(The best of this post and its reblogs, but with links that work)
Here is a website where you can scroll down to all the different levels of the ocean
Here is a website where you can see the future of the universe
Here is a website where you can press a ‘make everything okay’ button, over and over, until things really are okay
Here is a website that you can read if you feel like a burden
Here is a website where you can look at strobe illusions (TW strobe/flashing)
Here is a website where you can cut stuff up (TW blood/sh)
Here and here are websites where you can play with sand
Here is a website where you can draw with macaroni and other fun foods
Here is a website where you can paint someone’s nails
Here is a website where you can grow a garden with emojis
Here is a website with hundreds of videos of people hugging you (rightfully dubbed ‘the nicest place on the internet’ because it really is, y’all, it made me cry)
Here is a website that will take you to other useless websites
Here is a website where you can make a tiny cat play bongo drums (and other instruments!)
Here is a website to help give you gentle reminders <3
Here is a website where you can grow a tiny farm
Here is a website where you can take a bunch of scientific personality tests
when shiloh unexpectedly quit the up-and-coming rock band katseye after they exploded on the scene with a critically acclaimed first album that was followed by a highly successful world tour, it left both fans and critics shocked as to why she would leave at the height of the band's success and popularity. unbeknownst to all, shiloh's contract wasn't renewed after being voted out and replaced by daniela's best friend, manon bannerman, by her band members. for the past two years shiloh has been dark on her public socials until she out of nowhere drops a teaser of her new single along with rumors of her releasing a solo album soon —right around the same time her former band will be dropping their third album. things are going to get interesting, especially when she has to start being around her ex, sophia, and the girl she left her for and was replaced in the band with, manon. fun, huh?
written
word count: 2.7k
lara had been standing in front of the door to the practice room for the past ten minutes because she had come straight there after replying to shiloh.
not many things can easily scare lara, but this— talking shiloh after everything that happened between them years ago—certainly could be listed in her top 5 now.
she hasn't had a one-on-one conversation with shiloh in so long that she was afraid of doing or saying something wrong that'll bring up bad thoughts or memories for shiloh— it's why she's had trouble looking shiloh in the eye when they first saw each other again at ryujin's party months ago because she's let the guilt sit and pretended it wasn't there for so long.
her shame and guilt have festered for too long, and a lot has happened afterwards that has made things much more complicated for everyone involved.
specifically sage, lara, and shiloh.
with sage being shiloh's little sister, lara's guilt over what happened has somewhat eclipsed her love and wanting to be with sage because lara does not want to get in between siblings that had only just found each other, and she never wanted sage to feel as if she had to choose between being loyal to her sister or being with lara or making shiloh uncomfortable because she's around and with sage— it's unfair to both sisters, and lara doesn't want her selfishness getting in the way.
—you're right in a way… but it's also unfair of you to take away sage's choice. this is for her to decide. not you.
yoonchae's words continue to echo in her mind— cause she's right. lara's response is understandable, but she also should have let sage handle it even if it would have hurt just the same.
lara knows that there's no reason to stall this even more than she already has, but the fear of— she's scared. lara's scared.
scared of what shiloh would say.
scared that there's a chance she'll never see or speak to sage again— there are plenty of reasons that lara could come up with to explain her fear, but in the end it will still just make her a coward who didn't want to face shiloh or hear what she's afraid to listen to.
so before she could talk herself into standing outside the door for another ten minutes, lara opened the door and stepped into the practice room and almost immediately found shiloh sitting down on the floor with her back against the wall looking at her phone. shiloh looked up when the door opened, and she locked eyes with lara once she saw the girl walk fully into the room and awkwardly waved.
shiloh could see the nervousness radiating from the other girl and patted the empty spot on the floor next to her, "— come sit next to me before you pass out, lara."
lara nearly tripped over her own feet with how quickly she moved, sitting down next to shiloh and leaving a little room between them as a just in case.
for a while it felt like time stood still as neither woman made a move to speak first. lara was terrified of saying the wrong thing, and shiloh was trying to figure out what words she wanted to say and what she meant— both agreed on one thing, though— that this was for sage. shiloh just hopes sage won't be too upset with her for this— for not telling her that she was going to talk with lara, but she hopes doing this will hopefully be better for her— for her and lara both.
"so— you're dating my sister," shiloh made a face as she said that, still not used to the idea of her baby sister dating because, well, it's weird, and she can't figure out how it's allowed in the first place.
lara nodded her head slowly, "yeah... it's me— doing the dating thing— with your baby sister."
shiloh choked back a laugh as she dropped her head down— she had no idea why she found lara's answer to be funny, but she did, and now she has to restrain herself to keep the laughter at bay.
when lara noticed that shiloh's head dropped and shoulders shook a little, she knew that the older woman was definitely fighting off a laugh at her expense, "you're already making fun of me!" she pouted.
"you're already making fun of me!" lara pouted once she saw shiloh's head drop and shoulders shake a little, indicating that the older girl was trying her best to contain her laughter.
"no, no, i'm not—" shiloh's words are interrupted by her own snort of laughter. she really didn't mean for this talk— interrogation— about lara and sage being together to start out this way.
lara was still pouting, but the corner of her mouth twitched. there were plenty of things she missed when it came to shiloh, like how easy being around her was. shiloh has such a comforting, warm presence that made anyone relax just from being near her— and how empty it felt when she was gone.
it was their fault. all of it.
"i love her, shiloh—" lara said quietly, the words coming out of her before she could stop them. "i've never taken relationships seriously— treated them like they were temporary and just a quick fix to whatever itch i needed scratched and when it didn't work, i kept going back to him— orlando…" hearing that unfortunate dude's name made shiloh's lip twitch in disgust and her mind went back to that very first time shiloh and the other girls officially met him— she remembered disliking him on the spot but said nothing because she wanted to support lara's…whatever it is with orlando.
"i had finally broken things off with him for good, and to keep me distracted from it, megan and dani took me to this party adela was throwing, and i didn't want to go at first, but megan was right about me needing to get my mind off it— i saw her five minutes into the party, and at first— i thought it was you until she turned around fully and i— " lara's mind goes back to that night— the atmosphere— how loud the music was, remembering how overwhelmed and suffocated she felt being there. lara had wanted to leave the moment she stepped foot into the party— then she sage and all those feelings melted away.
"i got to know her, and everything started clicking into place for me— sage is— she became everything to me, and because she's everything and because i love her— i don't want her to choose me over you. i can't— shiloh i won't be the reason you lose your sister— i love her, and she loves me, but she's your sister, shiloh. your sister. i'm part of the reason why you—" she didn't finish saying it— lara just dropped her head, eyes focused on her hands that she had clasped tightly together.
shiloh hadn't moved or said anything, choosing instead to sit and listen while lara spoke. she'd hoped, and prayed, for orlando's downfall even when she hadn't spoken to lara for the past two years. every once in a while, shiloh would randomly ask about lara's love life and hope she somehow figured out a way to throw that man into a trash bin, so when yoonchae told her one day that lara had actually broken things off with that man for good, she did a silent fist pump— and continued to wish the worst on him.
but that wasn't what worried shiloh.
shiloh wasn't worried about lara's relationship with that man having any kind of influence over the relationship she shares with sage— she'd asked her sister plenty of questions about how lara treated her and was surprised that the shit orlando hadn't colored her perception of how relationships are. none of that worried her— some did, but it wasn't the main reason.
she worried about lara leaving and abandoning sage when she needed her the most.
will she sit by and watch her sister retreat into herself and do or say nothing? is she using her in any kind of way to get to shiloh?
will lara leave her?
lara's shoulders shook— shiloh knew it wasn't from laughter, and without thinking more on it, she reached out and placed her hands on top of lara's.
she didn't move closer, didn't lay her head on lara's shoulders— shiloh just placed her hand on top of the others.
shiloh may not have moved closer— but lara did.
lara moved the small distance between them— they were now sitting shoulder to shoulder. lara didn't push, and shiloh didn't push her away.
somehow it still was enough.
nothing was said for a while, and lara was afraid she said too much— or too little.
but then shiloh spoke, "i'm not going to pretend i find the idea of my sister dating, but that decision— you and sage being together, sweetie— that's up to her. you can't take away her choice, lara— no matter how much you want to protect her from the pain."
shiloh's being hypocritical with her words; she knows very well that she is because she herself is taking away the choice of knowing from sage— and many more— about shai's constant calls and messages.
the fear she had of josiah making an appearance when it's their mother shiloh needed to worry about—
"lara— im going to ask you something and you probably know what im going to ask you but i need you to tell me the truth, okay?" shiloh turned to look at lara, she knows the other girl will not look directly back at her but shiloh wants her to see how serious she is about the question she's going to ask.
however, to her surprise, lara moved her gaze away from her hands to shiloh's. "when you learned she was related to me— that she was my sister were you going to use that as a way to—"
"no," lara interrupted, and there was a seriousness in her tone that oddly made shiloh proud. "i was— i actually wanted to tell her about what happened— what we did to you right after megan told me. i would never use her or you— at all— even if sage and i were just friends— i'd never do that."
shiloh's squeezed her hand around lara's— she knew the answer to her question already because she believed sage. still, shiloh wanted to get the answer from lara herself.
"it's gonna take some getting used to being around you— being around you all but i don't— just know i will not stop you from seeing sage. it's never been up to me but her and only her, lara— i just need time to get used to you again... okay?"
lara nodded her head; tears were streaming down her face as she smiled at shiloh. nothing's fully resolved between the two of them yet— but it's a start.
and lara's grateful for it.
awkward.
that's what ryujin's been feeling the moment she came to the studio to record.
ryujin had already known about riot games being interested in collaborating for their upcoming league championship; however, what she didn't know was it was going to involve shiloh— and sophia. manon and lara are included, yes, but that wasn't what was making ryujin's jaw twitch in irritation, but the fact that sophia hadn't kept her eyes away from shiloh the entire time of the recording session. it would have been less annoying to her if it was just normal staring except that it wasn't— sophia looked at shiloh in the very same way ryujin did.
like she was in love.
like she was still in love with shiloh.
and then there's the way manon also looks at shiloh and the way you can see how visibly relaxed she's gotten when they were in the recording booth together.
it was infuriating to witness.
sophia— shiloh's ex-girlfriend— and manon— sophia's current girlfriend— are looking at shiloh in a way that makes ryujin's chest tighten, and she's not sure if it's from anger… or jealousy.
when everyone went their own way after being given a two-hour break to rest and eat before they went straight into rehearsing for the live performance, and when ryujin saw shiloh leaving the studio, she was going to follow behind her so they could talk, and ryujin knows she's being unfair— she knows that because it was her that said to shiloh that she needed space, and the other woman is doing what was asked of her, and yet, ryujin selfishly wants to talk and be around her.
so when ryujin saw lara leave a few minutes after shiloh, she was preparing to get up when the door to the studio opened and in came sophia.
without manon.
there's probably a logical explanation to why manon's probably not with sophia. either she's in the bathroom, delayed by a phone call from a friend or family member, or she's resting in one of the lounges that are located in the building because it makes sense to want to rest a little before you start rehearsals for stage performances.
except that's not what ryujin's line of thinking is going.
—did sophia come by herself to see if she could be alone with shiloh? did sophia figure shiloh would be alone in the studio? was she hoping shiloh was alone in the studio?
judging from the way sophia barely looked up from her phone as she entered the studio, ryujin believes otherwise, and from how she's heard about the other girl and her work ethics and how much of a perfectionist she could be, it tracks that sophia would come back to the studio.
sophia didn't appear shocked or even surprised to ryujin once noticing she was still in the room when she looked up from her phone; in fact, her expression was entirely neutral when she saw the other girl. she did acknowledge ryujin by nodding her head before settling into one of the chairs and returning to scrolling through her phone. all without saying anything,
ryujin doesn't know why it bothered her— but it did.
they weren't exactly sitting right next to each other in the chairs, but they also weren't that close either, where if ryujin turned her chair, she wouldn't bump sophia's knee with her own accidentally.
still— it was close enough.
"she hasn't moved on from you..." ryujin hadn't turned her head, but she cast a sidelong glance at the other woman. sophia's eyes were still fixed on her phone, but ryujin saw that her thumb was no longer moving on the screen.
she was paying attention— so ryujin kept talking.
"i don't know what all went down between the two of you, but it still affects her— haunts her, actually, more than she lets herself realize. it affects how she reacts to when someone— someone like me— wants her. but yet there's still something about you that makes her still love and want to be with you, even when she's unaware of it." sophia's grip tightened around her phone; the more ryujin spoke, the tighter she held it.
"it'd be exceedingly selfish of me to ask you to release the hold you have on her— for her to get closure with you so then maybe i can be with her and give her everything she deserves— but i can't. i won't— but i'm also afraid that she'll—" ryujin stopped talking; she didn't know why she was saying any of those or what her end goal is, but she had to say this.
there was one more thing ryujin did want to say, though, and that was when she finally turned to look at sophia, "you still love her too— don't you? even though you're with her— manon." there was no accusation or malice in her tone. ryujin simply stated a fact— a fact that sophia herself cannot deny.
because she's right— sophia thought. about everything.
i have loved her since i was six years old— i fell for her again when we found each other in high school. even when i hurt her and chose manon over her— i selfishly still loved her then. —and i still love her now.
and i don't want to let her go—
a/n: i am so sorry this is late school assignments have been killing me and i have been mainly focused on those and my summer break, for me, starts monday so i'll be back to terrorize then
in which... after retirement, alysa decides to attend a summer camp at 16, not expecting to fall for someone on that very same camp.
word count — 5.2k
a/n — sorry for the shit image i genuinely couldnt find anything that fit the fic 🥀🥀 also not rly proofread and rushed so its bad.
summer 2022.
alysa promised herself that she wouldn't waste a single day of her life anymore.
wouldn't waste it letting somebody living through her, doing something she no longer found joy in and even worse, letting it consume her life.
she was tired of skating being the thing defining her as a person, so she sought out to do everything she could never do when she was still skating.
now that 12 hours at the rink wasn't her default and she regained her autonomy, everything around her seemed so overwhelming.
she wanted to experience school in person.
she wanted to go on vacation.
she wanted to hang out with friends.
to hike.
to go to parties.
to regain control over her own body — to learn what it's like for your mind and body to be connected instead of your mind being something wandering far away while your body was just a vessel used to accomplish dreams she wasn't sure were hers anymore.
this newfound freedom was overwhelming — like your eyes finally being opened after years of relying on other senses, and all of a sudden you were left with no choice but to cope with the strange sensation of the sun burning your eyes because living life in darkness was exhausting.
so she decided to make a bucket list.
even before her retirement, alysa had regularly daydreamed about what a normal life would be like.
each step sequence, each spin, each water break, each lunch break was spent looking out the windows and envying those who got to experience normal life or wondering what it would be like to join them.
she imagined herself laughing with friends during classes.
rotting in bed with her siblings.
walking her dog.
hiking.
hanging out with friends in any place that wasn't the rink.
getting to experience the wind bite her skin and her being present enough to experience it.
each moment she became more and more aware of the fact she was living her life on autopilot.
how she'd been letting everybody dictate what her body does and how her mind works.
how she couldn't remember the last time she felt one with her body.
the last time anything felt real and not like part of some sick nightmare.
when she realized she was not familiar with the world past rinks, gyms, competitions, flights, and medals she did not care about while everybody else around her got to do all these things that gave them this sparkle in their eyes alysa lacked, her world came crumbling down.
it was like all these people knew something she didn't, and she craved to find out everything there was to know about the world.
retirement was followed by immediate pushback by her dad and those in the skating world, but she no longer cared.
nobody could convince her to go back to what took eleven years of her life, eleven years she wasn't sure what she learnt from.
she went hardcore trying to salvage what was remaining of her childhood.
one of the ways she did so was by begging her dad to let her go to a summer camp she saw an ad for, and when he saw those puppy eyes staring back at him, of course he said yes.
so here she was, packing a suitcase she could barely zip up.
she impatiently counted down until the day of the trip, marking the date on her calendar with little doodles of waves and sunglasses.
⋆⋆⋆
the night of the trip, alysa couldn't sleep. she knew she should, because the bus ride would be 8 hours long with a few stops to visit some landmarks, but the excitement buzzing in her bones would not let her close her eyes for longer than a few seconds.
instead, she stared at her ceiling, clutching a plushie while thinking about what she was going to do for two whole weeks where she could just relax.
usually camps meant more intensive training. dance lessons, skating lessons and whatnot. she never heard “camp” and thought “vacation”.
she looked into all the activities organized by the camp she would be attending the next day.
she looked at the place it was held at, looked at the itinerary, and each click got her more and more excited.
the morning of the trip, she barely ate.
her entire body was buzzing with nerves.
she counted down the minutes until she would go to the spot where all the kids would get picked up by the bus.
she thought about the people she'd meet.
would she make any new friends?
would someone recognize her?
the drive to the spot felt too long.
she was good at entertaining herself during car rides, having getting used to them long ago, but somehow she couldn't keep still on this thirty minute ride.
“how long until we're there?!”
“do you think i’ll get a window seat?”
“i wonder if ‘ill have a roomie! do you think we'd get along?”
“i packed my camera, right?”
at some point, alysa's dad begged her to just quiet down and let him focus on the road, but alysa did not budge and kept her wave of questions coming.
when she stepped out of the car, she ran a few strides towards the bus until her dad yelled at her to get her suitcase.
she laughed, grabbing the handle and giving her father a quick hug before running back to the bus.
immediately, she felt an unfamiliar feeling creep up in her chest.
she was shy.
she looked at the kids around her, and she couldn't get herself to make a peep.
when she got on the bus, everybody found a seatmate, and alysa was left to sit alone.
she got her window seat, but at what cost?
“so much for making friends,” she muttered, putting her headphones back on.
as she was scrolling through her playlist, looking for some song to cheer her up, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“um, is it okay if i sit here..?” you asked in that meek tone alysa would soon grow fond of.
for a second, she forgot how to speak.
“yeah!” she said, her tone a bit too high pitched for her liking, making her mentally slap herself at how stupid she felt.
she noticed your eyes darting to her headphones and phone, a little nervous — not used to having eyes on her outside of competition.
for once, somebody saw a teenage girl. not the skating prodigy. just alysa.
“what music do you listen to?” you asked with a smile, gesturing towards her playlist.
alysa handed you her phone, letting you scroll through it. her face lit up when you pointed to some of the artists on there and exclaimed “oh my god, i listen to them too!”, unaware of the huge, half-crooked grin forming on her face.
“really?” she asked, “show me your playlist!!”
you immediately pulled your phone out of your pocket, opening your music app and showing her all your playlists.
alysa could barely contain her excitement, leaning over your shoulder to look at your playlist.
as she was leaning over, she forgot what she was doing and accidentally ended up resting her chin on your shoulder.
once you finished showing off your music taste, you turned to her to ask for her opinion..and you saw her resting on your shoulder like she belonged there.
before you knew it, a blush was creeping up your face, and when alysa realized what was happening, she pulled back and started apologizing, that hint of nervousness returning in her voice.
“no, its okay!” you insisted, “you don't have to pull away.”
her eyes softened upon hearing your voice take on that reassuring tone, scooching closer to you, leaning her head against yours.
you didn't even notice the bus’ engine starting or the bus beginning its journey, too entranced by the feeling of her soft hair brushing against your skin, her scent holding a note of something soft and comforting.
you leaned back against her, a shaky sigh escaping you.
you heard a small, shy voice.
“do you want to listen to music together?” alysa asked, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, her question eliciting a smile from you.
you held out your earphones, gesturing for her to put one in.
she put on some slow, warm song, helping to release some of her nerves.
it wasn't long until you found alysa's hand resting on your stomach, her breathing evening out as sleep took her, soft snores coming out of her while she found comfort in your presence.
whenever your gaze wasn't lingering on the girl resting on your shoulder, it was focused on the world passing by outside of the bus window.
you didn't know much about alysa — only that you had a similar music taste and her seemingly shy personality.
it was then that you realized you didn't even know her name.
you were so lost in yapping each other's ears off about music that you forgot to introduce yourselves.
“oh,” you muttered under your breath, trying not to wake her.
you realized how good her hand felt on you.
how right her presence felt.
how her scent comforted you.
how you had to hold yourself back from staring into those deep brown eyes whenever she spoke.
how for once, you didn't feel some sort of impending doom or anxiety whenever you let yourself get comfortable.
every now and then, she would mutter something in her sleep, wrap her arm tighter around you, or make some sleepy noise you wouldn't dare admit you found adorable.
when the speakers turned on and the guide announced that you would be stopping for food, you noticed how alysa flinched at the noise. how her eyes practically shot open.
“you good?” you asked, squeezing her arm.
“yes.” she answered, but it felt robotic. too quick.
“we're stopping for food.” you said, keeping your tone soft, your thumb now tracing patterns on her arm.
“okay.”
you went to this small but cozy restaurant. immediately upon entering the place, alysa held her hand out and clung to the cuff of your sleeve, too shy to take your hand.
ordering your respective meals, she found some cozy spot in the corner of the restaurant and sat across from you.
you could tell she avoided eye contact. she kept looking at your hoodie. at the floor, at her plate. at anything but your eyes. and when your eyes did land on each other, you swore you saw the tip of her ears take on a shade of red.
when she tried to get your attention to show you the cat staring at you from the window, only then did she realize that she didn't know your name.
“i didn't get your name,” her voice was shy, hesitant. “im alysa.”
“im y/n.” you smiled, “alysa suits you. its a beautiful name.”
“you think so?” her eyes widened ever so slightly as she spoke, that familiar shade of red returning to the tip of her ears.
“yeah.”
you finished the last bits of your food before taking a second to really just look at her.
the moles around her nose.
her hair.
everything about her captivated you.
you had to know more.
so you immediately flooded her with questions.
“what's your favourite color?”
“what made you sign up for this camp?”
“what school do you go to?”
“what grade are you in?”
“do you like cats or dogs?”
“where do you come from?”
“do you do sports?”
“where do you buy your clothes?”
and just about anything you could think of. hell, you were ready to ask her if she preferred dusk or dawn, anything to understand her mind well enough that you knew it like your own.
the conversation seemed to flow effortlessly for hours on end until you finally arrived to your destination.
when it came time to get assigned rooms, you practically begged the person at the desk to give you a room for two, holding hands and pleading with them to give in to your demand.
as soon as you got your key, you clipped it onto your carabiner and immediately started skipping towards your room.
you watched her loosen up.
her smile grow.
her laugh take on this newfound freedom.
her voice get louder, no longer sounding apologetic for simply existing.
each second spent with her, you felt more and more things click into place.
you felt the air shift into something comfortable.
when you arrived to your room, there were two beds, only separated by a nightstand which was quickly moved to some corner of the room and forgotten.
alysa pushed the beds together and gestured for you to lay down.
she took her camera out of her bag and showed you the pictures she took — a collection of pictures she took of you without your knowledge, pictures she took of the sky, of the wildlife you encountered each stop, pictures of you together, smiling, the spark in your eyes bright as ever.
she leaned her head on your shoulder yet again, something that would become a habit of hers.
it was made clear to you that you were her safe space.
you didn't understand why she flinched whenever she heard the intercom, why she avoided the topic of sports, why she looked at food as something to be feared and affection as something to be earned and given in small measures.
still, you stayed with her through it all.
tucked strands of hair behind her ear.
held her a little tighter when she went quiet.
laughed louder to encourage her to get out of her shell.
supported her little photography endeavours.
encouraged her to talk about her interests and drank in the sight of her face lighting up each time she realized you were genuinely interested in everything that she had to say.
there were some nights where you joined the rest of the group and spoke with them, and each night, without fail, you found alysa's arm wrapped around yours.
some kids would even make playful jabs at you two — would call you a married couple, ask you when's the wedding or if you got baby names planned out.
you watched the blush on her face gradually make itself more known every time they made such a comment, and more often than not, you failed to contain your giggles, a sound she would do anything to hear on repeat for hours on end.
on the third night of camp, you woke up in the middle of the night only to see her wrapped up around you.
despite the scorching july heat, you let her stay like that, because you wanted a better look at her face. how peaceful she looked. how her hair was this shade of brown that bordered on black. how her moles formed a little constellation, and how a new one was forming.
you didn't know that this was a rare sight. that alysa had spent so much of her life in fight or flight and never truly resting, all you knew was that this was a sight you wanted to take in every night, one you wanted etched into your brain, one that felt right, that gave your eyes purpose that wasn't just survival — even though you started thinking that part of survival included alysa in it.
even though you had eleven days left, you couldn't help but miss alysa already.
every day, when you weren't laughing so hard that you were convinced one day you'll wake up with abs, or when you weren't taking silly pictures together and instead forced to keep quiet and sit with yourself, you thought of how she became part of your routine, a part you were sure you couldn't live without.
you were terrified of losing this newfound sense of peace and belonging, so each night, you clung onto her, completely ignoring the heat biting at your skin and instead focusing on the feeling of her fingertips brushing against the bare skin exposed after your shirt rode up.
the day the water warmed up enough for everybody to go for a swim, alysa made sure she took enough pictures of you at the beach that her sd card was nearing full capacity, the paint on her shutter button beginning to peel away.
sometimes she would join you — you'd play mermaids, like you were six and not sixteen, or she would splash you in the face just to hear you laugh and attempt to tackle her in the water.
she hid behind her photography as an excuse to look into your face, she would say “you're just..so photogenic” or “please, this would look perfect”. sometimes, when you were posing, she would deliberately stare at the display for a second longer than needed before pressing the shutter.
she herself didn't know how gone she was for you until you joked about having a crush on some guy during a game of spin the bottle at a random get together the group organized.
you had gotten dared to kiss him, which you refused — all of a sudden just the thought of him seemed to disgust you.
you noticed how alysa looked at your face.
her lips were slightly parted, and her eyes had taken on this glassy look, almost pleading with you to not do it.
you didn't understand why it made your chest ache.
why alysa had become synonymous with love in your mind.
why you felt nauseous each time you imagined her with a boyfriend.
why you hated talking about the future because it somehow always included a husband and kids.
the next few days after that night felt different.
the air was a little more charged, and without realizing, you had become more possessive of each other.
alysa stopped letting you out of her sight — not that she ever really did, but now she became more serious about enforcing this new, unwritten rule.
she wanted to make sure you were her number one.
every time he was near you, she tugged at the cuff of your sleeve or sometimes, if she was feeling bold, reached for your hand.
she began to notice how you seemed to reciprocate it.
how you would deliberately try to keep her to yourself.
for a bit, neither of you knew what was happening, let alone why it was happening.
both of you just thought that this was what really close friends do.
that feeling jealousy churn in your chest each time the other mentioned a love interest was completely normal.
that there was absolutely nothing unusual about staring at each other's lips and getting dangerously close to kissing, or waking up with limbs tangled around one another.
nothing unusual about wearing each other's clothes, or whispering “i’d marry you if i could.” when someone thought the other wasn't hearing.
it was only on the last night did she finally admit her feelings for you.
⋆⋆⋆
her thumb reached up to trace circles on your cheek, her free arm moving to pull you closer.
you had tried to fall asleep, but to no avail. you had said your goodnights and you had closed your eyes, but sleep just didn't seem so eager to envelope you in its embrace like it usually did.
was it the nerves from leaving the next day, you did not know. all you knew was that there was a pretty girl holding you close and that your heartbeat was going a mile an hour.
that night you had went to a nearby park with her and some of your camp friends, where you had gotten tipsy off of some cheap alcohol one of the kids convinced a stranger on the street to buy for them.
she had a little too much, misjudging her tolerance, and immediately stepped out of her shell.
she instantly went back to the alysa the others close to her knew — the bold, confident alysa.
she wrapped her arms around your waist, tangled her fingers in your hair, jokingly called you her wife, would kiss your cheek, all obvious enough for everybody around you to notice.
“you know, at this point just get together!”
“yeah, you should date!”
kids shouted while giggling, entertained by the blush attacking your face.
“we would if we weren't girls!” alysa retorted, now giggling herself, unaware of the pain gnawing at your chest.
“that doesn't matter!” a kid shouted back.
“but how can girls be with girls?”
“just like that! just date already!”
you could feel alysa's heartbeat rapidly speed up, thumping in her ribcage.
she laughed nervously.
this — the concept of two girls dating, being in love — was very new to her.
she wasn't sure why whenever dating came up, it was you who she thought of.ervously.
later that night, one of the girls from your group sat with her when you went to use the bathroom.
“do you like her?” the girl wasted no time sugarcoating it, allowing herself to be blunt.
by then, the alcohol had completely worn off. alysa was sober. she could not blame what she said on the cheap drinks.
the conversation quickly shifted to another topic, but the air between you and alysa remained charged with something neither of you were willing to admit.
later that night, when you went to use the bathroom, a girl sat next to alysa, giving her a knowing look.
“you like her.” she stated bluntly, not bothering to sugarcoat any of it.
“what?” alysa answered, almost choking on air as she spoke.
“you heard me. you are in love with her. you're practically sewn to her. admit it to yourself and then to her.”
as soon as those words came out of the girl's mouth, alysa saw the bathroom door opening, and it wasn't long before you reclaimed your spot next to her, the topic changing once more before alysa could fully process her feelings.
you sat next to alysa, shoulders brushing for a brief moment until you gave in and let your head rest on her shoulder, too tired to hold in the need for affection.
the girl next to you sat up and went back to her group, giving you both a knowing look — one that you didn't notice, but alysa did.
the rest of the night was spent talking about everyone's plans after camp, and during everyone's input, alysa couldn't help but steal glances at you, her mind immediately drifting and becoming hyper aware of the fact that soon, you would be separated, and that this was your final night where you could be next to each other every waking second.
underneath the stoic, “im listening” expression, was a girl who was quietly spiraling, not ready to remove you from her daily routine.
so when it was time for everybody to go back to their respective rooms, alysa swallowed as soon as she felt the lump in her throat growing.
you, completely oblivious to all of this, yawned and tugged at her sleeve, letting her know you were ready to sleep.
the walk to your room felt far too long for her liking, and her tense energy started to affect you too. this kind of tense silence was unlike her.
you tried to fill it with small talk. shallow, light conversations. safe ground.
you tried to ignore it.
you didn't acknowledge the suffocating tension, just went through the motions — unlocked the door, changed into pajamas, did your nightly routine, and laid on your side of the bed.
alysa did the same. she herself wasn't sure what was going on at that point, but she was too lost in thought to really do anything about it.
she wondered what this feeling was — how she was so drawn to you, how a world without you in it seemed almost terrifying, how she wanted to be as close as possible, to crawl into your ribcage and keep your heart hostage.
“wonder” is the wrong word to use here, because alysa knew. she knew when that girl told her. but she kept trying to find other explanations. kept trying to convince herself that she had not completely fallen for you. that these two weeks were not spent completely pining over you.
so, when the time to go to bed finally came, this time, she did not initiate any touch, because she had begun overthinking every little move she made.
instead, you were the one who hugged her, who rested your head on her chest, right where you belonged, and you could've sworn that you could've felt her heart beat a little faster than usual.
for a minute, you just let yourself bask in this feeling. her arms and her warmth had been everything you craved for the past two weeks, and the only thing that seemed to bring some sort of purpose in your life, something to look forward to every day.
alysa spoke first, in a shaky voice that gave out how nervous she was.
“will you miss me? i mean.. when summer camp is over..”
“i think it would be really hard not to miss you.”
“youre implying that you'll try not to miss me?” she questions, a pout forming on her face.
“no, silly. i mean.. we are going to stay in touch, right? and-and i mean really in touch. we will update each other about our lives..and we'll hang out.”
“but im scared i wont be able to let go. for the past few weeks you have been, well..my everything.. and i will really miss cuddling you.”
she sighed before speaking again.
“i’ve been thinking, if.. about, what we're doing.”
“what are we doing?”
“thats the question.”
“i dont follow.” you said, slightly tilting your head.
“see- i mean, its just- you know. we..do all these things, like, we kiss each other's cheeks and we cuddle to sleep and hold hands everywhere and always sit together and.. and i dont know if that's… friends stuff..”
alysa avoided eye contact while she spoke, something you noticed happened alot everytime she felt nervous or insecure in her words.
“w-well..” her words had you stumped. there were a few beats of silence where you weren't sure what to say, because you knew she was right. you knew this was not your average sister like friendship. this was far more than that. “i.. don't understand..”
“i think i like you.”
alysa's words were strained. you could tell she was feigning confidence and doing a very poor job at it.
“what do you mean?”
“i meant what i said. i have a crush on you.”
it sounded like she was working on accepting it as well — but this time her words were steadier.
“but im a girl.”
the confusion in your tone confused alysa further. both of you knew of queer couples and had discussed it before. but it felt like something you only ever saw in books or movies — not something in your everyday life.
“okay? and?”
“can girls crush on girls?”
“...yes?”
“wait.. wait what?”
“yeah.”
“how does it.. feel?”
she felt slightly frustrated with you for shifting the topic.
“like a normal crush.”
“how does a normal crush feel?* you asked, still oblivious.
“gosh, it doesn't matter! what matters is i have a crush on you. i want to kiss you, to go on dates with you, to live with you, i want to marry you.”
alysa blurted the words out without much thought, simply wanting to get the point across. her frustration was getting to her, and it was becoming evident in her tone.
that's when it began to click for you.
when you understood what all the late night cuddling was, the sweet nothings whispered in one anothers ear, and the constant need for physical affection and reassurance, you were at a loss of words, struggling to get any sound to come out of your mouth.
“so thats a crush.” you choked out.
“yes.”
by now her hands had found their spot cupping your cheeks, forcing you to look at every single emotion in her eyes.
“then..” you trail off, but alysa's burning gaze urges you to go on. “then i have a crush on you too.”
alysa's eyes widened upon hearing your confession, her grip on you faltering for a fraction of a second before tightening again.
“you're lying.” she spoke, her eyes desperately searching yours, praying she finds certainty.
“no, no i’m not.”
you spoke in a calm tone — in comparison to earlier anyway. you made it clear that you were sure. that there was no hesitation behind your words.
“so we've liked eachother this entire time, and no one's said anything?!”
she almost sounded mad — the frustration and uncertainty from the last two weeks were getting to her.
her bewildered tone elicited a small, nervous laugh out of you.
“in my defense i didn't know what it was called.” you threw your hands up, signaling innocence.
despite herself, alysa found a giggle escaping her throat. “ofcourse you didnt, idiot.”
she leaned in, pressing a quick, teasing peck to your nose — not thinking much of it until she felt your cheeks rapidly heat up under her touch.
“aw, is someone flustered?” she teased, which earned her a flick to the forehead and a pout on your face that she did not try to hide her adoration for.
she rubbed the spot where you flicked, giggling all the way through.
as the giggling subsided, a comfortable silence took over.
her hands still rested on each side of your face, gently cradling it.
for a few seconds, all you did was simply look in each other's eyes.
you took the time to admire her deep brown eyes and how they crinkled at the corners, and she took the time to admire yours.
for a brief moment, your gaze would escape to her lips, and so would hers to yours.
when alysa caught on, she smiled, rubbing your cheek with her thumb, speaking in a voice so soft, you were sure it could heal any wound.
“can i?”
“please.” you swallowed.
and with that, she leaned in, carefully closing the distance between you.
the kiss was soft — a reflection of her soul, of how much she cherished you. it was slow and careful, not rushed, and the desperation took shape as gentleness instead of a frantic pace.
when you finally broke apart, alysa held you tight enough to assure herself you would stay right here, in her arms, where you belong.
she pressed the same soft kisses to the top of your head that she did every night, only this time she knew what it meant.
you found yourself melting into her embrace as usual, your breathing already slowing down, signaling the exhaustion that was taking over you.
when alysa realized, she shifted your position to something more comfortable, her fingers now carding through your hair.
still, you did not fall asleep. you wanted to savor this moment as much as possible, because you knew that it was uncertain whether you would ever feel this type of safety ever again.
despite your effort to remain awake, alysa's soothing touches effectively did their job at lulling you to a peaceful sleep.
the last thing you remember before falling asleep was alysa pressing the softest kiss to your temple and shifting your face to rest in the crook of her neck.
you could've sworn you heard an “i love you” come out of her mouth, but alysa would never admit that.
tomorrow you will worry about when you'll see her again, if anything will come out of you two, but tonight is meant to shut your brain off and let you relax in her embrace.
when fans portray a character as a smooth flirty fucker when in canon they’re just like ‘hey who wants to watch me chug this entire fucking bottle of root beer’
kids of color, you’re allowed to get a bitey when a white friend does something racist. literally 0 percent of people of color are obligated to be nice and palatable for white people. holding your tongue in the name of kindness doesn’t really do much in regards to stuff like this because white people are going to see you calling out their own racism as unkind anyways.
white people, if a person of color comes off as aggressive while calling you out for racism, just fucking listen to them. they’re not coming from nowhere, and believe it or not: they know more about racism than you do! shocker, i know. just thickskin it, because it’s really not about you.
a/n — i got really lazy at the end BUT IT’S NOT MY FAULT i decided to write this when im supposed to be sleeping and after taking melatonin so it kind of is my fault but no we don’t talk about it okay 👍 also definitely not proof read sorry
August 26th, 2025
It was half past three in the morning when Sophia woke before anyone else.
Today, you were flying to Seoul to do promo at the HYBE building and perform at M Countdown on the 28th. The flight was at 8am but you had to leave the hotel at 5 in order to get to the airport and through security and customs in time.
Analeia was still sleeping, her earbuds blocking out Sophia’s alarm. Sophia figured she’d let her sleep for at least another 10 minutes before waking her up since all of their stuff had been packed last night.
She got out of bed and got herself ready, brushing her teeth and doing her hair. When she came back out of the bathroom, she went to Ana’s bed and shook her awake, though it took a lot of force, the blonde being a very deep sleeper.
She eventually woke up, whining, and muttering something in Italian, that Sophia did not understand, before finally coming to her senses.
“What?” She spoke roughly, her exhaustion clear.
“Wake up,” Sophia spoke bluntly, “you need to get ready and then help me get everyone else ready.” She walked over to the vanity in the hotel room and picked up the room card.
“I’m going to check who’s awake.” She stated, before sliding the chain lock off the door and sliding out of the room and into the hallway.
It was still quiet, majority of the other guests being fast asleep. The guest room she went to was Manon and Lara’s, since theirs was in the same floor just a few doors down.
They always try to get all of the rooms on the same floor and near each other, but sometimes it’s not possible and they end up separated. Right now, Sophia, Analeia, Manon and Lara were all on the same floor, number 2, their rooms had three others in between them. The rest of you were all on number 4, The rooms being right opposite each other instead of rooms in between.
Sophia knocked on the door the second she got there, She only had a key for you and Yoonchae’s room, expecting that the others would be able to wake themselves up and with up two being the youngest, it was also a safety precaution.
She heard a laugh from inside, Manon’s, very clearly, then she heard footsteps approaching before the door cracked open and Lara peaked out.
“Hi.” Lara whispered.
“Hi.” Sophia echoed, “Are you guys ready to go?”
Manon snorted from inside, covering her mouth right after. That told Sophia that no, they were not ready.
“Hurry up and finish getting ready, I have to go and make sure everyone else is up.” She instructed them tiredly, though, she had no true spite in her voice.
Lara whispered an ‘Okay.’ before shutting the door as Sophia began walking to the elevator. She pressed number 4 and leant against the side of the elevator lazily as she waited for the lift to get to the floor.
She stepped out after the doors opened, walking towards your rooms, located at the very end of the hallway.
The first room she knocked on was Megan and Daniela’s, the door opening almost immediately to Daniela. She was clearly tired but she gave Sophia and smiled.
Daniela shook her head, “No, not yet, we’re mostly packed tho so I thought I’d give her a few more minutes.”
Sophia nodded in response, “I’m gonna wake Y/N and Yoonchae up.”
She got a nod back from Daniela, before they both turned away, Daniela back into her room to get ready and Sophia turning to the door opposite where you and Yoonchae both slept.
She knew neither of you would probably be awake right now because she had told you not to worry about an alarm since she would come and wake you so she used her key to unlock the door. The room was dark, the only light being a very dim night light that you needed to be about to sleep, set under the vanity.
She walked over to Yoonchae’s bed side table, the one closest to the door and flipped the light on, the room lighting up slightly, just enough for you both to be visible. You were both asleep on Yoonchae’s bed, fast asleep, you weren’t curled up together completely, just close enough to feel each other’s comfort.
Yoonchae was effected by the light first, groaning tiredly before rolling over and rubbing her eyes to look at Sophia.
“Good morning.” Sophia smiled softly as you began stirring next to Yoonchae, rubbing her eyes as well.
“Light.” You whispered, confused.
Sophia let out a laugh at that before walking over to the light switch to the main one and flipping it on. That made you whine, twisting in the sheets and burying your face into your squish-a-boo.
“Why aren’t you guys packed? Holy-shit.” Sophia questioned, her voice expressing her shock very well.
That made you lift your head up quickly, eyes widening, suddenly adjusted to the light. “I fell asleep.” You answered, “Sleep schedule’s fixed.” You added on, with a slight smile.
Sophia looked at you, head tilted, not even knowing what to respond until she let out a sigh, not a mad one, just a puzzled one.
Your room wasn’t messy, it just wasn’t tidy. Your makeup and hair stuff were packed into their bags but those bags sat on the table. Your clothes were folded and in piles, but they sat on the floor in the corner of the room.
Sophia got your suitcases that sat by the door and immediately started packing each of your stuff into them.
“Both of you get ready, please. So I can pack away your pyjamas and bedding.” She told you two.
You both nodded, immediately knowing Yoonchae was going to the bathroom first since she was the quickest at getting ready out of you two. You sat up on the bed as she went to the bathroom and started folding the light blanket she brought from home into the bag she was going to take on the airplane, knowing she would want it since she has it on the way here.
Then you moved over to your bed and started putting your teddies and your pink blanket into your hand luggage bag before moving to put away the things from your bedside table. Your hand creams, water bottle, nail file, note book and small pencil case, glasses case that had your glasses wipe in it as well after taking your glasses out and putting them on. You chucked your medication that was organised into a little makeup bag over to Sophia to put in your suitcase, knowing that it wasn’t something you’d be allowed to have in hand luggage.
After you’d done that, Yoonchae came out of the bathroom, now dressed in sweaters and a sweatshirt, comfortable for the flight.
She put her pyjamas in her suitcase that was now fully packed. She helped Sophia zip it up as you went into the bathroom to get ready yourself.
You brushed your teeth first, then did your hair, putting it in your usual pigtail plaits, then washed your face and did your skincare before changing into your outfit you had picked out yesterday morning.
You wore a plain white t-shirt underneath your pink, knitted, off-shoulder sweater with sleeves that widened as they went down your arms and flared at the wrists, hiding your hands down to your finger tips. Your legs were covered by cream coloured sweatpants, the material soft against your skin.
You wore odd socks, like always. It was your thing, you did it for luck but also for comfort. You like things to be perfect but still appreciate the slight bit of difference, which is why you wear them like that. They’re not random tho, they always go together in some way, even if it only makes sense to you. You’ve worn it like that since you were little, your birth mother would always put your socks on odd every day, every time. When your family took you in, they started doing the same after they saw you doing it on an occasion where you picked your own outfit.
After you dressed, you put on deodorant and perfume and packed up all of your bathroom stuff, then walked back into main room. You put your stuff in your suitcase before Sophia zipped it up and stood it up right next to Yoonchae’s.
You went over to your little travel jewellery box and put on your charm bracelet. Every charm had meaning to you. You had bought the original bracelet and the first three charms with the money you got from your maternal Grandma when she passed way nearly 3 years ago. The bracelet was pink wire rope with a silver buckle.
The first charm you got with the money was a Snoopy charm, you picked it because of your love for Snoopy, a love that you connected with your Grandma over. Every time you’d go anywhere with Snoopy, you’d take a picture of him at your destination and you’d show her when you got home. She kept a whole photo book with every photo in it.
The second charm was a sunflower, for the sunflower garden your Grandma and Granddad took care of next to the fruit farm they owned. It was on a large but of land that your Granddad had bought when he married your Grandma after she said she’d wanted to have a fruit farm, and then that continued and grew as they did, it still continued even as she isn’t here. He runs it still with the help of your dad. They had always gotten along but they became closer after losing their wives both in the same year, and your Granddad losing him daughter.
The last one was a locket one, it had two pictures in it, one of you and your Grandma when you were a kid, maybe 6, and the other with a photo of your Grandma and your own mother when she was the same age as you were in yours. You couldn’t open it often tho, it made you too upset, but it was enough just knowing it was there if you needed it, and that they were too.
You put your jewellery box in your hand luggage which was about the last thing to do. The room was clean and you had made the beds, despite knowing that they’d take it apart to clean them anyway. It just felt like the polite thing to do and it was something your family had always done.
You three made your way out of the room at the same time as Megan and Daniela, the five of you heading down to the lobby, stopping on the 2nd floor so Sophia could get out and get her own luggage from her room and collect the other three girls.
The time was 12 minutes ‘til 5 when everyone got into the lobby where Missy, who has been staying on the 3rd floor, was signing out.
You all got into two separate taxis to go to the airport. You, Sophia, Daniela and Manon in the first. Missy, Analeia, Megan, Lara and Yoonchae in the second.
The airport was about 30 minutes away. You were sat in between Manon and Daniela and Sophia sat in the front with the driver, you would usually feel bad for her having to sit on her own but it seemed like they were having a nice conversation, or at least, you hope it’s nice, but they sound friendly so you assume it is.
You were leant against Manon’s side, head on her shoulder, you both had one of Manon’s AirPods in each, both watching the first Twilight movie in her phone.
Daniela had already fallen asleep, her head rested on your shoulder, face smushed against it. You weren’t bothered tho, you two were definitely to most physically affectionate duo in the group.
You ended up falling asleep against Manon’s shoulder after not even 10 minutes into the drive.
When you guys arrived at the airport, Manon woke you and Daniela up while Sophia got out of the car to get the luggage out of the boot with the help of the taxi driver.
Daniela went to help with the bags while you and Manon stood to the side. She held your hand while you guys waited for the others to arrive, their taxi being a bit behind yours.
When the suitcases were sorted out, you went and sat on a bench outside of the airport while you waited for the girls.
After about 10 minutes, the other taxi arrived and the girls got out, Missy and Analeia going to get the luggage out while the others waited for their bags to get handed to them before making their way to you.
Nobody was feeling very talkative right now with it only being 5am. But you did take a photo of Analeia for your twitter.
Missy led you all to the baggage drop off counter. You all had decided on twos to go through the process of the airport together before going to LA, you were sticking to the same duos as before; you and Manon, Daniela and Sophia, Megan and Lara and Analeia and Yoonchae. Missy was doing it alone but sticking by at least one duo.
Manon and you put your bags through the baggage drop off, showing your passports to the customer service agent who gave you both boarding passes before walking to the end of the line to wait for the other girls with Daniela and Sophia, them being the first two to have finished.
You were partly grateful that you had fallen asleep on the way to the airport, but now you could feel your anxiety catching up to you. Your hand was shaking slightly in Manon’s which she felt immediately. She squeezed it gently, not to tell you to stop but to tell you it was okay, that she was there and so were the others.
Once everyone else had finished at baggage drop off, you all headed towards departures, showing your boarding passes and passports again since you were flying internationally.
Then was security, your least favourite part. It always made you the most anxious, and Manon knew that so she stood extra close, never letting go of your hand as you all stood in the long line with your shoulders pressed together.
You stood in line for 15 minutes before making it to the conveyer belt, putting your belongings in a tray, taking off your bracelet and headphones, sticking them in the tray too before following Manon through the body scanner before ending up at the end with your bag and other belongings.
You immediately put your headphones back in the cancel out all the background noise. You were shaking badly at this point, your heart racing fast, but that was the worst part and it was over now.
Your hands were shaking too much while you tried to put your bracelet back on which stressed you out even more. You felt like you were about to cry, scared that you were holding up the line, which you weren’t, the line was slow already, somebody who you didn’t know was trying to explain that they couldn’t take out their piercings because they were new, but you didn’t acknowledge that.
Your head was spinning when Manon came over and put your bracelet back on for you before taking your backpack out of the tray and putting it on her back, sticking the tray on the stack with the others before wrapping her arm around your shoulders and guiding you away from the security line.
She squeezed she as she led you towards the gate. You both stood in front of a panel while Manon read it, your flight hadn’t been announced yet, which wasn’t surprising since it was only 6:30am.
“We still have an hour and a half until our flight.” Manon spoke gently, her arm still wrapped around you. “Do you want to go get something to eat?”
You didn’t feel like you could speak, you could breathe a bit better now but you were still too overwhelmed to get words out so you just nodded, though, it made you aware of the headache you had now.
Manon nodded back as she looked around she saw the other girls walking towards them.
Megan spoke as she reached them first. “Hey, you guys okay?” She asked softly, silently accepting that you were clearly overwhelmed.
You just nodded again, and Manon spoke for you both, “Yeah, just glad that’s over. We’re going to go find something to eat, are you guys coming?” She asked, the rest of the group now together with them again.
“Yes! I’m starving.” Sophia replied, the rest of the girls nodding along.
Missy then spoke, “Okay, everyone go find food and shop, but stay with at least one person, okay? And make sure your phones are on, I’ll call you when we need to meet up at for boarding.”
Everyone nodded before heading off. You all walked towards the shops together first before splitting up, wanting to get different things to eat.
Lara, Ana, Yoonchae and Megan went to a sandwich shop.
You, Manon, Daniela and Sophia all went to 7-Eleven, you not being sure about where you wanted to go, Daniela suggested it. You had a feeling that Sophia didn’t actually wanted to go to 7-Eleven, but that she was just worried about leaving you, even if there were two other girls with you, so she came too.
You ended up getting a bag of crisps, crackers and strawberry pocky. Manon got chocolate pocky, a bag of crisps and a packet of biscuits. Dani got a cereal bar, a pre-packaged salad and a lemonade. Sophia got a pre-packaged sandwich, crisps and a chocolate bar.
You all paid together, using the card the company gave you for your food expenses on this trip. You then went outside and sat at a table, and you all began to eat.
You didn’t feel like you had much of an appetite, but you still ate a few crackers, you went to your bag and got out your water bottle, then realised that you had emptied it before security. You looked around to see if you could see a water fountain anywhere which Daniela noticed. She took your water bottle from your hand silently, before walking to a water fountain you hadn’t seen in the distance.
She came back after a minute, passing your water bottle to you with a kind smile, now filled. “Thank you.” You spoke quietly, only just finding your voice again. Dani just smiled before going back to eating her salad. You guys just sat and went on your phones for a short while. You also posted that picture you took of Analeia to twitter.
At 7:20, you all decided to go have a shop around the airport. You met back with the other group halfway through the shop. You guys brought some snacks for the flight, a neck pillow since you forgot yours on the flight there, and a couple of souvenirs.
At 7:45, Missy called, saying to meet at the boarding gate. We all headed there, light chatter on the way.
You all sat at the seats, waiting for the gate to open for you all to get on the plane. At 8:00, they started letting people on.
You were greeted kindly by the flight attendants, pointing you to your seats. You were all sitting with the duo from the airport, so you were with Manon. Lara and Megan were in front of you, Missy on the aisle seat next to them. In your aisle seat was Sophia, and in the middle of the plane was Daniela, then Yoonchae and finally Analeia.
The flight was long, nearly 13 hours, but after 3, you ended up falling asleep against Manon.
When you arrived, it was around 1:20 in the afternoon in Seoul. You all were shattered as you got off the plane and headed out to the baggage collection.
After you all got your baggage, you went to the taxis and got in to two in the same groups as before. The drive to the temporary company provided housing was around 30 minutes.
Once you arrived, you all pretty much blacked out for the night, or the day I guess.
SYNOPSIS: Sophia thought leaving Y/N behind would be the hardest part. She was wrong. Seeing him again—years later, as the frontman of The Dust Runners and the one person she swore she’d never forgive—is so much worse. With both of their bands headlining the same festivals, avoiding each other isn’t an option.
PAIRINGS: Sophia Laforteza x male!reader
WARNINGS: English is not my first language, sorry if there are spelling mistakes
it's a game. always a game—everything's a game if you want it to be. it's what lara raj has been telling herself since that incident with her ex that taught her a valuable lesson of playing someone before they turned the game on you. at the elite private college, dream academy, where lara is one of the most popular and wealthy students and she's also known to have a reputation for using people and discarding them after lara let them believe she wanted only them for her own amusement— not many know this, but other times it's because of whatever bet she has with her friends. but unfortunately for lara and her friends, but fortunately for the students, it has gotten boring playing the same game with the same people in different fonts and wants something challenging for once. enter sage. sage is one of the newer transfered students along with her older sister. lara has heard about them in passing due to yoonchae and sage already having a few friends that also attend the school. and to make matters better lara finds out sage is the daughter of both the newest dean and a professor at the school. this school year is going to be full of surprises.
a/n: sage: this year's gonna be great! (affectionately)😌. lara: this year's gonna be great! (menacingly)😏.
also pls ignore timestamps i have mainly been focusing on a class assignment that's for a big percentage of my grade djdkdkddk.
masterlist ➜ next chapter
tag list 6/40 : @hexthysoul @yournextdooralien @meganlvr @itssrayy @insomniacdanni @zeraaaat
in which you, fed up with dating rumours with men, start your own with your best friend and group member, megan skiendiel chapter four: y/n getting cracked tn
content: fem!reader, seventh member!reader, flirting, cursing, company issues, a bunch of drama, cursing ss count: 14 note: took a little break i'm sorry but i'm #backonmyswag and having sm fun w this
The soft morning light seeped through the curtains, casting pale golden stripes across the room. It was peaceful, until the shrill buzz of an alarm shattered the silence, dragging Y/N from the edge of sleep with a tired groan.
Beside him, Manon stirred. At some point during the night she’d somehow managed to do a complete one-eighty in her sleep, and now she sleepily shuffled back into place, resting her head against his chest again. Without even opening her eyes, she lazily gestured towards the ringing phone, silently demanding that he deal with it.
Y/N reached blindly for his own phone first before frowning. Realising the sound was coming from Manon’s side of the bed, he leaned across her to grab her phone from the bedside table. She let out another displeased groan as he shifted, instinctively curling closer to him despite being the reason he had to move in the first place.
“Relax, darlin’,” he murmured, switching off the alarm before tossing the phone back onto the table. His fingers absent-mindedly traced circles against her shoulder. “You doing anything today?”
Manon mumbled something completely unintelligible into his chest, burying her face even further into him.
Y/N chuckled under his breath, threading his fingers through her hair and gently massaging her scalp. She sighed contentedly, practically melting against him. “I’m pretty sure you’ve gotta get—”
“Manon!” The bedroom door flew open without warning.
The woman in question groaned for what felt like the hundredth time that morning and immediately pulled the quilt over her head like it could protect her from the outside world.
“Oh!” Megan froze in the doorway. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was here. Dani said you’d be awake…”
Still hidden beneath the duvet, Manon offered no response. Y/N looked up at Megan, his expression unreadable for a second before he finally spoke. “It’s calm. Wagwan?”
“Uh…” Megan rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “I was just looking for my shirt. I let Manz borrow it. It’s, like… plaid? Cinched at the waist? Brown.”
Without uncovering herself completely, Manon poked her head out just enough to mumble one word. “Wardrobe.”
Relief spread across Megan’s face. “Right.”
She hurried over to the wardrobe, rifling through the hangers until she found exactly what she was looking for.
“There it is,” She smiled. “Thank you,” Giving a small, almost apologetic bow, she turned to leave.
“Wait, Megan,” Manon’s voice sounded considerably more awake this time. Megan stopped and looked back. “Is anyone else here?”
“Nope. Just us and Dani.”
Manon hummed thoughtfully before finally throwing the covers aside. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and tugged on the first thing within reach, Y/N’s hoodie from the night before.
Without another word, she followed Megan out of the room, leaving Y/N lying in bed staring after her.
Fifteen minutes passed with no sign of Manon returning. With a sigh, Y/N dragged himself out of bed and wandered into the lounge. The three girls sat sprawled across the sofa, laughing over someone’s TikTok feed as if they’d been there all morning. “You just gonna leave me in your room?” he asked, folding his arms. “Morning, Daniela. Nice to meet you, Megan.”
“You too,” Megan replied with a smile.
“Morning!” Dani chirped.
Manon looked up from her Daniela’s phone, offering him the sweetest smile imaginable. “You’re a big boy,” she said innocently. “You can decide when to get out of bed on your own.”
Y/N scoffed dramatically, rolling his eyes as the girls laughed. “So,” he continued, “what you lot want for breakfast?”
“You can cook?” Megan blurted before immediately glancing at Dani, her face flushing with embarrassment at her lack of a filter. Daniela burst into laughter.
Y/N raised an eyebrow in offence, “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be able to?”
“I don’t know,” Megan admitted with a sheepish shrug. “You just look like you wouldn’t.”
He stared at her for a beat before shaking his head with a laugh. “Is it in the KATSEYE contract to violate me or something?” That earned another round of laughs. “Nah,” he continued. “My dad taught me, innit. He’s Guyanese and Chinese, so he wanted me and my siblings to know how to cook food from our heritage.”
“You’re Chinese?” Three voices rang out in unison.
Y/N grinned, “Nah, I’m English.”
Manon rolled her eyes. “You know exactly what we meant.”
He laughed. “I know, I know. I’ve got Chinese heritage, but I’m not all that connected to it.”
“Well,” Megan said with a smile, “I’m Chinese, so if you ever want help reconnecting with that side of your family, I’d be happy to.”
“Ah, cheers.” Y/N nodded appreciatively. He clapped his hands together once. “So whatchu for breakfast?”
“Surprise me,” Manon replied, already looking back down at her Daniela’s phone.
—
The kitchen filled with the comforting sounds of sizzling butter and clinking pans while the lounge slowly came alive behind him.
Y/N moved around the space like he’d done it a hundred times before, one hand stirring scrambled eggs while the other reached for the toaster without even looking. Rashers of turkey bacon crackled in the pan beside him, hash browns crisping up in the oven as he chopped spring onions to scatter over the eggs.
“You actually know what you’re doing,” Megan said from the breakfast bar, watching him with narrowed eyes.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Told you.”
Daniela leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. “You like cooking?”
Y/n shrugged. “If I’m awake, might as well. Can’t have everyone starving.”
Manon wandered into the kitchen, still wearing his oversized hoodie that hung halfway down her thighs. Her hair was a mess, eyes heavy with sleep, yet she walked straight over to him without saying a word.
She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. “Morning again.”
“You already said morning.”
“I’m saying it properly this time.”
He laughed quietly, reaching behind himself to squeeze her hand. “You only hugging me ’cause you smelled food.”
“That’s not true.”
Twenty minutes later, three plates sat around the coffee table. Nobody spoke much, the only sounds were cutlery scraping against plates and the occasional hum of approval.
Once everyone had finished, Y/N stacked the empty plates together before carrying them into the kitchen. By the time he’d rinsed everything off and wiped his hands dry, Manon had followed him in.
She leaned against the counter while he grabbed his phone. “You heading out?”
“Yeah.” He slipped his phone into his pocket. “Gotta get to the studio before everyone starts moving mad ‘cause I’m late.”
She hummed softly. “You’re coming to the party tonight, right?”
He looked over at her. “Yeah.”
“You promise?”
“I said yeah, ain’t I?” She nodded, satisfied. “Who is it you want me to meet anyway?” he asked. “You been mysterious about it.”
“Sophie.” A small smile spread across her face. “And, like, everyone else, I guess.”
“Calm,” he said, stepping closer, he cupped her cheek before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.
She smiled into it. When he leaned in for another, she let him for a second before placing both hands against his chest and pushing him back. “Go get ready.”
He frowned dramatically. “You don’t wanna kiss me?”
“Go get ready.”
He sighed like she’d just asked him to do the impossible. “Bossy.”
“You like it.”
He couldn’t even argue with that. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth before he stole one last quick kiss anyway.
“Y/N.”
“I’m gone,” He raised both hands in surrender before backing towards her bedroom.
these people are so boring bro “am i the only one that thought of this” for animal by katseye just shut the fuck up yeah they stole the fucking music from a tent company or that animation from 2009 just shut the fuck up
