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strawberrysturniolo · 3 months

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never grow up seven

summary: after taking things to long distance, sunny and chris face the highs and lows of their love story. smuttyyyyyy and angstyyy. mentions of depression. some phone sex.

part six

part eight

Chris’ POV

The first two weeks of me and Sunny were so good. So fucking good.

We were on such a high, a honeymoon phase I had never experienced before. We were talking consistently, both of us trying our hardest to make time for each other while we continued with our lives as we lived on opposite sides of the country.

One weekend in particular, I was kinda shit about responding, but it really wasn’t my fault. I had a shoot for Fresh Love on Friday, then had to go to an event that night. Saturday, we filmed a collaborative video all day with other YouTubers, and that night we filmed our podcast for Monday. Sunday, I met up with my friends at a music video shoot, and now that it’s Monday again, Sunny is back in classes.

I woke up late from having such a loaded weekend, and when I tried calling her at 1 p.m., she declined my call.

Me: Hey. Are you in class?

Sunshine: at work

Me: Oh

Me: Sorry. I had a crazy weekend. Woke up late because I’m exhausted. Can you talk after work?

Sunshine: i wont get home until midnight and then i have an 8 am tmr.

Sunshine: you didnt have a minute to text at all?

Me: I’m sorry baby

Me: I was really busy

Me: I’m trying to talk now but it’s the time zones fault

Sunshine: yeah

I know she’s upset with me. This is one of those unfortunate things that comes with distance. I’m really trying. When both of us are free, it’s great, and we can talk forever, but when one of us is really busy, it throws everything off.

My schedule was loaded this weekend, and hers is loaded through the week with her classes and work, so with those combined, we haven’t really talked in a week.

Me: I love you. Text me when you’re home from work so I can say goodnight

Sunshine: i love you too

I feel like shit. I’m really trying here. I can’t read her tone over text messages, and we haven’t had the time to have a real conversation over the phone.

We’ll try harder tomorrow.

–

Sunshine: are u kidding me christopher!!!!

Me: What!!!

Sunshine: what are these flowers for??????

Me: Lol. Surprise

Sunshine: i’m gonna cry

Me: Noooo they weren’t supposed to make you sad

Sunshine: i’m happy! this was just so sweet. i miss you sm

Me: Can you talk?

She FaceTime’s me instantly. I was never a FaceTime kind of guy. Even though me and my brothers are away from everyone we grew up with, I still was never the kind of person to opt for a FaceTime call.

With her, I’ll always answer a call so I can see her face.

“Hey, pretty girl,” I smile, watching her place her flowers into a clear vase in her kitchen. I lay down on my bed, tucking a pillow under my chin.

“Hi!” she waves. She’s fucking adorable. “This is so cute, Chris. I had no idea you were doing this!”

“That’s the point of a surpriseeeeeee,” I remind her. “Did you see the card?”

“I did,” she nods, smiling big at me. “Very sweet of you.”

I shrug casually. “I try. How was your day?”

She lets out an exhausted sigh. “Good, but busy. I’ve kinda been feeling like shit lately.”

I sit up straight, pushing the pillow I had been laying on out of the frame. “What? Why didn’t you say something?”

“You’re 3,000 miles away,” she reminds me. “What are you going to be able to do?”

“Listen while you rant, give you advice, give you some encouragement,” I list off for her. “What kind of shit?”

“Just the usual–”

“Sunny!” I interrupt her. “You gotta tell me these things!”

“Well, sorry! I didn’t want to text you, ‘Hey, congrats on all the great stuff you’re doing, I’m super depressed and feel miserable all the time and all I want is my boyfriend to come home and be with me.’ That would only make me feel worse.”

I frown at her. I don’t want her feeling like she’s going to rain on my parade.

“I’m okay, Chris,” she assures me. “Promise. I wasn’t feeling too well, but I’m better now.”

“Will you tell me next time? I don’t want you to be alone.”

She nods gently. “Mhm, I’ll tell you.”

“I’ll come back by myself if I have to–”

“No,” she interrupts. “You’re going to stay and do your thing because I need to be able to figure this out myself. You can’t run back to Boston anytime I have an issue.”

“Why not?”

She gives me a ‘come on,’ type look, like I’m being ridiculous. “How was your day?” she asks me instead.

I lift the camera up so she can see me laying in my bed. “Hasn’t started yet.”

I can see her eyes scanning my body closely, her face inches from her phone as she bites her bottom lip. I know she’s staring at my body. We’ve been feeling more risky about things, sending each other suggestive photos. It’s the only way I can really feel close to her sexually. I never thought I would be sending her, of all people, pictures of my hard dick through my underwear.

The other night she got me good, sending a picture of herself in the shower, her arm covering her tits, but pressing them into her chest enough for them to look plumper than usual. The water droplets on her skin added more to the photo, sending me into a spiral.

“Whatcha looking at, babe?”

She smirked at me through the phone. “The underwear poking out of your sweatpants.”

“Yeah?” I asked, pushing my pants down so she could see my underwear fully. I pulled the bottoms of it down more, seeing that it rode up my thighs as I laid down.

“Jesus,” she sighed, taking me into her room with her.

“Yeah?”

I set the phone up on a stray pillow across my bed so she can see my entire body. I press my hand into my dick, palming myself lightly. I immediately feel a rush through my dick, forcing me to shove my hand into my briefs to touch myself.

“I miss you baby,” I nod at her. “Miss your sweet face.”

She watches me as I stroke my dick, whispering softly in that sweet voice, “I miss you more.”

Not a fucking chance.

“No shot,” I challenge.

“I promise,” she insists, her doe eyes really doing the trick to convince me.

I hold my dick still in my fist, shoving my briefs out of the way so she can see me. “You see how much you turn me on, baby?” I ask her, hoping she notices how red my tip is right now from the swelling, not to mention the fact that I have precum leaking out of me like I’m touch starved, probably because I am.

She lays down on her bed, right on her stomach. She mumbles a “fuck,” as she gets comfortable. “You’re so hot.”

“You are,” I smile, stroking myself faster.

I watch as she pulls her jeans off, lifting her ass in the air for me to see.

I pause for a second as I stare at her lower back, the thong hugging her hips in the most perfect way. I’m contemplating booking a flight right now so I can put my handprints all over that ass.

“Ohhh fuck,” I groan, squeezing around my tip with a tight fist. “You’re perfect.” She smiles at me as she watches my motions, now listening to my groaning sounds as I struggle to keep myself casual.

“Does that feel good?” she asks curiously as she turns over to her back.

“Mhm,” I hum. “Not as good as you.”

She lowers the camera to her pelvis, showing me her hand as it glides down her thong, and settles right over her pussy.

“Oh good girl,” I nod. “Show me how you touch yourself, Sunny.” She lowers the camera even further, settling it between her legs on a pillow somewhere a few inches out. I have a clear shot over her fingers burying themselves in her. A loud moan escapes my lips. “Perfect fucking pussy. All mine, right?”

“Uh huh,” she whimpers.

My cock continues to drip, and I quickly spread the precum across my length. “Talk to me baby. Tell me how much you need me,” I taunt as the sound of me fucking my hand fills the room. “My mouth on your swollen little clit, yeah?”

She nods desperately as she rubs herself faster. “I need you so bad, Chris,” she whines for me. “Stretching me out like before.”

“Yeah?” I ask, mindlessly bucking my hips so I get the illusion of her pussy as my hand right now, hovering above me as my dick buries itself into her. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum baby.”

I set my phone up next to me, changing the angle slightly so she can see my face and my dick in the same shot. My balls tighten, and I rub them for some sort of release.

I listen to her pretty moans, using them as fuel to the fire.

“You’re so pretty, Chris,” she tells me, but I can’t focus on it. I’m moaning so bad, I sound like a fool.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I chant to myself, my face scrunching in pleasure as she continues to try talking me through it, but my ears are fucking ringing as the release floods through me. “Oh! Shit!” I curse loudly, laying my dick on my stomach and rubbing myself through my orgasm, the cum dripping across my abdomen.

I keep my eyes on her despite how heavy they feel. My breathing is just as bad. “God, keep going baby,” I encourage her, noticing how badly she’s dripping in front of me and I can’t fucking touch her.

“I’m close, Chris.”

“Uh huh, you got it.”

The sound of her fingers going in and out of her has me ready for another round. I’m half hard, really debating on going again as I watch her.

“Oh god, Sunny,” I breathe out. She looks fucking beautiful. She always does. “My perfect fucking girl.” She bends her knees, the most perfect shot of her pussy as she cums directly in my vision. “Ohhhh there you go.” She starts panting tirelessly as it drips down her hand. “Good girl. Fuck, I wish I was there to lick you clean baby.”

She looks down at the mess she made and says, “Me too.” Once she cleans herself up and settles back in bed, she asks, “When are you coming home?”

I wipe my stomach clean and pull on a clean pair of underwear. “I don’t know yet, I answer honestly. “Maybe the end of the month.” She nods at me, and I can tell she’s disappointed. “Soon, I promise.”

“Okay,” she gives me a half smile. “I have to go change for work.”

I nod, disappointed that our call is coming to an end. “Okay. Have a good day, baby. I love you.”

“I love you,” she says, and that’s the last time I talk to her that day.

–

The last few days have been rough. We’re back to barely talking. I feel like shit. I feel guilty, but it’s not my fault. I’m trying, I really am. It’s the time zone. It’s fucking everything up. I sleep in, and by the time I’m up and doing stuff, she’s at work and can’t talk. Then she’s going to bed, and we have like… an hour in the day to talk.

I thought we could make this work. I thought things would fall into place.

I’ve stayed up every night this week trying to think of how to talk to her about this, but I’m too scared. I keep holding back everything that I feel.

I’m quite literally shaking as I click on her contact, texting her a quick message.

Me: Hey. Can you talk?

Sunshine: i’m about to go to bed

Me: Please

A photo of her smiling pops up on my phone with her caller ID on top. I answer the call with a deep breath.

“Hi.”

“Hey,” she mumbles. “What’s up?”

“Are you in bed already?”

“Mhm,” she hums. “Long day. Is everything okay?”

No.

I’ve never been in this position before, and I don’t know how to do this the right way.

Just rip off the bandaid.

“I don’t think this is working out,” I say simply. My voice is soft, yet firm.

I hear the rumbling of her bedsheets and then her broken voice. “What?”

Shit.

That pretty voice that sews me together just ripped me apart.

“Sunny– I just– I don’t think I can give you what you need,” I say honestly, picking at the subtle rip in my jeans on my thigh. I pull at the fraying material and toss the scraps on the floor.

“Chris–”

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly, looking at my ceiling. “I just don’t think it’s fair to keep stringing you along if I know it’s not going to work out.”

I know this isn’t what she wants to hear. I think in the future we could work out, but right now, we’re doomed. I don’t want to have this heartbreaking story when we could prevent it. We were in over our heads.

“We’ll try harder,” she says.

The desperation in her voice is killing me. “I know this is hard.” Fuck, I’m trying to keep myself together so I don’t back out of this. “But I think it’s better this way.”

“We can make it work, Chris,” she insists.

I shake my head, trying to keep myself from breaking down. “It’s not that easy. You deserve someone who can give you everything you want and need. Someone who can be there for you, emotionally, and physically… and I can’t do that for you right now. It’s so hard for me not being with you. I just want to hold you and be with you and I can’t, Sunny. I want to come home and be with you everyday but I need to be in LA.” The line is silent, and I know she’s going to make this hard for me. I deserve it, but she deserves the truth. “I really want this, but I can’t give it to you right now, and it’s not fair for either of us.”

The only conversations we’ve had this last week are us arguing or sexting. That’s not how this should be.

“How long have you been feeling like this?” she asks hesitantly. I know she’s scared of the answer.

I let out a heavy sigh, my hand running through my hair and tugging on it. “A little bit. I don’t know how long, but I’ve been trying to ignore my feelings and–”

“And you didn’t tell me you were having doubts?!” she asks accusingly.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to talk about it with you. I just– Fuck, Sunny– This is difficult and–”

“How is it difficult!” she asks. “I’m your best friend. I’m supposed to be the easiest person for you to talk to.”

“I know,” I agree with her, but does she not realize how fucking hard it is knowing that the one person I’m trying to be open with is the person who is going to face the damage? “That’s why it’s so hard. I don’t want to lose you as a friend too.”

She ignores my point.

“Why did you start a relationship with me then? You started this, Chris.”

I mean, she kissed me, but alright.

I’m too in shock at her tone and fight for this to think of anything to say.

“I… I didn’t mean to,” I stumble over my words. “I thought… I don’t know. I thought we could make it work.”

“Then let’s make it work.”

I roll my lips into my mouth, trying to keep myself from crying. The sound of her voice is destroying me. “Maybe we can, but right now I just need some time to think.”

“How much time?” she asks.

“I don’t know. A few days, maybe? A week?”

She scoffs. “Chris, if you have to think about if you want me or not then–”

“I said I need time to think, Sunny,” I remind her. “I’m not making any decisions right now.”

“But you’re questioning us to begin with! You said you’ve felt like this for a while so what’s there to think about!”

“Baby–”

“Don’t,” she says sharply.

I pace my room, a pit in my stomach growing. This is fucking awful. “I said I can’t right now.”

I hear a soft cry from her end, and I freeze. “Please, don’t do this.”

My eyes well with tears. “I’m so sorry. I really am. But I can’t be in this with you if I’m feeling doubts. I just need to figure things out, and maybe we can work it out.”

Something in her switches and all those tears and sadness turn into anger.

“So you fuck me after we’re friends for our whole lives. Then you leave without a word. Then you come back and say you’re in love with me, fuck me again, and then leave and want me to move on and be with other people. Oh wait! But then!” she continues. I just stand there in the middle of my room and let her rip me apart through the phone. “You want me to be with you and we’re happy and great and then you drop this and say you’ve been unhappy and want to break up?”

Yeah… So, I sound like shit.

My eyes narrow as I grip my phone. “That’s not fair,” I say, shaking my head. “I didn’t force you into anything, and I’m not trying to hurt you.”

“But you made me feel wanted by you!”

“I do want you!” I remind her. “But this isn’t about what we want, it’s about what I need right now.”

She pauses and lowers her voice. “Do you need me?”

I hate myself for the way I hesitate to answer her.

“Yes, I do.”

I can almost hear the sigh of relief in her voice.

“But not in the way you’re asking.”

Then I hear her cries. At this point, I’m breaking down with her.

“Is there anything I can do to make this work?” she asks again.

“No. There’s nothing you can do.”

I sit on my bed, listening to her cry, and I feel awful knowing that I can’t wipe those tears like I always do.

“I love you so much Chris,” she says desperately.

I wipe the tears that fall down my own cheeks. “I love you too, but I can’t be with you like this. Not right now.”

“Are we still going to be friends?” she asks. “Or are you going to go ghost again for four months?”

“I’m not going to ghost you,” I assure her. I fucked up that time, I really did, but I thought it’s what we needed. That time of no contact to figure ourselves out. It clearly made things worse. “I think we need some space though, just for a little bit.”

She’s pissed. It’s obvious. She’s gone from trying to talk me into staying with her, to now saying nothing at all.

“Look,” I say, trying to keep myself from sounding like a broken record. “I get that you’re hurt and disappointed, but I need to do this. I can’t keep going through this cycle of wanting you and then pulling away from you because I’m scared. I need to get to a place where I feel secure with you and I know we can make it work. Right now, it’s not that time.”

All I want right now is to hold her, kiss her, tell her it’s going to be okay. I want to lay next to her and smile at her before we go to bed. I want to be with her forever, never losing sight of each other.

But if we keep trying to force this relationship, we’re only going to ruin everything.

“I wish I could hate you,” she sobs. “I really do. But I could never hate you, Chris, and that’s the worst part.”

“I’m sorry,” I keep saying to her. The pain in my voice only becomes more evident. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“I’m always going to be in love with you, and you’re always going to know it.”

I sigh heavily. “I know. And that’s part of the problem.”

“Why?”

“Because,” I say, pausing to find the right words. “I can’t be with you like this. I need to figure myself out first.”

“You started this!” she says again.

“I know.” My voice is heavy with guilt. “And I’m sorry.”

“Are you even upset about this?” she questions. “I’m sitting here fucking crying and it’s like your emotions are shut off! Give me something, Chris!”

“Of course I’m upset!” I raise my voice in frustration. “You want to hear me cry? I never meant to hurt you like this.”

“THEN STOP!” she screams.

“I’M TRYING!” I yell back, my eyes rimmed with tears. “I can’t keep having this conversation. I’m sorry, but we need to break up.”

The line goes silent again.

“Please,” I plead with her. “Just say something.”

After a minute of silence she says, “I love you, and I hope you can get your shit together. If not for me, then hopefully for the next girl so you don’t fuck her over the same way.”

I sit staring at my floor. I don’t know what to say that will fix this or give her the same hope I feel for us. I do want this. All I’ve ever wanted was her. I just can’t do it right now. It’s not the right time.

I’ve dreamt of marrying this girl, and the idea of us having the wrong timing is terrifying me. It needs to be perfect, and it’s just not right now.

“I’m sorry,” I say finally, my voice thick with emotion as I try not to break down again. “I really am.”

I expect more fight from her considering she wouldn’t back down before.

I don’t get that.

“Goodbye.”

I’m torn between heartbreak, confusion, and anger.

“Goodbye.”

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bestmusicalworldcup · 8 months

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Best Act I Finale Song Tournament

As a prelude to the Best Musical World Cup 2024, this tournament will find the best Act I Finale song in musical theater.

The tournament begins on 8 October 2023.

Details on the tournament format are here.

Submissions are now closed!

Additional notes: If a musical has had multiple Act I Finales over the course of its history, all of them will be eligible to compete. If a musical's Act I Finale is not a song but a scene, than I will accept the last song performed in Act I. Finales of one act musicals are not accepted.

List of Entrants below the read more link.

One Day More Defying Gravity Nonstop Why We Build the Wall Tonight (Quintet) All I Ask of You Reprise La Vie Boheme Ever After The Ball Coda (Act I Finale) My Own Best Friend Esmeralda Father to Son Tomorrow Belongs to Me A Little Priest Climb Ev'ry Mountain So Much Better Memory (Prelude) Happy Ending Blackout Bottom's Gonna Be On Top I Believe Marry Me A Little Elephant Love Medley Alive Reprise Bad Idea A Light in the Dark Santa Fe The Torture Tango The Last One You'd Expect Morning Glow The Night Belongs to Us Before the Parade Passes By Along Came Bialy Tomorrow Is Anthem Till We Reach That Day Je dors sur des roses Gold Damned For All Time/Blood Money Sunday Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) Our Love is God Journey to the Past Killer Quest! Singin' in the Rain Impossible/It's Possible One Seventeen Your Wagon is on Fire Status Quo Run Away! I Am What I Am Act I Finale (Urinetown) A New Argentina Loser Geek Whatever Upgrade This World Will Remember Us The Riddle The Impossible Dream Tonight Belongs to You Momma, Look Sharp Jimmy Autumn/Finale You're Nothing Without Me Me Myself and I You Will Be Found The Name of Love and Moonfall Who I'd Be If I Can't Love Her Out of My Dreams Final Storm Ich Gehör Nur Mir Reprise Fearless Finale Erster Akt Right This Way Now You Know Hell to Your Doorstep Dear Friend Stronger Soliloquy Be Back Soon One Day It's My Life The Gods Love Nubia Wie wird man seinen schatten los Sirens Somebody Will Do Something I Hope I'd Give My Life For You Aimer Natalya Daffodils The Beauty Underneath Pretty Funny Rush of Blood to the Head Starlight Express Say it Somehow Toledo Surprise A Man's Gotta Do (Reprise) I Got Rhythm What is it About Her? Defense Comfort and Joy Let it Go Just for Tonight It Must Be Believed to Be Seen Full Disclosure (Part 2) Until Tomorrow Monsters and Men Bright New Day Night of Our Lives Bugsy Malone (Reprise) It's A Grand Night for Singing The Trolley Song Cookies Woman Is Falling into You Before I Gaze At You Again Different I'm the Bravest Individual Crazy World A Blank Piece of Paper On the Verge My Favorite Time of Year The Plagues Bamboleo/There's a Tale Sunflower Bedknob Spell (Reprise 4) Interrogation Room / 취조실 / 取調室 It Is Not True! The Truth / 真相 Something is Starting to Change / 何かが変わり始めている

#best act i finale tournament

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i4bellingham · 1 year

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“how much longer do we have to keep this up?" "just a few more weeks, i swear."”

With Jude

secret relationship prompt list!

Everyone knows that newly married couples should be given their time to bask in the profound elevation of their relationship and the attention that comes with it. Do not rain on their parade is basically what it is.

So when you're stuck in a situation where you're convinced that you've just found the greatest love of your life in the midst of that scene, what would you do?

“We’re still keeping this a secret?”

You shoot Jude a pleading look, flashing a golden smile when one of your cousin's (the soon to be married one) friends passed by. You wrap an arm around his bicep, curling your hands over the hard muscles before dragging him out of the house to the garden where it was much more peaceful than the mess that was inside.

“I’ve literally just convinced you to be my girlfriend four weeks ago... my family—our family’s been wantin’ this longer.” Jude reasons out, exasperated breath leaving him as he leans against tree bark where you're seated on the bench beside him. “Can’t do that darling, I really can’t.”

“But Camilla's getting married tomorrow and we really shouldn't be spoiling the attention that's supposed to be on them.”

He scoffs at your response, crossing his arms against his chest before pushing himself off the tree and instead crouches down in front of you—proper lad of him instead of sitting down on the empty space beside you really.

He takes your hand, nearly huffing out seeing you roam your eyes around the place as if afraid of being caught.

“Tell me that when you're not tempted to ruin her day just as much as I do and I’ll do it.”

You are. You certainly are. For someone who grew up with you, Camilla wasn't the best cousin to hang around with. She's easy roused with jealousy by the little things she feels like should be hers when it's given to you explicitly. She used to pull your hair when she was fifteen and you were twelve for wearing the vintage Chanel Camellia hair clips your Grandmother has gifted you. She once ruined one of your dress during Jobe’s 17th birthday because you were getting way too compliments for sewing the dress on your own. She also superglued your football trading cards when you were in first year of college because when you hurt a girl, you should hurt her through her most prized possessions, not physically nor verbally. Mental and emotional pain could be worst than those two combined.

So really, you should clap a thunderstorm on her parade but because you're so much better of a person that the rest of her, you've simply stayed put and ignored the snarky remarks and the pointed looks being thrown your way from her.

You grab one of Jude’s hands, cupping his cheek with the other before leaning down to kiss him in the corner of his lips.

“I would love to do that too but I’m not wretched like she is and you know that.”

Jude grumbles before nodding his head, burying your face on your lap as he very much reluctantly agrees to your terms of hiding the relationship just until the wedding bells are reduced to nothing but silence and the awful cousin finally moves away.

“How much longer do we have to keep this up?”

You kiss the back of his head, caressing his cheek on your palm.

“Just a few more weeks, I swear.”

God knows how her fiancé could tolerate your cousin, better yet what went through his mind to actually think that making her a permanent fixture in his life was the good choice.

The loathsome cousin was finally moving away in the next two days.

It was two weeks post wedding when one last intimate party was planned the very last minute before Camilla was to be shipped off.

It was just a small gathering bearing your family, the fiancé’s family and some family friends.

Growing up being good neighbors with the Bellingham's of course they too were to be invited. But unfortunately for you Jude’s been away for a game for the last three days and there's a possibility that he might even miss this one. Good for him. He's really the one holding you sane amidst the unpleasant faux amicable relations between you and your obnoxious cousin during the wedding and the prior events before that.

As expected, hiding the relationship from your family's prying eyes was a difficult feat to achieve. Knowing that even your Nana whose vision you know was already impaired was still keen on shooting you teasing smiles when Jude stood just a little bit closer to your body, hand lingering on your shoulders or back, how much more for the family members who actually has a better eye sight than your 82 year old Granny?

Stirring the spoon in your cup mindlessly with nonchalance as the copious chatter flowed through the air, you were distracted when the door to the backyard opened once more before your Uncle who fetched a few more alcoholic drinks from the store down the road emerged with a familiar tall figure following after him; both of them carrying boxes filled with various tonics.

“Jude! How was the game son?” Your Dad stands up to greet the oldest Bellingham son, patting the boy on the back before Jude greets his own parents who were situated in the seat opposite of your parents’.

“Was good, racked three points in the board.” He replies before greeting everyone else in the table with slight conversations about the game.

You don't say anything to him for a few minutes but you do smile at him when he moves to stand behind your chair, kissing your cheeks like it's the normal thing in the world that you both do—it wasn’t. So the odd, teasing looks from yours and his family was warranted.

“Do you guys have something to tell us?” Your Aunt Kathy asks, amusement dancing in her eyes before her gaze drops down to your palm over Jude’s cheek.

“I think you guys do.”

#☆ i4bellingham writes #☆ jude bellingham #jude bellingham x reader

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julianalvarez9 · 1 year

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*:･ﾟ✧ RÚBEN DIAS MASTERLIST ✧･ﾟ:*

updated: 18/09/2023

i think he knows

ruben knows exactly what you're thinking -because he's thinking about it too, has been thinking about it for so long. but he wants you to do something about it. until you do.

beneath me

prompt 6 (“you look so good beneath me.”) from the smut prompt list.

fast in my car

social media au

everybody's shocked to learn that ferrari's golden girl is taken. even more so, when learning who's the lucky one.

appreciation post

social media au

everyone jokes about how man city's admin must be in love with rúben dias due to how much he's featured on the instagram page and the twitter profile. they might be onto something.

best gift ever

instagram au

your birthday posts for rúben, since being childhood best friends to... forever.

hot n cold

fluff

being in the will-they-won't-they stage with rúben was confusing, to say the least. maybe a bit of rain during the treble parade can make things clearer for you.

daddy's day

smut

it was father's day, and even if rúben, technically, still wasn't one, you decided it would be fun to wake him up with a cake and some morning sex to celebrate the day.

social media au

fearless

social media au

Hard launching your relationship with a certain Manchester City player after being seen together way too many times to be just friends. Or what one would say, jumping head first...

playing fair

smut

Once John had learned that he couldn't assist bernardo's wedding, he had given the responsibility of looking after you to the person he trusted most. but maybe it wasn't the best choice.

matching pictures

Maybe things start to piece together once the news about the latest it girl and a known player leak...

talk 2 me

social media au

It's been weeks since Rúben has heard about you, so he turns to the only communication channel he still has open; Instagram.

take a picture, it'll last longer

social media au

when Rúben's girlfriend gets into photography, there's no other chance but for him to join her too.

#football imagine #ruben dias masterlist #ruben dias x reader

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lilyofthevalleyys · 7 months

Text

I love Rosekiller and I think I’ll make a fic rec list about it. Enjoy reading!!

Check the reblogs for more fic recs :)

1. any fic by graveryavery

My summary (MS): seriously, they’re amazing at writing. Have your pick of whichever fic.

Link: graveryavery

2. Drunk on Love by amethyst_citrine

status: 1/1

Summary: Evan Rosier has been in love with his best friend for years. He thinks that every time Barty Crouch Jr. flirts with him, it's just an act, making him roll his eyes and walk away. But maybe Evan is drunk, and thinks it's a good idea to stop running.

MS: Rosekiller at a party. Oh, what could go wrong? These two lovebirds are such idiots honestly

Link: Drunk on Love

3. Midnight Rain by blackmojito

status: 1/1

Summary: In the middle of December, in a house that's not his own, Evan learns the true meaning of warmth.

MS: I love their writing style in its short, sweet way. Also fluffy christmas fics? yes please 🤲

Link: Midnight Rain

4. I’m Not Going To Teach Him How To Dance With You by greensenne

status: 18/18

Summary:

“You’d be my best man wouldn’t you, Evs?

There’s an ugly pain burning low in his chest as he says, “Of course. What are friends for?”

Or, Barty's father forces him into an arranged marriage, and Evan is to be his best man. Which would be fine if Evan weren't head over heels in love with him.

MS: I know, this is a classic and everyone’s heard of it. But for the new people, this is probably a good place to start to get into shipping Rosekiller. And yk, a reread would be good 🤭

Link: The fic bcuz the title is too long

5. Spider-Man: Death Eater Parade by basiliscus

Status: 5/14

Summary: Evan Rosier has been Spider-Man since he was 15 years old and he is tired. He saw it all, he did it all and he hates himself more than any Rita Skeeter ever could. Evan Rosier has seen people die. He let people die. Evan Rosier is tired, his moral code is broken and then a ghost from the past comes to haunt him 5 years after he thought he buried him and sent him off to hell.

Barty Crouch hates Spider-Man. He can't stand the bastard who's willing to let people die when he has the ability to prevent it. Barty spends almost every day on whatever scene Spider-Man goes to. Only break to this routine is an awkward university dropout Evan Rosier that stumbles into his life.

Evan is living a double life as Spider-Man and quite literally hates it. He meets the only person who hates him more than he hates himself.

There's no person on Earth who hates Spider-Man more than Barty. The issue is Barty falls for Evan.

MS: Alright, here’s a Spider-Man alternate au fic with double identities and a enemies to lovers. It is still ongoing though, but love anyway

Link: Spider-Man: Death Eater Parade

6. A Truthful Joke by justreadandwritex

Status: 9/9

Summary: Evan and Barty have been best friends since the age of three. Now they're sixteen, at Hogwarts, surrounded by couples. They joke about it - a lot - but at a certain point, when is it a joke and when is it a desire?

On top of a sexuality crisis and family issues, has to deal with another feeling, or rather feelings. For his best friend.

And while his best friend seems to pull away from him, Barty tries everything in his power to keep Evan in his life. They're best friends after all, right? Just friends. Ha.

*Some chapters will discuss homophobia or family issues but I always give trigger warnings

MS: It’s beautiful and I like it. That’s it.

Link: A Truthful Joke

7. Annoying by godforsaken_mess

Status: 31/31

Summary: barty accidentally texts the wrong number. evan just happens to be the victim.

a texting story that i got the idea to write at 3am so you can expect perfection (sarcasm).

obviously rosekiller is the main ship but i'll shift focus onto the other ones from time to time so that they can happen as well.

more focus on the slytherins ofc but the friend group is split up so please forgive me 🙏

i don't own any of these characters!!

MS: Evan is a little shit here and I love him so it’s fine. Also love a good text fic so just 🫶

Link: Annoying

8. Call It What You Want by lxcuxex

Status: 1/1

Summary:

“Sometimes you two are worse than Regulus and James.”

Evan’s attention immediately snapped towards Dorcas who paused mid bite, “What? It’s true. You’re bickering like a married couple.”

Barty simply grinned, leaning forward. “Our fifth anniversary is coming up isn’t it my sweet Evan? Shall we go on a trip, love? Perhaps the countryside?” He suggested, watching as Evan’s face flushed a pink, bright on his freckled cheeks.

The one where Barty and Evan are too clueless to realize they are basically boyfriends.

MS: The last part of the summary is so true though. Anyway, love this fic and idk how many times i’ve reread it

Link: Call It What You Want

9. One got shot and the other got lost by All_for_the_andreil

Status: 1/1

Summary:

“Barty, what the fuck?”

-or-

Barty Crouch Jr. slowly losing his mind when he thinks Evan is dead and then being his psychotic self when he finds out he's being held hostage instead

TW: Blood and violence

MS: Look, I know I said I love a lot of the fics here but this one might take the cake. I love psycho Rosekiller even more than I love fluffy Rosekiller. If you look carefully, you’ll notice this may be the only crazy, semi-canon fic in this rec list, so yes.

Link: Too long title that I’m lazy to type

10. don’t want none of this (good times all times) by cherryknots

Status: 1/1

Summary:

“They’re messing with you both,” Lily whispered in his ear, and he had to lean in close to hear her over the cheers that were louder now as the kisses around the circle grew sloppier with each couple.

“Hm?” Evan blinked, still staring at the spot that had been previously occupied by Sirius. He was long gone now.

“Sirius and Barty,” Lily clarified patiently. “They got you and Remus right where they wanted you. I think that Sirius is currently… making it up to Remus right now in the dorm…"

Evan lifted his eyes back to Barty, who was still staring at him. At how close he was to Lily, a frown deepening on his face.

Oh?

So that’s what this was?

A small smile grew on Evan’s face, and he nodded in understanding. If Barty wanted to play, then Evan would, too.

or, Evan is dragged to another Gryffindor party, and to his dismay, Barty has to kiss Sirius Black during Spin the Bottle.

MS: Evan flirting back to Barty? Are you serious? Yes please. *snatches it and consumes greedily* but anyway, it’s a short fic about them messing with each other, although I have no idea why they would want to do that but yk, ok

Link: Too long title yet again

11. The Very First Night by constellationgrayson

Status: 1/1

Summary: Barty is a detective. Evan is a jewel thief.

But Barty wasn't always a detective, and one look from Evan is making him wonder if his new life is really as fulfilling as he wants it to be.

MS: A somewhat forbidden romance and I am insanely grateful to the author for making it a fade to black kinda scene at one point. Or maybe I just skipped it I can’t remember.

Link: The Very First Night

12. We Found Wonderland by kazsbf

Status: 1/1

Summary:

"Barty never liked closed captions before he met Evan. He hated the idea of having to read something he was meant to be watching, but he learned to love having closed captions automatically turned on for all his devices. He even had them set to automatic on his phone just in case Evan wanted to watch something when they were in the car or the library. He liked seeing Evan's eyes light up when he didn't have to turn them on and make accommodations for himself--they were already there for him."

MS: In other words: Evan is deaf and Barty arranges a date for them that accommodates his disability 🫶 Barty being the sweetest boyfriend

Link: We Found Wonderland

13. remember that night by regulvrs

Status: 1/1

Summary: Evan and Barty share their first kiss. The only problem? Barty doesn't remember it. And that ruins Evan.

MS: Angst with a happy ending! I wanted to throw something at Barty to knock some sense into him but tbf to him, he was drunk, though I have no idea how it works having never drank before or see someone truly drunk but ok

Link: remember that night

14. Sparks fly by bluesofacushion

Status: 1/1

Summary: Evan is head over heels in love with one of his best friends. What can he do? It’s not like Barty likes him back. He is fully determined to keep his secret with him to the grave but Pandora has other plans.

Based on ‘Sparks Fly’ by Taylor Swift so it’s mostly just fluff

MS: It is a sweet fic that is yes, mostly fluff

Link: Sparks fly

15. gods & monsters by littleredpartydress

Status: 1/1

Summary:

“Barty, can we talk?” Evan asked.

Fuck. Is it serious? He couldn’t talk to Evan about something serious right now.

“It’s private so, uh, do you mind following me?”

Of course he minded.

“Sure,” Barty agreed.

Barty and Evan get together after Evan is encouraged by Pandora.

MS: Pandora being the matchmaker here is beautiful

Link: gods & monsters

16. To Be Seen by twoclosetothestars

Status: 1/1

Summary:

“Well, how long have you liked me for?” Evan asks.

“Since when I stayed at your house for summer break before fourth year,” Barty confesses.

“So really you have no room to judge because you didn't mention anything either!” Evan points out.

“Whatever,” Barty grumbles. “We’re both idiots. Now can we get to the part where we kiss because I’m really looking forward to that part?”

“I’m an idiot now, am I?”

“Yes,” Barty agrees. “An annoyingly beautiful, funny, smart, amazing idiot who I’d really like to kiss right now.”

“Sweet talker,” Evan teases, and then his lips are on Barty’s.

MS: They are idiots in love, your honor

Link: To Be Seen

17. All for you by dramaticwitchbitch

Status: 1/1

Summary: Evan was pining. He knew he was. But simply knowing that did not make him feels less pathetic. It should be impossible to fall on love with one’s best friend. But Evan’s poor heart had gone and done it anyway. Barty, of course, was wholly oblivious to Evans pining. Evan supposed it was a blessing anyway. He wasn’t sure if their friendship would survive the thing.

The thing, was what Evan called is quiet obsession with Barty that threatened to burst put into a huge love confession along the lines of, love me like I love you, let’s grow old together; every time Barty smiled at him. Or flirted with him. Or just sat next to him, smelling sinfully good. Or just existing in Evan’s vicinity. Evan had it bad.

MS: Rose is down so bad and so is Bee

Link: All for you

Hope you enjoyed reading all of them :) and surprise surprise, there are more fics that I have yet to read so i’ll most likely be adding on to this :D

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delfiore · 2 years

Text

posso ancora aspettare

pairing: robin buckley x gn!reader

synopsis: in which there’s no happily ever after, because she loves someone else.

word count: 2.1k

a/n: ok this is awkward um not me showing up like weeks later after my last fic haha 🧍🏻‍♀️also tumblr was being a little bitch and shadowbanned tf out of me so if you saw me posting then deleting this multiple times no you didn’t 🫣

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

“Oh.”

The word came out of your mouth like a squeak, a meek sound disguised as a happy surprise at the news Robin had just delivered. Though it wasn’t a surprise, to you nor to Steve—the only other person who knew Robin. You just thought you had more time.

“I can’t believe it. She said yes! Vickie agreed to go on a date with me.”

You were too shellshocked to even notice whatever facial expression Steve was making that prompted Robin’s excitement to cease.

“What?”

“I don’t know, Robin. She just came out of a relationship.

“So what?” Her tone grew annoyed.

“I’m just saying,” Steve leaned against the counter, his mouth hung open in search of the right words to say, “you gotta be careful, you know? She just broke up with her boyfriend, and this could be . . . a distraction.”

You looked up at Steve nervously, scrunching your eyebrows hoping he’d change his mind and apologize. He only looked back with a nonchalant shrug.

“Screw you, Harrington.” Robin mumbled, and walked away, towards the back of the store.

“Why would you say that?” You sighed.

“Am I wrong though?”

“No, but you didn’t have to rain on her parade like that.”

It was an asshole move, but you knew he was only trying to protect you. Only weeks ago had Steve tried all his might to tease Robin about Vickie, giving her lists upon lists as to why Vickie definitely likes girls too. You never meant to tell your truth, but you could never lie to Steve; he’d become like a big brother. And so on a random Tuesday night, in tears and with your head in your hands, you did.

“Please don’t do that again.” You pleaded, and hated the pitiful look he gave you following a short sigh.

Robin was reorganizing the closet with angry huffs when you peeked through the door quietly.

“Steve didn’t mean that, Robbie.”

“I don’t know what he means.” She slammed the stack in her hand down with a thud. “He’s being an ass because Heidi dumped him again, and he’s jealous. I mean, a week ago, he was bugging me to ask Vickie out, and I only did because he was bothering me so much. And now he wants to be all wary of her. Pisses me off.”

You didn’t know what to say. Frankly, you didn’t want her to go on that date either, but you couldn’t stand in the way of your best friend’s happiness, not when she’s been working up the courage to seize it for so long. Even if it destroyed yours.

“Hey, forget it, alright? Steve says stupid shit sometimes.” You tapped her shoulder with a small smile. “When’s your date? Come over before, and I’ll help you prepare.”

A smile quickly spread across her lips, as she pulled you into a tight hug. You chuckled, and ruffled her hair.

“Thank you, Y/N. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Robin said, “you’re my best friend, and my number one, you know? I love you.”

“Of course I know.” You rolled your eyes, grinning.

“C’mon, say it back.” She whined, pulling your hand.

“No, it’s cheesy.”

“Say it baaaack.”

“Luh you tuh.” You mumbled, causing the girl to laugh, and bring her leg up to kick your behind teasingly.

You couldn’t bring yourself to repeat it properly, because to you it’s not the same, and it would be wrong to say it.

Falling for Robin was easy. As easy as it was to draw breath, to dip your fingers and watch them the disturb the still of the water at Lover’s Lake, to open your eyes and let the world paint a colorful palette in front of you.

You didn’t know whether crushes were easy to overcome (from observing Steve through his quest to find a girl you thought it was), but this wasn’t a sporadic infatuation. This was another feeling, another sensation entirely. It was all you’ve ever known since freshman year, when you saw her for the first time doodling in Gerhardt’s second period. Robin was you’ve ever known.

Robin, Robin, Robin.

But now, she liked someone else, again. Not you.

Never you.

You barely had time to think about that these days. Yet again, something from the Upside Down was terrorizing your home, and yet again, it was up to you and your friends to defend it.

Spending time with Robin during it all reminded you that you were still one of the most important people to her, and that you’d be content just being her friend—being in her presence was enough. But you were reminded of how much it hurt seeing her pine over someone else, and most of all, how much it hurt seeing her heartbroken. Stupid Vickie didn’t know what she was missing out on.

“Guess it wasn’t a date after all.” Robin mumbled before pushing past you and Steve, escaping the sight of her crush at the other end of the store aisle kissing, who seemed to have been the boyfriend.

There was a vile part inside of you that was glad Robin saw them together.

You had just finished a batch of spears, clumsily duct-taped together from pipe cut-out sections and kitchen knives. You couldn’t believe this was your life now; making weapons to fight inter-dimensional demon lords. Spring break in Hawkins, just wack.

You looked over to see Robin sitting by Steve making molotovs. He caught your gaze, quietly gesturing towards the girl before standing up to leave.

“Hey.” You took his seat.

“Hey.” There was a smile on her lips, but it was small and strained.

“You alright?”

"I don't know," Robin said, looking down at the incendiary device. "Nancy's got a plan, so I guess we'll be as best prepared as we can be. All that matters is that we keep everyone safe."

"Robs," you shook your head, "I asked how you are doing." You took her hand tentatively, and she didn't pull away. They were warm and slender, and they fitted perfectly intertwined with your own. You felt her eyes on you, as you continued stroking the back of her hand with your other hand.

"I just have this terrible, terrible feeling that this isn't going to work out for us this time."

Your best friend lowered her head, lips pressed tightly, and you hated seeing how much all this broke her spirit. Robin Buckley, the most positive and ready-to-problem-solve, was hunched over defeated at the thought of going up against the telepathic demon lord.

“Hey. Hey, look at me.” You let your hand pull back her hair from her face, your chest tightening seeing her glossy eyes. “We’re gonna be okay. We can’t die yet. We still gotta go to Europe, remember? Watch the sun go down in Champs de Mars, eat ice cream as we walk along the port in Monaco, right?”

This elicited a short laugh from the girl. She sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “We don’t even have money for that yet.”

“Then we gotta go make some.” You smiled, encouragingly. “After we fight Vecna . . . slash Henry, slash One, whatever.”

“Okay, dingus.” She said, putting a hand up to your face, and pinching your cheek lightly. “You win.”

Her eyes, blue like the sky, found a home in yours. You wondered how a pair of eyes could feel so much like home, and how easy it was to fall in love with them. You didn’t need to ask anyone—certainly not Vickie—you knew what that was like yourself. You loved Robin so much, and you didn’t know what you were going to do if she left your side.

You settled for a kiss on her cheek, and a firm hug, choking back a confession when an overwhelming sense of love enveloped you, as you did her.

You were to go to Eddie and Dustin to distract the Demobats so that everyone else can go on with their plan. With much persistence from Robin, saying that it was where you’d be most safe, you watched with a worried frown as Robin slung her backpack over her shoulder.

You couldn’t tear your eyes away from her; she looked so good, so brave, even though you knew her hands were shaking.

“Be careful, okay?” You said, trying not to let your weakness show.

“You first.” Robin smiled, and you brought her into your arms to hold her tight before you said anything you'd regret.

Robin sighed and squeezed you back with the same affection, as you placed a firm kiss on her cheek. She prayed for your safety, so that she could clutch onto you afterward, tell you all about how the date with Vickie made her realize that they were too similar for her to like her bandmate in any sort of romantic way, that she had been burying her feelings for you out of respect for your friendship, and that she would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn't say anything now.

The thought of you consumed her, so that even while her body moved through the woods behind Steve and Nancy, her mind was with you, watching you with Eddie and Dustin, wanting to fend off whatever posed a threat to you. She imagined your pursed lips, anxious, wandering eyes waiting for the strike to come, then she'd imagine you wounded, and get the coldest sense of dread running down her spine.

"Hey," Steve stood back when he saw her steps slow down, "Robin, you alright?"

"I think I'm in love with Y/N." She said, and there was no hesitation in her voice.

Steve only sighed, wishing his best friend would have realized sooner. It would have spared both you and her a lot of time.

“Let’s finish this, and then you can go ask them out, alright?”

With a heavy heart and desperate longing, Robin kept marching until she reached the vine-infested mansion in which Vecna resided.

They went along with their plan, yet by the end of it, Vecna’s body was nowhere to be found after he fell out of the window, shattering the glass in the most dramatic of fashions. The vines that broke off from his body were still moving like forgotten maggots on the floor. The fight was not over, but they have won for now.

Robin was the first to run back to the trailer park in the Upside Down, hoping to catch you. She was fantasizing about how she was going to tell you everything that she’s been feeling, that she didn’t even notice at first that you were nowhere to be found. Dustin was sat on the dirt with his little head in his hands, sobbing.

“I’m sorry.” Eddie approached her cautiously, and she saw the worst.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

Steve has had to make several food runs the past two days, so much so that his wallet had been depleted (not that it ever was full in the first place), and the boy begrudgingly drove back home to the other end of town to get some more cash. Lucas was a bit more willing to eat. Seeing him munch on a sandwich halfheartedly as his eyes glued on Max’s lifeless body roused the dormant fatherly sentiments in Steve that only ever get to strong for these reckless yet brave teenagers he’s been babysitting.

He dreaded going into the room next to Max’s, because he hated seeing both of his best friends in such distress, one of them stuck in a limbo of life and death and the other mulling over it as if she had already lost them.

“Hey,” he said, “got you some jelly donuts.”

At the silence from the girl, and the incessant beeping of the machine—the only indication that you were still alive—Steve set the food down on the nightstand next to Robin.

“Hey, you gotta eat something, alright?” Uncharacteristically calm and quiet, he murmured and placed a hand on her shoulder. “After that, go home and get a quick change of clothes. I’ll be here.”

“No.” She shook her head quietly, her hands never leaving yours; it was cold and limp.

“Robin—“

“I have to wait,” She said. “I have to be here when Y/N wakes up to tell them that I love them.”

Your face was eerily serene, like stuck in a deep sleep that you couldn’t wake up from. The doctors were puzzled by what kind of animal bites that plagued your sides which caused you to go into septic shock and, subsequently, your current comatose state. You might wake up tomorrow, next week, or—they feared at worst—never at all.

“I’ve waited for so long,” Robin brought your hand up to kiss it, “I can still wait.”

#robin buckley x reader #robin buckley imagines #robin buckley angst #robin buckley imagine

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phantomrose96 · 2 years

Note

Chrissy this is my prompt for u to write an essay about your grievances here. I love having my parade rained on, jokes on u

Haha, okay okay okay, so I guess it is list of grievances time.

I’m gonna put most of this under a Read More because like I said before, I’m not trying to make a spectacle out of complaining about people’s good time. So if you’re not looking for BNHA-salt this is easily skip-over-able.

I will start with one thing above the Read More—and I mean this with full compassion and sincerity—I think Horikoshi is burnt out. It feels like he doesn’t love the characters or the world anymore and he’s going through the motions to get this over with and I’m SURE the break-neck pace of the shonen manga industry holds a lot of blame. I’ve burnt out on my own stories over less. So I don’t fault Horikoshi for that part.

Okay, so salt time. It got pretty long.

I’m gonna start by elaborating on the first point, because its impact is extremely easy to feel on the story:

The love for the characters isn’t there anymore.

BNHA has always been a big-cast kinda show, and they managed this well in the early seasons. Even with 20 characters in Class 1-A, I can tell you specifics about pretty much everyone’s role during the Tournament Arc. They all felt distinct. They all had different motivations, tactics, attitudes hopes dreams everything. Iida’s “I’m actually going to go against you, Deku, because I can’t keep being the friend in your shadow” was so very distinct from Uraraka’s “I used my wit to concoct a plan against a brute-force blaster and nearly won, but the frustration is so hard to deal with” from Todoroki’s “I’m moving forward with cold and blind rage to defy my father” from Bakugou’s “I need an absolute first-place win or this is nothing” from Midoriya’s “I can’t use my quirk so I need to win with my tact” from Yaoyorozu’s “I buckled under pressure and the frustration is devastating” from even—fucking—Ojiro’s “I resign because I was possessed during this team win and I don’t honorably think I can continue.”

I could probably keep going for every student in Class 1-A but my point is how potently interesting and distinct each of them felt during this arc. Even ones who ended up with little screentime left their mark.

…And then I compare it to, say, the recent “Rescue Deku” arc and… it was just 20 people essentially in a line, one-by-one sounding off about what surface-deep reason they had for liking Deku and wanting him to come home while they all just trade off generic blows and… that’s that. Deku comes home and there’s no talk of it. No fanfare. No fallout. It happened and it’s done. We don’t care what the characters think. Onto the next.

And this was all following a LONG stint where the main characters hardly even appeared. Uraraka and Iida hardly exist anymore. Only Todoroki and Bakugou have managed to cling to relevance alongside Deku, and that’s probably a popularity poll thing. But EVEN then, Deku himself hardly appeared for a long time. And it felt painfully obvious how much Horikoshi was just tired of his cast, and desperately hopping to a new Favorite Character in a bid to keep his own interest alive.

For a while it was Hawks. Everything was Hawks. Then Endeavor for a while. Endeavor was Horikoshi’s new main character. Then Mirko. All things Mirko. Just hopping to brand new characters and tossing them aside when the flame died, all the while leaving the main cast to stagnate.

Now in the final arc we’ve got an ensemble of several-dozen characters haphazardly thrown around, here to say a few Epic Shonen Words and do an Epic Shonen Attack for 3 pages, fail, and then get tossed into the background again. They’re less characters and more just plot-moving-pieces. The lack of heart is palpable and an arc like Rogue Deku, which my angst-endeared ass should have been super easy to win over with, was extremely flat. Nothing more than a surface-deep exploration of what this means for Deku’s character, and I need to stress it was NOT like that at the beginning of the series! The beginning, up through at least the Kamino arc, had a LOT of love for all these characters. It made you root for them. It made you care. And those characters are all just shells of themselves now.

Which rolls into my next point: What character development?

Horikoshi was REALLY good at setting up both plot and character. The character introductions were strong. The early arcs were strong. You see Deku develop a lot in the very early chapters, going from easily cowed to holding his ground, going from quirkless, to a state of having a quirk but having to be smart and use it sparingly, to slowly getting control of it. And alongside the awe of larger-than-life All Might, it’s a development you really root for.

…And Horikoshi kind of flubs development after that.

I cannot tell you how current-arc Deku is that distinct from chapter-50 Deku. Same for most characters except maybe Bakugou, who’s had a decent character arc. But that should not be a stand-alone phenomenon.

If I think about something like Fullmetal Alchemist, the development Ed undergoes throughout the series is amazing. It happens slowly, but steadily. The lasting impacts of experiences change him. He matures. He learns. And Ed in the final episode is hardly recognizable as the pompous little shit from the beginning.

Deku has been… Deku. For a very long time now. All Might’s been shuffled off stage. Todoroki’s development I personally dislike for a reason I’ll get into later. The rest of Class 1-A has been tossed into the dumpster as previously stated.

And as for the PLOT…

God I’m so sorry, what plot? (And how you can’t have your cake and eat it too)

This one DEEPLY impacts my opinion of the series.

BNHA doesn’t know what its plot is.

BNHA had really good set up! A lot of opportunities of ways to push the plot along and explore a big and open world. There seemed to be a really good thread to focus on up through the Kamino arc, combining school concerns with real life threats, and then….. and then…….

It’s almost comical how BNHA sniffed at some fearsome, fascinating villains at the beginning of the series (Stain, particularly, comes to mind) only to settle on… a whiny brat with no goal, Shigaraki, as the main antagonist.

And this COULD have been done in a way I would have loved! If the framing of the story was just that—"hey yeah Shiggy is a whiny brat whose trauma made him violent, and he’s too dumb to realize he is PURELY being groomed by AFO to turn him into AFO’s new body.” If the framing had said “yes, Shigaraki is in fact stupid and has no point—(and that makes him sympathetic as a groomed victim of AFO’s who never knew any better!)”

But instead Horikoshi is trying SO hard to make it seem like the League of Villains has a point.

What is their point?

I shouldn’t ask that rhetorically, because that’s inviting fans to message me with their 18-paragraph, 95% fanon, “fixing canon while thinking they’re explaining canon” explanations about why all the LoV characters’ goals make perfect sense. And, look, I’m sorry, it’s not there. It’s just not.

Toga’s whole point is “I wish it was easier for me to kill people.” Shigaraki’s whole point is “I’m angry, I think killing All Might will make everything better.” Twice’s point is “I’m lonely.” Dabi’s the only one with a real point (but I’m ALSO quite angry about that, more on that later.)

And again! I feel like this was so CLOSE to being good—these are all random riffraff who came together as followers of Stain’s ideology. It makes a LOT of sense to end up with ragtag misfits, all with their own wildly different interpretations of a high-profile criminal’s ideaology, and if the LoV were JUST unsuspecting pawns in AFO’s game, I would have sympathy for them! Them and Shigaraki!

But instead, Horikoshi tries over and over again to be like “no the LoV TOTALLY have a point. They say Hero Society is corrupt and it totally is!”

…Except Horikoshi forgot the part where he was supposed to make Hero Society corrupt…

And look, if Horikoshi wanted a Bright and Shiny, All Heroes Are Good And Shining happy little comic world, I’d respect that. If he wanted to do a The Boys-style “Heroes are the corrupt underbelly of a society that worships them”, I’d respect that. But he tried to do both at the same time, in a floundering bid to grasp onto a plot, and it does not work.

You end up with this completely incoherent narrative where, when you look around, all the heroes are good and shiny. And then Horikoshi just says “oh um, no it’s corrupt.” And then throws in like, one random side character who goes “oh yeah I was a hero controlled by the Bad Hero Agency to do like, murders!” and then she goes away forever and we don’t talk about it anymore. And then Hawks kills a member of the LoV—a criminal organization with a massive body count—and they try the whole “SEE. Heroes are JUST AS BAD as the villains!” (Dabi is in the background incinerating people to death.)

Which speaking of, if Horikoshi wanted to show Hero Society is corrupt, heY YOU DO REMEMBER YOUR NUMBER 1 HERO IS A CHILD-ABUSER AND WIFE-BEATER. HORIKOSHI DO YOU REMEMBER? DO YOU? “Ah gee how will I show Hero Society is corrupt?” Endeavor is right there! “Guess I’ll invent a new character who shows up for one arc who was a corrupted hero or something” ENDEAVOR IS RIGHT THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m normal again.

Alright on to my next point.

FUCKING ENDEAVOR.

This part is going to be more on the subjective side because it’s just an arc and character handling I deeply hate. You can disagree with me or whatever but Endeavor stans I do not care why you like him.

HEY REMEMBER HOW THE (at the time) NUMBER 2 HERO BEAT HIS SON BLOODY SINCE THE TIME HE WAS 5 YEARS OLD IN ORDER TO TRAIN HIM TO BE STRONG ENOUGH TO SURPASS ALL MIGHT.

REMEMBER WHEN ENDEAVOR BEAT HIS WIFE SO MUCH SHE HAD A MENTAL BREAKDOWN AND POURED BOILING WATER ON HER SON’S FACE AND WAS SENT AWAY LEAVING HER CHILDREN SOLELY IN THE CARE OF THE MAN WHO RAMPANTLY ABUSED THEM.

REMEMBER WHEN HORIKOSHI MADE A CHARACTER SO *CARTOONISHLY* EVIL I WOULD TAKE MOVING ENTIRE MOUNTAINS TO REDEEM HIM?

Well he went through a wittle man-pain and he’s so sowwy :3. Do you fowgive him?

He got to become the Number 1 Hero but (gasp) it wasn’t everything he thought it would be so `(*>﹏<*)′ could you maybe be a wittle bit nicer to him?

Oh yeah and Endeavor’s big redemption moment? It’s when he almost dies fighting a high-powered Nomu terrorizing the city, or, as it’s known in the hero industry, FUCKING TUESDAY.

THAT WAS ALWAYS THE POINT. ENDEAVOR’S DAY JOB HAS ALWAYS BEEN RISKING LIFE AND LIMB TO PROTECT CIVILIANS. FIGHTING A HIGH POWERED BAD GUY IS *NOTHING NEW*. THAT WAS ALWAYS THE POINT. THAT SUCH A HEINOUS MONSTER WAS ALSO SOCIETY’S PROTECTOR.

But he got a wittle banged up in the fight so now his family has to be a wittle nicer to him. He has a scar now (*/ω＼*)

And at that point, Endeavor was Horikoshi’s new favorite character so he just had to feel a little guilty and then it was all good. He’s good. We’re all good with him.

And it would be one thing if Shouto was joining his father’s agency JUST for the stepping stone opportunity. I liked that during the Tournament Arc! When he tells Endeavor he just, in the moment, completely forgot about him. I loved that!! Disown your father and just USE him for your own career escalation, YES, use him and give him none of your love attention or honor I liked that a lot!

But instead it’s turned into actual forgiveness. And this is lauded as good.

Now, THE DABI REVEAL ARC.

The start of this arc was great. I loved the dramatc reveal. I loved Dabi blasting Endeavor’s dirty domestic-abuse laundry over the airwaves to the entire public.

SURE WOULD HAVE LIKED FOR ANY OF THAT TO MATTER. AT ALL. EVEN A LITTLE.

NOPE. The ONLY thing this does is spur the entire Todoroki family to rally around Endeavor and tell him how much it’s all their own faults too that this happened.

Natsuo, who would have been fucking FIVE YEARS OLD, when the stuff with Touya went down, tells Endeavor that this is partially his own fault too because if only he (Natsuo) had fought back against his dad’s rages and made his dad talk things out with Touya, maybe none of this would have happened.

FUCKING WHAT.

(And again, the narrative is endorsing this. This is supposed to be a HEART-WARMING scene of a family coming together.)

Fuyumi and Rei go on to explain why they were also responsible for Endeavor’s abuse (I could a little bit understand Rei taking some responsibility, as their mother) but also Rei was married off to Endeavor in a quirk-wedding girl was basically trafficked. And this arc also decides to show “oh um actually their courship was good :3 Endeavor was good and caring, actually :3 he just got a wittle evil later on (are you mad at him?) <:3?”

Okay, okay okay I should stop I just canNOT be charitable about this arc.

At this point in the series, the Dabi=Touya confirmation and the resolution of the Todoroki family stuff was the only main thing I was still hanging around for. And the Endeavor redemption shattered my faith in the series so soundly I have only been idly following along since then without any of my heart in it.

In Conclusion

It’s a series that had so much heart and so much untapped potential at the beginning. And then Horikoshi reached the end of his thread of planning, and discovered he did not know how to actually follow through on character arcs or plot, and has pittered around aimlessly letting characters decay, plot threads unravel, and his best bet at this point has been to cling to a throughline which just does not make any sense.

Now we’re near the end and the characters are shells of their former selves and we’re going through the motions of every Big Shonen Wow tropey ending and, really, Deku can land the final ending punch on TomurAFO (or whatever we’re calling AFO!Shiggy) and I will feel just. Nothing about it. Because it won’t feel like any kind of conclusion for the characters I actually cared about at the beginning.

#dont wanna tag this bc 'dont tag your shark hate with sharks' comic you know #so sorry for anyone relying on that for blackist just gotta skip this one #arcticfoxshitposting #nagitokomaeda-the69th

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percahliaweek · 11 months

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FAQ

What tag should I use?

#percahliaweek should work nicely - you can @ us @percahliaweek so we can reblog your contribution on the corresponding day.

Will you be doing anything on Twitter/other social media?

We considered it! However, as other social media sites have proven unreliable (especially lately), we'll be hosting the event only on Tumblr. However, you're welcome to post your work wherever you like!

Can I do _ for the event?

Yes. Yep. Seriously, so long as it focuses on Perc'ahlia (and is appropriately tagged to avoid spoiling people), you can do it. Cosplay, inspired recipes, beadwork, podfic, go wild! Well, with the caveat that no hateful content will be permitted - don't use a joyous event to rain on someone else's parade or promote hatespeech, alright?

Is NSFW content allowed?

Given the ship in question and just how canonically horny they are for eachother - yes! However, we request that you tag this content as #nsfw and use the appropriate content filter on it. If posting in the Discord server, keep it to the 18+ chat. Be mindful of potential minors in fandom space + people browsing content in public.

I want to participate but haven't watched Campaign 1!

We welcome fans of The Legend of Vox Machina with open arms. As a result, it's requested that campaign fans do their best to avoid spoiling show fans for anything beyond what Season 2 has shown (Umbrasyl's defeat). That means late Campaign 1, the oneshots and any mention of them in other campaigns should be tagged as #cr1 spoilers (using just this tag for simplicity). Show fans, if you want to remain unspoiled, I recommend you block this on Tumblr and mute spoilery channels in the server.

Is there an AO3 collection for the fanfics?

One can definitely be set up closer to the start date!

Does my submission have to fit one of the prompts?

That would be ideal, yes! Anything freeform should be posted on Day 7 for Free/Random prompts. But fitting the prompt can be very loose - maybe you just use the word as a motif, or you take it in an entirely unexpected direction. We want to encourage creativity and fun more than anything else.

I don't know what to do for the Free/Random day!

We have a few recommendations (we are unaffiliated with the websites linked): Random page of the Encyclopedia Exandria Random word generator OTP prompt generator AU generator

Ghost’s Spell prompts [roll 2d20?]

Wild Magic Surge table

Life events table

If you've made prompt lists and would not mind them being featured here, reach out!

How did you choose the prompts?

Prompts were chosen over a day or two while talking with friends - they were intended to be open-ended enough to allow flexibility while also touching on key elements of the ship! Some obvious ones (ex: courage, heart, that sort of thing) were left out so that, hopefully, they could be included next year. If there's enough interest, future prompts could be chosen via fan poll.

Will this be an annual event?

We sure hope so! Hence optimistically keeping back some prompt ideas for the future. Let's see how this goes ;3

Why late September?

On September 29th, 2016, the Critical Role episode 'Passed Through Fire' aired, which features an iconic Perc'ahlia moment (no spoilers for show fans!). Following Burr's poll on which scene is most iconic for the pairing, we decided to have the week celebrate the anniversary of that episode.

So why did you announce this so early?

Because Maggie has been a gremlin about the idea since April. Also, most fans in this space are adults with jobs and responsibilities - allowing more time to create without a rush benefits everyone.

A Discord server?

We have set up a little server for this event on Discord, mostly to hang out with other Perc'ahlia fans and motivate eachother to work on our respective projects. The current link is HERE - let us know if it's not working!

Who is hosting this?

At the moment the users running this blog are @burr-ell and @blorbologist! If the event expands beyond our abilities, we will look into taking on other users to help out - you'll know if we need a hand <333

Any more questions? Feel free to send in an ask and we'll do our best to answer in a timely manner!

#percahliaweek #percahliaweek23

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marshmallowprotection · 15 days

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I don’t have a great relationship with my family, reason I say this is because I got my bachelors degree in both biology and psychology with a minor in neuroscience. I got honors and stuff. But my parents made the day about themselves, and when I inconvenienced them during move out day, they ruined the entire celebration for me and told me I was selfish. I’m currently being ostracized by them, they’re ignoring me, destroyed my graduation flowers, etc. They did this all in front of my college friends too, so you can publicly humiliation to the list.

It was supposed to celebrate my achievements, but things either keep escalating or everyone is ignoring me.

Do you think GE Saeran and the rest of the RFA members would celebrate with me? Mystic messenger always gave me the kind of found family I craved for a very long time, it’s times like these, I wish I could spend it with a family who can show me they love and care about me. Where I can be celebrated. You think they would give me that?

First of all, congratulations on graduating! It's a feat in itself to finish high school, and it's another to make it through university! You did a lot of hard work and it will pay off. I promise. I'm just sorry that your family doesn't appreciate how hard you've worked to make that work come to fruition. They don't deserve your sunshine when all they do is rain on your parade.

I can promise you that the RFA would help you celebrate your grand achievement. They would plan a surprise party for you, too, if you're okay with those. Jumin would be happy to discuss more about your studies, Jaehee would commend you and give you some advice for your next steps forward into the world, Zen would give you flowers and a nice pat on the back, Yoosung would toast to your graduation as you both lament the highs and lows and university, Saeyoung's on your tail and he's got fifty questions about your own field of study he wants to know from a future leading expert in the field.

And Saeran?

Love in his eyes, warmth in his words, and a kiss to your lips as he tells you how proud he is of you. You're living a life that he's not only a part of, but a crucial part of. God knows you've inspired him to work towards a brighter education for himself, too! You've shown him that hard work does pay off, and you deserve to be applauded for the hard years you spent studying to achieve your degree!

#mod kait #ask #mystic messenger #anon #mysme #mysticmessenger #mm #tw abuse #tw neglect

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fallenstarzz · 4 months

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📚and✍️ for the fanfic questions!

📚 Is there a fanfic or fanfic writer you recommend?

Oh. Several.

I love all of @dayurno's fics, the patron saint of Kevin Day POVs. This is also the place where I admit to not having finished the name of the game yet despite it being one of the fics that convinced me to come back into the fandom, because something about it made me sad and I take. Absurdly long to finish things that make me sad. I also cleaned the 388 open tabs I had on my phone and forgot where exactly I had stopped. But Im going back there!!!! Someday. Also dayurno is so sweet and their blog is just a very fun place to hang out in.

@knickknacksandallthat A Falling Star series was literally the joy of my life the latter half of 2023 and knowing there was going to be a new chapter every friday helped me through some of the harshest weeks in college (and there were. A lot of them). I have reread the last chapter of Darkest Before Dawn many many many times because it is rare that miscommunication angst hits THAT good.

sunset, like survival by @jaywalkers is one of my favorite fics, ever, let alone in this fandom. Baltimore is my favorite part of the trilogy because of the emotional punch it packs and the way this fic takes that and turns it aaaaaall the way up in all three of the POVs is nothing short of masterful. It even makes me like the ending of that arc a little bit. Also the author just finished their other kandreil multichapter fic and it's the first thing on my reading list for my Carnaval break from work because you bet I'm gonna use all the time I can get to savour it.

I have the absolute privilege of betaing @queer-lovebot's fic Good to Go (Going Nowhere Fast) and it's just. So good. It's a WIP and there's two chapters out as of today and I think everyone in the entire world should read it maybe. Go check it out while it's still fresh so you can brag to your friends that you were here first!!!!!! (This is only a slight exaggeration. Fame is a construct but you should read it NOW anyway. Live dangerously go read a WIP).

Edit because I almost forgot: Have you heard the word of our lord and savior The Later Parade? I thought I liked Kevjean before I read this. I was wrong. This fic unlocked potentials of kevjean-loving within me only comparable to an anime villain revealing their final form. Like my bookmark on ao3 says, "this is the greatest thing I have ever read. goodbye".

✍️ What's your ideal writing set up?

At home, on my notebook in my desk, ceiling fan ON, with the biggest cup of passionfruit juice I can find, and wathever ambient noise my brain likes most at the time on repeat. (It can very from any song to rain sounds to those playlists of classical music. I once wrote 50k words to the repeated playlist of Brian David Gilbert's AAAAAAAAAH!BBA. Good times.)

#anon #asks

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kalamity-jayne · 1 year

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uh uhm.. is it okay if i ask for some validation on me transitioning later in life,,

I'm gonna be real with you my friend, I was hesitant to say yes to this today because my dysphoria flared up on me today, and it is very much wrapped in this subject. But, I can tell I'm starting to feel better having talked about it with my wife and friends. Among the fresh insights, my wife reminded to take my own damn medicine. So I want to begin by thanking you, for providing an opportunity to refresh my memory on the medicine. Anyways, lets get into it.

If I understand you're tumblr header correctly, you're 16? If that's the case then I wonder what obstacles are in your way now that are making you have to wait later in life because surely you know that starting around 17ish is pretty dang on schedule. So, is it your parents? The state? In short, if you're a minor and you really do have to wait to adulthood there is additional advice I may be able to provide to you.

Now, let's swallow the bitter pill first. One of the hard, painful things about transitioning is that the longer you wait to start the more time you will have to grieve and mourn. I have very few regrets in my life, but top of the list is wishing I transitioned sooner. BUT it's never too late to start and no matter how old you are, you will be so fucking happy you did it.

I never thought I could have the life I currently do. One of the things that made it hard for me to say yes to transitioning was I thought I had to make a binary choice; I could either transition and finally answer all the questions I'd been asking myself my whole life and achieve some semblance of internal peace or I could have a family, a career, a good life, but I could not have both.

But here I am, living proof that it's not our transness hindering us from living our dreams, it's cis gender people constantly trying to rain on our parade. If the cis got out of our way, and gave supports to those who need it, the world would be our oyster. I regret and still feel sad about all the time I spent in the egg, but I'm also unspeakably happy and grateful for the life I have now. Even if you can't transition today doesn't mean you don't have a tomorrow to look forward to and hon, you've got so much beautiful life ahead of you.

#ask #asnwered #Mother Calamity!

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colormepurplex2 · 2 years

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Work Hard, Play Harder | Rewards

↳ Yoongi x f.Reader ⤜ Strangers/Lovers ⤜ Rating: MA 🔞 ⤜ WC: 5,449 ⚠️ Light sub/dom tones, spitting/spit kink in a mildly degrading way but also spicy, spanking, public sex, rough sex, cum eating, exhibitionism, throat fucking, hair pulling

⇽Previous Chapter ◅ Back to chapter list

"You have a game today, right?" Jules asks over slices of toast. Your morning routine helps ground you. Over the last two weeks, Yoongi has turned your world upside down. You now dread Fridays and have an endless supply of ibuprofen in your bag.

You wave a piece of buttered toast in the air toward her. "Yep. It'll be my first game on the bench."

"And he will be there?" She sneers a little when she says he. Jules quickly became president of the anti-Yoongi club after you filled her in on your sessions with him. She pouted for an entire day when you told her the TA was hot but definitely wasn't someone you could just give woo-woo eyes to. No, he's got a stick up his ass even farther than a professor. Though, you wouldn't believe it considering the way he moves. He's all elegance and grace when he's with you. Moves in a way that makes you envious, like his body was made to play basketball.

"Unfortunately," you grumble.

Jules huffs a sigh. "Well, maybe he won't be so bad if it's a game day. No training and all that, so no reason to be an asshole."

You scoff softly. "Not likely. He's still in charge of me on game days. Get's to tell me to jump and I have to ask how high." Again, if eye-rolling were a sport...

"I'll make brownies tonight," Jules offers with a smile, waggling her eyebrows.

"Fuck, Jules," you whine pathetically, "okay. But, please make some that aren't special. You and Ry can have all the fun and I'll just watch...enviously."

Jules bounces on her toes, oozing excitement. "Maybe Ry will get stoned enough to want to kiss it and make it better for you." She gives you a devilish smirk and bites her bottom lip.

It wouldn't be the first time your other best friend, Ryan, has offered to be a soothing balm for life's little shit parties. It's always been casual, with a mutual understanding and agreement. No feelings, just fucks. It's been a while, but maybe you do need to blow off some steam.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" You ask Jules with a laugh, grabbing your bag and slinging it over your shoulder. "I'll catch you later. I expect piping hot brownies. Oh! And ice cream!" You add before tugging the door closed behind you.

You're feeling a little lighter, definitely in a bit of a better mood now. Pulling out your phone you open your text thread with Ryan and send him a winky face and cake emoji along with a time. He'll come over regardless of the emoji'd offers, simply because that's just how Ry is. Ryan's reply of the eyebrow raised emoji makes you laugh but before you can type back a reply of your own, your phone disappears.

Your head comes up, lips and tongue poised to give a lashing to whoever has decided to rain on your morning parade...but, it's Yoongi standing right in front of you, your phone in his hand. "You communicate through emojis? How juvenile."

"Give that back!" You lunge toward your phone but Yoongi just raises it up, far enough out of your reach that you would need to jump in order to try and grab it. He's not gargantuan, but he's taller than you and he's using that to his advantage now. "What the fuck is your problem?" You shove his shoulder and he stumbles back a few steps.

"Who said I have a problem?" He muses.

"Give it back," you demand again, holding out your hand palm up.

He brings his hand down and you think he's going to give the phone back to you but he slips it into the front pocket of his joggers instead. "How about," he pauses, closing the distance between you, forcing you to drop your hand or have it mashed against his chest, "you earn it back?"

You give him an incredulous look. "Earn it? It's my fucking phone you jackass, give it back!" He just smirks. The self-righteous prick! He better be glad he's good looking or you might introduce your fist to his face. You grit your teeth and a thought crosses your mind. "Fine, you want to be like that, fine."

He goes to turn, preparing to walk away with your phone still in his pocket when you make your move. You sling your left arm around his waist and cage him against you. Just as you hoped, he's caught off guard and you use that surprise to your advantage. With your right hand, you snake it between your bodies and shove it into his pocket. You hadn't accounted for your bodies being pressed together so tightly, so extracting your hand with the phone gripped in it isn't as easy as you thought it might be.

"If you wanted to touch me all you had to do was ask," his voice comes out in a low growl, eyes boring into yours. You're just about to abandon your phone when his arms come around you and pin you to him, too. You struggle against his hold, hand still deep inside his pocket. He grunts and you both freeze. Adrenaline is pumping and you can feel your own pulse in your temple. Your mind races, trying to explain away what exactly just happened, what you felt...surely there is something else...another explanation. Though, by the heat flaring through his eyes you know, there isn't. In all your wiggling against him, hand flailing around in his pocket, you 100% grazed along the side of his now evident erection.

"Fuck, I'm sorry," you gasp, finally wrenching yourself from his arms, hand springing free from his pocket. Forget the phone, forget it. He can have it.

You can see his throat bob as he swallows. It takes tremendous willpower to not glance down as he adjusts the bottom of his hoodie to settle further down his hips. His eyes narrow and the corner of his mouth tugs up in a small smile. "I don't think you are sorry," he purrs. Yoongi pats his pocket, where your phone is located. "Be a good girl and show up to class a little early, I'll let you earn a few extra points towards getting this back."

He turns and leaves you there, standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Your senses come whooshing back in, making you suddenly aware of your surroundings. You dart a look around, thankful not to see anyone else nearby. Your cheeks are flaming crimson and you can't seem to catch your breath, but you forge ahead and manage to make it to your first class of the day without any further incidents. 🏀🏀🏀

The day drags on and the closer you get to your research class the angrier you become. Without your phone, you haven't been able to reach out to Ryan or Jules to let them know about the run-in with Yoongi this morning. You can barely concentrate in your morning classes, but thankfully you have an extended break before your last class begins. You usually spend this time studying or grabbing lunch.

Today, however, you venture to the other side of campus in search of Jules. She doesn't have quite as long a break as you do, but you know you should be able to catch her coming out of her class soon. You're rounding the corner of the theatre building when you stop short, spotting a familiar figure up ahead coming right toward you, you curse and quickly back peddle. Why the hell is Yoongi on this side of campus?! Thankful to be wearing a watch, you check the time and know if you don't take this route to Jules class you'll miss her, all the other paths take too long.

"Fuck," you mutter under your breath, resigning to heading back toward the sports complex instead. Maybe if you show up early enough you can pummel Yoongi into a pulp before class begins. You push yourself to move faster, cursing Yoongi the whole way to the gym.

There is another class still going on inside the gym itself so you sit outside in the lobby and wait. Every little noise has you whipping your head around, hoping Yoongi doesn't come strolling in through one of the doors while you're sitting here. The last thing you want is to be faced with him again without a court under your feet. All your boasting thoughts earlier about beating the shit out of him have dwindled to just wanting to get your phone back and get through class so you can wallow on the couch with Jules and Ry later and maybe get a little stress relief without the laced brownies.

As soon as the class lets out of the gym you slip inside and settle on the bleachers near the door. It's still about thirty minutes or so before your class is scheduled to be in here. Professor Sumner and Dr. Rei will hopefully be arriving just before class, so they can get the research students from Rei's lab to help set up the monitors and other equipment they'll use for data collection.

You hear footsteps coming from the hallway, but it doesn't sound like enough steps to be a full class or even the research students from Dr. Rei's lab. Dropping your bag by your feet you lean out, trying to see if you can see whoever it is through the glass panes in the doors before they enter. The face that appears in the pane before the door begins to push open has your heart leaping into your throat.

The guy steps in and holds the door open, admitting another guy with Yoongi following. "Why are they here?"

Yoongi shrugs. "Moral support?"

"Give me my phone back," you deadpan.

"You'll get it back after the game." Yoongi nods towards the court. "We have about twenty minutes before Sumner and Rei show up, how about a warmup?"

"I don't need to warm up, I'm benched today, in case you've forgotten."

"Hmm, no, perhaps not." He gives you a once-over as his two friends take seats at the bottom of the bleachers. You've seen them before, hanging out with him...running shirtless with him. "But, you do need to change into your uniform at least."

Your brows pinch together and you glance down at your grey t-shirt and jeans. In all the fuss and anxiety over Yoongi, you completely forgot to change before coming to the gym. "Fuck you," you mumble, snatching up your bag and heading towards the door into the lady's locker room.

As you step past him, Yoongi grabs your wrist and pulls you up short, your chest bouncing against his. "Is that what you want?" He asks in a low tone. "To fuck me?"

The husk in his voice sends tingles down your spine. Yes, you do. You have for a very long time. For three years, in fact. But, you can't admit that, not so brazenly. Not to mention the complete brute he's been as your mock trainer. Though, you might like that a little more than you've let on. "Let go of me," the words come out soft and hooked on the end of a shudder.

He smiles, but it's not a sweet smile. No, it's a smile full of promises. Promises to deliver, to play ball...pun intended. "Go change." He releases your wrist and you stumble away, making a beeline for the locker room.

By the time you've conquered your rapid heart rate and put your uniform on, you can hear the distinct noise of the other students in the gym. All of the athlete students are warming up, doing stretches, practicing passes, and shooting. The research half of the class is mingling with Dr. Rei's group from his lab, working together to make sure the data equipment is all working as it should. You spot Yoongi talking with Professor Sumner and Dr. Rei. He extends a hand, gesturing to you as you exit the locker room and your eyes meet Sumner's. He nods, saying something to Yoongi that you're too far away to hear. Though, the delight that spreads across Yoongi's face has your lip curling in a sneer.

"You'll be benched, but you'll also be running data with Yoongi," Sumner explains as you approach them.

Dr. Rei claps you on the shoulder. "The probation element of this is going to be most helpful, I almost want to thank you for failing that test. This research is crucial for the future of this sports department." He nods to Sumner and moves off to speak with the people from his lab.

Sumner gives you a half-hearted smile. "Listen to your trainer, he'll be providing a full report tomorrow that will go towards your test grade." You swallow the tart reply forming on your tongue about how it's not fair that Yoongi's feedback gets to dictate your grade. But, you seem to be at his mercy unless you want to take the hit for the class or push back graduation by a semester. He turns away from you and addresses the whole gym. "Okay, everyone, let's get this game started. Jackson," he begins to walk away and gestures to the team captain, "you're on."

"Don't look so put out," Yoongi sidles up next to you and fingers the hem of the side of your jersey. "I promise to give Sumner nothing but a good report if you play nice."

You whirl on him, eyes blazing with irritation. "What are you getting at here, huh?" You take a step closer, coming toe to toe with him.

"As long as you work hard," he flicks the tip of your nose in a playful manner that has you seeing red. "We can play even harder." The low chuckle that spills from between his lips instantly flips a switch and you're seeing red with a whole different feeling.

"I don't want to play your games, asshole." You're lying through your teeth and he knows it. His chest grazes yours as he sucks in a breath to laugh.

"Careful, people are watching," he snarks softly, after his laugh tapers off, eyes darting over your shoulder.

You clear your throat, hastily step away, and give him your back. Sure enough, there are a lot of people trying to discreetly watch your and Yoongi's interaction. "Just tell me what to do, Yoongi, and stop dicking around."

Another soft chuckle comes from behind you. "You can start by sitting your mouthy little ass on the bench until the game begins." Of course, he speaks so low no one else can hear his lewd words. "Until everyone else is so distracted that they won't see me fucking you under the bleachers."

You gape at him, forcing your mind to actually wrap around what he just said. It's hard, real hard. You think you might just short circuit. Surely, he's joking. He's just trying to get a rise out of you...and it's working. "You're delusional."

He stops a few feet past you, casting you a glance over his shoulder. "I'm not the one that's been drooling over someone for the last three years." His eyes flick from your toes back up to your face. "Just the last two weeks."

Your cheeks burn. You're so warm you think you might pass out if you don't sit down. So, you park your dazed ass down on the bench along the side of the court and zone out as the game begins. On game days, the class runs a little longer to accommodate for the game itself and the data collection at the end of it. You're not sure how you're supposed to survive for an hour and a half being tormented and sexually frustrated by Yoongi. Because that's exactly what he's doing. The minute you sat down, you became intimately aware of the pooling arousal in your shorts. So much for not wanting to fuck him.

It's not until the whistle blows to signal the start of the first half that you realize what Yoongi had just admitted to you. He'd called you out on your pining for him, but had also offered a kernel of his own in that he's been the one drooling over you for the last two weeks. Sweat pricks along the nape of your neck. One of Rei's research collectors steps into your view and gives you a quizzical look.

"Are you okay?" They ask. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," you wheeze. "Uh, umm, is there anything I can do for you guys?" You're desperate for something to keep your mind off of Yoongi.

"Not just yet. After the game, though, for sure. We'll need some help making sure we collect all the vitals from the athletes, you can help with that," they offer with a smile. They nod toward Yoongi, who is standing at the other end of the court, "you should ask your trainer, I'm sure he has something you can be doing."

Your attention follows their nod, eyes landing on Yoongi. He's got his arms crossed over his chest, talking with Dr. Rei. Rei waves a dismissive hand and Yoongi smirks as the older man's attention goes to his research assistant on the other side of him. "Right. My trainer," you mumble to yourself, the research student already having moved further down the court.

Yoongi meets your eyes and he jerks his chin to the side, beckoning you over. You're tempted to stay right where you are, ignore him completely. But, your eyes flicker to Sumner and you know you have to play nice with Yoongi in order to receive a good report tomorrow. Fuck. You keep your attention swiveling between the game and Yoongi until you come up to him.

"Nervous?" He asks.

"What do I have to be nervous about?" You hiss under your breath.

He steps around you, putting his back to the court and essentially blocking you from everyone else except his friends who are still sitting on the bleachers behind you. "I meant what I said." His eyes flick over your shoulder, towards the bleachers, before coming back to yours. He's serious, he's fucking serious.

"Don't be ridiculous, we can't...I mean, it's not- why?" You fumble through your thoughts, searching his eyes for any glimmer of humor. There is none, all you see is pure unadulterated desire.

"Why?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. "Why not? It'll be fun, c'mon, come play with me." Yoongi toys with a lock of your hair, twirling it around his finger. "I promise you'll have fun."

Your tongue darts out to wet your lips. His eyes hone in on the action and you can see his eyes darker, pupils expanding. "Aren't you- won't we, umm, aren't you worried about getting caught?" You whisper, trying to take in calming breaths.

"Mmm, how cute, you're worried about someone seeing us? Don't worry, kitten, that's what my friends are for," he purrs, grabbing you by the elbow and pulling you along behind him.

You shoot a glance back towards the court over your shoulder. No one is so much as paying even the slightest bit of attention to you or Yoongi walking away. As you bring your attention back forward your eye catches Yoongi's two friends as they stand up from their seats at the bottom of the bleachers. You can feel their presence behind you as Yoongi continues pulling you along the side of the bleachers. Just as you think he's about to usher you through the double doors, he cuts a sharp right and tugs you into the darkness under the bleachers.

"Yoongi, seriously, we're going to get caught!" You whisper yell as you're dragged along. It's not completely dark back here, a little bit of light filters through the gaps between the rows of bleachers, but it's not nearly enough that you don't trust yourself to not trip over something. There is a myriad of crossed metal support poles and great steel beams, Yoongi moves through them with ease.

He stops, turning and pulling you up against him. "We'll only get caught if you let us." Yoongi is still gripping your arm with one hand, he brings the other up and cups the side of your face. His expression becomes serious for a moment. "Do you want this? If you don't you can leave and I'll still give Sumner a good report for you tomorrow, I promise. This is your choice." His offering and change in demeanor take you by surprise. All his taunting and pushing have been part of his act, but now he's being genuinely sincere. If you don't want this, he'll respect that. The corner of your mouth tugs up in a small smile realizing he's seeking your consent before doing anything you may not want.

"If we get caught, we'll both probably get in a lot of trouble...maybe even expelled. You'd risk that?" You ask softly, not meeting his eyes.

He chuckles. "That won't happen. But, yes."

"Okay, Yoongi, let's play."

A finger under your chin tilts your head back until you look up at him. "Good. Now, be a good little girl and say 'ahh'." You give him a quizzical look, confused. His hand splays out gripping your face, fingers digging into one cheek and thumb into the other until your lips are puckered open. He wrenches his hand, squeezing harder until your jaw opens under the pressure. "When I say to do something, you do it," he growls and his eyes flash. In one quick motion, he leans forward and spits into your mouth. You flinch as stray dots of his saliva pepper your lips, the bulk of the warm liquid hitting your tongue. His hand releases your cheeks, sliding back over your chin to press your mouth closed. "Swallow."

Your chest is heaving. It takes a few times but you finally gather enough moisture in your mouth, his included, to do as you're told. It's hard to tell whether you're turned on or feeling humiliated by his actions. You've never had someone actually spit in your mouth before. Before you can form words, his lips are slanting over yours. You feel his tongue slide across the seam of your lips, seeking entrance. As soon as you part your lips, he's invading your mouth. It's a bruising and all-consuming kiss that leaves you breathless when he finally pulls away.

"Fuck," you exhale in a rush.

"On your knees," he commands. You cast a glance behind you, barely able to make out the other students through the small gaps in the bleachers. With one last thought about getting caught, you drop to your knees in front of Yoongi, bringing your attention back to him. You come at eye level with the very prominent bulge in his joggers. Yoongi can see your hesitation, the way you awkwardly twiddle your fingers in front of you. "You can touch me, it's okay," he encourages in a soft tone.

He combs his fingers through your hair as you reach up and curl your fingers over the waistband of his pants. A subtle ache settles between your thighs, anticipation mounting. The gray material slides down easily, revealing tight black boxer briefs that are straining in the front. One more flick of your wrist and his thick cock is springing free. "Oh, shit," you whisper, eyes going wide as you take in just how big he is. There is a glistening bead of precum already forming at the tip. He's velvety smooth and warm under your hand as you glide your fingers along his length.

"Have a taste, kitten," Yoongi groans, gathering a handful of your hair. He doesn't push or tug on it, just uses it as a tether for now. A throaty groan escapes him as you lave your tongue across the broad crown, swirling in a quick succession of blistering strokes. You slip your free hand over the band of his pants, still hugging his legs mid-thigh, and gently cup his balls. Yoongi sucks in a breath at the touch, his stomach muscles contracting beneath his bulky hoodie. You let him slip past your lips, going as far as you can before your gag reflex is shoving you back. He adjusts his grip on your hair, gathering a second fistful. "Relax," he soothes, his voice turning your tense muscles into jelly.

Your jaw goes slack and you take a steadying breath through your nose as he begins to work his hips, slowly fucking into your mouth. His balls contract in your hand as you massage them, bringing out another throaty groan from him. It's hard to not let the mix of your saliva and his precum gather at the corners of your mouth. You can feel it start to dribble down your chin. After a few more languid thrusts, letting you get used to the motions, he picks up his rhythm. Your free hand fists into the fabric of his joggers as he pistons between your lips. It takes all of your concentration not to gag as tears prick the corners of your eyes and he enters into the back of your throat.

Just as you're starting to pant in semi-panicked breaths, Yoongi relents and pulls completely out of your mouth. With his cock comes a gushing mess of saliva and precum. He releases your hair and you surge up onto your feet, capturing his lips with yours, letting him taste himself on your tongue. Yoongi moans into your mouth, hands grappling with the band of your burgundy basketball shorts. "Fuck me," you pant, finally breaking away from the kiss. His lips are wet and puffy, kiss-swollen and perfect.

Yoongi spins you around, bringing your back hard against his front. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" His top lip curls into a sexy sneer. He grips the front of your jersey and hauls it up over your head.

"Yes," you plead, pushing your ass back against his still-out cock. There is a crossing metal 'x' of support beams in front of you that you latch on to for support. It gives you the perfect leverage to arch your back and jut your ass out.

His breath is hot on your neck as his lips brush the shell of your ear. "I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to walk out of here." The whispered words ring with promises.

The bratty response on your tongue withers away as Yoongi shoves down your shorts and panties. He knees apart your legs, grips your hip with one hand, and uses the other to guide himself to your aching core. He swears colorfully as he presses between your thighs, letting the tip of his cock slide through your gathered arousal.

"Yoongi," you moan his name as he begins to sink into you, one agonizing inch after another. It's almost too much, the fire that lances through your body as it flounders to accommodate his considerable size. Your chest heaves with short breaths. Tears, once again, burn at the corners of your eyes. You're about to cry out in protest but slinky fabric being shoved into your mouth cuts off the sound. Yoongi secures the ends of your crumpled jersey behind your head.

He halts his forward push for a moment. "Sorry, kitten, gotta keep the noise down. Pinch my thigh if it's too much, okay?" You take the momentary pause to assess your body. He's bigger than anything or anyone you've ever had before, but you can feel your body adjusting. The pain soothing into a heated pleasure with each passing second. You nod, tightening your grip on the metal bars. "Good girl," Yoongi praises in your ear. Yoongi slips a hand into your hair again, using the tension to turn your head slightly to the right. "Let's show my friends how good of a trainer I am." He chuckles as he feels your walls contract around him in response. The grip in your hair vanishes as he drops the hand to your other hip and grips tightly, sure to leave bruises.

Your eyes are wide as they take in his two friends standing just within the darkness under the bleachers. The dragon-eyed botany major and the slim-bodied performing arts major are faces you associate with Yoongi's bubble. Having them watch him fuck you, claim you, has a whole new wave of fire coursing through your veins. They take turns watching, switching from the court to you and Yoongi. Before you realize it, you're adding your own flare, putting on your own show. Loosening your grip with one hand, you bring it up and pull down the neck of your sports bra, exposing your breasts. Using deft fingers, you tweak your nipples, rolling and tugging them. You begin to meet Yoongi's thrusts, rocking back into them.

The world outside vanishes, as if there isn't a mock basketball game happening just twenty yards away. The crack of skin on skin brings you back to reality and has you squealing around the shirt gag in your mouth. The reaction is swiftly followed by panic as your eyes dart to the gaps between the bleachers because you can almost guarantee someone heard Yoongi's palm connecting with your bare asscheek. You throw a look over your shoulder at Yoongi as he continues to pound into you. Sweat-slicked hair clings to his forehead, his bottom lip is caught harshly between his teeth as his eyes are zeroed in on where your bodies connect. He seems completely oblivious to just how loud the sound is as he quickly lands another stinging spank on your other asscheek. Thankfully, this one is covered by the sound of a whistle blowing. That seems to drag Yoongi out of his single-mindedness.

His eyes flicker ahead of you, probably assessing the game's progress. Yoongi slows the momentum of his hips, rolling them against you in a way that grinds him deep. The jersey comes loose with one tug from Yoongi. You pull the fabric free, sucking in breaths of clean air. "Fuck, Yoongi." You hang your head, letting your chin drop to your chest for a moment as he leans against your back.

"Now, I'm going to make you cum." He says it more like a command than anything. One of his hands slips around your hip, dipping between your thighs in the front until his slender fingers find your clit. He begins smooth circles, rubbing the swollen bundle of nerves until your toes curl in your sneakers. With his other hand, he grips your hair and pulls your head back, exposing the side of your neck to him. Using his tongue and teeth, he leaves nipping marks that he soothes with his tongue.

He's so meticulous with his attention, adding just the right amount of pressure. The mix of pleasure and pain has you squeezing your eyes closed and your walls gripping him. "Oh, fuck, I'm about to-" The hand that was in your hair muffles your words as he clamps it over your gaping mouth.

Your own name leaves Yoongi's lips, carried on a soft moan. Pleasure rips through you, your orgasm hitting so hard the vision behind your eyelids flickers. You can feel each spurt of warmth as Yoongi empties himself deep within your body. Suspended there, somewhere between coherent and not, Yoongi slowly withdraws from you. With gentle hands, he removes your stony grip from the metal bar and turns you to face him. He's equally as gentle as he fixes your bra and tugs the rumpled jersey back over your head. Your eyes meet his and you see a mischievous glint light within them. "Say 'ahh'," he repeats his command from earlier. Without hesitation this time, you open your mouth wide. You jump a little as you feel his hand between your thighs, dipping into you. Yoongi brings up cum covered fingers that glisten slightly in the dim lighting. He places them on your tongue and you automatically seal them in your mouth with your lips. There is a wicked fascination playing in his eyes, now, as you swirl your tongue around his fingers until he's slipping them back out of your mouth. He grips the sides of your shorts, gently pulling them back over your hips and settling them back in place. As he brings his hands to his own pants, you halt him, placing your hands over his. You brush them aside, righting his pants for him. You're gentle in tucking his cock back in his pants, doing your best to not get any of the drying cum still coating it, onto the outside of his pants.

"Good game," you offer in a soft but playful tone.

Yoongi just suppresses a snort, rubbing his jaw with a smile tugging at his lips. "I expect you to perform just as well during our next session." His mouth finally pulls into a full-on grin. His arms band around your waist, hauling you against him. "As long as you still want to play."

So, this is actually a thing...Yoongi wants to continue playing. The thought sends a thrill slithering down your spine.

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#bts #bts fanfic #bts yoongi #bts angst #bts smut #yoongi angst #yoongi smut #bts strangers to lovers #yoongi x you #yoongi x reader #bts non idol au #bts college au #yoongi fanfic #ta yoongi #student reader #bangtanwritershq #yoongi basketball #bts sports au

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kazoosandfannypacks · 1 year

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"Open to Interpretation" by kazoosandfannypacks

Chapter 13/16: Rain on Your Parade Pairing: CaptainSwan Rating: General Word Count: (1.8K/24K) Summary: Emma Swan is appalled at works by modern artist Killian Jones- until a handsome stranger convinces her otherwise- and after introducing himself as the artist in question, he invites her out on a date. As their relationship develops, they find that they might not be as different from each other as originally thought. Chapter Summary: Killian introduces Emma to many of his relatives and family friends. They later share a quiet moment together, which is awkwardly interrupted. Tags: au, fluff, captain swan, modern au Author's notes: for my next trick, I will cram the most random assortment of ouat cameos imaginable into this chapter /hj Taglist: @zahara @kmomof4 @jonesfandomfanatic @booksteaandtoomuchtv @jrob64 @tiganasummertree @anmylica @teamhook @undercaffinatednightmare @gingerchangeling @lonelyspectator @caught-in-the-filter @ultraluckycatnd @cs-rylie @pirateprincessofpizza @lfh1226-linda @pawshapedheart [if you'd like to be added to or removed from this list, hmu in my dms or askbox!]

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Emma'd slept better that night than she usually did in new places, and when she made her way to the kitchen that morning, she was greeted by a kiss on the cheek and a "good morning, love" from Killian, as well as a pancake breakfast with him and his family. Afterwards they dove into last minute party preparations like decorations and getting the food ready, with his parents insisting Emma was a guest and didn't need to help, and Emma insisting that it was no big deal and she wasn't about to sit around and do nothing, and Brennan mumbling something about how if that's the case then opposites very clearly attract, as Killian had made a living off of doing just that.

Once the rest of the guests started to trickle in, Emma then began to mingle with them, Killian introducing her to many of his relatives, former teachers, and family friends. A lot of them seemed somewhat insufferable in their own way, but there were a few kinder people among them. Most of these ones, Emma made it her goal to remember- she'd always been pretty good with names and faces, so it wasn't too hard.

One of the first guests in attendance was "Granny" Lucas, a kindly widow who lived down the street. She apparently treated the neighborhood kids like her own grandkids, Killian mentioning how she'd let the kids play in her yard with trees to climb and dogs to run around with whenever they wanted. He mentioned as well how she'd bake them cookies and knit them scarves and blankets. To this day, from what Emma heard, Granny's backyard was the center of town for the neighborhood kids.

They spent quite a while talking with Uncle Nemo, who gave Killian more than his fair share of teasing about the "lovely young lady friend" he'd brought with him that day, and though he seemed a bit embarrassed by his remarks, Killian still looked fondly upon his uncle. They talked for a bit about Uncle Nemo's contracting company, Nautilus Home Improvements, and how excited Liam was to soon begin his apprenticeship there. Nemo also seemed very proud of Killian's art career, saying he'd be certain to head down to the Nolan Blanchard to see his art himself at some point.

Killian introduced Emma as well to his step-aunts, Ruel, Bell, and Astrid. Aunt Astrid brought a somewhat familiar face with her, her boyfriend Leroy. Emma quickly recognized him as the lead from the jazz band that'd played at the museum's benefit dinner, and realized that it was the family connection that had landed him that gig.

Perhaps the most memorable person Emma met was Killian's cousin, Rogers. Killian had told Emma in advance that people always said they looked alike, though Rogers was a few older and neither of the two could see the resemblance. However, when Emma met him, she marveled at the powers that be, and how they'd been gracious enough to grant such perfect looks to two fortunate people. Rogers did look a little bit older than Killian, though he attributed the gray streaks in his hair to the stress of being a single parent, but aside from that, they looked so similar it was almost uncanny. Emma was secretly a little glad when he left early to take his daughter to dance class, because his mere presence was, admittedly, a little confusing. Even afterward, Emma almost felt it easier to pretend he was just a weird dream that never happened, as it made things a lot less confusing for herself and everyone involved.

Sometime later, Liam introduced them both to a friend of his, a sweet young lady named Paige. Based on the side-glances and smiles Killian was giving Liam as they talked, Emma could tell that she was more than just a "friend" of Liam's- and if not, he was clearly hoping it'd head in that direction. She seemed impressed to meet a semi-famous artist, and when she mentioned having a great appreciation for the arts, Killian offered to give a personal tour of the museum should she ever come down that way, then not-so-subtly hinted that Liam was heading in that direction sometime soon and they might even consider going together. This, of course, was met by blushing and stuttering on both of the teens' parts, but neither of them seemed entirely upset by this suggestion.

"I don't see why you said this weekend would be unbearable," Emma whispered to Killian when they'd found themselves alone in the kitchen, savoring a moment together before joining the rest of the guests back outside, "it's not so bad so far."

"That's because you're here, Swan," Killian replied, "how could I be miserable with you by my side?"

Emma could feel her cheeks turn red and looked down at her shoes, wondering how Killian always knew exactly what to say to fluster her so much.

"Besides," Killian said, leaning against a kitchen counter, "my father is less critical of me when there's others around. Can't have anyone see how disappointed he is in me, now, can he?" "I'm sure he's not disappointed in you," Emma said, despite having heard quite a few statements otherwise from him in the brief time they'd spent together that morning, "and Liam and your step mom seem alright." "They're great people," Killian whispered, "but I never really knew them as family. I'm just beginning to connect with Liam, and you probably know my step mom about as well as I do by now."

"Then maybe get to know them," Emma suggested.

"It's harder than you'd think, love," Killian said, "the only thing we really share in common is my dad, and some days I wish we didn't."

Emma rubbed his shoulder to comfort him.

"Somedays I almost wonder if it'd be easier if I didn't have a family at all," he said.

"It's not," Emma replied, so quickly she hadn't realized she was saying it until she'd already said it.

"Great going, Emma," she thought, "what a way to comfort him- reminding him his life is so much better than yours and that he should just suck it up and deal with it? Is that what I just did? Maybe he won't notice."

But the look on his face made it evident that he knew her response was borne of personal experience.

"I'm so sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to…"

She was interrupted by his arms wrapping around her, cradling her in an unexpected hug.

"Here I am, complaining about my family," he whispered, "and you don't even have- gosh, Swan. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," Emma said, shifting in his arms so she could return his embrace, "just because your pain is different from mine doesn't mean it doesn't still suck."

They looked up at each other, each reading something in each other's eyes, something that transcended words.

"Apology accepted, love," Killian said.

Emma smiled, so lost in him she forgot where she was- and so did he. They started to lean closer to each other, already holding each other tightly and trying very hard to remember why their lips weren't already back together– though they were already moving in that direction.

They were soon reminded why, however, by Killian's dad's voice.

"Killian James Jones!" Brennan said, in a tone equal parts shocked, appalled, and disappointed.

Killian and Emma quickly snapped back to reality, letting go of each other and stepping a few feet away from each other.

"Oh, uh," Killian said, "uh, hey, dad? Can I, uh, help you?"

"I was going to let you know we're about to cut the cake and raise a toast," his dad said, condescension building in his voice, "but I can see you've still found some excuse to let your little brother down and bail on him yet again. Had I known bringing your friend along would be so much of a distraction, I never would've invited her."

"I'm sorry," Emma said, her cheeks red for a different reason than usual, "I was, uh, upset about a family thing, and Killian was comforting me."

"And do you still need to be 'comforted?'" he asked, "or is my son free to rejoin with the rest of his family?"

"I'm good now," Emma said, needing comfort now more than ever, ashamed at embarrassing Killian in front of his father.

"Then feel free to join us, but remember," Brennan said, "Killian can do just fine at disappointing us on his own; he doesn't need some pretty blonde distraction to help him out with that."

"Yes, sir," Emma nodded, wanting to melt into her shoes and disappear.

"I would appreciate if you'd show Emma a little more respect than that," Killian said, interrupting her shame to defend her.

Emma and Brennan both looked at Killian, a little confused, though Brennan's confusion was tinted with disdain, and Emma's was tinted with awe.

"What was that?" Brennan asked.

"I don't mind that you don't respect me," Killian said, "I've gotten over the fact that no matter what I do, I'm always just the family disappointment. I'm okay with that. But I'd at least expect you to treat Emma with a little more dignity than that, seeing as it's not a high standard anyways. You can treat me like dirt all you want, but I draw the line at you treating Emma like that."

The awe on Emma's face didn't fade as she watched him defend her. He'd been shrinking back in front of his father so much that to see Killian stand up to him for her was impressive, remarkable- and attractive.

But the disdain on his dad's face didn't fade either.

"And I'll draw the line at you disrespecting me," Brennan said, "I thought I raised you to respect your parents, and not to be so rude to your host."

"I'd hardly say you raised me at all," Killian said, "seeing as I was raised to care about others."

Before the argument could get any more heated, Fiona walked in.

"Oh, there you guys are," she smiled, unaware of what had just been going on, "everyone's waiting outside."

"It'd be rude to keep them waiting," Brennan said.

As they followed his parents outside, Killian and Emma walked next to each other, though not quite close enough to be touching, not even on accident.

"I'm sorry," Killian whispered.

"Sorry?" Emma asked, "I was about to thank you for defending me."

"I wouldn't've needed to defend you if I hadn't brought you here in the first place," Killian said, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, babe," Emma said, "and I do appreciate you sticking up for me."

"All in a day's work, love," he said.

And despite how things had just gone so sour, Emma couldn't help but think to herself that, if him protecting her like that was all in a day's work, she wanted to spend every day she could by his side.

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