#DANG IT i also do not know if I should have replied with a reblog so here is an added tag in edit apologising in case that was wrong

[sugarushwriting]

from this idea/request

your dream job.

working with a boy kpop group as a marketing newbie.

they came to the united states for tour. you were excited to work for the one and only stray kids.

𐒡𝛫𝛧

not proofread. please like, comment, reblog! do not repost or translate, tysm!!

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ₊˚⊹♡

you could barely contain your excitement. even 2 weeks later and 4 shows later. you don’t think you’d ever get over the fact you are literally working with the stray kids.

you didn’t care if your job was to double check and make sure catering was okay. or if the wardrobe designers had everything they needed. or ran errands for food or other supplies.

it was all worth it to be able to be in close proximity with the stray kids.

your korean language knowledge lacked, however the boys were good speaking in english and hearing you talk in your native language. you once even apologized to them because you couldn’t communicate with them in their language. even with simple words.

bang chan and felix looked at you like you had two heads and said to never apologize for that. it seemed the other boys didn’t mind either.

you all communicated well enough to make sure everyone was on the same page.

right now you were carrying 2 big plastic bags and 2 drink carriers to the guys’ dressing room while they waited for press conference in boston.

opening the door softly, you bowed and walked in quietly as each boy was doing their own thing.

han was singing, lee know harmonizing. hyunjin and felix playing a game on their phone. seungmin and i.n. was napping. changbin and bang chan deep in conversation.

you were just surprised more chaos wasn’t happening right now.

changbin and bang chan immediately saw you carrying everything and rushed to get up to help you.

“here, let us help.” changbin said in his cute english accent.

“we could’ve went and got our own take out.” bang chan smiled taking the drinks.

“it’s fine, part of the job.” you awkwardly replied.

“thank you so much!” felix smiled pausing his game with hyunjin.

you turned around to leave the boys, as your supervisor would yell at you for spending too much time lingering.

even though the boys (all 8) have even told you they didn’t mind company.

they loved their u.s. staff.

“do you want to join us? we got extra.” bang chan asked. what you didn’t recognize in his tone was hope.

he was hoping you would say yes. but frowned when you shook your head politely. “i wish i could, but i should go see if my boss needs me for anything else.” you smiled and walked out of the dressing room.

your smile could melt bang chan.

what you didn’t know, was that bang chan started to enjoy your company. the first day he met you, newbie to this industry and work, he loved the brightness your energy brought.

he wanted to call you sunshine in a nickname, but was scared to see how you would react.

him having a crush on staff? fine, okay.

but he knew you were probably drilled to not even look twice in their direction in that way or else you’d be terminated.

he didn’t want to ruin this opportunity for you.

but he also wanted you. sexually? maybe. but even more so, just wanted to spend more time with you.

and he would find a way.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

and bang chan did.

he had texted your personal cell asking for you to bring him something as he felt nauseous and had a headache.

it was rare bang chan asked for anything. at least, from what you observed.

so the fact he texted your personal cell rather than your work cell, your stomach dropped thinking something was truly wrong with him.

you even texted him back asking if you should bring back up, and he had said no.

bang chan: no, i just need you

bang chan: and the stuff i asked for, yeah

bang chan’s ears got red at the thought of the first text message and how it could be interpreted.

he waited anxiously in his private hotel room, pacing back and forth waiting for your knock.

what if you got the stuff but handed it off to security to bring to him? dang it, he should’ve been more specific that he wanted you to hand it directly to him.

light knocks came to the door, and he smiled knowing it was you being polite, even with knocking on a door.

he opened it, seeing your worried face, and you pushed passed him.

“are you okay bang chan?” you asked frantically and took everything out the bag that could hopefully help him.

bang chan couldn’t get sick and you would do everything you could to help that.

in reality, bang chan was fine.

“just feeling a bit queasy.” he says with a fake frown. “no matter how much traveling we do, being in different time zones so many times do get to us.”

“i bet!” you turned to him finally seeing him. he was dressed in black sweatpants, black sleeveless shirt and house slippers.

those fucking muscles. you could literally drool at the sight. heck, you probably were. you had to blink rapidly to get your mind right.

“yes, right,” um you stuttered, noticing bang chan smiling. “i—i should go now.”

“stay for a while?” he asked, his question thick with his aussie accent.

“i don’t know—,”

“please? just for one movie at least?”

was this appropriate? probably not. you could potentially get fired. but couldn’t you also get fired if you left your client unhappy?

you’d do anything to make the boys happy. anything. and you knew if you truly didn’t want to, they wouldn’t make you.

the thing is—you wanted it all.

bang chan hoped you would agree. but he wouldn’t hold you hostage if you said no.

please say yes, he internally begged.

you nodded, “okay.”

thankfully, you were dressed in comfy clothes because when he had texted you, you ran to the nearest convenience store in panic.

his room was big enough to have two big comfy chairs that had sight of the television on the wall.

“what kind of movies do you enjoy?”

“anything in mind yourself?” you asked.

“how about the new marvel movie?”

“sounds good to me!” you smiled and hugged your knees close to your chest getting comfy on the chair as he got comfy on the other chair next to you.

if bang chan was bold enough, he would’ve asked if you wanted to watch the movie while laying in bed.

but would that be too bold? he can hear some members say, ‘not bold enough!’

how bold should he be with you? he did some lurking and found your personal social accounts. before you deleted any evidence, he found that you were a fan of theirs.

although he joked saying fans needed to touch some grass, he needed to touch some grass.

he saw the thirsty posts you had made of him before deleting. that’s why he wore the sleeveless shirt.

going shirtless would be too much too soon.

bang chan was restless during the entire movie and you noticed quickly.

you got up and grabbed some of the medicine and pedialyte from the bag. “here take this. you’re restless!”

“oh, um thank you.” he smiled timidly and took the the one pill and drunk the pedialyte.

“maybe that’ll help.” you smiled sitting back down.

“i think I should lay down?” he asked more in a question rather than a statement.

“ok, i’ll leave you be.” you smiled and stood back up.

“no, can you stay? um, just make sure i don’t vomit in my sleep?” bang chan wanted to cringe so badly at his own pleading.

“don’t you sleep naked?” you blurted without much thought and he laughed.

“yeah i do, but i can stay dressed for you.” he winked.

oh this flirt. this mister, ‘i don’t know how to flirt.’

should you stay?

“yes, you should stay.” he said and you wanted to slap yourself as you found that you said that out loud.

bang chan got comfy in bed, turning off the television. he patted the empty spot next to him. you hesitated but remembered technically he’s your boss too.

the thought of sleeping with your boss? your celebrity crush who’s your boss? amazing.

you sat next to him and you two got in comfortable conversation. it started with him asking how did you know you wanted a job like this and you replied it started in your teen years with the 17-magazine and teen vogue magazines wanting to be around celebrities and get to know them better.

like isn’t it fun to be able to interview your favorite popular artists?

as time you went on, you suddenly yawned and looked at the clock on the hotel nightstand.

“shit! it’s almost 1 am!”

bang chan laughed. “well, our show isn’t until the day after tomorrow,”

“you mean today? the day after today?”

“no. it’s not today until we sleep then wake up. regardless of time.”

you looked at him with interest. “that’s an interesting way to put it.”

“either way, we sleep, we wake up, we have nothing to do so we can sleep in.”

“well depends if my boss needs me to do anything.”

“i can tell her to give you a day off. say i need you as my personal assistant.”

you laughed. “personal assistant in what? keeping you company.”

bang chan blushed. “maybe.” he replied quietly with a smile.

“i can do that.” you replied.

was chan flirting with you? or was he just being his usual self?

no, this seemed like flirting. you doubt he’d just ask anyone for that.

“well i can keep you company whenever we wake up.”

“and tonight. while we sleep?” bang chan stared at you, his brown eyes looking at you with hope.

“sleep?” you choked out nervously. sleep? with? bang chan?

you could literally combust.

“i don’t have sleep clothes?” you questioned.

“i can lend you something if you need, unless you sleep naked too?”

you bit your bottom lip. should you do this?

“please? i won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with. if you don’t want me to touch you, i wont. i—i just really like your company.” bang chan admitted shyly.

how could you say no to that? “okay.” you smiled.

what you wish you could tell him was, ‘yes! touch me! i’ll sign an additional nda!’

you got into bed next to bang chan, after dressing in a plain black oversized stray kids shirt he gave you. you denied needing any pants as it would just make you restless in your sleep.

the shirt covered all that needed to be covered.

you both laid in bed, facing each other with nervous smiles.

“we should get some sleep.” you said with a yawn.

“yeah, we should.”

you and bang chan stayed up until 6 am that morning.

[crustmass]

I'm fine and sorry about that I just felt stressed? Idk to reblog a bunch of stuff before 2024. I did not mean to take it all from you, and I will try to spread out what I reblog some more especially within a few minutes. Happy around New Year's

Hey @varyingwikipediatabsopen are you ok? I’ve gotten like-35 notifs from you in like, 3 minutes.

Just checking in-and happy probably around New Years or yeah.

[krysmcscience]

Intro post I will prolly edit later, lol

Figured I needed to make a pinned post at some point for people checking out my page.

Here's my ko-fi - And yes, I do commissions. The prices are based on the time and effort it takes me. If you want something cheap and fast, I offer '$2 per minute' sketches. I can do more with that time than you might think. (Granted, I also worry way less about pesky things like anatomy and outfit details.)

Here's my Ao3 - My stuff is dark and unpleasant, because my life has been dark and unpleasant, and thus what I write is not meant for either children or people who think censoring dark and unpleasant things helps anyone. :) My stuff is also Pretty Dang Queer.

Here's my original art tag - I tend to stick to just a few hyperfixations, and rotate between them, sometimes with overlap. Current hyperfixation is Breach, and a bit of Heavenshine. On hold is The Spirit Marauder, Starlight Killer, and Bleached Canvas, among other stories that I may or may not have posted about. Sometimes I forget to tag character and story names and such, though, because I am bad at tagging.

Here's my fanart tag - Again, I tend to stick to just a few hyperfixations, and rotate between them, sometimes with overlap. Current hyperfixation is Gravity Falls (specifically Billford). I may sometimes still draw for Cult of the Lamb, Among Us, Pokemon, Zelda, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, and Tokyo Mew Mew, among other things, but most of my older stuff doesn't have the fanart tag (because again - I am bad at tagging). I no longer draw for Homestuck, though I may still reblog posts about it that I find funny, and while I don't think I ever posted art for it here, anyway, my InuYasha hyperfixation died the moment my comfort character was turned into a pedophile. It is liable to never recover. u_u

Here's my art reblog tag - I very rarely reblog other folks' art. Not because I don't like it, but because if I reblogged every bit of art that I liked, I would probably overwhelm all my followers' dashboards. 8|; If you want to see all the stuff I like, anyway, my likes are public.

Here's my everything else tag - I'll usually stick this onto my ramblings, or on reblogs of stuff that isn't other folks' art.

Quick n' dirty deets about me: Filthy socialist (meaning ACAB, fuck MAGA, terfs can GTFO, from the river to the sea, and so on). Also, gendervoid aro-ace aegosexual with rampant AuDHD.

FAQ:

NO, I do not do drawing or writing requests. I do not have the time or energy. I may do random gifts for other artists or writers if I get the inspiration for it, but that's at my own discretion.

NO, I will not mark any of my posts as mature. I do not post smut art, I make clear what my writings contain in both the writings and posts themselves, and the internet is not a safe space for children. If you're a minor, best to steer clear of my page, and if you choose not to - because goodness knows I would have done the same at that age - then heed the provided warnings and proceed with caution. I am no one's parent or babysitter, and no one on the internet should expect me to be.

NO, I will not turn on anonymous messages. The moment my InuYasha comfort character was turned into a pedophile and I spoke out about it, I was harassed en masse by the grossest part of the fandom. If you want to be an asshole at me, you can do it with the full knowledge that I'll be outing you for your assholery the second you do. :)

YES, you can message me, provided you've been following me for more than a week. I don't always know what to say, though, so if I don't reply, that's on me and not you. (It tends to take me a while to reply to things, anyway. I am consistently tired and overwhelmed, plus a massive introvert.)

YES, you can draw or write stuff based off of what I've drawn or written! Of course you can!! Please do!!! Just share it with me first!!!!! OuO

YES, you can spam me with likes and reblogs, I do not mind at all. I don't even care how old the post is, so go nuts, my dude - like and reblog to your heart's content.

Krys is pronounced the same as "Chris", not "cries". If we start chatting and get to the point where we start talking over mics and you call me "Cries", I can promise that I while I WILL roll with it, I will also NEVER let you live it down, so if it's easier for you, just call me Terri. It's pronounced like normal, but short for Terrible.

I know it says 'she/them' in my bio, but gender is a nebulous void for me, so I don't actually care what pronouns you use for me.

As of June 17, 2024, I am 36. And yes, I feel fucking old.

Don't bother me with pro/anti-shipping garbage. I do not care about shipping wars. I cannot possibly care about shipping wars, not when half of my own ships are toxic garbage. What I do care about is whether or not a toxic garbage ship is framed correctly, especially when it's aimed at a young and impressionable audience. (LOOKING HARD AT YOU, YASHAHIME.)

If you know me from DA, NO YOU DO NOT. I just went through all my old posts on there, and good GRAVY was I fucking annoying. I should show all that shit to my mom and be like, 'Are you SURE I didn't have ADHD growing up??? Cuz it sure READS like I had ADHD growing up!!!'

I don't know what else to add here at the moment, so I'ma go back to recovering from weeks worth of working on comic stuff now. <:]

[waryfalcon]

Hi! My name is Jazz. Diane Duane reblogged my post about top surgery last week, and you reblogged it from her with a very kind offer of advice and information -- which I super appreciate, thank you. :) And I will now proceed to take you up on that offer.

I'd like to ask: if you had to buy a compression garment to wear while you were healing, where did you get it? Did you have to buy any additional medical supplies like...I don't know, gauze or anything? How much could you move your elbows out to the side while healing? (I've been trying to practice having "t-rex arms", and it's taught me that apparently I'm very expansive in my elbow movements...) And how long was it before you could reach and stoop again in the course of your daily routine, like to empty a dishwasher and other simple things?

Also, if you have any more "things I wish I had known/someone had told me" I will VERY gladly accept them. Your tip about roomy button-up shirts, for example, was great.

Thank you again!! It was super nice of you to offer this. And congrats on your own not-long-ago top surgery!

Hi, Jazz! I'm glad to help. I know it can feel so dang overwhelming! Feel free to hit me up with any other questions or if any of my answers were confusing. (ASDF I meant to reply privately and forgot. If you want me to kill this and message the info to you, let me know!)

Compression Garments

The first one you receive you will wake up in after surgery. I personally got a second. You could get a nice one, I woke up in a Marena Full Vest, but I opted for a $25 snap up half compression vest I found on Amazon with decent reviews because I didn't think about wanting the second and couldn't get a half vest from Marena which was what I wanted in a timely fashion. Note on sizing, I got a men's medium in the Marena but a large in the other and both fit the same.

Then after I could get a binder on over my head I switched to mostly using one of my old binders, this was probably 4 weeks in. I think I wore it something like 6-8 weeks, much of that time was both awake and asleep. They will have recommendations for times in your recovery packet. If they don't some surgeon's list their tips on compression vest time on their websites.

**Note: If you could use a US men's medium and have an address you are comfortable with an internet stranger shipping something, I can send you the Marena and cheaper vest I got both.

Additional Medical Supplies

Pre-Surgery: Hibiclens soap. You should be able to find this at local stores, but def look in the aisle location stuff. I found it was next to wound care stuff. The surgeon will probably give you instructions on how many showers to take with it etc, but I cannot stress enough, do not use it on your face. I didn’t make that mistake, but it was stressed to me hard enough to know that no one would want to.

All general recovery things they will give you to take home with you after surgery/after your follow up visits.

A roll of silicone tape kinda like this stuff. Whether your doctor recommends it, I found it was amazing for softening the scars. Also it is apparently convenient for when you reach the point you can submerge. My surgeon told me it would adequately protect the scars from sunlight if I wanted to go swimming (He told me to go hit the beach during our first cold snap in October, we are 10 hrs away from the nearest beach. I might have laughed at him.) I cut it in half down the length of it and used thinner strips, I found that was plenty to cover the scars and meant I didn't use it near as fast.

If you don't have ibuprofen, get that. I didn't need a lot of pain meds but everyone is different and it's better to have and not need than need and not have. They gave me hydrocodone/acetaminophen tabs and told me I could alternate with an NSAID like ibuprofen if I needed meds more frequently than I could take those. 

Both a small bottle of stool softener and a small bottle of regular laxative. You may only need the stool softener, I started with it and it was not enough. I only needed them once, but I definitely needed the laxative. The combo of the anesthesia and the hydrocodone was tough.

If you have drains (most common) then a small cup or two for draining/measuring. Something like this maybe. I ended up having my friend who stayed to help me out like SCROUNGING to find old ones from nyquil bottles because you can't find them in physical stores on their own very easily. If you have those, just save a couple. If you wanna throw them away after each use, well -waves vaguely at the link- a set like that would be handy.

Range of Motion/Recovery Time

Every recovery is different. I was never at full T-rex arms, but I definitely was not at full ranger of motion for about a month. Every surgeon recommends things a bit differently too. Definitely try and get help that first week with store runs if you realize you need something, grabbing food/making food so you aren't stuck ordering delivery a bunch. Set things you know you'll want to reach on lower cabinet shelves/flat out on the counter. Even if it messes up your sense of order, you can fix it later, reaching above your head or too far side to side is TOUGH. And I definitely did not do as good a job of this as I thought and had to get help getting stuff accessible. As far as reaching down, I didn't notice an issue there at all. But I mostly crouch on my knees when doing that anyway. Assume it will be about impossible week 1 and tough through week 2, getting easier faster than you should do it after that.

My surgeon recommended I not go back to work for 3 weeks, but I did some work from home that third week. When I went back the weight restriction was 10 lbs for another 2 or so weeks. 10 lbs is a lot lighter than you think. (My very young 11lb cat QUICKLY realized I couldn't pick him up off of things and took advantage so hard, luckily I had help to retrieve him that first week when I couldn't even shove him off things)

My surgeon insisted I walk around at least 3 times the day of surgery(to avoid possible blood clots in the legs) and walk around some each day after. But at least 2 of my friends had surgeon's who insisted on complete bed rest the first week. The friend who stayed with me spent half the time staring at me incredulously because I was constantly having to force myself not to try to do more than I could and the last time they did this, the person spent the whole time in bed/was in a lot more pain/etc (which is why I note very strongly that every recovery is different). Meanwhile day 1 something about the anesthesia/pain med combo? I was WIRED. I couldn't sit still or sleep. I paced and chatted at a mile a minute until after 2am. (Given that, I am very lucky I was not stuck on bed rest. I would have SCREAMED)

Other Things it would have been nice to know

I had the stitches that dissolve over time. They do this at different rates. It can sting quite a bit actually. A lot of first aid creams have something numbing. It won't hurt to use them after initial recovery, because when I say at different rates I mean I didn't start having the stinging until after a month. I found I mostly had issues with the nipple grafts, not the main incision, but just on one side. Also? Don't worry too much about bits of what looks like puss. That is normal when they break down slowly, it's most likely not an infection. Basically, ask the nurse during a follow up if you have any concerns, but don't worry about it too much.

If you are a side sleeper, you will probably try to do that sooner than you can comfortably. I would suggest maybe to have a body pillow to either side to sandwich yourself and block turning. This didn't happen for me until I started recovering, but yeah, I definitely did not have a safe guard in place for when it did and that was painful/also difficult to get up from without trying to support too much of my own weight.

Remember that suggestion of a friend? I knew it in advance, but I really didn't know how much I'd ask of them. The one who went to the hospital with me had to pick up my prescriptions after I had the surgery. The one who stayed with me had to get me the laxatives and the the bigger shirts/make food runs/get stuff down for me I didn't realize I'd have trouble reaching/wrangle the cat. Just so many errands.

[actualbird]

💻 about

the post version, because i realized how much gosh dang space the about portion takes up in my pinned post and making an about page isnt accessible on blasted mobile app ajhvkjshfas

-

hi, im zak! im just some guy.

everything you need to know about me is in my bio, but i you want a Deep Delve of my personality and brain, check out this tears of themis post i made on "The Clockwise Strawberry Blueberry Triangle"

-

currently on actualbird dot tumblr dot com:

life status: not as active as i used to be because irl things are quite busy right now :(

main fandom interest: Tears of Themis

fave tot ships: luke/mc, marius/luke, nxx polycule

fave tot non-ship dynamics: nxx found fam, aaron & luke, giann & marius

other fandoms im into: Skip and Loafer (anime and manga)

-

what gets posted and how:

i smtimes rb/post not-safe-for-work writing, art, memes etc under the tags or keywords: “#nsfw” “n/s//f///w”.

those who do not want to see these for whatever reason should block those tags and keywords. minors must block these, non negotiable.

for explicit not-safe-for-work posts that come directly from me, i post them under the Mature Community Label. read more about how to hide/see those posts here.

all tot spoilers that are posted or reblogged will be tagged under "#tot spoilers"

if i respond to an ask you send off anon, i'll add the your url as a one of the tags so you can easily find it

if i respond to an ask you send on anon but you add a little anon nickname for yourself that has yet to be taken by another nicknamed anon, i'll use that for the tag in lieu of a username

all other ask responses will just be tagged as "#anon"

i rarely use read mores. woe, dashboard stretch be upon ye!

-

some common non-fandom-specific tags i use:

#dootdootdoot - my tag for personal/life posts

#srb - my tag for self reblogs, aka when i rb i thing i posted so it can be seen by those in other timezones and give my stuff a little boost or if i cant be assed to make posts on a day so i just bump up another thing kjhvkjhd

#zak draws - my tag for my doodles

i also try my best to tag common content warnings/trigger warnings using the format "#cw [THING]" or "#[THING] cw" and off the top of my head, i tag these for blood, violence, and animal death.

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other things

replies on my posts are restricted to only allow replies from people i follow or people who have followed me for at least a week.

art on my icon is by my gf <3

-

you have reached the end of this post, now watch him rotate

[tsukikento]

Empathetic Chapter 17

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

Summary: After your mom, the number 1 hero in America, gets offered a teaching position at U.A., you two pack up your things and head to Musutafu, Japan to start a new life. Pressure for you in America was at an all-time high, and now you’re in Japan, where almost no one knows you, or your family’s past.

This tale starts on your first day of class where your new teacher decides the best way for you to fit in is to fight against the strongest person in your class: Bakugou Katsuki.

Warnings/Genre: This piece will feature some angst and reference to an abusive parent, if you are ever worried about other tw’s feel free to send me an ask and I will let you know. There will also be fluff, slight angst, pining, and slowburn.

A/N: Had to write this chapter three times because somehow everything kept getting deleted!! I’m sorry for my inconsistent posting. Please leave comments, reblog, or send me asks if you like! They always keep me motived :)

(masterlist)

When you came back out for dinner, Bakugou was already sitting at the head of the table, eating away, and chatting away with Kirishima and Sero. To his left was an empty seat, but a plate filled with food.

I wonder if Bakugou made that or if someone nicer prepared it, you wonder as you and Ashido made your way to the table. If Bakugou made it, then damn. However, you wouldn’t be surprised if Kirishima made it or Kaminari who was on dish cleaning duty and needed to put away the leftovers. Regardless of who did it, they still sat you down next to Bakugou in your usual seat.

Don’t read into that, you told yourself as your sat down at the table. Instead, you focused on the delicious food in front of you that you immediately began to chow down on. You found yourself, much like Bakugou, simply eating away while Ashido, Kirishima, and Sero kept the conversation going. Both of you were much too hungry to stop and add your own commentary to the conversation.

Bakugou finished before you and chugged down his water before taking both yours and his glass to the kitchen to fill them back up. Gratefully, you mumbled out a “Thank you” before you continued to eat. Play it cool, he’s just being polite, you told yourself and Ashido proceeded to elbow you and wink.

You rolled your eyes at the pink girl and focused back on what was left on your plate.

Conversation flowed easily until Bakugou came back. The blond placed the cups onto the table before holding up his arms and stretching in a way that clearly showed his stomach. At this point, each of you were still in casual athletic clothes and his simple t-shirt lifted just enough to show his stomach.

It was an action you should be used the at this point. The blond often stretched without a care or used his quirk in ways that ruined clothing. And yet, you still found your face heating up and your eyes glued to the sight.

When he finally sat back down, he leaned in close to you. “I’m ready to go whenever,” He explained before leaning back into his chair and sipping on his water.

“Go where?” Sero, who was to Bakugou’s immediate right, questioned.

You looked to Bakugou, expecting him to reply. Not only were you hesitant to explain the situation and possibly misunderstand what Bakugou was thinking, but the blond typically made habit of answering anyways.

“The gym for yoga and cardio,” Bakugou explained, just like you expected. Luckily, it wasn’t any different than what you thought.

“Really?” Kirishima questioned, his eyes lighting up. “That sounds so manly!” He turned to look at Ashido, “Do you want to go do yoga and cardio too?”

“Um,” Ashido immediately turned to you, concerned that she and Kirishima would be intervening on your alone time with Bakugou.

Part of you wanted to welcome the company, ultimately nervous about having to hold up a conversation when neither you nor Bakugou were all too talkative. However, you spent hours alone with Bakugou each week and it wasn’t awkward then so why would it be different?

Bakugou also hates how couple-y they are so he may be more inclined to talk to me and spend time with me if they are there doing PDA, you thought before subtly nodding to Ashido.

“I’d love to go if Bakugou and Y/L/N don’t mind,” Ashido finally spoke after a few moments.

“I don’t care,” Bakugou measly replied.

“What about you, Sero?” Kirishima questioned, “Do you want to go too?”

“No way,” The black-haired boy replied, leaning back in his chair. “I had interning today and had to chase a villain down seven blocks, ugh!”

“Weren’t you using your tape though?” Ashido shot back curiously.

“So? It still drains me and my poor arms. I could not do yoga like this.” Sero flailed his arms around before letting them fall to his sides, effectively showing how absolutely dead they were. “I’ll just stay here with Kaminari and make him watch the new season of Galactic Guard again or whatever.”

“Your loss,” Kirishima jokes before chuckling lightly. “I’m going to go get changed, be down soon.”

Ashido followed him with the same explanation.

Awkwardly, you looked at Sero, expecting him to say something. You and Bakugou were already changed and had your waters with you, there was no reason for you to go upstairs. Unfortunately, due to the silence and the awkward atmosphere of a nervous you and an ever-rigid Bakugou, the black-haired boy immediately slid out of his seat, claiming to need water. However, you watched as he dropped his empty glass on the counter and simply talked to Kaminari.

You rolled your eyes and took a sip of your water, wishing there was more to do. Thinking on your feet, you stood up abruptly. “I’ll clear the dishes,” You said before stacking the plates and silverware. “Do you want your water anymore?”

Bakugou shook his head so you proceeded to grab his water, place it into your cup, and make your way to the kitchen slowly.

Kaminari and Sero greeted you happily and Kaminari immediately took your dishes.

Their rather boring conversation did not leave room for you to interject, so you simply made your way back to the dining table. Sighing, you grabbed your half-full water and reached for Bakugou’s as well. The blond watched you wordlessly.

You wondered if his lack of comment was a bad thing or if it showed comfortability and a willingness to let you touch his belongings.

As you debated the notion, you silently, almost like you were on autopilot, filled up the waters, and went back to the table. With nothing left to do, you sat back down into your seat and awaited the arrival of Kirishima and Ashido

“Thank you,” Bakugou said as you sat down with the two glasses of water.

“No problem” You replied. Despite this comment being typical for literally anyone to say, it still felt nice for him to say thank you. Maybe it was because he rarely used his manners.

Bakugou grabbed his water from the table and put it back into his bag. The two of you sat in a comfortable silence as you waited for Ashido and Kirishima. The only noise was the people talking in the kitchen and the small group watching television in the living room.

A few minutes passed by before the couple finally emerged from the elevator and greeted you both with wide smiles. Kirishima had on black basketball shorts with a red stripe down the side as well as a red hoodie. Ashido adorned a matching two-piece set of leggings and a conservative sports bra that was cheetah print. She also had on a black zip-up jacket that was currently wrapped around her waist.

You and Bakugou quickly got up from your seats, grabbed your belongings, and slowly made your way to the door. Ashido was by your side while Kirishima ran the kitchen to fill up his and Ashido’s waters. The pink girl moved from being attached to Kirishima’s side and was now attached to yours.

Giggling, she whispered in your ear, “Yet another double date!”

Sheepishly you rolled your eyes and dismissed the thought. “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

“What?” Ashido questioned, moving away from you to give you a confused look.

“What do you mean ‘what’?” You shot back.

“I mean,” She began, emphasizing her words, “What does that even mean?”

“What does what mean?” You replied, absolutely clueless to the confusion.

“She’s asking what ‘don’t count your chickens before they hatch’ means,” Bakugou butted in as he stood opposite you by the front door. “Personally, I think it’s rather obvious.”

“Oh, shut it, Bakugou!” Ashido exclaimed, giving the blond a dirty look.

Laughing, you explained, “It’s just an American saying.” You debated how exactly to explain it before once again continuing, “Just because you have, say, 10 chicken eggs, 2 could break before they hatch and 3 more could be simply eggs, no baby in them. So, they saying means that you shouldn’t expect something until it happens. You can’t expect to have 10 chickens just because you have 10 eggs.”

Ashido harrumphed, clearing having trouble understanding. “Sounds dumb.” Something you also expected her to say considering she was the one ‘counting her chickens before they hatched’.

You shrugged, “It’s hard to understand sayings from other countries if you didn’t grow up around them. I’m sure some common Japanese sayings don’t make sense to me.”

At this point, Kirishima joined back in and made quick work of putting on his tennis shoes.

“My mom used to always say ‘even monkeys fall out of trees’ when I made mistakes,” Ashido explained, testing you to see if you would understand a common Japanese phrase.

“Everyone makes mistakes,” You replied after a few seconds to think it over.

“Dang!” Ashido replied as the four of you made your way out of the dorm and to the gym.

“What about this one,” Bakugou interjected. “My dad would say this all the time, ‘the stake that sticks up gets hammered down.’”

Oh, this one is definitely more complicated.

You tried working through the saying out in your brain, sure it had someone to do with being seen in society. “Um,” You began, “The person who stands out will…” You paused, unsure how to finish. Sighing, you shrugged your shoulders, “I don’t know.”

“Ha Ha!” Ashido shouted in joy. “It means the person who stands out is often subject to criticism.”

You nodded your head in understanding as she explained.

“How were you so good at those?” Kirishima asked.

“Well, word association is taught in elementary schools,” You explained, reminiscing on the problems you solved in second grade. “For example, we would get something like “cow is to barn as man is to ‘blank’ and we would have to fill it in.”

Ashido and Kirishima proceeded to exclaim “house!” while Bakugou simply nodded, actions that represented each of them rather well.

“Nice!” You laughed, high-fiving the two who guessed.

You rounded the corner at this point, entering one of the school buildings with multiple classrooms. You followed the group as they made their way upstairs and weaved through hallways. Fairly naturally, the conversation died down as the couple of Ashido and Kirishima clung to each other and dawdled behind.

Aggravated, Bakugou led your group, clearly annoyed with how slow they were. Honestly, you were pretty sure Ashido planned this so you could have alone time with the blond.

Trying to utilize this opportunity, you kept stride with the blond. “Pretty annoying, huh?” You asked, gesturing to the couple and silently apologizing for throwing them under the bus and using them as a conversation starter.

“Aren’t they always?” Bakugou replied, looking to the couple before rolling his eyes and groaning.

“Sometimes they are cute,” You shrugged, flashing a smile to the blond. “At least they’re happy, you know?” You asked, attempting to reason with them.

Bakugou simply “tsked” in reply. “Doesn’t mean they aren’t making me nauseous.”

“Very true,” You responded, unable to stop yourself from chuckling loudly. “Especially when they talk in baby voices and make little smooching noises!” You altered your voice slightly to mimic Ashido’s baby voice that you hear her only use with Kirishima.

Bakugou cackled loudly at the comment, clearly amused by your impersonation. “Or when they go off to each lunch by themselves, cuddling under a tree, and then coming back like giddy teenagers,” He added.

“Oh, yeah!” You animatedly exclaimed, “How could I forget? Kirishima ends up staring out the window all of class!”

As your laughter died down, the two of you arrived at the double doors that led to the small gym. Luckily, no one else was inside due to how late it was. In fact, you four might be here past curfew. Despite this, you entered into the gym which had a few different weight machines and treadmills as well as a room to the left that was dim and specifically designed for yoga.

You knew this was the gym that Ashido frequently used late at night but weren’t familiar with the layout. Slowly, you put down your belongings, chugged down a few gulps of your water and made your way into the yoga room. The room had too large baskets on wheels that came up to about your waist. Inside, were blue and white yoga mats with the school’s logo on it. It was for student use and cleaned every week, a small perk for going to such a prestigious hero school. By the time you grabbed a mat, you heard the large metal and glass doors once again opening. Waiting for the couple, you rolled out your mat and brought your water to your side.

Although you did yoga frequently and could easily start your own routine, you figured the four of you would want to do a routine together. Once inside, Kirishima and Ashido quickly came into the yoga room and set up mats.

“I’ll hook up my phone to the projector so we can play a video,” Ashido explained as she plugged her phone into a wire that connected to the projector.

You watched the pink girl search up a yoga routine that was primarily focused on stretching the body pre-workout. The video was about half an hour-long, so you simply prepared yourself by sitting on your knees and waiting for the introduction to finish.

Yoga went by rather quickly, which each of you silently following the video. You were all in your own worlds, thinking about your own problems or simply letting your mind go black as you followed the routine. You could tell it was something your mind and body was craving after a long day of theorizing and sitting at the desk.

Once the routine finally ended, you let out a big breath and stretched your body one final time before grabbing your water bottle to drink from. “Ah, that was so good!” You sighed, completely satisfied.

Kirishima and Ashido hummed in agreement as they rolled up their mats.

“And now it’s time to put that stretching to good use,” Bakugou added, as he passed by you with his own rolled mat. He grabbed yours, which you just finished rolling, and went to put them away. Once done, he made his way back to you and held out his hand to help you up. “Shall we go run?” He asked while he effortlessly pulled you up.

“We shall,” You replied, a wide smile on your face.

Bakugou had never, not even when he was kicking your ass in training, helped your up or touched your hand. Immediately, you felt heat spreading up your face and your heart beating faster.

Ashido, who was putting her own yoga mat into her bag eyed you suspiciously. Subtly, you gave her a surprised look and shrugged your shoulders. Bakugou inevitably let go of your hand after you were standing up straight. He was surprisingly warm and you held quickly went cold without his touching.

In an attempt to play everything off cool, you simply followed behind him, grabbing your bag and moving to the treadmill next to his. You placed your belongings down, took one last gulp of water, and got onto your treadmill.

Bakugou, who had already started, was going at a slow pace and you decided to follow in line with him. The slow speed was an ideal way to warm up your body and prepare you for a faster pace.

You didn’t have to wait long, however, because Bakugou soon sped up his treadmill by two. He gave you’re a clear look and you didn’t even have to take out your earbuds to know he was subtly saying there is no way in hell you will run faster than me.

After a few more strides, you also increased your speed, clicking three times to be running one faster than him.

Almost immediately, Bakugou gave you another look and increased his speed. This game of tug-of-war continued for a few minutes, each of you slowly increasing your speed in order to one-up the other. It was fun when you started slow, and you even found yourself smiling when you were running at a speed just below a sprint. However, you were now sprinting at a breakneck pace and craving this game to stop.

You once again, and quite stubbornly, pressed the up arrow to increase your speed.

Bakugou attempted to groan under his breath, but he was going too fast to have control over his voice and you clearly heard the roan of indignation. The blond pressed his finger onto the up arrow and increased his speed just as he had done before. This time, however, he notably did not go past your speed.

The both of you were now running at the same speed, and although you were tempted to go up at least one more to irk Bakugou, you knew it was best not to. It was all down to endurance now.

You focused your attention on running, moving your arms to help your speed, and focusing on your breathing to make sure you were taking in big and consistent breaths.

“Woah, Bakugou and Y/N-chan!” Kirishima’s voice rang through your ears. Despite only being two treadmills over and a total of 12 feet, you could barely hear him. “So manly!” If you were looking at him, you would see him send a cheeky smile to Ashido before increasing his own speed.

However, you were all too involved in your own competition to worry about him.

You felt your legs burn and crave for a break. You felt so hot that you were sure you were steaming. In fact, you saw steam.

Steam? You looked to your left from where it was coming and saw steam emitting from Bakugou’s palms. You could have gasped in surprise if you weren’t so already short on breath. The next thing to smelled was an intense caramel. Or is it burning sugar? You questioned as you realized it was coming from the blond next to you.

It smells so sweet, you thought, clearly distracted. It made you think of caramel apples at amusement parks, chewing on the delectable treat as you walked around, surrounded by vibrant lights.

You inhaled deeply, trying to take it all in. Suddenly, you tripped. The floor fell out from under you, and you did not have enough speed or traction to keep up. Quickly, you clutched onto the railings and got back up to speed. The difficult action, which would surely leave bruises on your arms, lasted only a few seconds. Although Bakugou noticed, he didn’t say anything, so you simply kept up with running.

However, now your body ached even more. All you wanted to do was stop and you couldn’t drag your brain away from the idea. You felt your limbs begging to slow down and you could no longer deny the request. Reluctantly, you slowed down the treadmill with a sigh. Bakugou immediately noticed the action and shot his arms up with a small “woop!” in excitement.

At least seeing him so excited was worth it, you thought as you finally stopped the treadmill.

With exhaustion running through your veins, you got off the treadmill and made a beeline to your water. Your legs gave out and you sat against the wall, arching your back to give your lungs room. You chugged a few gulps of the cool beverage before you brought your hands above your head. It was the best way to get air into your lungs and control your breathing again.

Bakugou quickly joined you, copying your actions but while standing up.

“Good job, guys!” Ashido exclaimed, giving you both a thumbs up as she jogged at a much more reasonable pace.

You returned the gesture before grabbing your water again. Slumped up against the wall, you closed your eyes. Mentally, you made a note to not go out running tomorrow.

While you rested, you heard Ashido and Kirishima turn off their treadmills and join you against the wall. They chatted amongst themselves while Bakugou sat next to you.

Immediately, the caramel smell emitting off him wafted into your noise and filled your senses with euphoria and anxiety. He smelled so good, and yet you were certain he was much closer to you now. You could practically feel his body heat against your left arm.

The chatter from Ashido and Kirishima provided white noise, while Bakugou’s sweet aroma and warm body provided the ultimate guide to sleep. Your tired body craved it and you slowly felt yourself falling deeper and deeper.

Too tired to notice, you slowly leaned to the left, your shoulder eventually touching Bakugou’s. It was slight, a small brush of skin, but the blond immediately noticed the action, who stared at your sleeping body which found comfort in the purchase of his body.

You weren’t sure how much time passed when you were woken back up. In fact, you didn’t realize you fell asleep until you were waking up and opening your eyes to the sight of Bakugou’s own crimson orbs.

Quickly, you noticed the feeling of a warm arm against yours and moved abruptly away.

You could feel the heat spread from your neck to your cheeks and ears. If you weren’t in such shock, you would have also been certain that Bakugou’s own cheeks blushed pink. You shook your head in confusion, pushing away the ridiculous thoughts that came to mind.

“S-sorry!” You stuttered out, your voice barely emitting a sound.

“It’s fine,” Bakugou confidently laughed, brushing off the topic. “I just thought you would want to head back soon since you are falling asleep.”

“Uh, yeah,” You mumbled, “Thanks.” Looking away, you set your eyes on all your belongings and began picking them up. Sometimes it was difficult to look him in the eyes. Despite how warm and entrancing they were, they made you feel hot all over and spread nerves all throughout your body. You swallowed the lump in your throat as you stood all the way up and awaited Bakugou.

It only took a moment for the blond to stand upright after you. Gingerly smiling, you turned and made your way to the door.

“You guys coming?” Bakugou asked, walking backward so he could face the couple.

“Later,” Ashido mumbled, waving him away as she continued to smile at her boyfriend.

Bakugou hummed in acknowledgment and turned to you, a signal to open the door into the empty hallway.

“Today was fun,” You remarked, sparing a glance at the blond as the metal door eased closed. “Although I am sure tomorrow will be tough.” You paused, thinking over your schedule, “At least I only have class tomorrow.”

Although you were too nervous to look long, you saw the blond smile shyly and nod his head. “Yeah, I’m just glad I am done with the assignment due in English tomorrow.”

“Ah,” You replied, “How I wish I only had English assignments instead of extra Japanese assignments.”

“You’ll need to learn if you plan to stay here,” Bakugou remarked.

You scoffed, “I would argue that my Japanese was quite good already.” Rolling your eyes, you spared a teasing smile to him.

“What about when you are given a paper report and expected to read it all in minutes? Or when you have to write a report after a mission?” Bakugou shot back.

You groaned loudly, simply imagining how torturous a kanji-filled report that you would need to run through quickly. “Maybe you’ll be nice enough to write my reports for me?” You joked, opening your eyes and pouting in an attempt to look cute.

Bakugou blew air out his nose in a short laugh. “Bold of you to assume that I would even hire you to work at my agency.”

“Rude,” You replied, knowing full well that this was all a joke. “I think I would be a good hire, I could keep you calm during idiotic interviews or meetings too.” You looked into his eyes, “So, you want to start your own agency?”

“Need to if I’m going to be number one,” Bakugou curtly answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Well,” You began, “If I’m still in the area, and you are in desperate need of a hire, I would be happy to help.”

“Thanks.”

A small laugh and a brief look had your insides twisting. You once again felt hot. However, you were now, luckily, in the cool air of the night. You calmed yourself as the two of you approached the dorms.

Bakugou took a few quick steps to get ahead of you to reach the door. He moved to the side so you could enter in first and you smiled and nodded politely.

However, when you entered the dorm, your mood quickly changed. Practically every student was in the living room, some standing, some sitting. Most notably, Aizawa-sensei stood in the dining room, leaned up against the large wooden table, and clearly lost in his thoughts. Multiple sets of eyes turned to look at you. Your anxieties pooled in your stomach as you looked at your teacher.

Is it that bad that we are past curfew?

You felt Bakugou’s body pressed close up against yours. You were too scared to move, so the blond had to squeeze in. He was about to jokingly push you out of the way until he noticed the concerning scene in front of him.

You had no time to think about how comforting the action was, especially as he placed your hands onto your shoulders. He squeezed the slightly, but you were unsure if it was an action that was supposed to make you feel better or to make your move. You stumbled forward, but the blond hardly moved.

Aizawa cleared his throat and moved from his perch at the table. Silently, he approached you. “Let’s talk outside,” He whispered so only Bakugou, and you could hear. “Just you,” He elaborated, looking into your eyes.

You gulped and let Bakugou push you away so Aizawa could reach the door and lead the way out. You only snapped back to reality when your shoulders were suddenly cold at the lost touch.

“Okay,” You mumbled, stumbling to follow after your teacher. Maybe he was going to lecture us separately? You wondered, clinging to the hope that this was a simple scolding and not a disastrous event.

It must be my mom, what else would it be?

“Is my mom okay?” You immediately questioned when the door Bakugou closed was finally shut.

“Yes,” He abruptly replied, “Let’s talk this way.” He led you around the building to where there were multiple benches.

“My siblings?”

“Sit,” He spoke and motioned at a long bench.

You sat quickly, hoping it would make the news come quicker as well.

“There is no easy way to say this,” He began, “Please just listen.” Aizawa rubbed his eyes, clearly drained. “There was a prison escape at the North-Western prison. A total of 117 inmates escaped and are being rounded up. Your father is one of them.”

[vemuabhi]

Your Favourite

Hello everyone! 

From this day onwards, I’ll post exact 7 different stories/HC’s/Art of Sanji on the occasion of his birthday. (Aka from 26th Feb to 4th March)

I hope you support this Sanji week of mine! (a like and reblog would be amazing and Comments are always appreciated!) If you see any mistakes, please forgive me. Thankyou.

I hope you like it!

Modern Universe

Pairing : Sanji X Reader

Warnings : Noting but fluff! Happy ending!

Word Count : 1.5K

Summary : Reader is a regular at Sanji’s cafe and everyday receives a compliment or a small writing on the order. ( Aka Cup) This makes the reader so happy and slowly develops a crush on him. One day due to turn of some events, Reader asks him out. For which he becomes very happy and of course happy ending!

A/N : I was listening to BTS Black Swan (Clickable) while I wrote this. Listen to it for more feels! I assure you, you wont regret listening to it.

You sat in your usual place with the hot beverage on you table. As you continued to work on your laptop, you took small sips of your drink. But sure you weren’t totally concentrated on your work thanks to a certain blond barista. He always smiled at you whenever your eyes met, replacing the embarrassment with heart fluttering. It was just a small crush, nothing much. Well, it wasn’t like he was only nice to you. He was polite to all the customers. He always made you look forward to coming here every evening at sharp 5 was because of one thing. You again took your cup and looked at the writing on it.

“You look so cute when you smile”, you smiled looking at it. It was just a crush.

On a very stressful day, you came to this café and placed your order. The same blond, served your order. You took a sip of that drink and instantly, fell in love with the flavour. You cooled down because of the texture and the taste of the drink. It was heavenly. You drank it as your mind slowly relieved you of your negative and stressful thoughts. You smiled as you placed your empty cup down on the table.

Then you noticed, a beautiful handwriting was on the cup. It said, “Thanks for the smile”. Your eyes widened with surprise as you looked at the blond. He just served an order and then looked at you and smiled. You took your belongings and also the cup and left the café. You looked at the cup one more time and took a picture of it. This was the only nice thing happened to you all week. So it didn’t seem silly at all in that moment. Now even after becoming a regular to this place, he never once forgot to write note for you and you never missed taking the photo of the notes. It became a routine for you. Every time you opened your gallery, these photos would come into your view and would make you smile. You made sure to tell your friends Kidd and Killer about this café and its delicious drinks. They also visited the café and really liked it. That day, you saw that he wrote, “Thank you so much”, on your cup. Kidd and Killer were not always with you but they did become regulars to the café because of you.

One evening you entered the café and went to order but, the blond wasn’t there. You looked around as you scanned the place with your eyes. He wasn’t in the café. Your order was given to you. You took it and sat. You opened your laptop and started to work. Your mind didn’t allow you to work peacefully. You couldn’t finish your work properly and wasted 2 hours. You placed your things in your bag and went towards the door to leave. Just when you were about to exit, then the blond came in. He was wearing causal outfit and not the usual uniform of the café. Your eyes locked with his and he smiled at you and for the first time, he talked to you, “Oh! Are…Are you leaving?”

You of course couldn’t say that you were leaving because he wasn’t there. So you just nodded. His jaw clenched then he looked at the counter and again at you.

“Just wait for a minute please”, he rushed over to the counter and within seconds he made a different kind of drink, which you never tried in this place. He quickly scribbled on the cup and came towards you. He handed it over to you. You tried to open your purse to give him money but he placed his hand on yours and said, “Not required. Just take it as a gift. Please”. He pulled his hand back and gave you a quick bow, then went to the employees’ only room.

You left with a smile on your face. You took a sip of the drink and then you noticed that it was so unique and different. You never drank this type of drink ever in your life. This was delicious and had smooth texture. It instantly became your favourite. You then looked at the cup to see what he wrote and it was, “9am to 12pm + 7pm to 11pm”

‘Dang. He wrote his timings’, you smiled thinking that. Then your eyes widened. ‘So… is he expecting to see me during these timings? Does he know about my… crush?’ you didn’t knew what to do. Well, even if the drinks were amazing, your reason for going there every day was… him. You remembered about the work you had to do that day and rushed home. ‘Whatever… I can regret later. I’ll go at 7pm tomorrow’, you thought as you drank your drink.

Next evening you came at 7 and looked at the handsome barista. His eyes clearly twinkled as he saw your form. You went to him and said, “Yesterday, the drink you gave me, it was amazing. I guess it became my favourite now. What is it called?”. He placed his hand on the back of his neck and said, “Thank you so much, but… I didn’t give it a name yet. It’s a new drink which needs to be added to the menu. No one tried it yet, except... for you.” Your eyes widened at his words.

“That… that was a new drink you came up with and it’s not even on the menu?!”, you said as you placed your hand on your mouth. It was shocking for you. He was this talented and the new release he planned was tasted by you first. He chuckled at your reaction and nodded as his hands caught the marker.

“That was super good! I’m sure it will be a huge hit when you add it in your menu”, you said to him as he looked at you and then again onto the cup as he wrote something. He handed you the cup and you noticed that it was the new drink as yesterdays. You smiled and thanked him. You looked at the writing and it said, “Your expressions are so pure, so innocent”. It wasn’t like the daily compliments and pickup lines. It… kinds felt personal. Your cheeks turned pink. You sat at a table and started to work on your laptop with enthusiasm.

As you were working, then suddenly your eyes caught a glimpse of a very beautiful lady who entered the café. She straight went towards the counter and started to talk to the blond. She had orange hair and wore a crop top making her thin waist visible. She was gorgeous. His eyes turned into hearts as soon as he saw her. He then gave her 2 cups of drinks for which… she didn’t seem to… pay for? You didn’t knew that but… your eyes followed her till she exited the café.

‘Was she his girlfriend?’, you thought seeing the way she talked to the blond in a very familiar manner. ‘How could I, compare to her?’, you thought as you sipped your drink. It was delicious but… you didn’t feel like to drink anything now. ‘Why did I even think that I had a chance? Why did I even developed this stupid crush on a man, who was taken? Of course with his looks and behaviour he should be in a relationship by now! God… I’m so stupid’, your mind was filled with different thoughts. After a while you got up and went towards the counter. You smiled at the blond and said, “Your girlfriend is really beautiful”

His gave a confused look as you said that. “I’m sorry but… I don’t have a girlfriend”, he replied.

“Oh? But the lady who just came here, I.. I thought she was your-”

“Nope! She is just a friend”, he didn’t let you finish your sentence. You were a bit glad that he said it.

“So, you are single?”, you questioned. For which he smirked and leaned a bit on the counter. He looked into your eyes and said, “Yes. I am single. Do you want to ask me out or something?”

“Yes”, you said it without even thinking. His smirk was replaced with a shock now. Realising what you did, you thought of brushing it off but you heard, “Really? You aren’t kidding right?”, he questioned. His eyes were looking for a serious answer, so you didn’t wanna lie. ‘If he rejects, I can regret later’, you thought as you took a deep breath.

“I’m serious, I really am asking you out but, only if you want ofco-”

“YES! YES!”, he practically shouted and made everyone to look at you two. He apologised and everyone went back to what they were doing. Then you noticed him placing some cups on a tray. But… They didn’t seem to have any writings on them. Another worker came and took the plate to serve the customers.

“You didn’t write anything on those cups”

“Yeah… Its… Its actually… only you. I only write on your cup. I thought you knew”, he said making your heart beat even faster. ‘Why was he doing this to my heart? and why didn’t I noticed it before’, you thought as you both blushed.

You both kept quiet not knowing what to say after that. You decided to break the ice and asked, “I never got to know your name. What is it?”

“Its Sanji. May I know your name please”, he asked

“Its Y/N”.

“Oh that's the name of my new drink, what a coincidence”, he playfully said as you raised your eyebrow and looked at him puzzled. 

“Don't look me like that, its a joke”, he said.

After someways you got to know, that it wasn’t a joke. He literally included your favourite as “Y/N’s Favourite” in the menu and everyone loved that drink. You got yourself a drink named after you which was super tasty. You were sure it became everyone’s favourite after that day. You blushed as Kidd and Killer teased you for that. 

“Damn I’m lucky”, you said as you looked at Sanji. His cheeks turned pink as he heard you say that. You both smiled at each other.

XOXOXOXO

I hope you liked it! Please forgive me for any mistakes.

Did you like the story or the song. Tell me how you feel by giving me a Like, Comment and Reblog. Thanks for Reading!

[kalimagik]

Pretty Gryffindor I Didn’t Know

Fred Weasley x Gryffindor!Reader 

~4,900 

Warnings: Talks of a rough home life (not too bad), but there is a lot of fluff! 

A/N: So, I can write fics that don’t have a song as my inspiration. This one came from a dream that I had and I altered it to fit the Harry Potter Universe a little better! Enjoy the fluff and the sweet, thoughtfulness of Fred Weasley! If you enjoyed reading it, please like, reblog, comment, or even follow! <3 I love hearing what you guys think! (Also, I swear I write for more than Fred, but I just have a lot of him that I love)

*Not my GIF! Credit to owner

Y/N breathed in the London air. Her family moved around a lot and currently, they were in Greater Manchester, so they needed to stay in London a few days in order to get her new school things from Diagon Alley. Her parents were a little hands off, so most of Y/N’s life had been her raising and looking after her little brother. However, when she went to school, she was on her own. 

Oh yeah, Y/N was a half-blood with who went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She would be starting her 4th year, so luckily she didn’t need to worry about the O.W.L.s just yet. She was in Gryffindor, but tended to stick with her friends from childhood, most of whom were in Ravenclaw, so she hadn’t gotten too close to her house in the past 3 years. But, it being a new year, her parents were pushing her to do this. 

Y/N woke up in her bed in the Leaky Cauldron, sun shining outside and sounds of the cars from the muggle side of the hotel streaming in her window. 

“Y/N! Are you ready to go to Diagon Alley for our things?” Y/N’s younger brother asked. He was beginning his first year at Hogwarts and could not wait to get started with his magical education. 

“Give me 20 minutes to get ready and then I’ll be good to go,” Y/N yawned, getting out of bed after already being awake for about an hour.

Coming down the stairs, she found a breakfast plate for her with her family and noticed a loud family not too far away who seemed to be finishing up breakfast. She recognized the boy who lived, who was a year below her, and the strew of redheads. They were all in her house, but she’d never really gotten to know them. 

“Y/N!? Are you ready?” Oliver asked excitedly about 10 minutes after she came down. 

“Yeah, let’s go,” she smiled, ushering her brother from the Leaky Cauldron to the entrance of the magical alley. “Did you get our lists from mum and dad?” 

“Yep! They’re getting us some surprises or something before we leave. You know it’s only tomorrow that we go, right?” 

“Oliver, I’m very familiar with how going to school works,” Y/N laughed, tapping the brick wall to reveal an extremely crowded Diagon Alley. “You need to stay close to me, understand? Mum and dad would kill me if I lost you here. So don’t go wandering off!” 

“Yes, MUM!” Oliver emphasized. 

Starting at Madame Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, Oliver got new school robes and Y/N updated her ones that were too small. They then headed to Ollivanders where Oliver was able to pick out his first wand. Y/N had never seen her brother so excited. 

Next was Flourish and Botts. Y/N had never seen it so crowded. She managed to get in with her brother and find their books, but getting back to the entryway was proving difficult. Oliver had gone out before her, but when she tried to squeeze out the door, another witch was coming in and her foot caught Y/N’s. 

Y/N felt her balance go completely off center. She was free falling towards the cobble stone street and down the few steps in front of the shop. Y/N braced herself for impact when she felt her momentum stop. Her fall just stopped. She turned her head to make eye contact with a tall red head. And, he was pretty handsome too. 

“You alright there, love?” he asked, standing her up right on the road. “It’s pretty crowded out here, you gotta watch where you’re going.” 

Y/N felt a blush creep onto her face. She knew he was a Weasley twin. He was infamous at school and she’d been around a time or two for their pranks. 

“I’m Fred by the way,” he smiled as Y/N straightened up to meet his deep brown eyes.

“Uh– umm, I’m Y/N. I actually think you’re in m-my house,” she stupidly pointed out. 

“A cute girl like you in Gryffindor? Ridiculous! I would’ve definitely seen you,” he flirted. 

Y/N felt the blush deepen and butterflies rise in her stomach. Oh how she wished she wasn’t in such a bright and public spot. 

“Freddie, who are we talking to over here?” the other Weasley twin joined. 

“Apparently this pretty girl is in our house. Can you believe it?” Fred quipped. 

“Blimey! How did we miss her?” George countered. 

“Y/N, we told Mum and Dad that we would meet them at Florean’s soon,” he urged, pointing at his watch. 

Y/N turned from the twins remembering that her little brother was with her. 

“Right, sorry, Oliver.”

“Can’t keep the little man waiting, now can you?” Fred smiled widely at Y/N. “Need anyone to accompany you to make sure that you don’t fall again?” he joked. 

“Uhhh, I should be able to stay on my feet now. Thank you,” she blushed again, not used to the attention. Y/N quickly pushed her little brother and hushed his questions about who the boys were. Although, while she was walking towards the ice cream parlor, she swore that she could feel someone’s gaze burning into the back of her head. Not wanting to look any more like a tomato, she kept her eyes forward. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Pushing the short encounter with the elder Weasley twin to the back of her mind, Y/N finished packing her trunk for school. Her parents would drop her and her brother off at King’s Cross Station and she’d have to get them through the barrier. Most years it was just Y/N who had to go through the wall, but this year she got to show her brother how to do it for the first time. She’d always loved him so much that his excitement about the new experience made it seem like her first time all over again. 

“Bye Mum. Bye Dad. Get home safely,” Y/N said, hugging and kissing each before leading her brother through all the muggles at the busy station. 

She stood back as they gave her brother some last minute advice and then their parents retreated to a more secluded spot to apparate back home. It was just Y/N and Oliver once again. 

“Common, we don’t want to be late!” Y/N smiled as she pushed her cart, urging Oliver to follow. 

Once they loaded their things onto the train, Y/N asked Oliver if he wanted to share a compartment with her and her friends, but he opted against it. 

“I can’t make any friends myself if I’m with you all the time, Y/N,” he rolled his eyes. 

She laughed at his antics. He really was growing up and it was weird. Y/N felt as though she had always been an adult, but Oliver had stayed a little kid for as long as she could remember. 

“Okay. Make sure you put on your robes before we arrive. I’ll see you at the feast after the sorting ceremony, okay?” 

He nodded and ran with his trunk down the corridor of the train. Y/N headed in the opposite direction, hoping to find some of her friends. 

“Oh, hello, Y/N,” a girl the year below her waved. Y/N didn’t spend much time with her, but they’d often be the last two in the Common Room at night finishing homework. Most of Y/N’s friends were Ravenclaw after all, so she refused to fall behind in school. 

“Hello, Hermione. Did you have a nice holiday?” 

“Wonderful! My family traveled to France. It was just brilliant! How was your summer?” 

“We moved again, but I got to help my brother prepare for Hogwarts,” she smiled sweetly. 

“Excellent! I have to go find Ron and Harry, but I’ll see you at Hogwarts!” 

Y/N waved as the girl ran towards the end of the train. She went back to her search for her friends, but when the train lurched, she settled for the emptiest compartment. Her friends would have to find her. 

Struggling to get her trunk into the compartment, she was finally in enough to shut the door. Now she had to get it up on the luggage rails. Why was this part always so difficult? 

“Need a hand there, Y/N, pretty girl who I didn’t know was in Gryffindor?” 

Y/N jumped as she hadn’t even noticed who was in the compartment to begin with. 

Turning, she was once again face to face with that boy that had caught her from falling. 

“Fred,” she smiled, “Thank you. I guess you’re just going to keep coming to my rescue, huh?” 

“I could definitely get used to that. After watching you, you seem to be pretty accident prone. You could use a strong guy like me looking out for ya.” 

Once again, Y/N felt the heat rise to her cheeks and those dang butterflies moving around her stomach. Not really knowing what to say, she stood there, biting her lip and looked around. It seemed that the compartment she chose held Fred, his twin, and Lee Jordan, the boy who commentated the quidditch matches. 

“Sorry, the train started and I couldn’t find my friends, so I just stumbled into a compartment. I can leave if you all need the seats,” Y/N apologized. 

“Nonsense!” Fred waved his hand, “We’ve always got a spot for the pretty Gryffindor girl, right Georgie?” 

Y/N’s blush deepened. It did not help that boys rarely flirted with her and Fred doing so, so freely messed with her. 

“Oi, Freddie. Isn’t this the girl you saved from imminent death in Diagon Alley yesterday?” 

“Just the one, Georgie!” Fred replied, not breaking his focus from Y/N’s face. 

“You haven’t shut up about her since we saw her last!” George burst out laughing. 

Fred dove at his twin, shoving a hand over his mouth to quiet him. Y/N couldn’t help but giggle. It was amusing after all. The sound of her laugh made Fred stop immediately, taking in the angelic sound. How had he not met this girl before? 

“Why don’t you have a seat,” Lee suggested, “they may be at this for a while.” 

Y/N sat, enjoying the company of the boys she happened to stumble upon. It really was a happy accident. She was making friends in her house like her parents wanted her to. Eventually, her friends did find her and ask her to come join them in their compartment. Y/N didn’t want to leave Lee and the twins, but she finally gave in. 

“I’ll save you a spot at the sorting ceremony,” Fred called before the compartment door slid shut. 

In the other compartment, they mostly did last minute studying before arriving at school, but when the train slowed and became icy cold, Y/N lost all motivation she had. She forgot about the butterflies that Fred gave her. She forgot about the excitement she felt for her brother to be starting at Hogwarts. All she could feel was sadness. She felt as though no one in her life loved her. She felt as though her parents regretted having children. She felt alone. It was horrible. 

When the lights turned back on and the train started moving, Y/N didn’t recover immediately. She sat there, immobilized, but her friends didn’t notice. It wasn’t until a familiar redhead peaked into the compartment that she could move. 

“Hello ladies, just checking in on everyone after that massive mood dropper. Y/N, are you okay? Need anything?” 

The special attention returned those silly butterflies and warmth to her cheeks. Her only response was a head shake with little to no eye contact. Fred wanted to say more, but George called his attention. Apparently Draco was giving Harry a hard time for fainting from the dementors. 

When asked about the reappearance of Fred Weasley by her friends, Y/N just denied anything. Responding that she had only just met the boy the other day. Luckily, they didn’t think too much of it. Realizing what had just happened, Y/N rushed around in search of her brother. 

“Oliver, are you alright?” she asked when she finally found him towards the front of the train.

“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me,” he spit back. That wasn’t like him, but she did see he was with a bunch of other soon to be first years, so he probably wanted to look cool. 

“Okay. I’m just checking. Don’t forget to put your robes on, we’re almost to school…” 

_______________________________________________________________________

The whole student body was a buzz with what happened on the Hogwarts Express. As she rode in the carriages, Y/N blocked out the conversations. Her mind was stuck on her brother’s attitude. What was wrong with him? 

Everyone filed into the castle and Y/N made her way to the Gryffindor table. Meals were always the worst for her. She didn’t really have anyone to sit with at the large house table normally, so she’d read or work on homework. She wasn’t sure where’d she’d sit when her name was called. 

“Oi! Y/N! Pretty Gryffindor I didn’t know, come over here.” 

Y/N couldn’t stop the smile from growing across her face. She’d forgotten that Fred said he’d save her a seat. Plus, she could get used to the ‘Pretty Gryffindor’ nickname, but maybe not the ‘I didn’t know’ part.

“Have an entertaining rest of your train ride?” he asked as she sat down, George chuckling under his breath across the table. With one small glare from Fred, George turned to pick on their younger brother. 

“Pretty uneventful. Just did some reading.” 

“Love, we have got to get you some more entertaining friends. I think you ought to hang out with Georgie and I a bit. We could use your brains if you’re as smart as I’ve heard people say you are on the train.” 

Y/N raised an eyebrow. Who was talking about her intelligence? Catching her confusion, Fred stuttered on, “I mean, Hermione mentioned how you’re usually up late with her. You sometimes even go to bed after her. That shows brains.” 

Y/N finally found her voice and was able to quip back, “oh, you’ve been asking about me have you?” 

Even if the tops of Fred’s ears began to redden, he was quick to reply. “Seeing as you’re a fourth year and I didn’t know you, I had to do my research!” 

Y/N laughed as the doors to the Great Hall opened, the first years all shuffling in nervously. She couldn’t help but point her brother out to Fred. “He’s that one. I’ve been waiting for him to come to Hogwarts. It’s so exciting to have a sibling at school,” she beamed. 

“I’ve never been at Hogwarts without a sibling and I can say that it’s not that exciting, sorry to burst your bubble.” 

Y/N laughed, but was quickly silenced by the entrance of the sorting hat. It sang its song and talked about the four houses. Y/N silently hoped that Oliver would be placed in Gryffindor, but she wasn’t sure if that was really his personality. But, no matter where he was placed, she’d be proud of him. Her father was a Ravenclaw and her mother a Hufflepuff, so intense house pride didn’t quite matter to the family.

The sorting ceremony went on and the last names were rolling through, once Professor McGonagall reached ‘R,’ Y/N began to listen again. 

“Remington, Oliver!” 

Y/N watched as her little brother climbed the stairs to the three legged stool and put the hat on. He seemed to sit there for forever. Much longer than the rest of the other first years. Thinking back to her sorting ceremony, Y/N realized that her sorting had taken a long time too. The hat rambled between three houses and read her thoughts and memories. It was very set on the fact that she was strong-willed, a leader, a caregiver, intelligent, but also resourceful. But obviously, it ultimately placed her in Gryffindor. 

“and it will be…SLYTHERIN!” 

Y/N’s jaw unintentionally dropped. She figured maybe he’d be placed in Hufflepuff because of his light hearted nature, but Slytherin? Loud cheers came from the table at the far end of the hall and Oliver jumped down the stairs to join his new house. This was weird. 

“You okay, love?” Fred turned, looking concerned as McGonagall continued to read through the names. 

She just nodded, looking down at the empty dishes in front of her. Had she missed something in her brother’s personality? She looked over to the table doused in green and silver. He sat there with a few other first years and the prefects nearby. However, he was sitting, facing the Gryffindor table. When she managed to make eye contact with him, he waved excitedly. That slowed the pounding heart beat in her chest. He would still be the same boy she knew, she was sure of it. 

Still pondering how her brother was sorted into Slytherin, Y/N didn’t listen to what Dumbledore said about the dementors and she played with the food that appeared on her plate. She certainly didn’t notice Fred Weasley watching her every move. 

_______________________________________________________________________

A few weeks had passed, classes began, and Y/N had settled her emotions surrounding the sorting of her brother. They’d eat meals together at least three times a week and would study together on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. Oliver had even introduced her to some of his new friends. They were all nice and a mix of kids from all the houses. She was extremely pleased that they weren’t all Slytherins who believed in blood-status hierarchy. 

Another new constant was Fred and George as well, but mostly Fred. He would catch up with her in between catches, start to ask her opinion on pranks, and even study with her when she was up late. When he was around, the butterflies never went away. At this point, she was pretty sure that he didn’t know what she looked like without flushed cheeks. He still called her ‘Pretty Gryffindor I didn’t know,’ but the ‘I didn’t know’ part seemed to be dropped more and more often. 

“Good evening!” Fred elongated as he sat at the same table as Y/N in the Common Room. “I noticed you weren’t at dinner this evening. Why’s that?” 

“Snape assigned our class a 5 length essay and I have potions two days in a row, so I had to finish it on top of the History of Magic assignment that I have,” she sighed, pulling out a new ink bottle. 

“He can’t give you so much work that you miss dinner!” 

“It’s fine. Really. I had a large lunch. Plus, I’m used to not having every meal every day.” Y/N explained without thinking about what she was saying. 

“Why do you say that?” He asked, now concerned. 

Shit. Y/N realized she was about to open a bag of worms that she had never opened with anyone else. She normally kept her home life and her parents ‘hand off approach’ to herself. 

“You can tell me, you know…” Fred encouraged gently. 

Y/N bit her lip, deciding if she should or not, but it was Fred and he’d already made her school life so much more than school and studying with her friends. 

“Really.” With this last bit of encouragement, he placed a hand on her arm that rested on the table and didn’t hold a quill. 

Sighing once more, Y/N explained the situation simply. “Growing up, my parents have always focused on other things. Where to travel. How to continue hanging out with their friends. They had me pretty young and I don’t know if they ever grew up. My grandmother was around a lot when I was little, but then she died when I was about 5, so I didn’t have her anymore. And then I had my one year old brother to worry about too. Breakfast is easy enough for a 5 year old to handle, but it wasn’t until I was 8 that I could actually cook things, simple things. We always got lunch or dinner, but rarely both. My parents do love my brother and I, but they just may not have been cut out for parenthood…” 

Fred sat there silently. Y/N had learned enough about his family to know that he never had to deal with anything like this. But what surprised Y/N the most, was that he stood up without a word. Before he left through the portrait hole, he turned and said, “don’t move, okay?” 

Y/N sat confused, not entirely sure what was happening. She heard the portrait open again and spun quickly, hoping it was Fred. It wasn’t, but it was the closest thing to him. 

“Hey, Y/N!” George said, making his way to her. 

“Hi, George.” 

“How do you know I’m George?” 

“I’ve got my ways,” she smirked, “Plus, Fred just left.” 

“Where’d he go? I was meant to meet him in here after he talked to–” George cut himself off quickly. 

“After he talked to who? I’m the only one who’s been in here.” 

Y/N watched as George sat there, hitting himself mentally. She could tell he was struggling with something. 

“George?” she pushed again. 

“Okay, Y/N. I’m going to tell you something and my brother might kill me. Do you really want that on your conscience?” 

“What?” 

“UGH! Fine. Fred may or may not fancy this girl he met this year who’s apparently a Gryffindor from the first day that he met her,” George blurted in the most roundabout way. 

Before Y/N could respond, let alone process, the portrait hole opened again. In walked Fred with all types of food piled up. What was this boy doing? 

“Pretty Gryffindor, I’ve brought you the dinner that you missed! Oh, Georgie,” Fred paused in front of the fire. 

“What have you got there, Fred? You’ve brought a whole feast!” George exclaimed. 

“Well, Y/N here didn’t make it to dinner as you noticed earlier, so I figured I’d bring her some,” he told his twin, sitting the food onto the table. It filled the whole table. Y/N even had to put her potions essay to the side. 

Y/N hadn’t yet said anything, but stared in disbelief. This had to be the nicest and most thoughtful thing that anyone had ever done for her. Not to mention, George had just told her that Fred maybe or maybe not fancied someone who may or may not be her. 

“See anything you’d like to eat?” Fred asked, turning his attention to her. 

“Fred. This is amazing. How– how did you get all of this?” 

“Georgie and I may be some favorites of the house elves in the kitchen and know how to get there. They’ll normally load us up with anything we need,” he grinned ear to ear. “You need to eat something. Hogwarts has 3 meals a day and that means that you get 3 meals a day.” 

“You didn’t need to do this,” she stammered on, looking from Fred to George. George was not helping this situation. The boy had his face hidden from Fred and was winking as well as making kissy faces towards Y/N. Real mature. 

“Yes, I did. I told you, you’re rolling with us now. We keep things entertaining.” 

“Fred, I had nothing to do with this,” George threw his hands up, pushing his chair back and standing up from the table. He now made his way behind Y/N’s chair so that only Fred could see him. He made hand motions for his brother to talk to the girl sitting down at the table, mouthing “if you don’t do it now, you never will!” 

Then, the twin spoke up. “AHHH! Man, I’m tired. I’m going to go up and catch up on some sleep,” George animated. 

“Georgie, it’s only 7:30?” Y/N questioned. 

“What can I say, carrying out brilliant pranks makes me bloody tired! Good night!” 

Y/N waved and turned to look at the plates and plates of food in front of her. 

“So, where shall we begin?” Fred asks, rubbing his hands together. 

The girl could only shrug and begin eating until she was truly full. Fred also sat next to her eating despite the fact that he already had dinner. He didn’t want her to have to pig out on her own. 

“Freddie, you may have fed me into a food coma,” Y/N giggled, leaning her head on the back of her chair. “How am I going to finish this potions essay now?” 

“Seeing as how it's only 8:15, I’m certain you’ll be up until 2 AM anyways,” Fred smirked. 

“You’re not wrong, but I could do with a nap now and that fireplace is looking super inviting.” Y/N’s mind wandering to a million things besides her potions essay as she looked at Fred for a witty response. Without thinking about it, she stood up from the table and laid on the couch in front of the fire. Fred sat on the floor so that their heads were essentially in the same place. Her mind went back to her thoughts about him. He couldn’t possibly fancy her, her. She didn’t think that any boy in Hogwarts had ever fancied her. 

To fill the silence, she spoke again. “Thank you for doing this, by the way. It was really, really sweet.” 

However, Fred looked nervous. A look that Y/N was not used to seeing on his face. 

“Freddie? Is everything okay?” She was forgetting all about what George said to her just earlier. 

“I want to ask you something…” Fred eased. 

“Okay? You can ask me anything,” she smiled, hoping it would comfort him.  

“So, you know how there’s the first Hogsmeade trip this Saturday? Well, I was just wondering if you would want to maybe go with me?” 

“I’d love to,” Y/N beamed. “I thought you, George, and Lee told me you were going to make me come,” she chuckled, being oblivious to the fact that he was asking her in a different aspect. 

“Well, yeah, but um, I was actually wondering if maybe you’d like to go with just me, not George and Lee too. Kind of like a date because well, Y/N, I kind of fancy you.” Fred paused before looking up from the table to meet Y/N’s piercing E/C eyes. Merlin’s beard, they were pretty. 

Then that red color that was ever present rose into her cheeks as a wide smile formed on her mouth. “A date you say?” 

Fred nodded, unintentionally holding his breath as he waited for her response. 

“Of course I want to go on a date with you, Freddie,” she replied, turning on her side so that she was facing him. 

Fred’s eyes lit up to his normal level with a little extra twinkle. 

“Although, if I’m going on a date with you, I should probably tell you something…” 

Fred waited in anticipation. 

“Before you brought all of that food, George sat and had a chat with me. What were his words? He said that ‘Fred may or may not fancy this girl he met this year who’s apparently a Gryffindor from the first day that he met her.’ Please don’t kill him though, I think he was trying to help you out, but is that Gryffindor by chance me?” she asked almost timidly at the end. 

Fred’s face became beet red and was illuminated by the bright fire behind his head. Honestly, it was redder than the hair on his head if that was even possible. 

“Freddie?” 

Her saying his name like that, softly and airy, really did him in. “Sheisdefinitelyyou. YouwerejustsocutewhenwefirstmetandIcouldn’tbelievethatIhadnevermetyouandthatmyluckhadchangedintheabsolutelybestway!” Fred spit out in one breath. 

“What was that?” Y/N released a laugh from the back of her throat, coaxing him to say it slower. 

“That day you fell into my arms and I caught you, there was just something in your eyes that stuck with me. I bloody well think it was love at first sight. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Then, imagine my luck when you backed into our compartment. George has used silencio on me too many times when I can’t stop talking about you. It’s really becoming a problem. You’re just so sweet and wonderful and caring and perfect!” he rambled, but slightly slower this time. 

Y/N’s smile grew larger, if that was even possible as she reacted in the only way she thought would fit. She slid her head forward on the couch so that her lips met his. Sparks seemed to jump from between them in the blissful moment. 

Well, it was blissful until George, a little too loudly, said, “Merlin! Finally! Took you long enough Freddie!” from the stairwell. 

Fred clenched his eyes shut as he flicked his middle finger towards his brother, refusing to separate from the kiss, but Y/N couldn’t help but laugh hysterically. She rolled to her back, clutching her stomach. Only a twin would spy on a moment like this for nearly an hour after saying he was going to bed. 

“Ignore that git!” Fred shot towards his brother as he got onto the couch, pulling Y/N into him. “I guess you can’t be the ‘Pretty Gryffindor I don’t know’ anymore,” he whispered in her ear. 

“Well, you could just make a variation. You’re pretty good at coming up with those.” 

“Alright, Pretty Gryffindor I get to date,” he beamed as he cupped her cheek to pull her in for another kiss. 

[fantranslatorbychoice]

Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi Volume 6 Chapter 5 - The Tanuki's Marriage

T/N: Hey y'all, here's Chapter 5. I didn't notice at first that the sentences in the original text were separated into paragraphs and stuff so I am putting that stuff here today lol Oh well, hope you all still enjoy. Also you can try the recipes but at your own risk, I am not liable for any mishaps for following these recipes lol

Also if you like this translation, you can heart it, share the link, reblog, I just respectfully ask that DO NOT REPOST ELSEWHERE. This is my contribution to the scant English content of this fandom, and I worked really hard to finish this thing, it’s not like I just copy-pasted everything. I even had to build the kanji in Jisho one by one. Try it and you’ll see what I mean.

You can rave about this, rant about this, reblog, like, reply, but if possible please link back to this page. If you’re unsure how to do that, just copy the web address of this page. If you’re on a blogsite just insert the web address as a hyperlink as a link back to here. Honestly if this light novel was officially-published in English, I wouldn’t even be doing this right now... And if it did, I’d take this offline to support the publishers and Yuuma-sensei. Creators support creators, is what I believe in. I’ll prolly do 1-5 once 6-10 has been done, or however long I can manage to translate the raw texts, it can take a toll at times.  As previously-mentioned in earlier chapters, if you stumbled upon this one, the two seasons of the anime covered volumes 1-5, so other than the extra details, you didn’t miss much stuff. Here’s chapter 5 now

P162 That is, the morning of the inn being closed for the day. Today in Yugao, is the debut appearance of the Kiseki beef shank made into beef stew. Since yesterday the meat has been soaked in red wine, and the ingredients for making Demi-glace sauce has been prepared. Because I have some ketchup and Worcestershire sauce that I prepared myself, I could successfully make Demi-glace sauce. Alas, Ginji-san handed over to me, with so much regret, his treasured but also very important red wine... "When we were given Kiseki beef, I decided that I wanted to make beef stew." Orio-ya is so generous, they gifted us so much with all cuts of the Kiseki beef. We couldn't eat all of these in one gulp so for sure it's all going to get refrigerated but, I was thinking that the beef shank is absolutely going to be made into beef stew.** I immediately pulled out the shanks soaked in red wine, and sauted them in the frying pan. After searing both sides, I added the red wine marinade with bay leaves and boiled them down. Ah, it's been a long while since Kakuriyo has been this peaceful, the fruity fragrance of the red wine... T/N: Yeah the tastiest part of any meat is the one that gets the most exercise and the nearest to the bones, but seriously, give it a chance to soften and it just has so much flavor. Just like the limbs of fowl, or pigs, the limbs just have so much flavor and collagen lol dang it no I can't be hungry now T_T Also marinating in red wine with bay leaf is a legit way to add flavor to red meat, if you're a meat eater you can try this. or if you want to kick it up a notch, use balsamic vinegar, either way it helps soften the tough meat parts. Of course, I can't guarantee if you'll like it, but I tried this once, it mellowed the beef taste and the annoying stench of the meat. But hey that's just my two cents lol try at your own risk P163 While the meat was boiling down in the red wine, I started cutting the vegetables that I'll add in the stew. White onions, garlic, and I added a lot of the seasonally-apt shimeji mushrooms. I sauted all of these in a pot, and added the boiled-down meat with the red wine and bay leaf marinade, and added more water before simmering these in a low fire. Slowly but surely, slowly but surely. It seems that it will be done boiling after an hour or so. "After this, hamburger. I will make a sauce for the hamburger." Not only beef stew, but I'm also deciding on cozying up today's menu with hamburger. I want to use the Kiseki beef in succession, and with the especially-made Demi-glace sauce I was also thinking that I want to serve Western-style hamburger here in Yugao. I promptly made a sauce for the ground Kiseki beef hamburger patty. A beef-only burger patty** without onions. Binders would be panko and cow's milk, sprinkled with salt and pepper and then mixed altogether, shaped into small flattened circles, and I have made the hamburger's shape. Yeah, this is 100% branded beef, a beef-only hamburger is somehow extravagant... With the ingredients that I normally have, the supply is always made affordable, and I want to serve a lot of Western-style food for the Ayakashi. "Aoi! This is terrible, terrible!" This time, it was O-ryo who flew inside Yugao. Normally it was Kasuga who does this. Why O-ryo? T/N: So historically, Japanese people didn't normally eat meat since it's an expensive product, and beef is the most expensive of all. Their burgers are normally beef and pork, or pork and chicken, mostly mixed meat so it won't be too expensive. I actually tried curry-flavored beef and pork deep-fried burger patty, it was actually good and crunchy. hwah... P164 I think she may be hungry, but it doesn't seem to be the case. O-ryo's face has gotten pale. "Kasuga, Kasuga is going to quit Tenjin-ya!" If she was extremely panicking, it's because of the sudden announcement. I couldn't understand where it all began, and I just blinked my eyes a lot. The simmering noise of the boiling pot echoes all around... "Wh.. What do you mean by that?" "That's the point! Really, Kasuga is going to quit? She’s gonna quit being a waitress, she's gonna leave?" "Wh..." Why? Before the inn's closing break, we ate amberjack shabu-shabu in our girls' night-out, we had fun while putting things together in the pot as we were chatting. "Kasuga.. Kasuga, she has decided to get married!" "Marriage, Kasuga, that Kasuga, who's she going to get married to?" "That girl, until now she hasn't told her personal history, but in reality she's unbelievably, an Ojou-sama!**" Speaking of the Ojou-sama that I met in Orio-ya, I remembered Yodoko Ojou-sama, I wonder if she's also an Ojou-sama from a rich family? T/N: Ojou-sama=お嬢様=a young girl or a daughter of a noble or a pampered upbringing. Yeah, I know right, even I was shocked. Oh well, we need a plot twist here lol And you think she's just a follower, but apparently Kasuga's got nobility in her blood. Ma, ma, maiya gwahahaha oh well who would’ve thought right? P165 "Kasuga, Kasuga is... The Emperial Court's Minister of the Right**, The Great Tanuki, Lord Ieyasu's youngest daughter!" "Whaaaat?!" Ehrm... My reaction was surprise, but it seemed that it was lacking as I had no idea what it meant. Simply put, she was the daughter of an esteemed person in Kakuriyo? O-ryo went "Ahhhhh come here right now!" and dragged me towards the main building. "A- Ai-chan! The pot is cooking, look after it! Mix it if it looks like it's about to get scorched!" "OK Aoi-sama!" Instantly, from inside the pendant Aoi-chan who already has her black-haired ogre-girl look jumped out. Wearing her personal apron, she tended to my precious pot. Immediately we went to the main building, and the excitement of every employee with the topic in question has pumped up. "That girl was somehow, unexpectedly, the Minister of the Right's daughter, wasn't she?" "Why is she a waitress here in Tenjin-ya?" I could only hear the hushed and surprised voices of the Ayakashi. "Oh well, anybody would be surprised. It's no match, the Minister of the Right's position is like a Hachiyo, an esteemed person. I had no idea and I pushed around and scolded Kasuga. I might get punished after this..." It wasn't only O-ryo who was worring about this. Even Akatsuki in the front desk, he also remembered, and for sure couldn't calm himself down as cold sweat T/N: It's like a left and right wing something, like two opposing factions in the government. Heh, too much political stuff, I don't even wanna touch that. Major spoiler alert: Our old pal Raijuu is a leftist. Ouch. P166 flows down his face. "Oh, I see." I was thinking of asking Kasuga's relative the Gesokuban Chiaki-san, but he wasn't in the lobby. The Gesokuban were in charge of the straw slippers and geta sandals of the guests, and their work is like bellboys that bring the luggage into the rooms, I often catch a sight of them before business hours. I have seen him call in a row the ogre kids who do a lot of different kinds of chores, and make a roll-call on them... "Say, Akatsuki, where's Chiaki-san?" "Ah.... Chiaki-san is with Kasuga in Odanna-sama's office. In relation to that, Chiaki-san is the Minister of the Right's younger brother.. If he was esteemed, I should have been more respectful to him..." Mortified at being too late now, Akatsuki had a distant look. Confirming about Kasuga and Chiaki-san's positions, they were from the North-west's Hachiyo, the Bunmon Tanuki. Kakuriyo's biggest and most difficult school to get into, "Bunmon Imperial University" is where the Hachiyo, who is also the University Director resides, and it seems that Chiaki-san is the son, and in turn Kasuga is the granddaughter. Incidentally, Chiaki-san's brother is Kasuga's father, which O-ryo and Akatsuki previously-mentioned has the position of the Minister of the Right in Kakuriyo. Talking about the North-western Lands, it is a college town, they have a prestigious university and large hospital institution, a research facility and a huge library, they have talented scholars and doctors, they have a lot of graduates that become government officials, it didn't engage in trade and commerce but the Hachiyo has great political powers, P167 it's a particularly unique place. But if that's the case, why were Chiaki-san and Kasuga working at Tenjin-ya? Also, why did she decide to quit working in Tenjin-ya now? "I'm.. Going to Odanna-sama's place." "Wait, Aoi, I'll go too!" O-ryo and I hurriedly left the front desk and climbed up the central staircase. "Hey, you two! Don't you dare disturb Odanna-sama... Oh well, I guess I'll go too" In the end, Akatsuki came with us too. The three of us went to the topmost floor where Odanna-sama's office was.

"Oh..." Outside the room, Ginji-san the Wakadanna-sama was standing with his arms crossed. When he saw us, he looked like he's saying "So, you've come?". "It's useless, guys, it's not work-related." "But... Ginji-san..." "I understand how you feel but... Hey!" I wasn't listening to anything that Ginji-san was saying, and we all placed our ears in the gap between the sliding doors, and eavesdropped P168 on the conversations inside. "Truly, your mind cannot be changed, Kasuga?" "... yes. I will quit Tenjin-ya, and I intend to marry into, the head of Hyourijou Castle in the Northern Lands." In such situations Odanna-sama's voice had always been calm and collected, even now when Kasuga has already reached a point where her mind cannot be entirely changed. "Chiaki, do you think that it's a good idea?" "...yes, Odanna-sama. With the marriage of the two, the instability of the Northern Lands, our North-western Lands can prove it and help hold the issues at bay. In addition to that, the chaotic Northern Lands can find a bit of stability." "...oh, I see." I wanted to hear more of Chiaki-san and Odanna-sama's conversations, but O-ryo suddenly raised her voice hysterically and shouted "Did she say Hyourijou Castle?!" "Hey O-ryo, shut up!" "But.. it's the head of the Hyourijou Castle of the Northern Lands!" "O-ryo be quiet!" Me and Akatsuki and O-ryo were suppressing our voices, when suddenly the sliding door opened with a rattle, and the three of us, like dangos, fell inside the room. "You lot..." P169 "O, Odanna-sama" Odanna-sama stared down at us with his astonished, red eyes. We tried to dodge it in any way, and the three of us just ended up wearing lop-sided smiles. "Aoi-chan, O-ryo sama, Bantou-sama" "Haha... So everyone eventually came, didn't they?" Even at Kasuga and Chiaki-san, the three of us smiled crooked smiles at them. "Say Kasuga, is it true that you're getting married to the head of Hyourijou Castle?" "O-ryo sama... Yep, that's the plan." "Even so! That head's an extremely old and senile, bedridden old man! You, are you going to get married to a senile old man who's about to die?!" O-ryo was very well-informed. Well, she did came from the Northern Lands. That's why her face was full of bewilderment. "It's not like that, O-ryo. The Hachiyo of the Northern Lands has finally been replaced." "...really?" "In the Northern Lands, the Great Old Sage who has been the Hachiyo for a very long time has retired. The next Hachiyo who took the position was the Old Sage's youngest grandchild, the Young Master of the Hyoujin** Tribe. Kasuga's marriage, is to that Young Master, Lord Kiyo." "..."

T/N: Hyoujin Clan- directly translates to Ice people Clan. Something. I did say previously in my earlier translations that direct translations will be minimized. Also if you’re interested on what Kiyo looks like, I’ll prolly post a photo here, he’s depicted in vol 8′s cover. Oh gawd, that’s a long way off but don’t worry fams we’ll get there somehow P170 It's impossible for me to know who that is, O-ryo who's acquainted with the dealings in the Northern Lands just looked puzzled, and Akatsuki just went blank. Behind us, was Ginji-san who, one way or another was the only one who looked like he had a full grasp of the situation. "Uhm, I...." Suddenly, Kasuga stood up, and only went to the entryway where the three of us were still lying down, and went in front of us. When I looked at her face she seemed like an adult, and in an instant, the cheerful and innocent Kasuga that I knew had gone off elsewhere, and I felt a painful sense of loss. Could it be that Kasuga, with regards to her engagement, in her heart she truly doesn't despise it? But from my point of view, I have no choice but to accept it. "When I saw these people's faces, somehow I felt hungry. Odanna-sama, what is good to eat on mornings like these?" "...Kasuga" Were we worrying that much, to that extent? Everyone understood that, and while we were in the middle of not saying anything, Odanna-sama wordlessly stared at me. I easily understood him without him saying anything. "Ka...Kasuga! If you want, let's go to Yugao. I'll give you something I made. For today, I made something called beef stew. I really want you to try it!" P171 "Beef stew?" "Yeah! I'll also give you hamburger steak that I cooked with it. It's like when Kasuga was in her Tanuki form, it's brown-colored cooked food. It's delicious--!" "..." Amidst the confusion they only got perplexed, and didn't even seem to hear that it was delicious. Everyone's faces only spelled "What is she even saying?". But the beef stew, it's definitely delicious!

I dragged Kasuga to Yugao. Before business hours, everyone else went back to their work posts, and it seems that I'll be taking care of her hunger. When we got to Yugao, Ai-chan has diligently looked after the pot for me. "Thank you, Ai-chan, you did a great job--" "OK--- I wanna eat something swee--t!" "As your reward, I'll give you some test-trial manjuu. Ah, that manjuu's a secret. We haven't given that to anyone yet." P172 "Yaaay!" Ai-chan with her manjuu, and her cup of milk, immediately sat on a chair and took her break. Now then. The time for the beef stew's ingredients to boil down has been sufficient. To this I'll put in some parboiled potatoes, and add more Demi-glace sauce, and add some seasonings while I mix it from time to time. Kasuga sat on the counter, and lazily propped her chin with her hands. "Kasuga, just wait for a little bit. The beef stew still needs to be boiled down some more. While it's doing that, I'll make you a little something to eat, OK? Have you eaten an avocado?" "...Avocado? I've seen one in an illustrated encyclopedia, but I haven't eaten one." "Hee hee. It's something like the ones in Utsushiyo, but in Kakuriyo, the Southern Lands where there's plently of heat they have started to grow it and other similar vegetables too. You might be surprised when you first try it, but once you get used to eating it you'll get hooked. It's because avocado is called 'the butter of the fields'." Butter isn't really something special in Kakuriyo, so she might not understand anything. But Kasuga's interest seemed to be deep, and her eyes got round with wonder. While the stew was boiling down, I went ahead to make something. Avocado and persimmon, the sweetness is entirely Japanese. P173 Firstly, the in-season persimmon's skin was peeled off, and the flesh cut into cubes. The avocado was also cut from the sides, the two halves were rotated on the round seed's axis, and between the half with no seed and the half that has the seed attached to it, the one without the seed was used. Doing that was quite fun. The lovely light green flesh of the fruit appeared. I quickly scraped the flesh off, and also cut those into cubes. Along with the persimmon cubes I cut a while ago, I served all of these in a glass bowl, and in true Japanese fashion mixed these altogether with a citrus dressing. Alright, it's nicely done. I served this with a spoon and placed it in front of Kasuga. "OK Kasuga, this is Japanese-style avocado and persimmon. Please try it." "Wah, it's pretty. Green and orange. I really love persimmon too, so I'm going to eat it now--" Instantly, Kasuga's face naturally fell into a smile. Holding a spoon, she took a huge bite, and tried the avocado that she was deeply interested in. "Wow, this is amazing. Feeling the avocado's texture for the first time, it's a fun and soft food, isn't it?" After this, she bit into the avocado and the persimmon at the same time. "Its seasoning, the persimmon's sweetness, its taste is really like a side-dish for rice." "Is that so? The persimmon's sweetness and the avocado's mellow texture and taste suit it well, and if it's just the persimmon it's going to be too sweet. The citrus fruit juice, along with toasted sesame seeds and soy sauce dressing give it a Japanese flavor and taste." P174 While Kasuga was eating a lot of the side dish, I took out the hamburger patties that I made that morning, and I pan-fried those in a shallow pot. When the surface looked brown enough, I poured in about two to three ladles of the beef stew, and simmered this for five minutes. And again, in a smaller frying pan I made a runny sunny side-up egg... "Kasuga, between white rice and bread, which one would you like? Beef stew goes well with either one..." "Hmmm.. Definitely it's rice." "OK, I get it. Even I too, like Western food with white rice, it's good enough." Along with the hamburger patty, I have asked Ai-chan to heat and cook some simple stir-fried foods and serve them in dishes, such as this beef stew. Par-boiled broccoli were also added as a fluffy touch. I added some cream and swirled it around with a spoon, and lastly I topped the hamburger with the runny sunny side-up egg. The white rice was also shaped into a sphere, and plopped it over a plate, like Western style. I placed all of those on a festive four-legged tray, and brought it to Kasuga's seat. "Alright. Tea house style, moon-viewing beef stew hamburger steak is served--" "Wooow. That really smells good. A while ago, the wafting smell made my stomach growl. There's also a fried egg on it-- And tonight's also a full moon, isn't it? It really looks like the Full Moon's spherical form." "Hee hee. Since it's already autumn, in Utsushiyo it's a time where anything with fried egg is "something for full moon viewing" and it's always added in a set meal." P175 In the food industry, a hamburger steak with a fried egg is called a moon-viewing burger, among others. When adding a runny fried egg, it always make it seem even more delicious, it's a mysterious and puzzling force. "And it's really a tanuki-colored cuisine, it is." "It's a fact that tanuki-colored cuisine is the model of deliciousness. If I could, I'll eat it for lunch.” If it was me, I would eat the beef stew with left-over toasted bread crusts on the side. Yep, it's enough to fill the stomach. I pried apart the meat with a spoon, and it crumbled off. I took a bite of that beef stew. Oooohh, the meat! The meat!! It's soft and moist, there's no stench, the thick and rich Demi-glace sauce really ties everything together. This is really over-the top extravagance! "Wow, wooow! What is this, this is soooo good Aoi-chan! The runny egg yolk, the hamburger and the stew eaten altogether, it's already the best. So many flavors all packed in one bite" Having one bite of the whole thing, the corners of Kasuga's mouth stretched wide, and her Tanuki ears went plip-plopping a lot. This time she bit into everything, including the large carrot chunks and  the shimeji mushrooms. "Hmm... crumbly---" P176 Cooking food with Kakuriyo's state of the art Youkai-fire platter and spiritually-powered pot allows the fire to pass through the vegetables' core, the sweetness and deliciousness of the vegetables get trapped inside, and is suitable for cooking stews. "Aoi-chan you've already given me hamburgers before, but this is the first time that I've eaten beef stew. For me, I really enjoy foods like these. It's because foods like these have a rich taste and depth. I have read about these in a book, but I couldn't imagine how these would have tasted like." "Kasuga, you've read something about beef stew from a book?" "Yep, the library in the Land of Bunmon had so many books. There's also a book on the history of Utsushiyo's culture. It was a book that was about Western cuisines, when we. Were. Young. We had so much fun having wild imaginative ideas. Since I was a child, I was raised surrounded by so many books.” "..." We? Kasuga ate some more hamburger, and slurped in some more beef stew. After this she ate more white rice, and took in some beef stew again. All of the flavors blend well together in one bite, "Ah, it tastes good--", it makes the body weak. Seeing Kasuga's satisfied and fluffy face, I was delighted. While I was eating nearby, I initiated by saying that "The stew also tastes good with bread", and started eating as such. P177 In my case the umami envelops the bread, there's a resounding crunch, this has become a devilish food. Together, the bread crust that's always looked over, it has become an illusionary steak. "Phew, my stomach's all full!" After all that, our luxurious lunch has ended. Who would have thought that before business hours, we're already full and satiated? But for sure, without a doubt our strengths came back because of the food. "I'm glad that my stomach's gotten full. When you said that you were hungry, it was a surprise. Everyone was shocked. Back there when Kasuga said it out loud, it was of a large extent." "Ahaha. Well it was an important conversation with Odanna-sama, and I was already hungry for a while, it was because of Aoi-chan." "What are you saying? When I saw you, you didn't particularly appear to be hungry when you were talking with Odanna-sama." Uhm, yeah, that was a lie. "After that, just when it was about to get really serious, Odanna-sama pushed me to appear as "The I-wanted-to-help" person. "Really, Odanna-sama somehow made you do that? He's always dignified and composed, he doesn't give me that impression. In front of Aoi-chan, he's expected to be different." "Ah, when you see him that way, his movements are considerably mysterious." "Odanna-sama, he's really wrapped in mystery, isn't he?" P178 Kasuga and I, when talking about Odanna-sama, I realized that the meanings of "mysterious", were quite different. I recalled what my situation was, but after learning about Kasuga's circumstance the clarity has slowly gotten dimmer. "Say, Aoi-chan, are you going to get married to Odanna-sama?" She deliberately asked that question. I normally handle such questions lightly, but with Kasuga this time, it's a heavy-handed question. Her situation and mine's, they're a bit similar. "I'm not going to get married. I still have Yugao to tend to right now." Saying that, somewhat I couldn't understand why my body, in my chest, I felt so much discomfort. What the heck is this. "But Aoi-chan, you don't dislike Odanna-sama anymore?" "Well, uhm, hearing you say "dislike', it's not the answer anymore but.." "If that's the case, you like him now?" "Uhm, that is..." My eyes started swimming. Kasuga was determined to get into my head, and she looked at me quietly. "It sure doesn't seem to be that way. But I, do not know anything about Odanna-sama." That was more or less my refusal. Not really, I do know something about Odanna-sama. Contrary to what he looks like, he's a mischievous prankster, P179 and he's unsophisticatedly kind, when I see him make his moves, his strong drive leaves me wondering why... he has supported me in very important times, he's also become trustworthy, I've learned a lot being with him. And yet, I still don't know a lot about him. Odanna-sama's inner self that he holds dearly inside, I mostly don't know about it. I don't know anything about that, and he doesn't easily say anything about what he likes. Like myself for example, if I told someone that I knew nothing about "I like you", I still think that despite doing that, I still know nothing about them. "That is why, I would want to get to know more about Odanna-sama... But he's not telling me anything." "...Hmph" While Kasuga was grinning at me, I was drenched in cold sweat. What the heck, I feel like I wanted to run away... "Hee hee, that's good, Aoi-chan. It's very unnatural of you, but with time, as expected, you bestowed a great deal to Odanna-sama." ".. Kasuga?" Kasuga looked up at Yugao's celiing. Those eyes, they seem hollow somehow. "Kasuga, Kasuga getting married, you really don't dislike it?" I placed my hands on Kasuga's shoulders, and asked her earnestly. P180 It seemed that Kasuga has already been resolute of her marriage, and I wanted to ask what her true intent was. "Marriage to the Hachiyo of the Northern Lands. That is not a politically-motivated marriage." Kasuga continued to stare up at the ceiling, I only saw her flit her gaze to me once. Between those brown-colored bangs I could only see her eyes, she doesn't appear to be a mere waitress at all. Over there, she's already sharing the burden with the North-western's Hachiyo, being the daughter of Kakuriyo's Minister of the Right. A holder of many positions and degrees and ranks, but nevertheless a single Tanuki girl. "A politically-motivated marriage cannot be helped. If I do it by myself, so many risks and significances can arise. Bunmon Tanuki, are scheming creatures. Because Tanuki are extremely weak, it's the only way to live this long." Kasuga pointed to her head and suppressed a laugh. "The Hachiyo of the 'Land of Bunmon' is the Institutional Director Baba-sama**, and in each land the Tanuki under her command are sent out to gather and collect information and intel. Wherever you go and whichever way how, the Land of Bunmon will never be at a disadvantage. For example, my dad. He steadily accumulated power and influence in the Imperial Court, and eventually became the Minister of the Right. And then there's Tenjin-ya's Chiaki. That is my father's younger brother, he may be my uncle but when he was employed back there, he was an outstanding investigator. Odanna-sama likely knows the Tanuki's circumstances, and he must have deliberately hired Chiaki, I think." "... uhm.. Tanuki's circumstances?" "And now, I am going towards the Northern Lands. How I'll do that, I only have my T/N: Baba-sama, basically Kasuga's granny is the Hachiyo as well as the Institutional Director aka the President of the Imperial University in Bunmon. I am still wrapping my head around this. Honestly I am still confused and doubtful as to why I am even translating this sh** when I'm still actually learning Nihongo honestly I hope my translation even make sense to you all srsly I have no idea what I'm doing lol but rly send help pls T_T P181 intent to do so and nothing else. With that, gradually, bit by bit, leaping into the innermost parts of each land, the steadily increasing influence of us Bunmon Tanuki have been exposed. .. And that, is the way of the Bunmon Tanuki.** "..." That was an incredible story. Also, it's a really frightening tale. But with that reasoning and explanation of the circumstances, I am just as clueless as before. I wonder if Kasuga is fine with that. "Kasuga, have you fully grasped what marriage is? It seems that your fate was to be born under a Hachiyo's household but selecting your marriage partner, can you be honest with that?" "...Aoi-chan?" "I am, in a way worried and troubled about Kasuga and what could happen. Is it possible, that, if Kasuga is being forced to get married, then I..." For me, that has always been the case. But Kasuga hid her face in her sleeve and stiffled a laugh. "Aoi-chan. Everyone's like Aoi-chan, but I'm a girl who does not go against my destiny." ".. what?" Kasuga's speech, her explanations allowed her thoughts to pass through, and in some way she sounds like an earnest adult. With that gaze, and voice, and words. T/N: LOL I wanted to translate this part as "And that, is how the Bunmon Tanuki do." Srsly it's the direct transliteration of the original text lol if you understood the reference, Hi-five y'all P182 "I think Aoi-chan guessed that wrong. I didn't say that I was reluctant to get married. Rather, I was only anticipating it. Kiyo, is not someone that I didn't know." Kiyo. For sure, that's the name of the new Hachiyo of the Northern Lands. "Kasuga, you know the person you're going to get married to?" "Yep, I know him well. Because he's my childhood friend." "Childhood friend?!" "The last time that we met, I was still a small Tanuki. That being said, he's my first love." "Whaaaat?" Kasuga placed her index finger onto her lips and said "It's a secret". That was a shocking revelation. Surely, she did say something about her first love when we had the girls' night-out. "That's amazing, Kasuga. You're going to get married to your first love." ".. hee hee. Well, somehow he might not like me..." Kasuga's foolish demeanor, is a bit self-deprecating. But soon after that, a shadow fell over her facial expression. "I did have worries, it was a painful thought...That I didn't not want to get married**. When I leave Tenjin-ya, I'll be very very sad." Until now her calm voice has been OK, but her voice has started to shake a bit. With a face that's almost into tears, Kasuga broke into a smile. Her expression, it's easy to see that she's trying to hide her flurry of emotions, T/N: I told you guys, there's inception raised to the nth power with the double triple quadruple negatives srsly I can't even rn O_o P183 but I was emotionally welling up with what I truly feel inside. I see. Kasuga wasn't against her marriage at all. She's surely marrying the Hachiyo of the North. And therefore... she won't be staying at Tenjin-ya any longer. "Thank you, Aoi-chan. You gave me delicious food to eat. Aoi-chan's cooking, not only strengthens the weak body, but also fills an Ayakashi from the inside." "Ka, Kasuga..." "Aoi-chan, you're awesome. You came from an overwhelmingly unfavorable condition, and now this is where you've come. It's by your own strength." "..." "As for me, what will I do? My only plan is getting married to a Hachiyo, I only have myself." Eventually, Kasuga went back to Odanna-sama's office, she has to return and continue their talk. It's Kasuga's courageous attitude. As for me, I couldn't comprehend the entirety of her complicated heart, I could only fill up her hungry stomach and nothing else.

It was in the middle of Yugao's business hours. "What's wrong, Aoi-chan? Your face seems out of it, and you only keep sighing." "Are you sighing because there's not many customers?" P184 "It's not that. But yeah, that too." It was our frequent customers Juujirou-ojisan and Tsubame-obasan, the Ayakashi couple who lives in Gintengai, and for today had their feast of the beef stew topped with fried egg. The two were locals who didn't stay at Tenjin-ya, but goes into the baths and later to Yugao to have their meals, once a week. "Yet I was surprised. It seems that the Hachiyo of the North has been changed. It's in the newspaper extra delivered to Gintengai. The Hachiyo looks extremely young, it's the hot topic among everyone." Juujirou-ojisan slowly pulled the newspaper out, and opened it in front of me. "Ah! Can I look at that for a bit?" "Oops" I hurriedly borrowed and opened Juujirou-ojisan's newspaper that he was reading, and I eagerly looked at the newspaper publication's colored photo. On the picture, wrapped in a pure white kimono, and holding a Buddhist ringed staff made of ice, was an ephemeral-looking young man. "This boy..." As expected, he was still young. With regards to Ayakashi he's probably older than me, but based on what they look like, he looks about 15 years old. It's probably because Ayakashi live very long lives, when one is said to be very young, then the Hachiyo is probably very young indeed. That boy was Kasuga's first love. P185 Also, he is Kasuga's prospective husband. He's.. He's a handsome youth... "Would it be alright if that boy becomes the Hachiyo? Kiyo-sama is sickly, it's said that he's practically always in the University Hospital in the Land of Bunmon." "It can't be helped. There aren't any other successors among the clan of Hyoujin, you know." Snow lady, snow man, icicle lady and other generic names were used for the members of the Hyoujin clan's Ayakashi. Among the entire group, O-ryo surely fits in well. But O-ryo looks like an adult, remarkably... The ties of that one clan is so strong, it's peculiar that when one becomes the Northern Land's Hachiyo, they have to come from the pedigree line of the Hyoujin Clan's head, but they couldn't gain the support of the entire populace. "The previous generations of the north were majestic, but the successors were raised to be lazy and always sick and bedridden. It's a good thing that a strife between the foolish heirs erupted, other than the youngest grandson Kiyo-sama, they should all just die." "You're believing those rumors again! I'm sorry Aoi-chan, there has been unsettling stories among our people." Tsubame-obasan slapped the drunk Juujirou-ojisan's behind, and after a bit has left the restaurant. I sent off these regular customers, and finally Yugao's business hours has ended. The newspaper that they left as it was, I worried about it from time to time.

End of Chapter 5, Volume 6. Previous - Intermission 2 Next - Chapter 6

References:

Wonderful site for the youkai references

Other stuff I used to do this: Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary (you can buy here, I’m not sponsored btw). I was about to buy the older edition but then the newer one came out 2013 so I bought that instead. Worth buying since I was able to find nearly all of the words I needed just by stroke pattern alone.

Merriam-Webster's Japanese-English Dictionary (the red-covered 1996 version is apparently out of print right now). This is what I have been using for a very long time, I bought it when I was still a fetus (yes I am old so what lol), and after so many years, when compared to newer editions, I still prefer this one since its entirety is Japanese-English, the English to Japanese gloss are just 16 pages tops, so you get more Japanese words for your buck. But that’s just my opinion, maybe other people prefer the Jap-En x En-Jap IDEK.

Basic online dictionary, Jisho. Knowledge of verb conjugations  and other words are necessary since not all have entries.

If you can read Japanese, you can buy the whole set in Amazon Japan, they’re shipping worldwide now, I think.

[more-pokeimagines]

Strange but special – Bede x telekinetic!reader

Original request: Hiya! How about a little drabble with Bede where he finds out that his s/o has telekinetic abilities, and she's kind of afraid/mortified that he found out because she's been heavily shunned by her family because of it. She's just really afraid of losing him over it. I apologize if this is kind of a weird request, but thank you in advance! Also, stay safe during these crazy times, your writing is definitely something that puts a smile on my face when everything else is going downhill! 💕

A/N: I took down the first version of the drabble because I was experiencing some formatting issues, especially in the app. Hopefully things work properly now, so if you enjoyed the drabble it would mean a lot to me if you could like and reblog it again. Also, I hope the anon who requested this has fun reading. Your kind words definitely put a smile on my face. :)

Strange but special – Bede x telekinetic!reader (drabble, fluff)

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

His voice was calm but you knew him well enough to understand that he was upset. More than that, even. You could tell that he felt like you betrayed him ,just by looking into his eyes, and a part of you could easily understand why – you had lied to him for almost three years now, hiding your true powers from him. You knew that he felt like you didn’t trust him enough but that was only a part of the problem. It wasn’t only about trust. It was also about the fact that most people chose to stay away from you once they discovered that you were… well, quite different. Some of them had even called you abnormal and told you to get some professional help before you hurt someone, and after a few incidents like that you decided to keep your telekinetic abilities a secret. You barely used them anymore, even though it literally hurt to suppress your powers but you couldn’t think of any other way to hide them. It was the best you could to, both for you and also the people close to you that your powers remained a secret. You were tired of scaring people away, especially when they were important to you. Like Bede.

You knew that he still waited for an answer but you felt like you couldn’t form a proper sentence right now. You even had difficulties with breathing, and there was a way too familiar pain in your head, right behind your forehead. It was already hard to suppress your powers but it was even harder in a situation like this when you felt completely overwhelmed by your feelings. The mixture of fear, sadness and embarrassment was almost impossible to ignore but you knew that you needed to calm down before your powers took over you and caused something terrible to happen.

Bede was still standing there, quietly watching you as you fought an inner battle with yourself. Your lips were pressed together, forming a thin line, and you clenched your fists as you focused on something only you could see and feel.

He knew that it probably had been a stupid idea to confront you about your telekinetic abilities out of the blue but when he saw you using them a few days ago he immediately knew that he couldn’t act like nothing had happened. He needed to understand what was going on. And why you decided to hide your powers from him.

Bede felt like he should say something, maybe even try to calm you down but as he took a step towards you, you raised your hands, signalizing him to stay way from you. When you shook your head and looked at him, he held his breath for a few seconds. There was so much emotion in your eyes… sadness, insecurity, but most prominently – fear. You were afraid, he just couldn’t tell why.

“(Y/N),” he quietly said and reached out for you once again. “Talk to me. I beg you.”

You shook your head, tears welling up in your eyes. You never wanted him to find out. Why hadn’t you been more careful? If you hadn’t thought that he was still at the gym you surely wouldn’t have used your powers to get that dang cookie jar from the top shelf in the kitchen. You would’ve used a chair, like everybody else. But you hadn’t noticed that he came home earlier on that day. You still felt like an idiot for not realizing that he was watching you using your powers. Now Bede, the only person who was still with you after everyone else left, knew that you were a freak.

Even your parents had been freaking out when they discovered that their child could move stuff around with nothing more than the power of your mind, and as you grew older they started to avoid your company more and more. You hadn’t understood it back then but a few years ago you realized that they were afraid of you because they didn’t understand your powers. They were the first people you lost because of your abilities. And now, you were going to lose Bede too, just because you hadn’t been more careful about using your powers.

“(Y/N),” Bede whispered again. “I don’t know what’s going on, please talk to me. Are you okay? Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

You took a deep, shaking breath. Then, you forced yourself to look him right into the eyes. “You can promise me that you’re not going to leave when I tell you the whole truth about myself. About… about my telekinetic powers.”

You knew that it was not fair to force him to make a promise like this without even knowing what you were going to tell him but you needed reassurance that he wasn’t going to run away after he found out the truth. Otherwise you didn’t know if you really had the strength to share one of your deepest secrets with him.

Bede frowned. “Why would I leave you?”

“Because that’s what everyone else did,” you replied, your voice barely louder than a whisper. “Because everyone thinks that I’m a freak and that it’s not safe to be around me. And I… I don’t want to lose you too, so please promise to stay with me, no matter what happens.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Bede said, still frowning. “Nothing you’ll tell me is making me leave you, (Y/N). I promise. Now, please tell me what’s going on. Why didn’t you tell me about your powers earlier?”

You sighed and gestured towards the couch. “Sit down with me,” you suggested and somehow managed to crack a smile. “Listen,” you then continued. “I never told you about it because I was afraid. Everyone who knew about it left me sooner or later, and even my parents avoided me once they understood that there wasn’t… you know, a cure for my powers. They wanted me to be like everyone else and when I couldn’t meet their expectations they shunned me. Everyone, including them, treated me like I was a freak, like I was dangerous – and when I met you I knew that I had to keep my powers a secret because I couldn’t risk losing you too.”

There was a long silence then. Bede stared down to the floor, trying to figure out what to answer. It was hard to think of something that wouldn’t make you assume that he was going to break up with you but still, he had to be honest. “Okay,” he finally said. “First: I wasn’t mad or scared when I found out about your powers. I was… disappointed because you didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth. I have always been honest with you, (Y/N), and… I don’t know, I kinda assumed that you were honest as well. I get why you didn’t tell me, I really do, but… it’s still hard to accept.”

You could feel tears welling up in your eyes. He was going to break his promise, you could almost sense it. But then, he reached out and squeezed your hand, and the entire world was standing still when he smiled at you and said: “I’m not going to leave you, sweetheart. I just wanted you to understand how I feel about all this. It’s… it’s just a lot to process right now. I mean, you have telekinetic abilities! I never even imagined that something like this could exist – and here you are, telling me that you have supernatural powers. That’s just… wow.”

“You’re not afraid?”

“No! Why would I be?” Bede smiled. “You may be kinda strange, (Y/N), but you’re also something special. You don’t need to pretend that you’re someone else when I’m around, not anymore. Your powers are hella awesome.”

“You’re… you’re really staying with me?”

He couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the utter disbelief, mixed with confusion in your eyes. “Yes,” he said, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to your forehead. “I love you, and not even the fact that you’re some kind of superhuman can’t change that. As long as you want to have me around I’ll be here.”

You smiled, leaning in for another kiss. “You’ll have to stay forever then.”

“Very well,” Bede mumbled, his lips brushing against yours ever so slightly. “Forever sounds perfect to me.”

[randomingoftherandomness]

I just want to say that i love your posts and fics. Your tumblr is a source of joy for me - Its not about the length of fics or the content but the happiness and honesty in your post and replies. Your post feel very honest and not like a dancing monkey spitting out content for fans. You are also very respectful in your interactions - i admired the way you corrected the anon with the spelling mistake. You did it respectfully and with maturity. tldr - i like and love you for you. -hug- ❤

Legit. I'm gonna curl up and cry now coz dang. Thank you. It means a lot that you feel that way. I worry sometimes like I'm not doing enough. Am I writing enough? Is it too much? Is it too short? Should I expand on this or not? Do people actually want to hear my thoughts? Even when I think it's enough, I second guess myself.

So when I get comments saying, you should write more, is this going to be a series (which in all fairness is a very valid question when it comes to me), Where's the rest, this is too short, etc. I guess it plays into that feeling of not being enough. Then there's the worry I do have about locking my fics on AO3. Like, I wish I could have that confidence to unlock my content there and make sure that everyone gets a fair share to read the stuff I write but like, until people can be a little less shitty, and stop reposting my stuff on Wattpad you absolute wankers, I am so sorry.

((super side note if you ever see something of mine on any other sites other than Tumblr or AO3, lemme know so I can slap the DMCA on them coz this wouldn't be the first time and I honestly get anxious about that shit too))

I don't mean to come across as being ungrateful for the love that people have for the things I write but this is just the truth, I suppose. I am always grateful for everyone who spends even a second on something I wrote whether they left a comment, a kudos, a reblog or like or not.

In any case, thank you for making what was a very rough week, just that bit better ❤️

[izzy-b-hands]

You Send Me: Chapter Four

Some NSFW intimacy, a concert, and the breaking of that first rule mentioned in the last chapter, because honestly, how long could you really keep a relationship secret from bandmates you’re that close to? But props to Freddie and the reader for trying! 

Also, as this is an AU, I’m letting myself mess about with dates as needed, so if you’re looking at the tour listing for this year in the US and going ‘hey what’, my apologies lol. I’ll try and make mention of what city they’re in here and there to help keep a notation on where in that tour timeline we are. 

In regards to the intimacy, I admit it was informed by my own experiences and some of my feelings, so it may not be one hundred percent one size fits all, if you will, but I tried to go as general as I could, for a FtM reader who is on T and has had top sx (I haven’t yet but dang it this fic is wish fulfillment for me too lol) but isn’t having bottom sx. Hopefully it will still read well and be interesting and good regardless, and since this is my first go at it I only hope to improve as time goes on (because I’m having fun writing this, and might well write another Freddie x trans FtM reader fic after this one is done!) 

@xmxisxforxmaybe requested a tag on this, so consider this a start of a tag list for this fic! I’ve never done that before on a fic, so it’s a pretty cool landmark for me! If anyone else would like to be tagged on future chapters of this fic, just send me an ask or a message and I can add you!

My love to all who read/like/reblog!

You woke to the sound of the shower running, and realized it must have been later than you anticipated. Part of you wondered what questions you might meet during the concert setup; namely, the rest of the crew asking where on earth you had spent the night. The other part of you just hoped they maybe hadn’t been paying attention or looking for you, and they wouldn’t ask at all. 

In any case, any worries evaporated as Freddie stepped back into the room, and your brain briefly and wonderfully short-circuited. 

His hair was still dripping, and aside from the towel tied around his waist, there was plenty to take in. Granted, you had seen it last night, but you didn’t think the joy of seeing him relaxed, happy, and disrobed would fade anytime soon, if ever. 

He was just so...tiny. Muscular, but lithe, with hair covering his chest (a particular favorite thing of yours that made your heart beat fast) and a happy trail you resisted the urge to trace with your eyes (that made your heart beat even faster.) 

He caught your gaze and smirked. “Going to blink, or have I broken you?” 

“I’ve been blinking,” you protested with a laugh as you finally blinked and let out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. 

“Your turn, if you can tear your eyes away,” Freddie teased before letting himself drop onto the bed, head tossed back and eyes closed as he lounged. 

“If we didn’t have a show to do, I wouldn’t,” you said. “But, considering I haven’t even checked the time...” 

“We have two hours,” Freddie said, then cackled as you shot off the bed and like a rocket into the bathroom. “I was kidding! We have three!” 

“That isn’t better!” you shouted back as you hurried to shower. “God, they must be wondering where we are.” 

“Probably just wondering what we’re up to,” Freddie shouted over the sound of the water. “And that’s none of their business, so nothing to worry about.” 

“Is it really that easy?” 

“I think it can be if we just say that it is,” Freddie replied. “And ignore any badgering they do to us for information.” 

“You make it sound really easy,” you said as you finished, grabbed the last clean towel, and wrapped it around your waist. 

You weren’t thinking about Freddie seeing you like this as you came out, only going through your racing thoughts over what needed to be done for the concert that night. They kept you occupied, even as he stood, walked over to you, and plucked delicately at the edge of your towel. 

“We have three hours.” 

That broke your focus, the feeling of his finger against your hip, working to slowly pull open your towel. 

“We should talk,” you said. “Before. I mean. I don’t...” 

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Freddie said. “And it wasn’t your friend’s intention, I don’t think, when he told us more of the...let’s say specifics, of your transition, to make you uncomfortable or to be out of line, he meant nothing bad by it, I promise.” 

You breathed a sigh of relief. “So you know then...I haven’t had and don’t plan on getting bottom surgery.” 

“Right,” Freddie said. “And that’s fine.” 

“Really?” you asked.  It wasn’t that it was bad that he was fine with it, it was great in fact, you just hadn’t been sure how he might react or what his feelings on the matter might have been. 

“Would you be in my room, and would I be trying to get this damned thing off of you if it wasn’t?” Freddie asked as he continued to fuss with your towel. “For fuck’s sake, did you knot it? And if so, where? And how?” 

You laughed, and help push at the other side of it until it fell. 

“Are we really going to be done and ready in three hours?” you asked with a smirk as he led you back to the bed, slipping off his own towel as he did. 

“Not if we did everything I had planned,” Freddie smiled. “But we can get to some of it, at least.” 

‘Some of it’ was more kissing (and god how was he this good of a kisser? Was there anything he could do badly?), and the realization that his fingers were just as talented elsewhere as they were on the piano, enough that you finally had to grab his wrist to let him know you needed a moment. 

He grinned at that, only for it to drop as he gasped at the touch of your hand on his cock. 

“Hold on,” he reached over you to the bedside table, for a small bottle of lube that had been tossed in the drawer there discreetly (not really, you and Freddie had made pointed eye contact when he’d put it there) when you’d first settled into the room. 

“Three hours?” you giggled. “You do remember that’s all the time we have, right?” 

He set the lube beside you before pulling you in for a kiss, just as the door to the room popped open.

“Ah! I told you I could get it-” Roger waltzed in, a bobby pin and what looked to be a half-broken key in his hand. “And I am not the only one ‘getting it’ apparently. You do know what time it is, right?” 

Freddie flushed, yanking the blanket over the two of you. “We have at least two hours le-” 

“You would have that,” Brian interrupted as he walked in, covering his eyes, stumbling into the furniture as he went. “But I’m willing to bet you forgot about the difference in time zones. Did you?” 

“I did,” Roger admitted. “Bri here was the shining, annoying beacon of light that came to wake me up.” 

Brian snagged Freddie’s watch from the chair at the other side of the bed, and tossed it to Freddie. “See? Off by two hours still.” 

“So...” you started. “In other words, we need to move extremely fast and meet you in the lobby right away?” 

“Couldn’t have said it any better myself,” Brian replied. “And I still have to see if John is done yet. I mean honestly, how long does it take to do your hair, really?” 

“You? You’re the one saying that?!” Roger scoffed as he followed Brian out of the room, shutting the door behind them. 

Freddie’s head  thumped down against your shoulder as he moaned in frustration. “I would say sorry, but-” 

“I should probably get used to that?” you giggled. “It’s fine, we’ll find more time later.” 

“Says the person who doesn’t have to figure how to put on trousers with this,” Freddie said, gesturing down to his half-hard cock. 

“If we had more time, I would help with it, I swear,” you said, dragging yourself out of the bed and wrangling random clothes from your bag on the floor. 

“I believe you, but we should have had that time now,” Freddie sighed. “How mad would Brian be if we...” 

“Freddie,” you scolded gently. “We’d be keeping the fans waiting more than anyone else, probably.” 

“Good point,” he muttered, climbing out of the bed with a groan. “We are getting time to ourselves though, somehow.” 

“We’ll figure it out,” you replied, waiting for him to finish dressing, only for him to stop and stare at you once he reached the zipper of his trousers.

It took a moment, then it clicked. “Really? All because I’m still standing here, you can’t...calm down enough...” 

You failed to bite back a laugh, and he cocked his head. “Why is that funny?” 

“Because we’re in a rush, and because I have never caused that reaction in anyone, ever before,” you replied. “So I’m a bit tickled, honestly, even though I wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t here seeing it myself.” 

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I hardly doubt this is the first time you’ve put someone in this...situation.” 

“If there was a time before, they should have let me know,” you said. 

His gaze softened, and he seemed to realize exactly how serious you were. “Well, then there are people who’ve been missing out. But better for me, because then I get you to myself.” 

“You do,” you agreed. “Shall I meet you down there?” 

----

In the van, on the way to the venue, he slipped his hand into yours, hidden by the table in the van that currently held an active-but-temporarily-paused Scrabble game. 

It was hard to let go of him as you all piled out of the van, only to be met by the venue owner, swearing up a storm.

“Rats!” he practically shouted at John, who had the unfortunate position of being the first person ahead in the group. 

“You have them, or you have a plan that’s been thwarted?” John chuckled and grinned, only for it to drop as a vein in the venue owner’s head stuck out. “I take it this is a problem for our show?” 

“Well, I don’t know,” the venue owner laughed sarcastically. “I found out from the workers that in addition to damage from the last show, there’s also water damage and fucking rats, eating my stage! They’ve had a fucking rat pool party for years underneath my stage! I’m never going to fucking recover from this!” 

Everyone stopped and stared at one another. This wasn’t exactly your problem, and there was no way to give the man a solution, but there was the problem of eager fans waiting for a show.

“I’ve been turning people away since the last hour,” the venue owner said weakly. “I told them I would see about arranging refunds, or seeing if you can come back and perform at a later date, once I’ve got this bullshit fixed up. I’m so sorry.” 

Roger stepped forward. “No, it’s alright. I mean, this is bad, but if you didn’t know about all this damage until now...not much you or anyone else can do. I’m sure we can figure something out.” 

You joined the rest of the crew back near the van while the band talked business with the venue owner, impatiently waiting to see what would happen next. 

“If we get a move on now, we can be in the next city early,” one tech remarked. “Have a bit of free time again.” 

“We just got a fucking day off,” Crystal said. “If you wanted an American vacation, then this was the wrong tour to come on.” 

“I didn’t fucking say that, did I?” argued the tech. “Don’t put words in my mouth just because you’re pissed about this. We’re all upset.” 

“It’s true,” you added. “This isn’t good for any of us, not the venue, not the fans.” 

“Oh, lovely. The bitch fucking the lead singer is going to preach at us,” the tech scoffed, and your heart stopped cold. 

“I-” 

Even Crystal seemed to realize it was a step too far, and held up a hand. “Hey. What any one of us decides to do with the band is our own business, yeah? As long as it doesn’t conflict or cause a problem. You guys don’t know everything I’ve gotten up to with Rog, right? Not ever fucked him, I mean, that’s not my speed, but...you get what I’m saying?” 

You all nodded, and you resisted the urge to cry, even as tears threatened to fall. If it wasn’t one thing, it would have been another. You were the new kid, taking up space, slow to learn, and fucking up their usual ways of running a tour. This was just a part of becoming a proper member of the crew, surely. 

“Thank you,” you managed to mumble to Crystal as the band started to walk back over to the van. 

“Not a problem,” Crystal replied. “Ignore them, okay? They’re just in shit moods because of this, and half of ‘em might even be jealous. Not for the fucking, I mean, but the closeness, you know? Everybody wants to have a story at the end of the day, wants to be able to say they know something special about the bands they’ve worked for.” 

“I really like him,” you said. “I’m not just with him to get ‘a story’ out of it.” 

“You’re young,” Crystal said, and sighed, then left it at that as he climbed into the van. 

Freddie didn’t ask anything when you were all in and on the road, but you could tell he wanted to ask what had happened. In equal manner, you were eager to know what agreement had been reached with the venue. If you would be returning and it would be the new last stop of the tour, you wouldn’t mind a mini vacation there with him, if he was up for it. 

And frankly, the rest of the crew could sit and spin if they had an issue with that. 

It was dark when the van finally stopped again, and you stumbled out of it only to find yourself at a truck stop. 

“We’re ahead of schedule, apparently,” Freddie yawned as he stepped out beside you. “You slept through us getting back to the hotel, so I grabbed your things. I’ve never seen you in that green top, why don’t you wear it more?” 

“Too bright to wear backstage,” you replied, thinking of the gauzy, electric-green button-up in your suitcase. You had packed it as a back-up, knowing it would likely never get worn anyway, but you would have it just in case you somehow couldn’t do laundry or ran out of everything else. 

“Fuck that,” Freddie said, then yawned again. “Wear it before a show then, when we’re on the road. That color must look lovely on you.” 

“It does, or so I’m told,” you said, and he raised a brow. 

“By my mum,” you continued dryly. “I wore it to a family event once to cause a stir. Think it was more of a stir that I showed up at all.” 

He opened his mouth, you figured to ask more about that, but Roger interrupted with a clap of his hands. 

“Use the bathroom, then get back on. We’ve got another hour to New Haven.” 

Everyone groaned in tired solidarity, and Roger laughed. “I know, I know. But we’ll get a little bit of time at the hotel, to sleep in an actual bed. That’s exciting, right?” 

“Depends on whether or not you’re going to keep breaking into my room,” Freddie answered. 

“Stop having such easily breakable locks,” Roger replied as he followed Freddie back onto the bus.

“That is hardly within my control!” you heard Freddie laugh back, and you pondered if any of the furniture in the next hotel would be movable, and would fit in front of the room door. 

If nothing else, you would try putting up the Do Not Disturb sign anyway. 

[stimmingsensation]

hey y’all, i’m sorry that this isn’t stim-related, but can someone tell me what a “cishet inclusionist” is? is that a......crappy way to say you believe asexuals/aromantics are part of the LGBTQA+ community?

since i’m already intruding on y’all’s dashes with non-stim content (sorry) -- it really sucks how hard it is to find stim blogs that are run by people who aren’t bigoted. What is with that? i don’t reblog as much content as i used to here because half the time i find a good stimmy post, it turns out the blogger has something like “ace inclusionists don’t interact” or “transmeds can interact” and it’s just like ://///

stim blogs should be about acceptance and celebration, a place where autistic / otherwise nd folks can come together and share what helps them and makes them happy. they should be about celebrating difference, including everyone whom society unrightfully infantilizes and vilifies.

so how did it become....this? why is it so dang complicated to figure out if someone who’s just posting, like, watercolor vids and cool rocks or whatever is actually a pedophile or a terf??

this is not to complain about all the “DNI” banners and stuff that are all over stim blogs now; i get it. i have a DNI in my blog description too. i do not want TERFs, transmeds, ace/aro/nb exclusionists, racists, d/d/l/g blogs, MAP apologists, etc. to interact with my content!! -- because i want marginalized folks to know that they are welcome to enjoy and stim with my content without having to worry about someone harmful to them popping up in the notes or on their blog.

So after this rambling post (again, sorry, eek!), i guess i’ve come to the conclusion that if that simple desire (the desire to be a blog where oppressed folks can come and feel safe to stim freely) can only be accomplished by having to go through a whole complicated rigmarole to find and reblog good content........i can live with that. it’s worth it.

i just wish icky people would learn that stim blogs should be about celebrating and protecting marginalized folks. Stimming is infantilized, stigmatized, even vilified in our society -- not unlike how being transgender is stigmatized, or how being asexual is infantilized, or how being a person of color is vilified. So why spread hate and shut out those groups? Members of those groups, especially the autistic / nd/ disabled ones, deserve to stim too.

(i’m sure i worded something poorly in this post so please, give me the benefit of the doubt if you can. Also, i don’t plan on responding to anyone who replies with arguments for, say, why ace folks aren’t lgbt or why nonbinary people are trenders. i don’t have the spoons to deal with that, and you’re not going to change my mind by trying to argue in the notes.)

[berriesgonebananas]

Tangerine BC Casting Call!

HI EVERYONE I EDITED THIS POST ON MOBILE AND LITERALLY ALL OF THE CONTENT GOT DELETED!! AND SINCE IT WAS UNDER A CUT I CAN ONLY GET BACK WHAT WAS VISIBLE IN A NORMAL REBLOG SO BARE WITH ME AS I FIX IT I HATE TUMBLR WITH ALL OF MY HEART. 

Ahem. Yes, you read that right! There’s going to be a Tangerine BC!

This BC will be held for the 100th Tangerine Baby!! At this point I have NO IDEA who that will be because I haven’t finished the challenge yet, but I think that makes this fun for all of us!! (I’m also pretty dang close so hopefully this won’t be too far off into the future!!)

The winner of this BC will be used alongside the mysterious 100th Baby to play at LEAST one gen of a wishacy-inspired save! I don’t know yet if I will continue that as a regular save, but it is a possibility.

If anyone knows of a good BC house up for download pls lmk….rly don’t wanna build another one…….

I will be taking 7 Sims for this BC! Requirements & slots under the cut! Please send me a message (not an ask or a reply) to get a spot! Thanks in advance for your lovely Sims ♥

Requirements

Your Sim must be a full berry AND have a berry name. (If you’ve seen any of the names I’ve used, you know this is a pretty broad category.) The 100th baby and any following generations will be taking your sims’s last name so PLEASE follow this rule. also for my #aesthetic 

Any gender and color is fine, but please have them be YA. Even though I don’t know who the 100th baby will be I’m deciding rn that they will be nonbinary and use he/they pronouns, so your sim’s orientation should include masc nonbinary people.

If possible, please try to use a LTW that isn’t crossed off on this list! Not a huge deal if you forget! (Mandrake has the super popular wish and Electra has a stylist-related one so maybe not one of those bc I’m playing them right now!)

Occults are welcome but not necessary.

Please avoid the Bad Traits. You know the ones. Also I’m so sick of the genius trait, so pls no.

If you’re using CC skin, use either Fawkes, scattergenes, or & Everything Nice ONLY. If you don’t, I WILL change your sim’s skin to as close as I can get it using one of those.

Please do not use CC makeup (except Chigasi blushes) and limit overall CC use. Hair is great, clothes are fine. NO sliders.

I have the following EPs only: Supernatural, University Life, Seasons, Ambitions, Pets, Island Paradise, and Generations.

Please set all of your sim’s outfits. They will definitely be using their everyday, formalwear, swimwear, and sleepwear. I really won’t feel like changing their ugly game-chosen outfits if you use clothes I don’t have or don't set all of their outfits. 

A bio is welcome but optional. I don’t know yet if there will be interview questions.

I’m pretty indifferent about whether your sim is a public or private download, but please use a .sim file if possible!

Deadline is August 1, which was also the deadline of Mandrake’s BC aww. Please let me know if you sign up and the deadline becomes an issue--I have NO idea when I’ll be playing this, so there may be some wiggle room.

Slots

@socialjusticesimblr: Apple Cashew

@nerdupthesims: Azaelia Indigo

@sim--salabim: Nova Wavelet

@harmoniouspixels: Lemon Fizz

@sweet-berry-sims: Clover Mint Reed

@berriesandbrownsugar: Argon Ultraviolet

@flowerhoneysims: Bastille Tulip Huckelberry

[poppyssupergirl]

Hello again

It’s been a dang diddly long time. So, I have some updates and such under the cut. And also some info for the followers who have joined during this very sparse time. Hi and I apologize to each and every person on mobile.

1. ClexaCon 

Right after ClexaCon there’s this emotional death, pretty much, where you’re just exhausted, or at least I was. The first week after ClexaCon, all I did was sleep and school work.

Then my adventures with fungus hit a crescendo and I finished about three weeks of work in four days. But I made my deadline and I should have a published paper by this winter or spring.

The end of the semester was as crazy as always, but everything turned out alright, and I was accepted into the law school I’ll be attending this fall with a full ride. Moving has been much less fun than I remember it being when I was seven, but we’re close to done.

I’ll be starting classes on the 13th of August and then it’ll just be back to the grind. But, until then, I have a few stories I’ll be working on.

I could not be more grateful that I got to go to ClexaCon and experience such a beautiful collection of people. It felt like a place I could breathe in. Like everything was fine and good. There were so many women just supporting and loving other women.

 I have so many pictures and memories that I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life. Now I just desperately want the rest of the world to catch the fuck up with ClexaCon's ambiance.

Thank you, seriously, everyone who supported me going, especially those of you who donated to my fund.

2. San Francisco 

I leave for the drive across the country in 12 days. Just me, my sister, and 4,000 miles of us zig-zagging across the continental US. If we’ve chatted even once in the past, drop a city and state if you wanna get a coffee or something, and if you’re remotely close to our route, I’ll drop by.

3. Follower Update 700+

Things you don’t need to know:

-My name’s Alexis -I go by she/her -I live in the US -I am 22 (b-day is Dec 17th) -I’m a poly lesbian -I’ve been writing fic since I was 14 and poetry since I was 12. -I graduated college with a major in biochemistry and molecular biology and am entering law school for patent law.  

Things you should know:

-If you ask me not to post a message you send me, I will happily oblige. -I leave anon on mostly so people can ask me about smut, but hit me up with whatever. -I have an AO3 account, PoppyCartinelli, with all my stories here. -I don’t write angst or rape or pretty much anything that isn’t consensual smut or fluff.

About my tagging system:

-Blacklist #Personal Poppy and #Personal and #Poppy Chats if you don’t want to see things about me. -Blacklist #not supergirl related to block everything else  -Blacklist any of the following ships that I write for if you don’t want to see them: #SuperCat , #SuperCorp , #Supercarp, #SuperCanary , #SuperLane , #SuperAgent , or #Sanvers -Blacklist #Reblog if you don’t want to see any replies to people’s comments -Those are the only tags I use for sure, let me know if you need anything else tagged for triggers or if you just want to make sure you don’t see it.

I am not currently taking prompts (besides those I ask for) as I am attempting to work through roughly 547 WIPs. I will do commissions if peeps want to hit me up because San Fran is like... really expensive, ah.

4. Upcoming Things

So much smut. Goodness gracious. And one fluffy thing that Sol found in my WIPs and wanted XD 

I hope all of you have the gayest of nights/days and have a wonderful time, -Poppy

[tipsylorie]

Nothing More, Nothing Less

(Created: April 17, 2016)

Proof-reading No.1: 24th May 2021

Word count: 3,029/14K

A/N: this was a story I made in junior high school so please do not expect much but I did try to do some revisions and clarifications as I am proof reading it. If you do like it in any ways, please do reblog and comment (maybe lemme know of what you think). This is still an ongoing story even after 5 years but I still want to do my best with it and finish it someday. So.. your support would be totally appreciated! 

Once upon a time there was a girl named Lorie, she was a fifteen-year-old high school student. She’s weird and an unappealing teenager, so everyone treats her like a nobody. Even so, she’s invisible since nobody can lay a hand just stab words on her because her parents have eyes everywhere; only because she’s the next-in-line owner of the school. She’s an only child, with lack of attention given by the parents, notwithstanding of that she was not a spoiled brat. She’s still a down-to-earth person even though some of the people that surrounds her that are insecure is getting in her skin, she still does nothing with it. She just let them do whatever they want, never fighting back or telling on them. Because she knows that it was not worth it and THEY are not in her level; she’s well-composed, dedicated, smart, beautiful inside, and rich, so what else is she looking for?

On the other hand, there was Sean, he is the popular bad boy in the campus. Everyone hates him but at the same time wants to be friends with him. It’s like if you were just seen in a week with him, you are one hell of a topic – it can be rumors, gossips, and back stories of yours. However, he is lazy, not-so-smart, not-so-rich either and has broken home. Well, that’s what everyone thought due to his behavior in the school.

Sean is the exact opposite of Lorie. So, is it possible that they can be a thing?

Lorie is walking in the corridor to her assigned classroom, wearing a long-sleeved dress that’s 4 inches above her feet, with ballerina-like-shoes, and circled rimmed glasses carrying tons of books. There was only half quarter left in the school year, so for those who failed in their past grading should better start working hard like, right now. But for Lorie it’s like eating a piece cake. But that doesn’t mean she has THE ADVANTAGE because she owns the school, she actually works hard - so very hard to be deserving of having those high grades. She was not raised to cheat and use power for all self-interest; in fact, she was thought to never step on the people who are already on the ground but instead to try and help them up. But maybe because of that she is being bullied because she’s too kind.

The day passed just like a wind, it was now the end of the class and Lorie went to her locker to leave some stuffs before she headed home. But as she closed the door of her locker, there was a guy standing behind it. He was tall, fair skin, not-so-masculine body (okay… maybe a little bit), but still looking hot as fudge while his eyes showing some embarrassment.

“Can I help you?” Lorie asked with an irritated tone.

“Uh… Lorie, right?”

“Yeah, why? Finding someone to make fun with?”

“No, not that. I’m actually going to ask for your help.”

“You are Sean, right? The one that has the bad boy reputation. Why are you going to need my help then?”

“Okay, a girl with many words, that can’t even talk in front of the class. To inform you every one of us has a reputation to hold, like you, the bullied one – that’s your reputation.”

“Wow! You’re talking as if we’re close. JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, IT’S MY CHOICE IF I WANT TO BE BULLIED! Besides I know high school will just pass by like a lightning… since no one owns the time.” Lorie breathlessly let out the last words.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean for you to be offended – and dang, you’re deep.”

“Yeah, I think so too. But what is really the reason for all of these? If you are just going to lure and use me for you to upgrade your bad boy title, don’t even think-‘

“Hey! You are the one judging – so technically you are the bad girl.”  Sean said in childlike voice.

Lorie was practically dumbfounded with how Sean reacted but remained silent.

Sean cleared his throat then said, “I mean, I would like to propose an agreement.”

Lorie raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is that a fact?” Then start walking straight to the parking lot.

Sean start following her then replied, “Yes. You will help me to have good grade and I’ll help you to have a good status.”

With that words Lorie promptly stop walking. “Are you joking?” She looked back to Sean then continued while walking back to her service black BMW car, “Don’t you have any better things to do than making fool of yourself?”

“I’m dead serious, I would need your help and at some point, you’ll need mine.” Sean said with a higher pitch in the last words and ended it with a smirk that Lorie has the chance to glimpse as she halted beside the car door.

Sean thought that she would give in, and the gods showered him some luck, but unfortunately, it’s Lorie whose he’s dealing with. So, he just got a smirked back from Lorie then she went inside the car and left Sean surprised that his charms did not work.

THE NEXT DAY

“Yes! It’s the last period and no homework, so that means unlimited CSI episodes for me… Can’t wait to go home.” Words that are typed in Lorie’s phone journal.

“Okay class that’s all for today. See you guys tomorrow.” The teacher said. “Oh, I almost forgot; Sean can you stay?”

“Okay miss.” Sean replied.

Lorie was getting out to the room when she heard the teacher asking for Sean, so she just hid outside the room to gather some information.

“Sean, you are failing. If you don’t act upon this now, maybe there will no longer be a scholarship for you. Because as you know, you also need ace your academics to sustain your sports scholarship.” The teacher informed. Yes, everyone he plays one of the cliché sports but still appealing, which is basketball.

“Yes, I know miss. I’m working on it I promise.” Sean answered assuring the teacher and himself as well.

“I’m counting on it. You are dismissed.” The teacher said.

Sean only answered with a nod and exited the room. On the other hand, that made Lorie’s heart softened for the poor Sean so she-

“Hey Sean!” Lorie exclaimed as she startled Sean.

“Oh, hey Lorie. I’m guessing you’ve heard.”

“Yes, and sorry about that. But anyways, that’s exactly why I changed my mind and now I’m agreeing to help you.” Lorie said then she noticed all the awkward stares and glancing the two of them were receiving. “I mean can we talk somewhere private?” Lorie whispered.

Sean also noticed and replied in a nonchalant manner (to show he is not bothered even though he really was), “Sure, where?”

“I know a place.”

The two of them walked straight to the teacher’s lounge and Sean asked, “Why here? This is where I’m most hated… and maybe will be killed.”

“Don’t worry I got this.”

Lorie entered the room happily.

“Hi miss Lorie.”

“Hello”

“Hello Lorie.”

“Hi”

“How are you darling?”

“Fine, Thank you”

“Here are some brownies, just how you like it.”

“Oh, thank you Mrs. Santiago, I’ll take two, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all sweetie.’

“Oh-ohkay, you’re kinda popular here.” Sean said as Lorie gave him his piece of brownie.

Lorie just gave him a smile.

“What does that supposed to mean?”

“Hmm my parents are their boss… Wait, you didn’t know?”

“hmm-WHAT?!”

“Shhh lower you voice, will you? Their trying to take a rest too you know… Here we are, my office.”

“What? you have your office?”

“Sort of, just had some free time, and some of the staff lend me their things, so yeah…”

“Ohh that’s so cool. So, my proposal, why a sudden change of mind?”

“Uhmm I realized you needed help, so why take it away from you?”

“Thank you, thank you so very much Lorie.”

“Hey, don’t forget you’ll help me too.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Shall we start now?”

“Start what?”

“Studying.”

“Oh that. Can we do it tomorrow?”

“Okay, so the deal is off.”

“No no no! Okay, we’ll start.

“Algebra, slope…”

UNKOWN TIME LATER

“What time is it? ‘Cuz my head is going to explode with these many numbers and letters you teach.” Sean asked.

Lorie gave him a glare then answered, “7:30, wh-AT?! Oh fudgy, no more CSI.”

“Just a show, you know you can just download it.”

“I know, I mean no more time to watch it.”

“It’s only 7:30”

“For you!” Lorie exclaimed. She inhaled and say, “Anyways lets get going.”

“Yeah” Sean agreed.

THE NEXT AFTERNOON

“Now class dismiss, but please do your assignments this time.” The teacher informed.

By that cue Lorie was already halfway done with the said assignment due to the free time she got. When the class started to exit the room, Lorie quickly put all her stuffs in her bag. Then she went straight to the teacher’s lounge to finish her works.

After she finished all of her works, she then stopped in her locker to drop some of her things. When she closed her locker’s door the cliché thing happened.

“So as my thanks for your gratitude yesterday I would like to invite you in a walk.” Sean greeted Lorie with a grin.

Lorie got startled and manage to say, “Are you kidding me? It’s quarter to 5 pm so I need to get going.”

“C’mon you can just squeeze a few minutes in your schedule.”

“You are really a bad influence, but okay. Besides I just finished all the assignments.

“WHAT WE HAVE ASSIGNEMENTS?” Sean exclaimed. Then he sighed, “Whatever, let’s go.”

“You sure? You won’t do the assignments? You know you need to do it.”

“Yeah, I’ll just ask for help later. So now let’s go.” Sean said as he walked to the back door of the school.

“Why are we going out here? Where are you taking me?” Lorie said as she starts freaking out. “Oh my gosh, I shouldn’t have told you-”

Sean grabs her arms and looks her in the eyes and say, “Told me what? You are the owners’ daughter? C’mon I’m not THAT yet desperate to do such thing. So don’t worry, okay?” And he let go of her.

Lorie managed to just nod as an answer. Still followed Sean in silence.

“We are here.” Sean said referring to an old building.

“Where? A dumpster?”

“Ouch. Hey, it’s not bad than it looks. This is my second home. If yours is the teacher’s lounge than this is mine. So now come with me.” Sean said as he gave his hand to Lorie.

“Whatever, at least this’ll help me to have some reason in my life.” Lorie sarcastically said.

But Sean just rolled his eyes on Lorie’s joked.

As Lorie entered the door she was amazed with the infrastructure of the inside. You won’t see it anywhere else. It’s dark with highlights of white and many abstracts and gratifies everywhere; you will still somehow make meanings and sense upon it. One of which caught her attention is on the right wall of the hall she and Sean are walking in is a graffiti of different figures that made an overall picture of a building where it somehow showed only its perfect and ideal state, but the colors used resembles dystopian environment.  The illustration captivated Lorie’s attention until she noticed that there was a group of people talking, treating each other like brothers and sisters and having fun. She felt like out of all peer groups she came across, in here– no one left behind.

“Hey guys! This is Lorie, a new friend.” Sean informed his friends.

“Now we are friends? *Imaginary rolled my eyes*” Lorie thought.

A lot of eyes landed on Lorie but did not judged her nor intended to make her feel unwelcome, but the gang found Lorie unusual. Everything about her is new to them from the weirdly long dress she was wearing which was paired with top that has collar and sleeves that just made her look like a nun. Hence, she did look sort of funny especially to a particular girl.

“Seriously Sean, a new type of girl to go with?” One of Sean’s female friends asked.

“Shut up Lizzy.”

“Hey my Sean. I see you brought home a girl. A unique one.” Said by the dude just entered the room.

“Hey Bill, my man! Uhm-about that girl part, she’s just a friend.”

Bill looks like he’s in his twenties and a leader of some sort of this gang and Sean is his right-hand man as they seemed the closest compared to the others.

“Is she going to join the gang?” Bill asked.

“Uh nah… I’m just showing here mah home.” Sean said jokingly.

“What gang?” Lorie snapped curiously.

“Wait man, she doesn’t know.” Bill asked Sean.

Sean shook his head as an approval, “Actually not planning to.”

“Then way did you brought her here?!” Bill’s voice starts rising.

“You said my friend is your friend and - is welcome in our home!” Sean replied in defensibly.

“BUT WHAT IF YOUR FRIEND WILL CAUSE US TROUBLE?” Bill exclaimed.

“NO, SHE WON’T. BESIDES WE LIVE TO TROUBLE, DON��T WE?” Sean snapped. Then dragged Lorie and stormed out of the room.

When they were outside the building Lorie asked to cut the tension, “Did I messed your gang up? I’m sorry if I did, I really did no-“

“Hey, it’s okay. Maybe Bill is just in a bad mood. I bet it will be fine tomorrow. By then I will bring you here again, and hopefully we’ll have a better appearance.” Sean said as he assured Lorie.

“Okay, if you say so. But why brought me here? You know you don’t have to.”

“I know, but since we’ll practically spend a lot of time together, it’s better if you know.”

“You know, you’re not a bad boy at all. You are kinda soft.”

“I will take that as an insult. But to inform you, I only have my mom, so that’s why I don’t take it hard on girls. I live by a motto: ‘Girls should be respected and well treated.’”

“Aww… If I’m not too smart I might’ve fallen for you in just two days.”

“That! I will take as a complement.”

“Since it’s only 5:30, I can still help you with the assignments.”

“How about your driver?”

“I made an excuse, so he’ll pick me up at 6. So, c’mon where do you wanna make the assignments?”

“Ooh the inner bad girl of yours is coming out.” Sean teased.

Lorie raised an eyebrow, “FYI, I do this all the time when I’m not in mood to go home. So where now?”

“Maybe a coffee shop?”

“Too predictable and too many people.”

“Okay so where then?”

Lorie gave a smirk, “Library.”

“Wha-what? No way! I am going to burn in there!”

But that didn’t stop Lorie and starts marching to the school’s library.

“I guess I don’t have any choice then.” Sean muttered.

Lorie laughed while walking.

“I like it when your laughing, it lets me forget your big glasses.” Sean joked.

“Hey that’s bad! I’m just having trouble to see things far away. Like if you are in the other side of the road, without these glasses; I won’t be able to recognize you. So, I needed these. But I can still see on what’s on my way.” Lorie said as she took her glasses off - to wipe a fog off.  

Sean stopped in front of Lorie and took her glasses to clean it himself, “Yeah I get it. But it’s much better if you had a better frame for these, surely it’ll make your eyes much prettier.”

“Uh-thanks.” Lorie said as she took her glasses back. “Let’s get going?”

“Yeah sure.”

They walked in silence until they got to the library.

“Okay here we are, we need to finish quickly. So, I’m hoping you’ll be able to follow.”

“I’ll try my best. What’s the assignment?”

“Entrepreneurship: Financial Reports.

“Numbers again? My head will totally explode.”

“Hey, it’ll be totally fine. It’s easy.”

“For you to say.”

Financial Reports consists of: Balance Sheet, Income Statement and Cash Flow. You can start writing these as your notes. Balance Sheet’s equation is ASSETS = LIABILITIES & OWNER’S EQUITY. As for Income Statement it also has three parts, 1. Sales, 2. Expenses, 3.Net Profit. Lastly the Cash Flow it is only the Cash in and Cash Out, the difference will be the TOTAL CASH IN/OUT OR CASH ON HAND (COH). Got it?”

“Hey! How come you are not looking in your book?” Sean complained.

“I’ve mastered these stuffs when I was in 4th grade, since then I was helping with the school’s reports.”

Sean was silent and shocked for a moment, “You are a freaking genius, Lorie. I’m kinda jealous.”

“Don’t be. It’s not easy as it looks sometimes… Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Did you mean what you said earlier? Us being friends?”

“It’s up to you actually.”

“Yeah I would love that.”

“Friends?” Sean asked as he reached out his right hand.

“Friends, just friends. Nothing more. Nothing less” Lorie confirmed as she shook Sean’s hand.

“Yes, nothing more, nothing less.”

Beep. Beep.

“Sorry I got to check this.” Lorie excused. “My driver’s here… So goodbye?”

“It’s okay. I bet we’re done anyway.”

“Not yet actually, maybe my notes will help you to finish it.”

Lorie hand Sean her notebook.

“Yeah. Thanks again. So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“It’s Saturday.” Lorie sad as she heads to the library’s door while Sean tailing her.

“Yeah, I know, but I’ll need you to check my work.”

“Fine tomorrow, where?”

“At the mall’s café.”

“Whatever.”

Sean just nodded as a response. Lorie was at the car’s door when Sean is right behind her. “Hey, I’m starting to think you love coffee.” Lorie said.

“Kinda.”

“Okay… Thanks for walking me. Bye.” Lorie said as she went inside the car giving Sean a last smile.

THE NEXT MORNING