#(in the way: he can't stand to contemplate there's someone better than him)

[sskk-manifesto]

Dazai: Watch closely, Atsushi-kun. This is the ability that keeps the Agency going.

Dazai the second Atsushi turns around:

[azullumi]

WHERE WE LIE ON THE EDGE OF SUMMER !!

premise— you didn’t think that being neighbors and childhood friends with scaramouche would come with many things. for one, you have a sassy loser pathetically in love with you. content tags & warning — pairing: scaramouche (w/ gender-neutral reader) | modern!au, childhood friends, puppy love, scaramouche can’t skip stones, secret pining (for scaramouche), scaramouche words of reassurance and act of service advocate, fluff, word vomit, unspoken confessions | wc: 4.8k ; one-shot

notes from a jellyfish — (repost) first fic for the eat your heart out event!! nearly lost my mind writing this, but enjoy!!

SCARAMOUCHE is a liar. 

No truths spill from his mouth, that much is certain. 

He could never understand how poets write the beauty of a single sway of grass in the wind nor see how artists condense a single moment into a small stroke of a brush and find it breathtaking when it will all be bound to rot, but he tells others that he does anyway because he is a liar.

His words would bloom withered in his mouth, a shameful garden of ache, and the petals would never feel the lingering warmth in his lips.

But he never liked the heat, the suffocating warmth, always preferring the winter cold. But it was summer when he first met you and he remembers your laughter as you threw pebbles across the water, your smile gently shaped by the warm sun.

i. standing in between here and there

“Are you okay?”

There was only a grimace of annoyance on his face when you turned to briefly look at him. 

It was summer once more and Scaramouche dreaded summer more than anyone could, much more so now that he’s spending this hot day with a stranger—a child of his aunt’s friend, who is also their neighbor. The combination of sitting under all this heat and being forced to get along with someone he doesn't know is deadly. He can't even remember what their name was. Perhaps they had uttered it once only for it to be lost among the pebbled path or to be drowned in the river.

He raises his eyebrow at you, “Is it not obvious enough?”

“What’s with this sassy lost child? Jeez.” You mumble more words underneath your breath, something along the lines of him being grumpy. The summer breeze brushes across your skin as you stare at the river, contemplating. Perhaps you were debating if this stone will reach farther than the frog who jumped across just now, or maybe you’re just thinking of the boy—who your mother had asked you to get along with—sitting silently on the grass behind you since earlier.

You throw one stone over the water. It bounces once and twice, the surface responding with small ripples, sliding across before eventually sinking. You do this many times and he watches you every single time, eyes seemingly unable to look away. But curiosity is a hungry monster that consumed him, so he speaks to rid of the itch that claws at his throat:

“What are you doing?”

“Stone skipping,” you paused, witnessing the stone jump only once before reuniting with its old friends at the bottom of the river, “wanna try?” You blink at him, waiting for his answer. There was silence then came a grumble. He stood up from his seat with an expression that makes it seem like you forced him to do so.

You handed the boy a pebble, but he had to stare at it for a few seconds before he took it from your hand. You waited with an expectant gaze, your mind somehow anticipating that he’ll do better than you—Scaramouche looks like he’s good at everything that he does.

Oh, but how your expectations came crumbling down the way your breakfast cookie fell into your glass of milk.

“Go on, throw it.” You had told him and you didn’t know that he was that much of an obedient child because he really did throw it. Just not aimed at the water. He threw it like how one would pass a ball to a friend; his stone didn’t even graze nor come near the surface of the water.

But Scaramouche had the same perseverance of a rock against the wind. He picked up a pebble and threw it once more; this time, it is now aimed at the water but it only went straight ahead, sinking slowly to the bottom.

You don’t think you’re in the right time to say anything, so you just stood still and watched the struggle of a young boy who had a small stone in his hand, with the occasional rustling of leaves as the breeze passes and with the sound of a splash prodding at the silence that envelops you like a familiar companion. You wanted to go and teach him how he’s supposed to do it, that there is a certain angle that he has to reach and he’s not supposed to throw it just as it is, but your mind seems to tell you not to so you didn’t. It’s all quite a spectacular watch, after all, it was as if you were watching your favorite show at 7 PM after waiting hours for it to go on air.

No matter how many times Scaramouche tries to throw and make the pebble bounce across the river, it always just sinks the first time it comes into contact with the surface. He’s silent, but the frustration is evident in the scrunch of his eyebrows and the increasing aggression in his movements.

“Oh, wow, you’re terrible at this.” You were the first to break the silence—your words seem to have stabbed his unyielding spirit as he groaned and just went back to where he was sitting. An act of surrender after struggling for so long.

”You don’t want to try again?”

“Why should I?” The pebble will only sink anyway. What’s the point of doing something when you know you’ll fail in the end?

“Come on, just try it once more.” But you were a stubborn one and Scaramouche doesn’t have much of a choice, not when you’re already right in front of him, taking his hands into yours and pulling for him to stand up. You drag him back to where he was earlier, still holding one of his hands even as you pick up a pebble right at your feet.

“Here, do it like this.” Your hand is warm against his, gentle, in contrast to the crumpled look on his face. You guide him, saying words that he can’t process that much as he’s way too focused trying to fan the flames that danced across his cheeks.

He throws, in the same angle and form that you have guided him into before you had stepped back to watch, holding hope that he’ll succeed this time in the same hand you held him. The stone doesn’t immediately celebrate with his other failed attempts at the bottom as it bounces against the surface. 

You cheered, the sound of laughter slipping out of your lips as it seemed to tickle the insides of your mouth the more you held it in. There’s a certain feeling of warmth that washed over him when the melody rings inside his head. The roughness of the feeling, sharp in its unfamiliar edges, is akin to a huge wave that crashed into his form, but the comfort of it as it submerges him reminds him of the afternoon light shining on the floors of his home.

“It only bounced once.” He says, trying to downplay it all to get rid of the feeling that consumes him.

“But it did. That’s what matters, doesn’t it?” The feeling only seemed to grow stronger as if it’s feeding on your every word, being fuelled by your gaze, by your smile, by the sound of your voice. He tries to drown it all by thinking of other thoughts, diving into a different topic instead, and all the while, copying you as you resume your stone-skipping activities.

“Do you not get bored doing this?”

You hum, contemplating for a few seconds before you answer: “I think everything is a little more fun when you do it during summer,” you beam at him, then return your gaze back to the river before you throw, “Like this, especially when you’re doing it with someone.”

To be honest, he doesn’t even understand what you’re saying. This childlike mindset—although, for one, you and him are just a pair of children, playing beside the river, feeling the heat prickling against your skin. The bugs only grow louder in each second that passes as the afternoon slowly comes to the pass, replaced with the onset of the evening. The sky is painted with various colors mixed together but all in harmony, oranges and reds mixed with something golden, tainted with purples.

And yet, he would always ask himself, what is even nice about summer?

“I don’t know why but maybe I’m just saying that because I like summer,” you say as if you had read his mind, as if you had noticed the lingering question on his face that asks you why. “Do you like summer?”

It takes him a moment to answer, letting the orchestra of the wind against leaves, of the stone splashing against water, of the cicada’s song last longer than his silence. He could have said no, he could have disagreed with you and argued with your answer. He could have said that he despised summer for its heat and bugs. But he didn’t and that was the problem.

“I… like summer.” There are razors in his tongue as he speaks, the utterance of the sentence making him bleed internally as he bites on his words. Perhaps the hesitation in his tone betrays his words or perhaps it was the twitch of his lips paired with the contort of his forehead that made it appear as untruthful as it actually was.

Even so, you were convinced. You gleam at him, eyes bright with excitement: “Really? You don’t seem to be one to like summer.”

“I do, why would you say that?”

You shrug, “You just seem like a winter person to me.”

That wasn’t exactly a lie. In fact, that was the whole truth and the actual lie was him saying that he likes summer. He still doesn’t understand himself for saying such words—maybe it’s the heat getting into his head or maybe it's the sound of your laughter that plays over and over inside his mind.

It feels like having a crush—He slaps himself mentally at the notion.

“We should always spend summer together then.” You’ll say, watching a pebble bounce across until it reaches the other side. A feat you have only achieved twice—the second time being this moment. You silently rejoiced for your success, clenching your hand into a fist.

He responds, “So we could just watch stones bounce on water the whole time?” and this made you chuckle before you refute: “Unless you want to, but there are tons of other things to do during summer.”

This went on and on: you, just listing out whatever activities you could do and saying whatever, and him, who listens to every word you say and would give you short responses. It is not until dusk had ended and the evening came, and now, you’re standing by the doorway, saying your goodbyes to the boy who’s terrible at stone-skipping.

“You don’t even know my name, do you?”

“I do.”

You laugh, “Liar.”

ii. take a step closer, won’t you?

Summer came to visit like an old friend you had known for years.

It’s a fleeting companion, a familiar stranger bound to disappear, gone as the wind carries your scent. The sun kisses your skin very delicately, the grass will hold your being as if you were its own child, and you will miss its embrace the moment it slips out of your hands quietly. But there’s a strange comfort welling up in your heart knowing that you will feel it once more in time and you won’t have to spend a lifetime missing it—or him.

“What are you being so slow for?” The dark-haired man stops from his track and turns to look at you, his eyebrows furrowed and his lips formed into a frown. “The sun will set before we even reach the river.” It’s the mayor of complaintown, throwing his usual complaints at you. You could only roll your eyes before you run to him, catching up to his pace before the two of you resume walking.

Scaramouche, somehow, kept his promise. Although it’s not exactly a promise because the two of you didn’t make any, he did keep his word of spending every summer with you. And right now, you’re in the middle of walking through the forest near your home—an adventure, you may say, despite the fact that you have taken this path multiple times already and you’re just returning to the place where the two of you usually spend your moments under the summer sun.

The gentle murmurs of the rushing water reach your ears, eventually getting louder as the two of you draw close to your destination. Not sooner than later, a familiar scene comes into view: the small river—a stream, to be exact—in all its glory displayed before you, a path of water stretching from here to there across your line of vision, carrying memories of when the two of you played around it.

There’s a small smile embedded on your lips. It’s the thought that it's only the two of you that knows of this place that makes you warm—it’s like a secret place for you and him.

You come close to the body of water, crouching down, staring at your rather unclear image by the water, and making out the contours and edges of your face. You try to reach out to your reflection, disturbing the surface with the tip of your fingertips, and you watch as it ripples underneath your hand. Although you’re way too focused on whatever you are doing that you forgot the existence of the boy who came here with you.

“Are you just planning on staring at the water all day long?” Scaramouche says as he crouches down beside you. He speaks as if he didn’t spend his time staring at you, admiring the way the sun holds you in its embrace, while thinking that he could just look at you for hours without getting bored.

You hum, “I really don’t know what else to do now,” you draw something on the water, the surface coming in creases.

“I thought you said there are a lot of things to do in the summer.”

“Yeah, but we already did nearly all of them.” You grumble, turning to look at him with a troubled expression. Indigo orbs meet yours in a gentle gaze; Scaramouche’s gaze, tender and soft, doesn’t often match the harsh bite of his words. It leaves you wondering, confused, if this is just his way of showing that he cares or if there’s something more. But you don’t like thinking about it—fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, and you are no fool.

If only you know what festers underneath his skin. Looking at you like this, honey light against your skin, he thinks you’re beautiful—the word isn’t even enough to capture the essence of your being. The world seemingly held its breath for this moment as everything came to a still except for the wind that brushes against your face. He is foolishly and utterly starstruck by the existence of you, as if you were meant to be in this place, to experience this small, fleeting moments with him, to be bathed under sunlight, to breath in the air of your surrounding, the feel the coldness of water against your feet—to live.

There's you and his mere image being reflected by your eyes, and he tries to see into the waters of your gaze for something that is akin to the just adoration he holds for you, hoping that you hold him under the same light too. He may speak of words that hold no meaning, no truth, but his feelings for you are intense and unwavering that it consumes him. Won’t you pull him a little closer?

You break the stillness, your surroundings seemingly coming back to life with the sound of your voice: “What are you thinking now?”

“Just how stupid you look.” The boy answers. Liar.

You acted as if you were offended by his statement, letting out a gasp and even placing your hand over your chest to show that you were quote on quote, hurt. He only rolls his eyes at your performance.

You jest, “Why are you so grumpy? Do you just hate being with me?”

“Stop assuming things, I didn’t say anything like that.” His attention is now to the river, watching as the stream flows and as the rocks remain unmoving.

You grab this moment to take advantage of his vulnerability and inattention. Snickering, you scoop a handful of water before splashing it to him, drenching him in the process. At the sight, laughter bubbles from your throat—he reminded you of a wet chick.

“So we're playing this game?”

“You started it.” You grin, splashing him once more but this time, he was able to shield himself from your attack.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Cold!” You exclaim as he repays you the favor.

It became a battle between you two. You’ll splash him with a handful and he’ll only retaliate after like two or three of your attacks, and even so, he’ll only fight back with only so little. Nevertheless, water drips from your head, down to your face and he, too, is left there on the side of the river with you, completely drenched and with his clothes sticking to his skin. His gaze is on you and yours are on him, and the two of you break into laughter—you think you’ll remember the sound of yours and his tangled together forever.

For a moment, it felt like the two of you were children once more.

“Ah, now we’re both wet.”

Scaramouche flicks your forehead, earning a groan from you. “And whose fault is that?”

“Yours, duh.” You sneeze as soon as you finish your sentence. Scaramouche doesn’t fail to notice you tremble, hugging your knees close to your chest as if to quell the growing chill. 

He abruptly stands up, and you watch him as heads over to where his bag is. He’s been carrying that since earlier and you’ve been curious as to what it contains—you didn’t get the chance to ask him earlier but now, your question is going to be answered. 

You follow after, standing and peering behind him to see the contents. Your eyes are able to make out a water bottle and some snacks—were those your favorite?—among the pile of things. Albeit you didn’t get to see anymore of it as he turned around and placed something on top of your head, obscuring your vision.

You realized it was a towel when he started to gently rub your hair and the side of your face with it, drying you with the soft fabric.

“I didn’t know you had that much prepared.” You comment, letting him seemingly take care of you. Sometimes, it feels like you’re indebted to him with how much he looks after and cares for you. It feels unfair; you take so much from him and he never takes anything from you. He never lets himself indulge, settling on here and there, but never by you. You wish he would come close, he wishes you’ll hold him closer.

“I think we’re going to get sick after this.” You ask with worry lacing your tone; the water was cold and none of you brought any spare clothes, save for the towel he had prepared. And while he’s the one who got drenched the most, he’s here, focusing on you instead. 

(You’ll always find yourself being bathed underneath all of his attention, whether you notice his gaze or not.)

“You’re the only one getting sick between the both of us.” He answers, draping the towel all over your shoulders before he goes and takes out a smaller towel to dry himself. There’s a small pout on your face when you hear his words—you can’t say anything in retort.

“Are we going home now?”

“If you want to, that is.”

The sun is already setting and darkness is slowly creeping into the day as time passes. Your surroundings are dyed with a warm golden, fading into blue. The animals that dwell in the night are revealing themselves as the ones who thrive during the day are returning to rest. Eventually, you also have to go home too. Exhaustion has seeped into you, settling into your weary bones.

“Can you carry me?”

“What? Can’t you walk on your own?”

“Oh, please, almighty Scaramouche. My legs are hurting and I’m tired.” Your hands are clasped together as you speak, batting your eyelashes at him.

Scaramouche could have complained a little more, dismissed your request, and walked back on his own, but he didn’t. And it’s not like he did not want to, but he just could not. How could he ever deny you? You were all that he could ask for, you were only asking him for one thing. Rejecting you at this moment was just like turning away from you—even though he knows that you’re most likely bluffing and are capable of your own. 

(But, oh, he’s simply nothing without you. After all, you make up half of his soul even if he’s not even a fragment of yours.)

“You’re so troublesome.” You’re his favorite problem anyway.

Dusk is settling in the corners of the forest, and in the midst of the trees and along with the harmony of cicadas, is you and Scaramouche. The dark-haired man carries you on his back while you keep him occupied with your chatter of whatever that comes to your mind.

And just as he notices every small thing about you, you can’t ignore the dark hue his skin is painted in:

“Your ears are red.”

He takes a few seconds, mumbling, “It’s too hot.”

(Maybe it’s summer that is warm, or maybe it’s you.)

The next day, however, Scaramouche got sick and you had to nurse him back to his health—out of worry and guilt. Although you held that fact over your head, treating it as some sort of trophy.

iii. aren’t we already close enough?

Something knocks at Scaramouche’s window.

That’s how most horror movies start, but this is no horror movie, and it doesn’t take much for him to know that it was just his neighbor trying to grab his attention.

Another knock came. He heads towards the noise, pushing the curtains aside, and immediately seeing you across in your own room, standing by your open window. Upon seeing the man, you enthusiastically wave at him.

You mouthed, even doing some hand gestures to throw your message across to him: “Do you wanna watch the stars with me?”

It seems like he didn’t understand what you were trying to say as he only stares at you with a confused expression. You sighed and gestured for him to wait, disappearing from his line of sight for a moment before returning with a pen and paper in your hand; you scribble something on it and he watches you with a curious gaze.

With your words written by ink, a few of it crossed out, it reads: Let’s go stargazing.

He mouths, “Right now?” In which you responded with a nod and a smile. Then you return to your pad in hand, turning to new page before writing:

There’s going to be a meteor shower tonight. Let’s watch it together.

Scaramouche puts down his reply on his paper that he has gotten as you were writing.

Where? 

The forest has a small clearing, it’s perfect for stargazing.

Right, and why are we talking like this?

It’s more fun this way and I don’t want to wake people up.

So, do you wanna go???

Okay. Yeah.

YAY !!! I’ll meet you outside.

But just as you were about to leave, he threw his pen at your window, an attempt to grab your attention although he did end up startling you.

It’s cold.

Wear something warm.

You beam at his display of his concern and give him an ‘Okay’ sign.

A few minutes flies by and you come out, jacket in hand. A certain man, with hair as dark as midnight, greets you. He’s clad in sweatpants and an oversized shirt, layered with a jacket on top—he was dressed comfily, as if he were planning on sleeping prior to this.

“Were you planning on going to sleep?”

“I was, until you called.”

“You could have just turned me down. I don’t mind watching the meteor shower alone.” You feel guilt rising in your chest, looking down at the ground you were rooted on. Thoughts whirl like a hurricane, creating a vortex of doubt that wreaks havoc inside your head. You don’t know what’s wrong with you, feeling all of these all at once over a simple and small thing. You were the one to insist, always the first one to come barging into his door.

But somewhere between your thoughts and his own, between loving you and adoring you, he knows you in ways that no one could. You’re the only one he ever knows.

“You’re not bothering me,” Scaramouche ruffles your head, messing up your hair. He speaks in the same note of his touch, soft and gentle, and it feels foreign and familiar at the same time; you want this, you could get used to this—the small thought that remains inside your mind echoes as he dispels all of your worries with just a few of his words. “Besides, I also wanted to watch the meteor shower.” With you.

“Really?”

“Where’s the stubborn and strong person who’ll drag me out of my room every summer that I know?” He flicks your forehead, making you wince and rub the spot to ease the pain. He adds, a small smile etching into the curves of his lips, “You were the one to say that everything is better when you do it with someone.”

“Well—”

“There’s no need to worry over such useless things,” He heaves out a sigh, “If I hated you, you would have known.”

He doesn’t know what took over him to have his hand seek out your face, caressing your face so tenderly like a lover would. The dance of his fingers left a trail of warmth across your skin, blooming and spreading like fire, and maybe it was your fault or maybe it was his that your face leans closer to his touch as if desiring for more of his softness. He doesn’t fail to notice the look on your face, the fire that festers within you spreading to him.

Scaramouche is mesmerized by the miracle that is you. 

He clears his throat, looking away, afraid that he’s going to be consumed by your light the more he keeps his gaze on you:

“Let’s go before we end up missing it.” His tone falters into something sweet, and his hand, too, falls into something kind—his fingers slipping into your own. You could only nod your head in response, afraid that your words would break in your tongue before you could even speak.

It doesn’t take long to reach the spot you were talking about. But it did feel like time moved slowly with the silence as neither of you let go of each other’s hand; you battled with your reasoning, thinking that it will help you walk better in the dark and not trip over anything even when you’re already familiar with the path. Or maybe it was just too cold, you don’t know; it’s not like you want to let go either.

(And in the same cadence of your thoughts, his soul whispers to you: “I don’t think I want to stop holding your hand.”)

Tonight, the stars are a witness to the wake of something foolishly beautiful. As the streaks of light fill the sky like a stroke of a painter’s brush on an empty canvas, lush grass forms into nothing as it sinks beneath your being, intertwined with his as he clutches your hand tight—the sky holds the stars as the earth bears your weight all the same. When the warm breeze leaves and when life all becomes nothing in the absence of indigo merging into golden, can you stand with him a little closer underneath the fading warm?

“Kuni.” What does his name taste like in your mouth?

“Hm?”

Scaramouche isn’t stupid, but you make him feel stupid, and he loves you stupid, like a loser stumbling over the stars in your eyes. He understands why poets write the mundane and how artists portray a fleeting moment bound to rot by time. It doesn’t take much but he spent a long time seeking comfort in the warmth to know the answer—he knew what it was when he wished you were with him to enjoy the sun.

You reside in the deeper parts of his soul, tangled in the loose threads of his being. Scaramouche prays—even when he doesn’t necessarily believe, but what is a god’s gaze for your love?—to whoever is listening that you’ll stay there forever. Can a human ever stop their heart from wanting? 

“Don’t you want to go home now?” You had asked him; the meteor shower has finished and the clouds are already hiding the vast blanket of stars above you. There’s not much left in this night, just silence and a pair of people who had nothing and everything at the same time, lying on the grass as if they’re the only ones who matter in the world. He has always existed right there beside you and he has belonged to you in ways that you may never know.

“I’m still not sleepy yet.” But his mouth gapes into a yawn and you laugh.

“Liar.”

Call him whatever you want, he just wants to stay with you a little longer.

Scaramouche may be a liar.

But he likes you, that much is certain.

taglist: @felibrary, @yunicide, @bittersweetmiko

© AZULLUMI 2024. plagiarism of any form and type, stealing, copying, translating, reposting my works on other platforms is NOT permitted.

[aliceramblez]

BroZone Brothers With An Insecure S/O 😔💗

Tags: GN! Reader, Self-Deprecating Jokes, Low Self-Esteem, Abandonment Issues, Slight Body Insecurities. Fluff/Comfort.

A/N: Here we go with our first request! I really liked this idea as someone who has low self-esteem, and honestly it goes to all of y'all who think you're not good enough— cause you are! Also sorry it took a bit! I've been sick because the universe hates me 🙃

Feel free to leave a request & hope you enjoy! ^^

John Dory

At first, he doesn't really know what to make of it.

He finds it a bit strange, but doesn't question your odd sense of humor, and will sometimes even join in on the joke by saying stuff about himself, thinking it's some sort of inside thing between the two of you.

“Man, I can't believe I'm so clingy, sorry! Feel free to use me as a bad example, at least that way I won't be totally useless, haha!”

“Ha! You think that's bad? Babe, you haven't even seen me when I'm up at night just staring at the ceiling contemplating my life choices.”

It isn't until getting a good smack from Bruce and Floyd that he realizes you're actually being serious. And the prospect of that kinda puzzles him, not gonna lie.

“Look at you, tiger! Got yourself plenty of groupies already— Not surprising honestly. Don't have to worry about backups when you decide you're ready to move on, either!”

After a performance at the Pop Troll village, everyone is gushing over BroZone because of course they are. JD only barely manages to squeeze past the number of fans to get to you on the other side of the podium.

The oldest sibling looks at you in shock, and has to get closer to make sure he heard you right. “Babe, why would you say that?”

Caught off guard, you manage a nervous chuckle as you play with your hair. “I-I mean... Wow, would you look at the time! We gotta meet with Poppy and the others!”

John Dory stops you on your tracks and demands an explanation, which isn't really good for your poor heart. All you can do is kick the dirt and avoid his gaze, since that makes what you're about to say much easier to voice aloud.

“I mean... You're John Dory. You could date any troll you wanted and yet you're sticking with me. It honestly feels like a dream sometimes... And I'm scared of the day you realize you can do WAY better and decide to leave me.”

After processing this, he immediately holds your face in his hands and gives you the most serious expression you've ever seen on him. “I don't want just any random troll... I want you. You're my number one fan, and I'm yours, so don't even think about stuff like that, okay?”

After the exchange, he's always on the lookout for whenever your bad habit wants to kick in again and is ready to stop it ASAP

Spruce/Bruce

He notices it happens mostly when you're working at the cantina.

Whenever you get an order wrong, trip over your own feet or don't remember how to work one of the machines properly, you'll go into an awkward insecure flight response.

You'll say “Oops! Sorry! Clumsy Twinkle Toes, coming through!” while grinning and laughing along with the customers, but Bruce knows that it's affecting you more than you lead on.

It also happens whenever BroZone is getting ready to perform and you don't know what to do with yourself since you're “standing in the way”, despite being told multiple times that it's okay for you to be backstage with everyone else.

When he talks to you about it, you get really uncomfortable and just say that it's no big deal and that you can handle it.

“I've always been a clumsy person, so I guess that's always making me doubt myself over the smallest of things... Sorry if it's annoying.”

Bruce will then proceed to give you a huge warm hug and a kiss on the forehead as he whispers comforting words into your ear.

“Hey, I can be clumsy too! I've always been the worst out of everyone when it comes to choreography. Don't tell JD though, cause I know he'll throw a fit knowing I don't practice.”

He'll throw in other examples that may seem inconsequential to you, but you appreciate the effort nonetheless and smile and giggle through the embarrassing stories he shares.

He helps you get more confident by being there with you while taking orders at the cantina and praising you whenever you get something right— albeit in private as to not embarrass you.

Same goes with rehearsals, where he WILL drag you into the lounge area to hang with his brothers and/or Poppy and Viva when they decide to visit, too.

Overall he wants what's best for you and will try and push you out of your comfort zone, but only in a safe environment where he knows that if something does go wrong, it won't be as catastrophic as you make it out to be in your head.

You never stop thanking him for being your crutch during these times.

Clay

The moment he hears the words come out of your mouth he's completely flabbergasted.

First of all, who said those things to you? Because he swears he just wants to talk to them—

It's at a sleepover with his brothers and the gals at the Bergen Golf Course, and among the many games, snacks and movies watched, pictures are also taken.

As soon as you take a look at the array of selfies, you let out what sounds like a mix between a laugh and a sigh.

“I mean, at least it stays consistent— in photos, I look ugly. And in real life, I'm also ugly!”

As soon as those words leave your lips, Clay is at your side with an almost unreadable expression, only to snatch one of the photos from your hands. “How DARE you say that about the most attractive troll I've ever met? Shame on you!”

He then starts going around the room waving the picture around to his brothers, saying stuff like “Look how attractive my S/O is! I'm dating them!” while you're just blushing profusely and begging him to stop (even though deep down your kinda giddy about it).

After that day, Clay will do small gestures in which he reminds you how beautiful he thinks you are. Everything to outright saying it each morning, joking about it with his brothers, and even bragging about you to his friends in the Bergen Golf Course.

He's a simp and he's totally okay with that because it's you.

Clay feels like he's the luckiest troll in the world for being able to snatch someone like you since he's “the most boring and uninteresting of the bunch”, so he feels like he's hit the jackpot.

You immediately tell him that he's not boring to you and that he's the best boyfriend ever, which only causes him to smirk.

“Doesn't feel good to know the person you love feels so bad about themselves, does it?”

Finally realizing his reverse psychology, you give in with a laugh. “No, it doesn't. I guess... We can both work on that? Together?”

And so you do, and end up helping each other whenever one is feeling down in the dumps, as a sort of personal cheerleader. You truly couldn't have asked for someone better.

Floyd

You're the kind of person who's very vocal about your interests.

So it's no surprise that you have to catch yourself mid-ramble whenever you're talking about something you're either interested in or knowledgeable about. And with Floyd being such a good listener, it honestly slips your mind more times than you'd prefer.

After realizing you've been talking for too long, you turn pink in the face and start apologizing profusely.

“Sorry! You probably didn't need to hear all of that. They didn't call me ‘Chatter Box’ when I was younger for nothing! Haha...”

But Floyd could care less about any of that. He loves hearing you talk, not just because he's not much of a chatty person, but because he just finds it incredibly endearing.

He'll hold your hands in his own and give you the softest smile ever that just makes you think that it should be illegal to be THIS sweet.

“You're just so cute when you get lost in the moment like that. Besides, I love seeing you happy. By all means, I'm glad you get to do the talking for the both of us, otherwise we wouldn't get anywhere in this relationship.”

You laugh at his attempt to make you feel better and melt under the touch of his lips on your cheek.

After that, whenever you go out either just the two of you or with your group of friends, Floyd will encourage you to express yourself. He does this by either asking you a question directly or subtly incorporating you into the conversation by saying something like. “I think (y/n) knows about this kinda stuff. Don't you, love?”

Obviously this all happens with your consent beforehand, since he doesn't want to put you in a tight spot, either.

Either way, he always values whatever you have to say, since you always bring in new perspectives that maybe others didn't think about before.

He will also encourage you to be yourself and not try and match your topics of conversation with things you think other people will find interesting. You deserve to be happy by sharing what you love with the world.

Poppy and Viva are huge helps in the art of feeling confident by speaking your mind, and Floyd couldn't be happier for you.

You thank him by telling him about your day each night, in which sometimes he'll fall asleep to the soothing sound of your voice, which only warms your heart on so many levels.

“Goodnight, my prince.”

“Goodnight, my little chatter box.”

Branch

Just like Clay, this man is ready to throw hands.

Just give him a name and he'll get the job done before sunrise—

He notices that sometimes you struggle with finding outfits for different occasions, either something casual, dressy, classy, etc.

But it's not because you don't have anything in your wardrobe, on the contrary it's pretty much brimming. It's more the fact that you're not satisfied with any of them because you feel like you don't look good in them.

Branch tries to convince you otherwise, saying that you look great no matter what you wear, but you can't help but feel self-conscious in anything that isn't a good old sweatshirt.

He isn't knowledgeable in fashion (clearly) so he enlists the help of Poppy and The Snack Pack to try and cater outfits to your exact measurements, along with any other nitpicks you've had in the past with either texture or material.

I mean, Branch has backup plans to his backup plans, you think he wouldn't keep notes on what kind of stuff his S/O doesn't like— INCLUDING mundane stuff like their clothing?

He surprises you with these, and you can't help but feel attractive in them since he paid extra attending to the complaints you had from your own designs.

“I personally think you look great no matter what you wear. But if you feel so strongly about it, might as well get some stuff you'll actually enjoy wearing.” He'd said when you asked why he did it, and your heart just melted.

You vow to try and work on your self-imagine regardless, which he gets happy over and says he can't wait for you to see yourself the way he does.

[kentosbabes]

PART 2 OF CEO TOJI !!!!!!

please please please please please

( todally not begging )

CEO Toji part 1 here

CEO Toji who can't stop thinking about the kiss you shared. He can't get the image of your eyes out of his head. The way you peered up at him through your glasses, your lips slightly parted and wet from his own lips. How your lips tasted better than he imagined. They were intoxicating, having him dreaming for more.

CEO Toji who since that night feels extra overprotective of you. Where he used to find himself just staring at you as you interact with co-workers, he now stands at your side slightly tugging on your blouse as if to say 'get him to shut the fuck up'. He can't help the jealousy that overcomes him as soon as he sees you even look at someone who's not him.

CEO Toji who especially can't hold back when Gojo strides into your office, throwing himself onto the window seat and patting the spot next to him. Toji quickly ends the call he was on and walks right in, grabbing your arm and pulling you into his office. He makes sure to keep eye contact with Gojo, who has a smirk on his face, as he closes the curtains blocking his view.

CEO Toji who doesn't know what to say when you ask him why he won't let you talk to Gojo. After that interaction, he blocked Gojo's number from your work phone and made sure any emails sent by Gojo were sent straight to his computer. He could tell you the truth and say he was jealous, but with your eyes burning into his making his stomach do flips he only let out 'he's not a good man, just stay away'.

CEO Toji who doesn't turn up to work one morning, but before you can call him you see the bouquet of flowers sitting on your desk with a handwritten note reading 'I had an emergency this morning love, will be back by noon. treat yourself'. That's when you notice a black credit card next to the note.

CEO Toji who sticks to his word and as soon as 12pm hits he's sat at his desk sipping on whiskey. 'Good Afternoon sir, Thank you for the flowers' you say as you walk into his office. 'hey pretty girl. Did you get yourself some lunch' he asks not bothering to look up from his computer. 'oh um no I didn't want to use your card' you mumble before placing the black card down on his desk. 'what nonsense' he says standing up 'we'll go right now' now grabbing onto your hand and pulling you through the office.

CEO Toji who doesn't listen to your pleas and pays for lunch. He took you to the new sushi restaurant downtown, meaning the bill was way out of your comfort zone. Toji didn't care though, this was but a scratch on his bank account plus he got to treat you and that was his favourite thing to do.

CEO Toji who continues to spoil you. From leaving flowers on your desk when he's not able to be in his office, to taking you out for lunch almost daily to make sure you eat. If for any reason he wasn't available for lunch, his bank card would be in your hand and he would threaten to fire you if you didn't use it to buy lunch.

CEO Toji who couldn't help himself when he saw you pack up your stuff one Friday evening, and as you bend to pick up you bag he can see you lace panties peeking out from underneath your skirt. He groans out and leans in his chair contemplating what to do. He cant let you go, not when the bulge in his jeans is becoming more and more painful.

CEO Toji who gets up and rushes into your office, and before you know it, your shoved against a wall and his lips are on yours. His lips still taste of whiskey as they move roughly against yours. Toji has one hand grasping onto your waist, the other pulling onto your hair. He has you a moaning mess in his grasp, your body practically shaking as his knee presses up against your cunt. 'Come to my place' Toji mumbles against your lips 'Want this to be special'.

[scarletwinterxx]

won't let them break your heart - joshua hong imagine

i truly truly think this man would be the best at making the worst days better🥺🥺 and i really really really like him🥺

anywayssss i hope you like this one🤍

for my other joshua fics, check them here

if you want, u can buy me coffee(totally optional but any donation is very much appreciated!) thank you🥺💛

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

With everyone busy with jobs and all that adult stuff, it's difficult to get everyone together. Your friend group do try to meet every once in a while, but most times not everyone can make it. One exception though is when it's someone birthday, it's an unspoken promise to always be there.

"Babe, I think I'll be late for Wonwoo's birthday dinner. I'll just meet you there"

Joshua looks up from where he was sitting to look over where you were, he notices the way your scrunching your brows unintentionally which means you're stressed. He knows you enough to read right through you. Heck he knows you better than he knows himself.

You're stressed about something, you have been for days. He also knows it's harder for you to admit it so he lets you come to him on your own. He never pressures to you to tell him anything.

He shoots you an understanding smile, putting his phone down to give you all of his attention. "Sure, love. Do you want me to pick you up?"

You contemplate for a second but you shook your head at him, "It's okay. I'll just meet you there, I don't know how long I'll be at the office that day cause I have this meeting with executives I can't reschedule. I'll just text Wonwoo so he knows. I feel bad if I don't go"

He stands up and walk over to you, giving you a hug you didn't know you needed. Just like that it's like all the noises in your head disappear. You don't think about work or anything else, you just think of how warm Joshua's hug is and how nice would it be to stay in his arms forever and away from the stresses of the world around you.

Joshua can feel you relax in his arms, soon he feels you hug him back even tighter. You needed this, you just didn't know how to say it. He gives your head loving pats, making you feel better even without words.

"Hey, why don't you call it a night? I can get the bath running for you, then you can go relax while I make us some snacks or anything you want" he looks down at you

"Can we just cuddle" you pout, cheeks squished against his chest. The warmth pooling inside Joshua's chest, a feeling he's all too familiar with but it's like the first time every time.

He's not sure if you know, but you got him wrapped around your finger. He'd do anything for you, he'll give you the world if that's what you want.

Leaning down, he gives your cheek a kiss making you smile up at him.

"Of course, my love. And don't worry about the party, I'm sure they'll understand"

It wasn't really Wonwoo's birthday yet, but his girlfriend wanted to surprise him that's why the dinner will be held before his actual birthday so he won't get suspicious.

When Soonyoung saw Joshua arrive alone, he immediately texted you thinking you were arriving with Joshua but he didn't get a reply so he turns to his friend to ask your whereabouts

"I thought Y/N was coming with you?"

"I offered to pick her up but she still has a meeting" Joshua explains, "But she'll come right?"

"Mhm, told her to text me if she needs me to fetch her" he tells Soonyoung.

Soonyoung just nods his head at Joshua before joining the others again. The night progressed smoothly, everyone was having fun and bonding over food and drinks. There really isn't any chance of boredom when all the guys are together.

Joshua's still distracted though, he kept on checking his phone or looking over the front door. A few of his friends noticed this but didn't comment on it. They also noticed your absence, some putting two and two together like Soonyoung, Dokyeom and Mingyu who you were with on your last beach trip.

Joshua has always been honest about his interest towards you. He never denied it. Whenever he's asked about you, he fights the smile to not raise any suspicion but sometimes he can't help it. One mention of your name and the butterflies in his stomach is rioting. Acting nonchalant is as hard as keeping his secret a secret.

He was in the kitchen when you arrived, talking with Seungcheol and Seungkwan. You greeted everyone in the living room, scanning the room for your boyfriend but you didn't see him.

"Hey Wonwoo, sorry I'm late. Happy advance birthday" You greet him, giving him a quick hug. "Sorry I didn't bring anything"

"No worries, it's good. And don't fret about it, I knew you were busy with work. There's still food in the kitchen if you want, you probably haven't eaten yet"

And he's right, but right now you need a moment of silence. "Sure thank you, I'm just going to the restroom real quick"

You excuse yourself then went the hallway, the house is familiar to you since you've been here multiple times when you hang out together.

Wonwoo then walks to the kitchen to see some of his friends laughing and having fun, "Hey, where's the sandwich we saved for Y/N" he asks

Joshua looks over at Wonwoo at the mention of your name, "Here, I set it here. Did she arrive already?"

"Yea, she just went to the restroom. Anyways do you guys want anything else?"

Joshua stayed for a few more minutes in the kitchen waiting for you but then you're taking too long and it's worrying him.

He excuses himself and walked down the hall, checking the vacant rooms until he found one with the light on. He knocks before walking inside the office, he sees the light in the bathroom open so he walks there and knock again

"Just a moment" he heard you say from the other side

"It's me" he answers, a few seconds passed before he hears the lock click and the door open revealing you with teary eyes.

He didn't even get to say anything because you immediately buried yourself on his chest, "Hey, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" he asks, very worried but he didn't want to push you to talk when you don't want to. He just wanted to know if you're okay.

You just shake your head and sob harder. You were having the worst day ever and you just couldn't hold it together any longer. You thought you could but you were too tired and too frustrated that the tears just started to stream down your face.

Joshua just lets you be, hugging you even closer. His arms going around you as if he's shielding you from everything.

"Hey, I'm here. It's okay now, you're okay" he kept on mumbling against your hair, saying comforting words to you

"I was just having the worst day ever, sorry" you mumble

"No need to say sorry about that, baby. It's valid, what you're feeling is valid. You never have to apologize about that, especially not to me. Not ever"

You're calmer now and the tears have stopped, Joshua definitely helped to calm down the chaos in your mind.

You wipe the tears with the back of your hand, leaning your face away from your boyfriend but staying in his embrace. He looks down at you, heart breaking at the sight of your tear stained face.

He wipes the few tears remaining, giving you the most gentle smile

"We can go home now if you want" he whispers but you shake your head

"I just needed a moment, I'll be okay and you're here now"

"You should've called me, I could've picked you up if you weren't feeling okay" he tells you

"I didn't want to ruin tonight" "Nonsense, you come first always. You're my number one priority" he shushes you

"When you're having a shitty day, you tell me okay? Wherever you are, I'll come and get you. I want to be the one you call, okay?"

You look at him, not saying anything back. You really did hit the jackpot when you met him. You always tell him you regret meeting him too late, feeling like you wasted so many years but then Joshua assures you again and again. Telling you that you didn't meet him late, you met him at the right moment, right when you needed him the most.

And he's right. Ever since he came into your life, everything is better. Even your worst days are better when he's with you.

"Now, let's go get some food in you. I know you haven't eaten dinner yet, I saved you your favorite sandwich. If you want anything else we can get it later"

"You really love me huh" you chuckle at him

Seeing you smile eased Joshua's mind. At least you're not crying anymore. He's not sure what he'd do if he sees you cry like that again, he might show up at your office and give your boss a piece of his mind if he ever sees you breaking down like that again.

"I do, I have for years now. Thank you for noticing" he jokes back

You giggle, standing on your tiptoe and throwing your arms around him again. "Thank you, Shua. For being there for me always, for not asking questions when I'm stressed but knowing the answers anyways"

He smiles while hearing your words, hugging you tighter. "I'm not going anywhere, love. I'll be right here" he tells you, kissing the side of your head like sealing another promise he made to you.

You stay like that for a while, not noticing the two figures standing by the door, "Should I ask..." Dokyeom asks Soonyoung

"They're hugging, I'm seeing this right. Right?"

"They're definitely hugging"

The two share a look then look at you and Joshua again, still oblivious about your friends observing the sweet moment you were having with your boyfriend.

"Should we tell them.. should we say something..." Soonyoung asks but Dokyeom shakes his head, hurriedly pulling him away and back to the main room

"Let's let them be. What if he just asked her out or what if they're finally admitting they like each other???"

"Who like each other?" Jeonghan asks

"Y/N and Joshua"

"Huh? Why would you say they like each other?" Seungcheol asks

"Everyone knows they like each other?" Dokyeon asks back

"Huh? I thought they were together already" the youngest say, catching the attention of his hyungs

"What?" Soonyoung asks, "Yea I saw them out one time, they were holding hands and all that. Joshua hyung even kissed her on the cheek. Oh and one time when I went over at hyung's he had like girl stuff in his apartment" Dino explains

"How did you know it's Y/N stuff?" Dokyeom asks "Because she was there, she was surprised to see me but she said she was just getting something she left at hyung's car. I never said anything because they never said anything" he shrugs, some of the guys surprised at hearing all of this

The rest share looks then it was chaos, Soonyoung shouting the loudest

"YAH KIM MINGYU YOU OWE ME $50!"

[izvmimi]

cw: apology smut. minors dni.

this is the first time you've let katsuki touch you since your last argument, and katsuki's breath hitches sharply in his throat when you don't automatically withdraw from him. it's sad honestly - it's just a simple brush of his hand against yours as he tries to grab the fridge handle, but the fact that you don't quickly shuffle away from him or give him an annoyed look carries a little too much hope for him.

it hasn't even been a long time since you've started giving him this silent treatment, but the man cannot last more than a couple hours, let alone a full day of you being cold to him. you have to admit it's immature to ignore him, but don't you have the right to be immature once in a while? after all, you endure a lot being married to him, enough that you've stayed off social media, and enough that this is the first time you've actually brought something up to him.

seeing katsuki smiling so widely, laughing with someone else, even if you do ultimately believe him that the relationship with the young, pretty up-and-comer is platonic and the apparent closeness is accentuated by the angle from which the photo was taken, you're still annoyed and made it clear so. after all, you don't appreciate looking like a fool.

he clears his throat and you don't turn to look at him, sitting down at the kitchen table and opening a book as you sip a glass of apple juice with no ice. bakugou pauses, hand sweatier than usual around his own glass of water, and watches you. contemplating. can he try again? will confronting you one more time only prolong this silence or will you cry and dig your heels in, risking a chance to lose you altogether?

he swallows hard, throat suddenly dry, but cannot bring the glass of water to his lips.

then you sigh and look up at him.

"katsuki."

katsuki moves almost too quickly to stand before you, anxiety laden in every step. your eyes slide to the chair next to you and he sits, knees turned in your direction, glass set down too quickly, enough that it wobbles but doesn't fall. ice clinks within and settles.

"yes... princess?"

you twist your mouth to the side but can't really form the words to apologize. after all, you aren't really the one who transgressed; rather it was katsuki not being careful enough to make sure certain pictures didn't run the chance of upsetting you. you're still not sure how that particular magazine made its way on your very doorstep but here you were.

"do you love me?" you ask, firmly.

"so much." he insists. his hands find one of yours and covers them. his eyes are pleading for you to forgive him, the fire of defensive anger no longer behind them. katsuki doesn't yell at you when he's angry but his voice raises. he fights with his words and his fists clench. instead today he holds your hand carefully. he's not a threat and will never be, but he wants you to know that especially today.

you sigh.

"you need a better pr team," you say. katsuki squeezes your hand, lips pulling into a tentative smile.

"i'll fire everyone."

you give him a look, then giggle. "that's not exactly what i asked."

"i know, but it's an option." he brings your hand up to his lips to kiss the back, and you smile.

your husband is yours, no matter what the media may suggest is a more compatible new flame, and he sets out to make sure you know that. you are the only one for him.

so in tune with your shifting emotions, the moment your eyes flicker to his lips, filled with longing, he's kissing you. the act of your mouths connecting turn into a natural acceptance of your tongue, and then the pull of your body, still in last night's pajamas, into his lap. your arms wrap around his shoulders, and you kiss him more, even deeper; he sucks at every part of you, hands finding their way up your shirt, then unbuttoning them until your breasts are bare, pressed against his chest. he lets you disrobe his torso, until you are skin to skin, and the rays of the sun seeping through the kitchen blinds form patterns on your exposed bodies. your hearts pound, and you breathe against each other, rutting against fabric, then your soft parts. you let him slip inside you, his eyes nearly rolling back in his head as he groans and let you clench around him. the rock of your bodies moving against each other is slow and deep, then fast and desperate until you're clinging to his shoulders and you're crying out his name, trembling.

he carries you to the bedroom still connected, and he recommences until your legs shake and he's whispering his vows again to you into your bosom.

you are the only one for him, and he hopes you'll always have him.

[fellow-fandom-fruitifier]

This is a part two to this post, because @/senseless12 asked for one, so here you go!!!!!

After the cemetery scene Niko catches up with Edwin. He's still riled up and emotional and having someone so kind and understanding next to him has him finally opening up about everything. She finds out that Edwin is so convinced it's his fault he's in Hell, that if he could just like girls everything would be okay. But instead he went and fell head over heels for his BOY best friend.

Niko, as wonderful as she is, is only sixteen. She can't help him. Not in the way he needs. So instead she hugs him in the dirty grass under withering trees and tells him it'll be okay. Let Edwin cry 2k24.

Back with Charles and Crystal is dead, dreadful silence. Neither feel good, not at all. Crystal can't believe she assumed Edwin did something horrible enough to deserve Hell when, in reality, it was a tragic incident. She feels like everything David ever said she was.

And Charles can't believe Edwin never told him -- which makes him feel like the world's biggest hypocrite -- and he can't believe he ever doubted his best mate. He never should've doubted Edwin. Not for a second. Not the boy who he's spent over 30 years with, the boy who read to him as he was dying despite his fear of Death.

The contemplative, guilty silence is broken by Maren calling Crystal. Everything gets shoved aside to find Niko and Edwin and continue the case. (Crystal doesn't comment on their state -- not the protective, scolding furrow to Niko's red, watery eyes; and certainly not Edwin's defeated, disheveled slouch. The way his bowtie is more crooked than normal, nor the way his eyes aren't any better than Niko's. She sucks in the guilt and holds it somewhere close to her heart. Hard and heavy and deserved.)

(Charles tries, he opens his mouth, closes it, and tries again. But what can he say to make this better? He can't make anything better.)

So they continue the case, everything goes pretty much the same if more stilted, and job well jobbed.

As I'm sure we all know, the Monty kiss is this episode. It would happen the exact same way, but now Edwin's thinking he's just undone all his progress in begging for leniency. Maybe they could forgive him if he never gave into these sinful urges, but if he did? He wouldn't stand a chance.

AND! Because Niko went with the gang last time, there was no Jenny x Maxine date!! (Sorry guys but the poor girl can only be in one place at a time. If you can find a way to fit it in, go ham!!) So there's no reason for her to rip down her love decor.

Crystal still loses her powers and shit. Then Monty appears with his Glady's case and Edwin is caught between wanting to fix it and worried about further damnation. Niko tries to insist that her and Edwin stay back, and neither Crystal or Charles feel like they can argue, Monty tries but the look on Niko's face shuts him right up. In the end it's Edwin who tells her it's okay. She should stay back and rest, he understands work doesn't help her the same way it helps him.

And so, reluctantly, Niko let's them go off. (She winds up pestering Jenny so much out of worry, so Jenny still snaps at her. Niko has her whole thing but instead she feels like no matter how hard she tries, she can't be a good enough friend -- and what if she makes everything worse? -- and should just hide away. Jenny helps.)

The Glady's case goes very similar but Crystal is actively trying not to be as mean to Edwin, and Edwin is trying to pretend like everything is normal and that yesterday didn't happen. Unfortunately, there's not much to change with the Monty-Cat King-Edwin and Charles-Crystal-David scenes. Nor Teeth Face.

After all is said and done, they get home. And Crystal finally pulls Edwin to the side for an apology and he laughs because she's not any better at apologizing. But he reluctantly admits that it's not like he gave her many reasons to like him, and they both agree to try and be less hostile.

The next day Edwin finally decides he's had enough keeping secrets from Charles so, with the help from an over-the-moon Niko, he gets all dressed up and heads over to Crystal's. Niko drags Crystal off excitedly whispering that she'll explain later, but they need to give the boys some space. Insert the Night Nurse. WOMP WOMP

Edwin, down in Hell, has a second to think. He's been hiding this from Charles for thirty odd years and the secong he finally confesses is when he gets dragged off. Maybe he deserves it. To be down here. I mean, it could just be a cruel coincidence, but with Hell there's no such thing as coincidences or mistakes. The Night Nurse said so herself.

The scene with Simon and Despair goes very similar, the biggest difference is that Edwin doesn't truly believe what he's saying but. Niko does. And maybe that's enough.

Charles comes down and, as I mentioned in this additional post, Edwin confesses on the stairway to try and convince Charles to leave him. That someone of his predisposition doesn't deserve to be saved by someone as good as Charles. Charles says fuck that.

He doesn't give a shit who Edwin likes, he's actually honoured it's him, and anyone else Edwin ever likes should feel the damn same. And Edwin should never ever feel ashamed for things outside of his control, and if Hell truly wants to take him for liking boys then they'll have to go through Charles first. (Knowing Edwin's gay -- and loves him -- snowballs Charles bi awakening bcz, like, if Edwin's queer then it can't be wrong. Bcz it's Edwin. And nothing about Edwin is wrong or bad, obviously.)

So they escape, Niko badasses all over the place, and hugs go all around. Crystal takes her memory balls and oh God, time to run away!!!! Niko absolutely told Crystal about Edwin's attempted confession in this AU so I don't think she would kiss Charles goodbye. At least, not in front of Edwin. She wants to be a better person and is viscerally aware how dickish it would be to kiss her friends crush in front of them, even if he's hers too.

Fuck Esther, Niko dies (As Edwin would say, "NOOOOO!! NIKOOO!!!!!!") Edwin would maybe kiss the Cat King's cheek? In this AU Edwin is still not very accepting of himself even after everything, so if he does kiss Cat King it's very tentative and unsure, but hopeful. He's nowhere near as confident and cunty about it as canon. They go back to London and Night Nurse Night Nurses all over the place.

Post canon Cryland could go a couple ways, but the way I imagine it is this: Charles needs time to think, which Crystal expected. She's not happy about it but she did expect it. She feels like a third wheel a good chunk of the time until something happens that brings her and Edwin closer. Where Niko helped Edwin start his journey accepting his queerness, Crystal will help accept his femininity. They are such big gossips, they love RuPaul's Drag Race, and she slowly works him up into allowing makeovers.

Now, Charles is supportive, but feeling kinda left out. He has no idea what goes on in their sleepover, just that Crystal says no straight boys allowed. (With a meaningful, challenging glint to her eye. Emphasis on straight.) Finally, Edwin and Crystal fold to his puppy eyes and allow him in on a sleepover. Now, if you know a single thing about girls/gays inviting straight boys to sleepovers, you know exactly what happened. They use him as a dress up doll but he can't even be mad because they're getting along and LITERALLY GIGGLING. Also he's never seen Edwin with lipstick before and it's Doing Something™️ to him.

More angst because nothing can stay happy for long. Charles is confused and trying to figure himself out, and while Edwin can wait forever, Crystal can't. She might start to push him for answers, get impatient, etc. In the end they have a fight or something and Crystal decides she can't do this on and off situationship anymore, so she takes a break from the agency.

Now it's Edwin's turn to be caught in the middle, comforting both Charles and Crystal to the best of his abilities. But this isn't something he's used to. Maybe he messes up, says the wrong thing, and now one of them is angry with Edwin. (I personally think it would hurt more for it to be Charles. Edwin could try and explain Crystal's side of things, and Charles could take it as Edwin blaming him. So now the entire agency is in shambles. Night Nurse is also probably breathing down Edwin's neck.)

Crystal, as hurt as she is, isn't going to let Charles misinterpret Edwin and take their argument out on him. So, despite how hurt she is, and Edwin's protests, she storms over to the agency and confronts Charles. Which is ironically how they finally figure their shit out because, as upset they may be at each other, they both agree it isn't fair to give each other the cold shoulder and force Edwin to take the brunt of their frustrations. They realize that Edwin has also been taking the brunt of the Night Nurse and both decide to give him a break. Crystal deals with the paperwork for a month and Charles deals with the meetings and Night Nurse directly. (They don't understand how Edwin did this single-handedly for weeks and swear to never fight again.💀💀)

( @mirabel-on-a-bicycle also asked for more so here u go!!!!)

[mrsmikaelsxn]

Tears Of The Sky

masterlist

pairing: niklaus mikaelson x female reader

warnings: fluff and kissing, also a pinch of jealous nik

summary: a rainy day with klaus - requested by @viavolterra-wp

a/n: via i'm gonna get to the angst request for klaus but i suck at writing it and i'm trying to come up with something depressing to write about lmao, i hope this fills the void in your soul <3

song: valse sentimentale, op. 51, no. 6 - pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky

You groan as you hear your alarm go off. You contemplate on whether or not you should throw it out the window.

"Shut off the bloody alarm," Klaus says from his spot next to you on the bed.

You reach over and press the stop button before looking outside. A smile makes its way to your face when you see the rain pouring down. You turn and kiss Klaus on the forehead, "Nik, get up, it's raining!"

"So?" He pulls the blankets closer to him, effectively ripping them off your body. After dealing with that for so long, you don't even bother trying to steal them back.

"Well, we can't let a good rainy day go to waste, can we?"

"Of course we can, love."

You roll your eyes and huff as you fall back on the bed, "Well, if you don't get up, I guess I'll have to find someone else to spend the day with. Maybe that brunette Salva-"

In an instant Klaus is up and on top of you on the bed, "I think my company would be better than his anyday," he narrows his eyes at you.

"I don't know about that," you push further, "he was good company that one night a few weeks-"

You are cut off as Klaus starts tickling your sides, "What was that, love?"

You squirm under him as you try to break away, "Nik! I c-can't breathe! Stop! Please!" Your laughs make him smile, showing his beautiful dimples that you love so much.

"Hm, since you asked so nicely," he stops and falls next to you on the mattress. His head is resting on his arm and he looks at you with adoration in his eyes. "You're so beautiful, sweetheart," he whispers.

Your face heats up at the compliment. "I also think you are very pretty, Mr. Scary Original Hybrid."

He grins, "You think I'm scary?"

"Oh, not at all, you are a soft puppy," you take a hand and squeeze his cheeks.

He playfully scoffs and grabs your wrist, "I am not a puppy."

"Sure you aren't. Anyway, I was thinking we could bake some cookies."

"Great idea, love."

You two get out of bed and go to the bathroom. You both brush your teeth, hair, and after having a small water fight, you wash your faces.

You head to the kitchen with Klaus behind you. You grab a bowl and place it on the counter, "Nik, can you grab the butter, flour, eggs, sugar, and chocolate chips."

He nods and gets them while you grab a whisk, pan, and preheat the oven.

"Thank you." You two now add the ingredients into the measuring cups so everything is prepared. "Okay, do you want to do the honor of pouring the first ingredient," you ask him.

"'Course I do," he grabs the flour and holds it over the bowl.

"Pour it slow-"

It was too late. He flipped the cup upside down and although most four stayed in the bowl, there was a good amount now floating in your faces. Klaus and you swat your hands and cought a bit at you breathe in the flower.

"Oops. Now I know for next time," he shrugs.

"Who says you are going to pour it next time?"

"Me-"

"Let's add the softened butter and eggs now," you put them into the bowl and handed Klaus the whisk. "Stir gently, please."

He nods and as he stirs you slowly pour in the sugar and then the chocolate chips.

"Perfect! We can start rolling them and placing them on the pans."

You two roll them into balls and space them out on the baking pans before putting them in the oven. After washing your hands, you and Klaus go into the living room as he picks a movie, "The Parent Trap? Nik, you know me too well."

"What can I say," he grabs a blanket and tosses it onto the couch. You sit down and cuddle with him on the couch as you wait for the cookies to finish.

The timer on the oven goes off and you stand up, place the oven mitts on, and take the two pans out, putting them on the stove. Nik appears next to you and he goes to grab one but you slap his hand away. "No! They are too hot, Nik. You'll burn yourself."

"Pfft, I'm an Original, love. A cookie isn't going to burn me," he goes back to grab one. You sigh and watch in amusement as he places one in this mouth, jumps around while it burns him, rushes to the garbage to spit it out, and then goes to the sink to spray cold water in his mouth.

"What happened to, 'i'M aN oRiGiNaL, lOvE. a CoOkIe IsN't GoInG tO bUrN mE.'"

He crosses his arms and walks out of the kitchen back to the couch. You laugh and follow him to continue the movie while the cookies cool down.

Now you were laying on a couch in Klaus' art room as he painted you. "Nikkkk, this is taking forever," you groan.

"Don't move, love. I'm almost done."

You think for a moment, "Isn't the butterfly effect crazy?"

He lets out a deep sigh, "Not this again, love. Last time you made my brain hurt."

"It's just like, interesting to think about. If I take one step in another direction, that changes my whole life. That brought me to thinking about other dimensions."

"Other dimensions?"

"Yeah. I heard somewhere that there could be other dimensions where there is every other choice you could possibly have made. That's a lot of dimensions."

"I'm confused," Klaus glances at you and continues to paint.

"Here's an easy example, if there was a fork in the road and I chose one choice option, in another dimension I would have chosen the other."

"Ohh, that makes sense."

"Yeah, so then I was like, wondering if there are several versions on ourselves living on earth in the same timeline."

Klaus drops his head, "Sweetheart, I don't know how much more my brain can handle."

"Okay, I'll save that one for another day. It's hard to explain anyway."

"I'll hold you to that, love. I just finished anyway, come and see," he says excitedly. Although he has hundreds of drawings and paintings of you, he gets just as excited to show you them each time.

You head over to where he was sitting in front of his canvas, "Nik! It's stunning!"

"Not as stunning as you," he winks at you.

"I love it, Nik."

"And I love you," he pulls you to him and places his lips on yours. You pull back after a bit and leave him in a daze.

It's now afternoon time and Klaus said he was going to take you out to dinner. He told you to dress up but you were stuck on picking a dress. There was only one person you could call for help on this matter.

You go and grab your phone, scrolling through the contacts, before calling the number. After about two rings, the call is picked up.

"Bex!"

"Hello, angel," you hear the voice of your best friend come through the phone.

"Bekah, I miss you so much."

"I miss you, too. Is Nik being tolerable? If not I can come and rescue you and we could run away together."

"Yes he is, but I'll take up that offer any day."

"Great! I'll start planning."

"Before you do that, I need your help. Nik is taking me to dinner and I can't pick a dress. I have three top choices but I need you to pick from them, please," you say while grab a perfume you are going to put on.

"Sure! Send me seperate pictures of each one and I'll text you which one I think you should wear."

"Thank you! You're a lifesaver, I love you so much."

"Love you, too. Call me again soon!"

"Of course, bye Bex."

You hand up the phone and send pictures of the dresses. A minute later you get a response from her and you smile. You throw on the dress she picked and you go into the bathroom to do your hair and makeup.

You finish getting ready and put your heels on. You go downstairs and see Klaus on the couch waiting for you. He hears you and turns, he has you clench his jaw to keep it from dropping.

"Are you ready to go, Nik?" You stroll towards him and grab his hand.

He blushes and stutters out a yes. He grabs his car keys and you grab a large umbrella. Klaus grabs you by the waist and speeds you both into the car so you were barely wet.

On the drive there, Klaus let you choose the music - which barely ever happens. You, of course, took that to your advantage.

You get into the diner and the waiter takes you to a booth. You order drinks and Klaus glare as the waiter as he takes your food order.

He walks away nervously and you put your head on your hand as your elbow rests on the table.

"Is it really necessary to glare at the poor boy?"

"Yes it was. He was staring at you."

"Usually when you are talking to a person, you look at them."

"He was stuttering."

"Probably because you were scaring him."

"But-"

"You get jealous too often."

"I can't help it, you are too gorgeous."

"I promise you that you don't have to get jealous, Nik. I love you," you smile at him.

"I love you, too," he grumbles.

The waiter comes back with your food, "H-here you go, enjoy."

You smile at the boy and whisper, "Sorry about him."

He nods and smiles back before walking away.

After Nik pays for the dinner, you too go back to the car. Once you arrive back home, Klaus carries you inside and speeds you to your shared room.

He tosses you onto the bed and goes on top of you. He kisses you so passionately that it speaks so many words.

You tug on his hair in the back and he puts a hand on your waist and one resting on the bed next to your head.

He bites your bottom lip and slides his tongue against it. You open your mouth and move your tongues against one another. You both pull back breathlessly after a few minutes.

"I've been waiting for that all night," Klaus says.

"Of course you have. Do you want to get ready for bed?"

"Sure," he kisses your cheek and rolls off of you.

Klaus speeds to the bathroom across the hall to get ready and you use the one in this room. You take off the makeup and jewelry. You do your nighttime routine and throw on one of Klaus' shirts and a new pair of underwear.

You hop into bed and pull the cover over you. Klaus joins you and you hand him the remote, "You can pick what we watch this time."

"Hmm, decisions, decisions."

He finally picks a movie and you are surprised to see it was Twilight. "You enjoyed the movie?" You recall back to when you introduced him to the saga and he seemed like he hated it the whole time.

"Not exactly, but it's fun seeing the way they made vampires and werewolves."

"Touché."

You lay your head on Klaus' chest while he plays with your hair. Your eyes flutter shut about an hour and a half into the movie. He kisses your head and whispers, "Goodnight, my love," before falling asleep.

[wannaeatramyeon]

Hi~ can I request "she fell first, but he fell harder" with Vin Jin? And please include the confession time too! Thank you in advance 💙

Fuck yeah, Vin Jin hours! Was feeling like I haven't written about this douchebag [affectionately] in a hot second.

Vin Jin x Reader: You're his type

Another Vin Jin confession fic. Feat a lil bit of the Queen, Mary Kim.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Fuck off," Vin mutters, his heart isn't in it as he stares out the window.

Regardless, that earns him a harsh ear pull from Mary for his shitty reply, yanking him out of his daydream and back to reality.

What's wrong with him? Where to start.

.

.

Vin is hot, that is an objective fact. According to him anyway.

Girls and boys alike throwing themselves at his feet is not new, barely warrants batting an eyelid.

You though? One of his inner circle? When you started to blush around him, stammering your words, avoiding eye contact, just generally being awkward as hell; he decided to ignore it. He's seen this a million times before.

Why ruin a good thing, right? Especially if he didnt return your feelings.

But since you started to see Vin in a new light, and who the hell knows why after already knowing him for so many years, well.

His subconscious got curious too.

.

.

Annoying as fuck, bratty. That's how he would describe you.

For some reason, you would always get your way with him, and that used to irritate him no bounds. Your special way of knowing exactly which buttons to push that even Mary is impressed with.

Over the last couple months, this trait has somehow become endearing. That you know him better than he knows himself.

And you're clingy too. Always have been.

Yet your budding crush on Vin has made you pull back. Spending fewer hours together, retracting your casual touches. He never thought he could possibly miss you, but even when you're standing right in front of him, hand just casually hanging there like a normal person, he wants to reach out and grab it.

And if someone asks if you are attractive? Yeah, sure, you're definitely hot.

A man can have eyes, can't he? Even behind his shades, even with three pupils. He can see that and he can see your line of admirers though you've never really been Vin's type.

He can hear Mary's voice if he told her that, her scoffing and asking "what even is your type, you're single as fuck." Vin doesn't know, ok? It's just never been you.

And now all of a sudden, it's you. Completely, one hundred percent, you.

It's you so much that anytime another guy even glances in your direction he needs to hold back from uppercutting them in the jaw.

Maybe most importantly. You're ride-or-die.

If push came to shove, and someone held a knife against his throat, he would admit it.

Him, Mary, and You. The best export from Cheonliang. Friendship built on unrockable foundations. You both worming your way into his stupid, silly heart but in very different ways.

Really, damn you for presenting this dilemma. Why did you have to fall for him because now he has no doubt fallen harder.

Worst of all though? For you, Vin realises he is a romantic, and he is undeniably cringe.

Street cred will be ruined for sure.

.

.

That brings him to the present.

With Vin thoroughly distracted, every waking moment consumed with thoughts of you.

With him catching feelings, mind and heart betraying him alike.

With him having to hold back around you when the confession almost slips out, bolting out the gate until it's almost too late.

Vin is absolutely not a coward. He will tell you, he just needs to pick his moment.

Sitting in the empty classroom, he was busy contemplating the next move until he is rudely interrupted by Mary. Now, he still doesn't have a plan but has gained an aching, throbbing ear for his troubles.

"ACK!"

At his yelp, Mary releases him. Hand on hips, tapping her foot impatiently, she glares down at him as he rubs his ear. "What is wrong with you these days?"

"Nothi-"

"Say nothing and I'll kick your ass."

"I'm fine."

"You've never been fine, asshole."

"..."

Vin resumes staring out the window, hoping if he ignores her long enough she would piss off.

Mary gives a long suffering sigh. It really is long, and really is suffering. After so many years, he still hasn't learnt.

"HUP!" Mary bounces over to him, quick as a whip, and puts him in a headlock.

"WHAT THE FUCK-"

Vin flails around, trying desperately to wiggle himself free but Mary has the upperhand. Using the proximity to her advantage, she leans in close.

Quietly, "Is this about Y/N?"

With his restricted movements, VIn still full body recoils as if he's been hit.

"NO!" And he can hear himself. Too defensive, unbelievable to even his own ears.

Mary looks at him with eyes full of pity. What a stupid bastard.

"You need to tell her."

"W-what? I have nothing to say!" Again. Completely unbelievable.

With another sigh, Mary releases him - moving just out of reach to avoid his retaliating strike.

"Why are you both like this."

"Like what?"

"Listen." She slams both hands down on his desk and Vin jumps, "If you keep making googly eyes and pining for each other in front of me, I will skin you both alive."

"..."

"Sort. This. Out." Mary flicks him aggressively on the forehead, smirking when she realises it will leave a mark. "Got it?"

"Got it, got it..." Vin mutters, refusing eye contact and fiddling with his sunglasses as Mary leaves in a whirlwind of blonde hair and chaos.

Honestly. Vin trying to pull wool over Mary's eyes over his crush is like you trying to pull wool over Vin's. Unconvincing at best, completely laughable at worst. You all know each other too well to get away with this sort of shit.

Ok. Fine, fine. Today is as good as any other day.

Vin makes up his mind and seeks you out.

...Today is not as good as any other day.

Blood rushing to his cheeks when he sees you, Vin chickens out.

.

.

His thumb hovers over the text. Just something simple and straight to the point asking you on a date.

He hesitates.

He tries again a few days later, sitting in the school canteen together when a rowdy first year bumps into you, causing you to spill your drink all over yourself. When your fist meets his nose, Vin watches on in awe, realising he's in love with you.

Still, the moment didn't feel right.

He prepares some lyrics, working on them through the night. Until the next day, sleep-deprived and bags under his eyes, Mary takes one look at them and smacks him over the head.

"No! You cannot start this rapping about Y/N's tits!"

.

.

The confession spills out in a quiet moment together. Catching him as offguard as his feelings did.

You sit next to him, bodies pressed close together, eyes watching the action unfold on the laptop screen.

Another movie night, usually accompanied with Mary. This time, when you invited her over in the group chat, Mary declined and in a separate message, threatened Vin with death if he didn't make 'you and him happen'.

He supposes that that's fair.

As he sits and watches you rather than the film, his face naked and bare, he wonders what more is there than this quiet bliss.

The peace of two people completely comfortable with each other, of two well matched souls; you having seen him countless times at his worst and him with you.

That you know all his secrets and his past and yet you're still here. Next to him.

"Are you even watching this?" You ask, turning towards him. Guess he was too obvious with his staring.

Vin's usual bluster and cocky retort is nowhere to be found.

He opens his mouth, words so close to spilling, tongue nervously darting out across his lower lip-

And he notices your eyes drop to follow it, hears your breath hitching.

The words don't come.

Instead, he leans in close. Moving slowly and carefully to give you an easy out, to give himself an easy out to ease the sting of rejection.

To play it off as a joke, though he doubts if he or his ego would ever recover from this.

When you don't move, eyes searching his, looking him fully in the eyes and not flinching, never flinching, he brings his hand up to gently cup your face.

A move that he has cringed at countless times with romance scenes, but now he gets how right it is in the moment.

Vin feels your soft smile against his palm, you leaning hesitantly into it, and it gives him the final push he needs-

You beat him to the punch.

"I... really like you," you say, lips almost touching his, the heat of your breath leaving his skin tingling.

A smirk that is so him settles on his face. In hindsight, why was he ever nervous. Why did he ever think you weren't his type.

"I know."

Vin presses his lips to yours and finally calls you his.

[kamiko1234]

I am officaly finished with the Titan's Curse and OH MAN- So first off, I hate the gods. I just genuinely hate them 💀 I can't stand them for the life of me I SWEAR TO GOD-

Like, are those guys for real? Percy saves them/Artemis for a THIRD TIME and they contemplate bloody MURDERING the guy!? I mean Artemis was reasonable at least even though I still don't particularly LIKE her since the Hunters of Artemis still weird me out with all that man-hating. And Poseidon was okay too- BUT THE REST OF THE GODS!? What a bunch of ungrateful, wannabe good guys omfg.

I swear with every second I spend on these books I become more and more of a Luke apologist. What the Heck. Second off, Thalia suddenly joining the Hunters- like what?Well okay, I GET it that is was used as a way to avoid the prophecy for her. But for most the book she seemed to atleast have STRUGGLED with the idea. I would have liked that being more devled into, since to me her suddenly joining came a bit sudden if you think about her relationship with the Hunters (and especially Zoe) before. I guess the whole thing can be explained with Luke "letting her down", still though. It wasn't like Luke switching sides was anything NEW to her ! She KNEW what Luke was up to, him "letting her down" couldn't have been anything new. I also think she shouldn't have been made lieutenant going in tbh. She is a new comer, even if she's highly skilled and has proven herself already. That would be like a newbie in a highly specialized military unit who has known eachother for AGES immediately being promoted to commander. Someone who was with Artemis longer would have fit better imo. Thalia could easily have become the lietenant later on ! But right now it feels a undeserved for me. Much more being Artemis playing favorites than Thalia having the skills. Third off, NICO'S A HADES KID ????? AND APPARENTLY ALSO A SEMI TIME TRAVELER FROM (AROUND) WW2 ????

Man and I though Luke being the traitor threw me for a loop- BUT APPARENTLY WW2 ERA DEMIGODS ARE NOW A THING ! SAME THING FOR BIANCA. Honestly I have no idea what to make of all that- but as someone who knows their fare share of history? I'm PRAYING Nico and Bianca are americans with Italian roots (since they seem to have an italian lastname) and NOT actual italians. Them being from Italy during THAT time opens a whole can of worms I do NOT want to get into-

But also OUCHY on that whole part. Poor Nico, I hope he's okay. I also doubt Chiron even cares for the campers tbh. With the comment of him on Nico's disappearance.... yeah no. Those demigod kids really were always just a means to and end to everyone, huh ?

(Please mark any spoilers in your replies/reblogs so I can avoid them, thank you ^^ )

[bangtanficsforyou]

They Reject You (Hyung Line)- Part Two

A/N: Tumblr finally allowed me to put gifs!!!!!! Also, if you find Yoongi's and Namjoon's part short, that was intentional. I wanted to keep the suspense till the third part, which is gonna be the last one for hyung line 😉. Hope you enjoy!

Jin

You have been avoiding Jin. Why? Because even though you're an adult, you feel embarrassed and hurt and don't know how to deal with the pain. You can't just bring yourself to suck it up and pretend that you're fine. Worst of all, pretending does not work with Jin. He just knows.

Just like how he knows that your excuses of why you won't be able to meet up with him, are just that; excuses.

Initially, he was fine with it, knowing it's normal for anyone to want their space and time. But as days went by, his discomfort kept increasing. His urge to just wrap you in a hug and never let go kept intensifying. Most importantly, there was this urgent need to apologise for not knowing what to say to your confession.

The confession had indeed caught him off guard but even then, you deserved better than a jumble of words. He can only imagine how terrifying it must be for you, someone he knows to be an overthinker, to confess to him. He knows you must have analysed and played every scenario in your mind before letting the words slip out. He also knows that confessing must have been the last option for you.

Which is why his words before and after your confession, make him feel angry at himself. But then he didn't know any better, did he?

However, now he does.

After a whole month of you ignoring him, dodging his calls and not responding to texts, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

Standing outside of your class, he patiently (impatiently) waits for the bell to ring, so that he can finally talk to you. When the bell does ring, he straightens and stands there watching as slowly people start to leave.

After a while, he spots you with a friend, chatting animatedly about something.

The sound of your name leaves his lips and your body freezes. You take a deep breath, before turning towards him and greeting him with a small smile.

By the look on your face, he just knows.

He knows that you want to greet him enthusiastically, want to go on a rant about your physics professor, want to be the casual and carefree version of you with him. But your eyes tell him, that you can't bring yourself to be.

He returns your smile and you know that he's aware of your emotional turmoil. You feel your heart ache at the thought of it.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" He asks in a timid voice that does not sound like his, at all.

You contemplate for a moment before nodding with a soft smile and excusing yourself. When you step towards him so as to not block the entrance, you take notice of the way he fidgets with his fingers. Your fingers itch to take a hold of his, but you know you shouldn't. You shouldn't allow yourself to feel his warmth because you know your heart will desperately hope for his comfort to mean more than it does. For you to have him in ways that you now know, you can't.

"How have you been?" His throat bobs as the words leave his mouth.

"Eh, you know exams and assignments, nothing new," you shrug. "What about you?"

"Can't really say fine," he replies with eyes that shine with words and emotions he can't express. Your features soften at his response. You know this isn't easy on him either.

"I'm sorry for making things messy–"

"Don't you dare say that," Jin's firm voice cuts you off.

You mentally scold yourself for your heart skipped a few beats at how kind and loving Jin is. It only reminds you why you need some time away from him.

Sighing, you give him a tender smile. "I know this isn't anyone's fault but it's still difficult for the both of us. But I just need some time to move on, just till then?"

You see the way Jin's eyes reflect both pain, longing and understanding. "Can I get a hug, at least?"

A part of you immediately feels the need to say 'no' to his request. You don't want to feel his warmth. You're scared it would ruin any progress that you have made. But then you really do want to hug your best friend because you have missed him.

This is why folks, you should not fall for your best friend. Too much drama.

Making a quick decision and choosing not to overthink any further, you embrace him in a hug. A surprised gasp leaves Jin's lips, which is soon followed by a satisfied sigh and arms wrapping around you.

The smell of your shampoo evades his senses and his eyes close automatically, as he basks in the familiarity and comfort that comes with you. Fuck, he missed you.

His nose gently snuggles against your hair and he takes a deep breath and he wonders what it would be like to wake up next to you, like this. All snuggled up, you in his arms and his nose buried in your hair. However, the thought is gone when he realises the suddenness of it.

Where did it come from?

He does not get enough time to gather his thoughts as you gently part from the hug and sigh. For the briefest of moments, his eyes drop to your lips and he feels a weird sensation in his body.

"I'll have to leave for the next class," you keep your voice soft knowing how tender the moment is. Or maybe it's your heart that's tender.

He, however, does not know how to respond. His mind feels all fogged up and he feels frozen. All he comes up with is a nod and he tries to look as sincere and in the moment as he can so that it does not worry you.

When you turn around to leave, his eyes linger on your retreating figure and he

feels his heart scream at him to go back into your arms and to never let go.

Yoongi

Y/N: Hey, can we raincheck? I've got a meeting to attend.

Yoongi looks at the screen and sighs. Well, if it isn't the fourth time that you have cancelled. Something that makes it pretty obvious to him that you're doing everything in your power to avoid him.

He knows it's because of what happened on the last date. Thinking back on it, he thinks he hasn't been as honest with you as you have been with him.

Well, technically, he did say the truth. But then when the truth isn't explained, it can often be misinterpreted. Which again is his fault and he knows that.

He knows that he kind of wasn't able to express his exact emotions (because when has he ever been able to do that), but maybe you should not just straight out ignore him like this.

It makes him feel guilty about his words.

He wishes he had worded it in a better way. Wishes, he had told you that he wasn't expecting to get married this soon and that he could not let himself relax into the idea of getting married.

But then anyone would be shocked if they were to wake up one day and realise that they are getting married to someone they don't even know properly.

It's not like he didn't know that this is how it was going to be. He just didn't know that it was going to be this soon. He just assumed that it would be somewhere in his late thirties. Definitely not in his twenties.

Yoongi: Are you free tomorrow?

Now, that is very different from the 'okay' he usually sends you. This might also be the first time he has let it show that he too, wants to meet you.

Your response comes to him after ten minutes.

Y/N: I don't think I will be free till next week.

Well, then.

Yoongi: so the week after?

He responds instantly.

Y/N: I'll have to check my schedule. I'm not really sure.

Yoongi's frustration gets the better of him.

Yoongi: Can we please just meet up and talk?

The words on the screen stare at you causing nervous butterflies to fly in your stomach. The butterflies are, however, soon followed by a sinking feeling when you realise what meeting up would mean.

Somewhere, somehow you'd have to address what happened during the last date. You, confessing to him and then him telling you that he does not feel the same.

Every time you recall that scene, your mind and heart, hurts. It makes you pity the situation you both find yourselves in.

It also makes you feel guilty that despite not liking you, he has to marry you. It makes you feel as if you're trapping him in a lifelong bond when he deserves better. Not to mention, how your minimum expectations might always remain fulfilled. How can they be met when there is no love?

Time stops when you suddenly have the realisation that both of you deserve better. You deserve to be married to someone you love. Yoongi deserves to be married to someone he loves and wants. You both should not have to wake up next to each other and feel like the relationship is a chore.

Fuck, you can't get married to him. You need to do something.

But you know there's no way either of you can talk yourselves out of this arrangement by simply talking about it to your parents. But there has to be some way.

Maybe you and Yoongi will be able to come up with an idea, together.

Y/N: a meeting of mine got cancelled.

Y/N: I'm free tomorrow.

Namjoon

Namjoon has a lot going on right now.

Exams, assignments, projects. These things in themselves are tiring. To add to that is the emotional turmoil he is facing. He has to pretend that he's not feeling guilty as fuck in front of his best friend as if he didn't just crush the said best friend's sister's heart, a week ago in the middle of a party.

And even though it's been a week, your words still haunt him. The look in your eyes and the way you looked so broken yet angry. All because of him.

He also can't believe that you had to watch him with other girls on more than one occasion. He does not know how you managed to pretend that everything was fine and went as long as you did, without snapping. He honestly has no idea how you did it but he's glad it's done. Now that the cat is out of the bag, things should be fine with time.

His line of thought is proven to be wishful when he walks inside Yoongi's dorm and notices you standing there.

You look just as caught off guard as Namjoon feels. However, after a few moments, you school your features and pretend to be nonchalant towards his presence and focus your attention solely on Yoongi.

"Yoongi, did you find the book? I'll have to leave for my class," your voice breaks the silence, making Yoongi look at you.

Namjoon does not know if he should be grateful for Yoongi's presence or not. On one hand, Yoongi being here is a good thing because that way you and Namjoon aren't alone in the room. On the other, Namjoon is sure Yoongi can feel the way the atmosphere turned tense from the moment of his arrival.

"I told you, I'm looking for it," he grumbles in an annoyed tone. "I swear I kept it on the table."

Yoongi misplacing things isn't new at all. But what is new is how his sister and best friend remain silent instead of making fun of him.

You and Namjoon when together, are usually a pain in the ass for Yoongi, always teaming up against him whenever the chance arises and him forgetting where he keeps his things, is sure, one. But today, there seems to be no intention of pulling his leg. If the two of your body language weren't weird enough, this behaviour surely is and makes it obvious to him that something is wrong.

However, what he has no idea. But he thinks it's none of his business. You both are adults and if there's something wrong, you two should be able to solve it on your own.

Looking around for the said book a little more, Yoongi huffs. A huff that conveys his frustration and the fact that he's about to give up on his search for the object.

"Go to your class, I'll find it by today," his next words confirm this.

You roll your eyes to let him know that you're annoyed but not surprised. "I need it by today, don't forget that."

He waves his hand in a dismissing tone. "Got it. Now shoo."

You collect your belongings and leave the room without paying Namjoon any further attention. Your refusal to acknowledge his presence hurts him in a way that has him itching to reach out to you. But he knows he can't do that. Not after everything.

However, after your departure, the silence that he is met with is even more suffocating. It's one of those silences that Yoongi allows to linger to allow Namjoon to talk if he wants to. If not, that's fine too.

Namjoon decides on taking the opportunity and chooses to be honest. Because he does not how long can he go like this without having an outburst. "I need to tell you something."

"Go on," Yoongi replies with a shrug as if he did not see this coming.

Hoseok

You and Hoseok have remained friends.

Initially, it was quite difficult for you. Your mind couldn't help but come up with scenarios where he reciprocated your feelings and you two were happy with each other.

But since that cannot be the case, you had to move on. And what better way to move on, than registering on a dating site, right?

So, that's what you did. You opened a tinder account and went on dates. After two catfish cases and four failed dates, you finally found one guy you liked. Someone, who's your type and someone you can hold a genuine conversation with.

Although, the two of you are not in an official relationship, yet. You'd like to think that you are headed there. Slowly but gradually.

You two are at a stage where you both can talk about anything with each other like friends do but at the same time flirt, kiss and go on dates. It's just perfect and light.

Which is why you didn't think twice before asking if he would like to join you as your plus-one, at a friend's birthday party. That way you would get to introduce him to your friends and vice versa.

Much to your delight, he seemed excited at the prospect of meeting your friends.

Which leads you here, in the middle of a club, with your close group of friends and Henry.

After some time of dancing and swaying your hips to the beat, you decide to head to the bar to get yourself a drink to quench your thirst. It's when you are waiting for your drink that you hear the sound of your name which causes you to freeze. It's not so much about your name being called, rather it's about the voice that called your name.

"Ho-Hoseok?" You stutter the name out, genuinely surprised to find him here.

"Hey," he smiles at you with the same amount of surprise and glee. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for a friend's birthday," you reply, trying to relax your features and return his smile. "What about you?"

"I'm here with Jimin. Just wanted to have some fun for the weekend," his voice gets a little louder when the music turns into a more upbeat one.

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, another figure approaches the both of you. Jimin.

He, too, looks pleasantly surprised to see you. "Y/N! Did not expect to see you here."

"Jimin!" You exclaim, now feeling some of the discomfort evaporating. "Everyone's idea of fun weekends really has come down to alcohol huh?" You tease lightly.

"To be fair–"

"Y/N?" An arm comes to rest on your back and you recognise the voice to be Henry's.

Shit, this is going to be awkward.

Now that Hoseok and Henry are right in front of each other, you find yourself feeling anxious about how the whole encounter between them will go. You know that you have to introduce them but how do you introduce Henry to Hoseok?

Most importantly, you don't want to give away the impression that you're dating Henry solely, to get over Hoseok. Because although it might have started that way, gradually you did find yourself developing a genuine interest in Henry.

You turn a bit to focus your attention on him and soften when you notice the concern in his eyes. He must have come looking for you, after noticing that you were taking so long.

"Henry, this is Hoseok and Jimin." You introduce him to your two friends. "And guys, this is Henry."

As Hoseok shakes hands with the said man, he can't help but take notice of the palm that still rests on your back. It somehow gives off the impression that there's more to the two of you than just friends. Don't ask him how he knows that, he just does. Maybe it's because he's a social butterfly and has interacted with way more people than he can count or maybe it's because he's a dancer and has a good read of people's body language.

"Hoseok is my dance trainer, that's how we became friends." You add hoping that that much information is enough and that you'd not have to elaborate on how you and Henry know each other.

"Ah right, babe! I remember you mentioning your dance classes." He then turns to Hoseok with a genuine smile on his face that shows that he's delighted to meet him and put a face to the name.

However, you wince internally at the use of the name. Shit, you think that the usage of that term is pretty self-explanatory and also, embarrassing. At least, in this context.

The word does not escape Hoseok's attention but he chooses to ignore it.

"Care to tell me what she says about my dance classes? I'm a sucker for authentic feedback," he jokes in hopes that he still has his bright smile on when in reality he feels confused and has no idea how to navigate this situation.

"All good things, I assure you," Henry says, with a small chuckle.

"And for Jimin, he is a friend of Hoseok's and that's how we became friends," you complete your introduction and pray to whatever higher power there is, to not make things any more awkward. Although, you're sure you're the only one who's feeling the awkwardness of the whole situation.

"Tsk tsk," Jimin tuts, pretending to be disappointed. "Tell him how you know us, but don't tell us how you met him. I see how it is."

Oblivious to your discomfort, Henry lets out a small laugh at your friend's teasing. "Let's just say we met by chance and clicked."

Jimin lets out a low whistle. "That tells me you two are not just friends."

At this, Henry's brow furrows a little in confusion. He thought these two were your friends. Do they not know that the two of you have been dating for some time?

He looks at you in concern when he realises that Hoseok and Jimin might not be a part of the friend group you are here with. That maybe, you meeting these two here was purely by chance and maybe he has run his mouth without checking whether you feel comfortable with them knowing or not.

His heart sinks when he realises that you have an expression of unease on your face which confirms his suspicions.

Not knowing what he can do to let you know that he's sorry, he settles for squeezing your hand. And it does give you enough comfort and courage to answer Jimin's question.

"I guess you can say so," you say with a shy chuckle. Because how else is someone supposed to respond to the question?

Jimin, thankfully looks elated at the revelation. "Damn, that's cool. I'm glad for the both of you."

Hoseok does not know what to say so he simply nods. Loads of questions and thoughts run through his head. One of the main things he finds himself wondering about is whether this Henry guy treats you right or not. However, he knows that he is not in a position to ask that.

So he watches. Watches and tries to decipher if this guy is any good for you. He is aware that it's quite wrong to judge the guy when he's meeting him for the first time but that awareness isn't enough to stop him.

Much to his delight (or dismay), this Henry guy does seem to be someone genuine. Which stirs another kind of discomfort in Hoseok's stomach. A feeling he realises, he can't quite describe and hence, chooses to ignore it.

"How long have you two been dating?" Jimin asks and a part of Hoseok mentally pats Jimin on the back for asking the question.

"How long have you two been dating?" Jimin asks and a part of Hoseok mentally pats Jimin on the back for asking the question.

"A few weeks," you take your ordered drink and take a sip. The lightly sweet taste greets your tongue and helps your jaw muscles relax. 

Any further questions that Jimin might have, remain unasked as you notice your drunk friend wildly waving her hand in the air, towards your direction to get your attention. When she notices that she has your attention, she motions you to come to the dance floor all too excitedly.

You smile a little at your friend's antiques and make a note to thank her later for saving you from this situation. Lifting your arm a little, you wave back at her.

"Brie is calling us. We should get going." You inform the two guys in front of you. "See you later?"

Jimin and Hoseok both nod with smiles, not wanting to hold the two of you back any longer.

With a drink in one hand and Henry's hand in the other, the two of you bid your goodbyes.

Hoseok looks at your linked arms and there's a feeling he does not want to name. He tries to play it off by telling himself that it's just him being a protective friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Although, he does not know if his denial is because he isn't brave enough to face his emotions or because it is the only choice he is left with.

Whatever it might be, he hopes that alcohol would somehow manage to take these thoughts away from him and hopefully, he will forget all about this encounter when he wakes up tomorrow.

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If you want early access to part three or you enjoy my writing and wish to support me, consider subscribing to my patreon! 🤗💖

[btsgotjams27]

the nanny diaries ~ myg

ara's dad tries to come back into the picture and yoongi isn't having it.

✨ title: the nanny diaries (drabble series) | the way you are ✨ pairing: yoongi x single mom!reader ✨ word count: 1.5k |✨ genre: light angst, fluff / housemates!au |✨ rating: pg ✨ warnings: ara’s dad comes back into the picture for a split second, yoongi has unrequited feelings(?), protective Yoongi, reader is oblivious to Yoongi’s feelings, a small kiss on the cheek, minor language ✨ a/n: i missed nanny/housemate yoongi, so here he is <3 also, i'm sorry if the tenses change from the previous one to this one?? i'm trying something new and i'm seeing what i like better.

[ DRABBLES MASTERLIST ] | prev ~ the i-had-no-choice nanny

Yoongi watches you puff out your cheeks, almost as if you're holding your breath. You swish it from one side to the other, staring at the phone in your hand. He sips his coffee, wondering what you had in such a fuss. Your contemplation hasn't gone unnoticed these days. You’re being fairly quiet, hardly conversing with him, like you're trying to avoid him.

“What’s going on?” he asks, watching you cower before him.

You shake your head. “Nothing.”

He raises an eyebrow, hardly believing you. “Something has your panties all in a twist. A new guy or something?”

The biggest sigh leaves your lips. “Nope, I wish. You remember Jake? Ara’s dad?”

Yoongi pretends to gag. “How could I forget? He’s the biggest lowlife I know, and how do you date someone named Jake and then go and have a baby with him?”

You roll your eyes, annoyed with him. “You said you’d be nice.”

“Did I though?” Yoongi teases. “What does he want now?”

“He wants to be more involved in Ara’s life.”

Yoongi tuts. “You’re kidding me, right? Now he wants to be more involved? I’m more involved than he is.”

“I’m truly grateful for that, but Jake’s her dad, and I can’t deny him wanting to be more involved.”

“Actually, you can. When he chose to leave you and Ara, he gave up that right. What kind of dickhead leaves his girlfriend and kid?”

“Yoongi–”

“What? I’m just saying that you deserve better. You and Ara deserve better than Jake.” He watches you contemplate your next move, your thumbs lightly tapping on your phone, and guilt overtakes his recent comments against the guy that left you. He stands, making his way beside you on the couch. He sighs. “It’s yours and Ara’s life, and I can’t tell you what to do. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

You turn to him, your lips thin into a closed smile, before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. “You’re really sweet for caring so much about us. Whoever ends up with you will be so lucky.”

Yoongi pulls away from you, clearing his throat. “Why are you getting all gooey and shi–”

Ara’s cry interrupts your conversation. The two of you look at each other in sync, saying, “I’ll go get her.”

“Yoongi, you’ve done so much lately. Let me get her.” He nods and lets you do your thing.

The fact that you’re allowing Jake to come back into your and Ara’s life frustrates him. He watched you date the guy, let him move in, knock you up, and then leave. Sometimes, he just wants you to use your brain and think about Ara and how she’ll have to grow up with a man in and out of her life. She doesn't deserve that; she deserves to have someone love her, sings her to sleep, hold her when she is scared, and play with her–not someone who shows up when they want to. He also thinks you deserve more than just a wishy-washy man who can't commit, but he's just your neighbor turned housemate. He doesn't have anything greater to offer you.

“Jake, you remember Yoongi?” You say, standing between the two in the doorframe.

“Hey–man, what’s up?” Jake holds out his hand for Yoongi to shake, which he does with a reluctant groan.

Ara is ready to escape from your arms when Jake tries to say hi. “There’s my baby girl.” Yoongi rolls his eyes because that’s what he calls her, but he knows it’s not exclusive to him. “Where are you going?” Jake teases when Ara holds her arms out toward Yoongi.

He suppresses his smile and gladly takes Ara from your grasp, and the most obnoxious baby voice comes out of him, “Hello–why yes, we want to stay. Don’t we?” He glances at you and Jake quickly before taking Ara toward the living room. “Let’s get your shoes on, shall we? Baby girl has a big day out with mommy.” Yoongi refuses to acknowledge Jake as her dad.

You look at Jake and see him clenching his jaw when he sees his daughter with another man. “Here–take her diaper bag, and I’ll grab Ara. Go wait outside, and we’ll be there soon.”

Jake grumbles under his breath, begrudgingly taking the bag from your hand, and heads out the door.

You stride over toward Yoongi, kneeling beside him. “I thought you were going to be nice.”

“See, you keep saying that, but I never promised anything.” He makes a face at you as he finishes buckling Ara’s sandals.

“Yoongi–”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be nice.”

The few hours you're gone, Yoongi tries to work on his project but can't concentrate on anything. He plays the same song beat until he can't stand it and pushes his keyboard and mouse to the side out of frustration.

He shouldn't be so angry over you and Ara going out for a few hours. The two of you have done this plenty of times, but this was different–Jake's with you. Does he know what Ara's favorite lovey is and about the backup one in case the first one goes missing? A lot of things could go wrong in a short span of time.

Yoongi paces repeatedly in the living room, looking through the blinds to see if you've returned. Eventually, he gives up and falls asleep, his arms and legs crossed while on the couch, awaiting your arrival.

The digital keypad of the lock wakes him from his rest, wondering how long he's been out. The fumbling of the doorknob causes him to become flustered, pretending to go back to sleep.

"Ow–" you mumble as you enter the apartment, accidentally stubbing your foot on the shoe rack.

Yoongi chuckles quietly, turning toward the back of the couch.

"Where's your room? I can put Ara down," Jake says while holding his arms out for her. You reluctantly hand her over, hoping she doesn't wake up during the transfer. Your little chunky monkey's growing up too fast before your eyes.

Surprisingly, Jake does a good job putting her down without waking her up. You turn on the white noise, putting her favorite blanket on her before leaving the room.

"See, I'm a natural," Jake suggests, patting himself on the back.

Yoongi scoffs quietly. It's been one time, pure luck, he thinks. Imagine having to do it every day without any help.

You walk Jake to the door, and you stand before him. "Not bad for your first time."

Jake eliminates the distance between you, rubbing your arms up and down. "You guys should just come live with me," he suggests, squeezing your arms.

Quickly, you glance over at Yoongi, who's still fast asleep. "Yoongi's been good to us, and I don't think I want any major changes right now."

"Come on, baby. I said I wanted to be more involved in your and Ara's life. Isn't that enough? Don't you still love me? We're so good together."

At this moment, Yoongi wants to jump up and pummel the guy, but hopefully, you can handle him yourself.

"Don't come around with empty promises. Ara and I deserve more than that. You hung out with us once and expect me to let you back into my life? It's gonna take time before I can trust you again."

Yoongi smiles. He knew you could do it. He pretends to stir and groan to make it known that he is about to wake up from sleep.

You look over at Yoongi as he stretches his arms and legs. "You should go, Jake. I'll talk to you later."

"Babe–we're not done talking yet," Jake whines.

"She said, 'You should go, Jake.'" Yoongi pops up and deadpans to Jake.

"You heard the man of the house," you say, raising an eyebrow and crossing your arms.

Jake scoffs, clenching his jaw, annoyed with both of you. "Didn't know you were someone else's bitch already."

Yoongi quickly stands. "You really should go now."

You open the door, waiting for him to leave. He tuts and mumbles and curses under his breath before walking out as you slam it behind him.

Both of you stare at each other, waiting for someone to speak.

Yoongi blinks. "What did I tell you?"

"I don't know. What did you tell me?"

"That he's a no-good lowlife who just wants to get his dick wet."

"You never said that."

"Well, we were both thinking it."

You sigh, walking over to him, sitting on the couch, and Yoongi mirrors you. "Come on, just say what you want to say. Tell me, 'I told you so.'"

He doesn't want to be right. He understands the tough situation you're in. It's not your fault your ex is a jerk. He shakes his head, "I'm not gonna say that."

"Okay, then. Thanks for putting up with him then and humoring me in my hopeless situation."

Yoongi turns to you. "Stop that. You and Ara deserve better than that guy. You guys are perfect the way you are, even if he doesn't realize that."

"Oh my god, is Min Yoongi just a big ball of fluff now?" You tease, playfully pushing him away.

"I'm serious. You're a great mom to Ara, and you should have someone who loves you and wants to take care of you."

Your lips curve into a small smile. "Thanks, Yoongi. I mean it." Your pinky is unbearably close to his hand, just as you notice his index finger stroking your hand.

He looks at you. "Don't mention it."

[afyrian]

ch. 6 - december 25 masterlist

    "no, i'm just watching a movie, making some cookies to pass the time. rin left yesterday... so it's just me," you stand in the kitchen with kiyoko on the other side of a video call. 

  you can tell that she's sitting on a couch, tanaka's shoulder resting against hers. their beautifully decorated house sits as the background for the warm environment your screen encompasses. it's hard not to feel jealous of the life that she leads, the loving partner, the amazing home. however, you find yourself remembering your homey apartment, best friend who is better than any life partner. 

  "if we hadn't gone to ryū's family's home today, we would've invited you over, i hope you know that."

  you nod, mixing a few toppings into the dough, giving her a smile, "i know! i'm fine with it, it's finally given me some time to bake something and watch something other than an action movie."

  it's rather obvious that your laugh that follows is forced, hoping that you saying it would make it real. and it’s rather easy for kiyoko to recognize just how intertwined you are with rintarō, even if it's not so obvious to you. 

  "you know, we should go on a double date sometime. since suna is technically your husband," she runs her hand through her hair, lowering her phone some. 

  you hold back a smile at the sound of 'husband', your eyes focused on the ball of cookie dough in your hand. heat rises to your cheeks as grab some saran wrap to store it in the fridge for a couple hours. "well, just technically, so it'd basically just be a hangout. since you know, i don't know if he'd necessarily be up for date- or if i would even-"

  a knock at your apartment door abruptly stops your rambling. your thought process quickly ends and you quickly wipe your hands down on a hand towel. "sorry, i gotta grab this, talk to you later?"

  kiyoko gives you a quick nod and an 'absolutely'. you take in a deep breath and make your way to be front door, your clothes old and covered in ingredients. when you open the door, you don't initially see anyone. for a second, you contemplate if it was someone simply knocking and running; however, a large brown bag sits at your feet.

  it resembles that of a restaurant's bag, a little note written on it saying 'from rin'. you grab it by the handle and shut the door, smelling your favorite food's aroma. all of your worry melts away as you open it to find a small note and an array of a nearby restaurant's food. you simply can't hold back your smile now as you open the little note. 

  'y/n, i know we couldn't be together today, and everyone else is busy, so here's something that may cheer you up! if not, i'll make it up to you by watching some romcom when i get back. from, rin.' 

  below it is something else written in parenthesis, likely from the driver's perspective, '(you have a lovely boyfriend)'. you take in a deep breath and remember the past six months with him, remember the breakfasts he’s made, the memories you’ve made every day. he’s truly the only guy for you and he doesn’t even know it. 

  tears build up, from a little mix of joy and sadness. joy that you have the greatest man in your life. the man who will pick you up when your hours from home. the man that will make you breakfast when you just don’t feel like it. the very same man who will send you something on christmas just so that you don’t feel lonely.

  however, he also happens to be the same man that doesn’t feel the same way as you. that can look so lovingly into your eyes and only feel an ever budding friendship. that can go years without ever saying a word about how the two of them could be more than what they were. it’s a double edged sword and your unsure of where the blade will land. 

a/n: i’ve been wanting to write an angsty chapter and i keep putting it off ://

[justrainandcoffee]

Memories (Luca Changretta x poc!fem!oc)

This is part of my main series → Hunger Games - Peaky Blinders crossover.

Summary: The disastrous 75th Hunger Games are over, but the rebellion barely started. In district 11, she's the new leader now. Commander Young was made to protect her people. While she was out contemplating the fire, she starts to remember. Luca Changretta and her relationship with him.

Warnings: Mentions of minors forced to have sex (only mentioned) and angst. || Despite this fic, and how much I like these two, Luca is fucking bastard in thg universe and she could NEVER fall in love with someone like him.

Words: 1k. || Credits to @evita-shelby for adding him on her fic, because otherwise this fic couldn't exist. I waited months to write this!! But it's here. It's previous to the next part of the main series.

In a parallel universe Aveline imagines her life is much better. Perhaps with a job that allows her to live in dignity and without having to worry about surviving a war started by a white-haired old man who had nothing better to do than ruin the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Commander Young is a title she never imagined she would have, but it is what life has put in front of her. And as hard as it is to admit... she likes it. Standing up for those who can't make it on their own is what brings her the most satisfaction.

And her beloved district knows something about injustice. Sadly.

Aveline stands next to a funeral pyre. Since the announcement of the 75th games, problems in the districts have worsened. It is true that she and a group of the strongest men and women she had, not many, managed to control the peacekeepers and those who resisted were now feeding the pigs, but it is also true that what little resources they had became scarce and deaths increased. The pyre was to honour the dead of her land and the meaning of the fire was more than just the symbolism of purifying them. It was also to prevent the bodies from bringing disease to those who were still alive.

Aveline watched the fire with her precious katana in her hands. The flames brought back memories to her mind.

"Take it with you. You're going to need it someday, Linnie."

Linnie. The only person who ever called her that was him. To everyone else she's Avie. But of course Luca Changretta wasn't part of the rest. He was special, that's why he paid for her when Aveline won.

They were both teenagers at the time, she was 16 and he was 19. It didn't take Aveline long to understand what the behind-the-scenes of the Hunger Games was all about. Having no mentor, being the first winner from District 11, no one warned her, but when the peacekeeper knocked on her door to tell her she had to go to the Capitol because someone was waiting for her, some pieces of the puzzle began to make sense.

She was forced to wear a purple dress and shoes that made her even taller than she was. Another peacekeeper took her to a luxurious mansion and that was the first time she saw him. As tall as she was and with an elegance that, even for someone from the Capitol, could cause envy.

"Perfect," was what he said when he saw her. His youthful face lacked that malice that would make more than one in the future recoil and yet, it was still intimidating. "Please, Aveline, have a seat."

He said he prepared dinner himself and set a plate of pasta in front of the girl that smelled delicious. There was no way she could get something like that in District 11, even if she was a champion.

Luca wasn't like the average Capitol people she'd seen in the months since she'd won and in the future either. For better or worse, Luca was smarter than them. Maybe that's why he was dead now too, guys like him couldn't be trusted, even before he was 20.

The katana rested on a wall, like a treasure for all to see. Within reach of her hand, if only....

Luca listened to her talk, and that wasn't something the Capitol did. They pretended to listen to those in the district, only to interrupt them and talk about the wonders of being millionaires. But not him. Anyone would think that the future owner of half an empire in the Capitol's underground was actually interested. Or maybe he was gathering information.

But Aveline was on alert. No matter how attractive she found him, no matter how much she wanted to know about him.

Why did she find him attractive and intelligent when he had paid for her as if she were a prostitute?

Aveline allowed him to dance with her and allowed him to kiss her too. That was her first and only kiss with a man and it hadn't been bad. She could say she had liked it. Even when in time she would discover that girls were more to her liking.

But Aveline wouldn't let Luca go beyond a kiss. As they danced and kissed, she guided him exactly to the wall where the katana rested. A single movement was all it took for her to grab it and pull it against Luca's heart.

"Don't even try," she said. "If you get your hands on me when they open the door they're going to have to put you together piece by piece."

Far from being offended by her reaction, the boy laughed and held up his hands "I'm not taking any chances, Linnie. I've seen what you do with that. I don't want to be one more."

Luca backed up to sit in his armchair while she still held the katana in her hand.

"It's an heirloom," he continued, indifferent to the fact that he was likely to end up decapitated at any moment. "It was my father's and he inherited it from his father. We lost track of its arrival in our family three generations ago. We don't know if it was ours before the climate disaster or if someone found it."

The girl never lowered her arm and looked at him, daring him to do something stupid. But Luca didn't move from the couch.

"You're the first victor I've ever paid for, and the experience is most unexpected," he said, "You're special, Linnie."

"And you're a bastard."

"Yes. And yet no one has seen the worst of me. Not even me. But in keeping with the tradition of giving gifts to the victors. I give you the katana. Take it. You're going to need it someday, Linnie."

When in the future Aveline declared that she was not part of the Capitol's sexual abuse, it was true because Luca never laid a finger on her. In the years that followed, no one else ever took her to the Capitol again, except for the games.

She saw Luca every year at the Games. In the end he was right, no one had seen the worst of him. The rumours about him were sometimes best to ignore. The following victors were not as lucky as Aveline because Luca learned from his mistakes and there was nothing in sight that could hurt him when he paid for someone.

"You look beautiful as always, Linnie," Luca said in her ear one of the last times she saw him. He was wearing as always his best suit that matched his cocky smile.

"When are you going to stop this, Luca? You're already over 40. It's disgusting, it always was! Who's your new treasure, the girl from 10?"

"Eva, yes. Better me than Evert, Linnie. We all know what he does with kids, at least to me they're still people, not supernatural beings. But don't be jealous, Linnie, you're always going to be my first. By the way, have you ever wondered why no one else after me showed any interest in you? Such a beautiful black girl, she's the temptation of more than one. Yet no one put a penny on your name."

Aveline did not reply but looked at him intrigued. The truth was that she had not until that moment wondered why.

"I've been paying to protect you for 21 years," Luca continued "I'm not stupid enough to risk my balls and bring you in against your will. But that doesn't mean I don't protect those I love."

"Love?"

"Love. Maybe in another life, Linnie." Luca smiled at her again, "by the way, do you still have your sword?"

Aveline nodded.

"Okay. Remember this, love, you're going to need it sooner than you expect and I know you are going to know when to use it."

Aveline turned away from the fire of the funeral pyre. She couldn't help but smile. The bastard was right.

"Maybe in another life, Linnie."

"Maybe."

[allthelittlecreepycrawlies]

Another mixed concept and scene snippet post from twitter. This one I actually hammered out a quick ending to!

Nie Huaisang is the insecure one of the relationship for a change. 

Even though they’ve been together from the end of lectures all the way through the Sunshot Campaign, even though Jiang Cheng always turns them down, even though Jiang Cheng chased off the matchmakers, there's always someone drawn in by Jiang Cheng’s pretty face or the allure of the Jiang-furen. 

And, eventually, Jiang Cheng will have to find himself a wife. 

An actual wife. 

Nie Huaisang can handle dealing with merchants and accounts and stuff like that, he’d even force himself to do it for the rest of his life if he has to, but there's so much more that would be expected of a wife and even if he were to learn it all, the etiquette and everything, he's still not a woman. He can’t give Jiang Cheng heirs of his own bloodline, and he knows how important that is.

So even though he does his best to help out with rebuilding the Pier, Nie Huaisang makes himself scarce if there's even a hint of flirting because if this is going to be the one that Jiang Cheng reciprocates, he doesn't want to be there to see it.

He even stays through the fallout and the first siege, only for a new problem to pop up as the dust settles.

On top of everything else, Jin Ling can’t stand him. Even at that age where babies are upset about everything, it's clear Nie Huaisang is his least favorite adult, even though Nie Huaisang is doing his best, and is actually doing things correctly 95% of the time.

It's absolutely crushing. It's worse than the flirting, worse than the proposal letters, because he knows more than anything, Jiang Cheng needs a partner who can do right by his nephew.

As Jin Ling howls angrily in his arms, only to immediately quiet as soon as someone else takes him, Nie Huaisang finally starts contemplating throwing in the towel and letting Jiang Cheng find someone who actually deserves to be by his side. 

And eventually… he does give up and break things off. 

Not wanting to leave Jiang Cheng feeling like he's in the wrong, he explains everything before he quietly goes back to Qinghe.

Unbeknownst to him, Jiang Cheng takes this as a challenge. 

Nie Huaisang left because people wanted him to marry better? Fine! He finally accepts the matchmakers' attempts to set him up, and then purposely bombs the dates. When rumors start getting out, he pays the matchmakers to support them.

He can't do anything about the fact that Jin Ling doesn't like Nie Huaisang, and that guts him, because his nephew comes first. But Jin Ling's a baby, surely his opinion will change as he grows? 

Right?

He can make this work. He will make this work.

It's been a year and a half since he and Nie Huaisang have seen each other in person, but they've been tentatively exchanging letters. 

When Jiang Cheng arrives at the conference in Qinghe, he takes the first day to gather his nerves. On the second day, he thinks he's ready.

And then the screaming panic erupts in the courtyard.

---

From there, it goes as canon did. Nie Huaisang grows distant as he sinks into grief and revenge and Jiang Cheng throws himself into running the sect and raising Jin Ling. 

(Neither of them ever tells Jin Ling about their history together, so he grows up having never known they were even an item, just that Nie Huaisang is that weird annoying guy who's always pestering shushu. Ironic that he ends up remaining completely disdainful of Nie Huaisang his whole childhood, but for totally different reasons.)

It's painful and bewildering to see the way Nie Huaisang acts around Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao, because Nie Huaisang wasn't that clingy with him even when they were lovers.

(Once the final confrontation at the temple concludes, Jiang Cheng realizes that Nie Huaisang might have been shielding him from All Of That, but he's still kind of hurt and confused.)

Something forces them to talk: Jin Ling eventually does find out about their backstory.

Not the actual backstory, of course, but during a 'friendly' night hunt, Wei Wuxian offhandedly muses about the fact that Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang aren't together anymore.

Wait, when were they ever together???? 

"Oh, it ended before you were even old enough to remember?" Wei Wuxian asks. "Though I guess that's not surprising, since you were only three when Chifeng-zun died."

"It was probably because even they couldn't stand each other for long," Lan Jingyi says, earning a swat from Ouyang Zizhen.

But Wei Wuxian just grins and says "Yeah, that's probable, too," or something like that. Jin Ling doesn't really hear it clearly because he's already mad and stewing in his own thoughts.

His jiujiu-! With that guy-!

And he's going to get to the bottom of this. Since his jiujiu never said anything about Nie-zongzhu all those years, good or bad, he knows he won't get any information that way, and even though he grew up seeing Nie-zongzhu as a silly harmless annoyance, recent discussions mean he doesn't feel comfortable going to the Unclean Realms either.

Time to start asking the Jiang sect’s second-in-command some questions. 

---

Jin Ling doesn’t get much, but he gets enough that he knows he’s going to have to press Nie-zongzhu for the full story. 

So he sucks up his nerve and heads to the Unclean Realms.

He’s received with little fanfare, but when Nie Huaisang offers tea, he can tell by the smell that it’s his jiujiu’s favorite, and he can’t help but wonder which of them loved it first.

It throws him off guard enough that rather than the snippy confrontation he had been planning on the way over, the first question out of his mouth is “Do you regret any of it?”

Nie Huaisang tilts his head, expression uncomfortably probing. Jin Ling braces himself for the usual deflections and protestations of ignorance, but whatever Nie Huaisang sees makes him simply sigh instead. “Your shenshen. I never predicted she would react the way she did. I thought she would go home to her parents.”

“What about the cu- Mo Xuanyu? Did you make him do it?”

“No. It was his idea to begin with, actually. But there was a possibility, however small, that I could have stopped him, and I never tried.”

Jin Ling is… not sure exactly how he feels about the answers he’s been given. But he does believe them. So he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, lets it out… and without any of the irritation he’d been carrying with him on the way, asks the question that has really sparked this visit.

“Did you break up with jiujiu because of me?”

Nie Huaisang chokes on his tea. “Where did you hear that from?” he wheezes after getting the coughing under control.

“Not any one person in particular. I heard you’d been together from shijiu, and started putting the pieces together after talking to some others,” Jin Ling only partially lies, not wanting to put his jiujiu’s second in any possible line of fire. “Did you?”

Nie Huaisang rubs between his eyes, and it looks like he won’t answer at first. “It wasn’t your fault,” he finally says. “There were over a dozen different issues that probably would have sunk us eventually. We’d been keeping the relationship quiet during the rebuilding, so there were potential wives being tossed in his path constantly, none of which I could measure up to.”

“He would have picked you anyway,” Jin Ling says, eyes narrowed. “So tell me the real reason.”

“I did. Choosing me would have only put more stress on him, especially since-”

“Since what?”

“Since nothing.”

“So it did have something to do with me.”

“Jin-zongzhu-”

“Tell me,” Jin Ling insists, practically leaning over the table.

Nie Huaisang scrubs his face with his hands. “Fine. Fine. I hated seeing how miserable he was having to split time between us because you screamed yourself blue if someone tried to hand you to me. I wasn’t going to make him choose, and I wasn’t going to make him feel guilty when he inevitably chose you. It was better for both of you to just take myself out of the running.”

Jin Ling sits back down and processes this, remembering all the times he’d heard his jiujiu absolutely shut down a dinner date with anyone. How he always changed the subject when Jin Ling brought up the question of why he hadn't married yet.

He must have been missing Nie Huaisang the whole time, and it’s clear just from watching Nie Huaisang during this discussion that he’d been hurting too. And yet they’d never breathed a word about it around him because they didn’t want him thinking he’d ruined things for them.

“Okay,” he says finally. “I’m summoning jiujiu here and we’re discussing this in full.”

“What?”

—

Things finally seem to be going well. With Jin Ling's blessing, Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang are tentatively mending the bond between them.

And then a night hunt goes horribly wrong, with Jiang Cheng taking a blow that would have killed his nephew and once-shixiong. Much to everyone's surprise, including his own, he ascends.

As a god of devotion.

He laughs until he realizes the other gods are serious, and then he's bewildered and angry because why him?

Worst of all, he can't leave the heavens without permission for literal years because he has to 'settle in' first, which just seems like a lot of bureaucratic bullshit to him.

—

Of course he goes to Jin Ling first, who's now fully-grown and well-established, but still greets him with tears and a fierce hug like a kid. After they've spent almost the whole day catching up, Jin Ling suddenly gets very quiet and serious. "You might want to go see Huaisang next. Before it's too late."

Jiang Cheng stiffens. "I was already planning on it, but what the hell do you mean 'too late'?"

"He's... really not been doing well since you ascended. I think the only things still keeping him alive at this point are his promise to his brother and the fact that the disciples insist on taking care of him even though he abdicated."

Jiang Cheng feels sick, because he knows.

He knows why.

He thanks Jin Ling and, in a blink, he's at the Unclean Realms. Ignoring the stunned reactions, he turns to the man he recognizes as having been the head disciple the last time he visited and is likely the sect leader now. "Where is he?"

He's guided to a set of rooms deep in the side of the mountain, where the only light is from torches and lanterns and candles. When he enters the door indicated for him, the sight inside makes his stomach drop.

Nie Huaisang is sleeping on a bed of furs and soft pillows, an array Jiang Cheng can't identify stitched over the chest of carefully arranged robes. Despite the fact that his face is still smooth and unlined, there are silver streaks among the braids in his hair. He's far too thin and just... looks ill. 

Kneeling beside the low bed, Jiang Cheng reaches out to touch his cheek, his hair, something, but his presence rouses his former lover before he can make contact.

Nie Huaisang blinks at him, then smiles, but his gaze isn't focusing right. "Ah, Cheng-er, look at you," he murmurs, barely audible. "Always knew you were too good for a monster like me."

—

Nie Huaisang only lives long enough to complete the purification ritual.

Jiang Cheng decides to remain on earth, waiting. He passes the time by occasionally checking in with the sect, or with Jin Ling, or even with Wei Wuxian, the shock of his ascension having forced them to have some very weighty conversations.

It takes another fifty years, but eventually he crosses paths with a young man who has familiar green eyes and an even more familiar infectious laugh. 

[tomatoswup]

el chico del apartamento 512⋆ ˚｡⋆୨💌୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

summary: that new boy-next-door Vash from 512 sure is cute! Maybe you should write him a letter~

title translation: the boy from apartment 512

warnings/tags: shy/anxious reader, the usual nerve-wrecking feelings that come with a crush, tesla jumpscare, kabedon! by vash, i edited this at 4am might have mistakes, cute~, Modern!AU

A/N: I....don't know if i wrote this right...but this song had me delusional..... :D,,, I really wanted to write a cute boy-next-door kinda oneshot with Vash and boom, here yall go :P enjoy! I recommend listening to Selena's "El Chico Del Apartamento 512" since this fic was a direct inspir. from the song~

pairing: vash x reader

Life in your apartment complex was, in your own words, quite boring.

Bland scenery, the shouts and complains of neighbors and the ridiculous "problems" that shouldn't even be called problems you had to deal with.

Oh cmon, can't you park in your own fucking parking space?!

But there was a certain someone that made the hell of a place a bit more better. Your new neighbor from apartment 512. You first met him by accident when you dropped the groceries you were hauling up to your apartment one day, to which he helped you and struck up conversation.

From there, fate couldn't help but let the meetings between the both of you continue as the two of you talked more and more. Often times, he'd find you reading at one of the various apartment complex picnic tables, joining you in your times of relaxation.

"You okay?" You asked one day as the both of you sat at the table, sharing a bowl of fruits you had cut up to enjoy the afternoon with. He turned his attention towards you, orange sunglasses resting on his head and mouth full of watermelon causing his cheeks to puff out like a chipmunk "Mfph?"

You had a good ol' laugh as the poor man tried to chew as quick as he could to respond, but truly just ended up almost choking on the poor watermelon. You had to smack him on the back in the end so all the juice left his lungs.

Life, work, and flowers that the both of you liked, sometimes the two of you conversated for hours on end. And sometimes, you two just liked each others quiet company.

You admired that.

But you also admired something else.

ooo girl he was cute.

You couldn't resist the butterflies in the pits of your stomach whenever the two of you took your walks together, coming home from work late nights. The closeness of your shoulders and his made you a bit more delusional than you had wanted to be.

Or maybe you did?

GOD MAKE UP YOUR MIND!

Vash, that was his name, was your boy-next-door crush. To be honest, you never expected to find yourself attracted to someone like him. But man, did he have your heart running its laps.

Every.

Single.

Time.

The glances he would sneak at you from afar felt like honey for your little ol' fragile heart. And no, you never forgot those frequent very frequent times where you would find him knocking at your door. Opening it, there he was, the cute tall spiky haired blonde awkwardly standing there with a flower pot, little flowers already growing inside.

Shifting his weight from his feet left to right, he would use the excuse of "I bought a bit too much for my balcony!" to keep giving them to you.

It was adorable! You never failed to blush every time and whenever he accidentally touched your hand when he handed them to you. You didn't notice his own red cheeks though.

You had a small collection of these plants in your home now that you made sure to water every morning. And as a thankful gesture, you often invited him over for dinner at your place.

That was....flirting right?

Jesus fucking christ you really had no rizz..

You often found yourself lying in bed some nights, not knowing how to address those bubbly feelings of yours towards the dorky man.

How would you tell him either way? How about a date?

Oh no no no, you didn't have the balls to tell it to his face... Did you?

You contemplated for a second.

Nope, definitely not.

If he said no, you would have to think about finding a different apartment at this point.

oh my goddd this was embarrassing..

But cmon now that cute mole on his face? How could you resist those funny faces of his? You groaned loudly into the air as you slapped your hands on your eyes in exasperation.

'What if I write him a letter?' You froze in your mini moment of despair before shooting up from your laid down position. "Okay, okay, maybe this can work." You gasped out, stumbling and slipping off your bed, looking around the room trying to find a pen and paper.

Pen..Pen..Digging out a pen from your bag, you held it up into the air as if it were a holy grail.

Settling with a nice purple colored one and a page from a notebook that you carefully tore out, you wrote your "confession" letter on that messy wooden desk of yours.

That'll do that job! please

By the next morning, you had the letter sealed and ready to be given to him, but damn were you on the verge of wanting to throw up because of how nervous you were.

You even added a cute dried flower on the letter to make it look pretty maybe he could ignore the little tear marks of yours on the note

Okay, go to his door, knock, give him the letter, then run.

PERFECT! Completely foul proof plan!

Wash, rinse, repeat.

You put on one of the more nicer outfits from your closet, and paced around your room a bit before finally leaving the apartment. Letter clenched in your hands, you walked only a few steps from your door until you saw the numbers 512 glaring down at you.

Ummm…

You felt sweatier than usual as you frantically brushed down your hair before straightening your posture. It took you only 2 minutes of self-reassurance before you knocked.

knock, knock, knock

Pulling your hand back, you stood there holding the letter into your chest.

...

...

No response. That's fine! That's totally okay!

You took a moment to breathe in and out before knocking again. Finally hearing movement from the other side of the door, you took a step back, bracing yourself from seeing his face as the door swung open.

"How can I help you?" A feminine voice rung out.

Opening the door was a blonde girl somewhat a bit older than you. Her long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes making you do a double take as your mouth gaped open at the pretty girl. But that surprise was taken over by your heart dropping at the sight. She was wearing a white sweat jacket

His jacket..

HE HAD A GIRLFRIEND!?

'ABORT! ABORT MISSION!' Your subconscious yelled at you as you stumbled to find words to reply to the girl "I-um, well uh-"

The burning feeling in your chest started to hurt as you felt the desire to just drop dead right on the spot. There was no way you just... Oh my god..

Before you could respond, the girl's expression widened into somewhat recognition. "Oh! You're the neighbor from next door! Were you looking for my brother?"

Eh?

"...Y-Yes?" You tilted your head in a somewhat cheeky sweaty smile you were dying on the inside before she turned from you and looked back into the apartment.

"HEY VASH!" She yelled, holding the door open with her back as she crossed her arms, and from the depths of the blue-wallpapered apartment nice choice! you heard his voice.

"WHAT!?" There were sounds of blankets or something moving coming from where he was inside.

Her eyes flickered back to you before giving you a playful wink "I think our neighbor from 511 is knocking at the door! Are they the-!"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT DON'T OPEN IT WAIT!!" His sudden screech emitted before the sudden mess of things falling to the ground and objects breaking echoed through the apartment.

Was he okay?

"GYAH!" You heard Vash yelp before he tripped into your sight right around a corner, shirt half messily on him as he attempted to slip his arm through the hole of the shirt. The scattered scars on his body prominent to your eyes as he struggled for a second.

Wow look at that bod-

You quickly averted your sight, feeling the heat crawling up your neck and into your cheeks as he picked himself off the ground as fast as he could with only one hand. You noted that he didn't have the time to put his prosthetic on in that sudden rush of his.

"T-thanks Tesla!" He breathed out, smoothing down his shirt as Tesla left her spot by the door, leaving it ajar as she gave you a small wave before leaving into the apartment and what you presumed back into her bedroom.

"Sorry about my older sister, she's just visiting for the week..." Vash cleared his throat before leaning his arm his only arm at the moment on the door frame, humorously deepening his voice "So, how can I help a beautiful person on this most wonderous night?"

You giggled at his try to hide whatever happened, the tense muscles in your shoulders softening as you silently held out the letter you had.

"Hm?" His eyebrow rose as he relaxed himself, slowly grabbing the red envelope out of your hand. Turning it around, he scanned the writing on the top.

To Vash

And attached to it, was a red geranium, one of the flowers he had gifted you. He couldn't help but give the envelope a blushed smile before looking back up to ask you what it was.

But there was no one?

"E-Eh?" He stuttered as he quickly stepped outside, only seeing a flash of your body running through your door as you shut it quick behind you.

Did... Did you just run back to your apartment?

Vash let out a pout as his shoulders slouched down, barefoot on the concrete floor of the apartment complex corridor.

"I missed the chance to say it.. Damn it.."

Meanwhile, you had shut the door and slowly slid down it, covering your mouth with your hand in amazement.

YOU DID IT!

YOU ACTUALLY DID IT! YES!

OH FUCK YOU DID IT.

ohhhh shit.

"what did I just do.." You groaned, pushing your knees up to bury your face into.

For the next couple of days, you tried your best to avoid Vash as much as you could. Taking all the early shifts at work, racing into your apartment whenever you saw him sitting at the picnic table with a bowl of strawberries.

Maybe he didn't feel the same way, how could you show your face to him? You were scared..What he would say?

Disgusting?

I'm interested in someone else?

That night was one that had you up late, running through all the things he could say about your letter, bad or good.

But one day. you had been forced to take the late night shift again and found yourself walking down one of the many apartment complex hallways alone. You actually kinda missed your lil nightly talks with him…

"Hey!"

Hm?

Turning your head to the left, you spotted the pretty blonde man, racing down the path in slippers, sweatpants and a long sleeve, no glasses of his in sight.

"V-VASH!?" You squawked out, the man closing in as in a panic, you closed your eyes. Feeling your back hit the hard wall behind you, you were only able to throw a hand out to put a cushion to whatever was happening.

What?

Slowly peeping your eyes open, your vision was covered by the sight of his chest. His large frame practically covering your body and both arms of his caging the sides of your head, most likely to prevent you from meekly escaping.

"I finally.." He let out a deep breath as the hot sensation of it lightly hit your face "..caught you." His gaze only focused on you as you noticed the grip you had on his firm shoulder. Ah... He was trying to talk to you again..

Did the letter not make anything awkward?

"Vash?" Your breath hitched, the intense stare of his eyes just on you making that stomach of yours develop butterflies once again.

"You never gave me the chance to give you an answer.." He muttered before chuckling "Didn't think it'd take me this long to finally see you."

Moving your gaze away and to the side, you tried to escape his eyes in attempt to calm yourself down "I thought I made things awkward...Ha." You gave him a small pained grin, the urge to cry out of humiliation was making the lump in your throat push upwards.

One more word out of you and you'll accidentally let it out, tears and all.

Vash looked down at you with a curious expression before the look of adoration riddled his face "Aw cmon now, look at me. You'll never make things awkward between the both of us..." Hand off the wall, he softly put two fingers under your chin, moving it so you looked back into those endless bright blue eyes of his.

"Ya know, you actually beat me to it first."

"I-I did?"

He gave you a cheeky smile "Definitely, I was gonna come over but.." The corners of his mouth moved downwards "I didn't get to see you anymore. Even after work, I made sure to wait a bit to spot ya. Guess today's my lucky day."

oh fuck, you felt so bad.

he…was actually looking for you.

shit.

"I-" You choked out, silencing Vash as you felt your eyes start to blur with the tears. You couldn't hold it in anymore. All those embarrassing moments and thoughts.

"I was scared about what you were gonna say... I thought you weren't going to like me anymore after that letter…” You tried to regulate your breathing as your furiously wiped the tears out of your eyes “Stupid right?”

Using both hands, Vash slowly took your hands away from your face, before swiping his thumb against the apples of your cheeks "Well, whatever you thought that was gonna do, did quite the opposite.."

Face to face, just centimeters away from each other.

"I like you even more.." His thumb brushing the bottom of your lips as you observed him, eyes still red from crying. But the red of Vash’s own cheeks got brighter and brighter.

"May I?"

And with no words spoken, you nodded and he caved, leaning in. You felt like melting as he wrapped his arms around your sides, those pink lips of his deeping into your own as the taste of mint seeped into your mouth.

The sweet taste of his was one you imagined at night, and have never thought to ever taste until now.

Now that you tasted him, it felt so intoxicating. Every touch of his tongue in your mouth, the grip he had on your waist.

Okay slow it down a little cowboy~

Pulling away for air, the both of you just stared at each-other, eyes wide and quiet.

Until laughter came about, Vash had started giggling and you tried your best to stifle your own until you couldn’t. And the two of you continued laughing as Vash kept you close in his embrace.

"I was wonderingg~" Vash whistled out after getting those cute giggles out of his system "Are you doing anything this Saturday?"

You tilted your head to the right, giving him a shy smile "Not necessarily, I was just gonna order some pizza and stay home alone.."

"Maybee..I can keep you company?" He jokingly puppy-eyed before you gave him peck on the lips just one more time

"Always~"

A sharp gasp was suddenly emitted from your right side, causing you to almost yelp in shock at the sudden disturbance as Vash whipped his head to the direction. And there stood your upstairs neighbor, an elderly hispanic lady and her husband with a little cart full of folded laundry.

"Mire! El chico del apartmento 512 se junto con el rentero de 511. Ay que bonito~" She cooed as her husband nodded in agreement.

You returned a blushed smile, feeling Vash's hand slip into your own.

Oh how sweet!

translation: Look! The boy from apartment 512 got together with the renter from 511. How pretty~