#also fun fact these doodles are from like one of the last exams i took before i decided i should drop out so like. layers to this | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

appendingfic · 5 years ago

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Sooo...

@c2ndy2c1d made a pretty fantastic comic, Rockababy (found here), which I would totally recommend reading. And if you can, bookmark and comment on it - good creator engagement can help them with further development on the comic, and I selfishly want to see more.

And I was really inspired and was in a place in my writing cycle that I wanted some (3,500 words worth of) shipping fic so.

I hope y’all enjoy!

Observation

Rating: T

Fandom: Rockababy

Ship: Richie/Shifty

Summary: The facts are undeniable - Richie has been watching Shifty very closely. To what purpose, however, Shifty is determined to find out.

Shifty was sitting at his workbench, but unlike other times, there was no gadget or technology to work with at it. Just a notebook - identical to the dozens Richie kept in his room, observations on aliens - more detailed, now, that he had regular access to all the species that had found their way to Earth.

Identical in all respects except for one.

This notebook's contents were exclusively about <I>Shifty</I>. He steeled himself to open the book again, page through notes that were both more detailed and less focused than he was used to from Richie's writings.

"Not ticklish," was scratched out, bold letters next to it reading, "Ticklish at base of spine/tail - DO NOT TOUCH". Richie had inadvertently (Shifty hoped) discovered that fact during one of their photo sessions, documenting the regrowth of Shifty's tail. The memory almost brought a smile to Shifty's face - Richie had been mortified, blushing as he apologized fervently from across the room when Shifty had nearly bolted off the exam table at the touch.

"Has a sense of humor", another page read. "Not slapstick - not observational. Absurd? Smiled at a pun - denied it BUT I KNOW THE TRUTH". Shifty actually smiled at that.

Another was a list of foods, apparently random unless you had been studying Shifty's tastes. Next to the word "Chocolate" was a doodle of Shifty's natural face, frowning. The discovery Shifty didn't like chocolate had seemingly depressed Richie, and Shifty still wasn't certain if he'd disappointed Richie by failing to enjoy that particular human treat. The page after that was another apparently random list of foods, again, unless you'd been trying to determine what foods Shifty liked. Six fruits were circled, lines drawn from them to a margin where Richie had written "FRUIT", and, next to it, "even Durian?" There was a doodle of Shifty's face - natural, again - smiling next to the word "peanut butter", and a line drawn between that and "bananas", a wholly intriguing proposition Shifty vowed to explore later.

There was something crossed out with heavy lines next to the word "suckers" - the only letters Shifty could make out were "OR-" and "-IXA-", and the tail end of a question mark. As he had no idea what the note could have been, he left it alone.

Especially as there were other, more puzzling notes filling the notebook. A list of numbers which had been mystifying until Shifty recognized one as his normal body temperature, at which point, the others included a startlingly accurate indicator of at what temperature Shifty started feeling cold. There was a number underlined several times, which Shifty recognized as the temperature the fever he'd had two months ago had pushed him to, and a rambling series of notes that Shifty recognized as documenting Richie's frenzied attempts at treatment when Shifty had finally admitted he was sick (not that the NESB didn't have perfectly adequate medical care, but Richie had been adamant Shifty shouldn't have to recuperate in their medical lab or, as Shifty had suggested, handle it himself).

Dozens of drawings - of the patterns on Shifty's skin, of his hands, of his tail. Detail of his face - or attempts, as Richie had scribbled over each one. Shifty stared at one such attempt for a moment before flipping to find the doodles next to the lists of Shifty's favorite and least favorite foods. Looking at those drawings, he couldn't pinpoint what had frustrated Richie about the others - the disappointed frown on drawn Shifty's face felt true to life, and while Shifty didn't see his own smile much, the delighted cartoon Shifty looked - much the way he felt when one of his friends drew a smile out of him.

The notes were clearly the work of months of observation - most, if not all, of the period of their...acquaintanceship (friendship. They were friends. The first people who'd seen his natural form and agreed to raid a corporate lab to rescue an infant alien were his friends). And Richie must have been keeping it with him most of the time, as Shifty had discovered the notebook on the couch when Richie had last visited.

So...months of observations. At first glance, somewhat scientific, unless you'd seen Richie's other work, and realized how little of the notebook's contents lacked the - objective veneer he maintained for other work. The notes he included with the photographs of Shifty he submitted to the NESB were professional, and rarely included any of the banter Shifty had to keep up to distract himself from the vague discomfort of being under such close examination.

This notebook was more of the same.

...Technically.

For all it didn't involve the complete suite of photographs sitting in an NESB lab somewhere, the notes were more intimate. They all touched on things that no one should know without having been close to Shifty. It wasn't that he suspected Riche were keeping the notes to - sell them to tabloids or something ("Aliens Love Peanut Butter" wouldn't sell papers, he guessed).

But not knowing what Richie was trying to accomplish with this left Shifty a little uneasy. They were supposed to hang out the next day, ostensibly to study for their calculus final, although both of them were far beyond needing the additional help, which meant it would be a perfect opportunity to get some answers.

Ms. Cunningham answered the door when Shifty arrived at their home, eyes brightening at the sight of him. "Blueberry!" she said, kissing him on both cheeks as she stepped around him to step outside, ignoring the flush on Shifty's cheeks (in human guise, it at least remained confined to his face). "I assume you're here to see Richie - he's in his lab, while I'm off to mine." She pulled Shifty in for a hug before letting go and stepping back to grin at him. "So you boys have fun, and make sure Richie eats."

"Oh - absolutely," Shifty replied, watching Ms. Cunningham drive away. He stepped inside; the Cunninghams had opened their home indiscriminately to Shifty, and he'd only recently become comfortable with it. He knew they had good reason not to worry about him wandering around their home, even if he was expected. He didn't have much reason to wander, of course, except, taking Ms Cunningham's comment into consideration, to bring Richie a sandwich (and experiment with the notion of peanut butter and bananas for himself).

When Shifty descended the stairs into Richie's home lab (an examination table, a desk, and a couch that had migrated down there at some point in the last several months), Richie barely looked up from a notebook he was writing in, at least until Shifty set a plate down next to him.

He looked up and smiled at Shifty, an open, bright expression that made Shifty glad he hadn't let his human form drop, because his tail had developed a traitorous tendency to wag when Richie smiled at him.

"Your mother said you should eat," Shifty said as an explanation.

"Oh, yeah, thanks." Richie picked up his sandwich, took a bite, and set it down again. He twisted around to look up at Shifty, a frown almost taking over his mouth before his expression smoothed out. "Did you want to get started on studying?"

"Come on," Shifty replied, leaning against the desk so he could look down at Richie's notebook (neat, organized, nothing like the one in Shifty's bag). "You and me have studied enough. I'm just here to keep you from starving to death."

Richie looked back at his sandwich, and picked it up for another bite, apparently focused on it while he ate, although Shifty was certain Richie kept glancing sidelong at him.

"You're, uh. Just trying to keep me fed?" Richie asked. There was a tone to his voice, almost - lilting, and Shifty suspected he was being teased.

"Well, I also wanted to ask you about something you left at my place," Shifty replied. "It probably fell out of your backpack or something-"

"I'm sorry!" Richie blurted, holding up his sandwich between them like a shield.

Shifty, who hadn't expected such a violent reaction, stood, shocked, until he saw jam leaking from the bottom of Richie's sandwich. He caught the drop before it could hit the floor and licked it off his finger.

When he actually looked back at Richie, Richie was staring at him.

"What?" Shifty demanded.

"You...aren't mad?"

"I don't know," Shifty replied. "I'm not sure what you're apologizing for."

"O - oh." Richie's cheeks flushed as he looked away from Shifty. "I thought you found the. Uh. Pictures."

"The drawings?" Shifty asked, and somehow, Richie's cheeks went redder, his entire posture tensing into something that made it look like he was about to bolt.

"Richie?" Shifty asked, leaning forward, realizing only as he reached out to Richie that he'd dropped back to his natural form, pale, clawed fingers coming to rest on Richie's shoulder.

"I kept some of the photos," Richie said. "The ones you didn't really want the NESB to keep because they were a little…" He trailed off, and Shifty, remembering the discussion and in his natural form, felt his whole body blush, because.

Richie had tried to be professional when taking the pictures, requesting standard, clinical poses, but even so, some of them had ended up looking a little-

Well, like the pinups Boomer had implied Richie kept in his room.

"It just seemed a shame, because they're good pictures, and you look really - you look good in them. I haven't shown them to anybody or anything, but…" He trailed off, staring at his feet, and if Shifty were inclined to hugging anyone besides Buttons, he might have tried to hug Richie to calm him down.

Except while Richie had panicked over the photographs, the mention of drawings seemed to have freaked him out worse.

"Can you maybe tell me what you found?" Richie asked, voice a little reedy. "So I know what I'm freaking out about?"

"It was a notebook," Shifty replied, pulling the book out of his bag and handing it over. "At first I thought it was one of your alien data books, but it was - about me, and sort of...personal?"

"I'm sorry," Richie repeated, snatching the book out of Shifty's hands to clutch it against his chest. "I wasn't like - secretly trying to find a way to hurt you or anything. Obviously, I've been paying attention if there was anything you were allergic to because I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I got you killed because you had a peanut allergy or something."

"You also appear to think it's a tragedy I don't like chocolate," Shifty pointed out, and Richie, who'd seemed to be calming down, flushed ducking his head to hide it behind his notebook.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Don't be," Shifty said, settling against the desk so he could lean closer to Richie, squeeze his shoulder in a way he hoped was reassuring. "I mean, it's a little weird - and it's sort of driving me crazy trying to figure out what it's for-"

"I just wanted to figure you out," Richie said. When Shifty didn't respond immediately, he continued, knuckled still white from the strain of holding onto his notebook. "Like - I thought maybe I didn't understand you because you were an alien, so I started paying attention. Like if you were allergic to anything, or if you're ticklish or sensitive-"

"If I can get sick," Shifty interrupted, bringing Richie up short, quiet as he considered that.

"Yeah. And I didn't really have friends before, so I was also trying to figure out friend stuff, like what you liked, what you didn't-"

"I do like puns," Shifty said. At Richie's slightly shaky stare, he shrugged. "It's fun, playing around with words like that."

"I…" Richie's gaze drifted down to his notebook, one hand twitching; it was almost certain he was fighting the urge to document this new revelation immediately.

"You can write it down," Shifty said gently. "Now that I know it's just you being - observant, I don't mind."

"Oh." Richie set the notebook down and flipped open to the page on which he'd mused on Shifty's sense of humor, making a few notations on it. "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it," Shifty allowed. He eyed his own sandwich, forgotten in Richie's panic, wondering if it was safe to start in on it again. Probably not; this conversation didn't feel over yet. "I liked the drawings of me in the notebook. They're - good." He paused a moment, trying to sort out his thoughts. "I liked the little cartoons."

Richie scowled. "They're dumb. I only drew them because I can't get your face right when I'm drawing it seriously."

"I don't think it's dumb. That smiling face looks like - how I feel when I'm smiling."

"...Oh." Richie closed the notebook, but didn't move after that. "I'm glad. That you aren't upset. I don't want to upset you."

"Hm," Shifty replied. "I don't think you would. Do anything that would upset me." And now that he was...observing, considering facts with an assessing eye, Shifty had a - hypothesis.

Richie had been watching Shifty <I>very</I> closely. He had in his possession photographs they had both decided were a little - much for the scientists at the NESB to see. And there were...drawings, somewhere, that Richie didn't want Shifty to see.

Without his conscious input, Shifty's tail began to swing behind him, a slow horizontal drag that Richie had probably been watching Shifty closely enough to interpret. Shifty leaned over Richie, finding he liked the idea of - testing his hypothesis.

"You've been watching me pretty closely, haven't you?" he asked. And Richie had taken his eyes off of Shifty, because when he looked up, his face paled and he licked his lips, a nervous swipe of his tongue.

"Yeah, but not in a creepy way-"

"It's a little creepy," Shifty pointed out. "I'm pretty sure there's a drawing of the marks just above my tail in there. And I don't have much chance to look at it, but it's a pretty good likeness."

Richie closed his eyes. "Sorry, I-"

"Where did I give you the impression I minded?" Shifty retorted, and Richie's eyes snapped open, jaw dropped, and he just...stared.

"Wha," he croaked out after a few quiet moments.

"It's a little creepy for - professional interest," Shifty continued, as he let his tail continue to sway behind him. "But if it's a more - personal interest." He paused, hoping he hadn't read this embarrassingly wrong, or he'd never be able to face either of the Cunninghams for the rest of his life. And then he leaned down just a little more, so the next words were spoken just next to Richie's ear. "That might be a project worth - exploring."

In Shifty's defense, everything he knew about flirting he'd learned from television, and the "bad boy" type he'd sought to emulate always acted this smooth.

In Richie's (as Shifty learned later), no one had ever hit on him before.

So Richie's startled flailing resulted in a bruised and slightly bloody nose on Shifty's part, and a possibly fatal case of embarrassment and remorse on Richie's, as he sat as far away from Shifty as the couch allowed while Shifty iced his nose.

With Richie licking his (metaphorical) wounds at giving Shifty literal ones, Shifty suspected he would have to speak up if he ever wanted to resolve this.

"I'd sort of like to know," Shifty said, at last. When Richie looked up, his eyes were almost looking wet, just on the edge of tears.

"What?"

"If you're just - looking, or if you. Want," Shifty concluded, finding the words awkward to force out. "Me," he clarified, and he probably shouldn't have, because his face was starting to flush again, which meant it was a matter of time until it encompassed his entire body. "Because if you do, I'd. Apparently, I like smart, sweet guys who care about. Snakes." He wasn't certain how he'd managed to make this sound more awkward than it already was, but. Here they were. Shifty with all of his cards on the table, and Richie.

Staring.

He was used to Richie staring - Richie was the budding xenobiologist, and whether Shifty was in human guise or his natural form or somewhere in between, Richie wanted to see anything he did that was out of the ordinary. But he wasn't used to watching Richie staring, and Shifty suspected if he ever had, they might have had this conversation a while ago.

Because Richie's gaze dragged over Shifty, along the frills on his head and arms, the patterns along his skin, including the heart-shaped one on his forehead, the pointed, inhuman head, and his tail, from the tip to the base, where Richie knew Shifty was - sensitive.

Richie pressed his palm against the end of Shifty's tail, a feather-light touch. And then he trailed his palm along the frills, a lighter touch, if possible, and Shifty shivered. Richie's gaze shot up to meet Shifty's, eyes wavering, wide, afraid.

(Shifty dismissed the thought that Richie was worried what Shifty would do, but that left as the only possible conclusion that Richie was worried for Shifty.)

"Gentler treatment than I'm used to," Shifty said, winking at Richie. "Seeing as I live with a kid with grabby hands." When Richie didn't move, Shifty flicked his tail to brush the end against the back of Richie's hand. "You can keep going."

Richie's gaze shifted from his own hand back to the lazy waving of the tip of Shifty's tail. And the next touch was - firmer, more present, if still tentative. Shifty grinned and twisted around toward the back of the couch so he could provide Richie access to his tail without discomfort, even if he had to crane his neck slightly to watch Richie draw his hand along the frills of Shifty's tail.

It was - intimate, if at the same time a step back from some of the - implications of what they'd been talking about. Still, the slightly dazed expression on Richie's face faded over the course of several minutes, and gave way to something more - analytical.

"So," Richie mused. "There's some. Stuff. We haven't talked about. About your species and. You. And." His voice rose throughout his stuttering statement, until Shifty decided any amusement he took from Richie's slowly-growing discomfort would be cruel and a diversion from Shifty's - well, not ultimate goal, but his most immediate one.

So Shifty tugged his tail from Richie's grip and crawled the short distance that separated their bodies, leaning up just enough to kiss Richie. Just a press of lips, more a statement of intent than anything.

Richie didn't jerk backward - but only just. His cheeks were red, and he was looking at anything but Shifty. "What-"

"You were working your way up to a question," Shifty replied. "I was giving you an answer. As for romance, that's a yes. As for kissing, that's a yes. As for - other concerns, I figure we can...explore that question in further detail if the rest seems to be working out." Shifty smiled, aware the slow, deliberate expression was likely one Richie hadn't seen before, a notion confirmed at the distant, glazed expression on Richie's face (either that or the promise that any forays into more complicated activities would come with the expectation of scientific inquiry and rigor, even if Richie and Shifty were the only people who ever benefited from it).

Shifty leaned back in toward Richie, pausing this time when he was almost close enough to touch. "Soo," he drawled, grinning. "What's the verdict?"

Richie crossed the few remaining inches to press his lips against Shifty's, and then press forward to - experiment, Shifty realized, to observe and detail his findings. Shifty grinned against Richie's mouth at the thought, surging forward to contribute to Richie's obvious desire to explore.

They passed an hour or so that way, before Shifty dropped his head onto Richie's lap, looking up as Richie traced along the marks on Shifty's face, face fixed in concentration, until that concentration faltered and Richie gave Shifty's mouth a strange look.

Shifty smirked. "What's that look for?"

"Your smile is - you're really pretty," Richie stammered.

And Shifty might have - suspected Richie thought that, but hearing it sent a thrill along his spine, and his smile widened. "I guessed," he replied, "seeing how you kept all those photos."

Richie ducked his head away, covering his face with his hands. "Oh god, please don't bring that up. It's embarrassing."

"Is it?" Shifty asked, stretching out (and not failing to notice how Richie's gaze darted toward Shifty's stomach as he did so). "Then maybe we could talk about the drawings that came up earlier."

It would take some time, Shifty suspected, before he got a straight answer about those (even if Richie's embarrassment was incredibly telling about the nature of said drawings). But Shifty was certain enough about his intentions, and Richie's own, not to worry overmuch about it. Richie had better things to occupy his time with, now, anyway.

#fanfiction #fanfic #writing #rockababy #c2ndy2c1d

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basicallywhiterice · 4 years ago

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moonlight (xu minghao)

Genre: Fluff, one scene with angst, college!au, graduation!au, established relationship, moving in together

Summary: Your relationship with Minghao, told through phone calls

Word count: 2k

Warnings: One cuss word I think

a/n: This is lowkey the foil to sunny but the plots are completely unrelated. Happy Minghao day y’all

D-17.

You wake up to a phone call from Minghao.

“Good morning!” he chirps. You respond with a noncommittal grunt. “Aw, baby. Rise and shine!”

“Five more minutes,” you yawn, turning over in your bed.

“C’mon, chop-chop. Get your exams over with! Get that bread, get that head, then leave.”

You still want to go back to sleep, but Minghao’s ridiculousness makes you open your eyes. “You want me to get that head? When you’re a hundred miles away?” Static. “That’s what I thought,” you grin, closing your eyes as another yawn escapes your mouth.

“Hey hey hey, don’t fall asleep on me again. You got this. Turn your camera on!”

“Why?”

“So I can see your beautiful face,” he sing-songs. A grin spreads across your face almost involuntarily—after three years of dating Minghao, simple statements like these never fail to make you happy. It’s because of how genuine he is, you think. He means it from the bottom of his heart. “Plus, you’ll have a harder time falling asleep again.”

“If you insist.” You sit up, turn your camera on, and prop your phone up on your blankets. Minghao pops up on screen a few moments later. “Hey.”

The call freezes for a second, displaying a pixelated jumble of his smiling face, before it resumes to show him blowing a kiss at you. “Hey.”

You blow one back, feeling the sleepiness leave your body. “Mm. Last day of exams. Can’t wait to get this shit over with.”

“That’s the spirit!” His grin is contagious, and you can’t help but break into a smile yourself.

“Thank you for cheering me up, Minghao. You just helped me start my day right.” Minghao’s the more laid-back person in your relationship, but he has no problem being your personal hypeman. He’s good at it, too—he never fails to brighten your day.

“Thank you for overcoming your sleepiness for me, baby.”

“Mhm, just for you. I think I’m gonna take a quick shower before I finish my exams.”

“Can I join?”

“Minghao!” You burst out laughing. Minghao grins.

“Hey, at least you’re fully awake now, right?”

“Oh my god, you dork. Anyways, what are you doing today?”

He explains some of his new designs and marvels at the amount of creative freedom his upcoming project has. Before you know it, it’s 8:28 and Minghao has to leave to catch the metro. You say your goodbyes like normal.

“I love you, Minghao.”

“I love you, y/n.”

You pause before you hit the ‘end call’ button. “I’ll see you soon.”

D-13.

Sometimes, you wonder if suffering through two years of graduate school was worth it.

Then, you remember the job offer you landed a few months ago, and the long hours seem like a small price to pay. Getting a job in New York City is no small task, and your learning through your graduate program certainly helped.

Plus, listening to Minghao get excited about how you’re finally moving in makes the process sound more than worth it, no matter how long it took.

“—so I asked my boss for the afternoon off to pick you up, and she said yes! And I was super happy, and she was super happy that I was happy, you know? She also suggested getting flowers—do you want flowers? I told her you don’t like flowers because they’re impractical, but I can get you a bouquet if you want, if you’ve changed your mind. Or I could get a flowerpot for our apartment. Or do you want a succulent for our apartment? They’re cute—”

“Minghao, calm down. Take a deep breath.” You wait until you hear his exaggerated huffing and puffing, and you smile. Minghao talks a mile a minute when he gets excited, but you love it. “Great. I’d love to get a plant for our apartment. I’m bringing my cactus with me, so we could draw cute faces on the flowerpots and have them be friends.”

“Didn’t you already draw something on your cactus’ pot, though?”

“Yeah, but there’s plenty of space to add on. Wait, let me show you.” You stand, padding toward your window and throwing open the curtains. Outside, the faint streaks of sunset paint the sky, illuminated by the fading glow of daylight. You grab your cactus from the window sill and walk back to your desk, holding it up to your phone.

“Oh, I like all the doodles,” Minghao remarks as you turn your plant this way and that. When you show him the back, where you’ve painted a crescent moon, his eyes soften. “You painted a moon on there.”

When Minghao graduated and left for New York, he promised that he’d always be there for you in spirit. After all, he had said, when you could look up to the same moon he saw, it was almost like he was there with you. “Whenever it’s cloudy at night or when there’s a new moon and I can’t see the moon, I just look at this instead,” you admit, running your finger over the paint.

“God, I’m so in love with you.”

“I know,” you smile softly, looking back up at your phone screen. “That’s exactly how I feel about you.”

“I know.”

Minghao stays on the phone with you for ten more minutes before he hangs up to go grocery shopping.

“I’ll see you soon, Minghao,” you say before you end the call.

Outside, the moon hasn’t risen yet, the sky an inky black. Tonight, though, you don’t need to watch the moon to deal with missing Minghao. Tonight, you sit back, content with waiting thirteen more days to see him.

D-10.

“I’m always so worried that this might be the last time I see my friends,” you whisper into the silence. It’s nearing midnight, but your mind is racing. You just got back from a long dinner with your friends and classmates, which was a fun affair, but now existential dread is creeping up on you.

“I felt the same way when I first graduated,” Minghao admits. You’re Facetiming him again, but your phone lays flat on your bed as you shuffle around, trying to drink in all the details of your room before you have to leave. “I still worry that I’ll never see some of them again. But they’re always one text away, and I make time to see everyone important to me.”

“Yeah. True.” You sigh. “Still, though. I’m gonna miss everyone. I miss you too, you know, even though I’ll be in New York soon.”

“I know. I miss you every day.”

You fall back onto your bed, grabbing your phone and holding it above your face. “I don’t… I don’t want to suffer through missing my friends while knowing that we probably won’t live in the same city again, you know? Missing you is slightly more bearable because I know we’ll end up in the same place, but there’s no guarantee for everyone else.”

“Yeah, and it sucks. But you’ll still be in touch with them, and you’ll make new friends.”

“Yeah.”

In the middle of the night, after you hang up and you’re all alone, you gaze up at the moon for strength.

D-5.

After walking across the stage and throwing your graduation cap in the air, you’re finally free from school. You don’t have much time to talk to Minghao—your day is packed with ceremonies and parties—but he’s just as excited as you are.

“Two years and I’m done!” you half-shout over the chattering in the background.

“I’m so proud of you, baby. Show me your graduation cap!”

You pluck it off your head and hold it in front of you with one hand, rotating it this way and that like a steering wheel. “It’s about the same as the undergraduate cap. I did get this hood, though. It almost feels like a cape.”

“You could be a superhero that has caffeine for blood, or something, and your kryptonite could be history tests.”

“God, don’t remind me of those. I’m free now, remember?”

You talk for a few more minutes before your friends remind you of the graduation party at 4 pm, and you have to hang up to get ready. Before you hang up, Minghao bombards you with reminders of how proud he is, before you finally have to go.

“I’ll see you soon,” he says.

D-1.

“Really? You’re still doing last-minute packing?” Minghao asks as you throw some shoes into your suitcase.

“Shh, I blame you for distracting me with late-night calls.”

“You find me to be distracting?”

You roll your eyes, ducking down to grab your folded towels and plop them on your bed. “Mhm, always have. Don’t get cocky, though.”

He’s smirking when you look back to the phone screen.

“Minghao! I just said not to get cocky.”

“C’mon, let me have this moment.”

You sigh dramatically, glancing around your nearly-empty room and making a mental checklist of things to pack in the morning. “You’ll get to the airport at 2 tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. Terminal C, right?”

“Right. Can’t wait to C you then.” He groans, and you can’t help but prolong the joke. “Get it? C you?”

“I feel so bad for your roommates. I bet you tortured them with constant bad puns during exam season.”

“No comment.”

At 8:21, your roommate Jieqiong starts the last movie night you’ll share together, and you bid Minghao goodbye. Still, you find comfort in the fact that this is the last goodnight you’ll send over Facetime for a long time.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Minghao,” you say, blowing him a kiss.

“See you tomorrow.”

D-Day.

“I just got done picking up my suitcases,” you say, slipping an earbud into your right ear as you drop your phone in your pocket. As you grab the handles of your luggage, you scan the baggage claim area for an exit and start walking toward the sliding doors at the end of the row of conveyors.

“Awesome, I just saw some people walk out,” Minghao says. “I’m here waiting.”

Suddenly, you feel very small as the gravity of the situation weighs on you. Minghao is behind those doors, waiting. You’re about to start a new life together, staying in the same city for the first time in two years. “What if I can’t find you?” you all but whisper, halting your footsteps.

“Then we’ll just keep looking for each other. Take your time, baby.”

“I—yeah, okay.” You will your legs to move again. “Will you stay on the call with me?”

“Of course.”

“Okay.” A comfortable silence falls as you pass the exit checkpoint, stepping out of the sliding doors to the pickup area. “Okay, I just walked outside and—”

And then your gaze falls on a certain young man wearing a top in your favorite shade of light blue. What catches your attention is the poster he’s holding, with ‘my moon’ written on it in loopy handwriting and a cartoon moon doodled next to it.

Your face nearly splits open from how wide your smile is.

“I see you.”

Day 1.

You wake up with your face pressed into Minghao’s chest.

“Good morning,” you whisper. “Are you awake?”

Minghao groans. “Five more minutes,” he mutters. “What time is it?”

You glance around the room until you find his clock on his bedside table. “9:45. We have lots of time before we have to meet my parents for lunch.”

“Mm. Good.” He wraps an arm around your waist. “I’m glad you’re here, sleepyhead.”

You scoot closer. “You’re the one asking for more sleep, mister.”

“You’re the one who’s warm and soft and cuddly. I love you, y/n.”

Closing your eyes, you nuzzle your head into his chest and relax into his embrace. “I love you, Minghao.”

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nameless-shrimp · 3 years ago

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heyo shrimpy!! sorry for the late response,, i got busy with exams lolol first, how are you today? :D Is anything good happening to you? enjoy your vacation btw, i hope you have a lot of fun! ^^ second, hmm finding your artstyle? that sounds even more challenging than improving for me, ngl hh- I don't know why but reading your answer made me think of a chibi dazai eating a nice burger... sounds cute,, I'm sure your drawing turned out amazing :D it's always a bliss noticing your art getting better, makes me want to draw more ^^ somehow, you drawing in a cuter art style makes you more adorable,, lovely doodles filling the empty pages,,,,

imagine dazai catching you doodling him with cute little hearts around the page,, and as his lips curved upwards a mild shade of pink dusts his cheeks, admiring you a little bit more before walking towards you quietly, wrapping his arms around your neck from behind. your frame stilled against his loving embrace, the pencil in your hand dropping on the concrete desk, your lover's lips close to your ears... his warm breath hit the back of your ear, kissing it in the process.

"I didn't know you drew me so much, gioia mia~¹" his sweet, teasing voice gently made its way into your eardrum, with you shivering afterward. his soft, umber locks brushed against your tender skin, the warm temperature his body radiated comforting you. your cheeks were probably red by now, and you were certain he already noticed. after all, when does he not?

clearing your throat, you comfortably positioned yourself, closing your eyelids slowly before speaking.

"u-uh, yeah. I, uhm-"

"and they're so well done, my darling! I assumed you were an artist since you always brought a notebook and pencil with you, even in our workplace, but I didn't expect you to draw me... I am flattered, my belladonna~ your artstyle mirrors the way you are... cute!~" your brain couldn't take in his words, and yours were stuck in your throat. all that was left was a stuttering mess whilst you shakingly turned around, with your lover chuckling at your adorable reaction.

dazai could now definitely see how your cheeks gained color, the redness painting them well. noticing your alerted gaze and trembling, he raised his hand to hold your warm cheek, caressing it with his thumb. although your quivering didn't cease, he took a note of how your eyes widened for a second before calming again. his smile broadened as you leaned into his touch, your timid orbs avoiding his loving ones. unfortunately for you, he had other ideas in mind.

and so, he leaned closer.

your eyes snapped back at him, his nose almost touching yours. a small gasp escaped you as you attempted to form a sentence, but failed to do so. the man in front of you only beamed at your reaction, his heart melting at how adorable and lovely you were. he was truly fortunate to have a loving, caring, understanding partner such as you.

he really loved you and cherished you with all of his soul.

"osamu! y-you're-" and before you could say anything else, the brunette gave you one last loving look before closing his eyes...

and placed his lips against yours.

your eyes bulged out from your sockets as a small shriek left your throat, but was immediately muted by your beloved's kiss. your flustered state couldn't comprehend what was happening, but the warmth of your chest was so overwhelming, you couldn't help but hastily press your lips back against his, tightly closing your eyelids to enjoy the moment more...

smirking, dazai stopped for a brief moment while you whined in protest, but he quickly soothed you while shifting his hands to grip your chair, gently twisting it around. you opened your eyes again to understand what he was doing... and regretted it as soon as you saw his smug look, while he caged you between him and your chair. you glanced around stunned, the dulcet shade of rosé overlapping your already flustered profile. shakingly, you looked up and met his calmer and haughty orbs again, making you gulp as your heart rammed in your chest.

his smooth, defined face was all you could see, and if it wasn't for your panicking mind, you were sure you could observe him for hours. you felt so open under his narrow, shadowy, russet orbs as if you were an interesting book he was very invested in. that fierce, intense way he observed you with, only made you shyer, and you shrank on your chair... which wasn't the best move, you thought, since he cornered you more than before, and all you could do was watch him from below, too red to do or say anything.

his low chuckle reverberated through the room, and a small drop of sweat rushed down your embarrassed face as he towered over you, devouring all of your sweet, lovable expressions. his smirk widened as your pupils shrank, bending down to your level once more. he tremendously wanted to pick you up and place you on the king-sized bed, while you desperately clung onto him and whispered his name, trying to evade his all-seeing gaze... but held himself back to tease you more.

after all, you looked so delicious right now...

"o-osamu..." your needy, wobbly voice brought him back from his little daydream, shaking off any other thoughts he had in mind... all that mattered now was you. humming, he got closer to you, both of your faces millimeters away. if he was trying to kill you, he was doing a great job at it. the smile never left his mouth, and you could feel the confidence seeping through him... his breath hit your lips as he exhaled making you freeze on the spot.

"hmmm? what is it, my dear? do you perhaps need something?" he asked, already knowing what you wanted and needed. but hearing you spell it out for him... it was a bliss.

you nervously exhaled, feeling the warmth in your cheeks rise as if you weren't blushing enough. not brave at all to face him head-on, you fiddled with the hem of your shirt, looking down as you did so. dazai screamed internally at the cuteness with all the courage you had, you shyly told him...

"p-please osamu, i-i need you..." and that was all he needed. chuckling, he stared at you with a wolfish grin, pleased to hear those words coming out of your lips.

"then... let me take care of you, amore mio~²"

your sketchbook was long forgotten that night, but dazai did make you "sing" some sweet songs for him...

¹ = means my joy in Italian, the ask from Sofi sparked something within me 😶 dazai giving you Italian pet names sounds perfect-

² = my love, once again, in Italian- hh

okay i got too carried away 💀 ANYWAY THANKS FOR NOT READING THE ONE I SENT BEFORE HH SORRY AGAIN, PLEASE ENJOY YOUR DAY AND KEEP ON DRAWING UR ART CUTE AF

first of all, my vacation is going well! i enjoyed going out and riding some rides, plus took a nice shower and now i am relaxing in my bed, hehe.

second, it's truly a bliss to see my own artwork improve over time! it makes me extremely happy. also, i love the idea of dazai eating a burger, that's adorable. i have been wanting to doodle dazai a lot lately; probably cause he's just so adorable to me and he's absolutely breathtaking, hehe. it's nice to fill up the empty pages and just letting your mind flow as you draw.

third... OH MY GOD. READING ALL THAT WHEN I WAS IN LINE FOR MY RIDE MADE ME SO FLUSTERED UNDERNEATH MY MASK. AND REREADING IT ALL OVER AGAIN MAKES ME SO ASFJFSOXMSK 😳🥺💘 it was so, so sweet of you to write all that! please, dazai speaking pet names in another language truly sounds like him. not to mention, the fact that he was so flirty and he's such a tease from how you portrayed him, my heart is fluttering. and the very end though. oh my. 🥰🙈 goodness that really made me so blushy, hahaha.

thank you for taking your time to write that. it always warms my heart to read these and wow, omg, you just really wanted to fluster me today, did you? ASHFIAOZNA thank you so much for this. my heart... i have no words. it just made my day so much better too, haha. bless your kind soul, i loved reading it all 😭🤍

#my heart is melting #omg #i can't rn #asks: sweetlebub #dazai fics: sweetlebub

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ibijau · 5 years ago

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Hi I hope you are well! in Worse engagement AU, does NHS ever find out about LXC getting longer-lasting incense, or LQR intentionally failing him his first year in Cloud Recesses? Poor NHS just can't catch a break, and I love the angst

Worst engagement AU

He does! And I may or may not have pushed myself to write nhs failing his year just because of how badly I wanted to write this, ahah.

Set soon after they get married :D

warning for... I guess he’s having a panic attack of sorts?

Unpacking is a terrible chore, worse in some ways than the packing that preceded it, but at least Nie Huaisang gets some help from his...

His face heats up. It's going to take a while to get used to the fact that they're married. It's only been a few days, and half the time it doesn't feel real. Which is the entire reason why Lan Xichen insisted that Nie Huaisang unpacked his things so they could put everything in its proper place and turn the Hanshi into something that's home for both of them. Even more than Nie Huaisang, it's obvious that Lan Xichen can't believe he gets to have this. It shows in the way he looks at Nie Huaisang when he enters the room where he's working, always half surprised to see him there. It shows also in the way he clings to him at night, as if Nie Huaisang might disappear otherwise, or run away, or do whatever other insane thing Lan Xichen might be imagining.

“What are those?” Lan Xichen asks, having opened a chest and found it full of various papers.

Nie Huaisang abandons the books he was trying to organise and comes to sit next to his husband, a little closer than necessary perhaps, but he knows Lan Xichen will appreciate it.

“This... Ah, it's a bit of everything,” Nie Huaisang admits. “Things I’ve done for fun these last few years. Most of it is bad poetry. Some of it about you, actually.”

“Did you?”

“I got very creative with insults at one point. I made Jin... I made someone read them, he found them very funny. Jiang Cheng saw them too, but he made a fuss about me being rude.”

Lan Xichen's smile freezes into that very annoying, very polite expression he has when he's unhappy about something. They usually avoid talking about Jin Zixuan, really, but Nie Huaisang was so taken by nostalgia for a moment that he half forgot. Besides, the poems really were funny.

Still, Nie Huaisang takes pity on Lan Xichen, and quickly digs into the chest to find something that will let him change the conversation. There's some half finished paintings, some calligraphy attempts, even notes from his time as a student and...

“Oh, right, I kept that,” he mutters, grabbing a neat little stack of paper. “That's probably good for a laugh.”

“Poems?”

“Even worse,” Nie Huaisang chuckles. “It's that exam I failed, my first year in the Cloud Recesses. I really thought I'd done great, you know? Well, maybe not great, but decently at least. Heavens, sometimes kids are so stupid they can't even see how stupid they are.”

Lan Xichen tenses next to him, and rather than to laugh along, throws him a concerned look.

“You kept that? Why?”

Nie Huaisang shrugs, grinning, and looks over the failed test. It always just felt like an important reminder that he’d never manage to play by the rules of others. A good chunk of the paper is unreadable because Lan Qiren had crossed over those wrong answers, but suddenly Nie Huaisang feels curious to see if he'd figure out how he got it so wrong.

“May I see?” Lan Xichen asks, his tone almost too careful, as if he fears he might offend.

“Sure, why not,” Nie Huaisang replies, handing him the papers and turning his attention back to the chest. “You know, I think I have a few portraits of you somewhere in there. Let me just find them, I think one at least is pretty good.”

While Lan Xichen deciphers the physical incarnation of all of his failures, Nie Huaisang continues digging into the chest. He does find a few portraits, but not the one he wants. These are doodles of Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, and this he must get rid of discreetly because it's Jin Zixuan, smiling, so Lan Xichen won't like it, and this... well that's a painting of Lan Xichen alright, but he doesn't know how his husband might feel about, ah, imaginative depicting of what Nie Huaisang had once thought their married life might become. Besides, aside from the faces, everything was copied from one of his artful books, so it hardly counts as his own work. And this...

“Huaisang, are you sure this is the test you took back then?” Lan Xichen asks in a strange voice.

“It's not something I'd forget, is it?” Nie Huaisang replies with more bitterness than intended.

He half regrets it when he looks at Lan Xichen. Nie Huaisang almost can't figure what sort of an expression is on his husband's face except that it's an intense, rarely seen one.

Then it hits him.

Lan Xichen is furious.

“If you're having second thoughts because you're realising that I'm really an idiot after all...” Nie Huaisang starts, an old, half forgotten rage and terror already welling in his guts.

“Huaisang, I wouldn't have passed that test.”

Nie Huaisang stares. It's all he can do, when nothing makes sense.

"And I'm not saying I would have failed it when I was the age you were," Lan Xichen continues, blind to Nie Huaisang’s growing panic, his hands clenched on the papers, nearly tearing them apart. "As I am today I would probably not pass this test. The questions are made to look simple and to have easy answers, but they are actually on complicated subjects that only a scholar would know.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Nie Huaisang mumbles, fear still curling in his chest, though a little less tight now. Lan Xichen is angry, but not at him.

Possibly for him.

But it makes no sense, none of this makes sense, because if his exam was really this hard and tricky, then…

“Uncle set you up for failure,” Lan Xichen states, almost a hiss.

Nie Huaisang stares.

This is. This is important. This changes. It just. It changes everything. It should make him angry, and it should make him happy. It should make him feel something, but instead he’s just numb.

It changes everything.

It changes too much.

Nie Huaisang doesn’t even know how to start unpacking everything this discovery means. It’s too much, it’s all at once, it’s the very basis of everything he’s done and felt those last few years being shaken on its foundations so badly that it threatens to crumble.

He can’t breathe.

He can’t think, he can’t breathe, because it’s too much, it’s too much, it’s too much, it’s…

He feels hands on his and that grounds him. One of the hands move to his face, wiping tears he hadn’t realised started flowing down his cheeks, just as he doesn’t know when he closed his eyes. He opens them when a gentle, worried voice calls his name.

“Huaisang,” Lan Xichen whispers. “Huaisang, I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t know.”

Nie Huaisang nods, trying to remember how to breathe. He doesn’t doubt that Lan Xichen didn’t know. Neither of them wanted to be forced to spend time together at that time, Lan Xichen wouldn’t have played along if he’d known, not even for his uncle.

But this is still…

“I didn’t fail,” Nie Huaisang manages to gasp. “I didn’t fail.”

“You didn’t.”

“I’m not stupid.”

He hears Lan Xichen make a noise almost like a wounded animal, feels himself being pulled into a tight hug that he doesn’t, cannot resist.

It’s not.

It’s not that he actually thinks he’s stupid. Nie Huaisang has learned, has accepted, that he’s quite smart, in his own way. He’s good at reading people, and at becoming friends with them, and he knows about literature and poetry and art and, and he’s nearly as good as Jiang Cheng for mixing patterns, and he understands animals and how to tame them. Nie Huaisang is clever, and he’s forced everyone who matters to see how clever he can be, but he knows what some people still say.

Even now, there are some who think that Lan Xichen should be pitied for their marriage. He’s heard them say that Nie Mingjue should have released his sworn brother from that ridiculous engagement, now that there are no Wens left to justify the need for an alliance. That a man as brilliant and respected as the mighty Zewu-Jun deserves a better spouse than that kid who somehow managed to fail when studying in the Cloud Recesses, something nearly unheard of.

But he’s not stupid.

He didn’t fail.

“You’re the smartest person I know,” Lan Xichen whispers against the top of his head, fierce and sincere in a way that Nie Huaisang doesn’t know how to handle. This, also, is too much, but in a way that hurts less. “I will go talk to Uncle. He owes you an apology.”

It’s almost funny. The idea that Lan Qiren might have to say sorry to Nie Huaisang…

Not so long ago, he would have said that it was impossible. He would have suspected that Lan Xichen would never dare confront his uncle, least of all on Nie Huaisang’s behalf. But now, if Lan Xichen says he will obtain an apology for him, his husband believes that he’ll really fight tooth and nail to get it. He’ll probably still fail, because that’s Lan Qiren and he isn’t one to admit mistakes, least of all when he can argue that things turned out fine for Nie Huaisang, but it doesn’t matter. The apology doesn’t matter. What does matter is knowing Lan Xichen is on his side, and the fact that he didn’t actually fail.

“Don’t go now,” Nie Huaisang demands, pressing himself closer to his husband. “I want… stay with me for now? I don’t care, I really don’t care, just stay with me.”

“Anything you want, my love. I wouldn’t have gone until you felt better, don’t worry.”

Nie Huaisang sighs, and closes his eyes again. He’s breathing easier now, the worst of the shock has passed. Later he’ll feel angry, he suspects. Furious even.

Later.

For now he is at relative peace, in his husband’s arms, loved and protected and seen, the way he always wanted to be, even back when he was a child too shy to dare want anything.

The rest doesn’t matter not really, not when he’s proven his worth in spite of what others say, but…

He didn’t fail, and an old wound he didn’t know he still carried stops itching.

#xisang #nie huaisang #lan xichen #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #worst engagement au #yes lxc will have to fucking work hard to get nhs to like him but still #it soothes my soul to write them happy here and there #jau writes #that was a lot of writing today but work really sucked and I needed something GOOD ok?#Anonymous

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ivory-sunflower · 4 years ago

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Arty Art Things ✨

Hellooo!

I've decided to post some of the arty things I've done either recently or in the last few years, well the pieces I'm somewhat proud of at least. All my posts tend to be a lot more wordy than they need to be but hey it's what I do here!

Conchúr White

Anyone one who's been on this blog for a bit will have probably have seen me talk about this lovely Irish fella. The pencil drawing is actually a year old as of yesterday, I only know that because screenshots of me flipping out about Conchúr following me on twitter popped up in my memories yesterday. I think I'd sent it to him at about 3 in the morning (I was not in a good head space at that point in time), so probably not what he was expecting to see when he opened his phone in the morning aha

The biro version is much more recent: I got bored while sat at my desk and doing research about university courses, saw a biro, saw my old drawing of Conchúr, had an idea. I revisited my GCSE art techniques and here we are. Again, I put this up on Twitter and now (at the the time I'm writing this) when you google "Conchúr White" it's the third top image of him which is a bit mad really. I think I spent all of about 20 minutes on Conchúr but another 45 minutes on the words behind him. The words are the names of the songs on his EP 'Bikini Crops', he doesn't just really love the idea of Channing Tatum driving him around at night in a daisy print bikini... Well maybe he does but what he does in his spare time is none of my business...

TechDif

So I mentioned that the pencil drawing of Conchúr came from a rough patch in my mental health and this one is no different! In fact this one came from an even worse circumstance so we love to see it. I had a bad, bad time in July and this started as a way of distracting myself from what was going on in my head. Without it, I can't honestly say I'd still be here so even if the final product of this had been a terrible mess I would still love it for keeping me alive. However, it did not turn out to be a terrible mess!

Now that the origin of this is out the way, where do I start with TechDif? Unlike Conchúr, I haven't really talked about them on here (unless you count one brief post about Citation Needed) before so I guess I'll do it here. The Technical Difficulties are a wonderful group of 4 British fellas who have had their fair share of fun online and even before. They did a radio show at university together, which went on to become their Reverse Trivia Podcast, later moving on to a panel show called 'Citation Needed': and a game called 'Two of These People Are Lying'. All of which I would thoroughly reccomend, they're one of my go to things when I'm having a rough time. All 4 of them are excellent! Tom Scott (red top, blue jeans on the picture) has his own YouTube channel which does content aside from TechDif. If you're quite nerdy and like science, linguistics, computers, or any number of other things you may enjoy Tom's channel. He is probably best described as "The Moderator" of the group, much like a tired teacher he tries desperately to keep everyone on track with what they're meant to be doing, but usually it does not end well for him. Then we have Matt Gray (space top, holding an ice cream) who also has a channel away from TechDif stuff, he does techy electronic things and has a series called 'Will it Soft Serve?' where he puts all kinds of strange things through a soft serve machine. Matt brings a very specific energy to TechDif and I can't fully describe what that vibe is but I love it. Matt and Tom also share a YouTube channel where TOTPAL is posted and they had a series called 'The Park Bench'. Moving on to everybody's favourite Gary Brannan: Gary Brannan (SATIRE hoodie, glasses) and can I just say, what a fella he is! He's just excellent! He is the one that will argue and rip into Tom the most (not in a malicious way) and hilarity ensues. There are some episodes where he is absolutely on it, getting all the points and others where he very clearly has no idea and that's where some of his funniest quotes come from. Given how badly I was doing at the time I made this, his response to it on Twitter was so so lovely. I specifically remember one tweet where he said I'd made him happy and although it was probably a flippant comment, it just made feel alright for a bit. Yeah I might be feeling awful right now, but I've made someone else happy so that's a nice feeling. Then last but certainly not least, we have Chris Joel (buffalo check shirt, beard)! I would be lying if I said he isn’t my favourite... His sense of humor is the one I vibe with most, he can get rather dramatic in parts and can chat bollocks like a champion. He has absolutely no online presence away from TechDif and, like Rens from Temples, I fully believe he’s a cryptid and lives off in a tree somewhere.

The picture took me about 4 days to complete, well 4 nights because I did most of it between the hours of 12 a.m. and 7a.m. - I remember watching the sun come through my window each morning. It’s made up of lots of little pieces, all cut out and stuck on; even the sky and hills are made of separate pieces of paper. Nothing was actually drawn on the piece of paper it’s all stuck on, it’s not how I usually do things but if I messed up one little but I could just redraw it rather than ruining the whole thing. The most tedious parts to make were Chris’ shirt because I had to draw each square individually and then join the as well, and cutting out the ban-hammer in the bottom right was surprisingly hard. Every single detail of the picture is a reference to the podcast/shows, I still have the plan sketch and reference list knocking about somewhere. I listened to a lot of true crime videos while making it to the point that certain parts remind me of different cases: the brandy now reminds me of Peter Tobin, and the big spiral thing reminds me of Tim McLean (very harrowing case) - sorry that fact is a bit morbid but interesting nonetheless.

I did post this for a little bit back in July, but I received some rather awful messages so I took it down. Generally, Tom Scott/TechDif fans are lovely but there’s been a few that have taken a disliking to me for some reason so I’m hoping they don’t resurface again. I’m in a better head space now though, so even if they do I’m more equipped to deal with it this time.

Hozier

This was a quick sketch I did in April, I was getting bored with lockdown and decided to summon the bog man himself. There’s not really much more backstory than that, no poor mental health story, no fun twitter story - he’s just here. He’s vibing. I will say I’m particularly proud of his nose, I just think it’s one of the best noses I’ve ever drawn. His hand is okay, but I think that the hands on my Conchúr drawings are better. So there is the Hozi-Boi...

The Corpse Bry

I’ve talked about Bry on here before as well, I love him, he’s excellent, top lad. He is a living Tim Burton character, he’s 6′6, very skinny, and his legs are longer than my will to live. I was watching ‘The Corpse Bride’ a few weeks ago and suddenly had an idea and so ‘The Corpse Bry’ came to be. I gave him a little panda friend because the panda has always been his animal - he used to wear a panda beanie all the time and his album had a panda on the cover. Again, there’s not really a fun story behind this one, I guess it’s somewhat fun because it’s the first art I made after finishing my psychology exams in October so it was nice to actually have the time to draw.

James Bagshaw

Ginger talking about Temples for the third post in a row? it’s more likely than you think! I did this one last week, I’d had a bit of a wobbly day and had group therapy on Teams in the evening and I just couldn’t concentrate on what was going on and I ended up doodling Mr James E. Bagshaw, the glitter crying fraggle man himself. It’s a bare-bones drawing that I could definitely work into more but I’m happy with it as it is to be honest. I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit and add the individual bits of fringe to his jacket, just thinking about doing that makes me tired. Maybe I’ll get around to drawing the whole band at some point...

Alice in “Wonderland”

This one is from about 5(?) years ago, it’s not my typical style and was a “study” based on another artists work (basically i just had to copy this fellas work). I’ll be honest, this one has a sketchy backstory that I won’t go in to because it’s not exactly a nice one, and because of that I also won’t say who the artist is that it’s based on. Despite this, I’m still really proud of this one and I’m so sad that I never got this piece back after I got taken out the class. I’ve considered trying this style again, I’ve even joked about doing another Conchúr drawing in this style as a nod to my progression through GCSE art, eventually leading to Conchúr drawn in ink on music manuscript and stained with neon paint and dyes - it would be quite the project!

So this has been quite a lengthy post so apologies about that but life goes on. Similar to the vinyl post, I’ll probably add to this as and when I make more art. Even if no one is reading these posts, I’m enjoying making them so that’s the main thing. It’s just nice to document things and the feelings that go with them. 💕

~ Love Ginger xx

29/11/2020

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cinnaminsvga · 6 years ago

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Wish on a Fish | Namjoon

→ summary: namjoon’s got fish-shaped pastries on the brain, and you’ve got namjoon-shaped space in your heart. you both learn to make do. → genre: fluff, humor → words: 3.9K → a/n: i had this in my wips since october 2018 and i decided to finish it because it’s loving namjoon hours (but when is it not?) also this was inspired by this galaxy brain quote from the man himself: “ain’t no fish inside”

“Y/N has a crush on you.”

The owner of the voice giggles when Namjoon lifts his head up in confusion, a sticky note with various mathematical equations hanging precariously from his forehead. An unflattering doodle of what appears to be a worm with Yoongi’s face has imprinted itself like a makeshift tattoo from where his cheek had rested upon his notebook. None of that information explains what year he has woken up in, what dimensions he has slipped into, nor why Hoseok has decided to tell him this very unlikely factoid when he was clearly busy with his guilt nap.

[guilt nap (n.) when Namjoon has kept his eyes open for an extended amount of time, to the point where colors start making noise and numbers start looking like letters, so he sleeps in various public places to reboot his brain; hardly ever works but he still tries.]

“Whuzzat?” Namjoon asks, verbose. The sticky note is on its last dredges of stickiness, and Hoseok watches it flop down from its perch and into his friend’s agape mouth. Hoseok plucks it away kindly, but Namjoon doesn’t even seem to have noticed its disappearance.

“You look like shit,” Hoseok replies instead, pulling a chair beside Namjoon and carefully pushing aside what appears to be a glass of curdled milk. Hoseok’s nose crinkles in disgust. “Dude. Was this the milk tea from free Boba Tuesday?”

“Yeah?” Namjoon blinks owlishly. It appears that his brain hasn’t fully awakened yet, because he goes to grab the cup and bring it to his lips when Hoseok saves him by plucking the offending object out of his hands too.

“Namjoon. Free Boba Tuesday was three days ago. It’s Friday evening. This is three-day-old milk tea.”

“No way. You’re kidding,” Namjoon says, peering into the cup and making a startled face at the solidified mass. He jiggles it in wonder, beholding in its jelliness. “Wow. Do you think I could donate this to the bio labs? I heard they were looking for more e. coli samples.”

“Why the fuck would this have e. coli in it? Unless you took a shit in—“ Hoseok begins, but clamps his mouth shut when it looks like Namjoon is about to defend himself. He backtracks, “You know what? I don’t want to know.”

“Why are you here again?” Namjoon grumbles, trying to salvage his crumpled notes by smoothing them with his hands. He rips one of them in half, and he gazes at the mess with the eyes of a defeated man. He sighs. “Look, I’m really busy right now. I don’t have time to get roasted AND study for finals at the same time. You’re gonna have to schedule an appointment with me.”

“As much as I enjoy making fun of your poor hygiene and self-care skills, I have a reason for being here. Like I just said, I came here to tell you that Y/N has a crush on you,” Hoseok repeats, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Heard her talking about you in the labs this morning.”

Namjoon stares at him. Hoseok watches in worry as his friend’s irises start to become unfocused slightly.

“Dude,” Hoseok says, waving a hand in front of him. “Did you hear what I said?” Namjoon thankfully blinks back.

“Yeah. Okay, thanks.” Namjoon finally says, before grabbing his notebook to see where he left off. He doesn’t notice that his notes are upside down when he begins to write gibberish that must only make sense to him. Hoseok thinks he can see the word ‘churros’ somewhere in there, but he isn’t 100% certain.

Namjoon continues, “Do you think the cafeteria is still open at this hour? I don’t think I’ve drunk water in two days.”

“Okay, thanks? That’s all you have to say to my jawdropping discovery?” Hoseok exclaims, pinching Namjoon’s cheek. The Yoongi doodle on his cheek smudges from his fingers, making him appear even wormier than before. “Y/N is in your Chemistry class, right? The one with the serial killer professor?”

“Yeah,” Namjoon hums, scratching out the word ‘churro’ and replacing it with ‘grilled cheese’ instead. The amount of concentration on his face is disconcerting, to say the least. It looks like he’s writing down a grocery list beside his calculus homework. “Professor Kang isn’t a serial killer, by the way. He’s just stressed.”

Hoseok gives his friend a once-over, disbelieving. “Yeah, I can see why you’d defend him. Takes one to know one,” he snorts, grimacing at the pit stains lining his friend’s gray shirt. “Honestly, Y/N must be a serial killer herself if she thinks you’re worth any sort of attraction. You smell like the market, dude.”

“Speaking of, do you know what I want from the market right now?” Namjoon drops his pen, leaving an unfinished doodle of another portrait of wormy Yoongi screaming in terror under the heat of a magnifying glass. Hoseok reminds himself to tell his hyung to lock his doors later that evening.

“Uhh… No?”

“Those silly fish cake things, with the red bean,” Namjoon murmurs, determination set in his jaw. He stands up suddenly, slamming his notebooks closed and stuffing them into his backpack. In his hurry, he knocks over the cup of curdled milk tea all over the library floor, and Hoseok half-expects it to start melting the carpet like acid. “It’s funny though, because why the hell would they shape them like that? Ain’t no fish inside… Why would they try to deceive us like that?”

“Dude, you okay?” Hoseok asks, slightly worried for his friend but not worried enough to feel bothered to stop him from potentially running into oncoming traffic.

“Need a snack. Be back,” Namjoon says, rushing out of the library in a speed uncanny for the long-legged man. Hoseok watches as he reaches the front entrance of the library exit, before he inadvertently stops in his tracks, and looks back at the still seated Hoseok.

Hoseok raises a brow. “You forgetting something?”

Namjoon opens his mouth. Closes it. Scrunches up his face like he’s just released a fart. Then, “Hey. I just rhymed. That’s cool,” he says in awe of himself, before finally making his way out of the library without waving goodbye.

Left behind to contemplate his friend choices, Hoseok heaves a heavy sigh, staring forlornly at the abandoned doodle of worm Yoongi. He shakes his head, defeated. “I tried, Y/N. I really did.”

——***——

Namjoon makes his way to the market, after a quick stop to his apartment for a change of clothes. He had only thought to change when a woman and her young daughter had taken one sniff from his general direction and ran quickly into a nearby shop to avoid his cloying stench. He at least had the decency to give the duo a sheepish look before scuttling off to his apartment in embarrassment.

Now slightly better smelling but not any less sleep-deprived, Namjoon enters the nearby open market with an agenda. He passes numerous food stalls, almost being tempted by the loud aunties to buy every single food product that he can fit into his ink-stained hands. He can’t afford to settle for any other sugary product, not when he already has his eye on the main prize.

His torment does not last long because over in the corner of the street where a long line has formed, he sees the sign for freshly cooked bungeoppang.

He hurries over, almost tripping over his own feet when he makes it to the end of the line. For whatever reason, the entirety of Seoul has also decided that they’d also like to eat some bungeoppang today as the line was over 30 people long. Namjoon glances at his watch, seeing that he only has 5 hours left until his next final and he desperately needs to finish revising the last chapter of his notes.

He sees the stall for hotteok close by where the line is significantly shorter. He’s partially debating on switching lanes and settling for his second favorite treat when he sees a familiar head of hair standing by the bungeoppang stall, seemingly debating the same thing as himself.

It’s you.

“Damn, what a line…” Namjoon hears you say to yourself, gazing longingly at the piping hot red bean goodness. Shaking your head, you sigh deeply, ready to leave bungeoppang-less. You’re just about to walk out of sight from Namjoon when he finally thinks to call out to you in greeting.

“Y/N! Over here!” He calls out, and he wonders if you’ll hear him over the sound of the crowd. Surprisingly, you turn around swiftly at the sound of his voice, able to pinpoint his hoarse voice anytime and anywhere. Your cheeks darken when you see him, apparently blind to the fact that he did not look the least bit decent with his dark eyebags and the telltale sign of dried drool on the side of his cheek. To you, he’ll always look gorgeous, even underneath the dingy fluorescent lights of the night market.

“Namjoon? What a coincidence to see you here!” You greet back, walking towards him with a skip in your step. To the chagrin of the five other people behind Namjoon, you insert yourself beside him and into the line for the bungeoppang. Namjoon doesn’t seem to mind, but that could also be the fact that his brain was running on 2 hours of sleep and three cans of energy drinks, but who can say?

“Same here. Are you here for a pre-exam snack too?”

“Sorta,” you hum, smiling. “I was about to ditch this place for the kimbap place near the Arts building because of this line, but then I saw you here so I guess I’ll brave the wait time with you.”

“Oh, sorry to interrupt you from your plans, then.” Namjoon sounds genuinely remorseful, and you have to force yourself not to coo at his crestfallen face. “I just wanted to say hello, you know?”

“It’s no problem, really. I really did have a craving for some bungeoppang, so it’s not like I’m losing anything. Besides, I miss talking to you, so it’s no big deal,” you say the last part quietly, eyes turning downwards in embarrassment. “It’s just… I haven’t seen you in so long.”

However, you’re not really embarrassed––not quite. It is well known around your circle of friends that you have a massive crush on the Biochemistry major, much to the confusion of everyone who knows you. Not to say that Namjoon was terrible, but when you stop to think about how… out of it he was, it’s kind of hard to imagine why you would want to pursue a relationship with him. Dozens of people have already tried their hand at confessing to him, but to no avail. The dude is as dense as a rock, and perhaps that is part of the appeal to you. You always have been a bit of a morosexual.

Besides, you have an advantage: you’re blinded by a misplaced determination for all things Kim Namjoon. In your eyes, all it takes is a few psychological tricks to get his head out of his ass, and you are set for life. If treating Namjoon like a psychology experiment seems unethical to others, well. Let’s just see who is crying when you eventually snatch his heart and win his hand.

If Hoseok had promised his end of the deal, you know that he’s planted the seed in Namjoon already. Assuming things are going according to plan, then Hoseok should have told him about your not-so-secret crush on him, so Namjoon should be aware of your attraction to him. At a glance, Namjoon doesn’t seem to be treating you any differently, but that could just be his way of being polite. Or, you know. He could also be an idiot. Passing him at the market only means another opportunity for you to butter him up and make him yours.

“I miss talking to you too,” Namjoon replies, dimples showing from how hard he’s smiling. You feel your heart jump up to your throat and fall back down to your ass.

“Really? Could’ve sworn that you’ve been avoiding me. Haven’t seen you in two weeks!” you say accusingly, both as a joke but also for real. The hurt is probably evident on your face, even to the likes of Namjoon.

He pouts ruefully at you. “Aw, you know I don’t mean to. I have six finals this term, and I’m terribly behind because of all the extra-curriculars I’ve had to take. You know I could never avoid you on purpose,” he says, brows furrowed in concern. If that isn’t enough, he pulls the rug from under you by brushing a stray strand of hair away from your eyes and tucks it gently behind your ear.

Unbeknownst to the lanky brunette, his words and actions have caused you to start combusting on the inside with unbridled endearment. How the actual fuck could he say that shit with a straight face? And to your weak and fragile heart? Right in front of your bungeoppang? The nerve of this guy! There’s no way that your feelings aren’t unreciprocated––your plan must have worked!

You take a shaky breath, gathering your thoughts. As much as his words seem like an indication of his feelings, you have to make sure. You didn’t survive all these years as one of your university’s top student researchers without knowing the importance of testing your hypothesis. You need to run some tests first before coming to a conclusion.

“Speaking of avoiding friends… I haven’t seen Hoseok in a while. I miss hanging out with him and Yoongi,” you say as nonchalantly as you can, observing Namjoon from the corner of your eye. Namjoon nods in agreement, stepping forward as the line begins to shorten bit by bit. You can almost see the vendor flipping the cakes in their flat iron griddles from where you stand.

“Me too. I saw Hoseok just a few minutes ago before I left to go here. Haven’t seen Yoongi since that party at Seokjin’s, but that’s about it.”

“Oh? You just saw Hoseok? Did he say anything… in particular?” you ask. You feel sweat beginning to build along your palms, and you have to grasp the ends of your sweater to keep yourself from fidgeting. You wait with bated breath as the boy thinks of a response.

“Yeah actually. He mentioned something about you too––wait, hold that thought,” Namjoon stops himself, and you only realize then that you’ve arrived at the front of the line. He turns to you expectantly. “You wanna order first?”

“Huh?” You stare at him dumbfoundedly, your brain fighting to catch up with your surroundings. It isn’t until you hear the irritated sounds of the impatient customers behind you that you manage to snap out of your trance. “Oh. Right. Yeah, I just want one original flavor please.”

“I’ll have three,” Namjoon says, and neither you nor the vendor says anything about the amount he has ordered. Who was anyone to judge him and his fondness for fish-shaped pastries?

Just as you are about to hand over your own payment to the saleslady, Namjoon shoves a bill over yours, nudging your hands away. You squawk indignantly, your protests bubbling underneath your tongue before he gives you a firm look.

“No buts. I’m paying this time as an apology for ignoring you over school,” he says, grinning. You hear the vendor giggle at the two of you, remarking how cute the two of you are. “Thanks,” Namjoon replies, leaving the change for the auntie as a tip. The flush enveloping your face refuses to die, even as the two of you exit the market together.

“You really didn’t have to pay for me,” you mutter, nibbling the treat and letting the warmth envelope you in the cold weather. When you glance at him, you see Namjoon take a huge bite of his first fish cake, cheeks bulging in what most might have found unattractive. You, on the other hand, have to keep yourself from swooning in delight.

“Of course I did,” Namjoon says, or at least, he tries to. He speaks with his mouth full, but luckily you’ve lived with rambunctious males all your life and have learned the fine art of deciphering words even with chunks of food in the way. He successfully swallows the pastry down thickly, and you have to stop yourself from ogling his throat for too long. “You’re my friend, and I care about all of my friends.”

At his innocent admission, your mood is shot down almost immediately, the icy feeling of disappointment running down your back. You’re just his friend, your brain echoes unhelpfully. Your excitement a while ago had been premature––he had only said those sweet words as a friend. At that realization, you drop your gaze down to the pavement, unwilling to show him your sorrow.

Namjoon slows in his walk, noticing your sulking almost immediately. “Hey, you alright?” he asks, patting your back as the two of you stop at a crosswalk. You force yourself not to flinch at his touch.

“Um. I’m fine. Sorry, I just started thinking about the final I have tomorrow,” you lie, keeping your voice steady. The fact that your plan had failed before it even had the chance to begin makes you wonder why you had even thought you would be able to get Namjoon to like you back in the first place. What is the point, when others have tried before you and have failed miserably? What makes you special?

It’s hard to let go though, not with how gentle and kind his touch is as he smooths his hand over your shoulders, rubbing gently. It’s hard to not fall in love with this gigantic dork, with his wire-framed glasses and his ill-fitting flannel shirt. Hell, even the stupid doodle of Yoongi as a worm on his cheek is cute as fuck. Everything about this stupidly endearing genius makes you want to try and try again, even if failure is just around the corner.

Maybe the biggest idiot at the end of the day is yourself. Love really does make all of us stupid, and you are just another victim of one of Cupid’s arrows. That bow-wielding diaper-wearing man can kiss your ass, you surmise.

“Finals suck, but I know you can do it,” Namjoon says with painfully genuine confidence. You ignore the way your heart seizes, biting the head of your fish cake with much more force than necessary.

The two of you cross the street in silence, your forearms touching occasionally as you get closer to the library. You know that Namjoon is probably going to head back there, so you’re about to say your goodbyes and run to your dorm and sing along to some sad Adele songs when Namjoon’s voice stops you once more.

“Hey. I forgot to say a while ago, but I was just about to tell you about Hoseok before we got our bungeoppang,” he says.

You freeze immediately. In those crummy k-dramas, this is always where the girl gets her heartbroken, you realize. Under the streetlamps of a cool spring evening, with no one else in sight. Just you, him, and the remains of your dignity all over the floor.

You brace yourself for the inevitable rejection that you are sure that will follow. You grit your teeth, already rehearsing the jokes you’ll have to say to numb the incoming pain. You’ll have to pretend that everything Hoseok said was just a stupid rumor, that there is no way that you could ever have a crush on him. The both of you will laugh, with him unaware of the way your heart has begun to crumble into tiny pieces with every huff of air you inhale in his presence. You ready yourself, and you tell yourself that you’ll get over it.

But the rejection doesn’t come. Instead, you’re hit by a freight train.

Namjoon is totally serious when he says, “Hoseok told me it was Friday today and that Free Boba Tuesday was three days ago, but I checked my watch and it says it’s February 20, which is a Wednesday. Do you think he was messing with me?”

You gawk at him. You clear your throat. “I-I’m sorry, but what?”

“I’m not crazy, right?” Namjoon pulls out his phone, showing you the home screen where it clearly says the supposed date today. He points at it, finger trembling with an inordinate amount of vigor. “Am I blind? That says February 20!”

Your heart, which once was ready to burst, slowly reassembles itself with frightening speed when you finish processing his words. No, it is not because you have been reinvigorated with the hope of possibly having your attraction reciprocated, but rather, because you can’t believe you have ever decided to give your heart away to a man who didn’t even know that today was, in fact, April 5. Oh my god.

There is absolutely no need to fear that Namjoon might be swept away by someone else, because only you would be dumb enough to have a crush on someone so absolutely, mind-bendingly, idiotic as him.

“Namjoon?”

“Yeah?” he looks at quizzically, neck tinted a soft pink from the cold. The soft glow of the streetlamps gives him a soft halo as he proceeds to stuff his mouth with a large bite of bungeoppang. He smiles through the fullness of his cheeks, dimples ever-present and endearing as they always have been.

Your mouth opens, then closes. Your resolve to confess to him has long since dissipated, but your adoration for him does not waver in the slightest. All you feel is fatigue and a dire need to snuggle into your warmest blankets and dream about fish pastries and a lanky, bespectacled man. Pursuing Namjoon can wait another day, maybe when both of you are a bit more lucid and free from all your pressing assessments. For now…

“Namjoon, I want you to go home and take some rest, okay? If I hear from Hoseok or anyone that you’re still cooped up in that library, I’ll ban you from bungeoppang for the rest of the semester, is that clear?” Your voice is authoritative, but the tenderness in the way you caress his cheek gives you away. Namjoon swallows his bite, blinking owlishly at your sudden display of gentleness.

“O...okay?”

“Good,” you nod firmly, patting his cheek once more and swiping away some stray red bean on his lips. Your fingers burn where they touch him. You step away from him, heading towards the opposite direction. “See you soon, Joon?”

“Y-yeah?” Namjoon stutters out, still at a loss from your odd behavior. “See you, Y/N.”

When you are nothing but a speck of blue amidst a sea of darkness, Namjoon brings a hand to where your fingers had brushed his lips, tapping against it thoughtfully as he stares after where you had been moments ago.

He smiles to himself, shaking his head. “Nice rhyme,” he chuckles, walking away from the library and towards his own apartment. Even with his mind still foggy with math equations and chemistry nomenclature, his heart still manages to do a flip at the thought of seeing you again soon.

Only two finals away.

#btsguild #networkbangtan #bangtanarmynet #bts scenarios #namjoon x reader #bts x reader #bts fanfiction #bts #bts imagines #bts fluff #kim namjoon #namjoon scenarios #namjoon imagines #namjoon fluff #bangtan #bts fanfic

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study-van · 5 years ago

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Get to know me tag

I was tagged by the lovely @myhoneststudyblr, thank you sophie💕

what is your name?

Yasemin (it’s actually my second name but I’ve been using that since I started high school)

what year are you?

I just graduated from high school and this October I’m starting my first year of med school!!

what are you studying?

This summer, my main goal is mandarin but I’ve also been revising for le pass, the first year of med school which is cut throat

after graduation, what’s next?

After finishing med school (which will honestly take years) I’ll have to pass exams for specialization, currently my main interest is in cardiovascular surgery or plastic surgery

are you a morning or night person?

It really depends on my schedule but I prefer completing things in the morning

front/back/middle of the class?

Fun fact, I’m 176cm so I always sat at the back of the class to not obscure people’s vision but I was that annoying kid who answered everything from back

best feedback from a teacher/professor?

God there are so many but I think it might be last summer, at a summer camp when the course teacher (a lad with an actual PhD in biophysics specifically working on evolutionary biophysics) complimented me on my theories about how the difference between our biological and social evolution is causing health problems in modern world. It was really interesting for me bc I don’t really discuss what has always been on my mind but he sat there with me for a whole afternoon+dinner and listened to me and gave me so many good ideas on how to expand my theories and what I can do to prove them/solve them (all hypothetically though)

best study tips?

Experiment with different styles of studying if something does not work for you. Also for me I like write cheat sheets for studying, on just one page so the essential info always stays.

3 fun facts:

1. I joke about not being able to draw on here and my doodles are generally horrendous but I’ve won several art contests and before high school my middle school art teacher, an american man named Jessi (legit was my favorite teacher) sent me to an art academy in Brooklyn that summer. (Yeah I was going to an american middle school where most of my teachers were native English speakers thus my level of English bc french schools don’t teach you English)

2. On the topic of art before seventh grade, I always thought I’d be an artist and my parents were really excited for it. Then I went to a science festival thing with school (they took the kids with highest grades in science) in Edinburgh and we had this surgery simulation, no other girl except for me partook in it. It was such a fun experience that I fell in love with medical world.

3. So I was one of those “gifted” kids when I was young reading books constantly. My mom apparently once counted all the books I’ve read and the highest amount of books I’ve read in a year is 243. (Now I struggle with reading 60 books a year)

I tag: @collegewithme @jeonchemstudy @summit-studies @pandastudies @venustudy @philology-studies @studylikeara @sweetstudymine

#tagged #tag game #obviously no pne is obligated to do it!!!

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pentakillmaven · 6 years ago

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The Nose Knows, Chapter 2 (NaNoWriMo 2018)

I was able to finish the chapter earlier than I expected! Enjoy!

Chapter Rating: T

Chapter warnings: Canon-typical violence, mild language, more gratuitous usage of French language and the French education system. Mild spoilers for the the season 2 episode “Troublemaker.”

Chapter 2

Monday dawned bright and early, as it was wont to do; the halls and classrooms of Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier were buzzing with activity. Some students feverishly scribbled the last bits of their weekend assignments, while others caught up with their friends after the weekend before making their way to their respective classrooms.

Marinette walked into her classroom, waving at Nathaniel and Mylène. "Good morning!" she said as she took her seat.

"Good morning, Marinette!" Mylène replied. "How was your Sunday?" Mylène and Ivan had been at the movies with the rest of the group on Saturday. The two had continued to date all through high school, and according to Mylène, they were looking at finding a university they could attend together.

"Ugh, crazy busy," Marinette replied. "I was working until nearly midnight on the Philosophy project for M. Leroux. I had a hard time staying awake; Aristotle is such a bore."

"Yeah, I had to do mine on Socrates, so I feel your pain. At least they're done, though, right?"

"Exactly. And this week should be easy since we have the practice tests for the Bac next week." Marinette sighed and leaned her head on her arms on top of her desk, closing her eyes in an attempt to catch one more wink of sleep before class started.

However, she quickly perked up when she heard a familiar male voice at the doorway. Lifting her head, she smiled when she saw her desk partner saying goodbye to his girlfriend with a quick peck before he stepped into the classroom. "Hey Marinette! Alya wanted me to give this to you." Nino approached their desk and handed Marinette a flash drive with a white and orange color scheme before taking his seat.

"Oh, this must be the notes I asked for! Thanks, Nino, I really appreciate you bringing them."

"No problem, dude!"

Nino, Nathaniel, and Mylène were the only students from her class at Françoise Dupont that had joined her in the Literature track at Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier. Thankfully, some of her other friends were in the school with her, just taking different classes. Adrien, Alya, and Ivan were in the Economics and Social Sciences track, while Alix and Rose were in the Science track. The rest of their group of friends had gone on to other high schools throughout the city--Chloé, for instance, was at a prestigious private school full of international students, where she got to rub elbows with the children of ambassadors and celebrities. Max had gone off to a feeder school for one of the most illustrious engineering universities in the country, planning to go into computer science, while Kim, Sabrina, and Juleka were at another local public school. Marc Anciel, Nathaniel's boyfriend, was also at Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier, but as he was a year behind them, he and Nathaniel didn't share any classes.

"So Marinette," Nathaniel asked from his seat behind the pig-tailed girl. "With the Bac practice tests next week, do you have any study plans this upcoming weekend? Rose and Alix are coming over on Saturday afternoon after class, you're welcome to come if you want."

"Thanks for the offer, Nathaniel, but I've already got study plans with Alya and Nino. We're making a full day of it at my place on Sunday. Right, Nino?"

Nino nodded in agreement. "Yep! I'm bringing the tunes, Alya's bringing the drinks, and you're providing the snacks. And if Adrien can get away from his dad, he said he'd like to come too, if that's okay."

"Oh, y-yeah, that's fine!" Marinette's voice broke a bit as she replied, a hint of a blush crossing her cheeks. Even after actively trying to get over Adrien by dating Juleka’s brother Luka (which made her realize that the two of them were definitely better suited as friends than in a relationship), she still had feelings for the blond. She might have outgrown the worst of her obsessive crush on the model, but now her feelings were deeper, especially as the two had finally been able to become real friends. Clearing her throat, she continued, "Of course Adrien is welcome to come. I can't imagine he's going to have any problems with the Bac, though, he's so smart."

Nino just shrugged. "I dunno, Marinette, he seemed pretty nervous about it when he asked me to ask you if he could come. He's probably more stressed out about it than he lets on, especially with how busy his schedule's been lately."

"That's fair. I know his dad has been pulling him out of school more recently for work. I'm just glad Alya shares classes with him so she's been able to help him keep up with his assignments and class notes."

"Don't I know it. It seems like every day the two of them are talking about school stuff and she's constantly giving him files. If I didn't know any better I'd think the two of them were planning something behind my back."

Before Marinette had a chance to reply, the History teacher stepped in to start class. Despite her best efforts to force herself to pay attention, Marinette found herself leaning her head on one hand, the other doodling idly in the corner of her paper as her mind wandered. It had been a while since Adrien had been to her house-- she actually couldn't think of any time since collège, when he came over to practice playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III for the video game tournament. (Though he did see her bedroom during the whole Jagged Stone/Troublemaker incident, but that didn't count since he wasn't technically there for it.) When Alya came over to her place to hang out, they usually spent most of the time in her bedroom, but there wasn't exactly a lot of sitting space for four up there. And if they were going to have their books and study materials spread out, the dining room table or living room would make a lot more sense. However, being in a common area would mean more distractions from her mother--or, Lord forbid, her father, as nosy as he was--especially if Adrien did come to the study party. On the other hand, being downstairs would lead to far fewer questions about what they were getting up to, and would make them all more accountable to actually studying for the Bac rather than just goofing off…

A sudden elbow to her ribs caused Marinette to jump, looking around quickly. "Huh?"

"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, did you hear me?" Marinette flushed as she realized her teacher had been speaking to her.

"I'm very sorry, Mme. Chevalier… could you repeat that?"

The History teacher pursed her lips together as she stood at the chalkboard, obviously displeased with Marinette's lack of attention. "If you aren't going to listen to me, you may step outside until the end of class. And no getting notes from any other students," she added with a glare in Nino's direction.

"I'll pay attention, Mme. Chevalier. Again, I am very sorry." Marinette couldn't feel any worse if she tried. She knew that it was a very important time for her to be on top of her studies, as the practice exams were coming up and the Baccalauréat was the one thing that could make or break her chances of getting into university to study fashion design.

"Very well then. Could you explain the reasoning behind Napoléon Bonaparte's decision to invade the Russian empire in 1812?"

"Bonaparte had two goals for the Russian campaign: firstly, his official reasoning for the invasion was that he wanted to liberate Poland from the Russians. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, he wanted to force Tsar Nicholas I to stop trading with the British, which violated the Continental Blockade."

"That's correct." Mme. Chevalier continued on with her lesson on the Russian Campaign, but once again Marinette found she couldn't keep her attention on the teacher despite her best efforts. It came as a blessing when the class period ended without her being called upon again.

"Thank God for free periods," Marinette said as she and Nino left the classroom. "I'm going to go hunt down Alya before next period. You have fun in Music Theory!"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Nino deadpanned. "M. Berlioz has us doing oral presentations this week since the Bac practice tests are all written."

"Ouch. Well, good luck with it!"

"Thanks, Marinette. See you in Philosophy class!"

Marinette ducked into a nearby bathroom on her way to find Alya, waiting for the other girls to filter out before she was left alone as the next class period started. Once Marinette was sure she had the room to herself, she opened her purse to let Tikki out. "Tikki, did you hear what Nino said? Adrien wants to come over to my house on Sunday!"

"That's great, Marinette! I'm sure the four of you will have a lot of fun studying for your test!" Tikki smiled at her holder. "Just make sure you leave me some cookies!"

"Of course," Marinette said with a grin. "In fact, before they come over I'll make sure to bring some up to you, fresh out of the oven."

"Oh, Marinette, that's so nice of you to offer!" Tikki giggled.

Marinette opened her mouth to say something else when a sudden rumble shook the school. "An Akuma? But there hasn't been one in weeks…"

Tikki zipped into Marinette's purse. "You'd better go out and double check. You don't want to transform if it's nothing, but better to be safe than sorry."

Marinette nodded. "You're right." Closing her purse to hide her Kwami, Marinette pushed the door to her stall open, but before she could get out of the bathroom, another sudden shock wave rocked the school, knocking her off her feet and sending her careening head-first into a porcelain sink.

Hearing the thud, Tikki cried out, "Marinette? What happened?" When her holder didn't answer, Tikki phased through the purse. She gasped when she saw Marinette's lifeless body. "Oh no! Marinette, wake up!" She flew up to Marinette's head, checking for her pulse and looking for any signs of injury. There was a bump rapidly coming up on her forehead, but no blood, and her pulse was strong. Unfortunately, with Marinette being unconscious, there was no way for her to call on Tikki's power to transform.

Another rumble shook the school once again, this time accompanied by screams and a roar of pain and anger. Tikki partially phased through the bathroom door to peek outside, seeing a large, hulking form covered in what appeared to be gemstones. "I am Gemocide! Bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir, or I'll turn the whole school into crystals and crush them into dust!" the Akuma cried out.

Past the Akuma, on the other side of the school courtyard, a blonde and a brunette were sneaking away from their classroom, ducking underneath windows to avoid being spotted by anyone inside the other classes. "Come on, Alya, you know it's not safe!" Adrien hissed, following his best friend's headstrong girlfriend as she tried to get closer to the Akuma, cell phone in hand.

"Look, Adrien, you don't have to follow me if you don't want to. I'm going to get this scoop for the Ladyblog! This is the first Akuma we've had in weeks!" Alya gave Adrien her patented "just-try-to-stop-me" look as she crept closer to the courtyard.

Shaking his head, Adrien let Alya get a few steps ahead of him before he ducked down an empty hallway that led to a supply closet. He opened the closet door as quietly as possible in an effort not to catch Alya's attention. As soon as the door was shut behind him, Plagg zipped out of his shirt pocket. "It's about time! I was starting to get really bored," Plagg complained.

"Quit your belly-aching," Adrien muttered. "Plagg, claws out!"

Moments later, after a flash of green light, Chat Noir popped out of the supply closet, launching himself toward the main area of the school. However, before he could even get out of the hallway, he was stopped short by the sight of a tiny red creature with black spots floating in the air in front of him. He felt an odd sense of recognition when he saw the thing, the smell of warm cookies and sugary sweets filling his nostrils. It took him a moment to realize why it looked so familiar.

"You're Ladybug's Kwami, right? What are you doing here? Where is she?"

The tiny pixie-like creature nodded in confirmation. "Yes, my name is Tikki. Ladybug will be here shortly, but I found a student that needs help. She's in danger!"

"All right, I'm here. Lead the way!" Tikki flew back down the way she came, Chat loping along on all fours in an effort to keep up with the surprisingly speedy Kwami. When they came to the women's restroom, Chat stopped just outside the doorway. "Um, Tikki, I don't know if you know this, but I'm not allowed to go in there…"

"I think in this situation it's okay for a superhero to go into the girl's bathroom!" Tikki said, crossing her arms over her chest. "The girl in here is one of Ladybug's close friends and she needs your help!"

"All right! All right, I'm going." Adrien pushed the door open, his eyes darting around but mostly staying near the ceiling until he confirmed that there wasn't anyone screaming at him to get out. When he looked down, he gasped at the sight of Marinette lying unconscious on the floor, a nasty-looking goose egg bruising on her forehead. "Oh god! Marinette!"

"You know her?" Tikki asked curiously.

"Y-yeah, I've-- I mean, there was that incident with the Evillustrator a few years ago, and I've seen her a few times since then…" Chat was thankful that his mask hid his cheeks, otherwise he knew they would be as red as Tikki's skin. He was not going to admit to Ladybug's Kwami how often he stopped by Marinette's balcony just to check in on her. "What happened?"

"It looks like she hit her head while she was in here, probably from the initial tremors from the Akuma. You need to get her out of here before it destroys the whole school! It seems really angry about something here specifically."

"You're right about that. I heard what the Akuma said. It's not likely to leave here any time soon, so I can get Marinette to safety and then come back and keep it busy until Ladybug gets here."

Tikki nodded. "That sounds like a good plan. If Ladybug shows up while you're gone, I'll be sure to tell her where you are."

"Thanks. Her house isn't far from here, so I'm just going to take her straight there and come back." Tikki nodded again in confirmation. "Stand back-- or, well, float back, I guess?" Adrien gently picked up Marinette in his arms before carrying her toward the window. With a cry of "Cataclysm!" he melted the window, giving him a clear exit to get out of the school as quickly as possible. In his focus on getting Marinette out safely, he didn't notice Tikki phasing back through Marinette's purse, returning to her usual hiding spot.

Traveling by rooftop, it took Chat barely two minutes to make it to Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. He landed smoothly on Marinette's balcony, tugging open the trapdoor, which was thankfully unlocked-- he didn't have another charge of his Cataclysm to open it if it had been barred from the inside. He shifted Marinette's body in his arms to get her inside, settling her down on her bed before gently tracing a clawed hand over her face. "I'm just trying to get a better look at her injury," he muttered, as if trying to convince himself that his motives for touching her were entirely pure and not at all driven by his crush.

"Mm… Ad...en..." Marinette let out a soft, pained moan, shifting slightly on the bed, making Chat jump in surprise. Did she just say my name? he thought to himself. His eyes darted around, as if expecting someone to be watching; thankfully, it seemed the coast was clear.

He hopped down out of the loft, digging around on her desk for a pen and paper. He found a piece of drawing paper and a green pen, tracing out a rather crude paw print shape to let Marinette know that he had been the one to bring her home. He climbed back up into the loft, tucking the paper into Marinette's hand, giving her one last quick check to make sure there wasn't anything more serious wrong with her. "You'll feel better once Ladybug's magic has done its work, Princess," he murmured to her. Biting his lip, he reached for her other hand to bring it to his lips… only to be reminded of his imminent de-transformation by an incessant beeping. "Shit." Chat reached up to pull himself out of the skylight, practically flying up onto the roof to release his transformation. "Plagg, claws in."

When Plagg had re-materialized in front of Adrien, he looked angry. "Where are we? Why aren't we fighting the Akuma?"

"Look, Ladybug's Kwami found me"--

"Tikki was at your school? Why wasn't she with Ladybug?"

"She said Ladybug was on her way, but Marinette was hurt, I couldn't just leave her lying in the bathroom unconscious!"

"So you abandoned the Akuma to save your girlfriend?" Plagg accused, crossing his arms in frustration

Adrien had the decency to blush at that. "She's not… Tikki asked me to save Marinette, okay? She told me that Marinette and Ladybug were close friends and that Ladybug would want me to make sure Marinette was safe."

"That… okay, yeah, that sounds like something Tikki would say. She's always been a bleeding heart."

Adrien pulled a piece of Camembert out of his pocket, handing it to Plagg to recharge his power. "Just eat quick so we can go back to school and take care of that Akuma, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell me one thing, kid."

"What is it?"

"Did you feel her up?"

"Oh god-- Plagg, no!" Adrien's face practically went up in flames from his embarrassment. "She's unconscious! I wouldn't do that to her! It wouldn't be right!"

Plagg just gave Adrien a shit-eating grin before eating the piece of stinky cheese. Within moments, Adrien called out his transformation phrase again and Chat Noir was off toward Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier.

Down in Marinette's bedroom, the young woman slowly came to consciousness, groaning in pain as she realized her head was throbbing. "What… what hit me?" she mumbled, squinting and rubbing her forehead. She hissed at the tenderness of the goose egg just along her hairline.

"You fell and hit your head on a bathroom sink at school," Tikki explained, floating just inches from Marinette's face. "Luckily, Chat Noir showed up and he was able to bring you home. I made sure the skylight was unlocked so he could get you inside."

"Chat… Noir? He came into my room? Wait, he saw you? Did he"-- Tikki shushed Marinette before she could freak out too much.

"No, no, he doesn't know you're Ladybug. I told him that Ladybug was on her way and would be at the school soon, though, so he's going to be looking for you. We need to hurry."

"Tikki, I don't think I can fight in this condition. My head is killing me-- and if I passed out, what if I have a concussion?" Marinette lifted both of her hands to rub at her face, only to realize she was clutching a piece of paper in one hand. Looking down at it, she saw a green paw print along with a short note:

You're safe, Princess. Feel better! --C.N.

Marinette flushed red and quickly tucked the piece of paper under her blanket. Nope, not thinking about that right now. She looked up, realizing Tikki was speaking to her, and flushed even more. "Sorry, Tikki, I didn't quite catch that, what did you say?"

"I said, when you transform, the magic will temporarily heal your head, so you will be able to fight. And then your Lucky Charm should do the job permanently, since the injury happened after Hawk Moth created the Akuma."

"Oh! Well, that's a relief. All right then, Tikki, spots on!" Tikki was sucked into Marinette's earrings as she transformed into Ladybug, dashing up onto her roof and swinging her way back to school.

When she dropped onto the roof of the lycée, Ladybug saw Chat Noir dodging blows from an absolutely massive, hulking figure coated with what appeared to be large chunks of raw diamond. As if drawn to Ladybug by some mysterious force, Chat looked up at her, his face breaking out in a wide grin. "There you are, Bugaboo! I was getting worried that you were going to stand me up!"

"I'm sorry, Chaton, I got a little tied up," Ladybug said with a grin, launching her yo-yo at the villain in an effort to restrain him. Rather than winding around him, however, the Akumatized villain grabbed onto the string, pulling Ladybug off the roof toward him instead. Chat launched into action at that moment, distracting the villain with his baton to give Ladybug a chance to land properly and retract her yo-yo. The baton seemed to do nothing against the Akuma's crystalline armor, but the blow did at least distract him long enough to allow Chat and Ladybug to meet up on the ground.

"You seem to be in a paw-fully good mood today, My Lady, if you're cracking jokes like that," Chat commented as the two of them launched into a synchronized attack. Within just a few minutes, the two were on opposite sides of the Akuma, hedging him in and keeping him from escaping past the boundaries of the courtyard.

"I'm just glad to get to spread my wings a bit, you know?" Ladybug replied. "So where do you think the Akuma is at?"

"Right under his head, there's a crystal that's a different color from the rest. It kind of looks like a bow tie?"

"I see it. Lucky Charm!" Throwing her yo-yo high in the air, she was rewarded with a crossbow loaded with a flat-headed bolt. Looking around in confusion, she realized that there was a high ledge that would give her a clean shot at knocking that particular crystal off of the Akuma's body, as long as… "Chat, keep him busy!" Ladybug launched herself into the air using her yo-yo before her partner could respond.

"Of course, Bugaboo!" Chat said, turning his attention fully back to Gemocide. "Now then, it's just you and me, buddy…"

It took Ladybug a minute to figure out how to use the crossbow and another to line everything up properly. She took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth, waiting for just the right moment… there! She squeezed the trigger between breaths; luckily, the bolt fired true, the wide, flat head managing to hit the crystal bow tie just so to send it flying into the air.

"NO!!!" Gemocide screamed as Chat scooped up the piece of crystal. "Give that back! If you don't give that back right now, I'll kill you and take your Miraculous!"

"Cataclysm!" A moment later, a dark butterfly fluttered out of the broken gemstone. Ladybug, who had jumped back down to ground level, swiped at it with her yo-yo, capturing it and purifying it.

"Bye bye, petit papillon," she said as she released the purified butterfly. She tossed the crossbow into the air with a cry of "Miraculous Ladybug!" Within moments, the magical swarm of ladybugs had set everything to rights, repairing the damage to the school and restoring the poor man's bow tie to its proper place at his neck.

"Are you all right, sir?" Ladybug asked the gentleman, a rather scrawny looking fellow with curly hair and over-sized glasses.

"O-oh, yes, I'm fine… thank you for that, I'm so embarrassed…" He looked down, twiddling his thumbs, not wanting to meet Ladybug's eyes.

"If you don't mind us asking, what happened?" Chat asked.

"W-well, you see, I'm a geologist, and, I applied for a job at this school, but I was turned down after my interview... "

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Ladybug said, placing a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. "But I'm sure that if you keep looking, you'll find the right job for you soon!"

"Y-you're right… I just get so nervous… at job interviews… and then I m-mess up… my words…"

Ladybug couldn't help but feel bad for the man. "I know how you feel… Sometimes, you can never figure out the right words to say, and you end up tripping over your own tongue, right?"

"Y-yes! Exactly! How did you overcome your problem?"

"Well… honestly, I still struggle with it sometimes. I just had to remind myself to stay calm, slow down, and not let my mouth move faster than my brain. Writing down what you want to say beforehand helps, too, if you can do that."

"I'll have to remember that." Now that he was relaxing a bit, the man was speaking much more easily. He even smiled at the two teenage superheroes. "Thank you again. You two should get going, though; the police will be here any minute, I'm sure."

"You're right." As if on cue, Chat and Ladybug's Miraculous both beeped in warning. The two of them made their way up onto the roof, planning to depart in opposite directions; but before they could leave, Chat called out, "What really took you, Bugaboo?"

"I had a personal matter I needed to take care of, Chat. Unlike you, I don't lose my Miraculous." Chat flushed at the memory of what Plagg had told him in the aftermath of the Style Queen incident, how he'd used that excuse to explain why Chat couldn't help fight the Akuma. For some reason, he had a sinking feeling in his gut, like Ladybug wasn't telling him the whole truth; but he couldn't very well call her on it without any proof, so he held his tongue for the moment.

"By the way…" Ladybug continued, "thank you for saving Marinette. Tikki told me what you did."

"Of course, My Lady. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine! It was my purr-leasure to be of assistance." He gave Ladybug a grand, sweeping bow, earning a giggle and a soft smile in response. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a very hungry Kwami to take care of. Adieu, My Bugaboo!"

"Adieu, Chaton," Ladybug replied warmly before the two of them went their separate ways.

Both of them ducked into alleyways on opposite sides of the school to de-transform, neither of them the wiser of just how close they were to discovering each other's biggest secrets.

As soon as Marinette made it back into the school and found her class, Nino wrapped his arms around her in a panic. "Marinette! What happened? No one could find you! Someone said they saw you in the bathroom, but there was no trace of you. I texted Alya to see if you were with her but she said she had no idea where you were and you weren't answering your phone. We were freaking out!"

"Sorry Nino! I wasn't feeling well, so I actually went home during my free period… I heard there was an Akuma though!"

"Yeah, it was crazy. He kinda reminded me of"--

Marinette cut him off, replying, "Stoneheart, right? When Ivan was Akumatized?"

"Yeah! The big rock dude! How did you know?" Nino asked.

"O-oh, I just, you know, heard people in the halls talking about it! They said he was covered in crystals or something?"

"Yeah, and he was huge! Like, easily ten feet tall." Nino reached high above his head, waving his hand in an effort to express the comparative size of the villain.

"Wow, that's crazy! I'm glad Ladybug and Chat Noir were able to stop him."

"Definitely." Nino nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around Marinette from behind and a cheek mashed against the back of her head. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Don't scare me like that!" Alya cried out.

"Alya, I'm fine. I wasn't even here for the Akuma attack. I had a free period and I wasn't feeling well so I went home for a bit to rest."

"Oh. Well, you should have told me you were leaving, girl! Then I wouldn't have worried about you."

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Adrien said, walking up behind Alya.

"Yeah, much better actually! I think I just needed a little nap, that's all," Marinette said, plastering a weak smile on her face. "Adrien, did you see the Akuma?"

"Actually, I kinda ended up hiding in a supply closet," he replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I was going to follow Alya, but I chickened out…"

"That's probably for the best, dude," Nino pointed out. "You know how your dad gets when you're around Akumas."

"Yeah, fair. Hopefully he won't threaten to make me transfer schools again…" Adrien grimaced at the memory of how three Akumas attacked the school within a week last year and his dad threatened to pull him out if the headmaster didn't do something to improve the negative attitudes of the students and staff.

"Well, just tell him that you kept yourself safe, and that should be fine, right?" Marinette asked.

"Hopefully.. We'll see though. Anyway, we should all be getting back to class."

"Yeah… I'm glad you're all okay," Marinette said, giving Adrien in particular a meaningful look.

"You too, Marinette. I hope you feel better the rest of the day."

"I'll talk to you later, girl!" Alya said. "See you at lunch!"

"See you!" Marinette turned to Nino. "Shall we head on to the dreaded Philosophy class?"

"Yeah, I guess so. God, I'm ready for this class to be over for the year. M. Leroux is a total asswipe."

"Me too!"

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and cat noir #nanowrimo #nanowrimo 2018 #ml #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #marichat #ladrien #ladynoir #adrinette #djwifi

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teresa60521-blog · 6 years ago

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chapter 5: week 12

Summer break was right around the corner and Uraraka was ready to finally lay down and relax. No more worrying about passing written exams, no more worrying about passing physical exams. Just her, her bed or her couch, a nice cup of juice and fun anime to watch. Or manga to read. Uraraka was going to be spending her break doing one of those two things. It was going to be glorious.

There was also the possibility of hanging out with Bakugou, far, far away from everybody else. She didn’t mind being so secretive about it but she did wish they could hold hands in public or he would wrap an arm around her shoulder like he did when they cuddled in bed.

Uraraka would take what she could get though. Anything was better than nothing.

She hummed to herself as she walked down to the classroom for the final day before summer began. They had taken their exams already and had gotten their results and now they just had some finishing touches to do. Uraraka was ready for the easiest day of the term.

The classroom was abuzz as she walked in and took her seat behind Iida. Midoriya was already sitting at his desk and Iida was talking as loudly as ever to him, waving his hands in the choppy way that he did. Bakugou had his feet kicked up onto his own desk across the room with headphones in so he didn’t have to talk to anybody. Kaminari and Mineta were doodling on the chalkboard while Sero kept lookout for Aizawa.

Everything was in place.

(Except the fact that she was pregnant but, you know, happy thoughts.)

“Do you have any summer plans, Ochako-chan?” Tsuyu’s voice came up beside her and Uraraka yelped, almost knocking her things to the floor.

“Tsu, you scared me!” Uraraka laughed and then she shook her head. “Not really. I think I’m just going to use it for training and relaxing.”

“That’s no fun!” Mina slapped her hands on Uraraka’s desk, coming out of nowhere. Uraraka blinked at her in shock. “We’re going to have a girls week at the end of break at Yao-momo’s house!”

“Huh?” Momo turned in her seat to stare at Mina incredulously. “I did not agree to this, Ashido-san….” She eyed Uraraka nervously and Uraraka looked away, almost whistling in innocence. There was still a tension between them as they had not spoken since the incident.

“Aw come on, you have a pool! It’ll be fun, please!”

“You should invite the boys so we can see you guys in bikinis~” Mineta chimed in and everybody glared at him, the small boy shrinking into himself.

Momo sighed. “I suppose I could accomodate you girls .”

“Wahoo!” Mina cheered, Hagakure chiming in, throwing her invisible arms into the air. Uraraka was beginning to sweat thinking about it, knowing she would definitely be showing at that point. She didn’t want to be a party pooper so she didn’t decline right away but even in the future she knew Momo would be relieved that she wouldn’t be showing up to her house. There was an extreme guilt that followed Uraraka around like a sad little cloud about blackmailing and lying to Momo. The raven haired girl was extremely kind and didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Ochako-chan?” Tsuyu asked, pulling Uraraka from her reverie. A bright smile fixed itself onto Uraraka’s face.

“Yes, I promise! I, um, had trouble sleeping last night.” Uraraka lied and looked away, fiddling with her pen. It wasn’t really a lie, she and Bakugou had stopped visiting each other and it was becoming increasingly harder to sleep without his warmth at her side. But she had to get used to it if she was going to spend an entire summer without him.

Tsuyu didn’t look convinced but Aizawa stepped in, in that moment and everybody scrambled to take their seats. Aizawa looked as haggard as ever, gray scarf hanging loosely from around his neck and covering his mouth. Uraraka wondered if he ever slept at night or if the only time he slept was when he would worm into his sleeping bag while other teachers took over lessons of the day.

Aizawa made his morning announcements as he always did and listed the day’s events and what he expected of everyone over the summer. Everybody groaned at the prospect of summer work because what the heck, it was summer . It was the only time of the year that they could really relax. Winter break was always too short and was always busy spent visiting shrines and doing holiday festivities.

“Oh, Uraraka.” Aizawa announced, looking at the brunette in the back of the room. All eyes turned to her and she felt the embarrassment creeping up her neck, choking her like a noose. “Please see me in my office before lunch.” He continued speaking then as if he hadn’t just targeted her in the middle of class. She could still feel the questioning eyes of some of her peers on her and she met Bakugou’s, then Midoriya’s before ducking her head down.

What could Aizawa sensei possibly want to see her for? She wasn’t a bad student, she had good grades, never spoke out in class or talked back to her teachers. She really couldn’t pin what exactly she had done wrong.

Unless…

Uraraka touched her stomach absentmindedly. Could it be that… they knew about her pregnancy? She had told Recovery Girl because she needed some advice and how to go about being healthy while the baby grew inside of her. She didn’t want to rely on the internet when there was a professional who was kind and willing to help her. Was it possible that Recovery Girl had told her teachers?

Who else she told?

Uraraka shook her head and resisted the urge to slap herself in the face to wake her up from her thoughts. No, she wasn’t going to freak out about this right now. She was fine, everything was fine. There was no reason to panic. Her mind continued to buzz all throughout the morning lectures and Uraraka felt increasingly short of breath. The only thoughts that plagued her mind was what Aizawa could possibly want to talk to her about. She had always been a good student, her grades never dropped. She was middle of the pack but that didn’t mean she wasn’t an exemplary student. Had she done something wrong, something that she didn’t know about? She couldn’t think of any other option but the pregnancy.

Uraraka ducked her head, grasping tightly at strands of her hair. Were they going to tell her that she couldn’t partake in the hero course anymore? Would she be moved to general studies? Were they going to tell her parents? Oh god, she didn’t want her parents to find out this way. She didn’t want her parents knowing just yet. Was she even clear to tell people? There was some myth about luck when it came to telling people in the first trimester.

Uraraka jerked in her seat when the lunch bell rang and she exhaled, grabbing her things. She wanted to be the first from the classroom but she couldn’t escape the taunts of her classmates. Kaminari made some snarky remark about how the good girl was no longer the little angel they thought she was. Kirishima effectively slapped him in the back of the head while Jirou stabbed him with her earphone jack. Thankful that her friends had come to her defense, Uraraka, red faced, practically ran to the teacher’s lounge where Aizawa was staring blankly at his computer.

“Um, Aizawa sensei…” Uraraka began, shifting in place. “You wanted to see me?”

Aizawa dragged droopy eyes from the computer to look at her. “Ah, yes. Come with me.” He stood, muscles popping as he stretched before slouching over and walking out of the room. Uraraka’s mouth fell open in question but she silently followed him. They walked through the halls without a word and Uraraka avoided the gazes of her classmates that were still making their way to lunch.

They turned the corner and Aizawa knocked on a large wooden door. Uraraka’s eyes widened as she recognized that it was the principal’s office. Aizawa opened the door moments later and ushered Uraraka inside, stepping in behind her.

“Uraraka Ochako!” Mr. Principal cheered in the gentle voice that he always sported. Uraraka bowed respectfully and took a seat when she was told. “It is lovely to see you sweetheart.”

“U-Um, likewise, Mr. Principal…” She glanced at him nervously and then cast a wary look at Aizawa, who sat beside her on the couch. Aizawa offered no help, looking like he might go to sleep rather than pay attention to what was going to occur in this meeting.

“Now, I know you might be worried about why I called you in here but no need to fret, everything is alright!” The lilt in his voice said otherwise but Uraraka swallowed down her complaints. “It has been brought to my attention, Uraraka-chan, that you have become pregnant! How far along are you?”

“T-Twelve weeks.” Uraraka’s voice was small. Her fears were confirmed; the principal knew, Aizawa sensei knew, the whole staff probably knew. She hoped that it didn’t leak to her classmates. She hadn’t thought that far ahead in what she would do. She close her eyes and just tried to focus on the principal’s words.

“That is very exciting!” Mr. Principal sang. “But, you know, you are a very rare case in this country, Uraraka-chan. Teen pregnancy only has a rate of 4% and we do not treat it very lightly. In all of my years here at Yuuei Academy I can say that I have never had to deal with such a case before! I would have to unfortunately blame the dorms here, they do promote a lot of fraternizing and we may have to amp up some security.” He grinned over at Aizawa who only huffed in acknowledgement.

“Now, you are an exemplary student here at Yuuei Academy, Uraraka-chan, and we are offering you your seat in the top class when you return to school. But I must ask-”

“When I return to school?” Uraraka interrupted, confused. Was… was she being asked to leave ?

“But I must ask,” Mr. Principal continued over her, the grit in his teeth prominent. He was still smiling though, “that you leave and do not come back for the remainder of this school year. We can send you your school work and accommodate the fact that you are pregnant. But we cannot ask you to stay, as it would prove to be bad for our reputation.”

“How so, Mr. Principal?” Anger slowly trickled into her veins and her head began to feel light. She tried not to snap but the rubber band was being stretched more and more.

“Well, I’m afraid some of the parents who allow their children to stay here will view the dorms as a breeding ground for their children. If you’re pregnant then somebody else might see it fit to be pregnant themselves.”

“I didn’t ask to be pregnant. It was an accident!” Uraraka’s voice rose and Aizawa placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. It was a quiet plea to lower her voice. They all knew what the principal was like when his temper was tested.

“I know but you know how parents are!” Mr. Principal jumped down from his seat to pour himself some more tea. “We have already contacted your parents to come pick you up and gather all of your things. We are giving you the option to come back for one day after break to tell the class that you won’t be returning but otherwise, you must not come back. We don’t want you to fall behind, Uraraka-chan, so we will do everything possible to see that you’re right on track! You already have a temporary license so you are fit for hero work already.”

“This isn’t fair.” Uraraka argued, eyes welling with tears.

Mr. Principal tutted and then took a sip of his tea. “I am very sorry, Uraraka-chan but I cannot offer any other options. We cannot have a pregnant student being a liability to our hero course. And we are looking out for your wellbeing. How are you supposed to partake in the heroics course with a swollen belly! You have to look after a child now. Unless you want to get an abortion, then by all means you will be welcomed back. But otherwise, we cannot let you stay.”

Uraraka’s mind was running at a mile a second. They had notified her parents and she was being forced to leave the school unless she got an abortion. That thought alone scared her. After seeing her child, though it was just a circle of cells and didn’t have any human features at the moment, she couldn’t do it. She spent so much time thinking about this potential baby that she felt a connection with it and that scared her even more than an abortion.

“I… I understand Mr. Principal.” She sucked down the wetness in her voice and stood, bowing. “May I be excused now?”

“You may. Good luck in the future, Uraraka-chan!” Mr. Principal called as she darted from the room. It was the last knife that was shoved into her back. She felt sick and she hid in the bathroom, locking a stall door behind her as she sat on the toilet. She dropped her bag to the floor and placed her head in her hands, the tears flowing freely.

She was being kicked out of school all because of a mistake that was not entirely her fault. She wanted to curse Bakugou to hell and back but… she couldn’t. This was her mess now and she had to face the consequences. Did she want to bring shame to the school? No. Did she think the principal was being extreme? Yes, yes she did. But she would go quietly and then she would come back as if nothing happened, no matter happened between now and then.

The biggest things would be telling Bakugou, her parents, and her classmates. It was nerve wracking. Her parents already knew it seemed, although the school could have just told them that she was being kicked out and left Uraraka to do the dirty work. She didn’t know how they’d react or if they’d even help her; they were pressed tight for cash already.

The whole reason Uraraka wanted to be a hero was to help her parents make money. Was this baby worth messing up her life plans? The principal had offered her, her seat back but it wouldn’t be the same. She would be behind in the heroics course and would have to work extra hard in order to be on par with everybody else.

Uraraka sniffed and wiped her eyes. She couldn’t spend the entire lunch crying in the bathroom and she needed to eat. She had to be brave. But this was scary, scarier than when they got attacked by the League of Villains (both times) back in her first year. No amount of villain break-ins could prepare her for pregnancy.

Uraraka splashed some cold water on her face and squared her shoulders, staring at her reflection for a moment. She understood why people said that pregnant women glowed; it seemed as if all of her acne had vanished. She didn’t have much to begin with but now her skin was ultra clear. One thing she could thankful for she guessed. She took a deep breath before stepping out into the empty hall and rushing towards the cafeteria. She found her usual table and sat in the seat.

“Uraraka-san!” Midoriya almost choked on his water saying her name and Uraraka laughed lightly.

“I’m sorry to scare you, Deku-kun!”

“N-No it’s okay!” Midoriya wiped his mouth and his eyes were wide, eager to know why she had been called down. Everybody at the table was eying her the same way.

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” Uraraka mumbled and opened her bento box, shoving food into her mouth so she wouldn’t have to elaborate. Everybody shrunk in defeat but let her beat, chatting away as they finished their meals. Midoriya and Tsuyu eyed her suspiciously, detecting that something was off. But they let her be.

It wasn’t until the end of the day when class was already out for summer and her classmates were laughing joyously around her in the dorms that she was cornered.

“What’d that rat face want?” Bakugou slid into her room as she was packing some things. Uraraka jumped and dropped the picture frame in her hand onto the mattress. It bounced to the edge but didn’t fall off.

“He’s not a rat, he’s a bear.” Uraraka said calmly and Bakugou only shrugged, leaning against the door.

“So?”

“So, I don’t want to talk about it.” Uraraka shoved more things into a box. She figured she would be allowed to come back and get the rest of her things during the new term.

“Don’t be like that.” Bakugou grumbled.

Uraraka turned to face him. “Don’t be like what ?”

“All bitchy.” Bakugou crossed his arms over his chest.

Uraraka narrowed his eyes. “Just because we’re dating doesn’t mean that you get to call me a bitch.”

Bakugou scoffed. “I didn’t call you a bitch, I said you were bitchy. Totally different.”

“Not really.” She closed the box with an angry thud and shoved some more things into her backpack.

“What the fuck ever. I came here to invite you to my house over break.”

Uraraka hesitated a moment before continuing to shove her necessities into a bag. “What for?”

“So you can meet my parents? Isn’t that some shit couples do?” Bakugou’s voice lost the gruffness and took on something more… embarrassed. She turned to him and saw him looking at the wall, avoiding eye contact.

“Aw, you want me to meet your parents?” Uraraka teased, anger slowly fading.

Bakugou scowled. “I told my mom about you and now she won’t stop nagging me about inviting you over for dinner. Said it’s the ‘right thing to do’ or some shit. And now my old man is starting to bug me too. So you better come over so they’ll get off my ass.”

“Does this mean I get to see your baby pictures?” Uraraka grinned and Bakugou glared.

“Hell no. You’re not going anywhere near my baby pictures.” Bakugou sized her up as she grew closer, only to peck him on the cheek.

“Aw come on, you don’t want to show me all the pictures from when you were happy and not a brat?”

“You know what, forget I said anything, you and my mom would get along great and I don’t need that.”

“Nope, you already invited me so I will definitely be over!” Uraraka giggled. The pregnancy was out of her head for a moment and her irritated attitude was gone. But then her phone chimed and her father had sent her a dull message about him being there to pick her up. Her mood plummeted once more and soon she was rushing to gather her things.

“Do you need help?” Bakugou offered and any other time she would’ve teased him, again, but now she just wanted to get out of his sight.

“Nope, I’m fine! I’ll see you over break, Katsuki.” She rushed out of the dorms, leaving Bakugou standing there confused as all hell. Upon getting to the car, her parents embraced her with warm smiles and soft kisses to the forehead. Her father’s arms were tight around her as he hugged her. Uraraka thought her heart was going fall out her mouth.

There was nothing said about her pregnancy or her getting kicked out. They only drove her back to the apartment and left her there, not saying a word.

Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad after all.

#bakugou x uraraka

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fluffyseapancakes · 6 years ago

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Good Night Loony

I’m one of those people that see Luna as ace so that’s how I wrote her (sorry not sorry). It’s also meant to be a platonic fic but I don’t mind if you see it as romantic. Also non-tickling because I was too lazy to fit in a tickle scene tbh.

Ginny’s frantically studying for a Potions exam when her best friend Luna shows up looking for a comfortable place to sleep. The youngest Weasley helps her out and keeps her company.

_______________________________________________

Ginny Weasley stared at the Potions textbook and sighed with frustration, she twirled a strand of red hair around the tip of her finger and her foot tapped impatiently on the tiled floor. Usually the silence of the library brought her peace but this time it made the thoughts in her head louder. The thoughts weren’t anything serious, just the usual self-loathing and internally screaming at herself to focus. Mum’s going to be mad if you failed another Potions exam, she lectured at herself.

“What are you reading?”

The sudden voice made Ginny gasp out loud and she turned around, begging that it wasn’t Hermoine Granger. Hermoine was one of her best friends but oh man was she a hopeless tutor. She expected Ginny to learn everything in one explanation and got frustrated when the younger redheaded witch needed more clarification.

Ginny immediately relaxed when she looked into Luna Lovegood’s silvery blue eyes, she smiled at her other best friend and patted the empty seat next to her. Luna faintly smelled like pastries and firewood and Ginny noticed the ends of her long hair was burnt off. Don’t ask her about it, she thought to herself. Sometimes it was best not to question the Ravenclaw because it could end up being a two hour explanation about invisible magical beasts.

“I’m studying for Potions. The last exam didn’t end up so well and mum was furious, the only thing is Snape is completely unpredictable with his exams so I don’t know what to study,” Ginny rubbed her eyes with her hands and looked up at the clock. 2:34 in the morning. “Luna why are you awake this late?”

“Someone in my House hid my mattress and sleeping on the floor was quite uncomfortable so I came here to see if the armchairs were available,” the blonde matter-of-factly explained. She was staring at the ceiling and Ginny once again reminded herself to not ask what she was looking at.

“That’s bloody awful,” Ginny shook her head and wrapped her arm around Luna’s shoulders, she gave her a gentle squeeze, “you need to report that to Professor McGonagall.”

“What for? I think it’s a clever prank,” she smiled with a distant look on her face, “I just hope they bring the mattress back, the Nargles don’t like it when I sleep somewhere else.”

Ginny looked at her best friend in adoration and smiled. Luna Lovegood was a rather peculiar girl but no one could deny the fact that she had a contagious positivity about her. Even when she was getting picked on or Professor Snape sneered at her essays, she always smiled and talked about invisible creatures and other strange topics. At first Ginny thought Luna was bit of a loon, but later as the year went on, she realized the outlandish Ravenclaw was the friend that she needed the most. She learned to laugh more often and keep the adventurous side of her alive, during the summer when classes were let out for the day, she and Luna went running barefoot into the forest and dug into the soft dirt for interesting rocks and flowers. Hermoine disapproved of the dirt that they had tracked back into Hogwarts and they were immediately sent to the baths, but that was the most fun Ginny had in years. Now that it was wintertime, Luna spent most of her time wandering around the castle looking for Nargles, so Ginny mostly hung out with Hermoine. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t bored.

“Yule Ball’s coming up, do you have a date in mind?” Ginny waggled her eyebrows and looked at Luna expectantly.

“I don’t like boys like that,” Luna grabbed a quill from who knows where and started doodling in Ginny’s Potions textbook, “they smell strange.”

“What about girls then?” Ginny watched as her friend drew strange skeletal horses in her textbook, “I don’t think they smell strange.”

Luna smiled softly and shrugged her shoulders, “Lavender said you invite someone that you want to kiss, I don’t fancy kissing anyone.”

“Fair enough,” Ginny closed her textbook in defeat and got up, “let’s find you that armchair. I can keep you company if you want.”

Luna got up and nodded, “I would like that very much.” The youngest Weasely had noticed her friend was barefoot despite it being mid-December and quite chilly.

The pair found a couple of cozy armchairs waiting for them by a fireplace in the back of the library. Ginny took the chair closest to the fire and Luna settled into the one next to it. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while as they listened to the firewood crackle.

“Hey do you want to go to the Yule Ball together?” Ginny finally broke the silence, “not as dates but as friends. That way we can dance with anyone we want without having to kiss them.”

“I would like that very much,” Luna’s sleepy voice answered. Shortly afterwards Ginny heard the familiar soft snoring from her barefoot kooky best friend. She smiled softly and made herself comfortable in her chair, she closed her eyes and whispered.

“Good night Loony.”

#ginnyxluna #harry potter #hp fic #non tickling #ginny weasley #luna lovegood #ginny x luna

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all-the-cliches-lwa · 7 years ago

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So, I played @musician15painter‘s game to take those 9 Dianakko doodles, order them, and then try to tell the story behind them... and I decided that if I was going to play the game and think up the story I may as well try to write the story... and then it got out of hand and hit almost 9000 words... -cough-

They suggested I make it public, and with the game over (and wow was I off LOL) I decided now was the time to do so.

The numbers are in the sections that have the corresponding piece of fanart. It was honestly a whole lot of fun writing this (considering the whole puzzle game aspect, even given how different it is) and I hope you enjoy reading this.

Should totally check the actual answer here btw ahhhhhhhhh.

I’m not sure about summaries, but if I had to come up with something, it starts with one overnight cram session that would inevitably lead to so much more.

Edit: Fanfic.net link here (note, tweaks have been made to both ff.net and here, nothing major though. just correcting a few typos i noticed upon switching) I made it part of distractions cause oh boy did this distract me LOL: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12593389/7/Distractions

"I… I think that's enough studying," Hannah said as she stretched high up into the air, "We should be ready for midterms tomorrow right Barbara?"

"Yeah, probably," Barbara agreed, "We've been in the library for quite some time. I think we'll do just fine."

"And you two are sure you are prepared enough for tomorrow's exam?" Diana asked from across the table. "I would hope that my teammates are in top form."

"We'll be totally fine Diana!" Hannah answered.

"Yeah!" Barbara continued. "After all, who wouldn't be ready after all of the help you were giving us."

Diana smiled seeing Hannah nod in agreement.

"Very well then, I suppose we may retire for the day," Diana said.

With a wave of her wand, Diana quickly returned all of the books the three of them had been using whilst in the library, save for one, which Diana had been reading for leisure towards the end of their study session and was planning to continue reading before bed. Hannah and Barbara had already begun packing up their own belongings, piles of papers shrinking and disappearing into a small pouch.

"Thanks so much for helping us again, Diana!" Barbara said, having already gotten off of her chair and offering a hand to Hannah.

"Yeah! Like, it was such a huge help." Hannah echoed.

The couple walked around to Diana and offered a hand to the heiress, and Diana happily took it.

She then led them out of the library, but not before spotting a familiar brunette topknot drooping sideways, its owner seemingly asleep. Diana also noticed quite a few books had been scattered along the floor around the girl.

It appeared Akko had had a similar idea as they did… though her execution was clearly lacking.

And as they continued to walk towards the exit, Diana's head slowly turned so that her eyes could remain fixated on Akko. Diana even got a glimpse of Akko's adorable face, those round cheeks pressed ever so slightly against the wooden table... the smallest trail of drool dripping from the corner of the girl's mouth leading to a tiny puddle.

Diana couldn't help the way her eyes had focused on the sleeping girl. After all, she had known for years that she was quite infatuated with Akko.

Diana began to feel the faintest blush on her cheeks as she continued to watch the girl sleep. She clutched onto the book she had borrowed ever more tightly against her chest, her heart beginning to tick just a little bit faster.

"Tsk, what does she think she's doing?" Hannah said, her tone clearly unimpressed. "She's never going to pass tomorrow if she just, like, falls asleep."

"… That is certainly true." Diana muttered to herself.

It was around eleven.

Diana could hear the soft snores from her roommates, signaling that they were asleep.

However, just to be sure, Diana slowly inched her head past the corner of her bookshelf. When she saw Hannah and Barbara tucked into their beds, Diana let out a sigh of relief.

Quietly, Diana tiptoed her way across the room and then, very carefully, opened her door. She then closed it with similar caution and cast a spell to lock it.

Diana knew she was breaking curfew doing this. She could, potentially, get into a lot of trouble should she be caught, though she knew she was more likely to be let off with a simple warning, given it would be her first offense.

Still, a blemish on a flawless record.

That being said, there was a much more pressing matter to attend to, that being… Akko.

If Akko was sleeping deeply enough to have drooled so much onto the table… there was a chance that she might still be asleep there now.

And knowing Akko's own tendencies to be caught in compromising circumstances, it was likely more a certainty than a simple chance.

Having memorized the patrol schedule, Diana easily avoided all night patrol members on her way. The moment Diana entered the dark room, she sighed.

Akko was still sleeping, not having moved an inch since she and her team had left hours ago. The witch’s mouth opened and closed as she snored, and the earlier puddle of drool had begun to drip off from the edge of the table.

Diana almost laughed, shaking her head in amusement as she continued to watch drips of drool fall off the table.

… The fact that Diana found that trail of drool more endearing than disgusting worried her.

Diana quickly shook that thought away, the very idea causing heat to rise up her face in embarrassment.

Her helpless crush aside, Diana knew that Akko really shouldn't continue to sleep here. So, she walked up to Akko and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Akko, wake up," Diana called out as she gently shook the girl.

"Five more minuuutes," Akko groaned sleepily.

Diana continued, undeterred, especially when Akko had begun giving her an annoyed pout.

Diana knew if she stopped now, that pout would never let her try again.

Fortunately, Diana's efforts seemed to work. Although it actually took five minutes, Akko seemed to be waking up.

Diana noticed that, as she continued to shake the witch, Akko began to shift on her own, her sleepy groans growing louder and louder until finally.

"Fine! Fine! I'm up. I'm up!" Akko exclaimed as she blinked her eyes open. "Wh-where am I? … And what's…EW! Gross!"

Diana watched in amusement as Akko desperately wiped off the puddle of her drool from the table and off of her face. When Akko fell off of her chair to see her drool had gotten on some of the books, Diana couldn't stop the giggles from escaping her lips.

"Di-Diana?!" Akko yelped, a red tinge invading her face. "What, What are you doing here?!"

"I am simply making sure that you have woken up," Diana answered through her giggles. "After all, curfew had ended a while ago."

"O-oh," Akko muttered, eyes turning down towards the books on the floor, "I guess that's tr- wait." Akko froze and her eyes began to widen. She looked up towards Diana, and Diana could swear there seemed to be something akin to… fear?

"Akko… is something concerning you?" Diana asked tentatively.

"Y-you said it was past curfew right?"

"That is corre-"

"NO! No no no! It can't be!" Akko yelled, grasping at her head, flailing towards the books on the ground. "No no, I'm soooo in trouble oh no."

Diana's eyes widened as she watched Akko scramble around.

"Akko? What's wro-"

"Oh no, what am I gonna do. There's no time. This makes no sense. How do I do this?!"

Diana tried to get Akko's attention politely. She tried calling her attention nicely.

She tried reaching out, only to be pushed aside by the flailing of Akko's arms desperately turning the pages of four books at once.

However, when she saw the tiniest tear drop from Akko's eyes, Diana knew she had had enough of her gentle approach.

"Akko!" Diana yelled, putting as much authority into her voice as possible.

"E-eh?" Akko flinched, instantly turning towards Diana.

"Would you please just… calm down?" Diana said, placing her hand on Akko's shoulder. When Akko nodded, Diana smiled and sat down beside her. "Now tell me... what is it that is bothering you?"

"I'm not ready!" Akko yelped, her eyes shifting between the books and Diana.

Diana looked towards the table to see the textbooks for… all of their classes. She then looked back towards Akko and saw the downtrodden look on her face. Her lower lip was jutted out, and a small whimper escaped her throat.

"You know…" Diana said with a sigh, "I could help you."

Instantly Akko's eyes brightened, only to darken once again.

Seeing the light leave those red eyes almost physically hurt.

"B-but it's late Diana…" Akko whimpered. "I w-wouldn't want to keep y-"

"Nonsense," Diana interrupted, raising Akko's face so that they were looking eye to eye. "I would not have made the offer had I not wished to help you, and I will always wish to help you Akko."

"B-but."

"No buts Akko," Diana said. "Unless that 'but' is either sitting on this chair and studying or is followed by a declination of my offer."

Diana watched as Akko bit her lip.

Diana sucked in a breath, almost fearing the idea that Akko would leave her offer unaccepted.

Thankfully, the fear was unjustified.

"So… where should we begin?" Akko asked, a soft smile of gratitude on her face.

Diana released her breath and returned the smile. "Perhaps we should begin with Magical Linguistics. Professor Finnelan does appear to be the class you struggle most in."

"Oh thank god!" Akko sighed in relief, "I was scared we'd leave that for last."

Diana reached out for the linguistics book just across the table, ready to help Akko as much as was possible.

"So wait, Diana?"

"Yes Akko?"

"What does this rune mean?" Akko asked, stretching out to reach for the corner of a page. "The one with a dragon."

Diana looked towards Akko's finger and sighed.

"… That is not a dragon Akko. That is a-"

"Are you sure? Cause that looks a lot like a dragon. See! It even has fire coming out of its mouth"

"Akko… that is no-"

"Oh look! It even has wings!"

"AKKO!"

Six hours later, and Diana and Akko had somehow managed to find themselves seated on the lone lounge chair in the library.

Diana had made some excuse about not wasting the energy it took to light up her wand, what with the chair being right next to an already lit candle, but really she just wanted to sit on something more comfortable than the wooden library chairs. Akko quickly followed and sat right beside Diana.

Thanks in equal parts to her determination to aid Akko and to her sleep addled mind failing to register... anything, Diana had managed to stray away from the flustered mess she usually would be in this situation. Being flustered would have meant having to separate, and it really was for the best they be so close together.

After all, this way, if one of them had begun to fall asleep, the other could immediately notice it and wake the other up.

The plan seemed flawless… until they both fell asleep at the same time, their fatigue finally catching up to them.

Luckily, the both of them had managed to study through all of the relevant material, the only thing left being to take practice tests that Diana had been planning to administer.

But alas, sleep had overtaken the both of them.

Akko slumped onto Diana, and in the fog of her weary mind, reached out to hug the softest thing within reach.

Diana, feeling something warm wrap around her waist, raised her left arm to rest it atop whatever was holding onto her and exerted the slightest bit of pressure to hold the warmth closer to her.

When the sun rose up a few short hours later, a singular ray of light shined onto Diana's face.

Diana's face scrunched up, her eyes shut tight, in the futile effort to block out the offending ray of light. When she tried to turn, however, she found herself held firmly in place by something around her waist.

Slowly, Diana blinked awake, and the sight she was met with made her heart race.

It appeared Akko had been hugging her waist… if she were to be so bold, Diana might have also described the gesture as protective.

Diana was frozen, unable to move as she listened to the sounds of Akko's deep breaths. She was entranced by the relaxed smile on Akko's face… and she was nearly overwhelmed by the soft warmth given off from Akko's hold. Everything Akko did was making her face fill with warmth and her heart race so quickly, Diana was afraid it could give out at any moment.

The spell was quickly broken, however, by the indistinct sounds of chattering from outside the library, and now, Diana's heart began to race for an entirely different reason. She quickly turned to the wall on the clock, and her fears were slowly turning into a reality.

They had just twenty minutes to get to class.

"Akko! Akko wake up!" Diana said, shaking Akko awake. In response, Akko shook her head and held tighter onto Diana's waist, as if it was the most precious object in the entire world.

Given other circumstances… Diana would likely allow her to continue. She couldn't deny that she adored Akko's tight embrace, and in any other circumstance, she would have gladly returned the embrace.

Unfortunately, they had midterms in the next twenty minutes, and Diana was not going to allow her grades to falter, simply because the girl she'd been pining after for years had desired to keep her locked in place with a tight, warm, soft embr-

Okay, she wasn't going to allow Akko's grades to falter even more because the girl insisted on staying like this.

Reluctantly, Diana continued to shake Akko until the girl finally began to wake up.

Just as Diana had, Akko had blinked herself awake, slowly growing aware of her surroundings. And when she realized the soft object she had been holding onto for dear life just so happened to be Diana…

Color invaded Akko’s face, rivaling the red of her sash.

Akko instantly backed away, sputtering dozens of rapid apologies, but Diana stopped her, citing their desperate lack of time.

Akko turned towards the clock, and her eyes widened in fear.

Instantly, Akko jumped off of the chair, grabbed Diana's hand, and, immediately, the both of them were sprinting off towards Professor's Finnelan's class.

One day and four tests later, Akko jumped for joy. The tests were done, and she was pretty sure she had done far better than she had ever done before.

When the results were revealed a week later, Akko's cheer doubled, learning that she had somehow managed to break into the top ten. She was so overjoyed when she learned the results, she had jumped out of her seat in class and tackled Diana in a tight embrace, bumbling her thanks. Diana simply smiled and raised a hand up to brush Akko's hair.

Unfortunately, the moment couldn't last.

There were a few witches who were displeased. One witch, in particular, was absolutely livid, seeing as Akko had knocked her out of her own slot in the top ten. She was in the minority, yes, but it was a fairly powerful one: An heiress of another noble family, a lesser one than the Cavendish, but a noble family all the same, and her cronies.

Throughout the next day, when they were sure Diana was not around, they made life far more difficult for Akko.

During potions, they had snuck in a few extra ingredients into Akko's teams’ mixture, causing an explosion to burst from the cauldron. During flight class, they hexed Akko's broom, causing it to spiral out of control whenever Akko had gotten on top of it.

And while the professors didn't get mad at her, they did have this resigned smile on their face whenever Akko tried to explain that it wasn't her fault. How she didn't even do anything. It was as if they didn't believe her, that it was just something that they accepted would always happen, and that resignation hurt many times more than what their anger would have.

But it didn't stop there.

During lunch, seeing as Diana wouldn’t be around, they had made sure of that, they charmed Akko's tray, causing all the food to splat on her face.

After everything that happened to her throughout the day, Akko just stared dimly at the table, a stinging in her eyes.

She balled her fists atop her lap and clenched her jaw, trying to hold back her tears.

Amanda had immediately stood up and yelled, threatening to go after whoever was doing this. Everyone else took the more subtle approach, making sure Akko was okay.

But Akko had had enough.

She was one moment away from breaking down. And she knew it.

She really didn't want to fall apart in front of the others. Her friends had seen her sad and crying before… but never in the same way she felt now. Well most of them, anyway.

Not knowing where else to turn to, Akko walked towards the one person who had already previously seen her at her lowest point.

Diana leaned back on her chair, tired.

Diana was used to being needed. People always came to ask for her help for many things, both simple and complicated.

Of course, Diana would always do her best to help.

But today? Today she was absolutely swamped with requests. It was as if, at every turn, there was some sort of request to be fulfilled or some crisis that she needed to solve.

Now in her room, Diana was relieved, finally having time to relax to herself.

But that was when she heard a soft knock against her door.

Diana sighed and slowly began to lift off of her chair, wondering just who could it be this ti-

"D-Diana? Are you there?"

When Diana heard the voice call her, she instantly jumped off of her seat and rushed to the door. She knew that was Akko's voice… but it sounded so… so sad.

In an instant, she opened her door, and her heart broke.

Akko stood there, her eyes red and her cheeks damp. The bright light in those eyes were nowhere to be seen, dulled as they stared at the ground.

"A-Akko?" Diana whispered, her arm instantly reaching out towards Akko. "Akko? What happened?"

When Akko didn't answer, Diana felt her stomach coil. It was sickening to see Akko so sad. So nearly broken.

Diana moved forward and reached out to the brunette by her doorstep. She wrapped Akko in a tight embrace and felt relieved when Akko had brought her arms up as well.

So many questions ran through Diana's mind.

What happened?

Who did this to Akko?

Why would someone do this?

How was she going to get back at whoever dared do this to Akko?

The idea that someone might have done this to Akko made Diana feel rage, but that rage quickly dissipated when she felt Akko tremble. Diana began to feel a damp spot on her shoulder, and all of that rage and confusion quickly gave way to Diana's overwhelming desire to comfort Akko and make sure she would be okay.

"Shhh, It's okay," Diana cooed as she rubbed soothing circles on Akko's back, "let it all out."

She held Akko more tightly the more the witch trembled in her arms, and Akko held onto Diana more tightly, as if holding onto her one and only lifeline.

Through the manic sobs, Akko had managed out a single phrase.

"Today was a bad day."

Eventually, Diana had brought Akko to the couch. From there Akko tried to tell Diana everything that happened today, though a lot of it was incomprehensible through her sobs.

Diana didn’t care though, she had heard enough to discern what happened. All she wished to do now was give comfort.

Diana leaned back on the armrest, and she invited Akko to do the same onto her. Akko slowly did so, trying her very best to keep it together. Akko's cheeks were still stained red, and there were still tears forming from the corners of her eyes.

Diana held onto Akko's hand, providing as much support as she could give, to be a sort of anchor for Akko. She also stroked Akko's hair continuously, the act seemingly enough to soothe Akko, successfully lulling her to sleep.

Diana felt an overwhelming pain in her chest.

How could she have let this happen? How could she have been caught so unaware of Akko's plight, for what was probably the entire day?

Looking at Akko, the girl she loved, who had just fallen asleep in tears, Diana knew one thing for certain.

She would never allow such a thing to happen. Ever again.

When Akko woke up, she was feeling a million times better. She smiled at Diana and thanked her so much for being a shoulder to cry on.

Diana told her to think nothing of it, that Akko should always feel free to come to her (or anyone of their friends) for help. When she saw the almost nervous look on Akko's face, Diana reached out, saying no one would think lesser of her for doing so.

If anything, Diana saw strength in Akko's decision to come to her for support. It took strength to acknowledge that something was just too much for oneself to handle… it was a lesson Diana had learned from Akko, after all.

Akko smiled and hugged Diana once again, sharing many thanks. Diana returned the hug and promised that she would make sure that this would never happen again.

And so Diana devised a plan with the rest of the group.

She would spend time in hiding, watching in secret for any sign of curses, hexes, or general wrongdoing done against Akko… and it wasn't long until she found the culprits and discerned their motives.

It had taken only a moment to corner the three. The moment Diana had them alone, the group began to shrink smaller and smaller under Diana’s intimidating presence.

"I swear," Diana growled at the cowering trio, "if you dare to even think about doing anything to Akko, I will ensure that you will wish I had reported you to the Headmistress."

"B-But Diana!"

"No buts." Diana spat. "Your purpose for doing this to Akko is pathetic. It brings shame to both the noble family you belong to and to the prestigious name of Luna Nova itself... And let me tell you one more thing," Diana said, moving closer, her blue eyes cold as a frigid blizzard, "Akko is a greater witch than you will ever be, and she will become a greater witch than I could ever hope to be. So I suggest you take your petty jealousy and envy and direct it towards bettering yourselves, or I will ensure you are never allowed to practice magic ever again."

Diana felt satisfied as she watched the three scamper off.

For good measure, Diana had continued to stay hidden, to make sure that nothing out of the ordinary happened to Akko.

To her surprise, the three witches walked up to Akko and apologized… and while Akko was irate and frustrated at first, she quickly forgave them when they said they would never do it ever again.

Diana smiled, watching Akko once again prove why she would grow up to be far greater than anyone could ever hope to become… watching Akko, once again, prove how she had managed to steal her heart.

Ever since that incident, Akko had grown even closer to Diana. She was constantly giving her hugs, stopping by Diana's room to talk about her day and to listen to Diana talk about hers, and even dropped by just to hang around while Diana was doing something else, like homework or reading. She even took time to introduce Diana to the rest of her Shiny Chariot Card game collection and challenge her, in which Diana showed that she had been a master at the card game as a child.

Given all of this, it was only natural that, when Akko agreed to role play a part Lotte and Barbara wanted to see re-enacted from a Nightfall side-story about a mage that Edgar, Arthur, and Belle met in their adventures, she eagerly sought out Diana to play the role of her partner: the tall, imposing, yet kind-hearted mage.

It was a perfect fit!

Akko ran across campus looking for any sign of Diana.

Unsurprisingly, she finally found her sitting in the library, reading some book.

Akko really loved the way Diana looked, focused entirely on what was on the page. She loved the way Diana's face changed ever so slightly while she read: from a tiny raise of her eyebrows to show something surprising happened, to a tiny clench of her jaw to show that something tense was happening. It was adorable to watch.

However, admiration could wait. She needed a partner to help Lotte out after all!

"Dianaaaaa!" Akko called out, running towards her friend.

Diana's head whipped towards Akko, and her eyes widened.

"Akko!" Diana hushed, raising a finger up to her lips. "You are in a library!"

"O-oh right" Akko muttered, slowing down as she approached Diana. "Sorry about that."

Diana sighed, though a smile was on her face.

"So?" Diana asked.

"So?" Akko echoed.

Diana chuckled, placing a bookmark on her page and closing the book she had been reading. "So, why did you come yelling through the library for me?" Diana asked, causing heat to rise up into Akko's face. "I assume you had a reason?"

"O-oh right! … Do you, uh, wanna help me out with something Lotte wanted me to help her out with?" Akko asked, scratching the back of her head.

"Help you out with something?" Diana asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, uhm… Lotte wants me to help re-enact something from Nightfall."

"I see…" Diana said, placing a her hand on her chin in thought. "And how would you wish for me to help?"

"O-oh right! I need a partner for the scene! Uhm…" Akko twiddled with her fingers. Her heart was beating quickly and her face continued to burn bright red. "Would... would you like to be my partner?"

Akko shut her eyes and held her breath, waiting for Diana's answer. A wait that had only lasted a few minutes but felt like an eternity.

Thankfully, just as Akko's lungs felt like they were about to burn, Diana agreed to help, and Akko instantly let out her breath and hugged Diana tight enough to leave the blonde winded.

"So… you wish for me to put on this costume and act?" Diana questioned, staring blankly at the black robe, black suit and pants, bolo tie, and fake horns.

"It's called cosplay Diana," Barbara answered, "and yup! Ahhh, I'm so excited to see this!"

"How would one keep this horn attached to their head?" Diana wondered, struggling to find any sort of way keep it together. Had she been allowed to, she simply would have used magic… but Akko, Lotte, and Barbara all insisted doing so would ruin half the fun of the project.

"Like, don't worry Diana! I can do it." Barbara offered, taking the horn from Diana's hand and fiddling with some wires. "Just read the script. I promise you'll, like, totally enjoy the part~"

Diana sighed and picked up the script and a cup of tea. She decided to first go through the character list. It appeared she'd be playing someone named Elias.

Akko would be playing someone named Chise who was… a slave? And it appeared Sucy would be playing the role of the slave-trader.

Diana then moved on to the actual script, parsing through the dialogue to get a good idea of the story line. It appeared Akko would be sold off at an auction house, and Diana would be paying an exorbitant amount of money to purchase her.

Already Diana felt fairly uncomfortable. Sure it wasn't her and it wasn't Akko… but the idea of Akko being sold away was rather unsavory. Though the more she read, the more she appreciated Elias's character, providing a home for her to stay in, promising to nurture a talent the girl wasn't even aware she possessed.

Elias even promised to make Chise a mage and his bri-

Diana spit out her tea, nearly choking on the warm beverage.

Barbara quickly rushed to make sure Diana was okay, but when she saw what had caused the reaction, she gave Diana an impish grin.

"So, Diana, what do you think?"

Diana could do nothing but blush, her heart still racing from having read the line she had already agreed to say.

Considering how simple her costume was ― Lotte had quite literally draped an oversized white robe over her uniform ― , Akko had spent quite a while waiting for Diana and Barbara to finish their preparations.

However, when Diana and Barbara finally arrived, the reason they took so long was clear to see.

Diana looked absolutely gorgeous.

Akko's jaw nearly dropped. Her heart started racing as she watched Diana calmly walk up to her in that dark suit. The way the suit jacket hugged Diana curves made Akko's throat feel dry. And the way those pants hugged Diana's waist had to be illegal in some countries. It just had to be.

Akko even found that Diana even managed to make the ridiculously large black robe look cool.

And Akko did not hesitate to let it be known just how cool Diana looked, blurting it out immediately when Diana was standing right next to her, much to both hers and Diana’s chagrin.

The re-enactment had gone pretty much without a hitch. With a few tasteful uses of magic, Lotte and Barbara were able to get a very faithful adaptation to what was probably one of the most famous side stories from the Nightfall series, and the rest of their friends were able to get a fairly entertaining watch.

There was only one scene left: the one where Elias declares that Chise was to be his future bride.

Before Akko and Diana got to that part, however, Barbara paused the entire performance.

Despite how well the entire script had gone, Barbara, having been roommates with Diana for three years now, could see the nervousness in her leader building up. It was subtle, a slight twitch of her eyes, a light tapping of her fingers against her sides, but it was enough for her to notice.

With the next scene truly being the climax of their script, Barbara wanted to make sure that it would be perfect… but even more importantly, Barbara was truly hoping Diana could finally convey her feelings for Akko through this stage show.

And so, Barbara isolated Diana and gave her one final direction:

For this last scene, pretend it was just her and Akko alone. It was just an intimate moment between the both of them. From there, just allow her feelings do the rest.

Diana bit her lip, but agreed to try.

Nervous as she was, once she and Akko got deep into the final scene, with Elias having just protected Chise from the Ariel Fae, Diana found that getting lost in Akko was far easier than she had ever imagined.

With Akko clutching onto her robes, as per directed in the scene, Diana couldn't help but wish Akko had been holding onto her as Akko instead of as Chise.

"Even though you can see them, you're not cautious around them at all… You should be very careful from now on Chise," Diana said, lacing an arm around Akko's back and around the back of Akko's knees.

"G-Gya! What are you doing?!" Akko yelled as Diana picked her up a bridal carry.

"It's easy to get lost on the mountain at night so let's go like this," Diana whispered into Akko's ear, with as much honesty and sincerity as possible. "To our home."

It was surprising to both Diana and Akko how right those words felt. "Our home".

Akko couldn't help the faint blush that slowly began to build on her face.

Diana was looking at her with such affection… those blue eyes were so soft and the smile on Diana's face was so gentle, that Akko's heart began to melt. She wrapped an arm around Diana's neck and leaned closer to hide her face against Diana's shoulder.

"Yes," Akko whispered softly, her heart racing a mile a minute.

She had been very disappointed when Diana put her back down, signaling their return to their "home".

"Hm… we have got to cover up that arm," Diana said, reaching out and softly holding Akko's arm towards her, turning it around and inspecting it. She was fully lost in this performance, taking Barbara's advice and letting her emotions take her where she needed to go. "It would not be good if my future wife were to get a scar."

"I-I see," Akko muttered, before widening her eyes in shock. "Wife? Who… whose wife?!"

"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" Diana muttered as she turned her head. "The obvious reason I bought you was to make you my apprentice… but…"

It was an impulsive decision.

Perhaps all that time spent with Akko recently had influenced her judgment... or perhaps this was a result of fully embracing her feelings.

"Akko."

"Eh?" Akko's eyes widened in shock.

H-Had Diana made a mistake? A slip up?

Akko was too confused to realize Diana had pulled her even closer, now against Diana’s chest. She was too focused on staring up at Diana's face, trying to figure out what just happened. Why Diana had said her name.

If it was a mistake, Diana clearly didn't show it… Diana was looking at her with pure confidence… and those eyes were still looking at her as if she was the most important thing in the world

The only thing in the world.

"Akko," Diana said once again, almost emphasizing that none of this was a mistake on her part. With a smile, Diana finished as softly… as lovingly as possible, never once looking away from Akko's eyes. “but I also hope to make you my bride.”

In one moment, everyone froze.

And in the next…

"EHHHHHHHHH?!" Akko yelled, her face erupting, burning bright hot. Her heart was beating so quickly, it could likely outpace the speed of a giant missle.

In an instant, Akko caved in on herself, suddenly very thankful this white robe around her was so large. Akko crouched onto the ground and hid her face in the collar of the giant robe.

While Akko was dealing with the aftermath of the confession, Diana felt… almost liberated.

While the words were… different, the emotions she relayed were the same. They were the same feelings she had been harboring for years now… and finally being able to express them felt like having the world lifted off of her shoulders… Especially after seeing Akko's reaction.

After all, Diana had already seen what Akko looked like after a confession that she flat out rejected, if that party from years ago was anything to go by.

Had Akko found the idea truly repulsive, she would look faint… her face would be pale and she would have instantly pushed away.

But instead, Akko's face erupted in color, and rather than disgusted, Akko appeared merely overwhelmed.

Diana crouched beside Akko and smiled.

It was actually really adorable.

"Are you okay?" Diana asked sweetly.

"… Just give me a minute," Akko answered, having only barely heard the question over the intense drumming of her heart.

After having let out a few high pitched squeals of joy, Barbara and Lotte immediately turned everyone away and left to give Akko and Diana some time to themselves.

And so Akko and Diana talked with one another about what just happened, how serious Diana was… and what this meant for them.

It wasn't long before the both of them started to date.

Diana, having already come to terms with her feelings for Akko, was definitely the less nervous one in their relationship. Diana was always the one initiating intimate contact with the other.

A gentle brush on the shoulder while they were studying. A finger on Akko's lip to quiet the girl for a kiss. Leaning down to look Akko in the eyes lovingly as Akko rested on her lap.

There were even times Diana would trap Akko between a wall in the corner of the hallway.

And every single thing Diana did made Akko's face blush.

She was embarrassed. This wasn't something she was used to feeling… the flutter in her stomach every time Diana was near her. The way her mind seemed to stop working whenever Diana touched her or hugged her or looked at her. And whenever Diana kissed her, Akko couldn't even move for a few seconds…

But she loved every second of it.

As they got even more comfortable with one another, Akko found herself almost craving Diana's kisses… every bit of Diana's affection becoming a daily part of her life… a part so integral, that it had become almost as important as eating breakfast or practicing magic.

"Akko," Diana said, her voice hoarse, "Like I've said before, until I feel better… there will be no more kissing."

So when Diana got sick and placed a moratorium on all kisses until she felt better, needless to say Akko was less than pleased.

"But Diaaaanaaaaaa" Akko whined against Diana's bed.

"No buts Akko," Diana scolded. "It is bad enough that I am sick… I would not be able to live with myself if I knew I was the cause of you becoming sick as well…"

Akko grumbled for the rest of the day… the lack of Diana being obvious to all people but especially to her. After each class, Akko always held her hand out… only to remember Diana wasn't there to take it. And every moment, Akko felt like she was waiting for a kiss she knew would never come.

By the time she was at lunch with her friends, Akko was feeling very antsy.

"'Not until I feel better', she says." Akko mumbled during lunch as she swirled potatoes around with her spoon.

And that's when an idea struck her.

She pushed back on her chair suddenly, causing it to scrape against the ground.

"I GOT IT!" Akko declared, much to the surprise of most everyone in her table.

"Akko, that's nice." Sucy immediately retorted, having gotten used to the antics ages ago. "Now sit your butt back down. You're causing a scene."

"O-oh woops." Akko mumbled, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry everyone!" Akko quickly apologized before sitting back down on her chair to plan.

Akko was just going to have to make Diana feel better.

After classes, Akko met up with Hannah and Barbara and asked them for the key to their dorm.

Key in hand, Akko ran straight into the kitchen and right up to a kitchen goblin. She begged them to let her get some chicken broth for Diana to drink. She also asked if she could have some honey and lemon wedges, and much to her relief the kitchen goblin let her take some.

They poured the soup in a thermos, wrapped a spoon in paper towels, and handed Akko a bottle of honey and a plastic bag full of lemon wedges.

Food in hand, Akko beelined for Diana's room. Once she got there though, Akko stopped to slowly… carefully open the door.

Yes, she wanted to make Diana feel better, but if she was asleep, Akko didn't want to disturb her.

"Hannah? Barbara?"

Though the voice calling out relieved Akko of such worries, it did give her something else to worry about… namely how hoarse Diana's voice sounded.

"Nope, it's Akko!" Akko said as she walked across the room.

"Akko?"

When Diana saw Akko enter her side of the room, she struggled to sit up. She pushed up on her bed and attempted to rest her back on the headrest of her bed.

"Wait Diana, before you sit… lemme just" Akko mumbled as she put the food from the kitchen atop Diana's desk. She then dashed out into the other side of the room and collected all of the pillows from the blue dorm.

Hannah and Barbara wouldn't mind right?

She then rushed to Diana's side and stacked a mound of pillows behind the heiress, providing the perfect backrest for her.

"There! How does that feel?"

Diana smiled, pushing back against the soft cushion of half a dozen pillows.

"It feels wonderful, thank you."

Akko chuckled bashfully, a slight blush on her face.

"Oh right! Diana, have you had anything to eat yet today?"

"Not yet… though I must admit my appetite has been rather lacking."

"That's not good! Here, have some of this!" Akko said as she twisted the cap off of the thermos and poured some of the soup into the cap. She then dipped a spoon into the cap and offered it to Diana. "C'mon Diana! Say ahhhn"

Diana blushed and turned away.

"Akko… must we do this?" Diana muttered, "I am not feeling particularly hungry at the moment."

"Diana, you need to eat something!" Akko protested. "So just let me…

Try as she might, Diana kept on turning away from the offered spoon.

"H-hey no, Diana stop! Don't turn awa- Mooooou" Akko pouted, before finally having had enough. Diana was too far away for Akko to get a good shot at feeding her.

If Diana was going to keep being stubborn and not eat, then Akko decided she would need to be just as stubborn.

"Akko, I truly appreciate what you are trying to do bu-" Diana froze, her already warm face exploding into a blazing inferno, "A-Akko! What are you doing?!"

Akko continued her actions, undeterred by her girlfriend's surprise. She had put down the cap back onto the table and began to climb onto Diana's bed. Akko then straddled Diana's legs, her knees on either side of the heiress's. All of this while she sported a pout directed at Diana.

While Diana was still frozen, clearly trying to wrap her head around everything that was happening, Akko took this as a opportunity to see just how sick Diana actually was. She leaned forward, resting her hands on Diana's shoulder, and pressed their foreheads together.

It felt like Diana's fever was slowly starting to go away. She didn't feel nearly as warm as she was before.

Akko smiled and sighed in relief. Seemed like Diana would be better in no time!

Her concerns mostly gone, Akko seemed to realize just how close she actually was to Diana's face. Akko stared right into Diana's, still unbelievably wide, blue eyes. She could feel how quickly Diana's pulse was racing.

And… Diana let her get this close. Akko's been looking forward to just one kiss for days now. Maybe if Akko just leaned in, Diana would let her-

"Akko!" Diana scolded, pressing her hand on Akko's lip and lightly pushing her backwards. She then grabbed Akko's hands and interlaced their fingers. She kept their hands between the both of them, acting as some sort of wall or boundary.

Akko's eyes were still closed, her lips pursed. She let out a soft whine, having been soooo close to what would have been paradise.

Diana let out a shaky sigh, in an attempt to still her own racing heart.

"Akko… how many times have I told you no kissing until I feel better?" Diana chided lightly. She couldn't really be all that mad at Akko though. After all… "it's hard for me too, you know?"

"But Dianaaaa!" Akko whined, "you won't let me nurse you until you’re better! And I've been waiting forever for a kiss!"

"As have I Akko, but I do not wish to risk you getting sick on my account."

"At least let me feed you some food," Akko said, sending Diana a pout. "It'll help you!"

Diana closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.

"Very well," Diana relented.

"Ehehe yay!" Akko cheered as she quickly reached out for the earlier abandoned cap and spoon. "Now say aahhhh~"

Diana, ignoring the ever rising heat in her face and up her ears, closed her eyes and listened to Akko's request.

"A-Ahhh"

Thankfully for the both of them, Diana's fever had subsided the next day, and fortunately Akko had not contracted the same sickness.

Unfortunately for them, their time at Luna Nova was quickly drawing to a close. It was their final year after all.

As a result, Akko and Diana spent almost every waking moment together. Naturally, of course, they were with their other friends, and sometimes they did go out with those friends instead of with each other, but for the most part Akko and Diana were inseparable.

Still, they couldn't shake off the worry of their impending separation… with their curriculum at Luna Nova ending, there was nothing concrete tying Akko to England anymore.

And then, it happened, on a certain night, while Diana and Akko were reviewing for their respective elective classes, Diana with Advanced Biology and Magic and Akko with Magic and Early Development.

"I'm really gonna miss this," Akko said as she flipped to the next page of her notes. "Just us being together like this."

"I will too," Diana admitted as she casually bent the corner of page she was currently on. "I… rather enjoy spending all of my time with you."

"Right?!" Akko exclaimed, leaning back against Diana's legs. "It's going to feel really weird having to go back home to Japan. Don't get me wrong, I miss my family, but I think I'll miss you more."

Diana hummed in thought as she leaned back against her chair.

And that's when she said it, a simple passing thought. Perhaps one she never even intended to speak out loud.

"Then perhaps you would not mind staying here in England and living with me after Luna Nova?"

Whatever Akko was doing in that moment was dropped.

Nothing she was reading made any more sense, her mind having suffered some sort of fatal error.

"Wh-What did you just say?"

"Pardon?" Diana asked, her voice raised in confusion.

"Diana, I'm serious. Did you… did you really mean that?"

"Akko," Diana sighed, her eyes still trailing the lines of her book, "you are going to need to be more specific."

Akko groaned when she looked up see Diana still reading her book.

With a flick of her wrist, Akko cast a wind spell to blow the lights out.

"Akko, what are you doing?" Diana asked, concerned.

"Diana I'm serious," Akko said. She climbed atop her girlfriend and placed a hand on her book, pushing it down towards Diana's lap. "Did you really mean it when you said I could stay here in England with you?"

Diana stared up at Akko, looking straight into Akko's moonlit red eyes.

Had she really said that out loud? If she had, she surely never meant to voice such an intimate desire.

However, looking up at Akko, staring at her with such intensity, such hope, such love, Diana couldn't help but feel like, even if she hadn’t meant to say it... it was truly all that she had wanted.

"Yes" Diana said breathlessly, still entranced by the look in Akko's eyes, as they both leaned in for a kiss in the soft light of the full moon.

A few short days after their talk, everything was going perfectly.

Akko had called her parents, and they both happily gave their permission for Akko to stay in England to follow her dreams and stay with Diana, whom they both had the pleasure of meeting beforehand.

They also began to look for a place.

They could have stayed at the Cavendish manor, but until the next Venusian eclipse, Diana wished to be alone with Akko, taking care of Cavendish business from afar. In about a week's time, they found what seemed to be the perfect little house. It had one bedroom, which was perfectly fine for their purposes. There was also a rather spacious living room, with a large sliding window.

It was also very close to the licensing department for magic, where Diana would be going to quite often to work on her magic medical license.

And the more Diana and Akko looked around, the more apparent it became.

This place was perfect.

In their last weeks, all the time they spent together was spent on the moving preparations. Several boxes full of books and precious mementos from their years at Luna Nova were carried away with them.

Since they both knew that they would be living with each other after they graduated, Diana and Akko tended to spend more time with the rest of their friends, knowing that the time they had with them was, at least for a while, limited. Still, every Sunday, the both of them would spend time together, working on moving boxes upon boxes of their own possessions.

And then graduation came.

Diana was, of course, the Valedictorian. No one else could have matched the consistent perfection of Diana's grades, personal achievements, and contributions to Luna Nova.

It was a bittersweet ceremony, the occasion itself joyous, full of laughter, joy, and, naturally, a ton of chaos.

Sucy gave Akko one last potion, which filled her with so much energy that it was as if she had drunk fifteen shots of espresso at once. Combined with Amanda's need to cause chaos for fun, and Diana had a lot of work cut out in keeping their graduation party from tearing the school apart. Thankfully Lotte, Hannah, and Barbara worked with her to keep the peace.

After a long celebration, and several heartfelt, tear jerking good-byes and farewells between the red, blue, and green teams, filled with promises to keep in touch with each other using Witchbook and WitchApp (something Diana and Akko both agreed Akko would have full reins of from their end, given Diana's relative removal from modern technology growing up, save for her brief stint in Japan), the witches went their separate ways.

Akko and Diana flew off to their new home.

The both of them smiled at one another, holding each other's hand, as they both reached out to turn the doorknob together.

They opened it up together and were met with stacks of unpacked boxes. Akko and Diana both chuckled nervously looking at the daunting task they would have to deal with.

But that could wait until tomorrow. Today had been really tiring, and both girls knew exactly what they wanted to do first in their house.

In their home.

Wordlessly, though they both did giggle with excitement, Akko and Diana ran to the bedroom, got changed out of their graduation gowns, and put on their sleeping clothes. Then they immediately hopped into bed, holding each other close.

It was so nice. So warm. It was perfect.

Akko rested one arm on Diana's side, her other arm trapped snugly underneath Diana.

Diana held tightly onto Akko, holding the both of them closer together.

It was everything Akko had ever dreamt it would be… for how long, she didn't know.

Which got her thinking… and with the reflective mood a huge event like graduation had managed to put her in, Akko just had to know.

"Hey Diana," Akko whispered.

"Yes Akko?" Diana mumbled.

"Did you… ever imagine something like this would happen?"

Diana tightened her hold onto Akko, on the one person in her life who meant more to her than anyone else.

"… At some point, I started hoping it would…" Diana answered softly.

And Akko smiled, moving her arm to hug Diana's side.

"Yeah, me too."

Diana woke up to see Akko still sleeping beside her. There was a trail of drool dripping onto their pillow. It had been several months since they had first moved in together, but this was still a sight she absolutely adored waking up to.

Diana slowly moved forward and pressed a gentle kiss on Akko's nose.

"Hmmm, Diana?" Akko muttered sleepily, voice still gravelly. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to inform you I would be getting up now to watch that show you introduced me to last week…" Diana said, "do you wish to join me?"

Akko hummed sleepily, perhaps debating the options in her head.

"How much longer until then?"

"You have about ten more minutes until the show begins."

"Okaaaay," Akko yawned, "I'll be out in five minutes."

Diana smiled, pressed a soft kiss on Akko's lips, and rolled off of bed.

She walked into the living room and saw the clouds were gray and that there was a light pouring of rain from outside their window.

She sighed. Had Akko not introduced her to that ridiculously addicting cartoon last week, today would have been a perfect day to sleep in.

Oh well.

Diana walked into the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of cereal. She then lazily walked up to the couch in the middle of their living room, grabbed the television remote, and turned on the television. Thankfully, the channel was already set correctly.

Diana smiled when she heard a soft yawn from behind her.

"Good morning Akko," Diana greeted the moment she saw Akko approach their couch. When Akko pointed at her lap, Diana raised her bowl up in the air, giving Akko enough space to collapse, belly face down, onto it.

Akko stretched out and yawned, slowly waking herself up.

"How much longer Diana?"

"Only a few more minutes."

Akko hummed, before rolling over so that she was face up towards Diana.

"Do we have anything else to do today?" Akko asked.

"Well…" Diana slowly said, turning towards the window, "if the rain clears up, we could maybe visit Hannah and Barbara. They just moved in yesterday."

"Ooh! We should do that!" Akko agreed, "Maybe give them a house-warming gift."

"That would be lovely." Diana said. “I am sure they would appreciate it.”

When the familiar theme song started blaring from the television screen, Akko turned around so that she could face the screen.

Diana put down the remote and rested her hand on the side of Akko's head, using her thumb to rub light circles on Akko's round cheek.

Akko smiled and hummed in contentment, snuggling backwards, closer to Diana's stomach.

"This is nice." Akko said with a grin. "You know, being here with you."

Diana smiled, Akko's simple words making her heart melt.

Diana leaned down to press a kiss on Akko's cheek.

"I could not agree more."

#Dianakko #Diakko #Me Writing #Little Witch Academia #LWA #Diana Cavendish #Akko Kagari

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plaggislife · 7 years ago

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Soulmate AU - Skin Markings Part 1

Alright, guys, here goes my first try at writing (or at least, posting) my very own fanfic! I'm a total sucker for soulmate AUs, so here's one for Adriennette! It ended up kinda long (I had waaay too much fun writing it), so I've broken it up into parts. Also, just to introduce things a bit, in this AU, both Marinette and Adrien already have their kwamis and have been saving Paris for nearly a year. Chat Noir and Ladybug are just friends; Adrien is too smitten with the girl that doodles on his arms each day to give much romantic attention to anyone else, and Marinette has given up hope on romance at all (which will be explained in a later part to the fanfic). Adrien is still being homeschooled (for lack of motivation to rebel against his father), but things are changing quick. Anyway, here goes! Hope you enjoy...even a little hehe.

Adrien jolted upright in bed, startled awake by the familiar sensation of someone drawing on his skin. He heard Plagg snickering from across the room, but ignored that as he yanked frantically at the covers wrapped around him, tearing at the sleeve of his pajama top to peer closely at the message that was appearing on the underside of his wrist. He was a little disappointed to see it wasn't one of her usual doodles--after yesterday, he could definitely use one of her trademark smiley-face suns--but was instantly sated by the sight of her adorable handwriting. It wasn't often that she wrote notes to herself on her skin--usually it was drawings and doodles--but Adrien still knew her handwriting better than his own. He would recognize it anywhere.

His heart thumped irregularly in his chest when he read the first word, and he watched with bated breath as she finished the hurried note: AGRESTE DESIGNING CONTEST - APRIL 21 - SCHOOL GYM 2 O'CLOCK - PROMPT: SUMMER-WEAR - SUNDRESS?

"She's a designer," he breathed when she'd finished. It took a moment for the realization to set in. it made perfect sense. Of course, she was a designer. Why else would she draw so many random articles of clothing on her arms at odd hours of the day?

Adrien lunged to the other side of his bed where he'd discarded his phone the night before, hesitating a moment at the lock screen to admire that coat she'd drawn a few months ago on a particularly cold day in November--what he wouldn't give to wear that--before he opened his camera to take a quick picture, like the message would fade in so little time. He saved it to the folder he'd titled 'soulmate' and then sank back into his mattress, staring up at his high-ceiling to take it all in.

It was two weeks into January--she must be at school then. They were back in after the holidays, right? That meant she had a few months to prepare for the contest and--

The contest! Adrien bolted upright again and raced to his computer desk, where the paper his father's assistant had brought was discarded on the floor. He scooped it up and read it over quickly.

"Winner's design will be worn in Gabriel's summer show by the son of the Designer himself, Adrien Agreste," Adrien read quietly to himself. "Plagg, can you believe this? If my girl is good enough--what am I saying, of course she is--I'm going to wear one of her designs!!"

"How are you so sure she's entering, kid? All she did was--"

"Of course, she's entering! Haven't you seen her drawings? She's brilliant! She has to enter, Plagg. It would be a travesty not to."

Adrien paced for a minute and then looked at the message on his wrist. He knew he was wearing that love-struck smile Plagg teased him about, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"She's making--a sundress??"

Plagg burst into uncontrollable giggles.

Adrien was distracted for the rest of the day--to say the least. His father's photographer scolded him every few minutes for his lack of cooperation, his tutors were appalled at the marks he got on his physics exam--he could understand their surprise; they knew he knew the material--and Nathalie was completely exasperated that he'd eaten not one, not two, but three croissants with his lunch (he didn't remember a single one of them, which was saying a lot because croissants were one of his favorite foods). He was relieved when his bedtime--yes, bedtime--rolled around, just for the sake of some alone time. Well--alone plus Plagg.

it was a long day. The only perk had been the message that morning, but that was the only thing he received from his true love that day.

He sighed and rubbed his face with a hand. Tomorrow would be a new day.

The next day turned out to be worse than the first, the only upside being the fact that his father's hired help decided to grant him the day off in hopes that his focus would return if he had a little time to let off whatever steam was making him worse. For this he was grateful, and also not. Time to himself meant time to worry about the utter lack of contact from his lady love. Her last message--the note about his father's designing contest--had faded last night around ten, and his skin had been clear since.

"She's probably just busy, kid, now can I have my cheese?"

"Plagg, come on, this is serious. She's never gone this long without writing."

"It's not even noon!"

"...alright. I'll give her a few hours. Eat up."

The hours passed until, again, Nathalie had come by with an order of lights out, and Adrien did something he'd never done before.

He wrote to her.

#myfanfic #soulmateau #adriennette #partone

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we-pay-for-everything · 7 years ago

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Five favorite HP characters? Five least favorite? Yur top five HP Otps, five HP notps, and five favorite HP brotps? And five unpopular opinions about the series? Have fun!

Things sounds fun! And hard :P

Favorite HP characters:

1. Sirius Black: I love this dude for many reasons. I think the major one is his love for Harry. He was just Harry’s godfather, knew him for a year, yet his sense of loyalty and responsibility (yes, he is capable of that) made him escape Azkaban for Harry’s safety. Sirius loved Harry with all his heart. I also love how wildly dysfunctional, or bitter, or angry he can be. He’s still a good person, who grew up and realized his mistakes, but he’s one of the most realistic characters. Plus, he’s fun too, and charismatic and compelling.

2. Remus Lupin: Remus is just a patient, kind, intelligent person that faces life’s challenges with grace and dignity. He’s forgiving and capable of smiling and being decent even in the darkest of times. The backslash from that is that he’s often too forgiving (for example, of Snape) and doesn’t stand up for himself. But his self-loathing make him relatable. He also walked away from Harry and his previous life (Sirius, for example) without once glancing back, apparently, which is perhaps his worst, and very human, flaw.

3. Nymphadora Tonks: this girl is my newest addition to my fictional girl squad. (Don’t ask me how that happened.) Tonks is bright, young, energetic, fun, badass. She’s Moody’s favorite and that guy doesn’t like people easily. She’s a young Auror and McGonagall said they hadn’t recruited a new Auror in years! Tonks’s favorite hair color is bubblegum pink! Who doesn’t love a girl who likes her hair pink? And who’s clumsy and adorably excited to be married and to have a baby? Tonks would’ve been a great wife and mother had she lived and her death is the worst one, because she was so young and had Teddy.

4. Dobby: he’s just the sweetest okay? He loves Harry, proves that elves can be independent and make their own choices even if limited by their magic. He was a hero who was kind to wizards and fellows elves. Ps: Have a Harry Christmas!

5. Harry Potter: he’s my fictional son. I love Harry so much. In terms of characters, I’d rate him higher than Dobby, except that Dobby never annoys me. Harry is brave, smart, loyal, strong, kind, witty, a tad angry and ruthless. I relate a lot to him sometimes, especially in the Order of the Phoenix. I can’t understand his blinding loyalty to Dumbledore (which can be said of all the characters), nor can I understand him in the Half-Blood Prince. And let’s not discuss how he named his children… Still, Harry’s a wonderful person, a great main character.

Least Favorite HP characters:

1. Albus Dumbledore: I know he’s not as evil or manipulative as people might think. And it’s easy to blame him for most things considering his many responsibilities in the wizarding world. Dumbledore often had the best intentions, was forgiving and compassionate, but it doesn’t mean he wasn’t a terrible headmaster who endangered his students, often for no good reason. He put his interest in defeating Voldemort (a worthy cause) above his duties as headmaster. He abused the power he had many times. He should’ve many a decision between dedicating his life to defeating Voldemort or to being a responsible headmaster. I find it hard to forgive people that fail children and teenagers like that. Also, the blind loyalty people bestowed him is perhaps the worst thing about HP to me.

2. Severus Snape: while his arc from late OotP to DH is compelling, his character is severely overrated. Snape is the classic children’s “villain” throughout most of the books. His attitude is tiring and monotonous. I fail to see the good writing of his character for the most part. We’re told over and over again, via Harry, that hating Snape is wrong, because he’s “good”. I find this immensely disturbing and upsetting. Harry should’ve been allowed to hate Snape, always. None of his sob story erases the fact that he was abusive to children and unfit to be in a position of power. I will never respect a person who hates and hurts children. Period.

3. Voldemort: I think he’s a boring and ineffective villain. Rowling’s strengths as a writer never rested on the bad guys.The writing for Voldemort was always weak, and the message “power is wrong” is unoriginal and overly simplistic. While some of this backstory may have been interesting (his family’s history was compelling), Voldemort’s evilness resides in him having never been loved, which is the story of every villain ever, and not something to base half a book on.

4. Bellatrix Lestrange: for someone who kills most of my favorite characters, she isn’t anything to write home about. Bellatrix isn’t a rich villain character and she is very hard to root for. She’s pure evil, unlike her sister Narcisa whose love for her son make her interesting and sympathetic. Bellatrix seems to care a bit about her sister, and Voldemort, but she kills two family members, and doesn’t seem to care at all about her husband. What are her motivations? How did she come to worship Voldemort? She’s also not the wittiest character.

5. Molly Weasley: could’ve chosen other characters, but Molly is an important one that I don’t love. She’s amazing in the beginning. Until book 4, she’s warm, loving and kind, particularly to her son’s best friend. However, it becomes clear with time that she favors some her children, like Percy or Ginny, over others, like Ron or the twins. She also sometimes cares more about Harry than her own family. She listens to Daily Prophet rubbish and snubs Hermione even if she knew (from a previous article about Arthur) how much Rita Skeeter lies. She didn’t even write to Harry at all, despite her apparent concern. This would’ve been fine (she’s only Ron’s mom after all) if she didn’t like to consider herself Harry’s mom (she even attacks Sirius over this). If she’s Harry’s “mom”, she isn’t a good one. She doesn’t treat him like her other children and she doesn’t ever talk to Harry and show that she’s there for him, emotionally. Feeding someone isn’t enough. Molly also yells all the time, and is very unsupportive and impatient with her less than “perfect” children. She shows them no respect too, like in the DH when she’s trying to keep the Trio from communicating…

OTPs:

1. Sirius/James: I’ve fallen in love with these two. I don’t necessarily ship them within the books, but Sirius and James were perfect together. They knew the other best and respected and loved each other until their very last breath. If Sirius was ever in love with anyone, it was obviously James.

2. Remus/Tonks: Tonks is fiery, young and more carefree. Remus is the opposite. They balance each other. And have a cute baby together…

3. Fleur/Bill: No one took Fleur seriously, but she loved Bill wholeheartedly. She tried to befriend his family, had the wedding in their house, and didn’t even think twice after Bill was mauled by Greyback.

4. James/Lily: Not an OTP but I’ve run out of HP OTPs. James adorably doodled Lily’s name in his exames, and was in love with her for a long time. They seemed to be the definition of domestic bliss, which is nice.

5. Arthur/Molly: their dynamic was unbalanced, but their love was genuine.

NOTPs:

1. Minor character/Adult character: Be it Sirius/Harry (gag) or Snape/Harry (gag) or any other pairing like that, I’m disgusted. I honestly don’t even care if it’s one of those time travel fics, whenever I see any HP student (in the 7 books) paired with an adult, I throw up a little.

2. Harry/Tom Riddle Jr: like, what??? I can’t even…

3. Draco/Hermione: honestly, what’s with the Draco obsession? He really isn’t that interesting. Draco and Hermione dislike each other, and that’s it.

4. Draco/Harry: I guess this pairing makes a tad more sense but I still don’t get it. Sometimes, I dislike you means just that.

5. Sirius/Remus: I’ve read a lot of fanfiction on them, but, in reality, they’re not that great. We’re talking about two characters that turned on each other, and barely seemed to reconnect post-Azkaban. It’s not like Remus was of any help to Sirius in OotP. His input was exclusively to tell Sirius to shut up or stay put. And who lets a loved one go to jail without a trial or some kind of confrontation?

BROTPs:

1. Sirius/James: duh. They had the best friendship. They finished each other’s sentences, pretty much, were best friends until they died, were almost always together, and trusted each other absolutely. Even if you combine Harry/Ron with Harry/Hermione’s friendships, James and Sirius were better friends.

2. The Weasley Twins: the strictly platonic version of James and Sirius. They had an amazing dynamic. Still makes me sad to think of George without Fred. People couldn’t even tell them apart!

3. Hermione/Harry/Ron: the trio was pretty flawless when it came to unconditional support and love.

4. Harry/Luna: there was something really sweet and reassuring about their friendship, especially after Sirius died.

5. Padfoot/Crookshanks: when you nearly burn yourself trying to get your face up close to someone’s face who is in a fireplace, that’s real love.

Unpopular Opinions:

1. Order of the Phoenix is the best HP book. It has great, realistic characterization, a great villain (Umbridge), badass activist organizations (Order and D.A), great new characters, suspense, action and drama.

2. Half-Blood Prince is very overrated. The whole book is mostly a set up for the next book, while ignoring the previous book and containing terrible teen romance.

3. Hermione’s a hypocrite. Frequently breaks the rules when it suits her (like when she unleashed a flock of birds on Ron), tries to force house-elves to be free, despite their loud objections, while claiming to respect them, etc.

4. Molly Weasley is not a great mother. As I said before, she plays favorites, overcoddles her children, neglects their emotional well-being, etc.

5. The books are often political and preachy and best be read by people who are capable of critical thinking (and often not children). I would personally not let my children read past the first 3 books. I find myself disagreeing with a lot of HP’s morality lessons and think children lack the ability to see J.K. Rowling’s flaws and the flaws in some of her characters, like Dumbledore or Snape who are romanticized in the end.

Thanks for the ask! This took a long time. If anyone has any followup questions, feel free to ask!

#ask #hp #thanks #Anonymous

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