#and that really is that. i'll tell people afterwards as a fun party story but in the moment it's like. leave me alone i got this

[supermarketcrush]

i've always been intuitive of myself i like to think and my most recent revelation about myself is that therapy wouldnt work on me. id get mad at the therapist for assuming things about me and thinking well how could they know me better than me. you only know what i tell you. what if im fucking lying rn huh bozo. and then it would just derail and render any therapy session completely useless for me

[justlemmeadoreyou]

Unrequited

(the second part to unfulfilled)

(i still don't think y'all will like this, but 🥺🥺)

Summary: Harry invites you to a party, and something goes wrong. He blames himself for it, but then something unexpected happens.

Words: 2.7k

Warnings: Mentions of drinking, intoxicants, kissing, fluff.

“Hey, you wanna come to the party tonight?” Harry asked you, smiling.

You looked around, not believing that he was asking you, of all people. He saw you looking around, and said, “What?”

“You’re asking me?” you answered.

“Yeah.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You. You wanna come or not?”

You stared at him for a few moments, waiting for him to burst out into laughter, and tell you that he was joking, it was all a silly prank. But, he didn’t.

“Seriously?”

“Yes, y/n. seriously. I'm asking you to come to a party with me tonight.”

“But-but no one ever asks me that. Like, ever.”

“Why?”

“I tell them not to…” you pout, and he presses his lips together.

"Come on, why not give it a shot?" Harry urged. You shifted uncomfortably, feeling a rush of conflicting emotions. On one hand, the idea of attending a party with Harry, someone who was way more confident and popular, and…extroverted, was exhilarating. But on the other hand, you couldn't shake off the feeling of being out of place, like a puzzle piece that just didn't fit in.

"I...I don't know," you stammered, clutching onto the strap of your bag tightly. "I don't belong there?"

Harry's expression softened, and he stepped closer, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. You'll fit right in, I promise. And besides, I'll be there with you the whole time."

His words were comforting, and you found yourself slowly nodding in agreement. Maybe this was an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, to experience something new.

"Okay," you finally replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips. "I'll go."

Harry grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Great! You won't regret it, I promise."

As the evening approached, you found yourself growing increasingly nervous. You fussed over your outfit, second-guessing every choice you made. But despite your apprehension, you couldn't deny the flutter of anticipation building in your stomach. You hadn’t felt that in a while.

When Harry arrived to pick you up, you were greeted with a warm smile that instantly eased your nerves. As you made your way to the party together, he chatted animatedly, sharing stories and jokes that made you laugh until your sides hurt. He was fun to be with, and you both got along really well.

Upon reaching the bustling venue, the sound of music and laughter filled the air. Harry guided you through the crowd, introducing you to his friends with an easy charm that made you feel surprisingly at ease.

But as the night progressed, you found yourself retreating into the background, feeling increasingly self-conscious amidst the sea of confident faces. Everyone danced and drank with confidence, feeling lively and free. But you felt like you were trapped, and you envied every person who enjoyed themselves without a care in the world, and didn’t feel guilty afterwards. You clutched onto a plastic cup of beer, taking small sips and trying to stay there. You had no idea how you wound up in this corner, or where Harry went. He was supposed to be by your side the whole night, so where was he?

Lost in your thoughts, you didn't notice when Harry began to search for you, his concern growing with each passing minute. He navigated through the throngs of people, his eyes scanning the room until he stumbled upon a dimly lit alcove hidden from view.

There, sitting hunched over with a vacant expression, was you.

Harry's heart clenched at the sight, his protective instincts kicking into overdrive. Without a moment's hesitation, he made his way towards you, his footsteps audible as he got closer.

"Y/N?" he called softly, his voice laced with worry. "Are you okay?"

You looked up, your eyes glazed and unfocused, a wave of relief washing over Harry at the sight of your familiar face. As he got closer, he saw the worry in your expression, and it made him even more concerned.

"What happened?" he asked gently, crouching down beside you and placing a hand on your shoulder. "Did someone do something to you?"

"I need to get out of here," you muttered, your voice barely audible over the thumping music.

Harry glanced at you, concern etched across his features. "Are you okay, Y/N?"

You shook your head, your movements were sluggish and uncoordinated. "No, something's wrong. I need to leave."

Harry's brow furrowed with worry as he took in your disoriented state. "Okay, let's go," he said firmly, his hand reaching out to steady you.

But as you made your way towards the exit, Harry's suspicions were piqued. He noticed the way your steps faltered, the glassy look in your eyes, and a sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. You weren’t yourself, and even if you didn’t drink often, it wouldn’t have been because of just a couple of beers.

"Wait," he said, his voice urgent. "Did you drink anything tonight?"

You frowned, trying to recall the events of the evening through the haze of confusion. "I...I don't remember," you admitted, your heart pounding with fear. Everything felt so big and loud, and you just wanted to close your eyes and fall asleep right then and there.

Harry's expression darkened, anger flaring within him as he surveyed the chaotic scene around you. "Damn it," he muttered, his grip tightening on your arm. 

"I bet someone spiked your drink."

Fear gripped your chest, and you held onto Harry's arm, grateful for him being there for you.

"What do we do?" you whispered, your voice trembling, and you sighed loudly..

"We get you out of here, now," Harry replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Hold onto me, Y/N. I've got you."

With Harry's arm wrapped protectively around your waist, you stumbled towards the exit, your heart pounding with fear and adrenaline. Each step felt like an eternity as you fought to keep your wits about you, your mind racing with a million thoughts and fears.

As you got out of the ridiculously overcrowded place, you felt better. Air rushed into your lungs, fresh air–that hadn’t come out of somebody else’s mouth. He guided you to his car, and assured you he was sober.

“Promise?” you asked, looking up at him with doe, glassy eyes. He nodded, gripping your chin and mumbling, “promise”

Once inside, he wasted no time in starting the engine, his hands gripping the steering wheel  "Hang on, Y/N," he said firmly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "I'll get you home safe, I promise."

Harry drove through the quiet streets, the weight of the situation pressed heavily on his shoulders. He stole glances at you through the mirror,, his heart sinking at the sight of your slumped form in the passenger seat, your eyes glazed with intoxication.

As the car rolled to a stop outside your dormitory, Harry turned to you, concerned. "We're here, Y/N," he said gently. 

You nodded weakly, your movements slow and unsteady as you struggled to gather your bearings. With Harry's help, you stumbled out of the car and towards the entrance of the building, your steps faltering with each passing moment.

As Harry guided you down the hallway towards your room, your steps wobbled with each movement, and you couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably at the slightest provocation.

"Hey, watch your step," Harry chuckled, trying to steady you as you stumbled over your own feet.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," you slurred, your words muffled by a fit of laughter. "I look like a drunk moron."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at your quip, shaking his head in amusement as he guided you towards your door. "Sure."

As Harry helped you into your room, you collapsed onto the bed with a dramatic flourish, your limbs splayed out in every direction as you let out a contented sigh.

"Ah, home sweet home," you declared, your voice tinged with merriment. "I think I might just live here forever."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle again, shaking his head in amusement as he watched you flop onto the mattress. "I think you've had enough excitement for one night, Y/N."

You pouted playfully, your bottom lip jutting out in an exaggerated display of disappointment. "But the night is still young, Harry! We could have so much fun together."

Your demeanor had suddenly changed, from afraid and scared to carefree. The intoxicant that was added to your drink might be doing its work.

"I think we've had more than enough excitement for one night, let’s tuck you in" he replied, his tone teasing yet gentle.

As Harry tucked the blankets around you, you let out a contented sigh, your eyes drifting shut and becoming droopy.. "You're a good friend, Harry," you murmured, your words slurred with exhaustion. "The best."

Harry's heart swelled with affection at your words, a fond smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he watched you drift off to sleep.

"Sleep tight, Y/N," he whispered, his voice soft with warmth.

As Harry finished tucking you into bed, he turned to leave, but before he could take a step, you reached out and grabbed his hand, your sudden touch sending a shiver through him.

"Harry," you whispered, your voice soft.

Harry turned back to face you, his heart skipping a beat at the vulnerability in your gaze. "What is it, Y/N?"

Without warning, you pulled him towards you, your movements clumsy but filled with determination. Before Harry could react, you pressed your lips against his, the kiss sloppy and uncoordinated but filled with a raw intensity that took his breath away.

For a moment, Harry froze, his mind reeling with a whirlwind of emotions. He knew he should pull away, should put an end to this before things went too far. But as he felt the warmth of your lips against his, he couldn't deny the spark of desire that ignited within him, the longing that pulsed between them like a current of electricity. He had wanted this, maybe for far too long. But it was tucked away in a corner of his heart, and right now, it was exploding out like firecrackers.

But then, with a sudden surge of clarity, Harry pulled back, his hands gently but firmly pushing you away. "Y/N, we can't," he said softly, his voice tinged with regret.

You looked up at him, confusion in your eyes as you searched his for answers. "But why not?" you whispered, your voice filled with hurt.

Harry's heart ached at the pain in your gaze, but he knew he had to be honest with you, even if it hurt. "Because...because I can't do this to you, Y/N. You're not yourself right now, and I can't take advantage of that."

You stared at him for a moment, the weight of his words sinking in as realization dawned upon you. "I...I'm sorry," you murmured, your voice barely a whisper. "I didn't mean to...I’m just–just stupid and–"

Harry reached out and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from your face, his touch tender yet filled with sadness. "It's okay, Y/N. I know you didn't mean to. You’re really high and you should sleep"

You nodded once again, closing your eyes shut and pulling the blanket over you, suddenly feeling cold. He murmured good night, but you were already passed out.

He stood there for a while or two, watching as your mouth dropped open. Your face looked peaceful, and it gave reassurance to him. His heart was pounding in his chest since he found you at the party, and he kept blaming himself for all that happened.

But his heart was at ease now. You were safe, and sleeping beside him.

He couldn’t be happier

. . .

The next morning, you woke up with a heavy weight on your chest, your mind clouded with confusion and regret. As you stumbled out of bed and got ready for class, you couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that you didn’t remember what happened last night.

Your steps were slow and hesitant as you made your way to the lecture hall, your heart pounding with anxiety. You were trying to replay all the moments of yesterday back and forth, but the last thing you remembered was drinking a beer and then going for another one, when you had seen 5 already filled cups kept in a tray. Without thinking, you went for that one, and you were now cursing yourself for it.

When you finally reached the classroom, you kept your head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone as you took your seat at the back of the room. You felt like a stranger in your own skin, the weight of guilt and shame bearing down on you.

As the minutes ticked by, you found it increasingly difficult to focus on the lecture, your mind wandering back to the events of the party, precisely to those you didn’t remember. Harry was nowhere to be found, and you wondered if you had misbehaved towards him.

He must regret inviting you in the first place.

Lost in your thoughts, you didn't notice when Harry entered the classroom, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on you. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of you, your face drawn and weary, a stark contrast to the vibrant energy you had exuded the night before.

"Hey, Y/N," Harry said softly, making his way towards you with a hopeful smile. "How are you feeling today?"

You looked up, startled by his sudden appearance, and forced a weak smile. "Hey, Harry. I'm...I'm okay, I guess."

Harry's smile faltered slightly at the hint of sadness in your voice, but he pushed aside his concerns, determined to lift your spirits. "That's good to hear. Listen, about last night..."

But before he could finish his sentence, the professor began the lecture, cutting off their conversation and leaving Harry feeling frustrated and disappointed. You let out a sigh of relief, because you didn’t have to hear about the horrible things you did last night, for an hour at least.

During class, Harry felt uneasy and unsure about where they stood. He kept looking at you, feeling worried when he saw you looking down.

As the lecture came to an end, Harry gathered his things and made his way towards you, 

"Y/N," he said softly again, "Can we talk for a minute?"

You looked up, nodding "Sure, Harry. What's up?"

Harry took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest as he searched for the right words. "I just wanted to say...about last night. You were perfect, Y/N. Nothing bad happened, okay?"

You frowned, confusion in your eyes as you tried to make sense of his words. "What do you mean, Harry? I don't remember much from last night."

Harry's heart sank at your admission, a pang of disappointment piercing through him like a knife. "It's...it's nothing, Y/N. Don't worry about it."

But despite his attempt to brush off the conversation, Harry couldn't shake off the feeling of sadness that lingered within him. He knew that he should be grateful that nothing bad had happened between you both, but deep down, he couldn't help but wish that you remembered the kiss you had shared, and the way you made his heart beat faster. He wished you remembered him driving you home, and then being silly around him.

“That’s a huge relief! Oof” 

You said after a while, trusting him on that. He wouldn’t lie to you, you were sure of that.

“Yeah” he replied, forcing a smile, because he was sad.

“Guess I’ll see you later?” you asked, and he nodded.

You collected your materials and stuffed them back into your bag. Checking your schedule, you made your way to your next class, leaving Harry and his thoughts alone.

"But I love you more than words can say,

I can't count the reasons I should stay,

One by one they all just fade away,

But I love you more than words can say."

♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡

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[just-a-new-gi-writer]

How about the Acolytes playing different friendship-breaking games like Monopoly, Uno, Ludo, and some sort of non-digital version of Mario Party? Lmfao imagine them squeezing into ridiculous-looking race karts for a live Mario Kart. Or perhaps an obstacle course to resemble Fall Guys challenges. Everyone has no plans of losing because the prize is a date and a guaranteed romantic kiss from the Creator, the lil shit that proposed this silly Teyvat Olympics.

A/N: Welp, this is one of those times where the story kinda got away from me again. This one's a two-parter, so I'll finish it later on.

Word Count: 2668

CW: None?

Masterpost

taglist @iyohme

=== === ===

It had all started so simply.

During a meeting you were dragged to with a handful of business leaders in Liyue (where they bowed and scraped and tried to cultivate your favor), you introduced them to a game you liked: Diplomacy. You thought it would have been a good fit for them- strategic thinking, cooperation, learning how long to trust people. It took a bit of setup to create a map that would work and it took a while to remember and relay the rules to the different players, but as soon as they understood the rules, they began digging into the game and exploring the layers of complexity underneath it all.

You quickly saw alliances form and melt, deals get made and backstabs performed, promises made and broken. It was all in good fun, they each knew, and all part and parcel of the game and how it played; something their Creator enjoyed and wished to share with them.

The night came to a close, and the business leaders returned to their homes. The next day, they returned to their businesses, bringing the game with them and spreading the rules to whomever was interested. By the end of the week, it had spread north to Mondstadt, crossed the sea to Inazuma, and reached the Akademia’s halls. By the next, it had taken root in those places and spread like wildfire among the population.

It was many different things to the people. For most, it was a fun diversion. For some, it was a problem to be cracked and analyzed, something to theorize over and experiment with. For others, it was a means to use their diplomatic skills, to promise, probe, and plead, to balance, barter, and betray.

It could have been left there. It could have just been a fad that might have burnt itself down to a simmer some time later.

But you had to make that one innocent comment.

In Mondstadt, a game was brewing between a few individuals of poor rapport. Diluc, Kaeya, and Jean stood against a few Fatui agents, each side assured that they had the best player. Three against two, they set about searching for the last two players they’d need for a full game. Childe was talking to you when they asked him to join.

“I couldn’t,” he raised his hands defensively and dismissed Jean’s offer. “Really, I’m not interested.”

“Oh?” you raised an eyebrow, “Why not? Don’t you have a reputation to uphold?”

He smiled but shook his head. “Were it a different kind of combat, Your Grace, there would be no chance for me to turn it down.” He took a sip of his drink. “I’m more the tactical than the strategic type.”

“Anyone could win,” you said. “Tell you what. You show me a good game and win, and I’ll do you a little favor.”

Childe froze, the cup falling from his hands and the drink spilling over the table. He shoved his chair back and turned as he stood, marching over to the few people setting up the board, slamming his hands on the table. “Count me in.”

He lost, horribly. He barely managed to last four turns before a coalition of Jean, Diluc, and one of the Fatui agents wiped him off the board. The game continued with Childe sitting on the sidelines and glaring at the one agent that betrayed him, the victor was found and celebrated, but that playful promise of yours planted another, more dangerous seed.

When the game of Diplomacy spread throughout Teyvat, smaller tournaments blossomed shortly afterward, to find the best of the players in each nation. A few enterprising individuals came up with the idea to host an international tournament, one that drew from southeastern Teyvat. While it boasted a hefty Mora reward for the highest-placed victors, the real prize was the prestige of being the uncontested winner of the Creator’s game.

And then you had to insinuate that you might personally reward the overall winner.

If your game spread like wildfire, you may as well have doused all of Teyvat in gasoline.

The past energy which people had before paled compared to the newfound desire to chase after even the slimmest chance of the Creator’s pure attention, rumored though it may have been. These last games burned with fervor and conviction that few had seen before, refining the pool of players from scores to dozens, then to the handful of furious semi-finals, from which the seven finalists emerged.

And today, the champion would be determined. The host, the state of Liyue, had spared no expense for this final game. The same building in which you had first shared your game had been secured to host the finals. The map was printed on gold-lined silk, each region painted in rich, vibrant pigments, lavishly detailed and seemingly rising off from the sheet. The counters for the different nations’ armies and navies, hand carved from priceless gemstones and inlaid with gold.

Spectators slowly filtered in as the start time drew near. Nobles, aristocrats, and merchants from Monstadt to Sumeru (and some from further afield) flocked to watch the match play out and gathered that morning. Many took the chance to socialize and build connections but many more hoped to catch the eye of their Beloved Creator that morning.

You were brought to the hall while the sun was still rising; only you, Adjudicator of Fates, could suffice to usher such an important game. You were ushered in with the warmest welcomes from all parties and highest fanfare, paraded around to the different important peoples: sages from Sumeru, nobles and their scions from Mondstadt, you even had the fortune to meet the Yuheng and the Raiden Shogun themselves before being ushered to your seat, in the middle of the side of the table.

Each of the invited nations showed off their own players and allowed them to take their seats: first Jean, who would play Mondstadt, sat off to your left, then Diluc, playing Natlan. Next was Yae Miko playing Inazuma, then Ayaka playing Snezhnaya. Alhaitham sat opposite you and played Sumeru. Finally, the players from Liyue entered, the most lavishly-dressed of the players: Yelan, playing Fontaine, sat to your right; and Ningguang, playing Liyue, sat to your left.

As the players took their seats, Keqing stood and addressed the crowd, welcoming them all and thanking them for their presence. She thanked the tournament organizers for their work on the events, past and present. Lastly, she turned to you and thanked you for sharing this game with them and allowing them to partake in its joys and sorrows. Her thanks given, she declared the finals to have begun.

The game entered its first phase and the players broke to meet with each other and plan their alliances. Everyone scrutinized who went to talk with who, which people the other players wanted to speak to, and how the dealings were going. Jean took Yelan aside and tried to make some earnest dealings with her, Alhaitham argued with Ningguang, and Diluc and Ayaka spoke with each other, hidden off in their corner of the board. Yae Miko sat back and kept an eye on the dealings, keeping secret just who she was eyeing as an ally or a target.

As discussions broke down between Ningguang and Alhaitham, Yae rose and asked to have a word with the latter. Ningguang went to request Jean’s ear, then Yelan tried to make a deal with Ayaka. On and on the diplomatic dance went until the time for the first round was called and the players returned to their seats to submit their orders.

You read, adjudicated, and executed the orders, shuffling the armies and navies across the map. The players eyed each move in turn, sometimes glaring at another player when a deal failed to materialize.

The second round of discussions quickly started, Alhaitham angrily pulling Yae aside, Jean hurrying over to speak to Yelan. Ningguang, without anyone to immediately turn to and make deals with, went to speak with Diluc and Ayaka.

The diplomatic maneuvers continued, and even you could start to see the lines being drawn. The drag-out four-way war between Sumeru, Inazuma, Liyue, and Mondstadt was in full swing: Liyue was fighting with Mondstadt and Sumeru over their border cities while Inazuma was looking for any opening to exploit, but Jean was trying to break the stalemate by getting Fontaine to commit an army. On the other corner of the board, Natlan, Snezhnaya, and Fontaine had some token battles, but the first two were otherwise beginning to encroach upon the rest of the board.

The diplomatic plays ended and the orders were submitted. Again, you dutifully relayed the orders and played them out.

The minute you finished shuffling the pieces around with your divine powers, comments between the players started flying.

“Jean,” Alhaitham looked at her pieces, speaking quite openly, “I find your stance towards Yelan quite curious. I thought you said it was in your best interest that we build our forces against Ningguang.”

Jean cleared her throat. “A strong accusation, considering you rebuffed that plan of mine. You said she was working with Guji Yae, but now that it’s clear that the latter is trying to steal a foothold beneath our noses, we agreed–”

“Excuse you?” Yae cut in, “I offered quite amicable terms to you, as many eavesdroppers can attest. If you’re looking for a scapegoat, might I suggest the person who has been playing you both?” She glared at Yelan.

“Your age must be blinding you, Guji.” Yelan steepled her fingers. “Your intentions are clear, but there are far worse dangers on this board–”

Ningguang interrupted her. “Worse than you violating our agreement to keep Huaguang clear? You should know better than to violate trust.”

“Yes, even worse than you saying you were willing to strike into Wolvendom on false pretenses.” Yelan turned to the two players on her right. “Our two dear players of Natlan and Snezhnaya are being quite quiet and chummy with each other.”

“Now, now,” Diluc said, “just because we’re not engaging in the madness of the eastern side of the board is no reason to throw accusations.”

“We would like to assure you,” Ayaka added, “that you all have plenty enough on your plates. Is it quite wise to send accusations so blindly?”

“I’m not sending empty accusations,” Yelan said, her voice sharpening, “I’m saying you two clearly have an alliance and are planning to sweep the board. We need to band together to–”

“Certainly not! See, we’re struggling over these border regions- quite difficult to be allied while you’re fighting each other.”

Ningguang interrupted, talking to Yelan. “I think it’s clever how you deflected criticism over your double-dealing with Alhaitham and Jean.”

“And I think it’s beginner-level squabbling,” Alhaitham said, “trying to deflect attention like that. Did you promise Windrise to Guji Yae for her help?” He looked over at Yae. “Sorry to say, I don’t think Ningguang is a sharing type. Might I suggest–”

“Really, Alhaitham?” Yae smiled at him. “Letting a little early-game betrayal get to you? I’d suggest not letting those crumbling alliances hurt your poor feelings too much. Might I suggest growing yourself some thicker skin?”

Jean stood up. “And might I suggest that you stop provoking everyone around you! You promised that you would help me past Dragonspine, yet now you’re playing nice with Ningguang!”

“Not to mention,” Alhaitham added, “that you made a similar offer to me, then started attacking me out of the blue. Watch, you’re going to start probing the Guili Plains soon enough, aren’t you? No one on the eastern coast can trust an Inazuma player.”

Yae laughed. “Oh, but do tell me how that front between you and Ningguang is going. Oh, that’s right, your little gambit south of the Chasm hasn’t exactly played out in your favor, has it? And you, Jean, darling, just stay in your corner of the board over there and let the more important nations play things out, yes?”

“Enough, Yae.” Ningguang sent her a glare. “Unless you have mastered the art of silent communication, it seems like you too lack strong alliances.”

“And you’re facing two fronts of conflict. If I don’t sweep in to secure those precious supply centers, you three will just keep swapping them back and forth to no end. Someone has to come out ahead in all this and it might as well be me.” She smiled as she looked in your direction. “I can already taste my victory and the sweetness of your lips.”

“Okay,” you cut in, “that’s enough time for the diplomatic phase. It’s time to write and submit orders.” You sat back in your chair. A productive diplomatic phase, all things considered! When an accusation or an agreement are just as important as moving a piece on the board, flying accusations are to be expected. Few can resist the allure of collecting all one’s allies to wipe an opponent from the board.

The turn passed mostly uneventfully. Skirmishes occurred, armies were forced back, territory changed hands. In the next diplomatic phase, though, there was a notable shift in tone between the characters. The players engaged more steadily with their allies; instead of a complex dance to test the waters, the lines were drawn on the battlefields- on the map and in their minds.

In the orders of that turn were the expected exchanges of Snezhnaya and Natlan, a concession of land from Mondstadt to Fontaine. But there was a further surprise- one of Alhaitham’s armies had been brought to Inazuma by Ningguang’s ships and captured a supply center on Watatsumi Island. When you read the orders aloud, it raised eyebrows from the other players on the board except one.

Yae Miko did not wear her usual smile the rest of that turn. When the players broke to discuss their next moves, she made a surprising choice of who to pull aside to deal with- Jean. They spoke in harsh, hushed voices. Deals were presented then discarded in short order until Yae said something that gave Jean pause.

You were intrigued and there were few in the audience, players included, that missed your interest. All eyes rested on those two players as they returned to the table and submitted their orders. You could feel things grow more tense as you read out the players’ orders one by one, until you read one of Ningguang’s fateful orders.

“Fleet in Central Line of Storms convoys Mingyun Village to Narukami Island.”

It only took a quick glance at the source province to confirm that the army counter was carved from aquamarine and belonged to Jean, not from Ningguang’s cor lapis. The room’s attention slowly turned to Yae and Jean.

Jean finished her drink and set her cup down, avoiding looking right at Yae. She spoke quietly. “I was offered quite amicable terms.”

The audience murmured and chuckled at her response, many likely having their own comebacks against the kitsune, but the rest of the orders were delivered to near apathy from the audience. Once a major betrayal began, there are few who could resist the allure of watching a player’s territory be devoured by their neighbors and erstwhile allies.

The last of Inazuma’s supply centers fell a turn later and with that, Yae Miko had lost.

As the turn ended, Keqing stepped forward and called for the game to pause- while things had just begun to turn interesting, they were out of time for the morning session. Lunch was ready to be served and few wanted to be kept waiting; besides, while many had come here to see the region’s finals of the Creator’s game, many more had come to vie for your attention.

The Yuheng took your arm after you rose and led you forward, the players following right behind, and the audience slowly following afterwards. Only Yae Miko remained sitting at the table, turning one of the amethyst counters in her hand.

[foster-the-world]

Baby boy loves to play the animal guessing game in the car. Everyone asks the person who picked an animal questions about the animal until you guess what it is. Baby boy cannot contain his excitement and always immediately tells us what animal. I'll say is it big or small? He'll answer small. Then scream out the answer and say "I won, I won. You didn't guess"

When guessing our animals its always very specific animals he learned about from Wild Kratts or Creature cases. No, I was not thinking of the Hawk billed turtle, the American flying squirrel or the snowshoe hare. It cracks us up everytime.

I'm thinking we don't love Bee's teachers this year. Just a few things I've heard that I've been unimpressed with. It was bound to happen one year or another. Trying not to worry about it. She's not the type to care much. She's in school to hang with her friends. She does not give two shits about impressing any teacher. Lord help us if Rebel ever doesn't like her teachers. That child can hold a grudge. Bee's a tough/smart girls. She can handle one year without the perfect teacher's we've become accustom to.

I signed up for the Met's playoff game with my husband. It was pricey but thought it would be a fun date night. He told me afterwards he also got my in-laws tickets. Obviously, I didn't say anything to him but no way I would have paid so much money (and the cost of a sitter) to hang out with my in-laws. My MIL loves the Met's. I'm quite happy we are treating them to a game but I would have stayed home with the kids. Spending time with them is fine but its never my idea of an exciting/relaxing time. Also, didn't realize the game is at 8pm. Its going to be cold. My MIL cannot handle cold. I think she is going to be miserable. It does annoy me that no one will acknowledge what she can't do/enjoy anymore. The whole family is in denial about her dementia/memory loss. Part of the reason I love baseball games is the nachos. They won't say anything verbally but they will def judge my unhealthy, expensive food choice. They are bringing home made sandwiches. Anyway, it makes me kind of jerk but that's why I'm writing it here instead of saying it to my husband. He happily spends time with my parents without complaints - who have their own issues. So I'll do the same.

It doesn't help that we are hosting their parent and their parents friends on Wednesday night. Apparently these people really want to see the kids. We've met them various times. Very nice people but the husband is socially unaware of when to stop talking. No one else will get a word in edgewise. At my own wedding dress rehearsal party he would not stop telling me some unimportant story - even when he knew the entire party was waiting for me come over for official speeches. I don't like doing things on weeknights but at least it gives us an out. On a weekend these people are the type to never leave. We told them the kids are in bed by 7:30pm. They will stay longer but at least I can sneak off to put the kids in bed. Anyway, two nights of obligations makes me very tired to even think about.

[lunar-years]

what tswift (or others) define the ot3/the legs of the ot3? i think renegade is a v. s2 roy keeley song!

YESSSS renegade is THE roykeeley s2 song to me. It is so perfect. I also think it works for the larger ot3 as well.

Anyway this is such a fun question and something I have already thought about at length because, well, I am me 😂 Here's my playlist (with a few bonus songs from other artists):

JamieKeeley

Now That We Don't Talk - This is post-breakup s2 jamiekeeley when they've grown distanced from one another and they only hear about one another through the press/Keeley is watching from the outside as Jamie burns his life up on Lust Conquers All. The "You part the crowd like the Red Sea, don't even get me started / Did you get anxious though, on the way home?" line is sooooo them, because they know one another beyond their public images and can see past the facade.

Gorgeous - they're both gorgeous people <3 enough said, really. But yeah this gives me biggg early relationship vibes when they first meet at a club or agency party or what have you. :)

Lunar Years (Maisie Peters) - I have had in my head the vague outline of a relationship-spanning jamiekeeley fic titled after this song for like 2 years lmao. lord knows if it will ever see the light of day. But this is my VERY favorite jamiekeeley song. It's about breaking up and getting along better for it afterward, but still sort of being in love, and EVERY LINE is about them my god. fav: "I'm a nicer person now I'm not your person, funny how that works, and funny that we're working now"

RoyKeeley

Renegade - (ultimate roykeeley song)

Everything Has Changed - s1 roykeeley. "Dust off your highest hopes" is sooo applicable to them because before getting together they both have kind of resigned themselves to meaningless relationships (Keeley) or no relationships (Roy) because they assume that love like that is unattainable for them. Then they get together and everything changes, and for both of them it's kind of their first truly serious, life-altering relationship. ahhhhhh!!

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys - breakup RoyKeeley from Keeley's pov :( "the voices in his head called the rain to end our days of wild" "saw forever so he smashed it up" "I'll tell you that he runs because he loves me" "I felt more when we played pretend than with all the kens" wow i'm so sad.

How Did It End? - this is also about RoyKeeley's breakup and dealing with the fallout of a very public relationship with an undefinable/hard to explain ending. The reaction we see at the club of the team finding out has got to be just like...the tip of the iceberg :( Everyone they know wants to know Why this seemingly perfect couple broke up and Roy and Keeley can't even explain because they (well, Keeley in particular) still don't understand it themselves.

RoyJamie

I Can See You - This is the s2/s3 unresolved sexual tension royjamie song. they want to get it on soooo bad. soooo bad!! nobody can ever find out about that tho. obviously. 🤪 "I've been watching you for ages and I spend my time trying not to feel it"

invisible string - idk the soulmatism is so strong with these two tbh. Like, it's literally off the charts. something something the signed poster on Jamie's wall. 69. all along there was some invisible string tying you to me wasn't there!!

OT3:

cowboy like me - they get each other on a really deep level because they match each other's freak :) and they all have anxiety about forever but ultimately decide it's worth the risk for each other. "and the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up"

delicate - to me this song is perfect for the beginning of their relationship when they aren't out or public and they all are trying sooo hard to hold on to this precious thing with one another because they know it means more than anything that's come before and they don't want to f it up again.

Long Story Short - it took them a long ass time to individually get their shit together and then all be on the same page as a unit, but they got there eventually! ❤️

Mastermind - Jamie literally masterminded the three of them oh my god. posters on the wall part 2. "What if i told you none of it was accidental, and the first time that I saw you, I knew I wanted your body." I mean, YEAH.

Shade of Yellow (Griff) - Okay, so this is my current favorite rjk song. it's soooo soft and simple and beautiful. their home is where the others are. they are one another's comfort and peace. i'm crying. "there's a light in your room and it burns like a shade of yellow / And it makes me feel sane in the head and I swear that's rare these days"

Isimo (Bleachers) - something something emerging out of your damaged past to a bright future with people who love you and are willing to help you carry the load. realizing you've survived. "I'd follow you down down down down to the water, way down to any kind of chance"

[true-blue-sonic]

(I didn't see it, I was asleep) but I would like you to looking into the lawlessness of I need rings, Tails has rings, STEAL FROM HIM

I love that scene so much because Silver is SO rude, lmao XD

So for people who don't know, Silver's powers exhaust themselves at one point in Rivals 2 (which afaik is the only time in any of the games wherein we truly see them be exhausted to the point he notes he can barely move; another moment is his Sonic Channel story) and he needs rings to power himself back up (also the only time that is brought up, afaik!). And thus, instead of asking for help from the other three parties running around, he and Espio... rob Tails and Sonic, respectively. Espio is the one who came up with this idea:

Espio: Silver. Looks like we might have our work cut out for us. Sonic and Tails are also collecting Rings. Let's cut them off, then take the Rings from them afterward! I'll go after Sonic.

And like, in Es' defense, he does apologise to Sonic for it:

Espio: Sorry Sonic, but I need those Rings. Sonic: Espio! When did you...? Espio: I'll take those Rings! Sonic: What? Hey, give those back!

Contrast that to Silver, who... well.😅

So yeah, Silver comes waltzing right in, makes fun of Tails, somehow manages to rob him despite saying he can 'barely move' (though that does not stop him from traversing through a level beforehand or doing a Rival fight afterwards), and clearly doesn't give the rings back because after the boss fight he tells Espio his strength is returning. But overall, it appears that Silver does not seem to care Tails and Sonic are collecting those rings for someone else, which he knows; he's happy to intercept and insult Tails while he's at it. I find it an intriguing angle to take, myself. As far as I am aware, none of the games truly touch on characters really stealing things from each other, except for the Chaos Emeralds between them, information, and the occasional person or Chao (aka kidnapping) from Eggman's side. This specific plot point also goes nowhere afterwards: Sonic wonders where 'those thieves' went in his own storymode, but nobody ever brings it up again, nor does Silver apologise. At most, Sonic brushes him off when Silver reappears stating they should talk to "Eggman" first at the boss fight, which I would say is fair enough.

I wonder if Silver would have come up with the idea of robbing someone else for rings if Espio had not proposed it. Espio likely is more well-versed in the world of robbery because he is a detective, so I assume things like that are par for the course for him. Though, it does clash with his whole Honourable Ninja stick, I do feel like. But as for Silver... I mean, I think he might have taken it into consideration as a quick fix for his problems. And he clearly doesn't mind, haha. This is also the first time he and Tails talk ("talk"), from what I can see, which might have influenced his callousness compared to Espio's more apologetic approach as well? It's unfortunate that no other game touches upon Silver stealing things from other characters, as far as I am aware; at most, we know from '06 that he has no issue infiltrating forbidden areas with security in front of it. I feel that Silver as he is now, with a solid friendship with most characters, would be far more likely to ask them for help instead. In TSR he always remains civil with them and reaches out to them multiple times, for example. So I think the best conclusion I can make of this is that Silver in the Rivals games is just a Rude Boi, and also the fact that he doesn't know Sonic and friends very well might have influenced the way he tackled it (which is unapologetically). But it gave us one of the funniest lines in the game, in my personal opinion, and I furthermore feel it does fit with Silver's black-and-white 'me (and Espio) vs. them' mentality, so I don't mind too much.

[davekat-sucks]

After reading your recent posts about wanting to distance yourself from homestuck eventually makes me feel bad too send asks because it means more homestuck is being streamlined to you

About a year ago i dropped homestuck after losing interest once again (this happens on and off) and only got into it recently because i currently can't really play video games at the moment so i ended up returning to homestuck. I think a big reason why i can get back into it so easily is because its FREE all you need is an internet connection and you get the massive amount of content from the comic and fandom, there's just soo much too engaged with even if it's not all good. Despite all my problems with Homestuck i still do like it but one thing i wish is What Pumpkin would just let it go, HS2 and Hiveswap are dumpster fires. It feels like they're milking a dead cow, this series would be better off if the poor decision making stopped at the comic itself. I just want it to be left untouched by a company and have it be supported by the love of the fanbase. I'm homestucked out but i like the character enough and shipping them as well will probably keep me hooked for awhile.

I guess I'll throw in what i was originally going too say anyway. I think homestuck took a massive drop in writing quality after murderstuck. Like why is everyone just standing on the meteor? You guys aren't going to get more serious after all that? Was there any reason as to why no one could've texted John or Jade while separated? I genuinely don't remember there being a reason. I thought Kanaya coming back to life was stupid, the Gamzee and Terezi thing gross, Rose being an alcoholic then drunk making out with Kanaya also being gross, Karkat and Dave being bystanding asshole during all this, Wayward Vagabond being practically a stuffed animal, like what is this? After murderstuck you could definitely feel the decline but there where some decent moments spread out afterwards with Caliborn being the main one stealing the show. I think Hussie really liked Caliborn, you can tell he had so much fun writing him. I like to believe Hussie went wild with Caliborn because he could get away with all the edgy stupid stuff with him because he's a villain, Hussie had obviously gave into the demands of the fans and i think even he got tired of it, Caliborn was the perfect blank slate for him to have some real freedom in writing again, Caliborns character is really in line with Hussies older sense of humor. Despite still giving into demands every other time, Caliborn got too be want Hussie actually wanted. Oooh Caliborn how you almost saved Homestuck, at least you get to be the best character in the end.

It's fine to still send asks about Homestuck here. Moving on doesn't happen overnight and I'm often sticking around more to speak out about the flaws. From the series itself, the fandom, or the current culture that surrounds it. It can be applied to other groups like those who like anime, comics, video games, etc. Homestuck is just one niche I focus on because I'm familiar with it. There are many other people online that talk about these similar topics that do it better than I ever could. But I agree that WhatPumpkin should just let the base webcomic end just there. No need to focus more on Epilogues, Homestuck^2, or Homestuck Beyond Canon. Let people interpret their own endings. Homestuck may not have been able to leave a mark in media history like what Undertale or FNAF did, but it's better to let it end there as it is. The story really felt going down after Murderstuck. Cascade was probably the only greatest thing left behind. Then Act 6 kicked in. There are many plot holes and questions to be raised about it. From things like why can't Dave/Rose or the other living trolls on the meteor use Trollian or any of their communication devices like they had before? There's nothing said about their travel to the Alpha Session will block communication between the two parties. I hate how Dave and Karkat stood on the sidelines as Rose/Kanaya and Gamzee/Terezi go through hell with their problems. Why wasn't Wayward Vagabond doing more to try and communicate with the others? Can Town and being a mayor is his dream, but we have seen him become a leader of his own to his own people. WV had communicate with John to act as his Exile, so why not the same with Dave, Rose, and the other living trolls? Where was he when the others went into the Dream Bubbles? Carapacians are not allowed there? Is still on the meteor to 'protect' the base? Was that the only time they left him alone like he was some housepet? Wouldn't it be better to have Wayward Vagabond that's now revived, stay on the Prospitian ship that John and Jade were on so that they could be with Dave and Rose? Wayward Vagabond would have a better time to try and get all the Carapacians to be ready when they arrived in the Alpha session. Where were the Carapacians by Post Retcon and Collide? By Post Retcon, the ones on the Prospitian ship and those with Roxy should be alive by then. Casey also was there to summon undead consorts during Jake vs The Felt fight. Wouldn't that mean the other consorts were still there Prospitian ship that John and Jade were on, could have joined the battle? There are too many plot holes and vague answers still around because of Act 6 and Post Retcon that it makes people question the quality and how the story was leading up to this. I do believe as well that Caliborn was the only way for Hussie to let himself use his old edgey humor. Dave and Dirk were there, but those two had their character development and he needed another being to stand in his place. Other characters that fit would have been dead and he had to come with some bullshit reason to bring them back. So it's better to make an original OC than to reuse another character. Caliborn really was the best as he really made lots of changeups and excitement to the series. If not only in narrative standpoint, but also in meta in the sense that he was able to change the website readers would be on. You had to be there with old flash to see him banging on the console that the link and panel you were trying to read, shook with every hit and everything gets scrambled and falling apart. Calliope hasn't done anything like that despite that we are suppose to root for her as the good guy that will join the heroes. Caliborn is just that amazing. Act 6 may have been carried by people like Dirk and Roxy, but Caliborn flexed it up high like Atlas did with the World.

[probablyyawningrightnow]

You're a good man

Hey. Just wanted to let you know I'm trying to get my anxiety under control. Its moments like these, when I feel powerless, that feel the worst. So, a coping mechanism would be to write this down.

You're a good man. You act like an adult and are responsible towards everyone's feelings, including my own. You always tell me that if there's something wrong or if I feel something different, we could talk about it. And even though I feel that that's just basic human behavior, it's really hard to find these days. Some would say that the standard is very low. And I'd have to agree. But it's nice that someone met such standard.

You're a good man, is what I tell myself to lower my anxiety, and to be able to sleep. If you're a good man, there's no way you'd mess us up, right? There's no way you'd cheat on me. And there's no way you'd break up with me because of one of my dramas. To be honest, I feel like a dumbass when I think you're gonna cheat on me. The way we look into each other's eyes, the way we kiss, what we tell each other after sex and what we do afterwards too. There's no way you'd cheat. There's no way you'd mess me up.

You're a good man, and even though I have to trust that (and you), I woke up at 8am on a Sunday, scared that something bad happened to you, or to us, or to me. You're just hanging with your friends. You went partying last night, with some people I'll never meet. You even looked happy in the pictures you sent me. It means a lot that you sent them over privately. You wanted to show me what was going on. So how the hell would I distrust you.

You're a good man, but someone like you messed me up. I felt all these things before. It's a kind of fomo. I had the chance to practice how to deal with these situations, and eventually, right before the end, I was comfortable with my partner having his own life besides me. However, after we broke up, all my trust in him went out the window. The thing is, he was just like you. Cute, hot, and an attitude that you'd say "this guy's a teddy bear and a saint, there's no way he messes this up right?". But he did.

You're a good man, but I cannot help but the think about the future, the present, and the past. I cannot help thinking about our end goal. What are we going for? What are our plans? I know I'm supposed to be happy with what I've got, living in the moment, but I cannot help but wonder.

You're a good man. But am I going to be hidden away forever? Am I supposed to act just like a friend in front of others? Am I supposed to feel like a hobby to you? I know it's not the case, but all these questions make me feel like you're ashamed of me. You're actually hiding yourself, but I get shun in the process. I tried not looking at your stories on Instagram, because I know you'd upload pictures with your friends, in the party, having fun, etc. I failed to do so, and you uploaded one of the pictures that you sent me beforehand. You looked so happy there. And even so, I felt sad and anxious that I might never be there. On your stories. On your parties. On the rest of your life.

You're a good man, but I wonder, why do I put up with this? I had the best time of my life yesterday with you. Now I have anxiety again. Why am I still up on this rollercoaster? "I gotta lose the fear of this rollercoaster. Going downhill is not that scary, and maybe it's only this steep in my mind". All of the things I'm feeling right now are in my head, and I wanna know how to deal with them. For your sake, but mostly for mine.

You're a good man. Even though we're apart, and I might not see you again for a couple of weeks, I still worry about you I think. Even though I don't know where are you, what you did last night, what's on your head, and what lies ahead of us, I've decided to trust you. I wanna see this through. Because I have to enjoy the present right? I have to. That's what we agreed to, to enjoy the moment.

You're a good man. That's why I'll keep moving on. I'll keep living my own life, even if for you I'm just a hobby.

I can't wait to see you again.

[soulcheri]

Brooke couldn't agree more with how Isadora viewed it because frankly, she felt the same way. They weren't into each other like that. Sure, they could appreciate each other's beauty, cherish one another's hearts and still remain best friends. People have meaningless hook ups all the time. It doesn't mean they want to run off, get married and start a life together afterwards. Isadora was like a vibrator that doubled as a best friend. She listened to her, offered advice, was there when Brooke needed her most. It's not as shameful as Volchok had evidently make it sound.

So once again, fuck him for that.

"Really?" At the offer to accompany Isadora home, Brooke perks up for the first time in over the span of a week. The thought of exploring her best friend's hometown, reclaiming her stomping grounds and getting drunk while doing it sounds amazing right now. Brooke couldn't think of anything more fun.

( Besides, fucking the cook - who she couldn't help notice was hot and older. Her two favorite things to look for in the opposite sex. And who had been eyefucking her back for the past thirty minutes. )

Which come to think of it - forced a dawning realization on her. "There's just one major problem." And once again, it's all Brooke's fault. They might've called a truce but, they hadn't really addressed the elephant in the room. The reason they stopped communicating and hanging out in the first place. Seth. Brooke had yet to tell Isadora she ran into him at the Halloween party and he extended a similar offer to her. Was he going to be there as well? Would it be awkward living in his family's mansion alongside his younger sister while continuing to shoot down his advances not only because her heart was still broke but for the sake of her best friend's feelings?

"There's something else I have to tell you, first. And it might make you change your mind about you inviting me to come with you. Which, I'll understand." And, of course, she would respect.

"I ran into Seth at the Halloween party. He wanted me to sneak with him out the back and have sex in his car. I told him no because I was there with Tyler and I wasn't interested." There's a deep breath before Brooke forces herself to continue. "Then he asked me to come to Peachtree with him. Get to know him outside of this bubble we're all in." Though, once again... "I said no. He ended up leaving the party and went home, I guess." Granted, the story doesn't really end there.

"Later that night, Tyler was driving me home and the subject came up. He could tell I seemed off after the interaction and I ended up telling him what happened." Then, she made the second biggest mistake of her life. "We ended up pulling over and he convinced me to make another sex tape with him. In the heat of the moment, I was still so mad at Seth for lying to me about being engaged and for screwing my mom that I sorta...." Brooke closed her eyes and flinched as if bracing herself for the impact of Isadora's reaction, "....sent the tape to him?" There. She said it. And my god, did it feel good to get it off her chest.

"I'm SO sorry Is, I know it's fucked up. I actually regret doing it now because Tyler still has a copy and I don't trust he won't use it against me if or when he's feeling vindictive again. I mean, clearly he never gave a shit about me to begin with so who knows where it's at now. Seth didn't seem mad, though. But, I don't know? I get it, if it may be awkward for you or you'd rather I not come and make your life even more of a mess. I am sorry, though. For everything. I never wanted my relationship with him to get in between OUR friendship. It means so much to me, I realized. You're the only person I have left that I still want around and I miss so much. And I never want to lose you again."

Isadora's heart starts sinking when Brooke begins taking responsibility for what happened between her and Volchok. She's thinking the absolute worst after finding out what Brooke was capable of with Seth. She may have forgiven Brooke for keeping her lewd romance with her brother a secret but, that doesn't mean she's completely over it. Something like that takes time.

"Oh." Her heart steadies itself a little at the end. Okay, so Brooke told Tyler and then Tyler told Volchok. She wouldn't necessarily classify that as Brooke's fault. In fact, it shouldn't have been a secret anyway. Who cares what they do when they're bored and hanging out? Boys go to strip clubs to drink and watch girl's shake their tits, but two girl best friend's can't make out or help get each other off? She would guarantee that if boys weren't so homophobic, they would jerk each other off too. "I don't get it. It's not like we're in love. I would understand if I let some guy wreck me in a dressing room, but we were just having fun."

As the waitress places her coffee down, Isadora leans over the hot mug and takes a careful sip before licking her lips. Like Brooke, she hasn't slept in a while but, wouldn't dare let the rest of the world see her wearing her depression. In Peachtree, she was known for her glam and that hasn't changed. "Babes, you can totally come to Atlanta with me. My parents are lame as fuck, but they have a huge house. We could drain my dad's bar, soak in the hot tub, have the chef cook for us. And since Volchok thinks I'm such a dirty little whore, I can prove him right and remind you of how hot you are by dragging you out to every nightclub and bar in Atlanta." She places her coffee down and reaches for her hands, "We can bring the slut era back. We can definitely do better than Volchok and Romeo this time."

[sirthisisa-wendys]

toxic fraternity boy!hanma realises that reader is the one that he wants after a little argument between the two romantic interests, but once he sees one of the members of his fraternity try to chat reader up he does even worse…

Would love to see what you do with this hehehe

ANON, I--

*remembers all of the frat boy parties I went to (count 'em: 1) and how toxic smells like Axe Body Spray and cheap condoms)* You're giving me a ton of liberty with this one and I'm going to do my best to deliver!

Order: Shuji Hanma x Fem!Reader

wc: 1.3k

tw: NSFW

masterlist

song recommendation:

A/n: I'll have to tell y'all the story about seeing Ferg in concert with my dad some time. Pop-Pop did not have a great time lol

"Fuck Shuji," your best friend, Rita, grumbles over the music spilling out of the frat house. "I don't give a shit if he's here tonight. You're going to have fun, no matter what."

You nod as she talks, making your way past the bushes leading up to the large red and black home in a mini-skirt and crop top that didn't belong to you. The only thing you're wearing that is yours is the pair of high heels that you fished out of the back of your closet for this very occasion.

"Hey, y/n!" one of Shuji's frat brothers calls out from the doorway. You look up and give him a small wave, smiling at him. "There's a bunch to drink in the kitchen and pizza, too. Glad you could make it!" When you step inside the house, the sound of the music is deafening, and you have to push through the massive crowd to even get to the kitchen, where the drinks are.

"Okay, one for me and several for you, since I'm the designated driver for tonight." Your friend pours you a red Solo cup full of vodka and toasts you heartily. "To forgetting about douchebags!"

You take a large gulp of the liquid just as you see Shuji walking down the stairs of the frat house with his friends, laughing and passing a joint. You avert your eyes as quickly as you can and make your way to the opposite side of the house, where you can lose yourself in the trap music. You're surrounded by a bunch of people who can hide you from his gaze, and that's all you want for now. You don't want to think about the fight, the way he called you a "whore", or how hard you slammed the car door afterward.

You just want to get drunk, dance, and forget.

"Yo, y/n," you hear over your shoulder. You turn to see Izana, his purple eyes devouring your image. "What's a good girl like you doing at one of these heathen parties?" You laugh at his description of you, and he winds his hands around your waist carefully.

"What's president of the frat doing down here with us plebeians?" Izana leans forward, tapping his forehead against yours as he smiles at you brightly.

"I was actually looking for you," he begins, biting his lower lip. As his hips grind against yours, you wonder what the playboy needs from you, but he quickly answers your unspoken question. "Heard you and Shuji had a blowout fight the other day. You okay?"

"Yeah," you lie, looking down. Izana tilts your chin up, frowning a little.

"Hurt your feelings, didn't he?" You avert your eyes quickly, ashamed.

"He did," you admit, and Izana hums in displeasure.

"That just won't do. I can't have a pretty girl upset at my party, now, can I?" You shake your head, but a commotion beside you makes you look to your left. Coming through the crowd is Shuji, his orange eyes squinting at the scene.

"Izana," he mutters, crossing his arms. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Just trying to cheer little y/n up. Your fight really hurt her feelings," Izana answers, hand still on your waist.

"Doesn't mean we broke up," Shuji frowns, jerking his chin at the older frat brother and cracking his knuckles. You look at Izana, who shrugs, backing away from you.

"All yours, Shu." Shuji turns to you, his orange eyes softening in the glow of the fairie lights behind you.

"Y/n, I want to apologize."

"I don't want to think about it," you gripe, walking through the crowd and clutching your cup to your chest.

If I can just get outside...

You stumble down the steps, dropping your almost empty cup of vodka on the pavement and cursing. Shuji isn't too far behind you, calling your name, but you can't be bothered.

"Fuck off, Hanma," you hiss, shrugging his hand off of your shoulder as you wander down the sidewalk.

"Babe," he growls, stepping in front of you and shrugging his jacket off. "It's cold. And it's about to rain. Come back inside so we can talk." He hands you the jacket, but you're still furious, so you knock it out of his hands. "Please," Shuji whispers, stooping to picking up his jacket as you turn back the other way. "Y/n, you have to hear me out!"

"I don't have to listen to anything you have to say," you toss over your shoulder, crossing your arms. "I would rather eat a can of dirt." Just as you finish speaking, your heel catches in a crack of the sidewalk, and you feel yourself falling forward in slow-motion. Dread sinks into your stomach as you land on your hands and knees, feeling the skin on your kneecaps singing out in pain.

"Y/n!" Shuji pulls you off the ground, cradling you against his chest and carrying you to his car as the rain begins to fall on your tear-streaked face and skinned knees.

"Put me down," you whine weakly, but Shuji only lets you go when he's opened his car door and slid you inside. You lay back against the seat, closing your eyes and shaking as you sob, not even bothering to wipe the tears from your face as he enters on the driver's side and starts the car.

"Here," he murmurs, turning on the heat and placing his jacket over your wet body. "I'm taking you home. Did you come with Rita?"

"Yes," you reply, looking down at your bloody knees. He dials Rita's number on the console of his car and waits for it to pick up. When it goes to voicemail, he tells her that he's taking you home and not to worry. You stare out of the window on the drive home, colors swirling and swimming until they begin to look familiar again, like the colors of your small apartment building. Shuji doesn't speak as he carries you out of the car; his normally tall hair now laying against his forehead due to the pouring rain. At your door, he fishes out his key from his back pocket and slides it into the door.

"Can you walk?" Shuji asks, and you nod, limping into the apartment slowly. He closes the door behind him and locks up, then follows you into the kitchen. The location of the first-aid kit is familiar - it's stashed on the second shelf of the pantry - and he pulls it out, looking for antiseptic and bandages.

Shuji hoists you onto the counter, and when he wipes the blood off your knees, you hiss, jerking your leg a little. "Sorry, babe," he mutters, taping a waterproof bandage over each knee and then kissing them sweetly.

"Why do we even fight anymore?" you sigh, and he stands up, looking you in the eye as he leans forward on the counter, hands on either side of you.

"I don't know," Shuji breathes. "I just know I'm so, so sorry, y/n." You nod, wiping your face.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time." There's a pause, then Shuji mumbles,

"I should shower. I smell like beer."

"Same," you echo. "Should we shower together?"

The obvious answer to that question is 'yes', and you find yourself wrapped up in an embrace with Shuji as he kisses you deeply, legs hoisted around his waist as he pushes into you with your back against the shower wall.

"I remember why we fight," you laugh, pulling away to catch your breath.

"Why is that?" he wonders, eyes still on your lips.

"Because the makeup sex is so fucking good."

"Damn right," Shuji mumbles, giving you a hickey and sliding out and then back in. "So fucking good."

[cazimagines]

would you do hcs for niki x james hunt x reader?

So looking at this it could be read as either Niki and James competing for the reader orrrr Niki, James and the reader in a poly relationship. I assume anon probably meant the first one so I'll go with that but I don't mind the second option either 👀

- News spread like wildfire when it was revealed for this next year of F1 there would be a female racer on the track. There hadn't been one for a long time now, usually, a male-dominated sport so it was exciting for everyone to predict how you would do.

- Most didn't expect you to do well, rather you were purely there for the feminists. That didn't stop them from spreading rumours about how you would interact with the other races. Especially James. Most were already running the story that the two of you would end up together before you had even met him.

- You were hyped to get onto the track for the first race. Wanting to prove all of those reporters wrong. You were a dam good driver and you will show it to their misogynistic asses.

- As you were in the garage preparing one of the other drivers came over to speak to you. His Austrian accent rang out as he asked if you felt prepared today. You two had a casual conversation, with him really trying to suss out if you were really a serious driver or just there for the women. You could see it in his eyes as he observed you, the cogs in his mind-twisting as he judged you and everything you said. Finally, he let you go through to focus back on your car, wishing you a polite but lacklustre 'good luck'

- As you were leaving the garage to get into your car the most famous playboy drivers approached you, already wrapping his arm around your shoulder invading your personal space. James Hunt. He was very loud but as he wished you good luck you could tell he meant it. He joked about all the news said about the two of you, and you felt yourself awkwardly laughing back.

- The race went exceptionally well for you, after all, you came in first. Which was unheard of for first time F1 racer. You had to take risks to get the podium, almost causing a few crashes as you slipped past Niki and James but boy did it feel good to see the disbelief faces of everyone. James was more accepting, congratulating you and hitting you on the back while Niki held back suspicious of you. He was annoyed at losing of course, though at least it wasn't to James.

- He came up to congratulate you when fewer people were around to see. He asked you lots of questions about how you choose to drive, any adjustments you made to the car and if you were correct he seemed almost impressed by you.

- The party after was wild. You celebrated with most of the drivers, though you spent most of your time around James. As you spoke to him more you came to find him as a decent fellow, yes he was bullish, arrogant but he has a kindness streak to him as well, one that often got covered up by his playboy attitude.

- You asked him about Niki, confused as to why you couldn't see him about and he told you how Niki rarely attended parties. You felt a bit put out but you could understand why you enjoyed parties especially one all about you but they weren't everyone's scene.

- Afterwards, you won some races, you lost some of them. The news reports about you changed from which driver you would be fucking to now a three-way rivalry between you, James and Niki. But it wasn't really like that. Niki and James did have some sort of rivalry between them, they didn't really like being around you but you got on with both of them just fine.

- With James, you and him would attend parties, drink a lot, let loose. He was someone you could have a fun time with. Not that you too had gone any far with anything. You knew he looked handsome, and it had told you that he found you beautiful but nothing had ever progressed further after that.

- With Niki things were a lot calmer. He enjoyed talking to you and you enjoyed talking back. He could be an asshole. In fact, often he was. But you found a kindness within him as well, one he'd never admit to but it was there. You talked mechanics and racing with him at first, something you two had in common and he liked hearing about what you thought of everything but soon conversations diverted. You two found you could get into a thrilling discussion about anything, even if you two didn't have the same opinions you could debate it with him and you both found it fascinating listening to each other's thoughts and opinions.

- When the next race was in Austria, Niki's homeland he offered to take you out, showing you around. You didn't know whether to consider it a date. He never called it a date and had never truly seen him take a romantic interest in you so you just assumed it was more friendly than anything.

- The time out you two spent together was lovely though. He insisted on paying for everything. He showed you all of his favourite places, his favourite restaurants. At night he walked along the street beside you and told you how much he admired you and your driving making you flustered. But that was as far as anything went.

- The race in Austria went worse though. You didn't mind not coming first but you knew things weren't going to be great when James beat Niki on his own turf. Niki stormed off after the race before anyone got a chance to say anything to him to instead you stayed by James who insisted on celebrating with you.

- A little while later after a lot of drinks you and James were walking past the garages, giggling when he turned to you. James told you just how much he found you beautiful. How every time he saw in the car, driving, he wanted nothing more to do than kiss you. And kiss you he did. It felt nice, his lips tasted of the alcohol you had both consumed but it felt passionate and heavy.

- It didn't last long though as both of you heard a cough beside you. Looking over your eyes widen in shock to see Niki standing beside you, looking pissed. "Please don't mind me" he growls, "If you wouldn't take up the whole sidewalk though as you fuck each other I'd appreciate that"

- You instantly pulled away from James and tried to explain to Niki but he pushed past you without a second glance, his loud footsteps echoing down the street.

- The next day he did come to see you like he usually did, and then the next day after that. Now he seemed to avoid you whenever he could and within meetings he was always rude and talked down to you about your ideas no matter how many times James told him to shove off

- At one press conference a journalist asked about the rumour of you and James dating to Niki and he told them back that he didn't care who the racer whore fucked. After that the news was a wildfire, debating who you must have been hooking up with, what the situation was between you and James. They weren't nice about you, as if they were looking for a reason to bring you down and Niki gave them the perfect ammunition. Some even speculated that there was a love triangle going on between you and Niki and that you had chosen James over Niki, and they weren't wrong

- You were so mad at Niki. You ran to confront him, yelling at him for doing that, ruining your life and he fought back at how you were just like every other common slut who just wanted to bang James. Eventually, James came in and defended you, punching Niki in his face for the words he said.

- There were many reasons why you started to date James. Yeah you thought he was handsome, he was fun to be around, he liked you back. But more than anything it was to get the press to stop speculating on your love life. Not that dating James made it much better but at least they stopped calling you a whore.

- He was a playboy though. In your heart, you knew this but a part of you had hoped things would have been different with you. That he actually liked you but things were not meant to be. You don't think he even made it into a month of the relationship before he hooked up with someone else.

- You thought things could have worked between you but the pain of knowing you weren't even enough for him caused you two to break up. You didn't love him but you had liked him a great deal and for him to break your trust hurt you a lot.

- That's why your mind wasn't in the race, that's why you made a too of a sharp turn, that's why you ended up crashing into the side of the wall and flipping over smashing the car and hitting your head.

- Things were fuzzy, you weren't sure what was going on but you could see F1 drivers rushing over to you. One was asking you things but you couldn't understand, he undid your buckles and carefully pulled you out of the car, carrying your bridal style. Just as his name came into focus you passed out. Niki Lauda.

- You weren't sure how long it had been till you woke up again. But when you woke up he was by your side, looking anxiously at you, clutching a bunch of flowers within his hands. For your whole recovery, he was beside you, supporting you every day, apologising to you for everything he said, everything he did. And once you recovered the world got introduced to the most dangerous but loving racing couple they had ever seen.

TAG LIST: @shrekboobies @arianalilyblack @wonderwoman292 @justreadingficsdontmindme @thehuiabird @that-stupid-head-tilt-thing @zemosimp420 @kadeuuijib @lieutenantn @neoarchipelago @cable-kenobi @edencherries @faustlyaccused @julyvegan @prestigious-tea @hannahbal-the-fannibal @my-blood-is-maple-syrup @competitivepomegranate @welcometothemxdhouse @flutterskies @rumblelibrary @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123 @mywinterivy

[lanshappycorner]

Deuce Spade facts and fun facts🥳🥳

This is a list of facts and fun facts about Deuce! This list is based on true facts only and any observations I've made, however observations can be subjective, so those will be labeled properly! Let's start off with some facts already in the wiki :)

First Yr, class 1-A, student no.24

Birthday: June 3

Age: at the beginning of the game, Deuce is 16, but currently, he is 17 [his profile in game has not been updated, but as time is proven to flow in game, it is unclear but can be interpreted that the characters do canonly age]

Gemini

173 cm / 5'8" ft

Homeland: Rose kingdom

Family: Mother, Grandmother, it is implied that his father is out of the picture as Deuce states that he is the only man in the family so his father has either left or is dead

Club: Track and Field [alongside Jack]

Best subject: PE

Dominant hand: Right

Fav food: Egg dishes / omurice

Least fav food: Bell peppers

Dislikes: Limited time sales

Hobby: Magical wheel (twst motorcycle I guess but it looks kinda funky)

Talents: Machinery Maintainance [good with fixing gadgets and etc]

Used to be a delinquent before he heard his mother crying on the phone to his grandmother about his behavior. Afterwards he decided to change

Owns a pink leopard printed suit

Cannot do middle school math, he will take a lot of time to solve simple Algebra problems

Gets nervous and stops functioning entirely when talking to women

Onto some fun facts outside of the wiki! These facts have been gathered from various sources (ppl who can read japanese, ppl who have told me abt info in the twst guidebook, twitter, and ofc the main translated story), but I cannot prove 100% authenticity of this, so take it with a gain of salt

Canonly a pretty boy. Deuce is described as the "cool pretty type" in the twst guidebook

Smells like flowers [applies to all students from Rose kingdom]

A romantic, he admired the king and queen of heart's relationship and trey teased him about it

Thought that baby chicks hatch from store bought eggs until the MC and Grim told him the truth

Can cook eggs (he likes them over easy)

Wanted to make a magical wheel club but was rejected so he joined track and field

Bought magical wheel magazines when he was younger and studied it

Wanted to ride his magical wheel in the heartslabyul maze (mentioned he forgets bad things when he rides it so like...it makes him feel better)

Hates limited times sales/shopping but is extremely good at it. He can remember the price of an item, when exactly it sells out, the percentage/probability of when it can sell out, discount prices and pretty much any math that has to do with it [he's extremely good at shopping because his mother brought him out a lot with her to limited time sales]

In addition to the point above, it is implied he can memorize and calculate that for pretty much every item he intends on buying (everything I listed above is in relation to the time he bought 20 limited time puddings which greatly impressed Sebek who wasn't able to grab even 1, but it was later revealed that he also bought 8 bag full of items requested by Trey for baking, as well as the others probably from heartslabyul) so basically Deuce big brain and very good memorization abilities

Hilariously in the instance above, Sebek, who is like...a real fae, has said that what Deuce did was not something a human can do

Flirted with a plant because vil was fucking around with him and told him to

Was ready to fist fight Riddle

Was about to go find Leona to beat him up but Vil was like do u have no fear and Deuce pretty much said that he can get thru to Leona with his muscles

Was about to fight Malleus (jesus christ) but ended up fixing his tamagotchi and came out completely loaded and rich (good for deuce, get that cha ching babey)

Won a Track and Field competition (noted to be rare for a first year)

He is literally a pretty boy, it's been pointed out that he looks good in the ceremonial clothes (but we already know that)

Admires Riddle and sees him as a role model, has called him boss (like...yakuza boss terminology) once

[Observation] Has a pretty good relationship with Jamil as he has asked Jamil to help him practice his Stargazer dance, and mentioned him once again when talking about how Jamil fixed his hat and said that he was a reliable upperclassman

Has said fuck and would not hesitate to say it again 🥺

Has been called honest and cute, was fawned over by kalim and trey. Kalim said Deuce was similar to his younger brothers

During his delinquent phase, he was blamed for many things he didn't do as well, Deuce said that he realized no one believed in him despite what he says, but because a policeman stood up for him, he wanted to become a cop when he grew up

Used intimidation tactics [the equivalent of "u wanna fucking go let's go I'll beat ur ass" to scare off ppl and silver was like hm I will have to try that sometime, to which deuce was pretty much like ahahah no dont

Deuce refers to Yuu as his "mabu", basically calling Yuu his best friend

He can change a lightbulb, and he talks abt hand washing materials and just domestic house stuff in general as if it's common knowledge. In other words it's implied Deuce is really good at housework due to doing a lot for his mother

When he was a kid, he used to cry because he thought there were monsters outside, but it was just hanging laundry

Is more scared of Riddle than ghosts

It's implied that one time (or several times...) he stayed after school with Crewel, and the poor guy had to attempt to explain the same concept over and over again to Deuce for hours until he understood

Ace always cheats in card games with Deuce, so Deuce claims that it's not very fun playing with him

Bad at astrology bc apparently all stars look the same to him

Likes cafe latte

Does tease ppl, he once messed with Yuu and in the process called Ace "Ace-kun" (Ace called him "Deuce-kun" as well). There has been an instance where he's teased Jack about his Niceness TM

Used to have over 30 gang members following him at age 14-15. (You'd think that him being so young would make him like a lackey but no he was the boss)

Has a thing for summoning cauldrons since he was young, but apparently you need to have a large amount of magic capabilities to summon objects, so [observation] deuce may actually be extremely powerful bc he was able to summon things at a young age, but he hasn't refined his powers yet so he still seems weak compared to a lot of the cast

During his delinquent phase, apparently he had a really wild hairstyle and he used his magic on people weaker than him

[Observation] Deuce is actually pretty good at lying. In his Halloween card he was able to put up a good act and deceive some of his ex gang members into following him into the forest before mildly roughing them up (keep in mind that he has not had contact with these ppl for at least a year, yet somehow he was able to assert enough authority to tell them to follow him. Also, he thought of this plan on the spot, and acted malicious enough so that the gang members would believe in him—which proves that he's not only quick witted but a convincing actor, as Jamil actually believed his act for a while)

It's implied that he and Ace are often in leadership positions, as they helped to lead heartslabyul in designing their Halloween booth, but they also mentioned that it was much easier compared to organizing unbirthday parties

[Observation] despite wanting to be an honor student, Deuce is still able to take unjustly means to achieve his goals (EX. Making a deal with Azul to pass his test), in general, deuce doesn't care too much about the method, be it through cheating or violence to get to his goal, but he does value a fair battle

[Observation] a lot of Deuce's strengths are subtle as we are frequently told abt how much of a bad student he is, but if u rly think abt it, deuce is put in leadership positions a lot, he's good a memorization and small technical details, he can be at times quick witted and deceiving, and he has the potential to be extremely powerful in magic. In conclusion Deuce is a menace and once we find out what his unique magic is I'm 100.01% sure he will become a greater menace and I think he should fight a lot of people and win

That will be all for this post! There may be more fun facts/observations that I may have missed, but feel free to add on to this! Anyways thank u for reading and please stan Deuce Spade♠️💙

[atalho-s]

Light Up The Dark

Part 2 | We are accidents waiting to happen

pairing: bartender!tom x famous!reader

warnings: smut +18 miniors dni, swear words?, drinking, let me know if anything else!

words: 5.0 k

a/n: english it’s not my first language, so i’m sorry for any mistake! I don’t have a taglist yet, but if you want to be tagged in the next chapters let me know!! 

PART 2 if you want to read part 1 click here! 

It was already Saturday. The day Y/n took for herself. Writing was extraordinary, but she loved having a day off to take care of herself. She spent the day doing things she enjoyed, whether it was lying in bed watching a movie or trying to cook something.

After the fateful day of writer's block she started writing like crazy, so she didn't feel guilty about taking a day off without thinking about her characters and how they would get out of the challenges she had created for them.

The fateful day. For some reason she kept thinking about that damned Brit with that accent. For a moment she'd been scared that she'd been seen by paparazzi hanging out with the mysterious bartender, or even some picture of him leaving her apartment. But nothing came out in the news on the gossip sites, which made her relieved.

As much as she deserved to have fun once in a while and wasn't doing anything wrong, she still didn't want to bring attention to herself and even less to a guy who wasn't even famous. She was afraid to put anyone who wasn't famous in the media. Fear that one day suddenly, this person might be persecuted because of her.

Anyway, it had just been a crazy night. Nothing much. And she didn't intend to see him again. So she had nothing to worry about.

Sitting down in the kitchen counter with her familiar cup of coffee she got lost in some thoughts. Why hadn't she stopped thinking about him ever since? It had been a great night, but that was all. She didn't even know him well.

Maybe it was because her creative block had been broken after being with him. But obviously it was just a coincidence. She had just felt inspired after a distraction.

She shook his head away from the thoughts and placed the cup in the sink. She took a deep breath and thought about what to do next. But before she could think of anything else her cell phone started ringing on the counter. She was almost jump by the sudden sound, seeing the screen indicating that it was Milla, her agent, who had become one of her best friends.

- Hi Mil! - she said after sliding the screen.

- Good morning baby. - she said on the other end of the line. - Ready for the party?

- Party? What a party? - Y/n asked confused starting to wash the small amount ofdishes she had soiled.

- How you don't know? I thought I sent you the invitation on your email and I even sent you a message!

- Bestie, I haven't seen my email or message for days. I was super focused on the book, my writer's block finally went away.

- Really? I knew that would go away! You were worried for nothing. What did you do to go back to writing? - Milla asked and Y/n smiled a little.

- Well... I just went out to chill out a bit...Nothing much.

- Y/n getting out on weekdays? And even on the days you're writing a book? That's what I call grow. - she said and Y/n rolled her eyes laughing. - I'm even afraid to invite you to parties, because I know when you're writing you hate to go out... But it's good to know that you're getting out of your routine a little...

- Yeah, sometimes it's good to breathe new air. - Y/n replied drying his hands on a towel. - But what party are you talking about?

- A party of none other than Emma Brown. - Y/n snorted. Emma Brown was a great actress who to tell the truth she didn't know much, she only knew her from a couple of her movies, but other than that she didn't know much about her.

But what she did know was that she had some also famous friends of questionable taste. They were those famous people who only knew about money, women, cars and mansions. But she was tipped for a theatrical adaptation of one of her books and she wanted everything to come out perfect. She was very afraid the movie would end up ruining her work.

- Do I really have to go? - She asked in a tearful voice.

- Yes you have! It's going to be a really fancy birthday party for her, all the famous people in the industry are going to be there. You know you have to socialize with these people. Who knows, you can make some important friendships...

- Milla... I don't know... I don't need important friendships. I don't need anyone to stand up or approach others for interest.

- I know you don't need anyone for that... I just meant that you're very isolated, you need to make connections, understand? I know it's hard because you hate all that fame and stuff. But if you want the adaptation of your story to be good, there's no way... Besides, one of the great directors you left me on the list to research will be there too. So it would be really cool to kill two birds with one stone. - Milla said and Y/n sighed. She was right, if she wanted everything to work out she had to at least have a conversation with these people. It would be weird to refuse Emma's invitation to her birthday. It would just show that she was uninterested.

- Okay... You won ok? - She said and Milla gave an excited squeal. - But I won't stay long!

- Okay, okay... Just for you to go is great! Andrew will be there shortly for you to choose a dress. -Andrew was her stylist and she practically jumped every time Y/n had an important event, because it was rare for her to go. Good thing he didn't just have her as a client, because otherwise he'd be bored out of his mind for a long time.

- Okay Mil, thank you... I love you! - She said and Milla said goodbye hanging up the phone.

It was late afternoon when Andrew arrived at her apartment with several suitcases and bags in both hands. He really had brought up thousands of options. But Y/n ended up choosing a slightly shiny black dress that went just above the knee with a V-neck. Something cute, but nothing too fancy.

He did her makeup. Which wasn't too heavy either, as she hated things that were too heavy on her face. Finally she put on a mid-heeled sandal in the same color as the dress and her sparkly earrings. Before Andrew left her apartment satisfied with the result.

It was almost 7:30 pm when a black car that would take her to the party location arrived in front of her building and she got out enter the backseat right after. She was apprehensive. She hated socializing to tell the truth. Large crowds and cameras really made her anxious.

After almost 20 minutes the car stopped in front of what appeared to be a large gate. Several paparazzi showed up and started taking pictures of her car surrounding her or even tapping on the window a little, asking her if she could talk to them. Which she obviously ignored. The driver introduced himself to the doorman and he opened the gate letting the car pass and stop in front of a luxurious mansion.

Some people were coming in and others were standing in front talking. She saw that there were some familiar faces of the media. Actresses, actors, singers, famous people of every imaginable type.

She opened the car door and walked out towards the large entrance. She smiled at a few people, nodding her head as she passed and found herself in a crowd of people as she entered the place. There really were a lot of people, despite the place being even bigger inside. Many with fancy drinks in hand and chatting. A song playing on the background.

She walked deeper into the room and took a quick look around trying to find the birthday girl. After a few minutes she found her near one of the sofas. Y/n walked over and stopped beside her, causing Emma to stop her conversation with two more people and look at her.

- Happy Birthday! - Y/n said in the friendliest way possible and Emma smirked and hugged her lightly afterwards.

- Thank you! Glad you came! - she said, breaking out of the hug after a few seconds.

- Your party is very beautiful, I loved the decoration. - Y/n said looking around. Indeed Emma had decorated the place in a simple way, but at the same time fancy and beautiful.

- Oh thank you... - she said, still smiling. - I'm very happy that you accepted my invitation, we have a lot to talk about since maybe we'll work together, right?

- No problem, obviously I would come... - Y/n said and almost punched herself because she was very fake in saying that. - But we really have to talk!

- Well, I was talking to Jim just now... I can give you his number later... He's a great director and I think it would be great for your adaptation... - Emma said and Y/n thought that she was really interested in that adaptation, because she was even talking to the possible renowned director, which surprised her. She thought Emma was a little more oblivious to her books and even movie stuff. She thought she was one of those famous actresses who expected others to come after her, not being interested in the work itself, but only on the fame and money. - We love your book! I think it has great potential for a grand adaptation.

- Wow, that is good to hear! Thanks a lot! - Y/n said sincerely this time. - I'll love talking to him too...

- Sure! - She looked behind Y/n and motioned to someone from far away. - Hey Jim! You can come here? - She asked speaking loudly for him to hear and Y/n turned around watching the director approaching after saying goodbye to someone. He wasn't much older than she thought, maybe in his early thirties, he wore a small beard that fit his face and short hair, but with curls that jutted out around his head. -That's Y/n... Y/n that's Jim...-Emma said when he got in front of her and Jim held out his hand with a smile.

- Nice to meet Y/n, we finally met... - he said and Y/n shook his hand also smiling.

- Nice to meet you Jim! - She said and Emma sat in one of the armchairs indicating for the two to sit, which they did next.

- Do you two want something to drink? Champagne?- Emma asked and they both accepted as she motioned for someone from far away to bring them.

- Well, I found your book very intriguing Y/n... I can say I haven't slept for a while... - Jim said laughing a little and Y/n smiled. - It's a very well written story, I loved the plots and it has a great resolution. I think I would make a good 2 hour movie with all this material... - he said and Y/n paid attention until something took her a little out of focus. Something not. Somebody.

It was the waiter, and not just any waiter. It was Tom. He came into her vision and she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Maybe it was a mirage or she was mistaking him for someone else. But when he approached she was sure it was him. He came with a tray with drinks in one hand. He was wering a white dress shirt, with black pants. The typical pattern of a fancy party waiter. But he was beautiful. Y/n felt a shiver for a moment and tried to hide it by looking back at Jim who was still talking about his plans for the possible movie.

Maybe Tom didn't even remember her. She was just a one-night stand, he should do that with a lot of girls out there, so it wasn't something new to him. As soon as he arrived, he handed one of the glasses to Emma beside her and Y/n felt her breath quicken a little. She didn't know why she was so nervous. It was just a waiter she had slept with a few days ago.

- Excuse me... - he said and Y/n looked up at him quickly seeing that he was right in front of him. -Here it is miss...-he said looking her in the eyes and then winking at her, wich almost make her shrink in her chair. He held out the tray for her to take one of the glasses and she did, looking away at Jim.

- So, what do you think? - Jim asked taking the glass from the tray and Y/n took a sip of his surprise drink.

- Sorry? - She asked guiltily for having been distracted.

- About us meeting and having a meeting next week? That way I can show you my idea better. - he said and Y/n smiled.

- Of course, that would be great! - she said and Tom walked away not looking in her direction again, which left her disappointed for a second. She would going to love looking into those eyes again.

- Perfect! - Jim replied excitedly and started talking about other things as well as Emma.

They talked for almost an hour, until Emma went to talk to other people and Jim said he was leaving as he had some work in the morning. Y/n sat for a while and finished drinking the last of her champagne and placed it on the table in front of her.

She thought about leaving. She had already done the important interactions for the night. So, she had no reason to stay there. But she kept thinking about the damn waiter. Would it be weird to go talk to him? Maybe just say hi? But she doubted he would want to talk to her. Besides, he was working. She didn't want to get in his way.

Getting up from her chair and straightening her dress, she forced her steps towards the exit, but stopped midway as she saw Tom walking into what appeared to be the kitchen with the tray tucked under his arm. She looked at the exit door and sighed. Okay, if she went to him just to say hi, it wouldn't hurt would it?

Y/n turned and headed in the direction that Tom had gone. She couldn't even believe she was doing it this. She would looked ridiculous in his eyes. But she choose to ignore the little voice of reason again. Passing by a few people, and walking out into a empty hallway, she opening a single door at end. She closed in behind her and turned to see that Tom was on his back piling some boxes in a corner. His muscles in that outfit made her feel tempted somehow, so she swallowed hard. He turned at the sound of the door closing and looked at her with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

- Looking for something madam? - He asked with a smirk.

- Actually... - Y/n thought of some excuse, maybe it would be better, so it would seem that she was there for something else and not for him. - Yeah... I was looking for the bathroom, I think I take the wrong direction...

- Yeah...Actually, the bathroom is on the other side of the hallway... - he said leaning against the kitchen counter and looking her up and down, making her feel completely vulnerable. After his eyes roamed her legs and bust, they came to her face and he grinned.

- Okay, I'll... - Y/n started saying and turned around taking a few steps. But she stopped midway, closing his eyes, tearing himself apart from the inside out of embarrassment. She turned around again seeing that he was still watching her, now with his arms crossed over his chest, wondering what she would do next. - You remember me don't you? - She asked fearfully.

- Of course I remember darling... - he said, practically intensifying his accent in that nickname that was so perfect in his voice. Y/n took a few steps forward also crossing her arms. - How could I forget the famous writer Y/n?- He raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes with his last sentence.

- It really was an...- She looked at her feet trying to find a word. - Interesting night… - she finally said and he chuckled, making her look up.

- Very interesting indeed... - he said putting his hands in his front pockets, pulling himself away from the counter and heading towards her. Y/n wanted to say goodbye and leave, run away as fast as possible. But she couldn't, every move he did was too tempting, so she just stood there watching him get closer and closer to her. He stopped in front of her and looked into her eyes, smiling slightly.

- What are you doing here? Do you work as a waiter at parties too? - Y/n asked curiously.

- My boss sometimes receives proposals for us to work at these rich parties... - he said with a shrug.

- Oh... Nice... - she said crossing her arms. - Well...Now I really have to go... - she said trying to get away from it one last time.

- Why did you really come here love? -Tom asked tilting his head a little to the side and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

- I told you, I was looking for the bathroom. -Y/n looked at his face trying to be firm, but saw that he still wore that smirk. Why did he have to be so confident like that?

- Oh sure... Just like you also looked for some excuse that day for me to leave, but failed miserably?- he asked making a thoughtful face and she still hadn't decided if she wanted to slap him or kiss him.

- Why did you leave without saying goodbye tho? - She asked ignoring what he had said.

- So that's why you came after me? Are you hurt that I didn't leave you a goodbye kiss? - he said pouting.

- Of course not, I just... I don't know, it would be nice to say that you were leaving and that you wouldn't stay for breakfast... - Y/n said looking to the side, avoiding those brown eyes that intimidated her.

- Darling, I'm not that type guy, sorry...

- What type of guy? - she still avoided looking at him.

- The type who stay for breakfeast. -he said taking a hand from her pocket and taking her chin gently, making her look at him. - But if you want some fun I'm at your disposal. -he said and she bit her lower lip lightly making him deviate his eyes towards her lips. - Do you want darling?- he asked quietly and Y/n seemed to be transfixed by her touch. She was surrendered, she couldn't deny it. Maybe even hypnotized.

- I...- she said with a little shaky voice. - I don't know...

- Yes or no?- he asked looking from her lips to her eyes and she felt her breath getting heavy.

- Yes...- she just spoke as a whisper and he smiled satisfied.

- How about you meet me in 15 minutes in the bathroom of the pool house? - He said and she just shook her head slowly. Tom released her chin and backed away slowly, not taking his eyes off her, and then walked away leaving her alone with her heart racing.

Y/n took a deep breath and tried to place herself in what had just happened. Did she really want this? Her mind could try to hear the voice of reason, but it was drowned out by her body's reaction. She wanted to feel him again.

She walked away quickly, passing several people who were talking loudly or who were already drunk. She looked around and saw the door that led to the back side and sneak there, getting out and feeling the slightly chilly night air, closing the sliding door behind her.

She saw the pool that had some people around it and a little further to the right a door that opened into another closed space. Probably the pool house. She walked over there, trying to hide it so no one would see her, and went inside. She closed the front door slowly and headed towards the bathroom.

The place was dark, with only the lights outside. So she was holding her hand into to some stuff until he found the door. She went in and turned on the light. The bathroom was spacious, with a large sink and a huge mirror in front of it. She closed herself off and looked at herself in the reflection.

That was crazy. She had never done that at parties. Not even when she was drunk. And now she was there, looking forward to what might happen. In fact she knew what was going to happen, just as she knew when she invited him up to her apartment that night. But even so, she felt butterflies in her stomach in anticipation.

After almost 10 minutes of waiting she heard the bathroom door open and she turned in the direction, feeling extremely anxious. Tom came in looking over his shoulder and closed the door soon after, looking at her with an opening grin. He locked the door slowly with one hand and came towards her in a hurry.

The next thing she felt was his lips pressing against hers urgently. He kissed her like it was the last thing he would do. Running her tongue over her lips asking permission and Y/n opened it slowly letting him explore her mouth with his burning tongue.

She ran her hand around the back of his neck pulling his hair and he responded by holding her waist tightly. Tom walked forward and she leaned her back against the sink counter. Making him lift her with agility, sitting her down on the cold surface and getting between her legs. She grunted in surprise against his mouth and he broke the kiss for air. Kissing from her neck to her collarbone and she closed her eyes feeling his touch.

- Tom... - she said in a low voice. - You won't get in trouble if you disappear like that? -he now kissed her neckline and squeezed her thigh with desire.

- Not if we're fast darling. -He spoke a bit husky, moving his kisses to her earlobe, biting lightly and she moaned low. - And despite loving your sounds, you will have to be silent. - He looked at her smiling maliciously. - Promise? -He spoke touching her nose with his lightly, looking at her closely, and she nodded making him attack her lips next.

Still kissing her he pulled the hem of her dress up a little and she bit his lip making him smile against the kiss. Her fingers reached her inner thigh and then moved up to her panties. Tom put the fabric aside with one of her fingers and passed one slowly at her entrance feeling her wetness.

- Always ready for me aren't you darling? -He said pulling his mouth away from hers, staying just a few centimeters away from her. She moaned softly again and he smiled as he pulled her fingers away and replaced them around her thighs pulling her closer to the edge of the sink.  He started to finger her really slowly and she bite her lips, trying to control her moaning. Tom keep his pace just watching her face squirm with pleasure. After seconds he removed his delicious fingers making her almost protest out loud, makind him smile even more. If wasn't for the rush he would definitively make his time with you.

Y/n then put his hands on the collar of his shirt and opened the first buttons. Kissing his neck with desire, making him squeeze her thighs in response. Biting her lips he unfastened his belt and then the buttons of his pants pulled them down along with his boxers, revealing his cock. He pulled her in for one more kiss before taking the condom package from his pocket and opening it, meanwhile Y/n was kissing uncovered place she could reach, from his face to his chest, opening more buttons of his shirt.

Tom adjusted the condom on his cock before taking a few thrusts. He moved even closer to her, if that was even possible, and gave her a peck.

- Ready? He spoke softly against her lips and she nodded almost in despair, wanting to feel him inside her more than anything.

He smiled once more and slid his cock easily as she was completely wet. Tom growled low against her ear and Y/n bit her lip so no sound could come out. He started to move, after she was more adjusted to his size, at first slowly and starting to increase his pace with each second.

-Fuck... - he cursed softly against her ear and she pulled the hair from his neck with one hand, while the other squeezed his shoulder. The more he increased the pace she felt as if she were coming off the ground. - So tight darling... - he said between small grunts. - Feels so good...

- Tom... - Y/n spoke and he increased the pace even more making her moan with the sudden sensation of pleasure and he muffled her sounds by sticking his lips on hers.

-Shh… - he said after moving his lips from hers and Y/n tried her best to keep the sounds to herself, but he filled her perfectly and made her feel so good that she couldn't help it. Tom smirked and put his hand over her mouth, covering her moans. - Can't contain yourself? -he said and kissed her neck giving light bites and hickeys. -You're so easy for me, love... Look at you...- he spoke in a low voice, while still holding his hand firm in her mouth and kissing below her ear. - So easy...- he said going faster, as if it were possible, and bit his lower lip trying to contain his own moans this time, touching his nose to her cheek.

- Please…- she managed to speak muffled against his hand, feeling her orgasm quickly building.

- I know sweetheart... - he said making her feel his heavy breath into her cheek. -I got you ...-he finally said and that was enough for her orgasm to release with force, making him also come right after her with one last muffled grunt against her neck. He continued to move slowly for a few more seconds, before coming to a complete stop. The two of them with their breaths out of control. Reaching their high.

After a few minutes Tom took his hand from her mouth and soon after took his member out of her slowly. The two were silent the entire time. Y/n felt empty as  soonTom walked away to clean up, still half dazed from all the pleasure she just felt. He cleaned himself up and discarded the condom, zipping his pants and turned around, buttoning his shirt right away. Y/n didn't take her eyes off every move he made and he smiled approaching her.

- Want some help darling? - he asked standing in front of her and she held in his arms before he helped her getting down from the sink. She felt a little dizzy and if it wasn't for him holding her she thought she would fall. - You're right? - he asked still holding her on her waist.

- Yes...Thank you... - she managed to say.

- Well, I have to go, before they notice that I'm gone... - he said, releasing her.

- Of course... - Y/n said. - Tom… - she didn't know what to say. It might be the second time they'd done this, but it still felt like it was the first and she felt somewhat embarrassed. Maybe because she wasn't used to casual sex.

- See you soon? - He said giving a quick kiss on her cheek, fixing his hair in the best way he could and winking as he walked away, going to the door and unlocking it. He got out and closed it behind him while she back staring into the mirror.

She took a deep breath and was trying to figure out what to do next. After cleaning her up she finally got out of there. She crawled to the door and managed to get through the party without the weird looks she thought everyone would send to her when they bumped into her. For some reason she thought everyone would know, but obviously not. She felt weird doing that at an party, it really wasn't like her. But why did she feel so good?

She looked around before heading out of the house, but she didn't find Tom in her vision and she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She wanted to look at him one last time from afar, but at the same time she didn't. Maybe that was the last time they were going to do that. She didn't think she'd find him like this anywhere else, and she didn't intend to go to the bar he worked at just to get another night with him. Besides, that's what she was, just one night, just a "quickie" in the bathroom. And everything was fine. He was that for her too, so what did it matter?

For a moment she felt his head fill with ideas. Y/n had a perfect plot for her story now. She had to go home and get back to writing right away. Calling the driver from a distance, she practically ran towards the car.

[sodacanwritings]

𝗝𝗝𝗞 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹

gojo had excitedly announced that, after "all those surely very terrifying occurrences and whatever", they could all use a break; and what could there be better than a halloween party?

➵ headcanons, costumes + spotify links

➵ warnings: mentions of fakeblood and underage drinking, intentional lowercase

🎃 | y u j i i t a d o r i

hyped for this season. he likes fall and even though he's a summer kid he maybe likes autmn and winter a little bit better because he loves Christmas and Halloween

he always liked horror movies and even though he never had the best or most original costumes he finds the dressing up really enjoyable. events like these make him happy because he gets to spend time with his friends

he always dresses up, he doesn't need to have a really good costume. he just does it for fun, and there's no "I'm too old for this" for him

since he started at jujutsu high, he sees it as a nice break from the stressing routine.

very excited to spend halloween together with his new friends, and for all the decorations and that special feeling.

he's also just really here for the food,

"every food is good"

he thinks trick or treat is fun but lowkey scary

(is scared of the creepy old people, acts brave when they open the door, but a shiver runs down his spine when they close it again.)

plays truth or dare with his friends and most of the time it's about who gets dared to knock

gets scared pretty easily but he's all fun for it and laughs it off afterwards

has a tendency to be the one to excitedly initiate that everyone tells eachoter ghost stories before going to bed or suggests watching a horror movie and then can't close a single eye that night

24/7 gets scared by nobara intentionally, and megumi unintentionally.

»»————-　 　————-««

𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐌𝐄: spooky skeleton meme

originally he wanted to be a minecraft pig but he didn't know how to do that and he didn't have enough money for a spiderman or power rangers suit

megumi didn't want to go as team rocket with him

"I'll even be Jessy!" "No."

bought a skeleton suit in a costume store and said he's the spooky skeleton meme

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐄𝐑: the truth or dare / couch sitter

sitting on some couch and enjoying the view; sometimes on the dancefloor or in a corner playing some games with his friends which most likely will turn out to be truth or dare or some other kind of dare game. accidentally eats the decor. he always keeps close to the buffet, the food disappearing in his mouth like nothing. yuji is very amazed by the decorations; it's somehow his first time ever being in a place like this. normally he only got invited to birthday parties from classmates, going bowling and eating McDonald's, watching a movie or playing laser tag. he never really went to an actual party, and it never bothered him before. but now he's so excited to be able to be there.

🎃 | n o b a r a k u g i s a k i

says she HATES halloween and fall, but actually, it's the ugly spiderwebs and disgusting faces people put up as decorations.

she thinks it ruins the whole look.

she hates wet feet and a running nose, and when the weather is all disgusting and moist and-

just ew. no.

she always complains when october comes up, seeing the people starting to put ugly pumpkin faces on their porches and fake spiders and skeletons everywhere.

"AT LEAST DO IT WITH STYLE!"

she might say that she hates halloween and fall, but she actually loves Halloween.

she's big on making her own decorations. and she's almost a professional at it. garlands, paper lights, origami pumpkims. it's a sight to see when she's responsible for the Halloween decorations. garlands and paper lanterns in glowing orange, enveloping the room in many shades of warm yellow/orange light, flickering candles, black paper bats floating from the ceiling, pumpkin rows and smaller pumpkins on the tables, amazingly accurate duplicates of talismans and charms adorning the walls and hanging from the ceiling - god knows where she got those, you could might as well think she stole them from the school. black tulle draping the white tablecloth – it's a magical atmosphere.

actually is a big halloween prankster though. throughout the whole season she's constantly at scaring her friends, yuji is by far the biggest victim almost shits himself with her

isn't scared at all by most horror movies. she loves watching them

drags her friends into a haunted house. she thinks it's hilarious when someone has that absolutely scared-shitless look on their face – unlucky yuji is her favourite target.

tells the best horror stories. they're so creepy for literally no reason that it scares you how she comes up with that even megumi gets a shiver down his spine

most of the time it's psychological horror stories (but she does have a few ghost ones too) and they're always too realistic which makes you feel kind of uneasy to be around her-

it doesn't help she's a very dramatic story-teller, too

»»————-　 　————-««

𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐌𝐄: a spooky version of dojo cat from the boss bitch album cover

(it's always important that she looks hot to her)

the whole outfit + hairstyle, spiced up with some fake blood

original, good reference.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐄𝐑: dancer / party-maniac

dances a lot, here to show off her costume and have fun; this is her night. will definitely do stupid shit with her friends and participate in party-games - queen of beer pong. they only had so much alcohol; judging they were all underage and gojo had only brought a few bottles of wine and a few beers - they played with lemonade, using what they had to mix within the plastic cups.

🎃| m e g u m i f u s h i g u r o

doesn't get why everyone makes Halloween out to be such a big thing

he is a scaredy cat. he is but he won't tell anyone that. this is the exact reason why he dislikes horror movies; all the tension exploding his stress levels. he isn't scared by stupid costumes or ghost stories – he can watch true crime documentaries just fine. it's the jumpscares. he easily gets scared by people jumping from a corner or at him from behind because he can't prepare for it.

he's staring at the haunted house, all unimpressed – as soon as he's inside and there's people creeping up from behind him, he's screaming and cursing under his breath.

when nobara and yuji found out he was "scared of Halloween lmao-" he got teased so bad.

it's no use explaining them he isn't SCARED of the zombie, he gets scared from it JUMPING from behind a corner which is "a natural reflex!"

as a kid he liked Halloween maybe more than now, never was exactly obsessed with it, but he also used to scare people by not doing anything - just walking around a corner and people would get scared by his stoic pale face

he did use that advantage to haunt gojo, standing by his bed at night giving him an absolute heart attack

let's say gojo hated having adopted that kid whenever he left his room for a night time piss, and he'd stand in the hallway, pale skin making him look like a fucking ghost

somehow, megumi had that aura to him which scared people

he actually has quite sensitive hands, so he has to lotion them like twice a day in the cold season

»»————-　 　————-««

𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐌𝐄: capitalism

goes to the party wearing a hoodie and jeans, covered in stickers of expensive clothing brands

no one gets what his costume is.

nobara asked if he was gojo-sensei and yuji thought he was a trashcan

gojo clung to him as soon as he had spotted megumi in the crowd, "ooh an advertising pillar" "it's capitalism."

he didn't initially wanna dress up, and doesn't really care, but eventually he gave in to the others pleads and annoying talking. no one gets it but he still thinks his costume is original, the others just don't have enough imagination

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐄𝐑: corner-guy / buffet homie

looking for megumi, you could always find him in some corner. mostly just standing or sitting around, watching the other people and eating half of the buffet. he only drinks sprite and tries to stay away from people as good as possible, after minutes of begging, he eventually lets himself be convinced into playing one round with his friends, only to get completely demolished by beer pong champion nobara.

🎃 | s a t o r u g o j o

as always makes a big deal out of the event. "Guess what dear students.. IT'S HALLOWEEN! That means as the great teacher I am, I took my free time to organize a party!"

hypes everyone up being overly excited, spreading the spirit of halloween everywhere he goes no matter if people want that or not

carries even more candy in his pockets than usual and always gives them to his students

(unintentionally) leaves candy traces behind him, when you find candy on the ground you know he was there

he hired nobara to be in charge of the decorations for the party and she was so excited.

he always dresses up. most of the time his costumes are something really weird or really expensive, he's the kind of "dress like a wh*re" on halloween person

you could think it was one of the second years but it was actually him who snuck in the alcohol to the party

"a little" can't be bad

he doesn't even drink himself but he sees no reason why his students shouldn't be allowed to have one sip or two..it's youth after all

in his days he couldn't even drink the smallest bit without getting dizzy

he puts pumpkins everywhere. you find them anywhere placed randomly around the whole school, even in the bathrooms or in front of the dorm doors

his hands get awfully cold in such weather so he always has to carry around those pocket warmers

nanami doesn't do it explicitly, but it's clear he's making fun of him for that

»»————-　 　————-««

𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐌𝐄: the onceler from the lorax

found his idea absolutely brilliant.

again no one gets it except for yuji.

after he had successfully made out megumi, he excitedly hurried over to him. "ooh, an advertising pillar!" he exclaimed in his cheery voice. "it's capitalism." "sure sure whatever you say kid," he grinned at him, proudly presenting his costume.

"don't ya wanna say anything about my costume??" he presses, watching the boy intensely.

"you're..wearing a hat." "-I'm not just wearing a hat, I'm the onceler!!!"

"..okay." "-you should really freshen up your movie knowledge, your lack of education is seriously concerning."

bought megumi the lorax on dvd for his birthday after that.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐄𝐑: the annoying conversation / the waiter

goes around annoying his students or spends his time talking with random people. chatting away at everyone who crosses his path, his goal was to at least check on every student once this evening. he finds it to be a quite amusing time, finds his joy in seeing his students having fun with some normal teenager stuff, satisfied seeing them living like normal kids. while occasionally stuffing his mouth with cake and candy. He makes sure the drinks are never over, keeps plopping up randomly pushing drinks into people's hands as soon as they emptied their last one.

𝚐 𝚞 𝚎 𝚜 𝚝 𝚕 𝚒 𝚜 𝚝

students:

- maki

- toge

- panda

- yuta

- miwa

- mai

- aoi

- kokichi

- noritoshi

adults / teachers

- kento nanami

- shoko ieiri

- kiyotaka ijichi

- utahime iori

───────────────────────────

𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 | 𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 | 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚎

➵ who's most likely to – jjk halloween edition

picture credits: pinterest – [1] [2] [3]

all rights reserved. reblogs appreciated.

[sebstanseabass]

Afterglow (A Bucky Barnes AU fan fiction) - Chapter 16

Afterglow chapters

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The sun glared through the thin sheet of the tent, making your listless self stir beneath the blankets draped over your naked body. Cautious not to wake Bucky, who had his arms wrapped around you, you carefully buried your face deeper in his neck but he wasn't that much of a deep sleeper as you thought he would be.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." He said, pulling you closer.

"G'morning." You replied, smiling against his skin. "Have you been awake this whole time?"

"Yes. I didn't want to wake you. You looked so peaceful sleeping."

"Someone tired me out last night."

Bucky chuckled, sending a low vibration on top of your head. "Hmm, how was he?"

"He's pretty good in bed." You chuckled. "But pretty creepy when he refers to himself in the third person."

You stayed right there for another hour — in each other's embrace, in heat, in thin sheets, in profound silence, still taking pleasure in the afterglow of what had transpired last night: the intimacy in each other's skin, of each other's mouths, of each other's everything. A kind of intimacy you never dared share with anyone, not even with your serious ex-boyfriend.

Before the both of you got up and headed down the fire escape and then to the apartment, you had looked at him one last time and asked yourself the same question you had asked Bucky the first time you were here on the rooftop:

"Have you ever felt that kind of feeling?" You asked.

"What feeling?"

"The afterglow feeling."

Was this the kind of afterglow you sought after?

You shook your head, suddenly feeling ridiculous. Perhaps it was the sex; just that. The most amazing, mindblowing sex I ever had in my life, you thought. The more you described it that way while descending down the stairs and entering the apartment through the window (while wearing Bucky's shirt which looked huge on you, by the way), the more you believed it was just because of that. Besides, it was something that had given you sweet, sweet pleasure, something that made me feel like you were high on drugs, something that made you feel alive, something that made you feel things you didn't even know you could — the after of it all, of course, was worth so much more.

You both went straight to the bathroom to wash your faces and brush your teeth as soon as you got in. Of course, you took way more time than he did. He soon went to the kitchen to prep breakfast. You approached him afterwards, his bare back exposed to you while cracking some eggs into a bowl.

Without any hesitation at all, you wrapped your arms around his waist, resting your head on his back. You caught a whiff of his scent, even though he reeked of sex, the vanilla-lavender hint never faded.

"Whatcha cookin', good-lookin'?" You asked, taking a peek on the table.

"I was thinking of making you Japanese omelettes today." He stopped whipping for a second to face you. He placed a finger on your chin, tilting it upwards, and proceeded to kiss me.

"Have I told you you have the softest lips?" He whispered after.

"Yes, you did." You laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck. "And you kept reminding me last night."

"Good. You should be reminded of all the beautiful things you possess." He rested his hands on your hips. You wanted to shy away from the mention of the word beautiful but you didn't.

You have always received compliments, yes, but you never learned how to respond to them unless they tell you how to: "Oh for god's sake, just say thank you." Most people compliment you just because they have to, because social convention dictates them to (especially when you're at a party). Some, perhaps only five percent, genuinely compliment you.

But the spontaneity of last night — all the compliments Bucky kept giving you, all the "beautiful" being said over and over and over, were playing in your head like a broken record. Even after he saw all the folds, the rolls, stretch marks, scars, and acne marks.

It wasn't just that. He admired every single one of your photos down at the bar, photos you worked hard for, photos people kept neglecting. He talked about them like how you imagined someone actually talking about them. He talked to you about the beauty of art like how you wanted to talk to someone about it (Weirdly so, you picked friends you had nothing in common with: Nat just wanted to gossip, Steve preferred to be mysterious, Peter was all about business, Wanda was the one person you could talk to about these but you chose not to anymore, and Nick... was just Nick). It was like reading each other's minds.

You treated each as a compliment.

The five percent you were talking about? Bucky was it.

He pulled you out of your thoughts by sliding his hands to your ass, squeezing the cheeks for a bit, then placing them on the back of your thighs. You smiled then jumped, wrapping your legs around his waist. He placed you on top of the counter next to all the ingredients he had prepared.

He grabbed your face and continued to make-out, leaving the eggs on the bowl raw and unwhisked.

"You should," you said in between kisses, "go back to cooking. I'm starving."

"Y'know, you could just eat me."

"Sorry, I want cooked eggs."

He pulled away from, yet his hands stayed on your waist. With a cute pout on his face, he said: "Mean."

You broke into laughter after that and you watched him cook this Japanese omelette he kept talking about.

"I would make you the most amazing Japanese omelette — and the most complicated one, by the way. It took me months to perfect that — but I'm too lazy to prepare the rice." He chuckled, grabbing an apron. "So, I'm just going to make you the normal one. It's called Tamagoyaki."

"Hmm, interesting." You commented. "I just do mine sunny-side up. Crack an egg on a pan. That's it. It's an underrated hack, really."

He laughed. "It's a good thing I'm here then." He proceeded to heat the pan, and throw some butter on it once the heat was good enough.

"You told me you only know how to cook breakfast, right? Why is that?"

"The same reason why you cook your eggs sunny-side up."

"It's easy?"

"Not just easy." He replied. "It's the easiest of all meals! Toast, eggs, bagels, bacon — see, they're pretty easy."

You frowned, tilting your head. "You know, most times, you say the most profound things but you do say the weirdest, silliest things sometimes."

It was like two people were fighting against each other inside him: the child, and the man.

He laughed at your comment and said nothing further as he concentrated on cooking. You watched him move around the kitchen as the minutes passed by. And while you talked about the small things in life, you couldn't help but wonder how this Bucky, standing right in front of you, kissing you, holding you, was much more different — way more different than the Bucky you knew in Peter's stories.

The thing you liked about it though, was that both versions excited you. You longed for spontaneous adventures, ones that you’d keep forever, ones that would remind you of the days of your youth, ones you too stuck up to do, and you longed for conversations like this, and the ones you and Bucky have had before, conversations that made you see more of life's beauty and appreciate it.

That same afternoon, you spent it lying down on a couch in each other's arms, watching a movie he guilted you into watching: Roman Holiday. You made side commentaries while you watched, how lame the lines were, how cheesy they all sounded, but at the same time, amazed at how things have changed since then.

"Ugh, I love me a vespa." You said, watching the vespa speed away on the streets. "I would just love to ride around New York city in a vespa and just pull off some Roman Holiday in this bitch."

"I have to admit, that does look fun."

And somewhere halfway through the film, when Bucky was making small circles with his finger on your waist (igniting fire within you, and at the same time, making you weak on your knees), you ended up making out, grabbing and touching each other beneath your clothes, and taking them all off, sending them flying all over the living room floor, and repeating what you did last night — except it was in broad daylight and Bucky dominated over you, over and over and over, flesh on flesh. You kept screaming each other's names. He kept fucking you into oblivion, taming the mad woman in you.

You laid there on your back, pulling down his neck with your right hand, making your foreheads touch, locking your eyes together, telling him to go "faster, deeper", digging deep and scratching into his back with your nails, making him hiss out your name, and at the same time, crying out his name repeatedly like a chant, making you forget your own.

You felt the droplets of his sweat on your skin, mixed with your own. You watched him ravish you, watched the pleasure consume him wholly, and watched his eyes roll back as he came inside.

"I really can't get enough of you, babydoll." He growled, and kissed you one last time before you showered and headed down to work.

-

"You look different." Nat observed, sitting on one of the high stools across you. "Did you do something with your face?"

"No, I didn't." You grimaced, shaking your head.

"Then, why are you glowing?"

"Quit staring."

She chose not to listen to you and kept on following you with her eyes as you moved around the counter. "Oh my god, I know what it is — "

"Goddamn it, Nat — "

" — you had sex!"

She cackled, gesturing you towards the booth with a sharp tone: "Booth. Now."

You followed suit. It was crystal clear in that moment that you had no other choice, that she held the upper hand in this friendship. You were starting to think that perhaps this friendship you were pursuing with Nat was a mistake as she kept on berating you about the information she just acquired.

"There's no way in hell I'm telling you all about it." You huffed, sitting across from her.

"I'll tell you one thing, though," she said, "I'm a fucking prophet."

"Don't be such a smug bitch." You rolled your eyes. "No one likes a smug bitch."

"What did I tell you about this Bucky thing, huh?" She smirked, ignoring you. Again. "Come on, spill the beans! I wanna hear everything!"

You shook your head unamused. "Nope. No way."

She groaned. "Please? Nothing exciting is ever happening in this bar but now I have this! You!"

"How about you and Steve humping each other like bunnies?" You bit your inner cheeks to prevent your lips from smiling. "That's gotta be exciting."

"Let's not talk about me and Steve."

"So, it's okay if we talk about my sex life but not yours?"

"Exactly."

You frowned. "You're a weird friend."

"No." She leaned in. "I'm a miracle-worker that happens to be your new best friend, by the way — "

"Parker's my best friend — "

" — and you should at least thank me. I am more than welcome, by the way."

"Nat, if you don't stop I swear to God I'm gonna out you and Steve to the whole ass bar." You groaned, knocking your forehead against the table. Coincidentally, you could actually out them of the closet knowing they were actually doing it in one of the closets here in the bar (yes, you found a condom wrapper lying around one time. Knowing what had transpired in that small space, believe you me, you sprinted the fuck out of there).

"Ugh fine, fine." She said, making you stop banging your head and forcing you to look at her. "Just tell me this... Was it good?"

You rolled your eyes. "Fine, yes, it was good."

"Just good?"

You sighed in defeat, leaning back on the cushioned backrest of the booth. "It was the best I ever had." Nat bit her lip, hiding a squeal. "There. Ya happy?"

"Now, I'm curious! Please, y/n, you have to tell me. I gots to know! Okay, tell me, how big was he?"

"What?! No, I'm not gonna tell you that."

"Come on, I'll trade you Steve's."

"Ew, Nat! Gross!" You cringed. "I don't wanna know that!"

Then, she proceeded to move her hands in the opposite direction slowly, "tell me when to stop." You shook your head and just watched her in plain amusement as she continued to do it. Her jaw dropped. "Oh my god, this big? Seriously?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

"Come on, you told me about the time you kissed!"

"That's different." You scoffed. "This one's... intimate."

"Ooohhh, intimate. Well, I've never heard anyone describe sex that way."

"It was just different, okay? Good different." You replied. "And that's all I'm telling you."

She heaved a sigh, finally accepting the fact that you won't go anywhere past what you just told her. "Okay, at least you gave me something. Do you mind if I ask you something real, though? I swear this is the last time. It's not about sex, I promise."

Convinced, you nodded. "Go ahead."

"So, are you guys dating now? Or is it just, ya know, fooling around?"

You sat there, undoubtedly floored by the question. You had never even given it a thought. It never crossed your mind until Nat just made you realize the consequences of yesterday, last night and this afternoon, the inevitable. Were you dating? Will you ever talk about it? Is he even considering it? Or will you just continue to have sex without ever talking about dating?

"I, uh, I don't know. We didn't talk about it."

"Well, clearly there's gotta be something, right? That it's not just fooling around. I mean you said it was intimate, that it was good different — whatever that means." said Nat. "There's gotta be something deep?"

You looked at Natasha with astonishment, baffled by the things coming out of her mouth. Apparently,you were still on cloud nine to think about any kind of repercussion, to think about what could happen next to afterglow.

"I guess?"

"Do you like him?"

"Clearly, I do."

Unlike Nat, you were stunned by your answer. You answered that question faster than the speed of light.

She smirked at you in response. "You are so gonna fall in love."

"Shut your hole, Nat."

The door flew open suddenly, revealing Bucky and Sam, which got you up your feet. Instinctively and ignoring Nat, you approached him halfway and greeted him with a kiss which he gladly reciprocated, all the things you and Nat just talked about disappearing into this sweet, sweet kiss.

"Hey you." You breathed after pulling away from his lips.

"Hey, babydoll."

"Oh hey, Sam."

"Hey, babydoll." Sam mocked, a smirk playing on his lips. "That's a cute name. What is that? French?"

Bucky smacked his friend on the stomach, making Sam groan and glare at him. "So, it's not French?"

"Sam." Bucky warned which Sam only found funny.

Bucky kept his hand on your waist as you approached the booth, with Sam behind us. Nat, who was still sitting on the booth, cocked her head on the side and eyed Bucky up and down. "Bucky, Sam... This is Nat from the night before." You introduced them to each other before you made them sit in the booth.

"Do you boys want anything to drink?" Nat asked.

"We'll have scotch." Bucky replied, giving Nat a friendly smile. "On the rocks."

"Actually, I don't know how to make drinks, I just asked to be nice."

You rolled your eyes at Nat, laughing lightly. "Don't worry, I got them." You approached the counter and prepared the drinks while Nat followed your trail.

"Babydoll?" She asked. "Steve doesn't even have a nickname for me."

"Okay, I have to ask this since you already did it to me anyway." You said, pouring scotch on the glasses. "Are you and Steve dating? Or is it just, like you said, fooling around?"

"We're friends... with benefits."

"So, just fooling around then?" You asked.

"Yeah, you can put it that way."

"Aren't you worried he might want something more than that? Like a relationship? He does seem like a man who wants to settle, y'know."

"Aren't you worried your new boy toy might want something like that too?"

You fell silent just as you were about to finish the drinks. You weren't worried about that, no. You were worried about you, wanting something more, something you haven't had in a long time, something Bucky hasn't had.

"The chances of me and Steve getting even serious are very slim." She whispered. "But you and Bucky? Now, that's a big fat chance. It doesn't even matter how long you guys have known each other. If there's chemistry, then you can't do anything about it, and the way you described your whole thing with him? Babydoll," she smirked, proud of herself, "if that's not chemistry then I don't know what is."

"As far as I can remember, you're the one who told me to just 'go where the river takes you' and now you're confusing me with these things!" You hissed, looking over at the booth and making sure Bucky won't hear your little banter.

She rolled her eyes at you. "Okay, okay, okay... Allow me to paint you a picture, y/n."

"Paint me a picture — ?"

"Do you know where the river takes you? A waterfall." Nat cut youoff. "Now, right now, you're still on a boat, just gliding through the river, going where the flow takes you. Then some time now, you're gonna hit a fast stream until boom, waterfalls, and when you reach the top of the falls, inevitably, you're gonna fall... fall in love, that is, with the hunky rich man over there. See? Painting a picture. I can be smart too."

You kept Nat's words in the back of your mind until you gave Bucky and Sam their drinks, saving them for later. Nat had to go out for a while to smoke outside, leaving you, Sam and Bucky in the booth, discussing the project you had with Sam's line, updating you with all the dates and details. Seeing as you'll soon be leaving the bar by the end of the week, you offered to start first thing next week.

"But I could actually give you a little pitch presentation just before we start shooting," you added, "idea decks we can work with, like styles, and some mood boards that fit your whole apparel aesthetic. But first, I need to know your brand bible, like your target audience, the tone of your business — stuff like that — just so I can prepare for the presentation."

"Wow, you know a lot about the business industry." Sam replied, amused.

"I used to major in business and finance." You sighed. "It does come in handy with my photography."

Under the table, Bucky reached for your hand, interlacing your fingers together and squeezing your hand three times which elicited a smile.

"Oh, I can give you a tour!" Sam enthusiastically said. "We can go to the office and to some of the stores; maybe the one in Fifth Street. We've actually received the shipment for the new designs. We could discuss everything then. How does tomorrow sound? Bucky can come with ya."

"Tomorrow works, yes! Tomorrow's perfect." You agreed.

You broke out in a smile, leaning on Bucky's side who was more than glad to see you discussing with Sam about the project, squeezing you hand once more, three times.

"Then, it's settled!" Sam boomed. "Now, where's the toilet? I think I got a little too excited."

You threw you head back, laughing. "Right down the hall over there." You pointed.

As soon as Sam was gone, Bucky turned towards you and held your face with his hands, planting a soft kiss on your lips. "You sound so hot talking like that."

You chuckled, sliding closer towards him, your thighs brushing past each other. "You and your weird mind, Bucky I swear to God."

With his lips pressed on yours, you didn't even notice the door open, didn't even notice Steve walk in. You pulled away, hearing Steve clearing his throat. With your hands still on Bucky, you turned towards Steve, who was clearly entertained, and sent him a huge smile.

"H-hey, Rogers." You chuckled nervously. "You remember Bucky."

"Mr. Barnes." Steve nodded at Bucky.

"Mr. Rogers."

You frowned at their formal exchange. "Bucky's actually here with his friend, Sam Wilson. I'm starting a project with him for his business that'll start next week. We were just, uh, discussing the details."

"In his mouth?" Steve smirked.

"Steve." You hissed. "Not cool, man."

"So, where's this Sam Wilson?" Steve asked, looking to his right.

"On your left."

Steve turned around on his left at Sam's voice. Both men stared at each other for a while before introducing each other and shaking each other's hands. Weirded out, you turned to Bucky and asked if they knew each other, if the three of them knew each other (as you now remembered that time when Bucky and Steve met here in the bar).

Bucky shook his head no. "Maybe he's just one of those familiar faces you see on the street." He whispered, but as Steve went straight to his office, and as Sam got back in the booth, a weird tension surfaced that was cut off by Nat entering the bar, together with some customers who were more than happy to be the first ones here.

"That's my cue." You sighed, standing up and letting go of Bucky's hands before going to the counter and greeting the customers.

You felt your phone vibrate against your back pocket after a few seconds. You opened it, and on the screen was a message from Peter:

Sorry couldn't get to you sooner. Lost my charger on the way to the cabin! Schmidt didn't want me to borrow his until I did everything he told me to. Everything's great! I'll send you pictures when I can.

Hope Bucky's taking good care of you. Miss you, y/n. I'll see you in a few days!

Your fingers hovered on the screen as you glanced at Bucky who caught your eyes. He winked at you while taking a sip from his drink and licked his lip afterwards, eyeing you up and down.

Tell Schimdt I'll beat his ass when he comes back. See you in a few days, Parker!

A series of what happened between you and Bucky flashed in your mind, making you bite your lip.

And don't worry, Bucky's taking good care of me.

... such good care.

[bumbershots]

A CERTAIN ROMANCE

CHAPTER THREE: WHO ARE YOU?

Author’s note: Hello! Once more I would like to thank you all for the love this story’s been getting, it truly blows my mind. I am also looking for a beta reader so if anyone out there is interested let me know! (: Let’s pick up right where we left off...

Story masterlist ** Word count: 2.3K **

Two souls don't find each other by simple accident, Harry thought after taking a seat for the first time that night, his feet were probably going to be swollen tomorrow, they were killing him already. But he wasn't keen on turning down a dance from the girl collapsing in the settee right next to him. A slow Amy Winehouse song was their cue to rest.

"Do you want a beer?" Her voice sounded a bit hoarse, probably from all the giggling and singing she did while dancing the night away.

"Yes please."

He watched her trot to the small bar on the other side of the flat, focused on how the multiple bracelets bounced in her left wrist as she instructed her brother which beer to give her. As she came back to take her previous seat, he felt a small wave of anxiety for wanting nothing more than to start a conversation with her, as she handed him the beer. Usually it was the other way around, but in most of the cases, people wanted to know his persona.

He knew the silence was becoming awkward, but he was still debating whether to ask about her upbringing or what she did for work, whatever the case was, he didn't want to make a fool out of himself, he almost never seemed to be that lucky.

"You're not used to people being calm around you, are you?" Alma’s frown os curiosity is a mirror to the one on the musician's face.

"Yes and no?" Harry's coy tone makes her smile warmly and shake her head in denial, "so, I'm Hampstead station guy?" Her eyes widen, a shy smile appears on her full lips before she takes another large sip of her drink.

"It's unlikely to find the same person thrice in the tube! I told my friend Laura, it felt like a glitch in the matrix." She answers and he lets out an amused laugh.

"For the record, I wasn't following you, at all..."

"I know, you just had to take the same line I did and it was a happy coincidence," she interrupts him, the new song gathers a few more dancers and Harry wonders if she will ask him to dance again, "although it would've made a great anecdote for my YouTube channel; story time, a famous musician follows me around the city possibly plotting my painful death." She joked as she gingerly flashed her hands before the two of them, as if presenting the latest play from the West End.

It was Harry's eyes turn to be wide and smack his hand into his forehead.

"You have a YouTube channel?" His interest was genuine and Alma made herself more comfortable on the sofa, before proceeding to fill him in about what that was about, just videos about her 'sort of interviewing remarkable people' or so she claimed.

It was something that started as a class project back when she was seventeen, trying to get good grades to win a scholarship and study abroad —none of those things happened. She kept doing it afterwards because it was too much fun, once she interviewed all her friends, she moved onto her family. "Believe me when I tell you, that I have more relatives than I should!" With a smile as big as hers, he sighed before breathing 'lucky' as his heart sped and she continued.

Restaurant owners, chefs, firefighters, barristers, doctors, accountants, waitresses, sexual workers, sex shop employees, bankers, homeless people, hairdressers and apparently every person from her home country had been on the informal interview series. Harry was impressed with the whole concept and her.

"I sort of abandoned it a little when I moved here last year, it was crazy busy the first couple of months and the whole bureaucracy... and I was a little homesick to be honest." For the first time in the night, her voice is thinner, he has to lean in a few inches to hear better, "I miss my parents, my cousins, my aunt, my grandparents. But this is something I've wanted for the longest time you know?" Her eyes bore into his, allowing him to see the vulnerability swimming in them, "I've never felt like an outsider here, never got lost in the tube, took the wrong bus or anything like that. Isn't it weird?" Harry smiled at the sentiment, thoughts of his latest trip to Japan flashing before him.

"No, I think it's marvellous that you feel that way." He cannot be real, is the only thing running through her mind like a restless hamster in its wheel.

Harry and Alma talked about everything they didn’t have in common, despite the brief interruptions to do some shots and drink champagne with the birthday boy. Their families were discussed, their favourite things to do in the summer. Alma even asked him how was work going, as if she didn’t know that he was one of th world’s most successful artists. Harry was thrilled to joke through their drinks and the girl wasn't shy to ask him for a couple more dances. None of them noticed the partying dying around them, it was only after Fernando said his goodbyes to his laughing sister, that they noticed how late/early it actually was.

Before they knew it, golden hues streamed through the window behind them as Freddie walked out of his room and offered them coffee.

"I'm never drinking straight vodka again," Freddie mumbled to himself after finishing his cup of coffee.

"At least it wasn't Vodquila like last time," Alma's words make him groan but agree. "I should go now, need a shower and a healthy breakfast."

After Harry also admitted he needed to be on his way, with all their belongings gathered and after saying goodbye to a very ill Freddie, neither Harry or Alma looked forward to their imminent separation. He had spent hours hearing how busy she is, when not recording content, she was working at Wenzel's and teaching Spanish to her neighbour's daughter on the weekends. Still, he was determined to meet with her again.

As soon as they started moving down the street, Harry noticed the next one was where he had to turn right in order to go home. It wasn't a short walk but the most effective route for sure.

"So, the bus stop is that way," Alma nodded her head to the left, smirking knowingly as she stuffs her hands in her coat pockets.

"Of course," they had come to a rolling stop at the corner. Harry suddenly felt beyond nervous about asking the girl for her phone number. "Thank you, for keeping me company last night." It was amazing he wanted to add, but licked his lips quickly instead.

"You mean keeping you from catching up with all your friends," she corrected him.

Harry shakes his head and smiles, the dimples graciously adorning his cheeks, his racing heart giving him the last push needed to finally ask. "Do you think we could go, like for coffee... sometime?” With that she laughed, immediately memorising the sound of it, her loud cackle is one of the nicest things he has heard in awhile.

"Only if I can buy you something from the selection of pastries." Harry laughed loudly, completely relieved by her answer. She dug around her purse for a moment before taking out a pen and what seemed to be an old receipt, quickly scribbling down her number and handing it to him.

"I'll call you," he beamed, carefully placing the piece of paper in his wallet. He'd be an idiot to lose such a precious fragment of information.

"Looking forward to it," Alma smiled at him for one last time before she started walking to the opposite direction. "See you around Harry." His face was a bit puffy from not having slept properly, but she would be lying to say he didn’t look adorable at the same time.

He waved and watched her walked away, her sweet and tired morning smile seemed to be engraved into the musician's mind as he headed home.

The air was still a bit cold, but the heat was starting to rise and plague London for the rest of the day, the hot summer everyone's been yearning for was finally here, even Harry could feel it in his bones as he continued down his path. He was still highly enamoured by the amazing night he spent sharing a piece of himself with Alma. His feet felt heavy, were even burning a little, but it was nothing as he made his way through his home gate twenty minutes later.

He decided to get some toast and a cuppa for breakfast, his high spirits not faltering even one bit although he could feel the consequences from the all-nighter already with each yawn. After eating he decided to take a shower that got him ready for a well deserved sleep in his comfortable bed.

Waking up around six o'clock startles him at first, Harry is well rested now but a bit grumpy for the weird taste on his tongue, something usual after drinking beer. He scolds himself for not brushing his teeth earlier as he walks in his bathroom. The cool tiles against his bare feet wake him up a bit more. After some needed dental hygiene, Harry gets dressed to go out and pick up his sister for their weekly dinner. Hopefully he can convince her to stay in, that way he can go on and on about the events from the night before.

His feet still hurt, he can even feel a blister underneath his big toe. But it doesn't bother him, it's actually a nice reminder of the incredible things that miraculously happened. Harry knew that since Alma was related to Fernando, someone that was bound to be in his life for the next six months or so, there was a big chance they would've met at some point. But he'd rather think it was fate, some sort of good karma coming round, he stared at her contact on his phone, still charmed by the fact that she gave it to him on the back of a receipt. Ignoring that she only did it that way, because the thought of asking for his mobile to enter it herself, was a very bold move. And Alma wasn’t really that confident, not when his green eyes were boring into hers anyway.

"When are you gonna call her then?" Gemma's voice snaps him out of his daydream for the third time during their quiet dinner in her flat. "What is it? You've got that look."

"What look?" He asks before his sister frowns and pinches her bottom lip with her thumb and index finger. It's his nervous quirk, he sighs, "I don't know, I'm just so nervous." Without a valid reason, he knows the girl is so lovely, maybe that's why.

"You're afraid of fucking it up," she knows, Harry nods. "Well, you could tell her that, perhaps on a text—

"—I want to call her, texting her will make me feel a wanker." Gemma smiles at her little brother, he looked uncharacteristically unsure of himself but nonetheless excited. It was endearing how the first thing he told her after crossing her home's threshold was 'my life is officially a chick flick!' Before proceeding to explain with detail about the whole situation.

"What about a text that reads: hello, this is Harry please save my number so when I find the guts to call you, you don't think it's a telemarketing scam," Gemma might be joking and mocking him all at once, but has a point. A text so she also has his number, makes the situation more even, she can call him too. "Assuming she gave you a real phone number."

"What?" Harry is mortified.

"I'm kidding, you should've seen your face," his sister wanted to drag a bit more her joke, but the preoccupied look on his face stopped her. Gemma couldn't wait to tell their mum, knowing that she would be just as absorbed. "There's nothing wrong with showing interest right away. If you want this to be honest and genuine, set an example." She finished before taking the last bite of pizza.

Harry knew that to be true, but now he was left wondering if it was the right time for him. Had he really left behind all the ghosts and baggage from his past? Or was he still carrying them in the new tattoos of his knees?

Despite his sister's encouraging words about how nothing could go wrong this early with Alma, he couldn't help but wonder if his still grieving heart was ready.

He takes his time walking back home, not caring if it was a really long one, he was aware of the curious eyes once he reached the Southbank but paid no attention to them. He welcomed the chill breeze, hoping for it to cool his boiling mind. Remembering the last time he walked along the river arms around his former flame, her laughter still ringing in his ears, her tender kisses in his knuckles, her delicious scent flying away with the airstream into London's sunshine.

Missing someone is not wrong, Harry reminds himself.

There's no point going down the rabbit hole of what ifs about their relationship. Harry can admit his mistakes, no matter how hard it comes to him, he can also apologise wholeheartedly. He did all those things already, months ago. Which is why he was able to keep her as a friend, not a close one, more like an acquaintance. And she's happy, he can see that, knows it.

Why does he feel like he's still drowning? He's already been pulled from the vast ocean of hers. Harry groans, struggles to open his gate, his good spirits from this morning nowhere to be found.

He doesn't know if it's the memory of her, the fear of loneliness, coincidence and laziness, or a bad habit? But he doesn't text the girl with warm brown eyes, instead he plays the voicemail that sometimes haunts his nightmares, on repeat, for the rest of the night.

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