#I just needed to swap to earbuds for a few days because I had just gotten a new ear piercing.

[wolvereaux]

Hello, there! 🌸 List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you. get to know your mutuals and followers.

I forgot the askbox existed and I'm pretty sure this has sat here for over a year, WHOOPS.

1. my beloved cat, Honeybee! more specifically, the way she sleeps with her head and a forepaw laying on my left arm when I'm gaiming/computering.

2. D&D! I'm in 3 campagins rn, one online with my old college buddies, and two in person! all three meet every week, and its how I measure time, tbh. also something hits different about making blorbos with your friends~

3. speaking of which - MY FRIENDS. I couldn't even even begin to do them justice with words, but they are all rad and talented as hell and I'm happy that I get to be in their lives. MWAH!

4. our ever-changing discord server names. some notable mentions include: Girls Night With A Moray (Komeida Isn't Girls), Salmon-Ass Behavior, Pebbled To Death, & Gilded Age Garbage Fire. (We are the funniest people alive and I'm not taking criticism).

5. the way Bee wakes me up when I get sick while I'm sleeping - she licks my leg until I wake up, and then cuddles me better as best she can. (is it cheating to list her twice? maybe. but she 110% deserves it).

seriously, look at her. she's one of the best things that ever happened to me.

[valorant-drabbles]

Hi! Can I request an Jett x gn!reader?

Reader is Iso’s radiant older sibling, and they keep it a secret they are siblings. Reader joined the protocol at same time as Jett. Reader has similar abilities to Iso.

So Iso just joined the protocol and reader is sharing headphones with him and listening to music with him in the kitchen and cooking with him. Jett also sees them training together a lot. Jett (not dating reader yet) gets jealous because reader is cooking and training with someone else.

Thank you!

So Sorry I've been MIA. Being sick really sucks the motivation out of you. But I hope I've made up for it! Enjoy!

Gender neutral reader!

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: Mild Cursing

Radiant Jealousy

Reader x Jett

The unstoppable duo. That's what the younger agents of the protocol had started to call your team. The team consisting of Jett; the swift, air-riding daredevil... and yourself. The terrifying, defensive master of the battlefield. Together, your abilities meshed perfectly- your ability to counter bullets with your shield when timed correctly, as well as your ability to teleport out of trouble before the enemies' very eyes... only for you to be replaced with Jett, who's always ready to deal with the agents you teleported her to. It was definitely advantageous. You were able to swap the place of yourself with any one of your teammates if they needed a quick escape; and it proved extremely valuable many, many times.

Any mission with the two of you was bound to be an adventure, and often left the other duelists on your team scrambling for kills to make up for how many you and Jett had managed to get together. As expected, there were a few sore losers who dreaded being teamed with this unstoppable duo; namely Yoru, Neon, and even Phoenix on a bad day. Occasional jealousy would brew, but at the end of the day, as long as everybody survived, and as long as the mission resulted in a success... no one could really complain too much.

On a day like any other, the protocol found itself welcoming their newest agent, hailing from China; Iso. The Dead Lilac. Known for his skill with swift assassinations, cleaning up loose ends, and appearing virtually unstoppable from the outside view, And today, that man stood before all the other agents, as Brimstone gave his usual speech regarding the welcoming of new team members.

"Everyone, this young man is Iso. I expect all of you to be courteous towards him, and make him feel right at home."

Brimstone simply gestured to the male, who appeared to have an earbud in, listening to music. Jett couldn't help but let out a slight huff, only to raise her hand.

"Hey, don't we have a rule against wearing earbuds n'stuff during meetings and whatever?" Jett's voice piped up from the crowd of agents, who all exchanged similar nods of agreement.

Upon hearing this, Iso simply plucked the earbud from his ear, and stuffed it into his pocket without much of a fight. After all, it was his first day; getting off on the wrong foot with everybody for something so small wouldn't be the best.

You, however, currently standing beside Jett, jabbed her in the side with your elbow, and gave her a scolding look. "Don't single him out like that. How's he supposed to know? It's his first day!" Narrowing your eyes at your partner, Jett feels a slight flush of embarrassment rush to her cheeks.

"Ah- s... sorry." She apologized gently, though she clearly meant the apology more towards you, not to much towards Iso. But he didn't appear to mind. Brimstone cleared his throat, redirecting attention to himself once more.

"We do have rules like that for a reason, yes. Though we have discovered that Iso is able to preform just as well- perhaps even better- when he's listening to music. So, we've allowed him to bend that rule, as long as it doesn't cause distraction during missions. If any of you wish to get a pass to do the same, you will have to pass a few tests that Viper and myself have designed... just to ensure that you won't get yourself killed in the field if you aren't able to hear the enemy behind you."

Brimstone's eyes had met a few other pairs of eyes within the crowd of agents... mostly those who had proven they weren't able to multitask in such a way in the past. And in short, those agents were the reason Brimstone had initially administered the ban on music on missions in the first place.

"Y/N." Brimstone called you out from the crowd. "I'm going to ask you to show Iso around the headquarters. The training hall, his room, you know the drill."

You nodded towards him as you were instructed to show the newbie around. At the opportunity, Jett's eyes lit up with excitement. Hell yeah, her duo was given a big responsibility! She was so proud. "I'll tag along with you guys! Plus, I'd love the chance to spar with you, Iso!" She'd beamed, only to be cut off from approaching by Viper.

"Jett. Last time you were in charge of showing somebody around, you went so fast that they ended up getting lost for a week. And anytime they asked for directions, you accused them of not paying attention during your tour." Viper had raised an eyebrow disapprovingly, her tone proving to be rather... irritated. More so than usual.

From the crowd of agents, Gekko kicked at the floor with a quiet huff. "... she talks so fast, she may as well be speaking another language." He muttered, mostly to himself. You gave the poor guy a sympathetic look over your shoulder, before turning your attention to your eager duo partner, hand on her shoulder in reassurance.

"I'll be honest, J... Tours aren't your strong suit. But once Iso is more settled, I'm sure he'd be happy to spar with you." You shot her a smile, reassuring Jett despite her mild disappointment at being rejected. Sighing, she simply crossed her arms across her chest, and stepped back into the line of agents. "Fiiiine, do it your way. But if it takes longer than an hour, I'm hunting you down and helping, whether you want it or not!"

You couldn't help but smirk at Jett's impatience. It was always a trait you'd found quite endearing. Irritating at times, sure, but endearing nonetheless. You'd lost count of how many times Jett had gotten herself into a dangerous situation because she didn't want to wait for backup. She was always looking to prove herself, always eager for the opportunity to ace. It was a lot worse when you and her were fresh recruits. And you'd saved her ass dozens of times before she saw the merit in the two of you working together. You couldn't say you hated her impatience, because truthfully? It was the trait of hers that helped bring you two closer together. And it was always oddly cute to watch her bounce in place, twirling her knife in her hand as she was forced to wait.

"If that's settled... everyone is dismissed."

-------------

You'd been at the protocol for quite awhile; longer than most agents, actually. So the tour with Iso didn't take much time at all, much to Jett's relief. Jett who... may or may not had been following you and Iso from a distance. You hadn't noticed her initially, but once you did, decided not to embarrass her in front of the new recruit, and let her follow you like a puppy.

Though the tour did indeed only take an hour, Iso had quite a few questions regarding some of the agents, and how the training facilities worked... so, you decided to dedicate the rest of the day to answering any and all of Iso's questions. You even showed him around the kitchen, so he'd know where everything was if he ever needed to make himself something to eat.

Suffice to say... Jett... didn't like that. At all.

Jett was basically the in-house cook, and only trusted a few select people to help her if offered. You were one of those people. Hell, she'd let you take over cooking if she was sick, and have faith you'd do her dishes justice.

And there she was, glaring daggers from around the corner at Iso. Who was taking notes on where Jett kept the kettle, strainer, spices... Even though usually Jett could appreciate someone taking kitchen care seriously, she couldn't figure out why seeing Iso there with you in the kitchen made her skin crawl.

Maybe it was because, aside from training, the kitchen was where you and Jett spent most of your time. Even if it was just being sat on the counter, drinking coffee late into the night, because insomnia haunts most of the younger agents. And seeing you hop up onto the counter, offering to make Iso some tea how he likes it... Ugh. She hated it, she hated it, she hated it!

"Whatever." Dismissively, Jett had let out a stubborn huff of irritation, and headed towards the training hall. Training was always a good way of getting her mind off of things... though you were often on her mind if you weren't by her side training as well. Okay, so maybe you were always on her mind. She couldn't help it! She always just figured that was the cost of having a kick-ass duo; always worrying, thinking about how to improve your guys' performance... wondering why you were so damn chummy with Iso-

God. Jett needed to let off some steam before she imploded.

------

The next few hours of her free time was spent perfecting her knife throws, as well as some general aerobatic moves that you had been brainstormed for her. Ways to use her radiant power more without causing too much destruction. Last thing the protocol needed was a tornado within its walls.

Though the hours passed mindlessly, Jett still couldn't figure out why the hell she was so agitated by Iso's mere existence. She was always hyped when a new duelist joined their ranks, to the point where she'd try and take them under her wing if they needed help discovering their fighting style. She took a lot of pride in her ability to help her fellow agents, and yet...

As if summoned by the mere thought, Iso happened to enter the training hall, you following by his side, explaining one thing or another. Jett wasn't sure. She hadn't been close enough to hear your conversation- but she didn't like it.

"Oh- you finally here for that spar?" She'd flashed a grin in the direction of Iso. She was itching to put him in his place- though that thought alone was quite a strange one for her. Put him in his place? He hadn't done anything-... had he?

Iso himself looked quite surprised to see Jett in the hall, and had held his hands up in a faux surrender, showing he had no interest in sparring. "Oh, you were serious-- I mean, we can totally do that another time. But Y/N was going to train with me. To help me figure out how to best use my abilities in combat, maybe using them in combination with someone else's abilities......"

Iso's voice had quickly been drowned out by Jett's own thoughts. You... were going to train with Iso? What, alone? Doing what she usually did with her duelists? Finding his fighting style?

You could see the displeased look on Jett's face, as she wasn't the best at masking her feelings for too long. Flashing your partner a nervous smile, you approached Jett. "I know Iso's abilities pretty well myself, so finding his style probably won't take too long- but we can train elsewhere if you're busy here-?" You'd offered quietly, not wanting to further upset your duo. But it was a bit too late for that.

Grabbing your arm, Jett forcefully pulled you towards the door. "Get some target practice in while I have a chat with your 'trainer'." She'd growled towards Iso, who looked more confused than anything. But he didn't question further, and definitely didn't want to witness an angry Jett in action- so he'd grabbed a gun and started shooting some targets to warm up.

Dragging, dragging, dragging on; You couldn't exactly do much to escape Jett's grasp- her upper body strength was impressive for someone of her size. "Jett-- Jett!" You call her name, trying to get her to stop dragging you, but to no avail. She didn't stop until she knew you two were completely alone. In an empty hallway.

"Jett, what the hell is up with you today? You're being more of a jerk than usual." You scolded in a hushed tone once Jett had finally let go of you, moving to fold your arms over your chest. Your body language was enough for Jett to know you were beyond irritated, but you were holding it together for her sake.

Jett just turned to glare at you, fists clutched as she struggled for a few moments. Trying to find the words to articulate how she was feeling- Feelings were difficult for her to explain most of the time. So before she could open her mouth, you held your hand up to stop her. "And I'm not going to listen if you start yelling."

God, she wanted to punch you for saying that. But it was a boundary you'd set with her after the first few arguments you two had. Things would just escalate and escalate, and neither of you would listen. Talking over each other so one of you could be heard. And even if she was angry, Jett always respected your boundaries. Which meant in this case that she wasn't going to shout.

"Right. Right right right right right." Jett exhaled deeply, and began to shake her hands in a bit of a stim. Shake the anger out, that's what she often did. And more often than not, it didn't help too much. It only subsided how much she wanted to punch things. But it would at least get her through the conversation.

"You're kind of... how can I put this lightly... driving me crazy. In a bad way." Jett articulated slowly, though was quick to see your displeasure from the look in your eyes once she'd said it. Huffing, she continued. "You're, like... being all nice n' shit to Iso, which is fine or whatever... But you were crossing some lines."

"... I'm sorry, how the hell was I crossing lines? I was showing Iso around, like Brim told me to?" You furrowed your eyebrows slightly in confusion, not knowing if you should still be irritated or not. What was going on in her head...?

"Okay, uh, example. You were showing Iso around the kitchen. My kitchen. You didn't think to ask me if I wanted to show him around the kitchen at least? Show where I hide the good flour?" Jett urged, though you couldn't help but snicker slightly.

"Jett. It's the Protocol's kitchen. And it's pretty small. There's not much to really show him. There just wasn't enough to show to justify bringing you in."

"Fine! Okay, that's fine. Just don't cook any of our meals with him, and we're fine. See? I'm being reasonable!" She had a forced smile on her face, but it was quite clear she was struggling to keep her composure. It felt like she was jumping all over the place with her logic, and she'd just started.

"Another example! You... were going to train with him."

"... Jett. I train with everybody." You shot her down almost immediately, to which you could only raise an eyebrow in mild amusement. She was really grasping at straws here for excuses to be angry, and none of them were really... viable?

"But you said, and I QUOTE-- … okay, I can't remember exactly what you said, but you mentioned something about helping Iso figure out how to use his abilities in combat." Her teal eyes bore into yours, and there, finally, you could sees a glimmer of the real problem.

Conflicted. Hesitant. Envious.

"That's my thing. No, Not just my thing. It's our thing. You were the one who inspired me to figure out unique ways to use my radiant powers in combination with other peoples' abilities. To figure out my fighting style, and helping others find theirs! That's how we became a duo! And sure, I took credit for it a lot of the time... but you were the reason I started helping people in the first place! To the point even Viper trusted me to help recruits figure out their style!" She'd began to pace back and forth as she spoke, another mild stim. If she kept her body moving in some way, it helped her thoughts flow a lot smoother.

"So why-" Jett suddenly turned to you, pinning you to the wall with both her hands on either side of your head. "Why did you try to do it without me? Were you going to... I don't know? Be his duo? The way we do things is really, really efficient, it doesn't need to change! So... Don't you dare think for a second that you're replacing me for that-- that..." Her voice trailed off, as she noticed a smirk slowly rest on your features. "Wh... What the hell are you making that face for?"

"You're jealous."

Those two words were enough to make Jett fly back a few feet, as if it physically impacted her, blasting her away from you dramatically. And as the realization slowly dawned on her, Jett's face slowly grew a bright red shade. That... would explain a lot about how she'd been feeling. She gripped her own shirt, eyes locked on the floor, suddenly all out of things to say. Rendered genuinely speechless.

"Wh... What am I jealous about?" She asked after a few moments, looking towards you for answers. Jett really didn't know why she was jealous. And you couldn't help but find that... oddly adorable, despite how scared she looked with this information out in the open.

"I don't know if I can answer that for you, J." You admitted with a slight smile, slowly approaching as if she were a startled dear in a beartrap. "But... If I had to guess, you're jealous that... I'm spending all this time with Iso, doing all the stuff you and I usually do?"

Jett's gaze remained glued to the floor tiles, hands stuck to her side. The burning feeling on her face wouldn't go away. She was completely embarrassed. Something so simple... made her upset? Groaning, she covered her face with her hands, turning away from you to hide her shame further. "M... Maybe. I think that... isn't too far off." She didn't want to admit it... though she kind of had to if she wanted you to know why she was upset.

"Jett..." Your smile softens on your face as you take a few steps towards her, raising your hand to hold her cheek. Your thumb caresses her cheek as her eyes flick towards yours. "You're an idiot. You really think I'd replace you like that? After our years of experience together?" The question caused Jett to gaze down at the ground again, taking a moment to clear her throat a bit to find some kind of rebuttal.

"You were just... I don't know. You got along really well with Iso, and clicked pretty fast." She let out a soft sigh, absentmindedly leaning against the hand to her cheek, almost affectionately. You couldn't help but compare her to a cat in that moment.

"Of course we get along well. He's my little brother. Showing him around was the best way to help him feel acclimated, after all-"

Jett felt her thoughts grind to a halt.

"Your... brother?"

You could see the mix of realization, embarrassment, and relief in her eyes. It would've made you laugh at how cute it was, but decided that, for Jett's sake, you'd hold back.

"Yeah. I told you my little brother would be joining the protocol a few months back. Did you forget, or were you not paying attention?" You raise an eyebrow in sheer amusement, as you watch Jett's expression freeze and then scramble to find an answer, to which, she couldn't find one.

"I... I am so sorry, Y/N. I completely forgot." She whispered, grabbing both of your hands within her own, holding them tight. "I'm such an idiot- and I was going to yell at you over this? Please, please, please forgive me!" Jett practically pleaded, to which you couldn't resist laughing anymore.

This precious idiot, you thought. You let out a content sigh, squeezing Jett's hands for a moment as you take a step closer. "Drill this into your head, okay, dummy? You're irreplaceable. Nobody is ever going to take the place in my heart that belongs to you."

Before Jett could even consider thinking too much into your words, you'd leant forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. From such a quick action, you could swear she was about to float off or launch into the air like a rocket. Frozen, but shaking.

"Jett?" You called out softly with a slight grin across your face, the cogs in her brain whirling, trying to catch up with what was happening. And the second everything clicked, Jett got the biggest, goofiest smile on her face as she proceeded to grab your face and pepper it with as many little kisses as she could before you'd push her away, laughter filling the hollow halls.

You promised Jett to spend the rest of the evening with her after training with Iso, to make up for the time she demanded back.

And fell asleep, wrapped in blankets, watching movies on your laptop. The following days, the other agents swore they'd never seen Jett so happy.

[sunlight-moonrise]

Sugar, Spice, and Everything (Not So) Nice (Reid Imagine)

Summary: Being a Barista and falling for a regular is as cliche as it gets. Having that customer become your new professor? Not so much. 

A/N: *Peeks head out* Hello everyone. I have come back from my unannounced hiatus to show off this baby. Major thanks to @definitelynotkatesblog​ and @clean-bands-dirty-stories​ for helping me put this fic together. This was written for the lovely @httpnxtt​ for the secret-fic-swap in the Discord (thanks @imagining-in-the-margins​.) I hope you all enjoy this smutty goodness. 

Category: Smut

Content Warnings: Face Slapping, Degradation, Slight Hair Pulling, Oral Sex (male receiving), Fingering, Spanking, Penetrative Sex, Unprotected Sex/Creampie

Word Count: 6.4K

Masterlist

Being a barista is pretty awesome. Sure, there were bitchy customers and super early mornings but it had it’s redeeming perks. We got free coffee, tea, and snacks during our shifts, which served the caffeine addict in me. I also learned how to make popular lattes, mochas, and frappes that I ended up making at home for myself one too many times. While there were the occasional assholes who couldn’t appear human before getting their hands on some caffeine, there were the regulars who made it worth it. Most of the regulars were so sweet, I appreciated a familiar face when they came in. Some.. more than others.

“He’s baaaaaaaaack,” my coworker Hazel whispered to me in a sing-song voice as she scribbled a customer’s name on a cup. I turned to see who she was talking about, but I already had an inkling about who it was.

My suspicions were correct. I turned to see one of our kindest regulars, my personal favorite customer, Dr. Spencer Reid. Is it weird to know the full name -including the honorific- of a customer? Possibly. But when I’d asked for his name to write on his cup the first time he came in, he accidentally gave me his full name. 

“Dr. Reid- uh, Spencer. Sorry, work habit.” He stuttered, avoiding my eyes after the mistake.

“No worries! What can I get started for you?”

As a Criminology major,  I learned to study the people who catch my attention before indulging them. Call it an old habit. 

Dr. Spencer Reid had earned his title and then some. He’d joined the FBI at only 22, having six degrees under his belt by the age of 27. He’d written several dissertations and co-wrote novels with his colleague, David Rossi. Someone with his reputation could be a pompous ass and have a leg to stand on, which is what made his humbled demeanor so much sweeter. He was also incredibly easy on the eyes, which was a nice little bow on top. 

Hazel liked to joke about how we’d make a cute couple but I know she only did it to watch me get flustered.  

I walked towards the counter to take his order, leaving Hazel with the task of refilling the caramel syrup. I’m always the one to help him since he very aptly pointed out that I’m the only one who makes his coffee just how he likes it.  

Some days, he’d let me surprise him with a random creation. I’d confirm if he wanted caffeine (he always did), iced or not, and any flavor requests. He’d take his drink, tip me handsomely and let me know his thoughts on the drink the next time he came in. So far, his favorite was the almond milk honey latte I’d concocted. It was nice to have a little bit of fun, especially with regulars who were as consistent as him.

“Hey Doc, what can I get ya’?” I asked.

“The usual, please,” he said with a smile. I nodded and set off to make his drink: a venti dark roast with a shit ton of sugar, a dash of nutmeg, and a tiny bit of cinnamon.

“Of course!” I quickly go to fill his order, making sure to put a complimentary treat in a bag for him. I know he had the ultimate sweet tooth so I try to sneak him a confection whenever I can. At first, he was a bit reluctant to take the free pastries, but nowadays he usually smiles when he sees the small bag. 

“Here ya’ go.” I handed him his steamy cup of caffeine along with the little treat, seeing him smile at the small pun I add to his cup, “Have a BREW-tiful day, Doctor!” I watched as his lips landed on the rim of the cup, taking a long sip of the hot coffee. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, the sight making my cheeks promptly flush. I cleared my throat before asking, “Is it good?”

“It’s always good when you make it,” he stated matter of factly, a small smile touching his lips. The heat in my cheeks rose again. “Will you be taking a course this summer?” he asked, taking another sip of his coffee.

“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. My first day is actually later today. I’m surprised the class section was open, to be honest.” Super surprised actually. I’d been trying to enroll in this class for the past couple of semesters but it was always full by the time I was able to even load the registration page.

“Well, I’ll wish you luck, but I’m sure you won’t need it.”

“How can you be so sure?” 

“I can just tell.” He stated calmly, like it was common knowledge. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain. Before he could respond, an insistent cough caught both of our attention. I peeked over Spencer’s shoulder to see a customer waiting for his order to be taken. I turned my attention back to the Doctor, an annoyed look painted on my face. He nodded, taking a hint from the impatient mouth breather behind him. 

“Thank you for the coffee. Enjoy the rest of your day. I hope that class goes well.”

“Bye, you too.” I waved, watching as he exited the door. I turned to the waiting customer, a bit miffed that he interrupted our conversation. But because I was at work, I plastered a fake smile on my face so that he wouldn’t see just how annoyed I was. “Welcome, how may I help you?”

●●●

After clocking out at 2:30 PM, I made a dash for the building where my class would be held. It’s not supposed to start for another half-hour, but I wanted to be sure to get there in time to choose a good seat and settle in before the rest of the class arrived.

Luckily room 301 was relatively empty so I was able to score a perfect seat by the window. I decided to kill some time by listening to some music and doodling randomly in my notebook. Some time had passed when I felt someone take the seat next to me. I turned to see a young man occupying the chair beside mine. He looked to be a frat boy based on the Greek letters he was sporting. Who wears a cap and hoodie in this weather? I really hope he didn’t expect to cheat off of me- although these types of guys always seem to do so.

I was about to return to my doodle when I felt a poke on my shoulder. I turned to give the offender my full attention, removing one of the earbuds from my ears. 

“Hey, I’m Tony,” frat boy said, with a wide smile adorning his face. I must admit, his boyish grin melted the slight annoyance I had begun to stir toward him. I returned his greeting and introduced myself as well. “I don’t mean to be a bother,” he continued, “but I like to have at least one buddy in each of my classes. In case we need help or miss an assignment or something.”

I nodded my head - a friend in a class was always useful when it came to studying and swapping notes. We chatted a bit more, learning about each other’s major and why we both decided to take a summer course. Tony is a double major and this course will satisfy the credits he needs for his psychology requirement. This is why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. 

It wasn’t until I heard the hush of the classroom that I realized the class was about to begin. I turned back to my notebook, preparing to jot down some important information despite it being the first day of class.

“Good morning class.” Wait. That voice... I didn’t even need to pick my head up to know who had spoken. “This is Criminal Psychology and I am your instructor, Doctor Spencer Reid. Unfortunately, Professor Monroe could not cover this course so I’ll be his permanent replacement. Now…”

I raised my head, watching as he continued to talk about what is to be expected in this course while a TA handed out the syllabus. He went on, able to capture the attention of everyone while speaking of the experiences he had with an array of criminals. His eyes scanned the room and for a brief moment I thought they would land on me, but they continued to take in the mass amount of students before him.

My concentration was broken by Tony passing me a copy of the syllabus. I scanned it over, making sure to highlight all the important dates. I didn’t want any exams or projects conflicting with my work schedule. I also made note of how the overall grade system is broken down. The whole thing seems pretty fair and everything was spaced out enough where I wouldn’t feel too overwhelmed with the workload.

“… and that pretty much wraps it up. Does anyone have any questions?” I tuned in just as he was pulling the first class to a close. No one raised their hands, so he dismissed us with a reminder to read the first chapter of the textbook and to check for any emails.

“So do you want to grab lunch?” Tony asked from beside me. I contemplated whether or not to go with him. He must have seen the hesitation in my face because he quickly added, “Not as a date or anything, I just wanted to grab a bite and I didn’t want to do it alone.”

“Sure,” I smiled, “Let me just ask the professor a quick question about his office hours and I’ll meet you at the food court.”

“Sweet, I’ll see you in a bit.” With that, Tony gathered his stuff and exited the back door. 

I focused my attention on the podium, seeing a gaggle of girls surrounding him asking redundant questions. From what I could hear, their questions could have been answered if they’d read the syllabus. I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, they were probably more focused on him rather than what he was saying during class. I waited a few more minutes for them to finish up before I made my way to him.

“So do I call you Doctor or Professor now?” I laughed. 

“From you, I’d respond to either,” he replied warmly. The comment made me blush. If he looked into my eyes at that moment, he’d see more stars in them than the night sky. I bit my lip to stop the idiotic grin from spreading across my face. 

He’s your professor, get a hold of yourself.

“How can I help?” he asked, bringing me back to the original reason as to why I was standing in front of him without a cash register between us. 

I cleared my throat. “Um, I was wondering if it was possible to see you outside your normal office hours? I usually work the morning shifts and I don’t want to flood your emails with my questions.” I asked.

“Of course,” he said. “You can come to my office at whatever time works best for you. I know balancing a work and school schedule can be hard. Besides, I’m usually there handling paperwork anyway.” He gave a small shrug, pushing his hands in his pockets. 

“Thank you so much. I look forward to the rest of the semester Professor Reid.” I liked the way his newfound honorific rolled off my tongue. 

“Goodbye, Y/N.”

“Goodbye, Professor.” With that, I left and headed out to meet Tony. 

I was able to find him at the food court. We got some food and chatted more about our classes as well as life outside of school. He made it easy to be his friend, and it was nice having someone to talk to. He works as a waiter so we shared our customer service horror stories and tales of sneaking food at work. It was a nice distraction that took my mind off of Dr. Reid and the ongoing battle of calling him Doctor or Professor. As Tony rambled, my mind wandered about other things I’d like to call Spencer instead. 

●●●

In that short span of two weeks, we already had an exam, an oral presentation, and a report on the psychoanalysis of serial killers. Not one day had been wasted, but this is what to be expected from a summer course. The essay was due the day before. Now we had to wait for our grades which gave us a moment to take a breath.

I was worried that my paper was subpar; especially since I chose to write about Andrei Chikatilo, a serial killer from Ukraine. He wasn’t as popular as those in America, so I ended up spending hours on deep research to find substantial information about his crimes. It also didn’t help that some of the original reports weren’t in English. I had worked hard, and hoped Professor Reid would see that, even if my writing could sometimes be a little weak. I was worried about the grade as our research papers held the weight of 20% of our final mark. 

“Hello? Earth to Y/N! Anyone in there?” Hazel’s voice pierced through my worry bubble, her hand waving in front of my face. I shook my head, trying to focus on restocking the coffee beans.

“Sorry Haze, I’m thinking about this class.”

“Funny you say that; your favorite professor just walked in. Thought you might want to take his order.” She wagged her brows at me, making kissy faces as I hurried to the front register, trying my best to not let my eagerness be so glaringly obvious.

There he was, in his usual handsome glory, patiently waiting for me to take his order. He greeted me with a small smile that I happily returned.

“Hey Doc, what can I get you today?”

He debated for a moment before saying, “Surprise me.”

“Gotcha.” I already had an in my head; it’d been a while since he asked me to make him a random drink so I’d had plenty of time to plan. We got an early shipment of ingredients for our fall-themed drinks and I figured he would appreciate some pumpkin spice in his caffeine. “How are the papers coming along?” I asked casually as I rang him up.

“Pretty well. I’m almost done, so you’ll all receive your grades later today.” Wow, that was fast. I wondered if he stayed up reading all those papers to be done by today. Probably not, a TA must have helped him.

“I am a bit nervous about mine, especially since it’s worth a huge part of our final grade.” I really wanted to get an A in this course, but it was hard juggling everything in such a short amount of time.

“Don’t worry about it too much,” he reassured. “I haven’t properly finished yours yet but it looked great just from what I’ve seen thus far.” His words gave me a little reassurance.

“Thanks. I put a lot of effort into it. Let me grab your coffee now.” Spencer walked towards the pick-up station while I grabbed a venti cup for his drink. Just when I was about to make his order, I saw another familiar face come up to the register. “Tony, hey!” I shouted, placing the cup back down, “What can I get you?” 

This was the first time he’d been here, despite him saying for the past few days that he’d stop by for a visit, even with the promise of a cake pop if he did. It was nice to see another familiar face.

“Hey coffee girl, how you doin’ today?”

“Just peachy. My feet are killing me, though.” Just saying the words caused the ache on the soles of my feet to spike higher. I thanked my lucky stars I was almost done with this eight-hour shift.

“Give me the chance to sweep you off your feet, I promise you won’t regret it.” he offered boldly. It wasn’t the first time he’d joked about taking me out. I laughed, especially since he had a girlfriend. She met us for lunch one day and we became fast friends- she was an incredibly sweet and intelligent girl, polite and elegant as well. It is a wonder how his frat boy charm won her over but opposites attract, I guess.

“Shut up, Casanova. What are you gonna have?”

“I’ll have a grande iced matcha latte, please.” I should’ve known. He told me that he loves matcha flavored food and drinks the first time we grabbed lunch after class. He had complained that there was no good place to get one on campus. 

“Coming right up.” I quickly filled his order since it was faster to make compared to the pumpkin spiced latte. I handed him his bribe-cake pop, matcha flavor of course, while he waited for me to finish making his drink.

“By the way, we’re still studying at the library for the exam later tonight, right?” Tony asked.

“Yup, I’ll meet you at 8.”

“Copy that, see you later coffee girl.” He turned to leave while I turned to make Professor Reid’s order. I put extra whip cream and a bit more syrup to satiate his sweet tooth. I grabbed a fresh chocolate muffin from the display case and popped it into a bag for him as well, drawing yet another pun on the good doctors bag. “Thanks for being such a TEA-rrific professor!”

“Here ya’ go Doc,” I called out before placing his drink and muffin on the counter. I looked up to see him no longer smiling. “Is everything okay?”

Ignoring my question, he said, “I wasn’t aware you were so close to Mr. Montgomery.”

“Oh yeah, we study together once in a while.” I could have sworn I saw his frown deepen before his features became void of any emotions. He shifted his eyes downward, his hand moving rapidly to grab the cup.

“I should get going.”

“Oh, okay” Before I could say goodbye, he was already halfway out the door. 

That was weird. I looked at the counter and noticed that he left the cupcake behind. Maybe he was in a rush?

I shook my head. I needed to concentrate on making it through the last couple of hours of work. 

●●●

I made my way to the classroom, smiling at Tony as he pulled out my seat for me. Professor Reid walked in a few minutes later, his tall figure drawing all the attention to the center of the small stage. He let us know he already graded the papers and that they would be distributed by the TA before the end of class. I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach but decided to brush it off and pay attention in class. Despite my attempts to focus on his lecture, I found my mind wandering every so often anyway.

I couldn’t help but think he was less animated today. Usually, he taught with such passion that the class couldn’t take their eyes off him. But today, it felt as if we were all in a boring seminar with an ancient professor. Tony kept glancing at the clock, probably also wondering why time felt like it was going by so slowly. 

I couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling the entire class. It didn’t help matters that every time I would raise my hand to answer a question, he would call on another student. What the hell did I do? 

I decided to tune out the rest of the class. There is no point in being an actively engaged student if I wasn’t going to get treated like one. I’d just get the notes from Tony later.

Thirty minutes before the end of class, the TA handed out our essays while Professor Reid wrapped. 

“Some of you did very well, while a few others struggled with the assignment.” His eyes landed on mine as he said that. It was the first time he had glanced in my direction the whole class. He moved on to the other side of the room. My mind was probably just playing tricks on me. “If you have any questions you can see me at my office hours next week or send me an email. You are dismissed.”

The TA finally made his way over to me, handing my essay in a slight fold. I looked at the grade on top and almost dropped the paper. My heart sped up as I stared at the letter in bright red ink. No way, no way this could be my report. I looked at the right-hand corner and saw my name at the top. I read through the first page and saw they were indeed my words.

How the fuck was it possible that I got a D on this paper? I knew my writing wasn’t the strongest, but a D? 

“How you’d do?” Tony asked. For a moment I forgot I was in a room with other people.

I cleared my throat, trying to relive the lump so that he didn’t hear the croak in my voice. “Umm, not what I expected. I’m going to try to speak to him about it.” Tony was a smart kid, so I was sure he could see how tense I was. Luckily he didn’t question me any further and instead told me he’d text me later before leaving the classroom.

Fortunately, there were no other students in the classroom to slow me down this time. I walked right up to the podium, watching as Professor Reid placed some papers in his satchel. 

“Professor, I need to speak with you.”

“Not now, I’m busy,” he replied, not even bothering to glance in my direction. This can’t be real. The sweet, kind Doc could not be the man acting like a total asshole right now.

“I really need to discuss with you my paper,” I pressed, raising my voice a little louder in an attempt to get his attention. That was wishful thinking on my part since he continued to fiddle with his satchel.

“I said I’m busy,” he uttered once again, his voice void of any emotion. He was about to walk past me, ignoring my whole being. His blatant disregard made my cheeks burn, and not in the usual way they usually did when I was around him.

“Spencer,” I barked, “We need to talk. Now.” For a few moments, he stood in front of me, his back facing my direction.

I was about to speak again before I heard him say, “My office. Half an hour.” He exited, leaving me alone in an empty classroom. The only things keeping me company were the fuming feelings swirling inside me and the failed paper clutched at my fist. 

●●●

I knocked on his office door ten minutes earlier than he’d told me. The anger in my gut brewed hotter the longer I waited. As soon as I heard a “Come in,” I rushed through the door, slamming it behind me. He regarded me coolly, but didn’t comment on my actions. 

“What can I do for you Ms. (Y/L/N)?” I walked up to his large desk, not bothering to take a seat in the chair in front of me. I took a moment to calm myself down before replying.

“Well, you can start by explaining to me why I got such a low score on my paper.” I guess he didn’t like being the only one of us sitting down because he stood up and leaned against the wall behind him.

“It did not meet the requirements for a passing grade as outlined in the rubric. The information given was boring and the overall topic was uninteresting. It was tedious to get through,” he responded nonchalantly, like he was giving me a weather report.  

“You said that you enjoyed it so far.” I rebutted, placing my hands on the desk. I needed something to offer me stability so that I wasn’t visibly shaking.  

“I’d mistaken your work for another student’s. Maybe Mr. Montgomery,” he dryly clipped.

A bitter laugh escaped me as I put the puzzle together. Was- was he serious? Was this man acting like this because of Tony? The audacity! The laugh that bubbled from my lips must have unsettled him. He left his position from the wall in favor of standing in front of me.

“You want to know what I think?” I didn’t give him a chance to respond before continuing, “I think you’re jealous that I have another guy that isn’t you getting friendly with me at the shop and because of your inability to keep your---“

“That is enough,” he grounded out, shaking his head. But I didn’t stop talking.

“--private feelings away from your professional ones, you decided to give me a failing grade. Do you know how hard I worked in-” my voice rose up higher and higher until I was yelling.

“I said that’s enough,” he said again, louder this time. But I wasn’t done.

“-this class? This is my life, my fucking future on the line. I’ve told you how important this all is to me and you don’t even give a shit! You’re going to let your interpretation of my relationship with another student influence the way you do your job? And here I thought you were a decent man, Professor.” I hissed, “Do you even give a damn abo-”

“Enough,” he roared, slamming his hands on the desk and caging me against the wood. His breathing was matching the upbeat pace of my own. His quick movement and the sheer volume of his voice caught me off guard, effectively silencing me. 

“I don’t deserve to be punished over your envy,” I whispered, locking eyes with him in a steady gaze.

“You want to see a real punishment, darling?” he hissed, the heat of his words almost breaking my glare, his breath fanning along my face.

We stared at one another for a while, neither of us willing to be the first to back down. The tension between us kept rising and rising until the inevitable happened. I couldn’t be sure who made the first move but before I knew it, our lips collided with a mix of rage and desperation. My arms draped around his neck as he pressed me on to the desk. He placed his hands on the back of my thighs, lifting me up high enough until I was perched on the cool wooden surface.

Spencer’s lips were soft, a stark contrast to the harsh way he was kissing me. His tongue parted my lips, gliding over mine with fervor. I couldn’t help but moan as he rolled his hips into me. He continued his rough grind, keeping my legs open as we moved as close together as our bodies would allow. He overwhelmed my senses- the smell of him, the taste of him, the feel of him. Everything was making me absolutely feral for this man. 

I never expected the gentle Dr. Reid to be so fervent, so sensual. The kindhearted, sweet professor who regularly drank his weight in caffeine never gave me this impression. But then again, I’m sure he was shocked by my attitude as well. He knew me as the friendly, bubbly barista, now student, who enjoyed his class. He was about to meet a whole new side of me, just like I was going to for him.

Spencer pulled away from me, our mouths making an audible ‘pop’ sound from the sudden separation. I tried to catch my breath as he stared at me, our chests rising and falling together. If I were to move a bit closer to him, we would be touching once again.

He took a few steps back before motioning me to step in front of him. “I want you to get down on your knees. Now.” I wasn’t going to argue with him, mainly because I wanted the exact same thing he did. I kneeled down, keeping my eyes on his face.

“You going to shut me up, Professor?” I teased, feeling powerful, even though he was looming over me. He didn’t reply, just continued to look down on me with those honey colored eyes- full of lust and rage.

I watched as he slowly placed his hands on his slacks, undoing the belt and buttons. He drew down his pants and boxers at the same time, just low enough to reveal his impressive size. My mouth salivated at the sight of his bulge as he came closer to me.

“We’re going to put that smart mouth to better use. Open.” He said, gripping my face between his fingers, forcing me to follow his orders. I opened my mouth slightly, not giving him exactly what he wanted. Instead of ordering my mouth to open further like I expected, he placed his thumb inside. He pushed the digit deep, pressing it against my tongue. I moaned around the finger, softly nibbling at the skin. He continued to slide his finger within my mouth before dragging it out completely. He wiped the excess spit on my cheek before lightly smacking it. The small shock of pain sent a shiver down my spine.

“Open, and do it right this time.”

I obeyed, opening wide enough to accept him into my mouth. My lips were stretched almost uncomfortably in an attempt to fit around him. He was so hot and thick, I couldn’t help but hum at the taste of him on my tongue. The soft “fuck” that fell from his lips had me purring around him. I went to place my hands on the remaining portion that couldn’t fit, but he batted them away.

“You’re using only your mouth.” 

Fine, have it your way, Sir. 

I placed my hands behind me as I bobbed my head, hallowing my cheeks with every rise. His shallow thrusts encouraged me to suck harder. I slowly pulled away to run my tongue against the vein protruding on the underside of his cock. I was rewarded with a groan escaping his lips.

“I should have known that you would be so good at this, darling,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse as he tried to control his grunts.

I made sure to look in his eyes as I swirled my tongue around the head of his cock. The face he made was purely angelic. The muscles of his neck protruded more evidently and his breathing became more labored. I placed him back in my mouth, this time taking my time to go down on him.

“That’s right, Princess. Show me what a good girl you are for me.” He moaned as I felt his hands weave in my hair before he pushed my head down on to him, causing me to gag around him, tears pricking my eyes. He continued his thrusts into my mouth, barely allowing me a chance to breathe. My nose repeatedly touched the base of him as I swallowed around his hard length.

Spencer tightened his fingers in my hair and I knew he wasn’t going to last much longer.  The pace was brutal, but I enjoyed the rough treatment. Knowing that I was the one making him feel good was such a turn on. He buried himself deep in my throat after a few more thrusts to finish. I swallowed his release like the greedy brat that we both now knew I was.

He eventually pulled out, a satisfied sigh leaving his lips. I swiped the back off my hand across my mouth to clean off any leftover spit and cum.

“Get up,” he ordered, his voice hoarse.

I did so, rubbing the ache in my knees as I slowly rose. “I want you bent over the desk,” he continued.

“I want you to answer my previous question.” I quipped.

“You’re not in the position to be making commands,” he growled. He wrapped his fingers in my hair again, pulling just roughly enough so that I was looking up at his face. “If you want this to end well for you, I suggest bending over my desk before I stuff my cock in that bratty little mouth of yours again.”

He released me, eyes still on my face waiting for me to follow through on his order. I turned to his desk and did as he asked, bending over the wood until my chest laid flat against the surface. I waited as patiently as I could for him. It felt as if I was in this position for an eternity before he touched me. He pushed both my underwear and skirt down to my knees before placing his hands on my hips. I heard it before I felt it- the smack on my ass that caused me to yelp.

“Fuck, Spencer. What the—” I was cut off with another resounding smack.

“Did you really think that I wasn’t going to give you a real punishment, darling?” I took a deep breath as another shiver went down my spine. He had no business sounding so hot right now. Another smack, this time on my opposite cheek, had me biting down on my lip to stop myself from crying out.

“This” *SMACK* “Is” *SMACK* “What” *SMACK* “Happens” *SMACK* “To” *SMACK* “Bratty” *SMACK* “Little” *SMACK* “Girls” *SMACK*. A sob ripped from my chest as the last blow landed. My ass was on fire and surely littered with his hand prints.

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood since you sucked me off so nicely, or I would have made that worse.”

Gee, thanks.

“You look like such a dirty slut like this.” I felt a finger enter me easily, the wetness gathered there making my entrance ready to take him. “So wet. Was it the spanking that got you like this, or your mouth around my cock?” A moan was my only reply as he added another finger, the two digits moving in a scissoring motion. 

“Are you gonna be my sweet girl, now?” He asked as I moved my hips along his fingers, desperately trying to seek some more relief for the fire burning between my thighs as his mouth littered marks along my thighs. I closed my eyes, focusing on the pleasure he was giving me as he curled his fingers, a slow moan falling from my lips. He pulled them out of me, wiping the slickness against my still burning ass. Fucking bastard. I wiggled my hips against him, hoping he would grant me a reprieve and put his fingers back inside me. Instead, he spanked my ass one more time- one quick, sharp blow against the bruised cheek.

Just when I was about to yell at him, he placed the head of his member against my entrance. He moved up and down my drenched entrance before penetrating me in one full thrust. I took a short breath in, trying to get used to feeling so full. He was stretching me out in the most amazing way.

Spencer waited until I was grinding against him before he pulled out and pushed back into me. “Look at you, such a wanton little bitch aren’t you?” He could call me whatever he wanted, as long as he didn’t stop fucking me.

He kept a steady pace, making sure to grind into me every time he slammed back in. The obscene sound of our skin smacking against one another’s and the moans escaping our throats was an erotic symphony that had my body heat raising the temperature in the room.

He hitched my leg on top of the desk, entering in an angle that made the pleasure so much better. I couldn’t stop the whines that kept escaping my mouth every time he pounded into me. His hand stayed upon my leg, holding me down and limiting my movements. His nails dug into the skin so harshly I was sure there would be bruises left in their wake.  

“Fuck, you feel so good wrapped around me,” he hissed under his breath. “Should have known you just needed to be fucked like the cheap whore you are.” He sped up, hips snapping at an almost punishing pace. The desk creaked every time he slammed into me. I hoped no one was nearby to hear what was going on. A whine left my throat when I felt his fingers rub against my clit. I was so close now.

“Should I stay inside you? Fill you up so you walk around campus carrying my child?” He growls, his pace increasing with each passing moment. “Knock you up so the whole campus knows what a whore you are for me?” He asks, earning a cry ripped from my throat. 

“Who’s fucking you?” he grunted. I don’t know how he expected me to form a coherent statement at this current moment. My eyes could barely stay open at this point. 

“Spencer, please.” He smacked the outside of my thigh.

“Try again, who’s fucking you?” 

“You are, Doctor.” Apparently, that was the wrong answer too, because it earned me another smack on my thigh. I had tears streaming down my face from the pleasurable pain he was giving me.

“You have one more chance or else I’m not letting you come. Now, who’s is fucking you?”

“Professor Reid!” I cried out.

“That’s right darling. Now come on my cock.” A harsh bite on my neck was the ultimate push that had me seeing stars. Spencer thrusted a few more times before fully sheathing himself within me.

He slumped over me, the feel of his breath against my neck causing me to shiver once more. We took a moment to have the high leave our body before he pulled out of me, a gasp leaving the both of us. Spencer was the first to break the silence between us.

“Would you like to have dinner with me?” he asked, his voice a bit shy. 

I giggled at his demeanor. A few moments ago, he was fucking me senseless and spanking me over his desk like a porno, and now he was asking me out to dinner. 

“Absolutely,” I smiled. “But I should probably cancel my study plans.” I quickly added. 

He led me to the faculty bathroom so I could freshen myself up. When I emerged, he was back to being the prim and proper professor I knew him to be. Just before we left his office, he leaned down and whispered, “By the way, you got an A.”

[murumokirby360]

My QKZ AK6 Pro IEM Earphones review (w/ my paper dolls) - Part 2 (Final) [Oct 26th, 2022]

Hello! Here’s Final Part (Part 2) of my QKZ AK6 Pro IEM Earphones (featuring my paper dolls)! 🙂

⚠️IMPORTANT ANNOUCNEMENT:⚠️

• So, before I proceed to my final part, I want to apologize for the delay because... Well, Half a week ago, I got a volunteer job as a street cleaner for 10 days 🏙️🧹🗑️👷, from 8 AM to 12 NOON 🕗🕛🗓️ (from Oct. 13th [Thursday] to 22nd, 2022 [Saturday]). And, I was gonna continue my topic after my day shift cleaning & I can't wait to try out my first owned IEM (In-Ear Monitor) earphones. However, I can't handle my body, so I have to adjust my time management, or at least I'll keep working for 10 days before it's over on Saturday. Not to mention, the one requirement I need to submit, and that is the street cleaner record w/ pictures 📝🖼️. You don't know what it is, but it's important to my "clean mates" or "clean crew". Regardless, my volunteer street cleaner is over, I've already passed my record, and I'm finally back in my saddle. 🙂 The only thing I'll be wait is my salary. And according to officials said had to wait for 10 days before I received my payment salary via send money delivery. 🕰️💵🚚 So yeah, at least I'm having fun cleaning outside w/ other "clean mates". Hmmm, is that the real word? 🤔 But I digress.😅

And now, back to my topic...

• So, for this final part, I'm testing out my first ever owned IEM earphones from the folks of QKZ & see if I can comparison with my ZNT earphones (Model R620) from earlier this year. As well as, my thoughts & opinions about the QKZ AK6 Pro. Is it good or not? Let's find out! 🙂

But before that, if you didn't see my Part 1 post (1st & 2nd half), then I'll provide some links down below. ↓😉

• Part 1 (1st half) [Oct 8th, 2022]

• Part 2 (2nd half) [Oct 8th, 2022]

So, without further ado, let's get started:

Recorded video 🎦📲↑:

BTW: Watch my record video.

• Here, you can see I'm connecting the IEM earbuds to the QDC C Pin. Since it's my first time doing so, I have to research how to connect properly when using IEM earphones. And so, after a few minutes to figure it out, I manage to connect correctly. What's very interesting to me is the ability to swap any IEM earbuds from different brands, as long as it's matched with the QDC C Pin, and not other pin types.

1st to 3rd Image(s): ↑

• [1st & 2nd Images] And here's what should it looks like. Hope my ears fit with these. 😊👂 But, what if my paper dolls will wear these? 🤔

• [3rd Image] Uh... I don't think it work on them. lol 😅

4th to 8th Image(s): ↑

• Now, before I tested out with my ears, let's have a comparison with my old ZNT earphones (R620), and you could see they look different in their own design; from the earpieces to their controls (one has a volume adjuster [ZNT] & other doesn't have but one button [QKZ]), and even their 3.5 mm audio jacks (one is straight [ZNT], and other was in L-shape form [QKZ]).

9th & 10th Image(s): ↑

• And finally, their cable lengths. They're pretty much the same length as you expect; about 120 cm or 1.2 meters long. Not to mention, their different quality of audio wires. Right, paper dolls? Yeah. 😊

11th to 12th Image(s): ↑

• Alright, it is time to wear these cool IEM earphones into my ears! And here's what should it looks like! (both right & left ears) 😁👂🎶 If you don't know how to wear IEM earphones on your ears, then there's a tutorial about that → [CLICK ME!].

• Now, let's discuss the AK6 Pro's signature sound. I have to say, I'm very impressed. 👍 Both bass, treble, high & lows, and even mids are pretty nice, in my respective opinion. 🙂👌🎶 And when I compare it to my old ZNT (R620) earphones, their sound signatures differ. Uh yeah, and there are no muddy sounds on the AK6 Pro (as of now), which is good for me. 😊 Again, I had no experience wearing IEM earphones, but I'm just getting started (or embraced it), don't worry. 😉 The only negative I could think of was the longevity of usage, specifically the ears. You see, I've been wearing AK6 Pro earphones on both ears for about 1 to 2 hours, and I've experienced a cramp on my left ear when I touch or adjust my left audio wire. 😣👂💢 My right ear, on other hand, was surprisingly long-lasting without a teensy pain. Other than that though, I'm having so much enjoy with the QKZ AK6 Pro. 😁👂🎶

If you want more reviews about the AK6 Pro, then please check out at these links, and watch.↓

• Reddit [CLICK ME!]

• My Helpful Hints [CLICK ME!]

• Youtuber Zplot ↓

13th to 16th Image(s): ↑

• Finally, let's try to compact my AK6 Pro onto my earphone pouch case, and it fits very well when I close & zip the cover thanks to their odd knot audio wire construction. 🙂👍 I make sure that this wire is perfectly circled before I place it in my black pouch. While some argue that the construction wire was unlikely to their own personal taste, but for me, I'm fine with that. As long as the wire itself is long lasts. Otherwise, I might buy a new replacement albeit a different kind with a different brand, and also in QDC C Pin format. Right, my paper dolls? They both totally agree! ☺️

Overall & Price:

• What can I say, this earphone is just what I need! Great signature sound, the appearance looks neat by today's IEM earphone standards, and lastly the cheapest IEM earphone that can detach the wire & plug in a different IEM wire or vice versa. The AK6 Pro from QKZ had checked its boxes, and I'm having fun listening to it with my favorite music tracks! 😌🔉🎶 Right now, I'm listening to Video Game Lo-Fi (Low-Fidelity) music like DJ Cutman & GameChops in their own Livestream YT! 🎮🎶 [CLICK ME! #1], [CLICK ME! #2].

• As for the price tag, like I said, it's pretty damn cheap! At only 🏷️ ₱247 (or roughly $4.23 [as of today]) with shipping fee included from Lazada PH 🛒🌐🇵🇭 [CLICK ME!]. And as of this typing, Lazada PH is having a discount sale from Oct 28th to 31st, 2022. So, if you're planning to get cheap IEM earphones & not rely on expensive ones, then this one is you. Unless, if you're a pro or experienced IEM enthusiast, then think about it before you buy. 🙂

Well, that's the end of my topic!

If you haven’t seen my previous topic, as well as my opening parcel (for my recent topic), then I’ll provide some links down below.↓😉

My QKZ AK6 Pro IEM Earphones:

• Revealing parcel [Oct 1st, 2022]

• Part 1 (1st half) [Oct 8th, 2022]

• Part 2 (2nd half) [Oct 8th, 2022]

My Keweisi USB Multifunctional Tester:

• Revealing parcel [Sept 3rd, 2022]

• Part 1 (1st half) [Sept 9th, 2022]

• Part 1 (2nd half) [Sept 9th, 2022]

• Part 2 (Final) [Sept 14th, 2022]

• Part 3 (Final Plus) [Sept 18th, 2022]

Tagged: @lordromulus90, @bryan360, @carmenramcat, @leapant, @alexander1301

[thismaydestroyme]

Little Did I Know

Summary: In this short story Harry is famous, and he moved into a town during the summer to relax and potentially write some new songs for his upcoming album. I’m not sure if I’ll include some song lyrics, but if I do, I will take a piece of a lyric from a different song and pretend it’s his. 

Word Count: 2,272

“Sweetie, can you walk Cosmo?” Y/N hears her mom shouting from downstairs. 

“Yes, mom!” She says.  

Y/N is on her bed with her headphones on due to having a neighbor who’s living across her street who just moved in. For the past weeks there’s been a lot of moving trunks and ruckus because there’s a musician living among them. 

Y/N is a 21 year old girl who wants to be part of the music industry, but she doesn’t know shit. All she knows is that she loves music, and music is part of her. It was her dad that introduced her to music, like music that was before her time. Like Billie Holiday, Frank Sintra, The Rolling Stone, Queen, Otis Redding, Nirvana, The Knack, Elton John, The Doors, The Clash and so many more. That’s all she knew and all she wanted was to find a way to have that without having to know how to play the instruments, knowing how to sing. She simply just wants to go wherever the music takes her. 

She finally drags herself out of bed and starts putting on her sneaker and throwing on an oversized hoodie. She swaps her earbuds to her airpods and off to walk her dog. 

She walks down the stairs heavily which alerts her mother, and before she gets to the last step her mother hands her Cosmo’s leash. 

“Ugh. Couldn't you do - sorry mom.” She reaches for the leash that’s in her mom’s hand. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, darling.” She says giving her daughter a peck on her left cheek. 

Y/N bends over to put the leash on Cosmo’s neck, which Cosmo gives her a lick on her face. Y/N loves this dog of hers. He provides her safety and security, which she needs because let’s just say she has a breakdown every couple of days. 

Y/N stands back up and gives Cosmo a nice tug so he knows he’s ready for his next adventure. By adventure it means walking around the block she’s been doing for the past three years since Y/N got him. 

It’s around 3 o’clock which means the summer heat is hitting hard right about now. But it’s too hot to harm Cosmo in any way. Cosmo is the love of Y/N life. 

Cosmo and Y/N went on their typical route which they go past their new neighbor's house. Y/N realizes the new neighbor door is a jar, and she can smell bacon, which isn’t good for Cosmo because he’ll tend to escape and run towards the delicious smell he knows so much about. To Y/N not so surprise Cosmo started tugging on his leash that has Y/N being yanked and pulled. 

“Cosmo. Stop it right now!” Y/N shouts to Cosmo which she knows that wouldn’t help a damn thing. When he has something in mind there’s no stopping him. Cosmo has to be on something because it’s like he’s on some x game mode. Y/N starts tripping on her own feet and losing her own balance. 

They were running in the middle of streets when they received some honks and screams at fellow drivers on the road. Which Y/N give them a nice finger and simple “fuck off.” Y/N let’s go Cosmo leash because she isn’t in the mood to eat shit, so when she felt safe nothing could happen to Cosmo she let him go.

Cosmo went straight towards the slight jar front door, which I had to pick up my steps. Before Y/N could even be on the same street as the house, the new neighbor came out his house, holding Cosmo’s leash quite aggressively which had Y/N switch her mode to attack mode. 

“Hey, what the fuck? you didn’t have to pull him like that?” Y/N says aggressively while walking towards the house, when she gets in a hand reach, she pulls the leash so the neighbor doesn’t have his grubby hand on the leash. 

Oh you want to know Y/N neighbor? It happily to be Harry Styles. Forgot to include that in, sorry. 

“Are you getting mad at me? your dog happened to be in my house without any guardian. Your dog jumped on my couch, which I’m not too fond of. So anyone here who should be a little bit bitchy, it should be me.” Harry says hostile. He’s wearing a wife beater shirt that has his arms tattoos on display. For his lower part he’s wearing a nice black booty short which shows off that magnificent tiger tattoo. “Are you just going to stand there?” He snaps back. 

Y/N brought her eyes back to him which Y/N doesn’t approve of his tone. Y/N scuffs and rolls her eyes to the back of her head. “Sorry for your inconvenience. Enjoy the rest of your day.” Y/N plants a fake smile on her face. “C’mon Cosmo, let’s go, but this time I'm walking you.“ Y/N whispers to Cosmo while turning around to continue their walk with a small intermission they encountered. After a couple of steps Y/N turned her head around and when she did Harry was still standing there with annoyance on his face, which Y/N turned her head back around. 

“He’s going to be fun.” 

***

It took Y/N twenty minutes to walk her dog today. She wanted Cosmo to enjoy himself which he did because he saw a lot of squirrels today, and on top of that she didn’t want to ‘run’ into Harry again. Y/N should be excited to have a big celebrity living among them, and hopefully she could get reinspired about her future, but unfortunately that isn’t the case. Probably Harry is just having a bad day, and last year and the beginning of this year he had a lot of things going on. He’s officially a grammy winner, he filmed two movies, his latest album Fine Line has been doing phenomenally well, he was the first male to have appeared solo on Vogue magazine,  he was announced Hitmaker of the year, and so many more. So maybe he just needed to get his energy back, which Y/N understood. But man, it really had to be their first impression. 

When Y/N and Cosmo took a turn to walk to their front door, Y/N couldn’t help but to look across the street to see if Harry was there or not. Surprisingly he was, and he’s looking right at her. Y/N looked at his lips while he blew out a smoke. Fuck, he smokes?! 

Y/N doesn’t understand why he’s looking at her, but she doesn’t give a shit because the way he’s looking at her was his way of trying to figure her out. Whatever that fucking means. 

She broke eye contact and flipped her head around to her front door. She starts digging her hand in her pocket to fetch her keys out. Cosmo starts barking because the keys jiggles so he thought it was a new toy. “Oh you hash it.” She got the keys and shove it in the lock. Thank god, her mother didn’t lock the top of the door. 

The door finally releases and Cosmo immediately runs through, probably heading to his water bowl. “Thanks sweetie for walking Cosmo for me.” Y/N hears her mom in the kitchen probably smothering Cosmo. “Yep. I would say anytime, but I would be lying.” She says while walking up the stairs to head to her room. “Fuck off.” Her mother giggles. “I love you too.” That was the last thing Y/N said before she shut her door.

Y/N takes off her beat up vans and soon after plops on her unmade bed. Y/N stared at the few holes on the ceiling due to having a young Leonardo DiCaprio poster on her ceiling when she was younger. Young Leo hits different. 

Y/N couldn’t help it, but her brain went back to her small and rough interaction with Harry. She wished she met him on a  better note, but fuck it. But how could she move on from him? She’s a fan of his music and his viewpoint on the world. He’s a man of few word, but when he does talk, it’s fucking loud and impactful. He’s the main reason she took a few steps back off of social media. She’s barely on it, but when she does go on it, she isn’t on there for long like she used to. 

An hour went by and her mother started knocking on her door and then she came in. “You know mother, the purpose of knocking is to see if you're welcome to enter the space.” Y/N says nonchalantly sitting up to see her mother, but at the same time trying to hold in her laugh. 

“Well, if you want to contribute to paying the bills, I’ll happily reconsider waiting to be called on.” Her mother threw back. “Nope. You’re good.” Y/N says shaking her head. 

“Mmmmhh. Well, I’m going to hang out with the girls from work. Do you want me to make you something before I go?” That’s one thing Y/N loves about her mother, she is so selfless and she always makes sure I’m good before she wants to do something for herself. 

“I’m good. Enjoy your night.” Y/N gave her mom a smile to know she’ll be alright. “If you’re sure, then I’m off,” Her mom says all happily. “If you need anything just text me. Okay?” 

“Okay,” Y/N got up to give her mom a nice, strong hug. “love you.” Y/N whispers. “Love you more beautiful.” We pull back and she’s off to the race. 

Y/N walks to her window to pull the blind. She sometimes likes looking out her window and just stares off into space. Something about watching people live their life comforts her. She loves people watching. 

Y/N found herself mumbling some words, while people watching, but she couldn’t help but stop her little rampage. Y/N feels heavy and she’s unable to even grasp the concept, so when she starts feeling that way she tends to start saying random things. It could be something she could use in the future. To make sure she doesn’t forget she whip out her phone to go to the notes app where she has a folder filled with random words and sentences. There are things in there that could potentially be useful like, “More or less a painful experience. Only ever real if you're delirious. the summer before you,” “I think you're gonna be my biggest fan.” So on and so forth. That’s what the folder is filled with fragments and potentially some song lyrics. 

Y/N tossed her phone to her bed, and left her phone to bother Cosmo downstairs. Y/N loves that sucker. Before Y/N could even smother him with love, he’s currently sleeping on his bed in the corner of the living room. 

Fucking great. 

Y/N just wanted something to do, and her damn dog couldn’t give her that. She looks at the clock on the wall in the living room and it’s currently 6 almost to be seven. Y/N could go upstairs and ask one of her friends to hangout, but she doesn’t want that. The best alternative could be taking a walk and seeing where her feet take her. She likes that option better, so she quietly went upstairs so she doesn’t wake up Cosmo.

Y/N changes her attire to ripped oversized mom jeans, an oversized graphic tee she bought on Depop and once again her infamous black and white vans. She grabs her airpods, and her keys. She’s finally ready for the evening. 

Y/N went back downstairs to check on Cosmo and make sure he has food and water ready for him just in case he wakes up while she’s still gone. When she felt everything was in order she ended straight to the door. 

The weather feels astronomically better than before which had Y/N feel much better with her decision. Y/N isn’t sure if she should take the right or left. If she decides on taking a right she’ll pass Harry’s house, but if she does decide to take a left she wouldn’t. Y/N starts going back and forth, but she decides on going left. 

There was a nice breeze in the summer air, and she’s listening to “I’m a Slave 4 U” by the one and only Britney fucking Spears. “What's practical is logical. What the hell who cares. All I know is I'm so happy. When you're dancing there. I'm a slave 4 U.” Y/N finds herself singing to herself. She’s been walking around aimlessly and rocking out to her songs for about thirty minutes. She’s aware she’s probably creating attention to herself, but she couldn’t find herself to care. Y/N is enjoying herself. 

“I’m a SLAVE FOR YOU!” Y/N shouts out with her eyes pinch shut, when she finally opens them she finds herself in front of Harry’s house. The worst part wasn't that she was walking in a circle. It wasn’t that she belted out to her songs. It wasn’t she was flinging her body around like she was the balloon thingy at the cars dealership shop. Nope. None of those. 

The worst fucking part is, Harry Fucking Styles is currently outside watching her. Fucking watching her. Once again fucking smoking. Again.

[reinersbb]

𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓 [𝐉𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 / 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐀𝐔] Chapter One- Pumpkin Spice

DISCLAIMER: I do not own AOT/SNK or the characters.

WARNING 18+: Heavy Sexual Themes/SMUT, Alcohol Consumption, Drug Usage, Profanity, Violence, and Some Uncomfortable Themes.

Click away now if you’re uncomfortable with anything listed above.

The fresh mid-October air plunged into your lungs after inhaling deeply through your nostrils as soon as you broke through the doors belonging to the lecture hall. Though the temperature outside was brisk, the sun was still shining above brightly. The white blotchy clouds were condensed together almost like puzzle pieces that were yet to fit together.

You were grateful for perfect weather on a day like this, and couldn't help but smile to yourself out of pure bliss. Because in all honesty, being stuck inside of lectures for the majority of the day wasn't ideal, but you sure were paying good money for it.

Pinching at the thin cotton material of your jacket, you pulled the fabric closer against your body when a gust of wind whipped past you. Maybe you should've thrown on a thicker jacket, but it's not like you took the initiative to check the weather for the day ahead when your attention was focused on making it out of your dorm room before being late for your eight am. Stopping at a large water fountain that was positioned perfectly center in the intersection of two walkways, you took a slight step with your left foot to turn and look around at all of the people floating about. Awkwardly searching for a particular face in the crowd as the sound of water gently overlapping played in your ears from the old fountain. Today, you had plans to hang out with your boyfriend, the plan was to meet up with him at this exact location. 'Maybe he's running late...' When another two minutes passed of you keeping an eye out for his familiar face, and there was still no sight of your boyfriend, you pulled out your phone to see if he'd sent you a text of his whereabouts or any piece of information. A clear notification screen surprised you, maybe even worried you just the slightest bit, but you shoved that hollow feeling down deep inside of you to tried to ignore it. 'Okay, maybe I should just text him.' Today 15:04 Where are you?✓ Your message had been sent, all you had to do now was play the very annoying waiting game. 'He wouldn't just ghost you for no reason without an explanation.' You tried reasoning with yourself. Your eyes tore away from your phone screen, deciding it was better to distract yourself with something instead of aimlessly waiting around for who knows how long. With only one glance around the perimeter, you elected that a nearby coffee cart parked further down away would be your means of distraction. What's a better distraction than caffeine? As you closed in on the dark oak wooden coffee cart, you couldn't help but notice a familiar face standing behind the cash register. The young man stood slumped over, a disengaged expression on his face, almost as if he were frowning. You lifted a brow quizically, taking the last few steps of your stride towards the cart. The man with blond hair and prominent sideburns perked up behind the register as you stood adjacent to him, "(L/N), is that you?" "Yeah, hey, Thomas! I didn't know you worked here. It's been a while since we've last spoke, how have you been?" You smiled, reminiscing in the few friendly memories you shared together. Thomas was in your German class at the beginning of the semester until you decided to drop the class and swap your minor out for French instead. There hasn't been much or any conversation between the two of you since then. "I just started two weeks ago, and about that..." the slight smile he'd managed to put on his face when you originally approached the cart faded away momentarily, "not so good actually," his cheeks flushed out of embarrassment and his smile kept wavering. "What happened? Are you okay?" You asked, genuinely concerned about your friends' feelings. "My girlfriend broke up with me yesterday," he admitted with a sigh. "Mina?" You asked and Thomas nodded, "that must suck, weren't you and her together for a while?" You could remember the few mentions of his ex-girlfriend in some of the conversations you had together before. "Since junior year of high school, she was my first girlfriend," his light brown eyes fell to the counter. "It was so... all of a sudden. She didn't even tell me why, but, in all honesty, I think it was for another guy," his fingertips tapped away at the counter anxiously. Hearing Thomas tell you about the recent breakup with his ex made your stomach twist and turn into knots for some unknown reason. There was suddenly a burning temptation to check your phone, but you refrained from doing so. "I'm sorry to hear that, and I wish there was something I could say to make you magically feel better," you shot him a sympathetic smile when he finally lifted his eyes to look up at you. "You know, I kind of feel a little bit better talking to you about it," Thomas admitted with a meek chuckle. "Anyways," he flicked the brim of his visor, "enough about me, is there anything I could get you?" He suggested to the menu of drinks. "Surprise me?" A small grin pulled at his lips, "on it." You couldn't help but notice how Thomas's emotions seemed to have pulled a full one-eighty compared to when you saw him standing idle behind the counter just a few minutes ago. "Here you go, one large pumpkin spice latte from our seasonal menu," Thomas reached over the counter, handing you a rather large paper cup, "careful, (L/N), it's hot." You accepted the latte with slight hesitation, "thanks, how much do I owe you?" You were struggling to reach your wallet inside of your purse when Thomas said, "don't worry about it, the drink is on me." "Are you sure? Because I can-" "Think of it as thanks for talking to me," Thomas showed a genuine smile while plucking a napkin from a dispenser to give to you, "just in case you need one of these." "Fine, but I'm paying for my next drink," you said, but still feeling reluctant to just walk away without paying for the drink. Quickly, you reached into your purse, feeling around for any loose money lying about. After a few seconds, you swiftly inserted a few crumpled bills and loose change into the nearly empty tip jar without even examining the tip amount. Thomas laughed after watching your efforts, "see you around, (L/N)." "Bye! Thanks again, Thomas," you sipped on your hot beverage as you steadily walked away from the coffee cart. When you passed by someone looking down at their phone, it reminded you to check yours to see if there was any response from your significant other. To no avail, there were no new messages on your lock screen, only a single notification that alerted you of a spam email message. You tabbed into your text messages once again because the curiosity gnawed away at your insides. Today 15:02 Where are you?✓✓ Immediately you felt your heart sink through your chest as you noticed that he'd definitely read your message. The same annoying worrisome thoughts intruded your mind once again, and this time it was difficult clearing them from your headspace. Today 15:09 Floch?✓ Unfortunately, the smile you had plastered on your face quickly faded away. You groaned under your breath, casually placing the hot beverage just at your lips, the scent of various warm spices tickled your nose as you precariously watched the chat bubbles appear then disappear, and reappear once again. The hot liquid almost scorched your mouth as you anxiously drew in a sip, and then another, all while waiting for his response. A sense of bile rose through your throat as the chat bubble disappeared and finally a response from Floch appeared. You read the message over and over again, trying to decipher if there was some hidden intent behind it. Floch❤️: I'm at your dorm building The page stilled for a moment when the second message of his came through. Floch ❤️: We need to talk 'We need to talk... that could only mean one thing.' In a complete utter panic, and with every intent on running to your dorm room, you forced your phone into the depths of your pocket. You carelessly cut a sharp right, the thoughts in your head running rampant as you headed for your dorm to see what it was exactly your boyfriend wanted to talk about. Your mistake was forgetting to double-check for any people around you before taking off into a sprint. Because now you came into contact with what felt like a slab of concrete in a head-on collision. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The fresh latte flew from your grasp and tumbled onto the sidewalk, splashing you with its scorching hot liquid mid-process. Your purse fell from off of your arm as you landed flat on your back in front of everyone, and your victim had fallen to the ground with you- wait- on top of you? "I'm so fucking sorry," you hissed at the burning sensation from the drink, but also at the pain you felt from falling onto your back, the contents of your backpack digging into you. Hovering above you was a man dressed in a heather grey tracksuit. In one ear was an earbud, while the other earbud was detached and dangling in your face from the neck slit of his hoodie. A few pieces of his hair fell over his forehead and the sides of his face. You swore you could hear the faintest music pumping through his earbuds. You blinked a few times, unsure if you were seeing things clearly as he pushed himself off of you and held out a hand for you to take. Without another word, or any hesitation whatsoever, you placed your hand into his and he firmly clasped it, pulling you up onto the solid ground. The two of you bumped into each other but you promptly took a step back after you found your equilibrium. "I hope I didn't crush you, are you alright?" "Huh?" your eyelashes fluttered together rapidly, snapping yourself out of the weird trance you were in. The unnamed man chuckled dryly, "are you okay? That was quite a nasty fall. I hope I didn't break you or anything," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice, but overall it seemed that he was genuinely concerned about your well-being. "Oh, yeah, I'll be okay," you said, taking a look at your ruined jacket and shirt that was damp and beginning to grow cold from the latte, "shit." His intense light brown eyes stared down past your feet, examining the spoilt cup of coffee and the rest of the scene itself. "Here," he scooped up your purse from off of the ground for you. You awkwardly accepted your purse from the man and readjusted both straps of your backpack on your shoulders. As he stood in front of you, you couldn't help but stare at him, fully taking in his features. He was tall. Much taller than your boyfriend. His long jaw was sharp and perfectly lined with facial hair. His hair was long and a nice shade of light ash-brown and seemed to be shaved on the sides like an undercut. But, it was hard to tell since locks and strands of his hair were sporadic from the fall. Some pieces of his hair were stuck to his forehead from a thin layer of sweat. It was now that you realized how his chest was rising and falling rather rapidly with quick heavy breaths. It seemed that he'd been on a jog before you came crashing into him, at least it would explain the outfit. "Again, I'm sorry for running into you like a crazy person," you breathed out an anxious breath, "but I have to get going now, I have somewhere to be." You snatched the littered coffee cup from off of the ground and shoved it into the nearest wastebasket as you cleared the scene. You could've sworn that you heard the man calling out to you, but you refused to turn around, leaving him in the same exact spot of the incident. All you wanted to do was get to your dorm, talk to your boyfriend, and change clothes. **************** "Hey babe," you said uneasily as you saw Floch standing outside of your dorm. Floch had his back pressed against the door, his eyes glued to his phone, and his face was expressionless as the blue light fanned over his skin. When he heard your voice, he slowly tucked his phone away into his front pants pocket. Forwarding his attention to you, you opened your arms widely to greet him with a hug, but at the last second, you decided against it due to your damp top. "What the hell happened to you? You look like shit," he said with a slight chuckle as he examined your appearance. His words stung a great amount, causing you to bite at the inside of your lip, but you ignored him. "I fell on my way over here, my latte spilled on me in the process," you groaned, remembering the incident that happened not even ten minutes ago. "Do you want to come inside and talk while I change out of this mess?" You asked, heading for the door with your key. "No, I wanted to make this quick actually," he exhaled uneasily. "Okay," you wrapped your arms around your chest, holding onto yourself tightly. Your pulse quickened at the suspense, and the air around you could be cut with a knife while you waited for him to speak. It felt like an eternity had passed until those dreadful words left his lips. "There's no easy way for me to say this, so I'm just going to come right off the bat by saying that I think we should break up and see other people." Those dreadful words felt like the ripping of a bandaid, that or a complete slap to the face. The horrible predictions you tried to ignore happened to be true. Oh, how you wished you were wrong. You stared at him like a deer caught in headlights, trying to make sure that you heard him correctly. "Wha.. what?" you croaked, your mouth was dry. The silence was deafening, and the ringing sensation buzzed your ears. You watched as Floch's mouth moved, but no words could be heard over the persistent ringing in your ears. Floch gracelessly went for a hug, and even though you wanted to hug him- cling onto him and try to talk things out, he'd already let go of you. The bitter scent of citrus, the smell of him, plagued you and almost brought you to your knees with a wave of emotions following along with it. "I'm sorry," you were finally able to hear him once again. "Floch... can't we just step inside my room and talk things over?" You didn't want to sound like you were begging for him to stay, but you didn't just want to break up as if your relationship meant nothing either. "Are you sure about this?" You and Floch had been dating for not as long as Thomas and Mina were dating, but you two were going to be going on three months whenever the next month arrived. The two of you met on your first day at university, somehow he charmed you in a dorkish-way and the rest was history. And all this time you were thinking that you were in love with him. "(Y/N), it's been fun, but I think we'd just be better off going separate ways," Floch took two steps back as he stared at you, but your eyes weren't on him, but rather at his feet. "Again, I'm sorry for this." The sounds of footsteps grew distant until there was no more sound left, as your eyes stayed nailed to the spot where he once stood. He was gone. For good. You blinked an infrequent amount of times, only being pulled out of your hypnotic state when the sound of people walking down the hall caught your attention. As soon as you looked up to examine the hall, you made contact with some girl who was blatantly staring at you. Ignoring the unknown girl, you turned to your door and fumbled with the lock and key for more than a handful of tries. But eventually, you pushed through the oak door with a breeze you closed it behind you. As soon as you were alone in the dimly lit room is when a wave of emotions overcame you and the tears began rolling uncontrollably.

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

okay so yk how everyone’s always saying cal is the most thoughtful in the band and he went around delivering care packages to his friends🥺🥺 imagine fwb!cal or even just secretly in love best friend!cal delivering one to you during quarantine filled with all your fav goodies and you didn’t even know he payed that much attention. i’d cry

The sound of laughter fills your house and it only invades your awareness when you pop the earbuds out from your ears. You know it’s the TV from the living room playing some movie that your roommates wanted to watch. It’s only three of you in the apartment and thankfully, most of the time everyone is hunkered down in their respective rooms. 

And it’s nice to have the space away. The three of you don’t really step on each other’s toes except when it comes to cooking. Most of the time two of you meet and laugh at dancing around each other, but it all works out. Sharing small ingredients and asking each other to grab the butter or eggs from the fridge. Every so often the three of you put together a movie night. 

You opted not to join tonight. The last few days you haven’t been sleeping well, so you buried yourself under your sheets in the hope that sleep would find you early tonight. It hadn’t. And maybe it’s because a certain man kept wondering through your head. You hadn’t been able to really see Calum since the lockdowns occurred. It was for the best of course. The two of you had moved from friends into this space above friends and below a full blown relationship. You had slept together a handful of times since the year prior and you thought it might’ve been going somewhere but lockdown put that to a screeching halt. 

Yet, it didn’t feel like a full stop. You and Calum managed to FaceTime, finding time now even though working and studying from home made you feel like you were working twice as much. But Calum was good at sending you small text reminders, to eat lunch and dinner. To shower and get to bed at reasonable time. He even sent pictures of Duke, sometimes a video. He always teased thought that Duke wasn’t pulling his weight and you were always quick to jump to Duke’s defense. 

Occasionally, you coordinated grocery trips with Calum. You’d go to the local store between the two of you and sit in your cars to talk, masked before doing your respective shopping. You’d text him about a deal on the bread he likes and you’d hear the rattle of a cart before Calum would appear rounding the corner of the aisle. And you’d be careful to give him space as you passed but never failing to say, “You’re welcome,” as you passed. 

Calum always laughed, the crinkles around his eyes giving away the smile that the mask covered. “Thanks. I owe you next time.”

“Just send me more videos of the old man! Hearing from you and seeing him make it well worth it to scour all the good deals in the store.”

You hadn’t seen him in a couple weeks. Things were somehow getting better but not and you had to take a quick trip back to your hometown. Since returning you had to catch up on some things and it pushed back your trips to the grocery store and your ability to see Calum even if it was from a distance. 

However, as you pad across your living room, ducking and whispering an apology to your roomates for walking in front of the screen, you do as the text message tells you from Calum. Check your door. Left something for you. 

You’re not sure what could be at your door. But you don’t dare question the instruction and when you crack open the door you spy a basket. It’s tucked into a box, and you can see why--some snacks and boxes of tea seem to be spilling over the edge of the basket. Carefully you pick the box up and look to see if you can see Calum. But he’s no where in sight. There’s no sound--no shoes squeaking on the stairs or the door to your building closing. Just a box at your front door. 

Using your butt/hips, you push the door back open and twist to turn back inside. As you can see a piece of paper sitting on top and you watch it slip further into the box, falling between a box of sleepytime tea and a box of your favorite breakfast bars. You lock the door and carry it to the kitchen table. 

I know it’s been rough. But here are some things that might help you out. We can meet next week for shopping. I’ll even bring the old man. Take care of yourself out here in these times. You can always give me a ring. 

-Calum x

Snacks, tea, small trinkets--one’s a small roll of various dogs as snickers-- a candle, some bath salts. Another note is tapped to it. I’m not sure about these. But Mali recommended them. I hope they’re okay--nothing you’re like allergic too. If so, give me a shout and I’ll swap it out for something. 

The phone rings for a couple seconds before you can hear it connecting. “Why? Why all this?” you ask. 

“Just ‘cuz,” Calum replies. “Is it all okay?”

“It’s,” you laugh for a moment lacking any words. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Calum.”

“Of course.”

“But I have no idea how I’m going to repay you for all this.”

“No, no need. Just wanted to.”

You hum. “Still--it’s very thoughtful and sweet. And I can’t--I gotta do something. I’ll walk Duke for you?” Calum laughs, but doesn’t say much. “Trim your hedges?”

“I don’t even do that. There’s no way I can have you do it. Thought I’m sure it would be a sight to see.”

You can hear the playful tease in his tone and roll your eyes. “Shouldn’t have suggested that at all. But thank you, Calum. Really I mean it.”

“Don’t sweat it.” As the phone call ends, you’re staring at the box and know that you’re going to do something in return. And it’s nice, to be listened too and heard thoroughly. 

Making a cup of tea, after putting all your goodies up, you place the mug next to the new candle--a flame attempts to lick the air above, and flickers before settling down and holding a steady hue. The picture is snapped and you send a text along with it, Let’s see if Dr. Hood’s combo is a winner. Thanks again. 

You’re welcome. 

[oneoftheextras]

Caged

Alpha!Villain!All Might x Omega!Reader

masterlist | tip jar

prompt: Villian/Alpha All Might/Toshinori. Maybe Toshinori is 'friends' with an omega barista and one night he torments her as All Might and in her panic it sends her into a heat and she runs to Toshi's home where he gets to reap the rewards ;)

warnings: A/B/O dynamics if that’s a warning. Definite Con/Non-Con (it’s definitely very forceful) Also Smut, lots of smut. It is a long boy too so buckle up.

Part 1 | Part 2 |

This shift was dragging. The smell of coffee was stuck inside your nose and wasn’t leaving any time soon. Why on earth they decided to open your small cafe up for 24 hours a day, was beyond you. 

It was probably because this was the most popular coffee house in the city, and there was  a need for coffee at all hours of the day now.

You were sipping on your 2nd coffee of the shift, and it was only 11:17pm, you’d somehow been talked into covering your friend’s night shift.

Normally there was a work policy in place that Omegas were not allowed to work past 9pm close to their heat. There were too many instances of the wrong type of Alpha strolling in and causing issues for the Omegas.

Luckily, you had a week until yours so you didn’t mind covering. It wasn’t like you were one of those soft and vulnerable Omegas that rolled over for any Alpha that barked at you, you actually liked telling them where to stick it if they tried anything.

You’d remembered once, a group of Alpha villains had tried to rob the place once but you and a few of the Beta baristas had managed to hold them off until the heroes came.

Tonight was a quiet night, your shift was nearly over and you could tuck yourself away and enjoy your week off.

Ding you heard the bell of the door sound. Standing up from your crouching position, you were previously storing an order of coffee beans into the cupboards, you greeted the customer.

“Oh hey” you smiled, “Hey” he smiled back. One of your regulars, he would come in later on in the day, every day, and order the same coffee. “Americano, two sugars?” You asked and he nodded.

You’d always presumed that he must work night shifts somewhere, the huge dark circles under his eyes and his lanky body gave that away,

“Coming right up” you smiled again and went over to the coffee station. “Busy night?” He asked, he was often chatty with you if no one else was around. “Not really, everything’s been really quiet ever since that big guy stopped attacking people” you replied.

“Big guy?” He questioned, he never really spoke to you in long sentences but more liked to listen to you talk. “Yeah, you know the one, the huge guy - about 7 foot guy with the muscles” you gestured to your arms and flexed over dramatically.

The guy chuckled slightly at your imitation “I can’t say I’ve heard of him” he added, “How have you not?!” You exclaimed, placing a cup under the portafilter and waited for the hot water to flow through the ground beans.

“He’s that big scary villain that robbed the bank on 2nd all by himself” you explained, but his expression was blank, “He also levelled two skyscrapers last week just by clapping” you continued.

“Doesn’t ring any bells” he said leaning onto the counter and resting his head in the palm of his hand. You were shocked, how could he not know of this guy.

“Anyway, he’s super scary” you laughed, watching the coffee run into the cup. “What are you doing up getting coffee so late?” You asked, trying to change the subject.

He lifted his head out of his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, “I’ve just got some business to attend to” he nervously chuckled.

He had lifted his hand so quickly that he wafted a breeze of air towards you, he was an Alpha. You’d never noticed it before, but the strong smell of oak wood and caramel hit you like a truck.

Finally you could smell something other than coffee beans.

Hesitantly, you put his cup onto a saucer and brought it over to him. He had already put the exact amount of money down on the counter for you.

“What about you?” He returned the question, you glanced up from the coffee and up to his face, you could see that his eyes were a bright sky blue. “Oh, um” you stammered, picking up the money and putting it into the till, “Just going to relax at home after my shift” you said.

He nodded, smiled and said “Thank you” before shuffling over to a table by the window. You crouched back down and continued storing the bags of beans, wiping a bead of sweat off of your forehead.

Watching the digital clock on the register hit 00:00 meant that you were allowed to leave, “See you guys next week” you shouted into the back room as you swapped your apron for your jacket.

Finally you could finish that Netflix series you were engrossed in.

You took a right as soon as the coffee shop door closed behind you, pushing your earbuds into your ears and pressing play on your music, you began the tedious walk home.

It was a nice clear night, there was literally no one else but yourself along the streets so you could enjoy the stars. You were just about to get to the good bit of your favourite song as you noticed some inky black clouds filling the sky a few blocks away. 

Pulling your earbuds out you broke into a light jog to see what was going on, it may be some dumpster that some kids set alight. Or worse. As you turned the corner that the smoke was coming from your heart almost stopped, there was a group of villains laughing and loitering around a burning car. You could tell they were villains by the multiple piles of bodies around their feet - all heroes that had probably tried to stop them.

But that laugh.

You’d heard it only through news broadcasts and the radio, if you didn’t know what this man was capable of then it would have been a charming and heartwarming chuckle. But instead it made your blood turn cold.

You couldn’t move, so petrified with fear all you could do was stare ahead at the sight in front of you.

“Can you smell that?” you heard one of them say, all of their heads turning towards your direction. Shit. You hadn’t taken your suppressants today, you thought it would be okay, normally people couldn’t scent you so easily.

“Omega” one of them shouted, your knees felt weak but you turned back the way you came in an attempt to flee. Instantly you were dragged backwards by some sort of capture weapon, hitting the hard pavement with a thud.

Before you knew it you were tied up and at the feet of the six most menacing looking villains. “What should we do with her?” one of them said, their voice gruff and horse. “I have a few ideas” another voice said - all you could do was widen your eyes and shake your head.

“Enough!” he tallest one bellowed, as he turned around you were completely filled with fear, before he was crouching down so he seemed like he was the same size as the others. Now that he was in front of you, you could really see the pure size of him.

His entire body was muscular, even his fingers had muscles. 

“It’s you” you whispered, your breathing became erratic and you started to panic. “All Smite” he said, smiling down at you and holding out his hand out as though to shake your hand. Obviously you were bound very tightly by the other villain’s scarf so you couldn’t shake his hand. The villain then burst into laughter, throwing his head back.

He was toying with you.

“Let me go please” you begged, trying to stay strong and not cry out of fear. “You hear that boys?” All Smite asked his friends “She wants us to let her go” he let out a bellowing laugh again.

He came a lot closer to you this time, his friends coming up behind you and holding you in place so you couldn’t back away. He smelt very strongly of Alpha, which didn’t surprise you, but his scent was so strong; you’d only smelt that on Alpha’s that are in rut. And he very clearly wasn’t.

You could feel your skin starting heat up and your breathing become quick. He placed his huge hand under your chin, so gently that if your eyes were closed you wouldn’t have thought he was a villain. As soon as his skin came into contact with yours it felt like electricity flowing over your skin.

You let out a small whimper as the voltage hit your core and made you ache. You weren’t supposed to go into heat for another week, now was not the time for this to be happening.

“Boss she smells so good, can’t we just-” the villain holding you in place asked but was quickly stopped by All Smite’s hand being raised. You watched his nostrils flare, he was purposely smelling you too.

This was the exact reason why Omega’s weren’t supposed to work past 9pm.

Your heavy breathing wasn’t helping. Every time you breathed in all you could smell was him, and your Omega instincts were pushing you to get closer and fully inhale him.

“Let her go” he commanded the one holding you in restraints, you could feel the other villains stop for a second as though they were going to question their leader. You never took your eyes off of the huge man in front of you.

“Do it” he shouted, to which they all let go of you and stepped away. Once the restraints had fallen off of you you stumbled forward, trying to catch your breath, you peered up at him, waiting to see what he was going to do next. But he just inspected at you. 

When it was clear they weren’t going to attack you, you took your opportunity to run. You sprinted back the way you came and darted down the nearest side street and out of view. Hiding behind a dumpster, you tried to calm your breathing. 

In and out. In and out.

A giant surge of pain ripped through your entire body, you doubled over clutching your stomach, trying not to scream. You really needed to get home, you weren’t ready for your heat to start so early.

“There’s no point in hiding when your scent can lead me straight to you” you heard echo throughout the empty streets. You stiffened your body as soon as it hit your ears.

He was right, you needed to get off the streets.

Getting back up onto your feet, you continued to run until you found a seemingly abandoned house with an open, and slightly smashed, window. Peering through, there was definitely no one inside, taking a deep breath, you threw yourself through the opening and slid it shut, trying to make as little noise as possible. 

Thank god you were off the streets. That made you feel a little bit safer.

Your heart rate started to calm down, but the burning heat between your legs wasn’t going anywhere. Now that you had time to think, the tingling became more obvious.

Rummaging through your bag, you desperately tried to search for a bottle of suppressants or something that would help to calm your symptoms. You were fully aware that once in heat, there was nothing that could stop it, but you had to try something.

“Damn it!” you cursed, letting your bag drop to the floor, you hadn’t brought anything with you because you weren’t supposed to be going through this yet. “Stupid Omega body” you scorned yourself aloud.

“I don’t think it’s stupid” you heard from the corner of the room, immediately you stopped moving, trying to let your eyes adjust enough to see where the voice came from. 

You didn’t have to wait for long before you could make out the small, skinny figure sitting on a couch across the room from you, “I’m sorry, is this your house?” you stammered an apology, trying to grab a hold of your bag and get to your feet.

“It is” they replied, also standing and coming towards you. Your jaw almost fell open with relief, it was the regular from the coffee house, you would recognise him anywhere, “Oh thank god, it’s you” you breathed a sigh of relief.

“It is” he repeated, but something sounded different, he had a sly smirk on his face and his tone was darker than normal. He took a few steps towards you and you were immediately hit with his scent, oak wood and caramel. Alpha.

Your mind started to spin and you held back a grimace when another surge of electricity rocketed through you, you needed to leave, now - before you weren’t able to control yourself.

Nervous that he had noticed the change in your facial expression, you said “Again, I’m really sorry, I was running away from-” you cut yourself off, realising you were rambling away.

“I’m just going to go” you gestured behind you, you were about to turn towards the direction of the window you’d crawled through when you heard a loud sound, it was as though someone was letting air out of tyres. 

The room filled with a white steam, blocking your vision, it was only there for a few seconds but when it started to clear you couldn’t believe your eyes. Standing in front of you was a gigantic man, the man from before, the exact villain you were trying to escape from.

You swallowed a lump in your throat as you felt your skin warm up, your hands were trembling as well as your knees. As quickly as you could, you pivoted on your heels and lunged for the window, but a gust of wind later and you crashed into him, knocking you on your ass again.

“How...?” you questioned him, looking between where he was originally standing and the proud stance he had in front of your exit. How did he move so fast? 

Your breathing quickened again, feeling your heartbeat almost burst through your chest, but every inhale was pulling his scent into your being. Your brain was foggy, you couldn’t think straight, every thought was clouded by his smell.

Scrambling backwards as fast as you could, you backed yourself away from him, you would definitely have carpet burn on your hands tomorrow morning. If you even got to see tomorrow morning.

“I was willing to let you go” he finally said, dead bolting the window shut, “But that look of pure fear in your eyes” he pointed his thick finger at your face and let out a chuckle “And God, your scent! It just drove me crazy” he finished.

“Please All Smite-san, I-” you remembered his introduction from before and didn’t want to give him any excuse to hurt you, but vocal chords shook as you spoke. You couldn’t even finish your sentence before you started to get lightheaded, this was all too much.

“They say that the pleasure is in the chase, never in the capture” he started to walk back over to you, checking every window and door around him to make sure they were locked, “But I beg to differ” he smiled at you, glaring down at your small form below him.

“I barely even got to enjoy the chase, you so kindly invited yourself into my home after all” he grinned, he was so close to you. The proximity was killing you, it wasn’t just his scent, his entire persona was taking you over the edge - he was an extremely dangerous and powerful man, he could end your life with a literal snap of his fingers if he wanted to.

Your body started to betray you, everything was tingling, you crossed your legs in the most subtle way that you could, just to try and get some friction and make the need go away. He saw, he definitely saw.

He lowered himself into a crouch so he was eye level with you, you watched as he scanned your body very slowly. Shuffling backwards slightly, you felt your back hit the couch. It was only when he stood up again did you see the bulge in his pants - he was extremely calm for an Alpha that was alone with an Omega in heat.

It was now or never, you thought. The room was filling with his scent and every part of your body was screaming at you to submit to him, but you were better than to allow yourself to a villain. Shakily you stood tall, trying to match his intimidating stature, “It was nice to meet you, but I’ll be leaving now” you faked confidence and started to storm past him and towards the door.

“Omega!” he bellowed using his Alpha voice just as you had past him, your body made your feet stop. Hearing him stand directly behind you made every hair on the back of your body stand to attention, he was inches away from touching you and you needed it, any type of contact, you needed it. “Please Alpha, I need-” you begged but he interrupted you “A knot?” he answered for you, it wasn’t what you were going to say, but it was what your mind was screaming.

Your knees went weak at his voice, you heard the floorboards shift behind you and then you felt his abdominal muscles press against your back. Letting yourself lean into him, you whimpered as every part of you that was in contact with him tingled.

“Is that what you want Omega?” he addressed you, gently placing one of his enormous hands on your shoulder, you couldn’t help but nod. He didn’t keep his hand on your shoulder for long, he began to trace his fingers down your arm and across your stomach.

“Say it for me, tell me what you want” he commanded you, you bit your bottom lip trying to stop yourself, but you couldn’t, your body was full of aching and need “I want a knot” you just about managed to squeak out.

He lightly chuckled behind you as you felt the vibration from his chest against your back. You closed your eyes, allowing yourself to enjoy the feeling of his hands against you, but you gasped when you felt him take your breast in his hand and massage it.

“Who’s knot do you want, Omega?” he teased you, deciding not to fight anymore you whispered “Yours, Alpha”. A quiet growl sounded in his throat and it made the room start to spin.

Quickly, he used his other hand to lift you off of the ground and move you a few steps towards his kitchenette. He pinned you between himself and the counter while the hand that he’d used to move you was undoing your pants.

Everything was moving so fast, you hardly had any time to register what was going on, all your mind was focused on was the dull ache in your clit and the sting of him pinching your nipple through your shirt.

He pushed his knee in between your thighs which forced your legs to move apart and you to stumble, he brought his other hand up to stabilise you and hold you in place. You could feel the heat radiating from your underwear, you needed him to touch you.

Almost as though he had read your mind he playfully grazed his finger over your underwear, making you tingle even more. Rubbing little circles around your clit through the fabric, he chuckled at the way you whimpered and moaned against him.

His finger hooked itself under your panties and pushed them to the side, he continued to run his finger up and down your wet folds, dipping in teasingly every so often. 

“Please” you begged, you weren’t even sure if he heard you but you hopped he did. His finger disappeared from you as you felt his hand start to rub your lower back softly, “I’m going to warn you now” he said, feeling his hot breath against the back of your neck, “I will be rough, and it will probably hurt” you could tell he was grinning. He was just as sadistic and psychotic as the news articles had said.

“Don’t hurt me please” you begged him, but the desperation in your voice was quickly replaced with a moan when you felt something thick start to rub up and down your slit. “I’ll try, but no promises” he whispered in your ear as you felt the tip of him start to push into you.

It was absolutely huge, and not just in the traditional sense, you felt yourself stretch to try and fit him in and when you wouldn’t stretch anymore you felt it start to sting. You winced and whined at the pain - it was pleasurable but hurt. 

When he didn’t stop pushing inside of you, you flung your arm back against his chest to try and lift yourself up and give you more time to adjust but he grabbed your arm and pinned it to your back, pushing himself even harder.

You felt the rest of his head stuff itself inside your small entrance and squealed when the rest of him slid in so smoothly. Panting and sweating profusely, you involuntarily clenched around him with a moan.

Giving you little to no time to adjust to his size, he started to move in and out of you, never pulling his head out. To his credit, he started slowly and when your squeaks turned into moans he picked up his pace. 

With your free hand, you grasped at the sink, trying to hold onto anything that would ground you. If he thrust into you any harder you were sure you would go through the wall.

Surprisingly, he was moaning too. Every time he bottomed out it would send a wave of tingling pleasure throughout your body, alongside your moans you could hear his deep throaty grunts.

He moved on of his hands to be back on your shoulder, pulling you back onto his length as he thrusted into you.

Just as you thought you were about to cum, he stopped thrusting and dragged you away from counter. Instead he picked you up with your back still against his chest and one thigh in each of his hands.

He bounced you into the air and let gravity slide you back down onto his dick, stretching you even more and filling you entirely. Completely helpless, you grabbed his forearms to try and steady yourself but his overwhelming strength was no match for you.

He could throw you around as much as he liked.

You tightened your grip around his length as you felt the tight coil inside you start to tighten and tighten until you couldn’t take it anymore. Screaming a stream of cuss words, you came around him.

Clamping his hand around your mouth and only holding you with one hand, your cries became muffled, but your body shook violently.

You could feel him start to pulse inside you and his knot straining for entry “I’m going to cum inside you Omega” he told you, his voice commanding.

Attempting to shake your head and whimper a ‘no’ you felt his knot push into you - the sensation hurt but after taking his head earlier it wasn’t as bad. The tight muscle rubbed your insides harshly as his thrusts became faster and less relenting.

His rough fingers pressed into your cheeks as his grip on your mouth got stronger. You were starting to see stars when he pulled you down onto him and held you in place - you felt his seed fire into you and fill you entirely.

Even you had to admit the feeling of bliss was like nothing you’d experienced before. Dizziness overtook you and your limbs went numb.

His chest was heaving up and down with his heavy breathing as he walked over to his couch and laid himself down with you on top of him, his knot never allowing him to pull out of you.

For now your heat was satisfied, but you didn’t know how much of him you could take. You couldn’t help but feel empty and sad that he hadn’t claimed you.

“You took me very well” he praised you, gently massaging your thighs and stomach, “But I’m not done with you” he grinned.

[stxrrywildflower]

pride and joy

pairing - bau team x teen!reader

summary - you feel neglected after rossi reconnects with joy

warnings - none

word count - ?

you had to find out from morgan of all people what was going on with your dad.

like most days, you had headed right to the fbi building directly after school. whenever the team didn’t have a case, you just met rossi at quantico and stayed until he headed home. sure there were days where you went home instead but you loved being around the bau team, especially because they were more then happy to joke around and even help with homework.

today was no different. rossi had given you your own personal visitors pass awhile back. after flashing that to the security guard with a smile, you were let in and headed over to the elevators.

spencer and emily were the ones to greet you when you stepped out into the sixth floor. “oh hi!” you greeted, not expecting to see them out of the bullpen. “hey y/n, we have to head down to the police station to pick up the usual batch of reports. everyone else should be inside,” emily explained.

with one final wave to the two agents, you pushed open the glass doors and stepped in. just like emily and spencer had said, almost everyone else was in the bullpen. j.j. and derek were talking at their desks while hotch was up in his office. the only issue was that your dads office was completely empty.

derek smiled when he noticed your noticed your presence and motioned for you to join them. you grabbed a chair from one of the desks and pulled it up so you could sit. “little rossi! how was school?” derek questioned. you laughed slightly at the nickname. “eh it was okay. i’m just happy summer vacation is soon,” you started, “hey where’s my dad?”

“i’m not one hundred percent sure but i think he’s out for a late lunch with joy,” derek replied, looking towards j.j. for confirmation.

“yeah he’s with joy,” j.j. piped up from her desk.

you spun around, extremely confused at that statement. “who’s joy?” you asked.

both j.j. and derek’s heads snapped up at your question. you could tell a silent conversation was going on between the two as you just continued to look back and forth. “you don’t know?” j.j. finally said. “know what? you’re kinda scaring me,” you spoke shakily.

derek motioned for you to follow him. you left your backpack by his desk and walked up to the conference room. j.j. was right behind you though she stopped in to talk to hotch. finally, once she returned, the two stood in front of you while jumped up and sat on the table. “can you please just explain what’s going on?” you pleaded.

“my dad has another kid?” you spoke up after j.j. and derek has explained, “i have a sister.” the combination of desperation and slight anger in your voice made both of the profilers shoot you sympathetic looks. “look y/n, this whole thing has been a shock to him and he’s just trying to reconnect with her. but trust me on this, he loves you all the same,” derek reasoned.

you really didn’t know how to describe how you felt. the only emotion you could feel was betrayal. your dad had been gone recently, not to work late but to go reunite with his secret daughter he couldn’t even tell you about.

“i’m going to head home. dad isn’t here anyway so i don’t want to bother you,” you mumbled, getting off of the table. j.j. and derek looked at each other once more. they knew it must have been like a bomb of information being dropped on you. “i’ll lead you out,” j.j. offered. derek shot you one more smile as you exited the conference room and headed down the catwalk.

you didn’t get to confront your dad for two or so days. in that time, you did everything you could to attempt to distance yourself in such a short period of time. you didn’t go to the bureau after school but instead headed home to do homework. dinner was easily avoided as you had lied and said you had studying or didn’t feel great.

except, tonight you were set to watch henry while j.j. and will went out for a friday night dinner. you could avoid your dad as he was cooking on the stove and you needed to go through the kitchen to leave the house. sure, you could do continue pushing the confrontation off but if you did it tonight, you could leave and further distance yourself. after choosing the later option, you grabbed your bag and headed downstairs. once in the kitchen, you drummed your fingers against your thigh, waiting for the right moment to say something.

“why didn’t you tell me about joy?”

the question made rossi stop cooking for a split second before turning to face you. “what?” your dad asked. you knew he had heard exactly what you said.

“i went to the bau a couple days ago and you weren’t there. so i talked to morgan and j.j. and they told me you were out with someone named joy. well of course i asked who joy was and,” you trailed off at the end.

“look y/n,” rossi started. you cut him off, “all you had to do was sit down with me and explained the situation. but instead, i had to find out from one of your work friends that i have a sister. how do you think i feel?”

“figlia i’m sorry. i wanted to get to know joy before actually introduced you,” rossi attempted to reason.

“whatever, i have to go to j.j.’s anyway. her and will asked me to babysit henry tonight,” you sighed.

“you didn’t tell me that,” rossi commented.

“man i wonder what that’s like rossi?” you fired back. after picking up your bag once again, you left the house without another word.

that was the exact moment rossi realized he had really screwed up. you only ever called him ‘rossi’ when you were extremely mad. it only happened once before, when he had gotten hurt in a case and you had scolded him in the hospital.

j.j. knew you were upset the second she answered the door, still clipping a necklace around her neck. “hey j,” you spoke quietly, shuffling slightly out of pure nervousness. “i talked to my dad. well i mean define talked.”

that was explanation enough for j.j. as she pulled you into a gentle hug. “i’ll have plenty of time to dwell on it while me and henry hang out. you two go have fun,” you smiled, motioning to will who was just coming down the stairs. j.j. moved around the house, grabbing the last couple things she needed. “alright we’re heading out. you know where everything is and i’ll text you on my way home,” j.j. informed you. with one final goodbye, the two parents left the house.

after cooking dinner and playing with henry for a little, it was time to put the young boy to bed. he had been pretty resistant as always but after you promised to read a bedtime story, he was happy to go to bed. you read him one of his favorites. by the end of the book, henry was already closing his eyes. you smiled down at him before shutting off the lights and heading downstairs.

while henry was asleep upstairs, you turned on the tv to a random movie while you curled up on the couch. this was common for you, j.j. had been pretty direct with letting you know that you could watch whatever while you were over. as the movie played on, your mind began to drift into the current situation you were stuck in.

part of you understood your dad reasoning. while your understanding was pretty small, you still sort of got it. if joy was absent from his life for so long, he had the right to reunite with her and make up for the years lost. but was he replacing you? it sure felt like that.

but the other part of you was angry. you grew up having the bau team as your extended family and pretty much siblings. now, you had a sister. sure the whole relation was a bit twisted but joy was still your sister. you had every right to be owed at least an explanation on the whole thing. you didn’t even have to meet joy. correction, you didn’t even know if you wanted to meet joy.

it was incredibly dumb to be crying over but you couldn’t help the few tears that fell down your cheeks. you and your dad never fought. this whole thing was becoming increasingly stressful and not being able to talk to your dad was making it worse.

j.j. and will were back by the time you had managed to calm down. the profiler saw right through your facade of ‘i’m fine’ when she asked how you were. nonetheless, you had brushed off their offer of payment and headed home. watching henry was no issue and you were always willing to help.

by the time you arrived home, all the lights were off meaning rossi was most likely asleep. you wquickly got ready for bed, slipping under the covers after that and relaxing in for the night.

you ended up making the ultimate decision to just push all the emotions you were feeling in the back of the head. if rossi was genuinely more happy, then you needed to be a supportive daughter. it was the least you could do.

for the next week, you put on smile around your father. when school didn’t keep you busy, you always ate dinners with rossi or sat with him while he did paperwork. joy was rarely mentioned, and you were slightly thankful for that.

“dad! i’m home!” you called once you entered the house, slipping off your shoes first. “i can’t stay for super long. j.j. needs me to babysit again in i think about hour.”

your earbuds were still playing your favorite song as you shuffled through the house, swapping out your school bag for a backpack you took whenever you either went somewhere or babysat. before leaving, you figured you might as well get something to eat.

when you entered the kitchen, you stopped dead in your tracks. standing by the coffee machine was a brunette woman, dressed in a simple outfit of jeans and a sweater. she must have noticed your presence and turned around to face you, a slight smile forming on her face.

after taking your earbuds out of your ear and tossing your phone on the counter, you swallowed nervously. who was this woman? you knew rossi would never let anybody in the house and she didn’t exactly look threatening.

“ah, welcome home figlia. school okay?” your dad asked, suddenly appearing in the kitchen. you nodded as a response, keeping your eyes focused on the still mystery woman. “well y/n, i figured it was finally time for you to meet joy.”

your eyes widened slightly. standing right in front of you was the woman who had been on your mind for over a week. the woman who was your sister. and here you were, standing directly across from one another, neither moving to initiate a conversation.

“y/n this is joy. joy this is y/n,” rossi introduced, motioning back and forth. “well i need to head back to work. hotch had a case file he needed me to look at.” you absolutely couldn’t believe what your dad was saying. he was just going to leave you? not even bother to stick around to see how this would play out?

when rossi finally left, the door closing with a thud, joy finally turned to make eye contact with you. “so you must be my sister,” she started. “i could say the same for you,” you replied. a tense laugh was shared between you two.

“can i hug you?”

the question itself took you slightly off guard. “we just met and you already want to hug me?” you asked though your tone was extremely light-hearted. “i mean yeah, if it’s okay with you. i’ve missed out on way to many years with both you and dad. i just figured a hug could be the perfect start to our new sibling bond.”

with a smile on your face, you stepped forward hugging joy tightly. the whole thing just felt natural, like a hug you would receive from a sibling after something good happened in your life.

when rossi returned a little bit later, just like you, he stopped once he entered the kitchen. joy was cooking over the stove, most likely a lunch for the two of you as you talked on and on from the counter. the senior profiler just smiled at the interaction.

he finally had his pride and joy together at last.

[magpiemorality]

May I request another continuation of the one with the handouts, please? It is Splendid and I Love It.

A little peek into the future! 

One | Two | AO3

***

High school was tough, that was undeniable on any level. But with friends, and fun, and a little bit of excitement for life it could grow to be very bearable. When Logan had first joined he’d expected every terrible teenage movie cliche to become true; he would be bullied for being nerdy and gay and small and wearing glasses and probably just about everything about himself. He hadn’t counted on Remus and Dee. 

When they’d agreed to start this wild experiment/adventure/dating experience/whatever you wanted to call it, he’d thought sure. Why not? It would be fun maybe, and certainly made him feel pretty fluttery, but they’d end up giving him a polite no thank you in a few weeks when the novelty wore off. 

So two years later he was feeling kinda confused, and a whole lot lucky. 

“He’s going to forget his bag again, just you watch...” Dee muttered, as Remus fussed with the neighbour’s dog. He’d raced off while they were trying to leave the house, cooing over the giant friendly mutt and leaving his bag just inside the door. Sure enough, when they deliberately left it and walked to the street to meet him he managed to get halfway down the road before Logan couldn’t take it anymore and sent him back for it. Disaster boyfriend, honestly. 

Once Remus had caught up to them they started the long and arduous process of deciding who got to share earbuds with who on the bus. “You listen to podcasts!” Remus complained, pouting at Logan. “I need more oomph in my journey, or else how do I stare dramatically out of the window like I’m a tragic heroine in a romance movie?!” 

Dee ruffled his hair fondly. “You listen to yours, and I’ll listen to the podcast with Logan and you can pretend to be heartbroken because your lovers are eloping without you. Deal?” 

“Ooh, deal!” 

It was a pleasantly warm spring day, a good weekend for a trip into town. It was a date, technically, but they’d come far enough that dates were reserved for special things now, where Logan could dress up and Remus could get all the old roses his uncle was going to throw out of his flower shop for free, to fill their rooms with for a sweet day. 

(He didn’t know that Logan pressed a petal from each one to carefully store away, or that Dee actually kept them until ever petal had fallen off, enjoying how long they could still last with a bit of love.)

“So I gotta go to the chemist, who’s coming with me, guys?” Logan asked, pushing up his glasses and pulling Remus’s hoodie off to tie around his waist so he could cool down a little. “Remus you are banned from the sex health aisle today, I really need Mr P to not mess up my prescription because he’s laughing too much again, it’s not worth the trip back tomorrow to swap it out again.” 

Remus grinned. “But it was so worth it, Lollipop! That old lady was so scandalised, and she shut right up!” 

“I know, but please, not today. Next time I might consider it though,” their nerd grinned. “Her face was very pleasant to observe.”

“Go get your meds, nerd, I’ll keep control of this one,” Dee chuckled, pecking a kiss to Logan’s cheek for the pleasure of watching him blush, and looping his arm through Remus’s to guide him to a nearby bench. 

The day was as perfect as ever, of course, and Logan took a moment to gaze at his boyfriends when they were dozing together on the seats in front of him on the bus, all three pairs of legs tangled in the middle of the four seat section. He smiled, thinking about Prom and Graduation and all the amazing things they still had coming. 

He couldn’t wait to see their faces when he told them the good news, too. He already had the binder ready and waiting...

[margoshansons]

The Killing Kind (4/?)

Part Four: 

Summary: The night before her school trip to Europe, Y/N talks to Peter about her parents and his heroes. Then on the plane, Peter’s plan blows up in his face. 

Warnings: mild swearing, angst, and mild secondhand embarrassment. 

Notes: Thank you for all the love! Also, Tom is so cute in this gif. There’s a playlist now at this link! 

(Y/N) stared up at the low ceiling, wishing for the fifth time that night that she could fall asleep. May’s leather couch felt cold against her bare legs, the borrowed pajama shorts tightening around her waist, leaving elastic marks etched into the skin. 

She was grateful for May letting her stay the night, really she was, but there were a few times (Y/N) considered leaving just to head back to her own bed. 

Wherever that was now. 

She turned on her side as she contemplated her housing arrangments. She’d definitely have to get out of the City, that’s for sure. Maybe she could find an abandoned building near MJ’s apartment. But that would potentially lead to her Dad figuring out her friendship with the woman. 

As she continued to toss and turn she let out a frustrated sigh. 

Could her Dad not leave her alone for more than a year?

She was brought out of her frustrated thoughts by a crash coming from the front door. Leaning up, she readied one of her daggers in her hand, the blue light lighting up the dark living area. 

It disappeared when she saw who it was. 

“Peter?” (Y/N) asked, confused as to why he was coming back this late. 

His eyes opened wide, mouth falling at the sight of the student on his Aunt’s couch. “(Y/N), hey, uh, what are, what are you doing here? I thought you uh--I thought you went home.”

She chuckled at the boy’s nervousness, “I was having some family trouble, so May said I could stay over.”

“Oh,” The tension dropped from Peter’s shoulders, “Um, that sucks. I’m-I’m sorry about that.”

(Y/N) shrugged, ignoring the sigh that emanated from the sixteen-year-old. “It is what it is.”

Peter nodded, throwing a careless look over his shoulder, before sitting down on the couch beside her. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

(Y/N) hesitated, unsure about how to answer the question. She did hash a lot of her feelings out with May before Peter arrived, but some unseen force was urging her to release her emotions on the boy before her. The boy she had only met that summer after MJ had come back from being blipped. Peter Parker, who she could tell from the red lining his eyes, already had too much to deal with. 

“I mean, there’s not much to talk about” She replied with a half-truth, “My dad is being a dick, so what else is new?”

Peter nodded, still silent. “I, uh, I didn’t realize you were still in contact with, uh, your dad”

(Y/N) shook her head, “I’m not, he just...pops into my life sometimes. Uninvited, I might add.”

“I mean that must be nice right?” Peter offered, “Having a dad who will check in with you every now and then.”

“I mean, I guess,” (Y/N) continued, “I would just appreciate it if he’d leave me alone for a bit, I mean, I’m on my own now, shouldn’t he respect that?”

Peter shrugged, “I mean, he probably just wants to keep touch with you”

“No, no he doesn’t” (Y/N) continued, ranting about her father’s excessive need for control. She was halfway through the sob story that was her life when she suddenly remembered. 

“Oh my god.” She whispered in horror, “Peter, I’m so sorry, I totally forgot about-- Holy shit that was so insensitive, I can’t believe I forgot about--”

“Hey” Peter interrupted, “Don’t worry about it, it was such a long time ago, I uh, I don't even really remember it.”

“That’s still no excuse for the way I acted,” (Y/N) continued, still horrified that she had forgotten about Peter’s own parents. “I was just so wrapped up in my Dad’s own drama surrounding Tony that I just completely--”

“Wait, uh, your dad knew Tony Stark?” Peter chimed in, his eyes growing wide again.

(Y/N) nodded, “Yeah, he used to work for him, and then he got fired around the same time you--” 

Holy shit she was the worst, wasn’t she?

“The same time you started your internship with him.”

Peter swallowed at the statement looking away from his rambling peer. 

(Y/N) knew it wouldn't make up for how insensitive she had acted in the half hour he had been home, but she reached over and grasped his hand, surprised at how familiar it felt in her palm. 

“Hey” She whispered, drawing his attention back to her, “He’d be really proud if he could see you now.” 

Peter nodded, his eyes focusing themselves on the floor. 

“Did you know that he was the person I grew up idolizing?” (Y/N) offered, her lips twitching at the confused expression on the boy’s face. “Yeah, I had uh, posters of him plastered all across my room as a kid. My dad absolutely hated it, saying that there were better people to look up to.”

“No there aren’t” Peter whispered wistfully.

“That's what I told him” (Y/N) chuckled lightly, “When MJ told me that uh, you had gotten the Internship, I was so mad.”

Peter chuckled at that, his expression lifting slightly.

“I didn’t talk to her for weeks, I tore down my posters that day, and I don’t think I’ve ever made my Dad prouder after that moment.”

The two shared another laugh, (Y/N) scooting closer to the grieving student. “He was amazing.”

“Yeah,” Peter chimed in, wiping his eyes, “He was. I’m uh, I’m gonna head to bed.”

(Y/N) hated the cold imprint Peter’s absence left, but she refused to keep him longer after the insensitivity she had committed. 

“Don’t uh, don’t worry about your dad” he replied, “He’ll uh, he’ll come around.” 

***

The sun woke her before her alarm did. Gathering whatever little supplies she had brought over, (Y/N) slipped her jeans on under the blankets, folding the pajamas and leaving a grateful note for May when she woke up.  

It wasn't until she was halfway down the stairs that she felt a small piece of paper in the pocket of her blue jacket. 

In case you need someone

-May

(Y/N) stared at the sequence of numbers on the crumpled paper, resisting a smile as she typed them into her phone. When she left the building and called a taxi, she tried not to think about how her steps were bouncier, the sky seemed a bit bluer, and how New York as a whole, seemed so much brighter. 

The trip to her apartment and the airport cost her a good portion of her money, but (Y/N) knew exactly how to get more. After all, her dad wasn’t exactly the best at encoding his bank password, especially after three years of letting his daughter work beside him. 

It was a small form of revenge, but just enough to get her to smile as she took her seat next to MJ and Betty on the plane. 

“What’s the grin for?” MJ asked, her voice deadpan. 

(Y/N) smirked, “Oh nothing, just some good old fashioned revenge on my Father for bursting into my home late last night”

“Wait,” MJ stopped, “He visited you last night? Why didn’t you call me?”

(Y/N) shrugged, “Because by the time he left I thought you would be asleep”. The lie rolled off her mouth like candy. 

MJ scoffed, “Netflix released another abduction documentary, did you really think I wasn’t going to watch that?”

(Y/N) chuckled, “Well I’m sorry I didn’t call you, next time I get an unexpected visit from an estranged psycho relative, I’ll be sure to let you know”

“You better” MJ teased, leaning back to continue reading her book. 

(Y/N) smiled at her engrossed friend before placing her headphones on to block out the sound. She had hardly begun to pick her playlist when Ned Leeds decided to ask them for a favor. 

“Hey Betty, listen, uh, Peter needs to switch seats with you”

“Why?” Betty asked, her shrill voice piercing the thin air of the airplane. 

(Y/N) cocked an eyebrow at the veiled flirtation attempt by Peter and knowing MJ’s feelings on the subject, ripped out her earbuds and focused on Ned. “I can switch with Peter, it’s no big deal”

She was stopped by MJ’s hand, “Did uh, Peter say why he needed to switch?”

(Y/N) furrowed her brow, not understanding why MJ was giving Ned a further chance to screw this up. 

“He, uh” The gamer kid began sweating, “The uh perfume of the lady in front of us. Peter has really bad allergies so—“

“Peter has a perfume allergy?” Mr. Harrington stood up at that news, ready to save the day. All (Y/N) could do was facepalm as a whole bunch of seat swapping took place eventually landing MJ next to Brad, Betty next to Ned, and Peter next to (Y/N), Mr. Harrington’s reasoning being that she’s the least likely to be wearing strong perfume. She didn’t really know how to feel about that but it was slightly insulting. 

“You ready for the next ten hours?” (Y/N) asked, placing her earbuds back in. 

All Peter could do is stare longingly at MJ and Brad’s row in silence. 

“Don’t worry” (Y/N) interjected, drawing Peter’s attention toward her, “He’s not her type”

Thank you so much for the positive feedback! Summer classes are starting up again, so I may have to cut back some writing time, (and also watch and rewatch Jake Gyllenhaal’s movies, I love him,) But part five should be out soon. In the meantime, there will be a Masterlist coming out tomorrow and the playlist has been made! Aesthetics are on their way as well! 

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[go-our-own-ways]

Man...today I think I finally lost it. It was...a trip. 

My mom’s been pushing me to find new work the last few days, which I had always intended to do, but due to a lot of circumstances, was putting off out of necessity but also out of hesitancy, fear, etc. On top of that, lately I’ve been feeling incredibly depressed because of my feelings on my social life, making friends, maintaining friendships, etc. 

Today was kind of the last straw. My mom asked me about some stuff related to finding new work and why I was still stuck, I made some half-hearted response, and my mom gave an even more depressing reply instead of saying something to assure me I’ll be fine, and I lost it. I stormed off to the study (where I usually work), and kept throwing my slippers at the closet door out of anger, sadness, frustration...every negative feeling in the book. I was so upset that I could barely even cry. I was just shaking with anger. 

Eventually I stormed out of the house, intending to run off the intensity of emotions I was feeling in the 95+ degree Fahrenheit heat. My mom messaged me, and then called me. I got annoyed, and finally picked up. She thought I had finally gone crazy and needed to see a psychiatrist, which of course only made me angrier and sadder. She said that she was genuinely scared and worried, and also genuinely confused about what exactly was upsetting me. I ended up finding a bench to sit on and poured everything out to my mom while sobbing. I told her how frustrated and stuck I’ve been with my paperwork for the past year. How hard it is to sit down and concentrate, and also how hard it is to even do it all because so much has piled up. I told her how scared I am to find new work, how scared I am to be rejected 100x times. I told her how I really don’t have the strength to be rejected anymore, that I’m afraid of failure, that I can’t fail anymore. I told her how lately I’ve been more sad than I’ve ever been, not because therapy isn’t helping, but because the issue with my one friend who seems to have abandoned me has really, seriously shaken me up. I told my mom that before, I dealt with loneliness through social media. But now that I’ve taken myself off of the main one that I socialized with (ie Twitter), I don’t have any alternative outlets anymore, and I’m frankly really scared and really lonely. I told her how I used to be okay with it, that I used to be able to deal with it by taking myself out to the cafe or the froyo store, walking around outside window shopping, browsing bookstores, or just sitting in the cafe or wherever sipping on my drink while working on homework. That was how I coped with loneliness my freshman year of uni, before I found friends, but when I was still so, so alone, and so depressed. But now? Now I can’t do that because of this pandemic. And now, I don’t have social media to turn to for friends, plus I don’t even want to do that anymore because I know it’s all fake, it’s all tiring, and no one genuinely wants to be my friend past fandom on social media. 

It all came tumbling out, for about an hour or so. 

It was so overwhelming. I haven’t shared so much with my mom in so long...I didn’t want to bother her, to worry her, or to receive her judgment. But my mom came to me with so much confusion and worry, that I just totally broke down, and everything came falling out of my mouth. She reprimanded me a little at times, but in general, she listened. I think it helped a lot that I didn’t have to see her face, didn’t have to see her body language, and immediately shut down after being able to tell that she was judging me for everything I was feeling or thinking. I had no cues to go off of, so I just let it all out in one giant whirlwind storm. And through it all, there were parts where my mom would say that she finally understood why I was behaving the way that I was. I guess the amount of emotion that I was spilling over with, combined with the struggles I was sharing with her, finally made her realize that it isn’t just about me being childish about finding work. It isn’t just me somehow not being adult enough or good enough to have friends. It’s a huge fucking mess of everything that’s messing with my head, but I’m aware enough to know that it is, but because of the pandemic, I finally just hit my limit with dealing with it all and maintaining a calm facade, and I think she finally got that. 

I thanked her at the end of the phone call, once I reached home, and I suddenly was overcome with another massive urge to sob. I rushed to the bathroom, quietly closed the door, and sat down and cried... By this point my music had resumed playing on my earbuds, so I just let the music wash over me. It was warm and comforting to hear the music, and I just kinda sat there. I pulled up my Facebook and wrote up a little post, too... I was feeling a little petty, but also thankful, so I killed two birds with one stone. I smited whoever hadn’t thought so much as to message me throughout the pandemic, smited the friend who hasn’t replied to me since May (but without being obvious, of course), and then expressed thanks for my mom. It was satisfying to write, frankly. 

Honestly, I really don’t know what I would do without my mom. It scares me every day to think that I could lose her suddenly one day. I’m lucky that she’s (more or less) in remission... I loathe to stumble upon the day her health begins to fail. She’s the only one I can count on, really... I don’t know anyone else who can be there for me when I hit the lowest of lows. She gives me a lot of grief for a lot of stuff, but at the end of the day, she’s not dumb; she can tell when I’m in a really, really bad spot, and doesn’t need her to be telling me what’s right and what’s wrong, and is willing to sit there with me through all of my feelings. 

It scares me to think that I’ll never have someone like my mom in my life...that I’m only allowed to have someone like her in my life until she passes away. 

Others find best friends. Some find romantic partners with whom they settle down and marry. But me? I don’t think someone out there exists. I’ve long ago lost any hope on finding someone who can love me and support me so unconditionally during the ugliest of times. 

After the whole ordeal, and after I finished up in the bathroom, I changed and went to eat dinner with my parents, and almost felt myself get overwhelmed with thanks for their existence in my life all over again. They were kinda acting like nothing had happened, except you could tell that they were trying to be nicer and make sure that I was okay. Honestly...I really don’t know where I’d be without them. 

Dinner was fine and normal (and yummy), and then I went to a video call with my cohort from grad school. It was so nice to see most of the cohort together again, and everyone just trading and swapping stories, news, information, reflections... it was so nice. I’d forgotten how nice it can be having colleagues and friends in the same field, who get it, who understand the pains of being in the mental health industry, who feel the strains of being a counselor like you do. 

And now here I am. Feeling considerably better, but so, so tired. I’m scared. I’m scared to finally move again, to start reaching for the next step in my life. But I think maybe I have some clarity of what I need to do, and what pains will happen along the way. So maybe, just maybe, I can prepare myself for what’s to come. 

[itslilliansnow]

“What do you say?”

Okay, folks! This is for my gorgeous Mars @iwillgiveyoumyhappiness. I know we said: “slowly walking towards death,” but I just had inspiration, and this popped out of my mind. I hope you’ll like it as much I loved writing it! I love you! I know it isn’t that long, but this is just a little part xD Pairing: Yuchan x Reader  Genre: FLUFF, FLUFF, FLUFF. Did I say Fluff????  Words count: 1,8k+

Have you ever met someone who even with a smile can fill your heart with infinite joy? You had an answer to this question if ever someone had asked you one day. Kang Yuchan. You and Yuchan - you still laugh every time you think about it - met in the most uncommonly way, but from that moment on, your friendship was the most precious "thing" for you. Obviously after the music, dance and Studio Ghibli. Exchanging a mobile phone - thinking about it now - was really stupid on his part but knowing him it didn't surprise you at all. He could even forget to go to bed if someone didn't remind him. Swap two almost identical phones? Nonsense for him. Honestly, you wouldn't have changed for any reason in the world the hangout in the middle of the night, the walks through deserted streets, the memes that you even exchanged at four in the morning. There was something about your friendship that made you complete, and you hoped it would be the same for him. Perhaps because of that reason, that exact day, you hadn't said a word yet and kept brooding over your thoughts. Lying on a matter in the rehearsal room, staring at the ceiling. Sappherios' Beyond repeatedly rotating thanks to your iPod and everything else outside your world. Everyone noticed your weirdness. Especially the absence of your reaction. All five of them had learned to understand that when something was bothering you, you would talk. Or you danced. Or you sang. Emotions came out of you somehow, but you looked like an abandoned mannequin. Look off and absent. "We'll leave you five minutes alone, okay? Try to understand what's going on... she scares me like that," muttered Byeongkwan, giving a slight pat on the shoulder to the maknae. Maknae that was extremely worried, but he had been quietly waiting. He was very good at waiting. Waiting for your answers, your smiles, your hand that started to slip under his shirt just to tickle him. When it came to you, he would have waited a lifetime. Yet he didn't understand why. You were his best friend, but... There was something in his heart that bothered him. It took away his sleep sometimes, it prevented him from concentrating on the words of the songs, it built problems of concentration. Yuchan simply nodded, and when his hyungs were out of the room, he approached the mattress and dropped dead weight next to you. As he took off an earbud, he slipped it into his ear and closed his eyes, absorbing that melody that caressed the strings of his soul. Instinctively he slipped his arm under your head, turning a little with his torso toward you. "What's going on?" he mimicked with his soft lips since your face was facing him. "Nothing," your lips just moved, but he understood the meaning, arching an eyebrow to throw his gaze "don't bullshit me" at you. "Okay, okay." You turned off the music and set your body entirely towards him, resting your hand on his side as his own slipped on your forearm. His fingers began to run on your bare skin, as they always did when you needed security. A small gesture that contained a thousand words. "I was thinking about our friendship. You know, sometimes looking at you guys I see an incredible relationship. Yet what I feel between you and me is more. So... is our friendship as good for you as it is for me?" 

He listened to you in silence, observing your face and the slight redness on your cheeks. Or that little wrinkle between your eyebrows, it only became visible when you squeezed your eyes tight to hold back your emotions. He observed how even your body, stretched and almost bent on itself, was screaming to him your concern. "Are you stupid? Are these the questions you ask yourself when you go to sleep?" "No, usually not. I do believe, however, that sometimes small assurances are to be given away." "Our friendship is everything. I wouldn't trade it for anything, not even a better version of you." "Yuchan!" Raising his arm, he covered his face and waited for the blows that you had begun to give to his response. But the laughter in the air, your laughter, reassured his mind. If you laughed, the clouds had abandoned your thoughts, and the sun had returned to shine again. The problem - you can never live in peace, you both knew it well - was that Yuchan had lied. Yes, your friendship was everything to him then why did he felt to have told the biggest lie of his life?                                                           ꧁꧂ 

   "Why do you have to come to my house at 3:00 a.m. and drag me there?"

Yuchan's laughter was suffocated by the black mask he was wearing - for what reason you didn't know since there was no living soul in the streets - but you could still feel the warmth that emanated. It was such a beautiful sound that you had secretly recorded it and listened to it from time to time, realizing that negativity wouldn't win against you. "I don't think you've ever complained about our nightly escapades!" "You usually tell me before," you crossed your arms to your chest, puffing and pointing your feet to block you, "Come on, you have a comeback to prepare, and I've got practice tomorrow." "Has this ever stopped us?" He asked, lowering his mask and bowing to your height, his face extremely close to yours, so much so that you could admire the small golden straws that shone in his eyes. That was true. The time had never been a problem, but the worry that he would get too tired was a lot. "No... but..." "Then nothing, though. Where is my best friend? The reckless one who always says yes to everything I say?" "The stupid one then? The one that indulges even the most idiotic bullshits?" You looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, both feeling your mouths open slowly and drawing a smile on your faces. Raising your eyes to the sky, you pushed him and started running, without a goal or a plan. It was just the two of you in the night. What more could you have wanted?

                                                         ꧁꧂

Your destination turned out to be the sea. You didn't even know how you ended up there, but after an eternity sitting in the comfortable seat of a taxi, the smell of salt had awakened your tired mind. Checking the clock on your phone - fortunately, no one was worried about your disappearance -  you would soon be able to admire incredible dawn. A dream of all time, to be able to enjoy the colors of the sky change. What's more, by the sea. Yuchan had been quiet, strangely more than usual, in the last hour of the trip but you hadn't noticed much. You just wanted him to rest and recharge his batteries for the heavy days ahead. His hand took yours in its delicate grip, beginning to drag you to the beach to reach that exact spot where the waves tried to capture the world, inch by inch. "Wait!" you stopped it and bowed, unhooking your favorite converse and savoring the soft feeling of the sand under your bare feet. "There, now it's better!" nodding, you started walking again, dancing with your eyes on every point you could reach. You had left his hand, and Yuchan stood by and watched you. Were you always so damn beautiful as to take the breath away? Or did he just never notice? Had his heart ever beaten so fast, or had it been that small, innocent and kind smile that you had "given him" just before the cause of that irregular heartbeat? "Fuck." The awareness suddenly fell on him. The nightly calls. His eternal desire to be with you. The little but unforgettable moments when he can hug you without you complaining that he was sweaty. He was madly in love with you, and that's what he wanted. It was sharing his life with you, not as a friend but as something more. That's why he would change your friendship. To be able to hold you and scream at the world the fortune he had in having his best friend at his side that allowed him to love her. "Fuck, fuck, fuck... HEY, YOU, STOP!" He screamed, chasing you at the moment the first rays of the sun began to turn the blue of the night into the pale blue of the morning. "WAIT!" he finally reached you, squeezed your wrist, and set you towards him. 

He slipped his arm behind your back, supporting your body because he had caused both of you to lose the balance. But it wasn't enough, after a few seconds you were both lying on the sand. A few layers of clothes to divide you and strange electricity in the air. Immediately Yuchan laid his hands on the ground, holding himself up so that he wouldn't hurt you while you tried to catch your breath looking at him with curiosity. "What did you have to scream about?" "Marry me." Your heart stopped for a few moments, astounded by the only word that had left that mouth from which honey came out every time he sang. Did you hear well or was your imagination - because of your tiredness - playing tricks on you? His eyes were veiled with intense emotion, you read it correctly, but you knew he was a good actor after his various experiences with the group's MVs. "Yuch--" "Marry me." "Are you serious? What the hell is wrong with you?" You struggled to set free the arm from under his weight - albeit light - resting the palm of your hand against his forehead, avoiding to start stroking his soft red hair. A color you found divine on him. "Yuchan.. you shouldn’t joke about things like that." "Does it seem like I'm joking?" he asked, and the silence fell on you two. Yuchan could have been many things, but what he said was never accompanied by veiled lies or half-meanings. "Yuchan... Before we get married, we should date, you know?" "So let's date. Even every day, spend it with me," he began to whisper, getting closer and closer with his face to yours. His breath tickled your lips, and you were sure he could feel how his approach was making your heart beat faster.  "Spend every moment with me, share every fear and joy. Anything you want, but promise me that one day you will marry me. That I can look at you with the eyes of a madly in love man, who wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his days with you."

"God... you're serious." "Before... before I understood." he murmured against your fingers, now still and wavering against his slightly cracked lips, "that there can be no one else in my life. It's you. It's always been you. So... What do you say?" "To what?" "Will you marry me one day?" "That I'd be a fool to say no, Kang Yuchan."

[lovehugsandcandy]

Perfect Day  (Rafael x MC, OH)

A/N: This was a request from @cpt-indigo, who wanted “Rafael x MC, road trip.” I really hope you like this. Thank you so much for SUCH a fun request; I had a lot of fun writing this for you and I really hope you enjoy. I am so so so sorry it took so long. Eternally grateful to @akrenich for editing, fixing my comma addiction, and keeping me honest as I step outside my comfort zone.

Pairing: Rafael x MC, OH

Length: 2,735 words

Rating: PG-13 (Swearing? But like, minor swears?)

Summary: Casey and Rafael do not sell seashells by the sea shore. They do a lot of other things though.

Tags: I took everyone off tags because I think ya’ll want a Colt story and this is not a Colt story and I have no idea what I’m doing and I don’t want to spam anyone.

There was another knock at the door, the second one in less than three minutes, and Casey swore under her breath, digging under the couch cushion.

“I’ll get it!” Sienna bounced by and Casey jumped on top of the couch to grab her. They were the only two awake in the house and Casey knew she should let her roommate open the door; she didn’t want to wake anyone else up. But she just… she wanted to answer the door, to be the one to greet him. She just needed her goddamned keys.

She glared, balancing on her perch on top of the couch, finally letting go of Sienna’s arm. “Do not get that door. Do not touch that door. Give me a minute.”

Sienna stared at her, starting to edge away, slowly walking backwards, as if Casey was a wild animal about to pounce.

“Okaaay...”

Casey dove off the couch and continued her search. "I just need a minute." 

“Does this mean you don’t want the cookies?”

She looked up from behind a cushion. “You made cookies?”

Sienna laughed, sauntering to the kitchen. “Right now, I think Rafael deserves them more than you.”

Casey groaned and reached; finally, she felt metal at the tips of her fingers, just a little further— got it. “Thank God!” Clutching the keys, she ran to the door and pulled it open. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Rafael smiled at her,  impossibly handsome as always. 

“Come in.” Casey smoothed down her hair. With the lost key fiasco, she forgot that she was nervous but now, at the sight of him, the familiar butterflies were back. They always seemed to reappear when he was around; she couldn’t tell if they were drawn in by his courage, his honesty, his love for his family, or his devotion to the community. Or maybe it was the wave in his hair, the quirk of his lips when he smiled, the jacket that hid the t-shirt that hid the muscles. Crap. Casey really liked him.

“Are you sure you’re ready to go? I can give you more time.” The quirk of the lips was back, a half-smile that she just wanted to kiss.

She shook her head. “I just need to get my bag.”

“And the cookies!” Sienna reappeared, chocolate chip cookies in hand, enclosed in tissue paper, red ribbon giving them a festive touch. She handed them over with a grin. “Hi, Rafael.”

“Oh wow, are those for us? Thank you!”

“You need road trip food!”

Casey grabbed her backpack, pulling Sienna in for a hug. “Thank you, you are the best and I love you.” Dropping her voice, she whispered, “I’m sorry if I was mean about the door.”

Sienna laughed. “No sweat. Now, shoo, go have fun.”

With one last wave, Casey grabbed Rafael’s hand and pulled him out to the street, squinting into the sunshine. He opened the car door for her and she threw her bag in. “Thank you, good sir.”

He smiled at her, eyes soft, leaning into a bow before climbing into the driver’s seat himself.

“Do we have everything?” His hair caught the morning light, a soft glow that brightened his features. Casey already thought he was an angel but now he looked it, too, halo of light around his head as he sat in the driver’s seat. 

He caught her staring and she blushed, clearing her throat. “I think so...Playlist?”

“Double check. I have two.” He held up his phone.

“Phone charger?”

He pointed to the USB cord between them.  “Check.” 

“Twizzlers?”

“Ch- wait what? That seems like an unhealthy choice for a doctor...”

She swatted his arm. “I can’t go on a road trip without Twizzlers! Also, these, obviously.” She opened the cookies, handing one over.

He took a bite, one arm on the steering wheel. “Ready to go?”

Casey pulled open the GPS on her phone. “Let’s go, Superman,” She had never been to Cape Cod, hadn’t been to many places in Massachusetts, but Rafael had been nothing but generous with his time, showing her around Boston, taking her in a helicopter, even introducing her to his grandmother. She was excited to see another landmark in the area and even more excited to be doing it with Rafael by her side.

“Oh my God, it says two hours!” Apparently, they were not the only ones headed down the Cape on a beautiful day. “You know, this would have been 15 minutes in the helicopter.” 

“The helicopter is also only used for medical emergencies.”

She batted her eyes at him. “But what if the emergency is that I really want to go to the beach or I’ll die?”

He shot her a wry grin before lacing their fingers together and kissing the back of her hand. “Well, maybe we can find you a paramedic to save the day.”

“Make it a handsome paramedic and you’re on.” She gave his hand a squeeze, wondering if this was what total contentment felt like.

~~~~~

The drive took a long time but for Casey, it seemed to go by in a flash. She and Rafael talked and laughed and ate junk food and bickered over music and she stole kisses when they were completely stopped. She didn’t think she would mind if they never got out of the car.

Finally, the GPS directed them into the parking lot, rows of cars between them and the most gorgeous beach she had ever seen in her life. The sand stretched to the left as far as she could see; on the right, above the rocks and crashing surf, a clam shack stood, a few seagulls squawking around, looking for morsels.

“Oh, I love it!”

He ducked his head. “My family used to come down here sometime in the summers. We would drive down and spend the day in the sand.”

She paused, watching him. “Thank you for sharing it with me.” She liked the idea of him as a child, building sandcastles in the sand. She liked learning even more about him, every small piece of his past. She grabbed his hand, leading him down to the beach, past sunbathers and laughing children to snag a prime piece of real estate.

“Does this look good?”

“This looks great,” Rafael spread out a huge sheet, weighting down the corners with bags and shoes.

Casey wiggled her toes in the sand. “You came prepared!”

“Paramedics are always prepared!” He looked affronted.

“I thought that was the Boy Scouts.”

“Maybe Boy Scouts are just juvenile paramedics.” He grabbed a tube from his bag. “Sunscreen?”

“If you’re offering.” She relaxed under his touch, relishing his strong hands as they massaged her neck, arms, back. “Have I mentioned how amazing you are at that?”

A shy smile. “Maybe a couple times.”

“A couple million times, now get over here, you.” She grabbed the sunscreen from him, applying a generous blob to his nose, then his back. “I can’t have my Superman getting sun burnt.”

T-shirt off, he was every bit the hunk that the nurses talked about. She grinned to herself, gliding her hands in slow circles down the muscles of his back, feeling his sides twitch when she hit a sensitive spot. Sure, they all knew how handsome he was. But she was the only one who knew his heart, the goodness that emanated from every pore of this man. They could look all they wanted; she was the one who got to stand next to the hero.

“Did you want to go in the water?”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Race ya?”

“Ok, su-” He trailed off as she sprinted away. “Hey! Cheater!”

Casey laughed; she could hear footsteps behind her but she didn’t dare look, didn’t dare turn around and lose momentum. She was so close. So. Close.

“Aaaahh!!” Strong hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her off the ground as she laughed and laughed and laughed. He swung her around, grinning ear-to-ear. 

“You cheated.”

She couldn’t stop laughing, burrowing her face in his shoulders as he carried her further into the ocean. Oh no. She could see where this was going. “Wait....wait...” She was laughing too hard to get the words out.

“One...two...THREE.” Rafael swung her, trying to toss her into the water, waist-deep now.”

Casey held on, tight, arms wrapped around his neck for dear life. He tried to throw her but couldn’t and they both tumbled into the surf. When Casey emerged, wiping water from her eyes, tasting salt and sand, Rafael stood over her, water dripping from his hair, droplets sliding down his face.

“Casey?”

“Yeah?”

“I won.” He grinned as she sputtered at him. She couldn’t stay mad long and wrapped him in a hug, his warmth warding off the chill from the water.

“Hey, Rafael?”

“Yeah?”

She kissed his cheek, then cupped his cheek for a chaste kiss, salt and happiness on his lips. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For coming up with this idea. For showing me this place.” She shrugged. “For being you.”

He held her close, one kiss fading into the next as the water lapped around them.

~~~~~

They walked down the beach, collecting seashells and swapping stories. They went back in the water when it got too hot, body surfing and splashing each other. They hung out on the sand, sharing a pair of earbuds, using them as an excuse to lie close. When they got hungry and ran out of cookies, Casey looked down the beach. “Wanna hit the crab shack?”

“You read my mind.”

Together, they packed up their things to put into the car then walked hand-in-hand to get lunch. After five minutes of indecision (both the lobster roll and the fried clams looked amazing), Rafael wisely broke the stalemate.

“You get one, I’ll get the other, and we share?”

Casey had to stand on her tiptoes to kiss his nose. “You are a genius.”

Both of the options looked better than they’d thought and Casey’s mouth watered as they sat at one of the picnic tables. The surf crashed behind them, the sun was high in the sky. Casey had amazing food in front of her, an amazing man next to her. Was this heaven?

“Ok, let’s split it.” He grabbed half of his lobster roll, sliding it on her plate, while she did the same with the clams. “I’ll get more napkins.”

He made it three steps when disaster struck. Casey would have screamed if she had more time to react but, suddenly, there was a commotion above her, around her, flapping wings and squawking cries and then? A violent robbery.

She was covering her head, trying to protect herself from the aerial assault, but they were everywhere. Rafael ran back the three steps, waving his arms around, trying to get the seagulls to disperse. He was yelling or laughing or both at the same time; she didn’t know. All she could do was duck and laugh.

By the time he had chased them away, they had stolen all her fries, most of the clams, and half the lobster roll. She frowned as she trudged back to the line, trailing behind Rafael, gripping his hand, warm and solid in hers. “Stupid seagulls.”

He laughed, arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. “You know they can sense weakness, right? They knew you would leave the food undefended.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Weakness? I’ll show you weakness!”

He dodged her hands as she lunged, trying to tickle him into submission, fingertips gliding under clothes and over smooth skin. They were laughing so loud that the woman at the counter had to yell “NEXT!” six times before she got their attention.

~~~~~

“I am so full!”

Rafael opened his book next to her. “I told you it was good.”

She sprawled out, utterly content. “I’m totally going to go walk it off.”

“Really.”

“Uh huh. After maybe just one tiny nap.”

He laughed, running his hand through her hair, lightly pulling on the drying curls. “Sure thing, Sleeping Beauty.”

She was going to respond, she really was going to, but she was so full and the sun was so warm and the salt in the air was so relaxing that when she opened her eyes again, she was shocked to see that he wasn’t next to her anymore and the sun had moved across the sky, changing the angles of the shadows along the sand.

“Huh? Rafael?”

She looked up, shielding her eyes. He was standing up, looking intently into the ocean.

“Rafael?”

He didn’t seem to hear her, started walking away, when a sharp whistle, three blasts, made her jump. Rafael started running, sprinting to the water as Casey sat up, still groggy. There was a commotion, a yelling, a lifeguard running into the water, Rafael hot on his heels.

“Oh crap.” Casey jumped up, scanning the water, trying to see what they were looking at. She followed, but couldn’t see anything out of place. Another lifeguard, barely a teenager, sprinted by her with a huge plastic stretcher, and Casey realized she had to move.

She followed, racing to the edge of the beach, hand shielding her eyes. She couldn’t see Rafael anymore, almost started yelling for him, when there was a splash, more splashes, and a yell and there he was, he was swimming, then carrying someone, a woman, unconscious, out of the water. Crap.

“Quick.” She grabbed the stretcher, putting in down on the sand for a stable surface. “Rafael, here!” She screamed and waved to him, relieved when he headed her way, moving carefully, cradling the woman’s body, the other lifeguard trailing behind her.

It was like being back at work, the efficiency with which they moved. He lowered the woman onto the stretcher as Casey knelt, two fingers to her neck, ear to her mouth. “No respiration, no pulse.”

Rafael dropped to the ground, ready to step in, but Casey waved him off. “No, you just saved her. I need fresh arms. You.” She pointed to the lifeguard, who cautiously came closer.

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Get over here. You’re on chest compressions. Rafael, get an ambulance here.”

Rafael and the other lifeguard took off, back towards the beach, as Casey turned towards the lifeguard. She originally thought he was in high school but, up close, she wondered if that was an overestimate. How old could you be before you could work? Jesus.

“Do you know CPR?”

“Uhhh...... I mean, I took a class.”

Casey took a deep breath. “I give her two breaths, you do 30 compressions. Right here. Count out loud.”

The lifeguard was turning green. Crap. 

“Hey. We can do this, ok? You ready?” She rubbed his shoulder, trying to transmit some of her calm.

Finally, the lifeguard met her eye. “Ok. We can do this.”

“Good.” Casey tipped her head back, carefully, and delivered two slow, steady breaths, watching the compressions. “One and two and three and-”

All she could do was breath and count and hope that, this time, it would be enough.

~~~~~

She heard the siren wail, the ambulance weaving through the parked cars to get to the street. Rafael wrapped his arms around her waist. “You ok?”

“Yeah...” She let her head drop on his shoulder. “I hope she’s ok.”

He nodded, eyes distantly gazing over her. “They know what they are doing. I think we got her in time.”

“I wish I could have done more,” she frowned.

“Well, you always are taking care of everyone else, your friends, your patients.” He kissed her forehead. “Maybe you should let someone else take care of things for a while.”

She smiled up at him and watched the reflection in the waves, sun low over the water. They stood there, in silence, holding tight to each other in the sea breeze.

“You ready to go?”

“Yeah, I think so.” 

~~~~~

They found their blanket and packed up their things, heading back to the car in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Opening the door, she took one last look at the beach, the waves, the sun sinking into the horizon, and got in the car.

“Hey, Rafael?”

“Yeah?”

“This was a perfect day.”

He looked at her. “Uh, besides the woman who almost drowned.”

“And the traffic.”

“And the seagulls.”

She looked at him, watching the setting sun reflect in his eyes.

“Hey, Rafael?”

“Yeah?”

“.......This was a perfect day.”

[pillowfluffs]

Sing For Me Please!Kihyun

Pairing: Kihyun X Reader (gender neutral)

Genre: Fluff

Summary: You loved to sing but you always hid it from Kihyun until one day.. 

Author’s Note: I relate a lot tbh. I love singing but when nights with my family such as karaoke come, I don’t even sing.. Do you like singing? As always, feedback is greatly appreciated and please look forward to more works in the future!

Song Referenced: Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You

Music filled your ears without effort, like the waves filling holes in beach sand. The rhythm of it flowed through your veins and swirled in your head. Your body swayed at the gentle sounding music and the soft vocals of the vocalist you were listening to. The sweet sound of Ellie’s voice as well as yours matching hers. You followed along to her song while it played on your phone with your earbuds in. The volume was just right where you could hear your own voice and hear the music. You sat in your shared bedroom folding laundry, even hanging some up. Most of it was your boyfriend, Kihyun’s clothes. He was away on tour and came back just two days ago. You insisted he should stay home and rest since he had about five more days before getting back to work for their next comeback, but he was determined to make up for the days he was gone. You didn’t know how he was going to do it and you didn’t know when either.

Today Kihyun and his members had an event to go to, or at least that’s what he said. Kihyun left around noon, kissing you goodbye and headed out towards the company. About an hour and a half later and here he was at the supermarket, struggling a little bit with pulling out a shopping cart from the long line of carts outside the entrance. He wore a simple white hoodie with black jeans and vans. He brought Minhyuk and Wonho along because they felt rather bored at the dorm. Kihyun put all his strength into trying to pull the cart out of the chain of carts, seeming like it wouldn’t budge. He had a bag of reusable plastic bags hanging from his shoulder.

Wonho and Minhyuk approached the struggling hamster after parking the car. They watched in amusement. “Need help?” Minhyuk offered, chipper than ever. He walked over, replacing Kihyun. “If I can pull this out, then that’s just sad, Kihyun.” Minhyuk shook his head at him. He wore Black jeans with a white shirt and shoes with a black denim jacket. 

“It’s hard to pull out!” He stepped aside, watching trying to pull it out. “It’s not just me being weak, and If I can’t then you definitely can’t!” He laughed.

Minhyuk grasped the handle of the cart feeling the cold plastic and metal. The smile on his face began to fade as he pulled, giving a few hard tugs. “Wait why is this so hard?” He began to pull harder, enough to shake the other carts with it. 

“See?” Kihyun joined again, helping Minhyuk. “It’s not just ‘cause I’m weak!” They pulled hard, their faces began to scrunch up. “Pull harder!” Kihyun could feel the time being wasted even though it had only been a few minutes.

Wonho stood on the side leaning on a railing, recording the two of them as he laughed at them. “You two are so funny,” his voice shook as he laughed, his smile spread all over his face, flashing his straight white teeth as his eyes formed crescents. 

“You give it a try then!” Minhyuk pushed Kihyun and himself out the way, gesturing for Wonho to try. “Here, give me your phone, I’ll record you since you recorded us.” He took Wonho’s phone and began recording. 

Wonho calmly walked up the cart, wrapping one hand around the handle and pulled. He wore gray sweatpants with a black shirt. The cart came out with ease, leaving another bright smile plastered on his face as he looked at the two dumbfounded younger members. “I got the cart,” he burst out giggling at them, taking his phone back. 

“Whatever, let’s just shop,” Kihyun mumbled in embarrassment, taking the cart and leading into the cold aired supermarket. 

“We loosened it for you.” Minhyuk playfully nudged Wonho, making him laugh more as he watched the two videos on his phone following Kihyun through the automatic glass doors. 

The three entered the market, faced with row after row of cash registers, some closed since today was a weekday so fortunately, it didn’t face the weekend rush of things. Music from a popular radio station played softly through the speakers. The white lights on the ceiling reflected on the white floor tiles, making the place look somehow brighter and cleaner than the warm sun outside. Some customers walked through the aisles pushing carts, some with baskets. The first section of the market they faced was the bakery.

You sang along with the song as it was on loop, fixing parts here and there everytime it played again. You took all the chances you could to sing whenever Kihyun wasn’t home, but the reason behind it made the most sense to you. He was the main vocalist of an idol group while you were his significant other. So far in your life, you had never done anything musically; you didn’t play an instrument, you never took any lessons for vocals. The only thing you did musically was take the mandatory music classes required to graduate. Well, technically, in high school, the school required you to have a fine art credit and you weren’t as confident with drawing and painting than music so in high school, you took piano classes, which later on, you got lessons for a few years for, but stopped when college came around. It was only then did you play the piano but only when you had absolutely free time which was still rare.

You put away the final articles of clothing into the drawers in your bedroom. You laid on your bed, thinking about any other chores you had to do before Kihyun’s return, which you didn’t even know when it was. “I cleaned the bathrooms, did the laundry and put them away.. Vacuumed yesterday..” You really had nothing else to do for the day since which meant you could just sing. You pushed yourself up, grabbing your now fully charged tablet, going down the stairs at a somewhat fast pace, going straight down the basement stairs. Your basement was tied in first place as your favorite room in the house along with your bedroom. It was so cozy and comfortable. Once down the staircase, there was a bookshelf taking up an entire wall, filled with books, half of which you read. In front of the shelf was a couch with pillows and blankets where you spent most of your free time reading if not singing. But this time, you weren’t going to read. You quickly pulled open TubeYou, a popular app letting you post or watch videos. You quickly typed in the search for “Ellie Goulding How Long Will I Love You piano” where a moment later, millions of results popped up. You clicked on the first video, posted by an account you were subscribed to. You sat in the corner of the basement at a grand piano where you faced the corner of a room, facing a window which looked into your backyard. You couldn’t help the smile growing on your face since the last time you played this song was when Kihyun was on tour and you had gotten significantly better. 

You paused the music playing on your phone, plugging your earbuds into your tablet, placing it against the music rack, pressing play. You followed along with the video, singing without Ellie’s vocals. You wished you could play this for Kihyun one day, considering he told you he always listened to this song when he missed you and it expressed a good amount of his love for you.

“So what else do you need to get?” Minhyuk and Wonho were preoccupied, slowly walking down the snack aisle as Kihyun walked through, scanning the list of groceries for the house and dorm in general and the ingredients he needed. The cart was filled with various meats and greens, along with some frozen foods in case they couldn’t go out to eat, nor did they have time to make a full meal. Wonho grabbed a box of protein bars, placing them in the cart next to the energy drinks.

“Don’t forget to get snacks for the others.” Kihyun glanced upwards, seeing Wonho place his snacks in. “Uhhm,” his voice was barely audible to them as they continued scanning for possible snacks to bring home. He paused the cart at the end of the aisle, glancing from his list and cart, pulling a pen out and crossing off things he had already gotten. “I just need to get noodles and broth,” he basically said to himself as the two were in the back, bickering about which snack was better. He tucked the list into his pants pocket along with the pen and made his way towards the noodle aisle, leaving the two behind.

He pushed the cart, glancing around at things on sale, looking up the signs which informed shoppers what each aisle contained. All of a sudden, his mind buzzed to you. He thought how much power you had over him and you hadn’t the slightest clue at all. He dreaded leaving you at home alone while he went out on tour, especially out of the country, which was almost all tours now. The distance, the different time zones where he would be awake and you would be asleep or you would be awake and he would be asleep. As much as you two made it work, he couldn’t help but feel like a burden to you. To be in a relationship where you two hardly saw each other. You, of course, said it a countless amount of times but meant it each time when you told him you understood. You even told him how you felt like the burden. He wouldn’t feel this way unless you didn’t flirt back to him. He looked up to see the aisle he needed to be in. He began turning into the aisle, along with the other two catching up to him, a few snacks in each of their arms, dumping them into the cart.

You sat at the piano, the song coming back with ease into your head so it was basic muscle memory. You couldn’t quite hear yourself that well with your earbuds. You paused the music, swapping your earbuds for over the ear headphones, beginning once again, hearing everything evenly. “A few more practices and then I can perform it for Kihyun..” you thought excitedly to yourself, smiling as you sang along with the music. You had known Kihyun for a while; he knew you better than you knew yourself, except for this little part. As much as you wanted to show him this side of you, you just couldn’t. You two were equals and treated each other like so. He never criticized you for anything except when you were sick, he would tell you “I told you so,” for not wearing enough layers, but aside from that, nothing else. You confused yourself.

“However long you say~ How long will I love you? As long as stars are above you, and longer if I may,” the softness and smoothness of Ellie’s voice suited yours perfectly. Her voice wasn’t too high so the song, fortunately, didn't pose a challenge. You were able to match her tone and pitch, or at least you thought. You weren’t a musical expert like Kihyun, but you hoped he would enjoy it. The song was instrumented beautifully with the piano accompaniment, though it lacked something small due to the nonexistent drums, this didn’t stop you. You kept singing the song and playing it on repeat in your own little world.

“Let’s get these all home quickly so you guys can get your ice cream back home before it all melts.” Kihyun pushed the cart towards the car in the somewhat barren parking lot. “Minhyuk, trunk.”

Without a word, Minhyuk pulled out the car keys, unlocking the car, holding a button which opened the automatic car trunk. He held the cart as Kihyun and Wonho began loading the bags into the car, closing it and returning the cart swiftly. The sun was at the beginning of the setting, giving off a golden light. Fortunately, they were ahead of rush hour, able to drive through the clear streets before they were filled with cars going home from work. Music played through the car, the two in the front jamming out as Kihyun sat in the back of his phone.

“They haven’t texted me..” Kihyun opened his messages, not seeing any new ones since he landed, which he found somewhat strange. He scrolled through the previous messages, rereading the messages you sent, talking about each other’s day. He pulled up his contacts, pressing on your contact to call you. He watched as they passed other cars and pedestrians, glancing towards the orange, golden, and blue skies. The phone continued to ring, only to end with an automatic voicemail. He remembered when you first got your new phone, you didn’t make an official voicemail since you said you hated your voice, especially a recording of it. Now thinking about you, he never really understood why you hated your voice since he found it so soothing himself, especially on nights when he couldn’t sleep so you would wrap yourself around him, telling him fantasy stories you made up right on the spot, drawing imaginary shapes on his chest or stomach.

The longer you played and sang, the better you felt. You were in your own little world, playing your piano, singing a song you knew meant a lot to Kihyun. You felt as if you gave this video most of its views since you believed you were the only one who played this video more than anyone in the world. You were soon able to play without following the video.

“Okay, it’s time,” you spoke to yourself, removing the headphones and shutting off the tablet, neatly moving them to the side. You turned off your phone, moving it to the side with the tablet. You didn’t need any distractions. You needed perfection for this song. You counted off in your head, beginning to play the melody, humming the beginning of the song before singing the lyrics. The lyrics were no challenge for you since they were memorized into your head after listening to it so many times. Now all you had to do was match the tone and pitch with the piano as you sang.

You had to admit, being a singer was no easy thing, especially the idols where they danced and moved so much; there was so much they had to do, memorize lyrics, memorize choreography, where most of the times, were made by someone else. You were astonished how Kihyun and his members did it, especially since they created their own lyrics, pouring their soul into everything they did and will do.

The car pulled into the familiar neighborhood, stopping and pulling into the driveway. “Do you need our help to bring stuff in?” Wonho looked back in his seat to see Kihyun already slinging bags over his arms with the keys to your house in hand.

“No, it’s okay. Get back home though, the ice cream isn’t as cold as before.” He began closing the trunk. “Bye.” He waved them off as they drove away, turning the radio back up. He walked toward your front door, four plastic bags in his arms filled with groceries and snacks. He slid the key in, unlocking the door to be met with the dim sound of the piano playing the recognizable song of Ellie Goulding. He walked toward the kitchen after removing his shoes, placing the bags onto the island.

“I guess they’re reading,” Kihyun wondered to himself as he began to place the groceries that needed to be refrigerated into your somewhat empty fridge. It wouldn’t be the first time he came home to you blasting music with the bluetooth speaker of yours as you read a book, but as he continued to listen, he heard the voice singing wasn’t Ellie’s. He paused immediately, slowly making his way towards the basement, following the music. He stepped down the stairs lightly, trying not to let them creak. He was met with you, playing the piano, singing along, a wide smile making his eyes turn into crescents as he sat himself down on the stairs, absorbing your voice and the way you played the piano.

“How long will I want you, as long as you want me to, and longer by far~ How long will I hold you, as long as your father told you, as long as you can~” Your voice was as smooth and honeyed as Ellie’s as she sang. Yours matched hers very well in Kihyun’s opinion. You couldn’t help the smile on your face grow as you felt very confident and content with how you were currently playing and singing it than your past few tries. “This is the one,” your smile affected your singing only a tad bit, but you were able to adjust to it.

Kihyun lifted himself up with the help of the banister, slowly and quietly making his way over to you so he stood behind you, looming over your shoulders. He was mesmerized with your long fingers as they played each chord and note perfectly. His cheeks were sore from his wide smile, but he couldn’t help it since he had never seen or heard you sing nor play the piano. He had to place his hands over his chest to calm his heart, afraid you would hear how loud it was pounding.

You let the final chord ring out, closing your eyes to listen as it echoed around the room off the walls. The sound of clapping and a sudden feeling of someone’s arms around your back startled you, making you shriek until you realized it was Kihyun. “Oh my god, you scared me!” You turned in your seat, staring into his eyes as he stood above you. A sudden heat bloomed through your entire body until you realized Kihyun had heard you.

“You sing so well!” He cupped your face with his hands with the biggest smile on his face. “Why haven’t you ever sung for me? We could do a duet.”

You looked at anything but his eyes, you couldn’t meet them. You sighed, placing your hands over his, removing them so now you held them. “I don’t like my voice, remember? And it probably wasn’t good anyways,” your voice was quiet, almost inaudible to him as you turned away, closing the fallboard over the keys.

“No, your voice was,” he paused as he sat next to you on the seat. “I don’t even know a word for it since it was so good.” He playfully nudged you. He knew your voice wasn’t something you loved, but now he just had more reasons to add to his list of why he loved you so much.

“Horrendous?” You played with your fingers in your lap, not wanting to look into his.

“Hey, no. The complete opposite. Your voice is my favorite, everything about you is my favorite.” He wrapped his arm around your shoulder, peppering kisses on your cheek. He knew your weakness and how to use it, especially in a time like this.

A warm feeling slowly spread from your chest, making you smile. “You know, since you told me about it, I actually wanted to play and sing the song for you.” You turned your head, playfully looking at him, adoring his features.

“Really?” He was flattered as he raised his eyebrows.

You nodded, resting your head on his shoulder. “I’ve been practicing singing and playing the piano again when you’re not home.”

“Woah, woah, wait just a minute. First of all, wow, my significant other is so talented, like me. And second, playing the piano again?” He emphasized the last word as he sat up, trying to lean his head forward so he could meet your face and eyes.

“Oh, yeah, I never told you but I’ve been playing piano since high school..” You lifted your head, looking into his.

His eyes were wide as well as his eyebrows still raised. “Any other surprises?” He broke out into laughter from his own voice.

You shook your head, your smile appearing once again as you intertwined your fingers with his.

“Well, I technically only heard half of the song so..” He squeezed your hands with his.

“I don’t know, Kihyun..”

“Sing for me, please?” He lifted the fallboard. “I’ll play, you just sing.” He gave you his puppy eyes, another thing you couldn’t resist. He played the first chord, looking at you with pleading eyes.

You sighed, humming the beginning note. He continued playing as you continued singing, spending the rest of the night playing more songs, singing them together.

~~~~~

Masterlist for more!

[kumeko]

band practice

Prompt: new kid au

Character/Pairing: jiro, Yaoyorozu

A/N: Written for the Bnha BB. : ) A little late in posting because I was sick but here it is now. The pacing in this is a mess since I rewrote it so many times.

Summary: Yaoyorozu did say she wanted to make more friends in her new school. She just didn’t mean via tutoring Jiro.

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“I’m copying your homework,” a confident, imposing voice ordered.

 Jiro looked up from her sheet music, unsurprised to find it was Kaminari. There was that dopey look on his face again, the sign that someone had been spending a little too much time sniffing highlighters. She raised an eyebrow, not bothering to pause her playlist. This wasn’t even worth removing her earbuds. “No.”

 His bravado vanished immediately and he slumped forward. Hands clasped, he bowed his head and begged. “Please?” When she remained silent, he pleaded, “I’ll do anything.”

 A tempting offer. Highly tempting. She took in his teary eyes, his nervous smile, and shook her head disapprovingly. “No.”

 “Come on!” Switching tactics, he crouched next to her desk and gripped the edge.  “You do this too!”

 “Never to you,” she snapped, flicking each of his fingers. “You.” Flick. “Never.”  Flick. “Help.” Flick. “Back.”

 “Ouch!” Kaminari recoiled, cradling his hands. He shot her a grump glare. “What’s that gotta do with anything?”

 “Everything.” She rolled her eyes. They’d known each other since middle school and she was tired of this old game. “Get someone else.”

 “Boo.” Pouting, he looked furtively at the rest of their gang.

 Jiro almost wished him luck. He’d need it—she followed his train of sight to the rest of her friends. Sero was chatting excitedly with Kirishima about last night’s wrestling match. Despite how fake the whole affair was, they both got really into it. They’d cheer when the face appeared, boo when the heel came out, and it was almost like watching a drama unfold when there was a match. Sero was almost as straight-laced as she was, on that border between rebel and normal. His uniform was on properly, each button properly closed, and if it weren’t for the constant mischievous grin on his face, you’d be forgiven for thinking he was a good student. Kirishima, on the other hand, might have the heart of a model student but you couldn’t tell that by looking at him. His red hair was always in disarray, as were the rest of his clothes. A wild style, but his easy-going grin and friendly nature made him popular with the class despite that.

 Then there was the last of them, Bakugou, moodily sitting at his chair with a perpetual scowl on his face. He only had two modes at school: angry and angrier. After class, there was the rare third mode: when they managed to coax a smile out, an amused snort and a cocky retort.

 To be honest, if there was any reason they ended up with a bad rep, it was him.

 A bell rang and Kaminari sat on her desk. Sero came up to her. “I’ll trade math for English.”

 “Deal.” She smirked broadly as she swapped homework with Sero, ignoring Kaminari’s indignant glare. “See, that’s how it’s supposed to work.”

 Sero looked up from the sheet. “What, was he trying to leach off you again?”

 Before Kaminari could respond, the door swung open.

 “Class.” Their teacher, Aizawa, gave them a flat stare as he slouched toward his desk. A sloth would have looked more energetic. Dressed in black dress pants and a striped sweater, it was as though he had tried to wear his uniform and gave up halfway. Still, it was better than the other times it looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. Hell, he even looked stylish for once. When he’d reached his desk, he gestured to the door. “We have a new student.”

 In walked a princess. Ok, not an actually princess, but Jiro was pretty sure she was close to the real thing. There was something about dignified about her, with her neatly coiffed hair and proud expression that belonged more in a movie than in real life. Even Iida, the class president, who sat as though he had a rod taped to his back, didn’t walk as straight and tall as she did. Reaching the center of the blackboard, with a dainty hand she scrawled a name on the board. Even her letters were neat—who in the world could actually write nicely on a blackboard? Turning around, she bowed to the class. “I’m Yaoyorozu Momo.”

 Her eyes scanned the room and when they landed on hers, Jiro’s hand involuntarily went up to wave. She couldn’t stop herself. Behind her, Sero whistled.

 “She’s cute.” Kaminari muttered.

 “Why are you two not seated yet?” Aizawa’s words came out in a drawl, little power or force behind them, but both Sero and Kaminari flinched and quickly went back to their seats. When everyone was seated, he pointed to a seat on the right, next to Asui. “That spot’s free, it’ll be your desk.”

 “Thank you.” Even her voice was elegant.

  Not that this was the time for that. Aizawa was still paying attention to her group and Jiro had to discretely copy homework and take off her earbuds without getting in trouble. Judging by Aizawa’s stare, it might already be too late.

 -x-

 “I’ll take you around.” Asui—Yaoyorozu was pretty sure her name was Asui—stood in front of her desk, a helpful smile on her face. A short girl with a frog clip in her hair, she stood slightly hunched over.

 Yaoyorozu resisted the urge to correct her posture. She’d found people rarely wanted that kind of advice, at least not on the first day. “Thank you.”

 “I’ll help too!” Another girl skipped to the pair, her short brown hair curling around her head like a mushroom. When she reached Yaoyorozu’s desk, she peered down at her notes in surprise. “Did you write all that?”

 “Yes?” She looked down at her notes herself, wondering if she made a mistake. Their last class was English; perhaps she had made a grammatical or spelling mistake. “Is something wrong?”

 “No, no, definitely not.” The girl’s eyes were wide as she continued to stare at the notebook. “I can’t believe you managed to actually write it all down!”

 An ineloquent “Huh?” escaped Yaoyorozu’s lips before she could stop it. Judging by the impressed expression on both girls faces, this school might be a little different than her old all girl’s school. Around her, her other classmates perked up and started to pay attention. Scratch that, this place was very different.

 “I’m terrible at English.” The girl sighed, drooping. “Like really, really bad.”

 Asui patted her on her back comfortingly. “We can study together.”

 “Yes, I can help if you want.” Yaoyorozu nodded, pushing her fingers together nervously. “I should have my old notes somewhere if you want to look at them.”

 “Really?” Overjoyed, the girl clasped Yaoyorozu’s hands gratefully.  “Thanks!” Then, as though remembering herself, she let go and sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. “I’m Uraraka—probably should’ve done that first.”

 “Uraraka,” Yaoyorozu repeated. “I’m Yaoyorozu—nice to meet you.”

 “Nice to…” Asui cocked her head, tapping her chin as she considered the phrase. “You’re kinda formal when you speak.”

 “Formal?” Perplexed, Yaoyorozu stared at her classmate. “How so?”

 “Like that!” Uraraka nodded her agreement, once more clasping Yaoyorozu’s hands. “We’re friends! It’s ok to relax a little.”

 “Relax.” Yaoyorozu frowned, mulling it over. Certainly, this school was a whole different animal than her old one. Gingerly, she formed her next sentence. “I’ll attempt to?”

 Judging by Uraraka’s face, she’d missed the mark. “Close enough!”

 “Anyways, we need to show her the school before lunch is over.” Asui gently tugged Uraraka’s hands away.

 After Yaoyorozu put away her notebooks, the trio left the classroom. The school was not as grand as Yaoyorozu’s old one, certainly lacking in funding in terms of size and even quality and quantity of goods. The library was not only smaller, but the books had a musty smell and looked older than her parents. There were several classrooms, near identical, on each floor, with a few special rooms for special classes—the art room, geography, music. Eventually, they were nearing the end of the corridor for the final and third floor when Uraraka could faintly hear music escaping from underneath one of the doors. They couldn’t afford proper soundproof rooms then either. “What is that sound?”

 “What?” Uraraka looked around before Yaoyorozu pointed at the door. Following her line of sight, she laughed. “Ohhh, that! They’re the Back Rows.”

 “The back rows?” Yaoyorozu’s brow furrowed. No matter how hard she thought it through, the meaning didn’t get any clearer. “I’m sorry, I don’t follow.”

 “It’s the name of Jiro—right, you haven’t met them.” Asui bit her lip. After a moment’s consideration, she approached the door and gestured for them to follow. “They’re a band.”

 “A band?” Yaoyorozu had heard rumours of bands, playing with guitars and screaming instead of singing. Nothing at all like the magnificent orchestras or even the graceful quartets. Still, this would be a good time to get some firsthand information. Quietly, she peeked through the door’s glass window.

 A blonde boy jumped, strumming a guitar as electric as his grin. A black chord bounced around him like ribbon, miraculously not tangling around his legs. Near him a second guitar rang out, a tone deeper. A toothy boy played the instrument, its shape an oddity compared to the first. His foot tapped to the beat. A beat played out by the giant drum kit behind him. Surrounded by drums and cymbals, the angry boy from their class was furiously banging out a tempo. His hands jumped from place to place, dragging the band along his pace.

 And leading the group, singing her heart out into a microphone, was a short-haired girl, the girl who’d waved at her this morning. They were all from Yaoyorozu’s class, she realized. All of them. The singer was clutching the stand, hunching over it as she shouted something unintelligible into the head. While not entirely soundproof, the room blocked out enough noise that Yaoyorozu couldn’t make out most of the song. Only that it was loud. How much louder did it have to be inside?

 For a moment she forgot to breath. This was no confused mess, no unharmonic discord. It was…it was…

 “Amazing,” Yaoyorozu exhaled.

 “It is, isn’t it!” Urara whispered, excited. “They’re a club, sorta, and they’re gonna perform again at the festival. This is a new song.”

 “Let’s go—Bakugou gets pissed whenever people watch them practice,” Asui whispered, tugging on their sleeves. At Yaoyorozu’s confused look, she added, “He’s the drummer. Kaminari’s on the guitar, Sero’s on the bass, and that’s Jiro singing. Kirishima joins them sometimes, but he’s more like a club manager than a band member. They’re all in our class.”

 Bakugou. Kaminari. Sero. Kirishima. She repeated their names to herself as they walked away, taking one last look at Jiro. Her cheeks red from exertion, she looked like a thing of fire as she danced around. Yaoyorozu had never seen anyone look so alive before. Passionate. She wondered when was the last time she’d looked like that. Her fingers twitched involuntarily, tapping along to the music. It stayed with her, even through their afternoon classes, even after she had cello practice and did her homework and all the other activities her parents had arranged.

 When she closed her eyes, all she could see was that band performing, all she could hear was that beat, as though it were her own heartbeat.

-x-

 There were few things that scared Jiro. Conversely, there were many things that annoyed her: Kaminari, her hippie parents, Iida when he went hardcore, Kaminari, attention, Mineta, and did she mention Kaminari? Even horror movies weren’t any issue generally, good for a few chills and scares before ultimately being forgotten.

 However, the piece of paper in front of her terrified her. Scrawled on the top was a red 60%. An almost failing grade. It was blood curdling to stare at it and she suddenly felt very cold. Her parents would have no issue with this, she knew, as long as her music grades were good. No, the school, on the other hand, would very much have problems with this. The only condition her band had for using the school to practice and even perform was that they all passed their tests.

 And a sixty percent generally ended up going even lower and lower. Shakily, she turned to look at Kaminari. His face was as pale as hers as he looked up from his test. Turning the other direction, she saw that Sero looked only slightly disappointed, though next to him Kirishima’s million-watt smile was down a few degrees. The only person she didn’t have to check was Bakugou —despite his attitude, his grades were nothing to laugh at.

 Well, fuck. They were screwed unless they came up with something fast. The moment class was over, she grabbed Kaminari’s test before he could hide it. It was worse than she’d expected. “Fifty percent? Seriously?”

 “Hey!” Reaching up, he tried to grab the test from her. When she smoothly dodged, he sighed and sat back down. “Yeah, yeah, still a pass.”

 “Barely. I don’t even know if this counts as a pass even—Aizawa definitely won’t like this.” To emphasize her point, she hit the paper with the back of her hand. “And I thought my grades were bad.”

 “What’d you get?” Grumpy, he reached over and tried to grab her test, only for her to yank it away as well. There were a few downsides to sitting next to Kaminari, but his predictability was never one of them.

 “Much better than you.” Concerned, she turned to Kirishima. He’d wandered over, still a little downtrodden. “How bad is it?”

 “54. Sero’s fine at least.” Kirishima sighed before roughly rubbing his head with both hands. After a few minutes, he clapped his cheeks. “Ok! I’ll figure out how to fix this. A man has to clean up after his own mess.”

 “It’s nice I can count on you.” Jiro gave Kaminari a pointed glare. “What’re you gonna do?”

 Disgruntled, he rested his cheeks on the desk. “I’ll figure something out.”

 “Will you? Really?” Jiro stared at him incredulously, wondering if it was more unbelievable that he said it or that he believed it.

 Clenching his jaw, Kirishima crossed his arms. After a few seconds of humming, he suddenly beamed. “We just need help.”

 “Help?” Kaminari glanced at him disinterestedly, still slumped over his desk.

 Energized, Kirishima merely grinned before heading to Bakugou. As they watched, he slammed his hands on his desk, earning an irate glare from Bakugou. “What.”

 It wasn’t even a question. Jiro shivered, a chill running up her spine. Despite the years they’ve known each other, on some level Bakugou would always be scary. “He’s going to get himself killed.”

 “Yep.” Kaminari swallowed, nodding slowly. He clasped his hands together, as if in prayer. “I’ll remember him.”

 “Should I…” Trailing off, she gestured helplessly at the tableau in front of them.

 Grabbing her hand, Kaminari shook his head sadly. “He’s as dead as our band.” He gave a small salute and Jiro whacked him.

 “Our band is not dead,” she snarled, turning back to the scene. Whatever Kirishima had said, she’d missed. Somehow, he was still alive. So far. Judging by Bakugou’s expression, it wasn’t for long.

 “Why.” Again, another not-question. It was almost impressive for an artist that he was able to convey so much anger with so few words. If they ever went into the heavy metal genre, they were set.

 “Come on, we can’t perform otherwise.” The easy smile didn’t slip off Kirishima’s face, his arm wrapped around Bakugou’s shoulder now as he crouched next to his chair. Jiro faintly feared that he’d lose the arm. “It’s just math and English.” When Bakugou glared at him, he laughed awkwardly and scratched his chin with his other hand. “And maybe a few more.”

 “I could beat it into you,” Bakugou growled, looking practically demonic.

 “That works too.” Fearlessly Kirishima gave them thumbs up. “See you Saturday.”

 “Mad man. He’s a mad man.” Kaminari stared blankly at the scene for a moment longer before turning back to her. “I can’t believe Bakugou’s tutoring.”

 Bakugou. Tutoring. All Jiro could picture was a torture chamber. Did Bakugou even know how to teach? There were values like patience or compassion or not yelling that were definitely needed for this task. Shaking her head, she looked at the rest of the class. Choice aside, Kirishima had the right idea. A tutor. She just had to find someone who didn’t look too busy and also looked like a good teacher.

 Well at least it wouldn’t be hard to look for someone smart. Their class was oddly full of them.

 -x-

 How odd. When Yaoyorozu had hoped she’d get closer to her classmates, tutoring hadn’t been her first idea. Or even her second or a remote third. Yet when Uraraka had come forward with an awkward Jiro, she couldn’t refuse. Especially not after hearing about her plight—if she could help, she wanted to.

 And to be honest, she wanted to get closer to Jiro. Just a little. Despite how alive she’d looked in front of the mike, Jiro was practically apathetic in class. Even her humour was more on the dry side. There was little of the singer inside the student and Yaoyorozu couldn’t wrap her head around how one person could have two very different sides.

 “I’m fine with most subjects,” Jiro informed her honestly, pulling out a notebook onto the table. It was Saturday and they were in Yaoyorozu’s house. It was a little more modest than her old place. A traditional house, it was spacious enough to accommodate most of their furnishings, leaving only a few pieces in storage. The grounds not as grand as she was used to, but Jiro had complimented it all the same when she’d arrived. Fortunately, they were not expecting any other guests that day and Yaoyorozu had arranged for them to use the living room for their session.

 “Then what do you need help with?” Yaoyorozu asked, settling herself on the other side of the table.

 A maid knocked and entered, carrying tray of tea. “Where shall I leave it miss?”

 “On the side table is fine.” Yaoyorozu gestured to the table next to the chaise. With a soft clink, the tray was set down and the maid departed with a bow. “Want some tea?”

 “Tea?” Jiro rubbed her wrist, her expression strained. “What kind of tea?”

 “We have several blends—I requested a simple one for today, a green tea.” Yaoyorozu slowly poured some tea into a small cup and offered it to her.

 “Green tea? That sounds…normal.” Jiro nodded, accepting the cup.

 “Gathering the leaves was the hard part, there were so many different regions to choose from.”

 Holding up her hand, Jiro shook her head. “I don’t really want to think about that. Green tea. Let’s leave it at that.”

 “If you’re certain.” Yaoyorozu poured herself a cup, uncertain as to how that knowledge could ruin Jiro’s enjoyment. She inhaled the fragrance, a touch milder than she was used to, before slowly sipping. It warmed her instantly, spreading through her body like a blanket.

 “Not bad.” Jiro sipped her tea slowly, examining the room. Her expression brightened when her gaze landed on the grand piano. “A piano? Can you play?”

 “Hmm?” Following her line of slight, Yaoyorozu stared at the piano for a long moment. “I have taken lessons for years.”

 And yet, oddly enough, she never looked at that instrument the way Jiro had. Nor had she ever played it the way Sero or Kaminari or even Bakugou had played theirs. It existed, an item more for showing off than for enjoyment. A status symbol.

 “Wow.” Jiro looked at her impressed. “What level?”

 “I’m at…I’m not all that great at it.” Yaoyorozu lied, rubbing her shoulder.

 “That’s ok.” Jiro shrugged. “I’m not the best either.”

 Somehow, that easy line made her want to play even less—there was a difference, Yaoyorozu was sure, between them. A difference in how they played, in how they looked when they played. Even a difference on what they thought was good.  “That’s not why we’re here today.” She tapped her notebook. “What subject do you need help in?”

 “Math.” Jiro grimaced, opening her math notebook. “It’s just not clicking. At all. My other grades are decent enough, but I almost always fail that course.”

 “Math.” Yaoyorozu pulled out the textbook, checking exactly what this class had learned in comparison to hers. It was fairly similar—calculus, some trigonometry, and a slow introduction into more complex equations. Her class had been ahead, but that was to be expected of a top class private school versus a public one. Confident she was ready, she looked expectantly at Jiro. “What sections should we go over?”

 “…all of them,” Jiro admitted slowly, her cheeks tinting a faint red. “Just…yeah, all of it.”

 “All of it,” Yaoyorozu repeated, looking down at textbook once more, at the helpful sticker Uraraka had placed to indicate the class’s current spot. A quarter of the book, fortunately. Their next round of tests was a week away, unfortunately. “There’s nothing that you understand?”

 Jiro gave a wry look. “Nothing.”

 Well. This was certainly shaping up to be a longer day than Yaoyorozu had expected. “Very well then, we will start at the beginning.”

-x-

 “So?” Sero leaned forward conspiratorially. “How’s it going?”

 “How’s what going?” Jiro looked up from her sheet music. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she was adjusting their song. Bakugou was late, oddly enough, though she suspected Kirishima had something to do with that. Miraculously, he had survived the weekend of hell and even managed to get Bakugou to help out beyond that.

 If he managed to pass the tests with his body intact, she’d dedicate a song to him.

 “The princess.” Kaminari waggled his brow and someone had been spending too much time with Mineta again. “She’s teaching you, right?”

 “Yaoyorozu?” Jiro tugged her ear. Princess, huh? It was near impossible for Yaoyorozu to hide her rich roots, even if she wanted to—almost every move she made exuded the aura of wealth. Her mannerisms, her speech, even their identical uniforms seemed different somehow. “She’s really good at it.”

 “Maybe she can help me too, then.” Sero sighed.

 “Science?” Jiro asked, knowing all too well his weakness. She stood up, brushing herself off.

 “Chemistry,” he corrected. He was better at engineering and practical work than the theoretical sections. Unfortunately, they were only tested on theory.

 “And you?” Jiro didn’t really need to ask, Kaminari’s flinch said everything. “Iida’s helping you, right?”

 The second she asked, she instantly regretted it. As though given permission to break down, Kaminari grabbed her shoulders and looked at her with watery eyes. “It’s a boot camp for devils. It’s torture. It’d actually be better with Bakugou.”

 Sero covered his mouth, trying to stop his laughter. It didn’t work; she could still hear his snorts even as he tried to speak. “Bakugou? Really?”

 Kaminari shot him a glare. “Yes really.”

 Brushing his hands off her, Jiro rolled her eyes. “It can’t possibly be that bad.”

 “Worse. It’s even worse,” Kaminari grumbled, crouching to the ground. His hand drew circles on the floor as he mumbled, “Not all of us are lucky enough to get a princess.”

 “She’s…” The word strict died on her tongue—Yaoyorozu wasn’t all that bad, actually. She was smart and stern when it came to her lessons, but she was also fair about it. If anything, it was more fun than she’d expected.

 Not that she’d ever admit it.

 “See.” Kaminari narrowed his eyes and squinted up at her and really, he had been spending way too much time with Mineta.

 “You’re gonna pass though, right?” Resisting the urge to argue with him, she sat down and went back to their sheet music. Before Kaminari could answer, she added, “Otherwise I don’t think he’ll leave you alone.”

 Kaminari went white. “Oh god, you’re right.”

 -x-

 “So, this is my house.”

 Yaoyorozu stared at the main hallway, amazed at the compactness of it all. The house was small, almost as big as one of her family’s sheds. Or maybe garage. Either way, it was amazing a person could live in it, let alone an entire family. There was something cute about it all, like living in a doll house. “It’s a nice place.”

 Jiro stared at her for a long moment. Her tone was a bit dry as she replied, “Right.”

 “No, really, it’s quaint,” Yaoyorozu complimented as she pulled off her shoes.

 “We could just do this at your house again,” Jiro suggested, tugging her ear nervously.

 “No, no, this is good.” Yaoyorozu quickly shook her hands in front of her. When was the next time she’d get to see how the other half lived? Ever since she moved, she got to try coffee shops and movie theatres and honestly, it was a lot better than she’d expected. Following Jiro to her room, she tried not to stare too much as they walked but everything was so new and interesting.

 Even Jiro’s room was an oddity, covered from wall to wall with posters of singers and bands Yaoyorozu couldn’t recognize. All she knew was that they were all rock bands, that there was something about a heavy beat and an electric guitar that made her heart sing where classical music could not.

 In a corner, several guitars hung on a stand and Yaoyorozu almost floated toward them. “Are these all yours?”

 “Huh?” Surprised, Jiro could only nod. “Yeah.”

 “Wow!” Yaoyorozu leaned forward to examine them all. Their shapes were all so different and she reached out to touch them. “Could I try?”

 “You know how to play?” Jiro stood next to her now and she was surprised before, she was incredulous now.

 “Oh, no, not at all.” Yaoyorozu rubbed her shoulder, withdrawing from the instruments. “They just…they look…” It all sounded stupid now that she was trying to say it aloud.

 “Cool, right?” Jiro gave a half-smile, the most she’d ever given to Yaoyorozu. Her fingers grazed the varnish on one of them.

 No, you’re the cool one, she’d almost blurted out but if her words for the guitars sounded silly, this was downright idiotic.  

 “After we’re done studying.” Jiro tugged her ear, looking away now. “If you want, I could teach you a little then.”

 “Teach me?” Yaoyorozu stared at her and then back at the guitar. That was so much more than she’d expected, so much more than she’d hoped for. She felt so light she could float, a well of happiness overflowing within her.  Almost hugging Jiro, she pulled back last second and nodded eagerly. “Yes, please!”

 “You don’t have to be so formal.” Jiro shook her head, going back to their bags. “It’s nothing.”

 “No, not it’s not.” Yaoyorozu looked back at the guitars one last time before getting ready to teach. The faster they went through the material, the faster they could get to it.

 -x-

 “Wow.” Yaoyorozu stood stock still in the entrance to the McDonald’s, gazing in wonder at the whole establishment. By expression alone, it was like they were standing at a rock concert or in front of the Mona Lisa.

 Jiro had to resist the urge to rub her eyes, to confirm that this was actually a McDonald’s and they hadn’t accidentally entered some fancy restaurant. Cheap wobbly chairs, check. Dirty tables, check. The smell of greasy, fried food, check. “What is this, your first McDonald’s?”

 It was a joke but Yaoyorozu nodded, still clearly enamoured by the restaurant. “I always wanted to go to one of these fast-food establishments, but I never could find the excuse or time.” She took a step in, her hand lightly brushing a table, and Jiro wondered if she should warn her about the germs. “It’s exactly how I pictured it.”

 This is what you pictured? Jiro almost asked, because who imagined what a McDonald’s looked like and why even imagine this? A strained smile on her face, she led the way to the counter. “Come on, let’s order something.”

 Yaoyorozu slowly followed after, craning her head as she tried to look at all the pictures hanging on the walls. When they reached the counter, her jaw slacked as she stared at all the menu items. “This is an impressive selection! Far more items than I expected!”

 “It’s a normal amount,” Jiro scoffed, not sure how she should be reacting to all this. Laughter? Ignore it? Taking it seriously? “And most of them are almost identical.”

 “That’s true.” Her eyes widened as she scanned the different burgers. “That one’s just adding a patty and that one cheese—what should I get?” Jiro stepped back when Yaoyorozu turned her, excitement rolling off her in waves. Then, as though remembering herself, she straightened her posture and her smile dropped a notch. “I mean, is there anything you could recommend?”

 The good rich girl act was back. It was funny to see how different she was when she was relaxed and when she was in public. Jiro wasn’t sure if Yaoyorozu even noticed the difference herself. “Umm…I guess one of their desserts?”

 “Desserts…” She bit her lip, eyeing the burgers once more. “I suppose I can try one.”

 “…or you could just take their burger combos.”

 Yaoyorozu’s smile came back, and she nodded. “That is the best course to take.” Sitting at a table, she waved at the cashier. “Hi! Could I have one of your…” She looked up at the menu board again, and her lips formed a small ‘O’. “They can come with toys? I will try one of those. And a dessert.”

 The cashier stared at her. “Huh?”

 “One second!” Jiro quickly dragged her off, her ears red with embarrassment. When they were in a corner, she hissed, “That’s not how you order here.”

 “Really?” Yaoyorozu’s face flushed a dark red and she covered her face with her hands. “It was bad, wasn’t it?”

 “Very bad.” Jiro ran a hand through her hair. “Look, I can order for you.”

 She peeked through the cracks between her fingers. “Really?” When Jiro nodded, she smiled, revealing her face. “Could I have one of those toys then?”

 “Those are…” Jiro cut herself off, not really wanting to destroy her smile again with the news that those were for little kids. “Sure, why not?”

 -x-

 “So, I think you almost understand the formulas,” Yaoyorozu whispered, scanning the practice questions Jiro had finished. For once, the number of rights overtook the number of wrongs, and maybe their lessons were finally having their intended effect. She flipped the page and almost gasped at the sight, a full row of checkmarks. “Wow, you did so well here!”

 Jiro didn’t respond, instead settling her head on Yaoyorozu’s shoulder. At the unexpected weight, she stiffened. They were in a library! The school library! This was improper! Furtively, she scanned the room. After school, there were only a few students here, most of them heavily engrossed in a book or chatting in low voices with one another. None of them were looking in their direction and she sighed with relief. Quietly, she hissed, “What are you doing?”

 No response again. After checking the room once more, Yaoyorozu looked down at her pupil only to find her asleep. Asleep. Irritation rose up within—were her lessons really that boring?

 No, that couldn’t be the case. She glanced at the sheet again, at the row of right answers. Jiro had been paying attention, had been working hard. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to let her rest a little. Peering down again, she watched the slight rise and fall of Jiro’s chest, her mouth slightly open as she softly snored. Asleep, she looked more delicate than usual and Yaoyorozu looked away, not sure why her cheeks felt so hot.

 Just a little, she’d let her sleep just a little and then they’d get back to studying. They only had a few more days, after all.

 -x-

 “Pass the papers down to the person behind you,” Aizawa ordered, giving them all a grumpy look. “Though by now you should know the drill.”

 The test. Jiro stared at the paper in front of her, at the hand waving them so she’d take them. It was judgement time. Next to her, she could hear Kaminari freaking out and her pulse shot up. The idiot was going to make her panic and she almost chucked her eraser at him.

 Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in. This was no time to freak out. Slowly, she reached out and grabbed the papers. She had this, she had this—oh who was she kidding? She definitely—

 Ahead of her, Yaoyorozu flashed her a thumbs up and Jiro quietly released her breath, picking up her pencil.

 She had this.

 -x-

  “I passed!” Jiro almost collapsed on her desk when they got their most recent test results back, the red pen at the top marking a 75%. Maybe not as high as Yaoyorozu would have wanted, but it was amazing for Jiro. Especially for math.

 The band was safe. The concert was safe. And it was all thanks to Yaoyorozu.  Turning to her right, she asked Kaminari, “Did you pass?”

 “65%.” Kaminari swallowed, a little ashen. “Do you think he’ll leave me alone with this?”

 Oh. Right. Iida. Jiro glanced at their class president, very proudly explaining answer to Uraraka and their other classmates. There was nothing about him that indicated he was the type to accept a passing mark. “Not a chance.”

 “Thought so.” Kaminari sighed.

 “But you passed, which is good enough.” Besides, Iida’s dogged determination had some uses—Kaminari would need the help for the next test. And any other test. Maybe it was a good thing he’d never be rid of him—Kaminari would never fail again.

 A test was shoved in front of them, a bright red 70%. Behind it, with a wide grin, was Kirishima. “Got it!”

 Kaminari grabbed it, staring back and forth from the test to Kirishima. “Wait, what?” He glanced at Bakugou, still in his default glower. “He actually taught you stuff?”

 “Beat it into me.” Kirishima puffed his chest with pride and Jiro wanted so badly to point out there was nothing to be proud of. If anything, it was a worrying concept. But a pass was a pass and if Kirishima was fine with it, she’d keep her mouth shut.

 “Seriously?” Kaminari bit his lip, peeking at Bakugou once more. “Think maybe I—”

 “No.” Jiro immediately cut off, shaking her head. Kirishima might have survived, but he had always been a special case. Bakugou would either murder Kaminari for asking or just murder him while tutoring him. Hell, even she wanted to do it sometimes.  

 Kaminari looked like he was about to argue but thought better of it. “Nah, you’re right. Got the music ready?”

 Jiro grinned, pulling out the sheet music from her bag. “All adjusted, finally.”

 “Ohhhh.” Kirishima gazed at it curiously. He couldn’t read the notes, barely understanding anything about music, but his enthusiasm wasn’t dampened at all. “Neat!”

 “More than neat!” Kaminari whistled as he flipped through the pages. “Amazing! How’d you find time to do it?”

 “Well, Yaoyorozu’s really good at explaining, so our lessons didn’t last too long.” Jiro shrugged.

 Looking up from the sheets, he squinted at her. “How good at explaining?”

 “…I don’t think she’ll teach you.” Jiro paused, then corrected herself. “You want a tag team of her and Ida?”

 He frowned, mulling it over. “Princess and Ida, or just Ida…hmm…”

 “Why is passing not even an option?” Jiro sighed. It wasn’t a realistic option, sure, but he didn’t even consider it.

 “You’re the only one left with a tutor, huh?” Kirishima teased, a wide grin plastered on his face. Humming, he carefully folded his test. “Bakugou’ll be fine with this.”

 Oh, she should show hers to Yaoyorozu too. Looking across the classroom, her eyes met with Yaoyorozu’s and she quickly gave her a thumbs up. Yaoyorozu looked surprised and shot back two thumbs up. They could meet after class, as usual, and Jiro could already picture the smile on her face as she read the mark.

 And then—and then what? Tutoring was over. They didn’t have to meet anymore. Jiro would go back to band practice, to hours after class locked up in a class room, singing her heart out. There would be no more afterschool lessons, no more practice tests.

  For some reason, she didn’t feel as happy about that as she thought she’d be.

 -x-

 It was a little strange. Yaoyorozu listened to Uraraka and Asui as they walked to the courtyard, nodding and laughing where needed. There was nothing unusual about this, she had been doing this for the past month or so. They’d have their lunch together, trading stories about procrastination and dates gone wrong and unbelievable strokes of luck.

 There was nothing unusual about this and yet it felt strange all the same. Two stories above them, Yaoyorozu could hear a guitar, the clash of cymbals, and a faint voice screaming through the instruments.

 Not too long ago, that voice had been worrying about math homework, looking at Yaoyorozu for reassurance.

 Not too long ago, it had been too easy to meet Jiro and now it seemed too hard. There was no reason not to, no reason to do so, and Yaoyorozu balanced on the rope, swaying between going and not going. Longing, this was longing, she realized, remembering the word from her trashy, five-dollar romance novels. She missed Jiro.

 She missed Jiro. Now that she admitted it, the word felt right, and everything made sense. Yaoyorozu missed Jiro. It was irrational, they saw each other in class every day, but the feeling lingered still.

 “I’m sorry, but I have to do something.” Yaoyorozu stood up, shooting an apologetic smile at her two friends. “I’ll see you in class.”

 “Huh?” Uraraka stared at her before nodding slowly. “Ok.”

 “See you,” Asui croaked out, a knowing smile on her lips, and she tried hard not to read into that.

 Waving goodbye, she quickly headed to the music room, to the music that had always been out of reach. Her fingers remembered her few guitar lessons, the feel of a chord between her fingers, the heat of Jiro’s hand on top of hers, gently correcting her movements. It had been over a week since they’d last had one. The class bell rang as she reached the room but for once, Yaoyorozu disregarded it. This was more important. Far more important.

 Just as she was about to turn the handle, it opened on the other side. Jiro stared at the girl in front of her, surprised. “Yaoyorozu?”

 Exactly who she wanted to see. “Can I talk to you?”

 “Uh, sure?” Jiro tugged her ear, a nervous habit she had noticed long ago. “After class, I guess.”

 Yaoyorozu shook her head. “Now.”

 “But the bell rang?” Jiro brow furrowed, concerned. “Are you feeling ok?”

 Around her, her friends streamed out of the door, leaving only the two of them there. Yaoyorozu stepped into the classroom herself, taking a seat. “Now,” she repeated insistently, firmly.  If she didn’t do it know, she was afraid she’d lose her courage.

 “But…” Jiro sighed, rubbing her head furiously.  “Alright, fine.” She plopped down on the chair next to her. “Yes?”

 Now that she was here, Yaoyorozu wasn’t sure what to say. Jiro was staring at her and her words, her hastily thought up speech, all of it flew away. Tongue-tied, she searched the room for something to say and landed on the guitar cases propped up against the wall. “Guitar lessons.”

 “Huh?” Jiro blinked, surprised. “What?”

 Yaoyorozu could just hit her head against the wall, it was such a stupid way to start. Still, it was something and she latched onto it. “We haven’t had a guitar lesson in a while.”

 “Oh that.” Jiro tugged her ear again. “I thought you were just doing that to get me to learn.”

 “Never.” Yaoyorozu shook her head vehemently, clutching Jiro’s hands. “Please teach me again.”

 “S-sure.” Jiro stared at their joined hands, flustered by the desperate appeal. “If you really want.” After a moment, she adjusted her hand, gripping Yaoyorozu’s hand back. “I didn’t think you liked that much.”

 “I loved it.” Yaoyorozu took a deep breath, gathering her courage once more. “No, I…that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

 “Okay.” Jiro looked even more confused, if possible. After waiting a moment, she prompted Yaoyorozu. “So what did you want?”

 “I…” She focused on their hands, on the calluses on Jiro’s fingers. Her own were there as well, fresh and newly formed. “Could we meet again? ‘Hang’ out as you called it?”

 “Slang, coming from your mouth.” Jiro looked amused. She nodded eagerly. “And definitely, I…” She tugged her ear with her free hand, awkward and uncertain. “I kinda missed it.”

 “Me too.” Elated, Yaoyorozu squeezed Jiro’s hands. “I really missed it.”

 “Cool.” Jiro smiled, a brief thing, and Yaoyorozu wondered if she could make it happen again. Make it happen longer. Suddenly, she looked up at the time and stood up with a shout. “Shit, we’re really, really late.”

 Yaoyorozu looked at the classroom clock and almost fell out of her chair. She had never been late for anything before and this late? “We have to go.”

 “Yeah.” Jiro looked terrified, already at the door. “Aizawa is going to kill us.”

 “He wouldn’t—”

 Jiro looked her dead in the eye, shaking her head furiously. “It will be a fate worse than death.”

 She swallowed. “Oh dear.”

 With a sinking feeling, Yaoyorozu knew that it would be a while before they had another guitar lesson.