#GUESS WHO GOT A BURST OF MOTIVATION

[solidwater-arts]

[Day 95]

[ID: A digital drawing of Martyn, colored with a greenish yellow restricted palette. He's sitting cross legged on the edge of a cliff, looking at a star in the sky that shines brighter than the rest. To his left is a big pile of bones, and to his right is a smaller pile, with only two bones. /End ID]

Day 15 - Bones

I'll think of you tonight

[carlottawllms]

Lying Traitor

Mason Mount x Reader Angst / Fluff Italics = Flashback

I won’t lie, I’ve been struggling a lot with writing lately as motivation and the love for the things I created seemed to have disappeared entirely. I’ve started writing several fics and hated every single word I put down so I never finished any of those.

With this one, I feel like I’ve made a little peace with writing and whilst it’s not my best work, I hope you still like it.

Feedback would be very much appreciated. Thank you! 🩷

Manchester had been meant to be a fresh start for you and Mason. For him, obviously as a part of a new team and for you without the lingering thoughts and memories of the personal hell you’d gone through.

But tonight, just a few months in, that bubble of happiness and freedom had burst out of nowhere and Mason hated himself for dragging you into this mess again.

After the public attention surrounding him had died down a little throughout the last two weeks, he’d decided to have a date night outside your four walls and booked a table at a cozy Italian he knew you’d love.

And it had been more than perfect. The food had been fantastic, you’d smiled and laughed throughout the whole evening and when you’d gone for a little walk, you’d seemed carefree and happy.

Unlike now.

Mason had to physically hold himself back from sighing deeply and giving his worry away as he watched you drawing some random shapes into his chest. Your brows were a little furrowed and if you kept biting your bottom lip like that, he was sure you’d draw blood soon.

After pressing a gentle kiss on top of your head, Mason dropped his head back into the pillows; his hand resuming the caressing movements on your back. He felt a little useless as he couldn’t do much to help you despite lying there and holding you, but he knew even that was a big thing already.

You were someone who liked to sort things out on your own and needed space and time for yourself; especially after unpleasant situations like today. So, when you’d got home after the abrupt ending of your date night, Mason had expected you to take your time and space to get your emotions in check and your head straight, but to his surprise, after your evening routine, you’d snuggled up to him under the covers.

Not like you usually would, all pressed up against his body, but you’d put your head on his arm and sought out his proximity and that alone had made him feel a little less helpless.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“I thought I’d feel weird after today.”, you whispered after a while, gaze focussed on your fingers dancing over his chest. Seeing Charlie and Jen again had made you feel uncomfortable, but it hadn’t unsettled you in a way you’d thought it would. “Like…sad or angry, anything really.”

“But you don’t?”

“No, I…I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like everyone gets what they deserve in the end and they’ve both done a horrible thing, so I guess they deserve each other.”, you said, feeling Mason’s arm move down to wrap around your waist and pull you into his side properly.

“I feel like they deserve a place in hell, but maybe that’s just me.”, Mason mumbled under his breath.

“Yeah, that too.”, you giggled.

“I just hate their guts.”, he grumbled. “They’re disgusting and pathetic for breaking someone as precious as you and thinking back to that day still makes me want to murder them. I jus-“

“I know, Mase.”, you smiled fondly, propping yourself up on one arm so you could look at him properly. His cheeks and the bridge of his nose were all flushed and his eyes a little hard, but you couldn’t hold it against him. He’d experienced first hand how broken you’d been after your ex had fucked you over.

In an attempt to get his focus back on you, you cupped his jaw and turned his head a little. His skin warm against yours and when you nuzzled your nose against his and kissed his cheek, he sent you a fond smile.

“I was this close to murdering them.”, he mumbled, holding his thumb and forefinger up to show you.

*

Your plane had touched ground about 40 minutes ago, meaning that 6 months after you’d taken off for New Zealand, you were back in England.

Studying abroad had been fantastic. You’d met amazing people, made friends and experienced new cultures and the most beautiful places the country had to offer and whilst you’d enjoyed it thoroughly and were grateful for the time, you’d missed your favourite people.

The long distance hadn’t allowed your boyfriend or your family to come and see you, so FaceTime calls and messages had been all that had connected you to them and right now, you longed for a hug.

However, it seemed as if you had to wait a little longer as even after the third try, your boyfriend Charlie wouldn’t answer his phone.

Yesterday, he’d promised to pick you up. You had agreed that you would call him as soon as you were at the baggage drop-off, but when you took your last suitcase off the conveyor belt, he still hadn't answered any of your calls.

Sighing, you flopped down on one of the benches to think about what to do. After almost 24 hours on two planes and a 2-hour layover in Dubai, you were exhausted, and it naturally didn’t help with the increasing irritation you felt towards your boyfriend.

You’d been so excited to see him and spend some time with him before calling it an early night, but instead you now had to find a solution to get back to Hersham yourself.

It was early afternoon, so most people, including your parents were at work and whilst they’d probably happily pick you up, you didn't want to be a burden. A taxi, however, would cost you an arm and a leg and you weren’t keen on spending that much on a bloody car ride.

Eventually, you decided to ring your best friend Mason. Luckily for you, he’d just finished training and promised to pick you up and when half an hour later you spotted him entering the arrival hall, a sigh of relief escaped your lips.

He’d pulled his cap low over his face to prevent the people around him from recognising him, but with the rush they all were in, you doubted they would notice him even without the disguise.

“Oh my god hi.”, he smiled brightly once you’d rushed over to him and the moment his arms wrapped around you tightly and pulled you flush against his body, this overwhelming feeling of home surrounded you. “My favourite person is back.”

“Hi Mase.”, you mumbled into his neck.

The two of you had a very tight bond and whilst you’d known you’d missed him, it only hit you now that you were back in his arms, just how much you actually had.

“I missed you so much, love.”, he pouted before pressing a short peck to your cheek and pulling you in for another tight hug.

“I missed you, too.”, you giggled.

It wasn’t long before you arrived at your and Charlie’s shared flat. Weirdly enough, his car was parked outside, and you wondered if he’d just fallen asleep or if something had happened. What if he had fallen and hadn't been able to pick you up? Or if he-

“C’mon, I’ll help you with your bags real quick before heading off.”

Mason patted your thigh and ushered you out of his car to grab all your belongings. You chatted all the way up the stairs to your flat, but no matter how funny his jokes, the weird feeling in the pit of your tummy wouldn’t go away.

Charlie was a reliable person. Always on time, never forgot agreements or appointments. In the two years you’d been with him, he’d never not been there so it didn’t sit right with you that he’d apparently missed four calls after promising you to pick you up.

“Charlie?”, you called out once you stepped foot into the flat, but there was no reaction. “Weird.”, you mumbled to yourself as you entered the living room. All lights were off, and the room was tidy with no signs of anyone having been here.

Maybe he’d gone for a walk or jog?

“Can’t believe the first time he forgets something is when he was supposed to pick me up.”, you moaned. “Anyways, you got another 10 minutes for a coffee and a quick catch up? I feel like we haven’t spoken properly in forever.”

“Obviously.”, Mason nodded, his signature smile on his lips. “Let’s get your bags into your bedroom first. You know how much you’ll hate yourself for having to do it yourself later.”

Reluctantly, you agreed. There was little or no motivation left to carry everything up the stairs, but Mason was right. The suitcases were heavy, and you really didn't fancy the idea of doing it on your own once he was gone.

Just like outside, leaving the weekender for you to carry, Mason grabbed both of your suitcases. With a gentle nod, he wordlessly told you to go first, and you were quick in taking the stairs. Halfway up, you thought you’d heard something, but when it didn’t happen again, you put it down to Mason huffing behind you as he’d never not let you know how much you’d overpacked…

“You know I alw-”, he started, but was soon interrupted by what could only be described as high pitch moans filling the silence.

You stopped dead in your tracks, the weekender falling to the ground with a quiet thud as the blood froze in your veins. It couldn’t be…it had to…this wasn’t why he’d missed the calls…

Despite the pathetic hope that Charlie was simply watching porn to get himself off, the tears were already burning behind your eyes. Deep down already aware of what was going on, you stormed off to your bedroom, leaving Mason no chance to hold you back and before you even knew it, you ripped the door open.

And there he was, standing in front of the bed, feet firmly planted on the floor with a woman on all fours in front of him. Deep, breathless moans pouring from him, whilst fucking her brains out.

You’d thought you’d been prepared for the worst when you’d stormed in, but his naked backside facing you whilst he was balls-deep in some woman had you on the brink of throwing up. An acid-like feeling in your tummy bubbling and threatening to spill over.

The gasp you suddenly let out was loud enough to alert you boyfriend and his mistress. Charlie whipped his head around in a millisecond and you could tell the exact moment he realised it was you.

He pulled away, face contorted in horror, frantically looking for something to cover himself with, but your eyes were set on the woman who slowly turned around now and the moment she showed her face, your whole world collapsed.

“Jen?”, you whispered as pure pain started to run through your veins.

Seeing Charlie fucking someone else had been heartbreaking, but seeing your best friend with him was something entirely else. Jen had been your best friend forever. She’d been with you through thick and thin and was the only person besides Mason that you trusted 100%.

You felt as if all air had been punched out of your lungs. Breathing was suddenly a very difficult task and hadn’t it been for your hand still gripping the door handle, you probably would’ve collapsed to the floor already.

“y/n, I can…it isn’t what it lo-”

“I’m sorry, y/n, I swear I didn’t want to, I-”

“Please, y/n. Let me explain. I-”

Charlie and Jen kept talking and trying to apologise, but in your brain it all faded together into some sort of rushing background noise. Your best friend had slept with your boyfriend…Two of the most important people in your life had gone behind your back and betrayed you.

“y/n, I promise I didn’t mean to…I just…you were gone and…please don’t leave, I love you. We can work this out, I-”

You hadn’t even noticed how you’d taken slow steps backwards and it was only when Charlie reached out for you that you eventually woke up from your rigidity. Pulling your arm away in pure and utter disgust, you turned on your heals and ran down the hall. You felt humiliated, ashamed and absolutely worthless.

Mason was still in the hall when you rushed past him. He couldn’t catch a proper glimpse of your face, but he knew just how devastated you had to be.

Charlie was your second boyfriend and had been by your side for a little over two years now and the concerns Mason had had at the beginning had quickly subsided. Charlie had made you happy and ultimately that was all he wanted for you.

“y/n, wait! Please!”, Charlie called. In only his boxers he came out of the bedroom to chase after you and for a second, the thought of sticking his leg out an watching him fall crossed Mason’s mind, but he only ended up grabbing Charlie’s arm and shoving him into the wall.

Pinning him against the cold wallpaper, Mason towered over your now ex-boyfriend, who looked absolutely frightened at best.

“You are the most disgusting piece of shit I’ve ever come across.”, he spat. “You both are. y/n fought your corner and stuck to your side when you were on your lowest and this is what you do? Fucking her best friend? Really?”

“Mason, I-”

“She’s the one of the best people anyone could ever meet. She’s this beautiful woman with a heart of gold and instead of cherishing and protecting her, you just fucked her over. Charlie, you had the chance to spend your life with this wonderful woman, but all you cared about was getting your dick wet.”

“She was gone for 6 months, what was I supposed to do. It’s not li-”

“Shut up for fuck’s sake!”, Mason bellowed. His fist making contact with the wall right next to Charlie’s head. “I can’t even begin to describe how much I despise you. You disgust me so much I could…I swear to god if you ever come close to her again, I’ll kill you.”

With nothing more than a pointed look – he had to hold himself back from doing something he might regret later – he left Charlie in the hallway and quickly made his way downstairs. With no idea where you were, he searched all rooms before eventually taking a look outside.

And there you were, shivering and breathing frantically with your hands clutching the fabric of your hoodie tightly.

Your blank stare didn't change one bit when he stepped in front of you and said your name multiple times, and that was the moment Mason realised you were about to have a panic attack. Knowing there was no sense in pulling you into a hug, he cupped your cheek as gently as possible with one hand to force you to look at him.

“Breathe with me, y/n.”, he murmured quietly. “C’mon, you need to breathe with me, love. In…and out.”

As he continued to breathe as calmly as possible to bring you back down, he grabbed your hand and placed it flat on his chest where his heart was beating before covering it with his own in another attempt to soothe you.

“I got you, love.”, he whispered with his forehead pressed against yours. “I’m here, you’re okay. Just breathe for me.”

It took what felt like an eternity until your breathing returned to normal and Mason’s heart could settle in his chest. He hated seeing you like this more than anything else, especially as there wasn’t much he could do to help you. this was your own personal nightmare, and he could only be there for you as best as possible.

Only once you’d calmed down properly and you stepped a little closer to him, did he wrap his arms around you and pulled you into his chest.

“It’s okay, I got you, love.”, he hummed into your hair.  

“I don’t know where to…where to go, I-”

Your choked up sobs broke Mason’s heart. You sounded so broken and tired, so devastated and he hated every second of it.

“You’ll come with me. I have more than enough space.” But even if he hadn’t had the space, he would take you with him. He would sleep in the bathtub or on the floor if that meant you had somewhere safe and comfortable to be.

“I can’t-”

“Yes, you can, y/n.”, Mason interrupted you softly. “I won’t let you sleep in a hotel or whatever is going through your mind. You’ll come with me and stay for as long as you want to. Okay?”

You felt him pulling away a little. His hand coming up to cup your cheek and tilt your head back so he could get a proper look at you and his big brown eyes started at you, pleading with you until you nodded.

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me.” Mason leaned in and kissed your forehead softly as he could feel the tears burning behind his eyes. “Go get in the car, love. I’ll grab your bags and be there in a minute, yeah?”

Sniffing, you took a deep breath and nodded before turning and walking over to his car. Mason watched waited until you got in and once you’d shut the door, he took a deep breath himself in an attempt to compose himself as with the emotions running through him, he was close to forgetting all moral concepts he’d ever been taught.

God how much he wanted to wrangle that prick’s neck.

*

“I always thought I’d hate them forever, you know? And I obviously hate what they did because it was a shitty thing to do, but I couldn’t care less about them as individuals. If anything, I’m grateful it happened, I-“

“Well, I’m not.”

“I know you’re not.”, you laughed quietly. “And neither am I. I just mean…back then, I really thought he was the one and if he hadn't cheated on me, I would’ve probably never realised what a bad person he is. I would’ve spent years with him cheating on me behind my back and I don’t deserve that.”  

Knowing you weren’t finished yet, Mason simply hummed in agreement and resumed his calming motions all over your back. His fingers ran up and down your spine, applying a gentle pressure to release the tension in your muscles.

“I hate what he did, but I'm grateful for what it taught me and especially what it brought.”, you whispered. “You.”

Your heart melted in your chest at the way Mason’s big brown eyes were full of love when they locked on yours.  

“You’d always been my best friend and I'm sure at some point even my stupid ass would’ve realised that you are way more than that for me, but maybe then it would have been too late and I would’ve never got the chance to be with you.”

You pecked his lips lovingly, before pulling away again. “So yes, I am a tiny bit grateful that he and Jen did it on that day of all days, broke my heart and pushed my right into your arms.”

There was a whirlwind of emotions scurrying through his slightly glazed over eyes, but the smile spreading over his face let you know he understood. You felt his hand sneaking up to the back of your neck to pull you in for a kiss, but there was one more thing you needed to get off your chest.

You'd been feeling it for a long time already, but up until now you hadn't felt ready to say it; to tell Mason you loved him.

Those three words were more than just that. They stood for promises, unconditional trust and pure and utter love. They were huge and meaningful and after everything that had happened with the last person you said them to, they’d been hanging over you like a thick grey cloud.

But seeing Charlie and Jen today had brought you the closure you hadn’t known you needed. That big nothing you’d felt when you’d seen them had reassured you. They didn’t mean anything anymore. They no longer had a connection to you and neither to the three words that you’d held back each and every time you’d wanted to say them.

You now had the closure you hadn’t known you needed and with that you could finally let yourself get lost in all that love you held for the best person in this world.

“I love you, Mason.”, you whispered overcome with all your emotions. “I love you so much and I’m so glad I have you. There’s no one I’d rather have by my side.”

Mason stared at you for a long moment. You could feel his heart racing and matching the beat of your own as he began to realise the significance of the moment. He’d told you before that he loved you but had always reassured you he didn’t want you to say it back until you felt comfortable enough to do so.

And after everything you’d been through, he surely hadn’t expected those words after just over six months into your relationship and the meaning behind it all just hit him with full force, making his eyes well up a little.

“y/n.”, he choked, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip to stop it from trembling, but you could see how emotional he was, and it made your heart swell. “I love you so much. So, so much and I don’t have the words for it right now, but I’m so…I don’t know…I just…thank you so much for trusting me. I love you, y/n.”

And with that, he leaned up and pressed his lips to yours in a kiss full of overwhelming love. Burying your fingers into his hair, you sank into him and let that feeling of content, happiness and pure and utter love take over your entire being.

—————

I genuinely hope you enjoyed reading this. You would make my day if you left a little feedback 🩷

[deliciousangelfestival]

Curses from Ex-Boyfriend || Oneshot

Character: Artist!Bucky x Reader

Summary: Y/N navigates humorous breakups and manages an art gallery. A reunion with first love, Bucky, at an exhibition ignites a whimsical love story woven with unexpected enchantments.

Main Masterlist || support: Ko-fi

Thank you to anyone who gave a like, reblog, and left a comment. It motivated me to write more. 

Y/N sunk into the barstool, her eyes telling tales of another failed relationship. Yolanda, the supportive friend, encouraged Y/N to share the latest misadventure in her love life.

Y/N sighed, "Okay, get this. The first one, Mike, broke up with me because he claimed my choice of pizza toppings was a reflection of our incompatibility. Apparently, pineapple lovers and non-pineapple lovers are destined to fail."

"Then there was Mark," Y/N continued, a smirk playing on her lips. "He couldn't stand the fact that I had a more extensive collection of pokemon than he did. He said it was a sign of divergent life goals."

Yolanda raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Tell me more."

"James, number three," Y/N chuckled, "Simple, he doesn't like dog."

"Alex was next in line," Y/N continued her tone a mix of disbelief and amusement. "He called it quits because he believed my excessive use of emojis in texts was a clear indication of a lack of emotional depth. Can you imagine?"

Yolanda laughed, "You can't be serious! What about the fifth one?"

Y/N sighed again, "Oh, Tom. He said my insistence on arranging our bookshelf by color instead of genre was a deal-breaker. Apparently, a good relationship requires organized literature. Can you believe these reasons?"

"Bucky was the longest, wasn't he?" Yolanda mused, a smile playing on her lips.

Y/N nodded, "Yeah, high school sweethearts, you know? We were the classic emo couple, complete with matching black outfits and moody music playlists."

Curiosity flickered in Yolanda's eyes, "So, why did you guys break up?"

Y/N chuckled, "Dead serious. Bucky was deep into it. I remember one day, he used a spell to try and cancel a math quiz."

Y/N grinned, "Oh, maybe because I'm over with emo and I think because Bucky got into magic, like, real magic. He bought this ancient-looking spell book at a flea market."

Yolanda's eyebrows shot up in disbelief, "Magic? Seriously?"

Yolanda burst into laughter, "Wait, what? A spell to cancel a quiz?"

Y/N nodded, "Yeah, he was convinced he could influence the universe with his newfound magical prowess. The thing is, our math teacher did cancel a quiz that week, but I later found out it was because he had a stomachache."

Yolanda's laughter faded into a look of realization, "Wait, are you saying Bucky's spell worked, or was it just a coincidence?"

Y/N shrugged, "Who knows? But I guess that was the beginning of the end. Bucky's magic phase and my inability to take his magical ambitions seriously eventually led to our breakup."

Yolanda winked, still teasing, "Maybe he enchanted you with a love spell, and that's why your relationships have been so... uniquely challenging."

Y/N rolled her eyes, feigning exasperation, "Please, if Bucky had any magical influence, it would've been to summon more black eyeliner or something."

Yolanda joined in the laughter, realizing the absurdity of her own suggestion. "I guess you're right. Love spells and high school relationships don't really go hand in hand."

As they clinked their glasses together, Y/N couldn't help but feel grateful for Yolanda's light-hearted humor.

Y/N groaned as she woke up with a slight headache, the remnants of the drinks from the previous night's escapade still lingering. Despite the throbbing in her head, she dragged herself to work at the prestigious art gallery where she served as the manager.

As Y/N settled into her office, her boss, the eccentric Madam Madeline, swept in with her fur jacket and oversized glasses, an aura of sophistication surrounding her. Madeline, always on the lookout for the next big thing, had an uncanny talent for discovering hidden gems in the art world.

With an air of excitement, Madeline announced, "Y/N, darling, I've found the next big artist during my travels around Europe. A true visionary! Prepare yourself; this is going to be huge for the gallery."

Y/N, still nursing her headache, tried to focus on Madeline's words. "Really? That's fantastic news. Who is this artist?"

Madeline beamed, "Oh, you'll see soon enough. I've arranged for the gallery to showcase their artwork. We need to get everything ready for the grand reveal. This could be a game-changer for us, my dear."

Despite the pounding in her head, Y/N felt a surge of adrenaline at the prospect of introducing a groundbreaking artist to the gallery's patrons. With a nod and a determined smile, she assured Madeline, "Consider it done. I'll make sure everything is prepared for the big showcase. This artist is going to leave a mark on the art world, and our gallery will be at the forefront."

As Madeline left the room, Y/N rubbed her temples, contemplating the exciting challenge ahead.

The day of the grand art exhibition arrived, and the gallery buzzed with anticipation. Y/N couldn't help but be excited about unveiling the mysterious artist's work. The moment Madam Madeline revealed the artwork, gasps of awe echoed through the gallery.

The paintings were truly impressive, capturing the essence of emotion and movement in each stroke. Yet, as Y/N studied the intricate lines, a sense of familiarity tugged at her. It was only when Madeline dramatically unveiled the artist's identity that Y/N's surprise reached its peak.

"Bucky?" Y/N muttered under her breath, disbelief washing over her. She couldn't reconcile the image of the once-emo high school boyfriend with the sophisticated artist standing before her.

Without the signature eyeliner and long hair covering half his face, Bucky had transformed into an entirely different person.

Madeline, reveling in the dramatic revelation, announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the brilliant artist behind these captivating pieces is none other than Bucky!"

Y/N's eyes widened as Bucky approached her with a confident smile. "Hey, Y/N. Long time no see."

It took a moment for Y/N to process the situation. "Bucky? The Bucky from high school?"

He nodded, "The one and only. Surprised?"

Y/N couldn't help but laugh nervously, "More than you can imagine. I didn't know you had this side to you."

Bucky chuckled, "Life is full of surprises. Just like art."

As the reality of the situation sank in, Y/N couldn't help but marvel at the unexpected twist of fate.

Intrigued by the transformation in Bucky's life, Y/N couldn't help but ask, "Bucky, where have you been all these years?"

Bucky grinned, a twinkle in his eyes, "After high school, I decided to pursue art more seriously. I entered art school, but it turned out the formal education wasn't for me. So, I packed my bags and hit the road, traveling around the country to draw inspiration from different landscapes and cultures."

Y/N listened, captivated by the adventurous turn in Bucky's journey. "And then?" she prompted.

Bucky continued, "I found myself in Europe, sketching the beautiful landscapes and immersing myself in the art scene. That's where I crossed paths with Madeline. She saw something in my work, and the next thing I knew, I'm back home."

Y/N couldn't hide her amazement. "That's incredible, Bucky. I had no idea you were out there making a name for yourself in the art world."

Bucky smiled modestly, his eyes reflecting a mixture of pride and gratitude. "Yeah, life has a way of surprising you," he remarked. "Art became my language, and every stroke on the canvas felt like a piece of my soul. Little did I know it would lead me here."

As Y/N continued to admire Bucky's work, a comfortable silence settled between them, punctuated only by the soft background hum of the art gallery. The familiarity of their shared past mingled with the newfound understanding of the paths they had taken.

Bucky broke the silence, "You know, Y/N, seeing you again brings back a flood of memories. The art, the laughter, the quirky moments—some things never change."

Y/N smiled, "Indeed, some things don't. Life has a funny way of circling back, doesn't it?"

As Madeline enthusiastically dragged Bucky away to meet other attendees, Y/N found herself momentarily alone, surrounded by the captivating artwork.

Observing Bucky engage with the crowd, Y/N couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for the once-emo high school boyfriend who had evolved into a renowned artist. The whimsical nature of their teenage years seemed worlds apart from the sophisticated individual now navigating the art world.

Y/N strolled through the gallery, and she noticed a subtle but significant detail in each painting – a delicately drawn flower nestled somewhere within the vibrant strokes. The realization struck her like a soft breeze, and she couldn't help but smile. It was her favorite flower, a subtle signature Bucky had left in each masterpiece.

Bucky, engrossed in conversation with other attendees, glanced in Y/N's direction. Their eyes met, and in that fleeting moment, an unspoken understanding passed between them. Y/N felt a warmth spreading within her, realizing that the flowers in Bucky's art were more than just a visual motif.

The language of art spoke louder than words, and Y/N interpreted the message within those flowers in the quiet exchange of glances. It was a silent acknowledgment, a whispered confession that transcended the boundaries of time and distance. Bucky's subtle gesture conveyed, "I still think of you."

As the art gallery hummed with admiration for Bucky's creations, Y/N couldn't help but feel a connection rekindling.

After the event, the air crackled with anticipation as Y/N mustered the courage to approach Bucky. "Bucky, would you mind grabbing a coffee with me? It's been so long, and I'd really like to catch up," she said, her heart pounding with a mix of nerves and excitement.

Bucky, meeting her gaze with a warm smile, replied, "Absolutely, Y/N. I'd love that."

As they sat in the dimly lit cafe, the atmosphere seemed to thicken with unspoken emotions. Conversations veered into shared memories and life's twists and turns. Y/N couldn't shake the feeling that, perhaps, this was a crucial moment—a juncture where destiny hung in the balance.

Later, in the intimacy of Bucky's hotel room, he opened an old sketchbook. Pages turned with a whisper, revealing an old photo of Y/N. Intriguingly, on the adjacent page, a spell was inscribed—an enchantment woven into the fabric of their shared history. The room seemed to pulse with an energy that felt both familiar and intense.

Bucky's chuckle was dark and enigmatic as he muttered, "Damn, it works."

The revelation left Y/N completely unaware. Little did she know that the seemingly whimsical magic from their teenage years had woven a thread connecting their souls, guiding them back to each other after years of divergent paths. As they continued to share laughter and stories, the magic of the past lingered in the air, creating a subtle but powerful force that bound them together.

Author Note:

Hey friends,

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If you've got any cool ideas or prompts, whether for this fluff series or any other series, feel free to share them with me!

Just drop them in my ASK/SEND REQUEST box.

Can't wait to hear your awesome suggestions! 🚀💬

[froggywritesstuff]

dysphoria | angel dust

ship/pairing: Angel dust x trans!male!reader (reader has a uterus and still gets his period)

fandom: Hazbin Hotel

request: Can I request Angel Dust comforting his trans boyfriend when he gets his period and is extremely dysphoric and depressed about the whole thing. This whole week has been a shit fest of dysphoria and crying.

warnings: maybe ooc idk , I didn't clarify in my writing but first confession of love i guess, periods, gender dysphoria, swearing, crying, emotional breakdowns, petnames (reader gets called baby), rushed ending, bad sex joke

word count: 758

A/N: sorry this is really short i have zero motivation to do anything 👍 fem and cis readers dni

You didn’t even need to tell Angel what was happening, nor did he need to ask. The second he saw your face contorted into one of discomfort, he was all over you. He hung up a dozen ‘do not disturb’ signs on your hotel room door (though it was basically a shared room at that point), prepared to verbally or physically attack anyone trying to disturb you. Before you could even mention cramps he had a heat pack fresh out the microwave for you, checking every five minutes if it was still warm or if you wanted it reheated. He would cuddle you tightly, him and Fat Nuggets doing their very best to cheer you up. Angel showed how much he truly cared for you. You couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend than him. However you felt nothing he could do would make the dysphoria you felt go away. He’s an amazing boyfriend but unfortunately he can’t stop your period or give you a dick. (he could do the second one if you asked him nicely)

”Ok I think this is all the chocolate in the entire hotel, I refilled your water, and I got you some of those snacks you like.” Angel listed as he sat on the bed beside you, dumping the food in your lap before readjusting the pillows wedged between your head and the wall, wanting to make sure you were as comfortable as you could be.

”Ange, you didn’t have to do all that.” you mumbled despite knowing it was pointless and he would continue to insist on helping you. 

He pulled you closer to him, letting you rest your head against his shoulder, “I told you it’s fine. I want nothin’ more than for you to be happy.”

You lazily snuggled up to him. Dealing with your period and the gender dysphoria that tagged along with it tended to drain your energy, "Thanks. I really appreciate you helping me with this."

Angel's arm snaked around your waist, holding you close to him, "Of course baby. But of the list of things I'd do for you, this is pretty mild. If your period was a person I swear I'd fuck 'em up real bad. Make 'em regret ever makin' you feel this way."

You couldn’t tell if it was just your hormones going batshit or not, but Angel’s words had you burst into tears. You quickly buried your face in the crook of his neck as he pulled you into a tight but comfortable hug.

”You’re ok babe, I’ve got you, just let it out,” his whispers comforted you as his hand gently rubbed up and down your back soothingly, not even caring that your tears were staining his shirt. 

Shaky breaths left your lips as you cried, “I'm grateful you're helping me. But I hate this. I hate my body. I hate it so fucking much.” your voice cracked as more tears rushed down your face. Angel was quick to pull out of the hug and cup your face, his eyes on you as his thumb caressed your cheeks. “It’s not fair.”

Tears brimmed Angel’s eyes, his heart breaking at your words, “I know baby. And you're right, it’s not fair. And you don’t deserve to feel this way one bit.” he pressed his lips to your forehead, “You hear me?" you gave a small nod as his thumb wiped away your tears, "And you're not your body. You're the hottest, the funniest, the kindest, the strongest, and the most handsome - yeah you're the most handsome and hottest man I’ve ever met, who also happens to be the best boyfriend in the world. And I wanna do anythin' to help you with this pain."

A small smile grew on your lips as you listened to him. He was so genuine and sincere, a big contrast to his usual sarcastic and snarky demeanour. On a day you felt like dying only he could make you feel like living, "I love you. So much."

He smiled ear to ear, feeling his heart swell at your words, "I love you too baby." he handed you one of the snacks he had brought, "Do you wanna eat something? And then you can talk more about what's botherin' you, or we can watch movies, or we can just nap. Whatever you wanna do."

You nodded, taking a bite of the snack, "That sounds good." Angel shifted on the bed so he was beside you again, one arm around your shoulders, while the other wiped your remaining tears.

[mikobeautifulheart]

OMG HOPING YOU CAN WRITE ABOUT YOUNG NANAMI HAVING A GAME NIGHT WITH THE READER AND THE REST OF THE JUJUTSU TECH STUDENTS DURING HIS TIME 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Hoping? YOU BET I CAN. ASK AND. YOU. SHALL. RECIVE.

Teen Nanami winning cards.

NOT EDITEDDDDD and reblogs are welcomed.

We knew during Nanamis time 🤧 he wasn't the 'overly joyful' type. But occasionally in his teen years he was happy.

"Nanamei sensei" Yuji said as he walked along side Nanami.

He didnt want to be called Sensei but he had long give up because of how frequent Yuji would just say it.

"Fushiguro, Nobora and I are going to play cards tonight and winner gets to pick their prize. But I kinda suck at cards Sensei, do you have any tips?" Yuji asked.

Cards? The last time Nanami played a card game was in his teens. He didn't remember the game but he sure remembered the night. The night where everyone was around the table staring at eachother intensly. You sat opposite to Nanami who was not so enthusiasticly playing. Everyone was here, itd be a shame if Nanami was so down like always. You kicked he's leg under the table making him glare at you.

You and Nanami have this thing where you'll read each others lips because obvious he didn't wasn't some one like Gojo listening in on your conversations. Not just that, it was a helpful skill to.

"If you win, I'll give you a kiss" you mouthed followed by a wink.

He got up and slammed his fist on the table. Everyone just stared aa Nanami's cheeks turned pink.

"NANAMI ARE YOU OKAY?? YOU LOOK REALLY HOT" Haibara said getting up in a panic. Poor should had never seen Nanami be embarrassed.

"My apologies" He said quietly before sitting back down. Well his motivation was up now but he didn't want to make it obvious. Well to late for that, because for weeks everyone had felt the chemistry between you to, Gojo even started bugging Nanami over it.

"I'll go get you a drink to cool down" Haibara said with concern

the game went on and Nanami was getting close to the win. But so was Gojo.

"Hey Y/N if I win this game can I get a kiss?" he asked smirking at Nanami. He sowre the vain in his head was about to explode.

"hmmm, I don't Satoru..."

"Fine, Winner gets a kiss?"

Nanami's eyes only narrowed at Gojo sending daggers at him

"I don't see why not" you said shrugging your shoulders.

Now he knew he had to win.

It only took 5 minutes for Gojo to lose, then geto, then you, then you, then Shoko.

Nanami did it. He was the last man standing.

"Guess you win" you said smiling at Nanami.

You walked and took Nanamis hand leading him out side the room and behind a corner where you steped up on your toes and gave him a quick peck. His face was even redder when he leaned down and kissed you properly this time.

As Haibara was walking back to the room he saw you and Nanami...

"NANAMIS A WOMANISERRRRRRRRR" Haibara burst into the room yelling hysterically with Nanami chasing him not to far behind.

"HE WAS KISSING-" he was immediately cut off by Nanami tackling him to the ground.

Gojo, Geto and Shoko were sitting at the table pulling 'surprised faces'.

"How scandalous Nanami!" Gojo gasped

"And at school too!" Geto followed

"NANAMI SENSEI YOUR FACE IS RED ARE YOU OKAY?" Yuji shouted.

"Yes. It's just. Itadori, if you want to win you need good motivation. Youu really have to go for the prize."

THANKS FOR READING ♡

AUTHORS NOTE: Idk I kinnda went off the tracks with this one, deepest apologies. Anyways have a good day everybodyyyyyy.

[allnightstay]

Day 13 - Win 🎖️

Summary: All Might tries to find a new way to motivate Midoriya who's falling behind in training.

Lee: Deku

Ler: All Might

Deku wiped the sweat from his brow as he caught his breath. His training with All Might had been intense lately, with every workout designed to push him beyond his limits. But no matter how hard he worked, he felt like his progress had plateaued, and the weight of self-doubt began creeping in.

All Might noticed Deku’s frustration. “Young Midoriya, I see you’ve hit a wall,” the towering hero said with his usual booming enthusiasm. “But fear not! I have just the thing to help you break through!”

Deku blinked, confused but curious. “A new training method, All Might?”

“Well, not quite.” All Might grinned mischievously, the kind of grin that Deku knew meant trouble. “You see, we need to lighten the mood a bit. So, if you don’t complete your tasks in today’s training… I’ll have to tickle you!”

Deku’s face turned as red as a tomato. “W-what?! Tickling??” He took a step back, horrified at the thought of being reduced to helpless laughter in front of his mentor.

“Exactly, my boy!” All Might declared with a hearty laugh. “Tickling can teach two valuable lessons: resilience and unpredictability. And there’s no escape from me! Consider it a win if manage to get through!” He struck a heroic pose, flexing his biceps dramatically.

Deku swallowed nervously. He knew All Might was serious—even when he was being ridiculous.

Deku tried his hardest to stay focused. He shot across the training course, using One For All to boost his jumps and dodging obstacles with precision. But as the minutes ticked on, his stamina started to falter. He stumbled on the last hurdle and landed face-first on the mat.

Panting, Deku rolled over and groaned. "I—I almost made it..."

"Almost isn't enough, young Midoriya!" All Might’s booming voice rang out. Before Deku could react, All Might was upon him. “You know the rules!”

“All Might, wait! No—”

But it was too late. All Might’s hands descended mercilessly, wiggling fingers into Deku’s sides. A startled giggle erupted from Deku’s mouth.

“N-nohoho! A-All Might, s-stahahap!” Deku squirmed desperately, trying to push his mentor’s hands away.

All Might chuckled as he easily pinned Deku in place, his fingers now dancing under Deku’s ribs. “What’s that, my boy? I can’t hear you over all that laughing!”

Deku twisted and thrashed, tears forming in his eyes from the relentless tickling. “I—ahhh! Hahahaha! Come ohohon!!” he gasped between helpless bursts of laughter.

“Then use your training! Find a way out! Show me you can win!” All Might encouraged, grinning ear to ear.

Through his giggles, Deku summoned every ounce of concentration he had. Using a burst of One For All, he managed to roll out from under All Might’s grip and sprang to his feet, panting but smiling.

“See?!” All Might beamed. “You’ve got more strength than you thought, young Midoriya!”

Deku collapsed onto the mat, still catching his breath but feeling lighter somehow—like the weight of his frustration had lifted. "I don't know if that was training or torture..." he muttered, wiping away tears of laughter.

All Might gave him a thumbs-up, grinning proudly. “Sometimes, young Midoriya, the path to greatness requires a little silliness. And if tickling is what it takes to get you back on track, so be it!”

Deku couldn’t help but laugh along with his mentor. "I guess... it worked, huh?"

"That's the spirit!" All Might clapped him on the back, almost knocking him over. "Now get ready—because next time, I'll be tickling even harder if you don't give it your all!"

Deku groaned, but the playful glint in his eyes said it all. Maybe this strange, ticklish punishment was exactly what he needed to stay motivated after all.

[weebsinstash]

My yandere Invincible posts have been getting notes recently now that season 2 is starting and there's a specific idea I have in my head for platonic yandere dad Nolan x daughter Reader because of a scene from the first episode, the scene from Mark's past where (small spoiler I guess) Nolan visibly heavily contemplates killing Mark and Debbie (because Mark might not get his powers and, he doesnt want to fail his mission) but quickly stops himself and is clearly ashamed for what he almost did

I keep thinking of a specific scenario. Reader is his second-born daughter who is a couple years younger than Mark and you're his little princess and you're just, outside playing while your parents occasionally peek out at you through the glass door/window to the backyard and, you're like 5 or 6 when things just, suddenly change, it hits you like lightning. Things look differently, they smell different, the sun on your skin feels different, the toys in your hands feel lighter and weirder than before, and when you start to slowly squeeze them, they start to break, but, you're smart and fast enough to stop.

But it's not JUST your body. It's your MIND. Suddenly you're remembering all those cartoons you've ever watched, practically every memory you have, every experience, every fact.

Temporarily, ever so briefly, you start to float, and you easily figure out how to put yourself down.

You're so excited you can't even make a sound-- you've got your powers like Dad!-- and you go to tell your parents, and you see then talking inside. You don't want to interrupt and wait outside patiently, deciding you'll go in when they're done talking even ss you're bouncing in excitement. And, you see everything from Ducktape Man to Mom and Dad talking to that menacing movement your father made, where some animalistic instinct inside of you knew it was HOSTILE and, in just a few moments, you're putting it all together, like either some gullible kid who believes everything in cartoons, or, perhaps, someone who just became a lot, lot smarter: you start hypothesizing that Nolan must be evil and has some hidden ulterior motive. Why would Nolan be so mad at Mark not having powers to the point of violence, murder? Oh, because if Mark didn't have powers, he wouldn't be like dad, he'd be a human? Does dad not like humans? Does dad want to hurt humans? Is there any other reason Dad seems to almost NEED his offspring to be Viltrumites too?

Oh, is Dad a bad alien who wants his children to leave Earth and human culture behind for their roots? And if he doesn't succeed, he'll snap? Is it like in those cartoons where the evil father tries to bring his kid to the darkside and the hero has to fight and defeat them even if it hurts?

The whole theory and coming into your powers is surreal, it's inhuman, but it's the new you, the new Viltrumite you. You burst into tears as you become overwhelmed and stressed at the idea you might have to fight your evil dad, lying to your father, no, Nolan, that you were crying because you broke your toy on accident and he has to shush you as he promises you a new one but your chubby little kid arms aren't squeezing him as tight as they used to

You start keeping secrets. You start watching him all the time, the things he does, the things he says, and the more and more, you become convinced. He never stops treating you as his little angel, and you even notice, he's, for some reason, gentler with you than Mark and, as you grow older, you realize it's because you're a girl and for whatever reason he's falling into the very stereotypical role of, treating both you and Mark very well overall, but, also being more lenient with you, telling Mark he has to be a good brother and protect his baby sister, Nolan always trying to buy you little sweets, but, after you saw what you did, your behavior towards him immediately shifts. You try to act the same to avoid arousing suspicion but you aren't nearly as affectionate and, as you get older, you take advantage of using puberty and needing independence as an excuse to put emotional walls up and distance yourself from him, even as he constantly tries to engage and spend time with you

Your family is worried what's wrong with you when you start calling him Nolan instead of dad, you suddenly don't want to spend time with him, your mom, and even your brother. You start working the second you're legally old enough, but, despite how bright and inquisitive you were as a kid, your grades are. Average. As in, deliberately average. You can never let Nolan know what you are. As you age and hear more and more of his comments where you can tell he's insulting not just anyone in particular, but the entire human race, you steel yourself, because you know, you know this man cannot be your father anymore, and you may even have to kill him. But you're so overly cautious about him and anyone else not finding out that you're limited at training options. You can't just fly anywhere, you can't just practice martial arts against normal humans, but, you find ways to make it work. You work manual labor jobs your father scoffs at, you wait until night and/or you know he's off planet to practice flying in one single field where you can see for miles all around you and see any witnesses or planes coming

You are a daughter with every intention of either abandoning her family and leaving the planet, or killing her father. Once you realized that you were an alien, unlike Mark and unbeknownst to Nolan, you're more like your father than you realize. You become more apathetic to humanity, more nonchalant about where you are in life. Suddenly you don't have to worry about your grades or college or things like that because, well, what good will earth stuff do you in outer space? Maybe you'll pick up some more practical knowledge but, really, the only reason you don't leave the planet once you start getting older is literally just that, one you're still attached to Mark and Debbie, and two, you don't have a flight suit and know your clothes will burn up and. You wanna get out of here but you don't want to be naked in space!!

Like picture this. Mark has just gotten his powers and you're heartbroken because, over the last decade your father started spending significantly more focus on Mark instead of you, inviting him to things he doesn't even mention to you, finally shifting almost his exclusive attention to his son, and, now Mark is "just like dad", already starting to get full of himself because hes stronger and "better", which worries you because, you eventually deduce Nolan is some kind of invader who is having kids to be soldiers. Like imagine sitting at the dinner table and Mark is all "don't worry sis, I bet you're a late bloomer too :) youll get your powers soon" and Nolan pipes in like "yeah and then we can all go out flying together" and you just look him dead in the eyes and don't reply. You're constantly having to temper your anger and keep up your ruse because if you're too openly hostile, he'll figure it out, and you have literally not a single doubt in your mind that he'll kill you for his mission, which is funny because you've actually adapted a lot of the "don't care I'm an alien" mindset that he wanted Mark to have

Nolan has no idea why you clearly hate him, why you fake smiles, why you stopped spending time with him. He still remembers when you were a toddler and you were running around, skinning your knees all the time and picking yourself up with little sniffles like nothing happened because you just wanted to keep running and exploring and playing SO bad. You used to be so bright. He had such high hopes for you. Honestly he always thought you would potentially outmatch Mark and be his strongest child, but. Here you are, a straight C student, working manual labor jobs, completely average, and refusing to bond with him in any way. He can tell you're keeping some sort of secret from him, but whenever he goes to confront you about it, you're... surprisingly scared, but, not as scared as you should be, in the nuanced ways one would shrink away as a child being scolded by their parent. It's almost like... you're holding some sort of grudge against him

I couldn't decide which version I prefer in terms of Reader finally being exposed. Maybe you don't realize Mark is trailing you and he finds out and tells Nolan behind your back under the mistaken impression you recently got your powers and was training in secret to make it a surprise. Or there's some sort of attack or disaster or accident where you're shot by a robber or they attempt to stab you and it just, dents against your skin. Or even, you start disrespecting Debbie because you're frustrated about being an alien that can't die and she let this man into her bed without truly knowing who or what he was and you're resenting her for it and you make a really awful comment and get in an argument with her and in anger she moves to slap you and fractures her hand against your invulnerable face, or you have to catch her wrist so she doesn't hurt herself and Nolan can tell by your reflexes that you're not fully human

I also just like the idea of. You're 18 and you make it very extremely clear you're moving out and your family is like, REFUSING but they technically can't stop you (although the idea of Omniman going full yandere dad and physically locking you up so his baby girl doesn't leave the nest certainly IS a nice thought) and they notice, instead of packing your things, you're donating them, getting rid of them. The day of your move happens and you're standing there with only a backpack and you haven't told them Any details about where you're going or, just, ANYTHING, and Nolan is looking at you like a big sad hound dog "can't I at least drive you 🥺" and you're like " :) no that's OK, I've got my own ride" AND JUST FLYING AWAY. I just think it'd be extremely relatable and hilarious if you keep up the ruse for so many years and you finally blow your cover because you lose your temper or because you've been hurt emotionally. Nolan tries to ground you, "March upstairs right now young lady!" and you're just like "march?" As you start levitating away just to spite him and he's picking his jaw off the floor. Mark sees you acting out one day "You're just jealous because dad likes spending time with me over you and you don't have any powers" and youre so hurt at seeing your big brother who you've been wanting to protect all this time become a pawn of your father that you just start hovering in the air right then and there, "you can have dad. You can have everything. I'm not even staying on this planet anymore"

I dunno, I kinda like the idea of Reader being this kind of, you know, still kind and all that, but a really almost, inhuman figure in the sense that your specific alien genetics or mutation causes you to kind of snap onto Genius Mode and you become sort of this calculating detached figure who pretends to be human and is openly hateful to your entire family because, as you see it, you're on your own and don't need or want them, you're different than them, your mental abilities are different even from Nolan's, and, meanwhile, said superhero is desperate to find out why his little girl hates her Daddy so much. He's still, you know, got that Viltrum in him, but Debbie and Earth has drawn out more of his humanity and he does love you, he does want you in his life, and it HURTS for you to reject him

But then he finds out about your powers and. Suddenly you're just supposed to magically forget how he started pushing you away too as he wants to bond with you again, teach you, train you. He has no idea he's proving your years of theories right as, he is overjoyed at discovering you have powers, like, you very clearly detect the "oh thank GOD you're not ACTUALLY a lowly human" energy oozing off of him and you realize you were right all along, you really were never more than just an extension of this narcissistic man from his freak species of savages, that he came to Earth with ulterior motives and it's dangerous for you to continue to be around him

You can try to pull away from him all you want, but even if he never found out about your powers, Nolan won't ever let you slip through his fingers. He knows how heartless and cruel this galaxy can be, and, if you're really truly such a fragile little eggshell of a human, then, clearly you need your doting dad looking after you until you're a little old lady passing away of old age while he looks exactly the same as the day you were born. But. That's not what's going to happen because even if that scenario came to pass he would quickly see that you aren't aging. There's no way you can fake that.

I just imagine a Reader who hardens herself into a true soldier and starts planning for the day you kill your father. You lure him out one day into a certain area and you jump him with like Homura vs Walpurgisnacht levels of preparation, hurling all sorts of materials and chemicals and objects at him, testing what works yet nothing does, coming at him with all sorts of different attacks and techniques you've had to teach yourself and pick up on your own, but, he's older than you, FAR older, and much more experienced, and he finally has to do something he hates and punches you in the gut so hard it makes you collapse and start throwing up but, he's just. POSITIVELY EUPHORIC. you just tried to kill your own father at like 17, 18, 20 years old and he's standing here "I KNEW IT, I knew you were special! Did you plan all this? Wow! you even tried to pierce my heart! where did you even get explosives from, did you make these?" Like he's THRILLED at the absolute sheer brutality, like, you just tried to KILL HIM kill him and he's like "Awwww I'm so proud 🥰🥰🥰 my little baby girl is a true viltrumite" and now YOU'RE FUCKED because now he loves you more than ever and, he was lowkey becoming massively depressed at the idea of outliving you, losing you, having to see you die, and now he doesn't have to, so. Now he can have both of his kids for rhe next hundreds and thousands of years 🥰 he has so many things he wants to show and teach you, so, now that he's seen how truly capable you are, it's time to start your training, but also, making up for all that lost bonding time you spent pushing dear old dad away ❤️

[clarisse0o]

Camp Wiegman-Part 21

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

Alternative Universe : Military School

Words : 5k

Masterlist

———————————————————————

Wednesday, November 25; 6:10 AM - Ona and Alexia's Room

I was running late this morning. For the first time since the beginning, I stayed up past curfew to study a bit more. Luckily, I didn’t get caught, but it did mess up my wake-up time. I hurried to get ready in the bathroom while Alexia was already in the room.

“Oh crap!” shouted Ale. “Ona, come here!”

“What? Wait a second, or Bronze will be all over me if I’m not ready.”

I finished applying my mascara as Alexia rushed to the bathroom door, smiling from ear to ear. I barely had time to put the mascara away before she pulled me to the only window in our room. I was speechless.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! It’s snowing?!”

“This is amazing!!!” Alexia exclaimed. “Look, everything’s white! It must’ve snowed all night. And we get out early today! Imagine the huge snowball fight we can have!”

“No way! And Bronze wants me to run with her this morning... She’s out of her mind.”

“You’re the one who’s out of your mind if you think you can get out of it.”

We jumped in sync at the voice. I closed my eyes, instantly regretting my words.

“And to your positions by the bed, young ladies? Immediately!” she scolded.

Alexia wasted no time trotting over. I swallowed hard and slowly turned around. She raised an eyebrow, seeing I wasn’t obeying.

“Seriously? You’re going to make me run in the snow?”

“It won’t just be a simple run if you don’t listen to me right now.”

In less than a second, I was in place. One look at her stern gaze changed my mind about defying her. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and noticed she wasn’t checking our room but rummaging through my wardrobe. I frowned, assuming she was looking for my sports clothes. I wasn’t wrong when she stood before me with a tracksuit and a thick sweater.

“You won’t leave this room until you’re changed.”

The witch! I sighed, grabbed the clothes angrily, and locked myself in the bathroom. I came out once I was done changing. Bronze smiled proudly when she saw me.

“Can’t we postpone this to tomorrow? I have a test later.”

“No, otherwise, you’ll keep making excuses, and you made it clear yesterday you needed motivation. Guess who’s in charge of your motivation?”

I rolled my eyes. She looked at her watch before looking back at me.

“You have half an hour to eat. I expect you on the field at seven. If you’re not there, I’ll drag you out by your ear if I have to.”

I grumbled as soon as she left the room. Alexia was laughing her head off. She could be happy about not having a supervisor on her case anymore.

“Why does she insist on you running today?”

“She remembered I missed my runs when things were tense between us. She’s determined to get me back on track. I guess she hasn’t figured out yet that I’m not interested.”

She burst out laughing. I only chuckled weakly. I could’ve done without this, especially today. I’m already sleep-deprived as it is. We headed to the cafeteria in the freezing cold. The temperature must have dropped at least five to ten degrees overnight. Until now, my uniform jacket and sweaters had been enough, but not anymore. I was freezing. I was glad when we reached the cafeteria. The meal went on cheerfully, as usual. Everyone was excited because of the snow. I must be the only one who doesn’t like it. It seemed no special arrangements were made for this type of weather. Alexia wasn’t kidding about the snowball fight after classes. I’d have to find a way to get out of it. Once I finished my breakfast, I joined Bronze after the meal. I knew she wasn’t joking with her threats, so I’d better not make her mad. I managed to arrive on the field early. I wasn’t surprised to see her already there. The snow had stayed on the ground overnight, but it didn’t seem to bother her in her run. I, on the other hand, had nearly slipped ten thousand times just on the way from the cafeteria to the field. Bronze smiled when she saw me.

“See, you can do it when you try.”

“Are you going to motivate me with threats every day?”

“Don’t take it that way,” she laughed. “It was the only way to get you moving. You need to clear your head before your test. I bet you’ve been thinking about it since last night, am I right?”

How does she know me so well? My silence answered her question. Thankfully, she couldn’t read my mind, or she’d know I stayed up past curfew last night. I hope she doesn’t notice I’m hiding something because I’m a terrible liar with her.

“Alright, let’s get started!”

I grumbled but got going. She matched my pace so we could run together. I went even slower than usual because of the snow. It wasn’t easy, and now wasn’t the time to break something. Bronze teased me, asking if I was running or trotting like a horse. Since I’m someone who can’t let my pride go unchallenged, I slightly picked up the pace halfway through our route. I regretted it a few steps later when I found myself sprawled on the ground. I heard Bronze laughing behind me. I groaned as I turned to see her trying to calm down, asking if I was okay, but failing.

“Stop laughing, it’s not funny! My back hurts!”

“Really?” she calmed down instantly.

She crouched next to me as I sat up. I groaned exaggeratedly, rubbing my back. I stifled a smile at her worried look. I took advantage of her lowered guard to push her shoulder with a big grin. I immediately lost my smile when I saw that my little push barely moved her.

“This isn’t funny, Ona,” she frowned. “I was really worried! Are you actually hurt or just messing with me?”

“A bit of both. My butt hurts a bit from the fall, but I’m okay.”

“And your back?”

“It’s manageable,” I giggled.

“Hm...”

I didn’t expect her to react so strongly. I bit my lip at the thought she might call me childish. That would offend me. But I let out a surprised gasp when snow hit my face. I barely had time to close my mouth and eyes before Bronze spread it all over. I spit out what got into my mouth, still in shock. I heard her laughing while I composed myself. I wiped my face with my arm to remove the rest. Well... It seems my supervisor knows how to have fun more than I thought. She got me at my own game.

“I hate you!” I laughed, throwing the first handful of snow I could grab at her.

Her laughter intensified as she brushed off the snow with one hand. She let herself fall to the ground, calming down. I laughed too, realizing what had just happened. I never thought Bronze would be capable of pranking me. My face must be bright red now. Anyway, I’m freezing. Snow must have gotten into my clothes. My thick sweater and small camouflaged jacket were no longer enough. I regretted not wearing the T-shirt Bronze had given me.

“Will you be alright?” she teased.

“You’ll pay for this! How old are you to be doing this?” I mocked.

“Okay, you win. We’ll stop for today,” she laughed. “It’s impossible to run in these conditions. Are you cold?”

“Yeah. Tell me, are we allowed to wear our big jackets over our uniforms?”

“Of course,” she smiled.

“Well, it won’t help me much. I didn’t bring any as big as I need.”

Bronze looked at her watch. I didn’t even know what time it was, but I hoped I had at least time to shower. I knew we started running early, so there was a good chance I did.

“It’s only a quarter past seven. Let’s shower, and I’ll bring one of my jackets to your room when I’m done. Is that okay?”

I nodded, smiling. She got up and helped me do the same right after. I was really cold but tried not to show it. We eventually split up to go to our respective rooms.

Wednesday, November 25; 2:50 PM - Math Class

I read through my paper one last time. I had ten minutes left if I wanted to change anything, but I couldn’t find any errors to correct. I really hoped I hadn’t messed up. I spent hours and hours working on it. Besides, Bronze asked me to tell her my grade once it was marked. She would kill me if I brought her a bad grade.

“Those who are finished may leave,” instructed my teacher. “The rest of you have five more minutes to finish.”

Many of my classmates sighed in relief. Chairs scraped noisily against the floor, creating a racket.

“In silence, please! Respect those still working.”

I look at Alexia, who is a bit further away next to me. My teacher had fun separating all the desks to prevent cheating. She's putting her things away. I put mine away as well. Anyway, I can't change much in five minutes. I managed to do all the exercises, so the die is cast now. I put my bag on my back and hand in my paper to the teacher before leaving. I see a lot of dejected faces as I exit, including Alexia's. Is it because of the test? I didn't find it that hard. It was even easier than I expected. Unless Bronze prepared me too well.

- Did you do well?

- Are you kidding? grumbled Alexia. Did you see how hard it was? I'm just glad it's over! He really went overboard with all those exponentials and everything! she added.

- I thought it was okay.

- Are you serious? You're the only one!

- Well, I must have spent at least six hours reviewing it since Monday.

- It's true, you fell asleep with your math book on you last night, she teased.

- Oh, come on! I grumbled.

Well, it's true. I fell asleep from exhaustion around midnight with my book on my chest. I really have to thank Bronze for preparing me so well. She did a great job by having me review everything from scratch. I have a lot to be proud of if I did well. Hopefully, that's the case. I take a deep breath, relieved that it's all over. It was my last class of the day. Alexia is all excited, and I don't think I can hold her back any longer.

- Come on, let's not drag. The girls are waiting for us!

- How can you be so eager to have a snowball fight, seriously? I chuckled.

- But it's fundamental! Don't you like it?

- Not really. Can't I be excused?

- No way! You won't back out.

- At least you'll have an even number, I argued.

- Alba is bringing one of her classmates, and I think Patri and Claudia are bringing people too.

Excuse failed. God will never be on my side. Alexia pulls me outside without giving me a choice. Fortunately, Bronze lent me a jacket and gloves. They keep me warm once outside. I find the jacket better than mine, which I forgot in Barcelona. It has fur inside that keeps me warm. I'm hesitating to buy a new one now that I know better. I might try to negotiate to keep it, or I hope she'll forget about it, though I highly doubt it. It's Bronze, after all. She never forgets anything. I don't know where Alexia is taking me. We just passed through the supervisors' dormitories. I didn't expect to find a large grassy and tree-filled area covered in snow just behind. It starts from one end of the school's wall and extends to the parking lot at the other end, hidden by a row of trees. Everything is white, it's beautiful. The place is already filled with many students having fun in different ways, alone or in groups. I find it surprising that they allow us to have fun here. Many snowmen have been made. Alexia guides us to our group of friends where I spot several unfamiliar faces.

- Ah! Finally, they're here, said Patri as we arrived.

- Sorry, we just finished a test, replied Alexia.

- How did it go? Lotte asked us.

- Too hard! Well... It depends on the perspective, apparently, she said, glancing at me.

I smiled, shrugging. I turned my eyes to the new faces. I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't know them, seeing how Alexia greets them. They seem to know me, though. One of the girls mentions my name while greeting me. It seems my reputation precedes me... They introduce themselves one by one. Ella, Misa, Maya, Laia, and Alessia. That's a lot of names to remember at once. I hope I won't mix them up. They all act differently. Alessia keeps smiling at me while Misa gives me a disapproving look. This whole situation makes me uncomfortable and makes me analyze it. From what I can see, the girls have a lot of spirit and won't back down easily. The battle is going to be tough.

- Well, I suggest we make two teams. Leah and I could be the leaders. Alba says.

- Are you kidding? retorted her sister. Why should it be the two of you?

- I agree with Alexia, Misa supported.I stand back as they start debating which arrangement would be best. I give Alessia, who comes to my side, a shy smile.

"The best thing is to let them argue among themselves," she comments.

"Absolutely," I chuckle. "Anyway, they won't have the final say against Alexia."

"It's true, she's hard to contradict," she agrees.

"Ona, in my team!"

"What did I say," I roll my eyes. "Never would be the right word..."

Alessia chuckles as I join Alexia, who, as predicted, won her position as team captain. Opposite her is her sister, who has chosen Laia as her first teammate. I'm relieved that Alexia asks for my opinion on the next picks. I suggest Leah and Alessia, since the latter seems nice. On the other side, Misa, Ella, Patri, and Maya complete the team. The last ones to join us are Claudia and Lotte. Alexia seems satisfied with her team. I thought we were going to have a little battle, but not at all. Alexia suggests we split up to find a "base" to prepare and come up with a plan of attack. I sense this game is going to be anything but fun. The two groups disperse into the small forest. Alexia finds us a big tree to hide behind. I crouch next to my roommate to prepare ammunition. I would do anything for her.

"Did you see the first girl Alba chose?"

« Laia »

« Yeah. She's my ex."

"Really?" I say in surprise. "What happened?"

"An overprotective sister who ruined everything, if you ask me," Alessia chimes in from across us.

"Because of Alba?"

"Yeah, among other things. She's friends with Leah here. They've been together in class for three years. Laia and I got together in our first year."

"And then Alba the savior threatened to beat her to death if she touched her sister."

I widen my eyes at Leah's revelation. I look at Alexia for confirmation. She just shrugs in response. I didn't think it was that serious. I understand better why she doesn't want to tell her about her instructor-turned-girlfriend.

"Why don't you put her in her place? You have the right to have relationships."

"You think I haven't tried?" she sighs. "We always end up fighting because she won't let it go."

"And you care too much about her, so you don't want to lose her."

Poor girl. I'm sure Alba doesn't even realize it. Because of her, her sister feels obligated to hide her new relationship from her. If I were in her shoes, I'd rather calm down than not know my sister is in a relationship. Well, with Joan, I still have plenty of time to worry about that.

"Enough with the balls," she says, standing up.

I admit we have plenty of ammunition already. I stand up too while Alexia discreetly looks behind the tree. I peer over her shoulder and spot Alba watching us a few meters away, also behind a tree.

"Should we pair up and take them from each side? One girl and one guy. One holds the ammunition, and the other shoots. How's that sound?"

"I'll pair up with Leah," I say without hesitation.

She smiles, approving our partnership. Alexia pairs up with Lotte and Claudia with Alessia. We each go our own way, trying to stay hidden behind the trees. I decided to hold the ammunition. I'm a terrible thrower.

"Why should I be the one to shoot?"

I giggle, thinking I’ve definitely chosen my partner well. She seems as motivated as I am for this stupid game. We're arguing about who should hold and who should throw when I’m already holding the balls in my arms. We stop when we're attacked by flying snowballs. We quickly locate the source. It's Alba and Ella - if I remember her name correctly - mocking us from not far away. I guess we weren't very discreet this time. Leah quickly reacts and sends a missile right into Alba's open mouth. Now it's our turn to laugh. We quickly take cover behind a tree, throwing snowballs at each other. Alba enjoys shooting at me since I can't respond with my arms full while Leah continues to attack them in turn. Our ammunition runs out quickly, so we decide to retreat. Our opponents don't seem to agree as they chase us. Finally, we abandon our initial plan, and I attack with Leah, both of us making our missiles. We try to lose them among the trees, but in the end, I just lose Leah . I sigh, seeing no one chasing me. Alba was following me, but she's no longer there. I try to hide to catch my breath. Bronze's punishments are taking a toll on my cardio. Maybe I should reconsider that jogging suggestion. It's always better to run for fun than be forced to do twenty laps as punishment. I jump when a hand touches my shoulder. My hand instinctively goes to my heart.

"Sorry," giggles Alessia. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Claudia?"

"And you with Leah?"

"We lost each other trying to shake off Alba and the brunette... Ella, I think?"

"Yes, that's right," she laughs. "I lost Claudia while escaping the others too."

Alessia moves closer to the tree to look behind it. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to catch my breath. I don’t even know if Alba caught up with me, but I think she did. She probably has better stamina than I do.

"Is someone chasing you?"

"Alba. Do you see her?"

"No."

I signal her to be quiet, and we start preparing some more ammunition. We leave our hiding spot. We find Alba more easily than I thought. We chain her up before she has time to realize what's happening. For the first time since the start, she's the one fleeing. I chase after her, not worrying about Alessia, trying to keep up with her pace. She's much faster, so it's hard. I try to throw snowballs at her, but I miss more than I hit. At one point, she stops abruptly to face me. She smiles while her chest rises and falls irregularly. She shows her hands in surrender. I'm not buying it. Alessia catches up to us. We simultaneously throw our last snowballs at her. I smile, seeing mine hit her squarely, unlike Alessia's, which lands much lower. She ducks to avoid it. My smile fades when I see who my snowball accidentally hit. I don’t even pay attention to the second snowball that must have perfectly hit Alba. I freeze in fear, imagining what's going to happen next. Her eyes are closed as if she’s absorbing the impact. The girl with her is laughing hysterically. I stifle a laugh, remembering her expression. My amusement fades when her eyes lock onto mine and her deep voice resonates through the forest.

"Ona Batlle! I hope you can run fast because if I catch you, you're in big trouble!"

I don't take this as a joke. I turn around, using Alessia for momentum. I weave through the trees, fleeing from my pursuing supervisor. I find the edge of the small forest, trying to maintain distance, but it’s no use. I lose my balance when she grabs my arm, pulling us both down. We roll in the snow before stopping further away. Bronze is quicker and pins me down with her weight. Realizing the mess I'm in, I muster my last strength to try to break free, but Bronze tightens her grip with one hand while the other shoves snow in my mouth. It’s the same scene as this morning. The difference is she’s holding me so I can’t struggle. I hear laughter in the distance, but I can’t tell who it is. Bronze laughs too as I spit out the snow. Opening my eyes, I see her cheerful face, now sitting on me.

"Are you okay?" she mocks.

"All this for a simple snowball?" I say between coughs.

She laughs, reaching towards my face. I flinch, not wanting more snow.

"Let me, she giggles. I just want to help."

I remain skeptical, even when she removes her glove. Unexpectedly, she wipes the snow from my face and pulls down my jacket that must have ridden up during our tumble. She stands up and offers her hand, which I accept. I'm completely soaked. I can't feel my frozen body. A gust of wind makes me shiver. I see my friends mocking me behind Bronze. Engen is also watching with an unreadable smile. I stop looking around when I realize we aren’t the only ones who stopped their activity to watch. Bronze snaps her fingers in front of my face.

"Are you listening, Ona?"

"Huh?" I say, startled. "What did you say?"

"Take off your jacket. It's soaked. You'll get sick."

"My jacket isn’t the only thing soaked. I'm completely wet."

Since I don’t react, she unzips my jacket and takes it off. I can't feel any difference because I'm so frozen. My shivering worsens. I try to warm up with my arms, but it's useless. She removes her own jacket and helps me put it on.

"No more playing in the snow for you today."

"Whose fault is that?" I grumble.

"I'm not the one having a snowball fight," she smiles.

"I'm not the one who accidentally stood behind Alba when she was supposed to get hit by my snowball."

Thinking back, I wonder if Alba did it on purpose given the smile she gave me before ducking. She laughs while trying to warm me by rubbing my arms energetically. I let her do it. I don't dare move my little toe because I'm so sore all over from the cold.

- I didn't know you were such a good thrower.

- Neither did I, I snorted. A stroke of luck, and of course it hits you.

She laughs as Engen joins us. She picks up Bronze's gloves from the ground and my jacket that my supervisor had tucked between her legs.

- Are you okay?

I nod to show her that I am.

- Your lips are all blue, Engen tells me.

- You're going to hear from me if I get sick because of you, I grumble.

- Hey, it's not my fault! You shouldn't have played in the snow.

- Are you okay, Ona? asks Alexia, who just joined us. Are you coming back to play with us?

- No, Bronze answers for me. I'm taking her back to your room so she can have a nice hot shower to thaw out.

- Anyway, the others acknowledged our victory by saying that hitting Bronze was the pinnacle, she giggles. Well played!

Even Bronze laughs at the news. My teeth start chattering loudly. That’s the last straw for Bronze, who cuts the conversation short. I have no choice but to follow her and Engen to the dormitory.

- Why were you there?

- To keep an eye out. Things can quickly get out of hand at times like this.

Engen revisits what just happened. She keeps repeating that I should have seen my face when I hit Lucy. She adds that our fall was memorable. I’ll probably remember my first snow day in Manchester for a long time. I’ll laugh about it when I tell the story later. It’s not every day a snowball accidentally hits your supervisor in the face. Engen turns back to her post at the dorms to continue keeping watch. Bronze accompanies me to my dorm, taking me through a back door I’ve never seen before.

- Are these the stairs you used when you brought me to your room?

- Yes. It’s our way to come see you. It’s actually an emergency exit, but it’s never used, so no students know about it.

- I guess I’m not allowed to tell anyone?

- Preferably not. We’d rather avoid having students hanging around this hallway to escape us.

I nod in understanding. This path is shorter for them, saving them from having to go around the building to get to our dorm. I only feel the warmth of the building once we reach the hallway on the first floor. The first thing I do when I get to my room is sit on my bed to try and take off my boots. Bronze helps me when she sees me shaking like a leaf. Even my socks are soaked, even though nothing should have gotten through the thickness of these shoes. I take off my jacket but keep my sweater on, remembering that I have nothing underneath but my bra.

- Take off your clothes so I can dry them and go take a shower, she orders me. I'll get you some dry clothes in the meantime.

- Get me some sweatpants and a big sweater, please.

I take off my pants and sweater while she has her head in the closet. She’s seen me more undressed than this, but I still feel just as embarrassed. I leave my clothes on the floor and lock myself in the bathroom. I take off the rest of my clothes before slipping into the shower. I sigh as the warmth calms my shivers. I stay there for a while, hoping I haven’t used up all the hot water, as my roommate might want to do the same when she gets back. This day has shown me that I’m not used to cold temperatures. Of course, I’ve seen snow before, but it’s extremely cold in Manchester. I also come from a warm country. I was born in Portugal and lived in Barcelona. That says a lot about my weather habits. Once done, I return to my room with just a towel covering me. I’m surprised to see Bronze has stayed. She’s lying on my bed, careful not to get her shoes on it. I bite my lip when I see she’s holding my sketchbook. I don’t like people entering my world without asking permission. I take a deep breath and move towards the clothes she’s prepared and laid out on my desk.

- You’re talented. I especially love this one, she says, showing me.

- Thanks...

- Sorry, she says, noticing my discomfort. It was on your bedside table, and I couldn’t resist.

- Oh, I must have forgotten to put it away then.

- Are you feeling better? Not too cold anymore?

- I’m fine, but I’ll get dressed before it comes back.

- Yep, I’ll leave you to it then. I was supposed to be keeping watch outside anyway. I’ve put your wet clothes on the radiator. See you tomorrow if I don’t see you before then.

We wish each other a good evening before she leaves. I smile when I see she’s thought of all my clothes, even my underwear. I glance at my sketchbook, which she’s put back on my bedside table, thinking I should remember to put it away. I finally gather my clothes and lock myself in the bathroom, not knowing when Alexia will return. In the end, despite being frozen, I loved this day. Now I just have to hope I don’t get sick from all this nonsense. I’m already sniffling ten times. That would be the last straw…

[mafuluzx]

Can I have a Lloyd x m!reader⁉️ basically reader is a villian and is almost like himiko toga. reader basically asks Lloyd for his blood so Lloyd is obviously confused so one of readers teammates r like " reader ain't no way ur in love with the person we've been fighting" and the ninjas find out that to reader blood = love or sum like that⁉️( ik its silly request but😭)

It's not silly at all, don't worry!!! And I'm sorry this took so long! My motivation has just been kinda down for a while. I'm not sure if this is good enough, but I tried my best.

WARNING! Needles, for those who cannot handle them.

Lloyd x male reader oneshot!

Takes place in the start of season 12, Prime Empire

Love it?

"We're almost there, come on!" Lloyd quietly lead the team towards one of the many warehouses in Ninjago city. Apparently the mechanic, as he calls himself, was apparently in there right now, ready to steal a motherboard to some old video game that was only available in arcades, and even those had been shut down for reasons unknown.

Soon enough, the ninja got to the ware house as they heard speech from inside. They couldn't hear everything clearly, but the sentences "Find it!" and "The motherboard is all we need!"

Lloyd placed a finger on his lips and motioned for the ninja to keep quiet as they moved right next to the main doors.

The ninja hesitated to enter as they heard someone, someone else, laugh manically inside the ware house. Lloyd ignored it, and instead motioned for the others to go in, before he counted to three.

And on three, they burst into the building, the mechanic and his goons stiffening up as they got on guard. Everyone wore stiff and worried expressions... except one.

"Sorry to crash the party boys!" Nya let out the mechanic growled, before Jay joined in.

"Guess our invitations got lost in the mail, huh?" The blue ninja spoke before reaching out to pull out his weapon, but Lloyd quickly placed a hand in front of Jay, stopping him.

"No weapons, guys. These are just low level thugs." He spoke as Cole smirked.

"My fists are my weapons!" He le out as he punched the air.

"I would not classify the Mechanic as low-level. He's suspected in thirty-six unsolved criminal cases, not mentioning the unnamed accomplice." Zane commented as the mechanic smirked, before clearing his throat.

"Thirty-seven." He simply stated before his robotic arm extended, hitting Zane and sending him flying to the other side of the room. Without a second to waste, the ninja split up to fight the mechanic and his goons.

Lloyd didn't let his guard down for a second, even when he noticed one of the goons, dressed a little differently than most, storing at him with wide eyes. The boy's eyes glimmered like crystals as they stared straight at Lloyd mid fight.

Although the boy himself was currently fighting Zane, it was like the white ninja wasn't even there. Although it made Lloyd somewhat nervous, he ignored it as he knocked down one of the mechanic's goons, before kicking another out of the warehouse with a powerful kick.

But suddenly Lloyd felt someone shove him to the ground from behind. He and the person rolled into a corner, away from the fight, before Lloyd finally saw the person. It was the boy who had been staring at him earlier.

"Hey, Lloyd Garmadon, right?! My name is (y/n), (y/n) (l/n), just so you know. Ah, I can call you Lloyd, right? Or is Green Ninja better? Kyaahh! I can't believe I'm speaking to the Green Ninja! Oh, what if he thinks I'm annoying... Doesn't matter!" The boy blabbered on and on as Lloyd tried to punch and kick him away, and failed, every time. The boy was on all fours on top of Lloyd and kept him pinned to the ground as he talked.

"Ahhhh! I don't know what to do! Hehehee..." The boy named (y/n) spoke a bunch of nonsense before suddenly pulling out a knife and pressing it gently against Lloyd's face.

The boy muttered something, but it was too quiet for Lloyd to hear. Knowing he might me killed at any moment, Lloyd stopped struggling, and instead grabbed the hand that was holding the knif. He needed to act fast.

"Lloyd, Lloyd, I wont kill you~! Just-" Before (y/n) could say anything else, Lloyd twisted his wrist so that he dropped the knife. In a few swift movements, Lloyd finally kicked off the other boy, before running back into the fight and after the mechanic, who had just called out.

"(l/n)! Stop fooling around!" The mechanic called the boy his last name, as the boy's twisted smile turned into a childish pout.

"But, but, but, buuuuuuut! It's the Lloyd Garmadon!" The boy called back, but the mechanic only scoffed.

"Then stay if you'd like, return to base once you've held this guys off long enough." The mechanic said before pulling one of his goons up, and running to an open window.

"Aye, aye, mech-man!" The boy called after him as the mechanic jumped out of the window with one last shout.

"It's boss to you, blood sucker!" The mechanic then disappeared out of sight, before Lloyd called out.

"Zane, Cole, Nya! Go after him! We'll hold the rest of them back." Lloyd instructed as Zane, Cole and Nya charged out of the same window, leaving Jay, Kai, and Lloyd to fight inside the warehouse.

"Blood sucker? Hey, are you vampire?" Jay was the first one to do anything. No one was attacking the opposing side yet. The goons had all been knocked out, leaving only the boy named (y/n) (l/n) to smile at the three ninja. Well, just mainly the green ninja, but whatever.

"Jay, vampires aren't real." Kai stated as Jay turned ´his head to the red ninja.

"How would you know? Have you ever seen one?" Jay asked before Lloyd sighed, and spoke up.

"Jay, concentrate. Now, sorry to say, but we'll have to take you down!" Lloyd said the last part to (y/n), who weirdly looked nothing but happy with the statement.

"Oh, the Lloyd Garmadon is talking to me! Kyahh!! What an honor, what an honor! Oh, quick question, may I have a blood sample from you?" (y/n)'s tone suddenly changed as he pulled out a syringe from behind his back.

"No way! I hate needles!" Jay spoke before (y/n) turned his head towards the blue ninja.

"Shut up! I wasn't talking to you." (y/n) scoffed before turning back to Lloyd with a beaming smile.

"So what do you say? It'll hurt just a bit!" Lloyd watched as (y/n) waved the syringe around like a nurse gone mad.

"No thanks." Lloyd simply answered as Kai spoke up.

"Um, this is getting weird, so how about we fight this out instead?" (y/n) looked taken back for a second, but in the end lowered the syringe and pulled out a knife with his other hand.

"Sure!" He beamed before charging towards the ninja without warning. Before the could as much as dodge, (y/n) had already slashed past Lloyd, making a deep cut in his leg.

"Don't worry, the knife is fully sanitized!" (y/n) spoke leisurely as Kai and Jay ran towards him. But (y/n) knocked the two away easily, making it look like he was fighting a bunch of toddler instead of the all-powerful ninja.

Lloyd pressed on his bleeding leg before trying to get some space between himself and (y/n), but the latter was much faster, charging and pressing the syringe behind Lloyd's knee.

Quick as lightning, he drew in some blood before ripping the syringe away.

"Don't worry, it's fully sanitized too!" (y/n) spoke again, of course talking about the now filled syringe.

"Oh this is perfect! Ah, I don't know what to say, I don't know what to do!" (y/n) spun around with the syringe in hand, ignoring the three ninja approaching him slowly.

"Oh, wait, I was supposed to go back. I completely forgot!" (y/n) suddenly let out in realization, before whipping around to face Lloyd, who had gotten up even with his bleeding leg, fists drawn and ready to punch (y/n).

"It was so nice to meet you, Green Ninja!" (y/n) beamed before throwing himself onto Lloyd, giving the Green Ninja a hug before kissing Lloyd on the cheek.

"I gotta go now! I'll miss you!" (y/n) jumped away without a warning to the entrance of the warehouse, before turning back one last time and waved to Lloyd with a smile.

Lloyd noticed something had changed about the boy in the midst of the fight, strangely. A ring had appeared on his ring finger, as if out of thin air.

It made Lloyd wonder, and look down at his own hands too. What left Lloyd even more puzzled was the ring that had appeared on himself, and it definitely matched with (y/n)'s. Jay and Kai saw that too.

"Uh, did you get engaged to a stranger?" Jay questioned as a half joke, before Kai spoke up.

"Shouldn't we go after him?"

....!

[nyxrev]

Saitama moves: normal ground slam

………(oh they're just regular swords)

I thought Saitama would walk out of the forest to check on commotion as Void burst out of the ground, then swat him anti-climactically as OPM does, maybe some good ol' lectures. But perhaps he is lost, or confused as usual.

*dramatic gaspspsp*

Look, more lore, more mystery.

*sips tea, bombastic side eye*

oh dear… oh dear… 🤭😬

Blast,are you surrre you still want to prioritize his life? Is it wise?

Void's attachment was Blast's wife, but what's their relationship?

Blast still has hopes for Void, but Void is pissed at him, for whatever valid or not reason, or maybe he is just manipulated by the… critter on the moon.

Void said Blast brought misfortune around him by how he irresponsibly preached lofty ideals, at the end, he could not protect anyone.

Who was it Blast couldn't protect? What were his mistakes & failures? What caused such rift between them? Why is Void so pissed at him years later? What did they do prior fallout anyway? Was it shady work? You don't just go search for mysterious cubes on a whim. How did they learn about it?

Do Blast's personal flaws tie back to his power? How they contrast his power of darkness with Void?

I mean Void is also plenty unhinged …almost blinded by his light & what -ever vision he was planted with. Clearly, his earthly attachment was his weakness, it let him be whisked away by the nefarious critter. Both of them got deep faults to work on.

I wouldn't be surprised if it all stemmed from small issues neglected & snowballed to resentment, which could've been resolved if only they communicated, but ofc dudes refuse to talk it out so they spiral down a bloody brawl. Maybe Saitama will smack them both to clarity, idk.

Tbh we don't know much about Blast, his motivation, character, etc.

Blue is his son, but by the way he started his own organization, & the fact Blast has been absent probably more than half his life, seems like their relationship is not too good…no mention of his mother yet either …well, a distant dad raises no son.

Flash questioned why Void did not target Blast's child/family first, could it be his weakness is not his son or wife? Not unlikely, if I had to guess. There's some complicated relationship dynamics afoot.

[mikuni14]

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo - Ep 7-8

There have certainly been many smart words written about the finale, I've managed to read only one post so far (and I totally agree with it), I've got a busy end of the week and don't really have time to read more. So I'll quickly list what I particularly liked about the finale:

as far as I can tell, the series probably wrapped up all the threads. Some things may be a bit incomprehensible, but I think that may have been the creators' intention, so that we could guess many things rather than be told specifically by the series. Like, for example, the reasons why JuYeong stayed and took care of DoHoe's father. There could be several such reasons and each one is good (and each one could be wrong lol). Such a wrap-up of threads, a satisfying finale and leaving viewers with a sense of closure is not that common in BL series, especially those that aspire to be more serious, we all know that 🤷‍♀️ so I really appreciate it!

the actors are excellent, I really liked, for example, how looking at DoHoe's body, figure, face, one could clearly deduce his current condition. This zombie-like rigidity, apathy versus ease, a broad smile, uncontrollable bursts of laughter... it was just 👌

I liked this juxtaposition of the oppressive, homophobic, obedience-enforcing and punishing version of religion, with the positive version of religion, i.e. "and the truth shall set you free" :) Because yes, truth, honesty, liberated DoHoe, made him feel free at last, made him feel at peace

I liked this "simple, ordinary" ending in general, where the answer turned out to be a simple, ordinary truth and honesty. Even if it involves pain, loss of something, consequences. And how even these consequences cannot overshadow the overwhelming sense of freedom and peace that is immediately visible in DoHoe. I like the lack of a sugary-sweet ending: DoHoe suffers the consequences of his lies, although as viewers we root for him and want him not to be punished at all

I absolutely love JuYeon's unconditional feelings, how he helps DoHoe over and over again, just like HyeonHo, who, even when rejected, after a difficult conversation, is still ready to help DoHoe

just like the unconditional standing by the child, even at their own expense

JuYeong, when he is serious and so matter-of-fact, when he sees reality for what it is, not believing DoHoe's "mean" but also empty words about breaking up. How many such situations have we seen, when one rejects the other for Noble Motives, or Out of Fear, or for some other Bullshit Reason, when due to an irritating lack of communication the other leaves hurt and then, frustrated, we watch them suffer for several episodes convinced of their unrequited love 😬 JuYeong is not like that, he knows DoHe, he believes in his love, he doesn't believe DoHoe's words because he knows him - this knowledge of the other person, their past, their personality is something I love in my romances, and what makes me believe in love watched on screen as a viewer. Personally, I can't stand this trope when someone is pretending or saying something ooc for them and the other person just buys it. I always ask then: do you even know who you love? Because it's so obvious ooc for them! 😤Super happy that JuYeong is like "I'm not going anywhere and I don't think you actually mean it"

I love how they talk about themselves, their relationship, their life together, their future together, like a real couple, real people 🥰

I love JuYeong because he educated himself in various, sometimes serious, sometimes funny topics 🤩 I often hear men people complaining that they can't handle various things because their parents / school / no one taught them, while Google and books in the library are free. JuYeong asks the internet how to live and how to be a perfect little boyfriend for his pookie and the internet answers him lmao, this is just so simple and perfect. JuYeong is the best!

teddy-bear pajamas! (I will put a gif of them later, love it so much!)

HyeonHo is so fiiiiiine

(apologies for the screenshot from the gray pages but I can't make them on Gaga)

To sum up: I won't hide the fact that whether it's my own fault, or the fault of the subtitles, or the plot, or the aura of depressiveness, but episodes 4-7 were incomprehensible and chaotic for me in some parts, overly complicated at times with conversations full of ambiguities and understatements to the point of being incomprehensible (but I also completely buy the fact that I'm just too stupid to catch all the nuances lol). Overall, the series is very good, although unlike Where Your Eyes Linger, I can only watch it once. The series showed the long-term effects of domestic violence very well, realistically but with respect for the victims, without sugarcoating, without idealizing the victims. It also showed struggling with traumas, which is not always successful, it also shows how important unconditional support is, but also coming face to face with the unpleasant consequences of untreated traumas. It shows the value of love, friendship, honesty, doing what is right, without irritating moralizing. The series had a very realistic vibe, I was able to imagine all of DoHoe's feelings, and the actor convincingly played him as a lost kid, tangled in his own guilt, traumas, lies, yearning for love and hope - even though he is an adult.

The only tiny reservation I have about the series is that I would like more of JuYeong, who has also suffered so much, but from the beginning he has been a strong,leading force in their relationship and is often "the adult one". However, his type of personality, his openness, courage, honesty and straightforwardness are responsible for the fact that he copes relatively better with difficult situations. So it's not really any complaint, more an observation ;)

But apart from that, this series is really good aaaand has a good, happy ending, yay!💖

[whattimeisitfic]

Wanted to apologize for going like… essentially radio silent for the past month or so. I thought after I wrote my exams I’d feel a burst of motivation, but the second I fin died my last one, my brain just didn’t want to do anything anymore. Not to mention my Hazbin Hotel hyperfixation has really faded out since I first started writing my fic, and now every time I think about opening the document it just feels like a chore, and I put it off. So I told myself I’d wait until July, give myself teh est of the month as a break, then come back and start posting again…

And then on the 2nd of the month my dad was admitted into the hospital, and the doctors think he’s got MS. So now I’m stressed again, and thinking about how long it’s been since I’ve posted has really made me think I need to give some sort of update. I don’t want to be that person who abandons their work completely, but I guess, for lack of a better term, we’re going through it right now.

I’m seriously trying to work up the motivation to at LEAST get the next chapter up. I have it written, but it feels like every time I try to open it and edit, my brain turns off and doesn’t want to. I can’t even go to AO3 and open my comments because I’m afraid there’s going to be a bunch of unanswered ones there, or people wondering where I am, and like. U know. That stuff. So I don’t really know what’s going on right now, but please know I haven’t forgotten about my ducklings and I am trying.

Thanks for your understanding.

[fyodere]

Summer Doesn’t Last Forever. 🍓

This is your last summer as a high school student with your boyfriend, Tadashi. You want to make this moment even more special.

notes: haaaaiii! guess who’s back? i mean, sort of… my life has been crazy lately, if you want to check it out just search for “life update” on my profile

anyway, this is a preview of an extremely wholesome smut I made of my best boy, Yamaguchi Tadashi. I love this boy so much I can hardly contain it! OKAY, depending on the support, I promise to post the complete version as soon as possible!!

At the height of summer, when the sun rises majestically in the sky and casts its golden rays upon the earth, it is possible to experience an epiphany of comforting warmth. It's as if each ray of sunshine gently caresses your skin, wrapping you in a feeling of warmth and well-being. In this magical moment, one can appreciate the celestial spectacle of the sun slowly setting on the horizon, painting the sky with shades of orange, pink, and violet, as if it were a canvas being carefully crafted by an artist.

Summer invites you to slow down and savor each moment, to allow yourself to be enveloped by the enchanting aura of the season. It is a time of promises and renewal, where the worries of the past fade away and you are captivated by the invigorating energy of the season. Under the summer skies, you are reminded of the importance of living fully, embracing the present with gratitude, and dreaming of a future filled with opportunities and adventures.

Thus, as the sun sets on the horizon and night gently falls over the land, you are enveloped by a feeling of serenity and contentment. Summer, with all its fleeting beauty, reminds you of the magic that resides in every moment and the importance of appreciating life's journey with all its ups and downs.

Meanwhile, the thought that summer doesn't last forever saddens you.

You look at the sky through your bedroom window, appreciating the explosion of colors in the sky, then look at your feet, with a look of disappointment. The end of cycles has always been difficult for you; the thought that another season was coming to an end made your heart tighten. What kind of nostalgia is this? Missing something that hasn't even ended? You place your hand on your forehead, contemplating how out of touch with reality your thoughts can be.

In a reality shock, you look at the time displayed on your phone screen. Damn, I'm going to be late! You think, taking a deep breath.

Today is a special day. You will have a date with your boyfriend, Yamaguchi Tadashi, the captain of the Karasuno volleyball team. You started dating during your sophomore year; Tadashi confessed his feelings to you after you both got closer when you were freshmen in school.

Witnessing the evolution of the green-haired boy from the first year to the third was truly an event you take pride in having attended. Watching Yamaguchi slowly emerge from the cocoon and display its beautiful wings to the world filled him with pride. You love the boy so much that sometimes it feels like your chest is going to burst, as if your body can't handle something so beautiful and intense.

As you immerse yourself in daydreams about your beloved boyfriend, your body begins to move, starting your preparation for the summer festival.

This will be your last summer festival with Yamaguchi as a high school student, and the first as his girlfriend. You couldn't enjoy the fireworks last year because Karasuno High School had advanced to the national volleyball tournament. You were proud of your boyfriend, of course. But, damn! It would be so romantic to watch the festival of lights in the sky next to him...

Thinking that this year would be different filled your heart with joy. With a sudden burst of motivation, you decide to look for your beloved yukata and prepare all the accessories to style your hair, making it as majestic as possible for your boyfriend.

As you finish doing your makeup, you hear a noise coming from the door. It must be him! You think, letting a smile slip away.

You open the door and see your boyfriend standing there with a radiant smile. Tadashi was wearing a grayish yukata with a print of black crows. The dark tone of the boy's clothing matched the color of his hair, which, by the way, had grown since last year. Yamaguchi let his hair grow a bit over time; honestly, you thought it was charming. It really suits him, it makes him look more mature.

The boy's hair was tied up in a half-bun, leaving his ears exposed. You can see Tadashi's piercings in that area.

You swallow hard. Oh my, you're used to the way your boyfriend looks. You see him every day at school. Why did he seem even more handsome today? Perhaps the magical summer air is stirring your senses.

Without ceremony, Tadashi pulls you into a hug. You like how he is more confident and able to take action, without leaving his caring and sensitive side behind.

The hug made you realize something, Yamaguchi was taller. Yes, even taller than you remembered. The way he hugs you, you can tell that he's stronger too. Tadashi had gained some muscles due to his dedication to volleyball. After a moment enjoying all the warmth radiating from your boyfriend's body, he releases you and steps back, looking into your eyes and holding your shoulders.

"Ah, sorry... I kept you waiting, didn't I?" He says, and you quickly shake your head in denial. "Tsukki was convinced that I had taken his headphones, he was furious." Yama let out a faint laugh; he was used to his best friend's temperament.

"I hope you don't keep talking about Tsukishima throughout our meeting." You say, forcing a serious face, feeling a hint of jealousy. Your boyfriend can't help but find you adorable in this state.

"Sorry, sorry..." He says in a playful tone, sliding one of the hands that were holding hers to her face, making her look at him. "Without Tsukki at our meeting, understood." He smiled once more, and you felt your legs weaken.

They held hands and walked in comfortable silence towards the festival. No matter how accustomed you were to your boyfriend's presence, your heart can't help but beat a little faster. Sharing these moments with Tadashi makes your body warm up.

It didn't take long for you to arrive at the festival; it was possible to see people of all ages walking and talking, exchanging gentle smiles, enjoying everything that pleasant summer night had to offer.

The illumination of the fireworks seemed sufficient for your comfort. Even with the windows open, the room felt absurdly hot, hotter than the acceptable standards for a summer night. Looking slyly, you notice Yamaguchi's yukata slightly looser — perhaps the heat was bothering him too. You reflect on loosening your traditional clothing while your boyfriend focuses on the fireworks show. Slyly, you use your hands to create a larger passage of air at the top of your clothing.

Tadashi turns to you and places his hand on the side of your face, giving it a gentle caress. He looks at you with tenderness as he slowly approaches. You close your eyes, anticipating your boyfriend's next move.

Yamaguchi tilts his face and gently presses his lips against yours. You reciprocate the small act, but it doesn't go beyond that. Just a chaste, simple, and sweet kiss. As genuine and loving as the feelings you have for each other. Your body warms even more, and every touch from Tadashi, no matter how soft and gentle, seems to provoke the most intense sensations in you.

The boy steps back, keeping their faces close.

"Can I try something different?" You hear your boyfriend say in a voice slightly weaker than usual. Was he scared?

"Huh?" You respond, a bit confused. "Sure, go ahead."

"Sure..." Tadashi says, glancing quickly at the closed door, as if he is afraid of being caught in the act. "Close your eyes, follow me..." Following your boyfriend's command, you close your eyes. You felt Yamaguchi's face getting closer again.

He brings your lips together again, the difference is that now he is only kissing your upper lip, letting you feel just his lower lip against yours. You were a bit confused about the seemingly awkward kiss, but Tadashi quickly took another action.

Right after lightly kissing her upper lip, Tadashi slightly parts his lips, creating a small space for theirs to fit together. It was slightly wetter than most of the kisses exchanged before — not that you were complaining, it was nice.

So you remember Yamaguchi's second order: to follow him; a bit awkwardly, you try to imitate the boy, giving him a chance to fit his lower lip between yours. You hear a sound similar to a soft grunt coming from your boyfriend, probably a reaction to the moisture from your mouth.

Tadashi prepares for the next step, lightly biting his lip. Suck, let go, and kiss. First, he does it timidly, waiting for you to repeat the act. When you reciprocate, he starts to do it with more intensity, but at a pace you can keep up with. As the sequence repeated, their mouths opened wider before fitting together again, allowing for more movement.

He alternates the hand that holds his face with caresses and gentle tugs to bring him closer. As their lips collide, Yamaguchi lets more sounds escape.

"Haa...ah—" he says, breathless, after pulling away more abruptly. You can also hear the sound of your own breathing. "You... liked it?" You confirm by nodding your head. Your face is so hot that you fear to verbalize. "That's good." He ends with a smile.

You and Yamaguchi had kissed before. Many other times. The Karasuno team finds it almost disgusting how you manage to be affectionate. Sometimes, when you are watching the practice, Tadashi takes advantage of the little break to give you a kiss, even sweaty and with everyone watching. An attitude that makes Tsukishima roll his eyes.

Of course, you had given more intense kisses as well. But these are more private, usually at someone's house or in a place that seems safe enough.

Or not so much. Tadashi sometimes can't control himself around his lovely girlfriend.

The question is: when things evolve to more intimate touches and become more intense, your boyfriend simply stops. He distances himself and leaves you confused, even though he says you didn't do anything that caused this distance.

You were afraid of that happening again, right now, when everything seems so good...

You feel something tingling between your legs. This had happened before, more times than you would like to admit. What Tadashi was skilled at with touches and kisses, he also had in fear of taking the next step.

It burns so much that it feels like it's on fire, it burns so much that you feel a discharge coming out of you. Oh, drugs. You were wet. Wet because of the slightly more intense kiss with her boyfriend — and their tongues didn't even touch.

Placing one of your hands on your forehead, feeling all the heat radiating from your face, you huff, grateful that Tadashi left the lights off. You didn't want him to laugh at the redness that spreads across your face.

[oratoful]

Guess who got inspired to make custom emotes of their faves! Meeeeeee!!!!

if i ever get that kind of burst of motiv again you can expect to see more

[devilat-thedoor]

What Is and What Should Never Be Ch. 6

A/N: i know this one took me a hot minute. but to be honest, i haven’t really been motivated to write. this story is going to have a lot of sensitive subject matter in future chapters and i will do my best to make sure all the proper warnings are in place. but if by chance i do miss something, or you’re not happy about something i write, please DM me to open a discussion about it. i appreciate any and all feedback🩵

Word Count: 8.5k

Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI, No smut but suggestive language and allusions to sex, Angst, Toxic Theme(Possessiveness, Arguing, Fighting, Accusations, Cheating)

…I can’t make my own decisions or make any with precision // Well, maybe you should tie me up so I don’t go where you don’t want me…

You cautiously stepped through the front door of Highway Tunes, keeping an eye out for Josh. When you saw he was busy with a customer, you made a beeline for the bathroom, feeling the remnants of Jake between your thighs.

“Y/N, what the fuck?” Josh whisper-yelled from the end of the hallway just before you could enter the restroom. You slowly turned to face him, preparing yourself to be scolded. He came closer, standing right in front of you, “I don’t appreciate being taken advantage of… If this thing with you and my brother is hindering you from doing what you were hired for, you’re gonna need to find another job. Don’t let it happen again.” He stalked out of the hallway before you could respond and you finally burst into the bathroom.

Locking the door, you turned the faucet on, letting the sound echo through the small space as you splashed water over your face. You were in shock at Josh's outburst, not that you didn’t deserve it…but the anger you felt radiating from him is what really troubled you. You wanted to rush out and apologize, plead for his forgiveness and promise that you’d never let it happen again, but when you finally went back to the front of the store and saw him, the look in his eyes made you stay far away.

The afternoon stayed busy enough that you could easily keep your distance from Josh but, every so often, you would feel him staring at you. You did everything in your power to avoid looking at him, just counting down the minutes until shift change when he would finally leave and take the suffocating tension with him. Much to your dismay, you were having an issue with the barcode scanner while ringing a young woman up and you had to swallow your pride to talk to Josh. “Excuse me for just a second, hun… I need to get my boss.” You stepped away from the counter to search for him, finding him in the corner, typing on his phone. Approaching him slowly, you tapped his shoulder, “Uhh, Josh? There’s a problem with the scanner… I don’t- can you come help me?”

He turned to face you, his expression begging to say something that his mouth wouldn’t allow. Instead, he simply nodded his head and followed you back to the counter. You stood back, watching as he flashed the customer his perfect smile. “Cam, hey!” He greeted her with a gleeful hug and you assumed she was another regular that you hadn’t met yet until she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I didn’t expect you to be here today, babe.” The woman, Cam, pulled back but her hand remained on Josh’s hip and you couldn’t help the sting of jealousy you felt at the tiny, intimate gesture. “Where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in like, a month…” Her tone was accusatory and it intrigued you; Who is she? What’s the relationship between her and Josh?

He glanced at you briefly before stepping out of her grasp and moving behind the counter. “Uh…yeah, I don’t know.” He kept his head down, fiddling with the scanner, and there was suddenly an awkward tension in the air. “I’ve just been busy, I guess. We were spread pretty thin and short staffed, but Olivia is back for good and we got a new hire… Uhh, Y/N.” Josh pointed to you with a soft smile, one you hadn’t received since Jake dropped you back off. “She’s pretty fucking great… I was lucky to find her…” His eyes drooped with a sad and silent apology before he put his attention back on the scanner.

The girl held her hand out to you with a friendly grin, “Well she’s beautiful, isn’t she?” She cut her eyes back to Josh, giving him a smirk, as you slipped your hand into hers. “Y/N, huh? I’m Cameron, preferably Cam.” Her dark, spiral curls cascaded over her shoulders and brought out the deep, olive tones of her skin. When her gaze returned to you, she released your hand and leaned her elbow on the counter as she took in your appearance. “So, how did a sweet thing like you end up here?”

You could feel your cheeks heat as your eyes fell to the floor to avoid her intense stare. “I umm… They were just the first place with a ‘Now Hiring’ sign…and Josh doesn’t make it easy to say no.” You laughed quietly before looking back up at her.

You heard your boss clear his throat to get her attention, but Cam didn’t seem bothered, almost acting as though he weren’t there. “D’you just move here? I’ve never seen you around before.” She stood up straight and stepped a little closer when you nodded your head, “Oh…Well, if you ever want a tour of the city or to just hangout…maybe you-.”

“No, Cameron.” Josh’s tone was flat and final but he forced a fake cough to clarify when she whipped around to face him, “Wrong tree, Cam. She’s…with Jake.” He turned back to the computer, clicking a few buttons, and grabbed her record to run it in front of the scanner. The beep echoed in the hanging silence and he used the opportunity to end the current topic, “Look at that. Scanner works… Your total is $34.98.” He was making it obvious that he wanted to get her out of there but she ignored him.

“No fucking way…” She turned back to you, her mouth slightly agape, “Jake? Mister ‘No Strings Attached’ Jake? He scooped you up?” Cam faced Josh again, leaving you no room to answer her question. “How the fuck… I thought he-.” She clamped her mouth shut when he pressed his lips together in a warning. Tossing her debit card on the counter, she chanced one more look at you with a half smile, “It was nice to meet you, Y/N… I’m sure you’ll see me again soon.”

He gave her the card back and passed her the bagged vinyl, “I’ll call you. We can meet for drinks this weekend.” She nodded before heading for the door and you waved a quiet goodbye to her as she left and disappeared down the sidewalk. You chanced a quick look back at Josh and turned away to find something to occupy yourself. “Y/N, wait…” His hand was on your shoulder, stopping you from walking away from him, “I- The way I lashed out earlier…I’m sorry.”

“Josh, you don’t owe me an apology. I fucked up and I can promise that it…won’t happen again.” You faced him fully, but kept your eyes on the floor. “We- I lost track of time and I feel awful. I don’t want you to think that I’m not serious about my job just because-... This is my top priority and I’ll make sure Jake knows that too.” You fought to keep your hands from fidgeting by folding them together behind your back.

Josh hooked a finger under your chin, pulling your gaze from the floor to meet his face. “I know you weren’t late on purpose, Y/N. I just-.” He dropped his hand, drawing in a deep inhale when you locked eyes with him. “You make me fucking crazy in a way that i’ve never felt before and… You know what, it doesn’t matter.” He was shaking his head back and forth, waving his hands as though he wanted to shoo his thoughts away. “Just know that I wouldn’t fire you. It was an empty threat from the beginning.” His voice trailed off and now he was avoiding your eyes.

You didn’t know what to say; part of you wanted him to elaborate on how you made him crazy, but the other part knew you wouldn’t be able to handle the answer appropriately. “Josh…” Your breath caught in your throat when he looked at you, his large brown eyes, soft and bright. You lifted a hand to his face, mindlessly sweeping a stray eyelash from his cheek, and he leaned into your touch, his lips just barely grazing your palm. You both froze, eyes locked, for several moments, and if it weren’t for the door chime ringing out, causing you to jump and retract your hand, you weren’t sure what may have transpired. “Uhh. I’ll…get that.”

“Y/N.” He glanced at the customer, who had their back to you as they perused the rack of new release albums, before grabbing your wrist. “I- I’m sorry. I have to stop doing this shit…” He released his grip and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I know that you’re with Jake and I don’t want you to think that I don’t respect that, but I really fucking like you.” Josh paused when you began chewing on your lip, all of his focus going to your mouth before he stuttered through the rest of his thought. “You’re so- I mean, I- Shit…”

“Excuse me?” You both turned in unison to the customer, an older gentleman, as he interrupted Josh. “I’m looking for something for my granddaughter, might one of you be able to help me?”

You gave him a polite smile, “Of course, sir. You tell me what you need and I will be more than happy to assist.” You listened to the man explain what he was looking for as you led him to the tables, only stealing one glance over your shoulder to find your boss watching you.

💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿

“Hey, you alright?” Josh asked, a tinge of concern in his tone, when he found you leaning on the counter with your head in your hands.

You rubbed your palms over your face and looked up at him. “Yeah. I just have a headache…waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in.” You forced a quiet chuckle as you stood up straight, “I guess I should’ve actually eaten on my lunch break.”

His brows pinched together as he glanced at the clock on the wall. “You haven’t ate anything today?” When you meekly shook your head, he let out a frustrated huff and stalked into the office. You heard some things shuffling around before he reemerged a moment later holding something out to you. “Why the hell would he take you out on your lunch break and not fucking feed you?” He wasn’t asking you directly, more so thinking out loud. “Eat these… Please.”

You took the package from his hand, a little bag of pretzels, “Thank you…” You murmured it quietly and ripped the bag open to pop a pretzel into your mouth. “It wasn’t his fault. I just…got distracted.” Slipping into the office, you took a seat in one of the chairs to finish the small snack.

Josh followed you in and leaned back on the edge of the desk, looking down at you. “Why didn’t you just order something for delivery when you got back here?”

“I don’t know…” You pulled your phone from your pocket to check the time; it was almost 4 o’clock, which meant Jake would be in for the closing shift any minute, but also that Olivia would be in too, and you weren’t in the mood. “I’m not gonna lie, Josh… You kind of scared me when I got back. Food was the last thing on my mind and even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have ordered out of fear that it would piss you off even more.” You gave him an honest answer as you finished the last pretzel and dropped the bag into the trash can.

“Look at me, sweetheart.” Josh crouched down in front of you, placing his hands on your knees, and waited for you to obey. “I don’t want you to ever think there’s a reason to be scared of me. I lost my temper and I’m sorry.” He stared into your eyes and you nodded, fully conscious of the way his thumbs rubbed circles over your leggings. “If you miss lunch again, or you’re hungry at all, I keep the bottom left drawer stocked full of snacks. You can help yourself whenever, okay?”

“Ummm. Am I interrupting something?” Olivia was standing in the office doorway, her eyes darting between you and Josh. “I just wanted to clock in… Is Jake here yet?”

He stood up with his ever-gleaming smile. “Hello, Olivia. It’s so very pleasant to see you too.” His tone dripped with sarcasm as he slithered around her to exit the office and you followed suit, holding a hand over your mouth to stifle your laughter.

Just as you stepped out from behind the counter, an arm wrapped your waist and pulled you around the corner towards the back of the store. “Miss me, peach?”

You yelped and spun in his hold, lightly slapping his chest. “Don’t do that, Jake! I almost pissed myself.”

“Too bad I’m not into golden showers…” He joked with a playful smirk and you shoved out of his grasp.

“God, you’re disgusting.” You giggled and made a move to walk past him, but he grabbed you again and pulled you close to kiss you. You stopped him, holding a finger over his lips before prying his hands from your hips, “Not at work, Jake. Respect the rules.” You broke away from him to do a quick clean up and return any discarded products to where they belong.

“Rules?” He was trailing behind you, close enough that you could feel his body heat. “What the fuck do you mean rules? I can’t touch you? Is that a rule, because I-.” 

You cut him off as you stopped walking and turned back to him, grabbing his face, “Work is my main priority, babe. I get paid to do a specific job and that job isn’t being your girlfriend… So at work, we keep it professional.” Dropping your hands, you went back to your task, but he was still lingering.

“Does that mean I can’t take my girlfriend in the storage room for a quick fuck on our shifts?” He reached out, cupping your asscheek before giving it a sharp tap.

“Jake, I’m serious…” You took a few steps away, facing him with a scowl. “Josh wasn’t happy about lunch and I don’t want my boss to think that I’m just gonna blow my responsibilities off because I’m fucking my other boss…who happens to be his brother, might I add.”

His face twisted into a frown as he looked around the store. “Did he say something to you? Where is he?”

You caught his arm before he could stomp away and placed a hand over his chest. “Hey, relax. I talked to him and it’s fine, but I just need to set boundaries. For myself. Okay?” Leaning in, you pecked his lips, allowing your mouth to linger on his for a few seconds in the hopes it would calm him down.

“Okay.” His jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth. “We’ll keep it…professional.”

You pulled your hands from his body, but not before Olivia had seen you touching him. “You’re just suckering up to both of them today, aren’t you, peach.” She popped the ‘p’ with a venomous smile, flashing her gaze to Jake.

“Both of us?” He looked at you, studying your expression for a moment as his eyes narrowed. He huffed a short laugh through his nose and shook his head. “Nah, Liv… She was just begging for forgiveness after exceeding her lunch break…came back almost a half hour late, didn’t you?” His lip curled at one corner when your mouth dropped open, “Don’t let it happen again or I’m gonna have to write you up, peach.” Jake turned on his heel, stalking to the office, and left you speechless, gawking at his back as he disappeared through the doorway.

After a few minutes, Josh appeared at your side as you were straightening a shelf of CDs. “Hey, I’m heading out. Just wanted to say bye.” He pressed his palm to your back with a warm smile and you weren’t oblivious to the amount of touches he’d indulged in throughout the day…but you weren’t complaining either.

“Oh. Well I guess I’ll see you Sunday?” Your attention was torn away from him when you caught Olivia out of your peripheral vision, staring daggers at you before slipping behind the counter to poke her head into the office. You released a sigh and returned Josh’s smile. “I hope you have a better Friday night than I’m about to have.” Your eyes rolled on their own as her giggle echoed through the store.

He glanced toward the counter for a brief second, “It won’t be that bad. Jake and Olivia have done the flirting thing since she started here almost two years ago.” Josh patted your shoulder with a sympathetic expression. “I know how annoying they get but I guess I can’t really imagine how you feel about it… Just- It’s never been more than just flirting, y’know? If he wanted Liv, he’d have her…but he wants you.” His hand slid down your arm, holding onto your fingers for a moment before he flashed his signature smile and went on his way.

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Time felt like it was moving in slow motion. It was surprisingly slow for a Friday night and closing couldn’t come fast enough. Jake had been in the office since his twin left, going over payroll and catching up on paperwork, while Olivia would pop her head in every few minutes, or call his name from across the store in her loud, grating voice. You’d tried to ignore it, busy yourself with senseless tasks that didn’t even need done, but your patience was wearing thinner by the second. When he had finally decided to come out of his cave, he found you wiping down the glass display of limited editions for the third time and purposely placed his palm flat against the glass. You straightened up with an angry sigh, “Are you serious, Jake? Grow up.” You knew he was doing it to get a rise out of you, and normally you may have laughed or at least indulged in the playful banter that would’ve resulted, but you slammed the bottle of cleaner down on the counter and tossed the rag before walking away from him.

His brows raised in confusion, “Woah…Y/N, hey.” He was jogging to catch up with your long strides, reaching out to grab your hips. You couldn’t deny that you were growing irritable and Jake had definitely taken notice by the way you pushed his hands from you and glared at him, “Let’s take a walk, peach.” He carefully placed a hand on your shoulder as he led you towards the back hallway before calling out to Olivia, “Liv, we’re gonna grab some shit to restock…We’ll be right back.” He ignored whatever response she tried to give as he pushed you into the storage room and closed the door behind him. “What’s your goddamn problem?” His voice was stern, but you couldn’t be bothered to care.

“I don’t have a problem, can I get back to work?” You kept your tone short and clipped as you rolled your eyes and reached past him for the doorknob.

He leaned back against the door, putting his body weight on it so you couldn’t pull it open. “Don’t fucking lie to me. Why are you in a pissy mood?” He released a sigh and softened his voice, trying his best to tread lightly and keep you calm, “Peach, did I do something wrong?”

You watched his shoulders slump a bit and took a deep breath to center yourself. “No, Jake, you- It’s just been a long day and time is dragging…I’m exhausted, hun.” You grabbed his wrists, pulling him away from the door and towards you. “Sorry for being cranky…”

“Why are your hands shaking?” He stared at your grip on his arms before looking at your face, waiting for an answer.

Releasing him, you studied your hands for a moment and shook them out. The nausea rolling through your stomach made it obvious that you needed to eat, but you wouldn’t tell Jake that you’d skipped an actual lunch because of him. “Probably just too much caffeine today…I’m fine, babe, really.” You could tell that he wasn’t quite buying it, but you didn’t have the energy to argue with him. Stepping closer, you wrapped your arms around his midsection and flashed him a sweet smile, “Tell you what… Drop it and… I will give you a pass for one storage room quickie, available to you at a later date of your choosing.”

His lips stretched into a grin as he returned your embrace with a genuine laugh, his hands sneaking down to squeeze your ass. “Why can’t I have it today?” He began kissing along your jaw, trailing down your throat.

You giggled at the way his lips tickled your skin. “Haven’t you had enough of me today?” You pulled at his shirt as his lips continued their exploration, sucking at your neck. “Jake…” You gasped when he bared his teeth to softly bite your skin.

He spoke between kisses, slowly chipping away at your resolve. “Never enough, peach… C’mon. It’s slow… We got fifteen minutes to spare.” His rasped voice was enticing and you allowed him to draw you in as his hands slid beneath your shirt to cup your bare breasts.

“You think fifteen minutes is enough time to-.” A loud knocking on the door cut you off, making you jump.

Even muffled through the door, Olivia’s annoying voice still wiggled its way under your skin as she twisted at the doorknob. “Jake? Why is the door locked? I need help out here!” Jake dropped his hands with a sharp huff when you broke away from him to grab a stack of CDs from a shelf, as to not look suspicious. He ripped the door open and glared at her, waiting for an explanation. “I need- or I can’t find…umm…” She was flustered by the way he was staring at her, obviously never having been on the receiving end of your boss’s bad attitude.

He wasn’t playing into her usual ruse this time, clearly displeased with being interrupted. “I told you we’d be back in a minute, what was so important that it couldn’t wait, Olivia?” He watched her repeatedly open and close her mouth, searching for any kind of excuse she could conjure, but she remained silent, staring at him like a lost child. “Right… Excuse me.” He moved by her to exit the storage room without another word.

She gazed after him in shock before turning her attention on you.  “What the hell… What did you say to him?” Shaking your head with a scoff, you pushed past her to exit the room with the stack of albums, but she followed closely behind you as her tone grew more accusatory. “You’ve been jealous of the relationship Jake and I have since you started here, Y/N. So what? You sneak him away to bribe him with sex or something? God…you’re such a desperate-.”

You stopped dead in your tracks and turned to face her as you dropped the CDs to the front counter. “Olivia, you better fucking watch what you say next…” You’re sure there was steam coming out of your ears because you could feel your face getting hot with anger. “I don’t need to throw myself at Jake for attention, honey… So who’s really the desperate one?” You stepped closer to her, silently challenging her to finish her thought.

Jake was inserting himself between the two of you before she could reply. “Both of you cut it the fuck out… Y/N, go sit in the office until you’ve calmed down.” He gave you a pointed look and nodded toward the office door while Olivia smiled smugly from behind him.

You could feel your blood begin to boil. “Are you joking? No. You’re not sending me off for a timeout, I haven’t fucking done anything wrong!” Picking up the stack of CDs, you spun around to walk away and stock them but Jake caught your arm. You ripped out of his grasp and met him with a threatening scowl.

“What…is going on?” Josh walked out of the back hallway and right into the building tension between his twin, you and Olivia. “It’s been two hours… What happened between when I left and now?”

Jake broke the staredown first, his eyes leaving yours to look at his brother. “I’ve got it handled, don’t worry about it. What are you doing here?”

Josh’s eyes flicked between you and Jake, trying to decipher what was going on, as he held up a takeout box. “I, uhhh. I went to Slice House to grab dinner and wanted to drop something off for-.”

“I’m not hungry right now, just put it in the fridge.” Jake’s words were rushed as he cut his twin off to watch you turn around and walk away from him. “We’re not fucking done.” He started after you, the aggravation radiating off of him.

“Oh… No, this is for Y/N.”

He froze in place to turn and face Josh, “Why are you bringing her dinner?” His possessive nature was coming out full force as he clenched his jaw and waited for an answer. You were standing a few feet away, half turned to them as you placed the albums on a shelf, but you were listening to their exchange.

“Why are you being a dickhead, dude?” Josh shook his head with a laugh, rubbing his hand down his face. “She hasn’t eaten anything all day and if she starves to death, there goes our best employee.” He looked at you with a smile when Olivia scoffed and opened his mouth to speak, but Jake beat him to it.

“What do you mean she hasn’t eaten anything?” He turned back to you, his frustration slowly dissipating and replaced by something else. “Why haven’t you ate?” He took a few strides to close the distance between you and grabbed your wrists, holding them up in his hands. “That’s why you’re shaking… Are you fucking- Why didn’t you eat a lunch?”

You almost melted at his concern, but the accusatory tone in his inquiry made you pull your arms from his grasp. “God, Jake. I don’t know… Can’t really remember what I was doing on my lunch break. Must not have been too important for me to have forgotten so soon.” You knew you were being harsh, but you weren’t in the mood to deal with anything anymore. Especially not his attitude.

His nostrils flared as he glared angrily at you, his expression was dark but he almost looked hurt. Jake bit his lips together, closing his eyes for a moment, and drew in a deep breath through his nose. When he opened his eyes again, his voice was quiet, soft even. “Take your food and go home, peach.” He held his hand up, shaking his head slightly, when you tried to argue. “Don’t. Clock out and go.” And with that, he walked away, trucking down the back hallway and slinking into the bathroom to slam the door shut.

Josh and Olivia were both staring at you, shocked expressions painting their faces, but you ignored them as you stomped to the office to clock out and grab your things. When you came out, moving straight for the front door to walk home, Josh caught up to you and caught your arm. “Y/N, wait… Your food.” He held the box up to you and you offered a soft smile and a mumbled ‘thanks’ as you took it pushed through the front door.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding…” A groan of frustration left your chest at the downpour you’d stepped into. It was like the sky opened up and dumped out every ounce of water the clouds held. What a day to walk. Taking a deep breath, you took a step out from the ripped and disheveled awning above the record store door, but a pair of arms were reaching out to yank you back into Highway Tunes. Turning in his hold, you were met by the fluff of curls and big brown eyes. “Josh, what are-.”

“I’m not letting you walk home in the rain. My car is out back, I’ll drop you off.” He was already walking away, not even stopping to check that you were following. Crossing through the backdoor, Josh placed a hand on your back and led you to his car, ushering you into the passenger seat, before rushing to climb into his own side. “Hasn’t rained like this in months…” He was shaking his hair out as he started the engine and put the car in reverse to back out of the space, gripping your headrest to look out the rear window, “Where do you live, sweetheart?” He pulled out of the small parking lot and drove towards the main road as he waited for you to give him directions.

You were staring out the window, watching the rain patter into puddles along the street, entirely oblivious to Josh’s voice. It wasn’t until he stretched his arm across the center console to carefully squeeze your thigh and give it a shake to get your attention that you finally looked at him. “Huh? I’m sorry… Did you say something?”

His hand lingered on your leg for a few moments before he pulled away and rested it on the shifter. “You gotta tell me where you live or you’re coming back to my place, YN.” He joked with a gentle chuckle as he glanced at you.

His laugh made you smile, instantly lifting your foul mood. “Oh. Uhh, if you make a left up here, on 16th, and go for about four blocks, I’ll let you know when we get to my building.” The drive was mostly quiet, save for the music playing on the radio, until he pulled the car up to your apartment building. You dug your keys from your bag as he put the car in park. “Thanks for the ride, Josh…and for the food. You really didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it.”

“It’s not a big deal,” He waved you off, turning his body to face you, as he pointed to his own food in the backseat. “I was picking something up for myself and wondered if you ever got the chance to try the Drunken Italian… So I grabbed you a slice.” When you looked down at the takeout box in your lap, too large to hold just one slice of pizza, you raised an eyebrow at him. “What? I got you a classic pepperoni and a plain slice too. Wasn’t sure what you liked.” He shrugged sheepishly, his cheeks growing red.

You grasped the door handle and paused before you opened it. “Hey… You wanna come up and hangout for a bit? Eat, watch a movie or something? Bell’s at work until eight and I kind of just don’t wanna be alone.” He bit down on his lip for a moment and you expected him to decline at that point, but to your surprise, he asked where he should park his car. “Oh, just go down that side street and there’s parking right on the side of the building.” Once he had the car tucked into a spot, you both hopped out and headed inside. Josh kicked his shoes off beside yours and followed you into the kitchen as you flicked the light on. “I’m gonna go change real quick, make yourself at home, boss… Sam surely does.” Stalking into your bedroom, you grabbed some comfy clothes and slipped into the bathroom for a speedy body shower.

Josh was still in the kitchen when you came back, leaning against the countertop while he scrolled on his phone. He looked up when he heard you, his gaze lingering on your smooth legs, clad in a pair of old boxers, for a bit before they traveled up to see the faded Highway Tunes t-shirt that you took from his twin’s closet. “Where’d you get that? I haven’t seen that design in like…seven years.” He came closer, pinching the fabric between his fingers to examine the logo.

“Uhh. It’s actually Jake’s.” You looked down at the shirt back at him, “He let me borrow it and I just haven’t given it back yet… It’s- I don’t know. I just like it, I guess.” You watched as he dropped his hand and took a couple steps back and opted for a subject change. “You want something to drink? Bellamy keeps beer. Or we have water or probably some coke or-.”

“Water is fine, sweetheart.” He picked the boxes up from the counter after you grabbed a couple bottles from the fridge and followed you into the living room.

You sat down on the couch and gestured for him to sit as well, leaving a decent bit of distance between the two of you, as you lifted the remote to turn the tv on. “What do you wanna watch?” You turned to look at him after opening netflix.

He was already digging into his pizza, eyes wide and mouth full as he looked back at you, “Sorry…” He held a hand over his mouth as he finished chewing, “Whatever you want, Y/N. I’ll watch anything.”

You giggled at him, beginning to love the way his cheeks flushed when he got a little embarrassed. Shaking your head softly, your focus went back to the tv as you scrolled through the options. After a minute or so, your attention caught on a title, “Oh my god! They have Pretty In Pink on here!” You didn’t wait for Josh to react before you were clicking on the movie to start it. “You don’t mind, do you? It’s one of my favorites…” You were poking your lip out at him and pairing it with pleading eyes.

“No. No, go ahead. I’ve never seen it.” He was grinning with amusement at your excitement. “This is the one that you said had the record store in it, right?” Josh took another bite of his pizza, studying your face, as you sat back on the couch and opened your own box.

“Yeah. Trax! I swear, you’ll know exactly what I mean when you see it.” You settled in as the movie began and it wasn’t long before the takeout boxes were empty, discarded to the coffee table, and you were tucked under the throw blanket, quoting the scenes and offering unnecessary explanations to Josh. “Hey, Benny… I hope they shrivel up and fall off…” You glanced at him as you finished the quote and found his soft eyes already on you, a warm smile on his lips. “Sorry. God, I’m sorry.” You could feel the blush covering your cheeks as you buried your head in your hands. “It’s a bad habit… Bellamy always yells at me for quoting through movies.”

His hand curled gently around your wrist to pull one of your hands away so he could see your face. “Don’t apologize. I think it might be one of my new favorite things about you.” A quiet laugh escaped him as he released your arm. “I don’t think you realize that you’re doing it. It- it’s like a subconscious thing.” When you tilted your head, pinching your brows in question, he elaborated on his thought. “You don’t always say the lines out loud. Most of the time, you just mouth them to yourself…but every so often, it’ll slip out and you kind of giggle through it, so I’d assume those are your favorite parts.” He leaned forward to grab his water from the table, turning his attention back to the movie.

You stared at him for a moment, wondering if he’d been watching you the whole time. “Josh, did you-.” Your phone began to ring from where it sat on the coffee table, cutting you off. You stared at the illuminated screen, Jake’s name in bold letters at the top, and allowed it to go to voicemail.

“You gonna pick it up?” Josh asked when a second call came in and you shook your head, waiting for the screen to go black again. “He’s gonna be pissed if you don’t answer him, Y/N.” You remained silent as the phone lit up once more, with a text message this time. “Look… I know he can be a little hotheaded, but-.”

Leaning forward, you flipped the phone face down and sat back again before pointing to the television. “Wait! This is my favorite part!” Iona cranks the volume on the stereo as Try a Little Tenderness begins to play. “Watch, hun! It’s the best, I promise.” Your face lifted into a grin as you reached over and grabbed Josh’s arm to make sure he was paying attention.

He placed his hand over yours, sending a flare of warmth through your body. “I’m watching, sweetheart…” And he was. But his eyes weren’t on the TV.

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Josh POV

It was like her smile grew tenfold when the scene started. You couldn’t look at the TV, despite her request. All of your focus was on the white hot feeling of her skin on yours, unlike anything you’d ever felt from a single touch. She sang through the scene, bouncing about from where she sat, and you couldn’t take your eyes off of her; her hair was bundled into a bun at the base of her neck. Loose tendrils, damp from her shower, had fallen free and hung around her face. She smelled like jasmine and…vanilla? No. Jasmine and coconuts. You wondered if the boxers she was wearing were from an old boyfriend or maybe they were her dad’s? The faded logo on her t-shirt caught your attention. Did she know that shirt belonged to Ivy? Did Jake tell her that when he gave it to her?

She snapped her head towards you, her eyes shining as she crooned, “…Squeeze her…don’t tease her…never leave her…” She was laughing wildly, her grasp on your arm tightening the harder she sang and you started laughing with her. When the song finally ended, she was breathless, her body slumping back against the couch and falling towards you.

You gave her a few moments to catch her breath, looking down at where her head just barely laid on your shoulder. “Y’know…this might be my favorite movie too, Y/N.” Your heart felt like it stopped when she looked up at you with a shy smile, her cheeks the sweetest shade of pink, and let out a childlike giggle. “God, you’re beautiful…” The thought slipped out before you could stop it and you worried that maybe you’d ruined the moment.

Her grin stretched as she relaxed into you, “I think you’re more beautiful, boss.” The sound of the front door opening stole her attention. “Bellamy’s home. She’s gonna be excited to meet you…” Her voice oozed with sarcasm, causing you to raise your eyebrow in question, and she sat up straight just as her friend was coming in, whispering quietly, “Jake made…quite the first impression. Umm…just don’t take it personally, okay?” You gave a short nod before she greeted the other girl. “Hey, Bell. How was work, babe?”

She ignored Y/N’s question and looked directly at you, her lips pursed, “Are you the other one?” Her arms were crossed over her chest as she waited for an answer and you took a moment to study her. She was exactly how you’d pictured, given how much your little brother raved about her.

“I’m assuming you mean Jake’s counterpart? The handsome twin? The smart one?” You joked, hoping  to earn a laugh or at least a smile from her. “I’m Josh.” You held a hand out to her for a friendly shake, but she shook her head. Sammy did say she was a spitfire.

Y/N spoke up from beside you, “Don’t be a dick, B. Give him a chance… it’s not fair to lump him with Jake.” She leaned over, bumping you with her shoulder, “Josh is an angel.”

“An angel, huh? So…what does that make Jake, sweet pea?” Before she could answer her friend, there was a knock on the door that caused the two girls to share a questioning look. Bellamy turned on her heel to stalk to the door and pull it open. “Speak of the devil…”

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You watched in slow motion as he pushed through the door and past Bellamy, despite her protests. “What? You can’t answer a fucking text? A phone call?” He was mad, that much was clear, and the store shouldn’t have been closed for another half hour, so you were sure the shock on your face was evident.

“What the hell are you doing here, Jake?” You tossed the blanket from your legs and stood up from the couch to face him. Bellamy was behind him, waiting for a sign to toss him out of the apartment, while Josh remained silent in his seat, watching the scene unfold.

“Do you see how it’s fucking storming out there?” He pointed towards the balcony where the pounding rain was only visible between flashes of lightning, “I didn’t know if you made it home and you wouldn’t pick up the goddamn phone! I was worried, Y/N…” He looked at his twin then, anger radiating off of him, “No surprise…you’re cuddled up with my fucking brother.”

Josh stood up then, placing himself between you and Jake, “We watched a movie and ate pizza, Jake. As friends.” He gestured between the two of you to get his point across, “That’s all we are, man. We’re just…friends.” He gave you a small, sympathetic smile before turning back to his twin, “If you don’t start treating her differently, you’ll end up a lot less than that.” Scooping up his keys and phone from the coffee table, he offered you a soft goodbye and pushed past his brother, only stopping to look at your best friend, “It was nice to meet you, Bellamy.” He paused as he was stepping through the front door and you could tell that he was fighting on whether to say what he wanted to or keep it to himself. The moment stretched on for an eternity before he finally spoke, avoiding your eyes entirely, as he looked at Jake, “She chose you, Jake… Try being fucking grateful.”

You watched him go, closing the door behind him, and began cleaning up the mess from the table after shutting the TV off. When you started towards the kitchen, Jake stepped in front of you and placed his hands on your shoulders, “Can you talk to me for a minute, please?” He followed you as you moved around him and threw the empty boxes into the garbage can. “Peach, please…” He gently grabbed your arm as you tried to silently exit the kitchen.

Calmly peeling yourself from his hold, you kept your head down. “I don’t have the energy to fight with you, Jake. I’m going to bed.” You could feel his presence behind you as he followed you into your room and closed the door. Finally turning to face him, you caught the flash of guilt in his eyes as he stood silently and waited for you to kick him out or tell him to stay. “He was right, yanno?.... I chose you, Jake.” He opened his mouth but you held your hand up to stop him, “If you don’t have trust in me, this won’t work. If I can’t have friends without you accusing me of something, this won’t work. Do you get that?” You plopped down on your bed with a sigh, “I’m not gonna keep having the same fights with you… I can’t.”

“I’m fucking trying, peach.” He came across the room to sit beside you, taking your hand in his. “Trust is hard for me. I told you-.”

“But you won’t tell me why!” You pulled your hand away and dragged them both down your face, “Help me understand, Jake! Let me see your point of view, because I won’t keep fucking doing this shit!” You breathed out a steady sigh and stood up to pull the duvet back and climb into bed.

You assumed he would leave when he stood up from the bed, but you were surprised when he stripped down to his boxers and flipped the light off before crawling in beside you and pulling the blanket over the both of you. He didn’t attempt to cuddle up to you, just laid on his back, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. You laid on your side, facing him, just barely able to make out his features through the flashes of lightning that would illuminate the room every few moments. The silence was growing and taking all the air in the room, it was becoming suffocating, you felt like you were losing your mind. Then came Jake’s voice; soft, sad, barely a whisper, “I was gonna give up everything for her… I really loved her, Y/N.” The tone of his voice broke your heart and you reached out carefully, placing your hand on the center of his chest to encourage him to continue. His body tensed beneath your touch, but he took a deep breath and slowly began to relax, “She loved me too. For a while, at least… I think deep down, I knew that she was checked out towards the end, but I was in denial.” He paused when his voice started to shake and you rolled closer to him.

“Take your time, baby. I’m here.” You held him close, pressing your lips to his shoulder. “Do you wanna start from the beginning?”

He shook his head, chewing at the skin on his lip. “The beginning isn’t important… We were together for two years before she wanted to move to New York. I was gonna do it. Drop my life, my family, everything, just to fucking follow her.”

“What made you stay?”

“When Josh and I decided that we weren’t going to college, mom and dad chose to pass the store to us. They loved the business, but after 20 years of running it and raising a family, they wanted a break.” A fleeting smile ghosted across his lips, “Josh didn’t wanna do it by himself, Sam was still in high school and had his mind set on CCA after graduation… I wanted to go with Ivy, but Highway Tunes was- is my life. It meant everything to my parents but it meant just as much to me. It’s where we grew up… Spent more time there than at our house. I guess my mistake was thinking that she would understand.”

You sat up in the bed, crossing your legs beneath you and looking down at him, “So, she left for New York without you?” You were trying to put the pieces together.

Jake placed his hand on your thigh, his thumb mindlessly grazing over your skin. “She stayed here with me. But she didn’t stay for me… She stayed for herself. She didn’t have to work, didn’t have to pay bills. I took care of her, I took care of everything… I gave her a life that most people would be grateful to have. And I thought she was.”

“What did she do, Jake?” You pulled your knees up, hugging them to your chest as a wave of sickness rolled through your body at the thought of what she could’ve done to hurt him.

He sat up as well and, despite the dark room, you could feel his eyes on you as he reached out and took your hand in one of his. “Peach, you…make me happy in a way that I haven’t felt…in a really long time.” He brought your hand to his mouth, holding your knuckles against his lips for a moment and you felt your stomach flip as tears began to sting your eyes. “I’m really fucked up, Y/N.” His voice cracked but you let him continue, “That last year was when things started to get bad…I uhhh- I started to notice a change when she would ask me for money to get groceries for the apartment and I’d come home to find the cabinets empty. When I would ask her about it, she would make me feel fucking crazy…Tell me that she never said she was getting groceries or that I was working too much, so the exhaustion must have confused me.”

“Jake…” You wanted to tell him to stop, that he didn’t have to talk about it anymore, but he didn’t give you the opportunity.

“That shirt you’re wearing right now- do you remember when I told you she was wearing it the last morning I woke up with her?” You nodded your head and, even though he couldn’t see your face, he kept talking, “I was supposed to work the double that day but I got hit with a bad cold, had Josh come in and close for me… When I got home, Ivy was in the shower and I thought it would be nice to join her. We hadn’t really had time for intimacy, I guess. But she wasn’t alone in there.” Jake released a humorless laugh, “She wasn’t even remorseful…I think that’s what hurt the most. Hurt more than her telling me I was nothing, that I didn’t deserve her. I asked her, What did I do wrong? I love you, I gave you everything… and she laughed in my face and said, ‘You gave me everything. Why would I leave?’” He was holding your hand, tracing his fingers over your palm as his voice grew quieter, “After she admitted that she hadn’t loved me in a while, she was using me, I left. Flew to Michigan to stay with my parents for a few days and clear my head. When I came back, she was gone… Cleaned most of the apartment out, left a note. I didn’t read it, I couldn’t. I just threw it in the trash and moved on.” He fell silent after concluding, his index finger still traveling over your hand.

You sat, unmoving, unsure of what to say or if you should even say anything, until a wet drop landed on your palm and you felt your heart stop. “Baby, no…” You sat up on your knees and flung your arms around him, holding him tight to your chest. “Jake, I’m so sorry. I-.” His body shook in your hold and your own tears started to fall. Seeing his vulnerability, under the circumstances, filled you with sorrow.

He wrapped his arms around your torso, clinging to your body as he moved to lay down, pulling you with him. “It fucking hurt, Y/N… It hurt for so long…”

You held his face, swiping at his wet cheeks as you sniffled, “She’ll never hurt you again, Jake. I promise. Nobody will…”

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[plutoccult]

HAIKYUU X THE OFFICE AU — EPISODE FOUR: OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

pairing: sugawara koushi x female reader

description: it’s the holidays, and that means it’s time for the annual office christmas party where everyone participates in secret santa. much to sugawara’s delight, he has picked your name for secret santa this year and plans to make it count.

word count: 5.6k

also available to read on my ao3 here

author’s note: hello and happy holidays! i will admit i’ve been struggling to stay motivated with this series, but i have to remind myself that i’m mainly writing this for MY enjoyment at the end of the day. i’m the ultimate sugawara warrior and it shall stay that way. anyway, it’s christmastime, so of course i’m writing a christmas episode! i strayed away from parts of the episode quite a bit. this definitely has more focus on sugawara than the reader this time around, but i’m not mad about it. it’s nice to see an angsty, pining suga 🤭 i almost thought this would have to be split into two parts, but i’d rather keep it as one. i also made a playlist for sugawara and the reader a good bit ago, so here’s the link here (i am very much open to song suggestions)! i’m so excited to get closer to my favorite episode ever, and i hope you guys enjoy!

tags: @toorubobatea @cowgirlikets @dragon-slayer5 (ily ty for hyping me up) @femme-lune @kazuchaos @bakagun1312 @beingbrokenfitsus @mumblepingu @daedaep69 @darthferbert @intheewrld @msbyomimi @sukxma @akari-fujikawa

taglist form here

christmas was always the best time of year for the office. the holiday spirit was at its peak, everyone loved being a part of it, especially your boss, ukai. he took christmas more seriously than everyone else, even kiyoko who primarily handled planning the annual office christmas party each year. ukai took it so seriously that he chopped his own tree and brought it to the office building, dragging tanaka along in his shenanigans towards festive greatness.

tanaka huffed and puffed as he let go of the bottom half of the tree, ukai holding the top half. “ukai, i don’t think it’s gonna fit.”

“that’s what she said.” ukai joked, resisting the urge to snicker. it was like he was a child in a grown man’s body. plus, that joke aged like milk. only he found it funny.

“no, like, it’s really not gonna fit.” tanaka said.

“again, that’s what she—”

“WE CAN’T FIT THE GODDAMN TREE THROUGH THE DOOR, UKAI!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, completely frustrated with his boss. you could hear tanaka from your desk inside the office, but it came out muffled, so you couldn’t quite make out what was being said. you assumed it was idiotic activities as always.

“i’ll make it fit.” ukai insisted, the spirit of christmas granting him all the determination he needed.

“lemme guess, you’re gonna say that’s what she said, right?” tanaka let out a sigh.

“don’t make me fire you, tanaka.” ukai threatened.

“should’ve just got a fake tree.” tanaka rolled his eyes. yeah, that definitely would’ve worked just fine, but this was ukai here. the man was crazy. he would never do anything the normal way.

“i guess that would’ve worked…” ukai said as he pondered over how he would get this tree through the door, quickly thinking of his idea of the best way to do it. “alright, on three, we’re gonna shove this through and hope for the best. got it?”

“i guess?” no. tanaka didn’t get it, but he had no choice.

“too bad. one… two… THREE!”

with one big push, ukai and tanaka burst through the doors of the office. the tree toppled to the floor, bringing them along with it. the sound startled just about everyone, having been doing their typical duties. to you, it just felt like any other day, and you didn’t bother to help the two men.

tanaka fell face first into the pile of pine, aggressively coughing as he wiped any pine needles off his face. “i think i swallowed a pine needle.”

“well, merry fucking christmas.” ukai said enthusiastically. he seriously needed to be scolded over his cursing.

“ukai!”

•••

in the first time in, well, ever, suga was actually excited to be doing an interview for the documentary crew. why? because of this year’s secret santa.

“so this year, for the first time ever, i got finally y/n for secret santa. i’m pretty excited about it, and i really wanted to do something special for her, so i got her this teapot. as much coffee as she drinks here, y/n is way more of a tea person—i would know—so with this she can make tea at her desk.” suga said excitedly, showing off your gift for the camera.

“but i also stuffed it with some inside jokes, that’s what makes it so special, you know.” he continued, carefully digging through the teapot to show off said inside jokes. “like, this is my high school volleyball photo. she saw it fall out of my wallet on my first day here, and it really made her laugh. not sure why, but i’m letting her have it now.”

with the biggest grin on his face, suga dug through the teapot for more, pulling out a wasabi packet, but it wasn’t just any ordinary packet of wasabi. this had a story behind it, one that had meaning for suga.

“ooh. this is a wasabi packet. she put this on a hot dog a couple years ago because she thought it was relish.” he explained. “i thought it was really funny, so i kept the other two.”

after telling the wasabi story, suga held up a mini toy of a chili pepper with a kawaii face, but made a squeaking noise when someone squished it. poor sound guy jumped when it almost blasted his eardrums.

“this is actually a toy for dogs or babies or something, i don’t know.” suga shrugged. “but i saw it, it was cute, and it reminded me of awards night, so i thought; why not?”

but the most important gift of all—one that outsold everything in that teapot—was a card suga wrote just for you, detailing his feelings towards you all on paper. “and then, uh, this is a special card i wrote for y/n… because christmas is the time to tell people how you feel.”

oh, the documentary crew was going to eat this up.

•••

kiyoko and yachi were put up with the task of decorating for the party, forcing many of their coworkers to partake. they also had to deal with ukai’s hack job of a christmas tree. the two girls tried their best to salvage it, throwing as many ornaments and tinsel on it as possible, but it was a losing battle. it was just going to be an ugly tree, so they put the rest of their effort into decorating the conference room.

when it seemed like they were done with everything, kiyoko made her rounds, examining each decoration, but by the end, she wasn’t a fan. “i don’t like it.”

“you… don’t?” yachi questioned.

honestly, it was the perfect scene; red and green decorations perfectly put together, all strategically placed, but if kiyoko didn’t like it, then it simply meant that more work needed to be done.

“we need more lights.” kiyoko said. “i need someone tall.”

“count me out.” tsukishima, who sat down while drinking a soda, spoke up. he had been put through enough, he was tired of decorating.

“i wasn’t asking you, tsukki.” kiyoko rolled her eyes.

“only yamaguchi is allowed to call me that.” tsukishima said.

“whatever.” she scoffed. “uh, who’s super tall and buff…?”

kiyoko and yachi share a look. they instantly knew exactly who to find.

“asahi.” they say in unison.

not only were the two girls on the same page, they knew exactly how to rope asahi into this mess, and it was all up to yachi to get the job done. “asahi, help! i’m dying!”

“dying?! who’s dying?!” asahi bolted into the conference room, only to find no one was actually in trouble.

“i’m dying… for you to hang up these lights for us.” yachi said with a grin as she held up a roll of christmas lights.

he didn’t have much choice, so asahi let out a sigh before ultimately giving in. “okay…”

•••

“i found that asahi will do pretty much anything for me because he’s afraid i’ll be a scaredy cat around him again.” yachi spoke confidently to the camera while the party preparations were happening behind her. “he’d probably commit murder for me, who knows?”

asahi, who overheard her, yelled out in defense for himself. “that is NOT true!”

“keep hanging up those lights!” she yelled at asahi, who immediately went back to work, further solidifying her point. “see? he totally would. he’s the best.”

•••

right before the party was about to start, ukai exited his office dressed like santa. you immediately laugh and try to mask it with a cough, but ukai caught you anyways. “something funny, y/n?”

“yeah, you look ridiculous.” you snort, covering your mouth to muffle out your laughter.

“that’s the point. this party is supposed to be fun.” ukai said sassily. “i want everyone to let loose. i want this party to be reminiscent of my frat boy days.”

“you were in a frat? what was it called?” you ask him, intrigued to hear his answer.

“beta schmeta—” yeah, he wasn’t actually in a frat. “whatever. all i’m trying to say is i want everyone to get lit!”

you cringe at ukai’s use of outdated slang. “that is so seven years ago…”

“yeah, and i want it to happen anyway.” he said.

“your way of getting lit is drinking, and we’re not allowed to have liquor in the office, so...” you reply. you were always one to follow rules. well, for the most part, at least. it was hard to have any sort of structure at an office ran by someone like ukai.

“don’t… don’t remind me, dammit.” ukai cursed. “stupid corporate losers. like booze ever killed anybody.”

you always found your boss was painfully stupid at times, and this was definitely one of those times. but even so, you tried to combat it every time, always failing no matter what.

“but booze has killed—” you began to say.

“anyway!” he cut you off, tired of this conversation and ready to party. ukai then waved tanaka over to him so they could get the party started. “tanaka, let’s get this show on the road! announcement, everybody! listen to tanaka because he’s a better at yelling than me, as shown earlier when he yelled in my face!”

“yes, everybody listen up!” tanaka yelled out. “you better have your presents wrapped up and ready to go under the tree because we will not wait for you and you will be disqualified from secret santa! don’t be that guy! nobody likes to be that guy, so don’t be him!”

you let out a groan as you grab your present for secret santa from under your desk, eyeing the camera on your way to put it under the tree.

“please, don’t let this party suck ass.” you whisper to yourself. you hear tsukishima snicker behind you, an “ow!” soon following, assuming it was yamaguchi smacking him on the back of his head.

•••

“i love christmas. christmas is fun. it’s the best time of the year besides my birthday.” ukai said, still dressed like santa, knowing this would be seen on television one day. “why do i love christmas, you may ask? because i get free stuff, and who doesn’t love free stuff?”

•••

everyone gathered around the tree, placing their presents underneath. one could compare it to christmas morning with your family. some may argue that this office is like a family, while some may think otherwise, but regardless, it was nice for everyone to be together in harmony.

after daichi and tanaka argued over who would light up the tree—mainly because daichi didn’t trust him with outlets—tanaka was finally given the rein, or, well, extension cord.

“everybody ready?” he asked, a mix of nods and “uh-huh” in response.

“okay, and…” the tree is lit up, but it’s quite dim. “yikes.”

silence plagued the room. no one expected the lighting of the tree to be so anti-climatic, especially since the office makes such a big deal out of christmas every year. kiyoko practically wanted to die of embarrassment given she was responsible for the decorations, even if yachi was the one who brought in the lights from her apartment.

while no one said a word, you were the one to speak up, praising the tree for kiyoko and yachi’s sake. “well, i think the tree looks quite nice.”

“thanks, y/n, but you don’t have to lie.” yachi frowned.

“no, it’s a lovely tree.” ukai insisted. “let’s do secret santa now, okay? tanaka, pick who gets the first present.”

tanaka walked over to the tree and picked up a random present, reading who its intended for. “and it’s… tsukishima.”

“oh?” once handed the gift, tsukishima ripped away the wrapping paper to unveil a dinosaur plushie. much to everyone’s surprise, he was delighted by the gift. “aw, this is actually really nice.”

“oh, thank god.” nishinoya let out the biggest sigh of relief one could take. “that was from me.”

“wow, thanks, nishinoya.” tsukishima said with a smile. someone may as well pass out from shock now. christmas truly brought all types of miracles.

•••

“that is literally the nicest thing tsukishima will ever say to me!” nishinoya exclaimed. “i’m serious! i’ve officially peaked at life!”

•••

secret santa rolled along smoothly so far. suga ended up getting a card, which contained a twenty dollar bill inside, the limit for this year’s secret santa. kageyama claimed he didn’t know what to get, but suga wasn’t all too phased by it. who doesn’t like free money? besides, he was too eager for it to be your turn. luckily for him, it was happening right now.

“y/n, you’re next.” suga perked up once he heard your name, knowing your present would be from him.

you take the box from tanaka with a grin before opening up your gift. inside was the teapot suga spoke of to the documentary crew earlier, although you weren’t aware of its secret contents inside just yet, especially the card. you show off the teapot to your coworkers, and suga was notably the only one excited to see it in your hands. it made you wonder who your secret santa happened to be…

“wow, thank you very much, santa.” you say slyly. “whoever you are, you did good.”

“there’s a little more to it.” suga leaned over and said to you quietly.

oh. so your inkling of a suspicion was right, after all. now you were itching to see what was inside, but the office had to keep the show rolling, which completely distracted you from the anticipation.

“alright, next. asahi.” tanaka threw the present to asahi, which made ukai freak out.

“jesus, tanaka!” he yelled out. such a reaction instantly gave away that ukai was the one to get a gift for asahi. “easy, easy!”

moving on from ukai’s sudden outburst, asahi unwrapped his gift, shocked to see what was inside. “an ipad?”

yeah, ukai got asahi an ipad. asahi was just as shocked as everyone else, and he was the one to receive such a gift. clearly ukai felt he could bend the rules, but no one was happy about it, and it would surely be known soon enough.

“woah. wow. jeez. somebody really got carried away with the spirit of christmas...” ukai said, acting all nonchalant before he revealed himself as asahi’s secret santa, but everyone figures it out anyway. “that was me, i got a little carried away.”

“i don’t even know what to do with this…” asahi said to himself.

“ukai, you got way more than carried away.” you scolded your boss. “you spent god knows what on that thing! we had a limit!”

“okay, well, who cares?” ukai shrugged. “it doesn't matter what i spent. what matters is that christmas is fun, right?”

“it’s kind of unfair.” you cross your arms, but ukai could care less about your irritation, although everyone else was in agreement with you.

“whatever.” he rolled his eyes. “who’s next?”

“you are, ukai.” tanaka said.

“i am? great.” ukai was handed a small bag, opening it up and finding mittens inside, which he wasn’t happy about whatsoever. “really?”

“i knitted them myself…” yachi said shyly. she knew she should’ve knitted a scarf instead.

“mittens? pft, okay.” ukai then proceeded to walk out, confusing everyone.

“uh… did he just leave?”

•••

“these mittens? pathetic. i gave asahi an ipad for christ’s sake. i spent my hard earned money while yachi just did some fucking knitting.” ukai complained, unbothered by his cursing for the umpteenth time. “censor me, i don’t care!”

•••

left to their own devices, the employees of japan pulp and paper weren’t sure if they should continue secret santa without their boss. thankfully, ukai returned with a solution, although not a great one.

“i got it!” he burst through the office doors as if nothing happened. “we are going to turn secret santa into yankee swap.”

“what’s yankee swap?” suga questioned.

“one person chooses a gift, then the next person can either choose a gift or steal that person's gift. if your gift gets stolen, then you can steal somebody else's gift or choose a new gift.” ukai explained. it was confusing coming out of his mouth, but you were just going to roll with it anyway.

“yuck, why are we doing this?” tsukishima questioned, wanting absolutely no parts of ukai’s typical nonsense.

“because it's better, more special.” ukai replied. “duh.”

tsukishima wasn’t the only one who didn’t like this idea. kiyoko was practically fuming about it, especially since it spawned from ukai’s strong dislike towards yachi’s gift. “it’s mean, ukai. that’s what it is.”

“it’s not mean.” he said. kiyoko couldn’t believe how much of an ass he was being right now.

“yes, it is.” she argued. “you’re only doing this because you hate your present and you’re bitter yachi didn’t ball out for you like you did for asahi, which no one asked you to do, by the way.”

“no, it’s not.” ukai argued back. “just give it a shot.”

“i’d rather not, actually. i’ll be taking my present, which is…” kiyoko picked up a card with her name on it and opened it up. “a gift card for coffee. thanks, takeda. and whoever doesn’t want any part of this nonsense can take their gifts and hang with me in the conference room. yachi and i made sugar cookies and they’re very delicious.”

as kiyoko and yachi went to the conference for some real fun, suga followed, much to ukai’s surprise, including yours, although your boss was more vocal about it. “really, suga?”

“yeah, you guys have fun.” suga said before disappearing into the conference room.

“i’m coming too.” tsukishima stood up, clutching onto his new plushie. he couldn’t believe he and suga were on the same page for once. “for the sugar cookies, obviously.”

“yeah, okay.” suga snickered. well, not totally on the same page.

“shut up, sugawara.” tsukishima scoffed before dragging yamaguchi with him to the conference room.

as you watched suga leave with the others, part of you felt guilty. you wanted to follow him, but at the same time, you didn’t want to seem like a little puppy dog following its owner. besides, you were itching to get that ipad too. the teapot is just a teapot, right? you didn’t think there could be anything that special about it, but you couldn’t be more wrong right now.

•••

“why didn’t you opt out of yankee swap?” one of the crew members asked you, stirring the pot—or teapot—for the sake of the drama with suga.

“i don’t know. i thought it’d be fun.” you lie with a little shrug before revealing the whole truth. “plus, i kind of want to get the ipad. i can binge watch my shows with it while ryo hogs up the tv.”

this was totally ruining the crew’s spicy plans right now.

•••

while ukai’s yankee swap commenced, suga obsessively watched the events unravel from the conference room. he didn’t even try one of kiyoko and yachi’s sugar cookies yet. the man was a mess, hoping and praying that teapot wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. it was meant for you and only you, why would you chance giving it up? suga knew it had to be the ipad. he never hated ukai more than he did right now for buying that stupid thing.

the others sat around quietly playing christmas music, snacking on cookies and chatting in the midst of suga’s lovelorn crisis. kiyoko decided to go talk to him and figure out what was up with him, but she had to do a bit of warming up first.

“hey, suga.” she said, forcing him out of his trance. “who did you get for secret santa?”

“oh, um, i got y/n.” suga replied.

to be honest, kiyoko was shocked that suga was capable was picking out something so sweet, but then again, this was suga. of course he would do that. “aw, cute. i really like that teapot.”

“i put little inside jokes inside the teapot.” he added. “plus, um, a really personal card.”

“saying…?” she raised an eyebrow.

“nothing. it’s not important.” suga shook his head. such a terrible lie.

“i think it is, sugawara.” kiyoko said.

suga hated how kiyoko was catching up to him. why did he have to mention that the card was really personal? it was more than just personal, the poor sap poured his feelings out to you in that card. he read it over a dozen times, making sure there were no spelling or grammar mistakes whatsoever. his brain felt like mush by the time he felt the card had reached its best version. this gift had to be perfect, but it never stood a chance at being that way, it seemed.

he had to get the attention off his back before kiyoko fully got the picture of the gift’s important, and thankfully, he knew exactly where to push her buttons. as suga once said, manipulation at its finest.

“shouldn’t you be worried about tanaka giving up the gift you got him?” he questioned. yeah, he heard a little bit from the grapevine about that.

“how did you know?” kiyoko gasped. she knew someone had to snitch. “yachi, was it you?!”

“no, never!” yachi exclaimed.

“actually, daichi told me.” suga smirked.

“that bitch.” kiyoko cursed. it was one more reason to want to slap the shit out of daichi. “whatever. i don’t care what he does with my gift anyway…”

suga let out a chuckle knowing kiyoko was playing off her crush on tanaka—one that was much more innocent than how he felt about you, an engaged woman—but his laughter quickly faded when he looked back at what was going on outside. “oh no.”

“oh no, what?” kiyoko questioned.

“hinata has the teapot.” suga replied. he then let out a loud groan, one that caught the attention of tsukishima who was trying to figure out why suga was acting more of a weirdo than usual.

“oh god, he’ll break it.” yachi said with a quiet gasp.

“i can’t watch.” suga turned away, covering his face with his hands. this was too painful for him to bear.

“y/n took the ipad.” kiyoko spoke up. as if hearing that made this any better.

“please don’t commentate like it’s a football game, kiyoko.” suga whined.

“sorry…”

tsukishima furrowed his eyebrows as he watched suga wail in agony, then gave a look to the camera. he had a weird feeling about this.

•••

“i’m just going to throw a theory out there.” tsukishima said plainly. “you don’t have to say anything, but i can read your faces. sugawara has feelings for y/n, doesn’t he?”

the documentary crew was unsure how to respond, but tsukishima guessed it right instantly. they knew, one by one, slowly but surely, the whole office would figure it out.

“that’s what i thought.”

•••

yankee swap continued, and it only got worse from there. your teapot was passed around like a hot potato, and it was torturous for suga to watch it all unfold. the sparkling cider kiyoko brought just wasn’t sparkling enough for him to dull this soul-sucking ache in his heart.

“i have to get that teapot back.” suga said. “if y/n doesn’t want it, then no one else should have it…”

it’s true. not even because of the card, but because it was specifically catered for you. outside it was just a teapot, but inside was a plethora of memories from your years of friendship. suga may be hopelessly in love with you, but your friendship meant the world to him at the end of the day.

“that’s…” yamaguchi paused. there was only one way to describe this. “really depressing.”

“it’s cause he has feelings for her.” tsukishima blurted out. everyone turned and looked at him in shock. did he really just say that right now?

“do not!” suga protested.

this was suga’s worst nightmare. was it always obvious? did anyone else know? did you know already? the questions swirled in his head a mile a minute. he was absolutely freaking out. from you giving up the teapot to this fiasco, the holidays simply couldn’t get any worse for suga. he just couldn’t catch a break, it seemed.

“ha, you so do! i figured you out, sugawara. you’re in love with y/n.” tsukishima smirked, almost finding joy in his suffering. actually, he found joy in everyone’s suffering, so this wasn’t much different, but since it was suga, he found it much more thrilling.

“what do you want? money?” suga asked desperately. it was the only solution he could think of so this secret wouldn’t spill anywhere else.

and since he mentioned it, tsukishima wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity. “yeah, gimme that twenty kageyama gave you.”

“suga, wait.” kiyoko stopped him. “do you really have feelings for y/n?”

ignoring her question, suga quickly handed the money to tsukishima. kiyoko couldn’t believe it. he really did have feelings for you, and now everyone in the room knew it. “oh my god…”

“this secret doesn’t leave this room.” suga demanded. he bought tsukishima’s silence, but luckily for him, everyone else didn’t need to be convinced with money. at least he hoped so...

now that he got that out of the way, suga checked in to see what was going on at the party, and it seemed like yankee swap had ended. worst of all, your teapot was nowhere in his sight. “wait, they’re dispersing. why are they dispersing?”

“ukai probably did something stupid and ruined the party even more.” tsukishima scoffed.

“who has the teapot? who has it?!” suga asked frantically like a madman.

“i think i see tanaka with it.” yachi said, pointing to him with what seemed like the teapot in his possession. it was worse than hinata having it, honestly, and suga needed it back now.

“NO!”

suga bolted out of the conference room, scanning the office floor to find tanaka. however, you walk up to him, holding the ipad in your hands. “hey! ukai left to get booze. he said screw the rules, i guess.”

“oh, really?” he asked. “great. i’ll need it.”

“yankee swap was kinda chaotic, but look who came out on top?” you say excitedly, showing him your new gift.

“that’s nice.” suga said quickly so he could get back to his mission. “uh, where’s tanaka?”

“break room.” you reply.

“great, thanks.” suga swiftly walked past you, abruptly ending your conversation. you found it a little odd, but ended up shrugging it off and heading back to your desk.

in a flash, suga walked into the break room, finding tanaka right where he needed him. “hey, tanaka. i need to talk to you. it’s about the teapot.”

“nuh-uh.” tanaka shook his head. he knew exactly what suga was up to, but he didn’t quite know the reason why, he just knew suga wanted that teapot. “don’t even, suga. this is mine.”

“really?” suga sighed. he had to get it back, someway, somehow. “look, it has sentimental value, tanaka. can i buy it from you? i’m willing to pay a lot.”

“no. i want it. i'm going to use it.” tanaka held it close to his chest like it was a baby.

“you don't even drink tea.” suga said.

“true.” tanaka shrugged. “but it lowkey looks like i could make a bong out of it.”

oh god. this was definitely way worse than hinata having the teapot.

•••

“to think that my gift for y/n will be used for that…” suga began to say, taking a deep breath, almost overcome with emotion. “it’s just too much for me.”

•••

suga walked out of the break room, absolutely defeated he couldn’t get the teapot back. even worse, he found you showing off your new gift to ryo, crushing him even more. despite the pang in his heart, suga couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.

“this is awesome.” he heard ryo say.

“i know.” you reply. “look at the quality on this thing. i can watch stuff in 4k on this.”

“yeah, i was gonna get you one of these for christmas, but now i don't have to since you got one for free.” he said happily, thrilled at the thought of not having to spend that much money on you. it made suga want to barf. “i'm gonna save a ton of money.”

“so what are you going to get me instead?” you ask him.

“i don't know. probably like, an ugly sweater or something.” ryo shrugged.

you look to the camera in disgust before their attention turned to ukai coming back to the office with bottles of alcohol. as if you needed more of that in your life after what happened last time you drank.

“ho, ho, ho!” ukai greeted everyone, on theme with his silly outfit. “santa has come with spirits, as in booze.”

“we’re really not supposed to serve alcohol, ukai…” takeda said, trying to keep his job by the end of the day.

“no one cares, specs.” ukai scoffed, typical when it came to talking to takeda. “it’s a party and it’s christmas! if i can't throw a good party for my employees, then i’m the worst boss ever, and that contradicts with my world’s best boss awards! so, who wants a drink?”

practically everyone raised their hands instantly.

•••

“if i’ve learned anything from my time at japan pulp and paper, it’s that alcohol solves all your problems.” ukai grinned. what terrible advice, the crew thought. “everyone’s having a good time, and why is that? alcohol. i’m such a good influence!”

•••

despite the whole secret santa fiasco, everyone seemed to be having a good time. at least now you could all have fun, even if it was with the help of alcohol. well, plus the food too. that too always helped.

while christmas music blared and many of your coworkers danced on the office floor, suga found you sitting behind your desk, wondering why you weren’t partaking in the festive shenanigans.

“you know, you don't have to answer calls during a party.” he said cheekily. “just thought you should know.”

“oh, i know.” you say, revealing the teapot to suga, showing that it was now yours once again. “i was just checking out my new teapot here.”

“what?” suga gasped. “but how?”

“well, it ended up with nishinoya after tanaka traded it for kiyoko’s gift, so i didn’t have to do much convincing to get it back.” you explained to him. “i figured, you know, letting it go was really stupid of me because what should matter most is that the gift is from you, so i went to get it back. i hope you’re not mad at me...”

it was a christmas miracle for suga, even if you simply just made a trade with nishinoya. of course he would give it up for the ipad. thank god he did, and thank god you were willing to let go of such a lucrative gift for one made with love instead. words couldn’t describe the relief suga felt right now.

“i’m glad, actually. and not to be totally biased right now, but this is an amazing gift because it comes with bonus gifts.” suga said. “look inside.”

suga’s reassurance put you at ease, and as directed, you look inside the teapot, pulling out his infamous volleyball photo. you had never been so happy to have that teapot. if only you knew before. “oh my god. no way.”

•••

you proudly hold up your teapot for the documentary crew, a huge grin on your face, one that only suga could bring out of you. “yeah, i think i made the right choice.”

•••

you looked through the rest of the contents in the teapot, and while you weren’t looking, suga stole the card he wrote back and shoved it in his pocket. he just couldn’t bring himself to let you read it. maybe someday, but not today. the timing is just wrong.

“is this a chili pepper?” you ask as you hold up the toy.

“yeah, cause you’re banned from chili’s. look, it makes noises.” suga squeezed the chili pepper, accidentally ghosting his fingers over yours, and you jump from the squeaking sound coming out of the chili pepper toy. totally not from his soft touch either.

you felt like an idiot for giving this up before. it helped you learn to not judge a book by its cover. you knew that’s something you learn as a kid, but sometimes you have to learn something all over again as an adult. at least you came to your senses. there was still so much for you to figure out.

“you’ve outdone yourself, suga.” you smile and look into suga’s eyes.

“it’s about time i got you for secret santa.” suga replied. god, why did you have to be so beautiful?

“yeah, it really has.“ you say, holding your gaze before gulping when you think you’ve been staring at him for too long. little did you know, he wouldn’t have minded looking into your eyes a little longer. “merry christmas, suga.”

if suga has learned anything about christmas, it’s that it’s definitely not the time to tell people how you feel. he knew that now, no matter how much it hurt. in his eyes, if you had to take some time to come around to fully accepting the teapot, then you had to take your time accepting a life without ryo, potentially in favor for a life with him instead. the only question now was when? it was only a matter of time before suga will grow impatient.

sometimes suga felt like he was better off shoving his feelings down his throat, and you felt the same way. what you have is beautifully complicated, but suga swore that one day he’d tell you how he felt. it just had to be the perfect time.

“merry christmas, y/n.”

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