#I tell him I hope the cashier who checked him out loses a tooth and touya’s dick twitches

[yoichichi]

hi elle!! happy friday, happy weekend!! which of your blorbos do you think would like when you’re a lil bit pouty and possessive? who’s on the brain? :3

FAWN MY DEARLY BELOVED!!!! Absolutely devastated because I did NOT see this Friday 🛌🛌 but how are you! And happy late friyay ☺️🤍🌷

And Omg you’re so sweet asking me about this… 100% the top 2 are Yuuta and Touya to me >_<

Yuuta LOVES the pouty-ness because it gives him an excuse to coddle and pry and dote on me until it’s all better <///////3 major heart eyes when I’m not pouty anymore especially bc he knows he’s the reason crisis has been averted HEHEHE, pouty = clingy to him and he loves clingy like no other ! He’s also into the work it takes to make me quit feeling so pouty, it helps that the “work” usually just involves giving me lots of physical affection which he likes anyways, but he gets a sense of pride and satisfaction when I go from 😞😡☹️🛌 to ☺️😁☀️🤍😋 all because of him <3

Touya loves the jealousy and possessiveness, no questions asked every time, even if he doesn’t make it obvious. It offers a sort of reassurance that I do like him at least a little bit without him having to ask me 😭 but it also just gets him a little giddy and gives him butterflies with no explanation when I pull him away by his hand because I want his attention all to myself, and he’d like to die with that secret because he does find it a little embarrassing that he secretly enjoys seeing his partner jealous and irrational 😋

[hush-writes-preg]

I just had a little scenario in my head: imagine you're working as a cashier or sth at a store, you see hundreds of faces every day, but there's this one pretty guy in your age who always smiles at you politely as he pays for his stuff. He becomes one of the regular customers and comes by like once every week.

After a while of working there, you notice sth about him has kinda... changed. He used to be super thin and flat, most of his body still is, except for his tummy. It used to be flat too, but today you notice a slight, barely visible curve beneath his slim-fitted shirt. You shrug in your head, maybe he just gained some weight from eating or sth. But when he comes back next week, and the weeks after, you realize that with every visit, his belly seems to have slightly grown more. Does he look embarrassed and tries to hide it? Is he completely oblivious to this change? Or does he seem proud and confident, arching his back a little extra to underline his new curve?

I've been working at the same grocery store since high school, so suffice it to say I've gotten to know the clientele over the years.  Some were a lot more memorable than others.  There was the Hypochondriac who pushed her cart of rubbing alcohol through the store every week with chapped, badly cracked hands; the Church Lady who loved to tell me about all the reasons I'd go to hell as I tried to process a hundred of her dumb coupons; the sweet Technophobe who always showed up in my line because he needed a gentle hand figuring out those newfangled credit card machines every time he shopped… yeah, it wasn't a boring job by a long shot. 

Of course, there were a lot more of the mundane sorts of customers, too.  Customers whose faces I grew accustomed to and whose looks and habits grew nearly as familiar as my own. 

I remember one guy in particular.  He was around my age and pretty average in terms of looks, but he never caused problems and always seemed to wear a smile.  He usually showed up on Thursday nights to do his weekly shopping, though I'd see him stop by to grab a couple of things on other days, too.  I figured he had a bit of a sweet tooth, because he rarely checked out without at least something chocolate-flavored in his order, but you probably wouldn't have guessed that at a glance since he was such a skinny dude. 

Well, at least he used to be.

It was probably around a year after I started noticing him that I noticed something else-- he'd started putting on a little weight around the middle.  I barely even clocked it at first, 'cause who cares, right?  People gain weight and lose weight all of the time.  But what struck me as odd was the fact that his seemed centered around his belly, and once it started growing, it just kept going. 

At first, it was nothing more than a little bulge that changed the contours of his belly under his shirt, but a few weeks later it poked out far enough to leave a visible little gap under the hem.  If he shifted the right way to grab something out of his cart, I could totally see tight, bare skin and tummy fuzz.  The guy seemed completely oblivious to the changes, though, at least for a while.

I'd started to wonder if he realized just how tight his shirts had gotten when he finally seemed to get the memo. 

He arrived for his next visit in a baggy hoodie, and any time his bulging middle bumped into anything, his face reddened and his eyes darted away.  There was a lot more chocolate on the belt during that trip, and mixed in among the assorted foodstuffs was a box of pregnancy tests. 

Well, that explained a lot. 

I felt his gaze snap to me the moment my hand made contact with it, and I know he was watching me for any sort of reaction as I slid the box over the scanner. 

He jumped when it beeped and the price came up on the display, and I had to bite back a chuckle.  "This is a good brand," I mentioned conversationally, hoping to put him at ease.  "My cousin researched these things obsessively last year when he got pregnant.  He said they were one of the most accurate ones on the market."

"Oh yeah?" he mumbled, not quite meeting my eyes, but I caught the way he pressed a hand against his growing bump. 

"Yep."  Beep.  Beep.  "Oh by the way, that candy bar you picked up is buy one get one free this week.  In case you wanna grab another one."

He didn't say anything, but the smile he shot me was filled with relief and gratitude as his fingers curled around a second piece of candy and tossed it to the belt.  I wasn't about to judge him if he'd gotten himself knocked up.  And if those tests came back the way I figured they might, the dude was gonna need the extra sugar boost.

[kyber-crystal]

Set Up

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Words: ~3.3k

Summary: In which the Avengers are relentless in their attempts to get you and Steve together. If this means going great lengths such as sending you off on a mission-disguised romantic getaway to make you realize your feelings for one another, they’ll seize the chance at the very moment it’s presented to them.

Warnings: None. Just tooth-rotting fluff bc I’ve really been needing it ahaha

A/N: Set in an AU 2017 timeline in which they reunite a year after the whole Accords situation so that everyone’s happy :)

"Rogers. Parasite. Stop watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine and get up, you need to get to the meeting room ASAP," Tony stated.

"Says the one who leeches off my granola bar supply," you grumbled as you shot him a death glare. "You've been doing this to me since I was a toddler. A helpless, two-year old against a 16 year-old demon always hungry for everyone's food but his own."

"Still holding the Full House cereal incident against me? Geez, woman, do you ever release your grudges against anyone," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Now come on, let's go."

Exchanging a confused look with Steve, you stood up and followed Tony down the hallway to the meeting room, where Fury was with the rest of the team, waiting.

"Captain Rogers, Agent Y/N," Fury nodded curtly. "I presume you know what's going on?"

"No, sir."

"I need you two to track down a group of mercenaries in downtown Tokyo. You'll be flown out commercially so you can maintain a low profile. The whole process should take no longer than ten days," he explained as Natasha handed him the printed out flight details. "Further information will be given to you upon arrival."

"If it's just the two of us, then why is everyone here?" you pointed out.

"Barton and Maximoff will be checking in with you regularly; and if backup is necessary, I will fly one of them out to meet you. If you don't have any more questions, this meeting is now dismissed. You'll be departing late tonight so if I were you, I'd get to packing right about now."

...

Soon enough you were all packed and ready to go. Because you were too lazy to reach back into your suitcase and grab a sweatshirt, you took Steve's Dodgers hoodie and slipped it on, along with a pair of your favorite sweatpants.

"See you in ten days, okay?" Natasha pulled you in for a tight hug. "Make sure to keep Rogers company, it's a long flight. This is also the perfect opportunity to grow closer...literally."

"Oh shut up, Nat," you scoffed. "We're not...you know."

"Sure you aren't."

"Tony, why don't you get some good rest for once," you turned to your brother, "alright?"

"As long as you admit you're in love with Capsicle," he whispered into your ear.

"I can't admit what's not true."

"Yeah yeah, I can't understand bullshit."

"Tony."

"Y/N," he mocked. "Anyway. Have a safe trip, don't die, yada yada yada."

"Yeah yeah, got it."

A few more rounds of goodbyes later, you and Steve were in the elevator with your luggage, heading down to where Phil was waiting to drive you to the airport.

Your flight was scheduled to take off at 1:45 in the morning, and it was close to 11 p.m when you arrived.

"Your tickets, please," the lady asked as you were about to board the plane. You took them out from your purse and handed them over to her. "Thank you."

"How long's the flight again?"

"Uh...about 14 hours. Pretty long," you replied, as you walked down the aisles, looking at the overhead letters for your seat. "24A, 24B...there we go. Wait, have you been to Japan before?"

"No, I haven't."

"You're gonna love it. They have the best, I tell you, best ramen, and curry, hands down. When Nat, Wanda, and I went on our girls' vacation last spring we wouldn't stop eating for two days straight. I know we're tracking down cold-blooded killers and all, but, it won't hurt to let loose a little, you know?"

"Yeah, definitely," Steve couldn't help but smile at how happy you looked while speaking. "You gotta be our tour guide. I'm trusting you'll lead us to the best ramen hotspots?"

"Oh yeah, I will."

After putting your things into the overhead bins, you settled into your seats. The armrest between you could be lifted convert the seats into a double bed, you quickly found out.

Shortly after taking off you felt yourself grow rather tired. Noticing your sleepiness, Steve raised the armrest and pressed the button to make the seats recline backwards, your head immediately falling against his broad chest. He smiled again, brushing stray hairs away from your forehead before pulling the blanket over your bodies and falling asleep as well.

Little did either one of you know, you were being sent off to Japan for a completely different reason that had absolutely nothing to deal with tracking down mercenaries.

...

The smell of food wakes you up several hours later. You stretched your arms up and ran a hand through your hair as you sat up, adjusting your neck pillow.

"Hey uh, how long were we out for?" you asked, voice still thick with sleep. Steve was already awake, in the middle of watching a movie on his TV.

"4 hours. You knocked out for 5. It's time for lunch...or dinner?"

You tapped your screen a few times to pull up the map of your flight's route. "Right now it's 7:30 p.m. in Tokyo. We're arriving at 4:45 in the morning, so I'd say dinner."

"You sleep okay?"

"Hm? Yeah," you yawned, rubbing your eyes and adjusting the sleeves of Steve's hoodie. "You make a good pillow."

"No problem," he chuckled. You then turned to the flight attendant, who handed you your meals.

"Fancy," you nodded in approval as you passed Steve's tray over to him. "First class sure has its perks...oh yes, miso soup."

You binged your way through several episodes of Pretty Little Liars, I Love Lucy, and Star Wars: A New Hope together. Afterwards, you purchased Wi-Fi so you could update the team on your status.

CHATROOM - AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

Natasha: Morning, lovebirds. You guys in the air already?

You: Yeah, we're eating dinner right now. What time is it back home?

Tony: 6:45 a.m. Pulled an all-nighter binge-watching The Office.

Bucky: Totally worth losing an entire night's worth of good sleep.

Y/N: But I still don't get why we couldn't take the Quinjet?

Steve: ^

Rhodey: Do we tell them now, or wait until they land in Haneda?

Wanda: I'd say now.

Pietro: NO NO NO MAKE IT A SURPRISE

Steve: ...What's going on?

Tony: There's no mission.

Y/N: Wait, what? Then what are we going to Tokyo for?

Tony: I purchased a romantic ten-day vacation package so that you two will hopefully realize your feelings for each other along the way. Thank me later.

Y/N: SCREW YOU

Tony: Enjoy eating all the ramen you want!

Natasha: We're so good at matchmaking.

Thor: May I suggest a virtual high-five?

Peter: VIRTUAL HIGH-FIVE :))

Thor: :))

Y/N has left the chat.

Steve has left the chat.

Tony: They're gonna thank me when they see the penthouse I bought.

Tony has left the chat.

"Well, guess we're going on vacation. At least there's more opportunities to eating good food," Steve shrugged.

"Yup." You felt your heartbeat pick up speed at the thought of being alone with him, for ten days, in a country that was considered both futuristic and romantic at the same time. "Plenty of time to eat ramen and sushi."

Deep down, he was glad that there wasn't any mission. And so were you.

You took an hour-long catnap before waking up again and playing a few rounds of Uno with him, then stayed up for the rest of the flight. You both knew you'd regret doing so because of the 13-hour time difference between NYC and Tokyo, but you were too excited to care at that moment.

You were dazed and still slightly tired when you disembarked the aircraft, so you didn't have any energy to question how you and Steve ended up with your fingers intertwined. Besides, you liked the way it felt.

At close to 5 in the morning, Haneda International was relatively quiet and not too busy, so immigration didn't take long. You didn't have to worry about being bombarded by fans, aside from the occasional foreign fan recognizing you two and asking for a quick autograph or picture.

Since you wanted to explore the airport a bit before taking the train downtown, you looked around at the various shops.

Being a former spy alongside Natasha before joining the Avengers, you were fluent in multiple languages, including Japanese, Russian, French, Spanish, and German. And despite having developed the habit of always preparing for what was to come, you were completely shocked hearing a perfect Japanese sentence roll out of Steve's mouth as he spoke to the cashier.

You practically swooned at how smooth his voice sounded.

"Kore wa ikuradesu ka?" He gestured to one of the kokeshi dolls on display dressed in a sapphire colored kimono with cherry blossom embroidery. (How much is this?)

"3500 yen," the lady replied, "Hatsubai-chū, 3000. Kōnyū shimasu ka?" (On sale, 3000. Would you like to buy it?)

"Hai, kōnyū shimasu." (Yes, I'd like to buy it.)

"Kanojo no tame ni?" (For her?)

"Hai." (Yes.)

She nodded, and Steve handed over several folded bills from his wallet after she finished bagging the item.

"Arigato, gokigen'yō," he thanked her. (Thank you, have a nice day)

"Anata modesu," she smiled warmly. (You too)

"Holy crap, you didn't tell me you were fluent in Japanese, Rogers," you gaped as you walked out of the store together. "When did you have the time to learn it?"

"Back during the Pearl Harbor bombing, Buck and I were sent off with the 107th to Hawaii. Figured it'd be useful if we learned a few phrases."

"Few?" you raised an eyebrow at him. "What you just did back there, that was not just a few phrases! That was fluency!"

"What can I say, I pick up on language quickly," he grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. He then handed you the bag with the doll inside. "Here, for you."

"You didn't have to—"

"Consider it my thank-you in advance for taking me to a good eatery," Steve explained.

After grabbing a quick breakfast of coffee and pastries, you took the elevator down to the train station.

You let out a sigh as you sat down, the cool air inside the train loosening the tension in your shoulders a bit. A short fifteen minutes later and you were back in one of your favorite cities in the world.

Steve took a picture of you as you were distracted from looking all around at the skyscrapers and people milling around, face lit up by all the bright and colorful signs, sending it to the chat.

Steve: Just arrived downtown. Got out of the airport half an hour ago.

Tony: Honeymooning Avengers, how cute

Sam: That's hot.

Steve: What time is it over there?

Wanda: We just finished eating lunch. You?

Steve: 7. Going to check into the penthouse. Talk to you guys later.

Wanda: Alright.

Sam: Have fun, lovebirdssssss

Steve has left the chat.

"So," he breathed out as he slipped his hand back into yours and you exited the station, "you ready to go check out where we're staying?"

"Yeah, definitely. You wanna take the subway again, or a taxi?"

"Subway. Actually..taxi. You sound nice when you speak in a foreign language."

"That's the only reason why you want to take a taxi?"

"Yeah, obviously," you scoffed. "I mean, why else?"

"Alright, if you insist," the super-soldier laughed.

A few minutes later, you'd called a taxi over and climbed into the backseat, strapping your seatbelts on.

"Ohayögozaimasu," (Good morning) the man greeted. "Ogenkidesuka?" (How are you) "Īdesu, anata wa?" Steve replied. (Good, and you?)

"Watashi mo jōzudesu. Doko ni ikitai?" (I am good, too. Where would you like to go?)

You looked at your phone, reading out the address of Tony's penthouse to the driver.

A few minutes passed in silence before he spoke up again. "Watashia wa anata-tachi o shitte imasu. Anata wa abenjãzudesu," the driver smiled, glancing at you two from the rearview mirror. (I know you two. You're the Avengers)

"Watashitachidesu," he returned his friendly grin. (We are!)

"Tōkyō ni kuru kikkake wa nanidesu ka?" (What made you come to Tokyo?)

"Chōdo kyūka no tame." (Just for vacation.)

"Nokori no taizai o o tanoshimi kudasai," he said as you were getting out of the car after paying. "Sayonara."

"Sayonara," you and Steve responded before closing the car door behind you.

"Wow," your jaw dropped as you took the elevator up, arriving at the top floor. "Tony actually bought...this...place?"

"Apparently," Steve shrugged, "we could come back and forth between here and the compound as often as we wanted."

The penthouse had a nice, dark aesthetic feel to it, with giant panoramic views of the entirety of Tokyo and modern furniture and spots of dimmed white lights in the ceiling to give off a relaxed vibe.

After unloading your things, you sat down at the giant couch together and decided to plan out the rest of your day.

"When CoCo Curry opens at 11, we can go eat there," you explained as you typed up the plan in a new note. "Tony also snagged us tickets to Tokyo Tower at 3 p.m, so we have a few hours to spare after lunch."

"We can explore the gardens,"  he suggested. "I know you love doing that. There's a botanical garden in Shinjuku we can go to."

"Oh, that one! I didn't have the chance to go last time, so that's perfect," you added 'Shinjuku Gardens' to your list.

Soon enough you had your entire day planned out, and were ready to head out once again.

CoCo Curry was a quaint, little restaurant that hit you with a wave of tantalizing scents as soon as you walked through the doors and sat down at the bar-style seating area where you could watch the chefs cook your food.

"Gonichiwa," you greeted the chef standing behind the counter.

"Gonichiwa," he smiled back. He asked for your orders, and since Steve wasn't sure what to get you had two orders of your favorite dish.

Besides another couple sitting a few seats away, the restaurant was empty so you got your food in under ten minutes. The steaming hot plates of curry rice were set in front of you, and you felt your mouth water as you inhaled the rich aroma.

"This is so good," Steve spoke in between bites. "I'm literally in love."

"Told you I knew my stuff."

You eventually finished eating, and after getting into a small argument with Steve over who would pay (He ended up winning). "It's payback for ordering me good eats," he explained.

"You said that when you bought me the kokeshi doll," you pointed out.

"Still."

This time you decided to go by foot instead of taking the taxi, as the gardens were only a half-hour or so walk from where you were.

"Right in the middle of cherry blossom season," you sighed as the sweet smell of cherries drifted through the air. "Perfect timing."

You walked around the entire place, stopping every so often to admire the various colorful plants or look up at the pastel pink cherry blossom trees, gravel crunching underfoot with each step you took.

The mid-April breeze lightly fanned your hair around your shoulders. Birds chirped out a delightful melody, flying around the cornflower-blue sky. It wasn't too hot or too cold, and that was one of the many things you loved about visiting Asia during the springtime; the weather was bearable, compared to New York City's below-freezing temperatures in winter. You vividly remembered visiting the botanical gardens in upstate New York on a school trip once, and from then on you'd grown attached.

In the centre of the garden was a large lake with flowering lily pads and on the other side of the bank stood a quaint little temple, with a wooden bridge across the middle so visitors could cross over and look at the koi below.

"It's beautiful here," Steve commented as you made your way down the sidewalk, "I wish they had places like this back home."

"Yeah it is, isn't it," you breathed out, unable to tear your eyes away from the lovely sights. "I could do this all day."

"Hey, that's my line," he joked. You chuckled quietly, slipping your hand into his. He laced your fingers together in response, and you felt the butterflies flutter around in your stomach again the longer he held on, and those butterflies turned into hummingbirds as you looked up to meet his piercing gaze.

You're not sure how long you stay like that, gazing into each others' eyes, but it's only when a little girl stops and asks to take a picture that you pull away.

"Captain America and Agent Y/N!" Judging by her looks, she seemed like she came from the US as well. "Can I get a picture with you guys?"

"Of course, sweetie," you smiled. You brushed off the weird feeling you got when your skin made contact with Steve's, and gestured for her to come closer.

Steve scooped the girl up into his arms as she held your hand, and the mother snapped a few quick pictures before he let her back down.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed before skipping away.

At 2:20 you decided to leave and head out to the Tokyo Tower early so you would be avoiding any possible long lines. You were up at the observation deck within twenty minutes.

"This is just....wow," you breathed out, in awe of the breathtaking view you got as you stared out the panoramic windows, the reflective walls casting thin rays of light onto your faces.

If you thought the view from your penthouse was nice, this was a hundred times better. You had almost nothing preventing you from being able to see the entire city in all directions. The sun was hanging high in the sky, the skyscrapers piercing the horizon like pins and needles.

Steve couldn't help but let his gaze linger on you, the way your face brightened up at the sight of Tokyo's stunning view, the way you laughed and smiled more than you ever did back home. It was a rare sight, and he wished he could see you in this state more often. Oh, the things he'd do to keep hearing your musical laugh and million-dollar smile.

...

The next day was jam-packed with activities. You took a two hour train ride down south to Osaka, exploring the cup noodles museum, shopping downtown in Dotonbori, and stuffing yourself with delicious pastries along the way. Before you headed back, you decided to stock up on groceries at the local market. 

You fell asleep almost as soon as your head hit the pillow that night, waking up to somehow finding yourself in Steve’s arms. You both woke up at the same time, confused as to how you had gotten yourselves into this position, but were too embarrassed and tired to ask. 

This time, you decided to stay within Tokyo, immersing yourselves in going to as many districts as you could and doing as much as possible. 

After a long day exploring the city, you were rather exhausted. With a cup of freshly brewed matcha in hand, you stayed quiet for a while as you soaked in the scenery, watching the city come alive late at night.

When Steve woke up from his nap a few hours later, he found you standing by the window. Smiling to himself, he got up, approaching you and wrapping his arms around your waist from behind, resting his chin atop your head.

"Hi," you greeted, setting your mug down on the coffee table besides you.

"Hey," he murmured into your ear. You closed your eyes and hummed quietly in response, letting your bodies rock back and forth to the rhythm of your steady heartbeats together.

"Watashi wa, anata o aishiteimasu," (I love you.)

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. "Watashi mo anata o aishitemasu, Cap." (I love you too, Cap.)

You stepped away so you could turn around to face him, and he pulled you back towards him and pressed his lips to yours.

He couldn't help but smile into the kiss, pulling you closer against him.

[softspideys]

Fruit Lover (Tom Holland x reader)

summary: you’re working as a cashier at the local grocery store. tom is a stranger who keeps giving you fruit.

warnings: none

word count: 2.6k

pairings: tom holland x reader

a/n: this is the first thing I’ve written in quite a while and I really am happy with it! just some cute, tooth-rotting fluff, I hope you enjoy:)

Being a cashier at the grocery store wasn’t exactly how you thought you’d be spending your summer. But you were home from college with nothing to do, and money was money.

Aside from dealing with impatient old people or bratty, screaming kids, the job wasn’t really that bad either. And, to make things better, your usual register was right next to your best friend Zendaya’s. When either of you had crazy long lines or were being berated by someone for not scanning their expired coupon, you could just glance up and find her already looking over her shoulder at you, rolling her eyes.

You were unlucky enough to be working the closing shift one Saturday night. It was 10pm, meaning the place was basically empty. You’d been standing at your register for hours by now and your feet were killing you. Despite the air conditioning in the store, the humidity outside still managed to find its way in.

You’d found a pen on the counter and were mindlessly doodling on the palm of your hand when someone in front of you cleared their throat. You jumped, looking up, and immediately thought oh.

The guy standing in front of you was about your age, and he was cute. He was wearing a white t-shirt and black mesh shorts, a baseball cap pulled over his head. You liked the way his dark hair curled over his ears and the bottom of the hat.

“Sorry,” you said guiltily, putting the pen down and starting to scan his items. “I, um, didn’t see you.”

“S’okay,” he said with a smile. “You looked like you were concentrating pretty hard. What were you drawing?”

“Oh, nothing. Just, uh . . .” You weren’t sure why, but you held up your hand so he could see the flowers you’d drawn on your palm before realizing how stupid that was. You swallowed and quickly resumed your scanning.

“Nice,” he said, to your surprise. “You’re lucky; I’m a terrible artist. No one ever wants me on their Pictionary team.”

You weren’t sure what to say to that, so you just nodded. “You must like fruit,” you commented, motioning to his groceries: a hand of bananas, some strawberries, a mango, and two kiwis. Oh, and some bread and milk.

He laughed and you felt your face get hot. Why did a cute boy have the power to turn you into a flustered, nervous mess?

“I guess you could say that,” he said. “But doesn’t everyone?”

You shrugged as you began bagging everything. “Sure. I mean, I don’t really like bananas, but mangoes and strawberries are good. I’ve never had a kiwi though.”

“Hmm,” he said, almost thoughtfully. He didn’t say anything else, and you’d never been good at keeping the conversation going with customers anyway, so you didn’t either.

After he paid, you handed him the receipt and pushed his bag towards him. “Have a good night,” you said, already starting to replay the conversation in your head and cursing your awkwardness.

Instead of answering, he reached into the bag, pulled out one of his kiwis, and offered it to you. “Here,” he said. “For you.”

You blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You said you’d never had a kiwi before,” he said, nodding at it. “So here. Try it.”

“I—I can’t,” you stammered, although you weren’t actually sure if that was true. There was a rule that employees couldn’t accept tips from customers, but you’d never heard anything against fruit.

“Sure you can,” he said. “It’s already been paid for. Just take it.”

Hesitantly, you accepted. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. If I can convert just one person into being a kiwi-lover, then my work here is done.”

You smiled. “Thank you.”

He grinned back, shouldering the bag and starting towards the exit. “No problem. See you around.”

You were still smiling when Zendaya approached your register, plopping a bottle of chocolate milk and a magazine on the belt. “Now that was interesting,” she said.

“He gave me a kiwi,” you said, marveling at it. She rolled her eyes.

“I wish hot customers would come to my lane and give me stuff. Well, there was that one guy who tried to give me a lock of his hair, but I guess that’s not the same thing.”

“I’ve never seen him around here before,” you said, carefully placing the fruit on your counter. “I wonder why he picked me?”

“He probably thought you were cute, duh,” Zendaya said.

You immediately shook your head. “No way. He probably just thought it would be funny. I doubt I’ll ever see him again anyway.”

* * *

A week later, you found yourself working the same shift. All of your other friends were out partying while you were bored out of your mind on a Saturday night. Even Zendaya had taken the night off. She’d tried to convince you to do the same, but you knew you really could use the money. Besides, a small part of you was hoping you’d see the fruit boy again.

You’d worked afternoons during the week and he hadn’t come back, as far as you could tell. You were just beginning to think you were right about never seeing him again when the doors slid open and he walked in.

Heart pounding, you craned your neck and watched as he went into the produce section. He disappeared past your line of vision after that, so you had no choice but to stand and wait.

Quit being stupid, you told yourself. He might not even come to your register. He probably gives fruit to everyone who checks him out.

You forced yourself not to look for him, or even look up, until a familiar voice said, “Hello.”

And there he was, smiling at you and looking soft in a gray hoodie. “Hi,” you said, clearing your throat. “How are you?”

“Good, thanks. Working the late shift again?”

“Yeah,” you said. You didn’t say anything else, concentrating on scanning his groceries, before you added, “I usually work late on Saturdays and Sundays, and afternoons during the week.”

“Gotcha,” he said casually, but he was still smiling.

“More fruit?” you asked quickly, nodding to the items you were currently bagging.

“Uh-huh,” he said. “You ever tried a papaya?”

“I can’t say I have.”

“What’d you think of the kiwi?”

You grinned at the memory. “It was really good. I had it with my breakfast the next morning.”

“Good.” He paid for his groceries and, like last time, reached into the bag and pulled out a fruit. “Here. Papaya next.”

This time you didn’t hesitate, reaching out and taking it from him. “Thanks,” you said, feeling your smile grow wider.

He returned it, and you noticed he had brown eyes. “Sure,” he said, already starting for the door. “Have a good night.”

And that was how it started. Over the next few weeks, you found yourself being gifted with not flowers or jewelry, but fruits. He came during the afternoon a few times, but as the store was usually busier then and there was less time to talk, he mostly stuck to late Saturday nights.

He always went to your register, even if you had a long line and Zendaya had no customers at all. He also made a point to give you fruits you’d never tried before. Some of them you’d heard of, like pomegranates, figs, and guavas, while others you didn’t even know were sold in the store, like jackfruit and kumquats.

You liked pretty much all of the fruits he’d given you so far, but your favorite was the figs, only because that was when you learned his name.

“It just seems unfair that you know mine and I don’t know yours,” you’d said as you handed him his receipt. “I call you ‘Fruit Guy’ in my head.”

He’d laughed, reaching into the bag and pulling out a fig to place on your counter. “I’ve had worse nicknames.”

He’d started to walk towards the exit, and you thought he was going to leave without telling you. But then he’d turned and smiled at you. “It’s Tom.”

Tom.

Zendaya insisted Tom had a crush on you—why else would he come to your register and give you fruits?

Even though the thought of it made your palms sweaty, you knew she was probably right. You also knew that you didn’t want Tom to lose interest in you, or worse: think that you didn’t like him too. You had to act soon.

So, you waited until you were working the next Saturday night. Four hours of your shift had already gone by, and you’d been a nervous wreck throughout all of it. Where was he?

Finally, the doors slid open and you saw Tom walk in. You watched as he went towards the deli, disappearing from your line of vision. You didn’t know how long it would take him to do his shopping, but all of a sudden it felt like you couldn’t wait any longer.

After a few more agonizing minutes, you finally thought fuck it. You placed a “CLOSED” sign on your belt and turned the light above your register off before going after him.

You wandered up and down the aisles before you found him at the very end of the store in the frozen food section. He had the door to one of the freezers open and appeared to be deep in thought, staring at the ice cream. He didn’t even notice you approaching.

“Hi,” you said. 

“Oh, hi.” Tom blinked at you before he grinned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your legs before.” 

You forced yourself to not look down at them. “Oh. Yeah. There they are.”

“There they are,” he agreed. “What’s up?”

You took a deep breath. “I was just thinking that this whole time, you’ve been giving me stuff, and I never got you anything in return.”

His smile faded. “I don’t want anything in return. That’s not—that isn’t why I’ve been doing that.”

“No, I know,” you said quickly. “I just thought—well, I thought I’d give you these.” You reached into the pocket of your apron and pulled out—

“Dates?” Tom said, taking them from you and looking very confused.

“Yeah,” you said. “I’m giving you dates, and also asking you out on one.” 

Tom stared at the bag and then back at you. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Just when you thought maybe you had the wrong idea about all of this, he surged forward and kissed you.

It was like all of your senses had been kicked into overdrive and you were feeling everything at once. His hands were cool from being by the freezers for so long. His eyelashes tickled as they brushed your cheeks. His lips were a little chapped, but soft, moving gently against yours. 

“Oh,” you said when you finally broke apart. “Wow.”

He was grinning from ear to ear. “Dates. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. That’s genius, honestly.”

You smiled back, a little shyly. “Thanks.”

“I would really like to go out with you,” he said. “It’s probably time I got your number, right? So I don’t have to keep stalking you at your job?”

You exchanged numbers and he asked, “So, when are you free?”

“Well, I’m probably about to be fired for leaving my register without permission,” you said, only half-joking. “So really, anytime.”

He laughed. “Do you want to have dinner with me tomorrow, then? I can cook. Kind of. We can have a picnic somewhere.” 

“Sure,” you said with a smile. “I’ll even bring dessert. How do you feel about fruit salad?”

[randomactuallywrites-57]

Keep the Change

Title: Keep the Change Author: RandomWriter57 Rating: G Word Count: 1,916 Event + Prompt: @reigisaweek day five: Change Pairings: reigisa Summary: Working in a bookshop is a life which tends to involve few changes. Any changes that happen can be dealt with. Then he can return to the comforts of the life he knows. When Hazuki Nagisa comes into the shop for the first time, it’s a change which Rei doesn’t know how to deal with.

Also on: AO3

Working in a bookshop is a life which tends to involve few changes. The hours are the same all week, except for Sundays and holidays, on which the shop is closed. The stock grows, but is never swapped completely. Every book has its place in a section which doesn’t move. And, invariably, the place smells of dust and wood polish and books, no matter how much his manager tries to ‘spruce it up’ with various scented air fresheners.

It’s the unchanging nature of the job which keeps Rei in love with it even after the initial honeymoon phase of being surrounded by books six days a week for nine hours fades to the back of the shelves. Unlike his more ambitious friends, he’s always found that a consistent lifestyle is best for him. That isn’t to say he enjoys monotony, of course. As long as the work is interesting to him, it doesn’t matter if it’s the same work every day. If it was dull, he’d have left a long time ago.

Sometimes, however, a change will occur. Like when his first manager left after receiving a job offer which actually required her university degree and payed better, to boot. Or when they spent a whole week rearranging the shop to add in some new shelves. Those times, the changes can be dealt with. Then he can return to the comforts of the life he knows.

When Hazuki Nagisa comes into the shop for the first time, it’s a change which Rei doesn’t know how to deal with.

Not that he suspects anything, on that first day. In fact, nothing out of the ordinary happens at all, that day. The blond boy spends a while browsing the non-fiction shelves before moving to the comic books. After a while, he comes up to the counter and pays. He doesn’t have a shop points card, but yes, he’ll have one, please. Rei registers him on the system and rings up his books. One is a generic romance novel - 'Say You Want Me' - and the other a religious fiction book called 'I'm Asking You Nicely'. Together with a generic superhero comic, it's a somewhat odd mixture.

Rei bags the books. Tells Nagisa to have a nice day. Mentally notes that this boy’s smile is nice. Nagisa leaves, and Rei doesn’t expect to see him again, not for a while, anyway.

But Nagisa returns sooner than he expects. Only two days later, the boy drags a brown-haired man who looks to be twice his height into the shop. (Looking again, Rei knows the man is not quite twice Nagisa’s height. Still, he’s much taller, and when they stand side-by-side in front of a bookshelf, Rei can’t help but notice the difference in their shoulder widths.) After noting their presence, Rei tries not to pay them much thought.

Only moments later, he finds that he can’t focus on checking off the newest delivery of books. He keeps losing count, even though books should be pretty easy to count. He looks up and sees the cause of his distraction has taken his taller companion to another shelf and is pointing out some books on the top. Rei clicks his tongue softly and lowers his head again.

Focus, Ryugazaki.

But he can’t. Every moment that the blond is in the shop, Rei finds his mind wandering, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. In the end, he gives up on checking off the order, too frustrated to think about the numbers. He settles for reading the blurbs of the books, all of which are new, though he doesn’t recognise the authors.

“Excuse me!”

Rei looks up. The blond boy is in front of the counter, his smile broad.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes, my friend was wondering where you keep your classic literature,” Nagisa says, looking over to his friend, who is still lurking by the Non-Fiction - Cookery section. “You know, like Shakespeare and stuff.”

“Which book are you looking for?” Rei asks, directing his question at the ‘friend’.

The friend startles at the attention. “A-ah, it’s Frankenstein…”

“Shelley, then.” Rei moves from behind the counter, heading towards the right section of the store. “If you’ll just follow me.”

He doesn’t need to tell them. Nagisa is already bouncing on his heels, with his friend trailing behind him. In a moment, they reach the right shelves, and Rei pulls out the latest edition of the book.

“This is the edition with Shelley’s 1831 edits.” Rei hands the books to the friend, who blanches at the cover. Part of him is amused at the fact that this man is so frightened by a book, of all things. One that isn’t too scary, too. “Is there anything else you need?”

“N-no, that’s everything, thanks.”

“Wait, I’m gonna look at the comics. You go pay for that now, Mako-chan.” Nagisa thanks Rei before rushing off to the comics section, leaving him alone with ‘Mako-chan’.

Rei leads ‘Mako-chan’ back to the counter and scans his book into the till.

“Sorry about my friend,” ‘Mako-chan’ says, pulling out his wallet. “He’s a little boisterous.”

“It’s fine,” Rei says, as much as he would like to agree with ‘Mako-chan’. From what he can tell, at least, Nagisa is quite an energetic person, though he was more reserved when he was alone. “That’s 850 yen, please.”

The man hands over a note. Rei puts it through the till and hands his change back as Nagisa returns, a couple of comics and one book in his hands.

“Just these ones, please!” Nagisa says, pushing them towards Rei.

Rei scans them through, trying not to let his surprise show when the book is 'Never Let Me Go'. Not the kind of book he would have pegged Nagisa to enjoy, but considering his past purchases, he seems to have an erratic taste in literature. Rei puts the transaction through and passes Nagisa’s bag to him without comment. “Thank you for your purchase.”

“Have a good day, Rei-chan!” Nagisa says, pausing to look at Rei’s name badge.

Before Rei can sputter a reply, Nagisa and his friend disappear, leaving him to fume over a perfect stranger calling him by his forename - and in such an informal manner, too!

Even that day isn’t the end of Hazuki Nagisa. He returns to the shop a few times in the next couple of weeks, sometimes with his friend but usually alone. Rei isn’t always in when Nagisa visits, of course, but his colleague doesn’t hesitate to tell him every detail of how dejected the boy looked when he got to the counter and found that his cashier wasn’t ‘Rei-chan’, but a red-haired, pointy-toothed man called Rin.

Rei tries not to think much of Nagisa. He has a job to do, one which shouldn’t need to change to accommodate a regular customer. But he can’t help, whenever Nagisa visits the shop, but to let his mind wander for a while. He learns by the third visit that there’s no point in doing a task which requires focus when Nagisa is there. There’s no chance of him being able to think properly, after all.

When a whole month passes with Nagisa as a regular customer, Rei forces himself to admit that part of him actually looks forward to his visits. Some weeks, Nagisa will visit almost every day, whereas others, he’ll only come in once, if at all. On those weeks, Rei finds himself the most distracted, particularly towards the end of the week when all he can think about is whether he’ll see a certain head of blond hair that day.

Eventually, he decides enough is enough. If he’s this interested in Nagisa, then there’s no point in letting their relationship culminate in only a few exchanges over the counter. He might as well make some effort to see him outside of work. Judging by Nagisa’s interactions with him, it seems like he might be interested too. And if he isn’t, then at least Rei will have made an effort, right?

It isn’t as simple as he would like it to be, to carry out his plan. Mostly because he’s nervous, and because Nagisa doesn’t show up for a few days. He has everything prepared, but he can’t do anything if the blond isn’t in the shop. This means he spends a few shifts stewing quietly, unable to focus well on his tasks. Luckily his co-workers seem to understand what’s up, and aside from some innocent teasing, they leave him be.

Then, finally, when Rei’s about to lose all hope, Nagisa returns. The bell above the door chimes as usual, and instinctively Rei looks up from his work to see who it is. He meets burgundy eyes, which brighten.

“Hi!” Nagisa says with a breathtaking smile. Like, literally breathtaking. Rei barely manages to reply with a quiet ‘hello’ because he isn’t sure if he can breathe.

He watches the blond head over to the non-fiction shelves before ducking his head back down. He can’t just stare at him! Not only would that be rude, but he needs to at least try to look busy. Even if he doesn’t actually finish the task at hand, at least he’ll look like he’s doing work and he won’t be fired. (Hopefully. Though he’s been lucky so far.)

Ten excruciating minutes of refraining from looking up pass before he hears the soft thud of a book on the counter. He finally looks up.

“Just this one, please,” Nagisa says, pushing the book towards him.

As he picks it up to scan it, the title catches Rei’s eye. Somehow, it’s more eye-catching than the flashy, cliched romance novel cover.

‘Don’t Hold Back Your Love.’

Usually, Rei wouldn’t pay it much notice, but today it feels like a sign. He scans the book into the register and asks for Nagisa’s points card, then tells him the price. Instead of paying by card like Rei hoped he would, so Rei could carry out his plan without him noticing, he pulls out some bank notes and hands them over. Still, he has a chance. After putting the notes in the till, he tears the receipt and places it inside the book, alongside a sticky note which has been sitting on his desk for days, now. He then closes the book and slides it across the counter, his hand heading back to the till to find the correct change.

But before Rei can hand it to Nagisa, the blond picks up his book and winks at Rei. “Keep the change.”

He’s gone before Rei can protest, the bells ringing even after the change falls back into the cash drawer.

(Not that Rei wants to protest, after he gets a text from an unknown number, containing only a picture of a few books, arranged into a question.

‘Coffee.’

‘By Your Side.’

‘Tomorrow.’

There’s a question mark made from paper beside the last book, as well as a leaflet for a local coffee shop.

It's only now that Rei remembers the names of the books Nagisa has bought before. Maybe, all this time, Nagisa has been trying to get his attention, too, in a way too subtle for Rei to notice. Now that he knows this, though, he knows how to answer, too.

He searches the shelves during his break and snaps a photo in reply, the cover of a single book in the centre.

‘Yes Please.’)