#THEY ARE THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL

[chimielie]

send flowers to my funeral

summary: Matsukawa x Reader. happy birthday FREAK

word count: 924

cw: no minors pls 🙏 suggestive content (scene starts immediately after mattsun and reader have finished having sex), no gendered terms or genitalia are mentioned but reader is pretty clearly. how do i put this delicately. getting fucked by him on the regular, fwb to lovers

a/n: my apologies for the incorrect characterization (mattsun and makki have a coffee table which is frankly unrealistic). also i insert a completely random rarepair headcanon with no context and then don’t expand at all

"My back hurts," you moan. "Get off me."

"One second," Issei says, his naked chest warm as his big body blankets you. "I'm tired."

"You're tired?" You can't even twist your neck up to look at him. You hope your tone betrays your incredulity.

"Well, I was the one doing all the work," he says, and you gasp indignantly.

"No, actually, get off of me!" You say. "All you have to do is," you back your hips up into his, where you're still connected. He groans, and you lose your train of thought for a split second. "You think those acrobatics are easy?"

"It was a mutual effort," he cedes. "Hey—"

"No," you say, aggravated. "I'm sore."

He shifts slightly, one thick forearm braced next to your head. You're bent over the arm of the couch, forehead almost touching the cushions. You say: "Okay, after I shower."

Showering together is one of those things you don't do, like kissing or staying the night. You'd put up emotional guards when you started doing whatever it is you and Issei do.

They hadn't worked, like, at all.

In the shower, you don't play music, just scrub yourself down and prod the red marks he'd left behind. On the hips, the chest, the ass. You never take long, afraid to use up his hot water or reveal something you don't mean to vis-à-vis the affinity for love songs you've developed.

After you've left the shower and the both of you drip water all over his covers, he puts the sheets in the laundry and pulls you back onto the couch, really on the couch this time, his feet up on the arm, his arms around you.

"It's my birthday today," he says suddenly, and you jolt. You hadn't known that. "My friends and I are gonna go for dinner. Come with?"

You stare at him with wide eyes.

"You should've told me, I would've been nicer to you," you say, still trying to wrap your head around the question he'd asked you.

"You're plenty nice to me," he laughs, "what are you talking about?"

"What are you talking about?" You parrot. "Do your friends even know about me?"

"'Course," you feel one shoulder move in a shrug beneath you. "I told them about the time you faxed nudes to the mortuary.”

You’d been particularly proud of that feat, right up until he’d called you and you’d heard it in his very voice that you wouldn’t be walking the next day.

“Wow, I had no idea that was what made me stand out,” you laugh. “I don’t have any plans tonight, anyway. How many others have you invited?”

“Oh, it’s just the guys from high school,” he shrugs. “Kawa and Iwa always have some other volleyball addict strapped to their backs, so there’ll probably be a couple more, but I don’t really like parties.”

Issei is the most low-maintenance guy you know. You admire his ability to go with the flow, to let life wash over him and appreciate the ride.

“No, I meant how many of the others,” you gesture to yourself, a tiny movement. “Like me?”

“You’re the only person who’ll be there that I’ve had sex with, if that’s what you mean,” there’s a little smile on his face, one that makes your heart skip a beat. “Crazy.”

“Didn’t you and Iwaizumi have a thing for a while?” You point out.

“Hooking up once in high school is not the same as having a thing,” he insists. His heartbeat is speeding up under your palm, you notice. Funny. “You and Iwaizumi, then. That’s it.”

“Huh.” You say, and then are quiet for a while. “Matsukawa, forgive me for asking—if this is weird—what are we?”

“I hate that you only call me Issei in bed,” he says.

“I called you that on the couch, like, an hour ago.”

“You know what I mean, don’t be difficult.”

“I am difficult,” you say. “I’m high-maintenance and I’m too much work for someone easygoing like you.”

“I like working on you,” he says, pinching your arm. “I like that you try to be low-maintenance ‘cause you think that’s what I want and you still take up half my day when you’re here and all my mind when you’re not.”

Your lips part, blown off-kilter by his sincerity.

“I think I’m trying to ask you to be official,” he finishes, “but I think I’m fucking it up.”

“You’re not,” you laugh, “don’t worry. I was just going to die if you asked me to come meet all your friends just as the one who faxed you nudes.”

“If you died, I’d do your funeral for free,” he promises. “Oh, shit! That’s what I forgot.”

He shoves you away rather unceremoniously and you struggle to catch your breath on the couch in the few seconds he’s gone.

Issei comes back, a cluster of flowers bundled in one hand, his hair sticking up on one side from lying on the couch. You’ve never seen something so handsome.

You sit up and kiss him before you think about it, his lips soft and warm and a little chapped under yours. For all the time you’ve spent with him, it has the same clumsy charm as any first kiss with someone new, the sparking romance as metal strikes against itself. His cheeks are hot under your hands when you pull away.

“It should’ve been me giving you a birthday gift,” you say softly. “Thank you, Issei.”

(The two of you are late to dinner.)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

hello! i need a bit of help with verbs, more so the basic verbs and their synonyms.

Writing Notes: Verbs

Verb - a word that shows an:

action (‘I will jog to the store’),

occurrence (‘The bananas ripened overnight’), or

state of being (‘I have the same right to exist as you’).

Main Types of Verbs

Transitive verbs require a direct object, meaning a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives the action of the verb and so completes the sentence’s meaning. The direct object typically answers the question what? or who?

Intransitive verbs do not take direct objects. They are often followed by words that answer questions such as where?, when?, how?, or how long?

Other Types of Verbs

Action verbs describe actions that someone can do or demonstrate.

Auxiliary verbs, or helping verbs, help the main verb of the sentence (known as a participle) by extending its meaning. You’ll see them in verb phrases where one verb doesn’t form a complete thought, or in perfect verb tenses.

Compound verbs combine two words to create a new verb. They can be 1 or 2 words long, or they can be hyphenated.

Regular verbs only add -d or -ed in their past tense form.

Irregular verbs are verbs that change form in the past tense.

Linking verbs connect the subject to details about the subject. Various forms of the verb to be are linking verbs, including am, is, are, and were.

Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that show possibility or necessity. They always accompany other action verbs.

Phrasal verbs are a type of compound verb that end with a preposition. They’re often difficult to directly translate to different languages because they’re English idioms.

Stative verbs describe a position or state of being that you can’t see, but exists anyway. While they don't perform any visible action, they're typically followed by a direct object.

Examples of transitive verbs

“The kids like pickles.” (Like is the verb and pickles are the direct object.)

“Can you ask the neighbor when the yard sale will be?” (Ask is the verb and the noun phrase the neighbor is the direct object.)

"We ate cake for breakfast." (Ate is the verb and cake is the direct object.)

Examples of intransitive verbs

“Her car died suddenly last week.” (The verb is die and we are told when it happened.)

“We ate at a fancy restaurant.” (The verb is ate and we are told where this happened)

“Someone was coughing loudly.” (The verb is coughing and we are told how this was happening.)

“The movie marathon took all night to finish watching.” (The verb is took and we are told how long this took.)

A single verb can also have both transitive and intransitive uses, as in “They are playing soccer” (transitive) and “They’ve been playing all afternoon” (intransitive).

Examples of action verbs

Naomi accepted the job offer.

We baked a carrot cake.

She ironed her dress. 

Mark drinks vanilla lattes.

Examples of stative verbs

You deserve a prize.

Jane hates humidity.

Henry loves billiards.

I remember you.

Examples of regular verbs

We walked to the concert. (walk becomes walked)

Pauly lied to his friends. (lie becomes lied)

The kids performed in the school play. (perform becomes performed)

I smelled smoke in the hallway. (smell becomes smelled)

Examples of irregular verbs

I spoke to my neighbor. (speak becomes spoke)

We saw the new action movie last night. (see becomes saw)

The community felt nervous. (feel becomes felt)

Nora made a beautiful speech at the wedding. (make becomes made)

Present — Past — Past Participle

be — was, were — been

begin — began — begun

choose — chose — chosen

drink — drank — drunk

eat — ate — eaten

Examples of linking verbs

Damien is an expert craftsman.

We became best friends in high school.

You seem kind and thoughtful.

I am taller than my brother.

Examples of auxiliary verbs

I have been there before.

Paul doesn’t know his way home.

He didn’t run for president.

The dogs are playing in the yard.

Auxiliary verbs: am, is, are, was, were, have, had, etc.

Examples of modal verbs

We will find the perfect pumpkin.

Tiffany might want another helping of pie.

I must finish this project tonight.

The whole team should be there.

Modal verbs: can, could, will, would, shall, should, ought, must, may, might, etc. These verbs are found in verbal phrases, seldom by themselves: can see, will run, might study, must sell, etc.

In a verbal phrase, remember that the modal or auxiliary verb may be separated from the main verb, especially in a question (e.g., Did you hear me call?)

Examples of compound verbs

Don’t overstay your welcome.

Can you babysit my kids tonight?

Be sure to waterproof your new shoes.

I color-coded my whole file cabinet.

Examples of phrasal verbs

Can you take out the trash?

My girlfriend just broke up with me.

Don’t give up on your dreams.

The kids get along so well.

State of being verbs: am, is, was, were, will be, became, seem, look, feel...

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Writing Basics ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Hope this helps with your writing! Also these previous posts:

Verb Tenses ⚜ Signal Verbs ⚜ Descriptive Verbs

[redgoldsparks]

February Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut. You might notice the layout image looks different! I have switched to using the Storygraph wrap up :)

The Baker and The Bard by Fern Haught

A sweet, slight fantasy story focused on friendship. A baker and her friend, an aspiring bard, go on a little adventure into the forest looking for a specific type of mushroom. On the way they encounter some misunderstood magical creatures, a nonbinary fey, and only the smallest amounts of danger and conflict. The gentleness of the story makes it appropriate for, and I believe aimed at, a fairly young audience, definitely middle grade or early reader rather than YA. 

I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner 

This is a witty, well-written queer romance set in the mid-1800s, England. The story borrows heavily from Emma while still feeling like its own fresh tale, especially because of the inclusion of characters of color, queer characters, and a gender-nonconforming love interest. I was rooting for Eleanor and George all the way; both rooting for them to get together and also rooting for them to find the space to know themselves and express that authentically around the people they love! The art in this book is stunning, with beautiful colors, and so much thoughtful historical research went into the design of the houses, costumes, and world of these characters. Highly recommend, especially if you're a Jane Austen fan. 

Conversations with People Who Hate Me written and read by Dylan Marron 

I picked this book up after loving Dylan Marron's podcast The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks, a 6 episode miniseries that I find myself thinking about all the time. Unfortunately, I do think having listened to that already dented my experience of this book, because I already knew a chunk of the story from the podcast which made listening to the book feel a bit repetitive. However! I still finished and overall enjoyed Conversations with People Who Hate Me, which is about Marron's podcast of the same name, in which he called up folks who had left hateful comments on his youtube videos or facebook and just had a conversation with them. What prompted them to leave a hateful comment? What kind of values impacted how they saw the world? Might they change their mind if they had more evidence? Did they ever expect Dylan Marron to actually see their comment? (The answer to this last was almost always "no.") This is an interesting political moment to think about this project of deliberate, compassionate connection, and Marron is thoughtful about the privilege that allowed him the emotional bandwidth to pursue it.

You and Me, On Repeat by Mary Shyne

Time loop fans, rejoice! Mary Shyne has crafted a clever, gorgeous treasure box of a story. Part coming-of-age, part romance, part sci-fi, all heart. I was drawn in from the very first page, hooked with the stylish art and the intriguing premise. I fell so hard for Chris and Alicia and all of the stupidly teenage and deeply human choices that lead them into a pocket dimension of space-time. Who hasn't wanted a redo option on one of the most important days of their life? What would you do if trapped in a time loop of your high school graduation day? I left the book rooting for these two! I had the pleasure of reading this book early :) It's available for preorder now, or grab it from a bookstore in May 2025! 

You Are a Sacred Place: Visual Poems for Living in Climate Crisis by Madeleine Jubilee Saito

Saito reached a hand into some of my very own darkest climate crisis-induced depressive thoughts and drew me gently back into the light. We are all part of this natural world, and we are meant to be here, and it is good that we are here. Those things can be hard to remember sometimes, but these delicate comics underline their truth. I also got to read this early - It comes out March 25, 2025, so you can reorder it now or find it in bookstores soon.

Hey Mary! by Andrew Wheeler and Rye Hickman

Saints and stories come to vivid life in this compassionate story of a young man learning to balance his sexuality and his faith. For any readers out there trying to find space in their Catholicism for their queerness, I hope this book can light the way. Another one I got to read ahead of it's release! It's out on April 15, so you can preorder or book for it in bookstores and libraries soon.

Akane-Banashi vol 1 by Yuki Suenaga, illustrated by Takamasa Moue translated by Stephan Paul

As a child, Akane watched her father fail out of a program dedicated to training rakugo, traditional Japanese storytellers. Now in high school, she is pursuing the same career under the same teacher. This book has a lot of familiar series-set up elements- a rival older student, a series of fellow trainees, a reluctant mentor- but unfortunate didn't deeply capture me. I'm unsure if I'll continue on with this series.

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat vol 4 by Sakaomi Yuzaki translated by Caleb Cook

THIS SERIES IS SO FREAKING CUTE! I love how it's diving into some of complicated and logistical realities of being queer in Japan. I also love how supportive the friend group is. Yuri fans you need to pick this up! 

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino 

Adina is born in 1977 to a human mother on Earth; but she is not totally of this world. Some part of her is also an alien, attuned to a planet with a collective consciousness, far away in the stars. Through a lonely childhood in Philadelphia, Adina faxes notes and observations on human life to her far away family. She grows up as the child of a single, working class mother, with few friends, but a fierce commitment to live as her own singular self. I really enjoyed the light-handed prose, the short slice-of-life chapters, and the insightful look at what it feels like to grow up an outsider. Adina reminded me of myself; she reminded me of many of my other oddball, queer, trans, or asexual friends who have always felt out of step with the lives of those around us. It reminded me, yet again, that there is perhaps nothing more human than feeling like an alien among one's peers. 

The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull read by Janina Edwards and Ron Butler 

Set on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, this debut sci-fi novel wrestles with some big and weighty concepts. We are introduced to two families, neighbors, with their own interwoven concerns: a married couple struggling with relationship, a woman questioning her sexuality, a teen questioning her faith, a man yearning for more ambitious career and travel options in middle age. Then an alien ship arrives above the island and the book jumps forward 5 years in time to show how a powerful controlling presence has impacted the lives of everyone on the island. The Ynaa offered advanced medicines and technology to humans in exchange for staying for a time to do an unspecified type of research. But the co-existence is not peaceful: the Ynaa lash out with extreme violence over minor provocations. This tense situation cannot last. There was much to enjoy in this novel, and the audiobook was very well read by two narrators. I did think the final act suffered from some pacing issues, and a second time jump near the end worked much less well for me than the big time jump near the beginning. It was interesting to read this after having read Turnbull's second novel No Gods, No Masters which contains similar themes but with a much more complex story structure and much larger cast. 

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All vol 2 by Sumiko Arai

I'm obsessed with these little rock-n-roll lesbians. This series gives me some similar vibes as Nana except sweeter, sillier, and hopefully heading in a much less tragic direction! The art is to die for, I spent so long just looking at every page in awe. Makes me want to draw more comics!

Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me by Ellen Forney

This comic has been on my TBR for a decade and I'm so glad I finally picked it up! Forney's cartooning is so clear, articulate and accessible; it really opened up a window for me into the experience of being bipolar. I loved the many creative visual metaphors, the inclusion of sketchbook pages, and the self-compassionate tone. I can see what this book set such an early high standard in the genre of comics memoirs! 

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt

In the opening scene, Adelaide Henry is spreading gasoline through the rooms of her childhood home in a farming valley in California in 1915, and over the bodies of her murdered parents. She leaves California with a rucksack and a steamer trunk, bound for Montana, where a woman alone can claim a plot of land. If she lives on it for at least three years and establishes a farm, she'll become the owner of the parcel. But can she really survive the harsh coming winter, the white supremacy of the nearby town, and the deadly family curse she's carrying? I really enjoyed the audiobook of this novel, but found myself pondering whether or not I felt like it fit into the horror genre, which is the primary genre tag on goodreads. Can a horror book have a happy ending? Is it horror is I don't feel like the narrative voice is trying to horrify me, rather show how marginalized woman can survive, even against extreme odds, by banding together? If I was shelving it I'd more likely to put this in historical fiction. 

The Deep by Rivers Solomon, read by Daveed Diggs 

Yetu is the historian for her underwater society, a group of deep sea merfolk who live in the depths of the Atlantic. She carries all of the memories, beautiful and painful, of their ancestors- pregnant women tossed overboard from ships during the years of slave trading. It is a great honor and a terrible burden to carry these memories, and Yetu thinks it might kill her to carry them alone. When an opportunity comes to leave the memories and her people behind, Yetu takes it. But who is she without her past and her people? I listened to this 4 hour novella on audio and enjoyed it a lot of a mythical alternate history. 

The Hundred Years War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi

"His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine..." -Lord Arthur Balfour, 1917, statement made on behalf of the British cabinet (page 24)

"For in Palestine we do not propose even to go through the form of consulting the wishes of the present inhabitants of the country... The Four Great Powers are committed to Zionism." -Lord Arthur Balfour, 1919, confidential memo to the British cabinet (page 37)

"'If you wish to colonize a land in which people are already living," [Ze'ev] Jabotinsky wrote in 1925, "you must find a garrison for the land, or find a benefactor who will provide a garrison on your behalf... Zionism is a colonizing venture, and therefore, it stands or falls on the question of armed forces.'" (page 51)

"In a cover letter to [President Woodrow] Wilson, the commissioners presciently warned that 'if the American government decided to support the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, they are committing the American people to the use of force in that area, since only by force can a Jewish state in Palestine be established or maintained.' The commission thereby accurately predicted the course of the subsequent century." (page 51-52)

This is an extremely well written, clear, concise book. The author draws extensively from primary source documents going back to 1895. His grandparents, his parents, and his immediate family lived through many of the events he outlines; he personally knew Yassar 'Arafat, long time leader of the PLO; he was an advisor to the negotiations between Israel and the PLO which began in Madrid in 1991 and ran (unsuccessfully) into 1993; he lived in Beirut through weeks of Israel bombardment in 1982; he and his father worked for the United Nations in the 1960s and sat through Security Council meetings on the Arab-Israeli conflict, including a meeting in which an intentional US political delay allowed Israel to make a preemptive attack on Syria. These personal anecdotes enliven what is overall a very grim history of broken treaties, broken promises, and conflict. I pulled the quotes because I want to be able to return to them later, to remind myself how clear it has been since the beginning that Britain and the US considered the Palestinian people necessary and acceptable sacrifices. 

[ghostlyerlkonig]

i'm doing @batmanisagatewaydrug 's 2025 book bingo and 9 books in feels like a decent 'let's check in on this' time, with thoughts and feelings.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (2009) - Feels like it walked right out of 2009. I did not love any of the characters in this book, they are almost all major dickwads but I was enraptured by seeing what happened to them. 4.5/5.

The Magician King by Lev Grossman (2011) - I like the main cast now and care about them, granted half of the book was more interesting than the other due to prior book build up. 5/5.

The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman (2014) - Good conclusion to the trilogy. I still like and root for all the characters (except one). The ending felt A Little rushed but not in a bad way. 4/5.

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (2024) - I fuck with this book so hard. For a historical fiction that does not stray tooooo far from it while also making Arthurian magics real, it never once attempts to 'explain' certain factors that do not need explaining. Best handling of a trans character I've read from a cis author in a HF. I'm biased to Arthurian based works but man this was so good. I finished it a month ago and I'm still thinking about it. 5/5.

Bring Me The Head Of Susan Lomond: A High School Story by Connor B. (2025) - Great queer comic from an artist I like a lot. I read most of it out loud with voiced because I could hear them so clearly. 5/5.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle (2024) - Beagle has the most wonderful way of writing the silliest shit and making it fun and beautiful. Not a complicated read by any means but I enjoyed a return to his voice, especially since he's in his 80s and has been put through the fucking ringer over the last 20~ years. 4/5.

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman (2012) - Made me think more than I wanted it to. Somehow the surprise queer character was treated better than I expected (and a little worse). I can't believe it had me rooting for a pope for a solid 5 pages. Made me pull my European History text book from high school out of my closet so I could figure out how many miles one guy traveled and how bad the Bubonic Plague was in the towns he would have passed. Leaves a lot to your own imagination to freak you out with your own visual interpretation of the Christian mythos' angels and demons. And perhaps the giant catfish in Chernobyl. 4.5/5.

Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel (2012) - Psychology heavy. I've avoided reading it for a while due to how Fun Home makes me feel. Bechdel's illustrations are great as always. One review I read described it as "what happened to the ground after it is broken" and yeah. Rereading Fun Home before I started it didn't help the emotions beside parsing them better. 5/5.

Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly (2025) - Wild book. Feels like an exposé more than a business book. Spotify is so fucked up. I knew this. Now I know it with more detail. Not the most outsider approachable if you aren't aware of the history of how predatory the music business is, but the MOST important things are well explained and terms are easily google-able. It dropped some details in regard to specifically Gen Z artists as victims of this new mainstream system, but that's my only loud gripe. I've been rethinking the relationship with music I developed while living in a 13x13ft room for all of 2020-21 and how I've experienced a "returned to form" from that constant need of background to enjoying records and albums as they exist for listening and paying attention to over the last year, this book solidified that active return to me as a good choice. I love music and what it is without capitalism breathing down its neck. 4.75/5.

Other books read (that i'm not putting on the bingo): Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Art of War of the Rohirrim, Fun Home, Tree and Leaf, and Bisclavret

Next up:

Dudes Rock: A Celebration of Queer Masculinity in Speculative Fiction edited by Romanus and Candra

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

All Down Darkness Wide: A Memoir by Seán Hewitt

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Reclaiming the Heartland: Lesbian and Gay Voices from the Midwest by Karen L. Osborne & William J. Spurlin

Ma and Me A Memoir by Putsata Reang

[babsworlds]

PILLS & HOMEWORKS.

pairing. Simon Kalivoda x fem! reader

synopsis. Simon asks you out in awkward situation.

warnings. addiction, pills as drugs, pre relationship.

babs’ notes. it’s almost 2am, i finished rewatching fear street and my Fred Hechinger obsession is taking over again. This is bad as I’m trying to get over a little writer’s block sorryy

YOU WERE ONE OF THE BEST STUDENTS OF SHADYSIDE HIGH SCHOOL, working tirelessly to escape that cursed city someday. Your achievements were impressive, but they came at a cost. Unfortunately, you were addicted to pills, and without them, you felt incapable of doing anything.

The pressure to succeed and the fear of failure drove you to rely on those pills, even though you knew it wasn't sustainable. Each day was a battle between maintaining your high performance and dealing with the consequences of your addiction.

It didn’t take long for you to find a dealer, Simon Kalivoda. He was a bit of a weirdo, always hanging out with the extra outsiders. His low attendance and even lower grades made him a familiar face in detention rather than in the classrooms.

You weren’t rich, obliviously when you lived in Shadyside, so money for those pills was a bit of a problem. Desperation led you to offer Simon a deal: homeworks for pills.

And it worked.

Simon, despite his quirks, was more than willing to accept your offer. He wasn’t interested in schoolwork, but he knew the value of good grades. Your arrangement became a lifeline for both of you—he got the homework he needed to scrape by, and you got the pills that kept you going.

Today was finally the day of another deal. This time, it was in the school bathroom when everyone was supposed to be in class. The anticipation had been building up for days, and you could hardly wait any longer.

The last few days without your magic meds had left you feeling exhausted and barely able to function. The weight of your addiction was heavy, and you knew that getting your hands on those pills was the only way to regain some semblance of normalcy.

As you made your way to the restroom, you could feel a sense of relief washing over you. Each step brought you closer to the moment you had been desperately waiting for. You opened the door and there he was. The classic black combat boots, weird bracelets, and painted nails made Simon easy to spot. He stood there, leaning against the sink.

You breathed out, feeling a mix of anticipation and anxiety. “Uh— hi,” Simon said awkwardly as he saw you, his voice breaking the silence in the empty bathroom. His eyes darted around, making sure no one else was around to witness the exchange.

“Hey,” you replied, trying to keep your voice steady. “You got the stuff?” The question hung in the air, the weight of your dependence on those pills evident in your tone.

Simon nodded, reaching into his bag and pulling out the familiar bottle of pills. “Like always. You got the homework?” His voice was low, almost a whisper, but still smiling at you.

“Yeah,” you trailed off, pulling the assignment papers from your backpack. “Math it is,” you smiled awkwardly, handing the papers to him. God, why is it so awkward all of a sudden?

Simon took the papers, glancing at them briefly before tucking them into his bag. You finally took the little orange bottle you had longed for days from his hand, smiling to yourself as you hid it in your pocket. The relief was almost immediate, knowing that you had what you needed to get through the day.

“So, how have you been?” Simon asked, starting a new conversation which you didn’t expect. Normally, there were no conversations, just the exchange of each other’s needs.

“Miserable,” you shrugged casually, trying to downplay the struggle you had been facing. “Could hardly get up in the morning,” you admitted, exhaustion in your voice.

“I get that,” Simon said, his expression softening as if he wasn’t the one who had kind of made you addicted to these things.

You didn’t really want to ask back; there was no reason, and it was too awkward. “I need to go,” you excused yourself as you turned around.

“Wait, Y/n,” Simon’s voice broke your decision to leave. You paused, turning back to face him, curiosity and annoyance mixing inside you.

You raised an eyebrow, your curiosity piqued. “Hm?” you mumbled as your gaze met his. As you looked into his blue eyes, you realized you could maybe stare into them all day. There was something captivating about the way he looked at you, a depth that you hadn't noticed before.

“I wondered maybe if you-um,” he trailed off, his eyes leaving yours as he searched for words. His nervousness was palpable, and you could see the effort it took for him to continue. “I wondered if you wanted to go out,” he finally managed to say, gulping as he finished.

The question hung in the air, and you could feel your heart race a little. This was unexpected, and it took a moment for you to process. Simon had always been the guy who sold you pills, not someone you considered dating. But standing there, seeing him, something shifted inside you.

You smiled softly, feeling a mix of emotions. “Are you asking me out on a date, Simon?” you asked, wanting to be sure you understood him correctly.

“I guess I am,” he shrugged, a smile playing on his lips. His cheeks were red, a rare sight that made him look almost endearing.

You looked at him, not wanting to give your answer yet. “I thought we were just dealing homeworks,” you said, your voice tinged with curiosity and a hint of skepticism.

“Yeah, of course,” Simon said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “But I think you’re interesting.” He said as his eyes were fixed on you.

You raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his sudden honesty. “I want to get to know you more, Y/n,” Simon continued, his blue eyes meeting yours. The sincerity in his gaze made you feel something in your stomach, a flutter of emotions you hadn’t expected.

You gave him a playful smile. “Give me your number,” you said, handing him a marker. It was evident that he was hungry for your answer, but you weren’t going to give it to him that easily. You wanted to keep him guessing, at least for a little while longer.

You held out your arm as he began to write his number on your forearm with the black marker. His handwriting was surprisingly neat, and you couldn’t help but feel a small thrill of excitement at the contact.

“There you go,” Simon said, finishing the last digit. He capped the marker and handed it back to you, a hopeful smile playing on his lips.

“I’ll call you,” you said with a teasing smile. Simon gave you a small nod, his eyes filled with a mix of hope and anticipation.

As you walked away, you could feel Simon’s eyes wandering over you. The awareness of his gaze sent a shiver down your spine, and you couldn’t help but smile. There was something thrilling about the unexpected turn of events.

[wilmonsfolklore]

Wilmon fic recs!

my health has been shit lately but at least it's given me the time to read a lot of fics, so I thought I'd rec a few!! of course this is a non-exhaustive list and there is so much other beautiful fic out there. also remember to leave comments and kudos if you enjoy any of these!!

here's some of my favourite WIP's that im obsessed with and that brighten my days with their updates <3

like we've never touched before by nonalovesyou - Post season 1 angst in 2025? I'm so happy it exists. Simon gets assigned to tutor Wille in math and they (in a S2 way) awkwardly, inevitably, try to reconnect. Simon's characterisation is incredible, the angst hurts in the best way, and I'm so excited to see it continue.

Hope And Legacy by @malinowaj - Simon and Wille are both pro figure skaters and Simon gets forced to coach Wille by Kristina. Sports AU's have a special place in my heart and this one is just perfect. The way their relationship slowly and organically develops feels so realistic and is incredibly heartwarming. And it's actually gotten me more interested in figure skating, which is fun!!

Even If It's Just Us by queerfrogprince - Wille and Simon reconnect after years to travel Europe together. Wille is grieving, it's messy, it's painful, it hurts, it doesn't shy away from difficult yet important conversations. It's also comforting in a way their relationship kind of inherently is and their natural connection and pull towards each other is so well described. And also, they feel so grounded in every place they visit. I drop everything every time an update comes out.

Change My Mind by @iwouldnevergetintofanfic - Wille comes to Hillerska two years later, Felice wants to date him, and is best friends with Simon. I love Simon and Felice's dynamic in this, and the way Wille keeps subverting Simon's expectations never gets old to me. And Simon finding more of a place at Hillerska is really interesting and fun to read about, it feels really grounded and has those true high school experience-vibes to me. Really excited to see how this one will play out!

come closer and see into the dark by @bigalockwood - Simon and Wille are ghosthunters who work together and care a little bit too much for each other to be professional. There's angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, tension, everything you could ever want. The way their personalities got so perfectly influenced by the world they're in is impeccable and I could talk about it for hours. A masterpiece.

land between our bodies by @phneltwrites - Wille and Simon don't get back together at the end of S3, instead they start to fake date. But this is so, so, much more than that. It explores Simon's character in a way that has made me actually understand him better, the writing is gorgeous, it has one of my favourite OC's of all time, and the way the inevitability and yet the active choice of Wille and Simon's relationship plays into everything here... It hurts and it is so good.

Et c'est le but! by @piebingo - Simon moves across the world to play hockey and live with a host family, Wille's of course. There's only one chapter of this so far but the premise of this is so exciting, and the first Wilmon interaction had me invested already. Really looking forward to reading more of this!

Running With Wolves by @enjoythesilentworld - I'm kind of cheating by putting this one in because I've only read the first chapter but I am already so invested. I never knew the YR fandom needed their own crime novel but this made me realise we so do. Detective Simon, crimeboss Wille, an intricate and incredibly developed plot and so so so much tension. It doesn't get better than that.

And also, because I couldn't bear leaving these out, a few finished works that I really really enjoyed reading!!

Moon go down (do it again) by @skibasyndrome - Wille and Simon in Simon's dorm a few months into meeting and their first uni semester. This has been living in my head since I first read it. The atmosphere, the writing, the quietness of the scene and the loudness of their emotions, the sweetness of the moment. It's so perfectly captured and I want to be in it forever. I'm so happy to have this fic to read whenever I want some comfort.

Take A Punt by @gulliblelemon - Wille and Simon connect in a UK university town. I loved following along as this was posted. It's lighthearted and cute, and it's adorable and fun how Wille is so immediately mesmerised by Simon. But there's also some honest and emotional conversations, and the awkwardness of the transition from accidently spending time together to doing it very much on purpose. Perfect for a pick me up after a tough day.

Never Not You by @pagegirlintraining - Twelve years after the sex tape, Wille and Simon are best friends but have moved on romantically. Or have they?? I was lucky enough to binge this fic when it was finished because oh my god I don't think I could've managed to wait with how invested I was. The fact that this fic had both pov's added so much and puts you right into both of their headspaces. Characterisation is incredible and the dynamic is so Wilmon but has also clearly grown up with them. It's exceptionally painful and messy, but just like with their relationship, it is more than worth it.

[lobolicious]

OUUUGHH

[slavhew]

dreaming of friends

[pose reference: Reunion by Salman Toor (2018)]

[ch1zzie]

The original in the bottom

Plus the picture I mainly drew but decided to draw the rest for funny

[disposal-blueeee]

vargas by zarla-s ,

[scoliosisgoblin]

doodles and some lore. I'm tired.

[immortalfornow]

today someone asked which fantasy high character i relate to the most and it was just me staring in 'quiet mixed kid raised in all white household who did all 3 years of middle school at once and loves taking things apart to tinker with them' like who do you think

[ishq-itar]

your friend engagement post reminds one of my friends (she's an year older than me but still) is also planning to get engaged by end of this month or so and it felt weird like we were 15 yesterday it feels so wrong in my head she's a baby why is she thinking about marriage (to be fair the guy is super rich and they'll have an year time to officially confirm if they actually want to get married) but it feels so wrong in my head win😭😭

i was talking to aki on literally this matter in morning and she kept saying my friend is a baby whys she getting married and i know we are too young but i was sort of expecting it since she comes from an islamic family and a couple other friends got married right after school im not new to this 😭

[hirokiyuu]

look at my alternate yuu concept boy

[frereamour]

i was a very self-absorbed teenager, i didn't get much out of uni but i'm glad I went because it kicked the main character syndrome right out of me.

[skid-the-mighty-poet]