#and I was like 'oh yeah the courtyard. mhm. it has that'

[bunny-1111]

How the Slytherin boys would say 'I love you' for the first time

Draco Malfoy

You two were watching the stars from the astronomy tower

he is explaining the different constellations

"Which one's your favourite?" You ask

"That one" he would point "Scorpious"

"mhm" you would smile

he would turn to you and ask, "And you? Which one do you like, Darling?"

with a shrug, you say "I like whatever you like, so Scorpious"

"I like you" he would say still looking at the stars

"I like you too" you would return

it's then that he turns to you "No, I love you"

Blaise Zabini

When he invites you to meet his 'maneater' mother

and she has a fit over how relationships don't ever really last, so neither will yours

you excuse yourself from the room

you hear him and his mother arguing, when he scream "No you don't get it, I love her"

when he comes to check on you, apologising for his mothers behaviour

"You love me?" you say

"OH, you heard that?"

you nod

"Well, yes, I do love you"

Theodore Nott

it would be late at night, in winter, the snow falling into the courtyard

the both of you sitting undercover

sharing a cigarette

"What do you think love is?" you smile

"What do I think love is?" he smiles back, taking a drag

"Yeah"

"I think love is sharing a cigarette"

"Well we're sharing a cigarette, does that mean you love me" You laugh

"That's exactly what that means" he says stomping on the smoke, now out on the cold floor, before hovering his lips above yours, "I love you"

Matteo Riddle

after a fight he would retreat to your dorm

you were not surprise he had shown up with blood around his face

"Seriously riddle? Everytime" you sighed ushering him to your bathroom

he sat on the bench

you cleaned his face he stared at you

"Why do I do this for you I'll never know" you huffed

"I know why" not breaking eye contact

"Oh yeah? why's that" you would say with furrowed brows

"I think it's because you're in loveeeee with me" he would laugh

"I don't know about that Matteo" you would brush off, checks blushing

"Yeah well I do, I know, I love you"

Lorenzo Berkshire

sneaking into the kitchen together, while everyone else is asleep

eating ice cream on the kitchen counter

making fun of the first years trying to learn how to fly their brooms

"god when that girl feel off, I thought of you when we first learnt how to fly" he laughed

You flicked some ice cream on his face "I did not fall!" you protest

"yes you did, I could never forget it, we were eleven, and you fell and you were so embarrassed and I helped you up; you said thank you so quietly and I thought then and there 'I'm gonna fall in love with this girl' I'll never forget it" he ranted

"Well did you?" you slowly ask, taking another bite

"Fall in love with you? Have I not told you" He said

"No. No you haven't" you say facing the floor

"I do, I've loved you ever since you fell of that broom you clutz"

Tom riddle

it was late, and you were sneaking back from your common room returning to your dorm

Tom was head boy and patrolling corridors

"Hey!" he screamed

you stopped dead in your tracks, turning around to face him

"Where do you think you're going?" He would pry

you said nothing

"I should write you up for this" he insisted

"You'd miss me too much if I had to spend all afternoon in detention" you smiled

"You're lucky I love you, go up to my dorm" he said quickly

"Huh" you muttered

"Go on, I'll be there soon", lightly smacking your ass "Sneaky little shit" he continued, maintaining a straight face

[ritsusakumawife]

Rejected

Male Yandere! x GN!Reader (This is a remake but feel free to read the original one)

Warnings: Use of profanity, implied murder, possible manipulation, mentions of depression, mentions of sui

“I’m sorry but I don’t like you in that way”

“What..?”

“Sigh..I like you, but only as a friend. I don’t like like you”

“Oh! Not that there’s anything I don’t like about you. I’m just not looking for a relationship right now”

“No, no, it’s alright..Yeah..Friends..Let’s just, remain friends, yeah?”

“Are you sure? You aren’t just saying that to make things less awkward, right?”

“Mhm..I didn’t expect you to say yes anyways hahah. You’ve always been quite open about what you currently want and don’t want after all.”

“I just wanted to get it out of my chest y’know? It’s been bothering me” He chuckles awkwardly

“So..We’re cool?” You say awkwardly

“Yeah..Cool..”

“Ahah..Nice..?” You say in an almost questioning tone

RINGGGGG

“Oh..Wow, the uhm bell rang. Well then, see you around. Bye byeee” You then quickly turn around and hurriedly leave

‘Gosh, that whole interaction was so awkward and tense! Remind me to never accept secret rooftop meetings ever again!’

“…”

‘It’s only been a month since you rejected me.’

‘You said you didn’t want a relationship. Yet, why are you getting so close to him? Him, of all people’

Your laughter echoes through the hallways, breaking him out of his train of thought

“I can’t take this anymore..”

Quickly, he marches over to you, grabs your hand, and pulls you away outside in the courtyard

“Kanata. Let go of me!”

Surprised by your voice he lets go

“That hurt, why’d you do that?” You glare, demanding an answer

“I— I’m sorry, it’s just..Him..I’ve warned you so so many times to not get close to him.”

“He’s a bad person”

“You need to stay away from him. Now.”

Irritated, you reply, “Look, no one has the right to judge and dictate who I should or shouldn’t hang out with”

“Especially you, yes, you Kanata”

“What? Me? And why the hell is that huh?”

He’s clearly starting to get agitated but that won’t stop you from saying what you’ve been wanting to

“Hah! Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”

“I know how you’ve been bullying him behind everyone’s back! Behind my back!”

“He was never a bad person! It was you all along! You’re the bully, not him!”

“What the heck are you even talking about right now y/n?!? Me? Bullying that guy? Are you out of your mind?? Have you finally lost it? Huh?!”

“You know me better than I do y/n! Since when was I ever the type to bully someone?!!”

“ARE YOU A FUCKING IDIOT Y/N L/N??!! I MEAN, I KNEW YOU ALWAYS WERE BUT I DIDN’T THINK YOU WERE THIS MUCH OF AN IDIOT”

…….

He hated this situation

He hated all of it

He hated how you were accusing him

He hated how he’d accidentally raised his voice

He hated how he let his temper get the best of him again

But, he can’t take back and rephrase those words now

…….

“..An idiot..? Wow, is that what you’ve thought me all along? Huh?”

“To think that I..To think that I even ever thought of you as a friend”

“IS THAT WHAT YOU REALLY THINK OF ME?!”

“N-No, I—” “I BET YOU ALSO TALK BAD ABOUT ME BEHIND MY BACK, DON’T YOU? I BET..I BET THAT ALL THIS TIME YOU’VE THOUGHT THAT I WAS A NUISANCE AND THAT I WASN’T WORTH YOUR TIME”

“What?! NO. Y/N, where the heck is all this coming from? I never even said anything like that”

“But I bet I really was a nuisance, wasn’t I?”

“Everyone..Everyone always ends up leaving me..I thought you were different. But I can see that you aren’t any different from them” You stare at him and walk off

….

You didn’t know why you said all that

Why did you say it?

Those words aren’t even close to what you were thinking

Everything was so off. This wasn’t how you guys fought. You’ve always talked things out..But why did it end like that?

Why?

Whywhywhywhywhy

….

It’s been a few days since that fight you had with your now ex best friend

Come to think of it, you haven’t seen him around for a while now..

Oh well, it was none of your business. You probably just missed each other, the building is huge after all

On the other hand,

You’ve gotten a lot closer to Angel

Well, Angel isn’t his name but it’s what everyone calls him. A bit weird to call a guy that but it’s nice, he fits the description of an angel after all

Huh, you’ve never actually found out his real name now that you thought of it..He introduced himself as Angel when you guys met and guess you just never had the opportunity to ask him for his real name..

After a few days of still not seeing your ex best friend, you decided to pay his class a visit before classes start and hopefully make up

You’ve been friends for almost all your life. No matter what you try to think your heart just can’t let this friendship that lasted for a decade to end in that way

You peek through the open door and look around

One of the people there, notice you and come up

“Is there something you need?”

“Oh! Uh, no, not really. Just wondering if Kanata came to school today..We recently had a fight and I want to make things right again..Ahah..”

‘Someone end me..I DIDN’T MEAN TO BASICALLY VENT TO SOME RANDOM PERSON’

Upon hearing what you had to say, the girl looked almost hesitant to say what she’s about to say next

“I..I’m sorry, you mustn’t have heard but, Kanata’s dead”

“Sorry? What?”

“He’s dead. He was going through depression and well..You know, he..Couldn’t take it anymore. I’m very sorry for your loss”

“Oh..Yeah..Uhm..T-thank you for letting me know”

You had been on autopilot throughout the entire day

The bell rang, classes started and ended

And right now, you find yourself crying, hugging, and confiding in Angel, your new best friend

How did you end up in his house? You don’t remember. Everything is foggy, blurry, all you know is that his touch is comforting, his hand brushing through your hair, whispering comforting words

Promising that he won’t leave you like the others

He’s different

He promised not to leave you

“I won’t ever leave you alone”

You wake up from your sleep

“What an odd dream..”

It wasn’t a dream, it was a nightmare

“I should probably get ready now lest I be late for that date!”

Wake up. Wake up to the real world

Ding dong~

“Oh? That must be him!”

You hurriedly rush to the front door and open it

Upon opening the door you immediately get engulfed in a hug

“Morning babe”

You chuckle, “Good morning! You’re here early, hold on. I just woke up, lemme get ready first then we can head out, yeah?”

“Yeah. Go ahead and get ready, I’ll be here”

Run

Wake up

This isn’t real

Kanata didn’t end himself

He was a happy man. He never had depression

“Angel”, or rather, Rei, killed him

You know this. Don’t delude yourself

WAKE UP

“I’m ready! Well?”

“You look absolutely amazing love, now then, shall we go?” He offers his hand

“Amazing just for you! And yes, we shall my good sir” You hold his hand and start to walk side by side

“Geez..That’s sweet but don’t say that ever again. That was cringe” He says in a lighthearted teasing tone

You giggle, “I know, I know, but you still love me despite me being cringe at times”

“Well, you’re right about that”

“How could I ever not love you? You’re the most wonderful person on earth”

Ah..

I see..

It’s too late..

His grasp is too strong

You’ll never break free

I’ll(we’ll) never break free

[howlingday]

New Day, Same Age

Papa Arc: Don't be rude, Jaune. Go on and say hi.

Jaune: Um, h-hi, sir. I'm... I'm Jaune Arc.

Ghira: Nice to meet you, Jaune. This is my daughter, Blake. Say hi, Blake.

Blake: (Hides behind his leg)

Ghira: Ha ha... She's shy.

Jaune: (Walks closer) Um, hi. I'm Jaune Arc.

Blake: (Peeks out) Blake.

Jaune: (Smiles) Nice to meet you, Blake.

Blake: (Steps out) Nice to meet you, too...

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

Blake: Jaune?

Jaune: Blake?

Blake: Can I sleep with you tonight? There's a thunderstorm, and...

Jaune: You're scared?

Blake: Mhm.

Jaune: Um, okay. (Blake climbs in) Um, what should I do?

Blake: Do?

Jaune: Yeah. You need my help, so what should I do.

Blake: Just... stay with me. I... I need a friend.

Jaune: Okay... I'll be here for you... Blake.

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

Blake: Where's Jaune?!

Kali: Blake, stay in your room.

Blake: But Jaune is missing!

Kali: Jaune is fine, sweetie. Him and his daddy had to go back home. Just... stay in your room.

Blake: But... we didn't say bye...

Kali: I know, kitten, but you need to be in your- Oh no... Blake, go to your room! (Runs)

Blake: Mommy? Mommy, what's- (Explosion, Covers ears)

Kali: Oh no...

Blake: (Looks up, Sees flaming ship sinking)

Blake: ...Jaune.

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

Jaune: ...Blake? ...Dad?

Papa Arc: Oh, so I'm less important than your little friend, Blake, huh? Heh heh heh...

Jaune: Dad? Where- Urp! (Throws up over)

Papa Arc: Yeah, guess you ain't much for boats, huh?

Jaune: Where are we?

Papa Arc: Hopefully, close to Mistral. We can get home from there.

Jaune: What about Menagerie?

Papa Arc: ...We can't go back there, Jaune. Not for a long while. There's... There's some bad stuff that'll happen there.

Jaune: But Blake! She- Urp! (Throws up)

Papa Arc: Easy, son. Blake'll be fine. People like her out there.

Jaune: But... They don't like us?

Papa Arc: ...Not anymore.

Jaune: ...

Papa Arc: Hey, take a few rations and have some. Should help your belly settle.

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

Jaune: (Vomits) Ugh... Stupid motion sickness...

Ruby: Uh, is he okay?

Yang: Ah, he'll be fine. Just leave him to it.

Jaune: Ugh... Okay... I should be good. Now, where to first?

Blake: (Passing by) Should head to the courtyard and look around. Get a feel for this place.

Jaune: Hey, thank... you... Huh... Guess she really wanted to look around. Was it just me, or did she look like...? Nah, it couldn't be.

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

Blake: It... It can't be....

Jaune: No way... (Touches her hand) Blake?

Blake: Jaune! (Hugs him) You're alive! I can't believe it's really you!

Jaune: (Pushes her away) I can't believe it's you! It's been so long!

Blake: I thought you were dead! The Sea of Fire! I thought-

Jaune: Sea of Fire? What are you-

Blake: (Hugs him again) I thought you were dead. I... I missed you so much.

Jaune: (Hugs Blake, Rubs her back) I missed you, too... Blake...

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

Jaune: Blake? What's...?

Blake: Can I... sleep with you tonight? I know it's not like when we were kids, and it's your dorm, but-

Jaune: Come on in. Uh, but keep your voice down. The rest of the team is asleep.

Blake: Okay... I see you still have your onesie.

Jaune: Heh, what can I say? It grew on me?

Blake: More like stretched. (Snickers with Jaune)

Pyrrha: Mngh...

Jaune: (Covers mouth) C'mon. (Lays down)

Blake: (Climbs in)

Jaune: I didn't think there'd be thunderstorm way out here.

Blake: There isn't. (Snuggles) I just missed you so much.

Jaune: (Smiles) I missed you, too.

[theoriginalkaminari]

Mischievous thorn in my side.

Kirishima Eijirou x Gn!reader

A/n: have you heard of the hit indie show, The Amazing Digital Circus..ok jk but your personality is like Jax.

Warnings: you being a little shit (jk) (not really tho) swearing iggg

Supposedly, there was a new student in U.A.

Rumors spread like wild fire about them.

Apparently, they were the most annoying person in the school. And thats saying something.

Y/N's eyes always held a mischievous glint in them, and it seemed like they always had a stupid grin on their face.

It seemed like their whole existence was just to cause mischief and chaos.

Eijirou thought about all of this as he walked down the hallways, keeping his eyes peeled for Y/N. One of the rumors he heard was that no one ever knew where they was when they weren't there. They never told anyone.

Maybe his quirk let him appear in and out of places? Maybe he dug tunnels through the walls, and disappeared through them to scare an uncsepeticng victim.

Eijirou tried to calm himself down. He mentally scolded himself for believing these rumors when he hasn't even met the person! It was unmanly of him to judge someone he's never met.

Eijirou was lost in this question for a few seconds, only breaking out of it when suddenly, someone's gloved hands sat firmly on his shoulders, making him jolt slightly.

"Did I scare ya?" Y/N's voice says from behind. Eijirou quickly turns around. "Whoa! Hey, I haven't seen you around here before. I'm Eijirou Kirishima!" He smiles softly, wanting to appear nice to the mischievous character. "Whats your name?"

Y/N grins mischievously. "Thats for me to know, and you to find out." They step back slightly, still wearing their mischievous grin. "Haven't seen you around either." They tilt their head, this time stepping closer and getting in his face.

Eijirou feels a little awkward at how close they were to his face, but didn't say anything. "Oh, uh, yeah?" He says nervously. "I guess we haven't met, but I'm not really new-"

"Yeah, mhm." Y/N appears behind him, grabbing his shoulders. "So your from the hero course, hm?" Y/N spins hims around, looking the redhead up and down. "Bit red for my type." They grab his hand, stopping him from spinning around as they scan him with their eyes.

Eijirou places his hand on his head, trying to stabilize his spinning head as he tries to regain his balance. Once he does, he smiles softly and laughs nervously. "Oh, really? Then what is your type?" He jokes, trying to not seem annoyed.

"Not you." Y/N says, letting go of Eijirou's hand, making him fall on his ass. Y/N snickers before they walk away, leaving Eijirou on his ass.

Eijirou grumbles to himself before standing up. "Rude.." He mutters to himself before walking in the opposite direction.

Ever since that day, Y/N has been practically torturing him to the point where Eijirou can't sit down in fear of a whoopie cushion being there!

Eijirou never understood why you did what you did. After all, you were a thorn in his side the whole time he's known you.

Until one day, he found you crying at the courtyard. You just seemed so..upset.

Eijirou knew it wouldn't be manly to just leave you like that, so he stepped closer to you. "Y/N?" He asks softly, hoping to grab your attention.

You quickly wipe your tears and glare at him. "What the hell do you want." You grumble, never making eye contact. Eijirou hesitantly sits down next to you.

"What happened?" He askes. "Its only going to hurt more if you don't tell me..." He says in a soft tone, not wanting to scare you off.

You're extremely hesitant to tell him. You hardly knew this guy, and all you did was tease and annoy the hell outta him. So why was he doing this?

You just decide to ignore him, turning away. Eijirou sighs.

"You don't have to tell me. I get it, its probably personal to you. But.." He looks at you, eyes filled with compassion and understanding. "Its okay to cry. Bottling up your emotions isn't healthy." He fiddles with his fingers for a bit before continueing.

"Personally, I think its manly to cry." He smiles softly.

You raise an eyebrow, looking back at him. "Huh?"

Eijirou beams and nods. "Mhm! Manly. Its just something I say, I guess." He chuckles. "Its a compliment!"

You can't help the small smile tugging on the corners of your lips as you look back at him.

"Thanks." You say, hardly louder than a whisper.

Maybe you weren't so bad after all, Eijirou thought.

He couldn't wait to make you his new friend.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Phantom Grin

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam

Summary: Bruce Wayne visits his son's grave on the night of his resurrection. Will it change Jason's fate, or is it all simply inevitable?

Chapters: 16/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain

Relationship(s): Jason Todd/Original Character

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Jason Todd Has Chronic Pain, Jason Todd is Disabled, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Resurrected Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne Get Along

Chapter Sixteen: The Next 48

Tim parked in the church lot, and Jason headed toward the courtyard. He disappeared into the rose garden, smiling as he met eyes with Indigo in street clothes. She wore baggy jeans and an old Soundgarden t-shirt. “You’re not dying, Jason,” Indigo whispered as she embraced him. He trembled in her arms. “If we’re gonna carry on like this, we should probably go.” 

“Where are you staying?” Jason asked. 

Indigo grinned. “At my friend’s apartment. She figured the nun stuff wouldn’t work out,” Indigo replied, “It’s not far from here.” 

“Oh, no—. I—. I wasn’t—.” Jason pulled away and covered his face. 

“You’re so cute… I know you didn’t mean it that way. I wanna hold you… Just until you feel better,” Indigo replied. 

Jason smiled and nodded, letting Indigo lead him away from the church. Jason let his guard down to follow her to her apartment. She let him in and sat on the couch, letting him lay on her lap while she played with his hair. “Jason, what are you burying?” Indigo asked. Jason tensed. “Sorry… Wrong wording. Is there something you’re hiding in your mind?” 

“Mhm… I don’t want to talk about that,” Jason mumbled as he hid his face in her lap. Indigo frowned.

“Okay… Jason, your feelings are so deep,” Indigo whispered, “I’ve never felt anyone feel this strongly about me before.” Jason groaned, hiding his warm face in her stomach. “Oh—. Jason, I—. I’m not teasing you. I think it’s sweet. You’re sweet… But you can stay there if you like.” 

Jason nodded, letting his muscles relax. He didn’t know why he felt so tired, but it felt nearly impossible to wake up completely. Jason sighed into her shirt and fell asleep. 

*

Jason awakened in a dark bedroom, listening to a couple argue through the wall. He groaned at the buzzing against his chest and shrieked when he realized it was his phone. “Oh no… No, no, no,” Jason mumbled as he fumbled with his phone to answer his texts. 

DAD: Jason, are you alright???

TIM: J lmk if ur ok. Bruce flipping out

BARBARA: tracing ur phone, r u ok???

DICK: everyone blowing up my fun

DICK: phone*** Jason where are you

DICK: getting super worried 

DAD: Jason, pls pick up

TIM: U ok? 

BARBARA: not laughing, srsly pick up NOW

DAD: Not angry just worried abt you

Jason pressed his palm to his eyelid, feeling the onset of a pounding headache. He called Bruce first. “Jason? Are you alright?” Bruce asked. 

“I’m fine… I fell asleep,” Jason answered, “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to freak anybody out—.”

“Jason, you’ve been missing for two days,” Bruce interrupted. Jason laughed. “Jason, that’s not funny.” 

“Two days, Dad? Come on, you’re exaggerating—.” 

“Jason, check your messages. We’ve been texting and calling nonstop for two days. You didn’t come home,” Bruce replied. Jason put his phone on speaker as he looked through his texts. 

“I—. I was asleep,” Jason replied.

“Jason, you don’t have to lie. If you were with your girlfriend—.”

“It wasn’t like that. I was with her, but we weren’t—. We didn’t—. I was asleep,” Jason’s voice cracked, “I swear.” 

“Where are you? I’ll pick you up,” Bruce paused, “Do you want to come home?” 

Jason scratched his head. 

“Yeah, I wanna come home. Are you upset?” Jason asked. Jason

“How were you asleep all this time?” Bruce questioned in reply. Jason yawned, still tired as he climbed out of bed and fumbled around looking for a light switch. “Jason, where are you?”

Jason flipped a switch and tensed. “That’s not right,” Jason mumbled. He climbed the stairs and scratched his head. “I never—. I never left? ” 

“What?” Bruce replied.

“I never left the church,” Jason replied, “Or I—. But—. I was with—.”

“Jason, I’m on my way. Stay there,” Bruce interrupted. He hung up, leaving Jason to wander the church until he ran into two of the nuns. 

“We recognize you from earlier… You’re not allowed—.”

“I’m sorry, Sisters… I don’t know how I—. Did you see Sister—? Did you see Indigo?” Jason asked. The women exchanged horrified glances. 

“How do you know that name?” the older nun asked.

“I was with her two days ago,” Jason replied, “If I’m here, she must’ve left me—.” 

“Sweetheart—.” 

“I recognize him from the news… Is someone coming to get you?” the younger nun replied. 

“Uh-huh,” Jason mumbled. He sank to the ground, holding his face in his hands. “I’m sorry. I don’t feel—. I feel sick. I need a moment.” 

“Take your time… You said someone’s coming to pick you up?” the younger nun questioned.

“Yeah, my dad’s on his way,” Jason mumbled, “I’m sorry. I don’t know how I got here…” 

“Don’t worry. I’m Sister Lila,” she introduced herself. 

“I’m Jason,” Jason whispered. She sat beside him in the hall, allowing him to hold her hand. 

“My little brother is your age… Can you—? Can you stand?” Sister Lila asked. Jason nodded. “Where’d your dad say he wanted to meet you?” 

“Probably out front,” Jason whispered, “Will you wait with me?” 

“Of course,” Sister Lila smiled. She walked with him to the front bench, and sat outside, holding his hand. “You’re shaking…” 

“I’m sorry,” Jason whimpered, “I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s alright… Are you cold?” Sister Lila asked. Jason shook his head. “Scared?” 

Jason nodded. “I feel like I’m losing my mind, Sister,” Jason replied as he reached into his pocket and fidgeted with the rosary Indigo gave him. Sister Lila released his hand, covering her mouth in shock. “Sister, what’s—?” 

“I have to go,” Sister Lila replied, leaving him alone in the dark. Jason stared at the rosary, clutching it in his fist as he struggled to recall lost time. He remembered walking with her and entering the apartment, but everything was in bits and pieces. Bruce pulled into the parking lot, and Jason headed toward the car. Bruce got out and looked Jason over, cradling his face in one hand as he used his free hand to search for new indentations or abrasions on Jason’s scalp. 

“Jason,” Bruce exhaled his name. Jason looked Bruce in the eye, wavering as the world spun around in his head. “Jason?” 

“I don’t wanna go to the hospital—.” 

“We’re not going to the hospital. I promised you. We’re going home,” Bruce reassured him. 

“No, you don’t understand. I don’t wanna go to the hospital anymore,” Jason replied, “I know next time I go to the hospital… I’m not coming home.” Bruce led Jason to the car, buckling him in as he ruminated over Jason’s words. “Can you promise me I won’t have to stay in the hospital for the rest of my life?” 

“Jason—.”

Jason sniffed, covering his eyes as tears forced their way out. “No matter how much sleep I get I’m always tired. I’m exhausted… I’m dizzy and confused. I’m losing time… I’m getting—. I know I’m getting worse, but I want you to know I’d rather you bury me than dump me in some hospital. I’ll be alone. I don’t care how much you visit me, Dad. I’ll be alone in a place filled with strangers where I’ll waste away. I’ll die—.” 

“Jason—.” 

“I don’t want to live like that. I know you have to consider hospitalizing me if there’s something wrong, but I’m telling you now that I’ll kill—.”

“Jason! Stop!” Bruce shouted. Jason sobbed until he made himself sick. He opened the door and spit up bile. “Jason, calm down. I’m not thinking about doing anything drastic… Here, wipe your mouth with this.” Bruce gave him a napkin. Jason tilted his head back, allowing fatigue to flood in. His chest rapidly rose and fell as he struggled to stay awake. 

“I can’t account for two days, Dad… Something’s wrong,” Jason whispered. He shut his eyes, and Bruce sighed. 

“We’re going home… I’m gonna take you home,” Bruce replied. He waited until Jason fell asleep to take him to the manor.

[arthropod-concoctions]

(AO3 - prev)

Martyn swiped his finger across a page of the enchanted book, sketching a pose, and watching as the armor stand in front of him mimicked it. He took his finger off the paper with a flourish, and the stand froze, staying in position. It wasn't a particularly impressive pose, but Martyn smiled proudly anyways.

“This thing is awesome,” he said to Joe, who had flown in to drop yet another shulker box full of various types of stone at Cleo's doorstep. Ze said that they would know what to do with it; somehow, Martyn doubted that. “You wouldn't happen to know how to replicate it, would you?”

“Oh, that's easy, just take a book and title it `Statues',” Joe replied. Around zir head floated a rainbow of small multicoloured eyes that stared directly at Martyn.

“Right,” Martyn said, looking back at the eyes. That sounded like far too easy a process to be possible on just any server. He tried not to be too disappointed; he wouldn't have had any time for making statues in the Life games anyways, and, well, where else was he gonna do it?

“And another thing... do you know if Cleo has a change of clothes stashed anywhere?”

Joe hesitated for a moment. “...In their cross-server inventory, probably?”

“Sure, but I'd feel weird just digging through that. And I had a look around this block of skyscrapers here, but I couldn't find a wardrobe or anything.”

“Oh, fair enough. Well, I don't know about Cleo, but you can borrow some of my clothes if you want?”

“Sure. Do you have anything in green?”

Joe smiled and looked at Martyn through zir green glasses, and Martyn looked at zir green fingerless gloves and green hairtie and felt a bit silly for asking. “Oh, I've got a few things. I'll be right back!”

---

Half an hour later, Martyn was standing next to a shulker box overflowing with clothes, dressed in... not the most ostentations outfit he'd ever worn, considering a certain December MCC, but it was probably in the top ten. Cleo was a bit taller than Joe, so most of the clothes left the belly exposed, but Martyn had managed to find a chroma green pinstripe suit that fit well enough. He stepped out of the room in Cleo's base he'd used to dress up, and made eye contact with Joe, whose face lit up.

“Found something you like?” ze said.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Martyn replied, laughing. “I feel like I'm ready to play for the Lime Llamas with this fit.”

“I don't watch sports, but yeah, I think you look great!”

The two of them walked out into Cleo's courtyard, where someone was waiting for them; someone who appeared to be a blue slime in a hoodie and jogging pants.

The slime looked at Martyn and stifled a laugh. “Wow, looks like I chose the right day to go check on Cleo's replacement,” they said, then held out a slimy hand- more like a stump, really, Martyn couldn't make out separate fingers. “I'm Jevin. Nice to meet you.”

“Martyn,” Martyn responded. He tried to shake Jevin's 'hand', but only ended up slapping against it before Jevin withdrew it. It had the consistency of a water balloon. “You're a friend of Cleo's?”

“Uh- yeah, a friend. Totally. Mhm, we're best friends,” Jevin replied, nodding. “That's why I'm here. Friendly reasons.”

“Right. Friendly reasons. Definitely not `collecting blackmail material for Cleo' reasons.”

“Exactly! See, you get it,” Jevin said cheerfully. Martyn looked at Joe, who shrugged. Zir rainbow eyes shot a few glances at Jevin occasionally, but most remained trained on him. Suddenly, Joe gasped.

“Wait, I haven't even shown you the best feature of this outfit yet!” ze said, then began rummaging through zir inventory. Eventually ze pulled out a strange flashlight of sorts. “Check this out!”

Ze shone the light on Martyn; he looked down to realise his body had vanished. From the neck down, all of his body which was covered by green fabric was completely invisible.

Martyn laughed deviously. “Oh, that's fantastic. Say, can I borrow that light for a bit?”

“Sure,” Joe said, handing Martyn the flashlight. “As long as you bring it back by the end of the day.”

“Yeah, I can do that, no problem,” Martyn replied, then went back into his little changing room. After some rummaging, he found a piece of fabric big enough to cover his head, protesting snakes included; then, he pulled out his chat and began typing a message.

<ZombieCleo> Tim, where you at?

<Tango> the shopping district

<Tango> zedaph's giving me a tour

<ZombieCleo>coords?

Taking the makeshift mask with him, he went outside to meet Joe and Jevin again. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a rancher to prank.”

He shot a glare at Jevin, who appeared to be taking a picture of him, then took off flying with Cleo's elytra.

Despite receiving precise coordinates from Jimmy, Martyn had quite some trouble locating him and his new friend in the shopping district. Partly because the district in question was a headache-inducing mess to fly over, and partly because all of Tango's distinctive physical features were now blue for some reason.

He gently glid down to the ground, careful not to make any noise, and landed behind Jimmy and a blond Hermit who he guessed must be Zedaph. He'd been shining Joe's flashlight onto himself, rendering him entirely invisible except for his hand. He trailed behind the two of them, slowly closing the gap. Eventually he could hear what Zedaph was saying:

“And this is the hole where... Actually, I have no idea what this hole is for. It wasn't here last time I went shopping. There's hoppers at the bottom... d'you reckon we should throw something in, see what happens?”

“You know, Zed, this tour isn't very good,” Jimmy said. His accent was unmistakeable, even in Tango's voice, which didn't seem to have changed with his colouration.

Martyn was right behind them at this point, so he spoke up: “Yeah. Zero stars.”

Jimmy yelled out and whirled around, flailing his arms about in a panic. His arm collided with Zedaph's, and expelled some kind of red flash; then, Zedaph yelped too.

Martyn began laughing, pulling the cloth off of his face and pointing the flashlight down. “Oh, that was beautiful,” he said between laughs.

“Wh- Cleo- Martyn- how did you- what are you wearing?” Jimmy sputtered.

“More importantly, what were you thinking?” Zedaph added, rubbing his arm where he'd collided with Jimmy. “Do you know how annoying redstone burns are to heal?”

“Sorry, Zed,” Martyn said. “Didn't mean for you to become collateral. Hi. I'm Martyn, by the way.” Martyn extended his hand to Zedaph, who crossed his own arms, pointedly not shaking his.

“Wait-- sorry, Zed, by the way-- what do you mean 'redstone burn'?” Jimmy said.

“Well, you know, with Tango's redstonyness... he never zapped you on accident?”

Jimmy shook his head. Martyn piped up: “Wait, are you saying Tango just has redstone tasers hidden up his sleeves at all times?”

“No- he- because he's a redstone sprite, guys come on!” Zedaph exclaimed, clearly expecting Martyn and Jimmy to know this.

“I didn't know that,” Jimmy replied immediately.

Zedaph looked at Jimmy, looking very offended on Tango's behalf. “Seriously? You were married to him, and you didn't even-”

“We were not married!” Jimmy interrupted him. “We were soulmates, not-”

“About the same thing, isn't it? Still, not a very good soulmate if you didn't even know what species he is.”

“I thought he was just a regular guy!”

“He has red eyes!” Zedaph and Martyn said in unison.

“Not anymore though, they're blue now,” Martyn added. “Zed, what's up with that anyways? Why does Hermitcraft get the blue raspberry flavoured Tango?”

“Because of...” Zedaph trailed off, then sighed, and pinched his nose. “You know, I figured because you were his husband- soulmate, whatever-” he waved a hand at Jimmy, who's opened his mouth to protest- “I could skip the `introduction to Tango' part of this tour. But I guess not! Follow me, let's turn this tour around.”

[the-himawari]

A3! Hyodo Kumon - Translation [SSR] Afterschool Time for Two (1/3)

*Please read disclaimer on blog

---

Kumon: It’s lunch! I’m starving!

Classmate A: The line to buy food is gonna be crazy if we don’t hurry.

Classmate B: Let’s get a move on.

Kumon: (Hehe. I brought a lunch, so I don’t have to buy one!) Alright, let’s quickly head to the courtyard as usual! (Ah. But Azami has gym class, doesn’t he? He might be running a little late then.)

-pause-

Cat: *Purr, purr*…

Azami: …

Kumon: (Huh? Azami’s already here.)

Azami: Pft. You’re quite a spoiled one.

Kumon: (Is he playing with that cat? I might disturb him~. But I also wanna eat lunch…) Hmm…

Cat: Meow~?

Kumon: Oh crap. He spotted me!

Azami: …Hey, what’re you lookin’ at?

Kumon: Ah, nothing. You were playing with the cat and all, so I figured I might disturb you guys. Ahaha!

Azami: —.

Kumon: Hey, hey, more importantly! Aren’t you here pretty early considering you had gym for 4th period?

Azami: Ah. I miraculously finished 5 minutes early.

Kumon: Seriously!? That's never happened to me in my 3 years here!

Azami: We’re just built differently.

Kumon: EHH!?

Azami: Anyways, how you do know I had gym? Did you ask someone?

Kumon: Huh? How, you ask… It’s ‘cause I was watching you from the window?

Azami: What the? During class?

Kumon: Yeah…

Azami: Were you skipping?

Kumon: No! I felt a bit sleepy during class, so I was just glancing outside for a moment to wake up!

Azami: *Sigh*… That’s why your tests are always sad.

Kumon: That’s not true! My teachers were surprised and they've been complimenting me lately since my grades have improved from before.

Azami: Really now?

Kumon: I guess it’s because I studied hard for my entrance exams~.

Azami: …

Kumon: What’s wrong?

Azami: Nothin’. I just realized you’re also takin’ your entrance exams.

Kumon: Mhm, that’s right. And I’ll teach you when it’s your time to take your entrance exams! I’m older than you, after all!

Azami: Um, hard pass.

Kumon: Hey now!!

Azami: Ow. Don’t hit me.

Kumon: Geez!

Cat: Meow.

Kumon: …Huh? By the way.

Azami: Hm?

Kumon: Isn’t this cat a new face around here?

Azami: Ah. Now that you mention it, I’ve never seen this one before. Cats always drops by whenever we eat here, but…

Kumon: Those are the cats that are named after everyone in Summer troupe. I know those kitties, but this one’s different.

Azami: So he’s a nameless newcomer?

Kumon: Aw, he came all the way here though! Let’s give him a name. Mmm, lemme think. Your name will be…

Azami: …

Kumon: AH!

Azami: ?

Kumon: I got it! This kitty’s name will be AZAMI!*

Azami: Ha? Why the hell?

Kumon: It works! Right, AZAMI~ ♪

AZAMI: Meow~.

Kumon: See? AZAMI likes his own name too!

Azami: *Sigh*… that’s confusing.

AZAMI: Meow!

Kumon: AH! AZAMI stole Azami’s onigiri!

Azami: Ah, oi!

Kumon: It’s AZAMI, not oi!

Azami: Dude…

AZAMI: Meow~.

Kumon: Uh oh. He got away.

Azami: Damn it… Geez, guess I’ll skip lunch?

Kumon: Now, now. I’ll give you half my lunch! Here!

---

*The cat's name is Azami, but written with hiragana (あざみ) as opposed to our Azami written in kanji (莇)

| next

[justsomeclintasha]

“You coming back in the field or what? They’ve had me paired with Fredericks. Never thought I’d miss your sorry ass.”

“Two more weeks of physical therapy and I’ll be good to go.”

“Thank God.” The agent laughs as he ducks into one of the medical rooms. Clint flexes his arm, the fresh stitches pulling tight. If it were up to him, he would have just ignored it, but unfortunately, it wasn’t up to him.

He’s just about to head back to his quarters when there’s a commotion down the hall.

Well, that’s putting it lightly.

Three agents run past him, weapons drawn. An alarm blares loudly from the speaker above him, and yet another man sprints by.

“What the hell…?” He follows, and the source quickly becomes apparent.

“She took my fucking gun!”

“Put it down!”

“Fuck this, just shoot her!”

“I said put it down!”

Clint barges past them, angling himself in front of the cornered redhead, and ignoring the gun in her hand.

“What happened?”

“She took-“

“I’m asking her!” he snaps. The room falls silent. The archer is levels above them. No one will dare to challenge him. “Get out. All of you.”

“But sir-“

“Now.” One by one, they file out, and the door shuts with a soft click. He turns to face her. She doesn’t lower her weapon. A shiny silver handcuff hangs from only one wrist. He cocks his head, considering, but there’s no fear in his eyes.

“Disarm,” she orders. Slowly, he reaches for his gun and hands it to her. She stuffs it in the back pocket of her jeans.

“You wanna tell me what happened?”

“No.”

“Okay. I’m going to get something out of my jacket. Don’t shoot me.” He pulls out a small lock pick tool and a tablet. He tosses the tool on one end of the bed and sits on the other. She quickly removes the cuff. If he notices her hand is trembling, he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he pulls up a game on his tablet and ignores her. For several minutes, it’s silent.

“What are you doing?”

“Playing chess.”

“Why?”

“Because I like it.”

“I have a gun. I could kill you.”

“Yep.”

Her footsteps are quiet as she paces the room. She stops at the window, looking out to the courtyard, the gun still in her hand.

“I panicked,” she admits, her voice so low he has to strain to hear her. “The doctor tried to restrain me and I just…” She swallows, shaking her head. “I fucked it up, Clint.”

“No, you didn’t. That was his fault. Not yours. We don’t do that shit here. You’re not in trouble.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I said so.” She sets the weapons on the windowsill, moving to join him on the bed. Absently, she rubs her wrist, watching him move chess pieces on the tablet screen.

“Are you any good?”

“Absolutely not.” The corner of his mouth curls into a smile, and he tilts the screen so she can see better.

“Can you do it?”

“Do what?”

“My medical exam.” He reaches for the paperwork and scans over it.

“I think so. It looks pretty basic. You okay with that?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. Height and weight first.” They move through a series of simple, routine tests, and he checks off the papers. “Heart rate, temperature, I’m not sure what this means but it’s probably fine. Oh let me look in your ears with this little flashlight thing.” He shines the light in each ear, then writes something down. “Mhm, definitely potatoes growing in there.”

“What?”

“I don’t know, it’s an expression. I’m the last person to judge anyone’s ears,” he says with a grin, motioning towards his hearing aid. “Alright, last thing is bloodwork. You good?”

“Yeah.” She looks anywhere but her arm as he ties a rubber strap around it and preps the needle.

“Little pinch,” he murmurs as he slides it in her skin. She doesn’t flinch, but he rubs his thumb soothingly on her arm anyway as the vial fills. “You’re okay. Almost done. Deep breath.”

“It doesn’t make you less, you know,” she blurts out. He raises an eyebrow in question. “Your hearing aids. It doesn’t.”

“I know.” He places a band aid carefully on her arm. It’s bright purple, with cartoon dogs on it she doesn’t recognize, but one is wearing a police hat. “All done. I think we should go celebrate now with some burgers and a milkshake.”

“Just like that?” After everything, she expected punishment, not his typical carefree attitude and a smile.

“Yeah, Natasha. Just like that.“

[dearest-sapphics]

Mmm yeah screw it

Jeff the killer rewrite chapter(?) 1

It doesn't make much sense on it's own but this section takes place a few years after the whole incident

My phone's alarm goes off, my obnoxiously loud signal to wake up. I silence the noise, but the damage is done. I'm awake and so is Keith. "You're gonna start sleeping somewhere else if you don't turn that shit off," he says.

"What do you want me to do, be late to class?" I ask. He kicks me under the covers, and I'm starting to remember how much of a bitch he is in the mornings.

I force myself up, grab a random shirt and pair of jeans out of the basket and go into the bathroom. I do all the morning jazz, hair, teeth, making sure I smell decent enough. I probably should've showered last night, I reek of weed and cigarettes. Not that I usually don't smell like weed and cigarettes, but I think Travis Gramble is starting to regret sitting by me in math or whatever they wanna call it. Colleges give everything weird ass names. I change and coat myself in cologne, which will hopefully mask my odor.

I walk to the very small kitchen and start a pot of coffee. I hate that I thought morning classes were a good idea. Oh I've done it since I was little, it won't be any different. Turns out it's a lot easier to sell drugs and stay up all night in high school than in college. More customers, though, so more money. Which means I get to rub it in Keith's parents' faces that I can provide for myself.

The coffee finishes and I fix it how I like (which is apparently to bitter if you ask Troy.) I need breakfast, but soggy cereal and a cold sandwich isn't to appetizing. Maybe we still have some leftovers. I open the fridge and it's the emptiness fridge I've ever seen. We need to go grocery shopping, I guess I can do that after classes. Guess I'll just starve myself until then. I shut the fridge and go over to the door, grabbing a pair of socks out of the sock basket. It's time saving to keep your socks and shoes by the front door. Troy hates it because ever time he comes over he knocks the basket over but who gives a shit about what Troy thinks?

I try drinking my coffee, but I burn my tongue. "Fuck!" I yell. "Shut the hell up!" Keith yells back from the bedroom. I'm regretting our bunking decisions.

I probably don't even have time to finish this coffee, I'll just put it in the fridge until I get back. "I'm leaving, I love you!" I call. I get no response. "Dick," I mumble to myself. I put my coffee up and leave, making sure I have my key on me so my lovely boyfriend doesn't lock me out again. There's some hipster couple in the courtyard making out, and some kid running with half a sandwich in their mouth. I kinda hope they trip. Is that to mean? I've been working on that, been trying to be nicer. It sucks ass. Why is being kind preached to us? I haven't gotten a single thing out of it so far, though I guess karma from high school is due. It's a shit tone of karma.

"Randy!" I turn my head and almost fall when Troy knocks into me. "Dude, watch it," I say. "Sorry, thought I was gonna stop sooner," he says, "But hey, now we can walk to English together." "It's to early for me to have a conversation," I say starting my way to class. "That's fine, since I wanted to talk about this cute girl I met a few days ago" Troy says. "Another lesbian?" I joke. "Shut up, this one isn't going to be a lesbian," he says. "You said that about the last one," I tell him. "Yes, but I have a good feeling about this. I got her number!" Troy says. "What's her name?" I ask. "It's Ivy, and she's super cool! She's a huge sports fan, but she also reads a lot of comics. Mostly DC, which I don't get because I like Marvel more but whatever. Oh! and she has the cutest dog I've ever seen! His name is Brutus, and I think he's a bulldog mixed with a pitbull. And she recently started her own business, she help people decorate their homes," Troy explains.

"Mhm, how old is she?" I ask. "She's 28," Troy says. "She's nine years older than you," I say. "Yeah, but it's not like she's old," he says. "28 is pretty old," I say. "Sure it is," Troy says. He holds the door open for me and I walk to the classroom. "I hope Mr. Grays' hungover so he won't make us do anything," I say. "We already don't do anything," Troy says. "Yeah, but I'm tired of asking Madeline for notes," I say. "Then write your own," Troy says. "To lazy," I say. I take my seat, Troy settling beside me. Mr. Grays is holding his head at his desk, so I'm leaning to no work today.

After a few minutes, everyone else is in the class. Half of them have coffee from the cafe, lucky bastards. I take my phone and text Keith.

R: tell me what you want from the store

R: I'm going some time today

He surprisingly answers fairly quickly.

K: A new boyfriend

Asshole.

R: they don't sells those

R: dick

He sends a picture of him giving me the bird, but I could care less. He's just upset because my alarm woke him up and he can't fall back asleep. He'll go back to normal soon.

"You guys can do whatever, just do it quietly," Mr. Grays says. "Guess you got your wish," Troy says. "Mhm, do you think he'd care if we left?" I ask. "I mean, Carlos usually does and he doesn't say anything," Troy says, "Why?" I put my phone up before standing up and grabbing my bag. "I've got somewhere I need to go," I say. "Where? Back to your dorm?" Troy asks. "Nope, somewhere else," I say. "Can I know?" Troy asks. He sounds genuinely curious, but I'm to stubborn and proud to tell him. "Maybe later," I say.

I leave out of the classroom and head to Ms. Winifred's room, the campus counselor. I knock the door, just encase she has someone else in there. Look at me, being considerate and shit.

"Come in!" she calls. I open the door and walk in, and Ms. Winifred looks pleasantly surprised to see me. "Randy, you're back. I'm glad, got worried you wouldn't," she says. "Yeah, well I guess I have more I want to get out," I say. I sit down, setting my bag beside me. "How have you been?" Ms. Winifred asks. "Uh, okay. Nothing really big has happened. Well, Keith's parents want us to come visit for Thanksgiving," I say. "Ah, the parents who don't like you?" she says in a way that's a mix of a question and statement. "Yeah, those ones,"I say, "I'm not looking forward to it." "Mm, well there's no real doubt they'll be rude, but there's ways around it. You could give very short hand answers to anything they say that's weird or wrong," Ms. Winifred tells me. "Yeah, I guess so," I say, "but I actually wanted to talk about something else."

She swirls in her chair a little and grabs her coffee cup, "What is it?" "Well..." I'm fidgeting with my hands, and flashes of all of it are coming back to me. I tried to help, I did, I just... didn't.

"There was an incident when I was in high school, me and my friends were involved in it. A kid got hurt, really hurt. There wasn't anything anyone could do, I guess, but I wanted to help. I couldn't, or I-I didn't. I really did try to, though," I say, "It just didn't work."

Ms. Winifred looks sympathetic, which I guess it's her job to be. "Can I know what the incident was?" she asks. If I tell about the house fire, I'll have to say I caused it, which would tie me to him getting burned and someone loosing their home. And sure, legally she can't tell anyone, and it's been years but still. Someone else would know what I did, someone else would know what I caused. "No, I can't say it," I tell her. "Randy, this is a safe place to talk. No one else will know what you say except me-" "I just can't tell you, not now," I say. She sighs softly but nods, "Okay, well can you tell me why you think it was your fault?" This was a bad idea, there's no way to talk about it without her knowing. I'll have to tell her if I want help for this. "I hurt him, the boy, and it caused him to get hurt more. I tried helping him before he got hurt again but I couldn't." "And you blame yourself for him getting hurt?" she asks. "Yes."

"You tired helping him, though," Ms. Winifred says, "just because you weren't able to doesn't mean it's your fault. You can't blame yourself for something you couldn't have controlled." That'd be more comforting if it was true, but it's not. I'm sure when I said I hurt him she thought like a punch or two, which is far off. I beat the shit out of that kid, probably didn't help that he couldn't fight back. Always get your friends to hold back your victim, life lesson kids.

"I still could've done more," I say. "You *tried*," Ms. Winifred says, "You can't beat yourself up over the past, especially if you tried changing it. You can only heal, only learn from it." If I told her the truth, the full truth, she wouldn't be saying that. She'd be calling the cops on the boy who caused another to go crazy and... I'd be thrown in prison, that's the important bit. And as tough as I'd like to give myself credit for, I wouldn't survive in jail. I'd end up dead on the shower floor. Plus I leave Keith alone in the real world, he can't handle himself without me. Or maybe I'm just telling myself that so I don't think about him finding someone his parents like and doesn't have a troubled past. Those assholes probably wouldn't approve of anyone, though. Whatever, parents shouldn't be so expecting of their children. Keith is great person, his parents need to realize that. Maybe they have and just still hate me.

I spend the rest of English in Ms. Winifred's, the rest of my classes for the day I actually work in. Not to fear, though, I still have plenty of grocery shopping to do. I walk to the small store down the block from the college. It's owned by this very sweet old lady who I can never remember the name of. I grab one of the green baskets and go to the milk. Keith's weird ass doesn't drink actual milk, so I have to get almond milk. He's actually lactose intolerant, so it's not his fault but it's still a dollar-fifty extra. Damn him and his health conditions.

"I believe it, I mean he went mad."

I look over my shoulder to see a girl talking to another. "The cops are saying it's just a copycat, and I'm gonna take their word first," the other one says, her hair's in bun. "Well, do that, but the cases were basically the same," the first one says.

What the hell are they on about? Cases of what? Who the fuck watches the news to find this out? Why do I even care? I don't, curious but not enough to research or ask. I grab the expensive, fake milk and put it in the basket before moving on to the eggs and grabbing a carton. I grab some mixed vegetables in a bundle since it's cheaper than buying them all separate. So what if it's a small pack and will only last two nights, I'd argue that's better. I get some 99 cent noodle packs for us to barely live off of and some cereal. I grab some other small things for us and then check out, making my boring way back to the dorms. I walk in, almost hitting Keith with the door. "Welcome back, dick," he greets me. "No way to talk to the man who just bought your groceries," I say setting the bags on the counter. "It is a way to talk to the man that woke me up, though," he says. "God, Keith that was hours ago," I say, "It doesn't even matter." "It matters to my beauty rest," he says. I put the cold stuff away in our barren refrigerator. "That beauty rest ain't doing much in the beauty department," I say.

I feel a shoe get thrown at my back, it doesn't hurt but it does startle me. "You're being an asshole," Keith says. "I was messing, baby, you know you're the prettiest person I know," I say. "I better be," he says. He kisses my cheek, "I'll see you later. Don't forget we're going to my parents tomorrow for Thanksgiving." I groan, "Do I gotta? I mean Thanksgiving isn't until next Thursday and your parents don't like me. I could just spend it with Troy and his moms, I mean I have every other year." "Randy, I didn't argue with my parents for you to drop out last minute. C'mon, we're always talking about proving them wrong," Keith says. "And your siblings?" I ask. "Fuck 'em. *Ignore* them, they won't bother us," he says. I sigh, "Fine."

Keith grabs my hand, rubbing his thumb over it. "If it gets bad we'll leave. I promise," he says. I kiss him and I feel his hand move to my face to cup it. I pull back from the kiss, "Okay." Keith smiles at me before leaving for his classes.

[goatsandgangsters]

tell me what you know about the fallouts

ohohohohoh SO General Fallouts: 

there are… presumably four Fallouts, but conceivably there could be five? I’ve literally only ever heard people talk about New Vegas and Fallout 4, which IMPLIES THERE AT AT LEAST TWO OTHERS but I don’t know if NV counts in the numbering or not, so there might be three other secret fallouts that no one ever talks about 

general principle of The Fallouts is that it’s like….. post-nuclear apocalypse? has a fun retro 50s vibe, despite the—you know—apocalypse. but it’s also still futurey? anyway that happened and society like, p much died and I guess we’re in the future now but we stalled out with the 50s aesthetic

so we’ve got—I GUESS???—Fallouts 1 and 2. in all my time on the internet, no one has ever mentioned these. I know absolutely zero things. I don’t think anyone else does either. I mean, YOU—kARA—PROBABLY DO but you know All The Things so

has a catchy soundtrack 

drink coke

the only Fallout that matters, Fallout: New Vegas 

Benny Siegel is there. You can fuck and/or murder him. I’m sure this is exactly the legacy he would have wanted. It takes place in—surprise, surprise—New Vegas, which is Las Vegas, but NEW and post-apocalyptic. I really… don’t know what you do in this game, besides fetch quests across the Nevada desert and banging gangsters. But frankly, that sounds like absolutely sufficient game play to me. Seriously, what more do you need?

OH, THERE’S CANNIBALISM. That’s what more you need. You can be a cannibal. It’s frowned upon and your companions don’t like it, but fuck them, live your truth 

Dead Money (??) sucks and is hard 

Fallout 4: Oh Hey I Live Here 

It’s set in Boston, which is where I live. Fallout 4 is the reason why I see tourists outside Faneuil Hall taking pictures of the sign marking it as an actual fallout shelter.  

You can visit many historical sites in and around Boston, such as the Boston Common and the Boston Public Library (and its courtyard, which is has in the game and in real life). However, to my knowledge, you usually don’t get attacked by giant mutant bugs in current actual Boston.  

In terms of the game’s objective, you have……. a son? You’re supposed to go find your son? Nobody actually cares about their own son and just goes off and does fetch quests instead? None of us were cut out for parenthood, only video games 

Companions 

I’m separating this off because I’ve osmosis’d some companions but I don’t know if they’re in NV or F4

YOU HAVE A DOG. I know you definitely have a dog in F4 but I think you might always have a dog? I’m not sure. I just know you have a dog. This is an important quality in a video game. He’s A Good Boy. 

There’s like, a snarky robot that floats after you wielding menacing attachments that make me think of the dentist’s office. I think it has a British accent and talks shit about you, but I could just be personifying 

There’s a creepy looking guy with like… no skin? Kind of zombie-esque if you will? But I’m also pretty sure people ADORE him, generally, so I might catch shit for calling him creepy. I think he’s F4? 

I mean, I know there’s a mod where you can turn Benny into a companion so you don’t HAVE to murder him. It’s a pity the same could not be said of the Havana Conference. 

Your companions get really pissy when you loot dead bodies, which like… come on guys. the world has fucking ended. society has collapsed. JUST LOOT THE DAMN BODIES AND GET ON WITH YOUR PROBABLY SHORT LIVES (there’s mutant bugs and shit, okay, you’re probably gonna die)

there are Factions. I don’t know what that means. But I know they exist. Sometimes people bicker about which Faction they agree with. There are some creeps who seem like “oh hey, welcome to our perfect little commune” and you’re like “oh haha this is great, so much better than wandering the post-apocalyptic wasteland” and thEN (I don’t know what comes after the “and then.” I just know there IS an “and then.” Maybe this is where the cannibalism comes in) 

OH THAT QUOTE, THAT ONE QUOTE, people are always posting that quote about like “the fire within me etc etc the fire around me” on inspiration blogs and shit, but then it’s just like… it’s just some dude. it’s just what some dude in fallout said. I think he might be kind of a fucked up dude. 

send me a fandom I’m not in and I’ll tell you what I’ve learned via dash osmosis

[moonlight404-translates]

A3! Mikage Hisoka | SR - Strawberry KISS | Translation

Quote: “I haven’t been able to take a nap in the courtyard lately. It has been raining a lot. I made a teru teru bozu, so... the rain should stop.”

Thanks Noodles for your help proofreading the backstage!! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

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

Disclaimer: Neither English nor Japanese is my native language, but I did my best with the translation. If you find any mistakes, feel free to tell me. By the way, Director’s name will be Izumi.

A Request to the Teru Teru Bozu /1

Izumi: (It’s also raining today… the sun hasn’t come out lately.) Hisoka: Zzz… Homare: Come on, Hisoka-kun. Wake up!  Hisoka: Ngh. Izumi: A-Ahmm, is everything alright?  Homare: Ah, Director-kun. It is as you see, Hisoka-kun won’t wake up at all.  Hisoka: …I’m awake. Homare: Dear… you will block the way for others sleeping in the middle of the corridor.  Izumi: Why are you sleeping in a place like this?  Hisoka: Actually, I wanted to sleep in the courtyard, but it’s raining. Izumi: I see. Yeah, it has been raining a lot these days.  Homare: Indeed, there’s nothing we can do about it.  Homare: But I must admit I’m frustrated about not being able to hold a tea gathering in the courtyard for so long.  Homare: …Ah, inspiration has come to me! Homare: Would you come to this tea gathering in the rain? Maybe rainy but a tea party!  Homare: What do you think? A fine poem, don’t you agree? Hisoka: Zzz… Izumi: Ah, just when I thought he would be awake for a while.  Homare: Oh, dear… didn’t you have to work at Guy’s shop today?  Hisoka: …You’re right.  Homare: Then, hurry up and get ready.  Izumi: Good luck at work, Hisoka-san!  Hisoka: …Mhm. 

Guy: Mikage. This is for table three. Hisoka: Okay. Also, table one asked for a Moscow Mule.  Guy: Understood. Guy: …Mh.  Hisoka: What’s the matter? Guy: It seems like we run out of stock of mixer drinks. I thought I bought more of them…  Hisoka: I can go to buy them. You stay in the bar, Guy.  Guy: It’s raining. I apologize, but are you alright with me asking you that favor?  Hisoka: Sure. I’ll be back.

Hisoka: (...I’m sure this will be enough.) Hisoka: (...The rain hasn’t stopped at all.) Cat: …Meow.  Hisoka: (...A cat’s meow? Where did it come from?) Hisoka: Under those eaves… it might be taking shelter from the rain.  Cat: Meow~ Hisoka: There, there. Cat: Purr, purr. Meow~ Hisoka: …I want to play with you, but I have to go back. Guy is waiting for me.  Hisoka: Be careful not to get wet, okay?  Cat: Meow~ Hisoka: Hm? Hisoka: (So there was a poster displayed here. I didn’t notice it.) Hisoka: —!

Kumon: It’s raining again today~ Muku: There’s no choice. It’s because of the season. I’ve started to miss the sunny days. Hisoka: ...Sigh. Tsumugi: Is there something wrong, Hisoka-kun? You let out a sigh after looking outside the window...  Azuma: Maybe he had plans to go out somewhere.  Homare: He mentioned he couldn’t sleep in the courtyard because of the rain. So Hisoka-kun might be tired of this never-ending rain.  Hisoka: … Yuki: I hope tomorrow is sunny. The weather forecast is not good, though. Tsumugi: Do you have something to do? Misumi: Mhm! The summer troupe will have a picnic~ Homare: I see. The weather determines if you carry it out or not. Kazunari: For these cases, the solution is making teru teru bozus!  Azuma: Teru teru bozus? The summer troupe makes them often. Muku: I’m someone who attracts the rain. The teru teru bozu’s efficacy might drop because of me… Yuki: You’re overthinking it. It has worked quite well before.  Kazunari: That’s right! The boy who attracts the sun is here too!  Misumi: Let’s get ready~ Hisoka: …I will make one too.  Kazunari: Oh, Hiso Hiso will join us too!? Kumon: Let’s make them together~! Tsumugi: So Hisoka-kun misses taking a nap in the courtyard that much.  Azuma: Fufu. There might be another reason he wants it to be sunny.

A Request to the Teru Teru Bozu /2

Muku: The summer troupe's teru teru bozus usually have a face drawn on them. Hisoka: Oh, I see… Yuki: Also, we attach our favorite ribbon to it as a necktie.  Kazunari: You need to decorate yours too, Hiso Hiso! How about starting with the face?  Misumi: I will use this triangle I picked up earlier to make the head of the teru teru bozu!  Misumi: I spin it like this to cover it… and it’s done~! Kumon: Awesome! That’s impressive, Sumi-san!  Yuki: A teru teru bozu with a triangle head is innovative. A bit too much, though.  Hisoka: …Can I use anything to make the head?  Kazunari: Yep! Generally, you make it by rolling some tissues~  Kazunari: But the effectiveness will somehow rise if you put something important inside! Kumon: Really!? Yuki: First I've heard of that. Hisoka: Something important… Hisoka: Then I’ll use marshmallows. Some cheap ones.  Kazunari: Sounds good to me!  Misumi: It seems soft to the touch. So nice~! Muku: Tomorrow will be sunny for sure with this!  Hisoka: …Mhm. 

Izumi: It’s been a while since we had a lovely day like today.  Azuma: It seems like the teru teru bozu that the summer troupe made with Hisoka worked in the end. Tsumugi: I think this weather is nice enough for them to have enjoyed their picnic.  Izumi: Yeah, me too. They should be back soon.  - Hisoka enters the room - Hisoka: I’m back. Izumi: Ah, Hisoka-kun. Welcome home. Tsumugi: Did you go out too, Hisoka-kun? Hisoka: Mhm. Azuma: And you even brought some packages with you. Hisoka: These… are freshly-made marshmallows from a sweet festival that’s currently exhibiting them.  Tsumugi: Freshly-made marshmallows? Izumi: Wow, they are colorful and fancy!  Hisoka: I couldn’t go to buy them if they canceled it because of the rain… I’m glad today was sunny.  Tsumugi: I understand… that’s why you made a teru teru bozu too.  Azuma: Fufu. You never change, Hisoka.  Izumi: So they were holding that type of festival.  Hisoka: I found a poster about it when I went to play with a cat sheltering from the rain.

Choose 1: Are there other sweets?

Izumi: There might be other sweets as well! I’m a bit curious about them.  Tsumugi: Sweets… I feel like Juza-kun would be interested in them.  Azuma: Fufu, I agree.  Hisoka: Then… I’ll invite them next time I go. Of course, Director can come too. Izumi: Thanks, I can’t wait. 

Choose 2: All thanks to the cat.

Izumi: Then, because of the cat, you learned about the sweet festival.  Hisoka: It was a pretty friendly cat… maybe it was the marshmallow god in disguise.  Izumi: Haha. In that case, you have to show your gratitude to it.  Hisoka: Mhm. I’ll say thanks to it when I meet it again. 

Izumi: Even so, that seems like a considerable amount of freshly-made marshmallows to eat all by yourself—. - Tenma comes in - Tenma: I’m back.  Kazunari: That picnic was fun–! Misumi: I found a new triangle~!  Izumi: Welcome back.  Kumon: But, what are you doing gathered here?  Hisoka: …Here. For you.  Tenma: Hm? These are… marshmallows?  Kazunari: What, these are super puffy!  Yuki: Heh, their color is cute too.  Hisoka: Those are freshly-made marshmallows I bought at a sweet festival. …Please, eat them.  Muku: Can we really take them?  Yuki: They seem exclusive.  Hisoka: …I could buy them because it was sunny today.  Hisoka: That means, it was all thanks to you and the teru teru bozu. Thanks.  Muku: So that was it!  Kumon: I’m glad you could buy them without problems.  Kazunari: Since you insist, time to try them!  Misumi: Thanks, I’m taking one~! Tenma: Those are as good as the ones on my filming sets.  Yuki: If I’m not wrong, Tenma wasn’t with us yesterday. Are you sure you want to give some to him? Tenma: W-What are you saying!? Hisoka: There are many of them. Let’s eat them all together.  Hisoka: Director, Tsumugi and Azuma too.  Izumi: Thanks, Hisoka-san.  Azuma: It’s cute how absorbed they are in eating the marshmallows.  Tsumugi: A scene that makes you smile. Izumi: Fufu. Indeed.  Hisoka: Munch, munch… so tasty. 

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

Note: If you’re curious about how a teru teru bozu with triangle head looks like, Misumi made one before in the A3! Web Manga 

[fandom-monium]

For the Holidays

Summary: In which Spencer does not want to go to his high school reunion, but you tagging along changes things. “You doubting my skills, Dr. Reid?”

WC: 2.1k

Tags/Warnings: Spencer Reid x GN!Reader, fake-dating trope, pining (so much pining), Morgan trying to be a good big bro (and wingman)

Spencer Reid does not hate Christmas.

“Reid, come on⎼”

“No.”

“Just listen to me.”

“I did, and it’s a stupid idea.”

No, really. Because hating Christmas would imply he didn’t care. Which he does.

Like when Garcia never fails to drag him into decorating the bullpen every year. Obnoxious Christmas music plays in the background as they bomb Hotch’s office, and it’s worth the smile on his face when he walks in the next morning.

It would mean hating Rossi and his extravagant dinner parties. And yeah, he always hosts but these are just as special if not more so. His mansion is decked in fairy lights and streamers, the food are traditional holiday recipes, and the whole place seems a little less massive.

And he doesn’t hate his breaks. He nearly spits out his coffee when Morgan grumbles about how he almost tripped and fell over from the ice. He has to scramble away as the older man bats at him.

Or when Prentiss drops off holiday-themed pastries? Mhm, just thinking of the ribbon-tied box makes him salivate.

Hating the Christmas card is completely out of the question. Henry and Michael make them every year for the entire team, and JJ makes an effort to shake them out carefully for. It has a boyish charm Spencer never had at their age, a mess of glitter and construction paper. He displays it on his desk anyway.

And you. It would mean hating all the various hot chocolate beverages you’ve made since December started.

Apparently, it’s serious business⎼the art of hot chocolate making. You’ve leaned against his desk, hands waving about as you try to articulate to him the relevance, going over anything and everything you can remember of its history and significance. Of course, he knows all of this already, but he likes you too much to stop you. He almost releases a loving sigh. Instead, he settles for nodding and grinning at you, and he doesn’t really get it but he loves it: the hot chocolate, your pensive expression as you await his critique, even though by now he’s sure you know he has no other comments except ‘delicious’.

He loves it all. He loves you⎼all of you guys. Obviously.

So, no. He does not hate Christmas.

But that doesn’t mean he loves it either.

Which is why, when Morgan leans against his desk, he greets him as normal, a smile forming on his lips as he sets his book down. There is no danger here, except Morgan’s guns. And the heinous green and red envelope between his fingers⎼

Where the hell did he get that.

Spencer’s blood froze. His collection of trauma was nothing compared to this.

Now here he is, packing away his things so he can go home to his warm, cozy apartment and order takeout like he does every year. He's not one for change. No need to break tradition.

But Morgan is acting like a child. Wait, no, even children are better behaved than this. Children at least give up faster.

“I’m telling you, it’s a good idea.”

“As a certified genius, I can say with all honesty, it is not.”

“I promise you it’ll be fine,” Morgan reassures him, voice soothing. The letter, colorful and bright and an eye sore, mocks Spencer. He wishes his reflexes were faster, so he can snatch the abhorrent cluster of sparkles and poorly printed holiday cartoons. And shred it.

Maybe if he glares hard enough, it’ll burst into flames.

“Morgan, my class hated me. The whole school hated me,” Spencer shoves another book into his satchel. It's harder than he means to, and he sends a silent apology to Stephen King; he usually handles his books with care. But not right now. Now, he's tired and exasperated and he just wants to curl up on his couch with The Doctor. "I'm sure I won't be missed."

"But you’re the life of the party!"

Spencer looks up.

Morgan winces, "Yeah, even I wouldn't believe me.” Spencer snorts, continuing to stuff his belongings into his satchel. Morgan’s relentless however. “But you deserve to show them up. You’ve got degrees⎼plural⎼and you're a hotshot FBI agent.”

“Are you not aware of the tragedy that is my high school social experience?”

“Oh, I'm very aware, and thank you for being vulnerable with me. But it's because I care that I’m telling you.”

Morgan’s hand falls heavy on his shoulder, making Spencer pause. He meets his gaze, the man’s expression solemn.

“You deserve to rub it in their faces until the only thing they can smell is your success.”

Morgan grins when that draws out a laugh from him.

Spencer huffs, “Shouldn't we be the bigger person here by not going?”

The older man grimaces, retracting his hand as if the idea offends him. “Fuck that. Be a show off! They deserve to be knocked down a peg after what they did to you in high school.”

Spencer bites his lip. Yes, he’s accomplished, and yeah, as Morgan said, he’s a ‘hot shot FBI agent’. But the memories surge in like a broken dam, cruel laughter and harsh words crashing into him as if he’s twelve years old again. He’s an adult now, so he doesn’t topple over from the impact like before, but the pain is a phantom limb, old and familiar, and leaves a pit in his stomach.

He was a child prodigy then. How would going back as he is now be any different?

Morgan's heart clenches when an unspoken pain flits across Spencer’s face, glossing over his eyes. He can't imagine how deep the emotional scars go, but he knows Spencer needs some form of closure from his past. So when he found the invite, he knew they had to seize the chance. If he wants to continue to move forward, Spencer has to learn to let go. And right now, this is his first class ticket. It’s why he’s pushing this so hard.

This is for Spencer.

But the doctor shakes his head, a strained smile tugging his lips. “Morgan, I had no friends. Even if I go, what am I supposed to do once I arrive? It'd be awkward enough as is.”

“True,” The older man contemplates, a light bulb going off as he snaps his fingers. “You know what you should do? Ask (Your Name) to go with you.”

“(Your Name)?” Spencer jolts, fumbling to catch his phone. Despite being a man of science, his eyes dart around, like you’re a demon summoned at the mention of your name. “Wha-what? Why?”

“They could act as your buffer. And you did say you wanted to be closer with them. This is the perfect opportunity,” Morgan shrugs. Like his suggestion is common sense, logical. Maybe it is.

But this is you they’re talking about. You would never. You’re too cool for a silly high school reunion.

At least, that’s what he’s convinced himself as Spencer’s face pinches. He catches his lip with his teeth. “Morgan, I appreciate the… thought, but I could never ask (Your Name).”

“Ask me what?”

… Oh no. You are a demon.

Spencer whirls around in time to see the glass door shut behind you. You stand there in all your poise and beauty, the fluorescent lights softening your expression. You're bundled up in a matching coat and scarf, the knitted beanie snug on your crown and clashing with your outfit (Garcia told you it’s not your Christmas present, but you’ve worn it everyday since). There’s sprinkles of snow all over you.

You’re not a demon, Spencer decides, even as you brush a clump off your shoulder, nose scrunched in annoyance. More like a snow angel.

You tilt your head curiously when Spencer doesn’t answer immediately. There’s a knowing look on his face as Morgan, realizing the poor guy probably won’t respond any time soon, steps up.

“(Your Name), I thought you went home already.”

You cross the bullpen. “I was. Garcia walked me down and I got to the courtyard. Then I realized she had me so distracted that I left my phone charger,” You rummage around your desk and without looking up, you reiterate, “So ask me what?”

Spencer blinks. “What?”

“You had something to ask me, right?”

Right. That. He runs his fingers through his hair awkwardly. “Actually, I don’t⎼oof.”

Morgan jabs his side, “Yes, there is something Reid needs to ask you.” He sends him a meaningful look.

“Shoot.” You nod to them before rifling through your desk drawers. Nope, not there. You card through files and office supplies, oblivious to the conversation Spencer and Morgan have with their eyes, shooting looks and mouthing at each other.

You bend over your desk as Morgan gestures, Ask them!

Spencer shakes his head vigorously, No!

Do it, or I'll do it for you, he mouths.

Spencer squints at him. You wouldn't.

Morgan smirks and Spencer's heart drops to his stomach. Before he can run, shout for help, literally anything, the man slings a buff arm around his shoulders, forcing Spencer to slightly bend down to his level, hugging him to his side.

He's trapped. Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Fuck.

“Reid is going to his high school reunion,” Morgan starts, biting back a grin when the nerd squirms against him. Both men boys watch, one excited and the other petrified as you disappear behind your desk.

“That’s nice.”

"Yeah. But all his classmates are older than him and married…“

“Uh-huh…” You scan the dark floors, half-listening as Spencer frowns at the unnecessary detail. He never told Morgan such a thing. He didn’t even know, so how would Morgan-?

“So, can you guys pretend to be a couple or something?”

Thud.

“What!?”

Luckily, neither of you notice the other’s surprise as Spencer chokes on air at the same time you let out a pained hiss.

Morgan lets him pull away, withholding a snicker. “You good, (Your Name)?”

“I’m okay!” Your head pops up from under your desk as you rub the top of your head. You blink owlishly. “I’m sorry, did you just ask me to pretend to be your partner?”

“Yes! But Reid’s partner,” Morgan emphasizes, slapping the doctor’s back hard enough he nudges forward.

You stand and Spencer straightens up, trying not to fidget as your gaze burns into his. You’ve known each other for quite some time now, and while Spencer likes to think he knows you pretty well, it bothers him when your expression becomes unreadable. He knows it shouldn't but it does. He’s a profiler, yet your thoughts are completely obscured by a mask. It only makes him more nervous than he already is.

His skin feels hot when your eyes trail over him, and he prays his scarf is enough to cover the flush spreading from his neck.

He's about to disintegrate when you finally answer.

"Okay."

His brow shoots up and his heart flips. You move away from your desk as he sputters, "Really? Are⎼are you sure? I don’t want to put you out of your way.”

“I wouldn’t have agreed otherwise. Why?” You step closer, and he can’t breathe, not without it hitting your face. You stare him down the bridge of your nose, eyes narrowed. “You doubting my skills, Dr. Reid?”

“What? No, of course not!”

You raise an eyebrow expectantly. “Then it’s settled? We’ll pretend to be a couple for your reunion thing?"

A beat of silence. Spencer realizes you're waiting for his confirmation. But panic rises like bile in his throat and he hesitates.

Maybe he should back out now, retract the entire conversation and take the embarrassment like a man. Tell you he was never planning to attend the stupid reunion because his classmates were (and probably still are) assholes. Honesty is key to any relationship after all.

Especially between coworkers. Ahem.

A flicker of movement and Spencer glances over your shoulder. Morgan nods frantically at him, teeth flashing as he grins wider than before. He gives him two thumbs up.

Maybe, for once, he should pull a Morgan and just vibe it.

Yeah. Yeah!

Swallowing, he nods to you, giving you his signature white-person smile because he's sure if he speaks he might blurt out something completely inappropriate. Like statistics on workplace relationships (they’re great reading material, okay).

Your lips quirk up. "Cool. Text me the details when you get the chance.”

You brush past him before he manages a reply, your footsteps fading. Morgan waggles his eyebrows at Spencer. Spencer blankly stares after you.

“What just happened?”

“You just got a date to your reunion. A fake date, mind you, but you’re welcome nonetheless,” Morgan smirks at him. “So, you got a plan, Pretty Boy?”

His face falls, and the hearts in his eyes⎼shit, had they always been there?⎼chip slightly.

He does not have a plan.

Deleted scene:

“Did you do it?”

“It went all according to plan, Mama.”

AN: I fucked myself over and wrote 7k+ and still counting. Now it’s an unplanned holiday mini series. This kind of stems from Bonding as this uses Mysterious!Reader. Also, I seem to be into pining (fuck established relationships, suffer in silenceee). Whatever holiday you celebrate, I hope you still enjoy this one shot!! 

One of the biggest disappointments of CM: Spencer doesn’t confront his high school bullies. I read several fics of him doing so, but a lot of them have the bullies be just as much of an asshole as they were to him in the past, but he deserves more closure. 

This will be my take on it. It’ll be a lot of pining but I hope to focus on the his hardships in a less angsty, dramatic way.

Hope you enjoy it!! There will be at least 3 parts?

Also, spread the usage of the term ‘partner’, which can be used for same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.

[that-was-anticlimactic]

time stops, though you don’t take a breath (renga)

aka boiling rock but renga written for @capt-snoozles alta / sk8 au

word count: 1,940

~

There was nothing quite like the feeling of Reki’s hair tickling his chin. His hair was so soft and had enough poof for Langa to bury his face in it.

“Langa,” Reki giggled, turning his head so he could look at his boyfriend. “You’re gonna mess it up!”

A soft whine escaped his throat as Reki turned, causing Langa’s chin to slip. “Mmm,” he grumbled, squeezing his arms tighter around Reki’s middle.

Reki sighed and shifted back to where he was before, allowing Langa access to replant his face in the ginger’s hair. “There you go, you big baby.”

Normally, Langa’s cheeks would’ve turned a bright shade of red at the comment, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care right now. It hadn’t even been a day since the group escaped Boiling Rock, and Langa was determined not to let Reki out of his sight for awhile.

The impromptu trip to the prison was to free Hakoda, Cherry, Joe, and Shadow. To be honest, Langa had not been prepared to find Reki or Suki there too. He thought that Boiling Rock was for high security prisoners like supposed war criminals and people who committed treason. He didn’t think the Fire Nation would send two kids there.

Langa could still feel the pang in his chest and the breath of air rushing in his lungs when Sokka had cried Suki’s name. He could still remember the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins when he looked over the balcony and saw not only Suki sitting on a bench, but also Reki.

Reki did something to him that nothing else could. Reki made him feel strong and whole and like anything was possible.

That was probably why, in the heat of the moment, Langa had attempted to jump off the building and into the courtyard.

Yeah, he could also still feel the pressure of Zuko’s arms wrapping around his chest and forcing him back onto the balcony and Sokka’s calloused palm when he slapped a hand over Langa’s mouth to prevent him from screaming Reki’s name and blowing their cover.

Suddenly, their plans had changed. There were two more people they needed to rescue because Langa was not going to leave Reki behind. Not again.

“What’re you thinking about?”

The glorious, heavenly sound of Reki’s voice drew him back to the present and Langa blinked. “You,” he answered truthfully.

Reki blushed, his cheeks turning nearly the same shade of his hair, and Langa hid a soft smile behind one of his curls. “Langa!” Reki pouted.

Spirits, Langa missed him.

“I was, though,” Langa said. “I missed you.”

At that, Reki smiled, the blush (unfortunately) fading. “I missed you too,” he replied softly.

There was nothing like the warmth that filled Langa’s body when he reunited with Reki to escape. They hadn’t been able to tell the redhead their plan in advance due to his echolalia, so Langa still hadn’t been able to hear his voice or hold him or tell him how much he loved him. They had to rely on Suki to relay the message shortly before the escape.

Langa had wanted to abandon the cooler—let Sokka and Zuko roll it down—the instant he saw Reki. And he almost did. It was only Zuko’s quiet “Don’t you dare” through gritted teeth that prevented him from doing so.

Then they were on the ground and Reki was there. He was just a few feet away.

So, Langa opened his arms and Reki came running—

Nothing compared to holding Reki—nothing except perhaps being held by Reki.

The second that Reki had made it to him, the second their arms were around each other, Langa had lifted him up, twirling him around. Reki’s mouth was pressed against the nape of Langa’s neck, so only he could hear his boyfriend’s laughter. Despite how muffled it was, it still filled the night in Langa’s ears.

Reki instinctively wrapped his legs around Langa’s waist the second his feet were off the ground, and Langa didn’t put him down for awhile, even after he stopped spinning. He didn’t want to let go.

Normally, he wouldn’t be able to hold Reki in the air this long—he didn’t have the strongest upper body—but this was Reki and it had been months since they last saw each other. It helped that he firmly planted his feet into the ground once he stopped spinning, and he thanked the Spirits for giving him incredible leg strength.

It also helped that Reki felt a lot lighter than usual, but that wasn’t good.

Langa shuddered at the memory of realizing that Reki was much easier to lift, and when his gaze flickered to Suki (who was having a whispered conversation with Zuko and Sokka), he noticed that she looked thinner than normal too.

And oh, how his blood boiled.

No, he hadn’t put Reki down until after they decided to stay and see if Hakoda, Cherry, Joe, and Shadow were arriving with the next batch of prisoners., despite Reki’s protests and Chit Sang’s complaints that they were disgusting (and they were used to it—they’d heard it all from Miya).

That was when he’d seen the dark bruise coloring Reki’s stomach. He saw it for the briefest of moments when Reki had lifted his arms to stretch after being put down, but they didn’t have time for that now.

“You okay?”

Again, it was Reki who grounded him, it always was. His voice was the gravity that pulled him back to the present and held him there.

“I was…” Langa trailed off, licking his lips. “I was so worried about you.” And then it all came rushing back—finding out that Reki was gone, that the Kyoshi Warriors that came to help were Azula and her friends, the pure rage that filled his body and consumed his mind when Azula said Reki’s name during the battle of Black Sun. Langa suddenly felt like crying all over again. “You were… you were there one day and then you were gone. Reki, I couldn’t—I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re amazing, Reki, you’re the most important thing in my life.”

Reki’s face softened and he squirmed until one of his arms escaped Langa’s hold, lifting it up and placing it gently on Langa’s cheek. “Hey, I’m okay,” he assured. Although it was a moment of comfort, something to help him calm down, all Langa could see was his bare wrist.

“Wait. Where are your friendship bracelets?”

Reki shifted uncomfortably. “They took them. We weren’t allowed to have anything with us when we got there so…”

Langa scrunched his nose. “But… your wrists. You need them or you scratch and hurt yourself.”

At that, Reki scoffed lightly. “I know you care about my tics, but the Fire Nation doesn’t. It’s not a big deal.”

But it was a big deal. When Langa squinted, he could see red marks on Reki’s wrist. He could seen faint lines where his nails had dug into his skin. It wasn’t fair; Reki didn’t deserve that.

“Hey, Shadow?” Langa called, raising his voice so the man in question would hear it from across the room (everyone could see that the two boys needed some personal time together so they gave them some space, but Joe, Cherry, and Shadow were still a bit on edge and didn’t want to let them out of their sight).

Shadow looked up from his own hushed conversation with Cherry and Joe. “What’s up? Are you okay?”

“We’re fi—“ Reki began, but Langa wouldn’t allow that.

“They took Reki’s friendship bracelets,” he explained, frowning. “Can you make him more?”

The older waterbender’s face shifted from confusion to understanding, and he sent the two boys a small smile. “Of course. Joe, you feel up to making some more charms?”

Joe cracked his knuckles, wiggling his fingers. “You bet I am!”

“And you’ll actually make them good this time?” Cherry said casually, twisting a strand of hair.

The comment made Joe’s eye twitch, and suddenly Shadow was stuck trying to break the two up again. Langa couldn’t tell whether they were trying to strangle each other or if they were making out, but either way, he did not envy Shadow.

Reki chuckled at the scene. “I missed them.” He tilted his head enough to look into Langa’s eyes, and blinked thrice. “You didn’t need to do that, you know.”

“Maybe. But I wanted to,” Langa said seriously (and Reki’s face flushed again—Spirits, it was the cutest thing). “You’re hurt. They hurt you.”

“They just took some string. It—“

“But they’re important to you and they help you so you don’t scratch yourself! And when you lifted your arms the other day I saw…” Langa swallowed, taking deep breaths because he couldn’t cry right now. “I saw a bruise. I don’t know how many more there are—there’ve been. You’re too thin, you and Suki both. They hurt you, Reki.”

Reki faltered for the briefest of seconds, his lips trembling. “I… a lot has happened the last couple months,” he said eventually. “But I’m fine, okay? I’m fine.”

And since Langa knows Reki, he knows what I’m fine actually means and he doesn’t believe it for one second. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not. I’m fine now that I’m here with you,” Reki said, and oh, how Langa’s heart melted.

“But what about—“

“I’ll be okay,” Reki interrupted, his eyes wide and swimming with something that Langa couldn’t quite discern. “You’re here, right?”

Langa nodded perhaps a little too aggressively. “Mhm. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know.” Reki clicked his tongue and his neck twitched. “We’re gonna get through this together, okay? All of this.”

“Okay,” Langa agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of Reki’s head. He paused and then said: “Are you hungry?”

There was a moment’s silence as Reki’s face twisted and he muttered the words under his breath a couple times. “Not really,” he eventually said, giving Langa an apologetic look.

That wouldn’t do. Reki needed to eat… but Langa wouldn’t force it. Not right now, at least. Everything’s happened so fast eating might be too much for him. Langa could still feel the adrenaline pumping in his chest (it hadn’t gone away. it had been there from the second they were running onto the gondola and a firebender had directed a burst of flames Reki’s way, from the moment Langa had shoved Reki behind him and drew water from the boiling lake below and doused the bender in it…) and he was sure Reki still felt it too (he could still see the way Reki’s chest had heaved when Ty Lee was about to hit Langa with her chi blocking—Reki hadn’t hesitated, he pushed himself between the two and blocked her fist).

“Okay. Are you thirsty?”

For a second, Langa was sure Reki was going to say “no”, to which he would’ve had to protest because who knows how much water the Fire Nation had given them while they were imprisoned. Luckily, though, after a moment’s thought, Reki nodded.

“Okay.”

Langa couldn’t help the wide grin that overcome him, and he (reluctantly) unwrapped a hand from around Reki’s waist and wiggled his fingers, popping the flask at his side open and bending the water inside so it floated to Reki’s face.

Reki rolled his eyes, playfully nudging Langa, but opened his mouth anyways, allowing Langa to direct the water inside.

“Thank you,” Reki murmured once Langa had bent the rest of the water back in the flask and made sure it was shut, snuggling closer to his boyfriend. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

[jadedxrealityw]

-Flirting, Teasing, Tension- Draco Malfoy x Female Reader

   Kody: Requests are open and all that good shiz. Enjoy this story my dudes.

   Warning: Cursing, Sexual themes, touchy touchy. Draco being mhm hawt and you being a badass.

   House: Slytherin

   Summary: Draco has been flirting with you relentlessly, but when Pansy gives you advice you give him a taste of his own medicine and then some and he cant handle it, neither can you too.

   ♡~🐍~♡

   ♡~🐍~♡

   You sighed and continue to scribble down notes, trying to ignore the Slytherin boy failing at getting your attention. “Psst L/n” he says in a low whisper. You ignore him again, hearing him groan. You think that’s the end of it, but when a paper swan lands on your desk, you knew it was him. You place your quill down next to your parchment and begin to unfold the swan. 

   As you undo the last fold, you look at the words and read them in your head ‘You look ravishing in that skirt today, but it would look better on my dorm room floor’ you let out a bitter chuckle. This guy just doesn’t quit. You turn in your chair to see Draco with his famous smirk plastered on his face. You lift the note and give him a innocent smile. 

   A spark of hope lights in his eyes before you rip it in half in front of him and flip him off, then it dies out. Leaving “What a git” you mumble and pick up your quill once more. You could hear his friends laughing at him abit, which was kinda funny.

   ♡~🐍~♡

   Sitting down next to Pansy you groaned “He’s staring at me, isn’t he?” you questioned the brown haired girl

   She peeks over your shoulder to see the Slytherin boy indeed smirking at you. “Yeah he is, what a creep” Pansy sneers before facing you again. “He’s still flirting with you right?”

   You give her a nod as you take a bite of your food “I have an idea, but it might cost you your dignity” Pansy begins, turning your attention towards her “Flirt with him back”

   You choke on your food and let out a cough “No, definitely not. Are you mental Pansy?” you asked as you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand.

   Pansy rolls her eyes at your comment “Think about it, flirt with him as much as he does to the point where he is so annoyed with it to. A taste of his own medicine if you will” she says proudly. 

   You lean back in your seat and smirk thinking about it, it would stop him from his constant nagging. “Alright, i’ll do it”

   ♡~🐍~♡

   Free periods were one of your favorites, sitting down and reading a nice book was always a fun way to pass the time. You’d like to read in the courtyard while sitting on a bench. The fresh air was nice and calming today so you might as well right?

   When you heard laugh, not just any laugh mind you. The laugh of a a stuck up rich boy, you knew there be trouble. Keeping your eyes at your book, you continued to the read the words as footsteps approached you. “Ah Y/n, lovely to see you today. You look absolutely beautiful” 

   You lower your book. What? No sexual remark? Was this even Draco Malfoy you were looking at? Since he was being nice you gave him a nice answer for now. “Why thank you, how’s your day so far?” you asked. Draco shrugged and took a seat next to you.

   “Better now. I get to sit next to you in a really short skirt, your legs are really sexy Y/n” Draco leans in and you feel his breath fanning your face. Well that didn’t last very long, did it? You feel anger boiling inside you, but remember what Pansy had told you. 

   You muster up all the seductress in you that you could and close the boo in your lap. You turn your head and grab his tie, pulling him only centimeters from your face, you hear him inhale sharply which makes you smirk. A spark igniting in your chest. “Thank you, but wouldn’t they look so much better wrapped around your waste as you hold me against a wall”

   You watch as Draco’s face turns into one of shock at your words and his eyes trail down to your lips then back to your E/c eyes. He leans in to what you assumed to kiss you, but you put a finger over his mouth “Aw, no” you laugh softly and let go of him, standing up and collecting your things. You leave, purposely swaying your hips as you walked.

      ♡~🐍~♡

   As you wrote the last line of your essay you heard someone come through the portrait, but you didn’t pay much mind to it as you placed your essay in the folder, then the folder in your bag. As you grab your textbook so you can shove them in as well you hear a whistle from behind you, turning around you see Draco.

   He eyes you up and down and takes a look at your outfit. “Well well, look what we have here. You in a even tinier skirt.” He begins and sits next to you on the sofa. he places a hand on your thigh and feels the spiderweb stockings under his hand, he starts to trail his hand dangerously up which makes your stomach do flips.

   You try to ignore the feeling in your chest and remember to not let him get to you, but you get to him. You grab his hand and take it off, you throw a leg over his lap and straddle him. Feeling the same spark you did the first time you teased him. Draco’s eyes widened as he saw you on top of him, a feeling of arousal coursing through him. 

   “You must really be turned on by tiny skirts, Malfoy” You start, shifting your hips in his lap so you could lean in, a small groan falling from his lips “I can feel you getting hard under me” You whisper as a bead of sweat rolls down the side of his face. You smirk feeling satisfied and hop off his lap, scooping your bag in your arms. 

   You give Draco a small wink as your eyes go down to his pants “Might want to handle that” You say and point to the obvious bulge in his pants before walking out of the common room and down the hall to your dorms.

   ♡~🐍~♡

   “You did what?!” Pansy yelled, causing a few Slytherins to look at the both of you weirdly. You laugh at your friend. It had been two weeks since you started your teasing with Draco and you had completely broken him down to the point where he blushed whenever he looked at you.

   “I’m just doing what you asked” You said back, laughing as you took a bite from your muffin, placing it down on your plate.

   Pansy sighs as she rubs her temples with her hands “I told you to flirt with the man, not grind on him and feel him up!” She snaps in a hushed tone. You shakes your head and lean into the table.

   “It’s fine i know what i’m doing, plus his reactions are the best” You laugh quietly and watch Pansy’s face twist into one of curiosity and you raise a brow “What?” you ask.

   Pansy crosses his arms “What do you feel when you tease and flirt with Draco?” she asked. You open your mouth to speak but she holds her hand up “Just answer”

   You sigh, rolling your eyes “Okay, well when i flirt with Draco, i feel like a spark i guess. Its exhilarating and makes me want him to hold you a grab at me all over and on the rare times he can back it makes me melt. Makes me want to give in...oh shit” You run a hand through your hair, eyes widening.

   Pansy nods “You like him or in short terms want to shag him-” She says and you cover her mouth shaking your head.

   “Not another word”

   Pansy takes your hand off and laughs “Both of you are clearly attracted to each other so go for it” she shrugs and picks up her cup, taking a sip of her drink.

   “You say that as if it’s so easy to go up to him and ask that handsome demon to rip my clothes off-” You start before its Pansy to cover your mouth this time. 

   “Please, not another word” She says and removes her hand. You both stare at each other and break out in laughter.

   ♡~🐍~♡

   The next night you were in your dorm, just wearing something comfy and warm. A knock comes from your door and you place your book down on your bed and stand up, slipping on your white slippers so your feet don’t touch the cold floor, another knock comes to your door “Calm your tits, i’m coming!” 

   You walk to your door and open it, seeing a very disheveled Draco. His white hair was all ruffled and messed up, he was also wearing regular pjs. “Draco?” you ask, but he doesn’t answer and just pushed past you into your room. “Okay?” you say and shut the door.

   You cross your arms and look at Draco, watching as he looked at his hands before walking towards you “I can’t stand the way you tease me, touch me, or even breathe next to me then just leave me. Its fucking annoying” he growls, making a shiver run up your spine.

   Your frozen as he pushes against the wall, both of his hands slam next the wall by your head “I can’t even sleep without thinking about you and the sight of you sitting on my lap i-” Draco stopped himself, but he had already said to much. You could see the needy look in his eyes.

   “It was only to get you to stop flirting with me, then i guess i liked the way you reacted” You spoke, making Draco look you in the eyes which made your heart thump widely. “Then the tension grew”

   Draco nods “Yeah tension” he repeats before his eyes trail down to your lips, looking at you expectantly and you just nod slowly. Without hesitation  he slams his lips on yours, the feeling sending sparks throughout both you and Draco. His hands move to cup the back of your thighs, pulling away from your mouth for a moment “Jump”

   Who were you to deny the literal god in front of you right? So you jumped and wrapped your legs around his waist, he squeezed your thighs making you gasp. Using the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth. You both kissed roughly and passionately, desperately even. Grabbing onto each others clothes in a lustful way.

   The night was filled with a passion like no other and would certainly not be the last, the way he touched you was like no other and would be engraved into your mind for the rest of your days.

   ♡~🐍~♡

   Your eyes flutter open as you are face to face with a sleepy Slytherin boy, you smile as memories from the night before flood back into your mind like a tidal wave. You didn’t get long to relive them in your head when your door creaks open, you sit up quickly to see Pansy, you quickly put a finger to your lips gesturing for her to be quiet.

   Pansy gasps quietly and point to the both of you “I can’t believe you two actually liked, you know. Fucked” she said making you flush red and waves your hands.

   “Go, get out” 

   The brown haired girl laughed and blew you a kiss before shutting the door. You hear Draco mumble and you turn to face him. He looks at you and gives you a smile “What are you doing sitting up? Lay down and cuddle me” he says like a baby and you laugh before laying back down. 

   Wrapping an arm around you he pulls you flush against his chest and presses a sweet kiss to your forehead. Both of you went back to sleep quickly in each others arms.

   ♡~🐍~♡

   Kody- Hey hey hey, i wrote something spicy. Crazy right? Anyway, peace p.s my requests are open

[wholesomemendes]

The Winter Ball Date

College/Friends to Lover Au

Summary: When one year you get asked to the annual Winter Ball by someone other than Shawn, the two of you realize what you’ve been looking past for years.

Author’s Note: Long time no see! This is part of Julia’s Winter Writing Challenge by @wondershawns and I am so excited to have participated! My setting prompt was “A knock on the window” and the line “You’re so cute when you’re half asleep like this”. I hope you guys enjoy! As always, I love hearing any type of feedback and I love you all x

Word Count: 8.4k

Presents, Christmas music, your mother’s famous cookies on your tongue, all playing one by one in your mind. The feeling of just being home again instead of in a small, stuffy dorm seemed so close, yet so far away and you couldn’t help but wish that this last month would fly by. A soft nudge to your foot broke you out of your thoughts, “What’s got you in a daze?” You blinked your eyes rapidly to focus your thoughts to the present once again, turning your gaze to the curly haired boy next to you with a bright smile on his face. 

“I’m just thinking about Christmas and being home again,” you sighed dreamily, your head coming to rest on your hand. 

“Christmas is over a month away, you’re better off worrying about finals if you’re thinking that far ahead,” he laughed as a hand came up to lightly push your shoulder.

You cast a harsh glare at him through the dim light of the library, “It’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas. Aren’t you excited?”

“Of course I’m excited.” Shawn leaned back against his chair looking into space, “I get to go home and see family and I only have to worry about my sister instead of a bunch of rowdy frat boys.”

You let out a chuckle at his words, “Aren’t you also a rowdy frat boy?”

“You wound me.” He dramatically placed a hand over his heart, “Besides, I’m more excited to annoy you every day over break.”

“You already annoy me every day.”

“Maybe, but it’ll be much more convenient than me walking all the way across campus to get to your dorm.” You couldn’t lie that he did have a point there. The two of you had been best friends ever since the day your family moved into the house next to his in middle school. You had been inseparable ever since, choosing to go to the same college a few hours from your houses and meeting almost every day since you had joined as freshman. Three years later and nothing had changed, except for how tall Shawn had managed to grow in those years and how the both of you definitely had matured in both personality and appearance since you were in middle school.

“How fortunate for me then,” you laughed, turning your attention back to the abandoned textbook in front of you. 

Shawn’s eyes remained on you, cocking an eyebrow your way, “What, you’re not looking forward to my random visits?” 

“Oh no, I am so looking forward to being woken up in the middle of the night because you can’t sleep.”

“Hey that was only twice!”

“Two times too many if you ask me,” you mumbled under your breath, however the smirk on your face told Shawn that you meant for him to hear it. He simply pulled your chair closer to him and rammed his knuckles into your head until you were laughing and begging him to stop. 

____________________

“You’re coming to the game tonight right?” You had found your way into Shawn’s bed after a full day of classes with your head on his chest, a random hockey game playing on the television across from the two of you. Shawn’s arm provided a comforting warmth as it laid across your stomach, pulling you into him, and each pass of his fingertip onto your skin made you relax further into him. The cuddling wasn’t anything new to the two of you, even the electric feeling you felt from his touch had almost become normal to you. Almost.

“Of course I am. I’ve never missed one, have I?”

“You’re right you haven’t,” he smiled down at you, a stray curl falling in front of his face, “Just wanted to make sure my good luck charm would be there.”

You reached up to brush his hair out of his face, but Shawn quickly grabbed your arm, playfully biting your finger until you pulled away and your wrist was left in his grasp. “I refuse to believe I’m your good luck charm.”

“We’ve been undefeated for three years, hun. You’re my good luck charm.”

“But-”

“Nope, shut it. Don’t want to hear a peep from you.” He pulled you tighter into him before placing a delicate kiss to your hair, “Remind me to give you my jersey for tonight. Want to make sure everyone knows whose good luck charm you are.”

“You’re such a goof.”

____________________

Shawn won. Again. It was no surprise, especially since the team they were up against were no good, but that didn’t mean that you weren’t incredibly proud of him. He absolutely amazed you every time he went out on the ice and you couldn’t help but wait impatiently in the main corridor of the arena. Students rustled around you as you waited though you paid them no mind, simply choosing to admire the banners on the wall instead. The sudden increase in noise caused you to turn your head towards the locker rooms where a certain curly-headed boy was leading a pack of freshly showered athletes. You sprinted past the crowds of people in his direction as Shawn dropped his bag, opting instead to pick you up in his arms as you ran straight into him. You wrapped your legs around him like a koala with your head buried into his neck, breathing in the strong, heady scent of his shampoo. “There’s my good luck charm,” he sighed into your hair and you laughed, only causing a brighter smile to form on his face.

“You were incredible, Shawn. You’re constantly impressing me out there.”

“Thank you,” he smiled, lifting his head to look you in the eyes, “Always means the most coming from my number one fan.”

You flashed him a smile that mirrored his as he slid you down to the floor, making sure that you were always close to him even while others were surrounding him. Your eyes stayed trained on him and the aura that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. They followed the path of his jaw, his neck, to his broad shoulders he always made you massage for him. But before you could finish admiring him, you felt a presence behind you and a slight grasp on your arm. You turned only to be met with a tall figure with beautiful green eyes and dirty blonde hair. He seemed to be about Shawn’s height, maybe an inch shorter, and although his smile wasn’t as bright as Shawn’s was, it still managed to take your breath away for a moment. “Hi, I’m Grant,” the man introduced himself, extending his hand for you to grab, “Are you Shawn’s girlfriend?”

You turned your focus back to Shawn who was currently in the middle of a conversation with a couple fraternity brothers and sorority sisters before coming back to this new mysterious man. “Oh no, we’re not, we’re not dating. We’re just best friends.” Grant seemed to have some distrust in his eyes at your words, his eyebrow lifting up slightly in question. “I’m Y/n by the way.” Grabbing his outstretched hand you let yourself appreciate the polite person in front of you.

“I’m sorry I assumed you’re dating. I’m in the frat with Shawn; we’re not good friends or anything but I’ve seen the two of you around in there.” Suddenly your mind clicked to where you had seen him before off of the rink. Most of the boys on the hockey team all resided in the same fraternity so it shouldn’t have been a surprise to you to learn that you had been in the same house as Grant multiple times. “You two are really close, I can’t be the only one that has mistaken the two of you as dating.”

“Yeah…,” you trailed off, sparing a glance back at Shawn, “It happens a lot more than you think. But I promise we’re not. I’m as single as one can be.” Grant’s smile seemed to grow at your words and his shoulders relaxed an inch. 

“Well in that case I actually wanted to ask you…”

“What’s going on over here?” A heavy weight slid across your shoulders, effectively pulling you into a warm body you immediately recognized. You rolled your eyes at the interruption. Perfect timing as always, Shawn. 

“Nothing, just introducing ourselves to one another,” Grant replied, that smile that you were beginning to grow fond of diminishing slightly. 

“Good, was worried that my good luck charm was switching sides.” Shawn sent a pointed look your way with a smirk playing on his lips.

“Good luck charm?”

“Why do you think we haven’t lost a game yet?” Shawn questioned, reaching out to pinch our cheeks, “It’s this little one right here giving me all the luck.” You swatted his hand away bitterly, but his smirk only grew. “Well I’m sure this has been great. Grant, I’ll see you later at the frat and you missy, we have a celebratory dinner to catch.” He maneuvered his way through the people calling his name, bringing you right to his classic jeep.

“You’re horrible you know that right,” you huffed as soon as you got into the seat.

“What ever could you be talking about?” he said innocently.

“If you keep acting like this, I’ll truly never get into a relationship.”

“You’re being silly.”

“Says the one that literally interrupted an entire conversation I had barely even started yet.”

“I was simply worried about you.”

“Mhm, sure.” You stared out the window in protest, not even moving when you felt his hand on your lower thigh.

“Honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you liked Grant. I was just looking out for you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I like him, I’ve known him for all of five minutes, but it would be nice to maybe explore some options without my personal bodyguard getting in the way.”

“Once again I’m sorry that I got in the way then. I guess Grant is not the worst guy you could have chosen out of the bunch,” he trailed off as he pulled into the diner parking lot the two of you had been frequenting at after almost every hockey game, “Now let’s put this behind us. I’m really craving some fries and a milkshake.” 

____________________

The brisk wind of the courtyard made you tighten your jacket around yourself in a poor attempt to keep the chills away. A sigh of relief escaped your lips once you rounded the corner of the lecture hall you had previously been in, leading you through a row of buildings that temporarily protected you from the harsh weather of Toronto. You kept your eyes trained in front of you, desperately trying to will your feet to somehow move faster to get you to Shawn’s frat house for your usual post-class wind down.

“Hey Y/n!” You whipped your head around to see the source of your name, but after coming up empty handed in the small crowd of students behind you, you shook your head, convincing yourself you just imagined it as you continued your walk. “Y/n, wait!” Pausing this time, you turned your body around completely only to be met with the sight of Grant maneuvering his way carefully around the other students. Upon seeing you stopped, his face light up and he started to jog his way towards you until he was close enough for you to feel some of his body heat. “Hey.”

“Hey, Grant. How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks. Sorry to catch you at such a bad time, but I didn’t know when I was going to see you again,” he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, “I also didn’t want to wait too long to ask this because I was afraid I’d miss my chance.”

“What’s going on?”

“Are you going to the Winter Ball with anyone?” The Winter Ball was the annual end of the semester party Shawn and Grant’s fraternity held every year that was incredibly exclusive. The only way to get in was if one of the members took you as their date, which meant that almost every girl was dying for someone to ask her. 

At that moment your gaze fell to the beautiful bouquet of red roses that were present in his hands before your eyes lifted to meet his that were so full of hope and nerves. “As of right now I am not. Why do you ask?”

“That’s great! I mean, that’s not great that you’re not going with anyone, but great because I, um, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go with me?” 

You flashed him a bright smile as he handed the bouquet towards you, “I would love to go with you, Grant.”

“Really? That’s, that’s amazing. I’m looking forward to it.”

“So am I.” 

He wrapped his arms around you in a quick hug before moving the other way, “I hate to leave right away, I’d love to stay and talk, but I really need to get to class.”

You waved him off, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah of course,” he began walking away until his eyebrows raised and he came back, “Wait, can I actually get your number?” You saved your number into the contacts of his phone and gave him a wave, heading your way back to the line of frat houses you were looking for. The butterflies in your stomach were doing front flips as you tried to will the humongous smile off of your face. A guy just asked you to be his date to the Winter Ball. A really cute, sweet guy just asked you to be his date to the Winter Ball. Never in a million years did you think someone like him would even imagine asking you to be their date yet here you were, the most delightful smelling roses in your hand and a fluttering feeling in your body. You hardly comprehended that you had already stepped foot into the frat house until you were opening the door to Shawn’s room and falling onto his bed next to him with a dopey smile on your face. 

Shawn looked over at you questioningly from his phone, ‘What’s going on with the flowers and the face?”

“Shawn, you won’t believe it!” you practically squealed, turning onto your side, “Grant just asked me to be his date to the Winter Ball!”

“The Winter Ball?”

“Yes! Isn’t that the best thing ever! I’ve never been asked before!”

“What do you mean? You’ve been my date every year.” If you hadn’t been so caught up with the giddiness in your chest you might have been able to notice the fleeting look of sadness in his eyes as he spoke.

“That’s not the same though. I wasn’t really your date, we just went as friends.”

“Yeah, but you were still considered my date.”

“Still, it’s not the same thing.” 

A small moment of silence took over the room before Shawn cleared his throat. “So...you said yes?”

“Of course I said yes, I’d be stupid not to.” 

“Oh.”

You watched as he focused back on his phone, a tiny frown on his face that you could hardly notice, ��What’s wrong.”

“Nothing. I’m glad you’re so happy about this.”

“Don’t lie to me, Mendes, what’s wrong?”

“Just wondering what I’m going to do about a date this year.”

“That’s what you’re upset about?” you looked at him incredulously, “Please, you’re one of the most sought after guys in this school. You could go up to any girl on this entire campus and none of them would even hesitate to say yes.”

“I guess.”

“You guess?” you scoffed, “What about Jessica? I’ve seen the two of you talking a lot at post game parties and everything. You two look like you get along.” 

“Yeah, I could always ask her,” he sighed, “But Jessica isn’t going to drag me into my room at four in the morning asking me to sing her a song on the guitar so she can fall asleep.” He sent a teasing smile your way as he referenced your habit of pulling his hand through crowds of people until you got to his room when you felt too tired and wanted to go to sleep.

“I’m sorry, Shawn. I promise I’ll make it up to you.” You thought for a moment, “I know! I’ll buy you pizza from your favorite pizza place! You know, the one across from the campus coffee shop where they put extra cheese on top.”

“That’s not my favorite pizza place.”

“But every time we go there you say…”

“I only say that because I know it’s your favorite pizza place.” His gaze fell soft upon you, “Don’t get me wrong it’s not bad, but I don’t have a favorite and I know you’re more likely to go there if I said it’s also my favorite.”

“Oh,” you looked down at your hands, “Well thank you.” Shawn hummed in response, his eyes traveling back to his phone. “You can still come over beforehand to get ready together like we always do.”

He let out a sad chuckle, “Don’t think Grant would much like that, honey.”

“That’s too bad if he doesn’t like it because it’s important to me that we get ready together and you’re the first person to see me all fancied up.” 

Shawn swore he felt his heart stutter in his chest, “If you want me over, I’d be more than happy to get ready with you.”

“Perfect, it’s a date.”

____________________

You couldn’t lie and say it didn’t hurt when you noticed that Shawn had been a little more distant with you in the past week. Your texts sat on delivered for longer, you were no longer going over to his room after every lecture due to him “being busy”, and the nightly FaceTime calls were no longer nightly. You blamed it on hockey practices piling up and finals getting closer but in reality, you knew that wasn’t the case. There was only a week until finals, and therefore the Winter Ball, when you finally ran into Shawn again on your way to a class, very obviously catching him off guard. “Hey, long time no see.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’ve been really busy lately,” he told you, but you knew him long enough to tell that the way his eyes wouldn’t maintain contact with you was a telltale sign that there was more to the story.

“Don’t worry about it, just miss you is all. Did you find a date yet for the ball?”

“Oh yeah, I asked Jessica like you told me to.”

“That’s great! Are you doing anything later today?”

“Uh, I don’t know…”

“I’m going dress shopping for the Winter Ball if you want to come with me like you always do.”

“Uh…”

“Come on, Shawn, you’re not going to break tradition are you?” 

He desperately wanted to respond with, “You already broke a tradition by ditching me without warning and going with Grant,” but he bit his tongue. “Sure,” he replied with a heavy heart, “I’d love to help you pick out a dress.”

“Yay! Why don’t we go right after class?”

“Ok, I can pick you up at three?”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you later, Mendes!” You left a searing kiss on his cheek before rushing off to class, leaving him staring after you longingly.

____________________

“Any ideas on what you want?” Shawn trailed behind you like a lost puppy as you skimmed your way through the many clothing racks. 

“Not really. Just want something that says ‘Please don’t regret inviting me. I swear I’m a good choice.’”

He couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped his lips, “I don’t think you need a dress for that. You do that by yourself.”

You bit your lip to contain your smile, “Thank you, but I don’t know if everyone feels that way.”

“Well they should,” he mumbled, his fingers mulling over the beautiful items of clothing. A deep maroon, velvet dress caught his eye immediately and he pulled it out, examining it carefully before nodding his head, “Try this one on.”

“Hm,” you turned to look at him as he studied the dress, “Oh, that’s gorgeous. I’ll try it on if you want me to.”

He nodded his head before turning back to the dresses silently, not making any other comments as you looked around. Once you were satisfied with the dresses in your arms, you headed towards the dressing rooms, looking both ways to ensure that no one was around before pulling Shawn into one with you. He turned around as you changed; sure he had seen you in bikinis before and you were both sure that on more than one occasion when you were drunk that you had both changed in front of one another, but he still had enough respect for you to turn around whilst you put the first dress on. 

The first one was a simple black dress with long sleeves that you thought would be nice for the cold climate that came with living in Canada and although it was flattering, it didn’t feel like anything special. You turned to Shawn with a sigh, “What do you think?”

Personally, from the second you told him to turn around, Shawn swore he had seen an angel. The way the dress hugged your curves had him twitching in his pants and he had to swallow thickly in an attempt to control his thoughts. “I, um, I mean you look beautiful. I like it.”

“Really?” you asked, admiring yourself in the mirror, “I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel special to me.”

“Why don’t you just come back to that one then. I think it’s really pretty on you.”

“Yeah, you’re right I’ll just do that.” Four dresses later and you still hadn’t found the dress for you. There was a dark green one that you didn’t feel complimented your skin tone well enough (Shawn begged to differ), a black one with a plunged neckline that went way too far down for your comfort zone (Shawn was glad he didn’t have to protest against that one, he didn’t particularly like the idea of all the drunk, disrespectful boys in the frat seeing that), another black one that went too far down your legs (even though Shawn argued that it would keep your legs warm), and a light blue one that didn’t really fit your feeling of winter (Shawn almost lost his mind when you had bent down in front of him in that one to pick up a loose string that had fallen off of it). 

Finally, you had reached the dress Shawn had picked out for you, just as you were beginning to lose all hope of finding a dress. The moment you slipped it on you knew it felt different than the others: it fit you perfectly with a plunging neckline that showed just enough, the fabric wrapped along the middle to the bottom to accentuate your waist, your curves were shown in a way that it was flattering, but not too overwhelming, and the maroon color complimented your skin beautifully. You couldn't lie, Shawn had somehow managed to find the perfect dress for you. “Ok, you can turn around now.” 

He slowly uncovered his eyes and faced his body towards you, his mouth immediately going dry at the sight of you. The combination of your body in the dress and the gorgeous smile on your face was kryptonite for him and he couldn’t help but wish even harder that he was the one who was lucky enough to be your date for the ball. He motioned you towards him, rubbing his fingers along the fabric of the dress in a way that sent your stomach flipping. “This the one?” he asked, looking up at you with bright doe eyes. You nodded slowly, watching him tug his bottom lip between his teeth. “Grant is very lucky to have you as his date, honey.”

You paused. The thought of Grant taking you to the ball instead of Shawn had completely escaped your mind and in that moment you regretted ever agreeing to changing your date this year. “Yeah, um, right, I hope he likes it.”

“If he has a brain in that head of his then there’s no doubt he’s going to be blown away by you.” He gave a gentle smile your way before tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear and tapping your hip lightly, “Now go and get changed so we can go cash out.”

You nodded your head as he turned back around, silently smacking yourself in the face for the sudden butterflies that were forming in your stomach. Since when did he have such an effect on you? And why was he doing it so easily?

The moment you got to the cash register, he immediately pushed you out of the way and gave his credit card to the cashier before you could even pull out your wallet. “Shawn, why did you pay for that? I was going to…”

“Calm down, honey,” he laughed at your outburst as he opened the car door for you, “Think of it as an apology gift for me not hanging out with you as much as I usually do this week.”

“But…”

“No buts, it’s already done.” The car engine roared to life and all you could think about while you sat in the passenger seat of his car was how you were going to be wearing a dress that not only did Shawn pick out, but also bought for you while you had to act like you weren’t constantly thinking about him as you stood next to Grant the whole night. Shawn had made sure that you were completely and utterly screwed.

____________________

“Are you almost done?” you heard Shawn’s impatient call from your bedroom. You were living in a larger suite with a bunch of other girls so you were lucky enough to have your own bathroom attached to your room. Shawn had gotten ready in the bathroom before you but you refused to look at him until you were finished as well, not wanting to ruin the surprise. So he sat out there waiting for you while you fixed your hair and makeup relentlessly, watching the time pass by ever so slowly.

“Give me one more second!” you called out to him, adjusting one final strand of hair. You checked your makeup one last time before opening the door, revealing yourself to a Shawn who was sat perched on the end of the bed, phone in hand. 

He looked up at the sound of the door opening, his mouth dropping open ever so slightly, “Damn, you look just perfect.” 

You willed the heat in your cheeks to go away, “Thank you. You don’t look half as bad yourself. Quite dashing if I say so.” It was true, he was wearing a simple black button up with black dress pants that fit to his thighs perfectly as he stood up in front of you. His outfit shouldn’t have looked as attractive to you as it did, maybe it was something about the way he had the top few buttons open to reveal the small amount of chest hair he was currently sporting or the way his hair was styled to perfection with your favorite curl hanging out in front, but your heart couldn’t stop fluttering at the sight of him. And then it dropped the moment you realized that you weren’t the girl that got to walk hand in hand with him that night.

“Before we go I have something for you.” Shawn turned towards his bag where he pulled out one single rose for you, “I know I’m not your date this year, but it felt wrong to break tradition. Besides, needed to make sure a beautiful girl like you got a flower in case Grant dropped the ball.”

You were suddenly extremely aware of how close he was to you, his nose almost touching yours. His eyes flickered to your lips for a brief moment, so fast that you couldn’t even tell by the way you were so focused on his breath hitting your lips. “Thank you,” you whispered, “You shouldn’t have.”

“I definitely should have.” His eyes went to your lips once again, this time letting them linger slightly longer so you got the hint. Your hands were trapped holding the rose against his chest as his hands ghosted over your hips, fingertips teasing the fabric of your dress. Shawn tilted his head ever so slowly, nudging your nose with his until your lips parted with a breath.

The sound of your phone ringing broke the two of you apart in a hurry as though you were both afraid of being caught. You scrambled away from him, heading to your dresser to grab a hold of your phone, Grant’s name lighting up the screen making the guilt in your stomach grow. “Hey, Grant, what’s up?”

“Hey are you going to be here soon?” his voice filled your ear.

“Yeah, I’m leaving right now.”

“Perfect, can’t wait to see you.”

“Can’t wait to see you either,” your voice came out soft before you ended the call, bringing your phone down slowly to face Shawn. He had the same conflicted look in his eyes that you couldn’t decipher as he held eye contact with you. 

He let out a deep sigh, picking up his bag that was on the floor, “We should probably go.”

“You’re right,” you agreed, but made no move to head towards the door.

Shawn came over to you, placing his hands in his pockets. “Grant’s waiting for you.” You nodded your head. “Jessica’s waiting for me.” You nodded once again. He let out another sigh, putting a soft hand on your cheek and a kiss to your hair, “We need to go.” You watched as he walked towards the door, looking back at you once he reached the doorway, and you had no choice but to follow suit.

____________________

Oh my god, I almost kissed Shawn. We almost kissed and we would’ve kissed if Grant hadn’t called me. Oh my god Grant. Why didn’t I think of Grant when I was with Shawn? Shawn’s my best friend, I can’t like him like that. Does he like me like that? Can you imagine if he liked me like that? 

“We’re here.” You looked over at Shawn who hadn’t uttered a single word to you the entire way here and was already proceeding to get out of the car without you. The door slammed shut and you winced, not understanding why he was so angry about what happened. Did he really want to kiss you that bad? Your heart couldn’t help but beat faster at the thought of him wanting to kiss you, but you willed it away, instead choosing to clamer out of the car after Shawn and attempt to focus your thoughts on Grant who was without a doubt waiting behind that door for you. 

“Shawn, wait up!” you called out as you ran after him, almost catching up to him as he reached the top of the steps before your heel got caught on the step and sent you tumbling forward. The second a squeal left your lips, Shawn’s arms were already around you, effectively saving you from a face plant on the concrete. You looked at him breathlessly, trying to compose yourself after what felt like a near death experience, “Thank you.”

“Are you alright?” he asked, concern evident in his eyes. Even when he was combating his emotions he still cared so deeply about you.

“Yeah I’m fine. I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for you though…”

“Y/n, there you are!” Grant opened the door, with a wide grin on his face, but upon noticing the position you and Shawn were in, his brows furrowed, “Are you two ok?”

“What?” you looked between the two of you, “Oh, we’re perfect. Just took a little tumble up the stairs is all.” Shawn pulled you up with an arm around your waist until you were stable on your feet before immediately retracting as though you were made of fire. 

“Thanks for saving her man,” Grant told him, clapping his shoulder as he snaked an arm around your waist, “Jessica’s been asking about you in there by the way. Told her you’d find her when you got here.”

“Right, thanks.” Shawn awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck before excusing himself to push past the two of you into the house.

Grant leaned in closer to you as you both watched Shawn leave, “Is he alright?”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t worry about him,” you reassured him, “Why don’t we get something to drink?”

“Sounds perfect.” Grant took your hand softly into his, leaving a light kiss to your cheek and leading you into the noisy house.

____________________

It had been hours since you arrived at the loud, people filled house. You had barely seen Shawn the whole night; you thought you might have seen him and Jessica making out in a corner at one point, but the multi-color lights in the house didn’t exactly make picking people out of the crowd as easy as it usually was. You had spent the entire night with Grant attached to your hip, whether it was while you were getting a drink, talking to friends, or dancing, he was always right by your side. His hands were currently on your hips, chest pressed to your back and peppering gentle kisses to your exposed neck as you swayed in rhythm to the beat of the song blaring through the speakers. The two of you hadn’t kissed yet, but with the way the drinks were affecting you, you doubt that statement would stay true for long. You were nursing your almost empty drink, the description of the contents long forgotten, all you knew was that your body had a nice tingly sensation running through it and your head was feeling just foggy enough that you knew exactly what you were doing, but you were willing to make some decisions you definitely wouldn’t make sober. Grant pressed a longer kiss to the back of your ear before whispering into it, “Stay here. I’m just going to run to the bathroom.” 

You nodded your head in his direction, taking the time to look around at the people around you. After waiting a few minutes for his return, you became bored and took it upon yourself to get yourself a new drink. You had been here enough that even drunk you knew your way to the kitchen so you easily maneuvered through the clusters of couples until you pushed open one of the entrances to the kitchen. No matter how much you desperately wished you couldn’t recognize the brown haired boy that was in there with you, there was no amount of alcohol that could make you forget his defining features. At the sound of the door closing, his head perked up to look at you and you became painfully aware of how the two of you were the only ones in there as you stared into his honey colored eyes. “Hey,” you breathed out, stepping closer until you were practically shoulder to shoulder with him. 

“Hey,” he bumped your shoulder with his, “Long time no see.”

The loopy smile he gave you told you that he was also feeling the alcohol, but probably only as much as you; the man knew how to hold his drinks. “Whatcha doing in here?”

“Told Jessica I’d get the both of us something more to drink,” he motioned to the two cups in front of him, “What about you? Where’s Grant?”

“Bathroom,” you replied, leaning back onto the counter, “I got bored waiting for him out there.” 

You lifted up Shawn’s hand that was resting next to you and began tracing the pattern on his fingertips. “What are you doing, love?” he laughed, the pet name slipping out as they usually did when he had some alcohol in his system.

“Playing with your hand.” You locked hands with him while he moved in front of you to make it all the more easier for you to continue your task. His large body trapped you against the counter, but you hardly noticed until his breath fanning over your face tore your attention away from his hand. “You’re very handsome you know,” you smiled, releasing his hand to run your finger over the light scar on his face, “So pretty.”

He let out a breathy laugh as he moved his now free hand to the counter to fully lock you in between his body, “That’s funny coming from someone who looks like those goddesses we used to learn about in school.”

“I don’t look like a goddess…” your voice trailed off, too occupied with outlining the features of his face.

“Yeah you do. Look like the prettiest one...what was her name again?” He smirked down at you, knowing Greek mythology used to be one of your favorite topics in school.

“Aphrodite?”

“Mhm, that’s the one. Swear you’re a real life Aphrodite.” He moved in closer to you, brown eyes boring into you and forcing your gaze back into them. He heard your breath catch in your throat as his nose touched yours, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing...you’re just close is all.”

“I am close,” he whispered, biting his lip when he felt the hand you had on his jaw move to his neck. “Y/n?”

“Yeah?”

“What would you do if I kiss you right now?”

Your wide eyes batted up at him innocently from where he was towering over you, your heart absolutely racing, “I’d kiss you back.” 

And with that his lips connected to yours feverishly, his body pressing to yours harder. His lips were soft and you could taste the alcohol from whatever drink he had been sipping on before that made him intoxicating. He licked tentatively over your bottom lip, practically groaning into your mouth when you immediately opened up for him. You tasted so sweet to him, so sweet that he swore he could easily become addicted to your taste. He pulled your bottom lip between his teeth, eliciting a soft moan from you that made his grip on the counter tighten and his hips push against yours harder. You could feel a bulge pressing against your lower stomach and you couldn’t help letting out another moan that Shawn eagerly swallowed into a kiss. Pulling him closer to you by his hair, he took that as a sign to thread his right hand through the base of your hair, the other hand reaching down to harshly pull your leg around his hip. Your hips bucked against his as his tongue fought yours for dominance that you easily gave him. 

Just as his hand was about to run up your thigh, the door to the kitchen burst open and Shawn swiftly moved completely away from you and back in front of the drinks he had originally come in for. You almost whined at the sudden lack of content, but the look of shock on the stranger’s face shut you up. It only took one look at your wide eyes and swollen lips and the sudden wrinkles in Shawn’s shirt for them to hastily exit the room with an apology spilling from their lips. 

The second they were gone you made your way back to Shawn, who was breathing heavily as he stared at the counter. You placed your hand on his chin, bringing his face back to you. Using your thumb to swipe at a rogue smudge of lipstick that had transferred onto him, you looked at him carefully, swallowing thickly when he placed a gentle kiss to the pad of your finger. You looked him in the eyes for the first time since your heated moment and while you could only see what you believed to be lust in his eyes, he saw yours change from lust to fear and to what finally made his heart drop: regret. “Oh my god,” you breathed out, successfully dodging Shawn’s attempt to grab your arm.

“Y/n wait!”

“I’m sorry, Shawn.”

“Please!” was the last thing you heard before you shut the door to the kitchen and rushed through the crowd of people. Your breathing was becoming erratic the deeper into your thoughts you got until you felt you were on the verge of a panic attack with no one to save you.

“There you are,” Grant sighed relieved, causing you to jump when his hand wrapped around your arm, “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” 

“Sorry, I was bumped around in the crowd and got lost trying to find you again,” you lied, trying to avoid his eyes.

“That’s alright, I’m just glad you’re here,” he smiled at you, his brows furrowing while his hand came up to your lips, “Hold on your lipstick is a little smudged.”

Your eyes grew ten times wider, “Um, I think I must have just messed it up while I was drinking or something.”

“Ok, do you want to go dance again?”

“Yeah, uh, that sounds great…” your eyes met a frantic Shawn’s as he searched for you in the crowd, “You know what, I actually think I’m going to go home.”

“What?” Grant asked, confused as he followed you through the people.

“I just don’t feel good all of a sudden, it has nothing to do with you I swear. You’re amazing, I just need to go.” 

“Stay here overnight, don’t go home.”

“Grant, I don’t feel well.”

“I know, I don’t want that. I mean you’re gorgeous and everything, but if you’re not feeling well then obviously not. It’s just, I’m not in the right mindset to drive, it’s frigid out there, and a drunk girl all alone in an uber sounds like a horrible idea. So why don’t you just stay? I’ll sleep on the floor so you can sleep in my bed.”

“I don’t know…”

“Please, I just want you to be safe.” 

Your eyes lingered over to wear Shawn was still watching you, this time with Jessica in front of him, obviously trying to get his attention onto her. “You know what...sure. I’ll stay.”

A bright smile formed on Grant’s face, “Perfect, let’s get you all settled then.” He grabbed your hand and led you up the stairs toward his room, Shawn’s eyes following you with a heavy heart.

____________________

The next morning you bumped into Shawn in the hallway as you were exiting Grant’s room wearing his clothes he had let you borrow to sleep in for the night. Neither of you said a word as you silently made your way past him and down the stairs towards Grant’s car while Grant came strolling out of his room with his classic smile on his face, having no clue how heart broken Shawn felt when he gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

____________________

It had been a week since you last spoke to Shawn. Not a single message or interaction between the two of you. You didn’t know what you would say if you even had approached him, but you hadn’t gotten the chance to find out. Having to pack up your dorm for the semester gave you an excuse for not talking and a way to busy yourself to get your mind off of him. But no matter what you did Shawn Mendes was still hanging in the back of your mind, taunting you with replays of different moments with him over and over again. You were lucky that this time you hadn’t been planning on driving back home with him so you didn’t have to face him on the hours long drive back, though you knew that didn’t mean you wouldn’t be seeing him at some point upon your arrival. All these thoughts were swimming through your head as you pulled into your parent’s driveway, immediately being met with a swarm of greetings from your family. You seemed to have arrived before Shawn, which you felt incredibly fortunate for as you were ushered into the house. 

You didn’t see Shawn the whole first week you were there either, no matter how much your heart ached for him. You found yourself more often than not wondering what he was doing just next door and if he was thinking about you too or if you had already become something unattainable and therefore not worth his time. Even though you knew he wasn’t that type of person, the little devil on your shoulder kept telling you that he wanted nothing to do with you anymore.

Christmas Eve you were tucked into your bed, soft breaths coming from your mouth. The snow was coming down in light, fluffy flakes, just enough that it was the pretty white Christmas you always loved without the terrible snow storm you couldn’t stand. The first knock on your window sounded like the wind, but the second one was unmistakable, abruptly pulling you from your sleep and to the window. A gasp escaped your lips when you saw Shawn’s face staring back at you and you hurried to open your window for him. “Thank god,” he chuckled, “It’s freezing out there.” Shawn had been climbing up the side of your house to reach your room since you were young, so it truly should have been no surprise to you that he was scaling it in the snow.

“What do you want, Shawn?” you sighed, already making your way back into bed as he followed you, “It’s two in the morning.”

“That it is,” he agreed, “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” you turned to face him, eyes only opening slightly in your sleepy haze.

He brushed a stray piece of hair out of your face, “You’re so cute when you’re half asleep like this.”

You shrugged his hand away, “Shut up.”

“It’s true,” he whispered with his hand still lingering on your face, “My little Aphrodite.”

Your eyes shot wide open, your senses suddenly wide awake, “What’d you just call me?”

“My little Aphrodite.”

You sat up next to him. “Ok, Shawn, what do you want? Why did you come here in the middle of the night on Christmas nonetheless?”

“Can’t I just say hello to my best friend?”

“You haven’t said hello to your best friend in two weeks so that’s not a good excuse.”

“Don’t say that like you haven’t been avoiding me either,” he chuckled darkly.

“I couldn’t face you, Shawn!” you choked out, eyes beginning to well up with tears as you scooted away from him, “I couldn’t, not after....not after that night.”

There was a heavy silence for a moment before Shawn spoke harshly, “Why’d you hook up with Grant that night?”

“What?”

“Why’d you hook up with Grant?”

“I didn’t hook up with Grant,” you spat out, “Why would you even think that?”

“You really expect me to believe that after I saw you not only go upstairs with him, but also leave his room the next morning wearing his clothes!”

“I do expect you to believe it because nothing happened! I wanted to leave after what happened because I didn’t want to be in the same room as you anymore and he offered me a place to stay since it was cold and I was drunk. Nothing. Happened.”

“You didn’t want to be in the same room as me? Wow.” He shook his head, leaning back against your headboard on the other side of the bed, “One second I have your leg around me, moaning in my mouth, and the next you’re leaving me without an explanation and now you’re going to tell me you couldn’t stand to be in the same room as me?!”

“You don’t understand…”

“What don’t I understand?!”

“I couldn’t be in the same room with you after I realized something…”

“What did you realize, huh? What was so groundbreaking that you couldn’t even stand to see me?”

“That I was freaking in love with you!” Your mouth hung open. You had mulled over the thought of loving Shawn in the weeks you were apart, but you dismissed it every time, not believing you could have allowed yourself to fall in love with your best friend. Shawn stared at you with bated breath, his silence slowly killing you from the inside. 

Just as you were about to hide under your blanket in embarrassment, you felt something warm covering your mouth and a hand in your hair, his lips moving softly on yours. You sighed into his mouth, wrapping your arms around him eagerly to let him push you back onto your bed. He hovered on top of you, holding you close to him as he kissed you with every ounce of passion inside of him, stealing your breath away completely. His kisses were gentle, but still heavy with emotion. He parted from you to let you both catch your breaths, placing light kisses to your cheeks. “I am so in love with you, Y/n. You have no idea.” 

He left one last searing kiss on your lips before pulling away and leaning off the bed to retrieve a small wrapped box. “I got you something for Christmas.” 

You gingerly took the small box in your hand, carefully pulling off the paper to reveal a small black box. You looked up at him with curious eyes, but he only nodded his head for you to continue, placing a gentle hand on your thigh. Opening the box, a beautiful silver dove charm was revealed to you on a necklace, the light of your room catching off of it making it shine. “Shawn…” you breathed out, “it’s gorgeous.”

“It’s a dove. You know, the symbol of Aphrodite,” he smiled at you nervously, “Do you like it?”

“Of course, I love it. Put it on for me?”

Shawn pulled your back into his chest and brushed your hair out of the way to place the delicate necklace around you. Once the necklace was clasped, he left the softest of kisses to your shoulder. “There you go. Perfect for my little Aphrodite.”

[weuschoiceheart]

🔑 Keiys to Your Heart - Romeo and Juliet (2)

Taglist: @mysticpenguincreation @soft-black-teabag @dusk-carnival @raftel-is-waiting @bluejayjay @lifeisamuffin @sparkling-nights @thenoceurgirl @affectionaterainoflove (send an ask if you want to be tagged!)

(This part is pretty long, probably the longest fic I’ve written so far, you have been warned).

Genre: fluff, mostly CrAcK, pining, Pining, PINING, theater!au, Seon playing matchmaker with Jaeho as his sidekick, K x female!reader

Warning: cursing, prepare yourself for cringe 

Summary: In which Seon is sick of seeing K and Y/n pine for each other, so when the school play started up, he forced the K to audition, hoping he’ll get the main role while Y/N (typical theater student) gets Juliet. To his shock, however, another student snatches Juliet’s role and Seon is forced to rethink his plan.

Part 2/? : <— Previous      Next —>

————— ————— ————— ————— —————

“Stop pacing, it’s making my head spin.”

Ignoring his friend, Seon continued pacing. Jaeho was only here for the food anyway. Well, food and maybe to lent some extra braincells (not that he had any, for that matter).

“What are you thinking about?” Jaeho asked, popping another potato chip into his mouth. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”

“I have to find some way to convince him to audition....” Seon swung around in a u-turn, bumping into the coffee table. Jaeho let out a yelp as he just barely stopped the snack bowl from tipping over.

“Ok, what is it? What are you so agitated—”

Seon’s phone rang from the couch, and Seon instinctively went to grab it. Seeing the caller ID, he raised his eyebrows at Jaeho, who only frowned at him, confused. “Who is it?” he mumbled through a mouthful of gummies.

Seon answered the call and put it on speaker, K’s loud voice instantly spilling through the phone.

“Seon, this is all your fault!”

“Huh?” Jaeho turned to Seon, now more puzzled than ever. A slow smile spread over Seon’s face, having an inkling of what K was talking about.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, K.”

He heard his friend take a deep breath over the phone, and there was a pause, before he finally forced the words out. “I told her that I would audition for the play.”

“Wait, what?” Jaeho sat up quickly, the snacks in his hands flying everywhere. “You’re going to try out for Romeo and Juliet?”

“Yes...” K’s voice sounded almost mournful. “I’m going to try out and fail miserably in front of my crush.”

“Oh, don’t say it like that,” Seon responded gleefully. Well, that’s the first part done. “Just practice your lines, and you’ll make it. Now go start writing out your confession, lover boy.”

“What—I don’t—” K spluttered upon hearing Seon’s words. “What do you mean, confession?!”

Too late, Seon had already hung up.

K threw the phone onto his bed and flopped onto his stomach. Grabbing a pillow, he screamed into it.

Seon put down his phone and clapped his hands together. “Well, let’s get to work.”

“I don’t even know what we’re working on,” Jaeho sighed as he picked up the chips on the floor with a napkin. He pouted slightly. Poor snacks.

“We’re gonna make sure K confesses soon, and since Y/N is also auditioning, well, let’s just say her Romeo will finally express his undying love for his Juliet,” Seon answered. “And to do that, I’ll need your help.”

Jaeho flicked a piece of chip at Seon. “Why are you so invested in his love life when you can’t even handle yours with Artz-”

Seon grabbed a gummy bear from the snack bowl and threw it at Jaeho, who caught it in his mouth, effectively shutting him up. “Look, we knew that idiot has been in love with Y/N for years already, and if we don’t do something, he’ll probably regret it later after he graduates and never sees her again. Now here’s his chance. So grab whatever braincells you have and help me.”

———————————————————————————

You were not ready to face an angry mama dragon.

Well, your day was already ruined already, so you’d prefer hearing Giulia nagging at you for not bringing an umbrella than having to face another day at school.

And the auditions for the play too.

You mentally screamed as you dashed across the courtyard and ducked under the school awning, finally out of the rainstorm. With sleep deprivation at its peak, school projects, and exams, you had barely squeezed in time to practice for the play.

Great, now you’ll try out and fail miserably in front of your crush.

Letting out a yell in frustration, you stamped your feet, accidentally stepping in a puddle. Lovely, this is absolutely lovely. You tried to shake the water out of your shoes and looking up, you saw nearby students cast you weird glances. Ducking your head in embarrassment, you sighed and decided to drag your sodden body inside.

At least it’s warmer in here, you thought glumly. The bell hasn’t rung yet, so maybe you can go to a secluded area and practice your lines, that is, if you can just stop dripping water on the floor and hopefully don’t slip on the way to your locker—

“Y/N!”

You almost slipped when you heard the voice, shutting your eyes tight. Please not now, not him, he can’t see me in this mess, oh god, can this day get worse?

“Y/N.” K caught you before you can fall on your face and embarrass yourself further. The two of you stood there, staring at each other. You can see his face turning red at your touch, and you can feel yours heating up too. Clearing your throat awkwardly, you pulled away, much to his disappointment.

“Are you alright?” K felt dumb asking the question, since it was clear from your frazzled appearance that you were far from alright. Suddenly thinking of an idea, he put his bag down and rummaged through it. “Here,” he brought out the towel he always kept with him for track team. “Use this to dry yourself off.”

Blinking in surprise, you shook your head. “It’s fine, you need it—”

“I have another one in my dance bag, don’t worry.” Before you can refuse again, K started to dry your head and face, his hand brushing against your lips slightly, and you swear your heart was about to stop. “You need it more than I do right now, anyway.”

Never in your life did you expect to be standing at the entrance hall of your school, with your crush two inches away from you as he fixes your messy self. Never in your life did you think your heart will pound any faster. Or that you’ll ever get this opportunity again.

“Thank you,” you mumbled shyly as K stepped away, a gentle smile on his face as he studied you. Maybe this day isn’t so bad after all. “Sorry for wasting your time, my dumbass forgot to bring an umbrella to school today.”

“Yeah, um, no problem,” K stuttered out. Damn, how did I even have the courage to stand that close to her? “Wait, you don’t have an umbrella?”

“No, no, no, I’ll be ok,” you said, not wanting to trouble him further as he held out his umbrella to you. “I’ll share with my friends, I don’t want you to end up like me.”

“I’ll be fine, really,” he looped the handle of his umbrella onto your wrist. “I’ll just share with Jay. Besides, by the time track practice ends, it would stop raining anyway.”

“Oh...thanks,” you said, flustered by his kindness. “I don’t know how to repay you.”

He titled his head, confused. “You don’t ever have to repay me, Y/N. I’ll gladly do anything for you.”

At this point, you’re sure your heart was about to burst. K, realizing what he just said, turned a darker shade of red. The two of you stood there awkwardly, staring at anything but each other, and you were about to speak up again before another voice rang out from behind you.

“Hey! What are you two lovebirds up to?”

Artzyy strode up to you, looking between you and K. Noticing the tension in the air, xe grinned. “Oh, am I interrupting something?”

“No, nothing,” K hurriedly scrambled to grab his bag, his train of thought broken. “I have to meet up with Hanbin for dance practice, see you two later!” Sending you a wave, he walked away.

“So I did interrupt something,” Artzyy turned back to you, eyebrows raised. “Care to explain what happened?”

You barely registered what xe was saying, still staring at K’s back disappearing around the corner. A smile stretched across your face as you touched the spot where his hands met your lips, the warm feeling in your chest expanding. Noticing your dazed expression, Artzyy couldn’t help laughing. “You look like a lovestruck fool.”

“Maybe I am....or maybe this is a dream and I need to wake up...”

“Well, wake up you will because the bell should ring any minute now,” Artzyy snapped xyr fingers in front of your face, shaking you out of your reverie. “Gods, you really are more whipped than Moona.”

You shoved xyr side playfully, as you shouldered your bag. “Don’t compare me to Moona when you’re the same.”

Artzyy eyes widened at your statement. “I- I don’t know what you’re talking about, let’s just go.” Xe grabbed your arm and pulled you along, and you laughed to yourself. It’s so easy to embarrass xem.

“Mhm, sure. Like Choi Seon isn’t your phone wallpaper.”

“I’m who’s wallpaper?”

Artzyy whipped around upon hearing the voice, and you almost laughed out loud at xyr expression when xe noticed that Seon was walking behind you two. Deciding to spare xyr embarrassment, you calmly said. “Hey, Seon.”

“Do you know where K went? I need to talk to him about something.” You can feel Artzyy let out a breath behind you, relieved that Seon wasn’t going to interrogate xem. Huh, and you said my love life needs work.

“He went to the dance studio, to practice with Hanbin,” you answered, right as the bell rang. Seon nodded his thanks before turning to go. Artzyy slowly peeked out from behind your shoulder, then hid again when he faced you once more.

“Good luck at the auditions.” Flashing you a mischievous smile, he ran off. Frowning to yourself, you wonder what that look could mean, as Artzyy tugged at your arm to go. Following xem, you took a deep breath and grinned as your mind flashed back to your encounter with K.

Yeah, maybe today isn’t going to be so bad after all.

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

K fidgeted nervously in his seat, uncomfortable with the atmosphere in the room. If he had been smart and kept his mouth shut, he would’ve been practicing choreography with the rest of the dance team right now. But instead, he’s sitting in the auditorium, with the lights off and spotlighted on stage, waiting for an audition he wasn’t prepared for. Well, he tried his best to prepared for it (Hanbin, bless his kind heart, had volunteered to do Juliet’s lines so K can memorize Romeo’s, with Jay and Geonu laughing their asses off in the background), and he did, somehow, know the lines, but once he get up stage, he knew all of that would fly out the window.

“Didn’t expect to find you here, K.”

K turned at the familiar voice, seeing a tall girl sit down next to him. “Oh, hey.... Minsoo. Long time no see.” He hadn’t seen her for over a year, ever since they broke up last summer. He suddenly remembered that she was also a theater student, like you, and realized that she must be auditioning for the lead role as well.

The girl hummed in response, then gestured to the script in his hand. “You’re trying out for the play?”

“Oh, yeah...” K muttered awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

Minsoo tilted her head to the side, an amused expression on her face. “Really? When did you become so interested in theater?”

“Oh, uh-” K racked his mind for some excuse, and stuttered out, “I just decided to, I don’t know, try something new.” He shrugged, as if it was no big deal, and mentally cringed inside.

“Ah...” Minsoo, looking unconvinced, sat back in her chair. “Lead role, too?”

“Yeah.” K’s gaze became distracted as he saw you took center stage, and he leaned forward, curious to see your audition. Unlike previous years, you seem to be more nervous this time, tapping your feet anxiously, fiddling with your fingers. Across from you, K saw Youngbin, one of the vocal students and Jake’s friend, who seem to also be trying out for Romeo as well. The director, Ms. Jino, signaled for them to start.

Following K’s gaze, Minsoo snickered upon seeing his besotted expression as he watched you perform. So that’s why...

“I really hope she gets the role...” K murmured as your audition finished. He started fidgeting again as he waited for his name to be called. Any minute now.

“Well, there’s a lot of girls trying out for Juliet this year,” Minsoo remarked, “I’m actually surprised by the amount. Maybe they’re trying to get on Ms. Lee’s good side by auditioning.”

“Really?” K scanned the room, and found out that she was right. The auditorium was half full with people coming in for auditions, and more were coming in as well. Most of the girls look almost as nervous as he is, anxiously practicing their lines. Y/N would still get in though, I know she would.

Minsoo shrugged. “I’m sure Ms. Jino would find the perfect one for the role among the people who just do it for a grade.”

K quirked an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure you’re not doing this for the grade?” he teased.

“Hey, I’m offended,” Minsoo replied, pretending to sound affronted. “You know I’m not like that.”

“Sure you aren’t,” K playfully bounced back.

“At least I’m not doing it for a crush.”

“I’m- what?” K blinked in surprise. How did she know?

“Gotcha,” Minsoo laughed, “Oh, hey, there she is right now.”

You dragged yourself from backstage, head low and spirits even lower. Seriously, Y/N? Is this all you got? The audition went by pretty smoothly, except for some parts where you just blanked out and had to improvise on the spot. But you knew that you have to be better than this to get in, because judging by the mass number of girls auditioning, you knew that the teachers would analyze every part from the facial expressions to line delivery. Another failed audition, you thought to yourself, sighing as you closed the stage door, stopping at the sight in front of you.

You knew you shouldn’t feel this weird feeling in your chest, seeing K joking around with his ex-girlfriend, but you couldn’t help it. They only dated for a few months, and Minsoo has always been nothing but nice to everyone, so why do you have this terrible feeling of jealousy?

You really thought this day would get better just because your crush helped you out? Now you screwed up your audition and he probably likes someone else.

Pushing these thoughts out of your head, you swallowed a lump in your throat and rushed out of the auditorium. You can hear K calling your name behind you, but you ignored it and hurried on, afraid that if you turned back you’ll just burst into tears right there and then.

K deflated, eyebrows knit in worry as he slumped in his seat. “What happened? Why did she run off like that?”

Minsoo frowned in thought, looking at your retreating figure. Her eyes wandered to K and herself, then mentally face-palmed. “K, you’re a dumbass.”

“What?” Girls are so confusing. Right at that moment, he heard his name called, along with Minsoo’s, and he scrambled up, heart pounding. It’s time.

“When you’re done with this, make sure to go and talk to her, ok? So she doesn’t get the wrong idea,” Minsoo said as they climbed the stage steps. K nodded, casting another worried look at the auditorium’s doors, even though you were long gone.

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

“Why the hell does he keep calling his lover Bambi?”

“It’s wordplay, Moona. “Bambi” in Korean means night shower, and he uses this imagery along with Disney references throughout the song, and the album itself, to enhance the music.”

“So he’s basically calling his lover a deer.”

“It’s a metaphor. Besides, the only deer you know is Heeseung, anyways.”

“Hey, there’s no need to attack me like—Y/N, are you ok?”

You plopped down on one of the seats outside the cafe, where you and your friends decided to meet up after school. The rain has cleared up earlier than expected, so you didn’t have to use the umbrella that K lent you, thankfully. Using it might just cause your emotions to spiral out of control again. I’l just return it tomorrow, you thought, forcing a smile on your face as you looked at your friends.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“Oh, stop lying, you’re not,” Star studied you carefully. “What’s wrong?”

Sighing, you buried your face in your hands. “I failed the auditions.”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t think like that,” Moona pushed a slice of cheesecake over to you. “You just did the audition, and they won’t announce the results until at least next week. Calm down and eat some cheesecake.”

“You should copyright that slogan and put it on a mug,” Star snickered. She pushed a cup into your hand. “Here’s your comfort drink, by the way. We know how stressed you get after auditions.”

You finally let a small smile settle on your face, taking a sip of the drink. Gosh, what would you do without your friends. “Thanks guys.”

“Nah, no need to thank us, we got you.” Taking a sip of her own drink, Moona said, “Hey, there’s Giulia now.”

“I’m so so sorry, I swear to god, if I have to hear that stupid customer yell at me one more time, I’ll scream,” Giulia plopped down next to you, then turned concerned at the look on your face. “Honey, you ok?”

“No,” you took a bite of cheesecake, savoring the sweet flavor in your mouth. You just wanted to distract yourself from this horrid day. “Wait, where’s Artzyy?” you asked, realizing that someone was missing.

“Xe had a group project with Seon,” Star grinned mischievously, wiggling her eyebrows. “So xe had to cancel today.”

“Oh.” On any other day, you would’ve joined in on teasing Artzyy, but xyr relationship with Seon just reminded you of how you ditched K back in the auditorium, and guilt started piling up inside you. Even if you were jealous, you shouldn’t have abandoned him like that, and he’s probably worried that he did something wrong. Which he didn’t. It’s just this crappy ass day of yours, and this dark cloud hanging over your head, shrouding your emotions, your thoughts, your stupid feelings—

“Alright,” Giulia clapped her hands together, interrupting your thoughts. “I know you always get stressed over auditions, but you’re not like this. What is wrong, Y/N? You can tell us, we’ll listen.”

You looked up to see Moona and Star also giving you similar troubled expressions, and you shook your head. “It’s just...a bad day. Nothing is going right.” Your voice cracked at the last syllable, and you will yourself to not cry. Everything felt too much, school, the play, your love life.

Your friends shared a look, before they scooted over to embrace you in a group hug. You relaxed against their arms, feeling comforted at last.

“Things will get better,” Giulia soothed. “Hang in there, ok? You’re stronger than all of this, Y/N.”

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

“What’s the matter? You look like someone just rejected you.”

K glared at him, and Seon comprehended that maybe that wasn’t the right choice of words. He sighed and took a seat beside his friend on the bleachers. “What’s wrong?”

K flicked through his phone, before turning it off with a defeated sigh. “She’s not answering my calls, or my messages. She just dashed out after the auditions without even looking at me. Even though I called after her.”

Seon frowned, puzzled by K’s words. “Why?”

“I don’t know!” K threw his hands up in frustration, running a hand through his hair. “She just...ran away.”

Seon opened his mouth to say something, but K’s coach yelled for everyone to get on the field to start practicing again. Seon watched as K, with a broken expression, climbed down the bleachers and headed onto the tracks. Staring after him, Seon started to feel like everything was not going according to plan. At all. He took out his phone to text Jaeho about the latest development.

Seon: Something’s wrong….

Jaeho: Why? What happened now?

Seon: The couple dynamics are weird.

Jaeho: The only weird couple dynamic is you making kissy faces at Artzyy while she tries to avoid looking at you when you two were working on the project.

Seon: I was NOT making kissy faces! And this isn’t about Artzyy, I’m talking about K and Y/N.

Jaeho: Oh. So….change of plans?

Seon: No, not yet. Not until they announce the audition results. I just….have a bad feeling about this.