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extremelyblackandwhite · 2 years

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hi! for the 24 days of christmas can i pick “i drew their name! AGAIN. it’s been the third year in a row! what the fuck.” with lee bodecker or destroyer chris, please?

pairing: destroyer!ex-husband!chris x ex-wife!reader

a/n: thank you so much for your request! if anyone else wants to participate, here's the instructions

12 days of christmas

Chris never liked the holidays, never - even as a child. He found them pointless, shitty days wrapped up in fake shinny paper with just a high enough dose of capitalism to make the rich man happy. As his father used to say "why waste all my hard earned money on one year decorations?" and as each year passed by, he came to agree with him more and more.

- Time to pick a name out the hat. - Erin placed the hat on top of his desk. He rose his eyes from his paperwork, sighing as he put his hand in the dirty hat which seemed to make way all year round. - And spare me the Grinch speech. It gets old.

- Secret Santa gets old. - he finally found a wrapped paper, taking it out and on top of his paperwork. - Who did you get this year?

- Got you. Heads up, you’re getting a Starbucks gift card for 10 dollars.

- How thoughtful. - he rolled his eyes. - That will get me what? 2 whole coffees?

- And you’re welcome. - she sat on top of this hat. - And who got the unfortunate luck of having you as their Secret Santa?

He shrugged, grabbing the small, haphazardly wrapped little paper. No matter who the person’s name was, they were gonna get the same thing he gave everyone he was forced to give someone a present - a gift card to IKEA. However, as he unwrapped that little paper and a familiar name presented itself written in black ink, he found himself wondering if that was a good idea. He found himself wondering if he could ever give her a gift. That’d be weird.

- I drew her name! - he rubbed his face. - AGAIN! It’s been the third year in a row! What the fuck?! Let me pick again.

- No. - she took the hat away, somewhere he couldn’t find it. - You do this every year. It’s Secret Santa, she won’t know who gave her a shitty present.

- You mean my ex-wife? FBI laboratory specialist, highly skilled, will not figure out I gave her a shitty IKEA gift card?

- Maybe don’t give her an IKEA gift card? C’mon, don’t be cheap. You used to give great gifts.

- No, she used to give great gifts. I don’t think I can ask her what gift she wants.

- Sounds like your problem. We’re doing gift giving in a week. Sort it out.

He guessed the IKEA gift card was out of the picture, yet again eve when they were married, he never knew what to give her. He guessed that’s why they worked during Christmas - she knew what to do and she loved it, she thrived in it. Maybe that was why they didn’t work out. All that he knew is that he couldn’t figure out what to give his ex-wife. God, he hadn’t spoken to her since ... well, he couldn’t remember the last he spoke to her. His lawyers had handed her the divorce papers, they didn’t even go to court. It was that easy.

Shit. This had to be the universe trying to get him to actually speak to her. He’d never want to speak to her, actually, he’d considered moving to the CIA for a while, or working for the police department - anything really. However, the director was never too happy and so, for the past three years he’d been playing keeping away from her. Except for one particular evening where he’d gotten drunk and tried finding her, only to have his heart shattered once he saw her kissing someone. Ever since then, he’d successfully avoided his ex-wife and something told him, she’d successfully avoided him.

- Got the wife? - the guy who sat next to him pipped up. - Could always give her a date with me. She’s smoking.

- She’s my ex-wife and if you even speak to her, I’ll blow your head off.

This was ridiculous.

He could talk to her, he could ask her what she wanted for Christmas. Or we could ask one of her colleagues. Definitely the second option. Y/N had always been hard to buy gifts for, not that she was hard to please, after all she cherished any and everything given to her by anyone she cared for. She’d even kept the flowers he’d given her for their first date. God, what an awkward first date that had been, their reservation was for one person, they got rained on and her heels broke the moment she stepped out of the flat. Thinking about it, none of their dates ever went smoothly - something always went wrong yet she always found something to remember it by, to laugh about. What a pretty laugh she had.

He could still remember the first day they met, probably one of the rainiest days in US history and she had thoughtfully placed her umbrella above his head as they rushed into the building. He could no longer remember what style her hair had been in, the colour of her nail polish, or the colour of her clothing, but he could still remember being absolutely enchanted by her. It was a feeling that he’d never had before - almost like all the oxygen had been knocked off him. It was a feeing he had never felt ever since and Chris was fine with that. He was of the opinion you had one great love and then several small ones - besides, he no longer cared for the dating pool. Whatever he ended up getting her, he’d possibly give it to Erin and spare him the awkwardness of having to deal with having to hand it to her.

However, faith did not seem to be on his side as Erin decided to ditch which meant he had to give it to her. Now, just because he had to give it to her did not necessarily meant he had to see her. He could just drop it off at her office desk and go his merry way.

- Chris?

The sound was trembling, almost like a flute, feminine-like. He remembered that voice like the back of his hand, he remembered the different ways she’d say his name but none of them, none of the times she had called for him carried so much ... regret. This, this is why he didn’t want to see her. He slowly turned around, first looking at her smart shoes before following the A line of her lab coat up to her face. It still looked the same, even with the passage of time and a shorter haircut, she was still the same. She looked the same.

- Secret Santa. - he attempted to smile, despite his lip trembling. - I had ... had a meeting.

- Yeah ...

- Shit, no I fucking didn’t. - he came clean immediately. - Just didn’t want to see you.

- Surprised you didn’t trade with Erin. That’s what you’ve done the past three years.

- She got me this year. Anyway ... I just wanted to leave the gift. I hope you like it. - he put his hands in his pockets. - You look good.

- Don’t be mean. - she sighed, walking past him towards her desk. Chris furrowed a brow, turning around to face her. - Don’t come here after not speaking to me for three years and tell me I look good.

- I’m not ...

- No. - she interrupted him. - It’s not fair. You didn’t speak to me for three years, you just ... you just had your lawyer hand me divorce papers when you came back from undercover. I didn’t get a chance to even ... don’t be mean now.

- Did you want me to give you the divorce papers myself?

- Yes, but you were clearly too much of a coward to do it.

He stood still in his spot as if a weight had fallen right on him.

- You’re right. - he admitted. - But I only did it to protect you. I mean ... what kind of life were we living, Y/N? With me gone? Getting into undercover missions?

- I didn’t care. We were happy, I was happy but apparently you weren’t. Clearly you never were.

- You clearly didn’t take long to rebound either.

- Was I supposed to be eagerly awaiting? You made the divorce seem final.

- To protect you.

- You’re just selfish. You just did that so you wouldn’t feel remorseful if something happened. You knew the nature of your job when you married me, don’t act like you didn’t. You just got tired.

- Tired? Are you fucking kidding me? I had the perfect wife and I only did this ... I only did that because I wanted you safe, I wanted you to be happy even if it was without me. After that mission with Erin, I just ... I couldn’t put you through me dying and grieving and all that shit. I only did that because I love you and I wanted you happy?

- You think I’m happy? You think I’m happy knowing my ex-husband avoids me and would rather avoid me than talk? I loved you Chris, I loved you so much and you didn’t even ...

- You would’ve convinced me not to. - he interrupted her. - You would’ve convinced me not to leave you and you would’ve succeeded. I can’t say no to you.

- That is no excuse.

- Can we start this again? Please?

- Maybe next year.

#sebastian stan

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pbandjesse · 11 months

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Today was a pretty awesome day. Honestly I don't have too many complaints except I was tired and it was hot. A lot of today was great.

I fell asleep really fast last night which was really nice. And I wish I got to sleep longer but I was pretty well rested. But I was very tired when I got up. I woke up at 7:15 and I did not want to get out of bed at all but I knew I had to. Last week Ann had said I didn't have to come this week if it was too hot if I didn't want to but then she texted me yesterday that she wasn't feeling well and that she was wondering if I would take over today and of course I said yes because I care about her and I want to make sure that the market is going well. And so I got up and I got dressed and I wore this jumpsuit which is great except for some reason even though usually women's clothings have fake buttons this one all the buttons down the front are real and it gaps like crazy so 5 seconds before we needed to leave I took the whole thing off and I ran it through the sewing machine. I did not change the thread on the sewing machine so there's just black stitching going down the front now. I'm going to rip it out at some point and put something that matches a little bit better but it has to be sewn down or it would drive me insane. And I really like this jumpsuit so I want to make it work.

I was not in the best place emotionally because I was so tired. But James got us out the door only a few minutes late and we didn't forget anything which was nice. We stopped for breakfast and everyone who was working in the McDonald's was literally a teenager and was so confused at every question and it was a little funny. But we got our food and it was fine even though the hash brown was a weird shape. And then we were at the market.

James helped me set up. It was already very hot and Anne was not feeling great and was going to be leaving by 9:00. But she stayed for setup and everything was going okay. No big disasters. No one being terribly annoying with their vehicles. I got all set up and then I just started knitting.

And I would finish my ball of yarn. I still need six more squares to finish the whole thing. So hopefully I'll have that done tomorrow and then I can start sewing the rows together. And I'm really excited. Just think the gradient looks very cool and I'm excited for this project to be done and to start working on my next one. I have no idea what that next one will be but I'm excited.

And I'm surprised at how good I did today at the market. Because I was not feeling it. I tried my best to stand because I always do better when I stand. I don't know why that is but standing up makes me sell more things. And people were really nice and I had some really nice interactions. A child from last year and the year before, Rosie, who had bought a bear and named it Farmer Bear, came back for the first time this season and I was so excited to see her because she's going to be turning four next month and her mom and her dad and her little brother and it was just so nice to see them. And while she wanted to buy the other bear that matches her farmer bear, except farmer beer has a pink nose and this one has a black nose, mom said no bears this time. Which is understandable. Instead they bought a sticker and she's going to put on her water bottle for her first day of school and I could cry that's so cute.

And I also had that nice family that always comes and buys things from me bring two of my frogs back that needed slight repairs. They tried to pay me for it but it took me literally 2 minutes to resew the legs So I said it's fine and then they bought four stickers anyway. I really appreciate how much they support me and they made my day very bright by telling me how much they love the things I make.

It was very hot though and all of us were suffering. And we decided that we would close the market early at noon. Bob came out and we had a really nice long chat about metal casting and getting sunburns from welding and just he's such a nice guy. I used to be so intimidated by him but I think he's great. Though he did get upset with me later in the day when he found out we were closing early and I didn't tell him. But I thought he was standing right there when we had the conversation so I feel bad. But it's not my fault!

I'm just glad he still was able to come out and get his lunch before everyone closed up.

James did come out to get baked goods with me. I got my peanut butter pie and a caramel brownie which is excellent. And James got a couple donuts and a cheesecake bar and a key lime pie for liter this week. And eventually they would go and buy a burger from the food truck because apparently they promised on Thursday that they would buy lunch there with them today.

And James said it was really good.

One of the other really nice interactions I had was towards the end when a family came by, a white woman and an Indian man, and then all of their parents. And the white woman picked up one of my bears and was gushing about how it reminded her of her and her brother's childhood toy and she loved it so much but she couldn't decide which one was the closest. So I told her go for a walk do the loop come back. And she did and when she came back her mom was with her and she showed her at her mom was like oh my god it does look like your guys's toy, who was named lammy and Barry. And then the husband was like I'll buy it for you and so I was like okay but then all of a sudden his mom throws her credit card at me and she's like I'm going to buy it for my daughter, her daughter-in-law which was so cute. And then the Indian guys dad who had an amazing turban on goes hey you're only supposed to swipe your credit card 30 times a month! And she said more like 30 times a minute lol! And it was so silly. And it was just such a sweet interaction and I just really loved it.

And then I had someone buy three bears from me for their nieces and nephews and that was great. And I was just having such a nice day and people were great and I was very happy even though it was incredibly hot.

The other real problem was that it wasn't super hot in the pavilion. We were getting a really good breeze. It was warm but it wasn't unbearable but as soon as you left the pavilion It was like so hot that I was worried for everyone in the parking lot even though they were under tents. Like it was painful. The wind though was keeping us cool in the pavilion but was also knocking everything over. I kept having to chase papers and then my stuff was going everywhere and I had to put some stuff away because they just would not stay still. And honestly it made me so tired. I was pretty okay until I had to start running around.

So I was really really happy when noon came around. I took my time putting things away. Jose came over and told me I could take peaches because he had a bunch of leftover. And then Helen gave me a bouquet of flowers to say thank you for introducing her to CJ. And it was just so beautiful and everyone was so kind today. Just a lovely group of people.

After I packed up I went inside to sit with James and give them a break so they could run to the bathroom. And I talked to Deborah who I haven't seen in a while and it was nice to see her. And then I decided that everyone was packed up enough outside by 12:30 that I could leave.

I went outside to tell Stanley that I was heading out and told him not to tattle on me that I was leaving a half an hour early and he said he didn't see anything. And then I left. And I was so happy to go home.

On my way home there was so much traffic in the opposite direction on MLK because of the baseball game tonight so I made sure to note that so when I came back for James at 4:00 I would go a different way. And then I saw a guy asking for change and I gave him one of the peaches after asking if he would like one. And he got the biggest smile on his face and he was like Yes I absolutely would love a peach. And it was just very nice and he had such a nice smile. I hope he's doing okay.

I got home and I brought everything inside and I put things in the fridge. I had bought guacamole again and was very excited to eat that later. I cut the bottoms of the flowers and I broke the bouquet in half because we were going to go to Jessie's graduation party tonight and I would give her half the flowers. And then I took a quick shower and changed and got in bed and slept for almost 2 hours.

When I woke up I was so delirious and so sad that I had to get up. I did not want to go to this graduation party I did not want to drive I was so upset but I made promises and so I had to make it happen. And so I went and had some of that guacamole and a little bit of my brownie and then drank a whole lot of water and headed out.

I had to drive through the city and while there was no traffic people were driving so stupid and I had to be so aggressive to deal with them. And I hate being an aggressive driver but I am also very good at it. And so I was trying not to scream at people and swerve my car around other cars but I safely and in one piece made it to the museum before 4:00.

I got James and switch seats so that they could drive and then we went to Jessie's gathering.

The sky looked very dark for having a 0% chance of rain. And almost immediately after we parked the sky opened up and it stormed for about a half an hour very hard. But we were safely inside and honestly it was a really nice little time. We were only there for about an hour But it was really good. When we got there they were just about to do toasts and little speeches for Jessie and the other graduate, Edgar, and it was really nice and everyone was really sweet and just clearly cared about them both so much. And when they asked if anybody else had anything to say if something was on their heart I was like hey I know I don't know any of you and none of you know me but walking in the space just feels like it's filled with so much love and that's just very lovely and I'm glad that all of you are friends and we were all joking for the next hour about how I just wandered and off the street because I didn't know anybody. But it was really cute and I just loved listening to it and honestly because I'm so emotional right now I could have cried a few times because they were being so sweet to each other but it was really nice.

And then somebody brought ice cream so I got to have an ice cream cone and there was watermelon. There was also a feta orzo salad that I was coveting but I did not have any of because I didn't really want to eat any more salty food but I love federal orso salad so I told James that and they said they will make something for me.

And I did get to talk to a couple people and make a couple little friends. And I'm at another non-binary James and had a lovely conversation with them and I got to talk about camp and a couple other like goofy things about kids being super out and LGBTQ friendly and how it's just beautiful to see but also how goofy they are about it and how I had that weird conversation last year where a child told me that a football player at their school was queerbating because they weren't actively out of the closet. And I'm like it was just you can't queer bait in person that's something that media does. So it was just really nice to be in such a queer space with so many beautiful people that were all clearly just so smart and kind. Plus there was watermelon and that was great.

We left right after the rain stopped. And I was in a much better mood and a much better place emotionally. Tony let us know that he was on his way with Leon and Billy to bring them to our house and we had one more stop so we headed out after saying goodbye. And went over to Jessie's house because she had a new bike for me.

When I say new I mean she found this bike in a free pile on the side of the road and it's small so she thought that it would work for me. And it's about the same size as the bike I have already And it's very cute and it's a Schwinn. It's caliente Schwinn. I'm not sure what I'm going to name it I'm leaning to hot tamale or cherry bomb. But it's very cute and I'm excited to see if it works for me. So James took that off of her back porch and took the wheel off because it's got a quick release and we got it in the car and went home.

We beat the boys there by less than 10 minutes. And I was happy to see them. I got to show off my apartment just a little bit. I knew that they were going to be leaving very soon but it was cool to get to show them some stuff and then they talk sports with James and James gave them jerseys and hats to wear to the game if they would like to and then they were off to the light rail.

As soon as they left I got right into cleaning. I vacuumed I cleaned the kitty litter I cleaned the fish tanks I sprayed down the bathroom I wiped all the surfaces and I was having a great time even though it is entirely too warm in here. I had both air conditioners going but I take forever to really cool down the space. It seems to finally be working though. And I just spent like an hour and a half cleaning and making it nice in here and then I got to work laying out all of my squares.

I decided to do this kind of gradient of the three colors with the black. So it's like a checkerboard gradient and I really like it. I made one too many red squares and I still need six black squares. I'm frogging and old panel that I made with the black yarn that I never used for anything. I have a whole box of stuff that could be frogged honestly but I just grabbed that one and started doing that but then I got distracted and I didn't want to work on it anymore so I pinned all of the rows so that I can just grab them and start sewing them together and hopefully I will have all of that done by the end of camp. Honestly I don't think it's going to take me that long but it is time consuming. So we'll see what happens.

After I did that I chilled for a while and then I decided I needed to set up the beds for the boys cuz I didn't know what time everyone was coming back from the game And I was surprised to find that we don't have very many sheets. I don't know where they all are. I know I got rid of a couple but I didn't think I went crazy. So that's annoying. But I set the beds up best I could. And also we don't have a lot of like cooler weather blankets so I put the ones out that I could find but most of our blankets are made of fake fur so they're very great for the winter but not great for right now.

Hopefully the boys think it's fine. I also put teddy bears on both of the beds so I hope that makes them feel cozy.

Once I finish that I got into a project in the studio fixing my rainbow sandals. I thought maybe since they're basically ready for the trash I could try patching them. Which is something I've never tried before. I have some leather scraps so I cut squares to put around the ball of the foot area because it's cracked on both sides and then I glued and clamped the backs. I don't know if these will be usable at all but I love having just a pair of flip-flops I can throw on when I need to walk down to the car. Which is something I had to do to get the air pump for the air mattress. And that's when I was like I'm going to do this next project. And it was fun even though I got glue literally everywhere including on my stomach somehow.

So then I knew it was time to take a shower. And I took a very excellent shower and it made me feel a lot better. And I put on nice vanilla lotion. And then I did my eyebrows and now I am laying in bed with sweetp.

James just texted me about how bad the Orioles are. I don't know why they're shocked the Orioles have always been bad. But I hope they're having fun. And now I'm going to go back to watching my video and maybe working on my knit squares for a little bit longer.

I hope that you guys had a good day and that you are not somewhere where it is incredibly hot. I hope that you are being grateful and kind. I love you all. Be safe and tell your mom you love her.

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khaleesiofalicante · 2 years

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Dani I’m slightly/mildly irritated/pissed off

So like I love my grandparents. They’re weird, eccentric, not sure how they’re still married cos they’re honestly neurotic. My nanny is a worrier and my grandad is a teaser but we usually get on quite well

Recently my nanny has been making comments about my eating habits. E.g. I was at a party and ate two chocolates (small pebbles sized) and she warned me away from a third and made some comment about dying of a stroke if I eat too much chocolate. Then at the end of the party I took another 2 chocolates and she said that I couldn’t finish my (very sweet) cake but I cld eat more chocolate

Then the other day It was Father’s Day so my grandad got some chocolate and my nanny can’t eat it, and she was like ooh I can’t eat that so I said if you need someone to share it with then I’m available, and then my grandad makes a joke abt how he’s worried abt my intestines, which is clearly a joke and he’s just messing cos he does that, then my nanny goes on to say she’s worried abt my arteries

My parents are NOT happy. Like she did this to my auntie and it gave her issues. I don’t think I’m overweight or unhealthy and I eat quite healthily for my age really, so I’m less self conscious and more just upset and annoyed that she’s acting like this and being judgmental

The icing on the cake is that I wanted to go see them for a chat today cos I was in the area, so I stopped by and we had a nice chat, and they offered me a fruit bar that I didn’t really like, but I wasn’t really hungry anyway, which I said.

Then my grandad got out his chocolate, and before he could say anything she immediately shouted NO SHES NOT HUNGRY

Like bro, let him offer me a chocolate. He did, i accepted, feeling like a terrible person, when he offered me another one later on I felt obliged to refuse so clearly it is affecting me, Although im not concerned abt my health just abt being judged

And then I was discussing how I’d finished two books today, and she goes off with, how much of the Bible did you read? And goes off on a long rant about how I need to be reading the Bible and basiaclly making me feel worthless for something SOO many people really struggle with. I’m kind of annoyed I didn’t tell her I was considering atheism (which I’m not, but the look on her face would have been hilarious) and this whole time she’s almost shouting at me, I think my grandad is just tryna wind me up and he goes, ‘oh I’d read the whole Bible by the time I was 16 and I was disappointed I took that long’

Thanks grandad, lovely way to make me feel good abt myself

Like seriously, you think that’s the way to encourage someone to read their bible? By looking down on them? Smh

And their judgement isn’t doing anything to help our relationship either. Like there are some things I disagree with my family on, and I’m willing to accept it and move past it and love them regardless, as long as they’re not hurting people, but I’m finding it hard to like them when there’s all this judgment.

My parents are pissed abt this as well and my mum apologised to me for their behaviour (not her fault)

It’s been going on for a while really, like I asked for an inspirational quote poster for my birthday or something and it was a read your Bible reminder, and it’s sort of nice? Except it makes me feel shit every time I see it and doesn’t work at all 😂

And then the time she bought me the same book two years in a row - which I still haven’t read, because I’m a fiction nerd and honestly 😭

Sorry to bother you, really needed to rant for the third time today or smth ha

Ay don't worry about it. I hope venting made you feel better.

I'm glad you have your parents on your side tho.

PS - If it were me, I'd eat chocolates every time I was in front of her just to piss her off. Then also send her pics of me eating chocolates :)

#sending love!

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starstruckphantommoon · 8 days

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Polar Opposites - Book 3: Fire - Chapter 16: The Ember Island Players

For the past week, we’ve all been lazing around the Firelord’s old beach house on Ember Island. I find this whole situation really ironic since the Firelord is looking for us and here we are in his own beach house that he still owns. Since Ember Island is in the Fire Nation, for an extra precaution, we all changed into the Fire Nation clothing that we had. All of us except for Zuko of course since he is originally from the Fire Nation.

During the time that we’ve been here, Zuko’s been teaching Aang firebending techniques and forms while the rest of us just lounge around the house. We’re in the Fire Nation, so there isn’t much that we can do, which is so boring and dull. I have to say that doing nothing all day is very enjoyable though, especially considering how much we’ve been going through before we got here.

At the moment, Aang and Zuko are practicing their firebending in the courtyard of the house while Katara, Toph and I watch. Well, Katara and I are watching, Toph just sits there feeling the vibrations from their movements, cause you know, she’s blind.

To be completely honest, I haven’t really been watching them. In fact, I haven’t been watching Aang at all. Instead, I’ve been watching the muscles in Zuko’s bare torso ripple and tense with every movement that he makes.

What?

It’s not like I can really help it, I mean, HE IS SHIRTLESS!

Aang and Zuko finish their routine with a deep breath before bowing to each other respectfully. “Doesn't it seem kind of weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?” Katara asks, while looking around the courtyard.

She’s right.

It is weird. Very weird.

“I told you,” Zuko says, causing Katara and I to look at him as he’s now sitting on a dry fountain and wiping his head with a towel. “my father hasn't come here since our family was actually happy. And that was a long time ago. It's the last place anyone would think to look for us.”

I frown at him just being so casual about how his family is unhappy.

“You guys are not gonna believe this!” Sokka’s voice exclaims as he and Suki walk into the courtyard. “There's a play about us.” “We were just in town and we found this poster!” Suki clarifies. Sokka unrolls a scroll of paper, showing the others and I the poster for the play. Out of curiosity, I get up from my spot next to Toph and Katara to get a closer look at the poster. It depicts Katara, Aang, Sokka and I with Zuko's scarred face in the background. “What? How is that possible?” Katara asks, surprised.

“Listen to this…” Sokka says as he turns the poster towards him. “’The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu-on Tim, who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar, from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage.’” he reads off. “’Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players.’” Suki finishes. “Ugh!” Zuko groans out, causing the others and I to turn to him. “My mother used to take us to see them. They butchered Love Amongst the Dragons every year!” “Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play about ourselves?” Katara asks our brother.

“Come on, a day at the theater?” Sokka asks persuasively. “This is the kind of wacky time-wasting nonsense I've been missing!” he continues as he holds up the poster anxiously and smiles sheepishly.

After we all decided that going to the theater would be fun, we all got ready to go before leaving the house when it was almost time for the play. We got to the theatre about 30 minutes before the show was supposed to start and it was crowded.

We weren’t expecting this play to be this popular.

*********

Once we got inside of the theater, we decided to head up to one of the upper sections and sit there so that we could keep to ourselves. There’s 2 rows that the 7 of us can sit on. I follow Sokka and Suki into the balcony to see Aang trying to sit next to Katara but before he can sit next to her, Zuko sits there instead. “Hey, uh... I wanted to sit there.” Aang says to Zuko, trying to act as casual as possible. Zuko removes the hood of his cloak. “Just sit next to me. What's the big deal?” I was just, I wanted to…” Aang tries to explain, before finally giving in and sitting down next to Zuko. “okay.”

I giggle softly as I sit down next to Sokka and Suki in the 2nd row. “Why are we sitting in the nosebleed section?” Toph asks. “My feet can't see a thing from up here!” “Don't worry, I'll tell your feet what's happening.” Katara says to her, just as the curtain rises to reveal a set representative of the South Pole seas.

In the center of the stage, Actress Katara and Actor Sokka are rowing their boat along. I roll my eyes at the sight of how they look. I mean sure, they could never get an exact look alike but really? They literally could’ve done so much better than this.

Sokka’s actor is more pale, skinnier and just all around weird looking. The only thing that actually made him look like Sokka was the hair style and the water tribe clothes that he’s wearing.

The actress that plays Katara is even worse though. She’s much more round and developed than Katara really is and her water tribe clothes are much more revealing. She also has too much blush on her face, so much in fact that it makes her look really embarrassed.

Just from seeing them, I really don’t want to see the actress that’s going to play me…

The actress that’s playing Katara lets out a dramatic sigh that breaks me out of my thoughts. “Sokka, my only brother! We constantly roam these icy South Pole seas, and yet never do we find anything fulfilling!” she says. “All I want is a full feeling in my stomach! I'm starving!” Actor Sokka exclaims which makes the audience laugh while Sokka and Katara’s faces fall as they look at each other, confused. “Is food the only thing on your mind?” ‘Katara’ asks him. “Well, I'm trying to get it out of my mind and into my mouth! I'm starving!” ‘Sokka’ replies which causes the audience to laugh again.

Sokka leans forward in his seat; clearly annoyed. “This is pathetic! My jokes are way funnier than this!” he exclaims as he extends his arm in a dramatic gesture. Toph laughs as she leans back in her seat with her legs crossed and her arms resting behind her. “I think he's got you pegged!”

‘Katara’ stands up in the canoe. “Every day, the world awaits a beacon to guide us, yet none appears!” She holds one hand out to the audience and the other on her heart. “Still, we cannot give up hope! For hope,” she begins to cry. “is all we have! And we must never relinquish it, even…” she sniffs and falls back into a string position. “even to our dying breath!” with those final words, she leans over the side of the canoe and buries her face in her hands, crying.

At the actresses’ words, Sokka, Suki, Toph and I find ourselves snickering. “Well, that’s just silly. I don’t sound like that.” Katara says with crossed arms, displeased. “Oh man! This writer's a genius!” Toph exclaims, elated.

Actress Katara is still slumped over the side of the canoe crying when an iridescent light suddenly appears from above. She and ‘Sokka’ turn towards the light, looking shocked.

A model iceberg slides onto the stage behind the continue, the vague shadow of a figure visible from behind.

The two actors stand up in the canoe. “It appears to be someone frozen in ice, perhaps for a hundred years.” ‘Katara’ says. “But who? Who is the boy in the iceberg?” ‘Sokka’ asks.

As I watch the scene continue I see Aang smile as he leans forward in his seat, clearly excited to see what his actor looks like.

‘Katara’ and ‘Sokka’ climb up to the top of the model iceberg to stand before the silhouetted figure. “Waterbend! Hi-yah!” ‘Katara’ slices her hand down and “ice” breaks in half. Fog comes out before ‘Aang’ jumps out from behind the iceberg in front of ‘Katara’ and ‘Sokka’.

I have to stifle a laugh at the sight of ‘Aang’ because it’s actually a woman playing Aang.

“Who are you, frozen boy?” ‘Katara’ asks ‘Aang’.

‘Aang’ giggles and points to himself. “I'm the Avatar, silly, here to spread joy and fun!”

“Wait, is that a woman playing me?” Aang asks in disappointment.

A crude, costumed-version of Appa suddenly bursts up from behind the trio of actors. The replica of Appa sways from side to side before leaping off the iceberg prop and running around the stage.

‘Katara’ gasps out in surprise. “An airbender!” She then clasps her hands to her chest. “My heart is so full of hope, that it's making me tearbend!” she continues as she begins to cry and grab onto ‘Aang’s’ leg.

“My stomach is so empty, that it's making me tearbend!” ‘Sokka’ exclaims as he throws his arms up hopelessly before dropping to his knees, clutching onto Actress Aang's other leg, and crying. “I need meat!”

At ‘Sokka’s’ words ‘Aang’ stoops down, puts her arm around Actor Sokka’s shoulders, and points upward. “But wait! Is that a platter of meaty dumplings?” At her question, ‘Sokka’ quickly leans away from ‘Aang’ looking around excitedly; shielding his eyes with his hand, turning his head, searching for the alleged dumplings. “Ooh, where, where?” At his reaction, ‘Aang’ laughs and swings her arms around jovially. “Did I mention that I'm an incurable prankster?” she asks as she crosses her legs as the audience laughs.

“I don't do that! That's not what I'm like! And I'm not a woman!” Aang exclaims as he extends his arm toward the stage, angry with the actress’ bad portrayal of him.

“Oh, they nailed you, Twinkle Toes!” Toph laughs.

The scene changes and a boat with the Iroh and Zuko actors standing on it appears. A stifled giggle escapes my mouth at the sight of Zuko’s actor as he’s wearing a replica of Zuko’s old Fire Nation armor with his long ponytail. Not only that, but his scar is on the wrong side of his face. “Prince Zuko, you must try this cake!” ‘Iroh’ says as he holds up a plate with a whole cake with one slice missing on it. “I don’t have time to stuff my face!” ‘Zuko’ exclaims determinedly. He then lowers his telescope and turns to Actor Iroh. “I must capture the Avatar to regain my honor!” “Well, while you do that, maybe I'll capture another slice.” ‘Iroh’ replies as he holds the cake up higher before bringing it towards his face and proceeding to gobble it down ravenously and noisily. ‘Zuko’ turns away from ‘Iroh’ in disgust. “You sicken me!”

“They make me look totally stiff and humorless.” Zuko complains while he gestures toward the stage. “Actually, I think that actor's pretty spot on.” Katara replies, complacently amused which makes me snicker. “How could you say that?” Zuko asks her in protest.

I’m about to say something to rile Zuko up even more but Actor Iroh’s voice echoing through the theatre stops me from doing so. “Let's forget about the Avatar and get massages!”

Actor Zuko turns towards his uncle, leaning forward menacingly as he shouts. “How could you say that?!”

I look down at Zuko and Katara to see Katara smiling at Zuko smugly as he slumps down in his seat, defeated and dismayed to find her claim accurate.

“Awe~ Zuzu~.” I coo as I lean up and over the back of his seat, putting my chin onto his shoulder. “Shut up Kida.” he groans as the others and I snicker at his displeased face.

The scene changes again and this time it’s a display of what looks like a small village in the South Pole. As the scene changes a figure in a thick parka steps out onto the stage.

“Dear sister!” ‘Katara’ exclaims which causes me to perk up knowing that the figure is supposed to be me.

“It’s about time you 2 showed up.” the figure in the parka asks as they pull the park off.

As soon as I see her face, my nose scrunches up in disgust.

“Look, sis, it’s the Avatar!” ‘Sokka’ grins gesturing to ‘Aang’.

I don’t even pay attention to what the actress playing me says about meeting ‘Aang’, in fact, all I can focus on is her appearance.

Her dark hair is in a messy braid that goes down her back.

She’s extremely skinny, it almost looks unnatural.

She’s also wearing a lot more makeup and a dress that reveals a lot more skin then ‘Katara’ is.

The next scene was when Zuko came to our village and captured Aang, planning to bring him to his father to regain his honor as well as when I got captured and taken prisoner on his ship.

The only thing that really made me focus on that scene of the play was how the actress playing me had literal heart eyes any time Zuko was talking to her.

“Oh please.” I hiss with a roll of my eyes, since I know, for a fact, that Zuko and I didn’t start forming feelings for each other until after Zuko saved Aang and I from Zhao as the Blue Spirit.

The next scene with ‘Aang’, ‘Katara’ and ‘Sokka’ is when they’re at the Southern Air Temple. The actress playing Aang looks around the stage before noticing a tail prop moving behind a bush prop.

“Hey look, I think I found something!” she exclaims before she tiptoes to the bush.

A moment later, actress Aang takes out a hand puppet that doesn’t even look like Momo, placing it on her shoulder.

“It's a flying rabbit-monkey! I think I'll name him, Momo!” She laughs. “Hi everybody, I love you!” she continues while using the puppet and making the audience laugh.

The next scene is of what had happened when my siblings and Aang met Suki on Kyoshi Island.

To be completely honest, I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw actor Sokka in the Kyoshi Warriors’ uniform.

“Does this dress make my butt look fat?” ‘Sokka’ asks as he points at his backside.

Not only does the whole audience laugh at that, but both Suki and I laugh too.

Sokka gives Suki and I an embarrassed look as he blushes at the memory.

After seeing a reenactment of what happened when my siblings and Aang first met King Bumi in Omashu, it cuts to when my siblings and I met the pirates.

Our actors and actresses are currently standing center stage when the pirates enter the stage from both sides, holding weapons in the air before they attack them.

The 4 players slip away, with actress Katara holding a large scroll.

They tiptoe away from the pirates.

“Why did you have to steal that waterbending scroll?” Both Sokka and I’s actors ask ‘Katara’ at the same time. “It just gave me so much hope!” ‘Katara’ replies while crying and clutching the scroll even tighter to her chest.

Next is a scene where both actresses playing and I are tied on 2 separate platforms guarded by 6 Fire Nation soldiers.

“The Avatar and the last waterbender from The Southern Water Tribe are mine!” ‘Zuko’ exclaims. He looks off stage. “Wait, who's coming?”

Suddenly a figure with a giant Blue Spirit mask on, jumps on stage holding 2 swords. “I'm the Blue Spirit, the scourge of the Fire Nation, here to save the Avatar and the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe!”

The Blue Spirit walks across the stage waving his swords. The guards fall down and Actor Zuko runs around the platform before he throws a red strip of paper to symbolize firebending.

The Blue Spirit points a sword at Actor Zuko, who runs away.

“Our hero!” ‘Aang’ and ‘I’ exclaim as they both jump on top of the Blue Spirit's large mask before the Blue Spirit walks off stage.

“Ugh!” I groan out in frustration.

Time went on and we’re at the point in the play where we were in the North Pole.

“Don’t go, Yue! You’re the only woman who has taken my mind off of food!” ‘Sokka’ says before he kisses Yue.

He then lets go and gags. “Wait, did you have pickled fish for dinner?” he asks her. “Goodbye, Sokka! I have important moon duties to take care of!” ‘Yue’ says as a moon prop that she’s currently sitting on starts to rise up. “And yes, I did have pickled fish!” she says, answering ‘Sokka’s’ question before disappearing above the stage.

“You never told me you made out with a Moon Spirit.” Suki says from Sokka’s other side. In reply to her words, Sokka places a finger over her lips. “Shhh!” “I’m trying to watch!” Sokka says tearing up. Suki, disgusted by Sokka’s act, looks away from him, folding her arms over her chest.

*******************

The next scene is of actress Aang, wearing a Koizilla costume, as tiny Fire Nation ships are being pulled across the stage by ropes. Actress Aang in the Koizilla costume stomps on them as she waves a doll of Zhao.

*Laughs* “The Avatar is back to save the day! Yay!” she cheers as she stomps 3 more ships before tripping over her Koizilla costume and falling just as the curtain drops, signaling the end of act 1 of the play.

The audience cheers and Toph laughs while the others and I all groan in disgust.

It’s now the intermission and the others and I are currently sitting on a flight of stairs outside of the theatre.

“So far, this intermission is the best part of the play.” Zuko says as he leans against the railing.

*Hmph* “I’ll say.” I agree as I sit on the railing next to him.

“Apparently, the playwright thinks I'm an idiot who tells bad jokes about meat all the time!” Sokka exclaims irritably as he walks down the stairs holding a bag of flaming fire flakes and sits next to Suki.

“Yeah, you tell bad jokes about plenty of other topics.” Suki replies with a hint of sarcasm.

“I know!” Sokka exclaims as he eats a fire flake.

“At least the Sokka actor kind of looks like you.” Aang says angrily which makes Sokka turn to him while Suki gleefully smiles. “That woman playing the Avatar doesn't resemble me at all!”

“I don't know, you are more in touch with your feminine side than most guys.” Toph replies.

Aang stands up from the stairs angrily. “Argh!”

“Relax, Aang.” Katara says, causing Aang, the others and I to turn to her. “They're not accurate portrayals. It's not like I'm a preachy crybaby who can't resist giving over emotional speeches about hope all the time.”

Nobody says anything to her about her comment.

“What?” she asks.

Aang turns around and sits back down on the stairs. “Yeah, that's not you at all.” he says sarcastically.

“Listen friends, it's obvious that the playwright did his research. I know it must hurt, but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the truth.” Toph says.

She does have a point. The playwright did do his research, but this play is just terrible.

Not to mention, I am not that rude and mean to my siblings, or anyone that I know for that matter!

“Well, here we are in the Earth Kingdom!” Katara sang out. “I'd better have a look around to see if I can find an earthbending teacher!” ‘Aang’ says as she opens up her miniature air glider prop and jumps into the air, a cable lifting her up.

“This is it, this must be where I come in!” Toph says, sounding really excited.

Actress Aang flies around the theater, over the audience, and returns to the stage. “I flew all over town, but I couldn't find a single earthbending master!” she says as she looks out towards the crowd.

“Here it comes…” I hear Toph say joyfully.

“You can't find an earthbending master in the sky,” A tall, buff man says as he enters the stage from a trapdoor beneath a rock prop. “you have to look underground!” he continues as he throws the prop over to the side.

At the sight of him, Aang, Sokka, Suki, Katara and I laugh while Zuko looks up from the piece of paper he holds in stunned silence.

“Who are you?” Actress Aang asks.

The man spits to the side before smirking. “My name's Toph,” He the flexes his muscles. “because it sounds like tough, and that's just what I am!” he finishes, which makes the audience laugh.

“Wait a minute,” Toph says as she picks at her ear with her pinky. “I sound like a guy. A really buff guy.” she continues in utter confusion.

“Well Toph, what you hear up there is the truth. It hurts, doesn't it?” Katara asks, throwing what Toph had said to us about the play and the actors playing us earlier back at her.

“Are you kidding me? I wouldn't have cast it any other way!” Toph exclaims. She laughs. “At least it's not a flying bald lady!”

“So, you're blind?” ‘Aang’ asks as she waves her hand over the guy playing Toph’s face.

Actor Toph laughs at the action. “I can see you doing that. I see everything that you see, except I don't "see" like you do. I release a sonic wave from my mouth.” He turns to the trio and screams loudly in their faces.

I hold my ears in pain from how loud his scream is.

“There. I got a pretty good look at you.”

I watch as a spotlight rises over the stage only to reveal the actors playing Zuko and Iroh. Only this time, Zuko’s hair is not in the ponytail like it was earlier in the play.

I cover my mouth my hand to stifle my laughter at the sight of him which causes Zuko to turn around and glare at me.

“Zuko, it's time we had a talk…” ‘Iroh’ says as he points at ‘Zuko’. “about your hair, it's gone too far!” he exclaims.

“Maybe it's best if we... split... up!” ‘Zuko’ says before he and ‘Iroh’ walk away from each other.

The play continues as the actors and actresses act out our adventures in the Earth Kingdom.

I watch as actor Jet acts all crazy after putting on googly eyes.

“No, Jet! What did they do to you?” Actress Aang asks.

“Must... serve... Earth King!” ‘Jet’ as he begins to swing his hook hands wildly, almost hitting actress Aang and Actor Sokka. “Must... destroy!” he exclaims.

A hollow rock prop then begins to float down onto the stage.

Actor Jet falls down so that he lands underneath the prop and crawls all the way under it.

I tilt my head in confusion.

‘What just happened?’ I think in utter confusion.

“Did Jet just... die?” Zuko asks.

“You know, it was really unclear.” Sokka replies with a shrug.

“Yeah, I’ll say.” I agree.

That was certainly weird to watch.

*******************

The scene changes to the crystal catacombs where Katara and Zuko are alone.

I have to admit that I have been somewhat curious as to what happened between Katara and Zuko when they were in the catacombs together even if both of them (more specifically Katara) have told me what had happened between them.

“I have to admit Prince Zuko, I really find you attractive!” ‘Katara’ says.

“You don't have to make fun of me.” ‘Zuko’ says to her from his spot on a rock prop with his arms and legs crossed.

“But I mean it!” ‘Katara’ replies as she sits down with actor Zuko. “I've had eyes for you since the day you first captured me!”

I raise an eyebrow at what’s happening on stage. Surely this didn’t happen when Katara and Zuko were alone in the catacombs together, especially with how Katara acted towards Zuko when he first joined the others and I.

Actor Zuko stands up. “Wait, I thought you were the Avatar's girl!”

“The Avatar?” ‘Katara’ laughs as she stands up and starts walking toward actor Zuko. “Why, he's like a little brother to me! *Laughs* I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way.”

I squint my eyes at the actors with a deep frown on my face.

“Besides, how could he ever find out about... this?” ‘Katara’ asks as she and ‘Zuko’ embrace, holding hands while actress Katara pops up one leg.

I scoff and cross my arms over my chest, looking away from the stage in disgust.

I then see Aang getting up from his spot in front of me.

“Oh, you're getting up?” Sokka whispers. “Can you get me some fire flakes?” he asks him as he leaves before he puts his arm around Suki who leans into his side.

“Ooh, and fire gummies!” he says, leaning over me so that Aang can still hear him.

As he puts his arm back around Suki, we both look at him slightly annoyed.

*******************

The next part of the play is when Zuko betrayed Iroh and went with Azula. My actress is on stage as well, looking at ‘Zuko’ with a worried expression on her face.

“Well, my brother, what's it going to be? Your nation, or a life of treachery?” ‘Azula’ asks.

‘Iroh’ stops drinking from the cup in his hands and says; “Choose treachery, it's more fun!”

Actor Zuko walks toward Actor Iroh and the actress that’s playing me.

“No way!” ‘Azula’ exclaims.

Actor Zuko pushes Actor Iroh over and walking over to ‘Azula’.

“I hate you, Uncle! You smell, and I hate you for all time!” ‘Zuko’ exclaims.

At his words my actress falls to her knees sobbing like crazy.

The Earth Kingdom flag falls on actor Iroh and my actress as actress Azula and actor Zuko exit.

A tear falls down my cheek at the memory of that night in the catacombs.

The night that my life changed forever…

“You didn't really say that, did you?” I hear Katara ask as she looks at Zuko who’s leaning on the balcony railing, his chin laying on his forearms.

“I might as well have…” Zuko replies as he turns his head away from the stage, a frown coming to his face at the memory.

Seeing the sad expression on his face, I get up from my seat and take the seat next to him, placing my hand on his shoulder.

At my touch, Zuko sits up and wraps his arm around my shoulders, causing me to lean into him, a smile coming to my face as I turn my attention back to the stage.

*********

I watch as the actresses playing Mai and Tylee take out the Earth King’s guards.

And let me just say, the way that they acted it out is not realistic at all.

After Tylee and Mai pose and the audience applauds, actress Aang jumps in from behind the set, landing in front of actress Mai and actress Tylee.

“Avatar State, yip yip!” ‘Aang’ exclaims as the lights on the stage go out causing her tattoos and eyelids to glow.

A stagehand then runs across the stage and ties a rope to her.

‘Aang’ closes her eyes while the rope lifts her into the air.

A moment later, actress Azula jumps on stage from behind the smoke.

“Not if my lightning can help it!” she exclaims as she throws a blue streamer at actress Aang.

Actress Aang grabs the blue stream and starts to shake and scream, feigning pain before she goes limp

Actress Aang's limp body is slowly lowered to the stage and actresses Ty Lee and Mai pose on both sides of actress Azula, who stands in front of Actress Aang.

“The Avatar is no more!” ‘Azula’ exclaims to the crowd, making the audience cheer and applaud loudly while the others and I look at the stage and actors in disgust.

*******************

During the second intermission, I sit on the floor next to Zuko, my arms crossed over my chest as I lean my head on his shoulder, still trying to comfort him in some sort of way since I know that this play is bringing back memories of what had happened between him and Iroh back in Ba Sing Se.

“It seems like every time there's a big battle, you guys barely make it out alive. I mean, you guys lose a lot!” Suki says from her spot next to me as she turns to Sokka.

“You're one to talk, Suki. Didn't Azula take you captive?” Sokka asks her rhetorically. “That's right, she did!” he exclaims while leaning in close to her face.

Suki gives Sokka a serious look. “Are you trying to get on my bad side?”

Sokka leans away from her, raises his arms up in defense.. “I'm just saying…”

“Does anyone know where Aang is?” Katara asks us.

“He left to get me fire gummies, like, ten minutes ago. And I'm still waiting!” Sokka replies.

Katara looks down at me and I shrug, not knowing where Aang went, all I know is that he left and didn’t come back into the theater when the second intermission started.

Katara turns. “I'm gonna check outside.”

She walks towards the balcony we were on for the first intermission, to see if Aang’s there.

*******************

I continue sitting on the floor next to Zuko who’s sulking even more than usual, just ignoring everything that’s going on around me.

I’m too zoned out to even notice Suki and Sokka leaving.

“Geez, everyone's getting so upset about their characters. Even you 2 seem more down than usual, and that's saying something!” Toph says, referring to Zuko and I.

“You don't get it, it's different for you. You get a muscly version of yourself, taking down ten bad guys at once, and making sassy remarks.” Zuko replies.

He’s right. The actor that plays Toph is actually a good match for her, whereas the rest of us…

“Yeah, that's pretty great!” Toph smiles, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“But for me, it takes all the mistakes I've made in my life, and shoves them back in my face.” Zuko says. “My uncle, he's always been on my side, even when things were bad. He was there for me, he taught me so much, and how do I repay him?” he asks. “With a knife in his back. It's my greatest regret, and I may never get to redeem myself.”

I’m about to reassure him that he has redeemed himself to Iroh because he’s here with us, but Toph beats me to it.

“You have redeemed yourself to your uncle.” she says to him as she sits down on the other side of him. “You don't realize it, but you already have.”

“How do you know?” Zuko asks her.

“Because I once had a long conversation with the guy, and all he would talk about was you.” Toph answers.

Zuko pulls his hood down. “Really?”

“Yeah, and it was kind of annoying.” Toph answers.

“Oh, sorry.” Zuko apologizes.

“But it was also very sweet.” Toph reassures him. “All your uncle wanted was for you to find your own path, and see the light. Now you're here with us. He'd be proud.”

Zuko looks at me as she says this and I give him a smile along with a nod.

That’s when Toph punches Zuko on the shoulder, causing Zuko to bump into me, almost knocking me over.

“Ow! What was that for?” Zuko asks her while I just silently glare at the blind Earthbender for doing that.

“That's how I show affection.” Toph responds with a small smile.

“And this,” I begin while cupping Zuko’s cheek in my hand, bringing his head closer to me. “is how I show affection.” I smile before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, causing his cheeks to turn pink.

Before Zuko can even say anything about what I just did, a small boy in an Aang costume comes by and stops right in front of Zuko. “Your Zuko costume's pretty good, but your scar's on the wrong side.” he says to Zuko before running off.

Zuko leans off of the wall in anger. “The scar's not on the wrong side!” he exclaims after the boy before leaning back on the wall again, covering his head and face with his hood as Toph and I giggle at what had just happened.

************************************************************************

The third act starts up after the second intermission and the others and I troop back into the theatre.

By this point, I’m not even into the play anymore… I just sit next to Zuko with my head on his shoulder and his arm around my shoulders, keeping me close to him.

I’ve been staring at the stage blankly, not really paying attention to what’s happening on stage.

“Here's what you missed... we went to the Fire Nation, and you got better, and Katara was the Painted Lady, and I got a sword, and I think Combustion Man died.” I hear Sokka list off and I assume that Aang has come back inside and sat down next to him and Suki. “Oh, look, the Invasion's about to start! Shhh!” he shhh’s and I start paying attention to the play again, even though I really don’t want too…

“I just wanted to let you know, Aang, that I'll always love you. Like a brother.” Actress Katara says to actress Aang as they both stand on a submarine prop.

Actress Aang punches the air as she smiles at her. “I wouldn't want it any other way!”

The two of them shake hands and then actress Aang opens his miniature glider and flies up via a rope.

“Hey Toph, would you say you and Aang have a "rocky relationship"?” ‘Sokka’ asks ‘Toph’ which makes the audience laugh.

I jump in my seat as I hear Sokka laughing hysterically behind me. “I told him to say that!” he says as I turn to glare at him as he lifts Aang’s hat from his head.

I roll my eyes at my brother as I sit normally again with Zuko’s arm going around my shoulders again.

“I hope everyone's ready for the Invasion! Slap-a-pow!” Actor Sokka exclaims, causing the audience and Sokka to laugh once again.

*******************

The curtain rises and the stage is set up to look like the inside of the Royal Palace.

Actress and actors Kida, Katara, Toph, and Sokka enter from the sides of the stage, while actress Aang is dropped from above the stage.

“We finally made it to the Royal Palace, but no one's home!” Actress Aang says to the other actresses and actors.

That’s when a figure comes onto the stage from stage right, causing the other actors to get into their battle stances.

I chuckle at the sight of actor Zuko’s hair as it’s all slicked back and spiky.

“Actually, I'm home, and I want to join you!” Actor Zuko says.

Actor Sokka lowers his boomerang. “I guess we have no choice. Come on!”

And with that all of them exit the stage.

“I guess that's it. The play's caught up to the present now.” Sokka says from behind me.

“Wait, the play's not over!” Suki says to him.

“But it is over, unless…” Sokka begins. “this is the future.” he finishes dramatically which makes me roll my eyes.

*********

The stage is dark for a moment before Actor Ozai steps onto the stage, standing on the Royal Palace prop, an orange lantern held by a small cable with paper flames slowly moving across the stage behind him.

“With the energy harnessed from that comet, no one will be able to stop… the Fire Nation!” he exclaims as he raises his arms into the air.

Actress Azula then comes onto the stage and kneels before him. “Father, Zuko and the Avatar are at the Palace. They're trying to stop you!” she says to him.

“You take care of Zuko. I shall face the Avatar myself!” ‘Ozai’ exclaims before he disappears behind a smokescreen.

Actor Zuko and my actress jump onto the stage as actress Aang lowers down onto the stage by the rope, connected to her back.

“Aang! You find the Fire Lord, I'll hold her off!” ‘Zuko’ says and the cable lifts actress Aang off stage.

“No Zuko, you can’t face Azula on your own!” my actress exclaims as she clutches on ‘Zuko’s’ arm desperately.

“I have to Kida! Not only for my honor,” ‘Zuko’ begins as he pulls my actress closer to him. “but for you as well.” he continues before he crashes his lips against hers in a deep kiss.

I turn my head over to Zuko, a deep blush on my cheeks, only to see him already looking at me, a deep blush on his cheeks as well.

“Ugh!” I hear actress Azula groan out in disgust, causing me to turn back to the stage.

I see my actress and actor Zuko pulling away from each other, looking at actress Azula.

“You are no longer my brother. You are an enemy!” ‘Azula’ exclaims angrily.

“No! I am the rightful heir to the throne!” ‘Zuko’ exclaims back as my actress runs off the stage.

“We'll see!” Actress Azula grins evilly as she pulls out her blue streamer, snapping it at ‘Zuko’ who ducks out of the way.

The 2 actors exchange blows for a few more moments before actress Azula raises her hand not holding the blue streamer. Five red paper resembling flames shoot from the ground starting at actress Azula, the last one covering actor Zuko so that only his silhouette can be seen.

“Honor!” ‘Zuko’ exclaims before he drops off stage through a trapdoor with the flames.

Once actor Zuko disappears under the stage, actress Azula turns to the audience and bows, causing the audience to cheer.

My eyes are wide in worry as I look up at Zuko, who looks just as worried as I am as he looks down at the stage.

*********

After convincing myself that this is just a play, and the playwright is just ending the play to where the Fire Nation wins the war, I turn back to the stage to see actress Aang walking across the stage, looking around.

“So, you have mastered all four elements?” Actor Ozai asks as a spotlight reveals him to her.

“Yeah, and now you're going down!” Actress Aang exclaims as she points her staff prop at him.

“No! It is you who are going down!” Actor Ozai grins. He stands up from the throne that he was sitting in. “You see, you are too late! The comet is already here, and I'm unstoppable!” he yells, causing actress Aang to look at the audience in concern.

Actor Ozai wields two red streamers. He attacks actress Aang, who jumps out of the way.

Actress Aang turns back to actor Ozai and opens her glider, which now has two small blue banners pop out.

She twirls the weapon.

The 2 of them continue to exchange blows until actress Aang lands after jumping over actor Ozai when actor Ozai sends a large red sheet painted as fire at her.

Actress Aang becomes wrapped in the fire blanket. “Noooo...!” she exclaims as she falls to the stage with her eyes closed.

Actress Azula enters on stage behind actor Ozai. “It is over, Father. We've done it!” she grins triumphantly.

“Yes! We have done it!” Actor Ozai agrees, an evil grin on his face. “The dreams of my father, and my father's father, have now been realized!” He continues as large fire sheets rise behind him and a platform lifts him up. A Fire Nation flag drops behind him a second later. “The world... is... mine!”

I watch as the rest of the audience give the play a standing ovation, all the while the others and I stare at the stage concerned by the events portrayed on stage.

When it’s finally time to exit the theatre, the others and I don’t hesitate to leave, happy to leave and go back to the beach house.

Zuko and I walk side by side in front of everyone else.

“That... wasn't a good play.” Zuko says, breaking the tense silence as we walk down the road toward the beach.

I nod in agreement to Zuko’s statement.

“I'll say.”

“No kidding.”

“Horrible.”

“You said it.”

The others agree as well, the only one to not say anything being Sokka.

“But the effects were decent.” I hear Sokka say finally.

I sigh with a roll of my eyes.

Trust Sokka to think of something positive out of all this.

#atla #atla x oc #atla love story #a:tla #a:tla x oc #a:tla love story #avatar: the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender x oc #avatar: the last airbender love story #prince zuko #prince zuko x oc #prince zuko love story #zuko #zuko x oc #zuko love story

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gotnofucks · 4 years

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Choose

Written for @darkficsyouneveraskedfor Halloween Challenge! This is my first time posting here, so be kind 😊

Character pairing: dark!Steve x Reader

Summary: Steve realizes he can’t let you go when you’re stuck in a safe house with him.

Quote: I was never really insane except upon occasions when my heart was touched

Words: 4.1k

Warnings: Non-con (implied), non-con touching, blackmail, coercion, 18+ only. Please don’t read if you don’t like.

MASTERLIST

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The rain was falling in torrents and how you made your way through it you would never know. It was only September, but the rain made it much colder and you were so glad that you were in a car with heating on. Steve was driving almost blind and if it were someone else, you would be scared, but it was him and so you let yourself sink into the seat and relax.

“Take my jacket, you look cold” He said as he shot your slightly shivering form a sharp look.

You nod and reach behind to take his jacket and wrap it around your body. You do it without hesitation and with no question. Always so trusting and obedient, at least, when it came to him. You were small, in fact positively diminutive when it came to the super soldier sitting beside you and seemed to drown in his jacket. He smiled when he saw you, and you smile back at his cheeky look.

“How long until we get to the safe house? I am hungry.” You asked, wiggling in your seat.

“Not long. It’s right in the middle of this clearing. Maybe 10 more minutes”, He answered, reaching over to pat your knee in assurance.

“You’ve been there before?”

“Twice. Nat and I set it up just after we took down Shield and then later crashed here with Sam and Buck around 2 years ago. It’s safe and cozy.”

You hum and played with your fingers. It was only going to be the two of you this time. It didn’t bother you all that much. You would rather it be him than anyone else. Well, maybe Tony, but after him you liked Steve the best. You were one of the younger avengers, having been recruited only two years ago by Clint Barton. You used to work for a covert government organization IMF where Clint was undercover for a few years and seeing your talent with a gun and a computer, he had once asked your help in one of his Avengers missions where you met Tony Stark who immediately took a liking to you and trained you under him.

You worked as Tony’s tech girl, helping mostly with recon missions for a few months. Then Natasha started training you for field missions and low and behold, you were kicking ass with them for nearly 6 months now. You haven’t done very difficult missions yet, and not a single solo. Mostly you’re paired with Nat and Clint or, as this time, with Steve. Tony assured you he’ll let you do a solo soon, but always lamented that ever since you got outside, he missed his lab buddy.

You loved these small missions with Steve. He was always patient with you and taught you the drills but didn’t hold back. He would let you take the lead at times and was always proud of even the smallest achievement. At first when you had met, you had been kind if intimidated of his aloofness, but it didn’t take long for you both to bond over cheesy 40s music and your mutual love for art.

“Y/n, we’re here” Steve announced and got out of the car. You followed, grabbing your small bag and ran through the rain to the porch. It was like a getaway cabin and you were so glad you didn’t have to stay in some dingy hole. You wanted warmth, food, and a comfortable place to sleep.

Steve shut the door behind you and took off his wet shoes, putting them upside down near the door. You take off his jacket and your shoes too, grateful to be away from the squelching soles.

“There’s no fireplace” You observe with a pout, and Steve chuckled.

“Y/n, it’s a safe house. The smoke would let people know someone is living here. We don’t want that now, do we?” He gave you an indulgent smile and walked through to the kitchen, starting to unpack the supplies and food.

“But I am cold!” You whine, and for that moment Steve realized your age gap. He gestured for you to come to him while he put the water to boil and you slowly approached him with small steps. Once you are in front of him, he looked at your damp hair and clothes, thankful that his jacket had prevented you from getting too wet.

“You cold, huh?” He asked, hooking a hang around your waist to pull you against his chest. You stumble and steady yourself with both hands against his massive shoulders, your head a couple inches below his shoulder.

“Yeah” You moan, wrapping your arms around his body. “How the hell are you always warm, eh?”

Steve chuckles again and continues to cook while hugging you with an arm around your body. This closeness isn’t new. He would never admit it, but Captain Steve Rogers is a serial cuddler and you are his favourite cuddle buddy. He would cuddle you on the couch during movie nights, he would cuddle you after returning from a tough mission and he would cuddle you when you get your period. Steve Rogers was your best friend, and you felt safe with him. But you didn’t know Steve Rogers wanted to be more than just your friend. He wanted you with him when he went to sleep and when he woke up, he wanted you when he cooked and when he took a shower. No, you had no idea that the National treasure of America was in love with you.

It wasn’t like he was hiding his feelings. He just never came out and said them out loud. Steve often believed that actions spoke louder than words and so he tried to tell you his feelings by doing little somethings for you. He learnt to make your coffee exactly the way you liked, he watched the movies you liked and read the books you read. He learnt to cook vegetarian dishes since you despised any kind of meat. More than anything, he tried to get along with Tony. Tony was your protective big brother/father, and he loved you enough to scare off every man who ever looked at your way. You were the only one in the team to have rooms on the same floor as Tony and you both shared a kitchen. Steve knew that if he wanted you to himself, he needed to get on Tony’s good side. So, he bit his tongue when he wanted to snap and gave his go ahead to things he deeply disapproved of, just to have to build back the old trust. It worked out, since Steve was one of the only people who were allowed a mission with you.

“Will there be hot water for a shower?” You asked, body being warmed by Steve. He looked down at your face, full of childish innocence and stripped off every hardness after a tired mission.

“Maybe, but definitely not enough for both of us” Steve commented. The vegetable stew needed to simmer for a while, so he sat you both down on the worn couch in the living room, your head on his shoulder and his arm still around you. He had hoped you would pick up on his feelings, since having you this close did things to him. Your soft body fit so perfectly into his large one that he never wished to part from you. Maybe tonight would be that night.

“I’ll call Tony and eat. You take that shower and save me some hot water if you can.” You said and took out your phone to let Tony know you were safe and would leave for compound in the morning as planned. Steve looked at you walk away, speaking softly to Tony and wished more than ever that the rain outside would turn into a storm just to prolong your stay. He didn’t get to have you alone a lot at the compound. There were always other people around, always Wanda wanting female company or Peter following you around asking how you impressed Tony. He liked it here in this little cabin, cooking a meal for you after a hard day of work.

“Tony says to leave early tomorrow so we can reach home by lunch. He wants to take me to meet Stephen Strange” You say suddenly, breaking out Steve from his domestic fantasy.

“Stephen Strange? Why?”, he asked, frowning.

“Tony and him and doing some weird wizard-avenger collab in that Nepal place- what is it called, Kamartaj- for a few weeks”, you answer.

“What’s that got to do with you?” Steve asked, slightly irritated and hands curing into fists.

“He’s taking me along. Says he doesn’t want me away for so long. Also, this wiz, Dr. Strange, he’s apparently some kind of genius. Tony says I can learn a lot from him. But I think it’s just a ruse. I’m pretty sure they are dating, and he just wants me to meet him”, You say with a fond smile. Steve doesn’t smile or say anything.

Weeks? You’d be gone for weeks? That too in another country without him. He didn’t like that. He didn’t like that at all.

“You wanna go?” He asked in what he hoped was a normal voice. He wanted you to say no, wanted to see that hesitation in your eyes as you thing of being away from him for weeks, maybe months.

“Sure, I think it would be fun. I wanna see the Himalayas and maybe I’ll visit India too. I’ve got a pen friend there who I’d love to meet.” Your reply was so nonchalant that for a moment Steve just stares, and then he is angry. Here was a perfect chance for you and him to spend time away from the overbearing presence of Tony Stark, but you would rather see snow covered mountains and meet a pen friend in India? He’d only thought you were being a little oblivious of his feelings, maybe deliberately trying not to acknowledge them as you wanted to take it slow. But it seems like you…it seems like you felt nothing beyond friendship for him at all. After all those months spent hugging and laughing together, and yet you would rather choose Tony over him. A rage settled over him and he needed to clench his jaw and curl his arm tight around the back of the couch to stop himself from grabbing you and…and doing things he had rather not do.

“Take that shower. Leave your wet clothes outside, I’ll see what I can do with them” Steve said suddenly.

“You sure you don’t want a shower too? We’ve got layers of grim from crawling through that tunnel.” You asked.

Steve looked at you for a minute, eyes rowing over your small face. He took in the little acne scars you were so self-conscious about, your slightly chapped lips and those beautiful eyes that reared him in. He nodded.

“Yeah, you go on. I’ll see if I need one” He said and went to the kitchen while you left for the bedroom with the connected bathroom.

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The bathroom was nicer than you had hoped, probably Nat’s doing if the products where anything to go by. You’d removed your wet clothes outside and stood naked under the stream of warm water, sighing with relief. It was a small mission but brutal on your body. It would have been heaven to have a tub in here, but safe houses were meant to be quick and effective, and this one was way better than others, so you didn’t complain. You were just going to wash your hair when the bathroom door opened, and Steve entered.

“Steve!” You shouted, hands covering your breast and turning so your back was to him. You looked at him with wide eyes, expecting him to sputter and leave but he stayed, eyes lingering on your ass a bit before meeting your eyes.

“Got any of that hot water left or have you finished all of it?” He asked, taking off his t-shirt and leaving his chest bare.

Your mouth opened in surprise as your backed yourself into the corner, trying to make sense of what was happening. Your best friend had just barged into your bathroom while you were showering and showed no signs of leaving.

“W-what are you doing, Steve?” You asked in a small voice, still covering yourself with your hands the best you could.

“Taking a shower. I told you we didn’t have enough water for two, so I thought I’d join you. You were right anyway, we are grimy.” He said and fumbling a bit, dropped his pants down too. You panicked, not understanding what was happening as Steve stood in his boxers, taking steps towards you.

“No. No no no no” You almost chanted that as a mantra, eyes going here and there, not knowing what to do. Steve reached your small body crowded into the corner and slowly, very slowly raised a hand to wipe away the dirty on your cheek. You started at his touch and quickly sidestepped, running towards the door. You didn’t know what had gotten into Steve, but you needed to get out of here. Now.

You’d taken only two steps before a hand wrapped around your waist and brought you back screeching to a hard chest, back against front.

“Stop. Steve, let me go. Please.” You said, your tears mingling with the water on your skin, one hand across your chest and other on his wrist trying to pry it off.

“No sweetheart, you need to take this shower. You’re dirty and tired. Come.” You hated his voice for being soft and soothing still, showing no indication of what he was doing to you. His voice was still your Stevie’s voice, calm, cool, a little commanding and full of affection for you.

“I- Steve, I don’t want a shower. Not like this, please.” You tried to break away, wiggling and crying but Steve didn’t listen and dragged you back and turned on the water again. You both were bombarded with hot water and stood under it for a minute before Steve turned it off again.

“Gimme that shampoo, I’ll do your hair.” He said, releasing you from his hold. But it wasn’t any good as you were blocked by the wall on your back and Steve at your front. You hadn’t turned around yet, but now you did. Sobbing, with thighs squeezed tight to hide you down there and hands inefficiently covering your breasts, you looked at him with betrayed eyes. You didn’t try running again. You knew his strength; you have trained with him. He could take you down in seconds.

“Why are you doing this? What is happening?” Your voice was small and broken, sending a pang through Steve’s heart. He loved you and didn’t want to hurt you, but you needed to see his feelings for you. He couldn’t risk you going away for months. He just couldn’t. His eyes slowly moved down from your face, taking in every inch of your body exposed, not touching, only looking.

“We’re taking a shower after which we will eat our food while we watch some stupid movie on that laptop of yours. Then, we’ll cuddle and sleep with you on my chest and tomorrow morning you will call Tony and tell him you won’t join him for his trip to Nepal.”

He was mad. He was insane, you were sure of it. Face burning with humiliation under his gaze, fire began sparking in your eyes. How dare this tall buff blond muffin think it okay to invade your space and demand such things from you? Just who the fuck did he think he was.

“No. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you, but you need to stop. Get out, or if you want to shower, let me go out. I’m done with whatever game you are playing.” You sneered at him. Steve had to smile at this, his little spitfire. He didn’t really expect you to give in easily, that’s not the girl he knew and trained. You were with the avengers because you could handle stuff others would wet themselves with. You were strong and he knew that. But he was stronger.

“What’s gotten into me?” He asked, closing the distance between you so you were against the wall and caged by his arms on either side. His face was inches away and your breathing sped up. He looked cruel and menacing, the blue eyes you loved so much taking on a much darker hue. “You have gotten in me. You got under my skin and in my thoughts and in my heart. Now I want you under me.”

He bent down and you were sure he was going to force a kiss on your mouth but he surprised you by pressing his lips softly on your forehead like he did when you had nightmares or right before a mission. It was a kiss of reassurance and love, and somehow, that just scared you more. Whatever Steve thought he was doing, he believed it was driven by love. And when Steve loved someone, he loved them without abandon. If he went against everyone to save his friend, what would he do to have you?

“Steve…please…” You didn’t know what to say or what to do. You wanted to get away from him and cover yourself up to get some control back. You wanted to talk to him and forget this ever happened and get back your best friend.

“You have two options. First, we both take a bath right now. I won’t touch you where you don’t want me to, we eat, and sleep and you go back with me to the compound like a good girl and tell everyone we are together. Or..” His eyes narrowed here, “Or, I could take you right here, right now and make you mine with little option. I could rail you deep and hard so you will feel me deep inside you for days on end. I know you’re not on birth control and I have no condoms with me, so if you get pregnant, you best believe I’ll have you tied down to myself with a ring on that finger by the end of the month. The choice is yours.”

Your heart sank. You looked into his eyes, your whole body shaking and knees ready to give up. He was serious! He was absolutely serious, and you had no idea what the fuck happened. Just an hour ago you were sure he was the person who made you feel the safest, but now that sanctuary had been torn apart and some possessive stranger had taken its place.

“You’re insane. You’ve lost it!” You cry, sliding down the wall as your knees collapsed, folding your knees to hide your nakedness. Steve followed you down and wrapped his arms around your small form.

“I was never really insane except upon occasions when my heart was touched. You own me, my heart and soul. And soon, I’ll have you too. How that happens is your choice. Choose.” His tone bore no argument. You had just one card to play.

“Tony would never stand for it. He’ll find out, I’ll tell him and then you’ll be done.” You made your tone harsh and full of venom. You don’t know what you expected him to do, but it definitely wasn’t laugh. It was an amused chuckle, like a daddy who was indulging his silly daughter, full of patronizing hilarity.

“Sweetheart, you don’t think I have a plan for that? Even if I spend months bringing you flowers and singing love ballads from your window, he wouldn’t exactly be convinced. He isn’t exactly fond of me, is he? I had a plan in place for months. I didn’t want to have to use it honestly, I wanted you to come to me of your own violation. But I just thought as a back up plan…” You screamed as he suddenly scooped you up in his arms, still wet and naked and carried you out to the bedroom. He deposited you on the bed and gave you a towel that you hastily covered yourself with. You looked behind you and the door was locked. It wasn’t any use anyway; he could outrun you in his sleep.

Steve got his phone out and showed you the screen, making your heart drop. There were numerous pictures of you with your family and friends from the past two years. Not just those, pictures of you with your previous team, the IMF, Ethan Hunt, and others. How Steve got these pictures you didn’t know, but it scared you.

“Everyone, every single person in these pictures has a target on their backs. I have had a sniper after all of them for over a year, mostly just to keep an eye on you and to make sure you are safe. But don’t think for one second that I will hesitate to take them out. There is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do to keep you with me.” He sat beside you on the bed and putting a finger under your chin turned your face towards him. “It doesn’t need to be nasty, sweetheart. I don’t want to be the bad guy. I have never been one and you can keep me from doing anything drastic. All you need to do is convince Tony that you are the one who wants me. You are the only person he actually trusts, so you need to make it believable. He has denied you nothing, and if you come to him yourself and tell him you want me…well…no one has to die, do they.”

This was a nightmare. Everything that has happened to you today is a nightmare. You didn’t want to believe Steve would hurt anyone, but then you didn’t think him capable of forcing him on you either. If there was even the tiniest bit of chance that he could harm anyone of your friends and family…no. You couldn’t let that happen.

“Option one”, You whispered softly, eyes downcast and lips trembling.

“What was that?” Steve asked, turning your face up again so he could look in your eyes.

“I choose option one. We- We eat and sleep and I call Tony I won’t go with him. Then we can tell everyone we are together.”

Steve grinned, his happy grin that everyone said only you brought out in him. It unnerved you that a man you loved and respected so much was doing this.

“My good girl” He praised, and then he leaned down and pressed his mouth on yours. The kiss was gentle and soft, his mouth lazily moving against yours. If it were happening any other way, you would have enjoyed it. He broke away and looked at you with eyes that sparkled. “You’ll love me too, one day. I am yours, and you are mine.”

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True to his word, you guys ate your dinner and watched a movie as you cuddled like you usually did at movie nights. Steve held you close, sometimes brushing his nose against the side of your neck or rubbing his hand along your sides. Afterwards, he laid down beside you, spooning your small body and holding it snug against his. He was warm, and you didn’t have anymore fight in you for today. The day was too fast and weird for you to process. You vowed to sleep now and to think of a way to get to Tony without arousing Steve’s suspicion. You weren’t ready to give up now.

You’d been asleep for only a couple hours before you felt cold air around your body. You woke up with a start and found yourself on your back, your t-shirt removed and Steve hovering over you, placing open mouth kisses along your bare chest.

“Steve! Steve stop!” You screamed, pushing against his chest. He looked at you with eyes blown wide with lust and taking your hands in one of his, he held them up while he tweaked your nipple with his other making you squirm. He bent down and swallowed your protests with a deep kiss, his tongue forcing its way inside your mouth and tasting you while he moaned.

“Steve please,” You were sobbing now, and trashing your legs which he held down with a strong thigh. “You…you promised. You said I get to choose. I chose option one”

Steve looked at you for a moment then kissed your cheek softly. Moving his hand between your thighs he murmured in your ear, “I’ve changed my mind. I can’t wait anymore”

#rooshalloweenficfest #steve x reader #dark!steve x reader #dark!steve rogers #dark!steve rogers x reader #dark!steve x you #dark!steve rogers x you #dark!fic

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queerquintessence · 3 years

Text

heyo

so i recently have been obsessed with the idea of the voltron paladins living in the same house together sooo

i may or may not have spent the last like 3 hours working on headcannons

the characters in the house are keith, lance, hunk, pidge, and allura

(since they’re all relatively similar in age)

so sadly no shiro or coran but

anyway

yeah here they are

(once again a bit unorganized but it’s whatev)

• first off allura and lance are both housewifes

• and neither of them take any shit from the others

• allura: keith, could you pick your feet up? i’m trying to vacuum down here

• keith, sitting on the couch: couldn’t you just do it later

• allura:

• allura: move your feet or i’m telling lonce you have a crush on him

• hunk does the dishes most of the time because he’s mainly the one who cooks their food

• but they also alternate on a schedule

• lance, sighing dramatically: i do everything around here! keith, when was the last time you washed the dishes?

• keith: i literally washed them last night

• lance: well you missed a plate so it doesn’t count

• keith takes out the trash a lot except he doesn’t wear shoes so his feet are always dirty

• lance yells at him for it

• whenever lance takes out the trash he puts on whoever’s shoes are closest

• pidge: lance are those my shoes?

• lance, tiptoeing in sneakers that are 3 sizes too small: maybe

• the couch that they own is too small to fit everyone

• they either argue for 10 minutes over who gets to sit where or they just pile on top of each other

• pidge usually lays on top of someone’s lap when it gets crowded

• she can just flop on top of someone and they’ll just let her- no words spoken

• keith sits on the armrests and everyone gives him shit for it

• lance: aren’t you uncomfortable?

• keith: i like sitting here

• lance: alright edgelord

• lance lays with his legs sprawled on top of the couch

• sometimes pidge will lay on lance who will have his legs on keith

• hunk is fine with sitting on the floor but even he’ll start arguing over the good spot on the couch

• hunk: lance, buddy, you sat there last time- why not give someone else a turn?

• lance: hunk when was the last time you did your own laundry? huh. that’s what i thought

• dinners pretty chaotic

• that’s usually when they have their debates

• lance, pounding his fist on the table: mac and cheese is to be eaten with a fork and that’s that

• pidge: why the hell would you use a fork? spoons are just fine in my opinion

• keith, silently munching on his food knowing he eats it with a knife:

• pidge: alright, we need to acknowledge the elephant in the room

• everyone:

• pidge:

• pidge: keith, you gotta stop putting corn syrup on your peanut butter sandwiches it’s fucking weird

• allura: everyone in favor of limiting lance’s shakira privileges say I

• keith, pidge, and hunk: I

• lance, who’s totally offended: wh

• luckily, they all have their own rooms

• except the walls are super thin

• lance scream singing beyoncé: GOT ME LOOKING SO CRAZY RIGHT NOW YOUR LOVES GOT ME LOOKING SO CRAZY RIGHT NOW

• keith: why has god forsaken me

• even when they try to play music relatively quiet it can still faintly be heard

• muffled music from keith’s room: when i was, a young boy

• pidge: HA fucking EMO

• they all have Alexa’s in their rooms

• and pidge has access to all of them on her laptop

• pidge: psst- hey lance, watch this

• pidge: *fast typing on laptop*

• blasting from keith’s room: COUNTRYYY ROAAADS TAKE ME HOOOOME

• muffled keith screaming: pIDGE I SWEAR TO GOD

• in the morning during breakfast

• allura: why has lonce not come out of his room yet?

• pidge: hang on, i’ll wake him up

• lance’s alexa in the distance: I’M A GOOFY GOOBER YEAH YOU’RE A GOOFY GOOBER YEAH

• lance’s startled scream is then followed by a loud thud

• once a week they have a movie night

• keith: lance i am not watching a cheesy romcom for the 2nd week in a row

• lance: i have to listen to ‘welcome to the black parade’ eighteen times a day sit the fuck down

• keith, crossed arm for the duration of movie night: this love story is completely unrealistic

• everybody shushes him on cue

• they also have monthly sleepovers in the living room where they giggle like middle schoolers

• keith knocks over an entire bowl of popcorn

• allura discovers the concept of a pillow fight and effortlessly knocks everybody to the ground

• lance flops on the air mattress and launches pidge across the room

• while everyone is trying to sleep

• lance: guys guys i’m gonna say something

• lance:

• lance: mayonnaise

• everybody loses their shit laughing because it’s 2 in the morning and they’re sleep deprived

• the bathroom sink is a mess

• their toothbrushes are color coordinated

• since they have to fit so much shit on the sink they have specific spots where they put their stuff

• pidge: hunk, your toothbrush is in my spot

• hunk: what? no- this corner of the sink is mine

• the debate results in all of them crowded in the bathroom arguing for 10 minutes

• keith: i don’t even remember having a designated spot on the sink

• allura: we need a toothbrush holder

• sometimes they do their nightly routines together

• which is also chaotic

• lance is applying a face mask, which drips onto pidge’s arm

• pidge then jerks her arm away- hitting keith’s toothbrush

• it then catapults off the counter and sticks to the wall

• keith: i left the room for one second what the hell did you do

• i’ve seen this headcannon somewhere before and i love it so i’m elaborating

• whenever keith is tired he’s giddy and hyper and loopy

• keith after not having a good nights sleep for 3 weeks, getting a running start and flipping onto the couch: a woop

• pidge: what in fucks name are you doing

• lance is the same exact way when he’s tired so they act like complete and utter idiots

• keith: lance, hey lance guess what

• lance: what

• keith:

• lance:

• they both burst out laughing

• lance: keith, omg you know what- keith rhymes with teeth

• keith:

• keith: holy shit

• eventually they both burn out and are just exhausted

• lance with his face planted in the carpet: uuuggghghggg

• allura: you finally done?

• lance: *angry muffled grumbling*

• pidge tends to fall asleep anywhere in the house

• usually with her computer on her lap or nearby

• she’s usually discovered the next morning

• hunk walking into the kitchen, sleepily rubbing his eyes: kinda want some orange juice

• pidge is just asleep on top of the fridge

• everyone else eating breakfast at the table

• keith: has anyone seen pidge?

• soft snoring is heard from under the table

• keith: ah

• they just put up with each other’s bullshit all day everyday and i love it

• lance, slamming his bedroom door open: everyone in my room i had a nightmare and need affection

• everyone emerges from their rooms grumbling and all file into lance room with their pillows and stuffed animals

• pidge trying to keep the remote away from lance: go long, hunk!

• keith appearing in the doorway and getting hit straight in the forehead with a remote: fUCK

• lance: are those my socks?

• keith: huh? oh, i dunno they were in my laundry pile

• lance: no those are totally my socks give them back right now

• when they all moved in together it was before keith and lance started dating so obviously there was shipping

• pidge, bursting into hunk’s room: i have klance tea

• hunk: spill

• lance: wh- keith and i are NOT dating

• pidge: you guys literally live together!

• lance: WE ALL LIVE TOGETHER

• allura, to hunk during dinner: i don’t know about you, but it seems to me like keith has a thing for lance

• keith: princess you’re not even whispering we can all hear you

• keith and lance secretly holding hands under the dinner table while lance is telling a story

• lance, being dramatic and expressive, lifts his hands in the air to accidentally reveal that his hand is intertwined with keith’s and its immediate chaos

• keith letting go immediately: wH HUH HOW DID THAT GET THERE

• pidge: I FUCKING TOLD YOU

anywayyy that’s all

i literally love this so much so don’t be surprised if i come up with some more later

yeah

bye

#lmao whoops i was so tired when i posted this i forgot to tag it #in my defense #it was 1:30 am #vld #voltron #vld headcanons #queerquintessence hcs #klance #kl #voltron funny #voltron legendary defender

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erectionsandtea · 3 years

Text

Roller rink skate date headcanons! (poly party) insp. by this post, for @mike-wheeler-is-gay (I know you wanted byler specifically and I usually write poly party, but I tried to stick some extra byler in here for you, I hope I did it justice and that you like it!)

So many paragraphs this should really just be a fic, I'm sorry

- Mike is super tall and gangly is absolutely the worst skater in the party (tied only with Lucas, who put on his very first pair of skates and promptly fell on his face and they weren't even on the rink yet, they were still on the carpet area)

- the moment Mike steps into the actual skating floor, he falls bc he's tall gangly uncoordinated Mike, and Will is just standing there rolling his eyes, like "babe, you're a mess" but he doesn't mind bc it means he gets to hold Mike's hand (and hold Mike in general) while he helps his bf balance and skate

- and Mike is like "I don't deserve you, why are you even with me, I'm so awkward" (poor self deprecating bby), and you know Will would respond with "are you kidding, you're amazing, why are YOU with ME?" (also a self deprecating bby), but then he falls and pulls Will down with him (aka on top of him lol)

- and they laugh, and just as their lips touch, the moment is ruined by Max zooming in their direction screaming "get up before you get run over!!" And she manages to avoid them (being the zoomer that she is) but Lucas has to swerve and falls the fuck over ofc (luckily the rink isn't super crowded that day so nobody's in any real danger)

- and Dustin is looking at byler like "this isn't even that hard guys, come on, are you even trying??"

- El and Will have totally been going to the rink (sibling bonding yo) and everyone realizes that's how they got so good bc El is totally the best skater in the group

- except for Suzie who is a skating queen

- El and Suzie totally having races from one end of the rink to the other

- Max totally joining them and they let her win, just once

- Dustin joining them and after he wins twice in a row (pure luck), Max and El pretend cross his path and bump into him, totally fucking him up, and Dustin's just like "are you shitting me?" (but it's all in good fun, everyone knows that)

- El and Max holding hands as El helps her get better at skating, bc Max is decent on skates but better on her skateboard (bc how do you wheels on both feet separately ??) (like skiing vs snowboarding)

- byler doing that thing where holding hands facing each other, and Mike learning how to actually move his feet and skate forward, and that's propelling Will backward (and Will constantly throwing praise at him and Mike grinning so big bc he's doing it! lol)

- Will and Mike holding hands as they slowly skate around the edge of the rink

- Mike needing to stop a moment and grab the wall to keep himself up and steady, and Will coming around in front of him, his hands over Mike's,and they stand there all adorable and then kisses (except Mike has to duck down bc Will cannot stand on his tippy-toes in skates)

- eventually Mike is like "I need a break" (from falling and stuff, tho he has gotten better) and he goes to sit down

- and then El comes over to join him bc "you looked lonely" (he isn't really lonely, he just kind of has a resting bitch face sometimes, tell me I'm wrong, am I actually wrong tho ??)

- they sit together in silence, watching the rest of the group playing some weird skate-tag game (rules at the bottom)

- Mike is watching Will with a smile on his face, laughing and having fun, and he says to nobody, really "what did I ever do to deserve him?"

- El replies "probably whatever I did to deserve you" and they look at each other and smile and then cute lil Mileven kiss

- their hands reach over (cos they are sitting like RIGHT next to each other, no space)

- they continue to sit there, hands clasped, her head on his shoulder, watching the group and sometimes making comments to each other and laughing

- after a while Will comes over to check on his bf and sis) ("I don't know which is more bruised, my knees or my ego" -> Mike, "you're doing really well!" -> El), which is actually kind of nice for El bc she wants to go skate some more but she doesn't want to leave Mike by himself

- before she leaves tho, she wants a kiss, so still holding Mike's hand she gets up and wheels around to face him and grabs his other hand and is like "I want a kiss" bc she's just blunt like that (it's a good thing)

- and mike laughs at her bluntness bc SO CUTE, and so Mike gives her one of those super cute kisses where he puts his hands on the sides of her face, you know? And she has to balance herself by putting her hands on his knees (Sorry, I just had to get a Mileven kiss in here)

(so much detail in those moments ^ I'm...sorry?)

- so Will sits there with Mike, and they hold hands and share kisses and say cute sweet things to each other, and honestly they spend more time looking at each other than anyone/thing else

- Will goes and buys them one giant drink to share bc boys gotta stay hydrated (can someone please draw this or maybe ALL of this idk ??)

- the rest of the group annoys them (but not really) by hanging over the wall and saying "AWWW" super loud and making kissy faces

- and then El comes back over later and says "okay, that's enough sitting down, we're going back skating, come on" and she grabs Mike's hand and Will's hand and tries to pull them up but it's hard bc wheels (like she's about to slip and the boys have to grab her arms to catch her), but the boys comply and go back to the rink floor

- Dustin and Suzie can totally do skate-dancing, whatever that is (and they totally get applause)

- Max skating by everyone so many times and being like "zoomer!" and everyone is like "pls stop, we get it"

- Dustin trying to tell help Lucas how to skate by actually explaining how the skates and the rubber stoppers work, and Lucas not getting it and just being like "can you explain in English please??" And Dustin throws his hands up like "I fucking give up, you're hopeless"

- Max learns how to skate in a small circle (basically just turning around without stepping) and she's super fucking proud of herself and does it constantly

- Max eventually needs to be stopped by El and Lucas bc "babe, you're gonna get so dizzy" (you can decide who says that 😊) but it's too late bc she's already dizzy

- Lucas and El lead Max off the rink floor and she just immediately falls down to sit on the carpet bc so dizzy and El falls down next to her bc hand holding (she gets pulled), and Lucas sits down too

- the girls can't stop laughing and Lucas is looking at them like "tf is wrong with you guys?" (but not really), also he's just smiling at them and laughing with them bc goddamn they are so cute, his girlfriend is the most beautiful girl in the world and seeing her as she is right now just inflates his heart

- eventually Max can't stay upright so she lies back and El follows her and they are just lying there together (Max on her back, El on her side facing Max, no space), giggling so hard, they can't stop laughing for some reason (I think it's bc when one laughs, it makes the other laugh too)

- Max is like "you, boyfriend, kiss" and so Lucas complies

- an employee has to come over and say "you can't lie down here, it's a safety hazard" and Lucas is like "we're sorry, sir" and he's like "babe, we gotta move"

- so he gets the girls up and they bring max to a bench where she can sit, instead of sitting tho, she lies down again, on the bench with her head in El's lap, and then elmax kisses as El plays with her hair

- El and Max basically take over the bench that Mike and Will were sitting on, and they also steal the boys' giant drink (barely a quarter empty) cos hydration

- Will and Mike trying to kiss while not holding the wall, but fucking down AnD having his eyes closed throws Mike way off balance bc what a klutz, and then he falls and Will is fuckin laughing and he feels bad but also it's funny

- so then Will gets down too (more gracefully but lbr, anyone can be more graceful than Mike, without even trying) and is like "it's okay, we can do this here" and then sitting kisses

- El trying to help Mike but she's having too much fun and ends up just speeding around while Mike tries to catch up with her, and she has to keep going back for him

- Mike feeling kind of embarrassed bc his gf is amazing while his own skating is questionable, and he confides this to her and is like "why are you with me, I'm so clumsy and awkward" (self deprecating again), but El makes him feel better by telling him that she's with him bc she loves him and actually she thinks it's kind of cute that he's not that good at skating and she likes being the one who helps him for once (bc he's helped her for so long with so much)

- and then Mike gives her one of his lil mike-smiles (you know the one I mean, like the one right after he kisses her for the very first time, in season 1)

- and then a Mileven kiss, but Mike almost loses his balance again like he did with the byler kiss, but El can sense it's about to happen and has to break their kiss to hold him up (she's holding both his hands, fingers intertwined), but it's okay, they just smile at each other share a little laugh at the situation and how uncoordinated he is, and they scoot their skates really close together in a sort-of huh type thing

- arcade games after!! (But I'll put that in its own separate post 😄)

- rules to the weird skate-tag game: 1) the wall is the safe zone, but you can only stay there for 10 seconds at a time 2) you cannot untouch the wall for one second and then go back to touching it for 10 seconds, you have to actually leave the wall and skate (HOWEVER you can try to skate from the wall on one end of the rink to the wall at the other end) 3) you are allowed to skate around the edge while touching the wall, as long as you only do so for no more than 10 seconds 4) whoever is 'it' cannot hover around those on the wall 5) crashing into someone does not count as tagging them 6) no tag backs

I tried to get equal parts of all the ships in this one but I know I failed miserably, I'm so sorry lol (clearly you can tell who I ship the most)

If you want to add more (I will if I think of any), send me ideas, or request anything, please feel free! 😀👍🏻

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jackyjango · 3 years

Text

Part 1- Mouth to Mouth Combat

Pairing: cherik

Written for this prompt

Erik's empty stomach grumbles in protest. The digital clock on his monitor displays it's 2:30 PM, but he hasn't had a bite to eat since that morning. An ache has been steadily building in his head that throbs with every pump of blood through his jugular. Three ounces of coffee somehow hasn’t seemed to tame it. He needs something stronger. Something like nicotine.

He's mulling over how he wants to torture Sean for screwing up the third blueprint in a row when his phone begins to ring. Though he's set the ringing volume to the minimum, it draws the attention of his interns. Angel gets up from her seat with an excuse of locating a fallen pen while Sean leans back in his chair pretending to stretch his legs. Even though Alex’s eyes are stuck to the monitor, Erik knows that his ears are pointed in his direction. Utter bastards. At least Darwin is the only one in their lot who has the decency to pretend that he’s minding his own business. Pretend, being the key here.

Erik glares at all of them until they pretend to shrink back to work before picking up the call.

'Hello, aunt Ruth.’ He tries to keep his voice to a whisper, but it comes out as a growl. ‘No aunty, I'm not angry with you for calling. That's absurd- No aunty, I'm just at work. Yes, yes…. - yes aunty. You know I will. Of course, I will. Yes- I'm eating. He knows it too. What? This Saturday? Alright, I'll ask him if he's free. Yes, I'll bring him if he's free. Of course, I will.’

On the other end, aunt Ruth goes on berating Erik’s unhealthy eating habits without giving him a breathing pause while Erik nods and aquices to whatever she says. He’s just about to reassure her the third time that he’s been eating his meals on time when Azazel bursts into life in front of him with a hiss of air which overlaps with whatever Aunt Ruth says next.

Tapping on his watch, Azazel mouths the words: ‘Let's go.’

'Alright, aunt Ruth, I have to go now,’ Erik says, half getting up from his desk. 'Yes, yes. I'll check with him and text you. Love you, too… Bye.’

Pocketing his phone, he turns to glare at his sad-excuse of team members. Like a flock of birds dispersing at a pelted stone, they lung back to staring at the screen and tapping idle keys.

Azazel chuckles beside him as they head out into the roaring Genoshan sun.

The chicken roll they both take from the street vendor manages to vaguely quieten Erik’s stomach. He lights a cigarette after walking a short distance to the smoking zone in front of their office building. Floating the lighter to AZ, Erik sends out a text to Charles.

Hey, Aunt Ruth’s invited us to dinner on Saturday. You free?

The reply comes immediately, which means that Charles is on his free hour.

When am I not free for her cooking? Count me in! :)

While Erik sends aunt Ruth a text to confirm that both he and Charles would be coming for dinner, a second text comes from Charles.

Speaking of dinners, how does pasta sound for today?

Smirking, Erik takes another puff of his cigarette.

Are you cooking? Really?

Hey, my cooking isn’t all that bad. I’m decent. Well… mostly.

They both know that Charles’ cooking doesn’t come anywhere near the decent territory, so Erik doesn’t comment on the decency of Charles’ cooking or bring up the fact that he almost burnt the kitchen on three different occasions. Instead Erik sends out: In that case, A okay for pasta.

Stomaching substandard pasta is a small price to pay for being Charles’ roommate.

I assure you, my friend. You won’t be disappointed, comes Charles’ text followed by a grinning emoji.

The devil that he is, Az peeks into his phone and smirks. 'Taking to your boyfriend, huh?'

Erik rolls his eyes. 'Charles is not my boyfriend, Az. He's my friend, just like you are.'

Az shudders and blows out a cloud of smoke through his nose, the image rendering as the incarnation of Satan himself. 'Please, don't compare me with him.'

Erik supposes Az is right. It'd be grossly unfair to compare someone like Az with someone like Charles.

‘Hey,’ Az says, inhaling another puff of smoke into his lungs, ‘A friend of mine is playing at the pub downtown this Saturday. I’m going out with the boys. Wanna join?’

‘No, I’m going to aunt Ruth’s for dinner. You carry on.’

‘And is Charles going with you?’ Az asks way too innocently for Erik’s liking.

‘Yes.’ Erik agrees begrudgingly.

Az pins him with a look that spells out crystal clearly, see what I mean by boyfriends?

Erik barely restrains the urge to smack Az on the head. ‘He’s a friend and a roommate, Az. Nothing more.’

‘Really?’ Az asks leaning on a pillar, his movements gracefully feline; almost akin to a bored cat toying with a ball of yarn aware of the level of destruction it’s capable of. ‘Is that why you refuse to move out or is it because you prefer to travel twenty five kilometres to work?’

Okay. Erik will agree that travelling almost an hour to work is a bit of a hindrance. But it wasn’t a hindrance two years ago when Erik was looking for a place near the engineering firm he was interning at the time. He’d seen an ad on a communal mutant app asking for someone to share a two bedroom flat with. The man who had posted the ad, Charles Francis Xavier, at the time had been a freshly minted post graduate eyeing the position of a junior lecturer in the Genoshan university with a lease amount to a nice house too hefty to bear on his own.

The house itself was more agreeable to Erik and More importantly to Erik’s meagre stipend.

Charles had declared that he’s gay and a telepath the day they’d met, and that Erik should look elsewhere if he had a problem with either of those. In response, Erik had plucked the pen tucked into Charles’ breast pocket with his powers and had signed his half of the lease agreement.

Erik’s not an easy person to live with (and Az will enthusiastically attest to it). He’s weird and particular and controlling and territorial (And that’s just the first four entries on AZ’s list). He doesn’t know what to attribute it to, but living with Charles for a roommate is …. easy.

His living arrangement with Charles is comfortable. Charles doesn’t have any irritating habits. He isn’t stingy with money or particular with the groceries. He carries out his fair share of cooking and cleaning around the house. They take their turns doing the laundry and the dishes. What talent Charles lacks in cooking, Charles makes up for it in baking (And that’s coming from a man who hates anything with more than two spoons of sugar in it). He isn’t overly dirty or messy. Charles picks up after himself (except when he has finals or is in the middle of a research. The house is a dump zone for his tea mugs and their dining table is a disaster zone for papers during such bouts).

More importantly, Charles respects Erik’s boundaries. He doesn’t poke his nose into Erik’s business or needle Erik for anything he isn't willing to share. It helps that they keep their personal lives separate, too. Whatever flings he has, Charles keeps it outside of their shared home and Erik returns the favour. The only things they argue on are which show to watch on TV or which place to order in from. And all the times they’ve come very close to fighting are nights spent over a chessboard pitching points to and fro, for or against human-mutant relationships and ideologies. Erik would be lying if he said that he didn’t live for such nights.

In little over two years, Charles has become Erik’s best friend. And apart from Az (who’s more of a brother Erik can’t get rid of no matter how hard he tries), Erik doesn’t have many of them. So he doesn’t see why he should give up all of that for a few hours saved in commute to work.

Voicing any or all of it will only encourage Az to needle him more, so Erik shrugs and squashes his spent cigarette with the heel of his boot. ‘Come on, it’s getting late. I still have two blueprints to review before seven.’

Az groans at the mention of blueprints. ‘I have three to finish. God, Shaw will bite my head off my shoulders if I don’t complete it by today.’

With that, they move into the blessed cool of the air conditioned building.

Just before Erik turns on his monitor, a text alerts Erik (and by proxy all of his interns he shares his cubicle with). It’s from Charles and says: Got to get to my classes now. See you at home Erik! :)

See you at home, Erik sends and smiles to himself.

He just hopes Az doesn’t see it.

#cherik #cherik fic #charles xavier #erik lehnsherr #roommate au #I’ve wanted to write this for so long now #you guys have no idea #jjcherik

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moldygreenblue · 3 years

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things from the asoue movie

(i personally think did better than netflix asoue, with “honorary mentions” that i can tolerate in ways.)

1. the movie soundtrack. thomas newman composes a lot of good scores, and everything in the asoue movie soundtrack is no exception (drive away is a real head banger). the fact it’s all on youtube, means one can jam to it whenever they go on youtube (i’m guilty of this). i love the netflix soundtrack a lot as well because shoot that is jim dooley’s music (i love his music ever since pushing daisies came out!). but netflix...where’s the official soundtrack? the fact jim dooley’s youtube channel has him uploading songs via request means he’s the only one to listen to the fans who want the show’s soundtrack is why the movie did better because of netflix’s poor treatment by not releasing it. it has to be jim dooley himself having to do it (and i appreciate him doing so because omg i can finally hear the tpp version ‘that’s not how the story goes’ without lemony talking over *tears up*)

2. the vfd group photo. everyone in the photo feels all organic and real. you got members sitting on the floor and steps. some members are standing. some members smiling happy to be there, or with neutral expressions because they don’t want to be there. some are in gestures of sorts (ike is flexing his arm like a goofball; that’s a nice touch to flesh out a dead minor character). it almost feels like the movie team decided ‘since we have the budget, we should get billy connolly, meryl streep, and others to take a photo and we’re telling them they can do whatever they want’. netflix’s vfd feels artificial and very, fake in ways. i don’t want to say it’s a bad photoshop, because group photos can have everyone stand in neat little row all smiles, but some heads feel...off. like, something feels really off with larry, ike, and uh, the guy i think is lemony who is clearly got the worst of it. is that a bad photoshop?

3. the littlest elf. the movie made that elf have a (minor) presence from beginning to end. there’s the fake out opening. the theme song from the fake out opening is heard three more times (twice in-verse, and it’s the final song in the credits) and it’s annoyingly catchy. olaf having a bobble head doll so shoot that means it’s popular franchise in the movie world. the movie made the littlest elf a thing, and netflix only makes it a word-of-mouth reference. what’s weirder for netflix is gustav despite having more of a character and kept his director status (unlike movie!gustav), never bring up this horrific masterpiece and the connection between the two (that i can recall). like, this is not cool, netflix!

4. movie!monty being able to carry snakes and having a personal snake. the movie probably had the budget to do so unlike netflix, but monty in any continuity would carry a snake with him if possible, even for a short amount of time. movie!monty goes up a level by being a giddy herpetologist with his own personal pet snake he loves and adore (sidenote: movie!monty, that’s why petunia thinks you’re a tree you always carry her around. you spoil her rotten). netflix!monty with the winged lizard is not the same vibe, because it’s cgi. i think netflix!monty should have hold a real snake for at least a minute, as a treat.

5. two-thirds of the wide window section. it’s not that i think the netflix version is bad, for i do enjoy it. but there’s so many details in the movie version i enjoy: josephine and her poofy black mourning dress. klaus dissociating in the kitchen and josephine losing it. josephine casually telling the children ‘oh no he [ike] got eaten by leeches’ and the baudelaires are all (O_o) and sunny speaks for them all. the fact josephine is strong enough to pull the chain to show off the wide window all by herself and violet and klaus are still (O_o). josephine screaming at the jane lynch cameo + “we got to get her out of the house.”. sunny accidentally dropping the apple basket. klaus tackling captain sham shamelessly. the baudelaires getting accuse of shoplifting. everything about hurricane herman, especially with josephine’s fears coming true. klaus assuming violet may kill them all with her plan to get off the platform.

the fact that the deleted/extended version of josephine’s death is so messed up (josephine realizing she can’t jump, josephine allowing herself to sit back on the boat, crying as she apologizes, the fog covering her and the boat), i truly think the wide window was the book the movie team attempted to do the series right in their own way, but meddling got involve.

and now, honorary mentions.

honorary mention 1: movie!powder face women ages. i don’t know what is up with their personalities (i’m including deleted scenes), but you know what? the movie team did cast two actresses who fit the age range of the sbg. had the movie continued in hypothetical sequels, i would have 100% believe their recruitment into vfd is connected to the loss of their sibling in a fire. netflix!powder face women are older than their movie counterparts (and maybe book counterparts, taking brett helquist’s illustrations of them as them being on the younger side), so when netflix decided to make ishmael the creator of vfd, they pretty much made a giant hole of a contradiction over their statement of losing a sibling to a fire (unless they aged very badly). netflix due to their major changes of vfd, made the movie look good in a weird way. honorary mention because movie series is dead in the water, and their characterization.

honorary mention 2: the baudelaire’s mansion. the exterior only shows up for one second in its glory before fernald stabs his hook into the photo, but given how the ruins are shown a lot, it’s easy to tell the mansion isn’t super huge, but still huge and noticeable. its location being in middle of the street holding a corner spot of sorts means looking from high above does give the illusion it’s in the ‘heart of a dirty and busy city’. the netflix mansion...it’s something. the netflix mansion looks like it’s borderline on a suburb neighborhood, and the mansion takes up six lots like this not what i thought in mind. it’s honorary mention because the exterior shows up for one second (and i’m not sure how to feel about the interior).

honorary mention 3: movie!lemony hiding his face 24/7. netflix!lemony showing his face is because he’s narrating the series from the future. whenever (past) netflix!lemony shows up, there’s is a sense (future) netflix!lemony is trying to avoid narrating himself because it screams, “oh hey that’s me! oh wait that’s me. i’m just...going to go.” and he leaves and only comes back after he’s certain past!lemony is gone. as much i as actually enjoy what netflix did, i do like the ‘i’m not going to show my face, suckers’ angle lemony has in the books.

the movie carries this over. lemony’s face is always not in the shot because the movie is showing his body head down, obscure by shadows, or do show his face but partly. the whole ‘my ribbon just jam’ bit still has lemony still refusing to not show his face. in fact, it’s hard to find a shot where his face is ‘visible’ without editing the lighting and shadows and what not until the ending, when lemony gets his transcript out of the typewriter due to the lighting of the lamp:

it’s a honorary mention because excluding lemony having no shame on interrupting the fake out opening, no shame on telling the audience to jump out the airplane if they’re watching the movie there, the ‘ribbon just jammed’ moment (if only because movie!lemony blank out afterwards), and technically lemony being melancholic after looking out the spyglass (lemony would totally do that, but in a different context), movie!lemony doesn’t do a lot of things that make him be, well, lemony. that, and movie!lemony’s aesthetics still confuses me to this day.

#asoue #a series of unfortunate events #asoue movie #moldy watching movies #this is actually old tbh #like a few months old #but it's still relevant #i don't think netflix still released an official soundtrack

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pbandjesse · 1 year

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I got some foot masks in the mail the other day and I am trying it and I have bags on my feet and it is so bizarre. But if it works that would be excellent.

Today was a super busy day. It was go go go from the moment I woke up until around 4. It was a good day overall. Even with some weird stresses.

This morning James woke me up and I said I needed the extra hour. So I went back to sleep until 8.

James was at work by the time I got up. And I made the bed and felt a little better. I love this wrap dress. So I was pretty comfy. I had a sweater on this morning but very soon I would take that off. It was strangely strangely warm. It was 76 degrees! Which makes me nervous for the summer but we did have one 70 degree day last February too. I checked the blanket. I have the data. I am sad we didn't have any snow.

I got to the musuem and felt good. Felt excited. I was training people and I had three needles programs! What an excellent day.

When I got there I just assumed the front door was locked but it was not and Jessica teased me for not checking. There were two new people! I would be with one of them today: Meril.

She's great. I think we will be fast friends because she's really sweet and easy to talk to. And super quick to learn.

When I first got there I would go start setting up needles with Del. And he's very specific and so I did what I needed to do for my stuff. Though I did get a little confused when he insisted on 4 cutters when I would normally do 6 or 8. But that's fine. Except we didn't have enough pockets?? Whatever. We made it work.

Like I said I had three needles programs. No breaks. And they were good kids but it's hard for 3rd graders to sew. But they all got it by the end.

One of the issues today was that O'Malley was leading after only seeing the program once and Audrey was leading it for the second time. So we were struggling a little. Everyone did good but there was no consistency. It's all fine but man. It's hard to reach someone when you don't exactly know what to expect. Meril was great though and quick to pick it up.

Rosia would also shadow for the middle programs. Which wasn't the best. Mostly because I couldn't go get her and she got lost in the musuem. And I didn't get to give her a brief explanation so I think she was a little confused at times. But it was fine. Like we handled it and the sewing went well.

Though the kids were a little focused on tech. They were taking videos and pictures a lot. Which is fine but it was on iPads so it was a little distracting. And then a kid in the front row took a phone call during Del's intro and that was just. Wild to me. And then later a child was watching a movie?? How to train your dragon 2?? No teacher stepped in and it was just so strange.

But I still had fun. I got to work on my embroidery. I enjoyed working with the kids. I felt happy. I had to just focus on the work though because as soon as I didn't I realized I was hungry. I only had a little bit of pretzels for breakfast.

After the kids left me and Meril cleaned up and worked on cutting shapes and cleaning up the kids work. It was super fun. And it was just nice talking to her. She is coming from a different historical museum and it's just really neat. She's a year older than me and we have a lot in common. A new friend I hope!

I would go to the back once we cleaned up and ate the egg salad I had with me and started shaking. Didn't realize how low my blood sugar had gotten. James was back there too and it was nice to eat together. And then we would go to the desk and I had a nice long conversation with Jessica about me going to work at Puhtok full time.

She gave me things to think about. Mostly what she thinks I should ask money wise. And from my research she is right. And if I base it off my camp pay it's not to far off what I already make there. Scary to talk about money but I will have to do it. It will make our life so much better if I have solid and expected paychecks. Even if it scares me.

I would stay a little later then I planned because the photographer that has work at the museum, Joe, came by and it turns out he worked at Puhtok back in the day and so me, him, and James talked about that for a while. About the good and bad and the changes I'm trying to make.

But at 230 I had to go. I have things to do!! So I said goodbye to everyone and went out to the beautiful day.

I drove the half hour our to Reisterstown to get my background check. And I was prepared for this to take an hour or more. But there was boy two people in front of me so it was like. Stupid easy.

The woman in front of me had a preschooler with her who became my best friend. We were making faces at each other and then she told me all about her pet hermit crab. Love little kids.

I got my fingers printed and was done in less then a half hour. So I decided I would go to the little goodwill to look around. The woman at the register was so sweet. We had some nice little laughs. And I found a very silly chrismas dress I couldn't pass up even if it's February. I will save it for next Christmas.

I also almost got a purse but I know I don't need another purse. So I said no to myself even if it was hard!!

I was planning on driving home after that. I texted Jess about how stupid busy today was. And she asked if I had gotten out pottery yet. I had completely forgotten. So I checked the GPS and I was 10 minutes form amazing glaze so I went there.

And our pottery was perfect. I think they both came out so stinking cute. I'm thrilled. My flowers and my worms are visible! I am super pleased. And Jess's pears are so nice. The woman there was super nice and said our pottery was super cool.

I went home next. Talked to my neighbors downstairs about the weather. And when I got upstairs James was basically right behind me. They said we should go for a walk. We open all the windows first. And I changed my shoes and James changed their shirt. And we went out.

We walked around the block. Took some pictures near the pretty flower trees. I love the flowering trees. Though it is still to early. Climate change.

We came back home and James made soup for themselves and pasta for me. And I basically stayed chilling on the couch all evening. James had their podcast but they had a guest in a central time zone so they would be recording until 9. But it was a nice evening. I went and took a bath. And James seemed to have had fun doing the podcast.

I just finished my foot mask. And James keeps laughing at me because I said I had wet plastic bags on my feet. But that's what it felt like!! And James rubbed the serum in for me because they are the best.

Now it is time for bed. I have two programs and a scavenger hunt tomorrow. I think it will be a good day. Fingers crossed. I hope you all sleep well tonight. Be safe!!

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ahtsumu · 4 years

Text

college student!miya atsumu hc dump

pairing: gn!reader ; genre: so much fluff, headcanons/mini drabbles ; tag(s): fluff, slightly suggestive, just the underclassman years for now, based on the american college system ; wc: 1.2k

imagine college student!miya atsumu majoring in creative writing while being the starting setter on the university's NCAA D1 volleyball team. he read milk and honey by rupi kaur once and ever since then he’s been madly in love with hitting the “enter” key after typing three words and calling it poetry. his ultimate goal, however, is to play for team USA at the olympics though!

imagine college freshman!miya atsumu

longboarding across campus on the first day of class with his airpods in (now playing: rap caviar on spotify), ray-bans on, snapback over his head, and nearly falling over when he passes you on the way to your 9 am. when you stop to make sure he’s okay, his entire face goes red before he stammers out an “i’m fine, thanks” and speeds off in embarrassment, kicking himself the whole time for not even getting your name because when will he ever see you again?? but when he’s settled down in freshman seminar and looks up at the whiteboard, he sees you walk in from the corner of his eye.

spending the whole night studying the lasting effects of imperialism through the lens of feminist theory after being paired up with you for a group project. he’s sweating buckets as he walks into starbucks because he just knows you think he’s an idiot (especially after your disastrous first encounter), only to be pleasantly surprised when the first thing you say to him is, “finally gave up on the longboard?” with a cheeky grin

texting his twin osamu “pls help how do i get someone to like me”, receiving “lmao is this a joke”, then replying with “stfu i don’t wanna hu i wanna cuff”, then being spammed with wikihow links and a few articles from GQ–– none of which he thinks helps, by the way!

running into you at the nearby 7-eleven at 2 am as he stands in front of the chips (it’s cheat day and he’s studying for a midterm, c’mon), deliberating between the purple and red taki’s like it’s a matter of life and death. when you say “fuego is better” from behind, he spins around with his hand on his heart, eyes wide in shock before he grins and replies with “i didn’t take ya for a basic…” but grabs the purple bag anyway

studying under a shady tree in the quad and getting bored after finishing a couple assignments, so he texts you to see if you’re free to go over some details of your project together (you are), only to end up not getting any work done because suddenly, you’re playing an impromptu game of 20 questions and wow. he can’t stop thinking about you.

sending you excerpts of your readings with funny comments, usually just roasting the author or narrator for his inability to understand the text. the first time you send one back he’s in the locker room after practice and he grins so wide that when his teammates grab his phone and see that all you’ve sent is a screenshot followed by “this mf’s writing about pouring concrete as if it's a RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE LMFAO someone come get their man!!”, they’re like, atsumu… you good? but no, he’s not–– he’s into you to the point it hurts not to have you

inviting you to one of his games after class with his heart pounding so fast that it almost feels like he’s playing the game right now, but then you take the ticket from his hand and grin, promising that you’ll be there as a representative from the official miya atsumu fan-club. he thinks that he might just die on the spot from happiness, but then you ask if you should come with a poster of his face and that’s when he really thinks he might just combust

looking nervously for you in the stands during warmups just to make sure you’re there and playing so hard after he spots you that he breaks his personal best for service aces in one game. he actually turns around at one point in the game to look you in the eye, winking as if to say “this one’s for you.” (you blush and hope he didn’t see it. he did!)

raising up one eyebrow in class when you meet his gaze and mouthing “wanna get out of here?” just to get you flustered, except when you mouth back “sure, my dorm?” with the same mischief in your eyes, a bright red blush blooms over his cheeks–– and he suddenly finds it very hard to focus, the only thing on his mind being you and him… in your dorm…

finally asking you out to the fall ball (this year’s theme: masquerade!), showing up at your door in a black three-piece suit and white mask and thinking that there’s no way he’ll be able to work up the courage to make his move once he sees you dressed like that, except he does when he walks you back at the end of the night, kissing you right in front of your door with his heart about to leap out from his throat

imagine college sophomore!miya atsumu

in plaid sweats, hair fluffy from sleep, leaning against the kitchen counter with a bowl of lucky charms in his hands, murmuring a “mornin’ babe” with a soft smile when he sees you walk in

pulling you onto his lap on his sofa as he reads to you a poem he has to analyse for class–– “[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]” by e.e. cummings–– and when you ask him if he’s finally moved on from his weird obsession with enjambment, he laughs out an “as if!” and pulls up a poem he’s just written on his notes app

leaning over the court-side barriers before games for his ritual “good luck kiss” because ever since you started coming to his games in freshman year he’s only set personal record after personal record (even breaking the school record for service aces at one point)... even though his teammates and coaches all make fun of him for it

making out with you on his desk after you walk into his room in one of his team hoodies–– the one with his jersey on it–– his calloused hands running up and down your waist as he kisses you fervently because god, he can’t hold himself back when he sees you in something that claims you as his, even if he has a paper on 18th century french poetry due in two hours

tapping your shoulder as you file out of your 8 am class with a goofy grin and your coffee order in hand after you rushed out the door a few minutes late that morning (thanks to him and his stupid wandering hands)

driving you around campus on an athletic department golf cart after class because of his student athlete special privileges, giving out high-fives and aggressively shouting “hey! have a great day!” to the students and faculty you pass (all while cementing your reputation as the cutest couple on campus)

begging you to stay another night at his off-campus apartment even though you have your own dorm room because he sleeps better knowing that yes, you’re still there beside him and you haven’t left like so many other people in his life

inviting his parents to the NCAA volleyball finals. the second they see you in his jersey in the front row they rush over and hug you, introducing themselves and saying that they've heard so much about you from their little ‘tsumu that they could recognise you from anywhere. and when atsumu strides on the court with the rest of the team and sees you giggling with his parents, he thinks that he really could just marry you right then and there

#miya atsumu #miya atsumu hcs #miya atsumu imagines #miya atsumu x reader #miya atsumu headcanons #miya atsumu scenarios #haikyuu hcs #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu!! hcs #hq hcs #hq headcanons #hq!! hcs #lmk if there are any grammatical errors pls im literally so low on effort rn LOL

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sorryimananti-romantic · 3 years

Text

Mist | Choi San | Chapter 4

Pairing: Choi San x OC (Seohyun)

Genre: supernatural (ghost), romance, high school

Trigger Warnings: paranormal, death mentions, violence

Words: 6.6k

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except my original character and the story. I do not own any gifs or pictures used.

Full story on Wattpad (don’t spoil here if you read there too)

chapter directory

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Seohyun was waiting for Jiwoo for quite a while now, sitting on the desk in her room, doodling in her notebook. She sighed as she shut it, a bit frustrated. It was not like Jiwoo to leave her hanging.

Seohyun considered going out; it was highly likely that Jiwoo was at their usual spot- the park near the school, her home, or the accident site. It was about 10 pm. Wasn't that late, was it? She got up, but stopped.

Maybe Jiwoo needed space.

It was probably this, but Seohyun couldn't help fearing that she had just moved on. If she'd gotten her memories back, that could mean that she was a whole different person now. She might not be the Jiwoo she knew anymore.

Seohyun fell on her bed, staring at the wall, and suddenly felt goosebumps.

"Took you long enough," Seohyun said, not bothering to look at Jiwoo, who had just entered the room.

"Don't tell me you were waiting for me," Jiwoo smirked.

"Oh, why would I?" Seohyun smirked back, and made space for Jiwoo, who sat on the bed with her. "So?"

"So, my dear friend," Jiwoo began, clearly excited to tell her her life story.

And she did. She was Ahn Jiwoo, daughter to two loving parents and a sister to a 16 year old brother. She'd had a pretty normal life; her father was a finance manager and her mother a housewife, and she had a lot of friends during her school years too. The rumours about her father being some sort of criminal were wrong; she had to face those rumours in her life too. They had her confused with another Jiwoo in her class.

"So we were a group of four friends; 2 boys and 2 girls. I was kind of a rebel in my last few months of life, because I just found life boring. I wanted an adventure. Something new. I wanted to travel too. So I was suggesting to my friends that we should do something. They were all busy in their own ways, and I didn't understand. I kept bugging them. So when we were in that restaurant, we had an argument. I knew it was my fault. I stormed off, and I was just about to go back when I got hit by a car."

"Oh... so then you went to the hospital, and they found out you lost your memories?"

"Right," she said, "But I was already in a critical condition. Brain damage led me to death."

"Ah..." Seohyun stared at her. Jiwoo's eyes were sad as she told her this, but she looked content. "So the reason you stayed..."

"The reason I stayed was not one, but two. I wanted to make sure my friends didn't blame themselves and my parents had moved on. And I spent the whole day making sure that was the case."

"And the other reason?"

"I want an adventure," she said and smiled brightly.

"Ugh, you ghosts! You stay for the most stupid reasons!" Seohyun mocked and dramatically threw her head in her hands, which made Jiwoo hit her with a pillow until she was laughing.

"That's my last wish, Seohyun. You think you could do that for me? Go on an adventure with me?"

"Haven't you had enough of adventure though? I mean, living with me is an adventure in itself-"

"I already talked to San," Jiwoo said, catching her attention. "He actually thought it was a nice idea. So we're going on an adventure this week. He said he'll make it a surprise for me."

"Hey, hey, that's not fair? You didn't even ask me!"

"I didn't have to," Jiwoo flipped her red hair.

------------

"I don't know why I ever agreed to this," Seohyun sighed, handing her bag to Wooyoung who put it with the other few bags.

"Stop being a boomer and get in," Wooyoung said, and Seohyun did, muttering how she should have never suggested this.

"Should've thought before you planned all of it," Jongho snickered and Seohyun shot a glare.

"Everybody's in?" Hongjoong asked and they looked at each other, shouting a yes. Hongjoong gave a thumbs up and took the front seat of the van after shutting the door.

Everyone, including Jiwoo, who couldn't stop smiling, were seated. Seohyun had asked her mom to lend her a van that could fit 10 people, and though her mom had raised her brows in question, she had agreed when Seohyun said it was a trip with friends. She had just been surprised she had friends that were not ghosts, so without further questions (quite conveniently) she agreed, on the condition that the driver would be someone from the company.

She did raise a question when she found out that she was the only girl in the whole group, and there were only 9 people. Seohyun finally told her she was doing a favour for a ghost who had saved her life, and her mother made her promise she'd tell her the story someday.

They were going to Muchangpo Beach. They decided they'd see the sunset there. It was close to Seoul and the only place they could afford to travel and have an 'adventure'. They'd have a fun time, the boys promised, saying everything was fun when they were together.

Jiwoo was sitting between San and Wooyoung, and the three of them were chatting. Seohyun smiled when she saw that San was her voice; he'd say whatever she had to say.

She herself was in the middle row with Seonghwa and Yeosang by her sides. The two of them were also half bent backwards, listening to whatever the three of them were talking about. Seohyun had plugged her earphones in but she wasn't playing any music yet. She just listened to them talk.

"Tell us something about Seohyun," Wooyoung asked, giggling. Seohyun smiled inwardly.

"Well, Seohyun," Jiwoo thought, "she's quite rude, isn't she?"

"She's quite rude, isn't she?" San did his job, and the five of them laughed.

"She's not that rude,~" Seonghwa casted a glance at her, sighing in relief when he thought she couldn't hear him. Seohyun bit her cheek from the inside to stop smiling.

"She's scared of crows, of all thing," Jiwoo revealed, and the boys laughed a little. "She'll never show it, but when more than three crows are around, she runs for her life."

"Ah, I haven't ever noticed," Yeosang said, rubbing his chin, "she can hide it really well."

"Tell us some ghost story," Wooyoung asked. He was clearly enjoying this.

"I have a good one!" Jiwoo exclaimed and everyone seemed to scoot closer. "There was once a boy about her age who had the most stupid reason to not move on."

San almost stopped as he narrowed his eyes at Jiwoo and she assured him it was not Joon Hyuk. So San told the boys, and asked them to guess.

"He wanted an adventure too?" Yeosang laughed.

Jiwoo pouted, but said it could fall in that category, but it was a different sort of adventure. She told them to let their imagination run wild.

As San told the boys, Seohyun decided this was her cue to interrupt. "We are NOT going to talk about that!"

Wooyoung screamed a little in surprise. "Weren't you listening to music?!"

Jiwoo was just laughing and Seohyun bared her teeth at her, making everyone laugh and wonder just what sort of adventure did the boy want. After a hundred pleads from the boys, Seohyun finally told them that it didn't actually happen; she just threatened the ghost in unimaginable ways, making him move on without his desire.

"I think I have an idea of what happened," Yeosang thought, amusement in his eyes, "But I am too afraid to voice it out."

"I think you got it then," Seohyun nodded in approval and Yeosang gaped at her.

"You got it tough, friend," he said, patting her shoulder to comfort her. San and Wooyoung were pouting very loudly, and Seonghwa just stared at Yeosang and Seohyun as understanding passed between them.

"You both are so weird," Seonghwa finally said.

"If I tell you, Seonghwa, you'll drown in shame. Better protect your ears and your pure mind," Seohyun grinned.

San and Wooyoung exchanged glances, frowning, but they shook their head. It couldn't be that bad. Could it?

Seohyun plugged her earphones again, deciding she'd take a nap and actually played music this time.

-----------

"We're here!"

Seonghwa shook her awake, and Seohyun slowly opened her eyes, her hand going in front of her eyes as she blocked the sunlight. She took off her earphones and the sound of waves hit her, making her smile. She adjusted her green dress that reached below her knees, and put her hat on.

She saw that Jiwoo was already out, running along the beach, and San was watching her with a smile on his face. He turned back, meeting eyes with Seohyun, who suddenly felt out of breath.

San was handsome- painfully handsome. And the plain white shirt he wore didn't help. His hair was flying due to the breeze and he ran a hand through them, cocking his head to the side as he watched her.

The sun making his skin glow didn't help either.

Seohyun cleared her throat and joined him, and they both watched Jiwoo, in her jeans and green T shirt that she had died in- her permanent outfit, running as freely as she could, her red hair flowing behind her, her laugh ringing in the air.

"I didn't know she'd be that happy to see the beach. Hasn't she been here before?" Seohyun asked.

"I think she has. She knew the way. And I'm almost suspicious she's doing this just to annoy you," San answered.

As if on cue, Jiwoo stopped, doing a weird dance, then started twerking-

"And that's our cue to look away," Seohyun grabbed San, now laughing, by his arm and went to join the others. "They didn't have to come. They can't see her."

"We figured out a way to enjoy with her even if we can't see her," San smirked.

And that was how, a few moments later, they all were assembled in a circle playing cards.

"Why do I think San and Seohyun are cheating on us with Jiwoo?" Yunho looked at them suspiciously.

"How do you think the cards are in the air?" Seohyun asked, and Yunho grinned. She had a point. To anyone who could not see Jiwoo, it would look like a bunch of cards were in the air.

"I WON!" Jiwoo smacked the final card and jumped in the air. Seohyun gaped at her.

"You cheated!" She shouted.

"I was sitting with you the whole time, don't give me that shit," Jiwoo smirked.

San told them that she had, indeed, won without cheating and everybody groaned. Mingi dragged the food basket and him and Jongho started spreading the food.

"Can she really not eat?" Jongho asked.

"I'm afraid not," Seohyun answered.

"Isn't it rude to eat in front of a ghost?" Jiwoo put her hands on her hip and Seohyun popped a cherry in her mouth, saying, "It is."

San scoffed. Jiwoo kicked Seohyun's leg lightly and said she was going to walk. The rest of them started to eat.

"I heard the sunset here is very pretty," Seonghwa said.

"I've been here before," Mingi took a bite of his sandwich, "It really is the prettiest."

After eating a little, Seohyun looked in the distance where Jiwoo was standing near the shore, the waves flowing near her. Jiwoo looked back and started walking towards them, then stopped halfway and gestured at them to come.

"She's calling us," San said, and they all got up, joining Jiwoo.

"I want to play in the water," Jiwoo said.

"What's stopping you?" Seohyun asked.

"With you all, you dumbass," Jiwoo laughed and took her hand, leading her to the shore.

"Hey, hey, easy there," Seohyun laughed and let out a little yelp as the waves hit her bare feet. "The water is so cold!"

Jiwoo bent down and sprayed the water on Seohyun, smirking.

"Oh no, you did not!" Seohyun bent down and sprayed back before she could run. And so started a battle of getting each other wet. They all forgot all their worries for a while, running around in the waves, laughing as loudly as they could, laughing even louder when one of them got Jiwoo. By the time it got darker, they were all quite wet.

Yunho and Yeosang ran back to get towels for everyone, throwing them one each, and wondering if Jiwoo should have a towel. Seohyun said there was no need, but Jiwoo snatched hers once she was done.

"The sunset's here, guys," Yeosang said.

They all stood silently, side by side, watching the sky change to brilliant shades of candy, the sun reflecting on the sea. It was breathtakingly beautiful. At some point, Jiwoo crossed her hand with Seohyun's, and she turned to look at her face. Her red hair shone brightly and her eyes were wet.

"I want it to be the last thing that I see before I go," Jiwoo almost whispered. Seohyun's heart sank in her knees. It was really happening.

Jiwoo looked at San and smiled widely, San smiled back and waved at her. Jiwoo asked him to tell everyone that she was thanking them for doing so much for her. They all assured her it was nothing, and said they were gonna miss her.

San looked at Seohyun, nodding and urged the others to come with him. Only Jiwoo and Seohyun remained now, facing the sunset.

"It's really happening," Jiwoo finally said. A cry of pain escaped Seohyun's mouth. She couldn't take it anymore. Jiwoo rubbed her hand comfortingly, making her face herself. "You've given me an adventure. The time I spent with you, that was enough. Today was for you, Seohyun."

"Are you serious?" Seohyun asked.

Jiwoo nodded. "I told everyone it was for me, but no. It was for you. A gift for helping me out so much. For being a friend. A little sister that I always wanted."

Seohyun smiled sadly, "I'm gonna miss you so, so much. I got used to you, I shouldn't have."

"I know," Jiwoo smiled, kissing her forehead and wrapping her in a hug. Seohyun closed her eyes and inhaled. "Don't cry on me right now, Seohyun."

Seohyun laughed a little. "I'm trying not to, you're making it harder by reminding me!" She opened her eyes and saw the boys, watching them from a distance.

"I hope you'll open your heart more, Seohyun. That's my last wish. You had a tough life, but you have so many people, dead and alive, who love you. I hope you remember that, always."

"Unnie..." A tear escaped Seohyun.

Jiwoo watched the sunset, Seohyun in her arms, and it was perfect.

She closed her eyes.

----------------

Seohyun felt it, felt her presence fade away. She was no longer hugging Jiwoo. She stood for a few seconds before finally collapsing on the sand and she shuddered as tears began to flow. She put her face in her hands and cried her heart out.

The boys approached her, sitting around her, rubbing her back, telling her that it was okay. She just cried and cried, and she knew she was letting go of Joon Hyuk along with Jiwoo too. The proper goodbye that she had so badly wanted, she finally got it.

San put her arms around her and brought her closer, caressing her hair. After a few minutes, she was out of tears. She let her hair cover her face as she rested her head on San's shoulder, trying to normalize her breath.

Jongho handed her a water bottle. She managed a smile and took a few sips, rubbing her eyes. The boys looked at each other. They weren't sure what they should do next.

"God damn me if I ever befriend a ghost again," Seohyun said and finally laughed, making everyone else laugh along.

"Are you okay?" Hongjoong asked.

"Yes, I am, actually," she said, wiping her eyes again. "I'm done crying for a while now." Her eyes went to San, who understood and smiled.

"Alright, let's get some dinner."

-----------

The driver had dropped Seohyun home now, and was on the way to drop the rest of them. As Seohyun entered her home, it felt strange. She felt utterly alone now that she knew Jiwoo wasn't gonna be back ever.

She tried to recall the time, only a few months ago, when she hadn't met Jiwoo yet. What did she even do in her spare time? She could not remember.

Seohyun went in her room and changed into her PJs first. After she combed her hair and scrolled a bit, she got up to turn off the light and saw something lying on her desk.

It was a painting. Of Jiwoo and her, cheek to cheek, smiling, the black cat in their arms. Seohyun gasped a little and examined it. It was really well drawn. Who made it?

She turned the page and saw something written on the back of it:

Seohyun,

I remember now that I loved painting. Since we don't have any photos, I captured us in this painting. Now you have a photo!

Love always, Jiwoo unnie ^^

Seohyun laughed a little as she read how she had addressed herself. "I guess you really liked being called unnie," she thought out loud.

She set the painting on her bookshelf. After being content with its position, she turned off the light, and slept surprisingly peacefully throughout the night.

------------

"I swear to god if you don't make fun of me when I do something stupid, I'm never gonna talk to you all again."

"Well, that's new," Yeosang commented, "You're begging for it now."

"Better that then you all being like this!" Seohyun let out a frustrated sigh.

The boys were being ridiculously sensitive with Seohyun, and she was feeling absolutely uncomfortable. She hadn't noticed it the first two days, but then she noticed in the little things; how they'd always offer her food before eating themselves, how they'd always accompany her, etc. She had enough of the special treatment.

"You're acting like someone died," Seohyun said.

"Back at it with the dead jokes are you?" San shook his head.

"Technically, Jiwoo was dead," Jongho remarked.

"So did she die twice then?" Mingi wondered.

"Oh please," Seohyun sighed again, "I just want you all to act like we used to. No more special treatment. Please, this makes it worse. I'm already at terms with Jiwoo going. It was bound to happen."

"Alright, alright," Seonghwa said and shushed her. "We didn't know what else we could do. Back to normal, okay?"

"Thank you," Seohyun truly meant it. "Also, I think I'm ready to share my drums." The boys hooted except one.

"Are you angry?" Mingi asked. Seohyun immediately turned to San, who was suddenly interested in Wooyoung's fingernails.

"Now I am," Seohyun muttered, and San smiled without meeting her eyes. The teacher came and interrupted their session, so they went back to studying.

After school was over, the boys decided to go to their warehouse, while Seohyun asked if anyone would help her bring the drums. San volunteered and they walked to her home, the black cat in San's hand.

As they walked, talking about how it looked like the cat missed Jiwoo, San stopped in his tracks. "I think you have a guest."

Seohyun looked ahead and saw a middle aged man dressed like a doctor. He was a ghost. Seohyun shared a look with San and went ahead.

"How can I help you?" Seohyun asked. The ghost got startled when he saw that San could see him too.

Jiwoo had once explained that to ghosts, Seohyun shined a little brighter than the rest of the humans, which was how they knew. Seohyun had just thought she was crazy but now she realized, now that she was with San, that it must be true.

Or maybe Jiwoo hadn't been joking that one time when she said there was a banner on top of her head and every ghost could see it, only Seohyun couldn't.

"I was told you'd help me," the doctor said. Seohyun nodded and he continued. "I made a mistake. I operated on a patient and it went wrong. It was my fault. The patient lost his vision. They were going to sue me, but when I tried to settle it, we had an argument. They gave up on suing me, saying I wasn't even worth the trouble.

"It was a few days later. I went into a slump and started drinking a lot. I was on the roof of the hospital and it wasn't my intention, but I slipped. That's how I died."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Seohyun said, "How can I help you move on then?"

"I want to let the patient know that I truly am sorry, and I want to let my family, just my family know that it wasn't a suicide. I wouldn't leave them behind on purpose."

"But... isn't it easier for your family this way? Than knowing that you are now a ghost? That it wasn't an accident?"

"I think," San began, "that he's right. It's more easier for them if they know he didn't commit suicide. They'd feel really bad if they think he left them on purpose. No one wants that from the people they love."

The doctor smiled thankfully at San. "I'll take you to the patient first," he said and asked if he should teleport the two of them.

"Do you want to come? You don't have to," Seohyun said.

San stroked the cat's head. "I want to."

"I don't know if it's safe for San to teleport. So we'll take the mundane route. Lead the way, sir."

"It's quite a distance. I hope you have money for taxi," the doctor said.

On the way to the patient's house, they had a nice chat with the doctor. He told them about his life, back when he was famous for being a good surgeon. He had never made a mistake and he had always held pride in that. But with this particular patient, he took a risk he knew he shouldn't have.

He told them he had a 10 year old daughter and he wanted her to become a doctor too. He wanted her to know that it was good to save people, and she shouldn't be afraid to take risks but also be careful at the same time and know her limits.

Seohyun was actually touched by the whole thing. It was good to have ghosts like these once in a while; nice, well-mannered ghosts.

They reached the patient's house. It was in a posh area; the patient himself must be rich. The house looked more like a mansion from the outside. Upon ringing the doorbell, a woman appeared, who the doctor told them was his wife. She seemed to be past 50s.

"We're relatives of Dr. Lee, the one who operated on your husband. We're here to discuss things about the case."

The woman passed them a skeptical look, "The doctor passed away, didn't he? We gave up on the case altogether. What do you want now?"

"We just want to talk to Mr. Cho. It's important. Please."

The woman let them in, guided them to the chairs in the garden and said she'd bring her husband. San and her sat down, admiring the lush gardens. The doctor paced worriedly.

"It will be alright. I have a way with words," Seohyun assured the doctor.

The husband and wife arrived; San and Seohyun got up and greeted them respectfully. "I am Seohyun, Dr. Lee's distant relative. This is San, my cousin."

"Have a seat," he said and they all settled down, including the wife. Seohyun sighed and decided she'd get to the point.

"Dr. Lee made a mistake. You must know that," Seohyun said. The wife looked at her husband worriedly.

"So he says," Mr. Cho said, staring in the distance.

"He wants to apologize, sincerely. I'll get to the point. He's here right now. I can see ghosts, the dead who have not moved on. He had unfinished business here, because he wanted to sincerely apologize. He won't be able to move on until he hears your forgiveness."

"Is this a prank?" Mrs. Cho asked, but Mr. Cho shushed her.

"I hope you can prove he's here," Mr. Cho said.

"Dr. Lee told you about some ginseng plant right before you went under anesthesia. No one was there when he told you, right?"

"That's true," Mr. Cho smiled. His wife began to complain but he raised a hand. "That's interesting. My father had a friend. He could see ghosts too. Are you the Mediator?"

San and Seohyun looked at each other in surprise. "That's what they call me, yes."

Mr. Cho laughed a little. "I used to not believe my father and that friend of his for the longest time, until I saw something and couldn't believe my eyes. That's why I believe you too, girl. You're doing a good job."

"Thank you," Seohyun said.

"So Dr. Lee is here? I can speak directly to him?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright. Dr. Lee, it was your fault, I know. But I truly forgive you. There are things we cannot avoid. We call it fate or destiny. What's bound to happen, fortune or misfortune, happens and you cannot avoid it. That's what I believe. I want you to move on, without the burden of my accident holding you back. You didn't do it on purpose, and that is enough for me."

Tears escaped Mrs. Cho's eyes and she wiped them. Seohyun muttered to San, 'wise man', and they watched Dr. Lee's eyes shine with tears to as he said his apology and thanks. Seohyun conveyed the message.

They were offered tea, but Seohyun told them they had to get home. The man offered to help Seohyun out if she ever had trouble with this Mediator job. She accepted, saying she would pay a visit someday.

The three of them left the house, standing in the street and reflecting on what had happened.

"That went rather smoothly," Seohyun commented.

"I know!" San widened his eyes at her.

"Thank you, Seohyun. It really does feel like a burden off my shoulder."

"No problem, we should move now. What's the next job?"

"I don't think I can see them like this," the doctor said. "I love my daughter and my wife very much. Seeing them would want me to stay. Do you think I can write a letter to my wife? You can give it to her tomorrow."

"Will your wife believe that it was really written by you?"

"We had a secret code between us; we created it. If I mention it in the letter, she'll have to believe it. And she'll recognize my handwriting too."

San and Seohyun decided that was convenient, and Seohyun handed the doctor a pen and paper. He wrote a short one, muttering something about how the less he wrote the better it would be. Then he folded it and handed it to Seohyun.

"I trust you. You'll give the letter tomorrow, right? I wrote the address on the other page."

"I will deliver it personally."

"Thank you," the doctor smiled. "Do you think I'll be able to watch over my daughter?"

"Maybe you will," Seohyun said.

"Guardian angel," San added, making the doctor smile as he disappeared. He had moved on.

"Well," Seohyun said, "That was quick. I love it when ghosts are wise enough to actually know how to handle their mess."

San scoffed. "Let's go."

-------------

Grabbing some coffee from a café they passed by, they took a taxi to Seohyun's home. Seohyun insisted that they should eat before they packed the drums and go to the warehouse. San helped her set the table. She had made pasta last night, which she reheated, and had some chocolates for dessert.

"Does your mom ever come home?" San asked as he nibbled on the chocolate.

Seohyun yawned. San reflected. They both were tired and sleepy now. "She has an apartment near her office so she only comes once a week here."

San yawned again and Seohyun laughed. "Should I let you nap?"

San smiled lazily. "Let's just pack the drums while you're still angry. I don't want you to change your mind."

Seohyun threw the wrapper at him and he caught it before it hit his face, throwing it right back. She dodged it. "Come on, let's dismantle it."

It took them ten minutes to dismantle and pack the drums. But it was already night time, and the boys had locked the warehouse and gone home when San asked them.

"Well, I'll call them here tomorrow. They should take it if they want it so much."

"Good idea." San said, yawning again.

"I think if I let you go home now, you're gonna fall asleep in the middle of the road. Take a power nap, San."

"Oh no, I shouldn't. I'll just go," he said and walked past her, only to be grabbed by the arms and led to a room despite him insisting he was not THAT sleepy.

San entered the room and immediately knew it was Seohyun's. The potted plants, the books, the mess. And the painting.

"So that's the painting, eh," he said, walking towards it and looking at the detail, absolutely wowed by it.

"How do you know? I don't think I mentioned," Seohyun narrowed her eyes.

"Jiwoo told me she left a gift for you," he smiled. Seohyun went to stand with him, looking at the painting with him.

"She's really good," she said.

San looked down at her. She felt so small; he was about a head taller than her. He turned towards her, his hand going to play with her hair. "You're really okay, right?"

"I am, San," Seohyun assured him. "I do feel lonely when I'm home, but you guys make up for it everyday."

San nodded. He was still playing with her hair. Seohyun suddenly flushed; they were standing quite close to each other. San noticed her looking at him, her light brown eyes shining.

He seemed to be searching her eyes for something. And Seohyun wasn't sure what it was, but she felt her heart pumping louder every second. She was, oh god, she was so attracted to him. He made her feel so many things just by looking at her.

"What are you looking at?" Seohyun asked- almost whispered.

"You," San said, bringing his hand to cup her face, surprised when she leaned in to his touch and closed her eyes. It made him melt. He brought her in for a hug and she gladly wrapped her arms around his waist, his small waist. She could hear his heart beat just as loudly. San rested his face on her head, rocking them back and forth. He didn't want to let go, he wanted to stay like this as long as he could.

Seohyun sighed. All she could think about was how he felt. Her mind was truly blank.

San finally broke apart a little, Seohyun's arms still around his waist. He was staring at her, his hands cupping her face, putting stray hair behind her ears. Seohyun wanted to do the same to him, but at the same time she didn't want to let go of him.

"Seohyun, Seohyun," he whispered, loving the sound of her name on his lips. She bit her lip. It seemed like they just stared at each other for the longest time, afraid to say anything, until Seohyun smiled at the situation.

San kissed her forehead first, a light peck. When she didn't move away, he tilted her face a bit upwards to kiss her cheekbone, then her cheek, leaving butterfly kisses, making her tremble all over. She clenched his shirt tighter, out of breath already. Their noses brushed and she loved the feeling of it, his breath warm on her. And when their lips brushed, San finally kissed her properly.

And Seohyun's mind went blank.

San's hand went behind her neck and Seohyun finally left his waist, only to cup his face herself as she guided him along. They tasted chocolate on each other. Seohyun was deepening the kiss, she just couldn't get enough. San mirrored her movements, following along, making her bend backwards until her back hit the desk and her hand went to rest on it for support.

San broke apart to catch his breath. His eyes were glazed, and so were Seohyun's. He put his hand on Seohyun's, the one that was on the desk, and with a sultry look and half a smile, he kissed her again, so passionately that it made Seohyun curve back and back until San was half on top of her.

When they broke apart, finally short of breath, Seohyun smirked. "I thought you were sleepy."

"I still am," he said, resting her forehead against her and smiling, eyes shut.

Seohyun lead him to her bed, making him sit. She bit her lip and smirked as she positioned herself on San's lap. San held her by her waist and let her kiss him; on his cheeks, like he had done, a peck on his nose which made him laugh, and finally a kiss to the lips.

"God, the way you make me feel, Choi San!" She sighed dramatically.

"And how do I make you feel?" He questioned. Seohyun shook her head. "I'll tell you later. Now we sleep."

San set his alarm for a power nap and with Seohyun in her arms, they both slept peacefully. When the alarm did go off, Seohyun didn't budge. With a kiss on her forehead, he left the house.

----------

"There's something wrong with Seohyun," Yeosang announced and everyone turned to look at him.

"There's more?" Wooyoung asked sarcastically and Seohyun glared at him, turning to look at Yeosang, asking him what he meant by that.

"I don't know," Yeosang threw his hands in the air, clearly frustrated, "She keeps smiling to herself. It's creepy."

Seohyun and San shared a look and San, despite his struggle not to, burst out laughing. Seohyun pursed her lips, trying not to smile but failed.

"See?" Yeosang pointed at her, "Has she ever smiled like this?"

Wooyoung was looking at San and Seohyun. "You both.... Is there a secret I don't know about!?"

"I don't have secrets anymore..." Seohyun lied shamelessly, shrugging. San put his hands in the air and said, "I only laughed because of what Yeosang said."

"No, you're looking at each other with the most disgusting look in your eyes," Yeosang observed, "Don't tell me you two..."

"Ah, no, that cannot have happened!" Hongjoong waved him off as Seonghwa gasped.

"How could you even suggest such a thing?" Seonghwa shook his head, clearly disappointed in Yeosang.

"No, I didn't even say anything yet..." Yeosang looked at Seohyun to apologize but she smirked at him, making his eyes go wide.

"I am RIGHT! Something happened between these two, she smirked at me!"

Seohyun immediately put her poker face and looked at Mingi and Jongho, who were right in front of her, with the most innocent look in her eyes. "Did you see me smirk?"

Mingi and Jongho shook their heads. Yeosang shot Seohyun a glare. "I know I'm right. If this turns out to be true..."

"Stop being so dramatic," San said, shushing Yeosang, and got up to drink water.

They were all in the warehouse, having just left school, and were currently relaxing and drinking juice, chatting with each other. Yeosang had noticed Seohyun smiling more than usual, which made him think something happened. It didn't help that San and Seohyun couldn't stop exchanging glances.

Seohyun had brought the drum set with Yunho before coming to the warehouse. Seohyun motioned to Mingi and they got up, leaving the rest behind.

"Have you ever played drums before? Like, actual drums?"

"Yeah," Mingi answered, "A friend of mine had them."

"Alright, you should learn how to arrange them."

So Seohyun taught Mingi all about the components of a drum set, their various uses and how to dismantle them and put them back. Mingi listened carefully, and Seohyun smiled inwardly at how happy he looked. It made her feel guilty that she delayed it so much.

When they were done, they stood back to have a look.

"A much needed upgrade," Mingi smiled, ruffling Seohyun's hair, "Thanks."

"This drum set is my baby, okay? Use it well."

"Yes ma'am," Mingi saluted and Seohyun pointed at the drums. "Have a go."

Mingi sat on the stool, testing the weight of the drum sticks in his hand. He tested the sounds then, and played a little, freestyling, laughing as he did. The others had come to watch him, cheering and hyping him up.

"Not bad," Seohyun said when he finished, "Just go with your heart. Don't think."

"Your turn," Mingi handed her the drum sticks and she almost panicked.

"I think I'm good," she hesitated but someone pushed her forward. It was Yunho.

"I didn't go through all that trouble of coming to your house and carrying the drums to not see you play," he shook his head.

"Alright. Just a second," Seohyun said, tying her hair in a ponytail. "There you go."

Everyone hooted, clearly excited. This was the first time she was going to actually play in front of them, save for the time she had played the violin for San. San smiled at her as if he was thinking the same thing. Seohyun inhaled, testing the drums, and began.

She realized she really did enjoy playing the drums; there was just something about drums where you could express freely, and loudly, as if you wanted everyone to hear it. And it made her smile like crazy, put her brain on pause for a while and play with her heart.

She played like crazy, and when she was done, everyone was in awe.

"You're actually very good!" Hongjoong said, finally clapping. Seohyun bowed her head and got up. "I didn't expect this."

"It's like she was a different person," Jongho was looking at her with wonder.

"Teacher! you're my teacher from today," Mingi declared, and Seohyun scoffed at him.

"You don't need a teacher, teach yourself. I know you can."

"Nooo~" he wailed, "I would love you as a teacher!"

Seohyun just waved him off, going to San and smiling embarrassingly at him. He pinched her cheeks and she pouted, the two of them forgetting for a moment that everyone was still watching her.

"You two... there is something different!" Jongho laughed in disbelief. San and Seohyun started laughing. Yeosang just shook hands with Jongho, thanking him for finally noticing.

"They're not even bothering to deny it, guys," Yunho grinned.

"San is mine!" Wooyoung shouted dramatically, coming to hug San, sticking his tongue out at Seohyun. Seohyun glared at him, baring her teeth at him, and snatched San from him. Wooyoung gasped, and suddenly the two of them were in a battle, both pulling at San by his arms, who was laughing painfully, shouting for help.

"He's not even choosing!" Seohyun laughed, and winked at Wooyoung as she said, "Let's ditch him."

Wooyoung pushed San away, rather forcefully, who fell in Yeosang's arms. He put his arm in Seohyun and she flipped her hair as they walked away from him.

"No one loves me," San buried his nose in Yeosang's neck, pouting. Yeosang sighed, patting his head.

"You're right," Yeosang said, "Absolutely right."

"Hey..." San moaned like a little kid.

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