#Strawberry Shortcake Recipe for Friendship | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jellifysh · 3 years ago

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Getting Back Into the Swing of Things (part thirteen)

Or, Namjoon falls back in love with his ex (and his boyfriends do too)

Ot7 x reader (slow burn, roommates au, fluff, picnic :) )

A/N: taglist closed! omg guys I'm so sorry, I'm so swamped 😭 the next drabbles are going to take a while to come out. I'm working on them, I promise, in fact the next ex-fiancees au drabble is almost finished but the spy au one is half done and the college au one is not started yet. First and foremost, I will make sure that above all GBIST always comes out on time because I promised myself and you all that I would never miss an update, and the drabbles are side stories, not my main focus so unfortunately they will have to suffer 😔 With that being said, enjoy the chapter <3

A week went by in no time, Jimin keeping you guys posted and sending you videos of him behind the scenes while people touched up his makeup and clothes, and you all sent back videos of you doing stuff around the house, like when Jungkook did a backflip off the balcony into the pool after Taehyung dared him to and the lecture he got from Jin after he found out, or when Hoseok tried to teach you some of the choreography he was doing with his students and your shoe flew off and hit the ceiling.

Actually, they had added you to a bunch of group chats now that you had your phone: one that was all eight of you, and one that was just maknaes and you, one that was just the hyungs and you, plus one with you, Hoseok and Jungkook that was made to make fun of the others for not liking mint chocolate chip ice cream and ended up being a chat for you all to send memes to at three in the morning.

You also had a group chat with Soobin, Kai, Taehyun, Beomgyu and Yeonjun, and talked to them often, but they were super busy. Apparently, they were training to participate in an international dance competition and ran a YouTube that they had all their practice work on. They were super popular and really funny, doing vlogs and dance covers and everything.

But, right now, you were making food for the picnic planned before Jimin left, making mini sandwiches and strawberry shortcake slices with extra whipped cream, as well as chocolate dipped cheesecake bites, a recipe you had found late at night while scouring for apartments and fighting midnight cravings. You even found a cute little picnic basket Jin let you borrow, packing the containers onto the soft fabric lining the basket.

You were leaving for the picnic soon, placing the basket off to the side and going to your room to get ready. It had been rainy and cloudy for the past week after Jimin came back, confining you to the house, but now rain had left perfect weather. You stared up at the dress that had been bought for you, still thinking it was way too gorgeous and classy for a smile picnic, but you took it off the hanger anyways, musing on your newfound friendships, especially Jimin's now that he considered you to be close to him.

Jimin's friendship was an interesting one to receive, to say the least.

Now that Jimin was no longer wary of you, he seemed to be trying to make it up to you entirely through cuddles, snuggling up to you on the couch and bringing you everywhere he went, even if it was just down to the kitchen for some water. Since he's been home from his trip, he hasn't spent a second alone and recommending a movie marathon where you all lay around and catch up with each other, making smores and hot chocolate. And with Taehyung there it was twice as bad, hands playing with your hair and laying next to your other side.

You had definitely grown in your friendship with both of them, Taehyung especially making an effort to include you in as many things possible now. He and you started a tradition of movie marathons, where you would bake something and then eat it together, while discussing the movie you were watching and everything you loved or hated about it. He'd pull you along to the couch randomly, saying something like, 'come watch this movie with me, it's one of Jungkook's favorites,' and sit hip to hip with you like there was no space. Music listening was another hobby you shared, and he would often go to you with song recommendations, gently placing headphones into your ears, and playing music for you while telling you, 'I think you'd really like this song.' Once after you had washed your hair, starting to dry and style it, he helped you, taking a brush and gently combing knots or tangles out of your hair. 'Let me play with your hair, it's so pretty,' he had said, doing cute styles like space buns and ponytails, twining pretty ribbons and clips into it.

Jimin had also brought gifts like he promised, souvenirs and more things, more clothes and more jewelry. He had come into your room the first night he was back and emptied out a bag stuffed with clothes he'd brought for you onto your bed, helping you put them away and pick what you liked, all the latest fashions of wherever he was modeling in. He had also bought home for you a bigger jewelry box already filled with gold bracelets, silver necklaces, diamonds earrings, things so shiny it almost hurt your eyes.

It was becoming more and more obvious that he liked sharing things with you and buying things for you, getting you some matching outfits and letting you borrow some of his stuff or even raid your closet-- full of clothes he'd bought you in the first place anyways. He seemed to like sharing jewelry, getting you both a pair of earrings to share. He'd taken one dangly diamond earring out the box and handed the other to you. 'This way, we always have something to remind us of each other,' he had said then, insisting that you wore it when you went out together, arguing that it'll let people know who you're with. You pointed out that people don't usually pay that much attention to earrings but he just rolled his eyes. 'People pay a lot of attention to me when I go out, so this way they'll pay a lot of attention to you, too.'

It's become quite obvious that the boys liked to show affection with gifts and favors, like Yoongi offering to fill up your cup of water for you so you don't have to get up, or Namjoon giving you a book he thought you'd like, and Jimin even more so, showering you in things he found that reminded him of you while he was gone, like the fancy necklaces and shoes he brought back.

In these cases, you figured it was better to just take it rather than put up a fight like you used to. If they got joy from giving you things, why turn them down? You did like the things they gave you and at this point turning them down to be polite would upset them more than anything. You had trouble thinking of yourself like a friend, used to being a burden to most people you came in contact with. You tried to make yourself small as to not bother them, but it seemed like they kept trying to pull you out of your shell, wanting you to be as loud and active as them.

A knock sounded at your door as you stared at the dress on you, as dreamlike and pretty as it looked when you found it. It made you look like something out of a fairytale, like a princess on an adventure, you couldn't help but stare. "Come in!" You called out, still admiring yourself.

It was Jimin, of course, vibrating with excitement. "Hey," he said, coming in and looking at you in the dress. "You look so gorgeous." He smiled, looking in the mirror while standing behind you.

You smiled back, still too stunned for words, and he hummed, a sneaky smile coming onto his face. "You know, I think I have the perfect necklace to go with this." He said, taking your hand and pulling you to the door. He led you down the hall to his room, digging through a bag until he pulled out a black velvet box.

"Here," He placed it in your hands. "Open it." Jimin said, looking up at you with eager excitement. What could be in this box? You had no idea what would make him so excited, even when he was giving you the gifts he wasn't this anxious. You flipped open the top.

You gasped, seeing a familiar sight. The pink diamond necklace from the shop all that time ago. You plucked it out carefully, holding it gently as you lifted it from the box and looked at Jimin again, your eyes filled with happy confusion. He started to explain, rambling nervously, "I bought it then when we first saw it, but I figured I'd wait until you would actually accept it from me." He had a sad smile on his face as he tried to figure out how to phrase his words. "I've never dealt with anyone like you, but I'm glad I have. Knowing you has been... different. In a good way." He quickly reassured after you didn't say anything for a second.

You listened quietly as he spoke, looking at the warmth in his eyes, directed at you. It was really true. Jimin had accepted you as part of his inner circle, he had regretted what he had said to you and he wanted to have you around and do things for you.

You smiled, wobbly and watery, and placed the necklace down. "Jimin, this is... I don't even know what to say." You wrapped your arms around his neck, squeezing him into a grateful hug. "I forgive you, I can't imagine it was easy to have me around, but thank you for trying to be nice to me, and thank you for all the gifts and things. We had a rough start, but you've more than made up for it."

He squeezed you back tight, smiling in relief. "Thank you princess, but I have a long way to go before I can make up for anything. I hope you're ready for more presents, because I'm not letting you say no to gifts anymore."

"You never let me say no to gifts in the first place," You teased, pulling back so you could look at him. "I still need to put on my shoes," you added trying to step away, but he held tight, pulling you back to clasp the necklace around your neck and then grabbed your hand.

"I'll come with you." He said, walking with you back to your room.

"My room is just down the hall."

"Sure, but things are more fun when you do them with other people." He said, swinging your hands back and forth.

Entering your room, you picked up the shoe box, you hadn't taken them out because they looked to so pretty and white, you were worried about staining them. However, taking them out the box one handed was a struggle and putting them on seemed like it would be even harder. Luckily, Jimin took them from you, ushering you to sit back on the bed.

"Here, I'll do it." He kneeled before you, sliding it onto your foot and tying the straps around your calves.

"This is just like Cinderella," you giggled, and he smiled up at you, moving onto the next shoe.

"Does that mean I'm the Prince?" He joked, standing up again as he finished. "I guess we know what we're doing for Halloween."

You both made your way downstairs, seeing Jungkook and Taehyung standing by the door with the picnic basket, then looking up as your footsteps sounded on the stairs.

"Woah," Jungkook breathed in awe. "You look incredible! If I knew we were getting all dressed up, I'd have worn something fancier." He scratched the back of his neck bashfully, but you shook your head, surveying his outfit.

He actually looked really good, wearing a white button down casually rolled up to his elbows and jeans, but he made the outfit so much more classy just by wearing it. Taehyung and Jimin looked good too, but that was a given, both of them wearing comfy looking sweaters fitted to their physiques, Taehyung's warm tan and Jimin's jet black.

You patted Jungkook's arm in reassurance, replying earnestly. "You look fine to me, Kookie, don't worry about it."

His eyebrows shot up in shock, meeting the messy wavy hair over his forehead. "Did you just call me--" he cut himself off with a laugh and turned to Taehyung smugly. "I got the first nickname! I told you!" Taehyung groaned as he gloated and you looked between them confused.

"The first nickname?" You inquired, blinking owlishly.

Jimin explained, laying a hand on your shoulder, "They made a bet over who would get a nickname from you first. Tae thought it'd be him and Jungkook thought it would be him, so we all bet fifty dollars over who would get it."

Taehyung was sulking as Jungkook laughed in his face, and rolled his eyes, marching to the car. "Whatever, I'm still her favorite."

"No way!" Jungkook immediately argued. "I'm her favorite! You two have only been friends for like, a week. Me and Y/nie have been friends forever!"

"Well, I don't see you with a personalized playlist." Taehyung shot back.

"You made him a personalized playlist?"

All the way to the park, Taehyung and Jungkook bickered over what makes them a better candidate to be your favorite while you and Jimin held back giggles. Eventually they turned to you, asking you to settle it, right there and then.

"Why don't we ask Y/n who her favorite is?" Taehyung asked turning to you expectantly. "Just because you got a nickname first doesn't mean you're the favorite." He said to Jungkook who rolled his eyes playfully.

"Doesn't Jin technically have first nickname?" You deflected.

Jungkook scoffed. "No, everyone calls him Jin. That's different--"

"Oh look, we're here!" Jimin announced, driving up to the entrance of the park. The park rolled into view as you looked out the window, bright green on a perfect sunny day. Jimin parallel parked on the curb, all of you hopping out.

You looked over the park, mostly empty with a few people milling about or jogging in workout clothes. You subtly clutched the skirt of your dress, feeling overdressed until Taehyung took one of your hands. "Let's find a good place to sit." He suggested, squeezing your hand and walking you onto the path.

For once, you looked dressed up enough to match the boy's stunning appearance. They attracted attention easily, now you didn't look so out of place like usual. A part of you imagined always looking like this, dressed and attracting attention with them and not just fading into the background behind them, being with them and being seen with them, but you shook that away. You were friends, to want more from them would be draining, they were already giving you so much.

"Let's head over there!" Jungkook pointed at a patch of grass under a tree, sunlight streaming through the leaves. You would have to walk off the path though, through the grass and dirt. You frowned and lifted your leg, preparing to untie your shoes.

"What are you doing?" Jimin asked, watching you with slight concern. "Do the shoes hurt?"

"No, I just don't want to get them dirty." You replied, and before you knew it, you were swept up, Jungkook's arms wrapped around you and carrying you princess style.

"I've got you." He hefted you easily over the grass towards the tree, and after Jimin rolled out the blanket, he placed you gently down. Jimin quickly stole the spot on your right and Taehyung sat on your left, making Jungkook roll his eyes as he settled across from you, the furthest away.

"Let's see all the tasty treats Y/nie made for us." Taehyung cheered, unpacking the picnic blanket.

"Oh, I'll show you!" Yoi chirped excited for them to see the things you made for them. You took out the trays of food and bowls of fruit, showing them off one by one. "This is the strawberry shortcake, these are the finger sandwiches, these--" you heard a click as you held up a bowl of raspberries with honey drizzled over them, seeing Jungkook aiming a camera at you.

"Don't take pictures of me," you tossed a napkin at him and he simply laughed.

He raised an eyebrow, lowering the camera. "Oh, come on the whole reason we're out here is to take pictures."

"Of, like, flowers and stuff. Not me." You pouted and he acquiesced, though his smile didn't make you feel confident he would keep his promise.

"Fine, no pictures." He replied, eagerly grabbing the paper plates out the basket, passing them out. "Let's eat! I'm starved."

You all dug in, the boys praising your cooking and you beamed happily, glad you could do something to make them happy. You watched them eat until they noticed you weren't taking anything.

"You aren't going to have any?" Jungkook said, noticing you didn't take a paper plate.

You waved your hand dismissively, refusing, "I had some when I was making them, you all can eat the rest--" Taehyung pushed a bite of sandwich into your mouth while you were distracted, feeding you himself off his plate.

"You should still have some." He said. "You worked so hard to make these, you should have an extra treat."

"And you should definitely have dessert." Jimin added, holding a chocolate bite up your lips until you ate it. He watched the way your lips parted to close around it with a little too much interest, but you hardly noticed.

"And this whipped cream is delicious!" Jungkook chimed in, holding a bite of shortcake on a fork up to your mouth and watching you lick it up. You didn't even realize how perfectly you were posed, wiping some whipped cream off your face with and licking that off as well, your lips wrapped around your finger just so. You were walking art and you didn't even seem to realize it.

You let a small giggle, being bombarded with food, as you heard another click. You turned, seeing Jimin with the camera now and you held your hand up to block him. "Stop!"

"I don't do anything," he lied with a innocent smile, handing it back to Jungkook. "I was just testing it."

"Sure." You huffed. Most of the food was gone now, so you sat back again, letting them eat the rest now that they weren't spoon feeding you anymore. Jungkook quickly stuffed his mouth with the rest of his slice of shortcake then stood eagerly.

"Let's go take pictures now." Jungkook held out a hand to help you up and scooped you into his arms again. "These losers can stay here and keep watch over the stuff." He stuck his tongue out at them, carrying you away to another stone path you could walk on without dirtying your shoes.

"Where are we going?" You asked as he set you down and led you forward.

"There's a botanical garden here," Jungkook explained, holding your hand as you walked. "They have flowers native to this region and butterflies fly around there all the time."

You looked around as you entered, white stone archway and vibrant tall green hedges marking the entrance. Sunlight filtered in spots through the leaves, and butterflies were perched on colorful flowers, blues and purples and pinks mixed with green.

"Wow," you murmured quietly, slowly stepping up to an orchid. As you stared, a butterfly landed on it, blue wings opening and closing as it rested. You heard a click and looked over to see Jungkook taking another picture of you. "Seriously?" You scoffed as he grinned playfully.

"What? You look pretty. See?" He held the camera out so you could see the screen, a profile picture of you and the butterfly haloed by the sun, the dress making you look angelic.

"You really are talented." You commented. For him to make you look so good so easily, he must really know what he's doing.

"It's not hard to take pretty pictures when you have a pretty subject." Jungkook replied, murmuring low as he approached you. He wrapped his arms around you, putting the camera into your hands and holding them, focusing on the flower in front of you. He continued, shaking into your ear over your shoulder, pressed closely to your back. "You use this button to zoom in, this dial to focus, and this button," A click sounded and then a picture of the orchid with the butterfly fluttering off appeared on the screen. "To take a picture."

You looked up over your shoulder at him as he smiled softly down at you, then stepped away slowly. "But that's just the basics. There are more settings you can play with, but for now," He held his hand out to you. "Let's see what your phone camera can do."

You handed him your camera and he started going into detail about it, most things that went in your ear and out the other, but you found it hard to retain anything as he spoke, confidently and swiftly, you getting caught up in how cute he looked when he was excited and rambling about something. His nose scrunched up slightly and his smile had a charming slant.

You shook yourself, breaking away from that train of thought. No thinking about your new friends as cute. They were gorgeous, anyone with eyes could see that, but you would not allow yourself to catch feelings and ruin this. You focused back on what he was saying, taking the camera and snapping pictures around the garden like he showed you.

Jungkook leaned against a tall tree, watching you interact with the things around you. You gently touched flower petals, ran a finger over smooth leaves, watched butterflies flutter with wonder in your eyes. Everything about you was so amazing.

He lifted the camera again, snapping a candid photo of you standing still so a butterfly could perch on your finger. He would have to make sure to transfer these photos later, maybe post them on his Instagram or Twitter. He wanted to share these photos with a the world, let as many people as possible know that he knew you.

"Are these good, Kookie?" You asked, soft voice echoing slightly in the quiet space. You looked up at him, waiting for approval and he took the phone looking at all the pretty pictures of flowers and plants you took. You were skilled indeed, it seemed like you were a natural. He complimented your work then looked up at you, smiling wide and proud of yourself and had to hold back from kissing the cute swell of your cheek.

"You know, I'm glad you feel that we're close enough to call me Kookie," He started, handing your phone back and stepping closer, watching your eyes widened as he stepped closer into your space. "But I think you should call me Oppa instead."

Your eyes twinkled, pushed into half moons by your smile. "Really? Why? Because you're a couple months older?" You teased him back, smile curling smug and alluring, Jungkook being drawn in and leaning in more towards you, absolutely awestruck.

He continued, voice growing lower as he focused on you in front of him, spots of sunlight making your skin and eyes glow. "I'm older so it still counts."

"Sure." You replied mockingly and he rolled his eyes, but secretly he loved how playful you were being. It was a sign that you had truly adjusted, that you felt comfortable enough to tease, that you wanted to connect and laugh with them.

"You're going to be mean to your Oppa when I showed you how to take good pictures with your camera? How ungrateful." He crossed his arms in mock indignation and he could see your teasing attitude melt.

"Okay, okay." You placated him, deciding to humor him and said again, more genuinely, "Thank you, Oppa."

His heart fluttered and he whooped, scooping you up again and running with you back to the picnic blanket, your laughter filling the air. First nickname and the first one you called Oppa, he thought to himself. He was definitely your favorite.

Shortly after, you all had headed back home, folding up the blankets and packing everything back into the car. When you reached your room, you carefully removed the dress, hanging it back up carefully and placing the shoes back into their box. It was a miracle they didn't get dirty today, you were sure that the dress needed to be dry-cleaned and you didn't have the money for a place that could properly take care of your dress.

Speaking of money, you picked up laptop, deciding to use the rest of your day to search for jobs and apartments. You had applied to a couple jobs in the area already but none had responded, so you figured you might apply for more.

Moving through the living room to the back porch, you encountered the rest of the boys settling on the couch in the living room.

"We're playing video games, wanna join?" Jungkook offered, flashing a video game case at you as he set up a console on the low table. Mortal Kombat 11, you appraised. "We're playing story mode and everytime someone loses a fight, we pass the controller."

"Which means Namjoon and Hoseok won't be seeing a lot of play time." Taehyung teased, a pillow getting tossed at him by Hoseok and an eye roll from Namjoon who seemed mostly invested in a book.

You shrugged, explaining. "I was just going to sit outside for a bit."

"Sit in here, you can hang out with us." Jin waved you over and you say in the seat next to him, his arm laying on the back of the couch behind you as the first cutscene began to play on the screen. "I've been meaning to ask if you wanted more stuff to decorate your room with. You know, different furniture, repainting, anything like that."

"I don't think that be a good idea." You declined, logging into your laptop.

"What's the harm?" Hoseok interjected over the sound of Jungkook already beating up the first opponent. "I'd be nice for your room to have a more personal touch, right?

"Well, I don't want to use up any of your money when I'm going to be moving away." You remarked casually, turning your laptop so they could see the apartment listing you had been looking at, but the room hushed, all attention turning to you.

"Who said anything about you moving?" Jimin replied, trying to be casual but couldn't help the slight wariness in his tone.

"I just..." You blinked owlishly, confused at the tense reaction. Isn't it good that you'd be leaving? "I'm gonna move eventually. I can't live with you forever. I already have a few apartments I've been looking at and when I get a job, I'll have my own place to decorate."

"You wanna leave?" Jungkook asked you, character on the screen long past defeated as he stopped playing, feeling his heart gripped with cold at your words.

"I can't stay forever--"

"Yes, you can!" Taehyung insisted, cutting you off before you could finish.

"What Tae means is... we wouldn't mind if you did." Jin placed a warm hand onto your shoulder, looking you in eyes, brown eyes serious but comforting. "You're far more than just a housemate now, if you want to stay, we won't kick you out."

"You mean it? It doesn't bother any of you?" You asked, looking around the room and being met with heads shaking no.

"Good." Jungkook said, looking around at everyone. "Everyone's okay with it, so you're staying." He announced an air of finality to it, turning his attention back to the screen.

"Unless you want to leave..." Taehyung looked at you, sadness tinging his tone. It hurt to think about but he had to address it. It was only fair to you to have the choice.

"But you don't. Right?" Jungkook looked back at you, eyes piercing yours as he searched for an answer in your face. No way you were leaving, over his dead body.

Yoongi met eyes with you, silently observing and encouraging you no matter what you chose, and Hoseok seemed to be sitting this one out. The last thing he wanted to do is force you to stay or make it seem like you had to stay for their sake. Namjoon was looking back and forth the way he always did when you interacted with the boys, analyzing the way you acted with each other as your relationships evolved. It was interesting to watch, especially in times like these when he could tell how close you had gotten with everyone. Usually they had to convince people to get away from them. Asking someone to stay and live with them was definitely new.

"Kookie, she has to have the chance to refuse." Jin said, his own tone sounding reluctant. Even if we really don't want her to, went unsaid, but it didn't matter much. In the next moment, your eyes brimmed with tears and you slumped into Jin's chest, hiding your face and letting him hold you.

"You mean," you began, voice wobbly as you slightly peered up at Jin, eyes wet and wide, still pressed to him. "I can stay? With all of you for as long as I'd like?"

"Oh darling, of course you can." His arms held you tight to his chest, squeezing you like it was this hug that would keep you home with them. "Besides, I need my cooking buddy or else I'll lose my mind."

You giggled, it sounding like magic and twinkling chimes after the tension of the moment. "How could I ever let that happen?" Everyone, consciously or not, let out a breath of relief. Jin held you to his chest for what was probably way longer than typical for a hug but you weren't pulling away and he sure as hell wasn't either.

"Anyways, Jungkook lost, so it's my turn!" Taehyung snatched the controller out of Jungkook's hands. "I'll show you how a real pro does it."

"No fair, I wasn't even paying attention!"

"You snooze you lose."

----

The next day, you were laying in bed, your bed in your room, like you've been doing more often with Taehyung cuddling you all the time (you had a feeling you'd never be done paying back those cuddles), and Jungkook using you as a pillow while he played video games. You were starting to think that you were just a fancy pillow to them, with how comfortably and constantly they'd lean into you or against you.

This time though, it was Jimin, head on your stomach while you laid on your back on your bed, watching funny videos on your phone and trying not to drop your phone on your face. Seeing movement out of the corner of your eye, you glanced up at Jimin. He had the front camera of his phone angled towards you, taking a video and zooming in on your face. "Stop," You pushed it away laughing, both exasperated and amused. Jimin seemed to have a penchant for capturing moments on camera and lately he seems most interested in you.

You weren't in the habit of taking pictures like the other boys, always updating and keeping their followers engaged with whatever content they uploaded, but it didn't seem to be an issue. Every photo of you they uploaded, including the pictures from the picnic and the festival, they tagged you in, causing people to wander over to your Instagram page. You had noticed more followers, people following you out of loyalty to the boys probably, fans who were curious about you asking about you in their comments, not that they answered. While they seemed to like showing you off, they didn't answer any questions about you. Maybe they were respecting your privacy or maybe they just didn't care to interact with their followers but you noticed they all liked the comments people left calling you pretty.

After seeing the photos, Beomgyu and the boys followed you too, messaging you about how they needed to take pictures with you too and you promised them you would meet up eventually.

Though, it didn't seem like that would happen soon, the maknaes keeping you busy all the time with stuff they wanted to do, movies and video games and TV shows. You and Jimin had recently started binging some TV series with a bunch of seasons that you never had the chance to watch before until Jin had to literally pull you away from the TV in the living room after you sat in front of it for almost twenty four hours. Jimin had laughed about it the whole time all too delighted.

"You're a bad influence," you had told him then after getting scolded by Jin for the first time. He only smiled more mischievously and whispered, "There's a TV in my room, let's go finish the episode."

"I'm gonna go cook with Jin," you wiggled out from under Jimin and he pouted, rolling off the bed and following you to the kitchen.

"Ah, look who decided to join us." Jin announced from behind the sink. He and Jungkook were wearing their matching aprons from the first day you met them. So much has passed since then, you thought, and so much has happened in these last couple months.

As if proving your point, Jimin slinked past you, pressing against your side as he walked like a cat would rub it's tail against a person's leg. He kissed Jin and Jungkook steeping over to the stove. "What's for dinner?" He asked, peering into a pot.

"Beef stew and rice, with some grilled pork belly on the side. We already finished making it, it just has to finish cooking now." Jungkook explained, tossing a dish towel aside as he dried his hands. "Which will take another couple hours for the stew."

"And since you were late to the party, you can take of the dishes." Jin said to you, and Jimin scrunched up his nose.

"Yeah, good luck with that." Jimin said, quick to leave you to wash dishes alone. "I'll set the table."

He stepped into the dining room and you put on dish gloves and turned towards the sink, picking up the sponge to start washing. Jungkook stirred the soup over at the stove making sure it was cooking properly.

"You two seem closer." Jin murmured to you, voice low as Jimin was in the next room over. He leaned against the counter next to the sink. "Did something happen?"

"What do you mean?" You asked, scrubbing at a pot and looking at him out of the corner of your eye.

"I mean, you were talking to each other before, but now you're all cuddly. Jimin usually only gets like that when he's really comfortable."

"What do you mean? Isn't he just the cuddly type?" You asked and Jungkook let out a scoff.

"Jimin? No way, he hates touch from anyone he doesn't like." He answered, turning to you with a bite of stew for you to try.

"But he's always all over you guys?" You said, eating the bite of stew and pulled the curry powder out of the spice rack, indicating it needed another dash.

"That's cause he calls us the pieces of his soul." Jungkook replied, adding the curry powder and mixing it in, preparing another bite for you. "He's comfy with us. And now with you, I guess."

"I guess so. I hadn't really thought about it like that. You're all so... different around each other. Seeing that for myself is new."

"Well, you've been officially indoctrinated now," Jin joked, taking a spatula and tapping each of your shoulders with it, pretending to knight you. "Welcome to the family."

You laughed, but it really touched your heart, feeling warmth bloom in your chest. It made you want to reach out and hug everyone, made you feel just as cuddly as Jimin had been acting.

"We're all so close now. Its like you've always been here." Jungkook commented, feeding you a bite of grilled pork belly, Jin telling him to stop picking at the food. He laughed and continued talking, putting the fork down. "I couldn't imagine you leaving. Y/n even made Tae a playlist a couple weeks ago." He spoke that last sentence to Jin.

Jin had started to rinse the soapy dishes you set aside, and said, "I didn't know you were making playlists, where's mine?"

"I don't what kind of music you like." You shrugged.

"But you knew Taehyung's?" Jungkook raised an eyebrow.

"It was a guess."

Jin spoke, "It makes sense, Taehyung and Y/n have been glued at the hip lately."

"Whatever. I'm still her favorite," Jungkook scoffed. "Right?"

You didn't respond, just smiling.

"Y/nie, I'm your favorite right?" He asked more insistently, seeing your smile and the way you avoiding his eyes, leaning so he was in your vision still.

"Oh please, she doesn't want to answer because we all know it's me." Jin argued.

"There's no way!" Jungkook disagreed, the two of them starting one of their dramatic mock arguments.

You felt a hand on your back, rinsing your hands and turning around. Jimin was standing there, hand trailing into yours. "Y/nie, there's a festival at the beach an hour away." He gently pulled at your hand, urging you forward. "I'm going now, Wanna come with?"

"Sure," You nodded. He smiled widely, voice dripping to a whisper. "Great. Let's go while they're distracted."

Sure enough, the two men were still arguing over who was your favorite, and you and Jimin slipped away from the kitchen, the two of you giggling once you were in the car.

The ride was pretty fun, Jimin playing songs and you had a pretty similar music taste, the two of you singing the whole way there. As you got closer and closer you could smell the salty air, crossing a bridge over the water with ocean on both sides, making you excited as you realized you were almost there.

Soon, Jimin was driving over sandy road, the sea in the background you approached a small town on the coast, sea themed stores called things like Joe's crab shack or Robbie's Board Shop. You could see flags in the distance and banners proclaiming the location of the beachside festival.

Walking around, it was similar to the one you had attended the other week, stalls with sea themed art, large canvas tapestries that resembled waves and sunsets, smoothies of tropical fruits and grilled kebabs.

"We have to buy some tacky tourist clothes!" Jimin insisted, pulling you towards a store with Hawaiian shirts and neon bikinis. The air conditioning washed over you, cooling you from the heat outside and refreshing you.

Jimin had beelined to a rack of Hawaiian shirts, grabbing ones with the sunset illustrated in blues and pinks. "Grab some souvenir for our boys!" He told you while walking over to the flip-flops.

Looking at the various collectible items they had, you grabbed some basic key chains, one of those singing wall fish for Jin, a shot glass for Yoongi with a little painting of the beach on it, and some beaded bracelets for Tae and Hoseok.

Exiting the store, now decked out in tacky shirts, flip flops and oversized sunglasses, you moved around the rest of the festival. Jimin was beaming the whole time, laughing about sinking into the sand while you walked and pulling you to take pictures with him everywhere. He looked insanely good in the beach clothes, unfairly so, the Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned to the top part of his chest and the majority of his arms on display, his hair pushed back by the sunglasses in that messy fashionable way that made stray hairs frame his face.

"What?" He asked you when you went quiet staring at him. "Is there something on my face? Cause you're staring pretty hard." He teased, leaning in towards you.

You scoffed, looking away from his intense gaze, and pretended like you were dusting sand off his shirt. "I was just looking at that store behind you. There's a pretty pink scarf in the window."

Jimin turned, looking at the scarf and nodding when he saw it. "Oh yeah. Did you want it?"

"No, I just--"

But Jimin was already pulling you towards it, entering the store and getting goosebumps from the A/C again. It seemed like another tourist store, but with much less tacky decor. They had scarves, as well as bandanas, handmade dresses, knit bags, shirts with the store logo emblazoned on them, and personalized jewelry and mugs with random common names on them.

Jimin got the pink scarf, attention caught by the initial necklaces off to the side. He picked up two, his initial and yours and bought those and the scarf.

"Aren't those a little too tacky for your sophisticated style?" You remarked as he came back to you, tying the scarf around your hair.

"I'm literally wearing a ten dollar Hawaiian shirt right now." He replied, handing you your necklace. "This is the least tacky thing I'm wearing." He put on his necklace, looking at the both of your reflections in the mirror for a moment.

"You know what? I think this would actually look prettier on you." He said, draping his initial necklace over your neck and clasping it.

You raised an eyebrow at his weird idea, watching your mirror self copy you. "But it's your initial, and it looks weird if I'm wearing two initial necklaces and you're wearing none."

"Mm, you're right." He hummed, unclasping your initial and putting it on himself. "There." He smiled in satisfaction, grabbing your hand and pulling you back outside.

"Now let's go get another mango smoothie, it was so tasty!"

The sun started to set, the two of you settled at the coastline, the water rushing up to cover your feet and back again in waves, the two of you slurping at your smoothies and checking your phones. Earlier on, Jimin sent out a text to the group chat saying he took you out for a trip to the beach and shut off his phone, avoiding the wave of texts complaining about how he didn't bring them. This trip was for you two only, he decided, shooting a glance at you playing with the water with a cute smile on your face as you slurped at the stars of your smoothie.

He posted the pictures he took with you today, the boys instantly liking them and whining about how much you were having without them. Jimin laughed to himself, then almost choked on his smoothie looking at his feed.

"Xolani is having an exclusive fashion show!"

You tilted your head, looking over at his screen. "Who's Xolani?"

"Xolani is this super famous fashion designer, all her stuff is incredible." The post had sneak peeks of colorful, innovative designs that would only be displayed at the show. "I wanna go so bad." He groaned.

"Xolani Knight?" You asked again, face something Jimin couldn't decipher.

"Yeah," Jimin replied, a bit confused. "That's her full name, but her label is called Xoxo. Do you know her?"

"Oh my god, yeah, we went to school together! Good to see one of us made something of ourselves." You sighed, half happy for your friend and half downcast. Jimin laid a reassuring hand over yours on the sand. You shook your head, signaling that you were fine. "It's okay. She was always super talented. She was getting internships in her first year, everyone knew she'd make it big."

You were interrupted by buzzing, now that your phones were on again and Jimin had posted those pictures, the messaging was coming back tenfold asking when you'd be back.

Jimin looked at the horizon, basically almost fully sunk by now. "Mm, it's a little late to head back now... I saw a good hotel nearby, let's check in there and stay the night, hmm?" He suggested, already firing off a quick text about what you'd be doing to the group chat, shutting off his phone again. He stood, holding a hand out to help you up. "Besides there's really fun second part to the festival tomorrow where they bring in a bunch of cool foods, I saw it on a flyer, let's stay!"

You nodded, taking his hand as he walked you back to the car and drove all the way to the hotel, checking in at the front desk and getting room on a high floor, overlooking the sea.

"Gosh, that day was so much fun!" He cheered, opening the door to your hotel room, the card reader beeping and glowing a cool green. He pushed it open then stopped in confusion as he looked into the room.

"There's only one bed?" He stared in disbelief. "I thought I made sure-- they said a double queen suite." Jimin stared as if another bed would appear if he just looked hard enough and then groaned. He pushed you in gently, closing the door behind you both.

"Go ahead and sit down, I'm going to see if I can figure this out." He pulled out his phone to call the front desk quickly, striding out onto the balcony and waiting for someone to answer.

The room was nice, extremely classy actually, a large queen bed in the middle against the wall with a flat screen tv directly across. The walls were a soft beige and the carpets a jewel toned red that was plush and soft under your feet. There were modern artwork hung on the wall, splashes of color and shapes, and gold accent ran through out the room, lacing the blue and white sheets on the bed, lining the paneling on the wall, the wooden dresser having gold knobs. It was everything you had never had before. The doors on the wall went to a walk-in closet and a large bathroom complete with a jacuzzi, a separate round bathtub and shower unit.

The balcony Jimin was on overlooked the city, separated from the main bedroom by glass so clear it didn't even seem like it was there. You poked around, looking at the couch, moving the pillows and cushions. To your delight, it was a pullout.

"Apparently, double queen suite means 'a room with one queen bed and an occupancy space of two'." He scoffed. "They should've made that more clear." He looked at you, standing around awkwardly. "You can go ahead and lie down on the bed, I don't have the energy to change rooms now."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "Oh, no, I'd rather you take the bed then have to sleep on the couch. I'll take the couch."

"Who said anything about taking the couch? If anything we'll just share." Jimin gave you a confused look, walking closer to you to gently usher you towards the bed. "It's been a long day, princess, lay down and try to rest, okay? You've been up on your feet for too long."

"But I don't have anything to sleep in."

Jimin rummaged through the bags you had with you, pulling out his sweater from earlier in the day and handing it to you. "Here, change into my sweater. I stole it from Namjoon so it's extra big."

He whipped off his Hawaiian shirt, just in his tank top and shorts, setting up his side of the eyed to sleep, plugging his phone into charge. You were stock still, hyperfocused on the definition of his toned arms. You had gotten a sneak peek with the shirt but it was different now, glimpses of his back and his side and your chest, your initial still dangling between his collarbones.

He smirked, feeling your stare. He bit his lip to try and hide his smile and moved to lay down. You looked away feeling creepy and fiddled with the sweater. You felt the bed move from where Jimin was settling under the covers.

"You having trouble putting on the sweater?" He drawled, obviously having fun watching you get flustered.

"I'll just go into the bathroom and change." You squeaked, standing and rushing towards the bathroom, hearing his giggles.

When you came back out, the sweater draping down to your thighs and slipping off your shoulder from how big it was, you tried to quietly walk back into the bedroom, seeing that Jimin had turned the lights off and wasn't moving. You slowly slipped onto your side of the bed, your back facing Jimin.

The A/C was blowing way too hard, cool air reaching you even under the blanket. You tried not to shiver too much, but Jimin spoke up, "Are you cold?"

"Just a little," you said, an obvious understatement with how your teeth were practically chattering, and you expected him to turn the A/C down. Instead, you felt the bed move again, strong arms pulling you closer to the center of the bed.

"How's this?" He spoke into your ear, warm breath brushing your cheek as he melded his body to yours.

"It's fine," you whispered, voice losing all strength being so close to him. He giggled again.

"You sure?"

You nodded, knowing he could feel it. It did feel nice, you liked cuddling even if you weren't as used to it. He squeezed you tight, holding you around the waist like you were a stuffed animal then sighed.

"I really am sorry."

"Hmm?"

"For everything, I mean. I was a jerk to you for no reason and you're so incredible, I just--" He paused, the humming A/C filing the space. "I wish I could take it back."

"You've apologized a thousand times." You replied.

"And I'll apologize a thousand more." He said back. "Every minute you show me that you weren't worth the way I treated you."

He groaned playfully, breaking the tension. "It's embarrassing just to think about. I was a mess."

"No, you weren't," you insisted but he shook his head. You turned around, looking at him through the moonlights streaming in through the window.

"Just, how would you feel if you found out your boyfriend had an ex who was apparently super special to him that you never heard about and now they were living in your house? On top of that you're like super pretty and nice and genuine, and he totally still has--" Jimin cut himself off before he said something he shouldn't.

"Has what?" You blinked unknowingly, eyes innocent and wide.

"Uhh... he, you know," Jimin back-tracked, figuring this wasn't his secret to tell or the time to do it. "We still have so much room to grow in our relationship, I guess I was scared you would throw that off." He corrected, hoping you wouldn't notice.

"Jimin, I would never do anything to jeopardize your relationship." You said, firm and honest. Your hair spilled out on the pillow case underneath you as your cheek pressed against it. You looked sleepy and adorable and Jimin wanted to laugh. How had he ever thought you'd be anything but a gift?

"I know, princess." He smiled softly at you through the darkness. "Now go to sleep."

Taglist closed: @sunshinehobissunshine @pb-n-juju @bunnyrhe @7soulsbts @tinyoonsblog @royalchickens @urvirtualgfteehee @tazzi-baby @deathincarnation @alngelias @jinswifeyy @not-all-are-the-same @btsizlyfe @justsomoneliving @purplelady85 @just-me-and-myselfs @thinkaholicer @kookstempo @kosmicbomb @squishyturtle @bunzom @fuckinglittlekitten @canarystwin @scuzmunkie @stupendousliteraturewritingoaf @sugarrush-blush @bt21chim @maries110911 @bjoriis @creatorspalace @highinhopess @little-dark-empress @onlythebest-106 @cestlabellemort @rapunzel76 @kamen-tenshi @totallynoanalien @singukieee @gingerupset @sunshinee0-0 @avadakadabra93 @lvrseok @musicismyoxygen @missinggot7 @silscintilla @jcrml @chosovisionaries @hwa-loves @placeoftime @embrace-themagic

#poly! bts x reader #bts x reader #bts x y/n #ot7 x y/n #ot7 x reader #gbist #if this is five minutes late no its not #i am a master of being punctual #and if you see any typos no you dont #also this update is long as hell omg

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winterune · 5 years ago

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Here with Me

A CloTi Valentine’s Day special fanfiction for the Final Heaven Discord Server’s CloTi Confessions 2020 event

Rating: T

Summary: It is Tifa's first Valentine's Day with Cloud as a couple and she wonders just how she is going to celebrate it with him.

Word count: 2860

A/N: not sure where it is set. A mixture of modern AU but still set in the FF7 world lol

Also available on AO3.

~*~*~*~*~

February 14 was just around the corner and all Tifa could see were boxed chocolates, wrapped heart-shaped cookies, or a variety of cakes on display in pastry shops and bakeries. Even now, a week before Valentine’s, there were already long lines of women and girls wanting to buy whatever chocolate they could get their hands on. She remembered how, when she was back in school, her classmates would prepare heartfelt chocolates for the boys they liked. She remembered how those boys would compare with each other how many chocolates they had gotten.

It wasn’t Tifa’s first time buying a chocolate for a boy; not when she had been giving him friendship chocolates for as long as she could remember. Every year, she would stand there in line with a couple chocolates on hand: one for her father, one for Cloud. Yet now, as she stood before the heart-shaped chocolates on display, she couldn’t bring herself to choose which one she would buy.

In her hands was a red box tied with red ribbon. Inside it was a variety of high-quality heart-shaped chocolates. She checked the price tag.

“Three thousand gil?” she murmured to herself.

Beside it was a stack of boxes containing truffles coated in a special mirror-like glaze: 3,800 gil.

There were other boxes on display too—fancier ones, simpler ones. One was a two-tier black box with gold sakura patterns that no doubt contained one of the best confectioneries in the city. Another one was heart-shaped filled with all kinds of chocolates and the message Be My Valentine at the center.

Five thousand… Six… Eight thousand gil?!

That was ridiculous. Who would in their right mind buy such an expensive chocolate just for Valentine’s Day?

Tifa returned the box to its stack and quietly sighed. Of course; she had gone into one of the top-branded stores. What had she expected?

“Find anything yet?” a voice said from behind her.

Aerith was standing there, her long brown hair in its usual braid. She had offered to accompany her on her hunt for the perfect chocolate, but from Tifa’s frown, she knew the hunt had been in vain.

“Should we look at another store then?” she offered.

They had scoured every inch of the shopping district, visiting all the pastry shops, bakeries, and confectionery stores they could find. They had even went inside some department stores in the hopes they would sell some kind of chocolate for Valentine’s, but alas, not one of the stores had the chocolate Tifa had in mind. Not that she had any particular chocolate in mind. She did find some of the cookies and cupcakes in previous stores cute, with their kiss me or I love you messages, but they lacked…delicacy. They were not something she wanted to give him.

“Let’s just go home for the day,” Tifa said, leading her friend away from the display and exiting the store.

Outside was cold. Even in the last throes of winter people still crowded the street, especially school girls, giggling with their friends as they left one store or another, each with a bag in hand. Tifa stared at them for a few moments, her finger twitching and her lips pursing, before she covered her nose with her scarf and stuffed her gloved hands into her coat pockets.

“I never knew picking out a honmei chocolate would be this hard,” Tifa mumbled through her scarf.

“That’s why I said you should just make him one,” Aerith replied, “instead of wasting all that money on some branded chocolate.”

“Yeah, but—” Tifa began, but found herself speechless now that she was going home empty-handed.

This was something they had debated before. It wasn’t that Tifa was against the idea. But…homemade? And on Valentine’s Day? She knew people said a homemade honmei chocolate carried more meaning than store-bought one, but—

“What if I mess it up?”

“You won’t mess it up,” Aerith said. “He’ll be happy with whatever you give him.”

“That’s the problem! He’ll accept whatever I give him that sometimes I wonder if they’re any good.”

Aerith sighed through her nose. “Tifa, listen,” her friend said firmly. “Everyone loves your cooking, including him. Has he ever said anything about not liking them?”

“Well, no, but—”

“And you often make cookies or cupcakes as freebies in your bar and everyone’s always loved them.”

“I guess, but—”

“Then there you have it. You won’t mess it up. I’m sure of it!”

Aerith was beaming but Tifa bit her lower lip.

“But those weren’t Valentine’s chocolates.”

“And why are Valentine’s chocolates any different?”

Tifa met Aerith’s gaze from the corner of her eyes. She found genuine curiosity in there and it made it all the more difficult to voice her reason, because it was lame and stupid and she was already twenty yet she still didn’t know the first thing she should do when it came to the boy she liked.

Aerith was still looking at her and those piercing eyes really put her in the spot.

“Because they’re supposed to be special?” Tifa mumbled. “I don’t know. Kind of like heartfelt? Romantic? Personal?”

“Wouldn’t it be more personal to give him your homemade chocolate rather than a store-bought one?” Aerith asked the question that had been bugging Tifa the most. Because yes, she knew that it would make the chocolate more personal and heartfelt and romantic and he would know the effort it took for her to give him one, but to put her feelings out there for the world to see… Tifa couldn’t help but feel nervous every time she thought about it. With a store-bought chocolate, she wouldn’t really need to make herself be so vulnerable, but with a homemade one, it would be her effort and her feelings mixed inside the chocolate, and if they weren’t enough—

“There’s that insecurity rearing its ugly head again,” Aerith said, interrupting Tifa’s train of thoughts.

Tifa glanced at her friend, who was staring ahead. They were already at the intersection. They would need to separate here, but Aerith was already grabbing her hand and said, “Come on. We’re going to my house.”

***

“First thing first,” Aerith said when they had arrived in her house—a cute little house in a small neighborhood. Her mother was there, already preparing dinner in the kitchen. Tifa was invited, and after happily accepting it, Aerith immediately led her up to her room in the second floor. She grabbed a Valentine’s-Day-special food magazine they had just bought in the bookstore along the way from her bag and sat on her bed, flipping through the pages until she reached the section on snacks and deserts. “We’re going to look for inspiration.”

Hesitantly, Tifa sat down beside Aerith and looked through the magazine with her. But there weren’t anything new, only more cookies and cupcakes and shortcakes and cheesecakes and even more chocolate cakes and chocolate hearts and chocolate truffles. Cloud didn’t have a sweet tooth, but he wouldn’t say no to chocolate. Tifa didn’t think there were any flavor he was particularly fond of or any he particularly hated. She had seen him eat chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, caramel, hazelnut over the years.

“Oh, this looks nice!” Aerith said, pointing to a certain box of chocolates at the bottom of the page. They looked like truffles coated in mirror glaze, much like the one Tifa had seen in the confectionery store before, but these ones looked uncannily familiar. There were 5 truffles in a box: green, red, blue, yellow, and purple. Where the truffles from before looked like tiny planets, these one looked to be so glossy and shining like materias.

“Materia chocolates,” Aerith read the caption out loud.

“They really made materia-inspired chocolates,” Tifa mused.

“These look really cool!” Aerith said. “I bet Zack would be ecstatic if he got these. Let me check how they’re made.”

Aerith grabbed her phone and started browsing for some recipe, while Tifa stared at the picture of the materia chocolates. They looked so real they were practically jumping out of the pages. Maybe Cloud would love to get one of these, too. However, even as she thought that, it was also not something that perfectly conveyed her feelings for him.

“Do you always give Zack homemade chocolates?” Tifa asked.

“Yep.”

“Don’t you ever feel nervous?”

Aerith looked up from her phone and met Tifa’s gaze. “Sure I did,” she said. “When I gave him my first homemade honmei chocolate, I broke into cold sweats wondering how he’d react. It was also my first time making chocolates, mind you. I didn’t know how it’d taste. I was sure he wouldn’t like it. But you know what? When I gave him those tiny chocolates all wrapped up in cheap plastic I bought in a convenience store just outside the neighborhood, he smiled. He had this bright smile—the brightest smile he had ever given me—and it was one of the most precious things I had ever seen. All my worries were completely erased.”

Aerith had a small nostalgic smile on her face and Tifa found herself smiling back. “Sounds nice.”

“It is,” Aerith said. “So, even though this is your first Valentine together as a couple, don’t be scared. You’ve been together with Cloud for years, and if you ask me, all I’ve ever seen is the face of a boy in love, even before you two started dating.” Then she smirked. “And I’d say the same thing about you too.”

Tifa felt her face heating up as she bit her lip. That was…old news. Tifa didn’t remember when she stopped seeing him as a mere friend and started seeing him as a boy—when she stopped giving him homemade cookies and instead bought him chocolates from convenience stores on Valentine’s Day every year; when she started looking at the girls at school confessing their feelings on this particular day and wondering if she would ever have the courage to do that.

“Aww, now you’re all embarrassed,” Aerith said with a teasing smile, dipping her head to peer into Tifa’s face, because Tifa, not knowing what to do with herself, had hid it behind her dark hair.

“Shut up,” Tifa said but she was smiling and she couldn’t stop it.

Aerith grinned. “Come on. Let’s make the best chocolate that will make Cloud speechless.”

***

Valentine’s Day rolled in before she knew it and finally, the chocolates were done and ready and placed inside a cute yellow box she had found in the convenience store outside Aerith’s neighborhood. When she had not been tending to her bar, Tifa had been spending her days with Aerith in her home or in the florist Aerith owned just down the street from the 7th Heaven, trying to come up with an idea on what kind of chocolates Tifa would want to give to Cloud. It hadn’t been until Yuffie strolled down the street and said that she had just seen Cloud and Zack riding their chocobos out of town that an idea struck her.

“Chocobos?” Aerith had asked her.

Tifa had nodded. “Cloud has been saying how he missed riding out on a chocobo, so maybe I can make a chocobo-themed chocolate?”

“Oh! That’s a nice idea! But, how will that work, exactly?”

Tifa had the image in her mind. A chocobo standing on a field of grass, with a simple message on the side, with one character on one square block of chocolate. She later spent most of the remaining days until Valentine’s Day in Aerith’s house, finalizing her chocolate idea and finally making it.

And now it was morning and they had promised to meet in the bar. Tifa was killing time by wiping the counter even though it was spotless clean, because her heart was hammering and her hands were sweating and she needed to keep herself busy lest she’d puke.

It was weird. They had known each other since they were children, been together since anyone could remember, and this wasn’t the first time she had given him Valentine’s chocolates. And though they had been going out for almost a year now—a fact she was still amazed of until this day—it didn’t stop the butterflies from wreaking havoc in her stomach.

It was going to be all right. He would come in. She would give him his chocolates. And they would live happily ever and after—

Dammit! This is not the time for that!

Tifa braced herself against the counter, letting out a loud sigh through her lips. Had Aerith given her chocolate to Zack yet? Tifa wondered how it had gone. She and Yuffie had pitched in to help make them—those materia chocolates. Tifa chuckled. She couldn’t believe Aerith actually managed to make them. Though in the end it didn’t end up looking like the pictures, because the mirror glaze was quite hard to make. They had just coated it in cocoa, strawberry, or matcha powder, nuts, and other sprinkles. Tifa could just imagine Zack’s astonished look when Aerith handed it to him.

How would Cloud look when she gave him his chocolate?

She checked the clock on the wall and was surprised to find it had already been half an hour past the time they were supposed to meet.

Tifa sat up straight and grabbed her phone. Did Cloud say anything about being late?

Just as she was about to check her mails, however, the door to the bar burst open, and there stood Cloud, in his dark coat, his blond hair disheveled. His appearance was so sudden that all nervousness and anxiety were driven away from Tifa’s mind.

“Cloud?” she exclaimed.

“Sorry, I—” He was breathless. His shoulders were slightly slumped, his chest heaving, as though he had run a mile. When he finally looked at her, she saw that his face was flushed, his jaws set, and with eyes that looked straight toward her, Cloud took several long strides until he reached the counter. But before she could do or say anything, he had procured from the pocket of his coat a single red rose, which he offered to her. “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

Tifa blinked once, or twice, absently taking the rose from Cloud’s fingers with a quiet thank you. It happened too fast. Her brain was still trying to catch up with the sudden change of events.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen, was it?

Her eyes were drawn toward the rose. A red rose, still fresh. Cloud had probably just bought it then. Or he could have plucked it somewhere in his rush to see her.

Tifa looked at him, really looked at him, and she realized the flush in his cheeks was more than due to exertion or the cold. The redness that had spread to his neck and ears, the pursed lips, the stiff back—Cloud had been nervous. Had he been too nervous that he ended up buying the rose on a whim? Had he bought it to alleviate his nervousness?

Whatever the reason was, Cloud’s unexpected gift made her giggle.

Her laugh seemed to unwind some tension off of him and Cloud looked at her in confusion. “Tifa?”

“Sorry, it’s just—” Tifa smiled. “Shouldn’t I be the one to give you something on Valentine’s Day?”

“Ah—” Cloud said, as though he had completely forgotten about that and the realization made him blush even more.

Tifa couldn’t stop herself. Her smile turned to a grin, which turned to a chuckle and a laugh. It seemed as though Cloud’s purpose in life was to make her laugh or smile to death because her heart was already filled to the brim with love for this awkward boy she had known all her life, and if he didn’t stop blushing, Tifa feared her love for him would spill and they wouldn’t know what to do with her.

Tifa placed the rose on the counter and gave him the yellow box of chocolate she had kept in the fridge. A simple yellow rectangular box with printed chocobo silhouettes, tied in a simple yellow ribbon. On its front was a handwritten card that said: Happy Valentine’s Day. Thank you for always being here with me.

Cloud looked at her, then at the box, before taking it in his hands and carefully undoing the ribbon. Inside were rows and rows of square blocks of chocolates of various colors: whites, blues, greens, yellows, reds, and dark chocolates, all forming a pixelated form of a chocobo standing on a grassy field under a vast blue sky, with the characters I, heart, and U on the side.

“Did you make this?”

“Is it weird?”

Cloud shook his head and when he looked at her, she saw him smile the brightest smile he had ever given her that made time seem to stop. Aerith was right. It was the most precious thing Tifa had ever seen.

“This is the best thing ever,” he said, and he pulled her into a quiet kiss, before whispering, “Thank you.”

~ END ~

#cloticonfessions2020 #cloti #final fantasy #final fantasy vii #fanfiction #my fanfiction #my story #ff fanfic #ff7 fanfic

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curewhimsy · 4 years ago

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Perrsonality descriptions for my Squishmallow collection that I have so far.

(It’s not a lot of content yet though.)

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Squishmallow bios

Danny lion- A lion who is very timid. However, he has moments of bravery that surprise everyone, even himself. Danny loves to eat meatloaf. He is very sentimental and is a bit of a crybaby, often writing poetry and is moved by works of beauty. Danny dreams of being on a rescue team who saves people from the dangers in Whimsica, however he feels he is too cowardly. But the one time he saved Acorn from a fire, everyone encouraged him. Birthday is March 28.

Simon red panda- Simon is a cheerful red panda who likes to play 4-footed soccer, a special kind of soccer animals play. He lives in a treehouse in Speckle town. Simon used to be very closed-off and lonely after his mother died. But through making friends and being part of the team, he regained a love of life. Simon treasures the simple things in life such as friendship, eating ice cream, having good dreams, and scoring a goal. He is also known for giving good advice to his friends. He can be clumsy but he doesn’t let it stop him. Birthday is April 22.

Song the panda- Song is a shy panda, but she loves to compose music. Song likes to eat plum dumplings and drink tea. Her favorite pastime is taking baths and singing in the tub. Song is shy, but the music she composes is mainly party music. She was once a DJ at a club for animals and was a hit. Birthday is May 3.

Chilly penguin- Chilly may be a penguin from the Antarctic, but their special ability is that they can breathe fire! Surprise! Their full name is actually Chilly Pepper. Sometimes Chilly feels like an outcast or a misfit for their power. They love cold weather, and their favorite food is sashimi, which is uncooked fish. But their power luckily comes in handy for defeating the abominable snow golems that spawn near their family’s home! Chilly is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. Birthday is July 2.

Benny raccoon- Benny may live in a dumpster behind an Italian restaurant, but it’s the cleanest dumpster you will ever see. Everything is organized and sanitized. It’s so neat, that it can be described as classy! Benny is a connoisseur of delicacies and his favorite food is Parmesan cheese. Many people think he would be stuck-up, but Benny is actually goofy and friendly. He is a big eater and is often found snacking away on Parmesan mac and cheese while watching a soap opera or reading a mystery novel. Benny loves dramatic stories as well. Birthday is June 4.

Star pastel unicorn- Star lives in a city up in the clouds. She likes to eat colorful star-shaped breakfast cereal that is mostly marshmallows and gummies. She is friends with Moemi Kise.

Ringo magenta unicorn- Ringo lives in an enchanted forest with the tastiest apples in all of Whimsica. The apples come in all sorts of beautiful and rare colors. Ringo is friends with Haruko Asada.

Acorn squirrel- A somewhat grouchy squirrel who doesn’t like to be chipper like other squirrels. Acorn lives in a hole in a big shady oak tree in the Violet Ivy University Campus and goes to the library a lot. Their favorite kinds of books are science fiction space odysseys and cookbooks. They aren’t a student at the university, but can be found around the campus. Acorn likes to cook all sorts of forest recipes and often has a nice aroma coming from their home. Acorn isn’t very social, and is uncomfortable socializing with those they don’t know well. But they are interesting and knowledgeable once you get to know them. Acorn is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. Birthday is February 5.

Delia fawn- Delia is a bit of a wild child, unlike the other gentle deer. She loves to explore and rough-play with animals a lot bigger than her. Delia is always getting into trouble, thinking of wild schemes and ideas, and then going through with them. Delia’s dream is to be a runner in the animal olympics. Birthday is February 24

Elmer dinosaur- Birthday is December 8

Sherry pink owl- Birthday is January 9

Rainy teal owl- Rainy is Cozy’s little sister. Birthday is April 5

Ferris pegasus- Ferris’ old home was in the stratosphere, but he moved down to the atmosphere because there weren’t a lot of friends in the stratosphere and he got lonely. He can eat clouds. Ferris is friends with Setsuna Usui. His birthday is January 30

Clyde dragon- Clyde is a cool guy who likes memes and video games. However, he is very shy. Loves pizza and Mountain Dew soda. Rumor has it that he is neon green because he drinks so much Mountain Dew. Clyde also loves gardening and has his own garden with many rare plants. Clyde lives in a small caldera, which is a crater left after a volcano eruption. There are a lot of green plants blooming in his home, and there is a pond in the center. Clyde is friends with Rie Kubota. Birthday is March 20

Kit cat- A cuddly and cozy cat. Kit loves to relax and is very friendly. She always has dreams about herself going on different wacky adventures. Since Kit is disabled and has mobility issues, being able to dream is important to her. Kit has a special power where if someone else is sleeping at the same time as her, she can appear inside of their dream, and share the dreams she has with all her friends. At night, Kit and her friends go on magical adventures inside of their dreams. Kit’s owner is Margot, and she is also friends with Rainy the owl. Her birthday is November 1

Boris koala- Boris is a deaf koala who uses sign language to communicate. He loves to paint pictures. His birthday is October 2

Slumber owl- A genius yet scatterbrained owl. Slumber may quote famous geniuses a lot, but sometimes at the wrong time. Slumber invents very elaborate knick-knacks, but most of them have an obscure reason to use that rarely occurs. His birthday is October 19.

Cozy owl- Slumber’s pal. A bit of a couch potato. However, he can play guitar. His birthday is September 27.

Lullaby owl- Lullaby runs a daycare service. She sings soothing lullabies, but she is also a death metal singer as well. Birthday is November 6.

Sugarplum cat- Birthday December 22

Raine alpaca

Pancake shiba dog

Swirl strawberry

Lolly Pop cat

Shortcake cat

Donut teal dog

Topaz dinosaur

Soda Pop bunny- Soda Pop is a docile bunny, but they are able to roar!

Macaroni dog- Macaroni is a big yet playful dog who likes to eat cheese and have adventures. He has boundless curiosity and likes to explore new places such as forests and caves.

Periwinkle squid

Goo jellyfish

Gouda octopus

Comfy donkey- Birthday is August 9.

Art cat- Birthday is May 30.

Prism cat- Birthday is May 30.

Ice Pop bunny- Birthday is January 12

Jubilee bunny- Birthday November 19

Ellie elephant

Corn Dog pug

Nacho fox

Bailey lamb

Wanda butterfly

Mango flamingo- Birthday is September 1

Gumdrop cat

Doodle turtle

Peach flamingo

Smiley clownfish

Seamore dolphin

Finn shark

Ketchup octopus- Birthday is May 18

Mochi seal- A fashionable and outgoing seal

Lime turtle- Lime is a bit of a pest, but he means well.

Walnut walrus- A gentle and sensitive walrus

Flapjack dog- Birthday July 20

Crepe Suzette cheetah-

Estella fox-

#my stuffies #squishmallow #squishmallows #whimsica #my writing #life of pastell #oc #ocs #whimsica saga #im using them as characters in stories #aka ocs

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romcnticist · 4 years ago

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🗽―[ danielle rose russell, twenty, cis female, she/her, ] oh my god, give me that! is it again [ annabelle chase ] on the cover? the article really can’t be more biased, they totally made the current graduate of [ constance billard ] seem [ + humble ] & [ + generous ], and let me tell you once everyone started talking about [ her break up with her long-term boyfriend ], she was totally [ - naive ] & [ - self deprecating ]. on top of that, on the last rooftop lounge party, the dj blasted [ Juliet by LMNT ] for her and everyone thought of [ the smell of freshly baked cookies, contemplative walks in the park, an iphone covered in decorative stickers, intros to old movies ] on the spot. let’s see if gossip girl has something to say about it!!

Hello everyone!! You can thank Chris for my presence here (i’m kidding i’m so humbled to be here with my friends and to make new ones too jfoaweghewig i stg i’m nice i’m just chaotic as HELL)

I’ve had this muse for a few years now and I’m absolutely in love with her and I just want the best for her so plz love her...

A N N A B E L L E :

Annabelle, more commonly known as “Belle”, considers herself the hay in the needle stack. She’s harmless most of the time and just wishes people were so FUCKING RUDE TO EACH OTHER.

Her dad is in the wine making business and is doing very well in that.

Her mom owns a franchise of baked goods called “Annabelles”. Of course, named after her beloved daughter.

Annabelles are exactly like Little Debbies Cakes, and an artistic drawing of her baby picture is on EVERY. SINGLE. BOX. They have Strawberry Shortcakes, Cookies and Cream Cakes, Raspberry Cake Rolls, Chocolate Chip Cookie Pies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Bars, and have recently gotten into the stuffed fruit pie category.

Yeah, there’s a reason she likes to be called Belle. She was picked on in middle school for it a lot.

Her parents split up when her father couldn’t handle her mother’s success.

Belle was 16 years old when she was in peak frustration. Puberty had hit her like a truck and she struggled to hold on to more than a few friends at a time because they all, eventually, decided they wanted to be bitches and she wasn’t down with that.

But then she started going out with Leo Hawthorne. He was sweet, he liked her a lot, he was pretty. She didn’t really need much else to go off of, so she went for it.

He was her first everything. She thought no one wanted to go out with the nice girl from the “Cake Family” until he came and showed her just how desirable she really is. She still doesn’t believe it, but oh well.

The major plus side of getting a boyfriend was that the tabloids were talking about something OTHER than her being a literal fetus.

However, after a while, Belle started picking things up from her mom’s recipes that she created for each cake. She started questioning things, playing with ingredients, until suddenly, she became a better chef than her mother.

Her father, however, wanted to tap into Belle’s talent and taught her about actually cooking, not just baking. It’s kinda been a war back and forth between her parents as to who’s gonna inherit her talents one day.

Belle wants to start her own restaurant, no franchising for now. She wants to go to school and do it properly and make something that has to bring her parents together.

So she’s in college right now studying art and culinary arts.

Meanwhile, Belle and Leo were dating for four fucking years. They were everyone’s favorite instagram couple until Belle shared the news that they decided to, respectfully, part ways.

While the internet cried over their break up, Belle had to hold her head up high. But she’s broken inside.

She trying to get out there and experiment; meet new guys just for the hell of it, give people a second chance, make new friends, strengthen her old friendships. She’s all about OTHER PEOPLE right now.

Her personality can be boiled down to, like, balloons at Disney World, early 2000′s songs, paint all over her hands, pastel macarons, flour covered hands, sarcastic comments, memes at 2am, silently correcting your grammar but looking visibly distressed.

POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS/PLOT IDEAS:

New friends

New friends she’s giving a second chance cause maybe they hated each other in high school

Old friends, long time friends, best friends

People who are trying to get her to party more

Opposites attract friendships

Soft friendships

Guys she’s experimenting with after her break up with Leo

People who crush on her that she feels bad about rejecting

#ues.intro

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cass-chan12 · 6 years ago

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Felony of the Heart (Ch 2)

Fandom: Fairy Tail Genre: Romance and Friendship Pairing: Main- NaLu. Sides- Gajevy, Gruvia and Jerza

Summary: What would you do if you were forced into a school that deals with Delinquents and young adults that have committed felonies? Lucy Heartfilia would rather chance it than going back home to being married off. What lies ahead for the blonde is unknown but she's convinced she can make it through with him by her side

Chapter one

CHAPTER TWO

"How we need another soul to cling to"- Sylvia Plath

Lying in the darkness was scarier than I imagined.

Sleep would never claim me that first night, from the tiniest of sounds my eyes would snap open and stare at the ceiling for ages. No thought would come to mind, no tear would form in my eyes now would words come to my mouth. All I could focus on was the occasional buzzing of a mosquito or one of the other girl's soft snores. I continued to listen and I would pick up on new sounds such as the strong wind outside creating a gentle howl, or a creaking sound of wood outside the room, which proved we were literally watched over 24/7.

It must be past midnight and the lids of my eyes didn't falter and my twists and turns in my bed from the restlessness made too much commotion, so I decided to stay on the side facing my neighbour's bed. It was the small bluenette I sat next to in Confessional's. She was fast asleep with tear stains on her face; I had heard her cry tonight but chose to ignore it. We all did in this dorm; there were a lot of young girls in here- which led me to ask why they would do such heinous things to get in here. But I can't judge, I don't know them or what they've done. I'm wary of making friends here but the loneliness makes my heart ache. Back at the house this feeling came many times, but I had friends there to stop the aching. I was alone now and I don't know how long it will last.

I did manage to sleep, maybe a few hours. The morning siren went off and boomed across the campus; waking all of us up. Moans and grumbles creaked in the room similar to the movement of zombies, all the girls, including myself, got ready for our first day of learning and disciplining- as the Principal explained to us yesterday.

There were a lot of rules and regulations set, it seemed like they must have copied a prison handbook.

1) All electrical devices are prohibited

2) The main house, Gardens, sports grounds (Aka the boot camp course) are prohibited to enter unless accompanied by a supervisor or teacher.

3) The front and back gate, the fence and the opposite sex's dormitory are prohibited with or without supervisor or teacher. If you are caught in any of these areas, you will be punished with a week's worth of community service.

4) Flashy and bright clothing will be taken from personal items.

5) Personal items must be kept in the provided foot locker under each student's bed.

6) Wake up calls; Monday-Friday 5:30am, Saturday and Sunday 6:00am. Breakfast will be served at 7:00am on all days

7) Before leaving to Breakfast, dormitories must be cleaned to House guardian's approval and students must be dressed accordingly.

8) Classes for students start at 8:00am- 16:00pm. Dinner is at 18:00pm. Lights out at 21:00pm

9) Mondays gather for assembly. Confessional groups are on Sunday at 10:00am.

10) Any attempt of escape will result in a transfer to a state prison.

But the way I understood it, this place was a state prison. This was barely a school besides the actual classes, not to mention we get cleaning assignments every day. It will be tough for me since I didn't have to do that back home, but between cleaning a toilet and going home… I'd clean every single one here instead of going back.

As I put on my clothes I looked to the outside window, some students where already going to the cafeteria in which my stomach growled for attention. I finished putting the ugly grey uniform on and tied my hair loosely with a hair tie that was in my foot locker under my bed. When I got the okay to leave after I cleaned my section I walked down the stairs and peeked into the dormitory rooms I passed and the aura was plain miserable. My generation really loves their sleep…

I reached the outside of the Dorm house and through the trees I noticed the sky was clouding up, slowly becoming overcast. The mood is as depressing as it can get, but now I don't know whether I can last till Lunch. My shoes clacked against the cobblestone pavement and the many shushed tones of voices swept passed me, either it was gossiping or the fear of speaking too loud in the hell hole. I ignored the comments that were loud enough to hear, but one word kept coming up.

Alone

Yes I am alone but so was everyone else. It occurred to me how true that statement was when I collected my breakfast and sat one of the large tables. Everyone spoke to each other but their eyes and expressions showed those of an outsider. I saw a few of the people that where in my Confessional session, I noticed especially the small blue haired girl; whose bed is next to mine in the dorm. She looked lost and depressed, searching for a seat.

I slowly lifted my arm and waved to her, she blinked and shuffled her feet shyly towards me. She placed her tray across from mine and sat down keeping her face downwards hiding her expression. I coughed trying to catch her attention and get some eye contact which seemed like the only attention I could get here.

"I'm Lucy. But you probably know that" I joked dryly.

She looked up like a helpless animal and smiled slightly. "I'm Levy. Likewise" she countered.

I smiled at her and turned my attention back at my food, which looked more inedible than when I picked it up in the first place.

"This food looks foul." I said dropping my spoon back in my bowl.

"Back at my old school, it wasn't any different." Levy said taking a bite from her oatmeal.

I frowned at the plate losing my appetite quick. Until I felt someone else sit at the table.

"Here; try putting this in. It'll make it taste better." A female voice said

I peered up and saw red; a beautiful scarlet red. It was the girl from my Confessional group, and even though her hair was neatly tied up it was still striking as ever. She handed me some Honey in a small container which clearly wasn't given out in the school. I took it stealthily without anyone else seeing and quickly added it to my porridge. I took a bite and moaned in delight, the taste of something so simply sweet was delectable.

"That's so much better, thanks." I said.

She smiled and lifted her tray to walk away. But I coughed to stop her "You want to sit with us?" I asked shyly.

She smiled again with a little red hue sprinkled on her cheeks, giving away the suspicion she wanted to sit there in the first place. She put her tray next to mine and sat down tucking a stray piece of her pretty hair behind her ear. She cautiously brought more honey out of her pocket and added it to her porridge.

"May I ask where you get this?" Levy asked.

Erza 'hmmed' while eating her breakfast. She swallowed and then smiled "Before they took my personal stuff I snatched my recipe for strawberry shortcake and exchanged it for anything I want out the kitchen."

Levy and I were shocked, just how good was this recipe if it gave her fulltime access to the kitchen?

"Wouldn't you get in trouble if one of the dictators found out?" I asked

She smiled again which was comforting since this place really didn't showcase anything to smile about. Erza's features were calm too, it was strangely soothing. I thought about it, her and I were in the same boat. In confessionals Zancrow mentioned she pleaded guilty with the case she was charged with, and not to mention that blue haired kid admitted she was dragged into his situation.

She didn't belong here either.

"Well I had a friend in here before I arrived and he gave me some tips of the school. He also told me that the cafeteria is the safest place to breathe in here." she explained

I looked around the area and it did seem happier than everywhere else. The chattering was louder and sounded like a normal high school; which kind of made me anxious.

"Why is that?" Levy asked.

Erza pushed her tray away from her and rubbed her belly in satisfaction. "Ahhh… I think it has to do with the cafeteria supervisor. Rumour is that he blows his duty to tend to his prized doll collection."

I wasn't sure I heard properly but Levy was laughing which made me giggle a bit too. Sounds like a freaky dude if that were true, but regardless the room seemed less depressing and did lift my mood. It was strange how I made two friends in here, although both really didn't look like they belonged here in the first place.

I couldn't for a fact, believe the small bluenette in front of me, was in here. She was the size of a small child and was in her bed crying her eyes out only a few hours ago. It didn't fit either way you looked at it, but my thoughts went back to what she said in the confessional room, she said she only did what she did to get enough money and run away from home. I can relate, so who am I to judge her. And of course; Erza being dragged into something by that blue-haired guy, from her personality she seemed very girly but at the same time she had an aura of respect around her: Something you wouldn't find in a real Delinquent. I should stop pretences and judging, I will be around these people for who knows how long and I might learn a thing or two like I had meeting Levy and Erza.

It was almost time to go to class so I waved goodbye to Levy and Erza and went back to my dorm to get my books that were pre-ordered by the school. I grabbed the books and stuffed them in a backpack that was in my footlocker. A small slip of paper fell out of one of the books which looked like my schedule. I cringed a bit at my classes; every lesson was just about two hours, I had Math then Languages, after was History then finally Sciences. We had one lunch break for 45 minutes.

I'm going to die today.

I sighed heavily and walked to the school building slowly with the weight of the bag on my back and the wind sweeping past my face. I missed the sun; the trees in this place created an impregnable shield for sunlight to come in. The clouds would sometimes break away for some sunlight, but the only opening there to let sunlight come through was beyond the front gate. My gaze at beyond the gate looked suspicious to the guards patrolling the yards; I shifted my gaze at the school building and avoided eye contact.

Entering the school, there were more guards posted by the door checking our bags and pockets. This made me extremely uncomfortable; the woman guard scratched through my bag and checked my pockets (with no regard to the manner she was doing it.)

The school looked the same with every door I passed or every corner I turned; which would make it very easy to be late to class with everything looking the same. Students were trying to find their homerooms, many of which bumped into me and roughly I might add. Some of the students that did looked incredibly scary, and I was scared that if I had complained I might be flattened.

As I kept walking I recognised the guy with piercings on his face from my Confessional session, Gajeel, I think his name was, except he had them taken out and his long black hair had been chopped off. Normal didn't suit him. He noticed I was staring, his response made me quake in fear.

"What are you staring at you Bitch!" he yelled.

Startling the other students I kept my head down and quickly apologised. I sprinted off down the hall to avoid any further confrontation but stopped as I heard another voice.

"Calm down you shithead!"

My body swung around as I heard the familiar voice. The blur of pink filled my sight and gnarling teeth become the second thing I saw.

"You wanna start with me you pyromaniac?!" Gajeel yelled.

"You started this fight when you yelled at her!"

The boys were centimetres away from starting a fist fight. I quickly dashed to the pink haired pyro and grazed my fingers on his shoulder "Natsu" I mumbled.

He didn't listen and kept staring at Gajeel, growling like a beast. I put my hand on his shoulder this time. "Natsu stop." I said with my voice trembling.

He looked over his shoulder and caught sight of my face. His onyx eyes that displayed anger and ferocity had simmered down and dulled. He was about to say something until I felt a hand grabbing my arm.

I was shoved back by one of the men that had escorted me yesterday. Two more of his co-workers roughly pushed themselves though the crowd that had gathered when the commotion had started. The large men both pushed Natsu and Gajeel against the floor with their arms twisted to their backs. Yelps and hisses emitted from the boys and my own pain of the man's grip was ignored from what my eyes were witnessing.

"I understand your love for violence, but obviously your peanut sized brains don't understand where you currently are" appeared another voice.

My fear escalated. This man was beyond intimidating, he was fairly normal looking but his stature was big and his eyes were cold and vicious. His voice was deep and sent shivers down my spine.

"Greetings Mr Dragneel, Mr Redfox, I am Azuma-sensei; Head of Discipline. You boys are my first cases of the school year, well done." He said formerly with much indifference.

He turned to me and my face felt cold, I could feel myself paling in front of him "Careful miss Heartfilia, getting involved in trivial things like this might just get you into deeper trouble."

He snapped his fingers and the hand that was holding tightly on my arm was let go and left me almost falling to the floor, I stumbled but managed to stay on my feet. I rubbed my arm soothingly and remembered that my arm was still bruised from yesterday's handlings. My eyes lifted up from my arm to see the two boys being taken away outside the school building. I clicked my tongue in distaste, going to such extremities over a fight that didn't even happen. I was close to stopping it anyway.

Remembering the softening of Natsu's eyes reassured me he was going to back down. Natsu… Why did he do that in the first place? Was he itching for a fight or something? Why did he…

"Don't give up. We're in this together."

"We're in this together." I mumbled.

I didn't know what he meant at first but it's all clear now. These people who were called our teachers and our disciplinarians and even our own principal, they are here to do what they are paid to do. That's to torture us. And they ENJOY it. So if they are not looking out for us, then it's up to us to look out for another.

Class seemed like an eternity, it was so close to lunch I could almost hear my stomach yell across the room. 'Just one more period' I told myself.

As I sat at my desk my eyes immediately looked outside the window, fortunately enough my desk was right next to it. High on the second floor I could peer beyond the fences into the lush forest. Although something else caught my eye, I saw two figures and I squinted to concentrate. I rubbed my eye at the realisation of who the figures were.

In the midst of a hot summer's day, Natsu and Gajeel were being severely punished physically. Battered and bruised the boys were digging up trenches and filling them up again. The hard ground made every movement harder than the next and by the looks of it the boys have been working ever since Azuma-sensei took them in this morning.

I lost my appetite. How could I think of food when Natsu was out there suffering because he was looking out for me? I looked over to the two and they were heading towards the boys dorm, what a relief.

"Miss Heartfilia, unless you'd like to join the labour outside, I suggest you pay attention." The teacher, I think his name was Rustyrose-sensei.

My head snapped to the direction to the board with no hesitation and Rustyrose continued on with his class.

My mind didn't concentrate though. It just did a direct U-turn back to Natsu. I felt my cheeks warming up at the thought of him. The boy could really have bad issues with his pyromania, yet why does that make me more curious about him?

Trying to look like I was concentrating, the bell rang signalling lunch time. I almost sprinted to the cafeteria. All thoughts were diminished as my stomach overpowered my brain. Although my Stomach never had a nose and the smell of lunch was less than pleasing. I think it was meatloaf… I think. Sat at an empty table hoping I get Levy or Erza to sit by me… Or even Natsu.

I shook my head furiously. I huffed and shoved a piece of whatever in my mouth, I had confirmed it wasn't meatloaf.

"Gross, what is that?"

My body stiffened at the familiar voice. My head looked up to the pink haired boy that had been plaguing my mind since this morning. He was in a new clean uniform and probably had to shower after the manual work he did. My eyes darted to the scratches and bruises along his arms. I felt terrible.

"I'm so sorry Natsu." I said softly.

His happy smile, which seemed to be the first I've seen of his since I've met him, disappeared. I couldn't look him in the eyes, I would cry if I did. I felt the bench move and looked up to his face which was level to mine.

"Don't be. I honestly don't care what they do to me in here." He said.

He smiled again, I liked it. It was warm, joyful and natural. Like everything he had experienced this morning was nothing.

"If the best they can do is make me work then fine, I don't mind. Because in the end I protected my friend and that's all that matters."

"You hardly know me though. How am I your friend?"

I admit that sounded harsh, it wasn't my intention to make it sound like that. He kept smiling though; I couldn't bring myself to be mean to him with that goofy smile on his face.

"We both have something in common. We both deserve a better life."

The words never hit harder, I wanted to cry at that simple truth. I did deserve one. I craved for it.

"There are some other kids in here that deserve better lives too. I think we should befriend them and start a group." he suggested and interrupted my thoughts.

That wasn't a bad idea. The thought of having more people having your back would help. Although in a school like this you have to be wary.

Then it hit me "I know two people to start with." I said smiling at him.

"Yosh! We're in this together" he said cheerfully, almost making that line of his a motto.

I recited.

"We're in this together"

#felony of the heart #fairy tail #fairy tail nalu #nalu #fairy tail fanfic #fairy tail fanfiction

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esmeblaise · 1 year ago

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so what if i told you i was working on my version of a strawberry shortcake reboot

character summary

#strawberry shortcake #apple dumplin #orange blossom #huckleberry pie #blueberry muffin #raspberry tart #lemon meringue #plum puddin #angel foodcake #esmeblaise art #strawberry shortcake recipe for friendship #ssrff

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inquisitorinquisitor · 7 years ago

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Commission: Grayza

Commissioner: Anon.

My first Commission! Hehe

Pairings: GrayxErza

Along with some BrOtp with other people or mentioned possible couples. Enjoy.

It was supposed to be a simple, simple, simple recipe.

Just a simple recipe.

A strawberry shortcake recipe.

Gray did not understand where he went wrong. One moment he had placed the cake in the oven and he turned around to make the frosting when the smell of something burning entered his nose. Quickly turning around to see that smoke was trying to escape the oven. When he went to open the oven door, he burned his hand and smoke filled the entire apartment when he opened it.

The Ice User quickly found a fire extinguisher and fired at the oven. Once he managed to clean up the oven in an attempt to figure out what happened… Gray smacked his forehead when he realized the mold he had used was not meant to go into an oven.

While all of this was occurring, Gray forgot to turn off the hand-held blender that was still in the bowl. The blender shook enough that it fell over and splatted cream, sugar and butter all over the kitchen while Gray attempted to clean up the oven.

Why was he doing all of this?

His and Erza’s first anniversary is coming up and Gray wanted to bake a cake. So far… it was not looking good, not for him, his kitchen and cooking appliances. This was his fifth attempt on making the pastry and it all had similar results.

The first attempt, it actually turned out great, but it had so much sugar that the taste taster had to see the Old Hag for a remedy. Which still reminds Gray that he’ll have to face a very pissed off Lighting Dragon Slayer later that week…

Second Attempt, never in his life did Gray ever see cake bounce…

Third attempt, managed to convince the taste taster to give him another try… now she has to broken tooth. Oh, he’s going to get his butt handed to him but dammit! This cake needs to happen!

Fourth attempt… Let us not talk about that one.

The fifth attempt, this attempt… wrong mold. Just the wrong mold.

Gray raised his hands into the air cursing out the First’s name in vain. His oven is beyond use now, he’s out of ingredients and is girlfriend is due to arrive back at the Guild by the end of the day.

Of course, he had the opportunity to just buy a cake.

No.

That will make things to easy and impersonal.

Gray decided to make a strawberry shortcake himself.

If only he listened to his friends. Go buy a cake. Not be bothered with the hassle. Erza will not even know the difference. The main difference would be the price tag. So, here’s Gray trying to recreate that ridiculous cake to no avail. With the amount of ingredients, he’s spending to make this cake would amount in buy the damn cake itself.

“Dammit… This did not go as planned.” Gray muttered to himself while he took off his jeans and ring out the extinguisher foam and what was supposed to be frosting. With a frown, he looked over at his wallet that he placed on the table and did a mental calculation of how much he had left in there. It was not looking good for him. “I should have just bought that dammed cake to begin with.”

Some time later…

“WHY ISN’T THIS WORKING!!!”

Lucy and Levy slowly edged away from Ezra as she attempted to clothing from scratch. Erza had actually arrived back in Magnolia Town last night with bundles of fabric in hand and ensured no one knew of her arrival. The only ones that knew of her arrival were mainly the ladies in Fairy Hills… as Erza did not bother to keep quiet of her frustration of making a set of clothes for Gray and Lucy. The latter was there to talk to Levy and they heard curses form Ezra’s room. They investigated and well… the entire room had what looked to be unfinished clothing, ripped cloth and several sewing machines thrown around broken.

So far, from what Lucy took note of, several of the pieces Erza attempted to do were done in the wrong sizes, sewn too close to the edges and the wrong material. Two pieces, what assumed to be a buttoned up was done in denim while a pair of jeans was created in statin. They look amazing, but from the Celestial Mage imagined what was wrong with it, wrong material… and uncomfortable.

“Dammit!!!!” Erza cursed out as she accidently sewn over her pointer finger. In frustration, the Requip Mage picked up the sewing machine and chucked out across her room and scaring her occupants. When Erza saw that she had company, her entire expression to one of shock and dismay. “Er… Hi guys… hehe…heh.”

“Here I thought Gray was having problems with his anniversary gift…” Levy whispered to Lucy, watching Ezra looking for a first aid kit for her wound.

“He still is having problems, he came to me and Natsu to see if he could borrow some cash…and out kitchen.” Lucy whispered back defeatedly, shaking her head at the memory. Gray arriving at her apartment only wearing soaking and stained jeans, carrying grocery bags and Natsu following him, whom was laughing nonstop. She took pity on the Ice Mage but threatened if he destroyed her kitchen that he will owe her three months rent. That only seemed to depressed Gray even more.

“Please tell me you did not allow that to happen with Natsu under the same roof?”

“I had to bribe him with a promise of taking him out for breakfast tomorrow.” Lucy face fell at the thought of having to buy Natsu breakfast tomorrow. To top it off, at a buffet. There goes this months rent. “At least Happy won’t be there…”

“Why are you two here?”

Levy and Lucy nearly jumped into the air in complete freight, temporarily forgetting they were still in Erza’s room. “Er….”

“Well?” Erza huffed, she had managed to unsewn her finger and sanitized it before putting on a bandage. She looked around the room to see the mess she had created and inwardly wondered how much fabric she had left… and if any of the sewing machines where still usable.

“Well… ah…” Levy looked up at Lucy and elbowed her for help.

“Ah!” Lucy glared at Levy momentarily, before she looked back at Erza with an uneasy laugh. “We heard noises coming from your room… and we thought you were still on a mission?”

Erza’s entire expression fell at the mention of the supposed mission. It was not even a mission, it was just her wanting to go out and buy fabrics to make Gray something for their anniversary. Which is proving to be more difficult than she originally thought. “How much have you seen?”

“Right when you had sewn your finger.”

“Ugh…” Erza fell to her knees and raised her hand to grip her hair tightly in frustration. “Nothing is working.”

“What are you trying to make anyway?” Levy asked, she picked up some of the pieces that Erza created to take a full look at the unfinished pair of pants. She sweat dropped when she saw Erza is now laying on the carpet, screaming into it.

“Clothes… I have been trying to make Gray clothes…” Erza moaned into the carpet, she looked up to see her friends flinch back when they saw her tears of frustration. “Nothing is working right.”

“Have you asked Juvia for help?”

“Why?”

Levy and Lucy looked at each other and let out a sigh.

“Juvia creates her own clothing, dolls, and have you even seen her room? She’s a natural!”

“She could help you… or you could hire her to make the clothing herself and pass it off as your own.” Levy said thoughtfully, she gave Lucy a pointed look when the blonde sent her a look of flabbergast. “Their date is tonight and she’s at her wit ends.”

“That’s actually a good idea.” Erza had stars in her eyes as she processed what Levy had just told her. That was a very good idea indeed. Now to see of the resident Water Mage is still in her room or at the Guild. Wait… then people will see her and inform Gray of her presence. She slowly got up from the carpet, her friends not seeing her as she began to loom over them. When they did, Levy and Lucy gulped when Erza grabbed hold of their shoulders. “I need you two, to do me a favor…”

Somewhere else in Fairy Hills…

To contrary to the beliefs of many, Juvia did not cause a scene when Gray and Erza announced they were seeing each other. No. None of that. She learned to love herself before she learned to love someone else. In that process she fully let go of Gray and Juvia felt such a heavy weight was gone off her shoulders.

Juvia and Gray actually became best friends, well… not in the same context as him and Natsu, but best friends! Almost exactly like her and Gajeel. Hehe.

A friendship Juvia is becoming to regret. She rubbed her cheek and stomach in pain, never again she is ever going to taste test any of Gray’s pastries. The first time around was just her helping him out. The second time… she should have learned from past mistakes. The resident healer managed to heal her tooth but it is still sore and was having trouble speaking because of it.

Even with the pain, Juvia continued to help Gray with his anniversary gift. She almost snorted seeing the Ice Mage climb through her window with cooking supplies in his arms. Once upon a time she would have squealed and faint at the sight. Now, she’s more annoyed and in pain.

“What does Gray-san want Juvia to make?” Juvia signaled for Gray to follow her to the kitchen area of her room.

Gray looked around the room to see that Juvia gotten rid of everything that had his face on it, except for the photographs him them along with their guildmates and friends. There were random pieces of yellow and purple stern around but not enough to make a massive statement. “I need your help making a cake.”

Juvia froze in her spot, she slowly turned around with a look that made Gray take several steps back. “Come again?”

Gray gulped. “I… need help making… a strawberry shortcake.”

Juvia took in a deep breath and quickly snatched the bags from Gray’s arms. “Leave. Juvia will do this on her own. Gray-san will simply her kitchen.”

Not even to bother with a retort, Gray ran towards the window and jumped out. He did not want to be at the end of Juvia’s anger and he already had go back to Lucy’s apartment to clean it up before she gets back home to see a huge mess he had created.

With a huff, Juvia stomped towards her kitchen and placed the bags on the counter. She nearly jumped out of her boots when she heard a knock coming from her door. Sighing, Juvia wondered who it was. Going over to her doo and opened to reveal Levy and Lucy, very suspicious looking Levy and Lucy. “Yes?”

“We need your help.”

“Well, Erza needs your help with Gray’s anniversary’s gift.”

Juvia took in a deep breath, she looked over where she placed Gray’s supplies warily. “What does Erza-san want Juvia to do?”

Date night…

Erza paced around her room for what felt like an eternity. Her hair was done, make-up to perfection and her favorite red dress adorned her body. She had decided to not where her shoes yet until it was time to go. After sending off her friends to have Juvia help her, they sent word via. Virgo that she has to pick up the gift from Juvia’s apartment before she had to leave to meet up with Gray in front of the Guild.

Looking at the clock Erza decided it was time to go.

Somewhere else…

Gray hung out of Juvia’s window, waiting for her place the blasted cake in an container for him to take. He once again looked around the apartment to see a boxed gift placed on top of a dresses. The Ice Mage had not gotten words that Laxus had returned and isn’t set to return for another half a month. Eh, whatever, not his problem anyway.

“Here.” Juvia handed Gray a white box that contained the strawberry shortcake. “Juvia hopes Erza-san loves it.”

“Thanks, Juvia.” Gray sent her a thankful smile before he dropped down towards the ground.

Juvia let out a sigh of relief and plopped herself down on a plush chair. Friends…

A knock interrupted her temporary peace.

“Come in.” Juvia called out, not even bothering to get up from her spot. She saw Erza popped her head into the room and started to sniff the air. Cold sweat dropped down Juvia’s neck, forgetting about the S-Class Mage knack for smelling out her favorite treat. “Erza-san, are you okay?”

“Did you make strawberry shortcake?” Erza asked with hearts in her eyes.

“I-I made some for lunch.” Juvia squeaked out, a thought ran passed through her mind. “I gave what was left to Levy and Lucy.”

Erza made a mental note of that and looked around the room to find what she assumed to be Gray’s gift. “Thank you, Juvia.”

“Erza is most welcome. I hope you have a goodnight.”

“Thanks!”

Erza took the gift and ran out of the room and Fairy Hills towards the Guild. The sound of her heels clicking against the ground could be heard around the star filled sky. Stress no longer present in her system and only giddiness ran through her system.

It took her around twenty minutes to arrive at the Guild and Erza quickened her pace when she saw the familiar silhouette of her boyfriend. The closer she got to him, a familiar smell filled her nose that caused her to think back at Fairy Hills.

Gray watched Erza come closer to the Guild, at that moment he could not but feel he had won the lottery. For the first time in his life since the death of his parents and teacher, he could finally get close to someone without the fear of them dying in front of him. In truth, Erza is by far the most powerful person he had ever met and is breaking down his wal-Why does that gift look familiar?

Erza and Gray stood in front of each other, staring at each other’s respective gifts questioningly. They both had a feeling where they attained the gifts but kept silent. Should they bring it up? Maybe. Are they? No. Neither of them wants to explain why they went to their common friend for help when they could not do something on their own. Too much pride.

Taking the lead, Gray held out his gift to Erza. “Happy First Anniversary, Erza.”

“Happy First Anniversary, Gray.”

#grayza #commission #strawberry shortcake #Cake #fairy tail

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