#(probably the only thing about Brazil I saw on TV when I was a kid)

[rosieblogstuff]

I'm glad that episode about ants pops into other peoples' heads, too. Literally there are like 2 episodes of OG MacGyver I can remember most of the plot of even a couple decades after seeing them. The one where Mac gets drugged and saved by the street kid, and the horrifying nightmare ants episode. 😂

I haven't watched the 2016 MacGyver, but I do know that David Dastmalchian plays Murdoc. I find this hilarious because in the 1985 MacGyver there was an episode about ants.

[secretpeachtea]

Onigiri Miya Tidbits Ch 6

Title: the eagle, the seagull, the crow, and the Brazilians

Genre: gen fic, reader insert

Word Count: 5.3k (whoops)

Summary: Onigiri Miya is now hiring and you just happen to be the right person for the job. The business has been gaining popularity since its grand opening, and many customers travel from different cities just to have a bite of Miya Osamu’s delicious recipes. You did expect some craziness from working in food services, but what you didn’t expect was to be bombarded with frequent tomfoolery from a bunch of attractive volleyball players during your shifts.

disclaimer: manga spoilers

A/N: this one’s a bit of a slow burn (more so than the usual hehe), but I promise it gets better near the 2nd half! There’s not much drama in this chapter, but I think y/n deserves a bit of a break ya feel? Enjoy, my dudes

Previous///Next

Tonight is a special night because it’s ‘Create Your Own Onigiri’ night! Your boss decided to hold this small event to try something new and allow his customers to have some fun in the process. There are laminated onigiri instruction sheets on each of the tables as well as a small customized menu created for this event specifically. You helped him post a couple announcements on social media about the event a week prior to inform the public, and so far, things have been going smoothly.

Osamu is mainly in the kitchen prepping any ingredients for the customers and you’ve been standing at the register as usual. You are pleasantly surprised at how much everyone was enjoying making their own onigiris, and it seems like people of all ages were having fun.

“Welcome to Onigiri Miya!” You greet automatically with a bright smile as the front entrance slides open. A group of very physically fit men walk into the shop with large sports duffel bags slung across their shoulders. Despite the slightly intimidating aura the group gave off, one of the males walked inside with a young child hugging his arm. You scan over all of them briefly and your eyes widen as you make eye contact with Ushijima whom you just met a little over a week ago when the Shiratorizawa alumni visited.

You gave the tall volleyball player a small smile. “Hey, Ushijima-san! What brings you back so soon?”

“You assured me that I should bring my team, and we all wanted to participate in the event today,” Ushijima responded back. “My teammate, Romero-san, is not from Japan, so we wanted to find a restaurant with traditional food.”

“R-right…” You didn’t expect him to actually bring his team any time soon, but you’re still amused at how seriously he took your words from before. You can assume that the only foreigner in the group is the ‘Romero-san’ that Ushijima spoke of. There are probably hundreds of other restaurants the group could’ve gone to for a more cultural experience, so you’re a little giddy that he chose to come here. “Well, it’s good to see you again! I’d be more than happy to help your team have a good time here.”

To Ushijima’s left, another tall figure stood with a resting scowl. His gaze made its way to the kitchen where Osamu was and immediately lit up in recognition. Although, there might’ve been some confusion. “Miya-san, I didn’t know you worked here. Don’t you have practice right now?”

Your boss lets out a short laugh as he looks over his shoulder to look directly at the boy who spoke to him. “Wrong twin, Kageyama-san.”

“Ah.”

Kageyama looks down and glares at the floor mildly distressed at his mistake. There’s a part of you that wants to laugh at his reaction, so you do so internally. Suddenly, you feel someone staring at you, so your eyes shift over in that direction to a male with white hair and round eyes. His stature and overall mannerisms reminded you of a certain orange haired ball of sunshine, so you couldn’t help but stare back a bit longer than you intended. There was a sudden shift in his demeanor and his eyes narrowed at you.

“Why you staring? Is it ‘cause you’ve never seen a volleyball player my height? You’re impressed by the Hoshiumi Korai, right?” The boyish male lifted up his hands as if trying to intimidate you, but in your eyes, he seemed completely harmless.

With a sweet smile, you calmly reply back to his accusations. “Sorry about that. You just remind me of a good friend of mine. He also plays volleyball, and you’re both around the same height. I haven’t seen you play before, but I’m sure you’ve worked hard to get to where you are now regardless of your height, Hoshiumi-san.”

You know you’ve startled him with your kind and composed response when he freezes in place for a couple seconds before dropping his arms back to his sides abruptly and looking away to hide a small grin.

The last two people in the group, whom you assume are father and son, seem to be in their own worlds as they converse quietly. Now seems like a good time to let everyone get settled in, so you step away from the register and gesture for them to follow you. “ My name is (Surname) (Name). You guys can follow me! There’s a table over there that can fit all five of you. Then, I can explain how things are gonna work for today.”

Once the guys all settle in, you stand at the end of the table and point at one of the instruction sheets as well as the menu. “You can pick 2-3 ingredients for your onigiri! One of the ingredients will include meat or seafood and anything else can be a vegetable, seasoning, or both. All of the prices are written down on the menu and there are written instructions on how to make your own onigiri with pictures as guides. Feel free to call me over if you need clarifications. Any questions?”

Multiple heads shake at the same time. You pull out a tiny notepad and pen from your pocket and prepare to take orders. “Great! Then, what can I get for you guys?”

Romero lifts one of his arms to get everyone’s attention and begins to speak somewhat broken Japanese, “Order whatever! I will pay!”

After that declaration, you jot down all of the ingredients that the group orders including some refreshments. “Alrighty! We’ll set up all your ingredients soon on the counter. Once everything’s ready, there’ll be trays for you to take back to your table.”

You bow your head and stroll back behind the counter to relay the order to Osamu. As you’re helping set up some ingredients that don’t require any cooking, you notice that your boss frequently steals glances at the volleyball team with starstruck eyes and curiosity pokes at your mind. “What’s got you looking excited like a kid on Christmas?”

Osamu quickly turns around to face you while holding a spatula in one hand and tongs in the other. Leaning down to keep the conversation between the two of you, he unconsciously lifts both kitchen utensils up in the air with enthusiasm and flashes a childlike grin. “That’s Nicolas Romero! He’s a really famous world class volleyball player from Brazil. My brother and I used to watch him on TV all the time when we were younger, so it’s kind of crazy to see him in person!”

There’s a slight leap in your heart as you watch Osamu’s eyes brighten in joy but choose to ignore that strange feeling for the time being. “Now that you mention it, I think I saw a couple posters and billboards with his face on them when I was in Brazil.”

“I was really surprised when ‘Tsumu told me he was coming to Japan to play for the Schweiden Adlers. I never thought he’d come to my restaurant though!” Your boss is quite awestruck at the idea that such an important figure from his childhood was about to eat food that he cooks himself and it’s enough to elicit a giggle from you.

It’s not long before all the ingredients are set up on four large trays along with a couple beverages. You face the group of males and raise a hand next to your mouth. “Order’s ready for Romero-san!”

Romero stands up from his seat and pats his son on the head to stay put before gesturing at Kageyama to follow him. “Tobio, help me bring the food?”

“Of course, Romero-san!” The setter shoots up from his spot with a zealous expression and immediately follows behind his teammate like a baby duckling. When the two arrive in front of the counter, they give you a short thanks and take their trays back to their table. Osamu subtly glimpses at his childhood idol but quickly looks back down with a flustered expression when he notices you sending him a smirk of your own.

With everyone pretty much settled in, you decide to walk around to the other tables to see if anyone needs any assistance or if they have any questions. You return back to the register after a couple of minutes ready to sit down and take a quick break, but you notice a couple drinks sitting on the counter. The volleyball team must have forgotten to take them when they took their food. Since you didn’t have much to do at the moment, you decide to take the drinks to their table yourself.

With arms full of beverages, you walk up to the Adlers. “Hello, sorry to interrupt, but you left your drinks on the counter. I just thought I’d bring them for you.”

Romero takes the drinks from you and then distributes all of them to each person after sporting a grateful smile. “Ah, thank you!”

You’re about to walk away, but the sight before is almost too ridiculous for you to look elsewhere. All of the men are in the process of creating their onigiris, but each creation looks quite...interesting.

Ushijima’s onigiri is one very large globular rice ball, which distinctively resembles a volleyball, with a few sesame seeds sprinkled at the top. Hoshiumi’s onigiri almost looks like it’s about to explode with how much meat was piled inside the rice and probably would’ve fallen apart if he didn’t have it enclosed around both of his hands. Kageyama’s onigiri is of a decent size, but he must’ve put too much pressure when shaping the rice because it just looks like mush with obvious handprints. Romero is the only person at the table who was able to make a normal onigiri, but everyone seems to be enjoying their time so you don’t think Osamu needs to come over and help.

You finally look at the young child sitting next to his father and tilt your head in confusion when you notice that he’s not participating or eating anything his father made for him. With slight concern, you turn towards Romero. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but is your son not fond of the food? I could offer some other ingredient options?”

“Oh, that’s okay. Everything is perfect!” Romero replies with a knowing look. “Rubens is just a little grumpy since he misses his mother. She met new friends at an onsen and they invited her out to go shopping today. Thank you for asking, though.”

After living in Brazil for a couple months, you were able to pick up on some Portuguese. You’re not in any way fluent yet, so when the older man briefly speaks to his son, you can only make out Romero asking Rubens if he wanted a different onigiri and that he needed to eat to be healthy. The boy’s pout deepens and just simply states that he was bored. Romero sends you an apologetic smile, and you just wave your hand to let him know that you understood.

A sudden idea pops into your head. “Romero-san, is your son allergic to anything? I have an idea to help Rubens enjoy himself more. Would you mind if I try to make your son something?”

“Go for it! My son does not have any allergies, but he does love pork!” Romero nods his head in approval.

You quickly make your way back behind the counter and peek over Osamu’s shoulder as he stands in front of the stove. “Hey boss, do you mind if I try to make something for Romero’s son?”

“Sure. I don’t think anyone needs any help or anything at the moment, so you’re free to do whatever you’d like,” Osamu replies nonchalantly and you tap his arm gratefully.

Situating yourself in front of the counter surrounded by ingredients, you momentarily think about what you want to do. You make the final decision to create two designs for the onigiris that you think Rubens might like. After washing your hands, you gather up all the ingredients you need and even snatch some extra pork from Osamu’s pan. After a couple minutes of putting together the onigiris, you place them on a plate and examine your creations.

The first onigiri resembles a simplified stegosaurus with meat substituting the spines of the dinosaur and some sesame seeds throughout the body for texture. The second onigiri is just a regular rice ball with pork and vegetables, but a couple irregularly shaped pieces of nori are scattered across the surface to resemble a dinosaur egg. Both onigiris lie on top of a small pile of bonito flakes to act as a nest.

You take the plate of food to where Rubens is sitting, a bit nervous since you aren’t sure how he’s going to react. Everyone else at the table just watches curiously as you place the onigiris in front of the young child and his eyes widen. He’s practically mesmerized by his dinosaur themed meal and even some of the other guys are impressed.

Rubens quickly turns towards his father and whispers into his ear. Romero chuckles and pats his son’s head lovingly before facing you. “My son wants to know how you did that. He absolutely loves it.”

A sigh of relief leaves your lips at your successful attempt at making the child happy. The only problem was that you were still in the middle of work, so you didn’t know if you could spend any more time here. Coincidentally, Osamu seemed to have overheard everything for the last couple minutes from his spot in the kitchen. “Hey, (Name)-san. If you wanna take a quick break and spend some time with the kid, I don’t think there would be any problem with it.”

You’re really grateful for Osamu’s leniency, but a part of you still feels bad as you turn to look at him. “Are you sure? I don’t want to skip out on my job so suddenly.”

“Don’t worry about it. The boss said it’s all good.” Osamu gives you a reassuring smile and you take it as your cue to grab an extra chair off to the side and sit beside Rubens. You’re about to grab some rice to begin teaching the boy, but a slight tug on your sleeve makes you freeze in place. As you look to your side, you see Kageyama’s hand near your shoulder and there’s an intense look in his eyes.

“K-Kageyama-san, would you like to learn too?” You ask a bit surprised. Your bewilderment is replaced with amusement when he nods at you furiously and you almost laugh out loud at his excitement.

“Oh! Me too! Me too!” Hoshiumi intervenes enthusiastically and even Ushijima seems to be interested. These guys sure were something else.

In the end, everyone in the group was watching as you demonstrated how to make different designs with the onigiri rice. Rubens finally succumbed to his hunger and began to eat his dinosaur meal, so you were left to attend to the grown up men who listened to you eagerly like school children, aside from Romero who needed to step outside to answer a call from his wife.

“Alright! Now that you have some of the basics down, why don’t you each try to make your own? Just to keep it simple, we’ll all choose a single design. Any ideas as to what you guys want to make?” There’s a brief silence as everyone tries to think of something doable. Suddenly, Ushijima lifts up his phone and an image of what you recognize to be Japan’s adorable volleyball mascot* is shown. You sweatdrop as Hoshiumi and Kageyama clap in agreement at the volleyball player’s obvious, yet adorable selection.

Other than having to give a few pointers to Hoshiumi and Ushijima, it seems like they were doing a pretty decent job at making the character. The one who was truly struggling was Kageyama. He was still putting too much pressure when molding the rice. As he continues to squeeze the rice excessively, you gently place your hands on top of his slender fingers.

“You’re putting too much force in your hands, Kageyama-san. Here, loosen your grip a bit and I can show you.” With that said, Kageyama lets go of his vice grip and allows you to guide his hands over the rice. The two of you stay like that for a couple more seconds until you successfully make a circular rice ball. As the male opens his palms upward with your hands still wrapped around his, his eyes sparkle in amazement.

Kageyama bows his head gratefully and when he looks back up at you, you’re taken aback by the amount of admiration flooding his expression. Your body stiffens when he quickly puts down the onigiri and clasps your hands between his. “Thank you, (Surname)-san!”

“N-No problem.” You feel a bit of heat creep up your cheeks with the way Kageyama was holding your hands so delicately.

The moment doesn’t last long, however, when you suddenly feel someone’s fingers graze the side of your face and a sticky feeling is left on your skin. When you look to see who the culprit is, your eyes fall on the youngest person at the table with one of the most terrified expressions you’ve ever witnessed. Almost immediately, Rubens starts apologizing in broken Japanese similar to the way his father has been speaking, “S-sorry! Sorry! Sorry!”

While you were busy working with Kageyama, Rubens had finished eating and wanted to make his own onigiri since he was still a bit hungry. He wanted to grab more rice from the bowl next to you but misjudged his movements and accidently touched your cheek with his sauce covered fingers. The child felt absolutely horrified and was afraid that you’d hate him for this.

Using a napkin, you wipe off as much as you can from your cheek and then proceed to lower yourself onto the ground to get to the child’s eye level. Mustering up your brightest smile, you try your best to reassure Rubens who looks like he’s about to cry. “Hey, hey! It’s okay, Rubens! I’m not mad.”

You spend the next couple minutes cooing at the sniffling young boy, and once you’re sure that Rubens is no longer going to cry, you sit back down on your chair. You lift up a ball of rice to gesture that you want to help him make an onigiri and he nods his head. You make a traditional triangular onigiri but place two rolled up bonito flakes for eyes and a piece of curved rice on top of the nori to make it look like a bearded face. There’s an almost immediate shift in the child’s mood when you point at the design and then to the empty chair next to him because you had made an onigiri that resembled his father.

Both of your laughs fill the air and the whole situation resembles a heartwarming scene from an anime. You were too distracted to notice the multiple pairs of eyes watching the scene in captivation. Once Rubens starts to eat again, you look up to see some lingering stares. “Is everything alright?”

Two stoic faces avoid your eyes by looking down, while Hoshiumi snaps out of his trance. The white haired male sits up a little straighter before addressing you. “Hey, you’re pretty good with kids, (Surname)-san!”

“I’ve had a couple babysitting jobs in the past. I’m not perfect with kids, but I did pick up a few things here and there,” you respond back shyly.

At this moment, Romero walks back into the shop while pocketing his phone. “Sorry to cut our time short, but I think my wife is coming back home soon. I should start heading out with Rubens. You guys can stay longer if you’d like.”

“That’s okay, Romero-san. I think we’re all ready to leave as well.” Kageyama lifted up his tray which spurred the rest of the other guys to do the same. As everyone helps out in cleaning up their area, you head back to the register to receive the payments for the meal from Romero.

The guys were now all ready to leave, but your boss quickly grabs their attention after taking a glance at a certain framed object on the shop’s wall. “Do you guys mind signing some autographs to put up in the shop?”

“Of course!” Romero exclaims. The rest of the team complies as well and they each sign a piece of paper that will most likely be displayed by tomorrow. Once that’s done, the team stands in front of the exit with their belongings. Rubens tugs at his father’s arms to get his attention and Romero bends down to listen to what the boy wants to say.

“What’s up?....Name?....Onigiri Miya…”

You can’t make out anything other than a few words, so you’re thrown completely off guard when Rubens suddenly jumps up from his spot and waves his arms wildly at you. “Bye-bye, Mrs. Miya!”

You don’t even hear any of the other males voice their goodbyes and leave the shop as blood rushes through your ears and your face flushes into deep crimson color. It seems like Osamu wasn’t spared either as his cheeks explode with heat at the implication. Both of you stand in awkward silence for a few seconds to calm your hearts until Osamu musters up the courage to glance at you first.

His expression shifts a little as he stares at your face. Osamu then points at your cheek. “Oh, (Name)-san. You still got a little something on your face.”

Momentarily forgetting about feeling flustered, you realize that you might not have gotten rid of all the sauce from when Ruben accidentally touched your cheek. “What? I thought I got it all off. Why didn’t anyone say anything?”

You attempt to wipe off the sauce remnants, but fail to do so each time because you don’t know where it is exactly. Osamu grabs a clean towel from the top shelf and slightly dampens it under the sink before standing in front of you again. “I got you.”

Osamu lifts up the towel and starts to wipe at your cheek softly. When your head starts moving too much, he brings up his other hand and places it gently on your neck to support it. There must have been a lot more sauce left than you expected because Osamu continues to hold you in place for a couple more seconds, his eyes never leaving your face. Unconsciously, your own eyes drift around his features and you can’t help but admit how handsome he looked at the moment.

“Oh, young love~”

Both you and Osamu flinch back when you hear one of the customers that are still in the room say their thoughts. When you glance at the table where the voice came from, you see an elderly couple smiling at you while holding hands with one another in a loving manner. The previous blush you had comes back in full force as you remember that the two of you were not alone and in a somewhat intimate position together.

“T-t-thanks, Osamu-san!” You stutter and almost trip over your own feet as you start walking towards the bathroom with hurried steps. “I’m j-just gonna...um...go to the bathroom really quick!”

As you rush away from Osamu, he just watches your back disappear behind the bathroom door. He stands in place quietly as he processes what had just happened and there’s a foreign feeling in his stomach that he can’t explain. He simply turns his back to the bathroom and rubs a hand to his cheek to hide the smile that threatens to creep onto his lips.

Leftovers

You’re currently laying on your couch comfortably surrounded by pillows and blankets while watching a movie on your laptop. Today was your day off from work, so you planned to stay in for the whole day and catch up on some alone time. As much as you want to focus on your movie, your mind starts to wander off.

About two days have passed since you met the Schweiden Adlers volleyball team at Onigiri Miya, but they were still on your mind. Based on the tidbits of information you’ve gathered from Osamu, Adlers and MSBY were rival teams. It almost makes you want to laugh at how different the two teams were in terms of their dynamics and personalities, so you hope to see them play against each other one day.

Suddenly, the ringing of your doorbell interrupts your thoughts and you pause your movie. You stand up and walk towards your door in confusion. You weren’t expecting anyone to visit, so you’re a bit weary as you look through the peephole.

As if the universe knew what you were thinking about before, you’re surprised to see Sakusa standing outside your door with his usual face mask. Swiftly unlocking the door, you pull it open and greet your curly haired acquaintance.

“Hey, Sakusa-san! What’s-” You stop speaking abruptly when you notice two large bags in the volleyball players arms and they look fairly heavy too. “Oh, wow. Are those...for me?”

Sakusa just nods his head and you quickly open your door wider to let him inside to place the bags down. You’re extremely curious as to what the contents were since both bags were covered by tissue paper, even more so because Sakusa was the one to bring them to you. He places both bags onto your coffee table and you’re about to ask what they were for, but he beats you to it.

“Congrats,” Sakusa states with his usual impassive expression but there’s a hint of softness to his tone.

At this time, you’re completely perplexed. “Congrats for what?”

“For graduating.” Sakusa’s reply causes your eyebrows to shoot up. “This is from the team.”

“Oh...” You’re left speechless for a moment as you try to understand the situation and once everything finally clicks, a warm feeling encompasses your heart. “Um...thank you.”

You gaze at the gifts bags for a bit longer with various emotions swirling through your eyes before talking again. “...did the team send you because we live in the same apartment building?”

“Yeah.” Sakusa let out a sigh which made you laugh a bit, but it didn’t sound like he was necessarily bothered by the task.

The male briefly checks his phone and gestures that he needs to leave soon. As Sakusa starts to make his way back to the front door, you follow with light steps to see him out. “Let everyone know that I really appreciate this when you see them again for practice!”

He nods in acknowledgement and the two of you exchange goodbyes before you finally lock the door as he walks away. Without a moment to lose, you rush over to the large bags sitting on your coffee table with anticipation. Just from the first glance, you can tell that there are multiple things piled up, so you’ll just have to take things out one by one.

After removing the tissue paper from the bag on the left first, you pull out something large and fluffy. In your hands is a huge teddy bear that’s wearing an MSBY jersey while holding a small note card that says “Congratulations on Graduation!”. You immediately know who it’s from because the bear’s multicolored fur resembles the colors of Bokuto’s hair. You give the bear a tight hug before placing it next to you on the couch.

The next thing you take out is a miniature set of hand lotions with a small bottle of pepper spray taped onto it. There’s a small note on the bottle that says “It’s dangerous walking home alone at night”. There’s no indication of who the gift giver is, but you know that Sakusa would be the only one to pick out these specific gifts. As you move the package to the side, another small piece of paper falls to the ground. It must have been stuck to the bottom of the hand lotion set. When you pick it up, there’s another note that says “Thanks for the soup”. Your smile widens. It seems like you had guessed correctly.

The last gift from the first bag is a beautiful mug with a sunrise design printed onto it. There’s a Brazilian flag sticking out of the mug, which makes it even more obvious that the gift was from your dear friend Hinata. When you push aside the flag, there’s a limited edition Bouncing Ball keychain inside the mug as well with a cute handwritten card that says “Congratulations, (Name)-san! We should hang out one day to play some beach volleyball like we did in Brazil!”. Your cheeks were starting to ache at how much you were smiling as you reread the note several more times.

You reach out to the remaining bag and pull away the tissue paper. Your nose is immediately assaulted by a pleasing floral fragrance and when you look inside, a large bouquet of flowers comes into your vision. Once the flowers are in your arms, you notice the note sticking out between the petals. Placing the flowers on your lap, you open the small folded piece of paper which says “Hey there, sweetheart. You should’ve let me know you were having such a big moment in your life! I would’ve done so much more, but for now, enjoy these flowers. The irises mean accomplishment and admiration. The peonies mean good luck. The daffodils mean new beginnings. Congrats on your win against school!” You’re quite touched by the amount of thought that went into this gift and based on the nickname, you can safely assume that this is Atsumu’s gift. You didn’t take him as a flower type of guy, but he’s always full of surprises. Nonetheless, you mentally note that you need to buy a nice vase to place these wonderful beauties in.

You thought that would be the last gift since you’ve already opened everything from the four MSBY players, but when you glance into the bag one more time, there are still two remaining boxes. They have the same wrapping, so you assume that they are from the same person. Taking both of them out carefully, you notice that the larger of the two boxes has a note that reads “I know you said you don’t normally eat sweets, so I tried my best not to add too much sugar”. Wondering what the card meant about sweets, you slowly open the lid and see two small cakes positioned next to each other with icing that spells out ‘Tiramisu’ and ‘Dark Chocolate’ on the respective cakes. Your mouth waters at the sight of the homemade desserts, but you restrain yourself because you were even more curious as to what might be in the other mystery box.

When you finally open the last remaining gift, there’s another note inside that says “It’s never too late to celebrate. Congrats, (Name)-san”. When you look underneath the note, your jaw drops as you let out a gasp. Inside was a gorgeous silver charm bracelet that was minimalistic enough for you to wear wherever you went. If the note wasn’t a big giveaway, the tiny onigiri charm attached to the bracelet convinced you that Osamu was the one who had given you these gifts.

The next couple of hours are spent finishing your movie with all of your gifts surrounding you. The inside of your room now smells like a mix of flowers and peachy lotion. The MSBY teddy bear is secured between your arms as you drink warm tea from your new mug while taking a bite out of each cake.

You’re not sure whether or not you want to jump up in happiness or simply cry from the overwhelming emotions, but either way, you’re glad to have met such amazing people the past couple months.

You couldn’t wait to get back to work.

Japan’s volleyball mascot: y’all know that volleyball mascot right? The one Ushijima loves to draw and the one that Hinata has shirt of

A/N: oof you made it! Can we all just give a moment of silence for Rubens for being the best boi? also another moment for the nice old lady at the end ;)

taglist: @kiyoo-omi​​

[kozutenshi]

"neh, tooru." he tilted his head to the side, looking at your figure arranging the pillows in your small makeshift house.

"i'll definitely marry you when we're older."

he chuckled at your sudden outburst, not coping with what you said. "what do you even mean by that?"

"well, marriage.. isn't that what happens when two people want to stay together in each other's side forever?" your unsure and confused expression made him laugh harder. the pout on your lips made him stop, patting your cheek with a soft smile on his face.

"well then, i guess i'm gonna have to get a ring ready."

BALAY BALAY

— "bahay-bahayan" in Filipino!

— a game played my two or more wherein the kids would act like a real family doing what a family does normally. literally in simple terms, playing house.

— used to play this with my cousin, two other friends, and my childhood friend. yes, my childhood friend was the dad and i was the mom.

sometimes, you wonder which events made things turn out to be how they currently were.

seasons change, and your years of stay in this world had been growing. the amount of times you told a lie or two, the amount of times you cried, laughed, burst out of anger; collectively, this was what our life was.

oikawa thinks the same way too.

the young man sat on the park bench, looking out to the beach of brazil. he should be in argentina right now, practicing the sport he loves, but ever since he got the mail, it was as if a part of him felt too empty to function. his team gave him a week off, and he found himself going back to brazil reminiscing.

he thumbed the gold letterings, almost wishing the letter came with your scent instead of the roses that made the contents painfully obvious.

of course he had opened it, the seal already broken enough to know that he had opened it several times. taking a deep breath, he held his tears back.

how did it come to this?

on the other side of the world, you waited for his answer, the man you stuck with since children. it had been days since the mail was reportedly received. you were nervous, gulping down a lump on your throat to his lack of response. warm arms wrapped you from behind, kissing your temple. "hasn't he replied yet?"

his hand took yours, playing with the ring he gave you and drawing slow therapeutic circles on your skin. you smiled sadly at your fiancee, before shaking your head and melting into his arms. "nope. aren't you supposed to be at work?" he chuckled sheepishly before picking up his things and kissing you tenderly. "yeah. i'm off now. i'm sure he's just preoccupied so don't stress yourself over his response, yeah?" you nodded, sending him off with a loving smile which he returned.

as the door closed, your eyes went back to the laptop screen, begrudgingly thinking of your work before sitting down and continuing it. you didn't know what time it was when you finished, but it was probably an hour or two already when the doorbell rang.

lazily, you stood up and opened the door to find oikawa standing at your doorstep. "yo, n/n-chan." your eyes showed your shock and your body froze, before you relaxed and chuckled. "yikes, i'm hallucinating," you muttered under your breath before closing the door in his face.

"you know.. i'm flattered that you think of me that much that i can be a hallucination.. but for real, i'm 100% human, no alien stuff here."

the "I can't believe you're here" face you had made him chuckle, opening his arms for you to fall into. your scent was familiar, your warmth, your smile, until you dissolved into sobs. frantically, he moved away from you and wiped the tears off tenderly with shaky hands. "what? why are you crying?!"

"tooru! why weren't responding to me?" he chuckled nervously, knowing full well that telling the real reason will complicate things. "i wasn't sure what to answer just yet so i decided to discuss the matter with my coaches first. sorry, n/n-chan. now, can you stop crying, princess?"

it was painful to lie to you, but if it is for what's better, then he'd do it. "don't call me that." you urge yourself to move away and invite him into your apartment shared with your fiance. his eyes scanned the loft, noting the things that mirrored your personality on every shelf, every wall.

"how long have you been here in japan?"

"this is my third day. i'll go back tomorrow."

"ah, i see. then shall we spend the day together?"

"yeah. i did meet the three guys yesterday. it's your turn."

you placed the bowl of chips in front of him, urging to eat while he raised his eyebrows in question. "why didn't you invite me?"

"better question. why are you eating chips this early?" you shrugged, shoving a piece or two into your mouth. "it's not that early. it's like, almost noon."

he rolled his eyes and started eating. the silence stretched on but it was comforting. his eyes raked on your figure, how you were still the same, but different. as if a part of you stayed, the other changed.

"oh yeah. i have to go to that volleyball thing to help takeru with his plays. wanna come with?"

"takeru, as in my nephew?"

"yeah, who else?"

"there are tons of takeru's in this country, y'know."

you shrugged. "well you have no choice. you're coming with. say cheese to the camera. i'll tell my fiancee about you suddenly being here." raising your phone, you snapped a photo to your fiance, telling him you'll spend the day with tooru which he agreed with a "take care" message.

oikawa watched your lips curve to a smile, the same one he fell in love with, only to realize it wasn't for him. was he hurt? no.

numb. that's what he was.

the two of you passed by your previous school, onto the training grounds reminiscing stories after stories. with a pouting takeru, the three of you watched the smaller children train, a fond smile on your face. a small little girl stumbled to you with tears. "mama?"

oikawa saw how petrified you looked for a second before you sat down and tried to ease her. he then recalled how the two of you used to play, hand in hand, eyes to eyes. he sat beside you, patting the head of the child lightly which she seemed to like.

you watched how he calmed her with no words, and how she went from crying to laughing in minutes. a fond smile was on your face when the mother came over and took the child.

"you two look good together. thank you so much for taking care of her."

"thank you but we aren't-"

"thank you. it was no problem ma'am!"

he waved a hand to the child who smiled at him and waved back. his smile was a genuine warm one, his eyes holding adoration, before they shifted to you. "what are you staring at, n/n-chan?"

you shook your head. "i just wondered where you got your skills in calming down a child until i remember takeru."

"I didn't learn it from taking care of him, y'know." confused, you looked at him, his eyes looking somewhere far. "i learned it from you." he stood up, stretching and looked down on your sitting figure.

"c'mon n/n-chan. before they remember who i am-"

"excuse me. you're oikawa tooru, right?"

a highschool girl shyly stood with her group of friends, their phones clutched to their chests. somehow this reminded you of the days when he was innocently playing volleyball with iwaizumi, until a bunch of girls came from the vending machines, clutching boxes of milk in different flavors, some holding milk bread in their hands. you deadpanned when you realize they were holding out their phones for you to take their picture.

"tooru. you better treat me food after this, okay?" he knew your look. the one that made him gulp and feel threatened. "yes, of course, n/n-chan."

and so he did, and before you know it, it was getting dark. the two of you were in the apartment, the credits rolling just like every other times the two of you bonded.

"today was fun."

it's always fun with you. "sure was."

now, unlike before, the silence was deafening. "have you ever wondered.. how things would've worked out if you did something different in the past?"

your question caught him off guard and he tensed up before he suck into the couch. "not really." a lie.

"it might weigh down on me too much if i did."

your chuckle came sad, a hint of pain under it. "i see." now the atmosphere was too quiet. the movie has rolled its credits, the TV flashing a selection of movies again.

painful. it was painfully obvious that something is wrong and you couldn't help but want to cry.

"do you.. remember-"

"will you come?"

your voice was unsure, shaky, loud, when you looked at him with tears in your eyes. "you will, right?" his heart cracked. he knew this would happen already. he flashed a soft smile before taking you in his arms.

"of course i will. it's the wedding of my favorite n/n-chan after all. besides, you know i.."

he pressed a kiss to your forehead, his thumb wiping your tears gently. there was something lonely about his movements, the way he caressed you, as if saying 'this is the last time', or maybe a temporary goodbye. he held you closer, his warmth enveloping you.

"i will always be there."

TRAVELLERS: @doodleniella @kenmakodzu @lyzzklm @mfcassandra @oikaw-ugh @seijohlogy @thesecondapplepienation

[stingslikeabee]

𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐈'𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 !

1. alias / name: Mari and/or Mari-chan.

2. birthday: September 19th!

3. zodiac sign: Virgo (my Virgo sun is STRONG).

4. height: 1.72m, you guys can google and convert this for a change. :) Metric system rules, guys, it makes sense.

5. hobbies: Writing and reading, obsessing over very random and obscure things like the personal filmography of my favorite actors, learning new languages, making my own travel guides when I go abroad in ridiculous detail, playing JRPGs and hoping for a platinum trophy and getting frustrated somewhere along the road (with some few exceptions).

6. favorite color: As a kid it used to be pink, as a teenager it changed to black, blue and silver and these days I can probably go with mostly anything that it’s not too bright like neon orange or yellow (I’m too pale, I look bizarre near to these hues).

7. favorite book: I have lots, but I tend to always say ‘The Never-Ending Story’ by Michael Ende. Don’t get me wrong, I love a LOT of books but I just enjoy this one a lot and it has a special place in my heart.

8. last song: I think it was ‘Mata Hari’ by Efendi? This song is so catchy, holy fuck. It’s queued as a FFXII audio track for Melissa but maaaan please give it a listen and hate me forever because it will worm its way into your brain.

9. last film / show: Last movie was the ‘Sonic’ movie! And honestly, after all the rework they did for the bad reviews on how Sonic looked, it’s actually pretty entertaining. :D Last show is ‘How to Get Away with Murder‘ - we just recently started s01 after we finished all new episodes of the Shaman King remake.

10. recent reads: I’m reading ‘Roadside Picnic’ by Arkadi and Boris Strugatsky, which gave me pretty neat ideas about a VII correlation with the Northern Crater. 8D Before that I read ‘Kindred’ by Octavia Butler and my next one is going to be ‘Redshirts’ by John Scalzi.

11. inspiration: For Melissa and my take on Honey Bee Inn, it was basically a combination of Sucker Punch, the Japanese nightlife culture and a random tumblr post about the inn and the Turks. But for everything else, from threads, to verses to AUs - literally anything can make me have a weird idea, mostly books and shows (like my surprisingly developed VII version of Snowpiercer, or a recent obsession with Alice in Borderlands or how I’ve been trying to link Mel to other videogame franchises as Mortal Kombat or Yakuza and stuff). 

12. story behind url: It’s a Ricky Martin song! No, really - I wanted something that had a ‘bee’ reference because of the obvious queen bee/Honey Bee Inn aesthetics and I don’t recall what sort of googling led me to it - but the sentence ‘she looks like a flower but she stings like a bee’ was too perfect. That fit how I saw Melissa - a beautiful woman with a fierce mama bear spirit ready to go ballistic after people who wrong her (or her loved ones). :D The fact she may ultimately end in danger herself is just a tiny little detail.

13. fun fact about me: I got inside the Fuji TV building in Odaiba once for dinner with some of the TV executives (I was hanging out with my friend who lived in Japan at the time, his mom worked in the TV business here in Brazil, an invitation was made for dinner and we tagged along - I barely remember the details) but man. It was one WILD experience, I had never been inside a TV studio before, and certainly not one featured in Digimon and so many of my teenage memories? We crossed through that big, giant suspended ball for pictures, we got into some of the rooms where people produced a few shows (there were Yamapi posters EVERYWHERE) and it was the first (and only) time I tried blowfish sushi because, as my friend elegantly put it at the time, ‘this sushi is so expensive that whoever prepared this surely got it right so you can eat it without dying from the poison’. Spoiler: I survived.

tagged by: stole this from at least a couple of people on the dash because it looked cool!  tagging: absolutely no one, keep the thievering alive, be like Robin Hood! Not that I’m rich, but Robin was kinda cool.

[fangirlshrewt97]

The Old Guard Fanfic - 5,472,730,538 Possibilities

Author(s): Fangirlshrewt97

Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)

Pairing: Joe/Nicky, Nicky & Nile

Characters: Nile Freeman, Nicolo di Genova, Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Andromache of Scythia 

Rating: General 

Warnings: None 

Additional Tags:  Team as Family, Family Bonding, Brother-Sister Relationships, Fluff, Basically Nile is missing home, And Nicky is a cinnamon roll who finds a way to lessen the ache, and they find a new thing to bond over that does not involve blood, Sudoku

Summary: 

He reached for his pocket and pulled out a pen, tossing it to Nile. “Why not do it now?” “It doesn’t- It’s not the same.” Nile argued, biting her lip. “But you want to do it no? So do it.” Nicky said, gesturing to the paper. Was it really so easy? She put the pen to the paper but stopped. “Yeah no, it feels weird to do it alone.” Nicky hummed, sitting back up in his chair, leaning on his elbows in the table. “I’ll do it with you then.”

Basically, Nile comes across something that makes her think of home, Nicky sees this, and tries his best to help her not feel as lonely. And is also a little bit of a shit about it.

Link to A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25553461

                                                     ///

They were in Malaysia, having finished an easy takedown of a small ring of human traffickers. They were due to fly out that night, so Nicky and Nile had been charged with buying the necessary supplies while Joe handled clean up at the scene, and Andy ensured the children would find good homes.

They had stopped at a bakery inside of a mall, Nicky insisting that they had some choice sweets that Andy loved. So Nile had been waiting outside the store while Nicky went to make his purchases when the small bookstore window display across the bakery caught her eye. Biting her lip, she peered to see Nicky was still busy perusing the wares, so she hefted her bags and made her way into the bookstore.

It was a small shop, barely large enough for four people at a time. There was a small kid looking at some comics and a bored cashier scrolling through his phone. Setting her bags down, Nile reached to grab what had caught her eye.

“What is that?” Nicky asked suddenly, startling Nile into dropping the book.

“Shit. Sorry.” Nile mumbled in the direction of the annoyed looking cashier. When she turned, she saw Nicky holding the book.

“101 Sudoku puzzles?” Nicky asked, brows furrowed.

Nile was thankful her skin color meant he couldn’t notice the embarrassed flush overtaking her.

“It is stupid!” Nile said as she snatched the book and put it back on the display, wincing as she realized it would have been more believable if she hadn’t acted like she had something to hide. Nicky had a raised eyebrow, clearly not buying her lie.

Nile sighed. “Seriously, Nicky. It is nothing, can we go? Are you done looking at the bread?”

Nicky gave her a once over, but thankfully let it go, holding up a bag that honestly smelled incredible. Feeling her stomach clench in hunger, she nodded.

“Cool. Let’s go!” Nile said, leading them out of the bookshop into the sweltering Malaysian sun. She definitely did not run. She just… walked fast.

She forgot the incident soon after, Copley sent them on another mission hours after they reached their next safe house, sending them all the way to Brazil, where they had to take down a drug ring and free a brothel filled with women who were being forced to pay back their debts with their bodies.

She was reminded of the incident when something was placed next to her head where it was currently resting on a table’s edge at their São Paulo safe house. It was a small apartment, two bedroom and bathrooms, but it fit their needs. Andy was currently on the phone with Copley, and Joe had gone into the kitchen to make dinner.

When she looked up, she saw a newspaper, and Nicky’s hand covering part of the page. At her questioning look, he just smiled and moved his hand.

Sitting back slowly, she looked at the Sudoku in the newspaper. She raised her own eyebrows at Nicky. The man just smiled wider and sat down. “This is what you were looking at in the bookshop. In Malaysia. A book about these.”

“Um… yeah.” Nile said, surprised the man had remembered. But then again, Nicky seemed to remember everything when it came to stuff that caused his family to have any kind of reaction.

“What about it?” Nicky asked.

“What?”

“Your eyes, they became a little sad when you saw it. What about them makes you sad?” Nicky prodded gently. And Nile couldn’t bring herself to be annoyed at this man who was trying to hard.

She sighed. “It’s nothing.”

“If it was nothing, it wouldn’t make you sigh.”

And that was the thing wasn’t it. “It’s just. Jamal, my brother? We used to play with these.”

Nicky’s brows furrowed in confusion. For a 1000-year old man, he was remarkably expressive at times. “Play these?”

Nile hummed. She picked up the paper, and ran her fingers lightly on the puzzle. “After school, we would take the paper, copy out the puzzle into a notebook and then we would start the clock, seeing who could solve it faster.”

Nile felt a smile start to form on her own face at the thought. She had missed doing these, missed doing them with her brother. Her smile faded when she realized she’d never get to do their Sudoku races together again. Nile placed the paper back down.

When she looked up, Nicky was looking at her intensely. “What?”

Giving a big exhale, he leaned back in his own chair. He reached for his pocket and pulled out a pen, tossing it to Nile. “Why not do it now?”

“It doesn’t- It’s not the same.” Nile argued, biting her lip.

“But you want to do it no? So do it.” Nicky said, gesturing to the paper.

Was it really so easy? She put the pen to the paper but stopped. “Yeah no, it feels weird to do it alone.”

Nicky hummed, sitting back up in his chair, leaning on his elbows in the table. “I’ll do it with you then.”

Nile blinked, but twisted her mouth into a wry grin. “Sure. Ok, here is how you do it. You see how this divided into 9 boxes? The objective of the game is to fill all the boxes in such a way that each box, row, and column has 1 through 9 written on them, with no repeating in them. Like here for example,” she showed one box, “see these four 3’s? That means a 3 can only come here, because it is the only box where it won’t overlap. Got it?”

Nicky hummed concomitantly, his eyes amused. “Yes.”

“Alright, let’s do it then.” Nile said. She shifted her chair so she was next to Nicky, and the pair of them leaned over the puzzle to do it together, Nicky pointing out a few numbers as Nile finished it.

“That was fun.” Nicky said when they completed it. “We should do this again.”

And to Nile’s surprise, she found herself in agreement. She felt a pang of sadness at not doing it with Nicky, but it was still fun. “Yes we should.”

They got another job the next day and were whizzing off again, this time to South Africa. Their safe house in Cape Town was a beach front apartment, bought by Andy back in the 80’s. It was an old building, quiet and creaking, but served its purpose.

Andy was on cooking duty this time, and Nile was given first turn with the shower, when Joe and Nicky returned from their shopping trip for new clothes. Nile did not think she had ever bought this many clothes so quickly in her life, but honestly, she had also not had a habit of constantly getting shot and covering them in blood and bullet holes.

By the time Nile came out, Joe was sitting in front of the TV, flipping channels, probably trying to find a soccer match. Andy had a plate of food and was sitting beside him, more focused on her dinner than the match. When Nicky spotted Nile, he made a happy noise and gestured for her to join him at the dining table.

“I saw these on our way back, and thought that if you did not mind, we could continue that tradition you told me about?” he asked, eyes betraying his excitement, even as his voice remained steady.

“Tradition?” Nile asked.

Nicky nodded and reached for a small brown bag she hadn’t noticed. He pulled out two identical books and a packet of pens, and slid one of each to Nile. Nile bit her lip at the time. 400 Sudoku Puzzles.

“Nicky…” Nile whispered, even as she clutched the book in a white-knuckled grip.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to Nile.” Nicky assured her when he saw her tear up, worry coloring his expression.

And oh, Nile could not stand to see that concern when all this man had tried to do was give her a piece of home back to her.

“No. Thank you. I had fun last time.” she said, giving him a watery smile. He responded in kind. “Are you sure about races though?”

His eyes took on a wicked glint. “Absolutely. It is tradition no?”

Nile chuckled. “Yes.”

“Joe!” Nicky called out, and Joe turned to see him, getting up to come to them when Nicky beckoned. He pressed a quick kiss to Nicky’s hair when he was within reach. “I need you to time us.”

“Time you?”

“Nicky and I are going to complete Sudoku’s and we are going to see who can finish faster.”

For some reason that made Joe bark a laugh. “You and Nicky?”

Nile frowned. “Yes? Why, you have a problem?”

“No, no, dearest Nile, I would be honored to keep time.” he said as he continued to wear a wide grin, pulling up his phone.

Nile squinted at him before turning to Nicky. “Should we just do the first puzzle?”

“Seems logical.” Nicky said as he flipped to the appropriate page.

Both of them uncapped their pens and got ready before glancing at Joe. Andy had turned around in the sofa, watching the two of them instead of the TV.

“Are you ready?” Joe asked, and their nods, “1, 2, 3, GO!”

Nile focused on the puzzle, going by each square methodically, crossing off the possibilities mentally in her head. It was an easy puzzle, so she did not have to write down all the potential numbers. And yet, she was startled when Nicky slammed his book down with a “Done!” when she was only halfway through hers

“Wait what?” Nile asked, reaching to grab the older man’s book while Joe leaned back in his chair, laughing.

“1 minute 15 seconds Nicky! Good job!”

Nile gaped as she looked at the puzzled solved perfectly. She placed the book down and glared at the Italian man, who now at least had the wherewithal to look sheepish. “Explain.”

It wasn’t quite a growl but close enough.

Nicky blushed, and Joe answered for him. “Nile, uhkt sageera, Nicky and I have lived for a thousand years now. Not to mention that Nicky has been doing the New York Times crossword puzzle since it was first published, in what? 1940? 1945? He tended to do the other puzzles too. I believe the first Sudoku puzzle was in the UK? I remember him being excited about it.”

Nile stared at him, jaw open while Andy started to cackle in the background. She spun in her seat, half furious, half indignant. “You cheater!”

Nicky put up both hands in surrender. “I didn’t exactly cheat Nile!”

“I thought you had never done Sudokus before! I thought you were humoring me!”

“Well-”

“Oh my god, I explained how to solve a Sudoku to you in São Paulo, why didn’t you say anything?”

“You seemed very passionate…”

“Nicky…” she growled only to sit back heavily in her chair, definitely not pouting, no matter how fond Joe looked at her.

Nicky’s own sheepish look was slowly transforming into a playful grin and she rolled her eyes in exasperation before laughing. “Alright, fine, this was on me.”

“I had a lot of fun Nile. I would enjoy doing this again.”

Nile groaned, tilting her head back and covering her face, exaggerating the dramatics because it drew more laughs from her family, and she was coming to treasure these laughs as much as those of her mother and brother.

She sat back when the laughter died down, taking the Sudoku book in hand. “I would like that too Nicky. Guess there is another aspect of the tradition we are going to be repeating too now though.”

When Nicky looked at her confused, her wry look transformed into a fond grin. “I am fated to always lose at Sudoku races to my big brother apparently.”

“Nile…” Nicky breathed her voice as though it was something delicate. Precious. And then he got up and came around the table to pull her into a hug she returned with all her strength. “Non riesco a immaginare un onore più grande dell'essere tuo fratello, sorellina.”

Even if she didn’t understand the words, she understood the meaning, and a small part of the hole created by her family was filled in.

“I love you too, Nicky.”

And she did, this man who was willing to die for her, to kill to protect her.

Even if it meant an eternity losing Sudoku races to him.

[colour-outside-the-liness]

Hii! Yeah don't worry about it! Live your life, the internet people can wait, I know I appreciate you taking the time to reply, no matter how long it takes! 👍✨

Oh cool! France and LA that must've been fun, have always wanted to go to those places. Will get around to it eventually. I've lived in Brazil, Canada, and now Portugal, but I've also visited Orlando (Disneyland) and Miami in the US. Hoping I can go to Spain next year to visit my best friend too.

What did you say that got people making fun of you? haha Which fic did you insert that in? The only reason I cheat while playing games is bc I get bored easily so I have to add a little bit of spice hahaha and my morals are questionable I guess. ����‍♀️ My mbti is the architect (INTJ-T) so I guess that explains things a bit (?). Do you know your mbti? Omg your poor roommate hahaha I mean that's the best kind of winner to be, humble winners are boring as hell lol

Aren't you glad you had those drunken experiences when you were younger instead of now tho? I can't promise I'll never do stuff like that again but I'm fine with it being behind me for now hahaha. Omg you're totally right on the accent thing, hadn't thought about it that way!

What!! You should watch Stranger Things with her! It's sooo good, it's a guaranteed fun time for you two. My favourite episodes of thobm are 4 and 6 too, I like epi 9 only up until Dani's bathtub incident.

I like doing accents too but only to myself bc I'm too self-conscious haha Although I pick up accents really easily it's kinda embarrassing, sometimes people think I'm mocking them. Do people get offended when you try to do their accents? 😂 I got a scholarship at a british english school in my home country when I was a kid so I had an RP accent growing up but ended up with a generic American accent after watching too many American movies and TV shows. Sometimes it comes out generic Canadian too haha. Nordern English accent became my favourite tho after watching Billy Elliott when I was a teen!

Awwh gee thanks! I'm happy you liked my damie fan art! Didn't know you already started writing for medieval AU, makes sense people already thought to send you prompts for it, it's a really cool universe! Looking forward to updates on all your WIPS, love them all! Take your time if you need tho!

Sounds like a really fun weekend! Yeah I know what you mean, don't worry we won't tell them you have a favourite haha. Congrats on coming second on that game of crazy golf! 🎉 and thank you, I will!

Awwh thank you for understanding!! I'll always reply to people's comments eventually it just takes longer sometimes, but I will always get around to it eventually!! France was fun I went to Disney Land Paris and shared a hotel room with my roommate (yes she was on the trip too because she was in another photography class... we have been friends for so long now) it was honestly a lot of fun and I went to LA to visit my ex-girlfriend while we were still together it was a long distance relationship and I went out to LA and my roommate was invited too so we had a trip out there and had a great time I would 100% go back to LA some time!! So jealous that you've lived in Canada that's one place I really wanna go I would love to live there it looks like such a beautiful country!! I would love to go to Orlando and Miami... I wanna see all 50 states eventually if I can... so far I've seen one so only 49 to go haha!! Awwh I really hope you can get out to Spain to see your best friend!! Which is your favourite place you have visited so far? Okay so... the thing I said is in Can't Buy Me Love and it's a bit of a long story so I'll shorten it down here, but basically a group of us were talking about myths and things and I mentioned the myth of being able to see the Great Wall of china from the moon (you can't) and to add to the myth as a buster I genuinely said "Well that's the thing, people say you can see the Great Wall of China from the moon... but can you see the moon from the Great Wall of China?" and it took a good five minutes of people telling me you could see it from my house and just about anywhere else to realise that, if the moon is out, and it's a clear night, and you're y'know facing the moon... you can pretty much see it anywhere... but that's what people still mock me about... that I asked if you can see the moon from the Great Wall of China... so I put that in CBML and had it as a story Dani tells Jamie. Haha I love your reason for cheating and think it's as good as a reason as any haha!! I do know my mbti... mine is the campaigner...EFNP-T... I don't know what these mean either I read it a while ago but forgot what it meant I just know what I am haha... oh yeah she's had a lot to put up with so she just won't play games with me anymore... oh yeah I agree humble winners are okay but I do like a good bit of bragging when you win a game I am glad yeah... although the road sign incident was only... 3 years ago haha like I would like to say I was a lot younger then but I wasn't haha the black out incident I was though... I can't drink much anymore though because of medication I'm on (life long medication) so I can have maybe one or two drinks and that's it so I can't do things like that again which is probably a good thing really!! Haha best way to be don't make promises like that because that is a sure fire way to definitely do it again the second you make that promise the opportunity to do it again will show itself haha!! Yeah Jamie just has no accent to me like she just talks like most people I know it's only when I saw people talking about it that I realised to some people the Northern accent is exactly that... an accent haha I LOVE episode 9 for me 4,6, and 8 are a joint favourite like I can't pick between them and then it's episode 9 because I do love it and I love seeing them be that happy for the first part of the episode but then it just gets so sad and I can't take it!! I do accents all the time around anyone even though I am terrible at them haha... nah people don't ever get offended they just sort of smile and shake their heads at me... some people have asked me to do their accent before but I mean, I am sure eventually someone will be offended there's a first time for everything... I just have an accent that's really similar to Jamie's it's not the exact same but it's very close I love that you've had so many accents for so many reasons... omg yeah the accent on Billy Elliot is my favourite accent ever, it is a northern accent but it's from a city called New Castle which is SO different to some

other northern accents... it's the Geordie accent and it's just beautiful I could honestly listen to people from New Castle talk for hours- people from South Shields also sound like that (SS is really close to New Castle) I can see why that accent is your favourite I wish I talked like that I loved that fan art I thought it was amazing!! Yeah I haven't written much of it but I have some of it written and when I say some I mean I have like 4 different scenes written from different points of the fic and each scene is only like 1k words so far!! It's such a cool universe and I am so happy people have sent me prompts for it!! Awwh thank you so much I'm glad you're looking forward to the updates of my WIPs that really means a lot to me!! I've had a great weekend but I am so tired now totally and utterly done after the weekend I've had haha... I wouldn't say I have favourites I have just spent more time with one niece than the other because since she was really young I've looked after her while her parents have been at work and I've had breaks from work / college / university so I have spent so much time with her and she's turning into a little mini me with some stuff she does but I love all my nieces and nephews the same (and I have so many nieces and nephews haha) Awwh thank you!! I appreciate that, still feeling really proud of my second place in crazy golf haha!! and you're welcome!! ☺️

[laceymorganwrites]

Don´t call me kid, don´t call me baby

THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE MANGA

Word count: 4,043

Pairing: Atsumu x fem!reader

Summary: You are the neighbor of infamous Atsumu Miya and manager of the Sendai Frogs (Former manager of Karasuno). You don´t really like him (reader is a bit of a tsundere) until you get a chance to know him. Maybe you were wrong about him all along?

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of sex (nothing explicit), Atsumu overthinking and being insecure

Fun facts: Atsumu and you wanted to go to the park for your date, but it rained, so you just went to his place, cooked together and watched Naruto

Mini playlist: Illicit affairs - Taylor Swift

                       Bloody Valentine - Machine Gun Kelly

                        Friday I´m in love - The Cure

                         Rockstar - Call Me Karizma

                         Alphabet Boy - Melanie Martinez

                       Leave Me Alone - I Don´t Know How But They Found Me

Trying to squeeze your way through the masses at the airport always stressed you out, coming home was supposed to feel calm and relaxing, not like this.

You were only gone for a week, visiting friends and relatives abroad, but honestly you were excited to be back home.

It was stressful running errands and catching up on months upon months of information.

You only had this chance because the season just ended, but that only meant that the training would start again soon, now that you were home.

Volleyball and you were inseparable, ever since you could remember.

It all started with you watching it on TV and being fascinated, joining a club in middle school, then in high school, you even got the chance to be the manager of the Sendai Frogs, your current job.

Everything was going too well.

You only hoped that your apartment would still stand when you arrived there, maybe having the team look after it wasn´t the best decision. Maybe Tsukishima was able to smack some sense into the others.

“(Y/N)-senpai?!” Hinata called out to you, he thought he was only imagining things, but when you turned around to meet his eyes, he smiled brightly and ran to you.

He just came back from Brazil and you were equally surprised as him, sure all of you stayed in contact, but both of you and Nishinoya being abroad, the rest of the team being in college or working already complicated meeting up.

Yet it was nice that you texted each other, you even followed some of the careers of your former club as far as it was possible.

And Hinata made sure to text as often as possible, even announcing to you that upon his arrival he´d want to attend the tryouts of the Black Jackals.

“Hinata! You´re back already? Is it already the third?” you thought to yourself, to you it felt as if he just left, to you he was still the little bundle of joy that changed everything.

“You sure grew up a lot! You´re much taller than before… I can´t believe it´s been three years already!” you mustered him, noticing how mature he was now, still to you he´d always be the same he was in high school.

“Brazil was amazing! I learned a lot, beach volleyball is super hard! And you won´t believe who I met” he started as you two walked out of the airport together, you listened attentively as he told you all about his stay abroad, you had a smile on your face the whole time.

He has come so far.

“I can´t believe you ran into Oikawa at some random beach, what are the chances?” you giggled, picking up your luggage with him and leaving the airport.

You talked a bit more until you had to part ways.

“Good luck with the tryouts!” you called after him and he gave you a thumbs up before he grabbed a taxi.

You had the luck to be picked up by the team´s coach and discussed the next season and games in the car.

“Training starts tomorrow again, but you don´t need to do anything today. We don´t have any set games yet, so we´re just gonna commence normal training tomorrow and you can make some calls after and see who´s free for a game” he instructed and you nodded.

It was good being in the flow of things again, somehow being home and working was more relaxing than being with your family and friends.

When you arrived home, the coach helped you with your luggage which you were grateful for.

Luckily everything in your apartment was as you left it, probably thanks to Tsukishima.

After saying goodbye to the coach you were on your way to put the last piece of luggage into your apartment, though you wished you were already inside when the events unfolded before your eyes.

“You´re an asshole, Atsumu!” some girl yelled and you had to suppress a chuckle.

Being neighbors with Atsumu Miya wasn´t as annoying as you thought it would be, he was never at home.

And still he was just like the asshole you imagined him to be, just like the cocky prick he painted himself as.

But he was quite entertaining as a neighbor, you had to admit. Every now and then angry women would leave his apartment, yelling at him, accusing him of the most ridiculous things. And it always made you laugh.

“Come on, Sarah! It wasn´t that bad… give me some credit” he called after her, but she only huffed and turned around bashfully.

“My name´s Nicole!” she shrieked and stomped out of the door.

You eyed the two, leaning in your doorway.

Atsumu sighed, this wasn´t the first time this has happened. Not only was he bad in bed apparently, though he didn´t see the problem in cumming fast when she initially just wanted to blow him, but he was also the biggest asshole on the planet.

No wonder he couldn´t get anyone to stay.

“Ouch. Forgetting her name? That´s low, even for you, Miya” you commented with a bitter undertone.

At least he had the decency to look somewhat guilty.

“You think I don´t know that?” he mumbled, making you raise an eyebrow. Usually he´d make some shitty remark about how he had so many girls, he couldn´t possibly keep up with the names of them all.

“You know, it´s kinda her own fault for getting involved with you” you tried to comfort him, but obviously your words left more harm than intended.

You wanted to apologize, but before you could do that, Atsumu  gave you a knowing smile.

He seemed off today, but it was none of your business, so you didn´t press it.

“How was your vacation by the way?” he tried to change the subject.

You scrunched your nose, he always tried to pry into your life like that, you didn´t know why but it irked you.

“I don´t see how that´s any of your concern, Miya” you coldly told him off.

“Would it kill ya to call me by my first name?” he softly asked, scowling a bit.

The thing was, Atsumu had the biggest crush on you ever since he quite literally ran into you on your daily morning run. And when you moved in next door, he was over the moon.

But his reputation preceded him and you didn´t want to have anything to do with him, he couldn´t even blame you.

Yet every time he saw you, his heart raced more than when he spiked a volleyball, he couldn´t help smiling and you made his heart leap out of his chest.

It was stupid, he knew nothing would ever come of it and yet he couldn´t give up, he didn´t want to. He wanted to live in his little fantasy world where you actually looked his way.

“We´re not that close, Miya” you shot back, not wanting to admit that intimacy of that kind scared you.

You weren´t stupid, you noticed the thickened atmosphere between the two of you, but acknowledging even the slightest possibility of you opening your heart to him meant defeat to you.

Besides, you didn´t have time for relationships.

His heart sunk at your words, at the undeniable truth that hurt him so much more than he was ready to admit.

“Can I at least help you with your luggage?” he offered, sounding almost desperate.

“Suit yourself….” you mumbled. Usually you´d decline, but you just didn´t have the energy today.

You had to deal with the bickering of the team tomorrow anyways, a little help wouldn´t hurt, would it?

Atsumu entered your apartment and asked you what he could do to help, you showed him around and together you unpacked your suitcases. He even stayed to clean your apartment with you.

When you showed your surprise that he somewhat knew what he was doing he told you about his teammate who always got up on his ass about being dirty and messy.

You laughed at the way he pouted, telling the story.

“Hey are ya hungry? I can cook something up for ya” he asked, his eyes wide and hopeful.

He beamed at you when you agreed, showing him around the kitchen.

“Didn´t know you could cook…” you mumbled, watching him prepare the food.

You couldn´t believe you just agreed to have Atsumu Miya cook for you. You´d so regret that in the morning, you were getting weak…

“Yeah, my brother´s got an onigiri shop an´ I help out sometimes” he said nonchalantly, grabbing two plates and serving the food.

“Hm… I didn´t know that. You don´t seem like the type to do that.” you thought out loud, starting to eat and smiling delightfully at the taste. “Like you said, we´re not that close… I don´t really have the best relationship with my brother, but he´s still family, ya know?” he stated, digging in as well.

“Anyway, how´s the food? Do ya like it?” he asked excitedly and grinned widely when you nodded.

He helped you clean up the dishes before you two said goodbye.

“Thanks for the help… Atsumu…” you said through clenched teeth, looking sideways.

He looked at you perplexed, but over the moon.

“You called me by my name!” he exclaimed, smiling at you softly.

“Don´t let it get to your head” you told him before he went back to his own apartment.

The next few days passed rather quickly, your team was as chaotic as ever, you called a few of your friends and Hinata texted you that he made it into the team and asked you if you wanted to celebrate with him on the weekend.

You were free so you agreed.

What you didn´t expect was that he also invited the team.

You rolled your eyes as you saw Atsumu and Hinata come up to you, one more joyful than the other. “Congrats on making the team, Shoyo” you smiled at him, trying to ignore Atsumu´s knowing smirk.

Hinata must´ve told him something.

“Thanks! I can´t believe Atsumu-senpai´s finally tossing to me!” he smiled widely, it was nice knowing that he was still as full of energy as ever.

“What can I say? I keep my promises” he smugly answered.

“(Y/N)!” Bokuto called out to you, running up to you and joining in on the conversation.

“Kou!” you matched his energy and gave him a big hug, to which Atsumu looked away jealous.

“Have you met everyone already?” he asked, but before you could say anything he looked over at Atsumu who had a pleading look on his face.

He hoped Bokuto wouldn´t embarrass him too much after everyone found out about his crush on you.

It wasn´t even his fault, he never thought they´d figure it out. He always kept talking about his neighbor, and now that Hinata was there who knew about your annoying neighbor, all of that secrecy was for naught.

It was quite funny from the outside perspective.

In their first training with the newbie he talked nonstop about you and his old team, about his stay in Brazil and his dreams, Bokuto asked about you as well and asked Hinata if you still had that douche of a neighbor.

Atsumu only listened in on their conversation once you were name dropped.

He was shocked when Hinata nodded and asked if he was really that bad.

Bokuto said nothing to that, only shrugging his shoulders and letting him know that his attitude wasn´t for everyone.

“I think you´re great, Atsumu-senpai!” Hinata then let him know.

“Yeah, don´t let it get to your head!” Bokuto patted his back.

And now he wanted nothing more than to escape this situation.

“Ah, (Y/N), are you free next Wednesday?” Bokuto asked and Atsumu´s eyes went wide, he couldn´t be thinking of that, could he?

“Yeah, it´s our day off, but I have to make some calls. Why´re you asking?” you answered, something about Hinata´s and Bokuto´s behavior seemed suspicious, but you couldn´t put your finger on it.

It really threw you off.

“Do you maybe wanna watch our training and help a bit?” he asked, so it was true. Atsumu´s most dreaded and most wished dream would come true if you said yes.

Wished because it was you and he wanted nothing more than to impress you. Dreaded because he needed extra training to get used to the noise in the stadium. Which meant his teammates would make as much noise as possible and Bokuto would very loudly imitate his fangirls.

He already embarrassed himself in front of you enough on a daily basis.

“Yeah sure, just text me the time and I´ll be there” you agreed, it wasn´t every day you got the opportunity to watch such a great team.

Hinata and Bokuto left you two to talk to some of their friends from high school. You already talked to everyone and didn´t feel like staying much longer.

Atsumu felt kind of out of place, he wasn´t that good at social interaction despite being known as such a bright personality.

He gave up on taking someone home tonight, he really wasn´t in the mood.

And without his brother, his old friends from high school or his teammates who already left or were busy with someone else, he just felt lost.

“Hey, you know what Kou meant with me helping in your training?” you asked, it didn´t leave your head ever since he mentioned it.

“Promise me you won´t laugh?” Atsumu sighed, meeting your eyes.

“It´s you we´re talking about, of course I´m gonna laugh” you replied, smirking at him.

“Fair enough” he stated, facing you.

“I can´t play when it´s loud, my serves and spikes are always off when I hear those squealing pigs…” he mumbled, crossing his arms and pouting, looking way cuter than he should.

You couldn´t help but chuckle a bit.

“Squealing pigs? Seriously?” you raised an eyebrow, but couldn´t stop laughing as you imagined Atsumu glaring at them like he did in high school.

He was such an asshole back then, a good player, and just your type.

“What? They´re annoying….” he defended himself.

“Sure, but that still doesn´t explain how on earth I´m gonna help with that. Except I should cheer for you” you thought and scoffed when he met your eyes.

“In my defense it wasn´t my idea! And Bokuto does it too…. But it helps a lot actually… I just hope I´ll get my shit together until next game” he confessed.

“Oh trust me, I´ll give it my all” you giggled, you wouldn´t let an opportunity to make fun of him slip by so easily.

Atsumu and you talked for a bit longer, he told you a bit more about himself, and you, well, you gave in and did the same.

It was weird laughing with Atsumu, being by yourself at a party and still having more fun than everyone else.

And yet you didn´t want it to stop.

“Hey, you wanna grab a bite to eat?” he suggested with a hopeful glimmer in his eyes.

“Yeah, food sounds great right now” you gave him a smile which he reciprocated gladly.

You two said goodbye to everyone and Hinata and Bokuto both gave you knowing looks.

“So, where are we going?” you asked, for the first time actually interested in sparking a conversation with him.

“My brother´s place, it´s close and you said you wanted to go there sometime” he said, surprising you that he actually remembered.

The walk was nice, you talked a bit more and the cool night air was refreshing.

“If it ain´t my idiot brother, didn´t I tell you not to bring yer hoes to my shop? Don´t want my rep to be crushed...” Osamu scolded him and now you understood why Atsumu was always so reluctant to speak about him.

Apparently he didn´t lie when he said they parted ways on a bad note.

“She ain´t a hoe, ´Samu! Her name´s (Y/N) and she´s my neighbor. The one I told ya about” Atsumu explained and Osamu quickly apologized to you.

You simply shrugged it off though since it didn´t bother you that much.

“Ya must be some sort of angel with nerves of steel to be able to live next to such an idiot. If I was in your place, I woulda moved places a long time ago” Osamu remarked, getting your order ready.

“Oh you know, he´s not that bad” you admitted, slightly looking at Atsumu and catching him off guard.

“You really think so? Thanks, (Y/N)” he smiled and then sat down with you to eat.

Meanwhile he told you funny stories from his childhood while Osamu told you embarrassing things about Atsumu that made you laugh even harder.

Atsumu decided that the sound of your laugh was his new favorite.

He paid and you two walked home together.

You even hugged him goodbye as you had to part ways.

This night your touch and your words clouded and calmed Atsumu´s dreams and he woke up refreshed and in a good mood the next morning.

Wednesday came rather soon, now that you talked to him more and got to know him, time seemed to fly and you cursed yourself for being so prideful for all the wrong reasons, for your prejudices against him.

You entered the gym to Sakusa scolding Atsumu for fucking up his seventh serve, Hinata was praising and defending him and Bokuto was doing fuck knows what, yelling about how he wanted Atsumu´s children.

Atsumu was the first one to notice you, apologizing for the scene you just had to witness as he saw your appalled expression.

“Kou, what the actual fuck?!” you murmured as you greeted everyone.

“It´s part of the training! I´m one of his fangirls, they´re gonna be super loud and he has to get used to it” he explained, smiling widely.

You shook your head.

“So he has to get used to people wanting his children and calling him daddy? Alright… I´m not gonna do that” you decided.

“I think I´m just gonna watch a bit and cheer when I think it´s necessary” you said and sat down.

Everyone thought that Atsumu would be distracted by your presence, but the exact opposite was the case.

He was hyper focused, even though everybody was trying to distract him, he could shut that all out and focus on his play.

When he landed the first serve of the day, you were shocked to see how good he really was.

You couldn´t help yourself but cheer for him as well, though you didn´t yell out how much you wanted his children, rather you yelled how awesome he was, how you didn´t know that anybody could make a spike this hard and fast, how he was better than Kageyama.

The last one really pitched his ego and he dedicated his next serve to you, to which you rolled your eyes, but also blushed.

“Guys, honestly I think you´re gonna be fine on the game. Like, holy shit… all of you are so good! I´m so proud of you” you let them know after training was finished.

“Thanks, (Y/N)!” Hinata and Bokuto grinned.

“I´m still not good enough, you helped a lot, but it´s not enough...” Atsumu said, he was never happy with his performance, no matter what he always found something that didn´t go as he planned it.

“What do you mean not good enough? You´re easily the best setter in Japan right now” you stated as a matter of fact.

“Huh?” Atsumu questioned, thinking he had just imagined it, there was no way in hell you´d compliment him like that, cheer him up like that, and in such a way that leaves no room for objection.

“I mean it, Atsumu. You´re amazing. And if anyone tells you otherwise they´re either lying or just plain rude” you undermined your statement and he gave you a dreamy smile.

“You said my name again” he happily noticed.

“If that´s what it takes to make you know your own self worth then I´ll do it over and over again” you said, crossing your arms.

Hinata thought you looked like you did in high school. Like a mom, like someone who deeply cared, someone who could kick ass and someone who was one of the best managers he could´ve ever asked for.

Hell, Kiyoko, Yachi and you carried the team to the nationals, if it weren´t for you, Ukai and Takeada none of this would´ve been possible.

It was only now that he was an adult that he realized what all of that really meant and how grateful he was.

“I agree with (Y/N), Atsumu-senpai! You´re a great setter and you got even better, you train harder than anyone else and get better every day but it´s important that you take breaks” Hinata chimed in, he wasn´t part of the team for long, but has heard that Atsumu always overworked himself.

The team was scared that he´d hurt himself some day because of that.

“I can´t afford to take breaks, if I do I´ll fall behind. And if I fall behind I´ll get benched and if I get benched I´ll get kicked from the team and then all of this was for nothing” he rambled, looking distraught.

You let out a worried sigh and gently touched his arm, making him stop in his tracks and look at you.

“Do you really think they´re stupid enough to let such a great player go? And even more than that, do you think that anyone would let a great man like you go?” you softly spoke, touching his heart.

“Do you mean it?” he quietly asked, being in your presence calmed his mind down immediately.

“Of course I do. Look, when I first met you I thought you were the cockiest asshole to ever walk on earth. But you proved me wrong, because you´re so much more than you think. And I regret being so cold and distant to you, because honestly, I wish I´d got to know you sooner. But I´m stubborn and I didn´t. I can´t change the fact that it could´ve gone very differently, and neither can you. No matter how much you think about it, how you could´ve done things better, spiked this ball better, you can´t change it. All you can do is give it your all in the moment. And trust me, everything you do is more than enough, so don´t dwell on it. If you keep thinking like that, volleyball won´t be fun anymore. And that would just be sad” you opened up more than you intended to, but you thought it got the point across.

Atsumu said nothing for a while, still processing those words. Sure, he felt great hearing your praise, but what stuck to him was that you were actually glad to have met and know him.

And that was just the best feeling in the world to him.

“Will you come to our next game and cheer me on?” he asked hopefully, making you smile.

“Tell you what, I´ll even treat you to dinner afterwards. Sound like a good date to you?” you grinned.

“A date? You actually want to go on a date with me?” he had the goofiest, biggest smile on his face that made you feel all fuzzy and warm inside.

“A poor choice really” Sakusa commented.

“Hush! They´re having a moment!” Bokuto whined, he was very emotional and honestly relieved, Atsumu has been up their asses about dating you ever since you moved in next to him.

You groaned and dragged Atsumu outside with you, away from the others to have a little privacy.

“Maybe it wasn´t the best idea to ask you out in front of everyone…” you laughed it off and Atsumu joined in.

“I´m glad you did though. I wanted to ever since you moved in, but you know… didn´t think you´d be interested” he admitted.

“Me neither and yet here we are” you chuckled, not really knowing where to go from here.

You were pretty proud of yourself that you even managed to admit your feelings for him, give him a chance and then asked him out. It was totally worth it.

[elisaphoenix13]

Breakfast Of Champs

When Quill came up to the penthouse and went straight for the coffeemaker, Stephen didn't even blink. He just continued to enjoy the calm morning he and the kids were having while the god fumbled through the cupboards for the coffee beans and the grinder. It was one of the few things he was allowed to make. Of course Quill couldn't even make coffee at first, but after a few graveyard shifts at the station, he learned pretty fast. He would make his coffee and then sit on the couch and doze while his coffee went cold. Someone usually had to take it from him so it wouldn't spill all over.

Today though, the grinder didn't go on around the time Stephen expected it to. He heard Quill pouring the beans into the grinder, but when no noise followed, Stephen looked up from his book and over at the older man. He was just standing there staring into the grinder. The sorcerer knew for a fact that the beans were new (he just bought them yesterday), so it had him wondering if Quill fell asleep with his eyes open.

Creepy thought.

"Quill?" Stephen calls carefully.

"The coffee beans look weird." The celestial responds.

"What?"

Stephen puts his book aside and gets up to join Quill in the kitchen. When he gets to the counter, the doctor looks into the grinder and immediately bursts into laughter after turning away. Quill was so sleep deprived from work that he had grabbed the box of Cheerios and poured them into the grinder instead of coffee beans. He was at the level of exhaustion that a box and a bag of beans registered as the same thing to him.

"Quill...those are Cheerios." Stephen finally managed to say after a couple of minutes.

"Like the cereal?"

Oh this man needed sleep. Badly.

"Go sit on the couch. I'll make you your coffee."

"Alright...thanks Mama Bear." Quill grunts out before leaving the kitchen.

The second the pirate joined Valerie and Diana in the living room and laid on the couch, he passed out. Quill's snores started up very loudly, but no one was disturbed by it since it came across as purring. The girls just continued to color and Stephen cleaned up Quill's attempt at making coffee. He wouldn't bother wasting good coffee beans when Quill was already asleep.

"Friday, can you turn on Aristocats please?" Diana asks

"Right away."

Stephen chuckles as the tv turns on and the Disney movie starts playing. Hearing Quill snore probably put her in the mood for the movie, and it hadn't even been playing for ten minutes when Valerie gasped just loud enough for Stephen to hear in the kitchen. Before he could panic though, he saw her point at the screen with a smile.

"Mama Duchess!"

Stephen was just impressed she had said the second word so clearly. "What?"

"Oh I'm going to use that." Tony says as he comes out of the master bedroom. He descends the stairs and walks over to his spouse and kisses him. "Good morning Duchess."

Stephen sighs heavily as he starts breakfast. "Valerie, look what you've done."

The baby simply looks over at him with some confusion before returning her attention to the movie. Tony chuckles as he correctly makes himself some coffee, and Stephen decides against throwing some Cheerios back into the grinder for good measure. His husband either wouldn't notice or he would but wouldn't care. It wouldn't be the first time one of them ate some strange concoction of food because of their children. Just the thought of soggy Cheerios made Stephen nauseous.

"The beast have another night shift?" Tony asks and Stephen hums in confirmation. "Why does he come up here?"

"We have the good coffee."

"The dark roast from Brazil?"

"The four dollar box of Cheerios." Stephen jokes and Tony makes a face.

"Cereal coffee...oh gross."

The engineer double checks the grinder for cereal before grinding his coffee beans and he throws them in the coffee maker after putting in a filter. While he waits for the coffee to brew, he grabs a bag of chocolate chips out of the cupboard when he realizes Stephen is making pancakes. He dumps some chips into the batter without warning, but since Stephen was used to that happening, he just continued mixing. It wasn't always chocolate chips. Sometimes it was blueberries, others it was strawberries.

One time it had been apples and cinnamon.

"Tony that's enough."

"Just a little more."

"I see more chocolate than batter."

"Almost done…"

"Maybe we should forgo the pancakes and just give the kids chocolate chips for breakfast." Stephen says dryly and Tony finally stops pouring the chips and puts them away to clean the grinder.

"They would love you for it." Tony replies as he looks toward the living room. "What's wrong with my cat?"

"Peter's cat." The doctor corrects.

He didn't have to look up to see what Tony was talking about. Stephen had a bit of a ritual with the pets every morning when he was home. He would wake up, get dressed for the day, and Athena would follow him out of the bedroom after jumping down from the bed and yawning during her stretch. Stephen would then check on the kids, and when he got to Peter's room, Tibbs would jump down from the teen's bed and follow Stephen out and downstairs to the living room. The sorcerer would feed the animals and then sit in the living room to enjoy the silence while he could, and when Tibbs and Athena were done, they would join him. Today, the wolf laid down on the floor and Tibbs took that as an invitation to hang over her back like a saddle and fall asleep.

He was the weirdest cat Stephen had ever known.

"Pfft. He's my cat too. Lab cat." Tony says and fills a mug with freshly brewed coffee as some of the Avengers come up. "All of you better get coffee so there isn't any left for Porcupine. He needs sleep, not caffeine."

Natasha snorts. "You're one to talk."

"Yeah, well, we're not talking about me are we?" Tony moves away when Wanda grabs some fruit from the fridge to cut up. "Mom has a new title/nickname."

"Doesn't he have enough?" Sam asks.

"One would think." Stephen mumbles and flips pancakes.

Scott grabs a juice box from the fridge and raises an eyebrow. "So?"

"Duchess. You can thank Valerie."

"Ha! It's fitting." Scott laughs and walks into the living room to sit on Quill and watch the Aristocats with the girls.

The team passes the time waiting for breakfast to be ready either conversing with each other in the kitchen or watching the Disney movie in the living room with the girls. The tv was eventually turned up so it could be heard over the chatter and Quill's snoring, and that was around the time Harley and Peter finally decided to grace them with their presence. They joined their sisters, Peter pausing when he saw Tibbs still draped over Athena, but moved on with a shake of his head.

"I have a weird cat."

"My cat." Tony says and Peter narrows his eyes at his father.

"He stays in my room with me!"

"He spends time with me in the lab." The engineer counters.

Stephen rolls his eyes while Tony and Peter continue to squabble over Tibbs and Bucky and Wanda help him finish cooking breakfast. When it's done, everyone gets a plate and spreads out between the kitchen and the living room, and Scott wakes Quill. He wakes with a tired grumble before getting up to get his own breakfast, and returns to the couch to sit and eat while simultaneously trying not to fall back asleep in his hashbrowns. The kids sat at the coffee table to finish watching their movie, and while Valerie was a very clean eater, she still managed to get chocolate on her cheeks.

Everyone just gave each other knowing looks at that point. They knew what would happen next and it came to pass not two minutes later. Stephen looked at Valerie to check on her progress, and the moment he saw the chocolate on her cheeks, he licked his thumb and leaned down to wipe her face clean. The baby didn't even fuss about it. She was used to it.

Harley was the one to laugh.

"I bet you don't even realize you're doing it." He cackles and Stephen looks up at him.

"Doing what?"

"Napkins exist for a reason Mom." Peter teases.

The sorcerer blushes when he catches on before smirking and licking his thumb again. "While I'm at it, I think I see a smudge on your face too."

Harley's eyes widen and he moves farther away from Stephen. "No! It's fine! I got it!" He picks up a napkin. "See?! Napkin!" He wipes his face with it and Stephen chuckles.

"He's not the only one who does it." Quill says. He was a little more alert after his short nap and got some breakfast into himself. "I've caught Cassie doing it to Diana a couple of times."

Cassie blushes. "They didn't need to know that."

"Mom Jr." Bucky says.

They all laugh and finish their meal, and as dishes are put in the sink and Steve starts cleaning up, Tony points to Peter.

"Underoos, it's your turn to take out the trash."

"Ugh! Fine!"

Peter gets up and grabs the back of Harley's shirt and starts dragging him away.

"What are you doing cub?"

"Dad told me to take out the trash."

"Hey!" Harley yells at the insinuation and both Tony and Scott choke on their respective drinks when they laugh.

Stephen sighs. "Bring your brother back."

"You've got the wrong kind of trash anyway." Bucky says and thumbs over his shoulder at Sam. "There's your trash."

"I hate you." The darker male says with a glower.

[cliodevotus]

♡

hello! so, this is my first time writing some content for Tumblr and my first time writing imagine content for the rami malek tag, and i'm kinda nervous hehehe, since i'm a non-english speaker (i'm from Brazil) and i'm not that fluent in english. also, i've never watched The Pacific (guess who can't find it online for free? hehe), so all the character and the trait of Merriel here were based on other imagines i've read about him

so, i think... good lecture, i guess. aaa somebody help my i'm so nervous

word count: almost 2400 words ;

nothing here belongs to me, except the writing and the story, also the video credits goes to l0user (YouTube) ;

Mr. Shelter

《 Snafu Imagine 》

1945

Nobody was waiting for him at the train station. Even thought it hurted to think about, he knew it would be like this since he entered that goddamn ship that sealed to the Second Great War.

It was past 6PM in the afternoon when the train stopped at New Orleans and let some soldiers get down of it and go back to their family. But Merriel didn't have a family waiting for him, not even Jade was there for him, but he couldn't judge her, he knew it was his fault that she was given to a foster home and didn't even knew he went to war. He didn't even said goodbye to Eugene, because he didn't want to wake the poor boy up. So he get off the train like he appeared, quickly and in complete silence.

He couldn't stop thinking about that situation while he started to walk through the station, passing throught the bunch of couples and families receiving their boys and mans alive from that monstrous war. They at least had someone or a home of their own. But Merriel had nothing and nobody.

Well, he had actually one person, a girl to be more specific, but he was trying hard to not think about that girl. It was just a moony teenage romance, nothing that passed from it. She was probably married to some asshole right now and having to take care of at least 5 naughty children. He didn't liked to think that she was married to another guy, but he knew she wouldn't have waited for him for like... 5 years? God, that's a long time. She didn't even send him a letter. During those 5 years, he haven't received anything, not even a letter. It was hard to see the other boys cheering to some picture or letter that they've receive from their girlfriends and he had to pretend he didn't care.

The day was being consumed slowly by one of those starry nights in New Orleans. The train station looked so dark that Merriel had one hundred percent sure that it was dawn or even dusk, or maybe it was just his mind trying to convince him that being in the battleground was better than coming back "home".

He bumped into something; he was distracted, thinking about the whole thing about coming back home and walking at the same that he didn't even noticed that little kid crying in the middle of the street. With the shock, he let his bag fall and hit the ground, almost making him and the kid fall together. His fast movement allowed him to equilibrate and hold the kid at the same time, before both hit the ground.

"Ay kiddo! Careful. Whatcha doin' in the middle of the street like this? You're goin' to get hurt." Scolded the boy, but as soon as he heard the silent cry and sobs, he regreted being so hard with the kid. "Ay boy, are you okay?" The boy just sobbed louder. "Can you tell me what happened?"

The boy turned and looked at him; his appearance was something else. The curly hair, that blue greenish eyes and thin reddish lips. Merriel felt like he was looking at some kind of mirror or something. Even the olive skin was similar to his. Even shocked with his vision, he felt the necessity of making sure the boy was okay. "What happened, kiddo?"

The kid sniffed and showed what he was holding in both of his hands, a teddy bear without an arm in the left hand and an arm without a teddy bear in the right one. The boy sobbed again. "I, I ripped off it's arm accidentally. Mo-momma is going to be angry at me, i-it's her teddy bear a-and I took him out without permission!" The boy started crying and sobbing hard again. Merriel was shocked due the boy's confession.

"Ay, ay, ay. Kiddo, calm down, okay? Lemme see the teddy bear." He asked, while cowering in front of the boy.

The boy gave him the teddy bear, and sobbing, murmured. "Shelter, sir."

"What?"

"His name is Shelter, momma calls him like this."

"Oh." Agreed, looking again to the teddy bear, with a sad mien. "There's anythin' I can do for the poor Mr. Shelter, the teddy bear, maybe a needlewoman can fix, but I'm just a soldier, I can't do anythin' kiddo. Sorry." The boy started sobbing again. "Ay, calm down. The best you can do now is tell your mother what you've done and hope that she forgives you. Ok pal?" The kid calmed down and nodded, while rubbing his eyes full with tears with his hands. "So, here's Shelter." Gave to the kid the stuffed animal back and stand up, ready to start walking to nowhere when little hands grabbed his own big hands.

Merriel was a little surprised with the boy's propose on taking him back home to tell his mother about what he have done to the poor bear Shelter, and even more surprise when, without hesitation, he accepted the propose. The whole way back wasn't made in complete silence, because after Merriel said yes to that crazy propose, the little boy didn't stopped talking and making the 23 years old man speak and answear his questions; he talked a lot, and Merriel realized that their appearance wasn't the only similar thing between them both.

"You know, momma had Shelter even before I was born! It was a gift from her boyfriend, I think."

"A gift?"

"Yeah, she gained it from her boyfriend one week before he was gone. I think he won Shelter for her on some kind of game, she said it was on a 'county fair', and that it was one of the best gifts of her life!" The boy chuckled and keep telling the strange man about his life with his momma, but Merriel stopped listening. It couldn't be. He couldn't help thinking about the girl again; he remembered when he shot those stupid cans and won the skinny brown teddy bear that looked like the poor boy Shelter just to impress her. She was so happy and excited, looking like a child, when Merriel gave her the teddy bear that she even kissed his nose accidentally. He smiled with the memory of her soft lips at the same time the little boy stopped abruptly.

Merriel looked up and saw the house. It was really pretty, actually; two floors, pastel yellow with some white details on some parts of the roof and the delicatef fences of the porch, where some plants and a wooden bench were part of the decoration, and in front of the pretty house, there was the prettiest garden Merriel has ever seen in his entire life.

"Sir?" The boy called Merriel, who immediately stopped admiring the house. "Come with me and tell my momma what happened to Mr. Shelter? Please?"

Merriel sighed. "I can go with ya, but ya have to tell ya ma what you've done."

The boy agreed and they started walking in direction of the pastel yellow house. When the little boy opened the door, a feminine voice echoed from the kitchen. "Alle, is that you?"

Allesandro looked to Merriel, who signed to him to go talk to his momma. Allesandro agreed and entered the kitchen, letting the marine admiring the inside of the pastel yellow house; so clean and organised, full of books and delicate porcelain objects.

"Allesandro!" The feminine voice screaming from the kitchen got Merriel attention back. "What have I told you about taking my things without permission?"

Allesandro sobbed in the distance. "I-I'm sorry momma!"

"And how am I going to fix it now?" Merriel started walkung slowly in direction of the kitchen. The smell of meat and potato patties was the most attractive smell he have smelled in those five years.

Allesandro noticed when he entered the kitchen. "Bu-but he said he knows someone who can h-help!" And one hiccup escaped his mouth. Merriel was shocked when the mother turned to him. It was her, the girl he had been dreaming all over those five years.

He murmured with a whisper. "Y-Y/N?"

"Merriel?" You murmured the same tone as him. Oh God, you've been waiting for that moment for the past 5 years and now he was there, in front of you. You didn't even knew if he was alive, your father didn't let you have any contact with him after he was gone; and now he was there.

"W-why didn't you...?" He whispered, so low that nobody though himself could hear, but you heard. And it hurted. That sad look in his eyes broke your heart, you wanted so much to hug him and said that you were sorry for not writing him any letter even though you didn't have any idea where he was. "You...?"

"Merriel, I-..." You walked 'til him, putting Shelter, the bear, and his ripped arm over the table and totally forgetting about the meat and the potato patties in the oven. You stopped in front of him, wanting so bad to touch him, to kiss that thin lips that are so delicious and vicious again. "... you're back...!" And then you hugged him, feeling the yerning tears coming out of your eyes in abundance. You could feel that he wasn't expecting you to hug him, shocked by the fact that you still remembered him and even though you didn't send him any letter. "I'm so, so sorry! I-I thought of you every night ans wrote you a lot of letters, but my father, h-he..." Merriel hugged you tight, he kinda understood for a moment. Your father was always a little piece of shit with him, but he couldn't judge the old man; if Merriel's daughter started going out and spending time with some guy that was knew for being a troublemaker and a big trashmouth like him he would be pissed too.

"Momma." Allesandro said suddenly, interrupting the moment between you two. "Do you know him?"

You noticed when Merriel became tense looking at your son. He finally realised and you needed to act fast. "Allesandro, sweetheart, could you go to the living room watch some TV? Momma needs to talk with this man in particular."

Even though Allesandro wanted so bad to hear the conversation, he obeyed your order and went to the living room, turning on the TV on some random show. You supposed it was The World in Your Home.

It was weird to look at Merriel after all those years and having to have that conversation in the most inappropriated way. The smell of meat and potatoes patties suddenly remebered you from the dinner you were preparing before he came. When you approximated from the oven, you finally decided to speak. "I'm sorry, I didn't... I didn't knew you were coming back today, so the meal I prepared for dinner isn't the beast one for your homecoming." You joked, and he kinda gave you a quiet laugh.

He grabbed the chair from the dinner table. "So, Allesandro?" He looked in direction of the living room, where your son was watching TV. "You're now a mother, Y/N."

You could feel the pain in his voice. "I'm a mother." You could only say this.

"And his name is Allesandro. How old is he? Five?"

"Four, he'll be five next weekend." You sighted. It was now or never. "He was named like his father."

"Really?" You turned off the oven, finishing the dinner, and turned to him. He looked like he was about to cry, you didn't want this.

"Yes, Merriel Allesandro Shelton." Merriel looked at you surprised; you smiled, holding back your tears. "You're his father, Merriel."

Merriel chin trembled, and some tears were forming in his eyes. The prettiest and happiest smallest smile formed in his lips.

[ • ]

Allesandro was grounded in his bedroom. After the dinner (the meat and the potato patties were delicious), while you were washing the dishes you suddenly realized how weird that situation was. He brought Merriel to your house, even though Allesandro didn't even know him! Merriel, who was listening to his childish stories and trying to find the most passive way of telling Allesandro that he was the father of your son the same time he was trying to fix Mr. Shelter, realized that after you told Allesandro to go to his bedroom.

Allesandro, grounded in his bedroom, was quietly playing with a wooden car toy he has won from his grandpa in his birthday last year, when he heard in the distance the radio from the living room playing a song.

He was curious about what that radio was doing playing songs so late at the night, so, quietly like a robber, he went out of his room, walked through the corridor and went downstairs silently, like he didn't even existed. Allesandro walked tiptoe in direction to the living room, finally spying inside.

He saw you and Merriel dancing to the melodic voice of Kitty Kallen.

❝Never thought that you would be

standing here so close to me

There's so much I feel that I should say,

but words can wait until some other day❞

Allesandro admired you, his mother, dancing to that strange man so serenely, and smiled.

❝Kiss me once, then kiss me twice

Then kiss me once again

It's been a long, long time

Haven't felt like this, my dear

Since I can't remember when

It's been a long, long time❞

He hated when he was playing in his room and heard you crying above Mr. Shelter teddy bear calling Merriel's name; he planned it for weeks, making sure to find that man you loved so much just to see you happy. And now he realised: he did a good job bringing his daddy back home, even though he got grounded in the end and costed to the poor Mr. Shelter an arm. But making you happy while you're dancing with Merriel made those things look meaningless.

❝You'll never know how many dreams

I've dreamed about you

Or just how empty they all seemed without you

So kiss me once, then kiss me twice

Then kiss me once again

It's been a long... long time...❞

[michtrace]

2020

Wow! I forgot to make this a big deal, so here’s my “making this a big deal” post. In my late twenties, New Years Eve lost the luster of the same magical feeling it used to have when I was a kid. I think it comes with the territory of expectation and what tv and movies make us think is supposed to happen. Yet even though all was lost in the anticipation, when midnight hit and balloons were popping all around me (family tradition)-- I felt a spark, like we’ve arrived. 

It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings. 

I want to reflect quickly on the past ten years because I’m so proud and amazed of everything, the ups and the downs... and how excited I am because I know the best days of my life have still yet to happen. 

2010 - I started my job at the student centers at Rutgers and completed my first year of college. I had my first alcoholic drink this year, too... it was a jungle juice with an R-rated name. 

2011 - This was a big year for me in terms of manifesting independence (as much as a college kid can). I struggled with my identity a lot in college having been immersed in a fairly conservative community throughout high school. I went to the Philippines this year for the second time in my life and saw first hand where ad how my parents grew up. I joined a sorority and made friends. I lived in the Rockoff apartments and celebrated 11/11/11. 

2012 - This was the year CAF formed. I spent a portion of this year having fun in [what I’ll call] a relationship for lack of better words, but ended on an extremely toxic note and haunted me for a while. 

2013 - I graduated college this year. I applied for dozens of paralegal jobs thinking I wanted to keep going in that direction, and one HR job. After landing the HR job, the rest was history! I started working in the city in the Chelsea Market basement at Hale and Hearty. I had a ton of fun times galavanting in the city with my friends who either lived or also worked in the city, all whom I still call friends today! Allyssa, Gabby, Jelly, Bern. 

2014 - My dad’s been sick all my life growing up, but this was the year he had a stroke and survived. He was in rehab and therapy for a few months and we visit the center every day for a while. That’s probably the only notable thing I remember about this year. Looking back on my childhood I have a lot of fond memories of my dad being around and taking care of my brother and me both with time, resources, care-- but after his stroke, I felt like the four of us really became conscious of our commitment to one another and relationship as a family, which continues on in our lives today. everything before that seems almost like it didn’t happen. 

2015 - In 2015, I was in my first serious relationship (and it was long distance-- Texas). It didn’t work out but what manifested instead was an appreciation and realization of just how much love I’m capable of giving and receiving (I’m still often in awe when I look back at this). I am a firm believer that certain people just may not bring out the best qualities in you, but there will be people out there who can and will and you have to attract and keep those. I also started working for Amazon this year as an L3 HR Assistant. 

2016 - I moved out of home for the first time since college. I visit Brazil with friends. I received my first Amazon promotion as well. 

2017 - I moved across the country as I transferred to a new job within Amazon. I landed an HR Business Partner job at corporate (dream job at the time!). I adopted my best pal Hudson (the dog) in this year and he’s my favorite soul forever. I signed two leases that year at the Queensborough and Vivid Apartments, both in Lower Queen Anne near Key Arena. I vividly remember wanting to live downtown because I don’t know when else I might be able to. 

2018 - I lived in Seattle all of 2018 and shipped my car out in that year. My family and I visit Europe for the first time, funded mostly by my brother and me. It was the first family trip we’ve taken since we were kids on road-trips with our parents in the mini van. Rome, Capri, Paris and Barcelona. The Europe bug hits hard because I fell in love and constantly plan going back. On an honest note, 2018 was a little rough for me-- I think I was depressed but didn’t know it at the time. Whether it was loneliness, living paycheck to paycheck, I’m not entirely sure but it showed in my willingness to do things (or lack of), and I also gained the most weight that year despite trying personal training for the first time. 

2019 - I moved in with a roommate at the start of 2019 and she became one of my best friends (Mia!). We had a lot of fun with edibles (legal in WA), food adventures, our weekly routines, and feeding off each other’s energy. I promoted for the second time within Amazon at the start of 2019. I truly traveled alone for the first time this year. This was also the year I started watching Peaky Blinders and I don’t think I’ve ever loved a tv show more. I visit Sedona for the first time, Paris again and London, too and traveled a lot for work. I ended the year taking a new position within Amazon in the field/fulfillment and distribution side of the business and moved back home to NJ with big goals for the next five-ten years. 2019 I started to become more intentional about the things, people and energy surrounding me. This was also the year I wanted to take a more humble approach to life and relationships. I also feel I started walking into my self-confidence this year especially in my business matters, translating over from my personal life. I became more waste-conscious, health conscious (vegetarian for 4 weeks!) and look to manifest more of that ahead. I also started praying again and look forward to having a relationship with God. 

2020 - Bring it on! 

[kvjff-blog]

Joshua Ojonuba

Professor Robert Lunday

ENGL 1301

10 October 2019

The Beautiful Game

Two sprained wrists, at least four ankle sprains, couple of cuts and at least a dozen splinters: those are just some of my injuries over the last six or so years of playing competitive soccer. My injuries are on the minor side as many others suffer worse injuries that often require surgeries and months of physical therapy. Professional soccer is played by approximately two hundred and fifty million players in over two hundred countries and dependencies all around the world, making it the world's most popular sport. This does not include the millions more who play for fun, in semi pro clubs, and in amateur leagues all across the world. It would be almost impossible to imagine the amount of injuries they sustain as well as the extent of them. Seeing as the consequences and pain are so substantial, the question as to why so many people like myself play and get influenced by this sport on such a grand scale. The answer is: I don’t know, I don’t think anyone know to be fair. We all just play no matter the cost; the game is all. I remember reading an article about Ada Hegerberg, who is regarded as one of if not the best women’s soccer players alive. In the article she was asked why she even played since she had opted to sit out the women’s world cup for her country. She responded, "Playing football can be damn harsh, but every day is a fight.” reading this the first time I thought to myself, if it is as harsh as you say why not just quit playing? As I look back now I am able reflect on her statement, and I realize that we are similar. Never once while I played did I think about quitting, through the many injuries, through the long draining practices, through the failures and let downs, I fought through. Like Ada and many others I kept on going necessarily because I wanted to but more so because I had to; quitting never seemed like an option as least not one that crossed my mind.

Soccer has been a major factor in my life probably ever since I was a little baby especially after experiencing the major soccer atmosphere in Lagos, Nigeria, where I was born and raised. In fact my earliest memory of the sport was maybe in 2006 during the world cup. It was the qualification stages against Angola, and Nigeria desperately needed a win to qualify for the most famous and prestigious tournament in all of sporting history. When I was a kid in Nigeria, power outages were extremely common as Nigeria was and still is going through a power supply crisis. So it came as no surprise when suddenly in the middle of the game there was a power outage. Because this was an everyday occurrence we had a phase for it - “down nepa”, and when the lights would come back up we would yell “up nepa”. I had never witnessed a sense of community like I saw that day. As soon as the power went out, we immediately rushed out to the industrial generator out back like we always do. After about five minutes of tussling with the generator, struggling, trying to get it started, there was finally a spark visible through the window of the back room. By this time there had been a crowd formed behind us, seemingly the entire neighborhood was behind us cheering at the sight of light. Apparently we were the only household with enough gasoline to power their generator. “Ta lo fe wo ball”, my aunt said in her native Yoruba; she was asking who was ready to watch some ball or football. Which brings me to the question of why it’s called soccer in the U.S.A instead of football like it is everywhere else in the world, it’s like Americans always have to one up everyone else; anyway, I digress. Seeing as we were the only household with power and our TV was definitely not big enough for the magnitude of people that had now gathered expecting a game of soccer. Luckily one of the families in the neighborhood had a flat screen which in retrospect could not have been very big but it was definitely bigger than anything we or anyone within maybe the next three miles did. With our always reliable generator and the newly found TV, we were all ready to witness Nigeria do us proud and make it to the world cup for another year in a row. Even though the rest of the game was boring and disappointing with Nigeria losing one to zero to an admittedly much stronger and experienced squad in Angola, the moment of community and coming together is what makes it a memorable. Year after year, game after game, support poured in from all over the neighborhood. Nigeria vs. Ghana, Nigeria vs. Argentina, Nigeria vs. Brazil, Nigeria vs. Mexico, every lost seemly just as enjoyable as a win. These are the memories that I’ll keep forever, the memories of love, joy, peace and innocence during a time that would otherwise be considered bad or at the very least not ideal.

There is a famous quote that I along with numerous other soccer fans have heard that goes “you play soccer anywhere, you play soccer everywhere” the phase actually says “football” but for the purposes of this we’ll say soccer. The game is simple, right? Score and do not get scored on. The Truth is: yes, it is simple; but the difficult part is what’s left unsaid, the little things that make the game just so beautiful. The buildup, the passionate moments, the joy, the rivalries; these are all things that every fan and player all across the world can relate to. They have been numerous stories of soccer saving communities and bringing people together because as they say no matter how you’re raised or what culture you subscribe to, just like people are people soccer is soccer always. I remember reading a story about one of my favorite soccer players ever, Didier Drogba; unfortunately people from Africa are used to hearing stories of and even experiencing war or civil unrest. Even with him being from the Ivory Coast, where they had gone through extreme civil unrest, he was always representing his home country. "Come to Abidjan, Alex. You will not be disappointed.” he was quoted as saying to a reporter asking about his native country.   Civil war had been happening for five years in the ivory coast when, right after leading his nation to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany back in October 2005, he picked up a microphone given to him by a reporter in the dressing room and, surrounded by his team-mates, he fell to his knees live on national television. He begged both fighting sides to lay down their guns and, within a week, his wish had been granted. "It was just something I did instinctively," he said. "All the players hated what was happening to our country and reaching the World Cup was the perfect emotional wave on which to ride." Didier Drogba proved exactly what I have been saying about the power and passion soccer brings into the lives of its fans. In front of everyone in the world and his native people, he got on his knees and pleaded for peace. I can’t think of any other sports that could possibly do that, five years of deadly civil war, ended just like that. As a fellow African watching this unfold on TV, this further inspired me as well as other young African kids to play.

In 2011, when I moved to Houston, I went from merely watching soccer being played to actually playing it. Besides the occasional after school sessions of just the kicking of a peeled over leathery ball, I was never able to fully experience the true essence of the sport. Because not only was it hard to find a suitable environment to play but finding a ball was also almost always impossible as well. Going into middle school I knew that although we did not have a proper team I wanted to be a soccer player, if not professional (I knew at this point I surely could not be a professional player) then at least I could be competitive within the local club or school scene. After I somehow survived three long years in middle school without a sport to play it was finally high school and I would get a chance to play. Quotes like Tony Adams’ - “Play for the name on the front of the shirt, and they will remember the name on the back” played back over and over in my head. At the time it almost seemed like making my high school JV b team was at all comparable to the years of years he spent on top of the sport.

Who is Tony Adams, you may ask? Well my dear, dear reader, Tony Adams is without a doubt the best captain arsenal football club has ever seen in all its 133 years of being a top tier team.  He was not only one of the reasons I became an arsenal fan but he influenced almost every part of my soccer career. I found myself studying almost everything he did in his prime, looking to emulate even the slightest bit of success from his greatness. I guess looking back now I think it’s clear to me that I desperately wanted to become someone better than I was. Someone more confident, more secure, maybe even just someone different than I was. I essentially tried copying every aspect of his playing style, even incorporating his celebrations as well. If I’m being honest I still sometimes have that feeling of wanting to be someone else other than myself, although not as much as I used to. Honestly I believe playing competitively really forced me to legitimately discover who I was and be comfortable as myself. That being one of many reasons why I would recommend everyone participating in some kind of sport or physical activity. Not to mention the atmosphere and relationships I created along the way.

I find that there is a certain unique sense of community with soccer that just isn’t present in any other activity on the planet, or at least not one I have participated in. Now I do not claim to be some sort of super athletic multi-sport champion but I have played my share of sports and been in quite a few communities. I have played basketball and football, been involved in concert band, art club and even science club. In my humble opinion, in terms of love and support expressed in each community they all pale in comparison to this beautiful beautiful game. In fact the only good comparison that I’ve found seems to be within the jujutsu and kickboxing community which oddly enough is less violence orientated as you would think by just taking a glance in. predictably I have been enjoying the martial arts mainly for the community to the point where it has begun to be almost a religion like soccer was and still is.

Soccer or football (as it’s more commonly called in other countries) is of course a way of life in almost every country all over the world, but more than that I would say it is a religion of sorts. The U.S. is one of the very few places soccer is not hallowed so it is perfectly understandable that some people do not understand the extent of the love people have for this sport. This is the part where I would try drawing a connection to another sport, American football or baseball maybe? Truth is I would hesitate to compare soccer worldwide to any sport as a matter of fact, not just popular American sports. In my experience American football and baseball defiantly have an extremely loyal fan base, but the fans are naturally fickle at times even sometimes changing and switching over between teams. However soccer fans, real soccer fans at least, are often born into their respective team and stay loyal all the way till death. Just like any other religion switching over to another religion (or club in this case) is highly frowned upon and potentially even dangerous. Like most all religions throughout the history mankind, intense rivalries are an ever present theme usually dependent on proximity to the rival club as well as any minor disagreements that may or may not have occur somewhere buried deep in the history of both clubs. As an arsenal fan, of course I despise our rival club, the Tottenham Hotspur, although I will admitted that there are a couple of Tottenham players I enjoy watching and sometimes even root for. I think the first time I ever thought of soccer as like a religion was when I randomly ran into a you tube video comparing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two players widely considered two of the best to ever play. The video creator spends the beginning portion of the video comparing both their stats for the past 12 years as well as their respected following. He then goes on for what seemed like eternity talking about sportsmanship and how well they have both individually represented the sport. Finally, at the end of the video, he comes up with the conclusion that although the two players are absolutely the best to ever lace up their boots and step onto the field, Messi is the greatest. In his words, “Messi in all his glory is the God of football, with Ronaldo sharing his glory as Jesus or Muhammad”. This seems to have stuck in my subconscious, only revealing itself now after a couple of years after going mainly unnoticed by me at the time.

Before I started writing this memoir I would have never thought that I had this much to say about soccer especially since it is not as much a part of my life as it’s been in the past. I guess in a lot of ways I have changed and evolve into what I would consider a better, more self-actualized version of myself. With that being said, I think it makes sense that soccer isn’t as important to me; it has served its purpose in my life and I’m sure it will continue to. I am forever grateful to this beautiful game and all the wonderful memoirs it brought into my life.      

 Afterword.

The honest truth is at the beginning of this memoir I was not really going to try as hard as I maybe could have. I was procrastinating, only waiting till the last minute to finish each installments that was due. I think I was thinking about it just as a class project I just had to get done instead of an interest project. After the turning in the first installment of this memoir and getting back the feedback, I began using my free time to write and combine the texts. It is amazing how much I've retained over my many years of playing and watching soccer. it was really interesting bringing back the memories and ideas I had lodged somewhere in my mind. I think by actually caring about this project and the subject, I was able to not only dive deeper but also articulate better.    

[lewyn-martell]

tagged by @laurels-things in our saga of constructing a friendship by being two socially awkward people. it will happen, dude, i’m sure of it

Favorite snack? ice cream !!!!

Favorite place to go on vacation? uhhhhhh i don’t know..... i never go on vacation to the countryside but i would like that more than anything

Tea or coffee? What kind?  coffee with milk, sugar and.. uh i think it’s ‘tapioca flour’ how you say it... it looks like tiny popcorns (but tastes nothing like it) and it’s delicious on coffee

Do you play an instrument? mostly percussion, flute, some guitar

What’s your favorite type of personality?  sweet, polite, non-judgmental people

Favorite comedian? hmm john mulaney is the only guy whose stand ups i watch but also there’s a brazillian guy with a comedic youtube channel that i also really like called fabio porchat

Gummy candy or chocolate? chocolate, definitely

What did you “want to be when you grew up” as a kid? astronomer!

What’s your favorite physical feature about yourself? hair... i have a really good hair

When was the last time you watched a show or movie on a TV? just this morning i watched bojack horseman, i’m doing a rewatch :) also just watched the big mouth valentine day’s special just before that and i loved it

Unpopular opinion? hmmm 

Are you scared of bugs? YEs, i grew up in a house full of women so i caught their hysteric fear of cockroaches AND CAN YOU BELIEVE that just as i was typing this i saw a HUGE FLYING cockrach in my bedroom and i just wanted to scream but i’m living with my dad now and i can’t seem like a scaredy cat because, uh, Men™ (urgh) so i had to act tough and calmly deal with it myself and the queer gods listened to me and i was able to defeat that hoe with venom (i’m physically incapable of running after it with a sandal, especially when it’s a FLYING one) so i maintained the image of tough™ to my father e_e

Cats or dogs? cats hauhaua i would answer either dogs or both before i started living with my dad, but there are two HUGE dogs here who keep licking me after shower and smelling my crotch and bum (jesus christ) and jumping on me all the time and making me almost fall and destroying stuff, forcing me to always keep an eye on them when there’s only the three of us home so my dad doesn’t come home to a chewed house.... i’m a bit done with dogs to be honest

Are you allergic to any foods? not that i know of

Does the description of your star sign match your personality? ok, i had to do some reading to answer this one, so let’s break it down: i agree that: i’m very intuitive, i like longtime friends, maybe i am a bit calculating and passionate. i disagree with: everything else. basically, i don’t believe in it, but it is kinda fun nonetheless.

Favorite type of accent? imma be a basic bitch and say british because the way they pronounce the “r” it’s much easier to me (but i could never do the whole accent properly, i grew up with american english around me)

Name the first song that comes to your head? uhh slide away by oasis cause i was listening to it just now

Who is the sexiest famous person to you? danai gurira was the first to pop in my head.

When was the last time you read an entire book? oh my good, an actual book.... probably gone girl... some good months ago (12 year old me would be disappointed... but fanfiction is much better in a lot of aspects)

Favorite junk food? pizza, probably. or ice cream !!!

Do you like your height? sure, no complaints, no complaints. i’m just the right height to not be seriously bullied (here in brazil at least) but have some goddesses towering over me... which i would love to.

Apples or oranges? oranges, i think

Do you like salad? depends on the ingredients, i guess

What person inspires you the most? john lennon

What is a song that has made you cry? no song has ever made me cry, but the long and windind road and julia by the beatles came really close

tagging @zutaralesbian @ekscelsior @cerseiofhouselannister @glittering-snowfall @platypus4life @ringoztarr @ineffablehusbandssss

[sol1056]

Can you explain why LGBT representation is so important and why Voltron's negative portrayal of LGBT characters/rep should be scorned as harshly as it has been? I'm trying to prove a point to a friend and they don't get why representation has to be as important as we're making it.

Oh, this is a huge topic, and one I’m not sure I could do justice to, all by myself. Given that, this time I’ll let people speak for themselves. Anyone else reading (and I know a whole lot of you are out there) who’ve valued representation – regardless as to whether you relate to the character as a lived experience – feel free to add your thoughts, or links to any other articles, podcasts, or videos you’re recommend.

Fabricio Leal Cogo, Why Queer Representation Matters

I remember growing up here in Brazil and not seeing anyone like me portrayed on TV—or at least, not anyone with a similarly complex inner life. The few times I saw gays on TV, they were always a punchline in a comedy—a source of laughter. Many people, I’m sure, are probably thinking: It’s just a joke, right?

But representation matters.

It’s impossible to overstate the power of being able to identify with a public figure, particularly when that figure is actually seen in the fullest sense. As Michael Morgan, a former professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a researcher on media effects, told the Huffington Post earlier this year, “When you don’t see people like yourself, the message is: You’re invisible. The message is: You don’t count. And the message is: ‘There’s something wrong with me.’” He continued: “Over and over and over, week after week, month after month, year after year, it sends a very clear message, not only to members of those groups, but to members of other groups, as well.”

Uma Dodd, Queerbaiting And The Issue Of LGBT Representation In The Media:

Of the 125 movies released by major US studios in 2016, the media monitoring organisation GLAAD found that only 23 (18.4%) contained characters who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer – an increase of less than 1% from the previous year. … It’s insulting, and often quite disheartening, to be told that you’re only worth the three lines of dialogue and five minutes of screen time that the one LGBT character in a film might have, just because of your sexuality or gender.

Queerbaiting relies solely on subtext and the subsequent interpretation of it by fans, and as a result, creates the perfect paradox: writers are able to attract an LGBT audience with vague promises of representation, implied by the text and often encouraged by the writer, but will then never actually confirm or explicitly show said representation, reducing the amount of effort that has to be put in on their part.

You may say that I’m blowing this issue out of proportion, but that too, is a part of the problem. Because queerbaiting is based on purely subtextual hints, any evidence of it, no matter how blatant it might seem to the viewer/reader, is often insubstantial and difficult to quantify. This allows writers and cast members to dismiss the anger of LGBT fans as simple overreaction and, as a result, makes any legitimate pleas for better representation easier to ignore.

Another by-product that has resulted out of increasing calls for better LGBT representation is implied representation. This is where writers will claim that a character is LGBT but never explicitly show this within the TV show, film, or novel.  This is a method which has been employed by many creators of famous franchises, and it allows them to insert that token bit of representation which makes them look good, without ever actually providing said representation explicitly … Not only does this result in LGBT characters, once again, being shoved into the background – and often killed off for shock value – it raises the question: is this kind of representation good enough?

…Whilst any representation of non-heteronormative characters is a good start, this way of representing us can’t be allowed to become the norm – we deserve to be explicitly shown in the media as much as anyone else does. We need better representation and we need to be shown that not all LGBT characters have to remain in the closet, because what kind of a message is that sending to those young people out there who are currently questioning their sexuality?

B. Whiteside, 6 Reasons It’s Important to Have LGBT Characters on Children’s TV Shows:

A recent study by the Williams Institute at UCLA revealed that nearly 6 million adults and children have an LGBT parent. There are more than 125,000 same-sex couple households with nearly 220,000 children under the age 18. These children go to school and are active members of their communities. Their identities and home life deserve to be portrayed and represented just as much as anyone else’s.

Being a child can be tough, especially when one can’t identify with anyone around them. There are children and young adults alike who identify as LGBT or have parents who do so. Having content that mirrors their lives can, in fact, save their own. It isn’t always easy for children to articulate what’s wrong or what they need. So it can be a tremendous help to see their favorite character in their same predicament live out their life and truth.

Aristeaus Sizer, We Need To Talk About LGBT Representation, Apparently:

…since Cinderella, there have been 11 Disney princesses. All of which have been heterosexual, and the majority of them married by the end of their film. There is no shortage of straight princesses in this world, so why would it be such a crime for one of them to be LGBTQ? If anyone is forcing any agenda down anybody’s throats, Mary, it is you and your heteronormative agenda.

As a heterosexual, and I don’t mean to patronise here it’s simply the truth, you cannot understand in full capacity how important representation is. Seeing yourself on screen in a genuine, non-caricature form is hugely validating. When I was a kid I thought being gay was like doing drugs, it was a fun choice you made when you wanted to spice things up, and that all came from the films I had seen and how sordid LGBTQ people were portrayed as being. Then, later on into my teenage years, I thought I’d never be able to show public displays of affection without violent repercussion. Again, this was because of the media I had consumed telling me this. Films and media may not dictate our personalities, but they tell us how much of it we should hide, and the implicit message when you have an entire franchise of heterosexuals is that anything other should be kept underground, out of sight.

…we’ve been everywhere for so long you’ve just never noticed. Primarily because every movie and every advert and every t.v show and every animated cartoon is packed to the brim with straight people. LGBTQ people deserve representation because there’s far more of us than you think. … To you, it’s just a gay Disney princess where there could have been another straight one, but to someone that princess is the validation they needed that they aren’t some abomination or sinful mistake. They’re valid, they’re wonderful, and they have every right to love and be loved.

Danielle Cox, The Importance of LGBT Representation in Media:

[In 2016, GLAAD’s annual] shows the highest percentage of LGBT characters on our televisions … [but] when more than twenty-five of those characters are killed off in the same year, we know there is still a lot of work to be done. In fact, GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis released a statement saying, “When the most repeated ending for a queer woman is violent death, producers must do better to question the reason for a character’s demise and what they are really communicating to the audience.” When this ending is repeated in show after show and character after character, we can’t help but think the message they are sending is about the worth of our LGBT characters or rather lack thereof. 

James Dawson, The importance of LGBT visibility in children’s books:

I was unaware gay people even existed and, when puberty hit, found myself more than a little lost. I so dearly wish there had been just one book with a character who was a bit like me – just a normal teenage guy who happened to be gay. I would have especially loved one whose sexuality did not define him.

I just know that had there been a diverse range of people like me in books when I was growing up, I wouldn’t have felt abnormal for all those years, which I see now, overwhelmingly, I am not. In 2014, it’s my hope that all young LGBT people can see themselves in fiction and recognise there is a place for them in the world.

Palmer Haasch, “Yuri!!! On Ice” and the importance of positive LGBTQ representation:

Despite my resigned certainty that I was about to be drawn in by the potential of a queer relationship only to be disappointed for the umpteenth time, Yuri!!! On Ice managed to exceed all of my expectations. In the end, the show delivered a thoughtful portrayal of two men developing a deep and trusting romantic relationship that provides LGBTQ viewers with representation of queer individuals being happy together above all else, which is something that we desperately need.

For me, it was the first piece of entertainment media I had seen that didn’t present queer individuals as “other,” but allowed them to simply freely love and exist. While watching, I didn’t have to worry about whether Yuuri or Victor would be outed in an unsafe environment or if Yuuri was going to be unfairly judged on the ice because of his sexuality like so many real life figure skaters have feared in the past. Rather, I fretted over when they were finally going to kiss (because really, it was a long time coming) and if I was ever going to get to see the wedding that was hinted at by their matching gold rings.

Although it is true that the discrimination-free world of Yuri!!! On Ice isn’t realistic (yet), it can help reassure queer individuals like me that they can experience love in the same way as anyone else. At the same time, it provides a glimpse of a future where being queer doesn’t mean being “other”. And that notion is something that I will always work towards and protect.

Additional reading:

Why Visibility Matters

Make Them Gay: Why Queer Representation Matters

Why LGBT Representation Is Important In Media

We Need More Than Visibility

Why It’s Important To Make More Diverse LGBT Films

Queer Representation in the Media

Why Television Needs More LGBT Characters

Importance of LGBT Representation

[bornoffside]

Waiting Game - Neymar Jr

Okay, this one is super long...like really super long...and I was thinking about having a pt.2 if anyone is interested because there’s a lot I didn’t include (because it was already too long) that would probably make more sense to include. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy it!

He was so annoying. Why did this always happen?

For as long as Gisele could remember -from the moment she first met him- all he had ever done was play the part of ‘cocky-playboy’ and hit on her friends. But that wasn’t what frustrated her, well…not entirely. What bothered her the most was that she knew he wasn’t like that behind closed doors, so when he constantly did this it just annoyed her even more.

It didn’t help that now he had transferred to PSG, her brother’s team, and she would have to put up with his faux arrogance even more often than usual. Seeing him every now and then for international games was okay. But having to see him on a weekly basis was something she had never been prepared for.

It was no secret that she wasn’t a huge fan of his lifestyle. Her poor brother, Thiago, would have to listen to her rant and rave about how much of a nuisance his teammate and friend was on a daily basis it seemed. He was a completely different person in public and in private, and that annoyed her. She didn’t know why he had to become a womanizer whenever he stepped out the front door.

He knew what she thought of him and he just continued to prove her right. There was no point in doing otherwise, it wasn’t like she would magically change her opinion of him, she was too stubborn for that. He would flirt his way through her friends whenever he got the chance, and then act like he had done nothing wrong, he was a father damn it! He should have been setting an example.

Instead he continued to be his usual charming self in public, and in those cases, she continued to look at him in annoyance whenever he so much as dared to even enter the same room as her. Kind of like she was right now…

“Well, don’t you look happy to see me.” He sat down on the couch next to her, and rolled his eyes when she shifted away from him. She remained unusually quiet, not arguing with him for once.

“Gisele, come on, I’m sorry…forgive me?”

She sighed loudly in irritation at his teasing tone, and he tried to suppress the small smirk that threatened to make an appearance.

“Is there something you want, Neymar?”

He knew she was angry, she had every right to be. She had come to this birthday party because her ‘friend’ had begged her to go. If there was one thing Gisele had come to realise, it was that these new ‘friends’ she had made in Paris only cared for the spotlight that she could offer them because of her brother. Anita was the friend who had asked to attend the party with her, and she played the nice, sweet, friend-you-can-always-rely-on card that made Gisele think that maybe she did have a friend here that she could count on.

And then Neymar entered the room.

All he had to do was smile and bat his stupid eyelashes at Anita and she all but swooned. This was why she missed her friends back in Brazil. They didn’t stand for any of Neymar’s shit. They knew what he wanted, and none of them were interested in warming his bed for the night.

Anita, on the other hand, had spent the past hour ignoring Gisele and opting to fawn over Brazil’s golden boy instead. Needless to say, Gisele was not happy. He did this every damn time. Every time she would try to make a friend, he would charm them, they would abandon her in a crowd of sweaty, intoxicated morons, and she would never see that ‘friend’ ever again. It was easy for him, he had a team of friends who all experienced the same things, but it wasn’t the same for her.

People knew who she was because of her brother, they also knew that she was trying to make a name for herself in the world of fashion, so there was only one thing people usually approached her for. She didn’t know who was genuine and who wanted fame. She didn’t have a team she could trust. All she had was her brother (who she loved more than anything), but she needed real friends. Like the ones she had left behind in Brazil. Sure, she would talk to Paulina and Coco all the time, but she missed the shopping sprees and their movie nights…

It had gotten a little bit better when Gisele met Alexandre 2 months ago. He was a charming Frenchman, with caramel skin and a beautiful smile, who worked for a large accounting company. He was smart and sweet, and everything she could hope for in a partner. He was almost too good to be true!

So naturally, Neymar would always go out of his way to slander Alex every opportunity he got. Unfortunately Alex was working late that night, something he had been doing more and more often, and couldn’t accompany her to the hell that was this party. Now she had to face Neymar alone.

The man in question sighed quietly.

“Look, I know you don’t like me-“

“Then why are you here? I thought you’d already found your bed companion for tonight.”

Maybe she was being a little harsh, but she was so fed up with him always doing this to her. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him, Neymar had his moments where the good shined through, but other times she just wanted him to snap out of it. His lifestyle was something she had never agreed with, but that didn’t mean she despised him for it. Maybe one day, when she was less angry and he was more mature, they could be friends…but for now she was just fine with being mad at him.

Neymar cocked a brow at her bitter tone. “Careful, linda…you sound jealous.”

Gisele scoffed at the accusation, shooting an unimpressed glare his way. “Unlike some people, I’m in a happy relationship.” His promiscuous ways were no secret.

Now it was his turn to scoff. The very thought of Alexandre made him angrier than ever. “That’s what you think…”

Gisele’s head snapped in his direction, arms folding across her chest defensively. She didn’t even bother reprimanding him when his eyes darted down to her cleavage.

“What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

He could tell by the tone of her voice that if he answered honestly he’d be in for a fight. The last thing he wanted to do was fight with her, especially in a crowded room, and about her stupid boyfriend of all things. Gritting his teeth for a moment, his eyes scanned her face for something. What that something was, she had no idea.

“Nothing. I’ll let you get back to sulking.”

She found herself getting insulted, as if she was the one at fault!

“Hey! Don’t make me seem like the bad guy here, if you could keep it in your pants for longer than 5 minutes I wouldn’t be angry at you.”

He had no response, and chose to absentmindedly stare at the dancing crowd in front of them instead. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he couldn’t say. Gisele sighed.

“Neymar, you have to understand where I’m coming from here. I don’t know why you always pretend to be something you’re not. I know what you’re like, and this…playboy…isn’t it.”

He laughed quietly, but it held no real humour.

“You know what I’m like? You don’t know a thing.”

Gisele didn’t even get the chance to retort before he was rising from his seat and weaving his way through the crowd and out of sight. 

1 month later…

Work had been hectic, and her social life (if she could call hanging out with her brother and his friends that) had been completely non-existent lately. In the month that had passed, Gisele had only seen her brother a total of four times, and one of those was on a TV screen while she was doing some extra work. She usually had nights off, but the day’s exhaustion would catch up to her, and she would usually find it hard to peel herself off of the couch as soon as 7pm hit.

But today was a different story.

“Ooohh! You look amazing!”

Alex had promised to take her out to dinner at some fancy restaurant near the Eiffel Tower. Gisele herself had never really been a huge fan of big name restaurants whose main course was smaller than an appetiser, but Alex had insisted that he wanted to do something nice for her. They had been arguing recently about their hectic work hours, and Gisele was upset that she hardly saw him most nights. He was somewhat distant lately, and this was going to be his grand apology.

The other half of their arguments were related to the more intimate parts of their relationship. She knew Alex was getting increasingly frustrated that they hadn’t done the deed yet. But she just wasn’t ready. Something was holding her back, and she wasn’t entirely comfortable exposing herself like that just yet. He said it was okay, that he could wait until she was ready, but he could never entirely hide his disappointment whenever a make out session started getting a little more heated and she’d put a stop to it.

Maybe…maybe if things went well at dinner they could take that next step in their relationship. She’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

For now, she was at her brother’s house getting ready, well…it was more like Isabele, Thiago’s wife, was getting her ready. The dress she had been squeezed into was a pale cream colour, with beautiful lace sleeves and detailing across her bust, and a thin gold band where the skirt began. She really did love the more elegant looking dresses compared to the short sexy ones.

“Thanks, Isi. I really appreciate you helping me out.”

Her sister-in-law waved her off as if she had said the silliest thing in the world. “Don’t be ridiculous, I know we can’t see each other as often as we’d like, but you know I love you, kid.”

Gisele grinned, she really was grateful that Isabele was such an amazing woman. It was a shame that work took them both away from spending more time together.

“Come on, lets get you downstairs. He’ll be here any minute n-”

Isabele was cut off by a loud shout coming from the lounge room. She rolled her eyes at her husband’s childishness. It was FIFA night and he had a few of his teammates over. The girls made their way downstairs just as the doorbell rang, and Gisele smiled happily as she answered it. Her smile faltered when she realised it wasn’t Alex waiting for her.

His eyes scanned every inch of her, from the radiant dress to her perfectly curled hair and beautiful face.

“Wow…you uh, you look beautiful, Gisele.” His hazel eyes met her own brown ones, and she was somewhat surprised to see how genuine his words were. He smiled warmly, despite the hint of sadness in his eyes, and she didn’t know what to say. He was a charmer and a flirt, so it was strange to not see the teasing smile, but she appreciated the compliment regardless. It had been a while since she had seen her fellow Brazilian, surprisingly enough he hadn’t spent very much time around her. At least not as much as he usually would. They hadn’t exactly left each other on the best of terms the last time they had spoken.

It was kind of strange not seeing him that long, she maybe even possibly could say that she slightly missed him. Maybe.

“Thank you, Neymar.” She opened the door a little further to let him in, a small bashful smile on her face. She really wasn’t expecting a genuine compliment from him. He flirted with her, sure…but it was never serious, just messing with her like he did with all the other girls. At least that’s what she had always assumed.

“They’re in the lounge, just follow the yelling, you can’t miss them.”

He chuckled at her instructions, reaching down to remove his shoes. Everyone knew that Isabele would kill a man for ruining her carpets. There was a no-shoe policy in her household.

Before any more could be said, a knock at the door had Gisele jumping in surprise. This time when she threw it open it was Alex, and he shot her a quick smile before his eyes flickered over to the man standing behind his girlfriend. Alex swallowed thickly at the harsh glare the Brazilian was sending his way and quickly looked back to Gisele.

“Oh good, you’re ready. Lets go.”

Gisele’s shoulders slumped as she watched Alex walk back to his car. Not even a single compliment. He barely even looked at her. If he was trying to make it up to her, he was off to a very bad start.

“Enjoy your dinner, linda. And smile…that’s a nice dress, but it will never compare to your smile.”

Gisele looked over her shoulder, lips parted slightly, and a light blush on her cheeks. She was certain that he would offer his usual flirtatious wink or suggestive smirk, but he was already on his way to the lounge before she could even respond. Not that she knew what to say to that in the first place. She didn’t know what had happened to Neymar in the past month, but he was acting very…un-Neymar-like.

Maybe he met someone?

Gisele almost snorted at the thought. Neymar didn’t date, he flirted and he slept around. Not that it mattered to her, why would she care what he got up to? She didn’t. Not one bit.  

“Elle?”

Gisele quickly shuffled out of the doorway when she realised that she had been standing there frozen, with a stupid look on her face, for a solid minute.

“Coming!”

The drive to the restaurant had taken a while. Thiago’s house was a little further out of the city, where he wouldn’t have to worry about his privacy being invaded. The radio was off for a change, considering Gisele had forgotten her phone at her brother’s house. She had forgotten her purse too, when she rushed to catch up to her boyfriend, so they settled for some idle chatter instead. Unsurprisingly she did most of the talking, Alex chiming in every now and then when he couldn’t get away with humming an answer instead.

He held her hand as he drove, his thumb swiping over her knuckles absentmindedly. She knew that he had something on his mind, but she didn’t know what it was. Usually he would tell her if it was serious, so she wouldn’t worry…even if his brows kept furrowing sadly.

He didn’t think that she noticed these little things about him, but he was always a very expressive person. He wore his heart on his sleeve and that was one of her favourite things about him.

“You okay?”

His dark eyes quickly glanced at her in surprise, and he gave her a reassuring smile, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I am, thank you. Just worried about a few of my clients…”

Gisele frowned lightly. “Hey, you have nothing to worry about. You’ll do a great job, and if they don’t think so, then it’s their loss.” She smiled warmly, trying to ease his fears.

Alexandre sighed lightly and returned her smile, she was always so supportive of him. There was really no need for it, he knew he wasn’t that impressive compared to some of the men she had in her life. She associated with the PSG squad and that alone was way more impressive than anything he had ever done in his life, but she never made him feel like he was anything less than amazing.

He really wished he treated her better…like she deserved. She was a beautiful person on the inside, and he couldn’t have been luckier in having her as a girlfriend. Everyone knew it, hell, even his friends liked to remind him of that fact.

So why did he take her for granted? Why didn’t he treat her like she should have always been treated?

Because things were different now, and he hated himself for making them different. He hated himself for a lot of reasons, but mostly because he had come to love her in these few months. He really did…and yet he took the love he had for her and ruined it. He tainted it, and he didn’t know how he could tell her that. He didn’t want to hurt her, he never wanted to hurt her. But if it killed him to keep it from her, what would it do to her when she found out?

He didn’t want to take that risk, and he wouldn’t.

Karma was a funny thing really. He had never really believed in that sort of thing, but he really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at how his night had unravelled…

Gisele’s eyes had shot around the beautifully decorated restaurant in awe. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before, and it really embodied the beauty and grandeur she had always associated with classical French architecture.

“This is incredible, Alex…”

Gisele shivered slightly from the cool air-conditioning, and he didn’t hesitate to slip his suit jacket onto her shoulders.

“I’m glad you like it. I know I didn’t say it earlier, but you look lovely tonight.” He pulled her chair out for her like a true gentleman, before taking a seat himself.

“Thank you.” She practically beamed at the compliment. He was so sweet to her after they’d left Thiago’s house, that she had completely forgotten about the disappointment she felt when he hadn’t commented on her appearance earlier.

And then it had all gone downhill…

“Ah Alexandre! I thought that was you!”

Alex stared at his boss wide-eyed. He was a portly older gentleman, with a tall, statuesque wife smiling with heavily botoxed lips beside him.

“Mr Renier, it’s great to see you.” He stood to shake the man’s hand, with a smile.

“And Lucille! You are looking as beautiful as ever, though I didn’t recognise you without the blonde hair, darling!” The woman laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world, while Gisele frowned.

“Lucille?” She looked back to her boyfriend, whose heart was beating so fast he could feel himself shaking. Alexandre didn’t know what to say, but there was nothing that could salvage this situation.

“Oh yes! I should thank you both for coming to the fundraiser last weekend. It was an excellent night, enjoyed with excellent company.”

Last weekend…the weekend that Alex had to babysit his niece and nephew all weekend long? That weekend?

Before Mr Renier could launch into even more chatter, his wife was tugging at his arm.

“Come, Arnaud. Leave them be, we’re interrupting their dinner.” She scolded the man, before turning her smile to the younger couple. “It was so nice to see you both again, I’m glad Alexandre finally decided to introduce us to you. Lord knows I was wondering why he was always leaving work early!”

As soon as the pair had left their table, Gisele shot out of her seat.

“Elle, wait…” Alex grasped her arm gently, and she quickly snatched her arm away from him as if he had burned her.

“Who is Lucille?”

His dark gaze dropped to the floor, and he desperately tried to find the words. The guilt he had tried to bury on the drive over had returned full force. It had been one mistake. One. One situation that had changed everything…he had dragged their relationship through the dirt.

“Alexandre!” She snapped at him sternly, gaining the attention of several startled customers.

“I-I…she’s an old friend.” His eyes where glassy when he finally met her stormy gaze, and she recognised the pitiful look on his face as the same one he had whenever he seemed to zone out lately.

“Just a friend?”

He stared at her silently, and Gisele nodded abruptly, trying to ignore the stinging sensation in her eyes.

“Goodbye, Alexandre.”

His heart skipped a beat in fear. “Gisele, wait!”

The brunette marched passed the stunned maître d’ and out of the beautifully decorated door, Alex hot on her heels.

“Gisele, please…I didn’t mean for it to happen! It was a mistake and it had been so long…I wasn’t thinkin-”

She whipped around, cutting him off as he stumbled back, tears finally escaping. “‘It had been so long’? That’s your excuse?” She couldn’t help but shout. He was shaking his head before she had even finished her sentence.

“No! No, that’s not what I meant! Gisele, please…”

Alex watched as she all but ran from him, hastily wiping at her eyes. He didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know what he could do. Chasing after her would only push her away further, but he didn’t want to give her that much time to think about it all. He wanted to tell her what happened, but she would never let him…

And that was how Gisele found herself walking the familiar streets of Paris, alone at 10 o’clock at night. The further she walked from the city, the darker her surroundings became, but that was the last thing on her mind. Her boyfriend had cheated on her. Alex had cheated on her. It hadn’t really sunk in yet, but it would soon. She was so humiliated. To find out that her boyfriend was cheating on her, and in front of an audience too…

She had thought so highly of him, she had told her best friends and family about how great he was, and how much they would like him when they finally met. She was well on her way to loving him herself. Obviously he didn’t feel the same.

It had been so long…

It was the sex…that was why he cheated on her? She couldn’t give that to him yet, so he found someone else who was willing to do it instead. Why couldn’t he just talk to her about it?

Lord knows I was wondering why he was always leaving work early!

How long had this been going on? Those late nights in the office that he always sounded so regretful of whenever he cancelled their plans…is that what he was doing? While she was left disappointed and alone, he was sleeping around with some other woman? Whenever he told her how much she meant to him, had he said the same thing to Lucille just hours before? She felt so cheap, so used.

With no phone, and no other way of getting home, Gisele was sure of one thing. That she had plenty of time to kill and a million questions racing through her mind to get lost in.

By the time FIFA night was over, it was already half past one in the morning. The boys were dead tired, and even though some of them had decided to stay at Thiago’s, Neymar was heading home for some much needed rest. They had training at midday and he knew staying up this late would come back to bite him eventually.

He was still getting used to living in France, so he tried to spend as much time with his new teammates as possible…even if that meant staying up at all hours of the night to play FIFA. On the bright side, he already knew some of the boys from the national team, so they really did help him out as much as he could.

It was in the middle of one of his favourite songs that something caught his eye up ahead. Neymar didn’t know what difference it would make, but he turned down his music and slowed down slightly.

There was a girl walking along the side of the road, in the opposite direction to where he was going, and he shook his head in disapproval. It was pitch black, and almost 2 o’clock in the morning, was this girl trying to get herself into a bad situation? Someone could snatch her off of the street and no one would be around to help her.

Neymar’s considerate nature was not something that many people thought he had, but it’s exactly what made him do a U-turn and slow down to drive alongside her. He hoped that she wouldn’t freak out…this was exactly the situation that had just run through his mind, wasn’t it?

“Uh…excuse me? Lady?”

He frowned when he received no response, and almost slammed on the breaks when he finally recognised the familiar dress that was hidden underneath what looked to be a man’s jacket. If it wasn’t for the rare streetlight along this dark stretch of road he would have missed her completely, and boy was he glad he didn’t.

“Gisele?”

The woman didn’t stop, he couldn’t tell if she was intentionally ignoring him, or if she was just too distracted. This time he did hit the breaks, throwing his door open carelessly and jogging over to her quietly. He didn’t want to startle her, but that’s exactly what he did when she heard him call her name again from behind her.

Gisele flinched as the familiar voice cut through the silent night, and loud thoughts. When she finally turned to look at him, she couldn’t remember a time when he had ever looked so concerned before. His brows furrowed and his eyes softened as they took in the state she was in. From what he could tell she was physically fine, but there was no telling what was going on in her head.

“Gisele…”

Neymar cautiously approached her, almost certain that he was the last person she wanted to see in that moment. She was always so proud and her puffy eyes and damp cheeks were probably not something that she wanted him of all people to see. So imagine his surprise when she didn’t even hesitate in breaking down in front of him. For a moment he panicked, not expecting the loud sobbing that had her shoulders shaking and breathing ragged.

He moved quickly, pulling her devastated frame into his arms, and she didn’t resist for a moment. He could feel her tears on his neck as her face pressed into it, and raised his hand to stroke her hair soothingly.

“Shhh…it’s okay, I’ve got you.” He whispered against the top of her head, before resting his cheek against the same spot. This wasn’t something he had experienced before, usually it was only Davi’s tantrums that he had to try and soothe. But he had never expected having to comfort Gisele. He didn’t know if what he was doing was the right thing, but the way her arms had hooked under his own and gripped the back of his shoulders like a lifeline, told him that he had to have been doing something right.  

“It’s okay, linda. It’s okay.”

“H-he ch-chea…he…”

Neymar pulled away to look at her, but she continued to hold onto him - not that he had any intention of letting her go anyway. Instead he held her by the shoulders, hands running up and down her arms comfortingly. He didn’t need her to continue, he understood just fine. But he also knew he had to put is anger aside for now, it wasn’t what she needed.

“W-why can’t I just be like you? You don’t do these stupid relationships, you don’t care…”

It felt like a punch to the gut.

If only you knew, he thought.

There were so many things she didn’t know about. Things he wanted to tell her a million times over the years, but never found the right time to do so.

If only you knew...

That the reason why I don’t do relationships is because the only girl I want, doesn’t want me.

That the reason I fell into bed with all of those faceless women was because I thought that maybe one of them could make me forget you.

That I approached those ‘friends’ to show you their true colours, and nothing more.

How much it killed me to see you happy with him, and how much I wished that I could have what he had even for a single day.

If only you knew, that I do care…but I only care about you.

But how could he tell her that? Would she even believe him? He had used her relationship as an excuse for the last few months, telling himself that she was happy and that he would only be ruining a good thing if he admitted his feelings. In the years before that, he tried to find someone, anyone to take her off of his mind. But it never worked, so he stopped trying. He didn’t need some other woman he was using as a distraction to fall for him as he had for Gisele. He wasn’t cruel enough to put someone through that pain.

“I’m- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry, I’m-“

It was petty and she knew it. He was only trying to help her. She didn’t know the reason behind his escapades, maybe he had been in a similar situation to her and had sworn off all relationships? She was ashamed to admit that she had never really considered there was a reason at all.

“Shhh…it’s okay, breathe for me? Deep breath.” He did the same, encouraging her to copy him, and she did -shakily.

“Good, there we go…again.”

Gisele sniffled as she continued to follow his example, desperately trying to pull herself together.

“Okay?” She nodded weakly. “Alright…how about I take you home, hm?”

“O-okay.”

He quirked a small reassuring smile, and she tried to force one of her own, but she was sure it looked more like a grimace. She probably looked like hell. Not only did her whole face feel puffier than a marshmallow, but after all of the swiping she was doing under her eyes, it was probably all blotchy too. Neymar didn’t seem to care, he just shot her another small smile and threw his arm over her shoulder.

“Lets get you home, linda.”

Most of the car ride was spent in silence, but every time Gisele sniffled she could see him glance at her in concern. Even as they made their way up to her apartment, he had rested his hand on the small of her back. It was a simple thing, but she didn’t feel so helpless when he did it. It was…nice…to have someone worried about her. She had never felt more alone than she had on her long walk home. Being alone with your thoughts in the silent night, with no friends or family to talk to…it was hard.

All she could think about at the time, was the disaster that had happened only a few hours earlier. It wasn’t like she had to question why he did it. She knew why, it was because he didn’t deem her good enough to wait for. Sex was more important than their relationship apparently. But even as he broke her heart, she could see the pain in Alexandre’s eyes too. She didn’t care for it. She didn’t want to know why he was hurting. She didn’t want to know if he regretted it.

It changed nothing.

It had happened, god knows how many times, and it hurt. It hurt to think that he would rather be intimate with some stranger, than wait for the woman he claimed to love. She knew it wasn’t her fault, but she couldn’t stop her mind from telling her otherwise.  

“Hey…what’s going on in that head of yours?”

Biting her bottom lip, Gisele contemplated whether or not to tell him. He had already seen her at her worst, there really wasn’t much else that could go wrong for her in his presence, but he was the support she needed right now. She couldn’t fault his efforts, and considering what she usually thought of him, it made her feel a little guilty for being so harsh on him.

“I just…I know why he did it, and I-I…maybe if I hadn’t waited so long to-“

“Hey!”

Gisele looked at him wide-eyed, startled at the sharp tone of his voice. He hadn’t looked that angry all night, but she could see the fire in his eyes and knew that he wouldn’t be letting this go. She couldn’t look away from his serious expression, especially when the back of his fingers were tilting her head up to maintain eye contact.

“I don’t ever want to hear you say something like that again, do you understand me?”

She tried to nod as best as she could with his fingers still under her chin.

“You are a beautiful woman, with a beautiful body.” Her eyes shifted away nervously at the compliment. “No, look at me.”

“No one can decide what you do with it other than you. And if some idiot decides that he can’t wait then he doesn’t deserve it. Because when you love someone, they are worth waiting for…they are always worth waiting for, no matter how long it takes.”

His voice had dropped to a whisper by the end of his speech, and he hoped he wasn’t saying too much…giving too much away. The last thing he wanted to do was reveal feelings she wasn’t ready to accept.

For the first time that night he saw a small but genuine smile tug at her lips, and the hug that followed wasn’t because she needed comfort, it was a thank you. How long had he been waiting for a moment like this? Years. He had met her years ago, and he vaguely remembered being an arrogant little thing at the time.

He was hitting on her in a club, and he didn’t realise how inexperienced she was at the time. So when she awkwardly rejected him, he thought he could make her jealous by going after one of her friends instead. What was her name again? Paulina? Either way, the girl was fierce and had verbally kicked his ass. That was the day he had made the worst first impression of his life, to someone who would become one of the most important people in his life.

When the alcohol had finally worked its way out of his system, and he approached Gisele the next day, he was met with a stony faced little fire-cracker that refused to believe that he really wasn’t like that. Fast forward a few years later, and needless to say she still hadn’t believed him, not that he gave her any reason to believe him.

Until now.

Maybe.

It was a hug, in a moment where she was very vulnerable, but it was a hug nonetheless and he’d take that.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when she called his name.

“Hm?” He pulled back out of her embrace in order to look down at her.

“Can you do me a favour?”

He knew no matter what she asked of him next, he would do it. He couldn’t look into those big, brown eyes and not do whatever she wanted.

“C-can…can you please stay?” She avoided his gaze nervously.

His first instinct was to blurt out a ‘yes’ but he paused for a moment, knowing he would have to call his sister and tell her that he wouldn’t be home for the night. She was out clubbing with friends, so he doubted that he’d be waking her at this hour anyway.

“Of course, linda…let me just make a quick phone call, okay?”

Gisele nodded weakly, removing her arms from around him and wiping at her eyes like a small child would. God she was so pathetic. She was crying over some stupid cheating asshole, in front of Neymar of all people.

Oh quit being a bitch, she told herself. He’s done more for you in 30 minutes than Alex did in 3 months.

It was true. This was the Neymar she liked, the one that she saw whenever Davi visited him. Despite the weird relationship they had, he was putting everything aside to help her. He could have laughed in her face, said ‘I told you so’ and been on his way.

She wouldn’t have blamed him.

But he drove her home, held her while she sobbed her heart out, and told her he would stay with her when she really didn’t want to be alone. She really needed it right now, the support he offered. The reassuring words, and comforting hugs. Was it strange to think that it was Neymar she wanted there with her? Probably. But she couldn’t find it in herself to care at the moment. The fact of the matter was, that he wasn’t as cluelessly carefree as people liked to think. He knew what to say and when to say it, and that was what she needed right now - a level head.

You know what I’m like? You don’t know a thing…

Maybe he was right. She thought she knew Alexandre, but oh how wrong she was about him. It was funny really, Neymar -the same one she always criticised- was holding her together because Alexandre -the man she constantly compared his commitment issues to- cheated on her. It felt like a joke. But in a strange way, Gisele was a little glad to be proven wrong.

With a tired sigh, Gisele threw her dress to the floor, rooting through her dresser and pulling out an old Brazil jersey to wear to bed. She just didn’t have the energy to do anything else, and crawled underneath the cool covers of her bed.

When Neymar walked back into her bedroom, the only light came from a small bedside lamp, and he hesitated when he noticed her frame curled up in bed. Was she already asleep? What if she had changed her mind and didn’t want him there anymore? He didn’t want to climb into her bed and wake her. Luckily she made his mind up for him.

“…Neymar?”

Neymar almost jumped at the sound of her weary voice, and she tilted her head up to look at him. He smiled softly at the way her hand lightly tapped the spot beside her. He always did prefer the left side of the bed.

After toeing off his shoes and removing his jacket, the footballer slipped under the covers with her, and didn’t hesitate in lifting his arm in invitation. She took the silent offer and slid into his side, her head resting on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around her. With his free hand he turned off the lamp, before letting his fingers return to her hair, stroking it as they had earlier. She held onto him just a little bit tighter, and he wondered if she could feel what it did to his heart.

“Ney?”

He paused for a moment, stunned by the nickname. “Hm?”

“I’m sorry…”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“But-“

He gave her a light squeeze, silencing any protests.

“Sleep, linda. We can talk more in the morning.”

She hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded. “Okay…goodnight.”

Neymar smiled softly in the darkness. It was difficult to tell how long he stayed like that, but by the time his own eyes started drooping, she was already fast asleep. Pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head, he finally allowed his eyes to close.

“Sweet dreams, meu amor.”

[soap-brain]

‘sup i got tagged by @elroymarvelous (and i need to stop using ‘sup as a greeting jesus christ *tips fedora*)

aaand i’m tagging @bottomkirk @greetings-from-the-suffer-puppet @isthisspockspeaking @lieutenant-sapphic @loststarlight @wordssometimesfail @trappist-1p @autisticarchieandrews @greenjimkirk @plaidshirtjimkirk @jamest-kirk @subinnnnn @tomatosdumpster @thetardisismysoulanimal @random-fandoms-trash @thatpunktrekkie and anyone else who wants to do this! just consider yourself tagged :)

 THE LAST

1. Drink: black tea

2. Phone call: my dad? i think? i don’t call people unless i can’t totally avoid it

3. Text message: @isthisspockspeaking

4. Song you listened to: we built this city by starship

5. Time you cried: ???? probably last week or tomorrow

6. Dated someone twice: njoope

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: i’m unkissed, therefore...

8. Been cheated on: nah

9. Lost someone special: yup

10. Been depressed: lkjsldfjslfjklasjdflajs life is hell atm so yes, constantly

11. Gotten drunk + thrown up: literally every time i have as much as two cocktails?? i don’t get it tbh. and i didn’t even really get drunnk

3 Favorite Colors

12. yellow

13. blue

14. green

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU

15. Made new friends: yup!

16. Fallen out of love: didn’t even fall in love so falling out of it is kinda difficult

17. Laughed until you cried: the aquarium incident in physics lab the week before last. i’ve never laughed so hard in my life i think. cried again when we rehashed it

18. Found out someone was talking about you: i guess?? but i knew it already, and it wasn’t bad stuff

19. Met someone who changed you: uhh? maybe

20. Found out who your friends are: (does this year count as last year?? do we mean last calendar year or last 12 months? cause then HELL YES jesus)

21. Kissed someone on your Facebook page: thank god no lol

GENERAL:

22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: almost all of them, but there’re a couple where i only assume who they are tbh

23. do you have any pets: ... five cactuses. i bet that counts :p

24. do you want to change your name: i wrote a wonderful monologue about how ravenna is actually p great and i’m learning to be her at @greetings-from-the-suffer-puppet a couple days ago or so. my name makes me pretty damn unique, and i like it!

25. what did you do for your last birthday: went out to dinner with my family and got drinks with an ex-friend later

26. what time did you wake up: I OVERSLEPT AND WOKE UP AT TEN AM MY ALARM WAS FOR 6:30 FUCK ME

27. what were you doing at midnight last night: uh. @bottomkirk uhhh MADE ME watch the dramatic readings of my immortal

28. name something you can’t wait for: august 1, 2017, around 2pm (i’ll be done with my chem final by then and probably also through the post-final breakdown and hopefully already packing / having packed my suitcase)

29. when was the last time you saw your mom: two weeks ago (ish)

31. what are you listening to right now: the two illustrious construction zones a street over :D and whatever else comes through the window. also rain pattering

32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: yes my dad’s best friend’s name is tom and he’s a cool dude. weird, since he’s an artist, but cool

33. something that is getting on your nerves: well i’m mostly done with being insanely annoyed by the spn fandom, so atm it’s the mcu

34. most visited website: tumblurb

35. hair colour: ???? it’s like a dark blonde in places but the tips are light blonde. i’m considering becoming a redhead over the summer :D

36. long or short hair: mine? long. on people? whatever floats their boat

37. do you have a crush on someone: no

38. what do you like about yourself: ???? i think i’m getting a really good grip on my life but it does contain lots of internal crying

39. piercings: two in both ear lobes

40. blood type: 0+ i think. i’m sure about the 0 but i forgot my rhesus type

41. nickname: i don’t have one :( please give me one?

42. relationship status: single pringle terrified to mingle

44. pronouns: she/her

45. favourite tv show: wtf kinda question is that. tos all the way

46. tattoos: i WANT but i’m so broke i don’t quite know how to afford food for the next two weeks haha

47. right or left handed: right

48. surgery: a couple minor ones, once getting my wisdom teeth out and once having a dark birthmark removed. also i think i had to get one of my milk teeth removed by the dentist :D also there was the glass table incident. me and my sisters all have actual scars from that glass table. i p much slit my lip on it and you can still see the scar! fun times! my other sister has a small piece of her ear missing bc of that table :D

50. sport: horseback riding (*cries* i wish i had a stable here), yoga, running

51. vacation: THIS STUPID QUESTION IS IN ALL THESE THINGS AND I JUST HAVE TOO MANY ANSWERS!! ugh. FINE. let’s do this as per the distance these places are away from me. berlin. the netherlands. sweden. the uk. iceland. italy (esp rome, venice and ravenna), france. greece (all the ancient cultures yay). barcelona. idk whether egypt is safe atm but egypt (the pyramids and that all). south africa. japan. china. australia. chile. brazil. mexico. the usa (a roadtrip. you know, the classic. also nyc??? i miss you. also hey i have friendos there!!). canada. OUTER FUCKING SPACE LIKE WHOA

52. pair of trainers: does this mean the shoes or a coach?? i do own shoes if that is the question. several even.

MORE GENERAL

53. eating: rn? nothing. but there will likely be pancakes today

54. drinking: water, and obscene amounts of black tea

55. I’m about to: study (lmao procrastination ftw)

56. waiting for: august 1, 2017, 2pm

57. want: a fucking break

58. get married: maybe

59. career: doctor!! (hey what do you call a nerdy doctor? a DORKtor ahhahahaha love me please)

54. drinking: as in alcohol?? ehh. i have half an apple cider in the fridge, and other than that there’re like two cocktails i like to drink, maybe three

WHICH IS BETTER:

60. hugs or kisses: i’m touch starved so i’m a slut for any kind of physical attention tbh

61. lips or eyes: i like lips cause then you can speak and eat food. i like eyes for seeing (though mine have a glitch. i need an expansion pack for them)

62. shorter or taller: i’m tall. small people are ok but you need to be careful so you don’t lose them in your purse

63. older or younger: ??? well i like kids and seniors can be assholes but also vice versa so idk 

64. nice arms or nice stomach: arms bring the food. stomach holds the food. GoodTM (personally? i’d like for my arms to stop having acne and for my stomach to be flat. thank)

65. hookup or relationship: relationship

66. troublemaker or hesitant: hesitant (i only pretend to be tough lmao)

HAVE YOU EVER:

67. kissed a stranger: nah

68. drank hard liquor: what qualifies as hard?? i’ve had vodka in my drinks, but they were cocktails, so ?? (actually we made moscow mules when i visited my parents and the recipe said to put in 4 cl of vodka but i’m PRETTY sure my dad put in more)

69. lost glasses/contact lenses: akjslöfdjasldfjasldf fuck me up. yes. also broken them. also you try to have -5 dpt and find your fucking glasses. i can see 20ish cm in front of my face clearly. when i lose my glasses i’m essentially fucked

70. turned someone down: yes, and it was a good idea

71. sex on the first date: ha no

73. had your heart broken: sure

74. been arrested: :D (no)

75. cried when someone died: irl? cried when someone almost died. movies? yes.

76. fallen for a friend: nope

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

77. yourself: i guess so, yeah!

78. miracles: “magic is just science that you don’t understand yet”

79. love at first sight: no

80. santa claus: excuse you, this is americawashing. in germany we have the christkind. fuck off

81. kiss on the first date: maybe??

82. angels: ehhhh

OTHER:

84. eye colour: slate grey

85. favourite movie: Wonder Woman (2017) dir. Patty Jenkins (elroy wrote this and imma leave this here), also the one with the whales, transporter 3 and a very specific version of cinderella

[allonsy-allie]

The longest get to know me tag ever ✨

This one is so long and I procrastinated a lot, so it took me weeks to finish lmao. But it’s here now.

I’ve been tagged by both @floatingdownthemoonriver and @sugaidc (thank you Sofia and Lils).

the last… (it’s a song by Agust D............)

drink: water (stay hydrated everyone, don’t be a catcus) time you cried: ???????????????????? phone call: what is a phone call?? text message: @ my gc song you listened to: The 7th Sense - NCT U

have you…

dated someone twice: no kissed someone and regretted it: no been cheated on: no~ lost someone special: yes been depressed: every year gotten drunk and thrown up: no

list three favourite colours… purple, yellow, blue

in the last year have you…

made new friends: yes fallen out of love: also yes laughed until you cried: yes found out someone was talking about you: no, and I really don’t want to/don’t care met someone who changed you: nope found out who your friends are: sadly (???), yes kissed someone on your facebook list: nope

general…

how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: 50% of my friends list, I’d say do you have any pets: no :( do you want to change your name: not anymore, but when I were a kid I did want to change it or be called Maria (that’s my middle name) because I HATED how people would mispronounce (and misspell) my name all the goddamn time. also whenever I said my name, people would start singing this song by Julio Iglesias or this one by The Fevers, which to me that was as bad as mispronouncing my name. over time I just learnt to accept that’s my name and moved on (but I still get super pissed when anyone sing those songs to me, even though that they don’t say anything bad) what did you do for your last birthday: I went to Pizza Hut and then had expensive ice cream, the usual good stuff.  what time did you wake up: 6am without an alarm bc that’s something my anxiety does what were you doing at midnight last night: watching episode 12 of Fight for My Way name something you can’t wait for: to be financialy stable, to get my shit together when was the last time you saw your mom: I live with my mum so I see her all the time?/? what is one thing you wish you could change in your life: wow... so much stuff. I don’t even know where to begin... what are you listening right now: Meet me in the Hallway - Harry Styles have you ever talked to a person named tom: I’ve never even met someone named Tom something that is getting on your nerves: myself lmao most visited website: Tumblr, BTS subreddit, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter

about me…

mole/s: I’ve got a ~~beauty mark on my left cheek, also one on my belly... mark/s: I’ve got the smallest suture mark on the right side of my hips and a vaccine mark on my right arm. I used to have this weird mark on my left knee from when I fell while running when I was a kid, but it faded over time. childhood dream: I wanted to go to an art school and/or be an architect. also I wanted to be a polyglot lmao. that is possibly the only childhood dream that will actually come true (I’m just a language away from it). long or short hair: I like both. when I have long hair, I want to have short hair. and when I have short hair, I want to have long hair. it’s a vicious circle. do you have a crush on someone: no what do you like about yourself: how I didn’t give up even though I was told to... piercings: none. blood type: I’ve got NO IDEA. 26 years old, a FUCKTON of blood exams done, but NEVER one to tell my goddamn blood type. unbelievable. nickname: it varies?? my family and people close to my family will call me Naná (it’s just Nana, but the stress is on the last -na). real life friends and eveyrone else will most likely call me Nat/Nathy (that sounds more like “natchi” bc brazilian portuguese pronounciation is really funny), or try to come up with something, such as Thalie or Natha. Lastly, but not least, everyone on the internet knows me by Allie, with some exceptions (for exemple, Bee calls me Nanii) relationship status: what do you think? zodiac: leo as sun sign, cancer as moon sign, and scorpio as ascendant. it does say a lot about me... favourite tv show (s): Parks and Recreation and Gilmore Girls are my all-time favourites tattoos: none right or left hand: right. surgery: two times already, and I hope it stays like that hair dyed in different colour: does highlights count? sport: what the fuck is a sport? just kidding... I love swimming. I used to like running too (run run run). vacation: I never left Brazil :( pair of trainers: I don’t have any of those?

more general…

eating: I’m your local picky eater! carbs are love lmao. drinking: water, mint pineapple juice and passion fruit juice are my drink aesthetic. I’m about to: finally post this thing after it sat on my drafts for weeks waiting for: something good to happen this year istg want: a fuckton of things at the same time. get married: later, I guess. career: well, when I graduate uni I’ll officially be a librarian, that’s for sure. but idk, I still want to do something creative like design...

which is better…

hugs or kisses: hugs lips or eyes: neither. hands are better. older or younger: my rule goes 1 to 3 years older, 1 or 2 years younger. nice arms or nice stomach: the nicest arms possible sensitive or loud: a bit of both [1] hook up or relationship: why is this even a question? relationship troublemaker or hesitant: a bit of both [2]

have you ever…

kissed a stranger: nooooo drank hard liquor: nope lost glasses/contact lenses: I’ve lost my sunglasses once, does that count? I’ve never lost my glasses when I had to wear them turned someone down: probably? broken someone’s heart: nah... had your heart broken: yes been arrested: no cried when someone died: no, which made people say I was a cold-hearted person (and I hate it). I never cried, but I felt really numb and I didn’t know how to explain it fallen for a friend: don’t do that~

do you believe in…

yourself: there are times...                 miracles: yes love at first sight: kinda... santa claus: no???????????? kiss on the first date: no? angels: yes

other…

current best friends name: Bee (@dreamerbee) (and so it has been for over 10 years now!) and Sofia (@floatingdownthemoonriver) eye colour: brown favourite movie(s): 13 going on 30, Beginners, Elizabethtown, etc...