#as is the tension during the pat down which def was supposed to be like a gang pride/dignity/lack of power against the jp folks thing

[flamingo-writes]

Same Cloth — Satori Tendou x Reader

Summary: The friendship everyone saw coming. And the unlikely romance that came after. You were the two weirdos from your respective years. The freshman weirdo, and the second year weirdo. It only made sense. The romance, however, definitely took everyone by surprise, even though it was obvious to you, given that you two were two birds of a feather. 

"You and I are cut from the same cloth" Satori Tendou had said almost immediately after properly meeting you.

Posted: 05.10.2020

A/N: So, I was finally able to write this. It def took me a long while. This was inspired by a fic written by @laceymorganwrites​. Also, I intended to keep this shorter, but after word-vomiting the conversations and events written with minimum detailed turned out to be almost 2K words, I knew it’d end up being 5K after adding details and everything...

Word Count: 5.1 K

Warnings:  None

The school's journal didn't particularly excite you. Journaling wasn't your thing. Writing wasn't your thing. Interacting with people wasn't your thing either. But you needed to join a club. And you did have a talent with cameras. So, you joined the journalism club as the photographer in your first year at Shiratorizawa. 

"So, [Name]-chan" Your boss called you once she saw you walk inside the classroom you usually used after class. "I know it's your first year, and that it's hardly been a few months, but, we finally have some big story to cover" 

A girl from third year, named Makoto, was the director of the journal and pretty much everyone's boss. She was usually in charge of what stories you covered and she reviewed the final drafts. Everything related to the final draft was her territory, she gave the final green light to everything before publishing the paper. 

"I'm not in the writing team…" You reminded her, feeling already uncomfortable by her loud friendly aura. 

"Oh, I know that" She giggled. "Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I was going to ask you if I could get some pictures." Makoto by this point knew you weren’t particularly good with figurative speech.

"Alright. About what?" 

"The Volleyball tournament will begin soon, the local one at least. Then we'll have the spring tournament. Anyways, I'm pretty sure you know by now how big of a deal Volleyball is to this school" She began explaining as you felt the attack from her eye contact, as you avoided actually locking stares with her, as if you were a prey being watched by the predator. 

"I've noticed, but I don't know why" You hissed.

"The team is great” She said “You should go and see one of their games" 

"I don't like sports" Flatly, your voice made Makoto pout, sightly dissapointed by your lack of excitement.

"Anyways, [Name]. Could you get some pictures of the team, please?"

Her wide eyes looking at you, begging. And it wasn’t much you could say. She was your boss. You sighed deeply, thinking about how you’d had to pull through, maybe feel unpleasant and uncomfortable watching them play. But the sooner you had the job done, the better, right?

"Yup" You sighed, as Makoto’s smile took over and she thanked you dearly, knowing you weren’t particularly excited by this. 

♤

The next day you’’d begged your best friend over and over again to come with you to the Volleyball Court. Normally, you could pull off any photography job by yourself, but this was a whole different story. The awkwardness biting your neck and tensing your back like a cold shiver freezing your spine. 

"Can you believe I've never been here?" You muttered standing outside the court. 

"Well, you're not one to play sports, so, understandable!" Your best friend said trying to stay cheerful so you’d relax, however, all attempts to make you feel at ease were useless. 

Your best friend agreed to go with you to the volleyball court during training hours to take the pictures. A little bit of moral support was all you needed. Even when your best friend thought she wasn’t doing anything for your nerves, her presence alone gave you the strength to step inside the hell with a never ending rain of volleyballs. 

Your boss was supposed to meet up with you outside. She was a third year student and knew the team pretty well. Shiratorizawa’s volleyball team was a constant guess, and the leader of the Newspaper of course had to know each and everyone of the team members.  

With your feet glued to the ground, and your breath suddenly missing, you could hardly move. Makoto, quite passive-aggressively pushed you inside, as you reluctantly put one feet in front of the other while biting your tongue. Stiff like a corpse, made you wish you had entered the chess club instead. 

"You really don't like sports, do ya?" Makoto sighed with a gentle chuckle, trying to soothe your nerves as well.

"She's got very bad luck with sports. She always gets hit in the face" your best friend said holding your hand as you immediately squeezed back her hand. Your friend trying to keep a straight face, pretending like you were not about to break her fingers. 

"It's gonna be alright, [Name]-chan" your friend said giving you a threatening look that made you realize you were squeezing the life out of her hand, and you had managed to loosen your grip a little bit.  

"Why are we here again, Makoto-senpai?" You murmured, feeling your entire body sweat cold. 

"We need pictures!" Makoto said proudly as she stepped inside the gym. 

Menacingly, volleyballs flew everywhere. You were convinced that they’d break their trajectory to fly in your direction and hit you instead. Your head got light, and your eyes hurt from the white lights. Feeling terribly exposed and blinded, you were definitely an easy target now. 

"Guys! Could you please give me your attention for a few minutes!" Makoto yelled, waving one of her arms, catching everyone's attention.

"Is she allowed to interrupt them just like that?" You asked your best friend as she shrugged as confused as you were. 

Several, very tall and intimidating guys suddenly surrounded you like flies in a dumpster. You felt your anxiety closing in round you as these boys circled, leaving you and Makto in the middle, ready to hear whatever the Head of the School’ Paper had to say. 

"Ah, Makoto-senpai!" A tall redhead guy said in a dreamy tone. "Want an interview with the school's titans, is that it?" 

"Not, quite. We're covering the tournament in the school paper, and we wanted some pictures. So, I brought my photographer" Makoto said, turning around and looking at you. 

All the set of eyes were now on you. Very much to your pet peeve of being constantly stared at. Boy, this was horrible. All the guys, standing as tall as buildings, with drilling eyes, the bright lights, the anxiety. It was all awful, and you wished you could just blink and be in your room, as if ll of this was just a nightmare. 

But it didn’t matter how many times you blinked, you were still there. Time seemed to slow down significantly. Still stiff, you waved your hand painfully awkwardly as Makoto grabbed your arm and pulled you with her.

"Everyone, meet, [Full Name]. Please be nice, she's like a cat. Also, please be gentle with how you train, she's got bad luck and always gets hit in the face whenever wherever she tries to play sports” Makoto said, quoting what your best friend had told her before walking inside.  

"Do you not trust us?" A blond guy with a fierce stare said. "We're amazing players,  we won't let her get hit by a volleyball" 

"Oi, oi, Semi. Relax" said the redhead with spiky hair. "Don't worry, Makoto-senpai, your photographer will be in good hands~" 

"Thank you, Satori-kun. I know she'll be safe,  just don't scare her '' Makoto laughed awkwardly as she gave you one last stare, almost if she was asking ‘are you gonna be alright?’ to which you simply gave her a poker face, not even sure if you were going to be alright. 

"Makoto-senpai said you're scary, Tendo" another tall guy with darker skin and dark hair said patting the thin redhead in the shoulder. 

"Oh, my, my. I'm sorry" Tendo said grinning as you noticed he didn’t deny what his teammate had said.

"I didn't say anything!" Makoto giggled shyly.

"The second years are very chatty, aren't you guys?" A rather intimidating guy said. "I'm sorry, I'm the captain of the team. Feel free to stay and take as many pictures as you'd like" The guy said bowing politely as you felt even more awkward by such a polite gesture in such a hostile place. 

"Tha-thanks…" you said

“She speaks!” Satori said. 

Everyone could sense the tension surrounding you. Almost as if you were a tiny bomb yourself. However, the entire team felt slightly curious by what could have you so tense. Finally, the captain took away the focus from you by talking loudly. 

"Ushijima!  Let’s take it from where we left!” The captain said cheerfully as another rather intimidating second year walked back to the court. 

“Will you be okay if I leave you here? I still gotta check some stuff back in the classroom” Makoto said in a gentle voice. 

You opened our mouth ready to answer when another, more cheerful voice, took over. 

“Don’t worry, Makoto-chan! We’ll take good care of your photographer” Said Satori ruffling your hair in a friendly manner as you tensed up, thinking why on earth a stranger would do such a thing to you. 

“Thank you!. Take lots of pictures, [Name]!” Makoto said walking out of the gym, waving at you. 

Your best friend exchanged stares with you, as you realized you’d been keeping your breath for the last several seconds. You sighed loudly, trying to focus on your camera, hanging from your shoulder. 

“Don't worry,, we’re good at what we do,” Satori said, walking in front of you “We won't let any volleyballs fly your way. And if they do, I’ll stop them” He said grinning in a rather creepy way as you simply stared at him “You’re not very talkative, are you, kitty?” 

“Makoto did mention that. She is like a cat. She’ll take a while to open up” Your best friend giggled trying to lighten up the tension.

“Well, if you girls need something, feel free to ask” He said politely, walking back inside the court “So, make  sure you make us look cool as hell in those pictures, kitty” 

Leaving aside your crippling fear of being hit, you found yourself in a complete state of lack of inspiration. Despite the explosive dynamic the team had, there was something that just wasn't there. It was hard to explain, even to yourself. 

Yes, the team was there. They were training. You could tell they were really trying by the shiny layer of sweat all of the guys had. The determination in their eyes. But something was off. Something that somehow was blocking your creative eye. The need to pull your camera to your eye did not exist. An urgency to capture a moment wasn't there. 

“So, how are the photos going?” Makoto made an appearance out of nowhere, gently patting your shoulder. 

Without looking away from the most intimidating guy of all, a guy by the name of Wakatoshi Ushijima, you answered. 

“Terrible" Your gaze moved back to your camera, looking at probably the most decent picture you'd taken so far. "I can’t work like this” 

The picture was Wakatoshi's; caught in the middle of his jump, his left hand raised tall and strong ready to hit the ball. 

“What the hell does that mean?” The blond, Semi, growled.

“I’m not feeling this, you know?” You answered in a low voice.

“I’m not following you” Makoto peeked over your shoulder, looking at the picture. 

“I’m not excited. How am I supposed to take exciting pictures if I’m not excited myself?” 

“Are you saying our training is boring?” The blond growled once more.

“Oi, oi, Semi-kun!" Satori said, holding his friend by the shoulder. "I think what Kitty is trying to say is that there’s not enough competitive atmosphere to properly take pictures, isn’t that it?” 

There was something terribly familiar about you, thought Tendou. Maybe the fact that your analyzing stare somehow reminded him of Ushijima. Your monotonous tone, and the way you seemed to struggle to put your thoughts into comprehensible words. He was able to.understand what you were trying to say thanks to his friendship with Ushijima. 

You simply shrugged, not quite agreeing with him, nor denying it. Truth was, you were not sure what was wrong, but Satori's words seemed like a pretty good guess. 

“She needs to feel excited, and as long as we train with each other, she won’t feel it" Satori continued "She needs to go to one of our matches against other schools. Not friendly matches, an actual one with us wearing our white and pink shirts and the school screaming at the top of their lungs"

“That’s actually a pretty good idea" Said the captain "Are you free next Wednesday after class?” 

“I don’t know. Am I?” You looked at Makoto who raised an eyebrow at you.  

“I-I’m not your mother” Makoto saod awkwardly.

“You are my boss, if I’m not going to make it to the club I have to let you know so...” 

“oh, that's what you mean" Your boss sighed "We still have a week and a half for the deadline, so yeah, you can go” 

You looked back at the Volleyball team as all of them nodded instinctively.

“Ah, just you wait, Kitty cat, you’re going to be on the edge of your seat watching us play” Satori Tendou said patting you in the head gently. 

You could feel your best friend staring at you, somewhat of excitement in her eyes. You nodded at the redhead, seriously doubting what he was saying. Still somewhat stiff by the whole hour of nerve wracking stress, you spun in your toes and left right away. 

Satori watched you leave, a small proud smile on his face. Something about you intrigued him, and your shy nature sure as hell amused him. You were, in fact, like a kitten. Scared of loud noises and over all shy, but still observing and analyzing like cats usually are.

"Someone liked the new photographer” Semi teased staring at Satori, as the latter sighed dreamily. 

“Yes, I did,” He said proudly. “And how could I not? Are you gonna tell me she isn’t cute?” Satori looked back at Semi who didn’t answer, and instead looked away, defeated. “Yeah, I thought so” 

Your best friend followed close behind, and once you made it out the gym, she leaned closer to your ear.

“I think Satori-senpai liked you” Breaking you apart from your train of thought, you looked at her, trying to keep the blush from telling on you. 

“I didn’t notice…” You lied “He’s weird” You tried to somehow defend yourself, and make it look like you weren’t at all interested in the tall redhead. Your best friend giggled in response. “What?” 

“It's funny that you say that, you’re not precisely the definition of normal” Your friend laughed. 

♤

On Wednesday after class, you met the volleyball team at the entrance of the school. The school bus was waiting for everyone to gather before leaving.the team greeted you with polite smiles. 

The only ones who greeted you properly were Satori Tendo and Ushijima Wakatoshi. The pair greeted you as if you weren't seeing each other for the second time ever. The redhead asked you about your day and your classes as his friend limited himself to wave at you silently and ask how were you today.

“So, Kitty, excited to watch us play?” Satori said as the team started getting inside the bus.

“I guess” You said as Tendo allowed you to get inside first and followed you, taking the seat next to yours.

“Oh, come on. Loosen up!" He gave you a friendly pat in the shoulder "I can see you’re tense. There’s nothing to worry about. I won’t let any volleyballs hit you while you’re wandering around taking pictures. Issa promise” He said sticking his pinky finger at you as you looked at his hand and then at him. “C’mon, give me your pinky!” You met his stare, exchanging stares for the first time with his penetrating glare. You did as he asked and he locked his pinky with yours.“The pact has been sealed” He answered dramatically.

Ushijima took the seat in front of yours and as Satori leaned forward, saying something to his friend, you sighed deeply looking out the window, holding your camera close to your chest. 

“You know, Kitty..." Satori continued leaning back into his seat "you and I are cut from the same cloth” 

You didn't hear him at first. His voice took a while to be processed in your brain. 

“Yeah?” You asked still looking out the window

“You and I are not like the rest. We’re both quite similar” At this, you turned around,  scanning the guy, not sure you understood what he meant.

“Yeah...I don’t think so” 

“Of course not" He answered "I’m extroverted, you’re not. But that doesn’t mean we’re different. You seem distracted most of the time, but I know you’re constantly observing each and every one of our moves" You looked back into the window, feeling uncomfortable by his piercing eyes on you "I bet you already know how volleyball works from just seeing us train, don’t you?"

He was good if he noticed you analyzing their training while still training hard himself. Trying to put your thoughts in orders,  you took a while to talk back.

“I know you  guys touch the ball maximum three times before sending it to the other side. The second player to touch the ball usually sends it to the hitter, I think they are called setters?” 

Satori smiled pleased with what he had heard, especially because his guess about you was right.

“What a clever kitty we have here”  He answered.

“Your reaction time is outstanding" You continued.  "I don't know if your thought train is that fast, or you run just in intuition l, maybe it's both. I really am impressed by how quick you react" You said looking at him briefly before looking away once more.

“Thank you" Satori smiled “Also, you’re not so bad yourself. Little Kitty Cat turned out to have Sherlock-like observation skills, nice” He could tell you were avoiding meeting his stare, but he didn't mind. He scanned your face, now relaxed compared to.when you met outside the school a few minutes earlier ”Ah, I can smell a nice friendship about to bloom, here”  He sighed before hoping off his seat and sitting next to Wakatoshi. 

Once at the game, it was euphoric the amount of intense competitive atmosphere going on during the match. The school singing and cheering. Loud enough to make you get a headache barely 10 minutes after the match began. However, you came prepared with your earbuds. 

Putting them in, you started playing music to help you with your nerves brought by the overstimulation. The yelling, the bright lights, and the constant fear of being hit with a volleyball while moving around the cort while taking photos. 

Normally, people weren’t allowed to be wandering around, but being Shiratorizawa, and thanks to the coach’s big influence, you were allowed to move around taking photos, as long as you didn't distract any of the teams. Something you managed to do perfectly, being unnoticed by everyone throughout the match. 

Once in the bus ride back to the school, you sat at the back, and scrolled through the camera roll to see all the pictures you’ve taken, and plan which one you’d use and how you were going to edit them. 

Satori constantly looked back at you from his seat, feeling curious by your big focus swallowed entirely by your camera. After Ushijima had encouraged him to go with you, Satori chuckled sarcastically before doing as his friend did and walked towards you. 

“Kitty-chan, nya!” Satori Tendou said sitting next to you, breaking you apart from your trance “Mind if I sit here for a while?” You shook your head silently looking back at your camera. “What did you think of the game?” 

“It was exactly what I needed for the pictures” You said in a low voice.

“Mind if I peek?” His question took you by surprise. The idea of someone freely looking through your camera roll made you nervous. However, something was urging you to trust him. You sighed, hesitant at first. You handed him your camera as he proceeded to look at the pictures. 

You’d taken a lot of them, from all of the players, even the coach sitting on the bench with his ever present analyzing stare. Satori indulged himself, counting how many pictures you’d taken of each player just for his own amusement.. However, he felt flattered when he noticed he was the second player with the most photos after Usijima. Being the second with the most photos taken of him after the team’s ace player was just a weird compliment. And probably something you didn’t do on purpose. Or, did you? He thought.

Seeing his fare share of cool pictures flattered him.

“You guys are amazing” You broke the silence, surprising Tendou as he looked up from the camera.

You were usually so quiet and limited yourself to answer whatever questions were addressed towards you. And now, you were actually starting a conversation. On top of that, Tendou felt his cheeks blush gently upon seeing a small shy smile on your face. It was the first time he’d seen you smile, and boy, he felt strangely flattered for a second time. 

“You’re welcome to see us play every game, Kitty. In fact, you could be our personal paparazzo” Satori joked, returning the flirty smile.

♤

A few weeks had passed. The Volleyball team were really excited for their pictures. After editing them and sending each of them their respective photos, all of them lost their heads and immediately flooded their social media with them.

This gesture alone made you somehow popular among the school. Everyone in the team greeted you, talked to you and personally invited you to their games. It was weird how a single event, which was a responsibility, triggered the friendship. 

Especially with Satori who constantly looked for you in between classes or during lunch break to drag you along to hang out with him and Wakatoshi. 

This time, however, it wasn't Satori who poked his head inside your classroom.  As you talked with your best friend, she saw Ushijima's face looking for you. She immediately changed the topic, letting you know Ushijima was looking for you. 

Turning around, and making eye contact with him, he signaled with his hand, calling you. You nodded and excused yourself from your small group of friends and walked towards the door. 

“[Name], may I have a word?”  Ushijima said even before you could ask anything.

"Ye-yeah, sure” You nodded, nervous because, well, Ushijima wasn't a very talkative guy. 

You followed him down the hall a few meters away from your classroom, towards a more.open space with less people around.

“Look," He said, stopping by the staircase and looking at you "You’re probably aware of this by now, but Satori likes you, and that's the first time I see him like that since I met him. Be nice with him. If you’re not interested in him, let him now before his feelings for you get out of his hand” His voice wasn't particularly threatening, but he sounded more serious than he usually was.

Something inside you made you feel butterflies in your stomach, maybe the fact that Ushijima pointed out what you already knew. Satori liked you. You knew this, but hearing it out loud felt...nice. 

“Ushijima senpai, I really appreciate that you care so much for Tendo-kun" You began, the anxiety building up.in your stomach as you gathered the strength to put your thoughts into words "But you don't have to worry, I wont hurt him. In fact, I really like him too… And, it may sound dumb…" You chuckled awkwardly "But it’s the first time I like someone who likes me back, so, I’m not sure how to proceed from here on...I'm improvising along the way, and so far it has worked…" Ushijima chuckled this time, thinking how Satori had actually said something quite similar. "Tendo-kun always says we’re cut from the same cloth, so, I wanna believe I know how to handle him to not hurt him" 

A gentle smile was drawn on Ushijima's facem something you didn't see as often. But it was somehow comforting.

“I’m glad to hear” He said turning around towards the stairs, ready to go back to his classroom. "Thanks, [Name]-san" 

“Ushijima-senpai?” You said before he walked away.

“Yes, [Name]?” 

“Please don’t tell Tendo that I told you that I like him back” You asked nervously looking at your fingers.

“I’m sorry, [Name], but I can’t promise that. I won't tell him. But if he asks me, I won't deny it. Besides, I'm pretty sure he knows by now" Ushijima said looking up the stairs and noticing his friend walking along the hall, looking for him. 

Ushijima gave you one last smile before joining Satori in the next floor as his friend asked him where had he'd gone. 

♤

The next two months you lived with a crippling anxiety that popped up whenever you saw Watakoshi and Satori together. However, Satori never showed a sudden change of attitude towards you. But that didn't mean Wakatoshi hadn't told him. 

One thing had changed, with each day, Satori opened up more and more. He looked for excuses to spend time with you. You even went on coffee dates with him and both of you worked on your respective homework. 

Very subtle, little by little, you fell harder and harder for him. And so he did. To the point where people weren't sure if you were dating or not. Including you among these people. 

Where your relationship or friendship stood, wasn't clear. At least not until that date. The very first non-coffee-and-homework date you had. 

He'd taken you to the aquarium. At first you thought it was a rather random place for a date. At least until you noticed how quiet he was. The usual talkative Satori Tendou now walked slowly, silently. Very much like a cat, fascinated by the fish

You realized that was why he'd chosen the aquarium. And you knew this from his behavior alone. He didn't speak much, and he paced slowly, stopped at every tank and attentively watched at the fish. And it felt weirdly intimate. You were seeing a side of Tendou you didn't see at school. And you weren't sure if other people knew of. Probably Ushijima.

His talkative loud demeanor was gone, replaced by a quiet wandering shadow. And you took advantage of this to take a lot of incredible pictures of him. The blue lighting and the dim lights worked magic combined with your skills in photography. You captured the beauty of absolute calmness shining from his eyes. The eyes that usually shone with a chaotic fire now looked calm. The calm before the storm reflected in his eyes in blue and greens.

"How come you haven't grown tired of taking pictures of me?" He said as his eyes followed the marlin fish swimming in front of him. 

"Because your eyes shine in a way I've never seen before. Its nice..." You said, drawing a small, yet confident smile in Satori's face. "And I want to capture them as much as I can" 

"[Name]-chan, can I ask you something?" He whispered walking closer to you.

You looked up at him, curious. And then you saw yet another perfect frame to take a picture. However, your curiosity was stronger and you refrained from stopping him to take the picture.

"Sure" You answered, noticing how he'd stopped within a single step away from you. 

You looked up at him, he was tall. His slim complexion made him look even taller. His eyes, somewhat tender and gentler met yours. Your intuition screaming at you, suddenly making you blush and your heart race.

"Why do you like me so much?" He asked bluntly as one of his hands reached your face and softly brushed your hair with his fingers. 

"Did Wakatoshi tell you?" You stuttered.

"Wakatoshi knows?" 

"I-I asked him not to tell you"

"So that's why…" He whispered "Normally he tells me everything...you haven't answered my question, Kitty" He looked at you as you shyly shook your head  

"I'm not sure" You began, as your heart raced at an amazing speed you didn't know was possible. 

"I just know my heart races, and my gut twist in funny ways whenever I see you, or even think of you" You continued "There's something special about you and I can't pinpoint what. And I don't want to know either. You're the kind of mystery that should stay unsolved"

Satori smiled, quite satisfied with his answer.

"Such a weird kitty" he murmured leaning closer to you, pressing his forehead against yours, and closing his eyes. 

"Yeah" You breathed as Satori took deep breaths, getting drunk on your sweet smell. A sweet smell he could never grow tired of. A smell he'd love to smell every day close to him.

Desperate, with the anxiety twisting your gits more and more with every second, you stood up.on your toes, closing the distance between your faces, and pressing a shy kiss on his lips.

At once, he cupped your face, holding you there, as he kissed you back. Lips clumsily locking, exploring each other for the first time. A sweet kiss, the both of you had been craving so desperately finally bringing closure to the questions about the two of you dating. 

God, what a kiss. Stealing your breath, making your head feel light, thinking how you could easily become addicted to him. 

Finally, Satori slowly broke the kiss. Pressing a delicate kiss on the tip of your nose, and another one on your forehead before pressing his cheek against it. As you tried to catch your breath, Satori returned to look at the fish swimming calmly in the tank.

"Can you hear them?" Satori whispered as you followed his stare.  

"Who?" 

"The fish" He answered as if it was obvious who he was talking about. You looked at him and smiled before looking back at the fish bank swimming in hypnotizing shapes. 

"What are they saying?"  You said playing along.

"You don't talk fish?" Satori joked looking at you crack a soft laugh.

"I'm sorry, I don't talk fish" You answered with a small cheeky smile on your lips. 

"You're beautiful" He whispered. 

Looking back at him, you noticed he was scanning your face. A subtle smile drawn on his face as he continued to admire you. One if his long thin hands cupped your cheek. He felt his heart melt as you gave into his touch and snuggled your face in his hand. He leaned closer, pressing another kiss on your lips. You stopped breathing for a second before you gasped against his lips in surprise and wrapped your arms around his chest squeezing him m gently against you.

[thewritewolf]

Eating Habits Chapter 15: Spring Show

Marinette’s a bundle of nerves as the much anticipated spring show finally arrives.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Final)

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

Marinette stood behind stage, lurking near the curtains as she took quick peeks out at the unfolding show. Everything was going just as planned - the models certainly knew what they were doing as they strutted down the catwalk, the building was packed full of people, it all looked professional and high end, just like a real fashion show.

Maybe that was why she was freaking out so much. Because just like a real fashion show, there were critics in the crowd. People with notepads and discerning looks and frowning face coldly regarding the models wearing the product of five months of hard work. Today was a big day - either her pieces would get picked apart or they’d be praised highly. Or even worse - no one at all would comment on them.

If she got critiqued, it would suck and she’d feel awful, but it’d at least be helpful. She could use that to improve herself, find out where she was going wrong and fix it. Praise would be even better - with a glowing review, she’d get an edge on the competition. It would be an extra lucky charm in her arsenal when going out into the big scary world that was the fashion industry.

But not getting any attention at all? Good or bad?

Sometimes being forgotten was the worst outcome of them all.

Her train of thought derailed when she saw Adrien walk down the stage. While it was impossible for her to forget just how handsome he was, seeing him like this was something else entirely. The light caught on his hair, making it gleam like gold. His stride down the catwalk was full of the confidence of someone who had been practicing for almost as long as they could walk. Her jaw dropped, but the best part was when he turned around and began walking back. His emerald eyes flickered to where she was, pinning her in place.

The boy had the audacity to wink, making her heart melt and flutter uncontrollably at the same time. Before too long, he was slipping his arms around her waist again, pressing a kiss the side of her face.

“Enjoying the show, lovebug?” He murmured in her ear.

She wiggled around to face him, looking up at his too-smug face. He was too cute for his own good and he knew it, which was even worse.

“I’m terrified out of my mind, but yes, it is nice to watch my boyfriend strut his stuff.”

He laughed, honest and pure. “Don’t worry, we’re doing great. Looking good isn’t even a challenge when you’ve given me such a great wardrobe to work with.” He cupped her cheeks and pressed a short but tender kiss to her lips. “I gotta get changed. I’ll be back after my next walk.”

She sighed after him before turning her attention back to the show. Adrien wasn’t the only one modeling her pieces, after all, and she needed to gauge the crowd’s reaction to everything.

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

If she thought that the show itself was bad, she hadn’t counted on what the after show was going to be like. Normally, she wasn’t exactly shy around people, but with her nerves frayed from the constant worry and knowing how much was riding on making a good impression on people… she wasn’t at her best.

Which made her all the more thankful for the friendly faces she saw arrive in support of her. Not just the ones she had made during her time at university - many of whom had shared the show with her - but older ones as well.

It was amazing how many of her friends from school had showed up to support their old class president. Rose had greeted her with a flying hug, followed by a more subdued one from Juleka. They were still going strong after all these years. Max and Kim and Odine gave their congratulations as well, as if she had already gotten some part in a big fashion house. Their faith in her was touching, and did a lot to calm her. But not nearly as much as when she saw a familiar wave of red hair forcing its way towards her.

“Girl! We’re so proud of you!” Alya said as she finally broke free of the crowd, wrapping her up in a hug. Hot on her heels was Nino, Chloe, and Kagami.

“Totally, dude!” Nino said, giving Marinette a hug as well once Alya gave her some breathing room. “All your stuff was absolutely swank!”

“Thanks you guys!” Marinette smiled widely at the two of them. Her eyes looked past them to Chloe, who noticed her stare.

“What do you want me to say? You did a great job; do you really need me to tell you that?” Chloe stumbled forward and huffed at Kagami. “Okay, fine. Your stuff wouldn’t have looked out of place at the New York runways I’ve been to.”

Kagami nodded approvingly before stepping up to Marinette and offering a shallow bow. The two of them locked eyes for a moment before giggling and sharing a hug.

“Don’t let her gruff exterior fool you - Chloe really was impressed by everything you put out. Given her upbringing, that means a lot.” As they pulled away, Kagami shot a meaningful glance toward Adrien and smiled. “But I suppose you already have someone like that.”

“Anyway - girl.” Alya grabbed Marinette’s shoulders and turned her so she was facing Alya. “This is a way big deal, so we’re gonna head over to your place and get ready to party. That alright by you?”

Marinette sagged in relief, the tension leaving her as she thought about what she had to look forward to after getting home. “After the past few weeks, I really need to unwind.” She narrowed her eyes. “But you better not get drunk before I get there. I want to relax, not babysit.”

“Chill, dude,” Nino said. “We’re gonna be bringing some stuff so we can just spend the night.” His face split into a grin. “The party is gonna be off the chain!”

Marinette and Adrien waved as their best friends left. More people came up to Marinette - professors, her parents, more of the people she knew from university. But there was one person that she didn’t know that stopped her just as the after party was winding down.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng?” The stranger said. She was sharply dressed in formal attire with a serious expression on her face.

“Um… yes? Hello, have we met?”

“Not yet, no. But there is something that we need to talk about…”

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

Adrien took the lead going home since Marinette was still too dazed to focus on such mundane details. She took another glance at the letter in her hand. Apparently it was one of only a handful of such letters, and the only one that had gotten handed out tonight. While she felt bad for her other classmates, that took a backseat to the overwhelming joy she felt coursing through her system.

Inside the envelope was an offer for a prestigious internship at a famous fashion house. It was exactly what she had been hoping for when she had been painstakingly making all those pieces with such care. This was exactly the thing that could give her the experience and connections she’d need to start her own brand. Or even just rise in the ranks of the fashion house, if that’s what she wanted to do. Either way, this was an amazing opportunity.

Marinette was so caught up in it that she had completely forgotten that there was going to be four people waiting inside her home for her. The instant she opened the door, there was cheering - although Alya made sure to be heard above the rest of them.

It didn’t take long for them to notice that she was holding a letter. And once she explained to them what it was about, the cheering got even more enthusiastic.

Alya was squeezing her tight. “Girl, I told you! Didn’t I tell you? You’re wonderful, they were bound to figure it out eventually.”

“It’s gnarly! I’ve heard of those dudes, and I don’t know anything about fashion at all.” Nino lightly punched Marinette’s shoulder. “You’re def in the big leagues now, bro.”

“Yes, she is really moving up in the world,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes. “I believe that’s why we were here to celebrate?” She held up a bottle of wine and shook it. “Or do you guys want to spend a few more minutes patting each other on the back stone cold sober?”

Cutting through the tension, Marinette dug some wine glasses out of the cabinet. “You’ve got a point.” She grinned at her former enemy. “Pour us some drinks, Chloe!”

Chloe blinked at her in surprise for a moment before grinning. “Finally, someone with some sense!”

---------

Later that night (or perhaps more accurately, very early the following morning), Alya and Nino had finally dozed off. They were bundled together in a blanket, the picture of an adorable couple as they slept the deep sleep of the truly drunk. Adrien had ducked out of the room a few minutes ago and Marinette suspected that he had finally crashed in bed. Chloe hadn’t even made it anywhere comfortable, instead leaning down face first on the kitchen table.

Marinette happened to be in the kitchen eating cheese and crackers when Kagami picked up Chloe as if she weighed nothing.

“Where are you two going?”

“Sorry,” Kagami began, “but I’m going to take Chloe home. She… tends to exaggerate her abilities when it comes to her alcohol tolerance. After everything that’s happened tonight… she’s going to want to wake up in a familiar bed. It’ll make the hang over just a little more tolerable.”

“Are you…” Marinette yawned, the long, long day finally catching up with her. “Are you going to be okay to drive?”

“I didn’t have anything to drink beyond the first glass of wine.” She paused. “It was a fine vintage, by the way. I always prefered French beverages over Japanese.”

There was a long silence between them. Without other people around to drive the conversation, they were left feeling awkward. Their friendship had started off well, but after Marinette and Adrien had started dating, it had soured it for a while. At least until Kagami made a discovery of her own.

They were better now, but those old shadows of confusion and jealousy had left their mark.

Kagami adjusted her grip on Chloe, holding her like she weighed nothing. It reminded Marinette that while Adrien had stopped fencing and training, Kagami never did.

“I’ll see you later?” Marinette said, sounding more like an invitation than a goodbye.

Kagami gave a small smile. “Of course. I would love to. And Marinette?”

“Hm?”

“You were phenomenal today, and you deserve that internship. I wish you all the best.”

Without another word, Kagami opened the door and walked out of the house. After staring at the empty space where she had been for a few minutes, Marinette felt a small smile spread across her face.

Ten minutes later, Marinette had curled herself into bed next to her handsome, warm boyfriend and dreamed peacefully.

[pinballwitxh]

the mentees - part 1 (eggsy unwin x oc)

summary: a seasoned kingsman agent witnesses eggsy’s last test and sends him off with some advice. budding feelings between the two are even more intense as both witness the death of harry hart and turn to each other for comfort.

warnings: just a sh*t ton of violence and cussing cause, ya know, this is kingsman.

honestly i’m not sure how this will turn out but i love the church scene so much and i love eggsy so this will be my experiment phase with writing for him! def into harry hart as daddy too soooooo that will def be coming up in my master list soon. enjoy! also I super apologize for weird spacing and shit cause idk tumblr is weird w the phone sometimes.

The agent stared down at the computer screen with brows furrowed and hands gripping the armrests, “Come on, Eggsy, it’s just a blank. . .”

The recruit held his stance in front of JB, his beloved pug, gun pointed and ready. She could see the struggle in his eyes and it made her so frustrated that he wouldn’t just do it. The dogs had become close companions to the recruits, that was part of the idea behind owning a dog in the agency. This was probably one of the hardest tests out of them all, she had decided after passing it herself.

On the other monitor stood Roxy before her own poodle, gun aimed and ready.

She pulled the trigger and visibly the tension in her shoulders released. Merlin was congratulating her with a pat on the back, whereas Eggsy was still rigid and aiming. Arthur was growing very obviously impatient and she knew that Eggsy would not be able to do it.

In the end, he had the biggest heart of them all.

This proved to be true as he handed the gun back to Arthur, head down and ashamed. She watched as he scooped JB up into his arms and left the room quietly. Immediately she was running out of the room and met Eggsy at the bottom of the grand staircase.

“Why didn’t you do it?”

“You fuckin’ kidding me?” he snapped, “What a bullshit place this is-”

“Why would you even say that? You trained so hard, Eggsy, and you gave it all up for-”

“My fucking dog? Yeah, I did so why don’t you just leave me the hell alone and go back to your posh suits and fancy cars and forget all about me?”

‘I’d never want to forget about you, Eggsy Unwin.’

For a moment she was silent and shocked, the two had become such good friends and she would be lying if she said those words had not hurt. Agents were not supposed to have any romantic relationships, even close friendships like the one they had was hard to navigate in the agency. Eggsy pulled JB protectively close to his chest and looked down at his feet.

“That isn’t what I meant, Eggsy, you could be so great here,” she paused and placed a tender hand on his arm, “I think you might change your mind if you talk to Harry.”

The feeling of his warm skin beneath her hand felt like electricity. She had felt this way around Eggsy several times leading up to this moment, but it was so intense.

“I’m packin’ my things and goin’ home, ain’t nowhere else for me to go and I am not talking to that fucker.”

She shoved him, “Don’t talk about Harry like that, he got you here!”

“And I obviously wasn’t meant for it, so I’m not going to disappoint ‘im any more,” he began to walk away but before exiting, he turned back to her, “Y’know, you ain’t so bad,”

She crossed her arms, “Well thanks,”

He smirked, “Maybe I’ll see ya ‘round, luv?”

“That’s up to you, Eggsy.”

‘Please don’t leave.’

He nodded once more and turned to leave, reluctantly, and her heart plummeted. Once his figure disappeared from the sunlight she sighed and headed back towards the office. Merlin greeted her with a pained look on his face, he knew Eggsy hadn’t passed and it had disappointed him somewhat, as well. Though, he would never admit it, the boy had grown on him.

She was going to miss that cheeky bastard, no doubt. They’d shared some not-so-subtle glances and flirty comments with one another during his time there.

There were the secret winks he’d shoot her way, the way his eyes roamed her body when she wore a skirt, his smug smiles when she praised his work, but most of all the way he listened to her and drank in every word. In the end Eggsy would have to admit that her advice had turned out to be some of the best he’d received during his time at Kingsman.

She smiled at Merlin, “Roxy will do wonderful here, Merlin.”

He nodded, “I think she will too, good to get some females in the agency.”

She laughed, “Now I have someone to gossip and have lunch with that I can really tolerate!”

“Oh, come on now, I’m always down for a good gossipin’ sesh, yeah?”

“Considering your job allows you to attain private information, your gossip is the absolute best, Merlin.”

A few hours later Merlin received a call from Harry to reroute the Kingsman cab that Eggsy had stolen (which caused her to roll her eyes so far that it hurt.) She stood behind the computer-genius as he directed the cab to lock Eggsy in and drive itself to Harry’s house. Eggsy was obviously very mad, “Come on, bruv! He hit my fucking mum!”

She gasped quietly to herself and turned to Merlin, “Anything we can do about that?”

“I’m sure we can take care of it once Harry has talked some sense into him,”

For another hour Eggsy and Harry discussed everything and to say Eggsy felt horribly embarrassed was an understatement. She had been right, talking to Harry made everything come to light and make sense. Mr. Pickle seemed to bore holes into the side of his head the entire time, reminding him of what he had failed to do.

A high-pitched beep interrupted the two agents as they sat in the office, breaking the silence. Merlin leaned forward and beckoned her over on the other office chair, “Got a signal coming from. . .Kentucky?”

“Valentine’s?”

“Sure is,” he paused and hit another button to dial Harry’s contact, “Harry, listen to this. Valentine’s at last saying something of note.”

The four agents listened in separately to the conversation between Valentine and Gazelle. A location was discovered and immediately Harry was on his feet and ready to come back to headquarters. She briefly caught a glimpse of Eggsy through Harry’s glasses and smiled to herself, he had definitely calmed down and profusely apologized to Harry as he gathered his things.

“Harry, I’m so sorry and I’m gonna do everything-”

“You should be,” she smiled at Harry’s blunt retort, “You just stay right there, I’ll sort this mess out when we get back.”

“We’ll meet you at the air-strip, Galahad,” Merlin said before he hung up.

“Agent Percival, gather your things together as well,” Harry said before abruptly hanging up.

Her heart jumped at the mention of her going out into the field, it always did when she was asked to go. Especially since Harry had been her mentor, and still was, she enjoyed working with him.

Soon they were enroute to Kentucky via the private jet the agency owned. Merlin debriefed both of them once again on the information they had. While they were unsure about Valentine’s intentions, Harry reiterated that it was necessary they be on guard and ready to fight.

Agent Percival made sure that all of her hidden weapons and gadgets were working and ready before exiting the plane. Once on their way to the church, Harry went over the plan they had discussed once more. She was ready to figure out Valentine’s motives and put an end to whatever he was planning on doing.

“How is Eggsy?”

Harry quirked a brow at her, “It will take some time, but I think he’ll come back around and be joining us.”

She smiled, “He’d do so well with us, Harry, and I know you know that.”

“Of course I do, he’s just like his father,” he turned to her, “Don’t forget the rules, Agent Percival.”

Her face heated up and she turned to him, “What on earth do you mean by that?”

“You know very well what I mean by that,” he said as he placed his hands on his knee, “There’s certainly no secrets between you two and the rest of the agency.”

She looked down and tried to hide her tinted cheeks, “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

There was a silence before Harry chuckled, “He’s very loyal, you know?”

She smiled to herself, “Good quality of a qualified Kingsman,”

“Indeed,” Harry hummed to himself.

Just before they arrived she turned to him, “Thanks for teaching me everything, Galahad.”

He nodded, “You haven’t let me down, Percival, although I never doubted you or your abilities.”

It was silent then as they approached, churchgoers entering the sermon five minutes before it was scheduled to start. Stepping out of the car she smoothed down her blazer and tailored pants before taking Harry’s arm on the other side. They entered the church together and looked around for empty seats.

Unfortunately they had to sit on opposite sides of the pew since it was so full already. Soon after they sat down a small worship service began which soon turned into a rather nasty and bigoted sermon from the preacher. Percival tried not to show the disgust on her face and instead played with the buttons of her purple blazer.

“Charming sermon, can you see Valentine anywhere?” Merlin’s voice echoed in her ears.

From the corner of her eye she saw Harry’s gaze focused somewhere in the corner of the small church. Indeed, there was a small camera placed above them.

The sermon dragged on and honestly, she was bored. Valentine wasn’t showing up and nothing was happening, it seemed like a useless mission. Harry seemed to think the same thing as he sent her a quick nod from his seat.

Harry stood to leave, Percival deciding to wait about two more minutes before she also left so as not to cause a big distraction.

However, a woman next to Harry was rather peeved that he was ready to leave.

“Hey, what’s your problem?”

Every eye turned to Harry and the preacher paused in his sermon, eyeing Harry with hate.

Percival had to contain her laughter as Harry turned back to the woman and curtly responded, “I’m a Catholic whore currently enjoying congress out of wedlock with my black, Jewish boyfriend who works in a military abortion clinic. So, hail Satan, and have a lovely afternoon, madam.”

The look of pure shock on her face made Percival want to laugh even harder, so she turned back to the front of the church and regained composure in her seat.

Just before Harry reached the door the woman cried out, “Just leave this church! You just leave this church like the infidel you are!”

Percival twitched a little, a high-pitched ringing filling her ears for a split moment. She shook her head to clear the sharp pain out of her head and once her eyes refocused, something was very different.

“Satan cannot save you now! You will eat your babies! You will drown in the blood of the Lord! He will not save you!”

The entirety of the congregation was standing with fists clenched and glared at Harry. Percival stood as well in order to blend in, but she couldn’t shake the slight ringing that was still in her ears.

She ducked her head out into the aisle, “We need to leave, now,” she whispered to Merlin and Harry through her comm.

Something else made her twitch again and without any control, she began to see red and was absolutely angry. Her fingers curled around the gun inside her blazer pocket and hooked onto the trigger.

She turned just in time to see Harry shoot the woman point-blank in the head. Hell was unleashed upon all of them, then.

Before the person next to her could strike her down she whipped around and shot a bullet into their head. Blood spattered and stained her dress clothes but she wasn’t concerned in the slightest.

For what felt like hours, her head was in a blur of blood and combat. Anyone who crossed her path was dead and every person around her was savagely doing the same thing. Being trained in combat by the Kingsman has given her the ultimate upper hand.

The number of innocent people had dwindled and after being thrown against a splintered pew she met Harry’s eyes. He charged her and she fought back with all the strength she could muster.

While fighting each other they managed to kill the last remaining people as well. She took hold of a broken candlestick and charged at her mentor, who easily blocked her. They pushed and shoved, punched each other mercilessly and attempted to take one another out.

“STOP! YOU’RE GOING TO KILL EACH OTHER!”

They ignored Merlin’s pleas and finally Harry had her in a headlock. She growled and slipped out of his hold, elbowing him sharply in the nose. She smiled at the loud cry he made and the feeling of the bone crunching under her elbow. Just as she turned to finish him off he blindsided her with a pipe from the organ.

Everything went black and she fell to the ground with a painful thud.

Harry stood over his agent and trembled with confusion, the frenzy in his mind was gone and all he could remember was the pure desire he had to kill every single person in that room. As quick as it was there it was suddenly gone. The girl beneath him groaned quietly and sat up slowly, the left side of her face blackened with a nasty gash running through her cheek.

Her voice trembled, “W-what happened?”

Harry quickly helped her up and ordered her to stay low, pulling her towards the back of the church and under some fallen pews.

“I need you to stay here, I’m going to secure the area outside.”

“Then I’m coming with you,” she responded as she tried to stand, dizziness taking her over immediately.

“That’s an order, Percival,” he said as he pushed her back to the ground. His eyes were kind and she knew he had good intentions by keeping her there, but she felt utterly useless.

Harry stepped outside and once the doors slammed shut, she hesitantly made her way over the absolutely mangled and bloodied bodies to the front of the church. Peering out a broken window she watched the confrontation between Valentine and her mentor. She couldn’t quite hear what they were saying as focusing seemed to increase her migraine even more.

She didn’t miss when Valentine whipped out a gun and shot Harry without warning.

She clamped her hand over her mouth and sank back against the wall, tears streaming down her face and screams threatening to come out. He had just been shot point-blank in the face.

The world was silent for what felt like infinity before Merlin’s voice came into her ears, “You need to leave right now, out the back behind the dumpster-“

“And we’re just going to fucking leave Harry’s body? Absolutely-“

“There is no time, Percival!”

In her attempt to stand she fell back to the floor, broken glass piercing her palms. With what little strength she had left, she crawled outside the doors and limped to Harry’s side.

She sobbed over his body and could not bring herself to look him in the eyes, well, the one that was left. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her torso and she struggled against their hold.

Merlin flipped her so he was cradling her to his chest. She beat into him mercilessly and attempted to turn him around to at least retrieve his body, but to no avail.

Eggsy leaned back in Harry’s chair, tears streaming down his face and pure hatred growing inside his chest.

To see her so broken like that, to see the closest thing to a father he ever had shot dead, to sit in that empty house knowing he would not return killed him inside.

THE MASTERLIST | GO TO PART 2