#That one felt too obvious. Figured I should give some spotlight to some of his other moments

[pianokantzart]

As much as Luigi shined in this game, at this rate he is going to kill his brother with stress long before Bowser has a chance to do much of anything.

[another-stark-sub]

“Are you in love with him?” - Tony Stark Imagine

Notes: I wrote and editted this in two hours instead of going over my notes. Was gonna be spicy fluffy but it just turned into fluffy, and one of the lines/paragraphs (smth like that i dont remember how long that segment was) is based on/inspired by a fanfic on ao3 I bookmarked. I think it’s debt-free, but I could be wrong.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and I’m so sorry im not on here more oftennnnn

- - -

“Of course I am. He’s Tony Stark.” You sighed, a weight finally lifted off your chest. “Who isn’t in love with him?”

Bruce blinked a few times, the confusion evident on his face. “Then, why don’t you tell him?”

You scoffed. These geniuses think they know everything, but they couldn’t see what was glaringly obvious to you. “He’s Tony Stark.”

The perplexed expression didn’t disappear from your friend’s expression. So, you explained further, “It’s already a privilege, beyond that really, to be talking to you, to any Avenger. To work with any of you is an honor, and to be friends with you” -you laughed- “it shouldn’t even be possible for someone like me.”

“Don’t say that. You’re amazing, too.” 

You tried to find any tick, any clue that he was lying. But Bruce seemed to really believe this. “I know I’m amazing.” You shrugged. “I’m great. I love and I care deeply, and I have a stable job. I have a place for myself, and I take care of myself.” You clicked your tongue. “However, you all, all  you Avengers… Forget out of my league, more like off planet.

“And Tony? He said it himself. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Add superhero, figurehead, public figure, ex-CEO, and savior of the universe. Bruce, I have confidence in myself, but Tony is something else entirely. No one is worthy of him or his affections unless they’re a god or another Avenger.”

It was hard to keep up with the statistical analysis you were trying to run. The literal one on your hologram and the one keeping your view of Tony in check. So, defeated, you sighed and leaned back in your chair. 

Bruce closed his own work and stood across the lab bench. “Weirdly enough, I’m sure none of us Avengers think that way.” After a few taps of his pen against his palm, he added, “Aren’t there fans making posts about you, too? Tony showed me the, uh, Instagram videos.”

You laughed. “Fan edits don’t make an Avenger. Saving the world does.”

He shrugged. “You help us save the world.”

“From inside Avengers Tower on a computer.” You took a deep breath. “Look, Bruce, I appreciate what you’re trying to do. But, I’m not telling him.” You shrugged and brought your statistical analysis back up.

You knew your own worth. You were worthy of an amazing partner and person. Tony Stark, though, was easy beyond that. You had accepted it soon after you realized your own feelings, and while they haven’t dwindled, you knew it was for the best. 

~ - ~

Tony had never resorted to this before. It was never a question of his ability to code. In the past, it was because he didn’t need a program or an AI to do it for him. He could always tell if someone was into him. He knew when Pepper was into him. The moment Rhodey gazed at him back in their MIT days. Every single reporter and heiress and model he slept with, he knew when their thoughts turned sexual or romantic. 

You, though. With you, he couldn’t fucking tell, and he knew it was because of his own feelings. Tony felt intensely for people before. Pepper, Rhodey, that one reporter all those years ago. However, with you, it wasn’t just that fluttery feeling in his gut or the immediate smile he can’t seem to stop when he sees you. It was the comfort he felt when he heard your voice or the softness he could feel in his heart when he saw a picture of you. 

It was like his entire life was full of panic, never resting, never stopping. But when you entered his life with a gentle smile and a quick wit, it felt like he could finally breathe. 

It was addicting. 

“Sir, I have the calculations.”

“Hit me.”

“Speech diagnostics of you and of Ms. (Y/l/n) are similar. Whenever you speak of her, 79.4% is positive and 18.8% is neutral. Ms. (Y/l/n) has  78.9% positive and 17.2% neutral dialogue regarding you. When she speaks of you, her heartrate increases by 4.6%, and similarly, yours increases by 4.1%. When speaking to each other, heartrate initially increases by 7%.”

Tony nodded. “How does this compare to other Avengers? I gush about Banner like a teenager.”

“Well, sir, while you and Ms. (Y/l/n) have high positive dialogue about other Avengers, all of them have at least a 10% decrease compared to each other. And heartrate varies depending on the topic of conversation.”

Tony snapped his fingers. “Am I excluding all non-super friends? Include any agents, co-workers. Pep isn’t an Avenger after all.”

Friday took two seconds and responded. “You and Ms. (Y/l/n) have a significant difference in speech diagnostics when talking about or to each other compared to any other Avenger, co-worker, and friend.”

When Tony remained quiet, Friday added, “Do you want me to repeat the results?”

“You don’t need to, Friday.”

“But you’re not doing anything with the new information. Would you like me to save these findings?”

“Friday,” Tony warned. 

There was silence as the love-wrecked scientist pressed his fist between his brows. Data and cold hard facts said yes, but was it right?

“Sir?”

“Yes, Fri?”

“Would you like me to play examples for you?”

He blinked. “Examples?”

“Yes. Of you and her talking about each other positively.”

It was an invasion of privacy. Tony shouldn’t. 

“Play examples.”

Before his rational mind could tell Friday no. 

“Are you in love with him?”

Tony’s eyes widened. This was too private. It might not even be about him.”Friday-”

“Of course I am.”

“-stop playback.”

“He’s Tony Sta-”

“Playback stopped.”

Tony scrambled. “What? No, wait, go back. Play it.” Screw rational. You knew he was a narcissist. You wouldn’t expect him to hear that and stop. 

“He’s Tony Stark. Who isn’t in love with him?”

“Then, why don’t you tell him?”

“... He’s Tony Stark.”

Tony started to fiddle with something on his desk. “What does that mean?”

Friday answered, “Dr. Banner asked her if she loved you, and she said yes. This means that she’s in love with you.”

Why did he program Friday like this? “I know that. I mean, those two lines. Why does me being Tony Stark stop her from saying something?” Was it the attention? Did you want some sort of normal life away from cameras and international gossip? Maybe it was the Avenging. Having a partner who was always out risking death wasn’t ideal. 

Sure, you could be in love with him. But you couldn’t be with him. 

“Maybe you should ask her.”

There were celebrities who were able to live normal lives. Some paid to have prosthetics for going outside of moved to a remote country to get out of the spotlight. He thrived off attention, but he could give that up. Avenging, he couldn’t give that up, but maybe he could cut back. Take a mission a month instead of one a week. Or maybe take more digital missions. He wasn’t just Iron Man after all. He was a genius, could hack into the Pentagon if he really wanted to. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Maybe I could talk to her.”

~ - ~

The moment you put your bag down on your lab table, Tony said, “You’re gonna be mad.”

You narrowed your brows. “What did you do?” You pressed your palm to your chest. “Oh my god, Peter overwrote my data, didn’t he? Ugh, I know he said he’s great at managing holograms, but really, Tone, you should’ve given him a tutorial before giving him access.” You brought up your holograms to check your data and analysis. 

“That’s not it.” Tony stood next to you as you looked through your files. “I did something that invaded your privacy.”

You tilted your head. Closing the holograms, you took a deep breath and slowly asked, “How?”

Tony flashed an embarrassed grin before sighing. “You’re gonna be shocked, too, so prepare yourself.”

You did not know where this was going at all. What horrible thing could Tony have done? Steeling yourself, you took a deep breath and nodded at him to continue. 

Tony cleared his throat. “Usually, I can tell when someone has feelings for me. People are obvious about it, but you? You aren’t. So, I had Friday do some analysis on our speech patterns. Me, being in love with you, was one of my controls. You and your dialogue regarding me was the main variable. 

“Long story short, I accessed some audio of you and Bruce talking, and you said that you loved me but could never tell me.” He glanced at you. “So that’s why I need to apologize.” 

Your expression didn’t change. No, that wasn’t it. You, at first, looked confused. Now, there was just nothing. No expression. No wrinkled brow in anger of flushed cheeks in embarrassment. Nothing. 

Tony blinked. “You can shout at me now. If you were confused about when to shout at me.”

You licked your lips before taking a deep breath. “Ok, that was a lot.” You pursed your lips then opened it. But, you couldn’t really think of anything to say. You didn’t even know how to feel. “So you know that I” -you pointed at yourself and then at him- “and that I didn’t wanna tell you.” You shook your head. “Wait, do you know why I didn’t want to tell you?”

A broken scoff left Tony’s lips. “Yeah. I’m a mess.”

It was your turn to scoff. “Wait, you’re a mess? That’s why you think I don’t want to tell you?”

“Among other reasons?”

Other reasons? 

You crossed your arms. “Ok, what other reasons?”

Tony looked offended. Still, he listed, “I’m surrounded by cameras, and everyone wants some privacy. Can’t get it if you’re with me. Then, there’s the Iron Man of it all. I went into a wormhole with a nuke. That was also all over the news. Then, there’s the whole daddy issues thing. I’m working on it, but it takes a while-”

He rambled on and on, listing reason after reason, and with each one, you felt tears well up in your eyes. It was a weird mix of heartbreaking, confusing, and enraging. The emotions built up slowly with each word that left his mouth, overwhelming you to the point that you couldn’t even say how it happened. 

But, as Tony paced and talked so horribly about himself, you somehow ended up in front of him with your hands on his cheeks. 

You only realized it when Tony stopped talking and when his breath touched your lips. “What?” he asked. 

You didn’t answer. You kissed him instead. 

It was a hard press of  your lips against his. It was short, and it wasn’t much. 

But by the way Tony gripped the back of your neck and pulled you back for another kiss, you’d think it was his first kiss. You knew it wasn’t. Not just because you knew he had kissed all sorts of people before you, but because he somehow knew how to make you gasp and melt into him. 

While one hand kept you steady, the other trailed down your back and pulled you closer to him. His lips moved fluidly against yours, pushing and pulling, and everytime he moved back, you chased his lips to continue the kiss, because the softness, the passion, the fact it was finally happening, was all too good. You didn’t want it to stop.

Your hands started to move. For someone so rich, his t-shirt was rough when you twisted it between your fingers and pulled it to you. Slowly, you trailed your fingers along the side of his neck. You rubbed your thumb along his pulse point, a reminder that this was indeed real. You were kissing Tony Stark, and- He was pulling away again.

Desperate, you leaned forward, reached around to hold onto his shoulder, and kissed the side of his neck. 

He let out a breathy laugh, and before you could suck on his skin, his stubble scratched your cheek. 

You looked up at him and giggled when his nose bumped into yours. When your giggles turned into a smile, he kissed you again, a soft and short kiss, before leaning his forehead against yours. 

His thumbs rubbed circles into your waist as you lightly scratched the back of his neck. He didn’t say anything. In fact, he seemed busy gazing at you.

“Speechless, Stark?” you teased. 

He laughed. For a few seconds, he just gazed at you, seeming to prove your point. Tony’s hand began to wander, from stroking your cheek to pushing back your hair. “More confused.”

Remembering why you interrupted him, you brought your hands to his cheeks again and held him there so he couldn’t look away from you. “You are amazing, Tony. That’s the reason I didn’t want to tell you.” You shrugged. “You’re too good for me.”

His fidgeting stopped. “Well, that’s not true.”

“Tony, you’re an Avenger.”

“Technically, you are also an Avenger.”

“You’re a genius.”

“Who can’t cook scrambled eggs.”

“You literally saved the universe.”

“After producing weapons of mass destruction for decades.”

You glared at him. 

He glared back. Then, he fought back. “I don’t plan on retiring.”

“Wouldn’t want you to.”

“I have severe PTSD, anxiety, maybe ADHD, all mixed with trauma galore.”

“And I will learn to help you.”

“I couldn’t give you a normal life.”

“I’d rather have you anyway.”

He opened his mouth, but you instead told him, “I’d rather have you than anything. As long as, well, for as long as  you’ll have me.”

He raised his eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

“Positive.”

Tony shook his head with a smile. “Cause, I’d rather have you for, well, how does til you get tired of me sound?”

You laughed. “Won’t happen. But, sure.” You kissed him again.You would’ve kept going, but there was something to settle first.  “By the way, Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“Is Friday recording right now?”

“Friday records everything. It’s in the contract.”

Friday added, “I record everything that happens in the tower.”

“Ok.” You could work with that. “I’ll forgive you for the invasion of privacy.”

Tony beamed, and you couldn’t help your own smile when he did. Still, you continued, “On one condition.” Your own smile turned devious. “I want evidence that Star Spangled Banner took my ice cream.”

Tony burst out laughing. He kissed you again, a deep kiss, and when he was done, he mumbled, “God, I love you,” against your lips.

[jishyucks]

The L Word ‣ hjs

‣ genre: angst with a fluffy ending, arranged marriage, sort of modern royalty (rich kid!au), female reader

‣ wc: 2.1k

‣ summary: “Tell me, Han. Has she ever explicitly told you that she loved you?”; in which Jisung's afraid that Y/N's going to leave him in rising of rumors but learns he shouldn't judge a situation from the words of others

‣ warnings?: The Hwang 'sibs' are mean in this (just a bit), lowkey rushed, jisung runs off because of overthinking

Looking at the ballroom’s appearance, Jisung feels as though he shouldn’t even be there in the first place. Like some puzzle piece placed in the wrong box. The people attending the party lived lavish lifestyles, knowing the difference between the different forks placed at the tables. Etiquette was more important to them than the basics a middle-class person would even care about.

Though Jisung had good ideas of such subjects, it wasn't forced onto him like those around him. The only reason why he was able to attend the party was because of a marriage arrangement your father and his father had made as some kind of sick ‘contract’ regarding business. Though he wasn’t complaining, feelings for you developed through the years of knowing you since childhood, he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about a handful of things.

For one, you guys were engaged through the arrangement. It’s been three years since the announcement, and even if Jisung believed you were fine with it, even if you ensured to Jisung that you were happy with the engagement, intrusive thoughts started keeping him up at night.

He knew you. You hated speaking out your feelings, whether it led to consequences or not. What if you actually weren’t fine with it? What if you were somehow threatened by your father and the contract to actually speak out about the engagement? He didn’t want you to feel forced to marry him.

Then there was his family’s reputation. His family was deemed drastically poorer than yours by the other associated families and businesses. He was afraid of tainting your family’s reputation or seeming like one of those leeches found at the bottom of murky ponds. Though it was an arranged marriage, Jisung had genuine feelings for you. It was his father that was in it for the money and Jisung was nothing like his father.

“Hey, scrounger!” Jisung turned to find Hyunjin and his sister Yeji approaching him from the opposite corner of the room. They both were dressed in clothes that were probably a lot more expensive than his own, his clothes being hand-me-downs from his father.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Yeji smirked, “You don’t even have business here.” She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, eyeing down the boy.

Jisung didn’t cower under their gaze, instead of straightening his back, “I’m here because I was invited. My father was invited as well.” Don’t show fear, he told himself, That’s what they want.

“Ahh~,” Hyunjin chuckled, “Good way to disguise 'because of Y/N.' Tell me, Han. Has Y/N ever explicitly told you that she loved you?”

Yeji butted in, laughing, “I think love is too strong of a word… how ‘bout like? Has she ever told you that she liked you? Cause rumor has it she’s planning on breaking your engagement.”

Jisung gulped, “S-she has… and gossip is bullshit.” He lied. When the arrangement was created, there was some kind of unspoken assumption that you both liked each other. As a result of this, no confessions were made from you both. Sure it was stupid, but in Jisung’s eyes, actions spoke louder than words, and just by how he treated you and you treated him, you both cared very much for each other. Of course, other people never paid attention to actions and relied on direct statements.

“We don’t gossip, Han,” Hyunjin scoffs, “Who would pass up the opportunity to marry Bang Chan when he’s the son of the top businessman in all of Korea?”

“What do you mean?” Jisung’s heart skipped a beat, eyed widening slightly at the mention of Bang Chan’s name.

“His father apparently wanted to create a deal with her father that was a lot better than his deal with yours,” Hyunjin explained, “Isn’t your engagement part of that poorer deal?”

Jisung chose not to reply, biting his tongue. Instead, he shoots Hyunjin a narrowed glare, not up for defending himself or arguing. With the lack of response from their target, the siblings simply rolled their eyes and walked away, taking a seat at their designated table.

When the attention was diverted away from him, Jisung couldn’t help but let his shoulders fall. He feels his heart beating quicker than at rest, thoughts running through his mind like crazy. You wouldn’t leave him just like that right? You wouldn’t.

Then his mind wanders back to Hyunjin and Yeji’s question. Yes, he did think that actions were undoubtedly stronger than words, but now that a spotlight was shone on the hidden yet obvious fact that you both hadn’t said anything about each others’ feelings, he couldn’t help but believe that you could possibly be leaving him. But then again, he has never said anything to you and his feelings existed.

He felt the sudden urge to look for you, who had been busy accompanying your father with the guests. Maybe he will actually confess how he truly felt, just in case you were actually thinking about breaking the engagement. Maybe he could save it somehow, just in case your father was willing to make the deal with Mr. Bang.

Chewing the bottom of his lip, he scanned the room, looking for the lavender dress you were wearing. But with the clumps of people, his line of sight was constantly stopped abruptly.

“Excuse me,” he mumbled politely, making his way through the crowd, “Excuse me.” He ignored the looks some people gave him, still slithering his way between the socializing people. Though his hair was parted in a way that exposed part of his forehead, he felt the need to hide under his bangs, keeping his head low as he did.

The familiar sound of your father’s laugh drove Jisung to stop and look around his area. If he was close, you’d be close. Scanning his surroundings completely, he finally spots your father, with you standing close beside him. He feels a smile rise on his lips as he begins to make his way towards you both, heartbeat racing just as his thoughts were.

Opening his mouth to call out for you, he quickly stops himself when he realizes that you and your father were holding a conversation with Bang Chan and his own father. His feet abruptly stop, allowing him to overhear the exchange of banter.

“Well, it was a pleasure having this conversation with you,” Mr. Bang chuckled, “I will see you on Monday for the papers?” He held a hand out for a handshake, a smile filled with pride appearing on his lips.

Your father nodded, “Likewise. I’m looking forward to it.” He completes the handshake, which then queues for Chan to lean in for a hug.

Shit, Jisung gulps, feeling his heart drop to his stomach, What the hell just happened?

You take a step forward and hug Chan back for a brief second before pulling back, “I hope you enjoy the rest of your time here, Chan.”

Chan’s dimples appeared as he smiled genuinely, “Thank you, Y/N.”

Jisung was frozen on the spot, unsure whether or not he should say anything. The notes that he had mentally jotted down in his head were suddenly ripped into pieces and he was practically speechless.

Obliviously, you turn to follow your father, who was already ready to move on to another conversation. Mid-turn, the boy dressed in a striped, navy suit had caught your attention, giving him a double-take, “Oh! Jisung!” The corners of your mouth rise higher, eyes lighting up at the sight of the familiar boy. A wave of comfort washed over you. It was refreshing to see him after interacting with so many strangers and acquaintances.

When you go to approach him, Jisung panics and begins to back into the people behind him. It was then you noticed the look of distraught on his face, causing you to speed up. At this, he turns and runs, causing commotion around him as dodges those who got in his way.

“Jisung!” You called out, turning the heads of those people around you. The music had drowned your voice out from those further away from you, “Jisung!?” You begin making your way through the crowd of people, going as fast as you could in heels so that you wouldn’t lose Jisung. A million assumptions were running through your head, worry lining each and every one of them.

Swinging the door open, Jisung finds himself stumbling out into the empty corridor of the hotel. With the choice of left and right, Jisung stops and impulsively runs in one direction, not minding where he would end up if kept running.

So you were going to break the engagement… without warning? How were you going to break the news to him? How was he supposed to react once you told him about it all? Happy? Sad? Excited?

You finally reached the door of the ballroom, slipping out rather roughly into the corridor. Your head whips left and right, seeing Jisung’s trailing feet to the right of the hallway, turning the corner. You let out a heavy breath before kicking off your heels, booking it in that direction.

Your mind wanders to why Jisung was running. What did he hear? Was he okay? Could it be what other people were saying again? But Jisung was never usually one to let words get to him.

Jisung lets himself rest once he gets to a secluded room. Judging by its content, he realized that he managed to slip into the coatroom, but he didn’t care. He needed time alone to think. He just needed to process this entire situation.

“Jisung?” He hears you call out. Jisung sinks down at the corner of the room, resting his head against the wall. He stays quiet, resting his forehead against his knees.

The door to the coat room opens, revealing your disheveled figure, “Jisung…” You pause and try to catch your breath, “There… there you are.”

Jisung doesn’t lift his head, afraid that if he did face you, he would burst into tears. He could sense you approaching him, though, settling down beside him. He could feel your dress up against him. Soon he feels your hand take his, holding it tightly.

“What’s wrong?”

When Jisung doesn’t answer, you don’t say anything to push out an explanation. You let the question simmer, resting your head against his shoulder.

At this point, Jisung’s mind was projecting none of his thoughts but static. He didn’t know where to start and what to bring up. How was he supposed to confront you about the engagement?

“I’m happy for you two,” Jisung blurted out quietly, avoiding eye contact, “I really am.” Your ears perked up, confused at what Jisung was going on about.

“I think people will like you both together more than us,” Jisung continued, “Just know that I lo–“

You interrupt him, turning to completely face him, “Jisung, what are you talking about?” You turned your body towards him, completely facing the cowered boy. Though your body language was practically begging for eye contact, Jisung still avoided it, playing with his rings to keep him from losing control over his emotions.

Building up his confidence, Jisung let himself look at you before whispering, “Y/N?” He sniffled quietly.

“Yeah, Sung?”

Jisung gulped and asked, “Do you like me?”

You’re taken aback by the question, not expecting it out of all the questions Jisung could have asked. Is this why he was crying?

“Of course I do, Jisung, what makes you thin–“

“I mean genuinely like me. Do you have feelings for me?” Words were spewing out of his mouth before he could even process what he was saying. He could feel his emotions taking control of himself, which often is never a good thing.

“Jisung, I love you, okay? Why do you think otherwise?” The beat of your heart sped up with worry. Your eyebrows knitted together in concern as Jisung’s lips quivered slightly.

“The Hwang's told me you were planning on breaking our engagement because Bang Chan’s father offered a better deal than my father,” he explained quietly. He felt as though that if he spoke any louder, he would break out into tears, “I told them I didn’t believe them… t-then they asked me if you’ve ever told me if you did have feelings for me. I just didn’t know what to think when… when I saw your father accept Mr. Bang’s deal. I was afraid you were actually going to leave me.”

You gently slapped his shoulder in shock, “Han Jisung, are you serious?” Jisung responded wordlessly, though a puzzled look replaced his previous emotion.

“My father approached me beforehand about it. He wanted to break our engagement because of the deal, telling me that it was no longer necessary,” you say, “But I told him I wanted to marry you because I love you, Sung. And if he did threaten to forcibly break our engagement, I would’ve fought for us.”

Jisung wanted to laugh at himself at how much he had overreacted. Overthinking was a bitch and this situation was real-life proof, “Y/N?”

“Yeah, Sung?”

“I would fight for us too.”

[fallindomino]

how i would have changed s2 of hsmtmts

obvious disclaimer but im not a screenwriter or anyth so im not claiming what i want is best, this is just for fun lololol

okay so first of all nini would still have dropped out of yac but she wouldn’t have gone back to east, she would have transferred to north bc she was too ashamed to tell anyone she left at first and maybe she still wants to explore who she is away from ricky and the others

nini could join north’s batb and this way maybe we could have some playful rivalry with lily and nini and more scenes with antoine shdhdjdj also it could have been a great opportunity to flesh out lily’s character so those scenes where she reaches out to ricky and her confession at the end of the season actually make sense lol

speaking of ricky ,,, i think he should have left the play at some point hear me out. he only joined in the first place because of nini and barely wanted to do it at all once he realized he wasn’t gonna be able to perform with her. he could have joined crew and been a manager with natalie or smth considering he rlly does see the theater gang as a second family. also this would leave so much room for ej and ricky development and bants since ej joined the av club and began to pursue film. they could have some convos where idk ricky asks ej how he figured out what he wanted to do after duke didn’t work out and ricky could actually develop some interests that arent the play or nini ,,, maybe fucking art club i mean he did p good on that centerpiece for carlos’ quinceañera.

with ricky not being the beast anymore i think seb should take his place that would be soooo good. and since seb isn’t chip anymore carlos won’t make those snide comments about chip being a small unimportant role and we can just cut that whole fight bc it was dumb and bad. we could still have seb being insecure that carlos is only dating him bc there aren’t really any other gay guys at school. in a heartbeat is great and i did like ricky being supportive in the background it was kinda funny too idk dhdjdjfj

ooh i almost forgot abt rini ahshdj okay so i still think they should break up. but in my version there’s no ricky pulling an ej 1.0 and deleting comments off of nini’s insta, cause with ricky in art club and nini at north trying to figure out what she wants i think one of them would realize that they’re going in different directions and only got back tgt because they made each other feel safe cause what they had was familiar. this could be triggered by ricky mentioning smth abt nini at yac and then nini breaks down and tells him that she dropped out and is at north and doesn’t know where she’s going. and then they can both realize they aren’t good for each other rn and have a less tragic mutual break up.

honestly i really liked the scene of nini taking charge after miss jenn freaked out cause with the character detail of nini giving every person in the cast of productions she’s in a thank you note she just seems really like someone who is suited to lifting others up. this could still be explored at north, maybe she could help lily through her issues that were briefly implied in ep 11 and nini realizes she wants to be a drama teacher and encourage kids to go off book and put themselves into their acting, something she couldn’t have at yac.

okay now ej ,,, so like i said in ricky’s section, more bants between them cause i feel like friendships kinda fell by the wayside due to all the relationships so more friendship !!!! also the scene where ej tells his dad he’s not going to duke shouldn’t have been an ending scene, it should have been fleshed out with his dad pushing back saying how he pulled all these strings to get him in and ej saying he doesn’t wanna go if his own hard work couldn’t get him there. and also more scenes of ej doing av club things !!! and realizing he rlly likes film and wants to do it OMG IT WOULD BE SO COOL IF HE BROKE THE FOURTH WALL AND ASKED THE DOCUMENTARY CREW ABT THE FILM INDUSTRY god i would love that. the only scene we rlly got of ej doing film things was at the quinceañera which made me kinda sad. uhhh also i just wanted to specifically mention how ej got mr mazzara that job at cal tech bc it really showed how he wanted to be there for people not just for gina, who he had a crush on, but for mr mazzara who supported him outside of romance, so i wanna keep that for sure.

gina !!! okay so i mostly liked her arc in this season, the only changes i would make would be to flesh it out a teeny bit (god this hypothetical s2 would have to be like 22 eps at least shdjdjdjfj) anyways besides ashlyn singing home to get gina to stay i think there should be a scene where they actually talk in her room abt how gina feels safer when shes on the run (second chance reference ilysm) hhhh and also a scene of her and carlos actually working out compromises for their choreo cause i liked that bit of development too and fleshing that out would make gina an even better foil for lily, who felt a need to hog the spotlight like gina used to. with gina’s own arc fleshed out her character would feel more whole independently from romance and portwell would be even more rewarding than it is in the current s2. the only thing i would really change abt portwell is that they would kiss !!! in the finale but thats bc im biased.

ashlyn should have gotten a more fleshed out storyline about being insecure about not being a good enough belle or the typical belle. there were some throwaway lines when north did their typical dramatics but the only two real scenes that showed it were when ash talked to big red about it and when she was telling nini she wanted to do a run in “home” bc lily did it. ashlyn should get more screen time where she has to grapple with the reasons she doesn’t feel good enough and big red can still support her but also gina too bc i would like more roommate besties interaction.

kourtney could still date howie, that harry potter shit was cute but there needs to be smth else for kourtney’s arc. idk she’s still into fashion so maybe she could be out here trying to create her own line or smth? this doesn’t have to be resolved in s2 like making a wholeass line takes time and she could work on it into a potential s3. kourtney just didnt get much outside of howie and the stuff at the beginning of the season where she said nini inspired her to be independent and that's why she got a job was just dropped?? so i think that fashion could fill that for her if she’s still dating howie cause like having her whole arc just be the pizza place kinda overlaps w big red’s mini arc abt how he wasn’t settling for hospitality, its what he wants to do with his life.

ik what ur thinking. anna, even if you added more episodes, where would u find the room to add all these plotlines?? well first we cut (most of) the seblos fight, so thats some time saved. honestly most of the time that we r going to gain is going to be from cutting ms jenn’s time. things like ms jenn’s and nini’s car ride would get cut, but mostly all of ms jenn’s romances would get cut down. considering she’s the teacher and isn’t actually a character with an arc how does she have THREE love interests this season?? like all of the weird tension between her and zack can be cut, like just some short scenes of them being competitive can stay. all of the stuff with ricky’s dad can go bye bye we don’t need it. i did like her w mr mazzara so most of that can stay i just didn’t like how he said he would give up cal tech for her, ew no that would be gone.

the MENKIES !!!! this is the last thing im gonna address cause in a perfect world every character would get a long fleshed out arc but then the season would be waaay too long and also im mostly trying to work within material the show gave so this is mostly made up of “realistic” deviations from what actually happened. lol idk what that even means it just makes sense to me. but anyways!! uhhh bro idk i thought them dropping the menkies was funny but it also made the finale really BAD lmao. in this finale, seb is the beast, east still had to deal w the fact that they’re underfunded compared to north but no one is injured, lily is less of a poorly written character and maybe ppl are even rooting for her, and wow i just realized i never actually said what role i think nini should have in north’s show. OOH she could be student director instead of lily cause lily both being in the play while also directing was weird considering omg i just checked and according to her wiki page shes a FRESHMAN?? and they let her be student director? lol hell nah. okay so with all that in mind ,,, the menkies should have been the season cliffhanger instead of portwell. east and north should both be nominated, both schools perform at the menkies, and then the award winner is about to be announced and THATS when it cuts to natalie and the end of the season.

one, this actually gives more tension for a summer s3 as we would be waiting to see the consequences of whichever school won. also i bet people would be wondering if nini’s gonna be transferring back to east or staying at north. people would also prob wonder if ej would be getting the scholarship if east won and what that would mean for his interest in film.

lmao that got longggg and idk if anyone’s even gonna read this but it was fun to do :D

[possiamo-andare]

Just You (1)

JJ x Reader x Rafe (love triangle)

MASTERLIST

word count: 3.1k

summary: A new girl moves to OBX and a love triangle ensues. Your usual yearning, fluff writing :)

a/n: gosh, it has been too long. university has me swamped but since it’s the holiday break, i will try and update as much as i can. as of rn my other fic, sweeter, is on hold, while i try to write more and get back into the groove of things :) love y’all <3 

~

Many people do not care to know the difference between new and old money. To the working class, new and old money were relatively the same. To some extent, that was true. People that had either new or old money were rich nonetheless but when you grew up rich like Rafe Cameron did, the difference was all that mattered.

The main difference was how the money was procured. Old money was passed down. No one from old money had to work since they were born rich. Their manners were taught at a young age. New money meant that they had worked for what they had. At some point, they were not rich and now they were. They were not as defined and they had to be taught, at an older age, how to act. Rafe’s mother used to say you could see who was from old and new money from their ties. If it was a man, their ties would be neutral colours, nothing flashy. People from new money usually had something to prove and so they would buy extravagant things. For women, it was their heels. Women from old money had small heels that were polished as well. Women from new money had tall heels and they had never learned that they should polish the heel along with the shoe.

Growing up as someone from old money, Rafe had normalized that there was a divide between the rich people in Figure 8. Of course, there was a divide between the Pogues and the Kooks but that divide was course and palpable. This divide was subdued and rarely ever spoken about. Kooks that came from old money lived on the west side of Figure 8 while the Kooks from new money resided on the east. This unspoken rule proved to be useful since the two groups of rich snobs never liked to speak to each other anyways. This rule had been in place years before Rafe was even born and he had thought it would still be there even after he died. That is, until Y/N moved in down the street.

It was at the beginning of June when she moved in. The first sign that things would end terribly was when her family pulled into the parking lot. Her mother drove a beat up blue Camaro while her father trailed behind in a black motorcycle. Most people that lived on the west side of the island didn’t have flashy cars but they were well maintained and not so loud. Everyone knew they were from new money before they even exited their cars. And when they did, it was confirmed these people had just become wealthy.

Rafe’s family, like most on the street, watched from their windows as a tall, burly man with a long black beard and sunglasses opened the truck of his wife’s car and carried two large bags in the door. His two sons, both similar in size and features, followed after him. They carried two pink suitcases inside as the man’s daughter and wife stayed outside to open their garage.

Rafe’s eyes glanced over their house. It was one of the bigger houses on the block but it looked more like a huge cottage than anything else. His mind went to the thought of hippies invading their neighbourhood. He gulped. If they were some type of laid back, motorcycling hippies, he’d go crazy for sure. He knew Sarah would love them though; she always complained about how boring their neighbourhood was. But boring meant normal and that’s what Rafe wanted.

As his mother gossiped on the phone, Rafe watched the mother and the daughter laugh together. The mother looked like a hippie. Her hair was tied up on the top of her head and it had clearly not been brushed. She wore a light green skirt that reached to her ankles which then led to the flip flops that she wore. A white t-shirt was tucked into her skirt and she had big bracelets of all different colours dangling off her wrists. The daughter’s style was similar to her mother’s. She wore pink bootcut jeans and a white crop top, black chunky platform boots pulling the look together. Her hair was different from her mothers and was let down to blow in the breeze. They all looked like polar opposites from everyone else living in Figure 8.

At first, Rafe could care less about the girl or her family across the street. Granted, he would religiously watch through the window for when she would come outside to ride her bike around the neighbourhood with her brothers, and yes, he would sometimes wait until she was outside for him to take out the trash but he didn’t like her. If anything, it was the opposite. Rafe was too good for her. At least, that’s what he led himself to believe.

The first time he spoke to her was two weeks after she moved in. His mother had told him to stay away from Y/N’s family and Rafe had done an amazing job at doing so. Unfortunately, that all stopped when he had to pick Sarah up from school. She had thrown up in the middle of one of her classes and since both his mother and father were at work, the responsibility was on Rafe to pick Sarah up and make sure she was okay. Although reluctant to go back to his old highschool, Rafe knew he’d be in trouble if he was late in picking up his sister. When he entered the school's administration office, he finally came face to face with the girl he had been watching for two weeks now. Except, her back was turned to him as she argued with the secretary.

“That’s what you call a vegetarian dish?” Y/N raised her voice, not particularly enjoying being ignored by the school administration. When she first had come to this school, she had checked off on her form that she needed vegetarian dishes for lunch. Now, everyday since she had come, they had served her horribly chopped up lettuce with vinegar.

“Miss -” Ms. Buzden said, placing her phone on hold. It was the student’s lunch break so she usually called her sister during this time but Y/N was keeping her from doing so.

“Y/N.” Y/N smiled, finally happy she had caught the woman’s attention.

Ms. Buzden rolled her eyes, sighing deeply. “Y/N, dear, if you have a problem with lunch, please take it up with the lunch ladies.”

Y/N sighed, leaning against the secretary’s desk. “I tried to, Beth, but she told me to come here. I will not be ignored.”

Rafe was almost as surprised as Ms. Buzden was when Y/N used her first name. As he stood behind Y/N, waiting for his turn to ask where Sarah was so he could sign her out, he watched in slight amusement at the fact she was nonchalantly complaining to the secretary.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you dear.” Ms. Buzden forced a smile, finally looking over Y/N’s shoulder to Rafe. “Rafe, sweetie, you’re here to sign out Sarah?”

Rafe hesitated for a moment, knowing Y/N’s eyes were on his. He felt as if an imaginary spotlight had shown on him for a solo and he had forgotten the words. His eyes glanced toward Y/N for a moment but it did not help his stage fright. Her beautiful eyes were squinting in his direction and for a moment he thought he would faint underneath her stare. His eyes quickly returned to the secretary’s and nodded quickly. In an embarrassing turn of events, Y/N spoke before Rafe did.

“Hey, I know you.” Y/N’s bracelets clang together as she lifts her hand up and points at Rafe. “You’re my neighbour. You’re always watching me through your window.”

As the secretary busies herself with printing the paperwork, Rafe busies himself by stuttering and gasping for breath at the accusation she had just posed. In an attempt to save himself from anymore embarrassment, Rafe tries and fails at coming up with a good excuse. Instead, he denies the accusation entirely.

“I do not watch you.” Rafe stubbornly blubbers out. He’s trying not to seem so embarrassed but she’s caught him so off guard that there’s nothing else he can do.

Y/N snickers, watching the poor boy stumble on every word. For someone older than her, he was not very mature. “No, you’re right. Watching would imply a causal aspect to the activity. More like you stalk me.”

This time, Rafe boiled over with anger. How dare this girl accuse him of stalking her? Rafe did not chase after any girl, no matter how attractive she was. “That’s a bit arrogant, isn’t it? To think everyone’s eyes are on you?”

Y/N continued to smile, unbothered by Rafe’s obvious rudeness. She shrugs, looking back to the secretary for a moment and grabbing her terrible vegetarian lunch before looking back to Rafe. “Not everyone’s. Just yours.”

And with that, she leaves the office. And Rafe knows he is screwed, because he just met the love of his life.

~

JJ Maybank shared almost everything with his friends. Emphasis on almost. They had always relied on him to be the funny one. To always goof around and take nothing seriously. So, when his dad first started beating after his mother left, he said nothing. He felt it was an unnecessary burden to put on the people that truly loved him. Eventually, the bruises and scars were too overwhelming to keep a secret anymore and he began to confess all his issues to his friends. But even then, as JJ tried to open up to the people he cared the most about, there was one thing he could never share.

He was scared of love.

Not just any love, but specifically romantic love. Every time he felt himself begin to develop deep feelings for anyone, he soon backpedaled and left them hanging. It was too scary to give himself to anyone. It would be a lie if he said it had nothing to do with his mother leaving. He had always believed that there was no love greater than his parents when he was growing up and when his mother left, it shattered him. Of course, he never blamed her for leaving considering how abusive his dad was but it killed JJ to know she did not want him to come with her. He had begun to believe that she didn’t think he was important to bring along. He believed that if she truly loved him, she wouldn’t leave without him. That’s what scared him the most; the fact that someone can change their mind about love so quickly.

So, JJ ran at the first sign of love. And he never shared this with anyone. Until that day.

In early June, when Y/N had first moved to OBX, there was a Start of Summer Fair. Right after classes ended on the last day of school, people in the community organized a fair for everyone who was excited for the summer to start. It was exactly two weeks after Y/N had moved in. Exactly two hours after she spoke to Rafe. Funny how the world works.

Behind the fair, there was a small lake where rarely anyone ventured. It was usually muddy and no one in their right mind would go swimming there. With that being said, JJ wanted to go swimming there. He had spent a solid hour with his friends at the fair before becoming exhausted. It wasn’t so much that his friends were exhausting him but a girl named Anna was. He had gone out with her once and had never called her back (as per usual) but she had not picked up on the hidden messages JJ had given her. Instead, she followed him around during his entire time at the fair like a little lost puppy dog. Just as she announced she was going to the bathroom, JJ had almost died from boredom. Thankfully, her going to the bathroom let JJ slip away from his friends and sneak away from Anna.

“What do you want us to tell her?” Kie asked, watching as her best friend was breaking off from the group.

JJ shrugged, not possibly being able to care less. “I don’t care. For all I care, tell her I died.” A bit harsh, yes, but that’s how JJ operated. Abandon them before they abandon you.

The idea to hide near the lake hit him as soon as he left his friends. No one went back there, not if they wanted an infection. Although slightly disgusting, if that was what he had to do to get away and have a moment of peace, he would make that sacrifice. Unfortunately, he found no peace because the second the lake came into view between two thick trees, JJ saw a girl in the water. At first, he was going to leave, maybe even shout a quick joke her way for getting in the dirty water. But when he saw what she was doing, he became curious and couldn’t help but venture forward and investigate.

Y/N, too invested in what she was currently doing, did not see JJ approaching at first. Daisies had begun to grow around the lake, which was already odd on it’s own, but some of them floated on the surface level of the lake. Y/N thought a bunch of Daisies would be a good surprise for her mother so, in an effort to be thoughtful, she emerged herself, from the waist down, into the water. She was not afraid of the muddy water staining her white dress (she had worse stains on her clothes), even excited to show her mother the lengths she went to to get the Daisies. So, with one hand, she held onto a wicker basket full of Daisies and with the other hand, she grabbed a hold of the daisies in the water.

JJ watched in complete and utter fascination as this girl who he did not recognize, fearlessly went into the lake and plucked some Daisies to put in her basket. She almost didn’t even look real. He blinked quickly to make sure she was even actually there. When he opened his eyes and she was still there, he was glad he hadn’t imagined her.

Finally, Y/N sensed a presence that was not her own. Quickly turning to her right, she made eye contact with JJ and her face softened. He was the least threatening person she’d ever seen and something about him made her heartbeat pick up.

She brushed this feeling off and instead, with a small smile on her lips, spoke confidently. “Hello stalker.”

JJ blushed, shoving his hands into his pockets and taking a few steps closer to the lake. “I’m sorry. Was just wondering what you’re doing here. No one comes here.”

“You’re here, aren’t you?” Y/N quips backs, a playfulness in her voice.

JJ thinks he might faint. “Um, well, I’m hiding.”

Y/N giggled. “Me too actually.” She grabs more daisies and puts them in her basket. She looks back up at JJ and speaks to him again. “Who are you hiding from?”

JJ gulps. He doesn’t want to scare away this girl by telling her why he’s come back here. He knows anyone else would judge him but, as he looks at her, he can see she would never judge him. “I’m hiding from a girl.”

Y/N nods, not expressing any disgust and JJ’s heart jumps for joy. “I see. Ex-lover, I presume?”

JJ shrugs. “We only went on one date.”

“Must’ve been a terrible date.” She jokes, and JJ realizes that she’s completely stopped what she’s been doing to listen to him.

JJ shakes his head, focused on her cute round cheeks. “Not really. She was nice.”

Y/N pouts. “Then why are you hiding from her?”

JJ feels as though it is too complicated to explain. And besides, how would he start? He’s never told anyone why he truly has never had a girlfriend. But something about this girl makes him trust her completely. He knows it’s the arrogance in her eyes. “I’m scared.”

Y/N nods, as if she understands him completely and he feels as though she does. “I see. You know, when I get irrationally anxious over something like this, I play the What If game.”

JJ’s brows pull together in confusion. “What?”

Y/N moves through the water and closer to the edge where JJ stands. When she arrives at the water’s edge, she reaches her hand out for JJ to grasp. He hesitates first and knows it’s because he likes her so much already and this will be the first time they will touch. The first time he’ll feel her skin against his is beside this muddy lake. Eventually, he grabs her hand and helps her out of the water and he knows, the second his hand touches hers, she’s his dream girl. His hands are on fire and he feels a pit in his stomach grow as her hand grips tighter onto him. There’s a spark and he’s sure there has never been anyone else that made him feel this way.

“The What If game,” Y/N starts, placing her basket on the ground. She starts to ring out the water from her dress but continues to keep eye contact with JJ. “is really easy. Here; tell me a fear you have about falling in love but make sure it starts with ‘what if.’”

JJ thinks for a moment. There are so many and he doesn’t know where to start. Finally, he chooses his biggest fear. “What if she leaves?”

Y/N smiles. “What if she doesn’t though? But, what if she does and then you find who you’re actually supposed to be with? The game is to just rationalize every irrational fear.”

JJ nods, a small smirk growing at the corner of his lips. “You’re not one of those girls who believes every breakup brings you closer to your soulmate?”

Y/N laughs. “Yeah, I wish. I’m not your manic pixie dream girl - wait, what's your name?”

JJ extends his hand, ready to feel her skin again. “JJ Maybank. Yours?”

Y/N smiles and shakes JJ’s hand. This should be interesting, she thinks. “It’s Y/N.”

“So, Y/N,” JJ starts, her name feeling good coming from his mouth. “If you’re not my manic pixie dream girl, then what are you?”

Y/N smiles. She was right. This is definitely going to be interesting. “I’m just yours.”

~

tagging; @tovvaa​

[usedtobe-angstyoikawa]

Found him

Oikawa Tooru x gn!reader

Summary: part 2 of this

Warnings: little bit of angst but it gets better I promise

Word count: 2047

a/n: you asked for it so here it is, I hope I didn’t fuck it up :)

———————————————————————

He hated rainy days, they made him wanna stay in bed and do nothing but sleep. The sound of his alarm going off for the third time that morning reminded him it was time to get up though. He hurried out of bed and tried getting ready as fast as he could, brushing his teeth while peeing at the same time wasn’t and easy task but he managed. Having breakfast wasn’t an option, neither was taking a shower, he was already running late to his first meeting as a professional. Some crackers and cologne will have to do, he thought before running out of his house and towards the bus stop.

You had woken up early that same morning, enjoying the peaceful sound of silence and the warmth of your hot beverage. After taking a long shower you got ready for work and searched for your car keys, which you were sure you had placed on top of the kitchen table the night before. You spent almost 15 minutes looking for the damn keys until you found them on the living room floor next to the sofa. Just when you were getting up your eyes caught a glimpse of a very familiar face smiling at you from behind a glass. It was yours and Oikawa’s graduation picture, that was taken way back when you were two reckless teens. After that day (and the horrible scene that still played in your mind every now and then) you hadn’t heard from him, except you knew he had moved to Argentina to play for the San Juan volleyball team. You weren’t mad at him and you were pretty sure he wasn’t mad at you either, there was no reason to be. Both of you were busy with college and volleyball, not to mention figuring out how the adult life worked, so you simply fell out of touch. As for what had happened between him and Iwaizumi you had no idea. You hoped they had realize how crazy they were for each other and started dating already, but you knew they didn’t really believe in long distance relationships so you doubted that had happened. Still, you were sure that if you ever bumped into them you’d be able to say hi without hurting like you used to. And with that thought roaming your mind you got in your car and drove to work.

The sound of the elevator doors closing and opening made him nervous, or maybe it was the tick in his left eye and the smell of a strong cologne coming from the man behind him. How could anyone wear such an amount of hideous vomiting scent, he thought. Before he could start complaining out loud the elevator reached his floor and he slowly walked to the conference room. He knew he was late, he had actually planed on it as soon as he was told who had been assigned as his interviewer. Was he being childish? Probably. Was there a reason for him to be acting that way? Probably not, but still he took his time while making his way to the last glass door in the hall.

You were sitting at the table with a bunch of other coworkers and your boss, waiting for your clients to arrive. You let out an annoyed sigh as you read through the pages that had been given to you with your client’s requests. Apparently you were about to meet a professional athlete with a tight schedule and many fans waiting for the new information to drop. For an instance your mind thought of a certain brown haired boy but instantly shook it away, he wasn’t even in the same continent as you were. Or so you thought. Suddenly the glass doors flew open and you heard the unmistakable voice of said boy, that was now a man.

He was almost a hundred percent sure he was lost. Had he taken the right elevator? Yeah, there was no other one. Maybe he was in the wrong building? No way he had double checked the address. Why did all the rooms look the same? How come none of them had a number or tag on each door? Man his boss was gonna kill him, he had warned him these people didn’t like waiting. He had decided to go back on his steps and star again from the elevator when he bumped into someone who looked like they worked there. Thank god.

“ Hello Mr Oikawa, I’m the head director of the magazine’s sports section” the sound of your boss’s voice echoed in your head but you couldn’t process anything he was saying. “ We’re so glad to have you here, I was told by your manager that you don’t have enough free time for a proper interview and obviously time isn’t something we have abundance of. So, here’s what we’re gonna do…” he proceeded to explain to the volleyball player how we had managed to arrange a joined interview with a fellow athlete.

“It sounds okay, I can’t say I’m excited though I don’t really mind sharing the spotlight. Plus I’ve read your magazine in many occasions and I can tell your writers have experienced in the volleyball field” his eyes were set in you and he gave you a small smile. You tried to smile back but you still couldn’t believe he was standing in front of you. Just this morning you had thought of him after such a long time of hearing nothing from him and there he was. As if that hadn’t been socking enough, the glass doors opened again and your second client entered the room. Brown spiked hair and a sweaty face caught everyones attention.

“Hello, I’m sorry I’m late the bus took forever to get through the morning traffic and I have to say these glass doors rooms look all the same” the man started while trying to catch his breath. As soon as he looked up from the floor his eyes scanned the room and stopped at the athlete. They looked at each other for a while without uttering a word, even when your boss started talking they still held each other’s gaze.

Oh to think that same morning you had thought you’d be fine with seeing them again. How naive.

After your boss finished explaining how and when the interview was gonna take place, he decided to introduce both men.

“And this is who you’ll be interviewed with, I’m pretty sure you already know who he is. Oikawa Toruu, professional volleyball player” he said “ And Oikawa this is Iwaizumi Hajime, Japan’s volleyball team’s coach he’s new to this so please be nice”

“Oikawa” said the shorter man while giving a nod with his head.

“Iwaizumi” the other greeted “ Its nice to see you again”

You could tell by the atmosphere in the room that those two had never confessed to the other. The tension could be cut with a butter knife.

“Oh! You already know each other that’s great. Now meet your interviewer, they’re one of our most talented writers in the sports section and they happen to know a lot about volleyball” and so everyone’s eyes were on you. You could tell Hajime wasn’t sure if he knew you or not, even if you had gone to the same high school you weren’t sure he remembered you. “You can follow them into the room next door and start discussing the details for the interview. I promise you you’re gonna be amazed by their skills”

“Trust me we know how great they are.” It was Tooru’s voice. You still didn’t know what to say so you exited the room and told the two grown men behind you to follow. “ Now are you going to interview us or are we back to hating each other” he joked as soon as you closed the glass door and you couldn’t believe that after all those years it still felt the same. You laughed along with Iwaizumi, who apparently did recognize you.

“This is crazy” he said “How long has it been? And you’re a journalist? I can’t believe I didn’t know about this”

“Yeah well, we all took different paths so it’s not that surprising I guess” you tried to play it off as if the whole situation didn’t have an effect on you.

“Oh no, not at all. I have to confess I knew you worked here” Tooru said “ But I certainly didn’t know you were gonna be here too, Iwa-chan” your heart stopped at the mention of that old nickname. You could see the blush covering Iwaizumi’s cheeks and it made you smile. It was so painfully obvious that even after all that time they still were head over heels for each other. But, like the last time you didn’t say a word, it was none of your business and you were only there to do your work.

The interview went smoothly, the three of you laughed and had a good time remembering old high school stories. Oikawa would give you a panicked look every time his love life was mentioned, but you managed to keep the sport as the main focus of the interview.

Once it was finished, you went for a coffee together and talked about your lives and careers. Iwaizumi was the first to leave, excusing himself saying something along the lines of training and team. You stayed a little longer with Tooru, chatting and asking him questions about Argentina and the friends he’d made.

“It was a great experience but there’s nothing like home you know. I really missed this.” his words would’ve warmed your heart only if they had been meant for you, even though they were directed to you it was clear he was talking about his childhood best friend and crush.

“You know I really thought you were going to confess to him back then” the words left your mouth without even realizing it. The boy next to you tended his shoulders and then let out a sigh.

“I couldn’t do it, I knew he didn’t feel the same way and I didn’t want to ruin the friendship” you knew exactly how that felt but that was different, there was no way his friend wasn’t in love with him. Whereas in your case you did know your crush didn’t like you back, hell he had even said it to your face. Still, both situations sucked and you knew better than anyone that keeping your feelings bottled up for too long wasn’t ideal. “I also knew you liked me” those words took you by surprise.

“Excuse me”

“Oh don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Iwaizumi told me, just when I was about to confess to him he said you should ask them out.” Oh, that’s why he though his feelings weren’t reciprocated. “I’m pretty sure I owe you and apology for not realizing sooner, you were always there for me but still I couldn’t see it and kept talking about my crush on someone else. So yeah, I’m sorry for that.” He was being sincere and you could tell he was a bit ashamed too.

“It’s okay, I’m okay.” you grabbed his hand and looked him in the eye “That doesn’t change the fact that you two are idiots and still need me to solve your problems. Now I promised myself I would never get involved in this, but I’m not gonna let my friends spend the rest of their lives alone. So, get your ass out of this café and go after your man before I punch you in the face”

“Okay okay I’m doing this, he can’t reject me I’m basically perfect” he hyped himself up before getting up and walking up to the door. Before closing it he popped his head inside again and looked at you. “Oh and Y/N” you gave him a small smile “Thank you, you’re the best friend I could’ve asked for” and with that he turned around and left not only the café but your heart too, finally freeing that space he was never meant to fill and placing himself on the right top shelf, the center of it now empty and ready to welcome a new beginning.

First part

[jesusology]

having a hard time with Kazui, but I decided to go through his MV step-by-step and see where my thoughts lead me !! let’s gooooo

I think the green apple is an interesting choice. Normally, if you’re going for a “temptation” or “forbidden fruit” type of thing it’s going to be a red apple… because red represents passion, after all. But the green makes me think there’s some other reason for this.

Okay, so the apple is placed on a stage on a small table and there’s a spotlight over top of it. I feel like the apple is maybe meant to represent “temptation” but not in a “forbidden romance/adultery” type of way.

It could be symbolic of temptation in other aspects of life. Maybe he was wanting to leave his “ordinary, common” life and pursue things that are deemed unrealistic - especially for someone of his age, even though he’s really not that old.

Which, again, he brings up his age a lot. I guess you might feel self-conscious when surrounded by people younger than you but even so… he seems really hung up on his age and being an “old man”. He probably feels like it’s too late for someone like him to make a “big” change in his life and it’s easiest to just keep going as normal, pro status quo.

The color green can also mean something like “greed, envy, and life”. Wouldn’t even be surprised if all three of those potentials were meaningful in relation to Kazui.

I mention this in like every single one of my theories but again not everything here is literal. So what we’re seeing here, Kazui at the bar drinking with a woman other than his wife… it could mean something else entirely and not the obvious assumption of an affair.

A thought I just formed, but could that other image of Kazui at the bar with a different woman just be his imagination at work? He’s still sitting with his wife at home but he’s imagining that he’s out at some classy bar with a woman other than his wife. Maybe he wants something more glamorous, something other than this “plain” situation at home? Or maybe that woman is meant to represent something else entirely. A “dream”, a different life entirely.

Not sure if this is indicative of anything or even means anything, but there’s a pillow sort of wedged between them…

Maybe he never really wanted to be married but he felt like he had to because he really DOES love his wife and it’s just the natural course of things to get married. He had other things he wanted to do, but they ultimately never came to fruition because of the normal societal expectations. He’s hiding aspects of himself just to have that illusion of normality.

Just now noticed what looks like another figure in the distance sitting with him? Is that meant to be his wife? Is that also why he looks kind of surprised? The apple is between them, it’s sort of a divider.

His eye color…. Is so pretty….

He’s “playing a part” and so he’s seen in various costumes throughout the MV. Depending on the situation, he swaps his mask in order to appropriately fit in. It could be seen as living a lie, or it could be seen as a simple survival instinct. He sees no other way to live, because he doesn’t want to sadden/disappoint the people around him.

I’m not sure what his dreams could be or what he REALLY wants out of life, but either way, it clearly creates a rift.

Hmmm this line gives me pause. It makes it sound like part of the problem is his wife, as if she were maybe cheating or wanting to leave him? Or it could be that she disapproves of his “dreams”. Could also be that she’s suffering emotionally in this marriage and he doesn’t appear to take notice and this causes them to drift further from each other.

I wonder if the chair is meant to represent his wife in some way. I don’t really have any evidence for this, it’s just more of a feeling. What kind of uniform is that he’s wearing, anyhow? I feel like it’s possibly important...

A lot of Kazui’s theme has to do with “lies” and “hiding”. Does he feel like he’s living a lie in his common life? Is this because he wants to be something so much more, but he can’t because - to him - it’s almost as if his wife is the one holding him back? Again, I feel he truly does love her. But I feel as though their love has fizzled from something romantic (if there ever was romance) into something milder.

I wonder if he was starting to view her as more of a burden than a partner. He loves her, so he isn’t sure what to do. Leaving isn’t an option. So lying is all that’s left. He’s struggling with which he should listen to - his brain, or his heart.

He wears his wedding ring throughout the entirety of the MV which makes me think it probably isn’t an affair… I mean, if you’re going out to bars in the hopes of meeting someone new, you probably wouldn’t want to leave your wedding ring on.

A lot of distance here, clearly depicting how their marriage is just… silently falling apart.

I don’t think he’s referring to loving a person here. I feel like it’s more of a concept that he’s talking about, a dream. The dream here is being personified as a human woman, his mind is creating a scenario where his dream is essentially like “cheating” on his wife. This really feels like I’m pulling stuff out of my ass like I’m trying to make him seem less “bad” than he is, but I just. Really feel like we wouldn’t be getting this so straight-forwardly if it were an actual affair.

Also he’s still wearing his wedding ring here which again would make no sense to me if you were going to a bar trying to find other people.

There still seems to be some level of distance here. He doesn’t directly touch the woman’s shoulders and he doesn’t especially move in closer toward her. Again, his “dream” feels untouchable and like something he HAS to keep inside because if he does “touch” his dream then his life with his wife - no matter if he’s happy or not - will be shattered.

I feel like he’s talking about memories with his wife here. He might be recalling happier times and he wishes he could just banish those from his mind because it would make dealing with everything so much easier.

Here the both of them are, but the spotlight remains on the apple on the stage. His mind is elsewhere. He’s with his wife, a woman he loves, but he isn’t fully committing to her and her own wants and needs. He’s instead thinking of a dream, something he isn’t being honest about.

Hindsight is 20/20 and I feel like he really does regret whatever he did. The grass is always greener on the other side, I guess…

But it makes me wonder if he ended up telling her whatever his deal is or if someone ELSE did? He’s saying that “not one word will reach you” but it must have somehow.

I like how he grabs her hand, the one that has the ring on it… nothing to add to it, I just… it makes me feel things

Spotlight is back on him, he looks to be in their apartment. He isn’t in a costume, he isn’t wearing a mask. I like the focus on the balcony in the background, it’s ominous.

No mask. And his voice seems more pained, his expressions look more hurt. Taking off the mask is stopping his lies, and it seems as though that may not have been the best decision on his part.

Again, I feel like the chair is meant to represent his wife. She was a comfort to him, regardless of the feelings they had for each other. He might not have felt the same way in their marriage, not any longer, but he did love her and the comfort she brought him. Does he want that to disappear? Definitely not. But can he abandon all other thoughts and what he wants in life? Unfortunately not.

I HAVE THINGS I WANT TO SAY ABOUT THIS IMAGE IN PARTICULAR BUT MY BRAIN CANNOT ARTICULATE IT

I think I saw that green can also be representative of cowardice. And I feel like that’s also a big theme here, that he felt too cowardly to be honest with his wife and ultimately it led to the greatest loss of all. This also seems to be a big “miscommunication kills” type of scenario. Communication could have also been the killer here - there’s just not enough info here to make a firm judgment.

Either she jumped from the balcony or he accidentally pushed her. I feel like it’s either one of these. I’m sorta leaning more toward the “he accidentally shoved her in a fit of passion or some sort of argument”... because it just feels like he might’ve had a literal hand in it

Curse this image being so blurry. He’s holding out his hand and his hand is outlined in red, so it’s very important… could he be trying to lunge forward and catch her or is he about to like... push her. HMMM this image does make it look more like he’s trying to grab onto her in hopes of saving her.

Broken shards of glass that I think are representative of their marriage and her fall from the balcony. What’s shattered can’t so easily be put back together - and in some cases, it can’t be put back at all. Something he’s learned in a very hard way and something he might have known all along.

He took a bite from the apple, it’s gone. He made his choice. But what’s left is broken in pieces.

And he goes back to putting on a mask… because I think it’s too hard to face otherwise. Now then! Onto some other things that might shed a little more light because I’m honestly not sure about this. Kazui’s is so… subtle and vague. It seems so obvious on the surface that it makes me think it really ISN’T that tangible from first glance.

Let’s take a look at some of his other things.

He really does seem pretty hung-up on his age lol… I guess I can’t blame him because I do the same thing and I’m only in my twenties.

This is a really interesting tid-bit from him. Why would they find him embarrassing? Because of what happened in his life, because he opened up about something and let down his mask for a bit? I really want to know more about this because it seems so telling.

Another theory I’ve seen go around that I support quite a bit could also be that instead of a “dream” he was hiding he was instead trying to deny his own sexual orientation. If Kazui were gay, that could explain a lot of things in this. Putting on a mask to hide who he really is, staying in a marriage with a person he loves but not in a romantic nor sexual way… his family “being embarrassed” by him… I could honestly see this being the case. He’s playing a part in life and it’s really not HIM because he doesn’t feel he can be himself.

What’s clear is just how much Kazui doesn’t even seem to know what it is that he REALLY wants. He doesn’t seem satisfied no matter the option, it’s just a lose-lose situation all around for him. If he chooses to go with being himself/his dream then he loses his wife. If he stays with his wife, it doesn’t stop his thoughts from wandering elsewhere. He won’t be satisfied.

On another note, Kazui continues to hide behind a mask even with MILGRAM. He tries to pass himself off as someone who is mild-mannered and relaxed but at the same time he’s a bit contradictory because he also calls himself anxious. He says things to others that don’t really reflect his actual thoughts - such as when Yuno asked him about his type of woman and he says something that’s just… not really well thought-out because it seems like he’s pretty private. He wants to be private because opening up with his true feelings hasn’t worked out well for him.

Unrelated but I got this screencap and I’m like… i need a kiss from this man ASAP. i need it like i need air to breathe 

Okay that’s it for now!! So interested to see what direction his story takes in the next MV for him. I really want to learn so much more about Kazui, his entire MV is just so subtle. Let me know your thoughts!! Would really love to hear what you think of Kazui and his cryptic demeanor. Thank you for reading! please tumblr don’t delete like half my post thank u <3

like. on one hand i could very well see cheating being the entire case here. it would make sense what-with choosing to “forgive” or “not forgive”. but i also like to have a bit of fun and see what other possibilities might be. who knows! we shall find out in time

[chimchimsauce]

XS (VII - Brick)

“Give me just a little bit MORE”

Being the son of the largest gang in the country, Kim Taehyung might as well be a prince. He is more powerful than any one man should be and is not afraid to get rid of anything - or anyone that gets in his way.

So when a man is unable to pay back the gigantic loan he owes Taehyung, the heir is all too happy to take his life. Moments away from pulling the trigger, a girl more beautiful than he’s ever seen bursts in and offers her life for her father’s. Taehyung knows right away that he wants her.

And Taehyung gets everything he wants.

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven 

Taehyung rides with YN to the reception hall, Jungkook now sitting up front next to the driver. YN stares out of the window, pretending that she cannot see Taehyung's gaze in the glass's reflection.

She wishes the weather would reflect her mood. The day is bright and sunny, not a storm cloud in sight. The people they drive past look are smiling, laughing without a care as they go about their everyday lives, smiling and being happy. What YN wouldn't do for the chance at that simple life again.

Of course, the drive to the reception is not long at all. Taehyung slides out of the vehicle, taking quick strides to go around the back of the car and open YN's door for her. He offers her his hand and she takes it, uttering a small "Thank you." He does not let her go as they waltz into the reception hall, a beautiful old building with exposed brick and lots of pretty greenery. It's someplace YN would have dreamed about visiting, a venue she would have picked herself.

Her new husband releases her once they're safely inside in one of the small back rooms the venue has.

"You've been doing so well," Taehyung says, his hand heavy on her bare shoulder, "I am so proud of you, darling."

"Thank you," YN says again robotically.

Taehyung hums contentedly, his long fingers tapping down her sides before landing on the zipper that closes her dress. YN freezes.

Is he going to make a move now? With people on their way here as they speak?

"Taehyung," YN breathes out.

He mobster quite likes the sound of his name coming from her throat. He'll be sure to wrangle it out of her a thousand times before the night is over.

"Yes, darling," Taehyung answers, pulling the zipper down.

"Are you . . . we're not . . ." YN can't form full sentences, petrified.

Taehyung places a kiss on his wife's neck, loving the way she trembles.

"So eager," he whispers, lips brushing against her skin, "Later, darling. We go have guests to entertain."

A knock on the door shatters the intensity in the room. The relief YN feels is immense.

"Yes?" Taehyung asks, his annoyance obvious.

He hadn't been planning on taking YN here, but she placed the thought in his head and now his head is filled with ideas of pinning her against the wall, the brick digging into her back and leaving bloody scrapes. It sounds like such a wonderful experience, but now someone has shattered it.

The door swings open and in waltzes Yoonji, still dressed in her usual uniform. Her face is blank, taking in the scene with no interest.

"You wanted me to prepare YN for the reception," she says breezily, addressing Taehyung only and pretending that YN isn't even there.

"Right," Taehyung says, running his hands through his hair.

YN can't help but look at his golden wedding ring.

"Make sure Miss Kim looks beautiful," Taehyung says, moving to leave, "Even though it's impossible for her not to."

YN has never wished to be unattractive until this moment. If she was ugly, this wouldn't be happening. But then again, if Taehyung hadn't been interested in her, he would have killed her and her parents on the spot.

When the door shuts, YN is alone with Yoonji. She smiles at the other women but Yoonji doesn't return it, silently moving about the room. In the corner, there is a clothing rack with a garment bag hanging on it. Yoonji unzips it and pulls out a floofy white dress, one that should stop around YN's knees. She finishes unzipping YN's wedding dress, ridding her of it. YN is glad; That thing weighs like forty pounds.

YN stands there in her lingerie, Yoonji's eyes raking up and down her figure before she turns away, muttering something under her breath. YN peeks down at herself. Is something wrong with her body?

"Is everything alright?" YN asks Yoonji, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Just fine," Yoonji says curtly, bending down to allow YN to step into the new dress.

Yoonji jerks the fabric up too quickly and YN trips, almost falling to the ground.

"Hey!" she shouts.

Yoonji ignores her, pulling the princess sleeves over YN's shoulders and zipping her up. Se guides the bride over to the small vanity, unboxing the awaiting makeup kit. Yoonji quickly touches up YN's makeup, ridding YN of the evidence of her first kiss with Taehyung. YN is happy to have her smudged lipstick wiped away and replaced. If only she could do it with the skin that monster touched.

Yoonji rids YN of her veil and weaves flowers and gold into her hair, finishing her work. It took her just over twenty minutes to complete before another knock sounds on the door. It's Taehyung. He barges in without waiting for an answer.

"Is she ready yet?"

"Yes, sir," Yoonji says, stepping out of the way and disappearing down the hallway.

Taehyung extends his hands to hers, raising her hand to his mouth and pressing a kiss to the back of it. Disgust washes over YN but she ignores it, knowing better than to pull away from him.

"I have some very important people I want you to meet, darling," he says to her as they walk into the main room.

People mingle amongst themselves, looking up when the new Mr. and Mrs. Kim enter the room. They're swarmed almost immediately, random people coming up to them to wish them well and get Taehyung's attention. YN is reminded of just how powerful the man she was forced to marry is by the way people are eager to get into his good graces.

YN's face hurts from all the smiling she has to do, greeting people she knows could kill her in a matter of seconds. It pains her that she sticks so close to Taehyung. Better the monster you know that the one you don't.

Every so often, YN will allow her gaze to wander, looking over those people who have yet to congratulate them. In the very corner, YN spots her own parents, locking eyes with her mother. Her mom is doing her best to not look terrified, but fear rolls off of her in waves. YN wants nothing more than to run over there and feel her loving embrace, pulling her close and breathing in the scent that has comforted her ever since she was small.

Her parents may not have had much, but they were abundant in love, making sure YN always felt safe and happy in her home. The memories of her childhood suddenly feel eons away, almost as if she had never lived them at all. Was it even her who was comforted after a hard day at school? Was it even her who crawled into her parents' bed when thunder struck? YN's mother sends her a shaky smile. YN has never seen her mother look so weak.

"Why don't we go say 'Hi', darling?" Taehyung asks her suddenly, whisking her away from the crowd of gangsters before she can even protest.

YN doesn't trust Taehyung as far as she can throw him. The less often he's around her parents, the better.

"Hello, Mother," Taehyung says brightly to YN's mom, much too happy for their circumstances, "Doesn't YN look beautiful?"

"She does," her mother says, voice barely above a whisper.

She reaches for YN but Taehyung pulls her away, his grasp too tight on her waist.

"Excuse me for being a little . . . possessive . . ." Taehyung says, "I don't want anyone to accidentally ruin my beautiful bride's dress. Well, except for me."

He laughs wholeheartedly and YN and her mother are forced to join in, both of them hiding their disgust.

YN's father appears by his wife's side, a flute of champagne in his hands. He's squeezing the glass so tightly YN is worried that it'll shatter.

"You -" YN's father begins, only to be cut off by YN in a panic.

"Daddy -" she says, aware of Taehyung's heated stare, "Why don't you take Mama and go dancing? I know you love to dance."

YN chuckles awkwardly at her lie, relieved when her father nods wordlessly and sweeps his wife away to the dance floor.

"It's about time to have our first dance," Taehyung remarks, whirling YN into the center of the room.

As if someone had been waiting for this moment, a spotlight beams down on them and music begins to play. All eyes are on them. YN has never even attempted to learn ballroom dancing but she's too afraid to say something now.

She follows Taehyung's footsteps as best she can, studying his feet and careful to not step on him.

"Look at me," he commands and she does, gasping a bit when she sees how intensely he's staring her down, "You are so beautiful . . . so sweet. And you're all mine."

Taehyung spins YN and she falls into him, her hands splayed out on his chest.

"Say it," Taehyung demands, wrapping his arms around her waist and turning around himself.

YN is sure this isn't the proper form but all she can focus on is the feel of him under his thin shirt, lean and strong. In some ways, Taehyung being a handsome man feels like a punishment within itself. But she supposes she shouldn't be surprised. The Devil was the most handsome angel of all.

"Say what?" YN asks as he dips her low to the ground, his large hand on her thigh.

Her cheeks flush red when he toys with the little lace garter she was forced to wear.

"Say that you're mine."

"I'm yours," YN says.

She has never hated herself so much.

"Good girl," he whispers in her ear, biting her once more.

Something tells her that he gets his kicks from causing pain.

The music ends with a flourish, Taehyung bowing to YN and kissing her on her cut up palms.

For the rest of the evening, Taehyung allows YN to roam about while he speaks business with whoever he needs to speak business with. Her parents have disappeared and YN prays it's because they were asked to leave since Taaehyung had gotten his fill of rubbing it into their faces.

Every entry is guarded by big men with even bigger guns, so any chance of escape (or even a moment alone) is thwarted. With nothing other to do and a growing fear of what will come after, YN turns to the seemingly endless supply of alcohol. She has never been a big drinker but right now she's chasing a blackout, wanting to remember as little of this day as possible.

"Maybe you should slow down," a voice says.

YN turns and sees a vaguely familiar man.

"Who are you?" she asks him.

So far, no one has been brave enough to approach her, no doubt afraid of gaining Taehyung's wrath. This man, however, seems relaxed, completely at ease.

"I'm Jimin," he says, "We've met a few times before, but haven't been formally introduced. I'm Taehyung's - and now yours - driver."

"Ooooh," YN says, her words slurring just a touch.

"I knew I knew you from . . . somewhere," she says, placing a hand on her hip.

"You should probably stop drinking," he says, moving to take the flute away from her.

YN steps back, jerking her glass and spilling a bit. It burns in her cuts and she whimpers, still refusing to let go of it.

"I can still remember. I don't want to remember today."

"Well we can't be having that," a new voice - Taehyung - calls out.

YN's blood runs cold as he yanks the glass away from her and shoves it into Jimin's awaiting hands. She can tell that he's angry and it's paralyzing.

"The Mrs. and I will be heading out now," Taehyung announces to the crowd, "It was a pleasure having you all here. Thanks so much for coming."

He guides the stumbling YN out of the venue, Jimin hot on their heels. In the back of the car, Taehyung hands YN a water bottle, forcing her to drink all of it.

"You shouldn't have done that," he says, glaring at her, "I'll make sure you remember every second of this day."

Chapter Eight

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[angelkurenai]

Imagine going hiking and Dean accidently hearing you sing to the mountains, and he's desperate to find an owner to such beautiful voice.

“If you ask me, it's rather obvious what we're dealing here with and it won't take much time. But it's always to be better safe than sorry, so I'm thinking we should head once more to-” Sam's rambling was cut short as he looked up from his small notebook only to realize his brother wasn't paying the slightest attention to him “Dean?” he asked without really expecting, or getting, a reaction.

And as if that wasn't enough, he didn't seem to be willing to hide it in the least bit, his eyes trained on his food with a deep frown set on his face as he played around with it. It was that exact fact, and the one that most of his plate was still full which was very concerning if Sam took into consideration that this was his brother that wasn't eating, besides the lack of concentration or talking from his part that prevented Sam from teasing him or even trying to act angry at his brother's clear lack of interest in the case, or anything else if he really thought about it.

“Dean?” he tried to insist once more without much result.

“Dean!” this time it got his brother to blink his eyes several times and get back to reality and Sam didn't know whether it was the tone in his voice or the fact that he had to snap his finger's in front of Dean's face. So long as it got the job done.

“Wh- huh what?” Dean frowned at his brother, voice more gruff than it should be and Sam assumed that the lack of sleep was showing on both his face and voice now.

“I-” he parted his lips but stopped himself from saying anything for a couple seconds “Are you ok, Dean? You've been a little off almost ever since last night. You got... lost in the woods and after I found you, you've been acting... weird.”

“Look-” Dean sighed a little agitated “If you wanna test me, I'm right here, do your thing. But as I told you last night and this morning, at least three times, I have not been abducted or possessed or enchanted or anything. Not in a supernatural way at least.” again another sigh as he looked away “Don't give me that look, ok? It's annoying. Besides, I told you, I got a little distracted yesterday but that's al-”

“Distracted?” Sam raised an eyebrow “You got distracted in the freaking mountains? By what? The shape of the rocks?”

“I mean-” he paused, shrugging almost childishly and definitely unconvincingly in a way he did more often than not when there was something that he was hiding Sam, something not life threatening or dangerous, and that made Sam relax a bit more “Rocks are pretty interesting dude.” and that, they both knew, was his lamest excuse that Sam found himself relaxing a lot more to the point he chuckled.

“Wow that's-” Sam blinked several times “That's too much, even for you. No, seriously, are you going to tell me what it was? Because I know real well I was the only one looking for our monster on that mountain but you had not been busy admiring rocks.”

“What are you gonna start judging my hobbies now? It's so bad, all of a sudden, that I find new interests but you can have any nerdy hobby you want in this family?” Dean fended himself weakly, apparently, because of the loo Sam gave him. That made Dean sigh and roll his eyes. “Look, it was nothing dude. It's hard to explain, yes, but I'm completely fine and I am completely me. Just drop it, alright? Get back on the case and rambling, I'll try to keep up and get back on track soon.” hard to explain didn't even begin to cover it in his mind, mostly because it wasn't all easy to explain with logic and therefore his mind wasn't the only player in this game; it was his heart too.

How could he even begin to explain to Sam that he had gotten so distracted by someone singing? How could he even begin to describe that he had really been that enchanted, that mystified, but it was really not in a supernatural way? He couldn't say that he had gotten carried away listening to the woman, it was clearly a female voice, sing so beautifully he had almost forgotten his name, not to mention the reason why he was in the mountains to begin with. He couldn't say that he had even dreamed of said voice, singing to him the same song he had heard yesterday in the mountains and could clearly remember the lyrics to even now. Maybe also because he had looked for it up, though he would never admit to it, just like he wouldn't admit that he hadn't fund any of the singers (covers or not) to be able to match up to the voice he heard.

All the shine of a thousand spotlights All the stars we steal from the nightsky Will never be enough Never be enough Towers of gold are still too little These hands could hold the world but it'll Never be enough Never be enough

It was his favorite part and he couldn't even believe he had a favorite part.

He couldn't admit that he had been trying to put a face to that voice so bad, he couldn't admit that he had been wondering and needing and aching to hear more of the singing, more of the voice, in the same and different songs. He couldn't admit that he had felt all the things he did just by hearing a song, he couldn't admit that the emotion put in the lyrics by the singer had also affected him this much. He couldn't admit that the reason he had been late and that had made Sam look for him, thinking he had been lost or worse, was because Dean had spent all that time looking for the person behind the voice. He could feel the heat of the blush down to his neck at the thought that it looked like something out of the cheesiest fairytale but it had been true, more true than he too could believe, and so were his feelings so he could defend them if need be. But he wasn't looking for an excuse for that.

Besides, he felt moody enough – and disappointed – this morning that he didn't feel up to explaining everything to his brother.

“Right now, I'm just sleepy that's all.” he mumbled, slightly as an afterthought but mostly to try to keep himself focused “Seems I-” he paused briefly, looking around the cafe and pursing his lips in a way that showed his displeasure “Haven't had my coffee yet. Or enough of it.”

Big mistake, because the moment his stopped their path around the small cafe and landed back on his brother, he saw the realization dawn on him. His eyebrows raise slightly and if it wasn't for the knowing quirk of his lips and the relaxed expression on both his body and face he might have thought for just a second that he was off the hook. Clearly, he wasn't.

“So that's what it is huh?” Sam asked before shaking his head with a laugh. He didn't know, of course, but that was no better yet. Because he didn't know the one reason out of the two to his lack of focus. “You like her that much huh?”

“What?” he said it through a mouthful that he took a little too fast to avoid looking at his brother but oh well. His brother figured one of the two reasons in 0.5 seconds so any effort would be in vain.

As long as he didn't know how saddened he was by

“You know what.” the smile on Sam's lips only got bigger “That waitress we met two days ago, the one that works here and the reason why you're here for everyday ever since. And don't try to deny it, you're terrible at it today.” he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at him despite Dean's best (read: worst) effort to avoid eye-contact and give anything away by eating as much as he could.

“I really don't get what you're trying to say, Sam. I mean-” he laughed, nervously, as he tried to swallow over his food because of the look his brother gave him “I haven't even managed to look up from my plate. How could I have noticed (Y/n)'s not here this morning even though her shift has supposedly started half an hour ago? I haven't-” but Dean paused when he noticed the surprise on Sam's face and realized his mistake.

“Honestly?” Sam tried to keep himself from laughing but as expected failed “It's really best if you eat instead of speak. Wow.” he blinked, shaking his head “Well, at least that explains it.”

Dean's lips parted as he prepared to speak back and defend at least what was left of his dignity but then all words died out in his lips when he heard the small laugh next to him that he knew all-too-well and that he would have been too embarrassed to hear in such a situation so close, especially after what had been said, but he was too relieved to care about that. Besides, he was going to make Sam pay for it by, oh let's say, ask him to stay a day or two or ten after the case was over as a favor for all this.

“Honestly if I had known I'd be this sought after I might have asked for a raise sooner.” he heard your voice and noticed you filling up his cup before he looked up to see you there and felt his smile become ten times bigger when he saw you looking at him with a soft smile of yours “Hey Dean.” he took great pleasure in the few seconds of you just focusing on him until Sam cleared his throat and you snapped out of it and smiled, albeit a little apologetically, at Sam “Hello Sam.”

“Good morning, (Y/n). Seems like you've been running a bit late today according to my brother here, everything alright?”

“Oh absolutely fine, it's just that some mornings I tend to help in the kitchen when the cook's running late you see.” you explained “I hope everything is to your liking so far?” you asked but your eyes once more trailed to Dean and with a smile on his face Sam nodded his head with a hum.

“Just great, though I think the company is not to someone's preference today. I might have to leave early, visit the library and all, you think you can keep Dean some company?” he asked so innocently, yet not to Dean who knew him, which only made the older Winchester's head snap in his direction faster than ever before; eyes wide in horror.

“Oh I'm sure I could spend my break with him, no problem, though it might be quick. We have the weekly karaoke night tonight so I might have some extra work to do. If that's alright?” you asked hopefully.

“Karaoke night? Didn't know you had that.” Dean blinked and you nodded your head.

“Yeah, the cafe obviously works at night and we make sure to organize karaokes and parties at least three times a week. This month boss is more busy so we're down to once a week but that doesn't stop me or any of the customers from taking over the stage till the early morning. You could-” you paused to glance at a couple who asked to pay at a table nearby and gave them a nod “You could always come by then too? If you're free.” you suggested softly and Dean didn't even hesitate to give a nod which made you beam at him.

“Lovely.” you said “If you'll excuse me for a second, I got work to do but I'll be right back. And if you need anything else just ask.”

“Well that went better than you could have expected or achieved on your own to be honest. So-” Sam paused to give his brother a smile “Your welcome.”

“Better? Oh really? Why didn't you tell her 'Hey (Y/n) my brother's an idiot and too much of a coward to ask you out, why don't you do it yourself?' huh? That would have been less desperate.” Dean only glared.

“Alright, I'll try that next time.” Sam simply shrugged, focusing back on his noted before Dean had the chance to say anything else. The older Winchester only rolled his eyes and with a shake of his head and feeling much more light went to actually eating an enjoying his food.

Without the distraction of his thoughts and worries about your absence he could admit it was much easier. Certainly, there was always the mystery girl in his mind and her signing that he couldn't get over much as he tried but it wasn't as if he could do anything about it anymore. Miracles didn't happen and it was already very close to that that you had agreed to spend your break with him like in a date, alright he hoped it was like that and that was maybe an even greater miracle than finding the owner of the voice. He couldn't just walk around the town looking for her nor could sit here and expect her to start singing out of nowh-

His thoughts – and he was pretty sure, breathing and entire fuctioning-like-a-human-being – came to a startling halt when he heard it. First a very low murmur but then sure some words, a tune, lyrics to a song with a voice and tone he recognized all too well... he realized like a fool from two places. The mountain and this very cafe.

Slowly but also with a sort of giddiness he couldn't explain, he turned in his seat to look behind him in the direction from which the singing was coming from and he wasn't surprised, only because he really felt in shock anymore, to realize that it was coming from your direction and even more specifically from you. You were singing and you were singing that very same song in the very same way as you were cleaning the table after the couple had left.

“Never enough”

Well, maybe miracles did happen.

[xpeachesncream]

acquainted | two

> series masterlist <

summary: the biggest goal of a grad student is to get through school in one piece - no petty drama involved, no sweating over the little things. however, that plan almost always never follows through. sometimes, you can’t help but fall into the most unthinkable, unexpected traps and learn the hard way. like, exhibit a: being unable to resist your engaged, substitute teacher, kim seokjin.

pairing: (2nd bts member to be revealed later on) x reader x engaged!teacher!seokjin

genre: grad school au, student life au | fluff, angst, smut (to come)

words: 2.0k

warnings: hoe-ish thoughts / implied sexual content, per usual

tags: @laurynne5​, @yiyi4657​, @bluesharksandfish​, @miinoongi​ (pls msg me if you would like to be added to the taglist!)

You decided to stay behind with Jimin to get some homework done at the library. You were super tired, being that work earlier in the day was jam-packed with problems left and right. You literally felt like you had no time to take a breather up until now, if this is even considered a breather. You've also been feeling a little behind on your school work, and you knew trying to get this done at home wouldn't do you any good right now. You definitely wouldn't get anything done.

But damn, going home after grabbing your groceries and grubbing on some sushi and wine sure sounded nice as hell. Oh well, at least it'll be worth it.

As you sit in the far corner of the library with Jimin's back facing the entrance, you spot Mr. Kim walking towards the doors with another professor. You continue to write your notes as much as possible, but the distraction was evident and you weren't even mad at it. You continue to glance at him, just because he was simply nice to look at it, as he stood, hands in pockets while he laughed along with professor in front of him. Jimin raises his eyebrow and follows your glance, shaking his head at how blatantly obvious you were being.

"Y/N, really?" You were pulled out of your trance.

"Sorry."

"You literally can't be any more obvious." He laughed as he continued to write his notes.

"He's just nice to look at."

"Yes, I've heard." He snorted. "He's like, the talk of campus right now."

"See, and to think Taehyung was the only news that got around."

"God forbid he hears his spotlight has been taken away." Jimin responds sarcastically to match your tone. Mr. Kim glances over and coincidentally catches you looking at him, so he flashes that smile of his before returning his attention to the other professor. You return the favor toothlessly as he walks out of the library, bringing your attention back to the papers in front of you. "Stop!"

"I'm sorry, I really am." You laugh at Jimin's flustered look.

"You and Ryujin need to keep it in your pants."

"Calm down, we are." You rose your eyebrow. "But, let's just say he is single-"

"I'm not even gonna have this conversation with you right now."

"Hear me out." He sighs before looking up at you. "I would literally ride his face and bust it open for that man 24/7. Better yet, I'd ride him into the sunset. I would literally give it all to him, if given the opportunity." There's a slight pause before Jimin responds.

"Are you finished?"

"I think so."

"Never again am I giving you the benefit of the doubt." He waves his hand to dismiss that entire portion of the conversation, but hey, you were just being honest. A little too honest, but sometimes you just had to let it out. "Anyways, what are you doing after this?"

"I have a date with Trader Joes, then I'm gonna meet up with sushi and wine and hang out on my couch." Jimin chuckles.

"Fun."

"What about you?"

"Just head home, probably hop on Monster Hunter and hunt with Taehyungie."

"Sounds productive." You nodded in agreement.

"Wanna have dinner soon? You cook, I clean?" He smirked.

"Or.. you cook, I clean, or we can order take-out. Those are the only two options."

"Actually, I'm not opposed to cooking."

"Just let me know, date and time." He nods. Sooner or later, you both are checking the clock and packing up by the time you realize it's 7:30pm. You figured now would be a good time to grab your groceries since the rush has probably died down. You had quite the list of groceries to grab and you were feeling relieved that you could finally make the time to go.

When you arrive, the lot is still slightly full of cars, but you easily grab a spot on the other end of the lot. You tucked your jacket tightly against your body before grabbing a cart for all your needs. You can't lie, this is pretty soothing to you and you're pretty excited to walk up and down the aisles, browsing at all the unnecessary items you'll probably end up throwing in your cart. I mean, why the hell not? It only means your cabinets and fridge would be stocked for awhile—

"Oops, so sorry." You're pulled out of your exciting thoughts when you accidentally bump into someone trying to step back and bend down for some black truffle alfredo sauce on the bottom shelf.

"Miss Y/L/N?" You recognized that voice. Easily. Slowly turning, you see Mr. Kim and tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. Your body goes hot and you can't help but feel incredibly embarrassed for having literally bumped into him, yet again. He must be so damn tired of running into you already.

"Oh my god, I did it again." You facepalmed, causing him to chuckle. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, at least it was softer this time. And you're empty-handed." You flash him a worried look. "I'm kidding, Miss Y/L/N. I promise it's not a big deal." Your expression softened. You can't help but marvel at his beauty and how truly flawless he was.

"You must probably hate me already."

"Well, I don't hate anyone for one thing, and two, I don't think there's any way that I can hate you." You softly smile at him.

"I swear I'm not doing this on purpose, Mr. Kim. I'll be more careful--"

"Call me Jin."

"Jin?"

"Mr. Kim doesn't exist if we aren't in the classroom." You nodded as you followed his lead with your cart.

"Alright, Jin. Well, I promise I'm not doing this on purpose."

"Sure about that?"

"100%." You both laughed before there was a slightly awkward pause. "Sooo, grocery day for you, too?"

"Mmm, yeah I figured I might as well since I'm still in the area."

"Do you live nearby?"

"About 25 minutes away or so in Orinda. You?"

"Yeah, right up in the Oakland hills."

"Beautiful area, I gotta say."

"It is. Sometimes, it has its days. Still can't hate it though." He nodded. You had both pushed your carts towards the cashiers at this point, and you took notice of the ring on his finger. Bummer, you jokingly thought. That would have been fun. You internally chuckle at Ryujin's hoe ass ways rubbing off on you, but at the same time, could you really expect a man like him to be single? Fucking kidding me? "Did you grab everything you needed for you and your wife?" You don't know what takes over you, but the question is already out there. No take-backs.

"Uh," He chuckles nervously as he scratches the nape of his neck. "Fiancé, so not entirely there yet. But yes, yes I did. Did you?"

"Yeah, I'm done. Or, I should be, so I don't grab more things that I don't need." You pointed down at your cart. You both fall in line together, with Jin going first. Afterwards, he grabs his bags and lingers around at the end of the cashier.

"Let me grab those for you and walk you to your car."

"I got it."

"No, I got it." He insists as he gently grabs the bags from you. "Besides, it's dark out."

"Thank you, I really do appreciate it. But, I don't wanna take more time out of your day. I am a grown woman who can handle it, you know?" You chuckle.

"Yeah, I know. And you're also a grown woman who lives in this world and it's close to 9pm." He looked down at you as he continued to follow you to your car on the other end of the lot. What a gentleman. Honestly, everything you told Jimin earlier stands and this man was doing nothing but proving your ass right. He could really get it.

When you finally arrived at your car, he placed your bags in your trunk and shut it close.

"What's next, gonna make sure I get home safely?" You joked, but you were silently cursing yourself because your flirting had been a little rusty and this was not it, miss.

"I mean, I would if you really needed me to for safety reasons."

"Well, that's sweet, but I'll be alright. Thank you, though." He nodded.

"You sure?"

"I promise."

"Lots of promises being made tonight Miss Y/L/N, please don't let me down."

"Just call me Y/N." You gave him a reassuring nod.

"Lots of promises being made tonight Miss Y/N, please don't let me down." He repeated, smiling from ear to ear.

"I won't." You took one last look at him. "Thank you again. Not sure how else I can thank you for taking the time out of your evening to do this." You open the door to the driver's side, with Jin holding it open for you as you step in and situate yourself in the seat.

"It's not a problem at all. Drive home safely."

"You too. See you tomorrow?"

"See you in class." He shuts your door and winks before walking off. With that, you had driven off to grab your dinner and head home. What the hell just happened? It seemed like the most basic thing, but you couldn't shake off how sweet his gestures were tonight. Damn, has it really been that long since you've gotten any type of action?! You couldn't help but think of his fiancé and how she must be so happy to have someone like him by her side. Not gonna lie though, you feel a little heartbroken about it.

"He's engaged." You drank a huge gulp of your wine as you facetimed with Ryujin. She snorted and shook her head. "Our fine piece of eye candy is engaged."

"Y/N, I love you, and he was such a gentleman for that, but you're such a hoe." She laughed louder. "Are you fucking kidding me right now? He is a grown ass man with a fiancé and he's our teacher! You need to stop having these impure thoughts."

"Shush, it's harmless. I was just entertaining myself with the what if's."

"Please. I know you. None of these what if's ever stay what if's. Your curiosity always gets to the best of you." Her tone rose playfully.

"What if I just want to have a one-on-one session with him?"

"See, there it goes. One-on-one over what? How to get dicked down properly?"

"No. To get to know him better as our p r o f e s s o r."

"Okay and why wasn't Dr. Bliss on your 'get to know me' list?"

"That's different."

"How?" You laugh. This kind of behavior was unexpected from Ryujin. You didn't think she'd be so against your hoe-ish thoughts. "There's open office hours for that, or maybe yet, a google sheet for him to get in contact with his students so he could set up time with everyone!"

"We're overthinking this."

"We? You. I know you want that ass."

"Stop, no!"

"Mhm, and he probably would too if you gave him the green light cause you're hot as hell." This sounded more like Ryujin. "This is some good, wild shit."

"Oh hush, no it's not. No one wants anything, no one is doing anything and no one should be doing anything."

"Wait till Jimin and Tae hear your thoughts." She laughed out loud once more.

"That's why they aren't on this call." You groaned. "You know what, I need to not talk about this anymore. I'm gonna go sit in a hot, relaxing bath. Goodbye."

"With Mr. Kim?"

"Bitch, alone. Bye." You chucked your phone to the side and shook your head. Where that conversation go? Absolutely nowhere. You were having a tiny crush on your professor and that was it. This too shall pass.

But lowkey, you'd risk it if he gave you the opportunity.

"You don't do that shit, Y/N. Not to anyone." You harshly whisper to yourself to shake the thoughts out of your head and get your bath started. You just don't do that shit to people who are engaged, let alone in relationships. You don't wreck the home they've built from the ground up.

I repeat: you don't lose that respect.

[mrwinterr]

3AM

Pairing: Leo West x Female Reader

Summary: You should go home, but you always end up in his room and this time he isn’t letting you walk away from him again.

Warnings: Smut 18+ (consensual sex, unprotected sex, oral [female receiving], hand job, vaginal fingering, cum play, cock warming and dirty talk). Pillow talk. Language. Angst, I guess. & mentions of alcohol.

Disclaimer: Minor elements of the film Ibiza (2018) are present in this. More like one or two out of context spoilers. It wouldn’t really ruin the movie. You don’t have to watch it to read this.

Title Inspiration: “3AM” by You Me At Six

A/N: I caved. I’ve finally written something for one of Richard Madden’s characters. Personally, I would’ve never watched Ibiza, but it was on Netflix, I was on furlough from my job, and quite frankly Leo West is fucking perfect.  

Deep breaths. Deep and calculated breaths. For some reason you paid more attention to your breathing when inebriated. Your eyelids felt extra heavy as you struggled to not only keep them open, but also your line of vision straight. The pores of your body were seeping out sweat from the copious amount of alcohol you’d consumed. The air was stuffy, and you kept sniffling.

You wanted to blame the last part solely on the alcohol too, but you couldn’t escape the real reason that drove you to spend hours at a bar in the first place. Historically speaking, you liked to enjoy yourself, maybe a bit more than others, and while it was reckless, that lifestyle introduced you to one of your favorite things on this planet. It wasn’t the drinks, the substances or the sex, but a humble, very talented now turned international superstar DJ. 

It led you to Leo West.  

It was at a small, dark club on a busy weekend. You were closing in on finals week and what better way to de-stress than a night out on the street. Your friends opted for this particular joint because of the aesthetic, but you didn’t care about its appearance. It was a bar nonetheless, the place always catered to live music and you loved that.

You remembered how puzzling it was to not see the usual instruments, like that of a guitar or a drum kit or a set of keyboards or even a lone microphone stand on the makeshift stage that had one dimmed spotlight. Instead, there was just a table with a case, a laptop, a turntable and a pair of headphones displayed on top of it. Oh, and lots of wires and buttons and knobs everywhere!  

Great. A wannabe DJ was scheduled tonight that would most likely go overkill on the bass and damage your eardrums. You weren’t drunk enough to stick around for this, so you walked back to the bar, hoping if you got a few more drinks in you then maybe the “DJ” wouldn’t sound as bad as you were expecting.

Claiming a spot, drink in hand, your eyes started scanning the small capacity crowd until they locked on a man and his path up to the stage and behind the setup. The intro music he picked out started playing, but it fell deaf on your ears. And your whole world just stopped when he looked up, the first of many “performer-to-audience” eye contact that night. He just couldn’t keep his eyes off you each time he looked into the small crowd. It all but allowed you a better look at him.

He wasn’t as defined back then, the t-shirt hung loose on his body, but he was still built nicely. His hair was curlier, definitely didn’t have the money to have it styled and cut or dyed, no trace of the signature gray streak in the front, nor was it maintained like it was now. He was very handsome. And his voice, when he spoke into the microphone clumsily, your heart melted. He wasn’t from here, and you wondered how the world brought this cute, awkward guy all the way from Scotland here to you.

When his set ended, he appeared next to you at the bar ordering a drink. He looked over at you and smiled sheepishly. He was adorable. You were done. You were always a confident person, and you mentally cursed yourself for even feeling like this. You didn’t do serious relationships. There just wasn’t any time for one in your life right now. You were young, still are, and the only thing you’d wanted from anyone was a distraction here and there.

He told you his name. You told him yours. He commented on the necklace you were wearing. You complimented his set. You even teased him about seeing him trip over one of his wires. He thought no one was paying attention, but you were. The two of you talked and talked until last call and the bartenders were begging you both to leave so they could close up shop.

That led you to his place. You learned he’d transferred from overseas to study music and was looking to break out in this country. He wanted to make it big time. You admired him for that. Then there you were pathetically telling him your small-town goals, it seemed dull compared to his, but Leo never wanted to make you feel that way as his words assured you that they weren’t and only encouraged you further.

The attraction wasn’t lost between you two either. You didn’t go home that night. You stayed and what was supposed to be one turned into many nights tangled in one another. You frequented his bed often to the point it looked official to everyone - except it never was. Leo made it loud and clear he wanted to be with you, but you kept bypassing his proclamations. He became none but a standby in your haze.

He just made it too easy to feel. With him everything was easy; not a care in the world, just you and him. It could and should be just that - easy - but your heart and mind didn’t ever make it that way for you. They wanted two different things. Your heart wanted Leo, but your mind said it wasn’t worth it.

He’d make it big one day, no doubt about that. He got good each and every set you saw him put on. He’d travel more, settle in a much more exciting area, find someone who could commit and keep up with his new life. You knew it wouldn’t be fair to have Leo wait around for you to change, but getting your shit together was something you had to do at your own pace.

Once you graduated and his advancements were becoming a bit more serious, you started to turn a new leaf. You did it to be a better version of yourself for him because he deserved it that much, but he always claimed he wanted you – whatever version he could have. At least that’s what he had you convinced of up until you saw him lock eyes and signal over to another girl in the massive crowd several hours ago.

What the fuck? That was your whole reaction. How could he? He always said no matter how big the numbers he played, he’d always and only see you. He didn’t look anywhere else besides her during the set, well you didn’t care anymore because you left after seeing them walk to the back. Did he not mean a single word he said to you? All those nights in bed, was it all just pillow talk? Figures. You didn’t want to get upset because you let it come to this.

In that moment, you just couldn’t forget all the pretty lies. You’re mindlessly scrolling through the messages on your phone, until your blurry eyes see his name and the distinct emoji assigned next to it. Based on the thread, you thought you were both heading towards the same page. It shouldn’t have been this complicated. Now all that’s left is yourself staring down at an old text message he sent, no longer wondering if he really meant any word of it. It hurt. It really fucking hurt.Your mind was proven right and now your heart paid the price.

“Miss? We’re here.” You pick up your head that was slumped against the side of the cab window and nod in acknowledgement.

You stuff your phone in your purse, pay for your fare, stumble along the stones of the pavement, on the steps of the complex and into the elevator up to the highest floor. You stare at the numbers on the door, hoping they’d line up and still, before you slip the spare key card into the slot and barge right into the suite.

You walk right out of your heels, and on your path to the glass doors and window, you aimlessly toss your purse over the expensive couch, and expertly reach for the zipper behind your back, dragging it down along the dress you were wearing, allowing it to pool at your ankles only for you to kick it away soon after. Forget the fact that you splurged a bit more than usual on it in hopes for a celebration of some sort.

When you stepped outside, you headed straight into the hot tub that also provided an overlook of the city. As you slowly descend neck deep into the hot water, you close your eyes and lean your head back on the edge, feeling the muscles in your body begin to loosen up. The jet streams of the hot tub that caused the bubbles collided headfirst with your back, and a taste of the midnight air in your face, all offered you only a temporary high. You used to think the hot tub was a bit too much at the time, but now you were basking in it.

For a moment you think you could just pass out right there, when you hear him say your name from behind. Your eyes flutter open and you hear the floorboards lightly creek with the thuds of his heavy footsteps as he makes his way to sit on the edge of one side of the rectangular tub. You don’t dare divert your eyes over in his direction just yet.

“It’s 3 a.m.” Leo states; an all too familiar scene for the both of you, and even though you’re not looking at him you can hear the concern in his voice. You roll your eyes at the obvious, not giving a damn if he saw, and then at the idea of him being concerned about you.

He senses the discomfort in the air and is hesitant in choosing what he should say next. He hated being on your bad side and judging by your demeanor you were mad. “You should probably go home,” he suggests after getting no response from you.

Only when he moves to get up and fetch a nearby towel, you turn your head and speak, “Why? Is she here?” It meant to come out as casual, but it came out more spiteful.

The muscles of his back contract and he visibly tenses at your cold tone. “What?” Leo questions, turning his head to look over his shoulder.

“I saw you!” You say, sitting up straight and getting ready to step out of the tub.

Leo is quick to assist you as he his entire body spins around, a rolled up towel in hand, “You’re not thinking straight-” he says and attempts to cover you up, but you snatch the towel from him and help yourself out of the tub. Water sloshes around as Leo puts his hands out, eyeing your every move the whole time in fear of you slipping and falling.

He follows you back into the suite and calls out your name again, but hearing it flow out of his mouth in his voice starts to hurt more and more.

“I’m not fucking blind, Leo!” You shout, whipping around and with your hands out in frustration.

“Shh! Please. The neighbors are sleeping!” He pleads, grabbing you by your wrist bringing them in and pulling you close to him. Your face is almost nose-to-nose with his, but you lean your head back just slightly in defiance.  

“I. Don’t. Give. A. Fuck.” You say in a more indoor friendly volume, emphasizing each word, effectively letting him how mad you still were. The close proximity gives him a whiff of the alcohol on your breath. You were drunk. He thought you’d stopped this destructive habit.

“I don’t get you,” he says barely above a whisper. It wasn’t meant to come out, but his thoughts always left his mind around you.

“Me?” you ask quizzically, noticing the strong look of confusion etched all over his pretty face, “I don’t get you, Leo,” you couldn’t hold it in anymore, “you begged me to come watch your set tonight,” pulling one of your wrists out from his grip, poking a finger at his chest.

“You said you were busy with work-“ he says then grabbing the loose hand stabbing at him in his larger one.

“I wanted to surprise you,” you explain, voice cracking under it all, “I didn’t think it was going to work because you said,” the atmosphere grows thick and you struggle to speak, “you said no matter how big of a crowd you were playing that you’d always see me, but you didn’t.” You always had a pretty good idea that Leo would wait for you, but when he failed to spot you tonight, you really thought you’d lost him for good this time.

Then he understood why you were upset. You saw him make signals to another woman and take her backstage, where all he was trying to do was help the poor girl and tell her she had a penis drawn on her face with a black light marker. He never saw her again after that. All that did was paint the wrong picture in your eyes.

Leo looked down, breaking the intense eye contact. It was probably best he didn’t see the tears in the corner of your eyes that were threatening to fall, but he didn’t cast his gaze away fast enough as they ran down in streaks, staining your face. He just didn’t know where to start.

You had been there for him tonight. He’d been really happy lately, especially when you started responding and returning his gestures. He thought he was finally going somewhere with you. And here you are, revealing you’d sacrificed and made time to see him play and he didn’t even see you. That led you down to a bar and into an old habit you’d gotten rid of lately, but he just threw you back into the pit unintentionally.

“I should go home,” you say, defeated and breaking away from him. You wipe at your face, trying to clear the make-up that was out of place and turn to pick up your discarded dress off the floor.

“No, don’t. Don’t leave me,” Leo says frantically reaching out for you. Another act within the all too familiar scene; he always hated this part and seeing it replay over and over. All those times you walked out, scared of something, he wasn’t going to let it happen again. He stumbles a bit as he manages to grab your arm to turn you back and face him. You brace a hand on his strong chest preventing yourself from crashing right into him.

Deep breaths. Deep and calculated breaths. You’re counting not yours but his breaths this time. You can feel his heart racing as you stare at his plump lips, parted and each exhale fanning against your face. His hands come up to cradle your face; and while alcohol had its way with making parts of your body feel numb, you always felt his touches. It was the best feeling.

Leo was always transparent with you and was nothing short of it in this moment as he crashed his lips into yours. He’d never been as desperate than he was now. The grip on your face was secure, hoping you wouldn’t attempt to escape again. He didn’t have to worry though because you were tired of fighting it. You’d bare yourself to him.

Your arms wrapping around his neck let him know you weren’t going anywhere this time, and he was able to let one hand reach down between your bodies to remove the towel. His touch sends shivers throughout your body as you rub up against him; your soaked undergarments leave a wet imprint on his dry clothes. His hands travel down to your thighs, giving it a light squeeze, signaling for you to jump up.

He carries you to his bedroom, lips never parting, until he has you lying down on the massive bed. He kisses you all over - your neck, collarbones, between your breasts, down your naval, hip bones, and the insides of your thighs - each kiss feels like a drug shooting through your system.

Leo tests the waters by pressing a finger to your clothed core and upon seeing the slight jolt of your hips, it gives him all the encouragement he needed to tug the damp article of clothing down your legs. He spreads your legs a bit further apart, pressing them down against the mattress, enough room for his burly body to settle between them.

His tongue darts out to your clit and you suck in a harsh breath of air at the contact. Each running pass of his tongue has you squirming, he has to use both of his hands to keep you still. The vibrations of his moans wreck all throughout your body as he sucks on the bundle of nerves.

Your hands wildly reach out in front of you, messing up his short hair, you need something to hold onto. Leo offers one hand, lacing your fingers together, yours more of a death grip in his. It only loosens when he suddenly stops.

You pick up your head that had dug deep back into the pillows to see why. You groan at the sinful sight of seeing his mouth glistening in all its glory - doused in you. Leo comes back up to level himself with you; both sets of eyes pulled together like magnets. He steadies himself with one hand above your head and the other grabs a hold of your leg, keeping them open for him, so his hand could find a clear path to your pussy.

Your slick makes it easy for him to slip his thick digits in you. Leo revels in the look on your face contorted in pleasure he is bestowing upon you. He inwardly groans at the snug grip around his fingers as he slowly pushes them in-and-out; the filthy, lewd noises only further cause his blood to rush fast down his body.

You start rocking your hips, your clit brushing past his palm with each thrust up. With a curl of his finger, he finds the spot and it's confirmed when you wrap a hand around his wrist to keep it there.

“That’s it, huh, baby?” Leo asks knowing full well he’s found the trigger, “that’s...your...spot,” and with every word his finger sinks in deeper and deeper. There’s a feral look he’s sporting, and you let out a whine in response, your fingernails puncturing his skin.

“You know what to do,” his voice turns rugged, “you know what to do, baby girl,” his fingers working faster, “come on my hand,” his forehead, sweaty, pressing against your own, “you can do it,” his soulful eyes burning a hole through yours when you finally come for him.

“Good fucking girl,” he growls against your lips. You start clawing at his white t-shirt, but it’s fitted so well, you start wrestling with the fabric to get it over his head. He chuckles lightly at you as you pout at him. He kisses the space between your eyebrows and sits up removing his shirt on his own; his bottoms follow ensuite.  

You admire the expanse of his toned body for a brief moment before you pull him down back on you. Your teeth tug at his luscious lower lip then suck at it. Leo chases your tongue with his own, engrossed by your lips he’s not prepared for when you sneak a hand in his boxers and grab a hold of his length. He moans into the kiss at the contact and slides his boxers all the way off, giving him a full show of your fingers wrapped around his hard cock. You watch as he swallows the knot in his throat when your thumb swipes across at the bead of pre-cum leaking from the head.

“Yes, baby, just like that,” he says encouragingly as you start stroking him at a pace only you know he loves, “you see how good you make me feel?” It’s a question that doesn’t require an answer. He was hot and heavy in your hands and you wanted nothing more than a taste, so you switch hands bringing the sticky one up to your mouth giving your palm a broad lick as you try to lap you all of what was left of him on your skin.

His jaw visibly ticks as he watches the whole thing. You bring your wet hand back down and resume jerking him off. His breathing increases and you know he wants to cum when he involuntarily starts thrusting back, but he had other things on his agenda as he gingerly pushed your hands away.

“I wanna...inside you,” he says, still very much short of breath, this version of him only made you more wet.

“Please,” you beg, feeling his cock slide up and down your pussy, prepping him with your slick. You never begged, but for some reason you got scared that this would all end in an instance.

You let out a big sigh of relief when he pushes in and fills you up to the brim. Your eyes widen at how his cock stretches you out to accommodate his size. You feel close to bursting at just being able to feel all of him, as he stilled in you, feeling every ridge and vein.  He takes a moment to himself, studying the way your body reacts to his. He’s reeling in on the warmth you provided his cock and more so his heart. You made every part of him swell up.

With a long and heavy drag out, Leo begins to thrust back in deep and slow, only increasing when he feels your hips start to retaliate back against his. He knows the pace you like it at.

“Fuck!” You yelp feeling the tip of his cock probe at the right spot.

Leo loops an arm around from beneath you, and at first you think he’s trying to bring you in closer by the hips, but instead he flips over, so you’re now settled on top of him. You support yourself with both hands on his pecs, fingers lost within the hair that sprinkled his chest, then you start grinding your hips deliciously over his. He helps you set a new rhythm with his hands on your hips. You watch as he bites his bottom lip and just the sight alone makes you want to come again.

He sits up, bracing one arm behind him for support, while the other pushes you slightly back, you have to use both hands to support your upper body, but this new position allows you both to get a good look at your bodies connected. Eyes both glued at his cock buried deep in you, you rotate your hips and moan when you feel his cock scratch along your inner walls with each swivel.

“That’s right, you know how to make me feel good...fuck, yes,” he praises then places a thumb to start rubbing circles over your sensitive clit, causing your thighs to clamp up, “that’s it baby, work that pussy on this cock...it’s all yours, beautiful.”

Once he has a good upright position, he uses his other hand to undo the clasp of your bra. He has a hard time trying to rid you of the confines, so you maneuver and sink down back on him and do it yourself. He uses both hands to pull the straps down your arms before bringing your body flush against his and reclaiming your lips.

You let out a sigh as his lips travel down your neck to your breasts, groping one and sucking on the other. Your hands find purchase in his dark sweaty locks as he pistons his hips up hitting deeper.

You pull his face away from your chest and you take note of his glossy eyes, the sweat buildup on his hairline, the creases on his forehead, his swollen lips and you’re in complete awe of just how handsome he’s always been. Leo brings a hand to your face, thumb brushing away the stray tear that escaped your eyes. You slightly turn your head in his palm so your lips can capture his thumb. The same one that was just mere moments ago rubbing circles on your clit.

Leo gasps at the sight, your eyes close from the burst of flavor of yourself on his salty digit. Your hips work harder and your thighs begin to ache. It shows, so Leo starts to pick up on the slack.

“Leo-“ you call out his name after a particular sharp thrust, your labored breathing makes it hard to voice out your desire, but he knew you were close and so was he.  

His hands grope your ass as he brings your hips down hard against his, you feel the hairs on his lower abdomen rub against your clit, effectively adding on to the impending sensation.

“Come on, baby. You can do it,” his fingers would definitely leave marks your skin, but you don’t mind it because yours claw at chest, “come on my fucking cock...show me how good it feels, pretty girl.”

You shut him up with a bruising kiss and soon he’s swallowing your moans as your body starts to quake, pussy clenching tight around him. You keep your hips grounded in place when you feel the throb of each spurt of his cum that shoots deep inside you.

Both of you part your lips from one another for some needed air. You’re still experiencing a bit of an aftershock as your walls continue to contract around his cock.

“Ride it out, baby, use my cock,” he says against your lips, and assisting you with small movements up and down his cock, “that’s it. You got it. Fuck, I love you. I love you so much,” he says, wrapping his arms around your body.

Your body falters against him when you don’t fail to notice that he’s started slipping the L-Bomb in his praises. Leo feels drops of water hit his skin and when he opens his eyes, he notices your body shaking still – you’re crying.

“Hey,” he says cradling your face again, “what’s wrong?” He pulls back to inspect your body and see if you were hurt in any way.

You brace his face in both your hands to stop his eyes from wandering from anywhere else but your face. “Did you mean it?” You ask, unable to control the downpour of tears.

Leo stops moving and immediately understands what you’re asking. You’re asking if he meant it when he said you were the only one he’d ever notice. You’re asking if he meant it when he said he’d wait for you. You’re asking if he meant it when he said he loved you.

“Every word,” he confirms.

Overjoyed, you press your lips together in a tight smile, and let the rest of your tears fall. He lets you rest your head on the crook of his neck as he rubbed soothing patterns on your back in attempts to calm you down.

When you do, you pull away and finally say it back, “I love you too, Leo West. I’ve always been in love with you,” and watching the big smile on his face was almost enough to cure you.

He meticulously pulls out of you, slight signs of his cum seeping out and running down your thighs, and helps you off him. You both settle down on the bed, bodies parallel, both on your sides, silently staring at one another. You absentmindedly brushing the gray lock of hair away from his forehead.  

“Nothing happened with her,” Leo says breaking the comfortable silence. He wanted to bring tonight to attention because he meant it when he told you previously that he doesn’t bring anyone back home. You almost forgot about tonight but are still relieved to hear him put to rest any suspicious thoughts.  

“I’m scared,” you admit. The first step had been admitting you had loved him back this whole time, but you still had to face the fact that you both were on two different schedules and you feared the worst it wouldn’t work out.

“Come with me,” he proposes.

“What?” You ask completely taken back at the offer.

“Come on tour with me,” he says a bit more specifically.

You’d already proven you were willing to drop work for him by showing up at his gig tonight, but were you willing to leave your old life behind to follow his?

Then the biggest smile on Leo’s face confirms everything when you respond, “okay.”

A/N: Leo West is so precious! & for the record, I too would drop everything to follow him. Lol. I may write more Richard Madden fics, idk yet. Please let me know if you liked this or what. Thanks for reading! 

[1dsource]

Author Spotlight: thinlines

Don’t forget to show the author to leave kudos and comments to show the author love!

Truth Would Be

Words: 91k

“You want me? I’m not a… a thing to be owned!” Louis stuttered, still very angry and confused. “Hmmm…” The alpha tapped his lips as if he was contemplating something. “Last time I checked, the debt was paid off and the only thing I had asked in return was… you. So technically I do own you.” “You are crazy…” Louis muttered as he began to back towards the door. Harry’s impossibly green eyes turned a shade darker, but his tone was still teasing and light when he said, “Maybe I am…”

The I-paid-off-all-your-debt-so-you-are-mine AU in which Omega Louis wants to be left alone by Alpha Harry but it's super complicated when he starts to not hate the alpha all that much.

Hold the Night For Ransom

Words: 4.7k

“Hate that you make me weak.” Louis whispers it like a secret as he watches Harry tracing his lips. Harry could smell it now. Smell Louis’ delicious slick. He sneaks a hand inside the blankets, searching until they reach Louis’ joggers. Wetness meets his fingertips and he growls, shutting his eyes and seeing the red blossom behind his lids. The bursts of desire. “Is that for me?” He asks, opening his eyes and stare into Louis’.

In which Louis tries to prove he doesn't need his alpha and Harry knows it's a losing battle before it begins.

You are in my Bed, but your Heart isn’t

Words: 25k

It was 3 in the morning when Harry felt the dip of the mattress and tiny hands slipping around his waist. Hot and clammy against his cool skin. He could smell other people on Louis and it stank. Louis reeked of tequila, cigarette and alpha. Always the smell of some other alpha. Harry shifted testily.

"Did I wake you Haz?" The boy plastered behind his back grumbled sleepily. Tiny hands snaking under his shirt, lightly scratching his skin. "You have to stop crawling into my bed when you smell like some other alpha." Harry had meant to say "no, go back to sleep" but he couldn't stop his tongue.

"Don't hate me, Harry. I don't want you to hate me."

OR Rock Band AU. Louis is an omega who fucks around, doesn't know the meaning of "feelings" until he starts crawling into Harry's bed at night. Harry gets jealous easily and they all write a lot of songs about each other.

Promise Me You Won’t Run Away

Words: 23k

“Does kissing me stop you from having bad thoughts?” Harry asked, voice muffled into the collar of Louis’ dress shirt. Louis chuckled at this. He trailed a hand down Harry’s back, feeling the muscles tensing along with his touch.

“I guess you can say that. You’re a good distraction.”

“Then I will be the best distraction.” Harry answered, pulling back and watched Louis’ lips unashamedly.

“Come distract me, then.”

Or the Prince/ Knight AU in which Harry left Louis, but the omega never once gave up on them.

Your Touch Shouldn’t Make Me Feel Like This

Words: 28k

Louis was curled up into Zayn’s side as the alpha ran his hand through the omega’s fringe. Harry slowly took in the scene through the fogginess of his brain. His alpha snarled menacingly as he swallowed.

Right.

Louis, his best friend since first day of uni turned roommate after their second year, the only omega Harry had ever wanted and pined after, had an alpha. An alpha named Zayn.

Fuck.

Uni AU in which Alpha Harry has been in love with his omega friend for the longest time and one motorbike trip to the countryside with Louis made him realize that he could no longer hold back his feelings.

Does she know that I touch You?

Words: 4.9k

“You sure about this?” Louis asked gently, tugging on a loose curl. Harry closed his eyes to the touch.

“Yes. Have an affair with me.” He whispered and it was more than enough.

AU. in exchange for Harry to keep his mouth shut about Louis cheating, they made a deal. Harry could only touch Louis when the sun set and Louis kept denying himself the truth.

This was supposed to be Our Summer

Words: 4k

They were going to the same college and they were in love. What more could Harry ask for? Harry had secretly planned a getaway trip to Fiji for the entire summer. He could already see himself strolling down the white beach, holding hands with a sunkissed Louis and making sweet sweet love under the moon. The sound of the ocean waves harmonizing with Louis' pretty moans. But, when he waved the plane tickets in Louis' face, the smaller boy had given him an apologetic smile and announced that he had accepted some part time jobs and that he was probably gonna be busy working. Working for the whole summer. Not lounging and cuddling with Harry under the tropical sun.

Or a Summer AU in which Louis suddenly took up many part time jobs and Harry didn't figure out why until the end

Blue Summer Rain

Words: 2.5k

Harry worked at a shoe outlet for the summer. One day, Louis happened to wonder in. 

throbs and gleams

Words: 3.7k

au. harry rides motorcycle across the country and finds louis in the middle of a desert. 

Not Scared of Love, Just Scared to Love

Words: 3.9k

“Louis.” Harry said to get the other boy’s attention. Louis’ eyes slid from where it was fixed on the scenery whipping by the window to settle on Harry. “Are you… are you taken?” Louis raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?” Louis asked softly. “Are you still the same Louis? Who is not scared of love but scared to love?” Harry asked, feeling the tension in his words, feeling the obvious biting anger. Louis’ mouth fell open, surprised at the words. “I’m not scared of love just scared to love?” He parroted Harry’s words, confusion settling in his blue blue eyes.

Or Louis kisses everybody and Harry really wishes he doesn't. Louis doesn't give a fuck but Harry wants him to.

Part 1 of Able to Love

Demons in my brain, Love

Words: 5.4k

Related to Part 1 (Not Scared of Love, Just Scared to Love) This is told from Louis' POV.

"I can kiss, I can fuck, I can make love, to anyone. But after you. I can’t. Not when I am thinking about you. Not when my thoughts reek of you. You are too much."

Or Louis gets his shit together and confronts Harry.

Part 2 of Able to Love

I’m Looking for Closure

Words: 2.5k

Related to Part 1 and Part 2 (Not Scared of Love, Just Sacred to Love & Demons in my Brain, Love.)

“Say you can read my mind.” Harry said to Louis as he pushed Louis down onto the mattress. Louis squirmed as the covers rubbed against his skin.

“I can’t read your mind.” He said simply to Harry as he reached up to put his hands against Harry’s chest, trailing them down to Harry’s narrow hips.

“My mind is saying that I should just… just fucking go back in time. Go back so I could be your first.” Harry said, leaning down to lick into Louis’ hot mouth.

Or They finally fuck, sorry, I mean, make love.

Part 3 of Able to Love

can’t live another summer without you

Words: 1.5k

Louis was probably the reason why Harry came back after four years in America. They climbed a space net together in the dead of a summer night.

A typical sappy stupid idiots in love Summer fic

Under the falling lights, We met

Words: 1.1k

Under shitty fireworks on a beach, with hair dyed red and positively drunk off his ass, Louis never expected to remember much of that night. It was the Fourth of July when he met a boy with green eyes. Everything was beautiful but unfair at the same time. 

I guess we never really moved on...

Words: 1.3k

“You told me I was a god.”

“You were…. You were my little god.” Louis dropped his burnt out cigarette on the ground and stomped on it, crushing it with his shoes.

“Damn it Harry! I’m not a god. Just a spoiled bastard that wants too much.”

as the light changes

Words: 971

“Why are you here, Harry?” Louis didn’t know what possess him to ask such a nosy question and he avoided Harry’s penetrating stare. “I like your voice.” Harry shrugged. “Oh.” “It’s raspy like you haven’t had water for days. Like you are a flower in the middle of the desert that had long ceased longing for rain. Sounds kind of hopeless, but when you read, I think, the world just stops and listens.”

[felidaefighter]

Fears To Ease And Flesh To Mend

Ranboo and Tubbo find out that unzombifying a piglin is a bit different from unzombifying a villager, and they start off parenthood with quite a few complications and in a little over their heads. For the sake of their child, they may need to put awkwardness aside and ask for help.

[Sick fic, canon divergence, Phil and Techno meet Michael, lots and lots of piglin lore headcanons] ~20,000 words per chapter

Chapter Three of Four

     Ranboo knocked lightly on the door, and Tubbo opened it almost immediately, greeting him with a giant yawn. “Hi, Tubbo,” Ranboo said fondly. “Hi, Ranboo,” Tubbo replied through his yawn. Phil cleared his throat awkwardly from behind him. “Uh, hello, Tubbo. We haven’t… spoken in a while. Techno is here too.” Tubbo stared dead-eyed exhausted at him from inside, still holding the door open. “Yeah, been a while. Don’t think we’ve talked since you blew up L’Manberg.” Phil and Techno both made awkward grimacing noises, as Ranboo did the same. Tubbo rolled his eyes. “I’m letting all the cold air in. Might as well come inside. Michael’s room is upstairs.”

    As the three of them stepped in from the chill and shook off the frost from their coats and the snow from their boots, Ranboo looked at Tubbo, concerned. “You don’t look like you slept.” Tubbo shook his head. “Not really. I dozed off a few times in the armchair upstairs but I was too worried.” Ranboo nodded empathetically. He would’ve done the same. “Up the ladder,” Tubbo said, gesturing, clearly too tired for proper emphasis. Ooh boy. Looks like Ranboo was going to have to do most of the talking. Which was an issue, as Ranboo wasn’t too good at that.

    Ranboo was the second up the ladder, and could feel himself grow soft as soon as he laid eyes on his son. He greeted the little piglin, who, although still clearly not feeling great, acknowledged him in return. Phil, then Techno, stepped into the room, Phil treading ever-so-lightly with both his feet and his demeanor. Phil let out a sharp inhale and a wince when he saw Michael. “Ooohh. That’s a lot of bandages.” He inspected the situation as well as he could from across the room. “You did a good job of wrapping it. We’re gonna have to unwrap them all to make sure it’s been properly cleaned though unfortunately.” Tubbo swore under his breath at that, but he didn’t mean it harshly. It’d just taken them a long time to wrap.

    “Quite a lot of battle scars,” Techno remarked. If Ranboo was honest, their cautiousness wasn’t easing his worries as well as he’d have hoped it would. He moved subconsciously to Tubbo’s side; they were both feeling a little under scrutiny when faced with Phil and Techno, experts at this, and the worry they’d done something wrong. “May I?” Phil gestured to Michael as Techno leaned against a wall, and Tubbo nodded, Ranboo humming his approval. He stepped closer to the little piglin and crouched down beside the bed. Michael snorted at him. “Heyyy Michael,” Phil said softly, “I’m Philza. I’m gonna take off your bandages to look at your wounds now, okay?” 

    “I dunno why you’re tellin’ him in english. He probably only knows piglin right now,” Techno said, grinning when that earned him a harsh shush from Phil. “No comments from the peanut gallery unless you’re gonna help!” Phil very, very carefully unwrapped the bandage on Michael’s head, who was either too tired or too polite to try and stop him. He held a steadying hand on the other side of Michael’s head while he looked at the eyesocket, the edges of his flesh, and the place his ear used to be. Phil turned to Tubbo and Ranboo, who immediately squeezed eachother’s hands a bit nervously. Huh. Ranboo supposed they must’ve done that subconsciously. Definitely blaming the nerves for that one. 

    “You two did a pretty good job. He’s responsive and seems to have a general idea of where he is. I can’t say yet if there’s any internal damage, but he’s definitely been properly cured. I doubt there’s much you could’ve done to change the extent of his sores, too.” Ranboo and Tubo both exhaled in very obvious relief. Phil stood up with a bit of a stretching noise, and shot a pointed look at Techno. “You wanna make sure everything’s alright, mate?” Techno, very alarmed at having been put in the spotlight despite the audience in question being two socially awkward and exhausted teens, his best friend, and a half-dead toddler, immediately started to protest. 

    “You can’t test his cognitive skills without knowing where his language is at,” Phil prodded, teasing, “And you know my piglish sucks.” Techno hummed in thought, a little persuaded by the chance to brag/show off. “That is true.” Still, he seemed hesitant. “It’s ah-- it’s gonna be a little awkward since I’m not too great with kids and it’s been a while since I spoke piglish. Does this have to have an audience?” 

    “Yes.” Tubbo answered flatly. “Tubbo!” Chided Phil, but Ranboo didn’t exactly blame his husband. “I mean… you wouldn’t do anything to Michael, right?” Ranboo asked Techno, who looked rather offended at the question. “Of course not! Who do you take me for? I mean, Michael clearly isn’t an orphan anymore,” Techno joked to try to ease the tension, but while Ranboo nodded in acknowledgement and in an attempt at reassurance towards Tubbo, Tubbo narrowed his eyes. “Fine. But I’ve got my eye on you. You so much as move the wrong way and you’re going down.” 

    Phil muttered reassurances about Techno’s intentions at Tubbo while he gently placed his hands on Tubbo’s shoulders, leading him away and down the ladder. Ranboo sent one last, concerned glance towards Techno. “I won’t do anything,” Techno promised, “Except maybe ask him how he feels about government. But I doubt he’s gonna know what that is yet.” Ranboo nodded again and went down the ladder after Phil and Tubbo.

    Tubbo, as exhausted as he was, leaned on the wall by the ladder looking prepared to gain a second wind and scramble upstairs in a hurry if necessary. Ranboo was almost certain it wouldn’t be, but he felt a surge of love on seeing how dedicated and protective his husband could be. Phil hovered in the main area, not quite finding a seat, and spoke to the two more in-depth about Michael’s recovery.

    “Unfortunately, this isn’t the kind of thing that’s gonna heal overnight. Like I said before, he’s already been kinda oversaturated with magic just from his origin, so potions aren’t gonna seal up everything all nice and tidy.” Phil paced lightly while he spoke out of lack of something to fiddle with. Tubbo’s eyes watched him like a hawk, but his ears were most certainly more centered on making sure there was no commotion upstairs. 

    “The biggest concern is gonna be the parts of his skull that’re currently exposed,” Phil continued. “Keepin’ ‘em bandaged should be mostly fine, but you should disinfect it about three times daily with room temperature cloth. Not washed or anything, just pat him down. You’ll want to put a salve on there and the skin around the edge, too, so that when it heals the skin can grow back over. It’ll be scar tissue but it’ll keep him from coming down with anything. That’ll be best for the long run.” Ranboo scrambled to write all of what Phil was saying down, eager for the information.

    “Question, okay, uh, is there a certain type of each thing that we’ll need? And if so, where do I get it, or can I borrow it from you?” Phil chuckled lightly, and combined with the non-judgemental onslaught of information, both Ranboo and Tubbo both were starting to relax. “Of course you can mate,” Phil replied fondly, “You need it more than I do right now. I can go on an errand run for you both after Techno’s done here.” He turned sympathetically to Tubbo at that. “You look like you could use some rest.”

    Tubbo sighed, finally letting his guard down a little. “Honestly, I probably would’ve been asleep ages ago if I weren’t so damn worried about Michael. I reckon I could’ve fell asleep standing up a few times and wouldn’t’ve known.” Ranboo nodded in understanding. The only reason he hadn’t been stopped from sleeping is because he tended to run on anxiety almost all of the time anyways. It looked like he was going to be spending most of his time in the coming weeks running back and forth between his own house and Snowchester; he didn’t mind, though. 

    “Thank you, Phil. Honestly, thank you.” Ranboo paused before asking the one thing that had mainly been on his mind. “I’m just surprised that you and Techno aren’t--” Phil interrupted abruptly. “The health and safety of a child will always come first.” After realizing his tone was a little harsh, he sighed and continued more carefully. “Techno and I feel how we feel. We haven’t really had a chance to process anything yet. Give us a bit to do that first yeah?” 

    Ranboo nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense, actually. Of course.” Tubbo, having figured out what that was all about, spoke up. “I was wondering about that!” A second wave of realization hit him and he turned to Ranboo. “Wait, you told them???” He hissed in a lowered voice. “My son lives at your house! I think they woulda figured it out!” Ranboo replied in the same tone. “Our son!” Tubbo corrected, half-offended. In the background, Phil was covering his mouth, stifling a chuckle at the bickering couple. 

    They were interrupted when heavy footsteps came down the ladder, and instantly parted to make way for the large piglin. Techno turned to Ranboo. “He’s a toddler, so like, his words? Ain’t really that great to begin with. But uh cognitively I think he’s doin’ fine. He can understand and respond to most questions at least, even if his responses tend to be ninety percent gibberish. At any rate it probably won’t be tough to teach him english. Toddlers man. They’re fast learners.” It was very obvious the only thing stopping him from making a joke about drop-kicking toddlers was Tubbo’s death glare and how awkward he already felt about the whole business.

    Phil clapped his hands together. “Right! Well, Techno and I are gonna head back home, and I’ll run that delivery for you. Remember what I said about re-wrapping and applying the ointments and salve and stuff. Don’t worry too much about his ear canal yet, I’ll get some drops, and make sure he’s eating slowly and steadily throughout the day as opposed to regular mealtimes. I’ll be back later. You two have got this for now, yeah?” 

    Ranboo and Tubbo, rather startled at the abruptness of it all, hummed and muttered agreements and nodded while Ranboo double-checked he’d written that all down. “Goodbye Tubbo. Ranboo,” Techno said, following Phil out the door. As it shut behind them, Ranboo turned to the smaller man. “Should we follow them out?” Tubbo had almost immediately closed his eyes and went back to resting against the ladder. “I want to,” he said, and Ranboo understood. Knowing Tubbo’s house as well as his own, he retrieved a bedroll, blanket, and pillow from a chest, hauling them up to Michael’s room, and then went downstairs and retrieved his husband. 

    He kind of just dropped Tubbo on the pile, who stayed exactly where he’d landed. “Sleep,” Ranboo intoned, and Tubbo groaned in response. He was asleep almost moments later. Ranboo sighed fondly, and glanced at Michael. The little piglin was asleep as well. He paused. There was a serenity in the moment, his own little family all worn out from a day of healing. As silently as possible, he pulled the blankets over them both, then settled into the armchair to watch over them.

[purplerose244]

I don’t care

Hi!! This is my fic for the @ninjago-valentine-exchange!! Thank you so much for organizing this, I really had fun writing this! 🥰

Special thank also to @nightlybirdie for the lovely fanart I got to respond to! It’s such an adorable little comic! 😍  I thought making a songfic about the same song you choose would have been fitting, since it really is very Lava like ❤🖤❤🖤

Here we go! Enjoy!! 😊

Summary: It's just another celebration party after all, Cole should be used to feeling left out.

Turns out, someone is very not okay with that.

Also on the AO3

We’re at a party we don’t wanna be at

Trying to talk but we can’t hear ourselves

Red your lips I’d rather kiss ‘em right back

With all these people all around I’m crippled with anxiety

 It wasn’t that Cole hated parties.

Although it wasn’t that he loved them either.

“… so thank you again, ninja!” Tipping his hat, the police commissioner finally finished his speech, one that after such a long time spent with them fighting crime and evil beings – like ten years or something? – was starting to sound vaguely repetitive. “Now, without further ado, let us begin this celebration party! To honor our saviors!” The crowd cheered, all the police members bowed at them, and it was finally time to forget about the danger and relax.

… right.

Alright, the black ninja wasn’t a party-pooper – he wasn’t never going to give Jay that satisfaction. There were of course great pros about being here after all, starting from the fact that the very reason there was such a big event in the first place was because they had saved the city once again – he needed to remind Lloyd to bring the sign ‘days Ninjago City wasn’t attacked’ back to zero. This was a celebration in their honor, a thank you for their determination and commitment and for keeping their world safe every time. He could see familiar faces into the crowd, having fun, enjoying the peace that once again so difficulty they had managed to regain.

The music was nice. Nowhere near his usual choice, and he knew he was going to grab his headphones and blast soft rock at full volume as soon as they were back at the monastery, but nice nonetheless – relaxing too… oh… oh, no, no dozing off. His friends were all there, dancing, talking, perfectly in tune with the festive atmosphere.

Oh, there was also a buffet, that was nice. It was also an extremely generous one, with tarts, sandwiches, shrimps and so on, one that could make even Zane’s nindroid mouth water. The black ninja himself had finished his recognition at the table, even though he had ended up with a glass of whatever while standing on the side of the ballroom. All he knew was that it was sparkling and slightly bitter. Not really his taste.

Nothing felt like his taste right now… but that went beyond his beverage choice.

He tried to widen his collar, for the fifth time in the last hour. He should’ve known better than borrowing a suit from his father, besides their obvious different sizes. Even beyond the blatant reality that being the master of earth pulled out muscles that a dancer just didn’t have, it was the most irritating reminder of the time he had spent trying to meet his pa’s expectations by joining a quartet. It had been a while since that matter had been solved, there was no point into sulking over it. There were more important matters ahead.

His finger went to his collar. Sixth time. Great.

Was he the only one holding on instead of having fun? Again?

One impressively loud laugh shook his from his thoughts, and he didn’t have to look to recognize Jay, near their latest used-to-be-enemy-but-now-they’re-our-pal. Great, someone must have asked what happened during their adventure, there was no way Motor Mouth would have missed the opportunity to vent – as long as his obnoxiously talkative nature didn’t bring their new friend back to the evil path. Right next Zane was showing off his dancing skills, that familiar endearing view that probably involved his famous funny switch. Or not, that nindroid was lovable no matter what after all. From the resigned but fond smirk of Pixal, leaning against the wall not far while watching the robot making a spectacle of himself, he wasn’t the only one thinking that.

Lloyd had been kidnapped by a few reporters of the NGTV, although despite the awkward atmosphere he looked like he could handle himself – which wasn’t new, man that kid was indestructible. And even though he was confident that Nya was not the biggest fan of formal clothes just like himself, like the pro she was she knew exactly how to deal both with her dress and the people crowding around her. Besides, she deserved a bit of spotlight.

His friends were having fun, that made the master of earth happy unconditionally. Although he would have liked to share that light-heartedness, or simply being willing to let himself go for once. Well, they were doing fine, he could end this and finally go home by himse-

Wait. No. Something wasn’t right.

Where was that? Where was the crowd of people getting consistently louder and more insistent the closest they got to their red hero? Where was the never-ending flirty attitude that was almost a main characteristic of the master of fire? Where was the improvised meeting of the Kai fan club happening every single time they ended an adventure, like these screaming admirers had been silently waiting for the end to end just to see their diva?

A shiver caught him. Surprise? Confusion? Relief? Cole wasn’t quite sure, he just knew that there was no massive amount of chocolate hair nowhere in the ballroom. A pinch in his chest made his back straighten up. He took the slightest sip of his drink, grimacing at the taste.

Then, someone shouldered him. Wow, silent as a ninja. Then again, it wasn’t hard at this point recognizing his teammates without looking.

Especially someone as warm as him.

“Apologies my good sir, but it looks like we’re in quite the predicament over here.” Yep, he could see Kai’s smirk in the corner of his vision, moving up his mouth with that little dimple on the corner. “This is very clearly a party-fever, non-sulking area. You better correct your behavior, or I will be forced to take drastic measures.” Kai stuck out his tongue as he cracked his knuckles, despite himself Cole couldn’t help half a laugh.

Only half, because this guy could be very irritating when trying to push his reasons on others – the cow yak predicament between him and Jay was never going to be forgotten and was actually brought up again every once in a while. Only half… because there was something mesmerizing at seeing the reckless master of fire getting cleaned up in a classy and refined suit. White immaculate shirt. Perfectly stirred jacket. That little red bow over his neck, because if this guy didn’t like to show off that red was his color on every occasion then the Overlord was a good guy.

You could say a lot about the red ninja, really a lot.

Not having style? Not between that – of course his ego didn’t need to know this.

The black ninja huffed, catching himself before he let his eyes lingering on him for too long – thank you master Wu, poor unaware sensei probably didn’t know his meditation lesson were being used to hide a crush.

“Drastic measures as kick me out? Because first, I would like to see you try.” Kai was strong, but not earth strong, thank you very much. “And second, I can leave on my own, thank you.”

Another shoulder. Much quicker than the other.

“Nah huh, this is also a very restricted non-ditching area.” Now he was cornered. Which wasn’t much because it was only Kai and his mischievous look. Also it was Kai and his mischievous look. “You either have fun and enjoy yourself, or security will escort you to prison in a conga line.”

“Really?” The hothead dared to shrug, like this made-up nonsense was a fact and these ‘laws’ were beyond him. “You don’t have to be a bringer of justice here too, just leave me be a solitary public figure for five more minutes before leaving.” A little frown moved his scarred eyebrows, which looked a little too knowing for some reason. “Besides, don’t you have a fan club to return to? I’m not seeing brown wigs twice your head moving around, that’s worrying.” A third shove, this time the black ninja let out a proper laugh. The red ninja’s hair only got crazier and crazier since they met, and it was always funny.

Endearing, too… dang it feelings!

The master of fire crossed his arms over his chest, pouting yet smiling.

“I can have a party without getting assaulted by my fans, you know? Besides, it’s been a while since we had a proper celebration, I wanna be with my team for once.” It was surprising and also very not. Kai was that much of an egomaniac, he loved the attention; but he loved his family even more, and it was true that they didn’t get much time to enjoy simply be united – trying to survive a villain while experiencing discoveries and development didn’t count as a relaxing bonding experience.

Cole gave a look at the crowd. The others were all still there.

“I’ll give you that, should we call up the others then?”

“No no no, you don’t get out of the radar that easily!” Again with the grin, what was that dangerously pretty head of his plotting? He looked focused too, it was scary. “Cut loose, will ya? You always end up in the corner at these things, you could at least pretend like you wanna be here.”

The black ninja winced.

“Gosh, you sound like my dad.” He definitely didn’t want to think about his dad in front of his crush. “We’re not all social butterflies, okay? I’m fine being myself.”

“Oh that’s not it, you’re okay. You being you is amazing.” Was that flirtatious? Was that a random compliment? Dang it, Cole had known him for too long, he couldn’t tell the difference anymore! “But whenever we get to an event like this one you always look like you would rather go back fighting and it sucks. Not being much of a party person is fine, I just want you to have some fun that’s all.” Ah. There it was. Underneath the mocking, the arrogance and the flirts, was a guy that could fire up a group of ninja with the power alone of his blatantly sincere words. Being against the next reason Ninjago City needed to be rebuilt, or while trying to give a random party some meaning. “Besides, speaking of fans, I know you have some. You could improvise a convention too.” He gestured towards him with both hands, like he was presenting him for a talk show.

The master of earth grinned. His chest felt warm, as always. Curse this guy for being cute. Curse him for being here instead of somewhere else wowing some random guest, blessing him with his company. He was right about not being together enough. Cole did miss having peaceful times with his teammate… he had missed spending time with Kai.

 But I’m told it’s where I’m supposed to be

You know what?

It’s kinda crazy coz I really don’t mind

When you make it better like that

 He took another sip. Grimacing. He shook his head.

“My fan club is nowhere near as wide as yours.”

“It’s not a challenge you know… although if it was, we all know who would win…” The red ninja flexed his arm. The jacket moved accordingly, showing off results of a training that even without involving massive rocks looked still impressive.

Cole swallowed over a sudden dry throat, only to frown.

“Huh… Lloyd?”

Kai blinked and sulked down altogether.

“Lloyd indeed.” They looked at each other and laughed.

The previous song slowly faded, a new rhythm took over. To Cole’s relief, it was something less ballet-like and more vivacious, capturing a few couple and individuals into the ballroom to enjoy the music. Jay was showing off impressive dancing skills, although him coming out of nowhere with a new ability wasn’t unheard of – roller skating, skiing, how did he even have free time to learn where he would always invent and eat junk food? Nya wasn’t too far behind, crossing path with Zane and improvising something together, laughing all the way. Lloyd was about to shake his head with a snicker and step away, only to have Pixal push him in with a little grin.

It was so peaceful. Them having fun, enjoying themselves, doing something other than risking their own lives and protect the land. They were the moments the black ninja loved the most.

Kai was humming himself, smiling just as widely. Cole chuckled warmly.

“You look like a very proud father.”

The red ninja arched an eyebrow and smirked.

“Wouldn’t you like that, honey.” Oh dang it, was he for real?! Was that a flirt?! Was that a little blush or for the master of fire having red over him was as natural as igniting flames?? Was he going somewhere with this, help, abort, something, anything! “We should chime in and join Zane and Jay, make a reprise of the Blade Cup Tournament! I remember the choreography still, bet we could show it to Nya, Lloyd and Pixal too.” Alright, never mind, false alarm… possibly, again, it was confusing.

Cole took another sip. It possibly tasted worse at every try, he didn’t even know why he was holding the glass still. At least he looked refined… or something.

“No way, I’m not going through that again.”

“Oh come on, I thought you got over your dancing complex with the Triple Tiger Sashay.” Kai shrugged, looking at him right into the eyes. “You dance good too, it’s a waste.” Was he in vain of compliments today or he was silently mocking him through an elaborated plan?

… nah, he wasn’t one to make complicated plans. He was a pretty face, and an airhead.

Cole shrugged.

“I don’t mind dancing, not as much as I used to at least. I even like it nowadays.” Having a hobby besides saving Ninjago was kind of important to not completely lose it – and playing videogames became a little too competitive once Jay or Lloyd got in the zone. “But it’s a little too connected to what my dad used to expect me to be and sometimes I don’t wanna even brush that thought.” They were good now, of course they were. But they spent time apart because of it. It was still hard to think about it. “… I don’t like to think that it would’ve been easier to just bear and go on. It makes me wonder what I would have become in that case, through tedious dancing lessons and failures.” Wow, his insecurities were put under a test, and there was no menace in sight for once.

Urgh, nope, not tonight, not after the mess they had been forced to fix for their city. Tonight it was about feeling light, thoughtless and happy. He needed a joke, a mockery, something, and while their official jokester wasn’t available Kai was the next best thing.

Any moment now… any moment now…

… okay now he was deliberately teasing him with those pretty eyes of his. He looked even sappy now, their shoulders were touching. He was so warm.

“It’s… kind of a scary thought, you know. Thinking of a you in a reality in which we haven’t met.” He smiled, one enigmatic, slightly worried smile that Cole couldn’t remember to have seen before. “But master Wu would’ve found you anyway, right? I don’t want to think of a world where we don’t know each other.” Because he was a precious teammate of his. “That’s not right in my head, I kinda hate it really.” Because they were too close as friends to even conceive it. “I’m just happy to have the strong, kind, incredible Cole by my side for this life.” Because he… cared. Because Kai cared about all the people in his life, all the precious members of his family.

That included him. As a… as…

The master of fire was staring at him, lips pressed tight together, burning cheeks and glimmering eyes. His face radiated heat, beyond the temperature itself; it was like an image so hot it got blurry, yet the beauty of it was nitid and flawless.

Cole was mesmerized. Then he slowly took a step back from his condition, finding the energic music fading away around them, and the red ninja still froze with his eyes on him.

It made him smile.

Having his attention always made him smile.

“Oh my gosh, it’s Kai!!” Because it wasn’t for granted and it wasn’t as easy as it was, back when they had started their legend as the ninja team. Now they were celebrities, and having a group of fans jumping excitedly in front of the brunette was ordinary administration. “Kai! You’re so cool, thank you for saving us again! You are our favorite ninja, can we get a picture? And a photo? Possibly both, if you can!” There were a couple of girls, one guy and a kid jumping from one foot to the other. All looking at ease and confident with their dresses and manners, addressing one of the heroes of this island.

Huh. The party had started to get nicer a few minutes ago, now it was back at being dull. Awkward. Uneasy. Solitary. Once again the too tight suit became very vivid, especially around his arms and chest. Once again the music, that had gone back at being slow and classic, got at his nerves. Once again he was being a spectator, looking at the scene like it was airing on television.

Kai was smiling naturally, he was more than used at that kind of attention. But his eyes were quick at focusing on him, and another little frown moved his forehead.

“Thanks for the support guys, but I’m a little busy right now…”

Cole rolled his eyes. He hated pity, so much. It felt like a slap right now.

“No you’re not idiot, come on, show your fans some respect. They get to see you without the city falling apart for a change!” The group nodded eagerly, eyes brightening the room. The red ninja wasn’t looking at them, his eyes were fixed on his teammate and it was even more irritating. “I’ll be at the buffet if you need me, have fun.” He looked hurt. What right did he have to get hurt? From what even? The master of earth was the one casted aside, for a change!

He walked away from the scene, losing Kai’s voice between excited shouts and squeaks from the group. Like that was new, it was always the serious, uncharismatic, downer of the team the one getting less recognition. He had known that when he had met this band of crazy people that he had started to call family. He had known that when Lloyd had taken charge and lead them towards one victory after the other. He had known that when Nya had been called into action, showing off once and for all that she was the real deal. There was always someone before him, brighter, to capture the attention. Being a robot, being an inventor, being the most handsome guy in existence…

… and it was fine.

Cole wasn’t stupid not unrealistic. He knew who he was, he knew his skills and his pros. He knew there were many people cheering for him too, he knew that Ninjago City loved him. Having less focus didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do his best to give back that support. But moments like these made him feel like it was unfairly easy to be pushed away in favor of something better. This really wasn’t what he was used to. The party, the attention… him.

It wasn’t about the attention after all. It was about feeling inadequate. Unlike others, he wasn’t born for the attention. Others were ready to burn to catch everyone’s eyes through their beauty. Cole only wished the difference wasn’t always this upsetting.

The guests were walking around him as he passed through. He didn’t actually want to go back to the table, he had simply said the first thing that had come to his mind – with that one girl so close to Kai thinking had been very difficult. Then the police commissioner had called the attention upon the impressive cake that was being brought in by a carrier. Shaped like the monastery, with their faces on the base. Wasn’t he the absolute dessert lover that he was, he might have found the cake too cute to even attempt a bite. Then again he really was, which was no secret at all. The chief of the police department was more than happy to give him the first slice.

White chocolate and blueberries. He hated himself for being so irritated, he would have wanted to enjoy his cake without bothering images into his head. He knew it wasn’t that big of a deal. Whenever there was a party, his mind just liked to remind him how uncomfortable he felt. It was only a matter of waiting for it to be over. Then he could share a bag of candies with Lloyd, or pull some weights with Nya, or meditate with Zane, or train with Pixal, or destroy Jay at videogame. Or do anything, absolutely everything, that involved spending time with Kai.

Just for the sake of having him near… ah, dang it, feelings again!

He swallowed a bit harshly, all of the sudden he couldn’t have more. The slice was half eaten – yeah he liked to have that big of a first bite –, and even after spending the night munching over those little snacks that couldn’t contain more than one or two calories each. He felt full. He couldn’t even enjoy his dessert now, might as well leave before anyone noticed him. He had planned on leaving much earlier so it wasn’t a problem.

Cole looked down at that forsaken drink, arching an eyebrow. Maybe it was good with sweets? Maybe that was what made it good? He drank, grimaced and grunted. He moved to put the drink on the table once and for all.

A quick ninja hand snatched the glass. A second later it was emptied.

“Finally, you were driving me crazy with this thing!” Kai, smiley and innocent, almost knocked down another glass as he let the empty one fall over the table. “All night sipping and hating!”

The black ninja’s mind was empty. From nothingness, only one doubt emerged.

“… you’ve been watching me?”

 Don’t think we fit in at this party

Everyone’s got so much to say

When we walked in I said “I’m sorry”

But now I think that we should stay

 That wasn’t probably the question to ask, no matter how much the master of earth was stubborn over the idea that nothing was a big deal at the moment. Something like ‘what are you doing here’ would have sounded out of place though, and teasing directly about what happened to his fan club didn’t sound better. Besides, the handsome master of fire finished his drink putting those perfect lips right where Cole’s had been just a second ago, and the black ninja’s strategic leader brain that had many times got him out of a bad situation wasn’t working.

Or maybe it was? There were very few things that could really, actively melt his heart like this. The red ninja’s blush was one of them. It had to have something to do with his element, the reddening was absolute and total. Like watching a thermometer reaching the maximum.

“J-Just a little! One or two times!” Liar, Cole had been doing this sip and regret thing all evening. The thought alone was an injection of giddiness. “Not up for cake? That’s new.”

Oh. He felt a little more in vain for cake. Two bites later it was done.

“I was taking a breath.” It was easier with him around. Did he know that? “You’re done with the fans? That was quick.” Kai huffed with superiority, but the black ninja was no fool: he could see the girl from before sighing a little, like she didn’t get nearly as much red ninja as she had been expecting. “You didn’t have to leave them behind for me.” That came out exactly as badly as he thought it. Why did he say it anyway? Why was the master of fire this shocked and fearful? “Kai I’m not some special case that you have to take care of, you know that. You don’t have to hang around me just because.” Huh. It came out like that.

Huh. Kai looked one with his element, burning from his forehead to his neck, looking almost sunburned. Adorable. So adorable, even while Cole was waiting for whatever was going to come from this situation. Which was, beyond his expectations, the red ninja’s rough and long hand slowly reaching for his, holding it tight.

Warm, so warm, so unfairly warm.

“I… I hang out with you because I want to. I want you to have fun because I…” He swallowed, hardly, and it felt like a light was switched on in the black ninja’s mind. “… I like when you have fun. When you s-smile, too.” It was so different from the usual flirty attitude that this guy used. It would have sounded like a mockery to any other. “I like being where you are too, that’s all I need… I-I mean it!” But Cole knew this guy, he knew him too well not to know that flirting was a show.

This awkward, embarrassed, red gorgeous person was the real deal. One that came out only when the time was right, and the person was right.

Cole was right. He was… right?

“I… I don’t know what to say.” He really didn’t and it was the worst possible answer. But it was true. What did you say to someone you harbored feelings for that showed interest back towards you? Thanks? Same here? I love you?? It was true but it was out and everything felt unnecessary and uneasy again.

The hold tightened. Kai was still blushing, but he was smiling with that special energy into his eyes. The one that usually meant a very bad plan coming, or one heck of an idea.

“No need. Just come with me.” Not like he could resist him right now.

Right on cue the music had changed, slowing down. The master of earth had a suspicion the one holding his hand was behind this – not like bribing Dareth currently at the console was particularly hard, especially with a couple of Puffy Potstickers in hand. Then again, the one holding his hand was this handsome fella that was leading him towards the center of the ballroom, between fanciful people and a couple of eyes in awe at seeing their heroes there. It was easier to ignore the comparison, the feeling of inferiority, while feeling Kai’s fingers clenching around his palm, shaking firmly. It was cute. So very cute. Cole could barely see in front of himself between all these people, yet it felt like nothing was really shouldering him as he passed through.

There were lights above them. Were they always there? Cole didn’t notice before, which was silly since it was all dark outside. His head was lighter, he didn’t have control over his strength even if he had wanted to break free from that hold. He didn’t. Not when the red ninja had that familiar determination making his entire body tense. Not while he turned around, smirking.

Still blushing. Still holding his hand. The master of earth looked down. Two pairs of feet staring at each other. Memories of the dance lessons came flooding back.

He looked up. Those glimmering embers made it much better.

“You brought me here to dance?”

“Impeccable deduction, Rocky.”

“Do you even know how? Dancing in couple is not the same as in a group, and we both know you have awful balance.” It was the only thing that made him regret throwing the battle against Jay back at the tournament of elements: losing the possibility of seeing this klutz making a fool of himself on roller skates. Confident Kai? Goofy and charming. Energic Kai? Attractive and brave. Angry Kai? Literally hot. But man, clumsy, adorably unsteady Kai? A wholesome force strong enough to break every single mountain he had ever climbed in his life.

The master of fire huffed with superiority, which was already promising. Around them a few couples were getting together, slowly moving with the rhythm.

“Please, I defeat evil lurking behind our backs on regular basis. I can handle a dance.” His eyes went down on his feet, while he unsurely grabbed his other hand. “You just gotta work with me, first you move the left… right… no left, left!” Left went right over his partner’s foot, and it was gone right away ironically almost as it got burned. “D-Don’t laugh, I got this!” Screw everything, the master of earth was very glad Ninjago had been in peril just to arrive at this specific moment.

Ah, but he was the responsible one, wasn’t he? Snickering right in front of the brunette’s face while he was doing his dang best at not stomping onto his feet would have not been very mature.

… continuously at least, he could take one giggle.

No one could call one giggle immature. Or two.

“I can hear my father’s pleas from here.”

“Shut up, I’m getting there! Right foot, sorry, then left…” Wow, it was almost impressive considering Cole had managed to see him before almost gracefully practicing spinjitzu with them. Then again, it was so like him it hurt. “There there’s the… huh… casket?” Oh dear, he meant the casque? Yep, definitely good pa wasn’t here. The black ninja almost blacked out he was laughing so much – pun not intended –, wiping away a single tear. Then he looked up, embers were staring. So focused and bright they were too much to look at. Kai grinned. “At least your smile is back.” The softest curve ever.

It was impossible not to look at it. It was baffling how many people were attracted to the master of fire solely for appearance and superficial charm. Yet this part, this tender side of him was the most lovely part. The most hidden too, reserved only to those who got close enough to the fire to get burned, without regretting a single moment.

Cole giggled again, stepping forward. Automatically he took charge, assuming the position that had been sculptured into his mind by years of dance lessons. Kai’s hand was still shaking as he took it, his eyes were trembling too. It made the black ninja smile more.

“It’s easy to smile when I’m with you.” Another incredible thing about this guy, it made all the people around him more confident. Stronger. Him included.

Kai gaped. He stuttered, looking down, up, at him and not.

Then he sighed, whining weakly.

“I was trying to properly confess, Boulder Brain.” It would have been such a shameless, anticlimactic moment for anyone. Gosh if it hadn’t dissolved all the anxious anticipation the black ninja had. “Why did you have to one up me right now?” Maybe it wasn’t only Kai that made him feel this at ease, maybe it wasn’t only them knowing each other so well. Maybe there really was one and only, for life, and the master of earth knew it by instinct.

A pretty good instinct too.

Cole grinned, stepping closer because dang if this didn’t feel immensely good.

“Force of habit, you’re just that slow.” Dang if this easiness between them wasn’t the most comfortable feeling he had ever felt. “You should really put your mind into training a little more, prove that you can keep up with me, Fireball.”

Music was changing, people were moving, the party was continuing and neither of them was looking anymore. Who cared anyway? What was important right now?

Warmth was.

Kai’s hand on his cheek was. Kai’s softened eyes on him were.

“I can do that. You know I never quit in front of a challenge.” One blink of an eye later, their noses were brushing. Another blink, their breaths were caressing each other’s lips. One last, the master of fire turned that kind of serious. The one that put everything on the table, because he considered a moment that important. “… I hate when you ditch a party.” Cole held together a little gulp. “And it’s not about you not being a party person, or wanting you to have fun, or even for you to get the credit you deserve. It is in part, but it’s not all.” He smiled, his thumb tracing gently his cheek, so very careful with him. Him, the lifter of their team. Him, the mighty master of earth. Him, the one that could manifest an earthquake with a punch. “It’s just that I miss you every time. You make everything better for me… I want to be with you as much as I can.”

It was never about that after all. It was never about who he was or what he represented, for either of them. It was just about two guys, two friends that had been lucky enough to get closer to each other reciprocally. In comparison to this, everything felt so meaningless.

The room was empty, the music was gone. It was just them.

Cole closed his eyes.

“You could convince me that parties are cool, you know. Then I won’t ditch anymore.” His closeness, his heat, his presence. The black ninja wanted to take in everything about this moment and never letting go. “I feel like I’m on the right path right now…” Wow, they weren’t even together yet and his flirty tendencies were already rubbing on him. Was he really that gone already for not minding it one bit?

Ah, who cared, Kai was so close he could hear him swallow. His thumb was still shivering, and it made his heart flutter. Then he laughed, low and sincere.

“Let’s see if I can be convincing.” He whispered.

Kissing the red ninja was exactly how he had imagined. It was warm, a little clumsy, so very sincere and vigorous. It reflected how he moved, how he acted, how he fought, how he protected. Yet it was nothing like he thought. It was so sweet it made his eyes pinch, it was delicate and even a little uncertain. It was him on the inside, the him that didn’t always want to make an impression, the him that had so much love to give to his most precious ones. It was him. In every possible way, it was him.

Cole smiled, kissing back, holding onto him as he was held back.

He liked parties. And he loved Kai.

 ‘Cause I don’t care when I’m with my baby, yeah

All the bad things disappear

And you’re making me feel like maybe I am somebody

I can deal with the bad nights

When I’m with my baby

[misskikuwrites]

Wish

Bede/Gloria (dressedinpinkshipping)

Angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, lost of crying

Words: 16,541

-

Although Bede wasn't surprised at their destination, it should have been obvious where they were going to end up when Ms Opal said they were going to visit "and old friend of hers." He climbed out of the Sky Taxi and made his way around to open the door for Ms Opal, taking in the homely Pokemon Nursery nestled in a quiet nook of the Northern Wild Area.

He had been here once before with Gloria during their seven day scout of the Wild Area. Weeks had passed since then, but Bede clearly remembered the elderly woman Ethel who ran the place. He also remembered the keen look in her weathered eyes, how she'd read him - and his feelings for Gloria - like a book. She'd insisted, with a knowing smile on her face, that the Champion had feelings for him too. Romantic feelings.

As in, that Gloria was in love with him.

The unwanted recollection of that conversation sent a trickle of heat across his face. Bede swallowed it down, and shut the Taxi door firmly after Ms Opal stepped out.

"I should have realised who your 'old friend' would be," he said, biting back a sigh. "Were you deliberately vague for this reason?"

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't," Ms Opal chuckled sweetly. "Ethel means well, even if she can be a bit… forceful at times. I'm sure you can understand that."

"Forceful is one way to put it…"

They began to head over to the Nursery, to where a mosaic of colourful flowers bloomed out the front. A young woman tending to the garden stood up to greet them. Her clothes were covered in dirt, sweat coating her brow, and she flashed them a smile.

"Good afternoon, Ms Opal!" the young woman beamed, before her eyes slid to Bede. "And… oh my gosh! You're- You're Bede! Gym Leader Bede!"

She flushed and dropped her watering can. It clattered to the ground as she gaped at him.

"I-I didn't know you were coming as well!" she squeaked. The state of her clothing, splattered with dirt, suddenly struck her, and she tried to brush some of it off before realising her hands were also caked in mud.

"This is Margot," Ms Opal said. "She's Ethel's granddaughter, and helps run the Nursery."

"Th-That's me!" Margot chimed. She gave a nervous, high-pitched laugh. Despite the tan of her skin, darkened by the sun, the ruddy flush of her cheeks was obvious.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Bede said politely. He gave her a comforting smile. "I would offer to shake your hand, but perhaps that can wait until you're not so busy." He nodded to the flowers and said, "they're beautiful, by the way. It's a lovely garden."

"Oh! Um, thank you!" she squeaked, going redder than before.

"Now, now. Enough flirting." Ms Opal nudged Bede's side with the tip of her umbrella, making him jump. "We came here for afternoon tea with Ethel, not for you to get sweet with her granddaughter, remember?"

He balked at her, blood draining from his face. "That was not my intention at all!"

"Perhaps Margot should be the one to hear that, not me?"

Margot was too busy flustering to catch what Bede, or Ms Opal, had said, and scrambled to pick up her watering can. She gave them a sharp wave and whirled on her feet to march back to the garden. Bede watched her go, his heart flopping.

"I was merely trying to be polite," he reiterated upon spying Ms Opal's amused smile.

"Unfortunately, you missed polite and hit charming instead, my dear."

Bede swallowed his mortification, and made for the door. For a second, he thought he saw someone move behind the sheer curtains in the front window, but when he looked, there was no one there. No figure, no shadow, no movement. It had been a trick of the light, nothing more. He pushed that aside and opened the door.

-

Gloria slumped against the back door, her heart pounding in her chest, and she slowly sank to the ground. In the second she'd moved away from the window, Bede had looked right at her. Their eyes had met. He had to have seen her, had to have known she'd been listening in, watching them, through the front window. What kind of person did he think she was now?

She dropped her head to her knees with a groan of regret. Eavesdropping hadn't even been her intention in the first place- she'd heard voices outside and had taken a curious look out the window. It was meant to be a glance and nothing more. Just a quick look to see who it was, with the intention to prepare herself for whoever was about to enter the Nursery. Bede was the last person she'd expected to see.

And then to hear him flirt so casually with Margot had left her speechless, absolutely dumbstruck, and she had stood there like a pillar of stone. Her brain had shut down. She'd taken a step back. Her heart had thumped in her ears, drowning everything else out, and in the next second, Bede had glanced at her.

Of course, Gloria ran away. She'd bolted out of the Nursery's front room with her heart in her throat, escaping out the back to where she now sat in the dirt. Knots tightened in the pit of her stomach. Bede's charming smile, his sweet words, flashed in her mind and made her feel ill.

He'd never acted like that towards her, especially not when they'd first met. Sure, he had mellowed out considerably under Ms Opal's tutelage, but even now he was often clipped and snarky with her. Definitely not charming, not like that, not unless he was teasing her or making a point. It made something sour burn in her throat, in her chest, and she despised it. Hated it. She didn't want to feel this way. She didn't want to feel like this towards Margot, when her friend had done absolutely nothing wrong.

Margot had looked so happy when Bede smiled at her and complimented her garden. It shouldn't make Gloria feel this way to see her so happy, yet her throat tightened when she recalled the look on Margot's face, the way she'd flushed and laughed. It was obvious that Margot was Bede's fan, and she wished she didn't know that.

She wished she hadn't seen anything at all. And, by running away, that made her less than a coward.

Gloria huffed as a heavy weight settled in her chest. She was being pathetic. It wasn't a big deal- Bede had tons of fans, some much more obsessed with him than others, but so did she.

She knew that. It was a part of being a Gym Leader, a part of being the Champion, of being in the spotlight. If she knew that, then why did it bother her so much? Why was she so jealous?

And it wasn't like Margot wasn't her fan too. The first time they'd met, Margot had gotten so excited and asked for an autograph before realising she didn't have anything on her that Gloria could sign. She'd acted in almost the same way then that she did now, with Bede.

So why? Why did her heart clench so tight upon seeing Bede act like that towards Margot?

Did he act like that with all his fans? Charming, polite, giving them a smile worthy of a front-page magazine spread?

Gloria grimaced at that thought and got to her feet. The churning in her gut protested, but she knew she couldn't sit out here and mope all afternoon. She was here for a reason, and had a job to do.

She turned on her heels and headed back inside to find that Bede and Ms Opal weren't in the front reception room. That meant they weren't here for the services of the Nursery. Gloria let out a sigh. Perhaps they had already left, and that possibility gave her a bit of hope that she didn't have to face Bede right now. With that in mind, she walked through to the small study room where she'd left her belongings. Sitting next to her bag was a small incubator, a white egg speckled with red and blue nestled inside. She gathered it in her arms when voices reached her ears again.

Voices she recognised.

-

Bede followed Ms Opal through the reception of the Nursery and into the adjoining house. They stepped into an open dining room, where Ethel was busying herself in the kitchen, and Bede happened to glance through the doorway of another room as they passed. There, on top of a desk, sat a bag remarkably similar to Gloria's. He almost ground to a halt at the sight of it. All he got was a split second look at the brown leather bag, but it was enough for his heart to skip at the possibility that she was here.

It couldn't be Gloria's… could it?

"It's good to see you again, Opal," Ethel said, snapping Bede from his thoughts. "You too, Bede. Come, sit. Make yourselves at home."

He straightened and focused on his manners, giving Ethel a polite smile.

"Should you really be up and about?" Ms Opal asked. Bede pulled a chair out for her at the dining table before taking a seat beside her.

Ethel gave a chuckle. "I'm not an invalid. It's just a bit of back pain, nothing major. And besides, I have lovely assistants helping me out."

She smiled at Bede, and the twinkle in her eyes made his heart thump. It felt as though she was reading his mind again, as though she knew he'd spied the bag in the study. As though she was confirming it was indeed Gloria's.

"Have you met my granddaughter, Margot?" Ethel continued, "I believe she's around your age. She's very diligent, and beautiful as well."

Bede swallowed, ignoring that last remark. "Yes, I met her outside just now."

"Good, good." Ethel nodded. "She's single, by the way, if you're interested-"

"Nana!" Margot gasped from the doorway, having caught the tail end of their conversation. She'd changed from the clothes she'd been gardening in, free of dirt and grime.

Bede tried to give her a sympathetic smile, but the second their eyes met, she flushed darkly and looked away. Her embarrassment made the air suddenly awkward, and he cleared his throat. He needed to put an end to this before Ethel got any other ideas.

"I'm not looking for… anything like that right now," Bede said. He fumbled over what to say as his cheeks began to burn. "I would rather dedicate my time to my duties as a Gym Leader at the moment."

It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. There was only one person he wanted a relationship with, and she was determined to avoid love at any cost.

"I-I'll put the kettle on!" Margot announced, and scampered into the kitchen. She ducked her head as she passed Bede, and he tried to ignore the way both Ethel and Ms Opal were looking at him.

"That's a good idea," Ethel agreed. "Why don't you help her, Bede? It's such a nice day, we should have afternoon tea outside."

"That sounds lovely." Ms Opal gave Bede a smile, and he resigned himself to his fate.

He stood, holding back a sigh, and stepped into the kitchen as Ms Opal and Ethel headed outside. He knew exactly what Ethel was doing, and could hardly believe that Ms Opal was playing along.

The last thing he wanted today was to be set up with someone he hardly knew. Above everything else, he felt bad for Margot.

"I apologise," he said, "it wasn't my intention to give you, or anyone, the wrong idea. I hope I haven't made you uncomfortable."

"Oh, no, no, of course not!" Margot lifted her head and finally met his eyes, waving her hands frantically in protest. "You- You didn't make me uncomfortable at all! Nana's always like this with everyone. I'm… I'm used to it by now."

She laughed, albeit nervously.

"I know that well enough myself," Bede said lightly. "She tried to do the very same thing the first time I met her too. That time, I would have appreciated a warning, but perhaps Gloria didn't think that necessary."

Margot's eyes widened. "Gloria? As in, the Champion?" She blinked, before saying, "oh, of course you know her. Duh!"

She laughed at herself sheepishly, and grabbed the kettle to begin filling it up with water.

"Um, you- you don't have to help out," she said quickly. "I know Nana's trying to, like, give us privacy or whatever but you're a Gym Leader and there's no way I could have you help me with this…"

"It's alright, I'd be happy to help." He smiled, making her flush again.

"O-Okay!"

She stiffened, her voice cracking, and Bede had to wipe the shock off his face at her reaction. All he'd done was smile at her. A polite, normal smile, nothing untoward or suggestive, yet it was somehow enough to fluster her. He wondered if it would be better for him to not smile.

It was when she turned away from him that he noticed a leaf in her hair. Automatically, he reached for it, and she gasped at the light touch of his fingers, snapping her head to face him with a jolt. She flushed so darkly that Bede instantly regretted his actions, realising that she'd taken it the wrong way.

"There was a leaf-"

"Ah!"

A gasp made Bede whirl, and the blood drained from his face, from his entire body, when he saw Gloria standing at the door to the study, her eyes wide and fixed on them. The leaf slipped from his fingers.

His excuse, the reason for this whole situation, drifted to the floor. It took his heart with it.

Of all the people who could've walked in on them right now, it had to be her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Gloria said, quickly looking away. Her cheeks flushed, and she clutched the incubator in her arms closer to her chest and turned to walk away.

"Gloria, wait!" he called her name before he could think of what to say next, so when she stopped and glanced over her shoulder at him warily, his mouth went dry.

Margot had taken the situation just as Gloria had, and stared at her feet. Her embarrassment did nothing to help. Bede's grave had been dug the very second he'd reached for that leaf.

"It's fine, don't mind me." Gloria sounded miffed, her words clipped, and she slid her eyes from Bede. "You can… continue whatever it was you were doing."

"We weren't doing anything!"

The displeasure on her face shifted to scepticism, and she glanced between him and Margot.

"That didn't look like nothing, but if that's what you want me to think…" Gloria shrugged.

"There was a leaf in her hair!" Bede crouched quickly and snatched the aforementioned leaf off the floor. "I was simply removing it, that's all!"

"Oh!" Margot gasped. "That's why…?"

"Yes!" He held Gloria's gaze despite the way his cheeks burned, the way his lungs fluttered.

Something flashed over Margot's face, and her eyes widened. "Wait, are you two…?"

"No, weren't not. We're not- not anything!"

"Wow, okay then." Gloria scoffed, her expression souring.

Shit, that wasn't what he meant at all!

"No, that's…"

A chime cut him off, echoing around the room.

"Um, that's the bell in reception." Margot ducked her head and scampered around Bede. "I have to go… see to them. Gloria, you can help him with the tea, right?"

She didn't give Gloria a chance to reply and hurried on past. Bede's heart plummeted into his stomach when the door clicked shut behind Margot, leaving him and Gloria alone in a stiff silence.

She'd definitely gotten the wrong idea, and in his desperation to clear up the entirely different wrong idea Margot had, he'd only made things worse.

"I didn't mean that," Bede said. The mortified heat on his face drained away, leaving him cold.

It didn't help that Gloria refused to meet his eyes. She pursed her lips, her expression pained, before sighing heavily and marching over to the kitchen.

"So, you must be the guest Ethel mentioned she was having over for afternoon tea, then." Gloria deposited the incubator on the kitchen counter, well away from the edge. "Did you come with Ms Opal?"

He watched as she stepped around him, taking the kettle from where Margot had left it by the sink and set it upon the stove. Not once did she look at him, not once did she smile.

By the looks of it, he'd done something far worse than he'd suspected, to make her so miffed at him. It took a moment for him to remember to answer her.

"Yes, I did. I didn't realise you were here."

"I can see that."

Bede stifled a wince at the sharp edge to her voice.

"Ethel's back is playing up again so I'm helping out," Gloria continued. She shrugged, before gesturing to a cupboard behind him. "Tea leaves are in there. Choose whichever you like."

Now didn't seem like the time to try and clarify what had happened earlier, and so Bede followed her directions and found packets of different tea leaves where she'd said. The Applin Tea packet caught his eyes- the very first tea they'd shared. He picked it up without thinking.

"Let's see… tea cups are… up here?" Gloria softly mumbled to herself, movement in the corner of Bede's eyes catching his attention.

He glanced over towards her as she opened a cupboard high above her head, rising up on her toes to reach a beautifully decorated ceramic teacup. Her fingers tapped the side of the teacup, barely skimming it, and it tilted towards the edge. Bede saw it happening and moved in time to catch the teacup before it fell, grabbing it over the top of Gloria's hand. She startled, recoiling into his chest where he stood right behind her.

"I've got it," he sighed in relief. Bede took the teacup from her and set it down on the bench.

"Th-Thanks."

It was at the sound of her voice, her quiet stammer, that he realised how close he was standing to her. Her back was against his chest as he'd stepped right up to her in order to save the teacup from disaster, and in placing the teacup down in front of her, he'd unintentionally looped his arm around her. As though he were about to hug her instead.

Bede cut a step to the side, his chest filling with heat where she'd bumped into him. That sudden contact left him dizzy and slightly breathless, all the more so than usual because behind the disgruntled expression on Gloria's face, she was blushing too.

He cleared his throat and needed something to say in order to ease the awkward atmosphere around them.

"Why don't you let me get the teacups?" he offered. "They're a tad high for you."

Gloria pouted, but didn't protest. "Fine."

She marched around him to the open cupboard where the tea leaves were, and retrieved the Applin Tea packet. The same one he'd picked.

"Margot's the one who keeps the teacups up there," Gloria said. She placed the Applin Tea packet by the stove as Bede retrieved two more teacups with their matching saucers from up high. "I'm not usually in charge of making tea for that reason."

"That makes sense. She's a lot taller than you."

He'd agreed without thinking much about it, and she sent him a hard look in return. It made his heart lurch.

"What I mean is-"

Gloria snorted, cutting him off, and her glare fractured into a smile. "Sorry," she laughed. "You looked like I was about to bite your head off!"

Relief filled his lungs as the tension in the air finally snapped. "Arceus, Gloria. With a glare like that, how can you blame me?"

Her laughter trickled off into faint giggles, softening her smile. It was such a joy to see her smile again, to have her smile like that for him, that he found himself mirroring her expression.

"I really can't stay mad at you, can I?" She nudged him gently with her elbow, and stepped around him to retrieve an array of biscuits and cookies from the pantry.

"What you saw between me and Margot-"

"I know, you said you were just getting a leaf from her hair. You don't have to explain it to me twice."

She pulled out a tea tray and began to place the snacks, teacups and saucers, and a small sugar bowl on it. The kettle whistled, and Bede automatically worked on making the tea.

"Maybe next time, don't be so quick to denounce anything between us, okay?" Gloria said. "You made it seem like you hated the idea of us even being friends."

Bede grimaced. "That really wasn't my intention at all, you know that, right?"

"Do I?" She quirked a smile at him. She couldn't hold her smirk for long, and broke off into a short laugh. "I'm glad Margot got to meet you, though," she continued, "she's been your fan for ages, and when she realised she'd missed you when we came here during our week in the Wild Area, she was so upset!"

Gloria brought the tray over, and set the teapot in the centre.

"Make sure you give her your autograph before you leave," she said. "She'll probably be too nervous to ask you herself!"

"Alright, I'll do that." He looked towards the incubator on the bench, and asked, "trying your hand at breeding another Pokemon?"

"Oh, it wasn't originally mine," she said, stepping over to it. The smile on her face warmed, lighting up her eyes as she gazed at it. "The Trainer whose Pokemon they found the egg with didn't want it, and so Ethel asked if I'd like to raise it. She didn't tell me what Pokemon's inside, so it's a surprise!"

Bede couldn't draw his eyes away from her when she had that adoring smile on her face. He knew he was staring, that it wasn't proper or polite or decent or a number of other things for him to watch her like this, but he was drawn to her like a magnet, and the pull of his heart wouldn't let him turn away.

"I'm so excited to see what Pokemon it is," Gloria continued. "It's going to hatch any day now!"

With her attention fixed on the incubator, she hadn't noticed that Bede was as enamoured with her as she was with the egg. She was beautiful in a way he couldn't describe. Seeing her filled with delightful anticipation sent his pulse skittering, and he wished he could linger here by her side for an eternity.

Somehow, he managed to drag his eyes from her, and picked up the tea tray.

"I should… take this outside," he said firmly, reminding himself that he had a task to do. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't stand around with Gloria forever- not with Ms Opal and Ethel waiting for their afternoon tea.

The last thing he wanted to do was give them an excuse to come check up on him, only to find him staring longingly at Gloria.

"I'll get the door for you," she offered, and picked up the incubator on her way to the door.

It was much smaller than the Galarian Ponyta egg she'd had months earlier, and she could safely cradle the incubator in one arm. Bede gave her a grateful nod as she opened the back door for him, and she followed him out after he walked through. In the shade of the verandah, Ms Opal and Ethel were seated around a cozy table.

"Good afternoon, Ms Opal!" Gloria greeted her, "it's nice to see you again."

"It's lovely to see you too." Ms Opal gave her a welcoming smile. "Why don't you join us for afternoon tea?"

Bede silently bit his tongue, wondering if Ms Opal was doing this on purpose. He placed the tea tray on the table as Gloria dithered by the door.

"Yes, come join us," Ethel agreed. "It's about time for you to take a break, isn't it?"

"I guess…" Gloria pursed her lips. "Oh, but we won't have enough tea cups then."

She turned as if to go grab one, when Bede stopped her.

"It might be better if I go and get one for you," he suggested.

"Right, of course." She gave him a sheepish, but grateful, smile. "Thanks."

He smiled back at her, and left to retrieve another tea cup.

-

Gloria was glad she decided to take Ms Opal and Ethel's advice to join them for afternoon tea. The weather was perfect, the breeze absolutely delightful, and she munched on a sweet chocolate biscuit as they chatted away in the shade. Surprisingly, not once did Ethel mention romance or dating, and Gloria found she could relax without having to worry about that. Even Bede seemed to ease into the conversation as time passed, and the afternoon drifted by without a hitch.

With a smile, Gloria savoured the last drops of her Applin Tea, relishing the sweet mix of apple and cinnamon on her tongue. Bede had made her a cup of it months ago, the first time she had ever had tea with him, and she remembered that day whenever she drank it.

It always managed to bring a smile to her face.

When everyone had finished with their drinks, Gloria collected them all on the tea tray and stood.

"Thanks for the afternoon tea," she said. "I'll wash these up."

She went to grab the handles of the tray when Bede took it instead, getting to his feet in a swift motion.

"I'll help you with that," he offered, and nodded to the incubator, "as you have your arms full already."

He said it so casually, already moving towards the door with the tray balanced evenly in his hands, as though he'd already planned this out.

"What a gentleman," Ethel remarked. The keen smile on her face made Gloria's heart skip. "Make sure you thank him!"

All Gloria could do was nod, grab her incubator, and hurry after Bede so she could open the door for him. She escaped inside before Ethel could say anything more.

Either Bede hadn't heard Ethel's comment or didn't feel the need to react to it, as he continued on like normal. The air between them remained comfortable. They fell into a routine by the sink, Gloria washing the dishes and Bede drying them, without having to say anything at all. It felt natural working like this beside him. Like it was the most simplest thing in the world, she couldn't help but smile each time she passed a teacup to him. She enjoyed it, and it no longer felt like a chore.

Who knew washing dishes could be so soothing?

Gloria handed the last teacup to Bede when a faint crack caught her attention. She whirled on her feet towards the noise, in time to see fracture lines split across the surface of the egg.

"It's hatching!" she gasped.

Her heart leapt in her chest, and she rushed over to remove the incubator's protective glass. Anticipation buzzed through her veins. She sent Bede a grin, unable to contain the excitement building inside her, and clasped her hands together as the egg cracked again.

"Bede, Bede, get over here!" She waved him over hurriedly, not taking her eyes off the egg for even a split second. "It's hatching!"

"Yes, I heard." Amusement dripped from his voice. He came over and stood beside her as she animatedly bounced on her toes.

Another crack, another fault splitting across the fragile surface, and Gloria gasped. Air caught in her lungs. Breath held tight, she grabbed Bede's sleeve without thinking when two small, stubby feet punctured through the base of the shell. Two little arms broke through the sides, and with a jolt, the top of the speckled shell flew off.

Gloria stared speechlessly, in utter delight, at the crown of spikes poking above the egg shell, two beady black eyes blinking as the baby Pokemon took in the world for the first time.

"It's... a Togepi," Bede noted.

At the sound of his voice, Togepi turned to face him, and she gave a sweet, happy trill when their eyes met.

"Oh, my gosh!" Gloria couldn't hold back her squeal. "It's so cute!"

Togepi beamed at Bede, raising her little arms in the air.

"Look at you! Aren't you just the sweetest thing?" she cooed, and reached out to take Togepi's little hand.

Togepi startled, gave a sharp cry, and scampered off the base of the incubator towards Bede, and cowered into his shirt.

"Aw, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!"

Gloria pulled back her hand with a sheepish laugh.

"Togepi already likes you, huh?"

She glanced at him, ready to laugh it off, when she saw that he wasn't smiling. His gaze was fixed on Togepi. The tight line of his jaw, the weight of his expression, made her heart flop.

"Gloria…"

He spoke her name quietly. Firmly. And she knew then what had happened.

Oh.  

"I'm so sorry."

Oh no.

Her heart plummeted. She felt cold. A strange laugh escaped her lungs, and she reached out for Togepi once more.

This wasn't…

This wasn't happening...

"Hey, little one," she tried again. Spoke softer, slower, calmer. Spoke through the lump in her throat, and reached to touch the spiked crown of Togepi's head. "I'm- I'm Gloria. I'm going to be your Trainer…"

Togepi cried and ducked around Bede's side away from her, burrowing beneath his arm. Gloria snatched her hand back.

"I'm really sorry." Bede's voice echoed through her head. He sounded muffled, like he was speaking underwater. "When I spoke, Togepi looked towards me, which made me the first person she saw. She must have imprinted on me."

Gloria didn't want to hear it.

"O-Oh. I… I see." She swallowed. Held her hands close to her chest. She felt numb. Dizzy. Unable to breathe or think. Togepi cowering into Bede was all she could see.

This wasn't… this couldn't be real...

"I didn't think this would happen," Bede said. "I'm sorry."

She barely heard him over the pounding of her heart.

"Th-That's okay!" Gloria flashed a smile. She laughed it off. Waved it off. "These things happen. It's not your fault."

It was a mistake to meet his eyes. He blinked at her incredulously, and his shock sent a wave of heat over her eyes.

"And, y'know, Togepi's a Fairy Type," she continued quickly. "So, it works perfectly!"

The concern in his eyes pierced her heart. He worried his brow. Her less-than-convincing act wasn't working, and tears were threatening to build in her eyes the longer he looked at her.

"Hey, I've even got a Great Ball in my bag! Lemme go grab it for you." She whirled on her feet, using that excuse to dash into the study where her bag was.

The second she stepped through the door, a sharp gasp tore from her throat. She slapped a hand across her mouth to stifle it and the ones that followed. Pain burned in her chest. Her hand trembled across her mouth, lips wobbling, face scrunching as tears began to fall.

She wouldn't let them. She couldn't. Not here, not now. She swiped them away, blinked them back, and forced down the shuddering gasps and sobs that lurched in her chest.

Not now.

Great Ball in her hand, she marched back to Bede.

"Here you go!" She thrust it into his hands and gave him her biggest, brightest smile yet. Covered up the pain.

"Thank you…" He looked confused, brow slightly furrowed.

She couldn't bear to look at him any longer.

"Anyway, my break's well and truly over, so I've gotta go!" She gave a wave, turned on her heels. "See ya later!"

Before he could respond, she rushed out the side door and into the yard. Away from Bede. Away from Ms Opal and Ethel, away from Margot. Far into the yard, as far as she could, to where only Pokemon and silence remained, so no one could see her cry.

-

Why did this happen?

Tears blurred her vision. Gloria swallowed the tight lump in her throat, trying to loosen the vice around her neck. It clamped down hard. Choked her.

How did this happen?

Togepi's precious trill echoed in her ears. The joy on her face stuck in Gloria's mind- the look on Togepi's face as the baby Pokemon smiled at Bede.

"It's... a Togepi."  

The words that changed everything.

Her hands trembled around the brush. Grip tightened. Blinking back tears, fighting them down. A hiss escaped through her teeth.

Why…?

The Boltund she was grooming, or had been trying to groom, gave a sad whine. He licked her cheek, nuzzled into her. Something cracked deep inside Gloria's chest, and she wrapped her arms around Boltund and buried her tears in his fur.

She didn't want to believe it. Any of it. The Togepi she'd been so excited to hatch had imprinted on Bede. She'd seen him first. Turned towards him because he'd spoken. The words that had fallen from his lips haunted her now.

Why did he say that?

Why, when he had to have known what would happen?

It hurt. Ached right to her core as though he'd torn out her heart himself, pulled it right through her ribs, her muscles, her skin, and left her bleeding. She crumbled into the empty hole in her chest.

Why…?

She couldn't voice anything. Not a sob, not a gasp, not a breath. Her pain was silent, and wracked her body with heavy shudders as she cried. Boltund whimpered and rested his head on her shoulder. He refused to leave her side after that. Even after she stood and wiped away her tears, Boltund remained with her as she continued on with her tasks.

She felt heavy. Numb. Her movements became robotic and stiff, her lungs filled with lead. She moved from Pokemon to Pokemon without seeing, or feeling, anything. Went from task to task automatically. The only time she stopped was when it became too much, and the tears came again. She sank to the ground, into the dirt, and Boltund lapped at her cheeks, nuzzled her face, whined at her, and she felt nothing at all.

Gloria couldn't bring herself to react. It hurt too much, and the second she thought about it again, about Togepi or Bede, she crumbled.

Why?

It burst through her throat without a sound. The cry she couldn't voice, her question, her demand- burning with anguish in her chest.

How could you do that to me?  

It burned until there was nothing left.

-

Gloria didn't feel the tears falling down her cheeks. The ache where her heart had been was all that remained, and she trudged slowly back to the Nursery as the setting sun cast the Wild Area in a golden glow. The sunset should have been beautiful to her- upon looking up at the sky, she felt nothing.

Silence met her inside the Nursery. She moved quickly to the study where her bag was, sliding it on her back as a broken sob wedged in her throat.

Of course he wasn't here.

She didn't want to see Bede, but the fact that he was gone, that he'd left without saying anything, hurt more than anything.

So, that's it…?

Her vision blurred with tears.

You take my Pokemon and leave without saying anything…?

She clenched her jaw hard to stop her lips from trembling.

As if an apology is good enough after what you did? What you took from me?

It hurt.

She didn't want this. She didn't want any of it.

How could you?

She didn't want to feel this way towards him, but the pain ran too deep. It had made its home in her heart, in the marrow of her bones- it had taken over, and made her wonder if Bede had even cared at all.

Why…?

Why did this happen?

Why did you say that?

Why did you leave me?

Thoughts came hard and fast. She'd had enough, and turned towards the entrance. A figure moved in the doorway, and Gloria had to blink away tears to make out that it was Margot.

Upon seeing Gloria on the verge of tears, the shock on Margot's face washed over with concern, and she rushed over to embrace her.

"Oh, Gloria…!" She wrapped her arms around Gloria in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry. I heard what happened with Togepi."

Does everyone know…?

Her heart sank deeper into the pit of her stomach. Being in Margot's arms sapped her tears and her will to protest, so she gave in and settled into the hug.

"I don't know what to say," Margot continued, "I'm really sorry. I know how excited you were about the egg and then…"

She gave Gloria a gentle squeeze. The pain in Margot's voice constricted the lump in Gloria's throat, and she took a deep breath. Forced down the tears, forced a smile on her face.

"It's alright, these things happen," Gloria said lightly. It didn't sound like her. "I know he didn't mean for it to happen."

Did she?

Margot stepped out of the hug and blinked for a moment when she saw that Gloria was smiling.

"Y-Yeah, of course he didn't," Margot agreed. "If… if we ever get a Togepi egg again or- or another egg at all, you'll be the first to know!"

Another egg. The thought made her feel ill.

"Thanks, Margot." Her own voice sounded far away. "Did you end up getting an autograph from Bede?"

Change the subject. Think about something else.

She smiled brighter than before when Margot blushed sweetly, using the effort to make sure her mask didn't slip.

Smile. Be happy for her.

"I-I did, yeah." Margot laughed bashfully, "he autographed his Rare League Card for me."

"That's great!"

Her heart throbbed. It took all her energy not to break or give away any sign of the pain ripping through her chest, and Gloria managed to say goodbye to Margot and leave the Nursery with dry eyes. The trip back to Postwick in the Sky Taxi was in silence, and she stared blankly out the window feeling as empty as the cloudless sky.

She collapsed straight onto her bed when she returned home, not bothering to take off her shoes. Absently, she checked her phone.

Gloria turned it off immediately upon seeing a new message from Bede. She didn't want to read it. Didn't want to think about it, or about him.

It hurt too much.

She cried in the solitude of her room, face buried in her pillow, and howled. Nothing held the agony at bay anymore, and it tore free with painful wails and broken sobs from Gloria's chest.

She cried alone until she thought she had no more tears left, and then again when her mum came home and found her. The comfort of her mother's hug broke her even further. Through her sobs, she managed to recount what had happened, and her mother held her for as long as she needed.

Soon, Gloria fell into silence. The pain remained, blazing in her chest with a tight ache she couldn't ignore.

Why…

"I'm sure Bede feels horrible about it," her mum said softly. "Neither of you knew this would happen."

"He should have known!" Gloria shot out of her mother's embrace, inflamed.

"Gloria, it was an accident-"

"I don't care! How could he just forget something like that?! That Togepi imprint on the first person they see?"

Vitriol roared up her throat with a rush of acidic bile, burning and acrid. It seared through her veins.

"He knew that!"

She hated this.

She hated-

"How could he do this to me…?"

Gloria crumbled into tears once more.

-

Bede stared down at his phone, his eyes lingering on the icon beneath his message that told him Gloria hadn't read it yet. Hours had passed since he'd sent it. Hours that he'd spent ruminating over everything that had happened, from the moment he'd regretfully spoken, to when she'd flashed a smile at him and thrust a Great Ball into his hands.

Her smile remained in his mind even now, as he sat on his bed long after the sun had set. Ballonlea had descended into darkness, illuminated only by the glowing mushrooms that sprouted throughout the town, and the silence of his room was broken by a delicate cry.

Togepi, fast asleep on his pillow, rolled over with a faint sigh. Bede's heart sank when he glanced at her. What had happened wasn't Togepi's fault in any way, but the sight of the baby Pokemon brought everything back. The way Gloria's smile had shattered when he'd apologised and she'd realised what had happened was all he could think. The pain in Gloria's eyes had broken through her smile. He hadn't been able to speak, no words would form, when he saw the hint of red washing over her eyes. Her bottom lip had trembled- evidence that she'd been fighting back tears.

Gloria had turned on her heels and left before Bede could find his voice again. The Great Ball she'd thrust into his hands had weighed heavily in his grip, and he'd stood there, staring down at Togepi, when Ms Opal and Ethel returned.

Everything after that was a blur. Regret dug a knife in his chest at how mindless he had been. He'd hurt her, hurt Gloria, in what could only be seen as a callous betrayal. Stolen the baby Pokemon she'd been so excited about at the very moment it'd hatched. His apology had fallen flat. He knew as much from the way she'd brushed it off, laughed it off, and smiled.

An apology could only go so far, and he had all but torn Gloria's heart from her chest with his mistake. Simple words wouldn't even brush the surface of the pain she was feeling now.

She had every right to hate him. To despise him, to ignore him and his message, but the longer he stared at his unread text, the tighter his gut twisted.

She hadn't read it, and he longed to send another. The apology he hadn't been able to voice earlier spun itself together in his mind. Bede swallowed it down. Perhaps his unread text was a sign she didn't want to hear from him, and sending another wouldn't help solve anything. This was a mess that couldn't be undone, a mistake he couldn't rectify over a simple text.

He glanced at Togepi and he grit his teeth with self-reproach.

His guilt wasn't going to ease anytime soon.

-

The message remained unread for a second day. Bede's mind turned to Gloria again and again, repeating the previous day's events like a broken record stuck in a loop. He attended to his duties as a Gym Leader with Togepi clinging to his heels - occasionally picking up the baby Pokemon and cradling her close with one arm during practice matches - and he had to reign in his focus whenever it wandered, which was more often that he would like, or admit to.

The pain on Gloria's face stuck with him. He couldn't ignore the fact that when she'd turned and left him that day, she had gone somewhere to cry. He knew that, and it ate at him constantly.

He'd made her cry. He'd hurt her.

Arceus, he wanted to know that she was alright. He wanted to speak with her, to see her, to apologise again and again and again until his throat was raw and his voice broke. Unease churned in his gut as the hours flew past and his text remained unread. Unread and ignored.

As night fell, the ache in Bede's chest began to gnaw into his bones. Gloria had tried to brush everything off when it had happened, but it was obvious to him that this was far from a simple mistake to her. It had formed a rift between them. He tried to call her, only for him to hear an automated message telling him his call couldn't be connecting.

Her phone was off.

Bede's heart plummeted into the depths of his gut. That was the last sliver of information he needed to know for sure that Gloria wanted nothing to do with him. The mistake he'd made had been the final straw that broke the bond between them, and he may as well have burned that bridge himself by letting her leave without stopping her that day. He should have fought back, should have said something more. Anything more, anything at all, instead of watching her in silence as she'd stalked away on the verge of tears.

It was too late.

-

Gloria curled into her blankets, biting back a heavy sigh. Heat collected behind her eyes for the umpteenth time that day, and she squeezed them shut to stifle another onslaught of stubborn tears before they could form. Somehow, she'd managed to get through the whole day without crying in front of anyone. Her heartache remained a closely kept secret. Her duties had provided a needed distraction from the torrential emotions swirling inside her chest, and it was only when she was truly alone that it all came crashing down on her.

She'd cried enough for a lifetime already, and was sick of it. Tears got her nowhere, crying didn't fix anything, and it only left her feeling drained afterwards, with the occasional headache for company.

Her mother's urging for her to forgive Bede didn't help either.

She didn't want to forgive him.

She wanted to forget- to forget everything, to forget Togepi, to forget Bede, to forget the agony ripping through her that told her she deserved this.

This is what happens when you let people into your heart, the pain reminded her.

You should know better.

She grit her teeth hard. Harder. Harder until her jaw ached and the muscles burned.

Everyone will leave you eventually.

They'll hurt you.

Just like your father did-

A broken sob cut off the horrible taunting in her mind, and Gloria wrapped herself tighter, smaller, into her blankets. She didn't want to hear it, to listen to it.

She'd kept it at bay for so long, she'd forgotten what it felt like to hear its whisper. In the darkness of her room, it spoke louder than ever before. It was impossible to ignore, impossible to deny, when it knew her greatest fears.

When it knew, like she did, that getting close to people only led to pain.

-

He was there. In Motostoke, as she was, for a series of interviews. Gloria hadn't expected to see him in the Gym, hadn't prepared herself for the sight of him and what it would do to her. Her body tensed violently. Chest tightened, squeezed the air from her lungs. Venom burned up her throat until she tasted bile. Bede glanced at her and his eyes widened in surprise, then shock, and she couldn't bear to see anything more.

Gloria ducked her head and stalked away, gritting her teeth with fury she couldn't voice. All her anger, all her pain, wedged in her throat.

She took it out on a punching bag in Stow-on-Side's Gym. Blow after blow she landed, hard and fast and repetitive. Again and again. Fueling the indignation blazing in her chest, searing through her veins, and she punched and slapped and kicked to fight back the tears. It didn't work. Her vision blurred as she landed another hit. Dull pain throbbed from her knuckles, but she continued. It was pain she deserved, pain she wanted to inflict on someone else, and despised the very thought of it. She hated it. All of it. Everything she couldn't fix, the mess she'd made, the way Bede had looked at her in Motostoke. His expression she couldn't tear from her mind, and so she fought. Punched. Slapped. Kicked.

Bit down on her lip to stifle a scream.

A hand graced her shoulder, a soft voice by her ear. A gentle tug pulled her away from the punching bag, to see silver eyes filled with concern. Bea didn't get to voice anything at all, not a question, not her concern, as Gloria crumbled with a howl.

And she cried until she had no more tears left to shed, returning to Postwick without explaining herself to Bea. The Fighting Gym Leader hadn't pressed her for answers, only nodding in silent understanding when Gloria didn't offer up an explanation for her tears.

-

Three days.

Gloria sank into her mattress, in the darkness of her room, feeling as though her body carried the weight of the world. Heavy and crushing.

It had been three days, yet it felt like a lifetime. Cold grief settled in her lungs, hollowing out her chest as she breathed. How could she last like this, when every single day drained the very life from her bones?

Three. Whole. Days.

And her pain was still growing, building, getting stronger.

It didn't feel like it would ever end.

-

Togepi trilled happily on Bede's bed, unaware of the grief tearing through her Trainer's body. She plodded over to him, her tiny feet tapping softly on the covers. Bede sat down, trying to forget the day's events as he prodded Togepi's cheek with his knuckle absently. He glanced at the innocent Pokemon who remained completely oblivious of the chasm she'd split between him and Gloria. Togepi chimed and nuzzled into Bede's hand- an adorable gesture that would have melted Gloria's heart for sure.

Even now, his mind went to her. He sighed through his teeth at the cold pang of guilt and regret in his chest. She'd turned away from him today. Her face paling when their eyes had met, Gloria had marched off and left him to swallow his regrets, to silence the call of her name he'd formed in his throat.

He should have followed her. Both today and when the egg had hatched, he should have dropped everything to follow her.

He should have- but it was too late now.

Bede stroked Togepi's cheek with the tip of his finger, feeling numb when the baby Pokemon smiled at him. He didn't want to let it end like this. He couldn't. Not without seeing Gloria one last time. Not when he hadn't been properly apologised to her, not when he still hadn't told her how he felt.

Even if she hated him now, even if she didn't want anything to do with him, he wanted to tell her.

Even if she would certainly reject him, he couldn't let this end without voicing and bearing his soul to her. He wouldn't leave things left unsaid. Not again.

Not this time.

Togepi trilled, blinking up at him. That sweet chime made his lips pull into a forlorn smile as the ache in his heart spread through his chest, his veins, the whole of his body.

"I wish I could see her again," he whispered in the silence of his room.

Light gleamed from Togepi's hands. Left and right they swayed, Togepi chiming happily, and Bede's eyes widened in shock. He recoiled as blinding light swallowed him.

"What are you-"

-

A gasp broke the silence and Gloria's eyes shot open. Fear gripped her like a vice. Heart stopped.

There was someone in her room. Right before her, a figure in the dark. Ice lanced through her veins, throat clamping tight in fear. She froze stiff. Couldn't breathe. The figure moved, turning on the spot, and Gloria's heart crawled up her throat with a silent scream.

Something caught her eyes and she paused. Something familiar about the way the shadow moved, and the shifting of what looked like hair on its head…

Gloria clicked her bedside lamp on, and the figure shielded their eyes from the light.

"Bede?!"

"What in the…?"

He dropped his arm from his face and blinked at her. Gloria sat up, staring at him as her heart flopped like a Magicarp on land in her chest. He looked as confused as she felt, standing there in his Galarian Ponyta Pyjamas.

"What are you doing here?!" she gaped. "How did you get in my room?"

Something flashed behind his eyes, and the sight of it made Gloria stiffen. She drew her blankets closer to her, drawing up her walls, and realised she didn't care why or how he ended up here.

"Forget it," she said quickly, "just get out. I don't want you here."

"Gloria, wait-"

"Do you want me to scream?" She met his eyes, stared him down, as a lump wedged in her throat. "'Cause I'll scream."

Her threat hung in the air.

"Get out."

"At least let me explain-"

"No." Harder this time, she spat, "get out."

Bede's expression twisted. From shock into frustration, his brow furrowing and mouth opening in protest, before it faded into resignation. His shoulders slumped for a moment. He collected himself and straightened, glancing away from her. The hard steel of his gaze sent a wave of heat over her eyes.

Did he not care at all?

He turned from her as Gloria's bedroom door opened.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping…?" Gloria's mother trailed off in shock at the late night visitor in her daughter's room.

"I was just leaving," Bede said, and dexterously slipped out of the room.

"Gloria?"

The insinuation in her mother's voice made Gloria taste bile. She huffed and flopped back down on her bed, clicking off the light.

"Ask him, not me," she snapped. "I didn't want him here."

Her mother lingered in the doorway, a wedge of light from the hall cutting into the bedroom, before she sighed.

"I'll talk to you when I'm done with him," Gloria's mother said firmly. "Don't go anywhere."

The door shut, drowning Gloria in darkness, and her expression contorted with indignation. Vehement pain rose up her throat, a scream of protest, of denial, that she swallowed down.

She'd done nothing wrong.

She didn't want this, any of this, to happen.

She didn't want to see Bede. Didn't want to be reminded of what she'd lost, of the Togepi that now belonged to him, and the friendship she'd torn apart with her own stubborn hands.

She was an idiot.

-

Bede had marched straight for the front door before he'd realised just how poor his predicament was. With nothing but the Pyjamas on his back, he had no way to secure a ride to Ballonlea. To make matters worse, his phone was nowhere in sight either.

He stilled by the door, the pounding of his heart finally beginning to slow, and as the shock of the situation wore off, it dawned on him just how badly the whole thing looked. He didn't have time to wrap his head around how he'd ended up in Gloria's bedroom, as her mother walked over to him with a serious look on her face.

"Care to explain yourself?" she asked.

Her expression relaxed a fraction as she studied him, but he couldn't help but feel exposed under her gaze. This was Gloria's mother, and that fact alone was enough to heighten the tension in his chest.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened myself," he admitted slowly.

"You're not entirely sure of how you ended up in my daughter's bedroom?"

Bede almost winced in shame, and his eyes slid from her to the floor.

He cleared his throat and tried again. "What I meant to say is that, most likely, I was teleported here by my Pokemon. The exact method of how that occurred is what I can't yet explain."

Gloria's mother listened closely, before asking, "why would your Pokemon teleport you here? And why aren't they with you?"

"From what I can gather, Togepi must have used Metronome," Bede explained. "I doubt the move she landed on was Teleport itself, which leaves me to believe that perhaps she used Wish, instead."

Wish.  

Togepi must have used Wish. The last thing he'd said before he'd been teleported was…

"I wish I could see her again."

Oh.

Bede's heart skipped at that realisation, and warmth began to pool across his cheeks. He'd wished to see Gloria, and Togepi had granted it- by teleporting him right into her bedroom.

"Whatever the cause may be," he said quickly, "I'm sorry for disturbing you so late at night. It wasn't my intention to end up here, especially as… Gloria doesn't seem to be receptive of my presence at the moment."

He hadn't been able to tell her. To say anything at all.

So much for things being different this time.  

Gloria's mother smiled gently, unfolding her arms. "Just give her some time, alright? She'll come around."

Bede lifted his gaze at her reassurance, and saw understanding in the eyes of Gloria's mother. It eased the tension in his chest enough that he could return her smile.

"Thank you," he said.

He wasn't so sure it was as simple as that- the wound he'd inflicted on Gloria was deeper than what time itself could heal.

"How about I call and pay for a Sky Taxi for you?" Gloria's mother offered, "and, while we wait, would you mind telling me your side of the story? I heard most of what happened from Gloria, although I'd like to hear it from you as well."

Bede nodded slowly.

Explaining it to her was the least he could do.

-

Minutes passed and Gloria could still hear their muffled conversation from her bedroom. The low tones of Bede's voice reached her and stoked a blaze of irritation in her chest. He hadn't left. He was still here, still in her house, talking to her mother- she threw off the covers and stalked to the door, ready to kick it open and berate Bede with the fire roaring up her throat, before she finally made out what he was saying.

What, and who, he was talking about.

"I don't blame her for not wanting to see me," Bede was saying, "after the mistake I made cost her the Togepi she'd been so excited about."

A pause. Gloria thought she heard someone sigh. Her hand lingered on the doorknob, frozen in place by Bede's honesty.

"I seem to have a knack for it," he continued, "making grave mistakes, leaving them too late to fix. I'm sure she hates me now for what I did."

Gloria's heart thumped in her ears. It stole her breath, left her speechless and gaping, as her blood ran cold.

He thought… he thought she hated him.

No, I-

The words wouldn't come out. Caught in her throat, kept in place by the tightening vice around her neck.

I don't…

Did she?

Gloria didn't know anymore. Bede's voice, slightly muffled by the door, carried the weight of his regret. It hit her all at once, and she didn't catch her mother's reply. Her mind span. Confused, disoriented, she couldn't comprehend the contrasting emotions rising from within her.

He thought she hated him.

She didn't, but-

It hurt too much. How could he be the one upset when he'd done this to her-

How could she do this to him?

He'd stolen Togepi. A Fairy Type that suited him, a better fit for him, for Ms Opal's successor. A Togekiss of his own it would evolve to be. He deserved it more than her-

He deserved to hurt more than her-

It hurt.  

Agony squeezed her heart when she heard her name on Bede's lips. Her mouth opened in the form of his name, voiceless and silent, and nothing came out. Nothing but tears slid down her cheeks.

They moved further away, the conversation between Gloria's mother and Bede muffling to the point of incoherence, before the front door clicked open.

He was leaving.

And she couldn't move.

The unmistakable sounds of a Sky Taxi door opening and shutting sent Gloria's heart into the pit of her stomach. She stood there in her room, unmoving, as it took off into the night.

Bede was gone. For whatever reason, he'd come to see her, tried to explain himself, and she'd shut him out. She'd pushed him away and closed off a piece of her heart in the process. The pain in her chest was raw and aching, and a sob caught in her throat.

He thought she hated him.

When Gloria's bedroom door opened again, tears were already coursing down her cheeks. She fell into her mother's arms and cried.

It was too much. Too much pain, too much guilt, too much to bear all at once.

"Oh, Glori…" Her mother embraced her warmly, cradling her close. Gently patting Gloria's back as she sobbed.

"It's- it's all my fault," the words tore from her chest, leaving her throat raw.

It hurt.

"He- He hates me now…!"

The expression on Bede's face when she'd snapped at him, hissed at him to get out, remained in her mind. He'd closed himself off to her. Steeled himself, and his walls, back in place. The hurt that had flashed in his eyes sent ripples of pain through her body. She shuddered with a broken wail.

"Why would he hate you? He's your friend."

Her mother's reassurance did nothing to soothe her pain. The look Bede had given her said enough, spoke louder than words, and Gloria knew she'd made a grave mistake. Everything she'd fought for, the friendship she'd struggled to build over her first year as Champion, had crumbled into dust before her eyes.

She'd destroyed it herself.

"I screwed everything up," Gloria choked out through sobs. "He thinks- he thinks I hate him, and… and I did! I hated him for doing this to me…!"

Her grip on her mother's arms tightened. Pressed her head firmer into her mother's shoulder, muffling her cries.

She had hated Bede, hated him with such vehemence, that to even think about him had stoked an angry blaze in her chest. She'd burned with fury and betrayal, pure white-hot indignation, at the thought of Togepi being happy with him. Pain overwhelmed everything else. His apology forgotten beneath her agony, shoved aside and left to rot.

She'd hated him.  

She really had- but seeing him tonight, hearing him say that he wouldn't blame her for hating him, had done something inexplicable to her. Like a shot of clarity through her heart, she'd realised what she'd done.

Bede, her friend, who had been abandoned and betrayed by the people he loved most in this world not once but twice, thought she was doing the same to him.

"I seem to have a knack for it."

Regret. Guilt. His voice soft as a sigh, heavy with dejection. Resigning himself to it all.

"...Making grave mistakes, leaving them too late to fix."

Acceptance.

He'd given up. Accepted that she, like everyone else before her, had abandoned him. She'd brought his worst fear to life and stabbed him in the back with it.

"I'm sorry…!" she sobbed as her mother held her close. "I'm so- I'm so sorry…!"

Everything she couldn't say to Bede.

"I didn't want to-" cut off by a sob, she cried, "-I didn't mean to do this…!"

I didn't mean to hurt him…!

The worst. She was the worst. Searing cold seeped through her veins, aching from within, and she curled up tighter in her mother's arms. Closer, smaller, she trembled and howled, screaming until her throat was raw, dragging her regrets, her guilt, out until there was nothing left but a burning ache.

She really was the worst.

-

Gloria cried until she went numb. Her chest hollowed out, leaving a gaping expanse where her heart had been. She felt empty and heavy. Her eyes hurt when she blinked and her head throbbed. Crying had sapped the energy from her bones, and she remained in her mother's arms, unable to care enough to move.

Everything…

She'd ruined everything…

"These things happen," her mother was saying.

Gloria could barely hear her, let alone comprehend what was being said. It was as if her mother's voice floated around the room.

"Friends fall-out and make up all the time. Just because you've had a bit of a clash doesn't mean that's the end of your relationship."

Didn't it?

The hurt in Bede's eyes flashed again in her mind. What she'd done to him was more than a simple falling-out. His pain ran deeper than that.

"I spoke to Bede," her mother continued, "and I know he still cares about you. He wants to talk to you again, to sort all this out. Don't give up on him so soon, okay?"

Don't give up on him?  

Gloria closed her eyes as they prickled with tears.

How could she ever do such a thing?

"Why don't you try and get some sleep?" Gloria's mother suggested. "It's late, and you've had a long day. In the morning, if you're feeling up to it, it might be worth giving him a visit. Even a phone call would do. I'm sure if you two talk this over, you'll be able to sort everything out."

Gloria nodded slowly, her movements feeling heavy and stiff, and pulled out of her mother's arms.

"I'm here for you, okay?" her mother said, giving Gloria's arm a tender squeeze. "Whatever happens, I'll be here."

She leant down and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Gloria's head.

"We'll sort this out in the morning. For now, try and sleep." She lingered for a moment, and Gloria made herself nod. The only response she could muster. "Goodnight, Gloria. I love you."

Gloria nodded again. She turned on her heels as her mother left, flopping facedown on her bed in the dark. Her heart pounded heavily, bringing forth memories of Bede, the hurt in his eyes, the way he'd stiffened and hurried from her room.

She couldn't leave it like this. Regret squeezed tight in her chest, and she couldn't bear to fall asleep when she knew Bede was hurting because of her. She reached for her phone before pausing.

That wasn't enough.

No, what she wanted- what she needed right now…

Gloria stood off her bed and marched for her wardrobe, pulling out the first jacket she found and threw it on. Her bag was next, a Pokeball retrieved and held tight as she made for her window. Cold air washed over her as she opened the window, and she waited. She waited and listened for a brief moment. When she heard nothing, no lights clicking on, no doors opening or footsteps, she carefully climbed out the window.

Pokeball in hand, Gloria set off down the street to where she wouldn't be seen or heard.

What she needed right now was to see Bede.

-

Ballonlea was silent, illuminated by the eerie glow of mushrooms throughout the cozy town. It was darker than usual without the rays of sunlight that filtered through the thick canopy during the day, and Gloria didn't want to risk shattering the quiet atmosphere, so she landed her Corviknight by the entrance to Glimwood Tangle. She recalled her Pokemon and wrapped her arms around her middle as the deep chill of the woods at night seeped into her bones.

There was no one around. It had to be past midnight, but by how many hours, Gloria didn't know. The Pokemon that normally filled the streets and tittered at passersby from the rooftops were nowhere to be seen. Ballonlea was empty and still, which meant that any sounds or movements Gloria made would stand out against the rest of the town. She crept forward with her heart in her throat, deciding to stick to side paths and avoid the main street. The soft earth muffled her footsteps, which took some of the tense weight off Gloria's shoulders.

She didn't know what she was doing, stalking around Ballonlea in the dead of night, and hoped to Arceus that no one would spot her. There was no excuse she could come up with to explain why the Champion was wandering around Ballonlea in her pyjamas after midnight- or, at least, there was no excuse that wouldn't spark wild rumours about her and a certain Gym Leader. Gloria grimaced at that thought. It was bad enough that she'd come here at all, past midnight and in her pyjamas no less, but if knowledge of this got out and spread to the media…

She didn't want to think about that right now. She had more important, more pressing issues to worry about instead- like what on earth she was doing creeping up to Ms Opal's house like some kind of rabid fangirl? She felt like some kind of stalker, shuffling around in the dark towards the house Ms Opal was kind enough to let Bede stay in. She hadn't thought this far ahead. In her desperation to see Bede, she hadn't planned on what to do when she reached his house. Gloria stared at the front door, her heart thumping in her chest and echoing in her ears.

What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't very well just knock on the front door- and in a show of brilliance, she'd left her phone behind. Gloria shivered, cursing herself and her stupidity. Her toes were beginning to freeze in the cold dirt. How had she been smart enough to grab a jacket, yet stupid enough not to wear shoes and leave her phone at home?

Some Champion she was turning out to be.

With a quiet huff, Gloria decided that she'd already come this far- she wasn't about to give up now. She couldn't, not with the resolute gnawing in her chest that drove her to see Bede. To be with him, to talk to him… that feeling spurred her onwards, and she made for the side of the house. She knew where Bede's bedroom was, where his window had to be. That was her best option.

She thought back to how he'd just appeared in her room all of a sudden, as she stepped over a cluster of glowing blue mushrooms. Bede's gasp in the dark was what had alerted her to his presence, and she wondered how he'd managed to get into her bedroom without her noticing. Had his Hatterene teleported him there?

Gloria eased herself around a beautifully flowering bush, a hand pressed to the side of the house for balance. A branch snapped beneath her foot. The crack split the silence and she froze, heart drumming in her ears. She held her breath. Waited with her back pressed to the side of the house. Seconds passed. Silence remained in place, and she let out the air in her lungs with a stifled sigh.

She edged herself around Ms Opal's house slower than before, continuing on with her heart wedged high in her throat. She was definitely in too deep to back out now, and her pulse skipped when she reached a window that - she hoped - led into Bede's room. Blackout curtains blocked her view inside the room, and she thought over the layout of Ms Opal's house in order to make sure she'd found the right window.

For a trepid second, Gloria wondered if she'd even gotten the right house. She shoved that thought aside and took a deep breath. It was now or never- she had to do this. She'd come all this way to see him. It was Bede her heart ached for, and she followed that urge and rapped her knuckles on the window.

Silence fell. The curtains remained still. Gloria's heart thumped, and she quickly tapped the window again. Three times, loud enough to make her wince and glance around in fear that someone else would hear.

Again, she was met with silence.

Bede-

She needed to see him. Lifted her hand to knock again, to pound harder and louder this time, when the curtains flew open. A gasp caught in her throat. Violet eyes narrowed in a searing glare levelled on her, before recognition swept over his face and Bede blinked in shock. His mouth dropped open, lips moving to sound what could have been her name, and Gloria nodded. Emotions swelled in her chest, rising and rising with such force and urgency, that she stepped forward without thinking. She smiled, breathing a giddy, quiet laugh. A laugh of relief, of joy, of so much she couldn't name upon seeing him. It was overwhelming, and her bottom lip wobbled as she reached out, pressing her fingertips to the glass.

"Bede-" she choked his name out in a whisper. Nothing else would form.

He searched her eyes, scanned her face, before he shook his head in disbelief. Without a word, he placed his fingers where hers lay, a thin sliver of cold glass the only thing separating them. He looked at her for a moment longer, his expression unreadable, although his gaze had softened. She stepped back as he pulled the window open.

"What… What are you doing here?" Bede asked.

His question was gentle, voice uncertain and worried. He looked at her in concern, and it made her heart squeeze tight, a lump forming in her throat. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she needed to tell him, and it all caught on her tongue at once.

She sucked in a breath, the frigid air filling her lungs with enough of a shock that she could speak.

"I needed to see you," she said.

The truth, and nothing more.

Bede's eyes widened. "How did you…?" he trailed off and shook his head. "Just… come inside before you freeze, alright? I wouldn't hear the end of it if I let the Champion get hypothermia..."

He stepped back from the window, looking elsewhere as his brow furrowed slightly. The cold left a slash of pink high on his cheeks. Gloria went to climb in through his window when she felt the dirt between her toes, caking the soles of her feet, and she stopped.

"Um, my feet are covered in dirt," she said sheepishly.

Her heart flopped heavily, and she suddenly remembering how stupid she was being. How ridiculous this whole thing was.

And, with a start, she realised that she must've woken Bede up.

"That's what happens when you don't wear shoes," Bede sighed. "Look, if it's dirt, I don't particularly care. I'll clean it up later. I'd rather have you inside than leave you out there when you're dressed like that."

Gloria swallowed her shame and climbed through the window at Bede's insistence. He shut the window behind her, and she stared down at her feet, refusing to move from the spot, and tried not to think about the soft, cream carpet beneath her grimy feet.

Idiot.

She bit back tears, bit down on her bottom lip to stop it trembling.

How had she forgotten to wear shoes?  

She was just making another mess. Screwing up again. Wrecking the lovely cream carpet because she was an idiot who forgot to wear shoes, because she was reckless and impulsive and came here to see Bede on nothing but a feeling alone…

She was a bother.

Nothing but a bother.

A towel blocked Gloria's view of her feet, shoved into her hands by Bede. She looked up at him as his eyes shifted away from her again.

"You can use that to clean your feet," he said, "if you're that worried about it."

She hadn't seen him leave to get the towel, and she blinked at it before realising that he was trying to be considerate.

"Thanks," she said quietly. A fuzzy warmth settled over her cheeks as she leant against the wall and cleaned her feet with the towel.

Here he was being nice to her when she was too busy thinking about herself…

After everything she'd done...

It made her feel worse, churning something sickly in her gut. Nerves flittered in her chest, and as Bede stepped away from her, she couldn't stop herself from glancing around the room.

Bede's bedroom. She'd climbed through the window of Bede's bedroom. Her gaze froze on his bed, the covers in disarray as he'd been sleeping minutes earlier. Gloria's heart pounded harder than before, making her breath catch for a second. She'd only been in here once, and that was when Bede had pulled her in here to hide from Ms Opal- they'd been caught anyway, but at the time, she'd barely gotten a glance before Bede had stepped in front of her and hissed, "eyes front!"

Gloria remembered that Ms Opal had teased them about being a couple, about interrupting them during a private moment, and her head began to spin.

A private moment. As in… an intimate moment.

With Bede.

She forced her eyes quickly away from Bede's bed, and hurried to rid her feet of the rest of the dirt. She had to do what she came here for and leave before anyone, let alone Ms Opal, discovered her here.

Why had she come here…?  

Gloria's mind stalled. Slowly, she looked up from her feet - now completely clean - to where Bede was standing awkwardly by his bedside table. Even though it was well past midnight, not a single light was needed to illuminate the room as the glow from the mushrooms outside provided enough for them to see. She understood now why he had blackout curtains on his windows, as she could clearly make out the displeasure on his face from across the room. Bede wore a sullen frown, his lips slightly curled, looking at something away from her.

Her heart plummeted.

This was a mistake.

"How did you get here?" Bede asked, finally drawing his gaze to her. His frown vanished, expression returning to an unreadable one, a mask he'd slipped in place to hide how he really felt about her presence.

She tried to swallow down the lump in her throat before replying. "I flew. On my Corviknight."

A pause.

"Why?"

Gloria stepped forward. "Because I-" Regret surged in her chest, tears washed over her eyes. "I… I'm sorry…!"

It was too much. She slapped a hand over her mouth as a sob tore from her throat.

No…!

Gloria choked on a whimper, forcing both hands over her mouth as she couldn't stop herself from crying, she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

I haven't-

I haven't said anything to him yet…!

She couldn't cry now, not with her regrets wedged in her throat, not when she had so much to tell him, so much to apologise for.

This wasn't what she wanted.

"Gloria, what- what happened?"

She couldn't see him through her tears, and squeezed her eyes shut in shame. The gentle touch of Bede's hands on her arms made her sob.

"What's wrong?"

She couldn't do this. Gloria fell into him, burying her head into his chest as it became all too much.

Her regret, her guilt, her hatred and pain, it was overwhelming. Crushing her, choking her. Breaking her down from within.

She clung to Bede desperately as her lungs heaved for air. Her arms wrapped around him, holding him tight, too afraid to let him go.

"What happened?" he asked again. Softer now, his voice by her ear was filled with concern.

Gloria forced down a sob, swallowed a gasp of air. She had to tell him-

"-I'm sorry…!"

Muffled by his shirt, she cried.

"I'm so, so sorry…!"

She held him tighter, tighter still. Fingers winding into the soft fabric of his pyjama top, threading and clawing into it for purchase. It hurt too much to let him go.

"What are you apologising for?" His hands swept up and down her back. "Hey? You didn't do anything wrong."

But she had. She'd hurt him. Pushed him away, ignored him-

She'd hated him.

Gloria gritted her teeth and wailed. Her guilt and regret tore through her as he assumed she'd done nothing wrong.

He had no idea just how pathetic she was.

"But I did!" she choked out, "I-I hurt you!"

She sobbed, sucked in a sharp breath. Pressed her brow firmer against Bede's chest as her guilt sank heavier, harder, on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't your fault but I- I… I ignored you and… and you were right!"

Gloria clung to him.

It was too much.

"I hated you! I hated you so much and it wasn't even you fault, and- I'm sorry! I'm sorry…!"

She was pathetic.

His hands stilled from the comforting ministrations he'd been doing on her back, and she knew then that she'd said too much.

She'd broken it. Destroyed it.

Their friendship, crumbling to dust in her hands.

"I'm sorry…!" She couldn't bear the silence. The guilt. The trepidation as she waited for Bede to push her away. "Please don't- don't hate me…! I'm sorry…! Please, I can't…"

Her heart ached.

"I don't want this to end," Gloria sobbed. Her voice quiet, broken. A whisper. "You mean so much to me, I…"

It hurt.

"I love you…!"

All at once, Bede finally wrapped his arms around her and held her close. A shaky gasp sounded by her ear.

"Gloria, I don't…" A pause as he took a breath. "How could I ever hate you?"

His warmth enveloped her, the firm pressure of his arms grounding her, and a sob escaped her chest.

"But I-I was so horrible to you," Gloria said into his shirt. The fabric dampened by her tears. "Everything I did to you, when you didn't deserve it, I was- I was so horrible…!"

"I wouldn't hate you for that. Not now, not ever."

Bede sighed softly, his breath tickling Gloria's ear. There was something about his voice, so much more tender and soft than before, and she found her tears drying in his embrace.

"I… you know, I…" He cleared his throat. "I… feel the same way about you."

Gloria began to settle, and she took a deep breath. No longer did her lungs heave, or her chest shudder, and she loosened the vice grip of her fingers in the back of Bede's shirt. She blinked for a moment, his words confusing her.

"Hm?" she sounded. "What do you mean?"

Bede coughed. "I mean, about… what you said earlier. When you said that you…"

He trailed off. Gloria tried to think back over what she'd said, but her mind was fuzzy and exhausted. Everything she'd said had come from her heart, her emotions, and she'd blurted out so many things at once she hadn't been able to keep track of it all. The rapid thumping of a heart by her ear gave her a clue, however, and her chest began to flutter.

"You mean, when I said that I love you?"

Her heart skipped when Bede twitched against her, and she knew she'd hit the nail on the head. Heat coiled tightly on her cheeks in embarrassment, and in slight amusement, at Bede's obvious discomfort- who would've known he'd be shy about something like that?

Gloria smiled against him, knowing her grin was out of sight. "You mean so much to me, Bede, I… I really do love you. You've been such a good friend to me and I don't want to lose that."

A disgruntled, shaky sigh swept by her ear. "You… How can you say that so easily?" Bede huffed, making Gloria stifle a laugh. " I know you mean it as a friend, but still, something like that is… well… A-Anyway, I already said enough on that subject."

The telltale hitch in his voice revealed the depth of his embarrassment, and it warmed Gloria's heart.

"So, you… don't hate me?" she asked.

Despite his reassurances, a sliver of her heart doubted his words. Her guilt ran too deep to be persuaded as of yet and, above everything else, she wanted to hear him say it and dispel her fears.

"Of course I don't." Bede gave her a gentle squeeze, and her heart squeezed in response. "You had every right to be upset with me, I never once thought badly of you for it. After what I did-"

"-It wasn't your fault!"

Gloria tore out of his embrace, thrusting herself backwards so she could glare right at him. A stubborn fire grew inside her, and she stared him down.

"It wasn't your fault," she said again, "and you apologised. I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you."

She slumped, recalling how pathetic she'd acted after Togepi had clung so happily to Bede.

"I'm… really sorry," Gloria sighed, "for acting that way after you apologised, and I knew you felt bad about it too, but I… I just got so upset…"

Bede touched her arm gently. "It's fine, Gloria. There's nothing for you to apologise about. I should have known better than to speak when a baby Pokemon has just hatched."

Her lips pulled into a faint smile, trembling slightly before it faded.

"I guess… this whole thing has been a bit of a mess, huh?" She looked to the side, her vision not focusing on anything. "I got upset with you, hated you, then thought you hated me…"

"That's what I don't understand. Why would you have thought I hated you?"

Gloria grimaced, and shrugged. "I don't know. Because I… I was treating you like how…"

She didn't want to say it.

"'How' what?" Bede asked.

"Like how… you've been treated in the past by… other people." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "By… Oleana, and Rose, and…"

His family.

"You are nothing like them, Gloria."

She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to look at him under the weight of her shame.

"What they did to me, and how you reacted after Togepi imprinted on me, are on entirely different levels."

"I know, but I- I didn't want you to think I was going to do something like that to you…" Gloria swallowed the growing lump in her throat. "I just… I feel so bad about what I did, how I acted towards you, and the thought that I might have made you believe I was going to do the same thing to you…"

She didn't get to complete her sentence, as Bede wrapped her in another hug. He was firm yet gentle with his embrace, and he cradled her close for a few seconds of silence.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "for letting you suffer with this, when I could have stopped it. I was far too wrapped up with the thought that I deserved your hatred to realise that you were hurting too."

Her heart swelled, filling with so much that she couldn't voice, couldn't turn into words, and all she could do was hug him back in return. They stayed like that, in each other's arms, a lingering embrace that made each moment feel like an eternity. Time itself slowed, and neither wanted to pull away. Their shared pain, shared guilt and regret and remorse, fell away in the silence between them.

-

Bede released Gloria quickly when she moved to pull out of his embrace. His movements were stiff and awkward, and his heart pounded like a drum in his chest. He hoped she hadn't heard, or felt, it pounding away, and he cleared his throat. Nerves fluttered in his belly. Heat crawled across his face, flushing his cheeks a dark crimson, and he glanced away from the girl he was utterly enamoured with, the one who'd spent so long crying in his arms, who looked so adorable in her pyjamas.

Gloria, who had crawled through his window in the dead of night, because she 'needed to see him,' who had cried 'I love you,' in the midst of her tears, and stopped his heart dead.

And he'd almost said something reckless in return.

Now, he couldn't stop thinking about how lovely it had sounded to hear her say that, even if it was purely platonically.

She'd… she'd really said that…

"I love you…!"

"Bede?"

He jolted, snapping back to the present, as Gloria blinked at him sheepishly. White teeth peeked over her bottom lip as she nibbled that delicate flesh, and Bede's mouth went suddenly dry. He became aware of their situation at once- remembered that they were in his bedroom, that it was well past midnight, and had just spent a long time in the comfort of each other's embrace. With Gloria looking up at him like that, his mind span, and he desperately wanted to pull her into his arms again so he didn't have to endure having her eyes on him any longer. He wasn't thinking straight, and the yearning of his heart was growing stronger with every second.

Arceus, he wanted to hug her again. To hold her close, to run his fingers through her hair and hear her whisper his name again, to hear her say-

"Bede?" A hand waved in front of his face. "Earth to Bede?"

He took a sharp step back, almost stumbling into his desk. Her eyes widened, before she furrowed her brow at him, confused.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

This was bad.

Bede coughed, glancing elsewhere. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm a bit tired, that's all."

Having Gloria here, in his bedroom - in her pyjamas, no less - was doing all sorts of horrible things to his composure, corrupting his thoughts, his mind, his self-control.

"Oh, sorry. I woke you up, didn't I?" She laughed sheepishly.

"No, I was awake," he admitted quickly when her expression fell. "I hadn't yet been able to fall back asleep."

Gloria nodded slowly, pursing her lips together in thought. "Well, if it's not too much of a bother, I was wondering if… I could see Togepi?"

"Are you sure?" He remembered how the last time she tried to interact with Togepi went.

"Yes, please." The longing in her eyes made his heart skip. "I won't stay for too long, I don't want to keep you up or anything, but… I really want to see her."

"I don't mind," he said, shrugging nonchalantly, as though he didn't have to stop himself from saying that he wouldn't mind if she stayed with him longer.

He retrieved Togepi's Great Ball as he pushed that thought away.

"Togepi still isn't great with other people," Bede warned, before saying, "and if you're not careful, she might use Metronome and teleport you somewhere."

"Has she done that to you?" Gloria asked. "Wait, is that how you ended up in my room?"

He breathed a short huff, smiling down at the Great Ball in his hand. "Yes - although, I believe Togepi used Wish rather than Teleport, otherwise she would have ended up there with me. I doubt she would have been able to teleport me there in the first place, anyway."

"How can Wish teleport someone? Isn't it meant to grant the wish of the Pokemon? Or…" she trailed off, her eyes lingering on Bede.

He swallowed. "Here, I'll, uh, send Togepi out."

"Wait, Bede."

A second passed, then another. His grip tightened around the Great Ball, and he glanced at her.

"Why did Togepi's Wish send you to my room?"

His heart thumped heavily in his chest.

"The reason hardly matters now."

"It does to me," she insisted.

Harder and faster, his heartbeat raced. Spurred on by her persistence, her question, the intent behind her eyes, his pulse spiked. She wasn't going to let this go any time soon.

"I said something aloud and Togepi used Wish in order to grant it," Bede said, turning away from her. His cheeks flooded with heat, and he scowled at his bed as though it had offended him.

"Will you tell me what you said?" Gloria asked. She stepped over to him silently, and he continued burning a hole into his blankets with his glare.

"Why does it even matter to you?"

Did she really want him to say it?

"It matters to me, because… I want to know you more, Bede."

Her honesty drew his eyes to her, softening his glare into something he couldn't control, something warmer and deeper, the short distance between them not enough for the aching of his heart.

In the silence of his bedroom, her brown eyes reflecting the glowing kaleidoscope of colours from the mushrooms outside, Bede found that he couldn't look away. The world seemed so beautiful when it was in her eyes, and the longing in his own stared back at him.

"I said-" Arceus, he really did love her, "-that I wished to see you," he whispered.

He caught the faintest shiver run through her body, her pupils dilating and darkening her eyes. The sight sent a spear of heat straight down Bede's spine, the jolt crackling through his veins and tingling the tips of his fingers and toes, as though a bolt of lightning had passed through him in that instant.

"A-Anyway, you wanted to see Togepi, correct?" Bede cleared his throat roughly, turning his head away from her before he did something, or said something, stupid.

Gloria coughed quietly, and nodded. "Yes. If that's still okay?"

"Of course it is."

He ignored the fact that his blood ran like liquid fire, and sent Togepi out onto his bed. The baby Pokemon gave a tiny yawn, sleepily blinking her dark eyes, and Gloria stifled a gasp at the sight.

"Hey, Togepi," Bede greeted her softly. "I'd like you to meet Gloria."

It was then that Togepi noticed that there was another human in the room, and she stiffened, her eyes latching onto Gloria in fear.

"It's alright, you don't have to be afraid of her." Bede's heart thumped heavily with trepidation, waiting for the moment Togepi would bolt towards him.

He didn't expect Gloria to step back. She held up her hands sheepishly, a faint smile gracing her lips as she moved away.

"It's okay, I don't want to scare her. Seeing her is enough for me," she said.

Her smile, however soft, carried a hint of pain. Togepi seemed to pick up on that, and trilled sadly at Gloria. Her lips trembled, smile waning.

"Hey there, Togepi."

Her smile was forced. Fearful, bracing herself for Togepi's rejection. Without thinking, Bede took her hand and held it tight. She laced her fingers with his instinctively.

"Aren't you adorable?" she said softly. Fragile smile still on her face. "Are you… are you happy with him?"

Her breath caught, and she sniffled, hurriedly blinking back tears. Bede squeezed her hand. It was all he could do. Togepi's fear of anyone other than him wasn't something he could fix, and seeing Gloria on the verge of tears sent a needle through his heart.

She didn't deserve this.

Togepi sounded a chirp, and looked at Bede.

"She really loves you, you know?" he found himself saying. "She was so excited to meet you, you should've seen the look on her face when you were about to hatch."

Somehow, the memory drew a short laugh from him.

Togepi looked confused, glancing between him and Gloria, but stayed put a safe distance away.

"That's enough," Gloria said, giving Bede a brief smile. "I don't want to push my luck and scare her."

Togepi tilted her head, and Bede returned her to her Great Ball as Gloria tried to quickly swipe away an escaping tear.

"At least she didn't run away from me this time," she said lightly. "Thank you."

He wished he could have done more.

"It's the least I could do." Bede shrugged. "If you ever want to see her again, all you have to do is ask."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up.

"Of course. She was meant to be yours, after all."

Arceus, the excited way she smiled at him made his heart skip. She went from dejected to happy so quickly it left him breathless sometimes.

"Thanks, Bede. That means a lot." Her smile brightened, and her gaze lingered on him for a moment. "I should probably get going though, huh?"

It was then that he remembered it.

"Wait, before you go…" He walked over to his cupboard and retrieved the box from the top drawer. "I have something for you."

He handed it over to her, watching as her eyes widened when she opened it. She gasped, and slowly pulled the hat from the box. A black cap, rimmed in pink, with the Fairy Gym logo on the front. A perfect replica of Gloria's favourite hat that had been burned to a crisp in the Wild Area.

"What-? How-?" She gaped at him, at the hat. "I thought they stopped making this design!"

"I may have had it specially made," he said, unable to hold back his grin at how utterly stunned she was. Before he couldn't blink, she slammed into him, almost knocking him off his feet, and hugged him.

"Oh, Bede!" She jumped up and down with joy while hugging him, and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I love you so much!"

He almost choked. Those words again, said so easily, sent his heart racing. He flushed with heat, and couldn't say anything in return as she'd rendered him speechless. Gloria pulled out of his arms enough that she could beam a smile at him, and for good measure, she stood up on her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek. A kiss that stole his breath away.

She stepped back, stifling laugh as Bede absently touched the spot she'd kissed with his fingers.

"That's my 'thank you,'" she said, holding the hat close to her heart. His cheek tingled from the warmth of her lips, and it was his turn to gape at her, scowling in frustration that she'd manage to fluster him so easily.

"Saying 'thank you,' would have been satisfactory by itself," he said gruffly. Not that he was complaining.

Gloria grinned cheekily at him, her smile highlighting the fact that she was blushing as well.

"Thanks for everything, Bede." She turned towards his window, looking back at him over her shoulder as she opened it. "Goodnight."

He collected himself enough to nod and reply, "Goodnight, Gloria."

She placed the hat on her head, gave him one last smile, before slipping out into the night.

Despite how tired he was, it took Bede until the early hours of the morning to fall asleep after that. Gloria's voice, her smile and her laughter, as well as the kiss she'd planted on his cheek, kept replaying in his mind.

Most of all, he kept hearing her say those words to him, over and over again, until he finally believed that she'd actually said it.

"I love you…!"

She'd really said that to him.

"I love you so much…!”

Perhaps, one day, he'd be able to say as much in return.

[a-bit-too-much-of-a-zelda-fan]

@noblelightfighter asked: "How did you come up with the town scenarios? Like Wild trying to bargain and Sky being one of the links who was eager to try bomb-chu bowling?"

I’m really glad you asked this! I love talking about my thought process and inspirations when it comes to my writing, especially with Oops! All Links. There are a lot of sequences in the Selggog arc, so I may as well go through them chapter by chapter. More below the cut!

I'll start off by saying that around the time I wrote “Musings and Memories,” I read James Baldwin's short story “Sonny’s Blue’s.” Baldwin does a really good job keeping dialogue-heavy scenes interesting by describing the characters' poses and mundane actions. I thought, "damn, I want to do that too." So if you noticed another layer of detail in my writing at that point, that was why.

Chapter 15: Inn or Out... Maybe Just Inn.

Hyrule is by far the hardest Link to write for. He has hardly any source material, so all I really have to go off of is Jojo’s comic and other fan content. That's why I accidentally ignored him for the first 14 chapters. So I decided to give him much more of a spotlight in this arc, and one of the few concrete things that we know about him is that he has had to deal with vendors with wildly different prices. I figure, yeah, he probably got good at haggling.

I put Sky, Wild, and Hyrule together because they all have different experiences with vendors in their own games. I decided that I could add Baldwin-esque detail by describing the minutia of them undressing and eating supper. Damn, did I consult the original LU character concepts a ton for this segment. I also used this scene to add my headcanon/self-projection of Sky being vegetarian.

The Links also went through what could be a traumatic experience in the burning town. I had already written some fallout of Time using Darmani's Mask, where the others are mad at him, Wild flips shit, and Time describes how painful it is to use the masks. But Time only wore the mask to save Hyrule. Wouldn't Hyrule feel guilty about that? And who better to soothe that guilt than Wild, who must have felt incredible survivor guilt after the Calamity?

Chapter 16: Panacea

Scene 1: I wasn't sure why I made Twilight wake in a cold sweat, but it could be because of recalling his past experience in "Stars and Stories." Aside from giving Twi and Wars some 1-on-1 dialogue, this scene lets Twi have some pleasant memories of home after the awful ones in "Fire." It also shows his soft side when he lets Time oversleep.

Scene 2: This is mostly just setup for the rest of the arc, but eating breakfast and getting dressed is another Baldwin opportunity. The group also gets some downtime to decompress and act off of each other.

The title and Hyrule's line "And enjoying breakfast together in a warm and cozy inn is probably the panacea for that poison” is a reference to the Flobots song "Panacea for the Poison."

Chapters 17 & 18: To Sell a Butterfly (Necklace); A Sailor and a Ranch Hand Walk into a Store.

Bro, I love writing Twi and Wind together. All the Links consider each other sort of brothers, Twi acts like a big brother to his friends in Ordon, and Wind is the youngest Link. Perfect. These chapters let their relationship shine and give Wind a chance to use his own experience with treasure tellers for what I think were great character moments. Madame Viliafore wasn't really inspired by anything, she just kinda came into existence.

Twilight's line “Uh, I’m pretty sure most shops won’t buy off strangers. They’re trying to sell their junk, not buy yours. Think how fast they’d go bankrupt.” is a reference to the Snowdin shopkeeper in Undertale.

This is probably pretty obvious but the titles are references to To Kill a Mockingbird and that one joke (you know the one).

Chapter 19: Swords, Shields, Arrows

Wild is a knight and knows exactly what he is doing when it comes to weapons. The pose he ends his sword test with is a reference to the BotW Memory "Shelter from the Storm." He tries to haggle with the shop owner precisely because he just saw Hyrule do it, and they talked about it the previous night. He fails miserably because he has absolutely no idea how to do it. I also give Four and Wild some character interaction that stresses how much Wild's past messed with his head.

There's no particular reason the shopkeeper said they were scaring his customers when there weren't any customers in the shop, I just thought it would be funny.

Chapter 20: Mind the Tea

Hyrule got some comfort from Wild and Sky, but I felt he really needed to hear it from Time. Besides wrapping up all the plot threads from the previous chapters, I got to sprinkle in a bit more Time angst and humorously conclude the wallet side plot. I just thought it would be funny to make the events of two whole chapters entirely unnecessary.

This chapter and the opening to the next are inspired by the time I went to a British tearoom in New York City called Tea and Sympathy. It's a bit pricy but if you're ever in New York, you should check it out.

Rolling with the British theme, the title is a reference to the warning all over the London Underground saying "Mind the Gap."

Chapter 21: Me and the Boys

The Links needed some fun after everything, so I figured, what minigame from one of the Zelda games could all of them enjoy? Time said it himself, they all like explosions. Sky is the most enthusiastic to play (besides Wind) because he's generally one of the more positive Links, and one of his own minigames was that circus-themed diving game. I figured that this would remind him of that.

The girl at the counter is indeed the younger sister of the Bombchu girl in Ocarina of Time. The "heroic sideburns" line is a reference to Tri Force Heroes, which otherwise doesn't really come up in LU.

In my opinion, this is my funniest chapter by far. I really laid into the comedy here, because I knew that after this chapter, I was going into an arc centered around intense combat. I absolutely love Twilight's increasing concern over the Cucco, and Sky's line about animal welfare laws is a reference to the "Wait. That's illegal" meme from Red vs Blue.

My favorite jokes I've ever written are in this chapter:

“Games?” Hyrule replied. “You mean like chess?” Wind gaped at his friend in disbelief. “No, games are fun.”

And this entire bit here

The girl giggled from behind the counter. Legend shot daggers at her. She sobered up. Warriors snatched up a bombchu in one hand and patted Legend on the shoulder with the other. “Please, I’ll show you how it’s done,” he said with a wink to the shopkeeper. Warriors’ bombchu was as good as dead on arrival; it was blocked by the very first barrier. His shoulders slumped. “I don’t remember him asking for the quickest way to lose,” Wild teased. “Shut it, you don’t remember a lot of things,” Warriors shot back. “I—… okay, that’s fair.”

To finish up, I'll explain where this town's came from. Back in middle school, I ran a Minecraft server for my friends and me. We built a town and my friend decided to name it Selggog. Where did he get the name? We had just watched the "Lab Safety Song" in our science class, and it mentioned safety goggles. He wrote down "goggles" backward and, what do you know, he got "Selggog."