#I am up to my neck in exam revisions

[astrophysicistnotastronaut]

Zar is back, I’m so glad that he feels okay to do so and I hope against all hope the fandom is able to give him the consideration and respect he deserves. What I am getting a little tired of is the moral high ground some people are assuming, putting out these preachy statements about how wrong it is for people’s initial reactions to be to download his fics, saying ��everyone better behave this time’ etc. While the top priority should most certainly be Zar’s wellbeing and good treatment in the fandom, let’s keep in mind that this community has quite a young age demographic, and that it’s very normal and understandable for 13/14 year olds’ first reactions to be excitement and wanting to download his works. Also people putting out stuff saying “you all had better be nice or istg” or general ‘royal you’ statements is interesting to me, because are they too not part of this fandom?? What makes them morally exempt from the collective blame we all hold for the treatment of fic authors? They might say “Oh yeah but I’m always respectful” to which I might answer, “so am I", and yet I’m getting scolded by like seven different users who’ve somehow decided everyone else is to blame. I think that by associating ourselves with the fandom, we all take on the responsibility for what was done to Zar, as well as the respectful treatment and consideration of welfare of members of the community, whether that be fic writers, or even just your everyday Tumblr user. While these sort of morally superior posts make good points about the need for increased respect and better behaviour to fic writers, they do feel to me like they’re perpetuating a certain judgemental toxicity in the fandom which is antithetic to what they’re preaching. So let’s take on their points about writers, but remember that it should extend also to respect and consideration for each other as members of a community. Anyway that’s my Sunday night take :) Have a great week and wish me luck for my exams

[wileys-russo]

would die for anything laura f. related so 'I don’t even want your attention – that much.' and kitchen please?

study buddy II l.freigang

you looked up with a confused frown at the knocks at your door, not expecting anyone and buried in a mountain of revision for your upcoming exam, in your final semester of university and nailed down into prep mode.

you waited a moment until the knocks sounded again before getting to your feet, dropping your pen into your textbook to mark your page and clicking pause on the timer you used to track your breaks.

you padded over to the door on sock covered feet, rubbing your eyes which ached from concentrating for so long but you needed to memorize these flash cards before you could even think about stopping.

your frown deepened when you peeked through the small hole in your door and it had gone black clearly covered by something, undoing the chain halfway and peeking out through the crack to see who was there before you opened it all the way.

"boo!" you almost fell over in shock as an eye locked with yours, a tongue poked out next with a groan like a zombie making your eyes roll and unlock the door properly with a huff.

"hallo liebling!" the blonde sung out happily, inviting herself inside with an armful of bags and striding on past you as you sighed tiredly and closed the door, locking it again.

"lau. we talked about this, i have to study!" you reminded, spinning around and crying out in shock as she was mere centimeters from you. "no hello back?" the blonde shook her head, taller body collapsing into yours as she hugged you.

"stop sniffing me you freak!" you chuckled, pushing her off and rolling your eyes. "you smell good. i missed you!" she defended, crossing her arms and awaiting you to say it back as you stayed silent.

"oh laura i missed you too." the footballer mocked, tutting with a shake of her head.

"i have to study. which means we agreed i would see you after my final, because you are a distraction freigang." you reminded sternly as she retreated back to your kitchen.

"i came here to cook you dinner schatz. then i will leave, and you can go back to pretending like you don't miss me. which i know, you do!" she pointed to you with a wink and a cheeky grin, starting to unpack the paper bags she'd carried in with her.

"lau this is very sweet, but i really need to memorize these flash cards and-" your protests were silenced as the blonde strode back over and stole a kiss, hands on your hips and her favourite beanie sitting lopsided on the top of her head.

"then go memorize. i will be quiet as a mouse, you will not even know i am here!" the girl zipped her lips, threw away the key and held her hands up as you couldn't help but smile as she sent you another wink.

knowing just how stubborn she could be you knew you weren't getting out of this and really you had missed her, between your exams and her training schedule you'd hardly seen your girlfriend over the last fortnight.

so with a sigh you shook your head, moving to hug her from behind, craning your neck up to kiss her cheek appreciatively as she tilted her head backward and tapped her lips making you laugh and peck them a few times.

"go study!" the girl ordered, foot cheekily kicking your ass causing you to playfully glare at her as you retreated back to the table which was covered in your flashcards and textbooks.

sitting back down you tried to tune into your studies again, grabbing a marker and starting to highlight all of the key points you wanted to have memorized by tonight from each subsection of your cards.

it went well for around a half an hour, the only thing occasionally pulling you from your thoughts the smell of whatever your girlfriend was cooking as you sat with your back to her and fought every temptation to turn around and talk to her.

but of course, laura being laura, was only well behaved for so long before she grew bored and a little restless, all of the real work done and now just awaiting the stew she'd made to sit and cook properly before it could be served.

so she pulled herself up to sit on the counter of your island bench, snacking away on a few spare sticks of carrot she hadn't used as she doom scrolled through her social medias before that too grew uninteresting.

swinging her feet she watched you, only really able to see the back of your head but smiling softly realizing the hoodie adorning your top half was hers.

you were deep in thought, eyes scanning one of your flashcards intently when you could have sworn you felt something hit the back of your neck, you rubbed it with a frown but told yourself you must have been imaging it.

only a few seconds later, there it was again, but once more you rubbed the back of your neck unable to feel anything and huffing in annoyance, glancing upward to confirm there wasn't a leak of some sort.

but then a few seconds later you jumped as something bounced past you on the table, skidding to a stop as it thumped your text book and you pulled a face seeing it was a piece of carrot.

"lau! are you throwing carrot at me?" you spun around with a scowl, throwing it back at her as she grinned innocently. "no, not at you!" she emphasized as you narrowed your eyes at her.

but putting two and two together from the mischievous sparkle in her eyes you sighed, a hand reaching back to dig around in the hood of your hoodie and sure enough you pulled out two more little pieces of carrot.

"baby i need to study. if you're bored go watch something in my room till dinners done." you offered, dropping the carrots onto the table and turning back around to focus on your notes.

you heard a gentle thud as she dropped down from the island, and assumed she was going to your bedroom only a few seconds later arms wound around your neck, her chin settling on your head.

"what are you studying?" laura asked curiously, ring covered fingers playing absentmindedly with the L necklace around your neck that she'd gifted you a few months into seeing one another.

"the same thing i've been studying my entire university degree." you teased, the german mocking you and pinching your cheeks. "take a break, come have a cuddle. i read it is good for your...endorphins?" the blonde guessed making you chuckle.

"oh really? and where did you read this?" you questioned, eyes dropping back down to the flashcard in your hand. "mmm google. so is that a yes?" she asked hopefully, ducking down to kiss your cheek a few times.

"...no. i need to study!" you laughed, pushing her off as she groaned, throwing her head back to really push the dramatics of it. "i thought i wouldn't even know you're here?" you challenged with a raise of your eyebrows as the blonde held her hands up in surrender.

"okay. okay. you got me! from now, you will not even know i am here." she promised, again zipping her lip as you hummed and turned back to your notes, laura retreating into your bedroom to watch something as you'd suggested earlier.

you were rewarded by another five minutes of peace and quiet before you jolted, startled by loud laughter coming from your bedroom, shaking your head with a small smile on your lips.

and then, again, and again, and again.

"there is no way whatever she is watching is that funny." you grumbled, pushing back and out of your chair, stomping over to your room finding the blonde curled up in your bed watching some reality show on your tv.

"are you done studying?" laura asked, perking up and patting the empty spot behind her, opening her arms expectantly as you leaned in the doorway. "no. are you done fake laughing to get my attention?" you cocked an eyebrow as she scoffed.

"i was not!" "was too."

"i don't even want your attention...that much." your girlfriend shook her head firmly, crossing her arms and staring back at the tv. "oh no? well i will go back to my textbook then and-" you started to turn before she cracked, flopping herself down dramatically onto her back.

"okay meine liebe i lied! i am so bored and so lonely and i miss you so much and i need your attention and i know you need to study but just watch a movie and eat dinner with me and then i will leave!" the blonde groaned, arms covering your face as you shook your head.

"this is the part where you feel sorry for me." your girlfriend reminded, words muffled against her arms as your eyes rolled at her theatrics but none the less you made your way into the bedroom.

"honestly you're the most dramatic girl in germany." you teased, slipping into bed beside her and squealing as she nearly tackled you down into a tight bear hug, kissing all over your face making you laugh.

"wait! lau is something...burning?" "scheiße!"

[purinfelix]

pablo gavi - academic rivals please🙏🙏

do i wanna know? ᯓᡣ𐭩.ᐟ - pablo gavi

pairing: gavi x reader summary: when you started noticing a familiar face in every one of your classes, you hadn't expected it to lead to such an intense rivalry - at least, that's what you liked to call it warnings: none! w/c: 1.2k

a/n: no one knows HOW OBSESSED i am with this trope like i am such a sucker for it so i literally jumped to my laptop the minute i saw this ask ... sooo lmk if yall want a pt2 to this if u like it!!

“And what trunk movement does the internal oblique cause?” your professor’s voice echoed through the massive lecture hall, followed by the soft buzz of student discussion - only half of which you figured was relevant. You flung your hand up without even bothering to look up from your notes, confident in your answer from having already reviewed the content this morning.

“Ah, you in the back,” you heard, taking this as your cue to speak.

”Ipsi-”

“Ipsilateral trunk rotation,” interjected a voice from somewhere behind you. Hundreds of people were crowded together in this room for this anatomy lecture, but you were able to pick out the owner of that voice the minute he began to speak.

Craning your neck around with as calm an expression as you could muster, you locked eyes with Gavi, who only sent you a smug smirk as if to silently say “beat you”. You narrowed your eyes at him, trying to reply with a similarly silent “who cares”, before turning back around and trying to stave off the growing heat in your cheeks. But the reality was that you cared. In fact, you cared so much that that singular moment fogged your brain for the remaining two hours of your lecture, and if it hadn’t been for your prior revision you likely would’ve gotten lost.

You couldn’t remember specifically when it had begun - this strange, almost childish rivalry that sprung up between you two. If you had to say though, it was probably some time in between when you realised you had exactly the same schedule as him, after seeing him in every single one of your classes, and when the two of you tied for first ranked in your cohort for the last semester.

It wasn’t necessarily the fact that he was smart that annoyed you though, it was how effortlessly smug he was about it all. You’d need both hands to count the number of times you had left the library after an entire day of studying for an upcoming exam, only to walk past your campus’ football field and see him playing a match with his friends, their laughter almost tauntingly boisterous. Every answer to a question, every mark received, every essay submitted by him was enveloped in an air of instinctive confidence you envied.

But, you were old enough not to let yourself be disheartened by the sight of naturally talented people - having come to terms with the fact that hard work and discipline was your weapon of choice a long time ago. So, you threw yourself into your studies harder than ever before with a fervour that was only spurred on any time you saw Pablo and his friends messing around in the library, on the rare occasions they actually went.

This also might’ve been a little more manageable if he wasn’t intent on teasing you at every given opportunity. Every single time you were given a grade, a score, a mark back, he would be waiting for you outside the classroom, ready to compare with an unmistakably arrogant and eager smirk painted across his features. You bit your lip recalling the last time you had compared scores for your stats class, only to find out he had beat you by one mark. You couldn’t remember the question you had gotten wrong or how to do it, but the image of his smug look of victory once he realised he had beat you was forever burned into your memory.

With just five minutes left, your attention was snapped back to the lecture as your professor cleared his throat to gain the attention of your class.

“Oh and while you’re all packing up, I just wanted to remind you that your marks from the last test are available online now! Check them and let me know if there’s any issues, see you next week.”

With his dismissal, the room around you burst into chaos as students packed up, desperate to flee the lecture hall as fast as possible. You remained still though, eagerly opening your phone to check your mark, heart racing. Once the numbers flashed across your screen, you pocketed your phone, satisfied, and got to packing up like the rest of your peers.

Exiting the hall you spotted a familiar face, rolling your eyes as Gavi spotted you through the crowd and waved you down eagerly. You pushed past a couple classmates as gently as you could before making it over to the corner he was patiently waiting for you in.

“So?” he asked.

“You first,” you pressed, trying to hide your smile.

“What? I asked, you go first,” he crossed his arms as the smug expression you had grown used to after many of these similar post-lecture rendezvous spread across his face, “unless…”

“Unless?”

”You’re ashamed of your mark.” His reply made you scoff louder than you had intended, and he quirked an eyebrow in interest. “Well?”

“Full marks,” you muttered, avoiding eye contact in an attempt to seem as nonchalant as possible, and potentially to prevent your cheeks from burning red again.

“Oh shut up, I got 98,” you figured he would’ve been upset but he was still smiling, if not wider than before.

“What’s with that look?” you furrowed your brows, turning to him.

“Well, I’m not surprised, you’re the smartest in the class,”

“Oh c’mon Pablo if you really think saying things like that is going to get to me then y-”

“I mean it,” he interrupted for the second time that day, and from the earnest look in his eyes you could tell he was being honest - not that that made it any less confusing, but it was nice to know he wasn’t just winding you up again.

“Yeah whatever,” you scoffed, “not like it was that hard or anything.”

“You’re kidding right?” he laughed again, “I almost died taking that test, it was nearly impossible! I can’t decide if you amaze or scare me.”

“Well maybe if you spent more time actually studying, you wouldn’t find it so hard. Plus you did well anyways.”

“No amount of studying would make me anywhere as smart as you,” he sighed, “though if that’s an offer for me to study with you, I won’t turn you down! I’ve got practice to get to though, so not today.”

All previous attempts to hold back your flustered expression gave way and you felt your cheeks burning bright red. “What? No!”

“How’s tomorrow night, 8pm? I’ll meet you in the library, at your normal spot?” he said, already turning to leave.

”Huh?” was all you could let out but by then he had already jogged around the corner and was definitely out of ear shot.

You stood there, your heart pounding as you gripped the straps of your bag with sweaty palms. Millions of questions raced through your head - Had he actually called you smart? How would he know where your normal spot in the library was? If it was going to be just the two of you, wasn’t this practically a date? - and unlike the confidence you had felt earlier when facing your professor’s questions, it seemed like these were ones you might never get the answers to.

[raainberry]

Studious Confession

« Done deliberately or with a purpose in mind. »

Yunjin x gn!reader

Fluff

synopsis - you and your friend yunjin get sidetracked while speed running revisions for finals

wordcount - 1.8K

A/N - save me scholar yunjin, save me…

Absolute academic weapons.

That’s what you and Yunjin aimed to be when you scheduled a study session at your campus library. Exam season was breathing down your necks, and you ignored it for as long as you could, taking each other on the most impromptu hang-outs instead.

Convenience store runs that lead to mukbangs, walks around campus that somehow turned into treetop adventures, late night drives after a long day of classes you spent screaming to whatever she played on the aux… Risking your education (and probably your future) had never been so fun, but all good things must come to an end.

As the end of your junior year approached you were the first one to bring up studying, suggesting you should probably pump the breaks on the distractions. She only called you a nerd, but gave in when you proposed to study together.

The time itself wouldn’t be fun at all, but at least she’d spend it with you. “A win is a win.”, she’d said over the phone, and it only took a few more days to actually motivate yourselves. Reserving a study room was a step in the right direction, but what happened in there would only make you take two steps back.

“That doesn’t even look like me.” You said after she revealed her doodle in the corner of your notebook.

She spent the last five minutes trying to sketch your features out on the bit of blank paper left on your notes instead of focusing on her own.

“Yes it does, look!” She gestured at the messy drawing. “That’s your eyes and your mouth.”

“I am looking, I’m just not seeing.”

It actually did look like you, Yunjin was too talented for it not to. You were just looking at it upside down as you sat across the table from her.

“Well look harder!”

“I don’t want to, stop distracting me!” You whined, switching your pen for a highlighter.

“You’re so mean! Give me my airpod back.” She whined back, actually catching your attention this time.

“What?”

“I don’t want to share my music with you anymore. I need to listen to sad music alone because you’re so mean to me.” She argued, her hand out waiting for the airpod in your ear.

“Are you serious?” You asked, and she only stared at you, retreating her hand only to fold her arms over her chest. “If I say it does look like me, can I keep it?”

“You can keep the drawing, yeah.” She scoffed and you sighed.

You were unsure whether she was serious or not, so you decided to try something that could only have a positive outcome.

“Coffee break?” You proposed, and just like that, her smile was back.

Relief washed over you when her hand found yours, dragging you down to the nearest vending machine. The latter was familiar, it has seen your faces more times than the study rooms as you sometimes only came by to get a coffee from the machine right next to it.

That’s where you met Yunjin, on one of the rare nights she dedicated to her due projects. You’d offered her one of those cheap paper cups, a hole in your student wallet but nothing compared to the world she invited you in afterwards.

Her own little world, the person she was within it, the things she saw and built… It was all so beautiful. You’d get her a thousand of them if it meant learning one new thing every time.

Sometimes you brought her here in hopes for it, and it never failed. The same thing would happen: you’d get her a coffee, she would fight you, try to pay for yours, and you’d ask her about something you’d noticed about her to change the subject. Small details you’d noticed; a pretty necklace, some new earrings, a new hairstyle or the way her makeup looked. Sometimes her mood stood out to you, had you curious. She’d soon forget about her self-imposed debt, getting caught up in the excitment of whatever had caught your attention that day.

“I like your glasses today. How many pairs do you have?” You asked after she sighed out your name. “This is like the fifth pair I’ve seen you wear.”

“Thank you. I have a few. Even more back home.” She said, making you raise an eyebrow.

Her answer was shorter than usual. No spilling over to another subject that your question reminded her of. No squealing about where she got them from, holding your arm as she practically begged for you to come check the small store out with her next time.

Her hands stayed put in her pockets, below the sweater you’d asked about a few weeks ago. It looked comfortable and cozy, and she seemed to grow fond of it based on the way she pulled her hands into the sleeves so often.

“Do they even help you see?” You asked, joking around in an attempt to pull a little more out of her.

“Only two of them do. These aren’t one of them, though.” She giggled to herself, and you could only shake your head at her absurdity.

“Do you even want to pass?” You chuckled as the machine made all kinds of mechanical noises, signaling that the coffee was ready.

She rolled her eyes, getting her hands out of her pockets to grab the cup from yours. The heat emanating from it was the last thing she needed on this fair weather day, but the taste of that coffee was just too good to pass on.

The taste wasn’t the only thing that pushed her to accept each and every one of the cups you offered her. She didn’t even pay attention to it at first, but as time went on, she started looking forward to it. Sometimes to the point of craving it.

Caffeine was dangerous, sure, but she’d come to realise it wasn’t what she had become addicted to.

“How long are you going to keep this up?”

She broke the small silence that had taken its place between the two of you. One of your favorite songs was playing at a faint volume from the airpods you were still sharing, filling in for the lack of words. Your mind had drifted off, long gone and barely listening to your favorite melody as thoughts of her occupied the back of it.

The sound of her voice brought you back, all conscious and hiding how crazy you felt thinking about someone standing right next to you.

A curious hum resonated from your chest, and your eyes met her questioning ones.

“The coffee. When are you gonna let me pay you back?” She asked, and you smiled.

“You don’t need to.”

“But I want to. You spent like a hundred dollars since the beginning of the year.” She frowned.

“That’s a bit excessive. I’d say 30 dollars at the most. It’s really cheap coffee.” You pointed out.

It took everything in her not to call you a smartass. It seemed like a terrible way to confess her feelings. Especially when what she felt, the light she saw you in painted you as far more than a smartass. The opposite, or maybe a more positive and kind alternative.

“You really don’t want me to pay you back?” She insisted, and you shook your head, amused.

This wasn’t the first time she was asking, and you didn’t expect it to be the last, but your answer would remain the same.

You didn’t want her money.

“You could at least admit you want something in return.”

Her words wiped the delectation right off your face. The lighthearted atmosphere suddenly vanished, replaced by a heavy and uncomfortable one.

You had trouble finding the right way to breathe, scared it would shift the conversation into a much too unpredictable path.

“Wh—what?” You stuttered, furrowing your eyebrows in the most natural way you could.

Yunjin wasn’t having it, although in a simpler moment she would have laughed at your poor attempt.

“Come on, Y/n.” She probed. “No one gives out that many compliments out of pure kindness only.”

“There probably are a few people—” You started, but the way she stared at you kept you from rambling further.

There was no escaping it, she obviously knew what was going on. In theory, you couldn’t be surprised as you hoped for your actions to be obvious, or at the least for her to notice them.

Now that she did, you weren’t sure what to do. Hell, you didn’t even know where or how to stand anymore, you hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“Well—I mean, I kind of have been doing this to get to know you a little more.” You mumbled.

One of her eyebrows furrowed, and you sighed. This wasn’t exactly ideal for the embarrassment you felt.

“We’ve been friends for months, is it so difficult to do that? Am I that hard to read?” She wondered, amused.

“I don’t know, it feels easier this way… For me at least.” You looked down, eyes sweeping the floor as you did your best to avoid her gaze.

Embarrassed was only the start to describing how this whole thing made you feel. Everything you did, everything you told and asked her in order to find out more, as sincere and truthful it all was… It all seemed so silly. Collecting all those bits of her personnality, of her mind; piecing them all together in sercret and falling behind closed doors…

What was the point of putting yourself through so much if it would all come to light anyway?

Would it even be worth it?

“Right. Well…” She trailed off, and your eyes were pulled by the sudden movement of her hand between the two of you.

You watched as it hesitantly approached yours, waiting to see if it would welcome it only for you to wrap your fingers around her palm in a heartbeat— that was to say it happened fast as your heart had picked up the pace for a while now.

Yunjin kept her smile to herself, hiding her appreciation behind treacherous eyes that she focused on your joined hands. The spark she held in her gaze whenever she looked at you was hard to erase—she couldn’t believe you hadn’t noticed it.

“Let your wallet rest a bit.” She joked, finally looking up at you. “Whatever you want to know, next time you can just ask.”

“Do you like me?”

“Oh.” Her eyebrows raised in surprise as you shared a laugh over the sudden, bold question.

It wasn’t exactly unlike you, but judging on the past couple minutes, neither of you really expected it.

“I do like you.” She admitted, a shy smile letting you know she wasn’t as cool about it as she tried to be before adding. “When you’re not nagging me about finals.”

“If this is one of your ways to get out of studying I’m gonna be so mad.” You half-joked.

It would be a pretty insane thing to pull, but you wouldn’t put it past her. She loved to avoid schoolwork, no matter the excuse.

“If it was I wouldn’t ask you to get back to it.”

“You haven’t.”

“I am now.” She smiled, tugging on your hand the same way she had to bring you here.

You could only follow as she jogged back to your study room. Whether her excitment came from studying or the progression of your relationship, you had a small idea. It put a smile on your face that you wouldn’t be able to get rid of for as long as she was the one holding your hand.

And wherever she’d lead you, you’d follow.

[sillystappen]

@justlookingforf1fanfictions gave me the idea of a maxiel! high school AU (I made everyone seniors) with discovering sexualities and I am SO DOWN for that. I've never attempted smut so this is really just dipping my toes in (though this is like 1% on the smut scale it's mentioned thinking). If hope this suffices for you though it may have gotten a tiny bit away from the original prompt lol. As in: I gave Daniel a mild sexuality crisis. But don't worry for the most part this is pure fluff.

Is It Chill That You’re In My Head?

Daniel is so ready to leave school, move away from this stupid town in the middle of Nevada and finally live the dream life of partying until 3am, having sex with the hottest women ever and getting some well-paid job that he actually likes compared to the shitty one he has at the corner shop.

Alas, he is not quite there yet. He just has to finish his final year of high school and June cannot come fast enough.

It's April, a pretty mild and sunny day where it's warm but not warm enough to make it feel like you have been shoved into a furnace. Daniel has this last month before exam season rolls around and his teachers have been breathing down his neck about revising for said exams instead of playing soccer with his mates in his spare time. Honestly, they need to get off of his back - he'll pass just fine, and his mocks went as smoothly as butter on a warm bit of toast.

He lifts his head off the desk ever so slightly when his teacher calls for everyone's attention. "Everyone listen up, we have a very late new student with us."

A new student? Now? Jeez that must suck for them, having to move schools right before the end of senior year. Daniel shrugs to himself and drops his head back on the desk.

"Hello, I'm Max Verstappen," a new voice says and oh, that's an accent. Daniel snaps his head up to look at the new boy, suddenly intrigued. The new boy, Max, seems nearly as tall as Daniel if he weren't so withdrawn into himself (clearly anxious to be at the front of the class with everyone's eyes on him), with sandy blonde hair and, despite looking from his seat towards the back of the class, the bluest eyes he has ever seen. They remind him of the ocean, beautiful and clear but also hiding something in their depths.

Daniel needs to know more about this guy.

"I expect everyone to welcome Max and be kind to him in the last months you all are here," his teacher says before turning to Max, "just find an empty seat and sit there for now."

Max nods and looks out towards the class before quietly walking down the middle to where Daniel is near the back. He gestures to the chair next to Daniel, the one by the window that nobody really likes because the sun can get in your eyes.

Daniel is slow to reply, not realising that Max was asking if he could move so he can sit there. For a while they just stare at each other. "Oh yeah, sure," he mumbles, the realisation eventually hitting him, tucking his chair in a bit so Max can walk behind him and sit down.

Max plops down next to him and rests his head in his hand, tilting it away from the window and towards their teacher, who started explaining some literature principles from the start of the year (lest they forget).

Daniel doesn't pay attention, he's much more interested in the way Max chews his pencil while he's thinking.

1 hour later, at the end of class, Daniel finally speaks to him. Max hasn't said a word since he sat down so Daniel still can't place the accent. They have both stood up, and slung their backpacks over their shoulders and Daniel deliberately stands in Max's path.

"Hi! I'm Daniel, nice to meet you mate," he smiles and sticks his hand out.

Max looks at it for a moment before shaking Daniel's hand in small , gentle motions for a second. "Max, but you know that." He speaks! Thank the Lord.

Daniel chuckles, "yeah, I do. I like your voice, where are you from?"

Max flushes. "Thank you. I'm Dutch. And Belgian too, but raised in the Netherlands."

"Oh that's awesome! I'm just born and raised here, nothing exciting."

"You seem exciting," Max says, as if it's a normal thing to say, like the sun is out, or you need oxygen to breathe. But he smiles, just a little quirk of his lips, and Daniel's brain unhelpfully supplies 'cute'.

It's then that Daniel realises they're still holding hands and in his sudden surprise of his own brain and that, he yanks his hand away from Max's maybe a little to forcefully because Max's smile drops.

"Sorry, aha. I just remembered I gotta go to my next class, as much as I'd like to stay and chat." Daniel rubs the back of his neck out of awkwardness as he half lies, because he really does have another class to go to but it's just two rooms down the hall.

Max nods, still emotionless, "me too." He steps around Daniel, lightly pushing him, and walks out the classroom door.

Daniel spends the rest of the day in his own head. God, why can't he just be normal for once? He's made things weird with the new guy and acts like he's attracted to the guy, like he's interested, which he's not mind you. Daniel Ricciardo is 100% straight, straight out of straightdom if you will. Sure it was nice to hold his hand, and he wants to make Max smile because it's cute and his eyes really are blue like the ocean, but that's just pure platonic feelings, he swears. He just wants to be Max's friend and know why the hell he came to butt-fuck-nowhere Nevada instead of staying in the Netherlands. And why now? Max just produces numerous question marks in his head and it's so confusing.

He doesn't speak to Max again until the following day at lunch, when he enters the school cafeteria. Daniel grins at him and calls him over to sit with him and his mates, Michael and Blake. Max seems hesitant but agrees. He sits next to Daniel and opposite Michael, though makes sure to put a bit of distance between himself and Daniel, just in case.

They hadn't spoken in literature class because Daniel was about 10 seconds away from being late and he really didn't want to annoy Max at 9 in the morning.

"Who's this Daniel?" Blake asks.

"This is my new friend Maxy." Daniel says.

"Maxy?" Michael questions. And shit, Daniel didn't realise he had said that. He doesn't really do nicknames for anyone, unless his friends decide to be annoying then an affectionate dickhead or asshole does get thrown around.

"It's Max," Max eventually speaks up, his cheeks tinged red, "I'm new. I joined Daniel's literature class yesterday."

"Oh, well, welcome Max. I'm Blake and this is Michael."

"Hi." Max's response is clipped and Daniel can't stand it. Blake and Michael give him a look of 'who is this person and why are you trying to befriend him?' and Daniel just shrugs at them.

"So, Maxy, Max, can I call you Maxy?" Daniel asks before launching his next question. Max looks at him, and Daniel feels like he can see into his soul and is about to pull out the thread keeping him together. Max stares like he is trying solve a puzzle and he must've found his answer because he says yes.

"Sweet!" Daniel swears he catches Max smiling at him when he cheers. It's a small thing yet again but Daniel calls it a victory. "Maxy, what are your plans when you finish high school? I'm going to do sports science hopefully."

"My dad wants me to do law." Max sighs and picks at his food. To Daniel, everything about that sentence felt off.

"Yeah, but what do you want to do?" Daniel prods.

"It doesn't matter."

"I don't know Maxy, it matters to me." Daniel half expects to descend into an argument but what he doesn't expect is the way Max looks at him, a real smile, albeit close-lipped but real and big, stretches across his face. Max looks down in an attempt to supress it, and Daniel is having none of that.

"Hey." Daniel shifts closer and brings his hand under Max's chin, lifting his head so Max looks at him. Then Daniel just stops working, his following words disappearing into thin air.

Max looks at him like he's a mystery and a wonder, which is clearly a good thing judging by the way he is still smiling, albeit a little smaller and softer. Daniel lets himself move his hand to cup Max's jaw and he swears he feels Max lean into it. If Daniel had to describe Max right then, he would've told you he looked beautiful. Maybe he could-

Michael coughs suddenly and Daniel drops his hand, he and Max springing apart and what the hell was that?

"Literature and writing," Max says suddenly. "What I actually want. It's literature and writing."

Conversation goes back to normal after that. Towards the end of the day, Michael corners him at the school gate.

"Look, mate, you know if there's anything you need to tell me then I'm here for you," he says, which is weird in itself because Michael knows everything there is to know about Daniel.

"What are you on about?" Daniel asks.

"Just... you know... about you and Max-"

"There's really nothing to it. I want to be his friend. I'm not gay," Daniel cuts him off sharply, the vague implication getting to him a little.

Michael remains calm. "I'm not saying you are; you don't have to label yourself. I'm simply saying if you were interested in Max the same way you would be interested in a girl then it's ok."

"I'm not. I literally have known him for two days and it wasn't like he just walked his pretty self into class and rocked my world just like that."

Michael raises an eyebrow at the word 'pretty' but doesn't comment on it. "Alright, man. I guess I will see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya." Daniel waves and walks out the gate.

The rest of the week and the next one continues in a similar pattern. He'd see Max in class, then hang out with him at lunch and something weird would happen that Daniel would shake off, such as them linking pinkie fingers in the middle of class only to let go when the teacher calls on Max, or Daniel wrapping an arm around Max when he sits down with them and forgetting to let him go until Michael eyes him questioningly. Daniel just concludes that he's simply a physically affectionate friend to Max, who has not complained at all about it.

Max slowly opens up to the group, mainly Daniel. He tells him all about the Netherlands and what school was like there (pretty interesting stuff, if Daniel is honest), as well as why his dad relocated them to the states. Turns out his dad thinks there's more money to be made as a prosecutor in the US than the Netherlands and chose now because he wants Max to go to an Ivy League school to follow in his footsteps.

One day Max tells him and only him that his mother and sister are still in Belgium, and that his parents are divorced because his father is abusive. Daniel hugs him that day and tells him that he is welcome over any time should he need it.

He learns that Max is a huge nerd though, much like the rest of them and Daniel usually ends up on the receiving end of a book-rant. He doesn't understand what Max is talking about most of the time, but he talks so passionately and uses his hands to emphasis every word ever that he just cannot find it in himself to stop him. It's frankly adorable.

He also goes to watch them play soccer on Fridays. He doesn't play, mainly because Max claims he isn't very good, but he is a very good cheerleader for Daniel, much to the complaint of everyone else.

"But Max, I have scored more goals this match than Daniel," Blake had once said.

"So? Daniel needs the extra motivation then!" Max had proclaimed.

Daniel loves how comfortable Max is with everyone now, and how he has grown out of his shell and starts to be more reciprocal to Daniel's affections, so to speak, even initiating some of his own. For example, Max often taps his foot against Daniel's which sends warmth through Daniel's body. Another time Max just simply leaned into Daniel and rested his head on his shoulder while he was talking to Blake. Daniel, once again, didn't think much of it let alone properly realise it until someone pointed it out.

Max also tries to teach the group a little Dutch but eventually gives up because according to him it sounds like they're gargling water. Max burst out laughing when Daniel attempted to say 'I am 18 years old'.

It was the first time Daniel had seen him like that and he wanted to bottle up that laugh so he could hear it forever. And God, his smile is gorgeous. His whole face lights up and his smile makes the corners of his eyes crinkle. Daniel has made it his mission to get that to happen again.

Daniel is also realising that maybe, just maybe, these aren't exactly thoughts you have about a friend. He wants to protect Max, to hold him and never let go, but also be the reason he's happy and laughs. However Daniel has never ever been into a boy, and it kinda ruins the 'dream life tm' he has pictured for himself because now said picture is starting to have Max in it: the two of them on a sofa watching some shitty Netflix show. He curses Michael in his mind, blaming him for putting the idea of being with Max in his head.

As he lies on his bed on Sunday, end of the second week with Max, he allows himself to think about kissing Max. Max's lips always look soft and maybe it would be as nice as a girl. He'd hold his face the same way he did two weeks ago, eventually thread his fingers into Max's hair as he kisses him. Girls usually like that. Maybe Max would be in his lap, holding on to his torso like a lifeline as Daniel deepens the kiss into a full-on make-out session, their tongues dancing together as they run their hands along each others bodies and up their shirts and the feeling of Max's skin would be enough to drive him crazy as Max pushes him down, smiling against his lips and-

Daniel sits up abruptly, forcing out the images from his brain before he ends up with more than a semi. He then startles because holy fuck he is getting turned on by thinking about Max.

He immediately calls Michael.

"Bitch, what do you want? It's 1am." Michael groaned down the phone.

"I'm definitely attracted to Max but like... I'm not gay."

"Congrats on finally realising. I called it from day 1... well day 2 for you," Michael says smugly.

"I hate how well you know me sometimes." Daniel grumbles.

"No you don't."

Daniel simply hums. "I'm not gay though. I still like women."

"As I said, you don't need to label it. You just like Max."

The words are comforting; Daniel still likes women, but he also likes Max which means he is still mostly straight. And being called bi or pan also doesn't seem right. He just likes Max.

"Now answer me this," Michael says, "is this just a physical thing or-"

"No! I want to know everything I can about Max. I want to make him laugh and smile and protect him. Y'know, all that sappy shit. I mean, I do think he's very nice to look at but..."

"Yeah yeah I hear you buddy. That's good for you. Anyway, I'm hanging up and going to sleep. You should do the same."

Daniel's phone beeps before he can say good night.

It's felt... good admitting it aloud. It felt like it became normal instead of being this weird thing he had been trying to avoid for two weeks and living in a state of denial. Saying it to Michael was akin to a rock being lifted off his chest and he can finally breathe again.

But just as Daniel is drifting off to sleep he wondered how the hell he is going to face Max the next morning.

Monday morning comes around Max sits in the same spot by the window he always does. Daniel admits that he does shamelessly stare at Max, and how the morning sun makes him look golden. Full send, right? He likes Max in the same way he would like a girl, so he shouldn't be acting any differently. That's his solution to last night's conundrum. Max doesn't seem bothered when he catches Daniel though, and smiles softly at him, making Daniels heart do little flutters.

They can't stare at each other forever so eventually Daniel pulls his gaze away and half-tunes into the lesson on the importance of the curtain being red or some shit like that. He also heard some paper ripping but makes a conscious choice to not look for the sound.

At the end of the lesson, Max taps his shoulder and places an origami flower behind Daniel's ear, made from a torn page of Max's notebook.

"For you," Max says, then walks off happily to his next class. Daniel carefully touches it, not removing it from where it's sat. The stem is tucked into his curls and the flower seems intricately made. It feels romantic and Daniel can't help but blush as he traces the folds of the paper with his fingertip. He doesn't move it for the rest of the day.

Lando, a junior Daniel knows but wouldn't say he's friends with, finds him in the hallway between classes and comments on it immediately. "Ooh Daniel, who's that from? A girlfriend?"

"Haha, no it's-" Daniel cuts himself off. It's different telling Lando than it was telling Michael. Shit, is he ready to even be out like that, to where the whole school knows? Sure he has only a few months left but still, it's a big thing.

"Who's it from then?" Lando prompts, reaching up to touch it.

Daniel swats his hand away. "A classmate," is what Daniel settles on saying. It's technically still the truth.

"Damn, you should ask this classmate out. She is definitely into you!"

"You think?" Daniel tries (and fails) not to sound too hopeful.

"Duh! This is some master-craft shit," Lando says like it's obvious. "Whoever gave this to you must like you. And you clearly like her with the way you're parading around with it."

Daniel nods and scampers off to his next class.

He spends the whole hour wondering how the hell he will even tell Max he likes him and well... he's got nothing. Sure, he said 'Full Send' and all that but Max is different, from a girl and everyone else. He wants it to be important and not just dumped on him during lunch break like most people do. Max is special and deserves to be treated as such.

Therefore the logical thing to do is ask him on a date after school and take him somewhere nice (which is pretty hard in middle-of-nowhere Nevada but not totally impossible) and romance the fuck out of him and potentially kiss him.

Boom! He has a plan! (Someone be proud of him; he's putting himself out there for Max.) Now to set said plan into motion.

At lunch, he sees Max but he keeps it as normal as possible, because really there are no boundaries with them. When Max notices he still has the paper flower exactly where Max left it, he beams like the sun, eyes scrunching up and smile splitting his face. "You kept it," he says.

"Of course, I wore it proudly all day," and Max preens at that. Daniel continues, "It's so pretty, I can tell. Where did you learn how to make this?"

"I got bored one day, and thought that it would be nice to give someone I like."

"Aw Maxy," Daniel coos, reaching to hold Max's hand on the table and lacing their fingers, "I love it."

Daniel can tell Michael is giving a 'really?-right-in-front-of-my-salad' look but hey, he should've known this would happen. Blake has gotten used to their shenanigans but even he looks at them weirdly. Daniel doesn't let it get to him, not this time.

He shuffles closer to Max, pressing their thighs together and starts to chat with Michael about their god awful math class. He never shies away from Max, who almost melts next to him and Daniel fights the urge to kiss him there and then.

He's practically bouncing off the walls of the hallway when the bell for the end of school rings. He lingers by the gate, waiting for any sight of Max and beelines towards him when he sees the familiar ocean blue eyes. "Maxy!"

"Oh, hi Dan." Dan. Not long after Maxy became a thing, Max started using Dan instead of Daniel, and Daniel loves it. It feels intimate to hear Max call him that when everyone else uses Danny or just Daniel. "What's up? I do have to go though, so I'm gonna have to rush you."

Ah of course, his dad and Max's extracurriculars. Daniel makes it quick. "pleasegoonadatewithme."

"...what?" Ok maybe too quick.

Daniel clears his throat and plucks the origami flower from behind his ear and starts twirling it in his hand, watching the flower spin and admiring the petals as he repeats himself. "Maxy, please go on a date with me."

Max doesn't speak, and to fill the silence and to stop himself from panicking, Daniel keeps talking.

"I really like you, like had a full on gay crisis over you because I've never felt this way about a boy like ever and you're like so you and so so perfect, and I know this town doesn't offer much but I will try my damn best to make it special and all romantic and-"

"Dan. Yes." Max eventually says, cutting him off. He's smiling ear to ear in the way Daniel loves the most. "I really like you, too. I thought it was pretty obvious. I don't go around making those," Max gestures at the flower, "for anyone. I told you that they're for the people I like. Besides, I also don't let just anyone touch me like you do."

"Oh," Daniel says dumbly. Because, yeah, that all tracks.

"Now I do have to go, but I have some free time on Thursday after school if that works for you?"

"Yeah, that's brilliant Maxy," Daniel says a bit too eagerly for his liking.

Max plucks the flower from Daniels hand and puts it back behind his ear, tucking it gently into his curls. He presses a quick kiss to Daniel's lips and says a quick "bye" before darting out the gate, leaving Daniel standing there, touching his lips in a daze.

June can wait. Thursday cannot come fast enough.

[writingbymoonlight]

coffee shop

ft.: akaashi x reader

word count: ~2.2k words

a/n: this is my second entry (a little university au with a few taylor swift lyrics thrown in hehe) for @kyopmi's the four seasons collab! thank you again mizu for letting me join <3

First Winter: “‘Cause all I know is we said, ‘Hello’/ And your eyes look like coming home/ All I know is a simple name/ And everything has changed”

Outside the window beside him, Akaashi can see the university campus slowly being blanketed in white: delicate snowflakes falling from the light gray skies and gently landing on the barren trees, on the pavement, and on the heads of other students as they attempt to escape the cold wind on this Sunday evening. 

Akaashi takes a sip of his bitter coffee then sets the mug down next to his laptop and he notices how messy the table has become. It is cluttered with his notes and books, which he would usually feel a bit self-conscious about. However, practically all the tables in the quaint coffee shop have been taken over by stressed students with a mountain of assessments and exams looming over them. 

Fortunately, Akaashi doesn’t feel overwhelmed yet. So far, he’s successfully planned and organized his time wisely. As for today, all he has scheduled is reviewing for an exam and hopefully the revision will instill in him the confidence he needs to ace it tomorrow.

With renewed focus, the raven-haired boy picks up a stack of his notes and starts reading them, occasionally parting his lips to quietly repeat some important information to himself. He becomes so lost in memorizing all the little details that he is oblivious to the sudden presence hovering by his table.

He doesn’t even notice you when you clear your throat in an attempt to grab his attention.

“Hello? Akaashi?” you meekly greet, hoping you don’t sound and look as awkward as you feel.

Your fellow first-year classmate looks up at you slightly startled, his ocean-blue eyes wide behind his black framed glasses. He wasn’t expecting to see you, his crush that he’s never mustered the courage to talk to before.

It wasn’t like you had an intimidating aura about you. You seem very friendly, sweet, and approachable. To Akaashi, though, this somehow made you even more scary to talk to and he ended up wasting weeks thinking of ways to start a conversation with you. But it looks like all that mental preparation was for nothing because here you are, actually speaking to him. 

“Sorry Y/N, I didn’t see you there,” Akaashi apologizes after snapping out his thoughts, nervously adjusting his glasses on his face. 

“No no, I’m sorry for interrupting,” you assure him, shaking your head vigorously, causing a few snowflakes to fall from your hair. “It’s just all the other tables were occupied, and I was wondering if I could sit here? Unless someone else is already sitting here, of course!”

Akaashi stares at you for a few seconds, in a brief state of disbelief before responding, “Go ahead, no one’s sitting there.”  

You offer him a small smile and unwrap your red chunky scarf from around your neck and drape it across the back of the chair. As you settle in, you look at Akaashi’s notes and instantly realize that they’re all from your shared class.

“Are you revising for the exam tomorrow?” you inquire before considering the possibility that Akaashi might think you’re nosy and you quickly add: “I’m here to study for it too.” 

“Yeah, I am,” he confirms. Akaashi watches you sit across from him, his heart rate gradually increasing as, in a rare moment of spontaneity, he asks, “Do you want to revise together?” 

You look up at Akaashi with a bright smile, that he believes might be capable of melting the snow outside and reply, “Sure!”

~~~

Second Winter: “You can hear it in the silence, silence, you/ You can feel it on the way home, way home, you/ You can see it with the lights out, lights out/ You are in love, true love/ You are in love”

Sunday afternoons in your second year of university follow a consistent pattern: you wake up, go through your morning routine, then head out to meet up with Akaashi at the coffee shop, where you had your first proper conversation with him, to study and do some work together, despite not having any classes together anymore. 

Akaashi is usually the one to show up first for your, what his roommates Bokuto and Kuroo have dubbed, “study dates”. When he first started meeting up with you at the coffee shop, he continuously insisted to his extroverted friends that these weren’t dates, but he eventually gave up because he knows that arguing with them is pointless. 

However, Akaashi cannot deny that he looks forward to seeing you every Sunday, which is why he arrives earlier than you. He enjoys securing a table for the two of you, preferably the coveted table by the window and he likes having everything organized and ready for when you arrive. 

Seeing you walk through the doors with your headphones on, scanning the coffee shop for him and smiling when you spot him brings Akaashi a surge of happiness, especially if he’s been through a particularly crappy week. At first, when you began meeting at the coffee shop, Akaashi was shy and awkward around you, but now he’s somehow figured out how to act comfortable around you. 

You and Akaashi typically study together in silence, but sometimes you quiz each other when you have exams coming up. During your breaks, you both complain about your workloads and your classes and discuss what you have coming up during the week. Sometimes, you and Akaashi will look out the window and people-watch, crafting elaborately goofy backstories for all the passerby you see. 

It is while people-watching and sipping on hot chocolate on one winter’s day that you glance away from the window to look at Akaashi and comment, “You know it’s about a year since we started studying together.”

“Really? I can’t believe it’s been that long,” Akaashi remarks with a dumbstruck expression. 

“I guess time really does fly by,” you say before your eyes sparkle with excitement as something outside catches your attention. “Akaashi! Look how cute that corgi is!” 

The glasses-wearing man cannot help, but be endeared by how enthusiastic you are about a dog. He has come to admire how your eyes sparkle every time you see a cute animal. And how your eyebrows knit together whenever you are in deep concentration. And how you purse your lips when you are reading something that you don’t quite comprehend. And how you happily sigh after taking the first sip of your favorite beverage. 

With every little thing he learns about you, Akaashi’s crush on you has unconsciously bloomed into actual love.

~~~

Third Winter: “And this is when the feeling sinks in/I don't wanna miss you like this/ Come back, be here/ Come back, be here”

Through the window, Akaashi can see that the coffee shop isn’t particularly busy on this Sunday evening. The table by the window is vacant and the space is warmly lit. Part of him is tempted to step in and escape the chilly weather then get some coffee and read the book in his bag for half an hour. 

However, after a moment’s consideration, he dismisses this idea.

It doesn’t feel right anymore to be there without you. 

Akaashi hasn’t really seen much of you over the past year. Firstly, you studied abroad for a few months and the time difference made it a challenge to stay in touch. When you came back, Akaashi had already taken a part-time job at the university’s library and you started working part-time off-campus, which meant you had to commute a lot.

It was difficult to find time to hang out with one another when friend groups, school, work, and other responsibilities seem to constantly keep you apart. This eventually led to you and Akaashi rarely texting each other anymore.

Akaashi wasn’t bitter towards you for losing touch. Honestly, he understood. Life got in the way sometimes. And he could just as easily reach out to you, but he was afraid. He knew he shouldn’t be, as Bokuto and Kuroo liked to point out. You viewed him as a friend and vice versa. 

Still, he couldn’t help, but think that maybe you were hanging out and studying with him last year out of politeness. Maybe you finally had a chance to do stuff you enjoyed with other people and him randomly texting you now would simply be a nuisance to you.

Would things have been different if he revealed how he truly felt about you? Probably not. There is no way you felt the same way about him, and any potential confession would have terminated your friendship. 

Akaashi pulls the collar of his coat higher up as a frosty breeze hits his face and he continues trudging down the sidewalk under dark winter sky. He knows it would be best to forget about you and forget about all the moments you shared together. It would cause him less heartache. 

Still, he doesn’t want to stop longing for your presence in his life once again. 

~~~

Fourth Winter: “Been here all along/ So, why can't you see?/ You belong with me”

It’s Saturday morning and Akaashi is sitting at the table in the coffee shop that he has sat at countless times. He takes a brief pause from the book he’s been absorbed in since he arrived in order to glance out the window: it snowed the prior night, and a light blanket of snow has covered the university campus. Students casually stroll past the window, lost in their own individual worlds, as the snow crunches beneath their feet. A pang of nostalgia hits him as he is reminded once again that he’ll soon no longer be a student. Soon, he’ll be entering the working world, hopefully as an editor.

Not wanting to get lost thinking about the future, Akaashi picks up his book and resumes reading it. He’s not very far into the book, roughly a quarter of the way through, yet so much mystery and tension has already been established that he easily forgets about the real world. And he is soon so immersed in his book’s fictional world that he is oblivious to the sudden presence beside him.

He doesn’t even notice you when you clear your throat in an attempt to grab his attention.

“Hello? Akaashi?” a familiar voice beside greets.

“Y/N?” Akaashi says with an inquisitive tone even before he looks up to see you standing there, almost bashfully, in your favorite red chunky scarf that you wore during your serendipitous encounter.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it has been. I wasn’t expecting to see you,” he admits as he notices you're still standing. He gestures to the unoccupied chair across from him and adds, “No one’s sitting there, if you want to sit down.”

You offer him a meek smile as you sit down across from him, not bothering to take off your scarf or long coat. As you rub your hands together, trying to warm yourself up a bit, Akaashi admires how radiant you look. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Every single time you sat at this table, you always looked radiant. 

“I was actually just walking by,” you commence explaining, your eyes focused on Akaashi’s empty coffee mug instead of his face, “when I saw you through the window and I thought I would just stop by and say ‘hi’ and apologize. I know we haven’t talked in forever and I feel like it’s my fault. I was just so busy, and time kept passing by really quickly and I felt a little awkward texting you after not talking to you in such a long time. And since we didn’t hang out much outside our usual study sessions, I wasn’t sure you still wanted to spend time with me...”

As you trail off, you finally meet Akaashi’s eyes and he can see the sincerity and guilt in your gaze, which tugs at his heart strings. He wishes that he had something prepared to say to you, some eloquent and rehearsed speech, but he knows that the best he can offer you is honest thoughts and feelings.

“Y/N, I’ve always loved spending time with you. I still want to spend time with you. I’m sorry if I ever made you think otherwise. And don’t apologize for us losing touch. It’s partially my fault as well. I could have just as easily texted you and asked if you wanted to hang out sometime.”

A chuckle escapes you when Akaashi finishes speaking and you slouch back in your chair as you groan, “Are we just a couple of idiotic overthinkers?”

“I guess so,” Akaashi laughs as he runs a hand through his dark, messy locks.

“Do you mind if I grab us some cups of coffee so we can catch up?”

“I can’t let you pay for my coffee, Y/N.”

“Okay, how about this: I’ll get us coffee and some pastries right now and then you can treat me to dinner sometime this week?” you suggest with a playful glimmer in your eye.

Akaashi takes no time in answering, “Sounds like a date.” 

You don’t say anything in response. You simply smile broadly then cheerfully bound towards the counter to place your orders and, as he waits for you, the weight of your exchange finally hits Akaashi. Surprisingly, though, he doesn’t feel flustered. Instead, there is a sense of peace within as he watches you from across the room.

Because there is something about him being with you right now that feels right.

[1nv1s1bl3-r41ndr0p5]

how my (very shitty) day went:

sat doing absolutely fuck all in my double maths lesson because my friend was in a music exam and I was too stressed and overwhelmed to focus on any revision.

then I went to talk to my head of year (safe person) because I wanted to tell her I was getting a new penguin jellycat, after all she did put up with me on Monday and Tuesday after I lost penelope (she's still missing). I ended up staying in there for the 15 minutes of break I had before my chemistry exam. she said she'd walk me down because she's a chemistry teacher and she didn't have a lesson, plus she knows I'd likely refuse to go in if she wasn't there because I hate exams and maths-y subjects are really difficult for me. she walked me down and I went in and sat down, she made sure I was okay and then went to sort out the rest of the year group who appeared to be congregating outside the hall.

it took them ages to come inside so we started 3 minutes late, by this point I was already off schedule and it was making me anxious. I started my exam as quickly as possible so that I could be finished by what the start time should have been in order to maintain some sense of my routine.

I was 5 questions in and I was doing okay, and it was quite easy, and that's when the boy next to me put his hand up and told the invigilator he had the wrong paper. from that point onwards multiple people put their hands up saying the same thing. that's when I checked, and I had the wrong paper too. the head invigilator (safe person) told us all to stop and they collected our papers in. we were sat in the hall doing nothing for about 15 minutes until one of the assistant heads (safe person) came in and told us we'd be leaving until they could reprint our papers. Once I got out he told me to go to our student support area because he could see I was freaking out and so I went down there and I started having a meltdown.

it was my first fully violent meltdown in school, in which I hurt myself in some way. this time I was punching the wall and just crying and shaking until my bf also came down and held on to my hands to stop it. he gave me hugs and sat with me on the floor for a while (I'm super grateful for him) until my other head of year (safe person) came to tell him to go back to the hall while he dealt with me.

he put me in the quiet room and the lady in there gave me colouring to do because I was still not okay and was scratching at the raw skin on my knuckles from where I punched the wall. my head of year (the first one) came in and talked to me for a bit, she's great with the way I am and knows how stressed I get about change and exams so she offered to let me do the exam in the quiet room but I felt like I was being needy so I said I'd just go back to the hall. it was a mistake though because I could barely focus and my ears were ringing because it was loud (lower school lunchtime) and I just cried the whole way through.

then they told us that the geography exam had been moved by ten minutes so I had another meltdown, which my head of year dealt with very well considering she's never actually seen one happen in full force before, just the aftermath.

my geography exam went okay, my teacher came in at the end and talked to me and let me out first (she's also a safe person), I was just very shaken by everything being moved. I was non verbal a lot today too.

I rel@psed when I got home which made me feel like shit but it's only because of the changes.

my new penguin came so I need to make him a tactile thing to go round his neck like penelope had

(observe penelope's sprout bowtie)

but overall today was FUCKING SHIT and I have a feeling it's going fo make tomorrow even worse. I hate being alive and being me.

[lyrebird5]

Some university tips from a first-year student currently up to her neck in assignments (please keep in mind, I am Australian, so my perspective of university might be a little bit different):

Give the 2/3/4 hour classes their own day, and try to spring for a time where you know you'll definitely be awake enough to concentrate, but not late enough that you'll be scrambling to do everything else late at night. That last bit goes for all classes, by the way.

Figure out a way to do your prep work that works best for you. At the start of this year I was in such a panic over trying to do every reading, and watch every lecture, and take all the notes. No. It doesn't help anything if you're over-stressing. You can't do everything, so just do whatever helps you most.

For the love of god, do your assignments, and try to get them in on time. It's hard - it's so, so hard - but I promise, getting your work in on time can make all the difference between a pass and a credit (again, I'm Australian, your grading system might be different. Hell, it might be different even if you yourself are Australian, I'm no expert here). My first semester was hell - I think I only got one assignment in on time, and my grades did ultimately suffer, including on a group project (more on that later). Get the assignments done on time, and life becomes just that little bit easier.

Speaking of assignments, map them out. I don't just mean map out how to write them, or do them, I mean literally map out how to approach each one, and how much time to give it. For example, I have about 6 assignments due this month alone. I currently have a map in my head of how long each assignment needs to get to be completed properly, when the next assignment needs to be started, and when they all need to be in.

Let that map evolve. If things change, so do you, do not let university kick your feet out from under you because trust me, it will gladly do so, and it'll probably take your kneecaps as it does. I personally use an app called ToDodo, as well as my phone calendar. The calendar is what I use to record what assignments are due when, ToDodo is my way of knowing what I've done, what still needs to be done, and where I'm going next. You can even add deadlines, so you can also add in assignments, and have multiple lists to keep things from getting mixed up. I use it for everything - assignments, uni prep, even my groceries and daily reminders. I have a whole list on there for who gets a Christmas present and what my budget for that present is, for crying out loud!

Be smart when you choose your classes. If you're a night person, take later classes, and use the time beforehand for work, or study, or whatever you need to do. Don't assume that you're fine just because class isn't for another few hours. Every second that you stay on top helps.

Revise, revise, revise. Your assignments will come fast, hard, and mercilessly, so take every opportunity to revise. Look over notes, create practice tests, hell, look for tests on Quizlet and Kahoot! If your class issues tests over the content, use them to keep practising. Know your shit so you can ace your exams.

Don't be scared to go for help. Campus counsellors, study groups, they're all there to support you. Talk to your tutors/professors when you have questions, or are facing problems. Get your accomodations. Get the support you need to do well.

I mentioned group assignments earlier, and I wanna go into that a little more. As I've said earlier, I really struggled with my assignments at the start of the year, and I have my own theories on why, but that's for another post. But I can't emphasise this enough: when you are on a group project, you have to help. You have to contribute and do your fair share, for the sake of yourself and your group. I know it sounds like that's just common sense, but I let my assignments fall behind, and that led to me letting my role in the group fall behind - I was submitting things at midnight the night before they needed to be in, and it didn't help anyone. I ended up taking a lower grade than the rest of the group because of this (and to be clear, I agreed to this. I took responsibility, I grew, and I've made sure that my most recent group project was one I contributed to as much as possible). So learn from my mistake: go to your group meetings, talk to your group. Do your share, so that you all get the best grade possible.

Go to events. Join clubs. Just... find friends. Even if it's only one. If you're an introvert, I'd highly recommend you find an extrovert - they're well known for adopting introverts into their friend groups, and those groups tend to also be more extroverted. I'm not ashamed to admit that I really don't have any friends at my own university - I joined a club that I don't participate in, the only friends I have are both in my hometown so I rarely see them, and I don't talk to people in my class unless I have to. Those are all my mistakes. It's scary to put yourself out there, especially if you have any form of anxiety, but you don't necessarily have to do all the work yourself - go to the events that you can. Even just being around the group is a good way to find at least one person to talk to, and if you have friends from different campuses, drag them along too, to be your safe person. Don't go throwing yourself into events that you know you won't feel safe at - don't go to pub crawls when you don't like being around drinking, or karaoke nights when you don't like performing. Go to board game nights if those are more your speed, or other low key events. Even going to mentoring sessions could help.

Get at least a good 6 and a half hours sleep. I know, I know, research says 8 is better. But you're in university. You aren't going to get that 8 hours unless you're magic, or you're further into your university career than I am, and you have a better routine. Six and a half is at least doable.

Hygiene. Tumblr and Reddit and every other social media sites in existence have created whole lists of hoe to maintain your hygiene even on the days when all you can do is lay in bed and cry. Take whatever advice works for you. Use dry shampoo if you can't wash your hair, use gum if you can't brush your teeth. Tie your hair up if you can't brush it, or hide it under a hat. Flip your clothes inside out to hide stains, use perfume and deodorant to mask any smells. Do what you can to take care of yourself, and don't feel bad when you slip, because everyone does. You're human, you can't be indestructible.

I think that's all the advice I have right now. Please keep in mind that I can only speak from my own experiences - what I've learnt, and what works for me, will not work for everyone, I can guarantee it. The best advice I can give is to just figure out what works best for you, and to do your best.

If anyone else has any tips or recommendations, please, reblog this post or comment, or share it with others. Just try to help each other.

Now, if y'all don't mind, it's almost 1 in the morning, and I need to take my own advice and get some sleep.

[j2lx]

Hands-On Revision (Satoru Gojo x Reader NSFW)

You were revising for your test, but your boyfriend just couldn't help but want to spend time with you. He soon realised that you could do both, in a rather fun and engaging way too.

Ship: Satoru Gojo x Fem!reader

Warnings: NSFW MDNI, Gojo being needy and horny for you, cervix fucking, spanking, praise kink, squirting, orgasm denial, mentions of breeding and pregnancy (but no breeding kink here), Satoru smacks your pussy, kinda rough sex but Satoru is soft for the most part, slight dumbification, dirty talk, Satoru cums inside because you're on the pill, reader is called good girl, baby, princess

A/n: I have exams coming up so I'll be taking a break from writing my usual headcanons for now =") And since my science paper tests us about the reproductive system… why not write this am I right =)) (my knowledge on it is very limited though so-) Enjoy reading!

Word count: 1.4k words

"Baby~ When are you done with your work?" your boyfriend asked for the umpteenth time that evening. You sighed, choosing to ignore him while you continued to read through your notes.

"Baby~ Don't ignore me~" your boyfriend whined, annoying you in the process. You glared at him before you repeated the same words to him for easily the fifteenth time,

"'Toru, I have a test coming up in two days' time. I need to study."

Satoru pouted at you, before sighing in defeat and plonking himself on the couch. He waited for yet another 30 minutes, but you continued with your revision, not glancing at him once. Frustrated, he stood up and walked behind your chair, flipping through some of the notes on your table. He looked at the various topics you were tested on, one of them catching his eye instantly.

"Hey baby, you're tested on the human reproductive system?" he asked, full of curiosity.

"Yeah, but I haven't reached that topic yet. It's something I do need to revise soon though," you replied, not thinking much into why your boyfriend had asked you that question.

"Alrighty then princess, could you stand up for a moment?"

You obliged. After all, you've been studying for hours on end, neglecting your boyfriend in the process. You should indulge him just this once shouldn't you?

He smiled at you, before pressing his chest against your back. You felt something hard pressing on your butt, realising quickly that your boyfriend was horny. Satoru started to rub his boner on you, and a patch of wetness beginning to form on your underwear. You let out a moan as he picked up the pace, kissing your neck roughly.

"Satoru… I needa study-" you managed out before moaning again as Satoru started to rub your pussy over your shorts.

"Mmm but baby, I can help you revise the human reproductive system now can't I? It'll be a quick and efficient way of revising, and it's a hands-on experience too!" he groaned, pre-cum already staining the crotch of his sweatpants. You had no choice but to give in, since his argument was valid after all, and let him carry you to your shared bedroom.

The moment he placed you on the bed, he started to undress himself and then you. His tip was already red and swollen, leaking pre-cum and his length was hard and thick, two prominent veins running down his length. You couldn't take your eyes off it, it was just so pretty.

Satoru wasted no time and immediately got down to his knees, pulling your body close to the edge of the bed. He slowly rubbed your clit, causing you to moan, before sticking three fingers into your pussy. He pushed them in deep, before curling them, hitting your sweet spot. Drool started to leak out of your mouth as you tried to push his fingers deeper in. He let out a chuckle at how desperate you were being, before taking his fingers out.

Before you could whine, he replaced his fingers with his tongue, licking and slurping your juices. His thumb continued to rub at your clit, increasing his pace slowly. He could feel you clenching down so hard on his tongue and decided to edge you just a little more, before pulling his tongue out and taking his thumb off your clit.

He watched as you squirmed on the bed, whining, "I was close~ Put it back~." He slapped your pussy, causing you to moan loudly, before turning you over and landing two smacks onto your ass. Your tongue lolled out and he was surprised that you didn't cum from just that.

"Naughty princess. You're supposed to be revising too, aren't you? Don't enjoy yourself too much and forget the purpose of this session. Now tell me what are the parts of the reproductive system and their purpose?" Satoru said, smirking as he watched you get up on all fours, head turned back to look at him.

"Ovaries produce the egg and it goes to the oviducts where fertilisation occurs~," you started, and Satoru handed another hard spank on your ass to tell you to continue, "And then the… the uterus and the cervix and vagina- n-nghhh- 'Toru please I can't anymore!"

He lands a few more harder smacks on your ass cheeks while saying between spanks, "I. Asked. You. For. Their. Purpose. Too." You moaned and gripped onto the bed sheets even tighter, screaming in pleasure when he smacked your pussy in warning. He ordered you to start from where you left off, but you couldn't think straight and could only think of how to rile him up.

"The uterus where our baby will develop, cervix is where you hit when we fuck which makes me squirt and vagina where your hot thick cum gets deposited~ I'm done so fuck me already please 'Toru~," you whine again, desperate to have him in you.

He smiles at you, kissing your forehead lightly before turning you such that you lay on your back. "Good job, you're such a good girl for me aren't you?" he coos as he lines his length up with your pussy. You push your hips forward, eyes rolling back in pleasure as his tip enters your vagina. He chokes on a moan, not having expected you to do that. His hands move to hold your hips, before he pushes his full length into you fully.

You let out lewd noises, mind too hazy from the pleasure you were feeling that you didn't care about just how loud you were being. Satoru got even more turned on by the noises you were making, thrusting in and out of your pussy faster and faster. He pushed his cock all the way to hit your cervix, watching as your face turned into one of complete pleasure.

He kept thrusting hard, hitting and abusing your cervix with each thrust of his. The sound of smacking and squelching filled the room, coupled with the heavy breathing from both you and your boyfriend. You couldn't think or say anything anymore, all you could do was moan as you felt the immense pleasure course through your body. Your climax was building up and soon, you squirted all over Satoru's length, his lower body covered in your juices as well.

He leans down to kiss your forehead gently, making sure that you weren't feeling too overwhelmed as he pressed kisses along the side of your neck. "You ok to continue princess?" Satoru asks, slowly rubbing your clit once more. You nod eagerly, wrapping your legs around his torso tightly. He strokes your face, before returning to taking good care of you.

He leans down to suck on your clit, before using his finger to rub it once more. He continues his hard and relentless thrusts, making sure to hit your cervix every now and then just to feel your walls squeeze his cock even harder. "Good girl- fuck- you make me feel so good princess- I love you so so much nghh-" he groans, growing closer to his climax.

"Shit baby gonna cum inside. You're on the pill right princess? I can fill you up right?" he mutters, going harder and faster just the way you liked it. You nodded, clenching even tighter on his cock at the thought of his cum being in your pussy.

The words "I love you, I love you" spills out of Satoru's mouth as he feels you orgasm, sending him over the edge and into his own. He kisses you on the lips as he slowly pulls his cock out of your pussy, watching as his cum leaks out slowly. He collapses onto the bed next to you, pulling your body closer to his.

"You were such a good girl for me yeah baby, I love you so much yeah," he praises, stroking your back lightly. You hum and the two of you stay in that position for a while, enjoying the peace of being next to each other.

Satoru gets up slowly, sitting up while looking around the room for anything that could help clean you up. He didn't notice you sneaking in between his legs, kneeling in front of his cock before licking the tip. He took a deep breath in, moaning at the sudden feeling of your lips stimulating his sensitive cock.

"'M still sensitive princess-" he chokes out, but you continue, sucking gently on his tip before pulling away with a "pop".

"Thanks for helping me revise the female reproductive system 'Toru. Now it's time for the male reproductive system, don't you think?"

This isn't as long as I wanted it to be =( I didn't really get to properly put all my ideas into this one so I might rewrite it another day. For now, this is the best I can do =") Hope you enjoyed reading nonetheless!

© @j2lx, 2022

[akkkkollle]

Congrats on passing your exams, Chris! I should be studying for one, but here I am lol.

I have a special request for you;

Write Sanzu with your favourite kinks. That’s my request. Thank you!

Pairing: Sanzu × M!Reader.

Words: 2000+.

CW/TW: angst to fluff to smut, quarrel, marking, cum inside, sex without preparation, dacrifilia(?), blowjob, riding on the hips(1 time). 

Notes: these are not my so favorite kinks, but it's just that this idea has been spinning in my head for a long time, so I wrote it. I couldn't think of anything interesting with my favorite kinks because of the following fan fiction with Mikey, so just enjoy it, please. 

The impatient tapping of fingers echoed through the spacious room of your bedroom. You sigh heavily, looking irritably at the clock. Time was barely passing, everything was too slow. You just click, getting up, and going to the balcony. 

You lean on the railing, breathing in the cold night air. You calm down a little, but your thoughts are still playing this picture that you saw. 

- Why does he need it? - you whisper, running through your hair, pushing it back. 

————————————————————————

You calmly walk down the corridor after meeting Bonten. You stretch your neck, tired from sitting in one position. Your hearing picks up some kind of rustle, and your gaze immediately falls on the object that supposedly made the noise. You carefully head towards the sound, looking around so that if something happens, you are ready. 

And finally you see a door in front of you, the existence of which you did not even suspect, although you have revised the building plan many times. You gently turn the handle, which turns calmly and gives you a view of your boyfriend's back. 

You only tilt your head slightly to the side, keeping the door only slightly open. Laughter comes from the room. 

- I won't say anything, don't even try. - the man spits out blood, pulling with his tied hands. - Who sent you to me, huh? 

- What difference does it make to you? You're going to die anyway, you bastard. 

- So no one sent it, right? What if your king finds out or your dear boyfriend? What you are now turning into mincemeat one of your main informants. Aren't you betraying them. 

- You betrayed him. I will never forgive you for betraying my king. - he aimed the gun at this guy, and he just smiled a little. 

- And M / n? - he froze for a second, looking away. 

You frowned, waiting for his answer. You feel like your heart squeezed and was ready to burst into pieces.

- He... - he hesitates. - It doesn't matter. 

You make a surprised sound, immediately closing the door, and heading out. 

————————————————————————

- It doesn't matter, yes... What a bitch you are. - you whisper, throwing on your coat, and going outside. 

You sigh again, but then you turn around, feeling arms wrapped around your torso. You immediately removed them, slightly pushing him away, from which he only looked at you in surprise. 

-Sanzu, let me ask you, what did that 'it doesn't matter' you said when you tortured that guy mean? - his eyes widen when he hears the question and he looks down. 

Silence hangs between you. You just laugh as you pass by him, and he just follows you in bewilderment. But his eyes widen even more when you throw on your coat and grab the handle of the front door. 

- Where are you going? - he asks quietly. 

- Will you answer the question? - he just lowers his head. - I see. We're breaking up. 

His eyes go up to the door, which is already closed. He feels tears begin to flow down his face. He quietly settles down on the floor, laying his face. Tears trickle down between his fingers, falling on his trousers. 

————————————————————————

- Really? - Mikey asks, looking at you. 

- Yes. Do you understand that or what? - he nods. - He can't let anyone betray you, but I...

- M/n. - his whisper makes you look up. - Find out what he wanted to say. 

You just sigh when he gets up and walks behind you, heading towards the performers. You just run your hand through your hair, going after him. You see them interrogating some traitor or rather torturing him. But it doesn't matter. You're just looking around, not noticing the pink-haired head. You click, hearing rapid footsteps behind you first, and then several shots. 

You turn around, seeing a familiar striped vest. He just bites his lip, turning his head to you when there is a corpse in the background. You just point at the door with your eyes and go there. He immediately puts the gun away and follows you. 

You walk through the corridors in complete silence until, finally, you open the door and enter there, and he follows you. You sit down in the only chair in this abandoned room, he is standing next to you, looking down at the floor, afraid to even breathe. 

- Will you explain all the same what that phrase meant? - you ask, running your finger down his arm, making him wince. 

- I just couldn't express how much I love you, M/n... That is, Mikey is my king and I've known for a long time what I want, and you... You're making me feel too weird. - he mutters, weakly grabbing your finger, but then squeezing when he feels that you don't take your hand away. 

You look at him, he looks at you. His cheeks turn red when you pull him into your lap, but he only fidgets a little to get comfortable. 

- Thanks by the way. - you say, putting your head on his neck. 

- For what? - you just grumble, and he pats you on the back. 

- For shooting that idiot. - he gasps in understanding. 

- Well, I couldn't let your back get hurt, right?

- Do you want her to get hurt by you? - you ask, gently biting his neck. 

He whines, pushing his head to the side, giving you full access to his neck. You just laugh, but bite his neck, pushing back the collar of his shirt, unbuttoning the buttons. You take off his vest along with his shirt and throw them down somewhere when he pushes his head back, which makes you inadvertently run your tongue over his adam's apple, causing him to suffocate for a second. 

You jerk your hip, making his little body bounce and he moans as his growing erection rubs against your thigh. His hands clumsily try to unbutton your shirt, pulling off your tie. His gaze is limited by the fact that you are now under his chin. He grabs the fabric at random and slowly but surely undoes the buttons. 

You pull away from his neck when you make sure he's covered in your hickeys and bloody bites. And then he finally takes off your shirt, unbuttoning the last buttons. His hands immediately grab your belt when he throws your shirt behind him. But you stop him. 

- Hmm? - he mumbles in bewilderment and looks up at you. 

- Get off me. - he opens his eyes, but you just lift his body, get up yourself, and then put him on a chair. 

- What? - he mutters when he feels that you are pulling off his trousers along with his underwear, throwing them into the same pile. 

- I have to apologize. You cried because of me yesterday. - you blow on his cock, which makes him twitch. 

Your mouth wraps around his head, which makes him tremble, gently grabbing your hair, expecting you to throw it away, but to his surprise you don't. 

- Don't be surprised, I won't control you much today. Have fun while you can. - you take his cock deeper, forcing his head back on the back of the chair. 

He whispers a quiet "Thank you", grabbing you by the hair harder. His legs tighten around your back when you take his cock completely. He moans loudly and high when your fingers stroke his balls. 

- C-cumming, cumming, cumming, M-m/n, pleeease... he whimpers, feeling tears forming at the corners of his eyes. 

You moan in agreement, sending vibrations through his penis, from which he ends up with heavy breathing. His legs shake and gradually descend from your body, allowing you to get up and wipe the cum left on your lips. 

He looks up at you tiredly as you pull off your pants and underpants, complementing the pile from behind. He stands up, making room for you, and then sits on your lap, wrapping his arms around your neck and pulling you into a kiss. 

His tongue slides over yours and he moans when you run your tongue over his palate. You lift his body, pulling away from his lips. He gasps, feeling your cock begin to enter him very slowly. He whines from stretching and tears finally pour out of his eyes when he feels the stretching that you caused. 

He immediately fidgets, despite the severe pain in the lower part of his body. You just grin, grabbing his hips, lifting his body up, and then lowering him down sharply and quickly. 

His face falls on your shoulder while you control his body like a toy. You feel the drops trickle down your chest, falling on your torso and the leather upholstery of the chair. 

He's whimpering. His voice was hoarse from his loud screams. His face is completely red, while his neck is dark purple, with small droplets of dried blood from your bites. His hands impulsively grab your back when you enter him especially pleasantly. 

- I'm g-going to cum a-again, M/N, ahh! - he tucks his legs when he feels the approaching climax, from which he moans loudly, squeezing you, forcing you to growl and also cum into him. 

You both relax. You lean back in your chair, while he lies on your chest, outlining your collarbone. You gently take your dick out of him, which makes him whine. You walk up to this pile and throw him clothes. 

- M/n, and nothing will happen if we have been away for so long? - he asks, looking at your figure buttoning the sleeves. 

- Nothing. Just get dressed and don't worry. - he just shrugs and buttons up the last button. - Don't you think you should hide what's around your neck?

- No, I don't want to. Oh! - you just giggle when he stumbles and grab his hand, leading him out of the room.

[iwadori]

When they neglect you for another girl Part 5 (Kuroo)

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five

Word count: 1.3K

Genre: angst, fluff

masterlist

You and Kuroo have been dating all throughout highschool and now your in you first year of university

It’s a bit harder to see each other because of your conflicting class schedules

But when you did see eachother kuroo has been acting a big suspicious, ‘secretly’ glancing at his phone or always needing to head out early.

And you were going to get to the bottom of this.

You were just finished with your class, and you had plans to meet your boyfriend at the library so he could tutor you for your chem test that you on Tuesday. On your way over there, you got boba for both of you and some study snacks to get you through the session.

You arrived their first, which you didn’t really mind as Kuroo was usually a bit late to your study sessions (especially recently with his dodgy behaviour.) You decided to go over your recent class notes as you were waiting, which was pretty useless as you didn’t understand anything.  

You actually met Kuroo bonding over chemistry, since it definitely wasn’t your best subject so in your first year your chem teacher suggested getting a tutor and recommend Kuroo Testuro the self proclaimed best ‘chemist’ in the school.

It’s been half an hour and Kuroo hadn’t shown up, you were about to call him until you saw a quite disheveled looking Kuroo who is heaving out of breath.

“Tetsu, what happened to you?” you exclaim with amusement.

“Umm I kind of got in a fight?” he said questioning himself “well not really a fight but a disagreement.”

“A fight? With who?” you said a bit too loudly, as the librarian gave you an obnoxious ‘shusshhhh’ glaring at you.

“It doesn’t matter babe.” he said nonchalantly “I see you have your electrolysis work out, why don’t we get started.”

“But what abo-”

“So what is positive, the anode or the cathode?” he asked distracting you from asking him about what happened.

You spent two hours going over all the topics that were going to come up on your exam, and you can’t lie and say Kuroo didn’t help you. However, you weren’t as focused as you were wondering what happened to him.

After your study session, you both went to your dorms. Sadly, you couldn’t share a room since your University didn’t allow co-ed dorms (and maybe if you did live together, you’d be able to understand his odd behaviour.)

Even though he was still in highschool, every Friday afterschool you and Kenma made sure to spend atleast an hour playing a game online together, and today it was minecraft.

“Kenma help, theres a creeper outside my door!” you screech frantically running around on game.

“One second Y/N” he murrmed

“Kenma, do you know what’s going on with Kuroo.” you inquire.

“What do you mean, isn’t he being his loud cat-like self?” he responded

“Well yeah of course, but recently he’s been on his phone ALOT, and always leaving our dates early or showing up late and stuff so I don’t know I thought maybe you’d know something.”

“Oh maybe it’s just that he’s been pretty busy with Hana right now.” he said nochalantly

“Who’s Hana?” you say, your eyes squinting.

“Oh you don’t know Hana,” he said a bit surprised “Ooops Kuroo’s going to be so mad at me.”

“Mad at you, what do you mean mad at you?”  

“Um, I got to go by Y/N!” he said quickly

“But Ken-” the sound of him leaving the party cut you off, and now you were in more of a confused slump then you were before. What is Kuroo hiding? And who the hell is Hana?

Since you couldn’t go over to Kuroo’s dorm right now because of your universities weird curfew times, you decided the only thing you can do right now is call him. After a few rings he finally answered and you could hear his background was really loud.

“Um, Y/N this isn’t really the best time right now – ow shit.” he said frantically.

“Kuroo, what's going on it sounds like you’re at a rave. Wait are you at a rave?”  

“No I'm not at a rave I'm just – Hana stop doing that.” he said trying to whisper the last bit.

“Who’s Hana, Kenma mentioned her on PlayStation tonight but he didn’t explain.”

“Kenma did what? God – Ouch “there was ruffling in the background before Kuroo finally “Sorry Y/N I got to go..”

He hangs up before you could respond. What is wrong with these boys today?  

It was your study week break, so you don’t really go into school to do classes you just have to prepare for studying. Which was great for you, since you could actually get revision done without being distracted and you can avoid Kuroo whilst thinking about what happened a few days ago.

Kuroo didn’t message you anyways, which kind of sucked, since these chemistry notes aren’t going to learn themselves. You went over each of your topics that you need to learn and you’d say you were pretty much ready for your exams. So for the rest of the week, you didn’t have much to do. Kenma was pretty busy with volleyball and his high school life and your boyfriend was still being odd and you didn’t have any real close friends at Uni since you’re only a first year and Kenma and Kuroo were mainly all you needed anyways.

You chose to go on a date, by yourself, to your favourite bookstore café to have some ‘self care’ time. On the way their you heard a familiar voice shouting down the street, looking in that direction you saw your boyfriend yelling “HANA!” “HANA!” repeadetly.  

Going over to him you said, “Kuroo, are you okay?”

“Umm hey Y/N...” he said awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck “to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“The pleasure of being my boyfriend properly again,” you said smartly.

“Oh Y/N shit, im sorry about that” he apologised “I’ve just been really busy right now with Ha-”

“Hana.” you say rolling your eyes “Who is she?”

“I can’t really say Y/N, it was meant to a be a surprise.”

“A surprise for who?” you say  

“Well fo-”

Before you can finish you say a loud ‘HISSS!’ Come from near your feet. “Hana! Thank god!” Kuroo said picking her up, but then dropping her again when she did a even louder HISSS at him. “Umm I really need to work on that..”

“So this is Hana.” you say a bit stunned “She’s a cat.”

“Indeed she is.” he said “ surprise...”

“You got me a cat?” you said still very stunned

“Indeed I did.”

“A feral cat?”  

“Feral!” he said shocked “What do you mean feral!”

“Tetsu! She’s obviously feral!” you say reprimanded him.

“No she’s not! Look” he tried to pet her again and she nearly bit him and then sped off “Okay...maybe she is.”

Kuroo explained that he saw this cat one time outside of his dorm building and wanted to adopt her and give her to you as a gift. He’s been spending his time trying to ‘train her’ but every time it would result in Kuroo getting scratched up or him having to try and chase her around the city. You did appreciate the sentiment, however you reminded Kuroo that if he would’ve told you, you could’ve easily shown him that she was feral or if he listened to Kenma, then Kenma would’ve told him (which he did) that she was feral.

Kuroo did feel bad that his big plan didn’t work and he ended up looking like an idiot, not knowing the difference between a stray and feral cat. But you took him to a cat café as a little ‘pick me up,’ and promised him that for his birthday you’ll adopt a real cat for him.  

An: this is basically a shit post but who cares ��� Also am I the only that thinks that hana being a feral cat in the end is funny? Or is my humour that dry😭

[multi-kpop-fanfics]

It’s exam season where I am right now and I can’t stop thinking about tutor!Mingyu helping you study for your final late at night. There would be a lot of tension already due to your “harmless” flirting. He finally snaps when he sees you grab a book of the bottom shelf. That’s how you end up with him taking you against the book case, holding onto you as best as he can with one of your legs over his shoulders. He’d be all smug too saying, “I was going to reward you after you finished exams but I don’t think I can wait any longer baby.” ☠️

-Mingyu Size Anon

WELCOME BACK DEAR MINGYU SIZE ANON <333

no bcs this mingyu as your tutor RAIL ME SIR😩

You call him around late evening, because your anxiety is skyrocketing, despite having revised the entire material of that class, yet you can't help but worry about tomorrow's exam. Mingyu hits your doorbell and you open the door, flashing his smile while coming inside.

"Please tell me you're not worried about the finals and you just want to hang out with me", he chuckles, as he loosens his tie. "I'm really sorry, Gyu, I just can't help it", you apologize, guilt eating you away, knowing he had extra work as a TA in the university you were studying.

"No need to apologize, I like spending time with you anyways", he laughs and your heart does flip-flops at his dashing smile. Yes, you had developed a crush on the TA of your professor. Way to go, Y/N.

"So, what's the chapter you wanted to revise?", he asks you while pulling out his laptop and fixing his metal frame glasses effortlessly. "J-Just a general revision of the class...", you mumble fiddling with the hem of your sweater dress. "Oh my, you really are anxious about tomorrow", he rubs his neck, "Hope you have energy to stay up all night".

Two espressos and four hours later, you have fully revised the entire material twice and your anxiety for the exam has shimmered down considerably.

But the tension between you and Mingyu has gone through the roof.

To be completely honest, it was almost impossible to resist someone like him. He literally had everything - looks, brains, personality, social skills. And God, that smile of his made you weak in the knees.

"I think it's enough for tonight, Y/N, don't wanna tire you out with these equations", Mingyu chuckles as he lays back on the chair, stretching his thick arms above his head. You notice how his shirt tightens around his pecs and you dart your tongue to wet your lips unconsciously.

"Thank you for helping me out, Gyu. You're my hero", you giggle and touch his bare forearm with your hand. Mingyu exhales shakily, as he feels your soft fingertips on his skin, trying to suppress the not so innocent thoughts and images of you. "Guess I should let you go now, right? I tortured you long enough", you laugh nervously as you close your book and bend down to put it on the lowest shelf of your book case.

Your sweater dress rides up significantly and you give Mingyu a full view of your bare legs and your lace-covered ass. He bites his bottom lip, eyes fixated on your body and his cock now fully hard from the very enticing view you're giving him. He mentally curses himself but ends up throwing his self-control out of the window, as he rips his glasses off his face and places his hands on your hips, making you yelp.

"M-Mingyu? What are you doing?", you half mewl as he rubs his bulge on your clothed core, breathing heavily. "Something that I wanted to do for a long time", he groans and flips you around, now facing you, your back on the book case. He takes off the tie from his neck and unbuttons his shirt, revealing his defined chest and golden abs. "God, that fucking dress of yours makes me wanna rail you so hard you'll only know my name when you wake up", he licks his lips as he ties your wrists together with his necktie.

"G-Gyu...", you whimper as he pulls down your panties and pushes your dress up, revealing your already wet pussy. "Yes, baby?", he frees his hard cock from his slacks, pumping it slowly, making you salivate at his impressive thickness and length.

"Please fuck me stupid".

He pushes inside your pussy immediately, stretching you like none other guy has ever stretched you before - and you fucking love that dull sting. "Fuck, you're so damn tight", he moans and throws your left leg over his shoulder, the new position hitting you deeper than before. "Oh God, Gyu, you're s-so deep...", you let out a lewd moan and that's all it takes to set a brutal pace, ramming your insides.

"Fuck, I can't believe I was waiting to fuck you after your exams, but -nngh!- you looked so cute in that sweater dress, baby, all I could think of was your pretty legs wrapped around me as I rail your tight cunt", he licks a stripe on your neck, lips on your jawline. "G-Good thing you l-lost your p-patience then", you whimper as he hammers your g-spot repeatedly, bringing you closer to your orgasm.

"Are you cumming, baby? Will you cream my fat cock?", he presses his fingers on your clit, rubbing the sensitive bud rapidly. "Ah, ahh! Yes yes, I'm cumming, Gyu!", you scream.

"Good girl, let's see how full can I get your pussy tonight, will you keep my cum in you until tomorrow? Better focus on your exam, baby and I'll fuck you twice as hard if you pass with a full mark, okay?".

Let's say you passed the exam and forgot how to walk the night after ;)

[garoujo]

hi emmie 🥺 needed my dose of you so here i am <3 and with a lil sum special about the loml satoru 🤞🏾 for you and me both

currently thinking and kicking my feet about gojo as an academic rival in a college!au. ever since junior year of high school there has always been something…unspoken between the two of you, you always seemed to be trying to one up him in assignments and exams. of course being as laidback as he is, satoru couldn’t care less, and thought your prolonged glares and rolled eyes and annoyed scoffs were amusing. it wasn’t until you actually bested him on a project— someone who was usually at the top of your class— to start taking this little ‘competition’ you started a bit more seriously, which was new bc he rarely took anything seriously. it made him realize how much he inherently enjoyed beating everyone else while not having to put too much effort. and you were messing that up for him.

this progressed through college and it only got more intense. at least, that’s what it seemed like on your end. it didn’t help at all that he was so attractive— oh, who were you kidding, that man was beautiful, and if it weren’t for current ‘relationship’ with him, if you could even call it that, then you probably would have thrown yourself and your panties at him by now. but your pride was all consuming and you had standards to hold yourself to so you ignored the sensation you felt in your chest and in your pussy when he looked in your direction or when he smirked at you, or did remotely anything .

oh, if only you knew how much satoru thought about you too, how many times he’d imagine holding you against his chest or kissing your lips or seeing you in his clothes— or pushing himself in between your thick, plush thighs or watching your tits bounce as he would thrust upward into your sloppy sex when you rode him. a couple of times a week he would lock himself in his dorm and twist his wrist in circular motions, up and down and up and down his fat veiny cock to relief his stress and thoughts of you (they never went away). he rubbed his thumb against the slit of his bulbous head when he thought back to remember how you challenged his theory in philosophy lecture, or at the way you could never look him in the way whenever he’d flash you that pretty grin of his. a mix of a groan and a whine escaped his pink lips, he already felt himself on the verge of cumming.

you didn’t know if you should be excited or irritated at the hand fate had dealt you, when you found out that you and satoru gojo had been paired together to peer review each other’s essay proposals. you didn’t know if you should squeak or groan when he approached you after to class and invited you to his dorm to go over revisions. you didn’t know if you should tremble with vexation or anticipation when you noticed how close he’d gotten to you, how his velvety voice dipped an octave deeper and how he just… wouldn’t stop looking at you like that with those crystal blue irises. they were so intense you felt like you could melt into a puddle the longer you stared at him. why couldn’t you look away? what the fuck is happening? “g-gojo…” was all that came out of your mouth. it sounded like you were out of breath and boy, did that stir something deep inside the white haired man.

“satoru,” he corrected you just as breathlessly. you didn’t know if you should whimper or sit silently as you finally felt his lips on yours. you ended up doing both. you didn’t know if you should curse satoru or praise n plead for more, for him to give you more as he stuffed his face with your dripping sex. this behavior was weird for people who were supposed to not like each other. you’d given in— the both of you have— to your own feelings as his canines bit into you your neck, licking and kissing the marks afterwards; as his cock impaled you over and over and hit that spot that made you want to start crying and spewing nonsense about how you wanted him for so long and that you probably loved him (he was delightfully surprised at your confession and started babbling reciprocations as well); as he switched positions and his hand flew to your neck and your ankle by his ears, as he threw his head back and made a throaty sound similar to a moan, as he promised to make you his girlfriend right then and there and take you out to dinner as soon as the two of you were done here.

why were the two of you beefing again? you didn’t even know <3 you were just glad you could stop pretending

SOSAAAAA !!!!! FOR FREEE??? <3_<3 help i was reading this at 7am and spiralling cause ooooomg i have no words,, im so very obsessed ilysm eeeee ^^ u spoil me so much — SATORU OMGGG IM LITERALLY GONNA DIE!!!!

[fairyoftbz]

it's never too late... | b. jacob

🏀 pairing: crush! basketball player! jacob x fem!reader 🏀 genre: high school!au, fluff, (sort of) strangers/acquaintances-to-lovers 🏀 word count: 5.2k 🏀 tw: very cliché 😳 and it goes kinda fast lmaoo 🏀 a/n: lisa I'm sorry I took this long to do your request, but I hope you'll like it nonetheless!! ALSO: to my fellow Americans, here football = soccer!! 🏀 requested: yes! thank you lisa!! @skrtbabe

╰☆☆☆☆╮

You had waited for this time since the beginning of your academic journey there. Graduating from high school was two months away, and it felt just as exciting as weird.

It felt like you had started your first year last week, but the amount of work and time spent in those dull buildings makes you feel like you’ve been there for at least five years.

It was exhausting to attend classes and see the same people every single day of the year, with repetitive subjects, annoying or cool teachers depending on your luck and everything that followed. The homework, the assignments, the small -or not so small- fights between classes or groups of people, you were praying that university wouldn’t sound like that.

However, at the same time, you were almost starting to feel nostalgic for this time. The last years where you could remain a bit silly before entering the adult world, being in your last teen years with people that you appreciated and met there. You chose to do this before letting them go and live your own lives, memories that will disappear if you don’t cherish them enough.

So, with Soyeon, your best friend, you decided to enjoy the time that you had left to do things together while still studying and revising for the exams, which was sometimes not easy to do. Yes, you shared classes, but personal and private activities sometimes came in the way and prevented you from hanging out.

“It’s life after all,” she said one night over the phone as you shared your opinion on this topic, “it’s good that we can be together almost 24/7, but sometimes, things don’t allow us to be together. It might be for the best, we never know,” she said, trying to be positive no matter the situation she was in, but you knew her well. As much as she wants to appear strong, you had found her many times crying on her own. But it was her personality, and no matter how hard you tried to change her, what's bred in the bone comes out in the flesh.

Soyeon wasn’t your only friend, you were getting along well with most of your girl classmates, as well as the boys that weren’t suffocating under the number of pick-me-girls that were populating your school and your class.

Sadly for you, you’ve been eyeing the most popular (and prettiest) boy in your whole school since you crossed gaze with him at the very beginning of your first year there. Jacob, your crush, was also the star basketball player of your school, and constantly surrounded and attracting cheerleaders or rich, random, good-looking girls, which had a knack for getting on your nerves. He was always spending time together with his pals and teammates, but other people as well. Everyone wanted to be his friend because you know, he had a promising career ahead of him, so it was always nice to be friends with a potential future celebrity.

As defeated as you were, there was still a small voice in your head telling you to do something before he left to go back to his home country, South Korea, where he had a career already planned and traced out.

You were confused as it was almost impossible for you to get a chance with him since you were not one of those girls and you simply couldn’t compete against them, but Soyeon and her boyfriend Sunwoo were always there to praise you and reassure you about your potential chances of dating him. Never convinced by your friends’ words, you had tried many times to get him out of your head and focus on someone else, but it never worked. Everything came back to him. He was unique and oh so nice, everything reminded you of him, and it was sickening at this point.

“He won't get out of my head, it’s getting on my nerves,” you shared your thoughts to your best friend as you braced your head in your hands, slapping your cheeks as if it were going to change anything and help you throw Jacob out of your brain.

“Why do I keep this stupid boy in my head when I know I don’t stand a single chance against those girls,” you slapped your cheeks harder and whined as Soyeon’s hand landed on your wrist.

“Y/N, stop your nonsense. You are perfect, you don’t need to change anything for him!”

“It’s easier said than done, you pulled the football star player!” you exclaimed, and she rolled her eyes, shifting closer to whisper.

“He pulled me because he knew that I am pretty, and that wouldn’t change a single thing for him. If he’s not happy with who I am, he can leave,” she shrugs, signalling you to do the same if you dated Jacob.

Sunwoo was also among the popular boys, but your friend remained the same, not even trying to fit in with the popular girls. She claimed that Sunwoo fell in love with her for her true self, so she didn’t see the point of changing to please other people. And you wished you had her confidence and her strength, admiring her for not changing anything about herself to please others.

Back to the present.

You felt stuck, desperately in love with an unapproachable boy who was too popular and way out of your league to be lucky to have his eyes sparing you any sort of attention. Even if he was a sweet young man, he was always surrounded by popular people, who were trying to hook up or use him for his school fame and sharp features.

One day, while studying with your best friend at the library, Sunwoo and one of his friends, Hyunjae, the football captain, burst into the library and come not so quietly to your table.

“For the love of God, can you both be quiet for once?” Soyeon whispered-yelled but her voice got toned down by Sunwoo vividly pressing his lips on hers, an arm wrapping around her shoulders. Hyunjae laughed but quickly gagged as they didn’t stop the kiss as quickly as the captain wished.

“Gosh, please, get a room,” he mumbled before hugging you, your knee resting against his as his arms pressed you against his chest.

Your friendship with Hyunjae felt more like siblings, he was genuinely nice and caring with you, making sure that you were okay and that you had enough of everything before allowing you to go home. Despite all the teasing and a few rumours going around school, you were not dating and didn’t have any romantic feelings for each other. He simply checked that you had an older brother figure since you were the first-born child, and it felt relieving.

The thing you did not know was that Jacob and a few of his basketball teammates, Juyeon, Eric and Younghoon, were a few tables away from yours, your back facing them, the future star looking at you and Hyunjae from the corner of his eyes. He nodded at his friend at your table, who gave him a wink as an answer, Jacob’s eyes burning holes into your back as Hyunjae was close to you. Too close to you for the basketball player not to feel something churn in his stomach.

Two long, manicured fingers snapped in front of his eyes to get him out of his reverie, lazily looking at the girl that sat across from him, who he was supposed to get help from.

“Jacob please, pay attention to meeeeee,” she whined and pouted, giving him puppy eyes that he couldn’t give a single fuck about, too busy in his mind to hear what she had to say.

She had volunteered to help him study History, but she wasn’t any better, probably worse than he was. It was already the third time Juyeon corrected her basic knowledge without being an expert himself, not even caring about the death glares she kept sending him. It only made him smirk as he knew it irked her dearly yet amused the rest of the table a lot.

They all sighed as she finally took the hint and left their table, Jacob bitterly chuckling as Hyunjae rolled his eyes when she walked past your table, his demeanour making you laugh.

╰☆╮

“Bro, do you think I should ask Y/N for help? Isn’t that a bit… lame?” Jacob sat on one of the soccer balls, hands joined and panting as Sunwoo practised his dribbling skills before shooting the ball in the cages, aiming for the up-right corner. He trotted to his friend and collapsed on the grass next to him, the last rays of sunshine offering his skin a wonderful, honey glow. He ruffled his hair after plopping down, checking his phone for any message before answering.

“If you need help, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask her. I mean, she’s super smart in every subject, but she’s just the boss in History. Her presentations are always golden, and she explains things a lot better than some of the teachers.”

“I got Smith as a teacher,” the basketball player grimaced, his left hand holding his right wrist as his gaze wandered in the grass.

“We’ve got Antal, and I can tell you that she’s always mad when Y/N does a presentation because they honestly just sound better than her lessons,” Sunwoo chuckled as Jacob pondered his friend’s words, the gears of his mind working at full speed.

How is he going to be able to approach you and get to talk to you?

╰☆╮

“Bestie, no. I swear I saw that in the other book,” you said as you found yourself back in the library the following week, bending over the table to grab the book your best friend was resting hers on. You started flipping some pages when a loud, masculine chortle followed by some whispers of annoyance drawing your attention.

“Hi, babe! Hi Hyunj- Oh hi Jacob!” your neck almost snapped as you abruptly lifted your head up at the mention of your crush’s name, a small, embarrassed smile making its way on your mouth. You were a bit sad that your brother best friend was not here with Sunwoo, but you weren’t going to complain to have your crush instead.

“Can I sit here?” the basketball player asked in a soft voice while pointing at the empty spot next to you, making you quickly nod and gather your stuff to make him some space.

You resumed searching for the precious paragraph you were searching for your project as if it were nothing, trying to ignore your stammering heart in your chest and the couple eating each other's mouths. The only thing you hoped was that Jacob couldn’t hear the loud, irregular beats in your ribcage because it would give in your attraction to him.

“Hum, Y/N?” the voice next to you made you flinch, surprised that he knew your name and that he said it aloud.

“Y-Yes?” you said, cursing in your head as you stuttered.

“I heard that you were the Ace when it came to History,” Jacob started, and you couldn’t look at him in the eyes, fire spreading in your chest up to your face.

“I can’t really say that I’m the Ace, but I really love that subject, so yeah I have some… knowledge,” words tripped over your tongue, and your best friend pulled away from Sunwoo and scoffed.

“Some knowledge? Are you kidding?” she said, Sunwoo placing a hand on her mouth as she was louder than intended. She removed his palm and furrowed her brows at him, before turning her head back at you with the same angry expression.

“She knows so fucking much that Antal hates her because she feels humiliated compared to Y/N. So let me tell you one thing, Cobbie, if you need help, you’ve come to the right person. Y/N is just a living encyclopaedia,” your best friend proudly smirked as you glowered at her, Sunwoo chuckling at his girlfriend’s behaviour before immediately stopping.

“Wait, did you call him Cobbie? How come you call him like that when I get nothing other than babe or baby?” Sunwoo argued while pouting, and your best friend sighed, ruffling his hair before pressing her lips against his one more time, making you slightly grimace as envy flooded your veins.

You sighed and dared to look at Jacob, who was reading the beginning of your essay written on your computer, leaving Sunwoo and your best friend bicker like the cute couple they were.

“Do you have this project too?” you asked, and he shook his head, eyes remaining glued on the computer screen.

“It’s so interesting what you wrote, I like your way of writing and explaining stuff,” he offered a small smile as he looked at you, clearing his throat. For someone that was super popular and constantly surrounded by friends or people at parties, he behaved and sounded quite like an introvert.

“W-Well, thank you,” you said with a smile and turned your head to the side for a second, taking a deep breath before looking back at him, opening a new tab on your computer after he gestured to you that he was done reading.

“What do you need help with?”

╰☆╮

You were astonished at how quick-minded Jacob was. Behind his fit, muscular appearance and obsession with basketball, he had the soul of a thinker and grasped the knowledge of historical concepts quite easily and rapidly. He just wasn’t good with the way Smith was teaching, the method not suiting him.

“You retain things well for someone who hates History,” you joked, and he shyly smiled, scratching his neck. His smile looked gorgeous, and you were pleasantly surprised at how much of a genuine person he was.

“Well, History is not my cup of tea, but it might be a bit more thanks to you,” he said, and you tried to stifle a smile, thankful that your best friend was no longer sitting across from you because she wouldn’t have let you two live.

“It’s nothing. You can come back to me if you need help, I really don’t mind. I actually like explaining things,” you said, and he nodded, clicking your pen close before placing it in your pouch.

“Thank you, really. Sunwoo was actually the one that told me about you, so I have to thank him as well,” you stood up and slowly started to pack your stuff, shutting down your computer with a smile.

“I’m glad he did so, I just hope it was positive,” you giggled, and he quickly joined you, twirling his pen in between his fingers as he cleared his throat.

“You know, it’s Sunwoo. It can only be nice and positive,” you genuinely smiled at him and fall in silence, throwing glances at each other from time to time as the conversation was slowly starting to die down.

“And... How’s basketball going by the way? Is everything going well?” you asked, and his heart skipped a beat at your question as it took him off guard.

“I-It’s going pretty well, I’m excited to finish high school to be able to focus on basketball. I’m gonna have to take some of my last finals in South Korea because the season and the training start pretty early in Summer so…” his voice trailed as his eyes widened, a hand slapping his mouth as you both stood up.

“What?” you quizzed, confused by his sudden change of behaviour.

“I… was meant to keep this a secret,” his voice trailed, the end of his sentence falling in a whisper as he started panicking. “Can we pretend you didn’t hear what I said?” he asked as you placed your bag strap on your shoulder, taking your sweater before pushing the chair against the table.

“Said what?” you replied with a smile, and Jacob sighed in relief, somehow feeling like his secret was safe with you, even if you’ve talked to him for the first time at the beginning of the afternoon.

╰☆╮

The rest of the month rolled off smoothly, yet the stress and the revisions became more intense as the days went by. You didn’t hear anything back from Jacob, but you’ve caught him staring at you a few times, offering him an awkward wave and a smile as not to get noticed by some of his “fan girls”, as they called themselves.

You still had a whole month left before finals, and you felt blessed as summer decided to start a bit earlier this year. It was only the beginning of May, but you were already able to wear shorts and dresses. It felt good to see the blue sky and being surrounded by the warmth of the sun hitting your exposed skin after the cold, lonely winter and spring you’ve just got out of. Everything looked prettier and warmer, and it did nothing but make you happier and brighter, despite the stress of the finals piling up on your shoulders.

So, to get rid of this pressure, you decided to leave town with Hyunjae and let him drive to one of the lakes that surrounded your town, knowing that the beach and parks would get crowded in no time. It was a place that you used to go to with your parents when you were still a child, memories that you shared with your friend coming back flooding in your mind.

Hyunjae and his family tagged along to give you some company and take care of you as your parents were busy looking after your newborn twin sisters, Hyunjae and his younger brother acting like elder siblings to you.

After driving for a few dozens of minutes, you settled your stuff in the shade, right under a weeping willow that offered you freshness throughout the entire day. Your best friend napped almost the entire time you were there, hand lingering on his abs while the other plucked out some grass until he dozed off, trying to store as many hours of rest as possible before finals. By his side was you, reading a book and enjoying the chilly water to cool down from the hot temperatures of early Summer, playfully nudging the young man next to you each time he was starting to snore.

It’s near the middle of the afternoon that you heard another car pulling up near the lake, a bunch of excited teenagers coming out of a van. You didn’t pay much attention to them, only sighing as your peace was about to get ruined, their screams when they jumped in the water woke your best friend up.

He abruptly sat up next to you and rubbed his eyes, some sleeping marks lingering on his face, making you giggle. Being the short-sighted idiot that he was, he squinted to try and recognise some people, but he didn’t have to.

A young woman screamed and started jumping up and down, waving her arms above her head in your direction, hearing her scream something towards you.

You looked at each other with Hyunjae, confusion painted on your faces, hearing your phone buzz in your small bag hidden by your folded clothes.

“Hello?” you said as Hyunjae’s phone started vibrating too, picking up the call as well.

“Y/N, it’s us! We’re on the opposite side of the lake! Come and join us!” you heard your best friend yell in your ear, hearing her as well through Hyunjae’s phone, who picked up a call from her boyfriend.

“Okay, we’re coming!” you excitingly said as you hung up, waving at your best friend from your spot as you started packing your stuff to get back in the car and meet up with your friends.

Your best friend excitingly jumped in your arms as soon as you got out of the car,

“Tt’s crazy how we’re so connected! Did you also think that the beach would be crowded?” she asked, and you nodded with a smile, happy to see her this joyful to see you.

The inseparable duo was here, as well as Younghoon, Jacob, Eric, Juyeon and Sangyeon, the striker of the football team. They all engulfed you in a tight hug, Jacob staying in the background the entire time.

“Hi Jacob!” you brightly said and wrapped your arms around his neck, hugging him close. “Hi Y/N,” his answer vibrated in his chest and had repercussions in yours, sending your heart flying in your ribcage.

You looked so good being this carefree, it was thankfully a sight that he managed to imprint in his mind despite the shortness of the moment. Being surrounded by all your friends felt so good that you forgot to be awkward and worry about the stupidest things, and Jacob adored seeing you this natural and smiling in the company of your friends. He was a bit sad that he wasn’t fully the reason for your smile though, but he still managed to enjoy the rest of the day with you and your mutual friends, whether you were on the ground or in the water.

Sangyeon, Younghoon and Juyeon copied Hyunjae and joined him in a restoring nap, while Eric, Sunwoo, Jacob, Soyeon and you played different games in the water, improvising a volleyball match with an imaginary net and the ball Sunwoo took with him as the volleyball, but it did the job. It was just a bit hurtful for the liberos since it wasn’t as soft and bouncy as a volleyball, but the joy of the moment allowed any type of pain to become bearable.

The evening eventually started to settle in, and you all got out of the water, drying yourselves before deciding to spend a part of the night here. You helped Sangyeon build a bonfire in the safe area by bringing some different branches, the eldest placing them correctly before lighting them with his pocket lighter.

“Hyung! I didn’t know you were a boy-scout,” Sunwoo exclaimed and made everyone laughed as you all were sliding some marshmallows on a stick, Sangyeon smiling with modesty at everyone.

“Ya, don’t say this,” Sangyeon mumbled, and you smile, rubbing his upper back as he sat down next to you, thanking him when you handed him over his marshmallow stick.

“Oh no! Mine burnt,” Soyeon pouted when she retrieved her snack from the flames, and her boyfriend was quick to give her his sweets, Eric cooing at the gesture of affection.

“Give it to me, I like them burnt,” he mumbled as he bit in the fluffy texture, immediately regretting it as it was boiling. His girlfriend handed him water as he stood up, bouncing up and down to try and reduce what felt like flames in his mouth.

“Oh my, thanks babe,” he muttered with his mouth stuffed when he gulped down everything with a pained expression on his face. Eric’s eyes filled with boredom locked into yours and you both chuckled, your friend shaking his head.

“When is it gonna be my turn,” he huffed and Sunwoo hit him playfully in the back as you all laughed around the bonfire, relating to your friend.

“When you’ll stop being obsessed with football and mango juice,” Eric grunted and folded his arms over his chest as Sangyeon called him out, making you coo and playfully run to him, holding him against you as he fake-cried on your chest while everyone was laughing at him.

Except for Jacob, who only offered a weak smile, but you didn’t catch it, too busy having fun and being light-hearted with your friends.

After your stomachs were filled with sweets and soda, Sunwoo pulled out his guitar and strummed a soft melody until some became heavy-eyed or fell asleep against the other, his girlfriend succumbing to his musical talents first. Jacob looked exhausted as well but forced his eyes open, finding him even hotter with hooded eyelids and his hair slightly curling with the humidity of the air and the lake water.

When it was time to go home, Hyunjae, as well as Younghoon, Sunwoo, Soyeon and Eric decided to jump into Hyunjae’s car to go to the beach, feeling the urge and the thrill of going skinny-dipping. On the other hand, you and the rest of the boys were too exhausted and modest to do this, only wanting to go home and get some good rest.

Just like they had arrived, Sangyeon was behind the wheel while the rest was either next to him or in the back seat. And you didn’t know how it happened, but you got stuck between the window and Jacob, who was struggling to keep his eyes open.

“You good?” you asked, and he turned his head towards you before offering you a tired yet sweet smile, moving his head up and down.

“I'm just exhausted, tonight was simply amazing,” he mumbled, and you expressed your agreement by a happy hum and a nod, bringing your attention to your eldest friend.

“Are you sure you’re awake enough to drive?” you enquired on the current situation and Sangyeon looks at you through the inner rear-view mirror, eyes forming two crescent moons as he smiled.

“I just jumped in the water, I’m nothing but awake,” he clapped in his hands to motivate himself and started the engine, your best friend’s car already gone.

Jacob rested his head against the headrest and closed his eyes, his head rolling to the side each time Sangyeon took a turn. You settled yourself on the window and let the vibrations of the car lull you to sleep, the small talk that Sangyeon and Juyeon were having in the front seats acted like a background noise, which helped you dozing off.

However, when the car pulled up in front of your house, they didn’t expect you to have your head resting against Jacob’s shoulder, his hand on your knee. The two men smiled at each other before Sangyeon got out of the vehicle, drawing the door open. As he was about to carry you to your doorstep, Jacob’s arm was quick to wrap itself around your waist, keeping you close to him.

You woke up confused, blinking a few times as you saw the striker standing next to you with a wide smile on his face. He removed a limb around your body, and you felt someone groan under your right shoulder, noticing in dread that you snuggled up to Jacob for some warmth in your sleep.

“You gotta go before the beast wakes up,” Sangyeon joked and winked as he helped you get out of the car, closing the door behind you. It opened again a few seconds later, Jacob looking just as confused as you were.

“Come on, lovebirds, we don’t have the night.”

“Lovebirds?” Jacob and you asked in unison, the basketball player rubbing his eye with the back of his hand. He jumped out of the van and gestured to Sangyeon to get back in.

“You can go, I live just around the corner,” he drowsily said as he vaguely gestured behind him.

“You sure? Your house is on my way back home, I can drop you off,” Sangyeon suggested but he refused, offering a handshake to the striker before letting him go.

Being more awake now, you waved at your friends driving away before turning to your crush, who looked even more adorable as he was super sleepy and just woke up.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay? You look really tired,” you asked, voice still laced with sleep yet sounding caring, which made Jacob’s heartbeat fasten. He nodded and weakly smiled, taking a step closer to you. His attitude was a bolt from the blue as he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you to him, nuzzling his face in your neck.

“You felt so warm during the ride, it’s almost like I could get used to this,” he tiredly said with a smile, gently pulling away to stare at you, his fingers leaving your back to come and slide a wild piece of hair behind your ear. Your whole body stiffened at his words as he stared at you in the eyes, noticing a small, washed-out smirk plastered on his face.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit... late to start something with someone? I mean, we have finals and then y-you’re le-leaving for South Korea and-” you started stammering as his thumb gently stroked your cheek, loving watching you lose your composure at his display of affection.

“It’s never too late when you love someone,” he whispered, feeling his warm breath tickling your lips in such a delicious manner that you have to resist the urge to move forward and press your lips against his.

His words punched the air out of your lungs, leaving you breathless as he kissed your cheek, mouth slowly moving to the side until it reached your lips. The kiss was soft yet a bit on the rougher side as if he wanted you to understand every feeling he had for you. Instinctively, your arms wrapped around his shoulders, and you kissed him harder, deeper, his hands on your lower back pulling you flush against him.

You had dreamt, wondered about what it was like kissing Jacob, but it never felt as good as you were experiencing it now. Fireworks and butterflies were erupting in your stomach, leaving you dizzy with love and passion as one of his hands came and cupped your cheek, the pad of his thumb gently caressing the skin.

Once you pulled away for oxygen, you held onto his shoulders for your dear life and he chuckled, his mouth slowly travelling down to your neck.

“I-I think my… my- oh my god, my parents will worry,” you gently pushed him away and he stared at you with a smile before diving in to capture your lips in another soft kiss.

“I'm only letting you go if you're free tomorrow. Let's put that off to tomorrow, shall we?” he asked, and your eyes widened at his suggestion.

“We can go back to the lake if you want, but only if we’re alone,” he said, his hand caressing your cheek while the other was busy stroking your upper back up and down.

“I want to enjoy this with you and you only,” he added, mumbling against your mouth and this time, you’re the one pulling him for a kiss.

“Come and pick me up at 10, then,” you said as you pulled away.

“I’ll be there, I promise,” he answered and started walking towards your house, closing the front gate behind you, waving at him with a smile.

He sent you a flying kiss with a smile and you waved at him one last time before closing the main door of your house behind you, both sighing with a huge smile and warmth painted on your faces.

You peeled the clothes off your skin and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower, shaking your head left to right while chuckling as you recalled what just happened in your last month of high school.

Nothing was making sense, you didn’t know how you got there, but you were happy.

And that’s what mattered the most.

[jasontoddswhitestreak]

sleepovers with peter (and ned)

summary: in which you have a sleepover with your dork of a best friend and your boyfriend peter.

content warning: peter parker x fem!reader, fluff, set after spider-man homecoming (friends to lovers, mutual pining)

note: this is from my old tumblr account adoringparker i decided to post it again but change some things up :)

REQUESTS ARE OPEN! (let me know if you want to see more content like this <3)

masterlist

the entire thing being ned and yours idea because you've all been having so many exams recently and barely hung out after school due to revising and peter’s schedule.

peter being hesitant because he was worried that something bad could happen in new york and spider-man wouldn't be there to stop it

you reassuring him that the world can survive without spider-man for one day

oh man you were wrong

you three started the sleepover right after the school bells rang !!!

going to delmars to get sandwiches before you all went to peters place (forgetting the fact that there's only two beds in his room)

you and ned making fun of peter because has to state that the sandwich has to have pickles and be squashed real flat

“peter parker picked a pack of pickled peppers”

"why are you guys ATTACKING me.”

also getting slushies, peter trying to be creative and get red and blue to match the spider-man colours, ned getting red and you mixing cola and cherry to ‘make a cherry cola slushie’

“that is so disgusting y/n”

“shut up pickle breath”

going back to peters apartment and greeting may with a hug (she loves you <3)

“how's my favourite sweetheart doing?”

peter immediately cutting in like the dork he is

“i'm doing pretty good may!! how are you doing?”

teasing peter back

“she likes me more than you pete i’m her favourite”

eating ur sandwiches at the table while talking about what happened in school

“man today’s debate was so easy!”

you and ned throwing lettuce at peter in response “that’s because everything is easy for you smartass”

“did you hear that flash showed photoshopped pictures of him and spider-man during bio and said they went to a party together last night?” “that- i don’t even know how to respond to that..”

going back to peters room once ur done

ned wearing the spider-man top you jokingly bought for him to annoy peter for his pyjamas

“hey pete what'd you think abo-“ “WHY DO YOU OWN THAT”

peter walking in with his messy brown curls wearing his star wars shirt and grey pyjama bottoms but still being able to look fine as hell

peter forcing you to wear his sweater

“do you feel cold? you could wear my sweater- i mean if that’s what you want-”

you walking back into peters room after changing in the bathroom to be greeted with peters cutest smile ever

his eyes would be full of love he feels as though he fell in love all over again

he pulls you into him and hides his face in your neck while hugging you mumbling “you're so pretty in my sweater” ¥]!|¥\$]€{$]

having a star wars marathon and quoting the movies

“i have brought peace, freedom, justice and hot guys to my new empire-” “y/n that’s not the quote!!” “yeah but LOOK AT HIM?”

ned and peter reenacting the mustafar in front of you with rulers instead of light-sabers

“only a sith deals with absolutes, i will do what i must.” “you will try.”

ned winning the ‘light-saber’ duel

“god your such dorks” “and you love it”

ned falling asleep after the third movie bc it's already midnight

peter being antsy about not going on patrol tonight because he still feels like something wrong could be happening right this moment

you searching the latest news articles to see whether anything is happening to reassure him

“see everything is okay-” you get cut off by a bunch of sirens

worst. timing. ever.

him shooting out of his seat very quickly due to the spider reflexes, muttering a quick "i got to go" and kissing you on the forehead before putting on his suit and swinging out of the window

you worrying about peter bc he could be hurt

him coming back home at 4 am in the morning with cuts and bruises on his body

"so did spider-man stop the bad guys?" "he did"

tending to his wounds and scolding him for not being careful enough

him being so tired that he begins to say weird things as you continue to clean his cuts and bruises

"hey y/n, y/n y/n baby listen to me y/nnnn, angel, baby, pretty girl, you’re so pretty i love you”

him asking you to make him hot chocolate at 4am in the morning

resulting in the two of you sitting at the table drinking hot chocolate talking about life

"do you think we're going to stay friends after high school?" "of course we’ll stay friends!”

him talking about your future together not aware of the feelings it's giving you because although the smartest person ever, peter could be so clueless sometimes

"do you think we're going to have dogs or cats?" "w-what i-"

falling asleep on the living room couch with ur head on his chest and his arms around you tightly

waking up to the smell of May's choc-chip pancakes !!! (that ned mostly helped with)

wow i wished i had this

[violetsoju]

stay here with me (your heart in mine)

kunimi akira · fluff · 3.8k words

summary: 10 years. a lot can happen in 10 years. but if no effort is made in that span of time, then it's just back to square one, since one plus zero equals to one. and thats where Kunimi has been standing in these 10 years.

song rec: leehi - savior (feat. b.i)

a/n: im terribly late, but here's my fictrade piece for @heatwave2021 for dear mimi (@mimi-cee-hq)! ive gotten to know kunimi a lil better through this piece and i hope i did kunimi justice!! i hope you like it too <33 a huge shoutout to cath and amy for hosting this fictrade event too! this was really fun and also to moon (@moonboohoo) for giving this a once over ♡

“Do you know how great of a good friend you are?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Good. Because I’m revoking your good friend status now.”

Kunimi peers at the source of the voice over his shoulder, groaning in pain when he strains his neck sideways a little more than intended.

“Why so?” He croaks out, stretching his neck to ease the jabbing pain.

“Because a good friend would give their support by revising together or making themselves useful like bringing snacks or coffee. Not coming empty handed and sleeping on all fours like a slab of dead meat on the bed right next to me.”

A slab of dead meat is quite the fitting description, in all honesty. Kunimi’s face is buried into the pillow, butt up in the air, arms stretched out straight by the sides while his legs dangle over the edge of the bed just a little. It isn’t the best position to sleep in, but he can’t find an ounce of energy to move.

It’s quite the contrast from the latter. Kindachi has his face buried in the pile of notes before him, laptop screen staring brightly back at him with notes swamped all over his desk, a couple of empty cans of coffee sitting right on the edge of the messy desk waiting to be recycled. His supposedly easy-to-maintain short hair is somehow tousled from the non-existent wind. And if anyone didn’t believe that it was possible for a giant to shrink to a midget, then they would have to think twice because Kindaichi is the living proof in flesh. He’ll definitely be aching everywhere after his exam tomorrow from hunching all day long.

“Why should I use more brain energy when I’m finally done with my exams? There’s no more space for snacks or coffee on your desk either, so why bother.” Kunimi’s muffled response doesn’t help in relieving the stressed hunched giant.

“You could go somewhere else instead.” Kindaichi points out, jabbing his pen towards the window.

“She’s having her exams now. Plus, your place is nearer to mine.”

“Fancy you knowing who I’m referring to.”

Kunimi doesn’t need raise his head to see the ugly smirk dancing on Kindaichi’s lips teasingly. “You would have the same person in mind if it was you.”

“Nah, I thought it would be Yahaba-san you were referring to.”

“It’s not my fault that my building’s electricity is out till night without any prior notice.” He tries to change the topic.

There’s no way Kindaichi is going to let this slide easily. “Yeah, yeah. Sure. So you would’ve gone to her place if she was at home, am I right?”

Kunimi sighs into the pillow as he fails to make him drop the topic. “Don’t blame me for not being able to finish revising on time later on.”

“I’m already planning to place the blame on you after all.”

【☾】

“Aren’t you going to see her off tonight though?” Kindaichi questions, eyes still focused on the scribbled words inked on the papers scattered before him.

“For what?”

“Don’t you know? She’s leaving tomorrow.”

The new piece of news sparks Kunimi’s attention. “Where to?” He asks, rolling over to his side to face Kindaichi.

“I’m not quite sure,” Kindaichi taps his pen against his chin in thought. “Not quite sure what for either. Work placement, maybe? But I know that she won’t be coming back anytime soon after tomorrow.”

Kunimi’s raised eyebrows matches Kindaichi’s ones, albeit one in scepticism and the other in surprise.

“You seriously don’t know?” Kindaichi asks disbelievingly.

He finds the answer in Kunimi’s shift in position, back facing him again.

Sighing at his friend’s actions, Kindaichi resumes back to the pile of doom before him. “Well, this may be your last chance. Just saying.”

“For?”

“You know yourself best.”

Kindaichi knows that he should focus on the issue on hand that calls for urgency, but his idiot of a friend requires his immediate attention too.

“You’re actually pretty lucky, you know,” He can’t help but say. “All of these years, from primary school, middle school, high school, and even now in university. That’s more than 10 years. And you’re still in square one. That’s honestly quite an achievement.”

“I’ll take that as a complement.” Kunimi snorts.

“Seriously. I know life is a game, but it’s different from volleyball. There are still other matches after losing one, after the ball drops, but in life there’s some matches that end forever after the whistle blows. Even if you try and save the ball in the last minute, the libero may not be there to save your dig after the whistle blows.”

“I didn’t know you were so good with words.” Kunimi rolls over slightly to look at his friend.

His eyes light up in excitement. “I am?”

The grimace written on Kunimi’s face tells him otherwise.

“Okay, but in all seriousness again, you’re really an idiot if you don’t grab hold of the final chance this time. Don’t say I didn’t give you a heads up in advance.”

“You’re starting to sound a lot like Oikawa-san now with the nagging.” Kunimi comments as he rolls back to face the wall, shutting out the latter’s retorts as he sinks into his thoughts.

But Kindaichi’s right. From baby seedlings to the sturdy plants now, it’s been more than 10 years of knowing you. You have been a part of his life for more than half of his years, witnessing his and your growth over the years of stumbling and climbing back up again. To call you a mere childhood friend would be an understatement. Because he knows where you place in his heart. He’s smart enough to know, but perhaps not smart enough to acknowledge it.

But maybe Kindaichi’s wrong too. Maybe life is similar to volleyball too. The positions in volleyball can be used in real life too. Him being a wing spiker and you being a libero. He doesn’t need to look behind his back because you’re always there behind for him, no matter what.

But maybe Kindaichi isn’t completely wrong either. Because he knows time waits for no one. He knows the bitter taste in the gut when the whistle blows just as his hand is mere inches away from the ball dropping to the ground. He knows efforts pay off at the end of the day.

Maybe he should try going all out just this one time. His first that may be his last.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Kunimi doesn’t know how, or even why he ended up here, right in front of your doorstep. There’s still a chance to turn back. Even after a text that has been sent out or the ding on the doorbell that has been rang, he can still back off if he wants. The bag of beer and snacks can be kept for lazy weekends in the comfort of his blankets alone.

Why did he buy snacks anyway? Maybe he should’ve gotten ice cream instead.

But they would melt on the way here. But again, snacks aren’t the best option either. Not to mention beer. Talk about being healthy…

His train of thoughts snap apart when the door swings open before him.

“Hey, you’re here!”

He can leave those thoughts for later, he guesses.

“Come on in. Watch your steps along the way!”

The mini sea of shoes flooding the genkan and the aromatic whiff of dashi soup in the air has him halting his steps. He doesn’t even need to take a peek inside to know that he should’ve went home instead.

“Uh, are you sure you’re actually free now?” He asks over the chatter coming from the inside, still taking a peek at the small crowd huddled in the living room, nonetheless.

You stand in the small hallway connecting the genkan to the living room. “Yeah! We’re actually finishing up, so don’t worry. You can join us for a few bites if you want.”

“Is your friend here? Bring him in! You’re gonna miss out the last serving of pork slices if you don’t hurry.” Kunimi recognises the voice. It’s one of the girls from your friend group that he has hung out with a few times before.

“I-”

“Who is it? Shabu shabu waits for no one. The meat isn’t nice when it gets cold.”

“Don’t be shy! Just come on in! Unless you’re too shy to be graced by our beauty.”

You laugh at your friends’ antics, ushering him to come in. “Come on, you know who they are. They won’t skin you for extra meat.”

Another voice booms from the inside. “We might actually do that if you don’t make your way here now!” A round of hearty laughter that’s mixed with a couple of beer and sake roars loudly.

Kunimi heaves a wary sigh, calculating his options. “It isn’t that. It’s just…”

“Just what?” You ask.

He looks up to your quizzed look, then to the sudden quiet living room where multiple heads are craned out like a flock of ostriches, each with a devious knowing look on them.

Now there’s definitely no way to make it out of here unscathed.

One of the girls clears her throat loudly. “You know what’s the best way to wrap up the feast? Ice cream.”

“Yes! We forgot to pick some up along the way. Could you go get some for us?” Another girl chirps in, while the others nod their heads in agreement.

You scoff playfully at them, hands crossed against your chest. “You’re asking me, the owner of the place, to go get ice cream for the guests? And leave my friend alone here in danger?”

“Who said he’s gonna be here with us?” A girl raises her hand in defence. “Take a look outside! The moon is so lovely tonight. Isn’t it such a beautiful night to walk under the moonlight with your dear friend together hand-” Her sentence gets cut off by the others who cover her mouth before she blabbers any further, smiling meekly at the both of you.

You stumble a few steps to catch the jacket thrown in your way. “Any ice cream will do! And take your time! Don’t worry about us.” They wave you off, resuming to the steaming shabu shabu on the table.

The both of you look at each other bewilderment, digesting what just happened seconds ago.

“Well… Ice cream?” You chuckle, soothing the jacket in your hands.

He chuckles too. “Yeah, ice cream it is.”

So maybe getting snacks was the right option.

The early autumn wind nips on the skin lightly. The crunching sounds of dried crumpled leaves on the pavement makes up for the comfortable silence that blankets the both of you on the way back, bag of assorted ice creams in hand.

“What a great bunch of friends you have.” Kunimi comments.

“They’re quite a handful, but yeah, I can’t imagine the past four years without them.” You laugh light-heartedly. “Are you sure you don’t want to come in? I promise they won’t bite.”

He shakes his head lightly. “It’s alright. Just dropped by to bid you goodbye and to pass you these.”

You peer at the bag handed out and swiftly turn on your heels. “I know you’re lying.”

He almost drops the bag in his hands. “I’m not. Seriously, that’s all I came here for.”

“You could’ve just sent me a text for this. Why bother making your way all the way here?”

Your question has him frozen in his steps, brain malfunctioning as he fails to come up with a convincing and rational answer.

You take the chance to plop onto the nearby stone bench, ignoring his snorts when you hiss from the coolness of the surface. “Well, I’ll be seated here until you tell me what’s the purpose of your special visit.”

“The ice creams will melt.” Kunimi reasons, digging his hands into the pocket of his jacket.

“Doesn’t matter. We can go get them again. I’ll just charge them double.” You shrug, waving him off dismissively.

“Plus,” you emphasize, “they told us to take our time. So I have all the time in the world to hear you out.”

He knows that you won’t budge until he gives in, given your personality. So he heaves another long breath and drags his feet next to you.

You rummage the bag for the ice cream you picked earlier, handing him a caramel flavoured one as he thanks you. You catch the little smile tugging his lips as he rips open the ice cream packet.

“You still like this specific brand after so many years.” You tease.

He bites the tip of the ice cream to spite you, in which he succeeds. “They’re the best. One of the only ones that hasn’t changed their recipe after all these years.”

You narrow your eyes at the crime he committed as he munches on the ice cream with a deadpan face. One of the things that hasn’t changed all these years is this habit of his too.

“So, ready to come clean now?” You ask. The ice cream in both hands is long gone, melted into a pool of liquid that chills the stomach.

Kunimi sighs for what seems to be the thousandth time of the night. Resting his arms on his knees, he trains his sight on the concrete pavement below. It’s funny how his hands start to feel clammy again despite the cool wind in the air. “So… You’re leaving tomorrow, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Keep calm, he tells himself. “What time?”

“Early in the morning. I almost missed out on the tickets because I got them last minute.”

“Can’t wait to leave, huh…” He mutters.

“A little. I’ve been looking forward to this day for quite some time, and it’s finally here!” You exclaim, excitement lacing your voice.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

You snap your head towards him in surprise. “I did. I remember telling you and Kindaichi at the same time. You guys would be one of the firsts to know.”

Kunimi groans in despair as he tries to rack his head for the past memory yet no avail. He blames the now unnecessary scribbled notes from the exam earlier for taking up so much space in his brain.

The bare concrete pavement seems to be more interesting than ever tonight. “When will you be coming back?”

“I don’t know. It depends.”

“So this may be the last time I’ll be seeing you?”

“In a while, I guess.”

Another sigh escapes his lips unconsciously as he buries his face in his hands. What happened to playing it cool, huh.

“You’ll miss me, won’t you?”

A scoff sounds in the air. “As if.” He hastily replies, turning sideways to hide the tint of flush creeping on his cheeks.

You chuckle at his actions. “I know I’ll miss you.”

His eyes finally meet yours. And although his soft hair falls past his eyes a little, you see your reflection in them, as clear as day.

“Then why can’t you stay?” He asks, voice just above a whisper.

It’s your turn to heave out a long sigh. “I can’t, Akira. I can’t.”

“As much of importance you are to me, there’s just as much of importance waiting on the other side for me.”

“That just means I’m not that important.”

He doesn’t know how those words carelessly fell out through his gritted teeth. All he knows that the moon is, indeed, lovely tonight.

It is indeed beautiful night, with the moon bright and round above. But why does he feel like the moon is mocking him? As if on such a beautiful night, with the person that takes up a significant place in his heart, his wishes are fated to not be granted. They fall on deaf ears, discarded aside as he feels his hope slipping away from his fingertips like fine sand in the wind. Maybe this is the price of not going all out all these years.

Time had been kind to him, offering so many chances and opportunities to him. But he wasn’t one to grab hold on them, because he’s used to making it up at the last moment. And it always worked.

However, maybe it’s all too late this time round. Maybe he outsmarted himself this time.

In all these years of knowing Kunimi, you’ve never seen him like this. Not even when they lost the ticket to the nationals for three years straight. Not even when life got him all tied up, juggling schoolwork and work on a thin thread, struggling for a gasp of air. You know he’s a master of keeping his emotions to himself, and you should be grateful that he shows this vulnerable side of him to you on rare occasions, because he trusts you enough to be there to pick up the pieces with him. But today, it hurts even more to see him like this, like a star that has lost its glow, a balloon that is gradually deflating. Because today, you’re the one that’s causing him to fall to such a state.

“Akira. Look at me.”

He doesn’t.

Because he knows that he’ll find something that he detests with all his heart staring back at him: pity. He neither needs your pity to offer solace, nor needs your pity to stay. That would be the worst kind of consequence that he knows he will regret for the rest of his life. Yes, his selfishness and self-interest may be screaming to reign over at the moment, but he knows this isn’t the right way to keep you by his side.

You don’t belong to him; you belong to yourself.

“Akira.”

He shudders as he feels your warm fingers cupping both sides of his cheeks, turning his face to yours. He avoids your gaze on reflex, but as his eyes sweep past yours, he stops. Maybe he really outsmarted himself this time.

Instead of pity, he finds concern, warmth, sincerity. Why is that?

“You know how I feel about you, where you lie in my heart. You’re smart enough to know that.

“But it seems like you’re not smart enough to know yourself.”

He does. Or does he?

You brush his hair that covers his eyes to the side gently, a small smile tugging the side of your lips.

“If you aren’t important, then why do you already have a piece of my heart which I have never given you?”

Kunimi’s breath hitches. The butterflies in his stomach are so close in fluttering their way out from his mouth as he comprehends your words, reciting them aloud again and again in his mind.

He immediately misses your touch lingering on his skin when your hands fall to your sides. “It sucks that I’m not smart enough to know whether I have a piece of your heart that you have never given me.” You chuckle bitterly, looking up to the moon.

You may have been there to pick up the shattered pieces of his heart and soul over the years, but at the end of the day, you return them to him. It’s awfully tempting to smuggle a few pieces, hiding them in your pocket to keep them safe and sound, but you don’t. It’s his heart, his only.

It’s your turn to hitch a breath. “You do,” Kunimi says, placing his hand over yours. “You always have.

“And now, I’ll give you not only a piece of my heart, but my whole heart.” His squeezes your hand gently, leaning in close. “Is it too much to handle?”

It takes a few seconds for you to apprehend his words, and once it links together, the butterflies on your end take flight in frenzy.

“Yes. I mean, no. I-” The chill autumn wind isn’t helping much to cool down the heat rising on your cheeks and ears. You can’t look him in the eye without averting elsewhere other than him. “It’s my honour to be bestowed your heart.

“And I hope it’s the same for you.”

“Look at me.”

Kunimi tips your chin up to face him, and you are welcomed by the soft smile that you love seeing, the one you don’t know that’s reserved for you only.

“Thank you for trusting your heart with me.”

He wondered where the stars in the night skies went tonight. It turns out they were all in your eyes, and they shine so ever brightly even without the sliver glow of the moonlight.

“Come on. We need to get more ice cream.” Kunimi nudges towards the now soggy bag that has tainted the stone bench with colourful liquid.

He picks up the sticky bag with a tissue from his pocket, shaking them a few times lightly as he stands up and extends his other hand to you. “They’re all on me.”

You place your hands in his. “What about the broke student you are?” You quip, footsteps falling in line together with each gentle swing of the hand.

“Hmm, I would rather be broke than be skinned alive in the lionesses’ den back there.”

【☾】

“Where are you leaving for though?”

“Miyagi. Our hometown.”

“What for?”

“It’s my grandma’s birthday tomorrow! I’m going back to give her a surprise and celebrate with my family over the week.”

You turn to him quizzically as he halts in his steps, rooted in place. His face is twisted and contorted in ways you never thought possible. It’s a mixture of shock, dumbfoundedness, and flabbergast all together. Words die at the tip of his tongue as he struggles to find the right words, brain buffering from the sudden new input of information, resulting in information overload as the new and existing information fail to fuse together.

“Where did you think I was leaving for? Some other prefecture for work?”

It takes a whole lot of effort to come up with a complete sentence. “Then why don’t you know when you will be coming back?”

“Because the train tickets back for the week are all sold out. So it depends on when my parents want to drive me back, I guess.”

You drag the babbling mess towards the konbini up ahead like a stone statue that looks like it’s stuck in a daze, caught in a trance.

“I’ll be starting work here in a month’s time. It’s not that far by metro, so I’ll still be renting my place here.”

“Kindaichi you lil shit…”

“Hey, don’t blame him. The best wingman award goes to him! It’s all thanks to him that I get to hold your hand now.

He loses himself in the endless galaxy in your eyes once again, losing sense of gravity.

“And your heart.”