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#they’re real. and they always have been. and i can’t just ‘calm down’ like you can. and that needs to be respected
mars-ipan · 1 year
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honestly i don’t really think any mental illnesses have been like “destigmatized”- not fully at least. i think the stigma has just changed from demonization to “that’s not a real problem get over it god”
#obviously demonization is more Actively Harmful#but to say things like depression and anxiety have been destigmatized is. incorrect i feel#yes we are not treated like we’re evil. which is for sure an improvement#nobody deserves to be treated like they’re evil#but our illnesses are now being dismissed. ‘oh everyone has that’ not like me#‘you’re just being lazy’ i wish that were true#like. ok hold on let me use an example bc i’m worried abt reading comprehension on this website#(not my followers i trust u guys but i act as if every post i make will get popular)#my brother is autistic. i have GAD.#my brother was diagnosed when he was 2. he’s faced a lot of bullying from both kids and adults and it sucks and he didn’t deserve it#because of all that bullying (especially as a kid) he’s rejecting his autism and focusing really hard on being as ‘normal’ as possible#i was diagnosed last year at 17. i’ve been having these issues my whole life (my mom and i both saw it) but my issues were dismissed#by all the other adults around me (save for family) because i wasn’t visibly struggling and i was doing well in school#it made me doubt my convictions for a long time. what if i’m wrong?#as such i didn’t seek a diagnosis for a long time until my anxiety had gotten to a point where i knew i couldn’t keep ignoring it#now that i have that diagnosis i’m able to wield it as a weapon. my struggles aren’t made up#they’re real. and they always have been. and i can’t just ‘calm down’ like you can. and that needs to be respected#so while i think one is more actively harmful (bullying and harassment lead to self-rejection and loathing)#the other is also harmful- just passively (constantly being dismissed leads to self-doubt and not asking for help)#also why are people angry about the idea of a mental illness being destigmatized?#one group freeing itself from oppression isn’t gonna immediately forget about the groups who helped them get there#if i’m one day able to get perfect accomodations for my anxiety and nobody looks at me like i’m dramatic when i talk about it#i’m not gonna suddenly stop advocating for mental health issues to be normalized#if anything i’ll argue HARDER. you learned to understand me now learn to understand my siblings#learn to understand those with bpd. with psychosis. the sociopaths. the narcissists. the systems#i’m not gonna act like i have it worse than people who are heavily stigmatized. i’m not gonna get attacked for stuttering at mcdonalds#but that doesn’t mean i have /no/ problems and it doesn’t mean i think i’m better than anyone else#i don’t get why people fight each other about this. it’s a good thing so long as we remember where we came from
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strawberrysturniolo · 4 months
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can you pleaseeeee do a chris sturniolo x fem reader where she invites him to meet her family? maybe she has a big family and he’s a little nervous to impress them all? i hope that doesn’t that dumb <33
meeting the family // bf!chris
super soft chris
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“Baby?” my boyfriend’s voice calls from our shared bed.
I’m standing in the bathroom, drying my face with a towel while he scrolls through his phone. “Yes?”
“What time are you parents getting in today?”
Chris has been overloaded with anxiety about meeting my family since we started dating months ago. I had moved to LA for college, stumbled into Chris through mutual friends, and with him knowing that I have family on the opposite coast that he has been able to get out of having the awkward first interaction with for months, he’s beginning to panic now that it’s coming up.
He has no real reason to worry though. My parents have always been pretty casual and free to let me do what I want, make my own mistakes. But Chris was never a mistake, and while he’s paranoid about them liking him, I have plenty of confidence that today will go well. 
They’re flying in from my hometown to visit me over a short break I have from school. I was flying back home so much that they decided they wanted to come to the west coast to see me for a change. 
“2, but they’re Ubering to their hotel so my sister can sleep.”
My sister, who is 4, was, in the nicest way, a complete and total freak accident. 
I was an only child my entire life, and when my sister popped out, our age gap was so evident that I would often get asked if I was a single teenage mom when I would take her to the store with me. 
Their day of traveling with her must have been hell. It’s rough enough to go from coast to coast as is, but with a whiny 4-year-old who just wants to sleep the whole time but probably can’t find comfort on the plane, I doubt it was peaceful. 
I can hear the bed creak a bit as Chris gets up and stumbles into the bathroom. His hair is a mess, curls in every direction. His eyelids are heavy, and he drops his head on my shoulder to show me just how exhausted he is. His swollen lips kiss my neck as his arms wrap around my waist. He smiles at me through the mirror, places another kiss to my cheek, then turns around to the shower, turning on the water. 
“You feeling any better about the big introduction?” I ask, earning a groan in response.
“Are you trying to make me feel more nervous?”
“I’m trying to make you feel better.” 
He peels his shirt off and tosses it to the ground. “I’m happy to be meeting them, but no, I’m still scared shitless.” 
While he showered, I talked to my mom to coordinate our plans for the rest of the day. By the time he was back to our room, our day had been decided. 
“My parents are going to Uber back to their hotel so my sister can take a nap, and then we’re going to take them to dinner,” I relay the plans back to him. 
He nods as he puts on a fresh shirt and pants. “Sounds good.”
We go about the rest of our day before heading to the hotel my family will be spending the next few days at. Chris’ hand taps the wheel nervously. I offered to hold his hand, but he insisted that he was too worked up to feel comfortable holding mine, as his hand was probably too sweaty. 
I couldn’t help but find it adorable how much he cared. I knew he really had nothing at all to be worried about. The idea of him caring so much though was so sweet, and I felt really lucky that I had been with someone who wanted to make a lasting impression. It made me think he wanted to make sure they liked him enough for him to be in my life for a long time. 
When Chris pulled into the hotel parking lot, he let out a deep breath.
“Rainbows, butterflies, unicorns,” he muttered, trying to calm himself down.
A cackle left my mouth at the sound of him.
His eyes shot open and he glared at me. “Stop laughing!”
“Chris, this is ridiculous! You’re getting yourself worked up for nothing.”
He stared at me with a blank expression like that was enough to challenge my words. 
“Babe,” I started. “My dad is as protective as any dad is, but he’s a nice man and he cares much more about me being happy than anything else. He can only protect me so much from as far as we live anyway. My mom, she’s easy going and loves everyone. And my sister is 4 and will like you as long as you acknowledge her existence. You’re fine, let’s go.”
With that, I exit the car and head for the front doors. I hear Chris’ door close behind me and his footsteps follow. I lead Chris up to my family’s room, knocking a few times so they can let us in. 
The door swings open, revealing my mom. “Honey!” 
Before I can say anything, her arms are wrapped around me, pulling me into a tight hug. “Hi, mom. How was your flight?”
She let out a sigh. “Exhausting, but we made it. Your sister couldn’t fall asleep and complained about her ears hurting, so she took a nap for a bit when we got settled here and-”
“SISSY!”
The sound of my sister’s voice was enough to make my face light up. I squatted down to her height as she ran to me with her arms out. I hooked my hands under her arms and picked her up, holding her at my hip.
“Hey girly! I heard you didn’t have too much fun on your flight, huh?”
“Uh uh,” she said, shaking her head before resting it on my shoulder. 
I could sense her eyes on Chris, who had been standing behind me. After a few seconds, she started giggling. 
I bopped her up a bit so she could look at me. “What’s so funny?”
Her cheeks blushed as she pointed to Chris, then put her head back on my shoulder. 
“Ohhhhh,” I say, nodding at her as she hides from my boyfriend. “That’s Chris. He’s very nice.”
Chris waved his hand at her, smiling big enough for my sister to giggle again. 
“Why don’t you guys come in and sit down for a bit?” my mom suggested.
Carrying my sister still, I walked inside with Chris behind me and sat down on the bed. 
“Hi sweetheart,” my dad greeted me, kissing me on the head. He stuck his hand out to Chris, who wiped his hand on his pants before shaking my dad’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Chris.”
“Yeah– Um. You too,” Chris stumbled over his words.
In an attempt to let Chris relax a little, I sat my sister on my lap and said, “Why don’t you let Chris meet Bobo?”
Her eyes lit up and she jumped out of my lap, racing to the bed to grab her stuffed monkey.
She bolted back to Chris, holding her monkey proudly in front of him. 
“This is Bobo?” he asked, an element of excitement in his tone that was enough to make any kid think that what they had to share was golden. “Can I hold him?”
She nodded, smiling. 
“Wowwwwwww. Did you know monkey’s are my favorite? I had a lot when I was little.”
Her jaw dropped to the floor, making both my parents laugh. 
“Bobo was with me… the whole time… on the plane,” she said. She spoke like she was out of breath, like the excitement was too much for her. “I was scared of the plane and mommy said Bobo would protect me!”
“I bet he did!” Chris nodded. “He looks like he has that power.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Chris and my sister interacting, as well as how he had finally loosened up and gotten comfortable around my family. While we continued to talk, my sister climbed up on his lap, and I fucking melted at how fast he put his arms around her for support and helped her up. She put her head on his chest, and while holding Bobo, I could see just how tired she still was. 
“Uh oh,” my mom said. “Looks like she’s out again.”
All our eyes found my little sister passed out asleep on my boyfriend’s chest. He looked down to try to see for himself, but was blocked by the back of her head. 
My mom stood up with her phone. “This is too cute. Do you mind if I take a picture of you guys?”
Chris didn’t even respond. Instead he looked up at my mom with the biggest smile I’d ever seen, holding onto my sister. 
All his fears went away, and just like I thought, he was the perfect fit for this family. 
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greekmythcomix · 7 months
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How I teach the Iliad in highschool:
I’ve taught the Iliad for over a decade, I’m literally a teacher, and I can even spell ‘Iliad’, and yet my first instinct when reading someone’s opinions about it is not to drop a comment explaining what it is, who ‘wrote’ it, and what that person’s intention truly was.
Agh. <the state of Twitter>
The first thing I do when I am teaching the Iliad is talk about what we know, what we think we know, and what we don’t know about Homer:
We know -
- 0
We think we know -
- the name Homer is a person, possibly male, possibly blind, possibly from Ionia, c.8th/9th C BCE.
- composed the Iliad and Odyssey and Hymns
We don’t know -
- if ‘Homer’ was a real person or a word meaning singer/teller of these stories
- which poem came first
- whether the more historical-sounding events of these stories actually happened, though there is evidence for a similar, much shorter, siege at Troy.
And then I get out a timeline, with suggested dates for the ‘Trojan war’ and Iliad and Odyssey’s estimated composition date and point out the 500ish years between those dates. And then I ask my class to name an event that happened 500 years ago.
They normally can’t or they say ‘Camelot’, because my students are 13-15yo and I’ve sprung this on them. Then I point out the Spanish Armada and Qu. Elizabeth I and Shakespeare were around then. And then I ask how they know about these things, and we talk about historical record.
And how if you don’t have historical record to know the past, you’re relying on shared memory, and how that’s communicated through oral tradition, and how oral tradition can serve a second purpose of entertainment, and how entertainment needs exciting characteristics.
And we list the features of the epic poems of the Iliad and Odyssey: gods, monsters, heroes, massive wars, duels to the death, detailed descriptions of what armour everyone is wearing as they put it on. (Kind of like a Marvel movie in fact.)
And then we look at how long the poems are and think about how they might have been communicated: over several days, when people would have had time to listen, so at a long festival perhaps, when they’re not working. As a diversion.
And then I tell them my old and possibly a bit tortured simile of ‘The Pearl of Myth’:
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(Here’s a video of The Pearl of Myth with me talking it through in a calming voice: https://youtu.be/YEqFIibMEyo?sub_confirmation=1
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And after all that, I hand a student at the front a secret sentence written on a piece of paper, and ask them to whisper it to the person next to them, and for that person to whisper it to the next, and so on. You’ve all played that game.
And of course the sentence is always rather different at the end than it was at the start, especially if it had Proper nouns in it (which tend to come out mangled). And someone’s often purposely changed it, ‘to be funny’.
And we talk about how this is a very loose metaphor for how stories and memory can change over time, and even historical record if it’s not copied correctly (I used to sidebar them about how and why Boudicca used to be known as ‘Boadicea’ but they just know the former now, because Horrible Histories exists and is awesome)
And after all that, I remind them that what we’re about to read has been translated from Ancient Greek, which was not exactly the language it was first written down in, and now we’re reading it in English.
And that’s how my teenaged students know NOT TO TAKE THE ILIAD AS FACT.
(And then we read the Iliad)
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ovaryacted · 3 months
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GIRL DAD! LEON HEADCANONS
So, I was not expecting this to be so fucking long, but here we are. At this rate, this should just be considered a fic & analysis post all on its own lmao. But yes, here are some extensive headcanons of Leon being a girl dad because as a writer it’s my duty to make this man happy since others won’t (I’m looking at you Capcom). No specific age of the child is mentioned but look at this as a general periodic analysis of Leon being a father. Hope you like it! :)
2.0k words | cw: tooth-rotting fluff, just Leon being a sappy dad
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I think it’s become a universal and widely accepted headcanon that Leon would be a girl dad, and likewise that he will become the softest man imaginable. A man like him who has seen and witnessed so much violence and gore in his life, completely melting because his little girl has him wrapped around her finger is the most precious thing ever.
During the pregnancy, Leon would already be protective and gentle, wanting his partner to never lift a finger so he’d do everything and anything possible to make it an easy time for them. I also would like to think that he doesn’t care what sex his child is, whether it be a boy or a girl, he doesn’t have a preference, all he wants is for his baby to be healthy and happy. So throughout the pregnancy, you both agree to keep the sex of the baby a surprise, focusing more on their health and how they’re doing as they develop every week.
So the day you go into labor a week earlier than expected, he’s worried that things might go badly and his anxiety is on 10. But after hours of pain and distress during childbirth, the second he hears the loud shrill cry of his child he feels tears building in his eyes. He’s happy, genuinely happy that his baby is here in the world, and his emotions only intensify when he hears the words “Congrats, it’s a healthy baby girl!” from one of the nurses.
A baby girl. His baby girl.
He finds himself crying more than he’d like, and obviously, he’s trying to be strong for you as your body shakes from the over-exertion of labor, but he can’t help himself. As he watches the nurse put your crying baby onto your warm chest and notices how she instantly calms down the moment she hears your voice, he can feel his heart growing in size at the sight.
His two perfect girls, all in one place.
It’s a while before he gets the chance to see his child once they’re all cleaned up and swaddled in a comforting blanket, rocking a baby pink hat. His eyes are taking in his daughter’s features for the first time, going over her cute little nose and round cheeks. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen something so perfect, so small, and it amazes him that he managed to partake in creating something like that. Leon doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but the moment he looks at his daughter he thinks he finally understands what that feels like.
The first time he gets to hold his daughter, he’s terrified, thinking that he shouldn’t be touching her to begin with. His child is pure, untouched by the horrors of the real world and his hands aren’t unwashed of everything he’s done. He’s held weapons of destruction and killed more things than he could count. You’d have to remind him constantly that his child doesn’t know anything about what he’s done to survive, about what he’s been through, and that no matter what she won’t blame him for it and will still love him because he’s her father.
Over time, he gets used to holding her, thinking it’s almost comical how small she looks tucked nicely against his bicep and chest. Holding his daughter quickly becomes a source of comfort for Leon, feeling like the world just stops the moment he has her in his arms where she’s safe. You would find him sleeping on the couch with her on his chest, her head right against his heartbeat and lulling her to sleep.
As his daughter grows, Leon only becomes more attached. He’s always taking care of her, ready to feed her, change her, tend to all of her needs, and talk to her. In a way, he knows it’s good on your end so you can rest and recover, and he gets closer to his child, a child he never knew he could have. He could spend hours just looking at her, watch how her big blue eyes take in her surroundings, and he loves having her tiny fingers wrap around one of his own.
Sometimes at night, he’d just look over her as she slept in her crib, watching her little body take in every breath while the nagging voice in his head told him that she’s a figment of his imagination. He’d spend some nights sleeping in the rocking chair in her nursery to watch over her, not caring for his sore back in the morning. It’s a process Leon has to go through on his own, and you don’t push him in any direction, just let him handle it while reminding him you’re there to support him. He has to do it to accept that his child is real and isn’t going to disappear the next time he blinks, and once his mind finally accepts that fact he’ll be less paranoid.
Eventually, he’s around his daughter so much that he develops a sixth sense to her moods. He knows when she’s about to cry, when she needs a bath or to be changed, when she’s hungry. He gets so good at taking care of his daughter that he’s in tune with her emotions, his fatherly intuition becoming stronger the more he interacts with her. This also means that he generally hates seeing his baby girl cry, it tugs at his heartstrings when he thinks she’s upset or hurt. That’s why when it’s time to bring her to the doctor to get her first shots, Leon starts to cry when his daughter cries from the injections. He hates thinking he’s hurting his child despite knowing it’s necessary for her health, but that doesn’t mean he hates it any less.
“I know sweet pea, I know it hurts. I’m sorry darling”
For the record, he’d have a list of terms of endearment he’d call his daughter on top of her name, but the one he reserves specifically for her would be sweet pea. Of course, he’s called you that once or twice, but during the pregnancy he called the baby sweet pea when they were the actual size of a pea. That name just stuck with him, and now that he has a daughter, it’ll be the one name that’s solely for her.
Leon is always shopping for her, buying her stuffed animals or anything she remotely likes. He quickly develops a bad habit of not being able to tell his daughter “no”, and that doesn’t make her into a brat, she just has a dad that wants to spoil her. In Leon’s mind, whatever his daughter says she wants, she gets, no matter how ridiculous or expensive. If she says she wants a kitchen set and it’s tea party time, Leon will get one for her and sit down with the rest of her plushies at the table and act the part. If she says she wants a damn pony he’s gonna get it for her (obviously he doesn’t because you stop him from doing something ridiculous) but he tries and it’s endearing.
His daughter will continue to grow and develops a personality that closely resembles his own, matching her appearance she got mostly from her father, moles and all. She’s smart and perceptive, a sweetheart and so kind it warms his chest. But his favorite part of his child’s personality is her spunk and sense of humor. He makes it a habit to test out his corny dad jokes on his kid, just so he can hear her laugh and giggle regardless of how old she gets. Leon does it so he can see her bright smile, not caring if it’s just gums or a full set of pearly white teeth, it’s all he looks for. He tries to be the cool dad, and he thinks as long as he has his daughter’s approval he can do anything.
Leon is always open to spending quality time with his daughter, and if anything she’s the one that initiates. He remembers when she first started walking, her wobbly little legs making him worry when he glanced at her taking her first steps. Now that she can run mostly anywhere around the house, she’ll walk towards his direction, raising her arms above her head so Leon could carry her. He always does, always says yes no matter how his body feels. He’ll try to hold her and carry her for as long as he possibly could because that’s his baby girl and he’d do anything to make her happy. Leon is fully aware that eventually, he will get too old or potentially too weak from an injury to carry her, so he stays active as much as he can and maintains his strength for that reason.
He’s always with her, whether that be playing with her and her toys, or just talking to her about anything that comes to mind. Leon and his daughter become attached at the hip, twins essentially. She’ll ramble about things and ask him silly questions, and Leon will communicate with her too. When he does talk to his daughter, he speaks to her like an actual adult and it’s the funniest thing ever. She could be babbling when she’s a toddler and Leon would give a very lengthy explanation of the anti-capitalistic ideology and how much he hates how taxes are broken down. It would be even funnier when she starts to talk and he becomes the designated person she goes to when seeking answers to anything on her mind.
“Daddy, is the moon made of cheese?”
“Yes, I think it’s made out of mozzarella”
“Really? So does that mean cheese balls are moon rocks?”
“Exactly sweetheart”
He loves to entertain her, to make sure he keeps up with her curiosity and interests no matter how silly they are. In a way, this is how he protects her innocence and makes sure his daughter knows that he’s her friend, that he cares for her, and that she will always be safe with him. He tries very hard to keep all of the negative and toxic things he knows is out in the real world away from his kid and household all together, prioritizing her happiness and health above all else. That includes not mentioning anything about his job or what he does, and actively going to therapy so he can show up better than the last time she saw him. He tries every day to be the best dad he could be for his daughter, because he wants to be the father he never had, so he tries and that’s what matters.
His child knows that sometimes he has to go away for days to weeks at a time for work. She doesn’t fully understand what Leon’s job pertains to but just knows that he goes off to fight the bad guys. In her precious mind, she sees her dad as a superhero, looks up to him in admiration, and gets sad whenever he has to leave. But when it’s time for him to part ways with his family, she gives him a big hug and words of encouragement and love. She sticks out her small pinky finger, which Leon curls with his. It was part of his good luck ritual, making sure to pinkie promise his return and that he’ll be safe and he never breaks his promise. He always adored how her eyes carried the same determination he has when he’s focused on his missions. 
“Promise to be back daddy?”
“I will sweet pea. I’ll always come back for you”
When it comes to him out on the field, he usually doesn’t keep any form of identification on him as a safety precaution, so he keeps stuff like his wedding band at home. But his daughter will give him a friendship-beaded bracelet to carry with him, and he’ll wear it proudly on the opposite wrist that isn’t occupied by his watch. It’s not visible to others because of his gloves, but the weight of it against his skin is what keeps him going and keeps him motivated as he takes out any threat that presents itself. When he returns home no matter how his body feels, his daughter is the first one to come running towards him with that wide smile on her face. He wraps his arms around her, hugging her tightly as if she will disappear at any moment, and he will continue to do that for as long as he can.
Leon and his daughter are two peas in a pod, she is his missing piece and makes him feel whole with every moment they share. He’ll do anything to make his daughter happy, and he doesn’t mind being wrapped around his baby girl’s finger, because that’s where he belongs. 
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©️ ovaryacted 2024. Please don’t repost, copy, translate, or feed into any AI. Support your fellow creators by reblogging, commenting, and liking!
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wlntrsldler · 2 months
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fratboy!luke save me…
save me fratboy!luke
u get it….
im obsessed with him. soooo part three under the cut 🫣
part 1 | part 2 | part 4 | part 5 (final)
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tagged lukecastell4n.
yn_yln: save a horse…
lukecastell4n: ride a cowboy 🤠
yn_yln: my cowboy 🩵
trideltumm: had a blast at rodddeo with you 🙈
liked by yn_yln.
poseidonsfavchild: did shame leave too when u left for college ? what is this caption ?
bethchase: LEAVE UR SISTER ALONE
gr0verunderwood: LET THEM HAVE FUN
poseidonsfavchild: they’re getting too comfortable on this app 🤮
chrisr0driguez: me when
lukecastell4n: WHEN UR BALLS DROP AND U FINALLY ASK HER OUT
yn_yln: LITERALLY TOMORROW IF YOU JUST MADE A MOVE SHE LIKES YOU TOO
clarisselarue: …?
chrisr0driguez: i’ll kill u both.
silenabeauregard: omg ur hat is so cute can i borrow it
yn_yln: always!!!! 🩷
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tagged yn_yln, charliebeck, and others.
silenabeauregard: greeks take on the city
yn_yln: best triple date everrrrr
lukecastell4n: we couldve been goin on so many if u confessed earlier chrisr0driguez
clarisselarue: fr
chrisr0driguez: my girlfriend is mean to me :(
clarisselarue: you like it tho
gr0verunderwood: yeah im starting to agree w percy on this one, can yall text each other pls
yn_yln: 💀
silenabeauregard: 😭
charliebeck: we need to do this again!!!!
yn_yln: YESSSS
lukecastell4n: second that
liked by silenabeauregard.
clarisselarue: last night was a movieee
lukecastell4n: i have the video when chris ate shit on the electric scooter 😭
clarisselarue: PLS SEND
chrisr0driguez: PLS DONT I HAVE A CHIPPED TOOTH ALREADY I DONT NEED ANY MORE REMINDERS
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tagged lukecastell4n.
yn_yln: we got married 👰🏻‍♀️👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻
poseidonsfavchild: HELLO? WE SKIPPED A FEW CHAPTERS HERE
yn_yln: its a frat wedding percy calm down
poseidonsfavchild: greek life confuses me
bethchase: same. its nothing like what they taught us at camp
silenabeauregard: real ring when 🤨 lukecastell4n
lukecastell4n: can we get a degree first damn
poseidonsfavchild: i’ve never seen any of yall open a book, are u even gonna graduate ???
lukecastell4n: can’t wait til for the real thing ❤️‍🔥
liked by yn_yln.
chrisr0driguez: my best man spot better be secured
yn_yln: fix ur tooth first
clarisselarue: LMFAOOOOO HELP
bethchase: that dress is so pretty yn!
yn_yln: thanks beth! miss u! 🩷
ksigumm: tridelt top srat 🤫
liked by yn_yln, trideltumm, and others.
lukecastell4n: kappa sig’s sweetheart top tridelt 🥱💯
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devildomditzy · 2 months
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Blanket Fort
In which Mammon realizes how exhausting having children can be on a human
Tags/Warnings: Dad!Mammon, Mom!Reader, worries of parenting, fluffy comfort
Happy Valentine’s Day <3
————————————————————————
“Turn the lights down when the kids are sleeping
We'll build a blanket fort that only we can be in”
Blanket Fort - Archers
A blur runs past your feet, so quick you can barely make out the shape of your three year old son zipping past, almost knocking you (and the toys you had picked up off the floor in your hands) off balance.
“Hey! No running in the house!”, you exclaim, knowing that his ability to move inhumanly quick easily ranged him now out of earshot of your nagging.
Those damn demon genes.
Your attention is brought back and pulled down by your feet where your two year old daughter is flying (barely above the floor) in pursuit of her brother.
Her wings just barely clip you, the force making you drop everything in your grasp and fall backwards onto your ass.
Goddamn demon genes.
Just as you begin to pick yourself up you hear another, much louder pair of footsteps followed by mad cackling coming into range.
Ah, the worst of them all. Here he comes.
Goddamn fucky ass demon genes.
You husband bursts into the room, looking around wildly before his eyes fall onto you and his face breaks out into a smile.
“Sup, treasure. See the kiddos anywhere?”
You sigh, dusting off the front of your jeans, grimacing from the pain of falling on hardwood. You look at your now slightly skinned palms and frown.
“I told them no running in the house.”
He snorts at your dismay. “Come on, they’re just kids bein’ kids”
“I believe I also told you no running in the house”, you glare at him.
His smile waivers as he waves a hand in the air in dismissal. “Details, details.”
You give another frustrated sigh, looking down at the mess that once again has found its way onto the floor. This is the seventh time this week you’ve cleaned up this room, and the seventh time this week it’s been wrecked once more.
You love your children (and your obnoxious husband), you swear you do! But sometimes somethings, the little things, begin to get to you. Tears begin to well up in your eyes and you ball your fists, willing them not to come out.
“Hey, hey, woah,” Mammon coos at you, quickly looking back into the hallway from the door frame to check where his two little menaces have gone before walking over to you, grabbing you by the shoulders and into his embrace.
“Lemme get a look at ya, come on”, he says as he pulls you back from his chest to look at your face. He is met with a look of tired frustration. “What’s wrong, Mama?”
You sniffle in an attempt to stop the tears, but looking in his eyes always breaks you. You remain quiet as the tears run down your face.
He faulters for a minute before giving a small smile. “These kids can be a real handful, eh?”, he tosses a head nod towards the door as he says. “Good thing they got the most awesome parents in the world to take care of ‘em.”
You sniffle once more, wiping some tears with the back of your hand before muttering, “I don’t feel awesome.”
“What!?”, he says in an accusatory tone before realizing his mistake. It’s just- you mean the world to him. And to them. How can you not see what he sees?
“But yer amazin’! Ya handle two half demons like they’re nothin’. Hell, before that you handled seven full demons like it was nothin’!”
“I can’t keep up with them…I- I- I’m not fast enough, I can’t fly, I don’t have horns or whatever… I can’t relate to them like you can.”
“Hey, you got the smooth, calm and collected human side, I got the cool, totally awesome demon side. We can do this, cmon, we’ve been doin’ this! We’re totally great parents.”
When you still shy away from his gaze, refusing to meet his eyes, he sighs.
His tone drops to a quiet intimacy. “Where’s all this comin’ from, darlin’?”
You take a shaky breath before speaking. “I dunno… I guess I’m just…tired?”
He doesn’t look all that convinced.
“That it?”
You remain quiet as he gives you a look.
“Don’t make me pry”, he playfully shakes you as he chuckles, though his voice is still laced with concern.
“I guess… I’ve just been so stressed out and tired I-I….I haven’t had anytime for me or anything like that. I feel so- I don’t- ugh”
You take one final huff,
“I don’t feel like myself. I haven’t in a while. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t worried, or anxious, or nervous.”
He rubs up and down your arms. “Hey, I know it’s a lot. But look at ‘cha, you’re still my human, yeah? Still just as beautiful and irritatingly kind and stupid as the day I met ya!”
He gets a laugh out of you as you shake your head.
“Yeah, there’s that smile!”, he beams before looking at you with lidded eyes.
“You know they look up to ya, yeah? I do too”, he continues.
“Heh, thanks,” you smile. “I just feel like I need a break.”
He lights up, devious smile painting his face as it always did before when he had a scheme. “That, I can do.”
“Huh?”
“Give you a break! I’ve got an idea. Gimmie a couple hours of plannin’. I’ve got the kids handled. Clear yer calendar and make sure you’re in the livin’ room by 6 ‘o clock”, he’s talking faster than his movements can keep up, taking out his D.D.D and making a start out the door towards the direction of your children’s laughter.
Before he’s out of sight, he leans backwards to call out, “I love ya! See you in a bit.”
“Mammon, what?”, you question as he leaves, shaking your head and laughing under your breath.
This man…
Time passes and you continue to pick up the rest of the rooms in the house utterly destroyed by your precious children. It was nice to hear that Mammon has the children handled, but it’s worrisome to think of what ‘handled’ really means to him. It’s especially worrisome that since about an hour after he left the room, the house has remained completely quiet.
You check your phone, the screen lights up at you as the time displays “5:45 PM”. Well, whatever it is he’s planning, you suppose you should get ready for it. You walk to the bathroom, fixing up your hair in the mirror and think about changing your clothes before deciding, fuck it, you have no idea what you’re doing anyway. If the evening calls for a certain outfit, you’ll worry about it then.
“5:50 PM”
You head for the living room.
————————————————————————
You don’t know exactly what you were expecting to see here, but you didn’t think it’d be this.
A million sheets hanging from different places in the room. Literally - you think it’s literally all the sheets you own. And maybe more?
Secondly, fairy lights are strung from the ceiling in no particular pattern, messy in their formation. You’re not exactly sure where he got those. They kinda look like the ones from your room in the House of Lamentation.
Thirdly, you know for a fact that you do not own that many pillows. Where the fuck did he get all of these? And is that… Levi’s Ruri-Chan pillow?
Before you can begin to question it, Mammon emerges from the homemade fortress, hitting his elbow on a chair that he was using as support as he exits.
“Owww…”, he rubs the area while hissing, before noticing you.
“Hey! I told ya 6 ‘o clock! Not 5:55!”, one hand flies to his hips while he points at you with the other.
“What is all this?”, you question, laughing at his fake irritation.
“What’s all thi-? What’s it look like!���, he exclaims, exasperated before turning around and raising his hands like he’s showcasing a fantastic prize to you.
“It’s your break! It’s a blanket fort!”
“A blanket fort?”, you raise an eyebrow, challenging him.
“Yeah! Wait till you see inside! I got all ya favorite stuff in here! I got movies set up, I got grimm-“
“That’s your favorite stuff”, you cut him off, giggling.
“Well yeah! I’ve got good taste. But there’s also chocolates and snacks and those huge bean bag chairs you like.”
You shake your head, lightly laughing “and the kids?”
“My brothers got ‘em. Spendin’ the night with their ‘ol uncles never hurt anyone.”
“And dinner?”
“We’ll order take out. Come on, I wanna show you the inside. I took this antique bottle of demonus from Lucifer’s-“
You give him a dangerous look, cutting him off.
“I mean, I bought it. I bought it for real with real grimm at the real store.”
He smiles, taking your hand.
“It’s just you and me tonight, yeah? Let’s have a little fun”, he says as he walks backwards, pulling you towards the entrance.
“You know, this might be one of the sweetest things you’ve ever done for me”, you smile, following his lead.
“You bet your ass it’s sweet, look! I even put LEDs in here!”
You smile, you’ve always adored his antics.
“Hey Mammon?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. I love you.”
“Love ya too, treasure. Now sit down ‘n relax. These movies ain’t gonna watch themselves.”
You stop him in his tracks pulling him into a kiss. He malfunctions, hands going up in the air defensively until he relaxes into you, wrapping his arms around your waist. And he blushes.
No matter what, he always still blushes.
————————————————————————
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hyuckmov · 1 year
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haechan — if i believe you  
haechan x fem!reader 10.6k, angst & fluff, fake dating to real a/n: thank you all for waiting...this is the longest thing i've ever written :) i really hope that you can enjoy this and the emotions and everything are immersive and not too annoying with the miscommunication/repression i hope. these two are my favorite ever, quiet haechan is my favorite ever and i would love to revisit them maybe in a later fic. anyway, let me know if you like this!! thank you for reading <3 it’s a little difficult to be around your friend group when they’re all like this.
it’s a little past midnight, and you don’t know how it happened but the room has been split into happy pairs, all in their own world. movie on the tv forgotten, jaemin has his arm slung around a girl as they whisper to each other on the floor next to the couch, which is taken up by jeno — currently very endearingly laughing at something his girlfriend said. renjun was arguing with his girlfriend, but you know that neither of them truly meant it. you don’t know how it happened, but it seemed that this year, the trip to jaemin’s beach house had turned into a triple date for which you were seriously 7th wheeling. the sight makes your heart hurt a little, because you suddenly feel so crushingly lonely. 
“still here?” 
you almost forgot that haechan was here too. almost. 
sliding in to sit next to you on the kitchen island, he was dressed cozily for bed: his hoodie rolled up to his elbows, smelling slightly of toothpaste and fabric softener. you didn’t actually talk to haechan that much, you were always closer with jaemin in the friend group, but sometimes when eating together he’d catch your eye after a particularly terrible joke, or you would raise your eyebrows at him for something questionable said. you had almost developed an entirely non-verbal form of communication in that way, the two of you sharing your humor, and yet you didn’t actually know a whole lot about each other. a part of you thinks that you know a different haechan from everyone else, because in all the looks you pass each other and the comfortable silence you share, the haechan you know is quiet and sensitive, with a world of kindness in him that made you feel calm. and although you know he can be obnoxious and loud, his laughter echoing down corridors and smile brighter than the sun, you much preferred the haechan you knew. 
you also thought he was the prettiest boy you’d seen in a long while — something casual about the way he would smile, or wink at people, and his habit of poking his tongue in his cheek…but you weren’t going to tell him that. 
“yeah, still here.” you exhale. “when did you make your escape?” 
“about 30 minutes ago.” he smiled fondly at the happy couples in the room. “it’s a bit funny how the room just rearranged itself. i could’ve sworn jaemin was beside me at the dinner table the entire night but somewhere along the way he dematerialised and reappeared next to the sofa.” 
“love can do that to a person.” you rolled your eyes, before pausing to consider that maybe haechan was not quite in the same predicament as you. “hey, speaking of, why didn’t you bring your girlfriend?” 
because you were sure that haechan had a girlfriend, who he would sometimes leave gatherings early to see. you vaguely remembered renjun complaining about how he always had to walk her to class, never showing up to gatherings anymore because of some surprise or another. 
haechan blinks at you. “don’t have one anymore. we broke up quite a few months ago.” at the guilt-striken look on your face, he shakes his head to reassure you. 
“i’m over it,” he says softly. “don’t worry about me, okay?”
you can’t imagine anyone breaking up with haechan — haechan who was so gentle. with his radiant smile and his arms full of flowers whenever he surprised her. haechan who walked her to her classes. 
“i’m sorry to hear that. you deserved better i’m sure.” 
he smiles, and it looks kind of shy. “if you say so.” 
“hey y/n-” you look up at jaemin’s voice, and realize that somehow, the room had emptied out while you were talking to haechan. the only person left was jaemin, who had just finished clearing the bottles and snack wrappers. “we’re going to bed, i’m going to turn out the lights now.” 
“okay, thanks jaem.” 
he made to leave, but stopped abruptly. “ y/n, remember-” jaemin looked at you sternly, one hand on the light switch, one pointed at you. 
“repeat after me: do not trust how you feel about your entire life past 9pm.” a pause, as he glances at the clock on the wall. “or 1am, for that matter.” 
you laugh. “thanks jaem.” 
“repeat it”, he insists. 
“do not trust how i feel about my life past 1am.” 
“good.” jaemin nods in acknowledgement to haechan, flicks the light switch, and just like that, haechan and you sit alone at the kitchen island, illuminated by the moonlight through the glass doors.
suddenly, it is so quiet you feel like you want to sit in the moment forever. 
you look over at him, and haechan raises his eyebrows. it is a look you know well. care to explain?
“sometimes i get really emotional at night”, you explain. “tend to overthink. jaemin knows that because i’m always calling him talking about one thing or the other.” thinking about how embarrassing it would be if you started oversharing, you quickly promise, “but i’m working on it, don’t worry. i won’t do that to you.” 
haechan smiles. “i don’t mind.” he blinks at you and supports his chin with his hands. “we have all night. tell me what’s on your mind right now.” 
“really?” you look skeptical. once again, you and haechan haven’t really talked that much at all. you think this is maybe the longest conversation you’ve had with him, with so many words. 
“it’s okay if you don’t want to. but i’m just saying, i wouldn’t mind.” he smiles, and it warms your heart. 
asking you softly if you would like something to drink, he gets up to make hot chocolate for the two of you. and you’re sitting there, not even trying, but suddenly the moonlight and the soft sounds of haechan padding around the kitchen are setting off a feeling of butterflies making their way to your throat from your stomach. there are shivers running up and down your spine because there is something tender and fragile in this moment that you can’t pinpoint, and a deep feeling begins to crawl its way, spreading through your toes and fingertips. all you know is it’s the feeling you get before you’re about to spill your heart out to someone. 
“haechan?” 
he hums, and the sound could break your heart. 
“do you ever feel lonely sometimes?” 
you hear the smile in his voice without having to turn around to look at him — its the one that starts at the corners and spreads slowly across his face. “so this is what keeps you up at night.” 
“i’m serious, haechan.” running your hands through your hair, you are aware that you are beginning to sound like a rom-com protagonist, but you don’t care. 
“sorry.” you hear the clink of teaspoons against cups as he stirs the hot chocolate. “i mean, i guess i do feel a little lonely sometimes. but it’s not…an all-consuming thought.” a pause. “i guess it is, for you though, isn’t it?” 
you hesitate, before nodding because fuck it, this has been on your mind for way too long and jaemin was rarely helpful. always with his arm slung over another girl, you had a hard time getting jaemin to admit he got lonely sometimes. 
choosing your words carefully, you continue your spiel. “it’s just…it’s insane to me how we are told that life is so romantic, that there are so many wonderful moments in love we can look forward to, but none of that is happening to me and it doesn’t seem like it will be happening any time soon.” 
haechan comes over to you, and passes you a mug of hot chocolate. soothingly, he places a hand on yours where it rests on the counter. “you have to wait y/n. i promise, one day you’ll find someone who loves you, and all the things you’re dreaming about will happen.” 
“you can’t know that for sure,” you press. “i mean, when will someone write a love letter to me? will we kiss in the rain in the park? will they run to see me at a new year’s eve party?” 
“woah woah woah, slow down.” he nudges your mug with his, indicating that you should drink, so you take a sip of chocolate: it’s rich and warm. 
“i’m sorry. it’s just over the years things just keep getting added to this list of love, and now that i look at it it just seems ever the more impossible.” 
“love isn’t defined by actions and experiences,” haechan muses. 
“but i want to experience these things,” you say, feeling a little shy at how raw this conversation was getting.  
haechan smiles at that, at the yearning hidden in your small voice. the two of you sit for a while, nursing your cups of chocolate, lost in your own thoughts. enjoying the warmth of his hand on yours, you look at the glimmering countertop and choose not to say anything so he doesn’t move his hand away. 
and suddenly, out of the blue, haechan asks you a question. 
“just out of curiosity, what are some things on your list?” 
feeling a little embarrassed, because really — sharing your romantic fantasies with someone was beyond intimate, you mumble, “just simple things. going to the aquarium. being a couple at the amusement park, on the ferris wheel. watching fireworks together. cuddling while watching movies in my bedroom.” 
haechan thinks about it for a moment. you can almost see the wheels turning in his head. you sit in silence for so long, you’re about to ask him what he’s thinking about, or tell him it’s not that serious, when he speaks up.
“i’ll do them with you.” 
you almost choke. “i’m sorry?” 
“i’ll help you complete your list.” he looks at you, as if it’s a completely normal thing he’s just said. 
“but…but i mean…” you blink confusedly. you were supposed to do those things with a boyfriend or someone you loved, not just as friends. that would defeat the whole purpose. 
reading your mind, haechan added “it’ll just be like fake dating. i’ll pretend to be your boyfriend so you can experience all that you want to.” 
you’re beginning to see a little bit of the haechan that you don’t usually get to see, as he grins at you and there’s suddenly something sharp to the smile you always found gentle. “the full, personalised, boyfriend experience. just so you can have a go.” 
you laugh, but that’s just a cover for all the questions running through your head. “i-i don’t know,” you stammer. “does it even count if it’s fake?” 
“you’re the one making the rules.” tilting his head to the side, his eyes glimmer almost teasingly. 
“but what are you suggesting? what do you have in mind?” 
“well…” haechan hums as he thinks about it. “i could do everything with you on the list, as your fake boyfriend. in the timeframe that we’re going about carrying out this activity i’ll be fully and completely your boyfriend, yours to hug and kiss and hold hands with, until it’s over. then we can go back to being…” he smiles at you, hesitantly. “friends? does that work?” 
this haechan makes your palms sweaty, and makes your breath catch. this haechan makes you feel jumpy, and nervous, and impulsive. you think you’d do anything he asked in that moment. 
“okay.” you say slowly, and he smiles wide. “wait no.” you hesitate. “wait, fuck it, yes. let’s do it.” 
he laughs. “are you sure?” 
“wait.” his body heat is radiating off his skin as all his attention is focused on you. lips still pressed into a smile, his eyes bright and far too mesmerizing in the dim moonlight. and you can’t help but wonder then, “what if we catch feelings?” 
tilting his head to the side in consideration, he leans in close, one arm reaching out to cage you in. the two of you are nose to nose. you can count his every eyelash, see the constellation of moles scattered across his face and neck. his breath so close to your own, that your eyes can’t help but flutter shut.
“then that’s the best part.” he whispers.
you try not to think about how you felt when haechan leaned in, or the way the circles he traced into the back of your hand were still burning. you couldn’t help looking for the smell of his perfume on your clothes.
you’re way too easy, y/n. this is only the first real conversation you’ve had with him. 
you’re about to turn off the lights and call it a night, hoping to some power above that you’re able to reign in your emotions come morning, when there’s a light tap at your door. 
“y/n? are you there?” 
it’s him. you spend about 5 seconds debating whether or not to pretend you’ve already fallen asleep, but curiosity eventually wins you over. crossing over to the door, you place a hand on the doorknob. 
“haechan?” 
you can hear him shift from behind the door, pushing it so it keeps shut. “y/n, wait, don’t open the door. i just want to tell you something.” 
slowly, you remove your hand from the doorknob and the latch clicks back, shut.
 “okay…” 
he’s breathing softly, and in the quiet you can hear it as if he were in the room with you. “y/n, i’m sorry i sprung the idea on you just now. you can forget i said anything if it made you uncomfortable.” he shifts his weight from foot to foot, nervously. “especially the part about catching feelings.” 
“it’s fine,” you say softly, but there’s a little disappointment stinging at you. does he regret it? 
“but also, if you’d like, i would really love to do all those things with you,” the words come out in a rush, as if he’s trying to be brave. “as fake lovers. without feelings attached.” 
you don’t know what to say, and you can tell that for each second you stay silent, haechan is growing less and less confident behind the door. you run things through in your head quickly. this plan meant that you were able to jump headlong into romantic experiences you’ve dreamt of for what felt like your whole life, without the potential of them being ruined by a bad date, or waiting for years more to find the right one. and most of all, you trusted haechan with this.
haechan is leaning against the opposite wall, looking at the floorboards, but his head shoots up when you open the door. 
taking a deep breath, you look him in the eyes. “let’s do it.” 
“really?” shocked, he reaches for you — maybe to wrap you in his arms for a hug, but drops them, remembering what he had said about making you feel uncomfortable. putting his hands behind his back to resist the urge to swing you into the air, his expression of surprise melts into a huge smile. one that makes you laugh. 
“you’re more excited about this than me,” you tease, and because you just can’t help it, you step forward and give him a quick hug. “thanks for doing this with me.” 
instantly, his arms loop around your waist, squeezing tightly. “thank you for trusting me.” 
the butterflies in your stomach, however, tell you that you were maybe being a bit too trusting. without feelings attached. because would that really be possible with him, who’s currently making your heart race and your breath catch? 
x
it was a week since the beach house. and while the opening of summer felt optimistic and hopeful, now everyone had to wander back to their lives and figure out exactly what they were going to do for the next three months. jeno and renjun had an ongoing bet that jaemin would be fired from his summer job within the week. and jaemin had a bet with you that jeno and renjun wouldn’t find themselves a job that entire summer.
but you knew exactly what you were going to do for the season. and it all started with getting in the passenger seat of haechan’s car as he took you to a waffles place for breakfast. 
“hey.” 
“hi.” he flashes a quick smile at you. “you look nice today.” 
“really?” you adjust the collar of your shirt self-consciously, checking on your hair through the rearview mirror. 
“no, i lied.” he laughs, and the sound is all too fitting for the morning sunshine that flits in through the windows. “yes, i mean it. i like your shirt.”
“my shirt?” 
“just take the compliment.” 
you can’t help a smile of your own. “okay. i will.”
for a while, he drives in silence. it’s a peaceful sense of calm that you think you’ll come to enjoy. there’s a lot of comfort in just sitting next to haechan, watching his hands move on the wheel, his careful eyes scanning the road.
“so, y/n, i took a look at your list,” he starts. 
you had texted him a small list of the things you were thinking about doing. the classic dinner and a movie. going to the amusement park. sharing a kiss while watching fireworks. 
feeling a little shy all of a sudden in his car, you nod. “is it a bit much?”
“not at all,” he says quickly. “i was just wondering how you’ve never done some of those things before. i would’ve thought going to the amusement park was entry level honeymoon phase stuff.” 
you nod approvingly. “it’s sweet that you think so.” 
“didn’t you use to have a boyfriend?” 
“i did,” you muse. “i dated mark a while ago.” 
“our senior?” 
“yeah.” looking out the window at the cars passing by, you think back to your time with mark. “he was always nice to me. but we never really went out and did things. we broke up because i was someone who loved romance, and he wasn’t.” 
 “i see.” haechan hesitates. there was something about the way you talked about mark that unsettled him, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. “do you think you could get back together with him?” 
“trying to pass me off onto someone else already?” you don’t pick up on the shift in haechan’s tone, and mistake it for genuine curiosity. “i guess i could. maybe after these years apart he wants something romantic too.” 
although the morning was warm, haechan felt a sense of cold sweep through him. he tries to brush it off. “well, thank your lucky stars you have me now” 
looking over at him, his hair falling slightly over his eyes, the troubled crease of his brow, your thoughts of mark immediately clear. “thank you,” you say, a little too emotionally for the early morning and this car ride. 
he looks over at you, and his chest eases up at the warmth in your eyes. “don’t mention it,” he says, and smiling at you is the easiest thing in the world.
x
the line for popcorn at the movies had stopped moving. fidgeting from the cold of the cinema, you wrap your arms around yourself as haechan stands by you, scrolling on his phone for a deal that he saw for a discounted drink combo. one arm slung casually over your shoulders, you lean into his touch just a little. 
today he was helping you out by taking you for a date. specifically, the classic dinner and a movie idea that has been long since rendered obsolete, but you had never had a chance to do. standing in line, his fingertips brushing your shoulder, you recall how he had showed up 5 minutes early outside your apartment, holding a small bouquet of flowers, and doing the thing where he flicked his fingers to splay out the two movie tickets he had ordered early on. the two of you had dinner at a nice italian restaurant, and he had offered to pay but you insisted, since you were technically making him do all of this. 
“are you cold?” drawing you out of your thoughts, you turn to see haechan, concern causing his eyebrows to furrow and his heart-shaped lips to form a slight pout. “why didn’t you bring a jacket? you knew we were going to watch a movie.” 
the line moves forward by a fraction of an inch, and you take a step forward, haechan now standing slightly behind you. “i completely forgot,” you whined. “i just haven’t watched a movie at the cinema in a while.” 
haechan bites back a smile, and slots his phone into his back pocket. the arm that is slung over your shoulder drops to your waist, while his other comes to circle around you from behind, and before you know it he’s pressed up against your back. you can feel the heat of his skin even with the thick hoodie he’s wearing over. dropping his head onto your shoulder, you feel him smile against your neck. “there,” he whispers. “now you won’t be cold anymore.” 
trying to steady your nerves, you stare resolutely ahead. “couldn’t have just given me your jacket like a normal person?” 
he shakes his head cutely, his soft hair tickling your jaw. “nope.” 
you make sure your voice stays resolutely calm. “then what will we do during the movie? you’ll be sitting next to me.” 
the line moves forward and haechan straightens, but his arms never leave your side. “guess you’ll have to hold on tight.”
and so you do. he ends up draping the hoodie over you during the movie, and he clings onto your arm, head resting on your shoulder. you hold on after the movie when he drops you off at home, grabbing onto his arm to steady yourself getting out of his car.
you hold on when he takes you for the next date at the amusement park; and when he tilts your chin upwards to press a kiss at the corner of your lips, your top-of-the-ferris-wheel moment,  you squeeze his hands in yours and move so your lips slot against his. you tell him with your smile that it’s alright. 
you hold on to him through your dates to the local aquarium, and to the beach. you let him pull you close as he drags you around the mall window-shopping, and as he guides you through clubs and restaurants. 
and if some part of you gets scared that it might be getting too real, if some part of you feels a little hurt whenever he brings up the list or when he removes your hand from his, you ignore it as best you can. 
x
“thanks for inviting me to this event,” you whisper, as you step into the doorway of the mansion, which really looks like a castle from the level of grandeur that meets your eyes. a man steps forward to take your coat, and you feel giddy. 
“nah, sorry for stealing you away on some random summer night.” haechan smiles, and you feel a tug in your heart. in his suit, he looks like he belongs here with all this finery, the slopes of his shoulders and the slight cinch of the waist looking elegant under the chandeliers, the rings scattered on his hands catching the light in pretty ways. “besides, it’s all part of the experience, isn’t it?” 
right. kissing and fireworks. trying to disguise the squeezing feeling in your chest, you smile back. “why do you keep bringing that up?” 
“do you not want me to?” there’s something careful about the way he looks at you. 
“i don’t.” you say, quietly. 
“then i won’t.” he extends an arm for you to take. “tonight you’ll just be my date.” and with your heart thundering up your throat, he steers you into the warmth of the room.
you spend most of the night in the same giddy spiral of emotions, as he twirls you on the dance floor expertly, and winces dramatically when you step on his toes. your hands never leave each others’ grasps, as you stand around tables eating finger-food and drinking champagne. as the party went on, he introduced you through holding up your clasped palms to each of his parent’s friends, earning a lot of cooing and fussing about. 
“haechan, how well you’ve grown up!” 
“is this your girlfriend? haechan is so lucky to be with such a beautiful girl like you.” 
“haechan! come say hello to the kids, they miss you!” 
“this won’t take long,” he mumbles sadly to you, as an aunt of his insists he meet his cousins upstairs. “i’ll meet you at the bar, okay?” 
“okay,” you smile, inwardly dying at the idea of haechan interacting with kids. as if he couldn’t get infinitely cuter. “have fun!” 
“don’t let someone steal my date away,” he warns, as he’s pulled away. “i mean it – you’re mine tonight.” 
you’re mine. you feel like you’re floating on a cloud as you make your way to the bar, you’re sure you’re at least swaying on your feet. 
“woah.” a hand reaches out to steady you, helping you settle into a seat. “too much champagne?” 
you gape at the man who’s sitting next to you now. “mark?” 
fidgeting with the collar of his suit and looking very uncomfortable, he nods in greeting. “didn’t know you were coming to this thing.” 
you look at him. he had gotten a haircut recently. but besides that in terms of appearance, he looked just as he did when the two of you were together, except for the fact that something about his demeanor was off. he looked tired, and there was something weary about his posture that hadn’t been there before. 
“i was invited,” you tell him. “how are you here?” 
“one of the ladies there is my aunt.” he pauses. “you’ve never met her. are you enjoying yourself?”
you think back to haechan’s smile as he sways underneath the lights, holding your hips. before you know it, you’re smiling too. “it’s a nice night. this place is really beautiful.” 
mark studies you for a moment.  “how have you been?” 
“i’ve been alright.” you figure since there aren’t any hard feelings, you don’t have to make anything up as you would for an ex you were bitter over. mark was still a nice person, and he had been good to you in the right ways. 
“it’s summer, so i’ve been going out more i guess. how about you?”
“i’ve been alright.” he downs his glass of white wine and signals for another one in a fluid motion, and you raise your eyebrows. shaking his head, he changes his answer. 
“okay, things could be better.” 
“why?” 
“just been feeling a little lonely.” 
you are so taken aback, that you let out a laugh. he looks at you, affronted, and somehow the furrow of his eyebrows makes you laugh even harder. 
“i’m sorry,” you calm yourself down. “i wasn’t laughing at you, not really. it’s just…” you take a sip of your own drink. “i was in the exact same situation say a few months ago.” at his bewildered expression, you gesture. “please continue, though.”
mark shrugs and goes along with it. “i guess i was just realizing that i wasn’t as happy as i could be. there were times where i would be – i don’t know, having dinner, and i’d just think ‘damn. really wish i had someone with me right now.’ you know?” 
“i do know.” you nod. “it’s crazy we’re experiencing the same thing, after, you know, so many years.” 
“yeah.” he looks at you carefully. “crazy.” 
“hey baby.” 
a hand slides possessively around your waist, and you jump. the next thing you know, a pair of lips are kissing their way down your neck, as another hand snakes its way around you until you are fully in their embrace. craning your head up, you already know who you’re going to see.
“hi haechan,” you say breathlessly. 
“sorry for leaving you for so long,” he murmurs, intermittently, as he continues to plant wet kisses on your neck. “the kids were going crazy.” 
feeling like you were about to burn up into a crumble of ashes, you splutter out, “we have company.” 
pulling away from you, haechan turns and stares at mark, coldly. “sorry, i didn’t notice.” his hand still draped over you, you can almost hear the forced normalcy in his voice when he asks, “and you are…?” 
“mark,” mark supplies, awkwardly fidgeting with the coaster under his glass. 
looking up at him, you see a flash of something race through haechan’s eyes, as he tightens his hold on you. “mark. well, hello, and goodbye.” 
he pulls you to your feet, and you set down your drink hurriedly and latch onto his arm. “say goodbye to mark, sweetheart.” 
“bye mark. things will get better, i’m sure of it,” you say, still left breathless by the turn of events. 
raising his eyebrows, he turns back to the bar. “see you around y/n.” 
“i don’t think so,” haechan chirps brightly, before tugging you away and past the throes of people, down a narrow hallway that was deserted. 
“haechan, what are you doing?” 
even in the dim lit of the hall, you can see his glower. “what were you talking to mark about?” 
“i don’t know…” you shake your head, still a bit lost. “just about life, i guess.” 
“did he ask to get back together with you?” he blurts out, suddenly. 
“what? no!” you splutter. 
“i heard him say he was lonely. who the fuck says that to their ex unless they want to get back together?” 
you take the hard look in his eyes. hesitantly, you call out. “haechan?” 
he huffs. 
“he didn’t want to get back together, i promise.” he looks at you, warily. “and even if he did, i wouldn’t want to get back together with him.” 
it is almost laughable how quickly his expression clears. 
“you wouldn’t?” 
“i wouldn’t,” you confirm. “i told you, i’m completely over it.” 
“okay,” he sighs, in something that sounds like relief. and before you could even register it, he pulls you into a hug, crushing you against him. “sorry, i guess i got nervous.” 
“that’s alright,” you whisper, wrapping your arms around him firmly, feeling his heartbeat against your ears, and you smile when you realise it’s racing. 
“hey it’s almost midnight,” he dips down to whisper into your hear. “do you want to go to the balcony to watch the fireworks?” as you nod, he leads you gently away from the corridor and through a set of glass doors, stepping out onto a beautiful balcony. the night air smells like honey and roses, and the sky is clear and bright with moonlight.  
you feel a tug at your fingertips, and you look to your side to find him smiling as he looks up. 
“what are you smiling about?” 
he hums. “i’m smiling about the fact that my date is the prettiest girl at the party.” 
you pretend to wrinkle your nose, and use your free hand to hit him on the shoulder. “corny.” 
“you love it.” 
and because it’s been weeks, and haechan is slowly making a home in your heart, you decide you need to at least start acknowledging the honest truth of the matter, so you don’t say anything. 
as the night sky fills with fireworks and the people inside the party cheer, he turns to hold your face in his hands, the tenderness and warmth in his eyes unparalleled by the lights in the sky. 
you tilt your face up to kiss him, and as his arms fall to your waist, with a jolt you remember his voice at the bar. hey baby. the term of endearment swirls in your chest, and makes you drape your arms around his shoulders and pull him just a little closer. the two of you don’t break apart for what feels like hours, as you lose yourself in the feeling of his soft lips on yours, the brush of your noses, and the slight tremble of his fingertips on your cheeks. it feels and tastes as real as you have ever known. 
x
except it’s not real. and you can’t ignore it. so you avoid it. 
keeping busy and finally diving into all the things you wanted to do for the summer was your only way of telling haechan you couldn’t make it for the next ‘date’, or the next. you can tell he’s a little confused, but since the whole thing was your idea, he’s trying his best to respect whatever pace you’re deciding to go with. you push it all away, and you try to live life without thinking of him and his hands, the way he closes his eyes in bliss when the sunlight makes his skin glow, the way his hair looks after he tugs his hoodie off, and the feel of his lips when he presses his face into the crook of your neck when he thinks you’re not paying attention. 
it’s late. you think you’ve definitely just had the longest day you’ve had all summer, running errands all around the city. all you wanted to do was lie in bed and put on a show that you could fall asleep to. lazily changing into your favorite pajamas, you set up your laptop on your bed, and you’re just about to press play when your phone screen lit up the dark room. 
jaem: wru
one of jaemin’s summer house parties must’ve been today. you were so tired that you forgot. 
y/n: too tired :( i don’t think i’ll go sorry
jaem: haechan needs you
you’re sure your heart actually stops beating for a second. haechan needs you. and just like that, your imagination kicks into overdrive, wondering what he could possibly need you for. 
holding your breath, you watch the three dots on your screen indicating jaemin typing for what seems like ages before your phone buzzes again. 
jaem: super hammered needs u to drive him home lol sry my bad that sounded weird
you let out a sigh of relief, but you can’t shake the adrenaline that rushed into you when you first saw the message.
y/n: can’t you let him crash at your place 
jaem: he won’t stop ASKING for u it’s driving everyone crazy 
a voice message comes through. he plays it, and it’s someone breathing really heavily. you’re beginning to wonder if jaemin sent this on accident, when haechan’s voice, low and husky from the alcohol, murmurs through the phone. 
“y/n can you hear me? i wanna….wanna see you… please…i’ll do anything…” 
“YOU’RE NOT BEING KIDNAPPED,” jaemin’s voice rings out, his words a little slurred but doing nothing to conceal the impatience in his tone. “GET A GRIP MAN.” 
“PLEAAAAASE”, he raises his voice in an impressive whine, and you wince in second-hand embarrassment because you’re sure the entire living room must have heard that. “I MISS YOU.” 
the voice message ends.
jaem: what a loser but yeah you get the gist of it
y/n: okay i’m on the way. can you get him on the phone? 
jaem: do it yourself
x
on the drive there, you do call haechan. 
he picks up halfway through the first ring of the phone. “y/n?”
“hi haechan. i’m on the way.” 
“don’t lie to me,” he mumbles. “honk your car horn.” 
“i’m not going to do that!,” you hiss, as if he were right here with you. “there are cars around.” 
“liar,” he breathes. there’s a pause, and when you next speak you’re startled to hear his voice wobble. “liar. you’re not coming to get m-” 
you slam your palm into your car horn, feeling your cheeks burn. 
on the other end, he sniffles, and you presume he’s nodding at you. “okay. stay safe.” 
“i will.” you hesitate. “is everything okay? did something happen at the party? are you hurt?”
he sighs over the phone. “everything is not okay,” he sniffles again, “because you’re not here.” 
you swallow hard. you want to take a hand off the wheel and slap yourself, because you need to remember that he’s not himself right now, and he might regret this all in the morning. you calm yourself down before responding as lightly as you can. “haechan i’ll be there any minute now, okay? but you have to tell me if something happened and if you want to talk about it.” 
he breathes heavily into the receiver. eventually, he mumbles out, “nothing happened.” shuffling, a pause, and then… “just miss you that’s all. i want to do more…more experience-y stuff with you.” more to himself than to you, he rambles on. “we’re falling behind you know. how are we going to finish this by the end of summer?” 
a shot of pain twists at your guts, and you feel nauseous. so he really just wants to get all of this over and done with. you want to stop the car so you can throw up. you want to turn it back around. you’re suddenly regretting dropping everything just because he wanted to see you, because if this was why… 
you keep driving on autopilot. the call has gone silent, but you can hear haechan breathing on the other end, and it’s driving you mad. you have no right to yell at him, but you almost do. 
when you pull up at jaemin’s driveway, you clear your throat. your voice controlled, you say, “i’m here now. you want me to come in and get you?” 
“okay. i’m in the 1st floor bathroom.” 
x
the front door swings open, and you’re met with jaemin. at first, you think he’s going to tell you off for taking so long, but something in your face causes the words to die in his throat. 
“y/n?” he asks. “are you okay?” 
and before you know it, you’re wrapped in his arms in a hug and you’re bawling like you hadn’t for months. the built up pressure of avoiding haechan, of having to get into character as his girlfriend and having to get out of character just as often, and all your confusion at your feelings leave you sobbing and you just can’t stop. jaemin’s running his hands down your back and making soft, soothing noises. 
you realise that you just really, really, missed your best friend. 
“i’m s-sorry,” you choke out. “i haven’t come round to see you ever since the start of s-summer.” 
“it’s okay,” he shakes his head, and leans back to look at you, wiping tears off your face gently. “we’ve both been busy.” 
but you shake your head. “i really need to talk to you. i need your opinion in my life.” 
he laughs at that. “i never thought i’d hear you say that.” 
you just go back to hugging him as you slowly calm down, and the constricting feeling in your chest eases. but after a moment, your phone buzzes in your pocket, and when you check it you see that haechan has spammed your text messages with a bunch of ‘?????????’ and sad faces. 
jaemin, ever the nosiest person in the room, is looking at your phone with a frown. “you never told me you started dating haechan, by the way.” 
ignoring the twist in your stomach, you shake your head. “that’s because i’m not.” jaemin raises his eyebrows, and you elaborate. “we’re just doing coupley things. for the experience.” 
narrowing his eyes because he knows you way too well, jaemin asks, “was this something you decided in the middle of the night? it’s sounding very classic middle-of-the-night-y/n ….” but at the look of frustration on your face, he immediately drops it. “okay, okay. not now. i get it.” 
“y/n? are you here?”
you still, as haechan shuffles into view. he squints, until he confirms that it’s you, and suddenly he’s rushing towards you giddily and unsteadily, his socked feet slipping and sliding on the floor of the hallway until hes collapsed in your arms. 
and there it is: his damn face in your neck again.
“wondered where you were, angel” you feel his hot breath against the base of your neck, and shivers shoot down your spine. “can i call you that? is it allowed?” 
exchanging glances with you, seeing how this was slowly making you go insane, jaemin reaches out hesitantly to pry him off of you. “haechan, maybe it’s best if you stay at my place tonight-” 
but haechan is quick to shrug him off, and with an agility that he shouldn’t be capable of in his state he pivots behind you and clings onto your back. his face once again buried in your neck. 
“don’t wanna,” he shakes his head vigorously. “wanna stay with y/n.” 
“y/n doesn’t want to stay with you,” jaemin starts forward again, making eye contact with you as he confirms, “right, y/n?” 
haechan spins you around in his hold, with the most wounded expression you’ve ever seen from him, or anyone for that matter. his eyes filling with tears, his cheeks flushed and his lip wobbling in an alarming way, he chokes out, “you d-don’t want…to s-stay…with me?” 
“i do, i do.” you assure him, trying to soothe him by drawing circles on his back with your thumb as he bites back sobs. over haechan’s back, you can see jaemin sigh defeatedly. “what am i supposed to do, he’s about to cry!” you hiss at him.
“he can cry on cue,” jaemin mouths. 
pause. what?
you look back at haechan’s face, but every expression seems to be genuine: his bottom lip caught between his teeth and the tears shimmering in his lashes, his hands — which he barely seems to be aware of — caressing your sides nervously, as if afraid you were going to disappear into thin air. 
“haechan,” you start. “are you lying to me?” 
x
but that was the wrong thing to say. the better part of the next hour was spent trying to console a weeping and sobbing haechan on his knees, who would not stop clutching your waist and biting jaemin when he tried to pry him off of you. and then it was guiding him to your car, and another round of consoling as you assured him that no, you weren’t going to disappear as you were driving, and no, you could not drive one-handed so you could not hold his hand the entire way, but yes, he could put his hand on your thigh if he promised he wouldn’t do anything else. 
you end up reaching, and then driving away from haechan’s apartment, because he would not leave the car without you and you figured that you might as well get a good night’s sleep at your own home. and somehow, you end up digging out some of mark’s old clothes out from the back of your closet for him to wear. and now, you’re standing between his legs, brushing his teeth for him while he looks at you adoringly. 
he mumbles something intelligible, his mouth full of toothpaste foam, and you shake your head tiredly at him. 
“nuh-uh. rinse your mouth out first.” 
you hold the spare mug up to his mouth and his lips wrap around the rim of it obediently. turning to spit in the sink, he swivels back to face you, his arms never leaving your side. 
“i’m sorry.” he says, quietly. 
“it’s okay. i know you’d do the same for me,” you say, patiently, because it’s true. if you were drunk, haechan would definitely drop everything to make sure you were safe. 
that you were sure of, because that was just the kind of person he was. 
“no,” he tugs his bottom lip with his teeth again, looking nervous. “it’s not about that.” his arms remove themself from your waist and he wraps them around himself instead. all of a sudden, you’ve never felt colder. 
“what do you mean?” 
he doesn’t look at you in the eye when he answers. “sorry for bringing up our deal. that’s not why i miss you.” 
you think you could cry. “really?” he nods, but his eyes are still on the floor. “haechan…” you press. “look at me.” 
he looks up. he looks so pretty right there, his heart-shaped lips and moles scattered haphazardly over his cheeks and nose. 
“so why do you miss me?” you ask, hoping against hope. his lips part, and for a split second you think he’s going to lean forward and kiss you. 
but then his lips press together. he shakes his head. and again. and then he slides off the counter, brushes past you and out of the bathroom despite you calling his name. and when you break yourself out of your daze and walk, trembling slightly, to your bedroom, you see him tucked under the covers, fast asleep. 
x
“i still don't’ get this ‘quiet haechan’ thing you keep going on about,” jaemin chews thoughtfully on a forkful of salad. “but okay, i’ll bite.” 
you’re having lunch with jaemin for the first time in weeks. with nothing much going on in his life for the summer, him waving you off when you apologised again about not checking in with him, the two of you breezed past your usual topics and quickly moved on to the elephant in the room: you and your fake relationship with haechan. 
nervously, you pick at your fries. “do you think i should just tell him we can stop now?” 
jaemin shook his head. “that’s not the main problem.” ever the mom best friend, he takes a pause for dramatic effect before leaning in. “the main problem is that your catching feelings policy is completely shit.” 
you glare at him, but don’t manage to keep it up. he’s right. “you think i should ask him about that?” 
“of course.” jaemin shrugs. “but you could also just confess and see what happens.” at your mortified expression, he raises a hand to calm you down. “you never know until you try.” 
unwilling to address the fact that he assumed you were in love with haechan, and the fact that he was probably right, you argue back. “you’re the one who’s friends with the both of us. do you have any idea if he maybe likes me or not?” 
“i’m not telling you,” jaemin says, stubbornly. “you have to make the decision and accept the risks it comes with.” 
you put your head in your hands. “i really hate you sometimes.”
as it turned out, ‘sometimes’ turned out to be occuring quite frequently, because jaemin seemed hell bent on getting you to talk to haechan, even if it was through the most roundabout ways. 
such as inviting the beach-house group of friends over for dinner the next day, just so you had a reason to talk to haechan. 
and that led you to where you were, currently, jaemin putting the cap back on his black marker as the words “ASK ABT CATCH FEELINGS POLICY” scrawled over your wrist and palm. 
“i’ll remember to ask him, i swear,” you say impatiently, trying to wriggle your arm out of his grasp, but jaemin was a man on a mission. 
“i don’t trust you,” he insists. “this way, even if you don’t bring it up, he’ll read it off your arm, and you will both talk it out.” finishing up with a few exclamation points, he caps his marker triumphantly. 
you’re about to head to the bathroom to wash it off, when haechan shuffles into the living room, and embarrassingly it’s as if your mind is wiped clean. 
between the night he slept over and now, the two of you had only seen each other once. he had called to apologize for bothering you the night of jaemin’s party, and you made plans to have lunch together, not dinner (because night time was always an emotional affair for the two of you, as evidenced in the past few weeks). 
sitting in the sun, staring at him while he talked, the two of you eating in semi-silence, was enough for you to realise that no matter what time of day it was you would always be a little too giddy over him. the two of you, in some sort of mutual agreement, had left it at that — him bidding you goodbye with a pat on the shoulder, of all things. 
and now, standing in front of you, his eyes just as confusing with their tenderness, you think that jaemin may be onto something. 
“so how can i help?” haechan looks around the room, his mind on the dinner. “do we have all the materials? or…” 
“everything’s in the kitchen, haechan,” you nod in the direction of the dining table. “i’ll show you.” 
haechan nods, more to himself than you. then, hesitantly, he starts, “y/n…” 
something had to give. but not now, not as you felt everything in you crashing down, your heart threatening to spill over at the edges just at the sight of him again. 
“we’re good.” you interrupt. “everything’s going to be okay, haechan.” 
he bites his lip. 
“it will be,” you insist. “we’ll talk later, okay?” 
his expression clears a little at that. “okay.” 
x
in the car on the way home, jaemin insisting haechan drive you, it begins to drizzle slightly. after the moment from just now, the two of you had almost been able to go back to normal, working side by side and sitting together during dinner. topics opening up between you, discussing what happened in the days you hadn’t seen each other. things were comfortable, and you almost felt like you could go back to ignoring the aching feeling in your chest. 
it slowly starts to end when the car peels into the street in front of your apartment. the two of you go quiet, and haechan’s body is tense as he looks straight ahead.
you realise you hadn’t even brought up what you had meant to say. 
“do you…maybe…want to come inside?” you suggest. “we could watch a movie?”
“it’s late.” he says, almost automatically. he looks over at you, and you look so hesitant and sad. fuck. something stirs inside his chest, and suddenly he wants to do anything to take that look away from your face. 
“i mean, i could. just for a movie.” 
you smile, and haechan relaxes.
x
cozied up on your bed, haechan in a pair of sweats he had left over some other time, you slump against him as your eyes flicker between watching the movie on your laptop screen, and watching him. something about the way things were going tonight told you this might be the last time you could be with him like this, and you wanted to cherish it while you could. 
the music swells in the random drama film you picked, and you are feeling that feeling again, the one that you get when you’re about to spill your soul out, and even with haechan’s warmth against you — his arm tucked into your waist and your head resting against his chest, the reality that he wasn’t yours was crashing down all the walls in your heart. 
he realises you’re crying before you do, as he registers the jagged breathing from your chest, and the soft sounds you’re making. 
“y/n? what’s wrong?” 
“i-i, i just.” you breathe, and your sobs wreck through your words, each one stabbing painfully at his chest. “i’m just s-so tired of not h-having someone who loves me that much.” 
running a hand up and down your back, haechan makes soft cooing noises as you bury your face in his chest. “okay. so watching this film was a baaaad idea.” 
you’re muffled sobs soak through his hoodie, and you press it closer to your face because it smells safe and it smells like him. your emotions running away from you, you splutter out, “maybe i’ll never find s-someone. maybe i just have to deal w-with it. these experiences are just t-temporary fixes, aren’t they? i’ll never find someone who l-loves me. i mean, right now i am so in love with you and you don’t even seem to c-care —” 
haechan stills. he sits there, motionless, you still quivering in his arms, as his brain kicks into overdrive. 
you’re in love with him? 
incoherent, you’re still talking on and on, and suddenly he knows it isn’t something he should be hearing. 
“shut up.” he says, quietly, but you ignore him and ramble on. “shut up,” he insists. 
“you d-don’t want me,” you sob, and somewhere in the back of your mind you know you’ll be embarrassed about this later, but for now all you could focus on was the fact that haechan wasn’t reacting because he was probably completely disgusted at the idea of even being with you. “i-i started to ignore you because it was too difficult to be around you, and suddenly you show up drunk and asking for me, and then you just act like nothing happened and i have the feeling that i’ll never see you again-”
“fuck it,” he breathes, and suddenly he’s holding your face in his hands, moving you away from his chest. “shut up, y/n. please.” and then he is kissing you, his mouth moving on yours, begging you to understand. you think he’s drawing the breath straight from your lungs, and you’re sure your lips will bruise, but you kiss him back with even more fervor, settling your weight on his lap as you lean into him, and he groans. 
breaking away from you, breathing heavily, he reaches for your hands and begins to press kisses to your knuckles, trying to ease you. 
“haechan…” you start, because everything is so confusing to you at this moment. “don’t-you don’t mean it-”
“what’s this?” he interrupts, as he flips your palm up, raking the sleeves of your hoodie upwards so the words “ASK ABT CATCH FEELINGS POLICY!!!!!”, smudged but unmistakable, could be read even in the dim room. 
“oh, y/n…” he whispers, reaching to stroke your cheek. leaning into his palm, completely lost in his touch, you mumble on. 
“jaemin said our catching feelings policy was shit…” you blurt out. “and i agree. i want a new one. i want to be allowed to love you.” 
gently, haechan continues to whisper to you. “you’re the one making the rules.” trembling, his arms wrap around you, and he rocks you in his hold tenderly. “you’ve always been the one making the rules. i would do anything you told me to. i would love you if you asked.” 
you don’t understand any of the words he’s saying. “no,” you raise your voice a little louder, even though he’s still speaking in that low voice. “you don’t want me.” your eyes fill with tears, you can see it now: he’s comforting you, he’s lying to you because you’re crying, and haechan is nothing but good to you, a kindness and gentleness in everything he does that you just know you’ll never feel again. 
“y/n that’s not true,” he shakes his head resolutely. “please believe me.” 
his voice is patient and soothing, and it’s that tone which slowly calms you down. the gentle rhythm of his hands tracing circles on your arms allowing you to breathe easier, and relax a little in his hold to be able to really look at him. and it’s the worry in his eyes, and softness in the way he’s looking at you which makes something click into place in your head. 
and so what if everything in your relationship with him was supposed to be fake — the dates, the moments he’s introduced you as his girlfriend. everything else in between had started to be real for you — the kisses, the time you told him not to mention the deal or the list or the experience at all and so he didn’t, brushing his teeth for him as he sat on the counter, skin brushing against yours.
and so what if it was real for him too — the times where he’s held your hand or pulled you close when you weren’t paying attention, the nights on the drive back when he would look over at you incessantly?
untangling yourself from him, you reach for the notebook and pen you keep on your nightstand.  he doesn’t stop you, tilting his head in confusion. 
“what are you doing?” 
holding it out to him, your heart hammering in your chest, you gesture for him to take it. “write me something i can read when i wake up. it’s so i have…,” you take a breath. “it’s so i have proof that it’s real.”
something stirs in haechan’s chest. taking the pen in his hands, he begins to scrawl on the notebook, looking up at you as he’s writing. 
“if you still feel the same way, call me as soon as possible, okay?” 
“okay,” you promise, breathlessly. 
the yearning in your eyes is driving him crazy. guiltily, he reaches for you again, and slots his lips in yours, holding you tightly against him. as if kissing you was the last thing he would ever get to do. 
you have half a mind to move into his lap, wrap your legs around his waist and keep him with you forever, but already he pries your hands away from him and heads for the door, reluctance making his movements disjointed and shaky. 
“go to sleep, y/n.” he says, gently. “i’ll see you soon.” 
and with that, he’s gone, and you’re left on your bed, the note at your bedside burning a hole into your table. shutting away your laptop, you curl up under the covers, and somewhere in your mind you pray that the light of day doesn’t treat you too harshly.  
x
dear y/n, 
last night you told me that you were in love with me. i don’t know if it was the loneliness, or even if it was too late at night for you to be thinking straight. all i know is that i love you too. i didn’t think you would want me unless we were playing pretend. but now i can’t look at you without realising i am completely fucking in love with you. i’m sorry that you never knew, and that somehow i messed up to the point where you didn’t believe me when i told you. if you wake up tomorrow and you still want me, call me. i will do everything with you again if it means it’ll be real. 
love, haechan
it’s a little difficult to be around your friend group when they’re all like this. 
summer was drawing to a close, the optimism at the start and the feeling of endless days under the sun slowly fading to a blistering heat, which then slowly tapered out into a hazy sense of being in limbo. soon the seasons would change, the days get shorter and the nights grow longer, the loneliest parts of the year stretching out before everyone. the sense that this had been another summer of wasted potential, the sense of taking a deep breath before the dive, of holding love close to one’s heart and hoping it’s enough to last through the winter, hanging in the air.
you had walked over to jaemin’s apartment for breakfast with everyone, practicing the entire way. you were going to tell haechan you wanted to talk to him. pull him away from the group, and talk to him in a separate room. the letter from last night, from him, seeming to burn right through your palms, words you wanted to echo right back at him. 
but when you opened the door, you realise he wasn’t there. instead, everyone else sat slumped around the living room, prodding at various snacks and cans, and waving at you lazily as you picked your way through them, looking for the familiar mop of brown hair and eyes you had come to love. 
“jaemin,” you make your way to your friend, who’s crumpled into the couch himself. 
“hey y/n,” he smiles at you easily. “how did it go yesterday?” 
“well it’s still going,” you admit. “where’s haechan?” 
jaemin furrows his brow. “i swear he just arrived. i think he said something about getting us breakfast.” 
your body moves before you can think to, winding through the room and carrying you towards the front door and out into the driveway. and there it is — his car, slowing backing out. and through the window you can see him, looking over his shoulder, the familiar twist of his neck you knew so well. the arm he would throw over the passenger seat. 
you call out to him, and by some miracle he hears you. he stops the car jerkily, and you rush towards him. he had just barely gotten out of the car when you fall into his arms — you think you never want to be separated from him again. 
squeezing you against his chest, he murmurs next to your ear. “you read my message?” you nod. “i meant every word,” he says, kissing the crown of your head. “i know we’ve done this all backwards. really sometimes i just wish i could go back and ask you out like i should have done.” 
“i don’t regret it,” you tell him truthfully. stepping back from his hold, you interlock his hands with yours, relishing the familiar feeling. “i don’t regret any of the things we did.” 
“me neither.” he hesitates. “actually…maybe i regret getting drunk at jaemin’s party.” he shuffles his feet. “i missed you a lot, and i feel like i should have just told you then.” 
“maybe.” pause. “or you should tell me again now, because i don’t think i’ve heard you say it.” and it’s something that’s a little teasing, because at this point you know he loves you just as much as you love him, but haechan takes it so seriously — straightening up, he holds your hands against his chest, looking deep into your eyes. you feel a little out of breath from the way he’s looking at you. 
“i’m really sorry,” he starts. “for everything. i love you so much. everything i ever told you, every time we’ve touched, it was real for me.” 
“and if i believe you?” 
he smiles. and it’s a look you know so well, the familiarity in reading his expressions and talking to him without words hitting you full force. 
“just tell me you love me too,” he says, softly. “not because it’s at night, and you’re feeling lonely, and not while you’re crying. was it real for you too?”
and even though you’re soon interrupted by jaemin, who urges the two of you to go get breakfast together. even though the two of you keep making lists of places you want to go, and things which feel like love to you — haechan presenting you with music to dance in the kitchen to, afternoons spent restaurant hopping and nights spent driving to look at the ocean and sit under the stars. even as winter eventually rolls around, and the two of you bundle yourselves up in the apartment, his cheeks perpetually a shade of red which makes you want to kiss him —
neither of you forget the way it all started. that first time he held your hand in the middle of the kitchen and warmed you all the way through.  because everything was real. and in a way, it always had been.
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sinsandsweetness · 10 months
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Rickyl but they’re just mean, like real mean. Consensual obviously but they’re just kinda like use you for stress relief. Free use kink and all that jazz.
notes- I wanna be their free use housewife so bad... Thank you anon I so fuck with this. (Would do nsfw head canons for this if y’all wanted) Also I know you said mean, but I chose to keep it a little bit tame for this one. I can do mean though if you rlly want…
warnings- free use kink, throat fucking, sex, smut, slight degradation but also praising? pet names, slight daddy usage (only 2 times I think) <3
STRESS RELIEF
They entered the house all huffy and scowling. Slamming doors shut with their twitching faces. Clearly pissed off. Both of them. You figured it had something to do with Negan, given all the Savior drama going on lately.
They’d both been pretty on edge as of late. And It really wasn’t taking much to set Daryl off. You’d learned that the hard way. Rick could keep it together a little better. But not by much. So you debated with yourself what to do. You tried to wait until they calmed down, fidgeting with your nails as they loudly stormed up to your bedroom. Waiting and listening to their muffled conversation from the bottom of the stairs. Unable to make out any real words, your curiosity got the best of you. So you went upstairs, your soft footsteps were silent on the cushiony carpet. Quietly knocking on the bedroom door, you asked if everything was ok. Not knowing wether you should actually go on in or leave and give them some space. Rick pinched the bridge of his nose, mumbling something about the Saviors under his breath. Daryl shook his head and sighed.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” You asked sweetly, walking further into the room. Trying to be the supportive little angel you worked so hard to be.
Neither answered. Just clenched their jaws and fought off their tempers. Not that you did anything wrong. But some days, they could be… mean. A little bit anyway. When they were seeing red and weren’t thinking clearly before they spoke. When they’d snap at you after a long day and their words end up making you bite your lip and your eyes gloss over. They never meant it. Not really. And they always felt bad after. But it happened here and there. You’d never blame them. They just have a lot on their plates. So you take their apologies as well as you can. As well as you take everything else that they give you.
You looked up with doe eyes. Trying to get a read on the situation. What you could tell for sure, was that they did not want to talk about it.
But… they did need to let their frustrations out somehow.
The two of them a shared a look that you’d come to recognize pretty well. The muscles in their face starting to relax the slightest bit at their silent agreement. Imagining the filthy things they were about to do to you.
“No. No talking.” Rick shook his head. Finally answering your question.
You swallowed. Feeling like maybe the room was closing in on you. Just the littlest bit. The way the two men seemed to stalk even closer. Closing in on you.
“Could use your help though. With something else.” Daryl said, chewing the inside of his lip.
“W- what’s that?” You stutter. Pathetic. They hadn’t even touched you yet.
But you knew what was coming. That strange, far away look in their eyes. Focused on one thing and one thing only.
Using you.
“Strip.” Rick ordered, pulling at the hem of your shirt as you tear it off. You, being the good girl you are, were eager to please. Quickly taking your jeans off and kicking them to the side before Rick shoved you by the shoulder, forcing you to bend right over the edge of the bed.
Before you know it, you’re a absolute mess. Drunk off their cocks. Off the way they can’t keep their grabby hands to themselves. How they shove you around til they have you where they want. And fuck you exactly how they want. For however long the want. It never mattered.
You were too in love for it to ever matter.
Drool was running down your chin as your jaw went slack, allowing Daryl to fully fuck your throat to the exact pace he needed. Both hands fisting your hair as his breaths got shorter and heavier. Grunting as he switched between throwing his head back and looking down, trying his absolute hardest not to take his eyes off your pretty face.
And Rick was behind you, fingers digging hard into your hips as he pulled you back against him. He hadn’t even bothered to take your panties off, instead just pulling them to the side. Lace stretching and tearing as he pounded into you. His eyes widened as he let out the sweetest little whimper at the sight of your creamy substance coating the base of his cock. Slapping your ass with a sharp sting. Earning yet another muffled moan from your throat. He started to fuck you faster and harder, with zero regard to your comfort or pleasure.
You didn’t mind. You never do. This was for them. Not you. They’d make up for it another time. For now, you were just their pretty little sex doll, used solely to blow off some steam. You loved it. Fuck did you ever love it. Their filthy broken up sentences, praising you for how well you took them.
“Our good little slut. Always takin’ us so well, ain’t you?”
“It’s like this pussy was made for us. Just for us to use and abuse, ain’t right baby?”
And you’d gag around Daryl’s dick even more, trying to answer with a “yes.” “Yes daddy. Made for you. Both of you. Only you.” They loved that. The fact that you agree with them. That you’d do absolutely anything they ask. And even better, that you’d let them do anything they want. That you were forever getting off on being your daddies little fuck toy.
Rick kept slapping your ass, delivering quick short blows to the tender skin as you squeaked in pain. Tears threatening to fall as the two of them fucked the life out of you. But even then, not a word. Not a complaint to be heard. Everything was okay, perfect even, now that you were making your boys feel better. And that’s all that mattered. That’s what you were there for.
They picked up their pace at the sound of all the dirty noises escaping you. Fucking you even harder until they both came with a groan. Filling you up with their seed. Forced to take their loads, you swallowed every drop that Daryl gave you as you felt Ricks starting to drip and run down your leg.
You watch their chests as their breathing starts to even out. All three of you lazily slumped onto the bed. You situated right in between them, thinking about how badly you still have to cum. About how you were so fucking close when they stopped. Thinking that you should have said something, and let them draw it out of you. Even if it meant a few extra spankings for being a selfish little slut.
You squeezed your legs together to try and relieve the need. Daryl noticed first. Both of them finally coming down from their aggressive little high, minds able to focus in on you again.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” He teased. Knowing that you were probably a little too shy to tell him.
Daryl would grab your hands, pulling them from between your legs. Whimpering as silently as you could manage, at the loss.
“You need more, angel? Is that it? We gotta get you all filled up again?” Rick would chime in, both of their words causing the heat to rise to your cheeks.
“What do you want, sweetie?”
You couldn’t answer. Eyes shifting between them and settling on the blanket in front of you.
“Tell us.” Rick grabbed your jaw and forced you to look at him.
You tried to shake your head. To shove the feelings down and away.
“Tell us, or it’s not happening.”
“Need… need to cum.” Your voice barely even a whisper. Eyes fluttering closed in embarrassment.
And they both let out a quiet laugh. Ricks hand coming down to cup your cunt, the friction of his palm against your panties never failing to make you moan. Daryl started at your breasts, groping you so that your nipples rise in to sensitive little peaks.
“You didn’t really think we were done now, did you?”
-
taglist: @rickswh0r3 , @elnyrae
(comments and reblogs are always appreciated, xoxo)
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snaileer · 5 months
Text
To Play Pretend
(PhantomVision Revised)
Let me out! Let me out!
This is isn’t real! It’s not real! Accept it, play along play along. Get out! Convince him, you have to convince him! Get out! Wake up! Snap out of it! Play along play along play along
Wake up! It’s not real wake up wake up accept it wake up wake up wake up get up get up get up
Bruce sits bolt upright with a haze of fog still between his skin and his mind. Immediately, his gut feels off, the way his shoulders are loose with the lack of anxiety and paranoia that he’s grown used to, the way his vision is not quite aligned to his senses.
And yet.. he can’t seem to raise the right sense of alarm. His mind stays slow and calm, even as he mentally screams to start investigating. Someone, something is messing with his mind.
He turns his head to the side of the bed he’s in-another thing he does not recognize- surprised to find Diana laying next to him.
How is she here? No, they were on a mission, investigating.. something. Why can’t he remember? He’d had Oracle on comms, Wonder Woman at his side, it was a Justice League mission- why is he-
Bruce winces, sharp pain running across the front of his brain. What was-
The door slams open, a boy he doesn’t recognize standing there, dark black hair, and blue-green-blue eyes. His mind jumps to son, a shallow feeling of family bubbling up that makes Bruce want to recoil, this isn’t Damian, it’s not Tim or Jason or Dick or Cass- this isn’t his son! This isn’t his family! he wants to yell out.
And yet, his mouth calls him Danny, a name he doesn’t know and says with such familiarity.
“Dad! Babs is being a know it all again!”
Bruce feels his face smile without his permission just as he sees Barbara step around the doorframe.
She’s standing, she’s younger, she looks just a little different, hair pushed back by a teal blue headband- Bruce wants to scream, something is wrong!- instead he smiles more as she ruffles Danny’s hair.
“Little Brother, you’re going to be late for school,” Barbara says, despite the fact that she had always, always been an only child.
Diana sits up beside him, and Bruce can’t even turn away from the two in front of him, no matter how much he tries, barely managing a wide eye look from his peripheral. He can’t tell if Diana even catches it. He can’t move, can’t interrogate the only unknown here, kid or not, can’t research or ask Oracle for more information. Barbara hasn’t been able to reply to him any more than he has.
Within a blink, they’re downstairs-how did they get here, what’s happening, is there a time distortion as well?- and Bruce is standing at the stove top, a pan of broken eggs with small bits of shells in them in front of him.
It’s manageable. He could still finish these eggs- unbidden he steps aside, a jovial laugh as Diana goodnaturedly scolds his cooking abilities, emptying the pan and starting anew.
Bruce turns. Danny and Barbara are both sitting at the table, Danny the picture of teenage recklessness, homework spread in front of him.
Every word looks like scribbles, staring too hard makes his brain hurt.
The toaster dings. Danny looks up at it, glaring. Bruce swears his eyes flash green-
“All done! Enjoy!” The clink of plates hitting the table makes them both look over as Diana sets them down.
Barbara and Diana share a look even as Diana stiffly turns back to the counters.
Bruce looks at the toaster.
Empty.
“Come on, Babs we’re gonna be late for school!”
Barbara hesitates, a pained look hidden just behind her eyes, “Danny, I- my legs hurt right now okay? I can’t drive us to-“ The words sound like a struggle to get out. And Danny stands stock still in the living room, looking at her with unnatural stillness.
“But you always drive us to school.”
Bruce watches Barbara’s body snap back to that same stiffness as before as she moves to stand from the kitchen table.
Bruce forces a step forward, smile on his face, “How about I drive you today, kiddo?”
“Okay, Dad!” Danny smiles, movement returning to the room. He moves to grab his backpack left against the wall and Bruce throws another look at Barbara from the side of his eye. She’s okay for now, body more natural as she returns the look with wide eyes herself.
Still, she stands and follows after them as his feet lead them to the car out front.
It’s an old station wagon, a stereotypical family car.
Even as Bruce walks around to the driver door, keys somehow already in his pocket, he catches Danny staring at the car with narrowed eyes and suspicion.
Bruce looked back at the car- truck, had it always been a truck, no, no, no, it changed it changed, things were changing.
Danny climbed into the backseat like nothing was different and Bruce did the same, Barbara behind him in the backseat.
His body is autonomous on the drive, even as Bruce tries futilely to jerk the wheel or slam the pedals, they continue to go forward on the road, Bruce’s face as calm as ever. It’s almost familiar, the two of them bickering in the back seat, chattering like his own children, there were his own- no! They weren’t! His kids were out there! Not here! Not here not here-
Bruce stops, awareness heightening abruptly, his limbs his own.
They’re at a stop light, despite there being no other cars around.
The backseat is silent.
Bruce turns back, surprised to see Danny staring silently out the window. He looks at Barbara next, grateful to see real emotion, pain, panic, on her face, not just hidden behind wide empty eyes.
Danny continues to stare out the window.
Bruce follows his line of sight across the street to a closed down burger restaurant. The outside looks clean, but the sign looks burnt and destroyed. Yellow caution tape flaps in the wind across the entrance.
“Danny, what are you looking at?” He asks, surprised to hear the words come out, completely of his own volition.
Danny doesn’t move.
“We don’t go there anymore.”
Bruce narrows his eyes, clues filing into order, “Why, Danny. What is that place?”
“We just don’t.”
“Why Danny, why is that place so-“
“We just DON’T, okay!” Danny shouts, face angry as he turns around to yell, and there- his eyes, that flash of neon-
Bruce is facing forward again. The light is green. The car moves, sound resumes.
His chance is gone.
Bruce wants to grit his teeth, clench the leather of his gauntlets beneath his fists. He barely manages to tighten his hands around the steering wheel.
Too quickly they arrive at the school. Barbara slowly getting out even as Danny practically races up the steps. Bruce wants to help her, surprisingly, his body follows. Allow him to support her under a hug, a fatherly hand on her opposite shoulder, fingers supporting her armpit as they go up the stairs.
Danny looks at them with a tilt of his head and furrowed brows.
Words fall from Bruce’s mouth, unbidden, as his feet force him backwards, “See you after school, Danno! Bye, Babsy-pants!”
The look vanishes from Danny’s face.
Seconds later, a man approaches them, eyes zeroed in on Danny.
“Ah, Daniel, glad to see you’re on time!” The man says, and Danny looks at him, blinking harshly with confusion apparent.
“You must be young Daniel’s father… Jack, was it?” The man smiles slightly and turns to Bruce, grey hair tied in a ponytail behind him, “I am his teacher, Mr. Lancer.”
Bruce’s neck tingles, an odd sense of familiar paranoia prickling his nerves, “It’s Bruce, a pleasure to meet you,” he shakes the offered hand automatically, watching as the man’s smile sharpens at the edges.
“And the same to you… Mr. Fenton.”
The name rings hollow in his memory, barely scratching a memory before it is buried under fog and stuffed cotton.
“I just have so much to teach him,” Mr. Lancer smiles again, watching as Danny finally walks fully through the school doors, turning down a hallway.
Even under whatever spell this is, Bruce is wary of this teacher, though he can do nothing to show it, even feel it past a surface notion of wrongness. But still, his feet carry him down the steps without his permission, away from a kid he is ostentatiously supposed to protect.
As he gets closer to the car, Bruce feels the cloud over his thoughts get thicker, step by step, each clogging his mind more.
He catches sight of the school’s announcement sign, the date.
Mid-October, the numbers hard to read, but he caught enough.
They were months into the school year already. How long had he been here? How long before he’d even woken up enough to know it? How long had he been away from his family?
His fingers clasp around the cool metal of the door handle.
Bruce blinks.
The bell rings.
Faceless, unfamiliar kids flood out of the doors and Bruce gets out of the truck- car, it was a car, it was a car-greeting Danny with a hug, Barbara with a helping hand.
They leave almost immediately, the two of them in the backseat as Bruce drives.
Occasionally, Bruce will look in the rear view mirror and find a completely different sight, the road cracked and broken, buildings abandoned, streets empty; and yet when he checks again, it’s gone. The reflection the same as the road before him.
He can only see it like a translucent image in his peripheral.
Somehow their route home does not take them back past the burger restaurant again. Bruce has used and discarded three different mind strengthening techniques by the time they are back in front of the house.
He parks, noticing for the first time how the air shimmers in front and top of it, the light shifting like a curtain covering furniture when he doesn’t look directly at it.
Diana is sitting on the couch in the living room when they come in, a laptop perched on her lap, looking for all the world like a stay at home worker.
The seemingly blank pieces of paper on the coffee table are discarded as she gets up and moves towards the kitchen.
“Welcome home Danny, how was school Babs?” She says, food preparations already set out around her.
Bruce walks towards her, a hand across her shoulders; the picture of loving parents.
He hopes the feeling of solidarity gleams through anyways.
Freedom of movement snaps through his body so suddenly he nearly staggers. He looks at Diana, a thousand words in one glance, then turns to Danny.
The boy is staring at the door on the side of the kitchen. By its placement, Bruce would guess storage, a pantry, a basement maybe. He hesitates to break the unnatural stillness in the air.
Diana is already halfway to the door, Barbara is at the table, thumbs flying across her phone screen.
He makes a decision, throwing away the facade, “Danny, where are we? Why are we here?”
Danny’s face furrows, head tilting in confusion, but his eyes don’t leave the basement door, green light seeping from the edges.
“We’re… at home. Right? I just wanted… I wanted to go home..” Danny says, eyes flickering that damning bright green.
Bruce presses on, he needs answers, “What happened here Danny? What is this? Why are we here?”
“I…” Danny’s face furrows further, “I don’t…”
The doorbell rings, snapping Danny’s attention to it. Taking with it his mind and movement, fog sliding over his senses.
Bruce’s looks at the basement door from the side of his vision, any hint of green light gone.
“Danny, your friends are here!” Diana’s voice calls out.
Bruce’s vision jumps to the front door, thankful that he follows Danny as he leaves the kitchen.
No no no.. no no.. not them, leave them alone, leave them out of this!
Tim and Stephanie stand at the door, plastic smiles on their faces as they high-five Danny.
“Hey guys! Ready to play Doom?!” Danny says, a wide smile on his face, leading them both inside.
Straight past Bruce.
They walk right past him, shallow words and teenage garble trading between them like it’s natural, like it’s real. Why wouldn’t it be?
NO! Not them! None of it’s real! Let them go!
“You know it Danny! I got new mods, maybe we’ll finally beat Steph!” Tim says, loud in way he never is, pulling a bulky PDA from his pocket.
Stephanie laughs, elbowing the both of them, “Not in a million years, T!”
Bruce watches, helpless to stop them as they go past him, raging against his own body.
Tim casts a desperate look over his shoulder before they disappear up the stairs.
He manages a glance at both Diana and Barbara, each returning the tense undercurrent of urgency that runs through them all.
Even as the fog thickens, submerging his thoughts like polluted waters, he forces his mind to center on one thought, even if that’s all he can do for now, he will not be locked back into this lie they are trapped in.
He will fix this.
Somehow.
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Text
I suddenly had a thought of GhostSoap being normal human beings and doing normal human being things and wanted to write some stuff for it.
1) Simon always forgets to replace the fuckin toilet paper and Johnny loses his mind over it every single time
2) Johnny has these quiet little snores that whistle out every time he breathes out and while it’s mildly annoying some nights Simon still finds it so endearing
3) Simon hogs the blankets, even in summer cause he’s just always cold, no matter what. Johnny tends to just snuggle in real close to Simon when he gets cold
4) Johnny is the cook of the house. He’s really good at it (his mother refused to let him leave home without knowing how to survive on his own) but he can’t bake. Simon’s the opposite where he can bake (his mum loved baking, taught him everything she knew) but can’t cook to save his life
5) Johnny’s always stealing Simon’s leftovers or hidden treats and Simon has threatened to stab him once or twice over it (it never stops Johnny from doing it again)
6) Simon totally found a stray cat and got the ‘you wanna keep him, you look after him’ talk and he has never been more devoted to looking after another living being after the whole thing with his family
7) Johnny’s got a million and one things in their bathroom all for the sake of looking after his hair and skin and what not and he definitely sits Simon down on the toilet seat every so often so he can do the same for him
8) Johnny seeks validation near constantly. Simon doesn’t know why but he always, always makes sure Johnny knows he’s appreciated and doing good and whatever else the man needs validation on
9) When Simon has night terrors the way to calm him down is to just let him cling to you. Don’t speak or anything just let him hold you and let him reassure himself that your alive and well. Sometimes he’ll be ready to talk about it in the morning, other times he’s content to let the memories go and just keep going
10) Johnny is the worst at taking out the trash. Since they live in a semi-old apartment complex they had to take their rubbish all the way downstairs when the bin in their place got full and Johnny fucking hates it
11) When one of them get put on leave and have to go back to the apartment by themselves they’ll play the other persons music and cook their favourite foods (or try at least) to try and fool themselves into thinking they’re not alone in their home
12) Simon totally has a stuffed toy that belonged to Joseph and while it sits on his shelf he was still terrified Johnny was going to say something bad about it or try and get rid of it (that’s happened once with an ex) but Johnny saw it, called it cute and then proceeded to look after it when Simon couldn’t
13) Johnny may not look it but he’s a bit of gardener. He’s got a windowsill full of herbs in the kitchen and their balcony has some random plants that he doesn’t actually know the name or origin of but he looks after them and has very specific instructions for Ghost to follow when he’s not around
14) Simon’s friends with the old guy that runs the convenience store down the street from their apartment and not because he tried to befriend the guy or anything, but because the guy thought Simon looked funny with his mask and decided he was going to favour him out of all of his customers
15) The neighbours tried hitting on Simon once and Johnny happened to open the door and heard them flirting with his boyfriend. He got so possessive that he made out with the bigger man against their door jamb for like 5 minutes until Simon pulled him inside. The news spread very quickly after that
16) The apartment complex have a betting pool going about what they do for a living because they hold such weird hours and will disappear for months at a time. None of them wanna ask the two though cause they’re all a little scared of the both of them
17) Simon’s a bookworm and if it weren’t for their tiny apartment he’d have his own, personal library filled to the brim with books
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harrysfolklore · 2 years
Note
omg a soon-to-be-dad!harry blurb with @/tashimrod as the face claim, i just found out she’s pregnant 🥹
one thing about this blog is that i’m going to write a dad!harry blurb <3 i really hope you like this
if you like what i post please pleaseee consider sending my a tip, i have college bills to cover and i’d appreciate the support 🤍
ask me anything | masterlist | likes and reblogs are appreciated !
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yourinstagram hi from us 🥹
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ynfan1 the most gorgeous girl ever
bellahadid Love of my life ❤️
harryfan1 she’s absolutely stunning
harrystyles I’m so, very much, in love with you x
↳ ynfan1 AWEEE
↳ harryfan2 somebody sedate me
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liked by harryfan1, harryfan2 and 1,984 others
harrysatellite I met Harry today in NYC !!! he was really sweet and he told us he was picking up some food for him and yn 🥺🥺 we love boyfriendrry
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harryfan1 HOW ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THAT
ynfan1 aweeee
harryfan2 i might cry
harryupdates Congratulations 🥺🥺🤍
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theharrytea Deuxmoi via instagram stories. what do you think? 😳
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harryfan1 oh god
harryfan2 we’re honestly better than to believe deuxmoi
ynfan1 it is so harmful to assume that she’s pregnant just based on how her body looks
ynfan2 this is disrespectful
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liked by alexademie, harrystyles and 2,346,836 others
yourinstagram maple syrup, coffee, pancakes for two (literally)
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ynfan1 prettiest girl
sza lemme kiss your forehead
zendaya ❤️
harrystyles Hash brown, egg yolk. I will always love you two x
↳ harryfan1 OKAY WHAT DO THEY MEAN
↳ ynfan1 the pregnancy rumors and now this suspicious comments 😬
harryfan2 guys i don’t think they’re just quoting his song
ynfan2 is this a soft launch of her pregnancy ??
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harrystyles Love On Tour. Austin I. September, 2022.
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harryfan1 SO CUTE
annetwist ❤️❤️
harryfan2 when your love language is acts of kindness and you want everyone to know
yourinstagram 🧎💖
↳ ynfan1 getting down in one knee
↳ ynfan2 hi bestie
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harrystyles Living in a daydream (literally) x
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harryfan1 OHMYLAJSJA
billieeilish CONGRATULATIONS 🥺
ynfan1 HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT
yourinstagram Surprise 🫶
harryfan2 harry is going to be a husband ??????? harry is going to be a dad ???????????
niallhoran Congratulations, mate ❤️
florencepugh i love the three of you so much 🥺💘
harryfan3 I CANT BELIEVE THIS
lukehemmings Delightful news. I’m so happy for you buddy 💖
harryfan4 SO MANY CELEBRITIES HERE HOLY SHIT
ynfan2 the fact that they used his lyric to announce it i might cry
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yourinstagram happier than ever 🤍 i can’t wait to start a family with you, h
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ynfan1 IM STILL SHOCKED OVER THIS
kaiagerber i can’t wait to meet my little squish 💘
harrystyles You make me so happy. Happiest I’ve ever been. Thank you, thank you, thank you x
↳ harryfan1 HARRYYYYY STOP
↳ harryfan2 still crying
dualipa Congratulations angels 💓
alexademie that’s my best friend
ynfan2 JUST RIP MY HEART OUT
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harryupdates “Some pretty interesting signs tonigh, there’s one that says ‘Congratulations on becoming a dilf’. Well, what can I say, I’m honored to become a dilf, I hope I don’t disappoint my very own favorite dilfs, Mitch Rowland and Nick Kroll” -Harry in Austin tonight !
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harryfan1 STOOOOOP
ynfan1 girlie got herself a funny man
harryfan2 I LOVE FATHER HARRY
ynfan2 I LOVE THEM
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alexademie real life maddy perez @yourinstagram
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ynfan1 I LOVE THEM
harrystyles Take care of my missus and baby please
↳ harryfan1 HIS MISSUS AND BABY STOP
↳ harryfan2 CRYING
yourinstagram we love you ❤️
ynfan2 she’s glowing
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harrystyles Love On Tour. Austin V. October, 2022.
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harryfan1 BABYY
annetwist ❤️
harryfan2 can you believe he’s going to be a daddd
yourinstagram we miss you 🥺🥺
↳ ynfan1 the way she says we as in her and the baby MY HEART
YN’S INSTAGRAM STORIES
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//
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harryupdates “‘Wanna hang out after this?’ Well, i bet you are a lot of fun to hang out with, but i have to catch a plane to New York to see my fiancée and baby, yeah, did you know i’m going to be a father? I’m going to be a father next year! - Harry tonight 🥺
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harryfan1 MY HEARTTTT
ynfan1 they’re both so happy about being parents it’s so sweet
harryfan2 FATHER HARRY
ynfan2 yes go home to your pregnant woman
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harrystyles Love On Tour. Austin IV. October, 2022.
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harryfan1 BEST OUTFIT EVER
kidharpoon Ready to hop on that plane, aren’t you?
↳ harrystyles Eager x
↳ harryfan2 STOOOP 🥺🥺
yourinstagram hurry home ❤️
↳ ynfan1 this couple makes my heart burst
↳ harryfan3 yes harry hurry home to your woman
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liked by selenagomez, harrystyles and 5,037,725 others
yourinstagram reunited 🤍
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ynfan1 IM CRYINGGGGG
adele ❤️❤️
harryfan1 i’m so happy they share this with us
florencepugh um can we hang out?
jefezoff 🥺🥺
harrystyles Loves of my life x
harryfan2 imagine when the baby is born
taglist: @cucciolafaerie @eleanordaisy @sunflowersndpeaches @golden-hoax @alienorknight @daydreamingofmatilda @sunflowervolume66 @vanteguccir @ivyproblems @ayeshathestyles @stylesmygucci @gimsaysay @rosaliedepp @dontworrysunflower @milfrrynation @manifestrry @iceebabies @harrystylesrecs @pleasingrryyy @harianaswhore @leadmetogarden @abeanontoast @grapejuice-rry @vrittivsanghavi @msolbesg @tati813 @sad1esgf @ivegotparticulartaste @wobblymug @eviesaurusrex @olivialovesh @itsgabbysblog @theekyliepage @gumballavocadoharry @watermelonsugacry @be-with-me-so-happily @a-strange-familiar @reveriehs @musicforcinemas @rafeyyyyy @tinydeskwriter @noooovaaaaa @tenaciousperfectionunknown @mxltifxnd0m @rach2602 @balletdancerry @b-reads-things @juiceboxrry
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polyklok · 1 year
Text
When they’re down bad
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Dethklok and their massive, throbbing crush. You can interpret this as and xReader, xOC, or even towards each other idk I don’t make the rules.
Nathan Explosion
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Unlike the other members, Nathan has had experience with actual girlfriends (rather than just flings) before, and so can identify the difference between attraction and actual romantic interest pretty quickly.
But he’s still a total idiot about it. He basically hasn’t developed his flirting style since high school; he hasn’t needed to. He’s famous! So, he just sorta forces himself into their attention all the time. He purposely bumps into them, asks to borrow random things, always stands or sits next to them. He just wants to constantly be around them.
He tries to start conversations too but, my god, he’s so awkward! They’ll be sitting in silence together and he just shouts “MAN, THIS WEATHER IS CRAZY.” While it’s been perfectly sunny for three days straight. BTW, he’s always yelling around his crush. It’s partly because he’s nervous, partly because he’s trying to assert his “dominance” (he doesn’t have any)
He tries to drop not-so-subtle hints about his feelings. Like, there will be a couple in public, clearly on a very romantic, cheesy date and he’ll be like “THAT LOOKS FUN, WE SHOULD DO THAT SOMETIME” to his crush. Or if there’s a kissing scene in a movie, he squeezes their hand or something. Just, out of the blue.
In general, he’s pretty obvious and is sort of a disaster, but it’s cute and oddly charming. 7/10 because I suddenly decided I’m ranking them
Pickles The Drummer
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If Nathan was a disaster, he’s the end of the world
He desperately tries to play himself up in front of his crush, specifically trying to seem more classy and sophisticated, which are two things Pickles is not. He’s the kind of guy to try to be suave and lean up against a wall and then immediately eat shit, falling to the floor.
He likes to talk around his crush but never to his crush, ya’know? Like, if they are in a room, he’ll speak all loudly to a group about how cool he is and all the things he’s done. But in a one-on-one convo, he’s literally shaking and sweating and nodding along like his brain isn’t in full panic mode (it is). Because he physically can stand how gorgeous his crush is and how obsessed he is with them.
He’ll probably try to drink more than usual to calm his nerves, but it really makes it worse. Cause now he’s a bumbling idiot who’s only talking about how ‘damn pretty’ they are and threatening to get into a fight with the bartender.
Eventually, he does calm down. And he gets to be his natural, funny and relaxed self around them. His heart still flutters, but the anxiety doesn’t consume him like it used to and he has a real conversation with his crush and it feels like he’s falling in love all over again.
Like in most situations, Pickles is kinda a wreck. But he needs time and the right amount of booze to be a pretty great guy, 6/10
Skwisgaar Skwigelf
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Sound the fucking alarms because this Swedish whore has himself a crush. Seriously though, the realization hits him like a fucking truck. He’s just like, wow this person is hot and I like spending time with them and they have a great personality and they’re funny and they make me feel nice and HOLY FUCK
He gets so pissed. Like, genuine anger at himself and them and everyone else in the world because something is wrong. He can’t bring himself to take it out on them, so he just always scoffs and ignores them for weeks on end. But the whole time, they’re in his head. He feels all warm and fuzzy in more places than just his dick for once.
Eventually, he stops being just a baby and gives them a weird, half-assed apology his ego is still fragile, ok?! And starts flirting. Hard. Constantly praising their body and making unsubtle sexual innuendos, it’s the only thing he really knows how to do in this situation. God forbid they giggle or flirt back, because his face is gonna turn completely red and he’ll need to excuse himself for a 10-minute freak out.
Skwisgaar just feels so many strong emotions, and these new, affectionate ones are just kicking his ass. There’s a good chance that he gives up because he just can’t handle it. But, he might just persist and slowly open up and let them in.
He’s pretty much a noob for these sorts of things. He’s a sex god, not a Prince Charming. 3/10
Toki Wartooth
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Toki is actually more passive when it comes to romantic feelings than you would expect; he can accept potential love interests as friends very easily. But once someone has embedded themselves in his brain as more than just a groupie or a good friend, my man is COMPLETELY ride or die
Doesn’t make any effort to hide it either. He gets all giggly around them, biting his lip, twirling his hair, kicking his feet. He’s seriously smitten and everyone can tell, including the crush. He won’t deny it either, “Of course I’s likes them! Who wouldn’ts?”
His wooing methods are completely cheesy as well. Like, leaving a large, lovey-dovey gift basket on their doorstep or writing awful poetry for them completely in Norwegian. In fact, he’s pretty much always getting them little gifts and they’re all genuine, even the stereotypical ones.
He also gets very, very touchy. Greeting them with hugs and holding hands and even little surprise kisses. He knows that they’re not technically dating, but he still sees them as his one and only, so he already begins cementing himself as their partner.
Although, if they don’t show any interest back, he’ll stop after a week or so simply because he gets bored easily. I’m not gonna sit her and act like he doesn’t have the patience of a four-year-old.
Man goes all in with his flirting but it fizzes out very quickly. 7/10
William Murderface
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I was wrong about Pickles; THIS is the ultimate disaster. Poor guy really can’t take it, he’s so flustered and anxious and a bit furious at the whole situation. William is so fueled by hatred and hostility that he can’t fathom the fact that he genuinely likes someone and craves their love. For him, it feels like he’s gonna die without them and yet he refuses to go within a foot of them.
Most of the time, he just stares at them with his angry look on his face. If they ask what’s wrong, he just mumbles and walks away. But really, he gets so excited that they talked to him, even though he immediately fucked it up.
Maybe with some time, he can find a slightly better way to deal with his intense feelings. He mostly just needs to learn to relax and have some confidence, but those are both things he has never been good at. But, if he does manage do to so and have a conversation with them…it’s still pretty bad. He’ll stutter and stumble, walking on eggshells because he knows that he has a tendency to say stupid shit.
Even if the relationship doesn’t ever go anywhere, there’s a very good chance he’ll be this nervous around them for months, possibly years. If his crush manages to get the message and starts encouraging his ‘advances’, it’ll still be a while until he’s anything less than a wreck.
Someone please help Murderface, he’s dying out here. 2/10
Btw I wrote this last night and am posting it without much proofreading so sorry if it’s awful
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nebulablakemurphy · 1 year
Text
Moves & Countermoves (Part 5)
Summary: No one ever wins the games, even fourteen years later, Y/N is still playing.
Warning: this chapter contains mentions of the horrors Snow inflicts on ‘desirable’ victors, nothing graphic but could still be upsetting to some readers. Proceed with caution.
Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
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“Damn it,” Haymitch curses, taking a long swig from his glass.
Katniss is inches away from literally becoming the girl on fire. Sprinting through the raging flames as foliage and trees block her way.
“Why are they doing that?” Y/N tugs anxiously at the sleeve of his jacket.
“She’s too close to the edge.” They need to turn her around, but the fire balls are for show.
“Not now.” The gamemakers have chased her well back into the tree line. “Why aren’t they stopping?”
“I don’t know.” Haymitch huffs, “I have as much control over this as you do.”
“We need a sponsor.”
“To send her what exactly? A fire extinguisher?”
Remember who the real enemy is.
“I’m sorry.”
Y/N shakes her head, “it’s fine.” Haymitch is direct and abrasive, he does not sugarcoat. There are times when she wants that, needs it even.
“I was dismissive.” For all she was his protégé, she is now his equal. Old habits die hard, the places where they are joined bleed into one another.
“No, you were right.”
Things in the arena have calmed down, Katniss nursing a burn to her thigh. Stumbling back to the river, finding a moment’s relief before the careers and Peeta spot her.
“I’ll keep an eye on things here if you wanna go work the crowd,” if they’re gonna kill Katniss, Haymitch doesn’t want her to watch.
“I’ll wait till it’s done.”
You stubborn thing, let me spare you; just once.
Despite her injury, Katniss scales her way to the top of a tree which the careers can’t seem to shake her from.
“Let’s just wait her out,” Peeta suggests, “she has to come down sometime. It’s that or starve to death. We’ll kill her then.”
Cato contemplates for a moment, “ok.” He shrugs, “somebody make a fire.”
“Now go,” Haymitch insists, “she needs something for that burn. I’ll man the fort. Go, be great.” He pecks her cheek in parting.
Y/N stands, dragging sweaty palms down the front of her dress. Passing the betting pool on her right. They smile and wave. The victor forces her best grin, spotting one of the more generous patrons and locking eyes.
The man shakes his head at the whistling of those beside him. He’s been chosen.
“How’ve you been?” Y/N plucks two champagne flutes off the serving tray as it passes. Their contents a dark blue.
He smirks, accepting the offering. “I know your game, little minx. Tell me what you want.”
“Something for my tribute’s burn.”
“You’d think the girl on fire would be used to it.”
Y/N huffs a laugh.
“How much is this going to cost me?” That’s the real question, isn’t it?
“Two thousand.” Play money for someone like him.
“Greedy, greedy.” He tuts, fishing for his wallet.
“You’ll make double that if you bet on her.”
The Capitol man cocks his head of green curls. Y/N is beautiful, not in the way his wife is. Understated, but never overlooked and though she dresses the part, she will never fit in. Standing out like a neon sign among the masses. A humming live wire. “You seem confident.”
“She’s demonstrated better survival skills than half the tributes from one and two. Besides, you’ve always been generous.”
“Because I like you. Dare I say, we’re friends.”
“We are friends.” You’ve been good to me, kind even.
“Most people here are looking for a bit more than friendship from someone like you. A few of my colleagues would so love to meet you.” It’s not meant to be an insult, but it stings all the same. “Do be careful, little minx. Take my money and run.”
————————————————————————
When Katniss receives the parachute with a note that reads ‘apply generously and stay alive. -Y/N & Haymitch,’ she wonders how far away the arena is from the tribute center. Is it just beyond reach, separated by a dome of tech?
What would her mentors say now, without all of Panem to see? If only she could talk to them, just one more time. To be comforted by Y/N, scolded by Haymitch even. Scooping a bit of goop from the container onto her wound, it soothes the ache. “Thank you.”
————————————————————————
Nights are the hardest, in and out of the arena. If a tribute needs something after hours, they’d have to wait until the viewing room opens the next day. Y/N insists the games stay on, the feed streaming to district twelve, broadcast over the exterior wall of their room in the tribute center.
“You gonna fill me in on what the hell’s going on?” Haymitch asks, keeping his distance for now.
“The kids are sleeping, no cannon for a while now.”
“I didn’t mean the games.”
She knows that. “Haymitch.” His name is choked, so different from the way he’s used to hearing it.
His tumbler clunks down on the bedside table. “Come here,” he clambers onto the bed, still fully clothed from the day. “Come here.”
She worms her way into his open arms and sobs. Wracking both of them with the force of it.
“I’ve got you,” he breathes, trying to absorb some of her pain.
She cries herself to sleep, even as Haymitch hushes her. Breath hitching in her throat, the terrible way that turns his stomach. When she stills, the front of his shirt caught in her fist, Haymitch dozes off. Waking to the sound of her screams, pushing at him, desperate to free herself.
“It’s me,” he pulls back enough for her to see with her own eyes. “It’s just me.”
Y/N cups his face in her hands. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” I love you.
She tells him of her conversation with Cashmere and the sponsor. How afraid she is that pay per views aren’t going to keep these people entertained forever. Eventually they will get tired of watching them, they’ll want to be with them; and neither she nor Haymitch will be able to say no. “If Katniss lives, they’d do it to her too.” Just like Finnick and Gloss and Cashmere, all the others before them. “They’ll do it to her too.”
Haymitch gentles her with pretty lies. ‘He’ll sort this out.’ They will have to pry you from my cold, dead, hands.
————————————————————————
Little Rue, from district eleven, is also quite the climber. Making her way to the tree closest Katniss and drawing her attention to a tracker jacker nest a few feet up. If she’s able to drop it down on the careers, she might take out one or two. At the very least, cause enough of a distraction to get away.
Y/N watches on bated breath as Katniss begins sawing through the branch with her knife. People of the viewing room hiss each time Katniss is stung. Letting out a collective cheer when the hive falls, sending the careers and Peeta scattering. All but Glimmer, who catches the brunt of their stings.
Haymitch shifts. I’ll be damned, you might actually make it out alive, sweetheart.
Peeta circles around, after the cannon sounds, leaving Katniss with the bow and arrow. “Katniss, go! Run! Get out of here. What are you doing?”
She blinks at him slowly, effects of the tracker jacker venom dulling her senses. Putting enough distance between herself and the tree with the body underneath before falling into the brush. Plagued by images of days gone by.
Part 6
Series Taglist: @praline357 @flowercrowns-goodvibes @justheretoparty420 @avocadotoastwithegg @officialjellydoughnut @whoreforfictionalpeople @treehouse-mouse @emo-markie @spilled-mi1k @magical-spit @greaser9902
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onyourowndaisymae · 8 months
Text
when leviathan falls in love
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content + warnings: fluff, canon-typical insecure levi, gn!mc is always there to cheer up their fav boy, maybe some improper aquarium knowledge lol // [masterlist]
word count: ~1.3k
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the sunlight, once harsh and overbearing, is now a delightful amber melting over the horizon. clear blue lingers at the top of the sky, a reminder of the long day now disappearing in the rearview of time, fading slowly into the fiery oranges that announce dusk's impending arrival. puffy clouds dotted the wide expanse above. though the illusion wasn’t real, watching the sun set over the steady waves was a sight to behold. 
diavolo’s private beach had been loud all day, full of laughter and chaos as they enjoyed the vacation day to the fullest. now, as demons and angels alike watched a phenomenon only visible from the human world and its recreations in other realms, the beach was quiet. 
“do you see this often where you’re from?” leviathan asks you.  
“every day. and it never gets old.”
the two of you sit at the ocean’s edge, small waves lapping over your legs in a steady rhythm. his tail shifts unconsciously through the water, creating little ripples and splashes by your feet. the water always feels good on his scales– it’s rare that he gets to visit the ocean like this, but it feels like home when he does. 
you wiggle your fingers in the water, almost as if you’re trying to coax his tail closer like some marine animal. his face flushes. are you teasing him? part of him assumes that this is all in good fun– you’re always so nice to him, after all– but he can’t help but feel that something bad will happen. he’s always willing to give you a chance, though, despite his anxieties. his tail slithers through the water and you grin. your fingers brush against the scales softly. it’s nice. 
“it’s like petting a fish,” you say, looking over at him.
“that’s embarrassing.”
“is it? sorry, i didn’t mean it like that. i just– it reminds me of when i’d go to the aquarium as a kid.”
“you got to touch the fish there?”
“yeah!” your fingers stroke his tail with two fingers. he shudders– it feels pleasant, and he looks away before his cheeks flush further. 
“okay i lied. sort of. i didn’t get to pet the fish like that. it was the little sharks and stingrays that i got to pet at the aquarium.”
“is that safe?”
you chuckle a little. levi thinks he’s right to be worried– sharks are dangerous– but you shake your head and explain further. 
“sharks in the human world are a lot more docile than in the devildom. and smaller, too. they have, like, baby sharks in the public tanks. they’re young and comfortable with being touched.”
levi can’t really imagine an equivalent with devildom animals– they’re all far too vicious to be stroked so casually. but he’s seen enough anime to know what you’re describing. in the human realm, aquariums are painted in calming blues, with winding halls and glass walls all giving you peaks into their tanks. that’s where all the dates took place– two protagonists watching the fish, leaning in closer until their shoulders brush and they look away. then one would reach out a pinky and take the others hand, shaking a little in fear of rejection, but it never comes because fate is always so kind to friends turned lovers– 
your giggling breaks him from his trance. to say levi is embarrassed would be an understatement. he’s horrified. upon tuning back into the real world, he finds that his tail has wrapped itself around your wrist, ensnaring you in his grasp as the tip flickers against your arm. 
“sorry!” he cries sharply. 
scrambling forward through choppy waves, he uses both hands to forcibly yank his wandering tail from your wrist. it’s enough to pull you from a seated position up on your knees. you laugh, stumbling forward to catch yourself on your palms before you’re face down, ass up in the shallow waves. 
“it’s fine! it’s fine!”
your reassurances do little to ease his mind. he pulls the heavy appendage into his lap almost defensively– it seems he can’t trust himself not around you for a single moment!
“s-sorry, that was r-rude and probably r-r-really gross, i can l-leave–”
“relax,” you say, grabbing his arm as he starts to make his great escape. you ease him back into his spot– actually, you scoot a little closer, making the situation all the more mortifying– and settle back into a seated position. “i don’t bite. i promise. besides, that was kind of funny.”
“that was horrible–”
“it’s fine, levi. really. if i had a tail, it would probably grab you too!”
that makes him stop for a moment. his tail writhes a little in his grasp, but he holds it tightly against his chest to prevent it from embarrassing him again. 
“huh?”
“yeah! if i was a demon with a tail, mine would probably reach for you too! y’know, ‘cuz i like being around you so much, even my tail wouldn’t want you to leave.”
his face and ears are scorched, but your sentiment makes him feel a bit less embarrassed for his theatrics. 
“you mean that?”
“of course i do!”
part of him still wants to squirm, to dash off and hide under a rock and forget this whole mess even happened. but he takes a look back at the sun setting in the sky, then back at your smile, now looking out over the waves. maybe this is okay. 
“the human realm sounds pretty cool… y’know. sometimes.”
“it is. there’s a lot to love about it.”
suddenly he feels bad for bringing it up. did he strike a nerve? but your smile doesn’t falter, so maybe it’s okay to continue. 
“... do you miss it?”
“the human realm?”
“yeah.”
“sometimes,” you admit softly. “it’s the little things. it’s… it’s the sunsets and aquariums, y’know? little things you don’t think about until you don’t see them anymore.”
he nods. “i think i’d miss sunsets and aquariums, too.”
“you should come see them with me sometime.”
“what?”
“in the human realm. maybe we can spend a day together. appreciate the little things, y’know? if you wanted to.”
“that sounds nice.”
leviathan doesn’t realize what’s happening. it’s not exactly his fault– he’s always had trouble untangling complex emotions from each other, always struggled to express why he was feeling a certain way. all he knows is that he’s warm all of a sudden. his fingers tremble with something, something he can’t place, and he scrunches in on himself to hide from your prying eyes. you know him better than anyone. usually, that’s okay, but today something about that feels extra vulnerable. 
because levi, in that moment, falls head over heels in love with you. 
and it��s okay that he doesn’t realize that’s what’s happening. he has other ways to describe the feelings he holds towards you. you’re his number two, his henry, his favorite human– the most important person in his life.
what he knows now, staring out at the sunset, is that you make his knees wobble and his heart flutter unlike any cheesy romance manga he’s ever read. he rests his head in the crook of his elbow and stares out at the ocean, mind racing. you begin to tell the story of an aquarium trip you took as a child, mindlessly waggling your fingertips in the water again. levi wants to hear you talk about that. 
and maybe, just maybe, when the tip of his tail slithers from his lap and winds between your aimless fingers, he wants that to happen, too.
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taglist for this series: @deepseafragments // @darkflowerav // @annoying-and-upset // @katerinaval // @lurkingsnails // @chirikoheina // @all-mights-wife // @notareum // @ollieoven
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Note
AITA FOR KISSING MY ROOMMATE GOODNIGHT?
(everyone is in their 20s. names are fake)
I’d like to start off by giving background, I(M) live with my roommate Salt. We’ve been living together for a couple of years now and met through mutual friends.
I’m straight. Salt is gay in a very open, stereotypical sense(yk flamboyant, effeminate etc) and I’m not saying this to judge him/say I resent him or something he’s a dear friend of mine and I couldn’t care less abt his sexuality or how he chooses to express himself. However it’s important to mention this for the sake of AITA
The actual ‘issue’ started a year ago, where we were both drunk coming home from a party, I was struggling to get my keys out so he called me a idiot and then just.. kissed me??
That caused me to question my sexuality for a while because being a straight man you’d think I’d be repulsed or bothered by it but no I didn’t really enjoy it(not like there was smth to enjoy it was like a couple of seconds) but didn’t really mind it either in fact it didn’t made me feel any different than how I’d feel kissing a random girl I suppose?
So yeah I experimented with my sexuality for a week or so and even almost hooked up with some guy but nope. Still straight. Just didn’t mind him(probably because of how close we are)
Anyways back to the point after that Salt avoided me for a while but in the end we did have a talk which was basically him saying he was not attracted to me, how it was a spur of the moment thing and also apologizing if he made me uncomfortable.
To that I told him he did not and joked about how he could do it again.
Fast forward a month(?) later the “kissing the homies goodnight” meme came out, so one time I asked him where was my goodnight kiss was at and he actually did it, after that we just continued doing that ig I don’t think none of us thought much of it other than some night time ritual.
Here comes the actual AITA part, I recently got a girlfriend(we’ll call her Pepper). I’ts not like I’m super in love with her but she’s a nice girl and I genuinely like her so I wish to keep her happy.
The issue with Pepper is that she talks a tad bit too much, I normally wouldn’t mind it as I’m on the quiet part, but she expects me to memorize everything she has told me(not in the “do you remember my friend” type of way in the she tells me about 10 different people and gets upset when I don’t remember their exes names or what did friend7 did on lunch a month ago type of way) she also has a tendency to hyperfixate on shows and talk about the plot & characters as if they’re actual real people which makes it hard for me to understand if something she says is about a show or real. She gets really upset if I forget even the smallest things about those stories and rants about how I never listen to her. I tried talking to her about this but it only ends with her crying so I just keep shut to keep her satisfied
A week ago I was having a really bad day of migraines and nothing seemed to help but me and Pepper had made plans to hang in my place and I didn’t want to cancel. She comes over and starts talking about her sister in life’s brunch. I ask her if she could slow down a bit cause my head hurts and I can’t really keep up.
Well she takes it the wrong way and starts yelling at me about how I always am like this and how I never listen to her. I admit I’m the asshole for saying this, but I ask her if she’s unable to sit down and have a conversation like an adult. This makes her calm down a bit and she sits down so we can discuss.
I try explaining to her how it’s unfair how she expects me to remember everything and I’d be more than happy to listen to her, maybe just slow down a bit?
In mid of it she has this weird smile on her face and tells me I look hot mad, she then leans over to kiss me which I pull away from because it feels like she’s just trying to change a topic and I think this is an important convo for our relationship.
This is the moment Salt decides to arrive at home(I should also mention he’s TERRIBLE at reading the room) he comes over gives me my goodnight kiss and leaves.
(I would like to add its not like we make out or something. He just gives me a peck on the lips, says goodnight and leaves)
This drives Pepper crazy. She starts shouting at me on how I’d not kiss her but him? And that I could go ride his dick if I’m that gay for him. She storms out of the apartment
I’d like to add that Pepper has never said anything about me and Salt. I never told her about the goodnight kiss(Because I mean who goes to their girlfriend like “hey btw I kiss my roommate at nights. but no homo”?) but we never hide it either in fact I’m pretty sure we did that while she was in room once or twice too. Pepper has made jokes about us being gay and how she feels bad about getting inbetween us but never anything on being uncomfortable or not liking it.
Now it’s been a week and we haven’t talked since. She is not answering my messages and I stopped trying to contact her from there but I’m starting to doubt myself, am I the asshole here? Should I go apologize?
What are these acronyms?
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Text
to be okay
6x12 coda || word count: 646 || read on ao3
Every morning is the same. Buck wakes up, and doesn’t fully breathe until his phone is in his hand and the message thread with Bobby is open.
morning bobby
Buck can’t breathe, his chest feels tight and his hands shake ever so slightly.
Good morning, Buck
And Buck can breathe again. Bobby is okay. He’s alive and well, probably enjoying a cup of coffee with Athena like Buck knows they do every morning that they can. The knot in his chest unfurls and Buck can move, can start to get ready for the day.
He gets a few steps towards the bathroom, intending to shower, when he doubles back and grabs his phone. Opening his text thread with Eddie, Buck types out a message and presses send.
hey
While Buck waits for a response from Eddie, he opens the next thread in his phone.
morning buddy! i hope you have a great day at school is sent to Christopher and Buck isn’t surprised that Chris is the one who responds immediately.
thanks, buck! can you help me with my science assignment tonight?
of course, bud
Buck is grinning, looking forward to tonight. Normally he, Eddie, and Christopher have dinner on Fridays and watch a movie but since Buck is still on medical leave right now, they’ve been able to have them more frequently. Tonight Buck had promised Chris homemade pizza and he mentally went through his shopping list while he waited for Eddie to respond.
He wasn’t too concerned, Eddie wasn’t known to be quick with replies on text, if you really needed to get a hold of him it was always best to call. But as the minutes ticked by and still no response, Buck began to get worried.
Shit, what if something happened? No, if something was wrong then Chris would have told him— but what if Chris didn’t know? What if something had happened to Eddie while he was sleeping or he slipped in the shower or—
Buck felt himself starting to panic, starting to spiral, and suddenly he was pressing Call on Eddie’s contact and shoving the phone against his ear, heart pounding in his throat.
“‘ello?” Eddie slurred, his voice heavy with sleep.
Buck let out a broken sound, an almost hysterical wave of relief crashing over him and making it so he couldn’t talk.
“Buck?” Eddie asked, now sounding alert. “What’s wrong? What happened?” Buck could hear the rustling of Eddie’s blankets, imagined they were being thrown off as Eddie rushed out of bed.
“I’m fine, I’m fine, sorry, I just— you weren’t answering and I panicked and I couldn’t breathe,” Buck rambled, sitting down on his bed and trying to calm his heart, calm his breathing.
“Hey, hey, I’m right here,” Eddie reassured him softly. “I’m okay. I’m at home with Christopher and both of us are okay. We’re okay.”
“Y-yeah?” Buck gasped out, his body finally starting to relax the more he listened to Eddie’s soothing voice.
“Yeah,” Eddie confirmed. “I promise.”
“Okay, that’s good, that’s— that’s real good,” Buck mumbled, closing his eyes.
They were quiet for a minute, just listening to each other breathe on the line, Buck’s heartbeat finally slowing down.
“Come over,” Eddie said. “We’ll take Christopher out for breakfast and get those stupidly expensive coffee latte frappuchinos you like.”
Buck laughed. “That is not even close to what they’re called.”
Buck could somehow hear Eddie’s smile. “Yeah, but I made you laugh, didn’t I?”
“Yeah,” Buck sighed, affection clear in his voice. “I’ll be right over.”
“We’ll be here,” Eddie replied and Buck got the feeling he was talking about more than just right now.
Just before Buck got into the shower, his phone beeped again and when he checked it, there was another message from Bobby.
All good?
And Buck didn’t even have to think about it. All good! he sent back.
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