#and football talk… remember a guy I liked was close to being recruited to the nfl…. I miss him | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

vannahfanfics · 3 years ago

Text

Heavenly Bodies

Category: Romantic Fluff

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Characters: Mina Ashido, Eijirou Kirishima

Additional Tags: Quirkless AU

Howdy, everyone! Today I have my story for the @ashidobigbang! I had the privilege of working with the wonderful @mallowfac, so be sure to go give her beautiful art some love!

The picturesque campus of U.A. High School was always abuzz with activity, even after the final bells rang to mark the end of the school day. As expected of the number-one high school in the district, the institution hosted a vast number of after-school sports and clubs, so much that it was almost unheard of for a student to be uninvolved in anything. Thus, even as the sun had sunk low across the sky, the halls were still packed with many students fervently discussing events and fundraising and planning, walking to and from their classrooms.

The exterior of the school was no exception; one would be hard pressed to find an empty sidewalk or field—except for today, when the American football team would be taking on the baseball team in an impromptu flag football game to determine once and for all the title of best sport. The halls and sidewalks and fields were abandoned, for the entire student body had crammed themselves within the confines of the spacious practice field nestled in the back corner of the campus. The baseball team had asserted that football was so easy that even they could do it, and the school had become divided on whether or not that was true.

“Kick their asses, Eijirou!” a particularly loud fan crowed from the top of the bleachers. He was standing tall, hands cupped around his mouth and stamping his feet as he cheered for the school’s idol and star quarterback. The bleachers sang with chants and stomps, trying desperately to smother the boos drifting from the opposite end of the field, where the baseball team’s supporters sat. Eijirou Kirishima, his grin blinding and his red hair gleaming in the spring sun, laughed nervously as praise was rained down upon him.

As Mina zeroed in on him in the lens of her binoculars, she knew she’d found her latest victim— er, recruit.

Mina Ashido was the president—and only member—of U.A.’s astronomy club. Well, it wasn’t technically a club yet since they needed two members for the administration to approve the application. An avid admirer of all things cosmological and an aspiring astronomer, Mina refused to allow her pride and joy to collapse before it had even begun. Thus, for the last few months, she’d been concocting hare-brained scheme after hare-brained scheme to recruit at least one more member and officially christen the U.A. Guild of Astronomers and Astrophysicists. All of her efforts, unfortunately, had crashed and burned brighter than a supernova.

At first, she’d just camped out in the hallways and leisure areas pitching her case and attempting to garner interest in the subject, but she’d been met with polite refusals or awkward avoidance. With so many extracurriculars available, sometimes drastic measures had to be taken to garner interest in a club— the Shakespearean drama club, for example, had performed Macbeth completely backwards in the courtyard, and their numbers had swelled immediately. Mina had cooked up a dramatic scheme of her own, which involved her running around the school screaming about a falling star and the end times. After inciting a mass school panic that led to a lockdown and police involvement, all Mina had managed to acquire was a fierce scolding, detention, and the label as a kook—not even one person expressed interest in joining her club even for the shits and giggles! No, it was clear that the inner workings of her mind were too sophisticated for humble high school students and staff, so she would have to try a more nuanced approach—manipulating the most vital high school variable: popularity.

Her first target had been gorgeous cheerleader and school sweetheart, Momo Yaoyorozu. Despite the stereotype that popular girls were great big bitches, Momo had been nothing but polite when refusing Mina, since her rigorous practice schedule would unfortunately not allow her to devote the time to the club it deserved (but they did regularly meet up for Sunday tea now!). The next one to fall into her crosshairs was the school heartthrob Shoto Todoroki. He’d entertained her for an afternoon, but he destroyed one of her very expensive telescopes while attempting a night viewing and she’d politely informed him that perhaps he wasn’t cut out for it. He didn’t seem too sad about it, though he did occasionally ask her how the recruiting was going when they met in the halls. Very sweet guy, but bless him, he was an airhead.

Thus, Mina had moved on to her next opportunity—the pride and joy of U.A.’s sports program, star American football player Eijirou Kirishima. Incredibly handsome, charismatic, and kind-hearted, Eijirou was beloved by everyone at U.A. If Mina managed to recruit him to her humble club, half the student body would be clamoring to join before it was printed in the school news the next day.

She snickered to herself as she watched him through her binoculars, hiding in the thick, leafy bushes lining the backside of the sports complex. Her cotton candy-colored hair blended well with the hydrangeas blooming amidst the emerald leaves, camouflaging her as she conducted her vital research. The redhead strode across the field with confidence, yet his sunny smile made him seem anything but arrogant. Though she couldn’t hear him, she could see his lips moving as he relayed orders to his team while they set up the play. The players seamlessly fell into an offensive stance, a testament to the faith they held in their captain—and how seriously he took their practice and performance.

A deep and bassy “huuuuup!” resounded through the field, and then the player hiked the ball. With a speed much at odds with his muscular frame, Eijirou took off down the field. Mina admittedly salivated a little as she watched his muscles ripple, his gray muscle tank displaying his biceps and triceps in mouthwatering detail. She could see the sweat shining on his skin and flicking from his hair as he whipped his head around to eye the ball that was sailing through the air toward him. The baseball team’s defense could only watch in awe as Eijirou leaped into the air over the endzone. The ball landed in his arms like it belonged there, his grip smug and sure as he landed in the touchdown zone. The supporting crowd erupted into deafening cheers, while Eijirou just smiled bashfully and gave a little wave.

Mina lowered her binoculars to compose herself, a blush dusting her cheeks. So effortless… And the crowd loves it! she thought in awe. No matter what, I have to get him to join the Astronomy Club! She snapped the binoculars back to her eyes, watching intensely. She really didn’t need to watch the entire game, but… damn, that was a mouthwatering piece of man. She had to find some way to entertain herself while she waited for the game to end and her chance to corner him to finally present itself.

Needless to say, the football team absolutely demolished the baseball team. The rival players marched back to their diamond in defeat along with their gaggle of supporters, while the crowd flooded the practice field to heft a very bemused but giddy Eijirou on their shoulders with chants of his name. They dunked the container of water over his head as soon as his feet touched the grass again, making him laugh jovially. Mina’s heart fluttered at the sound; his laugh was as sunny as the rest of him, so bright she almost felt the need to close her eyes. He was just blinding, like the most intense star.

And just like with a star, Mina gravitated toward him.

Eventually, the raucous crowd dispersed and the football team started heading to the locker rooms to change out of their sweaty gym gear. They came tromping onto the sidewalk, with Eijirou trailing in the rear dripping wet and trying to wring water out of his tank. Mina almost forgot to spring out of the bushes, too occupied with the planes of his abs being revealed each time he wrung the fabric. She remembered her mission just as he passed the hydrangea bush, and leaped out in front of him with a delighted trill.

“That was a wonderful game, Eijirou!” she squealed, throwing her arms up and hiking up one leg behind her in a cute little flourish. The redhead jumped back with a small gasp, startled by her sudden appearance and the leaves and hydrangea petals clinging to her clothes and the soft fibers of her pink hair. Once he recovered, however, he gave her a charming smile that nearly had her melting into a pile of space slush.

“Oh! Thanks. Hey, you’re, uh—” he snapped his fingers quickly as he struggled to recall her, then pointed his fingers at her in a gun-like shape once it clicked, “Mina Ashido! You have homeroom with Tsuyu from the Amphibian Care club. She talks about you when she helps run the concession stand sometimes!”

“That’s right! The one and only!” she chirped, trying to suppress the surge of anger at the fact that Tsuyu could recruit for her club about pet frogs and turtles but Mina couldn’t get one single underling. Not to worry; that will all change soon!

“This might be an odd question, but, uh… is there a reason you were hiding in the bushes?” he laughed awkwardly. Mina blushed when he leaned forward to gently brush the leaves and petals from her shoulders and hair, which made her short-circuit for a second. It was only when he looked at her inquisitively that her brain jump-started again.

“O-oh! I thought it would be fun to surprise you! Yanno, like in the movies where someone jumps out of a big ol’ birthday cake!” It was a bold-faced lie, but it wasn’t like she could tell him she was spying on him through binoculars while she schemed to reel him into her club. Trying to keep him from thinking too hard about it, she placed her hands on her hips and straightened up. “I watched your practice match with the baseball team and have decided that you’ll be a perfect fit for the Astronomy Club! So please join. <3”

Eijirou blinked owlishly at her, his bright red eyes swimming with confusion. He smiled bashfully, clearly trying not to let his utter perplexity show on his face. He rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle.

“Well, um, I’m really not sure how you made that connection watching me play…”

“The inner workings of a woman’s mind are quite an enigma~” she hummed with a waggle of her finger. Eijirou only scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and jumped when she slapped her hand down on his shoulder. “Seriously! You seem like a great fit! Please consider at least trying it out for a little while?” She batted her eyelashes demurely; if nothing else, her womanly charms could entice the burly football player to at least humor her for a while.

Sure enough, a pink blush dusted across his cheeks and a bashful smile curled onto his lips.

“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt checking it out… Stars are cool…”

“Fabulous!” she squealed, making Eijirou flinch again as she clapped her hands together and jumped up and down in elation. Even if Eijirou didn’t join permanently, just the rumor of his interest in her humble little club was liable to attract attention. “I know that you’re busy with football practice, so we’ll schedule club meetings on Friday afternoons when you don’t have them, okay?”

“Oh, that’s not necessary. I don’t want to inconvenience any—”

“Great! So it’s settled then! I’ll see you on Friday afternoon in Room 310!” With that, she jumped back into her bush, leaving Eijirou staring at the quivering leaves in confusion. Through the gaps in the branches, she saw him open and close his mouth like he wanted to say something, look around and then up at the sky with a pensive look, and then smile with a shrug of his shoulders. Mina clutched her binoculars to her chest as a smile bloomed on her own lips, but one of satisfaction. Surely this will work! The Astronomy Club will be booming in no time! She thought with a giddy snicker.

If nothing else, she could look at Eijirou’s absolutely dreamy body and face for a few club meetings and drive his fangirls nuts.

At the end of the week, Mina paced impatiently in front of Room 310, chewing her fingernails to nubs as her eyes darted back and forth around the hall. It had only been a few minutes since the final bell had rung and the students had scattered to attend to their Friday afternoon obligations (or lack thereof), but anxiety swirled in Mina’s belly at the complete emptiness of the halls. Has he stood me up? Was I too pushy? Is he secretly a great big jerk who is nice to people’s faces but scathingly berates them behind their back to his football teammates and they all laugh evilly at the unknowing victim’s expense?

With a dramatic sob, Mina flung herself against the classroom door and hugged it, her fingers just barely curling around the wide frame. Once again, it seemed that her recruitment plan had failed miserably, and she was still the sole member of the Astronomy Club. Was she a doomed stranded astronaut, left to traverse the stars in silence awaiting a bitter end? She sank to her knees, sliding down the door with a long squeeeeeeeeak and crying bitter tears. Stars were hella cool! Why did no one at this stupid high school appreciate them?

“Mina!”

Mina’s mood did a complete one-eighty when she heard Eijirou calling her name and his footsteps pounding around the corner. She jumped to her feet, her tears drying up instantly and her pout morphing into a giddy smile. The redhead came trotting up, a thin sheet of sweat on his forehead and an apologetic smile on his face.

“Sorry!” he panted. “I didn’t get a chance to warn you that my class is all the way on the first floor. I hope you weren’t waiting long!”

“No, no! I just got here mys— yeowch!”

She had still been hugging the door, so when she tried to turn to face him, she accidentally pulled it forward and smashed her fingers in the doorjamb. She screamed as her knucklebones crunched and the skin tore; the pain rocketing up her arm sprang tears to her eyes immediately, and she released a petulant whine as she retracted her bruised and bloody fingers from between the wooden door and concrete wall.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay, Mina?” Eijirou gasped, dropping his school bag and rushing to her side. Mina cradled her throbbing hand to her chest with little sniffles, curling away from the football player when he reached for it. He gave her an encouraging, sweet smile. “I know I look big and tough, but I promise, I can be gentle too. Let me see; you may have broken something.”

Whimpering but enticed by his soothing words and demeanor, Mina obediently allowed him to pull her hand forward to inspect her fingers. They were bruising already, big blotches of purple blooming around the torn and bloody skin. Eijirou leaned over her hand, and goosebumps sprouted on her skin as his warm breath puffed over her electrified skin and aching bones. With featherlight touches, he inspected her knuckles, prodding as gently as he could to feel for any deviations in the bone.

“I know this may hurt, but can you bend them?” he asked, looking up at her through his red bangs. Mina whimpered again, hesitant to comply for fear of the pain. However, the glitter in his vermilion eyes urged her to comply. She hesitantly bent her fingers, wincing as pain skittered up her nerves— but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as she thought it would. Eijirou smiled satisfactorily. “You crunched ‘em pretty good, but I don’t think anything is broken or fractured,” he said as he straightened up.

“Thanks… I can’t believe I did that,” she sighed, using her good hand to knock on the side of her head a few times. How embarrassing, injuring herself like that in front of him! “Well, now that all that drama is over, let’s go inside so I can tell you about the club.”

Eijirou followed her inside. While she rifled through the teacher’s desk for some bandages, he looked around at the desks, which were empty aside from a build-your-own-telescope kit, Mina’s completed telescope, and astronomical charts and textbooks. As Mina wrapped bandages around her fingers, he looked at her with knitted eyebrows.

“There’s no one else here yet?”

“There’s no one else to be here,” she replied with a shrug and a wan smile. “I’m the club’s only member.” When Eijirou’s eyebrows shot up to the roots of his hair, she sadly added, “If that information makes you want to leave, go ahead and do so,” she said with a wave at the door. She then looked down at the adhesive wrapped around her knuckles. “You wouldn’t be the first.”

“No, I don’t want to leave,” Eijirou said quickly. He marched up to the front of the desk, leaning against it. Mina didn’t know what to look at—his flexing muscles or his bright smile. He tilted his head slightly as he smiled charmingly at her, then said, “Tell me about your club, Mina. I want to know everything.”

Oh God, he’s hot! Mina screamed inside her head, her good hand flying to her rapidly-beating heart. It took everything within her not to absolutely swoon at the complete sweetheart of a man gracing her with his presence this Friday afternoon. Her eyes watered a little in gratitude, or maybe it was the sheer emotion at being witness to such a wonderful human being’s kindness.

Thus, Mina did as he asked. She first instructed Eijirou how to build the telescope that he would use on nights they did observations; he bungled through it a little, but remained patient and tried his best to follow the instructions. Mina had to giggle at the absolutely triumphant grin that plastered his face when he successfully assembled the telescope; he held it up over his head and pranced around—nearly giving them both a panic attack when he bumped into a desk and nearly dropped the telescope on the ground. Mina didn’t think she could handle a Shoto 2.0.

After assembling the telescope, she started him off with easy information—constellations. She unrolled her star map which had all the constellations displayed by season, explaining specifically which ones they could see at the moment. Eijirou was very excited to see them in person, so they arranged a meeting for the following week. True to form, he showed up that Friday night with his telescope and all his zeal, his smile brighter than the full moon hanging high in the sky.

“It’s hard to believe that people stared at the sky thousands of years ago and traced shapes out of ‘em!” he exclaimed as he plonked his telescope down to the ground. “And made up all these stories to go with ‘em. And all the stories and constellations are different based on what civilization was lookin’ at ‘em!”

“The stars have always been fascinating,” Mina hummed, gently setting up her telescope and adjusting the lens. “Sometimes I like to find my own constellations and make up stories about them.”

“Really? Tell me one!”

“Well, my favorite is the Alien Queen!”

“The Alien Queen?” Eijirou laughed, making Mina flush shyly. “Show me!” Not waiting for an answer, he shouldered in next to her telescope and peered into it. She flushed darker as his sturdy shoulder dug into the meat of her side, warmth blooming across her skin. With slightly trembling hands, she moved the telescope to the right section of the sky.

“Do you see that big, bright shiny star right there?” she asked, waiting until Eijirou confirmed. “Well, that’s the tip of the back of her head. If you follow them like this—” she gestated in front of the lens, tracing the star pattern— “it looks kinda like the alien from the horror movie!”

“Leave it to Mina Ashido to find the Xenomorph constellation,” Eijirou snickered, straightening up to smile at her in amusement. “No wonder you’re the club president.” Mina shyly played with the hem of her skirt, unable to control the giddy smile playing over her lips.

They spent the rest of the early evening finding the constellations and discussing the various mythologies behind each. Eijirou loved the Greek-based patterns and myths the most. Every time they pointed one out, he would flex dramatically and proclaim how much he loved the famous heroes of old—Hercules, Achilles, Odysseus, Perseus. Mina laughed at his sensational flexing and grunting each time, her giggles bouncing around the empty practice field to join the cricket song.

Monday morning, Mina was surprised to find Eijirou rushing down the hall towards her as she went to enter her classroom. His face was flushed pink and his forehead dotted with sweat, indicating that he’d sprinted all the way to her. He pin-wheeled to a stop, nearly bumping her with his broad chest, and his breath puffed in her hair as he grinned brightly down at her.

“Mina! Guess what I saw on the news this morning! The Creati comet is gonna be passing by this Wednesday, and it’ll be visible here that night!”

“Yeah, I know!” Mina cried. She’d been glued to the news program this morning as astrophysicists and space program officials discussed the once-in-a-lifetime event; it was rumored to be an absolute gorgeous comet, with a rare rosy pink-lavender tail due to its high concentrations of lithium and potassium chloride. She then blushed, warmed by the fact that Eijirou had found it so important to inform her that he’d run all the way across campus first thing in the morning.

“Yeah! We’re gonna watch it together, right?” he asked, clapping his hands on her shoulders. Mina flushed, fidgeting in place and chewing on the inside of her cheek.

“A-are you sure? I’m sure you’ll be tired after football practice.”

“Are you kidding? What kind of Astronomy Club member would I be if I didn’t see this comet?” he objected.

Mina felt her heart thrum at the statement. Does he enjoy being a member that much? She’d only recruited him as a means to an end, but was it really turning out that Eijirou liked being a member of her club? She felt her belly twist with guilt and a cold flush pulse through her body. She curled into herself a little, blood roaring in her ears and nearly drowning out what he said next.

“I know you’re planning on going to watch it, so let’s see it together, Mina!”

“Okay,” she found herself saying before she even processed it. The next two days were a similar blur of guilt and anxiety amidst preparations to view the comet Wednesday evening. All traces of excitement she would normally possess was swallowed up by the remorse poisoning her from the hard ball in the pit of her belly. She couldn’t help but obsess over the fact that she’d recruited Eijirou on false pretenses, abusing his kind heart to use his popularity for her own gain. She’d already received a flood of interest in the club once news had spread that Eijirou was seemingly an official member, but she’d evaded them with half-hearted promises that she’d contact them soon to set up a general interest meeting.

On Wednesday night she stood by the hydrangea bush, chewing on her bottom lip and tempted to hide within its emerald leaves and pink blossoms so she wouldn’t have to face Eijirou. Before she could take shelter in its branchy depths, the redhead came trotting up the sidewalk, his smile gleaming in the starlight as he called her name. His telescope flopped on his back in its canvas sheath.

“Hey, Mina!” he grinned when he came to a stop in front of her, panting slightly. Always in such a rush, she thought fondly. No wonder he’s the star quarterback. “Are you excited? I sure am!”

“Yeah,” she lied. There was no room to be excited with all the guilt filling her to the brim. Eijirou’s smile somehow managed to get brighter. Despite everything, her heart still jumped in her chest when he grabbed her hand, his thick and calloused fingers so strangely perfect around her slim ones, and pulled her onto the practice field.

“This is perfect!” he exclaimed, looking up at the starry night sky with his hands on his hips. Mina only hummed quietly, robotically unfolding a blanket and placing it over the grass. She’d arranged for the school to shut off the nighttime lights for the evening, giving them a clear view of the moon and stars. Thus, they were the only things that provided illumination as Mina and Eijirou sat down on the soft blanket together. “I didn’t know if we would want to get a better look at the comet, so I brought this!” he said excitedly, slipping the telescope off his back and setting it down between them. Mina hummed again, anxiety swirling in the pit of her belly. In the gloom, she could still see Eijirou’s bright red eyebrows scrunch.

“Mina…? What’s wrong?” he asked quietly. Mina debated lying for a moment; she nervously plucked at the loose fibers of her stockings, unable to meet his pretty vermillion eyes. The lie never got the chance to dance on her tongue. She knew she had to come clean, to tell him the truth before she toted him along even further.

“Eijirou… I have to confess something,” she admitted quietly. He shifted beside her, eyebrows raised.

“What is it?”

“I’m not as good a person as you think I am.” Her voice shook as tears flooded her eyes. She bit down on her lip as a sniffle slipped free. Eijirou looked at her in utter bewilderment, confusion swirling in those gorgeous vermillion eyes that had struck her the moment she had first seen them. He gently reached out to stroke his fingertips ever-so-lightly down her cheek; she turned away, a tear slipping down her cheek that was still tingling with his featherlight touch. “Don’t,” she begged, her voice nothing more than a strained whisper. “I don’t deserve your sympathy.”

“Mina…”

“I used you, Eijirou,” she said finally, choking the words out as her throat constricted with guilt. “I used your popularity for my own gain. I just wanted my club to be popular.”

She didn’t look at him as the silence hung heavy between them, like an anvil suspended on a slowly fraying rope. She waited with bated breath for the rope to snap and for it to plummet, for him to explode on her like he rightfully should, to tell her she was selfish and cruel and for him to storm away and never look back. She cringed when he inhaled sharply, already preparing for his raised voice.

He didn’t yell or scream or curse. Instead, his voice was heartbreakingly soft when he murmured, “That doesn’t make you a bad person. That just makes you lonely.”

Mina’s eyes fluttered as her heart swelled with hope. She didn’t resist when he cupped her cheek and gently turned her tear-stained face to look at him. Her watery eyes met his red ones, and she was so relieved to find them brimming with understanding, not hate or anger. He swept his thumb over her cheek to catch the tears still streaming over her ruddy skin.

“Mina… I knew that already,” he confessed with a small smile. She gasped in shock, while Eijirou smiled bashfully and rubbed at the back of his neck with his other hand. “As soon as you told me that you were the only member of the club, I figured that you wanted to use my popularity to recruit more people. I was a little bitter about it for a second, but… Then I saw how sad you looked.” He used both his hands to cup her cheeks and leaned forward to press his forehead to hers. “I didn’t want to see that look on your face. Even if you were using me, I wanted you to be happy.”

“Why?” she hiccuped, chest drawing tight like a balloon ready to burst. “Th-that was so horrible of me… And you still wanted to do that for me? Why?”

“Because from the moment you jumped out of that hydrangea bush, I’ve been head-over-heels for you,” he purred, mouth twitching up into a smirk. Her face flushed with a fierce, fiery blush and her mouth dropped open in shock. “And maybe I was a little hopeful that I could get you to be head-over-heels for me, too,” he added with a playful wink. Mina couldn’t help but laugh, mostly from the overwhelming relief bubbling up inside her body. She leaned into him, finding solace in how well her small body fit into his muscular one—like a lock and key, like they belonged together.

Sniffling happily, she curled her fingers into the leathery fabric of his varsity jacket and smiled joyfully.

“Well, you didn’t have to try very hard. How could I not be head-over-heels for you?”

Before they could say anything else, the sky was suddenly filled with bright light. They both turned to see that the comet had appeared among the stars. Its powdery tail streamed pinkish-blue behind the large white body, slowly traveling across the expanse of inky blue like a leisurely sailboat. Mina inhaled sharply as the pastel colors reflected in her eyes and the light danced over her skin and hair; it truly was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She was so entranced that she didn’t register Eijirou’s hand sneaking under her chin again until he turned her face back. The comet danced in his red eyes, making it a pink nebula of stars and space and beauty.

No. Those eyes of his were the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

She almost didn’t want to close her own as he leaned in to kiss her, but as soon as his lips smoothed over her own, she couldn’t help it. They drifted shut as she melted against him, savoring the gentle motions of his mouth against hers. Her heart fluttered when his hand drifted up into her cotton-candy hair, twirling around the strands like he was memorizing the feel of the silky threads. He kissed her with rising passion, like an astronaut adrift in space who’d finally found the oxygen he needed.

They pulled apart slightly panting and blushing the same color as the comet streaming slowly above their heads. He stroked her face gently, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on the blanket. She laughed when he hugged her tight, nuzzled into her hair and inhaled deeply.

“You smell like hydrangeas.”

“Eijirou, I thought we were here to watch the comet.”

“It’s pretty,” he remarked with a glance up at the sky. He then looked down at her with that dazzling smile she adored so much. “But I’ve got a heavenly body right here that I’m more interested in.”

“Oh my gosh! That’s so corny!” she howled, throwing her head back in laughter. Eijirou snickered and snuggled into the side of her face, making her laugh more at the ticklish sensation of his nose brushing her skin. He peppered butterfly kisses over every inch of skin he could find, making her squirm and giggle in his grasp.

Finally, he rolled on his side, one arm still snug around her shoulders while he watched the comet slowly make its way across the horizon. She pressed against him, warm and fuzzy and happy.

“You know, despite the circumstances, I’m still glad you asked me to join, Mina,” Eijirou said with a contented sigh. His fingers drifted up to play with the fluffy strands of her hair. Mina rested her head on his chest, smiling while she watched the comet.

“Me too, Eijirou. I can’t wait to spend the rest of the school year checking out heavenly bodies.”

Eijirou gave her a wan look as she snorted piggishly in laughter.

“You’re not going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Absolutely not. I’m already planning to sell tee shirts!”

Eijirou laughed, then rolled over to attack her with snuggles and kisses again. Mina welcomed his embrace and affections. Their laughter drifted up into the sky to join the stars and the streaming glittery trail of the comet, finding a home forever in the vastness of space…

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

#kirimina #mina x kirishima #kirishima x mina #mina ashido #ashido mina #kirishima eijirou #eijirou kirishima #my hero academia #mha #boku no hero academia #bnha

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captainseaweedbrains · 4 years ago

Note

Ship: Everlark #48

Thank you so much for sending me a prompt! I hope you enjoy! As always, drabbles don’t exist in my world. So it’s a bit longer than I anticipated. :P

Prompt: Meeting again at a high school reunion AU

Ao3: X

Send me a ship and a prompt and I’ll write a fic/drabble!

“If you don’t go over there and talk to him, I’m going to and you know I won’t edit out any embarrassing details,” Madge warned when she saw Katniss looking over at the Welcome table yet again.

Katniss scowled, the alcohol clearly not kicking in yet. “I don’t need your help, Madge.”

“You’ve been sitting here for twenty minutes, Katniss,” her friend pointed out, “watching that table like a scared hawk.”

“Can a hawk be scared?” Madge glared at her and she conceded. “All right, all right. Yes, I am acting like a scared, made-up hawk, but I can’t help it! I made a total ass of myself back in high school. I’m afraid he’ll remember.”

“Of course he’ll remember.”

“You’re no help. Why’d I bring you as my date again?”

Her friend smiled a winning smile and rubbed her swollen stomach. “Because my dearest husband decided a fishing trip with his brothers was more important than coming with me to our ten year high school reunion and he bribed you with anything you wanted from his store as thanks.”

“Right, right,” she laughed. “So why are you trying to pawn your date off on some stranger, Madge Hawthorne?”

“Please!” Madge scoffed. “Peeta Mellark is so not a stranger to you. How many times did you two hook up in high school? In the band room, under the stage in the auditorium, the Home Ec room, and correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you two do it in Abernathy’s office?”

Popping the maraschino cherry from her drink into her mouth, Katniss smiled. “I’m not confirming, nor denying, anything of the sort. We were total saints in high school.”

“Uh huh.” Madge sighed and readjusted herself in her seat. “If you were total saints, why not go over and talk about your sainthood with Peeta, then?”

Because she had broken his heart? Because 18-year-old Katniss panicked and ruined a great thing? Because she knew for a fact, thanks to Facebook and small town busybodies, that Peeta had just gotten out of an engagement with some gorgeous blonde who looked like a model and showing up now felt like cutting open an old scar? Because she was scared of telling him how she really felt then? And how those feelings haven’t really gone away and seeing him there, smiling and laughing next to Delly Cartwright as they welcomed old classmates, reminded her those feelings were definitely still there?

“Because he’s busy working the Welcome table,” she said instead. “Don’t you hate when people chit chat you up while you’re trying to work a table?”

“No, but that’s because I’m not weird about people like you are.”

“I miss the shy, barely-spoke Madge from high school,” Katniss teased, bumping her foot against Madge’s. “What happened to her?”

“I joined a sorority in college and had to do three years of recruitment,” was all she said, still giving Katniss a pointed look. “Go talk to him, Katniss. Rip the band aid off.”

She looked over at the table and frowned. “What if he tells me off? I don’t think I can handle that kind of rejection.”

“He won’t,” Madge comforted, resting a hand on Katniss’ knee. “But you won’t know until you go over and say hello. Here,” she tore off her name tag and ripped it in half, handing the two pieces over to Katniss. “Ask for a new name tag for me as your excuse to talk to him.”

She gratefully took the stickers and stood up, glancing over at the table. Two people were in line, the first person animatedly talking to both Peeta and Delly she didn’t recognize from behind. Yes, she can do this. With one long shot of her drink, she went and stood in line, Madge giving a whoop of cheer in support.

The wait wasn’t long. Five minutes tops before she was walking up to the table, the two pale blondes smiling up at her, reminding her of all those times in high school they’d be managing the ticket table at lunch for Student Council or the ticket booth for football and basketball games.

“Katniss Everdeen!” Delly welcomed in her high-pitched squeaky voice that hasn’t changed a bit in ten years. “I thought I saw you around! You silly goose, how are you? What have you been up to? How has life been treating you? How is that lovely sister of yours?”

“Delly,” Katniss smiled. Even now, after all these years, it was hard not to reciprocate the woman’s warmth and energy. “Life’s been good, thanks. Can’t complain. Still living at home with my mom and sister. Prim’s fine. Going to school to be a doctor.”

“That’s amazing! And you’re a teacher now, I hear, right?”

“Um—yes, I am.” Her eyes shifted to Peeta, who was all smiles as well, before focusing back on Delly. “I’m a high school choral director at the high school next town over.”

“You did always have a beautiful voice,” Peeta stepped in and her legs almost turned to jello at the sound of his familiar yet somewhat deeper voice. “Inspiring students to find their voices.” Ever the wordsman, Peeta Mellark was.

“Yes,” she blushed, unable to help herself. “Um. That’s a really nice way of saying I spend half my time telling my classes to quiet down so we can get some work done.” They laughed and that helped calm some of her anxiety. “How are you both? I haven’t seen either of you since we all left for college!”

Delly answered first. “I’m a proud Stay-at-Home-Mom—”

“Don’t get her started on her triplets or else we’ll be here all night,” Peeta teased, happily accepting Delly’s shove.

“Wow,” Katniss breathed. “Triplets. That’s—that’s a lot of babies!”

“That’s what Thom says—you remember Thom, right, Katniss? We all had gym together in eleventh grade. Well, he’s my amazing husband now and he’s always joking how we nailed it out of the park on the first try.” She held out her phone to show a picture of three chubby toddlers, two girls and a boy, smiling cheekily at the camera in nothing but their diapers. “Gretchen, Analise, and Tommy,” Delly explained, pointing to each happy baby. “They just turned three last month and boy, are they keeping me busy!”

Katniss nodded. “They look adorable, Delly. Look just like you.”

“Thank you. That’s what everyone says.” She put her phone away. “Anyone in your life, Katniss?”

“Oh, um. No.” She looked down at the stickers in her hand, realizing she didn’t need it now with Delly talking a mile a minute. “Work keeps me pretty busy and most guys don’t understand why I prioritize a bunch of high schoolers over—well, everything.” She laughed, feeling a bit awkward now talking about her non-existent love life.

Delly looked over at Peeta, a knowing look in her eyes. “Peeta knows exactly how that is.”

“Delly,” he said, rolling his eyes at her. “I’m a high school art teacher,” he explained to Katniss. “And I run the school’s debate and speech teams for some extra money. So I get prioritizing your students over everything else.”

Oh. She didn’t know he was a teacher, too. Well that made a lot of sense why it was a pain hunting him down on Facebook. How had she not put two and two together? “Elective teachers unite,” she joked half-heartedly, feeling nervous again now that the attention was on him.

“May our program budgets always just barely make the cut,” he joined in, all smiles. She smiled back, unable to help herself. His smiles, familiar despite time away, always made her feel more at ease.

“You know, ever since I had the triplets, my bladder has never been the same,” Delly abruptly said standing up. “I have to visit the potty. The bathroom,” she corrected herself. “We’re working on potty training right now. Peeta, guard the table while I’m away?”

“Oh. Uh, sure thing, Dells.”

“You keep a close eye on him, Katniss. Make sure he doesn’t cause any mischief,” Delly warned with a wag of her finger before walking away, waving to those she knew as she went, which seemed to be everyone.

Katniss stood there for a moment, forlornly watching their buffer leave. She barely knew Delly, but now as the curly-haired blonde left, she felt a bit of a betrayal of being left alone with Peeta.

“You don’t have to watch over me,” Peeta said, her attention snapping back to him. “Delly was just teasing.”

“Oh no, it’s okay.” It wasn’t, not really, but admitting that would make things ten times more awkward. “Madge is my supposed date tonight, but she’s been spending more time in the bathroom than with me. So it’s fine. Um.” Just get it over with! “How are you, Peeta?”

“I’m fine, Katniss. Thank you for asking.”

“Of course, of course.” Wishing she’d consumed more alcohol before pursuing this quest, she went forth, “I heard you moved back into town. With your brother?”

He shook his head. “I forgot how small this town is. Yeah. I moved back. Go on and ask.” He motioned at her, rolling his eyes. “About my engagement. Everyone’s been asking about it.”

Katniss winced. “I didn’t want to pry, but yeah, I heard.”

“As did many others.” He sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “I’m fine, really. I broke it off with her, actually. Wasn’t a right fit,” he explained. “I didn’t think it fair to either of us to continue further, but it still hurts a little.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Peeta.” But was she really, though? Was she seriously happy about a guy she hadn’t spoken to in over ten years being single again? God, she was a horrible person. “But it sounds like you did the mature thing. Breaking it off like that.”

He shrugged. “That’s what everybody tells me.”

Someone came up behind her and she stepped aside as Peeta snapped into greetings mode. It was amazing watching him change so swiftly like that. Some people truly never changed, she realized, remembering how quickly he seemed to change moods at the flip of a switch. He did it the day she broke things off with him. How his eyes cascaded down in disappointment and she’d wondered if he might cry after confessing how he felt about her for all this time, but then someone had walked in, calling out to them, and he became all smiles and acted like nothing drastic had happened between them.

It was a bit unsettling, the more she thought about it now.

The line of late comers started growing and Delly still hadn’t returned. Deciding to keep her promise, Katniss took a seat next to Peeta and smiled as another former classmate stepped up, ignoring the quizzical look he sent her as they were asked questions about times for the planned events and how they both were doing. Many assumed they were married now, remembering how close the two were in high school, and thank god for Peeta stepping in and saving her stumbling tongue, explaining how Katniss was just keeping Delly’s seat warm until she returned and that they hadn’t seen each other until tonight.

After the third or fourth classmate assumed their matrimonial union, Katniss laughed, picking at the ripped sticker she’d stuck to her skirt for safe keeping. “I didn’t realize so many people remembered us together.”

“Small town school,” he reminded her, his tone light and joking. Like she didn’t stupidly break his heart. “I’m not surprised they remembered you. You forget how much of an effect you have on people, Katniss.”

Her cheeks warmed. “I think you mean yourself there, Mr. Popular. I was that awkward band and choir girl with the braces who never shut up about why the Baroque style was far superior to Classical.”

“I remember those rants fondly,” Peeta laughed. “Your face would get all pinched because I barely knew what you were talking about, so I couldn’t offer any opinion. And I loved those braces! The silver brackets really brought out the silver in your eyes.”

She rolled her eyes, remembering that line he used to pull every time she complained about her teeth. “Well I’m happy to say those days are gone. I’ve been metal-free since college.”

“Took that long, huh?”

“I’m pretty sure my orthodontist was just milking it for my money those last three years,” she laughed. “My teeth looked pretty straight to me.” Katniss smiled widely, showing off her white, straight teeth she suffered many mouth cuts and rubber band snaps to achieve. He joined her and wow. It really did feel like no time had passed between them. Like they were just a couple of teens back in high school, making fun of a teacher or a douchey classmate.

Peeta looked down at the table, tapping his pen in thought. “You know,” he said after a moment, still looking down, “I am free from this table at 7.”

“That makes sense,” she nodded. “If people haven’t arrived in the first hour and a half, that’s their loss.”

“It is,” he smiled, glancing up at her. Yes, his eyes were still as clear blue as she remembered, and was it possible for eyelashes to grow? His looked longer now. “If you’d be fine with it, Katniss, I’d like to catch up with you some more.” Was it her imagination or did he seem nervous? That made no sense. She broke his heart. If anyone should be nervous, it was her. And she was. The constant flutter in her stomach more noticeable now with her sitting so close to him.

“Oh. Um.” It was her turn to look down at her hands. “Okay. Sure. Yeah, that’d be great.”

Peeta seemed uncertain, though. “Are you sure? Was I too forward just now? Sorry, ever since my break-up, I seem to be a bit rusty talking with people.” That was hard to believe.

“No, no!” Katniss rushed to assure him. “I just—didn’t think you’d really want to catch up after how we ended things.” There. She mentioned it. Old heartbreak was out there now. “I know I messed things up pretty badly.”

To her surprise, Peeta laughed, shaking his head. “Trust me, that is water under the bridge, Katniss. I was stupid and should have picked up on the vibes you were sending me.”

“And I was stupid, too,” she said, a bit shyly.

“High schoolers can be pretty stupid.”

“I don’t know,” she smiled. “Mine seem a lot smarter than when we were that age.”

“Mine too.” He pretended to think. “Perhaps we were just idiots and it has nothing to do with how young we were.”

She laughed. “Maybe.”

He tapped her pen with his. “To being idiots?”

“To being idiots.” She tapped his pen back.

And at 7 o’clock sharp, Peeta declared it was time they drank until they got so drunk, it was like they were back at Finnick Odair’s Friday night after-game parties. Katniss happily agreed, sternly reminding him she wasn’t going to make out with him tonight like they used to do in the toolshed during those parties, causing him to burst out laughing. Quickly scrawling out Madge’s name on a new sticker, she told Peeta she’d meet him at the bar.

“I have to give my date her sticker.” He told her the booze waited for no one and headed to where a group of their classmates were chanting for someone to “Chug! Chug! Chug!” She smiled and went back to Madge, who was chatting with Leevy Anderson, an old friend of hers.

“Well,” Madge asked after Leevy excused herself. “You were gone an awful long time. Did you get my sticker?” Katniss handed it to her with a smile. “I take it things went well? Or were you just sputtering out nonsense.”

“It went very well,” Katniss told her, glancing over at the bar where Peeta stood, holding two drinks out, one clearly being hers. “We’re going to get crazy drunk now because this night has been extremely long for both of us. I hope you’re fine driving me?”

“One of us needs to get crazy drunk tonight,” Madge laughed, patting her stomach. “Drink for me, too?”

“Of course.”

“Going to make out with Peeta Mellark like old times?” her friend teased, noticing Peeta now. “I’m sure there’s a closet you two can sneak into.”

Katniss scoffed at her friend’s blatant assumption. “No, we’re not making out tonight, Madge.” Madge nodded, taking a sip of her pop. “We might next Friday, though,” she added a bit coyly. “He’s taking me out to dinner.” And she walked away before her friend could say anything further.

#Everlark #The Hunger Games #Everlark fanfic #The Hunger Games fanfic #Everlark fanfiction #The Hunger Games fanfiction #my writing #asks #mandelion82 #high school reunion #fluff

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kyber-crystal · 5 years ago

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lost in space || s.r

summary: post-IW in which you’re stuck on the ship with tony and nebula. knowing you didn’t have much time left before oxygen levels ran out for good, you decide to send a final goodbye message to the man you’ve grown to love over the past several years.

words: ~2.1k

warnings: angst in the beginning, fluff, major feels, worried steve ;-p

a/n: i took inspo for another oneshot like this that i read but then i got a bunch of new related ideas, so here we go!

22 days.

22 days of drifting through empty space with Tony and Nebula.

After day 16, you began losing hope in returning home. Nobody had to say anything for you to put two and two together and realize you didn't have much longer before what little was left of your oxygen supply ran out. So this had the three of you accepting you wouldn't make it through, opting to make the best of the time you had left. Your breathing became more heavy and labored, as the act of taking a single breath had now grown more difficult with each passing minute.

While she didn't want to admit it, Nebula thought having you and Tony by her side was much better than imagining being alone. It was an unspoken agreement that you all enjoyed each others' company; seeing you were all you had now after losing almost everything.

You exhaled as you sat in the cockpit of the ship, chin resting in your hand as you gazed out the glass dome and took in the eerie yet beautiful sight that space had to offer.

Feeling a rough hand clasp your shoulder, you turned around to see Tony standing there.

"Hey," he smiled softly, holding his remaining granola bar out to you. "You haven't eaten all day. Why don't you take the rest of this."

"No, I can't do that," you shook your head. "You need to eat, too."

"Your health is just as important, Y/N. You've lost too much weight in these past three weeks."

"Haven't we all."

"Just take it."

Knowing he wasn't going to stop arguing, you mumbled a 'thank you' and took the bar from him, taking a small bite.

You pushed yourself out from your chair and took a seat next to him, lowering yourself to the ground on the steps as he leaned his helmet against the wall.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving them a message. In case things go wrong, and...we don't make it," he replied as he took in a deep breath and began fiddling with the helmet, flicking a switch inside it before tapping its' side, projecting a blue light over you two.

"Tony...we're literally going to die. I don't get why you're doing this, Steve and the others probably think we're already dead..."

"Might as well say a last good bye, then. And, recording...is this thing on?" He tapped the side of the helmet again. "Hey, Miss Potts...Pep. If you find this recording, don't post it on social media. It's gonna be a real tear-jerker. I don't know if you're ever going to see these. I don't even know if you're...if you're still...Oh, god. I hope so. Today is day 21, uh..."

"22," you corrected as you leaned back against the wall. “Or 23. Wait no, 22.”

"Yeah, 22. You know, if it wasn't for the existential terror of staring into a void of space, I'd say I'm feeling better today. The infection's run its course, thanks to the blue meanie back there."

"You’d love her. She’s very practical," you added, "Only a tiny bit sadistic."

"Anyway...some fuel cells were cracked during battle, but we figured out a way to reverse the ion charge to buy ourselves about 48 hours of time. But it's now dead in the water. We're 1000 light years from the nearest 7-11. Oxygen will run out tomorrow. And that'll be it. And Pep, I...I know I said no more surprises, but I was really hoping to pull off one last one. But it looks like...well you know what it looks like. Don't feel bad about this. I mean, if you grovel for a couple of weeks, and then move on with enormous guilt. I should probably lie down. Please know that...when I drift off, I will think about you. Because it's always you."

You both fell into silence afterwards and you quickly looked away, squeezing your eyes shut in an attempt to try and stem the flow of tears that threatened to spill. Tony must've noticed the look on your face, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder as you stared blankly out ahead.

This really was it. When you imagined dying, you saw yourself going down on the battlefield, maybe jumping into the crossfire to save someone. Or simply passing in your sleep, dying of old age, anything but being unable to breathe.

You didn't think you'd meet your demise by running out of oxygen as you drifted mindlessly through space.

"Why don't you talk to Capsicle," Tony finally spoke up several minutes later. "This might be your only chance to get the closure you've wanted for so long."

"I'm not...it's not like that," you sighed, running a hand down your face. "He's just a friend."

"Don't bullshit me, Y/N. I know you're in love with him."

You let out another sigh, staring at his helmet blankly for a moment before opening your mouth to speak.

"Hey, Cap. You know, for the longest time, I was stuck trying to figure out what I was really meant to do, why I was ever placed on the earth to begin with," you spoke, looking out the glass at the darkness of space again, "When Fury first recruited me to the initiative, I was...I was in a dark place. And I didn't know how to get out. I felt stuck, frustrated...lost. I felt like I wasn't worthy or even the slightest bit prepared to take on the responsibilities of a hero because of all that I'd done in the past. I'd committed my fair share of sins, and...it all came down to a point where I almost lost the will to keep going, to keep living. My demons held me back from the perfect life I so desperately wanted and followed me everywhere I went. But then you came along, and for the first time in a long time, I started to hope, to...feel things again. You taught me that there was such a thing as second chances and forgiveness, that it's okay to make mistakes, and most importantly, I was meant to feel things; to love.

"You taught me that I was meant to feel happy, to allow myself the chance at living that burden-free life. That I didn't have to feel so doubtful when something good happened because all I'd ever learned was to feel suspicious when an event occurred in my favor. God, I really do owe you, huh? I honestly don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you. Maybe spiral down into an endless pit of despair and destruction? But really, I'm grateful that you walked into my life. I don't know how I'm supposed to repay you for all that you've given up for me.

You chuckled lightly and sniffled, hastily wiping at your eyes. "I know you're still out there. I hope you are. Because I know Captain America would never go down without a fight. This fight, though...you don't need to keep fighting. I've already accepted my fate. I'm going to die in less than two days...and I'm not bitter or mad at all. Death is inevitable, you know? If there's anything I took away from my torturous days in the Red Room, it was to never fear death because every girl would eventually meet her end. I'll be completely honest with myself here, I don't mind dying alongside these two...Tony and Nebula are some pretty great roommates. Who knew an alien could be so good at paper football?

The helmet flickered and you knew you didn't have much time left. "Steve...I don't want you to look back at all this in pain. I want you to live your best life...one that isn't filled with regret. And if this means moving on, starting anew...then do it. I want you to be happy. Be happy...for me.

Another tear fell, but this time you didn't bother to wipe it away. "I guess since my days are now numbered, I should let this weight off my chest...I love you, Steve Rogers. More than you'll ever know. I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember and I can only hope you feel the same but I guess I might never know that answer now...we can't always get our happy endings, can we?

"I'm so sorry I didn't get to say goodbye one last time, I love you," you choked out as the recording finally powered down and you let your head fall into your hands, the tears now flowing freely down your cheeks. The ache of longing to be with him echoed through the marrow of your bones; a chill wind trapped inside your heart and a million little glass shards tearing at your guts. Nausea swirled around in your stomach, head swimming with thoughts as your blood felt like tar, struggling to flow steadily.

Reaching over, Tony carefully grasped your hand, lacing your fingers together and squeezing gently. "It's gonna be okay," he muttered, eyes closed as you trained your gaze on the glass. "It's gonna be okay."

It could've been five minutes or five hours later, but suddenly, a vast white light illuminated the space surrounding you, forcing you to shut your eyes again.

As you focused on the bright ball of light, you could make out several features of a woman, though you initially thought you were dreaming. This couldn't be real. Was it?

"Hang in there, guys, I've got you," her voice flooded your ears, before she disappeared from view.

You opened your eyes a second time to see you were speeding towards Earth, the ship slowing down slightly as the familiar outline of America came into view.

Then, a steady jolt of the Benatar indicated you'd hit solid ground, in the middle of the field in the Avengers facility.

Nebula helped Tony up first, then you. The entry hatch opened, and you carefully stepped down the ramp together onto the grass.

It was pitch-black out, the only sources of light coming from the lights that projected from the compound, but it didn't take long for your vision to adjust. A small smile found its way onto your face as you saw six familiar figures came running towards you.

"Oh my God," Pepper cried, throwing her arms around Tony's neck and holding on as if her life depended on it. "Oh my God."

You smiled wistfully as you observed your surroundings, lowering yourself onto the ramp's last set, arms crossed over your chest as you realized just how cold it actually was.

A sudden warmth enveloped you and you felt someone's leather jacket being draped over your shoulders. Seeing Steve's familiar tall figure out of the corner of your eye, you moved over slightly to allow room for him to sit.

He looked over at you in concern, taking in your pale and malnourished figure. His chest ached at the sight.

"I'm okay," you found yourself saying, "don't worry about me."

"I've been worrying about you for the past twenty-two days," he replied, hands in his pockets, "I thought you were dead."

"I'm sorry."

"I missed you."

"I missed you too," you swallowed hard.

Steve let out a shaky breath and slid an arm around your waist, pulling you close as you rested your forehead on his shoulder.

"I thought you were dead," his voice cracked, "and if you really were, then...I don't know what I'd do."

“Me neither,” you breathed out. “God, I missed you so much.”

Then all of a sudden, the whole word seemed as if it was on standstill as his sapphire blue eyes bored into yours with such an intensity that sent a chill down your spine, keeping you firmly locked in place. And it utterly terrified you because you’d never felt something so intense like this before and he was the reason why you even felt this way to begin with.

And before you can protest against your own thoughts, you closed your fists around his shirt and gently tugged him towards you, closing the gap and kissing him. The sudden action took you both by surprise but Steve doesn’t waste any time in reacting, moving a hand from your cheek to the nape of your neck to kiss you back.

Everyone’s too exhausted, too busy feeling relieved at the fact that you returned safely to make a teasing comment towards yours and Steve’s relationship. They’ve secretly been betting for a while that you’d finally get together, though not in this exact way.

Until Rocket breaks the silence. “Nice welcome back gift, Agent.”

"You cockblock," Nebula flicks him in the head. "Let them have their moment, geez."

#steve rogers x reader #avengers x reader #marvel fic #avengers fanfiction #captain america fanfiction #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x you #captain america x reader #marvel imagine #steve rogers x y/n #captain america x you #marvel reader insert

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xbaepsae · 4 years ago

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can you blame me | part one

“You feel guilty for many reasons. You’re guilty for making your best friend question your loyalty. You’re guilty for not telling him about your new job. You’re guilty for every thought you’ve had about Taehyung because you know that it would kill Jeongguk if he knew.”

[american football player!taehyung x reader feat. best friend!jeongguk]

genre: slight rivals to lovers!au, high school football!au, angsty-ish

word count: 9.1k

rating: pg-13

a/n: i loved writing the first part of this fic so much! i also really love the whole football player x cheerleader trope (even though i am not athletic at all lol). already can’t wait for you guys to know what happens next. enjoy! xoxo

This feeling never gets old.

Maybe it’s the crowd, or the stadium lights—or even the brisk late summer air; all you know is, Friday night football is exhilarating. For as long as you can remember, you’ve breathed this sport. Your father had football playing on the television every weekend of your childhood; and when you picked up cheerleading in middle school, the sport became a part of you.

Of course, you still don’t understand every play the team makes, but you don’t need to. Your job is to cheer your players on—especially the one with the tousled, dark hair and bright eyes.

Jeon Jeongguk also picked up football around the same time you did cheer. Your father was ecstatic to know your best friend loved the sport equally as much. You can’t even recall the amount of times your father has pulled the boy aside to talk plays. After all, Jeongguk was the quarterback and team captain of the high school football team, and your father always wanted a breakdown of their plays.

Sometimes, you wonder who the real best friend is. But as you feel his eyes search for yours on the field, your position is secure.

You’ve known Jeongguk since diaper days. Since your mothers grew up best friends, it only seemed natural for the two of you to become close. Also, your birthdays aren’t far apart; so, there were many shared childhood celebrations.

Now that you’re thinking about it, you can’t imagine your life without the boy. Obviously, everyone thinks the two of you should date. It would be something organic since he’s the quarterback and you’re head cheerleader. Actually, it would be kind of perfect—like destiny. However, the thought of being in that kind of relationship with him repulses you. Thankfully, Jeongguk feels the same way.

You continue to feel his gaze penetrate your peripheral. Normally, you would look; but you’re searching for someone too.

On the other side of the field, your heart stutters for half a beat when you see him. Kim Taehyung is turned away from you, but you make out the number on his uniform—and all his glory. You wouldn’t say you like him; after all, you don’t really know Taehyung at all. However, despite this, you can’t deny your fascination with him. Plus, you’ve stalked his Instagram account enough to know he is so your type.

Unfortunately, your mild fantasy falls short when you feel a hand wrap around your arm.

“Earth to my best friend.”

You would know the grip anywhere. “Yes, Jeongguk?”

“You’ve been spacy all day. What’s wrong?” he asks, and you finally turn to face him. His helmet’s off, and sweat’s dripping down his forehead.

“Nothing,” you offer a smile. “Just excited for the rest of game, that’s all.” It was halftime.

He smiles. “Yeah, we’re going to crush the other team. We’re already ahead by a touchdown.”

Looking at Jeongguk, you search his eyes. It was one thing to dislike a team that rivaled your own, but you knew that your best friend’s hatred extended far beyond that. You don’t remember when or where it began, but he and Taehyung couldn’t stand one another. It was kind of funny, considering they both attended the same football summer camp for four summers.

If no one knew it before, it became obvious that they hated one another freshman year. It was Kim Taehyung’s school homecoming, so your team was playing on his turf. Maybe it was the advantage of playing at home, but they won. However, no one ever talks about the win. If anyone asks about that homecoming game, the only thing talked about is the fight between Taehyung and Jeongguk.

No one at your school talks about it though—at least, no one is supposed to. There is speculation as to who started the fight first, and what it was even about, but no one knows. The only people that know are the two who participated. It’s been three years, but Jeongguk still won’t tell you what actually happened.

Although the game was a bust, there was some good that happened. After all, it was the first time you had a good look at Kim Taehyung in person. Prior to that game, you had only heard about him from Jeongguk. And everything he said about Taehyung had been bullshit because when you saw him play, he was amazing.

Like Jeongguk, Taehyung is also the quarterback. In a way, you can understand their hatred. You don’t know what the root of it all is, but you know that it must suck for them to be constantly compared.

“If we win—which we will—party at Hoseok’s house,” Jeongguk continues, which brings you out of your mini daydream.

“Again?” you mock-roll your eyes.

He laughs, “What? His parents are fucking loaded, and they’re out of town again. It’s not like I make him host—he wants to.”

“I’m just teasing. I like Hoseok’s house anyway,” you say. “But the real question is, are you going to get wasted and crash there? Or get wasted and I drive you home?”

“I’ll just crash there,” he says with a shrug, “but thanks for the offer anyway. Why don’t you just sleep over too?”

You stare at him with a raised brow. “Uh, I can’t just sleep over with a bunch of guys?”

“I’m going to be there,” Jeongguk retorts like it’s so simple.

“Yeah, like that excuse is always going to work with my dad.”

“The man practically worships the ground I walk on,” he smiles, and you laugh because it’s basically the truth.

After a few moments, a sigh leaves your mouth. “Well, if you get recruited to play college football…yeah.”

Playing college football is the only thing Jeongguk worries about these days. You know that he’s more than good enough to get recruited, and everyone else knows this too. It’s just the matter of if he truly believes it as well.

As you watch your best friend mull over your words, you feel the sensation of being watched raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Without even thinking, you turn towards the other side of the field. Instantly, your gaze meets Taehyung’s.

By now, you are positive he knows who you are. You’ve never had a conversation with him, much less formally met him. Jeongguk would never allow that to happen. Yet, you feel a strange connection to him—like magnets are pulling you towards him. As if Jeongguk can sense this energy too, he follows your eyes.

You break from the gaze first and turn to your best friend. Within seconds, his eyes harden. “Kim won’t know what hit him.”

***

Unsurprisingly, your school wins and Jeongguk celebrates by parading you around the field on his shoulders.

This is actually a tradition the two of you have, which started sometime during sophomore year. By that point, the boy was finally a little taller than you and could lift you a little easier. Of course, now, he towers over you.

When he finally puts you down to grab a shower, the other girls on your team pull you over in their little huddle.

“Oh my god, you’re so lucky to have Jeon wrapped around your finger,” Sohee whines. “I would kill to have him treat me how he treats you.”

“Like a rag doll?” you laugh, bending down to collect your pom-poms off the grass.

Sohee rolls her eyes. “You know what I’m talking about.”

“Yeah,” Lou pipes up, “are you sure that the two of you don’t have a thing? I’ve never seen him treat any girl like that—and June dated him.”

“Thanks a lot, bitch,” June teases sarcastically.

You roll your eyes at all of them—they just don’t get it. “Please, the day I start to fall for Jeongguk will be the day hell freezes over. You girls just don’t know; I’ve known him since we were babies. He’s like the brother I never had.”

For a second, the urge to admit that someone else occupies your thoughts sits on the tip of your tongue. But you refrain from saying anything because as much as you love your team, all of these girls have big mouths. If they knew you were interested in the enemy, it would be the scandal of the year. And you’re trying to stay away from drama at all costs.

“Anyway,” you change the subject, “are you all headed to Hoseok’s?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” the all say in unison.

Ten minutes later, changed and makeup freshened up, you make your way towards your car. As you pull out of the parking lot, with all of you cheer girls following behind you, you notice that a few other cars linger in the lot; cars you aren’t familiar with. As you drive by the cars, you slow down and realize that it’s Kim Taehyung and a few of his teammates. But they’re not alone; a few girls surround them as well.

Never have you been more thankful for tinted windows, because you hit the gas the second his posse turn toward you and make your way off school property. As you near Hoseok’s house, you wonder why Taehyung and his friends were still lingering at your school. If anything, you thought they left the second the game ended. But all thoughts of him fade when you pull into a massive driveway.

Even though you’ve been at this house more times than you can remember, it still leaves you shocked that someone you know lives here. Jeongguk wasn’t exaggerating when he said Hoseok’s parents were loaded. They are business tycoons or something, and never take a day off—that’s why they are never home.

After parking your car, you link arms with Sohee and walk inside the party.

“Let’s party motherfucker’s because we fucking won!” Hoseok shouts the second you make your way through his front door. In one hand, he holds a red cup; in the other, a half empty bottle of Don Julio. And without needing to be told twice, everyone cheers. When he notices that it’s you who walked through the door, he holds the red cup out. “Cheers, pom-pom queen!”

Even though you don’t care too much for tequila, you oblige. You can still operate under one shot anyway. Hoseok pours a bit of Don Julio into the cup and you nod, “Cheers.”

After downing the smooth liquor, Sohee and the rest of the girls follow suit. As they take their respective shots, you make your way deeper into the crowd of people. In just a few minutes, you find Jeongguk drinking a beer with Park Jimin.

“Good job tonight, Park,” you say when you’re within hearing distance.

Jimin turns at the sound of your voice, a slow—albeit smug—smile stretching across his face. “Thanks—couldn’t have made all those touchdowns without good ‘ole Jeongguk here though.”

“Nah,” Jeongguk shakes his head, “it was definitely a team effort.”

You watch at they both begin to faux banter about who carries the team, and all you can do is roll your eyes. Boys. You leave them to continue their battle of masculinity and walk through the rest of the house. You’re not surprised that majority of the school is here—everyone loves a good post-game party.

Walking into the backyard, people turn away from their conversations to say a brief hey or what’s up—that’s a perk of the title of head cheerleader you carry. Though, you don’t really care for the attention at all. If anything, you would cheer regardless whether or not popularity came attached with it.

Being a cheerleader isn’t as glamorous as the movies make it out to be. The sport makes you automatically more prone to injuries, and practices are often so intense you don’t have time for anything else. But, you wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.

Someone calls your name; and when you match the voice to the face, you smile instantly. Standing off to the side, with a red solo cup in his hand, Min Yoongi looks like he’d rather be anywhere else but here. And you think it’s absolutely hilarious. “Having fun?”

He huffs before rolling his eyes. “At least there’s free booze.”

“Oh, come on, don’t act like you don’t secretly love these parties.”

“Mmm,” Yoongi takes a sip of whatever is in his cup, “sure.”

If Jeongguk is your longest friend, Yoongi is your second longest friend. You met the boy back in elementary school. Even back then, he was a little punk. He sat behind you in class and threw disgusting spit balls into your hair. When you had finally had enough of his little act, you threw an equally disgusting—though much larger—spit ball right back at him.

You both ended up in detention, your first and only offense in school, and you forced him to become your friend. Well, more like you threatened to make his life a living hell if he didn’t stop annoying you. Somehow, it worked because Yoongi is still in your life. And he hasn’t complained, so that has to mean something. Right?

“At least tell me you were at the game,” you say.

“Wouldn’t miss you and Jeongguk prancing around the field for the world.”

Did you mention that you forced him to be friends with Jeongguk too? The two of them aren’t as close as you are with either of them, but they are amicable and respect one another.

“Even though the other team lost, they were pretty damn good—especially the quarterback,” Yoongi continues and your heart jumps a little at the mention of Taehyung.

“I thought you don’t speak football,” you tease to hide your sudden spiked heartrate.

He shoots you a look, “But I do speak talent.”

You can’t deny that. Yoongi did have a penchant for reading people in that way. There was one time he discovered some random SoundCloud rapper, AugstD, and messaged him saying that his music was great. Not even a week later, the rapper blew up. Maybe it was simply a coincidence, but Yoongi likes to give himself credit for that.

“Well, okay, mister I speak talent—what was so impressive about Kim?” you ask; however, before Yoongi can answer, there is suddenly commotion all around you. Everyone begins running inside like a herd of gazelles being chased by a lion.

“Hmm, wonder what’s got everyone going crazy,” Yoongi sips his drink.

The same thought crosses your mind and you’re about to let it slide, but Lou comes running out the door. She has the strangest expression on her face, and you run to meet her halfway. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh my god, you’ll never believe who just crashed the party,” she says, completely breathless. When you don’t seem to give her the right reaction, she rolls her eyes, “Fuck—it’s Kim Taehyung.”

Your traitorous heart is immediately thrilled with the idea of being in close proximity to Taehyung. And behind you, you feel Yoongi coming closer, “What are they doing here?”

Lou shrugs, “Beats me. But you need to come inside—now!”

That’s when it clicks in your head—why everyone rushed inside, why Lou seems so panicked. For a moment, you let your thoughts drift to only Taehyung that you completely forgot the most important thing.

“Oh no, Jeongguk.”

“Exactly,” Lou sighs before pulling you into the house.

Walking through a packed crowd is surprisingly easier than you thought it would be. Then again, Lou is a force to be reckoned with. And when everyone notices who is trying to push through, and they see you, they give you space. For once, you’re thankful for that.

As you get closer to the front of Hoseok’s house, you can feel tension piercing the air. Everyone is so quiet, and you hear Jeongguk before you see him. The tone of his voice sends chills down your spine; you realize that you’ve never heard him like this before. Gone is the bubbly boy you call your best friend—this is a man out for blood.

Lou leads you straight to the front door where everyone has formed a large circle around Jeongguk and Taehyung. But before you approach them, you look at who else decided to crash the party.

Standing on either side of Taehyung is none other than Kim Seokjin and Kim Namjoon. They were called the Infamous Kim’s for a reason—Taehyung and his friends had a reputation. And you saw them on the field earlier; they played hard, and you knew they could fight even harder. You just hope it doesn’t come to that.

Where Seokjin and Namjoon flank their quarterback, you notice that Jimin and Hoseok have done the same to Jeongguk. This looks like a scene straight out of a movie.

“Why are you here, Kim?” Jeongguk asks, arms crossed over his chest. “Came to lose again?”

The crowd gets a rush out of that, but Taehyung doesn’t look phased. Actually, he looks more amused than anything. “Maybe we let you guys win—haven’t you ever played chess before? You might’ve knocked a pawn over—or even the knight—but my King’s still intact.”

No one reacts to that statement, but you can tell that your best friends is heated from the way his shoulders are squared. Before Jeongguk can do anything reckless, you walk behind him and touch his arm.

He tenses for a moment before relaxing and turning to face you. “Hey.”

You offer him a quick smile, and then muster up the courage to look straight ahead. First, you meet Namjoon’s hard gaze and then Seokjin’s. Finally, you look at Taehyung and his dark eyes have you drowning. He is so close, yet so far; under his scrutiny, you feel like he can see all of your deepest darkest secrets.

“Didn’t know Jeon needed a girl to fix his problems,” Taehyung smirks.

Why did you have to be so attracted to him? He was such an asshole. “Girl has a name, thank you very much.” Someone yells you just got burned, dude and you try not to crack a smile. “And I think you need to leave.”

“Want me to leave that bad?” He doesn’t look away from you; in fact, he has the audacity to give your body a once over. Unfortunately, Taehyung has a damn good poker face; so, you don’t know what he’s thinking.

“Yes, please—with a cherry on top,” your words are laced with sarcasm and he’s smart enough to catch it.

Finally, he looks away and a slow smirk stretches across his face—tongue sticking out of his mouth and everything. “Don’t stress, we didn’t plan on hanging long anyway.”

“You shouldn’t have come in the first place,” Hoseok pipes up, and you remember that it’s his house after all. “You know, I could have you arrested for trespassing.”

“Under what legal pretense?” Namjoon laughs. “Do you own his house? Oh wait—no, your rich daddy does. And actually, if we’re talking about legality here, we could have you all arrested for underage drinking.”

That comment sends everyone into a frenzy. You know Namjoon isn’t stupid enough to call the cops because they wouldn’t risk themselves getting into any mess; also, you know that they wouldn’t dare jeopardize their potential to play college football. All of these guys wanted a taste of the big leagues.

“Just get the fuck out of here,” Jeongguk says through his teeth. “I don’t have time to deal with your shit.”

“See you on the field, Jeon.” With that last statement, Taehyung, Seokjin, and Namjoon leave—slamming the front door behind them. You release a breath you didn’t even know you were holding as Hoseok announces that the party is over.

Some people whine that the night just begun, but you know that everyone on the football team is tense from what just happened. Even you don’t think that you can enjoy the night after dealing with Taehyung, and you kind of like him for some reason. So, you can’t even begin to imagine how Jeongguk is feeling.

As soon as everyone files out—including all of the girls on your cheer squad and Yoongi—the only people remaining are you and the football team. You don’t even know why you’re still here, but one look from your best friend forces you from leaving. It wasn’t your place to meddle in football rivalry, but you supposed that you were kind of caught between two sides. Though, no one but you knows this.

“Well, that fucking sucked,” Jimin is the first to say anything in the tense atmosphere, and a few of the others nod in agreement.

“Understatement of the century,” Hoseok rolls his eyes and then turns to you. “But who knew you had balls to talk to Kim Taehyung like that.”

You shrug, “How else was I supposed to react? I mean, he had no right to be here in the first place.”

“Remind us to never get on your bad side.”

“You guys have nothing to worry about.”

Silence follows your words, and you realize that everyone is waiting for Jeongguk to say something. All eyes are turned towards their captain. For a moment, you are reminded of how your best friend commands the room—the power he exudes.

“We aren’t playing them for the rest of the season, so I’m not worried about Kim Taehyung and his rat pack,” he finally says, and everyone visibly relaxes.

Until Jimin pipes up with, “Unless they make it to playoffs too.”

A dark shadow is casted on the team again and the look Jeongguk gives him would make anyone wish to dig their own grave. Jimin quickly apologizes and things appear to go back to normal. Well, as normal as things can get right now.

The guys continue talking and everyone agrees that they’ll resume the party tomorrow—somewhere else. They don’t want to risk another run in with Taehyung and his teammates. After everyone helps Hoseok clean his house up a bit, they begin to leave too. Jimin ends up deciding to crash here, and you suspect that Jeongguk will too. However, he surprises you.

“Can you give me a ride home?”

“Sure.”

As you drive the short few minutes to his house, he’s awfully quiet. It’s a type of quiet that has you worried, so you ask him what’s on his mind.

“The next time I see him, I’m going to punch him.”

You’re startled by the venom in his words. “Why?”

“Did you not see the way he looked at you?” Jeongguk sounds disgusted. “A fucking prick.”

Was it wrong that you felt strangely giddy at the thought that Taehyung looked at you? You know that Jeongguk hates him, but your potential feelings for the other quarterback are definitely making this rivalry difficult. Why did you have to crush on the enemy?

“I doubt you’ll be seeing him anytime soon,” you say to appease him, but the comment makes you kind of sad. “Their school is in a different town.”

“Still,” he sighs. “I really hate him.”

You wish he didn’t.

***

The next week at school, everyone pretends that the party at Hoseok’s didn’t happen.

No one dared to bring up the mess that night turned out to be. Everyone pretended that the party hosted the day after, at another player’s house, was the actual winning celebration. And like everyone, you did the same. Or you tried too.

Every now and then, you thought of Kim Taehyung and his imposing presence. You were still angry at yourself for the interest in him. If Jeongguk found out, you’d be so dead. But it wasn’t like anyone knew anyway, and you were going to keep it that way. You would take it to the grave if you have to. Besides, it wasn’t anything more than fascination.

As football season continued, cheer practices weren’t getting any easier. But they were becoming lessened since your team recycled a lot of old routines. Besides, as much as you love cheerleading, but it isn’t your endgame. Cheering on the team is great, but—if you’re being honest—you’ve stuck with the sport for Jeongguk’s sake.

And your dad got free tickets to all the games, which you guess is a perk.

However, even as demanding as cheer practice is, you were already one month deep into the school year. And this mean that you were one month closer to college; because of that, your mom approached you with a suggestion.

“Honey, you know your father and I love you and want to support you in any way we can,” she begins, “but if you want to go to that hotshot university on the other side of the country, you’ll probably want to start looking for a part-time job.”

You understand where your mom is coming from—college really was super expensive. And you did want to get into your first pick school. So, it only made sense to start making some money. You were lucky enough to be an only child, but your parents couldn’t support you forever. The reality was you would probably need a job in college too. Why not start now?

So, to take your mind off school rivalry and a super-hot—but arrogant—boy, you start looking for a part-time job. Realistically speaking, you could only work at most three nights a week. You still had cheer practice every other day and football on Friday nights. Not to mention homework and finishing college apps. It would be a rough next few months, but you knew it’d be worth it.

The only place that ended calling you back was a little diner at the edge of town. And during your interview, you’re sweating bullets from nerves.

“Have you ever waitressed or done anything in the service industry?”

There was no doubt the bald-headed man in front of you was terrifying. He introduced himself as A—you weren’t sure if that was actually his real name or if he was just messing with you. “No, sir, I haven’t.”

“Have you ever had a job?” he asks, raking through your empty resumé.

You shake your head, “No, sir…I’m still in high school and I…and I cheer for my school.”

“Cheer,” A sounds rather unimpressed. “Your schools and your devotion to football. You know what, girly?”

“What?”

“This diner here is on the edge in-between two towns—I don’t want that damn football rivalry to cause trouble up in here, do you hear me?”

You don’t know what to say. All you can do is nod and offer a smile. “Of course.”

The man mumbles something unintelligible before raising his eyes to yours, “How many days a week can you work?”

“Three, maybe four—mostly weekends.”

He tells you that works, something about only needing a part-timer anyway. You’re completely fine with that. You still needed to balance school and your social life. Would you even have one after this? Hopefully you wouldn’t have to work too many Saturdays.

“When can you start?” he asks.

“Tomorrow?” you offer. Tomorrow would be a Tuesday—you didn’t have practice.

“You best be here by five o’clock on the dot,” he says, beginning to get up from his seat. Did you just get the job? “I don’t tolerate tardiness.”

You begin to get up as well, “Of course, sir—”

“Also, stop calling me sir—makes me feel damn old. Just call me A.”

“Okay…A,” you say rather awkwardly. “I’ll be here at five on the dot.”

Before you head home, A directs you to the manager, Minji, and she runs you through the basics—like what you have to wear and bring, etcetera.

“We’ll go through basic training once you get here at five tomorrow but remember to dress comfortable…and wear things you don’t mind ruining. You’ll be getting dirtier here than you’d like—trust me,” she says, and you must make a face because she laughs. “Don’t sweat it, dear; the tips will make up for it.”

When you get home, you let your parents know you got the job and your mom celebrates by making your favorite dessert. During dinner, they ask you about the interviewing process and the staff. You don’t exactly lie, but you omit the stuff about A—you don’t want your parents to be worried about who was running the diner.

“Your mother and I will have to come see you in action soon,” your father says, and you awkwardly laugh.

“Please—if you’re just going to come and embarrass me, I’d rather not.”

“We would never embarrass you, sweetie,” your mother says, and by the blinking of her eyes you know she’s lying. “Anyway, have you told Jeongguk about the job yet?”

Honestly, you haven’t even him that you were looking for anything. So, no, you definitely haven’t told him about your new job. “Not yet, he’s busy with football so…I haven’t had the chance.”

Utter bullshit. He literally texted you before dinner asking if you wanted to catch a movie tomorrow night—you had to decline. Making up some excuse about having a paper due. You don’t know why you’re scared to tell him about the diner job. Maybe it’s because you know he’s going to want to swing by; and with A’s words swimming in your head, you don’t want to risk anything.

“But I’ll let him know,” you continue.

“Yeah, that boy and football…that final play on Friday was crazy—” your dad begins his daily rant about football, and you tune him out.

For once, you don’t want to think about that.

***

“You should’ve come to the movie last night.”

Jeongguk blocks your way in the hall, so you have no choice but to give him attention. “Was it good?”

“Surprisingly,” he starts, “it was—though, Hoseok was screaming within the first five minutes.”

“I would’ve come just to see that,” you laugh.

“How was your paper? You never texted me back last night.”

Oh, that. You make up a lie about staying up most of the night. “That’s why I didn’t have time to text you back.”

In reality, you were at the diner until 11 o’clock. You were supposed to get off at nine, but Minji and the other staff needed help closing since someone called out. Besides the exhausting night, you really liked working at the diner. The other workers were nice enough, and the best part was that no one asked you about football or any of that stuff. No one had any preconceived notions about you or the crowd you associated with.

“That sucks. What class was the paper for again?”

“History,” the lie slips easily through your lips.

Jeongguk seems to think about that for a moment. “Really? Because I know you have that class with Jimin and he didn’t mention anything about a paper being due today—I mean, if he did, wouldn’t he have been pulling an all-nighter last night too?”

Shit. You forgot you had that class with Jimin. He sits in the back, so it slipped your mind. “Did I say History? I meant Psychology.”

“I know you lied.”

Your best friend was many things, but he wasn’t stupid. As other students scramble to get to class before the bell rings, you feel frozen on the spot. Jeongguk hits you with a look that fills you with guilt. But before you can offer an explanation, the warning bell rings—meaning, you have a minute to get to class before you get points taken off.

“I’ll explain—meet me after practice later?” you ask him.

“Coach has us doing an extended practice since it’s mid-week. You can come to the field after you get done with cheer,” he offers, and you agree before running off to class.

You slip into History just as the bell rings. With a relieved sigh, you walk to your seat—but not before you catch Jimin’s eyes and send him a scathing look. He visibly shrinks and mouths an I’m sorry as you sit down.

As class goes on, you barely pay attention to what your teacher is talking about. Instead, you think about how you shouldn’t be mad at Jimin. After all, how was he supposed to know you lied to Jeongguk? You two weren’t that close—not close enough for him to cover for you in that way. First and foremost, his loyalty was to Jeongguk.

Your loyalty should be to him as well.

The second class ends, you catch up to Jimin and apologize. “I forgot that we had this class together when I talked to Jeongguk last night.”

“You should just be honest with him, you know? Whatever it is, Jeongguk doesn’t care.”

“I know,” you say. “Sorry for putting you in an awkward position.”

Later, when you walk into Psychology, you settle into your seat beside Yoongi and bang your head against the desk. After a moment, you lift your head up and he sends you a weird look. “Are you good…?”

“No,” you’re honest with him. You never could lie to Yoongi. “I’m in hot water with Jeongguk.”

“What happened?”

You face him, “I got a job.”

Yoongi lifts a brow, clearly surprised by your words. “Really? I didn’t peg you as someone to get a part-time—especially since you are kind of busy.”

“Same,” you reply. “But my parents want me to start making money for college.”

He hums, “Let me guess, you didn’t tell Jeongguk?”

“In my defense, my first day was literally yesterday.”

“But why did you tell me and not him? Not that we aren’t close, but still—he’s your best friend, right?”

“Because I hate letting Jeongguk down,” you admit. “That mixed with the diner I work at; I feel like it would be a mess.”

Yoongi frowns, “Don’t tell me you work at the diner on the edge of town.”

For the first time in his conversation, you narrow your eyes at him. “And what about it?”

“You do realize that since it’s located where it’s at, both towns come and go as they please.”

“Yeah,” you nod, “the owner—A—mentioned not to get football involved there, which is a part of why I haven’t told Jeongguk anything.”

“I get that, and it makes sense—especially with how volatile the dude can be,” Yoongi says just as your teacher walks into the classroom.

However, you frown at his words. “What do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is,” he spares you a glance as the bell rings, “if Jeon Jeongguk rules this town, the other side of that diner you work at—the other town—is ruled by Kim Taehyung.”

***

To say that practice is rough would be an understatement.

“Where’s your head?”

You turn to Sohee, “Sorry—it’s been an off day.”

“Clearly,” Lou butts in, “and coach is making us pay for it—so stop being distracted so we can leave already.”

“Yeah, I’m already late for my appointment,” June complains as the whole squad gets back into formation.

Sohee smirks, “Your dick appointment?”

“With who?” that snaps you back to reality.

“No one.”

You furrow your brows, “If it’s someone on the football team, don’t bother. Apparently, they have an extended practice today.”

“It will be an extended practice for you girls too if you all don’t stop yapping it up!” your coach practically screeches, and you immediately plaster your fakest smile.

As coach blows her whistle, you tumble into a cartwheel and land perfectly onto your feet. But that isn’t enough to appease her, and she makes you all perform the routine from the top. Luckily, the routine is short; and everyone does their part flawlessly, thank god, so practice officially ends.

The entire squad rushes into the locker room and fights for a shower. Rather than insisting on a shower first, you reach for your phone. At the top of your notifications is a text from Jeongguk.

4:05 PM | Jeongguk: still in practice

You don’t bother responding since you know that he probably doesn’t have his phone on him. Besides, the message was sent forty minutes ago; if anything changed, he would’ve messaged you again. When a shower opens, you sink your body underneath the hot water. You let the water wash away all the pent-up stress you’ve been holding—half of which you didn’t even realize you had.

Once you’re clean, you grab all of your things and make your way towards the football field. Lou catches you on her way out and asks you where you’re going.

“Jeongguk,” you reply. “I have to talk to him about something.”

She wiggles her eyebrows, “Okay.”

You ignore her suggestive expression. “Yeah. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Don’t have too much fun.”

“I doubt watching a bunch of dudes tackle each other will be.”

Lou narrows her eyes playfully, “Oh, come on. There’s nothing hotter than a sweaty football player.” Immediately, your mind flashes to one player in particular. Lou catches the quick shift in your face and laughs. “See.”

“Ha-ha,” you collect yourself. “Get out of here.”

She bids you adieu, and you go out into the sun. For early autumn, it was still pretty warm. You like the warmth, but you also can’t wait for those chilly autumn nights—Friday night football in sweater weather is the best.

As you near the field, you hear the team before you can see them. From afar, they sound like a herd of animals being groomed by a whistle. In a twisted way, you suppose that’s actually the case. Their coach must really be on them today because the whistle keeps going off. You can already picture their exhausted faces in your head—especially Jeongguk’s.

And you’re right.

Walking right into the stadium, you take a seat on one of the lowest bleachers and watch as their coach grills them. Dead center in the middle of the group is your best friend; and not surprisingly, he looks annoyed. However, the second he realizes you’re here, some of the negative energy seems to lift off him.

In fact, he looks like he’s about to walk towards you. The second he takes a step towards the bleachers, you hold up a hand for him to stop. You mouth stay, and thankfully he doesn’t try to come any closer.

A few minutes turns into thirty and thirty turns into an hour. By this point, you’re half asleep and ready to go home. Even though you’re tired, the team is still going hard at drills and throwing balls around. The sun has also started setting, casting the field in gorgeous golden hour. But despite the picturesque scenery, you really have to pee.

Realizing that your bladder comes before your comfort, you get off and catch Jeongguk staring at you. You point to the field bathrooms, near the parking lot, and he seems to get the idea. After you empty your bladder, you’re ready to give their football coach a piece of your mind. You’re tired, hungry, and you bet everyone else on the field is feeling the same way.

You’re close to the field, only behind the bleachers, when a figure comes out from the shadows. Jumping back, you’re about to scream when you realize who it is. “Kim Taehyung?”

He stands about ten feet away from you, hands shoved into his pockets. Dressed in dark jeans and a simple t-shirt, he looks too good to be true. “And you’re Jeon’s girl.”

“Again, I have a name,” you roll your eyes. “Also, what the hell are you doing here?”

“What? I can’t size up the enemy?” Taehyung runs a hand through his hair—which was still damp—and you can’t help but wonder if he just got out of practice too.

“You do know that practices are confidential, right?”

He takes a step closer to you, “If that’s the case, then why are you watching?”

“Because I go to school here,” you say and take a step back. He was beginning to make you dizzy. “And you don’t. So, you should leave before someone catches you.”

When he doesn’t say anything back, you reiterate that he should go. But Taehyung only stands there, staring at you. There’s no doubt your heart rate is escalating; but instead of focusing on that, you ask him what’s his issue is.

“Nothing,” he replies.

“Okay,” you frown, “I think I just heard their coach say practice is over, so you really should go.”

In the distance, a whistle blows three times, so you know you were right. Taehyung briefly turns towards the field before looking back at you. “I don’t want to get Jeon worked up anyway.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

You don’t get a reply because he turns around and walks away. Without even saying goodbye. What the hell? Why are you even thinking that? Shaking your head of all thoughts about Taehyung, you make your way around the bleachers and come face-to-face with Jeongguk.

His presence makes you jump. “Shit. You scared me.”

“Sorry,” he steadies you, “didn’t mean to.”

“Are you guys done? Your coach sure seemed like he was grueling you guys,” you say.

“Tell me about it,” he groans. “He really made us bust our asses out there.”

You crack a smile at his agony, “Well, if it helps, I had an awful practice too.”

The two of you laugh for a moment before reality sets back in. You grow quiet under Jeongguk’s scrutiny. A deep sigh leaves his lips before he asks, “What’s really going on with you?”

Well, you see, I am kind of interested in Kim Taehyung—yes, the guy you hate. And he was actually here, like not even five minutes ago. Do I know that he’s an asshole? Yes. Do I know the history you two have? Yes. Do I still want to be around him for some reason? Yes. “Umm…I kind of got a job.”

That truth is easier to admit.

Jeongguk’s eyebrows raise, “How do you kind of get a job?”

You bit the inside of your cheek. “Okay, fine, I do have a job.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…”

“So, were you going to tell me?” he asks.

You nod, “Eventually.”

“Why do you have a job?”

“Why is it so hard for everyone to believe?”

“So, you’ve told other people before me.”

You’re exasperated. “Only my parents and Yoongi.”

“Why did you tell Yoongi before me?” Jeongguk’s more upset than you thought he would be. Why is he so upset?

“Jeongguk, I literally just started working yesterday—yesterday! Why are you so angry?”

“Because I thought I was your best friend and we’re supposed to tell each other everything,” he says, and guilt begins to eat you up inside.

You feel guilty for many reasons. You’re guilty for making your best friend question your loyalty. You’re guilty for not telling him about your new job. You’re guilty for every thought you’ve had about Taehyung because you know that it would kill Jeongguk if he knew.

“You are,” you reaffirm him. “I only told Yoongi about the job because I told him I lied to you. And I only lied to you because I didn’t want you to worry about me—because you always worry.”

“What? I can’t worry about you now?”

“I mean, you can; but we aren’t twelve anymore, Jeongguk. I can hold my own.”

He sighs, “I know that. Look, I’m sorry for making you think that you couldn’t tell me, okay?”

“I’m sorry too.”

Jeongguk opens his arms wide for a hug, and even though he’s sweaty—and definitely stinky—you fall into his embrace anyway. For a brief second, you can understand why girls like him so much. His hugs are really great, but it truly feels like you’re hugging your brother more than anything. “Where are you working?”

You pull away from him, “At the diner on the edge of town.”

“Okay,” he says like he still doesn’t believe you have a job. “Why are you working?”

“Because of my mom. Her and dad are helping me with college, at least a little, but she wants me to start earning so I can pay for most of it myself.”

“Wow—your parents sure aren’t letting you get off easy, huh?” he laughs. “Maybe I should start working too.”

You bust out laughing, “Yeah, especially since your parents already put your older brother through college already.”

“I think they’re betting on this football thing to work out.”

Immediately, you sober up and take in the sudden shift of emotion. “You’ve been having recruiters come out to watch you since last season.”

“Still,” he sighs.

“You’re damn good,” you tell him with the hopes that he really understands. “You’ll play in college, so stop worrying so much.”

You don’t know if your words appease him, but your best friend manages to smile—that has to mean something, right? After a moment of silence, he lets you know that he should probably go back to the locker room already. “The team is probably wondering where the hell I went.”

“True.”

“Thanks for telling me the truth,” Jeongguk says, holding out his right hand. You roll your eyes before extending your own. The two of you do your “secret” handshake—the handshake you both created in middle school.

Doing the handshake results in another eye roll, but you also can’t help the endearing smile that graces your lips. “Why do you always insist on doing this stupid handshake?”

“Because this stupid handshake is epic and a symbol of our everlasting friendship.”

“Ha, okay,” you chuckle. “Whatever you say, Jeongguk.”

***

“Rumor is you’re a cheerleader at your school.”

Looking up from your notepad, you stick your pencil behind your ear before turning towards the voice. “Yeah, so?”

Behind you stands another waitress—her name is Cara—and you know that she goes to the same school as Taehyung. You only know this because every shift you’ve worked with her, all she does is talk about how hot he and the rest of the players on the team are. You totally agree with her observation, but it still irks you that she seems to know him better than you do.

“So, you must know Jeon Jeongguk well, yeah?” she asks. Oh, that’s what this is all about?

To you, it’s obvious she has no idea how close you actually are to Jeongguk. This was a good thing; if she knew you were his best friend, it would be over for you. “I mean, I guess…yeah. At school, everyone knows him.”

“What is he like?”

Oh god. “I don’t know…he plays football? Every Friday night? I don’t know what you want me to tell you.”

“Like, how is he at school? I’ve heard all the rumors about him, and I just want to compare him to Kim Taehyung,” she bats her eyelashes.

“Umm, you do know that they have this intense rivalry, right?”

Cara laughs, “Duh—that is all anyone ever talks about at school.”

You look around for an excuse to get out of this awkward conversation. Looking over her shoulder, you see her tables. “You know what? How about we talk later…I think they need you over there.”

The second Cara turns around, you make a run for it. You walk behind the counter and send a distress signal to Minji. She gives you a funny look and just laughs. “You’ll get used to Cara.”

“I’m not sure about that,” you say as the diner door chimes. Minji greets them before you can say anything, and lets you know that the person sat down in your section. “I’ll be back.”

Walking over to your section of the diner, you approach the stranger who just sat down in a booth. They’re seated back facing you, so you have a split second to prepare yourself. In your head, you settle for the basic hello-how-can-I-help-you introduction and pray that you don’t make a fool of yourself. Once you reach the booth, you pull the pencil from behind your ear and get your notepad ready.

“Hello, how can I help you?” you ask on cue, flipping your notepad to a clean page.

“You know, it’s not very polite to not look at the customer while you talk to them.”

“Excuse me?” you ask as you look up and meet the person’s gaze. You blink a few times to make sure he’s really in front of you right now.

He smirks, “Hey, Jeon’s girl.”

“Kim Taehyung,” saying his name out loud sends chills down your spine. “And for the thousandth time, I have a name.”

“You know what I realized?” he asks but doesn’t give you a chance to respond. “This is the third time we’ve met, but you haven’t told me your name yet. Some would say that’s a little rude.”

For a second, you don’t even know what to say to him. If you weren’t stupid, you would think that he was flirting with you. Or was he actually flirting with you and you’re just too stupid to realize? Before you can say something you’ll regret, you tell him your name. “Also, how can I help you?”

“How long have you been working here?” he asks, and then slowly adds your name as if it was an afterthought.

“Like a week,” you tell him. “So, not long at all.”

“Interesting. I frequent this place—only when I don’t have practice, of course. I assume you only work nights you don’t have practice as well, right?”

Are you really having another conversation with Kim Taehyung right now? “Yep.”

He picks up your short, clipped answer and frowns, “What? Not happy to see me?”

For some reason, you intrigue me; so obviously, I’m ecstatic. “It’s just a little weird, you know. We just met and I’ve seen you on three separate occasions in the same month—anyone would be weirded by that.”

“Because you’re Jeon’s girl?” Why does he keep referring to you as that?

“What’s with you and calling me that?” you ask, tilting your head to the side and leaning your weight on one side of your body.

Taehyung mimics your movement, a smirk stretching across his lips. “You’re dating him, aren’t you?”

It takes a moment for his words to set in; but when they do, you’re overcome with laughter. The throw-your-head-back-hit-yourself kind of laughter. You laugh so hard you almost fall over from the sheer force of overwhelming humor. Through the tears in your eyes, you see him look at you like you’ve lost your mind. Thank goodness there aren’t too many customers inside the diner at this hour.

“Are you okay?”

Once you finally compose yourself, you take a deep breath and flatten your lips. “Just peachy.”

“You going to tell me why you reacted like that?” he asks.

“Why do you think Jeongguk and I are together?” you ask, crossing your arms. “Why does everyone seem to think that?”

Taehyung narrows his eyes, “You mean you two aren’t together?”

“Jeongguk is my best friend—not my boyfriend. I’ve known him since we were babies. He’s like a brother to me.” You don’t know why you’re over-explaining, but the words just seem to flow out of your mouth. “We don’t like each other like that.”

“Are you sure about that?”

It was your turn to narrow your eyes, “What are you insinuating, Kim Taehyung?”

“I think one would have to be blind not to see the way Jeon is protective over you,” his lips stretch into an almost smile, though you notice it doesn’t reach his eyes. They remain aloof as ever. Why was it so hard to read him?

“I think you’re reading into things,” you retort. “Jeongguk only feels that way because he has this older brother complex—though I’m the older one in our duo.”

Turning your attention away from his unreadable face, you look back at the notepad in your hand and repeat your earlier question. Taehyung replies simply that he’d like a strawberry shake, which surprises you a little. The second you jot down his order, you quickly excuse yourself and practically run back to the counter.

Once you’re behind the safety of the counter, you expel the breath you’ve been holding and sink to the floor. He thought Jeongguk was my boyfriend. The thought swirls through your brain and makes you dizzy. It was both equally hilarious and strange that Taehyung had this notion. But what thrilled you even more was that he knew you were single.

“Why are you on the floor?”

You look up and meet Minji’s concerned gaze. “Huh? Oh—I’m just…” you panic. “…just admiring the…floor.”

“Uh huh…sure,” she says, “so it’s not because of that cute boy over there.”

“What cute boy?” You play dumb, but Minji only raises a brow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about…also, he ordered a strawberry shake.”

“Are you going to make it?”

It was your turn to raise a brow, “Uh…I’m merely a waitress at this establishment, Minji.”

“Come, I’ll teach you,” she practically drags you off the floor. “So, on slow nights like these, you can make them yourself.”

Minji does as she says and teaches you to make the most delicious looking shake you’ve ever seen. It even has the whip cream and cherry on top; it’s perfect. It’s also huge—and you wonder for a moment who in the world could even finish a monstrosity like this.

When you finally bring it over to Taehyung, a brief moment of—what appears to be—joy flashes across his face. The expression takes you aback; it’s weird to see him so unrestricted like that. But as quickly at the emotion comes, it leaves after you blink. And the Taehyung you’ve encountered these last few weeks returns. “What took you so long?”

“Oh, please—I was barely gone five minutes,” you huff, setting the milkshake on the table.

“Five minutes too long.”

You suppress the need to roll your eyes. “Whatever. Enjoy your milkshake.”

For the rest of the night, you don’t speak another word to Kim Taehyung—not even as you watch him finish his milkshake or when you bring him his check, and especially not when he brushes against you to leave the diner. What a werido, you can’t help but think. You have no idea what his problem is, but you just hope that he’ll leave you alone.

However, that little nagging voice in the back of your mind likes to remind you of one issue to that sentiment: you kind of like him, still.

Curse your heart for feelings things.

#armiesnet #btsbookclub #bangtan bookclub #taehyung fic #v fic #bts fic #bangtan fic #kpop fic #taehyung #kim taehyung #can you blame me #angst #xbaepsae

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wheresmynaya · 4 years ago

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Lost in the Lights Ch.4 | Brittana

Posting early today since the Steelers game has been postponed so many times I've lost all concept of time LOL. Anyway, I get a real kick out of everyone that mentions they're a Steelers fan in their reviews. Wave that Terrible Towel for me too (I left mine in American, such a rookie mistake).

Also Happy late Thanksgiving, hope everyone had a safe holiday with lots of laughs.

Available on ff.net (x) ao3 (x)

It’s Wednesday morning and Brittany’s walking with Kurt to their first class of the day when McKinley High’s mascot comes running down the hall at them. They barely get out of his way in time as he continues whooping down the hallway. Students around cheer but Brittany just stares blankly, trying to understand what that was all about.

“That guy does his Spirit Run every year around this time,” Kurt explains.

“Spirit Run?”

“Yeah. It’s really just an excuse for him to run around the halls like a crazy person,” Kurt says, “You’ll probably see it again at least three more times this week.”

“You guys really go all out here,” Brittany mentions as she and Kurt begin to walk again without fear of getting trampled.

“Told you,” Kurt shrugs, “Homecoming is one of McKinley’s biggest events.”

“Small towns are so weird,” Brittany chuckles.

“They are, but I do love a good theme,” Kurt replies then gasps as he turns to her, “Have you given any thought to who you’ll be going with?”

Brittany laughs a little louder, but then stifles it when she sees Kurt look at her in confusion.

“I wasn’t going to ask anyone,” She says with a shrug.

Kurt’s baffled and stops mid-step, “What? Why not?”

“I don’t really have anyone in mind,” Brittany answers simply, “Why? What’s the issue?”

“You have to have an escort, Britt,” Kurt urges, “You’re apart of the Homecoming Court now, you can’t just attend the dance alone.”

Brittany rolls her eyes at how serious he’s making it all sound, “Why not? What’s going to happen to me if I don’t go with anyone?”

Kurt stammers, “Uh…nothing I guess but it’s not something people usually do. You’re pretty popular, Britt, why don’t you use that to your advantage like everyone else here? I’m sure you’d find a date easily if you asked around.”

“Okay fine,” Brittany smirks, “Do you want to go with me?”

Kurt gives her a look, “I’m flattered but I already agreed to go with a group from Glee Club.”

“Well look at that. I tried,” Brittany fakes defeat, “Guess I’ll be going alone then.”

“But –“

“I’ll be fine, Kurt. You said it yourself, nothing will happen to me if I go alone,” Brittany chuckles as she enters the classroom.

Kurt just sighs and follows after Brittany.

The day goes on as usual for Brittany until she arrives to her Home Room class for third bell. It’s one of her favorite parts of the day; half of the bell is spent on studying and using your time wisely before everyone’s released for lunch. It’s kind of her time to wind down from all the info-intake, but sometimes she tries to get a jump on homework so she doesn’t have to do much after practice.

It’s also the class before her final one of the day which she gets to spend with Santana.

She has barely walked through the door when her teacher hands her a note saying she’s needed in Ms. Pillsbury’s office. She recognizes the name from when Santana mentioned her awhile ago, but Brittany frowns as she looks over the note.

“Am I going to miss lunch?” She asks but the teacher just shrugs and tells her to get going.

She doesn’t actually know where the office is so she ends up wandering around downstairs until another teacher spots her for looking lost.

“Hey, where are you supposed to be?” They demand.

Brittany just hands over the note like it’s a hall pass, “I’m not sure where her office is.”

She smiles innocently and it’s enough to have the teacher relaxing. Thankfully they offer to lead the way to where she needs to be without any further questions.

When she finally gets to the office, she knocks gently at the glass. There’s a red-haired woman sitting daintily behind a desk polishing off her stapler with a wet wipe. Kind of odd, but Brittany doesn’t question it as a pleasant smile fills the woman’s face upon seeing her standing there.

“Brittany, hi! Please come in,” She says and motions for the blonde to have a seat, “I’m Ms. Pillsbury, I’ll be your designated guidance counselor and college advisor.”

“Hi,” Brittany nods behind a polite smile as she goes to sit, “Am I in trouble or something?”

“No, no. Of course not,” Ms. Pillsbury assures her.

Brittany’s only a little relieved by that.

“I’ve been trying to make my rounds in meeting with all the Seniors just to make sure that everyone’s on track with deadlines for college applications,” She explains, “I have a little information on you from your old school, but I just wanted to check in and introduce myself properly since you’re new here. How are you finding McKinley so far?”

“It’s nice,” Brittany answers softly.

She doesn’t know what it is about the guidance counselor’s office that makes her feel nervous. Maybe because she spent so much time in it at the beginning of the year? She was always being checked on because of her ailing dad, it always made her feel so uneasy.

“I see you’ve been making quite the splash with the Titans,” Ms. Pillsbury says kindly, “It’s great to see a new student getting so involved. I’m sure the team is happy you’re here.”

“Yeah,” Brittany shrugs; she’s not exactly sure how to answer that especially after taking her stance on slushie facials. They work better as a team on the field but there’s still a little tension.

“So plans for college,” Ms. Pillsbury continues once she sees she’s not going to get anything else out of Brittany.

Brittany shifts uncomfortably in her seat, her hands tightening around the spine of her binder. Talking about her future like this always puts her on edge for some reason. She knows her parents – mostly her dad – always wanted her to go to college after high school, so she wants to honor that. She wants it for herself too, but it’s kind of overwhelming sometimes, especially when she feels like sports are the only thing she’s good at.

That’s not true – she’s a whizz in math and science – but does she really want to make a career out of it? She has no idea, it’s probably a good idea that she figure that out soon though.

All she knows is that GPAs are important and hers isn’t the best it could be. Her grades really took a hit when her dad passed away, but she was able to finish her Junior year relatively strong considering everything that happened. Maybe she’ll be okay?

“It says here that you’ve already taken the SATs twice,” Ms. Pillsbury notes, “Your scores are very good.”

Brittany nods again, “Yes, I sat the exam just before I moved here. I figured that I would be too focused on getting adjusted to a new school to study again.”

“That’s smart,” Ms. Pillsbury smiles, “You’re ahead of many Seniors here, it’s nice to see someone taking the initiative.”

“Yeah,” Brittany just shrugs, “I’m hoping that I can get a scholarship for playing football or something. I know it’s kind of a long shot for someone like me. It’s super rare that a female football player gets a scholarship.”

“But it isn’t impossible, I think that’s the important part so don’t doubt yourself. You could very well get a scholarship for your talents on the field,” Ms. Pillsbury assures her, “It says in your file that you’ve had scouts attend your games at your old school: one for the Florida State and another for Auburn. That’s really impressive, Brittany.”

“Thank you,” Brittany blushes. She remembers those game and how nerve wracking it was for her knowing that a win could determine her future – could determine if she were getting into a good school or not.

“I know Coach Beiste is in contact with a few recruiters and college coaches that are more local if that interests you?” Ms. Pillsbury suggests, “Maybe you’ll have some luck there as well? I know she’s quite close to the coaches at Louisville and Ohio State which are both on your list here.”

“That would be so cool, ” Brittany perks up at the prospect.

Now that they’ve moved, she kind of wants to stay close to home if she can. Maybe she’ll be able to get on Ohio State’s radar or maybe Notre Dame? It has been a crazy dream of hers to play college football at one of the top schools in the country, but she doesn’t know if she’s being realistic.

“Very cool,” Ms. Pillsbury smiles, “Well, I don’t want to take up too much of your time during your study hour so if you ever have any questions or just want to come by for a chat, I’m always here.”

“Thanks Ms. Pillsbury,” Brittany grins before heading back to class. It was a random meeting, but Brittany feels surprisingly lighter after speaking with her – like there was this reassurance she didn’t know she needed. It was completely different from the visits that she’s used to.

\\\\\

Although Spirit Week really seems like five days worth of nonsense, there is still the usual schoolwork and practice that Santana needs to focus on too. So after Wednesday’s Cheerios practice, Santana and Quinn head to the Lima Bean to get some homework done before they fall too far behind.

This year, they only have one class together but unfortunately that’s the only class that they’re caught up on. Instead, they grab a circular table by the window and work on their own things in a comfortable silence. Before either of them knows it, they’ve been there for two hours already and have gone through multiple coffees each – Santana’s on her third, Quinn has switched to tea.

Quinn sits back and goes to stretch a moment later, “I think I’m done for the day.”

Santana blinks her weary eyes, “Same. This bookwork on U.S. Government is melting my brain. Let’s pack up and – “

“Wait,” Quinn whispers and holds out her hand to stop Santana, “Look who’s here.”

When Santana follows Quinn’s line of view she instantly looks away at who’s there talking to the barista.

“We never see her here,” Santana comments disbelievingly.

“Right?” Quinn starts to smirk, “This is perfect.”

Since their talk over the weekend, Quinn’s been in Santana’s ear about her progress in becoming friends with Brittany despite Santana telling her to butt out. She’s been trying to explain that she’s not going to all of a sudden ask her over for a sleepover so they can braid each other’s hair and make friendship bracelets. It takes time, especially for Santana considering she’s not exactly the best at making new friends.

And that’s kind of where Quinn comes in.

“I swear to God, Fabray, if you do anything embarrassing I’m gonna – “

“Hey Brittany!” Quinn calls out sweetly, loud enough so that Brittany – and anyone else in earshot – can hear.

Santana goes ten shades redder and sinks low in her chair, “I hate you so much.”

“What?” Quinn questions innocently, “Friends say hi to other friends when they’re out in public so don’t be rude.”

Santana lets out a sarcastic laugh, “Bullshit. You and I both know what you’re up to.”

“I’m not up to anything. Just be normal,” Quinn whispers out quickly, “She’s coming over.”

Be normal, Santana thinks as she stifles another laugh. How can she be normal when Quinn is yelling out this girl’s name from across the café like they’re best friends? They’ve talked maybe twice and it wasn’t much of a conversation but rather just greetings exchanged.

It’s like Quinn’s just trying to embarrass the crap out of her.

Santana tries to keep a straight face in hopes that the blush fades soon. Hopefully her tan complexion is enough to mask her embarrassment.

“Hey guys,” Brittany greets casually, “How’s it going?”

Quinn looks to Santana to see if she’ll answer. She rolls her eyes when she sees that Santana’s just giving her a death glare instead.

“Going well,” Quinn replies first, “Did you just get out of practice?”

Brittany sighs tiredly and goes to brush her hair behind her ear, “Yeah. Very tiring, but that’s why I’m here. I’m so close to a nap but I still have a ton of homework to do by tomorrow. Looks like you guys do too.”

Santana remains weirdly silent so Quinn gives her a subtle kick from under the table, “So much, but we’ve just finished up. Santana and I were actually just talking about tomorrow’s Spirit Day. Right, Santana?”

Santana gives Quinn one last narrow of her eyes before she’s putting on a smile, “Right, Quinn.”

“What is it again?” Brittany asks as she looks to the brunette with her pretty blue eyes.

Santana’s breath catches before she croaks out, “Crazy Hair Day.”

“That’s right,” Brittany chuckles before she teases, “Another super original one. Have you got any ideas for what you’ll do?”

Santana feels a little more at ease, “I’m trying to talk Quinn into dying her hair pink.”

Brittany’s brows shoot up as she looks to Quinn, “Awesome!”

“I’ll probably just wear mine down,” Santana adds which has Quinn rolling her eyes.

“Why do I have to dye my hair when all you’re doing is wearing yours down?” Quinn huffs.

“Because,” Santana retorts, “No way I’m doing anything crazy to all of this. Do you know how much these extensions cost?”

Brittany laughs at their dynamic, “I mean, it totally works! You’d look so different without your usual high pony. I can’t wait to see.”

Quinn sends a stealthy glance over in Santana’s direction. Santana makes a point not to look.

“What about you?” Santana asks Brittany, “What are you going to do differently?”

“I don’t know,” Brittany shrugs, “I probably won’t comb it or something. Although, the hair dye does sound pretty cool.”

Santana laughs at Quinn’s eye-roll just as the barista calls out Brittany’s name.

“Oh! That’s me,” Brittany jumps, “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Santana and Quinn say their goodbyes, but once she’s out of hearing range Quinn practically lunges across the table in excitement.

“She was flirting with you,” Quinn points out around a smirk.

Santana looks at her in disbelief, “Where the hell did you see flirting in all of that? Besides, wasn’t the point of all that to make a friend?”

“Come on,” Quinn gives her a look, “It was pretty obvious.”

“You’re delusional,” Santana chuckles.

“And you’re still date-less,” Quinn then sits up straighter, “Wait. I have an idea.”

“I already know what you’re going to say,” Santana shakes her head, “It’s a no. It’s a hell no.”

“You didn’t even give me a chance to state my case.”

“Yeah, because it’s bound to be ridiculous,” Santana replies. She glances over in Brittany’s direction as the blonde goes to sit at a table by herself. Santana pushes away that little feeling of hope before she’s turning back to Quinn, “She and I barely talk outside of class. It would be so weird and awkward, she’d never agree to it. Not to mention that it would be completely predictable.”

“Predictable?”

“Well yeah,” Santana answers like its obvious, “The only two girls nominated that are also – you know – and they just so happen to be going together? No. I’m not going to give this school any more reason to talk shit. I’m not falling for that trap.”

Quinn rolls her eyes, “What are you talking about? What trap?”

“You don’t think this is weird?” Santana questions, “A girl being nominated for King? That’s never happened before. Is it not a red flag for you?”

Quinn sits back again in her chair and sighs, “Honestly Santana, I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if she’s genuinely been nominated or if it’s something else. I don’t think we’re gonna find out until Saturday.”

Santana sighs too, “I just don’t want her to get dragged into all my crap, you know? I don’t want them to mess with her like they’ve messed with me.”

“Yeah,” Quinn nods sadly, “I know but maybe it’s different this time? Brittany’s…she’s a lovely person and really tallented. Who knows, maybe that’s why she’s being nominated? Maybe her being an awesome quarterback and leading the Titans to so many wins has distracted people? Maybe this is real? I don’t know.”

Santana bites her lip. She wishes she could be that optimistic, but she’s been burned too many times. It’s hard for her to see the good anymore. She just hopes for Brittany’s sake that Quinn’s right this time.

“But,” Quinn adds, “What I do know is that Cheerios don’t go to these things by themselves – especially ones that are nominated.”

Santana tenses her jaw. She hates all the social rules she has to follow just because of her status. She hates how popularity is everything in place like Lima. For once, she just wants to be herself but everyone makes it so damn difficult.

Still, she has her obligations.

“If you can’t go with Brittany,” Quinn starts, “Who will you go with?”

She glances one last time at Brittany sitting alone studying before she finally answers, “I’ll find someone.”

And Santana tries valiantly to do so.

Once she gets home from the Lima Bean, Santana lies on her bed and scrolls through her contacts but nothing jumps out at her. Actually, it’s not the fact that no one jumps out – it’s the fact that she can’t bring herself to stoop down to that level again and go with a guy.

She can’t pretend anymore, no matter how bad she wants to avoid it all and go back to how things were a couple years ago where all she had to do was hide behind some guy in order to avoid how she truly felt. No one questioned her, no one doubted if any of it was genuine.

If she were to go with one of the many guys listed in her contacts, she would be doing just that – reverting. She feels guilty just thinking about it, but she knows it would be easier going back on what was said about her rather than actually living up to it.

Honestly, she doesn’t know which is scarier: pretending to be someone she isn’t again or finally owning up to who she really is. She just hates hearing the I knew it or I told you; it makes her feel so see-through, vulnerable. She can’t have that, she can’t have people at this school thinking they know her when they really don’t, but what is she supposed to do?

Continue to hide from the truth? Hope that everyone forgets?

Santana continues to scroll through her phone hoping that maybe she’ll find the answer to all her troubles amongst the boys’ names.

She doubts she will and that’s the biggest problem of all.

\\\\\

The next day, Brittany gets home a little earlier from football practice to find her mom helping Pete with his homework in the dining room. He instantly lights up when she enters the room and rushes over to hug her hips.

“Hey Petey,” Brittany chuckles, “You doing homework?”

“He just finished up,” Whitney smiles lovingly at the pair, “Got every question right.”

“No way!” Brittany gasp and goes for a low-five, “Mr. Smarty Pants in the building!”

Pete gives her an enthusiastic slap to her palm, “Should be rewarded with ice cream, right?”

Brittany’s brows rise and they both look over to their mom as she mimics him, “Right?”

Whitney just laughs, “Don’t you need to shower or something, Britt?”

“Showered at school,” She grins triumphantly.

“You can do that?” Pete looks up at her in awe.

“Totally.”

“Well,” Whitney sighs, “Let’s go then! Tonight’s the Bonfire, isn’t it?”

Brittany nodded as she put down her bag in its usual place by the front door, “Yeah, but it’s not until later. I’ve got time for an ice cream run.”

“Can I go to the bonfire too?” Pete asks as they all make their way outside to the car.

“Mom said no, remember?” Brittany tells him gently as he climbs into his seat, “It’ll be too late for you.”

“Bummer,” He frowns. Brittany gets in the passenger side and Whitney goes to start the car when he asks, “Will Santana be there?”

Brittany’s a little surprised that he remembered her name but answers anyway, “Yeah, probably. Why?”

Pete doesn’t answer for awhile, “Just wondering. She’s nice.”

Brittany nods, “Yeah. I think so too.”

She goes to flip though the radio stations, but Santana’s mention reminds her of how she felt seeing the Co-Captain for the first time that morning.

Like they discussed at the Lima Bean, Santana had worn her hair down. Brittany almost didn’t recognize her, she looked that different. More relaxed maybe? Who knows, but Brittany caught herself staring several times which would’ve been embarrassing if Santana noticed. Her hair was a lot longer than Brittany thought and any time Santana would brush it behind her ear or twirl the tips of it with her fingers, Brittany could smell the scent of her shampoo wafting off of her.

It was super distracting.

That scent was committed to Britany’s memory, because that scent was now Santana. Whenever she caught a whiff of it, Santana’s smiling face popped up in her head. As much as she thought that was really cool, it kind of worried her because she knew what was starting to develop and she couldn’t have that.

Crushes are meant to be on people she might actually have a chance with. Not pretty, straight Cheerleaders who could probably get anyone they wanted in the entire school.

“So are you two going together?” Whitney wonders and Brittany’s eyes nearly bug out at the question, more importantly how casual it sounded.

Is she reading my thoughts? Brittany wonders.

Pete pipes in next, “Yeah, are you?”

Honestly, Brittany never really considered Santana as an option. The girl is probably the hardest person to read and that’s coming from Brittany who is excellent at reading people…on the football field.

If Santana’s somewhere on the spectrum, it would be news to Brittany.

“Uh…no,” Brittany finally answers, “I doubt she’d want to go with me. I bet she has so many guys lining up to be her date though, she’s very popular.”

“How do you know she won’t want to go with you instead then?” Pete wonders innocently, “Maybe she’s tired of going with boys?”

That has Brittany chuckling, “Maybe but I’ll probably just go by myself and meet up with my friends. I don’t mind not having a date, just means I can dance with everyone else’s.”

They seem happy with that answer so the rest of the car ride is quiet aside from Pete singing along with the radio. Brittany just stares out the window wondering if her brother might be on to something about Santana though.

It’s probably a shot in the dark, but the longer she stews on it the more curious she becomes.

Brittany’s always loved Bonfires; she likes the way the smoke lingers on her, the feel of the heat of the flames on her cheeks, how the glow of the fire has this sort of hypnotic effect. She really gets the expression a moth to a flame because she can so relate to the way it pulls you in.

She has seen Mike and Sam around, along with the other guys from the team but she makes a point to stay near the fire instead. It’s a lot colder than it was when she went out for ice cream earlier and she kind of regrets not wearing something thicker underneath her letterman jacket.

It’s not until after Principal Figgins makes a few announcements that she has to gather with the team for their grand entrance. It all seems a bit backwards since they’ve already been mingling for the past thirty minutes, but she just goes with the flow and follows after Kurt until they’re dismissed to join everyone else again. It’s then, that Brittany spots Santana hanging around the chairs she was sitting in before the Titans were called over.

To Brittany’s surprise, Santana sits alone. And like a moth to a flame, Brittany finds herself wandering over without a second thought.

“Hey,” Brittany greets with her hands tucked in her jacket pockets, “Where’s your other half?”

Santana looks away from the dancing flames and blinks like Brittany had just interrupted some deep thought, “Who? Quinn?”

“Yeah,” Brittany smiles as she sits next to Santana, “You two are always together.”

Santana chuckles, “She’s chatting up Mike I think. She’s on the hunt for an escort to Homecoming.”

“I’m sure Mike’s loving that,” Brittany laughs.

“Oh yeah?”

“Totally,” Brittany nods, “He has the biggest crush on Quinn. Don’t tell her I said that.”

“Oh, she knows,” Santana replies, “I don’t know why they won’t make it official already. They’re fooling no one.”

Brittany laughs again and thinks back to all the times she’s overheard Mike talk about Quinn like she put every star in the sky. It’s cute, she thinks, they’re cute. It makes her wonders why they’re dragging their feet if the feelings are mutual.

Her thoughts are interrupted though when she sees Santana shiver.

She’s still wearing her uniform so it’s no wonder why she’s cold but at least she has her Cheerios jacket on too.

“You guys not allowed to wear pants or something?” Brittany asks jokingly.

Santana shoots her a playful glare, “I would’ve worn my warm-ups if I knew it was going to drop 40 degrees. It wasn’t this cold when I got here earlier.”

“I know right?” Brittany agrees as she tries to use the collar of her jacket to cover her ears, “I don’t like it.”

Santana chuckles as she sees Brittany trying to hide further into her jacket, “Okay it’s not that cold. We’re literally sitting by a fire.”

Brittany just shrugs and looks back at Santana. Again, she’s kind of captivated by her. With her hair still down, falling in gentle waves over her shoulder, and the glow of the fire casting shades of burnt orange…Santana’s kind of beautiful.

Crap, Brittany thinks and goes to shake away the thought.

Instead, she goes to ask a question that’s been eating her up since her chat with Pete. Really, she just wants to shut down that nagging feeling of hope in the pit of her stomach and confirm that Santana’s already been easily swept up by some other eligible, more realistic option for a date.

“So what about your date hunt?” Brittany prompts timidly, “You have an escort already too?”

“No,” Santana’s smile falters and there’s just the barest of a crinkle between her brows as she looks back at the flames.

Brittany’s shocked by the news.

“I wouldn’t go with anyone if I could,” Santana mentions quietly, “But it’s kind of tradition that a Cheerio doesn’t go unattended.”

“This school and its traditions…” Brittany sighs with the shake of her head.

Santana frowns, still looking away from Brittany, “Yeah. It’s so stupid.”

Brittany watches Santana, trying to read what’s hidden beneath the surface but she’s at a loss. Santana can be so cryptic sometimes, her walls so impossibly high. It’s hard for Brittany to get a read on her so she just has to ask instead and hope Santana graces her with an answer.

“I take it the hunt isn’t going very well?” Brittany wonders.

“Not at all,” Santana answers with a deep sigh.

Brittany wonders what that is. The way Santana looks is similar to the first time Brittany ever saw her back at Puck’s End of Summer party. She remembers seeing Santana and Quinn sitting by the pool – she’s never seen a girl looking so sad at a party. Back then, she wanted to go over and ask her why she was so sad but that was probably the alcohol giving her a false sense of confidence.

But knowing more of Santana now and seeing her look that way makes Brittany feel kind of sad too. She’s not sure how to console Santana, if that’s even what she wants from someone, so instead Brittany tries to make her laugh.

“Wow, you struggling to find a date?” Brittany teases gently, “There definitely isn’t any hope for the rest of us.”

“Why’s that?” Santana asks with her expression even.

Brittany gulps; maybe she’s making it worse?

“You’re just…” Brittany fumbles for the right words but all she can think of is how Pete described Santana earlier, “You’re nice. It’s kind of hard to believe that someone like you is still dateless.”

Santana looks like she’s about to laugh, “Nice? I don’t think anyone’s ever said that about me unless they’re referring to my ass.”

Brittany begins to feel flushed because well, yeah that too but that wasn’t what she was referring to.

“You are though,” Brittany assures her, “You brought me the work I missed that one time. You assigned a locker to me when Coach Sylvester wouldn’t. You brought me that awesome – but weird colored – juice when I wasn’t feeling well. Not to mention how you handled JBI before I knew who he was…”

Santana just shakes her head though the smile begs to form.

“You’re nice Santana,” Brittany tells her this time.

Santana bobs her head from side to side like she can’t decide if she agrees with Brittany.

“Well, a lot of other people would disagree,” Santana says finally, “I’ve…burned a lot of bridges in the past so nice isn’t going to cut it unfortunately. Pretty sure Quinn nabbed the last available Titan and I sure as hell won’t go with one of the Hockey players. If there are any Titans left they’re either pigs or too gross for me to even consider so that’s that.”

Suddenly Brittany feels her senses heighten and her heart rate spikes, because a thought just crossed her mind and although her head is telling her to keep quiet about it, her heart tells her to go for it. She’s caught in the middle, but then she hears her dad’s voice in her head saying, “You won’t know unless you try.”

So she decides to shoot that shot in the dark and hope for the best.

“What about me?” Brittany offers hesitantly. She feels her heart jump to her throat and it’s taking everything in her to come off cool and casual.

Santana looks at her curiously, “What about you?”

Of course she’d want me to spell it out for her, Brittany thinks with a chuckle.

“Well, I’m not on the Hockey team.”

She can see the moment Santana catches on.

“Last time I checked I was a Titan too,” Brittany continues, “And I don’t have a date.”

Santana blinks at Brittany like she can’t believe her ears, “But…you’re a g – “

“I swear, if you say girl…” Brittany laughs.

“What?” Santana stammers out a laugh too, “You are!”

“Okay, and?” Brittany asks, “What’s that have to do with anything?”

Santana shakes her head and lets out a wry laugh, “Two girls can’t go to a dance together.”

Brittany rolls her eyes at that reasoning, “Who said?”

Santana’s lips part but nothing comes out. Brittany smirks.

“You don’t have an escort and I don’t either,” Brittany explains, “From what I hear, Cheerios tend to go with Football players and since I’m apparently the only Titan without a date still it would make sense for us to go together. Unless you’re considering me one of the gross ones you wouldn’t dream of going with?”

Santana averts her gaze, “You’re not.”

Hope starts to swell within Brittany, “Well then…we’re not really breaking tradition, are we? It’s like finding a loophole. You’re still a Cheerio going with a Titan, it just so happens that we’re both girls.”

Santana takes a moment to reply but when she does, she sounds a lot more nervous than before and Brittany worries that she’s made her uncomfortable by asking.

“I – I’m just…” Santana stutters, “I’m not…”

Brittany waits for Santana to finish but she’s so tripped up on her words that she can’t get anything out. The blonde kind of gets what Santana’s trying to say judging by the look of discomfort and takes the awkward rambling as all the assurance she needs.

“Santana, you don’t have to be gay to go to a dance with another girl,” Brittany jokes trying to lighten the mood.

Santana just stiffens, “Uhm.”

“I wasn’t going to go with anyone either,” Brittany continues to ramble, “Seems like you and I are the only ones that have that in common.”

“Right,” Santana mumbles.

“Yeah so,” Brittany chuckles, suddenly feeling way more nervous than before, “Maybe we can just go together as friends?”

“Friends?” Santana repeats. It seems like she only knows how to say one word at a time now.

“Yeah, friends,” Brittany chuckles, “You’ve heard of them, right?”

“Y-yeah,” Santana stutters.

“Okay, well all of mine already have dates and since everyone wants to put such a big emphasis on having an escort, you’re the only one left that I’d feel comfortable going with. Not that I consider you a last resort,” Brittany quickly amends, “I just thought we could help each other out, you know?”

Santana looks shocked, “Really?”

“Well yeah,” Brittany shrugs. She pushes away the doubt trying to worm its way in. She can’t remember the last time she felt this nervous to go out on whim, “So what do you say? Do you want to go together?”

“As friends?”

“Yes Santana,” Brittany chuckles, “As friends.”

“Okay,” Santana smiles and for a second she starts to act normal again, “Yeah. That’s cool.”

“Awesome!” Brittany beams.

She feels so relieved now and thinks that went a lot better than she thought but she can still sense a little hesitance on Santana’s end which makes her a little nervous. She goes to tuck her hair behind her air just to give her hands something to do.

“So…” Brittany drawls out, “I should probably get your number then? For outfit coordination purposes, you know just so we don’t accidentally match or something.”

When she sees that faint smirk on Santana’s lips, Brittany feels a little better about asking.

“Wow, you always this smooth when getting a girl’s number?” Santana teases.

Brittany instantly rolls her eyes at the sarcasm.

She’s been told that she’s charismatic and maybe a little accidentally flirty, but she honestly isn’t trying anything with Santana. She wouldn’t do anything to make her uncomfortable – she knows what straight girls are like around the not-so-straight ones so Brittany’s always cautious with how she comes off.

Even if her cheeks burn a little, she’s glad Santana still has jokes and decides to make one of her own too.

“Don’t worry, Santana,” Brittany smirks as she hands over her phone, “If I was going to hit on you, you’d know it.”

Santana blushes hard but Brittany just misses it as Santana fishes out her phone from her bra, “Here. Let me get your number too.”

\\\\\

By Friday, word surprisingly hasn’t gotten around that Santana is going with Brittany. She knows she hasn’t told anyone – not even Quinn yet – so Brittany must’ve been staying quiet too. She’s kind of thankful for that, even if she didn’t explicitly tell Brittany not to.

But that isn’t the only thing she hasn’t explicitly told Brittany.

“Santana, you don’t have to be gay to go to a dance with another girl.”

Brittany’s words flash in Santana’s head like warning lights. She doesn’t know why she’s surprised by the statement; they’ve never talked about her sexuality before. Then again, it’s not something she loves to bring up in casual conversation nor is it something she flaunts.

She’s just shocked more than anything that Brittany doesn’t know yet considering how invasive everyone is at school.

Santana’s in the locker room with Quinn getting ready for the Pep Rally when she finally tells her best friend the news.

“So I found a date,” Santana mentions before the rest of the squad joins them, “Well technically, the date found me.”

Quinn perks up, “Who?”

She can barely contain the smirk when she looks over at Quinn, “McKinley’s star QB.”

“No way!” Quinn gasps. A wide smile fills her face and makes her cheeks bunch, “That is so great, Santana. This is happening so much faster than I thought! God, I’m so surprised. Mike told me that she wasn’t going to go with anyone. I wonder what made her change her mind? Wait, what changed your mind?”

Santana wonders that too and a little part of her holds out hope that it was because she told Brittany she was having trouble finding a date. That gets Santana thinking; she couldn’t find a date because she didn’t want to go with a boy – and now the only girl at school that’s an option for her thinks she’s straight.

The fucking irony.

“So there’s just one small problem,” Santana notes without answering Quinn’s questions.

“What?”

“She…doesn’t know,” Santana says cryptically.

Quinn’s confused, “Doesn’t know what?”

“You know,” Santana prompts then goes to whisper, “She thinks I’m straight.”

Quinn’s jaw drops, “Wait. What?”

Santana just nods.

Quinn shakes her head, “No seriously, what?”

“I don’t know,” Santana says as she slumps down on the bench next to Quinn, “Is it weird that I’m disappointed? I mean, I know I don’t smell like a golf course or wear flannel 24/7 but like…really? I thought everyone knew by now?”

Quinn’s at a loss too, “The one time your reputation doesn’t come through for you.”

Santana let’s out a bitter laugh at that and looks to the floor, “What’s the point of being outed to literally everyone in this whole fucking town if I still have to come out to people myself?” Santana feels a lump instantly lodge itself in her throat and it becomes impossibly hard to swallow back. Her eyes feel hot and stingy, “They did it for me once and now that it would actually benefit me, no one wants to say anything? I thought people here loved talking shit about me behind my back? Where are they all now?”

She doesn’t notice that streams of tears have begun to run down her cheeks until Quinn’s wrapping an arm around her. Santana’s vision blurs as the sobs hit her hard. She hasn’t let herself cry about what happened in so long, maybe that’s why she broke so quickly at its very mention? She’s glad they’re still alone though, she’d hate for the rest of the squad to see her like this.

“Santana,” Quinn tries but it’s the only thing she can get out right now. She doesn’t know what to say that’ll make this go away so she just holds Santana upright and keeps her steady.

“I’m fine. It’s fine,” Santana stammers as she takes a deep, shaky breath. When she finally believes her own words, she pushes to straighten up so she can wipe her face.

Quinn looks at her worriedly before she turning away so that Santana can continue to calm herself down. She knows how Santana gets when she fusses over her, so she tries to give her some space.

“I thought I could make jokes about it,” Santana mentions awhile later, “I guess I’m not ready yet.”

“It’s okay,” Quinn smiles apologetically. She waits a moment before suggesting, “Maybe look at it as a positive? Brittany’s one person you get to come out to on your own. You can do it however you want and I’m sure she’d be very understanding.”

That actually calms Santana a little. She thinks about her abuela and how she was the only person she came out to on her own terms and it completely blew up in her face. But with Brittany, she knows it would be different. She knows Brittany wouldn’t shut her out.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Santana nods, “I can control it this time.”

“Exactly,” Quinn gives her a pat on the knee, “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up. The girls will be here any minute.”

When the Cheerios take to the gym, they do their usual routine of getting the crowd hyped up for Principal Figgins as he goes through with the usual announcements and Fall teams introductions. It’s all business for Santana as she works the crowd – that is until the Titans are called out and she feels something shift.

Brittany leads the team while wearing that award winning smile of hers. The rest of the guys pump their fists and cheer, motioning for the crowd of students to get louder as they spread out and get people amped up for their performance with the Cheerios.

It’s nothing special; the Cheerios and the Titans do something together every year for the Homecoming Pep Rally. It’s usually the same routine since it’s easier for the Titans to follow along when all they have to do is pair off with a Cheerio and groove to the music.

Santana sees the Hockey guys sulking off to the side – no one ever gets that loud when they are announced – and she finds herself smirking at how pissed they look. For a team that sucks so bad and swears that Hockey rules the school, they rarely get any applause that isn’t forced.

Brittany then surprises everyone by doing a no-handed cartwheel and it has the crowd in awe. Even Santana’s jaw drops a little as she watches Brittany stick the landing in one smooth motion before skipping over to stand next to her.

“Impressive, Pierce,” Santana comments as she shakes her pompoms.

Brittany lifts her shoulder as she moves easily to the rhythm of the song, “I use to do gymnastics.”

“Of course you did,” Santana chuckles as she keeps up with the choreography, “Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Recite the alphabet backwards, parallel park, color in the lines…” Brittany lists playfully.

“Very funny,” Santana rolls her eyes. She goes to do a high kick before she’s dancing again next to Brittany, “You ready for the game tonight?”

“Totally,” Brittany nodded resolutely, “Should be fun. Are you?”

Santana lifted her shoulder similarly to what Brittany did before, “I’m interested to see how you do. We haven’t won a Homecoming game in years, so...”

Brittany giggled, “Well, I work pretty well under pressure so...”

Santana smirked as the routine ended, “We’ll see.”

\\\\\

To say that there’s a lot of pressure on Brittany to bring in a win is an understatement. After everything that happened with her stance on slushie facials and the way she spoke so highly of herself when it came to winning, Brittany kind of dug herself a hole. Not that she would take back anything she said – she was very serious when she vowed she could take the Titans to the Championships.

She knows she can, that’s why she’s so confident about it.

It’s just whether or not a select few members of the team are going to get with the program so that they can really start to thrive, because no matter how good she is – one person doesn’t win games.

There’s still Karofsky and Azimio being absolute pains in her ass then there’s Finn with his need to remind Brittany of every little thing that’s never been done purely because no one’s ever tried making any changes.

People here are just so set in their ways – happy to carry on with their so-called traditions although they suck. She can see the subtle changes in others on the team though – like very, very subtle changes – so she’ll take that as progress for now.

The game against the Westvale Wizards ends up being a complete blow out. The Titans crush the Wizards in every aspect; so much so that Brittany started to feel a little bad about the score differentiation.

Home: 28 Away: 3

She doesn’t feel that bad though because she broke many personal records tonight and that’s bound to get some media attention. Not that it’s what she plays for, but her meeting with Ms. Pillsbury has her thinking about scouts and her future. She hopes she’s enough to grab their attention.

Westvale didn’t offer too much competition compared to going up against Carmel High, but a win is a win. It’s just what the team needs for morale and it’s a great way to end Spirit Week and put everyone in a good mood for the Homecoming Dance. Apparently, the last time the Titans won a Homecoming game was nearly six years ago so it’s yet another record Brittany gets to claim as they move on to being 6-1.

After giving out handshakes to the other team, Brittany makes her way off the field for some water and finds Santana lingering by the sidelines along with the other Cheerios. The rest of them are getting packed up but Santana’s just watching Brittany as she draws near.

Brittany sees her holding a green Gatorade cup in her hand and it puts a smile on Brittany’s face.

“Well, you didn’t disappoint,” Santana says once Brittany’s close enough. She hands the cup over to the blonde, “Great game, Pierce.”

Brittany’s smile grows as she sets her helmet down on the bench so she can take the drink, “Thanks. It was a team effort.”

“And always so humble too,” Santana notes with a chuckle.

“Really couldn’t have done it without your amazing cheers though,” Brittany winks just before she nods over at the squad, “Great stuff.”

Santana looks behind her and shrugs, “It was a team effort.”

Brittany can’t help but laugh at that, “Of course.”

Santana can be so damn cute sometimes without even trying – at least, Brittany doesn’t think she is. Really, Brittany can’t understand how she got so lucky with getting to be Santana’s date. Well, not her date date.

Brittany’s pretty sure that’s off the table.

She’s just honored that she gets to go with someone she genuinely likes to be around. It’ll be cool to hang out with Santana in a different setting other than Miss Holliday’s classroom or practice or in passing in the hallways.

Which reminds her…

“So about tomorrow,” Brittany mentions a little timidly. She plays with the paper cup in her hand, “Did you want to meet there? Or I can pick you up if you want? You’ll have to text me your address. Although, fair warning: I’m not very good at directions. The whole in 300 feet turn left thing always confuses me like how am I suppose to know how much that is…” Brittany pauses when she sees Santana start to raise her brow, “I’m rambling, sorry.”

Santana chuckles, “How about I pick you up at yours? I already know where you live anyway.”

Brittany nods, “Okay, yeah.”

“Doors open at 7:30,” Santana mentions, “I can come by around 7?”

“Yeah,” Brittany grins, “That sounds good to me.”

“Cool.”

“Yup.”

“Yo Pierce!” Mike calls out to her from where the team has started to gather for a post-game huddle, “Get over here!”

Brittany tosses up her hand in a wave before turning back to Santana, “Sorry, I better get over there. Thanks again for the drink.”

Santana just nods, the same small smile playing at her lips.

It makes Brittany smile too and for a second it makes her trip up on her words, “Uh…so I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

Santana nods again, “Yeah, text me. Congrats on the win again.”

Brittany’s smile widens before she’s jogging over to the huddle. She wasn’t all that jazzed for the dance at first, but now that she’s going with Santana she starts to feel the excitement build.

Now, she can’t wait for tomorrow night.

#Lost in the Lights #Brittana #Brittana Fanfiction #QB!Britt

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racingtoaredlight · 3 years ago

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THE DEGENERATE’S GUIDE TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL TV WATCH ‘EM UPS 2021: WEEK TWO, A MUDDLED AND MAUDLIN WEEK OF MAYHEM IN HONOR OF THOSE WE LOST

RTARL would like to extend our warmest holiday wishes to those who celebrate and, even if you don’t, happy 9/11. Now who’s ready for some FOOTBALL!!!!?!?!

So after two weeks of games that combine to count as only one official week even though some teams have already played twice we have only one real question answered: is Alabama still good? Yes, they are. Everything else is still liquefying vapor.

I am assuming everybody is waiting with baited breath for an RTARLsman but I don’t have anything yet. I guess the not-Master Teague RBs on Ohio State are the frontrunners for now. Or that one guy from that one team who was good. You know who I mean.

Saturday, September 11

Matchup Time (ET) TV/Mobile

Illinois at Virginia 11:00am ACCN

Jeff George won Citrus Bowl MVP for the Illini against the Hoos in his last game as a student athlete before becoming the #1 overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft. Based on this history it is safe to presume that whoever the QB is for Illinois today will be the #1 pick in 2022.

VMI at Kent State 11:30am ESPN3

I’m not sure on this but maybe this game is cancelled.

WKU at Army 11:30am CBSSN

Army is favored by 6. I bet this game is boring.

Norfolk State at Wake Forest 12:00pm ACCNX

I don’t see a line listed but whatever it is bet against Wake covering.

Indiana State at Northwestern 12:00pm BTN

This game is an act of terrorism.

Alabama State at 25 Auburn 12:00pm SECN

Real body bag season starts today, huh?

Youngstown State at Michigan State 12:00pm BTN

The Michigan State running back is the guy I was trying to think of earlier! He’s pretty good. Not good enough to make me watch this but I will check on his stats every so often.

Tulsa at Oklahoma State 12:00pm FS1

I bet Mike Gundy has some really salient thoughts on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and I can’t wait to hear them.

South Carolina at East Carolina 12:00pm ESPN2

South Carolina is a two point favorite against an East Carolina team that is, per my understanding, not exactly good. So I can only extrapolate that South Carolina is likewise not good.

Pitt at Tennessee 12:00pm ESPN

Look, I’m not going to pretend this is good television but if Pitt rocks their classic yellow helmets and Tennessee wears non-alternates the colors on the screen will at least be pleasing. The thought of the actual football involved hurts my brain but it’s interesting that the points have gone from a consensus pick ‘em to Pitt -3 over the course of the week. Does Tennessee have any players that are good enough that by missing the game they could impact the gambling that much? Or are people just squaring themselves with the fact the the Vols are really and truly a ruined burnt out hole of a football program? Pound the latter.

12 Oregon at 3 Ohio State 12:00pm FOX

Losing Kayvon Thibideaux certainly isn’t going to help Oregon but he’s not usually on the field as a run stopper anyway and if Ohio State learned anything last week it’s that they can just run until they feel like throwing a pass. Oregon actually has some legit talent on the d-line besides Thibideaux but the Ducks are gonna be hard-pressed to keep things within two scores here.

Miami (Ohio) at Minnesota 12:00pm ESPN

If Oregon can’t make a game of it in Columbus look out because this time block is an absolute wasteland. There is scant reason to turn the TV on for the early schedule other than gambling purposes.

Kennesaw State at Georgia Tech 12:00pm RSN/ESPN3

Georgia Tech probably should have closed up shop after Paul Johnson retired. Either that or just absolutely slathered the football program in dollars. The Yellow Jackets being unable to land any big time recruits while playing in Atlanta is a real mindfuck. They aren’t a AA program playing dress up in a “power” conference they’ve got actual history. I don’t mean to give the impression I want them to be good but I don’t understand how they can be such fodder for so long.

13 Florida at USF 1:00pm ABC

Remember that year when USF was the best program in the state? Wild stuff. Weird, wild stuff. I know the deal with UF is that they don’t go out of state for contract games but it’s actually kind of surprising they even bothered to keep this trip to Tampa on the schedule. Like the area recruits would probably be happier to go see a game at The Swamp than to kick around their hometown for a pile of shit like this.

Wyoming at NIU 1:30pm ESPN+

I’m not gonna open the ESPN app for this but if it was on ESPN2 I’d probably check in on it during commercials. Aesthetically pleasing trash with an upside for actual entertainment.

Middle Tennessee at 19 Virginia Tech 2:00pm ACCNX

Virginia Tech’s home crowd scene was the normie story of last week’s games. People that don’t watch college football were either aghast or frantically waving their blue lives matter flags in response. Us in this space just ate the shame and forgot it happened by the time Saturday’s games kicked off. My theory is that VPI is not actually any good but UNC’s 2020 season was a well-timed fluke and the last hurrah of Mack Brown’s storied coaching career. The Hokies are at home, though, and MTSU is almost certainly not on the same athletic level as the Turkey Gobblers so I’d probably take the home team -20 if I were so inclined to wager on this particular game that is being broadcast on the ACC’s new pornography channel.

Rutgers at Syracuse 2:00pm ACCN

Holy fuck does this game suck. Reuniting former Big East, uh, rivals (??? does Rutgers have any natural enemies?) in a cross-conference classic betwixt the B1G and the ACC.

Duquesne at Ohio 2:00pm ESPN3

I don’t think I need to explain to you all the national title implications riding on this game.

Toledo at 8 Notre Dame 2:30pm Peacock

Just remember that if you subscribe to Peacock you are at the very least tacitly supporting Notre Dame. If for some reason you’re watching this please report back on how many of those defensive pick plays Notre Dame runs. They were doing that shit constantly against Florida State last week and it drove me nuts. I think the idea is that you are so flagrantly illegal so often that the refs grow numb to it and just don’t call it at all.

Robert Morris at Central Michigan 3:00pm ESPN3

Not to be outdone by the early games, the 3 o’clock set is equally terrible.

Purdue at UConn 3:00pm CBSSN

I bet Edsall still gets bonuses for stupid shit even now that he’s retired or whatever the official designation was for him no longer coaching.

Boston College at UMass 3:30pm FloFootball/NESN+

I don’t know what FloFootball is but I know it isn’t anything to do with the state of Florida.

Ball State at 11 Penn State 3:30pm FS1

It surprises me to see Penn State as only -22.5 favorites. That seems very kind to Ball State. Hopefully I’m wrong and the Ball State Lettermans take it to the Sanduskys.

Murray State at 7 Cincinnati 3:30pm ESPN+

Practice week continues.

Temple at Akron 3:30pm ESPN+

Pound the under.

Georgia Southern at Florida Atlantic 3:30pm Stadium

There is really nothing going on this week.

Air Force at Navy 3:30pm CBS

Middies vs. Fly Boys in the first leg of the Commander’s Cup on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. I can’t imagine the amount of emotional manipulation that’s going to make its way onto this broadcast. Normally I watch these games but I don’t think I can do it this year.

UAB at 2 Georgia 3:30pm ESPN2

Georgia may well be absurdly talented on the defensive side of the ball but I’d be surprised to see them make it through the regular season with fewer than two losses.

5 Texas A&M at Colorado 3:30pm FOX

This is only interesting if the Aggies spring a leak.

California at TCU 3:30pm ESPNU

Things most certainly are not looking up.

Buffalo at Nebraska 3:30pm BTN

Nebraska is in an interesting position because if they buck the odds and end up being good after we’ve all been so ready to see a National Championship-winning coach get fired that would be funny but if they end up being really bad it’s even funnier. Go Bulls!

Mercer at 1 Alabama 4:00pm SECN

I’ll cry a little if Saban pulls the starters in the first half and the Tide beats Mercer by less than they beat Miami.

South Alabama at Bowling Green 4:00pm ESPN+

10 Iowa at 9 Iowa State 4:30pmABC

This is not the kind of top 10 matchup I can just sit idly by and let it happen. Your silence is complicity in this monstrous display of modernity.

SC State at 6 Clemson 5:00pm ACCN

Clemson dropped all the way to #6 and they’ll hang around the top of the polls because they don’t have the toughest conference schedule in the world but my confidence in them is not high right now. I think the new QB is just a guy. He’s talented as hell but I don’t see him being great.

Illinois State at Western Michigan 5:00pm ESPN3

This is either MACtion or MACtion adjacent and I have only one word for this midwestern trash: abhorrent.

LIU at West Virginia 5:00pm ESPN+

LIU plays football?

Lamar at UTSA 6:00pm ESPN3

Downside: You’re watching one of the least important games of the year. Upside: You’re really not missing anything.

Portland State at Washington State 6:00pm P12N

Washington State was a perfect spot for the stupid pirate fuckhead and his leaving has ruined the program and, eventually, his reputation. Not relevant to this game necessarily but this game isn’t relevant to anything else, either.

Gardner-Webb at Charlotte 6:00pm ESPN3

Oh, yeah, feel the excitement.

Bethune-Cookman at UCF 6:30pm ESPN+

Go Cats.

NC Central at Marshall 6:30pm ESPN+

The hits keep coming.

Houston at Rice 6:30pm CBSSN

I’ve always had a soft spot for Holgo and for Houston football but somehow I really don’t like seeing him coach the Cougs. This is SWC magic but with no magic. UNLESS! Houston can put up 100. I don’t think they even have the guys to do it but this is Rice we’re talking about here.

Nicholls at Louisiana 7:00pm ESPN3

Keep the energy up.

North Texas at SMU 7:00pm ESPN+

I bet is MS621 were still alive he’d be at this game giving Spencer’s boys hell. Sadly he died doing what he loved, curing his COVID by eating ivermectin paste out of a horse’s butt. R.I.P., friend. Neigh to you wherever you are.

Southeastern La. at Louisiana Tech 7:00pm ESPN3

Even the low tier stuff is geared up for annihilation. This is a bodybag week for all time.

Memphis at Arkansas State 7:00pm ESPN+

Memphis getting less than a touchdown against Arkansas State seems like easy money but I have no real concept of either of these teams just yet. Maybe the end is nigh for the Tigers glory years? I sure hope not but it’s possible.

NC State at Mississippi State 7:00pm ESPN2

This game should be as fun as a parents funeral.

Southern Illinois at Kansas State 7:00pm ESPN+

Over the past week I experienced derision for referring the the guys in purple and silver as “Kansas State” instead of “K State” and that stung because it always surprises me that anybody cares about them enough to have a strong opinion about them.

Stephen F. Austin at Texas Tech 7:00pm ESPN+

Shrugs

15 Texas at Arkansas 7:00pm ESPN

Let’s see if Texas is ready to run with the big boys of the SEC! Arkansas is given a decent shot to win this game and that makes the “15″ next to Texas appear extremely suspect in my eyes.

Texas Southern at Baylor 7:00pm ESPN+

This week Texas Southern is the people’s champion.

Texas State at FIU 7:00pm ESPN+

Oh, Butch, why have you done this to yourself?

Western Carolina at 4 Oklahoma 7:00pm PPV

All the Westen Carolina fans are buying this PPV to see their guys score 40.

New Mexico State at New Mexico 7:00pm Stadium

I looked up the historic rivalry last year to figure out why it was played early in the season instead of at the end but I’ve forgotten and don’t feel the need to look it up again. I figured out how to watch Stadium on my TV but I also forgot that and don’t feel the need to look it up again.

Appalachian State at 22 Miami (FL) 7:00pm ESPNU

My gut tells me Miami is probably legitimately about the 14th best team in the country but I still would never advise you to bet actual money on the Hurricanes. Are they 9 points better than App State? Easily. They should win by 20+. Are they liable to fuck around and lose or scrape out a win in the final seconds? Absolutely. Let’s fuckin’ go.

Morgan State at Tulane 7:00pm ESPN+

A lot of people learned to love the Green Wave last week but it’s hard to keep that going with their schedule. Don’t forget them later in the year when the CBSSN glow is really shining.

Liberty at Troy 7:00pm ESPN+

Liberty -4 is maybe my surest advice of the week. If Malik Willis is as good as his press the fake school should have this game on ice early.

Eastern Michigan at 18 Wisconsin 7:00pm FS1

I find Wisconsin’s losing effort against Penn State last week to be a personal affront against me and all of nature.

Eastern Kentucky at Louisville 7:00pm ACCNX

I think this game being broadcast at night on ACCNX means they’re playing naked.

Grambling State at Southern Miss 7:00pm ESPN3

This is the kind of game that belongs on an app.

Hampton at Old Dominion 7:00pm ESPN3

This is the kind of game that belongs on a well-worn high school football field.

Austin Peay at 20 Mississippi 7:30pm ESPN+/SECN+

This is a pretty big OOC game for an SEC team.

Georgia State at 24 North Carolina 7:30pm RSN/ESPN3

One of several GSUs, I think this is the one I most hope emerges victorious this week.

Idaho at Indiana 7:30pm BTN

Wait, wasn’t Indiana like #10 last week? What the hell happened to them? No, don’t tell me. Seriously, don’t.

Missouri at Kentucky 7:30pm SECN

When the SEC hits 24 teams the “S!E!C!” chants are gonna seem really stupid.

Howard at Maryland 7:30pm BTN

There’s no official line for this game but I hope the Bison can pull off the upset in this classic local rivalry game.

Jacksonville State at Florida State 8:00pm ACCN

Still shaking my head at FSU icing their own kicker. Jesus, Norvell. Get your shit together.

McNeese at LSU 8:00pm ESPN+/SECN+

LOLSU was my lock of the week last week if you’re considering taking gambling advice from me.

Washington at Michigan 8:00pm ABC

UDub lost to a 1-AA team last week and now they have to go on the road and beat Michigan. Which seems inevitable, to be honest.

Cal Poly at Fresno State 10:00pm CW59

The murder rate will continue to increase as the day progresses. I always kind of like it when a local broadcast shows up on the sheet. So pretty much none of us have legal access to this game. It makes it more special.

San Diego State at Arizona 10:00pm P12N

Pac-12 Network is similar to CW59 in that almost nobody in the country has legal access to their broadcasts. If you’ve read enough of these posts you are aware that SDSU is my weird very deep backup team. I don’t have a reason to align myself with the school or program, I just tend to enjoy watching their games.

Vanderbilt at Colorado State 10:00pm CBSSN

This is an abomination.

21 Utah at BYU 10:15pm ESPN

This is a lowkey fun rivalry. I’m pretty sure I write the same thing every year but it’s still true. Go Utes.

Stanford at 14 USC 10:30pm FOX

I think USC could win a national championship and I’d still be baffled that Clay Helton is their coach. Of course, they won’t win a national championship as long as Clay Helton is their coach but they apparently won’t ever get embarrassing enough to fire him, either.

Idaho State at Nevada 10:30pm Stadium

This is the lowpoint of the week’s schedule and you have to stay up late to watch it on a network that only exists as an app or as part of a hidden unlockable download-only level of cable subscription. This is the beauty of the college game.

UNLV at 23 Arizona State 10:30pm ESPN2

Herm Edwards figured out the trick to looking good in the Pac-12 without having a particularly great team and I can’t make up my mind if I’m rooting for him to keep sliding on that rail or to fall off it. I think I’ve come around to rooting for him but it’s a very dynamic and fluid situation.

Hawaii at Oregon State 11:00pm FS1

Hawaii gets to play at their normal time for a game against the bottom of the barrel of the Pac-12 but they’re an 11-point underdog. If you’re ever going to take Hawaii, this is the stars lining up for you to do it. It’s still a big “if” but I’m saying there’s a chance.

#college football #football #Tv watch em ups #rtarl watches tv #gambling #9/11 #two decades after 9/11

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echo-three-one · 4 years ago

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Here's another unfinished wip before I started making tumblr.

enjoy

"There's a clocktower in Hereford where the names of the dead are inscribed. We try to honor their deeds, even as their faces fade from our memory. Those memories are all that's left when the bastards have taken everything else."

A young man stood below the said clock tower, where he used to go when he felt unwelcome in his own home. It may seem weird, but he always felt it ever since he remembered living there. His father isn't always home, but when he's there the unwelcoming feeling becomes powerful, as if his presence emits a strong aura that pushes him away. This time he escaped the feeling by going here, enjoying the sun set behind the tower, reading the names of the soldiers inscribed in it and imagined what they had been through to keep civilians like him safe. This thing he's been doing always excites him, he always felt so close to the nearby base, as if there's a force that draws him close to the buildings.

He placed his bike beside him as he sat on the grass next to the tower and stared at the sky, he plans on staying there until his dad would fall asleep on the couch while watching football highlights, so he could fully enjoy the peace and quiet that he's experienced today.

"Oi! Enjoying the sunset?" a female voice behind him spoke, and he leaned in to check whose it was.

He chuckles when he saw her face, and nodded in reply. It was Harper, one of his friends from school.

"Aye, Just enjoying the peace and quiet." he replied with a slight scottish accent, a trait he got from his mum.

"I see you're still quite the pacifist." she giggles walking closer to him.

"Aye. Away from the bollocks at home." he chuckled. Harper looked at him with sympathy.

"You always go here to feel peaceful?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Aye, I just feel one with the people written in these tower. Just the thought of them resting peacefully..." he mused making Harper frown.

"Well, they're dead." Harper quickly cut him off.

"Ah. I'm sorry." his voice cracked. "A bad joke to crack eh?"

"You know, I'd like you to meet my old man, he once told me his comrades' names were on that tower." she gestured to the bench where an old man sat, he quickly followed her.

The man sat there, murmuring silently to himself. A black notebook on his hand. He was wearing something like a cowboy hat, or an adventurers hat, light brown with a string clinging on his jaw, his moustache was like a caterpillar, except it's turning grey along with the rest of his beard.

"Grandpa John, this is my friend, Jacob." Harper introduced. The old man John just nodded and looked at him differently.

"Hello Sir John." Jacob reached out his hand, waiting for a handshake, instead John stared at him and stared at the notebook.

"Harper, I think I'm tired. I'm seeing this young lad differently." he muttered and sighed.

"Grandpa served the SAS when he was a young man, he frequents this place to remember his comrades that lost their lives years ago." Harper explained, assisting her grandpa in walking home.

"We should get going. Guess I'll see you soon, Jacob!" Harper waved goodbye as they went home. Jacob stayed for a while, sitting on the bench as the orange sky slowly turned black. He was about to lay down on the bench when he felt something on his back. It was the black journal, John must've left it when they were here.

He contacted Harper about the matter and she said that he should just deliver it at the tower tomorrow. This made him feel both excited and scared, as it was obvious that he wanted a peek of it but he was also nervous about what he's about to see, it may be some sort of classified information his civilian eyes aren't allowed to see. But I'm all alone and have no one to talk to, he thought to himself as he grabbed the notebook and shoved it in his bag.

He pedaled his way home just in time after dinner. His dad was already asleep on the couch and his mum was washing the dishes, his sister Olivia was already asleep so he quietly sneaked through all of them and made his way on his room.

He carefully flipped through the pages of the notebook, his heart was pounding loudly on his first flip.

It was a map of the world, along with red "x" marks which he assumed to be places Harper's grandfather has been, Brazil, Russia, Africa and many more. To be able to go to those destinations was too overwhelming for Jacob.

The next page read...

IF FOUND, RETURN TO

22ND SAS REGIMENT,

CREDENHILL UK

HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE VICTOR

was crashed out with the words KILL MAKAROV in red ink.

Makarov sounded familiar, maybe because he was in the history books, for trying to invade Europe and terrorizing the world with his biochemical weaponry. One that damaged London 22 years ago.

"Shite. They were the ones who helped end the war" he whispered in amusement, turning the page again.

It was filled with illustrations, ramblings and thoughts of an "F.N.G. or Fucking New Guy" about being recruited in a base not far from where he lives. The next page looked exactly like Harper's grandfather, but it was just a rough sketch labeled "Price".

"HELP!" a shriek came from downstairs, it sounded like his mother's so Jacob quickly hid the FNJ and bolted his way down to the kitchen.

His father was pinning his mum on the kitchen wall, his face fueled with rage.

"I can't keep up with this charade, Ellie. You have to tell him the truth." he grunted. Also fueled with rage, Jacob quickly swung his arm without hesitation making the paternal figure flinch in pain.

"This is the last time I'll let you do that to me! Go ahead Ellie, go tell him who he really is..." he spat, wiping off the blood dripping off his nose.

Ellie sobbed in disbelief. She can't believe that it has come this way. It felt unfair and just at the same time. Unfair in a sense that his own husband couldn't accept him ; and just in a sense that he's providing for someone he isn't related to.

She stared at Jacob in awe.

"He... isn't your real father..." she sobbed as Jacob stood still, looking at her in disbelief. At first it felt unreal but all the puzzle pieces fit, that's why he felt unwelcome. He wasn't one of them.

He didn't even bother ask why this has been brought up just now, with one last glance at his mum, he dashed upstairs and slammed the door shut.

#horrayfic #horrayfic wip

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choicest · 4 years ago

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The Hardest Goodbye

Author’s Note: This fic is The Freshman Series inspired. I was replaying Pixelberry’s The Senior and wanted to explore some parts. This also contains Chris’ point of view after the break-up. This will definitely have a continuation. Thank you for being here!

Pairing: Chris x MC

“Is that what our relationship’s come to? Either you give up your dream or I do?” MC looks at Chris directly in the eyes. She cannot believe that after everything they went through Chris would be capable of saying such things. She knows by heart how hard it is to pursue a writing career, Chris was there every time she receives rejection and now, hearing him say those things only makes her question everything about their relationship. “Was Chris only being nice back then? Is that really how he feels about my dreams?” Belittling her passion and asking her to bend to make way for their relationship is not like him. The Chris she knew would sit down and talk to her to make things work. He wouldn’t say nasty things about the things she loves. She waited for Chris’ response and receives nothing.

She wants to shout at him. She wants to cause him at least half the pain he caused her when he said those things. “Chris I can’t do this. If that’s really how you feel, we’re done!” The moment the words come out her tears fall out. MC never imagined she’s ever going say those words. She doesn’t want to leave him, not ever. But she won’t let him belittle her more and so she takes a step forward and begins to jab a finger at him.

“If I really loved you? Really? I’ve been nothing but supportive since we started dating. Need a cheerleader for your football games? Your student presidential campaign needs a push? Just call me! I’ll drop everything!” words flow out like a dam. She goes through the list in her head, a list she doesn’t even know she has.

“Do you have any idea how selfish you sound right now, MC?” Chris scoffs.

“Well after four freaking years it’s my turn to be selfish, damn it! Now if you can’t find room in ‘our plan’ for my dreams, then I’ll make my own plan. Without you!” MC don’t feel anything but anger now. And she knows that out of everything she said, that last sentence is the only thing that registers to Chris.

“MC, y-you mean…”

“We’re over, Chris.” She says with tears and went into their room.

Chris

He didn’t follow MC. He said to himself that she just needed time and by the end of the day they’d lay down on their bed, hug and make up after a tough day. He hears soft sobs and right at that moment he wanted nothing but to cross the living room, go to her, apologize endlessly and kiss her face. Chris feels so guilty. After freshman year, he promised himself he will never do anything that will cause her so much pain again and now, here they are.

As Chris is about to stand up from the couch to go talk to her, MC gets out of their room, a bag hanging on her shoulder. Chris little hope immediately vanish.

“I’ll be staying with my parents if you need to reach me. I’ll call Kaitlyn for my other stuffs. Take care of Rookie.” She says emotionless, not looking at him. At the sound of his name, Rookie runs after MC, holding his leash in his mouth. MC bend down and rubs his ears. “No, bud. We’re not going out for a walk.” She gives Chris one last look, both of their eyes rimmed red before she closes the door.

After a fun filled talk dinner with her parents, MC took a quick shower and get ready for bed. It’s pretty late and she knows she needed to get a sleep since Hartfeld University is about one and a half hours drive away from their home. As much as she missed bonding with her parents, she somehow wishes she stayed with her friends to save the hassle. But then she remembers how good their dinner went and how her parents look so comfortable with each other again and immediately think that going home is the best idea even if that means driving that long to get to her classes.

MC willed herself not to check her phone after she left their apartment but the hope in her heart is too loud to ignore. She hopes for a call or at least a message from him. She wanted to say sorry for yelling at him, for walking away but she can’t. Not after everything he said.

“But it’s not a job offer, is it? It’s an interview offer. You might not even get that job.” What Chris said still haunts her. She never thought he thinks so poorly of the things she loves.

Chris

That night after eating dinner with Rookie, Chris enters their bedroom for the first time after MC left. He looks at the closet half open and see some of her things gone. He flops on the bed still thinking if he made the right choice of letting her go. He knows that MC is the first person who’ll celebrate with him when he delivered the news, damn she was so supportive when they saw the recruiter that night during her play, her big night. He knows he screwed up saying yes without telling her and instead of apologizing and talking, he told her she can write in her pajamas and she’ll have other opportunities.

Suddenly Rookie barks. “I know, buddy. Can you not rub salt into the wounds huh?” As Chris stands up to turn off the light, something in MC’s bedside table catches his eyes. He walks towards it and as if the universe is not punishing him enough, he saw MC’s copy of the book they are currently reading, The Wrong Guy. “Now I’m the wrong guy.” he says to himself. That night Chris hugs MC’s pillow tightly, dreaming about how they could’ve handled the situation differently.

#the freshmen series #the freshman #the senior #chris #chris x mc #chris powell fanfic #chris fanfiction #christopher powell #chris powell #choices #playchoices #pixelberry

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dopescotlandwarrior · 5 years ago

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Unforgettable-Chapter Four

Previous chapters on AO3 A special thanks to @statell for all your help

Chapter Four

Claire pulled her mascara wand out and it was dry. Damn she thought, I don’t suppose there’s anywhere to buy makeup around here. She threw it in the waste container and dabbed on some lip gloss. The laptop was set up on her small table and she dialed the number with shaking fingers. She sent Jamie a text early in the week asking to Skype on Friday night. She wondered how he would get away from what’s-her-name, but he agreed so she didn’t care.

Her laptop flickered a couple of times and then he was there, smiling at her like she was right in front of him.

“God made eyes that color for one person only Sassenach.”

“Who?”

“Ye of course. How is it going over there? Is the hospital in a safe zone?”

“Sometimes. The second night I was here we had casualties from a raid nearby. Quite an initiation.”

“What kind of work are ye doin there, do ye like it?”

They stared at each other and their mouths moved but the action was happening in the heart. Jamie felt himself slipping back under her spell and Claire wanted to tell him about all the feelings, wars, doubt, and capitulation she was going through. They kept the conversation light.

“How can you be so far from the laptop and I can still see you clearly?

“I use my smart TV, and you are life-size as I watch ye.”

“Wow, that is awesome. Tell me about Edinburgh.”

And so it went, the benign conversation of two people in love that were not willing to expose themselves to the other. They would both feel the immediate vacuum sucking them out of the happy zone the minute Skype was closed.

They talked every week on Friday, afternoon for Claire, evening for Jamie. A package arrived for Claire and she ran to her room to open the box, so thrilled because it could only be Jamie who sent it. She pulled out a state-of-the-art laptop with a seventeen-inch screen and an exceptional camera. It was loaded with trending software and numerous picture files of his football team, Lallybroch, his camping trips, the fish he caught and the amazing sunsets from the top of the world. The card was handwritten; For the Sassenach, to remind ye of civilization and Scotland. I hope it makes ye happy. Claire hugged the card to her chest and rolled her eyes when someone knocked on her door.

“Claire! Let us in!”

Joe grew impatient and Claire finally opened the door to both of them. Kevin’s eyes lit up when he saw the new technology and he rushed to the laptop to investigate.

“It’s just lovely, I think Jamie is more than a friend all of a sudden.”

“No, it’s a friend present, nothing more. He is getting married, remember.”

“What, so he’s gonna Skype with you all the way to the alter?”

“Something like that.”

“Hey, he set up a gmail for you and sent a message.”

“Really? Claire rushed to the laptop to read it.”

Sassenach, I dinna ken yer email and I dinna like to wait. Send me a picture of the jungle! JF

Someone was knocking on the door but this time she could hear the urgency and pulled the door open.

“Report to OR on the double, Doctor Anderson is waiting.”

Cutter had already completed ten hours of surgery today, and so had she. She closed the door behind her and ran to the surgical wing. For the next two hours, she, Cutter, and another nurse worked hard to save a young man who came in with a meat hook stuck in his abdomen. Claire was clamping blood vessels as she found them, her arms deep in the abdomen, hands, and forearms covered in blood as they raced to stem the bleeding from multiple ruptured vessels. She and Cutter on opposite sides of the table, both suturing tissue as fast as they could.

Claire was the last to leave the OR and she was exhausted as she pushed into the scrub room and pulled her gown and gloves off. She held onto the scrub sink like she could collapse any moment and closed her eyes with the water running in front of her. The room was dimly lit, and she washed quickly so she could collapse in her Lazy Boy.

Joe’s phone had a high megapixel camera and he was quite good at using it. The close-ups he took of Claire, her eyes tired and grim, as she leaned over the washbasin on her forearms. Asleep in the Lazy Boy with her hand on Luna, surrounded by villagers, all needing something, were telling the story of Claire’s existence in this place.

Kevin joined the cause and had a folder full of Claire in action. Cutter was recruited to catch Claire with her two favorite men, Joe and Kevin, goofing off and teasing each other.

Joe recognized the signs of a man in love and sent Jamie the photos from Claire’s new laptop while she was working.

Claire pulled her new laptop closer and dialed Jamie. His face looked different, contemplative, and Claire’s heart rate shot up making her feel weak. He’s going to tell me he’s getting married she thought. Her instincts were shouting for her to disconnect. When you don’t want to hear something, don’t listen. She stared at him with wide eyes and he stared back.

“What is it Jamie, you look different.”

“Sassenach, I dinna have words to describe what your pictures showed me.”

“What?”

“Ye are the bravest lass I’ve ever known and the strongest. I had no idea what life was really like there. I am in awe of ye lass.”

“So far, you have not made a lick of sense Jamie. I didn’t send pictures to you. What are you talking about?”

“Well, someone did it for ye. They were in my email yesterday.”

Claire grabbed her phone and checked the sent emails, there were numerous emails to Jamie with picture attachments. Claire opened them and flipped through the pics with mounting concern.

“Jesus Christ, I wasn’t aware these were being taken, or sent. I’m sorry Jamie. My friend Joe had a very bad idea. I was not aware.”

Jamie leaned closer to the camera, “this is the real you as ye go through the day. I have an accurate account of the struggles ye face. Your work in the OR, yer haunted eyes when yer about to collapse and those two guys who hang on each other and make ye laugh. It’s incredible what I’ve learned about ye with these pictures. Yer amazing Sassenach.”

Jamie’s comments broke through her fantasy of killing all who conspired in this clandestine photo shoot. She heard compassion, pride, and love in Jamie’s voice. She looked up at the camera again and suddenly felt overwhelmed with love for the guys and appreciation for Jamie’s reaction.

“Ye dinna ken how special ye are, or how much ye deserve the best life. I…I will be happy to know ye finally get it, Claire. I feel emotionally invested somehow, please agree to be my video friend or pen pal for life. I’ll always wonder if ye don’t.”

Claire was surprised at Jamie’s reaction and she tried to rally her friend-face, control her expressions, and maintain composure in front of the camera. She looked into his eyes and wanted to shout at him that she was more than a friend. Jamie’s words were hitting her like bullets because he was now an observer trying to help her somehow, not harboring his own crush. At that moment she subconsciously jettisoned away from him, to the place she had been since the video calls started. In a box of his acquaintances he would remember from time to time.

Jamie continued to sing her praises and Claire did her best to cover the disappointment and hurt from misunderstanding his interest. She tried to rally but finally begged off with an excuse to feed the baby.

“Until next week Sassenach, take care of yourself.”

Claire slammed the lid on the laptop, “like you’re my psychiatrist or something? No thanks, I’ll be my own support thank you. If this is your entertainment to share with miss perfect, you will have to find something on television from now on. I am out.”

When Jamie saw the blood drain from Claire’s face, he knew she was completely in the dark about the pictures. That made it even more real for him and he silently thanked Joe for letting him into their world. No wonder she couldn’t settle in Edinburgh, it would be like putting a gorgeous butterfly in a jar, to slowly die from the lack of flight. He was deeply troubled that he had touched a dream girl, his dream girl, and the world had no equal.

The door opened and he looked at Geneva, here for a night of cat and mouse, and he was the mouse. He took a deep breath and suddenly wanted to be in a meadow, full of fish, where he could spend time with his memory of Claire and say his truth.

Jamie rose from the couch and kissed Geneva, promising a five-minute shower before they left. But the whole time, he was missing the girl who danced with a fish in his kitchen.

Claire looked at Joe with a laser sight on his fertile brain and fantasies of torture danced in her head. Joe retreated and disappeared before she got to him. She would have followed him, but she was pulled away by an unexpected visit from Luna’s mother.

Claire felt her tears drop onto her shoulders making her scrubs wet. She was always afraid this day would come, her miracle baby leaving with her biological mother. She pulled the baby to her and kissed her cheeks, repeatedly. She assembled multiple bags packed with food, diapers, blankets, and supplements that would sustain her. She would send her away and never know what happened to her and that was breaking her heart. Cutter pushed into the nursery and looked at Claire with compassion.

“Let me take her Claire. Kiss her one more time, then give her to me, he said quietly.”

Luna held Claire’s hair and yanked it trying to get her mother’s attention, the only mother her infant life knew. In her limited world, one face had always been there to give love and smiles and food. Claire broke down and Cutter pulled the sweet baby from her, pulled the bags of supplies onto his shoulder, and then left.

Claire sank into the Lazy Boy arms wrapped around her stomach and cried like she was mortally wounded. She bent over and her tears puddled on the linoleum floor. Her heart was breaking and there was no comfort to be had, just misery, her miracle baby was gone forever.

Claire laid curled up in the Lazy Boy and wondered how much grief one person could take in a day. “UNCLE”, she whispered, “no more for today.” The room grew darker as the sun set, and Claire remained until the door opened and a hand pulled her into the lighted hallway making her squint painfully. The hand pulled her forward and outside where it was easier to open her eyes.

Claire looked at the picnic table with a lantern on it and looked up at Cutter.

“What’s this?”

“A request from Joe, to get you talking and forgiving before you end his life for the pictures.”

He pushed her onto a bench and sat across from her with his hands folded on the table.

“Shall we begin, I rather like Joe, so let’s figure this out together.”

Cutter smiled and waited patiently.

“What? Um, I was mad at him for sending the pictures to Jamie. It was a sweet gesture, but it brought out Jamie’s true feelings for me and I was mad about that. I have the right to punish Joe because he’s my best friend.”

“What true feelings did Jamie reveal?”

“He wants to be pen pals, or video pals, so he will know when I find happiness. He doesn’t want to wonder about me for the rest of his life.”

“Jesus Claire, you had to let go of Luna right after that?”

“She wanted and needed my attention as I got her ready, but I couldn’t stop crying. I miss her so much already and I will never know what happened to her. I can’t take not knowing, Cutter.”

She stopped abruptly and looked up at her friend. The comparison of the two statements sinking into her brain. Her eyes got wide as she compared Jamie’s statement to her own. She loved Luna with her heart and soul, and it broke her heart realizing she will never know how she was. Could Jamie feel the same about her? She stared straight ahead and climbed out of the picnic table. She patted Cutter on the shoulder but missed and patted his face as she left.

“What about Joe? Can he come out of hiding now?”

“Mission accomplished soldier, he’s safe.”

Claire had a strange look on her face, but it wasn’t sorrow that Cutter saw, it was more like she just figured out the double-helix of DNA. Something wondrous.

Claire laid on her bed for the first time in four months and sighed deeply. Whatever Jamie felt for her, was big, that she was certain of. She will keep Skyping on Friday nights and maybe send an email occasionally if there was something exceptional or interesting that happened.

Jamie climbed in a thickly wooded area with a punishing pitch, feeling strong and healthy, as long as he didn’t start thinking. The woods were healing him of the past months of partying, drinking to excess, dealing with Geneva the shape-shifter, and his little Claire showing her heart and comfort to him. Breathing deeply in the crisp mountain air he felt capable of anything. Later in the afternoon, he laid back in the sun to rest. Winter was well on its way and pushing through his comfort limits, so this would be his last trip for a while. He would miss his time out here in nature. He paid dearly for it with Geneva but he didn’t care, it was bringing him back to who he really was.

Claire sat down next to Joe and across from Cutter at dinner. They had been in this medical camp for nine months, she could hardly believe it. The guys were displaying an air of excitement and fist-bumping Joe, well, Kevin was giving cheek kisses and Cutter did the bumping.

“Wow, I’ll bite, what is all the excitement about?”

“Jamie entered one of my pictures of you in a competition, and I won!” Joe was laughing. “Something Apple was doing to promote the camera in the new iPhone. Pretty cool, ha, and I get ten grand for first place!!”

“Jamie did that for you? Interesting. Whatever would make him even think of such a thing?”

Claire stared at Joe, letting him know she would not look away until he explained himself. She was making him antsy and nervous so this would not take long.

Joe sighed and told Claire about the photo lab tech who blew the picture up for Jamie asking all kinds of questions about the camera.

“He called me, told the lab tech it was an iPhone camera, tech said put the picture in the contest, he did, I won, and that’s about it.”

Claire picked up her tray and stood up, “Imagine that.”

The three men gaped at her as she walked away. They didn’t know what to expect from her, but it wasn’t that.

Claire smiled inside wondering how Jamie and Joe became telephone buddies. She was the common denominator and that’s all that mattered to her. She wiped the sweat off her face about to say goodnight to the guys when she thought of some cool relief.

“Cutter, remember that swimming pool I jumped in and you morphed into the incredible hulk?” What was that place?”

“Cutter looked around the room thinking about honesty versus a good night’s sleep for her. “It was my overreacting is all. I thought it was something different.”

“I do believe that is first time you have lied to me Cutter. I’ll ask again, what was that place, and…be honest.”

“It’s a rebel stronghold Claire. The attack on the villagers when you first got here, was perpetrated by that group.”

Claire’s eyes went wide, and her voice panicked, “they’re right here in our backyard? Jesus Christ, it’s no more than a few miles from here! If I had been caught in that pool they would have killed me, wouldn’t they?”

“Drop it pea,” he growled. “That’s enough on the subject.”

Cutter left the table cursing himself for telling her, thankful he left out the torturous death of women prisoners. They would have made it last before she drew her last breath and he would be dead trying to protect her.

Claire stared straight ahead, trying to wrap her head around their proximity to the enemy. She shivered with a full understanding of Cutter’s reaction that day.

“Jesus Christ,” she whispered.

Joe had heard things, from the villagers, delivery drivers, and the news when they could get it. He had already put in a request to get them out of there. It was first come first serve and everyone was bugging out of Honduras. He intended to talk to Claire and Kevin tonight about leaving their post before replacements came. It was feeling creepy around here and his instincts were screaming it was time to go.

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recurring-polynya · 5 years ago

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Grats on your anniversary and 500 followers! Here's to many many more. If it's not too much to ask, I'd love a drabble where Rukia and Renji open up an orphanage in Inuzuri and dedicate it to Hisana.

Anything for you, friend! I hope you like worldbuilding, because, uh, I like worldbuilding.

⚽ 🌶️ ⚽ 🌶️ ⚽

“Hey, look, Renji an’ Rukia are here!”

“D’you think they brought books again?”

“C’mon, Kaito, we’re allowed to knock off work when we get visitors, let’s go?”

“Go on, I wanna finish this,” Sakashita Kaito mumbled, as he staked up a rather anemic looking bean plant.

“They’re real nice, and Renji always has candy!” Rui shouted on her way out of the garden.

The afterlife was… not exactly what Kaito had expected. When he first got here, he assumed he had come to a very specific hell for asshole street kids. He could barely remember his life now, except that it had ended with a knife in an alley and that he had been a bad kid. All the kids in Inuzuri were street kids, or so he had thought, before, delirious with hunger, he got in another knife fight over a moldy bun, and woke up here, at the Hisana House. It had a fancier, more official name, but everyone called it the Hisana House.

If Kaito thought Inuzuri was weird, Hisana House was double weird. Triple weird, even. The Hisana it was named after had apparently been the super rich wife of some super rich dude up in the Seireitei. Maybe she had been a soft touch. Who knew why some rich people would bother opening a kid’s center down in District 78 of all places? It certainly didn’t feel like a place a rich person would design either. Nothing at Hisana House was nice or fancy, but that was good, because nice and fancy things tended to get stolen in Inuzuri. They practiced their writing in sand trays instead of on paper, because paper was valuable and portable. The roof never leaked and it was kept warm inside, because blankets tended to disappear, but it was a lot harder to make off with a whole-ass roof. And all the grown-ups who worked there were from Inuzuri themselves, often big tough people who looked like they ought to be breaking heads on street corners instead of teaching little kids to read. But that was good, too, because what Inuzuri needed more than anything else was jobs.

Hisana House got visitors from time to time. Mostly, it was business owners from the middle districts, because even if they had to pay for the emigration permit, Inuzuri kids who could read and write and do sums were still cheaper than the local labor, and it ended up being a bargain for both sides, because what could be more valuable than a ticket out of this shithole?

A few weeks, an old guy from the District 70 Consolidated Shinigami Recruitment Station showed up to fawn over a few of the kids. He had looked at Kaito for a long time, and left him with a tattered, inscrutable text book about something called spiritual energy and a set of exercises he was supposed to be doing, with the cryptic promise that if he got good at them, there might be a second hand practice sword in his future. Kaito felt like a weird asshole, squatting and “trying to sink his spirit into the earth, like the roots of a tree,” but he really wanted that practice sword.

“Hey, there.”

Kaito looked up.

There was a lady peeking into the garden. She was small, one of the smallest grown-ups he had ever seen, and she was way too clean and pretty to be from Inuzuri.

“How are those beans doing?” she asked, striding into the garden like she owned the place.

“For shit,” Kaito replies. “Nothing grows in Inuzuri.”

She made a humming sound. “That bok choy’s not doing half bad,” she observed.

“Yeah, it’s bok choy with every meal around here,” Kaito griped, though he was perfectly aware of how lucky he was to even get a meal every day.

The woman dug a few paper packets out of her pocket and held them out. “A few new varieties to try. These cucumbers are supposed to be resistant to that mold that took out the last ones, and these daikon can take much larger temperature swings than the usual variety.”

Kaito stood up, and wiping his hand on his yukata, took them gingerly.

“You’re new,” the lady observed. “I’m Rukia.”

“Sakashita Kaito,” he replied.

There was something weird about Rukia and he had just put his finger on it. Most of the kids around here felt like nothing, but there were a few-- the same ones that the old shinigami had chatted with, who felt like little flames, like a lit match. Kaito had met a girl on the street once who burned like a candle. The shinigami himself had felt like being too close to a campfire. They’d all gotten extra food before he showed up, and Kaito had felt exhausted after he left.

This Rukia lady was something else. She wasn’t a nothing, but she wasn’t a something, either. She was like an absence of something. For some reason, she reminded Kaito of a deep pit with spikes at the bottom, and a few leaves thrown over the top to disguise it. He wondered who she was. He wondered if you could hide the flame inside of yourself, what that would feel like to an outsider.

“How do you like it here?” she asked casually.

He shrugged. “Better than being hungry, I guess. You here to hire people?”

“Nah,” she replied. “Just dropping off some donations. Visiting. Checking on the peppers.”

Kaito glanced over at the peppers, the one thing that did grow in Inuzuri. Grew like crazy, actually. Unfortunately, they weren’t edible-- they were so spicy they would burn the shit out of your mouth. “I don’t even know why we bother with those,” Kaito snorted.

“Really?” Rukia asked, raising her eyebrow. “They’re really valuable, actually. There are rich dumbasses up in the Seireitei who will pay a mint for those stupid things. You probably didn’t know this place was self-funding, did you?”

Kaito blinked her, aghast.

“Don’t even think about it,” she warned him with a grin. “You’d never find a fence that’ll take ‘em. You need a ton of export permits, and they need special handling. That’s the way with most of the good stuff down in Inuzuri.”

Kaito stared at the peppers for a moment. “Y’know, that makes me feel better, actually. I knew some rich guy wouldn’t open an orphanage down here out of the goodness of his heart. You’re the pepper lady, then?”

“Huh? No, I told you, just dropping some stuff off. I grew up around here, actually, before this place opened. It was almost impossible to get out then, but we did it. I like that this place is here. I wish we had a place like this when I was a kid.” She scratched her head. “Also, my husband is a nut for football, and he says that the only true football is Inuzuri streetball. You play?”

Kaito shook his head. “Nah.”

From around the building came a wail of “Rukiaaaaaa! We’re choosing teams!”

Rukia gestured with her head. “C’mon, then. You should learn.”

There was something about Rukia that made Kaito want to go along with whatever she said. Maybe it was because she was pretty, or because she seemed to understand how stuff worked around here, or maybe because she talked like she was used to bossing people around, but like many Inuzuri punks before him, he shrugged, and followed her lead.

#500 follower drabble weekend #inuzuri #social justice rukia #social justice renji

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jacintatveit · 5 years ago

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Fotogramas Magazine June 2019

This is the google translate version of the Spanish interview. I just manually type the Spanish words into google translate.

And it’s so good！I urge all of you to read it!

A not so clear version of the scan here: x

License to mutate

Hey, did you hear anything from Disney?

To me, nothing at all. While reporting on the second coffee of the day, James McAvoy throws the glove at Michael Fassbender.

Me neither. Nothing, answer this, before the two break to laugh.

If X-Men: Dark Phoenix - the last film based on the comics created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and the fourth joint adventure of these two monsters of the scene - is a farewell, at least it comes loaded with good vibes.

It seems that this is going to be the last. Or, at least, we feel it, even if you know, says the last Charles Xavier.

I also have that feeling, replies Magneto's alter ego. I think that with this film, the circle closes. At least, for us. Surely, in a while, the saga returns with younger people and much more prepared. Improved versions of ourselves.

Mutant chronicles

With X-Men: Dark Phoenix, the directorial debut of Simon Kinberg - a regular screenwriter and producer of the series -, ends 19 years of mutant chronicles. We are facing the twelfth film of a universe that has known a pair of casts, a temporary reset and several spin-offs. A closure that comes after accumulating delays in the premiere, endless extra filming sessions and problems with viewing tests, and after circumventing the controversy surrounding for years Bryan Singer, promoter and director of four installments of the franchise. And that, without mentioning that it will be the first comic strip to be released after the box office armageddon that Avengers has supposed: Endgame.

But none of that alters the mood of McAvoy and Fassbender when FOTOGRAMAS sits down with them. On the contrary, the feeling of the two actors is, above all, gratitude.

Is that X-Men has been something very good, has a strong Scottish accent McAvoy. I think I speak for both when I say that it has given us a lot of freedom, as well as a good salary.

Fassbender talks while playing with his huge wedding ring - in the fall of 2017 he married, in Ibiza, with Alicia - It has been like a home ... and it has allowed us to pay for our houses. And also my mother's, jokes before let McAvoy take over:

It has paid for the houses of enough people around us. It is strange to say something like that, but X-Men has been the pillar that has sustained my last ten years as an actor. When you have something so salty in the bedroom, you can afford to risk your trade, but also make vital decisions like buying a house or even being a father. I guess it would have been very different from having to go from work to work, trying to make everything right. It has been a luxury, a fucking splendid luxury.

Crossed destinies

The end of his days as Professor X and Magneto puts a dilemma to the duo mutant fans: they need to find a new project that will allow them to continue working together.

Or, Fassbender points out, we could stay and hang out there. Is not that better, James?

And McAvoy answers: Much better. Going out on the spree and acting on something together just because yes, because we feel like it. I love collaborating with Fassy. But, to tell the truth, we have only done it in X-men: First generation and a little in X-Men: Days of the future past. Outside of that, we have hardly had a fucking scene together. I miss him!

Fassbender agrees: We only see each other when one arrives and the other leaves. The right time to get a little up-to-date, roll: Hey, how are you, dude? How are you doing?

And, when we agreed, it was always more or less the same scene, continues McAvoy. He tries to mess it up. I ask him to stop and reconsider, and he says nanay. In the end, Erik, your character, just wants to lead a quiet life. It's not bad dude, but something always happens that fucks the existence! What the fuck you have!

To which Fassbender agrees: It is to think twice before going around with him. Because he's a fucking magnet for misfortunes, he laughs.

Battlemates

The two jump like a spring when we ask them when was the first time they heard about each other. In the shooting of Blood Brothers, they point out referring to the HBO miniseries.

It's been 19 years now, Fassbender snorted. I was part of the cast, and he came to act in an episode. I remember how much James impressed me then. Behind the cameras, the thing was like in front of them: the new recruits and the veterans platoon. James was the rookie on duty with a suicide mission: a very complicated scene with the toughest of the company. But the guy came with that confidence of his, that chunky air that he knows is good. I thought: This guy I like.

McAvoy replies: Chulesco? It was all facade. I had a bad time because of the scene, but also because one of the protagonists, I'm not going to say who, was dedicated to making my life impossible. It was an integral cocoon. You, on the other hand, were very nice. Dexter Fletcher too. And Robin Laing. It was weird because, shortly after arriving, I already had a scene ... and with dialogues! Meanwhile, some of the cast members had been there for months and had not had any.

The (Blessed) Crisis of the 40

(James did a lot of movies in the recent years.)

Meanwhile, Fassbender ...

He has not done anything !, ends the phrase the Scot. And it was always the other way around. At the time I had made a play or filmed a movie, Michael had acted in ... I do not know, 20? I'm happy that I can explore other interests, but ...

The reply of Fassbender is not long in coming: Since I was a kid I dreamed of being a racing driver. I always thought that if everything went well, when I turned 40, I would try to change my goals a bit, so I did that.

From 2018, the Irish competes in the Ferrari Challenge, at the wheel of a model 488 of 670 horsepower.

It is very difficult to get insurance that allows me to pilot and interpret at the same time. So I've decided to focus on cars, but I'm still working on behind-the-scenes projects with my production company, DMC Film. And, if there is something that I can shoot in the months when there are no races, then I am open.

McAvoy cuts him off: It's the most fucking awesome excuse for not acting. I can not shoot because they do not assure me because I'm a fucking racing driver. Will it be possible ?, he asks himself, and both laugh eagerly. My hobby is to stay at home looking at the walls. In shorts, the Scot jokes.

Fassbender protests, teasing him: It's not true. You also play football very badly, do not you?

And, when the laughter fades, McAvoy picks up the thread to make the final point to the meeting: The 40 is a stage ... interesting. Right now, I am in a vital moment in which I rethink a lot of things, because, who knows, maybe I have already gone through the middle of my life. Have you seen the one of people who die at 70? Sometimes I think: Fuck, you have to make it worth it! And I am clear that not everything must be work ... so I think I have to do it too, take some time for me.

#Michael Fassbender #james mcavoy #mcfassy #fassavoy #mcbender

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thecorteztwins · 5 years ago

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razzle-dazzle-13 replied to your post “What characters would YOU have liked to see in X-Men Evolution? Send...”

Have you done Fabian Cortez, because I WANT EVO VERSE FABIAN CORTEZ. If yes how about Catseye?

Both coming right up! Under a cut for length because I have LOTS OF IDEAS!!

CATSEYE So I have a concept for the Evo version of the Hellions HERE but if we wanted to just do Catseye and not the whole Hellions team, I have another idea too! There start being reports of a big cat on the loose in a major city, assumed to be an escaped zoo animal or illegal pet. The X-Men are aware of it, but don’t consider it to have anything to do with them, until a photo of emerges of the beast transforming into a werecat-type form. Obviously this is mutant business now, so they fly out and go on a hunt for the creature, to find her before human authorities do! They succeed and, of course, it’s indeed a mutant, it’s Catseye! Rather than being unable to speak when they find her, I’d say she already has her sing-song broken syntax speech, suggesting she was abandoned as a child rather than a baby and thus retained language, she just hasn’t used it in a LONG time because she stayed in feline form most of her life, til said form got too big to be taken for a normal cat anymore. Rahne is obviously her bestie, they’re FREQUENTLY seen together, and Rahne really enjoys having someone she can run around in animal form with (Evo Rahne doesn’t seem to have the same issues/upbringing as 616, though she also didn’t get much spotlight in Evo either so I think we can hint at some slightly similiar stuff) They definitely get into LOADS of trouble, and there should absolutely be whole episodes dedicated to that! But another character she ends up being close to is X-23, who is a New Mutant by that time (and still going only by that name) A lot of people call X-23 “feral” but like...she’s not? Her entire existence is defined by captivity. She doesn’t act like a wild animal at all, not really, she acts like an ABUSED animal. Catseye, by contrast, is the truly free one. Everyone else wants to teach X-23 to be a person, which is definitely super important, but only Catseye shows her how to be an animal, beholden to nothing but her own natural desires and instincts. And Catseye isn’t doing this DELIBERATELY, it’s just her being herself. She also doesn’t look at X-23 as different from any other human, because she has no frame of reference for what a “normal” human is anyway, and that ends up meaning a lot to X-23 even if Catseye never knows it. Catseye also never calls her X-23. Catseye doesn’t call ANYONE by their actual name. She may call them by their codenames, but mostly she gives them nicknames based on their traits. She says this is because human names like Kurt or Sam don’t tell you anything about who that person is, but some codenames do (and some don’t, like Shadowcat, she’s not a cat, Catseye is a cat!) And...that gets X-23 thinking...she doesn’t want to be X-23 forever. She’s actually wanted to be called something else for a LONG time now, but she could never think of what. Because she doesn’t have an identity besides a weapon. But...maybe a new codename could be a good start? That’s how she starts going by Talon. She won’t start going by Laura until she meets Gabby. Catseye really frustrates and flusters Scott, as he really just has no idea how to deal with her? Deliberate troublemakers or the other kids being stupid are one thing, he’s mastered that, but Catseye just this entirely NEW thing. Jean is a bit more patient with her, but she can probably afford to be thanks to her powers letting her deal with Sharon easier (telekinetically stopping her, telepathically showing her something that she can’t verbally understand, etc) She also scares and upsets Amara, who is supposedly the “princess” of the bunch according to source material, and Amara’s reactions just make her keep going. She also has made it a game to try and catch Kurt (especially his tail, it moves around and she HAS to catch it!) because his powers make it such a challenge. She LOVES pouncing Multiple because of how he splits into duplicates when she does. A lot of people get fed up with her, and for good reason. Rahne will gently try to correct her in private, but in front of others, she ALWAYS defends Catseye----she didn’t hurt anyone, she doesn’t understand, etc. It’s expected by everyone that Beast will be her favorite teacher, that they’ll relate, etc., but in fact Beast shies away from her. It turns out that she reminds him of his own “beastliness” too much, his fear of becoming an animal on the INSIDE as well as in appearance, and it makes him uncomfortable to be around her, and then THAT makes him feel guilty because she’s just a child and he should be helping her. He gets this whole arc of coming to terms with this, with his fears, and then trying to connect with her...only for her to be totally disinterested in having him for a mentor, because their interests are totally different. Much like how Hellions!Catseye didn’t understand that the New Mutants were her enemies, Evo!Catseye doesn’t understand that the Brotherhood are the bad guys either. I can see her developing friendships with all them except Pietro. I think Wanda and Lance end up letting their walls down with her because she’s more like an animal than a person, so they don’t feel uncomfortably vulnerable being nice with her like they would with most people. With Blob, she’s not put off by his simple nature or intimidating size or his lack of social skills, since, as with X-23, she doesn’t know that these things aren’t “normal” or have any frame of reference to judge him by. And though she’s VERY intelligent, she’s also pretty simple too. And with Toad, again, she can’t judge that he’s “weird” and I don’t think his odor puts her off like it does other people. Cats are very clean creatures, of course, but their standards of what smells good and bad are different than humans. Like cats LOVE stinky socks! Pietro I think though would just not have any patience with her and not see any use in being pals with her. There has definitely been an AWKWARD AS HELL moment where she, in full human form, jumped into Prof X’s lap in front of guests/visiting parents. FABIAN Okay so LOTS of versions/ideas here! When I first made this blog, my idea for Evo Fabian was just...Duncan Matthews as a mutant. If you don’t remember who that is, he’s the jerkass blond football jock that Jean dates for a few seasons. He’d be a cocky, athletic asshole who hits on all the girls and is unbearable to EVERYONE. Total bully, total creep, gets recruited into the Brotherhood as a baby budding mutant supremacist with his sister, everything you’d expect. Then I actually started writing him and...it went differently than that? He ended up not being so much a Jerk Jock cliche as just a...pretty NORMAL guy? He’s simultaneously a little full of himself and a little unsure at the same time, in the typical fashion of teen boys, and he gets more unsure as he begins meeting other mutants and realizing how outclassed his powers are, which prompts him to try to be competitive with them, especially the other boys, which makes him come off as kind of an ass, especially when butting heads with guys who are already kind of prickly, like Lance. But he’s also like...he’s not CRUEL either, he can be nice and friendly and nervous too, and he actually actively looks out for Anne Marie. He’ll call her stupid and stuff, but he’s always got her back, and he sticks up for her when someone else calls her the same stuff or upsets her. He’s like...not so much “Fabian but a teen” as he is “Fabian BEFORE he actually became Fabian”? So less over-the-top delightfully fun asshole, but also more well-rounded and human. I also started thinking...would he be Brotherhood? Because a common factor of all the Bhood kids is that they seem to come from lower-class backgrounds and broken homes. Pietro and Wanda were abused and abandoned by their shit dad, Lance was in foster care when Mystique found him, Fred was in a truck show with no parents/guardians in sight and doesn’t seem to have ever attended school before, and Toad...we don’t really know, but I think it’s safe to say that any adults in his life either aren’t there or don’t care that he’s living in this shitty boarding house with no adult supervision half the time. Whereas I see the Evo Cortez twins as coming from a nice middle class suburban nuclear family, with good parents and a good support system and all. And I think that would make them harder for Mystique to exploit. She seems to prey primarily on kids with nowhere else to go, who no one else cares about. So maybe Fabian and Anne Marie might very well end up with the New Mutants/X-Men, which could be a lot of fun too! Just because teen Fabian is a human being and not GIANT IRREDEEMABLE ASSHOLE 616 FABIAN doesn’t mean he still can’t act cocky during training and get his ass handed to him, or try to flirt with every girl in his class (I think he’d like Amara best, she seems most his type, which makes me want to see Tabitha either try to keep him away from her or try to push Amara to “go have fun with the new hunk!” though tbh I ship Tabby/Amara SOOOO) But the difference is we could get DEVELOPMENT with that! Like maybe the reason he’s such a cocky asshole in training is that he’s embarrassed about his benign/passive/”useless” powers not being suited to combat, and feeling emasculated by it compared to the other guys. And the obnoxious hitting on the girls coming from not actually knowing how to talk to them normally, because the only girl he knows is Anne Marie, who is definitely not a mode for normalcy, and who only responds to/understands TOTALLY BLUNT BLUNTNESS Anne Marie should also get EVO’S FIRST SAME-SEX ROMANCE! So like...I feel like we could totally get a cute, human Fabian while still keeping his funny traits? And he’s A TOTAL JERK to the Brotherhood BIG TIME of course, like he considers them TOTAL TRASH, so there’s definitely still some “bully” there too! BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! So, obviously the allure of Evo is it’s a canon high school au, we get all our faves as teens. But, some are still adults! Beast, Storm, Pro f X, Mystique, Magneto...what if Fabian was one of those? So, we see that in the future, Magneto himself will change sides and become a teacher to the New Mutants. That’s going to leave a big power vacuum, both in the universe and in the plot. So who steps up to fill it but...FABIAN CORTEZ? Which follows comics canon of him trying to usurp Magneto’s place as the leader of the radical mutant supremacy movement, just in this version he (probably?) didn’t try to murder him to do it, he just picked up where Magneto left behind, and uses the anger of Magneto’s former followers at Magneto “abandoning” them to his advantage. He basically gets to be the new Big Bad on the “evil mutants” side (and unlike the Brotherhood, he and his Acolytes will live up to the term!) and be the evil, over-the-top, over-dramatic Fabian Cortez we all know and...er, kinda love? And he can still be creepy too, just he only hits on the adults like Storm (and maybe Jean, who might be in college at that point) and probably his own lieutenants, as he’s doubtlessly recruited some new Acolytes. He’ll be 2D, sure, but Evo Magneto was a pretty irredeemable bastard too most of the time. Also, remember how the Brotherhood is shown to join up with SHIELD as adults? I wrote a fic last year in which FABIAN WAS ON THEIR TEAM

#razzle-dazzle-13 #evo versions #catseye #fabian cortez #evo fabian

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uozlulu · 5 years ago

Text

Going to stick these here for now in case I lose the file or need it to be easier to search or something.

Notes on the ES21 soulmate mark AU fic I was rambling about in this post. Just kind of organizing things so when it comes time to write it I can hopefully write it quickly.

Some characters might not show up, others might get added to the list. Those missing so far are characters I either felt like I didn’t have confidence in writing or didn’t really remember since it’s been over 10 years since I finished the manga. Also trying to keep the cast of active characters on the small side even though a lot of characters will be there if only in general. All flashbacks/scenes/etc...will need proper fleshing out and so forth of course. These are all just my initial ideas, which are highly likely to evolve as I go as all my fics tend to do.

Probably going to wait until I finish watching the anime before writing it. Kind of tried to be canon compliant but also didn’t want to spend oodles of time tracking down details, so just kind of setting the goal as having fun with the AU and letting it do what it wants to do

Headcanons:

The World Bowl VI was Sunday, August 2, 2020. (It’s where the top football teams from around the world kick off the football season with a three week tournament started in 2015). The rehearsal is Friday, August 7, 2020. The wedding is Saturday August 8, 2020. Everyone goes home sometime Sunday, August 9, 2020. They have the ranch from Tuesday, August 4, 2020 – Monday, August 10, 2020.

High school football players form Japan, pro players from around the world, friends from school, friends from college are all invited along with their spouses, partners, significant others, and kids. Family members include Tetsuma’s mom who looks like him and their Seibu high school coach.

Sena –34 in December, played for Enma University from 2005 – 2009, been with the Seattle Superstars since 2009. Starting to contemplate retiring. The Seattle recruiter saw Sena’s tryout back in high school and tracked him down to beg him to sign with Seattle when Sena finally cashed in his NFL draft invitation from the Youth World Cup. Officially been in a long-distance relationship with Panther since 2010, but really they’ve kind of been a thing for longer than that.

Hiruma – 34 since February, plays for the San-Antonio Armadillos since 2006, likes to say he won’t retire until his age is his jersey number (55). Has been living with Mamori since 2006. They’re not married, but their daughter was born in 2017.

Kurita – 35 since July, played with the Tokyo Stallions, played from 2008 – 2016, works at the temple now.

Monta –34 on August 31, played for the San Antonio Armadillos from 2008 – 2013, having to retire after a career-ending injury at the start of the 2012 – 2013 season. Married Suzuna in 2008. They have a daughter born in 2010 and a son born in 2012. After retirement, he returned to Japan and he’s been coaching and teaching at Deimon ever since.

Juumonji –34 in October, Kuroki 34 on September 1, Togano 34 in October – all went on to have fairly normal jobs (banker, office worker, advertising). Kuroki is married with a kid or two, Juumonji is gay and has a partner who works the same bank and is his “roommate,” Togano is still single.

Yukimitsu – 34 since February, never played football again after high school, became a veterinarian.

Komusubi – 33 since January – never played football again after high school, became a personal trainer.

Ishimaru – 35 in October, never played football again after high school, went on to run in the Hakone Eikoden in university, has a normal job

Taki – 35 since April, played with the Orlando Divers 2004 – 2008 and then was traded to the Nashville Fighters where he’s been since 2008. Never married. Does he date anyone? Who knows. “My brother,” “my niece,” “my nephew.”

Musashi – 35 since Apirl, been playing the the Takekura Construction Babels since 2004, still working construction, personal life is pretty private, but does have a son who plays elementary school soccer.

Mamori 35 in November, ENL teacher to small children, still helps strategize football, been living with Hiruma since 2006 and had a daughter in 2017, living her best life

Suzuna 33 since March, married to Monta since 2008 with two kids, first of the group to get married, part-time matchmaker, has a decent success rate. Hiruma = You-nii, Juumonji = Monjii, Kuroki = Kurokki, Togano = Toga, Komusubi = Kamusubicchi, Yukimitsu = Yukki, Ishimaru = Tet-chan, Musashi = Musha-syan, Mamori = Mamo-nee, Kid = Kiddon,” Cereberus = Ceru, Sena has no nickname

Kid (Mushanokoji Shien) – 35 in November, comes from a noble line, at odds with parents over lifestyle choices and is now estranged, played with the Takekura Construction Babels from 2004 – 2005, played with the Tokyo Stallions from 2005 – 2010, played with the Houston Fishermen from 2010 – 2020. Started Sports Club with Tetsuma in 2012, which is a revitalization of the Boys and Girls Club concept. Hopes to keep working and growing the club in retirement. Been with Tetsuma since 2006. Wanted to enjoy being married so that’s why they waited until they were retired from pro ball.

Tetsuma – 35 since May, his mom looks just like him, played for the Tokyo Stallions from 2004 – 2008, played for the Dallas Titans from 2008 – 2020. Helps Kid run Sports Club, very good at organizing and budgeting.

Riku – turned 34 in April, played with Enma Fires from 2005 – 2009, played with the Yokohama Belugas from 2009 – 2015, still wears the team’s squid hat merch when it’s cold outside. Retired after a horrific injury which he still uses a cane for. Runs a pet bird store. Dated lots of people, still hasn’t settled for anyone.

Buffalo – 36 in October, got rid of the dreads soon after graduation in a bid to try and fit into Japanese society, now his hair is just long. Moved to the US in 2005 and ended up doing stuff like MMA, Ninja Warrior, and UFC. Has an American wife and three daughters (ages 12, 9, and 7).

Horide – no canon age, so let’s assume he’s roughly like late 50’s – early 60’s by 2020, still coaching football, but considering retirement, proud of all the kids who have ever been on his team. He’s pretty much in a parental position in the audience seating, and treated as one might treat a dad during such an event

Saba –mid-30’s, no real wiki info, became an office worker, has one child, didn’t play football after high school.

Aiuchi Hina – mid 30’s, not much wiki info, head cheerleader, Miss Seibu, probably married to an unnamed former teammate, and probably has at least one kid

Shin – 35 since July, played for Ojou Silver Knights 2004 – 2009, played for the New England Musketeers since 2009, has many Super Bowl wins, a true legend in both the US and Japan. Ignores tabloid rumors about him dating models and singers so he can enjoy some privacy with his partner, an indie rocker who preformed the half time show in 2013. They’ve been living together out in the middle of nowhere upstate New York since 2016 in a modest house that no one really would think celebrities owned. Has a condo near the Musketeers’ training facilities.

Sakuraba – 34 since March, played for the Ojou Silver Knights 2004 – 2009, played for the Seattle Superstars from 2009 – 2018, retired because he wanted to do something else with his life. Has gone on to play in a local band that’s had moderate success around the Pacific Northwest touring clubs, lounges, and bars. Keeps his private life very private.

Panther – probably 34 (no birthday given), likely graduated high school in 2005 like Sena, so probably met Sena the summer before sophomore year at high school, maybe has a summer birthday and was already 16 when they met. Nasa Aliens/Shuttles was a travel team he was in from 2001 – 2005, also played high school football with his local high school from 2001 – 2005, played with the San Antonio Armadillos since 2005, took business courses online and has a degree since he thought that might help him keep from falling into pitfalls other pro-athletes fall into with money and retirement. Didn’t have a cellphone when he met Sena, but they exchanged e-mail addresses. When Sena went to Notre Dame High School, they exchanged AIM handles and got to talk to each other more often since they were on the same time zone. Eventually exchanged numbers once Panther got a cellphone after graduating high school. Kind of were rocking the long distance relationship chic before it was an official relationship.

Jeremy – probably 34 or 35, the kid with the glasses, still close friends with Panther. Played at Stanford from 2004/2005 – 2006/2007, knows multiple languages for fun so he’s still not the best translator. Continued his degree while playing professionally because he promised. Played with the New England Musketeers since 2006/2007 and retired earlier in 2020. Has a son and daughter (ages 6 and 9). His wife is a teacher.

Homer – probably 34 or 35, the kid with the long hair, also still close friends with Panther and Jeremy, chose to go into the NFL draft upon graduating high school. Played for the Nashville Fighters from 2004/2005 – 2010/2011, and then got transferred to the Chicago Gangsters in 2010/2011 and retired in 2018 back to Houston where he helps run a charity that picks up the slack across Texas after disasters when FEMA can’t get its act together to help people. He’s currently trying to build the charity up so it can function in multiple states.

Big Brother Gonzales – probably 36 maybe about to turn 37, biggest guy from the travel team and probably the oldest member. Played with the University of Kentucky from 2002/2003 – 2006/2007, played for the Denver Pumas from 2006/2007 – 2010/2011 when he had a career ending injury. Had his kanji tattoo covered up and started collecting more tattoos. Has also gotten the correct kanji tattooed on him at some point.

Little Brother Gonzales – probably 32, never really got as big as his brother so he never played football after high school. Had a few tattoos including the dumb one from high school.

Vague Summary:

Sena/Panther soulmate fic in which Kid and Tetsuma’s wedding brings most the gang and more together. Kind of a choose to stick together thing? Idek. See where it goes. Think of it like a romcom movie maybe?

Soulmate Concept:

In this world, soulmates are considered near-extinct but they really aren’t. Lots of people have a wide variety of soulmates, it’s just that their soulmarks aren’t very obvious. For example, Mamori and Hiruma both have a splattering of freckles on their hands that are actually a continuation of each other’s pattern, but it’s too subtle and freckley to really realize what it truly means. Other people might have birthmarks that fit together or have moles placed in the exact same places or mirrored places, etc…However, there’s a subclass of soulmate marks for those who have a truly deep bond. Those marks have a more distinct look to them. Sena has what looks like roses cascading down his Soulmate marks tend to start developing upon meeting your soulmate and evolve as your relationship deepen, so Mamori and Hiruma upon meeting in first-year were probably like huh freckles, and by second year it’s like lots of freckles but who cares it’s just mysterious high school freckles.

Flashbacks:

Panther and Sena:

2002 – Hanging out by the river bank after practice before Panther has to regroup with the others where they’re staying. Sena’s soulmate mark is on his right leg and looks like cascading roses except more impressionist since the mark is still forming. Panther’s looks like chrysanthemums following a similar pattern on his right leg. At the time they think it’s kind of weird, but don’t over think it. Sena’s dad told him that most people develop one in high school and he has something like he and his best friend have stuff like that on their arms.

2002 – Sena asks Panther for his number after the cat incident, but Panther doesn’t have a cellphone yet. He does have e-mail and AIM, so they exchange e-mails because Sena doesn’t have AIM. By this point, their soulmate marks seem more like flowers than birthmarks, but they’re still underdeveloped.

2009/2010 – Panther and Sena meet up to celebrate New Years and Sena’s belated birthday since they’re finally both living in the states now (even if it’s an almost four hour plane ride apart), end up deciding that they’re dating. They have a good idea what they’re getting in though because they’ve been long distance friends with a fourteen hour time zone difference so at least now they can more feasibly see each other when they don’t have football commitments

Kid and Tetsuma

2006 – Kid, being the only son of a noble family was going through arranged marriage hell. Texted Tetsuma, “Save me,” both kind of half jokingly, half for serious. So Tetsuma shows up in nice clothing (because Kid’s always talking about how people get overly dressed up to come over to their estate) and kind of just showed up during a marriage prospect meeting, held Kid’s gaze a long moment, bowed on his knees to Kid’s parents like a good wedding prospect, and then promptly slung Kid over his shoulder, and rescued him. They’ve been together ever since. Honestly probably would have dated in high school but social pressure got in the way.

Venue:

It’s a large, sprawling ranch/inn in Wyoming. It’s large enough to accommodate everyone. There are horses to ride, a functioning farm, and a view of mountains in the distance. Everyone chipped in money to secure it not only because it was in a location the press wouldn’t bother all of them, but also because it sounded like a fun time no one could pass up. Kid and Tetsuma helped organize the whole thing so nobody would be priced out of coming especially if they had to fly from Japan or elsewhere to come.

Wedding:

The wedding is set up outdoors with everyone gathered around the altar so it’s les syour side and my side and more umbrella shaped. Kid and Tetsuma enter together, Tetsuma breaks off at a full run and Kid quick draws the bouquet, shoot it towards Tetsuma, who catches it and holds it through the whole ceremony. The ceremony is kind of a mix of typical American wedding stuff said by the ordained and then the vows are Shinto, though there is no sake. Kind of a mix of Kid and Tetsuma’s love of the wild west and their commitment to each other which follows more of a love, respect, console, help, and protect than a love, honor, cherish, and obey.

Reception:

It’s in the great hall of the ranch/inn. Lots of wild west/ranch/cowboy chic happening. Variety of food, mix of American and Japanese traditions. Kid tells the flashback about Tetsuma rescuing him from an arranged marriage. Reception ends at sunset and they ride off into the sunset together, heading to a nearby campsite to kick off whatever their honeymoon will be.

#adventures in fic writing

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