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#I started this movie like 2 hours ago and I'm barely half an hour in cuz I keep stopping to write film theory essays on Tumblr
andthebeanstalk · 1 year
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One of the things I love about Glass Onion is the way that the camera and music work together to tell nonverbal jokes.
Like when Benoit basically has to hold Miles' hand to get him to the conclusion that someone reset the puzzle box Benoit lies about receiving:
Benoit asks if it's possible that someone reset the box, and Miles then declares that someone must have reset the box like it is this huge reveal - and the camera zooms out while the music subtly swells as though he really has figured out something smart, when actually he literally restated what Benoit just said.
#original#I love the reveal that he's not even a smart con artist he's just a piece of shit#he's just a shameless copycat that people keep enabling to do bad things bc they assume he knows what he's talking about bc he's rich#like that line in Fiddler on the Roof - 'it won't matter if I'm wrong or if I'm right cuz you're rich they think you really know!'#glass onion#knives out glass onion#benoit blanc#Daniel Craig#ed norton#I hope the YouTuber sideways does a video about this because he does incredible music theory videos about movie scores#and I bet there are a bunch of hidden meanings within the music that I have no idea how to pick out#that man is like a wizard to me I don't understand how someone can understand music that much!#So cool!#I started this movie like 2 hours ago and I'm barely half an hour in cuz I keep stopping to write film theory essays on Tumblr#oh Adderall you cad!#I have no regrets I feel like this is helping me understand film better. i care a lot about the language of Storytelling#and I must say my favorite medium is film. I am writing a graphic novel right now but if I knew I could just skip that part and make it#into a show. I would do that. I don't wanna draw that much! I like drawing! but I want to see it as a show!!#this is too many drawings!!!!!#but for various reasons the film industry is not really a great place for me - or even possible as a physically disabled person#hard to work yourself up to the director's chair when all the entry positions involve standing for 14 hours at a time#I hope that if I ever do manage to make my graphic novel into a TV show that I will maintain enough control over the project to ensure#accessible hiring practices and workplaces#but in the meantime I guess I have to make waaaay too many drawings#no I can't shorten the story I don't have that kind of control it is an epic saga and the world's longest Slow Burn and that is that
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lowkeyrobin · 2 months
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I'm sorry for spamming you I'm just really excited--
Reader who also streams and just rants a lot while they play Stardew Valley?
Like mid milking a cow or something they pause the game and rant about how to kiss someone or smth?...
-🌕 anon! <3
AH OMG DONT WORRY ABOUT SPAMMING I LOVE YOU GUYS 🫶🫶🫶 but I absolutely love this LMAO I made this into a preference setup instead of a oneshot bc I didn't know exactly who you wanted and I was having difficulty finding a way to stretch it out that long anyways. idk much about stardew valley so bare with me, I rewatched Tommy's video of him playing w Molly to help me 💀💀
MCYT ; stardew valley rants
includes ; tommyinnit, ranboo, tubbo, freddie badlinu, niki nihachu, foolish gamers & quackity
warnings ; language
masterlist
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TOMMYINNIT
you'll just be doing some tasks and be like "you know, I've never kissed anyone before. like, how does that work?"
meanwhile Tommy came over a little bit ago to hang out after stream and he just looks at you like 🤨😨
"youve never kissed anyone?? wait... we haven't kissed before? y/n/n, what?"
you shake your head no, confirming that you guys actually never kissed somehow, your relationship was kinda new in both of your defenses.
"we've only been dating like, 2 months, it's fine"
"ARE YOU TRYING TO BE A KISSING VIRGIN FOREVER????"
literally have your first kiss on stream bro
THE EDITS 🫶🙏 I CANT EVEN
the cutest shit ever
TUBBO
you were playing stardew valley for a little calm/lofi stream before you went out to film with tubbo & tommy for a little challenge video
you got a little quiet after a while and started ranting about drama at school
you had some class time with a bunch of popular girls and you didn't exactly fit in with them and drama was starting to arrise
for a solid hour you were ranting about it
tubbo had your stream on as bg noise as he was on the bus to meet up with you and tommy
when you meet up afterwards his first words to you are "did you actually just rant for an hour about school drama?"
you nod and awkwardly smile cause you didn't know he was watching
"you're interesting to say the least"
"you are too!"
RANBOO
you literally paused the whole game mid-farming to rant about some restaurant you and ranboo went to the past day
chat was exploding with "oooo they went on a date" and you were just like "guys it was good food, 10/10"
they get you to join a call with them and you guys talk about it together and your whole experience and how awesome the food was
not to mention the aesthetic of the restaurant was so well put together
you got back to your stream with a little story for your viewers
BADLINU
you started ranting about a movie/show you're fixated on at the moment
went through all the lore, all the characters, background info, etc
Freddie was watching and using tts to talk to you
he encouraged it dw
like he was holding a convo w you and everything it was the cutest shit ever
the edits.
also people clipped the whole like half hour long thing and posted it to YouTube like "y/u/n and badlinu talk about ___!"
you don't even remember it within a week but HE DOES
just one of those cute relationship moments he loves to think about
QUACKITY
you were playing stardew while he was playing gta and you were on a vc together
so obv it kinda sounded crazy 💀💀
"y/n I'm gonna drive my Honda Accord over there and kill all your cows!"
"I swear to God, quackity, don't even dare"
not really ranting but you were yelling threats at him and shit LMAO
NIHACHU
you guys were playing together 🫶
you were teaching her how to do everything and stuff
you eventually went on a tangent about things you do and don't like about the game
she was agreeing to your solid points and stuff
that turns into a rant about hair color and if she can color your hair for you LMAO
FOOLISH GAMERS
"Dude, how do people do that van life shit? I'd die doing that"
straight up hour and a half rant about how much you hate van life tik tokkers while playing stardew valley
he's in your chat like "Yes 100 percent" and adding onto your points LMAO
you both share a hate for van life mfs
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andmaybegayer · 1 year
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Last Monday of the Week 2023-04-03
Quilt's done, let's watch some movies.
Listening: Finished catching up to 99 percent invisible, which only took me like five years of cooking, cleaning, commuting, sewing, video gaming and soldering. Admittedly it's only about half of all of those things, but hey.
There's a lot of good 99pi episodes although a lot of them are actually guest episodes, for example Finding Julia Morgan is actually from New Angle: Voice, about an early and prolific skyscraper designer.
For originals, there's the story of the Nikolai Vavilov and the Seed Potatoes of Leningrad although frankly The Anthropocene Reviewed did it better, and there's Miss Manhattan, which is the story of a prolific model who is as a result featured in a ton of architectural work, Audrey Munson.
Reading: Started qntm's Ra, spec fic hard science fantasy where magic is a precise scientific process which is primarily best understood through careful measurement and differential equations. Appealing to me as an electrical engineer, where most things are also best understood through careful measurement and differential equations.
I read the first couple chapters ages ago but didn't stick with it, it's hard to read on a computer, I ended up buying the ebook and I'm devouring it. qntm has a way with words and worlds, and an appreciation for the power of institutional knowledge and formal theory that makes his stories feel very real and grounded. Even if they open with a drunk mage blasting some muggers with a microwave thermal lance.
Watching: Triple feature, big show today. First, episode two of Dynamo Dreams is out, only a year after the first one, not bad for what is mostly a solo VFX project. Beautiful, grungy, greebled sci-fi.
youtube
My brother called me up at six in the evening like hey do you want to go see a movie, and I almost never turn that offer down despite his incredibly terrible taste in movies and TV. We saw Shazam 2, which was mediocre in uninteresting ways. If you want to enjoy it, walk out about 15 minutes before it ends and it'll at least do something bold and thoughtful. The most I can say is that it keeps track of all it's plot points and ties them all off neatly.
Finally The Edge of Tomorrow, the time loop movie from like 2014. I like time loops, they give you a lot of room to play with. Manages to handle its stakes really well and convey the exhaustion and investment of a time loop without actually playing out every loop, which is hard. Makes me want to play Elsinore.
Playing: Nothing much, I got a couple games of Valorant in with The Buds. Now that I don't have sewing to podcast through I might go back to Forza a few hours a week. It's a reliable option. That or Warframe maybe. Needs to be a game with minimal text and little strategy.
Making: The Penrose quilt is finally done, took a few months there huh.
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I'm really glad it's done, I'm looking forward to actually using it once I move out. Soon hopefully.
My sewing skill has really gone up over the course of this project, sometimes I'd read or watch someone's dressmaking project and I'd think there's no way you can do consistently tight backstitch by hand for that long of a seam but no, you totally can, it's not even that hard.
Tools and Equipment: If you're going to be working with Perle cotton you really want embroidery specific needles, they've got longer eyes that are better suited to the thicker floss than conventional needles.
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rise-uncalledfour · 1 year
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TW: panic attacks, hospital, drawing blood, MRI's
I've seen so many angst stories on here about how people found their fandom. Well let me tell you MINE.
Very, VERY recently, (like 5 months ago) I had a stroke. (mind you I am 13) I had a sinus infection which traveled through my brain and down my neck. I couldn't walk, talk, my arms were too weak to do anything, and I was pretty much in a hospital bed or wheelchair for a full month.
While I was in the hospital, I had a really hard time sleeping and a lot of MRI's which equal panic attacks. I wasn't mentally there, so a lot of things set off panic attacks, like when I spilt something I would think I would get in trouble, or when I was supposed to have a surgery (neck) and it got cancelled, I would think it's my fault and hyperventilate. I was even scared to ask to go to the bathroom, thinking the doctors were going to be annoyed or something. (I was on a lot of fluids which meant MANY bathroom trips)
I figured out the hospital had a tablet, in which I could practice using my fingers and gaining a little hand coordination, but it also had a bunch of streaming services like Hulu, Paramount +, Netflix, ect.
I ended up watching the rottmnt movie after a bunch of other TV shows, like Steinfeld and We Bare Bears. I would always perk up when Mikey used magic hands (like 2 times but still) and went "He is just like me fr"
I started watching the show, and started trying to act like the characters towards the doctors. Like when they drew blood, I would say "I'm taking this like a boss!" and the doctors would be so caught off guard because I wasn't talking for 3 weeks and now here I am making jokes. And then I would try to act like Leo, making jokes like "Hey, maybe I could get super powers after this" The doctors had no idea what was making me so happy, but they were like, "Okay we can use this" So for physical and mental therapy, they used rottmnt to help me try to stand and move around and talk. When I had MRI's, they could actually play the show through some goggles, so I would watch that and be stuck inside a tube for an hour and a half without fail.
I told them about how Mikey used his hands to open a portal, and that maybe his recovery would be like mine (Obviously not the whole not walking just with the shaky and not working hands) so they sat down and watched the end of the movie where Mikey did that, and they wanted to help me reenact it, because it involves me exercising my arms by keeping them up and standing. It was fun, and after that I thought of the post-movie, in which they would have to recover after that, so they aren't so different from me. A few short weeks later, I was walking, talking, my hands were somewhat working, I was out of a wheelchair, and I had a new obsession to bring home to my parents.
And that's the half story of my recovery, and of how I got into rottmnt
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cntrpt · 1 year
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I'd love to read your responses to the questions you just asked me! But only if you want to! And I hope you are feeling better!
1) Some of your favourite shows from your childhood
2) Favourite food/comfort food (if they're different)
3) If you were to say a lie, what would it most likely be about?
4) Are you good at cooking? If so, what's your favourite thing to prepare?
5) Do you have any particular phobia?
6) And, since we're on the subject, when you're sick, what do you usually do to take care of yourself/spend the time?
Thank you, it's actually starting to get a little better now!
Naming some: The Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo, definitely Winx Club and, for my early anime phase, Pretty Cure 5 and Detective Conan (which I'm still trying to catch up)
It depends from the day, but I'd say spaghetti with tuna (grandma recipe👌)
Not answering my phone because I was ""busy"" or I didn't have it with me
Mm I think I could manage if I gave it the effort and time it requires, but right now I stick with the bare minimum. I managed to forget the biscuits in the oven once, after my friend had left me alone for not even half an hour, so
Actually, trypophobia too😭 I had seen an ads with a hand covered in, like, a beehive pattern years ago, and I fully realized it. Hives, cork and corals under the microscope, they all irrationally make my skin crawl. And tarantulas too, I don't have much of a problem with little spiders, but those are where I draw the line.
If I can, I lounge on the couch reading, watching movies/tv series or playing video games, plus I try to catch up with what I'm missing. And I allow myself to sleep a bit more ahah
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katherinejblackwell · 6 months
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Katherine's Tea Party 1- My Winter TBR
Also read on my website!
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Photo by Anastasia Kostyleva
Hello and welcome to the very first blog post on my brand-new website! I'm very excited to have my own pretty little spot on the internet to talk about the things I'm most passionate about. Hopefully a few people decide to join in on the fun along the way, but for now, I'm perfectly content to be yelling into the void. So without any further delay, allow me to share some of the books I've put on my Winter TBR and why.
Number 1- The Secret History and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Amidst my semi-recent foray into the dark academia aesthetic, these seem like no-brainers. I started reading The Secret History about two years ago, but final exams made it difficult for me to find the time to read it. Now that things have slowed down again, I've picked it back up from the beginning, and I'm really enjoying it. The descriptions are what I've found most interesting--even when we're reading descriptions of beauty, there's a constant creepy, haunting undertone in Tartt's words. As for The Goldfinch, I admittedly know very little about it aside from reading the blurb a few weeks ago, but I think the fact that it's by Donna Tartt and is a Pulitzer Prize winner is more than enough encouragement to add it to the list.
Number 2- The Hunger Games trilogy and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games is, and I think will always be, one of my absolute favorite book series. I find myself coming back to it again and again, and I was recently re-infected with the need to read the trilogy amongst the hype surrounding the new movie coming out this month. I'm the type of person who has to read the book before watching the movie, which is why I added The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to the list as well. It's just come in on hold for me at the library, so it'll be briefly interrupting my reading of The Secret History. I'm very eager to dive back into one of my favorite fictional worlds, despite the mixed feelings I've seen from other Hunger Games fans regarding Songbirds and Snakes​.
Number 3- Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
I picked this duology up for myself many moons ago and have yet to read it. I unintentionally took a break from fantasy for a while, but as we approach Winter, I keep imagining myself on the couch devouring fantasy novels with a warm drink by my side. So, most of the rest of this list is fantasy books. I think these two will be some of the first I pick up when snow starts hitting the ground here because I have heard nothing but good about Leigh Bardugo's books and I'm eager to finally venture into her world.
Number 4- The Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard
I've read the first two books in this series two or three times each because I was dead set on owning a complete set of the gorgeous collector's editions of these books for the longest time. Red Queen was the very first collector's edition I bought for myself when I was in middle school and I was utterly entranced by every detail of it. I have since seen reason and (mostly) given up on the idea of the collector's editions for the final two books ever coming out, so for now, I'll be checking the next two books out from the library this Winter and crossing my fingers that one day my dream will come true.
Number 5- Set Fire to the Gods by Kristen Simmons and Sara Raasch
This is another title that I started and never finished about two or three years ago. In my defense, I started it as my second book in a 24-hour readathon, and I was absolutely delirious by the time I got to it. I'd actually read a decent chunk of the book during the readathon--I believe half or more--but I could never gather up the motivation to finish it. I could barely remember what I had read in my sleep-deprived state anyway, so eventually it seemed better to just start over altogether. This book has an absolutely gorgeous cover and a very pretty purple map on the inside, so if nothing else I'm excited to stare at it for hours.
Number 6- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
This one I bought for myself a while back amidst the craze on Booktok, and I never got around to reading it due to my aforementioned break from fantasy. I don't remember much about the synopsis of this book, and I think I'll keep it that way so it's a bit of a surprise going in. Things are often popular for a reason, and I wouldn't have bought it if I wasn't sure at the time that I would enjoy it, so I have high hopes for it. I think I've also heard that a sequel of some sort came out recently, so if I enjoy Iron Widow maybe I'll add that to my list too.
Number 7- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Once again, I bought this title for myself a while ago and never got around to it during my fantasy break. The cover alone is enough to make me want to read it, but I've also heard that there is some amount of dark academia vibes in this novel, so it will absolutely be right up my alley. I am very excited to read it and I'm expecting it to be one of my favorites from this list. I think this will be a good one to read in my initial transition from Donna Tartt's novels to my fantasy picks for the season.
Number 8- The Devil and the Dark Water ​by Stuart Turton
Transitioning out of fantasy-land, we have a handful of mystery novels joining the fray. I was recently reminded of this book while shelving at work last week and added it to my list ASAP. I read Turton's The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle a while ago and absolutely LOVED it. It was a creative, incredibly compelling read that I just could not put down, and if The Devil and the Dark Water is anything like Seven and a Half Deaths, sign me up a million times over. ​
Number 9- The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
I initially resisted adding The Paris Apartment to any sort of TBR, I think because I kept seeing it in emails from B&N. But I have since warmed up to it, and after reading the description of it by the book drop at work, I became intrigued enough to add it to the list. I do not often read mystery (aside from Turton's first novel), so hopefully, this will be a good book to bring me more into the genre.
Number 10- Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manasala
This is another one I discovered while working at the library, and I was highly tempted to sneakily check it out to myself right then and there. I thought the title was a little humorous, and that combined with the cover art caught my eye right away (and mention of a Dachshund named Longanisa in the blurb only added to the appeal). I'm not sure when I'll be finishing my fantasy craze and getting to the few mysteries I have on this list, but I'm very much looking forward to this book when I do.
Number 11- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Another mystery and another book that has been very popular on the internet. I didn't originally have specific plans to read this book, but I saw a few posts about it floating around at about the same time I was putting my list together, and I thought maybe it was time to see what all the hype was about. The plot certainly sounds interesting, and I'll be looking forward to this one as I work my way through the list.
Number 12- Vanishing Girls ​by Lauren Oliver
This is one I inherited from my sister when she was cleaning out her own collection of books, and it's been sitting on my shelf for years now, constantly getting pushed back in the TBR by newer titles. I've read a handful of Lauren Oliver books and enjoyed most of them, and since it's been sitting on my shelf so long and I'm hoping to read a few other mysteries this season, I think it's time to finally give this one a shot. 
Number 13- The Surrender Theory by Caitlin Conlon
These last few are a bit of a mix. This first one, a collection of poems, was an absolutely adventure to track down recently. I don't remember how exactly I stumbled upon it in the first place, but I ended up reading the preview on Google Books sometime around Winter or Spring last year. Not only was it some of the most engaging poetry I've ever read, it had a poem related to The Great Gastby, which absolutely sent it over the edge for me because I am OBSESSED with The Great Gatsby. A month or so ago, I decided I wanted to read it again, but it had been lost in my mess of tabs and automatically cleared from my history. I only found it again by chance when looking through the Favorites album in my gallery and, lo and behold, there was a screenshot of the Gatsby poem with the title of the book at the top. Now I am very happy to say that I will be reading it as soon as possible. Though that as soon as possible may be some time, seeing as none of the libraries in my system have this particular book as of yet. Perhaps I'll have to buy it as a little treat to myself for surviving the holiday season. ​
Number 14- Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore
This feels appropriate to put next after just having mentioned my ardent love for Gatsby. I was beyond excited when The Great Gatsby came into public domain a few years ago and all of the retellings started to appear. My eyes were wide with possibility and my heart full of joy because it truly is my favorite classic and one of my favorite books period. There are a few other adaptations besides this one that I'd like to read later on, including The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo and Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor, but this one is at the top of my list for now, and so has made it onto my Winter TBR. ​
Number 15- Since We Last Spoke by Brenda Rufener
I can't remember now if I saw this book at the library or in a YouTube video, but either way it's the last one on my list! I tried (and failed) to find proof without getting spoilers, but at least from the cover, this novel seems like it takes place in Winter, which is a big reason why I added it to this list. I'm very much the kind of person who likes to match the vibe of a book to the season I'm in. Sometimes the vibe I imagine a book has makes real, logical sense, and sometimes it is utterly nonsensical, but I believe this one is grounded in logic. If I need a break from all of the fantasy or something to transition me back into realistic fiction after I've finished the fantasy frenzy, I'm sure I'll reach for this one.
Book Rec and Drink of the Month
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Photo by lil artsy
For my very first monthly book rec, I'd like to recommend The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. I wasn't originally going to recommend anything from the list, especially something I hadn't actually read yet, but I just adore The Hunger Games so much, and I have such high hopes for both the book and the movie. Additionally, I've always found Collins' writing style and storytelling to be so compelling, and as I've grown older I've come to appreciate the messages and themes within the text more, so I feel I can recommend the book in good conscious despite never have cracked open the cover.
As for my drink this month, I've been really enjoying the white hot chocolate from Starbucks. I'm not exactly a coffee gal, so I'm also not exactly a Starbucks gal, but I've been a few times recently, and the white hot chocolate is just amazing. I remember liking it as a kid and it still holds up today. I think it's a perfect cozy Winter beverage to sip while enjoying some books.
Thus concludes my first ever blog post! I certainly enjoyed writing it, and I hope I continue to enjoy writing them. If this reaches any eyes, I encourage you to leave a comment with some of your own Winter TBR books, book recs, or favorite cozy drinks. I'll be back in about a month with something new. Until then, stay safe and healthy and may the book gods bless thee with ample time to read and plenty of beverages to sip. 
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wroteonedad · 7 months
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Stop Making Sense (1984) Review
About 5 years ago, I went to visit my hometown after a long 2 weeks of being a fresher. I was just so exhausted from eating dry cereal and drinking a bottle of wine at every fresher pre-drinks before not going out because I didn't have a valid ID, so I went home. I'm sitting in the back of my grandparents vintage car, one so old it only has a cassette player. My grandad pulls out a handful [of tapes] and goes, this one is a classic I'm going to put it on. Below and behold, it was a cassette of the live recording of Talking Head's Stop Making Sense. I had never listened to the band before then, but I fell in love with the recording of Psycho Killer immediately. Flash forward to October 2023 where my boyfriend has taken me to the cinema to see the the 4k restoration edition of Stop Making Sense; the film begins with David Byrne on the stage. 'Hi, I've got a tape I'd like to play' and the exact version of the song I had heard on my grandad's copy of the cassette starts to play.
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I know that sounds silly, but as someone who has been familiar of the band for years, but never really knew them enough to consider myself a huge fan, I was in shock. I spent most of the concert movie watching in awe, footage that had been taken originally from 4 days of playing Pantages Theatre in Hollywood in 1983. The first 5 or 6 songs have stage progression, it starts with Byrnes and his acoustic guitar and as every song plays, you watch as the stage men roll across new instruments, more equipment and more band members take to the stage to play their role in the show. It is like watching a pantomime in real time. The stage presence of every person involved was electrifying, there was constantly something to look at.
When the curtains finally fall to create a full set design, you know we're finally in the zone, the next segment of the show begins. David Byrne rotates between slim fitting to super baggy extra large grey suit, you know *the* grey suit. He swings his arms and legs around in directions that doesn't make sense, he constantly looks like a drunk man about to topple to the ground after a few too many and uses a lampshade as a swing during the film.
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As far as the character of Stop Making Sense goes, it is the perfect analogy of an autistic person after three cups of coffee, I love it. Ednah Holt and Lynn Mabry, the backing vocalists for this particular tour bring in strong complimentary vocals and bringing in two big personality characters to jump along in time to David Byrne being David Bryne clamouring across the stage in all directions at once.
Jerry Harrison became every man through the film rotating between guitar and the keyboard. I remember that one part of the film where he lifts his arms up after playing on the keyboard and seeing the sweat stains the size of a country, it was so real. I was sweating just from watching them all bundle around the stage in a hot theatre with variations of lights beaming on them for an hour and a half straight. There were no breaks, there were barely time for costume changes and there certainly wasn't an encore, but it just made sense.
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The closest we had for a break was when Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz became centre stage, performing Genius Of Love by Tom Tom Club, their side project. A song which I also knew of, but had no idea it had anything to do with Talking Heads, I felt flummoxed. After this song was when Byrne came back to the stage in the two piece suit which seemed to consume him.
Towards the last couple of songs is when the whole band are finally introduced to the audience, to which they then play one of their best hits and pan to the crowd dancing, laughing, having the time of their lives. Half of the audience looked like a Chad, a typical jock character you always see on the 80s cult classic movies, but the guy that stole the show was the child with the unicorn stuffed toy in his hand, standing up and watching the show.
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It was impossible to take my eyes off the screen for a second and I wouldn't dare think of going for a quick toilet break during this show. You truly never knew what David Byrne was going to do next on that stage, he was unpredictable, like a child after too many blue sweets containing e numbers. He did laps around the entire stage the way I used to as a toddler after a slushie. The whole band gave a show that didn't feel like a concert itself, it felt like a theatrical show and it is very fitting that this was also filmed in a theatre.
I would also like to note that there are definitely times where David Byrne reminds me of Cillian Murphy and I also think that when Byrne was in the big suit, that he looked like a larger than life Oppenheimer.
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Like I really hope this makes sense.
Also, much to my boyfriends disgust, when Jerry Harrison first came out on stage I said he looked like Nick Jonas.
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And as for Tina, she really reminds me of Stevie Nicks. I think it's mostly something about the blonde hair and her eyes.
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irislabslive · 1 year
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The End.
February 28th, 2022. I feel as if a chapter is ending. I just started the new one. I spent three days doing the things I used to do. I fucked up my shoulder in the pit in a basement in New Paltz on Friday night. I screamed and pushed and kicked and didn't cry.
I woke up Saturday sore, but ready to do it all again. I keep opening Instagram to a combination of anger and love. It hurts seeing what you should be doing if last summer went differently. But it happened and it sucked and even the good moments weren't worth it.
I drove by the rest area my first real boyfriend dumped me over Twitter DM at when I was 18. I don't encounter this area often but when I do, it's like that 18-year-old girl is still there stuck in her shock. Stuck in her pain. You only get that kind of love when you're young and stupid. I'll admit, I miss it sometimes, it was like something out of a movie. But love isn't a movie.
In 7 days it will be my 24th birthday. I am terrified. My 23rd birthday was the most bittersweet day of the year. Bittersweet isn't the right word though. Painful is.
It feels like I'm still in that day sometimes, I woke up early like I always do on my birthday. I had planned to see my Nanny, my aunt, and my dad during the day. I didn't see my dad but that was okay. I woke up to no birthday texts from my aunt or my dad. That's when I knew something was wrong.
I went to my Aunt's house to my Uncle being the only one there. He told me my Nanny was dying. I'm in shock. I'm still in shock. I want to see her and talk to her and hug her so bad. I want her to kiss my cheek and ask me to take her to get zippers for whatever baby sweater she's crocheting now.
I never had any grandfathers. They were never alive in my life so I only had my two grandmothers. This is kicking me in the stomach. Nanny was 93 years old. I rushed to the nursing home she had been in since September when she had a stroke and my aunt found her sitting on the couch covered in blood with a pool of blood on the floor as well. We'll never know what happened to Nanny that day. She had a stroke. I would visit her every day I wasn't working.
Covid had her nursing room on lockdown for almost a month, maybe it was more I can't remember - I just remember it being horrible.
During my visits, Nanny would have a round of questions she always asked. Are you working? Where are you working? Do you have a boyfriend? Yes. A few places. No. She asked me a few weeks prior the last question and I wanted to tell her about my love story, leaving out all the details that made it seem like I was being manipulated and abused. I'd talk about our first kiss when he took my breath away and how long we've known each other and all the nights on Skype. But that was half a decade ago and what I was getting now was not the same person as all those years ago.
My birthday. Back to my birthday. I had made plans to see him that night. We hadn't seen each other in nearly a year. He booked a hotel room. I was supposed to have a good birthday. But here I was staring at Nanny, tears in my eyes. She didn't look the same as she did a few days earlier.
The week prior she said something to me and my aunt that can only be described as eerie. She saw this face. She kept seeing this face that wasn't there. It felt like a bullet. But today she was barely conscious. I held her hand for a little bit. It hurt. I sat there for a little bit until my aunt asked me to bring her back home to get her car and come back. I remember saying bye to Nanny. I told her that I loved her and walked out with my aunt. It hurt.
I told him what was happening and I just needed that support. I stopped at my mom's house and told my brother. He was taken aback. I went back to my apartment and got on a silly little outfit. I needed to wear something that made me feel good. It was cold that day. I didn't care. I got in my car with all my things and drove. 2 hours. I got to him, got out of my car, and kissed him. I needed to kiss him more than anything. He held me for a moment. I felt okay for a second.
The entire evening we spent together I was terrified of getting the call. He kept me pretty calm. His intentions that day were so much like the first time around. He cared so much. I couldn't sleep much that night but sleeping next to him for the first time was peaceful. I kept tossing and turning and checking my phone every few minutes. Nothing. Silence. The silence was scarier. He woke up at some point and eventually calmed me down and held me til I fell asleep. At least I had this support tonight. Most nights it is just Jasper and I. I wish I could've brought Jasper to see Nanny. She would've loved to get to pet him and give him treats one last time. That's her great-grandkitty.
I woke up the next day. Nothing. Still silence. I was too scared to ask.;
I found out after my aunt and my dad were counting down the minutes to midnight hoping that she wouldn't die on my birthday.
I eventually kissed him goodbye and got in my car and drove home. I was exhausted. I kept trying to force myself to go back to the nursing home. I was too depressed. I fell asleep eventually. Between the physical and emotional pain, I was half alive. I get the call at 5:40pm. When I saw Aunt Eileen pop up on my phone my heart sank. I think I had tears before I answered.
The silence was over. There was an eerie sense of peace. Nanny was okay.
But I wasn't. I cried for hours. My mom called me to check in on me. I was still crying. She took me out to lunch a few hours earlier to try and calm me down. I couldn't be calm. This hurt.
So in one week, it will be one year since my 23rd birthday. It will be my 24th birthday. I am trying to stay positive and trying to make plans so I don't have to be sad on my birthday.
Between the memories of my abusive relationship before it got physical. Between my Nanny dying. Between just hanging on. I'm trying.
But it's as if a cycle ended. I feel so different.
I am not crying over losing him anymore. I actually for the first time, feel a little something for someone else and am excited about the future. There's so much on the horizon. Last month I got a new car and this weekend I gave it a taste of the "old" me that I lost for a little bit. I made friends on my own, I went out, and I started hanging out again. When I drove by his exits on the highway I remembered, but it didn't hurt anymore. He didn't destroy me this time. I am free.
March is going to busy. My year is picking up again, I am getting my shit together still, but it's mostly little things at this point. I am listening to my body. I am trying to find motivation. I am okay. I am free.
I have lots of exciting and scary things coming up but I am doing the damn thing. I feel so free.
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books-and-catears · 3 years
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Right everyone hold on to your feels, you will shortly be boarding Angst Express 101. Just look at this brilliant and angsty ask I'm speechless. Even the pairings you asked for are so unique and well thought this is a perfect angst concept. And I really hope I could do this justice. Thank you so much for this ask @saltypaperdestiny
So very sorry for the delay, this was the longest ask I've ever written and boy was I delighted. Though I have to admit I had to cry through some of them myself. This is PART 1. Rest of the brothers and the newly Dateables coming soon in part 2.
Who loved you first? Pt1
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Lucifer : Simeon
It was time, he decided. After months of being in your presence, his prideful heart had melted enough to recognise his feelings for you. You were the only he'd truly humble down for, because the affection and care you displayed was unparalled.
"MC please get dressed in something nice. I'm taking you to Ristorante Six as a thank you for helping me with Cerebus and the council paperwork" He says to you, barely containing the excitement. He couldn't wait to see the look on your face when he confessed and how you'd blush when you kissed your knuckles and your cheek and wait - What is Simeon doing in your room at this hour?
He didn't want to interrupt, surely it might be nothing to bother about. He patiently waited outside until he heard what Simeon said.
Simeon: MC... You look beautiful, what's the occasion?
MC: Aw thank you Simeon. You're always so kind. It's nothing much, Lucifer is taking me out as a thank you.
Simeon: Oh do you have to leave right away...?
MC: Oh no no. It's okay I have some more time.
Simeon: Well I originally came here to invite you to try Luke's latest attempt at some new recipes but now there's something else I feel like I must tell you. *Blushes* Something I've been holding back for too long.
MC: *joking* Oh what have you been hiding from me, angel? Speak I beseech you!
Simeon: *laughing and then going solemn* MC... *Takes your hands in his* I love you. I love you with all my heart.
MC: ....me? You love..me? But I'm not nearly-
Simeon: You're the most beautiful soul I've ever met. You radiate kindness and forgiveness and everything pure, overcoming the seven biggest evils you reside with. How can I not love you? Tell me, MC, will you accept me as yours?
Lucifer had a half a mind to storm in and laugh in Simeon's face. What a failure this attempt was going to be. His pride grew inside him as he stifled a laugh. MC was his and only his and now he would take pleasure in watching Simeon learn that. Surely MC was going to turn him down nicely but still. He creeped closer to the door, looking through the open crack.
MC: *in tears* Oh Simeon, I love you too! I never thought an angel could ever love me back!
Simeon: *kisses her knuckles* So... It's a yes?!
MC: Yes yes yes! Oh of course it's a yes! *Hugs him tight* My guardian angel who protects me in the dark, oh how I love you.
Simeon: *laughing as he picks you up and spins you around* Oh how happy you've made me MC! I'm the happiest being alive!
MC: *kissing his cheek* So am I, Simeon. I love you with all my heart.
It took Lucifer all his strength to not collapse or go into a violent frenzy. He balled up his fists so tight, the gloves started tearing at the seams. He watched you smiling so gleefully in his arms, looking so radiant. When Simeon dipped his head down to kiss you, the moonlight poured in through the window as if blessing your union.
It was supposed to be him. If only he made it to your room sooner, it could have been him. Embracing all your beauty, being the cause of the shining smile. IT COULD HAVE BEEN HIM.
At his best
"Are you really that happy with him?" he asks you later that night. The blush on your cheeks and that cheeky smile says it all.
"Congratulations MC." You look so joyous even at the thought of Simeon, how could he ruin that?
His temper is worse, more unforgiving towards all his brothers. He has to bear with your absence in the house all day. The fact that he knows you're at Purgatory hall, sipping tea and arm in arm with him pains him to think.
You bring Simeon along to the council to help him too. He outright denies and asks both of you to leave.
He only ever feels calm to see you alone, but that is even rarer with his brothers around to hog his remaining time.
Eventually makes his peace with it, maybe you're better off with someone as pure as yourself than a demon like him.
At his worst
His wrath is back. It's almost bad enough to birth another Satan. His sense of entitlement is through the roof.
He snaps three weeks later when Simeon and you tell everyone about it and decide that you'll be moving to Purgatory hall soon. Everyone claps and rejoices while Lucifer, drunk off Demonus, crashes the fun.
"Simeon, you dirty cheat, pretending to be all pure with your white wings and devious smile. How dare you?!" He says in calm and deadly rage.
"Lucifer... what's wrong-" You approach him to ask. He looks at you and you see the little tears in the corners.
"MC WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MINE THAT NIGHT. MINE. NOT YOURS. THE ONLY BEING THAT CAME CLOSE ENOUGH TO STEAL MY HEART AND YOU TOOK HER AWAY FROM ME."
Lucifer was louder now, hysterically angry, throwing his glass on the floor. "AND I KNOW THEY WOULD HAVE PICKED ME IF I GOT TO THEM FIRST! I LOVED THEM TOO DAMNIT." Simeon stood in front of you to protect you from Lucifer's rage. You hid your face in your hands, breaking down in sobs. What is happening? Where did you go wrong?
"Look at them, Lucifer. Look. At. What. You've. Done. And don't tell you've forgotten how many times you've threatened their lives before." Simeon said, holding you tight as you cried into his chest. "How dare you still feel like you deserve them?"
Lucifer sees you broken down, clutching onto Simeon for dear life, crying. You were smiling just a minute ago what has he done? Simeon blocked off his view with his pearly white wings. A reminder of what Lucifer used to be and cannot be again.
Mammon: Asmodeus
You were his human. And he was your first demon. No one was more territorial about you than him. So he finally made up his mind to seal the deal. No more lying about his feelings. He was going to claim you, once and for all. He imagined you smiling and running your hands through his hair and kissing him returning his feelings.
"MC! I brought the movie of the day!" He barged into your room excited, but you were nowhere to be found. Where could you have gone? It was your movie night with him. You were supposed to be waiting for him inside. He asked his brothers and they said you were with Asmo. He stomped his way up to Asmo's room and called out your name. No response. Not till he peeked inside the dark washroom. You were holding Asmo who looked very unstable and weak, sitting at the side of the bath.
MC: Asmo why don't you listen to me when I tell you not to drink so much!?
Asmo: I'm sorry MC *hic* I needed it today...
MC: Why? What's so scary that you don't have the confidence to do sober?
Asmo: MC do you think I look beautiful?
MC: Of course Asmo, you always do.
Asmo: Even with my runny make up, red nose and swollen eyes and this horrible complexion?
MC: *grabs his face* You're always beautiful to me MC.
Asmo: I...I stopped sleeping around MC. I couldn't do it anymore. *tearing up* Because to them, I'm only beautiful with a perfect covered up face.
MC: Asmo...they're blind and shallow demons who don't know anything! I know you, and I know how much more beautiful you are inside out. Don't listen to them.
Asmo feeling insecure about his appearance? What a big fat lie. Is this his new ploy to get to you? How irritating. It's not going to work, Mammon knows you're smarter than that. The Avatar of Lust can manipulate in many ways. Surely his human was smart enough to see through that!
Asmo: MC, I knew you were the one only who truly loved me. And today, I found the one I love too. Much more than I love myself. So I needed a drink to tell you this.
MC: Asmo...
Asmo: *holding your face gently* MC you saw past this pretty face. You saw the things I do more than what I am. Or what I pretend to be. I know it's hard to believe coming from the Avatar of Lust... But MC, I truly really love you. *looks down and sobs* But you probably can't believe me right?
MC: Asmo. Look at me. *You run your fingers through his hair and he looks up with teary eyes* I believe you. And I've loved you too. You're the only one who never hurt me. The one who willingly made a pact with me. You've been so sweet to me since I came. How could I love anyone else?
Asmo: MC I want you all to myself. Will you be mine? Only mine? I swear I'll keep you happy always!
MC: Of course Asmo. I'll all yours. I'm your little human. *giggling and kissing his head*
Asmo: *grabs and kisses you* MC, if you want, I can be your actual first tonight.
Mammon fell to his knees. He wanted to barge in and scream. He wanted to wrestle Asmo to the ground. He wanted to break his face for saying the words that were special to him and you. But your response had him paralysed. You...accepted him. You agreed to be his.
Silent tears streamed down his face as he watched you embracing Asmo, peppering kisses all over his face, running your hands through his hair, laughing and frolicking in the water with him. The colored moonlight through the stained glass danced on their skin like a scene from his favourite movie.
At his best
He cries to himself for days. Spends as much time outside as he can.
Maybe he is an idiot for thinking he had a chance with him. How could he compete with Asmo's charms.
Maybe it hurt more because Asmo didn't even have to use his charms.
Only ever tries to talk to you if he's sure your alone. One time he barged into your room and caught you and Asmo tangled up together and it broke him all over again.
He watched as you twirled around in a new outfit Asmo bought. He scoffs. He could have bought it for you too.
You both look so cheerful and in love, he decides to accept it. For the sake of his little brother and the human he loves.
At his worst
Breaks down and lets his emotions out in the worst way possible. Too desperate to win you back somehow.
Asmo and you were just telling Solomon and Simeon about your relationship when Mammon barged in through the doors of Purgatory halls.
"MC look! Look what I got you!" He came in all ragged. He knelt down and pulled out a ring. "Take me instead! I was your first wasn't I MC? Don't let him take my place please!"
"Mammon no... No please don't be this way...I'm sorry..." You kneel down next to him as he screams and sobs like a child. You feel guilty. You caused this. You lead him on. You fight your own tears as you keep apologising.
Asmo yanks you up and wraps his arms around you, staring down angrily at Mammon. "Mammon, leave."
Mammon lunged at Asmo. "I was going to tell them. That night was our movie night. You stole that night from me. YOU STOLE MY CHANCE AND MY MC!"
Asmo mocked at him with a sardonic laugh. "You still assume MC is yours without even telling them. You kept lying about your feelings and hurting them in the process. And yet, when they finally look happy, you come and make them cry. You are a scumbag Mammon."
Mammon looked at your tear stained face, nestled inside Asmo's arms and wings. He really felt like nothing but a scumbag.
Leviathan : Belphegor
Levi fell in love with you since your first act of kindness. As a shut-in whose only conversations were with his own eccentric and dismissive brothers, you were an angel who had brought him the gift of true companionship. Honestly he was okay being your best friend, until the day he started craving more. So he decided it was time to tell you.
'MC come to my room! I have a new game to show you!' It was a virtual dating game where he was going to confess digitally. You always loved his creative ways of doing simple stuff after all. He decided to play your favourite game while waiting for you. He even left the door ajar. Now he wished he didn't.
Belphie: MC do you have a minute?
MC: Yeah I was just heading to Levi's room what's up?
Belphie: I think I fallen in love with you, MC.
MC: .... Huh?
Levi almost burst out laughing hearing Belphie's confession. What kind of a bland confession is that? How can someone say that so easily? No that was definitely a joke on MC or something. Surely MC wouldn't take this seriously.
Belphie: I had a dream just now. About you.
MC: Uh huh?
Belphie: In that dream, we were up in the sky, among the stars. And you looked so pretty glittering along with them all. So I kissed you impulsively. And you kissed me back.
MC: ...that's a sweet dream. *blushes*
Belphie: *takes your hand* I woke up and my first thougt was I wish that was real. And then I realised it can be.
MC: ...
Belphie: I want to be able to kiss you always. I want to be able to take you far away. I want all your time. I love you MC. Be mine.
MC: Belphie I-
Belphie: I know, how can you possibly love your own murderer...? *Sighs* I cannot undo what I did. I'm sorry MC. I can only swear that I won't ever let that happen again.
MC: *smiles and cups his face* You were locked away for 3 millenia I can imagine your endless anger and grief for your sister. I forgave you long ago.
Belphie: So does that mean you'll accept me?
MC: You're already mine, silly. And now I'm yours. You're the only one I can relax with in the whole realm.
Belphie: MC... Come here. *holds you close and kisses you*
Levi's game screen displayed the message "GAME OVER: You lose". Levi couldn't see it clearly. His vision was blurred by the tears brimming on his eyes. You and Belphie looked to distant shadows on the moon.
He blamed himself for even thinking he had a chance with you. But maybe just...maybe if he had gotten there before? He stared at the screen and then at his spare console that he had declared yours. He picked up it, and locked it inside. Probably won't be needing it anytime soon.
At his best
He barely comes out of his room anymore. He tries to return your smile at breakfast but then returns hurriedly, leaving Beel to finish most of his food.
"Are you sure you want to play games? Wouldn't you rather go up to the attic" He mutters under his breath sometimes and then says it's nothing when you ask him.
Pains him when he sees you curled with Belphie in random places, dozing off. Might cover you with a blanket. Just you though.
Spites Belphie. A lot of people have said they look and act alike. But somehow you like sleeping more than anime and gaming?
Just accepts it as his fate. Atleast he's still your best friend, right?
At his worst
He's called the Avatar of Envy for a reason. He can barely hold it in seeing the both of you together constantly.
Belphie you and Beel were having a jolly time watching a movie and eating snacks while Belphie slept curled up in your lap. Levi happened to walk in while you were rubbing Belphie's head soothingly.
For some reason, Levi couldn't hold it in anymore. "UGH YOU FUCKING NORMIES!" he screamed out of frustration.
Belphie woke up drowsily when you stopped at stared at Levi holding back tears in the doorway. "Levi..what's wrong.." you call out to him.
He barges in and pushes Belphie off you and grabs your hands, tears falling and him screaming. "Why do you care, MC?! I'm a just disgusting shut in otaku right?! But guess what even as that I do more than just sleep and drool all fucking day! AND MORE IMPORTANTLY ATLEAST IM NOT THE ONE WHO KILLED YOU! So why him? WHY NOT ME MC?!"
"Levi...no..." You plead with him to calm down, tearing up yourself. You should have known. You should have known this would happen.
Belphie violently pushed Levi off you and grabbed him by the collar. "You were the first one to attack MC in this house. And I'm sure you would have killed them if not for Lucifer. So stop pretending you're better than me, you ridiculous creep. A shut in like you is worthless. The only thing you're good at is making MC distressed."
Levi looked at you trying to pull Belphie back, tears streaming down your face and hung his head low. It was simply an Otome game and MC didn't choose him.
Satan: Solomon
Satan took his time to fall. With late night studying session, every cat cafe date, every trip to the museum - he fell more and more each time. To the point where he wanted to spend every waking moment with you. And he was ready to tell you.
For a whole week, he kept writing and scrapping the perfect love letter for you. Then he realised you were someone who preferred simple honesty. "MC please wait for me in the library I'll be there shortly." He'd said before he dashed out to bring a boquet of your favourite flowers and a book which reminded him of you. He'd almost made it to the library, he saw you waiting inside for him eagerly. That was until someone flew in through the window.
Solomon? What's he doing at this hour? Satan peeked in through the half open library door. He wanted to be alone with you so he'd wait till Solomon was gone. He shouldn't have waited.
MC: Solomon! You scared me silly!
Solomon: *laughing* Your face just now MC...so adorable! Like a scared kitten!
MC: You wooshed in through the window!
Solomon: Okay okay my bad. Now what are you doing in the library so late at night. I went to your room and couldn't find you.
MC: Oh Satan called me out here. Told me to wait for him. Maybe there's a new book he wants to read.
Solomon: Do you guys do that often? Reading books this late?
MC: Haha yeah usually we just read in my room or his at night, in case we fall asleep.
Solomon: *sigh* So unfair.
MC: What's unfair?
Solomon: You and I are the only humans here. Why did they put us in different houses? Shouldn't we... be together more often?
MC: Well logically yes we should. Just classes and magic lessons aren't enough! You should live here too!
Solomon: I doubt Lucifer would be okay with that. But well.. here's the real reason I'm here now. *brings out a little basket*
MC: That's...that's a kitten! Hi baby! What's her name!?
Solomon: MC.
MC: Yeah what?
Solomon: No I named the kitten MC. This way I get to call your name as much as I want haha. The silly things us humans do for love, huh?
Satan had a sick feeling in his stomach. Watching you and him sitting in the moonlight, surrounded by books, cuddling a kitten and confessing...that should be him. Him not Solomon. He didn't like where this was heading. But just like you can't help but stare at disaster - he couldn't look away. What was MC going to say...?
MC: Solomon... *blushes*
Solomon: Does my affection scare you? *reaches for your hand*
MC: Of course not...I.. *gets closer and intertwining your fingers together*
Solomon: Is this your way of showing-
MC: *blushes* Yes. I love you too.
Solomon: I believe I've lived for a 1000 years just to hear those words. *kisses you against the bookshelves*
MC: I believe you've gotten 1000 years worth of romantic lines stored away in that head of yours. *Laughs and kisses him back*
Solomon: Let's take this to the moon shall we?
Satan watched as he took you and kitten in his arms and flew out the window. Satan rushed in not wanting to lose sight of you, dropping the flowers and books. Balling his fists, he choked on his angry tears as he watched you both laughing and kissing against the bright light of the moon. He felt like his own happy ending was stolen from him.
When you disappeared from view, he let out a blood curdling scream, pulling at his own hair and knocking over the bookshelf against which Solomon kissed you. The wrath inside him made him thrashing around in pain, burning him inside out. The flowers he dropped, lay there next to his sobbing body, wilting in his pain.
At his best
He manages to put on his best fake smile and go about his day. Tries hard to hide his annoyance if you bring him up.
But you seem so happy and you often invite him to new cat cafes and shelters. So despite Solomon's presence, he feels calm because of you and the cats.
Is secretly happy you get to spend more time with him than Solomon. Takes advantage of that and hogs you all to himself while in the house
While he can't hold or kiss you the way the Solomon does, you're here next to him, reading his recommended books. That's enough to soothe his yearning heart.
At his worst
The war for love is on. He doesn't care if Solomon already won. He will still declare his love no matter what.
It started out as subtle, he did what he knew Solomon couldn't. Cooking MC's favourite dishes whenever it was his turn to cook.
Tries to subtly reinforce his intelligence over Solomon when you're around. What's 1000 years of knowledge worth, Satan has been there since the first millenia ever
But the day Solomon and you announced you'll be moving to Purgatory Hall, he charged at him, his demon form angry and glowing. "How dare you think you can take them away from us? You think you can win against us... against me? You may have taken my chance with them but I won't let you take them away! They belong here with me!"
You inched closer to Satan's form. You'd never seem him this angry. "Satan please calm down-" Satan wasn't listening. He let out a feral growl and attacked Solomon.
Solomon held MC by his side and made a protection shield Satan couldn't get through. You started crying, watching his wrath take over, he must be in so much pain.
Solomon felt you curl up against him in fear and guilt. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed Satan by the scruff of his neck, like you'd do with a misbehaving cat.
"You say you want to protect them and yet look what you did instead." Solomon said. Satan looked helplessly at you, crying with your face buried in your hands. Glancing at his horns in the mirror, he called out to you sadly, "MC..."
Solomon creeped closer and said in a deadly low voice. "You love fairy tales right Satan? Well in the story of Beauty and the Beast, they could only be together because the beast was actually a human." And Satan was far from being a human.
Asmo : Mammon
It happened the day Asmo looked into the mirror and felt something missing. Suddenly his own reflection wasn't enough anymore. He pondered what it was when you happened to walk into his room and hug him from behind. And then he found the missing piece. You. He simply had to make sure you would become a part of him now.
Now contrary to popular belief, he did get nervous while thinking of proposing. This man is all about lust and a little kid when it comes to love. It's a whole new emotion and he's unsure how to deal with it. With some advice from Satan's romance books he lights your room up with candles, groomed himself perfectly, waiting for you to return to your room. Only you don't come. "What's taking MC so long?!"
He headed out and found you in Mammon's room instead. Asmo saw in the reflection off the mirror, Mammon's shirt off and him lying on his front as you poured ointment over his scars.
Mammon: Oi MC please don't be so upset...
MC: You didn't deserve this. You didn't. I did.
Mammon: MC, not again.
MC: You took my punishment. You took the blame for the broken vase for my sake.
Mammon: I didn't want ya getting hurt ya stupid human!
MC: Don't be calling me stupid and then go off doing stupid stuff yourself! *cries*
Mammon: MC...no don't cry. Please I'm sorry.
MC: Don't apologize for this! Mammon you're too kind... You keep taking blame for others, and the others just UGH.
Mammon: I've gotten used to Lucifer's punishments, MC! I'm more used to it than my brothers so I can take it!
MC: .... You're such a sweet big brother. You can't stop protecting the people you love, can you?
Mammon: *turns around to lie on his back* Now you get why I need to protect ya, don't ya?
Asmo's eyes flew open as did yours. Mammon just confessed to you. Albeit indirectly, but really did. But he felt pity for his older brother. Sure he was caring and sweet sometimes, but mostly he was a thief and a scumbag who constantly gets into trouble. He didn't stand a chance against Asmo's charms.
MC: Mammon... You silly demon. I love you too. *Lays their head on his chest*
Mammon: *blushes and coughs* Of course ya love the Great Mammon, human!
MC: *smiles against his skin* Swear to me, you won't ever do that again else I will fight Lucifer myself!
Mammon: *smiles* He's attacked ya thrice and yer face still loses its colour whenver he's around and yet yer thinking of fighting him for my sake, MC?
MC: OF COURSE!
Mammon: But I don't want that. Ya did too much for all of us when ya sacrificed your life to bring Belphie back. I should know, I held ya in my arms. *Tears up* Ya know ye were smiling still?? So calm and undisturbed as if ya didn't care what happens to ya now that all the brothers are together?
MC: You caught me...
Mammon: And I never want to catch ya like that again, get that human!? I will be a good protector as I was meant to be.
MC: Mammon... you're far too kind to be a demon. *Kisses him and gets on top of him*
Mammon: *grips their arms and holds them close* Stay with me tonight.
Asmo watched as you nodded and took off your top and lay down over him again, your skins in gentle and intimate contact and you both wrap your arms around and you presses kisses onto each other. The moonlight danced on your entangled bodies.
He stared and stared, his insides burning with an alien feeling. He hadn't known envy till you came along. His signature move would be to call both of you out and suggest a threesome, but what you both seemed to have was impenetrable. And in the mirror where he saw your reflections, he couldn't see himself.
At his best
This demon had never known love. He might have if Mammon hadn't decides to confess that very night.
But who cares? What's done is done. It's time to root for the both of you. He still has his followers to turn to.
"Mammon finally confessed huh?" He asked jokingly. Until he saw you blush and nod.
"You both must have fun together huh?" He says with a dry laugh.
Your hugs and headpats still keep him going. He takes you buy new dresses knowing it's to impress Mammon instead.
Tries so hard to conceal his tears and tantrums around you. He doesn't want to lose the small part of you that he had left.
At his worst
He cannot stay home. The sight of you both together makes him irritated and stressed both very bad for his skin.
He drinks and parties uncontrollably, bringing home demons and succubi that always seem to resemble you.
One night, Lucifer had enough and caught him by the collar, forbidding him to go to his room. Asmo giggled until Mammon and you showed up.
He swiftly escaped Lucifer's grasp and lunged at you, holding your face between his trembling hands. You look at him closely, his make up was messier than usual, the cresent underneath his eyes was darker than usual.
"MC...look at me. Look at only me. Just for a little while." Asmo said and his eyes glowed. He'd turned on his charm on full force as he leaned into you for a kiss.
Mammon pushed him back and stood before you protectively. Asmo fell back, laughing like a maniac. "Stupid Mammon they are with you out of pity! How long do you think you can make them stay with that stupid brain and sub par beauty?"
You teared up and screamed, "Asmo stop saying things like that! You dont even know anything about him!" Mammon hugged you tight, trying to calm you down.
And then in a lowly growl he said, "Asmo don't let me see ya laying a finger on MC again. Ya would see how people really see ya if you learnt to look away from your own reflection!"
But Asmo did. He did look away from his reflection. He looked at you. Only you didn't look back at him.
Keep reading Pt. 2
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love-fireflysong · 3 years
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yIt's done. It took me waaaay to long to write this piece out but between June and my computer apparently deciding to kick me in the teeth this month, the fact I made it to 5 full squares completed anyways I will gladly take as a victory! And, just fyi, this WILL be the last piece for this month. I know that there is still another four days left of June, but I am sick and tired of dealing with my keyboard so this is the last fic you're gonna see from me until I get a new laptop hopefully fairly soon. (Unless I decide that I'm desperate enough to try and write things out on my tablet of course...)
Anyways, the First Date trope was specifically requested by @jesus-hotsauce-christmas-cake when I let her know that the one she did guess (road trip) was going to be a second chapter of a twoshot. Which you still might get because I'm very likely going to be sharing the short little summary blurbs I had written down for each trope so people can very easily bully me into writing them anyways if people still wanted to read them. And even though it would be like months and months late, still post them under this bingo board because I can and I had a cool idea for what I was doing with the colours and layout before life decided to say 'NO!' in a very firm voice. (Unless of course the three lovely ladies that came up with this idea in the first place say no obviously)
Rambling over though now I promise. Chocolate Covered Confessions can be read over and AO3 of course, with the full fic also under the readmore as well.
Chocolate Covered Confessions
Trope: First Date Fandom: Until Dawn Characters: Ashley Brown, Chris Hartley Words: 8214 Rating: General (though reader beware there is some almost scandalous hand holding and a couple of scandalously public kisses. You have been warned...) Authors Notes: Oh look, more chrashley fluff. Who da thunk it? Pride month? What pride month? This is just me apparently figuring out how many different ways I can get Chris and Ash to confess their feelings. Because you only read like three of them, I still have another two waiting in the wings. Plus at least three others if you count climbing chrash lol.
Something was...weird. It wasn't something that Ashley could put her finger on just yet, but something was definitely off that was for sure. The problem of course was that she didn't even know where to start looking in the first place, because for the most part her day had been extraordinarily ordinary.
She, Chris, and Josh had planned to go and see a movie Saturday morning a few days back and then hang out the rest of the day. But seeing as they were, you know, best friends that certainly wasn't the issue. Not even close. They always made plans to do stuff like that together. And yeah, okay, so maybe Josh had 'coincidentally' texted them just before the movie started to let them know that something unavoidable had come up and he wasn't going to be able to meet up with them. And when her and Chris had brought up just waiting until a later showing when he was free, he had immediately been quick to affirm that nope, he was going to be busy the whole rest of the day actually. So the two of them could continue with their original plans and they could make it up to him another time.
While certainly suspicious, that wasn't what was wrong though. Josh had been flaking out on their plans more and more, especially when it was plans that took up an entire day. Ashley Brown wasn't stupid. No siree Bob she was not! She knew exactly what Josh was trying to do by leaving her to spend the day with Chris. Alone . And she appreciated it (she really did!), but if Chris was going to make a move then he would have done it ages and ages ago, because she sure as hell wasn't going to do it! Ashley Brown wasn't stupid, but she also wasn't exactly what you would call brave either.
Not that Chris had seemed to notice what Josh was pulling though, he had just sighed and rolled his eyes with a grumbled "fucking typical", and then the two of them had entered the theater to watch the movie. And as per their usual shtick when Josh wasn't there with them, Chris paid for the tickets while she paid for the food and drinks. Or, at least, that was how it normally went. Instead, when she had decided to take a run to the bathroom while he held their spot in the long concession line, she had come back to Chris waiting for her with the pop and popcorn already in hand. After brushing off her flustered apologies, he had explained that shortly after she had left, another cashier had popped on till so the line had gone down in half the time either had expected. And it seemed like a dick move to just wait there until she came back so he had just decided to get the food instead.
She still felt a little guilty about it honestly, even after swearing that she would get both the tickets and food next time.
And, to be completely fair to Josh, he hadn't exactly been missing out on a lot by skipping out on the movie. It wasn't a horror flick (he would never even think of skipping out on that after all) so it wasn't one that he would feel the need to make the two of them watch again with him. Which was more than fine honestly, because if she was to describe the movie in a single word, well, that word would definitely have been 'dreadful'. If she was given a few more words, then she would have easily elaborated and stated that it was 'a boring, plot-hole driven mess, with only extremely over-the-top action scenes and explosions every five minutes to carry any semblance of the extremely loosely written plot'. In other words, she had lost interest in the movie barely half an hour in, and considering that Chris had started scrolling through his phone bored, she wasn't alone in this boat either.
Still, Ashley had resolved herself to sit through this over-budgeted explosion fest if only because movie tickets were horribly expensive. Not to mention the fact that Chris had shelled out money for both the movie and the food. But then he had turned to her, asked if she was as bored to tears as he was, and once he got that confirmation, asked if she wanted to just ditch the movie entirely. And she did—she really, really did—but didn't want Chris to waste the money he had spent more. And then yet another explosion...exploded on screen, and she realized that she was wasting precious hours of her life that could be used to do something more fun and less mind-numbingly boring.
Like watching paint dry. That at least had a semi-cohesive plot.
And so the two of them had walked out, continuing to share the extra buttered popcorn between them (the movie may have been awful, but the popcorn certainly wasn't) as they left the movie theater behind and wandered into the nearby mall. That wasn't the strange thing either. The mall and subsequent window shopping had absolutely been part of their day plans after, even if those had been unexpectedly pushed forward a couple of hours.
Admittedly the art show that the mall was running in one of the empty storefronts was unexpected, but  it had been simply a nice surprise and a great way to kill time. So after paying the $2 entrance fee, the two of them had continued to share the popcorn as they looked at some of the paintings and sculptures that had been on display, giggling childishly at most of them. And okay, so one of the curators had been glaring at them( or rather, at their greasy, butter-covered fingers) the whole time, but that had just been a little rude and insulting. Not strange. And that had stopped almost the moment they had run out of popcorn, Ashley nudging him in the stomach with her elbow as she licked her fingers clean, and the two of them laughing under their breaths at the curator who had looked exceptionally much more at ease once Chris had crumpled the empty bag into a ball.
The rest of their day in the mall had just been spent following the rest of their day's plan, wandering from shop to shop and browsing at all the things that caught their eyes, and then taking a break after a few hours to have a late lunch in the food court. The two of them checked out another couple of stores, these ones to try and get some ideas for Josh's birthday in another month, before moving onto the small arcade on the top floor. As part of their deal and agreement since it had just been Josh and Chris (Ashey not joining the duo until five years later), Chris bought the tokens needed while she scouted out the various games for an empty console and claimed it until he could join her in another couple of minutes.
They spent the next hour in there, trying to beat each other or work together depending on the game in question. They almost never played a game twice before moving onto the next one, in hopes to both try as many games as possible before their self imposed hour ended and to see if they could beat their previous high scores or make it onto the leaderboard in only a single try. But as the hour came to a close, they both made their way over to their final game: one of the racing simulators scattered around the arcade. And as had been done for ten years now, played to determine which of them would be paying for the tokens next time they came.
And once the race ended, with Ashley winning by photo finish for the third time in a row (and celebrating her winning streak by maturely sticking out her tongue and doing an awkward little shimmy dance in the seat while Chris jokingly sulked and pouted), they had finally left the mall altogether and got into Chris's truck. There, he had surprised Ashley with the novel she had been eyeing in the bookstore (or at least, eyeing closer than all the rest she had picked up) and that he had somehow been able to buy without her noticing. And that certainly hadn't been weird, because it had been so exceptionally sweet of him, sweet enough that Ashley had so badly wished that she could thank him properly. But as mentioned before, Ashley Brown was a coward pure and simple, so she had just clutched the book to her chest and beamed at Chris in heartfelt thanks instead.
He may have said something in reply, but Ashley had already settled into the passenger seat and opened to the first page of the book, so she was already long gone. A fact that Chris had anticipated, if the light chuckle he had let out before starting the truck meant anything. And no, Ashley reading a book while Chris drove them to their usual game store across town was not the strange thing either. If Chris hadn't wanted her to read on the drive over and talk to him, then he never would have given her the book now of all times. He would have waited until he had dropped her off home, or not even bought the book in the first place. After over a half a decade of friendship, if anyone knew what would happen after giving Ashley Brown a new book, it was Chris Hartley.
The drive over is done quicker then she had expected, and even then Chris still hadn't let her know that they had arrived until she had finished her chapter. Yes he had certainly teased her about it the entire time, joking about how she would never find someone as understanding of her reading habits then him (he didn't know how right he was, that she didn't want to find anyone else), but the fact that he had just continued to let the music play in the truck and distracted himself on his phone was so unbearably sweet that she decided to let it lie.
The fact that Ashley and Chris hung around in the game shop comparing dice and looking at new books while wincing over the prices for nearly two hours wasn't what was off either. Hell, if anything the fact that they only spent a couple of hours there before leaving was weird! Her, Chris, and Josh could easily spend almost half a day in there flipping through comics and rolling dice to test them out, only leaving because a tired employee was forced to ask them to leave for making too much noise and taking up a table when they weren't playing anything, especially when there was a group that had been waiting for a table for close to an hour now.
Which brought Ashley to where she was right now, sitting at a sticky plastic table under the shade of a cheap umbrella while Chris had run off to get them some ice cream before dropping her off at home. Her new book was open in front of her, the pages crisp white even in the umbrella's shade, but her mind wasn't on the book anymore. A random line had a character mentioning that something had been feeling off all day ever since they woke up ('like everything had been moved three centimeters to the left, so while it all looked normal, nothing felt right anymore'), and Ashley had also realized that hey, wait a second, her day was also feeling just a little wonky too! But no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was. Today had just been a normal day hanging out with Chris after all. They went to see (and bailed) a movie, spent hours hanging out in the mall and at the game store, and now they were each going back home. Nothing unusual had happened, so why did it feel like something hugely monumental had been going on all day?
"Oi. Earth to Ash, you okay in there?"
A light flick to the center of Ashley's forehead has her blink in surprise, and she finds herself back into the present once again. Chris is standing next to her, carefully balancing the two cones in his right hand and his left ready to flick again if needed, and a bemused smile on his face.
"Oh, uh, sorry Chris. Got a little too into the book I think." She closes the book, not wanting to get melting ice cream all over its crisp white pages (and she really hasn't absorbed a single word for nearly ten minutes now), but Chris doesn't hand her the cone just yet.
"Yeah, I'm not buying that," Chris says as he snorts in disbelief. "I know your 'praise be to books' look, and that was not it. That was your 'head full, too many thoughts' look."
"Excuse me? What? I do not have a reading look! Or a thinking look for that matter!"
"Oh you do. You really, really do. Trust me. You may have been staring at that book but there was no way that you were reading, I would bet my own ice cream here on it." Chris brandishes his double chocolate cone at her, then seems to reconsider and switches to show off her own dipped soft serve that he still has yet to actually let her eat. "Actually, you know what? I would eat your dipped monstrosity if I'm wrong."
Ashley sighs, but she can't keep the smile from her face. "It's not that bad this time, oh my god. It's chocolate ice cream dipped in blueberry syrup. This is actually a normal combination for people who go out of their way to order more exciting cones then two scoops of chocolate." She leans forward and places her elbows on the table to support her head in her hands. "But I wanna see you do it anyway, so tell me exactly why you're so convinced that I wasn't reading."
Chris opens his mouth, but immediately closes it a second later, as though he didn't realize exactly what he had signed himself up for here until now. Ashley of course takes it as a sign of victory. "I knew it. So let's see this Chris, I wanna see you eat something that isn't—"
"When you read you get, like, super attentive." Chris's face is pink, and not looking at her but at the book on the table as he bashfully continues. "You become so drawn in to whatever you're reading that you ignore everything going on around you, because all of your attention is now on that book. Pretty sure a bomb could go off right next to you and you wouldn't even notice sometimes. And it's always so easy to tell what's happening in the book when you're reading too, cause your face is always so expressive. Like your eyes get big when something exciting or surprising happens, and when you're really enjoying whatever it is you're reading, you start giggling like a loon."
Ashley is too stunned and, quite frankly, her heart is beating too fast for her to even think of a proper response to that . She manages to squeak out a quiet little "oh, um" but Chris doesn't notice. Not when he's still babbling and not looking at her at all.
"But when you get deep in thought, you're not like that at all. All of your attention goes inward, and everything around you disappears cause all the important stuff is going on inside your head right now. Your mouth falls open just a little, sort of like you're gaping at all the information in front of you. And-and sometimes you'll mouth out what's going on inside your head as you try to fit the pieces of everything together so it's neat and tidy like a puzzle. And even though you have the, like, blankest stare imaginable, it's not empty at all if that makes any sense. Cause your eyes narrow and your forehead scrunches just the tiniest amount so you have a small little wrinkle form like right here—" with his unoccupied hand Chris points at the bridge of his nose right between his eyes "—and it's weirdly, insanely cute? But when you finally figure out the puzzle in your head, your face lights up like a kid on christmas morning and...and..." He lets his words trail off and stops awkwardly there, as though finally realizing exactly what he's been saying this entire time.
His face is almost beet red now, and Ashley is pretty sure hers is too. "Oh, uh, wow. I-I didn't realize you paid any attention to me when I was like that..."
Somehow his face only gets redder, and though he mumbles the words under his breath, Ashley can still make them out. "I'm always paying attention to you."
But not close enough attention it seems, she thinks sadly. If you did then you would have noticed something way more obvious than that. But she doesn't want to embarrass him anymore than he already is (then she already is), and she isn't sure what else she could possibly say that wouldn't be her blurting out that she likes him, so instead she pretends that she hadn't heard a single thing and wordlessly accepts the ice cream that he hands to her, accepting her defeat as she takes a small bite of the blueberry covered chocolate soft serve.
...The blueberry covered chocolate soft serve that he had bought for her. Or, you know, the ice cream he had paid for himself. Just like he had paid for everything today. Kind of like it was almost a, uh, date. Like he had taken her on a date.
Oh .
"Oh boy, let me guess: I was right and your ice cream really is a crime against taste buds?"
Ashley comes crashing back down to reality to see Chris, his face still a little red but the playful smile back on his face as he teased her. And yet, that only makes it worse as she can't help but feel the usual gymnastics routine the butterflies in her stomach perform at that particular smile, only they're a thousand times worse now that's she's realized exactly why today had felt so strange. And she can't help thinking how much everyone else would classify what was just a day hanging out with her best friend as a date. And how much she really, really wished it was one.
"Nope," she unfortunately squeaks out, and clears her throat so she can continue in a more normal tone of voice. "Nope, sorry to disappoint Chris, but the ice cream tastes fine." She takes another bite for proof (and to her credit she's not lying, it tastes more than fine). "Just, uh, realized something funny that's all." And the moment the words leave her mouth she realizes just how badly she's screwed everything up, because there is no way in any world that Chris Hartley is just going to let that comment lie.
"Funny? Oho, well now I'm interested. You mind sharing your glorious epiphany with the rest of the class Miss Brown?"
Taking another small taste of her ice cream, Ashley averts her gaze as she gives what she is kicking herself for is obviously an extremely forced laugh. "Did I say funny? I meant boring, just super boring actually."
"Well now I just want to hear it more."
"No, you don't. Trust me, you really, really don't."
Chris's brows furrow in concern. "Ash? You okay?"
She isn't, of course she isn't. She's now realized exactly what a date with Chris would be like, and it would be exactly like this. With them going to all the same place and doing the same things but she's allowed to hold his hand and kiss him when he does stupid sweet things like buying her the book she's been eyeing and talking about all day. She's never wanted something to be so true so badly in her life. And it's likely this thought in her mind that causes her to blurt out "A date." before she even realizes what she's said.
That only makes the confusion on Chris's face go deeper, which is appropriate considering she's sinking deeper and deeper into her chair in a futile effort to hide or escape as well. "What? Are you saying that you just remember what date it is today? Or that you had something you were supposed to do today instead? I'm not really following you right now Ash..."
This is perfect. It's the perfect excuse, she could laugh and say that she totally forgot what day it was and that she had an essay due pretty soon, or that she was supposed to babysit for a neighbour tonight. Anything really, the sky was quite literally the limit. And instead she just bit her lip and stared at the ice cream melting in her hand before weakly admitting "No, a, uh, date. As in, the romantic kind. I realized that today probably looks like a date to anyone else. Funny, huh?"
She's not sure how Chris would react to that. Maybe a startled laugh, and hand wave as he brushes her off. A scoff as he assures her that this definitely isn't a date, cause they're just friends and that's all they'll ever be. Whatever the reaction she expected, it was certainly not the fumbling for his ice cream as he nearly drops it in his shock, and how absolutely flustered he sounds as he trips over his own tongue. "W-what? I-I-I, uh—I mean, th-this obviously isn't—Who would even—? Wh-what would even give you the idea that we could um, possibly be on a date?"
Ashley shrugs weakly. "Isn't it obvious Chris?" She ignores his even more flustered babbling that no, he absolutely did not see what was so obvious as she continued on, still too nervous to look him in the eyes. "You've kind of paid for everything today."
"I wha—? I mean, no I haven't!"
"You kind of have, Chris. The theater?"
"You know I always pay for the tickets, and it would have just been really rude to make the line even longer!"
"The art show?"
"It was just a couple of toonies! And you saw the face of the worker there, they would have kicked us right out if they'd had to break a twenty. It was just easier."
"Lunch?"
"They-they'd had a special on for a two-person meal at that stall in the food court, and they wouldn't let each of us pay half..." he neglected to point out that Ashley could have easily paid for their lunch, and probably should have, but before she had been able to offer he'd already been swiping his debit card.
"The arcade?"
"Okay, that was my turn to buy the tokens, you know that. That one doesn't even count."
Ashley lifted her eyes from the ice cream to the book that sat menacingly and innocently all at one at the center of the table, it's pristine cover mocking her. "The book?"
"T-that was just a gift! You seemed really into it at the store and friends buy each other gifts all the time—"
There was no describing how soft and nervous her voice got as she asked the question that would put the final nail in the coffin. "The ice cream?"
"I, uh, it was just—um..." Chris let out a breath in a weak chuckle. "Shit, I guess I kind of did, huh?"
Ashley doesn't say anything, and neither does Chris, as the table goes silent. She's bracing herself  for when Chris inevitably shoots her down and confirms that it doesn't matter. That the two of them will never be anything more then friends and that she never should have hoped for anything more and by revealing this she's ruined their friendship for good—
"Hey, uh, Ash?" He sounds so nervous that it immediately takes Ashley out of her anxiety driven thoughts of doom and gloom, but she can't do anything more than just shakily nod to let him continue. "It's, uh, probably like a really, really, really stupid question but—" he takes a nervous breath "—did you want this to be a date?"
Her head immediately shoots up as she stares at him with wide eyes, her breath caught somewhere in her throat where her heart is currently lodged. She frantically rakes her eyes over Chris's face looking for any hint that he's mocking her, or playing some cruel joke on her and her feelings, but all she sees is just nervousness all over a pale, shaking face with what she thinks ( prays ) is a glimmer of undisguised hope. But it's still too much uncertainty, and she's too scared to risk it all on a mere glimmer that she is likely only imagining because she wants it so badly to be real, so she throws the question back at him instead.
"...would you have been opposed if this was actually a date?"
"Nuh uh, I asked you first."
Ashley realizes that he's just as scared at what the answer might be as she is. She wants to tell him, has wanted to tell him for years and years and years. And maybe this is the chance she's been waiting for her whole life. The two of them sitting at a sticky plastic table under the early evening sun, long forgotten ice cream melting in their hands, and she can finally tell him that she's had such a huge crush on him since she was twelve.
"Yeah." The word is less choked out than it is released. Like it's a breath of fresh air and she feels simultaneously lighter and heavier for it. "I-I think I would have liked that. I would have liked that alot."
Chris snaps his gaze up to meet hers, and the glimmer of hope that she had seen earlier has now nearly taken over his face at the disbelieving smile that's threatening to crack his face in two. "Really? I-I mean, uh, I would have been alright with the idea too. More than alright actually."
She can feel her own smile start to nervously match his, and then the first giggle breaks out. His own ecstatic laughter quickly follows her own until the two of them are both giddily laughing at the table, but too embarrassed and bashful to even look at each other now. The giggling abruptly cuts off when Chris lets out a yelp of surprise when he realizes how much of his ice cream has melted onto his hand and Ashley joins him in trying to finish off their ice cream before it's melted entirely. But there's definitely a change in the atmosphere around them now. The contentness and laid back ease that always formed between them whenever they hung out was still there, but there is a charge that hadn't been there before either. An excited anticipation that only surges higher and higher whenever Ashley shyly glances in Chris's direction to find he's looking at her with the same disbelieving smile beaming on his face.
They never say anything more about it as they both finish off the ice cream, but Ashley knows. With that little agreement, the entire day had changed. This wasn't just them hanging out as friends anymore, this was an actual, factual date now, pure and simple. So when Chris hands her a couple of extra napkins to clean herself off, she may have let her fingers brush against his for just a moment. The resulting blush and dumbstruck smile on his face when he cautiously took his hand back so he could clean up the rest of the mess on the table was oh so worth it. And when he returned from his trip to the garbage can and held out his hand as an offer to help her up from the chair, she accepted it readily.
Once she's back on her feet, the two of them drop their eyes to stare at their still clasped hands, realizing that they could easily hold hands the entire short walk back to Chris's truck if they wanted. And she does want that—horribly in fact—but it seems it's still a little too early for either of them to make that teeny tiny but monumental jump to hand holding so they let go awkwardly and slowly, letting their fingers linger against the others before letting go completely. As though giving themselves a taste of what may yet actually come to pass in the (hopefully) very near future.
The short walk back to the truck is filled with both anticipation and dread alike, but unusually silent. Ashley knows it's because she's now a buzzing ball of nervous energy, terrified that saying anything at all will shatter this dream that's apparently coming true before her eyes, but Chris is different. He looks more like he's trying to work up the courage to say or ask something, and is spending all his energy on that alone. So when he reaches out to open up the passenger side door for her, Ashley can feel her heart pick up speed when he stops with his hand on the door handle and looks at her nervously. His mouth opens and shuts a couple of times as he tries to work up the courage to say whatever it is he wants to say, and all she can do is stare at him expectantly as she struggles to hold back an excited smile.
"Hey, Ash, ca—nevermind. It's, it's stupid. Don't worry about it." A second later, he has the door opened for her and the moment she can't see his face, she lets her smile fall crestfallen. But only for a second before a polite one replaces it as thanks when he closes the door for her and continues to his side of the truck. It's fine, she supposes as she buckles herself in, while the two of them have been hanging out all day, it's only been an actual date now for barely ten minutes. And once he drops her off home in just another few short minutes it's going to be over. The fact that she even managed to get this far is franky mind blowing, so expecting anything more from her dreams would just be extremely selfish. She can't have everything she wants all at once, no matter how long she's been waiting for it.
The drive back to her place is also quiet, filled with only the droning of the radio playing in the background. Ashley's returned back to her book, but she knows that Chris knows that she's not absorbing a single word, hasn't turned a single page even. She keeps glancing at him out of the corner of her eye as he nervously taps at the steering wheel, and then tightening his grasp when it looks like he's going to say something, only to return to the nervous tapping when he inevitably backs out at the last second and returns to the frantic pep talk he's likely giving himself. The air that fills the vehicle is heavy and thick with anticipation and it's taking almost everything in Ashley to not start shaking the question out of Chris at every red light they stop at.
But, eventually, they pull up in front of her place and Chris stops the truck. There's a moment where the two of them just sit there, not wanting to leave because leaving means the end, and Ashley schools her face into a cheery smile in an effort to hide as much of the disappointment as she can when she turns to face him and bid him farewell, only to have it fall to confusion when he starts fumbling at his own seatbelt.
"Chris? What are you doing?"
He struggles further at it, frustrated that the buckle's apparently decided that now is the perfect time for it to stick once again. "Trying to get this fucking thing off."
"Yeah, I figured that much. But why are you trying to take it off, you're just gonna leave right away again anyway."
He slows his fumbling as cheeks start darkening in embarrassment. "I, uh, I just thought that was something you were supposed to do after a date, walk them to their door to stay goodnight. I mean, at least I think this is a date now? And, and only if you're okay with it! I can stay in here instead if you don't want me to. I was just hoping..."
The once forced cheery smile on her face is certainly not being forced any longer, if anything she's trying not to show how much the idea of Chris walking her to her door thrills her. "N-no!" Well, so much for trying not to show how desperately she wants that. The startled look he gives her at the unexpected outburst had her trying to control her voice into something less desperate, but considering she doesn't think she's ever going tame the frantic butterflies that have been flapping around non-stop in her stomach ever since the ice cream realization, she's probably doing a terrible job of it. "I-I mean if you want to, it's completely up to you after all..."
"Cool. Cool cool cool. Just, just give me a second." He continues to struggle with his seatbelt buckle, letting out more and more agitated curses escape the longer the thing continues to stick, and Ashley is getting the feeling that if he was able, Chris would have ripped the entire thing straight out of the seat by now. Broken safety laws and ensuing repair costs be damned. The moment he finally manages to unstick the traitorous buckle it's with a cry of victory and relief so exuberant that Ashley finds herself laughing in disbelief and awe that he had wanted to walk her the short ten or so feet to her front door that badly. Thankfully, for both of them, her seatbelt unclicks easily and much more quickly in comparison, only taking another couple of seconds to grab her bag from the footwell and joining him.
The far too short walk up to her door is over before either of them realize it. One second the two of them had been standing awkwardly and nervously by the truck as she fought the urge to reach out and grab his hand, and the next they're standing just as awkwardly and nervously (if not moreso) in front of the front door. Both of them waiting for the other to say or do something to break the tension, but cleanly aware that doing so would signal the very final end of the day, and the date. In fact, just knowing that Chris doesn't want this to end just as badly as her, is what gives her the courage to look at him with a surprisingly heartfelt and soft smile.
"Today was fun."
Chris lifts his eyes from where they had been staring at the dried leaves on the doorstep to match her smile. "Yeah. It was."
"And thanks. For the movie, and everything else." Ashley raises her hand to give the new and still shiny paperback a small wave. "And, you know, the book too. Of course."
"Yeah, it was no problem. Anytime." There's something with how he says the last bit—not really emphasizing it but making it clear all the same that he means 'anytime'—that causes her face to flush giddily as she pulls her lower lip in between her teeth in a weak effort to fight back against the ecstatic smile that forms anyway. And when she sees his eyes lower just a smidge to follow the motion and the way his shoulders stiffen in reaction, Ashley very quickly also finds she's trying (much more successfully) to hold herself  back from just saying 'to hell with it' and throwing her arms around Chris so she can finally kiss him silly and until they're both breathless. But considering that she's too much of a coward to initiate something as innocent as hand holding apparently, there is absolutely no way that something as...as scandalous as kissing him on her doorstep is ever going to happen. Clearly.
And yet, she gives Chris another few seconds to try and work past that blockade in his throat, but when he still can't muster a single word, she decides to just put the both of them out of their misery. Or further into it. It's probably just the same thing really. "I guess I'll see you next time. I'll talk to you later, okay?" She turns away and puts her hand on the doorknob, and tucks the book under her arm so she can dig into her bag for keys, but is stopped when Chris's hand abruptly snakes out and wraps itself firmly around her wrist before she can reach into the bag. And it works—boy does it ever —turning back to him and the hand wrapped around her wrist as excitement just starts to bubble up inside of her.
A second later though, his brain has apparently caught up with the movement he clearly hadn't intended to make, because his face goes beet-red and he's dropped her hand so he can shove both into the pockets of his jeans. He averts his eyes so he's back to staring at the loose gravel and dried leaves under their feet.
"Oh, uh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to..."
"It's fine, Chris." Ashley tries to smile softly at him in reassurance, but it's considering she's gripping the doorknob in an almost vice-like grip in anticipation, it's likely far more eager than she would like. "What is it?"
Somehow, his face goes even redder and he blurts out the question so fast that it may as well have been one word. "CanIkissyou?!"
Immediately, Ashley's gaping at him wide-eyed and her mouth open in shock as her heart's beating so fast that she's pretty sure it's ready to burst out of her chest at any moment. "Wha—"
"I-I mean goodnight. Can I kiss you goodnight? That's what people are supposed to do on dates, right? A-a-a-and I think we agreed that this is a date now, or at least I really, really hope we did. Cause I've wanted to go on a date with you for the longest time and-and-and I didn't want Saundra or-or-or any of your neighbours to see cause I know that would just really embarrass you and me but I've been trying to ask you for the past thirty minutes now cause I've wanted to kiss you since forever but I was scared about how you would react cause I really, really, really like you Ash and I just wanna to kiss you so fucking bad right now you have no idea and—"
Ashley would like to believe that she's brave enough to throw her arms around Chris and drag him down into that searing kiss she's been dreaming about forever and ever, but she doesn't. Even with a confession that is everything she's ever wanted to hear and more. That's not to say that she doesn't want to do it—god does she want to do it—but she's so frozen in place from shock that she physically can't. So instead she just continues to gape at him as he (adorably) rambles on and on, and giggles out an elated little "okay".
His nervous rambling stops dead in its tracks, and he finally looks back up at her, nervous relief evident all over his face. "Really? I mean, are you sure? I'd understand if you didn't want to—"
" Chris ."
That immediately shifts the relief to a different kind of nervousness entirely, one of excited disbelief, but even then neither move to actually initiate this promised kiss for several seconds. Instead just staring at each other waiting for the other to be the first to move, Chris with his hands still in his jeans pockets and Ashley glued to the doorknob with her other hand frozen as it hovers over her bag. Finally, Chris is the first to slowly bend down to meet her awkwardly half turned body, and she unsteadily tries to rock herself onto the tips of her toes without losing her balance completely and falling over. And still, they both pause about an inch away from each other's faces, though whether to give the other an out if needed or just to work through the logistics of how to do this exactly without their foreheads or noses smashing into each other or Chris's glasses getting in the way is anyone's guess.
But finally, mainly due to the fact that Ashley can't lean forward anymore without falling completely on her face, Chris closes that final bit of distance and kisses her. It's a nervous brush of the lips really—a quick peck at best —but they jolt back from each other so quickly that the single action may as well have activated some hidden magnetic repel function that neither had been aware of until this moment. Both of them are staring at each other wide-eyed and breathless as the magnitude of what they had both finally managed to accomplish hit them. The kinda-sort confession and the almost hand holding meant absolutely nothing in comparison to this. Those she could have (and would most likely have) brushed off as her reading too much into innocent statements and gestures when she thought over everything that had happened today in the safety of her room later tonight. But this? This was physical proof .
Looking back, Ashley's not sure which of them moved first. One second they had been staring at each other in disbelief, stuck in the same awkward bent and leaning stature from before, and the next it's as if the magnetic attraction between them reverses its flow entirely. Chris is cupping her cheek with one hand as he kisses her in the way she always dreamed he would, his other hand slowly skating across the back of her neck so he can pull her up closer to him. The book that had once been clutched protectively under her arm was completely forgotten about—fallen to the ground with a sharp crunch as it crushed the dried leaves beneath their feet—as her arms wrapped possessively around his shoulders as she props herself as high as the tips her toes will allow her. She can still taste a hint of the chocolate from earlier on his lips, and the small part of her that isn't being blown away by all of this is wondering if he can taste the blueberry and chocolate on hers as well.
She's not sure how long the two of them stood there on her doorstep, kissing for all the world to see, but she does know that they still separate much, much too soon for her liking. Not that they fully separate of course. She may be back on the soles of her feet, but neither of them have removed themselves from the embrace itself. And with the way that Chris is lightly brushing his thumb over her cheekbone as he just stares at her with the same stupidly giddy grin she's got, Ashley would be perfectly fine if they could just stay standing like this forever.
"So..." she starts, and stops to take a moment to giggle when Chris bumps his nose into hers. "I think that was a perfectly acceptable first date if you ask me."
Chris doesn't let go of her when he leans back to consider her, the comically raised eyebrows in shock doing nothing to take away from the absolutely thrilled beam of his smile. " First date? Why Miss Brown, are you perhaps asking me out for a second one already?"
"I mean, if it's not too presumptuous of me, I suppose I am. I-if you're not opposed to it of course." She can't help the way her nervousness starts to bleed through with that last sentence, already panicking that she's somehow completely misread everything that's just happened and that maybe that kiss didn't mean as much to him as it did to her after all.
His next words completely derail those fears entirely. "Of course I'm not, I would love nothing more than to go on a second date with you. Followed by a third and fourth and even a fifth if you have the time for it."
"I mean, I'm a pretty busy girl but I think I can open up as many days in my schedule as it takes if I need to."
Before she knows it, the two of them are leaning in for another kiss when the sound of pot being dropped in the nearby kitchen through the open window jarringly brings them back to reality and the two of them let go of each other red faced and embarrassed. Oh no, how much of this had her mother heard? Or worse, saw? She wants to leave the doorstep (which is rapidly becoming her favourite place in the whole entire world) even less now, but the longer she takes the worse the excited interrogation from Saundra will be so she starts digging back into her bag to try and find her keys once again.
"I'll text you later, okay? And, maybe, we can talk some more about that second date...?"
The reply from Chris is flustered but eager. "Yeah, totally. I-I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Cool. And um, the next one's one me. The date that is. It's only fair after all."
"Yeah, right. Only fair. Totally. And, uh, your book..."
She finally finds her keys from where they had sunk to the bottom of her bag, and looks up at him and the paperback book that had fallen during their, uh, intimate embrace. "Oh! Uh, right. Thanks." She could easily leave it at that, but the last few minutes have made her bold so when she reaches out to take the book back from him, Ashley curls her fingers over his and bounces onto the balls of her feet so she can give him one last kiss on his cheek—almost the corner of his mouth really—before finally stepping back with the book and keys in her hand. "I mean it. Thanks . For everything."
"Yeah. No problem. It was my pleasure."
She lets herself have one last glimpse of the stupefied grin on his face just as he turns to walk just a little unsteadily down the path back to his truck. The only sounds being the leaves crushing underfoot and the jangle of metal as she sticks her keys into the door to finally unlock it. A sound that it quickly interrupted by not only the click of the door unlocking, but a muffled shout.
Alarmed, she turns quickly expecting to see Chris having accidentally shut his coat into the door as he is sometimes known to do when the weather gets colder, but instead watches in elated shock as he continues to keep energetically flapping his arms and fist pumping into the air and screaming what she can vaguely make out as 'yesyesyesyesYESYESYES' over and over again.
Suddenly it hits her. Despite the shy confession over ice cream, and then the much more rushed and rambled one only minutes ago, and followed by the kiss(es) that are still sending her heart into rapid fire, Ashley still hadn't believed what all the evidence had been saying. Chris liked her. He really, really liked her. Possibly as much as she liked him even! This wasn't just a one-off event that would now make things awkward between them for the rest of their lives. This was happening. They'd just had a first(!!!!) date and after Chris had kissed her goodbye, she had asked him out for a second one.
And he had accepted .
Ashley fumbled with the door and the moment she was in the house, slammed the door behind her, not even bothering to lock it. She let her bag fall from her shoulder to the floor with a soft thump and slowly slid down the door until she was sitting against it with her eyes wide and breathless. She ignored the surprised clatter coming from the kitchen as Saundra immediately dropped whatever it was she had been doing in and held up the book so she could stare at the once innocuous cover in amazement.
He had bought her this book and the ice cream because he liked her and he had gladly and excitedly accepted to go out on another date with her. And even more if he had been serious about that third date and beyond line.
And not that either would ever know it, Ashley mirrored Chris at that exact moment by placing her head into her hands and screaming as the built up joy and bliss finally exploded out of her.
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baeklination · 3 years
Text
bartender love pt.3
Tumblr media
Date:210611
Warnings: ANGST, mental health (unnamed) , unease about sex (not very detailed or long), g.e.l.
Pairing: Kyungsoo x F.Reader
WC: 6,2k
NOTE: I know... But, save for a 1 week break, I'm gonna try to stick with this one.
pt.1 pt.2 Masterlist
¤¤
Going on three months you and Kyungsoo still had as much fervor for one another as in the beginning, only now it was cemented by a comfortable knowing of each other; you knew it could take him hours to reply to a text, but it’d be something sweet when he did; he knew you could seem a bit blasé when he asked you to come over, but you’d be as happy about seeing him as ever. There had really only been one thing that had bothered you (save his underwhelming cooking skills). You’d told yourself that it wasn’t a big deal, yet it kept playing in your mind, that time, a few days ago when he woke you up in the middle of the night:
You woke up by him kissing your shoulder and stroking your breasts, waist and legs. Sluggishly turning around, he was on top of you just as you opened your eyes, continuing with the kisses.
“Shit, Kyung, slow down, I’m not even awake yet”, you said, not minding his actions, but rather his pace.
“You’re plenty awake, Y/N”, he said excitedly, making you chuckle. “You’re not wet yet.”
You weren’t a stranger to the saliva solution, but up until now it’d been reserved for the quickies - the bathroom at a party, a dark alley, the laundry room - so for him to spit in his hand and use it as lube instead of waiting caught you off guard.
“I’ve been awake for an hour thinking about fucking you”, he breathed in your ear as he pressed himself in. “Shh, shh, relax…”, he prompted when he felt how tense you were.
“I haven’t been up an hour, Kyung…”
“You’re right, sorry”, he said and pulled out a bit. “I have to be careful with my precious baby.”
“What..?”
“Well you are...”, he cooed, while kissing you “...my baby.”
“I’m not a baby.”
“Oh, really...?”
He started moving his hips slowly, feeling much less resistance than before.
“Then why do you like it so much?”
The sex was great, per usual, but how it started out had left you feeling...something. You hadn’t even told Iseul about it. If it happened again you would. But since then he’d been the same cute and caring guy you’d come to know him as. Sitting at the end of the bar, waiting for his shift to end you smiled to yourself at the girls batting their eyelashes at him “Damn, you having a seizure or summin’?”
Your phone buzzed - there was a text message from him: “Can I kiss you in 5 seconds?” You looked up to see him counting down with his fingers, taking big steps towards you. When he reached zero you nodded.
“You may.”
He held up a menu, blocking the view to the rest of the room:
“Privacy screen”, he smiled before pressing those plush lips against yours.
¤
Walking home together, there was a chill in the air not usual for this time of year, and seeing you shiver Kyungsoo put his jacket over your shoulders.
"Did you see that in a movie and think that's a great move, gotta try it?", you teased him, laughing all the while.
"What! I was being a gentleman..!"
"Alright…", you held your hands up in defeat. "I guess there's a first time for everything."
"You're such a..!", he exclaimed, pulling you in by your shoulder and giving you a kiss on the head.
There are two things - opposites really - you love about being as close with Kyungsoo as you are. One is being able to have hour-long conversations about miscellaneous issues, like narwhals and the making of milk cartons; the other is being silent, like now.
If you could only choose one, holding hands would win, but having your arm around his waist, your hand just under his t-shirt to feel his warm skin isn't bad either.
"Hey, do you think I could walk the whole way there?", he asked, pointing his finger when you came to the bridge.
"What, the railing?"
"Mm-hm."
"Technically… If you're not afraid of heights."
"I'm not. So you think I can?"
"Can? No, I don't think you can, 'cus only an idiot would try to."
"Am I?", he asked with a mischievous smile that made your throat tight.
"Stop it, Kyung."
"Wanna bet? Ten bucks says I can."
"Are you serious? No. No, I don't wanna bet, I wanna cross the bridge on the ground like normal people."
"Guess I'm not normal then", he said and jogged to the railing.
"Jesus Christ, can you just stop fucking around..."
You were sure he was yanking your chain, but when he started heaving himself up on the ledge you realised he was going to try.
"Ta-da..!", he said triumphantly, stretching his arms out. "It's barely five metres down, I wouldn't die if I fell in."
His stupidity didn't just scare you - it angered you - but you didn't want to shout at him while he was up there.
"It's not the fall that kills you, it's the undercurrent."
"I guess that's what it'll say on my tombstone", he laughed as he started walking. "It was the undercurrent…"
"Can you just get down?", you pleaded, feeling a burning behind your eyes. "Please. You're scaring me, Kyung. Kyung!"
When he didn't say anything is when you'd had enough.
"Fine! I guess you are a fucking idiot", you hissed, picking up the pace to leave him behind. "Here's your fucking jacket", you continued, throwing it on the ground.
"Come on, Y/N..!", Kyungsoo chuckled. "You're cute when you're mad."
His whole demeanour baffled you. He'd always had a carefree up-for-anything attitude to things, but he was never outright stupid. And the fact that he wouldn't come down when you asked when his soft nature had always been his strongest trait… There was a clank followed by a yelp from Kyungsoo - your stomach turned to a vacuum, heart in your throat, as you spun around, ready to hear the splash of him hitting the water.
But there he sat, swinging his legs on either side of the railing. He burst out laughing.
"You should see your face..!" He jumped down and clapped his hands, still laughing. "You thought I went over, right..!"
Still reeling from the shock of thinking he had fallen, his mockery sent you into a rage - now you had half a mind to shove Kyungsoo off the goddamn ledge yourself.
"What the fuck's wrong with you?!", you screamed at the top of your lungs, barely recognizing your own voice.
"Jeez, calm down, babe", he snorted and put his arms up to pull you in.
"Fucking idiot", you spat at him and shoved him in the chest.
"Stop being such a rabbit”, he frowned and tried again. “I-”
“Don’t fucking touch me”, you warned him and swatted his hand away.
“Jeez... Okay, I’m sorry, alright? Let’s just go home. I bet you’ll forget all about it once we’re in bed...”
You were flabbergasted.
“Yeah, well that’s another dumb bet you’ll loose. You’re not coming with me.”
“Come on, Y/N-”
“Leave it.”
He looked at you for a moment then lifted his hands in defeat.
“Alright…” When he turned to get his jacket he chuckled. “Fucking downer…”
¤
You didn’t want to talk to Kyungsoo during the following two days. Ironically though, not hearing from him had stressed you out all the more. Going from is he angry with me now to what if he went up on the railing again and fell? You didn’t believe any of those things, but it didn’t stop them from picking away at your mind. That you hadn’t spoken to Iseul about it probably hadn’t helped - this is exactly the type of situation one needs friend therapy for. You didn’t want to admit it to yourself, but you were embarrassed, without even knowing what about; it’s not as if she thought he was perfect - or better yet - that everyday of her relationship with Tony had been a Hallmark card. Was it because you had gone on and on and on about him only to now think that maybe you don’t know Kyungsoo that well at all? Whatever it was you trusted she’d sort it out for you as you poured her a glass.
“Damn, white wine… What happened?”
“Aeh...nothing”, you sighed and grimaced.
“Sceptical Iseul is not convinced…”
“Of course she isn’t. I don’t wanna have to tell you - but I want you to know...”
“Kyung..?”
“Yeah”, you nodded and frowned. “Fuck it.”
So you told her what had happened on the bridge, start to finish, not trying to make yourself out as having been sweet and sensible; if anything, you sugarcoated Kyungsoo’s behaviour, so she wouldn’t hold it against him in the future.
Iseul pursed her lips and knitted her brows.
"Hm… Is it that bad, though?"
"Agh..! You don't think so?"
"He was an idiot, for sure, and I get why you're angry, but I thought you were gonna tell me something major. You know how guys, not even guys - people - are. Out of the blue they do some weird shit", she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Or are you seriously thinking of ending it over this..?"
You had a knot in your stomach. You knew you had to tell her about when he'd woken you up.
"No. But I'm worried it might be a part of something else, his true self or something …", you sighed, making byunny ears. "The other night. He…" You paused, trying to find a segway in. "I don't know, he…"
Iseul's eyes narrowed as she leaned slightly forward.
"Did something...", you said, fidgeting with the seam of your trousers.
She put her glass down and looked you dead in the eye, her chest rising high with nervousness.
"What do you mean "he did something"?"
"Listen. I didn't think it was a big deal when it happened, so I didn't tell him."
"Okay…"
"I mean, it's not like I brought it up to him and he's had a chance to explain himself - it. It's been sitting uneasily on my mind, is all, alright?"
"You're making me uneasy. Just tell me."
If you said it out loud it would be fact and real, instead of your bothersome secret.
"Agh! Okay", you sighed loudly. "He woke me up the other night, last week, wanted to have sex. But you know how you are when you wake up like that, you need a minute to understand that you're even up, right? And if your head needs a minute…", you trailed off, raising your brows demonstratively.
"Your body needs two", Iseul filled in. "Yeah, course."
"But he didn't...care? He just spat and tried to do it anyway-"
"Wait", she said, and went still. "Are you telling me that he-"
"No. NO", you said sternly, grabbing her wrists. "NOT THAT. I swear. God, Jesus, the saints, it wasn't like that, Is. It was just...", you shook your head, yourself still not being able to put words nor feelings to it properly. “It was…”
“Not right..?”
“Yeah. It was just not right. But he didn’t like...force it, when I told him to slow down. It was normal after that, so I don’t know… Do you get why I’m- no wait. He called me baby.”
“He always says that to you, doesn’t he?”
“No, it was more like that.”
“Like daddy baby?”
“Yeah. He’s never done that. Maybe he’s wanted to, but didn’t know how to ask, but with the whole thing and now this...fucking bridge thing…”
“I think you should talk to him about it, all of it. What? What’s with the face?”
“I thought you were gonna fly off the handles when I told you. You know how nervous I’ve been..!”
“Few years ago I prolly would have…”, she smiled, and took her first sip in a long time.
“Ah, Tony calmed you down?”
“More like Tony taught me people are allowed some fuck-ups… Not just him, me too. Things can snowball so fast. If we hadn’t started talking - or listening - we wouldn’t have made it. ‘Cus...you don’t wanna break up- wait! You’re not officially a couple are you..!”
“No, we're not, Mrs Tony. And no, I don’t.”
“Well, then it’s simple, if not easy. There might be something going on with him that he’s not saying, you know. If you manage to get your foot in the door maybe he’ll let you in, hun.”
“Ah..! Now you made me wanna call him now, forgive and have sunsets and roses..!”, you wailed.
“Fuck that. He apologizes first, you hear?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be angry again in an hour. Thanks.”
“Before we go all sunset… If you ever feel not comfortable with sex, don’t do it.”
“I know.”
“No, I’m serious. Trying new things, you do for him, he does for you, sure. But never do it so he won’t be in a pissy mood, or whatever. That shit will fuck with your selfworth so bad you don’t even know...“
“Mm… I guess I just don’t know how to broach the subject…”
“Do you trust him? Apart from being mad at the moment?”
“Yeah. Yes.”
“Then start with some Dr. Phil shit “Kyungsoo, I trust and lo-”. Iseul stopped mid-sentence and looked at you with glittering eyes. “Do you love him?”
“Go on with your Dr. Phil.”
“Do you? Come on, you do..!”
“Go. On”, you said, trying to be stern, but breaking into a smile.
“Kyungsoo, I trust and may love-”
“Oh, shut up, Is..!”, you hollered. “See, this is why I always regret telling you things…”
“You didn’t even tell me anything”, Iseul affirmed innocently, putting her hands up.
“Yaic… Give me the damn bottle, and let’s talk about something else.”
“Cheers to that. Let’s leave anger behind. Let’s talk about…”, she giggled, and you knew precisely what was coming “...loooove.”
Iseul was your best friend in everything.
¤
Another two days passed and as predicted, your anger came back. As you lay down to sleep after your shift, the day just getting started with a pale blue on the horizon, you continued the three-stop circle you'd been on for a few hours: blazing irritation, want, anxiousness. You grabbed your phone and open the inbox to read the text for the umpteenth time:
"I MISS YOU! COME DOWN, I'M WORKING!"
Your heart had skipped a few beats when you read the first part, but went stone cold when you read the rest. Or rather; when you didn't read what you should have - an apology. Incensed is the perfect way to put it, and of course you hadn't done yourself any favours by going over it again and again, in a sense deciding what Kyungsoo was thinking (that there was nothing to apologise for) instead of sticking with the facts (he said he misses you and wants to see you). That part is what had you feeling restless, thinking maybe you shouldn't have ignored him; even seeing his missed call you could've texted him to let him know you were at work. But then again, why should you? Why should you come running as soon as he snaps his fingers - especially after all this time without a beep from him? And that's how you went until you dozed off.
You couldn’t tell how long you’d slept, but judging by the dark shadows still stretching out from the corners of your room it wasn’t very long. You looked around, ears pointed, to figure out what had awoken you.
“Y/N..!”
It was coming from outside. Throwing your covers to the side you got up and peeked out through the curtains. Sitting on the grass below your apartment was Kyungsoo.
“For fucks sake…”, you swore under your breath as you opened the window. “What!?”, you hissed.
“Y/N..!”
When he got to his feet and brushed himself off he stumbled: he was - as they say - as drunk as a skunk. As if your patience wasn’t already wearing thin he continued shouting.
“Open the door..! I miss-”
“Shh! People are trying to sleep..!”
“So let me in!”
If not for anything else than to make sure your neighbours didn’t call the cops on you, you hurried down the stairs and let him in.
The sweet smell of alcohol surrounding him nauseated you, so you kept your distance as he was kicking off his shoes in the hallway.
“Why didn’t you go home?”
“I wanted to see you. Why didn’t you come down to the bar?”
There’s no point in arguing with an intoxicated person, so you gave work as your excuse.
“I was working too, but I still made time for you”, he said like a little know-it-all, bobbing his head, squinting with one eye.
“How much did you drink, Kyung? Henki isn’t even open this late…”
“Not enough. We went to Andrew’s place.” He paused to swallow a burp. “And then I missed you, so now I’m here..!”
“Dandy… Well, I just got back, I have to sleep”, you said and went back to your bedroom.
“Does that mean no sex?”
You bit your tongue, careful not to give him the earful you so desperately wanted to.
“Mm-hm…”
“That’s okay”, he said and slumped down on the bed. “We’ll be sexless from- oh, shit!”
They way he hurried out the door you knew what was coming - literally. Luckily you heard the lid smack open before the retching. You were annoyed as hell that he’d come over, and the sounds coming from the bathroom made you cringe - but it also made you feel sorry for him, and remember what Iseul had said about patience.
“Where’s my…”, he groaned, then stopped to spit.“Where’s my toothbrush..?”
He looked so pitiful where you found him, sat grimacing on the floor.
“Are you sure you’re done?”
“Yes”, he nodded with his eyes closed. “I just wanna go to bed.”
“Here”, you said, holding out his toothbrush, pasted and ready.
His eyes had become glossy, making him look almost like a seal when he looked up at you. You sat down with him as he brushed his teeth and felt the ice thaw.
A bit more lucid, but tired and somewhat slurring his words he crawled under the covers.
"I'm so glad you're not still mad."
"I am", you sighed tiredly.
He stopped mid-motion of putting his arm around you, letting it rest on your hip instead.
"Why'd you let me in?"
"The cops..?"
"Don't be mad at me, Y/N", he whined. “Please…”
"I won't be", you replied and pulled his arm up around you.
The sweet vapors of drink still surrounded him, but the feeling of his body enveloping you one-upped them. When you're used to sleeping with someone's chest on your back, being without is like going without a safety blanket. The scolding could wait til the morning.
¤
Getting over a fight, finally seeing each other, has a way of shining the brightest light on things, making them new. As you lay listening to Kyungsoo’s breathing, his stuffy nose irregularly whistling, all traces of anger seemed to have vanished. That is not to say the issue had, but you thought the best course would be to actually talk, not berate.
When you started tracing the lettering on his back his shoulder blades pushed together as if it tickled.
“Good morning. Day”, you said and scooted closer.
To your disappointment - albeit not total surprise - he pulled the covers over his head when you put your arm around his waist. Not what you were hoping for after so many days apart.
“Did the nightly prince turn into a hungover frog?”, you snickered. “Hey”, you said in a softer voice, but you could see the silhouette of his hand moving up to his head. “I’ll get you something for your head and make some broth. You need something in your stomach.”
You’d been there a few times yourself; headache so bad you think you’ll never be able to stand on your feet again and nausea so bad you feel you never want to eat again. One fed the other, so starting off with the soup from insta-noodles was perfect - it could be downed in a few mouthfuls and it restored your salt levels. In an hour or two he’d manage to get some fruits and coffee down.
But when you went back to see if he was ready for more you found he hadn’t even finished half of it, seemingly swallowed the pills and rolled around to your side of the bed. You opened the window a bit, hoping the fresh air would make him feel better, before kneeling down by the bed. His hand was peeking out so you held it lightly.
“I put some coffee and nectarines on the table here”, you whispered. “I know you feel sick, but you’ll feel better if you eat. I’m working tonight, and going over to Is in a few hours. You can stay, but I’d worry less if you got a little better before I leave, Kyung.”
When he didn’t say anything you sighed in compassion, kissed him on the hand and let him rest.
¤
He hadn’t eaten anything before you left - nor responded to any of your texts or calls from work - so it was with pity, worry, and determination to get him to eat you opened the door. It was dark in the hallway with only a faint light coming through from the living room window. It wasn’t without some despondency, not having spent actual time with him, you flicked on the lights and looked at the floor to see if he had dropped your spare key through the mail drop like you said. Not seeing it you got a little excited - had he kept it, claimed it, as his?; did that mean you would be getting one in return next time?
When you took your shoes off, you realised that the chill you’d felt on your body and chucked down to you being tired, extended to the floor - it was freezing cold. The radiator was warm to the touch.
“Kyung…”, you sighed.
Guessing he must’ve forgotten to close the window, the thought of laying down in the iced bed made you groan as you turned the corner and braced yourself to go in. The door was closed. He can’t still be here, you frowned. The temperature drop gave you goosebumps in a second and seeing Kyungsoo did nothing to warm you up; exactly as you had left him, there he lay.
“Jesus, Kyung, it’s freezing in here”, you exclaimed, and hurried to close the window.
When you turned on the lamp on the nightstand you saw he hadn’t taken a bite or sip.
“Haven’t you be-”
You stopped dead in your tracks when you saw the look of him. He had the covers pulled up to his eyes, but you could see clear as day that he was drained; his skin had an almost greyish hue to it and his eyes were tired, zoned out.
“What’s the matter?”, you asked, putting your hand on his forehead to see if he was running a fever. He shrunk away from it and turned, making you all the more worried. “Hey…”
You tried soothing him by caressing his back, but he curled his shoulders with dislike and grunted something sounding like “no”, or maybe “don’t”. Realising it was the same thing he'd done in the morning you got worried - scared - for real, thinking this wasn't just some metaphysical hangover. What do I do? Call the emergency services? Loey. What if he doesn't want me to? Shit. Call Loey. You sat motionless, staring at his back for what seemed like an eternity. You wanted so badly to touch him, to hug him, but it obviously made him feel worse. Why… Gathering courage you went to find his trousers, feeling the pockets for his phone.
"Kyung… I'm gonna call Loey. I… Can you tell me if you don't want me to?"
Perhaps it was nothing more than a slow blink, but it could’ve been an OK.
You paced back and forth in the living room, swallowing nothing from your dry mouth, as you waited on Loey to pick up. What if he didn't think it was a big deal, or understand what you were talking about, what then?
"Radio night love with Loey, what's on your mind, caller?", he answered jovially.
"Eh, hi, Lo'. It's Y/N."
"Oo?"
"Yeah, I don't know… I think something's wrong with Kyung. He's-"
"Wrong how? Are you- where are you?" The change in his tone meant he knew what this was.
"At home, he's just lying there-"
"Okay, I'm coming."
"What should I do? He hasn't even eaten in a day."
"Don't worry, I'll be there in 20. Just let him be."
You waited for Lo' on the bedroom floor; sitting out of Kyungsoo's view so he wouldn't feel watched. Having Lo' take control of the situation made you feel both better and worse: he obviously knows what to do - which means it's likely this has happened before. And will happen again. Thinking back on the past two weeks, you see it so clearly now - so fucking clearly. Did I make it worse by fighting with him? Could I have stopped it if I'd caught- the phone rang in your hand. Finally, Loey was downstairs.
¤
"Has he been weird, hyper?", he asked, keeping you in the stairwell.
"Yeah. I thought he was just…", you throw your hands up. "Acting a little wild, having extra energy. We had a fight last week, so I hadn't seen him until last night."
The guilt of having shut him out overwhelmed you and your tears started pouring freely from your eyes. “I should’ve known something was wrong, instead of just-”
"Hey. Hey, hey…", Lo' tried to calm you down, grabbing your shoulders. "It's not your fault. If anything it’s mine, for not knowing he was lying to me...", he sighed.
“Lying..?”
“I asked him if he was off his meds last week. I should’ve fucking known he was lying, he wasn’t just in a good mood. I didn’t get back until a few hours ago so I couldn’t check either. Is he sleeping?”, he asked, and continued up the stairs.
“I don’t know…”
Off his meds?
¤
“Can I talk to him alone?”
“Mm. I’ll…”, you trailed off, but walked towards the kitchen.
“Hi buddy…”, you heard him say in his deep, low voice before closing the door.
You could hear a faint rustling of the covers and gathered Kyungsoo was at least reacting to Loey. Thank god.
You hadn’t waited very long when Loey came back out. He sighed and tried to put on a brave face.
“We’re gonna go. I’m taking him to the hospital…”
“Oh… Can’t you take him home, give him his meds?”, you asked, feeling small and dumb.
“Not with this”, he said, pointing backwards. “He knows he has to.”
“Yeah… Of course. Um…”
“We should go…”, he said awkwardly and turned around.
“Lo’… Will he get back to normal?”
“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll call you when we’re done, okay?”
When they came out, Kyungsoo was fully dressed. The clothes that yesterday represented a very drunk and stupid Kyungsoo were now doused in helplessness. You could see that everything was heavy for him; standing up, waiting. For a split second the haze covering his eyes was lifted and they were clear as day - for a split second you saw utter despair. You pressed your body hard against the wall to stop yourself from moving, holding your arms crossed tight.
Loey looked around the hallway, lifting up your clothes.
“His jacket..?”
“He didn’t have one”, you said, remembering how cold it was.
“Here", he said, pulling off his own sweater and dressed Kyungsoo in it. "It's bad enough without you catching a cold."
Kyungsoo seemed to let Loey do what he wanted, like a child who's done crying and tiredly agrees to everything. Selfishly, you wished he'd responded to you like that instead of being uncomfortable with your touch.
"Okay, let's go", he said and opened the door. "I'll...call you later."
Through the window you could see them getting in the car; Loey's hand reaching out to put the seatbelt on Kyungsoo. As they drove off towards the paler sky you shivered and breathed out slowly. Don't cry. You heard Lo', he's gonna be fine. Blinking your tears back down you decided there wasn't much else to do than go to bed - unless you wanted to stay up and stay worried - so you washed up and went to lie down. There was a whiff of his scent whenever you moved the covers or pillow, making it impossible to banish the thoughts completely; and so you fell asleep with a ghost in your body, clutching your phone waiting for Loey's call.
You were startled awake by the heavy guitar riffs blasting in your ears.
“Yeah…”, you grunted, still drunk with sleep.
“Shit, did I wake you? It’s Lo’.”
“No”, you said, rubbing your eyes. “I mean yes. How’d it go? How is he?”
As soon as you got your bearings, the somersaults in your stomach were back at it.
“Eh, he’s...not fine, I mean, you saw him. But at least he’s sleeping now”, he sighed, worn out not just by this night’s event, but every night like this.
“Where is he?”
You were desperately hoping Loey would say he was with him at home, but it didn’t come as a surprise when he explained Kyungsoo had been admitted to the hospital and would be staying there for some unknown amount of time. Understanding you didn’t know what - or how - to say or ask, he tried his best to put your mind at ease.
“He’ll be back, Y/N. It’s like he says, just a glitch in his matrix. He’s pretty sedated now-”
“Sedated?”, you burst out. “What do you mean? He was calm when you left..?”
“No, not sedated. It’s a side effect from the drugs he takes to avoid worse ones from his real meds. He gets tired, sleeps all the time. He’ll be up in a few days.”
“Shit, you scared me", you exhaled heavily. "Are you allowed to visit him?"
"Yeah, sure. His mum will call once he's up. You want me to go with you?"
"Should I go?"
Judging by the silence on the other end of the line, Loey was surprised at your question.
"I mean, maybe he doesn't want me to come? He never told me about this. I don't want him to be embarrassed…"
"He won't be."
"Okay, maybe not embarrassed, but like he wants to tell me himself when he's ready, you know. If he knows you've already told me-"
"He's not like that", Loey interjected. "What was he gonna say? That he just had a bad hangover, come on. He'll be happy to see you."
"You sure? What if...ai, I don't know..."
"I'll ask him when I see him, alright?"
"If he says it's okay, yeah, I'll go."
"He's not gonna dump you over it. He was gonna tell you anyway."
"He was..?"
"Of course he was. You couldn't very well get hitched without him letting you know, could he?"
"Hitched? Married? Eh, I think we're a few years away from that carnival, Lo'…", you brushed it off, but couldn't help smiling to yourself.
"That's what the kids always say… All I'm saying is he's nuts about you and I know he'd like it if you came by. Unless..?"
"Uh-uh, no. If he says yes, just you try to stop me", you said energised.
"That's the spirit, Y/N..! But one more thing…"
"What?"
"What you think of my new hair?"
You could tell he was grinning, trying to lighten up the heavy mood.
"Oh, shit. You're blonde!", you shouted, suddenly realising he'd dyed his hair. "Shit, Lo'..! It looks good."
“I wasn’t sure about it myself, but one of the other roadies convinced me to try it.”
“Did this roadie happen to be a woman, Lo’..?”
He laughed and cleared his throat.
“I’m not saying she wasn’t...”
“You two…”, you sighed and felt the absence of Kyungsoo. “You okay?”
“Me? I’m tough as nails, an iron man. Honestly, if I’m not freakin’ out, you don’t have to.”
“I guess… Yeah, you’re right. Thanks. Call when you hear something?”
“No doubt. Bye.
“Bye.”
¤
A part of you wanted the elevator to malfunction so you’d be stuck between floors, unable to see him. Ever since waking up, the scales of excitement vs. nerves had slowly been shifting towards nerves and every time the digits on the monitor changed the buzzing in your body increased. You knew - or at least thought - that it was just a matter of getting the first awkward moments out of the way, but logic was apparently not applicable to this situation. You rubbed your sternum with your knuckles, hoping to relax the electrified lump you had in there, but as soon as the elevator pinged you knew it was no point, you’d simply have to walk in there, ready or not.
As soon as you came up to the desk a kind-faced nurse looked up from her seat. Reassurance.
“Hello..!”
“Hi. Eh, I’m here to visit someone..?”
“M-hm. Who?”
“Kyungsoo”, you answered, again somehow making it sound like a question.
“Hm, okay, let me see here”, she said, and fiddled with the computer in front of her. “Ah, here it is. 4 PM with Kyungsoo...and your name is…”
“Y/N.”
“Y/N. Yep, that’s right. Let me just see he’s not sleeping”, she said, getting up.
In a sudden onset of self consciousness you looked in the window of the entrance door to make sure you looked okay; straightening out your already straight shirt; fixing your hair that looked exactly the same as it had done. When the nurse came back down the hallway and nodded you almost liquified. But it didn’t last long, because peeking out from the room, there he was. After a quick scan his eyes found you and he smiled shyly, but widely. If there is ever a good sort of punch to the stomach, this was that. Like sitting outside when the clouds suddenly give way to the sun to warm your face. There was no way you looked normal walking, not with the way your wobbly legs felt they were gonna give out any moment. But if he noticed anything he didn’t remark on it as he shuffled inside to let you in. He stretched his arms out a little, but brought them back to his side, chuckling. He was as nervous as you were.
“Hi…”
You didn’t say anything, laughed a bit, and went to hug him. His embrace was as before: you could feel he was strong; the contours of his chest against your cheek, his arms reaching round your shoulders - but he was also gentle. The sweet-sticky smell had vanished, and you could smell him, warm Kyungsoo.
"Can I kiss you..?", he whispered.
You nodded, your head still against his chest, eyes closed.
"You better…"
He blew out a giggle through his nose and cupped your face as you turned towards him. Warm Kyungsoo. So soft you registered the way his lips were pushed down as he pressed them against yours, the tickle of his upper lip over yours. His tongue tasted exactly like it should. Too soon did he break the kiss to hug you tight.
"Ugh, I'm so glad you came…", he sighed. "Do you wanna sit outside? I've got a balcony."
"Ocean view?"
"You bet", he said, and took your hand to guide you. "Do you want something to drink, eat?", he asked, filling up a glass of water.
"No, I'm fine. I had a late lunch."
The balcony was barely 4 square ft., with a pair of those white plastic chairs. Looking behind, beyond the banister, there wasn't much of anything; a few trees in a pretty rundown playground, and a seemingly abandoned warehouse. He put his glass on the edge and declared:
"There..! Ocean view", as he sat down.
"Not really what I expected…"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you", he smiled.
It was meant as a joke, but it shifted the energy profoundly. There was a tug in your gut. Kyungsoo frowned, suddenly looking tired, and ran his hand through his hair which fell on his forehead now that it was without styling. He leaned forward and took your hand.
"Hey, tell me what you're thinking."
“Nothing…”
He tilted his head, not letting you get away with that answer.
“I…” You shrugged your shoulders, looking anywhere but at him. “Everything..? I jump to the next question before even figuring out what the previous question was… I’m worried - scared.”
“Of me?”
“No, for you!” You emphasized by nearly crushing his hand. “Never of you, Kyung… I don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t have to do anything.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Fix me..?”, he chuckled despondently.
“I’m not that dumb, Kyung. It’s just…” You started gesturing widely, so he let go of your hand. “Like on tuesday. Lo’ knew exactly what to do and I just sat there without a fucking clue... I should’ve called him sooner - I should’ve known something was up..!”
“Hey, hey. You can’t think like that”, he said in an effort to calm you down. He put his hands on your knees and looked at you, his brows knitted, upset you’d even consider blaming yourself. It worked. You lowered your voice and finally looked at him.
“I just…wish I’d done something.”
“Listen to me. Don’t just nod your head, Y/N. Listen, okay?”
“Mm”, you said, nodding again as you felt a lump in your throat.
“Whatever you think you did, you didn’t. This is how I am.”
Fast, like ECT, the current went through your face - shutting your eyes tight didn't stop it.
"No, don't cry, babe. Please don't cry", he begged softly, putting his hands on your arms, your neck.
It'd only been the shock that made you start, not your overall feeling, so you managed to stop.
"Sorry", you laughed and dried your eyes, feeling a little silly. "I'm just a little…", you exhaled loudly, fanning your face.
"...little emotional?"
"Yeah...", you sniveled and laughed again. "Little bit."
He looked so sweet with his crooked smile and compassionate eyes, but also sleepy.
"Do you want to go to bed?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Kinda."
"I'm sorry..!", he wailed. "I really want to be with you, I missed you like hell, but I'm-"
"Tired?"
"So fucking tired", he chuckled.
"Well, it's no use trying to talk if you're over here falling asleep anyway, is there. Come on", you said, getting up. "I'll come back soon anyway."
"You're leaving?"
You looked at him dumbfounded.
"Well, I… No, I can stay. I'll sit with you."
"Sit with me? No, sleep with me."
You looked at each other then burst out laughing.
"Going straight to the point, are we?"
Kyungsoo's rumbling laughter filled the room as he got into his bed.
"Aish… Come here."
"Am I allowed to?"
"What are they gonna do, I'm already in here, ain't I?"
Strange, giddy, nerves took hold when you unlaced your shoes and got into bed, but dissipated as soon as he put his arm around you and pulled you in close.
“Good night”, he said and kissed your neck.
“Night?”
“Oh. No…”, he said drowsily. “The other…”
You waited to hear his final answer, but instead felt him settle; his hold loosening, chest rising slowly.
“Good nap, Kyung.”
13 notes · View notes
deadlyweapon10 · 3 years
Text
Honey
Paring: Mina Ashido x reader
Synopsis: Where Y/n secretly crushes on her fellow classmate, Mina Ashido.
Words: 3.5k
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Earthy warm, rich, with a hint of sour components along with heaviness of a cocoa.
The aroma of a simple yet delectable coffee wafted into the nose of the (hair color) as she inhaled its exotic scent. A warm feeling growing in her stomach region as she sipped said drink from her favorite one-of-a-kind mug.
She snuggled into her jacket as she sat outside on the chair that was placed on the deck. With the sun barely rising, the air was perfectly warm and gentle, flowers beginning to bloom and birds chirping, typical for spring weather.
As she sat there with a smile on her face daydreaming away the sound of a door opening brought her back to reality.
"Jeez it's barley 6:30 and you're already up? You're the opposite of Aizawa-sensei I swear, always up while everyone is asleep! Have you even eaten yet?" Said the red-head as he walked into the view line of the coffee-filled (hair color) as a chuckle escaped past her lips. "We've lived in the dorms for a month and a half and every single time you catch me out here it's always the same questions Kiri."
The gentle blow of a breeze passed by as the sound of a busy buzzing bee was faintly heard.
Kirishima smiled. "Do you have any plans for today? I'm trying to see if Bakubro, Sero and Denki are down to go to the arcade. If you're not doing anything then would you like to go with us?" He asked while sitting on the chair next to her. The girl thought for a few seconds before opening her mouth. "I would but I feel like reading today. Besides I'd rather let "the boys" have their fun and do whatever it is that you do."
The sound of an apple being bitten into broke the silence, crispy yet sweet. The second Kirishima swallowed he started talking yet again. "You know, "
"Hm?"
"Mina is also coming. You should take the chance to confess-"
"EH?! I have no idea what you're talking about Kiri! Where did you get that idea that I like her. No wait more importantly how did you find out? Ahhhh I practically just told you I do-" Having out her mug down minutes ago, the girl who was in the middle of freaking out continued talking in a fast speed as images of said female flashed in her mind, making her stumble around with her words.
The poor girl could feel her heart thump in her chest and felt all warm inside. If there's anything that could get her to react in such a way then it was simply by mentioning her crushes name. Oh how easy it was to get her all worked up.
"Woah woah calm down! Forget I said that alright. But seriously hang out with us, you need to get out more often. I mean how is it that you have such good fashion sense yet you never leave your room unless it's for food or classes?" He spoke while rubbing the back of his neck, a smile plastered on his face. The both of them stood up at the same time with him grabbing the apples core in one hand and the girls mug in the other before handing it to her. She nodded.
As they walked into the building, now dubbed as their home, they walked through the lounge past the dining room and into the kitchen. Clearing his voice while walking to the blue sofa he looked back at her, "We're gonna be leaving at around 12 to get lunch and then to the arcade that's in the mall. See ya." "Alrighty! See you in a bit."
•°¯'•• 🎀 𝒯𝒾𝓂𝑒-𝓈𝓀𝒾𝓅 🎀 ••'¯°•
Having been back in her room for just around two hours gaming on her counsel, she got up and looked at the clock on her pastel (favorite color) wall. 'Mm it's only 9:15. I should go shower now so that I have enough time to dress on my very own existence and to choose an outfit.' That means I have two hours and forty-five minutes, which means at least a good hour and thirty minutes to shower and that leaves me with an hour and fifteen minutes which then means I have a good thirty minutes to think about my life while sitting on the corner of my bed in a robe and forty-five minutes to get ready. Perfect.'
And with that she grabbed her towel, bathrobe, shampoo and conditioner, razor (only if you shave, if not then forget that), body soap, deodorant and comb. Taking a quirk look to see if she has everything, she walked to the bathrooms that she shared with the other girls and instantly began her shower. (If you're african american/any other person I didn't include and you wear a wig then instead of shampoo and conditioner you grabbed a shower cap to protect it. I heard it's not supposed to get wet but correct me if I'm wrong.)
•°¯'••   🎀  𝒯𝒾𝓂𝑒-𝓈𝓀𝒾𝓅  🎀   ••'¯°•
After her shower she made sure to brush her hair to untangle it before it went back to being straight/wavy/curly. (If you're like me and you have curly hair then obviously you have to put curl smoothies, protection sprays, etc.) and young-life crisis thinking, she began to look through her closet. Before picking out two different options.
(Option 1)
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(Option 2)
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After a minute on deciding what to wear, Y/n choose the (1/2) option and quickly slipped on the clothes before putting on her shoes. Glancing at the clock and seeing that she only had ten minutes before they were gonna meet up she grabbing her phone along with earbuds/airpods and closed her bedroom door before soon heading towards the elevator.
Scrolling through her phone she clicked a song and began humming along to the lyrics.
By the time she arrived in the lounge, a new song started playing. Looking up she soon spotted the group and started to walk to them when she realized a certain person was missing. "Hey guys where's MinaAAA!" She shrieked as a pair of slim arms wrapped around her body and a head full of pink hair and yellow beady eyes peaked freon behind her. "Hey silly. I'm right here and ready too rumble!"
'Thump.. Thump.. Thump..'
Y/n's heart started to beat like crazy again once her brain processed what just happened. Before she could even talk someone started talking. "Let's get going you extras. I'm hungry and I don't wanna wait around all day." Ah yes, Bakugou. "On it bro." Denki replied as Mina stepped from behind me and walked up to Sero and striked a conversation with him. Speeding up a bit Y/n walked next to Kirishima just in time for Denki to start cracking jokes.
"Hey L/n why do bees have sticky hair?" He asked as Bakugou and Kirishima were listening. "I don't know, why?"  "B-because they use honeycombs!" He shouted as he busted out laughing while Y/n giggled. "How do you idiots find that funny? Is your humor that broken." Bakugou muttered as he turned his attention to Sero's and Mina's conversation.
Feeling sorta left out from the group due to the fact that she doesn't exactly hang out with them as much (except for Mina and Kirishima), she took out her earbuds/airpods and turned on her music again. This time 'it's not u it's me' by Bea Miller and 6lack started playing.
Smiling to herself she began to sway a bit to the music as they neared the mall. As cliche as it sounds, music was always there to comfort Y/n. No matter what would trouble her, she'd always turn to her favorite playlist. Once they all entered the mall and headed straight to the food court she turned off her music and tuned in the the groups conversation.
"Hey L/n," Sero began as the girl turned her head to gaze at him and hummed quickly to show that she was paying attention. "What are you gonna get to eat?" "The only place I ever go to grab my food. I'm gonna head to (restaurant) to grab my usual." Nodding, he soon turned to Mina and quickly talked. "Mina since you said you wanted to try something new to eat you should totally go with L/n." "Holy cow dude! You're totally right." She said as she pumped her fist in the air and walked towards me. "Let's go L/n, I'm super starving." Grabbing my hand she started dragging me. "H-hey broski you're going the wrong way." She chuckled as the Pinkette stopped in her tracks, said a loud "Oops." And took the girl in the right direction. (Is Pinkette a word? Probably not.)
Once both girls ordered their desired meal and sat down, they began to eat in peace for a good few minutes before Mina's phone rang. Smashing the accept call, she out it on speaker. "Whafs uf-" She managed to say as her mouth was filled with food. "Hey Pinky, tell L/n that me and the guys decided to skip the arcade and headed to Game Stop and grabbed the new Cyberpunk game. We're currently on our way to the fast-food place near the school and then we're heading back to the dorms." A loud Denki said, as we heard grunts and insults from Bakugou from their side of the call.
'Wait wouldn't that mean that Mina and I are now alone... Is this considered a date? Of course not. As if she'd even like you.' She thought as she then asked Mina why they suddenly decided to switch their plans so suddenly without saying a word in the first place until now. Without a word the girl hung up the call and continued eating.
"N/n you know that American movie where the princess and prince turn into a frog for the whole movie and then they fall in love and miss then poof, they're human again?" Mina asked breaking the silence that once stood there. "Hm? Oh yeah! 'Princess and the Frog'. I watched it before. Sucks how African Americans finally got recognition from Disney and instead they get bullshit since the two main characters are frogs for three/fourths of the movie!" The (hair color) shouted angrily as she stabbed her food. Laughing at the girls reply, Mina leaned forward in her seat. "You know that dessert they show in the movie a lot? Beignets? I wanna try one so bad." Both girls sat in silence as they got lost in each other's eyes.
'Thump.. Thump.. Thump..'
Feeling her heart flutter, her gaze shifted back to her food. "How about we buy the ingredients and make it? I made it once for a school fair and everyone seemed to like it. Only if you're down of course!" "Wait for real? Like for real real? Big bet let's hurry up and eat!" And with that the Pink haired girl began scarfing down her food, cho.king a few times.
Once they were both done and cleaned up after themselves, both girls left the area and walked to the supermarket. The duo sparking a conversation about their hobbies and interests, soon made it into the supermarket. Walking down aisle after aisle grabbing ingredients left and right, Mina suddenly grabbed Y/n's hand. "Since it's Saturday me and you should totally have a sleepover in my room. Let's go grab more snacks!" And just like before, she dragged you out of the aisle and into the candy and chips one. 'My poor wallet.' Y/n thought as she silently cried. 'Then again if it means I get to hang out with her more ... Ahh! I need to be more social with her. I mean we do talk a lot but I get so freaking flustered and it messes me up. Then again at least I can talk to females unlike Midoriya. Ha in your face!' Feeling pumped the girl grabbed the snacks that were occupying her friends arms, shoved them in the basket and speed walked to the check out line, payed for everything and with both girls holding two bags in each hand they soon began their journey back to the campus dorms.
•°¯'••   🎀  𝒯𝒾𝓂𝑒-𝓈𝓀𝒾𝓅  🎀   ••'¯°•
Entering the dorms, both females headed straight to their rooms and quickly changed. Mina wearing blue shirts with a yellow shirt while Y/n wore (f/c) satin shorts along with its matching tank top.
Both now in the kitchen with aprons on, they took out the items they brought for the beignets and placed it on the counter. 'MISS YOU!' by CORPSE was blaring from Y/n's phone as she bopped her head and hummed along to the lyrics while she added the warm water, sugar and active yeast in a bowl and whisked it while Mina measured the other ingredients, which Y/n soon regrets for the face that a mess of flour was all over the counter.
After mixing the rest of the ingredients in the watery liquid and letting it set on a lined baking sheet, Mina took out the fryer and added oil so that it could be ready for later. "Hey n/n can I play a song?" "Of course silly. I wanted to change the song anyways." Laughing like a maniac, Mina grabbed the phone and quickly typed away before placing the phone back on the counter.
"Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead"
The voice of both Smash Mouth and Mina's rang out in the air as the girl started singing the lyrics. "Heyyy you should sing with me! Come on." She said as she twirled around the kitchen floor. Giggling as she put the bowl filled with the dough in the fridge, she began shouting the lyrics right along with Mina.
"Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow"
Now moving her head to the beat, both girls grabbed each other's hands and began dancing like crazy with not a care to the world, swaying their hips side to side as they sang the next verse with all their heart.
"Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold"
As they continued singing, they began to clean the dishes and put most of the ingredients they wouldn't be using anymore away and took out a pair of tongs, paper towels, powdered sugar and honey from the cabinets. After a good 30 minutes past Mina turned on the fryer, the familiar 'click' of the knob sounding. Taking out the bowl from the fridge, Y/n placed the soft, glutinous dough on the now flour dusted counter and began following it out with the rolling pin until it was a good quarter inch thick and began to slit the doughy flesh making two inch squares just as Mina grabbed a few pieces and dropped it into the hot oil.
As time went by, they were finally finished frying. All they had left was to dust powdered sugar and drizzle honey to it. The second they did so, they took half the batch with them along with a few drinks and the snacks they brought and went to Mina's room. Closing the door on their way in the brightly pink room, they sat down on the bed and hopped on Mina's laptop to watch 'A Slap On Titan'.
"Armin had broken the silence as the video zoomed to the top of the wall, the starry night sky coming into view. "Do you ever with that humans could photosynthesis?"
Eren surprised with the sudden question, instantly replied. "What? No."
"I do... I think it'd be cool to be a plant." The scene then changed to show the Survey Corps coming back from a mission."
Liquid shooting out of her nose, Mina laughed as she grabbed a tissue and wiped her face, watching as Y/n pressed a pillow against her face to muffle her loud laughter. The now chuckling girl took the pillow from her face and noticed Mina's smile that was directed at her direction. Shooting back a toothy grin, she got lost in her eyes yet again.
'Ah jeez she saw me laugh... She looks so cute.'
"You know the beignets were really good." Mina said as she scooted next to her and leaned her fuzzy head on the girls shoulder. "You think so? I hope the others enjoyed the ones we left for them. I'm so happy we got to spend today together! I would have never expected this to happen ya know?" 'Play it cool Y/n. This is no big deal at all, she's probably just a bit exhausted from all the walking and baking we did earlier. Yeah, that's right-'
"You know, I'm the one who told the boys to leave us alone and to head back to the dorms."
That caught her off guard.
"Excuse me?"
Humming to herself, Mina life's her head slightly to look at the (eye color) girl. "Listen silly, I know when it comes to academics I'm not exactly smart, but when it came to you it was easy to figure you out." Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, she urged the girl to continue talking. "I know you like me." Y/n's breathing stopped for a second, her heart beating rashly against her chest. How was it possible that the girl she's secretly liked from a distance knew? "Listen I-" She was cut off as a pair of soft pink hands covered her mouth.
"Hold up! Hear me out before you start talking. I sorta found out a few weeks back when I overheard you tell Iida about your feelings. Ever since then I confronted him and I made up this plan for both you and I to hang out alone. Like a date but it's not a date since you wouldn't know? Ahh anyways after I came up with the plan I began noticing how you'd act completely normal around the other girls, but when it came to me you'd barley mutter a word, despite you being super-duper confident." Y/n felt herself breathe again as she stared at the girl, her eyes now filled with curiosity and her head amused at the girls statement. She took the words to heart and found it to be true when she said she'd act differently around her. I mean how could she not when her heart would beat fast, her stomach flutter in nervousness and her brain would completely shut down on her.
"So wait... You like me?" She spoke slowly to make sure her voice wouldn't just randomly give up on her. Now sitting up straight, the pink haired girl nodded as she shyly smiled and rubbed the back of her neck. "I do."
'She likes me..'
The second her brain processed the two words, she locked eyes with her and then shut them down before slowly leaning forward. The feeling of her plump, powdered sugar dusted lips faintly against hers before both girls lips soon meshed into one and began harmonizing as if creating a symphony. It felt passionate and intense, yet delicate and sweet.
Sweet like the honey from the beignets they had moments ago. The floral yet earthy taste now onto her very own lips. Deliciously golden and wild. The strong fragrance drifting slowly to her nose, similar to a white dandelion falling slowly to the ground after being blown by the wind on a vibrant, sun-filled day.
They both soon pulled away, gasping a bit for air. Y/n felt her body get warm as she realized what just happened. "I like you, Mina. A lot. And I'm glad you like me too." She finally confessed. "Finally n/n, I've been dying to hear you say that. Now then let me ask you this, will you be my girlfriend?" Mina asked, her eyes shining as bright as a star in the dark. Y/n leaned forward and kissed the girls nose before speaking. "I'll be happy to be called yours," Both girls soon in each other's arms, held one another until she spoke again.
"Out of all the pretty girls in this world, I'm glad to share this space with you."
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blueeyedheizer · 4 years
Text
All Over Again - Matt (part 1)
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WARNINGS: mention of a car accident, memory loss
A/N: Here it is ! The first part to my 3 or 4 parts fic. :) I know this trope is far from being original but I wanted to give it a go. Also this was originally supposed to be a one shot but the more I was writing, the more I got ideas so I decided to split it into a multiple part fics. let me know what you think xx
----
Matt was supposed to have been home from practice 2 hours ago. It was almost midnight and you were worried sick, pacing around the house and looking out the window every two minutes. You didn't think much of it at first and figured he had stayed in the studio a little longer to work on more songs, but after an hour you began to worry. You had tried calling his bandmates, but according to them he had left practice on time with everyone else.
“Did he seem upset during practice?” You questioned through the phone, biting your nails anxiously.
"It was a hard day, yeah. He kept on messing up his parts and was a bit more irritable than usual." James explains. You let out a deep, shaky sigh, one hand coming up to rest on your forehead and closing your eyes as you tried to keep your composure.
"Look James I, um- i'm sorry to bother you with this but Alex won't answer the phone either, do you think they might have gone to a pub together or something?"
"Alex went straight to his girlfriend's after practice. I'm sorry love, I really don't know about Matt. But don't worry about it too much, yeah? I'm sure he's fine. You know how he can be sometimes." you nod your head repeatedly, allowing a tear to slide down your cheek.
"Okay, yeah. Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks anyway James." you croak out before saying goodbye and ending the call. You had thought of calling Javed, but you knew it was already late and there was no way his dad would've let Matt in at such an hour. Your heart was beating insanely fast inside your chest and you were feeling like you could break down at any moment, the worst thoughts occupying your mind.
You eventually decided to lay down on the couch and play your favorite movie to try and get rid of the nagging voice in your head. Maybe he just went on a walk to clear his mind and stopped by a pub nearby. He might have met up with some friends there, which would explain why he was so late.
After a little while you heard the sound of the front door open. You immediately shot up, running over the door as Matt walked in. He didn't seem hurt at all, which was relieving. But you were still upset.
"Where the hell have you been?! Do you have any idea what time it is?!" he doesn't say anything and walks straight past you. "Matt, what's going on?!" you call after him as he makes his way to your shared bedroom.
"Why aren't you in bed?" he says coldly, completely ignoring your previous questions
"Because it's fucking midnight and my boyfriend who was supposed to be home two hours ago didn't show any sign of life until now!" you say and he scoffs. "I was worried sick, Matt!"
"I don't have a curfew to be home, Y/N. I've already had a shit day so if you could just fuck off and stop giving me unnecessary lectures I would appreciate it." you open your mouth to speak but close it again. You genuinely didn't know what to say anymore.
"Fine. Maybe I should leave and go have fun on my own somewhere then, since we don't have a curfew."
"Yeah, good. Leave. Maybe I'll finally get some peace and quiet." he spat.
With that, you turn around and walk out, grabbing your coat and car keys on your way. You storm out the front door, slamming it back close behind you and run straight to your car, silent tears leaving your eyes as you do.
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You weren't sure how it happened.
Tears were blurring your vision as you drove to your best friend’s. You knew that she would gladly let you in, no matter what time of night you showed up, plus she wasn't the type to go to sleep early. You hated driving at night, but you needed to get some fresh air, you needed to get away from Matt. 
You eventually began to regret your decision of leaving as the fog covered your vision more than it already was with your tears. But it was too late to come back, and you still weren't ready to face him after what had just happened. He wanted to be alone, then he was going to get his alone time. Your hand gripped the wheel tightly as you wiped your cheeks and eyes furiously, but no matter how hard you tried to calm down and focus on the road, the tears would come back and blur your vision.
And before you had the chance to react to what was coming in front of you, you felt a violent collision, and your world went black.
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Matt knew something was wrong the moment his dad burst into his room in a panic the next morning.
"Dad?! What the hell are you doing here? How did you get in?!" he yelled.
It was barely 7am when he got a call from the hospital letting him know that you had been taken there after a car accident. He was in shock, barely able to let any words out. You were like a daughter to him, so the news were hard to swallow. All he did since he burst into the room was to blurt out your name along with barely coherent words between breathless pants.
"Dad? What is it? What's wrong with Y/N?!" Matt said, immediately jumping out of bed. He grabbed his clothes and put them on quickly, waiting for an answer.
"She got– she in an accident last night. It's bad." he managed to get out.
Matt's heart stopped beating for a moment as he tried to comprehend what he was being told. Everything around him seemed to have stopped as the events from yesterday flashed through his mind. He stared at his dad, speechless, his face suddenly draining of all color as his eyes filled with tears. He was suddenly hit by a wave of guilt and he felt the whole air being knocked out of him. His heartbeat picked up and the room soon felt too suffocating. He couldn't breathe, the room was spinning, his ears ringing.
His dad grabbed his face with both hands to keep him grounded him then pat his cheek slightly.
"Come on now, we have to go. She needs you, son." He said, keeping a steady gaze on him. Matt snapped out of his daze and stormed out of the room, his dad following closely. He grabbed the car keys on his way and they both headed to the hospital in a hurry. Of course Matt’s dad insisted on driving, knowing that his son was in no way able to focus on the road in this state.
By the time they got there, Matt's eyes and face were bright red from how much he had been crying. He was out the door before the car even came to a complete stop, rushing into the emergency section of the building.
He burst through the front doors and begun looking around, trying to find a nurse, a doctor or anyone that could tell him about your condition. A nurse came out of one of the many rooms and he rushed towards her, tears still streaming down his cheeks as he asked where you were.
"Could you tell me her name again?" she asked, gently placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. He nodded and repeated, trying to keep it together. The nurse lead him to the reception, searched through her papers then looked up after a few seconds.
"She's in surgery right now so I can’t let you go see her just yet. We're doing the best we can to keep her alive, but from what I know she got into a pretty bad accident, and this kind of surgery requires hours and hours of work." she continues and he nods, trying not to completely break down in front of her. She gives him more details about the surgery before leading him to the waiting room where your family and some friends of yours were waiting.
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three days later.
''It's been over half an an hour...'' Matt finally spoke up, breaking the silence as he paced anxiously around the waiting room. "Someone should be able to tell us something by now.''
''I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, Matt." Javed answered softly in an attempt to comfort both himself and Matt. Matt sighed and nodded before he finally sat down in the space between James and Javed. No one was speaking. Everyone avoided eye contact, too busy being lost in their own thoughts, moving their legs anxiously. Matt however couldn't stay still, but no one could blame him. He had been staying with you every day since you got there, even though you weren't awake, and now that they finally had some news they wouldn't let him see you. Family first.
He fidgeted and bit his lips nervously, the worst thoughts constantly occupying his mind. He buried his face in his hands, more tears falling down his face. Needless to say, no one had ever seen him like this before. He looked extremely tired and sleep-deprived, and the guilt was eating him alive. Javed placed a comforting hand on his back.
"You need to stop blaming yourself, Matt. This is not your fault." he says. "She’s going to be okay."
“It is my fault, J. If I hadn’t come home so late and told her to leave...—” he chokes, opening his mouth before closing it again. "She went out because of me. She's here because of me. If she had died—" he starts, but James interrupts him.
"But she's alive, mate. That's all that matters right now. You can't take back what you said or did, but you still have time with her to make it up."
As he was about to stand up and start pacing around again, Matt's head shot up at the sound of footsteps coming towards the waiting room. In a matter of seconds he was on his feet and your mom was at the door with a small forced smile and wet cheeks, a nurse standing beside her.
''Miss Y/L/N is awake.'' the nurse said. "You can see her, but you all should know that she's showing signs of amnesia." everyone's face dropped as they took in the information. "We do not know whether it is permanent or temporary. She remembers her mother and her name but couldn't tell us today's date, whether it is day, month or year. I just want you all to be prepared in case she has a hard time remembering any of you, which could be a possibility." Everyone in the room nodded then started hugging each other to express a deep relief along with sorrow. After three days of constant fear and sleepless nights, you were awake. But then, there was the possibility of you not remembering them. Matt hugged your mom tightly before they all followed the nurse into your room. His heart started racing as he thought about all the things he wanted to say to you. He didn't think apologies would be enough.
He finally snapped out of his thoughts when he reached the door to your room, his heart aching at the sight of his girlfriend laying on a hospital bed.
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You were slightly startled when the door to your room opened again, your nurse walking in along with a bunch of people you couldn't quite recognise as you struggled to keep your eyes open. Your entire body felt numb. You tried to sit further up, but your were immediately stopped by a striking pain coming from your ribs. You lifted your hand in an attempt to scratch your head but you were surprised to feel a bandage under your fingertips and see one wrapped around your wrist. Confused, you realized the upper part of your body was bandaged, but you couldn’t quite figure out why.
"Hello again, Y/N." your nurse smiled "Some people are here to see you. Could you tell me if you recognise any of them?"
Vision still blurry, you frowned and attempted to turn your head to the right. You let out a small groan, the movement triggering an ache.
"Take your time, there is no rush." the nurse says.
Then someone took a seat next to you and grabbed a hold of your hand that wasn't bandaged. You eventually managed to take a proper look at your surroundings, looking around yourself. Your mom was there, along with Javed.
"Um...well, there's mom again. And Javed." you spoke weakly. A small smile curved your lips when you saw him. You two had been friends since 6th grade. You then looked at the two boys behind him. "I don't think I know you." you spoke with a frown." James and Alex's faces dropped a little, but they were kind of expecting it. You weren't as close with them as you were with Javed, so you had fewer memories of them and more forgettable ones.
Then you met the other boy's eyes, the one sitting beside you.
You said nothing while staring at him before realising that he was holding onto your hand which you slowly pried away from him. Your brows furrowed as you looked at him. His nose, his hair, his lips. Then his eyes. You looked into them, trying to find any form of familiarity, but there was none. Why was he holding your hand?
"Y/N?" he says, his voice weak. You could tell he was fighting back tears. You frowned again, lips parting in confusion. You gave your mom a worried glance before looking back at him.
"I...I'm sorry but, am I supposed to know you?"
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jay-bee-me · 4 years
Text
200 Followers celebration!
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For I finally reached 200 Followers here's my celebration!
It contains 2 elements! First this emoji ask meme:
So send me
🌈To get a fictional character based on your blog/what I know about you
✨To get a book recommendation (please add a genre if you aren't into sci-fi or fantasy)
💫To get a series recommendation
🌸To get my thoughts on you/ first impression
(beside the first and the last one you can sent on anon when you feel more comfortable with it)
Part 2 is the following creepypasta! If you don't like scary stuff just skip it and scroll on. I don't mention any critical things as far as I can judge. If you read it but think I should add trigger warnings please tell me (you can just sent an anon ask and tell me what tw I have to set) I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable and will add any trigger warnings!
"There's a myth being told. You know? It's about the white man. A creature pale as snow. His eyes a glooming red. You should never ever try to get him alive. And never ever summon him! He has medusas abilities and a single look at him and you saying 'no' will immediately turn you to stone for the next 10 years."." wait- wait- wait. Why only 10 years, Kathy? That sounds lame. Like losing 10 years? That's definetly worth to experience how it is being a stone!" Dev and Emma nod agreeingly." Well fine! What other ideas do you have?", Kathrine asks sending a glare in my direction. "uhm. What about 30 years and you forget everything besides the feeling of not being able to move?" I ask 'em. "why not 50 years? That's way more frightening and sounds way more magical?" Emma complains. Dev gives a noise that's implying he agrees. "than that's it?" we all nod to show Kathy our agreement. She then types the new version into her computer. "okay so how do we wanna continue?" she says as she looks at us again. "what about a young boy like 15 years old? And he is trying to challenge himself by finding the creature." Dev suggests. "okay, that sounds good, but I'm going to bed guys" "g'night" we say as Emma already leaves the room. "okay I'll write like a short introduction and I'd say we do it then tomorrow so no one leaves out!" "yeah!" Dev and me say simultaneously. While she's writing Dev and I throw chips in each other's mouth and try to catch 'em. Afterwards we talk another half hour and then go to bed.
It was dark when I woke up. A look at my smartphone revealed it was 4am. I had to grin to myself. It was exactly the time we stated in the SCP document to be the time the white man would show up. I was still impressed by Devs idea to start our own myth. And I was proud of Kathrine to be such a good writer she would write us the creepy pasta about it. The SCP thing we might got by ourselves but none of us had the talent to write a good horror story. The idea came from Deb at least all the facts for the SCP site. Only the years I didn't agree. I thought ten years of being a stone doesn't sound scary. Maybe even like a relief. Ten years without any responsibility... I went to the toilet and bumped into several objects on my way but didn't wanted to turn any lights on. When I was done I decided to go outside for a bit. I couldn't go back into that room with three other people. The air just was bad. I took Kathy's key so I don't locked out myself from her home and went into the garden. It was November and pretty cold but my sweater kept me warm. I sat under the oak tree I always wished to have a tree house in but her parents didn't allow us to build one. They thought it were unsafe but right now it would have been a better option than the bare ground. I breathed in the fresh air. 4.15 am. I thought about the creepypasta. What would it be like to be a stone for 50 years. I mean you can't age as a stone so when you come back you just lost 50 years of your friends and families life but none of your own cause physically your still the same age? Or would you die at the age of 20 cause you would have only had 70 years? I heard a rustle from the hedge in front of me. Was it a cat? But who would leave a cat that early when it's winter? I made a clicking sound with my tongue. "come here little one" I whispered. I heard another rustle. I took my phone and turned on the flashlight to have better vision. I cast it at the bush. Nothing. Then a reflection. It was almost red so it must be a cat with amber colored eyes. Cute, I thought by myself. Another movement. "don't worry." I told the cat. And it came out the bush. Only problem: it wasn't a cat. It was pale. It was a man. It was an almost white man. I gasped. What the hell. Automatically my eyes went to the creatures eyes and in my dumb disbelief I spoke the one cursed word: "no". Because my mind refused to belief what it saw. I felt my body turning unmoveable. The last clear thought of mine was: Well,at least I will find out what it is to be turned to stone.
The next morning Dec was the first to wake up. As soon as he noticed Alex empty bed he knew what happened tonight. He knew it because it was what happened to him. Ten years ago. He knew it because he lived through a similar evening back then. Sure they didn't wrote an SCP but they had other places to put the information. Back then he also thought it only was a joke of the new kid that came to the school one year ago. Back then he was as naive as Alex. When he woke up this night he ignored the urge for fresh air. He refused to be turned to stone again. The whole evening he worried the others would find it strange he told him all the facts. But he didn't questioned anything back then either. He know went down. And searched for the sculpture. The horrified look on Alex's face sent a little hurt to him and he asked himself if the one who hid him back then felt the same. He also wondered how long this have been happening already and how long it will continue. At least none of them actually loses ten years. They all only lose ten years of their friends and famalies life's. He pushed and pulled the sculpture to the cave. The cave he spent the last ten years. And because he knew Alex would hear him he said: "I'm sorry. We will meet again somewhen. I didn't knew he would pick you. When you wake up you have to do the same I did. I don't know what will happen if you don't. But if it was something good I don't think this would have continued so long. Goodbye" then he left this cave forever
I had time to think about everything. And I figured something out. When I look into the mirror in the bathroom of my new friends I met in the last year I still saw the same face. It was even stranger than if I had aged. I wondered whether Dev felt the same back then. Ten years ago. I made a decision. I never knew I would do this. But I was sure to do the right thing. The only option. I went back to the living room where Amy, Cal and Pete were already waiting. "so what will we do tonight?" Amy asks us. "what's about starting the myth of the white man?" Pete asks. And I look at him. And I see what I should have noticed so long ago. The strange oldness in his eyes. I knew it. "No!" Cal exclaimed and got my full attention. "no goddamn horror stories! Stop that! You guys know that always goes wrong! You know the movies! We aren't dumb teenagers from ten years ago! We won't do this!" and when I looked at him I notice that he was like me. We had made the same decision. But I also asked myself: when three of us are already here, how many of us exist? How many of us have to do this? When will this end?
@emo-bi-mess I thought you liked to be tagged in it :)
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dumbladores · 4 years
Text
You - Teaser
Summary:  Your brother and a girl with whom you’ve become friends with by sharing a home, are your flatmates. But since there was a room left, another person had joined in, and not just anyone, but the very Antoine Griezmann himself, who has decided to go back to university and check out the life he had missed while having a career. I intend to develop your relationship rather slowly (but not too slowly, don't be scared). I intend to have at least one little teasing per chapter, how many chapters there will be, I don't know, depends on your demand and how it develops on its own :)
I'll be posting one chapter at least every two weeks. Make sure you check out my Patreon, where you'll have access to more much sooner. I’m dedicating this to @xratedffbarbiex, who inspired that sudden urge to write, so please make sure to check out her Antoine-series as well.
English isn't my first language, so please have mercy with me.
Besides, I'm always happy about propositions or inspiration, so don't hesitate to contact me.
Cheers, guys, to the great community, we've got here!
Warnings: not yet
Part: 1/ ? Part 2 follows next week on my Patreon
Word count: 1756
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One
Your brother and a girl with whom you’ve become friends with by sharing a home, were your flatmates. But since there was a room left, another person had joined in, and not just anyone, but the very Antoine Griezmann himself. Footballplayer since he was little, he had to give up his career due to an injury on his left knee. Since he had no family to look after, he had decided to go back to university, doing a little catching up on the life he had missed, as he had been a professional since a very young age.
You had been away when he was to have the “flat interview”, so you didn’t have any saying in the decision, it was anyway a two against one vote, since the others were absolutely enthusiastic about him. Of what you gathered from their statements, it was merely because it was, well, him. But they said he was nice, too. You rolled your eyes at that sentence. It was obvious the two had been taken by either his charm or his indeed very inviting physical features. Nevertheless the three of you made a pact to make every effort you could to make his life in (name of town) as normal as it could be and to trying to include him in as many common student activities there were. 
You often had friends over. Cynthia and you already knew a bunch of people since it was your third semester, and (name of your brother) also quickly took part in that circle of friends. 
It had been weeks since he moved in and yet it seemed he didn’t settle in easily. In videos you had seen of him, he seemed so playfully and easy to get along. But here he behaved rather shyly. He kept mostly to himself during the daytime, locking himself in his room. You only saw him once in a while in the kitchen and in the living room, where he watched football or basketball on a big flat screen he had bought to share with his flatmates, which made a big impression to the other two, but not so much on you. You weren’t to be bought so simply, especially not by someone who wasn’t paying much attention to other stuff you cared more about - for example looking someone in the eyes.
Of course, you had made a big deal out of that fact. You kept saying to Cynthia, what a prick you thought he was and how cocky he behaved. She just rolled her eyes and sayd you should give him some time.
In fact, your pride was a little tiny part of it. You couldn’t bare the thought he didn’t notice you, didn’t show interest in you. But you never in a thousand years would admit it. So you eagerly researched. You researched everthing about him. Where he was brought up, in which clubs he had played, you even watched interviews with him. He was Frances’ darling. Grizou, as they called him. A symbol, an idol for the country, who didn’t even trust in him when he had started his career. No club had wanted him, so he had to move to Spain when he was 14 years old. You couldn’t believe it. It sounded like he had a whole life behind him, now being only 29, he had experienced more than any other normal person at this age, And yet he hadn’t, as he was willing to go back to university to learn, what he had missed when he was out in this cruel world, that loves you at one moment and rejects you at the other. You watched some interviews with him. In most, in fact, he didn’t look the interviewer in the eyes. Most of them were filmed after a match, so you supposed, you couldn’t demand much of a player that just had run for one and a half hours. You certainly wouldn’t be able anymore to utter anything. In fact, you most certainly would be dead. But no, in other situations it was just the same. Also what he was saying didn’t have any profoundness or depth. Angrily you let go, coming to the conclusion there was nothing interesting in this guy, and particulary nothing interesting for you.
Weeks passed. He had invited your brother to play FIFA on his XBOX in his room, but never talked to you or Cynthia more than necessary. You hadn’t exchanged 10 sentences by the end of one month, and after a while you gave it up. He had a few pals from his classes that came over once in a while, and he even came home very late twice, so you guessed he took part in student social life by his own, being to partys and stuff, probably having made other interesting acquintances. You hadn’t made any effort to get him to notice you in any way, but you just stopped caring.
That’s why you missed that he indeed looked at you one or two times in the kitchen. That he started to look at you when you talked to Cynthia or your brother or other friends you had invited over. In fact, there were many movie nights you hosted since you had this big flat TV and other students couldn’t even afford a proper fridge. Antoine started to laugh at your jokes or when you were doing something silly to amuse the people. He, indeed, started watching you intensely. More intensely than the others.
You only came to notice his stare in exactly that moment you were telling a story a group of people in the kitchen at a movie night. You were preparing popcorn in the microwave and you just made a joke about how you had thought as a kid that popcorn didn’t have anything to do with actual corn and that you had made the discovery only recently, and it had been as if you had entered a whole new dimension in the matrix. You noticed his stare, Antoine was casually leaning at the kitchen counter, one hand in his sweatpants, the other on the beer bottle. Your  face instantly turned red, at least that was what you felt - your cheeks caught fire and there was nothing you could do about it. You tried to finish your point and rushed down the story, leaving the rest of the group a little confused by that abrupt ending.
While the others moved to the living room with the popcorn, you poured yourself a large glass of wine and took a deep sip. You had almost made a fool of yourself, just because this handsome and cocky footballplayer had watched you. You had to be more careful with your thoughts. Didn’t you use to say you had standarts? But did your guts have standarts? You knew, your mind wanted someone smart and classy and interesting. So why did your stomach drop like several floors down at the sight of his stare?
“So we’re here drinking on our own, are we?”
You shrinked at the smooth voice behind you and quickly turned, just to see that it belonged to the guy you were thinking of a second ago. As if he knew he had caught you thinking of him, you blushed again.
“Just making sure the wine’s okay”, you managed to answer and, in a manner you thought to be both ironic and casual, you took another sip from your glass.
“Hmm, may I?”, Griezmann said and reached out for your glass. He took a sip, pointed his lips in an hilarious way and swallowed. “Oh, not bad. Not bad at all. I presume it is dated by the time of Louis XIV himself, for it makes the sun shine on your face.”
You snorted with laughter. “Is this a quote from Shakespeare or something or did you just come up with that yourself?”
With a smirk on his perfect face, he handed you back your glass. “Which possibility would make you think higher of me? Probably the quote, as you’re constantly reading. And what’s your subject again? Philosophy?”
“It is”, you admitted. “But I embrace far more an original new thought, because it’s proof of creativity and independance of thought.”
“Really? I thought you dind’t like new things?”
You blinked. “How come you think that lowly of me?”, you asked and took another nervous sip out of your glass, while you intended it to look casually. He couldn’t be implying your aversion against the new TV or even himself? He couldn’t be that observing, could he? Or was it you that were so blind?
He grinned and watched you thoroughly. “I’m sorry. Maybe I drew the wrong conclusion.”
Now you were angry. Stupid boy, thought he could mock you, while in fact he was the ridicule.
“Maybe I’m just taking my time to judge”, you snapped. “And allowing myself to exclude new things from my life, if I regard them as being intrusive and un...conductive.” Without looking at him you walked past him into the living room, where the movie was already on. You squeezed yourself on the sofa next to Cynthia and tried to look at Orson Welles in “The third man”.
So it hadn’t just been you thinking low of Griezmann. It was him thinking low of you. And if he was thinking low of you, and you thinking low of him, that in fact made you a lot lower than him. A correct philosophical conclusion. 100 percent on that test, you congratulated yourself. But logic wasn’t helpful in that moment.
You looked at the entrance to the kitchen, where Griezmann stood leaning against the door frame, his eyes on the screen.
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zachsgamejournal · 3 years
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PLAYING: Resident Evil 7
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I know I'm about 3 years late to the party, but I was hesitant to trust that Capcom could get back in touch with their Survival Horror roots.
My very regrettable mistake...
So: Resident Evil for PS1/Saturn was great!
Cinematic Storytelling: The game could be completed in under 2 hours (if you knew what you were doing). So that means you're not spending days to get through a feature-film level story (unlike SOME games). It makes the plot and characters a more crucial part of the experience.
Puzzles: Sure, the puzzles are little wacky: like clicking buttons under pictures in chronological order or you get attacked by well-trained zombie birds. But it made the game more than moving from point-a-to-b. It's about exploring and understanding your environment. Speaking of which...
The Environment: The Mansion (and it's other areas) was a character unto itself. It had secrets and a past. And since the game wasn't designed as a series of sequential levels, you really get to know the environment.
Zombies: Zombies were not the mainstream success they are now. Hell, Vampires were just barely getting attention through Interview the Vampire. I became obsessed with zombies and bought all 3 major films in existence.
Such a different time...
Anyway, the point, RE1 was great, RE2 was better, RE: Code Veronica was pretty good, and RE4 is stupid.
Well...not stupid, but it completely changed Resident Evil, and not for the better. While folks loved RE4, it really was the start of a new franchise, which RE5 and RE6 followed. And that's fine--except they sacrificed what Resident Evil was to make way for this new product.
Succinct, mystery-driven storytelling was replaced with nonsensical twist and turns that did little to grow the overall world or its characters. They just stretched contrived cliffhangers across overlong campaigns of mass murder.
Puzzles, as best i can remember, were sacrificed for challenge rooms filled with enemies while the player looked for the exit switch.
The environment, as great as the graphics were, simply became battle zones meant to offer shallow context to the bloodbath gameplay. RE4 did have a strong aesthetic, but you don't get to know each room and hall like you do in the classics. Nothing but well-dressed strangers to high-five as you pass by.
And what happened to the Zombies. I mean, they still had zombies--but they weren't zombies. Whatever. Resident Evil has always had a diverse set of monsters. They didn't have to sacrifice zombies...
All this to say, Resident Evil 7 is awesome!
The opening was a little cheesy with poorly synced dialog and a helicopter shot of Louisiana swampland I'm sure they stole from True Detective stock footage.
But once I took over the character, I was hooked. The game looks great on my phone and TV via Stadia. I enjoyed walking through the woods and house, looking at every little detail the artists meticulously placed.
I've seen most of a playthrough on Youtube (though I was distracted). So I kind of knew what to expect. It's way more intense when you play. Having dialog and cutscenes playout without leaving the first person camera is great at making you feel "there". So all that goes down and I end up in the house for dinner.
Watching this bit on YouTube, I was a little turned off by the obvious Chainsaw Massacre connections: but original RE was heavily influenced by horror films, why not this? (I also have a better understanding of this family cause I know some things.)
Once I gained control, roaming around the kitchen/dining/living room area was great. I was seeing hints to future puzzles, scavenging for supplies, and finding notes giving clues to events that were happening. Very Resident Evil.
I struggled a bit trying to get away from Jack. Since they gave me a hiding spot, I assumed stealth was gonna be a major component. Nope. Not really. Eventually I get to the save room (A SAVE ROOM!!) and then on to the garage fight.
I wasted all my ammo when I probably just needed to grab the car keys. Lesson learned. Jack trying to run me over was kind of crazy, and maybe a little laughable since I was just swiping at him with a pocket knife for five minutes.
After that, more of the house opens up. It's insanely huge and illogically designed. While it creates some great hallways, and helps the designers break the home up into controllable sections: there's no house build like this: wtf...
Going into the basement reminded me of RE2. The molded, I think, are people the family has kidnapped and infected with something. Some change and some don't. Know they've turned into very lethal zombie-esque creatures. Since they're infected people stumbling about, I'm gonna say they've rekindled the zombie. Kinda.
To fight these guys, I've resorted to my pocket knife. Saves ammo. I basically dance around them like I did guards in Thief, wacking where I can. Eventually I chop off their hands, often without taking damage. But the crab guy in the incinerator required a shotgun blast.
One of the fights, he cut off my leg and I was crawling around. I thought it was a scripted scene (I mean, I lost my arm already). Nope. You're supposed to pick it up and reattach it. Ah-well.
Jack wandering around the new area was frustrating. It seemed I could never lose him, so wasted a lot of health and ammo stunning him. His boss fight was pretty rough. I nearly gave up. It took some time getting used to the chainsaw. Right as I was about to switch to easy, I had a near perfect run and defeated him. My wife laughed at the way I was squirming on the couch trying to get a hit in without being cut in half!
Made it to the old house with the bugs. This went way faster. It reminded me of the guard house from RE1, which also had giant wasps. Without Jack or molded zombies, it was actually really easy to explore the house and solve its secrets. Once the old lady showed up, I thought I could lure her away from the exit room. She didn't buy it, so I just ran past her.
When it came to her boss fight, it reminded me a lot of Laughing Octopus in Metal Gear Solid. Which that boss was practically a horror movie in of itself. I thought the flame thrower was gonna be the way to go, but a guide suggested focusing on her belly. And I kept running out of fuel, then being harassed by flies. So I opted for the shotgun and had a successful run.
About a year and a half ago, I played through the original RE as Chris. I remember there was a point about a third of the way through that I had about seven rounds of pistol ammo, and a single green herb--yet several zombies stood in my way. I wasn't sure I was going to make it. But then, I unlocked the shotgun and the game became a breeze. Suddenly I had too much ammo, and too many healing items!
That has kind of happened here. I'm doing well on healing items (though I've used up my shotgun). Still, I feel confident sprinting around and doing quick searches of spaces. I don't even fight the molded much anymore.
Getting into Zoe's trailer was interesting, but you can interact with her bra. I thought that was kind of pervy. I'm guessing Zoe is a part of the family? I imagine she's some how the source.
I think it's great they keep putting the grandma in different places without explanation. The way she looks at you sometimes is creepy...
I'm not a huge fan of the VHS flashbacks. Often, they have you play areas you've either already played or will play. While it's inspired some game ideas of my own, it just feels like a cheap gimmick to get more playtime.
Anyway, this really does feel like a reboot of Resident Evil. It's capturing the strong environmental storytelling of the originals, and making it more about the horror, less about the action. I'm actually getting into the plot and mystery. I look forward to getting my answers.
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