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theokotrain · 3 years

Text

Vestige - Interlude: The Party

Wattpad Version

As the night fills the sky

All my fears are dissipating

'Cause I feel reassured

That I might make it through

And if all my luck should burn

Then I guess it burned for you

---

April 13th, 2012

I was sitting on my bed, back against the bed frame with my knees raised in front of me, holding up my laptop. I had been spending the last few hours writing an essay for my English class, specifically answering the topic question my teacher had given everybody: "How do our past experiences influence our decisions?". The question was simple enough, it's a pretty universally recognized idea that stuff that happens to us has an effect on our decision making. I mean, that's what it means to grow, right? You gain more knowledge as you live through life and form new memories, and that helps you make more informed decisions in the future.

I've never really been too good at writing anything analytical, especially non-fiction. Essays and research papers that required informed arguments that helped to prove your point? Those were an entirely unknown game to me, one which I had never managed to breeze through. Of course, we were supposed to use some of the books we've read this year as evidence for our arguments, so that at least made it a bit easier, even if most of the books were ones from nearly five decades ago and definitely out of touch at this point. The sound of my laptop's keys clicking as I typed away were the only sounds I could pick up in the room. I had my earphones in for a bit, but those always hurt my ears after a while, so I had taken them out.

Looking at the time in the corner of my laptop screen, it was 4:43 PM. I started writing as soon as I got home from class, so I've only been going for about an hour. Unfortunately, this essay is a non-insignificant amount of my course grade, so I needed to finish this as soon as possible.

God, it's a Friday! I could be out doing something actually fun with Shae and the other guys. Isn't that the whole point of high school? That's what it always seemed like in movies, at least, but I guess I've been a victim of false advertising.

After a bit more time passes, the sound of my phone ringing from my desk brings me out of my writing trance. I sigh, setting my laptop next to me on the bed, not wanting to get out of bed, but eventually forcing myself into maneuvering over to the desk, I grab the phone and flip it open, looking to see the Caller ID.

Shaela.

I instantly accept the call, it's almost second nature at this point. She calls me at least once a day so she can tell me about whatever person is pissing her off that day, or whatever drama she's heard from her other friends. I was never really one for gossip, or whatever, but I did appreciate talking to her.

I put the phone up to my ear, "What's up?" I say, a tinge of fatigue in my voice.

"Hey! Just warning you that I'm like five minutes from your place and you don't have a say in the matter." She replied bluntly. I can hear the sound of cars driving by on the other side of the phone, so she's obviously outside, confirming her words.

I take a deep breath before speaking, "...Why?" I said with exasperated sarcasm.

"Because! I have something to tell you, and if I say it over the phone then I seriously doubt it'll work out in the way I'm hoping it does."

"That clears up nothing, actually, and now I regret picking up."

"Even if you didn't answer, that doesn't stop your parents from letting their son's lovely goody-two-shoes of a friend stop by for a visit!" She exclaimed, a mischievous tone subtly layered in her voice.

She's not wrong.

"Wow, you make this sound like you're sneaking into a high-security building or something." I say, utterly confused at her motives. "Obviously you can come over, but I'm not exactly filled with confidence at whatever you're planning."

"Like I said, I can't tell you yet, but it's gonna be awesome!" She said. There was an unusual perkiness to her that made itself pretty clear over the phone.

Before I can say anything, I'm met with the dial tone, signalling that she had hung up. The only thing I can do at this point is wait for her to get here, I guess. She always lets herself in when she comes over, so I don't make the effort to meet her downstairs. A sudden ping sound fills the quiet room, seeming to come from my laptop. I get back into bed, looking to see where the notification came from.

It's a message from Tyler.

He's definitely the newest member of our little group, if even that. I'm the only person in the group that he's actually friends with so far, despite my efforts to bring him along on any plans we all make. I only met the Grey Wolf back in February, at the beginning of the second semester, in the school's photography class. Nobody I knew signed up for it, and due to our prestigious high school's advanced budget for technology, we were forced to be paired up for shared computer use in the Photography Room. I suppose Tyler was also fortunate enough to not know anybody in the class, as we ended up being paired together by the teacher. He was definitely someone I could only describe as uninterested, as the first week or two I spent with him in that class consisted of him either giving me one word answers or answering in the most blunt, bored tone he could manage. Though, it seemed that it took a bit of persistence on my part to push him to be more open, and since then he's grown to be a pretty great friend.

Tyler: u goin to that party tonight ive been hearin about?

Party? I wasn't made aware of anything like that, at least... not yet. Something in the back of my brain was telling me that Shae had ulterior motives about coming to my place so suddenly, but I'm still hoping that I'm wrong. I hate parties.

Jake: party? havent heard anything, are u going?

Tyler: thinkin about it

think its gonna be over at chris's place, guess his parents r gone for the weekend or somethin

Jake: chrisssss? ughh that guy is such an asshole

Tyler: yeah u dont havee to go, but itd prob be more fun to have someone u actually know there

The way he worded that was directed at me, but I could tell he didn't want to go on his own.

Jake: i guess ill think about it

Tyler: sickk, call me if u make up ur mind

Before I can type my farewells over IM, Shaela energetically bursts through the door.

"Jesus! You scared the shit outta me, don't you knock?" I said, mildly exasperated.

"Oh come on, I literally called you a few minutes ago, you had plenty of time to not make a situation where it'd be a bad idea for me to barge in," She replies, laughing, before setting her bag on the ground and dramatically falling into my bed. "Today was garbage."

"What happened?"

"Ugh, Claire decided to just not show up, I guess, on the day we're supposed to present that stupid History project? And, obviously, she didn't give me her part of the project or anything, so I had tell Mr Thomas about the situation, which was fucking embarrassing." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Luckily, he said he wouldn't reduce my grade for handing it in late, since I actually had my part finished. God, what a bitch- I must've called her like thirty times before class to get her to email me her part, and every time it went straight to voicemail - and she told me last night that she'd have it ready for today!"

"Have you gotten a hold of her yet?" I asked, closing my laptop and setting it beside me.

Shae turns her head to me, shaking her head, "Nope, she's been ghosting me all day."

"Sounds like typical Claire."

"Yeah, I shouldn't have partnered with her, but apparently I can't say no to anyone, so..." I chuckle lightly in response. "Anyways! I didn't just come here to complain to you!" She says, sitting up on the bed, now facing towards me.

"Right... So what was so important that you just had to tell me in person?" I say, sarcastically.

"Like I said, if I asked you over the phone you would've definitely said no, and my ability to pressure you into doing things isn't as effective unless it's in person!" She responded.

I subtly rolled my eyes, but it's clear she noticed from the stare-down she gave me, "Okay, so what is it?"

"Soooooo..." She says, trying to find the rest of the words, "There's a party."

Wow.

"Wh- did everybody know about that party except for me?!?" I exclaimed.

Shaela's face quickly turns to an expression of shock, "Who told you?"

"Tyler did, like, not even five minutes ago." I say, bluntly.

"What? How does he know Chris?"

"Friend-of-a-friend, I'm guessing?"

"Hmm..." She hummed, thinking about something, "So, did you tell him you were going?"

"I specifically said I'd think about it, nothing definite." I made it clear in my tone that I wasn't particularly interested.

"Oh, come on, dude! It'll be fun!"

I didn't really have an interest in going, but I know it'd make Shae happy, plus it'd be nice to hang out with Tyler again even if we've only known each other for a couple months.

"...Fine. But, if Chris or any of his buddies start shit, I'm leaving."

"Awesome!"

"Lemme just call Tyler and let him know," I said as I grabbed my phone and flipped it open, finding Tyler in my contact list and dialling.

"You gonna bring him with-" The phone rings a few times before he picks up and I extend my hand out towards Shae in a shushing motion. She rolls her eyes, smirking.

"Hey? So are ya gonna go?" He said eagerly.

"Well, Shae showed up at my door literally right after you messaged me, asking the same thing!" I exclaimed in a fake-preppy voice. "So, I guess I have no choice since she'll probably just drag me there if I say no," I joked. She nods her head toward me in response.

"Oh, is she going too?" He inquired.

"Yeah, I guess so! Your place is kinda on the way to Chris', so we could probably meet you at your place and go from there."

"Yeah! Sounds good!" He quickly responded.

I laughed, "Okay, we'll call you when we get there?"

"Sure thing!"

We exchanged our farewells, and hung up. The party wasn't for at least another hour or two, so Shae and I had some time to burn, of which I was entirely out of ideas. I figured I could at least spend this time actually being productive, so I grabbed my laptop and continued on writing my English essay as Shae resumed her previous conversation topic of stuff at school that was pissing her off. It was pretty entertaining, to be fair. She was telling me about how Chris had gotten in a fight with this other kid in our grade yesterday after class, which I wasn't lucky enough to witness, but it was obviously all anyone would talk about for basically the entire day today so word spread around fast. The part I hadn't heard about was that both Chris and the other guy, Nathan, got suspended for a week because of it. Chris was generally an asshole to everybody, including myself, so I didn't feel too bad about that. Although, I didn't know Nathan all that well. Other than having a few classes together, I don't think I've ever held an actual conversation with the guy. I think it was safe to assume that Chris was the one who started it, and Shae seemed to agree with me, even though she hadn't seen the fight either.

"But, apparently Nathan's gonna show up tonight!" She exclaimed coyly.

"...Remind me again why you want me to go to this specific party?"

"You'll have a great time! It's not like we'll be involved in the drama anyway so think of it more as entertainment!"

"I think you and I have different definitions of the word 'entertainment'," I joked.

"I'm sure you can go run off somewhere with Tyler if you're not having fun," She said, her tone reminding me of my mom.

"Oh yeah? What about you?"

"I can't just leave Alex at a party with Chris, those two start shit between each other so much and I'd rather not deal with the aftermath of that today."

"I'm guessing it's safe to assume that Elliot's going too, then?"

"He's not big on parties, but he'll usually go if everyone else is, unlike somebody," She says, gesturing towards me.

"Good one," I reply, unmoving as I keep typing away at my assignment.

"Well, we should probably leave soon since we're stopping at Tyler's place on the way.

I saved the document I had been working on, closing my laptop. "Sounds good to me!"

---

"I can't believe you actually agreed to go." Tyler joked as we walked towards the road from his house.

"Yeah, me either." I replied. I definitely didn't put in any effort in dressing up for the party, opting for a snug space-themed graphic tee, along with black jeans and a white zip-up hoodie. Shae and Tyler both stand on opposite sides of me as we walk down the sidewalk.

"Luckily I learned the subtle techniques in convincing you to do things against your better judgement, so now you get to have fun for once!" Shae exclaimed.

"It's not my fault that going to a party is literally the last thing on earth I'd do for fun in any normal situation." I retorted, putting my hands in the pockets of my jacket.

"Oh yeah? And what do you consider a 'normal situation'?" Shae asks.

"Any situation where you guys aren't the ones trying to get me to go! I'm only doing this for you two, y'know." I said, looking over at both of them.

"What about Elliot and Alex?" Tyler chimed in.

"They aren't the ones asking me to go to this party." I sarcastically remarked, trying to keep the conversation light-hearted. "Speaking of the party- this is Chris we're talking about, there's gonna be beer, right?"

"Uh, duh?" Shae replied.

"Yeah, that's a definite no for me, I'm already enough of a disappointment to my parents,"

"No one's making you drink, Jake. At least you'd be safe if some old hag called the cops about the noise." Shae said.

"I think at that point we're guilty by association, so we'd just make a run for it if that happens," Tyler joked.

"Dude, the chance of me outrunning a police officer successfully is about as likely as me not wanting to punch Chris tonight."

"And the chance of you winning that fight is just as low!" Shae retorted, Tyler laughing in response.

"I specifically said 'want' because of that very reason!"

"Wow, I'd pay money to see you fight that guy." Tyler said, nudging his elbow into my side.

It isn't a secret that I'm not exactly athletic. I mean, I'm definitely not weak, but fighting basically any animal of a similar size to mine was not a situation that favoured my victory.

"That sounds more like just getting the shit kicked outta me for your entertainment." I remarked, lightly punching Tyler's shoulder in return.

"Absolutely worth every penny!" Shae exclaimed. Luckily, the place wasn't any more than ten minutes away from Tyler's place, so I didn't have to endure listening to these two talk about me getting beat up for much longer.

We finally make it to Chris' house, and I'm suddenly filled with an impending sense of regret. Obviously, my parents would never in a million years agree to me going to a party like this. As far as they know, I'm just spending the evening hanging out with Shae at Tyler's house. So yeah, this entire night had a lot of potential for disaster.

Shae can clearly see my hesitation, because she grabs my hand, leading me up the walkway, Tyler following closely behind.

"I wonder if Elliot and Alex beat us here?" She says, knocking on the front door.

"I doubt they had anything to do earlier, hell they probably came straight here after school, knowing Alex." I said, laughing.

Our conversation is cut short by the opening door, revealing the familiar black cat.

"Oh, look, the Stephenson kid brought his girlfriend!" Chris exclaimed mockingly, looking back into the house, before peering around my shoulder, "And... Tyler?" He said, inquisitively.

I lean over, blocking Tyler from his line of sight, "Yeah, hey, not dating by the way!" I said. I've known Shae since I first moved to Vestige, around the time I turned five years old, so it wasn't uncommon for rumours to go around that we were dating. I've always thought of her more as a sister, if anything.

"I asked them to come!" Tyler said. That was only partly true, but according to Tyler, they've been 'somewhat-friends' for quite a while now, so saying that would at least mean less mild-harassment from Chris for tonight.

"Oh, uh, okay... come on in! But you're on the hook for any shit they pull, Tyler!" He said, opening the door wider.

---

The party had been going on for a few hours at this point. I could recognize most of the animals here from school, but not enough to actually hold a conversation with any of them, so most of my time here had just been spent with Shae and Tyler. The place hasn't been incredibly crowded luckily, but there were easily about forty others in this part of the house alone. I'm assuming only high school grades were invited, but there were a considerable number of students to meet that requirement. The issue at hand for me, other than how crowded this place is, is that both Shae and Tyler ditched me to go... somewhere? I think Shae saw some of her friends and went somewhere with them, but Tyler was pretty secretive about where he was going, only telling me that he'd be back in a bit. So I've been standing here in this random corner of the house with a drink in hand, trying to make myself look busy and not awkward, which is exactly why I didn't want to go to this party in the first place!

"Jake!" A voice shouted from a ways away.

I turn my head in confusion, revealing Alex, walking towards me from across the room.

"Oh, Alex! Hey! What's up dude!" I finish the last bit of my soda, waving at him. Because this was Chris' party, there was obviously beer too, but I didn't feel like coming home drunk and my parents finding out.

"I didn't think you'd wanna come to something like this! Feeling the regret yet?"

"I like parties! It's the times like these when I'm standing in a corner by myself with nothing to do that I hate, which seems to happen every time I go to a party!" I exclaimed, pausing for a moment. "Okay, maybe I do hate parties- I've had to explain this so many times today I'm about ready to jump into Lake Ambuscade."

' "Wow, sounds like somebody needs to socialize instead of stewing in a corner for the rest of the night!"

"Socialize? Really? I know just about everybody here and just about none of them are worth talking-"

"Hang with me and Elliot, then? Justin set up some racing games in the other room, we were gonna join, but we could use a fourth... You in?" He said, his tone obviously trying to sound coercing.

"God, please, anything to get me out of this corner for the next three hours." I said, Alex returning my words with a laugh.

"Well, come on then! We'll have to hurry if we want to get one of the good controllers!" He exclaimed, motioning to follow him.

As we move through the various cliques, I recognize a few faces here and there, though not enough to actually want to talk to them. There's been music playing since we got here, and I have yet to recognize a single song, they all seem to be some form of drone-y bass-heavy music that I can't say I've heard in any normal situations. I'm doing my best to follow Alex, although he keeps weaving between the other animals faster than I can keep up, resulting in me having to shove past everyone near me in an effort to speed myself up. Luckily, it seems that no one notices me anyway.

When we arrive in the other room, it seems to just be another living room, but decorated with a galore of punk band posters, shelves holding more DVD cases than I would ever care to count, and even a mini-fridge. Maybe Chris is the type to have a 'man cave' or something? Just hearing that phrase almost makes me want to vomit, but there aren't any more accurate words that come to mind. The room isn't massive or anything, but the TV resting upon the wall across the room seems to challenge that idea, looking almost eighty inches in size. Luckily no randoms from the party were in here, sitting about ten feet away from the TV is Elliot, leaning back in a purple bean bag chair that seems almost three times bigger than him, and Justin, the cougar I'd only known slightly through Alex, laying down sideways on the couch directly in front of the gigantic screen.

"Whatttt! You took the bean bag chair? Lameee..." Alex whined.

"You're the one who wanted to go get Jake, you snooze you lose!" Elliot retorted, looking oddly proud of himself.

"Damn, wish I had a room like this at my house..." I mumbled, looking around the room.

"Are we gonna play or what?" Justin said, cutting through the momentary silence.

"Duh!" Alex claimed.

Justin sits up, taking the spot on the couch closest to Elliot. I opt for the leftmost seat, and Alex sits in-between the both of us. Elliot grabs the other three controllers and tosses them over at us, one by one. Luckily, there weren't any garbage third-party controllers, so at least none of us would have to deal with that. I will admit, it did feel kinda weird going to someone's party just to play games away from everybody, but I would be lying if I said I didn't prefer that, even though I rarely play games, if ever.

After Justin turns the console on, he goes through the menus, launching the game. I can't say I recognize the title, but it seems to be a pretty standard racing game. He goes into the custom mode, opting for a four-player split-screen match, choosing 'R1' as the category of cars to race in. As everyone chooses their cars, I scroll through the list, not really knowing what to pick. I've never been good with car stuff, so I pick an 'Aston Martin Lola' just based on the number-rating system the game ranks the cars with.

"You guys ready?" Justin asks.

"Oh yeah, get ready to eat my dust you guys!" Elliot exclaims, challengingly.

"Oddly prideful words for someone about to lose!" Alex replies, laughing.

The countdown begins, as the cameras slowly show the view of each car as it moves to the rear. When it starts, I somehow manage the fuckup of spinning my tires out, leaving me a few seconds behind the others as the car swerves back and forth. I curse under my breath as I try to regain control of the car, and swiftly pick up speed. The track seems like nothing I haven't seen before, a typical professional track, with rows and rows of audience seating to the side. Unfortunately, I'm now in last place. The next few moments of the track are a few quick corners, allowing me the chance to catch up, at least a little.

Unexpectedly, the track turns off of the main road, going into a forested area. The road is considerably more narrow at this point, so it takes a conscious effort to not drive into the trees by the asphalt. It looks like the road stretches on forever, as I still can't make out any upcoming turns. I guess the car I chose for the race had a better top speed than Justin's, as I'm quickly catching up to him, moving into third place. I'm gripping my controller to an uncomfortable degree, but I can't seem to relax the tension as I try to make my way into second place. I don't think I can pick up any more speed in this car, so me moving up is reliant on the road staying straight for just a bit longer. After what feels like a lifetime, the front of my car finally starts making it past Elliot's, then the midsection, and finally, I'm in second. The sound of all four car engines is drowning out any remnants of the video game music, and I feel the sudden urge to curse out whoever turned the TV volume up this high. My eyes are focused entirely on Alex's car as I make my final push into first place. If I were actually driving this fast in the real world, I'd be scared out of my fucking mind. Out of nowhere, Alex, and the others, begins to slow down considerably.

Oh fuck.

It's at that point I notice that there is a sharp right turn rapidly approaching. I've been pushing the top-speed of this car since the beginning of this stretch of road, and now I'm going too quickly to stop in time. What's the button to use the handbrake, again? I figure that the only way for me to not fuck up this race for myself is to try to drift around the corner. Considering I've never played this game before, it's going to prove to be a challenge. But, it's either that, or just ending up in dead-last again.

I hold down the A button, and pull the joystick as far to the right as possible. Suddenly, all I can hear from the game is the loud skidding sounds of my tires against the asphalt. To my surprise, I cut the corner a bit early, now going over the grass. I try to do a bit of directional-corrections and start heading back onto the track. Going over the grass definitely slowed me down a fair bit, but it definitely was a significantly better outcome over just crashing into the wall. And, to my surprise, the corner of my screen reads... first?!?

"How the fuck...?" Alex questions, seemingly in disbelief.

"I wish I could tell you." I replied, eyes wide at whatever the fuck just happened.

The distance I managed to gain on Alex isn't by a whole lot, but there's only about a quarter of the track left before we reach the finish line, so I have a chance at winning this. The track hurriedly changes from the forest as it reenters the main track. The long, straight roads seem to end as the road becomes a slow series of sharp turns, never giving me the opportunity to get back up to speed. It seems like the high top speed was my only advantage, because at every corner we take, I turn my camera around, revealing the other cars inching closer and closer to me.

I can see the finish line on the mini-map, just a few more turns away. I know that I'm not gonna be able to distance myself from Alex and the others at this point, so my only feasible strategy is to keep moving, cutting the corners as fast as I can, and getting to the finish line before they can pass me. Unfortunately, Alex's car seems to be getting too close for comfort now, meaning I might have to take some risks to ensure I can stay in first. As we approach the final turn, leading into the finish line, I realise I'm gonna have to try to drift this corner. I can feel my pointer finger practically cracking the plastic on the controller from the amount of pressure I'm putting on the right trigger. In a final plea to win, I push down on the A button, pulling the handbrake. The car starts to smoothly skid around the corner. Luckily, there are barriers on the sides of the road this time, preventing me from sliding onto the grass. To my surprise, the drift seems to work better than expected. That is, until, like the fucking idiot I am, make a slight overcorrection towards the left barriers as I exit the drift. I managed to avoid driving directly into the wall, but it did slow me down a bit.

Alex is immediately behind me, and I put all of my strength into accelerating towards the finish line. I'd be fucked if I broke the controller, cause I can't really afford the fifty dollars to buy a new one, but winning this race is more important to me at the moment. The finish line is only about five-hundred metres away, and Alex is slowly beginning to pass. All I can do at this point is push the gas as much as I can, and pray that I can cross the finish line before he can get back into first place. The finish line gets closer and closer, and it seems like it's gonna be too close for me to accurately tell the winner. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest from how stressful this fucking game has been, and now, we're about to find out whose efforts paid off. As each car makes its way over the finish line, each of our dedicated sections of the screen turns to slow motion. When it's finally over, the text fades in on each screen, revealing our place...

...

...Second?!?

"FUCK!" I shouted, realising I had been holding my breath since the final stretch of the race.

"HA! Dude, you suck!" Alex exclaimed, playfully shoving me.

"I think that was the most effort I've put into anything in my life." I said, setting my controller on the coffee table in front of me.

"Wow, that's dramatic," Justin remarked.

"Yeah, that's the usual for Jake," Elliot replied, laughing.

"You probably woulda won if you picked a better car, dude. That track was way too close-quarters so you should've gone with a car with better acceleration." Alex said.

"Wha- do you own this game?" I questioned, looking accusatory.

"...Yeah? It came out a few months ago, pretty popular right now." He replied.

"Ugh, this is what I get for playing with a bunch of gamers." I exclaimed, applying a disgusted tone to the last word.

"Not my fault you only play like one game a month!" Alex joked.

"Even then, I was like this close to beating you anyway!" I said, gesturing a minuscule distance between my thumb and pointer finger.

A voice interrupts our argument, coming from right outside the room, "Uh huh...

...

Really? That's bullshit! Come on...

...

Dude, give me a couple of days, I'll make it right!

...

Yeah, I swear."

It seems that we all stopped talking to listen in at the same time. "That sounds like Tyler... who's he arguing with?" Elliot asked. I can't make out the voice of whoever he's talking to, it just sounds like mumbling.

They seem to pause for a moment, and the sound of a single set of footsteps can be heard.

"Fuck..." Tyler says to himself, still out of view.

"...I should probably see what's up, you guys can keep playing without me." I say, getting up from my spot on the couch.

"Yeah, you do that! Less competition for me," Alex exclaims, laughing to himself.

"Hey, I can still beat your ass at this game, I know exactly which car to pick this time!" Elliot argued.

"Yeah, right! Guess we'll find out!"

I leave as the three start up another game, kind of glad I don't have to have another near-heart attack from playing again. When I get back into the dimly-lit hallway, Tyler is nowhere to be seen.

I look around, heading into the main room of the house to see if I can spot him. It's pretty difficult to see anything, because of how dim it is here, plus the sheer amount of animals crowding up the place. Despite that, I manage to spot the Grey Wolf a ways away, hurrying quickly into the bathroom.

As I shove my way through a few groups of teens, I almost fall over a few times, gaining confused stares from a few in the room. I lightly knock on the bathroom door, waiting for a response, "Hey, you okay Tyler?" After a few moments, I'm returned with no answer, "...Tyler-" Before I can finish my sentence, Tyler swiftly pulls open the bathroom door, pulling me in and shutting the door behind me, before sitting down on the side of the bathtub. As I'm about to say something, I hear the sound of him sniffling.

...Is he crying?

He's looking towards the floor, so I can't confirm it visually, but the sound definitely gives it away.

"Whoa, what's wrong? Did something happen?" I asked worriedly, not yet choosing to bring up the argument we overheard.

There's a few seconds of silence as he tries to bring himself together, not very successfully. "I- I... I don't- I don't think I can-"

"It's fine, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I tried to reassure him. He raises his head for a moment to look at me, trying to find words to say, instead opting to go back to crying, head in his hands. I've never been good with situations like this, so I sit down next to him, putting my hand on his upper back, softly patting.

"I'm sorry- I'm a fucking idiot. I shouldn't have asked you to come."

"Hey! I've been having fun! Don't worry about me, it seems like you're the one who shouldn't have come." I joke, in some effort to lighten the mood.

Shit, was that inconsiderate of me to say?

To my surprise, he manages to let out a light laugh, "Yeah, I'm starting to realise that."

"...Do you wanna leave, then? They know I didn't want to go here in the first place, so you could just say you're being nice and walking me home." I didn't know if he would actually take up that offer, but I know some guys have a weird thing about not wanting to seem 'uncool' and leaving a party early was definitely considered that.

He thinks for a moment, still sniffling pretty noticeably. "...okay, just- give me a minute, I don't want to go out there looking like this." He mumbles, looking towards the door.

"Yeah, that's fine." I said, continuing to rub around his neck area.

This definitely wasn't how I expected the night to go. But it was a sort of 'two-birds-with-one-stone' kind of situation. I get to help out Tyler, which is usually the other way around, I get to leave early, and hopefully Shae stops bugging me about going to parties, at least for a while.

Now that I think about it, that analogy is pretty messed up.

A few silent minutes go by as I sit next to the still-crying Tyler, waiting for him to recollect himself. Even though he hasn't actually said anything here, in the two months I've known him, this is probably the most vulnerable I've ever seen him. When I first met him, it was pretty accurate to describe him as the kind of guy who acts like he never feels emotion. Hell, even I refuse to be open about my feelings, but most of my friends see through that nowadays. Even now, I don't really understand why I do that. I guess it's just easier to not talk about shit like that? Is that why Tyler does it?

"I think I'm good now," He said, shaking his hands as he stood up.

"Okay, let's get out of this dumpster fire." I sarcastically remarked. Tyler shot me a confused look in return. "Whatever, let's just go."

I open the bathroom door, grabbing his arm as I lead him out into the main room. Almost immediately the voice of a certain black cat perks up behind us.

"Oh? And what did you two get up to in there?" Chris remarked, laughing, "I didn't know you guys were THAT kind of friends!"

God damnit. This stupid fucking feline.

"Yeah, it's too loud out here for me, I needed a break, he came with." I explained, Tyler standing closely behind me with a confused look on his face. Just roll with it, dude, I think to myself, knowing I probably shouldn't say that out loud.

"You know, I would believe that, but normal guys actually just go outside when they need a break." He replied.

"Well, hey! That's where we're going right now, so it all checks out!" I say in the bitchiest voice I can muster.

"Heh, sure thing, Jake." He said, sounding weirdly satisfied with himself. I didn't want to spend any more time in this fucking house than I needed to, especially while talking to Chris, so I continue on, pulling Tyler by the hand towards the exit. After a few moments, we make it to the front door. I promptly open it and we both head outside.

We're immediately greeted by the light of the moon and the starry sky as we head down the walkway toward the street. One of the few benefits of living in such a backwater town was the absence of any significant light pollution. I've been to Portland a few times for school field trips and such, and seeing the sheer difference in visible stars was absolutely staggering. I could only imagine what it would be like to go stargazing in the middle of nowhere.

"At least it's a nice night out." I said.

"Yeah..." Tyler replied, his mind clearly in a completely different place.

"I should probably tell Shae where we went, so she doesn't freak out trying to find us back there." I joked, pulling out my cell phone. Texting on my flip phone was an arduous task, but I didn't want to call her, so I had not much of a choice.

I send the text, and close my phone, returning it to my pocket. As we walk down the road, we stew in the silence, the only auditory sounds coming from the party still close by, and the local crickets chirping.

I won't lie, as much as I usually appreciate quiet, this is the loudest silence I've ever been stuck in. It goes on for more than five minutes. I could tell he wanted to say something, and I was eager to find out whatever was going on that started this in the first place. But, like the coward I am, I try to lighten the mood.

"Hopefully that satisfied your quota of me going to parties with you for a while, cause I do not plan on having the energy for something like that again for at least a few months." I said, awkwardly laughing. He doesn't respond, at least for a while, as he raises his hand, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "...Uhh, are you sure you don't wanna talk about it? I mean-"

"Can I tell you something?" He interrupted, his voice still cracking like it was in the bathroom.

"...Sure?" I replied, slightly confused.

"It's just that- I don't really know- like what-"

"-to say? Just think for a minute. No rush." That's what my dad always says whenever my mind spirals. I used to be really anxious, although I've been getting better at controlling my thoughts in the past few years.

When I went to text Shae a few minutes ago, my phone's clock read 9:48 PM. I'm supposed to be home at ten and we're still at least twenty minutes away, not even including the detour we'll take to get to Tyler's place. Which brings me to the realisation that, when we get to his house, I'm gonna have to walk the rest of the way home by myself, in the dark. If I get murdered by some serial killer this late at night I'm gonna fucking haunt Shae from the afterlife-

"I think I'm gay," He quickly says, his voice holding a noticeable increase in energy compared to what I've been used to tonight.

Well... can't say that's exactly what I was expecting. Was I expecting anything in particular? I honestly don't know anymore. His words took me by surprise, my brain is kind of scrambled right now. I look over at him - he's looking back at me, probably trying to gauge my reaction. I did my best to conceal any facial reaction, but it's pretty clear that my lack of a response is starting to become noticeable.

"...You... think?"

"Well, like- I don't know. I guess I've just been thinking for a while, and it makes sense... all things considered." He replied anxiously.

"That- That's great! Does anyone else know?"

"I only really realised a few weeks ago, so... no. But compared to anyone else, I probably trust you the most to not like- tell anyone?" He said, looking over at me again.

"Well, I appreciate the completely undeserved confidence you have in me," I joked, realising too late that now probably isn't the time for that, "Yeah, I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you," He replies, a genuine smile strewn across his face.

A few minutes go by as we walk down the road, absorbing the positive energy we created. Having only known Tyler for a little over two months, it definitely surprised me knowing that he trusted me more than anyone else to keep a secret like that... I mean, despite the short amount of time since I met him, I'm as close to him as I've been to Shaela for the past eight years. Maybe even closer? I barely even tell Shae about my actual problems, at least the non-surface level stuff. So yeah, I guess it makes sense that he would trust me with something so important, I know I would absolutely trust him if it were me in that situation.

"...So, do you think you're gonna tell your dad?"

He didn't say anything for a moment as he stared down at the ground beneath him, "I'll probably have to tell him soon, if he has to find out from some asshole that isn't me it'd make it ten times more difficult than if I just said it myself."

I agreed, and we let the conversation cut itself off as we finally approached Tyler's house. I followed him up the walkway and stood on the patio, making sure he actually got inside. He tries the doorknob eagerly, to no avail. Realising that it was locked, he reaches into his pocket for his key - again, to no avail.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Tyler mumbled under his breath, clearly done with tonight. All of the lights were off in the house, signalling that his dad was not awake.

"Maybe you'll wake him up if you knock? Then he can let you in."

"Nonono, he thinks I'm staying at your place! If he finds out I went to a party I'm in deep shit," He whispered.

Of course. If I had to lie to my parents, why would I expect anything different from anyone else?

"Okay, uhh... maybe we can make that lie... not a lie?" I said, sounding weirder than I'd like.

Tyler looked at me, confused for a moment, eyes widening as he realised what I meant, "I can't let you do that, I've already forced you through too much shit tonight."

"Oh, come on, of course you can sleep at my place for the night! My parents think I'm at your house right now, so I can just tell them that we both went over there early in the morning. They love you anyway, so it won't be a problem!"

He didn't move at all, still looking reluctant, "Are you sure it won't be... weird? I don't want to put you in an awkward situation cause of w- what I told you."

"Dude, that couch in my room has a hide-a-bed if you don't want to share mine. Either way, we're friends, aren't we? I trust you."

After a few moments of silence, he speaks up, "...I guess so-"

"Great, then it's settled!" I said, putting my arm around his shoulder as I led him back down the walkway.

---

Once we make it to my place, walk up the creaky wooden steps of my patio as I fish the house key out of my pocket. Tyler's standing closely behind me, looking awkward as ever, clearly not knowing what to do with his hands as he switches between putting them in his pockets and clasping them together.

I turn the key on the lock and try the door, noticing that It's completely pitch black inside the house. My parents usually go to bed at 10 PM, and it was well past that at this point. I lock the door behind us as I reach for my pocket, grabbing my phone and flipping it open to use as a barely-useful flashlight. I take Tyler's wrist as I lead him through the furniture of my living room and up the stairs. The only sounds in the house come from the soft ticking of a clock in the kitchen, the sound of which has always freaked me out whenever I'd come downstairs at three in the morning. Despite my best efforts to be as quiet as possible, the old wooden boards of the stairs prove my effort to be futile as they creak with every step. I can only hope that both of my parents have fallen asleep by now, or else they'd definitely have heard us. As I take Tyler down the hallway, walls strung with various family photos and art fit for a motel, I hear no sounds coming from the master bedroom, relaxing some of my tension.

Once we make it to my room, I breathe a sigh of relief as I turn on the overhead light, hoping my mom doesn't find out and try to lecture me in the morning, "Okay, hide-a-bed or mine, your choice!"

"Hide-a-bed." He replies.

"Sure thing, lemme show you how to set it up," I say as I remove each couch cushion one by one. The couch is sitting directly under my massive bedroom window, illuminated by the glow of the moon. Under the cushions is a black folded-up contraption, bearing a metal handle. I grab the handle and start pulling the bed out from the couch. As the first section of the bed comes out, Tyler stands next to me and helps unfold the second section, and finally the third.

I move over to open the closet door, "I have some spare pillows and blankets in here."

"So, why do you have a spare bed... thingy... in your room anyway?" He asked.

"My cousins' family came to visit from the other side of the country a few years back, so my parents made the cousins stay in my room and gave me our old couch that used to be in the living room. They were here for like two weeks, it was fucking awful," I remarked, pulling a comforter out of the closet and unfolding it out on the mattress.

"That sounds miserable," Tyler sympathized.

"It was, but hey, now I got a sick as fuck couch in my room! And it works as a great place for certain friends to sleep when they wanna spend the night," I said sarcastically, looking over at Tyler as I grabbed the pillows from the closet, tossing them to one end of the bed.

He turned his head, baffled, "Was that a dig on me?" He questioned.

"Depends on how you took it I suppose," I replied, smiling cunningly.

"You're the one who offered, dude- are you sure you didn't drink at the party? You've at least doubled your usual level of sarcasm." He retorted.

"Nope, unless somebody spiked my soda!" I joked, but the realisation slowly set in, "Oh shit- maybe someone spiked my soda?!?"

"Don't freak out, I seriously doubt someone would spike your drink,"

"God, I hope so, if my parents found out I went to that party, that'd be one thing, but if I got drunk? I doubt I'd see the outside world for months," I sighed.

"Even if you were drunk, it's not like you would still be drunk in the morning for them to find out, anyway."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said, letting out a yawn shortly thereafter. "Fuck, I didn't realise how tired I am." Looking at my alarm clock, it was 10:37 PM. That wasn't terribly late, I've definitely stayed up later when there was an assignment due the next day that I forgot about, but even before I met up with Alex and Elliot, that party was just wearing me down. "At least I can sleep in 'till like noon tomorrow. You sure you don't need anything before I pass out from exhaustion?"

"No, I'm okay, I think. And, thank you... Jake." He replied, smiling at me.

"No problem, dude!" I quietly exclaimed as I turned off the bedroom lights and hopped into bed. I can practically feel my muscles dissolve as I lean into the mattress, pulling the heavy blankets over me as I close my eyes.

I can't help but feel something itching in the back of my brain. I never did find out why Tyler was even crying back at the party. Was it related to what he told me after? He sounded pretty upset when he was talking to whoever it was in the hallway, too, so maybe that was why? We've already talked about so much shit tonight, though, and I definitely did not have the energy to have another huge conversation about something like that. It could definitely wait until tomorrow.

Soon, I feel my consciousness drift away, the only sound I can make out being the slow breathing of Tyler, across the room.

---

As I wake up, I'm blinded by the bright sun shining in through my windows, directly into my eyes. I glance over at my alarm clock, feeling incredibly groggy and sore, noticing that it's 11:13 AM. Usually, the latest I'd sleep in on weekends was only around ten, but I guess it took a lot of my energy yesterday to try to tune the party out. At least it's over.

I slowly sit up, yawning as I lean back against the bed frame. I glanced around the room, noticing that the hide-a-bed had been folded back into the couch, Tyler nowhere to be seen. I reach over to my bedside table to check my phone, finding an unread text from him, sent a few hours ago.

Tyler: hey

woke up early, figured youd want 2 sleep in.

will call u later, might have somthin big i wanna share, will see

A pair of oddly cryptic messages. Guess that confirms he isn't here anymore.

At least it was a Saturday, meaning that I had full permission to be a slob. I get out of bed, deciding to skip my usual shower until after breakfast. Other than the snacks that were out at the party, I ate practically nothing last night. I could almost feel my stomach turning itself inside out, so I hurried out of my room and downstairs to the kitchen to have some breakfast.

The first thing I notice when I get downstairs is my mom, sitting on the couch with a book. I head straight to the kitchen, trying not to make myself stand out.

"Jake! Finally woken up, I see." She remarked, still looking at her book.

"Hey, mom!" There's a moment of silence as I grab a bowl out of the cupboard, as well as a box of cereal, and begin to pour.

She speaks up, "Your friend, Tyler, seemed to be in a hurry to leave this morning, anything I should know about?"

"...Not that I know of? Like what?" I questioned as I poured some milk from the fridge, grabbed a spoon, and sat at the kitchen counter.

"Well, it's not like we didn't notice that you weren't home by ten like your father asked you to be, so obviously you must have a good excuse for why you didn't at least call to let us know you'd be late?" She replied. I could tell when she started talking all responsible-parent-like, it meant that she was gonna lecture me about something.

I sighed, thinking of the right thing to say. "...Well, Tyler was going through some things... so I was trying to help him with that, I guess. Time just kinda flew by and I wasn't able to get home 'till later."

"So he spent the night here? Weren't you at his house?" She asked as I ate a spoonful of cereal.

"Yeah... we went out for a bit and once I noticed how late it was I offered to let him spend the night at our house since it was closer," I said. Almost entirely a lie, but definitely preferable to the truth.

"Jake..." She said, setting her book down on the coffee table in front of the couch, walking over to me, and resting a hand on my shoulder. "You're sixteen now, obviously we don't expect you to tell us everything you're up to nowadays. But we worry about you! I worry about you. Just for future reference, please let us know if you're gonna be home late or anything like that."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," I said, looking up at her.

"Great! Now, I have to go meet a friend for lunch, please try not to burn the house down while I'm out!" She said as she grabbed her purse and keys off of the counter, hurring out the door.

"No promises, love you!" I said as she closed the door behind her.

Well, I guess that went... better than expected? I doubt she believed that story I made up, but I guess as long as I don't break curfew without telling them, I should be fine.

Having the house to myself wasn't totally uncommon. Considering my dad was gone during the day five days a week, and my mom would head out to go meet friends or run errands pretty often, I got some much needed alone time often enough to not go mad.

As I finish my bowl of cereal, I realise that I probably should go shower as soon as possible, considering the night I had. I put my bowl and spoon in the dishwasher and head back upstairs. I grab a towel from my room and head into the bathroom, grabbing my various fur care products out of the cabinet for after the shower. As I turn the shower on, I hear the sound of my ringtone going off in the pocket of my pants on the floor. I sigh annoyedly, walking over and trying to figure out which pocket my phone was in. When I flip open the phone, the Caller ID reads out Tyler's name.

"Tyler! What's up?" I ask eagerly, hoping to find out what the news he cryptically texted about was.

"Jake- fuck, I messed up, I shouldn't have- what am I gonna do?" He said anxiously, sounding almost out of breath.

"Hey! Slow down, what's wrong?" I questioned.

"I'm such a fucking idiot! Why did I think this would be a good idea? Jake, I'm so sorry-"

"Tyler! Calm. Down. Just take a few deep breaths," I said. After a few moments, I can hear his breathing steadying on the other side of the call. "Okay, good. Now, what's wrong?"

There's a short pause as he tries to find the right words to say. It sounds like he's been crying. What even the fuck has been the past twenty-four hours?

"Can- do you think I could crash at y- your place for a few more nights? I don't know what to do."

#story #novel #interlude #writing #novel writing #vestige #town #coming of age #lgbtq #gay #furry #wattpad

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lastarabesque · 5 years

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Netflix and Chill

》 Member: Hong Joshua

》 Slight Angst, Fluff

》 4,404 words

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You like spending time with yourself. Reading books, watching vlogs or just listening to music, all that can successfully eat your time. You can kill an entire weekend, a whole vacation actually, inside your four walls without getting guilty about it. There's just nothing you want to explore outside and tiring yourself is not an option, being a homebody is more of a life choice.

You heard your unit beep open and soon after, small knocks dug the wood of your room.

"Again." You knew very well that it would be your best friend, Joshua. He's the only person who knocks quietly with a pattern you're very much familiar with. It's also not new to you that he'd get in and plop himself on your bed because it's something he's been doing since you knew each other.

"Hey," You opened your door and he did just exactly as you expected. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing?" You stated obviously. "Thought you had somewhere to go with Jeonghan?" He was restless about it last night, thinking that Jeonghan usually asks him to go out but ending up actually setting him to a date with one of his sister's friends.

"Yeah well, I don't know. It really doesn't matter. I doubt he found the urge to leave his bed by now like you."

Joshua makes himself comfortable beside you as you stand up to get him anything to eat. He will never ask for food, you also wonder why, but he'd hint you a lot about his hunger. It's a Joshua thing to be indirect at certain things and you find it really cute. Especially when he whines about it. It can be annoying at times but the whole fact that it's Joshua makes it adorable.

You returned in a while, putting the snacks on your bedside table. Joshua was busy with his phone and you're close to doing the same. It's just a typical weekend morning anyway.

There's nothing much to do like the usual, you have the whole morning to yourself, well now with Joshua. Nothing special, your weekends are always spent with him unless another friend asks either of you out. In this case, he has Jeonghan and you, Seungcheol.

Seungcheol had eyes on you since Joshua introduced you to each other like how pretty much most of his guy friends wants to date you. It was only recently that he has been so vocal about it, constantly asking you out on dates, movie nights and walks. All in Joshua's knowledge, and he wasn't quite sure about letting you go with him. Seungcheol doesn't have a good reputation in dating, girls in general, but he doesn't want to ruin the smile his friend gives you. Besides, he knows you'd both be over with it soon like how most of your flings ended up. At the end of the day, you're just curious adolescents who want affection.

It wasn't long before you found another interesting vlog to kill your time before actually preparing to see Seungcheol later in the afternoon, completely disregarding your best friend's presence beside you. He doesn't mind, he can always pull your unused guitar to strum a song or two if he bores himself. That worn out guitar is one of the things you almost threw away but since Joshua uses it everytime he drops by you decided to keep it. You love to hear him play, he's pretty good in it.

Sunday morning rain is falling. Steal some cover, share some skin.

Except that his sessions always start with the national anthem. The song has been oversung for as far as you remember that it has been so familiar, you instinctively hum to it everytime. Joshua likes it though as a smile made a way to his lips, knowing he's successfully grabbing your attention again unfailingly.

"Oh, come on!" You grunt, tossing your phone before facing him, irritated.

"What?" If it isn't the most innocent expression he ever did today despite knowing well what he's doing.

"I can't focus!" You glare at him as you whine but on his face is just a victorious smile, as if mocking you even more.

"I was just singing." He stated like it's the most normal thing he does. Well it is, if it's not you.

"Exactly! Do you have any idea what your voice— You know, go to Jeonghan." You roll out of your sheets. Quit the vlog and the bed, you'd just prepare for Seungcheol. Joshua won't probably let you by yourself.

"When prefer me staying," He placed the guitar back in its original place, a smug grin in his face throughout but less could you care. His annoying tricks became all too normal. You scoffed at him.

"Okay then stay here with my guitar and guard the house for me. I'm seeing Cheol." You almost forgot to inform him. Not like you have to but it just became a habit to tell him everything you're up to. Joshua's face turned dim at the mention of his friend's name. He really doesn't like you associated with him.

"And why are you seeing him today?" His eyebrow pinches, the mischievous smirk slowly fading away.

"We'll hang out?" You shrugged, like it's the most obvious thing. It never required anything special for you to see Seungcheol. He's interested in you and he is a good guy, to be fair, so you're giving him a chance. Although it's clear for you two that there's no deeper emotion you feel for him, yet, aside from enjoying his company. He's a great friend and you have all the reasons to go out with him.

"Why?" Joshua may be your best friend but sometimes when he's so nosy about your personal life, you can't help but feel annoyed at him. It's not like he's asking you anything direct about you and Seungcheol, in fact he always seems uninterested, but he often asks simple nonsense that turns the conversation into series of questions that you really don't want to answer.

"What do you mean why? We're dating. Isn't that a reason?" You almost roll your eyes. You simply hate it when he tries to intimidate you or just when he's so serious. It's like he's scolding you for going out without telling him first.

"Of course." Joshua tried not to look so affected even though your reason flustered him. Right. You are dating his friend, gives you all the reasons to come out with him. But it doesn't mean that he's alright with it. "Where will you go then?"

You sighed. "Seungcheol wants to see me but he can't leave their house since his parents are out of town, so I suggested to come over in his place. We'll just be lazy, Josh. Netflix and chill, whatever. Not a bad idea. Is that enough?" You really hope it answers the curiosity in his mind. You know that he's just being protective but sometimes you wish he'd do more than just bombarding you with questions. There's nothing to be so worried about anyway, Seungcheol never did anything to harm you or what. Joshua shot you a look.

"Netflix and chill??" Now his surprised expression surprised you even more. His eyes are wide open, as if there's something wrong with what you said. You almost backed down.

"What's wrong with you, really?" He's scaring you and you're confused. Seungcheol has been asking you out in his knowledge for almost a month now but Joshua's acting like this is the first time he's hearing everything. "Don't look at me like that."

"Do you even know what ‘Netflix and chill’ means?" He remains calm as he always is but his frustration can be felt all throughout his body as he expressed every word in gestures. It's not the fact that you'll hang out with Seungcheol, it's 'Netflix and chill' that bothers him. He can't believe you actually agreed to that.

"You're being weird." You, being so clueless, makes it worse. You think he's only being ridiculous. There's nothing to not understand in something so literal. "Would you stop overreacting?"

"Seungcheol really asked you to come over, 'Netflix and chill'?" You're stressed out. You just want this topic over but Joshua keeps on repeating it.

"Stop it. I'm getting a shower." You dragged yourself in the toilet leaving your best friend by himself. He's being annoying, and you don't want to waste your energy dealing with him.

Joshua couldn't help but be bothered by Seungcheol all because he knows the guy, damn well. He doesn't want to start at square one of the story and Seungcheol really doesn't deserve to be bad mouthed, like any of what he would say is a lie, even if it's the enlightenment that you need. Seungcheol, on the other hand, finds it really fun to see Joshua's reaction when he flirts with you on purpose so he does it more frequently, just to get into his nerves. Friends are really best enemies. He likes you though, but he knows better than to take things to the next step.

It's almost lunch time when you finally got ready. Joshua's plans with Jeonghan may be cancelled but not yours. You don't want to leave anyone hanging, more, Seungcheol, because he also never cancelled any plans with you. You sat by the study table to work on some makeup that would probably take two full hours to finish but Joshua pulled you before you can even start.

"Don't go there." You fall back on your bed, immediately glaring at him for doing such thing.

"What the hell?" You sat up straight and pulled the hem of your shirt to straighten it out. "It's not funny."

"I'm not joking. Don't leave!" There are only two times when you get super wary of him— one, is when he's angry, which really rarely happens, and another is when he's super serious. Today felt like he's the latter, enough to confuse you as to why he's being so intrusive like he has any right.

"Why are you stopping me?" You are alarmed of how he's acting and you really want to know his reason for it but instead of talking to you, he picked his phone and dialed Seungcheol's number. It didn't take quite a while before the other line answered.

"Choi Seungcheol," He put the guy in loud speaker for you to hear, authority was in his voice. It wasn't a usual Joshua thing to do and you admit, he sounded kinda dominant.

"Hey... what's up?" Seungcheol definitely noticed how Joshua called him by his full name, something was off. Well, he expected this to happen. In fact, he was just waiting for Joshua's call.

"*YN*'s not coming there today because I'm not letting her, asshole." The other line fell silent for a moment. He cleared his throat before he responded with a snort.

"Um, what about it?" Seungcheol, feigning ignorance, at the same time finding his friend so ridiculous and funny. This is exactly the reaction he wants from him and he's getting it so effortlessly. All he needed was two words— Netflix and chill.

"Netflix and chill, man? Are you serious?" Still, Joshua remains calm but his voice is a notch higher and he's speaking on gritted teeth. You poked Joshua's shoulder to remind him not to fire up though he isn't the type to be hysterical over something but just in case. Prevention is always better than cure. "You think I'm letting you fuck my best friend just like that?"

"Hey, wha—" This is the first time you're hearing this and you're totally shocked. Joshua won't give you time to react though, Seungcheol needs his attention more than anyone. But Seungcheol decided to get in his nerves worse.

"We're not kids, Shua. It could happen. Moreov—" Seungcheol was in a hurry but it was all too obvious that he's laughing on the other line. It's always hilarious when Joshua acts protective over you and he lives for that.

"Sure thing, save the explanation. See you with Jeonghan in an hour." Joshua was about to end the call when another voice spoke on the other line.

"Shua-ya, don't be too serious about it! We're just messing around with you." Jeonghan's laugh rang in his ear, annoying the hell out of him even more. His eyes shut at how infuriating his friends are. "See you!"

Joshua creased his brows, too confused of what was happening. You too, don't understand a thing. You both open your mouths to speak but you're dumfounded, speechless to even say a thing.

"Oh come on, Shua. Did you really think I'll take advantage of her? Not even any other girl but your best friend?" Seungcheol clicked his tongue, quite disappointed that Joshua judged him way too early but he completely understands where he's coming from.

"To be damn honest, yes." His teeth are grinding on each other and he doesn't care if it hurts. Seungcheol scoffed, surprised at his friend's savageness.

"If you're this overprotective, why not just confess to her and ask her to be your girlfriend instead of being so paranoid every single time. We both know, Seungcheol's being understanding right now." Jeonghan sounded frustrated and Joshua was just in huge shock. He was on speaker phone and he didn't expect Jeonghan to say any of that. He ended the line, internally cussing his friends for putting him on such an awkward situation. Now how is he supposed to get out of this?

Seungcheol and Jeonghan purposely pushed Joshua to his limits. They find it super frustrating that he couldn't speak about his genuine feelings for you when they see how you look at each other and they know that you have a chance together. It's only because no one dares to erase the line of friendship. Nothing's gonna happen if no one will take the initiative so they thought of stepping in somehow, at the same time making sure that you don't fall for Seungcheol in any way.

You look at Joshua with the most confused expression, somehow mirroring the look on his face. You may be lost at the moment but one thing is for sure, Joshua's hiding something and the more he hides from you, the more you want to dig it.

"Ya," You muttered. Joshua's still staring at his phone, eyebrows creased. He doesn't do this all the time but he's typing every curse word he knows in different languages to send to his friends. "Joshua, look at me."

"What??" He only glanced at you, even have the guts to sound annoyed after what he did. Joshua may not be that good of a guy but it shows when he's guilty about something and it's super obvious.

"Do you mind explaining? I'm... I'm just honestly lost." More than being curious and confused, you're pissed. He's being so nosy and possessive today and you really hate it when people try to get in your business like you don't know what you're doing. Now he successfully cancelled your date and fuck up another blooming relationship. You exhaled heavily.

Joshua is well informed of the things you like and the things you don't like including this. He never wanted to be controlling, he was just a friend and he knows his limitations, but also because he was your friend, he wants to protect you from the vicious guys who try to hit on you even if it is one of his friends. Anyway cut it, Seungcheol wasn't really intending to hit on you, he was just getting into his nerves.

"Josh!" You brought him back to his senses because his mind floated for a while.

"Don't mind it." Joshua may not be able to stare at you but he still doesn't look so happy with the situation and so are you. "And Seungcheol isn't fit for you. He's just playing around."

"Who fits me then?... You say that to every guy I date like what the hell? I'd be the one to judge that!" Your frustration was vented out through your tone, Joshua was no different.

"He's my friend, I know what he's like! And you heard them?" You did, but it's not just that alone. There are past instances that he did this too.

"Then what about the other guys you stopped?" Everytime you try to get to know someone, Joshua always ends up knowing them better. He knows even their deepest dirt and he slaps every information on your face until you find yourself unliking the person. The only successful relationships you had were those you didn't tell him, also all of it ended because he found out. "You know, everytime I fail a relationship or even just a date, it's always because of you!"

Joshua scoffed, finding your accusation unfair. He did all of that for you. "Well, everytime I get my heart broken, it's always because of you too!"

You froze at that. Joshua stopped too, realizing what he just said. His chest was rising up and down from the infuriation he suddenly felt. The pent up emotions are slowly coming out and he had to remind himself to calm down.

It wasn't even that much words but it's difficult to process. It sounded clear but it meant blur. There are so many questions that you wanted to ask but at this point, all you wanted to know is what he meant by what he just said. Joshua can begin the explanation, confession to be exact, now but he also doesn't know where to start. First, he wants to see his friends and give them a proper beating for putting him in that situation but before doing that he will make sure he'll get an answer today whatever may it be.

Joshua tried to find other words so he won't end up confessing his feelings but he completely failed. He had liked you for a while and more than just being a best friend, he used to expect you'd be something more. He didn't bring it up though, ever, because he doesn't want to start a crack on your friendship. Besides, he wasn't even sure if you feel the same way for him and even if you do, there's too much to consider before getting in a serious relationship.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He stood up, ready to leave. He didn't really think you'll like it if he confessed. It's clear to him that he's just a best friend. It made you feel worse, the fact that he showed you the tip of the iceberg and retreated in a snap like he's guilty about it.

"Hong Jisoo!" You grabbed his wrist to stop him from taking another step away. "Can you just... just tell me everything?"

A day is not even enough to tell you everything and he doesn't know where to start.

It will always be fresh in his mind, the first time he knew his heart beats for you. The way it felt like his chest was about to be ripped with the pounding with unusual rhythm. It's the same feeling he had when you got drunk together for the first time on your 18th birthday and you accidentally took each other's first kiss. Even if you agreed not to talk about it again and just bury it in the past, it was never erased in his mind. He also remembers the first time you introduced a guy as your boyfriend and how it all lead to the realization that he's starting to get hurt because of you. Everything happened in an instant and he didn't even have a chance to process every single moment, he just learned to accept it in time. You were all of Joshua's first, you just don't know about it.

"If I tell you everything, we won't be able to go back from this. Would that be okay with you? Because it's not okay for me." Over the overwhelming feeling you made him feel all those years, over the pain you caused him for the times you're oblivious, he didn't confess. What makes this moment special for him to do it? If he wants to ruin the friendship he should've done it some time unforgettable, not this typical weekend.

"Whatever you do, I'm not stopping until I hear the truth. Even if I have to squeeze Jeonghan and Seungcheol for it." You have decided. You don't care. You just want to hear the truth straight from his own mouth.

"You're smart. And I'm sure you knew what I meant. Besides, you don't feel the same, so what's the point? Let's not make ourselves uncomfortable." Joshua felt the corners of his eyes sting. Of course he wants to tell you how he feels but you're more important than that. He doesn't want to lose you even if it means ignoring his own feelings.

"Wow,.. you really sound so unbelievable right now, Hong Jisoo. Do your feelings make you uncomfortable that much??" This is all so unfair for you especially because you felt everything he feels first and he didn't even give you time to open up. Yet here you are, giving him a chance to explain himself.

You tried telling him you like him on eight grade but he pushed you away by his 'Of course you like me, because if not, I wouldn't be your best friend' card and not just that but a few more attempts. He always try to make you figure out that liking him is normal because of your friendship but he never really went over the real liking you meant.

"Really, I appreciate your effort but that's too much to make me feel better. Liking you didn't happen overnight and it's not just once or twice that I tried to stop myself from falling for you so just cut it." You hate everything he says. Nothing of what you want to hear ever came out from his mouth but he only thinks this is the wisest thing to do. Even if everything he wants to say lingers at the back of his head like aurora.

Like, losing himself from thinking how beautiful you eyes are? Or feeling like drowning in your hug and he'd willingly die? Joshua felt all that for you and he finds it disgusting that he feels all of that for his best friend. Your relationship wasn't supposed to cross over the line. It should be free from any malice yet he thinks of all the what ifs that could have possibly happened if he only have the courage to confess everything.

"Such a prick. How can you say that?" Your teeth grit. "I failed every relationship not only because you stopped it before it escalated, but also because I broke up with every single one of them... because I see you in them... because I wished they were you. I am only trying to make it work out with Seungcheol because atleast I don't imagine him as you! Or yet..."

"You..." Joshua's eyes matched yours, totally dumbfounded by what you just said.

"Yes, I feel the same!" You raised your voice so he would hear it properly and not excuse himself out. How you hate his obliviousness, he claims that he's quick and he can catch up right away but when it's you who send him signals he doesn't care. "Don't you remember 8th grade? 9th grade? 2 years ago, even few months before you introduced me to Seungcheol? I confessed! And what did you tell me then? It was normal?.."

"*YN*, you—" You won't give him a chance to utter any nonsense again.

"You think it was normal?? I like my best friend and it was fucking normal for you?? I fucking hate you, Joshua. Leave if you want." You pushed him away as you walked out of your room but he was quick to follow you, pulling you in his arms, your back pressed hard on his chest.

You cried. Or bailed if that is a better term. You feel so hurt and angry at him for denying every feeling you have for each other like it's the most disgusting feeling he could ever feel. You're willing to accept him, his flaws, his imperfections, you're even willing to risk the friendship just to give him a chance but if he's the one who rejects the progress then what's the point?

Joshua buried his head at the crook of your neck, you even hated how he fits there perfectly. "I'm sorry. I just didn't think you're serious about it."

"Why would I even joke about that?" You've played way too many pranks at him but not one of this sensitive topic. Also because you know how awkward it would be.

"I know I'm sorry." He held your shoulders and turned you around so you were facing him. He's mad at himself for actually making you cry when he promised that he'd be the one to wipe your tears if it ever fall. "I love you, okay? I love you! I love you!"

"I confessed many times. And you couldn't even confess properly for once." You tried your luck many times. And he pushed you away more than once.

Joshua pressed his lips on your forehead, to your nose, your cheeks, leaving butterfly kisses, whispering 'I love you' every single time his lips detach your skin. You were expectant when he grazed his lips on the corner of yours, but he stop before he could actually kiss you. Your eyebrows twitch.

"I love you, *YN*." The warmth of his breath run colds on your spine. "I could sing to you everyday if that's what it takes to make it up to you." You tried not to, but your lips just formed a smile with the thought. Of course, you'd love to hear his voice, sleep next to him, wake up to him, just do everything with him.

"Just that?" You heart felt at ease and even though you know that you are more than just Joshua's best friend now, it would not erase the fact that you are still the mischievous little girl he grew up with.

"Okay then, how about..." Joshua is still, also, the naughty little boy who used to tease you. Nothing changes that, if there is, his confidence just shoot up a level after knowing that you like him too. "Netflix and chill?"

You face flush red at his statement before leaving a kick on his shins to wake him up. You didn't expect him to say that. Also after knowing what it actually meant, you're flustered that he actually suggested it. Joshua laughed at your reaction but when he recovered, he realized what he just said and he suddenly got shy himself. He shook it off, and pulled you back for a hug.

This is where you belong, where you perfectly belong.

∷∷∷∷∷∷∷∷∷∷

Hi! This is my 2nd fic to post here so far. Let me know how it was. I honestly don’t have anyone to proofread my work, I would love any feedback. Thank you for reading.

- belle

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saltbaes · 6 years

Text

Overview: After getting kicked out of MIT, Raven’s best friend (Clarke) offers her a place to stay and a job at her boyfriend’s (Bellamy) bar “Arkadia.” While there she reunites with a former frenemy from high school, John Murphy. You can also read it on AO3 Modern AU: Takes place in present day. Clarke’s in Med school. Bellamy owns the bar. Murphy bar-tends, along with Jasper and Monty. Pairings: (Main) Murphy x Raven, mentions of Bellarke Characters: (The 100) John Murphy, Raven Reyes, Clarke Griffin, Bellamy Blake, Finn Collins, Zeke Shaw, Jasper Jordan, Monty Green Rating: M (adult language + situations) Previous Chapter: 1 | 2 | Chapter: Three

Raven checks her phone for a fourth time as she sits alone in the vinyl booth. She should’ve known when Clarke said to meet her at her favorite restaurant at one o’clock she really meant two. From her seat she has a view of the entrance, only couples and groups of friends come and left. She sighs to herself as she fidgets in her spot, adjusting the strap of her shirt before perusing the menu.

Clarke invited the beautiful brunette out for lunch to celebrate Raven’s completion of her first week at the bar. It initially started out as a joke, Raven making a passing comment about how she was utterly shocked she survived a week working side by side with Murphy, Jasper and Monty. Clarke admitted it was surprising none of the boys were murdered yet but felt it was reason enough to celebrate. If not for work then for the sheer fact that she missed her best friend and just wanted to catch up.

Raven allows herself to soak in the ambient music, not quite able to make out what the lyrics were but they offered a nice distraction. Just as she’s about to pull out her phone for a fifth time she spots a familiar tuft of blonde hair make its way through the door.

“Clarke.” She motions her friend over, standing to hug her once the petite blonde is an arm's length away. “You better have a good reason you’re late. I’m fucking starving.”

“Actually --” Clarke smirks as she slides in across from Raven. She slowly raises her left hand into view, showcasing a sparkly diamond ring adorning her finger. “I do.”

Raven’s jaw drops as she reaches over, yanking Clarke’s hand closer to her face. “Bellamy proposed?!”

Clarke nods enthusiastically, biting down on her lip to keep herself from giggling like a school girl. “He asked me last night and well... the celebrating kinda rolled over into today which is why I’m so late.”

Raven chuckles, shaking her head in disbelief. “I’m really happy for you.”

“Good.” Clarke smirks as she reached over and squeezes Raven’s hand. “Because there’s something else.”

“I swear to God if you tell me you’re pregnant.”

“No no no, definitely not pregnant.” Clarke laughs, shaking her head adamantly. “It’s more of a question... for you.”

Raven knits her brows together, looking at the blonde incredulously. “Oh no, what is it?”

Clarke smiles. “Will you be my maid of honor?”

“Oh my God!” Raven grins, “Of course! I’d love to.”

Before either of them could get anything else out the waitress walks over with what looks like a mini tablet, ready to take their order. As they speak she taps the screen to transmit their order straight to the kitchen before beaming at them with enthusiasm. “Anything else?”

“Put it all on my tab.” A man’s voice cuts in, causing both Raven and Clarke to look up. He was classically handsome and visibly fit with a bright white smile that was only semi distracting. Raven blinks several times before she glances in Clarke’s direction.

“Zeke, hi!” The petite blonde says excitedly as she pulls him in for a friendly embrace.

“Hope you don’t mind I kind of overheard your conversation.” He smiles again, flashing his perfect teeth. “Congratulations, Clarke.”

“Thank you.” She returns the smile before returning her attention to the brunette sitting quietly (and confused) at the booth. “Raven this is Zeke, he’s a surgical resident at Seymour.” She crosses over to slide next to Raven, leaving the opposite side of the booth empty for him. “You should sit and have lunch with us.”

Raven glares at Clarke only then realizing what was happening. She naively thought this was just two friends catching up over lunch. She mutters an incoherent sentence under her breath about murdering the blonde but tries not to let on that she was suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. Zeke seemed nice enough but she really was just looking forward to chatting with her friend.

She mentally kicks herself for thinking otherwise. Ever since she started dating Bellamy, Clarke has made it her mission to find someone for Raven. Deep down, Raven knew that it was out of guilt over what happened with Finn but she knew her friends' heart was in the right place so she learned to swallow the awkwardness and go with the flow.

She manages to make it through the small talk, pretending not to notice that Clarke would only chime in when the conversation was lagging. And as the lunch date came to an end she felt as though she had a good idea about who this guy was.

Zeke Shaw is incredibly intelligent and well spoken. He was in ROTC and is now well on his way to becoming a doctor. He drives a motorcycle and according to Clarke is the smartest guy she knows. Emphasis on guy. Truth be told, on paper, he was perfect. Perfect job, perfect skin, perfect smile.

“So, what’d you think?” Clarke asks as she walks Raven to her car.

The brunette shrugs indifferently, shoving her hands into her back pockets. “He’s kind of... too good to be true.”

Clarke frowns ever so slightly, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Not bad per say.” Raven muses. “It’s just... I want something real.”

Clarke pouts, “You know I would never try to hook you up with someone without substance, right?” She asks, “I really think he’s perfect for you. Maybe just give him a chance?”

There it was again. That word. Perfect. Raven rocks back and forth on her heels as she considers it. She knew from experience that when something seemed too good to be true it usually was. Even still, she didn’t see the harm in trying. Maybe Clarke was right. Maybe he is perfect for her.

“Okay, fine.” She sighs as she unlocks her car door. “I will.”

__________________

The atmosphere at the bar was significantly more cheerful than usual when news broke about Bellamy and Clarke's engagement. After Murphy's mock offense of not being chosen as Bell's best man and several shots were consumed things slowly returned to its natural rhythm of chaos as Arkadia got increasingly busier.

Murphy couldn’t help but notice Raven was uncharacteristically quiet as the night progressed. She smiled politely at the patrons, worked quickly and efficiently but that was about it. Normally she’d be firing sarcastic remarks at him or playfully rolling her eyes at Jasper and Monty’s antics.

He hesitates as he makes his way over to her. She made it perfectly clear in the past that she has no interest in him swooping in to try and help her. Even though his brain was screaming at him to leave her alone his urge to make sure she was okay won out in the end. He clears his throat before lightly nudging her in her side, “Reyes, you alright?”

“Hm?” She doesn’t bother looking up but her brows furrow together like she heard his voice but didn’t understand what he had just asked her. “Oh...yeah, why?”

Murphy shrugs, wringing his bar rag in his hands as his eyes look everywhere but her. “You seem kind of off --”

“Did someone complain about their drink?” She finally looks up, forcing him to meet her gaze. He realizes then that she’s mistaking his concern for criticism. “Was it the guy with the long island ice tea? That drink is a nightmare --”

“No, you’re fine. No one complained. I was just...” He allows his voice to trail off not really willing to finish his sentence. She probably wouldn’t believe him if he told her he was worried. She finds nothing sincere about him, that much is clear. But her mocha colored eyes are boring into his and he suddenly can’t form a cohesive thought.

She must realize what he’s getting at because her features soften, her eyes flicker down towards his lips before returning to meet his gaze once more. “I just... have a lot on my mind. It’s been a weird day.”

Murphy nods. “If you’re not up for being maid of honor I will gladly take over for you. Give Clarke a bachelorette party she’ll never forget.” He smirks, a glint of mischief in his eyes. To his surprise Raven genuinely smiles at his joke.

“Only if you wear the bridesmaid dress.” She plays along, her smile growing.

Murphy pretends to consider it, unable to wipe the grin off his face. “And upstage the bride? I don’t think she’d be too happy about that.”

“Yeah cause that’s where she’d draw the line,” Raven says sarcastically with a smile, “You wearing a dress.”

Murphy chuckles. He tries not to get caught up in the moment. He knows for her she’s just passing the time with a meaningless conversation to distract her from whatever's plaguing her mind. Even though for him it feels like making a connection, he won’t allow himself to think much of it. Just chuck it up as banter between two coworkers. Nothing more. Nothing less.

He wants to ask her about what’s on her mind but he doesn’t want to push it. He’s certain the second he asks the smile on her face will disappear faster than it came.

Much to his dismay a familiar voice has a similar effect. His jaw clenches as they turn, in unison, to face the man on the other side of the bar. Immediately he’s filled with rage. Either Finn has the worst timing in the world or he knew what he was doing and didn’t care. The smug look on his face told Murphy it was the latter.

Murphy glances over to Raven trying to read her expression. She didn’t seem surprised to see him but she certainly didn’t seem happy either. It was more like uninterested disdain. “Go away.” Raven says simply, sighing exaggeratively. “Are there no other bars in a ten-block radius that you can infest with your presence? Must you come here?”

“I’ve been coming to Arkadia long before you ever started working here. Technically you're in my territory.” Finn takes the empty barstool in front of him, folding his arms on the countertop as if to say he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Territory?” Raven scoffs. “What're you, a dog?”

Finn winks, a smirk coloring his face.

Raven’s face changes from disdain to pure disgust as she begins to walk away. Finn reaches out and grabs her arm forcefully, yanking her back in the process. Raven winces in pain but before she has the chance to stumble back Murphy’s prying Finn’s hands off her. “Don’t ever fucking touch her.”

“Mind your business dude.” Finn replies with a forceful shove. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“It’s not about me, asswipe. I think she’s made herself pretty clear.” Murphy snarls, returning the shove. “Take a hint. She doesn’t want anything to do with you.”

“Oh, so you speak for her now?” Finn raises an eyebrow, catching his balance.

Murphy makes his way around the counter, the situation now catching the attention of the other bartenders. Murphy can hear Bellamy calling out his name, warning him to relax but he can’t. This feels long overdue.

“No, I don’t speak for her but since you don’t listen when she does speak I’m going to go ahead and help you out.” Murphy pushes him with more force than before, sending him flying into a nearby table.

“Murphy!” Bellamy’s voice rings in his ear. “I said that’s enough!”

Reluctantly he pulls back, glaring at his boss before pushing past everyone else and heading for the back.

Bellamy’s voice echoes after him as he reaches the stairs. “Another outburst like that and you’re fired.” Murphy turns to look him in the eye. He can tell he isn’t bluffing but he has a hard time caring about anything at the moment. “I mean it Murphy. Don’t lose your job over a pissing contest.”

“The guys a piece of shit. He --”

“A piece of shit that can sue.” Bellamy cuts him off before he has the chance to explain what happened. “And neither of us can afford a lawsuit. This is your last warning, Murphy. Are we clear?”

Murphy clenches his jaw, eyes locking with Raven as she steps into the backroom. “Crystal.” He answers, the snarky tone in his voice hard to ignore, hoping that was enough to get his boss to walk away. Bellamy knows not to expect anything more, so he accepts his answer at face value before returning to the front.

Raven stared into his bright blue eyes burning with anger and everything fell silent. He could tell she was racking her brain, trying to find a cohesive thought but nothing came out. Her brown eyes desperately searched his, secretly hoping he would say something first.

The silence began to eat at him, Murphy sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

Caught off guard, Raven knits her brows together in confusion. “What’re you --”

“I know you said before that you don’t need my help and that you can fight your own battles.” He recalls, realization crossing her face. “But if it helps I’ve wanted to kick his ass long before you ever showed up.”

Raven smiles ever so slightly, eyes falling to the ground. “You don’t need to apologize Murphy.”

“Yeah, well...” He allows his voice to trail off before meeting her gaze again. “You better get back out there.”

“You’re not coming back out?”

“Nah I think it’ll be better for everyone if I just disappear for the night.”

Raven nods in understanding watching as he turns to walk away from her and up the stairs. Halfway up she calls out to him, she can see him pause as if he’s contemplating whether or not to face her. Finally he does, his eyes tired and unexpecting.

“Thank you.” Raven manages to get out. To her surprise he doesn’t respond, he simply nods his head once and continues on his way. Even more surprising was the feeling in her stomach when she realizes she has to work the rest of the shift without him. A familiar feeling: disappointment.

#me? updating a fic? its more likely than you think #ive missed them #murven #oasis fic #oasis chapter 3 #murven fic #murven fanfic #raven x murphy #cockroach mechanic #otp: said the cockroach to the raven #john murphy #raven reyes #the 100

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moodring89 · 6 years

Text

Snow White & Bambi

Pairing: Yoonji x Reader (F X F) Rated: M / NC-17 Genre: Gender bend!AU, College!AU Warnings: ��Lots of anxiety, panic attack mentions Summary: She wasn’t even looking at you, but she might one day. In a classroom consisting of only twenty students, Min Yoonji might see you at the front of the room, skimming over words that weren’t yours, but were still riddled with meaningful similarities. An inside joke with yourself – that Yoonji was a lot like a Disney princess, visually anyway. ‘She was a princess, who was as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony wood, and therefore, they named her Snow White.’

Sequel: Dragons & Bambi

A/N: I would like to say right now that I do not know shit about college or college basketball. This is a work of fiction, so just go with it. Also, some of the Brothers Grimm pieces were adjusted to befit the story more, so go with that, too.

Snow White & Bambi

Why was it that every time you saw her, your mouth went dry? Breathing was a simple task for most and yet, your lungs felt constricted, and useless. She was new three months ago, a transfer student from Daegu. You could hear it in the lazy slur of her words, whenever she’d been asked to read aloud during Literature class. Today you’d been called up and it was ironic that you found yourself reciting one of the Brothers Grimm best tales, eyes lifting from each line just to catch a glimpse of pale skin and soft black hair. She wasn’t even looking at you, but she might one day. In a classroom consisting of only twenty students, Min Yoonji might see you at the front of the room, skimming over words that weren’t yours, but were still riddled with meaningful similarities. An inside joke with yourself – that Yoonji was a lot like a Disney princess, visually anyway. ‘She was a princess, who was as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony wood, and therefore, they named her Snow White.’ Yoonji’s skin was like fallen snow, like a cloud had permanently muddled her skin with its shadow. She was an ice storm with a calm that comes after and not a second before. There was no fair amount of subtlety to her existence. Bored, catlike eyes remained focused on the rain tapping on the window, as a pink tongue slid out across her bottom lip, before she returned to doing that pout-thing that made you forget how to breathe. It caused your voice to tremble throughout the next paragraph, which was enough to raise interest when the professor lifted his head with concern. Could you imagine? Nah, it’s all good, professor – it’s just that my gay ass is currently invested in being tongue fucked by Yoonji, is all. Please, go back to your Subway menu. You’d decided a long time ago that something had to change. Even if you knew that you would have to be the one to make the first approach, it was still difficult to follow through with it. And you weren’t the most articulate with your words. Yoonji was weighed the second she arrived, the popular girls trying her out, and passing her up once they realized that she was of the musically creative and athletic sort. One would think that the two would contradict itself, but it didn’t. Not when Yoonji played, whether it was in the music room on the piano, or out on the court. It made you question yourself, wondering what the hell you were good at, except pining. The class ended with the tale going unfinished and would be saved for tomorrow. You placed the book inside your bag and stalled in leaving, wondering if Yoonji would actually eat lunch today, or if she’d skip. Skipping meals was a too common occurrence with her, which worried you. Did she not have money? Did she not like the food…? A shoulder nudged into yours, the impact nearly sending you into the lockers with a shrill. Jimin was pleased with herself, “Allow me to help you be less obvious.” Your only friend was pure evil and a part of you believed Jimin only befriended you, because you were woefully short. She’d once said you did ‘something’ for her legs? So, really, you were a walking favor that Jimin cashed in on every single day. Rubbing at your sore arm, you continued down the hall, “I think being obvious would only improve my situation, really.” “Try rolling your skirt up a few inches,” Jimin said, knocking into you out of habit. She was a clingy, hands-on friend, who was chock-full of platonic kisses, and hugs. “She might be straight,” you reasoned. Although, doing something more with the school uniform might help you standout a bit more. “Yeah, but my gaydar doesn’t pick up false signals, sweetie,” she grinned, before patting away at the same shoulder she’d just slammed into the locker. You winced. “Hey, Yoonji!” Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. Fuck, no. The girl paused at the end of the hallway, short black hair falling over her shoulder when she turned. Jimin gestured enthusiastically, “Come here.” You were in your friend’s stupid mochi face, cursing low, “The fuck you doing?” “Helping. I mean, it’s this, or nothing happens, ever.” She looked at you seriously, “Remember what happened with Jeongguk?” “Uhm, yeah. You slut dropped on his dick and now you own it.” “That’s right. Now slut drop.” Yoonji approached, expression as vacant and uninterested as her voice, “You beckoned?” “I did, yeah. Wanna join us for lunch?” It was effortless, you thought, watching Jimin in awe. Even if she was your only friend, you certainly weren’t hers, and this was probably the reason. Yoonji was taking awhile to answer, a brief look of confusion flitting across her face, before turning glacial. You could see it so well, the storm reflecting beneath the surface of her pale skin. You decided to save her, throwing her a lifeline, “You probably have other things…” “You know what? Yeah,” Yoonji answered, staring directly at you – her words were tired and rough like gravel, easily droning you out. “I’ll join you.” “What a relief! My friend here was starting to think you were a vampire,” Jimin teased, purposefully slowing in her steps, so that Yoonji could comfortably walk with you. “Talked about calling in reinforcements, like Van Helsing or something, like a big ol’ nerd…” You shook your head, denying it, “I don’t have those connections.” “That’s a shame,” Yoonji sighed heavily, as though the small walk to the cafeteria was enough to wind her. “…since I’m Dracula’s third cousin.” Jimin played along well, well enough to make you feel envious all over again. “But you take sunlight like a pro.” “The power of the right BB cream.” Unbelievably hot were Min Yoonji’s blasé responses. She’d stated it so casually that it was almost deemed feasible in your tragically gullible mind. Forget Princess Yoonji, upgrade to Vampire Princess Yoonji, please. Thank you, brain. “This line is ridiculous. All the salad bowls are gonna be gone,” Jimin whined, stomping her foot like a child, latching onto you – swinging your linked arms around for good measure. Yoonji’s sleepy, feline eyes remained fixed on you the whole time, finally, finally watching you. She scraped her teeth over her bottom lip, contemplative, “I’m probably not gonna eat. I’ll go find us a table?” “Sounds good,” Jimin said, saluting Yoonji with her free hand. This was your chance to spoil her, even if it was with food, which – what better way, really? You would just double up on everything you usually get and then offer it up like it was a mistake. “So, like, this was all very easy, wasn’t it?” Jimin was smug and a smug Jimin was…eh, whatever, it was fine. You let her have her moment. “It kinda was, yeah,” you said, agreeing. You grabbed a tray, grabbing two of the ham, cheese, and jelly sandwiches. A set of jjiggae of the day, bowls of rice, two cookies, and cokes. A thing you’ve yet to witness was a happily fed Yoonji. In the end, this would probably end up as being more of a treat for yourself. “You thought she was the undead. You said that she was grumpy, unapproachable, and yet…” Jimin grabbed for her salad bowl. There were still tons of them left, thus concluding that your best friend was terminally dramatic. “And yet!” “Yes, yes, and yet she was nice, alive, and approachable,” you said, as you finished with paying for the food and skimmed your eyes over the cafeteria, finding Yoonji at one of the far back tables. She hadn’t run away yet, how lovely, and hopeful. Jimin already tore open her strawberry milk, humming blissfully around the straw with each sip. The girl was incapable of eating or drinking without making some type of noise. “Awe, look, she secured the table furthest from the jocks.” “Because they suck?” you offered, unhelpfully. “Anything else you’d like to say about my boyfriend?” “Tell him I said, ‘Hi’, since I know you’re about to ditch me for him.” “Wow, you know me so well. It’s seriously scary sometimes. Enjoy your lunch date,” she said, waving her carton of milk at you. “And you can thank me later, by the way, and properly. Like, with snacks and story time. Okay?” This bitch. “Oh, ‘kay then…” You’d wanted to lean on Jimin as a social crutch, but that wasn’t going to happen, apparently. So, you approached Yoonji, as calmly as you could manage, which was a solid twenty percent out of a whopping one hundred. If she’d noticed, she didn’t let on. Instead, she asked, “What happened to sparkles?” Oh. It was possible that Yoonji only agreed, because of Jimin was there. It was an addictive sort of energy that your friend tended to give off, a very positive and friendly vibe that everyone wanted a piece of. “You mean mochi sparkles? She spotted her boyfriend, who just so happens to be a bunny. Mochi and bunnies go together. Who knew?” You placed the tray of food down on the table, trying not to make it obvious that half of it was intended for her. You laughed at the arrangement, as though it wasn’t purposeful. “I think I bought too much. Way too much, in fact.” “Almost like an identical serving for two,” Yoonji said, letting you know that she knew – she knew, she wasn’t dumb, and you would never assume that she was, but there was underlying anger within the tone that she was using. It was a pleasantly sarcastic lilt that had your mind forgetting its function. “Two soups, two sandwiches, two drinks. All accidental? Do you make these mistakes often?” “Not u-usually,” you stammered, wondering if you’d offended her. “I don’t like eating alone, s-so whatever you don’t eat, I’ll give to someone else, or it’ll get tossed. It’s really no big deal.” “Bullshit.” The nervous smile you’ve been giving her fell from your face, shoulders visibly slumping. Admittedly, you weren’t used to confrontation. You sure as fuck weren’t prepared for Yoonji’s wrath. “What?” “You eat alone all the fucking time. In the library, which isn’t even allowed, so however you manage that, probably with magic, or whatever the fuck – congratulations. The music room, you’re always off to the side, nibbling away on your gimbap. Let us not forget,” One side of her mouth was curled into a derisive smirk, going on and on like she was Sherlock fucking Holmes, about to hand your ass over to Scotland Yard, “…the gym, where you’re usually snacking on something banana flavored, pretending like you give a shit about basketball, which I’m pretty sure you don’t. Bullshit you don’t like eating alone. Just say it. This is all out of pity, isn’t it? New girl from Daegu can’t afford a meal? Let’s invite her to lunch?” What left your mouth next was neither a word nor a syllable, but was a long shaky breath. Your fingertips were cold with anxiety, in shock that Yoonji would perceive your intentions as pity. The dark look in her eyes was like black ice, full of tempered rage that was about to unleash with one wrong move. Meanwhile, all of those times you thought she never saw you, she did. She did. She’d listed every occasion, oblivious to the fact that it was to become closer to her. “That’s not,” you whispered, shaking your head. You felt weakened by her accusation. “I could never do those things or think that way about you.” “What? Did you think that by being charitable that it would make you seem like a good person? Hate to break it to you, Bambi, but the world doesn’t work that way. So, stop giving me those fucking eyes.” She settled back onto the bench, bringing a leg up so that she could rest her arm against it. Due to the cold weather, female students had the option of wearing sweatpants beneath their skirts. Yoonji did this more often than not. “We’re not going to be friends, but I am going to eat all of this food,” she said calmly, although her words were dripping with spite. “I mean, you bought half of it just for me. Out of the kindness of your heart…” By now you’d lost the nerve to eat, let alone to continue on with a conversation where Yoonji painted you as a horrible person. You were the villain in this pseudo-fairytale you’ve thought up. You could only hope that it was not Jafar – anyone but that turd, although his beard was pretty legit, and majestic. Great. Now you were envisioning Yoonji in a hot red Arabian harem garment, chained at the wrists, feeding you fruit, and wine… You had fucking problems. She proceeded with what she said she was going to do, ripping the plastic off the sandwich, dipping her soup spoon into the spicy jjiggae. She shoveled food into her mouth like this was her only meal within the past week. At this rate, she’d probably end up with an upset stomach, but you couldn’t say anything. Instead, you watched the way her mouth parted for each bite, her complexion flushed due to the spices. You could cry. You might do just that, but not in front of her. “Thank you for eating with me,” you said, grabbing for your bag with trembling hands. She stared at you when you got up from the bench, “You didn’t even touch your food. Sit.” You shut your eyes for a moment, trying to cancel her out, because you wanted to obey that voice so badly. “You know, there’s a reason why you always saw me eating alone so often. We only have one class together and lunchtime was the only time to…” You stopped yourself, because nope, you weren’t that brave yet. You repeated the statement. “It was the only time.” She grew quiet then, too quiet for comfort. A deep pout settled against her jjiggae stained lips and you could tell that she was assessing you – all of you, your words, and actions. You could literally feel her picking you apart into pieces, searching for more faults. You shifted under her gaze, bringing your bag to your chest. A single bow, because no, you two weren’t friends, and you weren’t going to see her for the remainder of the day. You probably wouldn’t see her at all outside of Literature class. No more being a weirdo and eating lunch in super obvious places. It was time to put your fixation with Princess Yoonji to bed.

Time passed slowly. You noticed every cruel, drawn out moment of it. Lunch might’ve been the only time to see Yoonji, but now it wasn’t. You’d spent your lunch period at a table full of jocks, watching Jimin feed her oversized baby bunny his fries. Jung Hoseok would yet again, bark up the wrong tree, despite being shot down on numerous occasions. “You know who I saw yesterday?” Hoseok asked and really, you hated these types of questions. You shrugged, because seriously, “Who?” “Yoonji. She was working the counter at the cat café.” Well, of course she was. She too was a cat and sometimes cats work with other cats. It all made sense. “But I also saw her working at olive bbq just last week. She’s a busy girl. Probably sick of seeing my face by now.” Your crazy mind was already thinking of all the olive bbq’s in the area, as well as cat cafés, except you weren’t about that life anymore. Nope, Yoonji handling cute, cuddly, flooofy cats, and choosing the right kitty for you would have to wait, indefinitely. Yoonji handling an order of spicy chicken would have to wait, too. Knowing her though, she’d get angry over a generous tip. How dare you. Even a week later, you still couldn’t escape from Yoonji. You didn’t bother with responding to him, as you took your tray to the garbage, and walked out of the busy lunchroom. Even when you heard Jimin calling your name, you did not stop – couldn’t, even if you’d wanted to. Your arms felt too loose, fingertips too cold, an oncoming panic attack ready to be set off. Escape. Abort it all. Just as you’d felt the sudden urge to run, to pick up your heart rate – it had all come to a stop. Your body had collided with something firm. Not a wall, but a person. A glimpse of the beat up converse, sweatpants, and skirt combo should have been enough to properly deduce it, but it would be rather unusual to see Yoonji here. A hand on your arm stabled you and pulled you in, bringing you out of oncoming student traffic. You almost didn’t want to look. But you did, stuck in your own version of hell, where round-the-clock torture was helplessly staring up at an unimpressed Yoonji. The panic in your bones slowly eased, having no other choice but to regain control, as though her mere presence was enough to subdue your fears. She smirked down at you, voice somewhat smug, “You’re real short, you know that, Bambi?” The nickname wasn’t going anywhere. “Yeah,” You sighed, still calming down. You’ve heard that numerous times. “But why can no one get over it?” There was cat fur clinging to the hoody that she was wearing under her school blazer, the hood thrown over her head with silky black bangs falling just beneath her brows. The halls quieted, leaving you both standing there with the muffled sounds of hip-hop music coming through her headphones. Even when you dropped your arm down, she hadn’t bothered letting you go. “Probably because it’s really cute,” she said – Wait, what? “Nothing I do is cute and I’m not even trying to fish, this is just fact,” you said, voice shaking with nerves, as you looked down to where her fingers were still curled in your sleeve. Silver adorned fingers, so many rings. Black matte painted nails. Yoonji’s hands were nice to look at and oh – kay, you were doing that thing again. Focus. She shook her head, disagreeing. However, “I noticed that you’re around a lot less lately.” Was there any reason why you should be around? You wanted to say those words, could feel them on the tip of your tongue, ready to come out. Coward. You were a damn coward. “It made me think that maybe,” she started, licking at her too red lips, drawing your attention to them. Fuck whenever she pouted when she talked, which was always. “…you’d actually wanted to be friends? Look, my attitude is total shit, I know.” “No, it’s uhm…” You don’t even know where to begin on the subject of Yoonji. You tried though, rolling your wrist so that you could hold onto the hand she’d snagged your sleeve with. She hadn’t even flinched at the contact, unblinking. “I like your personality. I do. I like that you’re standing here in a hallway with me, apologizing, kind of, in your own way, while rap music plays through your earbuds.” You hesitated, because now you’re dangerously close to outing yourself. “Tell me,” she said, firmly. The space separating you both dwindled, as she took a persistent step closer. You leaned your back against the wall behind you, not trusting your legs. “Whatever made you pause just now, forget about it, and tell me.” “I…” “Bambi.” Fuck. Your response was a classic, one that no human deserved the right to use – truly. In a world where words had failed you, but actions would not – you reached for the side of Yoonji’s face, cold fingers slipping beneath her short black hair, brushing over the silver studs along the lobe of her ear. Her skin was soft and hot, it was everything, but your mind was not able to keep up fast enough to fully appreciate it. What you hadn’t been expecting, was Yoonji to lean into your touch with her dark, catlike eyes burning into you. And despite making the first move, Yoonji was the one who kissed first. It was all wet, firm pressure, and too short-lived. You’d smelled the strawberry gloss, before you tasted it, running your tongue over your bottom lip when she pulled back, savoring it. Her voice was low, yet noticeably affected, “Was that okay?” You dropped your hand from her face, not trusting yourself not to lean back in for another kiss. You nodded, shyly, “Yes.” “Good girl,” she said, brushing her thumb over her own mouth, fixing you with a lopsided smirk. It was provocative and heated. It was the sexiest thing you’d ever seen. Don’t judge a cat by the size of its claws.

Literature class. The professor was still very much invested in making it through the Brothers Grimm tales. The strangest part was when Yoonji volunteered this week. Your girlfriend wanted to read aloud by her own volition. It was suspicious and intriguing. However, once she’d read the story title, it all made sense. An angry flush covered your skin, as you quietly watched Yoonji go on. She crossed one leg over the other, a slender hand poised so that she could lean comfortably against the podium. Her dark eyes flickered to yours every so often, utterly pleased with herself, ‘Inside sat a tiny girl, no bigger than a thumb. The woman called her Thumbelina. For a bed she had a walnut shell…’ The lengths she’d go to just to make a short joke were impressive. If Jimin were here, she’d be rolling. That was alright. You had plans for Yoonji. The good, ‘fuck you’ type of revenge that would either land you deeply satisfied or devastatingly single. Tonight was a home game for the girls basketball team. It was also the last of the season. You’d get to sit on the bleachers and look pretty, rooting for moonlight aka the bringer of storms aka Min Yoonji. She was twice as foulmouthed while out on the court, aggressive in all her competitive endeavors. Okay, so maybe you enjoyed watching her play. The only difference was that now you had access to Taehyeon’s closet – Hoseok’s new girlfriend, who somehow managed to smile in the shape of a box. It was kind of cute. Both she and Jimin were rays of sunshine in your life, blinding, yet necessary. And although you hadn’t known Taehyeon for as long as Jimin had, it took no time for you to get close to her. Yoonji waited for you after class, not outside, but right at your desk. You stood up and slung your bag over your shoulder. “Thumbelina,” was all you had to say. She hummed, amusedly, “It was appropriate and worth all the social awkwardness.” You were still trying to adjust to her newly silver dyed hair and the shorter cut that had come with it. It made her look all hot and androgynous – and you were pretty much screwed. It took effort to refrain from cooing at her for the umpteenth time, going on about how cute – how gorgeous – how perfect the color and haircut looked on her. How well it went with her soft pale skin and dark clothes. If your two friends were the sun, then Yoonji was pure moonlight, and you needed both. “But was it worth me making this face at you?” You asked, trying your best to embody the cat from Shrek. Yoonji deadpanned, “I think you already know the answer to that.” Then she slid her fingers between yours, going by routine, steering you into the direction of the lunchroom. You stopped before going in, knowing that this was as far as she’d take you anyway. Yoonji was still not up for eating with jocks, despite being the female equivalent of one. “After lunch, Jimin and I are gonna go to Tae’s for a little bit. So, I won’t be able to watch you practice before the game tonight.” She narrowed her eyes, visibly vexed by that, “That’s a lot of pretty girls in one room.” “Pretty girls with boyfriends,” you reminded her, which was a fact she already knew, since residing within your friendship circle for almost a month now. “Besides, I can’t be stolen from you. Unless, that’s like, an easy thing that can be accomplished? Should I worry about all of the girls you rub up on during games? And my friends aren’t just girls, but they’re pretty girls?” “I get it,” she said, waving off your point. “I just don’t like it, but I’ll get over it. You’ll be at the game though, correct?” You shrugged, “By that time, I might find myself in a threesome I won’t be able to refuse. Pretty friends and all. We’ll have to see.” She pulled you away from the doors, backing you up between the wall and the drink machine. It was a small space, which was something that Yoonji seemed to enjoy all too much – small spaces, with her small girlfriend. No matter where you were, it seemed. In this particular spot, she was tugging at your lips, pulling on them until they were swollen red from the abuse. A soft whimper into her mouth made her grow more impatient to have you, slender fingers at your throat keeping you still. Your kept your eyes closed long after the heady kisses had ended, feeling a little too hot and needy for her. The familiar ache at the pit of your stomach reminded you of just how easy you were for Min Yoonji. How just a single kiss could tear you into pieces, skin flushed deeply, panting even though you’d had more than enough air, like you’d been deprived. The hands at your throat tightened a fraction and your head tipped back by its force. Her breath reached your skin, “Look at me, Bambi.” You did as she asked of you and felt imposed by what awaited you the moment that you did, meeting the heavy stare that you were no longer a stranger to, able to tell the difference between what was Yoonji’s usual look of iciness versus a darkening expression of lust. She wanted you. No matter what the circumstances were, you would want her, too. Her mouth twitched into a knowing smirk, aware of the effects she had on you. “It isn’t very nice of you to try and make me jealous,” she sighed, words lightly skimming your lips. “You know I don’t like it and yet…” She dropped a hand to the hem of your skirt, dark eyes watching you intently, as she ran her fingers along the top of your thigh, bringing the material with her, “…you continue to tempt me as though I wouldn’t fuck you right here just to make myself feel a little bit better.” You caught her wrist the moment she’d conquered a questionable length of skin. Even if her closeness hid you from view, it was still dangerous. Saying no to her was difficult, for the both of you. Yoonji’s auto-response was to draw you in closer by your neck, brushing your lips together in slow, languid drags. For a moment, you’d thought it would melt away your resolve. You might actually allow her to have her way with you right here at school. “Take a picture, so we can use it as blackmail.” The familiar voice startled you away from your girlfriend, which proved to have failed anyway, what with being pinned between Yoonji and the wall. Jimin had her arms crossed, openly judging. Oh, damn it. Jeongguk tilted his head, considering it, “I might.” “Well, that killed it for me,” Yoonji said, removing her hand from your skirt. Not wanting to give any nearby jocks the satisfaction, as she placed a quick kiss against your forehead, and said her goodbyes to the rest of your friends – for your sake. One last look at your embarrassed and slightly debauched state had her simpering, “See you at the game.” Taehyeon’s room was the size of a shoebox. Her closet, however, was big enough to make even Carrie Bradshaw jealous. It was probably the only reason why she put up with it. There was a single bookshelf dedicated to manhwa and handheld devices with the games stacked high consisting of otomes. Next to her bed was a collection of fashion magazines and an even bigger pile of sewing patterns. “You should wear this beret,” Taehyeon said, removing it from its limited edition box. “…with the short black skirt and the thigh highs.” Jimin was over on the bed, chipping away at last week’s nail polish. “I know it’s the last game of the season, but is this really necessary? I’ve been telling you to wear shorter skirts since the beginning of time.” Taehyeon answered before you could even open your mouth, “One, I’m shocked that this is coming from you and two…yes, it’s necessary. You should dress up every day. It’s empowering and it feels nice.” Jimin practically rolled her eyes in defeat, “Whatever.” Despite being smaller, the skirt fit exactly how Taehyeon knew that it would, dangerously short, and super tight around the waist. The shirt was a simple striped, long sleeve – matching the black and red beret. Accessories were not your thing, but Taehyeon had plenty, allowing you to borrow her jewelry. The prettiest item was the black ribbon choker. You joined Jimin in retouching your makeup, using her dark red lipstick when she’d offered it. You’d never been so daring, but tonight was about driving Yoonji out of her mind, so why not? Your friends never partook in watching Yoonji’s games, which was fine, but not really? Taehyeon dropped you off on the east end of campus, since it was the closest to the gym. Your two friends were leaving you stranded to catch a movie. It was rather sad, considering that crowds made you feel uneasy. You always made sure to sit on the bottom bleachers, so that if need be, you could easily escape. Tonight wasn’t about your anxiety, though. It was about being supportive. The moment you caught a glimpse of silver hair, you were deeply reminded of that fact. Yoonji was in her dark red jersey, padded brace supports on both legs, which were just as distracting as your thigh highs. A Nike headband kept her bangs out of her eyes for the most part, balm making her mouth look rosy, and slick. Now this was a look, a whole meal in fact. You loved it. The only thing better was when she started searching the busy room for you, even while the coach was speaking directly to her. Being stared at was intense enough, but one look from Yoonji was enough to set your skin ablaze. The moment she found you, she’d paused completely, and it was the same for you, too – everything seemed to stop within that moment, even your breathing. The contact from sight felt no different from touch, as she dragged her eyes across your body with slow deliberateness, taking in all the obvious changes to your outfit. You watched the way her pouty lips fell apart, kitten tongue flashing out, before she cocked a slender brow at your newfound bravado. You felt more than vulnerable within that moment, like you were about to be devoured whole. Being in trouble with her was exhilarating. Disobeying, misbehaving, being defiant – these things made for a very impatient Min Yoonji, not that she had much of it to begin with. The captain walked with her out onto the court, Nam Joonhee. You were introduced once before. It was obvious that Yoonji was woefully distracted and you’d almost felt bad about it – almost. She shook her head at you, casting you a long meaningful look, before the match started. You’ve had Yoonji explain her position to you plenty of times. She was a point guard, because she was the best at handling the ball. Quick – quick at passing, quick at dribbling, quick at bringing the ball to the opposing team’s basket. Yoonji was especially good at long distance shooting. Every time she bounced up to take a jump shot, it was usually a secured point. Hell, you’d seen her shoot and then turn her back on it, because she knew that it would land. Your girlfriend was like that, insufferably smug about most things, prone to catty hair flips, full of conceit – a self-proclaimed genius. You sat through two hours worth of Yoonji running her mouth, sending the double birds to one of the tallest members of her own team. The more physically exhausted she’d become, the more invigorated she felt by it, sweat glistening at the back of her neck, as she strained for another basket. Halftime, timeouts, the typical highs and lows of a long game, the threat of the opposite team catching up, of scoring a point, of another girl getting way too close to Yoonji – blocking her movements, crowding her in, nearly shoving her down. It had you on edge. The match ended with a one point difference, Yoonji’s team reigning victorious. Usually the girls would head into the locker room, but it looked as though Yoonji was saying her goodbyes early, patting the back of the same girl she’d flipped off earlier. Seokgenie her name was, if you remembered correctly. A visible pause – Yoonji’s body straightened with tension when she looked over her shoulder at you, dark eyes on yours then, which had been a frequented action throughout the game. Time could not prepare you for how fast she’d closed the distance, wordlessly grabbing you by your wrist, and hauling you out the double doors. The silence was to be expected, as she brought you further away from the crowd, away from everyone so that no one could hear you screaming bloody murder. You noticed the route she was taking. The school bathrooms were kept unlocked during the game. Yoonji practically hurled you far ahead from where she stood, releasing your wrist with enough force to send you into the counter. You’d caught yourself with your palms against the surface. A wild angry Yoonji appears. She gestured with a finger, pointing from the top of your beret down to your boots, “Who’s closet did you raid, because it sure as shit wasn’t yours.” “Taehyeon’s…” you said, attempting to tug your skirt down. It kept riding up, the damn thing. “I thought you’d like it.” Yoonji tilted her head at you, eyes narrowed like you should know better, “We can both agree that it’s not your style.” “Maybe it is now,” you said, shrugging in nonchalance. Why did it have to be a thing? Not that it was much of a threat, but, “Be prepared for a new collection of miniskirts and thigh highs.” She chuckled softly at that, lacking any real amusement, “Oh, my sweet Bambi. You know as well as I do that tonight was all about distracting me. You wanted my attention all to yourself, didn’t you?” Striking the figurative match, she continued, “Your behavior is coming off as rather needy as of late.” Needy? Oh. “I never meant to distract you, but since we’re on the topic. Let’s say that I was trying to do just that, I’d say it worked. You did miss that layup when I started fixing my stockings,” you said, voice trembling at the end of your sentence when she started coming closer. You followed her pace, carefully stepping backwards each time she advanced. “The end score was only a one point difference. You could have lost the game all because of me.” The heavy glare she’d settled on you was enough to let you know that there was truth to your statement. “Yeah, we could have,” she agreed with you, taking a moment to pause, becoming absolutely still. Perhaps pointing out her mistakes wasn’t a good idea on your part, you could see that now – could feel it within the intensity of a single glance. “My head was elsewhere, but that was your fault. I kept thinking about what I’d do to you once I finally got you alone. Take my time bringing you back to my place, so that I could fuck you with that pretty new toy we picked out, but you know me. I’ve never been any good at being patient.” You nodded, well aware of the fact that she liked to go fast. Dating Yoonji was something you had always envisioned as a slow affair filled with shyness, and timid firsts. When, no less than a week after she’d kissed you in the hallway, she had you screaming into her Lord Nermal bedding, making you come against the firm press of her mouth, her tongue still fucking into you after you’d been sated – wanting more from you. “Looks like you’re out of room,” Yoonji observed with mock pity, watching as your back met the stall and you startled at the contact. She was careful not to touch you at first, even when she’d been close enough to do so, which drove you absolutely mad. Instead, she reached for the lock, and twisted it so that the door opened. You fell inside with little grace and quickly found yourself being pinned to the surface once it’d been closed and relocked. Yoonji’s skin was still damp with sweat, the ends of her silver hair soaked. The smell was a heady mix of her perfume and two hours’ worth of exertion. At this closeness, her eyes fluttered painfully slow, thick dark lashes framing pretty kitten shaped eyes, her pupils dilated with want, staring at you with a slow curl of her red lips. “Are you ready for my undivided attention?” she taunted, pressing the full length of her body against your own, lips falling against your temple with each word, “This is what you wanted, baby. You wanted to dress like a slut for me and now I get to treat you like one.” You were frustrated, petulant in a way that only she seemed to bring out of you, “That’s not what I was trying–” She touched her cool hands to your face, pulling you into a kiss that was deceptively light, and sweet. You knew that it was an apology for the wreck that was about to happen, because the next pull of your lips was with her teeth, the sharp pain causing you to whimper. She soothed you with her tongue, mouth pliant when she licked into your mouth, growing more invested with sucking, and nipping at you every time you attempted to regain any semblance of control. Your lipstick was sure to be smeared, since Yoonji was wearing it now, the dark shade of wild berries staining her pale skin. It was hot – it shouldn’t be, but it was. The shirt you wore was purposefully low cut, revealing a few straps of your bralette. She’d once commented on how it looked a lot like a harness on you, enjoying the thought of it. Yoonji’s breasts were small, which was probably why she played with yours so much. They were full, big enough to avoid button ups since the age of twelve, cringing at the catcalls you still managed to receive, even on days where your chest was bound, because you hated them so much. Hated, although with the way Yoonji practically worshipped them, you were starting to gain confidence. She pulled your shirt over your head, arms already raised to assist her, when she stopped – allowing the fitted material to serve as its own restraints. You tucked your hands above your head into a more comfortable position, a breath escaping when she closed her fingers around your throat. The pressure slight, just enough to remind you that you were hers, “I’m still gonna take you home after this…” Her other hand was teasing below the many straps. “…so you can ride me on that cute little cock we bought. I wanna watch your tits bounce. Bet you’d look so pretty. Would you like that?” Your thighs closed against the ache you felt, clenching painfully around nothing, but you needed – needed so badly to be filled by her. She tightened her fingers when your response was delayed too long for her liking, “Words.” It was difficult, your mind becoming hazy with want. You wanted her however you could have her. You managed a small, “Yes, please.” She released her grip on you to pull at the front of your bralette. The straps were adjusted lower, trapping your nipples between the thin lines of the material, exposing you further. Yoonji’s hands were pleasantly larger than yours, weighing your breasts within her palms, short black nails digging into your sensitive skin as she bent down to tease – encircling an erect bud with her tongue, before sucking messily – the sound of it was twice as loud given your surroundings. You were already trembling. Each time she brought your sensitive skin into the hot suction of her mouth, the pleasure shot straight to your core. You tried moving your arms, on the brink of desperation, “I want…ahh…to touch you…” Her only response was a sharp nip of her teeth, fingers growing more possessive when she gripped and kneaded at your hips. Yoonji’s lips were the color of cherries, swollen red from working over your skin. You shrunk against the surface when she stood at full height, staring at you from behind strands of silver hair, wiping the saliva from the corners of her mouth. “Wanna be good for me?” she asked, leaning into you so she could tug your shirt off the rest of the way. She moved back before you could reach for her, making it clear that you weren’t permitted to do so. “The point of this is that I get to do whatever I want with you, not the other way around. Now lift up your skirt.” True to tonight’s theme, this wasn’t really your style, either, which was probably why your face was on fire. You were reduced to a shy, anxious mess. She knew it, too, eyes as black as charcoal, challenging you to dare be defiant. Your fingers uncurled from your sides to slowly pull the fabric high enough for her to see your panties – the same panties that had nothing to do with the rest of your outfit. “Tinkerbelle,” Yoonji noted, the Disney character print of your underwear was endearing to her, heavy gaze alit with amusement. “This is more you, isn’t it? Nothing like the little slut you’d come dressed as, hm?” The words slipped past your lips, before you could stop them, “Fuck you.” “Fuck me? You’re really in no position to be saying that...” There was a hint of Daegu satoori in the lazy drawl of her words, the inflection doing something to you all on its own. All Yoonji had to do was whisper into your ear and you would be a mess. She laughed at your obvious struggle, the derisive sound turning you on more than it had angered you, “My sweet, sweet Bambi.” She leaned down, immediately parting your lips with her tongue so she could fill you. You loved when Yoonji kissed you – loved how she took her time with it. She was thorough, drifting over your teeth, along the roof of your mouth. Yoonji stole whenever she kissed, consumed and tasted every bit of you, until it felt like you couldn’t breathe. You hummed, easily falling captive when her hand moved past your stomach, slipping beneath the cotton of your panties. You were clean shaven, which wasn’t news to her, but she still groaned at how smooth you felt. It was difficult to focus on the hot tongue delving between your lips, when she slid her middle finger between your soaked folds, gathering your arousal and coating you with it, making each touch afterwards slippery, and wet. You rolled your hips against her palm, breaking the kiss with a sharp gasp – forgetting about where this was happening. “Wanna know what gets me off?” Yoonji teased, speaking into your lips. You nodded slowly, nose to nose with her. You wanted to know. You really, really did. She leaned in so that she could say the rest against your ear, her mouth pressing firmly. It caused your shoulders to scrunch up. She murmured, thickly, “Getting you off.” Yoonji was…impossible. You would have said so if you could, but words were too hard a task when her lips wandered down the side of your neck, expertly swirling her tongue – marking you in several spots. Marking was her new thing, although it was usually in less obvious places. You would have to hide these, but she didn’t seem to care. Not even you cared, becoming lost to the incessant strokes of her delicate fingers, the way she allowed you to grind against them, moving at whatever pace you desired. The sharp sting of her teeth along your collarbone made your legs tremble, the molten heat at your lower stomach ready to unfurl. You were shameless when you were gone. The small moans and quickened breaths resounded harshly off the bathroom walls. You were so painfully close, teetering over the edge when she wedged a finger in deep, pulling back far enough to watch your downfall – pushing in another digit, pumping them in and out of you. You were thrown off – orgasm delayed for only a few short seconds longer, as she rocked the heel of her palm against your clit, making you come in white pulses of intense pleasure. She waited for your muscles to relax, before slowly removing her fingers. You finally closed your eyes, expelling the air from your lungs in one shaky breath. “Yoonji…” Fuck. That was amazing. Your head was resting against the stall door, body still thrumming with energy. The high you felt then could conquer anything, when your panties were suddenly being torn down past your thighs. You stepped out of them somewhat dazedly. Your girlfriend was kneeling on the tiles, the padding from her basketball gear supporting her knees. The sight was enough to kill you dead. She brought your leg up to rest atop her shoulder, nuzzling into your stocking covered thigh, her teeth catching on the fabric like needles over silk. You should have known that she wouldn’t be done with you. She never truly was, proven time and time again to be the insatiable one. “Spread yourself for me, baby,” were the words pressed into your skin, as impatient fingers pulled at your thigh highs. She was hungry for more of you, eagerly sucking and nipping her way closer towards the mess she’d created between your thighs. You were always so easy for her, obeying despite the brief wave of apprehension, parting yourself wide for her. The look she sent you made chills run down your spine – her eyes pools of black, peering up at you from behind her long, pretty lashes. You knew that you were well and truly fucked. She wasted no time, covering you with the tight heat of her mouth, drinking you in – her kittenish tongue curling into the sticky arousal at your raw pink entrance, slurping lewdly, wanting it all for herself. The deep moan she elicited struck you at your very core. You were already so sensitive and you both knew that it wouldn’t take much. The sounds of her tongue darting inside you were loud in your ears and you swore you could hear shoes scuffing across the school floors nearby. It made you all the more desperate to come. “Yoonji, more…” you pleaded, breathlessly. She was all too willing to oblige you, replacing her tongue with two of her fingers, pressing down in a way that made you feel deliciously full, before she pushed in a third – stretching you, filling you to the brim. You stared down at her somewhat helplessly and swore that her eyes grew darker then. The moment she trapped your clit between her lips, it was over. With her nails biting into your skin, she kept your leg still, as she started flicking her tongue back and forth in rhythm with her fingers thrusting into you. You’d spiraled so high, so fast. The second orgasm was always more intense for you, the tight pressure of your walls clenching around her as you came. You could feel her lavish around and between her digits with her soft tongue, soothing you through your orgasm, licking you clean. What the hell just happened? Yoonji carefully set your foot back on the ground, her slim arms catching you around the waist when you’d slumped forward. Your name was on her lips, as she murmured gentle things to you, trying to bring you back into focus. She pressed you more firmly against the door, brushing your hair away from your face, her fingers cold in contrast to your heated skin. Now she smelled like you. You made a face at that, hearing her chuckle. “We should wash up,” she said, helping you get dressed, but refusing to return your panties? It wouldn’t be the first pair she’d kept, but now you’d have to face the public, commando. She held the cotton within her palm, before pointing at you accusingly, “Think of it as your punishment. Maybe don’t try to distract me next time. You already do a good enough job as it is. This whole thing was just overkill.” You rolled your eyes at the weak excuse, as you picked up the beret that had been knocked off your head at some point. Taehyeon would kill you if she ever found out. You adjusted it, as you started fixing your hair in the mirror. You could feel Yoonji’s eyes watching you, practically burning into your skin. “What?” You asked, meeting her reflection in the mirror above the sink. You rinsed your hands under the faucet. She shook her head, knowing it was probably ridiculous, but, “I’m thinking of how I’m going to make it to the car without touching you.” Your mouth went dry. Oh.

Lunch at the jock table was less painful when your girlfriend decided to join one day. Jimin was pleasantly surprised when she took a seat down beside you, a tray of food in her hands. Taehyeon was practically beaming, sending you a knowing look, having sat through so many venting sessions – listening to you go on and on about how much it bothered you that Yoonji never partook. “Why so surprised?” she asked, nudging the tray close to you. “I bought us lots of bread. For you, for me, and the cats…” You were excited to go to work with her later. Yoonji tended to smile a lot around cats. Not just any smile, but the big gummy smile – the same one that caused you to sweat and have heart palpitations. Noticing that you were zoning out, she started kissing at your cheek, once – twice – five times, before her hand fell to your waist, pulling you as close as she could get you without having you on her lap. Jeongguk seemed unsettled, cheeks flushed a deep pink. Jimin brushed her hand over his skin, cupping his face and whispering something into his pierced ear. You only heard the end of what she’d said, reassuring him, “I’ll ask soon, okay?” “Nah, ask now,” Yoonji said, pinning Jeongguk beneath her eyes. “And let him say it. I really wanna hear the words from this fucker.” You turned towards your girlfriend, sincerely confused. “What is happening?” “I want to see you two…” Jeongguk started, words nearly dying on his tongue. The intensity of Yoonji’s glare was intimidating and maybe he liked that a little too much. He motioned towards Jimin, “I would like for us and for you…” “The only dick my girlfriend is getting, is mine,” Yoonji said, simplifying it for him. “We’re flattered though.” “And you?” Jimin asked, somewhat hesitantly. Yoonji was hot. The entire table would merrily agree with that notion. If Taehyeon and Hoseok weren’t so speechless, perhaps they’d inquire themselves. “Whose dick will you be receiving?” “I’m not interested in dick,” Yoonji said, keeping her eyes on Jeongguk’s, her expression turning sinister. “So, you should be careful. Maybe not offer your girlfriends up like they’re sacrificial offerings.” “Duly noted,” Hoseok quipped, smiling so hard that his eyes were gone. Probably vacationing at some fantasy at the back of his mind, one where Taehyeon was dancing in a martini glass. Yoonji brought a piece of cream bread to your lips, acting casual, “You have weird friends.” You nodded, “Yeah, I just found that out.” “Still want me to come and sit with you at lunch?” “Nope. Never again, in fact,” you said, prepared for things to go back to normal starting tomorrow. She buried her face into your neck, her soft laugh tickling your skin, “I didn’t think so.” Min Yoonji, your insufferable girlfriend. A Disney princess from Daegu. Dracula’s third cousin. The storm and the moon. Yoonji… “Bambi.”

Fin~

#noonanet #yoonji x reader #btsxreader #bts smut #bts scenarios #bts fan fics #min yoonji #min yoongi x reader #fem!suga #fem!yoongi #snow white & bambi #f x f #genderswap #gender bend

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gaarfielf · 6 years

Text

my list of lupin movies ive watched for the sake of keeping track and making sure i dont rewatch some

Castle of Cagliostro (10)

favourite Lupin movie of all time. Fantastic art, cast, plot, everything.

Blood Seal: Eternal Mermaid (8.5)

Really good animation and really interesting plot. Another ‘Lupin has to babysit’ movie but it was treated in such a way that set it apart from other ones. He gives her a lot of good advice and overall I really enjoyed this one even if it’s kind of underrated.

Burning Memory - Tokyo Crisis (8.5)

Surprisingly good like I wasn’t expecting a 90′s Lupin movie to come for me like this but the animation is really solid and the movie itself was really funny. I also liked that Maria and Zenigata weren’t a thing like that cleared my pores.

The Bloodspray of Ishikawa Goemon (8)

The animation is fucking stellar but there were odd gaps in the movie that were really inactive. I liked the two subplots going on though like they were both interesting.

Bye Bye Lady Liberty (8)

The classic convoluted subplots worked well here tbh and the Goemon romance stuff was gunshot noise gunshot noise cash register noise. The animation had this weird glow to it but it was (almost) the 90s lol

Hemingway Papers (8)

They really got me with Goemon and Jigen going against each other and Lupin being in a relationship with someone aside from Fujiko (a relationship that was genuinely romantic) was actually pretty well done. That whole bit at the end with the karaoke machine? Amazing

Return the Treasure (7)

Another one that was really close to being perfect. The only loose ends was that the “treasure” wasn’t really explained very well (but i mean, the lead up to it was very good) and i could’ve done with more scenes with the whole gang (it seemed like there was a lot of times where it was lupin jigen and fujiko or lupin goemon and fujiko, but not enough of all of them together)

From Siberia With Love (7)

The usual amount of humour and action from a Lupin III film and the art is pretty standard. Goemon got a few nice quotes in and Fujiko talked to a woman. Could’ve done without Rasputin but thats just me.

Elusiveness of the Fog (7)

Lupin offering Goemon to the princess was kinda funny and I actually really liked OG Mamo (not the short freak) being revitilized bc his episode in the original series was really entertaining. The history of where they were was a little wonky but I’ll give it to them this time.

Pilot Film (7)

That shit was wild i liked how jigen was introduced as the gunman and then beat the shit out of 3 police officers with his bare hands. also goemon i guess dedicates his life to killing lupin so thats fun, like he’s on zenigata’s side i guess. could’ve done with fujiko making an expression at any given time but yknow what? it was funny and it was only 12 minutes long

Another Page (7)

Surprisingly not that bad. To summarize the film as a whole I’d say: it could have been worse. The plot made sense which is more than i can say about most lupin movies and they stuck to two subplots that were both interesting and meshed pretty good by the end. And the two lady characters that got introduced didn’t betray anybody AND didn’t die.

Farewell to Nostradamus (6.5)

The animation was pretty good and I liked the whole ‘we gotta protect this kid’ thing but I always mix up this one and Bye Bye Liberty Crisis like this movie is it’s less interesting twin. Both of them have kids they need to protect but Bye Bye Liberty Crisis was just better. I feel like this one had a really good ending but aside from that the movie wasn’t that memorable for me.

Fuma Conspiracy (6.5)

i liked Goemon being in a relationship bc it was really sweet, i just wish there wouldve been a better balance of romance to plot. Also terrible voice actors but that just affected my enjoyment not really the plot or anything relevant.

Sweet Lost Night (6)

I like time shenanigans and my only two critiques are the inconsistent art quality and they seemed really hesitant to embrace time skipping. Like “he’s limited to twice before he becomes brain dead” was a little bit of a small window. If anything they missed out on a good opportunity for a classic lupin montage of him time skipping way too often. Maybe if they changed it to “you skip time every 12 hours, to every 6 hours, to every 3 hours, etc” until he stops existing?? like that seems more in line with a lupin plot not to mention a little more suspenseful.

Dead or Alive (6)

The new art style is kind of neat and didn’t really affect the personality of the characters like I thought it would. The plot itself was complicated and hard to follow but I mean, it wasn’t awful. Nothing I really hated and nothing I loved.

Jigen Daisuke’s Gravestone (6)

Handsome Jigen was cool but tcm i’m begging you to drink your Respect Women Juice. Also Goemon wasn’t in this one what the fuck was up with that. Lupin looked like a crispy toenail in the new art style but again the animation is gucci so I can’t really complain on that front.

Napoleon's Dictionary (6)

Reminded me a lot of Mamo except with more respect in women. Just kidding Fujiko was kind of a crapshoot in the end and the ending was more or less just. cut off?? like they crashed into the ocean after lupin ruined zenigatas marriage and the credits started rolling. it was weird bc it had a lot going but i guess they ran out of time for a proper ending?

Mystery of Mamo (6)

Respect Women Juice needed and also why was Goemon purple. The pros to this movie was the overall aesthetic being really attractive BUT the plot was sketchy and didn’t make a lot of sense. The only remarkable scene I remember is Jigen shooting the can by Lupin’s feet like I wish that emotion would’ve carried through the film and not ended there.

Red vs Green (5)

Really good animation, no fucking idea what happened in this film.

Walther P-38: Island of Assassins (5)

They missed an opportunity to be a little more psychological and the lady of the week dying was meh but I will say the plot stayed on course like they didnt try to do too much at once like they tend to do. I wish they would’ve delved more into lupin’s past with the doctor because that seemed kind of random but the more lethal, edgy plot was handled decently. I’ll probably forget this one in a week tbh.

Dragon of Doom (5)

I like learning more about Goemon but his girlfriend was really distracting and uneccessary. Like, if you want to introduce Goemon’s childhood friend sure its whatever but she only showed up to either threaten lupin or flirt with Goemon. And it was very obvious she was going to betray him so all her build up was pointless. I will say though, the plot was pretty cool which was surprising.

Voyage to Danger (4)

tcm I’m begging you to let Jigen talk to a woman and not have it be like ‘this is Jigens girlfriend now’. Sometimes women be talking and they aren’t thirsting for a man triple their age. It just be like that sometimes. Thats literally all I remember about this film.

First Contact (4)

I remember being excited for this like ‘oh wow their first ever meeting’ and i s2g this film was boring. And also a giant plothole. With no real redeeming qualities. I don’t even remember the animation being that good.

Columbus Files (4)

This film was at least funny bad but my hand to god I’d never watch it again. This is the first time I’ve ever watched a movie and had to watch the dub bc the sub was boring me to death. It was just... so bad... Especially when you’ve seen Wings of Death like this ain’t the Fujiko I know please leave.

Seven Days Rhapsody (3)

The comedy in this one was so weirdly incorporated and featured another really good ‘here’s Jigen’s dead girlfriend’ that i just could not care less about and then finished off with this what like 13 year old girl asking to be Lupin’s girlfriend? fuck outta here. The ONLY good part was Goemon slapping Lupin across the face.

Alcatraz Connection (2.5)

Really, really boring. The content wasn’t necessarily bad but they had 4 subplots going on that were equally uninteresting and some scenes went on for so so so long. It deadass took me 5 hours to watch this movie bc i kept pausing to do literally anything else. The art was unpleasant and by the time they got the treasure i didn’t really care anymore. Not to mention the plot was way too complicated and tin-foil hat for my liking.

Missed by a Dollar (2.5)

Made very little sense and in general was really annoying. Between Goemon being a born again Christian and the plot briefly derailing so Lupin could establish an oil company it was like can we pick something to focus on? By the end of the movie I was like wait when did they get the broach? What does the broach do again? And then he gives it to someone random and its like??

Gold of Babylon (2)

This one if the definition of being cursed and Pink Jacket deserved so much better than this nonsense. Like Lupin III isn’t known for its coherence, sure, but this movie had absolutely no structure. Upon finishing the film I was trying to remember anything that just happened and my brain refused. It kept the good cartoonish animation but god at what cost.

Angel Tactics (2)

TCM PLEASE DRINK YOUR RESPECT WOMEN JUICE. The art was just. Stunningly bad. Bad to the degree where about a minute thirty in I already regretted starting it. Not to mention the classic “we don’t actually wanna draw this part so we’re gonna jam cgi in here”. Also the most awkward use of “hey heres 3 women hey heres 3 men lets shove them together”.

Harimao’s Treasure (2)

nazis and transphobia which was extremely unfortunate considering the opening was actually one of the stronger ones I’ve seen from Lupin but immediately after the villain was introduced the quality of the film dropped about 90% and i wanted to die for the entire last half of the film. if they had changed the villain it would’ve solved 90 of their problems.

Twilight Gemini (2)

this was one of the only films in the entire lupin series where i was rooting for lupin to fucking perish. not only was goemon only in this film for 26 seconds, jigen was there for about 30 seconds and im not entirely sure if fujiko was there at all. not to be that guy but when they make lupin to be the most intolerable piece of shit in the world for this movie, don’t give him all the screen time. having to stare at this asshole for an hour and a half was exhausting.

Princess of the Breeze (2)

How a movie where Jigen has to carry a baby around in one of those funny baby-carriers turned out this fucking goddawful I have no explanation for. This movie was like an AU where all these other characters no one cares about happen to exist in the same universe as lupin. and when lupin does show up, i want him dead. Just horrifically boring and lazy art mixed with bad cgi. The only upside is that it isn’t Return of the Magician.

Return of the Magician (1)

I’m giving it a 1 on the principle that this wasn’t even a movie. It was a little less than an hour long and my god i’ve never seen a film so full of pad-time that if i can be so bold, there was more pad time than plot. What little plot they had made absolutely no sense and the art used cgi in the most bizarre and ugly ways. i’m pretty sure the credits played twice at the end. if there was a world record for lowest budget in a film, Return of the Magician would win hands down.

#i feel like im missing a lot

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peakyblinders1919 · 7 years

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Las Vegas

She hoped the city only looked grimy and dirty from inside the car. The car sputtering down the road caused people in rags with dirt on their faces out of the way. The houses hung low and were dark, depressing colors, a vast contrast to the colors rising back in Las Vegas, which she called home.

“Tell me why I was forced to come here again?” She muttered to herself in the back seat, digging out her compact mirror from her bag and reapplying her pink lipstick. She meant for it to me a rhetorical question, or not really a question at all, but her driver thought otherwise.

“Your father was worried about your safety Miss.”

She scoffed, taking one last look at herself and flicking it shut, stuffing it back in her purse. “This city looks anything but safe.” She noted, watching a whore pleasure a man on the side of the road accompanied by barely audible yet distinct gunshots in the distance. Finally the car halted to a stop. Her driver got out and raced to open her door, helping her out of the car.

She stood out like a sore thumb, dressed in clothes that would have paid to feed five families. She spun around, trying to get a look at everything the place had to offer, and she could conclude that that wasn’t much. Just by the looks of it she could probably contract a disease from the populated, hazy air. “And what do they call this place?” She asked with an upturned nose.

“Birmingham Miss.”

“Right, sound’s like it looks, awful.” After a moment her driver laughed, now standing with her luggage on the side of the road uncomfortably. “Chauncey, I’ll give you 100 pounds to take me anywhere but here.” She pleaded with him.

“No can do Miss. Your fathers orders. Come on, you might find you’ll actually like it here.”

“Over my dead body.” She rolled her eyes while lighting a cigarette. She shuffled back as a kids was running down the street and a some kind of shop keeper followed them, sorting profanities. “Which might actually be the case.”

“So, is there anything fun to do around here?” She asked as she sat at the table blowing on her cup of tea to cool. She’d been in Birmingham for almost a week now and she hadn’t done anything. She was thankful for her mystery Aunt who lived there though, and her new discovered cousin. She wasn’t as bad as she thought she’d be. She didn’t give a lot of rules, just one flicker of advice; Don’t get involved with the Shelby’s.

“Why not?” She had inquired.

“They’re just like the same people you left.”

“Well I didn’t want to leave, I was forced.”

“Right, and if you dad finds out you didn’t stay away from danger, the next place he’d send you is the convent probably, so I’m just trying to help.”

So she had taken her Aunt’s advice, but she could only stay away for so long. She was starting to get bored, very bored, of the house and the two same old shops she knew of. She wanted to experience something new.

“We could go out tonight?” Her cousin suggested.

“Oh yes, yes please. I’d go anywhere.”

“There’s a pub-“

“If they have drinks, I’m there.”

“You might not like it, it’s kinda…dirty.”

“I don’t care, just get me out of here.”

A few minutes later and she was standing at the bar with a drink in hand and her cousin next to her. She slammed her freshly finished drink on the counter, calling loudly for another round. The men around her cheered and wouldn’t stop eyeing her, surely they’d never seen such a beautiful women drink like a man. She smiled in their view, finally satisfied to be at a party and the center of attention again, regardless of exactly what kind of attention it was she was receiving.

She giggled into her cousins shoulder drunkenly. “Right, my bladder’s going to explode, I’m going to the bathroom.” She said, unknowingly walking towards the private room of the Garrison. Applying pressure to the door with her shoulder she threw it open, the music from the bar filing into the quiet, smokey room. In it were three boys looking somewhat dumbstruck to see this random, beautiful girl stood in the doorway. They looked at her, waiting to hear her explanation as to why she was interrupting their night. The one of the left with cold eyes brought a cigarette to his lips and smoked it while examining her, flicking his eyes away rather quickly when he decided he didn’t want her. The boy next to him with chocolate skin smiled at her, but she didn’t smile back at him. She was looking at the one on the end with strawberry blonde hair in an interesting cut.

“Oh, uh, sorry, I was just looking for the bathroom.” She managed to finally say, making to close the door and leave but she couldn’t. Just as soon as they were out of her sight she threw the door back open. “Hi, sorry, are you guys playing poker?” She asked, unable to take her eyes off the cards on the table.

“Yeah, you know how to play?” The one in the middle asked as the one still smoking look uninterested and the other was just too shy to say anything.

“I do.”

“You any good?”

“Why don’t you find out yourself?”

He ran his tongue over his lip while looking her. “Alright, take a seat.” She squealed with excitement closing the door.

“Uh, it was Finn’s turn to deal but-“

“Oh, sure, I can.” She said with a grin, taking the cards from him. She tried doing a fancy shuffle at first, the cards going everywhere thanks to her shaky hands. The two boys tried to suppress their laughs but the quiet one watched her intently. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried again. This time it was effortless. She shuffled the cards and dealt them so quick the boys could barely keep up with her.

“Right so Texas Holdem, you get two cards now and then three, highest hand is a royal flush, all the same suit. Are we playing with money?” She rambled, flashing them a smile each. Their jaws were basically to the floor, never having seen a girl know so much about poker.

“Eh, we was just playing for fun.”

“So the quiet one finally speaks.” She said with a laugh, finishing dealing her own cards. “It’s not fun without money on the line though. I don’t have much, how about…” she fiddled with her purse, putting some money down, “100 pounds to play.”

“Woah, what’s a girl doing with 100 pounds around here?” The one on the left asked, finally interested.

“I’m new around here.”

“We could tell. I’m Isaiah by the way, and that’s Finn and this here’s Michael.”

“Nice to meet you boys. I’m Y/N, and stop chatting, we got a game let’s go.” She dealt out the round of cards, reading everyone’s expressions. Isaiah folded first followed by Michael when Y/N raised the bet to 200 pounds. They were egging Finn on but he didn’t have a chance.

“This is it. Never lost a game in my life.” She said confidently while flipping over the last card. “Straight flush.” There was an unanimous round of sighs then. “That means you loose if you have anything but a royal flush.”

“Well, around here my family’s kind of royalty.” Finn said, flipping his cards over to reveal he had the best hand possible. Y/N’s mouth fell as she realized she’d finally been beat at her own game. Isaiah and Michael cheered and patted him on the back as he collected the money.

“Nice one.” She finally said, extending a hand.

“You too. That was really good, you know you’re stuff.”

“Yeah well, where I’m from my family’s kinda royal too.”

“Oh yeah? What’s your name?”

“You wouldn’t know it.” She said as she found herself with Finn as the other two went to grab more drinks. “I’m not exactly from around here.”

“Right, and where’d you say you’re from?”

“I didn’t.” He just looked at her then, waiting. “I’m from Las Vegas.”

“What’re you doing all the way over here?” He asked confused.

“My dad’s starting a lot of illegal gambling dens, I guess he thought it was a bad place for me.”

“So he sent you to Birmingham?”

“Stupid, right? He wanted me to get away from violence and gangs so he sent me to the Shelby’s town.” She huffed, blowing smoke from her new cigarette. “I haven’t even seen any of them yet, just heard of them. They can’t be that bad.”

“We’re not.” Finn squeaked, causing her to look at him.

“What’d you say your last name was?”

“I didn’t. But it’s Shelby.”

“Well my dad would hate this.” She chuckled, throwing her head back. “Well, I heard right then, the Shelby’s are good looking.”

“You think I’m good looking?”

“Don’t flatter yourself just because you won one lousy poker game.”

“I bet I could beat you again.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“All or nothing?” She asked, collecting the cards from the table and starting to shuffle them again, getting closer to Finn’s face.

“I have a better idea. How about if I win you go on a date with me.”

“And if I win?” She asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Then you could have whatever you want.”

“I want your money.”

The game lasted till the early morning when the Garrison was emptied. Finn closed up quickly, having told Y/N it was his family’s pub. She tried not to look too impressed either when she found out. She waited at the door with her hand extended. Finn counted out the money, handing it over.

“You’re right, you’re very good.”

“I know.” She said laughing. “Tough loss too.” She said, putting the money away.

“Yeah, maybe we could still go out?”

“Maybe…” She said, leaning to give him a playfully kiss on the lips, just enough for him to want more as he watched her walk into the night.

Feedback please!!

#peaky blinder imagine #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders fanfiction #finn shelby #finn shelby imagine #finn shelby fanfic #finn shelby fanfiction

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ariellynn14 · 7 years

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An Unexpected Love Chapter 5

Started 7/17/17 Finished 7/31/17 (Sorry for such a long wait for chapter 5!!!) ~~~~ Rating: T~ mature Fandom: Touken Ranbu Relationships: Izuminokami Kanesada x Fem! Horikawa Kunihiro, Yamatonokami Yasusada x Fem! Hachisuka Kotetsu ~~~~ Summary: Four Kingdoms, three princes and one princess. The fate of the kingdoms relied upon the marriage of the princess marrying the chosen prince of her father's choice, but will she fall in love with his choice or will she end up hating him instead? ~~~~ As we walked up the staircase to the main floor I noticed Kashuu was fiddling with the necklace around his neck with a face full of worry. It made me wonder what he was thinking in his mind as we walked. “Hey, are you OK? You seem worried about something.” I asked him as he kept staring at the necklace just giving me a head shake as an answer. “Princess, its best not to ask him about it. He's, how should I put it, hard to handle, when it comes to his past.” Yamato stated as he put an arm around Kashuu’s shoulders and looked me straight in my eyes with the deadliest look I had ever seen. “I was only trying to help however. I know how he gets as well since I've known him practically my whole life. I've helped him more than you ever have despite you being the adoptive brother. That's why he lives in the cottage just outside of the castle's walls. He always told me his problems and I helped him solve them. So giving me a deadly stare like that isn't going to scare me. You can try your hardest to protect whatever power it is that he has but it's certainly not going to work too well. I'll do everything I can to get it out of him so he doesn't sulk and become a hermit over the issue.” I strongly replied as everyone continued to walk in front of us and just me, Yamato, and Kashuu stood there, alone, in the cool yellow lighted stairway. “Look…...its nothing to be worried about this time Hori. I know you mean well but it's nothing really. The design on this necklace is just too pretty that I can't help but stare at it with worry since I fear it will rust out one day.” Kashuu finally looked up at me with a dead look in his eyes and no smile or emotion for that matter. That made me remember what the potential threat could be. “Vampires……….the power is vampires? Isn't it? The Kiyomitsu name has been in countless vampire story after story so it only makes sense that the Kotetsu’s would be scared of them and get on their bad side easily. Vampires, according to legend can get very bored of their so called friends after a while and kill them once they aren't needed for their specific purpose anymore. That might be how their grandma died…...not by the impact of being bitten but being bitten when she was young. She might've fell in love with a Kiyomitsu in her teen years and that said partner could've bit her for her blood one day and caused her death many many years later. However that's just a hunch. I could be talking about a completely different family for all I know.” I stated as Kashuu and Yamato both looked at me with two different expressions, one of fear and one a death glare. “Have you ever noticed that Kashuu’s eyes glow when he's around you when it's dark or the weird sparkles he gets in his eyes every so often?” Yamato asked me as his face looked a little less scared than the previous moment. “Y-yeah?? Why??” I questioned now thinking back on what I had said. “What if I told yo……..” That's when all the torches that were lit in the hallway went out randomly and all that was seen was a pair of ruby red eyes glowing where Kashuu stood. That's when I scrambled to my clutch and find my miniature flashlight inside. That's when I realized that that might have been a bad idea and decided to look up at Kashuu instead. “RUN!!!!!!!!!” Yamato screamed as I could barely make out Kashuu turning around and grabbing him by his shoulders. I then bolted up the stairs not thinking what might be happening to Yamato and quickly met up with the others. -------- “So you're saying the power is that the bloodline is made up solely of vampires? But Kashuu’s mother is a human. I know that for a fact.” Hachisuka stated as she handed me a glass of cold water after I had ran up the stairs in fear of whatever Kashuu might have done to me if I stayed any longer. “I always knew something was up with them when they were allowed out of their cells……” The blonde haired boy stated as I remembered he never introduced himself or was called by his name yet. “That's because they are kept in a dark and damp place for most of their days and nights. I don't think I'd feel to well if I was them either Urashima.” Nagasone said to the blonde boy as the question of asking him his name was erased from my mind. “Kane, did you know about this or are you clueless?” I looked over to him as he gave me an uninterested look. “Yeah. It's not like Kashuu has red eyes for a reason. He's a half as far as I know. His dad was supposedly a vampire where as his mom wasn't. He's not only just a screw up to the normal royal bloodline, he's a screwup to the whole Kiyomitsu family blood line. The first half human I believe. I've heard half human vampires are even worse than the real deal. I had a huge vampire phase when I was a kid. It's all my mom read to me as a kid and I'm thanking her for keeping me awake at night for countless nights at a time now.” Kane replied to me as I walked over to him as close as I could so that our noses were almost touching. “Are YOU part of that bloodline??” I asked him as I put emphasis on the you. “Through marriage. Other than that no. I mean I am related by blood, but only from Kashuu’s mother, who isn't a vampire.” He replied to me as he backed me up slightly and flicked me in my forehead after he had finished explaining shortly how he was related to Kashuu. Shortly after that the whole room then fell quiet and all eyes were either on the floor or looking at the various paintings on the walls. That is until a soft feminine voice spoke up that startled us all. “By the ways…….where is my husband??” We then heard Hachisuka question as loud and fast footsteps could be heard coming from the staircase below. No sooner the steps were heard a figure appeared and fell to its knees. It just so happened to be Yamato. “So…..I kinda made Kashuu mad by triggering the princess……” Yamato slightly looked up as a scratch mark was visible on his left cheek. -------- “So…...if your dad has brown eyes and your mom has red eyes, wouldn't she be the vampire and your dad not?” I asked Kashuu as he sat down on a couch in the tea room Hachisuka and her brothers has directed us to. “No, my mom's human. She just has red eyes I guess. My dad was different all throughout his childhood. Being the only vampire in the village with normal colored eyes made it hard for him as a young prince to grow up. He wasn't born with his powers similarly to myself. He had to find them and he didn't find them before his time. His eyes would've been red or another color assimilated with vampires but he didn't experience a life changing event until two years after his deadline. I just happened to experience my life changing event when I was a year old so I ended up growing up with red eyes. As for my mom, I have no clue why she has red eyes. Maybe my dad changed her. It's possible for a human of pure blood to change to a vampire. If that was the case then it is a huge taboo that could end up in execution of both the vampire and the human involved in the accident.” Kashuu messily explained as he looked at me with a determined look rather than the emotionless look he had shown earlier. “Why is it taboo though. Is it really that bad when a human is changed to a vampire?” I asked him as Yamato faceplamed and Hachisuka looked at him with a concerned look. “In normal cases it's not considered taboo, but since my dad comes from a royal family and my mom from a poor and human family it is basically a huge crime. I wouldn't think he just changed her because he couldn't live without her, something had to happen, other than that I think she'd still be human. Mom and dad come from two different backgrounds and lives. I just can't put it together with why he chose her and why he himself never got his red eyes even after his time. It's possible to get them after your time if the event is really that bad. Besides we are the only three left to the original royal southern family. The rest have either been killed or fled the country in fear of the Kotetsu’s. Maybe he changed her during the war, I'll never know I unless I ask. Mom didn't have red eyes last I knew when I was with her last. I remember that, no I remember her being human last I was in her care. Everyone might say I was just a baby but I can remember being in the castle when I was older…...but then again I could just be making things up and they could've all been dreams……..” Kashuu messily spoke once more as Yamato looked at him with a knowing look, the Kotetsu’s with a slightly freaked out look, and me and Kane with a confused but interested look. “So you do remember more than you say you do. You remember it all then I take it? How much do you truly know and what are your ties with the Northern country?” Yamato asked him as Kashuu looked at him and his red eyes showed yet another glisten that I had never seen before. “Not here and not now. Let's just find an inn where we can stay. We can't stay at the castle, well you could, but we can't. They might kill me if we do stay here tonight. I'll reveal more tomorrow if I'm willing to.” Kashuu stated as he gave a Yamato a glare that showed he wasn't very willing to talk about his past or really any of his life before he became my servant and bodyguard. ~~~~ Ah how was this?!? Once again I'm very sorry its so late and the writing is so spaced out. I've been very busy lately and haven't really had any time to write the story. Please send me a message letting me know how I did! Chapter 6 might be out in the next few days or the next few weeks, it all depends on how busy I am. Until then please check out my Twitter, 14arilynn14 , for more KaneHori, Anmitsu, and other TKRB content while the new chapter is under construction!! Also check my watttpad, EvartsArielLynn14 , for more of my fanfanfictions if you like my work! Hope you enjoyed!! ^°^ Please remember to check @touken-danshi 's original au idea on their tumblr also!! **REBLOGS AND SHARES ARE APPRECIATED!! THAT LETS ME KNOW YOU ENJOYED THE CHAPTER!**

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