#I’m not doing great today but I’m doing my best

[wosospacegirl]

And they were roommates - part 4

Summary: Y/n gets injured and has to stay in recovery for 8 months. It's a good thing her friend and teammate Kyra is more than willing to move in with her. wink wink

Warnings: kissing!!making out!! idiots falling in love!! team banter!!!

Word count: 4.7k

MASTERLIST

| PART 1 HERE | | PART 2 HERE | PART 3 HERE |

..

Kyra thought that last night had been a product of her dreams. She had kissed Y/n, her long-time friend and roommate while watching ‘But I’m a Cheerleader’. And when she woke up, she was cuddling with Y/n, which made everything even better.

Kyra’s arm was spread out on the mattress while Y/n slept on top of it, mouth slightly open as she breathed quietly. Her cast was on top of a pillow and her other–and good – leg was intertwined with Kyra’s. Kyra didn’t want to get out of bed, especially when Y/n’s sleeping face looked so cute, but it was 6:30 in the morning and both girls had a big day ahead of them.

The girl enjoyed a few seconds of Y/n’s warm body against her, but before Kyra could say anything, Y/n began to move slightly, pushing her face closer to Kyra’s body until she was lying on her chest, her left arm hanging on Kyra’s shoulder.

The physical touch was welcomed by Kyra. She gently ran her hands over Y/n’s scalp. “Good morning,” Kyra said in a hoarse morning voice.

“Hmm,” Y/n murmured, not opening her eyes, feeling the softness of Kyra’s shirt against her cheek. “What time is it?”

“Almost 7.”

“Too early, wanna sleep more.”

Kyra stroked her cheek. “I know, but you can take a nap after we get back from Arsenal, yeah? You have physio today.”

“I forgot about that,” Y/n said, finally opening her eyes to look at Kyra. “You’re pretty, did you know that?” she said smiling, still a bit dazed from the deep sleep she had been in.

Kyra blushed slightly, but hid it with a grin “Is that why you kissed me yesterday? Because I'm pretty or something?”

“Yeah… or something.,” Y/n said, kissing Kyra softly on the lips.

Kyra froze for a moment, but quickly melted into Y/n’s kiss.“We're just doing this now, aren’t we?” Kyra asked, smiling. “I mean, I'm not complaining.”

“What? Kissing? I guess so if you still want to.”

“Great, I do, I wanna do it a lot.”

“A lot?” Y/n giggled. “Won't even make me work for it” she said teasingly.

“If your leg wasn’t broken maybe, I might not be so nice,” Kyra said, tapping her chin. “But since I'm still your caretaker, then yes, you get free kisses.”

Y/n smiled, cupped Kyra’s jaw and brought her face closer, their lips touching. and Y/n deepened the kiss, neither caring if the other had morning breath or not.

“You’re the best caretaker, ever” Y/n whispered against Kyra’s mouth.

“Glad you like it, I might put it on my resume for when I retire,” Kyra said. She hesitated at first, but gently placed her hands under Y/n’s shirt, feeling the skin on her waist. “So I can get a job afterwards, or whatever.”

Y/n shook her head and kissed Kyra some more. “No, I don’t wanna share you with other sad and injured footballers, I just want you for myself.”

“So are you admitting you like having me around?” Kyra said.

“I mean, you give great kisses and you always remind me to take my medicine, so yeah, maybe I do.”

Kyra loved hearing that she gave great kisses. The thought of being complimented by Y/n made her brain go fuzzy. It was quite an overwhelming and new feeling. So Kyra turned to what she knew best: jokes.

Kyra pumped her fist dramatically in the air “Yey! Would you mind repeating that again?” She picked up her phone and opened a recording app.

“Oh fuck off,” Y/n pushed the phone away, laughing. “We were having a moment.”

“Sorry, couldn't help myself, let’s just kiss some more,” Kyra said before filling Y/n’s face with kisses.

..

They didn't talk about it.

They didn't talk about any of the kisses they had shared. They hadn't mentioned whatever it was they were doing, not because they didn't want to, or because it was awkward, it was just because it felt normal. As if they'd been in this domestic routine for ages.

Kissing Kyra; telling her she was pretty; cuddling up with her at night…it was all normal, comfortable and serene. Their routine didn’t change, they continued to do the same things every day, except they kissed.

Y/n was always very focused on football. So focused that she simply did not care about other things, like romantic relationships. She put everything she had into football because she knew it was up to her and no one else. She didn’t really open up to people, especially those who weren't her friends, so it was hard to build any type of romantic relationship.

However, after all these weeks of living with Kyra, she’d realised that her friend had meant a lot more to her, and she wasn’t afraid to show it. It felt good to finally let go and relax, to put football and her long-standing fear of vulnerability aside for a moment.

This wasn’t Y/n’s first time being with someone, she had one-night stands before, but they’d been very…awkward. In the mornings, she and random girls Y/n had met in London’s nightlife would dance around ‘good mornings’ and ‘see you’ or even ‘we should do this again’. But it was all very superficial, as it had to be.

Y/n was not sure what Kyra thought of their thing but she seemed to enjoy it. Y/n didn’t want to put a label on it. She just wanted to kiss Kyra some more, cuddle with her through the night and overall just enjoy their little domestic, and pretty much, ordinary life.

They didn’t have to rush into it, or overthink it. Just live in it for a while. There was no big elephant in the room that needed to be discussed. There was just Kyra and Y/n, and she was grateful for that.

After a few minutes of lying in bed and doing nothing, the girls left the bed and went to the kitchen to start their day.

“You can add the mushrooms and onions now, but let it cook before you add the salt and pepper” Y/n said. She sat on the kitchen counter while Kyra stood by the stove, wearing Y/n's apron with the saying ‘I love stirring things up’. It looked cute on her, but the size wasn’t right.

Y/n made a note to buy an apron just for Kyra. She didn’t really enjoy sharing her things. Red flag, yeah.

Kyra had a frown on her face, if Y/n hadn't known they were only making omelettes, she would have thought Kyra was being sent off to war.

“I hate cooking,” Kyra muttered, stirring the mushrooms uninterestedly.

“We can't live off of cereal for the next months to come,” Y/n said, without looking at Kyra, concentrating instead on the recipe book in her hand. “Can you also chop the spinach for me when you're done?”

Kyra grumbled so that was a yes.

Y/n took the eggs and the bowl that were already on the counter and started beating the eggs with a whisk.

Y/n loved to cook. It was one of the most therapeutic things for her. She loved cooking for herself and for others. She took pride in eating something and being able to explain, step by step, what she had done and what ingredients she had used.

When she got injured the doctors had told her that she wouldn't be able to stand for long periods of time, so cooking and baking was promptly removed from the list of things she enjoyed, but couldn't do, along with football and morning runs.

This was the first day she had cooked since the injury. She had tried cooking standing up in her crutches but this had led to her falling over while trying to pick up ingredients from the pantry. She had cried her eyes out of anger before Kyra found her on the floor, a mess of tomatoes and beetroot down with her.

She felt frustrated and pathetic, but there was nothing she could do about it except accept that she was fated to eat Kyra’s bad food for a while.

A few weeks after that incident, she tried another strategy, the one she was doing right now: sitting on the counter while giving instructions to Kyra, but, of course, she got frustrated again because Kyra couldn't follow instructions and Y/n was too much of a control freak, so she gave up cooking one more time

However, something had happened between Kyra and Y/n–they kissed! Y/n hoped that since they shared quite a few kisses, they could successfully share a kitchen as well, so she tried cooking again.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Y/n shouted from the other side of the kitchen.

Kyra stopped putting whatever spice she was adding to the food and looked at Y/n confused, holding the spice jar in the air.“What? You told me to add salt and pepper on it after it was cooked!” Kyra said, defending herself.

“That's not pepper, that's paprika!” Y/n pointed out, hands down her face. “Now our omelette is ruined!”

“No, it's not,” Kyra made a face. “It's just paprika, not cocaine. We can eat it just fine.”

“Here, pass me the eggs,” she demeaned. “Are they frothy already?”

Y/n took the bowl from the counter, and put it behind her, trying to get out of Kyra’s reach. “We're not putting my eggs on that. I hate paprika, it makes everything taste horrible.”

Kyra was silent for a moment, her face stoic. “Are you being serious right now?”

“Yes.”

“Why the hell do you have paprika if you hate it, then?” Kyra questioned.

“You can't be a real cook and not have paprika in your kitchen.” Y/n shrugged.

Kyra tried to take the bowl from her again, but Y/n was quicker and got it out of the way, holding it to her body for dear life.

“I'm being serious! Maybe we can throw the anions, mushrooms and spinach mix away and you can make it again, using the right and correct seasoning this time.” Y/n suggested.

“You want me to chop the onions again?!” Kyra said with a gasp. “I just cried, chopping them.” She pointed at the onions as if they had hurt her.

“Maybe you can try wearing sunglasses this time?” Y/n pointed.

Kyra didn't respond. The girl just turned away and opened one of the upper cupboards, taking out three boxes of cereal with one hand and two bowls with the other.

She placed the cereal boxes and the bowls next to Y/n and pointed At each box. “Do you want Coco Pops, Raisin Oats or Weetabix?”

Y/n stared at the cereals, disgust on her face. “What?!”

“Cereal. Which one do you want?” Kyra pointed at each of the boxes again, repeating its brand name.

“I don't want cereal,” Y/n said, more sassy than she liked to admit it.

“Well, but I do,” Kyra said, picking up the Coco Pops one, and pouring it into a bowl.

Before taking a spoonful, she took a step closer and kissed Y/n on the nose, then packed her on the mouth. "You're way too bossy in the kitchen–my cortisol levels are through the roof,” she explained, taking a bite of her cereal.

Y/n pouted defeatedly, picked up the Raisin Oats and poured it into her own bowl, without saying a word.

Kyra tapped the spoon against the bowl in her hand. “Wow! That's actually so good,” Kyra said mouth=-full.

“You say that as if you haven't done this every day for the last week,” Y/n said grumpily, taking a spoon of her raising. It tasted so processed.

Kyra shrugged. “Well, at least your Raising tastes better than paprika anyway.”

Y/n and Kyra could share kisses and a house, but they couldn't share the kitchen, or even the same cuisine taste.

..

Kyra and Y/n arrived at Arsenal half an hour before the training. Which was plenty of time for Y/n to say hello to all the staff members and Win on her way in. Y/n didn’t realise how much she had missed the people she used to see every single day. All the staff members made sure to tell her how much they missed her too and wished her a recovery.

Y/n felt strange at first. In the changing room, everyone was wearing their training kit, and boots and had their hair up, ready for training, everyone except for Y/n, who stood in the middle of the room, and couldn't help but feel like the odd one out, even though all the girls assured her that she was still very much part of the team.

It was still difficult to be surrounded by such amazing players, and friends, while Y/n had only just learned how to walk on her crutches without stumbling.

“Look who's here!” Leah was the first to see Y/n, greeting her with a hug. “How have you been? Giving that pest over there a hard time?”

“Always,” Y/n said, winking at her captain.

“Y/n! I didn't know you were coming in today.” Alessia said, being the next one in line to give Y/n a warm welcome.

Y/n hugged Alessia as she waved at other teammates, who were just as happy to have her back, even if it wasn't for playing or training.

“Kyra didn't tell you that I've been cleared to start physio with our physiotherapists here at Arsenal?” Y/n asked, turning to look at Kyra, who was sitting on the bench, putting her boots on.

“I did tell them!” Kyra said, defensiveness in her tone “But they didn't believe me.”

“Easy there, little pest,” Steph said behind Kyra, patting her on the back. “This is what happens when you think it's funny to make up stories, and now we don't believe you when you tell the truth.” Steph walked past a stunned Kyra, coming to greet Y/n. “But it doesn't matter anymore because Y/n is actually here!”

“Bloody hell! Is this still about the loose screws?! Have some mercy and let it go!” Kyra said, pulling her hair into a ponytail.

The team laughed at Kyra and for a few seconds Y/n felt what she used to feel before her injury, a sense of belonging to the people around her and to her club… After all the girls chatted with Y/n, they left the changing room and headed onto the pitch, leaving only Y/n, Kyra and Alessia still chatting, just like old times.

“And then Kyra tackled Renéé to the ground, can you believe it?!” Alessia said, having just finished telling her the story of how Kyra was responsible for getting Renée–aka their head coach–in the infirmary a few days ago.

“She told me to treat her like any other player,” Kyra mumbled. “I felt bad though, but she said she wasn’t angry.”

“I would give anything to see Renée get tackled,” Y/n laughed.

“I think Steph actually got it on video,” Kyra said.

Y/n’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Really?!”

Kyra smiled. “Nah, I’m joking.”

“I hate you,” Y/n muttered.

Alessia interrupted the two girls by putting one arm around Y/n, but not quite leaning over her so that Y/n wouldn't lose her balance. “Did you know I’m gonna be your physio-buddy today?”

“I fell hard on my shoulder yesterday, Mary wants to have a look at it.” She added.

Mary was Arsenal's upper body physiotherapist. Y/n wouldn’t be doing any sessions with her, instead, Clare would be the one to keep up with Y/n's injury. But both physiotherapists did the physical therapy in the same room, so Alessia and Y/n would spend the whole morning together.

Alessia led Y/n through the door of the changing room, heading to the opposite direction of the pitch, where the physio room was. They quickly noticed someone walking behind them.

Alessia smiled softly, “Aren’t you doing drills with the team today, Ky? Or do you also have an appointment with Mary too?”

Kyra blushed slightly as she shook her head. “No, I don't have an appointment. It’s just that–” Kyra turned to Y/n. “–don’t you want some help? I always help you walk around and… I can stay with you and Alessia during physio today too, I’m sure Renée won’t mind.’

“Thanks, Ky, but it’s ok.” Y/n looked down at her crutches then at Alessia and smiled softly at Kyra. “Lessie here will help me, you don’t need to worry about me now, just focus on your training.”

Kyra listened to Y/n but didn’t move. Kyra had spent most of her free time with Y/n. The only time they had been apart since her injury was when Kyra was at training, so it felt strange not to be by Y/n’s side when she could.

She knew Y/n would kill her if she ever knew how much Kyra was worried about her and her injury all the time. Y/n absolutely didn’t like people fussing over her, so Kyra was having a particularly hard time today.

She needed to give Y/n some space away from her, maybe it would do her some good, and make her feel more independent too.

“I'll keep an eye on her, Kyra, ” Alessia said, placing a comforting hand on Y/n's back. “Don't worry, go on, if anything happens I'll come get you, yeah?”

Y/n smiled and Kyra a thumbs up, reassuring her that she could leave

Kyra just nodded her head, a small smile on her face as she turned around and walked away.

Y/n would be fine. Why wouldn't she be fine? She was only doing physio, for God’s sake. Kyra thought, a mix of emotions on her mind as she left the two girls alone.

“She seems very concerned about you,” Alessia said. “Did you fall or something? When Leah was injured she fell down the stairs of her house, remember?”

“Yeah I do remember that, I was the one that had to come to her house to help her” Y/n said. “I fell too, twice actually, once in the bathroom and once in the pantry a few days ago,” Y/n pointed to her crutches. “I still haven't got used to using them.”

“Was Kyra the one who helped you?”

“Yes, she was very nervous, but she didn’t wanna show it,” Y/n continued. “So she just kept saying I shouldn't try to kill myself trying to walk on my own because people would think I died because of her.”

“I think she was trying to hide how much she cared for you with her jokes,” Alessia said. “Did you know Clare and Mary had to ban her from getting into the physio room because she kept interrupting the other girls ’sessions to ask about your injury, and if there were any kind of new treatments around.

Y/n stopped and laughed at Alessia. “She did that? That’s so Kyra honestly.”

“Yes, but I think her ban was lifted a few days ago,” Alessia said jokingly as she opened the door to the physio room and helped Y/n to one of the therapy tables.

Thankfully the room was empty, so Alessia and Y/n were able to talk about whatever they wanted freely.

“It’s a little funny watching you and Kyra,” Alessia said, putting up a chair next to Y/n’s table. “I think we’re so used to seeing her acting as a menace and treating her like a little sister that we get a bit shocked when she acts more responsibly.”

“It’s adorable, really,” Alessia added.

Y/n smiled, thinking of Kyra’s soft face. “Yeah, she is.”

Y/n almost blurted out that she had never seen Y/n as a little sister, especially now. Y/n and Kyra weren’t exactly hiding that they were…kissing? snogging around? But Y/n still didn’t want to talk about it too much. It still felt too intimate. It was something that belonged to them.

“Kyra’s been treating me really well,” Y/n continued. “I mean she always jokes and teases me a lot, but she’s also very patient when I’m mad about my injury, and she always drives me around, so that’s a plus.”

Y/n wanted people to see Kyra the way she saw her. Not just someone who plays around, but also someone who’s very caring and generally loving.

“Well, I'm glad to know you have someone like Ky on your side right now.” Alessia smiled. “It makes me worry less about you and her, I feel like you act as her voice of reason sometimes. ”

“Please, I don’t need more people to worry about me, I promise.” Y/n rolled her eyes playfully. “This whole recovery is going slower than I thought it would be but I’m just learning to be patient.”

“You’ll get there,” Alessia said reassuringly.

“Now please let’s talk about something other than my stupid injury, please!” Y/n said dramatically, making Alessia laugh.

“Ok, so let me tell you what happened in the tunnel in our last game–” Alessia started the story, and both girls were busy while waiting for physio to begin.

..

“I'm never coming back here again,” Y/n mumbled as she sat on the bench, wind in her face, watching her teammates do running drills on the pitch. Physio had taken up two hours of her and Alessia’s morning and it was hard; Y/n even considered just cutting off her leg and leaving it there.

“Yes, you're,” Leah murmured from her side, drinking her water and watching her surroundings “Physio honestly sucks but you’ve just gotta do it, mate” The captain shrugged. “It’s good that you’re feeling pain, it means your nerves aren’t screwed up.”

“Yeah, but it fucking hurts!” Y/n complained, crossing her arm “

“Breaking a bone hurts, what made you think growing them back wouldn't,” Leah said condescendingly.

“Have people ever told you how much you suck at supporting others in need?”

“Have people ever told you how annoying you are when you whine?” Leah bit back.

Y/n rolled her eyes. “Hey, share your water with me, I left my bottle in Kyra's car.” Y/n made grabby hands, but Leah shook her head rather dramatically.

“Ew, no.” Leah said, “I hate sharing water, grab one from the cooler.”

Y/n raised an eyebrow at Leah, signalling at her cast. “Could you please get me some water, then?”

Leah complained all the way to the cooler and back, but finally handed Y/n her water bottle. “Are you like this with Cooney-Cross at home too?”

“Like this what?” Y/n asked, taking a sip of her cold water. Damn, she was thirsty.

“Demanding,” Leah said teasingly, taking the spot next to Y/n again.

“I wasn’t at first. I didn’t like asking for help,” Y/n answered, her eyes searching the pitch for Kyra in the pitch. “But she cracked me.”

“I think you cracked her too,” Leah said nonchalantly, watching Kyra as well.

“What?” Y/n asked, turning her head to Leah.

“She’s different.” Leah continued. “She’s not acting so much like a pest lately, she’s been more responsible, less reckless on the pitch too.”

Y/n didn’t answer.

“I wonder if it’s because of you,” Leah added.

Wow, Leah, always the straightforward one.

“She’s a young player, we’ve all been like that once,” Y/n said, trying to steer the conversation, sensing something suggestive in Leah’s voice, but not wanting to give in to Leah, not.

“I wasn’t,” Leah said proudly.

Y/n laughed sarcastically. “Oh yeah, because you were always so calm and collected.”

“I beg your pardon? I have the least yellow card ib from this team,” Leah bit back, rolling her eyes “Anyway, I’m just casually, very casually, letting you know that I’m sensing something different in Kyra.”

Y/n didn't answer again.

“So I’m just leaving the door for this conversation open,” Leah continued, trying to sound chill, but Y/n had known her for a few years now. The captain had thought this whole conversation through. “If you ever want to talk about it, I mean, I’m here.”

Leah honestly could give two shits about other people’s lives, so Y/n was rather amused by Leah’s way of showing that she was interested in her life and in whatever she had to do with Kyra’s change in behaviour.

“Is this your way of trying to be casual? Because you failed, bro.”

Leah furrowed her eyebrows. “I’m just trying to be a good friend. Alessia told me I should be more welcoming, and more…emotionally available, so this is me trying. If you prefer my old version I can bring her back”

“Please bring back my old Leah,” Y/n said, playfully putting her palms together as if in a prayer.

“What happened between you and Cooney?” Leash asked bluntly.

This was the Leah she knew.

“Nothing happened between me and Kyra,” Y/n said. “We just got closer, we’ve been sharing a house for the last one to two months, in case you don’t remember. ”

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it was the best Y/n could tell Leah right now.

Y/n and Kyra weren’t even dating, but Y/n couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if they disclosed whatever they had going on to the team. It wouldn't be anything new, it was very normal to date with your teammates.

Arsenal itself had a lot of couples that were brought together through the club, it wasn’t something unusual. But of course, when new couples formed the dynamics of the team changed a bit.

If they started dating, would people stop seeing Kyra as their little sister? Would the team stop seeing Y/n as this tough player who only had eyes for football and maybe a nightstand here or there?

When she thought about it Y/n realised that she really didn’t care about what her teammate thought about it. When Viv and Beth started dating, everyone just moved on with their lives, it was the same with Katie and Caitlin.

Y/n and Kyra just weren’t the type to make a big deal about it, they would probably just notice the shift between them and accept.

“I’ll pretend to believe you if you tell Alessia I tried doing the whole talk your feelings out with you,” Leah mumbled next to her, pulling Y/n out of her thoughts.

“So Alessia was the one who sent you, then? That little minx was with me the whole morning, she could've asked me.”

Leah shrugged, getting up from the bench and starting to warm up. “She didn't want to intrude.”

“So you intruded on her behalf?” Y/n asked, finding the whole situation funny.

“Yeah, I mean, you get closed off sometimes and it’s hard to reach out to you,” Leah said, more firmly now.

“It takes one to know one,” Y/n said, smiling at Leah.

Both women had been friends for a very long time. But the friendship between Leah and Y/n was different, they didn’t text every day, and they didn't plan to meet every week.

It was the kind of friend shared by two reserved people who enjoyed their privacy but still knew they could always count on each other

Y/n and Leah had the same faults, they were proud, stubborn and overly independent. So they knew each other, they knew how the other reacted to the world. And of course, they knew how hard it was for them to open up.

“Well, you know where I live if you ever feel like talking about why your eyes haven’t left Cooney for a second,” Leah patted Y/n’s back before running back to the pitch.

Maybe people would realise that she and Kyra were together sooner than she thought. Especially since Y/n was bluntly staring at Kyra while she played.

So what if she actually cheered a little when Kyra scored a goal?

..

Notes: Please like, share and let me know what you think! Feedback is important and makes me want to write even more. :D

Read more of my work here -> Masterlist

[callikari]

THE TUTOR —LEE HEESEUNG ᝰ.ᐟ ˎˊ˗

SYNOPSIS — being a broke college student meant doing whatever it took to survive, even if that meant lying your way into a tutoring gig you weren’t qualified for. when lee heeseung, campus golden boy and star athlete, mistook you for his assigned tutor, you saw an opportunity—he was willing to pay, and you needed the money. easy cash, right? except there was one problem: he was already acing the class. turns out, he just wanted an excuse to spend time with you. now, you’re stuck in a fake tutoring arrangement, trying (and failing) to convince yourself that his dumb little smirks and unnecessary close proximity aren’t affecting you.

PAIRING — lee heeseung x broke-college-student-fem!reader (ft. enhypen, yunjin & eunchae from le sserafim, wonyoung from ive)

GENRE(S) — written, college au, fake tutor au, idiots to lovers, mutual pining, fluff, comedy, and slight crack.

WARNING(S) — swearing, broke student struggles, scamming (for survival purposes), heeseung being an annoying flirt, your friends clowning you, lots of academic bullshitting, and mild secondhand embarrassment.

WORDCOUNT — 10k

you had no idea how you ended up in this situation. honestly, you were just a broke college student trying to make some extra cash by tutoring, and now you were stuck in a "mess" of a situation with lee heeseung—campus golden boy, star athlete, and the last person you thought you'd end up spending this much time with.

it all started in the library, where you had been buried under a mountain of textbooks and assignments. you were just minding your own business, trying to squeeze in as much studying as you could before the next exam, when heeseung walked up to you with a confused look on his face.

"hey, are you my tutor?" he asked, looking at you like you were the answer to his prayers.

you blinked. “your tutor?”

“yeah, you’re supposed to help me with my chemistry class, right?” he said, pulling out a crumpled sheet of paper.

the paper had your name on it. assigned tutor.

you looked at him for a long second, unsure how to respond. in that moment, your brain made a split-second decision.

no, this wasn’t right. you weren’t his tutor.

but then again, you were broke. and he was paying.

so, instead of correcting him, you smiled and said, “yep. that’s me.”

heeseung grinned, clearly pleased with himself. “great! let’s get started, then.”

you immediately regretted your decision.

and so, here you were.

heeseung was the "last" person you expected to be in your tutoring group. you knew his type—popular, charismatic, and completely "unbothered" by anything that had to do with studying. you weren’t even sure how he managed to get into college in the first place with his terrible grades.

he sat down across from you, all smiles, like he didn’t have a care in the world. meanwhile, you were scrambling to figure out how to get him to actually pay attention to what you were saying. you’d barely gotten into your lesson before he started yawning.

“is this really necessary?” he asked, his tone light and lazy.

you glanced up, trying your best to suppress a frustrated sigh. “yes, heeseung. chemistry is a requirement for your major.”

he looked at you, completely unfazed. “i’m pretty sure i can just ask my tutor to give me the answers.”

you stared at him, blinking. “i *am* your tutor.”

he smirked. “well, then you’re not doing a very good job.”

you couldn’t help the way your eyebrow twitched at his words. why was this so difficult?

the more you tried to get him focused, the more distracted he became. you found yourself flipping through the textbook and pointing out formulas that made sense to you, while he sat back and played with his pen. his lack of attention was grating on your nerves, but you refused to let him see how annoyed you were.

“heeseung, focus. we need to finish this chapter today,” you said through clenched teeth.

he glanced up at you lazily, a playful grin forming on his lips. “you’re kind of cute when you’re serious.”

you froze. "what?" you couldn’t even process the words. sure, you knew he was a flirt, but hearing him say that made your heart skip a beat. you swallowed, trying to shake it off. this was heeseung, after all. you couldn’t let him get under your skin.

he leaned forward, clearly enjoying how flustered you were. “i’ll try my best, tutor,” he teased, his voice dropping into a teasing tone.

you gave him a tight smile, trying to regain control of the situation. “let’s get to work.”

it was incredible how little heeseung actually knew about chemistry. each time you tried to explain a concept, he’d stare at you like you were speaking a foreign language. but it wasn’t just that—he was charming in the most infuriating way. his innocent questions and half-smiles made you question your focus. you had to admit, the guy was cute, and his charm was practically endless.

“so, like, what does this even do?” he asked, pointing to the periodic table in front of you.

you tried your best to stay professional, keeping your voice as calm as possible. “this is the atomic structure. see, each element has its own number of protons, neutrons, and electrons. you need to understand the structure in order to comprehend chemical reactions.”

heeseung nodded as if he understood, but the amused glint in his eyes told you otherwise. “right, right. so, can we just…skip this and get to the part where you help me ace the exam?” he asked, his grin wide.

“heeseung,” you groaned, rubbing your temples. “we need to understand the basics first. there’s no way you’ll get through the exam without knowing this.”

he just tilted his head to the side, his hair falling perfectly around his face. “but you’re cute when you’re frustrated.”

your eyes widened in disbelief, but you refused to give him the satisfaction. “stop distracting me. focus on the material,” you snapped, though you could feel your face heating up despite your best efforts to remain composed.

it was a constant cycle of distractions, laughter, and trying to drag him back into the lesson. every time you thought you’d made progress, he’d throw you off course with a casual comment or a playful smirk. it felt like you were running in circles.

the more time you spent with heeseung, the more you started to notice things about him. little things. like how he’d always brush his hair out of his eyes when he was concentrating—well, pretending to concentrate, anyway. or how his smile could light up the entire room, even when he was clearly being a little brat.

it was a slow burn, but you were starting to realize that heeseung wasn’t just the charming golden boy you thought he was. yeah, he was annoying as hell, but there was something more beneath the surface. he was smart—really smart, when he put his mind to it. you’d seen it when he actually listened to what you were saying. it was frustrating, to say the least. here you were, trying to keep him focused, but at the same time, you were starting to feel a little… distracted yourself.

“okay, okay,” he said, leaning back in his chair, his hands behind his head in a relaxed posture. “i think i’m getting it.”

“really?” you asked, eyebrows raised. “you understand how to balance chemical equations now?”

he shrugged. “more or less. but honestly, i think i’d understand better if you gave me some extra help.”

you crossed your arms, fighting the urge to roll your eyes. “extra help?” you repeated, your voice a little too sarcastic for your liking.

he leaned forward again, a devilish grin curling on his lips. “yeah. like, you know, help outside of studying. maybe, we could—” he broke off when he saw the look on your face.

“no,” you said flatly.

“aww, come on,” he teased, his grin only widening. “what are you so afraid of?”

you felt your heart skip a beat, but you pushed it down. “nothing. i’m not afraid of anything,” you muttered, turning your attention back to your notes.

he leaned back again, clearly entertained by your reaction. “you know, you’re not as tough as you think.”

you didn’t know if you should laugh or just throw something at him. instead, you went with a fake smile. “don’t flatter yourself.”

he just laughed. “hey, no need to be so harsh. i’m just trying to help.”

“you’re trying to distract me,” you shot back.

“well, it’s working.”

the next time you met with heeseung for tutoring, something felt different. maybe it was the way he greeted you, with a casual “hey, ready to teach me something new today?” or maybe it was the way his usual teasing seemed to have softened. whatever it was, it made you more aware of how much you were starting to look forward to these sessions.

“we’re going over reactions today,” you said, trying to focus. “this is where things get a little trickier, but you can handle it, right?”

heeseung flashed you a grin, already making himself comfortable in his chair. “i’m ready. as long as you’re not as serious as last time.”

you shot him a look. “i’m always serious.”

he winked at you, and you couldn’t help but sigh. “seriously, though, pay attention.”

he was paying attention—or at least, he was pretending to. as you began explaining the basics of chemical reactions, you noticed how he watched you. his usual playful glint in his eyes was still there, but there was something else now—something more sincere. heeseung wasn’t just here to mess around. he was actually trying, and it threw you off.

“so, what happens when—” you stopped mid-sentence, realizing he wasn’t just looking at you but listening.

“when an element reacts with another, the atoms rearrange to form a compound,” he finished for you.

you blinked, surprised. “wait. you actually got that right?”

heeseung leaned back, a smug look on his face. “of course. i’m not a total idiot, you know.”

“well, you’ve been acting like one lately,” you shot back, but even you could hear the hint of affection in your voice.

heeseung’s expression softened, and for a brief moment, the playful energy between you two seemed to fade. “guess I’m not as bad as you thought.”

you weren’t sure how to respond to that, so you focused back on your notes. “let’s just get through this, okay?”

heeseung’s grin returned, but now, there was a sense of warmth behind it. “yeah. we’ll make a great team.”

you weren’t sure why, but those words made your heart race.

the sessions with heeseung weren’t just about chemistry anymore. they were about you and him. the more time you spent with him, the more you realized how much he liked to poke fun at you. but at the same time, he made you feel like you actually mattered. and god, that was frustrating. you were supposed to be the one in control here—not him.

so when he slid into the seat next to you one afternoon, throwing an arm across the back of your chair, you couldn’t help but feel a little too aware of him.

“ready to learn?” he asked, a playful grin tugging at his lips.

you tried to act unaffected, but there was a tightness in your chest that you couldn’t ignore. “we’re not here to talk about my learning skills, heeseung,” you said coolly, flipping open your notes.

he leaned closer, his voice lowering in that teasing way that always seemed to get under your skin. “you know, if you weren’t so good at teaching, i’d probably just be failing by now.”

you raised an eyebrow. “you say that now, but you wouldn’t even be passing if you weren’t such a good student,” you shot back, your voice dripping with sarcasm.

heeseung chuckled, clearly unfazed. “oh, so you admit it? i’m actually a great student.”

you let out a dramatic sigh. “don’t flatter yourself.”

he leaned back in his chair with a satisfied grin. “i think you like it when i flatter myself.”

you rolled your eyes. “no, i think you’re insufferable.”

but even as you said it, you couldn’t stop the faint smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

the silence stretched for a moment, and for once, heeseung didn’t say anything. he just looked at you, like he was trying to figure you out.

you hated how that made your stomach twist.

“you really don’t like me, do you?” he finally asked, his voice quieter than usual.

the question caught you off guard, and for a moment, you didn’t know how to respond. sure, you hated his teasing and his constant jokes, but something about him made you want to keep going. to keep being with him.

“i don’t know,” you said slowly. “maybe i do. maybe i don’t. you’re a pain.”

heeseung’s grin softened, his eyes narrowing playfully. “i think you like me, just a little.”

you narrowed your eyes at him, but the heat in your cheeks betrayed you. “don’t push your luck.”

he just laughed, clearly enjoying the way he was getting under your skin. “okay, okay. but i know i’m not as bad as you make me out to be.”

you didn’t answer. you couldn’t. because deep down, you knew he was right.

the next few days passed by in a blur, with your study sessions becoming more frequent. heeseung had somehow turned into someone you could tolerate way more than you were comfortable admitting. and yet, you still couldn’t bring yourself to like him completely. not in the way he seemed to want you to.

you were walking through the campus courtyard, lost in your own thoughts when you spotted him across the yard, laughing with a group of people. heeseung was a natural when it came to making friends, effortlessly charismatic and always in the center of attention. you hated how much that bothered you. it wasn’t jealousy, you told yourself. it was just the fact that you hated how easy it came to him.

as you walked past, you caught his eye, and his expression immediately shifted. he excused himself from his friends and jogged over to you, that cocky grin on his face.

“you’re staring at me again,” he teased, his tone light, but you could see the playful glint in his eyes.

you blinked, startled. “i was not.”

he raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. “you were definitely staring at me.”

you cursed inwardly. of course he noticed. “i wasn’t staring. i was just—” you stopped, realizing you had no excuse.

“it’s fine,” he said, a smug look appearing on his face. “i kind of like it when you stare. makes me feel special.”

you shot him a look, fighting the urge to roll your eyes. “don’t get ahead of yourself, heeseung. i was not staring. i just… got distracted. okay?”

heeseung just laughed, a low chuckle that sent a strange warmth flooding your chest. “sure, sure. whatever you say.”

you started walking again, trying to ignore the way your heart was beating a little faster. “i have to get to class,” you muttered, already feeling the awkwardness creeping in.

“i’ll walk with you,” he said, falling into step beside you without waiting for an answer. “might as well since i’m already here.”

“you really don’t take a hint, do you?” you teased, but the smile on your face betrayed your words.

heeseung shrugged casually. “nah, not really. i like to make my own rules.”

“clearly,” you muttered under your breath, still not used to how confident he was. it wasn’t just his charisma—it was the way he seemed so sure of himself around you. it was like he knew exactly what he was doing, and you had no idea how to handle it.

the walk to class was filled with small talk. lighthearted banter, the kind of stuff that made the air between you two feel almost normal—if you could call it that. normal, until he dropped the bombshell.

“so, do you ever think about… us?” he asked, his voice quieter this time, a little more serious than usual.

you stopped in your tracks, your heart racing. “what do you mean?”

heeseung turned to face you, his gaze softening. “i mean… do you think we’re getting along better now?”

you blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift. “i guess? i don’t know. it’s… weird.”

“yeah, i get it. it’s weird for me too,” he admitted, looking down for a moment. then, as if trying to lighten the mood, he added, “but i’m kinda enjoying it.”

you frowned. “enjoying what? our bickering?”

heeseung smirked. “well, yeah. i mean, it’s fun, isn’t it? but… i also like the times when we don’t fight. when it’s just us, talking.”

you were quiet for a moment, your mind racing. could it be? could he really be saying what you thought he was saying?

“heeseung, you’re impossible,” you muttered, though your heart was beating faster now. maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

heeseung stepped closer, that signature cocky grin back on his face. “maybe, but you still like me.”

the following week, your study sessions with heeseung took a sudden turn. instead of the usual quiet library dates, he started dragging you around campus, making you go to random spots to “study.” sometimes it was by the fountain, sometimes near the campus cafe, and once, he even convinced you to sit in the middle of the quad in the grass—in the middle of the day, no less.

“are you sure this is productive?” you asked skeptically, looking around at all the students walking by. the noise was borderline unbearable.

heeseung, however, seemed completely unbothered. he had his headphones in, typing away on his phone, clearly in his own world. “the point of studying is being comfortable. if you’re uncomfortable, you won’t focus. so relax.”

you sighed, dropping your bag onto the grass beside you and following his lead. you hadn’t expected him to turn into this “study guru” who somehow knew all the right ways to study. but maybe it worked. you couldn’t deny that it made you focus better.

“okay, so what are we even doing?” you asked, still unsure how you were supposed to study in the middle of a bustling campus.

heeseung smirked, pulling out a notebook. “well, i figured you could help me with my notes. i’m clearly struggling,” he said with mock sincerity, even though he knew you were the one who had been tutoring him.

you gave him a deadpan look. “struggling, huh? sure. if you say so.”

heeseung flipped the notebook open to a page full of notes and highlighted passages. “help me go over this. i need to make sure i don’t bomb the next quiz.”

as you went over the material with him, you couldn’t help but notice that he was more… attentive than usual. it wasn’t just that he was asking you to explain things. he was genuinely trying to understand. and for once, you weren’t frustrated with him. you found yourself getting lost in the work and even… enjoying the way he listened intently, his focus entirely on what you were saying.

but just as you were getting comfortable, your friend group walked by, and of course, they had to notice you and heeseung sitting together.

“oh, look at this,” yujin teased, clearly amused. “the two study buddies are actually… studying?”

“what are you doing here?” you groaned, trying to hide the slight flush creeping up your neck.

“we’re just passing by,” wonyoung said innocently, but the smirk on her face betrayed her true intentions. she was way too into the idea of you and heeseung spending time together.

“don’t act like you weren’t just checking on us,” heeseung added, eyes twinkling. “you know, we’re not that interesting.”

“oh, we know,” yujin said with a wink. “we just came to make sure you weren’t actually getting along. because we all know you two are at each other’s throats most of the time.”

you groaned, throwing your head back in exasperation. “please, not you guys too.”

wonyoung sat down beside you, throwing an arm around your shoulders. “sooo, tell me, how’s the heeseung tutoring going?” she grinned at you, clearly enjoying the chaos she was about to cause.

you shot her a glare. “heeseung is actually doing fine. for once.” you shot him a quick glance to make sure he wasn’t about to do something dumb.

heeseung, however, seemed unfazed. “yeah, i think i’m doing great. i’m just… naturally brilliant,” he said, giving you a mischievous look.

yujin laughed. “oh, right. naturally brilliant. that’s why you needed help in the first place.”

“you’re one to talk, yujin,” you shot back. “how’s your chemistry grade going, huh?”

wonyoung gave a dramatic gasp. “oh no, not the chemistry card,” she said, making a show of clutching her chest. “you didn’t just do that.”

heeseung grinned. “looks like i’m not the only one who’s got an ego problem.”

you rolled your eyes, but deep down, you couldn’t help but laugh along with them. there was something about being surrounded by your friends, even if they were shamelessly teasing you, that felt… nice.

it wasn’t long before the teasing died down, and your friends eventually decided to go grab some lunch. but before they left, wonyoung gave you a knowing smile. “we’ll leave you two alone. don’t do anything i wouldn’t do!”

“what?” you exclaimed, almost choking on your own laughter.

yujin threw a wink in your direction. “you know exactly what we mean.”

once they were gone, heeseung looked at you with an unreadable expression. “well, that was… something.”

you blinked, feeling the weight of the moment. it was the first time you felt like it was just the two of you—no teasing, no interruptions. just… him.

“yeah, it was,” you said, clearing your throat. “but, uh, we’re still studying. right?”

heeseung nodded, his usual smirk returning. “yeah, yeah. but… maybe later, we can have a proper study date.”

your heart skipped a beat at his words, and for the first time in forever, you didn’t feel the need to push him away. maybe—just maybe—you were starting to like this whole study partnership.

the next day, heeseung texted you a little earlier than usual. it wasn’t a huge surprise—he had developed a habit of doing that, whether it was to talk about studying or to joke around. but this time, the message was different.

heeseung: “hey, i was thinking about how much you need a study break. how about we grab lunch later?”

you: “seriously? i’m not a workaholic like you. i do know how to take breaks.”

heeseung: “i beg to differ. you’ve been glued to those books for hours. i can’t let that happen. lunch at 12?”

you stared at the message for a second. it was true that you’d been spending a little too much time with your nose buried in textbooks, but you hadn’t realized anyone was paying attention to it. you thought for a moment, then typed a response.

you: “fine. you win. lunch it is.”

at lunch, the campus was bustling with students, and as usual, heeseung had picked the most random spot to meet up: the food court. it was packed with people from different clubs and groups, but you didn’t mind it. somehow, even in the chaos, you felt like it was just the two of you. heeseung sat across from you, grinning from ear to ear.

“so, what’s on your mind today?” he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

you narrowed your eyes at him. “don’t act like you’re not just using this lunch break to drag me away from studying.”

he chuckled. “okay, okay. maybe i am. but it’s for your own good.”

before you could respond, your friends walked by—yujin, wonyoung, and hong eunchae, all heading toward the smoothie stand.

“oh, look at that,” yujin said loudly. “the lovebirds are having lunch.”

“yujin, shut up,” you groaned, sinking into your seat in embarrassment. “why do you guys always have to tease?”

“it’s fun,” wonyoung said, winking at you both. “you two are adorable. i’m just waiting for the day when you admit you like each other.”

you shot wonyoung a look. “it’s not like that,” you muttered, but even you could hear the slight hesitation in your voice.

heeseung, ever the tease, smirked. “oh? but wouldn’t it be interesting if it was like that?”

your friends took a seat at the table next to yours, but the teasing didn’t stop there. eunchae chimed in, grinning from ear to ear. “oh my god, it’s so obvious. look at the way you two look at each other.”

you groaned and hid your face in your hands, while heeseung, on the other hand, was clearly enjoying this attention.

“we’re literally just studying partners,” you insisted, trying to keep your voice steady.

“uh huh, sure,” wonyoung said, not believing you for a second. “you’re totally just ‘study buddies.’”

heeseung laughed, nudging you playfully. “what, do you think we’re some sort of study machine? we’ve got to eat sometime, you know.”

“that’s not what i’m saying,” you said, trying your best to ignore your blushing cheeks. “it’s not like we have feelings for each other.”

yujin shot you a teasing glance. “whatever you say, y/n. we’ll see about that.”

as the conversation continued, you tried to focus on your lunch, but you couldn’t help feeling a little flustered. your friends were relentless, and you couldn’t escape their teasing. at some point, heeseung nudged you again, this time a little more seriously.

“don’t let them get to you,” he said quietly, his voice soft.

you looked up at him in surprise. “what?”

“i can see how uncomfortable you are. don’t let them mess with your head. we’re just friends. study partners,” he emphasized the words with a wink, making you laugh.

“right,” you said, finally feeling a little better. maybe heeseung wasn’t just teasing. maybe, he actually understood how awkward this whole thing was.

just then, yujin raised her eyebrows. “wait, wait. friends? no, no, no. you two have definitely been spending a little too much time together for it to be just that.”

you sighed and rolled your eyes. “can you all just stop?”

eunchae, still grinning, leaned in a little too close. “oh, but y/n, we can’t. you two are like a soap opera waiting to happen. all this sexual tension is just begging for a plot twist.”

you almost choked on your food, while heeseung, to his credit, just grinned. “you know what they say, though. you can’t fight chemistry.”

“heeseung, shut up,” you said quickly, shaking your head.

the rest of the lunch went on with the teasing, but by the end of it, you couldn’t deny that you were starting to enjoy it. the teasing wasn’t as annoying as it used to be. if anything, it was starting to feel… normal. maybe you were beginning to feel more comfortable with heeseung than you thought.

as you all headed back to campus, you couldn’t shake off the idea of what your friends had said. maybe they were right. maybe there was something more going on between you and heeseung than just studying. but that thought left you with one burning question:

did he feel the same?

after lunch, you tried to shake off your friends’ words, but their teasing lingered in your mind longer than you wanted to admit.

you two are like a soap opera waiting to happen.

all this sexual tension is just begging for a plot twist.

they were just messing with you… right? there was nothing going on between you and heeseung. sure, he had become one of the people you spent the most time with lately, but that didn’t mean anything. it was just studying. and occasional banter. and… him noticing when you needed a break.

ugh. this was so annoying.

before you could spiral further, your phone buzzed with a text.

heeseung: “you free later? study session part 12938?”

you rolled your eyes but smiled.

you: “more like part 20. but yeah, sure.”

heeseung: “great. library, usual spot. i’ll bring snacks. you bring your brain.”

you: “you make it sound like i don’t have one.”

heeseung: “well, you keep denying your obvious crush on me, so i’m starting to wonder.”

you: “EXCUSE ME?”

heeseung: “relax, i’m kidding. unless…?”

you: “don’t even start.”

heeseung: “lmao, see you later, study buddy.”

you groaned, flopping onto your bed. why did he always have to tease you like that? and why did it get under your skin so much?

later that evening, you met heeseung at the library, as planned. as soon as you sat down, he slid a chocolate bar across the table toward you.

“peace offering,” he said with a smirk.

you eyed him suspiciously but unwrapped it anyway. “what are you apologizing for?”

“for making you flustered earlier,” he said casually, flipping open his notebook.

you nearly choked on your chocolate. “i was not flustered.”

he looked up, raising an eyebrow. “sure. whatever helps you sleep at night.”

you glared at him but decided to drop it. you were not giving him the satisfaction of seeing you react. instead, you focused on studying.

for the next hour, you two actually managed to get some work done—well, mostly.

“y/n, you’ve been staring at the same page for five minutes,” heeseung said, snapping his fingers in front of your face.

you blinked. “huh?”

“see? you’re totally distracted. are you thinking about something?” he teased, resting his chin on his hand.

“no,” you said quickly, flipping the page for dramatic effect. “just… taking in the information.”

he smirked. “taking in information or taking in me?”

“heeseung, i swear—”

before you could finish, a voice interrupted.

“oh? is this a date or a study session?”

you turned to see sunghoon and jake standing nearby, both of them looking way too amused.

“neither,” you said flatly. “why are you guys even here?”

“because watching you two is peak entertainment,” jake said, plopping down next to you. “heeseung told us you’d be here, so we figured we’d stop by.”

“of course he did,” you muttered, shooting a glare at heeseung, who only grinned in response.

“so, when’s the wedding?” sunghoon asked, completely serious.

“i hate all of you,” you said, covering your face with your hands.

heeseung chuckled. “c’mon, guys, don’t scare y/n off. they still have to help me pass this class.”

“ah, right,” jake said, nodding. “but after that, you’ll confess, yeah?”

you gaped at him. “why would you assume that?”

sunghoon smirked. “because it’s obvious.”

you groaned. “can we please just study?”

heeseung leaned closer, his voice low so only you could hear. “aw, do i make you nervous?”

you shot him a look. “you wish.”

but the truth was… maybe he did. just a little. and you weren’t sure what to do about that.

for the next few days, you did your best to ignore the way heeseung had somehow weaseled his way into your daily routine. between studying, running into him on campus, and your friends’ constant teasing, it was like the universe was forcing you to acknowledge… whatever this was.

but you weren’t giving in. absolutely not.

until one night, when everything changed.

you were sitting outside your dorm building, scrolling through your phone and attempting to unwind from a long day, when heeseung plopped down next to you, startling you.

“what the hell—”

“hey,” he said, completely unfazed by your reaction. “what are you doing out here alone?”

“thinking about how much better my life would be if you stopped showing up everywhere i go,” you deadpanned.

heeseung clutched his chest dramatically. “ouch. and here i was, about to offer you a ride to the late-night diner.”

you paused. “…there’s a late-night diner?”

he smirked. “yes. and i know you haven’t eaten because i know your study habits by now.”

you rolled your eyes. “so what, you’re my personal meal tracker now?”

he stood up, holding out a hand. “just shut up and come with me.”

against your better judgment, you took his hand.

the diner was small, dimly lit, and surprisingly cozy. the kind of place you could see yourself spending hours in without realizing it. heeseung led you to a booth and, without asking, ordered milkshakes for both of you.

“what if i didn’t want a milkshake?” you challenged.

“please, you love milkshakes,” he shot back.

you narrowed your eyes. “…how do you know that?”

he shrugged. “i pay attention.”

you hated the way your stomach flipped at that.

as the night went on, you found yourself forgetting about your usual arguments. talking with heeseung felt easy—annoying at times, but effortless. he told you stories about his childhood, his dumbest mistakes, and his dreams of doing something meaningful after graduation. you found yourself laughing more than you had in weeks.

and then, as you were finishing your milkshake, he looked at you and said, “y’know, i like this.”

“like what?”

“hanging out with you. without all the arguing.”

you blinked. “you like hanging out with me?”

heeseung scoffed. “wow, don’t look so surprised. i do have a heart.”

“questionable,” you muttered, though you felt your face heat up.

he grinned. “but seriously. this is nice.”

you hesitated before nodding. “…yeah. it is.”

there was a beat of silence. then, because you apparently hated peace, you blurted, “but you’re still annoying.”

heeseung laughed, shaking his head. “god, you’re impossible.”

but he didn’t let go of the straw he had been absentmindedly playing with. and neither did you.

you didn’t know what was more shocking: the fact that you willingly spent an entire night with heeseung without plotting his downfall, or the fact that you actually enjoyed it.

either way, you refused to dwell on it.

the next morning, you convinced yourself it was just the exhaustion talking. a momentary lapse in judgment. surely, once you saw him again, he’d go right back to being the most irritating person on campus.

except… he didn’t.

instead, you found yourself sitting next to him in class, sharing your notes like it was the most natural thing in the world. instead of snide remarks, he shot you small, amused glances when you got frustrated over an assignment. instead of ignoring each other in the library, he casually placed an extra coffee next to your laptop, muttering, “you looked half-dead, figured you needed this.”

and instead of feeling annoyed, you felt… something else. something dangerous.

“you’ve been real quiet lately,” jay commented as he sat across from you in the student lounge.

you blinked up at him. “what?”

“you and heeseung. where’s all the fighting? the dramatic, public arguments? i feel like i’m watching the downfall of an iconic rivalry.”

you scoffed. “don’t be ridiculous. we still argue.”

jay raised an eyebrow. “really? because from what i’ve seen, you guys are, like… flirting now.”

you nearly choked on your drink. “excuse me? flirting?”

“yeah. all the ‘oh my god, you’re so annoying’ and ‘ugh, i hate you’ shit?” jay smirked. “that’s flirting.”

“fuck off,” you muttered, kicking his shin under the table.

jay yelped, but his grin didn’t waver. “hey, i’m just saying—if you ever need a best man at the wedding, i’m available.”

“i’m going to kill you.”

“damn, first-degree murder? sounds like love to me.”

before you could launch a full-blown attack, your phone buzzed. you glanced at the screen. heeseung.

heeseung [1:07 PM]: library in 10? i found something that might help with your paper

you stared at the message a little too long.

jay leaned over, reading it before you could stop him. “oh my god.”

“shut up,” you snapped, standing up so fast your chair scraped against the floor.

jay watched you with an infuriatingly smug expression. “you’re so fucked.”

you flipped him off before walking away.

the library was quiet when you arrived, but you spotted heeseung immediately. he was leaning back in his chair, one hand flipping through a book, the other twirling a pen between his fingers.

you hesitated before walking over. “hey.”

he glanced up, smiling slightly. “you’re late.”

“by two minutes.”

“yeah. unacceptable.”

you rolled your eyes, plopping into the chair across from him. “you said you found something for my paper?”

he slid a book toward you. “this has a whole section on your topic. figured it might save you some time.”

you raised an eyebrow. “you’re being suspiciously helpful.”

“don’t get used to it,” he teased. “i like seeing you suffer, but i love proving that i’m smarter than you.”

“asshole,” you muttered, but there was no heat behind it.

heeseung just grinned.

and maybe jay was right. maybe you were so fucked.

if someone had told you six months ago that you’d willingly spend your free time with lee heeseung, you would’ve laughed in their face. maybe even fought them. but now? now you were waiting for him outside the library, scrolling mindlessly through your phone while he finished up an assignment.

this was getting out of hand.

"hey.”

you looked up to see heeseung walking toward you, backpack slung over one shoulder.

“took you long enough,” you muttered, shoving your phone into your pocket.

“relax, i was being productive,” he said, smirking. “you should try it sometime.”

“fuck you.”

“you wish.”

you scoffed, ignoring the way your stomach flipped at his words.

heeseung fell into step beside you as you both started heading toward the dining hall. this was becoming a weird habit—getting food together, studying together, exchanging notes without bickering. it was normal. and that was the problem.

you had no idea when the rivalry had started to feel less like a battle and more like an excuse to talk to him.

you shook the thought away.

“you’re spacing out,” heeseung said, nudging your shoulder.

you shot him a glare. “am not.”

“are too.”

“i hate you.”

heeseung grinned. “no, you don’t.”

before you could argue, a voice called out.

“ohhh, what’s this?”

you both turned to see sunghoon, jake, and jungwon standing a few feet away, watching with matching expressions of mischief.

jake gasped dramatically. “is this civil conversation i’m witnessing?”

“no way,” jungwon added. “they’re walking together without trying to kill each other.”

sunghoon grinned. “i knew all that tension wasn’t just hatred.”

you groaned, rubbing your temples. “you guys are so fucking annoying.”

heeseung just sighed. “let’s go before they start a conspiracy theory.”

but it was too late, jake had already pulled out his phone.

“this is groundbreaking,” he said, pretending to type. “i need to update the gc.”

you groaned. “jake, i swear to god—”

heeseung, on the other hand, didn’t seem phased. “you guys need a hobby.”

“this is our hobby,” jungwon said smugly.

“oh, absolutely,” sunghoon agreed. “we live for drama.”

you shot heeseung a look, but he just sighed and grabbed your wrist. “come on.”

you barely had time to process the sudden contact before he was tugging you away, leaving the three of them cackling behind you.

he didn’t let go until you reached the dining hall.

you cleared your throat, trying to ignore the way your skin still tingled where he’d touched you. “well. that was mortifying.”

“they’re insufferable,” heeseung muttered.

“and yet, they have a point.”

he glanced at you. “which is?”

you hesitated. were you really about to bring this up?

fuck it.

“this whole thing,” you said, gesturing vaguely between you two. “it’s not… normal.”

heeseung raised an eyebrow. “what, us not wanting to kill each other?”

“yes! i mean—no! i mean…” you exhaled sharply. “don’t you think it’s weird? one minute we’re at each other’s throats, and now we’re just—”

“friends?” he offered.

your stomach twisted. you didn’t like that word. not because it wasn’t true, but because it didn’t feel like the whole truth.

“sure,” you said weakly. “friends.”

heeseung studied you for a moment, something unreadable in his expression.

then he said, “well, that’s boring.”

you blinked. “what?”

“friends?” he repeated, tilting his head. “that’s so underwhelming.”

your heart stuttered. “what—what do you mean?”

heeseung smirked. “i mean, we could be so much more interesting than that.”

you stared at him. your brain was short-circuiting.

he took a step closer, and suddenly, the space between you felt way too small. “unless… you’re scared?”

your breath hitched. “scared?”

heeseung leaned in slightly, voice dropping. “of what this could be.”

your brain stalled.

“scared?” you echoed. “of what this could be?”

heeseung just looked at you, waiting.

you let out a breathless laugh. “oh, please. do you even hear yourself?”

“perfectly,” he said, still smirking.

“you’re joking.”

“am i?”

you crossed your arms. “yes. obviously.”

heeseung tilted his head, like he was considering something. “huh.”

“what?”

“nothing. just… i didn’t think you’d be so dense.”

your jaw dropped. “excuse me?”

he shrugged. “i thought it was pretty obvious. i like you.”

your stomach flipped. your heart flipped. but your brain? your brain was malfunctioning.

you narrowed your eyes. “okay, very funny.”

“i’m not joking.”

“yes, you are.”

heeseung sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. “why would i joke about this?”

“because this is what we do!” you gestured between you. “we mess with each other, we push each other’s buttons—this is just another game to you.”

heeseung exhaled sharply. “jesus, you really don’t get it.”

you frowned. “what is there to get?”

he gave you a look. “the fact that i genuinely like you, dumbass.”

your breath caught in your throat.

heeseung shook his head, almost frustrated. “do you think i’d just say this for fun? you piss me off like no one else, but you’re also the only person i actually want to be around. figure that out.”

you stared at him.

heeseung liked you. like, for real. like, not as a joke.

and you… you had spent the past five minutes laughing in his face.

fuck.

you were malfunctioning. actually, no—you were buffering. like a shitty internet connection that couldn’t load the page properly.

heeseung liked you. and instead of responding like a normal person, you had laughed in his face.

“heeseung,” you started, trying to find something to say. “i—”

“forget it.”

your stomach dropped. “wait, what?”

heeseung sighed, running a hand down his face. “look, if you don’t feel the same way, just say it. but don’t act like i’m joking just because you don’t want to deal with it.”

your throat went dry. “that’s not—”

“then what is it?”

he sounded tired. like he had finally run out of patience.

and it hit you, all at once.

you had spent so much time convincing yourself that this thing between you two was just rivalry—just banter and competition and winning—that you had completely ignored everything else.

how your heart always raced around him. how you always looked for him in a crowded room. how his approval meant way too much, how his insults stung just a little more, how he made you feel alive in a way no one else did.

you had been so sure that he was messing with you. because the alternative? the idea that he meant it? that was terrifying.

but now…

now you could see the way his shoulders were tense, like he was bracing himself. the way his hands were curled into fists, like he was trying to hold something in.

he wasn’t playing around.

he never was.

“heeseung,” you said, voice quieter now.

he didn’t say anything.

you took a step closer. “i’m sorry.”

his jaw tightened. “for what?”

“for acting like an idiot,” you admitted. “and for not realizing sooner.”

his eyes flicked up to yours, searching. “realizing what?”

you swallowed. “that i like you too.”

the words felt big. heavier than you expected. but at the same time, saying them felt like a weight lifting—like something settling into place.

heeseung blinked. his whole body went still.

then he exhaled a laugh, running a hand through his hair. “you are so fucking annoying.”

you rolled your eyes. “jesus, thank you, i was really hoping for that to be your first response—”

before you could finish, heeseung grabbed your wrist and pulled you into him, crashing his lips against yours.

it took you half a second to catch up, but once you did, you kissed him back just as fiercely, fingers tangling in his hoodie.

heeseung smiled against your lips. “took you long enough.”

you huffed. “shut up.”

he hummed, pulling back just enough to look at you. “make me.”

AUTHORS NOTE: wait i lowkey hate this IM SORRY IF ITS BAD

© callikari -- all rights reserved

[just-dreaming-marvel]

A Princess & Her Knight ~ 2

A PRINCESS & HER KNIGHT MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 2,000ish

Summary: Logan's first day as your protector.

Notes: I promise the chapters will get longer. Please send in reactions!

Reminder: I DO NOT do taglists. Please don’t ask. Please follow and interact! I appreciate any reblogs, likes, comments, and asks!

“I heard that Sir Logan has been assigned as your personal knight,” your lady’s maid, Anne Marie, stated as she helped you ready for bed.

“Yes. My father believes that I need a babysitter,” you responded. “And while I love my father, his choice of knight is questionable.”

“I don’t know. Sir Logan is handsome.”

You rolled your eyes. “He’s grumpy and gruff. He also follows every rule. It’s boring.”

“It’s only because he’s a good knight. He respects his King and his position.”

“I respect my King and my position, but can’t a girl have a little fun? I doubt that Logan even knows what fun is.”

“And I’m sure that you’ll show him soon enough.”

You smirked. “I’m sure I’ll show him tonight.”

~~~

Logan knew that his new position didn’t technically begin until the morning, but he had a feeling that he needed to check over the passages he knew the exits to before heading to bed. And he was right. There you were, slipping out of one and into the garden.

“Princess,” his annoyance was clear as he called out for you.

You turned around, not surprised to see that Logan was out here. “Sir Logan,” you greeted, like you didn’t just get caught breaking your father’s recent rule for you.

“You should be in bed.”

“So should you. You need to rest before your start your new position tomorrow.”

“Seems like I’ll be starting it now.” He came over and gently grabbed your wrist. “Let’s go. You can show me how to get back to your room through the passage.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I will.”

Logan huffed in annoyance but didn’t argue further. He had a feeling that he would be arguing with you enough for a life time. “Let’s get you back to your chambers so that I can get a guard posted at that passage.”

“You’re no fun.”

“I’m not here for fun. I’m here to keep you safe, Princess.”

“Fun and safety can go hand in hand. Or you could learn to live a little.”

Logan opted to stay silent, already growing tired of your poking at him. You took his silence as your first mini victory and allowed him to lead you to your chambers without a fight. He let your wrist go once you had reached your door.

“Good night, Princess,” he said, “and please get some rest instead of wandering around.”

“I’ll try, Sir Logan,” you responded. “I will see you in the morning.”

~~~

Logan had Bobby at your door that morning before Anna Marie was even there to get you ready for the day. Bobby knew how important this assignment was and how it was a great honor to be partnered with Logan to protect the Princess.

“Hi, Bobby,” Anna Marie greeted as she came to the door. 

“Miss,” he replied with a nod. 

“I heard you were working with Logan now. He sure has his hands full with you and the Princess.”

“I am going to try my best to not be too much of a handful.”

“Yes, well the Princess isn’t going to be trying at all.”

“Then I better make sure I’m on my best behavior.”

Anna Marie smiled before she slipped into your chambers. You were sound asleep in your bed, allowing Anna Marie to get your things ready before she got you ready for the day. You had a pretty regular day planned out for you: breakfast with your father, sitting in some of your father’s meetings, lunch, tea with your Aunt Cassandra, and then the rest of the day was yours. 

“Y/N,” she said softly as she gently shook you awake.

You groaned as you began to come to. “No… Let me sleep.”

Anna Maria giggled at your usual antics. “You have the whole morning booked out, Princess. It’s time to wake up.”

“Fine.” You opened your eyes. “But if I’m grumpy that’s your fault.”

“My fault? Or is it the fact that you have a new knight over you today.”

“Both.”

“I will only take blame for what I have part in.”

You huffed as you sat up. “Fine. Let’s get me ready for another boring day.”

~~~

Logan followed you around like a shadow. His armor clinked in only the way his did, due to how stiff and rigid he walked. Bobby drifted in and out, allowing for Logan to have breaks. Logan’s breaks were brief, you barely noticed that he left. It was clear that he took his assignment seriously. Almost too seriously.

Before you knew it, it was time for your afternoon tea in the garden with your Aunt Cassandra, your father’s sister. Being six years younger than your father and unmarried, she was seen as a large disappointment to the Court and many in the kingdom. You had a relationship with her, but on your terms. She was controlling and, though she always denied it, jealous that you were heir to the throne while she was stuck to the sidelines. 

The Duchess Ororo Munroe was also set to join you and your aunt for tea. She was ten years older than you and already a widow. She was always grateful for your father as a King because in any other kingdom she would lose her status when her husband died. But instead, Ororo got to keep her land, title, and appointment in the Court. You loved her. She was fiery and fierce. Ororo trained with the guards frequently. You were always in awe at her skill and wished that someone was willing to train you.

“It’s a beautiful day out,” Ororo commented, looking at the surrounding gardens.

“It is,” you agreed.

“It would be prettier if the gardeners would have trimmed the hedges like I told them to,” Cassandra added.

Ororo sent you an annoyed look and rolled her eyes. You smirked behind your cup. Your aunt always found the littlest of things to complain about when she wasn’t saying snide remarks about how she would run the kingdom.

“I see that our dear Princess here as a new babysitter,” Ororo teased, glancing behind you at Logan.

“Yes,” your replied, setting your cup down. “My father is worried for my safety.”

“And your recklessness I assume.”

“He is fond of my recklessness. Father just believes that I need more protection right now.”

“Well, if I were in charge, you wouldn’t get away with most of what you do,” Cassandra added. “You don’t take your title serious enough. If you were my daughter—“

“I’m not. So we don’t have to worry about what you would do, especially since I am the heir to the throne. Not you.”

Cassandra’s jaw clenched as anger flashed across her hateful eyes. Her fingers tapped against the table as she tried to chose her next words carefully. Before she could say anything more, you stood up.

“I believe I have some personal matters to attend to,” you said. “Thank you for the invite for tea, Aunt. It was good to see you, Duchess.”

Then you headed off into the garden, with Logan close behind. He stayed silent as he followed you, though grew more and more curious as you got to the edge of the gardens. You exited the gardens, revealing the stable. You walked straight for it.

“Princess,” one of the stable boys greeted. “Would you like me to get your horse ready?”

“Please,” you responded. “And prepare Sir Logan’s horse as well.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Princess,” Logan called. “You are in no attire to go riding.”

“I’ll be fine,” you waved him off. “If you don’t want to tag along, you don’t have to.”

“We must tell the castle.”

“We’ll be fine. Stop being so grumpy. Have a little fun.”

“Your Highness, you are supposed listen to me. You told the King—“

“I am listening to you and I’m choosing to ignore at the moment.”

“Your Highness,” the stable boy exited. “The horses are ready.”

“Thank you.”

You walked into the stable, paying no mind to your attire. You walked up to your horse, greeted him with a loving pet before jumping on. Princess’ were supposed to ride side saddle while in a dress, but you didn’t care to. As you as you were settled onto your horse, you headed out towards the open fields. Logan huffed as he mounted his own horse and quickly followed after you. You rode through the open fields, enjoying the wind against your face and ignoring the man following close behind. 

You rode until you reached the end of the field, where there was a large stone wall, signaling the end to the castle grounds. You stopped and stared up at the wall. Logan came to a halt beside you.

“Do you think I could scale the wall?” You wondered aloud. 

“I don’t think it would be wise, Princess,” Logan responded.

“Why?” You looked over at him. “You don't think I could do it?” 

He remained silent. You took that as a challenge. You slid off of your horse and walked up to the wall.

“Princess, stop,” Logan ordered, but you ignored him. 

You found a spot where there was some lower stones poking out enough for you to step on. You kicked off your shoes and stepped onto the first stone. Before you could go any further, firm hands were on your waist, pulling you away from the wall.

“Let me go, Logan!” You demanded. “I am the Princess!”

“And it is my job to make sure you don’t kill yourself,” he grumbled, keeping his grip on you as he walked towards the horses. 

Logan lifted you up, onto yours before turning around to get your shoes. Before he could reach them, you were off your horse and trying to climb the wall again. He grunted disapprovingly as he quickly stuffed the shoes into the satchel on your horse before returning to you. You had climbed up using a few of the stones at this point.

“Princess, get down!” Logan ordered.

“Oh, come on, Logan,” you replied, throwing him teasing smirk, “live a little.”

“I’m serious.”

“Okay, serious, come up here and get me.”

Before Logan could make a move to chase after you, you tried to move your foot up more and slipped. You let out a squeal as you went falling down to the ground. Logan swiftly caught you, preventing you from crashing to the dirt.

“Princess! Are you alright?” He immediately began scanning you for injuries. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” you answered, catching your breath to try to calm your hammering heart. 

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fine, Logan. Just scared me a little.”

He carried you back to your horse and helped you on. He kept checking you over, his eyes looking to see if he missed something.

“We should head back,” Logan stated before getting onto his horse. 

Logan leaned over and took your reins, tying them to his saddle, and then leading you back to the castle. You stayed silent, knowing that there was no point in arguing with Logan. He escorted you back to your chambers and quickly put Bobby outside your door before heading to talk to the King.

“Your daughter is reckless,” Logan stated as he burst into the King’s office. “The Princess has absolutely no regard for her own safety.”

“So I assume you had an interesting first day,” Charles said with a chuckle.

“She tried to scale the wall! The wall!”

Charles laughed harder. “That’s a new one.”

“This isn’t funny, Charles. What you have given me is an impossible task. She’s impossible!”

“May I remind you that you are talking to your King about the Princess.”

Logan sighed. “Yes. Sorry, Your Majesty.”

“I can tell that my daughter has gotten under your skin. Unfortunately, Logan, I believe that you are the only one who can handle her so your assignment stays.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“Is she injured at all?”

“No, I caught her before anything could happen.”

“Then I say it was a successful first day.”

next chapter >

[fairwrite]

ITS ALWAYS BEEN YOU | QH43

| pairing: Quinn Hughes x fem!reader

| summary: just neighbors who stopped being in denial

| warnings: use of y/n, kissing, romance, older brothers best friend trope

| a/n: this is my first tumblr post!! Yayyyy

Main master list

𓆉

I don’t remember a time in my life where me and Quinn Hughes weren’t neighbors.

Me and Quinn Hughes have been neighbors for what felt like a lifetime

He was always in my life I was always in his.

It wasn’t any better that both of our dads were pretty good friends either

From the moment I met Quinn Hughes I knew he would be the death of me

But some of my earliest memories of him - messy haired and wild running wild through the grass while my older brother chased after him

Did I mention that he and my older brother were best friends- like stuck to the hip

Well that just makes it 10 times worst for me, I can’t like my older brothers best friend that’s just wrong in so many ways

Quinn wasn’t just Quinn he never had been I tried to see him as just Quinn but I couldn’t I saw him in a different way but I could never tell my brother or him NEVER

𓆉

“You’re late”, my older brother grumbled as I slid my way through the party that my dads girlfriend had organized

I rolled my eyes and looked around “it looks like I didn’t miss much”

My brother sighed “that’s not the point, none of my friends are here and my sister wasn’t here, I got pretty bored”

I chuckled “wow my brother admitting he loves my company”

he groaned “I never said that, I rather be annoying you than talking to all these old people who I don’t even remember meeting when I was like 4 years old”

I laughed than I got a good look at the crowd and I see Ellen Hughes

She’s been like a mom to me ever since I could remember, since my mom left when I was a little girl.

I had to go talk to her it’s felt like ages since we’ve talked

I turned back to my brother “I’m gonna go talk to Ellen, see ya” I turned to walk towards Ellen’s direction before my brother tried to bribe to stay with him

Ellen saw me before I could say hi, she excused herself from the conversation she was having and met me half way and gave me the biggest hug ever

“Y/N it’s so nice to see you, it’s felt like ages” Ellen said with the biggest smile on her face

I smiled “ I know I’ve just been so busy with college and hockey”

Ellen smiled and nodded with understanding “oh yes if heard going number 1, in the PWHL draft next year after you graduate college”

I smiled “oh stop I don’t even think I’ll be drafted”

Ellen shook her head “of course you will, I’ve seen the way you’ve played all these years and I know you’re gonna do a lot of great things for women in sports”

Ellen always knew what to say to make me believe in myself, I mean she did raise 3 successful NHL players she had to know what to say and she never failed to make me smile

“Thank you Ellen that means a lot to me, I hope I could just encourage girls to pick up that stick and play a damn game”

Ellen chucked and we started talking about all sorts of things

𓆉

As the party continued it had gotten more and more packed, my dads girlfriend really did invite a lot of People

I was in my own thoughts until saw a certain someone enter the room with his brothers

Quinn Hughes

God he looked so good, why did he have to look this good especially today when I’m here

Then I see my best friend Gabriela and all the thoughts about Quinn go away

“Is that Y/N L/N the PWHL Number one prospect” my best friends gasps

I chucked Gabriela always knew how to make me laugh especially when Quinn was around

“Omg is that famous New York Times author Gabriela Robert’s” I copied her enthusiasm

We both laughed and we hugged deeply

“God I’ve missed you so much Y/N, you don’t even know I really wish we went to the same college”

I sighed, it’s true I should of just went to university of Michigan I mean it’s a good school, but I just needed to get away from Michigan I’ve lived here my whole life I needed a change and that’s what drew me to commit to University of Wisconsin

“I know gabs and I’m sorry, I just couldn’t stay stuck here for the rest of my life” I sighed sadly

“Of course I’m not mad or blaming you, you do you I just miss you but hey if you did attend u of m you might not have the opportunity’s you have now, so it’s for the better” Gabriela smiled at me

She always knew what to say and I loved her for it.

Me and Gabriela continued to talk but I still felt myself looking for him and Gabriela noticed this

“So when are going to tell Quinn how you feel” Gabriela looked at me with those concerning eyes

“Gabriela come on, we both know he doesn’t and will never see me like that” I’m sad but it’s the truth

Quinn only will ever see me as his best friends annoying little sister who hasn’t even graduated college yet

“Oh my god Y/N if only you could see the way he’s looking at you right now” i blinked what, i thought as I looked in her eye direction

And then I saw him staring right at me with so much love in his eyes and then he saw me where my eyes were looking and looked away

“He was probably staring at someone behind me or something” I try to convince myself that what I said was true

“Sure Y/N keep telling yourself that, I just hope you guys can stop being in denial and just admit your feelings to each other one day” Gabriela was right I had to tell him I just didn’t know how.

𓆉

I found myself thinking while outside at the end of the dock of my dads lake house he bought a couple summers ago

The sum was just setting, the lake looked beautiful and the smell of tree and nature was just amazing

My thoughts were interrupted my someone taping my shoulder and it was him, Quinn

My palms got sweaty and my feet stoped dangling and we’re just straight

“Mind if I sit with you?” He asked, he didn’t even need to ask

“Sure, I always enjoy the company” I shakily replied, my hands gesturing to the spot beside me

He sat down and our legs touched just for a second and I felt my heart beating so fast

“So how’ve you been” I asked first to get rid of this tension we had

“I’ve been good, you know just focusing on hockey and my captaincy” he replied while looking at me for a second

“Oh yeah I heard congrats on becoming the captain, how’s that been” I replied

“It’s tough and has its ups and downs but I’m managing” Quinn sighs and looked down

“So what have you been up too?” He asked to get the tension off of him

“ you know, hockey and trying to keep up my academics at the same time” I replied as I chuckled a little

He laughed “hey I heard your the top prospect for the PWHL that’s huge, congrats” he nudged my shoulder

Oh my god.

“Yeah trying to keep myself humble instead of bragging about it” I replied while laughing

He laughed and looked at me for a couple seconds before I looked at him

“What?” I asked first

“N-nothing, you’re just beautiful” did he really just say that

I didn’t know what to say, we just kept on looking at each other and he moved first

He connected our lips together I put my hand on his check while as he put his left hand around my shoulder to deepen the kiss

I pulled away first and looked up at him in the eyes

He spoke first “I think it’s always been you Y/N, ever since we were kids I think apart of me was in-love with you and I just didn’t want to admit it” he spoke softly with so much love in his eyes

“Will you do me the honor and letting me be your boyfriend?” I could cry but I didn’t I just pulled him into another kiss

As I pulled away “is that a yes” got he’s such a idiot but he’s my idiot

I laughed “yes Quinn Hughes, you can do me the honor of being my boyfriend” he looked down at me and kissed me and we pulled away we were wrapped in each others arms as we looked at the sunset

Thank you for making the first move Quinn Hughes, it’s was nothing less than I imagined.

[glossypolaroidkisses]

thinking about long-term relationship reader and lu and how their interactions would look like right before he cut contact w/ everyone …

Oh my god.. this is so evil but genius I can’t believe you're gonna make me write this. (I’m teasing please spam my requests. I’m yearning to write for you guys).

Part 1/3 - Between Love & Leaving

Luigi admired you, he always did. He would always look at you, his eyes full of love. You’d catch him, an infectious grin on his face purely from him observing you. Whether you had just woken up with your messy hair and puffy face, or all dolled up, his plus one at every engineering event.. He always smiled at you the same way, his dimples making an appearance. When you caught him, you’d playfully shove him, “Stop looking at me like that, goof.” You’d tease. His cheeks would flush a light pink, “Like what?” he’d reply, knowing exactly what he was doing.

In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, don’t get me wrong, Lu would still admire you. But, paired with that sweet smile were his eyes that would gloss over. You would catch him in the act, but instead of reacting playfully he would immediately look away or start blinking rapidly to rid his tears. “What’s wrong, my love?” you would ask, he would shrug it off. In hindsight, you should’ve known. But since Luigi is so smart, you believed his excuses. 

Luigi was the sweetest man you had ever met, you would believe anything he said. He could’ve told you that the sky was purple, and you would have nodded and bat your eyelashes at him in adoration.

It was always something.. “Dust got in my eye,”, “I just yawned”, “The sun is so bright,”, “Computer screen must be straining my eyes”, “It’s just my allergies, amore mio.”, “Wow. It’s really windy today, huh?”. He’d follow one of these lines by casually rubbing his eyes, then taking your hand and giving you a reassuring squeeze or forehead kiss.

You had no reason not to believe him. You were approaching your four year anniversary of being together, why would Lu suddenly start tearing up when he looked at you? Nothing had changed between you in the last few years, or so you had thought. 

Another reason you didn’t pry on him being more emotional than usual, you thought he had plans in mind. 

Your best friend from middle school was in town, so you invited her over on a whim to share great news with her. “Have fun, guys.” Luigi said, watching as you and your giddy best friend Sheila headed to your bedroom. “I’ll just be in the living room. I’ll text you if I head out,”  he said. “Okay, baby!” you reply, giggling as you and Sheila walk into the bedroom. You closed the door behind you. “What did you wanna tell me!?!--” Sheila excitedly asked, barely inside the room. “Shhhh!!” you cut her off. “Oh, oh,” she quiets to a whisper. “Is it about Luigi?”. 

You nod, unable to contain the excitement. “I think he’s gonna propose.” 

Immediately, Sheila lets out some hybrid of a scream and a squeal; Regardless what it is, it was loud. Your hand flies to cover her mouth. 

You shoot her a death glare before slowly removing your hand. “Sorry, sorry.. That’s so exciting, y/n. How do you know?”. 

“Well, I don’t know, but last time we were at the mall, he walked by the ring store really slowly. He never window-shops, ever. Actually, he doesn’t shop at all. He just comes to buy me things. Also, he keeps having these mysterious vague ‘plans’. I even caught him staring at the calendar for a long time. Like.. What is he planning?” you say. Sheila grabs your hands and starts jumping up and down. “I can’t wait to be your bridesmaid!” she says. You laugh, “okay, okay. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.” you say, still smiling at the possibility. 

“Do you know what kind of ring you want?” Sheila asks.

“No, but I’m sure I’ll love whatever Lu chooses.”

When you had closed the bedroom door and Sheila screamed shortly after, Luigi ran over to the door. He thought that someone was in pain. Before he could grab the handle and rush in, he heard you shush Sheila. He stood at the door, listening to the conversation. As soon as the word ‘proposing’ left your mouth, his heart sank. There he was, carefully planning to disappear from everyone, and you were imagining he’s going to propose. You didn’t know that Luigi heard this conversation. 

Eventually you moved on from the engagement conversation and sat on the bed, where it was difficult for Luigi to hear from behind the door. 

Admittedly, in the final week before Luigi departed, there were signs that were concerning. 

He was overly apologetic, generally more distracted, always shrugging when you mentioned future plans. “I’ll get back to you on that, baby.” He would say, a hollow look in his eyes. 

Regardless, you could have never predicted from these actions that he was planning to go AWOL. Everyone has their off days, and Luigi was always a stable person in your life. One of the only consistent people. Your safe haven, the love of your life. Yes, you lived together, but Luigi himself was truly your home. No matter where you were. His heart, his soul, the way he looked at you. Even with the unusual behaviour, you never would have guessed that he was planning to cut everyone off.

Plus, you're an overthinker. You overachieve at overthinking. Luigi knew this. Another reason why you dismissed your suspicions. He constantly reassured you and provided you with the healing words and gestures that your flawed mind needed. 

3 days before he left, you were eating dinner together. There had been a painfully long amount of space between conversation, long enough to notice the sounds of chewing and forks scratching your plates. Luigi was breathing heavier than usual, trying to force himself to say the words. If he didn’t say it soon, he knew you would notice the awkward silence and ask what's wrong. If you looked at him with your glimmering eyes, filled with worry, he would blurt the truth. Withholding information from you had been eating him alive as it was. Your nails clinked on your wine glass as you picked it up, lifting it to sip your wine. The subtle gulp when you swallowed, Luigi knew it was speak now, or never.

“Lu—”

“I’ve been feeling restless again. I think I’m gonna head out for another backpacking trip soon. Clear my head.”

"Another trip?" You set your glass down slowly, your fingers tracing the rim as you studied him. Your tone was light, almost teasing, but there was a quiet concern knitting your brows together. “You’ve been quieter than usual, but I didn’t think you were planning another escape.” You gave him a playful smile, trying to lift the mood. No response from him, you struggled to read his emotions. “What? Is my cooking that bad? You have to go backpacking again?” you joke. 

Luigi tried to smile back, but it barely flickered before fading. Your words felt like a soft punch to his stomach; not because they hurt, but because they made him crumble. He knew you were trying to make him laugh to put him at ease, like you always did, but the pit in his stomach only grew. He forced himself to take another bite of food, chewing slowly to give himself a moment to keep the nausea at bay.

As the silence stretched, you glanced at him again, beginning to nervously gnaw on your bottom lip. You wanted him to say something, anything. 

The last thing Luigi wanted was to make you worry. He swallowed hard, the food catching as the lump in his throat kept rising.

“You know I support you.. no matter what,” you said softly, your voice laced with concern. You always wanted him to do what made him happy, but this confused you.  “.. Are you sure this is what you need?” you asked. You didn’t want to be a nagger, you hated that feeling of being annoying. But the sirens in your head were blaring.

Luigi nodded quickly, too quickly. “Yeah, I’m sure,” he said, his voice rushed. He grabbed his glass and took a long sip, hoping the cool liquid would settle his stomach. “Everything’s good,” he added; His tone light, but delivery similar to a robot.

His leg bounced under the table, he couldn’t stop. He could feel your eyes on him, the gentle worry in your gaze.. It made his chest ache. As if a boulder was resting on top of it. “You don’t have to worry about me, my love,” he said, more firmly this time, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He wanted to reassure you more than anything in the world, but genuinely couldn’t.

Before you could press further, he abruptly pushed back his chair, “I’ll, uh, I.. I think I ate too fast. Give me a moment,” he said, his voice hurried as he stood.

You didn’t get a chance to respond before he walked quickly down the hall, his jaw tight as he focused on keeping it shut.

The door clicked shut behind him, and he locked it with trembling fingers before leaning heavily against the sink. All his weight pressed into his hands, relying on them to keep him standing. 

His reflection in the mirror stared back at him, pale, like a stranger who had seen a ghost. He gripped the edge of the counter, his knuckles white as the nausea twisted violently in his stomach.

Lying to you felt like poison, churning inside him. It rolled around, slowly and heavily, as if threatening to drown him. His chest heaved as he fought the wave of sickness, closing his eyes tightly, but the guilt clawed at him, relentless. He felt like he was coming apart at the seams, each thread of his sanity unraveling faster than he could handle. Never in his life did Luigi imagine he would have to lie to you, of all people. 

The sound of the faucet endlessly running filled the room as he turned it on full blast, a lazy attempt to have as much as he could to cover the sound of what was about to happen. How could he do this to you? How could he look into your eyes, so full of trust, and lie to you over and over again?

 The weight in his stomach weaved, making its way up his body in a matter of seconds. Weak in the knees, Luigi stumbled to the toilet, barely making it in time.

He let his legs collapse on the cold tiles, his hands gripped the rim of the toilet bowl as his body betrayed him. His stomach heaved violently, and though he tried to keep it silent, the force of it left him shaking. He gave into the weakness, resting his heavy head on the seat before his body forced him back up again, projecting into the toilet. 

He couldn’t keep doing this. Every lie felt like a knife, slowly sliding though his skin from the inside, out. The guilt was unbearable, suffocating, making him feel like he was losing his mind. The love he had for you burned in his chest, so overwhelming that it hurt, and the thought of you finding out what he was going to do.. the realization, the betrayal in your eyes.. even just the idea of it        made him want to scream.

He flushed the toilet quickly and grabbed a hand towel to dab at his clammy face. For a moment, he clutched it tightly, his hands trembling as he pressed it to his hot forehead. 

He forced himself to stand, gripping the sink for balance as he splashed cold water on his face. His reflection blurred in the water dripping from his skin, and he stared at it. He didn’t recognize himself anymore. Not the man you trusted, not the man you needed, the man you deserved.

By the time he turned off the faucet and unlocked the door, his mask was back in place, but barely. Each step closer to the table, it took everything in him to keep it together, to keep you from seeing the cracks. What could Luigi do? He had to leave, no matter what. Selfishly, he couldn't have you find out while he was still living with you.

When he sat back down, you looked up at him, your face calm but carefully watching. He gave you a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry about that, darling. I think I definitely ate too fast.” He gestured toward his empty plate. “Despite popular belief, your cooking is way too good to pace myself.” he says, taking yoru hand and giving it a gentle peck as an apology. You laugh, taking it lightly as he intended, but Luigi is savouring every meal of yours as if it was one of his last meals on earth. 

Luigi kept the conversation light, deflecting your questions carefully, though every glance you gave him felt like it could unravel him completely.

The night before he fulfilled his plan was one of the most beautiful nights you had ever shared.

a/n: Your last day together will be continued in Part 2, here’s the link to it!  Edit: Now also available, part 3/3 <3 Enjoy.

also, floor plan of how i visualized the appartement when i wrote this, because I’m insane!;

[vladbellylover]

(Part 1) It’s happening, today is that day.

Of the party! Or at least, that’s what Grant thought when Bruce told him the cramps he was feeling were just Braxton hicks. He had spent the day on the couch as they came in waves. Bruce did a bit more prepping; he cleaned the house, made sure the nursery was all set, cleaned the hot tub, and put out some food.

“How’s my baby daddy doing?” Bruce teased.

“Same as always, huge and in pain,” Grant pauses, “The normal gestational period for triplets is 32 weeks, I’ve been pregnant for 38. If I’m not in labor by Monday I want to be induced. I’m sorry, I know that you would’ve done great delivering them, but-”

“Relax babe, we will do whatever makes you happiest, you’re the one with the babies.” The men began to arrive shortly after, around noon. Chuck and Leo arrived at the same time, Bruce opened the door to catch Leo admiring the fact that Chuck was clearly commando. Kyle got there shortly after, letting himself in, he was fairly close to Bruce and Grant. They gabbed for a bit, rubbed Grant’s distended belly, ate, felt close to each other. It was almost two when Chuck inquired about the hot tub; every party and hangout the two hosted included the tub bubbling. Bruce had been primarily unsure, given his partners condition, but he seemed ok with it.

Chuck came out in a tight green g string, weighed down by his heavy assets. Leo came out in bright, floral swim shorts, he loved having the attention on him. Kyle came out in a hot pink speedo, his bulge comparable to chucks. Bruce went to change and asked Grant if he wanted to come with.

“You guys go without me. The babies are kicking really hard right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if a foot popped out of my hole!” Grant chuckled, “besides, none of my bathing suits fit.”

Before Bruce could say anything, Chuck chimed in. “Just go naked, I don’t think anyone would complain.”

Grant ignored him, but Bruce smirked. Within seconds, he was undressed. “That’s a lovely idea, I think I will. Grant?” He looked up, the fact that babies had stopped kicking, and that he had been so quick to make him feel more comfortable, they both knew Chuck would love a chance to get with Grant. The guys walked outside while Bruce helped him undress. He couldn’t lie, their work was impeccable; the babies were strong, 70th percentile, the nurse had even said they had patterns similar to babies born with full heads of hair. Bruce knew that they would be alright, and he also knew that those “hard kicks” that had left Grant sweaty and somewhat mute for 4 minutes straight were not what they seemed.

Grant waddled his way out with Bruce’s assistance, the warm water on his stomach resulting in an audible sigh of relief as he rested his head on his partners shoulder. The guys reveled at this chance, they had never expected to see the two of them nude! Bruce’s cock floated close to his knees, and Grant’s cock - while not as large as his partners - complimented his perfect peach nicely. The three other men could only imagine what they looked like hard. Despite their best efforts, Bruce kept the conversation at compliments and adoration, and away from proposition. Grant seemed somewhat clocked out of the conversation, his eyes closed and face scrunched as he held his belly.

He opened his eyes eventually and excused himself to go pee. Chuck insistently asked about Grant in bed, and Bruce ignored him in favor of Kyle’s empathetic questions. They all seemed oblivious to the fact that Leo had his eyes fixated between Bruce’s tree trunk thighs. Grant returned sometime later, no doubt due to the fact that his trip to and back most definitely took longer than his actual task. He paused as he noticed fluid trickling down his legs. His face turned red hot as the other men stared and Bruce got out to help him.

“I… I just peed… it’s probably hot tub water.” He held his stomach tight and looked down.

“No babe, it’s not, and it’s not pee. Why don’t you get back in the hot tub so I can check your dilation.” Grant looked up in shock at Bruce’s face, he looked certain, and Grant became certain too when another contraction shot through him. Kyle and Leo shared each other’s worry, but Chuck continued to smirk as he had been since Grant had walked out. Grant truly knew then, it was time.

Stay tuned for part 2!

[lucysarah-c]

Hi!

How do you think Levi would reassure his chubby/plus size partner? For example for the most part, as a chubby/plus size person I’m pretty confident in my own skin. But sometimes (rarely) I just see the stretch marks and rolls and want to rip my skin off haha.

And how do you think he would support his partner during their weight loss journey and dealing with the after effects of loosing weight? (I’m currently on a journey myself and I’ve lost 4 stone I’m so proud of myself T^T)

Please feel free to give this a pass I just really like your analysis of Levi as a character and your lore-friendly headcannons!

Hi, love! Sorry for the late reply—I wanted to give this one extra love! 💕

First of all, I’m so proud of you, pookie! And you’re absolutely right to be proud of yourself! It’s always hard to make a change for the better and build healthier habits—not just for weight loss but for taking care of our bodies. That’s the spirit! 💖

Also, weight loss journeys can be tricky. Please remember that progress isn’t linear—it’s like crossing a field. Sometimes you go up, sometimes you go down, but what matters is that you keep going and don’t give up! It’s normal to have days where you feel down—I have them too. All the time, haha! What matters is not losing sight of your goal. And remember: 10-25% is always better than 0%!

Now, let’s talk about Levi. His biggest issue? He’s not good with words—especially reassuring ones. 😂 So please, have patience with this poor man. That said, during your journey, Levi would be an incredibly supportive partner—just in his own way.

You want to start jogging? He’s going with you. You want to hike on weekends to be more active and connect with nature? He’s already mapped out the best trails. You want to hit the gym? He’s making sure you do the exercises right and don’t injure yourself. You need to follow a nutrition plan? He’s taking the grocery list and handling it like a mission.

Levi is a silent supporter—he may not say much, but he’s always backing you up.

Where he struggles the most is with words—

Maybe it’s a hard day. Maybe you’re looking at yourself, feeling insecure. You’ve been working hard, but today, it just doesn’t feel like it’s showing. You’re getting ready, glancing at the mirror, and your self-esteem has seen better days.

You murmur, "Do you think I look the same? Do you think I look…"—you hesitate, then say it, "Fat?"

His silence makes you turn around, conflicted—only to find him staring at you, dead serious.

"Come here."

You frown. "What?"

"Come here." He repeats.

You walk up to him, confused. He gestures for you to get even closer.

"What?" you ask again.

"Closer. It’s a secret."

So you lean in—only for his warm breath to hit your skin as he murmurs in that low, raspy voice:

"Fat is my cock when I see you."

Your face burns. Your body tenses. You gasp, completely flustered—only for him to grab your waist and pull you closer. He smirks as you look away, both embarrassed and tempted.

"Levi!" you scold.

"What?" he teases, eyes glinting. "You want me to prove it?"

You roll your eyes. "Wow, so romantic."

He hums, satisfied. "I am. ‘Cause I love ya." Then he gently pushes your head closer, pressing a soft kiss to your hair before finally letting you go.

"Don’t be stupid," he mutters. "You’re doing great."

Hope you like this! 🥺💕 Thank you so much for your ask! Mwah! 😘✨

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (2/19/2025) Episode: A Promising Start

As Luigi and his darling wife mingled with the crowd, he found Elyse chatting with Betty and Greyson not far from his brother Scott.

Pulling her away from her friends, he introduced the two. “Hey bro; glad you could make it!” he began “This here is Elyse, Skye’s girlfriend.”

Scott looked curiously at him and then back at Elyse before extending his hand. “Uh, hi. I’m Scott. Nice to meet you?”

“So…” Luigi continued “Elyse is aging up soon and hoping to turn her art hobby into her livelihood. I thought you might be able to get her in front of the right sims to help her get a job worthy of her talents.” Scott’s eyes flashed with a hint of annoyance, but he tamped it down and nodded politely.

“I can get you an interview with our staff supervisor” he told the young sim “but then the rest is up to you and your portfolio of work young lady!”

“That would be fantastic, thank you so much! I promise I won’t let you down!” she gushed, as Luigi flashed his brother a grateful smile.

Having spotted Candor across the room, he motioned Elyse to follow him and quickly hustled over to intercept the stately ancient mage.

“Why there’s my birthday boy!” Candor smiled as he spotted his great-grandson. “How’s our little Skye doing these days?”

Elyse had the decency to look embarrassed as Luigi replied “Xe’s good. Thanks again for your help the other night. Xe felt so much better after you confirmed xe wasn’t going to be craving plasma for breakfast anytime soon.” He nudged her forward as he continued: “You’ve met Elyse before.”

“I have, but it’s been a while.” Candor flashed her a flirtatious grin.

“She and Skye have been dating for awhile now,” Luigi quickly continued “and they’re planning to move in together once they both age up. Rather than renting some hole in the wall in the city I suggested they move to The Bay. I was hoping you could help them get settled at the homestead.”

“I’m a big fan” Elyse chimed in “I went to your most recent exhibit at the Arts Centre downtown, it was spectacular. I’m hoping to become a famous artist myself someday; I’d love to learn any tricks you think might elevate my own work.”

“Why thank you kindly” Candor grinned “I’d be happy to teach you everything I know. If you are as talented as you are beautiful, it’s  going to be quite a pleasure working with you.” His smooth wink made the young girl blush.

Feeling a little self-conscious, she was happy to see Skye making xir way over to join xem. “Your great-grandfather is going to help me with my art, do you think he could help you with your photography too?” Her partner looked curiously at xir ancestor, who sadly declared a lack of experience with the medium and departed.

“Pity,” Skye said, “I’d love to talk shop with him. Anyway, Markus says he found a bubble machine. Want to try it now that I’m done with my meds?”

Upstairs they found Markus and Adelaide at the hookah. “How’s living on your own?” she inquired, curious for a glimpse into her future.

“So far so good” he replied “Thank Grim for magic! I don’t know how I’d get anything done without it.”

Intrigued, Elyse pressed him for details, and the more he told her the more excited she became. “Skye!” she exclaimed “are you hearing this!? Why didn’t you tell me there were so many cool, helpful, magic spells out there?”

Xe shrugged. “My dad gets along fine without it, although I know a lot of my extended family spends time on some branch of the occult or other.”

Adelaide, also a caster, laughed out loud. “Spends time? More like saves time! Invite us over for dinner and we’ll show you Scrubberoo and Repairo. You’ll run right over to the portal to reclaim the magical heritage your dad neglected; I guarantee it!” She winked at Elyse in a friendly way. “It’s not too hard for anyone to learn really, and with us to help you ascend you’ll be slinging spells with the best of them in no time!”

“Skye, can we, please??” Elyse pleaded, eyes shining

“Its not dangerous, is it?” Xe looked warily at his cousins “Not as long as you’re careful” Adelaide assured xem “how about we all go to the realm together, we’ll show you around and help you get started?”

At Skye’s nod of agreement Elyse squealed “THANK YOU, THANK YOU! This is going to be amazing; I just know it!”

After firming up their plans for a trip to the realm Elyse thanked the others again and pulled Skye towards the dance floor “I love this one!” she smiled “and this time you can actually dance with me! Icing on the cake of this fantastic evening. Your dad worked everything out just like he promised.” she continued “I can’t wait to age up and get started!”

Skye returned her smile even while xir eyes told a different story. Xe was glad xir father was on xir side, but despite xir lingering resentment a small part of xem hated how unhappy xir decision had made xir mother. Once she sees that we’ve got it all figured out she’ll come around, she has to… xe thought, doing xir best to push those sad thoughts aside as xe joined xir elated girlfriend in getting xir groove on.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[mewnia]

at the very least I can draw my OC’s in pretty dresses…

[iridiss]

Aaron’s such an underrated character on Aphblr tbh. He’s become one of my favorite characters in the cast as I rewatch more and more of Mystreet. Aaron will tease you, but he’s also one of the best characters in the cast to go to for emotional support. He’ll tell you as it is, smack you upside the head when you’re being crazy and shake you back to rational normalcy, but then he’ll sigh and tell you you’re gonna be just fine and everything’s gonna be okay. He is the number one (and on occasion only) holder of brain cells in the whole neighborhood. He’s the most sensible, and often the word of wisdom/rationale, much more so than Katelyn or Lucinda or Zane or Laurance are. This can often make him come off as a serious character, but he’s still down to clown! He just does it in a different way!

He’s supposed to contrast Aphmau’s louder, more extroverted, playful, ditzy, eccentric personality, by being quieter, more rational, more responsible, more cautious and careful, more reserved, a word of wisdom to contrast her crazier, chaotic energy and pranking and punning and ponies and general whimsical tomfoolery. But that does not, by any means, mean that he is not participating in the antics. Just because he’s the only one who thought to bring a first aid kit and a safety harness doesn’t mean he’s not jumping off that cliff with everyone else in this crazy cast. You tell him to dig, he’ll bring shovels. He may sigh or say “oh god not again” when shit goes awry or the gang decides they are Dead Set on doing something insane for the 10,000th time, but by god he will commit. Aphmau kidnaps a baby and goes on a mad chase for a comedic bit, and he never complains about how “stupid” and “reckless” and “obnoxious” his girlfriend is, he just says in a completely calm tone, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go save my girlfriend.” And he chases after her immediately lmao.

Aaron enables the antics and participates in them, and if you rile him up or challenge him damn well enough, he will throw himself into the group antics with an unbeatable, fiery fervor. If the boys decide they’re all gonna pretend to be Santa and his elves in order to cause prankster-variety chaos one day, Aaron would join in and go right alongside them. He’s here to make sure it all goes to plan. He’s here to make sure you don’t break any bones when you jump off that roof like a madman. He’s here to help you run away from the cops, help you break into the building. He may chide you for doing it in the first place (“do you even know what you’re doing?!”), and if needed he may drag you back home if you’re barking up the wrong tree and it’s nothing but detrimental to you, but if it’s viable for the bit, he absolutely will show you how to break a window correctly.

And he can be a little shit if he wants to, too!! He can snicker at you and tease you and make quips, and I bet if Aaron himself dedicated his energy to it, he would make the best of pranks. He’s not an asshole that’s full of himself and too serious and stoic and cool for being silly, he’s not a whiny bitch, he’s actually very incredibly supportive. At times, much more so than Garroth, Laurance, Zane, Katelyn, etc. He’s reliable, he trusts Aphmau a lot, he knows how shittily Aphmau cooks and still does his damndest to support her, and he will force himself to eat her biohazardous cooking just to make her happy. He is the chef of the household. He’s good with animals, animals love him. He’s a kind guy!!! He’s just got his own unique energy and vibe to him, that no one else in the cast really has, and I really appreciate that core trait of him. He’s a grounding character. He’s probably got his own ways that he’s weird and eccentric that are a lot more hidden than Aphmau’s. If we didn’t have Aaron, the entire neighborhood would have burned down ages ago, ten times over.

I genuinely do believe he’d make a fantastic dad, being a combination of a soft and gentle and tenderly loving man, and responsible enough to always bring safety helmets and bandaids and snacks, very supportive of his kids development, emotionally available as a great source of genuine advice and wisdom while still getting plenty of encouragement. He would probably want to make an effort to be a very different parent than his father was, and since he was emotionally neglected as a child, he would refuse to do anything similar to his own kids. He’d be a good influence (and Aphmau would be the bad influence LOL)

He’s kind of a teddy bear of a man <3 If he weren’t so heavily wolf-themed, I’d say a bear would be the best animal that’d fit his personality and energy. He’d protect you like a bear, he can be really fucking terrifying if he wants to, but he’d only use that power to make sure Aphmau gets what she wants and needs to make her happy. He’d never use that terrifying intimidation factor of his on his friends and loved ones, never as anything more than a single look that has a derailing Garroth/Laurance/Travis/Dante/Gene/etc. get right the fuck back on track and start backpedaling, like if they started saying or doing something careless or stupid that made Aphmau feel worse. He’s quiet and reserved with that tired, grounded, solid energy of a bear. He’s a big guy. But he can also be really soft and supportive and sweet. He takes more time to come out of his shell and let down his walls, but when he does, he really dedicates his life to the few people he manages to trust. And it’s that thick outer shell that makes Aphmau a good match for him, because she’s kinda the only character in the cast who’s able to bring him out of his shell so easily.

She’s kind and extremely friendly, unstoppably and unendingly so. She’s sweet and naive and selfless in the way that proves to Aaron that she’s not trying to get anything out of him, she’s not lying to him, and she would never neglect him or just…abandon him like a discarded toy once she’s through with him. She’s not scared of him. She sees the best in everybody, and sees that there’s something more underneath that scary, prickly outer shell of defenses that’s managed to push everyone else away and keep the likes of Laurance and Garroth and Katelyn on their toes. She sees what no one else does, she sees the true beauty and the kind heart he has underneath. Even in MCD, when he’s literally held a sword to her throat and threatened her life multiple times, she can still sense that he’s full of shit and there’s a kind heart underneath, and if she does a little cultivating, extends a hand of gentle kindness and genuine affection, a kind of love and affection he’s never really seen before and been starved of all his life… it works wonders, and he steps out to meet her. He changes, drastically, because she sees the best in him, and that makes him want to become the best version of himself that he can be, for her. Where he might hate himself and grapple with feeling unloveable, Aphmau is there to remind him none of its true. And so he tries to keep her nightmares away in return, sticking by her side, taking care of her, cooking for her, encouraging her to keep doing everything she does best, defends her against the bullies that make her feel like she’s not good enough, and takes her by the shoulders to remind her that she is good enough, and all the voices out there and in her head that tell her she’s not are full of shit. Because he knows first-hand, better than most, the good things she brings to those around her and the wonderful presence she is in others lives, and how wonderful she is as a person. He trusts her. He’s here to guide her along in her path to becoming her fullest self, to give her that last big nudge to boost her along the way. Likely on a cosmic level, mainly, with her becoming Irene.

He’s very sweet, he’s sweet to Aphmau, Aphmau’s even sweeter to him, and genuinely I’ve learned to love the big, fluffy guy and I really appreciate him and his impact on the other characters the more and more I see of him. I don’t really know how I would enjoy Mystreet or MCD or the Aphverse without him. If he were real, I would love to give him one big hug, I bet his hugs would be amazing (topped only by Garroth’s rib-crushing bear hugs)

[hplonesomeart]

Hey. Sorry about the inactivity, but pretty sure no one cared that much anyways lol. Been a looooong time since I kept that distant from Tumblr…at least now I know I’m able to survive without checking posts every day/being chronically online! I’ve got an intense love-hate relationship with this lifestyle I’ve dug myself into. Think I’m getting a little bit better with the balance even if school isn’t really giving me an option. Got a load of work I need to keep catching up on if I don’t want to disappoint my professors. We’ll survive somehow. Here take a quick batch of Puzzle doodles k bye

[s-ccaam-era-crepe]

this was the arts and crafts btw <3

[regular-lord-reckoner]

i’m home !!

procedure went real well, everything was really smooth and almost as soon as they said, “you can count backwards if you want,” i don’t think i even said ten before i was suddenly in recovery and sipping some ginger ale.

honestly the worst part was the iv because they had to do it on the side of my wrist because apparently my veins are crooked ?? i just hate ivs anyway so that’s no surprise but other than that no complaints.

everyone was real nice and made sure i was well taken care of (my nurse even had me pee one more time before so she wouldn’t have to do a catheter which with my history…..thank you)

but yeah, i’ll have a follow up in about a month just to make sure everything’s good and the iud is doing its thing !!

i do have some cramping and bleeding but that’s normal, although a little funny because i literally just stopped my period yesterday but…oh well !! hopefully in a few months i won’t have hardly any so this we can handle and i hace some medicine (and my ~medicine) that’ll help so i’m all set.

mom had to go run some errands so my little recovery buddy is keeping me company. also, a moment of recognition for my new favorite shirt (thank you as always, Boss Dog Art; i’ve already got my eye on another one that says, “i think therefore i am against transphobia around the world” or something like that and it’s got a cool skeleton on it; this is my third shirt from them and they’re really comfy and good quality so not sponsored but check them out, they seem cool):

[vampiremourning]

very sad bc i had the overwhelming urge to simply Call A Friend and talk for a few hours today but well you see. i do not have someone to occupy that niche in my life.

[woundedheartwithin]

It’s so distressing to simply not remember big ol chunks of your fucking life??? Like apparently I’ve been happily not remembering what it was like being 19 without realizing it, but now that I know that I don’t remember I can’t stop thinking about it. And like there is no reason for me to not remember my 19th year on this planet. I was just in community college. I hung out with my friends and went to school and that was it but like I remember literally nothing else. I don’t remember if it was good or not. I don’t remember anything particularly specific about it. It just was. God it’s just like my elementary school years. I remember bits and pieces of it but most of it is just one big blank. I remember high school and college the best, and everything else is just ?????? Like where was I???

[lavenderyoonji]

okay just coming back here to sadpost because i’m needing to rant about feelings