#and the fact that y'all got a great pairing right in front of y'all with so much potentials (be it angst; fluff; hurt/comfort ect.)
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Irrevocably [ZCL] (M)
Description: You were friends with benefits with Chenle until he got a girlfriend...fast forward months later, and now they've broken up--leaving Chenle to come back to you, very much in need of a distraction.
DID YOU MISS ME?! It's been so long someone should chop my hands off omg
Genre: Smut. Angst. Read at your own discretion!!! Read the warnings first please! It's mostly smut tho tbh
Also it's not proofread or anything crazy like that but I do hope y'all like it...I've been so busy sos
Content Warnings: Explicit, rough, unprotected sex (don't do the unprotected part), Chenle says pretty girl again (not sorry) and also slut because duality (again?), overstimulation, multiple orgasms (both), cum eating (like he actually eats his...own cum...), he's pretty pussy drunk in this he cums twice, Chenle is manipulative as hell in this!!! he is not a good guy in this fic!!! Do not read if you don't like it!!!!! Also I'm not sure if this can be considered infidelity but if you're sensitive to that topic read with caution!
Word Count: 4,877
Pairing: Zhong Chenle x Reader (mentions of Mark Lee x Reader)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Juliet's Masterlist | Requests
You can’t even say you haven’t heard from him in a while. That’s far from the truth—and in your opinion, maybe you hear from him too often. Your friendship was constructed long before any other aspect, but for as long as you could remember, it’s been you and Chenle.
Now there’s you, and there’s him. Inherently separate.
Your situation with him was simple—friends with benefits. And everything was working great at first, and the end wasn’t traumatic and the world didn’t crumble. You weren’t in love with each other, and you both mutually understood that the second someone has the potential to become more in one of your lives that you’d stop immediately.
So, when Chenle started talking to his now girlfriend, you did the right thing. The respectful thing. You backed off, and you wouldn’t say you regret it. He’s happy—happier than he was before, and that’s all you want for him. You’ve been friends for forever, after all, and what would that make you if you had ill wishes for him?
It was three months after he started dating his girlfriend that he introduced you to one of his friends, Mark. Fortunately, you got along with him well, and he gave you a much needed distraction from the empty void Chenle had left in your life. He’d been more than sex, but less than love. He gave you company and companionship, even if it was in an unconventional way.
You’d been up front and honest with Mark about your relationship with Chenle, but he didn’t mind as long as you were sure there hadn’t been feelings involved. For Chenle, you weren’t sure if he ever told his girlfriend about you. You wouldn’t blame him if he hadn’t, but considering you’d been sleeping together up until their first date, it might have been a good thing to mention.
The difference was simple—you and Mark weren’t anything, not really, but Chenle and his girlfriend were, in their words, serious. In fact, in the past four months, you hadn’t even slept with Mark. The most he was at this point was someone to keep you company.
And then everything blew up.
Chenle called you at 9 p.m., almost nine months after he started dating his girlfriend. You were in your apartment by yourself, watching the same TV show for the 70th time. You stare at your phone screen in confusion before you answer it.
“Hey,”
“Hey.” He lets out a breath, and the defeat in his voice hints something’s wrong.
“Everything okay?” you ask him, sitting up on your couch.
“We broke up.” Chenle pauses, maybe to contemplate what he says next. “Can I come see you? I know it’s random, and I probably shouldn’t, but to be bluntly fucking honest, I’ve missed you.”
“We talk all the time,” you mention and cradle your knees to your chest.
The thought of allowing Chenle here so late scares you—old habits die hard. You feel like you owe more than that to both Mark and Chenle. Mark, because while you two aren’t together, you’ve grown quite close over the past few months. Chenle, because he’s probably not thinking straight at the moment.
“You’re the only one I can talk to about this,” he mumbles.
Your heart sinks. “It was because of me?”
“I…Not exactly. It wasn’t you at all. It was us. And it was me for not saying anything.” He sighs, and you envision the way he tugs his fingers through his hair.
“You never told her?”
“I didn’t think I needed to,” he says. “What am I supposed to say? ‘Oh, hey, by the way, I used to fuck one of my closest friends on the regular, but now that you’re here, I stopped.’ That doesn’t sound great.”
“Better than her finding out some other way.” You chew on your bottom lip. “I told Mark.”
“That’s different,” Chenle replies. “You’re not dating Mark.”
A moment of silence passes between you two, and when you don’t respond, he clears his throat.
“Oh. You are.”
“It’s not like that.”
“So, what is it like? Is it like what we were?” He sounds shorter, as if he’s no longer enjoying the conversation.
You scoff. “It’s none of your business, Chenle. Mark is nice. And you’re the one who introduced us anyway.”
“Mark is nice,” he repeats, snorting. “You act like I don’t know you. Nice isn’t exactly your type.”
“You can come here if you stop being a dick,” you tell him. “But we’re only talking.”
“Good. I’ve got a lot to say.”
You debate changing after he hangs up, but Chenle’s already seen you at your worst. Your shorts and T-shirt won’t faze him in the slightest. Nerves like this haven’t swarmed you since the first time you slept with him. Clearly, your body doesn’t get the memo that this isn’t a booty call.
And when he arrives, you realize how well he fits. The dim, golden lighting reflecting off of his skin, the dark, oversized clothes he likes to wear, the way his hair is parted. Everything about him is exactly as you remember. It’s odd to think that way, because really, you’ve seen him as often as you used to. Things were just…different.
And under these circumstances, it’s awkward. But even when he was dating his girlfriend, there were times where the two of you were alone—nothing ever happened, of course, but it hadn’t ever been so nerve wracking until now.
It isn’t for long, though. Within seconds of your thoughts running wild, he’s closing the distance between you and pulling you into a tight hug. You exhale in relief and return the gesture with no hesitation. He takes a deep breath, almost as if he’s inhaling your scent.
Something about this hurts. Your ribcage suddenly feels like a prison, and all you want is for your heart to be free. Why does it feel like something’s stabbing it?
“I’m sorry for asking to come over so late,” he whispers. “And for being a dick about Mark. It’s not my business.”
There’s a twist deep in your chest. You wonder if there’s truly anything left in there.
“It’s okay, Le.” Your voice is muffled by his shirt. “Let’s sit and you can tell me what happened.”
You move away from him, lightly grabbing his hand to lead him over to your couch. When you’re both seated, he rests his head on your shoulder. You reach up to play with his hair, and instinct you became familiar with when he needed comfort back when you two were messing around.
“She asked about you.” His fingers toy with yours, warm touch gently grazing your skin. “Really, I had no idea what to say. There isn’t much to say, you know? So, that’s what I said. I told her we’ve been friends for forever and…that’s it.”
“Technically not wrong.” You chuckle, but the ache within you only grows.
“I went to shower and when I got out, she was going through my phone. By the time I realized what she was doing, she’d already found more than enough to be pissed.”
“What was it?”
“Pictures. In our text conversations from like…almost a year ago. I get why she was upset, you know? But it’s not like they were recent. Or even in my camera roll, for fuck’s sake.” He shuffles a bit closer, his warmth pressing into you. “But I should’ve checked and made sure. Or something. So, I’m sorry someone else saw those, (Y/N).”
“Did I look good at least?” you joke.
“Oh, fuck off.” He laughs, shaking his head. “You always look good and you know it.”
You get a sudden, overwhelming urge to look at him. His words make your stomach turn, and you’re desperate to figure out what the hell is going on with you.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He ponders for a moment. “I thought I’d be a little more upset, but the only thing I was really thinking about was coming to see you.”
Chenle sits up, eyebrows slightly furrowed as he takes you in. His gentle brown eyes trail over you, unrecognizable emotions swimming around in his irises. You find him still as extraordinary as ever. His features so sharp, lips perfectly full. You fight the craving to reach out and trace his jawline.
“It’s just…” he murmurs. “It just always comes back to you, doesn’t it?”
“Chenle…”
“It’s been so long,” he continues. “Since I’ve seen you like this.”
“We hung out all the time.”
“No. Not like this. I know why you did, but you got so distant from me. Didn’t you ever think about me? That whole time?” He wets his lips.
“How could you ask me that?” you breathe out. “I thought about you all the time, but you weren’t mine to think about.”
“When I thought of you, it used to hurt. I used to have to distract myself from you because it was wrong to want you when I had everything else.” His gaze flicks down to your lips, and you feel every ounce of you crumble to pieces.
“It’s not…wrong anymore,” you say.
His eyes flutter shut, eyelashes brushing against his cheeks, and the next thing you know, his mouth is on yours. You let out a shaky breath against him, but quickly reciprocate what he gives you. All hesitation is out the window now, all thoughts of him being too upset at a moment like this fly from your brain.
It’s Chenle. He’s kissing you. This is familiar. Right, even.
“God, it’s been too long.” He reaches up to cup your cheek, thumb rubbing your skin. “Need you, baby. Never wanna lose you like that again.”
Your heart is beating so fast, you’re not exactly sure how to respond to that. The longer you take in every word leaving his mouth, the quicker you realize what’s happening to you.
You haven’t slept with Mark because you do have feelings for Chenle. It hits you like a freight train, and the fear sinks in only for a second before you slam your lips back to his. Being with him like this feels good, like nothing could go wrong.
The quietest moan slips from his mouth into yours, and just like it used to, heat floods your core. His hand slips beneath your shirt, his scalding touch trailing across your side before settling on the small of your back.
You pull away from him and gently push against his chest. “Do you even know what you’re doing right now?”
“Need a distraction.” He swallows hard. “That’s what we are for each other right? She’s out of the picture, so I get to have you again?”
You shake your head. “Only when we’re both available. Not just you.”
“Did you fuck him?” Chenle tone drops, a dark hint of jealousy gracing those narrowed brown eyes. One of his hands drops down to your thigh, tracing along the hem of your shorts. “Is that why you don’t want me anymore? He’s better or something?”
You let out a shaky breath. “I—Chenle, I haven’t.”
Wetting his lips, his touch trails higher, his skin burning against yours in the best way. “Don’t you miss me? Or at least the way I made you feel? When’s the last time someone made you cum?”
He notices when your legs press together, desperate for any sort of friction between them. You’re fighting every urge you have, wanting nothing more than to have Chenle right here on your couch, but something holds you back.
Leaning closer, he hums lowly in your ear, “You know what I can do.” His lips press against the spot below your ear, slowly heading down until his tongue runs along your pulse.
“Damn it,” you groan, pushing him back. “Take your pants off.”
As you stand up to push your shorts and panties to the floor, he lifts his hips to push his sweats to down his legs. He reaches into his boxers and strokes himself slowly.
“C’mon, baby.” He smirks at you. “Sit on it.”
You straddle his lap, bracing your hands on his shoulders as he pulls his cock out. One hand grips your hip and he holds you above him.
“Do we need a condom?” he asks, gaze glazed with want.
“I haven’t slept with anyone,” you mutter, face heating up for more reasons than one.
“It was just…” he trails off and gulps. “You know. I’m clean.”
The idea of him with her is almost enough to snap you out of it, but the last thing you plan on doing is getting off his lap. You ignore the sting of your heart and instead trade it for the sting of your walls stretching to accommodate Chenle with no prep. Whining at the pain, you stop after a couple inches.
“S’okay, baby,” he encourages you. “Take it slow.”
You dig your nails into his shoulders, lifting up before sinking back down to take a bit more of him than the last time. He breathes heavily, biting down on his bottom lip while his chest heaves.
“Just a little more.” Chenle slowly pulls you closer until he’s fully seated inside you.
The stretch has your legs shaking, whimpers escaping you as he whispers praises to you.
“Such a good girl,” he coos. “Letting me fill this pretty pussy with my cock.”
Chenle tugs your shirt over your head, freeing your bare breasts. He lets out a small sound at the sight before leaning down to kiss them, teeth nipping and tongue flicking your nipple.
Unable to hold back anymore, you push him back harshly. His lips part as you grind, sweet moans escaping him at the same time yours do.
“So tight,” he groans. “You waited ‘cause you knew no one else could do this to you, huh?”
“Shut up,” you command him.
His eyebrows raise for the briefest moment, until you start bouncing on his cock. Wetness starts squelching around the two of you, aiding you in your quick movements on top of him.
“Yeah, that’s it, baby.” Chenle thrusts up to match you, hands trailing around your body to squeeze your ass harshly. A slap comes next, the sound resounding through the room.
Your hips jolt, thrown off your rhythm at the stinging sensation on your skin. Nails leaving angry, red crescent moons in his skin, you rock back and forth to stabilize yourself before continuing. The sound of your arousal would embarrass you under any other circumstances, but the fucked out expression on Chenle’s face is enough to keep you going.
You don’t hold back your moans, letting the needs of your body take over instead of whatever the hell is going on in your head. He feels so fucking good inside you, the rough slide of his length against your walls, the way he throbs with want for you. The twitch of his cock inside you has a knot tightening in your stomach.
“Look at me,” he says roughly.
You don’t bother listening, too focused on your own pleasure to justify stopping.
“I said fucking look at me.” He grabs your face, pulling you close so you're inches away from him, hooded, hazy brown eyes devouring you. “Keep fucking yourself on my cock.”
You let out a weak moan, legs aching as you continue, but you know you need more. Trying to grind down, you do whatever you can to get friction on your clit. Whines slip past your lips, with the mind-shattering high just out of reach.
“Use your words, pretty girl.” Chenle slaps your ass again.
“Close,” you practically whimper. “Touch me. Fuck, please.”
Immediately, he lets go of his harsh grip on your cheeks, reaching between you two and quickly finding your clit. Your nails scratch down his shoulders, leaving marks as his fast circles push you over the edge.
You scream out in pleasure, your vision blacking out as you’re swept up in your climax. Crumpling into him, you squirm on top of him until he wraps his arm around your waist, warm seed coating your insides.
His chest heaves, lips parting as he rests his head back on the couch cushion. He gulps and strokes your hair while still slowly rocking up into you. You finally work up the energy to get off of him, but he holds you down.
“No,” he murmurs, breathless. “Not yet. Not done.”
Your body heats all over again, the idea of another round sends tingle down your spine. Goosebumps form on your skin, but you listen. Something has to make up for the lost time between you two.
“Need you again.” He nips where your neck and shoulder connects. “Can I take you to your room?”
You nod, unable to speak. He lifts you deftly from the couch, carefully walking over to your room like he’s done hundreds of times before. You hold onto him desperately, never wanting to let him go for more reasons than one.
As soon as you’re both on your bed, he’s already beginning to thrust again. You dig your nails into his back, but he grabs both of your wrists and pins them above your head.
“Be good,” he warns, filling you up over and over, ever so slowly. “Little pussy’s so greedy, sucking me in like this.”
Your eyes roll back in your head, the weight of him on top of you making you whine until your throat’s raw.
Every nerve-ending is on edge from your previous high, skin tingling and burning wherever his fingers trace shapes on you. You can barely keep your eyes open, the gentle brush of his chest against yours has your weak-minded state reading into this much more than you should.
If you could form actual words, you’d probably accidentally confess to him. He works through his own overstimulation, his jaw clenched tightly as he works your body expertly.
“I missed you,” he whispers, dipping his head down to nip along your neck. “Did you miss me?”
“Yes,” you force out, barely able to muster up the words. “God, yes.”
He hums, tonguing along the pulse in your neck. “You didn’t fuck him ‘cause he can’t make you feel like this, can he?”
You want to be mad at him for bringing Mark up at a time like this, but his words only make you shiver. He’s right. You can’t be mad at him when he’s right, and certainly not when your brain is fuzzy with the pleasure of his cock rubbing so, so slowly against your inner walls. Nobody could ever fill you like Chenle does.
“Answer me.” He thrusts particularly hard, jolting you up the mattress.
“Fuck, he can’t make me feel like you do.” You’re not entirely sure if your words are coherent, but Chenle seems satisfied by what you said.
“And you’d better remember that, too.” He releases your wrists and reaches between you two, resuming circles on your clit. “Could fuck you all night. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Getting your cunt filled with my cum as many times as you can handle?”
You wrap your legs around his waist in a desperate attempt to keep him close, the angle allowing him slightly deeper inside you. Between the delicious stretch of your walls and the uniform, skilled rubbing on your sensitive bud, your body shudders uncontrollably. Your back arches and your hands fly to his hair, loud, obscene moans pouring from your lips.
Chenle’s thrusts pick up as he helps you ride out your high, eyebrows furrowed as he tries to keep his steady pace. He slows to a stop, sweat making his hair stick to his forehead, he kisses you, tongue already slipping past your lips to dominate your mouth the same way he’s dominated the rest of you.
“Think you can get on all fours for me?” he asks, his breath fanning across your face.
“Again?”
“Please, baby, I’m close already, just need a little more.” He presses kisses on your cheeks and the tip of your nose. “I need it so bad.”
You nod, shakily removing your legs from around his waist. He guides you to the position he wants, your head resting on the mattress as he squeezes your ass.
“You’re still so fucking wet,” he groans, a slap resonating around the room. “Might wanna hold on, pretty girl. I’m not going easy on you.”
Despite being an absolute rag doll, you clench in excitement at the idea of having him inside you again. You push back toward him, urging him to fuck you. He uses his knee to nudge your legs apart, and even though they’re shaking, you plan on letting him pound into you until they fucking give out.
He runs the head up and down your folds, switching between barely pushing his tip inside and tapping it on your clit.
“God, I can’t fucking take this anymore,” Chenle growls, and the next thing you know, he’s thrusting inside you with as much force as he can. You scream, gripping onto the sheets and biting down on a pillow to attempt to silence yourself.
With all the stimulation, you feel constantly on the edge of another orgasm. His hips slap against your ass, the clapping sounds emphasizing your pleasure. Squelches of wetness float around too, the stickiness dripping down your thighs onto the bed the longer he has you in this position.
He shifts slightly so his balls smack your twitching clit with every thrust. You’re barely able to think straight, and you’re half-sure you’re drooling, but Chenle slams you into your third orgasm of the night rather easily. Your legs threaten to buckle, and he loops his arm around you to keep you up.
After a couple more thrusts, he moans loudly and spills deep inside you, chest heaving at the effort. Both of you wait in silence for a few moments, him to regain composure and you to remember how to breathe. He gently pulls out of you, turning you to drop your back down on the mattress. Once he gets out of bed, he stops in front of you and pulls you to the edge by your ankles. Nudging your legs apart, he sinks down to his knees.
“What are you doing?” you ask, rising up to your shaky elbows.
“Need a taste,” he says, mesmerized by the mess leaking out of your entrance. Swiping some of it up on his finger, he offers it to you. “Taste us, pretty girl. We’re so good together.”
You lean closer and wrap your lips around him, giving a harsh suck before you release him.
“God, baby, your pussy is so perfect when you’re leaking my cum.”
You’re not expecting him to move forward and flatten his tongue against your core. He holds your hips down to the bed, tentatively licking your slit. Without much effort from him, he’s reduced you to a mewling mess again, core throbbing with sensitivity even when he barely touches you. Your arms immediately give out, slumping you back onto the sheets as he works your core with his tongue.
It’s odd how much the idea of him eating you out when he came inside you turns you on. As limp as your body is, you relish in all of the pleasure he’s willing to give you. His tongue dances around your slit, alternating between slipping it between your folds and flicking your clit. You lazily tangle your fingers in his hair, tugging just enough for him to moan against you.
Your hips jerk when his lips wrap around your bud, and next thing you know, his hands hold you down. You call out his name, pulling with the grip you have on his hair to tell him you’re much too sensitive to continue.
“I know, baby,” he murmurs, blowing cold air on you. “Just a little bit more, okay? One more time.”
And then he’s back at the apex of your thighs, working much faster and harsher with his movements to get you to the edge faster. You shatter all over again, a mantra of noises passing by your lips as your thighs clench around his head.
You must actually black out for a moment, because when you come to, Chenle has pulled away from your core, his lips and chin coated with your arousal. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, his expression equally as exhausted as yours.
He grabs a towel to clean you up, but both of you are beyond tired from all the activity. You shift up on your bed, not bothering to say anything else to him as you slide beneath your blanket. When you and Chenle did things before, he always stayed. He always pulled you into his chest and whispered sweet nothings into your ear until you fell asleep.
You’re not sure if that will be the case today.
Except he does. He carefully crawls into bed next to you, turning you toward him and pulling you to him. Kissing the top of your head, he taps his fingers against your arm.
“I really missed you,” he says.
“Me, too.” You nod, but something makes your heart twist in your chest.
“Can I be honest for a second?”
“Of course.”
“I knew the pictures were there,” he whispers. “Maybe it’s shitty, but I couldn’t delete them. Sometimes, I looked back at our old conversations—not the sexual ones—and just…thought of you. I couldn’t do anything to erase you and what we did from my life. I didn’t want to.”
You wonder if that’s his idea of a confession. If he’s trying to tell you he has unresolved feelings for you.
“Then why did you stay with her?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “Everyone liked her. My mom told me she thought I’d end up marrying her. She obviously didn’t know about…this. But I couldn’t fucking stop, (Y/N). Everything came back to you.”
“We’ll talk about this in the morning,” you offer. “I’m exhausted.”
“Yeah…” Chenle takes a deep breath. “Yeah. Let’s talk in the morning.”
You and Chenle wake at the same time, to the sound of his phone on the bedside table. Groaning, you massage your forehead and turn away from him. When he answers it, your interest is piqued.
“Hey.” Sleep still weighs on his voice, making it scratchy. “No, I’m not at home.”
There’s a pause, and the vague sound of the other person responding makes your heart twist violently in your chest. It’s her.
“Would you stop jumping to conclusions? I’m at Jisung’s.” Irritation laces in his tone.
You should say something. Let her know somehow that he’s lying, but you don’t. You stay silent in your hurt and wait to see what he could possibly do next.
“Yeah, forgive me for not wanting to be alone after what happened.” Chenle scoffs and runs his fingers through his hair. A sigh follows. “Damn it, I told you that was done. I’m sorry you saw those, okay? They’re from…over a year ago. It didn’t seem relevant to bring it up, and she’s still my friend, so.”
Friend. You almost laugh out loud, but again, you don’t say a word.
“Yeah, of course. Where?”
Another pause from Chenle.
“Yeah, I’ll stop by my house and then I’ll be over there. I’ll see you in half an hour?”
Your heart feels like it’s being shredded into a thousand tiny pieces.
“Thank you.” He sighs, his body deflating. “I’m so sorry for all of this, you know that, right? I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
Tears sting your eyes, and as soon as he hangs up the phone, he hops up to go grab his clothes from the living room. You sit up in your bed, blanket clutched to your chest as you watch him scramble to get dressed.
“I’m sorry, (Y/N), I have to go,” he says, walking back into your room. Leaning in, he attempts to press a kiss to your lips. You turn away from him, chewing the inside of your cheek.
“Where are you going?” you ask, even though you already know the answer.
“She…She wants to talk it out. And I have to go. You understand why, right?” His eyes widen as he scans over your face.
When you say nothing, he sighs.
“I’ll text you later. You can answer or not. Whatever you want to do.” He walks toward the door to your bedroom, but you stop him when he reaches the threshold.
Your eyes sting, your body’s sore, and all you wanted was to tell him the truth this morning. Now it’s clear to you—he’ll never feel the same way for you. He’ll drop anything and everything—you included—if it meant getting her back.
“Chenle.”
He stops, turning to you.
“She’s going to make you choose,” you warn him. “Between her and me.”
Chenle pauses, fingertips gripping the frame. “I know.”
With that, you have nothing else to say, and he wouldn’t have time to hear it anyway. He leaves without another word to you, and when he’s far enough away, your tears finally fall. You want to scream and yell, but your throat is too raw from the long night before to even attempt it.
#nct#nct dream#chenle#nct imagines#nct dream smut#nct scenarios#zhong chenle#chenle x reader#chenle angst#chenle fluff#chenle smut#nct smut#nct angst
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ménage à trois
summary: it's date night for your partners and you. you should have known tonight was going to be a mess from the moment you saw their matching grins.
fandom: olivia dejonge | austin butler | elvis 2022
pairing: austin butler x olivia dejonge x reader
rating: m.
word count: 1866
warnings: orgasm denial. dom/sub dynamics. kind of mommy and daddy kink. vibrating panties. p in v sex, implied to be protected re: birth control. oral ( f receiving ) so much teasing.
author's note: welcome to a late day 18 for kinktober, threesome with olivia dejonge and austin butler. y'all i missed writing threesomes/poly fics. i did a bunch for the last fandom i actively wrote in and back in my first fandom so this is just a return to form. going back home as elvis would say. see also: it's been a long time, baby. a long time. also exhausted writing this, apologies for any errors i missed.
You should have known when you saw Olivia grinning like the cat that got the canary with Austin following behind her. You should have known that tonight was going to end in an interesting way for you. However, you trusted your girlfriend. Trusted her more than you trusted Austin purely because you had been dating Olivia for longer, you trusted her with your life. Austin- well, he had some catching up to do. He knew that though, knew that he'd have to treat you like a queen to prove that he wasn't just in this for the thrill of being with two women. He had to make sure he took care of both of you. Was it perhaps the healthiest way to introduce him into your relationship? Debatable. Was it working for the three of you with enough communication to make any therapist proud? Yes.
Trusting Olivia had been a mistake as you realized once you saw her pull out what looked like a small vibrator and what was her favorite pair of panties on you from Austin's pants pocket. Your initial response is to say no, it's date night, there's no need to play with something like that on date night but you see how expectant they look and how they're practically begging, well you can't ever say no to their matching blue gazes.
It leads you to where you are right now, sitting across from them with Olivia teasing you, alternating between having no vibrations and turning it to full blast. Austin lets Olivia set the pace, grinning at you while giving the other patrons and the staff of the restaurant the most charming smile and aura he can manage. You hate it. You hate how he's calm and collected in his suit while you- also shoved into a suit because in Olivia's words, "if we put you in a dress Austin would have you bent over before we left the house and bouncing on his dick in the car, I chose the matching suit, babe."- are practically a panting mess in your suit.
The problem with the suit and the problem with the panties and the problem with everything about this is that you can feel how wet you are. You can feel how wet you are and you can't even do anything about it. In a skirt or in a dress, you could convince Austin- beg Austin to touch you and he'd be the great dom that he was and oblige his princess. Or you could get Olivia to put down the remote and just touch her fellow goddess. In the suit, you're left clenching your thighs together and subtly humping the air trying to gain some form of friction to relieve the growing ache between your legs. You can't even come because Olivia refuses to turn it to enough of a vibration for enough time to let you fall off that edge.
You see dessert being placed in front of you, a chocolate cake that has you salivating just a bit but that might be from the fact that Olivia has had you wanting to come for a good minute under what you swear is the highest setting on the vibrating panties. You wouldn't be surprised if your drool is coming from that, after all your doms did always tell you that you looked so pretty when you begged, when you had all that spit making a mess for them. Austin gets up and you're concerned for a minute before you see him head to the bathroom and you let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding until you feel someone behind you.
"How's my baby girl doing? You haven't come, have you? Mama's teasing you and wouldn't let daddy take care of you. Wish I could already have you coming on my fingers. Make it so I can have two of my favorite flavors mixing. You and this dark chocolate. You're doing so good for us. Just a little longer, baby girl." Austin whispers lowly in your ear, his breath ghosting over neck and sending a shiver down your spine. "You're always such a good girl. Wanna prove to everyone we've got the best girl. No one else compares."
You whimper, shutting your eyes as your chest starts to heave with the effort of trying not to feel his breath and register his words. Olivia takes note and turns the vibration setting to zero and you can't help the small cry of distress that leaves you. When Austin sits back down finally you see his eyes darken and before you know it he's waving down a waiter and asking for containers to go.
"Our date's feeling a little under the weather now. We just want to get her home and in bed. You know how it is." Austin's lie falls from his lip with such an ease that you bite your lip at how honestly hot it kind of is.
You exit the restaurant gripping Olivia's hand tightly with Austin following close behind, his hand settling on her lower back. You see cameras flashing but pay them hardly any mind- after all your mind hand narrowed itself down to a world consisiting of the the three of you. You barely remember the car ride home beyond Austin's white knuckled grip of the steering wheel and Olivia's praise and touches as she kissed up your neck.
"Such a good girl, so good to mama and her daddy. Been such a quiet girl. Mama knows how hard that is for her girl. No one knew you were struggling not to come apart in front of us. We're almost home. We're almost to our bed where you can get whatever you want for being such a good girl. Have you thought about it? Thought about who you want first?" She asks, nuzzling at your neck, her hands feeling your chest through the suit.
The words sound foreign and your head lulls to the side a little before you focus on Austin's grip of the wheel and Olivia's touch burning a fire on your skin. It takes a minute for the words to form in your mouth and exit it. "Him? Maybe. Wanna taste you and have him fuck me while I do. Can I have that?"
Her lips curl into a smirk you can feel against your neck before she huffs out a laugh. The air from it has you shivering. "Of course, baby. Your reward."
The fact that you don't immediately jump into Austin's arms when you reach the house is a feat and Olivia once again murmurs praise in your ear about it, nipping at the lobe and making sure you hear every word. Austin for his part manages to get the door open in record time, pulling you both inside in a flash. Your eyes register his hands- her hands undoing your pants and someone undoing the suit jacket and- you lose track of whose fingers are against your skin. You lose track of whose lips follow those fingers, brushing against your skin. You lose track of whose tongue is tracing your nipple but you can't help the way you keen at it, grabbing at the hair only to realize it's Austin and you three have somehow made it to the bedroom with everyone's clothes strewn across the floor on the way to the room. In a flash you find yourself being pushed softly onto the bed as Olivia postions herself best to allow you to lick at her clit and cunt, to finger her within an inch of her life to- do everything you wanted. The look she gives you before she actually sits on your face is one of complete adoration. You find it makes your body feel warm down to your toes.
Austin lines himself up with you and pushes in slowly, careful not to jostle Olivia in the process. You groan against her cunt, the vibrations causing her to let out a sigh that sounds like a whimper if the rushing blood through your ears hasn't hurt your hearing that bad. He waits for a single set of two taps to go forward, to set a comfortable pace. It takes you a minute but he feels those two taps against his back and starts to thrust in and out of you, gently and softly at first, his hands playing with your breasts as well as Olivia's. His tongue and lips wrapping around her nipples to hear the noises he loves from both of you. Your tongue flicks at her clit as Austin gets quicker. You want to come, but no one has said you could come yet.
"Aus. Y/N, oh my God- why- I'm seriously going to come first, aren't I?" She asks, her thighs tightening around your head, sending a new sensation through your body. You can breathe but you're reminded she can crush you if she wanted to like this. Your hand moves to curl your fingers inside of her and it's not long before you feel her clenching around your fingers and coming with a choked off moan. It takes her a second to catch her breath, noting how Austin is still slowly fucking you, teasing you even longer with his thrusts. She frowns.
"Our girl has been good Austin, give her what she needs. Fuck her." She feels your pleased hum and has to shiver, the sensation feeling rough against her oversensitive clit.
It's as if that was the cue he needed, as his thrusts are quicker, faster, an almost jackhammer like speed has taken over Austin but it's helping you slide to your release quicker. Olivia's managed to get off of you so that Austin can see your face as she kisses it. His eyes narrow as he studies your face while he fucks you. He takes a second to breathe before continuing to speak. "Come, baby girl. Let daddy have your come all over his cock. He'll fill you up too. Such a good girl deserves everything she loves. My best girl."
Your hand reaches out to grasp at Olivia's as you find yourself practically trying to break your back with how hard you arch upward into Austin's torso and thrusts. Your throat closes up when you try and make a sound but when you flop back onto the bed Austin follows you shortly after, coming with a low groan that you feel vibrate in your soul. His body flops on yours unceremoniously as you try and catch your breath, shivering slightly from the sensations still overwhelming you. You feel two sets of hands in your hair and feel a kiss on either cheek.
"Are you okay?" They ask, eyeing your reactions to things and how your chest is still heaving. "Red or are we on-"
You cut them off with a shake of your head. "Yellow. Just give me a minute and I wanna- I want more. Can I have more?"
Olivia and Austin look at each other and back at you, matching grins not unlike the ones they gave you earlier in the day on their faces. "Say the word, baby girl. Say the word."
You say the word. They're true to theirs.
#austin butler#olivia dejonge#austin butler x reader#olivia dejonge x reader#olivia dejonge x austin butler#olivia dejonge x austin butler x reader#austin butler smut#austin butler x you#austin butler x y/n#olivia dejonge smut#olivia dejonge x you#ally's kinktober 2022#ally writes#kinktober 2022
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Why'd you only call me when you're high
Pairing: Rhett Abbott x Fem!Reader
Warning: Angst, Fluff, Swear words, Drunk, Sexual Harassment (not from Rhett)
Summery: Rhett had sent a message that couldn't be reversed, but he wasn't regretted it.
Word count: 1.4k
A/N: Much like Rhett this fiction was an accident 😩 and this is my first Rhett's fanfiction! Hope you enjoy it and Merry Christmas y'all! ⛄🎄🎅
Fuck.
The only vulgar word spontaneously came up in Rhett’s mind as he gazed at the rectangle screen on his hand.
He seemed to be sober quickly enough after seeing the mess he made; obviously, he makes a mess quite often, but this one was not practically what he expected.
After breaking up with Rhett, you never kept in touch with him again, even though your reason appeared to be rational. You and Rhett agreed to call it quits and pretended as though you had never been friends, lovers, or even acquaintances.
Except that the town is too small for you to keep acting like you don't know each other. You could have run into him any time, yet you avoided it—at least you tried—until last night.
You never expected to meet him at the bar; you knew what day he went to hang out with his friends, and you avoided every day that was possible for a week, which felt like a year, after splitting up.
Yet last night, he had made your plan pointless, and you were frustrated because he always seems to ruin what you intended to do, and you hated him for these facts.
He came up at the bar half an hour after you. You wanted to leave, but you couldn’t. The annoying, muscular man won’t leave you alone.
Rhett sat far across the room, but you could see him. He glared at you and the man for awhile until some blonde girl brought his attention from you to her.
You were upset. No. Jealous.
You knew that you were forbidden to have that kind of feeling. You and Rhett were the past. You should move on; you just don’t know about him.
The cold hand that landed on your crossed tights brought your consciousness to look at their owner.
“Are you alright, Y/N?” He asked.
“Yeah, where are we?”
You don’t know why you asked him that question. You should have ended the conversation and gone home right away. You don’t want to see Rhett with another women; somehow, you hope that he felt the same as you when he saw you with the man.
“I just wanted to know that you have another plans for tonight?”
He cooed while his hands crawled up along your tight, you tilted away from those uncomfortable moves, yet he still didn’t understand your intention.
You looked at Rhett, and unsurprisingly, he was making out with that blonde girl in just three minutes after he sat.
He always got the girl.
That’s the truth about Rhett. Even when he's with you, so many girls in town are trying to steal him away from you. Yes. Another facts.
He loved you. Or still love you. You’re not certain about that, but you’re certain that you couldn’t be with the man that everyone wanted. Of course, you trust him.
You just…exhausted.
He’s so kind to everyone. The way that he treated you is nothing different from how he treated anyone else. You couldn’t see the differences between you and another girl.
You had talked to him about this, and yet he still couldn’t understand your point. Some girls even say that you’re just his new toy, and when he gets bored, he will throw you away. So, you throw him away before he does.
His male friends also say that you’re too clingy. Well. You had every right to be. Rhett defended you, of course, but everything doesn’t seems right to you. Everyone seems to have no respect for you as Rhett’s girlfriend, even worse than when you two are just friends. So, you had to fall back.
You and Rhett called it quit after three months together and another ten years of your friendship too. Great. You ruined it before anyone else did.
“Did you hear me, Y/N?” The man in front of you asked again.
“Oh yeah, umm, I already have plans for tonight, Sorry” You said with a regretful expression even though inside you didn’t feel anything at all.
“Really?, that’s too bad” His hands crawled up on your tight again. You tried to tilt away but he followed.
“Get your hands away from me, please”
“What you’re talking about?” He pretended to not understand what you’re talking about.
You spontaneously looked at Rhett’s direction to asked for help like you always do when some men make you uncomfortable at the bar back when you two were friends, but he wasn’t there anymore. You couldn’t asked for any helps.
The man attacked you harder. He places his hand on your lower abdomen, just an inch away from your private area. You pushed him away, despite the fact that he’s stronger than you. He wasn’t even flinching. No one wanted to help you. Obviously.
Your heart was pounding harder, but before you could blink, you saw the man being hit in the head with a pint glass. Blood dropped from his injury. You looked at your side. It was Rhett.
“She said, Get your dirty hands away from her!” His face were redder than ever. You swore you never saw him being this furious.
“What the fuck?!” He punched Rhett in the face, and Rhett punched back. Suddenly, the staff was trying to stop them, when the siren sounded. The man ran away, and Rhett was lying on the floor. His face was covered in blood. You rushed to check on him and helped him up.
You took him outside the club at the back door to avoid the police. You started to hear him chuckling.
“What’s so funny!?” You pushed him. He looked at you with a grin.
“You care”
“What?” You asked with a question mark on your head.
“You care about me”
“Of course, I care about you!” Your eyes and his meet each other.
“You’re drunk, you should go home.” You cut the conversation before everything go under your control.
You drove him home and leave him on his couch; apparently, he’s drunk even before he was inside the club. Rhett was not a lightweight. You know that. You heard that he was always drunk after you and him split up. You just don’t have any idea that you’re the reason that he was never sober.
You woke up at 9 a.m. and checked your phone straight away as usual, but you were stunned by a notification.
13 missed calls from Rhett and one message.
You inhaled before opening the message box that the last message is about two weeks ago that Rhett told you he loved you, but you ignored it.
“I love you, Y/N. I miss you. I couldn’t sleep without you. I was nothing before I met you, and I had a glimpse of everything you gave me, but I didn’t cared. I’m so so so sorry. I love you. I love your warmth. I love your touch. I love your voice. I love your smile. I love every inches of you. I miss your touch that gave me positive energy every day, and now I don’t have any of that to keep me alive. You’re my power, my soul, and my life. So, how could I live without you? You’re important to me. Please, come back to me, my love. I love you! I love you! I love you!”
It was unexpected that he waited a week to write it. You fell off guard since he walked in to the bar. You tears dropped. You love him, and you missed him too.
You missed it. You missed the way he looked at you. The way he kissed you. The way he grabbed your hands. The way he fucked you. Gosh, when did you love him so madly? Why did you let him go?!
Rhett looked at the message box that showed read. He sent you a message last night without any consciousness. He was drunk, but obviously everything he wrote was true.
He typed this message for a week and hesitated to send it to you. Yes. It made him feel ashamed that he was unable to say it in front of you since you were avoiding him. He thought that you would despise him because of the message but the results were unexpected.
The doorbell rang, causing Rhett to get back from his thoughts. He yelled, “Wait a minute!” and rushed to open the door.
It was you. In front of his house.
He couldn’t believe it. He thought that he was dreaming for awhile until your lips touched his. And he knew he wasn’t dreaming.
Your warmth. Your touched. Your lips.
Everything in front of him is you. Everything he missed.
“I love you, Rhett.”
“I love you, too. I won’t go again. I’m yours.”
#rhett abbott x reader#rhett abbott x you#rhett abbott x y/n#rhett abbott x female reader#rhett abbott#rhett abbott angst#rhett abbott fluff#outer range
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I guess if I want to write a travelogue/write up post about my 4-stop journey following the first chunk of Everything Everything's 2023 US tour then I have to just... do it!! If this is of interest to anyone other than me then GREAT and if not then it's still special to me to try to write down and remember everything I can uwu
FIRST STOP WASHINGTO-- wait, no, actually, first stop, on my way out of town, the local donut shop in my neighborhood, a place that I absolutely adore and patronize all the time with staff who mostly know me by now/some of whom are my instagram friends/etc. i'd checked with the Pittsburgh venue ahead of time to see if it was okay to send in outside food as a gift to the band even though they have a cafe/bar in their own right, and whoever I corresponded with said it would be totally fine, so I talked to the donut shop manager and set up a delivery of a dozen for the lads for Saturday before their show here. advance paid for that, as well as getting my own breakfast and coffee hehe, and then hit the road. OKAY FOR REAL FIRST STOP WASHINGTON DC!!! This was the second-longest leg of my Car Driving and it was definitely a wee bit exhausting but I had a podcast or two and a ton of E E on shuffle to bolster me through and I made it to my mom's friends' house, where I was staying, with relative ease. The venue was within a not-too-unreasonable walking distance too so after a change of clothes (I had very distinct and deliberate Show Outfits for each night that were fully separate from my travelin' clothes) and a bunch of fussing with the bracelets™ I headed over!! stopped for empanadas and a smoothie on the way and then queued up!!
aaaaahh this was such a nice fun queue. I was maybe about a dozen-ish people back from the front, down about half a block, and once I finished scarfing down my food this was my first real experience with doling out the bracelets. so fun! I'm glad it was basically an instant hit! AND I even got a few trades in this queue--one person gave me a Man Alive / Tin / E E bracelet with teeny tiny beads, super fun, and one person with a SHITTON of kandi stuff gave me one that had the name of a flower genus on it?? i think they said it was?? I love the colors on this one! And one person traded me a Blow Pop. lmao. I should eat that before it sits in my fanny pack for too long. I also really enjoyed chatting with the two guys right in front of me (Nick and Alex?), who were from south-central PA and had a couple other fandom touchstones in common with me (mcelroys/dnd/BDG! I love this Venn diagram!!) as well as a big love for E E. We didn't really see much of each other beyond the point of getting inside but I liked y'all a lot!! Hope you had as great a time as I did!!
Black Cat is where I saw E E the first time I EVER SAW THEM, which was almost exactly six years ago from this gig, which is insaaaane. The space is kind of narrow so there's not a huge amount of stage barrier space right at the front, so Becky and I ended up pretty much at the front but almost aa-all the way stage left/Jeremy-side. coulda been worse hehehe. We kind of loitered and chatted with nearby folks, I think maybe becky checked out merch ahead of the show ? but I kind of just held down the fort, enjoying setup stuff, pete running around etc hehe. getting BLASTED by the AC, which was nice.
the ummmm the opener! our first experience with Pierre! I gotta say his general style is not for me, despite the fact that I do think he's very talented and good at the thing he's doing. this first night especially he was SO sweaty and I felt bad for him lmao, you could like see it dripping off him. i am so curious as to why/how he got paired with the boys for this tour, like, what aligned in such a way that this match was made, because my general vibe on the crowd/his audience/etc was that we the fans of the nerdy white english mathy rocker guys were not exactly his demo LOL. BUT i will say in DC I do think he had one little pocket of strong-contingency fans because I kept hearing big whoops and cheers coming from one specific audience spot and I loved that for him lmao. for some reason i cannot explain I actually almost found his backing/support musician guy (the guy who was basically his version of peter) more compelling. I wanna know THAT dude's story lol.
so when he finished up we had a little interlude aaaannndd the setlist appeared... hehe. I could def have peered up to look at it from where I was, but I was telling myself I wanted to be surprised, and was deliberately looking away........ until suddenly everyone around me was gasping and going HOLY SHIT and I was like, ugghhh okay, I will check JUST enough to figure out what that's all about, and what that was all about was immediately apparent because smack in the middle of the set were a Man Alive track (which we never get in the states bar MY KZ) and something that just said "New Song." AND LIKE, OKAY, THAT'S A JUSTIFIED HOLY SHIT. new song????? so now we had THAT to contend with coming up, and aaaaaaah. ahh. yeah holy shit indeed.
it's also while we're standing there that AG pops into view, (or maybe I first spotted him during Pierre's set? Chronology is irrelevant), back off behind Becky from me in the other direction, and we waved over at him to say hi and he says to us, "All four of them are bleached blond." And my gut instinct was to be like, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU, but also the truth in my heart was that there was absolutely no justification for not believing them, because of course they would, and sure enough these bozos roll out onto the stage and they are all four draco malfoy-ass bleach blond. God it looks a mess on Jeremy LOL and while the color/dye job wasn't bad on Alex, it was clear his finer hair wasn't holding up as well against the chemicals because it was just a fluffy riot mess. BUT GOD IT WAS REALLY SO INCREDIBLY STRIKING OF A VISUAL for them to be all be wearing all pure white/beige clothes and then to have this bleach-white hair and all of it catching and glowing under the stage lights... god... clearly the effect they were going for and it WORKED, IT REALLY DID. I think it looks so damn goofy (mostly on jez) out of context but it's ABSOLUTELY nailing the Everything Everything Gig Costumes energy/uniform thing that I felt like they'd drifted away from a little the past couple tour cycles, I'm so incredibly here for it
The set!!!! The gig!!!!!!! it wasn't a wildly different set from what we'd seen in CA last year, obviously RDF-heavy supplemented with a heaping helping of singles from the other albums too, but I remember thinking Leviathan and Pizza Boy were especially excellent aaaah. And Schoolin'! And the NEW SONG! The two pieces of it I IMMEDIATELY absorbed and retained were 'the image of a little yellow face to tell you that I'm sorry' and 'I love you like an atom bomb,' and I was spouting those two pieces back to anyone who wanted to talk to me about it for the rest of the night. I'm so lyrics-pilled/vocalist-biased. Which was.... Unfortunate, for this DC gig, because I do think the audio mix was pretty rough - at least from where we were standing so close to the front, I wonder if it was at least a tiny bit better further back into the crowd in the area the sound system was probably primarily calibrated for - and we were REALLY losing Jon in the mix, especially underneath how enthusiastically the crowd was singing along a lot of the time. We were on Jeremy's side of the stage and we were really just getting a LOT of Jeremy. (Which, the bass did sound absolutely fantastic, so hard to complain about that, at least, but still.) I was very thankful to be going to a few more gigs beyond this one so that this wasn't my only experience with it, especially New Song!!! Plus there were a bunch of other little tech difficulties too? Near the beginning of the new song, Jon's guitar strap came detached and wouldn't reconnect, and after struggling a bit with that he decided to just drift back and pass it off the stage to their tech guy--but he was still kind of singing/holding the mic, so as he moved on stage, the mic cable yanked the microphone stand straight over, too. Then the rest of the night that stand was pretty precarious and nearly fell two other times, only caught at the last minute by a true homie who was standing directly in front of it in the audience lmao. I think Becky yelled HIRE HIM! at one point. Annnnd also for like a whole verse of NOTLK jez's bass boards just kind of Gave Up. He tried switching to his other instrument but that wasn't working either, and then finally it all sort of came back online, so he played a little stretch with the wrong bass and then was able to switch back to the right bass when there was a lull in his part. SHAMBLES. lmfao. god it was a great gig though. SO FUCKING GOOD TO BE BACK I LOVE BAND UWAAAAAHH I WAS SO SWEATY AND HAPPY
afterrrr da gig, we needed very badly to drink water and so we managed to do that I believe, and we kind of loitered in the Merch Line Situation trying to figure out what was going on. I had kind of resolved not to buy merch until at least NY, part because I really didn't want to be lugging anything around with me for too much of my trip (esp on this night where I walked) and part because I'd read a post that Irving Plaza was among the venues who'd committed to not taking a cut of band merch sales and letting them keep it all, and I was like, well obvi that's where I want to spend my money. Plus it was cash only in DC and since I'd kind of told myself NY I didn't even have cash out, so it was nothing. BUT!!! homie Adrian whomst I had met at the DC Foals show last December had been there, a few people ahead of me in the queue and also rocking out yaayyy, and he was trying to get merch but the ATM inside the venue literally did not have any more cash left inside it to dispense because everyone was taking out so much of it to buy merch AAAH. so he reached out to me like 'you're going to more shows than just this one right?' and asked if I'd pick him up the stuff he wanted later and then mail it to him so he didn't have to contend with international shipping and I was like aaaah absolutely! yay gig comradeship!
so I think becky finally committed to getting in the merch line and I was mostly just waiting With Becky and there weren't a ton of people left because the venue was trying to clear out, but the handful of us who were still there, a wild Alex Robertshaw appeared up near the stage/bar. we vibed out whether he was receptive to Fan Bothering at this time but it seemed legit, so a bunch of us went over and socialized with him and took some pics, got some signatures, etc, woooo. We tried to vibe out from him also if the other guys were gonna be coming out, and when and where, but y'all know Alex is the awkwardest member of this band by a country mile and we didn't really have too coherent of a discourse at this point in time lmao. Not sure who talked to him about what at this point as I was just trying to hold down the fort and be Normal. I was able to give Alex the bracelet I'd made for him at this point (he was so cute studying on it and reading it ahaha - "rave-- kevin-- kevins rave KEVIN'S RAVE" and he smiled and I felt cool), and also meanwhile Pete was still running around stage doing roadietech type stuff and I sort of politely flagged him down like "do what you need to do if you need to do it but also: Hi lol" and I got to give him his bracelet as well! yay ♥. He complimented my shirt--I'd been getting a lot of compliments on it honestly, it's their Yellow Bird Project shirt that Jon designed some time ago, only I replaced the plain white sleeves of the original unisex tee with some sort of vermilion "girly fit" sleeves that are more comfy to me and kind of give the shirt a different look haha--and I sort of joked on that, said as much, oh, I swapped the sleeves out, "It's to cover up how sweaty I get." and Pete gave me a deadpan look and went "You don't even want to go there with me" and I was like "YEP I FEEL MUCH THE SAME" and I think we both enjoyed a moment of feeling very Seen about the sweatiness hehehehehe. I love Pete he is my heckin Friend
With no additional merch purchases (merchases) (hm, no) the venue was finally for realsies ejecting us so we drifted back out into the streets and just like... okay... now what........ this was the point at which I think our Band Groupie-ing Crew became me, Becky, Danielle in the fox ears/tail, and a lanky youth named S.P. whom I'd talked to in line earlier while doling out bracelets (he had the good E E baseball cap; he asked for an Arc bracelet and I commended him for being an Arc fan, since I feel like they are a dwindling/rarer breed, and then I offered up my hot take that Violent Sun is just the second coming and second pass at Duet, which he thought was spicy, and then he asked for my most controversial E E take and I told him that I don't really like Tin very much and he told me he doesn't really like Shark Week very much and we agreed to disagree and have a good night LOL) (anyway I digress !). It was a warm enough night and none of us really had places to be so we didn't mind just loitering and trying to suss out some more Guys other than just Alex and Pete, but slowly but surely we became basically the only fans left sticking it out. so we stuck together! We split up to try to find if there was a rear stage door at the back and SP and I went one way (the long way RIP) and Becky and Danielle went the other way and it turns out the way that SP and I went was an alleyway just FULL of rats. Too many rats in DC!! People like to talk about rats in NYC but I saw WAY more in Washington just vibing out on the sidewalks and eating trash. I'm not anti-rat, they live there and deserve to live, but oh man it was just. I did not especially want a rat encounter LOL. The rat alley DID actually lead us to where the bus was though!!, but there was also a venue security guy there who was immediately like "Nope, back up, leave, bye" and we were like. understood have a nice day, and doubled around a different way to meet back up with the other two. wwwwelp.
We loitered a bunch more and eventually saw Alex and his homies like, AT LEAST two more times, but we ultimately never saw anyone else. They p much confirmed for us that because this was the first night of the tour, they had a really intense load-out, and everyone was jetlagged to all fuck, that they probably wouldn't ever make it out, even though at least once Alex had said something ambiguous/optimistic enough to imply that they might yet, but really it just got SO late that we couldn't justify still being there for nothing instead of being like. asleep. lol. SP and Danielle got rideshares, Becky and I walked back as far as her hotel together, and then I hiked the rest of my way back too and went the fuck to SLEEP!!! FIRST GIG IN THE BOOKS!! WHAT A LOVELY NIGHT GOD IT WAS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL TO BE SEEING THEM AGAIN ngl I think the blond is really attractive on Mike with his darker brows/beard and I'm always a sl*t for jonathan so like. beautiful. finally some delicious fucking food
it was super nice of my mom's friend to let me stay with him!!! I was so delighted to see his cats again, I remembered them from the last time I was there like six or so years ago, they're sooooo floofy and beautiful aahh. he also provided me with a white noise fan without me even asking which was SO choice. zzzzz. My plan was to get up in the morning, get coffee someplace nearby at wherever he recommended, and then hit the road forrrr... Philadelphia!!! Night two!!!! I got some breakfast tacos at a hella legit place, messed up my coffee/milk/sugar ratio ever so slightly but not in an undrinkable way, and then frickin. autobot rolled out. This drive was not bad at ALL, I timed it pretty much exactly like I planned it to, which was to: get to my friend's place where I was crashing in philly with, ideally, enough time to take a small nap before I had to do anything else, because, god, despite being pretty exhausted and sleeping okay on the nice guest bed in DC, I had BARELY slept the night before I left just from Travel Antsiness and from both staying up way later and waking up way earlier than I meant to unintentionally, and a second little recharge zzz before I went and did it all over again really hit the spot.
It was soooo nice to see Mads again and to see Mr. Angus and also meet BENNY!! More host cats!! They are suuuch silly good little lads, Mads and I had a ton of Kitty Chat and just vibing out and talking about concerts and fandom and stuff, I was so thankful she let me stay with her and getting to hang out was icing on the cake of this trip! She pointed me toward the trolley I'd need to take to get to the venue, and after my baby snzzz and drinking a ton of water and suiting up in my Arc-inspired look (literally just a sweatshirt dress I bought specifically because it was color-blocked very very much like the jackets/outfits they toured Arc in, I saw it and bought it immediately lmfao) I journeyed into the city, hoping to just find a place to eat in the vicinity of the gig! I was way closer up in the queue this time, the people in front of me were really just like.... the usual suspects, Annika+squad and David+squad (incl. Becky, who'd apparently already been there when I got there but wasn't there when I arrived), and also a super-nice woman immediately in front of me named Robin who I MEGA hit it off with!!! Hanging out with her was such an awesome part of my experience at this gig!!! she's COMPLETELY Offline which is so powerful for her but I hope there's some capacity in which we can continue to be friends because she ruled.
There was a Dominican(? I think) place like one block down from the venue where a couple in front of me had gotten some stuff and so I ran down there to snag food too and holy shit this man gave me so much goddamn food. Just a HUGE pile of rice and beans and some pork ribs, and I got a pineapple fanta, and I just popped a squat on the sidewalk and ate as much of it as I could which was probably not even half of what he gave me but it wasn't even that expensive so god bless. Once I wasn't dealing with my food sitch any more I was freed up to pass out a bunch of bracelets again, and I even got a couple more trades, one that was just a bunch of black beads and a bunch of Xs and one that says 'BUSSY' which I am elated about, thank you so fucking much lmao. Also someone offered to trade me an ibuprofen LOL and I was like no that's fine the bracelet can be free... for now, but I will keep that in mind if I change my mind later LOL aaahhh i was just so excited to give the bracelets out it was such a good vector for socializing and making Friends and Gig Buddies. I did learn p quickly at Philly that I should have made way more Man Alive, GTH, and Raw Data feel bracelets because those were basically the first to go every night and then I got stuck with just sad unloved Re-Animators and AFDs :( I was trying to like! do equal amounts of everything to give everything the love because I love them all! but people got favorites out there damn lmao. I was happy to be able to give Robin the MY KZ one because she said that's the first song she ever heard by them and it's special to her because of that (and then also it's been in the touring set and she got to hear them perform it too yay!!! I don't remember if she said she'd seen them before but it had just been a very very long time, or what, idk, aaaah).
We were R I G H T on the stage at this venue, slightly more to Alex's side this time, and the lip/rise of the stage was not very high at ALL and it felt almost like... intimidating, or like it shouldn't have been ALLOWED, for us to be that close to the stage. :flushed emoji: jeez lmao. I didn't fuck w merch here either but some people around me did I think and I held their spots, and a nice kid from right behind me in the queue brought me a Liquid Death which was so incredibly sweet. Pierre's set passed much as it had in DC, lmao; his other musician guy had a sweet fit on, though, this like two-piece set that was a really really dark/muted camo, a blazer over a black top and then matching like athleisure-fit pants and black boots, it was a fuckin look. They had a song at the very end of Pierre's Philly set that I don't think they'd done in DC (and that I didn't get in PGH either, it turned out), and ironically that was actually probably far and away the song of his I enjoyed the most, so I got kind of into it there at the end! but MAN was I ready to see the boys instead. hnnnn.
LADS SO CLOSE TO ME. JUST RIGHT THERE AND SINGING AND ROCKING. the set was aaaalmost exactly the same as DC, but in Philly they shifted Bad Friday up out of the encore and back into the set proper, and then replaced it in the encore with Violent Sun, which I admit I'd been bummed to not see in DC because I think the Violent Sun/No Reptiles encore double whammy is so incredibly crucial to the vibe. Warmed me to have it back in. Obviously Pittsburgh had so many other contributing factors that put it over the edge, but if it weren't for all of those, I think Philly would've been my favorite/best experience of these four gigs. Jon was spicy (he sang so many of the Original Rejected naughty lyrics, this is where we got 'he's a vegetable now' for the first and only time and also the only gig of the four where he leaned into the 'Arch Jeremy' gag in Arch Enemy, hehehehe, plus also motherfuckin' distant past which is not uncommon), and we got way more of the New Song-- through the whisper network of Becky, AG, David, etc., etc., we'd pieced together enough info to know by now that apparently the title of the song was in the lyrics of the chorus, and so I think it was in Philly that we all pretty much determined/decided that this was Cold Reactor. I love you like an atom bomb and I've become a cold reactor. I wasn't diving as DEEP into SONG DECIPHERING as some other folks were, but I did like kind of working on it at my own pace and absorbing it into my heart and my understanding of the band and what they're about to start doing, and so this was really great, for me, here, beautiful, beautiful. I took almost NO pics and vids at this one because my phone was kind of dying but also mostly just because I was honestly having such an enormously great time and I didn't feel the need to try to do anything other than be present in my body at the gig and experience it live. you KNOW?? LIKE!! MUSIC. man. EDIT TO ADD: I forgot to mention a small tech flub that was actually so charming, where near the very end of Arch Enemy jon seemed to be having trouble with his guitar board in the front, and he spent so long in the outro squinting down at it and trying to resolve the issue that he didn't fully come in on the It's time to show your face! bit at the proper time, and he ended up just saying "It's time to show your face." right into the mic very unaffected and straight-up in his regular speaking voice at the very, very end when the song was basically over. lol. he is cute. everyone is cute.
(I WILL ALSO SAY I got the giggles SO BAD at david and amanda's gudetama they slipped onto the stage, oh my god--I was going to take a joke video just dramatically zooming in on it, as one does, except right when I went to do that it got caught up in jon's mic cable and just TUMBLED AND JOSTLED ALL OVER THE PLACE and that fucking GOT me and I was DYING and it was right at like. the serious, heartstring-tugging, fuck-yeah parts of No Reptiles where I'm supposed to be at CHURCH and instead I'm losing my shit into hysterics over this poor gudetama just rolling everywhere alksdhjglaksd, I had to bury my face in Becky's shoulder for a measure or more and try to recover, oh my godddd. EGGS!) -- (OH ALSO I LMAO I HAVE SEVERAL AUDIENCE MEMBER ~BITS THAT I AM DOING just like, clapping here or there, participating actively in certain parts of things, and one that I kept doing for some asshole clown reason was singing along with/lampshading Alex's quick backing vox on the second verse of Spring Sun Winter Dread-- Philly was probably the place where I was the most prominent/obvious/easy to see doing it, and it made both him and Jeremy REALLY snicker, ahahaha I'm sorryyyyyyy for being obnoxioussssss)
The merch/loitering sitch was sli-iiightly more locked down, in here; there was only so long Marty and I could pretend to be thinking about merch/hanging out with people who were actually in line but not actually being in line before they really truly wanted us to leave, and they were pretty pissed that I even left the venue with an empty/ice-only water cup, never mind any dreams of re-entry. The militant energy of the security at this venue compared to how relatively chill and normal DC had been (for two venues I would say of comparable size/seriousness) was def my least favorite part of the Philly experience. I was outside, finishing my water and chitchatting with some artsy youths who were also unimpressed with security, and Becky's messaging me like "they're in here!" and I'm like "well I'm not and I can't come back so you gotta tell them to come out here!" lmao. But they did!!! All the guys came out before too long and I very delightfully got to talk to everyone. I gave Mike and Jeremy the bracelets I'd made for them - THEY both apologized to ME outright for not coming out to chat the night before?? like hello you’re the band we’re the fans you don’t owe us anything - they kind of came toward my side of the door first, and talked and chatted some, vs Jon sort of peeling the other way to the other half of the loiterers - I honestly have lost track of the sequence of events here and what happened when, but it was largely unimportant hehe. (Gosh, but then I keep randomly remembering other unrelated details. Like, for example, Black Cat gave me their big ol' signature black cat hand stamp, and I'd been thinking, oh this will be fun to watch my four hand stamps stack from these four gigs, the way I got two together from The Altogether/Matt Duncan double feature back in July, and then Underground Arts put theirs on the INSIDE OF MY WRIST and not the back of my hand, and both Irving and T-Bird just did wristbands. BUMMER.) But mostly just Seeing Band, Talking To Band. This was when I overheard Alex definitely confirm to someone that the new song is called Cold Reactor, and he sort of half-seriously half-not said they just didn't call it that on the setlist in case there was another "New Song" they might want to decide to start playing there instead at the last minute, even though the longer this goes on the more confident we are that they're not going to do that and that Cold Reactor is gonna be a new single that probably drops once this tour is over <___< eyes emoji. Also, between Wednesday and Thursday we also knew that the bleach-blond hair is for Lore Reasons, which we assume are to do with Cold Reactor and the album it will be on, because of course it is. stupid. jonathan higgs I want to crawl inside your deranged pisces mind and meld with it vulcan style.
anyway, as far as my short term memory can be relied upon/will tell me is the truth, I think Jon was actually the last person I ended up in contact with on this night; I was drifting over toward him but someone else was still engaged in an active conversation with him, so I was like, well obviously I will wait my turn and let other people have jonathan time even though I'm the biggest jonathan girlie, I can just hang and go in when he frees up, and so I was turned slightly away from him listening in on other convos and talking to Becky and maybe Annika or a couple other people, and then suddenly there's a delicate hand on the back of my shoulder and Jon's right in my fucking ear ominously going "hello." askdjhgka. He was soooo cute and nice, I gave him the bracelet I made him as well (which was "I wanna be there" from Violent Sun and shades of re-animator orange) and he was immediately like Oh, of course you, are the bracelet distributor, and I was like hehehe yes, and he asked if I also had to do with the gudetama and I was like absolutely not I have no idea what is going on there lmfao. and I think amanda and david did take credit for it at that time of course so yes hehe. Ended up in a fun casual chitchat with Jon and Becky for most of the rest of the time here, with her trying to squeeze him for info about the new song and album and lore hehehe and him being his typical cryptic trolly cagey Jon, and it was all in incredibly good fun; he noticed her bracelet too, and she pointed it out like Yes I got the one that says This Is The Prophecy from big climb because it hearkens back to that bit they were doing on twitter from way before that song even came out so I gave her that one on purpose duh lol, and Jon says "Oooh yep I forgot about that. .. Album..." and mimed swiping his hair back like whoopsie lmao and it was such a silly little half-self-neg on Re-Animator lol, and so I said "WELP too bad! because the one I made from you is one of those too haha!" and he took another look at it as if to remind himself about it and then went "Well yeah that one's good" with a wryer wickeder laugh and I was like lmao tell us how you really feel. But like he's right violent sun is perfect and I actually labored so long over what I was going to have jon's say because he was the only person I didn't have a really solid concrete idea of what to make for and ALSO he was the only one I REALLY wanted to get PERFECT because it's important to me and yeah. so it was. reassuring for him to like the violent sun one. idk anyway.
The woman we'd seen running around doing a lot for them, including merch, who recognized us from DC the night before and was fun and glib about it, and who turns out to be: Tour Manager Sam, finally had enough of our fucking about and started very efficiently organizing us all into "everyone who wants a pic with themself + all four guys come get in Now and I'm gonna play photographer and then we all gotta go the fuck home" and I respected it SO much lmao, so we had sort of a rotating queue of group picture taking and then the guys all went back inside the venue (I kind of fingerguns'd Jon like "New York :D?" and he looked at me just SO Put Out and just deadpanned "Of course you're going to be there." of course!! lmfao) and we started talking amongst ourselves just out of reluctance to let the night end/social energy we still wanted to wallow in and that was cute and nice. I said goodbye to some folks who weren't going any further on the tour. I had such a wonderful night. Then, lo and behold, we turn around and Jeremy's up on the stoop of the venue, and he's like, I think I've locked myself out. I am locked out and I also don't have my phone on me. lmfao jez. he goes "I am going to blame jonathan" and we allowed him that. I was like, do you want me to TWEET AT SOMEONE LOL and he was like good god no they'll come back for me eventually, and then yes they did, and THEN we all left hahahaha. becky insisted on sticking with me part of the way to the trolley but I was like, it is coming in 14 minutes and it says it's gonna take me 12 minutes to get there I gotta GO!, and I freaking missed it anyway!!! and then I had to wait like OVER HALF AN HOUR MORE for the next one and i didn't even get ON the trolley till like 12:50 and it was soooo late before I was back at mads's place aiyaa. But, all in all, TRULY SUCH A GOOD NIGHT I JUST LOVE BEING IN AN ACTIVE BUZZY FANDOM SPACE AND MEETING FANS AND PARASOCIALING AND DANCING AND SINGING AND DOING ARTS N CRAFTS. you KNOW?? you know. you're on tumblr you get it.
The Philly to Jersey (pre-NYC) leg of my road tripping was set to be Thee shortest drive I had to make the whole time, so I let myself have time in the morning to keep snoozing and fucking about, even though I once again woke up way earlier than I'd hoped to and didn't ever make it back to sleep after that. But the tradeoff was still super nice and relaxing vibing with Madeline--I offered to buy her breakfast in exchange for the couch-crashin' and we got hella bagel sandwiches and cold brew from a place real close by her apartment, and scarfed 'em down while watching the most recent ep of Make Some Noise and just shooting the shit (again, largely about either fandom or kitty cats. We are simple folk). My sandwich contained salmon, a fried egg, and the most incredible sloppy caramelized onions, what a banger. The last truly good food I truly enjoyed before my mega super Travel Tummy set in and wrecked my whole shop metabolically speaking, rip. I took a little rinsy-rinse shower at her place too, and then finally made myself get up and Go to do the runaround silly business of driving to and parking in NJ, taking the ferry in to Manhattan, and then taking the subway to Allegra's place for NIGHT THREE IN NEW YORK CITY WOOOOO. I LOVE going to E E with Allegra!!!!! Once again I used her place primarily as a spot to change out of my car clothes and into my gig clothes (it's RDF night; I wore an oversized pale beige button-up shirt, actually left over from my Foals Antidotes costume from last halloween hahaha, gussied up with E E pins and jewelry) and to fuck about with bracelets. I made Allegra a special In Birdsong bracelet, the only one I did from that song :) because allegra is my special E E friend!! and she needs one of her special song!!! Fandom... is good. Allegra also had a kickass outfit. We stopped in at a tex-mex place she really wanted to try that was nearby the venue, and i got pretty nervous that it was gonna be a little late before doors for us to be hitting a sit-down dinner spot, but we rushed it along pretty well on the food and got our slice of dessert cake to go in a box and everything was A-OK. And I had time to hit a bodega for merch cash from the ATM and a pineapple soda for fortitude! let's GOOO irving plaza.
God, Irving was kind of a shitshow when it came to queuing and security though. There were a fair few people in line ahead of us, maybe just as many or slightly more than what I'd had in DC (definitely further back than Philly, although in line near us were the same also-eating-Dominican-food couple from the Philly gig, and I recognized them and was glad to see them again-- I FULLY DO NOT REMEMBER/DID NOT CATCH Y'ALL'S NAMES, AND I FEEL TERRIBLE BECAUSE WE HUNG OUT AND WORKED TOGETHER SO MUCH, i am so sorryyyyy), but then because it's not a sweet local friendly indie venue but is in fact Livenation As Hell, there's some person affiliated with the venue wandering up front offering some sort of VIP/fast pass line experience where you can just cough up some extra cash and get in your own special line and get to go in first regardless of how long other people have been queuing--you know the deal. Wack as hell. I think David and Amanda opted for this in some capacity, so I was happy for them about it, but a lot of the other people who ended up doing it had kind of rancid vibes of just like "concert-going" and not the very lovely communal sardine megafan energy everyone else had had thusfar. Also it put us where we were at in the queue standing in a place that just had a really terrible smell of sewage, which persisted almost the entire time we were there only to suddenly be replaced by a very powerful smell of bleach, as if whatever it was was suddenly being cleaned/sanitized. ICKY!! Annika was enough further ahead of us in line that I thought it might have only been over where we were but she said no she was definitely getting it too. new york city babey
Bracelet distribution got a little silly here, too, since the queue was wrapping SO far back and was being policed a little more stringently, but I had kind of figured I may need some kind of additional plan, especially since I'd decided not to wear my fanny pack (bum bag--fanny pack, says Jonathan Higgs in a derisive American accent, even as he's telling me he likes mine a lot, skdjshgalkj smh) since my shorts under my shirt had really capacious pockets and that just made for one less thing to worry about--I snagged a sheet of paper at Allegra's place, along with a gallon-size ziploc bag, and I put all the bracelets in there with a note that said to just take one if you wanted one and pass it back through the queue while we waited. It was kind of a crapshoot how effective I thought this was going to be, especially since I had to kind of wait to deploy it once there was a substantial queue BUT by the time there was a big queue it meant that I couldn't see exactly HOW big from where I was near-ish enough to the front, so I didn't know how far the bag was going to make it, if someone was going to end up stuck with my whole big bag at the back of the line (esp since I had a fair number of extra Philly bracelets left over that I lumped in with the NYC ones just because I still Had them).... whew...! BUT by the time Marty was there, he was further enough back from me that I asked him to kind of check up on it when it made it to him and keep passing it; and, by the time we were going inside, I could see zero sign of the bag itself but I DID catch a lot of people milling around me wearing bracelets, and one or two of them did stop me to thank me (since I'd indicated on my note in the bag that I was the person with green hair hahaha), and then I never saw 'em again, so I guess it was a relative success!! Yayyyyy!! WAY less conducive to making New Line Friends than the DC/Philly setup had been, but incredibly effective at making sure that all my bracelets found new homes rather than me having to take a huge handful home with me again and them just sitting in my house forever LOL. success! :)
tl;dr about the bracelets. not important compared to concert and band. WE GO INSIDE!! They have such dumb security/bag check. a gender-split process where the men get patted down by a dude guard and the women get patted down by a lady guard? In TYOOL 2023? you hate to see it. She felt the Sharpie in my back pocket and made me take it out and surrender it???? MY METALLIC BRONZE SHARPIE ? ? no sharpies in the venue I guess. Talked to at least one other person who got sharpie-confiscated too, but also at least two people who fully didn't and still had markers just fine. Absolute shenanigans. Allegra and I didn't quite get barrier due in part to fastpass line nonsense but we did end up right exactly behind Annika &co. with perfect sightlines, once again stage-left/Jeremy-ward-of-center. we don't hate it! my Philly pals to my left with David, Becky et al in front of them. Me fully surrounded by redheads. LOL.
this was the laaaatest show of my whole run, a whole lot of standing around just waiting for Band, and also definitely the energy of "trying to politely vibe to pierre kwenders's set because he can clearly see me and look straight at me even though I would much rather just skip to the bit I actually came for and don't necessarily need to see his set" just slowly increasing every night RIP lol. BUT WE MADE IT! ohhhh new york. EXACT same set as Philly but I couldn't even be mad about it because I was still so grateful to get a Man Alive song that wasn't just MY KZ (not that I don't love my kz obviously, but it HAS been in the set literally all eight times that I have seen E E live as of this Irving Plaza gig, and something else from that album is fun fresh delicious) (OH, SWEET THREEP OF FRIDAY EVENING, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW) and to be getting COLD REACTOR again, especially becaussseee by this point I knew just enough of the lyrics that I felt confident singing/mouthing along conspicuously with the parts that I Did know, aka I See You Sir I'm Doing The Thing Just Watch Me, god I wish I knew how to be not so fucking extra but then again no I don't. we did get saddled with some Rather Annoying audience members in our near vicinity--a couple I'd spotted in the fastpass line earlier wedged themselves hard between me and my tall redhead/mask-wearing homie from Philly, all like "ummm we're short :)" because they. were, but that didn't give them a right to be pushy and rude, and their vibes were kind of shit because the sense I got was they were mostly there because the girl really loved the band and the dude didn't know much about them at all, and also they were already drunk so early on in the set, and they were talking loudly with some other fans they'd just met and getting Lore™ explained to them and it was just a lot of. loud talking and shoving. in my vicinity. when I would have preferred for there to. not be. BUT Also materializing behind me was someone who said "I saw your bracelets on twitter do you still have any!!" and I had to be like UHHHH FUCK, NO, I turned them loose into the queue, did they not make it as far as you..?? and she sadly said no, and I was like, well the only one I have left is this one I just left on for tradesies/advertising purposes, and it says "akon in the butterfly house" so that's kind of a deep cut, if you're familiar-- and she went WAIT REALLY and seemed SUPER jazzed to get a Dave Sardine-ass bracelet and I was like OKAY YOU KNOW WHAT, GOOD, ACTUALLY, because I'd made four of these and I knew they were going to be the deepest cut/hardest sell and I was really really hoping that whoever ended up with them would actually get and appreciate them. so thank you, andrea, for being that person, and for appearing exactly when the bracelet needed it most. so glad to have hung with you this night. sorry that you too found yourself among the ranks of the sharpie-confiscatees.
ANYWAY, OTHER THAN THAT, THIS AUDIENCE WAS FIRE AND THIS GIG SLAPPED. We were finally in a space and an environment that REALLY lent itself to the crowd actually full on bouncing/dancing instead of just kind of wobbling and vibing and everyone in my immediate zone was really going hard. I LOVE this fucking BAND. I love every song by this band. I love when Jon just points the mic at the crowd and the entire crowd sings the whole song word for word and note for note. I love that Jon was still desperately trying to cram the name of the host city into the start of My Kz, despite the fact that "Washington" subs for "Lucifer" perfectly (he has done this both times I've seen them in DC lol) but "Philadelphia" is WAY too stupid long and "New York City," while a syllable shorter, scans metrically in an extremely busted way and you could have just said EN WHY CEE or. y'know. lucifer. but okay man you do you. Jon was just as rowdy as the rest of us lmfao. he was like, climbing up and down off Mike's riser, he was finding people who were taking photos/videos and staring directly into their cameras (me fucking included--I'm sorry, Jon, you can't make eye contact with me while singing the "When I saw you, I fell in love" part of Leviathan, I am pretty sure that is illegal and a crime against my humanity), and basically all the tracks from Get To Heaven (plus like, Cough Cough and NOTLK) blew the fucking roof off the place. I think he donked some My Kz lyrics hehehe he just skipped to the alt lyrics of the chorus too early without completing the standard chorus first at the end, and a little flubbo in NOTLK and a tiny stutter in No Reptiles too, everyone was just TOO ROWDY and he's THROWN LOOPY and man did we not care. I said multiple times to people on this tour that pretty much the closest things I've ever experienced to true Religion are a) being in an E E audience for No Reptiles and b) being in a Hedwig audience for Midnight Radio. they're the same spiritually in my heart and also like do people who love Jesus feel this way and is this why. insane. the cult leader imagery was Not Wrong!!!!!
I wanna MERCH! I got in the line not too long after the show wrapped, but true to reports I'd heard about the pre-show merch line, it was moving verrryy slowly, with just one guy manning it who was not exactly quick and a card reader that seemed pretty chuggy too (but hey, at least NY was taking card). I'd known I wanted the poster--it's got my favorite neon orange on it, it really really slaps, and I wanted something to get signed--but I let myself talk myself into a t-shirt too, mostly because I was REALLY excited to buy E E merch apparel that wasn't black or white. Yellow!! a really freaking good yellow!! I wish the yellow ones had actually had the tour dates on them like the black and white ones did but the yellow branding has been pretty exclusive to this leg of tour (i.e. vs the red branding of the west coast one last year) and it looks soooo good with my hair that I don't especially mind. I also knew that Adrian wanted a copy of Caps Lock On, but that he also wanted a shirt, but I hadn't heard back from him about which shirt or what size so I just got the book and my stuff and then bounced. Communique from outside was that Alex had surfaced but no one else, but that Alex had promised appearances by the rest of them, but that also Alex was already gone and unlikely to return by the time I made it outside. I posted up with all my friends from inside, god this was SUCH a good sardine squad this night, and it took some waiting but eventually the promises came true! All the other boys surfaced and we had some REALLY great fan chats and mingling this tiimmmmee. oh my gosh. A guy came with a Modern Bison CD that Jon and Jeremy were really truly overjoyed to see and to sign and take pictures with; I talked to Jeremy about the bracelets some more because he'd been wearing the one I gave him the WHOLE GIG IN NEW YORK SO LIKE THAT'S GONNA BE IN ANY PHOTOS THAT WERE TAKEN PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING, oh my gosshhh, he was so nice about it and enjoyed that his Arch Jeremy matched my Arch Emily, the vibes were impeccable; and then I got everyone to sign my poster, but of course Alex was gone already, so Jon offers to forge Alex's signature and goes "look it's like this" and draws some loopy scribble on there and I'm like, lmao, sure.
thing was... I had absolutely heard Jeremy signing something for someone else the night before talking about how he was getting really good at forging Alex's signature for him, since I guess it's normal for him to be the one that disappears the sneakiest (god he really is just the Justin Craig of this band, it's 1:1, huh), and so when I told Jeremy this, he was like "I'll do it" and I was like "no Jon did already do it" and he was going to just leave it then, like, oh, well, okay, but then he saw the mess Jon had made and he was like "--that's quite dreadful actually-- the trick is to not overthink it--" and so now my poster has two forged Alex Robertshaw signatures and zero authentic ones. l m f a o. (To be fair, I do have other things they've all four signed, and Jeremy's fake Alex is at least passable, and Jon's fake Alex is Absolute Dogshit Nothing. I am obsessed.) I even got Peter to sign! He was talking with another fan about a gift she'd given them in the past that had sadly been part of what they lost in their studio fire, it was really heartbreaking to hear. He also thanked me again for his bracelet and told me he planned to give it to his daughter and that she would love it. We took a pic together! Pete the GOAT.
While I was making the rounds with the other boys and other fans, Allegra mostly in tow, swapping sharpies among those of us who still had them, Becky was back with Jon, taking a couple videos for people who weren't there in NY to talk about stuff that they were curious about--I think in the context of Maria, Becky said something like, she thinks the hair is crazy, and Jon said into the camera something like, "If you think it's crazy Now, give it like two or three more weeks, and you're really gonna think it's crazy." SIR WHAT. If the blond is a precursor to something else happening I'm gonna be so the opposite of normal about it, and if the bleach is a stepping stone toward the boys dyeing their hair Other colors I am going to be PROFOUNDLY NOT NORMAL ABOUT IT, AND IF ANY MEMBER OF THE MANCUNIAN ROCK BAND EVERYTHING EVERYTHING HAS THEIR HAIR DYED GREEN ANY TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE I AM GOING TO BE ABSOLUTELY COMPLETELY INSUFFERABLE. tyler the creator unfollow me right now etc. etc. etc. The more I've thought about it I don't THINK this is what's up--my sense is that any Cold Reactor music video is probably already filmed and ready to drop alongside the single pretty quick after the tour ends, rather than being something they're going to film/put together entirely post-tour, so they probably needed the bleachblond for some energy similar to how I felt about them when they first walked on stage in DC, but Oh man...... OH MAN............ I digress. anyway.
following up from that, Allegra (I think? Or maybe still Becky and allegra was just Present) addressed the notion of the hair being related to the Lore, and like, did that mean lore for the single/the upcoming album ? ? which was what we were assuming, and Jon said some demented and ominous and extremely exciting phrase like, "The lore for this one is.... b o t t o m l e s s" in his always-startling real deep Jon voice, and that was the fucking sound bite of the evening, folks. FOLKS. ALLEGRA AND I WENT ALL THE WAY BACK TO HER APARTMENT JUST CONTINUALLY SAYING "THE LORE IS BOTTOMLESS!" my body is so god damn ready.
We bid farewells to all our friends for whom NYC was their final stop on this tour!! SAD!!!!!! Going to miss all the homies T___T it's not fair that we're not just all going to every single stop on this tour I don't think? it should actually be illegal for us not to be present when the band is performing?? the hugest RIP. Hugs exchanged all around. Me trying to say bye to Jon but he's engaged with someone else so I think I just awkwardly said "See you tomorrow" twice and then we left. becky maaaybe trying to last minute scramble to also come to pgh now despite not really having accounted for it in her plans originally ? ? I was not certain what she intended here but I supported her. yes. me, annika and AG for sure being there at least. we ride. Back to allegra's where I did, unfortunately, sleep ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLY/BASICALLY NOT AT ALL due to being so hot and stuffy in my little nest on the floor that it was making me nauseated, I think I got maybe 2.5 hours tops, but I didn't really have a choice because if I wanted to be back home in time to do ANYTHING other than just rock straight over to the queue for Thunderbird then I knew I was going to have to leave so GOD DAMN early in the morning to haul ass back to where my car was and then drive the seven hours to pgh. But I did exactly that!!!! bitch!!!!! Other than some issues like, managing to make a timely pit stop for gas/potty/coffee, I endured the miserable long roadtrip despite myself, raging my way through the poconos, downing the largest cold brew Wawa would sell me, having a truly tragic car vs quesadilla incident, etc. My BFF Francis even got on the phone with me for the last hour or so and we chatted and I got to give them the whole update on the tour thus far, so fun! They MIGHT try to go to the Chicago stop next week!!! if they feel like they can swing it, and I was like ok no pressure but also it's been an extraordinary experience for me thusfar and I highly recommend. So if you see Francis at E E Chicago please holler at them kindly from me!!! :) But at the very least they said they did want a T-shirt and venmo'd me money to buy them one, since I was already still gonna have to get one for Adrian. woooooo
I got home with, yeah, basically exactly enough time to shower, get my outfit together, and regroup before heading to the venue !!! I JUST BARELY missed the bus that would've gotten me there the most promptly, largely due to not being able to find another fucking Sharpie since irving plaza took my first one lmfao, and it ended up being quicker to walk there than to wait the 36 minutes it would've been for another bus or whatever. I still had MEGA travel tummy so I just snagged an apple and scarfed it down on the walk over. Annika was already there queuing! so we hung out in line together and waited and drank the waters we had definitely brought in from outside the bar and just vibed lol. and she was like, I heard them checking two new songs that haven't been in the setlist yet, and I was like ha ha lol like what, and she said, kevin's car and leave the engine room.
and listen, I was optimistic. that my social media obnoxiousness and well-known, easily observable public desires might yet sway them, because come on it's my hometown and it's the last show i'm gonna see on this tour and I sent them donuts, and those were MEANT as a KINDNESS and an ENTHUSIASM FOR DONUTS and not as a bribe, but if anyone wanted to interpret them as a bribe anyway whomst was I to say no, but like. just because I want the band i like to do a thing absolutely does not mean that they have to fucking do it. I want to be crystal clear that i have never at any point EXPECTED them to do this. i just. hoped. yearned in my heart of hearts. and also had very sound rationale for how possible/likely it was. Here's How Engie Room Can Still Win. yfm. but the soundcheck all but confirmed it in my soul for me. and I was like... glad, that she'd been there and caught it and could tell me about it, because it gave me time to like, come to terms with the reality of it, emotionally. AAH. AAAAAHHH, OKAY. BITCH, PLIABLE HEAD, IT'S ALL HAPPENING.
we lingered and watched the queue form behind us-- I spotted a kid I'd seen at the Philly show, god bless. Everywhere we turn, repeat customers. I was telling my work friend today, I feel like the US fanbase for E E is significantly smaller than the UK audience, but we make up for it in that we go fucking hard. Every US fan is a superfan. there are no half-assed american sardines. and that has been so BEAUTIFUL and means the WORLD to me to be sharing it with the other ones of you. Bracelet sharing rocked at this gig!! I had exactly as many as I'd set aside for Pittsburgh and no more, since all my spares had evaporated up at Irving, A new person ALSO HAD BRACELETS!!! LIKE, for realsies Made For Trading At This Show Specifically bracelets, it was suuuuch a delight, so in addition to my eclectic collection from the previous gigs I now also have one that says RAW DATA FEEL with some truly choice glow in the dark bric-a-brac on there as well, and my heart was so warm aaaaaah. fwiendship :) Also spotted in the pre-doors queue were the Pizza Boy costumed guy and a woman I met at Foals in 2019?? who I guess automatically recognizes me because of the green hair, but just. omg. the community!!!! I'm dying!!!!!!
There was a slight will-call kerfuffle that nevertheless did not stop me from being dead center dead at the front right in front of where jonathan's mic was destined to be, and I was like. god. here we go. the home stretch. This was ABSOLUTELY the WORST place to be to be pretending to be interested in pierre's set, because he kept looking straight at me and dog I gotta admit four shows in I was feeling pretty tired. like, the energy of E E Itself was going to fully reinvigorate me, but nearly everything else on the planet was like totally disinteresting and I wasn't really up for it, especially when it's my semi-sex-repulsed ace-spectrum ass being just really put off by the suggestive gyrations of a performer that is not to my tastes. UM SORRY BYE HAHA. they didn't even play the one song I kind of liked. I managed to miss like two and a half songs of his set being still locked in the merch line at least lmao. literally WHILE I WAS STANDING IN THE MERCH LINE they sold out of the yellow shirt and I couldn't get me and francis matchies so I had to get them the black instead :( but thankfully they still had the one Adrian wanted because idk what I would have done if I had to scramble for a plan B with him on short notice haha. and I had EXACTLY enough cash for the two shirts left from the day before and I was paying Tour Manager Sam with it like oh my gosh I'm so sorry this is like my sweaty pocket cash from last night this is kinda gross and she was just like, No actually that's honestly exactly how I've been rolling as well and it is kind of gross so like agreed hahaha. She's the best. Idk how long she'll be tenured to them but I'd love to see her continue to exist in like their coterie moving forward. impeccable vibes.
also used merch waiting as a way to distribute more bracelets and get a drink of water! WOOHOO NOW I AM READY TO RECEIVE MY COMMUNION THANK YOU. they put the setlists down and there was a very small fraction of me that wanted to avert my eyes but like I. I had to know. and annika said yes there are new songs in the list. and I peered into the list and my song was there.
hey guys. hey guys? look, this was for me. I have to be honest with you. i manifested this. by being annoying on twitter. by being god's specialest costume-making donut-gifting bracelet-slinging weirdo. I'm owning it and it's mine. I was exactly EXACTLY right with "well, if they put Engine Room in they'll probably take Leviathan out, because they'd kind of fill the same role of slow moody song in the set, and then they'll probably swap in a different non-Man Alive song to compensate for Engine Room being there instead," and this is exactly what happened, and so then not only did I get Engine Room but I also got REGRET, WHICH IS ALSO AN EMILY THREEPWILLOW PLIABLE HEAD SONG, BECAUSE HERE THESE NERDLORD KINGSHIT BANDBOYS ARE IN MY GODDAMN BACK YARD, they're in my house and god it took me the whole fucking set up to then to just prepare, like I had to try not to think about it so I could enjoy what was right in front of me. God it was so fucking, fucking good. our position along the stage had Alex's stuff REALLY forward in the mix which was kind of new for me, but jon was just right there and every time I lifted my hands to dance and to yearn it was like, the only thing stopping me from touching you is my own sense of propriety and not any kind of physical barrier or distance, and the person immediately behind me was seeing the band for the first time and felt similarly about NOTLK as I did to Engine Room and those two songs were literally back to back in the set so we kind of screamed and cried and died together, I gave her a huge hug, and LOL SORRY NOT SORRY THAT I GOT MY KZ AND LEVIATHAN TAKEN OUT OF THE SETLIST FOR Y'ALL, PITTSBURGH, I DO FEEL KIND OF BAD BUT THIS WAS UMMM IMPORTANT TO ME, THANK YOU, goodbye. goodbye I left the planet. I thought I was going to cry and I nearly did but I didn't, but I did actually maybe start hyperventilating. like I'm glad I knew it was coming ahead of time because if it had been a full surprise I think whatever was happening to my lungs would have been exponentially worse and I may have even fainted.
(which, btw: jonathan. jon. when he came out on stage, he almost immediately got his mic cable caught on the edge of where his setlist was taped down, and in jerking it around, he whipped the setlist up off the floor and way upstage toward where Pete was; when he finally put it to rights and taped it back down, he just left it where it was at, far enough away from me that I definitely could not read it anymore; and like DID YOU DO THAT ON PURPOSE? TO MOVE IT OUT OF MY LINE OF SIGHT, TO MAYBE KEEP ME FROM READING IT? SURELY YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT I'D ALREADY SEEN IT LIKE 15 MINUTES AGO. NICE TRY BUT IT'S TOO LATE I SAW EVERYTHING. i love him. i'm in physical pain.)
knowing this was my final one, I went so, so, incredibly hard, I let myself dance and mosh and scream and take way more pics and videos than I had before, I leaned on the lip of the stage, I had an absolute fucking blast. When the set was over a few other people who were more strategically positioned (i.e. people who had not had their most easily accessible setlists unceremoniously yoinked several feet away) snatched up the closest ones way quick; there was a general tension in the crowd at being able to see jon's, but it being further away out of reach, and one ballsy-ass kid (the "Kevin" person who'd accompanied the pizza boy person) actually clambored up onto the stage and ninja'd over and took it for himself, which inspired two copycats to do the same for some discarded guitar picks (and all of which definitely provoked a very loud, unimpressed, authoritative barking of "HEY!!!" from some security somewhere, like, they definitely shouldn't have done that!! yikes!!!!). I, instead, very patiently waited for an opportune moment to get the attention of their short king guitar tech as he was running around doing teardown, and someone else flagged him first and got pete's setlist, and in my final moments I got him to get me mike's. Gang, I'm gonna be real with you, I was not leaving my Pittsburgh hometown show in which they played Leave The fucking Engine Room without a setlist. there would've been blood or at the very least tears. so like. thank god lmao. Satisfied, we got some water and then headed out!!!
It was a long, chilly wait for the boys outside--god, the chilliness was REFRESHING, though, it's October for crying out loud, and DC and Philly and NY had all been muggy sweaty hot with no need for even long pants, much less a jacket, but I was glad I'd had the forethought to wear my flannel around my waist to cover up the YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT printed around the ass of my shorts on my walk over to deter questions, lmfao. We easily identified the spot on the side of the venue where we assumed the guys were coming out, it was all just a matter of time. (AG and I getting some confusing-to-parse messages from Becky? Idk my phone was SUPER dying so I was trying to leave it on airplane as much as possible, I didn't even make it to the end of the night, RIP needing to use my map all day in the car and even with it plugged in spending more than I was juicing of the battery. Listen i needed PICS and VIDEOS!!) I saw Jon first, and he almost looked past me before spotting me there because I was pretty close to the corner of the block, and I just stared at him, and said, May I hug you. and he said, of course! and I hugged him so long and so hard just like, thank you, I was extremely emotional then and I'm also getting extremely emotional now just typing about it, and he was like omg haha what for? Coming to your town? and I was like coming to my town and playing my SONG!!! And then he said something with the tone of a snarky teasy joke but that was like flusteringly truthful underneath about them legitimately rearranging the set quite a lot for me, and I have not stopped screaming internally since then, and Jeremy joked that I'd just seen the exact same set three times and they felt they ought to give me at least something new ha ha ha but like it wasn't entirely a joke, and I just don't even know how to process this. i am perishèd in the soil. anyhow.
I wanted both my setlist and my Supernormal EP vinyl signed by all the boys, and I managed this with relatively little doing ("A deep cut!" jeremy remarks of the supernormal, haha), but I didn't want to be crowding them and getting in the way of other people getting lad time, so I kind of took a backseat and just talked when the time was right, but Jon did kind of keep wanting to talk to me. We talked about the new song, and we talked about the donuts I sent over--oh my GOD, because I was like, they're from that place over there, you can see the big neon donut sign from here! haha, and he was like dyou know what, I knew that's where they were from, because I went over there earlier in the day and got one for myself, I got a huckleberry one and I came back with it and everyone was like, what's that, they were very jealous, and then not too long after that this box of loads of them just shows up-- And like I am a donut fairy psychic wizard. Also everyone who is ever in Pittsburgh should go to Oliver's donuts and eat their fabulously good products. I will shill for them literally any day of the week. This is the second band I have given Oliver's to this year. I cannot be stopped. ANYWAY. i honestly almost could have written that prediction on an envelope and sealed it, that they'd end up wandering in there on their own only for me to send them some too. i was so tickled that jon got the huckleberry one because it's their signature flavor and it's SO PINK and allegra and I had just decided the night before that jon higgs is hot pink coded. like, in the universe where they are dyeing their hair multicolors for the lore. anyhow. it's good shit.
i had SO much fun after this show, even though it was so chilly and dark and we were scrungling around on a literal street corner outside a wine and spirits store, I was like holding people's things so they could get pics and signatures, I was showing off my supernormal booty shorts, I was talking to Jon about lore----- ohhh, my god, I had exactly two bracelets left when the night was over, literally the end of my stash, and it was one Final Form FIRST BODY LAST BODY that I said, y'know, I'm going to save this for my bestie francis when I send them the shirt, because that's the lyric I wanna get a tattoo of, and it'll match with my PLIABLE HEAD bracelet, and it'll be another sort of besties matching thing; and my one lone AKON IN THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE bracelet that remained, where I'd kind of said, well, if this one doesn't find the right home tonight, then at the end of the night I'm going to give it to Jon too. So I dug in my bag and passed it off, and he was like "what does this one say.... kon... Akon... Akon in the house--what is--OH AND THERE'S A LITTLE BUTTERFLY ON THERE, God--" and he was GRINNING and he was SO TICKLED BY IT and Jez chimed in with just like "The attention to detail--" and Jon was like "this is my favorite one actually," he LOVED IT AND I WAS SO CHARMED AND EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT, and then he offered me up something like "you kno-ow, this, the song, of this, there's actually a reference to it in something, something you've never heard-- and--that you never will," doing his cryptic Jon troll grin, "the one thing that didn't make it," with the implied end of that sentence being "onto the album," and 'album' in this case being implied to be Raw Data Feel, which they have very publicly said that for once was an album where they just put everything on and didn't cull any songs or reserve any bonus tracks to release later or whatever. So I said, "Oh, from the one that we've been told had no cuts...?" also not explicitly saying RDF, and his answer to that was vague/nondescript enough but was probably an affirmative, but then he did follow that up with "that's lore that's SO far down the line, WAY WAY out there," and god, just, how deep does this man's brain and nonsense even fucking go. how far into the future is there LORE. BOTTOMLESS!!! I am obsessed with him. i cannot stress enough how blorbo he is to me.
The shorts came back up in conversation too ("Sorry, let me just look quite closely at your ass for a moment--" "It's okay, the shorts are designed that way--") and him saying, yeah, we do talk about some of the costumes still, and then segueing into asking if I had plans for this year and what I was doing, and I said, maybe, I'm not sure if I want to tell you, and he said, Is it to do with us, and I said, Neither confirm nor deny, and he said, Well if it's not, then, I want to know, with kind of a 'duh' tone ahahaha because like true there would be no reason to be coy if it was nothing to do with E E at all, and I explained that like I kind of have to have two costumes ("of course you do."), WELL because y'know the E E ones don't really play to or land with the general populace (a very cheeky "No!") so I have, just, one that's for going to parties, and one that's for fucking around on the internet. He seemed to find that acceptable hahaha.
Anyway what I REALLY wanted with wearing the Supernormal shorts was a group pic of all five of us normal frontways, and then a group pic of all five of us facing backward/ass to the camera a la the picture of them outside the White House, where you could see the goof of my shorts but also all of their butts, but this was an ABSOLUTE DISASTER TO DO when it was so dark that phone cameras were taking everything long-exposure, and also they'd all had just enough beer to not really be following on what the bit was. Absolute shit results on the backwards pic because I couldn't, y'know, see to coordinate it, because I had my back turned. (Me yelling, "Not just MY butt, EVERYONE'S butts, come on!!" into the streets of Lawrenceville.) Utter failure. Didn't care. I love these fucking guys. The vibe was finally kind of winding down, closing-time energy, the guys still had to get on the bus to Boston right away even with tomorrow being their day off, it was a Boston day off and not a Pittsburgh day off where I could offer them free ice cream sadly, so they all sort of bowed sweetly out. Jon gave me his like, I Am Part Of The Band clearance ID badge from the venue, kind of out of nowhere, he was like "sorry this is all I have to give you, it's the least I could do," and I was like WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU'VE ALREADY GIVEN ME SO M-- YOU COULD DO WAY LESS ??? but I guess now I have that, too. I tried to give him the King Of Oil sign from my fatberg costume, which I'd initially brought because I thought it would be a fun photo taking prop but the photo situation was the aforementioned disaster so that never really came to any fruition at all, so I was just going to gift it to them, and he said "My suitcase is already so full of so much random shit-- that you've given us--" and then right as he was leaving he just said "Thank you for being such a weirdo" with a voice full of all the kindness and affection in the world and I just yelled "ANY TIME!!" and then oh so tragically the night had to be over.
it's been nice, though, because I'm so used to driving the long drive home at the end of an adventure and having that signify the end, of getting to the end of the car ride and having nothing beyond that but the rest of my regular life; and this time, I drove all the way home, but when I got there, the adventure was still happening, right in my neighborhood, right down the street, and all I had to do was walk back home alone in the dark and climb into my own bed at the end of a long and beautiful night. i can already tell that this is going to be one of my most special memories basically forever, and now every time I drive or ride the bus to and from work each day I will be passing by the place where Everything Everything performed Leave The Engine Room for me, and that's so profoundly special that I don't even have words to describe it. I love this band, I love the people in it and I love the people its gravity pulls in to orbit around it, I'm just so goddamn happy. I don't even know what to say or how to end this.
#everything everything#e e#RDF US tour 2023#this has been a post#jonathan fucking higgs.#god.#they all just like. referred to me plainly by my name a lot more than i was expecting in a way that was overwhelming#like to one another/other people and not just to me directly#i exist???? sounds fake#i will be thinking about this week for a hundred thousand years#my pliable head IS a walking hope thank you so much for NOTICING!!!!!!#pics to follow maybe on here but maybe just on twitter#where I am yes you guessed it @pliablehead if people want to lurk and see#ok fucking goodnight
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it has been something like. eight or so hours. and i am still trying to figure out how the fuck my eye doctor lost my glasses frames???
like. ive been going to the same eye doctor every year for the last like, six years or something like that. they have never once fucked up this badly.
timeline of events, from my pov under the cut because it got way longer than i thought it would when i first started this.
i go to the eye doctor, having set up an appointment like normal (late because its been a weird summer)
everything goes well until the very end, at which point the computer crashes and loses the data.
annoying, but its fine, i just have to go back in the next day and do it all over again on a saturday while they're busy.
go in again the next day. they're busy as hell, so i am there significantly longer than planned, because i'd set up for a late timeslot on friday for a reason (nobody wants to go to the eye doctor at 6:15 on a friday. trust me. it's great its so dead then.)
go through everything over again, i get a huge discount because i had to go through the inconvenience of coming back to the eye doctor. this is the best news, actually, because i hadn't totally been sold on getting new glasses, but i needed them because my old pair literally make my migraines worse.
the first indication that something was wrong was the fact that they didn't have any trial pairs of the contacts i wear.
This would not cross my mind until i picked up the new contacts a week later when they came in.
I try the contacts. Nothing is properly in focus, and i just think to myself, "oh its just cause i have a new scrip, it's fine, I'll get used to them."
i did not, in fact, get used to them.
About a week later, when my glasses come in, i make a mention to the guy fitting them that the contacts don't seem to be right. he tells me i've got plenty of time to bring them back in, they've got policies for stuff like "wrong prescription"
y'all i went to a friend's house on the other side of town two days later and came home via the bypass in the dark and i couldn't read the highway signs.
that's how badly they fucked this up.
i give it to the end of the week to be sure. End of the first pair of contacts, since i wear biweekly ones.
i go in on friday like "hey. this does not work, when can you get me in?"
and the lady at the front desk was like "well we've got a slot open right now if you've got time"
"nope, i only have until the end of the hour because I'm on lunch from work and i don't have either the contacts or the glasses with me right now. got anything for after (time i got off work that day)?"
"the doctor leaves at (time i got off work), will one of these slots tomorrow work?"
set up the appointment for the next day; i've got my glasses and my contacts and the eye doctor put me through a series of eye tests i'd never actually done before, which was kind of cool.
he was like "if you could shift your bangs back that'd be great, actually, i can't tell if you're squinting or not."
and i was like "well i'm doing my best not to but no problem."
appointment went fantastic, he even had trial contacts for me to put in. i almost cried the difference was so stark between the old scrip and the new one. (turns out the old scrip was just off enough it was giving me low-level headaches constantly. fun! not.)
so i leave the old contacts and the glasses with them to get the lenses replaced and for my new contacts to be ordered. (i looked at the eye chart they sent home with me cause i wanted to see the difference in the prescriptions. there should not be a discrepancy of over a whole number between the two. per eye.)
i picked up the contacts last week.
and now.
today.
this morning, i get two (2) texts saying my orders are in and ready to be picked up. sweet, i think to myself. i'll go pick them up later, get myself a treat while i'm out. grab something for dinner, etc.
i get there and its dead because its been raining all day. fantastic! it shouldn't take long.
i go in.
they're dead.
i let them know i'm here to pick up my order.
here comes today's first confusion: the guy at the desk is having trouble finding my order. which. okay. not a problem (yet).
so i sit and wait and fiddle around on my phone for several minutes while the guy hunts for my glasses.
I am slowly growing more and more confused.
another guy starts helping him out.
the first guy finds a couple of doctor-style ziplock bags and asks me if i have my frames with me.
"Nnnnno. I left them with you guys two weeks ago. I was assuming when I came in, my frames would have new lenses."
I am very confused now.
the gentlemen go on the hunt for my frames.
several more minutes go by, and i am increasingly incredulous and more confused.
i think to myself "did they lose my fucking frames????"
the first guy is sent to the racks of frames to grab a pair of frames that look almost, but not quite, like one of the frames i left with them. blue instead of brown.
the guy goes back in with the frames and i am fully invested.
because.
it sure as hell looks like they lost my fucking frames.
y'all.
they lost my fucking frames.
they got ahold of the lady who's been so helpful basically every time i've seen her and they let me know the situation.
tomorrow, she's going to look into the situation for me. see if she can't find my frames, and if she can't, replace them. gonna call and let me know tomorrow what the deal is.
they offered to give me the blue frames until they could find the frames i'd gotten originally - from THERE, mind you - and i was like
"i don't need the glasses to see. i wear contacts most of the time. my glasses are backups."
so i wasted a solid 45 minutes at the eye doctor today and i'm sure i'll still have to go in tomorrow to talk to someone because they mentioned potentially having to re-order the glasses frames from another store if they couldn't find my glasses.
this was at like. 2:45 this afternoon.
i'm still just like how in the hell did you lose them????
spoke to my roommates earlier about it and they were BOTH like "you are having a shit time with your eyes this year huh?"
and its just like
YEAH. YEAH I AM, ACTUALLY. CAN I GET OFF THIS ROLLERCOASTER NOW
just.
crhist alive
#myde talks#y'all i still have a headache#i'll reblog this tomorrow with an update#myde's eyes#block that tag if you don't care#the woes of capitalism
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hey i'm looking at bright side and i'm really glad that john david fought for our rights and made dumbass nolan come to his senses, and i don't think someone after reading the script could imply a romance between ives and protagonist or he and neil, it doesn't make sense so prefer to think jdw make nolan see that tenet was a love story between tp and neil
hi, friend. i think even in the script (without all the emotions that rpattz portrayed for us in the movie) neil would make more sense as the love interest. kat, imo, looks more than a passing character, a reason to keep the plot going, rather than someone the protagonist would end up with. and ives, as i already said in the tags of that post, barely had any screentime with the protagonist (although there is a bit chemistry there, i will admit that), definitely not enough to make us audience (me) think that there is something more to them (even though i don’t mind them as a crack ship or something lol).
whereas, neil, there’s always a certain implication - the (grins) “no, you don’t”, the “need a hand” spoken without preemptive, the “Neil steps up, DESPERATE“ after neil found out the protagonist was fighting himself, the “now let me go” and everything that follows it. and the fact that neil got a lengthy, bittersweet goodbye with the protagonist truly spoke volume on the nature of their relationship - that it was more meaningful, more impactful than the two above.
perhaps, it’s just the shipper goggles that are glued tight to my face, but yeah, neil definitely makes a better love interest than either kat, or ives. jdw definitely didn’t come to this conclusion, but i’m glad still that he’s got enough sense to steer nolan away from the protagonist/kat route. it wouldn’t make sense, anyways, seeing as kat just got off from an abusive relationship, and cared about nothing than the wellbeing of herself and her son.
#Anonymous#ask#cast#tenet#everyday i wake up and be grateful that jdw was cast for the role of the protagonist#he truly made it his own and nobody would do as good as he did#also you mentioned ives and neil as a pair and maybe i'm judgmental but i'm very suspicious of people who ship them#i mean i don't think they even got a scene together besides the one in sator's turnstile room#where ives stood and WAITED for a hot minute before stepping in and easing the protagonist off of neil#(in case anyone wants to try the 'ives is protective of neil' arguement on me)#and the fact that y'all got a great pairing right in front of y'all with so much potentials (be it angst; fluff; hurt/comfort ect.)#and y'all decided to ship two characters that barely interact?#yeah seems a bit sus to me#i won't jump to any conclusion but just know that i don't trust like that#*my ramblins#also last one#i only saw this after i've posted alicia's aska#and i just couldn't help but answer this one right away#anyways off to sleep now#see y'all in the morning
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"You're Enough.."
Pairing: Third Year!Tsukishima Kei x 1st Year!Abused!Reader
Genre: Angst to Fluff
Commissioned or Self Made: Self Made
Word Count: 1.3k
A/N: Hey guys! So I'm not doing very well this time, other than the fact I've finished Attack on Titan, I've been stressed out because of home as well. So to cope, I've made a comforting Tsukishima fic. Let’s try to reach the goal of $375! I hope y'all enjoy!
TW: Mention of abuse, scars and bruises, possible fight, swearing, mentions of suicide & mental health
You and your family had a lot of adversities in your life. You could never get all of you to get along, and it ends up being another violent strife.
You talk about your family to Tsukishima at a minimum, in fear that he might call Child Services. You two like to make fun of your parents. But afterwards, Tsukishima gives out surprisingly good advice, to help your family’s relationship. You could even call him “Therapist Tsukishima”.
There was a time where you stopped talking about your family with Tsukishima, your parents overheard your conversation a while ago. As punishment, you were yelled at and beaten for it. You’d come to high school sore and bruised all over, and Tsukishima is the one who takes care of them. He would occasionally ask you what happened with your family, but you kept changing the subject. You didn’t want to get in trouble, and you didn’t want him to get in trouble as well.
You soon became insecure about yourself. You began to ask questions. “Am I a bad friend”?”Am I being too self centric”? “Am I doing the right thing”? Those types of questions corrupted your mind, and the questions began turning into facts. “I’m a bad friend”, “I’m being too self centric”, “I’m doing the right thing by not telling anyone about my distraught moments”.
It was the following day of school, and you were trying to erase the thought of your sibling trying to end their life yesterday. You were exhausted due to lack of sleep, and your body was in pain. As you stumbled your way to high school, you met Tsukishima at the front.
“There’s my favorite first year.” he chuckled, resting his hand on your shoulder. “How are we doing today?” You forced a smile out, you can’t let him know, right? “Hi Tsukki. I’m doing fine.” You muttered, in hope he doesn’t ask you questions about your state. It was the last thing you wanted him to do anyway. “You sure? It looks like you’re limping.”
Shit. You are limping.
“Oh! I was doing more workouts for my dance recitals! So that’s why I’m so sore.” You said, as you tried to stand properly. Tsukishima cocked an eyebrow, leering at your posture. “Ok then.” Tsukishima faltered as you both walked into the school.
Time flew like the speed of light as you now were transferring into lunch. You met Tsukishima again, and he was gesturing to you to sit next to him. “Oi, pipsqueak. You're not gonna tell your grade for that exam you took?” Oh yeah, you had a exam today. “I got 84%.” You responded.
“That’s great, for a pipsqueak like you.”
“No it’s not.”
Tsukishima frowned when you said that. “What do you mean?” “84% is a B. It’s not a good enough grade.” “Well that exam was hard, and you did well compared to other students.” You kept silent, as you looked down at your untouched lunch. Soon the bell rang and both you and Tsukishima left the cafeteria without a word.
It was late afternoon and you had just finished up your classes, as always, you’d watched Tsukishima as he was in volleyball practice. You sat on the bleachers, hunched away from anything and everyone. You rested your head against your knees as you closed your eyes, hoping to disappear.
Everything seems a blur now. Is this what it feels when you are suffering in silence? You began to rethink about “Those Questions” once more, but the only difference is that they now have answers. You are not a good friend. You are incredibly selfish. You deserve this pain. You are worthless. You-
“Hey (Y/N), we need to talk. Privately.”
You looked up to see Tsukishima, who was now in front of you. At first you wanted to ignore him, but given the fact he has rarely ever done this before, you decided to follow him to the club room.
The room was small, but unusually enjoyable. You sat down across from him, using every fiber in your being to avoid eye contact.
“Be honest with me. Are you ok?” He asked. “Yes.” “Can you look up at me please?” You looked up at him, only for him to look back at you. But instead of being bashful, your stomach began to ache in pain from the anxiety. “Now tell me again. Are you really ok?” He asked again, causing you to become more irritated. “Yes! I’m fine!”
“No you’re not.”
You gawked at him. Not knowing what to say next. “[Y/N], do you seriously think I’m stupid?” You didn’t answer him. You didn’t want to answer him, so you just let him continue. “You didn’t think I saw how you acted these past few weeks, or those bruises on your body?”
You felt your heart drop when he said those lines. He knew? But how? “You know. You’re not really good at lying.” “So why didn’t you say something sooner?” “Because I know you would just lie again or avoid the question.” “Well why didn’t you just force it out of me?!” You were angry at this point, you felt hot tears stream down your face.
“Because I know what you’re hiding from me involves your family.”
It seemed like Tsukishima already knew what was going on. You couldn’t help but to break down in front of him, yelling and crying in frustration.
“I hate my parents Tsukki!” You sobbed. “They always make me and my siblings feel like we’re never good enough for them!” You banged your fist at the table as Tsukishima walked over to you. He took your right arm and pulled you into an embrace. “My sibling even fucking tried to kill themselves because of it! And they blamed them for not doing well at school! Every time when we talked about our mental health, they would ignore us,” You looked up at Tsukishima once more. His facial expression never changed since. “They would even beat us! I hate them Tsukki! I hate them!” You seeped into his chest as his hand massaged your back slowly. Eventually, you calmed down, your body still enacted with his.
“[Y/N], can I tell you something?” You hesitated at first, but you answered yes. “I’m proud of you, for telling me this.” “Why?” You asked him weakly. He chuckled warmly, causing your heart to throb, not in pain, but rather in love.
“Because your parents wouldn’t get to hear their own child standing up for themselves.” He lifted your chin, compulsing you to look up at him. “They wouldn’t see how incredibly smart you are.” He continued. “They wouldn't see how good of a friend you are. They wouldn’t see how strong you are. And of course..” He stopped to stare at you one last time, right before kissing you on your lips.
The sudden action shocked you at first, but then you began to relax. “They wouldn't know how much I love you.”
You couldn’t help but to cry again. Not in anger, but rather in happiness. Who could have ever known that Tsukishima was soft for you? Well, his friends probably. “The same could be said for you.” You giggled.
He smiled at you again, kissing your forehead. The two of you stayed in the clubroom until school was over. But before you could end the day, you decided to ask Tsukishima “Those Questions”.
“Tsukki.. Am I selfish?” You asked him. “I would argue that you’re selfless, but it’s always okay to have your selfish moments.” He replied. “Am I a bad friend?” You asked him again. He turned his head to you. His face looked like you offended him. “If you were a bad friend, then I wouldn’t be talking to you dummy.” He teased, playfully pinching your ear. “Ahaha! Stop!” You squealed. “Well..” You trailed your own words as you slowly looked up to Tsukishima one last time.
“Am I good enough?”
The room was silent, then Tsukishima pulled you in for another embrace. The hug was deeper than the last one, as if Tsukishima thought of you like a stuffed animal, maybe even a spouse.
“You're more than enough [Y/N].” He replied. “I promise, that you are enough.”
#Spotify#writing#haikyuu!!#haikyuu tsukishima#tsukishima kei#tsukishima comfort#tsukishima x reader#tsukishima x you#SoundCloud#angst to fluff
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Sad Ending
Pairing: Damian Wayne x Reader
Warnings: Death, blood, injuries, what have you.
Word Count: 3.3K
Summary: When you're reunited with Damian after year's of being apart, what he doesn't know is that you're there to say goodbye
A/N: This didn't quite turn out how it played out in my head but ig that's partly because I wasn't able to put in the filler parts in between cuz it just didn't fit. In hindsight I could've written a few more k's of words to fit it in but I reached my limit so I hope y'all enjoy it.
Your eyes were trained onto the figure in the crowd of the gala. The same figure it had been pinned to for a few weeks now and it would continue to be that way for as long as you could.
Damian Wayne was just as beautiful as you remembered him, with sharp eyes and a gorgeous face that had your heart leaping to your throat with a simple look. But you believed that the world wasn’t blessed with eyes gifted enough to see the true beauty of him.
A beauty that only someone who knew him on the inside would.
Everything about him was compelling, gorgeous, familiar. You watched him from afar in longing, wishing that you could go up to him but still you kept your distance, fearing the worst if he knew you were here.
Still, you remained selfish, indulging in your desires to get whatever glimpse of him that you could. You kept him away from you however, knowing that once you got a taste of him, you wouldn't be able to pull back.
But it was tough, you had missed him, so much.
Even so, you were content simply watching him.
You thought you were sneaky, that Damian didn't notice. Of course, you overestimated yourself, or underestimated him. And of course, in the traditional Wayne fashion, you had to expose yourself in the most dramatic and eccentric way possible.
The famous Damian Wayne, son of reputable and not to mention rich Bruce Wayne was attacked at the bank by a bunch of thugs, armed with weapons. The security was taken out swiftly and you imagined that Damian would quickly disarm the man threatening him with a knife.
Instead, he made no move, not even bothering to look remotely interested and just held up his hands like he was bored. The bandit, trigger-happy and confused, pulled back the blade in his hand, to try and stab him.
The crowd gasped and whimpered but were silenced by the man pointing a gun at them. Damian still didn't look phased. Instead, he lazily tilted his head until his eyes locked on your figure, hidden in the shadows. You stopped dead, watching carefully as he stared at you, completely tuning out the man putting his life in peril.
When the thug moved again, to try and stab him and Damian still didn't make any move, you leaped from your place before your mind could even process it, wedging yourself between the both of them and quickly disarming the man.
He fell to the ground, screaming in pain when you knocked the weapon out of his hands and then twisted his arm, hearing the painful crack of his shoulder getting pulled out of its socket.
You glared at the man behind you from the corner of your eye, "You could've gotten hurt."
He shrugged, "I knew you'd step in to protect me."
You scoffed, "You put a lot of faith in someone you haven't seen in years."
He just smirked in the infuriating way you knew he would before moving from behind you as more men came at you. With his help it didn't take long before they were all on the ground, either knocked out or groaning in pain.
"Um, can someone call an ambulance for these guys?"
When you turned, Damian was watching you with a small smile and your heart fluttered in your chest. You should've kept him at an arm's distance, you should have left but in the moment all you wanted to do was be in his arms.
Before you could even help yourself, you crashed into his chest like a falling star, wrapping your arms around his waist and breathing in the familiar scent of him. He held you tightly against him, cradling your head lovingly and gently pressed a kiss to your hairline.
"The league." You whispered to him, remembering why you were here.
Damian shushed you, tightening his arms around you and you were in a safe haven, sighing in relief against him. For a second, all the fear and guilt you had been feeling melted away.
Nothing else mattered as long as you were in his arms.
"We can discuss it back at home, (Y/N)." He muttered, now pulling away so he could lead you away from the police and reporters to his car.
You stared at your fingers intertwined with Damián’s, the engagement ring on your finger glimmering brightly under the sunlight and smiled unconsciously.
"I missed you." You sighed, feeling his fingers tighten around yours. Damian spared you another smile over his shoulder before you caught up with him, leaning into his arm.
"Me too, beloved."
****
"You should get some rest, beloved." Damian muttered, as the others began leaving the room. Your shoulders were still tense but you managed a smile, nodding at him.
"I'll just wash up and join you."
He smiled gently at you, raising your hand and placing a fluttering kiss to your knuckles before leaving. You watched the door as it slid shut and it was only then you let your expressions melt back onto your face.
"You may have the others fooled, but don't think for a second that you've pulled the wall over my eyes." Came from behind you and you froze, eyes widening.
You spun around to see Damian's brother, Tim, inch his way closer to you, figure stiff and guard up.
"Because Damian knows you, I'll assume your identity to be true. Damian was quick to trust you and the others followed suit but something's not adding up. Why are you here?"
His eyes were sharp and his gaze cut right through you. You didn't realize it but your hands were shaking even though you tried hard to maintain your composure.
"I—I told you," You croaked, cringing at your suddenly choked voice, "I was giving up on this life. I'm turning over a new leaf and hiding from the League until that happens."
"Then why come here?"
"I told you—"
"I don't believe you. You know why? Here's the problem with your story." He spoke, coolly, "Take it as a puzzle. The puzzle pieces all fit, but the picture, doesn't make sense. Why come here? When you're on the run from the League of Assassins no less?"
You were floundering, quite pathetically you might add, unable to think when your mind was flurrying so violently. It didn't help that Tim was speaking in such a condescending and strict manner that it intimidated you.
"Here's what I think happened; either you're here to lead the League to Damian, waiting until he's vulnerable and his guard is down to strike." He spat, "Or, you're not running from them at all. You're waiting until they find you."
You hesitantly raised your eyes to meet his, "You can't tell Damian."
"Since you even tried to entertain the fact that I'd hide Damian means that it's the latter. But why?"
"I was hand-chosen by Talia to be Damian's betrothed since birth. They handed me down to one of the main sergeants to be raised as their own. Except, they weren't that happy to have me." You explained, watching as his features smoothened over with realization.
The gears in his head were turning and you could only assume what was going on in his mind. He was a great detective; you could understand why he had Ra's' acknowledgement. But that made you all the more nervous, trembling hands holding onto the material of your shirt tightly.
"I was raised by them to be the perfect daughter, the perfect wife. As the person who was going to continue the 'Al Ghul' bloodline. However, soon after I was already perceived as a failure." You murmured, keeping your voice low in fear of any other Wayne's poking their head around and over-hearing.
"When Damian left the League to stay with Bruce." Tim realized and you nodded.
"Things just got worse after that. I sustained an injury from a mission and couldn't walk for a few months. My step-family was called on a mission for the last few of my recovery. When they returned, they were unaware of my progress but I decided to keep up the act that I was still unable to take care of myself. It was a few nights after that I heard them plotting to kill me since I became a liability and a shame to the family."
The man in front of you chuckled humourlessly, rubbing his tired face with his palm, "What kind of fucked up Cinderella story is this?"
You shared his sentiment, "Only difference to the original is that my prince never came. So, I had to take matters into my own hand."
Tim's eyes widened, "(Y/N), why is the league after you?"
You released a shuddering breath, "Damian can't find out."
He bristled, "Damian would protect you."
"And that's exactly why he can't find out. Damian would die to protect me, and if he tries to step in that's exactly what's going to happen."
"Then why come here? Why bring it to our home?"
You hid your face in your hands, "I didn't mean to. I just wanted to be selfish one last time. I was completely content with just watching him from a distance, I guess I overestimated my abilities. When we met, I was hoping he'd turn me away. I was hoping he'd tell me that he moved on and never wanted to see me again. I was hoping he'd tell me that he didn't feel anything for me."
Your eyes began watering and you felt the urge to hide and cry. Everything was getting messed up. Guilt took over you when you remembered how bright Damian's face was when he saw you, how right his hand felt in yours. How could you do this to him?
"Damian would want to know." Tim told you softly, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder but your body stiffened up. He couldn't find out. He just couldn't.
"Are you really willing to put the life of your brother at risk for a girl you just met today?"
"You seem awfully keen to die." He commented, and you felt slight grief at his words. Of course, you didn't want to die. Not now, not when you were finally back in Damian's arms. Not ever.
You sniffled, biting your lip, "Damian shouldn't have to pay for my sins. I do."
His hand tightened on your shoulder and you found comfort in the warmth you could feel through your clothes, "I'll keep your secret."
Sighing in relief, you hugged him tightly, "Thank you."
****
When Damian woke up, his eyes flickered between the lamp beside him on the nightstand and then to the window. It was still dark outside, he assumed that he was woken up because of his usual schedule. It wasn't like him to miss patrol but the others suggested that he take a day off to rest.
He turned his neck to see that you weren't in bed beside him and wondered if last night had been a dream. It wouldn't have been the first time that he dreamt of you being by his side. But he remembered how much his heart pounded, he remembered feeling shocks all over his skin when he touched you.
And then he noticed the way the other side of the bed was mussed up, like someone had been sleeping there and he absently reached for that side, running his fingers up and down the fabric like he would be able to feel some residual warmth from your body.
Instead, the pads of his fingers came into contact with something coarse. His brows furrowed and he grabbed it between his fingers, realizing it was a folded piece of paper. Squinting and sitting up, he got a better look at it, recognizing his name scrawled in your handwriting.
'Damian.
I'm sorry that you'll have to find out this way but the League found my location a little earlier than expected. I'm going into hiding tonight. It's likely we'll never see each other again. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you this in person. Even though I know this is a missed opportunity for it and I should have summoned up the courage to say goodbye, I just couldn't stand the thought. And I couldn't watch myself break your heart. Please forgive me for this. I never wanted our lives to turn out this way, but I can't keep running away from reality and towards my desires anymore. You deserve so much more than I could ever even hope to offer you. And I know this is another mistake I'm making, but I left the ring you gave me. Thank you for giving it to me, but I think it belongs to someone else.
I love you, and I'm sorry.
-(Y/N)'
His heart rate picked up, skimming over the words a few more times. This had to be some sort of trick, he tried to decipher your words, tried to see if there were any clues, any codes but his heart clenched in his chest when he realized there was none. He pulled back the covers in a frantic motion and sure enough, the engagement ring you were given on your 18th was glimmering, abandoned by you.
Blood hammered through his ears and he threw off the covers, getting to his feet and sprinting through the doors. His feet pounded against the hardwood floors and then the metal floors of the Batcave.
"Damian? What're you doing up?" Dick asked, raising a brow as Damian marched his way down to the Bat Computer before pushing Tim out of the way and pulling up the Manor security cameras. You had managed to avoid all of them. Of course.
"We have to find (Y/N)." He said, not turning his eyes off the screen.
"(Y/N)? Wasn't she in bed with you?"
"If she was in my bed then I wouldn't be down here trying to find her, now would I?!" He bit back and then held out the note for Dick to read. Once he got through it, Dick squeezed his younger brother's shoulder as a sign of comfort.
"Don't worry, Little D, we'll find her."
"Damian, she said she doesn't want to be found. Don't you think you should listen to her and trust that she knows what's best?" Tim asked from behind him, hoping to get his brother to relax but Damian's back tensed up before he turned to his brother.
"You know something."
Tim froze, "What?"
But before he could even think of a cover story, Damian was grasping him by his collar, holding him to eye level to look the devil's grandson in the eye, "What are you not telling me, Drake?"
Realizing he's been caught, Tim pushed his hands off him, turning so that his back was facing him, "Doesn't matter. (Y/N) said she didn't want you to find out and I promised her."
He felt a little helpless watching Tim's back facing him. He didn't feel like himself. Every second that Damian spent away from you, when he knew that you could be in trouble had every part of him, every fibre of his being, every cell in his body ache with a pain he had never felt before.
Never in his life would he have thought that he would be brought to his knees by someone. But you held all the power over him and Damian would gladly kneel before you, his queen. And now he couldn't stand being away from you, he couldn't bear the ache in his nerves when he couldn't feel your skin under his.
"Tim." The silence in the cave was deafening as everyone looked between the two youngest brothers, "Please."
It was then Tim began doubting his choice. He bit his lip uncertainly, avoiding Damian's gaze and he looked to his feet, "She said she didn't want you to find out."
"Tell me."
And he did.
****
Your fingers were curled tightly around the handle of your sword, breaths coming out in sharp labours as you tried to deflect each of their offenses. There were too many of them, too many for you to take and even though you were able to dodge and counter most of their attacks, there could still hit you.
You were bloodied and shaking but you still refused to give up without a fight. They'd regret ever underestimating you, ever thinking that you were nothing more than a way to continue the Al Guhl bloodline. You were much more than that and they'd only see a fraction of it tonight.
Your resolved hardened in your veins as you sliced through another soldier, feeling more determined to get through this fight as the victor. Even though deep down you knew that it wouldn't change the end of your life, they'd never stop trying to hunt you down. But at least this way you'd put up a fight.
It was getting harder and harder to keep up the momentum, your speed and agility was retarding fast and decelerating with each hit you took. The wounds and cuts etched into your skin burned as you moved, blood dripping down your arms and legs.
Your body began going rigid, shocking in its movements momentarily as you kept flipping and manoeuvring yourself to doge the hits. That came to be a fatal mistake when your body locks up when you blocked one of the assassins, swords clashing together in the familiar sound of metal on metal.
Another came at you and your joints were locked in place, unable to move. Your mind blanked out and before you could slide the sword out to counter the other you heard someone scream your name.
You felt arms wrap tightly around your middle.
You saw green eyes.
And then you felt piercing pain in through your chest.
Damian heard you gasp in his ear and his grunt of pain echoed through your head as the katana went through him. Tears immediately clouded your vision when you felt fire burn across your middle, the blade of the sword buried into you as a painful reminder.
"Damian." You sobbed when you felt his knees buckle against yours. His body wanted to collapse, he couldn't stay standing much longer but you knew that if either of you moved, in an unsynced motion from each other, it could cause more pain to the other.
It was getting harder to breathe. You were choking on your own blood as the metallic taste filled your mouth. The sword had gone through Damian's lower abdomen but it had gone straight through your chest.
Your fingers dug into the back of his shirt, crying out into his neck, "Why did you come here?! Why didn't you stay away?"
With trembling fingers, he raised your chin so that your eyes would meet his. He was crying, the scorching pain forcing out more tears. Even then he wrenched a smile on his face.
"There's no one else in the entire universe I'd want by my side more than you. The ring is yours, my love."
Like as if on que, both your bodies crumbled towards the ground. The sword moved painfully through you and a garbled shriek left your mouth, muffled by the blood crawling up your throat.
Your head fell to Damian's chest and you heard the sound of his faint heartbeat, the sound getting farther and farther away as minutes passed. His arms were still wrapped around your waist in a lover's grasp, bodies pinned together until eventually everything went black.
Your prince came back for you this time.
What a shame the story had a sad ending.
Forever Taglist:
@simonsbluee
DC Taglist:
@emmacata
@p--e--a--c--h--e--s
@sometimeseverythingsucks
@sokkas-honour
@unstable1902
@lostgirlheart
@missdisapear
@tadpole-san
#Damian Wayne#damian wayne headcanon#damian wayne x reader#damian wayne imagine#robin#robin headcanon#robin x reader#Young Justice#young justice fic#young justice oneshot#young justice x reader#young justice imagines#Young justice imagine#yj x reader#batfam x reader#BatFam#batfam x you#dick grayson x reader#jason todd x reader#tim drake x reader
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Voices.
Pairing: Chris Evans x F!Reader
Genre: nothing but floofy-floof
Warnings: none
Requested: nope
Summary: in which you can hear the voice of your soulmate in your head and Y/N's soulmate is someone really special— her celebrity crush.
Author's Note: Hiya peeps! do y'all know how long ago I wrote this fic, like— at least 2 years ago. damn. so in advance, im sorry if there are any grammatical mistakes or bad punctuation in the fic that I forgot to correct (apology for bad english 😌)
oh and
bold/italics - chris
only italics - y/n
---
Hey, you still there?
Y/N snapped out of a trance and focused on the voice. Yeah, yeah I'm still there, she thought to herself. She was hearing the voice of her soulmate, or rather, was speaking to him, telepathically. The thing is, you could hear the voice of your soulmate in your head. You could talk, hold conversations, but the only thing was that you couldn't ask for their name.
You had to guess. Most of the people made plans, like let's meet here or there and concentrate hard enough, I'll see your name written on a paper. It was a thing, I mean, if you concentrated hard enough, you could see what your soulmate was doing. It was like a cheat code of sorts. Most of them found their soulmate in that way.
You see, Y/N loved surprises, so she wasn't going to find her soulmate just yet. Y/N wanted to figure it out for herself. Your soulmate couldn't hear every single one of your thoughts, though (which was how she had zoned out mid-conversation). Listen, we should meet up sometime.
Aw, already? she thought with a pout on her lips. Yes, I'm very excited to meet you, I've been waiting for too long, the voice replied, chuckling. It was a manly voice, really deep and raspy. She loved it. When Y/N was small, about 4-5 years old, all she could hear were swear words and dirty thoughts; characteristics of a teenage boy.
From that, she inferred, that soulmate was much older than her, about 8-9 years older than her. She didn't mind, She was kind of into older guys anyway… But I like this game we have! Why do you want to ruin it? she asked, shaking her head. Alright, sweetheart, just for you, I'm holding back. But I don't have much patience, the voice laughed. Y/N smiled.
Without even meeting her, Chris loved the voice in his head. She sounded so sweet and welcoming, maybe she was younger than him. He couldn't wait to meet her. Chris had tried to plan their meeting for so long now, but she just wouldn't give in. She was also a feisty one. He smiled to himself as he walked down the street, engaged in thoughts about his soulmate.
In his haste, he accidentally bumped into someone. "I'm so sorry!" he blurted out, instead hearing a soft ouch, shit in his head. His brows furrowed. The lady he had bumped into just kept on walking. Are you alright? he asked his soulmate in his mind. Yeah, just bumped into someone while walking.
I bumped into someone just now too! he told her excitedly, still staring at the lady who had now stopped in her tracks. She turned around, scanning the crowd. Then she looked at him, but maybe she didn't realize that she had bumped into him. Holy shit, I see— Then it all went blank. See what? Chris questioned desperately.
He still wasn't sure whether the woman he had just bumped into was his soulmate or not.
Why can't I say the name of the guy who played the role of Captain America?
Chris froze and stared at the lady, jaw dropped. She was lost in her thoughts, confused. He slowly walked to her and stood in front of her; she stared back at him, her heart racing. This was her celebrity crush, who was currently looking at her as if she hung the moon. But why? Why was he looking at her like that?
"You can't say his name because that's me, you technically can't say his name because you aren't allowed to," Chris whispered to her, smiling softly. Her eyes widened.
"You! You're the voice I hear in my mind! Chris freaking Evans is my soulmate?! How did I not realize?!" The woman exclaimed, shocked. Soon though, she got a wide smile on her face. His eyes widened too, hers was the voice he heard as well! "What's your name?" he asked her as they hugged. "I'm Y/N Y/L/N," she replied, smiling.
"Wanna join me for a coffee?" he offered, holding his hand out. She put her palm on top of his and nodded. Both of them entered a nearby coffee shop. "So, what do you do?" he asked her after ordering two coffees. "Nothing. I'm unemployed right now, just got out of my last job. I gave an interview yesterday at Ralph Lauren, just waiting for a call back," she shrugged.
"Oh, into fashion?" he asked her, smiling. "Yeah, got my degree and all. Just needed a job, Ralph Lauren offers a good amount of money," she chuckled. Chris smiled again. "Reminds me of Rachel Green." She laughed more, which warmed his heart. Her laugh was adorable. Suddenly, her phone rang and she looked at him, wide-eyed.
He nodded dismissively and she picked up the call. She spoke for a while and when she ended the call, she had the biggest smile on her face.
"I got the job at Ralph Lauren, I'm starting tomorrow!" Y/N squealed. They couldn't have picked a better timing. "Congratulations, Y/N!" he told her, grinning. After spending some more time at the cafe, they parted ways. She went home while he went back to the sets where they were filming Avengers: Age of Ultron.
"Hi Chris, you were out for a long time, what's up?" Chris Hemsworth asked, smiling at Chris Evans as they stumbled upon each other. "Nothing, just met my soulmate, had a cup of coffee with her." The older Chris feigned nonchalance. "You what?! That's awesome, man! So, how is she, what does she do?" Hemsworth asked him excitedly as both of them walked inside.
Robert and Scarlett were there, talking. "She's so beautiful, I stopped functioning when I saw her. She works at Ralph Lauren, she's a fashion designer," Chris told him with a smile. Robert and Scarlett looked up. "Who?" Scarlett questioned. "Y/N," he said simply, sitting beside Robert. "Who's that?" Robert inquired. "My soulmate." Chris smiled, as if in a trance.
"Boy, you look like you're in love," Scarlett laughed. "Because I am, she's that beautiful," he told her adamantly. "Whoa, did you ask her out?" Robert snorted. "I'm back from our first date." We had our first date right now, didn't we? he asked her in his mind.
Of course we did, I loved it. Hope to meet you again soon, her voice replied and he could practically feel her smile.
Sure, I'm in town for a few more months, I'll mind-text you as to when I'm free, he told her, sporting a smile on his face. She outright laughed in the comfort of her own home. Mind-text? Sounds fun, she agreed and focused on the Netflix series she was watching, turning off the "magical telepathic link" between them.
Chris, too, focused on the others only to see them smiling at him. "Talking to her?" He nodded at Scarlett. A few minutes later, all of them went to another room to begin with the shooting of a new scene.
---
Y/N danced as she prepared dinner, singing along to You Don't Know Me by Jax Jones. It had been a month since she last saw Chris. He had promised her a date, but he didn't get time. She couldn't blame him, he was a busy man. Y/N was shouting the lyrics of the song in her head, unaware of the fact that Chris was snooping in on her mind.
Hey, calm down, she heard Chris chuckling in her mind and shrieked in real life. What are you— are you snooping on my mind? Chris! she thought, scandalized. He laughed more. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I wanted to ask you out. Are you free right now? We could meet in the same coffee shop, he asked. She grinned and nodded to herself. Of course, I'll be there in 15.
She quickly got dressed, wearing a pair of track pants and a t-shirt (like she was wearing on their first date). She didn't bother with her hair or makeup, it looked good anyway, she just bolted out of the house. Y/N entered the coffee shop to see Chris already sitting there, wearing a suit. She cursed herself mentally, making Chris look up.
He stifled a laugh. She went and sat in front of him.
"I'm so sorry I look like a single mother of two kids who hasn't slept in a year," she moaned, "I didn't know you were gonna show up in a suit." She facepalmed for good measure. "It's quite alright, you look beautiful. I wouldn't have you any other way, I should say. I'm coming back from a party right now, therefore the suit."
She blushed softly at his compliment. He ordered two coffees for them and they started talking. "So, how's your job at Ralph Lauren?" Chris asked, smiling at her. "It's amazing, I got promoted. Now I'm the head of the department, with my own office and all," she told him, smiling back. "That's great! Oh, congratulations, honey," he grinned.
"Thanks," she muttered, blushing slightly when he called her a nickname. "You look cute while blushing, has anyone ever told you that?" Chris winked as their coffees arrived. "No one, ever. I don't interact with people much, it's a tedious job," she half-joked, smiling.
"Really! So who are the people you talk to?" he joined in. "Well, there's my assistant, my mother, my bro and you. That's all. I've got some friends, but I rarely talk to them, only on the phone while texting, that is," she shrugged. "Nice, nice," he nodded as they finished their coffees. "Allow me to drop you home," Chris offered, taking out a key which she found out was for his bike as they left the café.
"No it's alright, I'll go," she refused immediately. "Nonsense, you're practically my girlfriend! I'm going with ya," he shook his head. They looked like an odd couple; one wearing a suit while the other looked like she had just woken up. Surprisingly enough, the one who looked like she just woken up had the best fashion sense among them. "Hop on," Chris grinned.
She sat down behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Both of them chatted for the 2 minutes that took them to get to Y/N's home. Once they reached her building, she got down from Chris's bike and turned to him.
"Thanks, Chris, this has been an amazing second date. Can't wait for the third," she told him with a smile. "Me too," he smiled back. A few seconds later, she turned to leave but Chris suddenly grabbed her hand, turning her around. "Wha—" She didn't get to finish her sentence as Chris pressed his lips to hers. She kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I just had to, sweetheart," he panted as they pulled away from each other, breathless. "Wow," she breathed out as Chris rested his forehead against hers. "So, um, see you on the third date, yeah?" Y/N giggled as they stepped away from one another, smiling. "I'll make it as quick as possible. Can't stay away from you, darling," he winked.
"How flattering," she winked back and turned to leave, purposely adding a sway to her hips knowing that he was watching. And fuck, was he watching. "Oh, the things you do to me, my dear Y/N."
"I heard that!"
"Good!"
---
A/N: Thanks for reading, leave a like if you enjoyed!
#chris evans x reader#chris evans x you#chris evans x y/n#chris evans x female reader#chris evans characters#steve rogers x reader#captain america#ransom drysdale x reader#knives out#andy barber x reader#defending jacob#disney#mcu#marvel#avengers#fanfic#writing#writeblr
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I Don’t Know What to Call This | (f/m/a)
Just Friends? Friends with benefits? Dating? Questions swarmed your mind when one of your dear friends, Allie, asked about you and Hoseok’s relationship. The truth was you didn’t know. You and Hoseok were close, knowing each other since elementary school, and considered each other friends. However, as you two grew older, maturing into separate professions—you a well-known fashion designer, and Hoseok a famous musician and dancer—you two had engaged in some intimate activities (sex—lots of it.) After Allie’s simple question, you had to confront your feelings. But were you and Hoseok ready to be more than close friends and f*ck buddies?
Pairing: friend/lover/bfhoseok! x female reader
Genre: slowburn fluff and SMUT
Rating: 18+ because there’s swearing and pretty detailed smut
Warnings: swearing and SMUT (one of the most detailed smuts I've written, and there's more than one sex scene.) Smut includes: switch!reader and switch!hoseok, grinding and thrusting, protective sex (USE CONDOMS, I cannot stress that enough), lots of kissing, ass-grabbing, dirty talk, a wee bit of choking on both sides, squirting, male and female oral, fingering and handjobs, vibrator use, cyber-sex, the reader uses dildo, slight degradation, and just lots of filth—YOU'RE WELCOME FELLOW FILTHY ANIMALS. Oh, and spoilers for the horror movie Hush. It's on Netflix if you haven't watched it yet. It is GOOD.
Word Count: 16, 465 (wowie)
A/N: Thank you for waiting! It’s rushed, so expect some little mistakes here an there, but I’m happy with how it turned out. I hope y'all enjoy it! Also, Y/L/N means "your last name."
Taglist: @kirbykook @kleritata @taestannie @jenotation @hemmos-obrien @zeharilisharaban @speed-of-wind @kawaisoraya
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
“You can move those over there,” you gestured to the left corner of the windowed room, where a pile of boxes waited.
The move was going to take longer than you expected because the movers arrived a week later than your assistant, Rachel said.
I really need to talk to her about this. You stressed in your mind, rubbing your temples.
“Are you okay?”
You looked up, vision resuming its focus on your friend, Allie.
Allie, your friend for as long as you could remember, offered to help you move to your new building. She would help you manage everything, including the movers, tracking your company's items, and the layout you gave to her for said things while managing the company.
“I’m just irritated at Rachel,” you noticed her confusion, “my new assistant.”
She nodded, remembering, “Right. Why is she still employed?”
“Because she’s new, and being an assistant is a tough feat. She’ll get it soon.” You reassured, “Rachel is a fast learner, and this is her first mistake. We’re prepared for the next show, though, because Westley's helping me organize it.”
“Remind me who Westley is?” Allie asked.
You sighed. “West is like my second brain. He helps organize the fashion shows, hire the models, find the venues, and secure the guest list. He has other people help him too, but he’s the brains of that. I create the fashion, and he finds a way to present it.”
Allie nodded, “Gotcha.”
Your phone rang, and you answered. “Y/N.”
“Y/N!” Rachel chimed on the other end. “It’s Rachel. I’m so sorry about the mix-up on dates. It won’t happen again, I—”
“I know it won’t, Rachel. You’re new, so I expected to slip up. I’ve gotten it taken care of,” you nudged Allie’s arm, and she smiled. “We’re luckily prepared for the next show in Vancouver, so you don’t have to worry about the mess up. All I need you to do now is make sure that my fabrics are coming in.”
“Yes! They’ve arrived at the studio.” Rachel replied.
"Fantastic. Thank you. That'll be all for now. Check on West if he needs anything." You ordered.
“Will do, Y/N. Talk to you soon.”
You hung up.
The Vancouver show was in five months, giving you and your team enough time to design the clothes for the production and move to the new building.
The show's theme was natural bodies of water and nature, a nod to Canada's landscape. The clothing catalogue would include various icy blue shades to represent waterfalls and warm emerald tones like flora and fauna.
These colours would be encapsulated in elegant gowns and suits, worn by different body shapes, genders, and colours. The materials would be made from recycled fabrics from your previous shows and from your fellow artists.
You were known for designing elegant attire, so it was best to keep to it. However, it was rare to see different sized, coloured, and gendered models on a runway; because of having to customize clothes to those models. Additionally, making clothes from recycled fabrics would be tough.
“Okay,” you began, “I need to talk to my design team and plan out the gowns. Can I leave you here to deal with the movers?”
Allie gave you a thumbs up.
“Thank you,” you smiled, hugging her, “if you need anything, please call me or Rachel, or both. We’ll be back to help.”
Before you left, a thought struck you.
You turned around to face Allie. “I should just hire you.”
She chuckled, “Why?”
You scoffed, "Because you're here all the time!" You walked back to her. "Listen, you're the best manager I know. You can be my third brain. You already are, outside of work, so it would make sense."
Allie seemed unsure. “I already have my job at Youth and Hope.”
You grasped her hands. “You would be given a great wage, not just because you’re my best friend, but because you’re going to be busy with lots of work. You would be handling the management tasks, like West. You’d be given a good amount of vacation, trips for shows and meetings would be paid for—you could get that loft you always wanted downtown.” You wiggled your eyebrows, and Allie laughed.
“Don’t I have to go through an interview process?”
You brushed a hand through the air. “I can get someone to interview you and officially hire you. Once that’s done, you’ll start getting paid.”
You checked your watch, and a quick rush of panic ran through you. “Shit, I’m going to be late. Consider it, alright! Let me know your availability, and we’ll schedule an interview!”
“Okay!” She shouted back as you left.
.
.
The coffee had become bitter. You weren’t sure if it was the roast or the fact that this was your fourth cup of the night.
It had been a month since the fabrics arrived. Thanks to Allie, your friend and now employee, your move to the new building was complete; however, your designs weren’t translating as smoothly as you wish.
"Fuck," you cursed, resting your head in your hands and rubbing your temples.
The sketches waited in front of you—the measurements and ideas raking at your confidence.
Your designs are redundant.
You’ve done something similar last time.
Boring. Plain.
You turned back to your mannequins, still bare. The theme was in your mind, and your design team reassured you that your sketches were fine, but it all felt fuzzy.
“Y/N,” Rachel peered into the studio from the door, “there’s a gentleman here to see you.”
“His name?” You asked, still looking at the mannequins.
You heard footsteps retreat into the front lobby, then come back to the door.
“Jung Hoseok?”
You turned around, trying to contain your excitement. “Please send him in.”
Rachel nodded, jogging back to the lobby. You heard a muffled “thank you” before heavy footsteps approaching your studio.
Hoseok reached the doorway, beaming his signature smile. He wore acid-washed jeans, a baggy white sweater that matched his chunky light sneakers. His dark hair was slightly wavy and parted in the middle. A tote bag was slung over his shoulder.
“Y/N!” He cheered, opening his arms wide.
“Hoseok!” You replied, running into his arms and hugging him tightly.
You couldn’t remember the last time you saw Hoseok—a year or two?
“Fuck, how long has it been?” You asked him.
He pulled away, thinking. “About six months?”
Totally off.
“Seriously, it felt longer than that.” You argued.
Hoseok pulled out his phone and scrolled through his calenderer and photos.
He made a ‘tsk’ sound. “Ah, see here,” he showed you a few photos of you two with his friends, who were also his bandmates, “six months ago, you joined us on tour for a couple days before coming back here. I have it also marked in my calendar.” He showed you the dates, which were marked with ‘💚Y/N’s visit💚.’
“Can Namjoon or Yoongi confirm this?” You crossed your arms.
Hoseok mimicked your body language. “I can call them right now,” he challenged.
You two stood in competitive tension.
You succumbed. “You win this time, Jung Hoseok.”
He playfully chuckled.
You realized that Hoseok doesn’t live around here. “Wait, why are you in town. Shouldn’t you and the others be in Korea planning another album or something?” You speculated.
“Our company gave us a month for vacation because we spent most of the year touring.” Hoseok sighed. “So, I decided to come to visit.”
You hugged him again, happy to see someone who wasn’t your employee amidst this chaos of stress.
“How long are you staying?” You asked, muffled against his chest.
He paused. “Maybe a month?”
You pulled away from him, shocked.
“A month? Here? That’s all your vacation time.”
“Yeah,” he replied, as if that wasn’t a big deal, “I didn’t want to travel to a bunch of places because the group and I have been doing that for almost a year—and it’s pretty chill in this area.” He sighed. “Besides, I don’t think many people would recognize me. The airport wasn’t busy, and I haven’t been swarmed by fans yet.”
“Do you have a place to stay?” You asked.
He nodded. “Yup! I’m staying at a fancy hotel. I got the suite at the top floor,” he made a gesture with his hand, indicating how high up his suite was.
You playfully elbowed his side. "Wow, look at you, Mr. Famous. You can afford a top suite now. Are you sure you don't want to stay with me, though?”
Hoseok dismissed your offer with a wave of his hand. “It’s alright, Y/N. Thank you, though.” He peered over your shoulder, “It looks like you’re busy anyway, so I think I’ll just stick to my suite.”
He walked past you, over to the bare mannequins.
“Are you preparing for that show in Vancouver that you told me about?”
You nodded, relaying your theme and ideas to him.
He smiled. “That sounds really cool,” he pointed to the mannequins, “but don’t you need some clothes for the show, then?”
You rolled your eyes, chuckling at him for being a smart ass. “Yes, I do. I’m brainstorming some ideas right now, but I’m coming up with nothing. I have the design team coming in tomorrow with drafts, but I’d like to bring my own thing to the table, you know? I’m the main brain of this operation, and it’d be embarrassing if I come in with zilch.”
You leaned against one of the tables, facing the mannequins. "The tough part is designing gowns that fit the right people, you know. Sure, you can make a collection of clothes, but they won't look good if they don't fit the models." You shook your head. "Maybe it's just tougher to design clothes for different bodies. I should just stick to one type of person and leave it at that."
Hoseok walked up beside you, leaning against the same table and facing the figures. “Why don’t you find the models and then design the clothes?”
You looked at him, surprised. “But wouldn’t that take a long time?”
He crossed his arms, “Well, how many models would you need?”
“We’re thinking around seventy. There’s going to be two changes within the show.”
Hoseok nodded, and you could see him brainstorming.
“Well, you have four months left, right? You and your team can make some drafts, cast the models, and finalize the ideas with said models. Which would take about a couple of months? You could do that while planning the show?”
He paused, appearing to notice your hesitant expression. “Think about it. You’ve trained your team well enough to work on its own, right? That’s what you did for your last show, which was a success. You came in every day for a couple hours to make sure everything was in order, then focused on other things.”
Hoseok grasped your hands. “You’re great at multitasking, so do it. It’s scary, but you can check on people every day to make sure everything’s alright.”
You bit your lip, “I-I don’t know, Hoseok. That sounds like a lot of work—”
“You did it last time, and it worked out just fine,” he gently squeezed your hands, “and I’m here for a month. I can help out whenever you need me. I’ll simply clean things up and fetch coffee if that’s what you need.”
You laughed, “Like my intern?”
“Yeah! I don’t know how to design anything or plan a fashion show, but I’ll do what I can.” He smiled. “You’re so much more than you think, Y/N, and if you need reminders, I’ll be here.”
You smiled back at him, so grateful to have him here.
“My god, you’re fucking sweet,” you scoffed, taking your hands out of his.
Hoseok laughed.
You pushed yourself off the table and faced him. “How did we even become friends?” You questioned.
He actually gave it a thought. “You joined by dance club in elementary school, when no one else would.” He laughed so hard that he teared up. “I think we actually took club photos, and it was only you and I posing.”
You laughed with him, remembering those days spent trying to breakdance to hip hop and presenting dance routines to your parents.
“Yeah, that was before you joined that Music Academy in grade four, right?”
He nodded, and you sighed, surprised you still remembered.
Your mind came back to the present.
“So, you’re actually okay with helping out?” You checked.
“Why would I ask if I didn’t want to?” Hoseok replied.
You tapped your index finger against your temple, “true.”
“So, how much do you want?”
Hoseok looked offended at your question.
You chuckled. “Well, you’re going to work for me, so I need to pay you.”
“It’s only just a month, though.”
“Yeah, but—”
“What about we see how much you have me do before you pay me?” He interrupted. “I might just have to fetch coffee, so you can just give me money on the spot.”
You thought about it for a minute.
Hoseok yawned. “This work talk is making me tired. Do you want to go out for dinner?” He looked around you, “Unless you have more work to do. I can always wait in the lobby for you to finish.”
You brushed your hand through the air, “Nah, it’s okay. I’m pretty brain dead anyway. I need to be energized for tomorrow’s draft review.”
Hoseok pushed himself off the table and clapped. “Awesome! Where do you think I’m taking you for dinner?”
You bit your lip, trying to guess. “Sushi?”
“Sushi it is!” He beamed.
You grabbed your things and followed him out of the studio.
Both of you sat towards the back of the sushi restaurant, to Hoseok’s request. The waitress placed you two in a concealed booth, with drapes covering a small entrance.
You two had to take your shoes off before sitting down.
“Why did you say, ‘sushi it is?’” You asked, taking a sip of your water.
Hoseok opened his can of sprite, “What do you mean?”
“You asked where I thought you were taking me, I responded, and you said, ‘sushi it is!’” You reiterated.
He took a sip of his soda before responding, "It's a trick I learned from Instagram." He set his drink down. "You ask someone, 'where do you think I'm taking you for food?' dinner or whatever, and then take them to a place with that food. It's easier than asking 'what do you want to eat?' because people can't decide."
You nodded, making an ‘aaahhh’ sound. “Smart.”
You two caught up while eating your meals. Hoseok chatted about his bandmates and the tour, and you talked about your move to the new building.
Most of it was just adding more details about your lives because you two texted lots during the week and sometimes video chatted. You'd get to see Hoseok and his friends, and he'd get a view of your life on the other side of the world.
To others, it looked like both of you were dating. Both of your friends would tease, singing, "Y/N and Hoseok sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." Many of his fans, ARMY, would theorize your friendship, pointing out the matching bracelets you two wore—which was later proved normal because Hoseok went live on Vlive making bracelets for his bandmates.
And you two would continually clarify that you two were strictly long-time friends. Nothing more.
Girls and boys can be friends. Simple as that.
You and Hoseok finished your meals. You two shared a few rolls and a bento box and were full.
“That was really good.” You commented, rubbing your stomach.
Hoseok chuckled, copying you, “I think I’m pregnant.”
You laughed, “Shut up! You’re so fit.”
“You’re right,” he replied, pulling up his sleeves and flexing his arms.
You both laughed as he flexed his muscles, which were significantly more prominent than your remembered. You were slightly jealous of his lean athletic figure.
And were gazing at it for too long.
“I don’t know about you,” Hoseok sighed, appearing to be tired from the food and flexing his muscles, “but I’m in the mood for some Ben and Jerry’s.”
Your eyes lit up. “YES.”
“Cookie dough with chunks?” You both said in unison.
You two erupted in laughter.
"I'll go play," Hoseok said, getting up.
You stopped him, “It’s alright,” you smiled, “my treat.”
Before you left the booth, you turned around and said thoughtfully, "But you're getting the ice cream."
Hoseok's expression conveyed the same seriousness as if a soldier on a mission.
He saluted you. “Copy that, Y/N.”
You saluted him back and left to pay.
The walk to Ben and Jerry’s was quick. Both of you were eager to share the tub of ice cream.
You ended up getting a chocolate chip cookie dough and a cherry Garcia pint, and two spoons to share. You both ate the ice creams with delight while walking back to your apartment building.
When arriving at your building, Hoseok handed you the cookie dough ice cream pint.
“What are you doing?” You asked while he gave you the closed pint.
He tilted his head to the side, confused. “What do you mean? I’m dropping you off at your place.”
You gave a shocked expression. “Dropping me off? We’re not even done our pints!”
“But you have work tomorrow. I don’t want to keep you up.” Hoseok stepped back towards the edge of the sidewalk. “I can catch a cab back to the hotel, don’t worry.”
You balanced the pints in one hand and used your other to grab his arm.
“You’re not going anywhere,” you said, pulling away from the curb and closer to your building.
Hoseok pulled his arm out of your grip. "Y/N, you need to be well-rested—"
“At least help me finish the ice cream.” You interrupted, holding up the pints that were now in both your hands, along with your spoon.
“We haven’t seen each other six months, and it’s only…”
Hoseok pulled out his phone. “Nine.”
“Exactly!” You expressed. “It’s only nine. I don’t need to be in until nine-thirty tomorrow morning. As long as you’re out by eleven, that gives me an hour to get ready for bed at twelve, and I will wake up at eight. Plenty of rest!”
You watched his unsure expression.
"If you don't want to go home at eleven, that's fine by me. Could you leave earlier? Or you can go back to your hotel if you want. I won't take offence; you know me." You held up your arms in surrender, ice cream pints still in your hands. "But if you're leaving because you're worried that I won't get enough sleep, don't. I'm a grown woman. I know how to take care of myself, and I want you to come in.
Hoseok bit his lip, appearing to debate the offer.
He sighed. "Fine, I'll come in. However, I don't want to get a text from you complaining about being tired in the morning."
“I swear,” you promised, pretending to draw an ‘x’ over your heart, “I cross my heart.”
Hoseok chuckled, and you led the two of you into your apartment building and into the elevator. You pressed the twentieth button, and you two waited in comfortable silence.
The elevator doors opened, and you two walked to your apartment.
You opened the door to your studio apartment, locking the door behind you two and hanging up your bag along with your keys.
“Want anything to drink?” You asked, setting down the ice cream pint in your hand and taking off your coat.
Hoseok set down the cookie dough pint on the coffee table. “Anything is alright, thanks,”
You hummed, getting both of you bottles of black cherry soda and bringing over the cherry Garcia pint and your spoon.
"Jesus, do you need help?" Hoseok asked with worry, seeing you holding the bottles by their necks in one hand and the ice cream pint and spoon in the other.
You chuckled, “It’s alright, just sit down.”
You two sat on the couch, twisting off the caps on your sodas and taking a sip.
Hoseok sighed. “That’s really good,” he gestured to the pop before putting it down on the coffee table.
“Yeah! They’re so addictive,” you replied, setting coasters under both of your drinks.
Both of you continued to reminisce about your childhood, especially middle school. The puberty years had been gruesome to you two, speckling your faces with acne.
You pulled out a photo album you kept on one of your bookshelves, which had pictures of your families and your younger selves—even photos when Hoseok was training, before debuting with BTS in 2013.
“Oh my god, look at you!” You gasped, showing him a picture.
In the photo, Hoseok arms were crossed over his chest, his attempt at having swagger. He wore a collared shirt, and his hair was short.
“Oh god, no,” Hoseok cringed, gently pushing the photo away.
You chuckled, "You were so adorable, always dancing and having a good time." You smiled. "You are such a hard worker, practicing so much. I remember you twisting your ankle but still practicing."
You looked at him tenderly. “I wish people could see that.”
Hoseok smiled back at you, softly touching your hand. You grasped his hand, feeling butterflies in your stomach.
He was the first to pull away.
“You remember our sleepovers?” He asked.
You giggled, "Yeah when you could leave that cramped place you shared with the boys."
He swatted your arm, “That apartment was good! It was where everything started.” He pouted. “Anyways, we would always look up deep questions to ask each other—or would you rather.”
You rolled your eyes. “Those questions were overrated.”
“I thought they were nice!” Hoseok defended. “We got to know each other more, like, ‘what is your biggest fear?’ or ‘what is your biggest pet peeve?’”
He must've seen your unimpressed expression because he continued, "You got to admit that you learned a bit more about me because of those questions!"
You sighed. “I did, I guess.”
Hoseok held up his index finger, seeming to signal ‘wait a minute.’
He pulled out his phone. “Let’s try some now, then.”
“Hoseok—”
“Come on,” he interrupted. “If you don’t learn anything new about me from the first four questions we do, then we can stop, alright? I will never bring up these questions ever again.”
You debated his offer.
“Fine.” You agreed, setting down the photo album. “Shoot.”
“Okay, but we both pick two questions and answer all of them. For example, when we ask a question, the other person answers before the picker.” Hoseok said while he scrolled.
You hummed, understanding his instructions.
“Want to do would you rather?”
“Sure.”
"Sexy edition?" Hoseok wiggled his eyebrows. "Unless you're uncomfortable."
You scoffed. “Hobi, we're grown, adults. I can take a few sexual questions."
“Okay,” Hoseok replied, “but if you ever feel uncomfortable, we can choose another question or stop.”
You nodded, and Hoseok appeared to find what he was looking for.
“Alright,” he began, “would you rather bite someone’s ear during sex or bite someone’s lip during sex?”
This is pretty vanilla. You thought.
"Lip, for sure." You emphasized the 'sure' in your sentence, stringing along with the 'er' sound.
“Same,” Hoseok agreed while passing you his phone.
You took his cell and strolled through the website.
What do I choose? Do I just dive in, or go for the vanilla shit?
“Would you rather engage in foreplay or go right into the main course?” You asked.
Hoseok thought about it. “I would say foreplay. You can warm things up—and nothing is more fun than teasing.” He shimmied, making you two laugh.
You agreed, passing the phone to him.
“Oooo, here’s a classic,” he grinned, “top or bottom?”
“I think I’m a switch,” you replied.
He tilted his head.
“It’s like, you’re both, top and bottom. I like to take control sometimes, but I can also sub.” You explained. “You?”
“Top,” he replied, “for sure.”
You laughed, “You sound so against being a bottom.”
He laughed too. “I like pleasuring the person I’m having sex with. Nothing is more satisfying than making someone cum.”
“True,” you admitted.
You found your mind wandering to unholy memories of you and Hoseok. What was odd about your friendship that—to put it blatantly—you two had sex. Not just once, but a few times.
This is why asking these questions was pretty casual and not too surprising.
You two started engaging in sex a couple years ago. You were stressed about your company starting, and Hoseok was in town. He offered to help you relax, and before you knew it, he was drilling into you from behind.
Both of you agreed to stay friends but continued to have sex every now and then. It was great, you had to admit. Probably the best sex you had in your life, and it was good that you two were able to keep your friendship platonic at the same time. Only, it was sex without the romantic feelings.
To be honest, you were craving it again.
He passed you his phone again, and you tried to pick a good last question.
“Would you rather kiss me gently or kiss me aggressively?” You asked.
Hoseok paused before answering. “Depends on the mood.”
“Well, at this moment, then, what is the mood?”
You watched Hoseok’s eyes shift between your lips then your eyes.
“Aggressively.”
You hummed. “Good to know.” You passed him back his phone. “Last question.”
Hoseok chuckled, “You seriously didn’t learn anything new?”
You shrugged. “I guess not.”
He didn't seem bothered, though, when his body shifted closer to yours.
When he looked back up at you, his expression changed. Although his eyes were already an opaque shade of brown, they had darkened.
I know that look.
He smirked. “Would you rather make the first move or receive the first move?”
You bit your lip, gazing up at his body.
Before you could reconnect with his eyes, you heard his phone drop, and his lips were on yours.
Just like his answer, his kisses were aggressive and needy. You could taste the cherry cola and ice cream on his lips and mouth.
You pulled his face closer, wanting more.
Hoseok’s body language opened up, allowing you to get up and straddle his lap. You felt his hands inch up your shirt and tug at the fabric. He helped you take it off, which gave him access to your breasts.
You felt him undo your bra with a quick flick of his fingers, and you tossed it off without a care.
Hoseok let out a chuckle before claiming your lips with his.
His lips were intoxicating, and you wanted more.
“Please touch me,” you begged against his lips.
He hummed, grazing his hands down your back before roughly grabbing your ass. You moaned, and he held you against him, hard enough to feel him grind into you.
“Fuck, stop teasing,” you pulled away, and he laughed.
“Baby, I’m not teasing,” he smirked.
Baby. The term of endearment made your heart swoon.
You weren’t always this infatuated by Hoseok. But the way he came to visit you during his break, had dinner and ice cream with you, and kissed you this good—it made you want more than just a fling.
But you couldn't think that way. It was sex. You two were doing this to get off, not engage in lovemaking.
Hoseok swiped his tongue over his bottom lip, eyeing your figure. “You know what I want.”
You ran your hand up and down his chest. “What are you waiting for?”
Hoseok's hands came underneath your thighs, and he picked you up, walking you to your bedroom. He used your body to close the door, slamming you against it.
He ground himself against your core, causing you to moan louder than you expected.
You covered your mouth in embarrassment.
Hoseok chuckled, “It’s okay,” he pulled away enough to graze his thumb over your cheek, “I love it when you moan.”
You rolled your eyes, kissing him and grabbing his ass, causing him to grind on your core.
"Fuck, I can practically feel that you wet," he groaned, trying his best to hold you up and sturdy you against the door.
“B-bed,” you choked, one of his particular thrusts stroking perfectly against you.
Hoseok moved you towards your bed and gingerly placed you down. He kissed down your bare chest and slowly took off your pants and underwear.
“Fuck, your perfect,” Hoseok awed, softly running a finger through your wet heat.
His cold finger sent a wave of pleasure through you, making you flinch.
Hoseok hummed. “So wet for me,”
He looked up at you. “May I?”
You nodded, but he only smirked.
“Words, baby,” he put a hand to his ear.
“Please,” you bit down on your lip.
You felt him spread your lips, and you clenched in response. He appeared to savour you, taking his time as he ate you out.
When you moaned, he’d hum, sending vibrations into your heat that brought you closer to your climax.
“Fuck, I’m close—”
He pulled away, licking his lips and gazing down at you.
“Hoseok—”
“You taste better than I remembered,” he commented. “But I want you to cum around me.”
God, I love his dirty talk.
You watched him take off his clothes. He must've been working out because he was more toned than six months ago.
He was about to line himself up with your entrance, but you stopped him with your foot on his chest.
You smirked. “Not yet, baby.”
You stood up. “Sit.”
Hoseok sat on the bed, your roles shifting.
“But I want—”
You interrupted his beg with your hand around his erect cock. He appeared to be speechless as you run your hand up and down his shaft.
“Hm?” You asked, chuckling lightly at how easy it was to make him submit. “What do you want, baby?”
“I-I wanted,” he stuttered, thrusting slightly into your hand, “to cum inside you.”
“Is that so?” You questioned, pulling your hand away.
Despite his vocalized want, he whined when you pulled away.
“I’m only doing what my baby wants,” you shrugged. “Condoms are in the bottom drawer on the right.”
Hoseok dashed over to the bedside table, rummaging for the condoms.
“Those should fit you, right?”
"Yes," he replied, opening the familiar wrapper and unravelling it on his erect member.
He stood there for a minute, wrapped penis and naked, just fondly looking at your nude figure.
He whispered something under his breath.
“Hm?”
“Nothing,” Hoseok blushed. “You still want to fuck?”
“Yes.”
“Top or bottom?”
“Top please,” you smiled.
Hoseok laid down on your bed, and you climbed onto his torso.
“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he cursed as you moved off his abs and onto his cock.
A wet puddle was left on his abdomen, which he wiped away with his fingers, then putting said fingers into his mouth.
“So good,” he groaned.
You hummed in response, slowly sinking onto him.
"Fuck, you feel so good," you said when you bottomed out.
You started moving, swaying your hips back and forth. Each time Hoseok's cock would graze against your g-spot.
His hands were placed on your hips, guiding you on him. You could feel yourself clenching around him and your climax building up.
“I-I’m close,” you stuttered.
Hoseok swallowed, “Me too.”
“Ch-choke me,” you requested as you picked up your pace.
Hoseok grinned. “Only if you choke me back.”
You chuckled and rolled your eyes. Hoseok gently wrapped his hand around your neck, and you did the same, slowly applying pressure.
You felt your thighs burn from exhaustion. "F-fuck me," you cursed, slowing down.
Both of you let go of each other's neck, and Hoseok flipped you two over, still inside you.
"It's okay," Hoseok assures before resuming the pace.
His thrusts were rough and deep, and he pushed your thighs against your chest.
“Fuck, please keep going,” you begged.
“Can I choke you?” Hoseok asked.
“Please,” you replied, “do you want me to choke you too?”
“Yes,” Hoseok responded.
You felt yourself rhythmically clench around him. Hoseok must’ve realized because he began thrusting faster into you.
The room was filled with unholy noises. You could hear the wet sounds of your entrance and the impact of Hoseok’s hips against your core.
“Fuck don’t stop,” you choked out.
The knot building up in your abdomen unravelled, and pleasure and relaxation spread through your body. Your core gripped onto Hoseok like a vice.
“H-Hoseok,” you stammered, your core overstimulated.
“I-I want you to squirt,” he replied, continuing his firm thrusts.
“Oh,” you moaned.
He pounded deeper into your core, to the point where you could feel his tip ram against your cervix.
“Ah!” You screamed, feeling yourself gush around him.
“Fuck, so good,” Hoseok groaned. “I-I’m cumming.”
You felt the condom fill up inside you, and you felt disappointed that his cum couldn’t coat your walls.
His thrusts slowed down, and he stood still for a few moments.
When he pulled out, you shivered with oversensitivity. You knew that your sheets would be a mess and weren't looking forward to cleaning them when Hoseok left.
You looked up at the ceiling, breathless, while you heard Hoseok walk away from the bed.
“Where do you put your towels?” He asked.
“In the hallway, in the closet beside the dryer and washing machine.” You replied.
You heard him walk into the hallway and the closet door open and close. “Thanks,” he said. “And your bedsheets?”
“The closet in my room.”
You heard him walk back into your room, open your walk-in closet that led into your bathroom, and shuffle around. The tap ran in your bathroom for a couple seconds, then the sound of Hoseok wringing out something.
You began to sit up, but he hushed you to lie back down.
“Just relax,” he soothed, placing the clean bedsheets on your bedside table and walking over to you with a damp cloth.
“You don’t have to—”
He placed a hand on your thigh. “It’s okay,” he reassured.
You two exchanged a quick smile before Hoseok began to clean you up.
“You didn’t even cum on me,” you chuckled as he gently wiped your inner thighs.
“I know,” he replied, “but I still made you messy.”
When your thighs were no longer covered in your cum, you two changed your bedsheets.
“You good sleep in the same bed?” You asked while folding over your duvet.
“Sure,” He smiled.
You walked into your closet. "There should be some clothes that fit you. I usually wear men's clothes at home, anyways. It's crazy how great the quality men's clothes are compared to women's clothes." You picked out a t-shirt and sweatpants and tossed them at Hoseok.
He caught them, “Thanks.”
You two showered separately and spent the time getting ready together dancing to tunes.
If someone were to walk into the room, it wouldn’t look or smell like you two just had sex. You two looked like close friends having a dance party before going to bed.
Again, after you two had sex the first time, you both agreed to stay friends. It was easier said than done.
It was awkward initially, but you both were able to get past that by talking it through. Hoseok would ask how you felt during sex and what could have been better, and you would return the question.
Now, you both were able to have a good time and intimately learn more about each other.
Sure, it was strange, but it was a mutual agreement between consenting adults and fun.
The sex was fun—great, really—and you couldn’t have it any other way.
But you would be lying to yourself if you didn’t feel like something was missing.
.
.
“Good morning, everyone,” you greeted your fellow designers, “this is Hoseok. If you don’t know him already, he’s a well-known musician and one of my closest friends.”
Everyone welcomed Hoseok with a warm round of applause.
“Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be here.” Hoseok thanked.
“Hoseok will be helping out here and there while he’s vacationing here for a month,” you explained, “so take it easy on him.”
People shared chuckles at your joke.
"Anyways, let's start looking over the design ideas. You all are very talented artists, and I want you to remember that this is a draft, which means that these ideas are not final. If your idea is rejected, it's okay. We'll continue to work on a collective theme for the show."
The morning was spent listening to everyone's design concepts. To follow your reputation, the designs were contained within suits and gowns. As mentioned before, the theme was Vancouver's nature, where the fashion show would be taking place.
You and your design team used the recycled fabrics—which were separated by colours, textures, and materials—while figuring out your drafts.
You asked your design team to draft some ideas because you couldn't think of anything to present.
You were pleasantly surprised that your whole team had ideas that you approved.
“This a phenomenal,” you awed, “Great job, Erinn.”
“Actually,” you grabbed the attention of the other team members, “you all did a great job. We will be using all these ideas for the show.”
Your team shared cheers.
“Y/N,” Rachel nudged your shoulder, “I’m sorry to ask, but now that we’ve got the designs all in order, what about the models? You wanted to have various body types, right?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got that covered,” you whispered back.
You turned back to your design team. "You all know that this show is tougher than our last one because we are trying to include more body types, genders, races, just different kinds of people. Which means that we will need to cater our clothes to the models, rather than the other way around.” You smiled, “So you all can go home for the next week.”
You heard Rachel choke on her inhale.
"Although you all have the week off, I want you all to try drawing your designs on other body types. Experiment with materials and colours. Remember to take some of the recycled fabrics home with you, and feel free to come in to pick anything up. Just let Rachel and I know in advance, and we'll give notice to the front desk so they can let you in. When we reconvene in a week, which would be next Friday at nine-thirty, I need you all to be ready to translate your designs, colours, and materials to our models." You ordered.
“Any questions?”
Comfortable silence amongst everyone.
You nodded. "Awesome. Good luck, everyone. Contact me if you have any questions."
Your team started packing up.
“Y/N, does that mean we’re spending the next week casting?” Rachel asked.
“Yes, Rachel. Please contact Westly and schedule lunch tomorrow at noon to discuss modelling criteria. It’s probably going to be pretty loose, but we need to contact Westly before sending it out.” You answered. “If he’s not free at that time, try figuring out something later tomorrow. Then book a reservation for three at Romeo’s.”
“Alright, on it,” Rachel replied.
You turned to Hoseok, who seemed shocked.
“What?” You blushed.
He continued his surprised expression. “I haven’t seen you like this before.”
You chuckled. “How else are you supposed to run a company and organize and execute a fashion show in 3 months?”
Rachel tapped you on the shoulder. "Westly can do lunch tomorrow, at noon, at Romeo's. He and his team secured the venue with Vancouver Fashion Week and are currently collaborating with the interior designers to figure out how the place will look. West said he'll debrief you tomorrow, at lunch, about the rest of the progress."
You smiled. “Great! Thank you, Rachel. You can also take the rest of the day off.”
Rachel appeared to be stunned, not responding to your words.
You waved a hand in front of her face. “Rachel? You can take the rest of the day off.”
“Are you sure, Y/N?” She asked.
You chuckled, “I wouldn’t be telling you to if I wasn’t sure, would I?”
She gave it a thought. “I guess not.”
You grinned. “Just meet me at our main building tomorrow, at eleven-thirty, and we’ll go to Romeo’s together.”
Rachel nodded. “Thank you, Y/N,”
“No worries,” you smiled.
You and Hoseok watched her leave, leaving you two alone in the studio.
“I’m sorry, it passed my mind. You’re okay not joining us for lunch tomorrow, right?” You asked Hoseok.
He dismissed your apology by brushing a hand through the air, “It’s all good. You’ve got your shit to do.” He smiled, “It gives me time to tour around a bit, anyways.”
“Good,” you replied. “So, where to?”
You pulled apart the croissant, eating pieces one at a time. The butteriness covered your tongue in a warmth that mixed well with the iced coffee you and Hoseok shared.
The park was surprisingly empty, despite it being a Friday. Usually, it would be tough to find a spot decently away from others, mostly shaded by trees.
The inlet was a few meters away, allowing you two to see sailboats pass by. People also kayaked and canoed, and you could hear their laughter faintly on land.
Here, you and Hoseok would be shielded by looming trees and away from potential fans of Hoseok. It was a rarity to have those two things when spending time with Hoseok: privacy and security—peace and quiet.
“This is what you wanted to do?” You asked, finishing off the croissant.
He nodded, sipping the iced coffee. “Yeah. It’s quiet and nice here.”
You two people watched, enjoying the breeze and serene environment.
“I was thinking,” you cleared your throat, “about last night. Did you enjoy it?”
Hoseok set down the iced coffee. “Yeah. I always like hanging out with you.”
“I mean—the sex.”
He seemed shocked by your question.
“Yeah, that was good too. Why do you ask? You never brought up before.” He pointed out.
Because I am growing feelings for my childhood friend, who I now have sex with for fun. This wasn't a part of the agreement, I know. We agreed to not grow feelings for each other and just have sex for pleasure. But it's inevitable to develop feelings for someone you have sex for, right? Like, there are probably people out there that can distinguish sex from love—and I guess it started out like that—but for us?
Am I crazy?
“No reason,” you sighed. “I just wanted to know if there was anything I could have done better.”
Hoseok turned his body to you, smiling. “It was perfect.”
He gestured with his arms for a hug, and you obliged. His cologne smelt of freshly peeled oranges; it was a pleasant fragrance, and you found yourself snuggling closer.
.
.
The past month went by in a busy blur.
The model casting went well. You and Westley found fantastic individuals to present your clothing line, which was in the process of being altered to fit those people.
The venue was secured, and the guest list was being made by You and Westley.
“Maybe invite Hoseok,” Westley suggested.
You shook your head, “I can’t.”
"Why not?" He retorted. "The worse thing he could say is 'no,' and you can invite the whole band." He giggled. "Maybe I can meet Jimin in person."
You chuckled, “So that’s why you want me to invite Hoseok. Just because you made eye contact with Jimin for more than five seconds, it doesn’t mean that he’s into you. He’s straight.”
“How do you know?” Westley had a hand firmly on his hip.
“W-well, I haven’t asked him personally—”
"Then you can't assume he's straight!" Westley exclaimed. "The baseline isn't being heterosexual."
“True. Anyways, let’s get back to the guest list.” You chewed on your lip. “We have Harry Styles, BLACKPINK, Lizzo…”
Both of you ran down the list of a thousand attendees to the show in Vancouver. It was way smaller than fashion week or any of your previous shows, but it wasn't meant to be a big party.
Y/N [14:00]: Hey! Are you free and the boys on March 1st at 1 pm for about four hours, including an after-party until 10 pm, with food?
Hoseok [14:30]: Hiiiiii!! Sorry for the late text. I was asking the others. Yeah! That’s in 4 months? 🧐
Y/N [14:31]: Yeah, it’s for my fashion show. You can ask your company for that time? We’d provide the plane tickets and accommodation. You’d probably stay 3 days and 2 nights? You’d fly in the first day, sleep the one night, then attend the show the second day, sleep the second night, and fly out the 3rd day. I’ll need to know by the end of the week.
Hoseok [14:32]: Sounds good!!! I’ll ask my managers and let you know 👊
Y/N [14:33]: Awesome! Thanks 💚
Hoseok [14:33]: Np 💚
“So, Hoseok and the boys can come, but he has to confirm with his managers. He’ll let me know soon.” You relayed to Westley.
"Great! As long as we get confirmation from Hoseok at the end of this week, we can send out the invitations. We've checked with everyone's management, and they all seem to be busy. Worse comes to worst; we'll just have to move seats around." Westley advised.
He closed his laptop, and you followed.
“Alright, that seems to be all of the guest list business. I’ll get my team to start organizing plane tickets and accommodation.” He sighed, “shall we head to the studio to check on the design team?”
“Yes,” you replied.
Both of you were driven to the studio to check on the design team.
The studio was filled with models of various shades and shapes. Music played quietly in the background, and your coworkers and models grooved to the tunes. Designers pinned fabrics around people’s figures and sketched down measurements and ideas.
You and Westley went around checking on everyone, making sure gowns and suits were well in progress. A smaller group of people created ideas for shoes and were sending them out to shoemakers.
The rest of the day was spent getting to know the models, fixing measurements, finalizing some ideas, and briefing everyone about the plan for the next two months.
"Please have the gowns, suits, and shoes by the end of this month so we can start having the makeup artists consult all of you; to make sure the makeup correlates with the clothes and the models." You informed. "Thank you, everyone, for your amazing work."
Scattered “thank you”s responded, and our workday was over.
“You want to get some drinks?” Westley nudged.
You nodded, frankly too tired to answer but eager for a drink.
Both of you decided to walk to the high-class bar, which allowed private areas in the back for paying customers. You and Westley sat alone, away from the crowds of people near the entrance of the bar.
“To having a productive three months,” Westley sang, holding up his martini.
You sighed, “Cheers,” you tapped your peach Bellini glass against his, admitting a chime.
"Fuck," Westley cursed at the sip of his drink, "they're always stronger than I remember. "Anyways, the show is pretty much underway. Guestlist is handled, the venue is prepped and ready for us, the clothing is almost done. Oooo, I can’t wait to see it all together.”
You nodded.
“You don’t seem so excited, Y/N.”
“I am,” you replied.
“But?”
“I am excited.” You affirmed, although not living up to the word
Westley silenced, knowing when not to push your buttons.
He took a careful sip of his martini. “Where’s Hoseok?”
You fidgeted with your glass. "Hoseok went back to Korea. He only had a month of vacay, so," you left the sentence adrift.
“Did you enjoy his company?”
“Can we not talk about him right now? I rather not mix work and personal life.” You stated.
Westley acknowledged with a firm nod, finishing off his martini and asking for another.
“May I ask a question?”
“Sure.” You replied.
He cringed. “But if I ask, promise me you won’t fire me.”
You turned to him. “Depends on your question. You have to ask me first, then I can decide whether or not to fire you. I cannot make promises.”
“Why are you so off all of a sudden?” He genuinely asked.
You took a deep breath. “I’m not going to fire you, not for a long time. You’re my best worker, and I can’t let you go.”
"I feel like there's going to be a 'but' somewhere. Might as well rip off the Band-Aid." Westley sighed.
You nodded, “You’re right. And you’re right about my mood. I’ve been kind of off lately.”
“Because of Hoseok?”
"Yeah, to be honest." You admitted. "I feel like we're really close—more than just friends. We're on the same wavelength, you know? And whenever we're apart for a long time and then meet up again, it's like time has passed."
“And let me guess, you haven’t told him because you’re afraid to ruin your friendship.”
You scoffed. “There’s no need for sarcasm, West.”
He rolled his eyes and sighed. “I’m just saying, it’s the oldest narrative in the book. One friend is falling for the other, and that one friend doesn’t want to confess their feelings because they’ve known the other person for years and are afraid of ruining that connection.” He took a sip of his martini. “But in the end, it’s two friends just pining over their feelings of love for each other.”
“But we’re different.” You argued.
"I guess so. The narrative doesn't really specify one friend is a famous fashion designer and the other being a famous musician—"
“I mean,” you interrupted, “we have sex every time we see each other.
Westley's mouth fell open in a silent gasp. His hand was placed on his chest, and his eyes stared into yours.
He tipped back his martini into his mouth, finishing it off. “Well, you didn’t mention the friends with benefits part.”
“I know!” You groaned. “That’s why it’s so complicated.”
"Is it really, though? Wouldn't confessing your feelings after you two have had sex so much make it slightly easier? Because it makes sense to grow feelings for someone you've known for a while and have had sex with on multiple occasions." Westley speculated.
“I didn’t say we had sex on multiple occasions—”
“Honey,” he began, “you said you’ve had sex with him every time you see each other, and you two meet a lot. It doesn’t take a detective to figure it out.”
"Anyways," he digressed, "the sooner you tell him, the better. There's no use debating over it for years, then finding out he's found someone else when he would've picked you anyways."
"Gosh, when you say it like that, it sounds like a romantic movie." You cringed, finishing your peach Bellini.
He shrugged. “Well, it kinda is.”
You chuckled. “Well, thanks for the advice.”
“Thank you for filling me in,” he smiled.
.
.
The week went by fast. Your design team was still working on alterations, so you were left brainstorming hair and makeup and contacting specialists in those fields.
You were sitting at home, knee-deep in Pinterest boards when your phone buzzed.
You stopped strolling through your laptop and peered down.
Hoseok [19:30]: We can come to your show!
Y/N [19:30]: Fantastic! I'll let my team know, and we’ll send out the invites.
You texted Westley, informing him that BTS could attend the show.
Westley [19:33]: Great! I'll let the rest of the team know, and we'll send the emails out tomorrow
Y/N [19:34]: Thanks!
Westley [19:35]: Np
You set down your phone and continued to add ideas to your private Pinterest board.
Your phone buzzed again.
Hoseok [19:55]: What are you doing right now?
You were puzzled.
Y/N [19:56]: Nothing much, just brainstorming ideas for the show. You?
Hoseok [19:57]: Just chilling in my room.
Hoseok [20:05]: I miss you
You chuckled at the text, thinking that Hoseok was drunk.
Y/N [20:05]: I miss you too, Hobi.
Hoseok [20:08]: …how much?
Again, you were puzzled by his text.
Y/N [20:10]: Wdym? I miss having you here? Is that what you mean?
Hoseok [20:11]: I mean, do you miss me intimately?
Y/N [20:14]: Like sex-wise?
Hoseok [20:14]: Fuck, I need you, Y/N.
You stared at his words.
Hoseok [20:18]: I miss your body and how perfectly you fit around me.
Your cheeks flushed.
Hoseok [20:21]: Can you video chat? Unless you’re not in the mood.
You panicked.
You were in the mood but weren't presentable. Your hair was messy, and you weren't wearing any makeup, and you were dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants.
Y/N [20:23]: Yeah, I’m in the mood. Just give me 5 mins.
You quickly got out of your seat and ran to your bedroom. You sifted through your closet and found the sexist clothing item you had: a red lingerie set. You quickly undressed and put on the set.
You looked into your full-length mirror and tried not to cringe. Your hair was a mess, and you weren’t wearing any makeup. It definitely looked like Hoseok's text came out of nowhere—and it did, but you somehow expected yourself to be decently presentable.
However, the lingerie set was doing you favours. The set was composed of a crotchless thong and a bralette that exposed your nipples.
Y/N [20:28]: I’m ready.
Your phone rang, and you answered, quickly propping it on your drawers across from your bed.
You were faced with a shirtless Hoseok, his cock already in his hand.
“Fuck, you look amazing.” He complimented breathlessly.
“Wow, you’re ahead of the game—and really? I’m a mess.” You chuckled.
He hissed, flinching in his grip. “Fuck, just take the compliment, Y/N.”
You cleared your throat. “Thank you.”
You sat a pit forward, angling your breasts towards the camera.
“What are you imagining, baby?” You purred.
“Y-You,” he stuttered, moving his hand up and down his cock.
“Mhm,” you moaned, “thinking up my pussy clenching around your cock, making it all wet.”
He nodded.
"You can do something if you want," he suggested. "You said you were in the mood."
Your eyes opened wide. “Wait a minute.”
You brought the phone with you on your journey, going back to your closet and fetching your dildo, lube, and vibrator. You hurried to the bathroom and propped your phone up against the closed door.
You suctioned the bottom of the dildo onto the titled floor. You placed the vibrator on the bathroom counter.
“You want to watch me bounce on this dildo and think of you?” You smirked, rubbing lube onto your hands, onto the toy, and onto your vagina.
“Fuck, yes,” he replied, stilling his hand around his cock for a moment.
“Did I say you could stop?” You spat.
“I’m waiting for you,” he smiled, making your heart melt.
You paused over the dildo, smiling back at him. “Awww, that’s actually kinda sweet. Thank you.”
You quickly washed your hands and grabbed the vibrator.
You crouched down and slowly onto the dildo.
“Fuck,” you moaned, tilting your head back at the feeling of being filled up. It didn’t hit the spots Hoseok did, but it was good enough.
You lifted yourself up and sunk back down again, rhythmically repeating the motion.
“Fuck, so good,” you sighed, overlooking the pain in your knees.
“That's right, baby, imagine me filling that pussy up," Hoseok groaned, following your rhythm while pumping his cock.
“Fuck yes,” you replied, “and I’m clenching around you so tight.”
You two exchanged moans at the sound of your pussy squelching around the dildo.
“Use the vibrator, baby,” Hoseok purred.
You hummed, grabbing the rose gold vibrator and turning it on. You place the buzzing toy on your clit, feeling pleasure rippling through your core.
“Fuck,” you hissed, speeding up your pace a bit.
“I-I’m getting close.”
“Yeah, baby?” Hoseok smirked. “You get off at me rubbing my cock? Imagining me buried inside your pussy, making you feel so good?"
You nodded. “But it’s not as you, baby.”
“I know—” He choked, appearing to be on the brink of his climax. “I fucking miss the way your pussy fit so well around me, no matter how many times I fucked you open.”
“Mhm,” you bit your lips, watching him with hooded eyes. “Don’t stop.”
“Who knew you were filthy enough to cum during cybersex?" He observed. "I'm not even there to touch you, but just thinking of me inside has you in ruins.”
“What would you do if I was with you right now?” You asked.
“I would fuck you until you couldn’t walk the next day,” he replied, “I’d fuck you until that pretty pussy is swollen.”
"F-fuck, I'm going to cum," you stuttered, feeling the familiar build-up in your core.
“M-me too,” he stammered.
You watched his head tilt back in pleasure and his cum squirt up from his cock.
“Fuck!” You cursed, feeling your pleasure shoot out of your core and onto the floor
“So hot,” Hoseok sighed.
You chuckled, coming down from high. You pulled yourself up and off the dildo, sitting on the cool tile floor.
“Fuck, did you squirt?” He asked, looking closer.
You nodded, gesturing to the mess on the ground.
“Spread your legs for me, baby,” he commanded and obliged, showing him your battered cunt.
You spread your lips, and he hummed at sight.
“So beautiful.” He awed.
“You happy? I need to wipe this all up, now,” you scoffed.
He chuckled. “It’s not my fault that you cummed.” He angled his phone to the floor, showing splashes of his cum on the floor, "and besides, you also made me make a mess.”
You both chatted while cleaning up your messes, talking about your days as if nothing happened. After finishing your clean-up, you two continued your conversation while showering, as if both of you were doing it together.
Ready to relax for the night, both of you signed off with exchanged ‘thanks’ and ‘good night.’
You turned off your phone with a soft click and stepped out of the steamy bathroom. Your pyjamas were soft on your skin, and you felt ready to go to bed.
Hopping onto your bed, you grabbed your laptop and turned on some Netflix to fall asleep to.
From an outsider’s perspective, masturbating with your best friend and then casually talking with them while showering and getting ready for bed was odd. Repeating the scenario in your mind did make it sound like you two were in a long-distance romantic relationship rather than a platonic one.
But you and Hoseok were different. That was your excuse.
A friend could do this and not catch feelings. You two were the perfect example of that.
Emphasis on were because you were currently spiralling in your growing romantic feelings for Hoseok.
But what would you do in this situation?
You and your childhood friend engage in sex one time and promise each other to not grow feelings. In this manner, you two could have sex without attachment. Fast forward into the future, and you both are still making this arrangement with no negative consequences and feel like you two have gotten to know each other better and have become better friends—until you catch feelings. And you don’t want to risk losing this relationship you two have.
Because he is a worldwide musician who can’t be tied down because it could risk his career, and he might lose fans—and you couldn't be bothered with any romantic commitment with your fast-paced and unpredictable work schedule.
So, you stay in this unnameable mess.
.
.
“Time flies by when you’re having fun,” Allie commented from the plush couch.
You looked in the mirror, twisting your back towards it to see the back of the dress. “I guess so.”
“You have to admit, planning a fashion show is pretty fun,” she said. “If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be doing it over and over again.”
“True,” you replied, turning to the stylist.
“May I see the other dress?” You asked, and the stylist nodded, retreating to somewhere in the shop you couldn’t see.
It was the last month until the show. Everything was in order: the show’s venue and its decorations, the clothes, makeup and hair for the models, and the guests’ accommodation. Now, it was your turn to find suitable attire for the occasion.
You tried on the next dress. It was a slim-fitting number, with a leg slit in the front. It was scandalous and stunning, but not right for the show.
“I don’t like any of these dresses,” you sighed, annoyed.
Allie appears to brainstorm some ideas.
“Maybe try a suit?” She proposed.
You kept your eyes on the mirror, twirling your figure and watching the fabric move at your feet.
“Think about it,” she began, “think of all the powerful women who’ve worn suits and killed it. Zendaya, Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Awkwafina. The list goes on. It’s a statement piece, and you’re the big brain behind this operation.”
“I think it’s ‘mastermind behind this operation,’ but I get what you mean.” You corrected.
“You literally bypassed my whole point—”
“I know, I know,” you interrupted. “It’s just—suits for women are so overpriced. And it’s just like the dresses, except a different fit. Same colour palettes, same materials, so on.”
Allie scoffed. "You're a fucking fashion designer, did you forget? Make your own thing. There are leftover fabrics at your studio; you have time to make something." Her face lit up, “And, technically, it’s for free.”
You gave it a thought, but the stylist came back before you could finish it.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Vega, but I’m not finding anything, and I don’t want you walking back and forth and bringing me more dresses.” You gave an apologetic smile. “Thank you very much for your help.”
"No worries, Y/N! Just hang up the dress when you take it off, and I’ll deal with the rest,” she replied.
“Will do,” you said, and she stepped out of the room.
Allie helped you unzip the gown, and you shimmed out of it. You did as you were told and hung up the dress, and you and Allie left the shop.
The walk back to the studio was quick, you two making determined strides through the crowded city.
You and Allie entered the empty studio, turning on the nights.
The studio was organized chaos with dressed mannequins, big boxes of fabrics in the back of the room, and papered patterns on the tables.
“Wow,” Allie awed.
"Yeah," you replied, leading you both to your master station is near the back, "it's crazy what a couple months before a show looks like.”
You looked through the drawers beside your desks and grabbed the tools you'll need to plan out the suit.
“So, just a suit jacket and pants…” You said, grabbing some paper to sketch up your pattern.
You looked up at Allie, “Do you mind helping me out with measurements?”
She nodded, “For sure. What do you need?”
You guided Allie on how to measure your proportions for the suit. She measured your inseams for your pants, the sleeves, the cuts, and so on. In between, you'd write down the dimensions for the patterns.
You two sifted through the fabrics to create a monochrome patchwork outfit. The suit would be shades of cherry red, with different materials making it up. There were no patterns in the patchwork, only various tones of red in several types of wool.
“Fucking hell,” Allie cursed while sifting through the materials, “who would’ve thought there were so many shades of red.”
She held up a piece of recycled fabrics, checking with you that it was the correct tone. You took it and held the portion against the others.
“Nope, too dark,” you shook your head.
"What? It looks exactly the same," she disagreed, walking over to your table. When comparing the fabrics, she made an 'aaah’ sound, letting you know that you were right.
Before sectioning off your pattern, you tried your best to evenly sew all the material together into a quilt-like form.
“Jesus,” you muttered, shaking out your sore hands.
“We don’t have to get this all done today, you know. You do have two months left.” Allie advised.
"I know. I just want to put this all together first," you replied, continuing to push the material through the sewing machine.
“Alright,” she surrendered, bringing one of the seats over to your table.
You sewed in silence for a bit.
“So,” Allie began, “how are you and Hoseok doing?”
You paused. “What do you mean?”
“You know…you two and your arrangement.”
You scoffed, “Our arrangement? You mean us having sex?”
“Yeah, but the other stuff.”
You pulled your hands from the sewing machine, crossing your arms over your chest. "Just spit it out, Al."
“Well, you’ve had mixed feelings with Hoseok, right? Like you’re starting to like him?” She speculated.
Your mouth gaped open. “Have you been talking to West?”
She didn’t respond, not making eye contact.
“You can’t be fucking serious. You two are ganging up on me!” You yelled.
“Y/N, we’re just worried.”
“About what? I have feelings—and?” You fumed.
She sighed. “You shouldn’t be having sex with someone if you’re growing romantic feelings, especially if you two agreed to be platonic.”
“Oh, fuck off,” you stood.
“Y/N!” She exclaimed. "Don't you dare talk to me that way? I am your friend, not your enemy." Allie stood up and sighed. “I get it. You don’t like people in your business. That’s fair. I just feel like you're sacrificing yourself for Hoseok when you could talk about it with him."
“Allie, you don’t know what you’re fucking talking about.” You spat.
“I get it,” she sympathized. “I don’t. I’m not you or Hoseok.”
“So, tell me,” she said. “Educate me on the situation. I am not here to judge. I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”
You took a few deep breaths, trying to calm yourself down.
“I’m sorry,” you apologized. “I shouldn’t have talked to you like that.”
“It’s okay,” she forgave, “just don’t push me away so fast, okay?”
“Okay.” You agreed.
She sat down, “So?”
You sat down and rehashed your feelings about you and Hoseok to her: the growing romantic feelings for him, not knowing what to do, and wanting something more.
“Well, do you think it’d work out between you two if you dated?” She asked.
You shifted in your seat. "I honestly don't know. It's tough with Hoseok's work because he has a loyal fanbase. I'm afraid he's going to get even more hate if we were to date.”
“But would you two be happy?” She asked.
You gave it a thought. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you go into a relationship regardless of other people. Whether you’re a celebrity or an ordinary person, you date someone for you and that person; no one else. There are going to be people who support and hate your relationship no matter what. What matters is what the two people think in the relationship."
She sighed. “You cannot control what others will think about you. No matter what you do or who you do, you're going to upset someone. So, just do what feels comfortable and safe with you."
You hummed, understanding.
“So, would you be happy if you and Hoseok dated?”
“Yes.” You stated without a thought. “I really like him—love him even.”
"Then that's all that matters," Allie replied.
.
.
The week before, the show crept on you faster than you expected. You, your team of designers and event organizers, models, hairstylists and makeup artists flew into Vancouver a week early to prepare on location.
However, the majority of the week would be spent preparing for the show. The first day was spent unloading all of the outfits and equipment for the show into the venue. Everyone was required to show up to organize their stations and to familiarize themselves with the venue.
“Please set up your stations while Westley and I look into the main runway and after part section. We’ll be back in around two hours to check up on everyone. If you have any questions while we're gone, please contact me on my phone." You held up your cellphone and everyone nodded. "Great. Good luck, everyone!"
The venue and interior designers' owners toured you and Westley around the place, showing you the drawn floorplans, running down the prices, and checking that the decorations correlated with your plans.
“These weren’t the chairs we sent over,” Westley pointed to the black folded chairs lining the runways.
“Yes, but these were within the price range and—” One of the interior designers, Queeny, said.
“But did we get an email regarding this change?” You interjected.
Queeny exchanged looks with the other three decorators, and they shook their heads.
Wesley let out an angry sigh. "Well, I guess we’ll have to live with these then.” He sat down on one of the chairs. “At least they’re comfortable. They look cheap, but they’re sturdy.”
“Are there any more changes you made without informing as?” You asked.
They all shook their heads.
"Great." You turned to one of the two-venue owners, named Ruby. "Shall we continue to the after-party part?”
“Yes,” she replied, gesturing to the doorway that led to the front reception area.
From the reception area, where guests would check-in and get a wristband, a double-door way on the right led to a ballroom for the after-party.
The overall theme of the place was classic European designs with off-white luxurious walls and chandeliers. The ceilings were intricately carved, and the floors were a smooth white oak. Just walking around made you feel like you were dirtying the place.
“This place is stunning,” Westley whispered.
“I know,” you replied, “you chose the place.”
“I know,” he smiled, pretending to flip his hair.
You both chuckled, continuing to follow the owners around the venue.
Everything worked out, besides the chairs, so you and Westley checked on the designers, models, hairstylists and makeup artists.
At the end of the workday, everyone was in order and ready for the next three days of dress rehearsals and solving and problems.
You arrived back at your hotel with sore feet and exhaustion.
Your phone rang as you flopped onto your bed.
You answered. “Hobi!”
“Y/N! How was your flight to Vancouver?” He asked.
“It was good. We didn't have a rest day, though. We had to settle into the place and check it over. My feet are so sore.” You groaned.
“Really? I thought you’d at least have a rest day when you guys arrived,” he assumed.
You shook your head. “No. Sadly, this whole week will be walking around and making sure everything is going smoothly.”
He sighed. “Shit. That sucks.” You heard him shift on the other side of the phone. “Do you want to relax?”
You laughed. “Jung Hoseok, did you seriously booty call me from across the world?”
Hoseok gasped, "I did not! I was talking about watching Netflix or something." He chuckled, "You're so dirty-minded."
You both laughed.
“Okay, so what do you want to watch?” He asked on the other end of the call.
You brought out your laptop and scrolled through the movie selection.
“Oooo! Let’s watch Hush. I’ve heard so many good things about it.” You recalled.
You could hear his hesitation.
Hoseok did not like being scared. Whenever you watched anything scary, you were afraid that your neighbours would complain at how loud his screaming was. As you remembered saying "hello" to him once and him screaming in fear and surprise, he was also easily frightened.
“We don’t have to,” you said.
“No, no,” Hoseok reassured, “we’ll watch it. Just send me the Netflix Party link, and I'll ready the Zoom link."
You giggled. “You don’t have to be brave for me, Hobi. I know you don’t like scary movies.”
“You want to watch it, so let’s do it,” he said, “and the ratings are good.”
“Okay,” you digressed. “I’m texting you the link right now.”
“Same,” he replied.
You two hung up and joined the links.
“Hello!” Hoseok beamed, dancing.
You rolled your eyes and chuckled at his burst of energy. “Hello, Hobi.”
You carried your laptop to the bathroom and began getting ready for bed.
“How was your day?” You asked.
Hoseok described him and his bandmates' film day for "Run! BTS," and you groaned at all the work they had to do.
He laughed. “But we got to play games, which was fun. We laughed so much that my abs hurt.” You watched him lift up his shirt and show his toned abdomen.
Your core felt a familiar flutter.
“W-wow, that must be a lot of laughing,” you cleared your throat and took out your toothbrush and toothpaste.
For the moment, the time difference worked for you two because it was almost ten at night for you and nearly three in the afternoon for him.
“Should I turn off my camera?” You asked before undressing to get into the shower.
He shook his head. “I’m okay with you leaving it on. I’ve seen you naked before, so it’s not really different. But if you’re uncomfortable, you can just turn it off.”
You shrugged and began taking off your clothes in full view of the camera and screen.
You noticed Hoseok’s expression.
“Enjoying the show?” You chuckled, finally taking off your undergarments and fully exposing yourself.
Hoseok smirked, “Don’t act like you weren’t just turned on by my abs. I saw how you looked at me.”
You nodded and surrendered. “Fair point.”
You hoped in the shower, and you two continued talking.
“Jesus, we haven’t started the movie yet,” Hoseok commented while you were washing your hair.
“Shit, right,” you laughed, massaging the shampoo into your scalp.
After you hoped out of the shower and dried your body and hair, you both started to watch the movie.
“This is a pretty cool premise. Like, we’ve never seen a deaf person in a horror movie before,” you regarded.
"True, that's a good point—AHHHHHH!" Hoseok screamed at the sudden slam in the movie.
You burst into laughter.
“Holy shit!” He exclaimed, trying to calm himself with controlled breaths.
The movie continued as you finished off your skincare and put on your pyjamas.
The oversized t-shirt was long enough to cover your thighs.
“You’re going to watch this before bed?” Hoseok gasped.
You chuckled. “Yeah. It’s not that scary.” You say as you jump at the sound of breaking glass in the film.
Hoseok laughed at the coincidental timing.
You don’t remember falling asleep, but you woke up to the sound of your alarm.
“Shit,” you grumbled and turned it off.
You heard Hoseok stir awake on the Zoom call.
Both of you had fallen asleep, but Hoseok finished the movie before you could; because you saw the end credits paused in the Netflix Party.
“Sorry,” you whispered.
“It’s okay,” Hoseok mumbled, squinting at the screen.
“I’ll let you sleep,” you smiled, hovering your cursor over the "send" button.
He softly smiled, “thank you.” He snuggled into his pillow, “I love you, Y/N.”
“I love you too, Hobi,” you replied, ending the call for both of you.
It didn’t hit you until you were halfway through your dress rehearsal, but Hoseok had stayed with you while you slept. He didn't wake you but quietly continued the movie and fell asleep.
Hoseok was usually sweet, so you didn't pay too much attention to it.
But it did make you feel special.
.
.
It was the day of the fashion show, and you were fucking nervous.
You had done this before, a show, but this one was different. You had put in so much effort and were proud of how it turned out but were afraid of what other people would think.
“It’ll be fine, don’t worry,” Allie assured through video call,” it’ll be excellent, and everyone won’t stop talking about it.”
“Probably,” you replied, putting on your makeup.
“It will be excellent, Y/N. I am so sure I will bet money.” She stated.
You chuckled, "then I'll take your word for it because I am not bidding money.”
You both laughed.
“Okay, I know I already showed you my outfit, but are you sure it looks good?” She asked, putting on the A-line floor-length dress she’d shown you before. It was a beautiful viridian green with lace shoulder straps that draped over the sides of her biceps.
“You look beautiful,” you complimented, setting your makeup with setting spray and heading to your closet.
You put on the suit you made and looked in the mirror. You looked a bad bitch.
“You look great! Oooo, put on the red bottoms,” Allie squealed.
You put on the signature Louis Vuitton black high heels with the ruby bottoms.
Your phone buzzed.
“I got to go; Westley is here with our ride to the venue. I’ll see you there!”
“See you!” She waved, ending the call.
You did a quick check in the mirror, fixing your hair, grabbed your bags, and headed out the door.
Your driver waited outside the vehicle as you approached, and opened its door, showing you a well-dressed and excited Westley.
"Oh my god, you look great!" He gasped. “When did you make the suit?”
“I finished it a week before we flew out,” you chuckled, “and you look great too! I love the pine on you.”
You took a step back and looked at Westley’s crisp pine-coloured suit with matching brown dress shoes.
“Thank you,” he grinned. “Okay, get in before we become late.”
You hopped into the car, and your driver got in and started the vehicle.
The drive was spent recalling your opening and closing speeches with Westley and the show's agenda.
“So, five pm is when the show ends, and then the guests for the after-party go into the ballroom area. Food is served at six pm, and everything is wrapped up at ten pm.” Westley relayed.
You nodded, “Yup.”
Both of you arrived a couple hours before the start time, which was at 1 pm, to set everything up and warm up the models and crew.
Westley checked the organizers and the models while you went to the runway area to check the lights and sound.
"Let's rerun the lights, please!" You announced as you walked into the runway room. "Can I get a headset, please?" You ask the crew on the ground, who nodded.
“Yup!” You heard the lighting crew respond.
You were given the headset, and you heard the head light technician’s voice.
“Can you hear me?” They checked.
“Yes,” you confirmed.
They ran by the six light settings for the show, and it was all correct.
“It’s perfect, thank you. Can you please check that the sound is alright?” You asked through the headset.
“Yup. You’ll have to hand the headset to another person, though, and we’ll give you a mic.” They added.
You heard their muffled voice as if they covered their mic's headset with their hand. Next, you had someone hand you a mic and take your headset.
“You’ll need to stand on the stage,” The person said.
“Okay,” you replied, going to the runway and standing on the end portion.
All the room’s lights turned on, and you could see the lighting crew’s area in the back and the chair organized around the runway.
“You can speak into the mic!” You heard someone shout.
You started speaking nonsense in the mic, like the type of weather outside, as they adjusted the volume.
“Thank you!” Someone shouted.
“Thanks,” you said into the mic before handing it to one of the crew.
“Is there anything to report? Any problems that arose before I got here?” You asked the crew.
They all shook their heads.
“How is everyone feeling?” You asked.
They all shared nervous laughter, and a few people said “good.”
“Alright, if there’s anything you all need, just come to the modelling area and ask me. It’s in the backroom.”
They all nodded, and you left them to their business.
You arrived in the backroom and saw designers fitting their outfits on the models and makeup artists and hairstylists prepping their stations.
“How is everybody doing?!” You enthusiastically asked.
They cheered with a mix of excitement and nervousness.
"I get it. Everyone is on their toes. You all have an hour left to set things up before people start filing in. Remember, the show starts at 1 pm. The door opens thirty minutes before them.”
They call responded with various forms of understanding, and you went around to check on them individually.
Rachel came and taped your shoulder, with a headset on, “So, the guards are in their posts, and the front is ready to check people in.”
“Is there a line already?” You asked.
Rachel pressed down the headset, asking the crew on the other end.
“Yes, there’s a line of people outside,” she reported, “about twenty people, so far.”
"Shit, yeah, let them in. It's probably cold." You ordered.
“I’ll tell them,” she replied.
“Okay, everyone! We’re starting to let people in. Again, you all have about an hour left, so try to wrap things up and relax. Thank you!” You announced.
Again, sounds of understanding, and you, Westley, and Rachel left the backroom.
“Rachel, Westley and I are going to check that the ballroom area and catering are all handled. Please check in with the front desk to see how they're doing, and then meet us in the ballroom." You told.
“Got it, Y/N,” Rachel answered, walking past the two of you and towards the front area.
Westley appeared impressed. “She's terrific. She's even got the headset and everything."
"I know, right? She's cool." You remarked.
Like clockwork, you and Westley ran over the details and schedule for the catering and the after-party. Everyone had places to sit, with elegantly decorated name cards.
Everything was ready.
"Fantastic, thank you," you thanked the caterers and the staff in the ballroom. "Feel free to come into the runway area during the show if you all would like to watch."
With that, it was about time the show would start. You and Westley hurried backstage, where you both were handed microphones.
The lights dimmed, and classical music played—fitting the theme of elegance and high class.
You and Westley regarded each other, did an excellent handshake, and strutted out on the runway. Both of you were met with applause from the crowd and blinding spotlights.
You two walked to the end of the runway and let out an exhausted sigh.
The music quieted, faintly heard in the background.
“And that’s why I’m not a model,” Westley joked, causing the crowd to giggle.
“Same here,” you chuckled.
“Anyways, welcome to the show, everyone!” You cheered, and the crowd clapped. “As you know, I am Y/N, and this is Westley. Today, we’ll be showing recycled elegant clothes on people. Not just models, but people. All the clothes you'll be seeing here today are made from recycled fabrics and hand-crafted by our design team and me."
Applause.
"We wanted to represent people, so we got people to present our clothes. Redundant, I know, but the fashion industry rarely shows models that look like people. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all fantastic. However, this show will be different. Enjoy!” Westley waved.
A final round of applause while you and Westley walked off the runway.
The show went smoothly and wonderfully. The changes were fluid, and there were no clothing mishaps. The classical music turned into upbeat music that everyone seemed to groove to. Models danced on the runway while walking, and there were joyful cheers in the crowd.
In the end, you and Westley gave your brief thank you speeches, and months of planning and work were officially completed.
When everyone was backstage, you all collectively cheered.
“Phenomenal job, everyone!” You praised. “I am speechless at how well we all did. Thank you all for being such wonderful people to work with.”
Smiles and cheers were shared as everyone got ready for the after-party.
“Okay, remember that food is being served at six o’clock, and you all will be able to find your names at a table.” You reminded.
You and Westley did a quick check-up on people before heading to the ballroom area to socialize.
“Great job, you two!” Some complimented.
You and Westley thanked the praise and had a small talk with some colleges.
“Hey, Y/N!” You heard a familiar voice say.
You turned and say Hoseok with the rest of the boys, waving.
“Hey!” You smiled, nudging Westley to join you.
"Well, enjoy the after-party," Westley grinned at the other guests before joining you.
As always, the seven boys were well-dressed in designer suits. Hoseok wore lightly tinted shades paired with a dark suit and floral dress shirt. His hair was wavy.
“That was awesome, Y/N,” Namjoon said.
“Thank you!” You replied.
“Yeah, Y/N, I loved the recycled-fabrics idea. Are anything on sale?” Taehyung asked.
You nodded. "Everything will be on sale next month. I'll send you the dates, so you mark them in your calendar. The clothes go fast," you chuckled.
“Damn,” Taehyung remarked, eyebrows raised.
“Hey, Jimin,” Westley greeted.
“Hey West,” Jimin smiled, “loved your speech today. That suit looks great on you.”
“I know,” Westley smirked, “you look good too.”
"How are you feeling?" Hoseok asked, letting Westley and Jimin casually flirt.
You sighed. “Glad that it’s over, to be honest. It was fun, of course, but it's a lot of work to organize."
“Oh my god, is that Charlie Puth?” Jungkook gasped, hiding slightly behind Namjoon.
Everyone laughed.
"You should go and say 'hi,' Kook. You've already met and sung with him before. You two are practically friends." Yoongi expressed.
“True,” you agreed, “and Charlie’s a nice guy.”
“Okay,” Jungkook straightened his posture, “I’ll do it.”
You all watched Jungkook walk over and begin chatting with Charlie Puth.
“God, he’s grown up so much,” Seokjin sighed.
The rest of you caught up and chatted about the show.
Before you knew it, Westley was poking your side to let you know it was five minutes until six.
“Shit,” you cursed. “Sorry to cut this convo short, but Westley and I have to announce dinner. We’ll talk soon!”
You all said your goodbyes, and you and Westley went up to the front to state it was time for food.
You two were seated with Rachel, Allie, and a couple others. Everyone ordered off a menu, which served various kinds of pasta, salads, and a mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
It was an excellent way to end off the show.
There was a dancefloor, too, where people could groove to music after eating.
Of course, the seven boys went to the dancefloor, which caused others to join.
You were finishing off your fettuccine alfredo when Hoseok danced over to your table. You chuckled as he held his hand out and quirked a brow.
“You’re ridiculous,” you said, taking his hand.
“You love it,” he smirked, pulling you off your chair and leading you to the dancefloor.
You danced together, along with your friends. He held your hands as you two swayed to the slow songs and body-rolled with you during the upbeat songs. Of course, a few BTS songs played, and everyone tried to follow the known choreography.
You went back to your table for a drink of water, and Allie came with you.
"Look, and you and Hoseok dancing up a storm," she teased.
“Shut up,” you chuckled.
“The chemistry is there, Y/N,” she commented.
You drank your water. "Not now, Al."
“Come on! He’s here for, what, the night and then gone tomorrow morning? When will you see him again?” She asked.
You paused, honestly unsure when you'd see Hoseok again.
“Now or never, Y/N. How much longer can you debate this?”
“I know,” you replied. “I’ll do it later tonight.”
Around nine-thirty, the party was dying down, with only a few guests scattered around the venue helping to clean up.
You made eye contact with Allie, who was tending to the chairs, who nudged towards Hoseok’s direction.
Now or never. You said in your head.
“Can I speak to you, Hoseok?” You asked, walking up to him.
“For sure!” He replied.
You led both of you to a secluded part of the venue, away from listeners.
“Did you enjoy the show?” You asked.
“Yeah! You did a fantastic job, Y/N. I love how everything turned out, the colours, the recycled fabrics were great—and your suit! I can’t believe you made it,” Hoseok complimented, stepping back to look at your attire.
“Thank you,” you blushed.
You gave a quick look around to make sure no one was around.
“Is everything alright, Y/N? You’re looking around as if they’re spies around.” He gasped. “Are there spies around? What secret don’t they know?”
“I don’t want to have sex with you anymore.” You abruptly stated.
A stretch of silence.
Hoseok’s expression was a mixture of surprise and concern.
“What?”
“I can’t have sex with you anymore.”
“You can’t or don’t want to? Is it something I did?”
“Yes? No? In a way?” You pondered.
You took a few deep breaths.
"I like you, Hoseok—possibly even love you.” You ran your hand through your hair. “I know we agreed not to catch feelings, so I think we should stop having sex.”
You watched his expression shift from some form of being happy to disappointment.
“You know I cannot date with work,” he explained, "with the fans, touring, and whatnot, I cannot date someone. And you have your company to work on."
“I know,” you replied.
“But do you like me back?” You asked.
“I do—”
“You do?” You were on the verge of hugging him, but he stepped back.
You looked at him, confused.
“We can’t—”
“Why?”
“I literally just told you, Y/N. With work, dating wouldn’t allow it. I already have people—” He choked on his words. “People who wish I was dead, j-just for being me.”
“Hoseok—” You reached out to him, but he gently pushed you away.
“No,” he objected, “I’m fine. I just don’t want to add you to the mess.”
“You can’t decide that for me.” You retorted. “I understand that you don’t want to add me to it, but I’m okay with it. I don't care what other people would say about us. They're not in the relationship, we are—"
“But what if I care?” He said, almost too quiet for you to hear. “I’m the happy guy of BTS, who’s dedicated to his work.”
“But are you truly happy?” You peered into him.
“Yeah,” he replied, avoiding eye contact, “but it gets really hard sometimes.”
“So, let me help, Hoseok,” you pleaded.
"I don't need to be helped! I'm not another project for you to work on.” He thundered.
“You know that’s not what I meant.” You seethed.
“Let’s just drop it, okay? We’re not dating, that’s it.” He dictated.
“Fine.” You replied. “Have a safe trip back home.”
You left without another word, trying your best not to cry.
Out of all the ways you thought he'd respond, this took you off guard. Hoseok wasn't one to push you away, but here he was doing so.
“Fuck this,” you whimpered, walking up to Allie.
“I’m going back to the hotel, sorry,” you said, turning away as soon as possible.
“Y/N!”
You washed your face and hoped into the shower—the warm water soothing your sore muscles and emotions. You couldn’t tell if it was the water or your tears streaming down your face.
What else did you expect? Hoseok had a point: with his work, he couldn’t date someone. And it was ridiculous that Hoseok would want to date you.
However, instead of sulking over Hoseok, you decided to have a bath and put on a facemask.
The room’s phone rang while you were starting the bath.
“Hello?”
“Hello, is this Y/N Y/L/N?
“Speaking,” you confirmed.
“Great! There’s a man here, named,” a muffled noise, “Hoseok Jung.”
“Tell him I’m busy, please,” you replied.
Another muffled noise. “Hoseok says he's sorry and that he has ice cream—cookie dough. But if he’s dangerous, I can call the police.”
“No, no. God no,” you said.
You bit your lip. "You can send Hoseok up."
“Okay. However, if there’s anything wrong, please try to press the red button on the receiver. I will check back with you in an hour. If there’s no response, I’ll get someone to check on you.” They informed.
“Thank you,” you replied, slightly shocked by their concern.
You hung up.
A few minutes later, you heard a knock on the door. You tightened your robe.
You checked the peephole before cracking the door open.
“Hi,” you greeted.
“Hey," he smiled. "I'm sorry for leaving you like that at the party. It was sudden and insensitive. I should have been more considerate of your feelings rather than shutting you off.”
“I was just—scared. I don’t know what it’s going to be like for us. And I don't want you to fix me—but I like you, a lot—so I brought cookie dough ice cream and two spoons—"
“Do you want to come in?” You interrupted his nervous rambling.
“Yes, thank you,” he chuckled.
Hoseok still wore the suit from the fashion show, but his jacket was folded over his arm, and his dress shirt was unbuttoned lower.
“Oh, you’re running the bath,” he noticed. "We can deal with this later if it's a bad time."
“No, it’s alright. I’ll just turn off the water.” You replied, going to the bathroom to do so.
When you came back, Hoseok was sitting on the edge of your bed.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” You asked, sitting beside him.
He opened the ice cream tub, setting the lid on the desk and handing you one of the spoons.
“I was thinking you could talk more, actually; about how you feel," he replied, giving you the tub and angling himself to face you. "I just want to listen to you this time."
You gave a brief smile before spooning a small piece of ice cream into your mouth.
“Well, I just feel like we’re in this grey area of being really close but having sex. And we both like each other, and we said at the venue, and I just feel like we should just date then.” You set the ice cream and spoon down on the desk. “I get that work complicates things for you. But once we’ve confessed our feelings, I just don’t know what to call this—this friendship?”
Hoseok nodded.
"So, if you don't want to date, that's completely fine. I understand. However, we can't keep having sex like we used to; because I have feelings for you now, and you said you do too, so it's not a good mix."
“That’s fair,” he acknowledged.
“But what do you think? Like, how do you feel about us?” You asked.
He paused and set his spoon on the desk with yours. “I want to date you, Y/N. I just don’t want to get you hurt.” He softly grasped your hands. “The industry can be toxic, and I don’t want to subject you to that.”
“I understand,” you replied, “but I want to date you too, regardless of all the other bullshit. As cheesy as it sounds, all I want is you, Hoseok.”
Hoseok smiled but then pretended to gag.
“Hobi! I was romantic."
“Sorry, but that was so cheesy.” He cringed.
“So, do you want to just start dating, then?” You proposed. “We have the ice cream here; we can pretend to get to know each other more.”
He chuckled. “Sure. Let’s do that.”
Hoseok stood up and held his hand out to you. “Y/N Y/L, will you go on a date with me?”
You laughed but composed yourself. “I would love to, Jung Hoseok.” You took his hand, and he immediately sat back down.
“So, Y/N,” Hoseok began, handing you the partially melted ice cream and your spoon, “what do you like to do on the weekends?”
.
.
1 year later.
“I’m thinking of moving to Korea,” you said.
Hoseok turned to you, surprised. “Really? But you’re not based here.”
“I know,” you acknowledged, “but I can fly in and skype, or whatever. I can have a home base here, too.”
You were visiting Hoseok for a couple weeks before you had to go back home for a clothing launch. Both of you were cuddling at his place when you brought up your idea of moving to Korea.
“Of course, it wouldn’t be immediate. I would need to sort things out with Westley and Rachel and organize a place to stay here and a work area. The company is sturdy enough to handle the change.” You reasoned.
“You could move in with me,” he suggested, turning his body to face you.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, why not. We’ve been dating for a while now, and it makes sense.” He shrugged. “Unless you don’t want to.”
You kissed him. “No, I want to.”
Both of you discussed what your move would be like and imagined living together.
If you were to look back at how your relationship with Hoseok progressed, you would be shocked. In a matter of a few months, you and Hoseok went from friends to romantic partners. Although you had not come out publicly about your relationship, many people had a sense it existed; but that didn’t matter.
You and Hoseok were in a secure and healthy relationship. It was long distanced, but you two made it work by visiting each other when you could and calling almost every day.
The only thing that didn’t change was the sex—although it had gotten better.
Nevertheless, so much has happened over the past year.
And you wouldn’t have it any other way.
#jhope bts#jhopoe fanfic#jhope smut#jhope fluff#jhope angst#hoseok smut#hoseok angst#hoseok fluff#bts smut#bts angst#bts fluff#bts fanfic#ficswithluv#houseofddaeng#hobiuary2021#hodevent
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the love languages part i: gifts (f.w.)
pairing: fred weasley x fem!reader
summary: fred doesn't like to admit that he gets jealous when it comes to his girlfriend, after a overhearing a conversation where the love of his life is the topic he goes shopping.
warnings: jealously, slight possessiveness, greasy comments from greasy guys, kissing, fred playfully slaps y/n's butt once.
word count: 1.8k
a/n: this is the first instalment of my love language series, i'm hoping to update it over the next four mondays!! i'm starting a taglist for this series and for my future writings in general which you'll find here, i'm so excited to keep writing for this series and i'd love to hear what y'all think of it - my ask is always open and i can't wait to hear your opinions!!
*all photos are from pinterest*
series masterlist // part ii // part iii // part iv
Fred laid back on his bed, his hands clasped behind his head as he watched his girlfriend adjust her uniform in the mirror. Fred had known Y/N for years but she had become a Weasley family staple after she rescued a very stressed Ron in the library who was pouring over a potions essay that Hermoine had refused to help with. It wasn’t until they had convinced Y/N to spend the summer at the Burrow with them this past year that Fred had finally worked up the nerve to express his feelings for her, and now here she was flashing him that sunshine smile in his dorm room, his mirror, making her way over to kiss his lips.
“You’re staring Freddie.” She giggled, as she plopped down in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Can’t help it angel.” He replied, pressing a sweet kiss to her forehead. “You’re just too good to be all mine.”
“Well-” she started “I can assure you that I am, my love.” He chuckled as he placed another kiss to her lips. She closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling of his lips on hers for a little longer than she probably should have. In all honesty, Y/N had been crushing on Fred for years, long before he had even known who she was. She had simply intended on observing him from afar, sneaking in quiet chuckles at the jokes he and George cracked in class, stealing quick glances at him across the Great Hall as he teased his siblings. But when she developed quite the unlikely friendship with his younger brother and they had invited her to their family home, Fred started to see her in a different light. Y/N had been at the Burrow for over a month when Fred finally realized that maybe the reason he always wanted to be close to her and that he laughed the hardest at her jokes wasn’t just because he wanted to be her friend, he wanted to be her boyfriend, he was in love with her.
She was everything he had ever wanted, the perfect girl for him, but her being perfect made her quite the center of attention. Fred would never admit that he was jealous but the stares she attracted as the pair walked down the hallways always got to him. However, she never noticed the way other people looked at her, probably because she was too busy staring at him, too focused on the feeling of his hand in hers.
“Freddie.” She whined, wriggling in his grasp. “I’ve got to get to the library and you’ve got practice.” She giggled as he buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent.
“The library isn’t going anywhere and they won’t mind if I’m late.” He mumbled which earned a playful scoff from her.
“I have a feeling that your lateness will not be excused.” She replied as he groaned into her skin.
“Fine.” He spoke before placing a playful smack to her butt, signalling for her to move off of him so he could reluctantly get ready for quidditch practice.
“Don’t worry Freddie, I'll find you once you're done.” She cooed, placing a kiss to his lips before making her way out of his room and down the hall, leaving him breathless, once again.
Fred quickly got dressed and started the trek towards the pitch, his head flooded with the thoughts of Y/N, a smile seemed permanently etched on his face. Until he overheard voices from around the corner; there stood two Ravenclaw boys leaning against the wall, and the topic of discussion happened to be his girlfriend. Fred gritted his teeth at the sound of her name coming from such mouths, his jaw becoming tight as he felt his hands ball themselves into fists.
“No, I’m telling you, she knows how to fill a uniform.” One of them groaned as the other laughed in agreement. The thought of someone staring at her, making such comments about his girlfriend made him angry, but the fact that they were looking at her like that, like she was nothing more than a body, infuriated him. She was so much more than that, sure she was gorgeous but she also helped his younger siblings with their homework when they couldn’t figure something out, she baked bread with his mother on Sunday mornings and always reassured him when he felt like the entire world was against him.
“You’re right.” The other remarked. “Don’t know what she sees in Weasley. Merlin, she could do so much better.” He added, running a hand through his hair. Fred couldn’t listen any longer, couldn’t handle the garbage he was hearing.
“And I assume you think you’re better eh?” Fred spoke as he sulked his way out of the shadows, causing the two boys to jump at the sound of his voice. “Quiet now, are we?” He chuckled.
“It’s only the truth Weasley, she’ll leave you at the sight of someone better.” The braver of the two spoke. “You’ll be tossed out soon enough.” Fred could feel the anger bubbling inside of him, but he knew that Y/N would despise the thought of him fighting, especially over her.
“We’ll see about that.” He breathed, feigning a lack of bother, the two boys stared at him, shocked at his response as he simply walked past them.
The week had melted itself into the weekend and the thought of his conversation in the hallway still plagued him, he knew Y/N wasn’t like that, she wouldn’t simply drop him if someone better came along. He knew that she loved him, knew that she barely even noticed those who were interested in her no matter how persistent their efforts in pursuing her were. But he needed something, something to prove that she was his, something that could show that she was proud to be his. After seething over this for the past week, thinking about constantly pulling his jumper over her head or maybe just never letting go of her hand in an attempt to keep greasy eyes off of her, it finally hit him and after a sneaky visit to a jewelry store he had a solution.
“Hey princess.” He spoke, excitement evident in his tone as he took his spot next to Y/N in front of the tree she was leaning against.
“Hi, my love.” She replied, abandoning the book she was reading to lay her head in his lap. He sighed with content, running his fingers through her hair as she gazed up at him, nothing but pure love gracing her features.
“I got you something.” Fred said softly as he ran a thumb across her cheek, she looked up at him, taking the hand that wasn’t occupied on her face into her own, interlacing their fingers.
“Freddie-” She started, but he stopped her, pressing a finger to her lips.
“No, no, no.” He protested. “I know you always say you don’t need gifts but this one means a lot to me.” She stared at him curiously as he continued to speak.
“I overheard these guys talking about you and I tried to not let it get to me but I- I couldn’t.” He spoke, her face softening. “I know you love me and I love you more than anything, I just wanted to get you something that could show everyone that, that could show you that.” He ran his fingers through his crimson hair and let out a shaky breath as she brought his hand to her mouth, gently kissing each knuckle. He was so nervous, he had planned exactly how to go about this in his head, but here in this situation, with her staring up at him with those eyes, all previous thoughts of smooth words and flirting were abandoned. He wanted nothing more than to spill his guts to her, tell her every single reason why he loved her, kiss every inch of her body.
“I always say I don’t get jealous when it comes to you, but I do, I hate it when other people look at you the same way I do.” Her lips quirked into a smile. “You’re the love of my life Y/N, there is absolutely no one out there better for me than you, I’m all in.”
“I couldn't agree more Freddie, all my bets are on you.” Y/N said, rising from her spot in his lap to straddle him. She placed her palms against either side of his face, resting her forehead against his closing her eyes and feeling the heat of his cheeks against her hands. Fred reached into his jacket pocket to reveal a small velvet box, Y/N’s eyes grew wide at the sight. He chuckled, sensing her surprise.
“It’s not an engagement ring angel.” He started, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “At least not yet.” He opened the box, where a simple silver necklace sat, four letters sat in the middle, his name in plain script. Y/N gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as Fred pulled the necklace out of the box and loosened the clasp.
“May I?” He asked, a grin etching itself on his face.
“Of course.” She whispered as he placed the chain around her neck.
“There.” He spoke, leaning back to admire her, she looked so pretty with his name lying against her skin. “What do you think?” He asked, his voice quiet as he searched her face for some sort of indication into how she felt about the gift. She stayed quiet for a moment, simply staring down at the necklace, she ran a finger across the letters as Fred bit his lip, nervous at her sudden silence.
“I love it Freddie.” She whispered, pulling his face to hers capturing his lips with her own before kissing his forehead, both his cheeks, his nose, his eyelids, his lips again and again. He broke into a full fledged laugh until he noticed the tears in Y/N’s eyes.
“Oh no princess, don’t cry.” He chuckled, wiping away stray tears.
“They’re happy tears Freddie.” She giggled. “Just love you so much.”
“I bet I love you more though.” He retorted, resting his hands on her waist as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. “I’ll have to buy you more gifts if you keep kissing me like that.”
Y/N sighed in response, her fingers twirled in the hair at the nape of his neck. They both knew that Fred could never buy her another gift for as long as they both lived and she would still love him as much as she did in this very moment. There was so much uncertainty in the future but right now, with his name around her neck and his arms wrapped so tightly around her waist she knew that no matter what happened in the next month, the next year and for the rest of her life, her love would be completely and utterly Fred Weasleys.
taglist (join here!!)
@onlyfreds
#fred#fred weasley#fred weasley x reader#fred weasley fic#fred weasley one shot#fred weasley series#fred weasley x y/n#fred weasley x you#fred weasley fluff#hp fic#hp
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Just Ask
Prompts: Hey… So, I was wondering if you could write a fic where one of the sides are dyslexic? Since that usually just ends as "Oh, I can't read, oh no!" and not like the actual neurodiversity it is. Yes, I admit, I want to relate to one too, but… Well. It'd be awesome if you would, but if that's too tall an order or too specific that's fine too. If you do, though, maybe college AU with roceit? -anon
Hi you're amazing! I love your writing and brand of writing and just I've read a lot of your stories and I love them all kskejejwuwugfhsv-
I was wondering, if you take requests, that maybe you could write a human AU with fake dating Roceit? With confident fat Janus because we need that! Or not, that's your choice!
(I sound like some snob asking for a highly specific coffee shi-) - anon
oh babe y'all wanted to be FED huh
Read on Ao3
Warnings: slight ableist/fatphobic language
Pairings: roceit
Word Count: 2487
Sometimes, you can get all of your work done in the library. Sometimes, people are ableists.
And sometimes there's something wonderful in finding out there's someone there for you as well.
Roman scrubs his hands over his face and sighs. Between waiting ages at the printer or absolutely destroying his retinas by staring at a screen for hours on end, he isn’t unhappy with making the choice to save the environment by using less paper but god.
“At least this pdf was convertible,” he mutters, scrolling down to see how many pages he has left. The last four weren’t and reading without the right font is a fucking pain in the ass.
Seven pages left. Great.
Roman focuses on the screen and starts to mutter under his breath again. Focus on the word, figure it out, make the sentence, move on. Pause to take notes, make sure it’s legible to read later, and repeat.
A computer and heavy bag thuds onto the table next to him and he jumps, almost knocking his coffee over. He looks up, glaring at the person who stares down their nose at him like he’s some sort of stain. Rude.
“You’ve been here for like, three hours, dude,” they say, like that’s supposed to justify their behavior, “move. I need this spot.”
Roman looks around. There’s like, four more tables open. “Can’t you just go sit somewhere else?”
“No! This is my spot! You can go sit somewhere else.”
“Well,” Roman mutters, glaring at his screen again, “I was here first. So you can either wait until I’m done or sit down.”
“Dude, I swear—“
“Excuse me,” comes a smooth voice that has no business being this polished in the fucking library, “is this person bothering you, sweetie?”
Roman turns around and his mouth drops open.
“J-Janus?”
Janus raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms and glaring at the dick with the heavy bag. Who, as a matter of fact, seems to be muttering and stuffing shit back into said bag.
“Sorry I’m late,” Janus drawls, still sounding way too confident and way too much like he knows what’s going on, “got held up after class.”
“Uh, no problem,” he mumbles, glancing over his shoulder to see the asshole is still standing there, “just, um…working.”
“Ah, well then, you won’t mind if I join you.” And with that, Janus sits down with a flourish, propping his chin up on his hand and fixing the asshole with an impressive look of disgust. “And you…you can leave.”
“Look, buddy—“
“My partner and I have work to do,” Janus says, swiftly cutting them off and making sure Roman has no idea what’s going on, “now leave.”
Roman’s really glad there was no ambiguity that Janus could’ve been talking to him, because he’s about ready to bolt. Only when the asshole has retreated does Janus turn his gaze to him.
“Sorry about that,” he says, flicking a speck of imaginary lint from his gloves, “he seemed like he was bothering you. Thanks for playing along.”
“Oh, uh, no, I’m, uh—“ Janus raises an eyebrow as Roman stumbles over his words— “sorry. Uh, thanks?”
Janus chuckles. “Oh, no worries, sweetie. I was happy to do it. Although…”
Janus squints at him and Roman fights the urge to squirm under that gaze.
“You’re in my seminar class, aren’t you?” Roman nods. “The one that let out three hours ago?”
“Yeah, uh-huh.”
“Have you…been here since then?”
Roman nods, trying to get back to work and, you know, maybe get out of here, only for Janus to reach across the table and still his hands as he goes to pick up the pen again.
“Have you eaten?”
“What?”
“Eaten,” Janus says slowly, mouth stretching into a smile, “lunch, sweetie.”
“Uh—“ no, is the correct answer— “I was going to?”
Janus just gives him a look.
“…no.”
“Mm.” Janus glances at his computer and notebook. “You’re not by any chance attempting to read all of the assignments in one go, are you?”
Roman’s guilty flush seems to answer that question for him. Janus sighs and it’s such an odd mixture of disappointment and fondness Roman hasn’t earned that his brain spits out the only question he actually wants an answer to.
“Why are you here?”
Janus chuckles. “In the library, at this school, or are we already to the point of questioning the very nature of existence?”
Roman just blinks at him.
“Oh, relax, sweetie, I’m teasing.” Janus glances off in the vague direction the asshole wandered off to. He leans a little closer. “I know how…difficult it can be to try and do work when they bother you.”
Roman’s cheeks flush. “Oh, uh…thanks, then.”
Janus waves a hand. “It’s none of their business why you’re doing so much work at once. Even if it does make you skip lunch,” he adds with such a pointed look that Roman can’t help splutter.
“I was going to! And you’re not my mother!”
“No,” Janus purrs, “but like any good partner, I like to make sure my sweetie takes care of themselves.”
Roman does not squeak, despite Janus’s chuckles, but he does start to fiddle with his pen. “I can’t…stop yet.”
“Why ever not?”
“Can you stop,” Roman blurts, scrubbing his hands over his blushing face, “please? For like, two seconds?”
“Sorry, you’re just adorable.”
“Stop, dude, seriously, if you want an actual answer to the question?”
“I’m done,” Janus chuckles, “I’m done, sorry.”
Roman takes a deep breath. He fiddles with the pen. “It’s just—with my dyslexia, it takes a while to…find the, um…”
“Zone?”
“…sure.”
Janus hums in understanding. Then he reaches into his own bag and pulls out a book of his own. “Then we may as well work together until you’re finished.”
Roman blinks. Hi, hello, brain is confused, what just happened in the last five minutes?
Janus waves a hand in front of his face. “Hello? Sweetie? You okay?”
“Sorry, I’m just—trying to process what happened.” Roman blinks again. “Because it seems like some asshole tried to take my seat, you came up and pretended to be my partner to scare them away, proceeded to badger me about taking care of myself, and now you’re…still here?”
Janus nods. “That’s how I experienced it too, that’s correct.”
“…so now what’re we doing?”
“Well, I’m also going to try and get some work done, you’re going to finish your work, and then we’re going to get lunch.”
“And what about the dude that now thinks we’re partners?”
Janus looks at him and shrugs. “I’m game if you are.”
Roman blinks again. Is…Janus suggesting they fake being in a relationship to, what, defend Roman’s right to sit wherever the fuck he wants for however long in a library?
“What’s in it for you?”
“Pardon?”
“You heard me,” Roman says, “what’s in it for you?”
Janus’s fingers still on the book he’s pulled out. He sighs and looks up at Roman.
“How long have you known about your dyslexia?”
Jumping around a bit here, aren’t we? “About six years, why?”
“And you know how to manage it? For you?”
“Uh, yeah, why?”
“That doesn’t mean it goes away,” Janus says softly, “it’s still work, you just…know how to do it now.”
“Yeah, it still takes me time to do things, why—“ Roman’s eyes widen— “oh. Oh, wait, you mean—wait, what do they have against you?”
Janus’s mouth tugs up into a smirk. “How sweet.”
“Shut up,” Roman mumbles, “you know what I mean.”
Janus just winks at him before sobering. “Well,” he says wryly, gesturing at himself, “surely you can understand that…not everyone treats you very well when you aren’t the circumference of a toothpick.”
Oh. They’re those kind of assholes. Something Janus chuckles about when that thought gets out before Roman can stop them.
“Quite. I can manage them, but it’s still work.” He looks at Roman. “Maybe we can split the load?”
“I’m down with that.”
“Wonderful. Now,” Janus says, mock sternly, “get back to work. We have lunch to get.”
Roman chuckles. “Sure, sure, don’t ask to borrow my notes.”
“I would never, I just forget things like a cool person and make things up that the professor likes to hear.”
Yeah, this is gonna go just fine.
As it turns out, it does. Roman won’t lie, he was…skeptical about the viability of this plan of theirs. He’s read the stories. He knows how this works. He knows about the misunderstandings and whether it’s a bet or a dare, something goes wrong.
But…nothing does.
Watching Janus tear anyone to shreds is entertaining enough in class, where Roman gives up on taking debate notes and just watches because goddamn, but when he gets to stand there and just glare at some ableist while Janus verbally decimates them? Poetic cinema. He debates sneaking some popcorn into his jacket pocket but that would take away from the power of his glare.
And it is nice to have someone else do the work of glaring assholes away from his table when he’s working on reading. He would be lying if he said that actually having someone else to talk to isn’t part of it. It’s so much easier to keep track of where he’s messing up so he can focus on it during his exercises later.
“You know,” Janus remarks as they leave the library one day, “you can ask the professors for editable pdfs.”
“Huh?”
“For your font stuff.” Janus nods toward his backpack. “I know you like to change the font so you can read it better, most of them have editable copies of the materials.”
“Not for the eBooks and scans and stuff.”
Janus huffs, waving his hand. “How do you think they get the audio transcripts for the recorded versions? They have to transcribe it anyway, just ask for those.”
Roman stops. “How…how do you know those exist?”
Janus just taps the side of his nose and winks.
“Can…can you do that?”
“Of course.” Janus links his arm through Roman’s. “Anything for you.”
That shouldn’t do what it does to Roman’s chest.
Because yeah, okay, maybe Janus is…really cute.
Like, unfairly cute.
No one should be able to rock that hat all the time. And the gloves. And the pocket watch. And the curly hair. And the attitude. And the impressive vocabulary. And the razor-sharp wit. And he actually knows how to flirt! What is flirting? All Roman knows is Gay Panic™ and Suffering™. What is this? Why is it allowed?
And why, oh why, did Janus have to be the one that started the fake-dating idea?
Because here’s the thing. It would be so easy to just be friends with Janus. It would! They’re already friends now, fake-dating kind of does that to you. And Janus, despite what he wants everyone else to believe, is a fucking dork. His actual laugh is squeaky and bubbly and ugh, Roman could drown in it. And he’s really kind. It’s not the same breed of kind that Roman’s used to, but goddamn, Janus is so sweet when he lets himself be. And it’s been so long since Roman had like, an actual friend…
But it would also be so easy to be more than friends with Janus. To actually be able to take him out for dates and not just lunch at their janky cafeteria. To be able to spend time together that isn’t just for show, or platonic, or just hanging out ranting about stupid dead supposed-to-be-smart people.
Again, Roman’s read the stories. He knows how this is supposed to go.
So when he takes a little longer to pack up one day, enough that Janus notices and eases himself back down into his seat with a soft, real, ‘what’s wrong, sweetie, let me help,’ Roman prepares the bittersweet ‘nothing, I’m fine,’ and to swallow down everything real.
But instead…
“Can we, um, actually date?”
Janus blinks. “Come again, sweetie?”
Roman fiddles with the buckle on his bag. “I, um, I really appreciate what we’ve been doing, and I, um, I’m super happy being your friend…”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“…but I, um—“ god, why are words so hard?— “I think I would actually like to try…dating you. For real.”
He peeks up nervously at Janus.
“Is…is that okay?”
Janus sits there, silent. He blinks a few times. Then a slow, real smile spreads across his face.
“Roman,” he says softly, almost too quiet, even in the hush of the library, “why do you think I proposed this idea in the first place?”
Oh.
Oh.
Roman blinks. “Wait, you—you?”
A pretty flush covers Janus’s face. “Well, I…was planning to ask you normally, but then I saw you being absolutely tormented and…panicked.”
“You panicked?”
He throws his hands up. “Well, what was I supposed to do? The most gorgeous person in my seminar was being bullied and I was supposed to just let it happen?”
Wait. Back up. Roman is what?
“And yes, maybe I...wanted an excuse to be your friend first, but as I said, I panicked and so—“
“You—wait, you think I’m pretty?”
Janus stops, mouth open, before he’s scoffing. “Roman, have you seen yourself?”
“Uh—“
“At least you’re pretty,” Janus mutters under his breath, “pretty and dumb, but pretty.”
“Hey!”
“You can be big of brain and dumb of ass at the same time, sweetie.”
“Oh, says the man whose idea was to fake-date me because you wanted to actually ask me out!”
“I will not be lectured on dramatics from a theater kid.”
“That’s ex-theater kid to you.”
“Oh, you know once you go, you never come back.”
Roman giggles. Then he’s laughing. Janus joins in and oh, this is much better than shoving feelings down and pretending they don’t exist.
“You’re such a fucking dork.”
“No,” Janus purrs, reaching over to boop the end of Roman’s nose, “I’m your fucking dork.”
Oh. Oh, that sounds…really good. Roman’s chest is really warm now, when did that happen? Janus smiles too.
“So…dinner?”
“You’re paying.”
“I’ll pick you up at six.”
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Why Do I Like AppleDash So Much?
Literally nobody has ever asked me this but I'm going to answer this question anyway.
Intro: How I Got Into My Little Pony
Imma be real. The reason I started watching the show is because some of my old Twitter mutuals were interacting with posts about the Friendship Is Magic 10th anniversary. Some of them were talking about Rarijack and how it was a good ship, and others were discussing the implied canonicity of Appledash.
I had, at the time, just finished catching up on The Owl House that had recently been in the process of finishing up season one or had just gone into hiatus (can't remember which) and I was losing interest in my old hyperfixations fast.
See, I do this thing where I get really REALLY invested in a show and then as soon as it ends or as soon as I absorb every bit of media in it, I lose some of the interest or it fades. I don't usually lose full interest. For example, I still love She-Ra (my last big fandom) and I'm obviously still invested in The Owl House, but ever since both of those shows ended/stalled, I was desperately needing something to distract me from the trials and tribulations of my will to live that my daily life often forced upon me.
As you can guess, ponies was my solution.
I went into the show with a Rarijack mindset, but knowing that Appledash existed. I guess my mutuals just really liked Rarijack. I decided to give season one a chance. Actually, I felt quite silly for even deciding to watch the show. You see, back in 2018, I was still quite... trivial about watching anything that was seen as "girly". I didn't really have any problems with watching cartoons (ie. V*ltron, Steven Universe, Avatar, Pokemon etc.) but it was the fact that a show was "girly" that made me iffy. I had a very fragile masculinity, okay?
Anyway, so I actually was really afraid to watch She-Ra, even though the teaser images and trailer looked good. But I did and I decided that even "girly" shows could be good and that I was silly.
But, oh boy, cringe culture really messed with me. In mid/late 2020, I was ashamed to watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I said I'd watch one season just so I could laugh at it. I wanted to watch it as a joke, and who knows, maybe I found a guilty pleasure to watch while I waited for The Owl House to come back?
I loaded up Netflix and I hit play. Instantly, I was cringing at myself. Can you blame me? Early season MLP was obviously meant for kids. Not that it was immature or bad, but it was definitely a kid's show, especially considering the iconic storybook opening of episode one.
I watched the episodes, but they mostly were just background noise as I did other things. I remember watching them, but I was indifferent, although frustrated that I found myself chuckling at a few of the jokes and quips. I wasn't that invested, though. I thought Twilight was boring, Rarity obnoxious, Pinkie annoying, Fluttershy frustrating, and Rainbow Dash infuriating. I didn't really mind Applejack, I mostly kinda just thought she was the best one. (Nothing's changed, eh?)
And then....
Fall Weather Friends
Season One Episode Thirteen rolled around.
It starts (as y'all know) with Rainbow Dash and Applejack throwing horseshoes.
I don't know why, but this caught my attention. Of course, being only a few episodes after Look Before You Sleep, I had Rarijack on the mind. But I did think that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were probably good friends and would make for an interesting pairing, and a more interesting episode given their similarities, but also their differences.
I found myself fully watching this episode, and I dare say, it's the episode that dragged me fully into the show.
Maybe it's because I see myself in both of them in a way. Maybe that's why I connect so much with the pair, but them having an episode together? That was really good for me. I wasn't in the best state of mind, and something about seeing two characters that were in some ways reminiscent of myself interact and argue and have an endearing episode together made me smile.
It was then that I discovered the simple amazingness of AppleDash.
I mean, who doesn't love obnoxious, competitive girlfriends that are both prideful and headstrong?
I know I love it.
Anyway, so at that point, my mind kinda just clicked and I decided that my OTP was AppleDash. However, poly rights and Applejack has two front hooves *cough* Rarijackdash *cough*
But yeah so that's how I got into AppleDash. Fall Weather Friends, which was kinda the episode that made me love MLP.
How That Progressed
Well, obviously, I still love that ship I mean I live for it. If I could have any one single ship it'd be them. It just kept getting better and better as the show progressed, I mean their dynamic is great whether you want to see it platonically or romantically. They have a lot in common right off the bat (example, they are both incredibly stubborn, though AJ would take the cake for that) and seem to be close (I mean right from episode one they appear to already have a pre-established friendship), but they're also different. Applejack is a hard worker all of the time with anything she does, while Dash tends to be lazy but can be extremely driven when she is motivated (for example, when she wants to achieve her Wonderbolts dream). Applejack is immensely caring and family-oriented and does things for the good of everypony, while Rainbow Dash can be kind of a jerk and not mindful of her actions when she's wrapped up in the stuff she's doing for herself (not to say she isn't caring, but she tends to be kind of an ass, even to Fluttershy sometimes).
Their growth was immensely fun to watch and as time went on, they shared more and more screentime together. Even if it's not an episode that revolves around them, whenever one of them is in frame, most of the time the other is close by, and they often stand next to each other.
Now, in terms of why they work in the show's canon (in my opinion, either romantically or platonically, they do make a great pairing):
They are both competitive and enjoy competing with each other, though they know (especially after FWF when they've taken it too far)
They watch out for each other (AJ often holds Rainbow Dash back when she's about to rush into danger, especially in early seasons, and Dash always lifts AJ out of danger first [the two examples I can think of off the top of my head are in Best Gift Ever and My Little Pony: The Movie])
Their personalities even each other out. (AJ is a lot more calm than RD, and while they can both get worked up, Applejack is usually the calm one)
Their colour schemes are literally complementary. (AJ's coat is orange while Rainbow's is blue. AJ's eyes are green while RD's are pink/red).
They share a lot of cute moments. (You can just look these up)
THEY'RE HECCING CUTE.
AND FINALLY
I mean fuck, the finale. They're literally canon, you cannot tell me otherwise. It was absolutely intended and you cannot prove otherwise. (read the script notes l o l "we actually could do sort of a subtle wink to the idea that they are now a couple???" < RE Appledash). They live together, they have domestic arguments about chores, they are always giving each other fond looks throughout the episode, always standing next to or near each other, and well we all know Rainbow's iconic hoof on AJ's head in the last shot of the show.
Ashleigh Ball really was the OG shipper and fuck it, she was right. We all know they are in love, she knows they are in love. The only reason they couldn't explicitly state it in the show is probably bc Hasbro would have been against that at the time (I mean, Lyrabon had to be very subtle but hey we gottem).
Oh and, I know this isn't exactly canon canon, but it is an official game: The My Little Pony Magic Princess app. Future AJ and RD's descriptions allude to them being together.
You could negate this and say that this is just them being friends but I mean... come on. Come on. Sweet Apple Acres is Apple family land, and the only people who live there as of The Last Problem are Apples. (AJ, Sugar Belle and Big Mac and their foal, and you guessed it... Rainbow Dash).
You cannot tell me that they aren't canon. You'd really have to be grasping at straws because all the signs are there. They had build up, development, and it just makes sense.
If you don't think it makes sense... did we watch the same show??? It absolutely makes sense.
Anyway, AppleDash is canon. :)
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Gifts
Read on AO3
Prompt
Summary: Wild tells of the gifts the past Champions have given him. All that's left is for the others to witness these gifts.
Warnings: Descriptions of injury, temporary character death.
Notes: Finally got a prompt done. Y'all proud of me? If you are, then know I wrote this instead of Chapter 2 of Succumb because I'm an awful creature who has a solid idea for the entire fic except Chapter 2 and I'm avoiding it. Stop being proud of me now.
---
“How about you, Champ?”
Wild blinks from the daze he's fallen into and looks up to see eight pairs of eyes all looking right at him. The moon hangs lazily above them, nothing more than a C-shape tied to the stars to watch them all talk themselves to sleep. Wild’s zoned out of this one, for reasons he can’t really explain why. It’s not that what they’re talking about tonight is particularly dull or offensive. It’s just… well… they’re talking about magic and discussing the common theme that seems most sources of magic that they know has been given to them.
Time and Great Fairies. Hyrule and wise men in caves. Wild’s sure the others all have similar stories, he’s just decided to not listen to them tonight.
“About me?” He asks hopefully. Maybe they have changed topics while he was trying to decide what the woodchip by his boot resembles.
Four leans forward on his knees, wiggling his eyebrows. “Any magical gifts that you’ve been holding out on us?”
Wild tries not to let his disappointment show on his face. “Ah.” He curls his fingers around the hem of his tunic before they could nervously knit with each other on his lap. “Nothing that’s important.”
Besides him, Twilight scoffs. “Nothing that’s important? Cub, either you really are holding out on us or you’re being humble.”
“Wild? Humble?” Warriors snorts. “Perish the thought.”
Wild sighs. “Really, I don’t have any cool stories to tell tonight. I’d much rather listen to you all.”
“Listen, huh?” Four challenges, grinning like an imp. “Who taught Hyrule how to shoot fire from his sword?”
Wild rolls his eyes. “Some old guy in a cave.”
“Actually,” Hyrule says with a soft, apologetic smile, “it was an old man in a basement.”
“What is up with you and old men?”
“Anyway,” Twilight says, giving Wild a hard look, “you’re obviously not listening. Is something wrong? You’re usually more talkative.”
Does Twilight have to be a doting old mother in front of everyone? Wild can feel himself bristling. “Maybe I just don’t feel like talking tonight. Vet isn’t talking and you’re not pestering him.”
“That’s because Vet never talks about himself,” Warriors says, foiling Wild’s entire argument. Legend has a smug look on his face. “Not unless he’s trying to heighten his own ego.” Legend’s smug look falls into a glare.
“Fine,” Legend says. “I’ll tell one. Then Champ can tell one, so that you all will get off both of our backs.”
“It has to be serious, Leg,” Wind butts in, completely oblivious to Wild’s dying hope of getting out of this conversation. “No ‘I got my magic from being super cooler than everyone else’ bull.”
“I wasn’t going to,” Legend snaps. “Besides, I don’t have magic. I have magical items. Which is just as useful.”
“Then what’s that one?” Sky points at the small clay ocarina in Legend’s hands. “You’ve been holding it all night.”
Legend stills and his face softens, and immediately the whole group can tell that whatever that ocarina is, Legend has feelings attached to it. He takes a deep breath. “It’s not very magic,” he says, his fingers rubbing over the holes reverently. “It used to be able to summon a gust of wind to take me wherever I needed to go. It could also awaken the dead under specific circumstances… now it’s nothing but clay. It doesn’t work anymore.”
“Where’d you get it?” Wind asked, and not unkindly. He, like the rest of the group, knows that Legend wouldn’t be holding an item so tenderly if it only didn’t work anymore.
Legend stays silent for a moment, allowing the crickets in the forests to sing uninterrupted. Then, his shoulders fall. “The most beautiful woman I ever met gave it to me. She had the most lovely voice. This… after… after I lost her, I woke up stranded at sea. It was around my neck on a string… it’s all the proof I have that she ever existed.”
Silence hangs over the group like a heavy blanket. Wild can’t help but feel a lob of guilt get stuck in his chest. All he can do is sit and watch Sky lean over and place a hand on Legend’s knee.
“Love is one of the most powerful magics an item can hold, even if it’s just a good memory.”
Legend brings a sleeve to his eye, holding the ocarina tightly with his other hand. “Oh shut it, you sap,” he says through a smile. Sky smiles back, and Wild curls his arms across his chest.
Besides him, Twilight looks at him. Not expectantly, though, but with understanding. Perhaps he knows now why sometimes someone would wish to stay silent during these kinds of nights. Not everyone got magical gifts from old men in caves. Or basements.
But the guilt sits, and no one is saying it’s Wild’s turn to spill some beans. Not even Legend. But how could he stay silent after Legend told something so personal and sad? It’s not fair, even if he’s the only one who thinks so.
He bites the arrow and takes a breath.
“I don’t have magic. I have… blessings. From friends I had before the Calamity.”
For the second time that night, eight pairs of eyes fall onto him.
“I don’t use them much anymore,” Wild continues; somehow his hands have made it to his lap anyways, knitting his fingers together like string on needles, “they gave me everything they had so I could defeat Calamity Ganon. Now that he’s gone, I don’t want to abuse their gifts any longer.”
“I don’t mean to pry…” Four says, “but maybe they gave you everything they had to help you. Maybe they didn’t consider it abuse.”
And somehow, Wild doesn’t feel like Four is prying at all. In fact, it startles a chuckle out of him. “Maybe. But not Revali, that’s for sure. He and I got along worse than Vet and Cap.”
“Not an easy feat,” Warriors says to the others while nudging Legend with his elbow. Legend rolls his eyes. “I’m impressed.”
“What blessing did he give you?” Wild asks. There’s stars in his eyes that always get there when he gets too interested in a story. Though, Wild supposes any story involving a rival-ship greater than their very own Legend and Warriors is something to be interested in.
“It was the power to call upon the gusts of wind he used to command with his powerful wings. He was a Rito, the best there ever was. He could fly into the air without having to jump off of ledges. The wind would carry him up itself, like it belonged to him.”
-o-o-o-o-
Agony is a poison pulsing through Hyrule’s leg. The fall had been great, and it’s a miracle Wild had been there to dive down and at least try to lesson the fall with his paraglider. The ground was weak in these desert-y canyons, and maybe Hyrule shouldn’t have gotten so close to the ledge to warrant his boot’s slipping, but at least Wild was there.
Hyrule’s ankle is broken, or at least badly sprained. Either way, it’s painful enough that he can’t even stand up as Wild paces the bottom of the crevasse they have found themselves in like a pair of cornered animals. The others… they’re close to an hour’s worth of time away. He and Wild were exploring and gathering whatever they could find that might be used as firewood as the sun began to set. It’s been a terribly awful day of traveling in the desert heat, and he and Wild were excited to experience the sunset’s breeze while the others set up camp.
They got too excited. Too far away. There’s no way anyone will hear them if they call. No one will come looking until the sky is black.
And who knows, maybe they won't consider that maybe they fell. Maybe, if they come looking, they won't look down the right scar in the land, and they will burn to death in tomorrow's sun.
“What do we do?” Hyrule asks through an embarrassingly choked voice. He’s been fighting tears since the moment his ankle bent wrongly in their crash landing. He knows Wild will not judge him for sobs, but it doesn’t make it any easier for him to allow any to escape.
Wild sighs and glares up at the lip of the cliff they’ve fallen from. “Any trinkets?” he asks back.
Hyrule bites his lip. He wishes he were like the others and had a trinket for every situation. Legend had promised to give him an old grappling hook he had hoarded away the next time they end up at his and Ravio’s place. “No.”
“Okay,” Wild says. Not angrily. “Okay.”
Determined?
“Champ?”
Wild takes a deep breath and looks down at Hyrule with… fire in his eyes. “I won’t be long. Will you be okay while I fetch the others?”
Hyrule licks his lips and looks down at his leg, already braced with brush twigs and the wrappings that usually decorate Wild’s arms. A cold breeze blows suddenly, making Hyrule shiver and remember the desert only takes what it’s given when it comes to heat. When the sun’s up, it thrives, and when it’s gone…
“Don’t take long,” he replies, even though he doesn’t really know what Wild’s about to do.
Wild nods, shrugging off the cloak he usually always wears and gives it to Hyrule. Hyrule nods his thanks and takes the warm accessory, placing it over his head and wrapping the caped section around his shoulders.
He watches as Wild walks towards the edge of the cliff facing where the others are with camp. Hyrule wonders what he’s about to do as he clings to the edge of the cloak. Wild unfolds his paraglider from his back, baffling Hyrule even more, and widens his stance.
A moment passes. Then another.
Then a gust of wind appears seemingly out from the floor, powerful enough to blow dust back and almost get in Hyrule’s eye if he hadn’t instinctively covered his eyes. There’s a flash of teal through his fingers… then an unfamiliar voice snorts.
“About time, runt.”
By the time Hyrule deems it safe enough to uncover his eyes without getting dust in them, Wild is already high in the air. The miracle gust of wind cyclones in the spot his friend used to be, growing weaker and weaker by the second before it’s gone completely. There’s no sign of whoever made that flash of teal… nor who spoke, but Hyrule doesn’t think too into it as Wild drops his paraglider and grabs onto the upper ledge of the cliff.
Far above him, Wild climbs to safety and looks over the edge. He waves, and Hyrule cannot help the giggle that climbs through his throat as he waves back.
Pain in his ankle be damned, whatever Wild just did was cool, and as Wild turns and runs towards the others he knows he won't be in pain for long.
Not much longer than an hour passes before the others come with their ropes and grappling hooks and worried voices. Wild glides down to him to help carry him up. There’s something about the way he stands that gives Hyrule the feeling that he… realized something today. He gives Hyrule a bottle of health, then helps tie a rope around his waist as his ankle begins to hurt a little less.
As he’s lifted off the ground towards the top of the cliff by his friends, he looks at Wild who is clinging tight to Hyrule’s body like a stronger lifeline than any rope or chain.
“Was that Revali?” He asks, without really thinking.
Wild looks at him with wide eyes, and then a wider smile. “Yeah.”
Hyrule smiles back. “He sounded like an asshole.”
A startled laugh bursts from Wild’s mouth as he throws his head back. “He is an asshole,” he agrees in good nature.
They reach the top. They reach the others. Twilight scolds their ears off the entire way back towards camp, and Hyrule can't stop grinning for his own safety… and for whatever mended in Wild’s heart tonight.
-o-o-o-o-
“What about the others?”
“Well… ah… there’s Daruk. He was one of my oldest friends. The strongest Goron there ever was, though he was a little fearful of dogs.” Wild laughs, as do the others politely; probably imagining the biggest Goron they could be scared of a small fluffy animal. “He had the strength to block anything, and he was always ready to take a blow for the team. Even after… even after… he still protected me. He gave me the ability to call upon even a fraction of that power, that way nothing could hurt me in case my own shield failed. Without him… I would not be here, I’m confident in that.”
-o-o-o-o-
They honestly should have expected an ambush before Warriors was the one to call it out. Four likes to consider himself lucky for coming from a comparatively peaceful time, relatively speaking, but even he should have expected the top of the hill to be lined with determined monsters with big rocks.
The first few moments of watching the boulders come down feels almost like Four is stuck in time. There’s nowhere to run, the expanse of the monsters at the top is too great. Left or right would bring more chances of being hit. They can’t run back down the hill and outrun the danger either. Their only option is to dodge through the rocks until they can get to the top and take out the danger.
Distantly, as time spreads up, Four is aware of Time and Wild each releasing arrows towards the top of the hill, igniting various monsters on fire, but soon it becomes pure chaos. He can only focus on himself as he does his best to jump out of the way of rocks that are much bigger than him. The colors in his brain scream as he tries to remain calm and collected. No Blue, he can’t just jump over the boulders because it will look cool. Red please calm down you’re screaming too loudly. He knows to go left, Green!
It’s a miracle he’s managed to last this long with the confusion. Which is why he’s not surprised when something finally hits its mark. He’s just glad that when the agony of a shattered bone shoots through his body, it’s only his right shoulder that took the brunt of the hit.
Not that he has time to be thankful for that. After the boulder hits into his side, his balance is knocked right out of him. He ends up crashing to the tilted floor in a jumble of limbs and dust. There’s tears in his eyes, and he can barely focus enough to lift himself back up. His entire arm feels like he’s stuck it into the mouth of a dragon—teeth and all. His chest feels tight and his hip all bruised. He wouldn’t be surprised if he’s broken a few ribs as well.
He barely has enough time to look ahead of him from where he lies on the ground. There’s another boulder bouncing right towards him. If… if he doesn’t move now… he will surely die.
But he cannot move. He cannot move because his entire side hurts too badly for him to go at a speed that matters. He closes his eyes and tries to make himself smaller. Maybe, if the goddess decides she likes him today, she will allow the boulder to bounce over him… or something as unlikely.
Either way, he accepts whatever fate he’s about to meet, even as he hears Sky scream his name.
And maybe it’s because he’s a coward and he’s scared, but he opens his eyes to look at his approaching doom. Only… that’s not all that he sees. What he sees is Wild jump out right in front of him with a ball of orange energy surrounding his entire body. A surge of horror swells inside of his belly the moment he sees this. Is Wild serious?!
Then, a heartbeat passes, and the boulder rams right into Wild. What happens next, though, Four would never have guessed. The orange energy explodes in shatters around him. Standing over Wild, however, is a ghostly Goron that’s bigger than anything Four’s ever seen. He shouts as the boulder stops in its tracks, crumbling before his mighty fists.
“I got you, little buddy,” Daruk’s spirit says. Then, the teal spirit disappears with the orange energy, leaving Wild standing there with the shattered remains of the boulder at his feet. Up the hill, Warriors, Legend, Time, and Sky take out the remaining monsters before they can release any more rocks.
Wild turns towards Four with a crazed, adrenaline fueled gaze. There’s a grin on his face though, one that Four finds himself matching.
Next thing he knows, Twilight, Hyrule, and Wild are rushing to his form and shoving various medicine bottles into his face; of which he takes gratefully.
“Thank you, Wild,” Four makes sure to say once he’s finally back on his feet with a makeshift sling over his only slightly aching arm. Wild turns towards him to give a blushing smile. He rubs the back of his neck with his hand.
“I couldn’t just watch you die. It’s the least I could do.”
Four hums. “I’m still thankful. Though… your Goron friend looked big enough to squish me between his fingers.”
Wild grins. “Daruk wouldn’t do that. It’s his hugs you have to watch out for.”
Four’s sure that if Daruk’s hugs are anything like Wild’s, then those hugs would be very tight indeed.
“I will take your word for it, then.”
-o-o-o-o-
“And then there’s Urbosa. She… if you think you’ve met a scary Gerudo, then you haven’t met her.” Wild waves his hands in the air, only slightly aware that he’s getting too invested in this story now. He didn't mean to spill his guts on his past friends tonight, but here he is, living their memory. Passing on their stories to his new friends. He finds he doesn’t mind it as much as he did several minutes ago. He doesn’t know why he was afraid. “She was the leader of her people, and she could summon lightning onto anyone who's ever defied her. She fought armies of Yiga all on her own and came out without a scratch. She’s blessed me with the ability to summon lighting as well. It’s my most powerful attack, and it’s saved my ass more times than I can count.”
-o-o-o-o-
This is bad. Very bad. Time can’t even properly express how bad this is.
An ambush of monsters? That’s manageable. He has confidence in himself and his companions to be able to handle a meager ambush. However, this? This is a whole army of monsters. Lizalfos, apparently, like to group up in camps when they’re not scrambling around in ancient dungeons and temples.
There’s enough to outnumber the heroes five-to-one. It’s not impossible to take them down if they had stuck to the outer edges of the camp and took a good portion of them out with long ranged attacks… however what happened was much less graceful. They walked into the forest, intending to make a camp for the night, just to wander right into a community of Lizalfos armed to the tails.
So now? They’re running; the monsters in an excited chase. Like Time said: This. Is. Bad.
“We lead them to the river,” Warriors suggests, ever thinking of solutions. “We can push them in and weaken their numbers.”
“I say we turn and fight!” Wind shouts. He looks too excited. He pulls a bomb out from his satchel and before Time can say anything, the boy turns around and throws it at their pursuers. There’s a blast, a few screeches, but nothing significant happens. The numbers are too great. Wind is pulling out another bomb.
“The river,” Time says, nodding at Warriors. Wind cheers as another explosion erupts. He leaves the boy to it. As long as he keeps up. “It’s the best bet.”
Time turns his head to tell the others about the makeshift plan, but before he can say a thing Wild looks him straight in the eye. “Have everyone get as far as you can away, I know what to do.”
“What?” Time asks, baffled.
Wild doesn’t explain. He just turns heel and runs the other way towards the enemy.
“Cub?!” Twilight shouts, turning around as well to grab his wayward protégé, but Time grabs his shoulder and keeps him running in the opposite direction. Twilight gives him a panicked look.
“I don’t know what he plans,” Time explains, “but he seems confident. Trust him.”
Twilight swallows and nods. Time shouts at the others to pick up the pace.
Behind him, the Lizalfos screech in delight, a sign they and Wild have now met face-to-face.
Whatever you’re about to do, wild one, do it now.
He doesn’t have to wait long. The smell of ozone becomes intoxicating all within a heartbeat. The hairs at the back of his neck rise as the sky goes impossibly dark for the time of dusk that it is. Then, light flashes all around him in thunderous claps. He can barely hear the sound of screaming monsters over the bolts. Time can’t help but stop in his tracks and turn, lifting a hand above his brow to see green lighting like he’s never seen before attacking the earth through the trees.
As soon as it begins, it ends, and the sky brightens with silence.
Time doesn’t waste time running forward. What he finds when he runs towards the small clearing Wild had met the monsters in is something he will never forget. Static energy seems to curl around his hand, raised into the air and on the end of a snap. Beside him stands a tall Gerudo woman, cloaked in a ghostly aura, her back towards the others and her hand on Wild’s shoulder in triumph and fierce protection. There’s nothing but black, charred corpses of monsters around them.
Time watches, as do the others, transfixed as Urbosa looks down at Wild and smirks.
“You should have called earlier, my desert flower.”
-o-o-o-o-
Everyone looks so transfixed, that Wild almost moves on without really thinking about it. Only… the words catch in his throat. He finishes telling of Urbosa, and just… freezes. His hands are back in his lap, wringing each other out.
He was so engrossed with his own stories that he’s forgotten that while he loves each of his past friends equally… not all are so easy to talk about.
The others must sense his inner struggle, as none of them call out his sudden silence. He knows that if he decided to stop now and not tell them of his last blessing… they would not argue. They must know this pause is similar to when Twilight stops talking about his adventure when he reaches the point where he meets a mysterious companion. Similar to when Time pauses in his magical tales of his childhood. Similar to when Sky looks off in the distance with his voice trailing off as he tells of special places in the sky.
It’s a pause of loss. A pause of something cherished. A pause of something that you fought so hard for, but will never come back.
A hand falls on top of his own. He recognizes the shape of Twilight’s calluses without having to look up at him. “You do not have to force yourself to continue,” he says.
Wild shakes his head. “I’m alright. I can continue…”
A beat of silence. Wild takes a breath.
“Last is… Mipha. Not only was she the most beautiful Zora I’ve ever met, but also the most beautiful soul. She… would always be there for me… whenever I got hurt. She could heal my wounds better than any potion. I…” his throat bobs, the words are no longer coming. “I cannot bring myself to tell of her gift. It’s too special. I pray I never have to use it again, nor must any of you witness it.”
-o-o-o-o-
Twilight didn’t know what to think when the attack had begun. It didn’t start with a shout. It didn’t start with the enemy running screaming out from the shadows of the trees with swords raised. It didn’t start like any kind of monster attack that Twilight had grown so used to.
It’s probably why they were unprepared for an attack by something smarter than monsters. Something that has no problem sitting quietly in the trees, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He’s heard that there’s a group of former Sheikah in Wild’s world who have it in for the hero’s life, he just never really expected to meet them.
That’s probably why the arrow met it’s mark too. They’ve all grown accustomed to the sloppy ambushes put together by monsters. It’s the only thing Twilight can think of to justify how none of them saw it coming until there was a thwip of a feathered arrow flying through the air… and landing with a thunk in Wild’s stomach.
Wild fell to the ground, and with a flash of cards and light appeared several Yiga Clan members. Nobody stopped to stare. It was pure rage from the heroes at that point, and as soon as it began the Clan members all put their hands together and retreated into seemingly thin air. It all ended about as soon as it began.
And the only thing he could think about now is Wild laying there on the ground in a growing pool of his own blood. The arrow still sticks out of his midsection, undoubtedly having hit something important judging by the trail of red going down the corners of his mouth.
Twilight is the first to run up to his side, but thanks to the quick thinking of Warriors, he’s not the first to offer a way of healing.
However, by the time the bottle of the red potion reaches his life stained lips… it’s too late. Twilight can only stare in horror as the light leaves Wild’s eyes.
The Yiga Clan… they’ve succeeded… and everyone knows it when Warriors falls backwards in defeat to sit on his heels, looking down at the full bottle of healing in his hands. Sky falls to his knees. Hyrule chokes a cry. Twilight's sure the rest of them are feeling their own reactions of grief, but he can no longer pay attention to anything but his own.
He’s… he’s failed. The one person he swore he would protect… pass on his ways… his stories… his teachings… it’s all for nothing. All it is now is a gaping hole in his heart. His cheeks are wet with tears that came too quickly.
Suddenly, something happens. There’s a flash of teal, and somewhere behind him someone gasps. Twilight can only watch with wide, tear-drowned eyes, as the teal swirls around into the glowing form of a beautiful Zora.
All eyes are on her, but hers are on Wild. There’s a fondness to her face that could be mistaken for sadness. Her hand brushes his cheek, and to Twilight's surprise Wild blinks and breathes in a soft breath. The hole in his stomach glows bright blue… and the arrow dissipates in shining bubbles.
“I will always heal you when you need me, my love.”
Then, she’s gone before anyone, including Wild, can respond.
Wild slowly raises himself to his elbows, blinking and smiling sheepishly like he’s never gotten even a scratch.
“I’m sorry you all had to-” he begins, but Twilight cuts him off by launching himself forward and wrapping the idiot in his arms. Mipha’s gift, the one he wouldn’t tell them about because it was too special, the one he never wanted them to witness…
He’s such an idiot.
“Shut up,” Twilight says through a tight breath. “Thank the spirits… just let me hold you.”
Wild doesn’t say anything, he just returns the embrace and the hold just as tightly.
Thank Hylia and all of the goddesses for this miracle. Wild clearly has friends that care so much about him that they would protect him fiercely even after their deaths. Twilight knows that from now on, he will spend his nights praying thankfulness to them. Wild is a formidable hero, one of the best in fact, yet Twilight can only imagine where he would be without these gifts. Imagining it makes his gut twist, however, so he squeezes his hold just once before letting go.
He smiles at the younger boy, and Wild smiles back, everything that needs to be said being translated there alone. You scared me. I’m sorry. Don’t apologize, just be more careful. No promises… but I will try.
The wordless conversation passes between them in a moment, and the moment is broken by Wind pouncing onto Wild. Wild, the poor boy, is shoved straight onto his back from the force of the tackle, yet he’s laughing as Wind calls him an idiot over and over. Everyone else gathers as well, to tell him they’re glad he’s alive in their own ways. Time places a hand on Twilight’s shoulder and shares a knowing look.
“Let’s set up camp early tonight,” he says, and Twilight cannot help but agree.
As Time announces the plan to the others, separating the others and telling them to give Wild some space, Twilight lets his heart calm. Wild always says he was alone in his adventures, but now he knows that that wasn’t all true. He also knows now why Wild doesn’t abuse the abilities his friends gave him.
With a silent vow, he promises Revali, Daruk, Urbosa, and Mipha that he will work harder to protect their boy. For now, Wild has been barred from making dinner tonight, and Twilight has to be sure that Hyrule gets nowhere near the cooking pot.
#linked universe#hero of the wild#jin writes#fanfiction#violence tw#temporary character death#ficlet#blood tw
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The Viper (AU: Ethan x f!MC)
Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Lilac Allende)
Words: 1.5 K
Warning: Cursing. Mentions of s e x
Summary: Detective Ramsey is a step closer to capturing a notorious criminal. If only Miss Allende, a key witness, would cooperate.
Author’s Note: I am an idiot because the beautiful @beastlyinstrument sent me this AU prompt and I didn't know I was to write a fic. Anyway, once I caught on, I got right to work on this lol. Thank you so much for the prompt! Thank you immensely to @aestheticartsx for pre-reading!
When Ethan awoke that morning, he couldn't possibly predict he'd be punching Declan Nash square in the jaw. It was a long standing fantasy of his and finally, in the crowded, smoke-filled bar, Ethan had found a good enough excuse to do it. One minute, the lecherous pig was forcing his company on the visibly distressed blonde, the next Ethan was shoving him away and punching him with such spectacular force that Nash flew back into a storm of glasses, bottles, and furniture.
Ethan also never imagined his hand, red and swollen from the satisfying impact against Nash's leering face, would be tended to in a desolate dressing room by the loveliest woman he had ever set eyes on. Then again, his mind would require an exceptional measure of talent to invent the perfect arch of her brows, the graceful slope of her nose, the lush swell of her lips. And those eyes— almond-shaped, bright, and the most captivating shade of green imaginable.
Alluring green eyes that were currently meeting his, sending his pulse into an elated flutter.
“All better,” she informed him in that caress of a voice.
Something about the spark in her eyes as she watched him put in a comfortable and flirtatious lull, so much unlike his usual self. The same warm ease had blossomed in his chest when his eyes met hers from across the bar only minutes ago.
“Are you certain you're not a doctor, Miss…”
“Allende,” she supplied, red lips curling into a coy smile. “And no doctors here, just years of experience cleaning up messes. Though if they all looked as handsome as you, I wouldn't mind patching them up.”
She punctuated the heady little pronouncement with a wink that almost made his breath hitch. Ethan's good hand twitched at his side just as she moved away to a vanity. All he could do was watch as she placed herself in front of the lighted mirror, reapplying her lipstick with skilled precision.
“So what brings you here, Detective Ramsey? Don't tell me you just stopped by to defend my honor from the likes of Declan Nash.”
“Though an honorable pursuit, that's not the reason for my visit,” he said, their eyes meeting through the mirror. “I'm here to investigate the Kenmore bank robbery from two nights ago.”
Miss Allende hummed in acknowledgement but added nothing more.
“A reliable source claimed I could come here to find all the information I needed about the Viper.”
She raised her perfectly shaped brows at him.
“You think the Viper is a regular here?”
“It's what I'm here to find out.”
There was a pause in which she realized his intent. To his surprise, she laughed.
“And you think I'm the one who's going to rat the Viper out?”
When Ethan said nothing, only held her gaze steadily, she laughed even more still. This time, Ethan could hear an edge to the sound, something akin to fear.
“I'm not that keen on making enemies, Detective.”
In the silence that followed, she carefully brushed the platinum blonde curls that cascaded down to her shoulders. Those green eyes remained fixed on her reflection, and something told him she was studiously avoiding his eye. His instinct told him she was afraid, despite how masterfully she tried to hide it under the flirtatious veil. To his astonishment, his stomach clenched unpleasantly, the urge to protect her tightening his jaw.
Before he could think of a tactful way to continue his questioning, she rose to her feet, smoothing the front of the black dress clinging to her skin. “Now, if that was everything, Detective Ramsey, I really must be getting back to the bar. I'm due on stage in less than ten minutes.”
Ethan intercepted her before he could stop himself as she moved to the door.
“Please, Miss Allende—”
“Lilac.”
“What?”
“My name. You can call me Lilac.”
“That's—”
Beautiful.
He had never heard anything like it.
“Lilac. Anything you might know about the criminal known as the Viper will be of great help.”
Lilac paused, studying his expression for any trustworthiness she could cling on to. Ethan gazed back, acutely aware of how close their faces were in the silence. Something slipped in her guarded expression, revealing a small hint of vulnerability.
At last, she sighed.
“I can't,” she said in a quiet voice. “I'm not—”
“I will protect you.”
Lilac startled at that, as though she had seldom heard the words before. She swallowed, her gaze holding his as she considered his offer, something heavy and tangible pressing into the small space that separated them.
“You offering to be my bodyguard, Detective?” she asked in a sultry voice, the words dripping from her lips like honey. She added a coquettish smile for good measure, leaving no doubt that the mask was securely back into place. “I accept, but you don't need the job title to press me against a wall with your body.”
Ethan had no hope of pushing his point as a crimson nail traced the outline of his jaw. The slow, lazy line made his breath hitch, his mind racing with thoughts of her tight little body flush against his.
Fuck the wall.
He could bend her over that vanity, forcing her to look at him through the mirror as she whimpered his name.
Lilac shifted closer to him still, lips parted as her finger descended down his neck. The intent in her gaze told him she wanted the same thing. Ethan leaned in to capture her lips but something in the mirror caught his attention and made him pause.
Lilac blinked at him, befuddled by his sudden stony expression.
“What?”
Ethan said nothing, observing the stain on the skin of her back. It was insignificant, otherwise imperceptible if not by the slight shift in the fabric of her dress.
Yet, there it was, as present as any hard evidence he might find.
“You missed a spot.”
Lilac stepped away from him, puzzled.
“What are—”
“Tar is notoriously difficult to get off the skin, isn't it, Miss Allende?” His voice grew icier with every word. “But you knew that. Hell, you knew that two nights ago when you slipped on the Kenmore rooftop during the chase.”
“Fuck!” the masked figure had hissed as they hit the black substance coating part of the roof.
She continued to back away. “I don't know what—”
“Tell me, Miss Allende, did you research Kenmore before you decided to strike?”
“You're—”
“Did you know the rooftops were under construction before you led us up there in your hasty little escape attempt?”
Lilac finally halted her steps, keeping her eyes trained on Ethan.
Something shifted in her expression, like a mask falling to the floor.
Then, she smiled wickedly at Ethan.
“Very good, Detective Ramsey. Maybe you are as good as they say you are.”
There was a pronounced silence, steely blue eyes boring into effervescent green ones. In a blinding motion, they both moved—Ethan to restrain, Lilac to evade.
Their bodies were a flurry of limbs moving to strike or to defend. The furniture in the small dressing stood no chance against their skill, which Ethan was surprised to find Lilac possessed. She moved with admirable grace and precision for someone wearing stilettos and a confining, skin-tight dress. It didn't stop her from aiming a high kick at his head, which Ethan barely dodged.
“You're under arrest,” he grunted when he pushed her against a wall.
Lilac laughed in his face, her crimson lips only inches from his.
“You're cute when you're confident, Ramsey.”
In a swift movement, she freed her body from his hold, light and unassailable like the waters of a raging river.
More swirls of movement as they struck, blocked, and kicked, each paired with a breathless grunt or swear. At last, just as his technique descended into sloppiness, Ethan managed to press her against the wooden tiles of the floor. His hands pinned her wrists above her head, his knees digging securely against her hips.
“How did you know?” she asked between pants, still donning a devious smile despite her position. “That this is my favorite position to be in?”
Ethan stiffened as he held her, unable to look away from the rise and fall of her chest. It struck him then how fighting her was not unlike fucking her, just how they wanted only minutes ago. Before he could reign his thoughts in, she freed her legs, hitched them on his hips, and reversed their positions with trained strength and agility.
“Or maybe me on top is better?” she asked thoughtfully.
Ethan grunted, moving to free himself from her grasp, but she was surprisingly strong.
“It's a shame you're a damn good detective,” she continued. “We would've had so much fun together.”
As Ethan unsuccessfully tried to free himself, he saw Lilac's hands delve into her blonde curls until she removed what he now knew to be a wig. A downpour of glossy, dark hair fell past her shoulders, reminiscent of the dark braid he thought he saw in the darkness on the night of the chase. Even struggling and breathless as he was, his traitorous mind couldn't help but recognize how much lovelier she looked with dark hair.
“You'll never get away, Viper.”
Lilac laughed out loud at the use of the moniker, which felt so ill fitted.
“Even as talented as you are, I'm afraid you don't have all the facts yet.” She pressed a hot, languid kiss to his neck before using his own handcuffs to bind him to a nearby pipe. “But something tells me you'll get there soon enough.”
With one last charming smile, she rearranged her dark hair, hoisted herself onto the window, and vanished into the night.
_________________________
Author's Note: Y'all I don't know what this was lol. Thank you so much for reading this! It was so much fun!
A few notes:
The next chapter of my OH3 AU is almost done. Yay!
I'm almost caught up with replies and reading all the fics I missed out on the week I was gone. Double yay!
And (not to jinx myself) but I might finally sit my butt down to complete the next chapter of the Picta series (ages later oops)
Thank you everyone for being here, despite it being almost a month the OPH ended :( Love you guys!
*tags in a reblog
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Guzma babysitting Reader’s Niece
(A/N): BACK ON MY BULLSHIT AGAIN! BUT THIS TIME IT’S NOT ALL THAT SELF-INDULGENT AND MIGHT POSSIBLY BE TURNED INTO A SUPER FIC IF I FEEL LIKE IT
In all honesty i’ve thought about making another largeass super self-indulgent Guzma x Reader mega fic, but I’m not sure if I want to? I don’t know if anybody would read it, so that’s what this post is for!!! If you like this and want to see actual Guzma x Reader with plot and not just fluff drabbles lmk!! I have a bunch of asks to address so maybe i’ll get to that too soon
Anyways, back to the fic.
Mini Summary: (Y/N)’s niece needs to be babysat while (Y/N) is interviewed, so they turn to Guzma and crew to help out for a bit. Chaos ensues.
Rating/Triggers: UH drugs are mentioned but not really? THE KID DOES NOT DO DRUGS!!!! but yeah if that makes you uncomfy i’d be careful with it??\
Pairing: Guzma/Gender Neutral!Reader (I used the honorific ‘Titi’ which is gender neutral for ‘Tia’ or ‘Tio’ [extra thanks to Ocha_Bocha for helping me with that one <3] and tried to make it as gender neutral as possible. Originally this was written with a male reader, and then I went female, and ultimately attempted to eliminate gender completely. [Following the footsteps of Splatoon teehee])
Fic under cut!!!!!
"Are you sure this is a good idea, honey?" You clutch your niece's hand as you approach the large walls that separate Po Town from the rest of Ula'Ula Island. It's not that you don't trust the man who you're leaving her with- in fact, those two have been acquainted previously and seem to get along fairly well- It's his friends who you're concerned about.
"..." Her silence is expected, as the kid isn't all that talkative. Recognizing the young girl's silence, you frown.
"You can stay in the office lounge if you really want to. I know you aren't the biggest fan of crowds, and um- Guz has some pretty loud friends-"
Your explanation of what to be expected is quickly interrupted by a blue haired young man decked in black and white clothing. "Yo yo, what's with the kid?!"
You arch a brow. You knew that Guzma worked with kids, but this guy couldn't be any older than 15! "I could say the same for you. I'm here to talk to Guzma-"
"Ya mean the boss? Why would some random chick want anything ta do with the leader of the Team Skull, huh?!"
A pink haired girl dressed in the same outfit walks up to the boy, crossing her arms. "Shut it, ya clod. Don't you remember the conversation we had with Boss yesterday?"
Hearing this, the blue haired boy's eyes light up in an epiphany. "Ohhhhh shit- Right-"
"Watch yer fuckin' language around the kiddo." She lightly smacks the back of Dansei's head. "She's in good hands, ma'am."
Another pink haired woman, this one being someone you finally recognize, walks in and smacks both of the delinquents in the head once more. "You say that after cussing, Reese?"
Thank God. Plumeria. "Hey Plumes-" You smile weakly, waving politely with your free hand. Your niece does the same.
Another young man, this one much shorter than the first and with green curly hair scrambles after Plumeria, jumping up and down to be seen. "Sorry about these numskulls. I'll lead y'all to the big boss man, yo. No worries at all, so you can chillax!"
I'm regretting this more and more by the second.
The crew starts whistling some hip hop tune as they make their way to the Shady House, the smaller boy beatboxing. You've taken this time to offer a piggyback ride to your niece, who's politely declined. Are all kids like this? Or is it just her?
Once they approach the boss, Guzma immediately jumps out of his chair, his signature shit-eating grin plastered on his face. "Eyyyyyy! (Y/N)!!! Kiddo!! What's up, homeslice?!" He hops down the stairs and crouches so he can get at eye-level with the young girl, offering his fist for a pound-it.
She bumps her fist against his, smiling just a bit. It's more of a reaction than you expected, at least. "S-sup, Uncle Guzma-"
Looks like his slang is rubbing off on her. That's cute.
"Thanks for droppin' by, Doll. No need to worry about Little Miss Troublemaker over here, I got it all under control." He picks up your niece and walks over to you, pressing a looooooooongass smooch on your cheek. The other Team Skull members all make mini comments, like "Ewwww-", "Grosss-", and "Cooties-", causing Plumeria to once again smack their heads together.
You roll your eyes, unable to stop the smirk on your face from growing any further. "Not in front of the kids, Guz."
"Ah, right, right- My bad." His shades slide onto his face, hiding the bright red blush that had crept onto his cheeks. "Well, you should probably get goin', ey? The Aether Foundation's one lucky company to have you interviewin' for a position."
"Dork." You boop his nose, then your niece's. "Call me if you need me, okay honey? I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Okay, Titi (Y/N)-" You smile at the nickname while the others snicker. 'Titi' sounds an awful lot like 'Tittie', and considering three of the 7 people in the room are immature teenagers, there's definitely some laughing going on in the background. Plumeria looks very tired. How does she deal with these kids all the time?
"Alright, I'll be back. Don't light anything on fire, okay?" You yell as you walk off, feeling a slight hint of unease at the idea of leaving your young niece with so many delinquents, even if it's just for a few hours. It'll be fine, though. Guzma's there to keep them from doing anything stupid.
You laugh at the thought. Who am I kidding? He's probably gonna be the one who explodes something first.
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The interview itself wasn't all that bad. You're fairly certain that you either aced it or put yourself up for consideration, which in itself helped your confidence just a bit. With the absence of Lusamine and the arrest of several of her chairmen, the foundation was very antsy and in need of someone who could handle the Pokemon Observation department. With your background in medicine and PR, you were rationally on the list of potential replacements, and despite your initial resistance, learning that the company would be run by somebody that WASN'T the manipulative little bitch Lusamine gave you enough comfort to accept the offer for the interview. Was it just an offer or an invitation? You weren't quite sure, but Wick was very insistent on you showing up.
Either way, you're pretty certain you got the job. Good on you.
You can't help but wonder how your niece is doing, surrounded by so many troublemakers. As you make your way to the entrance of the Shady House, you can hear loud music, causing you to feel a small tint of anxiety. She'll be fine.
You walk up to the door and creak it open, the smell of burnt… whatever the fuck that is flooding your nostrils. Of course. They lit something on fire.
"Guz??" You call out to the empty room. "Plumes? Anybody home?" As expected, there's no response. You start to feel more and more anxious the more ground you start to cover. Where are they? Peeking your head around the corridor, your anxiety comes to its peak when-
"And that's why you should never do drugs, aight?"
H-Huh?
Your niece sits on Guzma's knee as he bounces it up and down, his signature shit-eating grin plastered on his face like usual. Awfully burnt cookies sit on the table, explaining the smell from earlier, and Plumeria seems to be asleep with the other team skull grunts. Are they… napping? Seems like it.
She nods enthusiastically, taking a bite of a charred cookie and grimacing shortly after, causing the two to both laugh in unison.
"Doesn't matter if it's just for recreational purposes, you could still get hooked, and that's the last thing we want!" Grinning once again, Guzma pokes her forehead.
Hypocrite. You're reminded of the first time you two had kissed, which happened to be shortly after you both had blazed a couple of joints. It's enough to get you laughing, though.
"Huh?! What're you doing here so early? Don't tell me ya flunked THAT bad!" Guzma's eyes widen, a genuine look of bewilderment painted on his face.
"I did not flunk! I think I did great!" You huff, crossing your arms defiantly. "It's suuuuuuuper comforting that you thought I failed, Guz."
"Nononono I was joking!! Right, kiddo??" Your niece quickly nods. "See???? No harm, no foul!"
Arching a brow, you walk up to the two and pick up the young girl. "Mhmmm. Did you have fun, honey?"
She nods again, unable to contain the grin on her face. "Uncle Guzma told me about his Pokemon training! And I got to ride on Golisopod's back!"
The large bug type pokemon bops up and down upon hearing its name, prompting a smirk from Guzma. "Yeah, I told ya I'd take care of her. She's welcome back anytime, okay?"
"Thanks, Guz." You peck his cheek, and your niece sticks her tongue out, closing her eyes.
"Icky cooties!!" Where the hell did she hear that? The only people you can think of who'd say such a thing are in the other room snoozing, so- Yeah, actually, you know exactly who taught her that word.
"Well, I'm gonna getchu with my cooties! And my tickles!" You raise a hand menacingly, wiggling your fingers with one eye closed. She immediately curls up, not out of fear, but out of excitement. It's nice to see her so happy again.
After a very long tickle session, you quickly glance at the large grandfather clock, noting the short hand of the clock slowly approaching the number 8. Shit. "We gotta go, kiddo. Your dad isn't gonna be all that happy if we get home any later than 8:30. Besides, it's past your bedtime."
"I bet Uncle Guzma stays up past his bedtime-" She yawns. "Can we stay for a little longer?"
How can I say no to that face? You find yourself incredibly conflicted. Do you tell her you have to leave anyways? Or do you stay and risk getting in trouble by your brother-in-law?
"Eh, as much as I'd love to have you over for longer, kiddo- Look at your Titi (Y/N). They look exhausted."
You smile gratefully at the comment, glad that it doesn't have to be you to tell your niece to go home. "Yeah, I'm beat. We can hang out some other time, okay? I promise." You pat her head and get ready to leave.
"Aww… okay. Bye, Uncle Guzma!! Bye Golisopod!" She holds your hand, and the two of you eventually walk your way back to the car. As you drive away, one thing lingers in your head. You can't think of anything else, in all honesty.
Guzma's great with kids. I should've expected as much, but… I'm glad he gets along with my family.
Your stomach rumbles at the intersection. I'd kill for some malasadas right about now-
Okay, maybe you CAN think of something else.
#Skull Boss Guzma#team skull guzma#guzma#guzma x reader#pokemon guzma#team skull#pokemon#pokemon x reader#My writing#i return#hyperfixation#simp hours
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