#The bravest of braves and the sweetest of sweets | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

rizumary · 4 years ago

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In the Garden Full of Stars

✦ Summary: In a few months since they had started dating, Iwaizumi had found something as endearing as it was a complete torture for him: his girlfriend was too clueless and innocent for her own good. Of course it wasn’t something that would hinder his affection for her. On the contrary, Iwaizumi sometimes wondered how he could possibly hold himself back if Hana kept looking at him like he was the absolute wonder of this universe. ✦ AO3 ver — nutteu ✦ Word count: 9.7k

In all his life, Hajime had always been a morning person, an early riser. Tooru had been particularly bitchy about this, but he ignored the jab and the whine at his, apparently, “gross habit”. Tooru and his sensitive ass could wake up late right into the doom’s day, for all he cared. These days, though, he found that he was tolerating someone’s habit of waking up late, and even taking the extra miles to encourage the change in habit. Besides, he got to meet his girlfriend’s groggy face early in the morning, and her sleepy smile in the process. It was honestly a win-win situation for everyone involved.

At this point, Hajime was familiar enough with her mother to be able to sit in their living room and waited for her comfortably, instead of awkwardly standing outside of her gate in the morning. The neighbors once or twice peeked from behind their fences and frowned at him. They probably thought he was a weirdo who stalked the daughter of Akeno’s family, or something. Remembering that just made heaved a deep sigh. The things he did for his clumsy girlfriend.

He didn’t mind, though. Not even a bit. Because Hana greeted him in the morning like she was the happiest person on earth, like she just woke up right into her sweetest dream. The light blush on her cheeks, the fresh scent emanating from her, the way she just stared up at him for a moment before smiling brightly again. Like she couldn’t believe he was real, like she couldn’t believe he was there to walk with her to the bus stop, hold her hand throughout the way, sit next to her in the bus, and listen to her chatters in the morning.

To be fair, Hajime couldn’t believe he was willing to do all of those as well. If someone told him a year ago that he was going to be this smitten with a clumsy, honest, heartwarming cotton candy, he’d politely say thank you, and tell them to do a double laps, regardless if they were in the team or not.

Now, though, he thought fondly, watching as Hana took the box of bento from her mom and kissed her cheek—now, there was nothing he could think of but how lucky he was, to find someone who accepted and wanted him as much as this person.

He bowed to the middle-aged lady, and was pulled out of the living room by an excited Hana. It was quite a windy morning, the scent of sweet flowers and fresh air in the early morning wafted to his nose, coupled with faint smell of food from the houses nearby. It felt like something familiar, it felt like a morning he enjoyed the most these days.

“Did you have your breakfast yet, Hajime-san?” the girl asked, peering at him with pale eyes and a small smile.

He smiled back at her and nodded. “Yeah, made some hamburgers this morning. I brought some for you too.”

She squealed, in that tiny squeak that was laced with happiness. It was so characteristically her that Hajime had to laugh for a moment. In mornings like this, Hajime usually made something to share with her at lunch. He didn’t always pick her up, only at times, as their house was essentially in a different area. When he did, he would come to her house by the earliest bus, sometimes his mom would drop him off there if she got some errands to do in the morning as well. They would walk to the bus stop together, hand in hand, and sat next to each other in the bus.

“This is my favorite thing about waking up early, you know?” Hana once said, the curve of her smile reflected from the bus’ window.

“Taking a bus?” he teased, and let out a small laugh when she whipped around and pouted, hitting lightly at his arm.

“No, Hajime-san, spending time with you,” she corrected. “I mean, every moment with you is my favorite. But sitting together with you in the bus is really comfortable you know? We can talk and be close to each other. You make me feel warm and safe, Hajime-san.”

He wasn’t prepared for the way she said those intimate words, so easily, so honest, so earnest. He was reminded of the girl who got embarrassed because she tripped, or said something way too loud. And then he was reminded of how shamelessly, unforgivingly honest and blunt Hana could be. She didn’t look like she realized that the things she said weren’t something people could usually say so easily, either. People had their own different egos, Hajime knew that. Even someone like Hana; but she was different in the sense that she perceived things differently than other people, and it resulted in her tendencies of spewing the most embarrassing, bravest thing someone could say with such a straight face.

He got used to it, later on. But it still made his heart race, nonetheless. Sometimes, he thought about the way Hana looked at him in the morning; like he was a wonder, a dream—and wondered if she saw the same thing reflected in his eyes as well.

In the instances when he didn’t pick her up, she went to school by herself like usual, and Hajime would wait for her at the bus stop near their school. They’d walk to the school together then. In the way, Hana usually chattered about her latest progress in her art, her side projects, her lessons and whined about her homework as well (she was a diligent girl, Hajime noticed. But she needed a lot of push and encouragements), some games she had started to pick up in the arcade (and the ever-strong obsession with the cranes), or showing him some new clothes that had piqued her interest up on her phone. Hajime would nod along the way, but mostly let her talk, listening to her with a small smile present on his lips, and watching out just in case she tripped or slipped because she didn’t pay attention to the sidewalk.

At times, Hana was worried that she might be bothering him with all her chatters and rants. But in all honesty, Hajime liked listening to her. He wasn’t exactly the most talkative person out there, unlike Tooru. And Hana always had the most interesting thing to talk about, anyways. It was just the way she talked, the cadence she used, the expression, the gesticulation of her hand as she told her stories. He enjoyed those, instead of getting irritated. Maybe he was biased, but Hajime was pretty sure he could just lay there and listen to her talk for hours on end.

He would drop her off at the front of her class, before going to his; waving at her and trying to ignore the curious stare from the kouhais. At times Tooru would pop his head out of the window of his class and grinned at Hajime, teasing him with, “Did you finish your job as the bodyguard?” or “Just came back from dropping the princess off, Iwa-chan?” and he either ignored it, or flicked his forehead hard enough for it to be red throughout the day.

It was a new set of habit, a new set of morning, but Hajime wasn’t complaining. It wasn’t bad at all, starting his day with Hana’s chatters and the excited smile on her lips; the small hand wrapped around his, the soft words of ‘Good morning, Hajime-san’ that felt like a douse of cotton candy in the misty morning. He liked it.

He liked it a lot.

Hana more often than not came to the gym now, every single day Hajime had practice. It came to the point of her being an unofficial manager, helping the other players with their bottles of water, chatting with them to ease them up from the tension of practices and tournament preparations, giving them their towels, helped with the presentation of tactics and formations, and overall just cheered them up from the sidelines. It was new, for Hajime. To have someone this enthusiastic with what he did, who even came and helped around, and he liked it so far.

Of course, there were nasty things going around as well. He knew Hana heard of those, knew that most of the regulars also knew.

“Did you know?” he one day asked, because there was a careless motherfucker who accidentally said disgusting things about Hana, right in the hearing range of the both of them. Hana acted like she didn’t hear it, however.

But all Hana gave to him was a reassuring smile, and a gentle caress to the side of his face. “I always did. But I never have to worry about those, Hajime-san. Because I know that you’ll protect me, that’s why I let them be, and hold on. I can show them, and show you, that I’m stronger than anything they can say about me.”

Hajime took that in, and smiled softly at the answer.

“Hana?” he called, motioning with his hand for her to come closer. They were the last ones in the gym, Tooru left earlier because he had to pick someone up. Hajime vaguely remembered the familiar voice on the other line when Tooru answered a call. A certain kouhai in his middle school—which wasn’t his business at all.

She scooted closer, eyes wide and wondering. “Yeah?”

He gently pushed away the strands of her newly cut bang, and kissed her forehead; soft, trying to convey feelings he was too dumb to explain into words.

But the way Hana stuttered and squeaked and blushed scarlet was enough to tell him that his feelings did come across. He was glad, he thought, smiling at his girlfriend, who tried futilely to hide a smile behind the curtain of her hair. He was glad that she chose him, and he chose to push through and be brave as well—to come out of his shell, and pursue her the way she had tirelessly did the same.

He was glad that life was kind enough to let her stay by his side. And he didn’t plan on letting go; not now, and not for a long time.

In retrospect, it shouldn’t have surprised him as much, but it did anyway—in a way that made his heart beat faster, and the warmth seeped into his skin like a blanket. In a way that reminded him of Tooru’s laughter and the knowing glint in his eyes, as he said, “simp.” Yeah, Hajime wouldn’t even deny it anymore. It really was hard not to be captivated by this kind of innocence, though.

Hana was… not so much innocent as she was just clueless. She was oblivious to the dirty innuendos and the nudges to divulge her love life. Being his girlfriend, it was pretty normal for her to know his friends as well, not to mention that they knew her personally from all those time she spent in the gym. They all talked and joked with each other, trying to include her as much as possible so she wouldn’t feel left out. But there were certain topics that boys caught on faster than anything else, hormone riddled brain recognizing the dirty topics faster than they could catch a serve.

“Ah, but Valentine really is the best time of the year, isn’t it?” Tooru started, looking up dreamily at the bleak ceiling. Hajime didn’t know where he got all those dramatics energy reservation inside of him. He wouldn’t want to know, either. “Chocolates, ladies shyly confessing to you, the little flutters of their laughter as they gather around and talk about the boys they’ll give the chocolate to. Ah! Youth!”

Youth my ass, Hajime wanted to say, as the laughter erupted around them. Tooru was a good captain, and a ridiculously amazing player, but he was a certified clown as well. He didn’t understand how the topic of exams, and the upcoming break for this term, just suddenly evolved into upcoming holidays, and then the argument of which holiday in a year was the best out of everything. Stupidly enough, the other just went along with Tooru’s bait and it got into a full-blown session of mooning over Valentine’s Day.

“You think so too, right, Hana-chan? I mean, you confessed on Valentine’s Day. I fully expect Iwa-chan to at least give you some good ‘ol smooches to show al the love he got in that cold, shriveled heart of his.” Tooru turned to Hana all of the sudden then—who let out a small, surprised squeak. “Hana-chan, don’t just make moony moony eyes at Iwa-chan! Come talk to us too, we’re lonely,” he complained, then fake-wailed so disgustingly that Hajime’s eyebrows just automatically went up two notches higher.

“I’m sorry, Oikawa-san!” she said, panicking and trying to soothe the big baby by patting his arm. “Um, Valentine was memorable for me, because of Hajime-san. But my favorite holiday is Christmas, actually,” she looked so earnestly apologetic that even Tooru forgot to continue his fake-crying for a moment. “We get to see and spend the day with our family, or just have it with our friends, or have the day off for ourselves. Of course, it’s so sad to think that there are people who still have to work on Christmas, but they’ll come home eventually and will have the time to rest as well—and earned extra money! It’s just a warm holiday for me, even if it’s in December, you know? Doesn’t it make you happy that you can forget about your burden and responsibilities for a moment, and just sit and enjoy some hot chocolates under the Christmas tree?”

For a moment, the whole circle was stunned into silence with her lengthy answer. Hajime stared, too; unabashed, devoted. He almost laughed with how the situation had turned. This—this girl just changed a teasing mood into an unexpectedly wholesome discussion, and powered through the jokes and nudges from Tooru beforehand. Maybe not powering through as much as dismissing it altogether, since those jokes probably went over her head anyway.

When the other boys were still recovering from the abrupt shift of mood, and Tooru was hiding his chuckles on his sleeve, Hajime caressed the top of Hana’s head and smiled down at her when she looked up with confusion and worry in her eyes. “Yeah, Christmas is pretty great. Maybe we can go out on Christmas Eve? We can see the Winter Illumination light in Johzenji.”

The pale eyes lighted up immediately, before crinkling into crescent moons as she smiled so hard it made her glow. Hajime couldn’t compete with this girl. She was too much, too lovely, too bad for his poor, cold, shriveled heart.

“Really? We can go there, Hajime-san?” she was all up on his space, and Hajime’s breath got stuck in the vicinity of his throat and lungs. It was hard to breathe properly with how close they were; close enough he could see her long lashes. “Is it really okay? I mean—I would love to go there and spend the Christmas with you, but… won’t you have any other plan for Christmas?”

He shrugged, smiling a little at her. “That is my plan, though?”

She gave him a bright grin that shot straight through his heart, and started chattering about how pretty the light shows would be, how much she was looking forward to this. As they all got excited for a holiday that was still too far away, Hajime gave small, continuous pats to her shoulders. A gesture he had found to be soothing and grounding. It became a habit, somehow, but she didn’t mind and he liked doing it as well. It worked out for the both of them. He did realize when he felt like someone was watching him, though.

When he looked from watching Hana and her excited chatter, he found that Tooru was smiling at the both of them. He didn’t look teasing, didn’t look mischievous; just a plain, sincere smile that reminded Hajime why he still stayed as his best friend for as long as he did. And then, of course, he had to ruin it by scooting closer, and whispered, “You’re so whipped, Iwa-chan.”

“Shut the fuck up you ugly, unused tinsel.”

“Waaah, Hana-chan! Iwa-chan is so mean to me!”

As Hana played along with Tooru’s stupid antics, and the conversation flowed freely around them, Hajime felt an inexplicable confusion and surprising feeling of comfort and endearment towards this discovery. How could a person, who wasn’t that much sheltered by her family; who understood the bad and the good, as clear as the sun and the moon; who had experienced bad things; who was friend with all type of people; who was present for multiple conversations regarding intimate topics—be this clueless and innocent about it? It was a big mystery to Hajime. Either Hana really was that clueless, or she just didn’t care much about this.

Or maybe, she did know, but didn’t understand the extent of it. This was also a possibility. But the fact remained that she was gullible about this sort of topic, and it gave a sense of comfort to Hajime. That Hana would always be the Hana he knew. That this kind of behavior was so her to the point that Hajime wasn’t even surprised, just a little bit confused. It was… endearing as well, to see her so oblivious and earnest in her replies about it, too. He also discovered that he was progressively getting more and more endeared by literally everything she did.

Smiling, crying, whining, chattering, sitting in silence, angry at the crane games, eating, hopping around, helping people, drawing, talking to Hajime like it was her most favorite thing to do in the world. Nearly everything, really.

“Hajime-san?” Hana inquired, peering close to his face and made Hajime’s heart suddenly climb to his throat. “What are you smiling about?”

He shook his head, opting to hold her hand tighter instead. Smiling when, instead of pushing him for answers, she just smiled and squeezed his hand back before diverting her attention to the circle of conversation at hand.

There were times like this, when Hana’s obliviousness came in spades even with all the teasings and multiple innuendos. There were also times when people tried to get her to spill about her love affair, hoping for dirty details and possibly things to embarrass Hajime about. But she just answered with a cheery smile and ran her mouth about Hajime, about their dates, about how great and caring and understanding he was to her. It was… embarrassing. But, just like this time, Hajime felt his heart fluttered like a mad dog in its cage, the enveloping warmth that felt like it was a sunny day for eternity. Like it was a nice day in a spring time; peaceful, content. Happy.

One of the things Hana was most excited about being a senpai, was meeting Kindaichi and Kunimi. She had heard a lot about them (as well as a certain Kageyama Tobio, a name that Hajime never uttered in front of her beforehand, for good reasons). Understandably, she was excited because these were Hajime’s underclassmen since he was in middle school. But to watch the determination in her eyes, how she vowed to be the bestest senpai to ever grace the earth for them, doting on them, and become a cool, reliable senpai all around—it was both funny and warming, all at once.

Of course, to no one’s surprise, she had failed at that spectacularly, and—though eventually become one of Kunimi’s and Kindaichi’s closest senpai—had instead come to rely on them whenever she tripped or slipped or forgot something (or when she got lost in tournaments, when there were too many people around and she got separated from the team). It was, again, most endearing to see her whined and cried about it, how she had failed to be the bestest senpai to ever grace the earth.

“You’re still the bestest kouhai I had ever wanted in this earth, though,” he said, nuzzling close and kissing the top of her head. “You can be assured of that.”

In an instant, she beamed at him; ultra-shiny today with her newly bought sunflower dress. “Really, Hajime-san? You really mean that?”

“Uhuh,” he nodded, smiling all the while. He found it gradually hard to not smile in the presence of this ball of sunshine and determination, as the time went by.

And then, almost like she had wanted to torture Hajime intentionally, she stepped closer into his space, and laid her head on the crook of his neck, whispering, “You’re the bestest boyfriend I had ever wanted in my life, too, Hajime-san.”

It was the moment that mark the process of Hajime’s ticking time bomb of his self-control.

Sometimes, there were happy days.

Life with Hana in it was starkly different. Hana brought something to Hajime’s life that he knew was missing before. The constant presence of someone that he knew he could anchor himself on; someone he could trust with his heart the way he had never tried before; someone that made the sky seemed a little bluer, the stars a little brighter, and time seemed to be infinitely faster each time they were together. Hajime had never been a clingy type of person, but with Hana, he found himself wanting to spend time a little longer with her, stay by her for one more minute, just enough to see her face and felt the bone-deep contentment and peace.

They dated regularly. Once a week, they’d spend their times watching movies, going on the shopping district, going from one café to another, playing on the arcades, walking around the park talking about everything and nothing. There were complicated types of romance, as was seen on mainstream media. But there was also something simpler; something that fell into place softly, unhurriedly. Like what he had with Hana right now.

They went to lunches together, and somehow got into the habit of cooking for one another. Hana’s cooking got better—especially her cakes and confectionaries—and Hajime got teased mercilessly by his mom, even with her knowing smile in place. They told each other about their day, about things they were interested about, about things that worried them. Hajime wasn’t exactly embarrassed about opening up and talking about his feelings, but people had their own burdens, and he wouldn’t want to impose even further. But Hana… she gave back as much as she gave, refusing to settle for less—both in efforts and her complete trust that Hajime would also did as she had done. And Hajime learned to trust that, to trust her, to open up and not feeling like he was less for admitting that he could be fragile, too.

Ironically enough, it started with the match between Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa. The match that left Hajime so raw, blistered, lost.

Hajime had had his heart broken multiple times in his life. But this time—he couldn’t even breathe from the pain of it. How could he? When everything he could have ever dreamt of, just on the tip of his fingers, were crushed beyond recognition in just a matter of a few minutes? Was the wall that high? Was Shiratorizawa that strong, or was it just Hajime? Who was too slow, too weak—a failure.

His body still trembled from the adrenaline, the shock hadn’t quite registering yet throughout every limbs. He found it hard to even bow to the other team, knew that everyone on his team felt the exact same thing. But for him, for Tooru, this might be their last chance to meet Shiratorizawa in this stage, in this very court. He choked back a sob from the back of his throat, and went to the locker room with numb legs.

There weren’t much the coach could say, and no one stayed around long enough to say anything more, either. Usually, he would stay behind and watch the rest of the match and scout other teams’ tactics. But he couldn’t even think straight right now, beyond the failure, failure, failure that kept spinning around in his head. He was too sensitive, hurt too much in too many places. Hajime had had his heart broken multiple times in his life, but this time—he felt the pain so acutely that he almost keeled over from it.

Hana was waiting for him outside of the locker room, looking worried sick and sad, so sad. Hajime could imagine the same look on his face, with a lot more desperation and numbness. Her eyes were red around the rim; she had been crying. Gods—Hajime wanted to cry too right now, more than anything. He had always expected the possibility of them losing, how painful it would be for him, for the team. But he didn’t know that it would be this crushing.

She held his hand without words as they walked back to the train station. He didn’t say anything, either. Too tired, too sad. He didn’t even know how he was still standing, walking in steady pace with Hana next to him. She was gripping his hand tight; tight enough to be painful, but Hajime was too far gone to even register another source of pain. The streets were bustling about with people, but it was almost empty nearing the station. The bright neon lights on his left and right, the bright atelier of every shop, the loud city—everything seemed muted in Hajime’s head. Oh—oh, Gods—oh Gods the tears—

“But the funniest thing is,” he suddenly said, with voice so unsteady from unshed tears. “The funniest thing is—that I failed them. I failed as their ace, you know? We were so close, so close. And we—we—“

He didn’t know when the tears started, didn’t know how and when they arrived at the station. He just followed Hana’s gentle hand, as she led him to sit on one of the benches. As she held him tight, enveloping him with warmth, holding his broken pieces with soft whispers and caresses. Hajime didn’t even care that he was crying in a public place, didn’t care that they might just miss their train. Hana was crying with him, whispering, “It’s okay, Hajime-san. Please, please, it’s going to be okay—“ over and over again as Hajime’s body was wracked with shuddering sobs.

At that moment, all Hajime felt was the overwhelming sadness. Hana was the only thing he clung onto, gripping tight and hugging her close to him as he cried on her shoulder. All this time, he tried to be a strong, immovable person in front of Hana because he knew that she expected that from him. She felt safe and protected under that assumption, and though it was part of Hajime, too, but this part was also real. The part where he could break and shatter into pieces; hurt and overwhelmed, failed and cried.

“It’s okay, Hajime-san,” she whispered, voice trembling and thick with tears. “Just let it all out, don’t ever hold back your feelings when you’re with me, okay? Even if Hajime-san is such a strong, gentle person, but Hajime-san… I—I want to protect you too. I want you to lean on me too, I want to help you when you’re sad like this, so please—“ the sob wracked her tiny body, and at this point, they were both crying so hard that it was difficult to breathe. “Please, trust me. I’m here; I’ll always be here for you.”

It was a turning point for the both of them. The moment that made Hana understood that Hajime could break and cry; the moment that made Hajime knew that he could trust Hana with his weaknesses and private moments. Like bracing himself for the journey ahead in her galaxy, knowing that no matter how far he went, he would never be lost. Safe and sound in her embrace and warmth.

The force that drove Hajime into spiraling downwards in his lapse of control wasn’t even intimate moments or physical provocations. None of those happened too often in their relationship. Sure, their intimacy were probably off the chart, with how much they made “moony moony” eyes at each other, as Tooru had dubbed. But not in the physical sense of it. Contrary to it, what actually pulled him deeper into the frustration and triggered his ticking time bomb was the mundane, simple thing that Hana did in daily life.

She didn’t even intend to push Hajime’s buttons, she was just doing things as she normally did. In her own ways, which were dangerous enough on its own for Hajime’s heart. She was just—she just—Gods, it was almost like she was intentionally being oblivious and unseeing to the way she slowly, consistently destroying Hajime’s iron strength resolve. He couldn’t even complain about it to her. What was he going to say anyway? Stop being so adorable? Or, don’t do things so endearingly? Or would it be better to just cut to the chase and hit her with stop making me fall even deeper with you? He could already imagine how both of them would just stand there and boiled themselves to death with how much they’d blush. If Tooru ever got a whiff of these thoughts, he wouldn’t live it down to the end of this universe.

There was one time she called him over as they were tidying up the gym after practice. He was putting the volleyballs into the basket, when she suddenly said, “Hajime-san, look!”

When he turned around, he nearly got a cardiac arrest. On Hana’s lips were to potato chips, positioned backwards so they’d form a duck-mouth. She looked so proud of it that Hajime wanted to hit her stupid duck-mouth. Gently. With his own mouth. Did she not understand how dangerous these kind of things were for his heart?

Apparently not, because she looked confused when he hugged her tight, rubbing the top of her head in his frustration. He faintly heard the juniors awkwardly asking Tooru, “Uh… is this normal?” and Tooru answering, “Just let them be. They’ll die if they missed even one second making us single person jealous.”

Or the other time when they went to the arcade, and Hajime won her another plushy. She hugged him tight, unabashed and so dearly happy that she looked even prettier than usual that day. And then, she pulled back, hugged the plushy next to her face, and asked to be photographed just like that. With her cute dress, and the soft plushy resting on her cheeks, and a wide smile on her blushing face. Hajime made it as his wallpaper for two weeks straight.

It wasn’t just those instances. The attentiveness, the exchanged bentos, the shy kisses on the cheeks after their dates. Then Hajime’s birthday came around, and Hana put an arrow right to his heart as they shared their first, proper kiss.

The soft, short peck than felt like an explosion of numerous fireworks behind his eyelids. The scent of her, the softness of her palms as she hold onto his arms, the way she fluttered her eyes close as they kissed. It was all so soft, so warm, so precious that Hajime felt like nothing could ever felt this whole, this complete in his life.

All of those contributed to his lapse of control. Each time, the urge to hold Hana started getting stronger. He just kept noticing how lovely she looked when she smiled, how delicately shaped her fingers were, how soft her lips were when they kissed his cheeks, how small she seemed to be in his arms. Each moment felt like another new nail on his coffin. It almost drove him mad with want; the closeness, the feel of holding Hana so intimately in his arms, the fragile expression she put on. Hajime was still a man with a lot of desires. And day by day, the desire to be closer, closer, closer to her was getting to be overwhelmingly vivid. He just didn’t know when he was going to lose it from all the love he had inside him for this oblivious, precious girl.

Months of their progressing relationship, and Hajime’s progressively diminishing self-control, came to a head on a lunch on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon.

They were having lunch with Kindaichi, Kunimi, and Tooru. All three of them quickly forgotten by Hana as she started conversing with Hajime. At this point, all of them were used to it, and only laughed unflappably as she jolted and squeaked when she realized that they were there as well.

“Don’t mind us Hana-chan, we’re just props on this telenovela,” Tooru said, waving his hand away when she repeatedly apologized. “Go on, go on. We sure love watching you two exchanging moony moony eyes.”

Hajime slapped him on the back of the head, and gave him a piece of his chicken. Their conversation went as usual; clearly, Tooru’s suffering was detrimental to an enjoyable afternoon with friends.

Hana whined that she was falling behind the lesson, and it was only a few weeks away from their exams. Hajime offered to study at his place unthinkingly. Kindaichi choked on his rice, Kunimi absentmindedly slapped him on the back. Hajime was hit with a sense of déjà vu because it looked exactly like what Hana and he did a while back. Oikawa was positively glowing—glowing with a leer, more accurately.

Hana, on the other hand, looked so happy it was almost blinding. “You’ll teach me Hajime-san? It won’t be a bother for you?”

Hajime ignored the rest of them and caressed the top of his girlfriend’s head, feeling the soft strand of hair between the tips of his fingers. “Of course it won’t. I’m glad I can help you.”

“Thank you, Hajime-san,” Hana said, soft, unthinkingly so transparent of her feelings. “And I get to go to your house, too! That will be a first for me, I’m nervous already. What should I bring for your mom?”

Hajime choked on his chicken, and awkwardly told her that not bringing anything was also fine. She insisted to bring her something, however, and finally settled on a basket of oranges. Both his mother and he were fond of those after all. They finished their lunch relatively quick as their class schedules were as tight as ever now that they were nearing exams. As usual, he walked Hana to her class, and waved her away with a smile before going back to his.

As he walked past Tooru’s, however, the trashy asshole pulled Hajime into a dip and dramatically said, “Of course it won’t, Hana-chan. I’m so glad I can help,” he drawled the last bit, putting in as many essence of extravagance as he could possibly have in his body. “My god Iwa-chan, if it wasn’t so cute I’d be grossed out already. Wait—I am grossed out already. Man, Iwa-chan, you’re so far off gone into Hana-chan that you’ll never return to the solar system.”

“Shut the fuck up shittykawa,” he growled out, pushing himself off of the dip and away from Tooru’s cursedly strong arms. “And stop with your weird metaphors, alright? You suck at it. You’re gonna scare Kindaichi and Kunimi away with them.”

“So callous, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa wailed, drawing side glances from the students milling about around them. “How can I recover from this fatal wound?”

He left Tooru and his dramatics, and thought that, maybe, just maybe, he didn’t want to go back to the solar system anyways. Maybe he wanted to keep exploring the bright, unknown territory of Akeno Hana’s galaxy.

It was Sunday when Hana came to his house, and Hajime was slightly panicking because he couldn’t sleep last night from giddiness as the bags under his eyes were visible. His mom laughed at him and swatted him away when he asked for something to cover them up.

“Honey, I think by now we both know that Hana-chan and you were too far gone into each other to mind such inconvenience like eye bags. Just put on something clean and neat, and you’re good to go. When is she going to arrive, anyways? The cookies aren’t finished baking yet.”

He had cleaned his room twice yesterday, put on some air freshener, put away his trinkets and changed his bed sheets as well. He had wanted to pick her up, but Hana said that her mom would drop her off because she also had to go somewhere. So here he was, waiting with anxiety riddling his stomach on his living room.

“Hajime, seriously,” his mom said, sighing and chuckling a little. “Calm down, you look like you’re constipated. Even Hana-chan wouldn’t find that attractive.”

He scowled at her teasings, and continued checking on his phone every five damned minutes. When he heard the rumble of a car outside of his house, he nearly tripped on the sandals to open the front door.

Hana’s pretty, blushing face greeted him when he swung his door open. He paused for a second to take her in, and gulped audibly. Was she always this pretty, or was it just his frustration these last few weeks that was talking? Either way, she looked stunning in her white dress, holding a basket of homemade bread and oranges in one hand. He coughed awkwardly, and smiled at her.

“Hey,” he said, nervous, trying his hardest to be cool as cucumber. By the small laughter that left her lips, he couldn’t imagine that it was working splendidly.

“Hi,” she replied, shy and incredibly adorable that Hajime was overwhelmed with the urge to hug her. It wouldn’t be appropriate, however, as her mother was still waiting in her car.

Hajime stepped around Hana to wave at the older lady, and bowed a little. She waved back and said, “Have fun, Hana-chan! Just call when you want me to pick you up, okay? Say hi to your mom from me, Hajime-kun.”

She drove past the house into the office district nearby, and Hajime let out a relieved sigh. He had met Hana’s mother multiple time in the past, but his nervousness about their study session was making his circuit went all haywire and weird.

“So, uh, we should go inside. Mom made you some cookies,” he said, gesturing the hall, where his mom’s voice could be heard even from the outside.

Apparently, putting his mom and Hana in the same room proved to be his biggest mistake yet in this relationship. His mom glanced at him with a smug face as he curled on the couch, wanting to die from mortification. After the introduction, and his mom fawning over Hana, they traded recipes on the cookies and the homemade bread. She seemed to like Hana, and Hana looked comfortable enough to relax around her gradually as opposed to how stiff and awkward she was at first.

But of course. As soon as the two ladies got past the initial awkwardness with each other, they launched into a familiar pattern of conversation that Hajime wondered whether Hana was the actual child in this household. And then, the baby pictures. Kill him now—just kill him now. He didn’t think he could live with this sort of embarrassment.

(And he said that Tooru was the dramatic one. Maybe Tooru was starting to rub off him, he thought despairingly.)

When his mom finally let them go, with a wink to Hajime’s direction, he breathed out and ushered the small girl upstairs to his room.

“Your mom is really nice, Hajime-san,” she commented as he unlocked his door. Her giggles were loud and clear as she said, “and you looked so cute on your baby pictures!”

He groaned and rubbed his face. “She always does that every single time someone visits our house. I don’t even know why I bother wasting my embarrassment. She’ll show you even more outrageous pictures of my childhood the more you visit.”

Hana nudged him softly on the side, a grin plastered on her lips. They were a little bit shinier today, a little bit redder. She must have been wearing lipstick, and light make-up too, by the look of it. The make-up framed her face naturally, as if it were never there in the first place. She was pretty, and Hajime sighed internally for the hundredth time today. Every single thing Hana did these days just pushed all of his buttons, in the right places, at the wrong time. He wondered how she would react if she knew that Hajime had been battling his desires over her these past few weeks.

“Does that mean I’m invited for future visits?” she asked, innocent enough. But it still made Hajime’s heart raced through his ribs.

“Uh—“ he stumbled, not sure how to answer that. Of course he wanted her here, possibly all the time. But that’d sound creepy. In the end, he just settled with, “Only if you want to.”

She gave him a brighter smile at that answer. “Of course I’d want to, Hajime-san.”

He returned the smile as they settled on the carpeted floor. Regardless of his teenage hormones, it really would be nice to see Hana more often around here. His mom liked her too, so it wouldn’t be a big problem either.

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve learned so far, and which part you’re struggling with.”

Every once in a while, they would take a break, and talked about mundane things. This was nice, he thought to himself. Spending time with Hana was always something he cherished. He really was as whipped as people claimed him to be.

He watched the way she concentrated, and started to lose focus himself. Thinking back about their relationship this far, how much she had become someone who meant a lot to him. The focal point of her charm, and the way Hajime couldn’t escape it. Like an absolute gravity, like a black hole. And he welcomed the warm embrace of her constellation, as he delved deeper into the galaxy that was Akeno Hana. This study session might be his biggest mistake yet. But then again, it could be his salvation, too.

The longer he watched, the more he felt restless. She looked very lovely today in her dress, sitting in his room like it was the most natural thing in the world. She smelled fresh, too. He recognized this perfume; she had worn the same on in their previous dates as well. Something fruity, with undertone of flower and musky earth. He found himself scooting closer to where she sat, entranced by her mere presence. She didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, she didn’t seem to mind. Hajime took this as a clue to get even closer, settling behind her in the end.

Hana did look up this time, but it was only to smile at him and nuzzle a bit to his shoulder before continuing her work. Oh Gods, when would this girl stop driving him crazy? He heaved a deep sigh to alleviate the tension he was feeling. It was harder than he thought. Especially with Hana humming softly to herself, and every once in a while would lean back on him. It was okay, he could endure this as well. He had endured those weeks in the face of Hana’s charm, after all. Today was no different.

But of course it was different. They were in a more intimate situation and location. But to add salt to the wound, Hana looked up, face mere inches from Hajime’s and whispered, “You’re so warm, Hajime-san. It’s really nice, like this.” She drove her point by pushing further into Hajime, and he felt like the breath had been knocked out of his lungs. It really was small wonder that his resolve finally broke after so long.

It started out innocent enough, with soft caresses on her head, feeling the soft strands, combing through them with his big hand; grazing the shell of her ears, making her shudder and let out small laughs. Going back up to massage her scalp lightly, and enjoying the way she relaxed and pushed back into his hand. Her head was tiny in his grip, or maybe his hand was just that big. Hajime honestly couldn’t spare a moment to think about the precision of the statement. But she was tiny, wasn’t she? Smaller than him in every possible way.

Younger, shorter, more slender; her delicate fingers, her thin neck, her tiny face, her small hips. Hajime wondered if he could envelope her whole if he were to lie down on top of her. Wondered if his hands could meet if he held her hips with both of them. Wondered if he could easily haul her to his lap with how light, how small, how endearingly gorgeous she was.

Unintentionally, he scrapped her scalp a little bit harder than he intended, lost in thought. As he was panicking about his lapse of control however, Hana closed her eyes and leaned back to his hand even more; soft sounds coming out from her throat without her realizing it. It might be the sight, might be the way he had been thinking about it, might be the feelings of her in his arms, might be the warmth of her right next to him—looking like everything he had ever wanted, wrapped in a personality that adored and wanted him back just as much.

Maybe it was her gravitational pull. But maybe it was just Hajime, plunging himself into the uncharted territory, and reveling in the exhilaration and small wonders he found.

Or maybe, it was just Hana. Small, cheerful, clumsy Akeno Hana, with her pale, wide eyes and her soft smiles; her soft, reassuring touches and her antics and weird quirks; her honest feeling and her affection that was so readily given and showered upon Hajime. And he wanted her, all of her, so much that he almost ached with it.

His hand sled down to her cheek, thumb swiping gently over the high of her cheekbones. She fluttered her eyes open and looked at him with a confusion that warred with apparent comfort—and want. And it was the last straw for Hajime.

“Hana,” he whispered, low and soft, like he was afraid that even the walls would listen. “May I kiss you?”

Her eyes were a little bit glazed, and she bit her lips, shy and unsure. But she didn’t reject him; she was confused, he realized. Hana probably didn’t know what to do in this kind of situation, and was unfamiliar with it as well as her romantic endeavor was even less than his. Hajime waited patiently for her, didn’t move until she looked up again and nodded.

He leaned down slowly, giving her enough time to pull away or to say no. Despite everything, he cared for her deeply. He didn’t want to do something that she didn’t want. But Hana didn’t pull away, not even when Hajime was only a breadth away from her lips, when their breaths mingled with each other; not when he finally drew her in, and closed his mouth over hers.

The kiss started gentle, started with just soft slide of lips against lips; something familiar with them, something warm they could anchor themselves on. He gently guided Hana’s movement, tasting the chemical taste of lipstick and something he vaguely recognized as her, faint as it was. One of his arms wrapped around her middle, pressing her closer than ever. The other one was holding her face in place so Hajime could kiss her a little longer, a little deeper.

He bit lightly at the plush bottom lip, and felt an electric current went through his spine at Hana’s sharp intake of breath. He did it again, harder this time, sucking on her lips as well. He deepened the kiss a little, and was rewarded with a surprised gasp that sounded so lovely in his ears. At this point, Hana was already turning around, chest to chest with Hajime.

Through the clothes, he could feel the softness of her breasts, pushing up against his muscled pecs and making him groan from the back of his throat. He tightened his hold, and Hana let out those small noises that drove Hajime crazy. He kissed her harder than before, coaxing her lips to open under the touch of his tongue. When she finally understood what he was trying to do, and shyly parted her lips under his ministrations, he wasted no time in exploring her mouth—thoroughly.

There was a small ‘eep’ from Hana, as Hajime hauled her to his lap properly, all the while kissing her deep and dirty. He licked every corner of her mouth, chasing the taste of her that felt stronger inside than the door of her lips. Hana was clumsy in her movements, when she tried to tangle her own tongue with his. But even that moment of inexperience was endearing, and sent another jolt of electric current to Hajime, spreading to his every limb and making him lightheaded with want.

He pulled off for a second, and was treated with a sight that would probably haunt his dreams for months on end. Hana looked—she looked wrecked, debauched, even from a small make-out session. Her hair was no longer as neat, what with Hajime caressing and pulling at it. Her lips were bitten-red, shiny with saliva. And her face—Gods. Her cheeks were dusted with red, it looked pretty on her pale skin and Hajime wanted to nip on them to see if they would turn even redder.

The look on her face was not something that he could forget so soon. Hana looked dazed; eyes glazed over and blown wide around the ring. Her lips parted a little, and she tried to refocus on him. She still looked confused at what had just happened. But there was something else on the lines of her small face. Despite the confusion, Hana was welcoming his every approach. She looked… she looked like she wanted it, without even realizing that she was broadcasting her desires to him.

Gods—could she be even more adorable?

Hajime’s body felt hot, even with the conditioner on in his room. The heat from his skin, along with how close he was with Hana in this suggestive position made his head spin with desires that he had locked away from her innocence. He kept it tight under a lid all this time, but how could he be expected to hold himself back with such a wonderful girl right here, a warm, delicate weight on his lap?

His hand on her hips slowly moved further down, caressing the swell of her behind. He leaned in once again to capture those luscious lips, and felt a certain satisfaction when Hana enthusiastically welcomed him into her mouth this time around. She seemed more comfortable, no longer as confused with the kiss compared to the first time. This time, though, Hajime’s hands didn’t stay at one place.

He caressed the side of her face, down to her small neck, finding a specific spot under her jugular that made her moaned into his mouth. Another one behind her ear and a louder one when he scratched his nail a little on her collar bones. It felt hotter and hotter in the room.

Hana’s hands found a place on his shoulders and settled there, gripping his shirt tight when he touched a particularly sensitive place. He continued his exploration as he kept kissing her, feeling an unquenchable thirst the more he got a taste of her. She shuddered when he rubbed the side of her ribs, small caress underneath her breast. He could feel the protective padding of her bra against his knuckles, and wondered how soft it would feel if he were to unclasped it right now.

What would she look like underneath the pretty, white dress, he wondered? What would she look like, lying beneath him, on his bed, out of breath and looking thoroughly wrecked?

These thoughts made Hajime pushed forwards, hands gripping Hana’s exposed thighs tightly and reveled in her little gasps between their kisses. She felt so soft, so lovely under his fingers; he couldn’t get enough of her.

“Hajime-san—“ she moaned out, hitches in her breath when Hajime broke the kiss to mouth at her neck. She smelled incredibly good this close. “Ah—Ha—Hajime—“

He liked it, hearing her little pleases and mewls when he touched her on a certain place, pushed and knead on another. It made him bold, brave. How far he could take this, he wondered? How far would she agree to go? How long would he last under the very temptation in front of his eyes?

Hajime didn’t even realize when he started rocking his hips against her, but Hana’s grip was unrelenting on his shoulders, and the way she closed her eyes and pushed back clumsily— he held her tighter, and pushed upwards into the warm curve of her body. It felt so good, to be so close to her. To rock back and forth against her. So good, felt so warm—so—

All of the sudden, time seemed to stop. Hajime let out a shuddering breath. He let go of a piece of skin he had been sucking on, and pulled back to look at Hana’s face. She hadn’t realized what was happening yet, and Hajime reinstated his iron grip on his control when those eyes opened and he saw an obvious want in them. Hana might not understand this kind of thing, but her body certainly recognized it and went with her instincts.

Fuck, he cursed inwardly. She looked so good like that, and Hajime realized with impending horror that he was hard since a while ago. The look on Hana’s face right now wasn’t helping in the slightest. She looked like she enjoyed it, looked confused why they stopped all of the sudden. She looked like she wanted more, and Hajime prayed that he was granted strength against lovely girlfriends that broke his resolve like a butter.

He heaved a deep sigh, trying to calm himself down, and rubbed Hana’s back gently. He willed his hard-on to flag down, and peppered her face with little kisses along the way. No. He wouldn’t let himself lose control once more and did what he promised to himself he’d only do once they graduated from high school. It wouldn’t be fair to impose this kind of thing to Hana without her understanding properly about it first. Hajime liked her, so much to the point of desiring her; but he also prioritized her safety and comfort first and foremost. His desires could be controlled; it could wait just another year.

“Hajime-san?” Hana finally croaked out, looking a little bit lost, and lot more red on the face once she realized that she was essentially sitting on his lap. “Um—I’m—I’m sorry— was it that bad? Was I—“

He chuckled softly, and shook his head. “No,” he said. “You were absolutely amazing, Hana. It’s just. It’s not the time yet. I like you a lot, you know that, right? A lot. And it’s common for boys my age to get a little intense on that feeling. I want you. Want to be with you, and kiss you every morning, and hold you close with me.”

Hana burned bright red at his words, but listened attentively. She understood that he was saying something important for their relationship. She allowed him to soothe her with calming touches and small kisses on the sides of her face. “I like you a lot, too,” she replied.

“Thank you,” he said, smiling. “But you might not be ready for the intensity I’m talking about. Things I wanted to do to you, with you. We’re not ready for that yet, I think. I’ve been holding it in by myself all this time. I think it makes sense that I lost control like this. But I… I wanted to wait. For you. I want you to be familiar with my desires, and understand about it first, before we continue to the next step.”

She nodded at him, and seemed to be a little lost in thought. “Thank you for taking me and my inexperience into consideration. I’m glad, really glad that you care so much about me. That you’re willing to wait. And—even if I’m not very good at those kinds of thing, but I think—I think I understand what you’re trying to say. You’re really kind, Hajime-san.”

He hugged her close to his chest, kissing the top of her head and laughing to himself. “I can’t believe we just made out when we’re supposed to be studying.”

“Hey!” she laughed along with him, hitting him lightly on the side. “You’re the one who started it!”

“I know, I know,” he sighed. “I’m sorry for suddenly springing it up to you like that.”

She nodded, smiling a little. Her lips still looked red, even with her lipsticks swept away in-between their kisses. She still looked absolutely stunning, and Hajime’s heart ached with how much he wanted her. He would wait, no matter how long. If it was for her, he’d wait.

He leaned in to kiss her again, just because he could, and because it made her laugh into the kiss. When he pulled away, he threw her a smirk and reveled in the slight shudder that rocked her body.

“I’m serious, though,” he teased, getting close to her face just to see it reddened in pretty blush. “You better prepare yourself, okay? Because I’m not going to hold back anymore once we both graduated.”

She bit her lips at the promise, and thwacked his forehead in retaliation. “Don’t tease me so much, Hajime-san!” she complained, but she was laughing, and leaned her entire weight into his arms as she peck the place she just hit. “Okay. You better wait for me, then.”

“Always,” he said, promised, and drew her in for one last, soft kiss on her lips.

Her eyes twinkled in happiness as she basked in his affections. They looked like millions of little stars in the constellation of her irises, and he felt like he was home. Right here, in her arms, lost in the wonder of her galaxy.

#Iwaizumi hajime #akeno hana #iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi x oc #iwaizumi hajime x reader #iwaizumi fanart #HaHa couple #iwaizumi fanfic #fanfiction

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buffymilkovich · 3 years ago

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[cc: @lethargicmick]

hii I’m dropping by to talk swa 💜💜 okay so I am having many feelings about the last chapter of since we’re alone (mickey!!!!!!! mickey my boy my love you must be protected and you are being so brave for letting ian in and how can you believe that ian doesn’t like you, you oblivious donkey. and ian!!!! ian is just so sweet and so caring and so loving!!! he deserves to be kissed, specifically by mickey)

that being said I know it’s an old meme or whatever but all throughout the second part of the chapter this was what was going on in my mind: I hate him!! just shut up petrovich, just don’t even look at mickey anymore and go fuck yourself 😔🤟🏻

MARA!!!!!!!!

mickey is truly the bravest most oblivious donkey in the whole world and i would DIE FOR HIM!!!!!! truly!!!! he knows somethings shifted but there’s so much self doubt and fear in him, but he’s gonna work through it so soon 🤧

and don’t even get me started on ian……god that boy is just unbelievable. the sweetest ever ever and i can’t wait for him to be loved as he deserves 😭😭

and HELPXUSBXOWNDUR that’s the best thing i’ve ever seensoxnskzndi. saving immediately to my camera roll. that will come in VERY handy 😭😭 i truly can’t wait for petrovich to eat shit.

THANK YOU FOR THIS MESSAGE MARA you have made my day and i am sending u lots of virtual hugs!!! 🫂

cc: @lethargicmick ♥️

#swa stuff #asks #milkimick #mara 🥰🥰

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wetalkinboutbooks · 4 years ago

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New Year, New Review 🤩

A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir

Summary: The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.

At his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.

Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory--or to an unimaginable doom.

And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life--and love--he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save--or destroy--all that he knows. (Taken from Goodreads)

Our Ratings:

→ Geena: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

→ Kae: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall: The final instalment of the Ember Quartet had us crying in the metaphorical club. It’s exciting, terrifying, and probably the horniest book in the series and we loved it!

~Spoiler-full discussion below~

The Good:

→ Elias and Laia

Geena: In the final instalment of the Ember quartet, Sabaa deprives us of an Elias POV and slaps us with the Soulcatcher instead… He’s very much an ‘emotions are bad’ type of dude, the opposite of Elias who always had so many… but both of them are so angsty? The Soulcatcher really likes to beat up trees when his memories from when he was Elias resurface which was so emo to me. Despite being possessed by Mauth he is also such a coward, especially around Laia, because Elias’ feelings for Laia scare him and every single time he is like *running emoji*. We were surprised that Sabaa let him remain the soulcatcher for so long, every chapter I was like ‘Okay, maybe this is where Elias breaks through…’ but no.. Elias remained buried UNTIL their night in the cabin… the Soulcatcher was like ‘k I’m out’ but ONLY for ONE NIGHT and that still makes me scream.. The Soulcatcher was like ‘you kids are too horny for me, I’m gonna take a nap for a bit and let Elias take over bc Jesus.’

Despite it all, the Soulcatcher’s chapters were enjoyable albeit painful because this man was so duty bound, like even Elias wasn’t that dedicated when he was a Mask. But near the end, when we finally get the chapter that starts with Elias…. Ngl I cried a little, and immediately wanted to reread the whole series (I feel like Sabaa did this on purpose to torture us). I want to fight Sabaa though, like she did an amazing job showing how Elias’ conscious and the Soulcatcher’s conscious were constantly fighting one another, and how Elias’ memories of the people he loved ultimately fuelled the Soulcatcher’s actions… even though the Soulcatcher was like ‘I’m doing this for the ghosts’ like okay… no ghost told you to keep protecting and kissing Laia but you still did it…

Kae: Okay, so Geena summed up my boy Ilyaas pretty damn well. Also, we LOVE HIS ETHNIC NAME IN THIS HOUSE. But um, YES. Elias was a sad boy ™ the whole time while fighting his emotions and ultimately losing. It was so PAINFUL as a reader, seeing all of his chapters except the ONE say ‘Soulcatcher’. But when it finally said ELIAS again, I too, started to cry. Because he was BACK.

You can all thank the power of Laia’s determination to seduce Elias back to himself, because our girl was NOT giving up. She said ‘you gonna get this coochie, dammit’ and in the cabin, Elias was like ‘well i’ll be damned. I sure as hell am. I am BACK BAYBEEEEE’

Geena: Sabaa Tahir said horny rights like ksjdnfdsjknfsdk

Kae: AUFVAHLHVKJ. BUT YES. In the end, love won. And so did sex because everyone was doin it or TRYING to do it. I guess when the world is ending, you only get one last time to uhh…. Have a good time. So they made sure they did lmao

Now, let’s get into Laia.

Laia. My sweet little cupcake. My mug of tea with too much honey. This girl has been through literal hell and back, and yet, she kept going. She NEVER gave up. Laia woke up in book 4 like ‘Today i will commit crimes. Helene and I crave violence’ and they both just started kicking ASS and I LOVED THAT. I was really happy to see the progression of Laia and Helen’s friendship and how they genuinely grew to like one another and see each other as besties. They both deserved a girl friend and I’m glad they found a friendship within each other.

Laia is the bravest character in this damn book. She went from poor scholar, to slave, to hero and she was brave because she had to be. Laia is strong and took on their entire world. She had help, but she did a lot of it alone and that takes some real guts. She is the most genuine, sweetest, bravest girl and I love her. <3

Laia also single handedly brought the Ilyaas back from his Soulcatcher shit. During this whole book she was just like ‘You know what? I think I’mma go mess with Elias’ emo ass today to see if I can get him to kiss me or something’ THEN SHE PROCEEDED TO SHOW UP AT THIS MANS HOUSE (realm or whatever) BUTTASS NEKKID. And he saw her and immediately flew the hell out of there it was TOO MUCH and he LIKED IT but couldn’t admit it.

Geena: You know what I love about that whole scene was like earlier she was like ‘He’s a lost cause idc’ and then Darin was like ‘Elias wouldn’t give up on you if that happened’ and Laia was like ‘you’re right, he would show up stark naked and try to seduce me back to my body’ and she did just that...

Kae: SHE DID. SHE SHOWED UP AND SHOWED OUT! Like, her entire mission was to bring Elias back while also planning on taking down the Nightbringer. But she was straight up like ‘okay but not before i get my man back through SEDUCTION’. Ugh, the mango scene? Superb.

Geena: Laia is hands down one of my favourite book characters to exist. Her journey from the first book being a scared girl with a missing brother, to being the face of a revolution… like the GROWTH. Like Kae mentioned, she and Helene end up as BESTIIEESSSS, and I was surprised at how natural they seemed. Because we went from them hating each other to close friends, but despite not seeing their development, it came off so natural? So, I loved that!

Kae covered Laia’s character pretty thoroughly, she was both a horndog and a bad bitch. Like this girl has pretended to be a Slave for the Commandment to travelling a desert by herself and facing off a squad of Jinn… In retrospect, Laia is a unique case, she’s allowed to be kind and caring and doesn’t have to be a fighter type to be strong. She’s not the chosen one, which this book made clear, it could’ve been anyone to fight the Nightbringer… but only Laia was strong enough to love him AND defy him. And I just love her a lot… she was very much an anime protagonist with the power of love, family, and friendship… anyways I love her and that’s all I have to say

→ Helene

Geena: The way I ended up liking and rooting for Helene this book? Came out of left field. To be honest, in previous books I didn’t feel much for her other than ‘stop chasing after Elias and Laia pls.’ But this book I wanted her to win, especially with the fight against the germanic-esque invaders. She goes through substantial development, no longer seeing Scholars as slaves and taking their opinions seriously.. Like Laia, Musa, and Darin were all a part of her crew. A stark difference from Book 1 Helene, who thought Scholars only had one role in the world and that was slaves.

Helene… like Laia… really has the Ember equivalent of hot girl summer with Harper… all the time she spends denying it she is like *jumps on him the chance she gets*. The bath scene… Helene’s power was turning her tortuer into her MAN… But also Sabaa said that ‘yes she has changed, but she has to repent for her sins’ and that’s why Helene is basically left alone at the end (save for Laia, Elias, and Musa).

Kae: So not gonna lie, I never actually disliked Helene. I saw her as the flawed character she was in the beginning. During her cat and mouse chase with Elias and Laia in the beginning, she would piss me OFF because like, that’s your BEST FRIEEEEEND. JUST STAAAAHP. But also, it was him or her and her family's death, so I get it. But I always saw potential in her to be better. And thank GOODNESS she went through all that character development. Because she was a damn menace in the beginning.

Also like Geena mentioned; Helly and Harper finally hooking up? I swear the heavens opened up in that moment because EVERYONE could feel their tension. LIKE JUST DO IT ALREADY. You can’t fight love, baybeeee

Watching Helly grow as a person was really rewarding as a reader. Like Geena said, she went from hating scholars to being like ‘hmm, maybe my opinions are shitty?’ and straight up changed. I also feel for her because she lost her ENTIRE family and like, honestly? I would’ve given up. BUT SHE DIDN’T. She’s a literal fighter, bred for this shit. So she FOUGHT. And I was really scared she was gonna get murked because y’all know Keris’ tiny evil ass doesn’t have a chill button. And when they were fighting? I was like LAWD PLS DON’T TAKE HELLY. But instead he took Harper *upside down smiley face* SO THAT WAS FUCKED UP AND I WASN’T READY FOR IT. But a piece of me knew it was coming.

The Bad:

→ Darin and Harper

Geena: As Kae mentioned… Harper kicked the can in this book :’( His eventual fall came from loving and caring for Helene too much, which left him open and gave Keris the chance to stab him. Harper was basically Helene’s heart outside her body, and when he went down so did Helene. I had had a feeling when Book 3 ended that Harper wouldn’t make it, but I WASN’T HAPPY ABOUT BEING RIGHT FOR ONCE… Harper had finally met his brother (Elias) and hadn’t even had a chance to meet the real Elias and talk to him about their father or other sibling stuff. LIKE OF ALL CHARACTER DEATHS… AND THERE WAS A LOT… The other one that came out of left field was fucking Darin of Serra… DARIN… THE ONE DUDE WE SPENT TWO WHOLE BOOKS SAVING… DEAD WITH A SNAP OF HIS NECK!! I WAS SO MAD

LIKE SABAA HAD US THINKING HE WAS GONNA BE SAFE, SHE GAVE HIM A LIL GIRLFRIEND AND EVERYTHING BUT THEN SHE GOES.. AND KILLS HIM?? JUST LIKE THAT?? Then we had to read the scenes where Elias helps both Darin and Harper pass over into the afterlife and I was just *cries angrily*

Kae: Well, THAT was sad. Have you ever just like, felt your heart break into a million tiny irreparable pieces? That’s how I felt when Darin and Harper died. Because like, they were both trying to save the women they loved. Darin to Laia, (foolishly so against the Nightbringer) but I would do it for my little sister too. And Harper with Helene against evilass Keris. Dude, that shit just sucked. It hurt to read. It hurt to imagine the girls feeling the pain of their deaths. They were both such good men. And DARIIIN.

Darin didn’t have to go out like that, man. It was such a harsh death. No last words. It was just over and his body was just gone. I wish Laia would’ve been able to talk with him at The Waiting Place at least one last time. But it is what it is. I hated to see both of them go. Especially since Darin pretty much sparked this whole series.

Sure, Laia, Helene, and Elias were the main characters. But Darin was the spark that started the fire. And he didn’t even get to see it’s flames extinguished.

Geena: He was the ember in the ashes… literally like Sabaa uses that for Elias and Laia but it applies to Darin the most

Kae: LITCHRALLY gonna get teary eyed over here. Our boys deserved better :(

Conclusion

Geena: This was not at all a disappointing end to the series we’ve followed closely for so long. The different plot points and character arcs were tied up nicely, and Sabaa Tahir showed us once again why she’s one of the best fantasy writers on this side of the Milky Way. We didn’t even bother including a ‘The Ugly’ section because we loved it too much ksfmsd. The only qualm I’d have with the end was the empire remaining, Helene recognized the Scholars as equals but centuries of pain isn’t easily forgotten you know? SO THAT’S WHY I THINK WE DESERVE A SEQUEL SERIES… BUT I DIGRESS… OVERALL, I loved this book and the ending for all the characters ESPECIALLY FOR OUR GIRL LAIA <3

Kae: YES. I AGREE 100% WITH GEENA. It was such a beautiful end to the series. Sabaa is GENIUS and her storytelling is phenomenal. I loved every little surprise she’s hidden in all of the books. ESPECIALLY WITH COOK BEING ALIVE? I DIDN’T SEE THAT SHIT COMING AT ALL. LIKE HOLY SHIT? So Laia had some remaining family afterall, and I think that’s very sweet. I’m really sad to see the series be over with and Geena and I are both *~HOPIIIING~* for an epilogue or some little crumbs or SOMETHING with the gang and how their lives ended up into middle adulthood or something.

Geena: I would literally take a single paragraph… Ms. Tahir…. Blease…

Kae: But yes, in conclusion, Laia has a heart of gold and we LOVE HER. She’s brave and strong and smart, and was the only one out of THOUSANDS to stick for herself and defy the Nightbringer, and save the whole world. Helene has come a long way and she developed beautifully as a character. And Elias. Ohhh, Ilyaas. His continued self sacrifice and bravery and love still helped him live in the end and I think that’s beautiful.

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whimsywit · 4 years ago

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Hey, it's me again! ^.^ I was wondering if I could order a red velvet truffle this time. As a reminder, here's the info from the previous request (with new info that I forgot to mention on the other one 😅):

I'm a 5'4" tall, straight Virgo girl with brown eyes, glasses (I only need them for distance since my eyes can't focus all too well). My hair color is currently blonde, but I'm dying it platinum blonde (dying it from dark auburn so the color rn is kinda a caramel color). I'm pretty chubby, but I guess not that chubby since I'm not obese but not exactly healthy either....

Let's see... I'm pretty shy at first when meeting knew people, and tend to talk so fast I trip over my words from time to time and get tongue tied (This gets worse around a guy I like and it frustrates me). The more someone gets to know me, the more talkative I become (which doesn't mean I wanna talk all the time, I'd be happy listening to him talk more than me, but I do tend to go into an excited rant like Midoriya if someone brings up something I really like [aka MHA 🤣]). I'm sweet, caring, loyal to a fault but I can be stubborn when I wanna be and insecure (boy with me must have extreme patience)...

I love listening to music, singing (I haven't sang in front of a huge crowd before), reading, writing (though my brain jumps back and forth between ideas, so I haven't exactly finished writing a fanfic yet 😅). I get flustered easily when complimented, so....

Dislikes include bullies (I was bullied myself, so I hate it when other people do it) cheaters (been cheated on in a relationship, no way do I wanna go through it again), alcoholics and drug addicts (I would explain why but I don't wanna get into something that might trigger someone, so I won't get into the details, just know that my biological Dad was one and I've seen what alchohol and drugs can do to someone... It's not pretty)

Talents: I know for sure that singing is one of them (which is one of my hobbies XD) and I'm told I'm a talented writer (writing is also one of my hobbies :3), but given the fact that I have a brain that keeps switching focus on ideas for different fandoms I haven't finished anything yet 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

Fears: The list could go on forever.... I have a slight stage fright (I shake a bit until I start singing, but I don't freeze up, never ask me to public speak thou...). I'm insecure as well, so my biggest fear is not being good enough (I can't remember if I already told you if I'm insecure and the boy paired with me is gonne have to be super duper patient 😅)

Aspirations: I really wanna be a singer one day (I'm actually doing voice lessons so I'm on my way there! ^.^) I'm good at writing lyrics but composing music? Not so much XD Oh, I do eventually wanna have a family, just later down the road with the right guy ^.^

I admire someone who is brave, compassionate, loyal to a fault (as loyal as I am ^.^ and I don't mind if he gets a bit protective of me XD)...

But, since I got dragged into too much drama during high school, I hate people who spread rumors for attention, players (people who date multiple people), and I usually stay away from people who are arrogant beyond belief (believing in urself is important, but it becomes a problem if you're over confident, know what I mean?) and people who are conceited (not to say that loving yourself isn't important, it is! I just don't like it when people are obsessed with themselves.... If that made any sense XD)

Anyways, thank you for even reading this and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

OKAY GIRL FIRST OF ALLLLL tysm for all the likes on my stuff, it means so much that you like and support my blog even tho this took forever for me to get to (i really appreciate you for waiting so long btw) 🥺💖💗 Now, for your patiently awaited matchup, I thought you’d be best with...

Izuku Midoriya!

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

OOH back to back protag boyfriends, lucky you ;0 It actually took me a while to land on him but I have no idea why, you guys are so similar it hurts in the best way possible oml—

First off, he’s ecstatic to find someone that doesn’t mind his muttering and rambling, even more so when he discovers you do it too! You’re both naturally shy and easily flustered (which makes for some very entertaining scenes when you’re both pining for each other and get all stuttery and flushed, people have full on brought out snacks and watched 👀👀) but it also means you understand one another well, able to comfort and assure the other with ease.

In more ways than one, if you really think about it. Both of you have a history of bullying, a tendency for low self-esteem, daddy issues, gosh your relationship is so mutualistic both of you always know what to say to lift the other up 🥺 On top of all that you also greatly admire each other—Izuku’s the bravest and sweetest guy you know by far, while he thinks you’re incredibly talented in turn. You constantly support each other with your goals, heroism and stardom respectively, fighting back whenever insecurities and doubts start to bleed through because you just care for the other so so deeply, and I’m def starting to sound like a broken record so lemme move onto the zodiac portion asjfakshswajdb

Izuku is a Cancer, a bit more of an emotional sign than Virgos tend to be, but that doesn’t make you guys any less close! The relationship is a very sincere, secure, and down-to-earth one, as along with everything else you have near-identical beliefs and domestic desires (which will make his mom very happy, she’s always wanted grandkids ûwû) so no matter what hiccups you may face, you guys always power through it ^w^

There’s not much else to say lmao, you guys are practically inseparable. All your nights are spent reading together and discussing your writings, yours being stories while his were hero notes, listening to music all the while, until it gets turned down in favor of your voice that sings him to sleep. He much prefers it anyway, and will for the rest of his life〜

#order up: red velvet truffle!#boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha #mha #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha matchup #mha matchup #anime matchup #izuku midoriya #midoriya izuku #midoriya bnha #midoriya mha #izuku bnha #izuku mha #deku bnha #deku mha

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day-writingdaydreams · 4 years ago

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Loyal, Brave & True

Based heavily on the song “Loyal Brave True” from the new Disney Live-Action Movie Mulan

This work is also posted to https://archiveofourown.org/works/26332522

Summary: When all is said and done, we all have the same question: am I enough?

It’s even harder when half of your life is behind a spotted mask

Disclaimer: All characters of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Chat Noir belong to Thomas Astruc and Jeremy Zag

🎵Who am I without my armor?

Standing in my father’s shoes

All I know is that it’s harder

To be loyal, brave, and true🎵

Loyal Brave True - Christina Aguilera

Marinette trudged up the stairs, the weight of the day heavy on her shoulders. She still couldn’t get over the fact that she had been expelled from school and reinstated all within the span of less than two days.

Standing in front of her full length mirror, she took in whom she perceived to be the slightly broken person that stood reflected before her. Her pallid complexion and the dark circles under her eyes revealing the heavy exhaustion pulling at her bones.

She was tired of keeping up the pretenses, of hiding behind her spotted armor, of the endless sleepless nights of being too stressed out by schoolwork and Lila’s threats and finding ways to stop Hawkmoth.

Of pretending that she was okay when she really wasn’t.

It just seemed like everyone believed every one of Lila’s lies! How could they believe that she threw that lying bitch down those stairs? That sneaky fox didn’t even try to pretend that she had hurt herself from her fall.

Where was the security footage? Why didn’t anyone insist on taking that Italian vixen to the nurse to get her checked over? Anyone with eyes could see that she was faking her injuries!

Looking past herself in the mirror, Marinette saw the pictures that she had tacked to the wall. Images of her with her parents, with the Girl Squad. With Alya and Nino.

With Adrien.

Feeling betrayed by those whom she thought had her back, she turned to her Kwami with tears in her eyes, desperate for validation. “Tikki?”

“Yes, Marinette?” The little red being asked from her spot on the desk, chocolate chip cookie in hand.

“Am I a good Ladybug?” The designer asked in a small voice.

“Oh, Marinette,” Tikki sighed, setting the cookie down. “Of course you’re a good Ladybug! You are one of my best wielders.”

“But am I, really? I mean, underneath the suit, without the spots... am I truly a good Ladybug?" Marinette asked pensively.

‘Oh,’ the Kwami thought, ‘this is one of those questions. She’s doubting herself again.’

"Marinette," she began, "how many times must I tell you this? There is no Ladybug without you." Tikki flew over to rest on her Chosen's shoulder. "There have been and there will be other holders of the Ladybug Miraculous," she continued in a contemplative voice, "but you are the only one who could be Ladybug. With and without the mask."

Suddenly a thump was heard on the balcony, and with a quick look conveying a mutual understanding that this conversation wasn’t finished, Tikki flew fast to hide in a desk drawer. Soon after, there was a knock heard on her skylight.

“Hello, Purrincess!” The cat themed hero greeted her as she let him in. “I wanted to check up on my favorite civilian. I heard that there was some excitement at your school recently?”

That show of kindness was the straw that broke the camel's back. The dam holding in her tears broke and Marinette collapsed, sobbing. With a startled “Whoa,” Chat Noir quickly caught her before she hit the ground, holding her tightly against him while trying to calm the crying girl in his arms.

When her sobs became hiccups, and her hiccups turned to sniffles, he was finally able to ask, “Princess, what happened?” with concern lacing his voice.

“It… it was awful Ch-chat N-noir. I... I was almost ak-kumatized yesterday,” she choked out.

“What?!” Chat exclaimed quietly, still holding the shaking girl in his embrace. Scooping her up carefully in a bridal hold, he settled them down comfortably on her chaise with her curled up tightly against him, her head tucked under his chin, similar to how his own mother would cradle him as a crying child. "Princess… Marinette, can you walk me through this? Please? I want to understand what happened.”

She slowly confided to him her worries. Well, almost all of them. The cat-themed hero growled low as he learned of the fake fox's promised threats, furious that Lila had the audacity to harm his cherished friend.

High-road be damned, no one hurts his Princess!

“And what really... made it worse… was that... everyone was writing my concerns off as … as jealousy,” Marinette choked out as her crying started back up. “I am NOT jealous of that … that … lying fox!”

Taking a deep breath to quell his rage, lest he become an Akuma himself, Chat gave

the dark-haired beauty in his arms a gentle squeeze to comfort her. "Losing is easy, winning takes bravery, and the kindest of whispers can seem cruel from those whom we consider our friends," he told her in a soft voice, kissing the top of her head to comfort her. Pulling back just a bit so that he could wipe away her tears with the back of his knuckles, careful not to scratch her with his claws, he stated, "You are one of the sweetest, kindest, and bravest people that I've ever known, Marinette."

"I don't feel very brave," she responded quietly with a pout, before burying her tear-stained face into his chest.

"But you are! You are so brave!" he cooed at her, gingerly running a clawed hand up and down her spine in an attempt to soothe. "Braver than I am, and I'm betting that you're even more brave than Ladybug."

That line earned him a snort.

Encouraged by that sound, Chat grinned as he continued to extoll her virtues. "I also have on very good authority that you are a very loyal and true friend. That is an extremely rare quality to have," he said as he gently pushed back her bangs, placing a feather-light kiss to her forehead.

Marinette shifted slightly in his hold, peeking up at him through her long, inky eyelashes. "Do you really think so?" she asked bashfully, a pink tinge highlighting the freckles that were scattered like stars across the bridge of her nose.

"I know so," he confirmed with a wry grin. "Didn't that Agreste kid call you an ‘Everyday Ladybug’ once?" he asked, his grin morphing into a smirk. "Trust me, there is no higher praise than that that I could think of."

'She really is adorable,' the errant thought swam across his stream of conscience.

His mind screeched to a halt.

‘Wait... what?’

After thinking it over for a moment, he came to the conclusion of ‘Well, it's true.’

The look of awe she gave him made him catch his breath. Her blue eyes seemed to grow larger, the color appearing to nearly glow. Her parted lips looked so soft too...

'Get a grip, Agreste!’ He admonished himself. ‘She’s your friend, and she’s hurting right now!'

He re-positioned her within his embrace, turning her until her back was against his chest, her head nestled against his left shoulder. He spied a black permanent marker within his reach and grabbed it, uncapping it with his teeth. Spitting out the cap, he reached for her right hand, softly asking, "May I?"

"What are you doing?" Marinette asked, placing it in his hand with trust in her gaze. Chat marveled at her bluebell stare for only a moment before returning his attention to the task at hand.

Nestling her delicate wrist within his large clawed hands like a treasured prize, he placed a soft kiss to the back of her knuckles, smiling fondly. "I just want to leave you a little reminder," he said as he turned the appendage, placing the marker's tip to the delicate skin of the inside of said wrist.

She struggled not to move, though she did flinch slightly at the cool feeling of the writing instrument’s ink against her skin. Her face burned slightly at the tenderness he was showing her, but that wasn’t what drew her attention.

It was the look on his face.

With his masked face twisted in concentration, the cat themed hero produced neat, careful hanzi on the designer's porcelain skin.

"There," he said with triumph and pride in his voice, drawing her attention to what he had been doing to begin with.

There, now decorating the once unmarked skin, were three simple but intricate Chinese characters

忠

勇

真

They were beautiful. And her silly, sweet, kind, destructive partner had put them there.

Chat Noir was indeed proud. It was his best try at the complicated writing system to date, so it only seemed fitting that it would look perfect against his friend’s gorgeous skin. "Now, whenever you feel down about everything you just told me about, I want you to look down at your wrist. For you are Loyal," he points at the first character, pausing for a moment before moving on to the next one. "Brave," he continued until he moved his clawed finger to the last of the three characters, "and True."

Tearing her gaze from the beautiful words now adorning her wrist, Marinette found herself drowning in gratitude and fondness for her partner. Turning her head slightly, she locked his peridot gaze with her azure, whispering, "Thank you, Chat Noir."

Feline eyes softened, and finding that his heart was beating just a tad harder for his dark haired friend, the boy beneath the mask replied just as quietly, "You're welcome, Marinette."

When it was time for him to leave, she followed him up to her balcony, bidding him goodnight. They shared one last hug before he leapt off of the balcony rail, performing some feat of aerial acrobatics to make her smile. Laughing at her partner’s antics, she leaned against the railing, taking in the balmy night air. Inhaling with the smile still on her face, she let her heart fill with gratitude once more to her partner. Letting out a long exhale, she found that her attention was once more drawn to the foreign words written along the inside of her wrist. She’d have to find a way to cover them up for tomorrow, but that was a problem for Future Marinette to worry about.

At this time, Tikki floated up out of hiding, making herself known to her holder before setting herself onto Marinette's shoulder. The Kwami took notice of the words now written on her chosen's appendage. "Well, that was a very nice thing that Chat Noir did for you, Marinette," she said approvingly.

"Yeah," Marinette replied, still staring down at the writing with a soft smile on her face. "It really... was..." she trailed off, the smile slowly slipping off of her face as she stared at her wrist more intently. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach as the actions of her partner finally registered. "Tikki?" she asked, her voice a little higher in pitch than normal.

"Yes, Marinette?" the kwami answered, confusion coloring her voice as she floated in front of her wielder’s face to gage her expression. She was surprised to see the beginnings of panic etching themselves onto the designer’s countenance. “Marinette, what’s wrong?” Tikki asked, worry coloring her tiny features.

On the verge of hyperventilating, Marinette looked up to her with eyes wide and asked, "Why did Chat Noir write those words on my wrist in Chinese?!"

Love reading/writing fanfics and enjoy making/looking at fanart? Come join https://discord.gg/mlfanworks The Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server and meet our amazing community! Hope to see you all soon!

#Val tries to write #write val write #my miraculous ladybug fanfiction #miraculous ladybug #marichat #tikki is so done #marinette dupain-cheng #Chat Noir #Supportive Chat Noir #loyal brave true

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alanna-artroid · 5 years ago

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Cookies I Have From Cookie Run So Far! (And My Thoughts On Them)

Alright, I’ve gotten pretty far in Cookie Run: Oven Break, and I felt the need to share my thoughts on all the adorable cookies I’ve unlocked so far. So far, I have 50/100, so I’d say I’m making good progress. On to the list!

GingerBrave: The bravest boy. If this was a show, he’d clearly be the main character. I recently got him a little suit, so now he’s a gentleman!

GingerBright: Sweet little lady. She looks like she’d be nice to get a coffee with or help you with homework. I definitely ship her with Brave, no doubt about it.

Strawberry Cookie: Precious baby! She’s super shy and I am compelled to protect her at all costs. Her pet is also a Tamagotchi, so she must be a gamer! Sweet!

Skater Cookie: HE WAS A SK8TER BOI! SHE SAID SEE YA LATER BOI!

Zombie Cookie: This is one of the fastest zombies I’ve ever seen. They seem like a nice guy overall though.

Princess Cookie: Heck yes, a mischievous princess! Those are the best! I love her dress and hair bows. I bet she just pretends to get kidnapped for the lols.

Pilot Cookie: Is it just me, or is this little old man smaller than most of the other cookies? Whatever, he’s got a cute mustache and he’s adorable. Go and fly!

Vampire Cookie: As a vampire nerd, I immediately adored this guy. I will gladly give him grape juice and chill with him under the light of the moon.

Gumball Cookie: Is this was Splatoon is like? This boi has a lot of chaotic energy and I like him.

Pistachio Cookie: I love this warrior woman so dang much. Look at that minty green hair! Her power is also SUPER helpful. She a speedy knight!

Pancake Cookie: HE’S A FLYING SQUIRREL! HE’S TOO CUTE I CAN’T EVEN! LET ME HUG THIS TINY CHILD!!!

Peppermint Cookie: Sweet baby. Good baby. My mom would probably adore this baby. (She loves mint and she’s not even a big sweets person.)

Muscle Cookie: As a lesbian, I’m not into big abs and muscles, but he’d probably be a good gym partner. Don’t mess with him is all I can say.

Cherry Cookie: Little Red Riding Hood got some bombs! I hope she and Gumball can go cause chaos on the weekends.

Hero Cookie: Precious nerdy boi with science! I saw his Island of Memories intro and his bond with Jellyco Cube is just the sweetest thing! Follow your superhero dreams, my baby!

Fairy Cookie: I didn’t know Tinkerbell was in this game! Also, I got her a bee costume and that looks super cute on her. Love her hair bun.

Werewolf Cookie: ULTIMATE FLOOF! Doggo here has a lot of angst and I worry for him. Maybe Vampire Cookie can teach him to chill? That’d be nice.

Rockstar Cookie: Oh, the songs I could sing right here. High tier rocker boy. Loving that flowing white hair. Rock on, buddy!

Soda Cookie: Go-to starter for my Breakout runs. I love him very much, he’s super cute! Let me go to the beach with this righteous dude!

Dark Enchantress Cookie: Oooooh, she is GORGEOUS!!! I love her design~! I’ll be sure to invite her to any fancy balls I might have, as to avoid any Maleficent scenarios with this savage woman.

Moon Rabbit Cookie: My spirit animal! I love how she constantly munches while she runs. This girl is such a mood for me. Cute little bunny ears~!

Space Doughnut: Awww, look at this alien dork! Their design is very cute, and I love how their expression of >:3.

Macaron Cookie: Such a sweetie pie! Why must they all be so adorable?! She’s a little drummer girl! That is too precious! Look at her dress and hat!!!

Pink Choco Cookie: She reminds me of a show I watched when I was younger. It was about a space girl, does anyone remember it? This girl will save the day, I can tell!

Avocado Cookie: Strong girl on the loose! My pun-loving friends would adore this cookie. And she’s a blacksmith, which is always cool.

Whipped Cream Cookie: Elegant ballerino!! He’s definitely one of my favorites! Such a beautiful boi~! I love his design so much, and he’s very useful. <3 <3 <3

Blackberry Cookie: Yeeees! Gothic girl for the win! She is SO dang pretty! I am WEAK for gothic lolitas, and she even has ghost buddies! I bet she’ll love spooky games like Luigi’s Mansion and Hollow Knight.

Lemon Cookie: Edgy boi is trying way too hard to be Shadow the Hedgehog. I mean, can you SMILE for once dude? It’ll take me a while to bond with this guy.

Salt Cookie: He strikes me as a wise old man you’d find meditating at the top of a mountain, or in his case on a boat in the ocean. I bet he has lots of knowledge to share.

Squid Ink Cookie: AWWWWW, SWEET BABY SQUID!!! Guys, I think they might be my favorite! They’re so squishy and mighty, and they need all my love and huggles!!! Don’t be sad baby, I’ll be your friend! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Lime Cookie: Beach girl! She’s like Lemon Cookie, but slightly nicer! I really like her hair and beach ball. Very cool girl.

Ninja Cookie: FINALLY! SOMEONE WITH MORE THAN TWO JUMPS!!! I went kind of crazy with his jumping powers at first. He’s super cool. Not sure why his pet is a ghost though.

Pomegranate Cookie: Oooh, I love Asian fashion~! Look how fancy and elegant she is! Her story concerns me, and I’m worried about her.

Angel Cookie: Good cookie, sweet cookie. Wouldn’t hurt a fly. It looks like they trust the devil boy, which is beyond kind of them. I love it when angels get along with demons. Defy angle roles!!!

Devil Cookie: Speaking of, they’re a cute little bean too! I love the naughty demon trope, and this cutie is so mischievous! Call Angel your “rival” all you want, I’m still shipping you dorks.

Roll Cake Cookie: Imagine, if you will, the world’s biggest game of Whack-A-Mole! With that hammer, this boy would win without question.

Popcorn Cookie: I’d be happy to go with this girl to the movie theater! Also, I love how she had popcorn for hair buns. She seems like she’d be up for a fun time!

Carrot Cookie: Oh my lordy, her ponytails are carrots. The artists for this game are so clever. Strong but tiny farmer, I approve.

Ion Cookie Robot: Yes! A robot! I love robots, and this cookie is no exception! Definitely one of my favorites, up there with Whipped Cream Cookie. They’re super powerful too, and REALLY useful in Breakout and Trophy runs.

Dino-Sour Cookie: Gee Dino-Sour, how come Devsisters let you have two pets? Very cool punk boy. I can see him going to Rockstar Cookie’s concert.

Plum Cookie: Aren’t plums purple though? This boy is one tough cookie! Look at his karate moves! Honestly, I thought he was a girl at first. Why must these boys be so pretty?!

Yogurt Cream Cookie: PRINCE ALI! FABULOUS HE! ALI ABABWUA~!

Alchemist Cookie: Look, it’s Twilight Sparkle! Apparently, Vampire boy is her brother? I really like her hair braids(?), I just wish she’d loosen up a bit. She seems like a nice girl.

Roguefort Cookie: Aaaah yeah, elegant thief! This cookie is the coolest! I love this aesthetic so much~! Blue cheese has never been so fancy. Just look at this charmer, stealing hearts!

Pitaya Dragon Cookie: OOOOOhohoho! THIS is what I’m TALKING about! Look at this beast, they’re GLORIOUS! They’ve probably killed a bunch of people, but They’re crazy powerful and I adore them.

Knight Cookie: This guy is SO much fun to play as! He just won’t stop, he’s too fast!!! I couldn’t stop laughing once I found out just how fast this knight could go! Somehow he controls better than Pistachio? I don’t know, I love him!

Birthday Cake Cookie: TOO PRECIOUS FOR WORDS! SHE’S SO DANG CUTE!!! Also, her “Bonus Time” changes to “Happy B Day” and I... I just can’t! She’s the sweetest thing!!! <3 <3 <3

Cocoa Cookie: Awww, look at this sweet baby! I wanna snuggle her! Her design looks so warm and comfy. I have plenty of hot chocolate to give her. <3

Raspberry Mousse Cookie: Ah yes, the pretty boy that got me into this game in the first place. Along with Squid Ink, he’s probably my favorite. There’s a reason he has the highest affection so far with me. I just adore his design, and he’s very powerful! I will ALWAYS have him ready for Breakout and Trophy Runs. Well worth all the hype. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Rose Cookie: Finally, we have this lovely lady. Everyone is shipping her with Raspberry, and rightfully so. She is a high-quality woman that makes gay men straight and straight girls lesbian. Look at that outfit! And those dance moves!

Aaaand that’s everybody for now! I’ll update this once I get more Cookies. So far, I like most of them a lot. Anybody got some favorites they’d like to share? I’m still new to this game, but I’m happy to hear what others have to say!

UPDATE 1:

I went back and fixed all the gender mistakes I made. (I’m so sorry! D:) Also, I got a few more cookies! So here we go!

Walnut Cookie: Precious detective baby! The newest update is only making her cuter! Probably the shortest of the bunch, and I adore her design~! <3

Cinnamon Cookie: Super useful power so far, and they have a really cool cape! Those cards are very handy! (I promise I’ll pay attention to the genders of these cookies from now on! I don’t want to misgender anyone again!)

Sparkling Cookie: Oooh, a sparkling cider cookie! That’s honestly the only boozy thing I enjoy drinking. He is super classy and seems like the life of the party. He strikes me as a Great Gatsby kind of host.

Moonlight Cookie: OOOOOOOH~! LOOK at this GODDESS! I love the nighttime/dreamy aesthetic. This girl has Luna’s hair and a wizard’s outfit, high tier cookie!

White Choco Cookie: This game sure likes it’s knights, huh? This girl is a fine lady and apparently, she attracts all the lesbians. Can’t say I blame those girls, I do love that hairstyle.

Spinach Cookie: Aaand the newest cookie to hit the scene, this girl! I have never met someone so dedicated to vegetables, so I have to applaud that. She’s a super sweet girl, and I hope we find who stole her precious vegetables!!!

UPDATE 2:

More Cookies! It’s been a while since I’ve updated this, so I have quite a bit to share. On to the new ones!

Mustard Cookie: Look at this punk girl! Street artist on the loose in the streets! I always admire people and characters in this style, so I’m supporting this rebel all the way!

Herb Cookie: Now THIS guy is everywhere! It seems the fandom really likes him, and I can see why. He seems like a very nice boy, with a sweet plant baby. I like the leaf hair, very cool.

Sea Fairy Cookie: I love how everything on her flows. Her hair, her dress, she’s so beautiful~! I will say though, Legendaries are SO DANG HARD to level up and get affection with! WHY?!

Cream Puff Cookie: Awwww, look at this precious baby girl~! Look at her soft hair and little dress! I almost feel bad running with the super cute ones, I don’t want them to get hurt!

Matcha Cookie: Oooooh, all these ancient-looking cookies have the coolest designs! She’s probably insane, darkness will do that to ya, but she seems harmless so I like her!

Ice Candy Cookie: This chick could crush me like a grape and I don’t know how to feel about that. Hopefully, she’s only savage on the ice rink. I do NOT want to mess with this girl.

Cherry Blossom Cookie: Awww, look how pretty she is~! Cherry blossoms are always so lovely, and this girl embodies that. She has a PARASOL for crying out loud, I CAN’T EVEN!!

Grapefruit Cookie: This game sure likes sports, huh? She seems really cool, I love her colors! Do you think she’d play Skate 3? Hopefully, she’d get a laugh out of that game.

Pirate Cookie: This guy has been a long time coming. I’ve been curious about him since the Breakout episode. He’s pretty neat, I appreciate how he naturally comes with an extra revive.

Kumiho Cookie: Cool! A Kitsune! I love the spin on the concept of cookies. Let this marshmallow fox live out her reverse-furry dream! I’m loving her design too, look at that hair!

Marshmallow Cookie: Oh cute! Another marching band cookie! According to her story, she and Macaron had a falling out. I hope they can reconcile and be friends again. :(

Dark Choco Cookie: WE’VE REACHED MAXIMUM EDGE! WITH OREO SHOULDER PADS!!! Interesting how he’s still trying to be a hero, which is a nice spin on the “I have evil powers so now I’m evil” trope. Here’s hoping he stays strong.

Fire Spirit Cookie: Ah yes, the classic lord of fire. A staple for any fantasy story that includes the elements. Again, it’s impossible to get the affection for these guys.

Mala Sauce Cookie: Yay! I got Pitaya’s girlfriend! I always love it when there’s a tribe/society of warriors and the WOMAN is the strongest one there. Heck yes! This warrior lady is a badass!

Firecracker Cookie: I didn’t know I was invited to a rave party! Love the neon colors on this cookie, that’s something this game really excels at.

UPDATE 3:

I’ve reached 90 cookies! I’m on the homestretch!!!

Cheesecake Cookie: OH MY LORDY LOOK HOW FANCY SHE IS! I adore her already! Fancy ladies are the best ladies!

Kiwi Cookie: This game REALLY likes sports. He looks cool, can’t complain.

Yoga Cookie: Awww, a pretzel is trying to be loose! I’ve done yoga a few times, and it is very good for your body. Nice colors, simple design, nice.

Dr. Wasabi Cookie: I’d reference some mad scientist, but I know a lot of them so we’d be here for a while. Her combi generator has been very helpful.

Tiger Lily Cookie: IT’S THE EYE OF THE TIGER IT’S THE THRILL OF THE NIGHT, RISING UP TO THE CHALLENGE OF OUR RIVALS!

Chili Pepper Cookie: Uh oh, this one’s a troublemaker! I really like her hair, it’s very bright. Secure your pockets around this chick, that’s for sure.

Millennial Tree Cookie: These cookies are too pretty, I keep thinking they’re girls! This guy is so beautiful~ truly a being of nature!

DJ Cookie: Ooooh, I love her design~. Rainbow colors will win me over every time. And look! She’s wearing a Bi Pride shirt! This girl is awesome! I like how her special power is basically tiny Guitar Hero.

Snow Sugar Cookie: Soft baby, sweet baby. Looks very cuddly. Their level was very helpful during Sandwich Cookie’s event in getting frozen jellies. Those blue bears aren’t easy to come by!

Fig Cookie: CENTAUR! I wasn’t expecting one of those here! She’s such a sweetie pie~. Since everything and anything is allowed in this game, can we get mermaids or harpies next?

Cotton Candy Cookie: PRECIOUS BABY! She’s so gosh darn cute, I can’t take it! I personally can relate to falling in love with things so easily. And there are official plushies of her now! ONE DAY I WILL BRING HER HOME!

Purple Yam Cookie: Bro needs a chill pill. Not ONCE have I seen this guy smile yet. And I thought Lemon needed to lighten up. Milk seems to care about him though, so I guess he can’t be that bad.

Milk Cookie: The softest of warriors! Look how cute he is~! I adore him! Plus he really shines in the stories. I can only assume Yam is his boyfriend or something. Am I wrong about that?

Cyborg Cookie: Hey! I saw the storybook for this one! I’m surprised I haven’t unlocked this “Aloe Cookie” yet. Are they still in this game? I can’t find them on the chart. Anyway, Cyborg is cool. Very nice design.

Mango Cookie: Newest baby! I love him, and would love to learn all about the islands from him! I’m gonna say it, I already ship him with Ananas Cookie, no questions asked.

#cookie run #cookie run ovenbreak #list #alanna #alanna_artroid

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headcanonsandmore · 6 years ago

Note

I know I already had a fic request but I have another one 🤭 So I know you like Lavender and think she’s a good person (I do too), I’d like to see a break up conversation between her and Ron where she’s the super mature one who figures everything out like “so umm...” “you want to break up right?” And he’s like “it’s really not about you” and she says “I know, you have feelings for Hermione” and they finish on good terms. and some Romione fluff at the end would be nice🙏🏻

Thank you for the request, @allaboutromione! Hope you like it!

Read on FFN. Read on AO3.

‘Endings and Beginnings’

‘What is wrong withyou, Ron?’ Lavender exclaimed, putting her hands back on her hips. ‘Why are youhanging around with her?!’

‘She’s my friend-’

‘In case you don’tremember, she attacked you! For kissing me!’

‘She apologised forthat!’

‘Oh, yes; because thatmakes everything better!’

Lavender Brown washaving a bad day.

Well, more like a badmonth.

Ever since Ron had beenpoisoned, things had gone from bad to worse. To most girls, their boyfriendalmost dying would have been the worst thing to happen, but this is Hogwarts.And Ron Weasley was not new to the concept of almost dying. So far, he had beenknocked out in a giant chess match, and attacked by death-eaters in theMinistry of Magic.

Lavender had been veryimpressed by that. Well, not the ‘almost-dying’ part, obviously. But Ron hadbeen so brave, defending his sister and that Lovegood girl from threedeath-eaters who wanted to kill them. Yes, he had almost died, but that showedjust how much he cared about the people he loved.

She had already beencrushing on him hard by that point, but the department of mysteries had sealedit for Lavender. Ron Weasley was brave, kind, funny, and –as she had noticed atthe start of fifth year- absolutelygorgeous. Lavender had no idea what he’d been up to over the summer, but ithad clearly done him the world of good. The last vestiges of his childhoodpuppy-fat had disappeared from his face, revealing cheekbones to die for. Hischest and arms seemed to have bulked up out of nowhere; his shirts used to hangoff him, now they were straining to retain their stitching.

Then, the department ofmysteries had happened, and he’d got those scars. Normally, Lavender thoughtscars were a little… distressing. But Ron’s scars showed just how brave he was;she’d had no idea what exactly had happened in the ministry that night, but Ronhad been stuck in the hospital wing for a long time afterwards. And when he hadreturned to Gryffindor tower… wow… Lavender’s mouth had dropped open at thesight of him. It wasn’t fair; how was he thatattractive?

This was what Lavenderhad read about in magazines; a “glow-up”. And -boy- had Ron Weasley glowed up!

Why on earth hadn’t anyone-else noticed? Byall accounts, he should have had a queue of people pining after him. He hadalways been cute, but fifth year had changed that; he was no longer an adorableboy, he was now a man. So why did Lavender seem to be the only girl who hadnoticed?

Come to think about it-Lavender thought- barely anyone noticed Ron to begin with. He was always beingshoved to the side whenever those around him got the attention. Which happeneda lot, considering who Ron’s best friends were.

Lavender could relateto that.

Sure, Parvati waslovely and an amazing friend, but she was also the prettiest girl in the year. Theboys were constantly eyeing up Parvati (even if Parvati herself didn’t seem tonotice), and she was never without at least ten different Valentines cardsevery year. Lavender knew she herself wasn’t the ugliest girl by any means, butshe felt a little sad whenever she was ignored.

Especially when herother dorm-mate had a tendency to get a lot of attention as well. HermioneGranger was considered by many (especially the teachers) to be the brightestwitch of her age. Which was all well and good -Lavender knew how intelligentHermione was- but it did get a little grating after a while.

Parvati was the prettyone, Hermione was the smart one, and… what was Lavender? Parvati’s best friend?The silly girl who got giggly over pictures of teen idols? She hadn’t have herown niche; she was just… Lavender. Not beautiful or intelligent. Just Lavender.

Lavender was alwayssomething of an anonymous figure in Gryffindor. Sure, she didn’t slide in thebackground completely, but she often felt like she was being lost in theshuffle.

Maybe that’s why shebecame so attracted to Ron. Despite being shoved to the sidelines constantly,Ron never stopped caring about the people he loved. When push came to shove, hewas the sweetest, bravest, kindest person Lavender had ever met.

Of course, Lavender wasaware of the deal with Ron and Hermione. Parvati had warned her at the start ofsixth year; Hermione had been nursing a crush on Ron ever since the end ofthird year.

But -and this was whatmade Lavender especially angry- Hermione hadn’t done anything. She hadn’t evenbeen present when Ron had won the Quidditch Cup the previous year. Lavenderremembered overhearing Ron talking about it under a tree a few days after thematch; neither Harry nor Hermione had been there. They’d left.

Lavender had been thisclose from marching over to give them a piece of her mind, but Parvati hadpulled her away before her self-control broke. It infuriated her to see Rongetting ignored so often. Ron was always there to support his friends, but theynever seemed to give him the same treatment. He was always having to sacrificehis own achievements to focus on them.

When sixth year hadstarted, Lavender had finally decided enough was enough. She was going to showRon appreciation. Goodness knows, he needed it. The poor boy had always hadtrouble with nerves, but Lavender was damned if she wasn’t to make him feelbetter.

Like a good friend,Parvati had come round to the idea. After all -she said- it wasn’t as ifHermione had any claim to Ron. And the redhead could use someone in his corner(well, aside from Harry, anyway).

Lavender was pleasantlysurprised to find that Ron was very happy about her showing him appreciation.He’d even started strutting after she giggled at him. He’d always had a greatway of walking, but Lavender was especially taken with the new confident way hewas swinging his hips.

Ron Weasley cheerleadernumber one; that was Lavender.

At then –finally-Lavender had kissed him. It had been after a match; Ron had walked into theCommon Room, and Lavender had flung her arms around him.

Sure, neither of themwere experienced at kissing, but that was okay; they were learning fromeach-other. He had so confident, he seemed to stand taller.

And Lavender was glad.She wasn’t just “the other Gryffindor girl” anymore; she was Ron Weasley’sgirlfriend.

Looking back, thenickname wasn’t the best idea. It was designed exclusively for Hermione’s ears,and Lavender had to admit that it was spiteful. But so was setting a flock ofbirds on someone!

Honestly, Lavenderdidn’t know if she could ever forgive Hermione for that. Sure, Hermione washurting, but it was her own fault. She’d spent three years crushing on Ron, andall she would have had to do was be more appreciative of him. But she hadn’t;for once, Hermione Granger wasn’t the smartest girl in the room. She hadignored Ron when he most needed it, and she was now paying the price.

Lavender knew it wasvindictive, but she couldn’t help herself.

As she continued todate Ron, she knew something was up. At first, they seemed to get along reallywell. Yes, they snogged, but they were teenagers, and it was so nice to finallyhave someone who wanted them.

Lavender didn’t reallyknow much about chess, but Ron did try to teach her. It was great to see him sopassionate about something, and so… confident about it. Ron was arguably moreconfident playing chess than he was doing almost anything else. Lavender wishedshe (and everyone) could see this side of him more.

She didn’t know whatpossessed her to get the necklace. That was a bad idea, and she’d immediatelyapologised to Ron after they returned to Hogwarts and got some time alone. Hehad been surprisingly mature about it, saying that he appreciated the thoughtbut it wasn’t really his style. He had been so sweet that Lavender had beentempted to climb onto his lap and snog him senseless.

But then Hermione hadentered the common room, and Ron’s attention had immediately been diverted.

Lavender tried tocontain the fear in her heart. No, no,no… this wasn’t the way it was supposed to go… Hermione had attacked him withbirds… why did he…why did he…

And the truth haddawned on Lavender.

She was not the girl Ronwas in love with. Because the girl Ron loved was the bushy-haired know-it-allwho refused to even acknowledge his existence at the time.

That was, until he waspoisoned.

Yes –as if to furtherunderline this whole nightmare- Ron had to almost die before Hermione would speak to him again. Suddenly, Hermionewas Ron’s friend again. But that didn’t mean that Lavender had forgiven her forthe way she had treated Ron.

Finally, things came toa head. Lavender had seen Ron and Hermione emerging from Ron’s dormitory. Itwas the final straw.

Hermione had hurriedlydashed off to the girls dormitories, leaving Ron to face Lavender’s wrath byhimself.

‘What more can she do,Lavender?’ Ron exclaimed, waving his arms around. ‘I’ve accepted her apology,and you should too!’

‘No, I will not!Despite what you may think, Ron, I’m not an idiot!’

‘What? I don’t thinkthat-’

‘Were you just using meto get back at Hermione? Is that the only reason you’ve been dating me?!’

There was a deafeningsilence. Ron’s eyes widened in shock, and his mouth dropped open.

‘Are you mental? Whatsort of prat do you take me for?’

‘Well, it certainlyseems that way to me!’

‘How? I never thoughtHermione was interested in me, so why would I use you to get back at her? I… Idid use you. But not for that. I just… wanted to get over Hermione. I was sickof feeling like I was never enough, no matter what I did. So… no… I wasn’tusing you to get back at her. I may be a prat, but I’m not that much of aprat!’

Lavender felt her mouthfall open. Get over Hermione? What? Howcould he not see?

‘She- she- she lovesyou, Ron! How could you have never noticed? And why didn’t you break up with meonce you realised just how jealous she was? Why…. Why…’

Lavender trailed off.

Ron was rubbing thescars on his hands. The scars from the wounds inflicted in Hermione’s birdattack.

Oh god…

Ron thought she wasgoing to attack him just like Hermione had done.

Lavender felt her eyesfill with tears.

‘Lavender…’ Ron said,his voice hitching slightly. ‘What… I’m sorry… please… please don’t cry…’

‘I’m not crying becauseof that!’ Lavender sobbed, tears streaming down her face. ‘Do you really thinkI would ever… would ever… attack you like that…?’

‘I’m… I’m sorry, Ron. Iwas using you, too. Not… not to get over anyone, but… to just proof that Iexisted.’

It was true. She wasn’tthe prettiest girl in the year like Parvati, nor was she was the smartest likeHermione. She was the only one in her dorm to not go to the Yule Ball with aTriwizard Champion. She was just… ordinary. Plain old Lavender.

Kinda ironic, givenshe’d ended up dating the one person who could understand that.

She and Ron were morealike than people thought. They were both side-lined, ignored, sick of gettingoverlooked. Trying to find comfort in each-other to block out a world thatdidn’t seem to pay them any attention.

Yes, their relationshiphadn’t been especially healthy, but it was also what they needed at the time.To be noticed, appreciated. To be someone-else’s first concern.

‘I’m sorry, Lavender.I… I’ve hurt you. You… you deserve someone who’ll treat you right.’

‘You deserve that too,Ron.’

The redhead scoffed.

‘Yeah, but who’s gonnabe interested in me?’

‘Hermione Granger. Youknow, the girl you’re in love with.’

Ron’s ears went red.

‘Lavender… I’m… I’m sosorry…’

‘Don’t you dareapologise, Ron!’ Lavender exclaimed, pointing her finger at him threateningly.‘You weren’t the best boyfriend ever, but you were still lovely! Why do youthink I fell for you in the first place?’

‘Er, because I was goodat Quidditch?’

Lavender sighed.

‘Ron, please stopthinking that people are only attracted to you because of things you achieve,rather than who you are. You are amazing anyway; you… you don’t need to proveyourself.’

‘I was going to say thesame thing to you.’

Lavender did adouble-take at that.

‘We’re quite alike,aren’t we?’

‘Yeah.’

The two shared a sadsmile, before Lavender wiped her eyes with her sleeve, turned softly on herheel, and walked up the girls’ dormitory stairs.

Lavender pushed openthe door to the sixth year dorm, to find Hermione sat awkwardly on her bed, asif she had just retreated quickly from listening at the door.

No doubt she had heardthe shouting.

Parvati was cautiouslywatching from the chair beside her own four-poster, her eyes flicking quicklybetween her two dorm-mates.

‘Me… me and Ron havebroken up.’

Parvati stood her, andrushed over, pulling Lavender into a comforting hug.

‘I’m sorry, Lav,’ shewhispered softly, patting her gently on the back. ‘You deserve better.’

Lavender shook herhead.

‘No. Both me and Rondeserve better.’

Pulling away, sheturned her head to look at the bushy-haired witch still sat on the bed.

Hermione flinched as Lavenderapproached. But Lavender felt no wrath towards her.

‘If you ever do so muchas set a single canary on Ron again,you’ll have me to answer to. Do you understand?’

Hermione’s mouth fellopen.

‘What?’ What are youimplying-?’

‘Because,’ Lavender said,her voice hitching. ‘While I might not have been the best girlfriend… I neverphysically attacked him. And I have a feeling that you don’t want to be a worsegirlfriend than me, do you?’

Hermione blinkedconfusedly at her, looking more and more flustered by the second. It was sounusual to see the usually-headstrong girl at such a loss for words. Or maybeLavender just hadn’t asked her the right questions in the past. Maybe theycould have avoided all this if she had.

‘But… Ron…’ Hermionestammered, dropping eye contact. ‘He… hedoesn’t…’

Lavender rolled hereyes. Honestly, for the so-called “brightest witch of her age”, HermioneGranger could be extraordinarily thick about these things.

‘And people accuse Ron of being oblivious. At least he hasan excuse for it.’

Lavender pushed pastHermione, and climbed into her own bed, her eyes beginning to tear up again. Itwas her first real heartbreak after all, despite the sympathy she felt for Ron.

Parvati sat down nextto her, and Lavender leaned into the taller girl’s shoulder, her body shakingas her tears soaked Parvati’s pyjama top.

Hermione discreetlyleft the room, closing the door softly behind her. She would give Lavender abit of space for the rest of the evening, understanding that Lavender probablydidn’t want to see her at the minute.

As she walked into thecommon room, she found Ron, sat quietly in front of the fire, looking verymorose.

‘Er… Ron?’

The redhead turned, anda small smile appeared on his face. Hermione felt her heart give a sudden thud.

‘Hey.’

‘Are… are you okay?’

He shook his head.

‘Well, probably betterthan Lavender feels right now. We broke up.’

There was a slightpause.

‘Oh.’

‘Yeah.’

Not really knowing whatelse to do, Hermione sat down next to the redhead.

‘I was a pretty badboyfriend to her.’

Hermione shook herhead.

‘Maybe you weren’t thebest, but that’s understandable. And besides; you didn’t want to hurt herfeelings. That counts.’

‘I guess. I’ve been aright coward, though.’

Hermione looked down atthe scars on Ron’s hand.

‘No. I’ve known you fora long time, and if there is one thing you’re not; it’s a coward.’ Hermionesaid, patting Ron awkwardly on the shoulder. ‘I think you just made the wrongconclusion about how to go about these things. And it was your firstrelationship, after all.’

Ron shrugged.

‘I dunno. Maybe I’mjust rubbish at romance.’

‘You wouldn’t be theonly one.’

The two of them shareda shy smile. Maybe things weren’t completely back to normal between them, butthings were changing. And –after all- every ending was the beginning ofsomething else.

The two were soengrossed in the other, that they didn’t notice the pair of eyes watching themfrom the girls’ dormitory staircase.

Lavender Brown smiledsadly to herself, before walking back up the stairs.

You best treat him right, Hermione Granger; you besttreat Ron right…

_______________________________________________________________

Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you liked it! If so, please like and reblog, or leave comments/reviews/kudos on the FFN and AO3 pages for this fic.

Thanks again to @allaboutromione for the request; hope you enjoyed it!

#request #lavender brown #ron weasley #hermione granger #half-blood prince #harry potter and the half-blood prince #missing moments #tw: physical violence #tw: physical abuse #tw: physical assault #tw: emotional trauma #tw: ptsd #harry potter fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic

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