#i can't handle the secondhand embarrassment

[ktsumu]

my greatest pet peeve is when streaming services or apps will have an unskippable fullscreen horror movie trailer ad and i get fucking jumpscared while trying to mind my businesss

#movie suspense and I aren't friends #i actually can't watch a movie without googling the entire plot beforehand so. i enjoy it just as much too just without anticipation #habit began after i couldnt handle the secondhand embarrassment in dear evan hansen like i had to take a step outside

[ahxiang]

i take it all back, i hate si won and i hate blueming

#started my rewatch and i forgot abt how si won lies abt having a photo shoot and how da un catches him and i'm dying #pls i can't handle this secondhand embarrassment i'm so weak and this is stressing me out 😭😭😭😭 #tea talks #blueming

[wingsyliveblogs]

There we go! Luz has officially learned her lesson... but I can’t properly focus on it because every single line out of Lilith in this scene is making me say “oh no” out loud. She’s so excited about the prospect of being able to help Eda! She cares about her! She genuinely wants to help her! But she doesn’t understand what’s really going on here and it’s slowly killing me!

Luz, please explain in words she’ll actually understand that Eda is, at present, not in control of her own body, and that you are, in fact, Eda’s student and not Eda herself, and that I’m almost wondering if there might be any truth in what Lilith is saying, seeing as Eda really should have known better than to leave Luz unsupervised in her body when there was a significant chance that she’d be arrested. 

#wingsy liveblogs #wingsy watches owl house #owls ep 8 #and here I thought KING'S segment would be the one to induce the most secondhand embarrassment #I was so very wrong... #misunderstandings are hard for me to handle and I can't think of a single way this scene could possibly end well #my stress levels are through the roof right now

[dn-imagines-in-2023]

DATE NIGHT

Light

Is pretty open to whatever you want to do. If you ask him to choose, he'll go with the classic dinner at a nice restaurant and maybe go to a museum or something.

He's a very good conversationalist. He loves to learn so he's very easy to talk to; he remembers details.

'Oh, they hate this color, I better pick a different tie.'

If you're doing something fun, he'll have a good time. But he's not a fan of the 'lay around on the couch' kind of dates, they make him feel unproductive.

L

He LOVES the lay around on the couch type of dates. They're a good safe option for him when it's not safe for him to be in public.

When it is safe for him to be in public he's completely shameless. All of his habits and quirks are out on display for the whole world to see and he does not care if he gets judged for it.

So if you can't handle the secondhand embarrassment of your boyfriend having his bare feet out for free, you're going to have a bad time.

If you do go out, he likes quieter, more private dates. A library, a park, places that aren't too crowded or chaotic.

Cafes and bakeries are always a win for obvious reasons.

Misa

She really goes all out. You have to schedule your dates with her, because they can be like 6 hours long.

She's a big fan of classic romantic dates. The 'dinner and a move' kind of thing.

I think she would absolutely love to take you to a masquerade. A chance to experiment with fashion and dance with you all night? She'd be all over it.

She would also like shopping dates. She loves to pick out clothes she thinks would look good on you and will let you pick out things for her too.

Takes lots of cute pictures through the night and displays her favorites in her room.

Mello *NSFW mentioned*

He’ll only go on dates with you on his off time- work always comes first. He has to beat Near by any means necessary, that means his love life comes second to that. In another world where everything was resolved neatly, he would likely be more willing to engage in romance.

Mello loves an adrenaline rush. His favorite dates are always a little risky and you always end up sweaty and out of breath (in a good way.) 

I imagine he would like taking you out for drinks and going dancing- probably to raves rather than nightclubs. 

The dark is a nice excuse to hold your hand- so you don’t get separated of course. 

When you’re so exhausted and dizzy you can’t see straight, he’ll call you both a cab and you’ll do everything short of have sex in the back of it.

The real fun starts when you both get upstairs ;)

Matt

Matt loves relaxed stay-at-home dates. You hop on multiplayer on a really relaxing game like stardew valley or minecraft and just lay in a snuggly pile of blankets together. 

I think he would also like dates where you make something together- trying a new recipe, or making an art project. It might not turn out great - he doesn’t have a sophisticated palette or a lot of artistic skill, but he would have a lot of fun.

He doesn’t mind going out once in a while, but he doesn’t like dressing up. He hates wearing ties. He’ll do it occasionally for your sake, but it’s not his favorite.

Near

He doesn’t really do specifically set out *dates*. You both just… end up in each others company.

It’s never a case of ‘Let’s set aside this Saturday at 7 for a date night.’ Usually, you just end up in his room while he’s working, you distract him, and you two end up spending the next six hours talking.

I imagine he would like that type of date, where you sit and have a really, really good conversation for hours and hours.

Especially since you’re one of the only people in the world who can really keep up with him.

He might bring out something for you two to work on together, some of his toys, puzzles, models, etc.

He likes meticulous, detail oriented work. Introduce him to knitting/crochet and you two can sit and knit together for hours. (embroidery would also work for this.)

Matsuda

Silly goofy guy.

He likes new experiences, he’s willing to try just about anything once. So if you have a really wild date idea, he’s probably down with it.

If he’s the one to come up with the date, he tries to put some thought into it and make it personal to you. But he has trouble coming up with new ideas so he tends to stick to what he knows - you two have a dedicated date night restaurant you both like.

I have no idea why, but I imagine he would love live theater? Like specifically musicals. Take him to see Hairspray, he’ll have the time of his life.

#death note #death note x reader #dn x reader #death note Light #light yagami #light yagami x reader #light x reader #death note l #l lawliet x reader #l x reader #l #misa amane x reader #misa x reader #misa amane #misa death note #misa misa #death note imagine #death note preference #mello #death note mello #mello x reader #mello death note #mihael keehl #mail jeevas #nate river #near #death note matt #matt x reader #matt #death note near

[cc1010fox]

Cody: Wow! Your new armor looks great, Fox! Fox: Yeah...Thanks. When do you get your new armor? Cody: What do you mean? This is my new armor. Fox: ...I need to go. Cody: Did Palpatine call? Fox: No. I just can't handle secondhand embarrassment. Cody: ...

#Commander Fox #Commander Cody #Vencuyanir ‖ Queue

[kissesfrombangtanatnight]

Roman Reigns x Reader x Jey Uso: Break The Rules For You, Pt. IV

You had finally gotten a little rest after eating and cuddling with your daughter. You were beyond exhausted. However, the pain in your head had calmed a little. Right now, your daughter was lying next to you, fast asleep, as Jey was texting away on his phone. It must've been mighty important because he was tapping furiously on the keys.

You study his face as you try to force yourself to remember something about him, but nothing comes to mind. However, you can't deny that he is a beautiful man. It deeply saddened you to be in this state and you tried to bury the fear that was creeping up in your mind, but you just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. What? You didn't know but you had to make sure you got back to 100% and hopefully, your memory would slowly return to you. You sigh inwardly as Jey finally turns his attention to you.

"Everything okay?" he says putting his phone in his pocket, worry expressed on his face.

"Yes, I'm just....ready to go home. Wherever home is. I don't really like being here." You say softly.

"Well, the doctor said once your tests come back you can go home. He said you didn't have any major injuries other than your head and ribs. And that busted leg, but thankfully, nothing else." He sighs, pulling your hand into his and caressing it gently.

You smile at him as he lays his head down on your lap. You run your hands through his hair, a small groan of approval escaping his lips.

It was quiet in the room, the only thing audible being the rain outside that was peacefully luring you to sleep. That was until there's a soft knock on your door and your nurse comes walking in, a smile on her face.

"Hi there. I'm sorry to bother you. I just thought I'd give you a little update on the tests that were done." She says as you give her a small nod. Though you were exhausted, you did want to know what was going on.

"Well Dr. E. will give you a more detailed update on your other tests, but I did want to point out that there's one test in particular that came back that I'd like to discuss." She says as you and Jey both give her your attention, all tiredness seeming to drain from your body. Hopefully, this was good news and not bad.

"W-what test?" you stammer as Jey looks just as concerned as you.

"So, when we drew the blood from your arm for your blood tests, we tested you for multiple things inside of your blood. Nothing concerning, just normal procedure. We got the results back and one test result from your blood came back indicating high levels of hCG." She says as both you and Jey scrunch your faces up in confusion.

"The hell is hCG?" he asks the nurse seeking clarification.

"Yes, hCG is.....a pregnancy indicator. With that being said.....congratulations! You're pregnant!" she says as Jey feels his face drain of its color.

Pregnant. Surely, he hadn't heard that correctly.

You're stunned by this new revelation as you don't know how to respond or even what to say. Was this a good thing? You weren't sure but one look at your husband's face and you were beginning to think otherwise. He looked nervous. Was he not happy?

"P-pregnant? A-are you sure?" you finally say after a painfully loud silence.

The nurse looks a little uncomfortable at both you and Jey's reaction, but she musters up a smile wanting nothing more than to run out of the room from the secondhand embarrassment.

"Yes. You're very much pregnant," she says, rocking slowly back and forth on her heels.

"Well....I mean....wow....this is........surprising," you say as she pats your hand.

"I know this is a lot to take in right now, but just know we're here to help you in any way we possibly can." She reassures you.

You feel tears prick at the corners of your eyes. All of this was becoming too much to handle. You look over at Jey who is looking down at his hands, spaced out.

"Jey.......what's wrong? Are......are you not happy?" you say feeling like you were on the verge of bursting into a river of tears.

He shakes his head, instantly grabbing your hand, and mustering up the best smile he can despite his heart jumping hurdles inside his chest.

"No, no. I'm sorry it's just....I'm shocked. All of this is....shocking. This...this is great news." He says as you slowly nod your head.

"Well um.....I'm just gonna step outside. Y/n....if you need anything just hit your call light, okay?" your nurse says hurrying out of the room to avoid any more awkwardness.

"Jey....what's really going on? You don't.....you don't look happy at all." You finally speak after another agonizing minute of silence.

Jey sighs heavily, running his hand down his face. "It's not..it's not that I'm not happy, Y/n. I just-" his words were interrupted by your doctor barging into the room, startling both you and Jey. He looked alarmed, shaken even as Jey stood to his feet.

"Got a minute to step outside?" Dr. E. says as Jey immediately follows him out of the room.

You grow worried as the door slams shut. You look down at your daughter as she's still sleeping peacefully, her head lying on your lap. Your eyes then travel down to your stomach that didn't indicate the presence of a baby whatsoever, yet you find yourself running a shaky hand across it.

You then stare at the door, waiting for Jey to come back in as you are confused and curious about the abrupt entrance of the doctor.

Moments later, Jey comes back into your room, pushing a wheelchair in with him. He then begins grabbing up the bags he'd brought with him. His eyes were frantic as he moved around the room, mumbling to himself.

"Jey? Jey? What's wrong?" you ask as he stops momentarily to look at you.

"Do you trust me?" he suddenly asks as you sit there, stunned. Why would he be asking you this out of nowhere? What the hell was going on?

"Ye-.............yes? I should, shouldn't I? You're my husband, right? Why wouldn't I trust you." You respond as you feel your heart begin to thump in your chest frantically.

"Then trust me when I say we have to leave. Now. Amya, wake up babygirl." Jey says as he shakes her awake.

Out of nowhere, the nurse (whom Dr. E. had been flirting with earlier) came into your room to remove your IV. Jey helps you to put on your clothes (which he went and got earlier) as you can't help but notice his face is slightly red.

You're baffled by this, but Jey gives you no chance to talk as he's helping you into the wheelchair. You try to ask questions, but he doesn't say much other than that y'all needed to leave immediately. Your daughter climbs into your lap, careful not to hurt you, as Jey pushes you out of the room, making sure to pull his hoodie over his head and cover your daughter up with a blanket.

As you're making your way through the hall, making your way to the elevators, you can hear chaos in the distance on the other side of the hall. You couldn't make out much of the chaos except some tall guy was standing at the nurses' desk yelling at Dr. E. It is then, that again, the feeling of absolute dread washes over you.

"What do you mean she's dead?! What do you mean my wife is dead?!" he cries angrily, going into hysterics.

"Sir, I need you to please calm down. I-" Dr. E. tries to explain but this guy wasn't having it.

"No! No! No!" the man cries, pounding his fists on the nurse's desk.

You stare at this guy as he paced back and forth. You watch closely as you subtly study this guy's features. He had long black hair in a messy ponytail that looked drenched from the rain. He was wearing all black.

He looked quite angry, hurt, confused, all kinds of mixed emotions. But you completely understood his outburst, especially with the learning of the death of a loved one.

You slowly shake your head, feeling sympathy for him. Surely that wasn't an easy thing to hear from a doctor. You turn your head as you look down at your daughter cuddling up against you.

Jey looks over the man, his eyes seeming to stretch before he swiftly pushes you down the hall right where the elevators are. He damn near smashes the down button as you wait for the elevator to open. He looks around, biting down on his lip, and tapping his foot. He seemed so anxious and bothered. You didn't know what was going on with him, but you were surely going to ask him once you got inside the elevator.

"Man come on, dammit." Jey groaned, hitting the button again.

"You know that's not gonna make it get up here any faster." You say as he shakes his head.

"I know. I know." He mumbles, wiping his hand across his face.

"Let me see my wife! Let me see her! This can't be true!" you hear the same guy yell just as the elevator dings, signaling it has arrived on your floor.

Jey quickly pushes you in, jerking your injured leg, you loudly wince in pain.

"Ouch! Slow down please." You whine as he quickly apologizes.

"I'm sorry. Sorry." He says as he hits the 1st floor button.

"Baby?! Baby?! Where are you?!" you hear the guy yell down the hall just as the elevator doors close.

"Poor guy........." you say aloud.

Jey takes a deep breath, leaning against the wall of the elevator. He closes his eyes, licking his lips.

"Jey......what's happening? Why are we leaving so suddenly? I don't understand. I'm scared." You say, your lower lip trembling slightly.

The past couple of hours have been quite overwhelming and Jey's abrupt behavior wasn't making it any better. It was making you a little scared of him. Granted, he stated he was your husband, but acting like this made you concerned. It was bad enough that you got into a terrible car accident, woke up thinking you're dead, but then learned you're not dead, yet can't remember sh*t. And on top of that, learning you're pregnant too.

"Y/n.....I promise. We'll talk when we get home, okay? I know this is confusing and scary, but you just have to trust me. I would never hurt you." Jey finally responds, looking down at you with apologetic eyes.

You turn away from him, a stray tear falling down your cheek as you quickly wipe it away.

The elevator dings, signaling you've arrived on the first floor. Jey quietly pushes you through the hospital lobby, your eyes scanning over the various sick people in the emergency waiting room. Some young, some old. Some babies, some adults.

Hospitals were scary to you and a part of you was secretly glad to be leaving but the question was, where exactly were you leaving off to? What was the place you called home? You try to ease your aching headache as Jey guides you through the hospital before you're finally outside. Thankfully, the rain had stopped, however, the night was cold, and you could feel the cool air through your clothes. You hold your daughter closer to you, feeling her suddenly begin to shiver.

You say nothing as y'all go through the parking lot until you reach a black SUV. Jey pulled out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the car. He looks around again as if expecting something or someone to approach. He shakes his head, and you swear you heard him mumble "Get it together Joshua".

He gets in on his side, making sure to lock the doors as he turns the car on and immediately turns on the heat. Which you were highly thankful for because you were about to freeze. You gently relax into your seat as he pulls out of the parking lot.

The radio plays Luther Vandross- Here and Now as you feel yourself drifting off to sleep. You were trying to fight the sleep, but you were barely winning.

"Baby?........ Get some rest. It's gonna be a long ride." Jey says softly, taking your hand into his hand that wasn't on the wheel.

You look over at him, nodding your head slowly before your eyes close.

~~

"We're here." You hear Jey announce as you slowly wake up from your long slumber, yawning and stretching.

"Goodmorning Mommy!" Amya giggles from the backseat.

"Morning? How long was I asleep?" You question as you look around at the unfamiliar, but beautiful scenery. Your eyes then lay on the house in which Jey identified as home. It was beautiful and inviting looking.

You turn to smile at your daughter who is fully awake. "What time is it?" you ask Jey as he yawns.

"7 in the morning. Come on, let's get some rest." He answers, hopping out of the car.

"Daddy, can we have breakfast first?! I'm so hungry." Amya whines as he helps her out of the car.

"I'll make us breakfast, but first Daddy gotta get some rest, ok? I'll make your favorite chocolate chip pancakes." Jey says as she nods excitedly, running towards the front door.

"She's a ball of energy. I just wish I remembered something about her. About us." You say softly to Jey as he gives you a reassuring smile.

"I know, but right now you can't worry about that. Now that we're finally home as a family......things will make more sense." He says as he holds you close to him, picking you up bridal-style to help you out of the car.

"Home sweet home." He mumbles, taking steps towards the place he knew you were always welcomed to.

#roman reigns #wwe smut #roman reigns fanfiction #roman reigns one shot #roman reigns smut #roman reigns x reader #roman reigns imagines #roman reigns x black reader #the bloodline #jey uso #wwe imagine #wwe fanfiction

[lullabyes22-blog]

Weird question but has silco ever seen jinx naked. I was rereading xoxo and i saw how in chapter 6 he helped her to the bathroom and helped her bath when she was sick. I’m confused cuz I’m like how could he do that? I’m not being a weirdo I promise just curious

Not a weird question and very valid, given he's responsible for her bedside care during the worst of her illness.

And the answer is: yes.

Silco's always had a very hands-on approach to Jinx's welfare. He also doesn't see himself as above mopping up snot, tears, blood, vomit, or piss. He and Vander ran the Last Drop when it was a literal hovel; limited running water, hot and cold running drunks, plenty of accidents re: customers bloodying themselves in brawls, emptying their guts on the floor, passing out and pissing their pants, or otherwise losing their clothes.

To Silco's way of thinking, if he can clean up after those drecks, he can certainly look after his own child.

He has a very 'emergency responder' mindset to nudity. The goal is always the patient's comfort, and modesty's irrelevant in the face of the bigger problem at hand. He's also got an excellent poker face; all the better to spare 'Powder' any secondhand embarrassment in the early days, when he'd need to help her get cleaned up. On her part, Powder was wary at first, but his manner was so briskly clinical that it felt almost like being tended to by Vi.

It helps that he returns the favor by having her administer his eye-shot: he is, in turn, stripped of his facade and at his most vulnerable. So Jinx understands this is what family means: looking after each other no matter what.

As Jinx matures, of course, it does begin to make Silco a little uncomfortable - especially now that she's a grown-up, and his mind is catching up to the fact that this is a girl he once rocked to sleep in his arms, who is now blossoming into a woman.

But she's still his little girl. She will always be his little girl.

Realistically speaking, caring for an adult child (or a parent) who has special needs/has been injured is the daily grind for many caregivers - and comes with a great deal of gross bodily stuff that must be taken in stride, and handled with grace. It's a tough act, and a lot of people can't hack it.

But whatever else, Silco's bedside manner is exemplary.

Also: I can't emphasize enough - he has not the least stirring of sexual interest in the little girl he's taken in. For him, she's the most vulnerable fragments of his own soul; the one pure and precious thing in his macabre shitshow of a life. His heart is black with rage, but his love for her is genuine, and he will do whatever it takes to preserve the vestiges of her innocence.

Even if he corrupts her soul in much more insidious ways, in the name of preparing her for the harshness of the world.

(Also, this is a very high pedestal, and for a growing girl, there's nowhere to go but down once she becomes a dynamic agent in her own right...)

#arcane #arcane league of legends #arcane silco #silco #asks #forward but never forget/xoxo #forward (never forget)/xoxo #arcane jinx #jinx #silco and jinx

[luckycharms1701]

12 23 24 and 25 for bay raph mayhaps?(if u accept him)

you bet your ass i accept bay raph! into my heart even ❤️

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

i'm going to spoil a fic idea i have and tell you that he secretly LOVES rom-coms. they are absolutely his favorite. he would commit actual crimes to stop his brothers from finding out though

23. Favorite picture of this character?

i'll be honest, this is my second favorite, but i can't find an image of the first. i'm so bad at searching for things. look at his cute fucking face though!!!!!!

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

oh, eomer from lord of the rings. movie version, not book version. men who don't know what to do with all these emotions and so channel them into anger and fighting. who have the potential to be soft, if given the chance. who love their family so fiercely it hurts...

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

my first impression was that he's so angry and brash. as someone who doesn't handle other peoples' anger well and who has mad secondhand embarrassment, it was a little difficult to honestly even look at him at first. but i think it was the scene with splinter in the infirmary that first had me going 'oh' and then his 'i've gotchu' to april when he grabs her out of the air that had me going 'oh'. add in his little confession at the end and i was a goner. if mikey didn't exist he would be my number one easily

#wow this was like #hard for some reason #i think i'm just still in mikey mode since i'm writing him #tmnt #talking tag #ask game

[doodlebloo]

Ok for real that vlog was awesome. I've had to skip Tommy vlogs sometimes bc I can't handle the secondhand embarrassment but not once did this one bother me. Like yeah it's a fake wedding and all but wasn't the moment where people they didn't even know tried to congratulate them kind of sweet. Isn't love kind of everywhere if you think about it. And isn't it an act of love for Tubbo to let his friend embarrass the fuck out of him like this. And for Owen to wear that dress out in the cold. Love conquers all Subscribe to TommyInnit

#ok no more insanity im logging off. #doodle.txt

[nixytea]

at the will of the waves — y.jw x reader

pairing: yang jungwon x gn!reader

genre: love is hard for wotaku (wotakoi) au, childhood friends to lovers, fluff, slight angst, one-sided pining

inspired by: フィクション - sumika

summary: to pretty much everyone you know, you’re a diligent office worker. but behind closed doors? you’re what society calls an “otaku”: obsessed with manga, anime, gaming and the like. after a traumatising event, you swear to yourself you will never again let anyone find out about this side of you, but what happens when Yang Jungwon, your best friend from middle school and fellow nerd, squeezes his way into your life again and offers you something you cannot reject ?

warnings: OOC, food, weird people, mentions of insecurities, too many anime references, girlboss y/n, inaccurate gaming terminology, maybe if this were on ao3 i'd tag it dead dove do not eat for how badly this would affect my social life if anyone sees this irl

word count: 10.65k

disclaimer: to whoever has the guts to read this: here's a pair of anti-secondhand-embarrassment goggles and a tetra pack of unsee juice, strap in cuz this was written by me six months ago in my "what in the world is romance" era so uh. yeah tldr: this is gross for me to read and edit, i suggest reading it only once to spare your soul.

taglist: @drunkjazed @kange3939 @ahnneyong

track 001 : still into you - paramore track 002: disconnected - 5sos

LEVEL 000: SINGLE PRINGLE NOT READY TO MINGLE

You’ve got a feeling the universe might just hate you. Just a teeny tiny hunch.

Today’s supposed to be a fresh start for you. New job, new coworkers, new outfit -- which you totally didn’t spend two months’ worth of your salary to purchase, no way. 

So then why in the name of Eren Jaeger’s left buttcheek are you sprinting towards the train station in three-inch heels?

It’s your first day at work, you can’t afford to be late. “If i can just run a little faster-” you wheeze, frantically swinging your arms. A hiss of the doors and you’re in. “Nice, I’ll be on time at this rate,” you think to yourself. It’s the morning train, so you opt to grasp a handle dangling from the bars overhead. Relief washes over your body, relaxing your overworked calf muscles. Nothing can stop you today.

Yet as your eyes skim across a manga advertisement, you can't help but clench your free hand.

I hope no one finds out this time.

Less than ten minutes later, you find yourself in a waiting room. The door swings open, and a tall woman steps in. She doesn’t seem much older than you, yet she exudes the confidence you’ve only dreamed of having since middle school. You can't help but admire the way everything about her screams elegance and professionalism. That would’ve helped three months ago, you muse internally.

“Nice to meet you. I’m your supervisor, and I’ll be your guide for the next few weeks. We work in the same department.” She offers her hand, a graceful smile  spreading across her face. “I hope we get along well.”

You grip her palm in a firm handshake, while secretly scanning her gorgeous face. “Let’s work hard together!’

Your supervisor leads you into the hallway, briefing you as she strides along. Thoroughly engrossed in your new mentor’s advice, you only realise someone else is in the corridor when your shoulder brushes theirs ever so slightly. Yet you continue walking on after a quick apology, attention returning to -

Wait. 

You swivel around, disregarding your supervisor’s confused mumble. “Yang Jungwon?!” 

The once-fading back of your victim pauses, head lolling to his side. “Y/n?”

Your mind races in overdrive, thoughts scrambling in your head as you force your mouth to say something at all. “H-hey, Jungwon! It’s um, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? Last time we met was in middle school!” Your hand lifts in a shaky wave, heart skipping at the glimpse of his familiar smirk. “It’s so unexpected! What are the odds that we’d be working here together?” Avoiding the curious gazes of your supervisor and Jungwon’s colleague, you continue rambling on. “Uhh…let’s catch up over dinner! Don’t be late!” You mentally slap yourself to shut your mouth, and breeze past the two men. Phew, that was close. You cannot let the only person who knows your darkest secret go free. Luckily you’d spotted him on your first day, or who knows-

“By the way, are you tabling at Comic Con?”

You swear you were one word away from a heart attack. “H-haha, very funny. You know I don’t do that stuff, why would you ask that? Bye now!”

“…I’m screwed.”

Eleven hours later, you find yourself at a nearby 24-hour arcade, your focus on the sparkly joystick loosened by years of manhandling.

“The bait’s been set. Passing it over to you now.” You swap places with Jungwon to finally chug your can of Calpis. “Mmmm, that’s the stuff,” you sigh happily, never tearing your eyes away from the screen, where Jungwon’s doing up the finishing touches for the claw machine. He’s always been better at these things than you, but you’d like to believe it’s because he spent more time in arcades than you did when you were kids. You were more into stupid otome games with cheesy endings.

“Got it. Told you it was possible,” Jungwon announces, the collection door swinging open to reveal a fluffy dino stuffie. “Seriously, after all these years you still need my help?”

You let out a derisive snort as you seized the plushie from his hands. “Well, you haven’t changed much either, have you? Nearly told everyone I’m an otaku on my first day. I do have a death wish, mind you.”

His smirk really is the same, you realise, as his dimples emerge as prominently as you remember. It’s actually quite endearing, though you’ll never tell him that. ‘Sorry, but I couldn’t have known you’re a closet otaku now? You used to be so blatant about it. ‘Ohmagawsh have you seen the new nyeh nyeh nyeh? The love interests are so hot I’d lick their abs.’ That’s how you sounded like, you know?”

“Stop, someone could hear us and I can say goodbye to my job!”

“Relax, no one’s here. You never used to care so much about people’s opinions, though,” he quips, reaching out to grab a piece of fried chicken. “So? What’s the tragic backstory behind your pathetically closeted fangirling?”

Your elbow accidentally collides with Jungwon’s ribs, nearly pushing him out of the high chair. “I was only like that with you. And it’s…a long story.”

“It’s also a long night.” That was how Jungwon was. Always there, always listening.

You have to take a swig of your Calpis to steel yourself, after all it’s not a story you like to tell. But he’s your best friend, and he’s the only one you’d trust with a fraction of your secret. 

“Somewhere during university, I guess the pressure to be a…normal student was pretty high. So I decided to put my uh, unorthodox hobbies into the rhetorical closet?” You pause, lips pinching as you try to avoid his questioning look. Somehow you can’t bring yourself to tell him the whole truth. A part of you begs to confide in him, because you just know he’s the only one who might understand. But…

Jungwon watches you, an emotion you can’t pinpoint brewing in his sharp eyes. “Is that all?” 

“Y-yeah. It’s a pretty good reason if you ask me.” Your tone is more defensive than you mean it to be, considering this is meant to be no more than a casual catch-up session with an old friend.

He shrugs, stare boring right through your soul. It’s funny how the guy you haven’t met for half a decade is the one who knows you best, even better than yourself. “I don’t believe you.”

And you crack. It’s surprising, really, that after so many months of holding yourself together it is Jungwon who becomes the catalyst to your spiral. Your vision melts into a blurry kaleidoscope of colours as the words fall from your lips. You tell him everything. About you falling so deeply in love with your boyfriend of three years that you plucked up the courage to tell him about your less-than-perfect lifestyle. About him asking for a breakup in a matter of minutes after the confession. About him telling everyone at your workplace, about people you once considered friends pretending you don’t exist, about being so openly mocked you have no choice but to resign and escape from a nightmare you know was created by your own two hands. And you know telling Yang Jungwon about your dirty laundry isn’t going to turn back time, isn’t going to bring your old life back, but you tell him anyway because it feels safe and right somehow. He feels safe and right.

He always has.

When your world stops spinning and you return to reality, you find yourself sinking your nails into the plushie, eyes stinging slightly, and Jungwon’s hand is on your back, palm rubbing circles into your back. You’ve gotta admit, it feels better than you thought it would. It coaxes more out of you, words you didn’t know were in you before. “I swore off telling anyone I date about being an otaku. Saves me so much more effort and heartbreak.”

He raises his eyebrows, a thin crease forming across his forehead. “What about finding an otaku partner? Saved you the heartache.”

The question instantly sobers you up, your back straightening as if you weren’t on the verge of sobbing your eyeballs out a moment ago. “Hey, that’s just weird! Besides, I’d get zero attention from them.”

“That’s rich coming from you.”

The conversation evolves into something more lighthearted, and it’s like the five years between you two was never there to begin with. You spend the rest of the night basking in the waves of nostalgia, reliving the freedom of your childhood.

Hours later, Jungwon checks his wristwatch. “It’s late, I’ll walk you home. We still have work in the morning.” 

The walk to your apartment is silent, save for the whistling of the cool night breeze in the city streets. Jungwon’s footsteps are silent - he walks just like a cat, you conclude after watching him slink along your side.

“Thanks for tonight, Yang.”

“Anytime, L/n.”

You continue soaking in the peaceful atmosphere, knowing tomorrow will be a hectic work day. Such a night is hard to come by, but maybe with Jungwon around, things’ll be more fun?

“…me?”

“Hm?” You turn to ask him what he said, but he beats you to it.

“What about me?”

You stare at him in confusion. “What about…you?”

“You said you wouldn’t tell your partner about being an otaku. Then what about me as a partner? I’d help you clear stages in games whenever you needed, I’d support you at conventions, and I wouldn’t judge you for your interests. And while we date, I’ll teach you how to not screw up future dates. You know, some sort of friends with benefits, except the benefits aren’t the usual…you know. You can treat me as practice for relationships. Dump me whenever you find someone you actually like.” Somehow, his face remains clear of any signs of embarrassment as he oh-so boldly states something that shouldn’t seem as simple as he makes it sound.

His proposal shocks you, no doubt. He’s never shown any interest in you romantically, as far as you can remember, so he can’t possibly be hitting on you right now. Besides, Yang Jungwon is a level-headed person, and his offer doesn’t seem so bad the more you think about it.

You reach out to grip his hand in a firm handshake, watching as Jungwon fails to hide the satisfied grin spreading across his face. You’ve got a feeling your face is mirroring his too. “Deal.” 

And henceforth, your whirlwind otaku romance begins.

LEVEL 000 COMPLETE. PROCEED? >YES >NO

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LEVEL 001: MEET THE HOMIES

You’d think getting a partner would be a life-changing experience that completely shook your world, but Jungwon just wasn’t acting like it was a big deal. You, on the other hand…

Embarrassing as it was, you were hiding from him. Who knows why. It was as though last night was a secret you had to take to your grave. 

So here you are, crouched under a table while Jungwon and his friends are messing with their Switches over lunch. 

Since you aren’t too far away from their table, you can catch snippets of his conversation with his gaming buddies. And as you stare a little longer, the sudden realisation hits you: you know those guys. They lived in your neighbourhood too, went to the same school, played hundreds of games with you and Jungwon too. 

Kim Sunoo, the one whose name Jungwon used to call with more excitement than you’d ever seen before. He was older than you by a year, and he was the reason you and Jungwon started gaming. Every inch of his house was covered in anime posters, Genshin cosplays, full sets of manga volumes and action figurines. Plus, he had a treasure trove of a game collection that lined every wall in his house, something that still amazed you. Apparently, he’d gotten the money through cosplay wig commissions or some voice acting gig (the dude had a honeyed croon every fangirl could swoon for). Cunning, hardworking and motivated. You could see him write those on his resume.

Then there was the dude who hulked over your…boyfriend and Sunoo. Nishimura Riki. If you recalled correctly, Riki was like a little brother to Jungwon, who would take him anywhere and everywhere. His parents owned a dance studio, and Riki had put his skills to good use. Cosplay thirst traps were all your feeds consisted of, and you’d stumbled across Riki’s account one day, featuring the tall boy in a maid outfit. By the looks of it, he worked here. The apron gave it away.

Just how much did you miss?

“Yah! That’s the third time you missed a shot today. And you never miss!” you hear Sunoo whine. “Who are you and what have you done with my talented dongsaeng?”

Riki snickers “Hyung, he’s distracted. Look at him. He can’t focus.” He leans towards Jungwon, a meaningful smile curling on his face. “He logged on late last night, didn’t he? I bet he went on a date.”

Jungwon’s fingers slipped.

“AAAAAAAH JUNGWON-AH WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Sunoo’s wails fill the cafe, earning a hasty shush from Jungwon. “Honestly, you guys are so dramatic. Is it so unbelievable?” 

“Ah, but hyung, this is different. You’ve been single your whole life cause you can’t get over-”

“Shut up.”

You hear Jungwon exhale, fingers fiddling with the power button of his switch. “Look, it’s not like that okay? She and I are just dating till she gets an actual boyfriend.” 

A pause. Then hysterical laughter begins to echo through the small cafe. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Won,” Sunoo wheezes, slapping his knee so hard you hear the smack ringing in your ears. “You of all people should know these things never end the way you expect it to. Aren’t you supposed to be a shoujo plot expert?”

“What do you even expect me to know? This isnt real life!”

“Hyung, I know a good pick up line you can use on her. Are you an angel? Cause your health bar dropped when you fell from heaven.”

“That sucks, Riki.”

Much as you’d like to watch Jungwon dig a deeper hole for himself with every word that comes out of his mouth, you do have an ounce of pity for him.

You walk over to their table, pulling out a chair. “Oh? Didn’t expect to bump into you here.”

Sunoo falls off his chair in shock, but he just stays on the floor staring at you with almost comically  wide eyes. “Y/n?! We all thought you died when you disappeared from our neighbourhood?”

“Died?! I left to study, who told you I died?” 

Shaking his head, Sunoo giggles deliriously. “Wait till you find out what Jungwon’s love life is like. Did you know he’s got a…a fake girlfriend?”He barely gets the words out before another fit of giggles knocks him over.

You clear your throat. “I…might know a thing or two.” Jungwon’s head spins towards you, the existential horror evident on his betrayed glare. “Y/n, why would you tell them that?” The boys perk up almost immediately, the sound of Sunoo slamming the table reverberating off the walls as the owner shoots dirty glares at Riki. “No way, his fake girl is you?”

Just as Sunoo is about to tease you even more, Riki comes to your rescue. “Ah, who cares. At least you can game with us now. Hoyoverse ID, please.”

You wince, grinning sheepishly. “Yeah, about that, my ex deleted my account as revenge. I haven’t found time to restart.”

“Sheesh, Y/n, what kind of exes do you have?

“Bitter ones, obviously.”

“So Jungwon’s better than them all?”

“Oi Riki shut your mouth.”

LEVEL 001 COMPLETE. PROCEED? >YES >NO

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

LEVEL 002: FIRST DATE?!

Being in a relationship requires commitment. That much you’re aware of. Miraculously, so is Jungwon despite his absolute lack of experience.

“So Riki wasn’t joking? You’ve really never dated anyone ? Why?” 

Jungwon sighs. If he weren’t so busy with his mouse, he’d probably have glared you down. “Didn’t think I needed it, don’t ask why.”

“Sheesh, okay. So touchy.” 

This is how you’ve been spending your after-hours: playing any PVP game that suits your mood with your…boyfriend? Neither of you had really made an effort to give each other any experience dating someone who didn’t spend 24 hours a day thinking of 2D characters. 

Jungwon’s fingers fly across the WASD as he continues the conversation. It’s a skill he seems to have acquired after so many years of doing this with Sunoo and Riki. “I think we should stick to the plan we agreed on.”

“What plan? We never planned anything.”

He swallows audibly, eyes darting around the screen of his monitor as his avatar creeps nearer towards his opponent’s “We need to try going on an actual date. Zero gaming references, strictly no mentions of your manga allowed. Practice makes perfect.”

“Practice makes perfect,” you echo. He’s right, you have to admit. It’s been fun having him around to help you level up in your games, but there’s no way you can continue on like this. The arrangement might as well be off, if that were the case.

Right?

You don’t miss the cheeky edge in his voice as he speaks. “You’ll have a harder time than me, so let’s have a bet. If you mention anything anime or manga or video game-related, I get to pick what games we play for a week.”

“Oh come on, there’s no way I’m gonna play Mario Kart for a week. If I win, you have to play a full Mystic Messenger route with me.”

Jungwon groans, falling back against the backrest as he slides away from you. “Now I really need to win.”

The following day, you find yourself standing at the gates of a small theme park. Squeals of pure delight fill the air as children dart around visitor’s legs. Pop-up shops line the edges of the park, with colourful carnival booths and cotton candy of every flavour imaginable. In other words, paradise.

Coincidentally, it’s also the place you and Jungwon visited when you graduated from high school, and you can’t help but wonder if he remembers it the way you do. 

With Jungwon by your side, you head straight for the merry-go-round. Beckoning towards Jungwon, you swing your legs over a plastic horse. The spinning disc begins to rotate, and your horse bounces you upwards. “Ha, I’m finally taller than you!” you joke cheerily. 

He shakes his head fondly, signature smirk curling to reveal his teeth. “In your dreams. Do you remember the first time we came here?”

“Oh yeah, in kindergarten I think? Your sister took us here. We snuck off to the spinning teacups twice.”

“If she hadn’t found us, we’d have gone a third time,” he snorts. “I miss being a scrappy kid. No need to worry if someone’s gonna kill me for my typos, or my parents nagging at me to bring a girl home. Just doing what I want to. Preferably with you.”

You hum absently, pondering on his sudden confession. It’s true, neither of you would have believed it if ten years ago, someone had told you you’d be doing a nine-to-five desk job. “Heh, we used to say we wanted to be game developers. Look at us now.”

“Look at us now.”

The next five minutes make you feel as though the two of you are in your own little bubble, and you are so lost in conversation that you almost don’t notice that the ride has stopped. As you step off the platform, you find yourself wishing this could last forever. Wasn’t so bad, was it?

“C’mon, I wanna try the roller coaster next.” Jungwon nudges you towards the loopy tracks, painted in a blinding white that reflects the bright morning sun. “Last I checked, you’re pretty good with heights.”

With his hand on your shoulders, he steers you towards the winding line of poor souls who don’t know what’s coming. Luckily for you, this isn’t your first time. Following Jungwon’s lead, you march forward. The day’s going well so far, but somehow it just doesn’t really feel like a date. Oh well, that can be built up over time. You squeeze your way through a small crowd, peering over tall shoulders. And as the crowd parts ever so slightly… 

It can’t be.

Not far from you, a head of dyed blonde hair glints in the sunlight. As you lean forward, you see the face attached to it. Your ex.

And hand-in-hand with him is another ex-colleague. 

You should’ve known, really. They’d been making eyes at each other even while you were dating, so this shouldn’t be a surprise. But as your fingers dig into the sleeves of Jungwon’s sweater, you can’t ignore the way your heart clenches painfully, dread coursing through your limbs as you will your legs to just move along.

For better or worse, Jungwon is a highly perceptive person. He follows your gaze. “Is that…” His voice trails off, hands tightening their grip on your back. 

You swallow thickly, trying to tear your eyes away. “Y-yeah. Let’s keep moving, shall we?”

Forcing a smile, you surge forward with greater resolve than ever. Today’s not about him, is it? It’s about you and Jungwon. Right. Today can still be a good day.

“Y/n?”

Jungwon’s voice rings clearly despite the bustling visitors surrounding you. You look up in surprise as his arm wraps around your shoulders, hand squeezing your bicep firmly. An assurance. “Ignore him. Even if he spots you, he wouldn't dare come here.”

“And if he does?” 

“He’s just a side character in the grand scheme of things. You’re the main focus today, don’t let him ruin our date…or whatever.”

His words send your heart aflutter, warmth filling your veins like honey. Leave it to Yang Jungwon to make you feel special. “Now say it with me: I am weirdo otaku, and my ex is a smelly normie with no real hobbies.” 

You know he means it as a joke, but somehow you can hear your voice growing louder and more confident as you repeat after him for laughs, and you realise that for the first time in months, you are perfectly calm about the whole thing. Maybe it’s the fact that you know for sure he’s in the wrong now. Maybe it’s the fact that Jungwon literally has your back. Either way, you’ve finally found it in you to stand up for yourself. 

“Right, I’ve got a date to enjoy with my boyfriend.” Hooking your arm with Jungwon’s, you lead him towards the cotton candy stand. “I can’t stand the sight of that bastard, so let’s go.” 

A genuine smile graces Jungwon’s cat-like features, dimples deepening as he gazes at you with so much fondness in his eyes it’s as though you’re the only one in his world. You suppose years of knowing each other gives him that right, but you can’t explain away the tickly sensation in your belly when he looks at you that way. “Well, I’m glad. At least that’s one obstacle we’ve overcome through this amazing plan of ours-“

“And thank you for joining me in the Mystic Messenger grind.”

“What? Since when?” He gapes, horror dawning on his face as he realises the situation he’s gotten himself stuck in.

“Oh, you know exactly what you did.”

“...that doesn’t count.”

“Does too!”

“Does not.”

“Whatever you say, loser. Get ready for a tearjerker marathon, Won. We better stock up on tissues before we start tonight.”

LEVEL 002 COMPLETE. PROCEED? >YES >NO

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

LEVEL 003: MIXED SIGNALS

You are positively, utterly, tragically, extremely screwed. Why? Because you have a chapter of a doujin to upload. Tomorrow. And said chapter is…nonexistent. And judging by the influx of comments under your discord, the fans aren’t gonna be happy if you don’t keep your promise. Then again, neither are you. You’re actually just excited for this, but to think you might just let your readers down…

You sigh, cracking your knuckles as you flop into the study chair. This is not the time to be panicking, you decide as you pick up your pen. You’ve got the plot down, the action scenes are already looping in your head, plus the cheesy romance factor is definitely, undeniably there. So what’s the issue here? Why is it that as you twirl the digital pen between your fingers, you are staring at a blank canvas?

Death by manga. Not a bad way to go out. You try to squeeze your brain, gulp down a whole cup of hot tea, hot coffee, anything at all. But none of it works. An hour later you are still met with a snowy white expanse across your PC, not a single face, hand, just nothing. Great.

You reach for your phone. Maybe checking the fan art submissions will give you some ideas. But as you pick it up, a notification tone pings, screen lighting up as a message pops into existence. A red heart floats beside the text. 

won<3: why r u online on twt rn arent u supposed 2 b asleep

you: omg ur online pls save me n log on 2 discord thx

Almost immediately, your discord alert tone goes off, and Jungwon’s voice blasts from your monitor. “You okay? You should’ve turned in for the night two hours ago. What’s keeping you up?” The concern in his tone is evident, despite the virtual barrier. It feels good, to know someone’s looking out for you. Especially if that someone is Jungwon.

“Listen…you know how my new chapter is up tomorrow? Well, I kiiinda haven’t finished drawing it yet.”

The silence in your room is telling, save for what you think might be Jungwon dropping his bag of chips. “Y/n, you can’t be serious. Share the file with me, we don’t have much time if you want to get any sleep tonight at all.”

“Really? You’ll help? Thank you so so much I’ll buy you dinner tomorrow.” You fiddle with the controls, and it just so happens that Jungwon decides to turn his camera on at the exact same time. His face appears across your screen, and for a moment you forget what you’re supposed to be doing. 

Although it’s past midnight, he still looks absolutely gorgeous. With the contacts off, his eyes are their natural black, sharper than when you see him in the mornings. You are about to question why he is so alert today when your eyes fall on his pursed lips, a pretty shade of pink, much like when you were kids. He did grow up well, you’ve got to admit. But instead of his features making you flustered, it seems to make your heart ache instead. It’s an inexplicable feeling, similar to nostalgia. Regret for the years you’ve lost.

“What even…y/n, I don’t think this is called being unfinished. You didn’t even start.” He runs a hand through his auburn hair, expression giving away the exasperation directed at you. “Well, we better get started. Pick your pen up, we’re in for a long night.”

The next two hours are spent brainstorming and you panicking over the lineart, while Jungwon tries to colour in the cover page. Every time you let out an “oops”, you swear you see the cat ears on Jungwon’s headset twitch in annoyance. (Not that it matters, but that’s the headset you got for him for his eighteenth birthday.)

After a while, you settle into a comfortable silence, save for the gentle tapping of your pen’s nib on the screen. “Hey, Won?”

Hearing the hum of acknowledgement from his end, you continue. “Did you…miss me when I left? I know you found out from my mother, but only because I was too scared to tell you on my own.”

There is a pause, where only Jungwon’s even breaths are audible. Finally, he answers your question. “Y/n, you were my best friend. You still are. Of course I missed you.” He says it like it is so obvious, like it is a given for him to care so much about you, platonic or not. 

“Weren’t you a little…disappointed by what I was like when we met again that day? I did try to pretend I’d changed.” You’ve never actually told Jungwon that if he hadn’t talked to you that night, you were planning to never approach him again. Back then, you would’ve wanted to pretend he didn’t exist. But that night at the arcade, and how he’d shown you over the past few months that he wasn’t going anywhere, it made you wonder. Why’d you want to stick with me?

“Disappointed? Never. Not in you. You haven’t had it easy since you left our hometown, I know. But from here out, I’m sure you’ve figured out what you want, haven’t you?”

A wave of relief washes over you, the comfort dulling your senses as you rest your chin on the desk. “You’re setting my standards a little too high, you know.” Your eyelids begin to droop, the prolonged exposure to the screen beginning to take its toll on you. Slowly, the world fades to black. “Won, can you wake me in five minutes?” you manage to get out, before your consciousness slips away as you lay your head down. 

Unbeknownst to you, Jungwon watches your slumbering figure, a bittersweet tang in his mouth as he admires your fluttering eyelashes, the slight rise and fall of your shoulders, the tiny twitches of your enticing lips, a virtual barrier separating him from your sleeping frame. His fingers trace the image of you cast on his pc, chest cavity clenching painfully as he realises how much more beautiful you’ve become in the five years that passed with regret. “If I had told you back then, would we be what we are now?”

The next day arrives without a hitch. You had to apologise to Jungwon for falling asleep on call, to which he replied with a cheeky eye roll. “If you want to make it up to me, come over to my place tonight. Wii sports isn’t fun as a single-player game.”

You wrap up your work in record time, with your supervisor being so incredibly impressed that she almost tries to assign you extra work, but you manage to run away before she gives you overtime for the third time this week.

Jungwon has been to your place many times, but you haven’t actually visited his apartment before. The times you go over to pick up stuff aren’t counted because you don’t actually go in, and you’re honestly curious to see what your…boyfriend(?)’s taste in interior design is. 

After picking up some takeaway from a nearby yakitori place, you and Jungwon make the short trip from the office to his place. “What’s it like? Do you have a whole cabinet dedicated to your vocaloid figurines or something?”

“Nope,” he shrugs, an odd look on his face as he eyes you warily. “I have some…ah never mind.” He stops, and you realise you have reached his front door. He swings the door open, hands fumbling in the dark for the light switch. “Welcome to my apartment. Make yourself at home. There’s some soda in the fridge if you’re thirsty.”

One look into the apartment is all you need to know that Yang Jungwon is the same, tidy creature you’ve always known. The living room is minimalistic, with a deep blue couch in the centre. A small television leans against a wall, some wires disappearing into the back. To the left, a small cloth-covered box sits in the corner, and you assume it is for his gadgets. The kitchen looks extremely new. Too new, even, and knowing Jungwon he’s probably never actually used it before. A short corridor leads to the bedroom, but the lights don’t reach that area. 

Jungwon drops the keys into a small basket on the kitchen counter. “Bathroom’s in the bedroom down the hallway. If you want, you can take a shower. I’ll leave a shirt for you. Might not be a good fit though.” He doesn’t even have to look at you to know, since his shoulders are just so broad that if you were to put on his clothes, they’d probably slide right off you. But why does the thought of wearing his shirt make your cheeks burn? You used to do this when you were kids, when you crashed at his house for sleepovers and you forgot your pyjamas. You’d borrow his favourite pyjamas just to watch him pout, but he could never say no to you. And when he began to outgrow you, you were a little disappointed when he decided to just give that set to you since “you seemed to like them so much”. 

“I invited Sunoo and Riki, they’ll be over soon. I’ll get the console set up, so you go clean yourself up.”

Without a single protest, you thank him and make your way into the bedroom. You’re dying to wash up after a long day at work. The moment you step in, you are greeted by the pleasant smell of lavender and chamomile. His childhood home used to smell like that too, so the aroma is somewhat nostalgic, and very welcome too. The bed covers are tucked into the sides of the bedframe neatly, its colours matching the couch outside. His favourite colour hadn’t changed all this time. In fact, you’re willing to bet his gaming controller is blue.

As you peer into the washroom, you notice a small bottle of makeup remover, its contents still to the brim. You’d mentioned passing your favourite brand once, and there it is, perched on the bathroom counter. For some strange reason, an odd warmth trickles into your chest as you shut the door.

Your shower is quick but thorough, and as you step out you notice the pile of clothes on the bed. Slipping on the soft fabric, you sniff the sleeves. It smells kind of like the cologne you told him smelled nice on him once. So he did remember. He always did remember the weirdest things, after all.

“Who did?” Jungwon leans into your ear from behind you, his breathy whisper tickling its way into your ears. The sudden assault on your hearing makes your neck twitch away from him, but as you lurch away from him your balance tips. The fabric of Jungwon’s loose T-shirt bunches in your fist as you hold onto him for support, but you end up dragging him down with you. As your back hits the bed, you hear a soft oomph from Jungwon. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” you gasp, turning your head to the left and-

oh.

His face is inches from yours, a proximity that you never would’ve thought possible until now. Every shaky breath between his lips is accentuated with a nervous swallow as you watch him attempt and fail to pry his eyes away from your lips. You gasp audibly, feeling lightheaded despite already being on your back and your fingers are twitching desperately. The odd warmth is back, and your body moves on its own accord, fingers reaching out to Jungwon’s jaw. But as your fingertips are just a millimetre away from his skin, Jungwon seemingly sobers up, abruptly breaking the spell for himself. “S-sorry, don’t know what came over me,” he stutters, sitting up before you can touch him. He moves to get off the bed, but something within you breaks. Without warning, your hand snaps to his wrist, tugging him backwards and it’s all too fast, you shouldn’t be thinking about your best friend like this-

But here you are, leaning in to join your lips with his. It’s not your first kiss, but it may as well be with the way your heartbeat pounds in your ears, adrenaline shooting through your veins as you wrap your fingers around the nape of his neck, pulling him closer. The distance is too little, too much, the electrifying heat unbearable yet so addictive. With your eyes shut, the hesitant brush of his palm on your hip is magnified tenfold, and your heart races as you feel him bury a hand in your wet hair, his thumb grazing your cheek slightly. It’s gentle, it’s sweet, it’s perfect, and you smile against his lips. But before you can lock your fingers with his, everything disappears. He pulls away from every part of you, and it is only then that your eyes flutter open. 

“Y/n, I…”

A weight in your chest drops as you see the guilty expression on his face, eyes looking anywhere but you. “You…I’m sorry.”

You shake your head, fingers reaching for his own, but he retracts his hand faster. “Wait, don’t go. We just…you just - okay, what are you saying sorry for again?”

He gulps, throat bobbing as he purses his lips firmly to stop them from trembling. “I think you’re probably just confused since we hadn’t seen each other for a while. Just, let’s not do…that again, or-”

“Or what?!”

“Or I’ll think you actually like me.”

You scan his face, searching for any signs of mischief, but his eyes are still averted, biting his lip like a guilt-ridden cat. Normally you’d think this is cute, but right now nothing but irritation is clouding over any instinct to be calm about whatever’s going on right now. “Jungwon, I literally just kissed you. What else would I mean other than that? People don’t kiss people they don’t like.”

“You’re confused, Y/n,” he sighs, rubbing his temple tiredly. You want those hands on yours right now, but he isn’t going to give it to you and you know it. “You don’t know what you want. Heck, neither of us know what we’re doing. What was this stupid deal anyway? It was selfish of me to even let this happen, I mean it’s been five years. This was just a whole stupid idea to give teenage me what he wanted. You probably don’t even need me in your life, and it’s so stupid of me to want to be in yours like this.”

“Are you kidding me? I want you here. I like you, and I want you by my side just like this right now. I’m not leaving again, Jungwon. Do you…did you even like me at all?”

“Yes. Too much. But you’re…” he trails off, a muffled groan escaping his lips as he buries his face into his knees. “If you knew how much I really like you, you’d never be able to leave.”

“Then I won’t-”

The doorbell interrupts you, and Jungwon takes the opportunity to scramble off the bed, leaving you alone in the room. Sunoo and Riki’s loud banter drifts into the small space. As Jungwon’s scent becomes too strong for you to bear in the room, you grab a breather before walking out. “Hey guys,” you murmur, resisting the urge to roll your eyes as Jungwon pretends to be busy with the controllers.

“Were we interrupting something?” Sunoo asks absently, fussing with the snacks he brought from the convenience store downstairs. When neither of you reply him, Riki smirks knowingly. “Lovers’ quarrel, then?”

You smack Riki in the arm. “You’ll regret that when I kick your butt at Wii sports later.”

At your overly confident declaration, Jungwon lets out a loud snort. “Oh yeah, because you’re so good at bowling, Y/n.” His snide comment ticks you off, bringing out your competitive streak. “Oh it’s on, Yang,” you growl, cracking your knuckles in the most menacing angle you can find.

The night is full of laughter, despite the tension between you and Jungwon. It’s easy to ignore, with Sunoo and Riki over, but every now and then you look over at Jungwon, who purposefully maintains his absolute lack of eye contact with you. Which is atypical of him, and you’re sure Sunoo’s already noticed but knows better than to point it out. After rounds and rounds of stupid games that usually end with someone falling over, you flop onto the couch, cracking open a can of marble soda. “That last move was killer. Don’t think I’ll be able to walk tomorrow,” you groan, taking a swig of your soda as if it’s alcohol and you’re a tired mother. (Technically you all can legally drink, but you know better than to do that tonight because Jungwon will freak if you guys throw up in his apartment.)

Riki chuckles, tossing another can across the living room towards Sunoo. “Ha, Y/n’s getting old.”

“I’ll get the Salonpas, you guys sit here,” Jungwon sighs, jumping up from his seat on the couch to the cupboard behind you. He throws a few at your head, and chucks another box at Sunoo, who glares at him like he just said mint chocolate ice cream’s the most disgusting dessert he’s ever eaten.

“You’ll thank me tomorrow, Sunoo.”

Mumbling a string of inaudible words, Sunoo slaps a patch on his shoulder. “What time do you want to sleep?”

“NEVER.”

Jungwon fiddles with a bunch of wires, and the screen of his nintendo flashes across the TV. “Anyone up for a DDLC run?”

“How do you still have this? And why is your progress already two days in?”

“Y/n and I played it the two weeks we were messing with Mysme, so we wouldn’t get bored.”

“Oh nice, whose death did you remember most?”

“Gotta be Yuri’s, I think.”

“No way, Natsuki’s freaked me out more. I nearly threw the game out the window when I saw it.”

“Natsuki?!”

Their quarrelling continues, and you shake your head in amusement. You’ve played the game multiple times, enough to the point nothing about it scares you anymore. When you and Jungwon first played it together in elementary school, you couldn’t sleep for a whole week. Cue the endless sleepovers, where every little creak of the door would jerk you two awake. You remember having to hold Jungwon’s hand under the covers for security. 

But now, that memory only serves to remind you of the events that came about a few hours ago. Disconnecting yourself from the conversation, you lean back into the couch, fingers subconsciously drifting to your own lips. The feeling hasn’t really faded, resurfacing every time you think about it too long. As your eyes flutter shut, your mind goes back to what he said earlier. Are you really using him as a rebound? But you still believe, after all this time, that it’s fate who brought you back to him. You need him in your life again, nothing to do with your ex.

Which brings you to the question: where’s the fine line between friendship and romance? Because with every passing day, Jungwon’s every move makes you start to question what he really means to you. 

You hear a rustling of fabric, and a small felt blanket is draped over you, the soft material sliding over your toes. “Is she asleep?” you hear Sunoo ask.

Judging by the fact that Jungwon’ voice is nearest to you, you assume he’s the one who gave you the blanket. “Sure looks like it. Guess we bored her to sleep.” The couch cushions sink, and you feel the backrest dip. 

“So, Jungwon, what happened before we got here? Did you guys fight or something?”

Jungwon sighs. “It’s…I think I made a mistake with her. She’s mixing up her feelings, and she probably just missed me.” There is an unmistakable bitterness in his words, the way he spits them out with such self-doubt that it makes your heart ache. You want to open your eyes and grab him by the shoulders and shake him awake, but now isn’t the time.

“But Jungwon hyung, I don’t think she just misses you. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. It’s kinda gross. You two are disgustingly cute.”

“It’s not romantic, Riki. She didn’t like me when we were kids, why would she like me now? The least I could do for her is to not get in the way of her future since that’s what we agreed on, but-”

“But do you like her?” Sunoo asks, ripping open a bag of potato chips.

“I don’t know. When we were kids I coud just brush it off as stupid teenage infatuation. I thought I got over her, but the moment I met her again everything felt different. It’s...I don't know. It’s just not the same.” The frustration is evident in his tone, and you have to fight the urge to crack your eyelids open and yell at him. It all hits you for the first time how hard your departure from his life must have hit him. His own best friend (and childhood crush) disappearing without a trace, and not even telling him. 

Luckily, Sunoo comes to your rescue. “She returns your feelings, then. She’s back for good, Jungwon. You’re not holding her back, trust me. She’ll stay this time.”

The long pause is almost painful for you, who cannot see the look on Jungwon’s face now. You can picture it, but the curiosity is near unbearable. To your surprise, Jungwon is the one who breaks the silence. 

“But…what if she wants to leave again? What then?”

What then? It’s a question begging to be answered, an enigma that should not be. Even Sunoo falls silent at Jungwon's raw, vulnerable confession that he’s scared, terrified even that he’ll lose you someday. No, you want to say. I won’t leave again. But would he believe you? Sunoo might. Riki does. But Jungwon? The one who missed you twice as much as you missed him, the one who took you back in a heartbeat, the one who willingly let himself suffer for a taste of what he thought he couldn’t have. It’s not fair, you decide. It’s not fair that Yang Jungwon is so selfless and aware of every little detail, pretending to be unbothered by everything under the sun. But you know that’s not the truth, that beneath those sturdy shoulders you’ve leaned on for far too long, there is a boy who just wants your love. It’s ironic, really, that the person who hurt him most is the one who has the power to end the years-long torment he’s been put through.

Your thoughts are jumbled in your brain as a restless sleep finally claims you. Just before you nod off, you hear the flip of a switch, the rustling of a mattress being pulled out, and…

A kiss on the forehead.

LEVEL 003 COMPLETE. PROCEED? >YES >NO

SIDE QUEST OPEN! PROCEED? >YES >NO

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

SIDE QUEST XX: MEET THE PARENTS

After that groundbreaking sleepover, a lot of things go unsaid between you and Jungwon. Somehow, there’s a weird gap where you’re eager to talk about what happened that day, while Jungwon seems to want to avoid it completely, contrary to what he said that night. You still pass each other at work, but no text messages ever come in like they used to, inviting you to play whatever mind-numbing game he feels like. It’s the quiet that scares you most, and even though Sunoo called you the other day to tell you not to worry, that Jungwon will come to his senses already, you fear that this is the day Jungwon ends his common sense streak. 

You’re beginning to plan on how to get a key to his apartment when you hear a light tapping on your work booth. Swivelling your chair around, you find yourself face to face with the very person who’s been occupying your thoughts. You take a moment to look him up and down, searching for any signs he may be regretting pushing you away that day. But all you see is a sheepish Jungwon, dressed in the cutest pink sweater you’ve ever seen, and the earphones you gave him hanging around his neck. “Um, Y/n…can we talk?”

For a moment, your heart leaps. Is he going to make amends? You jump up, dragging him into a secluded corner. “Is this about…you know?”

“No…I’m sorry. It’s the opposite, actually. It kinda slipped my mind about what we wanted to do over the weekend. Do you still remember?”

Remember? Of course you remember. This weekend, you were supposed to go back to your hometown to visit both your parents. You’d gone back to spend time with your parents before, but never with any of the neighbours who used to dote on you as a child. And after the arrangement you and Jungwon had, you decided to visit his family, where he would introduce you as his girlfriend just to get his parents off his back about “settling down”. 

But now that whatever’s between you two is more obvious than ever, it would probably make sense to Jungwon to cancel. Yet a part of you deflates at the thought. “I still wanna go, if that’s what you mean.”

You watch as Jungwon gulps, throat bobbing as he squeezes his hands together. “Won’t you feel a little weirded out? I mean, after…that, I’d understand completely.”

“Hate to break it to you Jungwon-ssi, but the awkwardness is very much one-sided.”

He seems to hesitate for a moment, before speaking up again. “Are you sure-”

“YES. I want your mother’s jajangmyeon. You can’t keep me away from it forever.”

And with that, the deal is done. Ignoring Jungwon’s absolutely manic laugh of disbelief, you slip back into your seat, a plan already beginning to form.

That same weekend, you stand in front of the Yang family’s apartment, a death grip on the handle of the crocker in your hands. Yet when paired side by side with Jungwon, it’s clear almost immediately who’s the stressed one.

“Isn’t the girlfriend supposed to be the scared one when meeting the parents? Why are you the one acting like you’re about to faint in front of your own house?!” you chide, nudging him with your elbow hard enough to throw his balance off. Still, he squeezes your shoulder in what you assume is some awkward show of reassurance. “You don’t have to do this, no one’ll blame you.”

“Now is not the time to be regretting your decisions, so suck it up. You’re the only one with a problem about this.” You can’t help the curt edge in your tone, because try as you might, it’s undeniable that meeting the Yang family after so many years freaks you out. They loved you as their son’s best friend, no doubt, but as a potential future daughter-in-law?

Before either of you can start to get cold feet, you lunge for the doorbell. The button is worn, from years of you, Sunoo and Riki jabbing it every day. From the sound of it, the batteries must’ve been replaced recently, but the melody retains its same nostalgic tune.

Almost immediately, you hear the fumbling of keys in a lock, and the door swings wide open to reveal a familiar face.

“ Jungwon-ah, you’re here-” It’s as though you can pinpoint the exact moment his mother realises who the girl standing next to her son is. “Is that…Y/n? It’s been so long! We’ve missed you so much! Jungwon-ah, why didn’t you tell me you met her? I could’ve organised dinner with her family long ago! Ah, what a wonderful surprise. Come in, come in!” She invites you in without waiting for you to greet her, practically dragging you into the house. “Make yourself at home, although you probably already feel at home. Oh, is this for me? Thank you so much, dear, what a thoughtful child you are!” Accepting the pot of food you prepared, she hurries into the kitchen for a pair of mittens.

You take your time to look around with Jungwon’s supervision. Not much has changed, save for the little white gate barely holding back the family dog. Maeumi (which is the adorable ball of fluff’s name, according to Jungwon) leans against the gate eagerly, barking with sheer joy at the sight of Jungwon. “Do you…wanna pet her?” Jungwon asks awkwardly as he notices you eyeing her in adoration. As he gets a nod from you, he can’t help the chuckle that escapes from him, and he bends down to fiddle with the lock. 

Almost instantly, Maeumi bounds into Jungwon’s outstretched arms, licking his face uncontrollably as Jungwon laughs. “So it’s easier for a dog to get a kiss from you than a human, huh,” you mumble softly. Jungwon just rolls his eyes, his cheeks turning visibly red.

You hear the slam of a door. “Why didn’t anyone tell me Jungwon was here…oh Y/n!” Jungwon’s sister runs out of her room, sweeping you into a tight embrace. “Who would’ve guessed, our sweet baby brother brings his childhood sweet-”

“NOONA.”

She giggles deliriously, absently dismissing Jungwon with a wave of her hand. “Come on, Y/n. We have lots to catch up on.”

The rest of the night goes by seamlessly. Dinner is a casual affair, which feels more like a reunion as your parents drop by unexpectedly and end up joining in the conversation. As expected, most of the questions are about you and Jungwon. (“Where did you meet?” “How long have you been dating?”) With Jungwon by your side throughout the meal, you manage to catch him staring at you an absurd number of times, and they always end with him ducking away again. He’s usually confident in these kinds of settings, and he probably would appear so to everyone else, but for some reason you can almost feel the nervousness radiating off him like he’s some sort of weird lava lamp. Still, things go as planned without any slips of the tongue where you might accidentally reveal that your “love lives” (if any) were in jeopardy.

After the plates have been washed and cleared away, everyone shifts into the living room again, all the parents claiming their spots on the large L-shaped sofa. You, Jungwon and his sister seat yourselves on the floor, Maeumi resting on your belly. Surprisingly, the puppy took a liking to you quickly.

As the conversation lulls on, Jungwon leans nearer towards you. “Tired? I can take you home early if you’d like.” In response, you slap his thigh gently. “No one’s going anywhere, stop trying to make me leave before I work my magic on your parents. Too scared they’ll make you keep me?” As expected, Jungwon pointedly ignores you, opting to take a sip of his tea. 

Half an hour in, Jungwon’s sister suddenly rises. “Hey Y/n, can you come out to the balcony with me? I want to catch some air.” She hauls you to your feet, tugging you towards the balcony far away from the others. As she locks the door, panic begins to claw up your throat. “Uh, what’s going on?”

She pats your head affectionately, sighing as she tries not to laugh. “Why do you look so scared? I’m not going to kill you, relax. I did, however, want to talk to you about something.” She gazes up at the night sky, leaning against the railing as she smiles softly. “So, Jungwon actually told me about you two way before our parents knew you two were…dating? I dunno, you guys are unlabelled right now aren’t you?” 

You nod slowly, joining her on the edge of the balcony. “Honestly, I already know what I want, but Jungwon’s…scared? Worried? Maybe that’s the better word for it, but either way he thinks I’m confused about everything. Which could not be further from the truth, because I’m, uh. You know.”

“Falling in love harder than you expected to?” She sends a knowing smirk your way, one you can make out despite the relative darkness. She’s always been so aware of Jungwon’s life, and the lives of people around him. You’re no exception, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“Yeah. It’s funny, really, how we went from friends to…this. I miss when it wasn’t so complicated, but things change. Feelings change, and I guess I don’t want things between me and him to stay the same anymore,” you admit. It’s kind of strange to be venting to your crush’s sister, but she probably knows him better than you. If not her, then who?

She turns to face you properly, a wistful expression on her face as she stares into space. “He tells me it’s just fate that brought you two together again, you know. But if it were just fate, he wouldn’t have carried those headphones you got him all those years ago literally everywhere. I’m willing to bet he’d have spent the rest of his life looking for you.” She’s right, and you know it. It’s not fate that brought you together. It can’t be, because that would mean everything that happened so far can be chalked up to everyone just following some story where you already know the ending. You made this decision on your own, to fall for Jungwon. He chose, years ago, to not let go of his feelings for you. And you refuse to let yourself be tossed around by the waves of life any longer. This time, Yang Jungwon will not disappear from your life, lost to the trials of time.

“Don’t let him out of your sight, Y/n. Dependable as he may seem, he’s still the baby of the family. You’d be surprised at how insecure Jungwon can be, especially when it comes to you. Talk some sense into him, will you?”

The exchange feels like an eternity, yet at the same time too short. You’re not nearly as brave as you want to be, not to mention when it comes to feelings like this. “But the heart wants what the heart wants, doesn’t it?” you muse, earning a pleased look from Jungwon’s sister. “That’s the spirit. You have full permission to punch him in the face if he still doesn’t see sense, got it? Or you can let me do it, I’d be more than happy.”

A couple hours later, when the cups are dry, and your eyelids begin to droop, Jungwon pulls you to your feet. “I think it’s about time we leave, Y/n has a busy day tomorrow. I’ll send you home.” Observant as always, Jungwon leads you to the door, waving goodbye to your families. The moment the door shuts behind you, his shoulders slump as though a huge weight’s been taken off. “Let’s go, I’ll walk you home.”

The journey is quiet, but as you reach the door of your apartment, it seems Jungwon has enough of the silence. “That was exhausting,” he groans breathlessly, sliding down the door as he massages his forehead. You decide that this is your opportunity to swoop in.

“But…would you do it again?”

His head snaps towards you immediately, panic flickering briefly across his face as he bites his lip, searching for the right words. “As…whatever we are right now?”

You take a step closer, leaning towards him as you stare directly into his eyes in a sudden rush of confidence. “No, I want something different.”

His throat bobs visibly as he swallows thickly, fists clenching and unclenching as he looks around, anywhere to avoid your intensifying gaze. “Y/n, we talked about this.”

“Correction: you talked, and I just listened. I heard what you told Sunoo and Riki, not that I didn’t already know how you feel.” You gently tug on his collar, bringing his face closer to yours. Your knuckles brush his cheek, and this time you relish the tingles it sends down your arm, straight to your heart. “You don’t need to tell me how you feel. A part of me’s always known. Yang Jungwon, I know you from the inside out. There’s nothing you can do that I haven’t already predicted. And it goes both ways. I’m not asking for the words ‘I love you’, because I already know. So what more do we have to hide from each other?”

Jungwon’s gaze wavers slightly, but try as he might, everything in the moment seems to be screaming, pleading with him to stay. “But you…I don’t want to be the thing that holds you back. I want you to do what you want, go where you want, whenever you want.”

“You’re all I want, Won. I’m not leaving your side again. What makes you think I could leave you behind so easily? I’ve already decided what I want. So be selfish, and ask me to stay.”

As you tighten your grip on his shirt, you step closer towards him, other hand drifting upwards to stroke his cheek. Your thumb traces the ridges of his dimples, slides down the edge of his mouth, and you can feel a surge of adrenaline as his lips part to form a word. Just one word, shaky and no more than a whisper, but it’s more than enough to stop time altogether as a tear falls from his eyes.

“Stay.”

Your vision goes blurry as you slip into his arms, his chin resting on your shoulder as his palms move to your back, pulling you closer. The fabric of his vest presses into your cheek, and your senses are filled with him. It’s too much and too little, all at the same time, his scent overwhelming you as he shakes under you. A garbled sob escapes your throat, and your fingers bunch up the fabric of his clothes for support as you both sway in place.

After what feels like hours, you pull away from his grasp. “You’re so stupid,” you blurt out, but the statement is void of malice as your voice trembles. 

“Who’s the idiot who left for so many years and didn’t even try to call me?”

You wipe the tears from your eyes, slapping his arm as you try to calm yourself down. “About that…my mother told me you changed your phone and gave me your new number, but when I tried calling it an old man answered every time. Last night I was clearing my messages but I accidentally tapped into your contact, and then it finally hit me that she gave me a number with one wrong digit. I swear I wanted to call you.” 

“You’re an idiot.’

“But I’m your idiot, aren’t I?”

Jungwon doesn’t answer, but you can feel the fondness practically radiating off him as he squeezes your shoulders. “Very funny, Y/n. Go in, you’ve got stuff to do tomorrow.” Just before you disappear into the apartment, you feel a hand block the door from shutting entirely. “I’ll, uh. Call you tomorrow morning. Just in case your alarm clock doesn’t go off, or you roll out of bed, or-”

“Jungwon.”

“Right.” He breathes out, hand slipping through the small crack of the door to pat your head. “Goodnight, Y/n.”

“Goodnight, Jungwon.”

“Sweet dreams.”

“You too.”

“Don’t fall off the bed.”

“I won’t.”

“Don’t sleepwalk.”

“I don’t sleepwalk, you know that.”

“Fine.” As he leaves with a little wave, you pretend to close your door, before poking your head out to watch his silhouette grow smaller as he walks down the corridor. Chuckling to yourself, you finally go inside to wash up and get ready for bed. Tomorrow is another day, one with Jungwon in it. And that alone, and the knowledge that every day from this day forth will never again be void of his presence by your side, is enough to give you the courage to live for tomorrow.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

a/n: so you got to the end! congratulations and condolences. this was an absolute roller coaster and i think i screwed up any semblance of a motif. positive criticism is very much welcome. heck, i think i'll take even the hate, it's all in good fun. yeah nO. i'd be lying if i said i were proud of this but hey, i'll just come up with something better. sorry it took SO LONG, my priorities are a mess. i have more planned. never again will i do something like this, leaving the comedy/fluff to someone else hurhur.

#enhypen #enhypenwriters #enhypen fanfiction #enhypen fanfic #enhypen au #enhypen jungwon #jungwon x reader #yang jungwon x reader #jungwon x y/n #jungwon x yn #jungwon x you #yang jungwon fanfiction #yang jungwon fanfic #yang jungwon au #yang jungwon imagines #kim sunoo #enhypen sunoo #enhypen ni-ki #nishimura riki #ni-ki #kim sunoo au #nishimura riki au #ni-ki au

[mydysfunctionalvampirefamily]

I know I know I know I am still in the middle of forgetting Ashville but someone made me so curious about 51 and 52 that I had to do an intermezzo.

Neil trying to split them to go each to their own domains, and then pendragon being like yes let's split up Britta stays with me lol.

Neil wanting to grab Britta to keep her with him and away from pendragon. 😭

Neil is so anxious, poor boy.

Uhoh. The shower went silent???

Miles daydreaming... But sir about what? 👀👀

Wait is this the same day? Because it sounds like Miles has been in office for a little bit? Or am I misunderstanding?

Johnny calling Miles your highness with sarcasm is so good.

Nara! Is she Miles's doorman now? What's been happening?

Miles is so casual about everything? Was his uptightness all because he didn't get laid?? You can't tell me him and Marcos didn't get it on now and then.

Miles is trying so hard, but this is all so complicated. Noooooo this is unbearable. I cannot deal with this awkwardness and Miles saying the wrong thing. It's too much, please I cannot handle secondhand embarrassment. Why would anyone want to be Prince?

What is happening right now??? Miles is being collected?

Okay not gonna lie, it's not that this episode isn't good so far, but I don't get the big deal with this episode. So far.

Johnny as senechal??? 😂😂 And primogen?? And Miles didn't even tell him beforehand?!? Why???

What???? These fucking princes, bunch of shitheads. I am so confused.

Wait praxis again?? Lmaoo is new haven going to be a revolving door of praxises? 😂

Not the rust coloured jacket!!! How dare they!

Okay but what is Miles's obsession with chopping people's arms off?

5 celerity actions??? Damn

Holy fuck. They are both absolute beasts this fight, like it's kind of scary actually.

He's trying to rip the guy's arms off??? I'm screaming!!! Reminds me of "is your weakest at the elbow or the shoulder?"

An sos from his fucking daughter???? Right now???? Can they never have a moment of peace???!? Fucking fuck.

Kabir!!! I totally forgot about Kabir!

Oh my God! New mechanic?? Seizing narrative control!?! That's cool!

Jesus christ!! That static was a fucking jump scare omg!!!

No little boy can survive....?!? Don't you dare touch Joey!!!! I will murder you.

This narrative control is crazy!!! So badass.

"my Joey" omg I'm gonna cry! 😭

Kabir is gone?????? Because she took narrative control??. Cruel but amazing.

"Baby?" Not the baby omg. 😭😭😭 Parents talking gentle about their children is my weakness.

The shower turns off and the sink begins to run? Why?

FESTER!! STOP! 😂😂😂😂

... Is that racist against toreador??

Can she even...? NEIL! How were you going to finish that sentence???

"I've done sex" clearly said by someone who has had sex... Clearly.

The way I cackled when Neil said that.

Neil just talking about how he likes that his family is closer and Britta is the glue. 😭

Fester! Don't you dare make Neil doubt that Britta loves him!!

What what what??? What is happening???? What is this conversation??? Neil's sire?? What? Fire?!? Molotov cocktail??? Fester Neil's sire??? I'm so confused?!?

He has some guts, just pulling her by the corset and starting to untie it. So fucking rude!

"it's just rational to let him help" suuuure Britta.

In front of a fucking mirror??? Pendragon is such a walking villain cliché.

Jan Petersen is Miles's sire right?

Also so far the only redeeming quality Pendragon has (aside from sexiness) is the way he says camarilla.

They're just having a normal conversation and I think oh this isn't so bad, but then he goes to brush his hands over her arms and touch her and I'm just squicked out! And forcing her to see her moon. GROSS!!!!

This man is using such classic abusive tactics of pulling her in, being semi nice, and then threatening her. Like what a piece of trash!

Don't you dare be disarmed by this girl desperately trying to save herself from meeting the sun!!!

He summoned her to the bathroom?!? Like dude you can just call her over she is like 15 feet away from you. You are such a piece of SHIT!

I hate pendragon. And I hate That part of me is still going 👀.

#This is a long one folks #I'm sorry #path of night podcast #pon liveblogging #Season 3 #Episode 51

[snitchesnsneeds]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Reviews Episode 3-24: The Expulsion Episode (aka Ladybug)

Alright, for research purposes I decided to watch Volpina just to go back to season 1 and see if I was being too harsh on Marinette. The results I came to were that Marinette was partially motivated by Lila being a crappy person. But yeah. Big Lila episode. Big salt episode. I bet the expulsion portion's going to be gone through in no time flat.

Long-ass dinner table. Seriously, man. Do you want yourself and your son to be that not-even-metaphorically distant just so you can have the edge seats of your dinner table with too many goddamn seats? Do you ever have any big occasions where a bunch of people come over and have dinner these days that would put this table to use?

...Marinette's having another birthday party so soon? It's getting even harder for me to believe that thi-wait a minute! This is a flashback!

Lila just conveniently being in a building near where Marinette's birthday party is taking place.

Gabriel's just like "What's the hold-up, Lila? You're supposed to be relevant to the plot, remember? You declared war on Marinette."

Oh god I'm getting secondhand embarrassment from how poorly Marinette is handling this. I can't watch.

Lila's mom isn't even there while Marinette's is lmao

I was right. It did go fast!

The funniest anticlimax. "Time for a massive battle royale! Sike! Natalie's sick from using the Peacock Miraculous like Hawkmoth knew would happen when she first used it!"

Alya's majorly looking out for Marinette. What an amazing bestie. Those fics were wrong. Marinette's parents seem to believe her too.

Natalie you doofus simp

So is Duusuu supposed to be like that or is that the effect of a broken Miraculous or?

So the Peacock Miraculous just needs an object? Not a separate person or anything?

...And none of the heroes said anything about Mayura even after she appeared on-scene? No one noticed either?

Another clone shootoff so soon?

Natalie killed sapient life when she couldn't fufill her purpose anymore. Points docked.

Well, he's less "grandpa" and more "pa" if you catch my drift, Cattablack.

And there's the lying disease. They should really tell that to the class so they don't fall into any misinformation pits.

Well, at this point I don't know what to say here. That if Marinette should be expelled, it should be for creeping on Adrien or something? This is getting tiring. And the next two episodes are Chloe's character execution.

You know what? Here's something.

I might've said this before, but the reason why I'm getting so into Miraculous in the first place is to write a fanfic where I enter the world of Miraculous as someone completely OP and suplex and utterly defeat Hawkmoth. I'll also be doing other work, such as breaking down the lovesquare and outing other evils in the Miraculous world such as Chloe's karen of a mother, and also Lila. Except instead of suplexing her, I'll have to get tricky. Psychological warfare. Lila is a smuggie and hates being called a liar, so I know she'll get fuming if you say she's bad at lying! Like, seriously. There are a thousand other pets Jagged Stone would be more likely to own than a kitten. Not to mention poking holes in her lies or busting out alibis or people that have a sixth sense for others' personalities!

#miraculous ladybug #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #miraculous #marinette dupain cheng #miraculous marinette #ml ladybug #adrien agreste #miraculous adrien #chat noir #ml chat noir #gabriel agreste #hawkmoth #natalie sancoeur #mayura #alya #alya cesaire #miraculous alya #lila rossi #miraculous lila #sentibug #is that her name? #I just feel bad for her honestly #fanfic writing

[three--rings]

Ok god, who's ready to lose their minds?

OFMD ep 6 let's go

Lighthouse as a weapon. That's interesting.

Also it's really nice to see Bronson Pinchot, btw. For the younger folks, he was known for a sit-com called Perfect Strangers and I don't remember much about it and it's probably horribly offensive in hindsight but I LOVED it as a very small child.

Oh look he's in leather, oh look he 's having flashbacks, oh look he and Izzy are talking....👀

Guilt room, okay...

Wee John talking about flow...he learned from Stede. 🥺

First of all, fuck you Ricky. Second of all .... MODERN piracy. Yup, yup, metaphor alert.

I'm not ignoring Ed and Stede, I just can't look directly at them or I explode.

Yup good resolution, next scene not killing me in the slightest. "WE OWN AN INN" 💀💀

Wee John 💜💜💜 Izzy 🖤🖤🖤

Okay okay I had only seen the makeup scene when I did that. then Wee John's entrance, fantastic. And then fucking Izzy, I had to fucking stop it, I don't know what's about to happen, but the secondhand embarrassment has me by the throat. I mean, I know Con can sing, I even heard he was singing this ep, but dear god I'm scared.

Why is this so weird and disturbing to me. It feels unearned? IDK, pacing issue perhaps. Like not just Izzy, the entire party in some ways.

Ah, Ed shoving Stede behind him.

But I honestly love everything about all the torture and reactions to it. Like, Ed desperate not to have Stede hurt, the crew trying to talk the other crew around, Izzy "it's just going to turn me on.".... Yeah babe we know.

How did I not notice Lucius and Pete weren't around at all? God.

I'm really fucking glad Stede killed him. Like, IDK he need to not be playacting, yanno? I don't know where we're going with this, other than into the next scene I'm not letting myself think about yet.

I want him to be okay with it. Like IDK shaken sure, but handle it better than Ed thinks. IDK IDK.

I guess horny works tho. Just have to hit play and see how this next scene goes. Yup gonna hit play any time. Yup. Here I go.

OKAY officially this scene is better if you speakk fucking french. And luckily I DO.

Yeah he entered something alright. Lol. Also that Izzy is singing it with male pronouns throughout. Something something.

OKay okay, tasteful, nice, hope all you Stiddies fans are happy.

Ooo, I am SWEATING and my hands are shaking. These are normal reactions to a TV show.

I DESPERATELY need someone to write an IZZY POV of this whole night. Like, I need to understnad what is happening in his little skull. Yanno?

Fuck I am sweating SO MUCH you have no idea.

PHEW.

NOW what tho. Like, what's happening next episode, I really don't know. (Other than breakfast.)

#ofmd #ofmd s2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #threerings watches ofmd #threerings' reactions

[naamahdarling]

Re: the whole That Woman book thing, and the objections I have seen to people laughing about it when she is being so gross and when her allies do so much harm.

I get it. But like...

I'm laughing because I'm 45 and tired and this isn't funny but it IS funny because it's so unhinged and pathetic and so obviously a cry for attention and cheap validation. It's a fucking embarrassment to her, to her hangers-on. It's foolish and weak, it's petty, and mark my words, this piece of shit book is not going to stand the test of literary history and will not be remembered as anything of value. I think we are stuck with Harry Potter for a good long time because viewed through most people's eyes it's a fun kids' series with mass appeal, but this? This runny little turd she has forced out with so many miserable cries? It will be mocked and secondhand copies will languish. Laughing at her, at HER, as a person, despite the damage she has done and continues to try to do, is cathartic.

I honestly cannot speak to the antisemitism, because I know I don't know the half of it. But I can say the backlash against trans people and queer people that is happening now is terrible, it's harrowing, it's harming people, children, and that's real and that's terrible, but I also know, because I have lived through some shit, that this LEVEL of shit is temporary and the pendulum will swing away, and this time will be remembered as what it is: the agonal thrashing of something dying. An extinction burst of bad behavior, like a dog being trained not to shit on the floor.

Not everyone will survive, not everyone survived the last bad time, and that is a tragedy, I hate it, I'm afraid for my loved ones, for myself. So afraid. I don't dismiss a single death, a single harm, and if I had a list of names and crimes I would nail it to her door myself and spit in her face. But what she is doing with this latest literary shitcake is so laughable to me. So immensely, deeply laughable. Disgusting, yes, just so very deeply vile, but my god, she is making such a tremendous fool of herself and she can't even see the clown shoes she is wearing. Stupid people have made her the figurehead of their stupid "movement" and she is nothing more than a bitter, emotionally withered, squalling and infantile shitsack whose best effort to show us up is...this? This sad, self-important thing? This blunt ass-carrot she raises as if it were a scalpel, laying open only her own insecurity and deranged conspiracy fantasies? We're supposed to fear this? Be hurt by this? Really?

IDK if it's my generation and how we handle things, I don't know if it's age and being jaded, IDK if it's trauma, I don't know if the inability to laugh is betrayal felt by former fans, but laughing at this terrible, pathetic woman that I hate so much is just...cathartic for me. Sometimes you don't give your enemies the satisfaction of seeing you angry or wounded, you laugh at them openly, because their words and actions are wrong and stupid. Because we are stronger than them, we fight harder than them, more tirelessly than them. We have always been here. We laugh because they, specifically That Woman, will be gone. Let her grind her teeth to dust gnawing the bones of her hatefulness, we have each other and love of each other. She has nothing but bonds forged of hatred and paranoia.

Sometimes you whistle past the graveyard to cover fear. Sometimes you waltz, laughing, past the graveyard to show you're alive even though the graveyard holds your dead. In a world that would force us to our knees, would the dead not rather see us dancing?

#i mean yeah carry a sword but also dance

[definitelysapphic]

I'm trying to get through Total Forgiveness after years of putting it off bc I can't handle secondhand embarrassment and I don't think I'm strong enough

#dropout #total forgiveness #ally beardsley #grant o'brien

[shhisp]

BG3 Companions: How Do They Feel About Homestuck?

Astarion: Has already read it. Can't read the epilogues and beyond because Ultimate Dirk is just as cringe as he is in the exact same way. Firsthand embarrassment, in that regard. "I've read finer literature, darling." Scoffs, crosses his arms, and upturns his chin. "Even so, I do appreciate the vampire representation. I should have been born a rainbow-drinking virgin. It's my calling—you know, the whole 'being enslaved' bit aside."

Gale: Has not heard of it, but wants to read it from the moment he realizes how long and complicated it is. He loves Act 6 and doesn't understand the majority of the criticism. Asks if you'll read it with him. Of course you will. You will, won't you? You can't say no to that face.

Lae'zel: Does not know what it is. It's of no interest to her really. Would probably threaten you if you asked her to read something so mindless.

Shadowheart: LOVES Homestuck. Apologetically, sort of. Shar probably wouldn't approve. You know that part where she gaslights you into telling you that Raphael was kind of cool and worth trusting, actually, before going into her knowledge of psychological torture? She does that with you about Vriska, Dirk, Jane, etc.

Wyll: I think he enjoys it for what it is, a dated masterpiece with many issues. He's not one to analyze like Gale, but I imagine he recognizes its flaws while also indulging himself fully. The art is beautiful and the fight scenes are what really make it for him. Probably kins John Egbert.

Karlach: Does not like it. She's tried to read it, obviously, but... Lesbians are simply not enough to get her through all of those boring words with boring, boring pictures for quite a while. She likes the lesbians, though. She'll stick to books that are worth their time, and are not written by total pricks, if she can help it.

Halsin: He likes the exploration of gender and sexuality in the epilogues, but the majority isn't really his cup of tea. He probably only knows secondhand information, but besides that, he really likes Jade. I think he'd probably call Dirk out as being a stereotype but then he looks over at Astarion, sighs, and goes "well... I suppose even stereotypes are rooted in reality, at times."

Minthara: Has read Act 5 for Vriska, as recommended by the wizard. Ended up heavily disliking her for overreacting about her past, and the actions she took because of that past. "Is she stupid?" Often self-inserts herself into the life Vriska lived just to imagine how much better she would have handled it, even as a child of such a young age. With that being said, she thinks pushing Tavros off a cliff was not enough. Admires Aranea, and sees herself in the relationship she has with Meenah, seeing as she's had to kill a past lover.

#this is the worst thing ive ever posted probably #pestering #i shouldnt even tag this honestly but whatever #homestuck #baldur's gate 3 #thats all. bye