#also no hints for freak week here... if that's a thing that's coming back this year...

[shardminds]

quick! @damedechance is only just waking up! time to post 2025 shardechance bingo cards — rare pair & tropes edition!

[beloveds-embrace]

Fuck it, we ball, I hope that disrespectful anon gets hemorrhoids and they can't get them removed until next year, AND that their insurance doesn't cover it. I'm here thinking about your Omega idea where omegas normally do the pursuing, but with a slight twist; the boys being the omegas. An alpha who is for sure down bad for the boys, but thinks "ah, theyre out of my league, I should be aiming lower, manage my expectations". Only 141 is just as down bad for them, and they're doing everything just short of screaming "PICK UP ON THE HINTS, COME INTO OUR HOUSE AND BEDS AND LIVES AND STAY FOREVER PLEASE"

Johnny is about to say fuck decorum and just show up in reader's house wearing nothing but a ribbon and a tag that says 'free to a good home' (your home is the good one, please keep him, there is no receipt so you can't return him).

Price has the brain cell normally in terms of trying to gently coax you into getting you to say you're into them, he has a 15 step plan that may or may not involve using his various contacts to get you spending more time in close proximity to them. Also he for some reason is always baking, he always comes over asking you for sugar? (He'll take any kind of 'sugar' you're willing to offer, he loves making a variety of cream pies)

Gaz is always gently inviting them to attend 'friend' things, things that could be a date but that he can excuse as 'well we're coworkers/friends/neighbors, we should get along :)'. It's just a coincidence that various other people seem to bail except for any of the other boys, now why don't you sit beside him so you guys can share popcorn at the movies (you both always seem to be reaching for it at the same time, if your fingers touched anymore you might as well be holding hands)

Simon is chasing off any omegas he thinks are a threat to them getting reader, that is THEIR alpha, paws OFF (rip to anyone reader was halfheartedly going on dates with, this man is gonna become those people's sleep paralysis demon)

Hope you enjoy!! :3 💕💕 i lovedddd writing this sm omg

See, the thing is, you’d always thought of yourself as a decent Alpha. Not overbearing, not egotistical, not a demanding freak- just capable and steady. But you weren’t extraordinary. Not the kind of Alpha Omegas like them would look at twice. And so, while you worked alongside the men of Task Force 141 you convinced yourself to be content with just admiring them from a distance.

You couldn’t help it. They were perfect, as far as you were concerned. Perfect, and fully out of your league.

Surely, Omegas like them would want someone better. Someone stronger. You’d told yourself that so many times it was practically your mantra, the only way you’d be able to stop yourself from pursuing them. They deserved someone more charismatic, more confident- an Alpha who could match their brilliance. Not someone like you, fumbling through conversations with them, struggling to keep your feelings in check.

But they’d already decided. They didn’t need a flashy Alpha or someone who tried too hard. What they wanted was you. The only problem? You didn’t seem to realize it, no matter how obvious they made it.

John took the lead, naturally. He knew you were cautious and perhaps a little insecure when it came to relationships (it was fucking visible in you, silly Alpha. He scoffs each time you draw back, frustrated), so he made it his mission to draw you in- slowly and subtly. His plan was meticulous: get you comfortable, build trust, and create opportunities for you to spend more time with them so you’d see that they only want you.

Maybe then you’d break out of that stupid shell you’ve put yourself in.

He’d started baking regularly, a habit you hadn’t even known he had. At least once a week, he’d show up at your place with a tin of cookies, a loaf of fresh bread, or a perfectly golden pie. “Thought I’d share,” he’d say casually, though the slight smirk tugging at his lips told a different story. He peers at you, letting his scent coil just a bit more. “I hope you don’t mind the amount of cream. I happen to like cream pies a lot.”

The way to an Alpha’s heart is through their stomach, and all that.

If he wasn’t offering you baked goods, he was asking for your help to make said baked goods. “Ran out of sugar again,” he’d sigh, handing you an empty container. “Mind sparing a bit?”

It was ridiculous, downright unbelievable how often he supposedly ran out of baking supplies. But his visits became a highlight of your week, and the lingering looks he gave you left your heart pounding long after he was gone.

The one time he’d handfed you, watching you lick the syrup from his fingers with half-lidded eyes, still lives in your mind rent-free.

Kyle took a softer, more personal approach. He wasn’t above using the pretense of friendship to spend time with you, often inviting you to casual dates- grabbing coffee, going to the movies, or just walking through town and shopping. Every invitation was framed innocently, but there was always a little extra effort behind it. He’d pick a movie he knew you’d like, suggest places he knew you’d find interesting, and ensure that others you unfortunately knew joined just enough to make it seem less like a date.

Somehow, though, those other people always mysteriously canceled. It was never anything dramatic- just a sudden cold, a scheduling conflict, or a “something came up, sorry.” Eventually, it would be just you and a very smug Kyle, sitting close enough that your knees brushed or reaching for popcorn at the same time. Once, right as the bowl emptied and you both reached for it, Kyle simply thought fuck it and held your hand.

On one occasion, you both shared a bowl of spaghetti and ended up with the scene from the Lady and the Tramp.

It was so painfully obvious to everyone.

Except you.

“It’s not a coincidence,” Kyle muttered to Johnny one evening after you left, both of them sitting in the spot you were in, bathing in the leftover warmth and scent. “How can they not notice?”

Speaking of Johnny; he’s barely keeping himself together. Subtlety in missions are a must sometimes, but he doesn’t want to that with you anymore. He was just so, so, so frustrated with your obliviousness. What more does he need to do to show you that he- that they- want you?

He’s been dropping so many hints; half-jokes about Omegas waiting begging to be swept off their feet, suggestive winks when you compliment him in that lovely, adoring tone of yours. Once, while watching a romantic tv show, he’d sighed loudly and very pointedly said: “If only someone would claim me.”

“If ye don’t figure it out soon,” he growled at the others one night, pacing back and forth like a wild beast and probably on his way to leave a dent in the carpet, “I’m showin’ up at their doorstep with nothin’ but a red bow, like some bloody Christmas prezzie, I swear to god.”

John sighs, rolling his eyes. “You do that, and I’m leaving you on their porch.”

“That’s exactly what I’m askin’ for!”

Simon took the quietest but most direct approach. Just not exactly direct towards you. While the others worked to get closer to you, Simon focused on eliminating what he saw as obstacles: other Omegas who thought you were free for the taking. It didn’t matter if they were serious or just someone you’d gone on a casual date with- Simon saw them all as threats.

He didn’t have to say much to scare them off. A single cold glare from across the room, sharp bursts of his scent, or a low, menacing comment was usually enough to send them packing. He didn’t care if it was excessive.

You were his Alpha. You were their Alpha, and no one else had a right to you.

But even Simon softened when it came to you. He couldn’t put all his thoughts, all his feelings into words, so he did them with his actions. Quiet protectiveness, gentle, careful touches. Moments of fleeting vulnerabilities shared between you and him.

He was always there for you. Even if you didn’t know you need him with you.

Still, despite all their efforts, you remained convinced that they weren’t interested.

In the end, to no one’s surprise, it’s Johnny who snaps. Johnny, so close to his heat, so absolutely done with your obliviousness and the Omegas that aren’t them talking with you when you should be only focused on them.

He doesn’t care; leaves the carefully made nest with your stolen shirts and none of the others stop him when he just. Drags your surprised self to the nest.

“Johnny! You-“

“I want you.” He hisses, bares his teeth all sharp and desperate. “We want you. And damn it, we will have you.”

And well, who are you to even say no when this is all you have wanted?

[grimdarling69]

Another deaged Dan and ellie or otherwise known as Crack.

Pt1 pt2 pt3. pt4

Jason was out patrolling Crime Alley when Clark called him freaking out.

Clark was currently in the doghouse with most of the bats and his sons. While most of it wasn't really his fault his family wasn't really the letting go type. He would know.

"What the hell do you want." He grimaced, that came out a lot rougher than he intended but sue him his brother had been missing for a week and they still were no were closer to finding him.

"Jason! How can you tell which rich men are predators?" What the hell.

"Get here now."

Which is how he came to be sitting across from a crisscross apple sauced Superman in his nearest safe house nursing a beer.

"I overheard something today at work." Kill him now. He was about to pull out a cyanide pill if this fucker didn't stop beating around the goddamn bush.

"What don't you overhear." He took another swing of his beer. He'd need plenty of it if Clark was gong to pester him for some fucking story while his brother was out there who knows where with God knows who, doing fucking anything. He could feel the green starting to rise and he did his best to push it back down but his vision was still tinged. It was happening a lot more often lately.

"Lex Luthor is apparently a sex trafficker." Atleast he was no longer beating around the bush but what the fuck? He knows the top suspect is Luthor and he's going to make a fucking joke about that. This was so not funny.

" I don't know what your playing at but you better explain yourself before I put a kryptonite bullet in your head." This fucker was going to singlehandedly destroy all his hardwork in therapy.

" One of my coworker's moms works at lexcorp, she called him today talking about the fact lex had two sick kids hanging around but disappeared and that a new one apparently showed up sick as well, last week." That got his attention.

"I also overheard her say he was experimenting on all of them and that the newest one spent time in Luthors own bedroom." He was going to cut Lexs dick off and shove it so far down his throat it was going to come out the other end. The green was suffocating.

"You think it's Damian."

"Who else? But the other kids I'm not sure." The other kids could have been surrogates for Damian but he was missing something. Kids because Lex has now kidnapped two other kids and experimented on them. And was probably hurting or experimenting on Damian in all kinds of ways he didn't even want to think about. The green spiking and flooding his senses, urging him to put down down anything that hurt his baby brother his...fraid? What the hell? He shook that thought off, that's never happened before. The green never allowed him to have such clear and borderline strange thoughts before.

"We need to go to the batcave." Shoving his helmet on, not even waiting for Clark's response, he'd beat him their anyway.

‐------------

Jon was sat perched on the rocks high in the cave, listening for even a hint of wherever Damian had gone. His dad who he was absolutely pissed at bad arrived and asked everyone to to 'please listen to whatever he and Jason have to say before you interupt'. Which led to a lot of shouting and arguing he was ignoring. He already knew what it was about he had been straining listening to every single person mentioning lex luthor.

He couldn't imagine Damian in that position. It wasn't that he didn't understand it could happen to anyone it was just disbelief that it could happen to... his best friend, who he's had a crush on for years. He obviously knew that no one was infallible, much less Damian, but he couldn't help think it. Damian always seemed untouchable.

Eventually, everybody quieted down again and went back to their own things. The quiet was unwelcome. He'd been having strange dreams since before he heard of Damian's disappearance.

They always started out normal enough. He was walking in a park that seemed familiar, but he knows for a fact he's never been to. After a while, he comes to a picnic table with various snacks and drinks thrown around in smaller piles like they were transfered from someone's arms to quickly care.

A boy with bright orange hair, covered in freckles everywhere, he can see wearing a basketball jersey attempting to twirl a ball on one finger, his hands are covered in colorful markers, both drawing snd wikd splotches. He instinctively recognizes him as 'Wes' even though he has no clue who he is. 'Wes' briefly tries to wave at him but loses his grip on his ball and has to chase it down the hill, cursing all the way. When he turned the back of his legs, have punctured, looking scars on them like something grabbed him and dragged him around, seering fangs into his flesh.

Another boy 'Tuck' is typing madly at what he can recognize as a PDA even though he's only seen them on old TV. He's placed in the center surrounded by tools most on his left and right side like he picked them up and threw them back down too quickly to care. His hands have several scars, but his left arm is the worst, 3rd degree burns healed, but still looked painful. His tongue is sticking out the side of his mouth, and he keeps pushing his dreads underneath a red beanie, but before his hands even touches his device, they've already slid back out.

There's two other girls side by side, one shooting airplanes and attempting to get the other to 'play with her'. One 'Val' his mind supplies somehow, has darker skin, and wears a typical y2k outfit complete with a flip-phone she secured on her body with a yellow ribbon. Her face has a huge jagged scar running from the side, almost touching her mouth as if her head slammed on something sharp, then dragged downward purposefully and other smaller scars on everywhere else. She looks straight out of one of his mom's old photo books rather than a 2000s fashion enthusiast. She smirks at him and waves her finger at him in a 'come hither' kinda way.

The other girl 'ellie', wear more baggy clothes, the knees are torn and darker from wear and tear rather than on purpose like what he himself has worn. From the little skin she shows he can see both bruising new and old with quite a few 'narley' looking scars. She sees him and waves, smiling brightly, she grabs one of the paper airplane and throws it into the sky. 'Ellie' then waves her hands around in a motion that looks like it was practiced for more effects than practical. Wind billows past her making the paper go soaring for a brief minute before it self-destructive under the stress of the wind. She pouts and stomps her foot before grabbing another one and trying again.

He continues past her and sits near 'val'. Val grabs his shoulders and snaps a phota on her phone. "Say cheese," she says through her teeth, smiling joyfully. For some reason, he obeys her command and smiles softly at the camera. He feels happy and peaceful. Val shoves the phone in his hand for him to inspect, but something is wrong.

He-she has dark black hair that seems to have a purple hue to it. Her makeup is dark and shadowed, and her clothes are shorter than he's ever worn before. They look sewn together cruedly but with an attention to detail he often lacks. She has quite a few scars ranging from scrapes to jagged cuts. Somehow, the girl holds a peace sign up, and he can see her claw like nails. The black paint was patchy in places, making him able to tell those were real nails, not just fake acrylics.

He looks down, and he sees her. Before he starts to spiral,'Danny' calls out. "Sam! There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you!" 'Danny' has even worse scarring than anyone else the way he leans over him he can see inside his shirt, a large autopsy scar is healed rough and jagged edges make it known he fought the whole time. He has litchenberg type figures from his right hands palm all the way up to his throat. Weren't they supposed to fade? He knows logically that he can't be Damian, but he also just feels like he is, like he's just like Jon's best friend, like he's known him forever and loves him. 'Danny' appearance then starts to shift from looking even more like Damian his eyes and face stay carefree, but his harsh scarring looks even more profound against his darker skin. 'Damian's' head comes to rest on his shoulder and he feels 'Sam' start to lean down and kiss him, but as soon as they lock eyes the dream is over leaving him in a panting mess, trying to catch his breath.

He's had that exact same dream for a week now with no change. All ending in the exact same spot. He wasn't sure who to talk to about it. It felt important, but what if it's just a dream?

"Jon? Hanging in there?" Kon floated up, he staying in the air probably in case he reacted negatively. He hates how they treat him like a ticking time boom, Damian never treats him like that. Come on, just say it. He's your brother.

"I just...miss him." he buried his head in his hands like the coward he was. Kon floated closer until he was landing right next him, bumping his shoulder.

"I know Jon, I get it." No you really don't. Cause i don't let you.

-----------

"So there is a boy you like?" Vlad pestered him rubbing his back.

"I never said it was a boy." He snarked before throwing up his entire stomach up in the toilet.

"Please Damian, I went to school with your father. Both of them now actually." He said matter a factually.

"Gay." He said in between hurling. Finally after not immediately throwing up as soon as he even moves slightly Vlad places a water bottle in his hands.

"Thank you." He mumbles, mind your manners young master.

Vlad was nice and all sometimes, but he missed his family. Pennyworths chiding, Richard's easy smiles and praises, Father's lessons. He missed it all.

Vlad really wasn't the best at emotions or parenting really. He... cared for him but he was more that fun uncle you realize was really just crazy. Not he'd ever tell Vlad that.

"Let's go back to work."

"Are you sure? We can take a longer break?"

"We both know we can't afford it."

Things weren't going all that well. They had realized fairly quickly that the incubation was going to follow a real pregnancy timeline if not a little shorter up to the birth where they will just faze out when their ready. Vlad theorized it was a protective measure his body was doing to make the pregnancy less ghostly. He couldn't handle even a half-ghostly anything. The flight to the island drained him of all of the ectoplasm he was able to accumulate over the years despite the corruption.

Due to the corruptedness of the pits he was basically severely ecto-deprived and any ecto he gains goes to the two extra cores or fixing the corruption. He can't even make any ectoplasm anymore because of the corruption stopping it. He needs to get to the Infinate Realms as soon as possible or else neither him or his kids will continue to exist. Vlad was also weaker using his own ectoplasm to power things because the purified ecto was so much weaker than just natural.

The ectopods give him a boost but he was getting worse. The ectopods had failed Dan and Ellie to.

Vlad was starting to get a little protective and by a little he means not wanting to let him out of sight at all. Barely for a bathroom break. Ancients forbid he takes more than five minutes and Vlad pulls a sledgehammer out.

He may or not be going a little stir crazy. It was agonizing he's not used to dealing with this much attention. His parents in his first life were mostly focused on the portal or their work in general until they suddenly realized they had kids then showered them with affection just to forget about them just as quickly. The league of assassins and his mother don't need any explanation really, between training there wasn't much time for affection his mother sometimes did but it was always behind closed doors when noone was watching at all and that didn't happen near as much as you would think. His father wasn't really affectionate on anything, the most he would get for a mission gone right was a pat on the back and a "good job chum" and it often felt more forced with him than the others. Richard was quite affectionate with both his words and his actions. Getting a passing grade or winning a fight or even losing a fight seemed to be a cause of celebration. He was physical with his affection, hugs and kisses on the forehead, but even the second he started feeling uncomfortable he would pull away. Sometimes it was nice sometime he just wished he would push just a little further.

Vlad didn't have any of that. He was all antagonistic words, he didn't even always seem to mean it, it just happened with him. His attention nice for a while but got tiring and he couldn't just ask him to leave him alone because Vlad would take it wrong. He also never knew when to leave him alone. Like he didn't need to sleep in his room just cause he was having headaches and occasional nosebleeds he had that plenty with concussions before and had been able to treat it since he was 4 years old. He thinks if Vlad says one word more on 'taking a break' or 'drinking some more water' he was going to punch him in the face.

"You dont need to push yourself! you'll only end up in more pain just take a five minute break? Please think of the kids I'm also there father to you know!" There it is.

Damian while around and punched him in the face. The force and the surprise knocking him onto the floor.

"Damian! What the hell is your problem, young man!" He attempted to get up but he didn't let him. He easily swept his feet from under him and pushed him back down.

"I'm sick and tired of you always thinking you know what's best for me! Well news flash. You don't." He punched him in the face, expertly evading Vlads dodging. Vlad was powerful with powers but without them he was much more skilled.

"Stop this right now!" He'd have to make him.

And make him he did. Shit. He overestimated just how much ecto Vlad had been giving him because he stopped holding back his strength and shoved him off.

Crack.

Shit Vlad definitely either broke or cracked one of his ribs. He must of really pissed him off because that didn't stop him. He ran at him and kicked him in the throat. He gasped for air.

"Are we done yet?" Fuck you. He grabbed his legs and pulled him down. Almost straddling him and started to beat his face in. Vlad spit out blood but started to heal quicker than he could hurt him. Switching their positions he stsrted to choke him out. He choked for air but remembering his training, he quickly administerd a move that would have taken down any regular human down.

Vlad quickly recovered even angrier and threw him roughly at the glass of the lab shattering it and landing in it. He could feel the glass prickling against his skin. Bloody streaks painting his hands, glass embedded. He tried getting up but heard a loud gasp.

Susan stood hand over her mouth. Her skin pale and her hand gripped her tablet so hard he could hear creaks. He laid his head back down. He suddenly didn't feel like fighting anymore.

"Take him to the physician." Vlad spoke, voice distant and echoey. He couldn't resist the pull of darkness and fell under.

--------

After Clark shared his findings with the cave a month ago, Tim and Barbara have been hard at work trying to track the call, but meeting dead ends all around. Lex's security to tight and better than ever before.

Until, a new call came through.

"David! Oh David it's horrible!" She cried, her sobbing evident even through the poor phone service. They quickly got to work, everyone joining in around them. It had a two months since the last time they saw their littlest bat. No way where they letting the opportunity slip through their hands again.

"That little boy! He threw him through a window! He's been in and out of emergency surgeries for a week. A week! He had a punctured lung, an almost crushed larynx, a broken collarbone, and five cracked or broken ribs. Not to mention, he's covered in bruises and srapes from the glass! It's terrible! That little boy, just laying on the operating table, his heart stopped twice. Twice! Oh, David! I don't know what to do." She was in hysterics. Oh god, that was his brother. His baby brother.

He ignored the broken sobs around him and pushed his down.

"I've got it." Barbara announced, hse didn't sound relieved in any way but he understood they still had to save him and from what they heard from her, he may never fully recover.

"Supers, fly ahead, scout out. This is Lex, he's bound to have plenty of kryptonite." The supers flew out without even acknowledgeing their orders.

He paused. Please don't say it. Please

"Evrybody else... to the batjet."

It didn't really matter what he said anyway everybody in the cave was ready to go war, with or without Bruce.

A/N if yall think for one second that a relationship built from the ashes of one of the most traumatic moments in their lives is going to be perfect, yall kidding yourselves. Vlad is never going to be perfect he and damian/Danny will always be archenemys who may or may not have some fluffy moments they'll still have met because he wat trying to kill his father so he could marry his mother. Vlad desperately wanting him to be son is so obsessive and insane he creates a clone of him to be his kid. They may care for each other, but vlad will never truly be a good choice for Danny in general.

[grifffins]

🔮 The Fool’s Journey (Into Trouble) 🔮 | Ch. 3

Lilia Calderu x fem!reader

wc: 4.6k (Chapter 3/?)

a/n: getting this chapter out tonight since it’s a bit shorter, but don’t worry, i’ll make it up to you in chapter 4. chapter 4 is where it’s really at, it’s gonna be super lilia-focused and way less coven-heavy. just a heads up, this one’s got mature themes again

Ch. 2 ch.4

also on ao3

A few days passed, and things between me and Lilia stayed... the same. No mention of The Call, no weird tension, just business as usual. She put me to work, I did my job, and she didn’t avoid me anymore which, in my book, was progress. But deep down, I was dying.

I needed to talk to someone before I lost my mind, so I called an emergency coven meeting. And naturally, they were desperate for an update.

We were all gathered at Agatha’s place, lounging around in various states of anticipation. Jen had popcorn. Billy was practically vibrating with excitement. Alice looked like she was holding her breath.

I took a deep breath. “So... the other night, Lilia accidentally texted me, some sort of gibberish, and then she called me.”

Their eyes widened, leaning in like they were hearing the biggest gossip of the century.

I licked my lips. “And, uh... it wasn’t a normal call.”

Agatha narrowed her eyes. “Define not normal, y/n.”

I sighed. “There were... sounds. ”

Billy blinked. “...Sounds?”

“Sounds.” I repeated, face burning.

Jen’s mouth dropped open, eyes going wide. Alice gasped softly, her hands flying to her cheeks. And Agatha—oh, Agatha just stared at me like I’d personally betrayed her.

“y/n,” she whispered in horror.

I shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah.”

A beat of silence.

And then Agatha whipped a pillow at my head. “YOU IDIOT!”

“OW! What the hell, Agatha?!”

“You’ve been sitting on this information for days? ” she screeched. “Days?! And you’re telling us now?!”

“I needed time to process!” I defended, ducking as she threw another pillow.

Billy, still frozen, muttered under his breath, “Damn... didn’t know Lilia was freaky like that.”

“Guys!” I groaned, covering my face.

Jen, still in shock, finally shook her head and looked at me seriously. “y/n... are you sure she meant to call you?”

Alice, ever the calm one, frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe she thinks she just accidentally phoned you. You said she’s bad with technology, right?”

I blinked. “I mean... yeah, she is. She didn’t even know how to use emojis until last week.”

Agatha perked up. “Oh, this changes everything.”

I raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

Agatha grinned like a wolf. “What if she doesn’t know she called you?”

I shrugged. “Yeah I think that’s the case.”

Jen snapped her fingers. “Exactly. Maybe she thinks she just sent a random text. You could be sitting here, obsessing, and she’s none the wiser.”

Billy leaned in with an evil glint in his eyes. “We need to test it.”

I frowned. “Test it how?”

Agatha’s grin widened. “You need to... accidentally send her a nude.���

“WHAT?!” I nearly choked on my drink. “How did you even come to that conclusion?! No! Absolutely not!”

“Not a full nude, obviously,” Agatha said, rolling her eyes. “Something subtle. Lingerie. A little tease. Just enough to see how she reacts.”

Alice, looking scandalized, shook her head. “Guys, that’s not a good idea.”

Jen smirked. “It’s a great idea.”

“No, no, no—” I protested, but before I could stop them, Billy had already snatched my phone.

I lunged for it. “Billy! Don’t you—”

He was too fast, scrolling through my very private folder with an alarming lack of shame. “Damn, y/n, you’ve been holding out on us.”

I groaned. “GIVE IT BACK!”

Agatha peered over his shoulder. “That one.”

Billy grinned, holding up a picture of me in a black lace set—sexy, but not too much. It was just a hint of lace in the photo—suggestive but not overt. Elegant, subtle, and teasingly alluring, showing just enough to make an impression without baring it all.

“No way,” I said, shaking my head furiously. “No freaking way.”

Jen crossed her arms. “Y/n. If she doesn’t know she called you, this is your way of finding out if she’s really interested.”

Agatha smirked. “And if she does know she called you? Well...”

Alice groaned into her hands. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”

Billy waggled my phone in front of me. “Y/n, you have to do this.”

I stared at the picture, my heart hammering. “This is insane.”

Agatha grinned. “It’s brilliant.”

Billy cheered, already typing. “Aaaaaand... send.”

I gasped. “YOU SENT IT?!”

The room exploded in chaos.

“Billy, you absolute menace!” I shouted, grabbing my phone back in horror.

“She’s going to kill me!”

Agatha grinned. “Or marry you.”

My phone buzzed. We all froze.

I stared at the screen.

Lilia: ...y/n?

I was going to die.

Billy snatched my phone away before I could even think about replying. “Don’t. Text. Back.”

I gasped, reaching for it. “Billy, give it back! I have to say something! ”

Jen grabbed my shoulders and shook me gently. “No, y/n! Let. Her. Stew.”

Agatha nodded sagely, sipping her wine like this was the most important strategic move of our lives. “Exactly. She needs time to process.”

Alice, looking like she wanted to crawl under the couch and disappear, sighed. “I feel like this is the worst advice ever.”

“THANK YOU,” I exclaimed, pointing at her. “Finally, some sense!”

But Agatha waved a dismissive hand. “No, no. Trust me, y/n. This is the best advice. If you text back too soon, it looks like you’re panicking.”

“I am panicking!” I hissed, pacing the room while Billy kept my phone at arm’s length.

Jen grinned. “Exactly, which is why you don’t text back. Make her wonder. Did you mean to send it? Did you not? Is this some kind of subtle seduction? The mystery will drive her wild.”

I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. “Guys, she’s going to think I’m a complete disaster.”

Agatha smirked. “y/n, sweetheart, you are a complete disaster. But a hot one. And that’s what matters.”

Billy checked my phone again, gasping dramatically. “Oh my God. She’s typing. ”

The room erupted.

“What?!” I nearly tackled him for the phone.

“She stopped typing,” he groaned. “She’s overthinking it.”

I clutched my chest. “I’m going to be sick.”

Alice gave me a sympathetic look. “You could just say it was an accident, you know.”

Agatha looked horrified. “Alice, no. We do not admit to accidents in this house.”

Jen grinned. “She sent that text for a reason. Maybe she was already thinking about it, and now she’s spiraling.”

I slumped onto the couch, burying my face in a pillow. “This is actual torture.”

Billy tossed me my phone. “Okay, fine. If you have to say something, keep it vague. Play it cool.”

I peeked at the screen again. Lilia’s message was still staring back at me.

I swallowed hard. “Okay. Okay. Something vague.”

Agatha leaned over. “Say: ‘Oops.’”

I gawked at her. “Oops?! ”

Jen snorted. “No, no. Say, ‘Wrong person.’”

Billy gasped. “Or just ‘Enjoy.’”

I groaned. “Oh my God, I hate all of you.”

Alice rubbed my back. “Just say something simple like, ‘Ignore that.’”

Agatha scoffed. “Boring. We need drama.”

I exhaled, staring at the keyboard, and against my better judgment, typed:

Me: I can explain.

I hit send before I could overthink it. “WHY DID I DO THAT?!”

Billy cackled. “No, that was perfect. ”

Agatha beamed. “y/n, I am so proud.”

My phone buzzed again.

Lilia: I’m listening.

I just sat there, scared and staring at the screen, heart pounding out of my chest. “What do I even say now?!”

Agatha grinned. “Well, y/n... you tell her exactly what she wants to hear.”

I groaned, clutching my phone like it was a ticking bomb. “Guys, what if it really was an accident? What if she doesn’t even feel that way about me? What if—”

Agatha didn’t even hesitate— WHAM. Another pillow hit me square in the face.

"Y/N.” She huffed, crossing her arms. “She saw you in that dress. She called you while touching herself. Even if it was an accident—which, yes, it probably was—she still went into your contact list and somehow ended up on your name while doing that. She was thinking about you. ”

I groaned into the pillow. “You don’t know that for sure.”

Jen rolled her eyes dramatically. “y/n, honey, if it were anyone else, maybe we'd doubt it. But it's Lilia. Do you know how many people she could’ve accidentally called? A client? Agatha? Billy?! ”

Billy grinned. “That would’ve been awkward.”

Agatha smirked. “And yet... she called you.”

I peeked out from behind the pillow, my voice muffled. “So... what do I do now?”

Jen leaned forward, her eyes gleaming. “That’s what we’re finding out.”

Alice, always the cautious one, sighed. “Maybe we’re reading too much into this. What if she was just...” She trailed off, face turning red. “...multitasking?”

Billy burst out laughing. “Multitasking? What, like checking her emails?”

Agatha grinned. “I bet she was thinking about y/n, and then her fingers slipped in more ways than one.”

“AGATHA! ” I screeched, my face going bright red.

She just shrugged, sipping her wine. “Sweetheart, denial isn’t a good look on you.”

I groaned again. “Okay, fine. Let’s say you’re right. What the hell do I do?”

Jen smirked. “You keep her curious. ”

Billy nodded. “Let’s craft the perfect reply. Nothing too direct, but nothing too vague.”

Alice groaned. “Please, just text something normal.”

Jen grinned. “Text her... ‘Are you sure you want me to explain?’”

I blinked. “That’s... terrifying.”

Agatha clapped her hands. “Which is why it’s perfect!”

I stared at my phone, chewing my lip. “I don’t know... what if she thinks I’m messing with her?”

Billy waggled his brows. “Then it’s working.”

Jen nudged me. “C’mon, y/n. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“She blocks me, fires me, and I die alone in a pit of regret?” I said, deadpan.

I took a deep breath, heart hammering, and typed:

Me: Are you sure you want me to explain?

I hovered over the send button, looking at them all one last time.

Jen whispered, “Do it.”

I hit send.

The room fell into utter silence.

Alice covered her face. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

Billy started counting down. “Three... two... one—”

My phone buzzed.

Lilia: I suppose that depends on what kind of explanation you have in mind.

I sat there, frozen, staring at the screen. “Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my GOD.”

Agatha grinned like a cat who just got into the cream. “Well, well, well.”

I clutched my phone like it might self-destruct, wide-eyed and spiraling. “Agatha, I SENT HER A NUDE.”

Billy, ever the enabler, smirked. “Barely! It was just a hint of lace. Artful. Tasteful.”

Alice groaned. “It’s still an unsolicited hint of lace.”

I buried my face in my hands. “I’m going to jail.”

Jen snorted. “Okay, drama queen. You’re not going to jail.”

I peeked through my fingers. “You don’t know that! What if she reports me? What if she, oh God, what if she shows someone? What if—”

Agatha rolled her eyes. “Sweetheart, breathe. First of all, Lilia wouldn’t do that. Second, she’s intrigued. Look at that response.”

I sat there, frozen, staring at the screen. “Oh my God. Oh my God. What do I say?”

Agatha was already grinning ear to ear. “Oh, baby... you say everything.”

I stared at Agatha, wide-eyed and clutching my phone like it might self-destruct at any moment. “Agatha, really , what do I say?” My voice was barely above a whisper, and I felt like my entire soul was about to leave my body.

Alice, blushing furiously in the corner, mumbled, “Maybe we should reconsider—”

“No,” Jen interrupted, leaning forward with a smirk. “y/n, we all know you’ve got game. You flirt with anyone with a pulse except Lilia. But now? Now is the time.”

I clutched my chest dramatically. “But it’s Lilia,” I whined, my voice a whisper of despair.

Agatha rolled her eyes. “Yes, and you are whipped. But guess what? She is too, whether she knows it yet or not.” She pointed at my phone. “And right now, she’s sitting there, waiting. You want to leave her hanging?”

I swallowed, staring at the message on my screen.

I sighed, staring at my phone. “Okay... so... what do I say? And don’t say anything ridiculous.”

Agatha tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Alright, something simple. How about... ‘I guess I’ll just have to show you instead of explain, hm?’”

Billy gasped. “Oh, that’s good. ”

Alice groaned again. “It’s so not.”

I chewed my lip, staring at the phone. “Okay. Okay... I’ll try something... light.” I exhaled sharply, fingers trembling slightly as I typed.

Me: I think some things are better shown than explained, don’t you?

I hit send, immediately throwing my phone onto the couch like it had personally offended me.

Billy grabbed the phone. “Okay, now we really wait.”

Agatha smirked. “She’s so going to break.”

And then, my phone buzzed.

We all froze.

Jen clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, she replied.”

Billy held the phone out like it was sacred. “Read it, y/n.”

I snatched it from him, my heart pounding.

Lilia: Are you offering to demonstrate, baby?

I screamed into a pillow.

Agatha was howling. “SHE’S FLIRTING BACK!”

Jen high-fived Billy. “She’s down so bad. ”

I sat up, staring at the screen, my fingers tingling. “What do I even say to that?!”

Agatha grinned, patting my shoulder. “You tell her... that you never offer something you can’t follow through on.”

I groaned, falling back onto the couch. I was so doomed.

Agatha snatched my phone from my trembling hands, eyes gleaming with pure chaos. “Alright, sweetheart, time to stop screaming internally and start sexting externally. ”

I lunged for it. “No, no, NO—Agatha, I can’t—”

She held it above her head like a trophy, grinning. “Y/n, baby, this is your moment. If you don’t take it, I will. ”

Billy cackled. “I will never recover if she actually sexts Lilia for you.”

I whined, flopping onto the couch. “I am actually going to combust. ”

Jen reached over and patted my knee. “You’re doing amazing, sweetie.”

Agatha typed something, and I screamed in horror. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

She held the phone just out of reach with an evil grin. “Relax, darling. I’m just... guiding you.”

I lunged at her. “AGATHA NO!”

She dodged me effortlessly, shoving the phone in my face.

Me: I never offer something I can't follow through on.

I stared in absolute horror, my mouth falling open. “You did not just send that.”

Billy fell off the couch, cackling. Jen was wheezing. Alice, bless her, looked like she was praying.

Agatha tossed the phone onto my lap with a smug smile. “I absolutely did.”

I was too stunned to speak, staring at the message like it might explode.

My phone buzzed.

The room fell dead silent.

I hesitated, then peeked at the screen.

Lilia: Good to know, baby.

I let out the loudest, most undignified scream into the nearest pillow, my entire body shaking with embarrassment and something else I didn’t want to name.

Agatha grinned like she’d won a lifetime achievement award. “Ladies and gentlemen... we got her.”

Jen clapped slowly. “y/n, you are so whipped.”

Billy smirked. “So, what’s next?”

I peeked out from the pillow, my face flushed beyond saving. “...I think I need a drink. I need a strong drink.”

Billy, still on the floor in a fit of laughter, wheezed. “You need new underwear, more like.”

I buried my face in my hands. “Oh my God, Billy, shut up. ”

Agatha, lounging like a queen on her throne of chaos, smirked. “He’s not wrong, darling. You’ve barely sexted, and you’re already losing it. I shudder to think what happens when things get... more involved.”

I shot her a glare. “I also need new friends. ”

Alice, looking mildly traumatized but still loyal, patted my arm. “No, you don’t.”

Jen grinned. “Yes, you do.”

Billy nodded. “We’re terrible for you.”

I exhaled dramatically, sinking deeper into the couch. “Why am I friends with you people?”

Agatha shrugged. “Because you love us. And because we’re making your love life interesting.”

I groaned again. “This isn’t interesting, it’s stressful.” I grabbed my phone and checked Lilia’s last message again, my stomach doing things I didn’t want to analyse. Good to know, baby.

Billy grinned. “So, what’s the plan now, baby? ”

I scowled at him. “Don’t call me that.”

Agatha leaned forward, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Now? We let her brood. ”

I frowned. “Brood?”

Agatha nodded sagely. “Lilia is probably sitting there, swirling her wine, thinking about what you said.” She smirked. “So, we let her sit with it. Let it marinate. ”

Alice sighed. “Why do you talk about everything like it’s a steak?”

Agatha ignored her. “The longer she stews, the more she’ll realise she wants you. It’s psychology, y/n.”

I blinked. “It’s torture, Agatha.”

Jen shrugged. “Same thing.”

I sighed, reaching for my drink. “Fine. I’ll let her brood. But if I explode from frustration, I’m haunting all of you.”

Billy raised his glass. “Cheers to y/n’s sexual frustration!”

I groaned. “I need better friends.”

Agatha smirked. “No, sweetheart, you need a better plan.”

I groaned, pacing the room like my life depended on it. “Guys. We do need a plan. I’m working tomorrow. Oh my God, I have to face her after this.”

Billy grinned, way too excited. “Y/n, we have the perfect plan.”

I froze, pointing a finger at them. “Oh no. ”

Agatha leaned in with an all-too-smug look. “Listen, listen. You use her facilities again tomorrow.”

I frowned. “For what?”

Jen smirked. “You don’t bring up the texts. Nothing. Just casually be like, ‘Hey, Jen’s picking me up for something later. Mind if I use your shower before we go?’”

I narrowed my eyes. “...She won’t mind that.”

“Exactly,” Agatha purred. “It’s innocent. Harmless. But it plants the idea. And—” she wiggled her brows “this isn’t even about making her think about you naked in her shower.”

Billy grinned. “Although that’s a huge bonus.”

I groaned, covering my face. “Oh my God.”

Agatha leaned in closer, her voice low and conspiratorial. “No, the real plan? You’re gonna ‘accidentally’ leave something behind.”

I peeked through my fingers. “Like what?”

Jen smirked. “Something delicate. ”

Billy grinned wildly. “Your underwear. ”

I choked. “ARE YOU INSANE?”

Alice, horrified, threw up her hands. “Okay, that’s it. This has officially crossed a line.”

I pointed at her. “Thank you! Finally, some sanity!”

Agatha beamed. “Oh, honey, it’s genius. Not out in the open, obviously, that’s tacky. You just... leave it somewhere subtle.”

I groaned. “Guys, first a nude and now this? This is so wildly unethical.”

Jen waved a dismissive hand. “Y/n, it could totally be an accident. Just relax.”

Billy grinned. “Besides, how many times do you leave things behind? You’re basically a walking trail of forgotten items.”

I scowled. “That is not the same!”

Agatha ignored me completely. “Somewhere she’ll find it. In the bathroom. Not right away, but later. Maybe under a towel.”

Billy clapped his hands. “Ooh, yes. And not just any underwear. Your lacy black thong.”

I blinked. “I hate you people.”

Jen grinned. “You love us.”

I sat down heavily on the couch, my mind spiraling. “This is insane.”

Agatha sipped her wine with a devious smile. “Insane? No. Effective? Absolutely.”

Billy wiggled his eyebrows. “You leave it behind. And when she finds it, she will think about you wearing it.”

Jen shrugged. “Or not wearing it.”

I groaned. “I am so doomed.”

Agatha smirked. “Honey, you’re not doomed. You’re about to win. ”

The next day, I walked into the shop with every ounce of casual energy I could muster, which wasn’t much considering my heart was pounding hard enough to rattle my ribcage.

Lilia was already behind the counter, flipping through one of her old, worn tarot decks with that signature calm that usually drove me crazy in the best way. But today? Today she was watching me with a different kind of intensity, her sharp brown eyes squinting slightly, like she was trying to figure me out.

I forced a breezy smile, pretending like my entire plan wasn’t currently burning a hole in my brain. Act normal. Don’t think about the nude. Don’t bring up the nude. Just stick to the coven’s plan. “Morning,” I said, casual as ever, even though my heart was doing its best impression of a jackhammer.

Lilia’s eyes lingered on me for a beat longer than necessary before she nodded. “Morning, baby.” Her voice was smooth, but I could tell she was definitely suspicious of something. There was something in her expression, a flicker of hesitation, like she was debating whether or not to say something. I could practically see the wheels turning in her head, and for a split second, I was convinced she was about to bring it up. My pulse skyrocketed.

I swallowed hard and leaned against the counter, carefully keeping my tone light. “Hey, uh... Jen’s picking me up later for something. Mind if I use your shower before we go? It’s easier than running home.”

Lilia arched a perfectly shaped brow, eyes scanning me with that same unreadable expression she always wore when she was in the middle something. “Sure,” she said slowly, setting down the cards. “You know where everything is.”

I nodded, offering her my best innocent smile. “Thanks, you're the best.”

She didn’t respond right away, just kept squinting at me like I was a puzzle she couldn’t quite put together. And me? I just smiled harder and grabbed a stack of inventory to avoid the weight of her gaze.

When the time came, I slipped into the back and into Lilia’s bathroom, which was as eccentric as the rest of her shop. Dark tiles, candles lined along the bathtub, and shelves filled with lotions and oils that probably dated back to the Renaissance. It smelled like lavender and something distinctly her.

I stared at myself in the mirror, steeling my nerves. “Okay, y/n. You can do this. It’s just underwear. Totally normal. Happens all the time.”

I was going to hell. Or jail.

Stripping down, I went about my plan like it was just another casual part of my day, showering quickly and then carefully leaving my lacy black thong under the fluffy towel on the floor. Not too hidden, not too obvious. Just... enough.

I pulled my dress on, took a deep breath, and stepped back into the shop, cool and composed. Totally normal. Totally casual. Totally not panicking.

Lilia glanced up from behind the counter again, her lips twitching like she was biting back some comment. “Feel better?”

I smirked. “Refreshed.”

She gave a slow, deliberate nod. “Good.”

And then she went back to her task, but there was a tension in her shoulders now, something almost... calculated. Like she was waiting.

I played it cool. I clocked out, waved goodbye, and walked out of the shop like I didn’t just leave my underwear in her bathroom like some kind of seductress. Like I hadn’t sent her a not-really-a-nude the day before and was now waiting for the earth to swallow me whole.

Once I was safely out of sight, I all but sprinted to Jen’s car, throwing myself into the seat with a groan.

Jen took one look at me and grinned. “You did it, didn’t you?”

I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. “I hate myself.”

Agatha, lounging in the backseat, cackled. “Oh, sweetheart, we are so proud.”

Billy, leaning between the seats, grinned. “Now we wait. ”

And wait we did.

I lay sprawled across my bed, staring at the ceiling in utter defeat. Midnight had come and gone, and still, nothing. No message, no call, no acknowledgment of the very bold move I had pulled earlier.

I groaned, flipping onto my stomach and burying my face into my pillow. “I fucked it,” I mumbled to myself.

After waiting at Agatha’s with the coven for hours, laughing nervously and waiting for my phone to buzz with some reaction, I finally gave up and went home. Now, alone in the dim glow of my bedside lamp, it felt so much worse.

I was so stupid. Why did I think this would work? Lilia was too composed, too controlled. Maybe she just tossed the lingerie aside without a second thought, chalking it up to a careless mistake. Maybe she thought I was an immature idiot. Or worse—maybe she was uncomfortable. What if she thought I’d crossed a line? What if she was sitting in her armchair right now, contemplating whether or not to sue me for harassment?

I sighed heavily, rolling onto my back and closing my eyes. “Never listening to the coven again,” I muttered.

And then, my phone rang.

I shot upright so fast I nearly knocked it off the nightstand. My heart leapt into my throat as I stared at the caller ID.

Lilia Calderu.

My fingers trembled as I swiped to answer. “Hey,” I greeted cautiously, my voice softer than I intended. “Everything okay?”

For a moment, nothing but silence. And then, heavy breathing.

Thick, slow, and uneven breathing that sent a shiver down my spine. My stomach tightened, and I gripped the phone tighter.

When Lilia finally spoke, her voice was thick, strained— heavy.

"You left your panties here."

My entire body locked up, heat rushing to my face so fast I thought I might combust on the spot.

“Shit,” I blurted out, swallowing hard. “I’m sorry. You can just... put them aside. Or throw them out. Or whatever you want.”

She hummed, a slow, thoughtful sound that sent every nerve in my body into overdrive.

I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to scream into a pillow. “Lilia...”

And then...

It was faint, barely there, but unmistakable. A muffled, strangled moan.

My eyes widened.

Oh. Oh.

The embarrassment that had been gnawing at me all night started to fade, slowly replaced by something deeper, heavier, something... dangerous.

My breath caught in my throat, and for a second, I thought I might actually pass out. Heat pooled low in my stomach, and my grip on the phone tightened like it was the only thing keeping me grounded.

Her breathing deepened, each slow inhale crackling through the line like it was too much, too intimate, too intentional.

I felt it everywhere, creeping under my skin, settling in my chest like a live wire. My pulse pounded, my thoughts racing with the very real possibility that, oh God, she’s actually...

I squeezed my eyes shut. This was insane. This was so wildly hot. My fingers tightened around the phone, my breath coming quicker, my entire body thrumming with the weight of it.

“What are you doing, Lilia?” I asked, my voice quieter, more deliberate.

Her breathing hitched, and the pause stretched long enough to make my pulse pound in my ears. Another sharp exhale followed, and I swore I could hear the faintest rustle of fabric, the softest shift of movement. And then, a whispered curse, low and breathy, slipping from Lilia’s lips like she didn’t mean for me to hear it. Her breathing stopped for a split second, and then she exhaled sharply.

And then, "What are we doing, baby?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. I sat there, lips parted, completely frozen.

“I can’t, y/n,” she whispered, the words almost pained.

And then click.

The call ended.

I stared at the phone in shock, my pulse racing so hard I thought it might burst through my chest.

I flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to process what just happened.

"She wants me," I whispered to myself.

And suddenly... I wasn’t so sure I’d fucked it after all.

[alexstalkers]

Healing Hearts

includes: alex karev in the beginning of his peds residency, a seattle grace mercy west merger which involves a new mercy west transfer....

black fem surgical resident! reader x alex karev

song inspiration: ivy- taylor swift

---------------------

Y/N walked into Seattle Grace, the bustling environment a sharp contrast to her previous residency. As a new resident transfer, she knew she had to prove herself. Her heart pounded with a mix of excitement and nervousness as she reported for her first day on Arizona Robbins' pediatric service.

"You're the new resident, Y/N?" Arizona greeted her with a warm smile. "Welcome to Peds. You'll be working closely with Dr. Karev today. He knows my service and he'll help you if you have any questions."

Y/N had heard of Alex Karev's reputation. He was known for his exceptional skills with children but also for his abrasive personality. She was determined not to let his reputed arrogance faze her.

When she met Alex in the pediatric ward, she was struck by his intense eyes and the air of confidence he exuded. "You're the new transfer?" he asked, not looking up from the chart he was reviewing.

"Yes, I'm Y/N," she replied, trying to keep her tone professional.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight. I don't have time to babysit," Alex said, finally looking at her. "Just stay out of my way, and we'll be fine."

Y/N bit back a retort. "I'm here to learn and help. Let's just focus on the patients."

Their first case together was a young boy named Liam, suffering from cardiomyopathy. The child's condition was delicate, and his treatment required careful coordination. Despite their initial friction, both Y/N and Alex were deeply invested in Liam's well-being.

"His latest tests show worsening heart function," Y/N said, frowning at the results. "We need to act fast."

Alex nodded. "We need to discuss his case with Dr. Robbins. If we don't come up with a new plan, he won't make it."

They presented their findings to Arizona, who decided on a risky but potentially life-saving surgery. Throughout the procedure, Y/N and Alex worked in perfect sync, their combined skills bringing the best possible care to Liam. In the days following the surgery, Y/N and Alex found themselves spending more time together. They worked late into the night, monitoring Liam's progress and making sure he was stable.

----------------------

One evening, after a particularly exhausting shift, they found themselves alone in the residents' lounge. Alex, surprisingly, broke the silence.

"So, you're a Mercy West transfer?" he asked, his tone less harsh than usual.

"Yeah," Y/N replied, sipping her coffee. "Since the merger. What about you? You've been here a while, right?"

"Yeah, since my intern year." Alex said. "It's a great program. "

Y/N nodded. "I can see that. But I like it so far. The team is great, and the cases are challenging."

Alex looked at her, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "You handled Liam's case well. Most new residents would have freaked out."

Y/N felt a warm flush of pride. "Thanks. You weren't so bad yourself."

--------------------

As the weeks passed, they continued to work together, their initial animosity giving way to mutual respect. They shared stories about their backgrounds, their dreams, and their fears. Y/N found herself looking forward to their shifts together, her heart skipping a beat whenever Alex smiled at her. One day, as they were preparing for another surgery, Y/N noticed Alex seemed distracted. "Everything okay?" she asked gently.

Alex hesitated before answering. "Just...family stuff. My brother's in town, and it's complicated."

Y/N placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "If you need to talk, I'm here."

Alex looked at her, surprise and gratitude in his eyes. "Thanks, Y/N. I might take you up on that."

Their bond continued to grow, each moment together strengthening their connection. They laughed more, confided in each other, and began to realize that the line between professional and personal was blurring.

One night, after another successful surgery, they found themselves standing on the hospital roof, the city lights sparkling below them.

"You know," Alex said, his voice soft, "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad you're here."

Y/N smiled, her heart swelling with emotion. "Me too, Alex. Me too."

As they stood there, side by side, they knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, they would face them together. In the midst of the chaos and the heartbreak of Seattle Grace Mercy West, they had found something unexpected: each other.

--------------------

During the weeks following their initial meeting, Y/N and Alex found themselves thrown together in a variety of challenging cases. Each case revealed more about their personalities and work ethics, slowly breaking down the walls they had built around themselves.

In one particularly intense case, they treated a toddler with a rare genetic disorder. The child's condition was rapidly deteriorating, and both Y/N and Alex had to rely on each other to come up with a treatment plan.

"His genetic markers indicate a possible enzyme deficiency," Y/N pointed out during one of their late-night strategy sessions. She was surrounded by stacks of medical journals and lab reports.

Alex leaned over the table, scanning the data. "Good catch. Let's run a specific panel to confirm and then we can start the enzyme replacement therapy."

Their combined efforts paid off, and the toddler began to show signs of improvement. The victory was a turning point in their relationship. They began to see each other as partners rather than competitors.

One day, after a long shift, Y/N and Alex found themselves in the on-call room, too exhausted to go home. They lay on opposite bunks, the room dimly lit by a small bedside lamp.

"Why did you choose pediatrics?" Y/N asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

Alex turned his head to look at her. "Kids are resilient. They can go through hell and still bounce back. I guess I wanted to be a part of that."

Y/N nodded, understanding. "I get that. I love their spirit, their will to fight. It’s inspiring."

As the days turned into weeks, they shared more personal stories. Y/N learned about Alex’s difficult childhood and his struggles with his family. In return, Y/N opened up about her own challenges, including the pressures she faced at her previous residency.

Their late-night conversations became a routine, each one drawing them closer. They began to anticipate each other's needs in the operating room, moving with a synchronicity that amazed their colleagues.

One evening, after successfully performing a complex surgery on a newborn, they sat in the hospital cafeteria, finally allowing themselves to relax.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Y/N asked with a smile.

Alex chuckled. "Yeah, I wasn't exactly welcoming."

"That's an understatement," Y/N replied, laughing. "But you've grown on me, Karev."

"You too, Y/N. You too."

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, the bustling cafeteria faded away. They both knew something significant had shifted between them.

As the relationship evolved, so did their feelings. They began to steal glances at each other in the hallways, their touches lingered a little longer, and their conversations took on a deeper, more intimate tone.

One night, after another grueling shift, they found themselves alone on the hospital roof again, the cool night air providing a welcome respite.

"Sometimes, I wonder how I got so lucky to have you as a partner," Alex said, his voice sincere.

Y/N turned to him, her heart pounding. "I feel the same way, Alex."

He reached out, taking her hand in his. The touch was electrifying, sending a shiver down Y/N’s spine. They stood there, hand in hand, the city lights below them, knowing that they had found something rare and precious in each other.

He stepped closer, cupping her face in his hands. "Then let's see where this goes."

They shared their first kiss under the starlit sky. From that moment on, they faced every challenge together, their love growing stronger with each passing day. In the chaotic world of Seattle Grace Mercy West, they had found their calm, their solace, and their love.

[frudoo]

Who is neighbour Johnny having for dinner?! Does he poison everyone with his terrible cooking?! Does reader see the contents of his tight shorts?! I must know

Previous

Warnings: Suggestive, obviously ;) Mentions of alcohol. Fem!Reader.

It’s between you and God that you decided to wear a thong beneath your dress. It’s to make yourself feel pretty, give you a boost of confidence around people that you’ve never met, and that’s it. You definitely didn’t wear it in hopes that your egotistical maniac of a neighbor might get a peek. No, that would be crazy. Insane. Desperate, and you are not desperate. Not for that hairy freak.

     You’ve been needing an excuse to wear this new perfume, anyway. It’s spicy, like cinnamon and clove with a hint of citrus. You had been planning to save it for a date night if you ever got asked out, but here you are: wearing an aphrodisiac perfume to go have dinner with your neighbor who you most definitely do not have a thing for. If anything, you pity him. You can’t even recall the last time the poor lad had gotten any visitors. You’re just being kind.

     Kind enough to pull the neckline of your dress down to show off more cleavage. Hopefully his guests aren’t prudes.

     You give your hallway mirror one last passing glance so you’re not tempted to stay and obsess over every little detail about yourself—otherwise you would never actually make it over to Johnny’s house. With a prolonged sigh, you grab the bottle of wine from your kitchen counter and head out the door. It is not a romantic gesture, not in the slightest. You simply don’t want to show up empty-handed and look like a fool in front of his guests. Guests whose vehicles you don’t see in his driveway nor parked on the street.

     The friendly neighborhood stray cat greets you at Johnny’s front doorstep, rubbing his body against your leg with a purr. The little dish that the man leaves out for him is empty. You ring the doorbell, then lean down to pet the kitty.

     “Reit on time, hen! Color me impressed,” the door swings open not two seconds after you make your presence known, and you yelp in surprise.

     “Fu-! Johnny!” You scowl as the frightened feline sprints off down the street. “He was being sweet!”

     “Go’ summat sweeter fer ye in ‘ere, lass,” the Scot winks, and you huff in an attempt to hide your flustered state. “Come in, come in. ‘Ave a seat on the settee.”

     “Where are the others?” You ask, handing him the bottle of wine which he takes graciously. 

     “Och, did ah no’ tell ye? They cannae make it. Go’ called intae work,” he frowns shortly, then shrugs. “Well. Plans dinnae stop jus’ because o’a few people.”

     Unbelievable. 

     “All of them?” You ask monotonously, obviously not buying his excuses. 

     “They’re coworkers. Were mine, tae, ‘fore ah go’ fookin’ blasted in the heid,” Johnny points to the scar on his temple with a sneer. 

     “I- okay,” you sigh, shutting your eyes briefly and deciding to change the subject. “What did you make for dinner?” 

     “Hehehe.” 

     Oh, fucking hell. 

     “Johnny…”

     “Ah figured we’ll order pizza. Ah ken’s yer favorite,” he plops down beside you on the couch. “Also go’ a movie fer us tae watch. Slasher, aye?” 

     You purse your lips and blink slowly. The little shit had this all planned out. You should have known when you saw that he was wearing just a t-shirt and sweats. You got all dressed up for nothing, just to come over and sit on his couch and pretend you’re interested in the movie he chose. Pretend you won’t get wet just from his thick thigh brushing against your own. 

     “I’m going home.”

     “Nae, ye cannae leave! C’mon, hen, been tryna ge’ ye tae come o’er ‘ere fer weeks,” he pouts. “Ye ne’er lemme intae yer place when ah bring ye cookies, either!” 

     Those bright blue eyes narrow with desperation and, damn him, you just can’t turn him down. You clench your fists and forcefully throw yourself back against the couch.

     “Fine, but we get mushrooms on the pizza,” you huff, kicking off your shoes.

     “Aye! Anythin’ fer ye, lassie,” Johnny has to stop himself from shaking with excitement.

     While you start the movie, he orders the pizza, then sends out a text to the group.

     She’s inside.

[olderthannetfic]

Okay, I need advice: I'm in a very tiny fandom (like less than two dozen active people and everyone knows each other) and one of the women in it is kind of freaking me out.

We became mutuals because we had some good discussions on some of the characters we liked, but I soon became sort of uncomfortable with a lot of her online behavior whereas simultaneously she's DM-ing me more and more.

She's one of those people who's a hardliner on the issues she cares about (mostly feminism- and SA-related) while talking over people when it comes to issues she doesn't care about (mostly racism and related things). And I see a lot of her trying to intrusively police how other people talk/act, derailing people's posts, arguing with people online over the most stupid shit (where not even her own opinions come off as overly coherent - this week she'll argue something along the lines of "men are evil" and the next she'll argue that people are "demonizing masculinity" - I'll add for clarification that she's not a TERF and supports trans rights but boy... Does she sound like one sometimes) and then digging through people's profiles to find and publicize minor transgressions and bad takes, passive-aggressive vagueposting, and going into mental breakdowns over the most innocuous of online interactions.

TBH she scares me. As someone who suffered through toxic people getting overly attached to me, I genuinely sometimes get a physical reaction when I see her lashing out on the dash.

And she keeps initiating conversations! And sometimes I don't reply or bring the conversation to a natural closure and she keeps at it, or sends me random fics of hers to read that I don't have the heart to tell her don't interest me or whatever. And recently when she disagrees with something I reblogged she direct messages me to rant about it - with a lot of sort of indirect language because she doesn't want to offend me but I can see the intent. The last couple of times I replied politely because I cared about clearing misunderstandings on the topic but next time I'm just gonna tell her I dislike it when she does that.

I really want this person to stop interacting with me, to be honest, and all my polite hints to the effect go unnoticed. But the fandom is so small I feel awkward and uncomfortable about unfollowing or blocking her. I don't think she's too bad of a person, she just comes off as very... Mentally ill, I guess? And since I've tried to be polite so far I feel like it might come out of left field for her?

TBH I feel like something about her behavior also triggers some kind of freeze/fawn reaction inside of me that I don't often get and consequently don't know how to deal with.

So I need impartial advice because I don't see the situation clearly myself

--

To summarize, a person who is a walking red flag wants to be friends, and you can't easily ghost her because the fandom is small.

I think you have to accept that there is no low-conflict way out of this.

That's what's holding you back, right? You don't want more drama and you know it's coming. I think you already know in your heart of hearts that you need to get away from her even if it's a pain in the ass.

Step one is to stop responding to her DMs. That will probably make her reach out more, but you should keep not responding. If she escalates and attacks you over it, block her.

The more you offer reasons or try to gently hint, the more that will encourage her. I don't think that's true of everyone, but I do think it's the case here. This is both because it doesn't sound like she's good at perceiving or respecting boundaries and because she inspires a bad lack of ability to assert boundaries in you.

I agree that it's unfortunate that you can't stand up for yourself or tell her plainly when she's out of line, but since you can't and that probably won't change any time soon, you'll need to protect yourself a different way. Sometimes, we just have to avoid people who are bad for us even when it's an us problem. (And here, whoaaaa red flags, so I don't think it's just a you problem anyway.)

There are many sad, lonely, needy people in the world. Some of them are officially mentally ill in some way with a diagnosis. Some just need things they aren't currently getting. That sucks...

But it's also not your job to fix.

[magicalmysteries777]

"You're clueless, you know that?" - Reader x Eddie Munson & Reader x Steve Harrington (fake)

Summary: You agree to accompany Steve to Enzo's for Valentine's Day with only one shared goal in mind - to make Eddie so jealous he has no choice but to have the one conversation he's being avoiding.

Pairings: F!Reader x Steve Harrington & F!Reader x Eddie Munson.

Chapter: 1 of 1.

W/C: 2314.

A/N: Happy Valentines Day, besties! This trope paired with Steve and Eddie has had me in a chokehold for a while now and I'm so happy that the lil ADHD gremlin in my brain has finally let me write the damn thing. <3

This one-shot can also be found on AO3 here.

“You really think that’ll work? Pretending to go on a date with you?” you asked, leaning against the counter at Family Video.

“It better work. Personally, I’m sick of hearing you pine over him. He’s had a thing for you ever since you joined Hellfire but he’s completely clueless when it comes to all the hints you’ve dropped,” Robin chimed in without looking up from the ‘returns’ pile of videotapes she was sorting through.

Clueless didn’t even begin to cut it.

You’d known about Eddie’s crush on you for months now, ever since Dustin slipped up and spilled the beans at lunch one day. The poor kid made you swear on your own life that you wouldn’t tell Eddie you knew.

True to your word, you kept the secret and began dropping hints instead. Eddie couldn’t read the room to save his life.

Any time you caught him staring, he’d break eye contact before you could smile back at him. Any time your hands accidentally touched, he’d move his hand away and play it off if you didn’t keep your hand perfectly still.

“I think it’s perfect,” Steve smiled. “There’s nothing like a bit of jealously to make you realise what you want.”

“I dunno,” you mumbled, chewing your cheek while you weighed up your options.

“When he sees you all dolled up, thinking it’s for me, the dots will connect. Trust me.”

“Fine, I’ll find out when he’s working.”

-

Steve’s plan had been in the back of your mind the whole time you’d been sitting around the table with your fellow Hellfire members. It was a long game of highs and lows all night. Despite the distraction, you’d manage to come out of the battle victorious with a mere five health points left. The party, albeit a little bruised and battered, was one step closer to defeating Myrkul and Eddie was in a good mood.

It took the usual fifteen minutes to pack up Eddie’s maps, dice, tokens, and other various game pieces before you climbed into the passenger side of his van. “Sorry for the mess,” Eddie apologised.

“You say that every week and yet you never clean it.”

“I do, it just gets messy again,” he smirked.

You were halfway home when you glanced over at Eddie. His hair was frizzy, sticking up in places from all the near misses in battle where he’d had his hands running through it. The rings on his left hand were glowing gently from the reflection of his lit cigarette as he used it to control the steering wheel. His right hand was methodically fiddling with the busted cassette player that he’d been meaning to fix for months. As always when Eddie was concentrating, his tongue was sticking out and resting against his top lip.

“Got it!” he exclaimed as Rainbow in the Dark started blasting from the speaker, a huge grin spread across his face.

“When are you going to buy a new one?” you chuckled, prodding at the battered box.

“Stop touching it,” he slapped your hand away. “It’ll start crackling again. I’ve picked up some overtime next weekend, I’m hoping the gents will be tipping big to impress their dates.”

“No Valentine’s plan with anyone special then?”

“Nope, just work. Doubt there’s anyone out there who would want to spend their Valentine’s Day with the ‘Freak of Hawkins’ anyway.”

“You’d be surprised, some people like their men a little freaky.”

“What about you? Any plans?” he asked, the change in tone rather subtle.

For a moment, you weren’t sure if you were going to go through with the plan. Steve’s words echoed through your mind listed the pros and cons. ‘Trust me.’

“Yeah, I’ve got a date at Enzo's. At least I don’t have to worry about it going bad now if you’re working, you can come over and scare him off for me.”

“That’s great. Wow, a date. Um, yeah, I’ll fend him off for you if things go pear-shaped. Do I, uh, know the guy?” he stuttered.

“I don’t want to jinx it,” you answered, remembering Robin's claims that a little bit of mystery would be the key to the whole plan working.

“Of course,” Eddie agreed, a sarcastically dumb look plastered on his face. You couldn’t help but notice that this was exactly how he used to act when Dustin mentioned Steve. “Would you look at that? Here we are. Once again, dropped off in one piece, as requested.”

“You okay, Ed?” you ask, one eyebrow raised.

“Yep. Fine. Tired,” he mumbled through an unconvincing yawn. “Long game. I’m gonna go and, uh, get some sleep. Night.”

-

“And he said it exactly like that?” Steve asked.

“Yes, Steve, how many times do I have to go through it? He basically kicked me out of the van,” you answered.

“It’s definitely working.”

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent. Wait until he finds out it’s me, he’s gonna freak.”

“He might not react at all. Believe it or not, he is professional at work.”

“Bet on it?”

“Shut up.”

-

Eddie had been an asshole all week.

Jeff and Gareth got the worst of it. You, however, had been getting the silent treatment. It was Thursday lunchtime when Eddie finally acknowledged you again.

“So, what are your plans this weekend?” Dustin asked Mike.

“Movies with El then dinner, you?”

“Arcade with Will. What about you, Eddie?”

“Work and band, why?”

“It’s called small talk,” Dustin answered. “What is with you this week?”

“Nothing, I’m fine,” he snapped.

“Tell your face that, man,” added Jeff.

“Lay off it. Why don’t you ask her what she’s doing this weekend instead and leave me alone?” Eddie prompted, gesturing in your direction. He did not stick around to hear the answer, walking away dramatically.

“Well, what are you doing?” asked Dustin.

“I’ve got a date,” you answered quickly and quietly, sinking into your seat as a sense of guilt began to creep up on you.

“You what?!” asked Gareth.

“I said I’ve got a date.”

“Yeah, I heard you. The fuck do you mean you’ve got a date? With who?”

“Does it matter?” you ask asked.

“Evidently it does. I’ve been taking the brunt of his crap all week and you’re telling me it’s because you’re going on a date?”

“How was I supposed to know he’d react like this?” you quickly try to defend yourself.

“Are you blind?” Jeff asks.

“No, but he is. I’ve dropped hints. Lots of them. If he doesn’t want to acknowledge it then that’s on him.”

-

“Wow,” smiled Steve, looking you up and down. He took your hand, albeit rather dramatically, and began leading you to the car.

“Save it for the restaurant, you dingus. Does this look okay then?” you ask.

“The dress alone might kill him, never mind the heels and hair.”

Ten minutes later, Steve parked up outside Enzo's.

“When we get in there, sit with your back to the bar. You’re about to get the full Harrington charm, okay?” he asked.

“Got it.”

“Hi there, table for two under Harrington,” Steve told the hostess.

“Follow me.”

“Here we are,” the hostess said as she gestured to a small table. “Here are your menus, the waiter will be over to take your order shortly.”

“Thank you,” you replied, taking the seat that Steve had pulled out for you.

“So,” you began.

“So,” Steve replied with a grin.

“I’m not going to lie, Steve, I feel really awkward.”

“I can tell,” he responded. “Relax. We’re just two friends, dressed up, and having a nice meal. Loosen up a little and have fun, or this isn’t going to work.”

You tried to relax, really, you did. But you couldn’t help shake the feeling that Eddie was burning holes into the back of your head with his staring.

“Welcome to Enzo's, my name is Ruben and I’ll be your server this evening. Any drinks to start?”

“Sparkling water for me, and…” Steve prompted.

“Lemonade, please.”

“Awesome, I’ll get that put in at the bar for you. Any starters today?”

“Do you-” Steve began, turning his attention back to you.

“More of a dessert person,” you answer.

“Me too,” smiled Ruben. “What mains would you like?”

“Lasagne for me, please,” answered Steve.

“Chicken Alfredo, please.”

“Awesome. I’ll get all that put in for you, enjoy your evening.”

“Thank you, ‘preciate that,” Steve told him before he left the table.

After a couple of minutes of the usual “how was work?” and “how was school?” small talk, Steve’s gaze quickly shot behind you as he sat up a little bit straighter.

“Here’s your lemonade,” Eddie announced, placing the glass down in front of you.

“Thanks, Eddie. How’s your shift?” you asked with a smile.

“So-so. Started going downhill about twenty minutes ago,” he answered.

“Nothing worse than a shitty Friday shift,” Steve chimed in.

“Evening rush,” Eddie responded, unwilling to meet Steve’s gaze. “Everything okay over here?”

“Great, thank you,” you respond.

“Harrington,” Eddie muttered, placing Steve’s water in front of him with a little bit more force than he did the lemonade, before heading back to the bar.

“He won’t even look at me, this is working even better than I thought,” Steve chuckled.

-

One hour and one chicken alfredo later, Ruben returned.

“Well you two are looking cosy over here,” he told you. Steve had been giving you cues on how to sit and when to laugh all evening. “How about that dessert? I highly recommend the ‘brownie and ice cream for two.’ Chef special tonight.”

“Sounds perfect,” answered Steve.

“Alrighty, that’ll be about ten to fifteen minutes. Any more drinks?”

“The same again, please,” you answer.

A couple of minutes later, Steve gave another instruction.

“Rest your left arm on the table.”

“What?”

“Now.”

Steve let out a sudden laugh and adjusted himself in his seat. He placed his arm on the table, his fingertips slightly brushing against your own.

A loud crashing noise from behind you had heads rolling to see what was going on. Every pair of eyes in the restaurant landed on Eddie.

“Sorry folks,” he announced. Eddie quickly began picking up the larger shards of glass whilst another bartender brought over cloths and a broom.

“Hook, line, and sinker,” Steve whispered, loud enough for only you to hear.

-

You really were getting the full Harrington charm, as promised. Steve had been feeding you brownie on and off for ten minutes, his glancing over to Eddie quickly now and again.

“It’s almost time,” Steve whispered.

“Time for what?”

“The grand finale.”

Steve leaned in slightly and wiped the side of your mouth gently with his thumb. “Ice cream,” he smirked.

“Is that really necessary?”

“One hundred percent. On my cue, you’re going to excuse yourself to go to the bathroom,” he began.

“But-”

“If this whole fake date has gone to plan, which by the way has been lovely, then I do believe Munson won’t let you make it that far. Go now.”

As instructed, you excused yourself from the table and made your way towards the bathroom. Just as you got to the door you felt a hand close softly around your wrist.

“Hey, can we talk?” Eddie asked.

“Everything okay?”

“No, actually, it’s not,” he answered. Eddie glanced around before pulling you through a door labelled ‘staff only’.

“Eddie, wha-”

“You can’t date Steve.”

“I can date whoever I like Eddie,” you respond.

“Why him?” he asked, his hand still wrapped lightly around your wrist.

“Why not?”

“Because,” he began, pausing in thought. “Because he’s… he’s got a reputation. Surely you’ve heard all the rumours?”

“And we both know him well enough to know he’s not that person anymore,” you answer, your gaze locking with Eddie’s who, surprisingly, held it.

“You just can’t, please,” he pleaded.

“Give me a good enough reason as to why I shouldn’t go back out there and I won’t.”

Eddie stayed silent for a few moments, his big, brown eyes locked on yours. The small staff room became stuffy all of a sudden, the air so thick it felt like you could barely breathe. You held your ground, waiting for him to speak, but he didn’t. You stared back at Eddie, your eyes pleading with him to just say something. Anything.

You broke your gaze from Eddie’s and turned towards the door, ready to give up and go home. Eddie’s grip on your wrist tightened and he pulled you back towards him, using his free hand to cup your face as his lips met yours.

You weren’t sure how long you’d been there, Eddie kissing you, but it felt like forever. The tension in the air vanished, leaving you with a cozy feeling deep in your stomach, where the butterflies used to live. 

“You can do better than him. You deserve better than him. You deserve someone who knows that you take extra sugar in your coffee when you’re studying. Someone who knows that you’re a completely evil genius in the best way possible when it comes to D&D. Someone who knows you’d rather be in bed with a book at-” he glanced at his watch, “nine o’clock at night. Someone who apparently isn’t very good at making the first move.”

“You’re clueless, you know that?”

“I am?”

“Yeah,” you replied, leaning in to kiss him again.

If it wasn’t for Ruben who knows how long you would have stood there, entwined together, lost in the moment.

“Hey man, you heading home?” Eddie asked casually, placing a little distance between the two of you.

“I was, but turns out I’m staying late. Guy with the hair on table twelve tipped me a hundred bucks to finish your bar shift and fetch a fresh brownie out. Said you ‘owe him one’ and you can ‘square it up later’. Brownie will be out in five. Enjoy.”

[toorusluvr]

❥ ҉ CHAPTER EIGHT - RUMOR HAS IT

❥ ҉ CONTENT WARNINGS: reader (y/n) planned a petty revenge lol + pregnancy scare + pretty much a normal chapter + birthday surprise!

❥ ҉ NOTE FROM NIS: hey everyone! i'm dropping chapter 8 for ain't my fault! please have a read and lmk if i missed any warnings. my brain has stopped working this week :/ anyway, likes, replies, and reblogs are very much appreciated. thank you <3

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The Spring High qualifiers were just around the corner. The entire Aoba Johsai volleyball team practiced very hard. Iwaizumi was often frustrated around this time, especially with the upcoming mid-term exam. He was even more snappy than usual. Oikawa told you that this is very normal of him. 

You got scared every time you saw his scowl. If you’d let it continue, he might have a permanent scowl on his pretty face. That would be a huge waste! You once accidentally bumped into him while reading a book and he glared at you like he could tear you apart. 

“You have got to calm down, Iwa,” you spat, not knowing he was on the brink of his running thin patience. 

Iwaizumi groaned, probably annoyed at your words of command. You do not know how hard he pressures himself. How hard he’s been studying and juggling practices. Oikawa might look laid-back but Iwaizumi could sense he was also freaking out at the pressure from their coaches. As the co-captain, the term pressure was just a better word for carrying burden. 

“I like it better when you are not talking, you know?” he jeered as he walked towards his table, leaving you behind. 

You gasped and caught up with his steps. Slowly, you pulled your chair from your seat and made yourself comfortable in front of him. Iwaizumi looked up at you and let out a deep sigh. He tried to ignore you at first by flipping through the Chemistry textbook. Fuck, he was going insane with this subject, despite it being one of his stronger subjects.

With a careful observation – his scrutinised eyebrows, his inner cheeks bitten, you could bet that he was indeed stressed out. The wheels inside your mind was busy working and thinking about what you could say to him to make him feel slightly better. Maybe, emphasise on maybe, it would work. 

“Need someone to talk to?” You tried to get the words out of your mouth but Iwaizumi remained silent. He continued fiddling with his pen and jotted down some notes in his notebook. His sprawling handwriting broke down the topic into bullet points. 

Getting a guy to talk about what he’s thinking might be the equivalent to asking a rock to talk on its own. It would be a huge miracle if they can start opening up. This was how you felt when you were talking to Iwaizumi. Well, as a friend, you were just offering your help to him. 

“Mm, tough crowd,” you murmured. Both of you locked eyes and your face turned warm all of a sudden. You didn’t avert your gaze because then it would mean you surrendered. 

Iwaizumi did not know how to talk about what he was going through. He was not much of a talker, to be very honest. But his observation skills are always sharp. That’s why he doesn’t like talking. It’s also a waste of time and energy to be talking about irrelevant things. 

“I don’t feel like talking about it,” Iwaizumi uttered. 

Right. You might have pushed him and made him uncomfortable just now with your actions. Shit. You owe him an apology, that’s for sure. 

“Oh. Okay. I was just checking on you. If you need someone to talk to, I’ll be right here. After all, we are friends,” you reassured before giving him a soft smile. You could see that his expression brightened a bit at the reassurance. 

“Right. We are friends,” Iwaizumi’s gaze filled with a glint of mischievousness. He was hinting something and you could see right through it as clear as day. 

With a light huff, you crossed your arms to the chest. “We are at school, Iwa. Come on, man. Come to your senses!” 

Your reply earned a soft laughter from him. Wow. This man needs to laugh often because it’s so freaking beautiful. You wanted to demand him to laugh again but that would lead to another catastrophe. Huh, exaggerating much. 

“Enough jokes for today, Y/N. You’re gonna get yourself in trouble if you keep it up,” Iwaizumi said with a smirk. He was playing with you just to get a reaction from you. To rile you up until you cannot take it anymore. It’s a challenge he likes to keep up with. 

Rolling your eyes at him, you dismissed his teasing with a gesture. “Keep doing that, you’ll never see it coming, ” you winked at him before getting back to your seat.

Iwaizumi’s tongue poked the inner of his cheek. Intrigued by your remark. He wanted to test you more, push you again but too bad that the teacher had already come in and your deskmate, Oikawa, finally returned to class. He did not say anything the entire class time which made you wonder if something’s wrong. 

“You good?” You nudged Oikawa in the arm. The brunette was quick to snap out of his thoughts, it seemed. 

Oikawa then shrugged it off, “Yeah, just thinking about something.” 

You let out a huff again. Why is it so hard for these two people to speak whatever is on their mind? 

“Man, I think I should help you guys to seek the counsellor’s help or something. Keep bottling up your feelings, God knows what’ll it do to you,” you exclaimed. 

Oikawa turned to look at you with a confused look. “You’re one to talk, dude.”

“At least I am a very self-aware person,” you said with a grin. Oikawa opened his mouth to speak but he bailed at the last second. He then shrugged it off saying ‘Nothing’. Well, if you weren’t overthinking before, now you do! 

“Girl, you better tell me what you were about to tell me,” you threatened him by taking away the pen he was holding in his hand. He let out a soft gasp when you took it away without any trouble. The guy was holding it quite tightly, he might add.

“Nothing, I swear!” Oikawa tried to take the pen back from you but you moved it away, further from his reach. 

“I’m not giving you this pen until you tell me. No negotiations,” you cut a deal. 

Iwaizumi then kicked your chair from behind. “Stop it. He’ll cry if you keep this up.” With a sinister chuckle, Iwaizumi glanced over Oikawa. The brunette was already glaring at him in a subtle way. 

“Both of you are a match made in hell. Good for both of you, then!” Oikawa said almost cynically. He was acting weird and something was definitely up with this guy. 

You and Iwaizumi exchanged looks, silently communicating with each other facial expressions and body language. Apparently, Iwaizumi did not know what was going on with Oikawa either. 

During the weekend, you and Iwaizumi made a plan to get the project done. It was almost in the final step and both of you decided it’d be great if you guys could get it done outside the comfort of your respective homes. To celebrate the victory of getting the project done, both of you went to a local coffee shop nearby his house.

The local coffee shops around your house are not accommodating enough because they are always filled with people, even outside the rush hour. Doing your work there would be a problem for both of you. 

Iwaizumi was the first to arrive. Well, considering the distance, obviously he would be here first. You entered the less busy coffee shop and tried to spot him in the crowd. In a few seconds, you finally found him sitting by the glass window overlooking the busy road outside. He was scribbling something in his notebook, not even sparing a glance around the coffee shop. 

He was donning a casual outfit, just a plain black hoodie and jeans. Not too far from your table, there was a group of girls around your age doing their work as well. You saw some of them had books on the tables. The other girl was whispering something to her friend while trying to peek at Iwaizumi. 

“Don’t tell me they’re about to shoot their shot now,” you grumbled under your breath. As if possessiveness took control of your body, you quickened your pace to walk over to your shared table where Iwaizumi was waiting for you. 

In your peripheral vision, you saw the said girl was about to walk over here but bailed at the same time you showed up in front of Iwaizumi. That was a bit out of character for you. You gave him a soft smile, “Hey booboo, sorry I’m late!” 

Booboo was just another pet name that you mocked him for. Turned out his ex-girlfriend used to call him booboo and you fueled fire to his annoyance. But this situation actually started from him. If it wasn’t him who started it first, you wouldn’t have taken this route. Blame it all on him, then. 

Iwaizumi’s eyebrows perked at the pet name. He did not know how he slipped out the other day and now it’s all you ever call him. He let out a scoff in disbelief, “You’re not late. I’m just early. How was the traffic?” 

You then took out a chair across him, “Well, it was not terrible, per se. Oh, have you ordered? I am quite hungry. Should we order now?”

“What do you want to eat? I’ll go order for you,” he said before closing his notebook. He then clasped both of his hands on top of the table, waiting for you to speak. 

With a mischievous smile, you then said, “Ooh, acts of service must be your love language then.” 

Again, Iwaizumi let out a deep sigh. You and your endless snarky remarks. Now that you said it, it might be true. But should he admit it? Hell no. You’ll just tease him endlessly and he will never hear the end of it! 

“I’ll let you starve if you continue to act this way,” he lowkey threatened you. 

“Hey, don’t be mean!” Your lips pursed, “Mhm, I think I’ll just order the tuna croissant and an iced caramel latte. Thanks!” 

Iwaizumi nodded and he immediately left to order at the counter. You looked around the coffee shop and suddenly locked eyes with the girls from earlier. They were looking at you without blinking. Maybe they finally realised that they were being weird, they then plastered a half smile. You then returned the same gesture. Oof. They definitely talked about you as if they haven’t made it clear. 

Not long after, your orders were delivered to your table. Iwaizumi and you thanked the waiter. The girls from earlier were still there at their tables. Funny because the whole time you and Iwaizumi were there, he did not even once spare them a glance. You were unsure whether he’s oblivious or he just simply doesn’t care about all the staring. 

“You don’t mind all the staring you’re getting?” You asked as you stirred your iced coffee in the glass. Were you jealous? No way in hell. But did it justify your behaviour from earlier? Only God knows! 

Iwaizumi took a sip of his americano while shaking his head. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Full of disappointment, you sighed. Perhaps he just simply doesn’t care. Must be nice to not give a damn about anything even if it comes to receiving attention. In a good way, of course!

“The girls were staring at you. You never once realised it?” You asked – the bitter taste of coffee coated your tongue. The same taste that could describe your behaviour now. Just kidding. 

“Why? You jealous or something?” Iwaizumi asked, half-laughing at your ridiculous question. He did realise the stares he was getting. He just did not act on it. Why would he act on it? He is here to do his work, not to find a date. 

Your shoulders stiffened at his accusation. No! You were not jealous at all. 

“Sometimes, I regret asking. Never mind. I will just seal my lips. Zip!” You rolled your eyes at him and he had the audacity to laugh. It’s the same laughter from the other day when you were stunned hearing him laugh. A sudden rush of butterflies swirled in your belly and you did not know how to react. 

“If you’re jealous, you could have told me,” he teased. “Jealousy looks good on you, though!” 

You let out a sigh, “You saw how crazy I acted right? Looks good on me? Nah man, I’ll probably choke a person if they make me jealous. Let’s not go down that road, shall we, booboo?” 

Iwaizumi gave you a pointed stare. The petname is ridiculous but he loved hearing it when he was in a relationship. Now that he’s single, he finally realised that it’s a bit cringey. How did he let it slide before, though? Only heaven knows. 

“Man, I’d love to see something keep your mouth shut,” he murmured under his breath as he took out the notebook from earlier. When he glanced at you, your body turned stiff. He then realised that what he said just now probably carried two meanings. 

You slowly grinned sheepishly, “Aw, booboo. You slipped again?”

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes with a disappointed sigh. This banter will never end. Being a bigger person here, he finally ended it for good. “Get your mind out of the gutter, princess. Let’s focus on our task.” 

“Aw, shucks,” you pursed your lips but quickly retaliate when Iwaizumi gave you another pointed stare. He looked scary when doing so. Not trying to push your luck, you dismissed his pointed stare with a wave. 

The second after, it finally clicked in your mind that he called you princess just now. He often – wait, no, he always uses the ‘princess’ petname when you guys are going down for it. Your eyebrows furrowed but you dismissed it as a mockery. That sounds more like it. 

Almost two hours into finalising the project, both of you were finally done! You let out a deep sigh of relief. A heavy weight was finally lifted off of you and that was a bliss you wouldn’t take for granted. Nothing is ever as rewarding as finishing your important assignment. With the amount of hard work you and Iwaizumi had put into this, you really hoped both of you will get an A, so that for finals you don’t have to think much about it. 

Iwaizumi looked at you, “We’re finally done!” 

You couldn’t help but grin happily. You raised your hand in the air and Iwaizumi high-fived you. Unknowingly, he interlocked your fingers together, giving it a firm squeeze before letting it loose. A tingly feeling swirled in your stomach at the skinship. It was a small gesture – heck, a friendly gesture even, but it was more than enough to make you blush. In silence.

“So, how should we celebrate this?” You cleared your throat, tucking both hands under your chin. Well, a celebration sounds really nice now, especially since both of you decided to celebrate it. Maybe a drink? Both of you had just eaten, though. 

Iwaizumi had some ideas in mind but he was unsure if you’d be on board with his ideas. “Should we head back to my house? We can have some drinks if you’d like. My parents are out for an errand, so it’ll be just the two of us,” he suggested. A few days ago, his parents brought home a really nice bottle of wine. Not that they offered it to him. He just took a sip when he saw the bottle and couldn’t get enough of the taste. 

“Mhm, that sounds nice. A drink sounds good, though but isn’t it a bit early for that?” You chuckled under your breath. To be fair, it was still daytime. To be drinking at this hour sounds a bit weird and out of habit for you. 

“If you’re not okay with it, then that’s fine. We can do something else instead,” Iwaizumi said. Honest to God, he did not mean anything weird by that. Sometimes, he just slips out and it gives you room to overthink about what he says! 

It’s only until you gave him a skeptical look that he realised how it must have sounded. Iwaizumi sighed again when you asked him, “What is this something else you were talking about?” 

“I meant, like ordering a pizza or anything,” he clarified with a serious look on his face. Why did he not think before saying anything just now? Ugh, it gave you a chance to make fun of him again! 

You stifled a laugh. He seemed like an angry kitten when being teased. 

“That sounds nice too. So, let’s just hangout at your house!” You said cheerfully as you packed your belongings. Iwaizumi ensured nothing else was left behind before finally leaving the coffee shop. 

Both of you then walked back to his house, which was like 10 minutes walking distance. The weather was nice so there was no harm in taking a walk. While you were busy rambling, Iwaizumi suddenly switched places with you. He walked on the side of the road. At first, you didn’t read too much into it but as time passed by, you were kinda touched by his silent gesture. Sure, it might be a friendly gesture. The gesture was more like a protective friend instead. 

“I never noticed you have a garage,” you pointed a finger to the garage in the doorway. Iwaizumi’s gaze moved towards the direction you were pointing. Slowly, he nodded. 

“It has always been there. Maybe you just noticed it today,” he replied. The garage is filled with car parts that his dad always uses to work on his old cars. His old man collected cars and passed them down to his dad. Sometimes, Iwaizumi worked on them together with his dad over the weekend when he didn’t have any practices. 

You shrugged your shoulders. Before entering the house, Iwaizumi looked at you, “So, what are we going to do?” 

Your eyes blinked several times as the wheels in your head tried to digest his meaning. That could carry double meaning. “Well,” you paused while fidgeting in your spot. Moving back and forth in one place, you looked up at him, “What do you suggest?” 

Maybe other people wouldn’t notice it but you were sure you saw a hint of a smile in the corner of his lips. Iwaizumi then turned on his stoic face again. He just gave you an annoyed scoff before turning the door knob. Feeling this unusual desire took control over your consciousness, you then grabbed onto his forearm and pulled him into a kiss.

Iwaizumi’s hands instinctively went to hold onto your waists. He was caught off-guard but the familiar feel of your lips eventually made him soft. His lips pressed against in a leisure and slow pace as his hand slowly made its way to squeeze your ass. 

You moaned softly into his mouth, looking up at him with a dazed expression on your face. The way your body responded to his kiss was indescribable. Something about the way his body pressed against yours, his eagerness to kiss you, and the soft thump of his heartbeat that somehow made you calm being around him. 

Both of you might not realise it yet, but the chemistry between both of you are obvious and intense. It’s like both of you can never get enough of each other and nothing can get in between both of you. Well, it is a bit early to be saying this, given the circumstance that you just know him for a few months. 

At first, you couldn’t believe you just pulled Iwaizumi into a kiss. In front of his house. Your heart almost took a leap out of your body but the moment he reciprocated the kiss, your racing heartbeat finally stabilised. Your knees felt weak and wobbly, but the strong grip that Iwaizumi had on you kept you steady. 

Not breaking the kiss, both of you staggered backwards the moment Iwaizumi opened the door behind him. Both of you stumbled through the front door, and as soon as the door opened, he pushed it closed with his foot, your lips sealed in a soft, urgent kiss. You wrapped your arms around Iwaizumi’s neck, pulling him closer as you moved into the hallway.

Iwaizumi felt this looming presence inside of his house. He knew for a fact his parents were not around at this hour because they went out. They let him know they will be back in an hour. The proof of their absence is that there was no car outside in the driveway. He couldn’t be more wrong. Who was in his house at this hour? It cannot be an intruder because if then, both of you might be in danger. 

He opened his eyes and widened at the sight of his friends, Oikawa, Makki, Matsukawa, and the rest of their volleyball team were there in his living room. Their mouths hung open seeing what just unfolded in front of their eyes. The whole team fell into an awkward silence while holding the birthday banners, balloons, and even the confettis. 

Iwaizumi’s shoulders automatically tightened seeing the ‘small’ audiences that he had in his living room. He was unable to decipher why the heck they would be in his house but judging from all that fancy decorations, it finally clicked. They are here to surprise him on his birthday. 

A flicker of surprise appeared on Iwaizumi’s face when he suddenly broke the kiss. Good lord, Iwaizumi sighed audibly. You looked at how his face turned sour. His attention was not on you anymore so you whipped your head around and your heart dropped seeing the amount of people that were in his living room. 

“Fuck!” You cursed in your mind. At least that’s what you thought until you realised you had said it out loud. In your defence, that was not your intention to yell it out loud. But being in this situation has never crossed your mind. It was not humiliating because it was rather embarrassing! You’d rather be out in the streets right now to save your face from further humiliation. 

Iwaizumi placed a hand on your shoulder. His eyes were still pinned on his teammates. “What are you guys doing in my house?” There was a hint of surprise in the tone of his voice. 

“Surprise!” The whole team, still in obvious shock, cheered happily. One of the seniors popped the confetti and your body jerked in surprise. Iwaizumi kept you steady, one hand moved to hold you by the waist. 

You locked eyes with Oikawa. The brunette staring at you with a smug grin on his face that you wished you could wipe it off in an instant. Matsukawa and Makki were speechless, on the other hand. The obvious shocked expression was all over their faces when they realised their friends are… well, rather intimate with each other. 

Oikawa had this suspicion that both of you are still hooking up but he just doesn’t know how to prove it unless he gathers enough evidence. Trying to prove a point to Iwaizumi when he’s hiding it so well is like jumping into the lion’s den. His best friend would probably kick him in the ass if Oikawa buries his nose in his business. 

“The surprise birthday party just became a lot more interesting.” His voice was casual and nonchalant, but there was an undertone of teasing in the way he phrased his hints. The brunette then took several steps towards both of you who stood still like deers caught in headlights. 

You bit on your lower lip out of guilt. Slowly, you turned to look at Iwaizumi. Hesitantly, you asked him the one question that’s been nagging in your mind. “Your birthday is today?” 

Iwaizumi looked down at you. Those eyes were staring at him and he did not know how to explain to you. He did not mean to not lie to you. “Uh, yeah. But not today. It was yesterday, actually,” he awkwardly ran his hand over his nape. A deep sigh followed after. 

“Why didn’t you tell me, idiot? I would have joined them to surprise you,” a soft chuckle escaped your lips as you jokingly hit him in the stomach. But your fist was met with rock hard abs instead. 

“Well, it’s unlike me to go around sharing my birth date. It’s no big deal. You didn’t miss anything, though,” he shrugged his shoulders casually. You gave him a pointed stare when he pulled off a joke like that. You were being serious and he played it around like that. One way to get you pissed off. 

Iwaizumi’s expression turned soft, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to be rude or anything.” 

“You better be,” you huffed. “Aight! Let’s celebrate your birthday with your beloved and precious teammates!” You then pushed the larger man to where his teammates were waiting for him. They sang the birthday song and you chuckled seeing him standing there awkwardly. It pained you to watch him being awkward all of sudden. Very unlike him. 

When it was time to blow the candles, the rest of the team yelled out, “Make a wish!”  to their co-captain. Iwaizumi stopped in his tracks, thinking of what he should wish for. He then shut his eyes for a brief moment and then blew the candles in one go. His teammates cheered for him before asking the man to cut the cake for them. He rolled his eyes at the pestering guys in his team. 

“Y/N! Feed Hajime now!” Makki asked in a very loud voice that startled you. You grumbled at him, “Why should I? You feed him!” 

“Well, because you are his girlfriend? Isn’t it sweet?” A first year junior suddenly said. All heads turned towards the owner of that voice, with a questioning look on each other’s faces. “What?” He retorted with a panicked look on his face. Poor kid probably thought he was getting jumped. 

All of them groaned in defeat. “I have no hope in this dude,” his friend next to him sighed, making everyone laugh in unison. You just shook your head at the said junior. He was just being pure and that is rare these days. 

“Don’t make fun of him, guys. He was telling us the truth. Come on, Y/N. Don’t leave us hanging!” Oikawa wiggled his eyebrows at you. At this point, he was literally forcing you to come forward and put on the ‘caring girlfriend’ act. And you were sure this will not be his last agenda to push you and Iwaizumi together. 

Iwaizumi’s eyebrows slightly raised as he turned to look at you. You were feeling guilty that you didn’t know that his birthday was yesterday. So, being the good friend that you are, you walked up to Iwaizumi. Another senior then handed you a plate of a small piece of cake with a spoon on the side. 

You grabbed onto the spoon and scooped some of the cake. “Here comes the airplane,” you teased with a playful tone, moving the spoon as if you were about to feed a baby. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes with a slight smile on his face. He felt stupid to have you feeding him like this, with lots of eyes fixed on both of you. Trying to match your height, he bent down his knees so you could feed him. 

Both of you locked eyes the moment you fed him, his lips closing around the offered bite with a playful glint in his eyes. You couldn’t help but chuckle, the gesture sending a warm feeling through you. He smiled back, chewing slowly, clearly enjoying the moment. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the team erupted into cheers and teasing remarks. "Way to go!" Matsukawa shouted, while another voice added, "Get a room, you two!" Their laughter and playful comments filled the room.

You felt your cheeks flush, but you couldn't stop smiling. His eyes stayed on yours as he swallowed and licked his lips, savoring the food and the moment. It was a small, silly act, but it held a warmth that stood out in the noisy, bustling living room.

“Lots of you seem to be having too much fun, huh?” Iwaizumi snickered. His form turned to the rest of the team surrounding him. Some guys laughed at his accusation. Well, too much fun when the man is having his guards down. That seems like the safer way to poke the bear. 

“Just enjoy your birthday, old man,” Matsukawa said. Even though he appears like the oldest, you actually learned that he is the youngest among the seniors. Iwaizumi glared at him before a smile appeared on his face. 

“Thanks for uh- feeding me just now. These guys can be galling, I know,” Iwaizumi then approached you again to express his gratitude. He knew you were a victim of their mischievousness just now. 

“Ah, it’s nothing. It’s really nothing compared to what they saw earlier,” you said and then shuddered at the reminder. Geez, if you could rewind the time, swear to God you’d rewind it and change everything. 

Iwaizumi chuckled, suddenly reminded of the whole fiasco. He needed to figure out who planned this, but it was obvious Oikawa was the mastermind. He was the only person that could get his house key from his parents. 

“Alright. You okay, though?” He asked, concerned about how you were doing in case you got uncomfortable. You nodded, reassuring him you’re fine. The man then went to meet with the rest of the team, checking up on them and the snacks they brought. 

Oikawa, then not so subtle, made his way next to you. He looked at you with a grin on his face, arms crossed to his chest. As if it was his way to tell you, “I knew it!” Without stalling his time, he finally got his question out in the open. “So, how long has this been going on, huh? I freaking knew it! I had an instinct that you guys are still hooking up! Good god, I just wish I found out about it sooner!” 

You glanced at Oikawa, your expression a mix of surprise and guilty. “Seriously, Oikawa? You’ve been snooping around, haven’t you?” You crossed your arms, mimicking his stance as you tried to suppress a smirk. “For your information, it’s not like we were hiding anything. We just weren’t broadcasting it to everyone. Not everyone needs to be in the loop about our personal lives, you know.”

You took a deep breath, attempting to keep your tone even. “And, if you really must know, it’s been a while, but that’s really none of your business. We’re okay with it. Well, you are not going to take a peek into our business or anything, right?”

“Right?” You repeated the last question, scared if Oikawa would be out of his mind to catch both of you in the act. That would be traumatising. 

“Euw, do you really think my life is that pathetic? If you must know, I have my ways of getting laid too, ya know?” Oikawa winked and nudged you in the arm with his elbow. He then paused to say something. “I just hope both of you know what you are getting yourselves into. It’s going to be hard for me to make decisions.”

Your face turned into a puzzled expression, “Why would it be hard for you?”

Oikawa gasped. The man was disappointed when you couldn’t take a hint. “I cannot pick sides, shortcake. That’ll be the hardest thing to do. Both of you are hard-headed. How could I solve that?” 

Well, he wasn’t wrong though. About the hard-headed part. That was 100% accurate. You pursed your lips as if in thought, “Both of us know the arrangement. Feelings aren’t involved. So, you don’t have to worry.” 

That’s what you told yourself too. There is nothing to worry about. Right? 

Oikawa then gave you a slight nod before excusing himself to join the team again.

Speaking of the devil, Iwaizumi then came up to you with a slice of cake. “Cake?” His voice was gentle and soft. You took the plate into your own hand, “Thanks, birthday boy. It’s not too late to be calling you this, right?” 

Iwaizumi let out a snicker, “I’m gonna let you decide.” Both of you locked eyes before bursting into a fit of laughter. Just by a mere second of exchanging looks, both of you knew what was on each other’s minds. It was ridiculous how the tables turned today. Almost comical. 

“Looks like we need to postpone our appointment, then,” you paused to chuckle before continuing the rest of your sentence. 

Confused at your statement, Iwaizumi furrowed his eyebrows. “What appointment?” 

You looked at him with a slight disappointment plastered over your face, “Your dick appointment, duh.” 

Iwaizumi groaned in defeat as a blush crept to his face. He could clearly feel the blood rushed to his cheeks and face from how the sentence affected him. How could he not pick up on it sooner? “You’re insufferable sometimes, you know that?”

You laughed – clearly enjoying the time of your life to poke on Iwaizumi. “Insufferable? I’ve heard things that are way worse so you’re good to go, booboo .” You then picked up the spoon and fed yourself a spoonful of cake. 

The icing on your lips was licked suggestively with Iwaizumi as the audience. His jaw ticked, “Trying to rile me up? You’re so cute, princess. Good attempt, though.”

“Aw, thanks,” you grinned. “Glad to know it’s working,” you then winked at him before closing your lips around the spoon. 

“I don’t like you right now,” he groaned with a flicker of a smile on his lips. Iwaizumi wouldn’t know how much he can take while being alone with you so he dragged you to meet with the rest of the team. Just to be safe. Yup. That’s what he told himself. 

When Iwaizumi was busy chatting with his friends, he suddenly got a notification. You were standing by his side so you could see who was the sender. It was from an unsaved number. Iwaizumi seemed relaxed about it, though. It almost felt like he knew who the sender was. He then opened the text and a photo of him and his ex-girlfriend kissing then filled the screen. Both of them were smiling and from the look of it, the photo might be from a year ago. Your blood boiled seeing the same girl whom your ex-boyfriend cheated with. Naomi.

Below the photo, that bitch had the audacity to say, “Sorry I missed your birthday, booboo. Happy belated birthday! You know I’ll always love you, right? I’m here for you, always. Look at how happy we were, Hajime. I want the old us back… No one else.”

Iwaizumi’s thumb quickly pressed on the delete button without replying. As far as he is concerned, that girl is no longer his problem and she doesn’t deserve any ounce of his attention. That’s for sure. He then kept his phone inside his pocket and carried on like nothing happened. 

Your tongue poked the inside of your cheek, seething with anger. She had the audacity to mess with him again? After everything that she put him through? After everything she put you through? She messed with the wrong person. Guess she hasn’t seen your crazy side yet. And you will show her hell. 

By doing a few detectives’ work, it was not that hard to find what you were looking for. You just needed to put some effort and sacrificed some of your time to finally get what you wanted. The most important resources were in the palm of your hand now. You then looked at the box with the important resource together with a note. Yeah. This should be convincing. 

You are doing this for your own good and no one else’s. You admit, you were consumed by a petty grudge, your mind looping endlessly on the minor slight. But the determination to get back at them festered, growing stronger with each passing day.

With a careful touch, you wrapped each positive pregnancy test in delicate tissue paper, taking time to ensure that they looked as pristine inside the boxes. The boxes, filled with two separate positive pregnancy sticks, were adorned with crisp, white envelopes sealed with a simple note.

In the paper for the sweet Naomi who did you wrong, a typed letter awaited. The heading written, Pregnancy Verification Letter. Its content verifying that the pregnancy test belongs to the girl turned out positive. Other than the note, the positive pregnancy test was enough to convince her whole family to receive the news. 

Oh! Did you also mention that you’re sending the pandora box to her beloved daddy’s office? Yeah. You heard from the vines that her beloved daddy is a director at a huge international business company. It wasn’t difficult to track down her dad’s name and the office address. Easy peasy. 

Then you moved to the next box. This box is specially reserved for Semi. Inside the box, there was also a short note. Inside the note written, “Semi. I couldn’t reach you anywhere! The pregnancy test I took turned out positive. Please call me back! 08148765399. Don’t leave me hanging like this, please.” And you ended the note with her name. This special box will be sent to Semi’s house. He treated you like shit so now it’s his turn to be treated like one.

It was a petty act of revenge, but to you, it was the perfect way to unsettle them — delivering chaos with a touch of sweet, sinister satisfaction. 

Now, it’s only a matter of time before the boxes get delivered to right hands. You smiled in satisfaction, knowing what you just did will raise hell within their families. They will never know it is from you. That’s the best part. 

“You look happy,” Iwaizumi said the moment he saw you entering the school’s area. You didn’t realise he was standing there the whole time. Confusedly, you took off your earphones. 

“I look happy? What did you mean?” You scoffed at his ridiculous assumption. The twisted earphones then were kept inside the pocket of your skirt. 

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes on you, not believing your casual dismissal. “You look different. Not in a bad way, don’t get me wrong!” 

You laughed at his statement. Well, you weren’t sure what he saw on your face that you couldn’t see but he wasn’t entirely wrong. Today, after so long, you finally felt a little better than the previous days. Perhaps your petty revenge did lift most of your grievances from the betrayal you got from Semi. 

Your laughter somehow got Iwaizumi feeling stuck in the moment. It made him freeze for a brief second with this indescribable feeling. Quickly, he retorted, “Why are you laughing? If this is what I got from complimenting you, then I won’t do it again.” Iwaizumi put both of his hands up, surrendering to you. 

With a soft smile, cheeks already hurt from laughing, you turned to him. “Nah, man. Don’t give up on me so easily. Thanks for the compliment. In any fairness, I wasn’t that happy. Look happy? Yeah that might sound true.” 

Both of you fell into steps side-by-side. You looked up at him, his side profile came into your sight. His side view was effortlessly alluring, with a sharp jawline that seemed to naturally catch the light. His slight tan skin brought out the boldness in his black hair, while every sharp feature added to the magnetic pull of his profile. 

Iwaizumi then let out a soft, amused laugh. “You sure do have ways of twisting what you are feeling, princess.” 

You nudged him in the ribs. Hard. Then, the man winced in pain. His reaction caused you to feel guilty in an instant. You were terrified if you had injured the man on accident. “Ah, I’m sorry!” You consoled Iwaizumi who was bent at his waist, crouching in pain. 

“Shit, Iwa. You okay? You need me to bring you to the nurse?” Your words came out in a rush, stumbling over each other as panic seized you. ‘I didn’t mean to—are you okay? Please, tell me you’re okay.” 

Iwaizumi was dying from holding back his laughter. He then stood straight, shutting his eyes close before heaving out a deep sigh. “Glad to know you care,” he laughed airily. He then saw your expression changed as if you just got betrayed.

You then punched him in the arm, “I don’t like you right now. I don’t want to talk to you for the rest of the week. BYE!” Dramatically, you walked away from him and he chased after you. Some other students were looking at both of you, wondering what’s going on. The scene almost seemed like it’s out of a k-drama scene. 

Iwaizumi then grabbed you by the arm, stopping you in your tracks. You glared at him and he flashed you a boyish grin that could cause other girls to melt. Yourself included. Damn him. 

“Our class is that way,” he pointed to the building. You bit on your lip, suppressing your increasing anger. 

“Fine. Lead the way then,” you said to him, pushing his body forward. Iwaizumi laughed seeing your frustrated expression. He walked in front of you and you jumped onto his back. Thankfully, he caught you just in time. If he didn’t, both of you would have been on the corridor’s concrete pavement. 

Iwaizumi laughed again. He never laughed this much early in the morning. Especially in school. “If both of us fell just now, I’d blame you for it,” he grumbled under his breath. 

“You’re so dramatic. Did we fall? No, right?” You rolled your eyes at him. “You can be dramatic like Oikawa does sometimes. Geez. No wonder the two of you are best friends.” 

He broke into laughter again. “I’m losing my mind talking to you.” 

“Drama queen,” you threw lighthearted jabs his way, the tone teasing but affectionate, knowing he would take it all in good humor. Iwaizumi then nudged you using his elbow in which you swerved. 

As you dodged the quick jab aimed your way, your reflexes betrayed you for just a moment, sending you stumbling into a solid form. Startled, you looked up to realize you’d bumped into none other than the football team’s captain, a towering figure whose name slipped your mind in the rush of the moment. His broad hands steadied you before you could fully register what had happened.

“Whoa, there. You good?” His deep voice was tinged with concern as he held you steady, his grip firm but gentle.

Your heart raced, caught off guard by the unexpected collision. The warmth of his body against yours sent a flush of heat rushing to your cheeks. You stammered, struggling to find your words. “Uh… sorry I bumped into you!” 

The guy, standing tall at least 6’1”, merely shrugged it off, his expression easygoing. “Nah, it’s okay. You okay, though?” His gaze softened, genuine concern creasing his brows.

As if snapped out of a daze, you found yourself momentarily tongue-tied. Iwaizumi, who had been watching the whole scene, narrowed his eyes, his usual calm demeanor cracking just a bit as he noticed the way you seemed almost flustered in the other guy’s presence. A twinge of something unfamiliar—jealousy, maybe—gnawed at him, making his fists tighten at his sides.

You finally managed to compose yourself, offering the football captain a soft, slightly embarrassed smile. “Yeah, I’m okay,” you said with a slight nod, your voice steadying as you spoke.

But Iwaizumi noticed everything—the way your smile lingered a fraction longer than usual, the faint blush that still colored your cheeks. He shifted his weight, clearing his throat a bit louder than necessary. “Ready to get back to it?” he asked, his tone casual but with a subtle edge that you couldn’t quite place.

The football captain’s gaze flickered to Iwaizumi, reading the situation with an amused smirk before turning back to you. “If you’re sure you’re okay, then,” he said, his voice warm and teasing, “I’ll leave you to it.”

As he walked away, Iwaizumi’s eyes followed him for a moment before returning to you, the tension in his posture easing slightly. “You good?” he asked, his tone softer now, more focused on you, but still carrying that hint of something deeper.

You nodded again, the blush on your cheeks finally fading. “Yeah, let’s go,” you replied, but there was a new awareness between the two of you—a silent acknowledgment that something had shifted in that brief, unexpected moment.

Maybe Iwaizumi was overthinking the whole situation just now. But, the feeling that gnawed at him just now was real. What he was feeling was real and it scared him a little bit. In that brief moment, he was feeling jealous. Even if it’s a little bit, it almost crossed the line both of you had drawn in this arrangement. 

“What’s his name? The football captain?” You asked, glancing over Iwaizumi who had fallen into silence. He looked at you, the stoic expression had slipped, replacing it with something more… intense. 

“Kazuya,” Iwaizumi said, his voice carrying a hint of nonchalance, but beneath the surface, you could sense a flicker of something else—maybe a touch of unease or reluctance.

When the name was mentioned, you repeated it, but Iwaizumi’s gaze had shifted slightly—just enough for you to notice the faint edge of doubt in his expression. Iwaizumi smiled, but the expression didn’t quite match the tone. 

Iwaizumi glanced at you with a raised eyebrow. “Interested in him?” he asked, the words coming out sharper than he intended. It wasn’t that he meant to pry or sound so direct; his mind was betraying him, letting his emotions slip through his carefully maintained facade. 

Beneath his casual tone, there was a flicker of jealousy that he tried to suppress, but the tight set of his jaw and the flash of irritation in his eyes betrayed him. He knew his emotions were getting the better of him, and though he tried to mask it with a shrug, the tension in his posture and the underlying frustration in his voice were unmistakable. He couldn't help but feel unsettled, caught between his desire to appear indifferent and the undeniable sting of his own feelings.

You looked at Iwaizumi, a laugh escaping you before you could contain it. The question seemed so out of place that it struck you as almost absurd. “Interested in him?” you repeated with a chuckle, shaking your head. “Not at all. I didn’t even know his name until just now.”

You noticed Iwaizumi’s shoulders relax slightly at your response, though his expression remained guarded. His eyes, still sharp, softened as he took in your amusement. The tension that had briefly clouded his demeanor seemed to dissipate, replaced by a mix of relief and lingering uncertainty. You couldn’t help but wonder if the underlying concern he had showed more about his feelings than about the other person.

The word you have been meaning to say was caught in the back of your throat. Throwing the word out of your mouth would have been a suicide to this arrangement that you asked for in the first place. Letting your emotions take control would be the end of this casual relationship you are having with Iwaizumi. You cannot afford to lose this just yet. It’s what you needed. The thrill of having him close to you, the chemistry that you guys are having. This friendship comes with its own benefits and you cannot risk losing this relationship. 

But what would happen if Iwaizumi found someone else? What if he has a girlfriend? What will happen to you? To us? 

The question suddenly nagged at you. Your expression changed sour, shoulders tensed at the sudden overthinking of what’s about to come. Trying to lighten the sudden shift in mood, you chuckled, “I have you, right?”

Iwaizumi’s heart turned giddy. It was not a confession and you probably meant it in a friendly way, not romantically. He then shrugged, “If you think of it that way, yeah, why not?” 

“You don’t have to be cocky about it, huh,” you shook your head while looking at him. Iwaizumi scoffed, “Let’s not waste our time arguing about this. Come on. We’re about to be late.” 

[scorpiorising-swiftie]

hey guys, chapter seven of my caitvi fanfic is out!

genuinely didn’t think i would write this much, but i’m proud of how far this has come!!

hope you enjoy ;)

Chapter 7

The next few weeks passed in a blur, as Vi struggled with her moral compass. Her and Caitlyn continued to meet in secret, making love on Vi’s couch, in her car, pretty much anywhere they could get away with it.

Never at Caitlyn’s house.

Vi was yet to tell anyone other than Jayce about the whole endeavor, terrified of what they might think. Sure, it was messy, but they loved each other, where was the crime in that?

Two weeks after their impromptu couch makeout session, Vi decided it was time to come clean and tell Powder what was going on.

She called her up and told her to meet her at Jericho’s, their favorite spot ever since they were young.

By the time Vi arrived, her sister was already there, licking a cone of bright blue ice cream.

“Hey, sis, what’s up?” Powder questioned casually.

Vi sat down across from her, seeing that she had bought her a cup of rocky road, her favorite.

“Hey, Pow,” she greeted, making sure her voice was relatively hushed. God forbid anyone hear what she had come here to talk to Powder about.

“So, what’s up?” The blue-haired girl asked, taking a bite out of her cone.

Vi sighed, and looked around the shop cautiously. There was only one other man in the building, and he seemed too immersed in the book he was reading to pay any attention to the two girls. Looks like she chose the right time to come.

“I have to tell you something, and you have to promise not to freak out.” Vi whispered.

“Woah, Vi, don’t tell me you killed someone! I mean, I can help hide the body if you need me to,” her sister added playfully.

Vi rolled her eyes, far too familiar with Powder’s antics. “No, I didn’t kill anything, but you might think it’s just as severe,” she responded.

Powder scrunched up her nose, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Okay.. tell me” she replied seriously.

Vi took a deep breath, deciding the best thing she could do in this situation was to just come out and say it.

“I’m sleeping with Caitlyn,” she concluded.

Powder’s blue eyes widened, and Vi could tell it was taking everything in her not to scream. Instead, she spoke in a strained voice.

“Sorry? You’re sleeping with an engaged woman, who also dumped you and treated you like shit?” Powder’s voice became increasingly louder as she went on, and Vi anxiously looked around to check if anyone was staring. Thankfully, the man reading his book was still in the exact position he had been in moments ago.

“She only treated me like shit when she broke up with me, and that was because her mom was watching. Other than that, she treated me pretty well, actually,” Vi replied pointedly. She couldn’t help but be a little angry about Powder’s outburst. She was her sister, wasn’t she supposed to be understanding? But then again, Vi was the one in the wrong here. There was no denying that. But all she wanted was for her favorite person to understand.

Powder huffed angrily, and crossed her arms. “Well I’m sorry that I care about you and want you to be with someone who actually loves you! Not some classist asshole!” She refuted.

Vi hung her head in defeat. She could fight back, but she was too tired. Besides, Powder was still her baby sister, and she just couldn’t be cruel to her, no matter how hard she tried.

“I’m glad you care, but I’m an adult, I make my own decisions,” Vi said finally. “I know this is fucked up, but I’m the happiest I’ve been in awhile and it’s because of her.

A look of guilt crossed over Powder’s face. “Well, if she makes you happy, then you should be with her,” she murmured. Vi tried to look for any hint of malice in her voice, but she couldn’t find any. She smiled at her sister. “Thanks, Pow.”

Powder grinned back. She had her mother’s smile. “Don’t mention it. But if she tries anything, then my offer about getting rid of that body is still up,” she smirked. Vi shook her head and chuckled. She was so lucky to have such a loving sister.

Her and Caitlyn were supposed to meet again that night, and Vi spent the rest of her afternoon trying to figure out what to wear. She eventually settled for a white tank top, torn at the bottom to show off her abs, and black patchwork jeans. Good enough.

The two were supposed to watch a movie, nothing too sensual, but knowing them it would likely escalate quickly. Vi shuddered out of pleasure at the thought of Cait’s body beneath her. She was shaken from her fantasy when she heard a faint knock at the door, causing her to hurriedly rush over to it. Vi opened it quickly, pleased at what was waiting for her on the other side.

Caitlyn stood in front of her wearing a silk slip dress that matched her hair, and a pair of sparkling silver heels. Vi immediately felt underdressed, but as soon as Cait zeroed in on her abs, she remembered that this is what her lover liked.

“You look.. amazing,” Caitlyn gushed, hurrying into the house. Vi felt flushed as she averted her gaze. “It’s nothing, cupcake, look at you!” She diverted.

Caitlyn tucked a strand of cobalt hair behind her ears, and Vi couldn’t help but stare at her long fingers. “Well, I wanted to look good for you,” she replied, her voice low and sultry.

That pushed Vi over the edge. In one swift moment, she grabbed Caitlyn’s waist and pressed their lips together. The taller woman gasped, before eventually giving in, running those gorgeous fingers through Vi’s hair. So much for that movie.

Vi pinned Cait to the kitchen counter, parting her legs so she could run her fingers along her thighs. Caitlyn sighed, tossing her head back and keeping her grip firm on Vi’s waist. Vi began to place eager kisses down Caitlyn’s neck, stopping when she got to the straps of her dress. She slipped them down slowly, in case Caitlyn wasn’t ready. But of course she was.

They moved to the couch, Caitlyn straddling Vi as their kisses became more passionate, more desperate. Cait stripped Vi of her tank top and began hurriedly unbuttoning her jeans. Vi gave in to her touch with a sigh, kissing along her jaw lazily. Caitlyn nipped at the shell of Vi’s ear, before leaning in close.

“Let me take care of you tonight,” she hissed. “Please, I want this so bad..” Caitlyn began kissing down her neck, holding Vi against the couch with delicacy and force all in one.

Vi was absolutely not opposed to the idea of Caitlyn going down on her, if anything it aroused her even more. She gave the other woman a nod, and Caitlyn continued to unbutton her jeans, and when she was done with that she stripped Vi of her boxers. Caitlyn pushed her so she was laying down fully, and began kissing down her neck. Pleasure clouded Vi’s mind as her lover continued pecking devilishly down her chest. Just as she was about to hit her sweet spot, she stopped abruptly, causing an impatient whine to slip from Vi’s throat. Caitlyn met her eyes, a worried expression on her face.

“You’re sure you want this?” She asked, her cobalt hair framing her face. Beautiful.

Vi was baffled at the question. “Of course I do, I’m still not even sure this is really happening,” she admitted.

Caitlyn smiled, showing off the dimples that Vi loved so much. “Of course it’s real, it’s the realest thing I’ve ever felt,” she replied gently. Carefully, she placed a hand over Vi’s heart, and stared deeply into her eyes. “See? I can feel your heart beating. This isn’t a dream.”

Vi’s eyes widened. This was far more intimate than anything they’d ever done before. Far more intimate than even the sex. Caitlyn was practically holding Vi’s heart in her hands. Her lover was practically naked in front of her, but all she could do was stare into her eyes. Caitlyn leaned in, and placed the gentlest kiss on Vi’s lips. With that, she was back to work, marking Vi’s body like it was her job. Caitlyn looked up, her eyes wide with a question. Vi nodded, and pushed Cait’s head down so it was right where she wanted it. She slipped her tongue in, and Vi let out a gasp. Caitlyn continued to lick forcefully, and eventually added two of her fingers. Vi felt her eyes roll back, a pool of pleasure filling up in her lower abdomen. Caitlyn moved her fingers in and out, gathering speed as Vi’s legs began to tremble. She couldn’t help but gasp as Cait repeatedly hit her sweet spot, which only caused the other woman to smirk “Good girl, Violet,” Caitlyn cooed, and that was hit for Vi. The dam burst, and she climaxed with a shout, her legs shaking as she gripped the couch. As soon as it was over, she attempted to catch her breath. Caitlyn got up and walked to the kitchen, turning on the sink to wash her hands.

“You okay over there?” She asked casually. Vi just scoffed, running a sweaty hand through her hair.

“What do you think? You almost killed me,” she responded playfully.

Caitlyn just smiled as she made her way back to the couch. She sat down with a sigh, leaning her head on Vi’s shoulder.

“That was amazing, and I wish I could stay..” Caitlyn trailed off, a faraway look in her eyes. Vi turned to look at her, brows furrowed. “Why are you even marrying her?” She asked, trying not to let the anger and jealousy seep into her voice.

Caitlyn sighed a look of bitterness crossing her face. “It’s my parents, you know how they are. Maddie comes from a good family, and matchmaking is very important to them..” Caitlyn gasped, suddenly realizing her mistake. “Not saying that you don’t come from a good family! It’s just- Ah, I’m sorry, it’s just so difficult to explain,” she sighed.

Vi smiled, brushing a strand of hair out of Caitlyn’s face. “It’s okay, cupcake, I understand,” she replied, even though her heart was breaking. Why couldn’t they be together? Was Vi really so bad? They had just shared an incredible experience, and now Caitlyn was just going to leave? This wasn’t what she wanted, but if it was all she was going to get, it was better than nothing.

After Caitlyn left, Vi couldn’t fall back asleep. She tossed and turned,thinking of her lover back at her mansion with another woman. Tears stung her eyes, and she hurriedly wiped them away. She was being selfish, this wasn’t Caitlyn’s fault. She loved Vi, not Maddie, and was only getting into this marriage because her parents were basically forcing her. She quieted her thoughts as sleep eventually came. At least in her dreams her and Caitlyn could be together.

[its-time-to-write]

this is 100% self indulgent. no one asked for this except me and I have zero excuse for how it turned out. i have no defense, no witty rebuttal, no nothing. i wrote this because i wanted to, and at the very least i hope this inspires someone to write their borderline-self-insert fic and post it publicly.

this fic is set after season 3. enjoy😂

(oh now might also be a good time to mention how much I love Man City. bc it’s a lot.)

can’t hear my thoughts (i cannot hear my thoughts)

Calling Lake Como beautiful is like saying space is big. It’s true for sure, but it feels like an understatement. It’s June and the weather is absolutely gorgeous, perfect for the wedding you’re attending. It’s for two good friends of yours, and it’s going to be a party full of football royalty. You’re mostly excited to see friends who are WAGs from other teams who you’ve connected with over the past year and a half.

Oh, and you suppose it will be a nice vacation with Jamie, too.

You’re staying at a beautiful hotel that’s been open since 1910, and you swear you’ll never stay somewhere as beautiful again.

“Getting ideas for the house?” Jamie teases, and it sends a thrill down your spine with the way he refers to his house as your collective home. 

You grin as he spins you around the Suite Greta. Everything is golden, from the drapes to the pillows to the sun catching on his face.

“No,” you reply, “but maybe for a vacation home?”

Jamie laughs as he catches you up in his arms. “I could see us here in the next off-season. Not sure we’d get out much,” he muses and you wrap your arms around him as tight as they can go.

You’re here for a full week but Isaac’s wedding is only one day. You and Jamie have plans to see everyone who’s in town, as well as have some time to yourself.

“Sasha wants to go out for dinner tonight,” you tell Jamie as he unpacks his suitcase.

“Girls only, or will Jack be there?”

“Let’s see,” you hum as you scan the group chat. “Isabel said she and Erling will be there, so looks like it’s a couple’s thing. That’ll be fun, right?” you ask with just a hint of anxiety. Jamie and Jack are friends, they’ve run in the same circles for years, but you’re not sure how he’s going to feel about being outnumbered two to one, City to Richmond, at dinner.

“As long as Rodri ain’t there, I’m fucking chuffed,” he says as he lays out his suit on the bed.

“Chuffed? Is that a thing you say now?” you ask, flat on your back on the bed.

“Yep,” he replies. “I’m posh now, babe. Sorry you Americans can’t do it as well as we Brits.”

“I have it on good authority that we do it very well,” you smirk. “But I don’t think that’s something you’ll get to experience tonight. I haven’t seen Sash or Isa in ages, so we’ll probably talk for a long time and then I’ll be tired when we get back to the room.”

Jamie groans. “You’re sadistic, woman. The shit you put me through.”

You smile and remind him, “You’re the one who picked me, remember?”

—

Jamie is technically the one who picked you. You had just moved from America to London, got a temp job at a Richmond FC, and the rest is history. You don’t work at Richmond anymore, haven’t for a while, as you’ve been able to start your own thing in between attending matches and events and whatever else Jamie’s invited to. Being Jamie’s girlfriend is a full-time job on its own, and he definitely spoils you beyond what you’re used to. He’s the one who bought your dress for the wedding and it freaked you out just a little bit until you called Sasha (an angel, by the way) who laughed and talked you off the ledge. 

“Comes with the territory, babe. They’re just boys with more money than they know what to do with. Jack’d buy me the moon if he could figure out how. Enjoy it. It’s been a while since anyone’s seen Tartt this happy.”

So you do. You had been living together for almost a year now so you’d think that a dress wouldn’t push you over the edge, but there you go. You’re trying to be calmer about it. It’s better ever since you met Sasha and Isabel. 

You had been stuck in a room while Jamie talked to his old manager, and they had noticed your deer-in-the-headlights expression. You’re right in the middle of the two, age-wise, and from similar enough backgrounds.

“Here’s my number. Come over to my flat tomorrow for brunch. We’ll get you settled, babes,” Sasha had said. You went and it had been amazing to finally make real friends, even if they were technically on the opposing team. 

You’re excited to see them, excited for Isaac to finally get married, and excited to spend a full seven days with Jamie by your side. It’s going to be the best.

—

You enter the venue arm-in-arm with Jamie, practically dancing across the grass. The sun’s shining and there are all sorts of people you know and love. It feels a little surreal to be here. 

Earlier, back in the room, you had slipped into your dress carefully to avoid getting makeup stains on the front. The skirt fell just at your knees and puffed out ever so slightly, with thick straps instead of regular sleeves so you could fully enjoy the warm weather. 

“Do a spin,” he had said, voice full of glee. You’d acquiesced, twirling around to let the blue tile print billow out before he caught you, kissing your shoulder so as not to ruin your makeup. 

Now, you’re holding onto him and trying not to wrinkle his linen suit when you hear someone shout your name. 

“Sasha!” you screech, running toward her as best you can with your shoes on the grass. You squeeze each other into a tight hug, uncaring about about the state of her hot pink dress. 

“Hey man,” Jack says to Jamie, who grins and shakes his hand. “You’d think they haven’t seen each other in fucking ages.”

“It’s been twelve hours,” you say. “And before that it’s been like two months. Anyway, don’t you two have some football to discuss or something? Or headbands? Or-”

“Really short socks,” Sasha helpfully supplies. 

Jamie shakes his head. “Fuck off, Attwood.”

“Fuck you, Tartt,” she replies. 

“Oi, you two wouldn’t even be friends if it weren’t for me. You could be a little nicer,” Jamie says. 

“Oh is that Hughes?” Jack asks before either Sasha or Jamie can escalate. Their entire friendship is based off sniping one another and neither you nor Jack are particularly in the mood for it today. 

Jamie turns to look. “Oh mint, looks like things are starting. You saved us seats?”

“Yeah, with Haaland and Isabel,” Sasha returns, linking her arm through yours. “C’mon, did you get yourself a parasol?”

—

It’s the most beautiful wedding you’ve ever been to. Stella looks stunning in her gown, Isaac stoically sobs his eyes out while Colin surreptitiously hands him a tissue. Even Roy seems to be having a good time, but then again Keeley once told you that he “really fucking loves weddings.” You hadn’t believed her, but his lips are in a straight line instead of a frown so maybe she was right. 

There’s a group of City and Richmond players together, and it’s a little strange to see how friendly they are off the pitch. Dani is explaining something with lots of hand gestures to Phil while the rest of the group jokes around. 

Sasha sneaked you and Isabel away to get drinks for yourselves and you were about to get away unnoticed when Erling caught Isabel’s arm and asked for a drink too, so now you’re ordering for your boyfriends as well as yourselves. 

You don’t really care, there’s a part of you that’s reveling in the sheer joy of being young and hot. Sue you. 

“Cosmo, please,” you say while the girls order drinks of their own. Sasha raises an eyebrow so you shrug and say, “Jamie likes what he likes.”

She rolls her eyes and scoffs “Tartt,” but it’s with the affection of an older sister so you elbow her and ask, “What did Jack want?”

She makes a face. “Heineken. He also likes what he fuckin’ likes.” 

You wheeze out a laugh as Isabel comes to join you. She smiles as she sips from something lavender colored in a martini glass. She cuts an elegant figure in her yellow, billowy dress. You smooth your dress and open your mouth to say something when a voice calls your name. You look to see your ex walking up, hand-in-hand with his wife. You know, the one he left you for. 

“Jake,” you say in surprise. God, you need your brain to form coherent thoughts right now. “What are you doing here?”

He grins, far too wide and goofy to be real. Not like Jamie, you think. 

“Oh, you know, Emma’s loosely related to the bride on her dad’s side. She asked for an invite, so here we are. Who are you here for? Bride or groom?”

“Both, actually,” you reply automatically. Jake’s words are grating, not so much in content as they are in tone. He always had a way of saying things condescendingly, like everyone else was a stupid little kid. 

“Oh,” he says in what you think is supposed to be surprise, “that’s funny. I didn’t know you knew anyone out here. You’ve been living in England all alone, right?”

Emma just hovers by Jake’s shoulder. She’s not contributing anything to this conversation except a snooty little smirk. 

“No,” you say. “I’m not alone. This is Isabel, by the way.” You look around for Sasha, but she’s disappeared. Smart girl. 

Isa doesn’t extend her hand. “Nice to meet you,” she says and Jake takes her at her word. He puffs up his chest a little bit as he asks, “Where are you from? You don’t sound British.”

“We’re from Norway,” a voice behind her says. “I’m Erling.”

Sasha has reappeared with Jack, Erling, and Jamie in tow. You mentally congratulate her with a well done, Sash as you feel Jamie’s arm loop around your waist. 

He feels like a solid wall against your back, a glimmer in an otherwise garbage moment. 

Jake takes stock of the three men who are looking at him with less-than friendly stares. You’re not sure what Sasha told them, but you’re absolutely positive Jamie recognizes Jake. You can practically feel the hairs on his arm bristling. 

Jake finishes his assessment and deems it appropriate to talk. “So, how do you all know each other?”

Jamie scoffs and looks away, while Jack stares at Jake like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. 

You wonder what it is with your affinity for J-names. 

“We’re footballers,” Erling says before anyone can take more offense. 

“Premier League footballers,” Jamie adds, as if it means anything to Jake. 

Jake’s American, like you, and he’s never been much for sports anyway. He wouldn’t even recognize David Beckham if the man were standing under a poster of himself. 

Jake says, “Right. Hey, weren’t you on one of those trashy dating shows?” and Jamie stiffens. 

Sasha mutters, “Fuck’s sake,” under her breath as Erling and Isabel take pointed interest in something in the distance.  

“No,” Jamie replies shortly. “The fuck were you talking to my girl?”

Jake looks to you in surprise. “Oh! You two are together? That’s… well, that’s… I guess I just didn’t expect her to be whoring around like that. But hey, move to another country and all morals go out the window, right?”

That’s the thing about Jake. He never speaks as if he’s actually trying to be offensive. He just says what’s on his mind. And you’re a little concerned that what’s on his mind is going to land Jamie (and quite possible Jack) in jail. Neither of them are especially known for backing down from a squabble. “Cut from the same cloth,” Pep was rumored to say. 

“Fuck off, mate,” Jack interjects. “Just fuck off. Everyone here loves her, and you can’t talk about her like that.”

Your ex reevaluates the situation at hand and decides the best thing to do would be to take Emma’s hand and walk away. 

“Strange that his wife does not speak,” Erling remarks. 

You grimace. “You could’ve stopped at ‘strange.’ No idea what I ever saw in him.”

Jamie has a crushing grip on your waist so you wiggle a bit to get him to loosen up. 

“Prick,” he mutters. “How the fuck did he even get here, anyway? He’s in fucking America.”

“His wife’s loosely related to Stella. They asked for an invite,” Isabel volunteers. 

Jamie rolls his eyes. “Oi, if he tries to talk to you again, I’ll grab Roy and we’ll fucking kill him.”

“Yeah, ‘cause McAdoo’s never been above a little violence at a party,” Jack grins. 

You return his smile and say, “Thanks, but I’m pretty sure his mother-in-law would kill you.”

Erling huffs out a laugh. “Never a dull moment in the Premier League, is there?”

Isabel grins and loops her arm through his. “I’m tired of all this,” she says.  “Let’s go dancing. There’s a band and we don’t have to think about anything other than celebrating, yes?”

“God yes,” says Sasha.

Jamie still looks murderous, but you squeeze his hand once and whisper, “I’m fine, babe. It’s fine.”

He looks like he wants to argue, but he lets you pull him along to the dance floor with the group.

— 

There are so many people that you don’t even catch a glimpse of Jake and Emma. You’re not sure what they’re up to, and fairly certain they don’t know anyone else here. You on the other hand, are living your best life as Jamie sings along to “Ain’t No Mountain.” He’s swinging your arms around as he sways in time to the music. You just let him lead you however he wants. The song ends and he presses his lips to your ear so you can hear him over the sheer volume of everyone talking. “D’you want a drink? I can go get you something.”

You nod and mouth my usual, please, so he salutes and begins weaving his way through the crowd. You watch him as long as you can before spinning back around with a smile.

A smile that quickly fades when you realize Emma is right in front of you.

She says, “Cute dress,” and for a moment, you believe she’s being sincere but then she follows it up with, “Did you borrow it from your grandma’s closet? I’ve seen people do that.” 

Right, because grandmas are known for wearing dresses like this. 

“What? No, Jamie got it for me,” you say. 

“Oh cute, is it from Walmart? I think I saw something like it there last week.”

Emma is trying to draw blood. You suppose she’s taking her shot now as opposed to back then because she thinks there’s no one around to call her out. No one who knows her. 

You say, “They don’t have Walmart here,” instead of “It’s Dolce & Gabbana,” because the second phrase would make you sound like a prick. There’s a part of you that wants to be a prick, though, wants to channel that part of Jamie that’s ruthless, vicious and cruel, messing with the opposition before he cuts them down. 

The first time you saw it, it was hard to believe the Jamie on the pitch was the same Jamie who played with your hair while you cooked, or put a sticky note on his fridge titled “Babe,” detailing everything you’d ever said you liked. 

Emma sees she’s not getting to you, so she changes tactics. “Must be hard being here without any friends,” she remarks. “All alone. And you’ve never been especially extraverted. Are those people the only ones here you know?”

God, Jamie, where are you?

You open your mouth to respond but are cut off by someone with a distinctly midwestern twang say, “I heard one of my favorite countrywomen was here.”

You turn to see Ted Lasso grinning at you in a black suit. It’s the same smile you remember, albeit his eyes are a little sharp. You’d bet anything he knows exactly what’s going on between you and Emma. 

“Ted!” you smile as a rush of relief floods your system. You step into his arms for a hug as he says, “Hey, sweetheart. How’ve you been?”

“Oh, you know,” you say. “Kind of great, actually. I wondered if you were going to be here! Have you seen Jamie yet?”

Ted shakes his head. “Y’know, I haven’t. Why don’t we find him together?” He offers you an arm and you take it gratefully, choosing not to spare Emma a glance.

“She seems like a real bucket of laughs,” Ted remarks.

“You have no idea. That’s my ex’s wife.”

Whatever Ted thought you were going to say, he certainly wasn’t prepared for that. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before settling on a short, “Well I’ll be danged.”

You laugh and stand on tiptoes to try to see Jamie. You don’t see him, but you catch a glimpse of an especially tall, blond head.

“This way,” you tell Ted. You brush past Phil who smiles at you, past Colin and Michael, and past someone you’re pretty sure is a Beckham.

You make your way to Erling and Isabel as they dance to the music in their own corner.

You frown. “Have you seen Jamie?” you shout. 

Isabel shakes her head. “He was looking for you,” she calls back.

“Oh,” you say, “Ted, this is Isabel and-”

“Erling Haaland,” Ted says, hand outstretched. “Pleasure to meet you, son. Big fan of the way you play the game.”

You miss Erling’s response, startled by a hand on your shoulder. You turn to see Sam standing behind you.

“Sam!” you exclaim with a grin, “You look so handsome!”

Sam returns your grin and strikes a pose. “I’ve been sent on a very important mission. I am to retrieve you and bring you to Jamie and I am under no circumstances allowed to let a small rat man named Jake speak to you.”

You raise an eyebrow. 

“Jamie’s words, not mine,” Sam clarifies. “Although I must admit, I have seen this rat man. I do not like him very much.”

“You and me both,” you agree. You wave to Isabel and pat Ted on the arm before following Sam.

He leads you away from the crowd of people to a stone path illuminated by small lights. This can’t be right, you think but Sam points down the path and says, “This is where I leave you.”

He turns to leave then changes his mind and spins back around. “It was lovely seeing you today, albeit for a short amount of time. I hope I will be seeing more of you while we are here. It is not often I meet someone who makes Jamie more tolerable.”

He speaks with a touch of humor and it’s just enough to dispel any apprehensions about what’s waiting for you in the dark. 

You say, “Thanks Sam. Love ya,” which he returns before he disappears back to the main party.

You take a breath and head down the steps.

It’s dark, the light barely shining enough for each step, but as you get farther you see a shadowy figure sitting on a bench under a tree. You smile. You can tell exactly who it is by his silhouette.

Jamie stands as you get closer and pulls you into his arms.

“Thought we’d sneak away to make out a bit,” he says. “And maybe to you wouldn’t yell at me in front of all our friends.”

You groan. “What did you do? Please tell me it has nothing to do with Roy. Or Jack. Oh my god, did you two start convincing people you were separated at birth again? Because it’s really only funny one time.”

“Well…” Jamie hedges.

You pinch his back. It’s the only part of him you can reach at the moment. “Jamie Tartt, you’d better tell me what you did right now or so help me you are going to be sleeping on the couch for the rest of our lives.”

“Oi, don’t fucking do that!”

He reaches back to grab your hands and holds them flat on his chest. “We- Roy, Grealish, and me, might have gotten your prick ex kicked out.”

“You what?” you gasp.

Jamie starts speaking in a rush before you can say anything else. “Look, y’know how protective Grealish gets, especially because Sasha fucking loves you, and then Roy heard that your prick ex was here (not the twat ex) and he said it’s easier for him to get in and out of fights on account of him being a fucking manager but then Grealish said that it’s pretty much expected that fights happen so might as well and anyway, no one’s gonna fuckin’ snitch on any of us because (hate to break it to you babe), but you’re, like, everyone’s kid sister. They’d fucking kill for you so it’s possible that we channeled that into threatening to break all of his bones if he ever ended up in the same country as you again.”

You’re processing all of the things Jamie said plus the incredible speed at which he said them, so all you can manage is a single “Okay,” before he’s talking again.

“Ehm, it’s also slightly-fucking-possible that someone did break his foot.”

“What?” you all but shout.

“Coordinated effort between Isa and Haaland,” Jamie says. “Lad’s a fucking wall, don’t know if you’ve noticed.”

“Jesus, Jamie,” you groan. “I don’t know if I should kiss you or pinch you again.”

“You can do both,” he suggests.

You sigh. “I’m going to kiss you. Like, a lot. And I’m not going to worry about getting caught and after we’ve snogged like a pair of kids in high school- sorry, secondary school, then we’re going to eat a bunch more food and dance with our friends. And if you want to get sloshed, I promise I will only take funny videos for myself, and I will not send them to your mum this time.”

Jamie says, “Liar,” as he kisses the tip of your nose.

“Fine,” you concede, “I will most definitely send them to your mum. And Simon. We’re on a group chat.”

“Not even gonna fucking ask,” Jamie says as he threads a hand through your hair so he can get at a better angle to kiss you.

—

You wake up the next morning (ahem, afternoon) to Jamie’s foot in your face.

“Excuse me, sir,” you say.

He hiccups himself awake. “Yeah?” he rumbles. “What fucking time..?”

“Late, I assume,” you say.

He groans and flips himself around so your heads are on the same side of the bed. He wastes no time in tangling your limbs together.

“Oi, koala boy. Some of us have morning breath.”

“No y’don’t babe,” he mumbles.

You scratch his head and a shudder runs through his body. “I know,” you say, “my breath is perfect. I meant you. I just didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“Cruel woman,” he returns before lapsing into silence. The sun slips through the curtains, and you’re sure it’s going to be another gorgeous day

“Jamie,” you begin then stop.

He says, “Yeah, love?” while looking up at you with his gorgeous blue eyes and you take a moment to freeze this image in your head. 

Jamie Tartt, in bed, hair tousled from sleep. Pillowy white duvet, golden freckled skin, warm body pressed to yours.

He kisses your shoulder, rousing you from your thoughts. 

“Jamie,” you say again, “I wanted to say-”

“Don’t,” he interjects. “You’re not fucking allowed to say thank you for the bare fucking minimum.”

“But it’s not,” you reply, opting to skate over the fact that he apparently can read your mind. “Bare minimum is like, making sure I’m not alone with him, not getting your friends together to scare him off and break his foot.”

Jamie’s been kissing your skin wherever he can reach as you speak, so his words are interspersed with pecks. “Technically, the foot was an accident. Ask any one of our witnesses. And besides, they’re your friends too. You’re the one who got ‘em all to like ya despite the fact we’re mortal enemies on the pitch.”

“You’re the one who goes tanning with Jack,” you remind him.

“Lies told by the press,” Jamie grumbles. “This is my natural sexy glow.”

You say, “Okay little British boy,” as Jamie decides that his current position is not enough and he wants to lay on top of you.

He says something but his face is buried in the crook of your neck, so all you can feel is vibrations.

You ask, “Hm?” so he lifts his head.

“What if it were us next year?”

“Tanning or breaking feet?”

“Getting married.”

Jamie goes back to having his mouth on your neck as if the air weren’t just punched from your lungs.

You’re quiet long enough that he lifts his head again to ask, “Is that good quiet or bad quiet?”

“Good!” you hastily confirm. “Good, but, babe- you haven’t even asked me yet.”

He says, “I’m going to,” as if you should have known already. 

“Okay,” you breathe, “can you give me like a little heads up or something so my nails are done?”

“Uh-huh,” he says, “At the end of the week. Been planning it. Ring’s in my bag, even asked Stella if she’d be pissed that it’s the same week she took on the most un-sexy last name in history. She said she don’t give a shit as long as it’s not at her actual wedding. So.”

“I love you,” you tell him. “Not just because of yesterday or right now. I just think you’re great.”

“I am great, babe,” he says like it’s obvious. “Picked you, didn’t I?”

You crack a smile. “Alright, that’s enough out of you. Do you want to get out of bed or go back to sleep?”

“Sleep,” he replies immediately. 

“Thank God,” you groan, “I didn’t want to move. You’re like a weighted blanket.”

“It’s me sexy muscles,” Jamie says. You wiggle under him to get more comfortable.

“Uh huh,” you agree, but the words are hardly out of your mouth before you’re both back to sleep.

[satancopilotsmytardis]

Drabble-A-Thon 3 Prompt 6

Pairing: Shigadabi

Rating: Teen

Prompt: Vampire Dabi with Human Tomura and Tomura makes him beg for even a drop of blood, make Dabi cry

Content: Supernatural AU, Vampire!Dabi, Sub/Dom Undertones, Blood Drinking, Dacryphilia

Dabi is fucking starving. Ugh. It's his own damn fault too. He didn't want to let on to the group of freaks that he's working for now that he's not only not human, but a born vampire on top of that. He can pass as human well enough because he's a born fang, able to go outside in the sun, grow older though that may stop within the next five to ten years, and cast a reflection in mirrors. But he does have to drink blood. Toga also has to drink blood, though that, weirdly enough, is all her quirk because she is one hundred percent human. He thought that he would just be able to sneak around and sip at the blood that they stocked for her quirk, but she keeps it in her bedroom and he is absolutely not going to start sneaking into her room. Especially not after that little creep Mustard tried it. 

Fine. He can go out to get his meals. That's not too much of a problem and he already was coming and going anyway. 

"Dabi," He knows their creepy boss never sleeps, able to hear the other members of the League through the walls and the way that Shigaraki's fingers are usually tapping at his games late into the night. But normally that's an activity he takes up in his bedroom, he's not usually in the bar this late to bother Dabi as he tries to leave. 

"What?" He doesn't have to worry about eating every day like a mortal, though he usually does have some human food to keep the others from asking about his diet when they're doing this and that. 

"The summer camp job is only a month away. You're too recognizable. You're on lockdown until after the job." 

Dabi immediately opens his mouth to argue, but then he notices that the monitor set up towards the back of the bar is humming softly. The screen is black, but that hum screams that it is not only on, but that the even creepier teacher of his new boss is listening in as well. So he just huffs softly and turns to head back upstairs. "Whatever, hand job." 

He can last another week, he'll figure something out between now and then. 

///

Dabi was not starving last week, he amends belatedly. He was hungry last week, he is starving now. His stomach feels like it's nothing but a hollow pit inside of him, he can feel his bones grinding together, his skin and eyes hurt in the sunlight, it's hard to keep his fangs in his gums, and he is constantly having to keep himself from just grabbing one of the other League members and sinking his teeth into them and then glamouring them so that they forget it after the fact. But his desire to not let anyone know that the fire starter with blue eyes just so happens to also be a born vampire keeps winning out. He usually assumes people are too stupid to put two and two together, but unfortunately he thinks those three hints all together will have the rest of the world guessing who his father is unbearably quickly. He doesn't want to feed on someone here and risk getting caught by the mist man, Toga and her super nose, or Shigaraki, because Toga will absolutely tell everyone as she gleefully shares her stores of blood, and if Duster or Kurogiri find out, then AFO finds out and he does not trust that evil potato-looking motherfucker. 

So he is starving and any time he tries to get outside, he is stopped by one of the others or the mist man himself. But he is just going to have to tell Shigaraki to fuck off so he can go hunt or he's going to lose his mind. He grabs his old hoodie and goes downstairs. He can wear a hoodie and sunglasses, maybe a facemask too. If that's enough for Shigaraki to leave the place, then that should be enough for him too. 

It's pretty late, he realizes when no one else is in the bar still but his boss and his keeper, but that might be a good thing if they end up having a real fight about this or he ends up having to glamour either of them. "I'm sick of being cooped up. I'm going out." He snaps in their direction, reaching to pull up the face mask. 

Shigaraki waves Kurogiri off, the teleporter making himself scarce immediately, as his other hand fiddles with something against the bar. "I told you, you're not allowed out Dabi." 

"Yeah, but the thing is I don't give a fuck about what you--" Dabi has to stop speaking as he inhales sharply, his fangs nearly going through his tongue from how fast they drop. 

Shigaraki watches him with blood red eyes, not wearing his mask for once, as he pulls his index finger back from the edge of the razorblade that he had been fiddling with on the counter. The smell of his blood, like cold, and copper, and thunder, fills the whole room, blacking out Dabi's good sense, and in the space between heartbeats, he is standing right in front of the other man, ready to tear into his throat--

"Control yourself." Shigaraki sounds bored, he looks bored, or at least he's trying to, but his eyes are intense on him even though they're half-lidded. He holds his uninjured hand barely two centimeters from Dabi's face to keep him at bay as he lets his finger bleed. "Or better yet: Let me control you." His voice is even, assured, satisfied, and Dabi feels like his sanity is starting to fray apart. "Follow my orders and I'll make sure no one else finds out about this and I'll become your donor." 

"I don't give a shit about the others." He lies. 

"If you didn't then you wouldn't be trying so hard to sneak out to feed instead." 

"...You're already my boss, what else do you want?" 

"To start with?" Shigaraki's eyes flash, "I want you to kneel." 

"You're fucking joking." The flat look doesn't waver and Dabi considers just leaving. He can break down most doors with his strength alone, he could leave-- Shigaraki opens the wound on his finger deeper and sends more of the tantalizing scent of his blood into the air. Dabi's stomach feels like it might twist so tightly that it will tear him in half from the inside out. He's never known a vampire who didn't become a fucking idiot as soon as they got too hungry, and he is apparently not about to break that cycle. His knees hit the floor and he hates that he has to look up at Shigaraki as he holds his hand so that the blood doesn't drip all over the bar. 

"Now beg." 

Dabi is going to kill him. He is going to rip out his throat. Shigaraki must see the defiance on his face because he starts to reach across the bar for some napkins to wipe away--

"Please," his voice is hoarse and barely his own as he begs. "Fuck, please--" 

"Like a dog." Shigaraki's voice isn't even smug. He sounds too bored for that. His heartbeat is steady with his satisfaction behind his ribs. Dabi has gone hungry before, he's hurt before, debased himself to survive, he has suffered, but this feels like the worst indignity that he's ever had to endure because he's being made to choose this one for himself. It's frustration and humiliation that have the seams under his eyes beading up with blood to cry that he doesn't have to spare right now. Each one feels like sandpaper is being tugged from his eye. 

The pain only makes it easier for him to whimper softly as he looks up at the mortal man whose heartbeat goes a little faster, his blood a little hotter as he hears him and sees him start to cry. 

"No biting." Shigaraki tells him lazily as he brings his hand down and lets Dabi latch onto his bleeding finger. He can't help but let out a soft moan as he finally, finally gets some fresh blood behind his teeth. He's so hungry he barely notices it when Shigaraki's other hand goes to his hair, four fingers petting through the locks as he murmurs, "Good boy. I'm going to have so much fun with you." 

Thank you so much for reading! If you would like to participate in the event, consider checking out my Ko-Fi here!

[bogbees]

also. good news. omega!iruka fic is at 1k, started it shortly before i started asking ab full dress. i expect 2k by the time i pass away in the morning

here's a teaser, bc im really excited ab it, alai it's literally just the opening for it ✨✌️☺️

“Hm. That's not good,” Hiruzen says.

Iruka looks up from the shogi board and wonders what he means by that. He hears a quiet, rumbling growl and turns to find Hound standing next to him, body trembling, as if desperate to restrain himself. Breathing loud, much louder than Iruka thought ANBU capable of.

Iruka tilts his head in wonder, staring up at him curiously, not understanding Hound’s sudden strange behaviour. The ANBU agent always stands several feet away, obscuring himself with the shadows, barely noticeable, if at all. He suspects this is what Sandaime was talking about, especially when Hound's red eye focuses on him, the tomoes of his sharingan spinning wildly. His arm raises slowly, reaching towards Iruka, shaking as if he's trying to stop it, but it's beyond his control.

He wonders if it's an alpha thing. Not like he really understands much about second genders, he's still yet to present himself. Sandaime smiles and says it'd be sometime soon with a laugh at his excitement, and tells him usually it happens around birthdays and his thirteenth is in a couple of weeks. He's a bit anxious, and seeing Hound behave like this only makes him worry a bit more. Makes him a bit afraid. He feels a shiver race through his body.

He catches the scent of autumn, furrows his brows, it's the middle of spring, and feels his skin begin to burn, sweat beading on his neck as he stares up at Hound's mask, peering through the slits to see his mismatched eyes staring back at him intently. He blinks, the smell shifts to something that reminds him of the forests and feels like… it's trying to tell him not to worry, be calm, be calm, be calm.

“That’s not good at all,” Sandaime mutters, rising to stand, his robes billowing as he quickly comes to stand beside Hound. His movements are too quick for Iruka's eyes to catch, but he hears a quiet smack and all too suddenly Hound collapses into a heap by the hokage’s feet.

The smell intensifies, it occurs to Iruka that it's Hound's scent, and he can pick out the individual hints of smoke chilled by an autumn night, leaves rotting away, freshly dug up soil, and it's, interesting, weird, it's something he wants to bury his nose in and inhale it deep into his very being.

Hiruzen sighs, looking at him with a peculiar look of disappointment tugging at his features, fear immediately runs through Iruka's mind, coursing through his veins as terror prickles tears in his eyes, he's never wanted to upset the hokage like this— “I was hoping this wouldn't come to be,” the man mutters.

Iruka wakes up with a start. Eyes wide, his breathing erratic, he blinks, trying to calm down. Just a dream. Just a made up figment of his imagination. Just a recurring dream he's had for the last eight years of his life. It's nothing new, why does he still freak out over it. It's not real. It's not a memory like his normal recurring nightmare is.

[unholyverse]

waterparks // marvin magazine issue #10

(full transcript under the cut)

Waterparks

WORDS by HOLLY SOLEM

PHOTOGRAPHY by DANIEL PRACOPCYK

Waterparks are places you go for fun; both pools and slides and the gloriously buzzy, pop punk band featuring members Geoff Wigington (lead guitar), Otto Wood (drums), and singer/guitarist Awsten Knight, whose neon energy matches his hair. Their music leads you down sonic chutes and up rainbow ladders with four albums, countless tours, millions of listeners and a recent signing with Fueled By Ramen, the label under which they are about to drop their highly anticipated 5th studio album. MARVIN had the good fortune of catching up with Knight—who is busy prepping for a European tour, a US tour and the release of the band's new album—to talk about all that goes into creating the bubbly world of Waterparks.

The new album titled Intellectual Property features eleven legit bangers filled with anthemic choruses. psychedelic experimentation and hooky melodies all polished to a sheen. There are hints of megalithic rock bands like Muse, inspiration from The Beach Boys and the pop punk sounds we have come to expect. But as for the "pop" part, this record goes in hard with collaborations with the likes of blackbear and songwriter/producer Julian Bunetta.

I love pop music and we got an offer to write with this dude, Julian, who has credits on 95% of One Direction's discography. I fucking love One Direction. I don't want to be dramatic but let's say I've got a top 60 favorite songs, I think four or five are One Direction songs. And Julian's written on all of them. I was just like, 'I want to do what I do but with him too.' And then I made "FUNERAL GREY", "BRAINWASHED", and "FUCK ABOUT IT", with him.

For this album, the band brought in more outside alliances than on previous albums, with Knight saying. "I think I was more open to [collaborations] on this album. Other people's opinions and thoughts and stuff like that. Normally, I don't really love writing with people that I don't know very well because it can feel very sterile. You walk in and they're like, 'what do you want to write about? You're like, 'oh fuck'—because it's a personal thing." And when it comes to getting personal, Knight is also realizing that to his surprise, the more personal he gets-the more vulnerable lyrically—the more universal the message.

I feel like I used to be kind of freaked out by [vulnerability], especially earlier, on album one. I was really nervous about it and it sounds so lame in retrospect but I didn't even want to do any acoustic songs. I liked burying myself a lit- tle bit behind a big instrumental. [The song] "21 Questions" for example. I sent that along with all the other demos to Benji because I wanted his opinion and he was like, 'this is one of the best ones.' Those wind up being the favorites, which seems counterproductive because songs are supposed to be relatable. And I never feel like I'm being relatable but I try to be less selfish with the writing. I want this to be for someone else.

When Knight refers to "Benji" he is talking about Benji Madden, one half of legendary pop punk duo Good Charlotte. Benji, along with his brother and bandmate Joel, manage Waterparks after discovering them on YouTube and DM'ing them on Twitter back in 2015. Knight received the news of the Maddens' invitation to fly to LA for a meeting while working as a babysitter who gave guitar lessons.

I called the guys and we're like, 'holy shit.' So we all went and bought swimsuits because…California. And yeah, that was it. After we met them, we went back to our hotel and were just like, 'what is happening? A week ago we were still passing out flyers outside of other people's shows. And we're right here, right now. This is the weirdest shit.'

A literal dream-come-true for Knight and the band, who eventually would make the move to LA from Houston while missing its Tex-Mex and Thai food, and of course, his family. But when it comes to the weather, he's all about California. He doesn't even mind the earthquakes. He was in a rooftop hot tub during one and actually found it rather exciting. For a man who has toured the world, there's a bright-eyed innocence and almost childlike wonder to him. His seeming lack of cynicism is as refreshing as freshly fallen snow which he admits he only saw for the first time not that long ago. But now, Knight talks about having stress dreams as he and the band get ready to embark on a European leg, followed by an extensive US tour.

Here's the thing, I like to play shows and I like to meet people. The other 22 hours of the day, I like having my space. I'm pretty particular, you know what I mean? I like my zone where I can sit and just do stuff. You go from peace and quiet and doing what you want all the time to sharing a small living space and a bus with twelve people. It's basically having twelve people in your living room for two months. And you're just like, 'ah, but the shows are great' as long as the shows are fun and everyone is having a great time, that makes it worth it to me.

He's also superstitious. Around his apartment there are crystals, there are obsidian and selenite wands in front of all the mirrors. He has a healer-type person come in and energetically clear his space, insisting he throw away objects that may have "dark entities" attached. "I'm luckier than people I know. They're like, 'why is the light always turning green when you go to it? Why do you always get the front spot at the store?' I'm like, it's because I don't split the pole, you know? Can't split a pole when you're walking. There's a bunch of superstitions. But I follow them and I'm crazy lucky."

In addition to music, he recently penned a well-received book of personal essays called, You'd Be Paranoid Too (If Everyone Was Out to Get You). He plans to write a novel next and has also started a clothing line called HiiDef. that fabricates small collections that sell out fast. His enthusiasm for the line is on par with music. "If everybody made the songs that I wanted to hear, I wouldn't have to do this. The same thing applies with clothing." Passion abound, he is all smiles when discussing plans for the future of Waterparks.

How do I get to the fucking moon? I think anyone who hears this album is going to love it. Cause I think it's incredible. I'm looking at the songs right now. I'm just like, 'man, straight slappers.' Even the last song, which I know wouldn't be a single or anything-that's probably one of the best accomplishments of a song that we've ever been able to pull off. I see this album in plaques on the wall. All right, we're manifesting now.

He names his goals out loud, as one is meant to do when calling them in, mentioning things like how much he'd like to play the Redding and Leeds Festivals at sunset. Then he pulls up the Waterparks US tour schedule online while musing, "I want one of those big "Sold Out" things across all the dates. It's getting there dude. Yeah, actually, it's going crazy right now." In real time, he seems to discover that the banners that cross nearly all of the show dates do indeed read, "Sold Out". And then it's clear. Awsten Knight is lucky. But luck is really about preparation meeting opportunities and he has definitely shown up to the game prolific and prepared. Five albums in, it's clear that Knight and Waterparks have only just begun.

@waterparks

[kitthepurplepotato]

MWRMI part 5

My Weird Roommate, Midoriya Izuku

Week 3 Part 1 - Reality Check.

~•🥦•~

Summary: Living with pro hero Deku was too good to be true; when Midoriya doesn’t come home one night, Y/N realizes how painful it is to love the Number One Hero.

Warnings: Injured Deku, swear words, a hint of angst.

First part Master List

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

After having Midoriya around you for a whole day the house feels cold and strange without the green haired nerd. Your moping got to a point when even All Meowt felt sorry enough for you to come out and keep you company so needless to say, you definitely look pathetic right now.

Sometimes, when the urge to see your flatmate got unbearable you messaged him about stupid things; random hero fun facts, fan arts, screenshots, a picture of you cooking his favorite meal and for your surprise, Midoriya responded to all of them.

After a while he also started to send you random pictures about his patrol; sometimes it was just a lovely picture of the sunset but sometimes they were grimy and disgusting; pictures of his injuries or a selfie of Midoriya with a massive black eye. Usually, by the time the greenette came home the injuries were gone thanks to the amazing healer guy they have on their team, but that doesn’t make it easier to see him like that. Being close to a hero isn’t a fucking dream, it’s more like a nightmare. You never know when it’s the last time you see him and you can never sleep soundly until you hear the door open; what if he ends up in a hospital and no one informs you? What if he comes home thinking he’s all okay but there is an internal bleeding killing him slowly while he sleeps?

Yeah, being close to heroes suck.

But let’s come back to the present now; to the present that’s also not so pleasant.

You wake up in the middle of the night to a notification on your phone; you dozed off on the table again while working on another project. The notification almost makes you throw up; it’s an article about a massive fight in the middle of the city, not too far away from your current home. You turn on the TV as the article states it’s being aired live; you can see pro hero Deku, barely standing on the sidelines while the rest of his team finishes the work in the middle. Dynamight manages to catch the last villain, so technically the heroes won, but you can’t help the tears trailing down your cheeks from seeing your friend wobbling to the nearest emergency station before passing out in the nurse’s arms.

You try to keep calm but you can’t stop yourself from sending him a message.

You: Please send me a message when you wake up, Midoriya!

Just as you expected, there is no response coming back. Fuck.

Thankfully, All Meowth graces you with his existence and lets you pet his fluffy little head. What a supportive little animal.

After a few dreadful minutes; 40, to be exact, there is a notification on your phone.

Midoriya: ….!hehdgeuehdbgenevrm

Midoriya: I!m oksbdgeb

Midoriya: fuxk

Midoriya: Hey Freeloader, stop freaking the shit out, I’ll bring him home as soon as he’s coherent. Make him some soup or some shit, the fucker didn’t take a break today. I’m also hungry by the way and I deserve a fucking serving.”

You don’t need to think twice to know who wrote that message. You sigh and take a deep, shaky breath.

He’s fine. He’s coming home.

~•🥦•~

“We’re home!” Dynamight’s loud and hoarse voice breaks through the silence.

In any other situation, you would probably take five to ten minutes to fangirl over the fact that Dynamight is here; he might be rough and abrasive towards everyone but his good looks and heroic deeds still managed to take him to the second place on the hero rankings; but right now, you can only see the green haired man who’s holding into his shoulders like he can’t even stand straight without help.

“Midoriya…” You run through the living room to check up on him but Dynamight puts his arms out to stop you in your tracks.

“He’s high.” He declares. “Our healer’s quirk likes to kick you in the ass when it’s overused. He’s not aware of his surroundings, so don’t even bother.” The blonde hero rolls his eyes and makes his way towards the kitchen, the greenette limping after him, still holding the guy’s shoulder like a lifeline.

“Izuku, we are going to eat and then you are going to bed, okay?” Dynamight pushes Izuku’s chin up to force eye contact; he speaks to him with a soft, reassuring voice like he’s a random toddler he found on the street. They sit down next to each other on the dining table then Izuku nods but doesn’t move towards his food; the blonde sighs and takes the spoon in his hand. “Open your fucking mouth, you big baby!” Dynamight screams at the clearly high greenette, who obeys without hesitation.

… it’s 5 fucking AM and here you are, staring at motherfucking Dynamight force feeding pro hero Deku with your soup at your fucking dining table.

This fanfiction got really weird, really quickly.

“Where is Y/N?” Izuku speaks up after gaining some color in his cheeks. You perk up at the sound of your name but you decide not to get involved in their conversation.

“She’s literally sitting opposite of you, you dump fuck.” The blonde grumbles, clearly fucking done with the situation.

“Is she okay?”

This is such a Midoriya thing to do that you can’t help but smile; the guy comes home after almost dying on the battlefield yet his first coherent question is about someone else’s wellbeing.

“No, she’s probably scarred for life after seeing me feeding you, to be honest.”

Well, what were you expecting from Dynamight, sugar coating? Nah.

“No…” Midoriya’s voice trembles. You really want to hug him. “I don’t want her to be mad. I don’t want her to leave!”

Fuck, your face is wet. You never ever want to see that look on Midoriya’s face, it’s absolutely heartbreaking.

“She’s not going anywhere you moron. She made this soup for you, so eat it.” Dynamight grumbles at him again, but Deku only smiles at him.

“What the fuck are you smiling at me for?” The blonde is clearly not a big fan of affection, his face contorts into a frown from all the cheesiness.

“Y/N’s soup is even better than yours.” The greenette answers with a lovesick smile on his face but apparently, this wasn’t the right thing to say as the blonde’s face heats up in anger.

“Now take that back you asshole or I’ll push this spoon down your fucking throat.” Dynamight looks like he’s about to explode but Deku is clearly unaffected by the empty threat.

“No, Kacchan is mad.” Midoriya’s shit eating grin is so huge it can probably be seen from the top of Mt.Fuji. The blonde decides he’s done with Deku’s shenanigans and literally throws the guy into his bedroom without a single warning. He comes out after five minutes and sits down on the sofa; he holds his hand out and stares at you until you put one and two together.

Ahh, he’s asking for food.

“I really wanted to hug him before he goes to sleep.” You reprimand as you make your way to the sofa with a big bowl of soup. You made a special batch for the spice loving blonde as a thank you. Dynamight rolls his eyes and nods approvingly at the taste.

“I don’t want to listen to him bitching about embarrassing himself in front of you again. For some fucking reason he really cares about shit like that when it comes to you.” Bakugou answers nonchalantly, like you’ve known each other for ages and this isn’t your first ever conversation. After seeing your confused face, he elaborates on the topic. “He won’t remember you being with us because I didn’t let him look at you. He’ll wake up tomorrow thinking you were fast asleep and he won’t beat himself up about it.”

“So long story short, you being an asshole is all an act and you are actually more like a protective big brother.” You poke at the sleeping bear, but for your surprise, he doesn’t get offended by you seeing through him.

Okay. This is new. This is not how people portray Bakugou in their fanfictions.

“We are all family. We support each other. Being a hero is a lonely job so if we are not there for each other no one ever will ever be.” The blonde answers with a straight face but his voice gets melancholic by the end of his sentence.

You don’t know what to say to that. You understand the sentiment but at the same you can’t help but wonder how the fuck is the pain not worth it. These people; both Midoriya and Bakugou; are the most protecting, most loving people you’ve ever met in your life. They are loyal to a fault and they go out of their way to make their loved ones feel safe.

“You guys deserve the fucking world and some blood and the lack and of contact during missions won’t change my mind about that. This night was the worst day of my life but I would do it over and over again if it means I can stay close to him, because he’s worth it.”

You definitely overshared a bit, but by the look of it, Bakugou doesn’t care nor comments on it.

“You are different than the rest.” He mumbles, playing with a piece of meat at the bottom of the almost empty bowl.

“Different?”

“Yeah. I didn’t like this whole roomie idea, you know.” He admits. “It’s dangerous, even with a mutual friend. A lot of people tried to use him and he’s so fucking naive. But I can see it in your eyes, you know… That you care about him. And he also can’t shut up about you, so.. welcome to the family, or whatever. Also, gimme’ your phone number so I can update you on all the shit so you don’t freak out.” Bakugou throws his unlocked phone into your lap; his background is a picture of the gang sitting on each other on Deku’s sofa. He’s so cute.

“Thank you… for accepting me. It means a lot.” You mumble sheepishly, your whole face red as a tomato. Bakugou snaps his phone out of your hands and throws it in the air to catch it, just to be cool and edgy.

“Save the cheesy shit for the nerd, Freeloader.” The blonde grins. “Make sure he sleeps enough. He’ll be good as new by the afternoon.” Dynamight stands up to put the dishes into the dishwasher. “Thanks for the food, send me the recipe.”

And with that, the hero is gone and the the silence is back; you lie down on the sofa and listen to the noises coming from Deku’s room, but after a few rustles, everything quiets down and only the soft, content snores can be heard from the room next door.

You fall asleep on the sofa, not having the energy to go into your room; at least you will be there in case Midoriya needs help during the night.

~•🥦•~

You wake up to Midoriya’s footsteps around 9 AM; barely a few hours after he came home last night. He looks disheveled and confused as he tries to put on his hero costume.

“Midoriya… go to sleep.” You pull yourself up; the hero jumps in surprise by the sight of you. “How do you want to fight evil if you can’t even sense me sleeping on the sofa, huh?”

You know that’s a low blow, but you’d do anything to keep the hero from going out today. He needs to stay home and you also need him to rest for your own sanity. He looks pale and all over the place, there is no way you’ll let him go out like that.

“Y/N, I’m fine. I can’t skip work…” Midoriya is just about to start rambling about the importance of his job, but you don’t let him finish. You throw your phone towards him which he catches in one swift move.

“Read it.”

Dynamight: Yo, freeloader. Tell Deku he’s not needed today. I found cover for him. If he leaves the house I’ll kill him.

“How does he know your number?”

Fuck, you didn’t think this through. Midoriya is not supposed to know about yesterday.

“He left a note with his number on the table, so I sent him a message.” You lie, feeling terrible for doing so but it’s all for his sake.

Deku doesn’t say anything just sits down next you; his face looks sad and heartbroken, but he doesn’t say a word about it. You really want to hug him but you are not sure it would be appreciated right now.

“Mido…” You are just about speak up, but he doesn’t let you finish.

“You are lying to me.” He declares with a heartbroken smile. He knows. He doesn’t remember but he’s a clever guy and you are a terrible liar.

“Not all lies are bad. Sometimes, people lie for the sake of their loved ones.”

“I also lied.” Midoriya admits. “About me being okay. I’m really tired. Mentally. Physically. In every single way.”

“I know.“ You can’t help it; your hands move towards Midoriya’s frizzy curls. Midoriya melts into the touch, clearly desperate for affection now that the air is clean between you two. “Put your head into my lap and let’s watch a movie, okay?” That way he can fall asleep and you can keep an eye on him for the rest of the day. Win-Win.

~•🥦•~

As the movie starts, the two of you fall into a comfortable silence. It’s a dumb and fluffy movie, something that takes his mind away from all the violence in the real world. Midoriya’s hair is full of knots under your palm, so you slowly rake your fingers through the mess, detangling it lock by lock as the green haired hero contentedly sighs, urging you to keep going. It’s way too domestic and way too intimate but you can’t stop; Midoriya clearly needs the attention right now, he’s melting into your touch, his cheek buried into the soft throw that sits between your things and his head for more comfort.

When the movie ends, you realize you didn’t even look at the screen once but neither did Midoriya; he’s fast asleep on your lap, drooling like a golden retriever after a full day of fun. You try to clean him up a bit but he’s not having any of it; he murmurs in his sleep and takes your hand in his, subconsciously caressing the skin. A shiver goes down your spine from the soft touch, churning your insides with it, but you don’t have the heart to wake him up.

Midoriya is too much. He’s so kind, so beautiful, so affectionate, and so-so full of love; you can’t believe you are on the receptive side of all of this. You really feel like you don’t deserve Midoriya’s attention and deep inside you know it doesn’t mean the same to him as it means to you but right here, right now, you let it all in, ready for the biggest heartbreak in your life when this is all over.

~•🥦•~

You wake up after a few hours, still in the same position. Midoriya’s now flawlessly fluffy head is still resting in your lap but he’s facing the other way around; he looks up at you with sleepy eyes, a tired but honest smile decorating his handsome face.

“Good morning, sweet pea.” He mumbles half asleep, hiding his face in your tummy for a few more seconds of peace.

The nickname almost makes your heart stop, but you try your best to ignore the fluttery feeling in your chest.

“I’m quite sure it’s afternoon.” You strike back with a sass, which the green haired hero blissfully ignores.

“Whatever. It’s nice.”

“Yeah.” You admit with a red face, and this is the moment Dynamight chooses to barge into the flat with a bunch of other people behind him.

Okay, this is extremely awkward.

Do these people know how to knock?!

“THE MIDORIYA CHEERING UP SQUAD HAS ARRIVED!” Chargebolt yells while the others hide their faces in embarrassment.

“By the look of it, shitty Deku has a good enough time already.” Dynamight snickers and Deku jumps up like a happy puppy to forcefully hug the shit out of the annoyed blonde. While everyone is busy staring at the two hugging each other, you take a moment to take a look at the intruders; every single of these people are heroes you follow on every single available social media.

Don’t freak out.

Don’t. Freak. Out.

Don’t…

“OH MY GOD, THATS RED RIOT THAT’S FUCKING RED RIOT, Midoriya!”

Fuck.

… Next Part!

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Random ramble from the potato:

- Thank you so much for all the love on this series I'm so happy you love it as much as I do, this is baby😭💚

- Also, you are not ready for the next part! Ask my bestie, she has a lot to say about it. 😂 @porusuniverse

- I accidentally bought a Deku figurine today. And a Todoroki one. It was an accident, I swear. Kacchan was lonely, he needed a friend.

Likes, comments and reblogs are appreciated as always 💚 Tell me your thoughts! 🥦

Taglist: @porusuniverse @stickygumchewer @sixxze @mily-moo (wanna be added? Just tell me in the comments/send me a message!)

[the-l-is-silent-yall]

A non-exhaustive list of things I accidentally predicted in Just Dance

In honor of my current fic being known as "the time I accidentally sorta predicted Night Swan taking ALL the Just Dancers in JD24 story mode with this idea coming to me in early to mid 2023", here are some other things I predicted:

Mihaly turning into a panda: in my fic about Mihaly's childhood days, there was a running joke about Mihaly becoming convinced they'd become a panda when they grew up. While the idea came to me earlier than that, it was first published in my fics on August 10th, 2023, weeks before Never Be Like You leaked in mid-October.

Mihaly looking up to Night Swan because they liked ballet, rather than any more sinister/shady reason: when we first saw the Night Swan poster being ripped in Never Be Like You, my first instinct was to make jokes about how they had it up for target practice. But then, I wrote it into the fic (twice) that there wasn't anything shady in their past, they just REALLY liked ballet. First hinted at in a oneshot published on October 14th 2023, then in my book about Mihaly's childhood on November 25th that same year, I definitely breathed a sigh of relief during littlesiha's lore week when Aurore confirmed it was due to her "dance skill, charisma, and elegance".

Payphone having a split screen that showed where Rasputin was during the wedding while The Bride destroyed everything on the other side: I have no comment. I am still just in awe. This was from June 1st.

Calling that the official Eva Chase loredump using Telephone's footage was a red herring, and Rasputin was still the one to break the Gaga coaches out: this was a private conversation so unfortunately I don't have the receipts for this one, but my exact words - dated July 19th at 1:22 PM, were "I'm just not gonna panic about it until I hear the words 'Eva broke them out in Telephone' explicit". This was of course LONG before we saw the ending of Payphone that suggests he was involved after all.

Bang Bang showing Epsilon's face: Also a private conversation, which took place over a call, in which I said something to the effect of "the leakers probably aren't showing us much of Bang Bang because there's something they wanna 'gatekeep', like either showing us who his ex is or showing his face". Not long after, we got the preview showing his face. Admittely this one is less cool because I'm pretty sure the avatar with the half-face-reveal had leaked by this point but SHHH I'M COUNTING IT

K/DA (specifically Seraphine) perhaps being a little less noncanon than initially stated: During Aurore's official interview, the K/DA routines were specifically singled out as being non-canon, along with the Disney routines. My response was to just...ignore this, and have one of the characters prominent in my fic series just casually cosplay Seraphine and dance to MORE. This came out at the end of August 2023. And wouldn't you know it? Seraphine's avatar shows up on a card in Poker Face alternate, quietly implying that K/DA and Seraphine DO exist in the Danceverses in some capacity (likely as fictional characters in-universe as well, but I'm not expecting it to be addressed officially).

Grace breaking up with Ari but eventually getting back together: I had spent summer 2023 writing a fic about the Wannabe coaches being superheroes in high school, with Ari as the antagonist. Just one of those ideas that started as a sarcastic joke, but I inadvertently got attached to it, y'know? Anyway, in the finale of the fic, Grace dumps her for her actions, but they get back together during a timeskip. Now, this was before even VAMPIRE came out, or was even leaked - although I did later incorporate Vampire into it as a bonus chapter shortly after 2024 Edition's release because- I'm gonna save that tangeant for later actually and move onto how much I lost my freaking mind when Grace and Ari were revealed to be going through a rough patch in canon. One Last Time matched that even further when Grace dumped Ari, but then got back together with her.

Lilith being WLW: What can I say? I knew in my heart that that wasn't a straight woman all along. I talked about my WLW ship involving Lilith on September 2nd 2023.

Whenever, Wherever coming: I had saved Whenever, Wherever to my Spotify with the idea of potential Just Dance ties back in April...which was before even the ESRB accidentally revealed it.

Conclusion: Y'all gotta start listening to me more often /j