew not to let me get you. You haven’t noticed, but. I still have a big ass bruise from him shoving me into the bar.”

“Yoongi.” You have to know. It’s not enough to know what happened. Now you need to know something deeper. And it’s not even out of worry; it’s out of pure curiosity. “Why?”

“Because we were asked to.”

…Huh?

You didn’t know that was the case. Your brother was the one that asked them? There couldn’t be anyone else that Yoongi was referring to.

How did that guy get out alive if he threatened you in front of your brother? What all actually happened?

“And I was gonna anyways.”

Breathing in, you still can’t believe it. You can’t believe anything that’s been said or revealed to you in the last hour or so.

Fuck, even your brother having people over makes sense. He wants to be home instead of leaving you in the house.

They all did so much. So much more than you even realized. “You even stayed... That night.”

“I wasn’t gonna leave you alone.”

Oh, it hurts. Your chest hurts like it’s never, ever hurt before. It’s hard to even form the right sentences, when all you can think about is him. “Yoongi… Thank you.”

“It’s all good. When’s your interview?”

Disbelief shoots from your mouth.

That’s what he decides to talk about now? After this massive revelation that he didn’t speak a word of for a week?

Who knows. This could just be a normal, everyday happening that Yoongi is used to. It may not mean much at all in his grand scheme of things.

But to you? To you, this means more than everything.

So much is choked up in your throat that it leaks out of your eyes. When you finally respond, you hope that he can’t tell you’re crying.

“It’s… It’s on Tuesday. After work.” You can’t help but let a sound slip. How the fuck can Yoongi be so normal about all of this? You feel like you can barely function. “Still nervous as fuck.”

You know he knows you’re crying. But he doesn’t comment on it at all. The only thing that comes out of his mouth is assurance.

“You’ll be fine.”

“How do you know?”

“Just cus.”

Unbelievable. And yet completely him. Your palm comes up to wipe gratitude and a myriad of other emotions from your eyes.

This entire time.

You don’t think you’ll ever stop thinking about this.

And you have a pretty fucking good excuse to not overthink about him anymore.

“That’s a really lame answer.”

“Did it work?”

“A little.”

“Good.”

A tiny hum escapes through your clogged throat. If only he wasn’t driving further and further away. Wasn’t he the one that made you comfortable here?

You think you understand how. Maybe a part of your heart left with him after he stayed the night. And maybe, just maybe, the rest of it is packing up and fighting to escape your rib cage.

“You should go, doll.”

“No.”

His slight laugh is comfort in a sound.

“At least go back out for a sec. Get some water or something.”

“Okay…”

Despite agreeing, you find that you’re far from being done. How could you be? You wanna stay as long as he lets you. Brain whirring, you grab hold of anything you can use as an excuse to keep him on the line.

And you end up settling for something safe. “Wait, where’s my copy of your album?”

He responds with amusement again, but immediately takes the bait.

“I don’t even have the masters yet.”

“Liar. You must have at least one.”

There’s a brief pause before he admits,

“Okay, maybe I have one.”

“I knew it!”

“You caught that way too quick.”

“Yeah, you better watch out.”

“Agreed.”

“You know.. This whole time,” you start, rueful puffs of air fanning onto your receiver, “I’ve been wondering if I could talk to you again.”

“I thought you just forgot about me.”

“Huh?”

Quite possibly the most untrue statement in history.

“You never texted, so. I never knew when it was a good time.”

He laughs, seemingly to himself.

“Then a whole weekend passed.”

Staring into your ceiling, you frown. “You’re joking.”

“Dead serious.”

“Wow.”

“I almost called you. Like three fucking times.”

“Really?”

“For nothing, too. You know I had a cat at my door two days in a row?”

“Nu uh. A stray?”

“Think so. I left some water out but didn’t have any food. Fuck, I need to go to the store.”

You hear Yoongi get out of his car, and you wish you were there with him walking to his apartment. You’d probably be able to see his newfound pet. “You know you have a cat now, right?”

“No.”

“Yeah.”

“No chance.”

“It’s there now, huh.”

The silence on the line is your answer.

“Listen—”

“See—”

“It is. But it’s leaving now.”

“Is it really.”

You hear a shuffle of sounds, and in your heart of hearts you know he’s bending down to pet the damn thing.

But his pride makes his answer noncommittal.

“Mm.”

“Oh my god, another lie! Such a liar.”

Mirth fills your speaker, and you can hear his smug ass smile.

“Nu uh.”

“I can’t with you. I’m hanging up.”

You hear the distinct jangle of keys, and that one sound alone breaks your facade.

“I lied. I don’t wanna go.”

His door shuts, and you can imagine him padding through his place after slipping off his shoes. He had really nice ones on today, so they’re probably going into those neat, clear bins he uses for more coveted pairs.

“Just call me later.”

“When?”

“When he’s passed out.”

“Okay… Do I have to go now?”

“Mm. I’m almost done with something I wanna show you.”

“Really?”

“Uh huh. And you’re distracting me so hang up.”

“You called me!”

“So?”

“Wow. Goodbye, babe.”

There’s a quiet moment. Then a quiet, rueful huff of breath.

“Talk later, doll.”

And the phone is suddenly silent.

While your head is as loud as can be.

A couple hours pass before you hear your brother finally knocked out.

After hanging up earlier, you did venture out of your room to get water. Of course, you made yourself presentable and not snot-nosed before leaving. Couldn’t let anyone immediately wonder if you were okay or not.

Because while you got closure about what happened, it’s still so full of emotion that you think you’ll break if you have to speak about it again.

Jimin spotted you before you stepped back into your room, but he only offered a smile after your mouth curved upward in perpetual thankfulness.

In that moment, you decided to give your brother some credit, too.

For everything that he’s done thus far. And for picking an elite group of close friends.

Inching up against his door, you place your ear on the wood, hearing the rush of air before telltale snoring rumbles through.

So it isn’t long before you’re back in your room, calling back the man you will never get over as long as you live.

“I didn’t think you’d do it.”

“Really? Why?”

“Fully expected you to chicken out.”

Huffing in pride, you settle onto your sheets. “I like proving you wrong.”

“I see that.”

“So what were you gonna show me?”

“Huh? Nah, I’m still not done.”

Giving your phone a weird look, you note, “You said to call back.”

There’s a mix of scratching sounds on the line, and you wonder if he’s at his desk or in his bed.

“Yeah.”

“So…?”

“Just felt like making you come.”

Fuck!

“Yoo—” You slap a hand over your mouth. “Are you out of your mind?”

The grin in his voice can be heard for miles.

“You don’t wanna?”

Is this man for real? Yes, you’ve spoken on the phone when your brother was here and yes, you want to jump his goddamn bones. But this is definitely crossing into dangerous territory. “I…I do, but—”

“Then do as I say. It won’t take long.”

“Cocky son of a bitch,” you whisper, already frazzled to no end. It seems your lips get a lot looser, more unfiltered the more caught off-guard you are.

You wonder if Yoongi’s caught onto that. Judging from the chuckles you hear in your speaker, he probably already has.

“You ever done this before?”

“No.”

“Then trust me.”

Settling far under your covers and placing pillows around, you whisper, “Fine… You better not charge me for this.”

A hum buzzes the line.

“I’m surprised you’re not asking me to pay up.”

“Oh. Good idea. I will now.”

“Gonna run me dry, huh?”

“Mmhmm. Plus interest.”

“Fuck.”

“What?”

“Just missed you.”

You blink. “Oh.”

“Keep whatever shirt you got on, forget the rest. You’re gonna need it in a sec.”

“Okay,” you breathe out, slowly reaching down to slip off your bottoms. Your heart is already racing, and the warmth under your covers is increasing bit by bit. “They’re off now.”

“Good girl.”

Air leaves your lungs, but it’s what he says next that causes you to outright flinch.

“What did I tell you to show me.”

Shuddering, your hand is already palming your mound, but all you can think about is how much better it would be to have him there. “Yoongi…”

“Careful, doll. Neighbors can’t know my name just yet.”

Lip bitten, you admit, “I just wish you were here.”

“Fuckin’ same. But do what makes you feel good.”

Swallowing nothing, you dip low, feeling your essence coat your fingers even though you haven’t even started yet.

This man can probably make you come from his voice alone.

But you don’t need to admit that to him.

“You wet, baby girl?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Good. Keep going for me.”

Swirling your fingers over your clit always works, but the thoughts and images running across your eyes are what really get you bothered.

The way Yoongi’s fingers feel in your cunt instead; the sounds he isn’t afraid to make in your ear; the roughness he unleashes on you in those moments he lets go. You can practically hear his grunts, feel his thrusts, taste his sweat.

And this is the same man that kept you safe?

It’s all so overwhelming that you don’t even notice how hard you’re breathing.

“Sound so fucking hot.”

A whimper escapes.

How can he say that when he sounds like sin incarnate?

Everything he’s said to you, whether in his right mind or not, comes washing over you in waves. Your fingers find a rhythm as you run through the whole week, and you throw in a few scenarios that you dare not bring up.

Well. Maybe you will now. Frankly, you want to be under his mercy more than you ever have before. It’s as if his selflessness unlocked a deep, dark part of you, begging to be addressed.

The things that are coming to mind. They’re gathering on your tongue, pooling into thick saliva that’s threatening to spill out the side of your mouth. “I miss…”

“Hmm.”

Let it all out.

“I miss being your slut, Yoongi.”

The deep curse on the line sends jolts to your core, and his next words rumble out like thunder.

“My slut, huh?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Tell me something then.”

Your fingers slow down their pace as your ears perk. “What.”

“No lies.”

“Okay.”

“What does my needy girl want?”

Fucking hell, he can’t just say stuff like that with no warning! Immediately, you let out a tiny whine as your digits glide against your slick. “Choke me.”

“Knew you’d love that shit. What else.”

Admitting the first was a lot easier than the second. You can’t even bring yourself to utter it in a whisper let alone loud enough for him to hear. Truthfully, just imagining it right now is enough to get you close to the edge. Your voice comes out extremely strained as you whimper, “I can’t say.”

“You can.”

“Nu uh.”

“Then stop.”

Your hand grinds to an agonizing halt. “What?”

“You heard what I said. Until you tell me, you’re done.”

No! No no no you were so fucking close! “Asshole!”

“Me? I’m letting you off easy.”

“Fuck. Okay… I…”

“You..”

He isn’t helping.

Gulping, you feel your cunt pulse around your fingers as you finally shudder out, “My mouth.”

“Uh huh. What about it.”

“Umm…” Say it. Just say it and get it over with all you need to do is just say it.

So you do.

“Spit in my mouth.”

Only to face complete silence on the line.

Blinking into darkness, you almost take your hand away from your center before you hear his voice grind over boulders,

“Don’t make me climb through your fucking window.”

A whine slips between your closed lips. If he came into your room now, you wouldn’t have cared if every deity in existence overheard what would happen. The amount of lust and something scarier you’re carrying for this man is at an all-time peak. “Don’t tease me. I want it.”

“I just might, fuck.”

“Yes,” you pant, knowing exactly what he means by his broken speech. “Yes. Oh, fuck, I’m close. Yoongi, please!”

“Shirt, doll.”

“What?”

His voice sounds like he’s barely holding on when he grits out,

“Bite that shit you’re wearing or I’m hanging up.”

“I—mmph—”

“I’d shut you up with my dick, but. That should do.”

Fuck! Your squeal is incredibly high as your fingers keep up a stunning pace, the shocks of pleasure tightening your legs.

You hear a condescending laugh on the line, and you don’t know the logic behind it turning you on so much, but it does.

“Goddamn. It’s like you want everyone to hear you, baby girl.”

You shake your head, breaths shallow and fast, knowing damn well he can’t see you.

“You’re getting off on this, huh.”

“Mm mm!”

“Uh huh.”

Another stupid, unnecessary laugh punctures straight into your cunt.

“Getting off on doing something you shouldn’t.”

“Mmm!”

“My girl’s so dirty.”

“Yoough—”

You can’t take it anymore. At a label you didn’t expect to hear, your dam bursts, gushing out onto your fingers and spilling from your core.

It’s massive. Unrelenting. All of your pent-up feelings come in waves, washing you ashore only to drag you back in. The harsh groan you sink into your shirt makes Yoongi react, and your legs threaten to close before he orders,

“Uh uh, keep going, baby. Since you wanna slut it out so bad.”

“Fughk!”

“God, you probably look so fucked out right now. Miss that shit.”

You rip the soaking shirt from your mouth, already close while you keep your fingers wedged inside. Your body thrums with each hard pulse, and imagining him fucking you deep is enough to set you off. “Yoongi. Baby. I’m close again.”

“Then shut the fuck up and come.”

You moan his name into the thick material of your top, hoping to every higher power that it’s muffled enough.

Your walls pulse wildly around your fingers, and you feel so fucking euphoric that your eyes see sounds in the back of your head.

But your back snaps into place again as you settle back onto your mattress, muscles aching and filled with a lingering soreness. The only thing you can do is breathe heavily into the receiver, hoping Yoongi’s just as satisfied as you are.

“Feel better?”

“Much better,” you rasp out as the wet material slides down your neck. “You?”

“I’ve been waiting for this since you kissed me. So yeah.”

Ever since then? That was hours ago.

You need to inhale before offering, “Do you… Do you wanna come, too?”

A chuckle.

“I got what I wanted, doll. It’s cool.”

“I take…” You gulp in a breath. “I take cash or card.”

A loud bit of laughter punctuates your phone, and your grin is lopsided from exhaustion. Sweat coats every single part of your skin, some of it rolling off your legs in spent drops.

“God…”

“So pay up.”

“How about this. Come over when you’re done with that interview.”

“Mm?”

“Then I will.”

“Mm.”

What he offered finally registers in your brain, and it’s like a humongous light switch. Suddenly alert, you clarify, “Wait. You sure?”

“I am.”

Is he really offering that? You both know your brother is back. And your interview may end during late afternoon. Around the time he gets off.

Yoongi has to know all of these things.

But if he’s truly serious, who are you to deny his offering? When you find yourself caring less and less? “K… Guess I’ll go clean up now.”

“Mm. I’m gonna pass out soon anyway.”

“Wait.”

“Hmm.”

A grin spreads your face so wide that it starts to hurt, and excitement to hear his reaction tingles you before you joke, “Where’s my kiss?”

He laughs, knowing exactly what you mean.

And your smile is impossibly wider when he responds,

“Good luck, babe.”

This whole weekend.

This entire weekend, you’ve been worried about various things. Bogged down by a past that clings to your feet like quicksand, dragging you away from wonderful, tender things you’ve been told.

But it seems like you found a step of solid footing. One sure, stable piece of foundation that has probably been there for longer than you’d known.

Besides. Walking to a finish line is just as significant as running. Because if you get there, you get there, and that’s a win.

“Thank you. Seriously.” You pause, gazing at the empty space that you want occupied for an uncountable amount of nights. “For everything.”

“I meant what I said, doll.”

Your smile is warm.

“Anytime.”

tbc. :)

A/N: ahhh. so. how did it go? i just wanna say, to everyone that sent that damn tweet of a guy doing the little things to protect his girl and saying it’s 3tan yoongi... i wanted to scream every time bc of THIS. LOL. but yeah, we finally get to hear about wtf happened during basketball. as for the actual scene..... y’all might get that later, too :’)) i just want this chapter to be out for a little bit beforehand so people can read it first. A/N 2: as always, thank you so much for all of the support. whether you’re new, or an OG, i truly appreciate you being here and going on this journey with me and the 3tan crew. i’m still just a bit sick and sniffly (totally not bc of yoongi what who does that?) so the writing may not be top tier. but i hope this was still worth the wait! ++ feedback box: ⇥ of course, any reblogs/comments/messages are appreciated! ⇥ for the ones that are too shy to reblog with a review, comment on this, or send a message, i went ahead and made another anonymous form where you can send in what you think! ⇥ no emails collected, no need to put in a username. it’s literally just a comment dropbox :D feedback can be as short/sweet or as long as you’d like! ⇥ here! ++ ⇥ masterlist

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writers-reach · 3 months

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Hello! Could i request headcanons for Junpei, Ryoji & Minato (seperate or togethers fine) with another member of sees (the reader) that's like a 'chickbro' to them? The idea came to my head so I thought why not :P

Have a nice day!

persona 3: one of da boys (junpei iori, ryoji mochizuki, & minato arisato)

notes: gn!reader, ryoji and minato can be read as romantic, no spoilers, platonic junpei

junpei iori

we already know how he is with his sl. loves to goof off, ropes you into doing dumb shit, but will fiercely defend you and your reputation like his life depends on it.

junpei comes from a shitty home, but after joining sees, he found people that he connects with and who accept him, and he wants you to be just the same. he wants to not only be the reason you smile, but to be a shoulder to cry on if need be

you two absolutely scheme to prank the other members of sees (though with junpei, your target is typically yukari)

bff dates to the arcade. you two get... scary competitive.

you are his number 1 hypeman when it comes to chidori. he'll go to you for romantic advice like "is this too cringey?" and you're all "nahh she'll love it!" even if it is a little cringey, they're just too cute <3

ryoji mochizuki

still flirts because dude can't keep it in his pants (regardless of gender i hc him as pansexual), but depending on if he susses out any romantic interest from you, he jokes around a bit more.

tries out pickup lines on you for feedback. some of them are good, some of them are so bad they're good, some are just... god awful. he's lucky he's pretty.

walks with you to and from school, sits next to you on the monorail, just hangs out in your presence a lot.

wants to try new things with you so bad!! new restaurants! that new bookshop that opened up! going to see that new movie that came out!!!!

probably is pretty touchy, but will back off if you tell him to. he's a gentleman, after all.

minato arisato

gamer bestie. will spend hours upon HOURS gaming with you, whether it be an mmorpg or something like mario party

you two have like, some kind of secret unspoken code (or, hell, telepathy) that allows you to communicate without speaking.

probably has a really complex secret handshake with you and you only because junpei got too confused to learn and ryoji just... bless his heart, he can't get it right

i hc that he does tarot readings for fun and will totally read your fortune, but will sometimes be a bit silly and completely misinterpret the results for a laugh.

i.e. "what does that mean for my future?" "oh you're gonna die a horrible death after eating spoiled food" "minato >:("

he brings out a more deadpan side of you, i bet

a/n: hope you like it!! since junpei/ryoji/minato are like, a bestie squad in canon, it's 100% implied that if you're friends with one, you're friends with the other two.

#persona 3 x reader #persona x reader #x reader #minato arisato x reader #makoto yuki x reader #persona 3 protagonist x reader #ryoji mochizuki x reader #junpei iori & reader

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sturniololoco · 4 months

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hiii, i just wanna say i love your writing so much and keep up the amazing work! also earlier today i was watching the vlog about chris and nick learning to drive , and wanted to know if you could write something where sturniolo sister is there and maybe she gets a chance at driving as well with matt guiding her, idk if that makes any sense at all 😭 but if you understand what i meant could you do something like that? thank youuu 😭🩷

Driving Lessons

Sturniolo Little Sister (SLS) x The Sturniolo Triplets

Warnings: Cussing, panic, etc.

Note: Kinda short. Sorry!

SLS/N's POV

I think it's safe to say that Nick, Chris, and I rely on Matt a ton when it comes to going places.

Whether it's to school, target, or to a friend's house, we always need him to drive, and he usually doesn't pitch too much of a fit.

But I still wanted to help out and get my license, so I asked him to teach me.

So that's where we are tonight: In the middle of an empty McDonald's parking lot at 2:30 in the morning.

I got into the driver's seat as Matt went around the car and into the passenger's seat. Matt somehow convinced Nick and Chris to stay home, which I was very grateful for, knowing that they would only be a distraction.

Matt showed me how to adjust my seat and rearview mirror since he was so much taller than me. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants, feeling nervous.

"Hey, your gonna do fine. I'll be right here the whole time." He said, picking up my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

I nodded, trying to get my confidence up. I looked at him, waiting for my first instruction.

"Okay, so the first thing you're going to do is move your shifter from the P to the D. Tell me, what do those stand for?" He asked me. I looked at the shifter labels and thought back to my driver's ed book.

"Park and Drive? I said, almost like a question I was afraid to get wrong.

"Yes, good girl. Go ahead and move it, but keep for foot on the break." He said. I smiled, happy I was making him proud.

I did as he said, then slowly pulled out of our parking spot, checking for cars.

After about 15 minutes, I was finally getting the hang of it. I always made sure to put my blinker on at turns and to check for people and cars.

"I'm so proud of you baby, you're doing amazing. Much better than Nick and Chris by far!" He joked as I made my last round of the parking lot.

As I went to pull back into our parking lot, a truck pulled into the row behind me, taking me off guard. My hands began getting sweaty again and a cold flush of fear flowed through me.

Instinctively, I sped up a little. Then, I pulled into the closest parking space I could find. I quickly put the shifter back to the P and switched the car off.

I breathed heavily, hands shaking as I stared out the front windshield. I heard Matt's door open and close, then saw him walking around the car to the driver's side.

He pulled my door open and then crouched down to get on my level. He used his pointer finger and thumb to pull my chin to the left, forcing me to look at him.

"You Okay SLS/N?" He asked me. I nodded.

"I need words, sweetheart. I need to know you're okay." He said again, letting go of my chin and putting his hand on my cheek.

"I-yeah I'm okay. I just got nervous. I'm really sorry." I say, feeling bad that I ruined the night. He gave a smile, saying,

"Don't you dare say you're sorry! You did so well and I am very proud of you. So why don't we get a McFlurrie and head home, yeah?"

I nod vigorously. He chuckled and took my hand, helping me out of the car.

"So, what did ya crash into?" Chris said as we walked inside, McFlurries in hand. I giggled while Matt said,

"For your information, she did very, very well. She even got rewarded with a treat." We cheered, touching our McFlurries together.

"You didn't get me one?!" Nick said, looking disappointed.

I rolled my eys and handed him mine so he could take a bite, which he gladly accepted.

"Fuck no I didn't get you one! The last time we drove, you took out the side mirror with a stop sign!" Matt said, laughing.

That caused all of us but Nick to laugh out loud, clutching our sides, out of breath. Nick shrugged and said,

"That bitch was in my way!"

#nick sturniolo #sturniolo imagine #matt sturniolo #sturniolo smut #chris sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #sturniolo x reader #nicolas sturniolo #sturniolo fanfic #christopher sturniolo #sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #sturniolo sister #sturniolo sister x reader

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theold-ultraviolence · 1 year

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What are canon Aemond’s three kids tantrums like? Whose more likely to throw them, who’s lasts the longest and how do Aemond and reader deal with them?

Ohhh this is such a good question friend!! I read this ask earlier today but I've been thinking about it most of the morning, SO!

Elaena:

She is by far the one that throws the most tantrums because she's the most independent/energetic of the three, and Aemond is very overprotective of her, naturally, as she's the first daughter.

When she's little, she throws tantrums when she has to attend her lessons with the Maesters, and when things don't go her way on the first try. When she's getting fed up and bored during balls and royal gatherings, or when she's just not allowed to go out and play beyond the limits that she's allowed to venture into. When she's made to eat things she doesn't like. And at first, when the twins were born and her muña was tired and couldn't play with her as much as she used to.

At first, Aemond and reader are a little bit afraid of being too strict and causing their daughter to resent them, so they coddle her to the max during a tantrum, but they end up noticing that it makes Elaena think that she can get away with it.

Through lots of tantrums that escalate in length and intensity, they learn that it's all about balancing the coddling but also the discipline, and Elaena has to learn to keep her composure when things don't go her way, whether she likes it or not. It's a learning curve though, Elaena is the firstborn after all.

The older she is, like, when she's a teenager, the longer her tantrums last because she gives everyone the silent treatment for a week. This ends up being problematic in the sense that Aemond goes scarily serious: "You want to avoid talking about your problems with us, then fine. But I'm gonna respond with the same treatment you're giving me so you realize that this is not the way to treat others." So he stops talking to her as well. That's when he's absolutely had it with her. He'll never yell, but it definitely hurts more when he goes all cold and distant.

So it ends up creating this tense bubble in which neither is talking until Elaena breaks and knocks on her parent's door looking very regretful and sad to have been so bitchy with her family.

Aeron

For Aeron, I'm imagining that reader and Aemond were kind of surprised and perplexed at how calm he was? he rarely cried as a baby, would sit very still during family affairs, and always played well with his siblings.

So the first time he throws a tantrum, they're like that Pikachu meme, just staring at him with gaping mouths, while Aeron is on the floor kicking his legs and crying, and they're completely lost as to what to do.

And it was the silliest thing - either his shoes or his pants fit him too tight during a ball or a trip, and he was too polite to say because the clothes were tailor-made specifically for the thing. But he just COULD NOT stand it anymore, he wanted to slip into his pajamas NOW.

Aemond and reader have to escort him out, kneel to his level and ask him what's going on between his cries. When Aeron explains, Aemond and reader lowkey want to laugh, but reader takes Aeron in arms and carries him off to their apartments while Aemond stays back with Elaena and Vaella.

He's totally a mamma's mom like his father before him, and he feels more comforted by his muña every time.

And during some other time (still a toddler) he was getting fussy and antsy until he started to cry because he wanted to be served dessert, and was already sickened of eating boring ass food during a banquet sl;kdjflkjg.

When he's older, he starts getting a little bit annoyed with Elaena, because they both want to be the best dragon riders and sword wielders in the family, so they butt heads at times (even when they love each other).

So after a particularly nasty fight, Aemond had to sit them both down and explain that there's absolutely no reason as to why they can't aspire to similar things. That rivalry between siblings is poison to a family. Having similar interests makes them more powerful when they join forces, not the other way around.

Vaella

After Elaena, Vaella is the one to throw most tantrums, but it's far different than her sister in the sense that Vaella will cry and whine when she's made to go out of her comfort zone.

She's the shyest kid of the bunch, especially when she's still a baby/toddler. She's afraid of many things and doesn't like to feel pushed into them, even when it's for her own good.

The first time Aemond and reader took the kids out to swim, Vaella threw the biggest fit because she didn't want to separate from Aemond's arms as she was afraid of the ocean.

With Vaella in arms, Aemond slowly started to swim towards the deeper part of the ocean to try to push her, and she just couldn't take it, she was inconsolable.

At the shore, he shook her shoulders and very sternly said, 'Listen to me, Vaella. You have to be brave and conquer your fears, my girl. What will you do when your muña or I are not here anymore!?" But that just made her cry even more slkfjlkjgd

She also throws tantrums every time she has to attend a public event because she loves to be cozy in their private apartments and feels very weird and awkward socializing in general.

Aemond is the one to constantly give her pep talks, and it's about the only time he's truly stern and strict with her. It hurts him, because he knows how sensitive his girl is, but he also understands that he'll do her more harm if he doesn't give her the little pushes that she needs to grow.

#aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen hcs #aemond targaryen headcanons #aemond's children #hotd #house of the dragon #headcanons #my writing #aemond targaryen fanfiction #my oc: aeron targaryen #my oc: vaella targaryen #my oc: elaena targaryen #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x you #ewan mitchell

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wangxianficfinder · 11 months

Text

In the mood for...

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1. Got any bestfriendz wen Ning and wwx? Like really bestfriendz not just in name

So Call Me a Pessimist, but I Don't Believe in It by Anonymous (Not Rated, 127k, WIP, WangXian, Food Issues, Family Feels, WWX is a music teacher, WN and WWX are Best Friends from the future, They use memes to talk covertly, Transmigrator WWX, transmigration au, Slow Burn) WY and WN are TRUE BESTIES

Selling Flowers by AmyNChan (G, 14k, WWX & WN, WangXian, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Florist AU, Modern AU, Acearo Character) I'm very proud of this ok? XD

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2. What are your favorite currently ongoing MDZS fics? I usually wait until a fic is finished to read it, but I took a chance on “Truth Will Out” and am having fun following it from week to week. What other canon-era or modern cultivation fics are currently ongoing that you enjoy? Preferably WangXian or ChengXian! (´｡• ω •｡`) ��

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 644k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement)

Stop and Stay by Fantazy_Eyeland7 (M, 80k, WIP, wangxian, LXC/NMJ, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, LXC/JGY, SL/XXC, modern, blood & violence, hurt WWX, kidnapping, torture, pining LWJ, FBI agent NMJ, protective LWJ, emotional manipulation, toxic JGY, not JGY friendly, bad parent YZY, learning communication, adopting children, protective JYL, protective JC, protective NMJ, past child abuse, blind character, hurt/comfort, angst, child abandonment, genius WWX, obsessive XY, eventual smut, bad parent JFM, junior quartet dynamics as babies, implied/referenced suicide, slow burn, evetual good uncle LQR)

golden when the day met the night by glitteringmoonlight (Not Rated, 91k, WIP, WangXian, Canon, Slow-ish burn, Sugar Daddy LWJ, Light Angst, Fluff, Developing Relationship, warprize au with a twist, Eventual Smut)

The Twin Blades of Yunmeng by GhostySword & ofmindelans (T, 82k, JC & WWX, wangxian, JC/NHS, canon divergence, JC & WWX, reconciliation, BAMF JC, protective LWJ, golden core reveal, angst w/ happy ending, slow burn, sect leader QS, WIP)

see you yesterday by glyphic (M, 138k, WIP, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Ghost Hunters, Time Loop, Case Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Memory Loss, Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn)

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3. Hello hello hello!

For the next itmf I’d like some wangxian in the cloud recesses study arc getting together (and staying together). Just some awkward first crush kind of flirting and that kind of thing

Thanks!!!!!

A Guide on How to (not) Have a Secret Relationship by Grapesey (YumGrapeJuice) (T, 6k, wangxian, cloud recessese study arc, established relationship, secret relationship, fluff, boys kissing, WWX is a little shit, LWJ is so whipped, JC is so done) link in #7

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4. I'd like to request an ITMF! It's for any fics where Madam Yu gets her comeuppance. I'd previously made this request, but due to unfortunate timing, it coincided with the sudden trend in jiang bashing fics. It's not the same thing. I'd like to read something where yzy get put in her place for her behaviour towards wwx, whether that is lwj, jly, etc or even wwx becoming so successful she is kicking herself (e.g. To have and to hold by moominmamashandbag). Thank you and I love you 😘 @theladypeartree

this body yet survives by RoseThorne (T, 45k, WIP, WangXian, No War AU, Recovery, Trauma, Dissociation, Courting Rituals, Near Death Experiences, Attempted Murder, Eventual Happy Ending, Panic Attacks, Protective Siblings, Triggers, Protective LWJ, Protective LQR, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Bad Parent YZY, POV Third Person, POV LWJ, Depression, Good Sibling JC, Good Sibling JYL) madam yu getting her comeuppance - there's a few fics where wwx is nearly killed due to her abuse that gets publicly witnessed prompting the Lan to offer him sanctuary. One I believe is called "this body yet survives" by rosethorne on ao3.

🧡 Company by WithBroomBefore (T, 29k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, POV LWJ, Fix-It, Pre-Canon, at least to start, WWX goes to Cloud Recesses, But Not In The Usual Way, fear of character death, Everybody Lives, Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Light Angst, good teacher LQR, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, brief discussion of past minor character suicide, Kitten, Not YZY Friendly) Another one on ao3, I forget the name, but the summary says something like "lz meets a dying boy in cloud recesses", but wwx lives in the fic.

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5. ITMF wangxian military au? @whateverweilanlovechild

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6. In the mood for some fics where jc got a brother complex. I mean, jc absolutely loves wwx or he's like ' shutup! My bro is the best! ' or ' he's amazing!!! ' or ' LWJ!! STAY 10 KILOMETRES AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!! '

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7. Hello!!!

For ITMF: any fic's where wangxian are in a relationship but nobody knows? Preferably canon setting, but others are also cool. Bonus points if they aren't even trying to hide it actually.

Thank you for the fantastic service ☺️ @eldritch-bisexual

Until The End by abCEE (M, 365k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, war changes people, resulting to OOC, no pinning, Established Relationship, Mpreg, Good Uncle LQR, a little grey LWJ, a bit of JC bashing from LWJ, BAMF JYL, 16 years of yearning, mainly CQL verse but has scenes from the novel as well, LSZ is WangXian’s Child, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Canon Rewrite, Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts)

romantic relationships are prohibited in Cloud Recesses by 12262325 (E, 26k, WangXian, CSSR/WCZ, High School, Established Relationship, minimal plot, Fluff, Eventual Smut)

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8. That new merch artwork by gearous with the fan dancing wwx design has me going 👀👀👀👀 I'm wondering if anyone has any recs where wwx is a dancer or performs in front of lwj?

The Darkness Before Dawn by PsycheStellata707 (M, 113k, WIP, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, BAMF WWX, Time Travel, Attempt at Humor, PTSD, Oblivious WWX, WWX-centric, Blind WWX, Sentient Burial Mounds, Self-Indulgent, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Oblivious Pining, Not Canon Compliant)

Wangxian Strictly AU Series by Selenay (E, 135k, WangXian, Modern: No Powers, Dance, Strictly Come Dancing Fusion, Ballroom Dancing, Dancer!WWX, Violinist LWJ, Pining While Dancing, Oblivious WWX, Gratuitous Costume Descriptions, Gratuitous dancing descriptions, Slow Burn, Ballroom dancing, Established Relationship, Romantic Fluff, [Podfic] Falling to the Rhythm by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona))

Unstrictly Ballroom by Ariaste (T, 47k, WangXian, SongXiao, Modern AU, Everyone's alive, the gang defeats systemic heteronormativity, Stripper AU, competitive ballroom dance AU, really stupid misunderstandings, Yearning, Mutual Pining, the wrist grab, lwj makes a friend (who isn't wwx!), modern au but it's still set in Fantasy China (Gusu/Yiling/Lanling) rather than Real China, LWJ's pov, Erotic Handholding)

notes on a scene by wishingswell (M, 27k, WangXian, Modern AU, Ballet, Fluff)

space, skin, muscle, bone by tombenough_and_continent (T, 23k, WangXian, Modern AU, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, Non-Linear Narrative, Dance, gratuitous use of ballet terminology)

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9. Hi, ITMF fic where wei wuxian isnt part of any sect/isnt a cultivator and he and wanji meet up when they are both adults? @chellsky

Become Tomorrow by ShanaStoryteller (Not rated, 39k, wangxian, alternate universe, cloud recesses study arc, WWX is BSSR’s disciple)

💖 Xiao-Ying of the Third Refugee Village by abCEE (T, 31k, wangxian, WWX banished from Jiang sect, not Jiang friendly, found family, mpreg, fluff, flirting)

醉 | drunk; intoxication by sweetlolixo (E, 15k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mythical Creature WWX, Besotted LWJ, Romance, Pregnant WWX, Fluff)

Flowers Blooming by Ilona22 (M, 35k, WangXian, Adoption, Prostitution, Family Fluff, Family Drama, Growing Up)

Inkstone by PorcelainBlue (T, 7k, wangxian, canon divergence, WWX was not found by Yunmeng Jiang au, artist WWX)

and his wanting grows teeth by yukla (T, 25k, wangxian, canon setting au, traveling cultivator LWJ, WWX adopted by village chief, angst w/ happy ending, pining, typical Jiang family dynamics)

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10. Hello, this blog has helped me before, so I hope it can happen again! I'm in the mood for fics featuring Wangxian with sub!LWJ and also bondage. Canon or AU doesn't matter. Please?

Remember to check all tags before reading ^^

red strings and eager hands by isabilightwood (E, 9k, wangxian, canon divergence, PWP, angst w happy ending, rope bondage, humiliation kink, dub con bondage, dom WWX, sub LWJ, bottom LWJ, praise kink, LWJ has a YLLZ kink, face-fucking, coming untouched, aftercare, love confessions, getting together)

Bend by ana_cp (E, 60k, WangXian, Modern AU, Bottom LWJ, Dom/sub, Dominant WWX, Submissive LWJ, Friends With Benefits, Pining while fucking, Co-workers, Praise Kink, Mutual Pining, Touch-Starved LWJ, Semi-Public Sex, Exhibitionism, Nipple Play, Mutual Masturbation, Overstimulation) and its sequel Shiver

花束 | bouquet by ScarlettStorm (E, 7k, WangXian, PWP, Rope Bondage, Flower Arrangement, tender kink, A Nice Afternoon ™, Established Relationship, Post-Canon, Blow Jobs, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Dom WWX, Sub LWJ)

In Your Armsby AnEmotionalMess (E, 1k, wangxian, light bdsm, bondage, sub!lwj, bottom!lwj, little spoon lwj)

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11. Older Wei Wuxian/Younger Lan Wangji but they keep the same bedroom dynamics as canon. It doesn't have to have smut but I like canon relationship dynamics. Pls and thank you. @myblurryreality

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12. Hiiiiiiii I’m in the mood for some childish, playful lwj. Wangxian please. Like wwx being the only one able to see lwj being silly or playing around or making jokes, dropping his serious attitude.Thanks!

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13. Itmf: saw this on reddit and thought I'd try it. Try to sell us on a fic/rec it by posting a brief excerpt from it! (Just keep the excerpt family friendly, regardless of the fic rating). And don't forget to include the name of the fic! :D

Remember to check the tags on the work before reading ^^

Mad about the Boy by TriviasFolly "For a moment Lan Zhan wanted. He wanted the right to kiss Wei Ying wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. The right to do it without fear, without hesitation. To hold his hand, to see him go grey. The roar of a lawnmower coming to life grounded him to reality. He neatly shoved those feelings back into their box. That future could never happen for people like him"

Ominous by 3neetee ““You promised me a game,” they said. “Can you guess which one is your son?”

Enraged, Lan-furen declines to choose and cheats her way.

“Both.” She said with all her might, “Both are mine.” She can’t just look at the other baby and call it a monster; for it bears her child’s face. Lan-furen is already full of maternal love for both.

And with her choice, she expected to be punished. But instead of being angry, the fae leaves with a click of their tongue.”

Alter by DarkStunning. "The water and the wind mix and Wuxian looks at Jiang Cheng, "Now!" He screams and they both release their full powers.

The whirlpool rises, urged on by the wind and a small funnel of water quickly grows in size until a large typhoon has developed in its place in minutes.

The roar of power overshadows the screams of the Wens as they scramble about the ships. Cultivators trying desperately to remove the anchors and run, but eventually deciding to jump on their swords to escape. However, the typhoon is huge in both width and height. The funnel of rain and wind stretches heavenward and the conditions are so rough it makes flying or escaping impossible.

Wuxian watches without empathy as the monster storm makes its crawl towards the first ship. There’s a moment of stillness just before it makes contact, but then it's as if the power of the winds just suck the ship in and obliterate it into pieces.

It was harrowing watching something so large just be ripped to shreds within a matter of seconds. Wood, sails, people go flying and as it continues on, leaving behind only scraps."

~*~

14. Itmf: rec me ur fav fic you've read, and tell us why! :D

space, skin, muscle, bone by tombenough_and_continent (T, 23k, WangXian, Modern AU, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, Non-Linear Narrative, Dance, gratuitous use of ballet terminology) again, because it's beautiful and then i watched the swan lake (matthew bourne's 2012) and it was just heart wrenching (link in #8)

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15. Sent this in awhile back and got some cool responses, so thought I'd try again. Itmf: rec us a fic that you read, that you would have never normally read, but ended up loving. (Maybe the summary made it seem darker than it was, or it had a trope or rarepair or something outside your norm etc.)

Kingfisher Feathers by anonymous (E, 144k, WIP, WangXian, Royalty AU, Emperor LWJ, Concubine WWX, A/B/O, Mpreg, Mutual Pining, Angst with a happy ending) not an abo fan at all, but I like this one

Wei Wuxian Makes a Wish series by natcat5 (M, 119k, wangxian, major character death, underage, madoka magica au, modern w/ magic, time travel, high school au, body horror, self-harm, angst w/ bittersweet ending, time loop, mental instability, suicidal thoughts) I just finished this fic and was intrigued by the summary but didn't know anything about the anime it's based on so I was a bit meh about. Read it yesterday and cried so much over it, instantly became a fave.

Pocket Too Deep for Play by bigamma (E, 57k, Female WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Vibrators, Easter Eggs, Sex Toys, Autistic LWJ, Female WWX, Female LWJ, WWX Has ADHD, Lacrosse, Christian Themes, Sports Medicine, YZY's A+ Parenting, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Christian Holidays, Easter Egg Hunt, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Bible Quotes (Abrahamic Religions), Cunnilingus) I usually skip F/F but decided to give this one a chance because of the summary and I absolutely loved it. Wangxian is adorable, yanli is the best, and lqr has such a good scene almost at the end! Author just uploaded the last chapter so you can binge read and leave some love in the comments!

[podfic] Let the Streetlights Guide You Home by jellyfishfireI (M, 3.5-4H, modern, car racing au, references to drug use & underage driving, UST, the fic by tellthemstories) I describe this as the "illegal streetcar racing AU you never knew you needed". I was introduced to this story by Jellyfisfire's JAW-DROPPINGLY INCREDIBLE podfic and I was instantly and irrevocably *hooked*. The story is insanely well written with emotions that will punch you in the gut and an incredible reinterpretation of canon into the illegal street racing world. Add to that Jelly's voice which pulls out every one of those emotions and the bass thumping and tires squealing and I was HOOKED

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16. Not quite sure if this works for this blog? Itmf a Fandom that u think fans of the untamed/mdzs would also like? Maybe it has similar themes or cinematography? Shares the same actor for a main character? You found out about it because of the untamed Fandom? Etc. Explain ur reasoning :)

mreisse: Word of Honor is a logical one? Someone said "Guardian crawled so that Untamed could walk and Word of Honor could run." It's on Netflix so easily accessible for us westerners. I found a fan translation of the book by priest but no official release in English, so not sure how book fans will take it. It's more martial arts than monster fighting but the costumes and dialogue are to DIE FOR. Although I'm pretty sure everyone around these parts already know, I figured...

flamingwell: Guardian!! Listen, I thought LWJ was the essence of gay pining until I met Shen Wei. That man is the concentrated pure essence of gay pining so strong it threatens the fabric of the universe. Beyond that, want straight-laced gay 4 disaster bisexual smarty? Want canonically gay book turned into a show that, while it passes censorship, *everyone* is committed to showing the relationship for what it is? Want found family? Humor? Loads of hurt/comfort? Mutual protectiveness? Battle couple? Some of the best acting around (okay, only from the mains, but DAMN do they carry it on their backs)? Keeping secrets from loved ones? Self-sacrificial tendencies? COME ON DOWN TO GUARDIAN!

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17. Itmf: fics that did something in a cool way. Maybe a clever plot device, an unexpected twist, a deviation from fanon that worked well, an unexpected deviation from a route the majority of fics in the Fandom do take, etc

💖 symmetry by bleuett (M, 44k, WangXian, Space, Science Fiction, Happy Ending, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Holding Hands, Blow Jobs, Hand Feeding, Cultivation in Space, Yearning, Reunions, Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Injuries, Grief/Mourning, Unconventional Time Travel, Burial Mounds)

The Scarlet Lotus by rainbowninja167 (M, 137k, WIP, WangXian, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Identity, Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical war crimes, Yunmeng Bros, the mortifying ordeal of getting seduced by your own husband, nonlinear chronology we die like cql, just kidding nobody dies in this fic, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication) This fic played with identity shenanigans and made such a silly premise so believable!

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic recs #i'm in the mood for a fic #the untamed #wangxian fic search #wangxianficfinder #long post

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stiffyck · 5 months

Note

I just had a SL Scar idea that I think you'd like. So Scar, some type of fae whether it be vex or allay or elf or what have you, has some ability to control plants and plant magic. The more stressed he gets the less control he has.

The flowers around his base and on his cloak are literally sprouting wherever he walks whether he likes it or not, because his magic is subconsciously crying out for connection in his loneliness and trying to lure people in with the flowers (hence why when he goes red he starts growing poppies and lilacs, since they worked the first time he needed to keep a friend, didn't they?)

YES I LOVE THIS

#stiff talk #asks #gtws

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mayathescientist · 4 months

Note

hello hello I would love to hear about your skye sisters headcanons if you wish to indulge me 👀

OH, WELL. HERE WE GO!

- lana's entire personality is actually sort of shaped by the fact she had to raise a person by herself since she was herself pretty young. she missed out on core parts of socialization, so she's not exactly the best with people, she has a caretaker mode and an interacting with strangers mode, and it hasn't exactly worked the best for making friends; she did learn how to sort of open up and talk about herself and her interests and views on the world in college, but she never really.. demands attention or focuses on herself? it doesn't actually really cross her mind at all. she's well-spoken, thoughtful, has her own set views on the world and is anything but boring, but she only ever drops it Sometimes, like untalkative fathers casually having half a conversation that is so good you start wishing for more but then they just go quiet again, sort of slipping-through-your-fingers sort of person, because she's always sort of been a means to an end. not that she didn't get to show her personality with ema at all, but the conversations they had were mostly her teaching her something, or her making sure she's okay, or her listening and giving ema space to learn conversational skills, talk about her interests, etc - it was all about ema. and I should empathize lana was fine with it. lana was giving large parts of herself up long before rfta began - she ways always living for ema. she sort of just had to. even her fight against crime and pursuit of justice and the maintenance of peace and etcetera were probably Partially rooted in a desire to give ema (everyone else too, but especially ema) a better world to live in. she's ultimately defined by how deeply self-sacrificially she loves. she's a lot like nahyuta in that regard.

- ema hates how self-sacrificial lana is. lana never flaunted it in her face or demanded any gratitude - that's not why. I think it's rather about something that peaked in rfta and probably showed in small moments here and there before that. lana closes off to suffer in silence. she probably tried to never let ema see that she was struggling in any way, and it could have manifested in her sort of getting lost in herself and just being cold and quiet and not showing as much attention to ema as usual, and until ema was old enough, that surface level of the problem Was the problem, but later ema inevitably starting to understand lana was just running away not to let her help. later ema inevitably starting to understand the things that were being done for her were not easy and they were being done in noble suffering For Her Sake. and, being a teenager that she was, ema would yell at lana to stop giving her all of these things, then, and lana would just shake her head and tell ema she knows nothing about how anything works. you know how parents start being more honest with you about how much money they spent on you and tell you more about themselves as you grow up? lana did the opposite. after sl-9, pretty much the only thing lana talked to ema about was ema's grades, mental state and whether she was sure she didn't need therapy or not. when lana would manage to tell ema she was proud of her or something like that, she sounded so tired ema would just cry and tell her to stop. they barely spent time together, but ema liked it better that way when she didn't have to put to with lana's exhausted awkward attempts to connect.

- actually, though, ema did still want attention. she was a teenager, she was human and had emotional needs and, to put it bluntly and perhaps rudely, she was lucky enough to be used to getting more. she would find multiple reasons to hate lana - calling her care control, calling her cold and unfeeling, claiming she didn't care about her or know her, complaining to her friends at school lana only cared about her grades and would be disappointed in her for failing. all of that might have been Partially true, but it was never the core issue, and later ema always felt guilty for talking about her sister like that. she knew lana cared, she knew lana would talk to her more if she could, she knew lana wouldn't actually be just completely disappointed if ema started failing class - more likely concerned, - she knew lana wasn't bad, she was just suffering. but she had no way to help. she didn't even know what lana what suffering From. and there was no way lana was ever telling her. in a way, ema would feel she ruined lana's life.

- and again, I'm not just talking about the aftermath of the sl-9 here, although that probably drove these issues up to eleven - rfta is representative of the problems they had for years, this particular story is just something that made it to court and had some outside involvement for it's resolution. I'm not sure they would even be able to completely resolve it after rfta? but they would definitely Attempt it.

- I don't actually think lanamia would have had worked out for long. they could definitely both bring something good out of knowing each other, but ultimately, their paths only crossed for a short moment - they met each other, they found something to respect and admire in each other, they helped each other grow and perhaps, hoped to be each other's emotional solace and salvation, but ultimately never were, because they inevitably got pulled in the opposite directions by their respective priorities. mia never kept in contact with anyone she met in college, even if she actually sort of wanted to - she had a goal to work towards, and she couldn't afford to keep anyone close enough so they could potentially get hurt by the obstacles She would face. she knew where she was going and never wanted to drag anyone down with her, that's why she never even told anyone. she moved on past lana right around the time she started working for grossberg, not because she never cared, but because the truth was always more important than herself. the same way she let go of lana, she eventually had to let go of diego - she didn't stop visiting him in the hospital in his coma, from time to time she still did, but she couldn't let what happened to him keep affecting her. she never let maya know, she never let phoenix know, she appeared all fine and well held together in aa1 despite her loved one being in a coma and her not even knowing if he's going to survive. mia is just this type of person - she leaves and moves on despite not wanting to, and feeling guilty for it, and kind of being an asshole for it - she left her sister in the village alone and then called her on the phone to check up on her and congratulate her on coping so well with living alone knowing full well she's part of the reason maya has to grow up so fast. mia couldn't have stayed with lana even if she really wanted to, mia always leaves. and another side of that coin, lana never let ema meet mia? ema heard about mia as a lawyer recommendation and knew vaguely how they met, but the "intellectually attracted" phrase makes me think ema didn't actually know they were in a relationship? lana wouldn't let her personal life get in the way of her raising her daughter sister. lana wouldn't talk to ema about her personal life the way it's kind of normal for sisters to do. lana was a parent and made sure her image in ema's eyes stayed untainted with any silly romantic stuff ema would giggle about. (I think it would be part of the reason ema would be so uncomfortable with lana dating umaru later down the line- nevermind let's not touch on that right now.)

- I also don't want to go into huge detail about it here, because it's.. not something really based in canon and might be perceived by some people as silly, but I headcanon marshalls and angel starr as being lana's buddies from college, and jake was unexpectedly good at helping babysit ema and ended up becoming sort of a weird uncle for her who would give her shoulder rides and tell her cool gun facts, ignoring concerned looks from his more well-adjusted brother. (my headcanons about marshalls are their own wild beast, but they're just that, headcanons, they're not actually based on literally anything.) and I think it would really really hurt ema that after sl-9 jake would close off completely from everyone, and whenever he would meet ema again he would just act like they're strangers because he was just that entrenched in his grief. jake would actually fix his relationship with ema even before lana did, though - he would break out of prison to do it, show up tight as she was leaving for college and tell her they're anything but strangers and he'll always be ready to help, should she just call. (he would constantly have to change numbers, though, because from this moment moving forward he'd be on the run from the police.^^)

#maya posts #baby's first ask!#ace attorney #ema skye #lana skye #mia fey #jake marshall #lanamia #ace attorney headcanon #ace attorney meta #sort of #I actually only stopped because I grew tired and picked the least canon related hc to end on #i could have gone into how lana's self sacrificialness affected ema's relationship with nahyuta #I could have gone into how I see their relationship in the post trilogy although I do have quite a depressing take on it #i also.... had to compromise my nonbinary ema headcanon for this and use she/her for them in this post... just because I kind of want it to #have a wider reach....#but yeah in my head ema skye is actually nonbinary #transmasculine and uses they them pronouns #but I wanted to lean more heavily into analyzing their canon relationship rather than just headcanons

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