#and then on top of that the dorm interactions about her kinda warming up to being taken care of so im just 🤔

[elegyofthemoon]

i need to go back and replay through hidden chapter 5 bc the pseudoconscious liv in a dress made me want to eat shoes thinking about liv who took her sisters dress before she became a medic

[miyukisu]

On Camera .ᐟ

❤︎ | You just love teasing your best friend—even better now that he's frustrated and can only see you through a screen (2.1k wc) ╰ feat. narumi gen (kn8) x afab! reader

kinktober entry no. 1 | kinktober masterlist

tags - best friend! narumi, virgin! narumi, reader also works in the force, cybersex, mutual masturbation, so much dirty talk, flashing, nipple play (kinda), swearing

minors do not interact

You and Narumi Gen go way back to your trainee days. Much to everyone's surprise, you two became quick friends—really good friends at that. I mean, who would've thought?

There's you—a fiery little thing, loves to poke fun and tease her friends. Then, there's Narumi Gen—bit of an oddball. Truth be told, you two had almost nothing in common, except for the fact that you were both strong.

You, Narumi, and Mina led your trainee batch; everyone looked up to you. Mina respected the two of you. Narumi, of course, couldn't accept that there was someone tailgating him at his position at the top. And you—who admired Narumi quite a lot. Although, that admiration came in the form of endless teasing. It wasn't just Narumi who was annoyed, but the rest of your fellow trainees as well. They were forced to be a witness of your 'disgusting and coy display of affection.'

Narumi said he hated it. He hated how strong you were and how you were always up in his business. Yet, you two were attached at the hip. It was a paradox, but neither of you addressed it. That was until you both graduated and got assigned at different bases which were hours apart.

Your feelings for each other were thrown into disarray. But that didn't mean you lost all correspondence.

────────────

"You look like shit."

Narumi groans from the other end of your video call. You were teasing him, but it was partially true—his eyes were sunken and a deep frown persisted on his face.

He glares intensely at you. "You wouldn't understand the burdens of the strongest kaiju killer, would you?"

His arrogance was only met by a laugh. That same laugh was one he despised, but sought after because... it just felt right. There were many things in his head that made no sense and the common denominator was you. "Why do you have to mess up my mind?" he'd often think, especially on his sleepless nights.

Narumi leans back in his chair, a pensive sigh escaping his dried lips. "But y'know... I've really been frustrated lately..." he admits.

It was a rare show of vulnerability. Most of the time, he's too prideful to admit his true feelings, but after knowing you for so long, he has learned to let his walls down sometimes. At the very least—you were nice enough to pause the teasing when it gets serious.

"Overworked huh?" you ask.

He turns his chair to face you again, tilting his head and letting out another fatigued breath. "That and life is just so BORING," he exclaims. You raise an eyebrow, anticipating a hissy fit which wasn't uncommon for this guy.

"I feel like all I do is work and work... and work. God, even the younger members of this base have more fun than I do."

A smirk crosses your lips, amused that you predicted his impending meltdown. "What? Like they don't deserve it?"

"Duh! I'm out here busting my ass off—killing kaiju left and right—and these kids are the ones having a social life?"

"When did you care about being social, Mr. Shut-in?"

He clicks his tongue. "Okay, first of all, fuck you. Second, I don't care about social relations. I am WAY above that, okay? I don't care about what they do. They can fuck like rabbits in the dorms for all I care but—"

Narumi was cut off by the sound of your boisterous laughter. As much as you tried to keep the serious facade, it was impossible... especially after figuring out his true cause of distress.

"Oh my God... don't tell me you're mad because the younger soldiers are getting more action than you?"

His face felt warm all over. Narumi didn't mean to blurt that out, but envy had been consuming him for the past few days after he had heard some younger members of the base... getting dirty in one of the dorms.

Narumi was the strongest soldier—admired and idolized by many. Yet, here he was—a raging virgin with a seemingly unreciprocated crush on you. Yes, you, but he'd rather die than admit it to your face.

He turned to look away, stunned into silence by his own actions. He was unsure of how to salvage his reputation at the moment. "That's not what I meant..."

All the arrogance had faded from his voice—replaced by a uncharacteristic softness as a result of embarrassing himself.

"Oh c'mon. There's nothing embarrassing about that. We're only human; we can feel those things, y'know?"

"Even you?" he counters.

An uneasy smile spreads across your face. "Yeah... even me."

But the look on his face says that he isn't convinced. In his head he's thinking about how impossible that is considering how attractive you are. You had to be lying about being in the same boat as him.

Though you weren't sure why you wanted him to believe you.

"I'm serious. Look, I'm in a base far away from all the people I know and the guy here aren't exactly my... cup of tea," you added.

With that, your best friend's face seemed to lighten up a bit. Part of him was glad that even someone as hot as you was in the same predicament as him, but mostly because the person he likes isn't being taken by anyone else.

As high and mighty he sees himself, he always thought himself unworthy of you. The simple fact that you were unclaimed gave him a sliver of hope.

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The poor guy was confused and it was clear as day. You felt mostly responsible for it. As you prepared to say something, you crossed your arms—pushing your boobs up in the process. Wearing a tank top suddenly made you conscious of your body.

An intrusive thought invaded your brain. It was perhaps the result of you wanting to tease him, his frustration, and you being secretly pent up as well. It was a futile attempt to shake off that thought as it kept bombarding you.

You were able to hold it in, until you couldn't.

"Hey... Gen?"

"What?" he says, sounding a bit dejected by his circumstances.

You stifled a smile, knowing that he'd be thrown off by it. "Can you turn around? I wanna show you a surprise."

He raises an eyebrow, skeptical of whatever you have up your sleeve. Throughout your years together, he has learned to take your so-called sincerity with a grain of salt. But his affection towards you makes him abandon all rational thought.

"Okay?" he says, turning around in his swivel chair.

You let out a breath—giving yourself a quick mental pep talk. You quickly lifted your top, thrilled and anxious of the risk at the same time.

It was now or never. "Okay, you can look now."

Narumi quickly turns in his seat, eyes widening upon seeing a pair of tits—your tits—on his screen. He frantically looked away, covering his eyes with his hands—though he wasn't doing a good job at it.

"H-hey! What the fuck? Put those away!"

His words betrayed his actions; you could see him peeking through his fingers. You figured you were at a point of no return, so you did the only appropriate thing: squishing your boobs together for him.

Seeing your boldness, he let his hand fall—finally admiring what you displayed for him. "Seriously... what are you doing?"

"We're both frustrated, aren't we?" you ask as if your situation was ordinary.

"So what? I stare at your tits?"

"Dumbass. Is that all you do when you're frustrated? Stare at shit?"

He rolls his eyes, trying to act blasé, but there was a growing tent in his pants. "No... well, I guess I... jack off... sometimes..."

As if saying 'sometimes' softens the blow of his words.

You let go of your tits and lean back into your chair. It was entertaining—how his eyes never seem to leave your chest. Almost as if he were entranced by it.

His body moved on its own, palming the growing erection under his sweats. It ached; it was painful and it wanted relief.

With the angle of the camera, you couldn't really see him pull his cock out from under the desk, but you just knew. The momentary o-face he made presumably when the cold air of his room hit the warm and sensitive skin of his cock was a dead giveaway.

All shame was thrown out the window as he started to slowly fist his cock at the sight he could only dream of. It almost felt unreal to him that all of this was happening—you willingly showing off your tits while he jacked off and you watched.

It was exhilarating in all the best ways.

But he wasn't the only one excited. This all started because you were frustrated too. Your eyes were fixed on his face. Unlike him—who had visuals—all you could go off on was the fact that you were doing something so dirty.

A hand slipped under your shorts and beneath your panties. It was damp, of course it was. You slowly rubbed the pad of your finger against the sensitive bundle of nerves.

Narumi must've noticed your own movements as well because he let out a low groan. "Fuck... that's hot."

You huff your chest out with a smirk. "Bet you're so hard right now huh?"

"Like you're not a fucking waterfall down there," he retorts.

The back and forth goes on while the two of you played with yourselves.

Eventually, the stimulation wasn't enough for you. Quickly, you pulled your hand out and popped your fingers into your mouth. He watched intently, mesmerized by you.

After sufficiently lubricating your digits, you snuck them back in and plunged two fingers into you. The pleasant intrusion had you throwing your head back against your chair and letting out a soft moan.

He rubbed himself faster than before. Narumi was desperately reaching his high, wanting to quell the ache in his cock.

"Play with your tits," he demanded.

You had heard him well enough before you got lost in the sensation. Your other hand made its way up to cup one of your breasts, slowly massaging it in a teasing manner. His jaw went slack at how easily you obeyed his orders.

The ego boost that he got while ordering around his subordinates isn't even on par with this at all.

Every time you flicked or tugged your nipple—he swore that his dick twitched. "Yeah... keep going. Are you rubbing your clit huh?"

"No..."

"Oh," he breathes, "Fucking yourself on your fingers then?"

"Y-yeah, but I can't reach deep enough," you whine.

He sucks in through his teeth. Narumi had never seen you so desperate before and awakened something primal in him.

"If that were me... you would've came minutes ago, wouldn't you?"

You nod, now wishing that it was his fingers making a mess out of you. But this was all you could get for now.

"Yeah... you're the strongest after all. You can do anything, right?"

"You fucking know it," he says almost breathlessly. Seeing that fucked out look on your face while praising him almost made him cum. But he wanted to last longer—to savor this moment which he wasn't sure if it would happen again.

"You gonna cum with me?" he asked.

He was close. Oh so painfully close. But he was a bit of a romantic in that he wanted the both of you to cum together.

You peel your back off your chair, shifting angles to coax out an orgasm and after a few moments, you do. The sensation flooded your senses, spreading warmth all throughout your body. You weren't sure if you came this hard because of having 0 action for so long or if it was because of how lewd you were with your best friend.

And as you moaned sweetly through your microphone, he let out hot ropes of cum and a breathless moan to match. He felt his abdomen cramping after unconsciously being stiff and on edge for so long.

Both of you let out labored breaths, trying to calm your racing heartbeats. It was only then your eyes met again. Though it seems like post nut clarity hit him too soon as he looked away with a bashful expression.

"Still frustrated, captain?" you teased.

He was glad you didn't call him that earlier, otherwise he would've came right on the spot. "Shut the fuck up... I am though."

"Greedy. That wasn't enough for you?"

"You mean seeing you play with yourself through a fucking monitor? Go figure."

You laugh once more and it was now mostly music to his ears. "Say—how about I visit you some time? Let me show you the real thing?"

"...Sure."

"For someone who was speaking so dirty earlier—you sure do get shy huh?"

"Don't you ever shut the fuck up?" he quips to which you laugh again.

The prospect of getting to hold you and feel you around his member was tantalizing. But for now, he'll have to deal with his cock hardening again.

©miyukisu do not repost/reupload/translate any of my works on other platforms

╰ author's note a short one... with no p in v... to start of the month

[babymilkawa]

oh my your blog is so so pretty,,,!!!! i just binged sm of ur writing and 😩😩✋ IMMACULATE I TELL YOU!! can i request bakugou with fem s/o and he brings her something to eat after arguing ? it’s been a few days and they’ve been kinda ignoring each other and he noticed reader hasn’t come out of their room much and it’s just really fluffy?? ty!!

TYYY 🤧ENJOY!!

after an argument headcanons with:

bakugou katsuki

gn!reader :)

it had been days since the two of you last talked

the last words you had said to each other weren’t things you wanted to ever repeat again

you decided to ignore your boyfriend and wait until he came to apologize

it was about time he swallowed his pride too

U had successfully gone 2 days without even interacting with your bf

but u had also skipped 2 days of school

thanks to your loyal friends, you’ve been able to get the hw done

as for meals, you survived on the stash of snacks u hid in ur drawers

bakugou on the other hand heard abt you locking yourself up in ur dorm

after some time reflecting and advice from kirishima, bakugou knew that he had to take the first step, especially if you weren’t eating properly

he decided that bringing you an actual meal was a good start

knocking on your door, bakugou held a plate of your favorite dish

you were hunched over your desk, wrappers of candy and protein bars scattered all over it

“Come in,” you said, thinking it was Mina with your hw

bakugou hesitantly turned the doorknob and stepped in ur dorm, taken aback by the lack of light due to your shut curtains and the hunched figure in the corner of the room

“thanks you can just leave it th-“

You paused, seeing that it was not Mina

“I..brought this for you”

He placed it on your desk, eyeing the plastic littering it

“Y/n, I’m-“

“I don’t need your food..bakugou”

u said that part softly, hoping that he’d feel the same hurt u did then

It did hurt him, but he sighed and sat down on ur bed

“I’m sorry, ok?” He said softly, afraid that if he raised his voice he’d come off as harsh

U looked at ur boyfriend who seemed to be sulking too

fidgeting with his fingers he said, “I missed you.”

U fully knew that bakugou could’ve just given u the food as an apology and left

But seeing him make an effort to convey his feelings made you get up from your chair

now that he had initiated the first move and apologized, you moved onto his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck and burying your face in that warm crook

you could feel him jolt in surprise but his arms were quick to wrap around your figure, leaning back so you were now on top of him

“I missed u too,” u said.

you kissed his nose, then his cheeks, his chin, his forehead (lingering there a little) and finally his lips where he happily kissed u back

the two of you got comfortable in your bed and he pulled the covers over you

“you’re going to school tomorrow,” he said.

“i know-”

“and i’m cooking all your meals from now on. no more of that junk shit alright?”

you smiled, loving his nature of looking after you

and right before you fell asleep to the steady beating of his heart, you heard him whisper those three words

a/n: aaah sry there was kind of angst at the beginning heehee 👉🏻👈🏻

bnha masterlist

[hitoshisbabygirl]

Author's Notes ♡: Hey Hey, it’s me, ya girl and I’m back with another collab! Ive always loved the roommates theme and have a few ideas for some other ones in my head making this. It’s kinda all over the place because it was a professing with their friendship! Yes I made a Zelda reference and I land about it no. I know Rapp is seen as violent and dense but but this is in a collage au so he’s just a bit...aloof I just love the idea of him actually being a big softie ʕ⊙ᴥ⊙ʔ. I hope you enjoy! ~ bunny ❥

Warnings : NSFW!!! (◎_◎;)

Sweet caring sorta himbo(meh?) Rappa, female oral, Big Dick Rappa , sorta size kink if you really sqint,cheater ex mentioned like once , language

Word count : About 5k! Yikes ^^’

Paring(s) : Kendo Rappa x F! Reader

Enjoy ♡

———————————————————————

Having Kendo Rappa as a roommate is an interesting feat in itself. He is big, and loud , very very loud. He wasn't a bad roommate he just..was like a cute large and fluffy puppy that didn't know his size...or power. Their interactions started as the two met during a halloween party one of the frat houses down the street thew. [ ] went as Midna, her best friend Rumi was dressed as Impa while the last two of her friend group , Amaya and Asa, a pair of sisters, were dressed as fairies. “[ ]! Rumi! you two are so cute! Zelda costumes?” Asa asked as her sister ran up to admire their outfits. “Yeah! [ ] wanted to do some characters that matched us y'know?” She said as she nudged her quiet friend , the girl jumped and laughed , scratching her neck as she gave the excited sisters a small smile “If i was coming out tonight I was gonna wear what i wanted to really wear” [ ] said as the group of them laughed and mingled with their other friends and classmates. While heading to get juice , she heard loud screaming , as the sport boys were starting to show up. First was the football team, then the basketball. Baseball and wrestling came next, then the smaller clubs finished them out. Sighing [ ] was content away from everyone as she watched mayhem ensure, chugging of barrels , more music, girls swarming around the players they crushed on as they did minor things, like talk to their teammates or eating from one of the big food trays laying around. Feeling a tap on her shoulder broke her from her people watching, Rumi giving her a bright smile as she took a cup and joined her. “How's my favorite antisocial babe doing now that all of the party has arrived?” She asked as [ ] gave her a pained smile, going to get more if something to drink “Well I don't feel the need to smack anyone is that a good sign?” she chuckled as she got a hug from the more energetic girl “That's my girl! Don't worry, i wanna get out asap but we’re gonna need our favourite pair of sisters before that can happen and it seems like they're fawning over some of the baseball boys as we speak” Rumi said as they watched a familiar tutu of blue go by, followed by a pink one going a similar way. “I don't get it… but at least their taste in men isn't too bad” [ ] joked as Rumi agreed , laughing “Yeah miss tsundere, you can't stand saps, or most of the jocks either” giving the white haired girl a look she rolled her eyes and gave her own laugh back “Yeah I guess i'm either picky or just got high standards” “Ain't nothing wrong with that we all do!” She said as she elbowed the girl beside her.

As the two of them sat there and talked Rumi glanced past her and her eyes widened, causing [ ] to stop talking “What is it-” before she could question her, the white haired girl jumped up, waving at someone “Rap! Over here!” Constantly yelling to someone [ ] started to ask again when a booming voice came from above her “HEY RUMI” a very loud voice called as stomping could be heard before it stopped “I see you took our idea huh?” With that comment [ ] turned around only to be face to face with a dark cover chest, only to then look up to some of the most warm and amber colored eyes looking down at her “Hello there little lady, I like your costume! Erm..Midna aint it?” The giant ganon dressed man questioned as all she could do was shake her head in agreement, causing the giant male to laugh “Awe don't be shy of me kitten i ain't gonna bite!” He chuckled some more as her friend jumped in “I told you she was shy! Be nice Rappa!” Rumi yelled at the flaming red head as he gave her a toothy grin “Oh I was just teasin’ , I bet I ain't hurt her feelin’s did I sweetheart?” Rappa questioned as [ ] face felt hot, hiding her face in her hands as the teasing duo laughed causing the girl to huff “I'm tired of you two already” She said as a giant warm hand touched her shoulders “Awe dont be like that hun, in time ya’l love me” Rappa teased as he gave her a smile,making her stomach flutter “Yeah! This is who wanted you to meet anyway [ ]! This is Kendo Rappa, our top wrestling boy, Rappa this is my adorable best friend [ ]!” Rumi said as the two gave each other a shy smile , a sly one creeping up on Rumis as she thought to herself “Yeah, this'll definitely happen”

Since then the two had become more acquainted , having many classes together and sharing some similar friends [ ] was used to the bruting and sometimes dense man making a random ( and loud) appearance. As [ ] sat in her mostly empty room thanks to her last roommate moving out after constantly breaking sound rules and getting into it with the girl downstairs for being in her bed with her boyfriend (Yikes) she felt a sense of calm. Closing her chemistry book and letting out a relieved sigh [ ] thought about the fact she was going to get a new roommate, the thought was nerve wracking but also it was exciting as well. It was almost too quiet , having the last room by the stairs meant she didn't have to deal with many people besides her friend group. They weren't loud , unless one of her friends decided to get laid and made way too many sounds, or if their neighbors under them threw parties or also had...extra partners coming around. She definitely could feel she was sorta excited she was going to have a roommate again. The sisters had a room to the left of her while Rumi had the one to the right, sharing it with a girl they knew from math. The rooms were not gender defined, some girls having rooms with guys and vise versa so it made it easy to get a room.

These dorms were also quite spacious, the walls not paper thin and a large enough area space that could house two or maybe even three people. So when she heard a knock on her door she expected it to be her new roommate she was advised would come today. Happily opening the door she was shocked and almost terrified to see just a box, well actually a few boxed stacked hiding whoever it was behind them. But if the faed rustic orange hair and wide shoulders meant anything she knew her new roommate already “K-kendo?” [ ] said as the boxes walked by her , landing with a soft thud as bangs covered the male “[ ]? Is that you?” moving his hair out of the way their eyes had the same expression, shocked. “Uh h-hey there sweetheart why isn't this cute, we’re roomies hun?” he laughed as she couldn't help but give him a smile back. “I never expected to see you as my roommate” [ ] teased as Rappa gave her a hardy laugh “Well it looks like me and you are gonna be close friends here darlin’!” With a wide smile he picked her up and gave her a tight hug, taking her breath away ‘ Oh boy i wonder how this will turn out’ she thought as she was eye leve with her giant puppy like friend, his eyes filled of joy

Which leads into now, [ ] trying her hardest to read up on what her next project could be. As she sat there thinking she heard the tale tell sound of her roommate entering with some of his teammates, the boys loud and rambunctious as they entered. Feeling a heavy hand on her shoulder she looked up to the towering boy that was her roommate, his eyes just as bright as usual. “Hey darlin, we're just gonna talk up sum strats a for the upcoming match and play some games in the back , is that alright?” He asked with pleading eyes as one of his more cocky and jock like friends spoke up “Well youre the man here, dont let some women say if we cant or can be here” Rolling her eyes and proceeding to stand up and push past the wide eyed boy who knew what was going to happen. [ ] took in a breath before opening her eyes to look up to the boy “Well it is my room, i pay shit here and the man over there didnt get this place, so i do choose who can and cant come through my place” She said as she pointed a finger to the boys chest. Trying to push his luck he pushed back against her finger “ I bet you just haven’t gotten a good enough dicking for you to just stay out of the way” He laughed. Before [ ] could hit him hard enough her rust haired friend moved in , clearly towering the boy “Yer better watch yer mouth, she has her right around here, im invatin her space so watch it before there's no place for any of us to relax without rules” He said as the boy sucked up any laughing and nodded his head in understanding. Surprised by her usually aloof roommate [ ] stood back and went back to her work, the other boys scrambling behind kendo as the boy who tried to challenge her jumped to follow, never making a move to mock or do anything again.

The boys picked back up and were having fun in the back room of kendo’s , sighs and groans when they lost and victorious laughs and screams if someone won. Once they all left and everything settle to a quiet rumble as the last few funneled out [ ] could here herself think, reading up on chemistry as she felt a presence behind her. “ ‘M sorry, i didn't know my question wouldve cause a roar outta ya..” Kendo started as she smiled gently, turning to face the wounded boy “Its okay….guess it just lit something in me i always did y'know?” She said with a small laugh as she went to type again, but was stopped by the hulking boy. “I gotta make it up to ya alright? I know i aint say anythin that he did but…. It feels like my fault y'know?” He admitted as his large hand covered hers. “You wont live this down will you?” She questioned as his eyes flickered up to hers, sparking. “Nope, not at all. Lemme treat ya right okay?” For such innocent words [ ] couldnt help the shiver that ran down her back at his words. Maybe it was because he was so close, or that the smell of his cologne was too much, either way her head was spinning as she let him still hold her hand as he tugged her away from her computer , his smile widening as she reluctantly shut the bright screen “Great! Now let's get something to eat im starvin” He rasped out as [ ] gave him a giggle that made the boy stop in his tracks. He always thought she had a cute giggle but this one,for some reason , made his heart and chest feel warm and tight. Ignoring the feeling he took the girl with him, the two headed out to get something to eat as they headed down , the sound of her giggling still running though kendos mind.

Getting a random frantic text from Kendo wasn't unusual, in fact it was quite common for him to do such, which now didn't faze [ ] at all but this one was...particularly odd giving what he was asking ‘Hair? And messy? What in the world is he up to’ [. ] thought to herself as she headed to her shared room with the boy, nervous of what scene she could be entering.

Sighing after his last text she hurried her way to their dorm room and in fact he did leave the door open, making her more nervous as she entered the living room. “Kendo?” [ ] called out as she heard a gruff sound come from her bathroom. Entering was a sight of its own; towels, a bowl of some..substance , bags and bottles of body wash and a one flustered and shirtless Kendo. “[ ]! ‘M so glad yer home here take this” The large man said as he handed her an old toothbrush that was frayed and covered with the same odd substance in the bowl. The lingering smell from the room eventually gave it away ; shampoos. “Uh why do i need this? And why is there shampoo on a toothbrush” She questioned as he groaned, taking the towel off his head as she blinked owlishly at his very faded red orange hair, the color now more of a neon pumpkin. Shaking off extra water caused even more of his hair to fall, landing between his shoulder blades as he gave [ ] a desperate look. “It wont come out, and the more i scub the more...orange i become. I look like a orange peel” He whined as [ ] figured out what he was trying to do

“ You wanna remove the color right? A bowl of shampoo and body wash isnt strong enough” Going into their kitchen she grabbed some baking soda and lemon juice , coming back to the hopeless boy “Let me mix something up ive used before okay? Then we can proceed with your hair” Two and a half hours later the boys hair was now a light peachy orange, just light enough to take up with bleach “Well, if were gonna go for blonde ill go get some bleach and some masks, deep conditioners too, your hair is definitely gonna need it and I don’t want it breaking off because you're impatient to take care of it” she sighed as he was amazed at his hair, running a large hand through the still damp mess atop his head “Wow yer good” He said as she smiled at him, taking her keys “And you have a lot of hair. I'll be back” She said as she hopped up “Wait! Lemme go with you?” He asked but also seemed to demand, pleading eyes looking down at hers as wet hair dropped onto his still bare chest.

Trying not to be hypnotized by where they landed and proceeded to slide down she looked up at her amber eyed friend, who was staring intently as he waited for her answer, soft “Please?” coming from his lips. Sighing dramatically on purpose [ ] laughed at him, giving him a grin “of course you can you big puppy” she said as he picked her up in a hug, a gesture that shows his excitement she's come to learn. Putting her down he went to go to the door before his friend called him out “uhm Kendo? You don’t have on a shirt” she said plainly as he looked at her, raising a brow as he gave his rebuttal “Its hot” He responded. Giving him a side eyed look she turned from him and towards their bedrooms, [ ] sliding into his. Soon she came out with a sleeveless one, throwing it at the hulk of a guy infront of her “You can't come in the store without one” She said as he gave a growl of his own, sliding the shirt over his head as they left their apartment “Well at least ya got me one without sleeves” He huffed as they started back to the door, heading out to finally go to the store to start another process on Kendos hair, the male just excited to finally get rid of his pumpkin hair.

As Kendo sat in the shared living room with [ ] , deep conditioning his hair at her yelling request (‘If you dont re nourish it before you want me to bleach it , I won't do it!’ ) he watched his roommate and now his best friend wanderer around and do housley things for their apartment, the girl content as she cleaned and sorted out things in the kitchen, her body turned away from him as he started to think over how beautiful he thought she was. He want the type to brag or gloat about having so many girls comment on his size , height wised and well sometimes other ways , trying to tempt him to them. All while his friends wanted him to explain how he got the attention from the other gender , Kendo hated to admit it but ,he only wanted his roommates' affection. He knew how put together she was, smart and kind. He saw what her previous boyfriend did, a cheater that didnt take care of the beautiful soul he lived with. He couldnt stand seeing her come home and cry herself to sleep broke his heart, and when he fought the cheater, in the act he didnt feel bad once. Of course it ended their relationship, and [ ] yelled at him for fighting , explaining how he couldve ended in jail for fighting her ex, but he argued it would be worth it.

Sitting and mulling over everything he realized Rumi was right, hed do anything for [ ] but not the same for the other females that passed through his life. She actually, was the first person he did that for and that thought made his head dizzy. Moving from his place on the couch he went to stand in the kitchen, waiting for [ ] to come back from her room. Hearing the iconic sound of her feet pittering across the wooden floor he gave her a lopsided smile as she jumped, smacking into the chest of Kendo. Before [ ] could fall from impacting with his chest he caught her, holding her arm to his chest. “K-kendo! You shouldve told me you were in here! Why are you in here anyway?”[ ] scolded as he laughed, moving out of the shorter girl's way as he started his staring again, this time [ ] noticed him “......What?” She asked as he looked down at her, an unreadable look on his face. “Kendo” she called as he hummed, moving closer “Yer gorgeous” Kendo blurted out as [ ] started to stutter, eyes going wide. Taking teo steps forward he essentially trapped his friend between the corner of their kitchen canopy. “Remember when I fought that bastard of an ex you had?” Kendo asked as he saw [ ]’s eyes go soft , shaking her head “What about him...i'm still mad you almost lost everything just to fight him yknow” she huffed as he poked her cheek “Id do it again if it meant you'd be happy again yaknow” Kendo said as he leaned down to push his head against hers, amber and [ ] eyes mingling. Lifting his large hands he traced each side of her cheek, analyzing over her face as he nuzzled against her nose “Stop playin hard to get would ya? Bad enough you got my heart all in your little hands” he whispered as [ ] just started at the giant , her arms gently coming over to cover his that were place on her cheeks “K-ken..i need to start you hair..” She hopelessly try to argue as he groaned, burying his face into her neck. Squealing at his damp hair touching her shoulder [ ] jumped ,pushing the large boy back “Your hair's wet!” She whined as he chuckleed, mo\ving back as it turned into a booming laugh “Oh my ‘m sorry babe , you look surprised” He said as she smacked hsi chest “Go to the sink, i need to rinse the conditioner” She yelled as he hwld his hands up in a mocked surrender, pulling his shirt up and off in one fluid movement. Caught up by him stripping his shirt off [ ] gave him a glance over, the heaviness of him admitting feelings for her in his own unique way still lingering in her mind as the toned and strong back of her friend made her head hazy. Turning around from the lack of notice of his smaller friend Kendo caught the eys of [ ] staring, her eyes quickly flickering to his curious ones as he grinned “See somethin you like darlin?” He teased as she grunted, reaching up to push his head in the sink “Shut up and let me do your hair”

And like clockwork, Kendo rappa was an icy blonde after two days, a break given to his long ,thick and wavy hair, the giant boy looking over his new look as he sighed happily, loving to have his hair finally look normal. “Well damn [ ]! Ya made it even better than what i was thinking. Look! My hair’s all wavy at the ends and it's soft! Whatever you made me do made it feel better!” He raved as the girl looked over her work. And in fact it was highly even, his hair consistent and lavishy soft. Giving him a shy look she giggle “That's what a deep conditioner will do to damage hair and the way i'm always untangling your hair for you, i knew it would need it before you wanted to go white” She said as he just kept running his hands in his hair, turning back to her “I could just kiss you right now!” He blurted out as they both froze at his words, eyes wide from both parties “I-I aint mean it [ ]” He croaked out as she giggled, stepping back from him “O-of course you didnt, why would you i mean aha..”She said as she moved away more , his own words started to hit him as he realized the reverse effect it was having “NO! No, I'd want to kiss you, I really really want to. I just...want it to be on your terms okay?” he said as he grabbed her arm, holding her in front of him as if she'd float away if he didnt.

“Kendo...I..” [ ] started as she came back to his hip, laying between his legs onto his thankfully covered chest “I just dont want to lose you if you decide you wouldnt want me around” She whispered as he pulled her even closer, kissing her forehead as he stared at her “Dont you ever say that again ya hear me? Youll be my princess and ill be your humble er..knight” He hesitated as he tried to think of a sweet way to explain his feelings. [ ] looked up to him as she felt here eyes feel heavy with tears. Before one even fell Kendo pushed his lips as soft as the strong boy could, wrapping a large and beefy arm around her waist as he slipped his tongue in her mouth, letting his hand slide down to pull her up to sit on the tops of his thighs while he leaned against his dresser. Softly [ ] pushed her hand on his chest and pulled away, now eye to eye with Kendo “Sorry , d-did i overstep my place” He asked as she let out a snot, before laughing. Confused, Kendo went to talk before she stopped him “No no, youre good, just that if we keep kissing on this dressed there's gonna be a hole in the wall” She said as she pointed to where the mirror kept tapping a spot, scrapes already aroring it “R-right!” He laughed too, picking her up to set her on his bed “Now then...lemme serve you princess” He said before kissing her again, not letting her rebuttal his own comment. As the two kissed he made sure to be as gentle as he could be , at times clumsily nipping her lip or his hand pulling hard at her clothes.

All in the name of wanting to show how much she meant to him. Soon he pulled away, a small string of saliva strung between them from the hearty kissing. “[ ]...i think i love you” He said as she gave him a soft look , trying to catch her breath from the dramatic kiss they came from “Good, because i love your loud ass too Kendo” She teased as he smirked,leaning down to bite her neck, causing her to moan loudly “We’ll see whos loud after im done wit ya” he gave his own tease back as he moved between her plump thighs, kissing the flesh there as he pulled her shorts to the side, exposing her flushed lower lips. Gasping she reached for his hand that held her legs apart causing the fresh blonde to look up at her, eyes wandering over her face for signs of him to stop “I-Im not used to being this bare sorry..” She whimpered out as it dawned on the other side of her words “Have you ever ate out baby?” he asked as she hid her face from him, shaking ehr head as he groaned, pulling her shorts down as he saw her lacy panties , a smirk placed on his lips as he peeled them off too, a string of arousal keeping them plastered to her lips “fuck, that bastared really didnt take care of you” he growled as she sat up to see his darkening eyes kiss up to her lips whispering out a “but i will” as he sucked one of her lips into his mouth, causing a lound moan from the woman he was inbetween. Slowly he licked up her lips, searching for that small pearl as she whined, a hand coming down to tug his hair. Grunting he soon found it, sucking onto her clit as she gasped, her thighs shutting over his head as he looked up to her, watching as her back arched off of the bed once her pressed his tongue hard against her clit. Softly he let a hand run under her thigh, a single thick finger tracing over her twitching hole as he pushed it in gently, making [ ] squeal. “K-Ken!” She called out as he looked up again, catching her eyes and flushed face on his actions. Making a show of what he was doing he let a second one join the first as he sucked hard on her bud at the same time making [ ]’s eyes roll back as her hand fell from his head, nervous od pulling too hard. Kendo however had other plans. Feeling her walls tighten around his fingers he made sure to find that spongy spot and hitting it, finally pulling his lips from her clit as he smiled “Uuh Uh doll, look at me” He growled as she hesitantly glances at him, regretting that she did. He looked way too good, hair a mess as he was panting, catching his breath from being down on her. With evry pump of his fingers his muscle in his arm twitched, making her own walls spasm as she watched it “Ya like it sweetheart?” He asked as she shook her head, watching him move back to her pussy “Good, cause i aint done” He said as he gave her clit kitten licks beofe slurping on it, throwing a wink at her as he picked up his pace, making [ ]’s voice rise as she felt herself getting close before quickly snapping at a particular hard thrust of his finger to her spot on her walls.

Letting out a light scream she came over his fingers and tongue, the male laughing gleefully as he sucked up her juices. LEtting her come down some he watched her face as bliss spread through her body and a sense of confidence whent though his. Slowly he picked up the pace of his fingers again, going from a shallow push to more stroking as he heard [ ] whine, grabbing at his hand “Uh uh sweetheart, you taste too good fro me to only let you cum on my tongue once” he said as he pushed her down by her stomach, letting her take his spare hand as he went back to suckling on her lower lips. He knew he had a lot in stored for her, and watching the newly admitted love of his life cum from his pleasing was enough for him to realized he needed to do more. Popping off her clit as puling his fingers gently out he looked at her ravished body, using his non wet hand to pull at his sweats. “Youre beautiful like this [ ]” kendo said as she took in heavy breaths, feeling her throat close as he stroked his massive size, rubbing the swollen head as he looked at her , giving her a soft smile “Ya dont have to take me just yet , hes just throbbin too much” He groaned as he twisted his hand hard over his leaking tip, feeling himself throb as he laid back on his bed. “Ride my face?” he asked with one of the most sinful looks [ ] had ever seen ; lustful eyes watching her as his large hand stroked his larger dick, the soft and fleshy muscle jumping at watching her crawl to him, throwing a leg over his neck

“I-i dont wanna suffocate you..” She said as he smirked before saying “Ya cant suffocate me i want it” Soon he grabbed her hip, pushing her onto his awaiting mouth as he picked up his pace, sliding his tongue into her twitching hole as she rocked her hips, keeping a steady pace as she held herself on his shoulder and headboard, ,depreate moand and cries tumbling out as he rocked her too, going from her clit to her dripping entrance, stoking his dick harder and harde as her moans spurred him on. Soon he felt the bud in his mouth twitch and throb harder, the sounds [ ] made increasing as his own hand sped up with his throbbing head, the telltales of them both getting close. A moan erruptred from the girl on his lips as she came again , her essence running down his face as he groaned, ropes of cum shooting onto his hand and stomach as he came himself, still stroking out what he could as the pressure he felt subside. Sliding off softly [ ] saw the mess behind her, taking it upon herself to lick up some of it as she was met with his same aber eyes, watching her move to his still hard member “Let me take care of you too?” she asked shyly. Fuck he was done for as he felt himslef hardend worse at her words, a large hand coming up to smack her ass as he psuhed her up and over his head, letting his tip and her swollen lips run over eachother. Slowly he pushed his tip past her budding lips, entranced by the way it swallowed her whole “Fuck...i love you [ ] and by the time im done with ya...youll know it” he whispered in her ear as she felet him push, more and moreof his large size spreading her lips father than shed ever had. Her eyes rolled up as she felt him bottom out, both moaning as he picked up his pace, making a soothing rhythm as little moans and whines came from [ ], deep grunts coming from Kendo as he kissed her shoulders and back, marking where he could as he felt himself get closer with how she was throbbing over his member.

Digging his fingers as deep as he could in her plush hips he let our a mantra of ‘Cummin’ i and ‘ I love yous’ in her ear as she pushed back against him, feeling herself teetering as he pushed as deep as he could go ,letting himself cum as she came too, the overwhelming feeling of him throbbing against her spongy walls and previous orgasms enough to push her over a third time. “[ ]” Kendo rasped as [ ] hummed , feeling her legs still shake with him in her “Im serious, i'm never leaving you...you're mine and i love you…” kendo said as he kissed the back of her neck, nibbling her ear as he stayed in her “Mhm….i love you too Rappa..”

[inadaydream99]

hiii can i request a mark lee x female reader drabble? something where she tells mark she thinks he’s embarrassed of her because he doesn’t show any pda infront of the other members so to prove her wrong he like kisses her and stuff the next time she visits him during practice?? thank you

A/N - hey, thanks for requesting! Sorry this has taken so long to write, I’ve been so busy! I hope you enjoy 😊 also, I hope you don’t mind, but I kinda deviated a little from the plot unintentionally...

Oblivious

It had been a long and tiring day for everyone, yourself included, and all you wanted was to be able to go home and cuddle up in bed with your boyfriend.

You exhale a sigh under your breath as the guys begin practicing for what seems like the millionth time that day. The same song echoing throughout the room once again. It’s a wonder they still seem to have so much energy. Though you’ve been told before that it’s fueled by determination.

“I’m exhausted.” Mark exasperatedly sighs as he takes a seat beside you on the floor. You must have zoned out for a lot longer than you thought because you hadn’t even noticed the music stop.

“Me too. But it’ll be worth it when we have to show what we’ve come up with.” Doyoung breathlessly responds before taking a large gulp of water.

They had been working tirelessly for the last two weeks on this new routine for their next comeback. Never had you seen all the guys so stressed in your life and it’s all because they were given the opportunity to choreograph a dance and didn’t want to mess it up. You were proud of their hard work, supporting them in every way you could. It’s the least you could do.

Your eyes cast around the room, everyone taking a moment to catch their breath back before finding the last piece of strength within them to pack away their things and head home. Faint amusement creeps across your face when you notice Jungwoo laying on the floor in the centre of the room. I wonder how long it’ll take before someone jumps on top of him?

... and a second later Haechan does exactly that.

“You good?” You turn your head to face Mark after chuckling at Haechan’s childishness, meeting his gaze as he waits for an answer. Although his words seem like they care, his eyes look tired and uninterested. It almost feels like he’s saying it because he has to. But you repress that feeling for arguments sake.

“Yeah.” You smile, simultaneously reaching out to find his hand and interlace your fingers. Your smile, however, quickly fades when you sense his reluctance, catching his hand moving out of reach from the corner of your eye.

“We should get going.” Mark mumbles, avoiding eye contact by picking up his phone and shoving some things into his bag.

You watch him through a pained expression, eyebrows furrowed and bottom lip slightly jutted out in confusion. Had you done something wrong? You weren’t sure. But you know you’re not getting an answer anytime soon because Mark has already left.

You try to swallow the lump in your throat, your eyes brimmed with tears as you keep your face tilted to the ground in hopes that no one noticed Mark’s coldness towards you.

“Come on (Y/N).” Yuta shoots you a sympathetic smile before extending his hand out to pull you up. You force a meek smile back, accepting his offer by muttering a light “thank you.” But that doesn’t stop the sinking feeling in your chest.

~

You’re not sure how to act towards Mark when you get back and the whole journey you’re in your head battling over different scenarios. You’re even debating on whether to go to the dorms or go straight to your apartment. You live in the same building as the guys, hence why you’re going home with them, but it isn’t uncommon for you to head to theirs most nights so you can spend time alone with Mark. Except, tonight you’re unsure if your boyfriend would even want you there. It also doesn’t help that he chose to go in a separate car.

“He’s been acting like that with everyone.” You hear Jaehyun’s empathetic voice break the silence.

“Yeah, please don’t let it hurt you.” Your eyes flicker up to meet Taeyong’s after sending a thankful smile towards Jaehyun.

“I know.” You sigh, not feeling up to talking much. You appreciate their kind words but you feel more hurt over the fact that Mark never reciprocates your affection when others are around. All they seem to see is when he rejects your affection.

By the time you’ve reached the dorms, Mark has already been home long enough to have taken a warm shower and rinse off the day. You have to hold back your scoff and eye roll when he walks into his room with a contented expression, humming some random tune.

“You staying tonight?” He flops onto the bed, wrapping you in his arms as he tries to draw you into his chest. Oh, so now he wants affection?

“(Y/N)?” He tries to get your attention, noticing how you haven’t accepted his cuddle yet. You haven’t even taken your eyes away from your phone screen. “What’s wrong? Did one of the guys annoy you on the way home?” And that’s when you lose it, letting out the unimpressed scoff you’ve been holding in. How oblivious can he really be!

“One of the guys? You are kidding me Mark.” You force your way out of his hold, sitting up properly so he can see your stearn expression. “All week you’ve been acting off around me, everyone noticed it.” You spit, trying to hold back your emotions.

“You wouldn’t even hold my hand earlier... it’s like you’re embarrassed to be with me.” You shift your gaze away from him the second you feel a tear run down your cheek. Great. Now I’m crying.

“That’s not fair, you know how busy I’ve been.” Mark calmly responds. He doesn’t seem angry or upset, in fact it’s only annoying you more that he’s not showing any reaction at all. Does he even care?

“You know what... forget it.” You exasperatedly stand up from his bed. “You clearly aren’t that into me anymore.” You feel your chest tighten, throat going dry as you do everything you can to hold back your hurt.

“Where are you going?” Mark sends you puppy eyes. He’s scared of your next words but he doesn’t know how to stop them from being uttered.

“Just... figure out what’s really important to you.” Is all you can bring yourself to say before finally walking away.

~

Five days, almost a full week since you’ve seen Mark. Yes, he’s been calling and messaging non stop, but you’ve simply left him on read. It’s not that you don’t want to be around him anymore, you just feel hurt and need more time before you go running back to him.

Sat in a secluded corner of the cafe you enjoy some quality time to yourself. For the first time since your argument with Mark you’re feeling ok, allowing yourself to enjoy the freshly brewed coffee as you listen to the radio that’s quietly played in the background. That doesn’t last long however, an abundance of noise growing ever closer from the street outside.

Your gaze flickers towards the entrance as the door swings open and the previously calm cafe is filled with noise.

“(Y/N)!” Your breath hitches in your throat, eyes widening and posture becoming stiff upon the breathless shout of your name. Although you couldn’t see who had called for you, the voice was unmistakable.

“We got approval.” Is the first thing Mark says to you as he reaches your table. He uses it for leaverage for a moment, ducking his head down as he catches his breath back.

“Ummm...” You awkwardly manage out, consciously gazing around the room, watching as what feels like hundreds of eyes become invested in your interaction. How’d he even know you were here?

You notice Mark’s head slightly lift, peaking up at you with his adorably awkward but amused grin. It’s clear he’s just as aware of the prying and eager people intruding your moment, but he doesn’t seem to care. After all, you know he’s used to it.

“The groups routine got approved today.” Mark clarifies, finally standing up properly once again.

“Should you even be here?” You counteract, guilt filling you as you notice his smile suddenly fall.

“Oh. Well, I, just...” Mark fumbles over his words, rubbing the back of his inflamed neck in embarrassment. “I couldn’t wait to tell you.”

You simply nod, holding back your reaction. “Could we maybe go somewhere more private?”

~

“You know, while the guys were celebrating I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed, but then I realised that it was because the only person I cared about being there to celebrate with wasn’t around...” Mark confesses, his head hanging low as he sits on the edge of his bed next to you.

“And it was all my fault that you were, are, mad at me.” He solemnly mumbles the last part.

Yes, he’d hurt your feelings. But now you know he’d never intended too, that he was just so caught up in not wanting to let his group down. You understand that.

It had taken the whole journey back to his for him to explain everything, starting at all the pressure he’d felt to the day his cold attitude had finally pushed you over the edge.

“I’m not gonna say that pushing me away didn’t hurt, because it did.” Mark lifts his gaze when you begin to speek. “But I get that you had a lot on your plate and didn’t want to be smothered.” You shoot him a comforting smile.

“I still shouldn’t have been so inconsiderate to your feelings.” He sighs.

“Just as long as you don’t do it again we’ll be fine.” You softly chuckle, your heart skipping a beat when a grin appears on Mark’s face.

“I promise.” He nods, both of you staring at each other with stupidly cheesy smiles.

~

“There you are!” Mark instantly envelops you in a tight embrace the second you step foot into their practice room. “I missed you.” He whispers, gently placing a tender kiss to your lips.

“Well, I realised I never got to properly congratulate you all.” you turn to face everyone, elated with all the affection you’re receiving from Mark.

“You’re too adorable.” Mark coo’s, spinning you back around to face him once again.

“Yuck! Get a room.” Haechan mocks, pretending to vomit. But neither you or Mark mind, and besides, it’s not a bad idea...

[daisybeewrites]

Academy Blues

sometimes you punch the bag, sometimes to bag punches you

word count: 4.5k

warnings: none. heavy handed use of italics

ship: Dousy (Daniel Sousa/Daisy Johnson), background Fitzsimmons and Philinda

ahaha.. and the fun begins (the cryptic-ness is for a reason i promise)

“Ow!!” Daisy exclaimed. This was the second time today she had gotten distracted and let the punching bag swing into her. Sans Bobbi or Mack, her usual workout partners, there was no one to hold the bag still while she was pummeling it. Her side of the gym was entirely void of people, most opting to use the treadmills or other cardio machines lining the wall of large windows that faced the forest to the south, or stick to circuits on the resistance machines throughout the middle of the gym. The universe seemed to be telling her to get in some boxing, so she walked over to the bag with the intention of punching until her arms hurt.

Now her nose hurts, too.

“You need a spot?” May asked, silently crossing the padded floor to Daisy.

She nodded. Waiting for May to get into position, Daisy stretched out her arms over her head and across her body, twisting her torso to feel her abs stretch. When May gave her a thumbs up, Daisy started to punch the heavy bag again, this time with a little more force now that she knew it wouldn’t fly back and hit her in the face.

“Something on your mind?”

“No,” Daisy grunted. “Just slacked off the last few weeks. With everyone gone on break there wasn’t as much of... everything, I guess, to keep me in a routine.”

May nodded. “Breaks can be tough. No classes, schedule disrupted, more free time than you know what to do with. I get it. If you ever want a time-filler, text and I’ll be there.”

Daisy nodded, going back to silently punching. The breaks weren’t all bad. They only happened eight times a year, five two-week breaks and three three-week breaks. Enough time that those with families and lives outside of SHIELD could visit and vacation, but not fall behind. Plus, it gave Daisy the campus pretty much to herself. Only about forty students stayed at The Academy over breaks, and it seemed to decrease every time.

Another good thing about breaks was that Daisy got to know more people personally. Whether it was how the tall, fifth-year red head took her morning coffee or that the new group of first-years liked to run the same trails through the forest as she did. So, when an entirely new face had cropped up out of nowhere, Daisy was intrigued. He walked with a limp, had nice hair and kind eyes. She didn’t recognize him, and despite the fact that he had arrived the same day as the rest of the first-years, he was definitely the oldest of the pack. That was unusual, Daisy had thought, SHIELD almost always recruits directly out of high school or college. The last time anyone over the age of twenty-five had been accepted to the Academy was when Daisy herself had started. However, that was a bit of a… special situation.

Every morning, New Guy crossed through the computer lab and waved, smiling confidently at Daisy. His sudden appearance and amicable interactions confused her. Classes weren’t in session, but he always had a backpack with him. Maybe he had tutoring with one of the professors? A new student trying to catch up before the term even began — an enigma.

Once classes had started, he still came by everyday. Daisy liked to think it was because he wanted to see her. They had never spoken more than tired greetings to each other, and yet Daisy felt herself pulled towards him. She shook off the thought. It made her skin crawl, thinking about the last time she felt such a magnetic attraction to someone.

She realized May was studying her through the mirrors lining the wall next to the row of punching bags. She cleared her throat and asked, “Is my form okay?”

May gave her a long look that clearly said, ‘You know that your form is fine.’

Daisy pulled her eyes away from May’s stare, announcing, “I’m going to fill up my water, do you need any?”

May shook her head, pulling out her phone.

Daisy bent down to grab her water and headed to the back of the gym, towards the locker rooms. A couple of reusable bottle-filler stations were stuck into the wall, right next to the PT rooms. Daisy couldn’t help but peer into the closest one as she listened to the sound of water streaming into her bottle. It was filled with floor ladders, yoga balls, sports med supplies... New Guy. Huh.

Wondering why he would be sitting in a dark PT room by himself, Daisy took a swig of her water before continuing to fill it up. He hopped off the table as the lights came on, a young doctor-type walking in a smiling. She was reminded of his limp when he walked towards her, shaking her hand and flashing a large smile. Cute, Daisy noticed. Wait, no, what?

Daisy promptly turned and headed back to the wall of mirrors, choosing to ignore the smirk on May’s face.

“Ready?” Daisy asked.

“Actually,” May began, “Why don’t we get in some sparring? You’ve been at this for over an hour.”

Daisy caught the glance May threw at the half-assed wraps on her hands and nodded. With only a few jitters, Daisy quickly helped May unroll the sparring mats onto the floor. Daisy had only sparred with Yo-Yo since she got back from Columbia visiting her cousin. Sparring with May was an entirely different level.

After some warm-up drills, May silently took charge and got into a fighting stance. Daisy rose up on her tip-toes, then rocked backwards. The grey padding beneath her looked a lot softer than it felt while being slammed onto it. A quick lunge from Daisy and a swift deflection by May, and the two women were off.

Across the gym, Daniel Sousa and the doctor were chatting, watching Daisy and May.

“They look like they’re barely breaking a sweat,” Daniel commented after May leaped off Daisy’s leg, flipping forwards and attempting to grab Daisy around the shoulders. Daisy rolled backward, throwing May over her and getting to her feet as the shorter woman jumped up into a wide stance.

“You’ll get back to that level,” The physical therapist assured him.

Daniel shook his head. “Maybe. I hope so. If not, I’m a damn good shot, anyway.”

The doctor chuckled before motioning back to the PT room. “C’mon, you still have thirty minutes stuck with me before I release you from daily therapy.”

“It’s only been three weeks?” Daniel questioned, confused. They walked through a black door to a small room. Grey cabinets on one side, a black table on the other, physical therapy tools lined up in organized sections.

“Most of which was just assessing you. You already know the exercises and stretches, and you completed the physical therapy recommended by your primary care physician before you came to us. You have the strength mostly back in your residual limb, at least to the point where sparring shouldn’t do any damage. I still expect you to show up at least twice a week. Especially since you’re starting field training with May.”

He smiled. “How do you know about that?”

“I have access to your file, Sousa,” She reminded him, “I also know you were late to her class on the first day. Not a smart move, in my opinion.”

Daniel cringed at the memory of heads turning his way, watching him limp to the only open seat in the very front. May’s comment— “Thoughtful of you to join us, Agent Sousa,” —still turned his face a slightly embarrassing shade of red when he thought about it.

Noticing his uncomfortable silence, the physical therapist put on a sympathetic face. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. I was late to my first class, too. Professor Martin, advanced physiology. Granted, I was seventeen...”

Daniel playfully glared at her.

“...but I suppose that’s no excuse. Let’s get started.”

The rest of the day went by without Daisy or Daniel seeing much of each other besides a fleeting glimpse while changing classes. Not that they were looking for the other, or anything.

A few hours later, before dinner, Daisy was sitting on the counter in the girls’ dorm bathroom, watching Jemma curl her hair.

Jemma Simmons was one of the only people she immediately loved at SHIELD, and the first person she had trusted on Coulson’s team. Over the course of a couple months, they became closer than Daisy had ever been with anyone, spending almost every waking moment together. Over time, Daisy had grown to love the rest of the team, too, learning that they had also been hand picked by Coulson. Though, technically, Daisy hadn’t been chosen for the team. She was picked up as a consultant. But it didn’t matter, as the ragtag team had quickly been disbanded.

Knives shoved into your back can have that effect.

After the end of the team, Code-named Bus Kids, Daisy, Fitzsimmons, Tripp, and May and Coulson had come to the Academy to continue working with SHIELD. Daisy and Tripp were assigned as partners in their ops training, Fitzsimmons were partners in the lab, and May and Coulson still checked on them as if nothing had changed.

But people get busy, and it had been awhile since Jemma and Daisy had properly talked to each other.

“Does the bruise on my nose look like it’ll go away any time soon?”

Jemma glanced up through the mirror, shrugging. “It should. What did you do to it?”

Daisy fiddled with her hands, only answering when Jemma turned to face her fully.

“I kinda, uhm, got punched...”

The stern look Jemma gave Daisy quickly melted into laughter as the brunette added, “...by a punching bag.”

Reaching up to turn Daisy’s face towards the fluorescent bathroom lighting, Jemma gently ran a finger along the angry red splotch on the top of Daisy’s nose. She jerked her head a bit, wincing at the contact.

“You should be fine, I’ll grab some of the good anti-inflammatory meds from the medical storage.”

Daisy thanked her, hopping off the counter to grab an eyeliner pen. “So, how is Fitz? Is this a real date night or are you guys ‘just hanging out’?”

Jemma smiled at his name and rubbed her neck. Daisy smiled back at the subconscious reaction.

“You two are so meant for each other,” She teased.

Jemma tilted her face up towards Daisy, allowing her to start applying eyeliner.

“He hasn’t really defined it. We’re ‘going out’, but we aren’t dating.”

Daisy finished the subtle cat eye, shaking her head. When would he learn that Jemma would only believe they were together if he said, ‘Hey, Jems, I’m completely and totally in love with you and I want you and I to live happily ever after!’

Daisy watched Jemma inspect herself in the mirror, touching up her mascara.

“You look amazing. He’s a fool if he doesn’t see it,” Daisy assured.

Jemma smiled. Her Sheffield accent had gotten thicker over break, Daisy noticed, as Jemma responded, “He does, I know he does. We both just have trouble, you know? Voicing our thoughts and feelings.”

Daisy definitely knew…

“Well, he could do with a good reminder sometimes. If y’all are going to keep going on these not-dates, you might as well show him what he’s missing by staying just friends!”

Jemma laughed, smiling gratefully. She took one final look in the mirror, swishing her knee-length royal blue dress and fluffing her hair. “Okay, well, off I go. Have a good night, Daisy.”

Daisy gave her a thumbs up and went to watch out her window as Fitz handed Jemma a hand-picked bouquet of (slightly squished) wildflowers and took her arm to lead her to the parking lot.

Daisy sighed and turned away from the gold and pink sunset. She opened her personal laptop, immediately bombarded by three windows running programs. One was running an innocent algorithm to clean all the useless, unused files from her computer, one was a simulation that could (hypothetically, no harm no foul) hack the Pentagon, and another was trying to find video and audio feed from Los Angeles, four months ago.

Daisy’s gaze lingered on the last one, not expecting anything new. She sighed and picked up her laptop, deciding to go visit Mack in the garage. It was only seven on a Friday, he’d probably be there working on the run-down, close to falling apart Harley he had bought off an old friend for $200. Mack had been working on it for months. Daisy wasn’t even sure it had half its original parts.

A short trip across the grounds and a trek over a winding path cut through a field of thick tallgrass later, Daisy arrived at the garage.

The monstrous steel and concrete building was like a plane hangar and mechanics lab forged into one. Workstations around the edge were strewn with tools, motors, and half-finished pieces of tech. Shining black SHIELD vehicles and even two quinjets sat in the middle, outlined by rectangular blocks of tape and paint. Catwalks crossed the upper level so that mechanics could reach the tops of planes when necessary, though SHIELD planes hardly ever came to The Academy unless they were being used for a lesson.

Daisy followed the sounds of tinkering and the quietly moving shadows to Mack’s workstation. She carefully leaned against a nearby SHIELD van, not wanting to interrupt his work.

Now, to say that Mack wasn’t easily frightened was an understatement. Daisy had hardly ever seen the muscled giant of a man so much as jump. Ever since discovering this, Daisy had taken every opportunity to try to scare Mack. It was not going great.

Daisy pulled out her phone, silently thumbing through emails and checking Instagram. She was about to walk over and tap him on the shoulder when Mack turned around and screamed.

Clutching his chest, Mack exclaimed, “Tremors, what the hell?!”

“I just wanted to come check in,” Daisy giggled, happy that she had finally snuck up on Mack.

Mack stood with his hands on his hips, smiling wide, before cocking one thick eyebrow and gesturing at her face.

“What happened to your nose?”

“Punching bag won this morning,” She shrugged.

Mack shook his head, laughing in a deep rumble. “You wanna help me with this?” He asked, pointing to the small device on his desk.

She didn’t answer, just reached out to take a small screwdriver from Mack’s very large hand. He showed her how to twist it to create leverage without it slipping while he messed with some wires, and eventually he seemed satisfied.

“Have you eaten dinner?” Mack asked casually.

Daisy nodded, her grumbling stomach betraying her.

Mack eyed her up and down. “Sure. Well, I’m hungry, so let's get something to eat and then we can take the bikes out.”

Daisy liked the feeling of being on a bike, the wind in her hair and steady vibrations from the engine soothing her ever-present headache. Ever since this revelation, if Mack went out on his motorcycle, he invited Daisy to ride with him.

At first, Daisy had been skeptical. What was so great about a two-wheel speeding death trap? One of her best friends had driven a gleaming 1969 Dodge Charger, and she had enjoyed riding with the windows down, but it still wasn’t the absolute best experience of her life, like most motorcyclists claimed a ride could be. However, once Daisy had finally taken Mack up on his offer, she was never hesitant to accept another invitation.

In the canteen, Mack piled a plate high with salad ingredients and baked spaghetti, scooping some off into a bowl for Daisy once he got back to the table. She took a fork and picked at it, chewing the crisp lettuce slowly.

Once they were both finished, Mack put his plate and utensils on the circling dish belt. He let Daisy lead the way back to the garage. She immediately grabbed two helmets and Mack’s gloves.

“That leather jacket gonna be enough to keep you warm? I have a couple old flannels in my bag if you want one.” Mack offered.

Daisy picked at a loose thread on the worn black jacket, nodding and throwing a ‘Thanks’ over her shoulder. She quickly rifled through his duffel bag, pulling out a faded black and blue flannel and shrugging it on under her jacket.

Mack mounted his black and silver bike, Daisy choosing a smaller SHIELD one. She kicked the kickstand back with her foot, finding her balance. She followed Mack as he revved the engine and took off out of the garage. Daisy heard him speak into the helmet’s mic.

“I upgraded the bikes, bigger tires and a better visor. It’s more efficient. Plus, when I’m out on the highway, cars don’t push me around.”

Daisy gave him a thumbs up, focusing on the feeling of air flowing around her. She sped up as she reached the road. She felt as if she was flying high into the air, fighting the laws of physics. On the back roads surrounding the Academy, as familiar as the back of her hand, Daisy relaxed and let herself fall into autopilot.

She heard Mack in her ear, still talking about the bike. She had heard it all before, but there was something centering about listening to Mack retell the evolution of his bike for the hundredth time, like a kid who begged to hear the same bedtime story every night.

It was freeing, speeding down a deserted road on the bike, stars above and pavement below. Pine trees reached for the sky on each side of her. Shrubbery and grass waved to Mack and Daisy as they raced forward.

A slight burn pricked her eyes that she knew wasn’t from the wind. Daisy needed this after a stressful first couple weeks back in class. To be honest, it was what she needed all the time. Daisy was exhausted. Her powers may not be visible, but they were always on, always bouncing around her body. Times like these, though, Daisy felt free. Releasing the constant grip she had on her self-control, she let the vibrations of the engine flow through her. Slowly, surely, Daisy let her guard down. A whispering warble crept into her ears over the wind. She could feel the way the pavement below and the humid late-August air around her absorbed the miniscule quakes, bouncing lightly off the tall trees like a quiet laugh reflecting off the walls of an echo-chamber.

About an hour later, Daisy and Mack were rolling back into the garage. Daisy couldn’t hide the slight redness in her eyes, but the smile on her face told Mack he didn’t need to worry. The pair silently did maintenance on the motorcycles, re-fueling them for later use and checking for any loose parts on Daisy’s.

Daisy headed back to campus, refusing Mack’s offer to walk her back to the dorms. She would be fine on her own. Besides, Jems might be back by now, she could ask about Fitzsimmons’ date. Or she could wait until breakfast tomorrow and tease them both.

Daisy stopped in her tracks. Out of the corner of her eye, a shadow slipped behind a building. Daisy felt her back tense, her hands curling into fists.

Any remainder of twilight light had faded while Mack and Daisy maintenanced the bikes. Daisy couldn’t imagine that any of the trainees that went to parties at the nearby universities were back yet, but no student in their right mind would want to simply walk around the dark campus of the Academy.

She kept walking, more alert. No sounds apart from her steady breathing and the rustle of grass beneath her feet reached her ears. She walked slowly toward where the shadow had disappeared. It looked as if it was headed to the biochem building. Daisy raised her hands, quietly running towards the white building, slightly crouched. She circled it once, twice, before deciding she had been imagining things, the shadow was only a trick of the light. It seemed so real though, so solid…

Daisy shook her head and crossed the courtyard, heading towards the dorms. It was late, and she had important things to do tomorrow. She was probably just tired from her ride with Mack.

Behind her, unnoticed by Daisy, the shadow quickly crossed the field behind the biochem building, slinking into the tallgrass.

The next day, Daisy woke to the sound of her alarm blaring 90’s RnB at six thirty AM, sharp. She quickly shut it off and stared at the ceiling for a moment before groaning and dragging herself out of bed. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night after her encounter with the shadow.

The sun was slowly ascending in the sky, golden light filtering into her windows. It was early, but she didn’t have the energy to go workout. Instead, Daisy stretched on her bed and sent a quick text to Jemma asking to meet up later to gossip about her date.

She grabbed shorts and a cropped sweatshirt, quickly dressing and making her way to the bathroom. She clipped her hair back, brushed her teeth, washed her face and headed back to her room. Trying her best to cover the bruise that had turned from red-violet to a blue-ish tinted black, she did minimal makeup. It’s not like it could get any worse, she thought bitterly. The concealer wasn’t much use.

Deciding to ignore the bruise, Daisy stood up, grabbed her backpack with her personal laptop and journal and headed to the canteen.

There weren’t many students around campus this early in the morning. Most were either asleep or nursing a hangover in their dorms. A few dedicated trainees were scattered amongst the different buildings, either in the gym or studying on their favourite bench. Daisy made a beeline for the canteen, hoping that no one had drank all the fresh coffee yet.

She slipped through the doors, sending small smiles to the students she made eye-contact with, faltering when her roving gaze reached a set of twinkling eyes the color of coffee. Maybe, she thought, I should go over and talk to him. What’s the worst that can happen?

She quickly poured herself a cup of coffee and grabbed a cinnamon raisin bagel from the pastry cart. Checking to be sure he wasn’t sitting with anyone (she wouldn’t want to intrude), Daisy walked around to the back of the large room, sitting in a spot diagonal from him.

After a few minutes of silence where Daisy ate her bagel and pretended not to feel his eyes on her, she turned and faced him.

“Good morning,” she said.

He dipped his head and raised his paper cup of coffee at the same time in response.

Does he not want to talk to me? Daisy questioned herself. She tried again. “So, is the coffee good?” He glanced at her cup that she had been sipping. Daisy recovered, “You know, in your opinion. I love the coffee here, the slightly burned aftertaste goes well with cream and sugar.΅

To her relief, he smiled. “Yeah, it’s good. I don’t usually use cream or sugar.”

Daisy raised her eyebrows, impressed. “Ah, more of a bare necessities, no-nonsense guy?”

His nose scrunched a little in thought, as if he was assessing his entire personality to see if it aligned with Daisy’s coffee psychology. He nodded finally, elaborating, “I was in the army. Most of us drank it black while deployed. I never got out of the habit. But, to answer your question, I like to think of myself as low maintenance.”

He sent her a small smile that had her insides melting just a bit. Daisy hid behind the rim of her coffee cup, trying to think of a response. Luckily, New Guy saved her.

“How do you drink your coffee?”

Daisy lowered her own paper cup, clearing her throat. “One half and half, just a bit of sugar. If I’m super tired I’ll add more.”

“So you probably adapt easily and have a deep hunger for answers to all your questions?”

Daisy’s eyes quickly flicked down to her coffee, wondering if her coffee order really exposed that much about her. Daniel laughed, his shoulders shaking with mirth. “I’m kidding. I noticed how you’re always in the computer lab before class, and Yo-Yo told me that you use that time to research.”

Daisy felt a blush creep up her neck. Yo-Yo knew New Guy? And gave him information about her schedule?

Daniel quickly explained, “We see each other in the halls a lot. And we have a class together. She noticed me in the lab and thought I knew you.”

Daisy relaxed. Yo-Yo had become increasingly more friendly to strangers the longer she spent at the Academy.

“I remember the first time I met her. She was so angry that SHIELD had stopped her from exposing the police in her city as corrupt. Our team was sent in to help her finish what she had started, destroy weapons and take down the corrupt members of the department. It was fun,” She chuckled.

Daniel watched her through his thin clear-frame glasses. She winced a little as her nose scrunched with laughter, recalling another story about a mission gone awry that Yo-Yo saved.

“How did you get that bruise?”

“What?”

He pointed to the spot on his face that mirrored the position of the bruise on hers. “The bruise. It looks like it hurts.”

Daisy shrugged, “Not as badly as getting shot. But you know, sometimes you punch the bag, sometimes the bag punches you.”

Despite the playful nature of the statement, Daniel couldn’t help but hear alarm bells in the back of his mind. She had been shot?!

Daisy noticed the change in Daniel’s demeanor and switched tactics, “It’s just a bruise. I wasn’t paying attention and the punching bag flew back and hit me in the face.”

Daniel laughed, becoming more and more intrigued with the enigma sitting across from him. Well, at least this enigma was beautiful, even if she had lost a fight to a punching bag.

A look of pure confusion overtook Daisy’s features. “Excuse me?”

Daniel’s face flushed bright red. He said that out loud. Daisy was still smiling though, Daniel let out a nervous chuckle. The two lapsed into an awkward silence. Daisy was finishing her bagel when he spoke up again.

“It was good talking to you,” he said softly.

Daisy’s eyes wandered his face with an unreadable expression. “Yeah, it was.”

He resisted the urge to offer to walk Daisy to wherever she was going as she headed out of the doors of the canteen, coffee with one half and half and pinch of sugar in hand.

————————————————————————————

hi hellooo! whatd you think? comments and notes are appreciated! (will go back and edit this later, for now i sleep)

tag list: @jaanulore

[everythingsinred]

Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: The Anime (pt. 3)

The anime is a different species than the manga, something that frequently happens during the adaptation from page to screen. Since they’re so different, I’ll analyze them separately.

In the last two sections, we explored how the anime treated the start of NatsuMikan's relataionship, as well as how different the story can be with some added elements and feelings. In this part, I'll talk about some more manga divergence, with perhaps more of an emphasis on Natsume because there's some new themes added in regard to his story.

Episode 12 vs. Chapter 11

Another “filler” episode, filler in that the events are completely different than in the manga, is the 12th episode. Just like in the manga, Mikan finds out that her ability class is uninterested in participating in the culture fest, much to her dismay. She ends up spending the whole episode wandering around campus, watching her peers prepare but struggling to come up with something for her class to do. In the manga, she comes up with the idea for the culture fest on her own, but in the anime it’s a journey and it couldn’t have happened without Natsume. Whereas at this part of the manga, he can barely tolerate her, in the anime he already likes her and he helps her out in his own way.

“‘Tis but a flesh wound.”

She finds Natsume in the classroom by himself, reading his manga. She vents to him her frustration and admits her jealousy: his amazing alice has many uses at a culture fest while hers does not. He burns the tips of her hair but confesses that he’s not allowed to participate beyond being a spectator. When Sumire’s brother shows up looking for Hotaru, he finds Natsume and Mikan, insulting both of them but especially Mikan. Natsume sets his hair on fire and then tells her to go back and talk to her class. The back of his manga gives her the idea of the RPG, much to his chagrin since he winces when she thanks him for the help. He talks to her the whole scene, defending her from Permy’s brother and even helps her (indirectly) come up with what to do with the SA class.

They have so much in common, specifically about the culture festival, and Mikan realizes this and it’s part of the reason why Natsume sticks up for her here. Just like her, he knows how it feels to be excluded because of your ability class. The manga’s version of events seems a bit darker, but it’s hard to be depressed after the counterpart’s version, where Natsume and Mikan bond together over their shared struggles.

Although the class is on board with her idea, Jinno (again…) doesn’t let them participate, claiming that he wishes they couldn’t participate at all just like the DA class. The SA class gives up and Mikan blows up on them and runs away, running into Natsume, this time under a tree. She tells him she’s convinced that he’s lonely and wants friends, and she obviously doesn’t have any qualms with being a friend to him. She proposes the two of them spend the culture fest together, surprising him.

For all of their differences, after all, they’re more alike than they seem. Two outcasts befriending each other despite the school’s efforts to suppress their fun is empowering and uplifting and sweet. After all, despite how popular Natsume is, his worshippers mostly go along with whatever he’s doing and saying, rather than trying to find ways for him to have fun. For them, it’s more about getting Natsume to like them. For Mikan, it’s about getting him to smile, and that’s what sets her apart. She knows what he’s like, that he could easily tease her or insult her or cruelly reject her and yet she asks him anyway. She wants to include him in ways nobody else has, other than Ruka. You could easily see Mochu or one of his fan club members saying “Let’s ditch this anyway! Who cares! It’s lame anyway!” while Mikan gets to the heart of it. Natsume doesn’t actually think the festival is lame or boring. He just can’t participate and it hurts his feelings. “Let’s participate anyway,” Mikan says. “We’ll do it together because we’re both not allowed.” It’s what he actually wants someone to say to him, even if he won’t admit it.

If you look close enough, you can see Natsume’s little blush.

She says they’re both on their own, unable to participate. He tells her to go talk to her class instead and reconcile with them. Despite Mikan giving him an offer that he wants to accept, he tells her to do what’s best for her. She is upset about her argument with her class, and just hanging around with him won’t make her as happy as she would be if she made up with them. He’s not selfish at all--he doesn’t want her company if it comes at the price of her happiness. Furthermore, he’s not upset in the slightest that after the episode they no longer have “we’re not allowed to participate” in common. It’s still something they bonded over and it’s enough that she can have fun, even if he can’t. She is impressed by his ability to know what’s wrong and help her in his own way. There’s a growing affection between them, where Natsume values her optimism and cheerfulness, and she values his secret and subtle kindness. She’s learning to see his hidden acts of kindness for what they are and appreciating them when she recognizes them. And no, he won’t tell her anything about the DA class except that it’s different than the other classes, but he doesn’t get mad at her for asking. He wishes he could tell her. It’s just not an option. The crow disrupting the songbirds on the streetlamp is so metaphoric, it’s kinda obvious. But is the crow Natsume, who can’t have fun like the songbirds, or is the crow Persona, who ruins the fun he sees?

Genuinely I’m shocked that Natsume survived this emotional ordeal. How did he not go into cardiac arrest.

Right after Mikan’s departure an onlooking Hotaru asks Ruka if he's glad nothing happened, as if something would’ve happened. Their connection and softness is something perceptible, even from a distance. He’s different with her, and both Hotaru and Ruka can see it.

Then Natsume passes out, implying that he felt poorly during his conversation with Mikan but didn’t let it show, probably so she wouldn’t worry. Knowing that Natsume had earlier gone on a mission where he presumably gets shot in the side adds a new layer to their interactions. After all, he hadn’t told Persona what was wrong when he’d asked and Ruka was surprised too, so it can be assumed that Natsume went back to his dorm after the mission and then patched himself up. Seeing as he is only ten years old, it couldn’t have been that good of a patch-up, and he is still injured. Natsume was grouchy because of the culture fest and because he was dealing with agonizing pain all day.

Kitty, you better not be dead.

In any case, Mikan asking Natsume to hang out is a sign of Mikan warming up to him, and wanting to spend time with him. This can be contrasted with an event that happens around this same time in the manga, though Manga!Natsumikan still hate each other by the time the Culture Fest is announced. He likes her in the anime though, at this point in time, and his rejecting her invitation is not because he doesn’t want to hang out with her, but because she still has a chance to make things right with her class and have a fun Culture Fest without him.

The Reo Arc (Episodes 13, 14, & 15 vs. Chapters 13, 14, 15, & 16)

The Reo Arc (the arc that turns Natsume’s image of Mikan completely around in the manga) is a bit pointless in the grand scheme of things in the anime. Don’t get me wrong, it’s more or less the same story and it’s still fun to watch, but it holds a different weight in the manga. In the anime, he already likes her at this point, so his feelings don’t change much, though they might have gotten stronger and possibly even softer (he seems very angry at himself for liking her before this arc, probably to keep his character in line with the manga, and after the arc he is much less upset about his feelings... or maybe just as upset but for different reasons). The Reo Arc was much better done in the manga. It served two purposes: to make Sumire one of Mikan’s friends and, most importantly, to have Natsume start liking Mikan.

If he already likes Mikan, then the anime should’ve focused more on the purpose of having Sumire and Mikan become friends but the emphasis does not change. It stays focused on Mikan and Natsume, attempting to serve a purpose that has already been served. Plus, the intervention of Narumi and the SA class seems very silly and was done to fill up time in the episodes. I also don’t understand why the culture fest started while Mikan, Natsume, and Sumire were in Reo’s custody, since that wasn’t the case in the manga and it seemed like they changed things for no reason, not even revealing the impact of that change. Furthermore, they were forced by this arc to then include Reo in the Circus Arc, which was undoubtedly the worst mistake of the anime. After all, including a potential big bad who just disappears after he kidnaps three kids isn’t satisfying at all. Narratively, they had to bring him back again as a villain, but the way they did it was lackluster.

Of course, not everything has to have some thematic significance and not everything has to be finely tuned to still be good, but there’s little for me to analyze if it’s so unchanged.

Though there is one scene, before anyone gets kidnapped, that has plenty of stuff to analyze and is thematically important. Natsume has a nightmare of himself entirely shrouded in darkness and surrounded by people whispering about him. He runs, because it’s all he can do, begging people to leave him alone. It’s almost sad that in many ways, Natsume acts so cold because all he wants is for people to leave him alone and yet this behavior is for some quite appealing (hence he has a fan club he couldn’t care less about) or so repulsive that his upperclassmen bully him even more. The dream then shifts to Persona telling him he has a mission, so on top of bullying and ostracization and exclusion, he is also forced into the position of child soldier, doing unspeakable things for an organization that does not care about his safety in the slightest. That’s how he feels, really, like there’s just too much for him to handle, and not enough good to make up for it. He’s shouldering so much pain and has nobody to talk to about it. But then there’s a light! And Mikan’s voice calling for him! And he reaches for her, because it’s the first brightness we’ve seen in this dream, and the first he’s seen in a while.

Unfortunately, that’s not where the dream ends. Natsume can’t reach her. Persona’s grasp is too strong, and he gets pushed right back down into the darkness. This is the most important part of the dream, really, but the part that gets most overlooked. Mikan is Natsume’s light, but he’s not allowed to have her. Natsume’s particular brand of coldness and cruelty to Mikan is to protect her. His life is nothing but darkness and her being his light only illuminates him, while it would bring her darkness and possibly even dim her light. You can’t mix black and white without getting grey--his life would brighten and hers would fade. Moreover, Natsume is dying. He won’t get to be with Mikan, even if he wanted to, even if it wouldn’t ruin her. He doesn’t have time. By the time he gets close enough, he’ll be dead, and it would all have been a moot point.

So much misunderstanding about Natsume’s behavior stems here, from the mistaken belief that he is cold and cruel and mean and distant from Mikan because that’s just the way he is, rather than the way he has to be in order to protect people from himself. From his back story in the manga we see that Natsume was always a snarky, unsmiling kid, but he wasn’t like he was when Mikan met him. He had warmth, passion, life, and the school snuffed that out of him. If Natsume’s head weren’t held constantly under cold water, he’d have a much easier time making friends, having fun, and being happy. He might even give wooing Mikan a shot, because as it stands now, he is not even close to considering it.

Anyhow, the rest of the arc is very similar to the manga, so we’ll focus on that for the next essay. I will discuss this more when I analyze the manga, because those events stay the same but matter way more in terms of the manga.

Episode 16 vs. Chapter 18 & 19

Mikan and her SA class have a labyrinthian Aladdin activity, accomplishable only because of their unique alices, but at first no one wants to play. It takes Mikan’s friends--Ruka, Sumire, and Narumi--to make the attraction popular. I’ll talk more about this in the manga section because it means more in the manga and the anime adaptation didn’t change the original much. The analysis will be much more satisfying in context of the manga, anyway.

Episode 17 vs. Chapter 20 & 22

In the seventeenth episode, Mikan and co. visit Hotaru’s attraction--featuring Pigula from the manga and a little competition attraction featuring chickens. The one noteworthy Natsumikan moment is Natsume conceding that “everyone has to be good at something” when it turns out Mikan is pretty good at the game.

That seems like it could be a compliment, but considering that Mikan is athletically talented and cheerful, she is good at things beyond a chicken game. It just so happens that this game plays on her strengths. Silly Natsume. Later on, Mikan shows her compassion for the little boy who screws up his chicken and Hotaru’s backstory is unlocked. In this episode, the emphasis is on Hotaru and her brother. The manga explores different themes, including Mikan’s insecurity about her alice and not knowing what she wants to do with it, as well as Ruka’s feelings about his triple-star status.

There is one thing that really stands out in the anime that doesn’t have the same meaning in the manga. Earlier, Natsume and Mikan bonded before the culture fest about not being allowed to participate and when she asked if he wanted to hang out with her during it, he helped inspire her to make up with her friends instead. After beating the labyrinth, Natsume got three wishes from Mikan and one of them was to spend time together during the festival. He doesn’t exactly put it that way, in the manga or the anime, instead opting to wish that she’d carry his stuff around, but ultimately he wanted what she had offered: to spend time together during the culture fest. It makes him happy and makes his festival experience so much better, even if she is a downer for some of it.

Summary

This part of the anime, we discover some more information about Natsume. This new information adds new layers to his relationship with Mikan. The scenes the anime adds give the story some extra richness, like the dream he has at the start of the Reo Arc. Because of the addition of Natsume's perspective, we can see more clearly why he acts the way he does, but also why despite all his acting cool, he's still just a kid that wants to have fun and be happy, and why it crushes him that he's not allowed to be a child.

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[katsuflossy]

Hii~ so I was wondering if maybe you could do a scenario or hc with whoever you desire meeting their s/o's friends, specifically the gremlin friend whos been dragged into the public by the crackhead friend?

Sero Meeting the S/o’s Friends

Pairing: Sero Hanta x reader

T/W: Obscenities, slight touch of body insecurities

Taglist: @sunset-novice-writer @goatsenpaiultimate

A/n: Hiiii- So i hope it’s to your liking. I assume the reader had two friends so if it’s not what you wanted then I’m sorry 🥺 But I hope you really like it!❤️

Sero’s ears picked up on a high pitched commotion downstairs. Mass squealings split through the air of Height Alliance drawing the curiosity of the few inhabitants. When he planted both of his feet on the lounge room floors, his eyes wandered to the leader of the Bakusquad, who was finishing work on the kitchen with a ferocious grip on the pen and scribbles on the verge of ripping the paper. Then his gaze traveled to the three on the floor. Under the pile stock laid you, who was squealing at equal volumes as the two on top of your body. The scene was both quite comedic and cute which ruptured a chuckle loud enough for (Y/n) to hear. She craned her neck to Sero’s figure before smiling even more widely at the boy.

“Sero! Baby!— Get off of me dumbasses! Hi baby!” You rose from the floor to jump into his arms, him easily catching you before you both could be sent to the ground. All the noise and happiness finally got to Bakugo as he slammed his notebook shut, grabbed all his supplies and marched himself up to his dorm room, grumbling under his breath and glaring at your smile as he passed. His nerve bulging from his temple throbbed harder as you smiled even wider at him. As soon as Bakugo left the room you whispered in Sero ear. A giggle passed your throat at the secret.

“I told him if he is nice when my friends are over, I would ask my family to send a bunch of Adobo and Goya seasoning for cooking.” Sero chuckled along with you and gave you a high-five.

“Good bribe babe.”

“Thanks, I learned from the best.” You fluttered your eyes at him before you both broke into laughter.

“So we’re just supposed to stand here while you guys make lovey-dovey eyes and shit?” The giggling only continued on both sides and you introduced your friends to the Cellophane quirk wielder.

“My apologies, your royal highness, this is Suki, short for Itsuki and he’s a royal pain in the ass.” Just as your hand was laid out to introduce him, he bent down and nipped at your palm, which allowed you to reflexively withdraw and chop him at the band of his neck. A whine came from his throat.

“Wassup.” You glared at him before introducing your other friend.

“And this is our pint-sized friend, Aaryell.” You laid your hand in front of her only for the little one to slap it away.

“Thanks for the introduction but I’m sure your boyfriend already knows I’m fucking short.” She, in turn, glared at you before smiling sweetly at your boyfriend who’s trying hard not to burst out laughing.

“And y’all know this is Sero… Just Sero.” You patted his chest and attempted to move away from him only to be squashed straight into his figure.

“Hi, nice to meet ya! I’m Sero, the ever-loving boyfriend to some chinchilla named (Y/n).” His turn to embarrassed you left your two friends howling at his introduction. Your laughter followed theirs as you snuggled further into Sero’s side. Suki took the time to talk to the prospective hero.

“Well, it’s finally nice to officially meet the chinchilla’s boyfriend. All we see through the phone are elbows and levitating hands feeding our gerbil friend.” All three begun to laugh again until you swipe your hand across his shoulders, eliciting a whine from the beanstalk.

“See what we’re not gonna do is make these rodent nicknames a thing.” His hands rose up to surrender. Sero pulls his physically aggressive girlfriend to his side for the second time.

“So what do you guys wanna do?” The new pair looked at each other. A goofy smile challenged a glossy snarl, both not giving up until Aaryell shouted.

“We are not going into the city!” Suki put a hand at his heart and let out a dramatic gasp.

“Why I wouldn’t suggest such a thing?! But can we?” The shortest one of the group grumbled under her breath about the insolent giant beside her, asking herself why is she friends with “this dumbass”.

(Y/n) smiled at the duo before looking up at Hanta. His quirk didn’t need to be telepathy to know what she wanted.

“I don’t see why not, plus we can avoid Mineta from stalking our business because a new girl is around.” Aaryell shuddered at the possibility of seeing Mineta, recalling the facetime chats you guys had talking about the times Mineta tried to look under your skirt and failed harshly. She grabbed everyone’s hands before stepping to the exit.

“You had me at Mineta.”

The sky acted as a caterpillar going through metamorphosis. Cloudy blue surrounded the city, encouraging all the citizens of Musutafu to be outside. The streets were congested with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and even business workers alike. So, Itsuki took the initiative of being the beacon, using his height to ensure you all weren’t lost in the sea of very pushy people. It wasn’t until you and Aaryell almost got washed away by the human riptide that Itsuki demanded a duo system. The two taller ones of the group took one of the vertically challenged. Itsuki’s quick decision of picking Aaryell as his duckling and the reddish hue on her brown cheeks did not pass either you or your boyfriend’s eyes. A simple glance between you and Hanta had decided what the goal of today would be: Operation Best Friend To Lover is on the go.

However, all the attempts had failed. Your idea to check out an arcade with a new VR zombie game flunked completely, resulting in Aaryell whopping Suki over the head with the controller due to his tries of whispering in her ear and poking her body.

Sero’s was even worse, his idea in going to a photo museum resulted in Itsuki attracting a mass of middle and highschool girls, gushing about his physique and face. He took it all in and a half as he interacted happily with his growing group of ‘fans’. Aaryell stood in discomfort picking at her stubby fingers and plush thighs before you declared that everyone was leaving. By the time you and Sero’s plan of going to a botanical garden came up, the sky’s second stage of metamorphosis had begun. The once azure shade tinted to a dark gray, the sun entrapped in its cloudy cocoon. Big droplets of rain clattered noisily against the street and pedestrians scattered to find shelter. Sero spotted an underground cafe before everyone could’ve been completely soaked.

The cool ventilation inside riddled your skin in goosebumps. Before you could say anything, Aryell spoke up.

“Jeez, it’s kinda cold in here.” She rubbed her arms to smooth out the texture on her skin and spark a little warmth. Her shoulder met with the weight of a jacket too long for her stature. Itsuki looked down at her with a smile.

“Here you can have it until you’re warmed up.”

You nudged Sero in his side to observe the scene in front of you. However, cellophane quirk wielder was already grinning at the two as Aaryell blushed then punched the giant in the shoulder, resulting in a whine and a “your sadist side is showing again.” By the time the two went to the counter to order the food, you and Sero took refuge in one of the booths to analyze the situation.

“Okay so Sero, give me the stats.”

“Well your arcade date didn’t work and mine did.” A gasp broke through your throat at his harsh comment.

“Mine wasn’t a complete flob! She started rubbing his head after 15 minutes of cursing and pouting, so that’s good.” Sero rolled his eyes, not budging from his argument.

“So like how Bakugo would beat the shit out of Kirishima in practice then throw a cold towel at him when no one’s looking.” You huffed in admittance. Your plan failed but his wasn’t better.

“Yeah well, at least mine didn’t result in making Mr. Adonis’ head swelling and Adonia insecure.” Sero shoulders slumped slightly, knowing that his plan hurt a new friend.

“Yeah yeah, I apologized about making her uncomfortable while you were chewing out Itsuki.” You smiled at your boyfriend proudly before reaching over the table and pecking his lips, eliciting his usual smile back to life.

“That’s why I’m proud of you, baby” He pecked your lips again before addressing the situation at hand. With a coordinated effort, the evening was spent with the duo blushing and laughing at each other’s jokes while you and Sero smiling and fist-bumping like fairy odd parents.

The party of four finally decided to part ways as the orange and yellow inks spilled on to the sky, looking like the wings of a monarch butterfly. You and Sero waved as the two walked toward the train being boarded, giggling as they secretly, but not so secretly, linked pinkies. Just as the two of you turned around, you turned to Hanta.

“I bet all the Super Smash Bros Ultimate skins you have that they’ll text me tonight declaring their crush for each other.”

“Hmm, I bet they’ll text you after 12 and one-thirds of the snacks your family sends you, the spicy stuff included.”

“Deal.”

[Extended clip]

[random-mha-thoughts]

Special (Todoroki x Reader)

Pairing: Todoroki x Reader

Anon asked:  "todoroki angst: reader is feeling anxious about their relationship. like, wow he deserves so much better why did he pick me, all that stuff. reader thinks he deserves someone like momo, maybe?? and reader kinda distances herself and tries to push him and momo together and he notices and... idk where to go from here. delete this if it doesn't work :)"

Genre: Angst to fluff/comfort

(Submission 3/3 for Todoroki angst in my ask box!)

Word count: 1,835

Tags:  @yuki-osaki​ @liviitehe​ @iamsoftsodonttoucheume-blog​

a/n: Thanks for the submission anon!  I hope I did it justice!

This one overlaps very well with the last one I did, and I was considering combining the two ideas, but I think this one deserves to stand on its own.  I wanted to use this to send a message, so pay close attention to it and I hope you all walk away from this feeling better because I really love all of you and I care about you and you’re all special and yeah I’m rambling now.

I’ll be taking a break from Todoroki and angst (bc I’ve been giving him A LOT of attention and it’s not fair), so the next post will probably be either Bakugou or Shinsou fluff, leaning more towards Bakugou.

Also Todo only has two modes, flirty or awkward, there’s no inbetween. aka canon or yatoverse what

Buy me a coffee?

"Oogling your boyfriend again?" Uraraka shoves my shoulder with hers.

I force a smile at her before turning my attention back to the sparring match.  Todoroki is up against Tokoyami and Dark Shadow, managing to hold his own as everyone knows he would.  He didn't want to let the match end in the first second, so he promised not to go too overboard with his powers so Tokoyami can practice more.  The thought makes me proud, to know I'm dating one of the top students in our class, or even our grade.

It also makes me feel small.

My quirk isn't the strongest, all I can do it manipulate the ground around me, almost like an Earth quirk, but I'm still too weak to do anything fantastic with it.  I was told that if  I try hard enough, I can manipulate metal, or even sand and soil, but I'm still weak.  On top of all that I'm not even the best fighter.  I don't have amazing combat skills or strategy or aggression or charisma.  I'm just...me.

I feel myself visibly slouch, the dark thoughts eating at my energy a I continue observing my kick-ass boyfriend.  How can I even be a match for him when I'm not even good enough?

Todoroki finally uses enough fire to blind Dark Shadow into submission and freeze Tokoyami at the same time, effectively finishing the match.  He lets out a cool breath and looks out into the crowd, the first person he meets eyes with is me and he smiles.

I can't help but melt at such a soft gesture and I blush, averting my eyes to the ground as I feel him approaching through the crowd of students.  "Were you watching me, love?" he whispers so only I can hear.

My eyes widen at the close proximity.  "You did really well.  I'm proud of you."

A warm hand cups my cheek and I meet his gentle gaze.  "When it's your turn, I'll make sure to cheer you on."

His words make my stomach churn.  I don't want to fail in front of him, he'll think I'm weak, if he doesn't already.  "I'll do my best," I reply less than enthusiastically.

Thankfully, Todoroki isn't too perceptive.  Instead, he motions for us to start walking.  "Shall we go to lunch then?"

We gather our lunch and sit with Midoriya and his friends, and I motion for Momo and Tsuyu join us as well.  Momo sits across from Todoroki and Tsuyu sits on my other side.  While everyone else talks, I simply observe and listen to everyone's conversation, Todoroki on my right side sits closer to me and occasionally grips my hand under the table.  They're all more or less discussing tactics they learned from their individual training, and I don't usually speak unless someone asks me directly.  I tune into the conversation on my side of the table.

"It's pretty amazing how you were able to tone down your quirk, Todoroki-kun," Momo comments, "I would've thought you would have to tie one of your arms behind your back to handicap yourself."

"No, I've trained enough to have precise control, though my left side still needs some work," Todoroki responds casually.

As the three of them continue, I take a final bite of my rice dish and stand to throw out my tray.  "I'm just going to the bathroom," I mumble, feeling as though none of them care anyway.  I dump the rest of my food out in the garbage and slip to the other side of the room behind a column, peering out from behind to watch my boyfriend and Momo interacting with each other.

Ever since they were paired up to face Aizawa a week ago, I've noticed a chemistry between them that I can't deny.  It got me thinking deeply, I figure they would make such a power couple; they're both intelligent, bright, serious, charismatic, top of the class, and they have useful quirks.  They worked so well together, it got me thinking how useless I am.  Todoroki deserves someone like her as a partner, not worthless little me.  I've been trying to push them together in hopes that Todoroki would develop feelings for her and break up with me, or I would break up with him if I notice their relationship becoming something more.  At least no one would get hurt that way.

"Hey, (y/n), what are you doing alone here?"  Ojiro startles me from behind, his tail slightly brushing my arm.

I smile at the blond.  "Oh, nothing, just..."  My words trail off as I realize I don't have a proper excuse for being here other than being a creepy stalker.

He quirks an eyebrow.  "Is there something wrong between you and Todoroki that you're watching him secretly like this?"

My face turns red in shame.  "N-No, nothing like that.  He's been really great to me, nothing to question him about."

Ojiro flicks his tail about, reading my expression carefully.  "But you don't seem very happy.  I know it's not my place to say anything, but wouldn't it be better if you just talk to him about what's going on?  He's not exactly a mind reader."

I look back at the two.  Momo's covering her mouth and laughing at something Todoroki must have said.  Though my chest hurts a little, I force myself to believe it's a push in the right direction.  "I think things will work out the way they're supposed to be in the end."

.

After class, I'm asking Momo about her notes from today when Todoroki comes up behind me to walk back to the dorms together as we usually do.  He's about to wrap an arm around my waist when I side step and turn my body to face him.  "Hey, I have something I have to get from the store downtown."  He opens his mouth and I know he's going to offer to come with me, but I interject before he has a chance to, "Can you walk Yaomomo back?  I kept her back for a while and she has no one to walk with."

His eyebrows slightly furrow, but he nods and says nothing.  I squeeze his arm and take off down the hall, hoping they don't see me as they walk out.  Instead of going all the way to town, I slip into the nearest convenience store.  I have a very strong urge to drown my feelings in junk food, grabbing a few bags of chips, cups of noodles, and packs of chocolate.  At least I know food will always accept me even when I'm not strong.

I trudge back to the dorms, drop my bags in my room, and change into my lounge clothes before taking a container of chips with me up to the roof.  The sky already starts getting dark, a gradient of reds, pinks, and oranges streaking across the sky towards the setting Sun while dark blue chases it from the other side.

I open the circular container and start eating the chips from the top, letting the brisk air brush my cheeks as I sit at the raised ledge, my legs dangling off.

The faint crescendo of footsteps ascending the stairs calls my attention from the sky's colors. "You'll spoil your dinner like that," Todoroki's voice rings out as he sits next to me, his back to the Sun.

I look down at the already half-eaten cylinder.  "Wasn't planning on eating anyway," I mutter, stuffing another one in my mouth.

"So I could spend time with Yaoyorozu instead?"

I stop mid-chew.  Busted.  "How do you know?"

He scoots over closer to me.  "I didn't notice at first, but then today when you didn't let me hold you, I was hurt."

Finally meeting his eyes, I can see the sorrow in them.  It made me feel guilty that I've been pushing him away.  "I'm sorry."

"And I noticed you've been disappearing a lot more lately."  His icy hand brushes a strand of hair behind my ear.  "Is there something wrong?  Did I do something?"

I bite my lip.  "No, I've just been thinking.  You and Momo would make a really great couple."  Saying it out loud leaves a sour taste in my mouth and forms a lump in my throat.

"But I'm with you, why would I want her?"  he asks, genuinely innocently.

I smile sadly at him.  "You deserve better than me, someone like her who you can work well with, someone on your level.  Not someone like me."

"What about you?"

A shaky breath rattles through me as I inhale.  "I'm...weak.  I still need a lot of work, and I don't even have anything special about me other than my quirk.  You'd be better off with someone way better than me."

Todoroki's silent as he takes my words in, his expression unreadable as he stares down at the rooftop floor.  I continue eating my chips in hopes of swallowing the lump there.

"Well," he finally speaks up, "I know what you're the best at."  I turn to face him questionably, and he gives me a soft smile as he stares into my eyes lovingly.  "Cuddles.  You're the perfect height for me to hug you and kiss your forehead."  He hand brushes my hair again.  "You have the best ears, because you patiently listen to all my problems, all my stresses, all my pent up feelings."  His fingers move down to entwine into my own.  "Your hand fits perfectly in mine to squeeze gently."  He plants a surprise kiss on my nose.  "You have the cutest nose to peck.  And most importantly," he exhales, "The most emotive, beautiful eyes to get lost in.  And you want to know something?  No one else has your unique set of features."

I can feel the tears well up with every genuine word he says.  The way he's so honest and soft about it makes my chest swell with emotions I can't place.

"Anyone can train hard enough to have a strong quirk, it just takes others a little longer to develop, and just the right push.  But only you have your special personality," he continues.  "Do you remember why I asked you to be mine?  No one else is as as cutely stubborn, or as hardworking as you.  No one else's laugh or smile is as contagious as yours."  He raises our joined hands to kiss the back of mine.  "Everyone may be unique, but your brand of unique is the only one I would love to be with, and I don't care about your quirk or how strong you think you are.  Because at the end of the day," he pulls me into his chest, "What really matters is you being here with me like this, not how you fight a villain."

I clutch him close to me, shaking as tears spill from my eyes.  "You're so good to me."

Hands gently brush my hair, "Because I'm all yours, love.  And I only want you."

[honeypiehotchner]

Alone Together part one -- Bucky Barnes x Reader (College AU)

Fuck it, quarantine short story. This is part one. I don’t know how many parts exactly this will turn out to be, but my estimate is around three. (It’s for real a short story, I swear.) Oh, and the gif is the headcannon of what college Bucky looks like in this story (hot, to be brief).

Summary: COVID-19 caused your college campus to shut down, forcing everyone to return home. You have to stay on campus, and you assume you’re all alone, until you run into the school’s biggest flirt.

You practically float down the staircase to the kitchen on the first floor. The entire building shares one kitchen — one stove, one sink, one giant ice maker, but no fridge since you’re allowed a small one in your dorm room. It used to annoy the living hell out of you, sharing this small kitchen with a hundred other kids. But now that you’re alone, you almost love it.

You just wish that there was still a fridge. Now your only annoyance is having to carry your refrigerated ingredients down from your room in a bag. 

You want macaroni and cheese. So bad. 

Because of the lockdown, practically every restaurant is closed. And if they are still open by some miracle, they’re doing orders online or from your car. That’s nice and all, but you don’t exactly feel like interacting with anyone — period. 

Which might be a problem for you. It’s been days (maybe a week?) now since you’ve interacted with another human being that isn’t the police officer that paroles the building once or twice a day. He does so to check on you, but also to make sure no undocumented students are still here.

The officer is nice. His name is Clint. He’s friendly. He reminds you of your dad, what little you remember from him before he passed away. 

You carefully set out your ingredients and start the process of making your personal recipe of macaroni and cheese. It’s something you’ve perfected. 

Just as you’re stirring in the cheese with the cooked noodles, you hear footsteps on the staircase. Thinking nothing of it, you continue stirring, waiting for Clint to come in and ask what you’re doing. He always does that — asks what you’re doing. Even when you’re clearly doing nothing, because what else is there to do?

“That smells good.”

That’s not Clint. Your eyes snap to the stranger’s voice, only it’s no stranger at all. “What are you doing here?” You ask.  

James Barnes leans against the doorway, stupid smirk on his lips and arms crossed over his chest. “What are you doing here? I thought I was the lone survivor hanging around here.”

“Me too,” you mumble, not caring at all about hiding your disappointment. Sure, being alone for a long time might not be entirely good for your mental health, but it’s something you were looking forward to. And it’s just the fucking cherry on top that James Barnes is the one to ruin it for you. 

“What are you cooking, Red?”

“Red?” You question, raising an eyebrow.

James shakes his head. “Just a nickname.”

You roll your eyes. “Whatever.” 

The last thing you need or want is to be the target of James Barnes — the biggest fuckboy at this college. You’ve successfully avoided him all year by being yourself, hanging out in places he’d never be caught dead in, like the library. But of course, now that a global pandemic is on the rise, this is when you’re cornered. 

“You know, I think we’re the only two people here.”

You scoff, turning off the burner underneath your small pot of mac and cheese. It’s finally done, meaning you can escape back to your room.

“Listen,” you start piling your unused ingredients back into the bag. “We might be the only people here, but I’d like it very much if we could go back to the way things were, I don’t know, yesterday.”

James raises an eyebrow as you swing the bag over your shoulder. “Yesterday?”

“When I didn’t know you were here,” you reply firmly, picking up the pot. You step forward, but James doesn’t move an inch. You glare at him. “Do you want me to burn you? I will.”

“No, no,” he steps aside, holding his hands up in surrender. “By all means.”

You decide not to “accidentally” burn him and instead keep your distance as you bound up the stairs. You take them two at a time, glancing behind you once you’re on the third floor to be absolutely positive he isn’t following you. And he’s not.  

You let out a sigh of utter relief when you close your door behind you, clicking the lock into place. All you wanted was some mac and cheese. 

Now you have to deal with the realization that you’re not actually alone. And to make matters worse, you’re stuck here with James Barnes. Of all people, it just had to be him.

+++

“I told you, I’m not having a good time right now.”

Your best friend frowns. “I’m sorry.”

“I was doing so good alone. I was excited, actually, to be alone. But now I have to live here knowing I could run into him around any corner.”

“Well, maybe not any corner,” your best friend slows down your train of thoughts. “He wouldn’t roam around the girl’s floor.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Seriously? This is James we’re talking about.”

“Yes, I know,” she chuckles. “But he isn’t all that bad.”

“Don’t start.”

“I’m not starting anything!” She protests. “All I’m saying is that yes, James is a fuckboy. Absolutely no doubt about that one. But he’s...I don’t know. He’s a gentleman. He’s a player, but he’s respectful. He wouldn’t do some of the things I know you’re worried about.”

You chew on the inside of your cheek. “You’re sure?”

Your best friend nods seriously. “Come on, you know Steve?”

“Rogers?” He’s on the football team with James, you’re pretty sure. Or is it baseball? You honestly can’t remember. Hell, maybe it’s soccer.

“Yeah,” she nods again. “They’re best friends.”

“I knew that.”

“My point is, Steve keeps James in check a lot. I’ve seen it, trust me. James might be a player, but if he ever goes too far, Steve is there to get him for it.”

“Well I’m glad someone at least reins him in,” you breathe. “I don’t know what I’m going to do now that he’s here.”

“Stop worrying! You didn’t know he was there two days ago and you were fine.”

“He didn’t know I was here, either, that’s the thing,” you remind her. “But now he knows.”

“Yes, and I’m sure he’s super interested in you, a girl who wants nothing to do with him.”

“I told you how he stood in the doorway.”

“So? Friendly conversation.”

You give her a look.

“Like I said, he’s a gentleman. Besides, he only really goes after girls he knows he can get. He understands messages pretty quickly. So I’m sure he’ll leave you alone. And if you’re that worried, threaten to burn him again.”

You roll your eyes, remembering. That was ridiculous. “Not my finest moment. I wish I had thought of something more clever than that.”

“You will, don’t worry,” your best friend laughs. “I’ve gotta go, I think mom needs help with dinner. I still wish you would’ve come here instead of staying there all alone.”

“I told you, I don’t want to get anyone sick on accident. I’m better here.”

“But James is there.”

“And it would be my honor to get him sick,” you joke. “Go help your mom. Tell her I say hi.”

“I will,” your best friend sighs. “Bye. I love you.”

“Love you too,” you smile sadly, ending the call. 

Well, that didn’t make you feel better like you had hoped. 

+++

Two days pass without a single sighting of James. You call it a win. You almost want to put a little sign on your door that says “Days without an incident” that you can keep track on every time you come back to your room from doing something.  

Currently, you’re doing laundry. Normally you’d retreat back to your room while your clothes are in the washer or dryer, but since you’ve been in there all day, you decided to bring your laptop with you to the laundry room and watch Netflix. A small change of scenery, even though you’re still in the same building. 

It does have you on a bit of high-alert, though. Like the kitchen, the laundry room is shared throughout the entire building. Males and females. 

Which means you’re putting yourself in the position to run into James again. 

You ignore the nerves, trying to focus on the movie you picked to watch.

You look up abruptly when you see a figure skid to a stop in the doorway. James. Of course. You must’ve jinxed yourself by thinking about running into him. 

You press pause on Netflix, looking expectantly at the boy standing before you. “Can I help you with something?”

“Sorry, I…” James pauses, running his hand through his hair. “I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

You stare at him in shock. That’s not at all what you were expecting to come out of his mouth. 

“It’s hard enough right now to be here alone, and I didn’t mean to make it worse, so I’m sorry if I did.”

You nod slowly. “Thanks. Apology accepted.”

He deflates, flashing a small smile.

“Oh, and uh, sorry for threatening to burn you the other day,” you blurt, not giving yourself a chance to think. “That was uncalled for.”

“Thanks,” he shrugs, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I kinda deserved it.”

“I wasn’t gonna say that,” you chuckle awkwardly.

“But you thought it.”

“Oh, definitely.”

James rocks back and forth on his feet, his smile fading extremely slowly. “I know you probably want to be left alone, but if you ever want some company, uh, I’m in 245. We can...watch TV or something, or whatever, you know.”

You don’t know that you can ever recall a moment seeing James this flustered. It almost warms your heart. “Sure,” you smile softly. “Thanks for the offer, really.”

“Yeah, of course,” he shrugs. “I’m gonna,” he nods his head backwards. “See you around.”

You nod. “See you.”

Without another remark or any protests, James leaves you alone. You press play on Netflix, but you hardly pay attention to the movie. You’re too busy trying to process what the fuck just happened.

[artificialqueens]

Tree House Kisses, Chapter 40 (Adorney) - Scorpio and Veronica

A/N: Click here for previous chapters here on AQ or here if you’d rather read on AO3. xoxo!

Thank you so so much to @saiphl and @sillylittlecandycane for beta-reading!!

Chapter Summary: Courtney does her best to support Adore’s new relationship, even as Tati comes to a disappointing realization.

Chapter 40: Don’t Cry Out Loud

“Omigod, your dorm room is so cute!” Courtney squealed, and Roy hid a smile, settling down on the bed. Of course Courtney would find the stark white, institutional shared room which was barely bigger than a prison cell just adorable.

He lounged on the bed, wordlessly stretching his arms out, grin deepening when she immediately climbed up to settle into his embrace, sighing softly. He kissed her hair, breathing in the familiar scent of her, wondering why it felt like a million years had passed since they last saw each other. He wanted to go back home for their anniversary a few weeks ago, but midterms had been kicking his ass and he just couldn’t take the time away. Courtney seemed fine about it, even telling him not to worry when he’d promised to make it up to her, but he was aware that she might be harboring some resentment.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured. “I’m so, so sorry I had to cancel the last-”

She silenced him with a kiss, passionate and deep, her fingers digging into his shoulders telling him that all was forgiven, that she still loved him, that they were good.

“I missed you, too…” Her arms tightened around him. “Anyway, Happy Belated Anniversary…”

“Two years,” he said, kissing her lightly. “It’s been pretty good, huh?”

“The best.”

It was a few minutes before he felt any need to speak again, content to hold her close, occasionally seeking out her lips for soft, messy kisses. He tried to keep himself from getting too excited, since he was aware that his roommate could easily burst in at any moment. (Joe had promised to sleep elsewhere, but it was only 5 pm, so he didn’t think that deal had begun just yet.)

Soon though, Courtney had rolled over on top of him, body warm and pliant, kisses growing more and more heated. When her hands drifted down to his fly, tugging at the button, he regretfully stopped her, breathing hard.

“We should, uh...wait a little bit. Just until I know we can have some real privacy.”

“Okay,” she agreed, sitting up, running a hand through her hair. She tossed him a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he assured her, kissing her hand. “I’m just trying to avoid a potentially embarrassing situation.”

“Mmhmm…”

As he sat up, leaning against the wall, she moved towards him and rested her head on his shoulder.

“So...I’ve told you all about my classes and stuff. What’s new back home? Anything interesting?”

“Uhh...I dunno. Murial’s still a pain in the ass, my mom has a new boyfriend, same old shit.”

Roy laughed. “Is he as weird as the last one?”

“Thankfully no. But...well, he’s almost suspiciously normal.”

“Keep your door locked at night,” Roy joked.

“Yuck.” Courtney hit him on the arm, shaking her head.

“How are the neighborhood kids? I haven’t talked to Bob in weeks, is he good?”

“Yeah, I think so. I haven’t seen him that much outside of class. I’ve been hanging out with Adore’s friends most of the time.”

“Oh yeah? Is Violet behaving?” He raised a curious eyebrow at her.

“Shockingly, yes. And Adore has a new girlfriend,” she added, almost as an afterthought.

“Oh...” Roy paused, unsure how he was supposed to react to this news. Somehow, he didn’t think that jubilation was called for. “Anyone I know?”

“No, she’s a new girl. Tatianna. She’s cool, and like...so pretty.”

“Well...good for Adore.”

“Yeah, it’s really good!” Courtney said. “They have so much in common. Tati plays bass, and they’re into the same music, and like...they fit really well together, you know?”

“Uh huh.” An unsettled feeling began to creep into Roy’s chest. That old, nagging feeling that he could never get rid of when it came to Courtney and her best friend.

“I’m like, so, so happy for her,” Courtney continued. “It’s been awhile since she’s dated anyone, and like...it’s really great to see her happy. I really think that this one will last. At least, I hope. It’s only been a few weeks, I guess. Less than a month. Right now they’re all giddy, in that like, honeymoon stage. You know? It’s really cute.”

“So...I mean, are you two still hanging out, or is she kinda occupied?” Roy asked slowly. He knew how much Courtney had suffered last year, how miserable she’d been without Adore, and he had no desire for her to relive that.

“We’re hanging out a lot! Yeah, it’s funny, it’s kind of been a lot of the three of us. Which is cool because I’m getting to know Tati too. I think you’d like her, she’s really sweet and funny and had this kind of sarcasm that catches you totally off guard. She’s great.”

“Um...yeah, great.”

Roy cleared his throat, swinging his legs off the side of the bed, suddenly itching for a change of topic, a change of scenery. He reached out a hand to Courtney.

“Do you wanna go for a walk? I can show you the campus and then we can come back and change for dinner. I think you’re gonna really like the restaurant I found.”

“Sounds perfect,” Courtney beamed at him with that smile, the one that never failed to melt his heart, twist up his insides, make him believe, if only for a second, that life was truly good. He grinned back, dimples deep in his cheeks, pulling her in for a tight embrace.

He was able to convince himself, that night, that everything was fine. The distance he felt was just a normal part of living apart. That this awkward year was just a necessary thing for them to get through before they could be together for real, like adults.

Roy wasn’t naive, he knew that people grew apart and that nothing was guaranteed--but there wasn’t a single version of his future that he could fathom without her in it. So the next day as they said goodbye, once again, the promise of being reunited soon over Thanksgiving kept it from being too bittersweet. Courtney certainly seemed unconcerned, hugging him tightly and whispering “I love you” into his neck.

He breathed her in once more, the feel of her post-shower hair damp against his cheek. He wished that she could stay longer, but she had what was sure to be a long drive ahead of her, and he had a paper to write.

“Call me when you get home…”

“I will.” She smiled up at him, began to unwind her arms from his waist, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Don’t look so sad. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

Before she got too far away, though, Roy pulled her back one last time, holding her against his chest again, unwilling to let go just yet. “Five more seconds…”

Courtney giggled, hugging him back, whispering, “Take as many as you need…”

-

Adore was cute. She was really cute. And fun, and chill, and everything Tati felt like she needed after the trauma of a cross-country move.

There was just one problem. Well, maybe not a problem. A concern. Something that, at first she’d brushed off as paranoia, but the more she got to know Adore and her friends, the more it bugged her. It didn’t seem to matter that they’d been best friends for years, or that Courtney had a boyfriend (albeit one whom Tati had never seen in the flesh). Something about it was just...uncomfortable.

Tonight though, she decided to put it out of her mind. At Adore’s suggestion, they were having a chill movie night. They’d just received a bountiful order from the delivery guy--two stuffed-crust pizzas, wings, garlic knots, and whatever else they felt compelled to order after smoking in the tree house.

Tati set all the food out on the coffee table while Adore shuffled through her DVD collection.

“I promise, you’re gonna love it,” Adore said, punctuating her statement with a wink in Tati’s direction.

“I trust your taste,” Tati said, settling onto the sofa with a sigh.

Adore found the DVD she wanted and began to load it in when a familiar voice sounded from the doorway.

“Hi guys! What’s up?”

Courtney.

Tati felt bad, for thinking of her as a problem. She was a perfectly nice girl, friendly and fun and charming--but she was also always there. It seemed like she and Adore barely ever spent time together without Courtney being involved in some way. And it wouldn’t bother Tati so much, except that there was this weird energy between them, something all their other friends had just decided to ignore, apparently.

Or maybe Tati was just paranoid, overly judgmental? She bit her lip, guilt once again washing over her, that she covered with a friendly wave and a bright, “Hey Court!”

Adore looked up, slightly puzzled.

“Hi babe...I thought you were doing your whole...anniversary extravaganza thing with Roy.”

“Oh yeah, I was! It was so amazing, he’d planned this perfect romantic night, totally overboard just like always, and then brunch today.” Courtney giggled, and Tati didn’t miss the wistful expression that flickered across Adore’s face. “Anyway, I just got back, traffic was a nightmare, it took me 4 hours, blah blah blah. What are you guys up to?”

“Movie night.”

“Awesome, what are you watching?”

“Tati’s never seen The Craft. So..”

“Omigod, really?” Courtney flopped down onto the sofa. “You’re gonna love it, it’s so good. What kind of pizza is this?”

“Uhh, we have one pepperoni, and one mushroom…” Adore caught Tati’s eye, responding to the incredulous look on her face with an apologetic little shrug, pressing play on the DVD player and standing up to join them on the sofa. So, it seemed pretty clear that she wasn’t going to tell Courtney that this was a date night.

“Ughh, I love you! Thanks for getting one without meat.”

“Thank Tati, I hate mushrooms,” Adore laughed, sitting down between them.

“Tati, I love you. You’re beautiful.” Courtney leaned over Adore to blow a kiss at Tati, who caught it half-heartedly.

Tati couldn’t concentrate on the movie. Her whole attention was focused on Courtney and Adore, and their every giggly, weirdly flirtatious interaction.

She was definitely, definitely not being paranoid. As she inched herself further and further away, scrunching against the arm of the sofa, Courtney seemed to be doing the opposite. It began with her feet in Adore’s lap, then shifted to a head on her shoulder, then finally she settled into her most comfortable position: curled up with her head resting on the pillow in Adore’s lap.

Adore didn’t seem to mind one bit, either, or notice that anything was amiss. She and Courtney spent the whole movie giggling and reciting their favorite lines along with the characters, and eventually, her fingers began to drift absentmindedly through Courtney’s blonde hair.

After what felt like seven excruciating hours, the credits finally began to roll.

Courtney sat up, bright-eyed, stretching.

“God that movie is so good!” she said, then added in a deep voice, “You girls watch out for those weirdos.”

Adore laughed uproariously, replying with, “We are the weirdos, mister!”

“So uh...I guess you guys probably like...want some alone time now, huh?” Courtney asked.

It took all of Tati’s self control not to roll her eyes. But the truth was, she couldn’t even be annoyed at Courtney. Adore was the one who should have told her to leave.

“Do you mind?” Adore asked, and Courtney stood up, giving her a suggestive wink.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said, kissing Adore on the top of the head and then moving to Tati, giving her a hug.

“I don’t think that works here, babe,” Adore said, laughing.

“Okay well then…” A cheeky grin pulled at Courtney’s lips and she said, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do after like 4 shots.” She punctuated that statement by licking her lips suggestively.

Adore giggled again, shaking her head and saying, “Get out of here, idiot!”

“Nighty-night, kids!” Courtney called, heading for the back door.

Tati swallowed. She knew that Adore would probably want to mess around now, but she didn’t have the energy to fake it. Nina was right. Jumping into this way too fast was a mistake. She needed friends, or the year would just be a total misery, and she was super grateful to have found their group. But if she got in any deeper with Adore, there was a chance she’d jeopardize that. So she stood up, picking her bag off the ground, and said, “I should probably take off, too.”

“What? Why?” Adore looked confused.

“Uh...you know, it’s getting late, so…” Tati began to put on her jacket, and Adore jumped up to grab the sleeve.

“I thought you were staying over. My mom’s at work…”

“Well…” Tati hesitated, knowing that she had to handle this delicately, or risk losing all of her new friends.

“What’s wrong?” Adore asked, biting her lip.

“I just...I had a different idea of how tonight would go,” Tati finally explained.

“Oh, yeah. I’m sorry about that, she’s not always great at reading the room,” Adore said, unable to keep the affectionate chuckle out of her voice.  

“It’s not her.”

“It’s not?” Adore’s brow furrowed deeper.

“I mean...it’s just the way you are with her, the way you look at her. And why didn’t you just tell her to leave?”

The red began to creep into Adore’s cheeks. “I guess I didn’t think I...should.”

“Right.” Tati finished putting on her jacket and slung her bag over her shoulder.  

“Wait, Tati. You don’t understand.” Adore’s hazel eyes were glassy, her voice desperate as she clung to Tati’s sleeve. “It’s really complicated, with her.”

Of course Tati understood. Inappropriate, uncomfortable crushes were practically a right of passage for teenage lesbians. Hers was a friend from camp, a girl who still made her heart ache every time she thought about her.

“Yeah, no, I do get it. Actually.” Tati took Adore’s hand and squeezed it. “I guess I just didn’t realize how complicated until tonight.”

“Please don’t go,” Adore begged, still gripping her sleeve.

Tati leaned forward and kissed her gently on the cheek.

“You’re beautiful, you know that? But, it just seems like you guys have a whole--”

Tears began to slip down Adore’s cheeks and Tati stopped abruptly.

“Fuck,” Adore whispered hoarsely.

“I won’t say it out loud, if you don’t want me too.”

Adore bit her trembling lip, nodding, then swiped at her eyes with the back of her hands, finally releasing Tati’s arm.

“Yeah, please...please don’t.”

“Okay.” Tati took a deep breath. It didn’t seem right to just leave her here crying. But on the other hand, she was fairly certain that the tears had nothing to do with her and everything to do with her bestie next door. “We’re still friends, right?”

“Yeah, of course,” Adore sniffled, nodding.  

Tati pulled her in for one last tight, quick hug and headed for the door, sighing. So much for a fun and inconsequential little fling.

-

“Here you go, Grandma.” Courtney carried the cup and saucer to her grandmother at the kitchen table, setting her tea down carefully. “Do you want some of that cranberry biscotti you like, too?”

“Yes, thank you, dear,” Muriel said, and Courtney skipped over to the cupboard, feeling like an absolute model granddaughter. She’d gotten home to find Muriel in the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes after dinner, and immediately offered her assistance, scrubbing out a pot, loading the dishwasher, and then making her grandmother a cup of tea as she’d sat down heavily at the kitchen table. Surely she deserved an award of some kind for being this considerate and helpful.

She arranged several biscotti artfully on a plate when a knock at the kitchen door caught her attention. She set the cookies down and then opened the door, surprised to find Adore there, eyes a bit red and watery. (Of course, these days, Adore’s eyes were usually red, as she seemed to have upped the weed smoking quite a bit.)

“Hey...are you alright?”

Adore nodded.

“Where’s Tatianna?” Courtney asked.

“Uh, we sort of...broke up.”

“Oh no!” Courtney slipped outside, shutting the door behind her, feeling like this was a conversation that Muriel didn’t need to hear. “I’m so sorry!”

Courtney pulled Adore in for a hug, trying to hide her relief. She really did feel bad, even if part of her was jealous about all the attention Adore was lavishing on the new girl; mostly, she just hated to see Adore upset. She put her hands on Adore’s shoulders, pulling back a bit to look into her eyes. Up close, it was clear now that she’d been crying.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s cool, I’ll be cool, I just…” Adore sighed. “Bonnie’s at work, and I just really didn’t want to be alone.”

Courtney nodded, gently tucking a lock of hair behind Adore’s ear. She hated seeing her best friend sad, of course, but it felt good to be the one she came to for comfort.

“Do you wanna stay over tonight?” Courtney asked.

“Is that okay?” Adore bit her lip, eyes flicking to Courtney’s grandmother, visible through the kitchen window.

“Of course! Anytime.” Courtney hugged her again. “Come on in. Have some of Gary’s artisan gelato.”

“Sounds perfect,” Adore said, finally flashing that winning smile, just like when they were kids and Courtney could solve any problem with ice cream. She grinned back, pressing a kiss to Adore’s temple before pulling her inside.

-

Adore lay awake, staring at the faint glow-in-the-dark star stickers all over Courtney’s ceiling. She couldn’t shake that nagging, uncomfortable feeling she’d had ever since Tati had said, or rather not said, what she had earlier.

Was Adore that obvious? Did everyone know?

And more importantly...did Courtney know?

She shifted her weight to her side, facing Courtney now, who was sleeping peacefully, one blonde curl falling across her face. She studied the way the moonlight illuminated her features. She’d spent so many hours of her life looking at that face, and almost as many dreaming about it. And still, sometimes, it was like she was a stranger. It was odd to think about how someone she’d known so long, shared some of her deepest secrets with, could be in the dark about something so monumentally big.

For a moment, Adore wondered if Tati was right. Should she just tell Courtney how she felt? Lay all her cards on the table? Deal with whatever heartbreak, whatever pain might result?

“Court?” she whispered, inching closer, brushing her hair away from her face.

“Mmm?” Courtney’s eyes fluttered, her arms instinctively wrapping around Adore’s waist, pulling her closer.

“I need to tell you something.”

Courtney opened her eyes, blinking awake, and immediately her brow creased with concern. It wasn’t until then that Adore realized that she’d been crying.

“What is it, Dory? Are you okay?” Courtney asked.

“Yeah, I just...um…” Adore took a deep, shaky breath, the oxygen filling her lungs like a splash of cold water to the face.

“What?” Courtney’s thumbs gently dried her tears. “Is it about Tatianna?”

“I...I…” She gazed into Courtney’s eyes in the dim, moonlit room, breath hitching, unable to get the words out.

“What? Are you okay?” Her voice was so soft and warm and caring, hands still cradling Adore’s cheeks, and Adore knew that it was now or never.

She could be honest, in this moment. On the lumpy mattress they’d shared countless times over the years, underneath the dimly-glowing star stickers on Courtney’s ceiling. She could confess, unburden her aching heart, and maybe it would all be fine. But...what if it wasn’t?

“Um...yeah. I guess I’m just sad.” Adore gulped, her nerve suddenly gone, every ounce of courage dissolved in an instant. Her heart pounded as if she’d narrowly escaped death, as if a truck had just swerved into her bike lane, missing her by inches.

“I’m so sorry,” Courtney said, pulling her close, wrapping her into a warm embrace, lips pressed to her temple.

“Thanks. Thanks for...being here,” Adore sniffled.

“I’ll always be here. I love you, Dory.”

“Me too,” Adore said, eyes falling closed as fresh, hot tears trickled down her cheeks. She wished that Courtney knew exactly how much, but even more than that, she was relieved that she hadn’t taken that terrifying leap into the unknown.  

[love4shinsou]

GASP! THREE ASKS IN ONE DAY! WHADDYA KNOW XD I'm just riled up for more headcannons of yours :D they're wonderful. But for now is fluff— How do the BNHA boys (Shoto, Bakugo, Izuku, Amajiki, Kirishima, and Dabi) handle an S/O that when jealous, gives them more attention and love than usual. Like a girl interacting with them and when they're gone they're all over them XD (You're choice if you want them to sneer, I prefer not to ^^')

Shoto

You two were just having a nice walk on a warm Saturday evening when this random girl came up to Shoto. She was quite racket too. .she was wearing crop top that was more like a bra and short shorts that could easily be mistaken for underwear. Shoto liked girls that knew how far to go with these things, and knew how much to cover up, but still flaunted what they had. This was definitely not a girl he would take the slightest interest in, but you though otherwise.

"Hey, Todoroki. I saw you in the sports festival and on T.V lately and I'm a fan~ Could you sign my chest??" She asked in a fliety tone while posting to her barely covered chest. Shoto was trying hard not to cringe. You grabbed his arm and held it tight, and pulled him down a little to kiss him on the lips, and on his cheek. He smiled and kissed your forehead.

The girl seemed shocked and even a little mad. She huffed nd walked away, thankfully. "Well, she was an. .experience." Shoto said to you. "Yeah. .i hope an experience we don't have to deal with anymore." You sighed. He chucked a bit and grabbed your hand, kissing it and continuing the nice walk.

Bakugo

He finally took you on a nice date on a Friday night. It took a lot of encouraging from Kirishima, but he took you to a nice, fancy restaurant.

You guys were having a good time, eting fancy food and Bakugo even being a little soft. (We all know he's secretly a soft boi, i mean. .come on)

When he was paying the check to be a nice boyfriend this girl in a ling red dress came up to him with a seductive smile. "Hey, your pretty hot. I've seen you around fighting villans and you look really cool. We should get out of here and find something a little more fun, eh??" She asked in a confident tone, like she was all that and shit.

Your smile wuickly feel and you latched onto him and started kissing his cheek and his hands. He was completely puzzled. He even had his "wait, what-" look on his face. The girl definitely didn't like this, but took the hint that you weren't going to let go, so she walked away and back to her group of friends were she told them all about you being annoying and not letting Bakugo go with her. Like he was going to do that anyways. 🙄

He was actually blushing. Being able to feel your lips on his skin and get so much affection out of nowhere.

When you two were leaving you passed the group of friends that included the girl. He stopped and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and smirked, thinking that he was about to take her somewhere to get fucked, but it was the complete opposite. "Hey, if you call my baby annoying again I'll make sure you get put in your fucking place you bitch." He growled before pulling you away.

You laid your head on his shoulder the whole drive back to the dorms and you both cuddled till you feel asleep while watching Netflix because Bakugo was being hella soft. UwU

Izuku

Uraraka was already very persistent with trying to get with Izuku, but now that you two were dating she was even more persistent. You weren't going to be the only one jealous.

You and Izuku were just chilling in the common room when Uraraka came busting in and sat next to Izuku. Which was fine with you two because you both had friends and you two weren't in the middle of anything, so you both started to talk amongst one another.

It was all chill until Uraraka started flirting with Izuku. And I mean flirting. She was calling him cute, and telling him how great he is at everything. Since Izuku got flustered by almost anything he blushed and thanked Uraraka. Now you were kinda triggered. You got up, and just Izuku thought ou were going to leave you sat down right in his lap. You straddled him and put his face to your chest. He blushed and looked up at you with a red face, but he was totally loving this.

Uraraka was completely shocked by this. Her mouth was wide and she was blushing herself. You didn't tell her to leave because you didn't think that she needed to, but you just wanted her to kbow that Izuku was yours and wasn't on sale. 👏👏🍵

He just kind of stayed there and was actually falling asleep. "Your comfy. .c-can I do this more often. ." He stuttered, his cheek pressed against your chest. You smiled at rubbed his head. "Mhm!!" You looked over at Uraraka and smiled sweetly. Yup, she wouldn't be trying anything any time soon.

Amajiki

You two were put on a date for boba tea!! The best thing to even exist. You two sat outside on a rainy day, under an umbrella the restaurant provided for outdoor seat of course and watched the rain fall, vibing and feeling aesthetic as hell.

You leaned in for a kiss, which made Tamaki blush, but he leaned in as well cuz your his girlfriend and he loves you when you were so rudly interrupted by the waitress who took your orders. "Hey, so you're super cute, so I was thinking we could go out sometime." The waitress with brown hair said, putting her hand on Tamaki's. This made him squeek and start studdering out what a response he couldn't quite get out. You looked at him and put your cup down. You cupped his squishy face with your hands and kissed his nose. He blushed furiously. "Y-y/n, w-what was that f-for. .!!" He stuttered out.

You giggled and hugged him, resting your head on his chest. He couldn't help but practically melt and rub your head. He looked back up at the waitress with a 'what do you think the answer is??' Kind of look, which took a lot of confidence on his part to do.

The waitress scoffed and walked away.

When you two were leaving she walked up to you both with two extra freshly made boba teas. "Here, one of my coworkers snitched on me about before, so my boss made me make you more boba. Here." She said, shoving the bobas towards you and Tamaki. You both gladly took themand thanked her, more like thanked her coworker and boos than her.

You two held hands all the way back to U.A because Tamaku felt so bad about the whole ordeal. You two drank some more boba tea and were just being the cutest couple at U.A you guys were.

Kirishima

You and Kirishima were granted permission to go to a gym outside of campus since the one they had at U.A was completely full, and you needed to get training in. Well, it's wants that full, it was mostly taken up by Bakugo's entitlement-

You held hands and kissed eachothers cheeks and were all giggly on the walk to the gyn, which wasn't that far from U.A actually, even though the school was literally on a big ass hill.

You trained first, Kirishima spotting you and helping you out of course. After a while of you training, you helped Kiri out with his. He trained a bit with you, fighting a bit, but not too much since it wasn't the U.A gym and then he started lifting waits and such.

You were currently spotting him on a bench press when you noticed another girl eyeing him as he lifted the waits. You ignored it and made sure he was still going strong, which of course he was. Hey, he's the manliest of men.

After he was done and he was thanking you with a kiss for spotting him the girl came up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and being the nice guy he is he smiled and said hello. "Hello, can I help you with something, ma'am??" He asked sweetly, not expecting her to do what she was about to. "Sure can. I'm pretty hungry and you must be too, so I was thinking that you can take me out and let me have a bite of you. Seeing you work out over there has got me starving." The lady said, running her finger over Kirishima's bicep. He was totally shocked at this and had no idea how to respond. Nobody had said something like. .like that to him before.

At that moment you got in front of him and made grabby hands. He smiled and understood what you wanted, so he picked you up, resting your head on his shoulder. You gave him soft kisses on his shoulder and neck, making him sigh in content.

The girl grunted and walked back to whatever she was doing previously. You and Kirishima were quite done with this girls shit, you you just decided to leave, Kirishima holding you all the way back.

Dabi

The league of Villans were having a meeting with two other villans to see if they were 'good enough' to join the league.

You were sitting in Dabi's lap, not being you were jealous just because that's where he liked you. Shigaraki was currently trying to intimidate the villans, which he was actually doing pretty well.

At the end of the meeeting, the girl villan with long pink hair came up to Dabi with a blushy face. "Hello, you're scars are super cool, and you seem super cool as well. Maybe you would want to go out sometime??" She said in a soft tone, looking away from him.

He was about to say something when you got down on the floor and latched onto his leg, looking up at him and whining. He lost all interest in telling the girl of and squatting down, pulling you in his arms and holding you. He stode back up with you in his arms. "Yeah, so that's a no. And you also won't be going the league. You suck." He stated like it was nothing like he usually did.

Now, he would have gone to his room and fuck ya, but today he sat down on the couch and cuddle with you. Cone on, we all know that he's super clingy.

I think the Izuku one is my favorite- XD~Alex

[mrs-hollandstan]

Make Me Love You || Frat Boy!Tom [one]

Pairing: Frat Boy!Tom x Student!Reader

Warnings: language, alcohol consumption, mentions of sex that almost aren't mentions of sex, fuckboy Tom, mentions of domestic issues, a small confrontation

Word Count: 7,299

Author's Note: The teaser did really well for it being a teaser and I am SO glad. If you enjoy, lemme know what you think of it! 

Series Masterlist || Add yourself to one of my taglists

There are drastic differences between Los Angeles and Seattle like the weather, traffic, even the population, but there are also many similarities that make a transition from one city to the next, just the smallest bit easier. They always say that finding friends in Seattle is harder because the non-stop gloom, for a record breaking five months straight makes the locals reclusive. Of course, the heat in LA makes people just as reclusive, but the chance of meeting someone with your interests and mentality in the nearly 4 million population is more likely and easier to obtain compared to Seattle's 742,000. That is of course if you don't have ties already in one of the cities already.

One of the easiest transitioning factors for you, transferring from a community college in Los Angeles to a four year college up north in Seattle was your older brother Cole, who'd seemingly abandoned the half assed family you claimed and the muggy city the both of you had grown up in. It was nothing personal against you and you knew that, but the new person your father had become after the death of your mother shifted the feeling of your once love filled, perfect family, home to hostile and toxic. Your father and Cole hadn't gotten along the few months leading up to Cole leaving for Seattle and as you neared the transfer period for college, it was either tagging along with your dad and his new girlfriend to busy New York, or reunite with Cole after two long years and live in chilly Seattle. Not that either were a bad idea, but it came down to which of the men you grew up around was more tolerable and which school was best for you and your major. The end choice was Cole and Seattle, both of which seemed to invite you with open arms.

The plane ride saw a lot of rain and landing in a cold and dreary Seattle airport to be met with the soft, kind features of your older brother was something that excited and comforted you. His muscular arms encircled you and you squealed as he sighed, holding your body extremely close with a kiss to your temple. After gathering the rest of your belongings that hadn't already been shipped to Cole's house, he leads you out to the same car he drove up in, driving you to the small house you'd only seen in pictures and showing you to what would be your room when you stayed with him and not in your dorm with the roommates you'd already started conversing with. Despite being very protective and loving, Cole was willing to let you take the reigns on your own life and make all the adult decisions needed to get you your degree, whilst also supporting you and providing you the necessities to live if need be. Because he knew what it was like to be pressured and he made damn sure that you would never feel that with him. Which is part of the reason you chose him and Seattle over your father and Manhattan.

                                                        ---

"So you said you've already talked to these girls like via text? They're cool? Because-"

"I have your place if I need it and I can always transfer to a different university if I feel pressured. I know Coleslaw." You complete your older brother's statement, his eyebrows knitting in a line at the nickname as you glance over your shoulder at him. You smile and bump his shoulder as you carry a box up towards your dorm room, navigating the endless, tan hallways of a place you'll be calling a second home for the next two years.

"Yes Cole, I'm in a group chat with the three of them. We're already good friends and I haven't even moved in yet." You explain to him as he hauls two more boxes after you, pausing to bring his knee up and get a more firm grip on the boxes in his hands. Dark curls fall onto his forehead, escapees from the mop atop his head that you've been begging him to cut for two months,

"What are their names? I-I can only remember Scarlett." He asks, hazel eyes trained on the bobbing lid of the top box he holds. You nod,

"Scarlett, Phoebe, and Ivey. Supposedly one of them has a boyfri- oh my god I'm so sorry!" You squeal, bouncing back into your brother who has the wind knocked out of him as you run into the front of a tall, dirty blonde boy, stunning crystalline eyes darting between you and Cole,

"S'alright love, no harm done. To me at least." The boy speaks up in a thick British accent, punctuating the statement with a chuckle as he watches Cole lean your boxes against a wall, supporting them on a knee again. He gives a tight lipped smile to the other boy as you glance between them,

"Sorry... I should really watch where I'm going." You reply through a small laugh. The blonde shakes his head as he looks down, chuckling softly, playfully,

"I'm alright. Came around the corner a little fast. You're all good." You nod and smile, brushing past him. You turn to each other, flashing one more kind smile before he passes Cole with a small greeting and heads down the hall you just came up. Cole nods at the boy before sighing and rolling his eyes,

"If that was your first introduction to college, I'd hate to see what the rest of it consists of." He mumbles. Narrowing your eyes, you cock you head and gesture to the boxes now bowing at his weight,

"I knew I shoulda stacked a third on there for you." You joke. He cocks his head, mockingly laughing along with you before he gestures down the hall and starts to follow again, watching you pause and check a small piece of paper in your hand before knocking at a grey door. It swings open with almost no time in between and a girl about your height with ombre hair that goes from an almost black to auburn and blonde at the tips and down the front of her shoulders, smiles,

"Y/N?" She asks as you set the box you carry on the floor and nod, her smile widening before she steps out into the hallway and pulls you into a hug, rocking you back and forth and squealing,

"Its about time you showed up." She says. Leaning back, she glances over your shoulder at Cole,

"Come on in you guys, your room's the first room on the right." She says as you step aside for Cole and follow him in once you pick up your own abandoned box. He sets the two he carries on the tan carpet, placing his hands on his hips with a sigh,

"Its nice. It's real open." He says as you set your own box beside his. You nod and smile, turning to your roommates as they crowd in the room. The two other girls share their hugs with you as Phoebe introduces herself to Cole now that she's already met you both at the front door. Ivey's skin is tan and the dark brown hair that's cut to rest at her shoulders, frames a beautiful, caked face that sparkles with every move. Scarlett's dark skin is just as shiny and beautiful as Ivey's and her hair is tied up with a bandana wrapped around the crown of her head. They stand back, one of Scarlett's hands in yours, one of Ivey's hands rested on your arm as you have your first, in person interaction with them. The small group shifts to Phoebe and Cole, Ivey and Scarlett introducing themselves to the taller boy. You stand in a small, comfortable circle before Scarlett sighs,

"Well... you're getting your first taste of peer pressure. We're taking you to a frat party tonight. It's like their little intro party before club rush and initiation and all that. This party sort of shows guys what its like before they make the pledge." She explains, watching you nod. Cole scoffs,

"Like she'll need the peer pressure. Can she pledge? She could be there keg king." He jokes, making the other girls in the room laugh as you look at him and mockingly laugh,

"Oh ha ha, wonder where I learned that shit? Got it from my party animal big brother." You say, watching Cole stick his tongue out as you playfully punch his ribs. He chuckles and runs the area before heading for the door,

"Why don't you guys finish getting acquainted and get Y/N comfortable while I get the two other boxes." He says. You nod, as do the other girls before he leaves the room and the three of them turn back to you,

"Are you excited? Finally living on campus and getting into that college life. Its cool right?" Ivey asks. You nod,

"Yeah, it's a little scary being... away from home, but LA isn't even where my dad is living anymore so, home is technically here now. Mostly with Cole but... here too, with the three of you." You nervously explain. They all smile at you as you look between them, already warm and inviting. Phoebe holds her hand out and you take it, letting her pull you through your door and further down the hall. She points to a closed door on the left at the very end of the hallway,

"My room," She says as she opens it to show off an already decorated and beautiful white room, fairy lights lining the roof, "this is where we have movie nights cause I have a projector." She says, her nose crinkling. You nod and smile, spinning on your heels to follow her as she opens the door across from her own,

"Scarlett's room. This is where you'll most likely find hair or makeup products you need. Maybe your own, who knows." She jokes, smiling wider as Scarlett scoffs and you look around the room, nodding at the organized vanity and makeup selection set up strategically in a corner of the room. Leaving that door open as well, Phoebe brushes past you to open the second door down,

"Bathroom. Nothing too special. We kinda all share body washes and toothpastes and stuff. It's a community." Phoebe says with a shrug, closing the door before walking to the room just across from yours,

"And here," She says in a sigh, "is Ivey's room. She's got a boyfriend so... we have to warn you in advance that any howling or screaming you hear isn't a virgin being sacrificed, it's just Ivey and her thing. Also, we have to warn that anything you find that might be disturbing is... grounds for therapy so, we're here for you." She jokes yet again, laying a hand over your shoulder. You giggle as Ivey swipes a hand over her face, mumbling explicits and disgraced words. She crosses her arms with a flat expression,

"We very rarely do anything here and there is nothing that we do that will get us caught by any of you. In the two years we've lived together, I have never been caught." She explains. You, Scarlett, and Phoebe smile and giggle at her before she swallows,

"We haven't been caught here at least. But to be fair, his brothers are nosey and don't knock." She justifies as the other two girls giggle and snicker. You frown,

"Brothers?" You quiz. Ivey nods, moving back and forth from her toes to her heels,

"He's in a frat. The frat party we're going to tonight, it's his frat." She explains. You nod and turn to Scarlett as she starts to speak,

"His brothers are pretty hot but goddamn they're like little boys. Some of them have that whole douchebag thing goin, but for the most part they're all pretty hot." She says with a wink. You nod again as she looks you over, glancing up when Cole returns with two more boxes,

"You don't happen to have a smashing dress to wear in those boxes, do you?" Scarlett asks. You shrug, glancing back at Cole when he emerges from your room before you turn back the the group with a shake of your head,

"Guess not. I have some cute clothes but I don't know if they're frat boy impressing worthy." You say. The girls smile as Cole sighs behind you,

"We're already looking for frat boys to impress?" He asks, somewhat breathless. You shrug,

"Ivey's boyfriend is part of the frat that's throwing the party tonight and the girls all say his brothers are pretty good looking." You explain. He nods, looking between the four of you. Scarlett cocks her head,

“You’re so much more willing and open-minded than most older brothers who hear this kinda stuff talked about with their younger sisters.” She says. His eyes linger on her for a moment before he shrugs,

“I’m living my own life. I don’t have time to live vicariously through her too.” He says. You smile, binding your arms around his waist. He kisses your temple,

“BUT… I will kill someone that hurts her. I will kill a frat guy.” He adds making the girls smile. You glance up at him, crinkling your nose. There’s a moment of silence before Phoebe sighs,

"Well, going back to the outfit thing, if you wanna borrow some of our clothes to piece together a rockin outfit, you're more than welcome. We can take you shopping soon." She says. You smile and nod, thanking the group collectively before Cole reaches up to rub your shoulders,

"Wanna come get your bag from my car, walk me out?" He asks. You nod, turning with him and following him down the same hallways as before until you're standing at the curb, closing the passenger side door after retrieving your duffel and regular backpack. Cole sighs, hands tucked in his pockets,

"So when do I get custody?" He jokes. You smile, playfully leaning in to punch his stomach this time,

"I'll uhh... I'll come back Sunday maybe. I dunno yet. Depends on how I cope with all this new life stuff." You say with a shrug. He nods, chewing the inside of his cheek. He looks up, searching your face for a moment as you think,

"Just have fun tonight if you go. Let loose and make new friends, ya know? Don't think that college is strictly academic. But... just be careful. Don't set your drink down anywhere, anything like that. Ya never know who you're dealin with." He warns. You nod along to him, rolling your eyes,

"Common sense Cole." You say. He nods, pulling you into him, arms wrapped around your shoulders,

"I know, I know, but if you're drugged the first day you're here with me, dad'll most definitely force you up there in New York." He tells you. Holding him with your arms wrapped around his waist, you sigh,

"I'm not gettin drugged. I'll be careful." You reason. He nods again, kissing your temple before he releases you,

"Just do me a favor and text me when you go places if you can remember. Try to remember to text me like... at least five times a day so I know you're alive." You smile up at your mother hen like older brother who holds your hand, dragging out the last few moments you have together, today. You purse your lips,

"Yeah Cole, I will. When dad texts me asking if I'm alive every twenty minutes I'll make sure to shoot you a text." He chuckles softly,

"Alright, good. I love you." You stand on your toes to kiss his cheek,

"Love you too. I'll maybe see you Sunday." You remind. He nods as he let's go of your hand and starts to round the car,

"Maybe Sunday." He repeats before climbing into his car and starting it, driving off as you stand at the curb. Despite the short distance from his house to the college, your heart aches a little. Not just because he's leaving you after only having you in his home for a day and a half, but because after he left California, you two practically never talked. He texted you and called you every once in a while but that older brother that you talked about was all a myth once he came to Seattle and you were fearful of the same thing happening this time around.

Not dwelling on it to long, you make your trip back up to your dorm room with ease, nudging the door open with your shoulder. As you kick the front door closed and head down the hall, Ivey peeks her head out of her room, smiling at you. The rest of her body appears and she sighs,

"We're all just gonna be in our rooms. When you're ready you can come raid our closets. Something cute that shows you're available but still shows that you... mean business." She explains with a shrug. You nod and set your bags just inside the door,

"Cool. Thanks. I uhm... I'm gonna do some unpacking you say, suddenly nervous now that Cole's comfort and protection isn't there. She smiles again, nodding back,

"We're leavin here at six thirty, just be ready, okay?" You give a silent okay back before heading into your own room and unpacking what you can before they bombard you with twenty questions on what you're wearing. Settling on an oversized jean jacket and white tube top from Ivey and an army green suede skirt from Scarlett, the four of you are taking mirror selfies and heading out to Scarlett's car in record time, your heart thumping loudly in pure nerves as you head into the unknown. The second you pull up in front of the Psi Sigma Tau frat house, you seem to get lightheaded as your nerves amp up. Climbing from the car, Ivey rubs your shoulders,

"The boys are gonna love you. And trust us... none of them are... too bad of assholes. Tom is probably the worse but he won't fuck with new blood." Ivey informs. You nod, following Scarlett and Phoebe up to the open front door, watching Scarlett open the screen door and walk inside, the three of them never leaving you as they lead you to the kitchen. A group of boys turn, one of them, the same you and Cole ran into earlier. He smiles as Ivey approaches him, wrapping her in his arms. They share a kiss before he looks up, eyebrows furrowing as he spots you,

"You ran into me earlier." He reminds you, watching a smile cover your face as Ivey looks to you and he chuckles,

"You did?" She asks. You nod, tucking your hands in the pockets of the jean jacket you wear,

"Uhh, yeah, I did. Cole and I were coming around a corner, the same time he was and I bumped into him." You reminisce, your cheeks burning at the thought of always seeing him now that you know one of your roommates is dating him when you made a complete ass of yourself. He chuckles again, draping his arm around Ivey's shoulders as she wraps her arms around his lean torso,

"'S alright. I told you that already. No harm, no foul." He says, smirk never leaving his lips as his frost colored eyes linger on you. You smile and nod as Ivey sighs, reaching up to proudly place her hand over his stomach,

"This is my boyfriend, Harrison. He and his best friend Tom came here together from London." She explains, looking up at him. His eyes pull away from you to look down at her. He purses his lips as he hums, satisfied,

"Got watched by this one in English so I snatched her up. Left Tom as eligible bachelor. He was pretty pissed about that one but," he glances up at you again, "he's a little bit of a ladies man. Decent enough to be the douchebag one night stand guy." He says. You nod to show that you've been listening before Harrison looks you over,

"And… not that he has a particular type or anything, but you fit the curriculum for someone he'd be into." He adds. You shake your head,

"I'm not a one night stand type of girl. If anything, I want a boyfriend. So," you look around the kitchen and living room, "which one is Tom so I know to steer clear?" You ask, letting Phoebe turn you and point through the small crowd that's already started to form in the dark, strobe lit living room. Through it, you can see a perky blonde in a tight dress leaned against a wall, talking to a striking young brunette, tight fitted tee and jeans clinging to every muscular limb that he has to offer, a black cap hanging off his head, backwards, his cute yet prominent ears poking up past the hat. You swallow your tongue at the sight of him. He's gorgeous and you can already tell that it's easier said than done with that one when it comes to steering clear of him. As if he can hear your thoughts, he glances up, spotting you and Phoebe. Your heart stops as a smile crosses his lips and he waves softly, excusing himself from the blonde to head your way. Phoebe hums before releasing you and stepping forward to hug him when he steps into the kitchen. He sets his drink down on the counter, pressing his free hand to her lower back, the two of them talking back and forth, too quiet for you to hear over the music. All you can do is stare at his beautiful face in the new light.

He truly is stunning, cream colored face stealing your breath straight from your lungs. His skin, specifically his somewhat crooked nose and full cheeks are littered with cocoa colored freckles. He practically lacks an upper lip, but his bottom lip is somewhat plump and berry colored, kissable if need be. His nose is perfect despite the bend and cute, but his eyes are what really set you off. He has beautiful dark brown eyes that are accentuated through long, angelic lashes that flutter every few words uttered from his lips or to him from Phoebe's and they almost meet his thick, trimmed eyebrows, the end of one of them tapering up wildly. His forehead is nearly covered by the dark brown hair that is voluminous and fluffy and looks completely inviting despite the snapback he wears.

His eyes cut to you suddenly like he can feel yours on him, a soft, almost demonic, hungry smile crossing his face as his tongue comes out to wet his lips. The shift in focus to you has Phoebe turning to face you, eyes still locked on Tom to gauge his reactions to you. His adam's apple bobs as he swallows, looking you over, the piercing dark eyes he's blessed with making you feel small in that one moment. And then he speaks in a somewhat deep voice enriched with a similar, tranquilizing European accent to Harrison's that makes your knees weak,

"And who do we have here?" You're broken from your thoughts by him. Phoebe turns to you,

"This is Y/N, Tom. It's the roommate Scar, Ivey, and I were talking about coming in today. She's at her first frat party ever." She replies, sultrily as Tom's eyebrows raising,

"Wow, look at you darling. Little daredevil like your roomies. Well... welcome. Your girls are some of the best here, I suppose you won't be any different." He directs to you. You swallow and smile, watching Phoebe cock her head,

"He doesn't bite Y/N." She says, her hand pressed to his stomach similar to the way Ivey did to Harrison. Tom closes his mouth to give a tight lipped smile,

"Unless you want me to." He jokes making Phoebe giggle. You nod and reach up to tuck hair behind your ear,

"Sorry... uhm... yeah, I wasn't gonna not come. I actually... think I need a drink." You say, suddenly flushed. Tom hums, looking over your shoulder,

"Why don't we slam some shots then, yeah?" He poses, pressing his hand to your lower back when you nod and follow, watching him and Phoebe pour out a row of shots. The three of you, Harrison, Scarlett, Ivey and a few other boys raise them. Phoebe sighs,

"To our ever growing group of friends." She says. You all say cheers before clinking the glasses and downing your shots. Most of the group shivers and retches at the sting, but you and Tom are primarily the only ones that don't and you don't catch it, but Tom watches you, his heart skipping a beat when all you do is set the shot glass down and lick your lips to ensure you got all of the alcohol your glass contained. You sigh before looking up wide eyed at Tom when he snaps at you,

"You're my kinda girl, get your pretty little ass over here and let's do a shot together." He demands. You glance around the group that's starting to break out into laughter before snorting,

"What?" The group laughs along with you, Tom's own face turning up into a smile,

"You didn't even flinch when you took that. Most people do. I like when a girl doesn't overreact. So let's take another shot together." He elaborates. After another moment, you nod, switching spots with Phoebe and watching Tom pour two more shots before he hands you one. You take it, only to have him lock arms with you, raising his eyebrows before the both of you throw your shots back, only hissing as it burns your chests. He steps back, tongue darting out to wet his lips before he looks at you again,

"Where the fuck have you been all my life?" He asks. You giggle, taking an opened beer from Scarlett and raising it to your lips,

"California, little British boy." You reply back snarkily, raising your eyebrows as he does, letting him watch you take a swig from the bottle you hold. A beer is offered to Tom, but he shakes his head,

"Nah, I got a game Sunday morning. With my luck I'll still be hungover for it,  won't be able to focus." He explains, his attention shifting to the party in full swing out in the living room. You walk to lean back against the counter beside Ivey, the both of you leaning so she can be the only one to hear you whisper.

"Game? So he's the stereotypical douchebag frat boy that plays football or something?" You pose. She giggles, shaking her head,

"No, he's actually pretty cool, really. He and Haz play golf so they a game Sunday. I should force you to come so we can support them." She replies with a knowing smile. You hum, sipping more from your beer bottle as Phoebe and Scarlett talk Tom up, allowing you to get a better view of him without him knowing you're staring. You swallow, Ivey giggling again as she watches you watch him. You glance at her, searching her face,

"What?" You ask. She shakes her head,

"Nothin. Need a distraction from a cute little British boy?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. You nod quickly, Ivey moving from under Harrison's arm, tugging him after her and headed straight for Scarlett and Phoebe,

"Girl dilemma ladies, its dance time." She informs the two other girls, both of their eyes landing on you before they nod and the group is excused from Tom to the middle of the living room where you find your rhythm with your roommates and Harrison, you holding Scarlett's arms around you as the two of you start to dance together.

Unbeknownst to you, Tom never strayed far. After the group abandoned him, he wandered to lean against the kitchen's doorway, eyes glued to your figure, lost in the music and your roommates. You've forgotten about him temporarily, but his mind is still fixed on you. He can't believe that the one girl that he wants more than anything just based off the concoction of sheer beauty, intelligence, boldness and valor, has just almost brushed him off. Most girls throw themselves at him and he doesn't have to ask for it, but you're different. And that's what attracts Tom the most. You're independent, tenacious and confident. You know what you want and he knows that you're the type to get it, thanks to your dad's own stubbornness you seemed to have inherited. If you were any other girl, he could've had his quick fix and been onto the next, but the way you entice him without even meaning to is what draws him in and keeps him in your clutches.

"Its impolite to stare." Another frat brother, Jeremiah jokes, bumping Tom's shoulder and effectively breaking him from his thoughts. His eyes don't leave you, but he licks his lips, Jeremiah following his eyes to your figure. Jeremiah hums,

"Who's the new girl?"

"Her name's Y/N." Tom replies almost immediately. Jeremiah blinks in surprise at the suddenness, looking Tom over. His eyes sparkle in the rainbow strobe lights that light the living room up as he watches you dance with your roommates. Jeremiah chuckles, Tom finally looking at him,

"What?" He asks. Jeremiah shrugs,

"You're the type to seduce a girl, take her to bed for one night and never talk to her again and here you are starin at this one like a fuckin tiger watchin a gazelle. What's so special about her?" Jeremiah asks. Tom shrugs, crossing his arms,

"She didn't even... care about me. Did two shots together and she didn't even care about how I started to come onto her." He mutters. Jeremiah hums, sipping the concoction in his cup, eyes crinkling at the sting,

"So she's smart. She stays away from you, she doesn't have to deal with the shit." Tom clicks his tongue, frowning as he looks at Jeremiah again,

"I'm not that bad."

"You made Delilah Rhodes cry like a middle schooler two weeks ago because you didn't call her back and she'd given you everything, including her virginity. You told her that you'd always be there for her just to get into her pants and the second you did, you dropped her." Jeremiah recalls, eyes finding you the same Tom's do. You're prettier than some of the girls Tom chooses. But he knows Tom. The second he gets you into his bed, he'll get over you. But it's about getting you there that Tom's obsessed with. Seducing you, knowing he's good enough to get any girl he wants and if he can't have you, his ego is gonna suffer a severe beating. Tom nods after a moment,

"I know, I remember." He replies nonchalantly. Jeremiah scoffs,

"What makes her different than Delilah then? Why couldn'tyou have stayed with her?" He asks. Tom's eyes linger on you for a few moments more before he looks to Jeremiah, eyes sparkling in mischief as he clears his throat,

"She doesn't want me right now like all the other girls, including Delilah did. You get that girl a little tipsy and she's out." He informs. Jeremiah looks his friend over, watching his attention divert to you again before he looks that way, sighing to himself,

"Poor girl isn't gonna know what hit her when you're done." He mutters, finishing off the drink in his hand before turning to the array of bottles behind him to make a new one. Tom is still entranced by you, unable to pull his eyes from your figure in the almost half an hour. A number of his brothers approach him and leave him to his stalking, and eventually Ivey is the first to spot him staring, leaning back to whisper in Harrison's ear. Gis hands wandering her body as he looks at his best friend, giving you a quick look over before he gives a soft chuckle and let's her lean forward into you, Scarlett, and Phoebe,

"Don't all look at once but... there's a creep watching you, Y/N, at your three o'clock." She informs. Glancing to your right, you catch Tom's eye, watching him lick his lips and purse them before looking away, almost as if he's embarassed that he's been caught. Scarlett clears hair from your shoulder,

"So what's the plan here babes? Are you giving him a show or inviting him?" She asks in your ear. You're panting, breathless from dancing. You let Phoebe slip your jacket from your shoulders, letting it hang in your elbows, her eyes locked in yours. The corners of her lips quirk,

"Fuck him... let him gawk." She says. You nod, holding her hands and feeling Scarlett's hands wander your hips. Your heart beats a little faster and you can't tell if it's because of the fact you're being watched by someone like Tom or because of the way you've been dancing since you got out here. One thing is for certain, you need another drink. Pulling Phoebe's hands, you tell her, watching her nod and hold your hand, leading you in Tom's direction. If he'd claimed that his heart didn't skip a beat when you and Phoebe beelined for him, he'd definitely be lying and he was convinced it showed in his face. Phoebe raised an eyebrow as you passed him, Tom's body turning with you, watching you sort through the alcohol on the counter and pour a drink of your choice in your cup. She leans across the counter across from him, crossing her arms and looking him over as he watches you again.

"Its creepy to stare Tom. Especially if it's a girl that doesn't know how you operate. How do you know she wants to be stared at?"

"There's nothing wrong with looking at her." Tom defends himself, eyes cutting back to her and then to you again when you shift to see the both of them. You look between them before throwing back the alcohol in the bottom of your cup before filling it with more and walking forward,

“So what, I’m like another target for you? New concubine because I don’t know who you are?” You ask. His eyebrows knit together before he scoffs and pushes himself off of the cupboard behind him, turning to face you and Phoebe,

"Did I say that? Just cause I'm looking, doesn't mean I wanna fuck you."

"So if I asked you to take me upstairs to your room, you wouldn't and then tomorrow morning, after I leave, you wouldn't completely ditch me?" You ask, standing against the counter full of alcohol. He looks between you before shaking his head softly,

“What makes you think you're my type to take you upstairs in the first place?"

"Oh please, you'd fuck a hole in a wall Holland." Phoebe chastises. Tom scoffs again, crossing his arms defensively,

"You know what, fuck you both.” He bites back before pushing through the crowd and heading upstairs, disappearing down the hall. You and Phoebe look to each other, your roommate giggling softly before she shakes her head in unsaid words. You feel instant remorse, concluding something about a man you’d just met. You were just following the lead of your girls, but it wasn’t right to be teasing him so early on. Especially when you didn’t know what he actually thought of you. Phoebe waits until you set your cup down to reach out,

“Come on. Forget about it, he’ll get over it.” She says, seeming to read your mind. You’re weary, but you take her hand and follow her back out to the dance floor, finding Scarlett, Ivey, and Harrison immediately,

“What was said?” Ivey asks worriedly, gesturing up the stairs. Harrison is just as interested and as you look between them, Phoebe catches on and steps in front of them, dragging your hands up to her shoulders,

“Drop it. He’s a sensitive little pussy and just like everything else, he’ll get over it.” She replies, eyes locked in yours. You focus back on her and Scarlett as she holds your hips again. And for another hour, you’re lost in the fun of a frat party with your new friends. There’s a dozen songs and a dozen drinks that your small group goes through. Phoebe, presenting herself now as the Tom of your small group discovers a guy that seems to take a liking to her, ditching you and Scarlett, not far, for him. Ivey and Harrison whisper back and forth a few times before they sneak off and its the three of you, plus one, tiredness starting to sink in not long after. You, Scarlett, and Phoebe find solace on a couch, sweaty and panting, Phoebe’s dancing partner long gone. She sighs, checking her phone,

“Should go find Ivey and get out of here.” She says, looking to you and Scarlett. You nod, standing,

“I’ll do it. I have to pee anyways.” You mutter, finding your way to the staircase and to a bathroom. Afterwards, you look between the two closed doors that line the hallway. Choosing the closest to the stairs, it clicks open and you push through it just slightly to peek in. Tom sits at a desk, small side lamp on. He looks up at the disturbance, frowning as you stand there, mouth slightly ajar. He surprised that seeing your face doesn't bother him considering your last interaction. But considering the number of fights he and Phoebe have had and they're still friends, he's not too surprised.

“Oh… uhm… sorry, I was looking for Harrison and Ivey.” You start. He hums and nods in understanding. He gestures over his shoulder with his chin,

“Next door. But uhm… I don’t recommend barging in like that. His headboard’s bumped the wall a few times already and trust me... walking in on them is terrifying. It's not like in the movies. They don't hide it.” He informs. You giggle, nodding, hand tightening around the doorknob as you anticipate what to say next as he focuses back at the work before him for a moment. He glances back up when you don’t move from the room. Swiveling in his chair, he faces you with furrowed brows,

“Was there something else?” He asks. Not wanting to push your boundaries too far, you straighten your body out, closing the door a small bit behind you for more privacy from the drunks in the hallway,

“Yeah. Uhm… I wanted to apologize for earlier. I-I thought it’d just be a joke, what I said, but… it was insensitive. I don’t know you and I’m sorry for joking with you and making it so personal.” You smooth out. He leans forward slightly, clasping his hands together. He gives a gentle nod,

“‘S alright. I shouldn’t have been staring. I was bein a creep.”

“No… no, I don’t mind. It’s kind of endearing and I just… I slandered you. My brother would’ve smacked the shit out of me for that one. So… I’m sorry. Hopefully we can… start over and get off on the right foot.” You clarify. He smiles softly, standing and starting towards you as you lean against the wall at your back. He sighs, pausing a few steps away,

“I appreciate it and I accept your apology. I think you and I will be A okay love. Just gotta get a little more socializing behind us.” He says, somewhat quietly. You smile and nod, pivoting on your feet,

“I like the way that sounds. You seem really cool.” You say. You share a smile, standing staring at each other for a moment. He tucks his hands in his pockets, shoulders tensing as he looks at his feet,

"I do want to officially apologize to you and I want you to accept my apology. It was creepy of me to stare and I shouldn't have been. So I'm sorry for that. I promise not to be a creep in our future endeavors." He swears. You smile and nod, reaching up to tuck hair behind your ear,

"Of course I accept your apology. We're starting over." You reassure, letting silence permeate for a few moments after Tom chuckles and nods  before you sigh,

“Well… I’ll uhh… I’ll see you around then. I gotta… get Ivey.” You remind, watching him nod before you turn and open the door, closing it behind you and heading further down the hall. Knocking at the other closed door, you wait a few minutes until Harrison pulls it open, somewhat breathless and shirtless, skin flushed,

“Hey Y/N, what’s up?”

“Hey, uhm… I’m looking for Ivey. The other girls are ready to go home so… I just thought I’d come and see if she was uhh… ready or anything?” You explain, face reddening at how stupid the explaination sounds considering you know what your roommate and her boyfriend are up to and he knows you know. He smiles, glancing over his shoulder, behind the door,

“Uhm… yeah, I think I’ll bring her home later. We’re kinda busy at the moment.” He responds with a soft chuckle. You swallow and nod, cheeks burning in embarrassment,

"Right, yeah, sorry. Uhm... just... tell her I'll see her later and uhh... goodnight to you." You reply kindly, Harrison nodding and coolly reassuring you he will before he closes the door and leaves you to head back into the crowds downstairs, finding Phoebe and Scarlett, jackets back on and leaned against cabinets, waiting for you. When you approach, they both stand up straight,

"So what's up? Did you join them or something? You were gone a while." Phoebe chastises. You click your tongue, shooting her an unamused look as Scarlett giggles softly,

"No, I ran into Tom before I found them. He and I... cleared things up. We're starting over and giving a friendship another go." You say proudly, both girls nodding, impressed,

"Nice. He's a good friend to have but uhh... you better put your hormones back in their box. You end up as more than friends, he could break your heart." Scarlett warns. You nod, pivoting on your feet and soaking the information in. She sighs to break the silence between the three of you,

"Anyways, let's get home. We're takin you shopping tomorrow once Prince Charming drops Ivey off." She says, headed for the door with you and Phoebe in tow.

It was fun letting loose for the night before classes start. Your welcome party was successful and less drunk and destructive as the movies make it out. Though somewhat dramatic with Tom, you enjoyed meeting new people and establishing relationships you wouldn't have if you'd been a hermit. But Scarlett's words weigh on you somewhat. No matter what, you and Tom would have some sort of relationship. Whether you took the bait or not and spiraled into a love affair with the beautiful curly haired boy would change your life completely. It scared you, but the idea of getting in some trouble excites you and who knows, maybe you could establish a friends with benefits type of relationship with him for a little bit of fun without the stress of a strings attached relationship. To focus on school and all of the other life changing things that were being thrusted your way, maybe it would be nice to have someone to fool around with and rant to if need be. And why not make it the pretty little British boy that you know has his eyes on you? There wouldn't be any harm in that, right?

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[therainroguefanfiction]

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ [Thanksgiving Special! 🦃]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 4,439

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

〈“Oh, oh, oh, it’s Thanksgiving, we’re gonna have a good time. With the turkey ey! and mashed potatoes ey!. We are gonna have a good time. It’s Thanksgiving~” Nicole Westbrook, “It’s Thanksgiving”〉

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Oh look, the Author’s Note is at the top this time. I bet you’re thinking, ‘Well shit, this can’t be good!’ And you’d be right 😂 Okay so, I wanted to write a special for Thanksgiving right and I had these plans to make it this shit fest of just absolute crack and humor right. WELL if you know anything about me you know that I go back to angst by default. Like, you know how when you play online games, sometimes your settings just reset on their own and then you gotta go and turn off the music and turn the subtitles back on and why the fuck is PVP ticked on?? That’s basically me okay. I auto default back to angst unless I changed the settings again lmfao

So, I started this off, full fucking intent on being funny right. Yeah, no. Runaway while you fucking can. It got so fucking heavy in the middle and it’s just… I’m sorry bro. That’s all I can say. It might make you cry? I mean, I’m a sensitive lil bitch and I cried while I wrote it sooo~ But fear not! I gave it a cheerful, happy and somewhat enlightening/inspiring ending?? At least I think so anyway… Also, you don’t have to celebrate Thanksgiving to enjoy this! Oh yeah, and don’t @ me about facts, I literally used Wikipedia because I’m an uncultured fuck that knows nothing about Thanksgiving even though I live in the USA lmao Don’t fucking @ me about the song I chose either 😂 I ain’t adding that shit to the playlist tho.

So yeah! Read this shit, cry into your snuggie or your dog that looks like a mop and then go enjoy some turkey or hug your mum. Don’t forget to reblog this chapter because I’m a hoe for them reblogs ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

☔ Rain

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The door to class 1-A slammed open with so much force, it bounced off the wall and came back, stopped only by a gloved hand. An obnoxiously loud voice filled the room, “Are you ready, kids?!”

“Aye aye, captain!” I jumped up, automatically answering only to curse myself a moment later when he smirked. “Bitch, this ain’t Spongebob!!”

He clicked his tongue and gave me double finger guns. “But you responded!”

I slumped into my seat in frustration.

Present Mic approached the board, picking up a piece of bright orange chalk before writing a word on the board in English: Thanksgiving. He slapped his palm under the word, making several pieces of chalk fall to the floor. “We’re going to be talking about the meaning of Thanksgiving in Western Countries, most notably in the United States!”

“Sir!” Iida’s hand shot into the air.

“Thanks for calling, listener! What is your request?!”

Iida stood tall. “With all due respect, sir, we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Japan, we celebrate National Labor Day.”

“You’re correct… almost! Many people consider National Labor Day to be Japan’s Thanksgiving! Plus, I’m your English teacher, so why not take this time to talk about a wonderful holiday where you get to stuff your face with as much food as you can handle without being looked at like a weirdo?!”

“It doesn’t matter what you do,” I commented blankly. “People will always think you’re a weirdo, cockatiel.”

“Hey, aren’t you American, Winchester?” Kaminari questioned, tilting his head back to look at me.

I shrugged. “My mom was American, but I was born in Japan. I mean, Gramps taught me English and we had a small dinner every Thanksgiving to ‘celebrate my heritage’ or some shit, but I don’t really know the details about the holiday.”

“Which is what I’m here for!” He slapped the board again, giving up a grin. “Now pay close attention, listeners! In America, Thanksgiving occurs on the fourth Thursday of November every year! In Western Countries, this holiday is known to be the moment to thank the Native American people for helping European pilgrims to survive their first winter in the United States! Typically, this is a day when families come together from across the country to be with their loved ones and feast!”

I hummed. “Gramps used to always make me watch these American pageants where grade-schoolers put on plays reenacting the interaction between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. I remember one year, this kid was dressed in a fucking black trash bag stuffed with newspaper.”

“Plays are very popular in schools all across the states!” He nodded his head. “Can anyone tell me what year that Thanksgiving became a federal holiday in the USA?” He cupped his ear, but the only thing he got in response was a cricket that had snuck into the room a week ago to avoid the approaching chill settling over Japan. That fucker is really good at hide-n-seek because we still can’t find him and he’s at the back of the room so it’s like he’s in my fucking ear. “That’s right, the year is 1863! Before that, it was celebrated off and on since 1789 but the third president, Thomas Jefferson, just wasn’t feeling the holiday so he put a stop to it!”

“Seems suspect,” I responded.

“Now, who can tell me about the First Thanksgiving?!”

Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp.

My eye twitched and I turned in my seat, eyes scanning the back wall. Where the fuck is that goddamn cricket?! I swear to Deadpool I’m gonna roast that bitch when I finally fucking find it.

“Right again, my impressionable listeners! The First Thanksgiving was created by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October 1621! The feast lasted a total of three days and, according to one attendee named Edward Winslow, there were one-hundred-forty-three rockin’ attendees – ninety Native Americans and fifty-three Pilgrims!” He continued to drone on about the history of Thanksgiving in the states, listing off several different dates and names I couldn’t be bothered to remember.

I mean, History is cool, I guess, but when am I ever gonna need to know this stuff to function as a member of today’s society? Especially here in Japan, where American norms aren’t focused on at all? Plus, that fucking cricket is all I can think about!

“By the way, there will be a test on this and if you fail, you get remedial lessons with me, your chart-topping host!!”

Oh, fuck me.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

I stepped out into the chilly night, my breath coming in puffs of smoke as I walked. Aizawa didn’t like us to leave the dorms after dark, but there was no specific rule about it as long as we stayed on campus. It was two in the morning, and I had been tossing and turning in my bed since I got there. It hadn’t bothered me at first when Mic brought up Thanksgiving, but now that it was just a couple days away, I’m starting to get restless.

This would be my first Thanksgiving without Gramps…

I fell onto the icy cold stone bench, letting my head fall back to stare up at the navy sky. It looked like ribbons of velvet, bright stars dotting across it like sequins caught under the light. The moon was a perfect crescent.

“Jen?”

I glanced over, seeing Zuku with his arms wrapped tight around his body. Even with the thick sweater he wore, it was obvious he was cold. I patted the bench beside me and he sat down, letting me throw my arms around his body. I focused on my quirk, raising my body temperature to warm him up. “Why are you awake?”

“I got up to use the bathroom and spotted you out the window.” He frowned up at me, his brow furrowed. “You look so… sad. What’s wrong?”

My grip tightened around him and I smiled sadly. “I guess I am a bit sad… This is my first Thanksgiving without Gramps, so… it kinda hurts, you know?”

“Oh, I see… I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine. Just something you gotta deal with, ya know? It’s life, and life is full of unfairness.”

“Will you… tell me about it?” He asked softly, playing with his fingers in his lap. “About what the two of you did each year? If it’s not too painful, I mean…”

“I’d love to,” I ruffled his hair and closed my eyes. “Let’s see – Gramps thought it was important for us to celebrate Thanksgiving because my mother was American. ‘It’s part of who you are, kitten, so we must celebrate!’ is what he’d always tell me. He spent the first five years learning everything he could about the holiday because he wanted it to be authentic and at age five, he started hosting a small feast for the two of us each year.”

“It sounds like he loved you a lot.”

“Yeah… Yeah, he did. We were each other’s world, the only two people we had in life. It was just us against the world!” I chuckled, but it held no humor. “Gramps was a hell of a good chef. He always used to attribute that to the fact that he worked for near six years in a restaurant with his father before the man died and the place had to be sold. Cooking reminded him of a simpler time, so he took pride in everything he cooked. Now that I think about it… that was the first time I met Skye and Heather.”

“Friends of yours?”

“Nah, they made my life hell growing up.” I waved my hand. “I don’t think they remembered this, but I met them once when I was seven. They lived a couple blocks down from us and Gramps had met them on several of his midday walks. Skye was half-Japanese on her mother’s side, while her dad was American and Heather was full American but her family moved to Japan just a year or two previously. Since Gramps wanted to make Thanksgiving as authentic as possible, he went to them for advice. Sky’s father had asked his grandma back home to send a few of her recipes for the holiday and that’s when I met Skye for the first time. He stopped by on his way to work to drop them off and she was with him, but she took one look at me and turned her nose up.”

“You were bullied?” He asked softly, lowering his head. “I never would have thought that.”

“Yeah, but it didn’t start until I was twelve.” I chuckled. “Anyway, we didn’t have much money to work with, but he saved up with every paycheck for months in advance. Just small amounts from each check and then the week before Thanksgiving, he’d take the money he saved and go all out, buying a Turkey, potatoes, pumpkin pie, the works. Some of the shit he couldn’t even get in our town, he had to travel to specialty shops or order the ingredients online from overseas. I kept telling him it was too much work, but he was a stubborn old man.”

Izuku shifted in my arms, his head on my shoulder. “Tell me more about him,” his voice was soft and growing husky as sleep started to claim him.

I hummed softly. “He liked what the day symbolized – families coming together to be thankful for the people in their lives and for the things they were gifted with. To be honest, I often wondered as a child if he regretted raising me, but I knew that was wrong as I got older. It was almost like… raising me gave him a purpose, a reason to face every day with a smile. And I guess in a way… he was the same for me. I remember it so clearly, waking up at one in the morning on Thanksgiving day to sounds in the kitchen. I’d sneak down the hallway, careful of that stupid ass board on the right that always creaked when you stepped on it. And there he was, seeming to radiate warmth and happiness as he bustled around the kitchen getting all the dishes ready for that day.”

I smiled, my hands fisting around his jacket as I took a shaky breath. “He always wore that stupid ass apron I gave him on his birthday in fifth grade. It was this god awful snot yellow color with lime green stripes. If you stared at it too long, you’d go fucking cross-eyed. And it had this… hell, even to this day I don’t know what it was. I think it was a Rhino in a chef’s hat but I guess it coulda been a hippo? Or a fat giraffe with a short neck. He was convinced it was a Thanksgiving Zebra, but I still think he’s nuts. There’s no way that was a damn Zebra, and I would literally list the reasons why it couldn’t be, but he’d just listen intently with a bright smile, nodding his head to show that he was listening. And once I was done ranting, he’d pat my head and simply say, ‘Thanksgiving Zebras are quite special’. I swear he was batty.”

Zuku chuckled. “What makes a Zebra a Thanksgiving Zebra?”

“They have to be fat as fuck apparently. And orange. At least I think it was orange. It coulda just been a really dark yellow. I’m telling you, this apron was all kinds of wrong! I will never understand what I was thinking when I looked at that thing in the store and was like, ‘This is feckin’ awesome, he’s gonna love it!’. But he did love it, wore it every time he cooked, even on the rare occasions we had guests over. He wore it without shame and always with a smile.”

“Because it was from you, so it was special.”

“Hmm, probably, yeah.” I sighed deeply. “Come on, let’s get you to bed, you look like you’re about to pass out.”

“I wanted to hear more stories,” he pouted, but he was clearly having trouble holding his eyes open.

“I promise to tell you some more later, okay?” I stood up, putting my arms under his body and lifting him into my arms. He snuggled closer, mumbling something under his breath before sleep finally claimed him. I held him closer, feeling my eyes sting with tears, but I forced them back. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t cry, not until I’ve earned the right to do so.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

“Hey, Jen, wait up!”

I paused in the hallway, glancing over my shoulder. Ryuu was dodging students as he headed toward me, smiling brightly. When he finally reached me, he threw his arms around my neck, pulling me into a hug. I chuckled, hugging him back. “Hello to you, too. What’s up?”

“Are you busy?” He questioned, pulling away.

“Uhh, I got a shit-ton of homework that I probably won’t do and might accidentally burn but that’s about it.” I grinned.

He huffed, putting his hand on his hip. “You better not! You’re not allowed to get kicked from the hero course because you refuse to do your work.”

“Yes, mother.”

He nudged my shoulder but I didn’t miss the way his lips twitched up. “What do you say we hang out at the library for a bit and work on it together?”

I hummed. “Why, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to lure me away, Hiryuu Rin~”

“As if,” he teased, tugging on my hand. “Come on, let’s get to it!”

“But learning is so boring~”

“You won’t be a hero with that attitude~”

“Last time I checked, pros don’t have to go around dividing letters with numbers to defeat villains,” I grumbled, throwing my head back.

He hummed. “True, but what if you come across a math villain?”

“Punch him in the dick.”

He sweatdropped. “What if he has hostages and he’ll only release them if you solve his math problems?”

I looked at him blankly. “What are the actual chances of that fucking happening, Ryuu?”

He huffed, puffing out his cheeks. “It could happen!”

I poked his inflated cheek with a chuckle. “Anything is possible, I guess.”

Ryuu led me to the back of the library, settling down in the corner. The next few hours were spent taking turns on our homework assignments. I was able to help him with a couple subjects, while he had my back for some of the harder ones, like math. And then there was physics, which left us both fucking stumped.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

The librarian peeked her head around a large bookshelf, her tired, dull eyes landing on us. “Library’s about to close. Time to leave.”

I glanced out the window and clicked my tongue. “Damn, we were here for a while. It’s dark out.”

He nodded, stuffing his books into his bag. “They say time flies when you’re having fun, but…”

“We weren’t having fun at all,” I pointed out and he shrugged, stifling a yawn.

“Can I come back to your dorm?”

“Ho~? I didn’t know you were so forward, Ryuu.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him and he rolled his eyes, rubbing his arms as we stepped out into the cold.

“I was thinking more along the lines of hot chocolate and a movie.”

“Well, that’s no fun.”

“Just what were you thinking…” he muttered under his breath before shaking his head at my grin. “Nevermind, I don’t want to know!”

The walk to 1-A’s dorm passed in comfortable silence, Ryuu practically glued to my side as he soaked up the warmth from my body. I wonder if his body reacts negatively to the cold because of his reptile-like quirk. I should ask him about that later.

We stepped inside and I immediately froze in the doorway, my eyes wide.

Ryuu took his shoes off, looking back at me curiously. “Jen? What’s wrong?”

“I, uh…” I swallowed hard, covering my mouth and closing my eyes. As soon as I stepped into the building, the smell of food had wafted to my nose, almost as if it were waiting at the door to tease me. It smells just like… like the house did every Thanksgiving morning. It’s the exact same smell.

A hand rested on my shoulder, Ryuu looking at me with worry. “Do you feel sick?”

“No, I just…” I took a breath, forcing a smile as I tried to ignore the smell. “Sorry, just remembered something.”

“Are you sure? You look pale…”

I chuckled, pushing past him. “I was born pale. You up for grabbing the hot chocolate and heading to my room for the movie? Not really in the mood for socializing.” I stepped into the kitchen and froze for the second time. What the fuck?

“If you’re not in the mood for socializing, that might be a problem, Winchester.” Kirishima grinned.

“You better fucking get in the mood, bitch!” Katsuki scowled, his face twisted up.

“Welcome home, Jen.” Izuku greeted, brightly.

“Huh, class A certainly loves going over the top for everything, don’t they?!” Monoma laughed, but it didn’t have its usual mocking undertone to it.

“I hope you don’t mind us joining you guys,” Kendo smiled, tilting her head.

My eyes scanned the faces of classes A and B, all stuffed into the kitchen around the table that had been covered in various dishes of food – turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole… Am I dreaming? I don’t… I can’t…

Ryuu embraced me, his hand finding my cheek. “You’re crying…”

“What? No, I -” I lifted my hand, wiping at my eyes. I am crying. I’m crying in front of both classes. They’re supposed to look at me and be reassured and feel safe, how can they do that if I’m crying my eyes out? Why am I even crying?

Momo and Ashido rushed over to me, pushing Ryuu away as they fussed over me, squishing me between them. “We’re sorry, we should have asked first!”

“Yeah, don’t cry, Jen!” Ashido squeezed me tighter.

“I don’t… know why I’m crying…” I sobbed, rubbing at my eyes furiously but the tears wouldn’t stop coming.

Izuku smiled sadly as he approached, pulling my hands away from my face. “All Might thinks you haven’t properly grieved for Gramps. That’s why I thought it would be a good idea to do this, to give you a chance to… to… properly grieve and to realize… to realize that you’re not alone!” His shoulders shook as his eyes filled with tears.

“Damn it, Deku! You’re supposed to make her feel better not start crying with her!!” Katsuki slammed his hand on the table, the silverware rattling.

“Can I… have a minute, please?” I asked softly.

The two girls exchanged a look before hesitantly pulling away. I bowed my head and stepped out of the kitchen, heading back out through the doorway. As soon as it clicked, I leaned back and slid down, my body shaking from the effort it took to hold back the rest of my tears.

‘Remember, kitten, life isn’t always easy. More often than not, you will face hardships and pain that will be so bad, you will begin to question why it has to be that way. However, just as happiness is often fleeting, so, too, is sadness. You may think that crying makes you a weak person, but I assure you it does not. Crying is a sign that you’ve been strong for too long, and there is no shame in it. Don’t be afraid to show your emotions, kitten. They are not your weakness, they are your strength.’

“Young Jen?”

“Toshi…” I sobbed, tears flowing down my cheeks as my body shook.

Warmth flooded me as I was brought into a strong chest, arms wrapped tight around me. A tired voice sighed from somewhere behind him, “I told you this was a bad idea.”

“Shouta…”

He kneeled beside us, his hand gently rubbing the top of my head. “Sorry, I should’ve stopped them.”

I shook my head. “No, I… I just…”

Toshi rubbed my back comfortingly. “When young Midoriya came to me and told me about his conversation with you the other night, I saw this as a teaching moment. He wanted to get together with the rest of your class, as well as class B, to have a Thanksgiving dinner in honor of your Gramps. I knew this would be hard for you, but I was sure that it was the right thing to do. You accepted the fact that he was gone, but you never grieved for him, did you?”

I shook my head, clutching his sweater between my fingers.

“When we lose someone we love, closure is important for us to heal and move forward. And… I worry that you might feel alone in this new world, but you have impacted those around you, even those from class B. They were more than happy to help out when young Midoriya explained things to them.” Toshi pushed me backward, grasping me by the shoulders and giving me his signature smile. “You are surrounded by people who love you, my dear Jen. Never forget that.”

And I smiled back, even with the tears still falling from my eyes.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

When I returned to the kitchen twenty minutes later, several worried eyes snapped to me, no doubt noticing my red and swollen eyes, but I smiled brightly at them to ease their worries, stepping aside to let the two teachers inside.

“Hey, All Might made it!” Kaminari cheered.

“And Aizawa-sensei, too!” Kishima grinned.

“Does that mean we can eat now? I’m fucking starving,” Katsuki complained, his arm thrown over the back of the chair as he glared at the ceiling.

“Yes, let’s dig in!” Momo clapped her hands excitedly and the room sprung to life, everyone squeezing into the chairs around the table. Not everyone could fit, of course, and they ended up sitting off to the side or on the counters. All Might himself took up two and a half seats as he sat at the head of the table, laughing and chatting with the students as he told them stories from his youth.

I sat at the opposite end, between Shouta and Izuku, both of whom kept glancing at me with worry, though the greenette wasn’t trying to hide it like our teacher was. I chuckled, taking each of their hands with my own. “Thank you for this. It really means a lot to me.”

“Of course!” Izuku squeezed my hand, giving me a bright smile. Aizawa didn’t say anything, but he squeezed my other hand.

“You Sparky fuck, that turkey leg was mine!!”

“Huh? I don’t see your name on it, Bakugo.”

“Do you wanna die?!”

“Ahahaha! What deplorable manners class A has! Pathetic!”

“Be quiet, Monoma!”

“So many beautiful girls packed into one room, I just wanna touch them…”

“You’re disgusting!”

“Can you pass the cranberry sauce? Ribbit.”

“Here you go, frog girl!!”

“You’re too loud, Tetsu!”

“Hey, All Might, what was your favorite thing about America when you lived there?”

“That’s easy, young Kaibara! I loved seeing the -”

“Hey, you guys started without us!!” The room turned their attention to the doorway where Midnight, Gran and Present Mic stood. Midnight, who had spoken, huffed in annoyance. “There better be a turkey leg left!”

“Itps mjinre!” Katsuki mumbled around the turkey leg that he had stolen from Kaminari.

“You little brat, give it here!” She demanded, nearly jumping across the table to tackle him. His eyes grew wide and he took off, yelling obscenities at her as she chased him around the kitchen.

Gran approached me, putting her hand on my shoulder and smiling kindly. “Happy Thanksgiving, deary.”

I looked around the room, watching the chaos that was ensuing around me. And I smiled, my heart full of happiness and warmth. Things haven’t been easy, and I’m sure the road ahead of me is far from clear, but I’m surrounded by people that care about me, that I care about. Gramps… wherever you are right now, I want you to know that I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about me. These idiots may not be entirely sane and they may drive me up a wall sometimes but… they are home. My home.

“Hey, hey!” Mic raised his voice, making the glasses rattle. “Let’s go around and say what we’re thankful for! Start us off, Uraraka!”

She pulled a surprised face at suddenly being called before tilting her head and smiling. “I’m thankful that we can all be here together!”

“Excellent! Iida, you next!”

“I’m thankful to be with friends during this time of giving thanks!”

“That’s the same as what Uraraka just said but good job! Let’s keep this train a-rollin’, folks!”

“I’m thankful for music.”

“Boobs. Definitely boobs.”

“I’m thankful Bakugo didn’t kill me for that turkey leg…”

“I’m thankful that everyone here is so manly!”

“I’m thankful I’m not sitting next to Mineta…”

“Anime and manga, definitely.”

“I’d be thankful if this bitch would stop chasing me!!”

“And I’d be thankful if you’d give me that turkey leg you brat!”

“I’m thankful that all of you dears are healthy~”

“Hah, I’ll be thankful when class A finally goes down!”

“I’ll be thankful when I don’t have to babysit Monoma anymore…”

“I’m thankful I got to meet Kirishima!!”

“I’m thankful that I sparkle so beautifully. I am magnifi -”

“I’m thankful for this awesome food!”

“What about you, Jen?” Izuku asked, curiously.

“Me?” I hummed as several people looked at me expectantly. I grinned brightly. “Ain’t it obvious? I’m thankful for tacos!”

Zuku sweatdropped. “I shoulda guessed…”

“Well, you stick to your guns, at least, young Jen!”

“Speaking of,” I looked Zuku dead in the eye, my expression deadly serious. “Where the fuck are my tacos, bro?”

His body tensed and he swallowed hard. “Um, I… I didn’t see any mention of tacos when I was researching Thanksgiving…”

I clicked my tongue. “That’s fucking shameful, Zuku. No holiday is complete without tacos.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

I grinned, ruffling his messy hair. “Make sure you don’t forget next year, ‘kay?”

His face lit up and he nodded. “Of course!”

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

「“Give thanks for a little, and you will find a lot.” – Hausa Proverb」

「“People cry, not because they’re weak. It’s because they’ve been strong for too long.” – Johnny Depp」

「“Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.” – William Shakespeare」

「“Love doesn’t make the world go ’round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” – Franklin P. Jones」

「“We fall, we break, we fail. But then, we rise. We heal. We overcome.” – Unknown」

[pug gif]

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

▸ Forward

📜 Read more by checking out my masterlist 📜

[yeosanqtuary]

gentle breeze - pt. 3

♡ - list of chapters

"d-don't go,"

hongjoong turned around and caught sight of seonghwa's pained expression. he looked so sad and afraid, his grip on his wrist tightening every second. he was so vulnerable at that moment. 

people who believed the rumors would think that seonghwa looked pitiful, or still even a little intimidating. but to the hongjoong who didn't, he thought that he was… kinda cute.

so hongjoong did as he was told, and sat down at the side of his bed. 

"m-mom… p-please…" seonghwa whimpered, curling himself up into a ball. the grip on hongjoong's wrist was still very tight.

mom? did he have some kind of traumatic experience when he was a kid?

"yes, yes, mom is here, i won't go, i'll always be by your side," hongjoong coaxed, hoping to comfort him a little, despite the fact that seonghwa probably won't hear him. seonghwa continued to whimper, and hongjoong rubbed small circles on his back with his thumb, hoping it would at least soothe him a little.

this went on for almost 40 minutes, and hongjoong was getting tired. seonghwa was still holding tightly onto his wrist. i have no choice. i'll just have to nap beside him. hope he doesn't wake up before i do.

that was what hongjoong thought.

--

"..."

seonghwa opened his eyes, adjusting to the light in the dorm that hongjoong forgotten to turn off. he lifted his hand up to rub his eyes, but found that he couldn't. they were being held down by something. or rather, someone.

hongjoong had his arms around seonghwa, bounding his arms. it was his sleeping habit. hongjoong had always been hugging his large stuffed toy to sleep since young, so it developed into a habit.

seonghwa was confused, but he liked the feeling. he was an only child, and had been alone since young. his parents were workaholics, often working out from early morning to late at night, so there was barely a chance to see each other, or even converse.

he had only been the most in touch with his babysitter. he didn't like her, and always kept to himself. the babysitter didn't bother interacting with him either, letting him do everything on his own.

thus, seonghwa didn't have the ability to express himself, which explains all the weird rumors and bad impressions people had of him. despite all that, he was very independent, which explains the good upbringing of the dorm.

seonghwa then noticed he was interlocking hands with hongjoong. he smiled to himself. how cute.

he slowly pried hongjoong's hand off his body, and went to turn off the lights. then, he laid back down on the bed and turned his body so he was facing hongjoong.

"thank you for not believing the others," seonghwa muttered, and wrapped his arms around hongjoong. he responded by mumbling a few incoherent words and shifting closer into his warm chest.

the two stayed like that until the next day.

hongjoong was the first to wake up. the first thing he saw was seonghwa's chest, which got him very very confused.

wasn't i just holding his hand last night????

then he tried to lift his head to look up, but instead the top of his head hit seonghwa's chin, which woke him up.

hongjoong immediately backed away from him, escaping his arms. "u-uh... hey, g-good morning s-seonghwa. did you sleep well?"

seonghwa was staring at him. hongjoong didn't know what he was thinking. his face sent a lot of mixed emotions. was he angry? was he disgusted? was he... happy?

"mm," seonghwa hummed in response and got off the bed. "get ready quickly. it's 7am," then he headed to the basin in the balcony.

that was it? he wasn't mad? he wasn't gonna kick me out? maybe he just doesn't want to scare me... maybe he'll finally kick me out later... maybe the rumors are true after all...

"hongjoong,"

"ah! yes, i'm here!" hongjoong shouted in surprised, and stood up straight at once. seonghwa chuckled. "i'vd already brushed my teeth. you should go too. we don't want to be late," he passed him hongjoong's toothbrush and went to prepare his outfit.

hongjoong was shocked speechless. he couldn't believe his ears. did seonghwa just chuckle? like... chuckle chuckle? that laughing sound? wait, wait, he can't rn...

"what? something on my face? hurry and go brush your teeth. or else we won't get to shower," seonghwa took hongjoong's hand and put the toothbrush into his palm, "stop staring, or i'll get embarrassed,"

hongjoong really wanted to faint. what did seonghwa dream of last night that made him like this? this was such a huge difference from yesterday! he was starting to believe he had split personalities...

hongjoong came back to his senses and wasted no more time. it was already 7:15am, and classes started at 8am. the bathroom would definitely be crowded by now. he decided that he would think more later.

--

they managed to get to class on time. the first period was a chemistry class, which hongjoong loved. but he couldn't seem to concentrate at all. his thoughts were all revolving around seonghwa's actions in the morning, and he couldn't even answer a simple question posed by the teacher. lucky for him, the teacher let him off since he thought it was because he wasn't used to the new environment.

seonghwa continued to fill his mind until lunch period came. the last period was language, and he somehow knew that seonghwa's class was a level lower than his, which means he was on the second floor. so he purposely took his time heading down. but... not like seonghwa was gonna have lunch with him anyway. they only had dinner once, and it was awkward as heck. he didn't want a repeat of that.

when he reached the second floor, he heaved a sigh of relief to find that seonghwa wasn't in sight. he got ahead of himself and dashed down the stairs to the first floor. he was hungry, and the cafeteria was definitely full at this point.

however, when he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was shocked to find seonghwa leaning against the wall coolly, holding a plastic bag.

...

"let's go," he said, looking at him coldly as usual. he turned around and started walking with one hand tucked inside his pocket and the other holding the plastic bag.

hongjoong fell a few steps back from him, studying his back figure. he was so cool... the way he walked even carried this cool and unapproachable aura... he still looked so handsome even from his back, and don't even talk about the front!

wait, what. what the heck am i thinking?

hongjoong patted his cheeks a little, shaking his head too. these thoughts are waaaaay too weird. kinda sounded like that one seonghwa fangirl he overheard while lining up for food last evening. sounded like he was infatuated with him... or something... but he was straight. 100%. no one can bend him. for real. mark my words(not really).

the two arrived at their previous dining spot, and seonghwa revealed the contents of the plastic bag.

it seems like he had leftover kimchi fried rice from home economics lesson. it was just enough for two, so they didn't have to worry about lunch.

hongjoong scooped a spoonful of fried rice to his mouth, and slowly chewed, taking in all the different flavours that exploded in his mouth. his eyes lit up at the extraordinary taste. sure, he had kimchi fried rice made by his old friends before, but this fried rice was particularly scrumptious.

"wow, did you make this all by yourself?" hongjoong asked with a mouthful of rice. seonghwa only nodded, and scooped up a spoon of rice for himself too. seonghwa had been observing hongjoong's reactions closely. he thought he looked super cute when his eyes lit up, and when his cheeks were stuffed. he looked exactly like a tiny hamster, especially with that super huge coat hongjoong was wearing. as the gentle breeze blew, it ruffled hongjoong's fringe a little, adding to the cuteness as he munched on the rice.

you know why it's so good? because i made it with my love.

next ->

[raspberryparker]

someday | four

college!au spidey x fem!reader

← previous | series masterlist | next → word count: 4,651 summary: peter is  s o f t  in this one and the plot begins to unfold kinda. you’ll see.  warnings: see masterlist read it on ao3 add yourself to my taglist!

━━━━━━━━

   To his surprise, though it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, Peter found himself looking forward to heading to the library the following day. Had anyone told him just even a week prior that he’d be excited about getting tutored, he might have just scoffed in their face. But it was different now.

   Because it was Y/N.

   He didn’t know exactly what it was about her that made him so giddy as he kicked off his skateboard and set off through the quad. He was trying to suppress his smile, looking like a little kid trying to keep a secret as he whizzed past the students around him. He was more distracted than usual, a few people having to jump out of the way before he collided with them head on.

   He couldn’t help it though; he only had one thing on his mind.

   And that was seeing her smile again.

   She’d given him many during their time together in the library, grinning politely at him when she agreed with a point he made or kindly asked him to read a passage. But they were all thin lipped and forced, and Peter could feel it in the air that Y/N was more than uncomfortable to be sitting across from him.

   But the smile she gave him as they were walking back to their building, the laugh she let bubble past her lips at his really terrible joke, was imprinted in Peter’s mind. He saw it on the backs of his eyelids when he went to bed that night, Ned having refused to let him do his rounds that evening because of his injuries. He saw it when he was getting dressed, actually making an effort to pick out a nicer looking outfit than the old hoodie he’d worn the day before (way to make a first impression, huh?). He saw it as he walked up the steps to the library doors, pulling it open and stepping into the warm atmosphere.

   Peter hoped he’d see it again. It was gorgeous.

   He was surprised to see Y/N behind the front desk, typing away at one of the desktops as he entered. Stopping in front of her, he smiled as her eyes met his. She grinned at him. His heart pounded.

   “Hey,” he greeted, leaning against the counter. “I thought you didn’t work this weekend?”

   “I was just updating the library events page while I waited for you,” she explained, saving her file and slinging the bag she’d set on top of the desk over her shoulder. She walked around to stand next to him, wrapping a scarf around her neck. “There’s a club meeting going on upstairs and all the other good study spots are taken right now so I thought you’d be okay if we went somewhere else.”

   “Where did you have in mind?” Peter asked, beginning to step alongside her as she exited the building. He held the door for her, noticing that she struggled just a bit against the heavy weight of it, and she smiled up at him in thanks.

   It wasn’t quite the same smile, not as open as the one she had when she laughed the day before, but it made her expression glow regardless. His palms briefly felt crackly, like TV static under his skin, and he could tell he was about to start sweating nervously. Better get out into the cold faster, then.

   “I was thinking maybe the dining hall,” she told him, wrapping her arms around herself as the biting wind met her frame. “It’s only noon, but I’ve been up since eight and I haven’t eaten yet. Would you mind if we studied there? I took out a copy of Arthur Miller’s biography for you so you have some sources with you.”

   “Yeah, for sure,” he agreed happily. “I actually haven’t eaten either, but I can’t say I’ve been up as long as you have.”

   “Old habits, you know the rest,” she muttered. “I had a lot of morning shifts last semester even though I took the summer off from studies and I guess my body just kind of got used to waking up early.”

   Peter hummed in response, glancing over at her as she walked beside him. He was glad that it was an easy silence that fell over them then, as opposed to the awkward tension that had engulfed them the entirety of the day before. Y/N seemed more relaxed around him now and for that he was grateful. He didn’t think he could bear it if she still regarded him with caution, constantly walking on eggshells around him because she thought he was dangerous. He knew she still doubted him, but at least she wasn’t giving herself a backache with her stiff, tense posture.

   He took in the curve of her neck hidden underneath her scarf, the ends of it loosely tucked into her striped sweater. She looked so cozy, but she was also kind of shivering.

   Peter had half a mind to offer her his jacket, but hadn’t gotten past the ‘but what if that’s weird?’ part of his internal debate when she stopped, and he almost walked into her back.

   Oh. He’d forgotten how close the dining hall was to the library.

   Quickly stepping around her, he opened one of the glass doors for her, gesturing with his open palm for her to enter. “After you.”

   The fact that he was stuck on the way her cheeks reddened at the gesture was not doing him any favours. They entered the hall, a combination of sweet and savoury aromas assaulting Peter’s senses and making him momentarily disoriented. He blinked rapidly and flared his nostrils, trying to get his eyes to stop watering before Y/N noticed. Sometimes his spidey-senses were just a tad too much for him, even though he’d been dealing with them for around five years.

   They both stood in line as their ESU student ID’s were swiped into the computer system, confirming their enrollment in the school and their payment of the meal plan, and stepped into the hall, both of them looking for an empty table. It wasn’t loud in the hall for once, but it was still buzzing with the chatter of students as they ate and socialized, others studying just as they planned to do. Peter spotted a table near one of the large back windows and gestured for Y/N to follow him. They settled down and took their things out of their bags, Peter slipping out his notebook (that he’d been kind of embarrassed by when Y/N had first seen it— it was a mess) and Y/N taking out her books and laptop. Though it was still cold outside, the sun began to shine through the clouds and lit their table up with a soft mid-day glow.

   “I’m gonna get some food,” Y/N said, pointing her thumb back in the direction of the kitchen. “You coming?”

   “I will in a bit, you go first,” he muttered.

   “Okay.”

   He watched her retreating figure and allowed himself to sink into his seat, a sigh slipping past his lips. Peter hadn’t stopped being aware of just how hard and how loud his heart was thumping, as it if was actively trying to hammer its way out of his ribcage. It still surprised him that he’d actually been anticipating meeting with her again. He’d even started to enjoy reading the play in his dorm the night before, because every time he did he’d remember her face when he told her which play he had to write the paper on.

   She’d been incredibly happy, proudly declaring it was one of her favourites and that she had plenty of knowledge on it. And after that, Peter couldn’t read a single line without thinking of her; of the way her eyes shone even in the gloomy weather, the radiance of her skin as she laughed and the brightness of her personality. He had a hard time believing she was as shy as she said she was even if he’d only known her for day.

   It felt like he’d already known her a lifetime.

   But he shouldn’t be getting ahead of himself. This was only their second (actually third, but the first one didn’t count in his mind) encounter.

   “Hey, dude!”

   At the sound of the voice that he’d recognize anywhere, Peter glanced up to find Ned bouncing happily toward him, backpack slung lazily over one shoulder and his laptop tucked under the other arm. It was incredibly rare to find Ned without his laptop as he was always working on one of his many coding or robotics assignments.

   “Hey,” Peter grinned back. Ned pulled a seat out the seat next to Peter and sat down down, setting his laptop on the table. “What’s up?”

   “Just got done with my lab,” he said. “Was gonna grab lunch. But why are you here? Thought you were going to the library to meet with Y/N again today.”

   “It was busy in there so we came here. She’s grabbing food.”

   “Oh, awesome.” Ned smiled widely, already taking his things out of his bag and setting them on the table despite not having asked the question that Peter knew was inevitably coming. “Mind if I join you guys then? I’ll be quiet, I promise— coding doesn’t make much noise.”

   “Fine with me,” Peter said, opening his notebook to the page where he’d last taken notes. “You gotta ask Y/N though.”

   “Ask me what?”

   As if on cue, Y/N walked over to the table, a plate with what looked like shepherd’s pie and steamed vegetables on it in her hands. She set it down on the table in front of her seat, glancing up and noticing the new addition to their group.

   “Oh, hey Ned,” she greeted, a warm smile gracing her features. “What are you doing here?”

   “Grabbin’ lunch after my four-hour lab. You know how hungry those make me,” he laughed, and Y/N giggled in return.

   Peter felt his stomach drop watching the interactions between his two friends— wait, could he even call Y/N his friend? Not quite yet, but he liked to think that someday, hopefully soon, he’d be able to. But it didn’t stop the sharp twist in his gut as they laughed together, Y/N obviously much more comfortable around Ned. She had a reason to be, but still… didn’t mean he couldn’t feel envious of it.

   Was that what it was? Envy? Maybe it was jealousy.

   The thought of being jealous of his best friend left a sour taste in his mouth but it wasn’t exactly something he could help. And Y/N obviously didn’t like Peter, let alone trust him, so he’d just have to get over it.

   God knows how long that would take, though.

   “I was just gonna ask if you guys didn’t mind me joining you while you study,” Ned told her as she settled into her seat across from Peter. “I won’t distract you, I swear.”

   “Yeah, I believe you,” she grinned, stabbing her fork into a particularly large piece of carrot and blowing the steam away from it. “Peter’s got a lot of reading and note-taking to do today. Hopefully by the end of it we might even have a workable thesis statement for his paper. That sound okay to you?”

   It took him about three seconds too long to realize she was taking to him now, and not to Ned, as he caught her questioning gaze. He’d been too preoccupied wondering how he could possibly be jealous of Ned and got distracted, caught off guard when she asked him a question.

   He swallowed, quickly nodding his head. “Yeah, that sounds fine.”

   Peter glanced to his left to find Ned looking at him with raised brows, his eyes flicking over to look at the girl across from them and then back to Peter. He could practically feel the blood flowing underneath the skin of his cheeks as he started to blush.

   He stood way too quickly.

   “I’m gonna go grab food,” he said, and glanced down at Ned. “Come with me?”

   “Yeah, sure dude.”

   No matter how badly he wanted to turn around and take one last look at her as the two of them walked towards the chicken, he managed to resist the urge.

   Ned had to walk a little faster to keep up with him, as Peter was trying to get away from that extremely awkward situation as fast as possible. He scurried up to his best friend, who was taking strides that were way too big to be normal and looked at him questioningly. Peter made a point not to look at the expression Ned was giving him because he already knew what it was.

   “Dude,” he whispered, though Peter was unsure why because Y/N couldn’t possibly hear them from that far away. “What the hell was that?”

   “Nothing.”

   “Hold on, hold on, hold on,” Ned said, stepping around his best friend to block his path. “Why are you being weird?”

   “I’m not— I’m not being weird, Ned,” Peter sighed, looking over the boy’s shoulder to watch the other students lining up to get their food at the various stations. “I’m fine.”

   “Yeah, and I’m Celine Dion,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. “There’s something you’re not telling me, dude, and you know we don’t keep secrets from each other.”

   “I’m not keeping a secret, a swear,” Peter insisted, holding his right hand up in a mock oath, hoping to get Ned to stop bothering him about it. “Now can we please go get food? I’m hungry.”

   “Okay, but I still don’t believe you.”

   Ned wouldn’t stop his grumbling as they got their food, Peter settling for a grilled cheese and tomato soup while Ned dumped large spoonfuls of baked mac and cheese onto his plate. If there was one thing Peter could always appreciate was that the dining hall had lots of variety when it came to meal options. But he didn’t even have the chance to admire the food, which was more often than not actually really good—compared to his old high school cafeteria lunches, anyway—because Ned wouldn’t stop trying to get an answer out of him.

   “I don’t know, man, all I’m saying is that there’s obviously something wrong,” he continued.

   “When is there not something wrong, Ned?” Peter deadpanned.

   “Okay, edgelord,” his best friend mocked. “Would you just tell me what’s up with you?”

   Peter gave Ned a stern look, a firm and inaudible ‘drop it’ that make Ned hold his hands up in defence. As they were grabbing utensils, Peter found himself glancing up at their table.

   Y/N was radiant. Sitting there in the glow of the sun as it washed over the light wood of the table, a spoon suspended in one hand and a book in the other. Peter found himself mesmerized by the sight of her, and happened to miss Ned leaning to peek over his shoulder to see what he was looking at.

   “Are you serious?”

   Peter jumped, shocked by Ned’s voice so close to his ear and stared with wide eyes at his best friend. “What?”

   “You like her,” Ned said, eyebrows raised and a smug smile on his lips.

   “What?! No I—” Peter was left sputtering around his words as he tried to think of a response to absolutely ridiculous accusation. He could feel his entire face burning as he blushed profusely. “I do not like her, I just—”

   “Somehow, I knew this would happen,” Ned said with a smile, completely disregarding Peter’s protests. “I can’t say it was part of the reason why I asked her to tutor you but I feel like deep down I hoped it would.”

   “You what?”

   “You’re her type, ya know. She probably thinks you’re cute or something. So, like… get on that shit.”

   “Ned!”

   “What?” he asked. “I’m just saying.”

   Peter sighed, closing his eyes against the oncoming headache that threatened to overcome his temples. “Okay, just don’t don’t say anything to her. Please.”

   “So what you’re saying is, you do like her and you want me to keep it a secret because you’re going to use your Parker charm and woo her until she falls unconditionally in love with you?”

   “No.”

   “Alright, you can count on me.” Ned mock-saluted at Peter with a grin, and stepped off with his plate and his drink back toward the table.

   Peter sighed, following behind him. “Why am I still friends with you?”

   “‘Cause without me, you’d be dead.”

   Hm. He did have a point.

   Peter could only hope that his blush had subsided enough by the time they got to the table, but his cheeks still felt warm. They sat down across from Y/N who grinned up at them.

   She set down her book, opening her laptop and pushing her plate aside. “You ready to start then?”

   Peter swallowed and nodded.

   He definitely wasn’t ready.

   Their studying session went just as the one before had, except this time they had Ned joining them, the only sound coming from him being the clacking of his laptop keys as he typed away. Y/N would point out important passages from the biography in between bits of food when peter needed help, but ultimately it was up to Peter to do most of the research.

   He found himself getting distracted at the worst times, having to reread a particularly large passage because he hadn’t been paying attention as his eyes skimmed over the words. He was too preoccupied with everything happening around him to be able to pay attention properly. It was something he struggled with since his heightened senses had developed.

   The smells and the sounds especially got under his skin; he’d pick up on a word from someone spoken across the room, or smell the fact that that the last time a person had worn that sweater was with their cat and they hadn’t washed it yet. It was overwhelming sometimes, but he’d been working to keep it under control. Sitting in silence with nothing to distract him, however, proved to be the wrong choice.

   He decided instead to focus on the sound of the television that sat on the wall across from them. There was always sports or a newscast playing in the dining hall— something everyone could either enjoy or use as background noise. Peter had intended to use it for the latter, trying to ground himself amidst the rising volumes in the hall as more people filed in for a late lunch after classes.

   But he hadn’t been expecting to hear that particular news report.

   “In a string of attacks against what appears to be only the wealthy of New York, another man has fallen victim.”

   Peter’s head immediately snapped up to look at the TV, the classic rise-and-fall timbre of the anchor’s voice catching his attention. His eyes narrowed as he watched her speak on the screen, her expression somber as she read from the teleprompter behind the camera.

   “Fifty-three year old Alan Montgomery was found dead in his penthouse late yesterday evening by his building’s cleaning staff. Montgomery was most widely known for his ownership of multiple art exhibitions and galleries throughout Manhattan, however there were those who suspected that his acquisition of the pieces displayed was all but lawful. And now some are suspecting his death and the recent accidents involving others like him are connected. Nina Forrester has more.”

   The camera cut then to a woman in an expensive looking navy pantsuit standing in front of police tape and flashing red and blue lights, gripping a microphone and looking far too overexposed with the bright lights shining in her face. Having been a photographer for the Daily Bugle during his last two years of high school, he couldn’t help but be nit-picky about things like that.

“Late yesterday evening, police dispatch alerted officers of a suspected homicide inside the famed Alan Montgomery’s home. Though police have not confirmed whether he died of natural causes or if there is any suspected foul play, they have confirmed that Mr. Montgomery has passed. NYPD has had no comment when asked if the recent string of brutal homicides against the ‘top one percent’ of New York and this incident are related, but that does not stop public speculation.”

   As the shots changed between her interviewing people on the streets about their opinion, Peter nudged Ned with his elbow.

   “Hey,” Ned groaned, but stopped as he saw the look Peter was giving him.

   Jerking his head toward the TV, Peter watched as Ned took in the headline at the bottom of the screen and watched the news reporter interview pedestrians. His eyes widened as he looked back at Peter, and an unspoken question hung in the air between them.

   Is that a spidey problem?

   Ned shrugged, eyes still wide and concerned as his gaze flickered back to Y/N sitting across from them. She hadn’t noticed the interaction, thankfully, but it was still too early to leave. And besides, they didn’t even know if it was something Peter had to deal with.

   Ned gave him a questioning gaze, and Peter pointed his chin towards Ned’s laptop. With a sharp nod, he saved and closed his assignment, opening up a new web browser tab in order to begin his research on the subject.

   Peter spent the remainder of their time in the dining hall nervously tapping his foot underneath the table as he pretended to read the play and the biography in front of him. Ned’s brows were perpetually furrowed as he scrolled through articles and police reports, and every so often he glanced over and made eye contact with Peter.

   It couldn’t be anything good.

   “Alright guys,” Y/N muttered, stretching her arms out over her head as she spoke. Peter looked away. “I’m gonna have to call it a day. I promised my boss I’d help set up for an event tonight and I still have to write a paper of my own. Do you mind, Peter?”

   “No, not at all.”

   Okay, that response was way too fast. But Y/N didn’t seem bothered as she smiled softly at him.

   “Thanks,” she muttered, putting her things back into her bag. “Text me when you want to meet up again, yeah? You still need a thesis.”

   “Y-yeah, I will,” he grinned.

   There were conflicting emotions circulating inside him as he watched her go. On the one hand he was glad she had left so that he and Ned could discuss just what it was they were going to do about the problem at hand, but on the other he felt a tug in his gut at the thought of her leaving. It was frustrating, to say the least.

   When she’d finally left the building, Peter braced himself for Ned’s onslaught of information.

   “Okay so get this,” he began. “I was going through recent police reports and some news articles—I even went through a few blog posts, and remind me to never do that again—but I found something interesting.

   “There have been a ton of deaths involving the wealthiest people in the city, but there’s a catch. Some people think they’re all connected because they’re rich, but others—and I think they might be right—think they’re connected for another reason. All of these guys,” he said as he turned the laptop around to show Peter. “Have either been accused, gone to court and been acquitted, or have had charges against them dropped. But all the accusations and charges have to do with their money and the way they got it.

   “This guy—Jonathan Carter. Apparently he was involved in some drug trafficking ring that brought this new kind of ecstacy in from, like, Russia or something. Everyone insists he made his money by selling it and not from his small businesses as he claimed. So many cops tried to prove the businesses were just a laundering scheme but they all either got fired or suspended without pay. Last week, out of the blue, bam, guy ends up dead in his house. It’s really fishy, dude.

   “And that’s only one of them. There are at least six other instances like this and I’d say the evidence is pretty damning.”

   “Then why hasn’t NYPD alerted anyone of a serial killer or anything like that?” Peter asked, mulling over the information Ned had just given him.

   “That’s the thing,” Ned added (how many more ‘things’ were there going to be?). “I managed to get a look at the medical examiner’s reports for some of these and they’re all classified as accidents caused by animals. Dude, these guys were fucking mauled to death. Like, guts coming out places they shouldn’t be coming out of, mauled. We’re talking medieval disembowelment, mauled. The ME used some pretty descriptive language and it sounds like they all met the same, angry mutant bear.”

   Peter frowned, folding his arms over the table. “But that’s impossible. This is New York. Unless they all died at the zoo, there’s no way any of them could have encountered an animal capable of doing that.”

   “Yeah, I know,” Ned agreed, rolling his eyes. “I was getting to that.

   “What’s also weird is that for each of the incidents, there’s a pathologist’s report as well as the ME’s. Which is normal I guess, but this particular pathologist only deals with homicide— so if they’re just animal attacks, why is homicide working it? And how the hell would a fucking bear get into a penthouse?”

   “Jesus,” Peter sighed.

   “I know.”

   Peter looked across to Ned with a concerned expression on his face, silently asking ‘what the hell do we do now?’. Ned looked away for a moment, his brow furrowing even more, if that was possible.

   “Also, there’s one another thing you’re probably not gonna like,” he said.

   “I already don’t like this whole situation, so I don’t see how it can get any worse,” Peter sighed.

   “This is like in the movies, when they’re like ‘oh, it’s already bad enough, how much worse can it get?’ and then it cuts to the character in a situation that is infinitely worse.”

   “What is your point, Ned?”

   “My point, Peter,” he muttered, looking like the last thing he wanted to do was tell his best friend what as going on. “Is that you and I both know the first thing to do in this situation is to go to heart of it and raid the police system to find information.”

   “Yeah, we always do that,” Peter said, confused. “What’s so bad, then?”

   “The precinct in the centre of all… whatever this is, and the precinct that happens to be in charge, is the 114th.”

   “Oh, shit.”

   “I told you you weren’t gonna like it,” Ned sighed, shaking his head.

   Perfect.

   This was just what he needed. The 114th police precinct just happened to be his least favourite for one reason and one reason only. It was Captain George Stacy’s precinct. And that would have been fine and dandy if it hadn’t been for the other thing.

   Peter had broken his daughter’s heart, and the police Captain was never going to let it go.

   Things were just getting better and better for him, huh?

   “We’re going tonight,” Peter declared, standing and putting his books back in his bags.

   “Whoa,” Ned said. “Really? What about your injuries?”

   “I’m fine,” he insisted, watching as Ned packed up as well. “Besides you said it yourself; this is only the info grab.”

   Ned regarded him for a moment, his eyes squinted as he looked at his friend with suspicion. He sighed then, standing as well and gesturing toward the entrance of the dining hall.

   “Okay, then,” he said, resigned to Peter’s determination. “It’s your call.”

   Man, was this going to suck.

━━━━━━━━

A/N: peter what tf did u do to poor gwen? jk it’s not that bad, but they don’t talk anymore so.... also idk if the 114th is accurate bc nowhere in the marvel wiki did it say what cpt. stacy’s precinct was so i picked one in the area i liked. if you know which one is actually his tho hmu

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