#i might've said no HAHAHA

[bitterie-sweetie]

Fake it til you make it

Pairing: Jeonghan x reader Genre: fluff, fake dating WC: 6.5k Warnings: alcohol A/N: yes it's about vday buuut it's actually for @syuperseventeen's bdayyy!!! surprise surprise! happy birthday nat, i hope this year is even better and filled with many things to look forward to <3

Your Valentine’s date with Jeonghan is coming up and yet the only thing on your mind is how to break up with him. Of course breaking up with someone is difficult, but you’d argue that what’s more difficult is breaking up with someone you never even dated.

Jeonghan is a prankster. 

Growing up, you’d often be on the receiving end of his pranks at school. Third grade “initiation” had you drenched in water after he told you to pin a cup against the wall with a straw, and in ninth grade you had tears streaming down your face after eating an entire scoop of wasabi—not the matcha ice cream he said it was. Then there was the time he did something to make your first crush hate you, which, in hindsight, was a good thing because the guy turned out to be a total asshole. 

It wasn’t Jeonghan’s fault entirely when you were too willing to fall for his pranks because being the target of a prank meant having his attention, and that’s something that you wanted. Jeonghan had a way of making everyone feel special, and his attention was a limelight that you never wanted to step out of. 

Honestly, you might’ve kept up with it if he kept going. But then that fateful day came and it was like you were suddenly on his side, working with him instead of being the victim to his antics, and you’d say that that’s what has kept the two of you together after all these years. 

Well, at least until now.

“Hey,” you greet in a rush, looking around the table at everyone and seeing that you’re truly the last one to arrive. Usually, you’d give that place to Lee Chan; he’s the most popular of your friend group and almost always has a prior appointment to your meetups. “Sorry I’m late. My train was delayed and—oh, did you already order for me?” 

Jeonghan slides a sealed bubble tea across the table and sets it in front of your seat—the one empty chair right beside him, no less. When you glance at him questioningly he shrugs and tilts his head towards the crowd at the front. “The line was too long so I ordered yours with mine. Hope you’re feeling like your usual today.” 

Indeed, the sticker on the cup shows that it’s your go-to order. “Aw, that’s so sweet of you. Thanks, babe.” 

Today’s meet up with your friend group is the first of the year and it’s also the first time you’re seeing everyone since Chan’s wedding… including Jeonghan. You would’ve spent Christmas and New Year’s with him had he not cancelled on you, and now that bit of distance has manifested into a larger uncertainty for you over the past while. Even now, the ‘babe’ seemed to come out awkwardly, sticking to your throat.

“Wow, you guys are actually disgusting. I hope you know that.” Seungkwan makes a face at you, and beside him, Soonyoung nods a few times in agreement. 

You plaster on a smile. “It’s okay to just say you’re jealous.” 

The only response you get is an eye-roll from Soonyoung, and then everyone moves on, thankfully. Mingyu asks you what you’ve been up to so you talk about your recent promotion at work and some new habits you’ve started in the new year, and when you sense that the conversation is starting to approach the territory of your future with Jeonghan, you gently steer it towards Chan. After all, he’s the one that got married just a few months ago, and you know he would never miss the chance to talk about his amazing honeymoon and how great this new chapter of his life is going.

There is truly nothing like adult friendships and its quarterly updates. 

Once there’s a bit of a lull in the conversation, Jeonghan turns to you. “What are you doing this week?” 

“Oh, this week?” Your heart speeds up tenfold at the uncertainty of what might come next. “Hmm well, it’s Valentine’s Day.” 

“Yeah, exactly.” He nods and much to your relief, there’s a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. “So I’ll see you for our date then?” 

“Of course, babe.” 

“Can’t you guys do this somewhere else?” Soonyoung says as he stares daggers in your direction. You totally understand and sympathize with that though; today you’re turning up the sweetness more than usual to compensate for the distance you actually feel, unfortunately at the expense of your friends.

Jeonghan completely ignores Soonyoung’s complaint and doesn’t even look his way. “That’s good,” he says, leaning back in his seat and almost looking relieved at your answer. “I was afraid my darling might not have time for me anymore.”

“What? No way. Did you have anything in mind for our date?” 

“Hmm, yes but it’s a surprise. I’ll text you the details later.” 

“Well, uh, I have to run,” Chan says, slowly getting up from his seat. The rest of you hardly bat an eye, having gotten too used to his busy schedule. “It was nice seeing everyone. You guys should come over for my housewarming once everything is set up.” 

Mingyu stands up too. “Oh, I actually have to go too; got a dinner with Wonwoo later.” 

…On second thought, perhaps you overcompensated a bit too much with the cringe. Soonyoung and Seungkwan leave soon after getting a call from their roommate, Seokmin, and then it’s just you and Jeonghan at the table. Still seated side by side, your arm occasionally brushing against his. 

“How have you really been?” he asks in a low voice. 

“Decent, I guess, despite the winter blues and all. It’s pretty much what I said earlier.” You shrug when he remains silent. “Why do you ask? Do I look depressed or something?”   

“No,” he shakes his head with a laugh, “not depressed, exactly, but I wanted to see if you’re as sad as I am about not seeing each other in so long.” Then he leans in a bit closer, as if to whisper a secret. “I missed you, darling.”

It’s times like this when you feel like he’s toeing the line. There’s a small smile lingering on his lips and a softer look in his eyes, not at all like the overdone sweetness to the point of sarcasm from before, but you can never tell if he really means what he says or if this is just part of the act. 

Regardless, it makes your face feel hot and it makes you unable to look directly at him. 

“Oh… yeah,” you say, trying to make a quick recovery. “It’s too bad we missed out on the holidays but at least we get Valentine’s Day.” 

“Yup, that’s exactly why I have something special in mind for that day. I want to make it up to you, darling.” 

You give him a smile and then go to take a sip of your drink, and that’s pretty much the end of the conversation. Despite saying he misses you, it’s interesting how he doesn’t explain why he bailed on the holidays in the first place, and you don’t know whether you should ask about it at this point.

Or if you should even be curious about such a thing. 

Jeonghan pulls you out of your thoughts with a brush of his hand on yours. “It’s getting dark. Let’s head out?” 

You agree and then let him hold your hand, lace his fingers with yours, and then lead you out of the shop. He doesn’t let go until you cross the parking lot and get to his car. It’s strange, you think. You can’t seem to recall the last time the two of you held hands so naturally like this especially when there’s no one else around. 

In fact, when the two of you are alone, the sickening sweetness is always toned down but not completely dropped. Now, Jeonghan’s smiles are softer around the edges like they’re less exaggerated, less of a performance, and when he calls you darling, his voice is quieter and isn’t at all coated in the sticky honey you’re used to. When he hugs you goodbye at your door, it’s a loose hug and almost has a degree of uncertainty. 

Jeonghan steps back but lingers just for a second. “I’ll see you in a few days for our date, darling.”

“Of course,” you put on a smile, “I can’t wait, babe.” 

He waits until you get into your building before giving a little wave and then heading on his way. 

After you close the door behind you and collapse onto your bed, you heave a sigh and finally let the smile slip from your lips. So there would be a Valentine’s date this year after all; the anticipation makes your heart speed up the slightest but at the same time makes you all the more anxious. You thought that he really would end things today, and if not, that you should be the one to do so. But seeing him after so long, feeling the way the warmth of his touch lingers on your skin, basking in the brightness of his smiles, you simply couldn’t utter those words. 

Perhaps Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be the right time to do it either, or maybe your date won’t end up happening for whatever reason. You know that this is something you have to do, but the question is how exactly would you go about doing it? Because there is one major problem. 

You’re not dating Jeonghan at all. 

One moment in high school is what started this whole thing.

It was eleventh grade drama class—which Jeonghan thought would be fun to take as an elective—that resulted in the two of you being cast in the school play. Although neither of you landed a role that was remotely close to important, Jeonghan decided to have fun with it and improvise during your one minute of screen time and that somehow turned your insignificant cameos into a beautiful romance that had the audience rooting for you. 

And that very moment somehow managed to embed itself so deeply in your relationship with Jeonghan that it became a long running joke to this day. 

Today you’re sitting across from Soonyoung and Seungkwan again, with Mingyu beside you this time. Almost an exact replica of last week’s meetup, but Chan already has plans and Jeonghan is very obviously missing—something Soonyoung points out immediately.

“Wow, no Jeonghan today?” he says loudly even before the hostess is out of earshot. The people at the two tables nearby glance in your direction and you start to regret coming here at all. “We really won this one. Y/N, we should do this more often.” 

You definitely should not. “Um, yeah. Totally.” 

Last week’s meeting with your friends is what gave you the idea to consult with them about your situation. You first suggested the idea to Mingyu, and then used the prospect of free food to get Soonyoung and Seungkwan to come out, and naturally, Chan is busy so it ends up being the four of you at brunch. Which is better on your wallet, you think. You get the feeling that this quarterly meetup can totally happen more often if you were to make this offer every time. 

As for what you’re about to ask… well, truthfully, you still don’t know if you should even do it. You’ve gone so many years without saying a word that it’d simply be odd to ask now, plus you would run the risk of making everything weird. But if you don’t do it, you would only end up making it weird anyway because how much longer can you go on pretending?

Besides, it’s not only you and Jeonghan who are prolonging this inside joke for way longer than it should’ve lasted. All of your friends should be in on it if they treat the two of you like a couple too. 

The waiter comes by to take your orders, and you try not to wince at the entire list that comes out of Soonyoung and Seungkwan’s mouths. Mingyu gets the least, seemingly knowing that something is up if the worried glances he throws your way is anything to go by. 

Once the waiter leaves, that’s when the small talk stops and all eyes turn to you.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Soonyoung asks with a goofy grin. “Since Jeonghan’s not here, does that mean you need help with Valentine’s Day plans or something?” 

Beside him, Seungkwan has the complete opposite expression as he eyes you warily between sips of his americano.

You take a huge swig of water like it’s liquid courage, and then go for it. “This is going to sound weird…” you start, trying not to notice the way Seungkwan tenses up as if bracing for your words, “but I wanted to ask you guys what my relationship with Jeonghan is.” 

Silence. Complete, dead silence. 

Soonyoung freezes like he’s in a photograph while Seungkwan’s hand holding his americano hangs in mid air as a drop of the drink dribbles down the side of his lip. 

“Sorry, what?” It’s Soonyoung who recovers first. “I think I heard that wrong.” 

You shake your head. “Just tell me.” 

“You’re asking us what your relationship with your own boyfriend is?” 

“Boyfriend—exactly!” You have to hold back all the thoughts you have on the topic. “Yeah, that’s what I mean. So you think he’s my boyfriend? That we’re dating?” 

Soonyoung frowns but it’s Seungkwan who answers, exasperated. “Y/N, what are you trying to say here? Are you trying to say you guys broke up? Or do you think we don’t know you well enough and this is a test? Can you say whatever it is directly—” 

“Jeonghan and I aren’t together.”

There, you said it. Your biggest secret is out.

It should make you relieved to finally let out the secret you’ve been harbouring for years or it should at least alleviate some of the weight on your chest, but it doesn’t. The silence in the wake of your confession only closes in on you and makes it all the more suffocating.

“Any—anymore?”

“No. We were never together.”

The bit of silence from earlier repeats itself. Maybe you should become a speaker or presenter with your ability to draw such reactions from a crowd.

Seungkwan noisily sets down his drink and then leans forward with a frown. He’s still in denial, that much is obvious, and he narrows his eyes as he asks, “Is this a joke? A hidden camera? Are you trying to prank us like Jeonghan—”

“No, I’m completely serious. It’s really not what it seems, and this is why I’m asking you guys what you see us as because at this point I don’t even know the answer myself.” 

With a deep breath, you tell them the truth about this entire thing.

You tell them about the high school play and your impromptu acting, and how that led for the two of you to become the famous couple at school afterwards. Sure, it might’ve been a good thing because that meant your acting was believable. But to two people who were interested in just about anything except love at that age, it was annoying and gross. 

After the show when the shippers wouldn’t stop, the two of you decided to do what you do best—pull a prank. You spent that Valentine’s Day together as a joke and acted extra disgusting to mock couples while making fun of how stupid people were to believe whatever you showed them. In twelfth grade, the two of you did the same for Valentine’s Day and then even went to prom together as a joke. 

In recent years, however, the annual joke of a Valentine’s Day date has turned into his Christmas and your Lunar New Year, his cousin’s graduation, your coworker’s housewarming, and Lee Chan’s wedding. It’s made you on a texting basis with his sister and it’s made him familiar with all your favourite food spots and go-to orders. It’s turned him into someone who’s simultaneously as distant as an acquaintance yet closer than a best friend. 

And so, here you are, living an entire lie because you and Jeonghan had the whole world fooled.

“That’s insane,” Soonyoung says when you finally finish the story, unable to look your way and instead, stares into his drink with how mind blown he is.

Seungkwan, on the other hand, remains a bit skeptical. “Okay, but then what was with all that PDA?All the kissing? Is this some sort of situationship?” 

“Oh, um.” Immediately you can feel your cheeks heating up. You didn’t think this far at all but now it seems like the entire truth will have to come out. “All of it was fake. We’ve… never actually kissed.” 

That drama class has taught you more than you needed to know about manipulating angles and the audience’s perception, and Jeonghan is very good at it. Your fake kisses were often just a trick of the angle or occasionally using the thumb trick, and having seen the evidence captured in photos over the years, you know how convincing it can look.

Now, it’s embarrassing to admit for reasons you never would’ve imagined. Admitting to pulling a childish prank like this is one thing, but the realization that you and Jeonghan have faked it for so long without ever once making it real has you feeling almost dejected.

“I always knew Jeonghan was crazy but I didn’t know he’d be *this* crazy.” Soonyoung now has his head in his hands and is staring off into space. “This is the most insane story I’ve ever heard. I’m not sure if I should be happy for you or sad.” 

You give a wry smile. “Yeah, well, I get why you would think we were together though. You met us in college and wouldn’t have known about what happened in the past so I guess there would never be a reason to question it.” 

Beside you, Mingyu clears his throat and you turn to look at him. He’s been so quiet throughout your story that you were too busy focusing on the reactions of the other two, but looking at him now, his reaction is entirely different. Mingyu isn’t as surprised as he is concerned. “Actually, Y/N, a few years ago…” he says hesitantly, “there was a time when I asked him if you were actually dating.” 

“You did? What did he say?”

“He didn’t deny it.”

“Well, we all know how he loves to be ambiguous and leave things a mystery.”

Mingyu shakes his head. “No—see, that’s what I thought too, but it was different that time. At first he didn’t deny it, but when I pushed a bit more, he said that you’re dating. In actual words and with the most serious look I’ve ever seen on his face.” 

This is news to you. You always assumed that they were all in on the joke and would’ve never guessed that anyone actually asked Jeonghan, but the fact that he answered that way is all the more baffling. 

“I don’t get it. Why would he tell you that?” 

“Yeah, so,” Soonyoung says, “from then on we all thought that was fully confirmed, and he never said or implied otherwise.” 

“Right…”

Mingyu nudges you gently. “Y/N, are you telling us about this now because you’re planning on stopping the act? Has it been bothering you? Or did something happen?” 

“Is that why you wanted to tell us today?” Soonyoung lets out a dramatic gasp and leans all the back in his chair, hands over his mouth. “Don’t tell me—are you going to stop the act because you have a crush on someone?”

“What? No, definitely not. It’s not that, it’s—” 

Here’s the next part of your big secret being revealed, something you weren’t entirely ready for but you tell yourself that this needs to happen. 

It’s because of your feelings for Jeonghan. Your very real, very genuine feelings that have nothing to do with this prank.

Truthfully, you can’t pinpoint when you started feeling this way, much like you’re not sure how this joke was able to stick around for so long. It could be the most recent development—when your friend tried to convince you to hop on a dating app, all you could think about was how wrong it felt because you already had Jeonghan. Or maybe it was the Valentine’s Day just before college graduation when he leaned in so closely you thought he was going to kiss you, for real this time, and then only realizing much later that you were disappointed that it wasn’t real. 

Or perhaps it started way back, to the time he asked you to prom—he said he didn’t have a date only for you to later find out he’d already rejected two promposals from other people. All for your fake relationship, supposedly.

And now, for you, what has started as a harmless prank has turned into something much more than that over the years. 

Everyone looks like they're at a loss for words after that part, and even Soonyoung has lost his enthusiasm after hearing it. “Shit, that’s…” he starts. “Okay, yeah, I’m definitely sad for you.” 

Seungkwan and Mingyu have similar sentiments but you wave them off, eager to lighten the mood again after such heavy topics. The food on the table has been long finished and you’re beginning to feel like you’re overstaying your welcome when there’s a crowd waiting at the front of the restaurant. “It’s fine, it’s whatever. I just wanted to get this off my chest today so that I can figure things out before I see him in a few days.” 

A while later, you finish paying and then all head out together. 

The conversation continues to replay itself in your head, and you realize there is one thing you’re curious about. You turn to Mingyu. “By the way—Mingyu, why *did* you ask Jeonghan if we were actually dating?”

Mingyu stops mid-stride and freezes like a deer in headlights, clearly not expecting your question at all. “I—um, I was asking for a friend.” 

“A friend?”

“Yeah, Chan.” He nods a few times in a row. “I thought Chan had a crush on you and I was trying to help him out.”

Strange, seeing as you’ve probably interacted with Chan the least among your friend group. He’s simply too booked and busy to hang out with you, and has been all throughout your college years together. 

Oh, and he’s married.

“Like, before he met his wife?” you ask.

Soonyoung starts to cough furiously from where he is a few steps ahead while Mingyu’s cheeks redden the slightest bit. 

You vaguely remember the first time the two of you did this, and how it wasn’t anything like how it’s going now. 

Tonight is the night you’re supposed to go on your date with Jeonghan, and you’ve been buzzing with nerves since the night before. You have no idea what to expect for tonight since all he told you about it was to show up at his apartment, and that in itself was slightly concerning as you’ve never been to his home before nor has he been so secretive about any plans. Usually the two of you would be going to a casual place or would have the schedule shared ahead of time if it was a more formal event that needed preparation. 

Jeonghan buzzes you in when you arrive and before you can say you’ll wait for him in the lobby, he tells you to go up to his unit. Again, a bit strange. You do as he asks though, and then even go to knock on the door when there’s no sign of him coming out.

When he opens the door and steps aside, that’s when everything clicks—you’re not here so that he can get his car and take you to your date location. This *is* the date location.

Beyond the doorway, you can see that his apartment is completely decorated. Rose petals line the sides of the hall and lead to the dining table, covered in a deep red tablecloth and perfectly set for your meal. Beside it, a large bouquet of roses rests at the center of the sideboard surrounded by a row of flickering candles which light up the space.

Even without knowing what his home normally looks like, it’s obvious that all this would’ve taken a lot of effort to set up.

“Jeonghan, why did you prepare all this?”

He gives you a dazzling smile. “Because my darling deserves the best, of course. I told you I was going to make it up to you for cancelling Christmas.” 

“Babe, that’s too sweet of you. You really didn’t have to.” You try to return his smile but it doesn’t come easy when this whole situation is overwhelming. Then you let him take your coat and then guide you to the dining table where everything is set up. 

Only when you’re seated do you realize that his response doesn’t answer your question at all. 

The scent of the roses fill the room and looking at them gives you a pang in your heart. This is what the two of you used to make fun of—these big, romantic gestures, and the couples that willingly eat them up. Now it’s as if the tables have turned and you don’t know what to think. 

If this were in public, in front of your friends or other people, you would’ve said that it was another funny gesture that Jeonghan put up for the sake of making them cringe. Because the two of you were the perfect joking, prankster couple, right? 

Now that it’s just you and him here, it confuses you as to why he’s going to such lengths for a joke when it’s something that no one else would see, when there’s no audience to watch his performance. 

You watch as Jeonghan busies himself in the kitchen, serving the food that he’s prepared and pouring the wine into glasses while glancing your way every once in a while. He looks pleased, you note, and he should be if he got his space to look this beautiful. But you can sense that there’s something else too, almost like a nervousness that sits on his shoulder every time he breezes past you and makes eye contact for the briefest second.

After everything is ready, he finally takes a seat across from you and the dinner begins.

Making small talk is easy at first; you comment on your surprise at this type of date, talk about how cold it’s been lately and how it sucks that your company is forcing you to go back into the office. You ask him how his holiday went and how his family has been, and mention how cute his sister’s new puppy is after seeing a post about it on her social media. 

You know you’re just delaying the inevitable. Somehow you get the feeling he knows it too, judging by the way his answers are shorter than usual and how your conversation feels so superficial. So this time after there’s a lull in the conversation, you decide to go for it.

"Jeonghan, um…"

"Hmm?" He looks at you and waits for you to continue, but you don't. Or rather, you can't. "Ah, you're going to comment on how good this is, right?" he says instead, as if supplying you with a way out.

You're all too eager to grab onto it. "Wow, you read my mind." An enthusiastic nod, a slight look of surprise. "It's amazing. Did you make all this yourself?"

Jeonghan shakes his head and then follows up with a sheepish smile. "Partly. The rest is store bought."

Another nod, and then it just ends there again. Seated in this spot with the soft lighting of flickering candles cast against the wall and the heat of Jeonghan's gaze on you, the feeling of discomfort only grows. It's hard to remember what the two of you were like before, during the days when everything seemed so silly–when each move was a clearly defined act between two actors and the world was your stage. And most importantly, when each smile he showed you didn't send your stomach into somersaults or your mind into a loop of second guessing. 

The air is so heavy and stifling that you grab your glass and down a large gulp of the wine. At least when you're drinking, you wouldn’t have to speak, whether that might be responding to him in a way that gives away all of your thoughts, or completely spilling them out yourself. Maybe the alcohol will also drown out some of your anxieties and–

"Hey, slow down." Jeonghan glances at you with worry. "We have all night."

You set the glass down, albeit a bit reluctantly. "Right, sorry. This wine is just so good."

Yet another lie, but what's one more at this point? The wine is much too sour and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. You would've much preferred a soda or bubble tea, and drinking something fancy like this during such a fancy occasion makes you feel like you're pretending to be someone you're not.

Which is exactly what you're doing, isn't it? You've been living a lie this entire time.

You briefly wonder if Jeonghan feels the same way—the two of you have never properly spent time alone in complete privacy, and to have your first time be in such a formal atmosphere must feel strange. But if he's uncomfortable, he makes no sign of showing it. Or maybe he's always been the better actor of the two of you.

“You know, since you mentioned seasonal depression, I was thinking that for Christmas this year we should go somewhere. Somewhere warm and sunny to get away from the cold.”

“Oh, this year?” you repeat stupidly when you can’t quite believe what you’re hearing. Jeonghan wants to continue this thing? And here you were, thinking that he was about to end it at any moment for the past few months. “Um, yeah. That would be nice.” 

“Or it could be a fall trip. Your parents have been wanting to go see the leaves change colour, right?” 

There’s no hint of sarcasm on his face and no playful twinkle in his eye, and even though no one can read him very well, you know enough to tell that he’s being serious. You also know that what he’s saying makes no sense at all.

“Right, yeah. They’ve been wanting to do that.” 

“Y/N, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you reply automatically, and then reach for another long gulp of your drink. “Yup, all good.”

Jeonghan frowns, a tiny crease appearing between his brows. “Are you sure? If you want to talk about it, I’m here to listen.” 

It’s strange, the way he looks at you. Jeonghan, who dances around questions and deflects easily with humour and only shows people what he wants them to see, now has worry filling his eyes as he waits for you to continue. As if he *knows*.

You doubt Soonyoung and Seungkwan would have spilled your secret so easily, but there’s a great possibility that the two of them would be unable to act normal around him after what they learned, and unintentionally hint at the truth. Then there’s the other possibility that Jeonghan knew way before any of this. Because maybe he—

No, you don’t want to think about that.

“It’s just that,” you say, having to force yourself to pause and slow down your thoughts before something terrible comes spewing out. A slow inhale, a shaky exhale. “Why are we here, Jeonghan?”

His frown deepens, but now it’s turned into confusion. “What do you mean?”

“What are we doing? This date has been nice, but I’m just very confused over why you put so much effort into this when there’s no one else around to see it. Weren’t we doing all of this as a joke? As a prank? Pretending to be a couple so that we can fool the world since that’s exactly what they wanted to see, but joke’s on them because we’re not?” 

Jeonghan watches you silently with an unreadable look on his face. “Is that how you feel?”

“’Well, yes, because isn’t that the truth? And now, we’ve been doing so much together that it doesn’t feel like a joke anymore. How can it be when your mom is offering to give me homemade side dishes? Or—or when Chan’s wife was there, smiling at us on her wedding day like she wished we’d be just as happy as they are?” You pause to look at him and then proceed to look away. “How long are we going to continue lying to the world? Because I can’t stand the guilt.”

The last part of that may be true, but it’s not the full truth. 

“Yeah, you’re right. We don’t have to keep doing this.”

“W—what?” You stare at him, dumbfounded. 

Jeonghan sighs deeply and then meets your eyes, but then quickly looks away. “Yeah, we should’ve left this in high school. The joke has kind of gotten old, hasn’t it?” 

You have no idea what he means by any of that, but it feels like you’re better off not knowing. The tension in the air is thick, and even when you imagined your fake breakup hundreds of times in your head, this is not something you could have predicted. It’s as you’re on a precipice, and one wrong move will delete all those years, all that time you spent with him. 

And the worst part is that you don’t even want to break up.

“Jeonghan, look. I know all of this is supposed to be a joke, but why is it that it feels like you really do care?” One last deep breath before you make the jump. “And why is it that I *want* you to care?” 

That has him stunned for a second, so much that the expression is obvious on his face in a way that almost never happens. 

“Wait, what? I do care. No, I get that we started all this for fun back then, but that’s not how I feel about it now. Everything we’ve done is real—trust me, I wouldn’t have brought you to my family if that wasn’t the case. And I never thought I was lying to them. It’s exaggerated, yes, and much too dramatic, but I’m not a good enough actor where all that can be based on a complete lie.” 

You braced yourself for the final blow, only to be completely confused over his words. “What are you saying?” 

“Y/N, it’s always been real to me. All of it.” 

“But—but I thought you wanted to stop all this when you cancelled our plans for Christmas. Why did you do that?”

Jeonghan opens his mouth a little but then closes it again. “Do you remember last year at Chan’s wedding when you caught the bouquet?” 

You nod but don’t hide your confusion about where this is going.

“After you caught it, everyone was looking at you… and then at me. It was like they all expected us to be next, because well,” he shrugs, “everyone thought we were together. And that’s when I realized that this is more than simply feeling like it’s real. We were turning it into something real.”

“So you called off Christmas because you wanted to stop doing this? Because you hated how it was becoming real?” 

“No,” Jeonghan shakes his head. “The opposite. I was afraid of how much I liked that it felt real. That day at the wedding, I—I wanted to kiss you for real, Y/N. Not have to fake it.” 

“Oh…”

“If we did meet up for Christmas, I don’t know what might’ve happened. I thought it was safer to stay away for a bit and gather my thoughts.” He hesitates slightly and you can see the pained smile he has on. “But one day into the holidays and I was already regretting my decision.” 

You don’t know what to say to that. Your mind is hardly listening anymore when it keeps on repeating Jeonghan’s words like a broken record, screaming to you that it’s real, that all of it is real. That you’re not the only one who’s been feeling this way, and that you won’t need to stage a fake breakup for your fake relationship. 

“Are you okay?” he asks, breaking you out of your thoughts.

“I’m just—are you sure all this is real? Jeonghan, are you being serious?”

He breaks into a tender smile. “Don’t you remember? I already answered you back then, Y/N.”

“What do you mean?” 

“You asked me if I’d be your darling, even if thousands of miles may separate us, even if—” 

“—if the paths we walk may crumble,” you finish off. “Or something like that. I actually have no idea what we said back then.”

Those were the lines in the play that you did back in high school, the very lines that the two of you conjured out of thin air one day and the very moment that started this whole thing. 

“Yeah, that,” he says softly.

“Hmm, so, babe,” you put on your usual mockingly sweet tone, repeating the line that you said on stage many years ago, “are you going to kiss me?” 

Jeonghan holds back a smile like he can’t contain his happiness, and follows with his line without missing a beat. “If that’s what my darling wants.”

The smile only widens when he gets up from his seat and you go to meet him halfway, and it’s the last thing you see when he leans in closer and closer. Jeonghan gently slides his thumb between his lips and yours as he closes the distance, like how it was done the very first time, but this time you can feel it as he slowly moves it away. 

Then you’re kissing him, actually kissing him for real for the first time. His lips are soft and warm, and the bit of hesitance between you seems to completely melt away as you wrap your arms around him and he pulls you closer. You let yourself drown in his scent, the warmth of his touch, and the loud pounding of your heart now that you no longer have to be paying attention to the reactions of the people around you. Nothing else matters anymore, all that matters is what you have now.

You spend the rest of the night catching up, whether that’d be stories over the years of shared memories, or creating new memories to make up for the lost time. He tells you he loves you and that the trip suggestions were very much real, and the two of you laugh over how you’ve become the exact couple you once mocked. It’s easy to understand them now though, you think as Jeonghan gives you a sleepy smile as you’re cuddled up on the couch.

“Oh yeah, I wanted to ask something,” you say, and he looks at you in alarm at your abruptness. “Why did you tell Mingyu that we were together?”

Jeonghan stays silent for a bit, narrowing his eyes as if having difficulty recalling what you’re talking about. Then he finally answers. “Oh that?” He chuckles. “That was because I didn’t want him to think he had a chance with you.”

#jeonghan x reader #jeonghan x you #seventeen fluff #seventeen scenarios #seventeen fic #jeonghan fic #my fic #if you asked me just last week if i was ever gonna post again #i might've said no HAHAHA #truly this came out of nowhere!! and yes it's so rushed OTL #not a brand new idea tho bc it's smth i've been thinking about over the years #kinda inspired by an iconic tumblr post!! #tbh the first jeonghan fic on this blog was gonna be #his story of the holiday party series (i wrote 6k in dec and gave up) #was gonna scrap it but i reread it this week and it's not bad?? #so try again this year ig 🤡

[veeeffvee]

The difference between the colors maroon and merlot came up in class today, completely off-topic, and I got unreasonably heated over the subject (guess why lmao) 

Because maroon is NOT the fucking same as merlot, and I will THANK my math professor to acknowledge that! >:( 

I mean I didn’t start debating or yelling or anything, I was just seething in my seat and biting my tongue lmao

#Vee talks about school #All I said was ''It's /not/ the same as merlot'' really really seriously lmao #I also might've glared a little. Just a bit. Hahaha

[broken-glass-puppet]

I saw your request for Wally requests and I'm here to fill that void!

I have three requests but you can do how ever many you want!

Wally jealousy head canons (male reader)

a one shot of tad bit of an obsessive/and or jealous Wally with a very friendly s/o (male reader)

(they kinda go hand in hand hahaah)

and a valentines day one shot (male reader as u might've guessed hahaha)

I love that silly little man

Wally jealous Headcanons

🎨👁️• Okay, he's SUPER jealous

🎨👁️• If you are talking to another person he won't do anything if is poppy, or frank or any other neighbors

🎨👁️• oh but if is someone he doesn't like or someone flirting with you, haha prepare for a extremely jealous wally

🎨👁️• WILL stare at that person a lot, making them uncomfortable, maybe he will grab your hand and kiss it for you to give him attention

🎨👁️• if he's felling "flirty" he will slide his hand to your hips, maybe even squishing it a little

🎨👁️• once you get home, prepare for

a) a angry make out session who will leave you blushing and with love bites everywhere

b) Willy not understanding why were you talking with that person and making you flustered by all the things he said to prove he's better

c) angry cuddles and his face buried in your neck mumbling he's not jealous

🎨👁️•he will not kill that person, unless they did make you uncomfortable or they got to flirty

🎨👁️•he knows you are beautiful but you are his so fuck them

My precious flower

(one shot time)

⚠️TW⚠️: heavy dark topics such as

•blood, dead mention, staring, insinuation of SA/sick guy who flirted with you but is just plain cat calling [if you are uncomfortable with this topics, please don't read, i don't care about views here, your health is more important, please take care 🩵]

It was a sunny beautiful day at Welcome Home, you moved here just 4 months ago but everyone was so friendly you couldn't go, specially wally, he's super attentive and caring with you, almost a bit creepy but he isn't creepy, right?

Anyways, you were in your garden reading in the ground, it was summer so you where wearing [insert here your election of clothes] you were reading just to hear a whistle

"woah, look what we got here, hey cutie? Are you single?"

You stood up and walked to him, a bit scared

"no, I'm not, i have a partner, please could you go now?"

"oh playing hard to get i see... well if you don't want a date..."

He grabbed your wrist hard

"I'll make you have one with me"

You squirmed a bit but you calmed when you heard a friendly voice

"oh no, that wouldn't be nice, come with me gentleman"

Wally grabbed the guy and winked at you

Some hours have passed and wally come into your home, covered in what you supposed as red painting, he went to clean himself and came to you, both of his hands in your hips and his face buried in your neck

"you are mine just mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine"

He looked at you, and kissed your cheek,

Lets say you two had a really good cuddle evening with romantic movies

#trans #nonbinary #gay #we love him #viral #male reader #incorrect quotes #one shot #headcanon #welcome home fandom #welcome home wally #wally darling x male reader #Wally Darling #wally darling x reader #wally darling #i want to kiss his face #hes so gay #hes so silly #male reader only #dark topics #wally darling my beloved #welcome home #Welcome Home wally darling

[mommybard]

Hahaha~ What's the matter sweetie~? Forgot how to use your big words? Go on. Try it. Try to say anything at all. Puppy whines and barks aren't words silly~ Mmm, you know, I wasn't even sure that would work. All those videos I had sent you. Thought it might've just been a hoax, some scam. But...they kept your interest, and you never seemed to notice how captivated you were by those spirals. It was adorable. With the first few, you just kind of zoned out. Stared at your screen, unblinking, not even hearing anything I said. After a while, you even started to drool. Always excusing it as you just getting distracted or losing track of time when you got out of it. It wasn't long before you started to mouth along with the videos, repeating your mantras "I'm a good puppy", "Puppies don't need to think", "Dumb puppies are good puppies". I wanted to play with you right then and there, but I couldn't risk interrupting the trance. You won't believe how hard it was to resist that urge~ When you started humping...mmm, it was so frustrating holding back. I found a nice middle ground though. I'd hold your phone for you as you ground against my leg. Oh, you should've seen yourself. Looked like such a pathetic mutt, whimpering and whining as you rubbed yourself silly, drooling down your body, unable to tear your eyes away~ Now look at you sweetie. All finished up with your videos, and you've gone and forgotten how to talk, how to walk, how to be a person. After all, puppies don't need to know all that nonsense. It would've just taken up space in your head and confused you. And we wouldn't want that, would we~? So, who's my pretty little puppy~?

[wonuwrites]

I really love the "We Can't Be Friends" idea! I'm excited for the Maknae version. I will try to think of a good song to suggest since you liked doing that one so much!

For the undecided ot13 you put in the poll, what about if y/n was an actress and met some SVT members at an event and Dino mentioned (pouted) that the older guys were giving him a hard time, so you gave your number to him and said he could decide which members he would share it with, if any, when they were nice enough to him? Or if he wants to keep your number all to himself? I hope this makes sense!

Yay! I look forward to your song suggestion!! I am not quite sure how to do this so I'm going to do it 4 sections from MTL if that makes sense

ღ

First things first, Chan would probably share his number with most of the first two groups but if he had a crush on you, I could see him keeping it to himself so he could try to win you over first. I could see him being 'selfish' in this way.

Chan would give your number bc they are nice to him in general~ Wonwoo, Vernon, Jun

>> WONWOO: Especially Wonwoo, who is basically the biggest fucking Dinonaras. We are delulu if we think we are a bigger Dinonara tbh. He would've been near Chan when he pulled the "my hyungs bully me" card and would scoff because maybe the other eleven but surely not him. Chan would agree and if he noticed his friend was giving you heart eyes, he would totally push his feelings aside and set you and Wonwoo up. >> VERNON: Honestly, they don't have that much beef besides occasional play arguments but Chan really has a soft spot for Hansol. So, after you gave Chan your number, Hansol would just give a "please bro" look which would make the younger one laugh his infamous laugh and airdrop your number. >> JUN: I mean, who doesn't love Jun? Seventeen and Carats all have a soft spot for him and when it comes to giving your number, Chan totally would. Especially if he thought you both would be a good fit for each other.

Chan would give your number bc they'd "fight" him for it LOL Seungcheol, Jihoon, Jeonghan

>> SEUNGCHEOL: Like Wonwoo, Seungcheol would also be near Chan when this happened and honestly his eyes would've been on you all night long. So when you gave your number to the younger member, he would give Chan a "you better share" look with him and Dino would give it to Seungcheol so quick lmao. >> WOOZI: Jihoon wouldn't even know about the exchange between you and Chan until one of the other members had "exposed" it to Jihoon. With Jihoon it could go two ways where he would laugh about it or if he liked you, he would "jokingly" tease about lines which would make Chan fold quicker than anything LMAO >> JEONGHAN: I can see Jeonghan pulling the freaking, "who's baby are you," card on Chan if he even hesitates to give your number to him hahaha. He'd just be like "Lee Chan, I didn't raise you like this. Give it up." I feel like if Chan told him "but I like (Y/N) though," Jeonghan would be 100% supportive and would just ask for your number to help set something up between you two. In the end, Jeonghan would have your number no matter the scenario because he's just that guy ya know?

Chan wouldn't give them your number because he found it funny. Seungkwan, Joshua, Seokmin

>> SEUNGKWAN: Ok, so if Seungkwan didn't ask for your number, Chan might've thought about it but once Seungkwan was like "Soo... (Y/N)'s number... can I have it?" Chan decided to be a brat and would refuse to give the number. He would bring up the gift situation from years ago which would annoy the hell out of Seungkwan LMAO. They would start fighting hahaha. >> JOSHUA: Honestly, Chan would do this just to fuck with Jisoo which would make him just scoff and roll his eyes at the youngers actions. He would remember this though. If he actually didn't give him your number and Chan needed something in the future this man would be SO over dramatic and be like: "remember when I needed (Y/N)'s number but you didn't help your hyung out?" Honestly the only time he would throw the hyung card out hahahaha. >> SEOKMIN: Seokmin would be apart of the initial group when Chan said that he was a bully victim and he honestly laughed at what the younger one said. Chan remembered Seokmin laughing at his rizz attempt and this was his payback. Seokmin would be so pouty about which would make Chan laugh at him which would make him get so annoyed hahaha.

They would just try their hand in getting your number because they knew Chan would be difficult about it lmfaoooo. Mingyu, Minghao, Hoshi

>> MINGYU: Look, I said in this reaction that Mingyu fucks and is pretty confident when it comes to dating. When he heard that Chan was in charge of giving your number away he would just plan on getting it himself. If it wasn't this event, there would be another event. Since Chan's "bully victim" plan would he was sure the same speech would also work for him. If not then his face sure would not to sound too cocky or anything like that lmao >> MINGHAO: Even though Minghao was nothing but nice to Chan, he would want to get your number more organically. He thought it was hilarious. However, if he liked you, which he did, he would want to go up to you and introduce himself and try to win you over that way. He didn't want Lee Chan to feel "pressured" or anything like that. >> HOSHI: If Soonyoung wasn't just horanghe-ing in a corner, he would be similar to Minghao and doing his best to win you over organically. He found the whole situation silly over all though.

#wonuwrites #seventeen #svt x reader #seventeen reactions #svt fluff #jeonghan #wonwoo #hoshi #joshua #jun #s coups #woozi #dk #mingyu #minghao #seungkwan #vernon #dino #s coups x reader #jeonghan x reader #joshua x reader #jun x reader #hoshi x reader #wonwoo reaction #woozi x reader #dk x reader #mingyu x reader #minghao x reader #seungkwan x reader #vernon x reader

[purplink8]

Ace Light is so important to me. Like it's not just a headcanon but something more. Here are some instances of ace!Light imo:

When Sayu finds Light with a dirty magazine & he explains that 'no i was just looking at articles of Kira & L' and that makes Sayu go 'oh yeah! you're gonna be a detective in future so being the nerdy brother of mine that you are you're studying for that, too. wow.' LIKE SHE DOESN'T EVEN QUESTION IT FOR A SECOND. She just knows that Light's statement is true at its face value & since she knows him well: therefore I raise you ACE Light.

Then this exchange between Ryuk & Light:

Ryuk makes a reference to finger-banging and Light's response? 'Looks are all that count!' Light is so ace it's cute haha.

Instance #3:

Light looks at p0rno mags and Soichiro is SHOCKED. Now of course it's because he thinks that Light was too upstanding/well-behaved for this sorta thing but I cannot help but wonder... if Light being interested at looking at girls that way, might've seemed a lil too far-fetched to Soichiro. And just how is Light looking at the scantily-clad women? Take a look:

Of course, Light's goal is to pretend that this is why he was checking if anyone entered his room and yet he cannot look more disinterested. It's not convincing that he'd go all through the trouble of ensuring nobody entered his room and look like -_- towards the p0rno mags he had tried so hard to hide. He's in the privacy of his room (yes there are hidden cameras & no Light isn't meant to know about them) and the least he can do in what I remind you that it's a Shonen manga which means that it's targeted towards young male teens so they couldn't show him jerking off or anything is to look like he's interested/attracted to these women but nope.

Light with all his acting skills cannot manage to look interested (let alone sexually interested) in women shown in these mags. So Light is not straight confirmed. Ace Light strikes AGAIN.

This is just an aside:

Ace!Light is done with Ryuk & the ridiculous sexual positions he comes up with for Light & L lol.

Another aside:

"Misa: Hey, Light. Wanna come sleep with me tonight?

Light: Wh-what are you talking about…?

Misa: Ha ha ha! Just kidding! You're saving me for after we catch Kira, right? You don't have to be shy about it!

L: Yes, Light. There's no need to be shy.

Light: I'm not being shy!

L: No need to be so serious either."

Hahaha look at L & Misa bullying our dear ace!Light XD

Instance #4 (sorta):

If we needed more proof of Light not being straight- it's that look on Sachiko's face. She is positively stunned haha.

Instance #5:

Here is Misa hinting at something (presumably romantic/sexual) they'd do under covers and Light just completely dismissing it with a 'whatever'. #ace light

Canon shows us again & again how disinterested Light is in dating women (he does so only for achieving his Kira goals). Canon also hasn't hinted at Light preferring to date men (no offense to those who headcanon Light as gay as I'm one of those people (i hc him as homoromantic asexual)). So it's logical to assume that Light is ace. Yeah yeah I know you don't really need canon basis for your headcanons but as I said before Ace Light is more than just a headcanon to me :D

Oh and Light being an 'ace student' is literally canon ;)

#death note #light yagami #ace!Light #asexual!Light #asexual #ace #aspec #i can see him being demi ace as well #lgbtqia+ #lgbtqia+ headcanons #ace headcanons #headcanons #dn headcanons #meta #dn meta #p #sayu yagami #l lawliet #soichiro yagami #misa amane #ryuk #sachiko yagami #mangacaps #my meta

[meanbossart]

Misc. Ask compilation

These aren't all of the asks I want to reply to, just some that I can answer relatively quickly to clean the ol' inbox out before things get out of hand. Thanks for your patience!

HAHAHA THANK YOU FOR PERUSING AROUND and for enjoying my work! I had a... Weird Gale experience my first playthrough which led to his characterization being what it is in my comics. Here's the beat-by-beat of all the shenanigans: https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/740827466716807168/alright-i-am-like-90-sure-there-is-one-line-in-a

And here's just some of my personal thoughts on him! https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/736193145686114305/can-you-tell-me-more-about-how-you-would-make-gale

I would be lying if I said I'm not conflicted to know my style still bears some remnants of my edgy teen roots (not your fault not noticing it though, you aren't the first and won't be the last) BUT... That comic did mean a lot to me as a youth, so I guess I should be proud 🤷 and honestly it is a little cool that such a thing would survive for so long in what I do, crazy how that works.

LMAO, re: the bottom/top debacle, I was honestly so surprised to see people react to it like it's something novel. If I ever expected to get any push back on the matter, I thought it would be from people assuming DU drow was the top and taking issue with how violent and big he is (and yknow, some people are weirdly protective of Astarion as if he isn't a sneaky murder machine rippling with lean muscle)

Very disheartening to see that mindset still so alive and well among young people, but I guess it just means I gotta draw DU drow throwing more back and Astarion drooling over more ass until the stereotype is forcefully banished out of people's minds!

(more asks below the cut)

"Sleeper agent activation phrase" absolutely took me out, Thank you so much LOL

YEAH I got it pretty late though, Astarion had already told my durge that he was a vampire of his own accord (and the response was, of course, "no duh") I forgot wheter this happened before or after the first romance scene triggered, but I think after.

Since this was after DU drow decided he was gonna fuck him out of pure contrarian spite and was shamelessly laying it extremely thick, He happilly let Astarion drink his blood. Hell, he was probably a little Too Eager - the guy likes pain and he likes letting people he trusts do with his body whatever they will, and while he didn't yet trust Astarion at that point, that event might've very well reminded him of something from his past that planted a seed which would eventually grow into his genuine affection for the guy.

Ah, he definitely got a half-chub as it happened too. I'm sure Astarion noticed it and just walked off rolling his eyes and thinking "eugh of course" lmao.

Hello!!!

Oh man, I grew up fascinated with horror things. I remember from a very young age just looking at the covers and backs of horror movies at the film-rental even though I wasn't allowed to watch them. I was also easily scared but I sought those things out anyway - I think i just enjoyed the visceral reactions it drew out of me and was always curious about most things taboo.

When I got access to the internet that just opened a (very unfortunate) door to all things vile and awful like it did for so many people at that age in time. Though my tastes have changed a lot since then (Less August Underground, more The Devils kind of guy nowadays) my stories and art are just always going to fall into a horror-y category because I just... Don't think there's many better ways to showcase the human experience and emotional range without many of the elements native to the genre, and I'm all about that.

Thank you for your question and your sweet words, have a good week yourself!

I did a little write-up about that over here! https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/742508493562593280/i-dont-have-a-particular-question-in-mind-sorry

That's the result of a scene that happens relatively early in the story I'm writing ("A Novel Experience" on Ao3).

{SPOILERS} DU drow accidentally passes out on a blade which puts a relatively deep gash on his hip. Meanwhile, Astarion is weakened and starved after certain events that transpired the prior night. They have a private exchange both in a somewhat hazy-state of mind and Astarion ends up prodding and prying at his wound while feeding, so it's a laceration and bite mark that just scarred over badly.

Elves apparently don't grow body hair so never LOL guess they'll just have to slip&slide up on each other for heat

#ask compilation

[jellyfiishatr]

I was wondering about a love story between the reader and mordecai heller before atlas death and how mordecai and the reader slowly falls in love with each other

a/n : Hey guyss...! I'm back after not posting for about a month hahaha. Anyways, enjoy this fic!♡♡

☆☆☆

Content : toothrotting fluff, romance , slight angst towards the end

Content warning : teensy mention of alcohol consumption (only just a bit)

☆☆☆

Oh how he'd stare at you from across the room as you worked, you pacing around and about helping patrons as they enjoyed their time in the lackadaisy.

He admired you from afar, not knowing you'd been doing the same all night. Sneaking just a few glances at him as he talked to atlas and stuck by his side the entire night. You'd pass him occasionally, brushing past him ever so slightly as you went over to their table and gathered their dirtied plates.

He never did gather the courage to talk to you, telling himself that it wasn't very professional on his end. But that thought of you always stuck to the back of his mind like a piece of chewed gum on a shoe.

He was young but dumb was never something to describe dear Mordecai. He never let those thoughts swallow him whole, atleast never during work hours. Only in the deepest of nights only when the moon shined its brightest in his quiet and gloomy room.

You on the other hand, had quite the opposite in mind. You tried your hardest to talk to him, not that you actually ever did. More like writing "secret" love notes and stuffing them in his pockets whenever you passed him by, giving him an innocent smile as you did.

Your notes read compliments; something about his suit or about something he might've done that seemed charming. He wouldn't show it but in his head he loved them, he adored those notes so much he had a special box in his room overflowing with them. But he'd never tell you that. God no, never ever would he tell you that.

As much as you thought he didn't like you, or hated you, you persisted. Continuing your little notes, and innocent smiles. Every. Single. Day.

Some days you'd actually talk to him; whether it'd be a simple hello, or another sweet compliment but with your oh-so-soothing voice to go with it. He'd nod his head with a soft goodmorning, and look away with another quiet thank you.

☆☆☆

After a while, he'd manage to talk to you. A real conversation with the one he'd fallen head over heels for somehow without even conversing before. He loved listening to your voice, they way you talked. Your little aneurysms, he enjoyed just your presence.

You aswell, you were ecstatic when he finally came up and talked to you. You were bouncing off of the walls whilst just thinking about it later that night. Giggling like a school girl with a puppylove crush and smiling like an idiot, you fell asleep that night with a stupid grin gracing your face.

Back to the present, he'd walk into the store and see you light up like a sunflower facing the sun. He couldn't help but feel your happiness bounce off of him, he'd always cover his smile with a cough or by clearing his throat.

"*Ahem* Goodmorning reader, how are you?" He'd ask, walking up to the counter placing his hands on his lap as he sat infront of you.

You'd smile, standing up straight as you spoke. "Morning. I'm doing much better, a little tired, but much much better."

Everyday was always the same, but you both were happy with it. Even if the same words were said from the day before, you both would still smile after one walked off to do something.

Eventually, those little talks turned into talking during breaks; that would then turn into meeting up after work for a drink, then going out for dinner every so often, then talking over the phone daily, then meeting up at one another's home and sleeping over, and so forth.

after months, you'd fallen so much farther for eachother. So deeply inlove that you would just bask in eachothers presence, even for just a moment. Even if you'd gotten into an argument, even if he'd slam your apartment door on his way out, even if you'd ignore his millions of calls during the night, even if he'd drunkenly walk in and cuss you out, or even if you'd shout at him through angry tears that you hated him and wished to never see him again.

You two would still find a way back to eachother, loving one another more than before. Forgiving one another for their flaws.

He loved you so very much, and you ever so slightly more.

☆☆☆

#lackadaisy webcomic #lackadaisy cats #lackadaisy x reader #lackadaisy #mordecai heller x reader #mordecai heller #mordecai x reader

[mino-diabolik]

DARK FATE — Mystic 「Dark 03」 [CG]

[ Dark 02 ]

[ Location: Eden ]

???: … …Hm?

Fu... Upon what forbidden tree has the serpent coiled up around this time?

—Fade—

[ Location: Unknown — Demon Realm ]

Mystic: Uuh...

Yui: Mys, you're awake!

How are you? Does it hurt anywhere?

Mystic: Ah, well... my head's killin' me.

Yui: Sigh... I suppose that's normal. Ruki said you lost a lot of blood.

Mystic: ... Yeah...

... ... ...

——Yui!

Yui: Eh?! Wha—what's the matter, all of the sudden?

Mystic: Thank Satan, you're alright! I'm glad you made it...

... Uh... where are we?

Yui: This is KarlHeinz's castle... I believe.

Mystic: Karl——?!

( How...? )

Yui: Ruki arrived with you yesterday.

I was so worried... The medic said it was likely you wouldn't wake up for a few more days.

Mystic: Oh, ain't ya a sweetheart, little lamb?

Mystic pulls Yui's cheek.

Yui: Ow!

Mystic: I won't die from somethin' so small. You can't get rid of me that easily.

( Though, my life expectancy might've only been extended because of the Eclipse... )

So... where're the others?

Yui: Oh, you're right! I should tell them you've woken up!

—Fade—

[ Location: Guestroom — Eden Castle ]

Mystic looks at himself on the mirror. He slides a hand over the bandages around his torso.

Mystic: ( Hm... it tingles a bit, but it doesn't hurt anymore.

What kind of dark magic did this doctor perform? )

God, I’m so tired…

He plops down on the edge of the bed.

Mystic: ( … I wonder if KarlHeinz himself is actually aware that I’m here…

I feel like I’m intruding somewhere I really shouldn’t be… )

—Flashback—

Kazuha: Here I believed the lowest scum that aligned himself with Vampires had long since rotted away in his own misery.

—End Flashback—

Mystic: … …

( What am I supposed to do now?

Not only did I deceive them. I fought back. If I ever dare to show my face again, I’m as good as dead.

——And my mother…

What will they do if they figure out she covered for me? )

—Knock, knock—

The door opens. The Mukami emerge.

Yuma: Ya’re a real roach. Just doesn’t die.

Mystic: Thanks, babe. You got my heart burstin’ with love.

Kou: You really took one for us back there, huh?

Azusa: Yeah…

Mystic: Just committin' to my word. Not much else.

Ruki: ——How are you feeling?

Mystic: … I mean, I’m just sluggish at the moment. It could be worse…

Mystic brings an arm over his shoulder and pulls at his shirt to show off the bandages.

Mystic: You tell me.

Ruki: It does look like it was a large laceration.

Yui: Hey, Mys, what’s that on your shoulder?

Mystic: Hm? What’re you talkin’ about?

Yui: There. You have a black mark on your shoulder.

Mystic: Ah… Y’all haven’t seen it before, huh?

Yuma: Seen what?

—Rustle—

Mystic: ——This guy here.

Kou: Ohh!

Mystic: It was a gift from a friend.

Yui: A friend?

Mystic: The son of a Vibora. His family specializes in pigments… with a certain twist.

Yuma: What’d ya mean by that?

Mystic: ——Come here.

Yuma: Ha?

Mystic: Just come here, I ain’t gonna bite you!

Yuma reluctantly approaches Mystic’s side. Mystic extends his arm. There is a short spark from the outline of his tattoo. A snake pounces off his skin, chomping its jaws near the Vampire’s face.

—Hiss!—

Yuma: Wha—?!

Yui: Ah…!

The viper hisses. It coils back around Mystic’s arm.

Mystic: Did say I wasn’t gonna bite you.

——His family uses the pigments to make ink. Most are in children’s books, where they create moving pictures.

But, well, it has other uses.

Ruki: Enchanting…

Ruki leans down to inspect it. The snake curiously flicks its tongue at him.

Mystic: Oh? It likes you.

Ruki: Is that so?

Ruki tries to reach for it. Mystic's fingers flex. The serpent flinches back. It tightens around Mystic's arm and swiftly sinks back into the black ink.

Ruki: ... ...!

Mystic: ... ...?

Kou: Hahaha! More like you scare it.

Mystic: Huh... how odd.

( It's never done that before... )

「Monologue」

After awakening, I come to find Ruki has brought me into the Eden, KarlHeinz's castle. Though the wounds have been sealed, I can't help but feel them throb. I know my family will find me—all of us—eventually. The walls of this fortress will only hold for so long.

「 Dark 03 — End 」

[ Dark 04 ]

#diabolikloversoc #mystic tsukinami #ruki mukami #kou mukami #yuma mukami #azusa mukami #yui komori #mystic dark fate route #dark fate #dark fate dark 3 #mi arte #my art

[broomsticks]

atyd fic popularity stats

can't seem to find the post anymore, but @fanlore-wiki had the MsKingBean89 All The Young Dudes fanlore page as their featured article a week or two ago. it is a divisive fic in some circles, but i did think the fact that it became the #1 kudosed fic on AO3 a month or so ago(?) was notable!

a chat on the wolfstar discord reminded me that i've been curious to expand upon some of the stats in the fanlore article, so here are some stats courtesy of the wayback machine:

the fic finished updating on 12 Nov 2018, or ~620 days after it was first posted

a pity that there were only three snapshots captured in the entire period of 2018-2019 (2 Feb 2018, 13 Feb 2018, and 25 Jun 2019 -- 337, 348, and 845 days after the fic was first posted, respectively)

that said, it seems this did manage to capture the period when this fic first began exploding in popularity -- 1350-1400ish days after the fic was first posted (March 2017) would be Nov-Dec 2020.

The fic was still relatively modestly popular in early Nov 2020, until the number of hits, kudos, and bookmarks more than doubled in the two months between 5 Nov 2020 and 9 Jan 2021 -- more than two years after the fic finished posting!

(if anyone has any insights into what exactly might've caused or contributed to this explosion in popularity (beyond a general "tiktok" please!) -- lmk!)

as of Feb 2023, it also does not show signs of stopping or tapering off anytime soon, which is... certainly something, hahaha.

#all the young dudes #atyd #wolfstar #fandom stats #hp fandom stats #fandom history #fanlore

[veeeffvee]

Was busy traveling all day and couldn't decide which one to choose.. and I was a little worried maybe other people might've submitted already too... UH, how does this one sound from the list? "That's not the worst thing I've ever heard but it's certainly up there." Did I do this right-?

Send a sentence starter and I'll practice writing a ficlet featuring Christopher and Kennith! {COLOR-TV AU}

“...That’s not the worst thing I’ve ever heard, but it’s certainly up there,” Christopher said after a pause, giving Kennith a flat look. 

“Whaaat? Come on, it’s totally a good idea,” Kennith replied with a wide grin, trying his best to sound convincing. Which didn’t go very far when talking to someone like Christopher. “You get your squad together, show up to an episode of COLOR-TV, and do a bunch of team-based challenges together! It’ll be fun!”

Christopher bristled. “They’re not my—” he began indignantly, before taking a breath and trying again. “We are not a squad, as people are so keen on putting it. We’re hardly even friends.” He paused. “Well I suppose the girls are friends, but they just like to follow me around for some ungodly reason.” 

Kennith’s head tilted to the side, slightly confused. “If you’re not friends, then why do you like to dance with Winnie, and ask a bunch of favors from Obsequious?” 

“Because they’re both idiots who will do what I say.” 

“See? You are a squad! You’re clearly the leader!” 

“I am not their leader!” Christopher very nearly yelled, much to Kennith’s amusement. While Kennith struggled and failed not to laugh, Christopher took another breath to calm himself. “I do not even want to be associated with those… buffoons. They just so happened to take quite a liking to me, the reason for which I have not the slightest idea. What kinds of friends show up to my mansion uninvited almost every day?!”

“The best kind,” Kennith said with a cheeky wink. “Come on, you said they’ll do anything you ask them to, why not command them to be on the show? They’re obviously gonna do it.” 

“They would. But I refuse to take part in it.” 

Kennith pouted. “Aww, why not?” 

“You’re lucky I’m still even at your studio after the fiasco during my episode,” Christopher reminded him, his tone cold. “I don’t want to do an episode with those two, that’s final. Only disastrous things follow those two, I swear.” 

“Oh come on, they can’t be that bad, you’re exaggerating!” Kennith rolled his eyes, thinking Christopher’s clearly just being dramatic. “The first episode featured Obsequious, and that went well! Mostly.” 

Christopher folded his arms, glancing away while his eyes narrowed. “Yes, well, apart they’re harmless. But together they just feed into each other’s inane ideas and antics.”

“Aww, cute. I’d ship ‘em.”

“Kennith.” 

The TV show host held up his hands defensively. “Alright, alright!” he said with a chuckle. Looks like he’d need to switch tactics and be more lenient, as bad of an idea as that is with Christopher. “What would it take for you to be on the episode, huh? I’m open to negotiating.” 

That gave Christopher pause, and he looked back at Kennith curiously. There we go, he’d piqued his interest. Much better. 

“...Give me three months of paid vacation, where I don’t need to show up to the studio to be on standby like usual.” 

Kennith blanched. “WHAT?! No!” 

“Fine, then you won’t get your episode.” 

“A week!”

“Four months.” 

“Two weeks!” 

“Six months.” 

“A month!” 

“Deal,” Christopher agreed, shaking Kennith’s hand. Judging by the grin on his face, it seemed like he had been aiming for a month this entire time. “A pleasure doing business with you, Kennith.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Kennith grumbled, withdrawing his hand with a pout. That wasn’t a very good deal. Now he had to rework a bunch of potential episodes for the schedule later on. Dammit. “So you’ll ask them?” 

“Of course, I am a man of my word.” 

“No you’re not.” 

“Hahaha,” Christopher laughed, obviously forced. “Oh, Kennith. We both know that as far this arrangement of ours goes, I most certainly am. Unless you would like to abuse—I mean, exercise your power?” he drawled, sarcastic. 

Kennith tilted his head up, trying to appear taller as he glared at Christopher. Of course, it didn’t work because Christopher was a foot taller than him, but at least he looked a bit more standoffish. “Depends. Are you actually gonna participate in the episode?”

Christopher put a hand to his chin, humming thoughtfully. “Hmm, I don’t believe that was part of the deal.”

“WHAT?!” 

“You said, and I quote, ‘What would it take for you to be on the episode?’ I never said I would participate. I simply agreed to show up,” Christopher replied with one of his signature Cheshire cat smiles. 

Kennith stared at him. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

“Naturally.”

Kennith sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead. “What will it take for you to participate in the episode.” 

“Another month?”

“No. I can’t just have you not show up to work for that long.” 

Christopher hummed. “Hmm, fair enough,” he said with a shrug. As much as he’d like to keep haggling for more, he did want to keep his job. Not because of the money, but because it was the most entertaining thing in his life at the moment, unfortunately. “How about this: during the episode, you are not to yell or rush me in any way. Doing your humiliating challenges is hard enough, I do not need your screeching in addition to that.”

Kennith brought an indignant hand to his chest. “I don’t screech! My voice isn’t screechy, it’s fun!” he protested. In response, Christopher gave him a look without saying anything. “What, you don’t think I sound fun?” 

“It’s best if I don’t answer that,” Christopher said flatly. “Are my terms agreeable?”

Kennith rolled his eyes. “Yes, they’re agreeable, fine. I’ll just yell at the other two, I guess.” 

“Do as you wish with them, I couldn’t care less.” 

That piqued Kennith’s interest. “Would you let me boss them around like they would for you?” 

Christopher paused to consider that, before glancing away. “...No.”

“Aww come on, what?? Are they your friends or not?” 

“They aren’t my friends, but I’m not just going to let you—” 

“So you’re a squad?” 

“WE’RE NOT A SQUAD!” 

Kennith grinned. “Sure you are. The Monochrome Squad.” 

Christopher let out a frustrated groan at the team being given a title. “Don’t call us that!” 

“Ohhh, so you guys are an ‘us’ now?” 

“KENNITH!” 

“Okay, okay! Hahaha…”

#bendyartistic #ghost and pals #the distortionist #colorbars #COLOR-TV #fanfic #Thanks for sending me one! I've gotten a total of two starters so far so I'm glad I've received /any/ lmao #I just kept writing until I reached about 1000 words tbh. I think I'll try to do that for any more that come in

[orangelemonsstuff]

OKAY BUT FLIRTY!YUU BEING INTO MALLEUS AND CONSTANTLY FLIRTING WITH HIM ON THEIR FIRST MEETING--

Yuu: wow nice fireflies

Malleus: *forking appears*

Yuu: ooh not bad, they are quite the looker

Yuu: hey there handsome~ you come here often?

Malleus: a child of man?

Yuu: yeah i could be anything you like pretty face *wink wink*

Malleus: do you reside in that ruin? i thought that building is abandoned, hmm seems that I'm wrong

Yuu: yeah i live in the ramshack over there, but its a clean place if one wants to come over or something~

Malleus: oh hoh? how intriguing, are you perhaps interested in me in "that way"?

Yuu: yeah maybe i am, I don't mind seeing you more around or anything~

Malleus: do you not know who are you talking to? not any clue of who i am?

Yuu: well if i do i might've hit on a drop dead gorgeous like you before and it's not so often i get pretty visitors this late at night for no reason~ y'know what I'm saying?

Malleus: pfft-- ahaha!! how amusing you are child of man, very well, give me thy name of how may i adress you

Yuu: if i do will you give me yours? hahaha just kidding, you don't have to if you don't want to, but you can call me Yuu, beautiful

Malleus: Yuu...

Yuu: hope my name taste good in your tounge, i want to hear it more often

Malleus: *just stares at them with complete amusement*

Malleus: you really have no idea of who i am?

Yuu: yeah like i said if i know you before i would've taken you on a date or two, that is if you want to and if i could still take you *smug flirty smirk ig???*

Malleus: you truly are something else for a child of man, very well, I'll give you a privilege of calling me of whatever you prefer, although i just could not promise you what consequence it might bring to a human like you

Malleus: ah, it's getting way too late now... i should head back, see you next time child of man

*disappears again*

Yuu: awwh man, didn't even get his contact number... welp, I'll be lucky next time maybe even lucky enough to take him out on a date~

i love flirty!Yuu now, sorry for my dorky ass writing i don't know how to flirt wih somebody TT-TT

#twisted wonderland #twst scenarios #twst #twst mc #twst yuu #twst malleus #malleus draconia #malleus x yuu #twst malleus x reader

[wanted-game-if]

Before i thought of MC asorbing it through their skin it was going to be like a hole opened up but 1 too cursed i just couldn’t 2 the weird stuff people would say would be too much for me to handle lmao 3 someone would try to stick ether a finger or dick in it

Someone might've already said something abt this, but you could've put a mouth on MC's neck. Like, to drink or eat(I know you said MC doesn't really eat but bare with me here) it forms or unseals itself then whenever they're done it seals back up/unforms.

There's still the issue of someone wanting to fuck it, but its a actual mouth and not just a hole there at least

And I thought of a great scenario I want to share with you here:

Thief, to MC: All right, hand over your valuables!

MC: ?? No?

Thief grabs their throat to try to threaten them: Now-- wait wtf? Why is your neck moist??

MC: :) Do you really want to know?

About the first part : Wait i love that idea-*Casually tosses out everything I’ve written of the game and starts from square one*

second part : Hahaha 😂 oh i love this that would be so funny

#wanted game if

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

Honestly thank you so much for always creating S-rank heroine (and Tesilid) content! I just stumbled into your blog today after searching for S-Rank Heroine content in Tumblr and I can already see myself looking forward to any of your future posts.

Everytime I read any of your posts I lose my mind a little bit more (especially Thesilid's "you've always sided with the world",,, I didn't realize the meaning of why he said that until I read your post after [SPOILER] happens and I'm wrecked because,,, Thesilid,,, *shakes his shoulders* he has been through so much and he deserves a vacation)

I am also curious about your pfp, did you draw it yourself or was it a panel from the manhwa? I don't think I've seen it before, but then again I might've missed or misremembered it (I really need to reread it soon...)

WAAAH THANK YOU FOR THIS ASK!!!

did a little dance when i saw the follower notif and now im wiping happy tears!! when i first checked the s-class heroine tag on tumblr i was so devastated to find NOTHING apart from just novel covers orz. im so glad to hear that i helped make your experience different! tysm for telling me so i can have this moment <3

(cut for length)

and thank you for following me on my adventure of losing my mind about tesilid argente, the moment i connected the dots for "you're on the side of this world" was legit so bad. like realising [spoiler] felt like a horror reveal, and rereading every tesilid moment after was a growing sense of fascinated horror and when i read that line, for a second of blissful ignorance that line was the same but then i connected the dots and i had to legit pause during my reread and press my hand to my eyes and choke out a little sob. i want to wrap him up in a blanket so bad. i rly understand why ailette is so overprotective of him now, but the fact that ailette is also a source of stress for him.... ughhhh.

anw for my pfp, it's from ch 31 of the webtoon! it's when ailette is told by the TM gods that she only exists in tesilid's 17th timeline and she imagines what it must be like for him

i love this moment bc whenever i read it pre-spoiler i was like hahaha so cute and funny and tesilid looks sooo cute as a doll and ill also not think abt the implications of this and hope for the best.

and then post spoiler it's just. the most devastating thing ever. it's so cruel that it's presented so cutely. i love it. it makes me want to scream and howl.

and in the parts of the novel that i've read, i haven't even seen how tesilid actually feels about this and dealt with it. i bet it's gg to be like when ailette finally found him again and he was in way worse shape than i could have ever imagined.

#asks #s-class heroine spoilers #it's actually not spoilers bc we talk vaguely but like the implications are there so #tesilid argente #TESILID ARGENTE!!!!!! #howls #yachafe

[pocketramblr]

Question: does Aizawa TELL All Might about this, or continue to Midoriya his way through it by convincing himself he can just get Izuku to give it back on his own? (I can't remember, but I think one of the reasons you said AFO was hiding from Shota was because if he, being a hero, reported this, it'd obviously bring attention to both his and Izuku's illegal activities, and probably alert Inko? I feel like it was but I might've just made that up because it seemed reasonable in my head.)

AfO was hiding for Shouta the same reason he was hiding from Inko- this kid would actually recognize him, and be absolutely pissed at being "abandoned." He has no idea his son is a hero until the harbor of all the reveals. But he does think Shouta would immediately reach out to Inko and say "hey the deadbeat is back and living with Izuku??? What's going on???" Which would lead to his swift demise via mariticide.

And, to be fair to him, that's exactly what Shouta would have done if he hadn't also been revealed to be a hero at the same time. Now they've got Mutually Assured Destruction keeping them all quiet to Inko rn.

As for All Might.... Hahaha, Shouta just tell the number one hero outright about his brother? About his father?? Absolutely not he'd rather get hit with a car.

#nuclear options not clear communications remember #that holds true even when it's his *squints at family tree* adopted uncle he doesn't know he has! #anon #pocket talks to people #anyone: brozawa edition

[honnojis]

hi hi, i gotten to that part where i get to film xenogene. i thought it was pretty high quality for a sidequest, until i recently learned it was an abandoned project! so i wanna ask, did xenogene held a special place in your heart that it partially made it as a sidequest movie?

Yes! Xenogene was supposed to be my own fangame, but at some point during 2018 i felt i was getting super burnt out on pokemon, something i absolutely hated the feeling of, so I made the hard decision to drop it in favor of sticking with only Rejuvenation as my primary game dev focus.

I was pretty bummed about it for a while though, especially since I already had put a lot of thought into the plot and the characters. I'll admit not everything was as well thought out and I might've made some stupid mistakes, but I'm still very fond of the overall story and hey, i was a kid. what can u do except for learn from them??

That being said, I grew veeeeeeery attached to the cast, especially the three rivals, sierra and a few other characters in particular — ones i plan to talk about on stream soon — so really, getting to do the sidequest as a last hurrah towards xenogene is some much needed closure for myself on that front, hahaha

#zumi answers #Anonymous #v13.5 spoilers #pokemon rejuvenation