#And I’m wearing cute heeled sandals they make me feel so tall

[stuckinapril]

Whatever I have rosy pink blush on the apples of my cheeks and my curls are moisturized and I have the cutest miniskirt on it’s going to be a good day

[coexiising]

Good Neighbors - Chapter One

SUMMARY ✦ You were excited to learn that someone was finally moving into that old house next to your own. The Skywalker-Amidala family seemed like a great addition to your friendly neighborhood, with their two twin kids and happy personalities. Though, the more you get to know your neighbors, the closer you get to the husband of the family: Anakin Skywalker.

WARNING(S) ✦ Modern! Anakin Skywalker, Alternate Universe, Infidelity, Eventual Smut, not so slow burn, Eventual Romance, Neighbors, and they were neighbors, anakin looks so good in a suit, sneaking around, forbidden love

NOTE ✦ I’ve been wanting to write a Modern! Anakin fanfic for a while now, so here we go! This will be a multi chapter fic, I don’t know how many yet but expect a lot because I’ve got some ideas to play out! This chapter is more of an introductory, but expect some more spicy drama in the next coming chapters. 

»»————-　✼　————-««

As tradition goes every year, you could smell the smoke coming from the middle of your neighborhood's culdesac while you made your way outside your garage with your mother, who held a large tray of potato salad in her hands that she insisted she carried herself over to the white tables in the distance. It was hot outside, early July was coming strong this year with the heat, reaching a staggering eighty nine degrees outside and it was already well past noon. Though, you should’ve been expecting the heat, since it seemed to creep up on you every time this yearly cookout happened.

It had been a little tradition, jokingly deemed a ‘holiday’ by your younger brother, that had been going on for as long as you could think back to. You could remember being five years old and running around with the neighborhood kids and jumping into your pool after eating the bountiful amount of food that was supplied for the families that participated. It used to be a handful of them, three or four families that came and had a small little barbeque together. But over time that changed, and now it became a whole neighborhood thing.  

The dads of the block always started earlier to get everything set up, which was really the long white tables where food could be set and setting up the large grill on the pavement. And the moms always slaved away in their kitchens making some type of side dish, whether it be fruit cups, potato salads, or whatever. You were twenty two now, almost done with your undergraduate degree, and you wondered if you would ever find this sense of friendliness anywhere else when you eventually moved from your home. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to leave, it was just more convenient for you to stay and you didn’t mind your family that much. They were supportive, there for you no matter what, and your home was close to your University anyways.

“I wonder if Lisa is going to wear that ugly dress she bought the other day,” Your mother stated, making short, languid strides next to you. “She brought it to the house a few days ago when we were having a little wine date and I didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was definitely not twenty five anymore and that dress did not hug her in the right places.”

You laughed, jokingly hitting your mom on the shoulder. “Mom, come on, it can’t be that bad.” She didn’t respond, only grinning towards you with a hint of playfulness filling her eyes behind her thick, black sunglasses. Your eyes scanned the crowd already forming, kids on the outside running around with a ball. You knew a lot of them, even held some of them as babies after they were born. But when you took another glance at the group, you saw that there were two you didn’t recognize. A boy and a girl, both looking similar to one another and the only difference being the slightly different shades of their hair. “Mom, who are they?” You asked, pointing to the girl and boy who were now fighting each other for control over the soccer ball.

“Oh, they’re the kids of the new neighbors,” Your mom answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. You looked over at the house next to your own, a two story one with white coloring and many windows. It had been for sale forever and it became quite the local news when someone actually bought it. You guess you hadn’t realized that the people who bought it were now occupying it. “They’re twins, I think. The mom and dad are on the younger side too. Courtney says that the husband is working at that law firm down on first street and apparently the wife wants to run for senator in a year.” How the hell did she know this much about everyone? You shouldn’t even question it at this point, since she was friends with all the neighborhood moms who loved to gossip.

Looking around for any unfamiliar faces, you were surprised to see none. Were they not coming out for the cookout? It seemed like the perfect place for them to meet everybody. “Oh!” Your mom exclaimed. “I forgot the tongs on the kitchen counter, could you go get them for me, please?” Without a second thought you nodded, turning on your heel and making your way back towards your house. As much as you loved your mom, you were sometimes annoyed with her forgetfulness, especially because you asked her if she had everything three times before you left just a few moments ago. Oh well, it wasn’t that big of a deal, you would be in and out in no time.

You walked up the well cut grass of your lawn to your front door, sandaled foot almost hitting the concrete when you heard the creak of another door. It belonged to the door of the house beside you, the light tapping of shoes making their way onto the patio filled your ears, feeling somewhat foreign since you weren’t used to hearing anything from that house. You wondered what it looked like inside, if everything was rusted and worn. It had to have been almost ten years since someone lived there.

But when you turned to finally get a look at your neighbor, your thoughts were completely halted.

Your mom was right, he, most likely being the husband, was on the younger side. He had to be in his early thirties, still a lot of youth painting his broadened features. His skin was lightly tanned, it was hard not to notice the way that the sun seemed to do a good job in painting his long, muscular arms that reached to close the door behind him. He was wearing a short sleeved shirt and black pants, though it wasn’t like something that you had seen other dads wear before, it was more formal, more pristine like he was trying to make an appearance. But if the story checked out, he was supposed to be a lawyer, it was his job to look professional. You continued to look at him, almost shamefully so as your eyes trailed from his clothing to his face, taking in the sharpness of his jaw and the blues of his eyes that very much reminded you of the light blue sky above you now. And then to his hair, which was cut short and had a golden glow to it.

Right as you were about to turn and get into your house, the ball that had been with the group of kids came flying your way, hitting against the door next to you and making you jump at the loud noise. It was lucky that it didn’t fly through a window, or your parents would’ve gone ballistic. You could hear some of the parents start to shout at the kids, telling them to stay away from the houses if they were planning on kicking that thing off of the ground. The same kids you were questioning earlier ran up your lawn, most definitely to retrieve the ball that would’ve hit you dead on if you hadn’t been gawking at their father.

“Luke, I told you to not kick it that way!” The girl, Leia, yelled towards her brother, a little stomp in her step as they made their way towards you. You picked up the ball and held it in your hands, kneeling down and waiting for the kids to approach you. Luke shook his head, shaggy hair falling into his eyes and saying, “It wasn’t me! It was that other guy over there. Why do you always blame me!” You laughed, the dynamic almost reminding you of you and your brother when you were younger.

Handing them the red rubber ball, they both gave you a small ‘thank you’ and Leia muttered a tiny ‘sorry’ and they went on their way. Watching as they went, you didn’t even realize that someone else was walking up to you. Still kneeling, you looked up and saw that it was your neighbor, looking down at you with a tiny, pleasant smile on his face. You blushed, realizing the awkward position and stood up, ignoring the heat coming to your cheeks and offering a smile to him as well. Being this close to him, you could see that he was tall as well, standing a good couple inches over you. Usually this would’ve made you feel intimidated, but for some reason it made you want to draw closer to him. You mentally scolded yourself for thinking this way, knowing that he was your new neighbor, and not to mention he had two very cute twins and a wife who was probably beautiful.

“Sorry about that, I hope they didn’t scare you that bad,” He said, taking a glance at his kids who were already starting another round of whatever game they were playing with the others. His voice was low, but there was a sense of calm to it. It wasn’t rough or gravelly, almost like honey as he spoke to you. “I haven’t seen you here before, do you live here? I think I’ve seen your mom and dad around but we were waiting until the cookout to introduce ourselves.” Kind of a stupid question to ask since you were standing on your porch with your keys in your hand, though you gave him the benefit of the doubt.

“Yeah, um,” You thought back to the day you saw your neighbors two cars parked in the driveway, was that a Sunday? No, it was a Monday. “I’m usually around here more but last week I had to pick up a couple shifts at work to help my friend.” Your coworker and friend came down with the flu and had to find someone to cover her ships ASAP, and you weren’t doing anything important and stepped in to help.

He nodded. “Makes sense. I’m Anakin Skywalker, you already met my kids but they’re Luke and Leia.” Skywalker. A strange last name that confused you for a moment, realizing that you’ve never heard of anything like that before. Then again, you hadn’t heard of the name Anakin either, but somehow the unique name fit him.

“Y/N,” You responded, giving him a nod.

“Y/N,” He said, like he was testing the name out on his tongue. You tried to ignore the feeling you got when you heard it come out of his lips, which were very nice by the way when you took a second to glance at them. It sounded good in Anakin’s voice, and you found yourself wanting him to say it over and over again if he would. There was a moment of awkward silence between the both of you, a random amount of tension that you didn’t know if you were imagining or not. Then Anakin opened his mouth again to say, “My kids were looking at the pool in your yard the other day when they were exploring our backyard.”

“Oh, yeah,” You said. “They’re welcome to come over any time and use it if they want.”

“Are you sure?”

It was normal for the people in the neighborhood to use it if they wanted to. It was a big underground pool that had been built when you were a little kid. “Yeah, everyone does. Just make sure to ask someone before and they’ll most likely say yes. We like to get the most out of it every summer.” You realized that you were supposed to be back with your mother, she was most likely getting antsy as to what was taking so long. So you took the opportunity to leave, even though you wouldn’t mind staying and talking to your new neighbor for as long as he wanted to. He wasn’t just attractive, you thought that he was nice too.

“Well, I need to get something from the house and get back to my mom. See you later, Mr. Skywalker.”

“Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“Just Anakin is fine.”

You felt your cheeks heat up. “Right, see you later, Anakin.” He gave you one last smile and right as you turned around, you could’ve sworn you saw a wink. You turned on your heel, ignoring the eyes he clearly had on you and making your way into your house. The moment the door was closed, you leaned against the wood and closed your eyes, replaying that last moment over and over again in your head. Had he really winked at you? Or was that just your mind spinning some kind of fantasy?

Oh, Christ.

It was hard to ignore the butterflies swarming in your stomach.

[anightflower]

Come and Find Me

Chapter One: I’m Stuck 

I won’t lie when writing the cute parts of the story I listened to “I’m Stuck” by Noah Cyrus.  

Spencer Reid x Reader

Warnings: None 

Read Prologue here   Masterlist

You stumbled into your favorite coffee shop. You were a mess this morning and it’s all because your alarm decided to fuck you over and not wake you up on time. Luckily your body didn’t completely betray you, naturally waking up an hour later than you had planned, but still giving you a half hour to get to your meeting. 

You had screamed when you saw the time, this meeting could be your next big break, and getting there late was not how you wanted to start a new design deal. At a mere 23 years old you were still making your way up into the world. After graduating college a semester early you had worked your ass off and started your own independent interior design business. You focused on designing office spaces for big businesses using workplace psychology to create an environment that brought up productivity and reduced the stress of workers. 

Your business was slowly gaining traction, but the company you were meeting today could really put your name out there. 

You had planned to wake up early, put yourself together and center yourself over a cup of coffee, however, life can never be that simple. So here you were, quick light makeup and your hair in a simple bun rather than the elaborate “I am a professional” look you planned. The one thing you did have going for you was your outfit, a white blouse that complimented your figure and tan capri pants, with a strappy heeled sandal. You had made sure it was spotless and ironed before your big day today, so at least you had that going for you. 

“Oh darling, you look a bit out of it, are you alright?” Your favorite barista and dear friend Ava, asked, her green eyes filled with concern. 

“Av, you would not believe the hell of the morning I’ve had.” You groaned. “I woke up late today and I have that huge meeting I told you about and all of the things I had planned to keep me grounded and ready flew out the window.”

Ava let out a tsk sound and patted your hand. “Oh babe, in that case, coffee’s on me. Take a deep breath. You’ve been planning for this meeting for weeks and with that amount of work and dedication, you’re definitely going to knock’em dead.” 

“Ave, you are the light of my life.” You said, already feeling lighter than you did when you first entered. 

“Oh babe, I know.” She winked, brushing a stray purple bang out of her eye. “I want an update on everything afterwards, you’ve got my number! James will have your coffee ready for you at the other end. Good luck!” 

“Thank you! I promise I will!” You grinned and made your way to the other end of the counter, where your coffee was waiting. 

Knowing your order by heart, James had already started your latte the moment you walked in, you thanked whatever God listening that it was ready so fast. James gave you a shy smile and handed you the coffee. “Here you go.”

“Thanks James.” You gave him a kind smile and turned to leave. Glancing down at your watch, you realized you had ten minutes to get to your meeting, but luckily it was just up the block so you would get there right on time. 

But like you said nothing is ever easy. You weren’t exactly paying attention as you walked out of the store, you were double checking your bag to make sure you had everything, so naturally you slammed into someone, causing coffee to get all over your blouse.

You let out a yelp, while a large hand came out to steady you. “I am so sorry! Are you alright?” A male voice asked. 

“Well, aside from the fact that I have a meeting that could change my life in 5 minutes and now I look like a disheveled mess with coffee on her blouse, I’m fine.” You grumbled finally looking at the face of your accidental attacker. Your heart stopped for a moment. 

He was stunning. Shoulder length curly brown hair, caramel eyes, and a TALL, fit body.

He was clearly flustered as your eyes met. His face had a gentle dusting of pink across it and his eyes could barely meet yours. “I really am sorry, I wasn’t paying attention- uh- here!” He began to shrug off his cardigan. “This should be able to cover up most of the stains.” He thrust the sweater towards you. 

Now it was your turn to be flustered. “Oh no, really, I can figure something out-” 

“You said this meeting is supposed to change your life right?” He interrupted before you could stutter out anymore excuses. You nodded. “While I don’t want to be the person that ruins your life. Just wear it to your meeting and uh, how about we meet back here tomorrow morning and you can just give it back to me then?” He blushed a deeper crimson, as a big smile grew across your face. 

“I would love that, thank you so much.” You put on his cardigan and buttoned it up. He was right, almost all of the stains were covered. “How do I look? Professional?” You asked him.

“Beautiful- I mean yes, professional, you look great!” He smiled, pushing a shoulder length curl behind his ear.

You blushed, but quickly forced yourself to regain your composure. “So I’ll meet you here at 7 tomorrow-” You paused looking at him for his name. 

“Dr. Reid, well, Spencer, call me Spencer.” 

“Spencer.” You smiled. “I will see you tomorrow then.” 

That was the first time you met Spencer Reid.

________________________________________________________________

The next morning, Spencer arrived 30 minutes early to the coffee shop to get a table, he felt fidgety and nervous. He hadn’t even caught your name yesterday before you left and he felt like an idiot. Of course he bumps into the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, spilt coffee all over her, AND forgot to ask her her name. Part of him was worried you wouldn’t even show up, it’s not exactly the best first meeting. 

30 minutes later when you walked in, he thanked a God he didn’t even believe in. You looked less bewildered than you did yesterday, but no less beautiful. 

You had chosen to go for a business casual look, your hair curled and flowing past your shoulders, a deep red blouse, black denim jeans, and black heeled boots. You had Spencer’s cardigan draped over your arm, you had made sure to wash it before giving back to him. 

You searched around the patrons until your eyes met Spencer’s, your whole face lit up as you made your way over to him. 

You had no idea that somebody else was watching you as you made your way over to him. You were too distracted by Spencer to feel the angry gaze that burned into your back.

“Hi.” You said shyly as you sat down. 

“Hey.” Spencer said smiling at you. 

“Were you waiting long?” You asked, a concerned look crossing your face.

“Oh no, not at all, I just came a few minutes early to get us a good seat.” Spencer lied, not wanting you to know how early he actually came. 

“Well you choose right, this is the best seat in the house. It’s right by the counter where you pick up coffee, but it’s the perfect window seat to people watch.” You explained. 

“Yeah, did you know coffee is actually a fruit?” Spencer asked you. “They’re actually the pit of a berry and grow on a bush. 

You let out a giggle, “No, I had no idea that was even a thing. At least I can use that as an excuse when I get chastised for drinking too much. Where did you learn that?” 

Spencer blushed. “I tend to pick up random knowledge here and there. Which reminds me, I never got your name yesterday before you ran off.” 

“Well Dr. Spencer Reid, my name is (Y/N) (Y/L/N).” You grinned offering him a hand. “No fancy title, but I am doing my best for simply being a Miss.” 

Spencer would usually avoid handshakes due to all the germs, however he wanted nothing more than to shake your hand, which was warm and soft. 

“(Y/N).” He tested your name out on his tongue. You smiled. 

“Have you gotten a coffee yet?” You asked him, getting up to head to order.

“I had one a bit earlier, but I could use another one.” Spencer answered, getting up to follow you. 

As you approached the counter you tried to ignore the smug look Ava gave you, praying she wouldn’t say anything. She gave Spencer a not so subtle up and down look, checking him out and obviously finding him attractive. You gave Ava a stern look that told her not to say a word. 

She just gave you a wink. Spencer had picked up on all of this, his profiler skills not missing a thing. A small smile crept across his face and he swallowed back a laugh. 

You gestured for Spencer to go first, “I’m buying, to thank you for letting me borrow your sweater yesterday.” 

Spencer looked at you in bewilderment. “No way! If anything I’m buying for destroying your coffee and spilling it all over your blouse before your ‘life changing’ meeting!”

You rolled your eyes at him. “Spencer, just order the damn coffee. I promise you it won’t break my bank. Especially after I got the design yesterday.” You grinned. 

 Ava let out a squeal. “You did not! Oh my god, I knew you could do it girl! All of your hard work paid off!” 

Spencer’s face lit up. “Congratulations! I’m glad our collision didn’t ruin anything.” 

You let out a laugh. “If anything I think your cardigan brought me good luck, I even got a couple compliments on it. I may just have to keep it.” You teased 

Spencer’s heart warmed at the idea of you wearing his clothes. “Well if it brought you that much luck, maybe I’ll just let you keep it.”

A voice behind the two of you cleared their throat. “Are you guys going to order? Some of us have places to be.” 

You glanced behind you at the woman, a small line had apparently grown behind you and Spencer.  “Sorry about that. Ava I’ll just do my usual. Do not let Spencer pay.” 

Ava raised her hands defensively. “I’m just here to make coffee love.” 

“I’ll just do a large coffee with extra cream and a lot of sugar.”  Spencer said. 

You went to grab your wallet from your purse, but Spencer cut you off, cash already in hand. 

“Spencer.” You whined and Spencer just shrugged. 

As you made your way to the counter, you found it a bit strange that James had just left your coffees there. Usually he would at least wait a moment to say hi before taking off to make more orders, but you shrugged it off, they did have a line right now so he probably had to focus on getting the coffees out to customers. 

Though the two of you only got to spend about an hour together, the two of you had immediately hit it off, completely unaware of the eyes that had been burning through you as they watched throughout what you and Spencer would later consider your first date. 

_______________________________________________________________

From there it was a whirlwind of dates snuck between cases and your design jobs. After a little over a month Spencer had asked to officially call you his girlfriend and you had obviously accepted.  

It was ridiculously cliche how quickly the both of you had fallen for each other, but you had just seemed to click right away. You loved Spencer’s logical mind that went on and on with random facts, he loved your creativity and energy. Your minds worked well together, helping each other out when the other got stuck. 

As your relationship progressed, you found yourself spending more and more time at each other's apartments.

“Ava, he's just a dream. I’ve never felt like this with anyone ever.” You explained joyfully. 

You had sat in your regular window seat, while Ava remained on the  other side of the service counter. It was a bit slow in the shop today, so she had come over to get all the details on “your smokeshow boyfriend.” Since she was the manager of the shop and beloved by her boss, she could get away with it.

“Oh hon, if he has a brother, let me know.” She purred, sneaking a glance over her shoulder to check on James who was holding down the fort for her. The boy stood by the register, poor thing looking a bit bored. 

James was a year younger than you and apparently starting grad school, but his shyness made him seem so much younger that you felt this slight protectiveness over him even if you only knew him from around the shop and stories from Ava. 

His eyes met yours and you gave him a sympathetic smile. He blushed deeply and turned away, scampering to busy himself. 

You looked back at Ava, giving a little nod towards James, “What about James? He seems sweet and he’s cute.” You waggled your eyebrows at her. 

Ava snickered. “(Y/N/N), he is sweet, but way too shy, he can barely look me in the eye. I need someone who’s more of a dom if you know what I mean.” She smirked. 

You pouted at her. “Poor James.” 

Ava shrugged, “He’ll find his someone. Anyway you’re switching the topic, back to your dreamboat. You said he was an FBI agent? That’s heroic and sexy.” 

You rolled your eyes at her. “Yes, he’s part of the Behavior Analysis Unit. They create profiles to help solve different criminal cases. It’s actually amazing. Spencer is giving a lecture about it at a college this Friday if you want to come with me.” 

“I’ll come, but only if I get to officially meet your sexy doctor superhero boyfriend.” Ava smirked. 

“Well obviously.” You smiled. 

________________________________________________________________

The boy’s breathing was heavy as he struggled to control his anger. He watched the Doctor’s tall form strutting across the stage, his long brown hair swinging back and forth as he broke down profiling and the criminal cases he and his BAU team had solved. 

From where he sat in the lecture hall he could watch the doctor while also keeping an eye on you. You were sitting near the front, your friend by your side.  It was hard to miss her with her deep purple hair, that’s how he always found you. Though to him, you outshined everyone in the room. Even the ridiculous doctor. 

He growled to himself as he observed your look of awe. He knew you two had made your relationship official. He knew almost every detail. Like how last weekend, the Doctor had come home early from a case and had surprised you with your favorite flowers: pink dahlias. You had spent the whole rest of the weekend together; you had brought him to your favorite Thai place, then went to both of your favorite bookstores. He knew everything. 

He knew where you lived, your schedule, the design projects you were working on. He watched and he listened. He followed you home some days. Other days, he would simply wait outside your apartment building. He knew what window to watch if he wanted to catch a glimpse of you. 

The worst days are when the Doctor would be with you. He would watch as you two joked around and kissed, it made him sick. 

He didn’t like the Doctor. He hated hearing him ramble on to you. Fact after fact, never shutting up. But he understood him as he had researched him, found his accomplishments; he was a prodigal, graduating high school at the age of 12 and earned three PhDs. He worked for the FBI, catching criminals and profiling them. The Doctor constantly had something to prove, how could you be with a man so weak?

The Doctor was someone who could hardly befriend anyone besides his books, so how had the Doctor gotten you, when he had always been there? The Doctor did not deserve you, the Doctor could not give you what he could. Yet here you were, giving this man a ridiculous moon-eyed look that he did not deserve. 

He couldn’t take it anymore. He got up and left. 

He made his way down the hall towards an all-too familiar office, one that he practically lived in. 

He was greeted by his usual cheery eyed professor, Professor Irving. 

Never one to miss anything, Professor Irving raised an eyebrow. “You’re back early, how was the lecture?” Professor Irving asked. “Isn’t that Dr. Reid something else?”

“He’s alright. Someone worth looking into for sure. I left early to get ahead of these reports you wanted me to help grade, I do have a life outside of classes.” 

Professor Irving smirked at him. “Son, I have known you too long, the only three places you go are classes, your job, and your apartment. I was hoping this lecture would show you how much the world has to offer, I mean look at Dr. Reid! He was one of the youngest to ever join the BAU-”

“ENOUGH about Dr. Reid!” He growled, interrupting his professor. 

Professor Irving just stared at his student, shell-shocked. 

The boy shook his head and rubbed his face. “I’m sorry professor, that was uncalled for, I have just been stressed lately.” The boy began picking up the papers he had to grade. He wanted to get through some of these as quick as possible, that way he could spend his weekend with you. 

Professor Irving solemnly nodded. “I understand. I know you’ve been stressed lately, is that girl of yours acting up still?”

The boy sighed as he shrugged on his bag full of student’s reports. “Something like that. Listen, I know you said Dr. Reid is going to continue to come back and give lectures every few weeks or so. I will go to those ones and actually stay for them. Who knows? Maybe it will help me with my thesis paper. I just- I just can’t focus tonight, but I will do better. I promise.” 

Professor Irving nodded. “Of course, let me know if there is anything I can do to help.” 

The boy nodded then left the room.

________________________________________________________________

TAGLIST:

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[yoongsisbae]

Get to know me!

Thank you for the tag @smasmashin you’re cute, after reading your answers I think I love you more now 💕

when is your birthday? I'm a libra and think fall is the best season, to give you an idea of when I was birthed.

what is your favorite color? blackpink (black and pink really is tho)

what’s your lucky number? I think anything 6 figures and above would be pretty lucky

do you have any pets? I have kitties. I am a cat mom.

how tall are you? 5'6" or 171 cm

how many pairs of shoes do you own? I went through a period where I needed all the wacky alt shoes influencers wore, so I have about 30 pairs of overpriced heels and boots I cannot part with, and now I love slides because ✨ comfort ✨ so around 10 pairs of sandals and sneakers.

favorite song? How dare you make me choose just one. I guess at the moment Patrick Watson - Je Te Laisserai Des Mots. Of all time? Probably Love in the Ice by TVXQ, but it has to be the live version.

favorite movie? I love Inception too! I've watched it way too many times. And Cruel Intentions. And Requiem for a Dream. Sexy mindfucks are my thing.

what would be your ideal partner? Someone who can make me laugh all the time, someone who is smarter than me, who can beat me in an argument (a panty dropper), likes to explore, artistic or who appreciates art so I can drag them to museums, dominant, why do I feel like I am describing Kim Namjoon.....BTS really be the standard huh.

do you want children? nah

have you gotten in trouble with the law? don't ever have car sex, police will somehow find your car every. single. time. 😭😭😭😭

what color socks are you wearing? I'm not wearing any socks, but if I was they would be black.

bath or shower? bubble bath 🛁

favorite type of music? I like anything between rock and classical 😌 as long as it's not country 🤮

how many pillows do you sleep with? 6 not an exaggeration

which position do you sleep in? on my side clinging to aforementioned 6 pillows

what don’t you like when you’re sleeping? I don't like pants. I need my legs bare.

what do you have for breakfast? coffee with a side of coffee

have you ever tried archery? back in grade school. I'm aight. I'm no katniss, we might starve to death if I have to actually shoot something.

favorite fruit? banana, cucumber, eggplant....actually it's mango.

favorite swear word? Fuck (n.) ex: you stupid dumb fuck; you fuck; you fucking fuck.

do you have any scars? I have cuts on my legs because I'm clumsy and trip and bump into everything.

are you a good liar? Hmm maybe 😏

what’s your personality type? INFP - the mediator

what’s your favorite type of girl? me thinking, there are different types? I thought we were all just type awesome.

left or right handed? left handed

favorite food? dumplings

are you clean or messy? messy, but I clean a lot, why is it always so messy 😭😭

favorite foreign food? thai too! or korean

how long does it take for you to get ready? an hour unless it's for work then 5 minutes

most used phrase? "you're annoying/I’m annoyed” also “I love you” 😅😅

are you a good singer? nah I wish, I’ll leave the singing to BTS.

do you sing to yourself? yes, mostly in the car with the music blaring to drown out my off key notes

biggest fear? dying alone (dark turn there)

do you like long or short hair? long hair, but I am always tempted to chop it off.

are you into gossips? is it about me? no? then no.

extrovert or introvert? introvert

favorite school subject? in grade school, writing (shocker). In university, philosophy, mainly because philosophy professors come from a different planet I swear.

what makes you nervous? phone calls, why can't I just text my doctor? 🥲

who was your first real crush? the most popular boy in 6th grade who I thought was the cutest boy I've ever seen even if he did have a big ass head, and if I can flex for my shy introverted kid self for a moment, he did not like me at all until I talked to him alone and turned on my charm and he had to be dragged away by the popular girls because I was making him laugh too much and they were definitely jealous he was paying attention to the shy quiet girl. In the end I was rejected, but that boy had a brief crisis for enjoying my company so much so I wasn’t even upset about it 🥲

how many piercings do you have? how fast can you run? I mean I did a 5k like 4 years ago, and I had a yellow number so I wasn't complete shit. I have 4 piercings.

what makes you angry? The news. God I miss Colbert and Jon Stewart, they made the news at least bearable, laughing through the pain was the only way.

do you like your own name? I mean, I didn't get to choose it.

what are your weaknesses? so you can use them against me? No thank you. One of my weaknesses might be extreme paranoia.

what are your strengths? I am quick to fix problems under pressure, while people are freaking out, I already figured out a solution, the hardest part is to get them to stop freaking out 😅😅.

what is the color of your bedspread? White

color of your room? Off white

I tag: @inkofyoongi @birchandspruce @aliceoracleollormusic @kiwilogical @joonie-tunes @bangtan-army @aviwasabi21 @gukieater 💜💜💜

[keanureevesisbae]

So Henry, you want to start a YouTube channel? - Chapter 3

Summary: Twenty five year old YouTuber Sandy Choi has no idea that one of her five million subscribers is the one and only Henry Cavill. When he asks her to help him out with starting his own YouTube channel, she falls more and more in love with her. But she should’ve known that dating one of the most desirable bachelors, does come with a prize.

Henry Cavill x Sandy Choi (ofc)

Warnings: None

Wordcount: 4k

A/N: If you want to be on the taglist, please let me know. Also, I really like reading that you like the story. Such a great way to make my day xx

Masterlist // Channel introduction // Previous chapter // Next chapter 

So, this is where Henry Cavill lives. It’s a cute home, but never figured he’d be the one that would live here. I take a few deep breaths, but it doesn’t calm down my nerves. I look down at my white dress and wonder if it’s too much.

I think it’s too much.

I don’t know what I could wear to meet him. I was thinking about a short and a top, but felt that was a little bit too revealing, but come to think of it, this dress is pretty short.

I still don’t know, it looks almost wedding dressy. I shouldn’t have worn this. I stare at my Dr. Martens sandals, thanking the fashion angels that I didn’t wear the cute white heels that I initially had in mind. The only thing I would be missing, was a bouquet.

I grab my phone from my purse, to check what time it is. I was supposed to be at his place at eleven and 10:59.

I walk up to the door and press the doorbell. I hear a loud bark, causing me to jump. From behind the door, there are some stumbling noises and I can even hear his long and deep voice. The door opens with a crack and Henry greets me with a bright smile. ‘Hi Sandy.’

Holy shit, is this even legal? Why on earth is he wearing a tank top? Why would he do that to me? What is the point of doing such thing? Is he actively trying to kill me, because if so, it’s working. I can barely function anymore, since his arms are really distracting. I mean, I noticed it yesterday, I noticed it on the best video online, the PC building one, but now…

Holy shit, I can’t even seem to find the right way to greet him.

‘Are you okay, Sandy?’ he asks, when I haven’t said anything at all.

‘Yes, yes, I’m fine,’ I say, way too quickly. I clear my throat, not knowing what to say to him.

‘Please,’ he says, ‘come in.’ Henry takes a step to the side and I walk past him. He has a nicely decorated house, something that I hadn’t expected. It’s really neat too, didn’t expect that from him. ‘You want something to drink?’

‘Water would be nice.’ Kal has noticed me too, because he slowly struts towards me, his butt wiggling from side to side, while he wags his tail. ‘Hi, you big ball of floof. You are nice and clean again.’

‘It was pretty hard washing him in the tiny bath tub,’ Henry recounts and hands me a glass of cold water, with some ice cubes in it.

I clear my throat. ‘Right,’ I say. Standing in front of him shouldn’t make me feel this awkward, especially not after yesterday. I slowly managed to loosen up, but from the looks of it, we are back from square one. I feel my hands shake a bit from the nerves and my shoulders feel painfully tense.

It doesn’t help that Henry is this tall, this bulky, the complete opposite of me. I can’t seem to make eye contact with him and I curse myself for that. Why do I even feel tears out of pure frustration burning in my eyes?

‘You play video games, Sandy?’ Henry asks me. His voice is sweet and thick at the same time.

I scratch Kal behind his ear. ‘Just some Animal Crossing.’

‘Is it worth the hype?’

‘Mhm.’

‘Why do you play it?’

Though it almost feels like a third degree, I’m happy that he is asking me questions about simple things like Animal Crossing and not those deep questions about the existence of life. ‘It’s relaxing,’ I confess. ‘I need that from time to time.’ I look up again, when I know for a fact that my eyes aren’t glossy anymore.

‘So, you don’t play other games?’

I shake my head, not ready to confess that I sometimes grab my old Nintendo DS to play Style Boutique on it. I mean, I like Henry a lot, but sharing this, is one��or five—bridges too far.

‘I think you played this one,’ he says with a confident smile, while he walks to the television.

Is he wearing some perfume? I inhale again, only to be met with a mix of salty and sweet, the perfect combination for a male perfume. He didn’t wear that yesterday and I know that, because I was pretty damn close to him and you bet your ass I took a sniff.

Henry holds up two Mario Kart wheels and I see the remotes are already attached to it. ‘Look at that precious smile,’ he says and only then I realize that I’m indeed smiling. Did he just call my smile precious? ‘You want to play?’

‘Mhm.’ I walk up to the couch and place my glass on a coaster. He hands me a wheel with a remote and plops on the couch, as he starts up the Wii. There is only one more spot left for me to sit and that is right next to him.

As if Kal senses I’m hesitating, he pushes his nose against my leg and I sit down next to Henry. I feel his warmth radiating against my skin, causing me to nearly hyperventilate. His bulky arm accidentally touches me and I clear my throat, not knowing what I should do with myself. Sitting next to him on this couch, is less intimidating than standing in front of him, but it’s still pretty scary.

And I know that I shouldn’t be scared of him, but I can’t help but feel nervous. ‘Are you any good?’ I ask quietly.

‘I always kick Jackson’s ass.’ He looks to the side and our eyes meet. ‘But he is so so. Usually ends at sixth place.’

We pick out our characters (he is Donkey Kong, while I opt for baby Daisy) and once we have chosen our vehicles, Henry leaves it up to me to choose an entire cup for us to race. ‘Special Cup.’

‘You know Rainbow Road is on that cup?’ he mentions.

‘I’m aware, yes.’ I get ready for the first course: Dry Dry Ruins. ‘Good luck,’ I say to him.

‘You think I need it?’ His eyebrow is cocked and he has a smug grin on his face. Besides him getting more and more confident, he is also getting more handsome every passing minute. ‘I’m really good, Sandy.’

‘I figured. Just, don’t hold back for me, okay?’

‘Sure?’ he asks. ‘Because… I don’t want you to feel bad or anything afterwards.’ That’s adorable, oh my God.

‘I’m not a sore loser, so just race like you would usually do.’

The first race is about to start and we both watch the countdown. I push in the right button at the exact moment I know it’s going to give me a better start. Baby Daisy shoots from the 11th place to the sixth, while Henry stutters Donkey Kong to tenth place (from twelfth, if I may add so). While I soar over the roads, pushing myself to a first place, I manage to stay there for the rest of the race, making the gap between me and second place (and everyone else) bigger and bigger as the race continues. I race over the finish line, making a wheelie as I do so and I watch Henry trying to get himself from seventh to sixth place. He is muttering to himself, growing more and more annoyed.

He finally crosses the finish line. ‘I do need luck,’ he mutters. ‘Can’t believe you kicked my ass like that.’

Our second course is Moonview Highway and I snort every time Henry gets run over by a car or a truck and even drives himself off the road multiple times. He ends up in twelfth place and he is visibly frustrated now.

I shouldn’t be thinking like that, but he looks hot as hell when he’s angry like that. He could easily break the Mario kart wheel and the remote in half and knowing that he can do that, it’s something I’ll probably dream about tonight.

‘We can stop, you know,’ I say to him.

‘No, no, no,’ he says, ‘there is still a chance I can not make a total fool out of myself.’

The third course is Bowser’s Castle and this time, Henry is not a total disaster. He managed to earn himself a third place, while I’m still at number one. ‘I have come to realize and accept that I won’t be beating you, but I have to make sure I’m not losing from the computers.’

I can’t help but chuckle.

The final race is my favorite. I love Rainbow Road and know exactly how to maneuver over the roads. While I’ve crossed the finish line, Henry is still falling behind. I press the + button to pause the game. ‘Let me,’ I say and gently pull the steering wheel from his hands. I race Donkey Kong from eighth place to fourth (I’m good, but I’m not a magician. I can’t poof myself over the finish line) and when I cross the finish line, I hand him back the steering wheel. ‘Congratulations,’ I say, ‘you managed to become fifth.’

‘How on earth are you this good? This was unbelievable!’ Henry starts to laugh. ‘You were crossing the finish line twenty seconds before number two would finish, or worse, a whole minute.’

‘Back in college, we did this a lot. We even had a championship.’

‘Tell me you became first.’

I smile. ‘I did, was the best of entire UCLA, three times in a row.’

‘You never shared that on your vlogs.’

That’s cute. He really watches my videos intently, something that is insanely endearing. ‘I didn’t, no. Seemed a bit: oh look at me, you know?’

‘There is nothing wrong with flaunting,’ Henry says. ‘I mean, you do it with your dance videos right?’

I know that he has seen a lot of my videos, but thinking about him sitting on this couch, Kal pressed against his side and him watching those particular videos, makes me uncomfortable. ‘It’s barely flaunting.’

He tilts his head, I notice from the corners of my eyes. ‘You shouldn’t be this hard on yourself, Sandy,’ he says in a soft tone. ‘You are amazing, five million people and probably more watch your videos. There are a lot of people who are reading your books and…’ He doesnt finish his sentence, while he is looking for the right words to say.

‘You’ve read my books?’ I ask him.

Now he’s blushing a bit and he isn’t looking at me anymore. ‘I’ve read them,’ he admits.

I chuckle. ‘That’s sweet.’

‘But I’m not the only one who adores your videos and finish your books from cover to cover in one sitting. There are tons more and you being modest is absolutely admirable and it only makes you more likable, but there is nothing wrong with admitting that you are talented in many other ways. There is nothing wrong with saying that you are indeed amazing, because it’s true and it shows confidence.’

I bite my lip. ‘Well, fake it till you make it, isn’t that what they say?’

‘Eventually it’ll not be fake anymore.’

A deep sigh leaves my lips and I look at my hands, my thumbs fumbling together. ‘I’m sorry,’ I whisper.

‘Why are you apologizing, Sandy?’

‘That I’m like this again,’ I say. ‘I have a lot of trouble meeting new people and after yesterday…’ Why am I sharing this with him? He’ll probably think I’m the biggest whiny baby on the planet. ‘Never mind.’

‘No, no,’ Henry says, ‘tell me, please. I want to know.’

Kal sits in front of me and I place my hands on the sides of his face, scratching him. ‘I felt really good yesterday after we met, but now I feel like none of that is left. I feel like we’re starting over again. It’s just that I’m not sure what I can say to you now. And you do make it easier and I’m already less nervous and you being a total loser at Mario Kart obviously helps too… I think I don’t want you to think that I’m not having fun.’

‘Sandy,’ Henry says, ‘we’re not starting over. I’m happy that you told me this, though.’

I look up from Kal, to only notice he is already looking at me again.

‘You’re not mad?’

‘This is the last thing I should be mad about. I’m just grateful that you trust me enough to tell me this.’ He bumps his knee against mine and says: ‘I don’t think I can handle it again if I lose.’

‘Figured.’ I look around me, to find something to talk about. As if he is waiting for me to take the first step, he doesn’t say anything. ‘Do you have filming equipment?’

‘I have my phone.’

I scrunch up my nose. ‘But a camera is better. You can separate your files more easily, believe me, you’d want that.’

‘I’ll have to believe the expert on that one,’ Henry laughs.

‘Editing software?’

‘Well, I have a few computers around here, but I also have a MacBook, with iMovie on it. Heard that was pretty good. I bet you use something else.’

‘I used to use iMovie,’ I tell him, ‘but now I use Final Cut Pro. It’s around three hundred bucks, maybe a bit more.’

Henry nods. ‘So, I should buy a camera?’

‘Mhm and more.’

‘What?’

‘A hard disk, a tiny tripod, a big tripod. I was thinking you should buy like a microphone and better lightening, but that’s not really necessary. Yet.’

‘Right.’ Henry rubs his hands together and asks: ‘Want to go shopping with me?’

⟢⟡⟣

Henry spend around five hundred pounds on a camera. In a different store we bought a hard disk and indeed two tripods, though they were heavily overpriced, but Henry said that it was fine.

For the occasion, Henry put on a shirt, but this one still accentuates his arms. For a second my mind wanders to my lovely daydreams: thinking about how it would be if he’d wrap those arms around me, pulling me against his insanely strong body and kissing me on top of my head. But to not go into cardiac arrest right here and now, I decide I’ll just have to wait and dream about that when I go to sleep.

Henry is unpacking his camera and turns it on. ‘God, this is beautiful,’ he says, holding the camera up, to take a picture, while he is watching the screen. He packed everything in a blue backpack, that rests between his legs as we sit on a park bench in the shadow. He looks around him and his eyes fall on a field filled with flowers. ‘Let’s have a little photoshoot,’ he says when he turns around, to meet my eyes.

I frown. ‘What?’

‘I have to test out this camera and when I have you with me, you should be my model.’

I’m visibly confused. ‘You want to take pictures of me?’

‘Yes,’ he simply states. ‘Come on.’ He grabs his backpack and walks to the field. I follow him, but now I’m growing more nervous.

Henry Cavill wants to make pictures of me?

‘Go stand over there,’ he tells me and points to the sunflowers. I walk up to it, my legs nearly turning into jello as I stand next to the sunflower that is around my height.

He crouches down and I cock an eyebrow. ‘I’ve seen your editorials, Sandy, you’ll do amazing here. Besides, it’s just me.’

It’s never going to be just you, Henry, don’t you get that? I take a deep breath and start to pose for the pictures. He clicks his tongue, as he continues to snap pictures, telling me I’m looking beautiful, but finally the sun is frying my head. ‘Can we stop?’ I ask him. ‘I’m a sweaty mess.’

Henry starts to chuckle and looks at the screen. ‘Sure thing.’

I walk up to him, so I can look at the pictures as well and oh my God, these all look really good.

‘Wow,’ I mention. ‘Those are pretty decent.’

‘It helps when the model is easy to photograph.’

I clear my throat. What does one say to that? ‘Judging from these pictures, you’ll probably do great with filming,’ I say and together we walk back to the road again. ‘Oh look,’ I say, when Henry has put the camera in his backpack. ‘Cotton candy.’

‘Candy floss. You’re in the UK now, Sandy.’

I roll my eyes. ‘Fine, candy floss then.’

Henry tells me to wait, before he takes a few strides and he’s at the stand, buying one. I decide to watch from a far, especially when the man behind the stand wants a picture with him. I don’t want to intrude, so I wander a bit down the road, making sure that Henry can still see me.

Henry walks up to me, with a giant ball of cotton— candy floss on a stick. He plucks off some of the sweet stuff. ‘Open your mouth,’ he tells me.

If that isn’t something right out of my fantasies, then I don’t know anymore. ‘You’re going to feed me?’

‘Yeah, so your hands don’t get sticky.’ Henry has a lovely smile on his face and I wonder what is he going to be like as a boyfriend? As my boyfriend to be exact.

Would he be rough, dominant and strong, like the fanfics suggest (yes, I read those) or is he soft and cuddly? Now I do suspect a bit of both.

He could be pretty dominant. I mean, he told me to open my mouth and my first reflex was wanting to ask how far open he would’ve liked it. But on the other hand, he is also pretty soft, especially towards me. He wants me to be at ease with him, keeps giving me thoughtful compliments and he even said I was beautiful and that I’m easy to photograph.

I mean, who says that kind of stuff?

Boyfriends do right?

Rolling my eyes, I open my mouth and he feeds me some of the candy floss. He retract his hand, before my lips can reach his fingers. I shouldn’t be thinking like this. I can barely look at the man from time to time, let alone if I have these kind of impure thoughts.

‘Last time I had candy floss,’ he says, ‘was when I was sixteen. My friends laughed at me, because I wanted a pink one. I know they all taste the same, no matter what color, but pink is the color it’s supposed to be, right?’

I nod. ‘Agree,’ I say as the sugar dissolves on my tongue.

‘When was the last time you had it?’

‘I think I was eight. My dad took me out to the park, because we knew there was a stand where they sold cotton candy. We always walked passed it a few times, because my mom told us that it was really unhealthy and that your teeth would rot off if you ate it. But my mom wasn’t with us then, so we ate like three of those sticks together and we had to lie down on a park bench for about an hour, because we felt so sick.’

‘Does your mom know now?’

‘No, we’re too scared to tell her.’

Henry chuckles. ‘Are you close with your parents?’

I nod. ‘Yeah, I am. My mother reminds me every single day I should take my vitamins, to stay hydrated and not to frown, but that’s her way of showing me how much she cares. My dad texts me everyday, just telling me how his day is going.’

‘Don’t you miss them?’

‘Sometimes.’

‘Why did you even move to London?’ He plucks off some more cotton candy and brings it to my lips. Butterflies flutter inside of my stomach. I feel myself getting more relaxed around him again and him doing this, it feels so normal to us. ‘You never mentioned it in your vlogs.’

I smile, licking the sweet stuff off my lips. ‘I wanted to see the world and I earned enough  money to afford it. My parents were really supportive and they wanted me to explore the world. They just hoped I was going to New York or Canada. But they are excited for me. They always watch my videos and even wake up in the middle of the night if I post in the mornings. They have been there for me since the beginning and though I’m in another continent, I feel like they are always right there.’

‘Isn’t it scary?’ he asks. ‘Being in another continent, without your parents at like twenty five?’

‘Every single day.’

We walk down the street and he continues to feed me the cotton candy. It feels weirdly intimate, but not awkwardly intimate. I open my mouth again, but he holds it a little above my reach. ‘Henry,’ I mumble, ‘not funny.’

He chuckles, lowering his hand, but I could’ve known that he was just messing with me. When I stand on my toes, he holds it further above my head and eventually eats the pink stuff himself.

I want to grab some off the stick, but even that he holds above my head. ‘Henry, come on. Don’t be mean.’

He doesn’t think this is mean, because he continues to do it, laughing the entire time. He does it again and I jump up, hoping I can reach it, but it’s hopeless.

I jump up again, but this time I fold my fingers around his forearm, pulling his strong arm with me so I can finally get a bite.

But holding his thick arm like this, it’s giving me all sorts of thoughts. He feels so strong and it’s quite intimidating of course, but something about his warm skin, is also intensely soft.

‘I knew that was there,’ he says with an almost proud smile.

‘That was there what?’ I ask, letting go of his arm.

‘That bit of assertiveness.’

My cheeks flare up. ‘Hardly.’

‘Hence the bit part.’

I glance at him, but it doesn’t last long. He can’t seem to stop smiling and to be fair, I don’t  want him to. He looks breathtakingly handsome and like a perfectly sculpted human. He licks his fingers and I bet he knows exactly what that is doing to me. He throws the stick away and wants to wipe his fingers to his shirt or pants, but I stop him.

‘Wait,’ I say, before digging through my small purse, finding a tissue. ‘Here.’

‘Well prepared,’ he comments, as he takes the tissue out of my hand.

‘Always.’

He cleans his hands and throws the tissue into the bin. ‘Thanks for coming with me today.’

‘Sure,’ I say. ‘What do you want to film first?’

‘No idea yet. I want a bit of everything, you know.’

I nod. ‘Get it. When I started my channel, I was thinking about doing a fashion channel. When I thought about it, I realized I didn’t want that and wanted more lifestyle related videos.’

‘What stopped you from doing fashion videos?’

‘Not being fashionable enough.’

‘Nonsense,’ he tells me in a stern voice. ‘You look fashionable.’

I hold in a giggle that bubbles up. Dominant boyfriend Henry is definitely a concept.

‘What even made you start your channel?’

‘I wanted to romanticize my life,’ I answer. ‘I felt like I was wasting my life and realizing that ever moment is worth noting, it’ll give you tons of footage. Just keep that in mind when you film. Nothing is too boring for a vlog, as long as you edit it nicely.’

Henry nods. ‘That’s beautifully said, Sandy.’

Taglist: @flhorah​ // @henrythickcavill​ // @toomanystoriessolittletime​ // @tumblnewby // @newts-fan-case // @thelastsock​

[yikesharringrove]

trans gal stevie coming up! mayhaps? after robin comes out stevie keeps thinking about girls and shit and she realizes that oh shit im not just super into girls; i AM a girl? and she comes out to robin and she helps him with transitioning and theyre still best friends (stevie was nervous to come out bc she was scared robin would think she was trying to get with her? but nope still gay besties!) (and pro tip; dont make stevie's deadname "steve" pls & thx)

“Hey, uh, Robin? Can we talk about something?”

Stevie was whispering to Robin from the breakroom.

“Why are you whispering?”

“It’s um, just come back here.” Robin rolled her eyes, but traipsed past her into the Family Video breakroom.

“What is this about, Dingus?”

“Sorry, I just, I need your advice.” Maybe Robin could see the way she was biting at her lip until it was raw, maybe she could feel the weight in Stevie’s gut. But her face softened, and she sat down at the round table.

“How can I help you?”

“I um, you know when we were talking, and, and you told me about, liking girls, and I explained how I like both, and everything?”

“‘Course. Never gonna forget all that.”

“Well, when I asked you how you, how you knew you liked girls, and you just said that, that you always have, it wasn’t ever something you had to think about, well that’s, um, that’s how I feel about, about-” She took a deep breath.

“Take your time.” Robin had a knack for knowing when to be real, to be serious and kind. She reached out to take Stevie’s hand. “Just breathe. Whatever you want to talk about, don’t force yourself.”

“I’m a girl. It’s like, it’s like what you said. That you’ve just always known. Somewhere inside me, I’ve always known, and a while ago, like a few weeks maybe, I was thinking about that, and I thought, I’ve always known there was something more to me, and I, I started calling myself other names, and, and calling myself a girl, and Robin it was like, it was like coming home.”

Robin’s eyes were wide, her grip still tight on Stevie’s hand.

“And I want to clarify, this isn’t because you shot me down, I’m not trying, trying to like, get with you-”

“Don’t worry about that. I know that’s not what this is.” She was holding on with two hands now. “Thank you so much for telling me. That was really brave. And I believe you, and I see you.”

Stevie let the tension roll out of her shoulders, let herself breathe.

“So, where do we go from here? What do you want me to call you?”

“I um, I think of myself as Stevie.” Robin cracked a smile.

“So you liked the Fleetwood Mac record I gave you?” Stevie flushed.

“You could say that.” She laughed loudly, pulling Stevie in to give her a hug.

-

The two of them began putting away cuts of their Family Video checks each week, stuffing them into a shoebox Robin kept under her bed.

Saving up to get an apartment somewhere, somewhere else.

It was dangerous for Stevie to come out publicly here, dangerous for her to transition, live her life as she was.

So everyday she put up with parents that called her their son, and people around town that still thought of her as someone else.

And it took almost eight months, but they did it, they fucking did it.

They drove to California and didn’t bother looking back once.

-

“Okay.” Robin had Stevie by the wrist.

They had barely been in California for an hour and Robin insisted they go shopping.

She stopped in the dress section, rifling through racks. She pulled out a few selections, muttering to herself.

She held up a pretty light blue dress to Stevie.

“What do you think of this?” Stevie looked at it.

“Yeah that color would be pretty on you.” Robin rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Not for me, Dingus. For you.”

Stevie’s brain shorted out.

“Sorry, what?”

“The whole point of getting the Hell outta dodge was so that you could do this, wear this.” Stevie took the dress in her hand, ran her fingers over the soft linen.

“Get me to a fitting room.” Robin grinned at her.

“Atta girl.”

Stevie had her eyes closed.

She had put the dress on with her back to the mirror.

It’s not like she had never worn a dress before. She used to go through her mother’s closet when she wasn’t home and try things on, and Robin was very open with her own closet, but this is the first dress that would just be Stevie’s.

She opened her eyes.

The dress was simple, but it fit her nice.

It was soft, and wasn’t too short on her long legs.

And she felt fucking beautiful.

“Rob? You wanna see?”

“Of fucking course I wanna see.” Stevie smiled at herself in the mirror one last time before pushing open the curtain.

Robin was waiting for her outside the fitting room. Her eyes brightened.

“Oh Stevie, that’s perfect.” She fussed around with it a bit, adjusting the way it sat on her chest, muttering about need to get you the right underwear.

“I wanna wear it outta the store.” She didn’t really want to go back to her jeans and t-shirt, bought by a mother that still called her the wrong name.

“I mean, we’re getting you a whole new damn wardrobe today. So I don’t see why not.” Robin was leading her through the store, pulling out more outfits, tossing clothes at Stevie until she had a fairly heavy pile in her arms. “We can find you some shoes after this. Some little sandals and bright sneakers and cute heels, all of it.”

Stevie eyed the denim skirt Robin had just thrown down. It was tight.

“Whoa, Robin hold on a sec.” She turned to Stevie, her smile fading a bit. “Look, first of all, I’m already so damn tall, I don’t know if I should wear heels, and second of all, I’m not really comfortable with, with tight stuff until I get on hormones and stuff. Until my body changes more.”

“Well, if you’re uncomfortable with something, then that’s fine. But fuck it! Wear heels if you want to! Some girls are tall. Doesn’t mean they can’t be damn tall.”

“Look, it’s just, I’m worried that people will just, they’ll see this tall chick with no hips and broad fucking shoulders and just, just know.”

“Some girls have broad shoulders. Some girls don’t have hips. Doesn’t mean they’re not beautiful fucking women. And that’s my word as a lesbian.”

Stevie laughed, loud and bright. Robin just threw another jacket on the pile.

“Okay, start trying shit on. I’m gonna raid the lingerie department I read some girls use Spanx to tuck. They said they’re easy to get and hold everything in place really well.” Stevie choked on her laugh.

“Wait, you read?”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to come into our makeover montage blind. I found some magazines and newsletters written by transgender women for transgender women. There’s tips and stories, and all kinds of shit in there. You can look through ‘em if you want.”

Stevie was stopped dead in the aisle way.

“You-you did all that, for me?”

“’Course. You’re my best gal.”

Stevie dropped the pile of clothes right on the floor, grabbed Robin and pulled her close.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Hey, I just want you to be happy. Whatever that means.” Stevie released her, swiping quickly at her eyes.

She gathered up the clothes on the floor, following Robin to the lingerie section.

“So, what does it mean? To tuck?”

Robin pulled a rolled up magazine out of her bag, slapping it into Stevie’s chest.

“Read up, Darlin’. I don’t know how helpful I can be with that one.”

[alitaimagines]

“kyoya has been my hyperfixation lately so here you go! I have an hour lecture to listen too and I haven’t and by me writing this, I know I’m going to be rushing last minute to hear it.” 

character: kyoya ootori 

fandom: ouran high school host club 

song recommendation: in your eyes - the weeknd. 

being considered a commoner at Ouran was hard, being friends with rich people was even harder. having to live up to the standards that everyone who attended Ouran was something you learned the hard way. it was until you met Haruhi that you felt any shame of being a commoner drift away. 

“Haruhi!” you screamed for her. she turned around and gave you a smile realizing it was you, “are we still on for tonight? I know you have arrangements with your club so I didn’t know if we were still going to have the sleepover,” you asked. 

Haruhi nodded, “yeah, you can come over around six. I usually leave once Tamaki’s clinginess falters or Kyoya distracts him,” she mentioned. you nodded as you followed her to her class. 

“awesome. remember I’m bring the snacks!” you said waving her off. Haruhi couldn’t help but laugh at your loudness, “and I’m buying dinner!” she screamed back before entering her class. 

-

once the evening came and Haruhi was home, being the two of you were next door neighbors, you gave her a few minute to decompress before going next door. 

“hey, I already ordered our dinner, what did you bring for snacks?” Haruhi asked as you hauled the medium sized bag onto her coffee table, “anything under the son,” you joked as you dumped it onto the table .

Haruhi gave you a look before noticing how many things you actually brought, “Jesus Christ, you realize it’s only the two of us right?” she asked, “yeah? and? Ouran has been stressing me out so much that I feel like I’m going to go into cardiac arrest,” Haruhi laughed as the two of you reached for the snacks on the table. 

Friday sleepovers was a usual for the both of you. being that you didn’t have a lot of friends at Ouran and Haruhi tried to escape the host club at least for the weekend, the two of you found solace in each other. 

“I stole my brothers Wii so I can finally kick your ass at Mario Kart again,” you told Haruhi as she laughed, “yeah right. I beat you several times last time. give it up already!” 

you gave her the middle finger as you stood up, “I’m going to make our shakes. be useful and set it up,” you jokingly said as she threw the nearest pillow at you.

you made your way to the kitchen and started making the Friday night shakes as you liked to call them. Haruhi always preferred vanilla and you always went with strawberry. the two of you usually traded shakes halfway through so you wouldn’t get grossed out. 

just as you finished putting the syrup on your, you made your way to the living, dancing to the music Haruhi had playing as she set up the Wii. 

“hey, you ran out of milk so unless-,” you realized that Haruhi wasn’t paying attention you as she had a tall boy in her living room. 

“oh hey, this is ( your name ),” she told the boy as you gave him a nervous smile, “I know who she is,” he said as you gave him a bewildered look, “this is ( your name ). you’re a second year in the class next door next to mine. you also live next door to Haruhi and have these sleepovers every night.” 

you couldn’t help but look at Haruhi like he was crazy. she put her hand up in the air, “how would you know that?” Kyoya chuckled, “I know every thing about our members so I know every thing about their personal life as well.” 

Haruhi gave you a nervous smile as you stared down at the ground in panic and a bit freaked out, “don’t worry, I won’t intrude any longer. I just need you to sign these papers for the club and I’ll leave you guys alone,” Haruhi nodded as she looked down at the papers and quickly signed them. 

you on the other hand stayed quiet, not knowing what to say or do. you couldn’t fail to realize the looks Kyoya was giving you ever so often. you were a cute girl, he couldn’t deny that but he knew he probably made you uncomfortable when he told you all those fact. 

“would you like a shake? there’s probably enough left for one more,” you asked Kyoya. he stayed silent for a moment before silently shaking his head yes, “no problem! It shouldn’t take long,” you said before running back into the kitchen. 

“any preference of choice? vanilla, chocolate, banana, or strawberry?” you asked popping your head back out, “chocolate should be sufficient,” Kyoya said before you gave him a smile and going back into the kitchen. 

“but senpai, I thought you didn’t like sweats?” Haruhi asked. Kyoya chuckled again, “I don’t,” was all he said before going back to papers he brought for Haruhi. 

Haruhi wasn’t stupid. undeniably, she was one of the smartest in the Host Club so it didn’t take her too long to realize that he was, in someway, interested in you, “senpai, you know how we’re hosting the charity event tomorrow?” Kyoya nodded, “is it okay if she comes? she might not have the money to pay for the ticket but she could be my plus one since they’re allowed in for free?” 

Kyoya knew what Haruhi was doing but he decided to play along with it, “sure. make sure she’s dressed appropriately,” before he could say anything else, you walked back out from the kitchen, “here you go! I hope it isn’t too milky or too chocolatey!” you exclaimed as you put the to go lid on the cup, “I didn’t know what else to give you the shake in so I hope you don’t mind that it isn’t in my tumblr.” 

Kyoya waved off your concern as he stood up, “we’ll see you both tomorrow,” Kyoya said as you gave him a look, “tomorrow? why would I see the both of you tomorrow?” you asked Haruhi. 

she gave you a sheepish smile, “well you know that charity event that’s going on at Ouran tomorrow? I kinda said you were my plus one.” you growled as you slumped into her couch, “do you realize I have nothing to wear tomorrow? how fancy is the damn event anyway?” you asked or more like yelled. 

“don’t worry, anything business casual should be fine,” Kyoya mentioned before waving the two of you off. as soon as he left, you couldn’t help but chuck the pillow she threw at you back at her, “since when were you going to tell me this?” you asked as she avoided your eye. 

“I was going to tell you later tonight, why are you so nervous about it?” Haruhi asked, “I’m not nervous! I would just like to know about events you’re forcing me to attend a few days in advance!” you muttered. 

Haruhi shook her head realizing that it was the nervousness from seeing Kyoya that made you scream at her.

the rest of the night involved you asking questions about tomorrows event. every now and again, you would ask about Kyoya. was he single? did he seem interested in any of the girls in his class? did he want to marry a rich person? Haruhi wanted to ask you why were you invested in Kyoya’s personal life all of a sudden but didn’t bother too. 

-

you got up the next morning earlier than Haruhi. after leaving a few of the snacks on her table, you went back to your house to tell your mother the news. she couldn’t help but laugh knowing the host club usually put Haruhi into antics she didn’t want to be involved in and it was only time before you got involved. 

she let you borrow a dress that she had saved for you for an occasion like this. it was a cute white dress with a black blazer over it. it wasn’t exactly your type of style but you realized that you didn’t have another option. 

“hey Haruhi!” you screamed as you banged on her door. she slowly walked to the door and laughed at how you were dressed, “don’t tell me that’s how you plan on going?” you gave her a look before telling her that you were only partially dressed, “how long is the event? I need to know if I need to wear heels or not.” 

Haruhi ran to her book bag before taking a paper out, “it’s on a beach so I suggest heels or sandals if I were dressed like you,” she suggested as you screamed a thank you at her before returning to your own house. 

it didn’t much longer for you to get dressed and being that you were technically going with one of the members hosting the event, you had to be dressed and ready before anyone else. 

after grabbing your purse and filling it with a few left over snacks, you made your way back to Haruhi’s apartment. you didn’t know how rich people ate and you were afraid that you would in some capacity regret eating their food so you brought some in case. 

“ready to go? we’re taking the bus all the way the beach so we don’t want to miss it.” 

“or we could just tell my mom to drop us off. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.” 

-

after your mom dropped the both of you off at the extremely nice beach, the two of you walked up to where the host club was. you felt a bit intimidated introducing yourself to everyone but it wasn’t long before all the invitee’s started to arrive. 

thankfully they had pulled a separate table for the host club to sit at. once they brought the food out and handed everyone their plates, you realized how wrong you were. the food looked edible enough and you were kind of excited to eat such high standard food. 

“hey, the host club has to do a few things, do you mind sitting with Kyoya while we get them done?” Haruhi asked. you shrugged as you took your phone out form your pocket and figured you might as well entertain yourself with that while she was gone. 

for a while, the table with just you and Kyoya remained silent. it wasn’t until you set your phone done, not wanting to drain its battery when Kyoya finally spoke up. 

“how long have you known Haruhi?” he asked as he set his pen down. you thought for a moment, “well, we didn’t go to the same middle school but when I realized that she was one of the only commoners at Ouran, we just kind of became friends. so maybe just two or two and a half years?” you said. 

he nodded, “how did you get into Ouran? the same way Haruhi did?” you nodded, “my marks were high enough in middle school that they gave me a scholarship to attend it. the only thing they couldn’t pay for was uniform so I had to pay on that on my own.” 

“how come I’ve never seen you around the host club? you’re rather close with Haruhi,” Kyoya asked again. you couldn’t help but sigh, you felt like you were playing twenty questions, “uhm, no one has really invited me and I don’t want to pay for things I don’t have the money for so I rather save myself the trouble of getting myself into the situation that Haruhi did.” 

Kyoya laughed as he noticed how busy the event suddenly got, “guests don’t pay for anything,” he mentioned. you jokingly rolled your eyes, “I’ve heard stories from Haruhi. in the end, I’ll somehow be paying for something.” 

“would you like to take a walk on the beach? I can tell you’re as uncomfortable as I am here,” you silently thanked him as you grabbed a few of your things and followed him through the crowd. 

the two of you managed to sneak away from the party and made it to the more calmer part of the beach, “it’s a wonderful evening, isn’t it?” you asked as you couldn’t help but laugh at the funny feeling of having your feet on the sand. 

“it is. I don’t do this often,” Kyoya mentioned as you gave him a sympathetic look, “I know but you should. walking on the beach or just walking anywhere really relaxes me at times,” you admitted. 

Kyoya nodded, “I know you rich people don’t really like to indulge in such commoner habits but taking a walk on the beach really eases a persons head,” Kyoya laughed at your little side comment. 

“I get the feeling that you think that ‘rich’ people come from another planet or something,” Kyoya said as you shrugged, “basically. my life in comparisons to yours isn’t exactly the same. not to bash on rich folks or anything but you guys wouldn’t know the half of it,” you explained. 

Kyoya shook his head understandingly, “well how about a deal?” you gave him a confused look, “we go on these walks once a week and you can come visit me once a week at the host club,” he offered. 

you knew that this was Kyoya’s version of asking you out. although he was a rather blunt person, he would never openly admit his feelings for someone. 

“deal,”

you shook hands with him as a warm feeling crossed your face and a small blush crossed his. the two of you realized that if you didn’t head back to the party, everyone would start getting suspicious and you would rather keep your future relationship as private as possible. or at least until Kyoya’s best friend, Tamaki, found out. 

ALITA 

[catboymingi]

the evil queen’s revenge - veninder chap. 7

navi/masterlist

story masterlist

pairing: mingi x reader

genre: angst, fluff; eventual (soon!) best friends to lovers

word count: 7.2k

warnings: attempted assault, low self-esteem related to that

a/n: this chapter is sponsored by a random european bops youtube playlist and my spotify emo playlist and maybe you can tell, it’s a rollercoaster of emotions right here

louise har truet mig / lige siden jeg forlod dig - louise has been threatening me / right since i left you

the more time you spent with the boys (mainly mingi, still), the more you seemed to thrive. they noticed, and they were incredibly glad about it. the tall redhead had managed to catch up enough by the second tuesday of knowing you that he managed to convince your professor to let him join the class, taking some sort of unofficial entrance test and doing great. maybe it was partly because you were a teacher’s favourite, too, that the professor hadn’t seemed like he minded at all - any student you brought would be a good one, he was sure, and when the boy informed him that he’d spent the past week studying with you it seemed like the test was only a formality so people wouldn’t be able to say he was being unfair or picking favourites.

you still got lunch with them daily, stayed the night sometimes, sometimes mingi stayed at your place, and by the second pyjama party with them, a week after the first, you weren’t even hesitant about sharing the bed with your best friend, a fact mingi still rubbed into the boys’ faces, liking how warm and cuddly he was and how he’d sometimes tell you a bedtime story. the second pyjama party had been even more fun than the first, owed to the fact that there had been no unpleasant spooky surprises, and you’d convinced the boys to let you put on a random ‘european bops’ youtube playlist, which they ended up enjoying more than they’d admit. you’d even forced them to learn the macarena, the highlight of the entire night, in your opinion. they were fun, and though they did complain a little you knew it was all in good fun - they complained the same way that you’d complain about losing their games.

your old friends seemed to still be plotting - another two weeks after the first pyjama party the most that had happened was insults and trying to get you to trip over their legs, but compared to the laptop thing it was incredibly harmless. that you still had to solve somehow, but you tried to not think about it right now, tried to ignore the worry that was present near-constantly when you weren’t with the boys, instead focusing on how much better you felt now even with having to worry like that. and because you felt so safe and good around them you agreed when mingi told you that they wanted to go to a party that weekend; one of wooyoung’s friends was hosting and had invited them, and because you were a part of their friend group now they wanted you to join. there was a chance your old friends would be there, but in that moment you honestly forgot about that because you were excited to spend more time with your new ones.

the night of the party you did get a bad case of nerves though, texting mingi to come over because you didn’t know what to wear. boys had it so easy - they could just wear near whatever and it wasn’t a big deal. maybe not sandals and socks, but even that would probably be looked over in favour of a girl that hadn’t done her hair decently. you, however, were very aware of needing to look good, and the redhead had become your fashion advisor.

“which one’s better?”, you asked him, holding out two dresses that, in his humble opinion, would both look absolutely amazing on you. he chose to be a simp, however, telling you to wear the red one because he said it would contrast well with your black hair. secretly he just wanted to match with you, because he was wearing all black with bright red hair, and you’d be wearing a bright red dress with black hair. though he was convinced his excuse was good you’d noticed the matching part of his choice as well, and maybe you would have teased him about it, but after having spent several weeks with him you’d joined the ‘being completely whipped’ squad and were glad to have an excuse to match with him. plus, though you weren’t conceited, you knew you looked great in bright colours. it was a good choice.

that was confirmed when you came out from your bathroom and mingi’s jaw all but dropped to the floor. sure, you’d been dressed up when he first met you, but you’d also been soaking wet, so your hair and makeup weren’t exactly doing great, and you’d been covered in jackets and sweatshirts the boys had generously spared to keep you from catching pneumonia. now, however, your hair was put up in a way that left him wondering how on earth you’d managed to do that without ruining your curls, and your lips were painted black (a small residual style choice from your alternative days), contrasting amazingly with your red eyeshadow. the dress complimented your body, and you’d shown him the shoes you’d picked earlier already, black chunky combat boots because you didn’t want to have to walk home wearing heels and didn’t feel pressured to wear them anymore. he knew you were pretty, of course he knew, but now you looked breathtaking. he felt a little underdressed, in comparison.

“this looks fine?”

he just nodded, not exactly trusting himself to not let out a bunch of embarrassing compliments if he were to speak, and you smiled. his expression told you that it most definitely did look fine, so you weren’t too worried, instead opting to ruffle his hair a little because it, in your opinion, was too tame.

“better”, you informed him once the deed was done, “now you’re bad boy-passing.”

maybe the outwardly quite intimidating redhead would have told you that he was a bad boy, but considering how you’d chosen to call him teddy bear instead of his name he didn’t think that one would hold up, not with you, not when he frequently found himself cuddling into you and generally reinforcing his friends’ belief that he was a simp.

“let’s go?”

mingi nodded again, grabbing your hand (during another neglected spin the bottle game he’d found out you liked holding hands but were shy to be the one to grab someone else’s hand, and he gladly took the role of the grabber) and went to the door with you, stopping only to put your shoes on.

“we’ll meet the others at the party”, he then informed you, and now it was you who nodded. you left your apartment (and because you were excited and anxious about the party you’d forgotten to bring a jacket), walking towards the train station looking like a couple to anyone who looked because mingi very much was holding your hand again with the excuse that you’d be cold otherwise. it was the weird half-season between spring and summer, so you would actually have been a little cold and his excuse held up, but you wouldn’t have complained either way.

on the train you used your very first monthly pass, a gift from mingi who had insisted on getting it for you because it would be cheaper than paying for single trips all the time, and you knew he wouldn’t let you pay yourself because, as he explained, it was only because of him you even needed to take the train so often. in return you’d secretly snooped around and managed to figure out that mingi loved ramen, and bought him a massive supply that he couldn’t tell you to keep because it was meat flavoured. when you grinned at him as you informed him of your inability to eat it he looked like he was about to fight you, but instead he just told you he’d get back at you for this. you knew he would, but you weren’t too worried - he wasn’t one for extravagant gifts, he just seemed to like getting people small things that they could get a use out of.

now you were on the train with him, his head on your shoulder because you knew that if you put yours on his he’d either be stabbed or tickled by your curls, and he seemed to have realised that as well. his hands were playing with your fingers because it seemed like a small part of him had to be moving whenever, though it didn’t bother you. he was able to sit still, and it wasn’t anything you’d ever be distracted by if he kneaded his own hands while sitting next to you.

“you know when we need to get off, right?”, you asked him after a few minutes, and he hummed in affirmation.

“two more stops.”

“then maybe you shouldn’t be falling asleep.” his movements had slowed down, a sure sign that he was getting either incredibly comfortable or incredibly tired or both, and you didn’t want to have to drag a half-asleep mingi to the party. even less than that did you want to be at the party with a half-asleep mingi.

“i’m not falling asleep”, the redhead protested and sat up straight, as if to prove it.

“i know, i’m just teasing you”, and he smiled at you.

“i know. but i’m still not falling asleep. one hundred percent ready to party.”

sillyhead. but he managed to make you laugh with that, and his smile got bigger because he loved it when he was the reason you were laughing.

your best friend’s hand was still forcibly attached to yours when you got off the train, using it to drag you to wherever the party was with little consideration of your shorter legs until you pulled his arm, trying to get his attention to the fact that it was hard to keep up.

“sorry”, with his signature sheepish grin, and you couldn’t be annoyed when he was cute like that. though you’d still deny it if someone brought it up - mainly because you knew he didn’t feel the same and it’d only been three weeks since you’d met him - you were completely whipped, but how could you not be when he might just have the softest personality you’d ever gotten to meet?

the last few minutes of the way were spent walking at a more comfortable pace, and it was easy to tell which house the party was in, given the loud music and bright lights. it was a familiar environment, though you felt better about it with mingi there and the boys waiting than you would’ve with your old group of friends.

and as if on cue, you both got a message in hyung hate club, the group chat whose name no one had ever bothered to change.

[wooyoung]: are u there?? were inside already

though inside proved itself to be quite a wide area, as you noticed when you did go inside. it was hard to find anyone in the crowd of people, and because a certain someone had neglected to use the toilet at your place he told you he had some big girl business to do before he kept looking, instead searching for the toilet with you. he did find it, much to his delight, and told you to wait for a moment while he did what his body desperately begged him to do.

while he was on the toilet you were waiting for him near the bathroom door, your eyes wandering across the room as you did so. you were currently looking at a particularly flashy light, slightly distracted by the way it changed colours, so you didn’t notice that some guy had come up to you until you found yourself cornered against the wall.

“hey pretty”, he cooed, his voice disgusting and slick and you knew you didn’t like this situation.

“your friends told me you need a boyfriend, hm?” and as soon as he mentioned these friends that you knew most definitely were not your friends any longer you knew you were in deep trouble, breath starting to speed up as you started to fear whatever was about to happen now. you turned your head away from him, a desperate attempt to get him to back off, but he grabbed your chin and made you look back at him.

“not even gonna give me a kiss?” you tried to turn your head away again, but his grip was too strong, so instead you opted to cover your mouth with your hands, desperate to not let him kiss you, not have him take this first away from you. he tsked at this action, trying to pry your hands from your face, and he had almost succeeded when…

“get your fucking hands off.” he was harshly grabbed by the shoulder, and then a man who you now saw to be san hit him square in the face, causing him to stumble backwards and leave, cursing.

“where’s mingi?”, your friend asked, turning towards your distressed figure.

“toilet”, you told him, and then, near begging: “can we please go home?” he immediately nodded at the desperation in your voice, gently grabbing your hand and pulling you towards where the other boys were sitting, telling them that you were going home now and to tell mingi once he found them, and that he’d let them know what happened later. they didn’t question him, seeing clearly that you weren’t okay in the slightest, and he took you to their place.

that night was spent in san’s bed, in san’s arms, crying against his chest without explaining just why exactly you were so upset. it didn’t matter much to him either, he didn’t need the full context, knowing that some creep had tried to assault you was enough to make him fume even without the knowledge of you being so desperate to save all your firsts that you’d never gone on a date or had a partner or kissed anyone yet in your almost 21 years of life, because you didn’t want it to be with someone that didn’t mean it, and your past friends knew this about you and that was exactly why they’d sent this dude after you. he just let you cry, stroking your hair until you fell asleep, and then grabbing his phone and quickly explaining just what situation you’d been in when he found you.

when mingi heard what happened he couldn’t stand himself, couldn’t stand to face you, because he was convinced it was all his fault for having left you alone rather than dropping you off with his friends before going to the toilet. it wouldn’t have been a big deal, it hadn’t been that urgent, and it would’ve saved you so much pain, and he was convinced you felt the same way, that you’d chosen to spend the night in san’s arms because you never wanted to have to deal with him again.

and rather than talking about it with you he started ignoring you. you came over daily now, just wanting to be distracted (the girls had resumed making your life a living hell the best they could, barely giving you a break) and wanting to have someone there, but as soon as mingi heard the doorbell he’d take off to his room and not leave until he knew you’d gone to bed or back home. it hurt you to see him act like this because you didn’t have any explanation for his behaviour, and neither did the boys, because he refused to talk to them about anything related to you. so you spent your nights in san’s arms instead of your best friend’s, crying into his chest on the daily because you felt wrong and bad and you were convinced mingi hated you. you asked san more than once what you’d done wrong for mingi to ignore your texts, your calls, everything, not sitting with the group during lunch, plain refusing to acknowledge you existed, for mingi to not even open your messages anymore starting day 3 after the horrible party. and san wished he could tell you, but he didn’t know. he just hoped his friend would get over himself soon.

when eight days after the party you still hadn’t exchanged a single word with mingi you found yourself crying in san’s arms again, late at night, scared that you’d lost the comforting giant forever.

“i just don’t know why he hates me”, you sobbed. “am i that disgusting? is that it? that he can’t stand to look at me anymore now that that creep’s had his hands on me and tried that shit. that he knows how fucking dirty i am now, how worthless and wrong and filthy. that he finally realised that i’m not worth it and that i never was and that he just can’t stand to be near me because he’s scared i’m gonna taint him, too, i’m gonna make him dirty and bad and unwantable and i’m gonna- i’m gonna-” you couldn’t finish, violent sobs taking over, and san was fuming. up until now he hadn’t known just what kind of thoughts his supposed friend’s behaviour was putting in your head, and he was ready to deliver an ass-kicking now that he knew. but right now you needed him more, so the confrontation would have to wait.

you left early the next morning, and while it was obvious that you weren’t okay the boy that had been your anchor this past week didn’t try to stop you because he really had some business to sort with mingi. the boys quickly noticed that something was up, the expression on their friend’s face one that made them feel sorry for his victim. but when he informed them just how much of an ignorant ass the red-haired idiot had been they quickly were just as ready to commit something that would most definitely send them to jail.

“mingi!”, wooyoung screamed when the one in question still hadn’t left his room, even an hour after you’d left. when he got no reaction, san and jongho took off to his room, opening the door with more force than necessary, considering it wasn’t even locked, but they were pissed, and they wanted to let mingi know that he was in trouble.

“what?”, came an annoyed question from his bed, but they didn’t care to answer, instead dragging him to the living room with them.

“what the fuck is your issue?”, he snapped, entirely unaware of the fact that right now it was him who had an issue.

“the better question is what the fuck your issue is”, san hissed out. “the fuck are you thinking, ignoring y/n like that?”

“i’m not-”

“cut the bullshit. what the fuck’s wrong with you? you know what happened and you got nothing better to do than to act like you hate her guts.” these words were surprisingly harsh for yunho, but like all the others he’d felt protective over you ever since that night he’d seen you in mingi’s bed, wrapped up in him. and unlike his idiot of a friend, he knew that you were deeply in love with the dumbass, and that his current behaviour was breaking your heart.

“i don’t hate her”, he stated, calmer now that he knew they were worrying about you. he was worrying about you, too, so he couldn’t blame them for how they were acting.

“for that you sure do act like it.”

“don’t act like she cares. she seems more than happy to be sleeping in san’s bed instead”, mingi spat out bitterly and it took a lot of self restraint for san to not punch him square like he’d punched the guy at the party.

“she’s been sleeping there because you wouldn’t fucking talk to her, you complete moron. do you even know how often she’s cried herself to sleep because of that? because she didn’t know what she did? and i couldn’t even comfort her because i didn’t know either, because you refuse to stop acting like a pissbaby and tell us what’s up, at least. you know what she thinks the issue is?”

“i-” but he didn’t even let him finish.

“she thinks you’re disgusted with her. that you got some weird purity issue and now that that asshole tried to feel her up she’s no longer good enough for you and you can’t stand to look at her without puking your guts out. she feels so fucking dirty because of what happened and you won’t even try to comfort her because you got some weird thing going on when she needs you. you’re supposed to make her feel better but you just make her feel worse.” his hands were clenched into fists, his entire body tense, knowing that if he didn’t put all his focus into firing out words like bullets he’d be firing out punches.

“she… what?” the tall boy was completely taken aback, staring at his friend wide-eyed as he realised just what had been going on with you while he’d been isolating himself like a selfish asshole.

“she needs you, mingi”, seonghwa said, and while he was still fuming as well his voice was a lot calmer than san’s.

“but it’s my fault she’s even feeling like this!” finally his worries, his fears, his issue had made it from something he kept overthinking about whenever you were there and didn’t even try to come into his room to something he said out loud. “if i hadn’t left her alone none of this would’ve happened. she probably hates me for that. i hate me for that.”

his friends’ expressions softened at his outburst, starting to understand just what had gone on, the misunderstanding that had kept both of you from doing what you really wanted to.

“she doesn’t hate you. she’s told me every single night that she wished you’d just fucking reply to her, dumbass.” and maybe it was the fact that san had, in fact, spent the past week with you in his arms on the daily that made mingi think that he might be right. he was still anxious, though, scared that if you weren’t angry at him for leaving you alone at the party now you were certainly angry at him for ignoring you all week.

“just message her”, hongjoong said, as if he could read his thoughts. the redhead nodded, getting out his phone right away and sending you a text.

//

[10/10 halattava]: wanna watch a movie tonight

you couldn’t believe your eyes. you hadn’t heard from him in so many days, your pleas for an explanation or just anything falling on deaf ears, and now here he was, asking you to watch a movie.

[y/n]: you actually mean that

you were doubtful, and really he couldn’t blame you. but he was serious.

[10/10 halattava]: can i come over later

[y/n]: whenever you want to

maybe you should have declined, maybe you should have made him suffer the way he’d made you suffer, but you weren’t the type for that. you missed him, and you just wanted things to be okay again. you wanted an explanation too, of course, but you mainly just wanted him there, holding you like he used to, making you feel safe like he used to.

[10/10 halattava]: be there soon

you knew that meant that he’d left right away, and even though part of you was angry at him the bigger part of you wanted to make sure things were nice, so you started cleaning up a little, something that had been awfully neglected lately.

before long he was in front of your door, ringing several times, impatient to finally get to see you and hold you and apologise and tell you that he was so stupid and so sorry and that you were so beautiful and that you never had to worry about him thinking that you were anything short of perfect.

when you opened he immediately flung himself into your arms, making you stumble from the sheer force, but he was holding on to you, he was there and he wouldn’t let you fall, wouldn’t let you get hurt.

“im so fucking stupid”, he told you, his arms wrapped so tightly around you that it felt like you were the only thing keeping him standing right now. he didn’t want to let go, and he didn’t, loosening his embrace so you could move to close the door but keeping his arms around you. and the way he seemed so desperate made all the angry words you’d intended to throw at him vanish, instead a small sob escaped your lips.

“i missed you”, you said, and his grip around you tightened.

“i missed you, too. so much.” you were glad to hear it, but you were also incredibly confused.

“then why didn’t you talk to me? ignore all my texts, my calls, everything?” you sounded so weak and so hurt, the way you were sobbing into his chest, that he in all honesty felt inclined to text san and tell him to punch him as hard as he could once he got back home.

“because i’m an idiot. i was scared you hated me because i left you alone at that fucking party, and i didn’t want to hear you say it, so i just hid. i’m so sorry.” his cheek was pressed against your hair, taking in how soft it was and how you smelled and you. he’d missed you so fucking much.

“you are an idiot”, you informed him, but you moved away a little to smile up at him through your tears, “i’d never hate you. promise.”

“and i’d never ever ever think less of you because some imbecile fuckface couldn’t control his hormones. ever.” you nodded silently, but something about the way you avoided his gaze again now told him that there was still something on your mind.

“really, i mean it”, he reassured you, but that wasn’t the issue.

“it’s not some hormone issue”, you said quietly, and he looked at you surprised. what else should it be?

“my… the girls. they sent him, he told me. because they knew it’d fuck me up and over, because they know so much about me.” you tried to keep your breath steady, taking a small moment before you resumed. “they know how much that means to me. first kiss and everything. and it’s so stupid to be so upset about that, but in that moment i was really really scared that he’d just be my first kiss and i’d never be able to get it back, and that just… really messed with me. it’s some stupid hopeless romantic shit but it’s just important to me. something that actually means something.”

you couldn’t interpret his expression, and you were scared he was going to make fun of you, but instead he pulled you into his chest again, holding you so tightly that it got a little hard to breathe, but you didn’t care because it was comforting to be so close to him.

“if they ever try to pull that shit again they better run”, he said more as a statement than directed towards you, and his voice sounded so incredibly threatening that you’d be scared if it wasn’t mingi, if it wasn’t the one that you knew would do all he could to protect you.

“i just… they really hate me, y’know?”, you mumbled into his chest. “they use everything they know means something to me to hurt me.”

“i won’t let them.” and the way he said it almost made you believe him, almost made you believe that he could actually stop them from ever hurting you again. you smiled up at him again, so grateful, so beautiful, his heart was beating so hard he was scared it’d jump out of his chest, and even though he knew it was stupid and even though he knew right now was horrible timing and even though he knew he really really shouldn’t ask you this now, or maybe ever, the words slipped past his lips before he could stop himself.

"can i kiss you?" he was so close. so close that you could see the way his eyes sparkled, you could see that they weren't as pitch black as they tended to look, instead they were a really warm dark brown with the pupil being just a few shades darker than the rest. and you wanted to say yes. you did, but…

"no." he was surprised, but backed away immediately.

"i'm sorry. i should’ve known, right now’s the worst time to ask. i didn't want to make you uncomfortable." you sighed.

"it's not that, it's… you're all i have, you and the boys, and i… i don't want to lose that. and i know that if i let you kiss me and then you figure out you don't actually like me that way when i like you that way, i would lose you. i wouldn't be able to just be your friend after that, and i wouldn't be able to see the boys anymore either, because i can't make them choose but seeing you would hurt too much, and i don't want to risk that. i can't risk that, not after everything that happened when i risked something for you the first time. it turned out okay then!", you quickly said as you noticed his expression, as you noticed that he seemed to think you regretted ever becoming their friend in the first place, "because i had you there. but… but if this happens and i'm alone, i know i couldn't handle it. i couldn't handle losing you, not after everything that happened, and… if they found out that you kissed me, even if we're no longer talking, hell would break loose all over again. and this time i wouldn't have anyone. and it would be so much harder because i wouldn't just be dealing with them, i'd also be dealing with the heartbreak and i… i just know that'd be too much. that'd kill me, mingi."

he nodded slowly, and you first noticed that tears had started falling from your eyes again when he gently wiped them away with his thumb. he could understand you, understand your fears, and even though he knew it wasn't like that for him, it wasn't something he would change his mind on later, he was very aware that you couldn't know that, that you weren't able to look into his head and heart. in a way maybe he felt the same way about you, scared that you didn't and would never like him this way even though you had just clearly told him that the problem was that you did like him this way and wouldn't be able to handle the rejection if it was him who didn't reciprocate. he got it. but he wanted to prove to you that he meant it.

"what do i do, then?", he asked you while looking at you with soft but curious eyes.

"what do you mean?"

"do i take you out? do i throw stones at your window every night and beg for you to please give me a chance? do i write love letters? you know i'm really not that good with words, but if that convinces you i swear i'll try, i'll write you a letter every day until you send jongho to kill me because i'm embarrassing. just… just tell me what to do and i'll do it, okay?"

now it was your turn to be surprised. you'd have thought that this was a regular mingi joke if he didn't look at you all serious, if his expression didn't tell you that he one hundred percent meant it.

"i don't know", you replied honestly. "i don't want to tell you what to do, i… i want you to surprise me. show me the way you would if it was just about winning my heart, not about convincing me. the way you would if you didn't know yet that i like you."

you were embarrassed to say this, felt like you were too much of a hopeless romantic and making it harder for him than it had to be. but you didn't want the way he made advances to be planned, to be something you told him how to do so he'd for sure win your heart. you wanted it to be genuine, to be him. you wanted to see the way mingi tried to make someone fall in love, not the way mingi tried to follow the instructions you set out for him. and even though you felt like you were making things harder than they needed to be the redhead didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.

“okay. but i’m embarrassing.”

finally you smiled again, and if he had to embarrass himself nonstop just to keep you smiling then he would. right now, however, he just wanted to hold you some more. make sure that things were okay between you again.

“do you still want to watch a movie?”

“of course.” as if there’d ever be any time where you didn’t want to watch a movie with him. and as if that time, if it existed at all, would be now when you’d been missing his arms around you for the past week.

you waddled to the bed together, his arms still around you because he plain refused to let go of you, but then he noticed how messy and shiny your hair was and he got an idea.

“can i brush your hair while we watch it?”

even though you knew curls should technically only be brushed when wet you just couldn’t say no, not to him, and in all fairness you frequently ignored the brush while wet-rule as well, so one time more or less wouldn’t matter.

“i’ll get the brush”, you told him, starting to walk towards the bathroom, but he still wouldn’t let go of you.

“we’ll get the brush”, and it seemed like this was your fate for the day. not that you were complaining - you were glad to have him back and wanted to make up for the week where he hadn’t been there to hold you. so you waddled to the bathroom together as well, then back to the bed, and he only let go of you briefly when you had to get your laptop because without a laptop there’d be no movie. but as soon as the laptop was out of the risk zone (so, in the middle of the bed) his arms were back around you, pulling you into his chest.

“i’m sorry i ignored you”, he told you again, and you just nodded because you didn’t exactly know what to say. it had really hurt, but you didn’t want to think too much about it when he was here now. you just wanted to be held and you wanted to feel like maybe you were still okay.

“i won’t do it again. promise.” despite how much he wanted to keep holding you tight with both his arms he removed one arm from around you, instead sticking out his pinky in front of you so he could pinky promise you. this made you smile, this reassured you, even though it was childish. or maybe because it was childish - you felt like he wouldn’t pinky promise if he didn’t really mean it. so you linked your pinky with his, in a way also showing him that you accepted his apology.

“can you hand me the brush now?”

you did as asked, handing it over to him, and he carefully pushed your head forward a little. he wasn’t able to hold you anymore now that his hands were busy, but he wrapped his legs around your waist instead, not wanting to miss out on the physical contact.

“any movie suggestions?”

“moomins.” he didn’t even have to think about it - that had been your very first movie night, and the tall idiot wanted to feel that way again, comfortable and cosy and maybe with you falling asleep against him again as well.

you clicked a little and then the familiar melody filled the room. it felt homely, sitting here with your best friend, and when mingi started stroking your head a little before getting to work you thought that this moment here was actually perfect, or as close to it as could be.

that was, until he started brushing, clearly not having anticipated the way the brush would get caught in your curls so easily.

“auh!”

his movements immediately halted and he started apologising profusely, but you told him that it wasn’t that bad.

“it always hurts, i just need to get used to it a little. but it hurts less if you hold the hair near the root, so that you can prevent it from pulling too much.”

he grabbed a bit of your hair at your explanation, carefully attempting to brush again.

“like this?”

“yes, that’s better.”

so he continued, careful, gentle, and only stopped when he’d brushed about a third of your hair and noticed that it gained a lot of volume after it was brushed.

“is it supposed to do this or did i mess up?”

“do what?” you didn’t even know what your hair could be doing that would make him think he messed up - you were used to the ‘hermione granger in the first harry potter movie’ kind of look whenever you brushed your hair, but it seemed like this was the first time that the redhead dealt with curls like this.

“get so big and weird. it doesn’t look curly anymore. did i break it?”

and though you maybe shouldn’t laugh at him you couldn’t help it because he just sounded so helpless, sounded genuinely scared that he’d broken your hair.

“it’s supposed to do that”, reassuring, and you were convinced you heard him let out a relieved sigh, “you can just continue.”

he did, still gentle, trying so hard to not hurt you again, and even though he couldn’t even tell whether or not you were in pain if you didn’t let him know with your words he managed to hurt you less than you hurt yourself whenever you brushed your hair. then, when he was done, he ran his fingers through it (and it was only because he had just thoroughly brushed it that he was able to do that so easily and without getting stuck), telling you that your hair was really soft.

“i love your hair”, he informed you, still playing with it, “i think your curls are really nice.”

“that’s because they’re not on your head”, you countered, because while they did look nice they were a pain to take care of.

“maybe”, and you could hear the grin in his voice, “but i still like them.”

“fine”, you accepted, because it was a subjective opinion and he had a right to his own opinions, “i guess that’s fair.”

he continued toying with your hair, though now you’d leaned back into his chest, probably covering half his field of vision with your mane if you hadn’t, enjoying his warmth and how nice he was being. you really enjoyed this, the small acts of affection and the moomins being background noise - and they were, because you were talking instead of watching the movie, but you didn’t mind.

“is this your natural hair colour?”

the red-haired teddy bear seemed really intrigued by your hair, something you found kind of cute, to be honest. you were happy to answer, too.

“not exactly. it’s more dark brown, not this bluish black, but i like this one better. i think my natural one is kind of boring. though i’ve been considering dyeing it again, changing it up a little.”

now you most definitely had his attention.

“bright? or something natural?”

“bright”, and if you’d been able to see his face right now you’d see a happy grin on his face, because he was a firm supporter of the ‘y/n would look great with brightly coloured hair’ agenda.

“i used to have a lot of different hair colours when i was younger. kind of a way to get back at my shitty parents, but i also just liked how it looks. i used to be kind of alternative, actually.”

you grinned at the memory, but he was curious.

“like, chunky boots and all black? really dark makeup? spikes and chains and everything? that’s alternative, right?”

you nodded against him, then leaned forward a little and pulled some hair to the side to show one of your ears.

“facial piercings were a hard no, but i got so many holes punched in my ears that the local piercer knew me on a first name basis. i also have a silly secret stick and poke, on my hip bone. probably wouldn’t do it again, but i don’t regret it. i kind of miss that style, actually.”

from the corner of your eye you could see mingi look at your ear curiously, seemingly first now noticing the array of little studs in there. then, he moved to look at you, satisfied with his examination of your piercings. now he knew to get you some pretty earrings.

“why don’t you go back? to being alternative, i mean. big and scary, chunky boots.”

he was being silly, you could tell, but he was right. you’d only changed up your style because it hadn’t been appropriate for your old friends, but you didn’t have to care about that anymore.

“you can help me, if you want? help me pick out a new hair colour, i should probably start there.”

“you’d let me help you pick?”

his eyes were big and excited when you turned to look at him; he was adorable.

“i’d even let you dye my hair, if you want”, and if you hadn’t been in his lap he probably would’ve bounced with excitement.

“i want! but what colour? any ideas?”

you didn’t have even the slightest clue, so you told him that, asking if he had an idea. you could see that he did have one, but you could also tell that he was a little hesitant to tell you.

“what’re you thinking?”

“i was wondering if you’d like to go red, too. match with me?”, though he was avoiding to look at you in case you thought it was a bad idea.

“that’s emo, i like it”, a joke to hide how giddy the idea made you.

“are you saying i’m emo?”

his exasperated tone made you laugh, caused you to tease him some more.

“maybe i am, who knows?” then, change of topic. “would you want to dye my hair somewhen this week?”

“yes! which day’s best?”

“maybe after class on tuesday? if you’re coming again.”

he hadn’t come last week, but that was most likely because he hadn’t come near you at all last week.

“of course i’m coming again. i pinky promised”, wrapping his arms around you and resting his chin on your shoulder to show you that he was here now.

“let’s do tuesday. here? or my place?”

“maybe here so we won’t block your bathroom.”

he nodded against your shoulder, happy and excited and content.

“tuesday after class, here. i’ll get the dye, so we’ll actually really match. also some bleach.”

you smiled, leaning back against him, placing your hands on his that were intertwined in front of your stomach.

“it’s a date, then.”

and he was glad that you weren’t looking at his face right now, because he had the world’s most whipped expression on his face. he had a date with you.

[be-dazzled]

She’s In Your Court Ch. 18 Cut Scene (ft. Gajevy/Gale)

Writer’s Corner: I’m almost, almost finish with the latest chapter but I’d like to have Chapter 19 at least 50% accomplished before I put CH18 up. So, enjoy some scene I’d probably have to cut down from Chapter 18. & Remember that other ship I was hoping to make a cameo? hehe

---

Levy wobbled on her new strap sandals. She wasn’t used to wearing high heels but upon hearing that Gray’s birthday party would be in one of the most exclusive night bars in Magnolia, she had to up her style, lest she wanted to be pushed and stepped around like a speck of dust inside the club. She heard Valkyrie had a very exclusive target market – the rich and famous.

Befitting the famous celebrity athletes – the Fiore Knights.

Just thinking about the name made Levy’s heart flutter; plus the fact that her best-friend was actually dating the Team Captain. Granted, she was very, very mad at Juvia for keeping from her such an exciting news. Juvia made amends. Oh, and she knew exactly how to get Levy to like her again. Levy wasn’t going to embarrass her best friend with her usual baggy clothes. Nope, not Levy McGarden. She wore a flowy skirt – shorter than she’d usually wear like, by a lot. Her top was also a far cry from her assistant show-writer’s usual style – an off-shoulder top that exposed only one side. Cute and a bit provocative.

Too bad her risqué style didn’t work their magic.

Even with three inches added to her height, Levy wasn’t fooling anyone. The bouncers at the front asked her for an ID. She was aware that it was standard procedure for clubs to confirm age. Legit businesses did not want some run in with the cops. But if that happened to you every. Single. Time. Levy couldn’t help but feel like tall people were really out there to get her. Mean giant people.

Valkyrie was the current talk of the town; the most exclusive night club in whole Magnolia. It seem only yesterday when Valkyrie was just a run of the mill tarot-reading store which also sell all sorts of crystals. Levy distinctively remembered coming in and having read her card once or twice. The tarot reader said she’ll definitely become a very successful book writer. Levy scoffed. No wonder she was now standing in the middle of the rowdy night club. What a scam.

Levy thought of calling Juvia but decided against it once she entered the club. The loud music boomed through the club’s state-of-the-art sound system. If Juvia was already in the club, she wouldn’t hear the call and if she wasn’t yet, how could Levy even talk over that loud music? People couldn’t even hear her say ‘excuse me’ and just bump into her any chance they get.

“Being short is so annoying.”

That and the fact that people were overflowing in the club and finding Juvia in that crowd was like looking for a needle in a haystack. So, the best thing to do, she thought, was just send her a text and hope that she wasn’t too busy to notice it. Levy, walked up to the bar, where there was less people, and took the seat at the far end of the counter. She called out to the two bar tenders who, just like the rest of the people there, ignored her. Great, just great.

“Oi… they let kids in here now?”

The voice came from behind her, deep and resounding. And a little bit insulting. That was the last strand. Oh, Levy was ready to shove her three inches heel up his ass.

“Hey, Gajeel!” One of the bartenders, the spikey-haired one, nodded at his direction before excusing himself from the girl he’s been flirting with for who knows how long.

Wait, did he just say Gajeel?

The show-writer didn’t even have to spin around to confirm the man’s identity when Gajeel Redfox, Fiore Knights’ Center, leaned over the bar counter, raising two fingers at the bartender. Gajeel Redfox was obviously a regular because those two fingers didn’t even need any explanation.

“The usual, coming up!” The perky blonde returned to the array of liquor displayed on the case but not before he shot the tall man beside Levy a wink and gun-finger. Gajeel was definitely a regular. Figures. The silence between them was filled by the loud beat from Calvin Harris’ ‘This Is What You Came For’.

“So, kid. Er you lost or sometin’?”

Levy heaved in a long breath and mustered the courage to face the man who kept insulting her. All silly crush and adoration for the guy flew out the window. And she thought they were a fun bunch according to the Juvia. Totally, not.

“For your information, Mr. Gajeel, I’m not a ki–”  

“–Oi, Captain!” Gajeel quickly abandoned Levy the moment he saw familiar figures entering the club and making their way to the VIP area.

The show-writer’s narrowed eyes followed the direction of where Gajeel was waving at. The man he called ‘Captain’ was none other than Gray Fullbuster – the man of the hour. But what widened Levy’s russet eyes was the woman in Gray’s arms.

“Juvia!”

“Oh, Levy. Hi!”

The shorter woman jumped off her barstool, ran to the only face she knew in that place and threw her slender arms around Juvia. Like a kid finding her mother in the strange place. Didn’t really help her case but who cared. Tall people were mean people.

“Hey, Cap. You know the kid?” Gajeel walked up to the trio, his ordered drinks in both hands.

“She’s one of the writers in the show.” Gray leaned in to answer his team’s Center over the loud music. To Gajeel’s surprise.

“What?!” He pointed a hand at the lady whose back was at him, drink spilling as he did. “That’s a full grown adult?”

The questionable full grown adult released Juvia and spun to face the puzzled Center. Her hands were on her hips and her eyes were ready to choke him. “For your information, Mr. Gajeel,” the name rolled out her tongue as a snicker, “I am a working adult.”

The long haired Center didn’t work out a comeback. He just held her gaze – hers was deadly, his was amused. Gajeel pulled a corner of his mouth and let out a sound that Levy would call a mocking laugh. But if she was going to spell that noise out, it sounded like ‘gihee’.

Before Levy could react to it, however, Gray was already pulling the man away. He draped one arm around Gajeel’s shoulder, which made the taller, long-haired man in a pulled ponytail, huddle down Gray’s height. She didn’t hear what Gray said but Levy was sure he gave that rude and uncivilized man some warning.

To which Gray did, warning the taller man not to bully the girlfriend’s best-friend.

“Juvia,” Levy still had her back on Juvia, arms crossed against her chest and eyeing the two figures retreating into the safety of the rest of Fiore Knights, “didn’t you say they were a fun bunch?”

“Well, yeah.” Juvia answered, walking up by Levy’s side, maintaining her opinion on Fiore Knights.

“I don’t think I’m enjoying being made fun of.” Her narrowed eyes still trained at the Fiore Knights’ Center slipping into one of the booths. “I already have you for that.”

Juvia could only pull up a sheepish smile. There wasn’t anything else left to say or do after Levy just threw her that snide remark.

Oh, the shade.

[snow-whiteandred-rose]

How You Met- J Hope

A/N: Guess who’s back. Back again. Finally, after ages I managed to write the last part of my How You Met-Series^^ I really enjoyed picturing these scenes and I hope you enjoyed it as well. Korean classes are very time-consuming at the moment. But we will get back on track, promised. Have a sunny day, Eve. 

Genre: Fluff Pairing:  J Hope x Reader Word count: 1.1K

"Hi, welcome. How can I help you?" the saleslady greeted you with an pleasant smile on her face. "Hey. I'm fine. Just strolling around a bit." you bowed. She nodded and continued to organize and stack the shirts which were thrown lazily onto the rack. >Vin with Tage< was your absolute favourite place when it came to shopping. Located in a small nabourhoud in the outskirts of Seoul you enjoyed the quiet and intimate atmosphere surrounding this shop. With its bright blue facade and yellow windows you couldn't miss it. Because of it's small sales area, shelves and clothing racks were everywhere. The windowsills were used to present earrings, watches and necklaces. Various dresses and overalls hung from the ceiling attached to hangers. The aisles were so narrow that only one person at the time would fit in. The wall behind the cashier was stacked with shoes up until the ceiling. But you loved it. You loved the smell, the sounds and the people. This shop was nothing compared to the high class ones in Gang-Nam and Myeon-Dong. No sight of luxury and snobbery. It was for people, who wanted something different, something unique. You hummed a little melody while strolling through the aisle. Pulling out a shirt here, feeling a fabric there. Inspiration would hit you, when you saw the right thing. Fifteen minutes passed and until then nothing happened. No piece was giving you the urge to try it on. You examinated a purple of-shoulder blouse when the shops door rang. "Hi and welcome.", you heard the saleslady spoke up. "Oh hello." a bright high pitched voice appeared.

Your eyes moved from the piece of clothing to the source of the voice. In the door frame stood a tall slim guy with light brown hair. You could see from your spot that he was as much into fashion as you were. He was wearing a long black vest with a black shirt underneath. His baggy pants were also completely black. All just to made his sneakers pop out. They were navy blue with neo green applications and a white plateau sole. "Not bad", you thought and continued your search. "Thank you. I will have a look and reach out to you if I need help." his friendly but loud voice echoed from the walls. Submerged in your thoughts you didn't notice that the stranger was right beside you. Not until you bumped into him. "Uhh I'm sorry. Didn't saw you there." you smiled and took a step back. "No I'm sorry. I wasn't watching out either."he smiled back at you and rubbed his neck. An awkward silence hung over the two of you. "So, you also didn't find anything yet?" you asked as you pointed to his empty hands. He followed the direction of your fingers and chuckled "Seems like it. I'm a bit overwhelmed. This store is so...ehm...so different?" Giggling at his attempt to make it sound positive and at his cute face you answered "Yes, that's why it's my favourite. I like different." "I definitely see that. Your style is absolutely amazing.", he praised your outfit. "Should we have a look together?" And with that you started roaming around the shelves and hangers together. Pulling out the most random and strangest pieces you could find and combined it with even more stranger things. You heard a loud guffaw and turned around to his laughing face "Look..." he stopped and looked at you with big eyes, "I don't even know your name." You couldn't hold in your laughter and through the breaths you answered "It's Y/N. And yours?" "I'm Hobi!" Time flew and you had a wonderful time. In the middle of your haul Hobi came up with the idea that you have to find something for him and the other way around. "Y/N, if you don't wear that, I will be very disappointed.", he said seriously as he presented his catch. It was a yellow knee length dress with little rainbows and clouds printed on. On top he put a light woollen cardigan and a long filigree golden necklace. For shoes he choose open-toed light green sandals with a slight heel. "Awww", you stepped closer to him and touched the dress "I like it. But why yellow?" you beamed at him. "Because you remind me of the sun.", he shyly said. You blushed "Why are you so sweet, Hobi?" "Can I see what you have for me?" he asked. "Oh yeah sure.", you pulled the outfit from behind your back, "Tada!" "There you go. Have fun with it.", the saleslady handed over the paper bags. "Thank you. I will definitely come back.", Hobi put away his wallet. "Honestly Hobi, I feel bad for you paying my stuff.", you took your bag and walked out of the shop. "It was my idea. So I'm paying.", he looked in your pitiful eyes, "Really Y/N, don't worry. I enjoyed today. So that's how I wanted to thank you, okay?", he peeked inside his bag. "Uh, we mixed up our outfits. Here, that's yours." "Thank you so so much Hobi. I hope you will remember today, when you wear it. Hope to see you soon." you smiled and gave him a small quick peck on the cheek. A few days later you layed on the couch and scrolled up and down your SNS. It was Sunday and you didn't had to do anything anyway. Your eyes couldn't follow the endless news but when you saw him you immediately stopped. "What in the world...Is that...my outfit?"  you blurred out and almost fell down the couch. On the screen you saw Hobi in exactly the same things you two bought together. The buttoned down oversized striped shirt, the light washed pants with blue paint splashes, a black headband, white round sunglasses and his sneakers which he wore the day you met. The feed was full of pictures of him wearing this outfit. He looked stunning. Your stomach flipped and your mind ran wild. Headless you ran to your bedroom and rummaged through the bag from >Vin and Tage<. You didn't knew what you were looking for but you had to find a hint, something to contact him. And there it was, on the backside of the receipt. "HOPE you had a great day" and his number following.

[seostudios]

we’re such a cliche - c.s

pairing: choi san x fem!reader

genre: fluff, angst if you squint 

warnings: none

word count: 4.k 

synopsis: two oblivious best friends in love? one-sided. one is too shy to confess his love the other is ashamed to confess.

a/n: ugh i remember this was my only good story so i hope you enjoy and show me how much u loved this! i always enjoy feedback

a black and white checked short, v-neck dress woven in viscose fabric. short sleeves, button full length of front, and flared skirt with gathered tiers. your newly dyed brunette hair. your makeup was simple, yet so elegant. with mascara to define your eyes by enhancing your lashes. a brown eyeliner pencil along the lashes with a thin line that helped you enhance your eye shape. for your lips you opted for a natural pink lip. for your feet you wore suede sandals with covered block heels and an adjustable ankle strap with leather linings and insoles. of course in black. your jewelry was a set of pearl stud earrings paired with a silver pendant necklace with the name 'san' written on it. you never take it off as it was a gift from your best friend. as of now you were absolutely stunning wearing such simple clothing. you were heading off to kq entertainment's newly debuted rookie's dorm. ateez. coincidentally one of the members is your best friend. choi san. the only person you ever have and will rely on throughout your life. he's been by your side no matter what. and you were on his. cheering him on all the way of his dream of becoming an idol. walking up to their doorstep you hesitate to ring the bell as it was your first time seeing him after his debut. it's also your first time meeting his band mates. quickly taking out your phone camera your check yourself out. you have never been this nervous when it comes to san. why were you now? you build up courage and ring the doorbell stepping back. it's been almost three minutes since you rang the bell. was no one home? you thought to yourself. until it swung open to reveal a purple haired boy. he seemed about 5'8 and he was absolutely gorgeous. "may i help you?" he asks politely. "uh yes!" you say quickly avoiding eye contact with him. you continue, "is san inside?" you ask looking back up fighting the urge to look away. god did he make you nervous. "yes he is. do you want me to call him?" he asked you with a small smile. you nod waiting as he left the door open and jogged down the hall to get san himself.

"hyung. some really pretty girl is asking if your here. she has this cute dress on with her brown hair and you should see her hair!! she looks like an idol sannie. it's like brunette hair with a dark purple streak." as wooyoung was explaining and low-key fangirling over you san was very confused on who you were. but once wooyoung mentioned the purple streak it instantly clicked for him on who this mystery girl was. he instantly jumped from his bed and ran to the front door. all you saw was a guy running towards you and kinda almost made you piss yourself from the scare it gave you. "y/nnnnnnnnn" the voice said squeaking. you noticed it was san running when you heard his voice but honestly when you saw him running it didn't look like him. what a glow up. his hair was green, well it was a sage green and had darker green streaks all over. his muscles got bigger. seemed more tone. healthier and happier. his ears were pierced too he always complained to you of how he was scared to get them done but look at him now. opening your arms letting him embrace you. his arms snaked around your waist pulling you up and your went around his neck. hugging like your never going to see each other again. it's almost been nine months since you've seen him so it's understandable. you even brought him a present. it was the exact same silver pendant necklace he got you on your 15th birthday. but instead of 'san' it said 'y/n'. you hand him the gift but you make sure he doesn't open it til later. you give him a friendly peck; though you two were strictly just friends you never acted like it. you two were each other's everything. yet no romance sparked. you were each other's first kiss, were the first to take each another's virginity, the gifts. it was like you two were dating but nobody ever said anything you just told people you were best friends.

"come in" he tells you taking you by the hand. while you take your shoes off and san calls his band mates down to introduce you. "ah what is it now." a deep voice said echoing the door. "i was napping." one whined. they all come down laying around the living room lazily. "comee why are you so shy today." san tells you dragging you to the living room. "guys this is y/n." he says cheeks rosy pink. "who?" a dark haired boy says. "your girlfriend?" another boy with a slightly orange hair asked. "nonono!" you say suddenly budding in. "were just best friends." you say cheekily looking at san who smiled back. "doesn't look like it." said the purple haired boy from earlier. "wooyoung.." a blonde boy said from beside signaling him to shut it. "what? they don't! she has a necklace with his name on it! and they are holding hands!" he said loudly pointing. "we are just best friends. i bought her the necklace on her birthday couple years back. we are..close" san told wooyoung. "well.. i'm yunho" said a voice from behind. turning around you look up at a tall tall boy with dark brown locks munching on potato chips smiling down at you. it was warming. he seemed comfortable and wasn't making you awkward. "hi i'm y/n" you say back at him. "that blue haired one is mingi, the purple thing who screamed is wooyoung, the faded carrot top is yeosang, blondie is hongjoong the scary tall one with his arms crossed is seonghwa and the other brownie is jongho." yunho quickly explains to you. the boys say hi simultaneously back. "what's that" seonghwa asks san pointing at the bag. "y/n got me a gift." he says giggling like a fanboy. both of you sit down on the couch in front of the rest of the boys as san opens the gift. the boys eyeing the bag filled with curiosity of what you could've gotten him. he pulls out a small velvet box. looking at you already knowing what it was. "no.." he says as a big smile grows upon his face. he recognized what you got him immediately. the box gave it away. on your fifteenth birthday the necklace san got you came in an ugly red velvet box with the store logo on the front written in silver lettering. he decided to get a custom box but this time it was a black velvet box with your name written on it in gold lettering. this time around you did the exact same but his name. "yes." you said to him. you chuckled a little while he opened the box grabbing necklace. "it's beautiful." he tells you. you take the necklace from him putting it on him. "wow sannie your so beautiful." you tell him. he embraced you playfully leaving pecks on your cheek causing you to laugh aloud.

"best friends" yeosang mocks you two quietly to wooyoung as they giggle. "look guys were matching now. he shows the guys your necklaces. they smile agreeing how cute it was. san has been meaning to ask you why the sudden visit. "y/n how come you just dropped by randomly?" he asked curious. "i recently opened my bakery down the street remember sannie i told you this! you never listen." you whine punching the side of his arm. pretending to be in pain and yelling in 'pain' he tells you "hey! i have a lot of things to remember sorry i forgot but the main question is when are you going bring me those delicious blueberry souffles you make??" you sigh remembering how san was always your little taste tester when you bake and he had a special liking to your blueberry souffles. "i'll bring you some after work." you tell him combing your fingers through his hair. "speaking of work. it's almost lunch i gotta get to work." you say getting up bidding your farewells giving san a peck before leaving. "san-ah are you sure your both just friends?" hongjoong asks laughing. "yes! we are friends.." he says sighing leaning back on the couch playing with he box the necklace came from. "were just best friends, well to her." he said voice getting quieter. the members could notice how you two were together. it didn't seem one-sided. "i don't think it's one-sided." jongho says. "you two literally kissed more today than i've ever kissed the members." wooyoung says raising his brows. "that's the thing. we act like a couple but when someone asks us she'll panic and say no were just best friends." he said getting up, putting the empty box in the gift bag. "i'm going to take a nap." he told the members before heading upstairs.

you were making your way down the street peacefully enjoying the scenery. i can't believe they thought me and sannie were dating. you thought laughing to yourself. i mean sometimes i wish i could say 'yea we are' but i don't think i'll be good. you sigh. you've always had strong feelings for san but you don't think your good. good enough for a guy like him. he had everything, looks, talent and now he has millions of fans. compared to idols, models, actresses, you are just ordinary. you seem bland. you've never seen yourself as anything other than basic and having feelings let alone date an amazing unique person like san who was out of your league was just funny to you now. but your feelings grow more everyday. you two act like one why not just be one but it was never that easy. you thought san was playful and lovey dovey with you just for laughs and pure entertainment. on the other hand it was pretty hilarious to other people who weren't oblivious to the two of you. you both thought it was one-sided. one is too shy to confess his love the other is ashamed to confess.

you ended up baking some mini cookie's and cream cheesecake bites for the boys. but you didn't want to disturb them again so you went home with them hopefully bringing it to them tomorrow morning. hoping into bed going on with your evening til you got a message from non-other than san. smiling you unlock your phone to read the text. 'call??' he texted you. not feeling the need to reply you hit the facetime icon on his contact, now ringing. "hey" he says answering the call. it looked like he was comfortable on his bed laying down with his shiber beside him. "hi." you say smiling, you were cooking actually. you needed dinner one way or another and take-out was getting pricey near you. "what are you making" he asked you curiously adjusting his place in bed. "i'm just making some chicken with my salad, haven't had anything remotely healthy for the past few weeks from being surrounded by sweets." you tell him laughing in the process making him laugh a little. after cooking, getting ready for bed and even when you got in bed he was still on the other line. "i'm tired sannie" you quietly tell him trying to let him know you both need some sleep. "okay um goodnight y/n sleep well" he tells you in a bunched up sentence. "ah goodnight you too" you murmur in your sleepy voice before saying "see you tomorrow" ending the call and placing your phone on your night stand falling into a deep sleep.

you woke up to the sun rays over your closed eyes. you could've gotten an extra twenty minutes in bed as you alarm hasn't rung yet. sighing and covering your face with the blankets you decide to be more productive since to you, you were a slob. a basic slob. getting up you grab your outfit for the day and head to the shower, hoping out at least ten minutes later you go to put on your outfit and put some makeup on. you picked out a black short a-line skirt with a high waist and buttons at the front, and for you top you wanted to seem modern to fit in with today's fashion so you picked out a white cropped top with a drawstring-front and long puff sleeves. you decided to pair them with some tie-strap sandals in black with crossover foot straps and long straps to tie around you ankle. your makeup was the same as always; regular eyeliner. but instead of a thin line you wanted to try out a tiny cat-eye. after doing that you put on mascara and some powder to cover your acne scars finishing off you look with some light pink tinting lip balm. you try your best to look good you always knew it was ordinary and basic but you tried to at least look appealing basic or not. you straighten your hair today instead of letting out your natural beach waves out. you wanted your purple hair to stand out knowing it was the only non basic part of you. you grab your house keys, phone and you couldn't forget the cheesecake. walking out going down the street.your house was about a twenty minute walk from the bakery although some would find it exhausting to walk that long just to work that they would just buy a car but to be honest you enjoyed the scenery.

you arrive at the boy's dorm beforehand to hang for a little and hand them the treat. ringing the bell it swings open not even a minute later. "y/n!" it was mingi. he was by far one of your favourite people at the dorms probably because you two clicked fast with similar interests. "hi mingi~" you say giving him a side hug letting yourself in. "i need all eight of you here in the living room." you tell him as he zoomed away collecting the members, you go to the dining table and take out the cheesecake and grab a juice box for yourself. "why are you here so early" san moans aloud with a sleepy voice. "thought you were coming til ten-thirty" he tells you lazily going to embrace you. "i had to go in early today due to one of the workers having trouble with the locks." you tell him. "i brought you guys some cheesecake bites i made the other day" you say cheerfully as they all make eye contact with the treat on the table "keep her around please.." hongjoong says going in to grab a bite. "don't worry she's not ever leaving." san says to hongjoong with a cheeky smile assuring him playfully as you all laugh. "we have no dinner for tonight the cabinets are EMPTY!!" yunho says out of the blue. "if you guys want i can bring some takeout. my bakery is right beside a bunch of yummy stores and a grocery store if you would rather have home cooked meals. i can make you boys some kimchi fried rice." you tell them looking down to your feet. "we don't want you to do all the work cooking it's okay y/ thank you." seonghwa tells you. "i can meet you at the bakery before you close up and we can get takeout..!" san tells you. nodding with a smile you bid your goodbyes heading to work.

"i want to tell her." san tells the boys facing them with a stern look once you left. they were happy to help but he declined wanting to do it when he picked you up from work today. "how are you going to do it." jongho asks curious. san thought of making it so rejection or not you'd both laugh. he wanted to be corny but not where it touches you but to the point where it's so corny you laugh and get red. but he had no idea how. "you know how she owns a bakery? why don't you get a baked good and write it in icing?" wooyoung suggested the most perfect idea that literally made san squirm in excitement. running back to the dorm he kind of wanted his outfit to match with yours so he put on a white dress shirt that would define his figure well making him look very very hot as if he wasn't already. he paired it with regular black pants and went downstairs to get the members approval of how he looked as they approved he put on some random shoes and went out the door. his hair was in a middle part making it so he didn't look too basic nor too fancy. he walks swiftly past your bakery to another one to buy a small cupcake. he wanted to place a small heart on the frosted good. as the worker did that he was looking around waiting and pulled out his phone snapping a picture forwarding it to you. 'where are you?' you texted him after opening the attachment. 'buying mingi a little something' he replied scared if you would notice his current settings. "here you go sir." the worker said placing the cupcake on the counter. "would you like it gift wrapper? just a small box with it." she asked. "yes are there any choices?" he asked excitingly. "yes we have the boxes in blue, black, pink, red, purple and white with the ribbons in silver, gold, pink, black and blue. you can also write something on the top." she told him. this is where it san wanted to make it a lot more meaningful as if it wasn't enough. "may i have it in a black box with golden ribbons with the name y/n on top." he told the worker. if it's even possible san got more happy and excited than he already was. "thank you" san thanked the worker paying and leaving. his mask and coat made his identity a secret from you and fans if there were any. he decided to look through the big window you had for viewing in your bakery. he noticed you trying to frost some cheesecakes. he wanted some but couldn't risk it so he went home. "how is this?" he asked yunho who was the only one in the vicinity when he came home. he showed the box and opened it a little to show the red velvet cupcake with white frosting. it had small heart candies all over the frosting. "whaa i'm jealous of y/n now. didn't know you were so romantic sannie." he told san playfully nudging his shoulder as the two laugh. he places it in the fridge and goes to shower as you would close the shop up in three hours. he didn't realize how much time has passed until he was in the shower.

"suminnie!!" you say to your girl best friend. sumin has been busy overseas with college and finally came home after graduation. you two already set a date to hang out but she surprised you early to see how your new found business was. "hi baby" she says kissing your forehead. you hand her a treat as you two chat until you close up. "how are you and your boyfriend" she ask's as you flush red and laugh at her locking up the bakery. "were not dating." you tell her. "were just friends i know he doesn't see me the way i see him. even if he did, he shouldn't like someone like me." you say leaning against the wall. "your perfect y/n. not basic. not too outgoing. your perfect. you don't know how badly i wanted to be you while we grew up. you could always rock blond, brown, black, red, blue hair always with your iconic purple strands. your body is outstanding and you eat sweets all day. your great at everything. i grew up jealous of you. your perfect i can't see why san wouldn't like you back." she tells your patting your head telling you how amazing you were which was true. everyone saw it but you. the insecurities always got at you. but you accept what sumin tells you to feel better about yourself for tonight. you stand up knowing she should head home now which was in the opposite direction of you. "bye i love you see you tuesday." you tell her while she runs off. you wonder where san is and just that second he spooked up behind you. "boo." he spoke into your ear from behind. you jumped a little turning around to give him a small hug as you two walk down the lit street. "can we sit at the bench over there for a second y/n?" san asked you, honestly he wasn't even waiting for a reply. he took your hand as you two cross the empty street to sit at a bench at a nearby park. "what is it sannie" you ask him really confused and nervous for what's to come. "here." he shyly hands you a black box with golden ribbons in a bow with your name on it. opening it you see your favourite cupcake. a traditional red velvet cupcake with frosting perfectly swirled at the top with small heart flakes all over. you were oblivious to what he was meaning by it but you found it kind of corny either way. cringing you take out the small cupcake removing the wrap a biting into it a pleased sound coming from your mouth happy with how it taste. san was googling the cupcake obviously wanting a bite. you feed him a bite. but you still didn't know why. "sannie what is all this." you asking him taking another bite. he still had some cupcake in his mouth he was chewing down but after he wanted it to be straightforward. "it's me telling you i love you. a lot." he spilled casually wiping his mouth of frosting looking up at your blanked out expression. you didn't know how or why he could like someone like you. you were assured by sumin how there were millions of reasons on how a man like san would fall in love with you but you brushed it aside because you couldn't believe. "tell me you love me too." he told you. he hoped you would. he really wanted you to. you were speechless though. although you were happy he was in love with you as much as you were with him. you were scared to commit, scared to admit. c'mon y/n this is your chance you tell yourself mentally finally looking him the eyes. starting to lose hope in you san looks away tears brimming in his eyes. he knew deep down he shouldn't have. why am i afraid? you thought. "sorry." you tell san cupping his cheek with one hand looking him in the eye. "please." he told you, both of you looking into each others eyes. though you were too afraid to admit it verbally you had enough courage to let him know physically. using your other hand to cup both his cheeks you close eyes pulling him locking both your lips. you had kissed before, multiple times in fact. but hey were all pecks. kisses on the cheeks and quick hi and bye kisses. nothing deep and meaningful, but tonight you made sure it was long and meaningful. his lips immediately reacted pushing back and now kissing with a slow pace. his arm was placed in your elbow going up to hold your hand before you break the kiss. staring into one another's eyes you muster up enough courage still high off that kiss to tell him. "i love you." you tell him breaking eye contact. "so much" you say quietly to yourself but audible enough for san to hear. this resulted in him embracing you pecking your cheek. you were both relieved to feel mutual about each another but you were still scared but one thing you knew you deserved was happiness and now you finally feel happy with your new found love, choi san.

this was supposed to be a series but i rushed the ending so i could fit it all in ! hope u enjoyed reading this~ show love please  (by reblogging and liking) make sure to leave feed back and everything

[rhetoricalrogue]

Squishes - 11. Pulling mine into their lap

Thank you for the ask! This came in at around 1,995 words.

The little gastropub that Vincent’s brother had suggested they visit was definitely off the beaten path.  Even Josephine, who usually didn’t like going anywhere without consulting multiple review sources was charmed, calling it a hidden gem with excellent customer service.  Vincent had to wonder just how much of that was normal customer interaction and how much was due to the fact that Rolfe seemed to be familiar with the owner, the two of them shouting greetings at the other before the tall, bald man with an impressive beard enveloped Rolfe in a spine-cracking bear hug.

“You have got to try the soft pretzels,” Rolfe told them once they were shown to a back patio area that while being sunny and full of plants also had a private, secluded feel to it. He pulled out a chair for Cassandra while casually attempting to scoot his closer to hers without her catching on.  “Bruno serves them with a beer cheese sauce that is to die for.”

Vincent paused.  “I think we have a problem,” he said, looking at the seating arrangements.  “There’s eight of us showing up, but only five chairs.”

Rolfe shrugged.  “No worries!  Save my seat, Gorgeous,” he winked at Cassandra, who rolled her eyes and turned her attention towards the appetizer menu.  “I’ll be back in a bit with some help.”

Vincent sat down, his eyes peeled for the others.  Well, if he was honest with himself, he was mainly looking for Roz.  She’d been working long hours at the hospital lately to cover shifts for a coworker who was out on maternity leave, and by the time she made it home, she barely had the energy to shower and then text him a quick good night note to let him know that she had got home safely.  Tonight was the first night in weeks that she’d been able to get off work while it was still light out and he was looking forward to spending some time with her.

They’d only started officially seeing the other just a short while ago, and the two of them had agreed to keep it under wraps for the time being.  It wasn’t as if they were ashamed of their relationship, but after spending years thinking that the other wasn’t interested and not wanting to run their friendship by saying something out of turn, they wanted to keep this new turn in their lives to themselves for just a little longer to savor all the quiet moments and firsts before they let their friends in.

Maker knows his brother would crow about their new status, telling Vincent I told you so and raking up the winnings on whatever betting pool their circle of friends had made.  No one had told him there was betting on him and Roz, but when one was friends with Varric and Rolfe, no one had to tell him there were wagers going on.

It wasn’t long before the door to the patio area opened and Roz stepped out, her eyes scanning the tables for them.  He waved to her as her eyes landed on him, his heart skipping a few beats at the sight of her.  She’d changed out of her hospital scrubs and into a floral print sundress, the full skirt ending a little above the knee and showing off her legs.  The bright turquoise fabric brought out the color of her eyes and the watercolor pinks and yellows of the printed flowers brought out the rosy color of her cheeks and the red of her hair.

She was beautiful, but then again, Vincent would have thought that about her had she been wearing nothing at all.

“Hey you guys,” she said, smiling at Josephine and Cassandra.  Without thinking, she hooked the strap of her purse to the back of Vincent’s chair.

He stood up, giving himself a quick mental shake at the direction his thoughts had turned.  “Here, saved you a seat.  Rolfe’s inside wrangling some more chairs for everyone.”

“But you were sitting there first.”  She shifted on her feet, the sandals with the chunky heel cute, but something that Vincent knew wouldn’t be comfortable standing in for long, especially after a long day of being on her feet.  “I can wait.”

“Do you want my mother to manifest inside this restaurant and beat me to death with a menu?” He grinned at her, gently guiding her towards the table.  “She raised me better than that.”

“And since I don’t see Mama Trevelyan here,” she teased back, “I’m telling you to sit.”

Vincent looked at her and a lifetime of seeing the set of her mouth and the way she squared her shoulders told him that she wasn’t going to budge from her stance.  “Fine, I’ll sit.”

“Thank you for letting me win that argu-” Roz’s smug comment was cut short when Vincent wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap, her eyes going wide in surprise as their two tablemates laughed.

“And you will too.”  Since it was at mouth height, he stealthily laid a brief kiss to her bare shoulder before leaning forward and grabbing onto a menu.  “I hope you’re hungry, Rolfe was talking up this place’s appetizers and I’m pretty sure he’s going to get most of the menu just for him.”

Roz shifted in his lap until she could comfortably look at the menu he held.  “I’m starving, it was so busy that I worked through my lunch break.”

Vincent frowned, but didn’t comment.  It was an old argument of theirs: he’d disapprove of her not putting her health first and she’d argue that he was one to talk, seeing as she knew he often skipped meals when he was busy at his nursery and only ate something when he was mentoring students so they wouldn’t feel bad about eating the snacks he provided them.  Instead, he pointed at a few things on the menu and quietly began the usual conversation he and Roz had when visiting a new place, offering to split two plates so they could try out something they’d never had before. He could physically feel Roz relax in his arms as she carried on a conversation with Josephine and Cassandra.  The two of them had never shied away from physical touch before, which was probably why their current seating arrangement hadn’t raised any eyebrows from the two women.  It was nice.

Of course, that meant that the feeling wasn’t meant to last long.  “Well, aren’t we cozy?” Rolfe drawled, coming in with two chairs in hand.  The owner - Bruno?  Vincent briefly remembered his brother saying the man’s name was Bruno - trailed behind him with another chair.  “Hello, Darling,” he told Roz, swooping in to press a noisy kiss to her cheek.

“Hey!”

Rolfe laughed at Vincent’s grumble of protest.  “Don’t be jealous; I love you too,” he teased, pressing a similar kiss to Vincent’s cheek before sitting next to Cassandra and laughing as Vincent dramatically rolled his eyes before reluctantly letting Roz slide out of his lap.  The conversation quickly went to food choices and shouted hellos as the other people in their party eventually showed up.  

The slight tug on his pant leg made Vincent look in Roz’s direction, his eyes darting down.  She was seated close enough to him to make room for the others at their table, and definitely within touching distance.  He let his hand rest on his knee before slowly reaching out to hook his little finger with hers underneath the table, catching her eye and giving her a secret smile that he was honestly surprised flew under the radar of several normally observant people around them.

Roz let his hand go first and while he missed the contact, he nearly choked on his drink when her finger ran against the outside of his thigh.  He turned in her direction to talk to Josephine at her right, his eyes catching on the smirk Roz hid behind her own glass.  Not one to sit by and leave well enough alone, Vincent reached out and did the same, his fingers slowly inching the fabric of her dress up and touching bare skin.  Roz, who hadn’t been looking in his direction, gave out a barely muffled sound of surprise. 

“Everything all right, Roz?” Leliana asked, giving them a look that had Vincent trying not to quickly snatch his hand away.  She tipped her head in response, her lips pursing as she looked between the two of them, but didn’t comment further.

“Yes, it’s just been a long day.”  Roz shifted, her hand subtly tugging the hem of her dress over her knee again.  “A long week, if I’m being honest.  I might have to call it an early night.”

Vincent didn’t comment as Leliana looked between them again, her expression quickly turning from one of curious interest to knowing realization.  Well, he thought, reaching for his drink and wishing that it was something stronger than sweetened tea, so much for keeping this under wraps for long.

But then Leliana surprised them both by giving a soft smile.  “From what I’ve heard, you haven’t had much time to rest.  No one would blame you for wanting to duck out early for some time to yourself.”  Her eyes flicked over to Vincent before casually picking up a potato wedge and putting it on her plate.  “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

“Secret?  Who’s keeping secrets over there?” Rolfe asked, giving them a carefree grin that told Vincent that he wanted to be on whatever conversation he had missed.

“Nobody,” he replied, reaching out for a few more fried pickles to add to his own plate.  He nodded to Leliana, who gave him a wink in response. “You’re just being nosy.”

“Hey, Nosy is my middle name.”

Cassandra laughed.  “And here I thought it was Bothersome.”

“Or Charmer.” 

Varric scoffed.  “That’s his nickname, you can’t call him Charmer twice.”

Vincent arched an eyebrow.  “Funny, I thought it was Aloyusi -”

Rolfe pointed a finger at him.  “Do not finish that sentence, Vincent Nathaniel.” 

Vincent raised his hands up defensively in defeat, content that the conversation had been steered away from him and Roz.  He caught her eye as he checked his watch.  Knowing her, she would make her excuses and leave in about twenty more minutes.  He guessed that if he held out for another half hour afterwards, he’d be able to make it back to her house and still be able to spend a good time alone with her before going back to his apartment before Rolfe made it home.

Then again, he’d noticed the looks that Cassandra had been giving Rolfe most of the evening.  If they were both lucky, Vincent wouldn’t see his brother until mid-morning.

Beside him, Roz jumped and reached into her purse to fish out her phone.  “I hate to call this short,” she started, quickly waving her phone and showing the text message.  Vincent was close enough to see that the latest message was from several days ago.  “It’s one of my co-workers, they can’t find some paperwork that I left them last shift.  I think that I’m going to head home for some shuteye after I help them out.”

He watched as she made her way around the table, giving hugs and goodbyes.  She made it back to him and reached behind him to grab her purse.  “Don’t make me wait long,” she whispered in his ear as she pulled her purse off the back of his chair.

“Drive safe.  Text me when you get home?”  

“Of course.”  Again, no one even gave them a second glance at their customary goodbye, not even when she kissed his cheek, her fingers softly pushing his hair out of his eyes and fondly curling strands behind his ear. 

He watched her go, and if Leliana caught the way his eyes focused on Roz’s backside as she left, she didn’t say a word.

[haro-whumps]

Box Boy Meeting Mama

(CW: slavery, dehumanization, creepy + intimate whumper, implied noncon, videorecording, possessive behaviors)

Tag list:  @thatsthewhump @whump-it @ashintheairlikesnow @fairybean101 @finder-of-rings @comfortforthepain @shameless-whumper @that-one-thespian @burtlederp @castielamigos-whump-side-blog @raigash @im-not-rare-im-rarr 

Part 1

“Mama! Mama!” Ren called to the open front door, bouncing down the steps excitedly.

Their mother was a stunningly tall woman, with heavy brown hair that waved like a product model and a solid, masculine build. Her shoulders were broad, her wrists thick, and she had a jawline that could only be drawn using squares. Although her skin was free of wrinkle or blemish, she could never be described as youthful, her presence heavy and sharp in any room she entered. Her color palette was almost exclusively red, with some black and rare gold, and anytime someone told her that a woman of her size shouldn’t wear high heels, she bought herself a taller pair.

“Hello duckling,” she greeted with a bright smile, hugging her child, the only person in the world who would ever describe her as warm or loving.

“Soren!” they called over their shoulder, only half-stepping away from their mother, “Heel! Position 1!”

Soren had been told he’d be meeting Ren’s mama that morning, and had been dressed up for it, wearing what could only be called a toga and gold sandals that stretched up to his knees. He rushed to them and stood with his feet slightly parted, arms at his sides, spine straight.

“Oh there he is,” she said curiously, eyeing him over as though to judge if his presence lived up to the rumors. He stood close to Ren, nervous around the looming woman, with her sharp eyes and strong arms. Ren was his owner, so of course they could do whatever damage they wanted to him, but they knew that to a whumpee, their mama cut a much more intimidating figure. She could do as much damage with a closed fist as Ren might with a belt. Maybe more.

“You’re right, the short hair really isn’t suiting him,” she commented at length, lifting a lock of Soren’s hair, which now skimmed his shoulders. The products were doing their job. She tilted his chin and her eyes lingered on the birthmark. “But you are a cute little thing, aren’t you pet?”

“Thank you, um, m-ma’am?” he said hesitantly, body tense, and Ren giggled.

“Aw,” Ren’s mama said with a knowing click of her tongue. “Did you call my child ‘ma’am’ and get scolded for it?” she asked with a small chuckle shaking her impressive shoulders.

“Uh--um, well,” Soren stammered, which was too cute, so Ren took pity on him and kissed his pretty temple.

“He’s been perfect, lately; hasn’t messed up since, have you angel?”

“No, Exalted,” he said, obviously relieved that Ren had stepped in.

“Oh, Exalted!” Ren’s mama crooned, “I like that, that’s so classy!”

“Thanks!” Ren said cheerfully, beaming up at her. “The other option is ‘Honored One,’ which I think has a similar ring to it.”

“Good choices, good choices,” she agreed. “Well, off to Sunday brunch?”

“Mm!” Ren hummed. They gave Soren a quick kiss to his cheek, petting his hair in a smooth, swift gesture. “Behave yourself while I’m out, Soren. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Have, have fun,” Soren said, glancing between them and their mama, timid around her, but that was fine. If Soren wanted to see Ren as the only safe thing in all the world, that was a-okay by them.

They climbed into the passenger seat of their mama’s red luxury car, one of the smaller ones today, and arranged their skirts around their legs. Best part of skirts: Ren looked phenomenal in them and they showed off their calves. Worst part of skirts: maneuvering in them.

“He really is,” Mama murmured as she started the car with her thumbprint, “That’s your sweet little Soren.”

“I know!” Ren said with a laugh, “I can still hardly believe it sometimes!”

“Well, he seems healthy and whole, at least.”

“Mama! Of course he is!”

She snorted and pinched their cheek, eyes still on the road. “I didn’t say I ever thought you wouldn’t take care of him, dumpling. But you know how those whumpee-vendors can get, sometimes. Every couple of months, it seems like there’s some new scandal that everyone just needs to flood the news streams with.”

Ren sighed knowingly, very put upon. “It’s true. I mean, really, you’d think we’d be past the whole ‘Oh hey let’s lose our shit over this’ phase of whumpees, right? They knew the risks when they signed themselves over, and it’s not like they’re actually people anymore.”

Mama hummed. “Do we want to go for cheese and pasta or are we thinking seafood today?”

“I could go for somewhere with refried beans and pork, if you’re up for it,” Ren stated.

“Oo, fancy today.” Mama threw on her turn signal. “Guaca Maya’s always a safe bet.”

“So, did I not, express, to Soren, enough, that I loved him and liked taking care of him when we were younger? Like, why didn’t he come crawling back to me?”

“Duckling,” Mama crooned, like when they were acting just a little unreasonable about how life wasn’t fair.

“It’s been bothering me since I found him, Mama. I would have forgiven him! He had to have known that, right?”

“Honey, sometimes poor people just… behave in strange ways. They’re not rational.” She gave their thigh a sympathetic squeeze. “The more you try to make sense of them, the more frustrated you’ll get.”

Ren sighed and stroked their brow, probably messing up their eyebrows but ah, such was life. “I know, I know. It doesn’t matter, I have him now,” they said, flaring out their fingers.

“And so cute, too; he’s so nervous!”

Ren giggled. “Oh, oh! Once we get seated I’ll show you; remember how I told you I was buying all those cameras?”

“Oh, that’ll be nice,” she said, parking the car. 

They were seated at one of the better tables, the waitress accidentally calling Mama “sir” before she noticed the mixup, and after they’d ordered their food Ren pulled out their phone and tapped through the application, searching for their boy.

“Ha, there he is,” Ren said, holding out the phone screen so Mama could look. “He really likes that balcony.”

“Good thing, too, his freckles are so pretty when they’re dense,” Mama commented, taking the phone in that way the previous generation had, instead of just looking while Ren held it. Soren was seated on a patio chair, plush but waterproof, and was dozing in the late morning sun. 

“I’m glad I got him the two in one sunscreen and lotion,” Ren remarked, staring gleefully down at the screen, chin in their palm. Even though it would be fun to poke and prod at the burns, they thought privately. Such things were not meant to be shared with their mama; she would scold them for casual violence. 

“You’re such a clever kid,” Mama said proudly, handing the phone back, “Always the most prepared out of all your peers, I don’t know where you got it from.”

“Statistically speaking, probably you,” Ren said, and they both laughed. Brunch went by pleasantly, the two of them catching up on the events of the week. Mama knew a good portion of Ren’s week, since they had kept on delightedly texting her throughout, but it was always fun to eat and chat. Mama enjoyed flaunting her wealth as much as Ren did, and tipped equal to the bill, then drove Ren home.

“Same time next week,” she said before they got out of the car, “But not the week after--”

“--because you’ll be overseas, so we’ll have to videochat,” Ren confirmed, leaning across the consol so she could kiss their cheek affectionately.

“You got it. Alright darling, have a good one.”

“Bye Mama!” Ren called brightly as they got out, and returned inside. Brunch with Mama always left them feeling pleased and calm, and knowing that they were returning to Soren left them positively bouncing, skirt flaring out around their knees. They went to the kitchen to put their leftovers in the fridge,

and their mood turned on a dime.

“What are you doing with those scissors!?” they bellowed, crossing the kitchen in an instant, catching him by the wrist so hard he dropped the blades, their nails pressing bleeding crescents into his skin.

“E-Exalted, I--”

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?!” they yelled, slamming that fragile arm into the pantry door, grabbing him by the front of his toga and lifting, furious, spots swarming their vision.

“Nothing! Please!”

“The hell does nothing need scissors for?” they shouted, their face so close to his that spit flew onto it. “Do you seriously think you can just--”

“Thread! There’s a loose thread!” Soren wailed, free hand desperately pressed against Ren’s chest. They stopped, breathing hard, rage still curling in them but paused, just for a moment. Soren hiccupped on his little sobs and shakily moved his hand to point at the strap of his toga. “T-*hic* There’s a l-loose thread, Honored One,” he said, lifting it so they could see. Thin, unnoticed when the clothing was delivered, hardly even visible without someone pointing it out. “I, I was snipping it. I would never hurt you, Exalted, Ren, please, I would never, I’m not a fighter, I wouldn’t hurt you, please,” his fingers curled in the front of their blouse, “please, never, never. I wouldn’t, Honored One, please believe me, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t.”

Ren released his wrist, their fingers trailing down his skin and leaving bloody marks. They took a deep breath, and let it out, releasing his toga and lifting their hands to his face, cupping his cheeks. “Oh, baby,” they murmured, trying to calm their heartbeat. “Oh Soren,” they said, pressing up against him, his back flush against the pantry door, their face pressed into his hair. His gorgeous hair, that he wasn’t going to cut. He hadn’t even been thinking about it. His first concern was that Ren thought he would hurt them, use the scissors to fight; cutting his hair was so far from his mind it never crossed it. 

They stood there, pressed up against his quietly crying body, for an indeterminate amount of time. They pulled back when they were calm enough, and silently took the thread between their fingers. They leaned down and bit it, snapping it easily, and then kissed Soren’s birthmark.

“Go ahead and clean up the mess you made,” Ren said, glancing at their leftovers, which were now spilled across the kitchen tile. “I’ll go get some disinfectant for your wrist.”

“Thank you,” he said, high and quiet and Ren felt okay enough to smile at him. They kissed his pretty lips, thumbing at the tear tracks, half-dried, and left the kitchen. But not without first grabbing the scissors, taking the blades with them.

Next

[yuhuangzhou]

*yikes*

because i’m absolute trash i did this whole thing in reverse order...this is my overdue questionnaire!

NAME/ALIAS: aza (i love it when people can only respond to me with my name in all caps it means i’ve done a good job) AGE: 23 but i feel old as time DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE HEIST MOVIES? the thieves! SO MANY of the ocean’s movies (but 8 specifically)! baby driver (love the soundtrack integration!)! dog day afternoon! OH AND ALSO that part in sense8 when they’re breaking certain members of their cluster out from the gov’t holding facility!!! love me some sense8!

y’all...this got super long so i’m putting it under a read more. i’m so, so, sorry...getting real tired of my own shit fr fr

DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER’S AESTHETIC:

sweatpants paired with pumps, stupidly cold days where the sun is bright as shit and you’re hot in the direct sun but so cold in the shade as you’re walking with a jacket on, the cold side of a pillow that you’ve flipped over on a hot night, excessive pillows on a bed, sneakily dumping your shot of baijiu, soju, or vodka down a sink or into someone else’s cup or into your own water cup (more on that below!), the kind of smile where your whole face just goes in on it - HARD - like eyes are just CHEESING and it make you feel good when you get one of those directed at you, hair perpetually down and curled or in a low pony (we ain’t showing no back of the neck for free, y’all!), when your ice cream cone breaks at the bottom but there’s the chocolate there to stop the melted cream from trickling out the bottom (coming in clutch)

IF YOU HAD TO COMPARE YOUR CHARACTER TO ANY FICTIONAL CHARACTER, WHO WOULD YOU PICK?

zhiruo falls a bit under the “lovable alpha bitch” stereotype so if any character i’d say among the lines of galinda/glinda from wicked or even a bit of quinn fabray from glee...during the moments where you didn’t absolutely fucking hate quinn fabray and also the writers for butchering her character/personality from season to season but mostly glinda vibes. zhiruo’s got lots of character development incoming - stay tuned!

IF YOU WERE IN THE PRESIDENT’S CLUB, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR SPECIALTY?

honestly maybe the getaway driver...i don’t road rage but when someone’s trying to race me i get really competitive and leave them in the dust but DON’T DO THAT KIDS DRIVE AT THE SPEED LIMIT! otherwise personality-wise probably medic 2!!!

WHAT DREW YOU TO THE PRESIDENT’S CLUB?

love, love, love heist movies! also - the canons were all so well thought out and the skeletons for them so varied and wonderful! plus, seeing the faceclaims and variety of muses and muns is so!!! awesome!!!

LASTLY, SHARE SOME FUN OR INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER

doesn’t drink. not even socially. has somehow gotten by with getting a club soda and a lime at bars and pretending it’s a vodka soda. OR, getting a shot poured for her and dumping it into her water cup and just never drinking from the water or she’ll get a new one. OR dumping it down the sink when everyone’s knocking it back (if they’re in a kitchen/home) or just generally weaseling her way out of it. got SUPER FUCKING sick at like 13 and never got out of her head about it. if you can get her to drink you are SOMETHING else then! has been tipsy/drunk a total of like, four times in her lifetime. good luck if this is your muse’s goal. it’s a worthy one but i’ll be hard!

she does have a stress or social cigarette every now and then though. but she IS that bitch that uses a cigarette holder because she doesn’t want her fingertips to smell, especially if she’s handling precious, priceless art soon after.

fucking l o v e s jewlery. like it’s her achilles heel. heels come a close second though

zhiruo’s not married (clearly) but she wear a big ass teardrop diamond (smth like this) on the ring finger of her left hand. started doing this when she was 27 because people kept asking her about it and now when randos ask she just goes ‘we’re very private but i’m very happy.’ less people ask about it now since her reputation kind of precedes her/that basic info is known among her contracts/contact in her professional life BUT in regards to president’s club...will forget it’s there though - at this point it has no meaning it’s just an accessory she constantly wears. so, let the chaos ensue if your muse is like *eyes emoji* who’s the bae? zhiruo: what credit where credit is due - came up with this while talking to @prdaimu​

hates sandals. hates slides. just doesn’t believe in them. anyone who consistently wears them she’s just *gagging noises* and will refuse to look at them from knee down.

when she’s done with a conversation or completely done with her train of thought she raps her knuckles against the table or any surface she can get a hand on twice

is really insecure about her height (she’s not short, she’s average height....) BUT it’s because her adopted parents are REALLY tall and it’s just become this weird complex even though she doesn’t give shit about anyone else’s height

really has a weird thing for glasses. thinks they’re super cute and attractive

also has a thing for FRAMES. a good frame should compliment an art piece or be virtually unnoticeable. she has many hard opinions on frames so if you want to hear her talk on and on about something she cares about...ask her about the ugly ass frame around the dali piece at the moma in nyc!

[alexander-turners]

Wallbanger (Chapter Two)

Pairing: Roger Taylor x Reader (Ben Hardy!Roger Taylor x Reader)

Summary: Reader moves to a new apartment in London and she finds out that her neighbour is very sexually active. Thanks to the paper-thin walls and the banging on the wall.

Wordcount: 2706

Warnings: smut but not exactly, humor, thoughts about having sex… bad writing?

A/N: I’m so sorry if there are any mistakes. English is not my first language.

Also tumblr is not letting me tag some of you, I’m so sorry about it.

Chapter One | Chapter Three

“Oh, God.”

Thump.

“Oh, God.”

Thump. Thump.

You moaned at the strength of his thrusts, hitting your soft spot. He stared down at your face, your bouncing boobs, and your blissed-out expression. The sight made him even harder. He smirked and threw one of your legs over his shoulder. You moaned again as he increased the speed of his hips.

“Roger–” you cried out.

“You should hold on tight for this, love.” he put your hands above your head on the headboard.

Roger rocked into you harder and deeper this time. God, he was so deep! You shirked as he hit your sweet spot.

“That’s the spot, right?” he rolled his hips and you moaned again.

“Yes! Roger, fuck!” you screamed again. Roger smirked devilishly and leaned down to kiss your neck.

Suddenly everything changed. You woke up, arms over your head, hands gripping the headboard. It was a dream, but it was so realistic!

You sat up and noticed that your pyjamas drenched with sweat. Your hair was drenched with sweat too.

It’s been three days since you met Roger in the hallway. Ever since that midnight encounter, you couldn’t stop dreaming about him. And the dreams weren’t innocent at all.

You didn’t want to dream about him, even though he was attractive as hell and had a sex appeal. In any other circumstances, you would sleep with him in a heartbeat. In any other circumstances where he’s not banging your wall almost every night.

You inhaled the smell of fresh coffee. After pouring it in the coffee you left it on the counter.

Roger fucking you on the counter.

Over the counter.

You slapped yourself in the face. What the hell was happening to you? You were stronger than this. You weren’t that desperate.

Just think about something nice, you told yourself.

Riding a bike… riding Roger.

Ice creams… giving Roger a blowjob.

Cute puppy dogs… Roger fucking you doggy style.

You shook your head and slapped yourself once more. You were as mortified as the night you met him. The memories came back to you.

When you finally stopped looking at his still hard member under the sheet, you spoke.

“Do you have any idea how loud you are in there?” you pointed into the apartment, “I need to sleep! I’ll go inside if I listen to one more second of you and your banging!”

“C’mon, it can’t be that bad. These are pretty thick.” he said and grinned.

You huffed out a breath. This guy was getting into your nerves, “Excuse me? Pretty thick? There’s only one thing thick here and I can assure you that’s your head, not the wall. I can hear everything and I had enough! This thing ends now!” you yelled, face burning with anger.

“Hey, what I do in my home is my business. I’m sorry I disturbed you but you can’t come in the middle of the night and say what I can do and can’t do. Do you see me coming and banging at your door in the middle of the night?” he replied.

“No, you’re banging my wall. We share a bedroom wall.”

“You can hear me but still I can’t hear you. Lemme guess there’s no banging on your side of the right, am I right, love?” Roger smirked and licked his lips as he eyes you up and down.

You remembered what you were wearing. A pink nightie. You folded your arms and watched him. He was checking you out shamelessly.

When Roger’s baby blue eyes met yours, he winked and murmured, “Nice nightie, love.”

That was enough for you to scream in anger and slam your apartment door. But you heard him laughing loudly in the hallway.

You hadn’t seen him since that night.

Thirty minutes later you were slipping on your shoes, Socks was sitting on the windowsill and watching the street, he was still grumpy about your screaming which woke him up.

“Bye, bye Socks, see you tonight!” he turned and looked at you angrily, “I’m so sorry about screaming this morning.”

He turned his gaze to the window. You shook your head and opened the door, after making sure that Roger wasn’t in the hall, you stepped out. Then phone ringing echoed though the apartment. You groaned but closed the door to receive the call.

“Yes.”

“Y/N!” Freddie screamed your name. He was super excited.

You laughed and answered, “Yes, Freddie.”

“Would you like to come to the party I’m organizing?”

“That’s why you called me at… 8:25 in the morning,” you asked. You have to leave now or you’ll be late to work. “to invite me to your party?”

“Yes! Come on, darling, there will be free drinks maybe weed too,“ you laughed at this. Freddie knew you weren’t into the weed, actually you weren’t into the party’s he’d been organizing, “I’ll introduce you to the boys.”

“Wow, that’s your way of luring me to the party then. You’re going to introduce me to the other members of Queen?”

“Is it working?” Freddie murmured.

After thinking for a few seconds you gave in, “Okay I will come to the party.”

Freddie let out a shriek of happiness, “Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious, Freddie.”

“You’re the best, darling! The party is tonight, at 8 pm., at my place. Feel free to bring your two best friends. The more the merrier!”

“Wait, Freddie!” but it was too late, he’d ended the call. You looked at the phone then at the clock on the wall. 8:35. “Shit!” you cursed and stormed out of the apartment.

***

“You don’t have a crush on him, right?” Veronica asked as you walked into the room.

You shot her an angry glance, “I don’t have a crush on him. He’s an asshole.”

“We believe you, Y/N.” Chrissie said and petted Socks. But they both had that expression on. Which meant trouble. You shrugged it off and picked up your high heeled sandals. “How many dreams you had about him?” Chrissie added.

Veronica cursed, Chrissie squealed and added, “You did! You dreamed about him!”

You closed your eyes and turned to see them, “God, help me! Yes, I did, you happy now?”

Veronica’s mouth was open in shock, “You seriously have a crush on him.”

“Can we leave now?”

It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

The car ride to Freddie’s home wasn’t uneventful like you’d hoped. As soon as you and the girls jumped in the taxi they renewed their interrogation.

“He is cute, isn’t he?” asked Veronica.

You groaned and pressed your palms over your eyes, “Fuck yes! But he’s an asshole and I don’t want to be part of his harem.”

That caught driver’s attention, he looked at you through the rearview mirror.

“Harem?” Chrissie asked.

“Yes, harem, Chrissie.” you murmured and instructed the driver to keep his eyes on the road.

“Tell us about the naughty dreams, sweetie,” Veronica uttered excitedly.

“Fuck. The dreams are good, almost too good. But he’s an asshole.” you exclaimed

“We know. You keep saying that.” Chrissie added looking at you.

“Because that’s the truth!”

Veronica laughed at your outburst but collected herself when you looked at her angrily, “Sorry but you’re definitely into someone who’s an asshole, Y/N.”

You folded your arms over your chest and whispered, “I know.”

“Why didn’t Freddie warn you about this guy?” Chrissie questioned.

“Because he wasn’t living in the apartment, some old lady was living,” you informed them.

Veronica and Chrissie nodded and shared a look. They had more questions but neither of them said anything.

***

The taxi stopped in front of Freddie’s house. We walked to the open front door and walked in. You refused to let that asshole to ruin your night. You were with your two best friends about to meet your other best friend and the members of the greatest band ever!

Freddie caught the sight of three of you across from him but he wasn’t alone. Two men were with him. One of them was tall, like really tall, he also had shoulder-length curly hair. The other man was a bit taller than Freddie. He had short curly hair and a shy smile.

Freddie approached you with a smile plastered on his lips. He hugged you all.

“Look at three of you!” he said happily and pulled you and the girls towards the two men he’d been chatting with. “Come on girls, I will introduce you three to the Queen!”

You and the girls were in front of the other two boys as Freddie started the introductions. “This is Y/N,” he said and wrapped an arm around your shoulders. You smiled. “This is Chrissie and Veronica,” he wrapped both arms around them too, “and girls those two are Brian,” he pointed at the man with the long curly hair,

“Hello, nice to meet you,” Brian said and shook your hands.

“And John,” Freddie added.

John awkwardly waved his hand and muttered, “Hi, nice to meet you.”

Veronica breathed in sharply when her gaze met John’s. You tried to stifle a laugh. Soon all six of you were involved in a friendly conversation. Everything was going smoothly; Freddie was disappearing to greet his other guests then reappearing again. In his third reappearance he asked:

“Where is the Blondie?”

“Blondie?” you asked, confused.

“There he is! Hey, Blondie, get your ass here and meet those lovely ladies!”

“I’m coming!” you heard a voice behind you, which was very familiar. You turned around to see who Freddie was inviting.

First, you saw his blue eyes, then his blue shirt which was halfway open and finally his messy blond hair. Your eyes widened when you realized who was in front of you.

“Fucking Wallbanger,” you hissed.

“Fucking Pink Nightie Girl,” he hissed back. His grin disappearing from his face.

The six people behind us were silent. They looked from you back to Roger and then back to you.

“That’s Wallbanger?” Veronica said, nodding to Roger.

“Wait for a second, that’s Pink Nightie Girl?” Brian laughed, John and Freddie snorted.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” you yelled, this couldn’t be happing but unfortunately it was happening, “Are you serious? Pink Nightie Girl?” you were beyond furious. The man who had caused you sleepless nights and constant banging were in front of you and he was smirking.

You wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. Maybe with a punch. But why was he there? Your gaze fell on Freddie.

“Y/N, I had no idea that you knew Roger. What a small world.” He smiled and clapped his hands together.

You chuckled dryly, “Yes, I know him. I know him too well actually. He’s my nosy neighbor. Roger the Wallbanger.”

Freddie’s eyes widened, “No fucking way!” he looked between you and Roger, “Roger is the Wallbanger and Y/N is the Pink Nightie Girl?”

Roger winked at you. You clenched your fists ready to attack him but Chrissie and Brian held you back.

Roger was about to say something but you yanked yourself from your capturers, shouted and pointed him, “Oh for fuck’s sake! You’re coming with me now, asshole.”

You grabbed him by his arm and led him outside, away from the party.

“Jesus, who knew that you were that desperate to sleep with me.”

“In your dreams, asshole.” you answered when you both stopped and faces met. “How dare you tell everyone about me? Calling me Pink Nightie Girl?”

“I could ask you the same question. Why your friends are calling me Wallbanger? What happens in my apartment is my problem.” he hissed back.

“Why you have to be such a manwhore and an asshole,” you asked, face inches from his. His breath was on your lips and cheeks.

“Why you have to be such a cockblocker,” Roger whispered. His gaze fell on your lips then returned to your eyes.

When you opened your mouth to tell him something sarcastic, Roger kissed you.

Your eyes widened. His blue eyes were on yours. After a few seconds when the shock from his act passed you pushed him away and you slapped his right cheek.

Roger was shocked but then you did something that shocked you too. You grabbed his half-open blue shirt and pulled him closer, kissing him. This time both of you closed your eyes, enjoying the feeling.

The drummer wrapped his arms around your waist and pushed you to the concrete fence so your back was touching it.

When Roger bit your bottom lip, you broke the kiss and push him away for the second time this night. Roger let out a moan which you heard.

“This never happened, understood?”

“Whatever you say.” he held his hands up defensively and smirked.

You huffed out and started walking away but turned to face him, “And stop calling me Pink Nightie Girl.”

“That’s your nickname, love until I see your other nighties.” he shot back as you started walking away.

You tripped and almost fell. He laughed loudly. His eyes checked you out as you walked away.

“And stop checking out my ass.”

***

Freddie, Brian, John, Veronica, and Chrissie laughed as the girls were telling them the story of Roger the Wallbanger.

You groaned at your public humiliation you spun around and walked out of the house, drink still in hand when you saw Roger. You tried to get away but he saw you.

“So I was thinking, we should call a truce, after all, we are neighbors,” Roger said hopefully.

“We can call a truce but I won’t sleep with you,” you answered. “And we will have some rules.”

Roger sipped his drink and looked at you expectedly. “Shoot.”

“I don’t care what you do during the day but I need to sleep. So please, let’s keep the sounds to a minimum when it’s dark.”

He agreed and sipped his drink once more and held out his hand, “Friends?”

You took it and shook it slightly. “Friends.” After drinking your cocktail, you muttered, “It’s late, I should go home.”

“Let me…” Roger rubbed back of his neck, “Let me take you home, we’re living in the same building.”

You didn’t know why but you agreed. You told Freddie that you’re going home, he wasn’t that you were leaving too soon. But his expression changed when he found out that Roger was taking you home.

“How do you know Freddie?” he asked curiously.

“I know him thorough his sister Kashmira. I know Freddie since high school.”

“What do you do for a living?” Roger’s eyes were fixated on the road.

“I’m an editor. I edit books, magazine and newspaper articles but mostly books.”

“Wait, you’re that Y/N?” he said, shaking his head, “What a small world.”

“What do you mean that Y/N?” you questioned and turned to face him completely.

“It’s just… Freddie has mentioned you before. And…”

“And?” you wanted him to continue.

Roger took a deep breath and spoke up, “He wanted us to meet…”

“Oh.” you breathed out.

“Yeah.”

The car ride ended too quickly. Now you and Roger were walking up the stairs. You couldn’t help but ask him. “Does Freddie know about the harem?”

Roger rolled his eyes, “Could you stop calling them that. Those two girls are important to me.”

“Whatever you say.” Roger’s eyes find your eyes as you turned around. “How long do you know Freddie?”

“Since college.” you nodded and continued the journey to your apartment.

“I could ask you what you do for a living but I know, you’re the drummer in Queen.”

Roger chuckled and nodded. He liked your sassy attitude.

You both reached the floor with the two apartments. “Well… goodnight, Roger.”

Roger’s heart fluttered as you said his name. He smiled at you. “Goodnight. The truce is still on, right?”

“Yes, it’s still on, unless I hear the banging through the thin walls.” you laughed.

Roger opened his door and turned to you before entering the apartment, “By the way, speaking of thin walls.”

“Yes?”

He thumped his fist on the wall, “Sweet dreams, love.” he winked and disappeared into the apartment.

What was that? Sweet dreams, thumping, and thin walls?

Then it came to you. He’d hear you moaning his name.

Wallbanger taglist: @quirkydeaky, @leeezie, @mrsmazzellotaylor, @shutup-sorry, @rogahtaylahisathot, @prettygiiiiirl @maggieroseevans, @crookedcomedian, @perrythefrickinplatypus, @laraspacegirl, @rhapsdior, @itissnowingandimstuckinside, @killer-genesis, @rogertaylorsbitontheside, @luvborhap , @deakysmisfire, @rogxrtaylxr, @vanitysfairr, @sparkled-night, @queen-turtle-boiii, @rogershoe, @incorrcctqueen, @lorayma9, @loveandbeloved29, @xox-talia-xox, @ixchel-9275, @delightfullynlove, @millie67

[miraculous-consequence]

Consequence of Our Love, Ch. 3: Just Enjoy

Then she felt the spark that glowed where their hands touched. Comfortable. Quiet. Happy.

“Okay,” she said, and she smiled. “I’m all yours.”

--

Consequence of Our Love is a pre-reveal, post-Hawk Moth AU exploring Marinette and Adrien’s lives as adults. | Read from the Beginning | Read on AO3

Rating: Mature

Chapter Warnings (Overall in the tags): None

--

It wasn’t right.

Marinette removed her hair clip and ran her fingers into her hair, undoing the hairstyle she had just spent a half hour finishing. The updo had been too formal and flirty, definitely not suited for the date. It was the fifth hairstyle she had tried, and she still hadn’t picked out an outfit from the twenty laid out across her bed, and the remains of ten attempts at makeup stuck to towels on the floor. Nothing seemed to be right for a date with Chat Noir.

She huffed. That was the issue. How could anything she wore be right for a date with Chat Noir? The date itself wasn’t right!

“How did I agree to this ridiculous idea?” She cried and slid down the bathroom wall in defeat.

“I’m just as dumbfounded as you are,” Tikki chimed in. She was painting herself with a tiny makeup kit for children that Marinette had gotten her. She liked the bright colors.

“I should be kicking his furry ass out of Paris for showing up so out of nowhere! I should be slamming the concept of responsibility into his tiny, idiot brain and shaking him until he finally realizes how much of a stupid, inconsiderate jerk he is!” Marinette mimicked shaking Chat Noir by his ears. “Instead! I’m going on a stupid DATE with him! And now I’m the stupid one obsessing over the fact I can’t find ANYTHING GOOD ENOUGH TO WEAR!”

“Do you think that maybe you missed him?” Tikki asked. Marinette grunted. Tikki had perfected the art of asking seemingly innocent, pointed questions.

“Of course I missed him, Tikki. He’s my partner. Was, my partner, I guess.” She bent forward and rested her elbows on her knees.

“There’s still a chance he’ll stay,” Tikki offered. Marinette sighed.

“I hope so. He just seemed so… not Chat Noir last night.” She leaned back and rubbed her arms. “I mean, he was totally the Chat Noir I remembered when he was with me by the river. He was obnoxious and flamboyant and confident…. But last night, he seemed so… scared. I’ve never seen him so broken before.”

Marinette squeezed her arm. She expected Tikki to respond with an encouraging quip like she always did, but when Marinette looked up, Tikki was staring darkly at the countertop. She looked just as dejected as Marinette felt. For a moment, Marinette faced the deep unease that had been growing inside of her ever since Chat Noir knocked on her window.

Marinette dug her nails into her skin, shoved the feeling down, and stood up. There was no point in fretting over what Chat Noir would do - especially when a chance to get him to stay awaited her.

“You’re right, Tikki,” she said, and leaned against the counter. “There is a chance he’ll stay, and I’m going to make sure I do everything I can to make him take that chance. Chat Noir can be a superhero again. He can find a life worth living here in Paris. Tonight is the perfect chance to show him that.”

“Marinette, I don’t think-“ Tikki was interrupted by Marinette’s text tone. Marinette picked up her phone and saw it was from Alya.

Movie and ice cream tonight? I got the fancy stuff!

“Shoot,” Marinette cursed. She did want to hang out. Ever since Alya got her new job as a reporter and Marinette’s fashion line took off, it had been harder and harder to find the time to hang out. Their slump was incredibly frustrating. Marinette really missed Alya, and she was desperate to pounce on any chance to be with her best friend.

But tonight, she had another friend to tend to.

“Are you going to tell her about your date?” Tikki asked. The thought curdled inside Marinette like bad sushi. She grimaced.

“I can barely tell myself that I’m doing this. No way I’m telling Alya!”

“I bet she’d understand,” Tikki offered.

“What would I even say? ‘Hey Alya, can’t make it! I’m going on a make-believe date with my old superhero friend who I have no romantic interest in, because I’m absolutely desperate for any sort of romantic affection, even though none of it is real and none of it can be real!’” Marinette exclaimed dramatically.

She scrunched her face up in disgust. “Plus it’s Chat Noir. How can I admit that I’m going on a date with Chat Noir?” It was like going on a date with a childhood friend you’ve known since you were both in diapers. It didn’t matter how strong and handsome he looked now. Didn’t matter how warm his eyes were. Didn’t matter how kind and charming and funny he was.

It was just weird.

Sorry Alya :( I need a raincheck. Hanging out with an old friend. Marinette sent back.

You have other friends? I didn’t think it was possible! Alya sent a GIF of a women dramatically collapsing on the floor in shock.

What did I do to deserve a friend as kind as you.

I always believed in being charitable.

Love you, Al.

Love you M.

Marinette smiled and placed her phone back on the counter. She leaned forward and applied another round of makeup.

“Sorry Tikki - you were saying something?”

“I…” Tikki trailed off as if she was trying to find the right words to say. Marinette paused and looked at her, confused by her hesitation.

“I just wanted to ask - what do you think he’ll do for the date?” Tikki finished. Marinette laughed weakly.

“Honestly, I’m kinda scared to think about it.” She teased out her hair. “Based on what he’s done for Ladybug in the past, he’ll probably do something textbook romantic. Lots of roses and candles. I hope it’s not too cheesy.”

“Like dinner-at-the-top-of-the-Eiffel-Tower kind of cheesy?” Tikki said mischievously.

“UGH, I hope not. It’s so windy up there!” Marinette stepped back and examined herself. She pursed her lips and grabbed the make-up remover.

“I bet it’ll be sweet and unexpected,” Tikki said. “Chat Noir can be very thoughtful.”

“He can be very thoughtless, too,” Marinette retorted, then conceded. “But he does have a tendency to surprise.”

Her phone sounded again. Marinette reached for it, expecting it to be another text from Alya, but instead it was from an unknown number. She could guess who it was from. Inside was a long list of directions to an undisclosed location, signed with a green paw print. Marinette groaned.

You could’ve just sent an address, Marinette texted back. A few moments passed, then Chat’s response.

Google would’ve killed the surprise. Don’t be late.

She snorted and put up her phone. “Guess I better settle on an outfit.”

Marinette took a deep breath. Compelled by a looming deadline, Marinette’s brain snapped into the zone where it always worked best - crunch time. She grabbed her best pair of high-waisted black pants and slapped them on the bed. “Sensual, but not sexy or formal!” She swiped her pink sleeveless top with the high neck, and threw it above the pants. “Cute and inviting, but not revealing!” Next, she tossed her black leather jacket onto the pile.“Cool AND functional!” Lastly, she grabbed her reliable pink sandals that wrapped up her ankle. “Comfortable, stylish, and most importantly, heeled to give me an extra inch on that tall bastard!”

“And Voila!” Marinette spun around in the mirror, admiring herself in the full outfit. She finished the look with a quick bun - just the right amount of formal, just the right amount of messy.

“It’s perfect, Marinette!” Tikki exclaimed. Marinette burst out laughing when she saw her kwami in the mirror. Tikki had given herself a full clown face from the make-up kit.

“Tikki, that’s way too much make-up!” Marinette said. “You gotta learn subtlety!”

“I think I look dashing!” Tikki said happily, unshaken by Marinette’s reaction. She posed for Marinette, making her laugh even harder. “I do actually need help getting all of this off,” Tikki giggled. Marinette wiped her face and carried Tikki to the bathroom, chuckling the whole time.

“This is one of those times where I really wish you could be caught on camera,” Marinette said as she grabbed a couple make-up remover wipes. Tikki laughed again, but this time with less cheer. As Marinette wiped away the make-up, she realized Tikki had something heavy on her mind that she wanted to share.

“What is it, Tikki?” She asked.

“Marinette…” Tikki began. “I know you want to fix Chat Noir, but the reality is that Chat Noir has changed. Emotional pain is different from physical pain - we don’t have the power to turn back the hands of time on trauma. We can’t just fix it. You know that.”

Marinette looked away. I do know that. She clenched her fist. Better than anyone.

But she couldn’t just sit back. The last time Chat Noir left her, he was gone for seven years. She had to do everything she could to get him to stay this time. She had to let him know she was going to be there for him - both as Ladybug and as Marinette.

“I’m not trying to fix him, Tikki. I just… want to help him get better. I want to show him that he’s capable of being a superhero again.”

Tikki bowed her head, then glided up to rub Marinette’s cheek. “The best way to do that is by enjoying the time you spend with him. Chat Noir must make his own choice. Only he knows what will be best for him.”

“But I can make a difference,” Marinette answered. Tikki shook her head.

“Just enjoy, Marinette,” Tikki said. “Don’t worry about any of the other stuff - just focus on having a good time with Chat Noir. That’s the best thing you can do for him. And for you.”

Marinette bit her lip. “I’ll do my best, Tikki,” she said. Tikki smiled and glided to her compartment inside Marinette’s purse.

Just enjoy tonight, Marinette told herself as she slid on her purse. The rest will follow.

--

With her head held high, Marinette set off towards Chat Noir’s mystery date location. The instructions were surprisingly thorough. She smiled at the thought of Chat Noir going along the same path she was, stopping occasionally to write down notes.

She smelled it before she saw it. It smelled like fresh bread, spring, and summer.

“An outdoor market!” She exclaimed. The market stretched before her, full of carts and stalls teeming with artisan foods, fresh produce, photography, flowers, artwork, and more. People milled around happily, laughing and enjoying themselves. Marinette was filled with excitement and wonder.

She didn’t hear the sound of the footfalls behind her, but she felt them. The hair on the back of her neck rose, and all of her muscles tensed. She gripped her purse strap.

“Hey Marinette!”

In a flash, Marinette was swinging her purse at her assailant. She only realized who she was attacking when her purse smashed into Chat Noir’s face.

“GAH!” Chat cursed and staggered away. “Geez, Marinette!”

“Shoot!!” Marinette rushed forward to help him. “Why the hell did you do that!” She snapped as she gently held his face to examine the damage. She thumbed his cheek, then realized in embarrassment that Chat was essentially invincible. There was no point in tending to his wound. She drew back, blushing.

“I was trying to surprise you. I didn’t realize you had insane instincts and a motive to kill.” Chat said, rubbing his face.

“Well when you have maniacs landing from the sky right behind you, you tend to be prepared— uhhh, what the hell are you wearing?” Marinette finally got a good look at Chat Noir, and realized he was wearing clothes. Normal clothes. A sweater. Cargo shorts. Over his supersuit.

“Like it?” Chat asked, posing. She stood speechless, her mouth trying to find the right words for… whatever this was.

“It’s definitely… a look,” she managed. “Is this supposed to be some sort of terrible disguise?”

“Not a disguise.” He held his arms out, as if it gesturing to an adoring crowd, and projected his voice. “It’s all part of the plan, purrrrincess, to give you an authentic Chat Noir relationship!”

Marinette stared blankly at him. He held his pose.

“I’ve made a mistake. I should go home.” She turned away.

“Trait one of a perfect, romantic relationship!” Chat blocked her path with a dramatic scoop, and she couldn’t hold in her giggles. “Casual and comfortable! Relationships can’t all be romance and passion - we all must come home and take care of the chores of day-to-day living. The best relationships,” he paused to tap Marinette’s nose, “are the ones where no matter what you’re doing, no matter how boring or stuffy the task, you’ll enjoy doing it, because you’re doing it with someone you care about.”

“So you’re wearing clothes?”

“It’s supposed to represent being casual!” Chat argued, his voice back to normal and whiny. He fussed with his shirt sleeves. “Is it really that bad? Gah, Plagg was right. I’ll go take them off-“

“Nope!” Marinette grabbed his arm and stopped him. “You’re committed to this, kitty. I’m not letting you back out. Now go on, continue with the show.”

Chat Noir smirked, coughed for effect, then gestured widely to the market. “AND SO!” He boomed. “We are going shopping! The bounty we gather will serve as our sustenance tonight during the rest of your brilliant, swooning night of no consequences.” He ended with a bow.

Marinette clapped and chuckled. “Alright, I gotta admit. This is actually a really lovely idea, Chat!” He grinned and gazed wistfully out at the plaza.

“I ALWAYS wanted to go to one of these when I was in Paris, but I never got the chance,” he said. “I got so lucky that this was happening today! I was worried that you would’ve guessed I was taking you here, since you probably keep track of these kinds of events.”

Marinette shook your head. “I had no idea, actually. I haven’t gone to an outdoor market in forever.” When was the last time I went to one of these? Or any community event? She thought.

“Then this should be an awesome experience for both of us,” Chat cheered. He handed her a few empty tote bags, all decorated with food puns. “And as for dinner later - I’ve got the main entree covered, but you are responsible for baking something delicious for dessert!”

“I thought this was supposed to be my most romantic night ever, yet I’m supposed to be making my own food?” Marinette teased.

Chat Noir didn’t lose his swagger. “I happen to know firsthand that the best meals are the ones you get to make with those you care about.” Marinette chuckled.

“I suppose I can make some cookies,” she said. “But they’re not gonna be pretty with the time you’re giving me!”

“As long as they have personality,” Chat teased.

A flash startled Marinette. She jerked towards the source, and she realized that they were being photographed. A few people had gathered and were pointing excitedly at Chat. Anxiety prickled at her insides. She had never quite gotten used to media attention. She handled it much better under the confident mask of Ladybug, but as a civilian, Marinette felt too vulnerable in the camera’s sights. Chat Noir seemed unphased.

“Don’t let them ruin our date. They’re all just trying to have a good time, like we are,” he told her, then held out his arm. “Shall we get going?”

Marinette glanced nervously at the bystanders, then back at Chat’s charming smile. She smiled and took his arm. “Of course, my purrrince,” she teased. She was very satisfied by the ridiculous grin he gave her.

They took off into the market, which spread across several blocks. Artists, farmers, and local artists had all come out to show off their talents and creations. It was incredibly charming. Marinette couldn’t believe that she hadn’t been here in so long.

“So comfortable and casual, huh?” Marinette said as they walked.

“Yep.” Chat Noir said. “I feel like the idea of being comfortable with your significant other is underrated. It can’t all be passion and fire.”

“Otherwise, it’s just… torture.” Marinette agreed. She narrowed her eyes, thinking of all those years during her youth spent pining fruitlessly over Adrien.

“If you’re not comfortable, the expectations of what should be become too much. It overshadows the quiet, powerful moments that really make up a relationship.” Chat continued. She considered this idea and found herself agreeing. His insight surprised her.

“Cheese!” Chat exclaimed suddenly. “I need a few kinds for the meal tonight. Let’s go there first.” He took her by the hand and guided her to the cheese stand. He left her to bargain with the stand owner, and she watched him from afar, joking and laughing as if all was good in the world.

He was back to his charming, funny self. It was a sharp contrast to the anger and pain he showed Ladybug last night. Marinette knew that pain was still simmering underneath his facade, but she found herself forgetting all of that within the glow of the day and his presence. She realized that she was actually enjoying herself - she hadn’t once thought about how freaking weird this whole thing was since they had started.

It just felt like old times.

Lost in thought, she didn’t see the cat run beneath her feet as she took a step.

“WAH!” Marinette fell to the ground, releasing the contents of her purse onto the pavement. She opened her eyes to see Tikki desperately clinging to the inner mouth of the purse so she wasn’t tumbled out into the public view. Marinette rushed to close the purse clasp before getting up off the ground. She groaned and held her head.

“Marinette!” Chat Noir ran over to her and helped her back onto her feet.

“Thank you,” Marinette said as he lifted her up, then on an impulse added, “You don’t make a half-bad superhero.” Chat smiled at her, but it was dry and polite. Marinette suddenly felt ashamed.

Chat Noir turned away and began helping the crowd of people collecting her purse’s former contents. They all returned her items with a smile and nod. Her embarrassment was replaced with warmth from their kindness. She was proud of the people she protected.

She turned around to see Chat holding out her good-luck charm. Adrien’s good-luck charm. Her face immediately turned red, and she swiped it from Chat’s palm.

“That’s a lovely bracelet,” Chat mentioned. “I bet there’s a story behind that.”

“Y-yeah,” Marinette stuttered. “It was given to me by an old friend as a good-luck charm. I probably should have thrown it away years ago - I haven’t really talked to him in years and we never got the chance to get really close - but I just couldn’t bear to give it up…”

“I think it’s really sweet to keep a token of an old friend.” Chat placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. She looked up at him. Was he blushing? Chat Noir moved his hand to her back and guided her onward. “I bet he still thinks fondly of you from time to time.”

Marinette smiled. She squeezed the bracelet and placed it gently back in her purse. She wasn’t so sure Adrien still thought of her - but that was okay. She just hoped he was doing alright, and that he was enjoying today with a friend.

They navigated the stalls, talking to the stall owners and examining the wares. Marinette recognized many of the stall owners as people she helped as Ladybug. It was delightful to meet them in a different context. She bought something from every stall she could, even those that didn’t interest her, and tipped extra to those who were just as pleasant to her as they were to Ladybug.

“I don’t mind paying,” Chat Noir had offered, but Marinette politely declined.

“My dream has given me a comfier lifestyle than I thought I’d ever have,” Marinette explained. “I want to support those who are building their dreams now.”

“Even if it means buying a lot of stuff we won’t use?” Chat lifted up a bag looped on his arm, bulging with artwork, trinkets, and sculptures.

“Bah, I’ll find a use for it all! Like I could 3D print a frame for this flower sculpture! And this pottery would look great with some greenery on the shelf in my living room.” Marinette started digging through his bag, ignoring the way his muscles bulged as he compensated for her force. She fished out a small bright green gem and held it up proudly. “I could totally fashion this into a necklace for you! Or maybe a keychain? What even is your fashion style? The only other thing I’ve seen you in is a banana suit.”

“The banana suit is my only other fashion style.” Chat Noir said, deadpan.

“Maybe it’d look best on a bracelet.” Marinette ignored him. “I can make you your own good-luck charm!”

Chat Noir broke and chuckled. “I’d like that a lot.”

They pushed onward. Marinette stopped to buy ingredients for cookies at a bakery stand then perused their fresh bread options. Chat asked if they could make their own bread, and Marinette gave him a withering look. He smiled apologetically, veered towards a vegetable stall, and began talking with the vendor. Marinette noticed his words were loose and warm, but he examined each vegetable meticulously. He seemed determined to find the best ingredients, and she was surprised at how much he knew. Marinette could bake like no other, but cooking had never been her strong suit. Chat even seemed to know the different varieties and how to tell if produce was ripe. Marinette smiled. His attentiveness was… very endearing. Even if he didn’t understand how much time and effort it took to bake bread.

Chat sniffed a clump of oregano and widened his eyes in surprise. “Wow, I should shop more often as Chat Noir. With my enhanced smell, I can basically taste which produce will be the best!” He exclaimed and set aside the oregano to be purchased.

He picked up a lemon and immediately hissed in pure disgust. He dropped it back on the pile.

“Cats aren’t known for their love of citrus, ya know,” said the stall keeper. “Didn’t think that applied to cat men, but might as well.” Chat Noir stuck up his nose.

“Guess I shouldn’t have planned a lemon-based sauce,” he grumbled. Marinette held her fist up to her chin in thought.

“Were you planning on cucumbers? I wouldn’t want you to be scared…” She teased, earning an elbowing from Chat.

“Let’s go ahead and pack up two onions, three of the zucchini and squash, four bell peppers- surprise me on the color- and -“ he grabbed a cucumber and booped Marinette on the nose with it. “-one cucumber please.”

“You got it, Cat Man.”

They left the stall loaded with bags of produce. Chat insisted on getting extra veggies for Marinette to take home with her, though she protested that she hardly cooked for herself. He promised to leave her with some recipes she could try.

They left the market as the sun began to set and the stands closed up for the day. As they walked, Chat suddenly sneezed. He looked around in surprise then sneezed again, more violently.

“You okay?” Marinette asked, and he turned to her, bleary-eyed.

“Allergies. Must be a lot of birds around here,” he explained, though the street was empty. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then said, “Come on, let’s keep moving.”

They walked slowly, partly because of their load, but mostly because they were savoring the moment.

“I gotta admit, I wasn’t expecting this,” Marinette said.

“You mean the date?” Chat asked.

“Yeah. Actually, I didn’t know what to expect at all. But not a farmer’s market.”

“I thought it’d be a good way to relax into things. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t been on a fake date before. I knew if I jumped straight into the romance, I’d be too tense to effectively ‘woo’ you.” He bowed when he said this, but his bags shifted forward, pushing him off balance. Marinette laughed and helped him recover.

“It was a good idea,” she said as she set him on his feet. “I was anxious all day thinking about what we’d do and how I should act. But when I actually got here… well, I forgot we were even doing anything weird.”

“This is weird?” Chat asked, then laughed when Marinette made a face. “I’m glad I was able to help you relax.”

“Smacking you in the face certainly didn’t hurt,” Marinette teased. He laughed.

“I take my commitment to my role seriously,” Chat Noir said with a wink. Marinette grinned.

“I look forward to seeing what my fake-boyfriend will offer me next,” she teased. “Because right now, it kinda just seems like two friends hanging out…”

Chat Noir laughed. “Don’t you worry. ‘Comfortable and casual’ was only Phase One. The night is still young.”

“Anything I should do to prepare?” Marinette asked. She gasped as Chat spun her towards him and grabbed both her hands. He squeezed them.

“Just enjoy,” he said. Marinette looked up into his eyes, and she felt the warmth from his gaze flood her entire body like the sun rising over a spring morning.

She thought of the pain hidden behind his smile. She thought of the decision resting in his mind, hanging heavy in the air between them. She thought of the power she held to convince him to stay.

Then she felt the spark that glowed where their hands touched. Comfortable. Quiet.

Happy.

“Okay,” she said, and she smiled. “I’m all yours.”

--

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