auspicious

                      eyes  flick  up,   momentarily  distracted  by  the  urge  to  pay  compliments  wherever  they're  due.      especially  when  compliment  goes  to  eda.      ❝   your  hair  looks  beautiful.      still  not  the  point.   ❞      head  tilts,   like  she  can't  put  her  finger  on  it.      like  a  big  conclusion  sits  just  out  of  reach.      ❝   there's  something  else  you  want  to  tell  me,   right?   ❞

GOOOOOOD. aspen can't say beautiful directed at her anymore. it's forbidden, non-negotiable. her knees are weak. the joints turning to jello. this is definitely going to her head. "something else? uh, maybe later. let's circle back to my hair. should i keep it this color or change it up?"

                      ❝   because.   ❞      minhyun  parrots,   teasing  lift  to  his  words.      he  retreats  from  the  defensive  positions,   knows  most  of  her  frustration  isn't  actually  directed  toward  him.      he  holds  up  the  bag  dangling  from  his  fingers  instead,      ❝   no  salty  popcorn,   but  there's  a  ton  to  choose  from  in  here.   ❞

well, that's not nice! isn't he here for moral support? why is he mocking her now. tongue pokes out in response, slightly annoyed as she turns around... almost. her position freezes as she looks at the peace offering in his hands. so, he does know her (of course). "you can come in," as if she'd refuse him entry. "what do you have there? let me see."

                      palms  press  more  firmly  against  her  eyes,   like  a  pathetic  attempt  to  push  the  tears  back  in.      shakes  her  hand  when  he  calls  her  babe,   longing  snaking  up  her  spine  and  urging  her  to  back  down.      ❝   everyone  said  it.   they  always  do.   ❞      a  product  of  being  the  odd  one  out.      akemi  is  an  easy  target.      susceptible  to  every  clue  she's  fed,   even  the  one  attempting  to  rip  her  heart  out  at  the  moment.      ❝   they  saw  you  go  off  with  her,   and–   ❞      rakes  in  a  shaky  breath.      hands  finally  leave  her  eyes  to  gesture  of  in  whatever  direction  a  flurry  of  blonde  hair  had  gone.      ❝   i  don't  know  what's  going  on,   i  look  stupid—   ❞

enough. he can't just stand there idly and watch this anymore. hands reach out towards her, thumb rubbing softly at the corner of her eyes. his expression dulls, his own gaze shining with confusion, "and you believe them over me?" he's not meaning to turn this into an argument, just reason her worries away. can't she see the way he looks at her? the affection and love that ooze out with every little trace of her he sees. "you don't look stupid. but nothing happened, i promise you. i was on my way to get drinks and we just chatted." alas, this all just ended, so he has no drinks to show ... but he's still on his way there.

"what do you need to find love for?" it's a genuine question — the sliver of affection nur gives before promptly taking it back should be more than enough for him. "love is .... messy and complicated and usually ends terribly." her eyes nearly bulge out of her head at the mention of a dating show. "are you .... okay? do we need to take you to the doctor? maybe get a ct scan or something? there's no way you think you're love island material. and the people on love is blind are just plain crazy."

"what do you mean what do i need it for?" disbelief colors his voice and expression, a face that screams 'are you kidding me right now'. "to be in love, duh," now that she's speaking, he can see it. they don't match, they don't mesh... they would just argue. it kinda tickles his tummy. "girl, go out and fall in love. i'm saying, we could go out..." worth another shot. he will be the king of perseverance-- until a new topic comes up. "all the people in love island are hot and funny. and, look at me, nur! i'm hot and funny. and ready for some love. an island vacation doesn't sound horrible. honestly, just help me sign up now, i'm wasting my time and potential."

"i've always meant to say it, but you're way too good for them." rayna raises her hands in the air, only to emphasise how strongly she feels about this. if they're not stunningly gorgeous like her best friend on the outside, the least they can do is to try and be beautiful on the inside. it always irritates her when she sees her friends dating someone far below their league, but love does make you stupid and rayna can unfortunately sympathise. "that's not called an ex. that's a criminal record." / @auspicicus

what a way to kick a woman when she's down. while this pep talk is very rayna, lala feels deep in her misery to really appreciate it. strings of true thread through her words, however, the same appreciations being what she is currently mourning. her time wasted in someone not worth it. what a tragedy. but even more so, her feelings and her affection lost on someone unfitting. "so now i'm charged with bad taste? just kill me already." that's the true horror in her books. bad taste? bury her six feet under right now!

                      ❝   you  want  me  to  explain  it  to  you?   ❞      brows  furrow  together,   an  involuntary  scoff  at  the  perceived  audacity.      throat  feels  raw  in  seconds,   a  flurry  of  things  she  shouldn't  say  clawing  their  way  up  the  column.      everything  that  surfaces  fells  too  imprudent,   too  childish  for  what  she  feels.      gestures  behind  her  emptily,   chewing  the  inside  of  her  cheek  before  words  finally  find  her  again,      ❝   everyone's  already  laughing  at  me,   saying  i  should  go  find  you  before  someone  else  does—   ❞      tears  well  in  her  eyes  before  she  can  retell  the  best,   and  she  pushes  her  palms  to  them  in  frustration.      ❝   why?   ❞

worry starts settling at the pit of his stomach now. her reactions are nothing he can fathom, nor imagine. he can't go to the bathroom now? no. there has to be something else. their romance might be blossoming but their old friendship is not for naught and sam is certain there is something else at play here. everyone is the key word he's been lookin for, and this time his look of bewilderment is partially for the rumour and partially for her tears. exploring romance, "babe," concern triumphs for the latter, though, his hands itching to reach for her. in the end, he just fists them to his side, giving her some space, "talk to me, please. who said that? why?" the same question ends their turns, for him it means something different: why would she listen to them? why would she believe that? why doesn't she come to him with to converse instead of incrimination?

There just had to be the right environment to foster his praise and admiration. Naturally, he isn't unthankful. "Of course I am." He says after a moment, a small chuckle escaping as he reaches over, tugging Iskar forward by the material of his uniform. He wants to mess up his hair, but he resists, instead smoothing it down. His mood greatly improved by the series of events that day, "I'm extremely pleased. But you do not need to do that. Don't put yourself at risk for things like that. I'd hate to see you injured. So, thank you. For your loyalty, I bestow upon you anything you can think of. Whatever you name, it shall be yours."

"it's my duty to protect you," and he takes it to extremes. the type of promise he doesn't take lightly. the promise of his reward ignites him, the spark of its name at the tip of his tongue. you! william! silent shouts drown his thoughts, his only desire in life is the prince he seeks out. "an evening," soft words are thrown in the space between them, "together," just the two of them. he yearns for time suspended for them only.

akemi harada,   open  to  f/m/nb  ! [  twenty2,  she&her,  bisexual  ]

the wet prints of his hands on his shirt have not dried since he walked out the bathroom, the flurry of blonde hair scurrying behind him already gone. "hey," the greeting dies in his lips as he registers the past tense. it catches him off guard. how come loved and not love? "what are you talking about?" slowly, worry creeps into his tone, confusion more clearly etched into his features.

minho ? he was now in a completely different place, where all that mattered was the soft brims meshing against his own, pushing him to further deepen it with a swipe of wet muscle, entering a dance with opposite one. only when strictly needed, he'd part for a proper inhale of air before pushing back forward, repeating the motion all over while savoring it. almost fearing this would be a one time occasion, knowing... knowing that her heart laid with a guy now slowly approaching their wonderous bubble.  ‘ sorry, leticia is that you ? ’  a hand on the addressed woman pulls them apart, leaving him almost in a haze, pearly whites biting lower lip as he wants to glare up at their interrupter but, as promised  —-  it did draw his annoying attention to her. / @auspicicus

they just kissed. the realization hits her as suddenly, her eyes lingering on familiar features before they return to her crush. him, standing there just as minho had said he would. "ryan, hi," her expression remains nervous instead of excited, her mind wondering what the hell comes next now.

minhyun bak,  open  to  f   /  m   /  nb  ! [  twenty6,  he&they,  bisexual  ]

"because!" nothing other than the exclamation comes out, huffing and puffing as feelings whirl inside her like a tornado. "because..." she tries to see within reason, he's right, she shouldn't be taking it out on him. but isn't minhyun supposed to know her better? "because ... you came without salty popcorn." eat your troubles, they say.

well, thank god that seemed to work. for as handsome as erkin is, it's a saving grace he falls for her flimsy lies. her pride is saved, and she's more than ready to move on from this terrible, awful conversation until the words dating profile come up. her eyes promptly narrow, little effort to conceal how miffed she is by the very idea. "a dating profile? no, you're not built for all of that," she waves it off, crossing her arms. "besides, weren't you trying to convince me i was in love with you like two minutes ago? you sure move on awfully fast," nur grumbles.

"how am i supposed to find love if i don't put myself out there?" is it so bad that a guy wants to get a princess charming? no, that's wrong and outdated. keep up with the times, erkin. speaking of... "unless you think i should audition for a dating show instead? but they're messy." throw him a bone, nur. he can't die alone with an unrequited crush, can he? movement keeps the world turning.

                                    ❝      you      can't      just      show      up      whenever      you      feel      like      it      ⸻      i'm      busy      ,      alright      ?      go      home      .      ❞

lips purse in thought, mulling over words briefly. his eyes scan her appearance, a once over, before they hold her gaze, "so why open the door for me?"

                                    ❝      by      all      means      ,      correct      me      if      i'm      wrong      ,      but      ⸻      you're      not      my      girlfriend      ,      so      why      does      it even      matter      ?      ❞

you know what? he's right. she shoot herself on the foot with this jig. shit. "just because!" she's caught in a web, and this is freaking dumb. ugh!

              𓍢ִ໋ ・ ✿ ‎ ˚ ꔛ ࣪ ˖  ꫂ               ❛    i    don't    care    ,    just    do    whatever    you    want    ...    it    doesn't    matter    to    me    .    ❜

it doesn't matter to me. never before have words echoed like this for him, sounds bouncing back right to her. he thinks about repeating them but opts for something more original: "it's up to you if you want to stop this," break up are the words tingling in his tongue. but dan bites them back, not willing to utter them and call something official into existence. xeriz and him work out because they have no labels, no strings other than the ones they tug to occasionally tangle together.

she  should  probably  emote  less  —  that's  what  had  gotten  her  into  this  situation  to  begin  with.  a  few  too  many  wayward  glances  in  erkin's  direction,  a  little  bit  of  something  that  looked  too  endearing  and  soft  to  be  gone  unnoticed  by  anyone.  it's  only  fair  to  jump  in  the  opposite  direction  —  feign  disgust  and  hope  for  the  best.  "severe.  some  might  say  life  threatening.  the  doctors  told  me  it's  terminal,"  she  lets  out,  sweeping  her  hair  over  her  shoulders.  "wha  —  well,  then  maybe  you  should  stop  looking  at  me!  that  would  surely  solve  some  problems."  that  way,  he  wouldn't  notice  the  dusting  of  pink  forming  over  cheeks.

well, damn. is all hope lost? isn't her answer telling him to drop dead? that's what it feels like and he's an expert at reading between lines. (not even close). "i'm a dying man?" a low whistle and a shake of his head later, he decides it's time to stop playing dumb to soften this harsh rejection. "right... so since you don't like me..." a quick peek to make sure she's not having regrets about this all confirms what she's said: she doesn't. look at her, all red in the face with anger. he's doomed. "okay, since that's a definite no. help me out set a dating profile, nur. i need a good picture."