#at this point in exam session i can really just draw her whenever

[wandaromanova]

Lost

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Warnings: mentions of cancer, death, cussing

A/N: hello! i’d like to put a disclaimer that i am not in any way knowledgeable of the medical field and all of the terminology and information used in this fic was found through research! happy reading <3

anon requested: hiiiii !! can i request like an angst into fluff natxfem!reader one shot where the reader has a really bad day and takes it out on nat and hurts her feelings and so they go to bed angry. but the reader realizes their mistake and the next morning just wakes her up by showering her with love and then takes the whole day to do cute little date things with her? like making her favorite meal or like dancing in the kitchen to their favorite song late at night or just super fluffy things? if not, that’s okay!! have a good day <3

Summary: The heavy weight of her profession gets to Y/N and she takes her anger out on her loving girlfriend; Natasha Romanoff.

Word Count: 3K | navigation

please do not repost or try and take ownership of my work. reblogs, likes, and comments are always welcome. <3

Becoming a doctor was no easy feat.

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Once high school is completed, one must receive your bachelor’s degree before taking the MCAT exam and applying to medical school. After four years of medical school, you must endure a year as an intern before being promoted to a resident. 

Depending on what specialty one has selected, residency can span from three to seven years. Fellowships follow after but are typically an optional course that provides extra training. 

Yes, there are a lot of necessary steps to take in order to set foot into the medical world, but somehow, the years of foreplay could never compare to being a full-fledged physician; and you knew this all too well.

You are a pediatric oncologist and your job was to diagnose and provide treatment to children and teenagers who had cancer. You specialized in hematology; the treatment of blood disorders.

You were the head of pediatric oncology in a Manhattan hospital. You dealt with a lot of patients, but a two-year-old little girl named Sarah was secretly your favorite. 

Despite being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, Sarah’s positivity and playful personality never faltered.

Even if she didn’t understand the circumstances because of her young age, you knew she was suffering. Regardless of it all, every session you had with her was endearing.

You met with the child once a week to administer chemotherapy. Her enthusiasm never failed to have you awestruck. Most of your patients were exhausted from the treatments, but not Sarah. 

She was a hyper child who would attempt to sing Frozen songs, performing as you tried to fight a smile from taking over your features. She had a stuffed Olaf doll that she brought with her to every visit and it was heartwarming to see her hug the doll close to her chest. 

Sarah would even bring you drawings every week that you would keep in your locker. You’d admire each and every one of the drawings, even if you couldn’t really tell what they were.

You’d grown fond of the little girl in the past two months you had been treating her. You were also relatively close to her parents, who were probably the kindest people you’ve ever encountered. It made sense that Sarah was the ball of sunshine she was, she obviously got it from her parents.

Most times, parents were on edge and extremely short-tempered. If parents saw you often, that meant that their child was diagnosed with some form of cancer. Understandably, they would be rather hostile whilst interacting with you, but you never took their behavior personally. 

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If you were in their shoes, you were positive that you wouldn’t be very friendly either. 

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You had grown fond of the beaming child. You were aware that growing emotionally attached to patients was unprofessional, but how could you not? 

You adored children and for that very reason, you had chosen a specialty that allowed you to help kids as much as medicine would allow. You always had a soft spot for kids and you found joy in helping them as best as you possibly could.

Sarah had a very good chance at pulling through. With consistent treatment and her young age, her survival rate was around 68%. Those were considerably good odds in these circumstances. Not to mention, the chemotherapy seemed to be paying off. At the rate she was improving, she was predicted to be out of the woods soon enough.

However, the child had developed a bacterial infection. Since she had been receiving chemotherapy, the treatment had damaged her white blood cells which are responsible for fighting off infections. 

All you could do was provide antibiotics to try and fight off the infection. You had monitored her for some time in hopes of seeing any sign of improvement, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Her immune system was extremely vulnerable and there wasn’t any way to reverse the damage. 

Your heart was torn to pieces when you delivered the news to her parents. They broke down in the hallway outside of Sarah’s room as you informed them of Sarah’s rapidly shortened life expectancy. It was only a matter of time before the young child would pass and honestly, this was what you hated most about your job.

You hated that you couldn’t help every single patient. You hated how cruel the world could be to take away an innocent child from their loving parents. 

You allowed her parents to spend time by her bedside. They laid on either side of her bed, clinging onto her for dear life. What broke you the most was the paleness of Sarah’s once glowing skin. Her smile was still present but didn’t quite reach her eyes like it used to. 

Her parents quietly sang ‘Love Is An Open Door’ to Sarah. You felt your heart clench in a bittersweet way as you silently watched. Normally, Sarah wouldn’t hesitate to join in, but her lack of breath prevented her from doing so. All she could do was close her eyes and lightly nod her head along to their voices. 

Sarah passed hours later and it was an extremely somber experience. Hearing the cries of parents who lost their children wasn’t easy and it never would be. Your job had its pros and cons, and this was the biggest negative.

You fought back your own tears as you exited the room, giving the two mourning parents some privacy after you recorded Sarah’s time of death. You found the nearest restroom and allowed the tears to fall down your face. 

A pure soul had been ripped away from the world, never having the chance to experience the great things life had to offer.

•❅──────────────── ‎⧗ ────────────────❅•

4 Hours Later

You trudged into your loft, immediately taking off your coat and hanging it up before tossing your keys on the small table by the front door. 

Your girlfriend, Natasha, had heard your arrival and quickly exited the bedroom to greet you, a wide smile on her face. However, her smile fell when she noticed your defeated state. 

Your shoulders were slumped as you slouched slightly and your eyes were dripping with sadness. 

“Honey? What’s wrong?” Natasha approached you while you stood frozen in front of the door. Her hands came up to cup your cheeks as she stared at you in concern, her eyes scanning over your features. 

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“I lost Sarah.” 

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Natasha’s eyes widened and her heart sunk at your words. She was aware of how much you adored the two-year-old. Once a week, you would rave about the child and how adorable she was at the dinner table. You would go on and on about how Sarah would sing to you, draw pictures for you, and bring along stickers to place onto your coat.

The redhead loved how happy you looked whenever you spoke about any of your patients, but most especially Sarah. It brought Natasha some joy of her own to see you speak animatedly about Sarah; your happiness was her happiness. 

So, the news hurt her almost as much as it hurt her. She knew how much you loved Sarah, despite never saying it straight out.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I know how much you cared about her. Are you okay?” Natasha’s voice was oozing with sympathy. You couldn’t help but feel irritated by her question. 

You tore her hands off of your cheeks and walked past her and into the kitchen, pouring yourself a glass of water as the redhead watched you intently. 

“Am I okay? I’m fine! It’s not like I lost an extremely young patient today or anything. What kind of stupid fucking question is that, Natasha?” You took a sip of cold water to try and calm yourself damn, but your attempt was futile. 

The redhead made her way into the kitchen, standing on the opposite side of the island as you took another sip of water, eyes burning a hole into her head over the rim of the glass. 

“I know, that was a dumb question. I just want to help you, Y/N/N.” Natasha remained calm and patient as she spoke to you. She was no stranger to the loss of a person she desperately tried to save and knew all too well the sadness and anger that accompanied the tragedy. She was an Avenger, after all. 

“I don’t want your help and I don’t need you!” You slammed your cup onto the counter as you raised your voice. Honestly, it was surprising that you hadn’t shattered the glass with the amount of force you exerted. 

Natasha felt an ache in her chest as you yelled at her. She knew that you weren’t in the right state of mind and didn’t take it personally, but that didn’t make your words hurt any less. 

“You save entire cities and I can’t even save a single fucking person!” You were turning red at this point, tears of frustration streaming down your face. The redhead hated seeing you cry, but she knew better than to approach you at this moment. 

“Babe, you save so many pe-” Natasha’s tried to speak, but you quickly interjected. 

“If you’re going to try and spew some philosophical bullshit to me right now, I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear another god damn word from your mouth.”

The redhead looked down defeatedly. She had never seen you so upset, let alone direct your frustrations towards her. Her eyes fell down to the marble counter between you both before looking up at you. You were breathing heavily, your chest rising and falling rapidly as you tried to catch your breath. 

Without another word, Natasha retreated back to the bedroom, shutting the door softly behind her. You watched her until she was out of your view and let out a sigh. Your hands gripped the edges of the kitchen island, supporting your weight as you shut your eyes. 

You brought a hand up to your face and pinched the bridge of your nose. After a few minutes, you made your way into the living room, chucking off your shoes before collapsing onto the couch. You didn’t feel like interacting with Natasha anymore tonight, knowing that you most likely wouldn’t be able to control your temper. 

You were just so fed up with the painful losses you had to endure from your profession. 

You knew that being a doctor was more dark clouds and thunder, than sunshine and rainbows, but you just wished that for once, the weather forecast would work in your favor. 

The emotional day had finally caught up to you. Your body relaxed as you sunk further into the couch, eyes fluttering shut as you succumbed to a much-needed slumber. 

Unbeknownst to you, Natasha was still awake. She laid flat on her back and stared up at the ceiling in thought. She was mad at you, as much as she didn’t want to be. Natasha had gone through the same thing and never lost her cool with you as you had with her. 

The redhead calmed down slowly, turning on her side and facing the empty space beside her which you normally occupied. She reached one arm out, her skin colliding with cool sheets, already missing the warmth of your body. 

Natasha hated sleeping without you by her side, She didn’t feel complete when you weren’t steadily sleeping next to her, your arms wrapped around her body. However, she hoped that things would improve in the morning.

And with that thought in mind, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep, clutching the sheets firmly in her hand. 

•❅──────────────── ‎⧗ ────────────────❅•

 The Next Morning

You awoke to a blinding light, the morning sun shining through the windows and landing directly onto your face. You let out a groan and slowly sat up, stretching out your limbs with a groan. The couch wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep, you were aching everywhere. 

You sat there for a moment as the events of the day before caught up to you. Not only had you lost Sarah, but you upset Natasha. You immediately felt guilty as you recalled the harsh words you spat at her in a fit of rage. You felt like a complete asshole, and rightfully so. 

You quickly stood up and entered the kitchen, retrieving some bacon from the freezer and eggs from the refrigerator. You grabbed two separate pans and washed your hands, making sure to get the coffee pot running before you began cooking.

Your girlfriend absolutely loved bacon, eggs, and coffee. She described the combinations as a ‘party in her mouth.’ So, this was going to be an ‘i’m sorry for being a bitch last night’ apology breakfast. 

You got started on the meal and by the time you finished up and had the stove off, Natasha stalked out of the bedroom slowly. She eyed you carefully as she approached, you sent a soft smile her way.

“You made breakfast,” Natasha spoke and you shyly nodded your head. You moved away from the stove and rounded the counter. The redhead stood in her spot as you wrapped your arms around her waist, her arms reflexively going around your neck.

“I was an asshole last night.” You stated and your girlfriend nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, you were a total pain in the ass, the absolute worst.” You rolled your eyes at Natasha’s teasing tone.

“I’m sorry for how I behaved. I was just so upset about… Sarah. I didn’t mean to take it out on you and I can’t even begin to tell you how bad I feel for yelling at you when all you wanted to do was help me.”

Your voice was full of emotion, your eyes boring into her emerald irises as you poured your heart into every syllable you uttered. Natasha smile gently at you, her fingers lightly tugging on the baby hairs on the nape of your neck. 

“It’s okay. I know you weren’t mad at me.” You let out a sigh of relief as the redhead stared at you softly. She let out a small chuckle at your dramatics before continuing.

‘I understand how you feel. The team and I, we try our very best to save as many civilians as we can, but sometimes it’s completely out of our control. It’s the exact same situation.” 

One of Natasha’s hands found its way to your cheek, gently cupping the skin as you leaned into her touch. You were listening intently to her every word, mesmerized by the calming rasp of her voice.

“Don’t dwell on what you couldn’t do, but give yourself some credit for everything you did do. I may not know what happened, but what I do know is that you tried everything you could, no?”

Natasha questioned you and you nodded your head. “I gave her antibiotics to fight the infection, but it was too severe.” The redhead rubbed her thumb against your cheek. 

“All that matters is that you did your best and that’s all anyone could ever ask for.” Natasha ended her little speech as she placed a soft kiss on the tip of your nose. You couldn’t help but smile, an overwhelming feeling of happiness taking over. 

“Thank you. I love you and your… what was it?” You furrowed your eyebrows in concentration before your face lit up. Natasha raised an eyebrow at you. “Philosophical bullshit. That was the words.” The Russian let out a laugh, shaking her head from side to side at your antics. 

“Seriously though, I’m so grateful for you. You’re so amazing to me even when I don’t deserve it. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Natasha’s laughter died down as your tone turned serious. Your eyes were so full of love and adoration as you stared into her eyes deeply. 

“Well, let’s hope you never have to find out.” Natasha smiled once more and you couldn’t resist pressing your lips against her plump ones. Your mouths moved in tandem at a slow pace, enjoying the rawness and love that accompanied each movement. 

You broke the kiss when air became an issue. Nat’s eyes fluttered open as you wiggled your eyebrows at her playfully. 

“So, are you ready for some breakfast? Maybe after we eat, we can go on top of a rooftop and I’ll serenade you with a rendition of ‘Sorry’ by Justin Bieber.”

Natasha’s head flew back as she laughed uncontrollably at your words. “What? Do you not like the Biebs? If you want, I could play ‘Baby Come Back’ by Player from a boombox and hold it over my head, instead.” The redhead continued to laugh profusely and you soon joined in. Your arms tightened around her waist as your giggles subsided. 

“I think cuddling on the couch and watching the Kardashians eating ridiculously large bowls of salad will do.” You nodded your head in agreement but didn’t make a move to release Natasha from your grip. She didn’t let go either. 

The two of you just stood there, basking in each other’s embrace, a comfortable silence falling over you both. 

Natasha never failed to say the right things to pull you out of the dark abyss that was your mind. She was completely right, as always. There would always be bad days, patients who were progressing one day and deteriorating the next. 

However, there were also good days, and you shouldn’t allow the bad to overshadow all the good you’ve done. Like with Natasha, she wasn’t always the superhero she is today. She took her dark past and turned it into a bright future. 

Nat didn’t let her bad days define her and neither should you.

Of course, you would always remember every single patient you had lost, but now, you would take the pain and turn it into motivation; motivation to improve yourself, not only in your professional life but in your personal life as well. 

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You would do right by the ones you’ve lost and the one who stuck by your side; Natasha Romanoff. 

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───────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────────

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[missdawnandherdusk]

Ravenclaw Extensive Dating a Malfoy Headcanons:

Okay, so other than Ravenclaw and Slytherin I have two series with Draco and the other houses but they don’t always get the little moments so here I am adding them in as well as beginning the remaining houses. (Of course you all know how I feel about sorting but for the sake of Draco Malfoy being happy I’ll set that aside). Yes this has been done before but come on, you’re gonna read it anyway. I’ll do one for each house promise.

So being ravenclaw comes with the name calling “nerd” “four eyes” “freak” “weirdo” ya know real high brow stuff

Mostly it comes from Draco and his Slytherin classmates they feel threatened, you’re smart, go figure

It’s not that you’re “smart” it’s that you want to learn especially if you’re Muggle born because WHAT DO YOU MEAN MAGIC EXISTS

So you get good. Very good. At everything. Which infuriates Draco because you surpass him in Potions

He fails a Transfiguration quiz and McGonagall asks you to help him because you’re probably the only one who won’t punch him a-la-muggle

You protest but it’s no use, and McGonagall said she’ll give you extra credit and house points so, ya know what bring it

He hates it of course, sulking the entire time, muttering about “if my father knew about this” which just makes you smile because good lord he’s ridiculous

Your tutoring sessions give you time with Draco alone and though the first few times you’re terrified and stumble over your words, you get more comfortable with him and he’s less snappy at you

He has an ambition for knowledge, you have the means to give it to him

Soon he’ll start sitting next to you in class because you’re notes make more sense to him than the professor’s do

You come to realize that “oh my stars Draco might be dyslexic like you” you don’t mention it to him because you know he’d just shut down and get aggressive but it explains why he likes your notes so much: he can actually read them

People still make fun of your for your brains and knowledge, but it starts to fade over time and unbeknownst to you, Draco began to threaten anyone who bullied you; which accidentally put you on edge because you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop

You’re reading up on the American Revolution and Wizards involvement in the war when Draco comes to you, grinning

You look up at him, nervous and expecting

He hands you his latest Charms exam

He got full marks

You’re so excited you forget yourself and hug him which leads to blushing and awkward “good job” and “thanks”

One day Harry is being Harry with Draco and “she’s only helping you because she’s getting extra credit and house points” Draco knew that but hearing it from Harry is different

You go straight to McGonagall and tell her you don’t want the credit or points anymore you don’t tell draco this, because well... you don’t know

Your study session become less laughter filled and fun... Draco seems almost too distracted to focus on anything he’s moping

You reach over one time in class and draw a smiley face on his notes while he’s sulking. When he glares at you, you offer a smile and maybe he smiles back

“Are you okay?” You write under the smiley face. “Fine.” He scrawls. “I don’t believe you”

He stares at you like you have two heads. No ones ever pressed past his “I’m fine” charade before

That night you’re studying and he comes to you and starts to talk. It starts with school but it goes on to how his family is doing and the looming war and then he finally admits that he’s not as put together as he looks and that the only friend he has is being “paid” to be with him

“Draco, I stopped getting extra credit months ago,” You finally explain what you did after what Harry said that one day and he’s just dumbfounded so maybe his only friend wasn’t being paid to be with him

You introduce him to Muggle Coffee Monsters for late night studying and occasional all nighters theyre “really really really really good” he’s practically bouncing in his seat. You wonder if he’s ever had caffeine before...

You fail a potions test. Badly. Not that you meant to but you don’t know what happened. You try everything to hold back tears because you’ve never failed before. Draco gets perfect marks and you’re just dying inside and so ashamed because you’re supposed to be smart

Draco finds out even though you try to keep it from him and he chases after you in the hall not before pleading with Snape to have you redo the exam. Snape allows it

“Just leave me alone Draco,” you snap. “Just wait!” He calls. “Leave me alone!” You pull out your wand against him and he just freezes. You realize what you’ve done and run, tears streaming down your face

You don’t talk to him in class because you’re just so confused and ashamed and sorry. He slides a note over. “You’re more than a grade,” is written in his careful script. There’s a smiley face too.

You finally peek over at him and he offers you a smile now you’re really confused

You keep that note and whenever you’re stressed or get a grade less than you wanted you read it until the paper is faded and worn from its wear.

You retake the exam you take after Draco spends the week beforehand making sure you know exactly what you’re doing

“You can do this,” He insists. “No I can’t,” you groan, hopeless. “You’re being ridiculous, come on wise girl, if I can do it so can you.” The nickname started as a taunt but now it was something that only Draco was allowed to call you

You get full marks on your retake and run to find Draco and hug him in the middle of the Great Hall with everyone watching and maybe you kiss him because he believed in you when he leads to awkward blushing and stammering apologies before he pulls you back and really kisses you

There’s a chorus of “finally”s from the surrounding students and a few cheers the whole school shipped you two and it was just frustrated to watch you two pine for another

Draco leads you to a quiet corner of the castle, your exam still in your hand as he really asks you if you want this—to be with him. He knows he’s not the best person and goes on listing why he’s a bad person and yadda yadda yadda

You tell him if you’re more than a grade he’s more than a Slytherin

You start dating

Cue blushing and nervous Draco because “I’ve never had a girlfriend what am I supposed to do? Flowers? Chocolate? Dates? Handholding?” The poor boy is a mess

“Draco, sweetheart. Calm down you’re doing fine,” you laugh one afternoon as he fumbles over asking you to hogsmeade with him. “It’s just me,” he just feels so pressured to be perfect you constantly remind him that he doesn’t have to be, not for you

You still study together but sometimes you just end up cuddling. Except on the nights you have an exam the next day or an essay due “Draco I will hex you to next week if you don’t focus”

You both aren’t sure how to be affectionate towards another. Sure you’ve read books and he’s seen other do it but you two are so bad at just talking without stammering or blushing

So you start writing down how you feel and what you want to do and what you’re comfortable with, and he’ll respond and you two actually get somewhere because you’re communicating it’s not “the norm” but at least you’re communicating

Reading books under trees; late nights in the library; sitting together in class; holding hands in the halls; “wise girl” and “pretty boy”

Your friends are happy to see that your happy and can appreciate Dracos ambition for knowledge and that you both are a bit competitive when it comes to grades

His friends are a bit cold and distant and snappy sometimes, but you don’t mind much, you know it’s not a commonality for Slytherin to date outside of House

Draco spoils you at every turn. “You looked at this book in the shop so I got it signed by the author for you” / “you said you wanted this quill once... so here” / “I will never understand Muggle stores but I picked up more Oreos and Monsters” / “I saw this necklace and it reminded me of you so I bought it” / “you lost your other scarf so I got you this new one. It’s unicorn silk” / “here, this bag is enchanted so you can carry all of the books you want and not have to carry the weight”

You love him a little more with each thing he gets you because they’re the most bizarre things that you didn’t know you wanted but somehow he did. He’s like a bird “I saw this shiny rock and wanted you to have it”

Your parents adore him. They were a bit wary about you dating a Malfoy/Slytherin but he spends one afternoon and dinner with your family and they’re completely smitten and tell him to come back any time especially when they hear about getting you that retake exam

His parents are a bit more reserved towards you. Until Narcissa sees Draco smiling at you as you talk about the history of something he really couldn’t care less about but you’re so excited he can’t help but stare and she sees your wisdom and ambition and wonders if the Sorting Hat made the right call about you

Lucius doesn’t talk down to you not that he talked much at all to you but when you ask him more about his job at the ministry/his peacock/family history/possible Veela descent he’s absolutely taken with you because you remind him of a young Narcissa especially when you snip right back at Draco. Lucius chokes on his drink when he hears you call Draco “pretty boy” and Narcissa grins at him because that’s her nickname for him

When Draco takes the Dark Mark you can bet your Galleons your spending every night looking into Dark Magic and how it works to truly understand what’s happening. You feel less panicked when you know what’s going on good or bad and you help Draco understand too

Which means you’re talking to Snape a bit more. Not to use the magic, but you want to know. You don’t want Draco to feel like he’s alone in all of it. You find spells that make the Mark burn less and affect his thoughts/mood less

When Draco starts to slip behind on grades again during Sixth Year, you go back to tutoring him, with gentle encouraging words and soft promises that he can do it

After the war you encourage him to come back to school and finish and though he’s terrified to face anyone his ambition for knowledge is still there and you’ve become a lot more terrifying since learning dark magic that people back off when they see you

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[nepenthendline]

Soulmates - Aone

This was a commission for @dont-mind-me-imjustpassingby​! My commissions are 30% off until 30th september 💕💕 Hope you enjoy!

(also I changed my banners oooo)

2.3k

Ever since you were born you had the two words on your wrist memorised: ‘it’s you’. Your key to finding your soulmate, your one true love who would be perfect for you in every way. Each day, even as a little child you had dreamed about that one day you’d hear those two familiar words, and how your heart would finally feel complete. Some of your friends had already found their fated soulmate; one when they were 7, one two years ago, and one just last week, but there were plenty others who were still looking for their other puzzle piece – you being one of them.  

You still had time, you had to keep reminding yourself. You were only a second year at Date Tech, and you still even had a whole year at the busy school to run into your soulmate, but it felt so frustrating to wait.  

To busy your time instead of worrying yourself silly over this, you had joined the volleyball team as a manager in your first year. At first, you didn’t know much about the sport at all, but you grew to love watching the ball fall on the opponent’s side, and hearing it bounce off the strong arms of the blockers. Over time, you built a great relationship with the team members, and they respected you. It was a little easier for you to talk to the second years though, as you had much more in common due to your shared classes.

That was except for one though: Aone. Well, it wasn’t exactly just you that struggled communicating with the boy. In the past two years, you’d noticed how he rarely ever spoke, to you or to others, and how he preferred to reply in grunts or nods. It wasn’t like you had never heard his voice; however, it was just never once directed at you.  

Even so, somehow you were so drawn to him. It was like a magnetic force that tugged on your heart every time you were near him. Every nerve in your body kept telling you to talk to him, to learn more about him; so, you did.  

It certainly helped that you were quite close to Futakuchi, who seemed well versed in the communicative ways of Aone. The three of you, all being second years, started walking home together after practice, meeting up for morning practice, leading into study sessions at each other’s houses to cram before your exams.  

While Aone never spoke, he certainly never lacked expression. During your time together you got to learn more about him: what he liked, what he didn’t like, the subjects he enjoyed and his talents, all by carefully watching him and learning the little signs of happiness or discomfort. Such as the way his eyes widen a little and his face softens when he sees a cute kitten cross the street on the way home, or how his brow furrows deeply when he can’t understand a homework question. It was so interesting, so charming.  

You felt so comfortable around him. You saw how kind he was, and how thoughtful he could be whenever he tried to help or comfort his friends. However, while you hung out together often, you never really knew where you stood. Were you friends? Acquaintances? Purely club-mates? He didn’t seem to avoid you by any means, but it was as he tried to keep a little distance between the two of you. You knew you were probably never going to get much talking from him, but even after a year of your company, he had never answered a question or shared his thoughts to you with words. Futakuchi had mentioned to you before about how he only spoke with those he was extremely comfortable with, so you supposed he didn’t think of you as dearly as you did for him.  

You didn’t mind the silence, but sometimes, it stung. It hurt knowing how your mind was filled with thoughts of him every day, and how you just wanted to be someone he could rely on, someone who could confide in when things got tough.  

Every time you caught yourself staring a little too long at him, or when you noticed you’d stayed up late thinking about him, you were ashamed of yourself. And every day your shame grew as you fell deeper and deeper for him. You hadn’t even met your soulmate and yet you’d already abandoned your perfect future together to adore this boy a little more. There were rumours of how people had developed relationships with those who weren’t their destined soulmate, but these people were often shunned on by society. The world had chosen the perfect person for you, and you’re only job was to love and care for them, yet you had failed already.

The guilt was eating away at you, slowly breaking you down. You loved a man that wasn’t your soulmate, and you didn’t know what to do to fix it. So, you stepped back. You tried to get your mind off Aone by keeping your distance. You’d run off before you could walk home together, or you’d find an excuse to miss your study nights. You spent more time with other friends and trying to meet new people in case you stumbled across your soulmate and the shock could take Aone from your heart. But, no matter how long you spent away from him, no matter how else you tried to fill your time and thoughts, you were always pulled to him.

Aone, on the other hand, was dealing with a different type of stress to you, but one that chained him up just as tightly. A year ago, he found his soulmate; a year since he had heard those exact words on his wrist said to him, and how he had found the one for him. In that moment, and every moment since, he had dealt with a flood of emotions. Happiness, fear, relief and doubt. The world told him that this person was the one for him, the one who would finally accept him, love him and every part of him. He already knew that he loved them; every moment around them made his heart soar. Soulmate or not, he had fallen for them, their beauty, their compassion and care. But why was he so scared? So scared that his fated life partner wouldn’t feel the same? He didn’t even know if it was possible, but every instance with others had led him to believe that he was unwanted, unapproachable and unattractive. They may not have been his soulmates, sure, but there was never an instance besides the volleyball team where he felt accepted, and he couldn’t face the possibility of his one and only chance of love, the only chance he ever wanted, to be lost.  

And his worst nightmare was coming true. It didn’t take long for him to notice the change. He saw you draw away from him, leaving him behind in the pursuit for another; probably someone better, more handsome or more sophisticated. He might have a soulmate, but no one could fall for him.

“Why don’t you just tell her?” Futakuchi asked, sitting next to him on the steps leading into the school gym and Aone watched you in the distance filling water bottles. Aone didn’t need to answer for Futakuchi to know the answer, not that he would have anyway.

“If you don’t speak to her, she’s never going to know you’re her soulmate,” Futakuchi watched as Aone’s face screwed together tighter, and how his head fell to look at his wrist. He lightly traced over the words he had heard a year ago from you, still remembering how it sounded. His friend sighed besides him, throwing an arm over his shoulders.  

“I know you’re scared, but she was made for you, and only for you. The universe knew that she would love you, and that you would love her. Besides, you’re already friends with her and we both know how lovely she is. Soulmates or not, she’d still find a way to know you and fall for you.” Aone turned to look at him, his eyes were swallowed with insecurity and fear, and he swallowed heard. “Just give it a chance, you won’t know until you do. If you wait too long you might lose her,” he saw the panic flash in his friend’s eyes at those words, could Aone really lose his only chance? Futakuchi lifted his arm off, smacking him on the back, “go sweep her off her feet, yeah? You’re a great guy, I’m sure you can romance her,” he teased with a wink, before heading back into the gym at the sound of their coach calling to start practice. Could he make you fall for him? He had no idea, but he had to at least try.  

Through practice, the only time you had spoken to him was to ask if he wanted a towel, and he was way past the point of missing your voice. He wanted to make things right, to make you his but he just didn’t know how. He wasn’t the best at dealing with people, nor did he ever know what to say, and speaking itself was a struggle for him.  

At the end of practice, you had headed off home as soon as you had finished clearing up, while the team members were still getting changed. You wanted to be by yourself for a little while, maybe go somewhere you could clear your head. You’d been so busy recently trying to distract yourself from the hole in your heart, but every attempted made it grow bigger.

It was dark on your way some expect for the dim glow of the streetlights that barely guided your way. Your legs were tired, but your mind felt worse. By the side of the road was a large park, one you used to play in as a child, and the bench that sat under a streetlight called you. You trudged over, dropping your bag to your side and slumping down on the seat. You pulled your legs up onto the bench, tucking them close to your chest and let your head fall back. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and focused on the cold breeze as it swirled freely around you, yet you felt so stuck.  

Aone had left the school after he had changed and gave a swift nod as a goodbye to his teammates. He still wasn’t used to walking home alone without your chatter and warmth to keep him company. He didn’t like being out alone in the dark either, but he was always more concerned about your safety than his.  

As he walked under the dim lights, a figure at the corner of his eye caught his attention. Looking over, he saw what he could immediately recognise as you, sitting on the lonely bench, your head thrown back and your body tucked into itself. His heart skipped a beat, partly in adoration at the sight of you, and partly in worry.  

Footsteps moved across the road behind you, creeping louder and louder with each step, certainly coming towards you. You opened your eyes, and the shock of seeing Aone leaning over the bench to look you directly in the eyes sent shivers down your body.  

“You scared me,” you half-heartedly muttered, sitting up straighter than before. He stared at you for a couple moments, before rounding the bench and sitting by your side. You both sat silently, listening to the wind rustle through the trees.  

He turned to look at you as your gaze was ahead, watching the park in front. The light from above highlighted your features and reflected from your eyes, although that seemed to be the only light that came from them. He felt his hand subconsciously move across the bench towards you, but he quickly snatched it back before you could notice. He was scared, but you deserved to know rather than spend the rest of your life wandering around, hoping.

“It’s you,” he mumbled out, his voice deep and thick from its lack of use. He saw your eyes grow wide, and as the realisation set in, your head snapped towards him.

“Huh?” He didn’t know if you genuinely didn’t hear him, or if you just couldn’t believe this moment.

“It’s you,” he repeated, a little louder and a little more certain than before.  

Your jaw hung open a bit, trying to find a way to move. You looked away from him, then back to him again, then down at your wrist. Those same words you had just heard were staring back at you in permanent ink on your skin, glowing.  

All this time, and the one you had been looking for was right in front of you. The one you had been dreaming about and thinking of was yours. You started chuckling to yourself out of pure astonishment, what a fool you had been. All the intense feelings you felt for him, all the times you wanted to pull him close, every moment you spent watching him in devotion was for this exact reason; he was your soulmate, your one and only love.  

His face tensed at your reaction, half relieved that you didn’t seem disgusted, and half confused that you were so calm. You looked towards him with a lazily smile, and he saw that glint in your eyes that he grew so fond of.  

“I-I hope you can grow to accept me as your soulmate,” he spoke sincerely, fiddling with his fingers in his lap as his voice staggered out.  

“That’s what I’ve been wishing for, for the past year.”

[jalapeno-princess]

Misunderstandings

Mark Tuan X Reader

Word Count: 5.3k

Summary: You’re failing your marine biology class and your best friend Youngjae recommends you sign up for tutoring. When you walk in to the tutoring center and your eyes land on the handsome boy who claims to be your tutor, you grow excited to start your sessions but you don’t know whether it’s because you have hope to pass your class or because you get to spend time with Mark. As the weeks go by, you end up developing feelings for the older boy and little do you know, he ends up falling for you too.

A/N: My last day of class was yesterday and I wrote this story last week the day before my finals and I was failing my marine biology class (please do not sign up for marine biology unless you’re passionate about science because I did not understand a fucking thing but ya girl got a C GOD BLESS) the thought of Mark as a tutor makes me cry I would purposely fail a class just to have him tutor me

“Y/n, it’s really not that bad. A 64 is still passing. D’s get degrees—“ 

You yanked your quiz from your best friend’s hands and began to walk away out of frustration. You had taken your midterms just a few days ago and you‘ve been studying for all five of your classes for the last month. There was no problem with any of your four other classes. However, science was never your forte; specifically marine biology. 

When you were first signing up for classes, the idea of learning more about the ocean and marine animals intrigued you. Therefore, you didn’t hesitate to add Marine 465 to your schedule. Unfortunately, once you began the class you were ultimately regretting your decision. 

For the most part, you considered yourself to be pretty smart. Sure, some classes were easier than others but you always tried your best when it came to your education no matter how hard the subject was. You’d put in more time in studying and went the extra mile to make sure you succeeded no matter how difficult the class was. 

As soon as your professor started with his lectures, you felt extremely lost and no matter how hard you studied, you weren’t retaining any information. It was as if everything you learned about sea level rise, coral bleaching and erosion went through one ear and out the other. When you received the exam a few days prior, your heart immediately sank like it normally did whenever you’d take the first look at an exam and did not understand a single thing. 

You were sure you studied for this midterm the longest out of all your classes but no matter how hard you tried, you just weren’t meant to do well. You answered every single question to the best of your ability and you had a tiny bit of hope that you did decently; but when your professor passed back your graded tests right before ending class, you were on the verge of tears.

“Youngjae, I am a nursing major. I can’t get anything lower than an A. This is so disappointing. Might as well turn in my scrubs now and drop out of the program. There’s no use! Nothing is going to help me at this point. There’s only one more assignment and that’s the final exam. Even if I do well on my exam, the highest grade I’ll get is a B. A B isn’t good enough Jae. Fuck science. What does marine biology even have to do with nursing? I don’t recall having to give shots to sea turtles!” 

The older boy caught up to you and pulled you into his embrace in attempts to calm you down. After six years of friendship, he was completely aware of what a goal driven person you were. Whatever you set your mind to, you’d do anything in your power to achieve it. After taking a look at the grade you were given, Youngjae knew that chances of you getting an A were extremely slim; but it didn’t mean it was impossible. 

Your best friend saw you through both your highest and lowest points and he knew you could handle anything negative that life threw at you. Your marine biology class was no exception. 

“I really don’t know what to do other than withdrawal and retake it again next semester.” You released an exhausted sigh before taking a seat on the nearest bench. 

“Have you ever thought about tutoring? Oh come on, don’t give me that look. What? Is the great y/n y/l/n too good for tutoring? Even the smartest students ask for help sometimes y/n, it wouldn’t hurt for you to ask for help once in a while. Maybe you’ll have an easier time learning from someone one on one rather than when your professor teaches your entire class. I’ll even go with you if that’ll make you feel more comfortable.” 

You gave him a soft smile before ruffling his hair. “Fine. We’ll go tomorrow. But if one of those nerds wants to get smart with me, I won’t hesitate to throw hands.” Youngjae’s laughter engulfed throughout the front lawn as the two of you continued to make your way to your last class. 

The next day, you found yourself hiding in the library and began ignoring Youngjae’s calls and texts to find out where you were. Right after he dropped you off to your apartment the night before, you decided that you did not want to go along with having to seek help with your studies. To say you were a stubborn person was an understatement and you knew you were being childish trying to refuse Youngjae’s attempts at trying to help you with your grades; but you hated the thought of having to be tutored because it reminded you that maybe you weren’t necessarily great at everything as much as you wanted to be. 

Knowing how you could be, he knew exactly why you weren’t answering his calls and he was well aware that you were planning on running away from his recommendation. One thing Youngjae loved most about you was your confidence and how you had such a good head on your shoulders. It was also something he cared about the least seeing as how you refused help from others no matter how much you obviously needed it. He began to search for you throughout the entire campus and since he knew you like the back of his hand, it didn’t take him long to find you. 

When you felt an arm on your shoulder, you jumped in surprise but released a frustrated grunt when you realized who it was. “Youngjae—“ he shook his head before gathering up your things and reached for your hand. 

“You’re not getting out of this. Y/n, just because you’re receiving help from someone else, doesn’t mean you’re any less smarter than you are. Stop being so stubborn. The tutors are genuinely nice people and they just want to help you. If you keep this act up then just take the F already. I don’t know what else to do for you!” 

Seeing your best friend so upset over something that wasn’t even his fault made you feel like a terrible person. He was only trying to help you because he hated seeing you beat yourself up over something he knew you tried your best at. Which is why you pulled him in to your embrace and leaned your head on his shoulder while whispering countless apologies against the juncture of his neck and finally agreeing to receiving help from a tutor. 

You’ve never been to the tutoring center before because you instilled it in yourself that tutoring was the last thing you ever wanted to go through but you were desperate. 

“Hi, how can we help you today?” 

For a moment, you felt like a little kid. Since you only agreed to be there a few minutes ago, you didn’t really understand how the tutoring center worked. You turned around to Youngjae and gave him a knowing look to which he sighed.

“She’s not doing too well in her marine biology class and needs a tutor.” 

The girl at the counter nodded in understanding before taking a look at her computer. After a couple of seconds, she picked up her phone and dialed whom you assumed to be your tutor. 

“Mark will be here in a few minutes. Please sign in and have a seat over there.”

You did as you were told and sat down on one of the couches before beginning to pick at your nails nervously. Youngjae gently squeezed your thigh before gently shoving you. 

“Hey, it’s just tutoring. You’re acting as you’re going for a job interview or something. It’s going to be just fine.” 

You heard some sneakers against the ground and when you looked up, your eyes widened in shock. He wasn’t someone you’d expect to be a tutor. As much as you didn’t want to be stereotypical and assume that all tutors were someone who wore glasses and suspenders, that was your idea of what your tutor would look like. 

The boy standing in front of you was wearing converse, a pair of gray sweats and a flannel. His hair was dark brown with soft, fluffy curls and the toothy grin he flashed you made your cheeks warm. 

“Y/n? Hey, I’m Mark. Follow me.” 

Youngjae gave you a wink before shoving you towards the extremely good looking boy. 

“So, I was told you need some help in marine biology. Do you mind taking out some of your homework and maybe some of your notes so I can get an idea of what you might need help with?” 

You sat down at the table with all of his things and began to pull out everything he was asking for from your backpack. After you took out your work and handed it to him, he started to look over your papers and began writing something down. 

“These are really good notes, but I think you’re having a hard time with analyzing and understanding the material. That’s why I’m here.” 

For three hours, Mark tried his best in making the lessons easier for you to comprehend by drawing out some key terms that he thought would help you get an idea of marine life. Once he felt you had enough for the day, he handed you back your papers and gave you a soft smile. 

“Good work today. I’m sorry if you still are having a hard time understanding, but I’ll be glad to help you up until your finals. How does that sound?” 

The idea of spending more time with him sent a warm feeling to your tummy. Throughout your entire session, he was extremely patient with you and even threw in a couple of jokes to make the atmosphere more relaxing. He even let you take a couple breaks as the two of you began asking each other a couple of questions to become more familiar with one another. 

You found out he was an engineering major but he was minoring in marine biology. From the time he was younger, he was always fascinated with the ocean and wanted to find ways to help preserve it. Hearing him talk about how passionate he was in finding solutions for climate change and coral bleaching brought you in a daze. Before you could leave, you both exchanged numbers and planned another day to meet up again. 

Once you began making your way back to where Youngjae was, you could feel your heart rate increase at the thought of seeing Mark again. 

“So, how did it go?” You shrugged before motioning for him to get up. 

“It was okay. He’s nice and you can tell he’s very passionate about marine biology. But I just have a hard time grasping the information. I don’t know about this Jae. It’s useless. I don’t want to waste his time.” 

Youngjae grabbed your backpack and your books as the two of you began walking towards his car. If there was anything Youngjae hated, it was hearing you talk so negatively about yourself. 

“Y/n, you’re not wasting his time. He signed up to do this for a reason. You’re not going to retain all this information in one session. You’re going to have to meet up with him multiple times in order to complete understand everything your professor is teaching you. I wasn’t there to see how he goes about with teaching you, but I’m sure they don’t let just anybody become a tutor. Don’t give up before actually trying okay? He could be the reason you’ll get an A at the end of the semester so just hang in there.” 

You weren’t afraid of Mark not being able to help you raise your grade. It was obvious he knew what he was talking about. You were afraid of gaining feelings for him because you felt that he would only become a distraction. It was already hard enough for you to learn about marine life, what more if you were to develop a crush on the person whose supposed to be teaching it to you? 

Over the course of a month, you’d meet up with Mark on Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Friday’s from 2:30 to 5:00. It didn’t take you long to finally get the hang of understanding the lessons your professor would teach you in class and you were excited when you found yourself catching on to the information Mark was giving you. 

Unfortunately, your feelings for Mark only grew more and more with each and every session. You’d catch yourself stealing glances at him every so often and daydream about what it would be like to kiss his cute little heart shaped lips, to run your fingers through his curly locks, to hold his pretty hands and to be held by him. But it was dangerous to think like that. No matter how kind he was to you, he never showed any interest in you and you had to accept that all you’d ever be to him was just another person he’d tutor. 

There were a couple of times Mark attended class with you in order for him to find out why you were having such a hard time learning and the thought of him taking time out of his day just to sit in on your marine biology class made your heart flutter like a school girl. He only wants to see how the professor is teaching so that he can make the lessons simpler for you stop giving yourself false hope y/n. 

Finally, the day of your final exam came and you were extremely nervous to say the least. No matter how long you’ve been preparing for this, all the sleepless nights you’d stay up studying on top of your tutoring sessions with Mark; you didn’t think you were ready to take it. 

As you made your way in to the lecture hall, you could feel your palms getting sweaty as your heart rate began to increase and it wasn’t a good feeling. Right before class could start, you felt a vibration coming from your bag and when you checked your phone to see the notification, a huge smile rose on your face.

Mark🤓: Good luck today y/n. You’ll do great! I believe in you. Let’s meet up once you’re done with the exam. You got this!👍🏻

Most people would consider it such a simple text of encouragement, but to you it meant the world. He had faith in you and with that knowledge alone, a burst of confidence ran through your veins and as soon as your professor passed out the exams, you began answering every single question without hesitation. It felt as if Mark was right next to you, cheering you on and it was such an amazing feeling. 

Everything he’s been teaching you for the last two months just kept flowing through your mind and before you knew it, you were finished. You took a few moments to go over your test to make sure you answered them to the best of your knowledge and once you were done you handed in your exam and dialed Mark’s number. 

“Hey y/n! How did it go?” You hummed cheerfully as you made your way down the hall. 

“I’d like to think it went well, but we won’t know until next week. Where are you? I wanna treat you to lunch as a small thank you for all your help.” 

Although you couldn’t see him, you knew he was probably smirking at the idea of food. A lot of your sessions were held at the cafeteria and the coffee shop on campus because Mark loved to eat. His love for food was adorable, and so was he. Only then did it hit you that you would no longer be needed Mark’s help and you felt your chest getting heavy when you realized you wouldn’t get to see him anymore. Other than Youngjae, Mark was one of the only people who genuinely made you happy. In fact, he was one of your only sources of happiness and you wanted to be with him as much as you could. 

“I’m in the library, but I‘ll make my way to you so you don’t have to walk so far. Are you still in the science building?” You absentmindedly smiled knowing he wanted to make things easier for you by meeting you half way. 

“Yeah. I’ll be sitting by the front door. See you soon.” While you were waiting, you took out your phone and texted Youngjae that you were finished with the exam. He was quick to respond and asked you if you wanted to go out and celebrate to which you let him know that you were treating Mark to lunch. Knowing how your best friend could be and how he’s been teasing you about Mark ever since the day he began tutoring you, you weren’t surprised to read the messages he sent you.

🦦: Can I tag along? Or are you finally going tell lover boy how you feel about him? Come on y/n, it’s been months. The worst he can do is tell you he doesn’t feel the same and you can go back to being strangers. The y/n I know is an extremely courageous person who will do whatever she possibly can to get what she wants and a boy is no different.

🦦: But I’ve seen the way he looks at you when he thinks you’re not looking. He gets all starry eyed and shit. As if the sun shines out of your ass.

🦦: make me proud y/n 😉

It didn’t take Youngjae long to realize you had feelings for Mark. You’ve never really had a crush before, so Youngjae knew there was meaning behind the blush on your cheeks and how flustered you’d get after every session with Mark. He was also quick to notice how you were always holding your phone as if you were waiting for a text from someone. When he confronted you about it, he was shocked when you didn’t try to lie about it and he was also secretly very excited. He’s been rooting for the two of you ever since Mark introduced himself for the first time two months ago. 

If Youngjae had it his way, he would’ve went up to Mark and confessed your feelings for him a long time ago, but he was never one to get involved in your personal life if you didn’t want him to.

“Hey, ready to go?” You nodded in agreement as he grabbed your books and slung your backpack over his shoulder like he normally did. It was little gestures like this that made you feel like he had reciprocated your feelings but then again, he was a gentleman to everyone. You’ve witnessed how he’d hold doors for everyone, how he always greeted someone he knew and how he’d always lend a hand if he felt like someone was in need. It was just who he was and you couldn’t confuse his acts of kindness for romantic feelings. 

The walk to his car was quiet, but it was a peaceful kind of silence. However, once he opened your door and you both got inside, he turned on the radio and began to sing along. He did this every time the two of you would go somewhere off campus. Mark was an actual ray of sunshine and sometimes he’d even get you to sing along. 

Sometimes, you’d find yourself dozing off at the thought of holding his hand that he wasn’t using to drive and leaving a kiss on his cheek at a stoplight. A lot of the times you would day dream, it would be made up scenarios of him and what it would be like to date him. You were suddenly broken out of your thoughts when he softly tapped on your thigh to let you know that you both arrived to the restaurant. 

Lunch was amazing. He made you go over the test questions and your responses for a small portion of it before beginning many conversations with you about anything your hearts desired. Conversation flowed smoothly between the both of you as if you had been friends for years and every time he laughed at something you had said, you could feel butterflies fill up the entirety of your tummy. Mark had such a distinct laugh and for someone who looked as manly and broad as he did, you wouldn’t expect such a adorable and extremely high pitched laugh to come out of him. It was your favorite sound and you were happy knowing you were the cause of it. 

To your dismay, your time together was soon coming to an end and you were surprised to find out that you’ve been at lunch with Mark for almost three hours. People weren’t kidding when they say time flies when you’re having fun. After you finished paying, you walked back to his car and he began to drive you back to your apartment. The confession was at the tip of your tongue. Youngjae’s words filled your mind. The worst he can do is tell you he doesn’t feel the same. 

As much as you wanted to know whether or not he harbored the same feelings for you, you didn’t want to make a fool out of yourself if you found out he didn’t see you in that way. 

“Hey, everything okay?” You looked at him in curiosity and gave him a fake smile. 

“I’m fine. Just nervous about what I got on the exam but I’ll be fine. Thanks for dropping me off.” 

He playfully pinched your cheek and made his way out of the car in order to open your door for you. Sometimes you hated how much of a gentleman he was, it only made your feelings for him grow stronger. 

“Of course! Thanks again for lunch. By the way, you have nothing to worry about y/n, I’m sure you did great. Don’t forget to text me as soon as you get the results. Until then, good luck with the rest of your exams. Have a nice rest of your day.” 

As you watched him drive away, you felt your heart sink. I like you. Why was it hard so hard to say those three words? Now you’d never know how he felt about you nor did you know when the next time you’d see him is. But if he liked you, wouldn’t he have made a move on you already? 

Exactly a week later, your professor emailed you and the rest of your class that grades were posted. Your fingers hovered over your log in but a part of you was hesitant to see what grade you were given. You were sure your heart was about to jump out of your chest and you had wished Youngjae was at your side when you were to find out the results. Or even better, Mark. 

You sent him a quick text to see where he was and what he was up to and he let you know that he was at his apartment. He asked if you wanted to go over causing heat to rise upon your cheeks. You’ve never been to his apartment before, so the idea excited you and you couldn’t wait to see him again. One week away from him was torture and you didn’t know how your life was going to be now that you no longer needed his help. He gave you the directions to his apartment and you quickly got ready so you could go and give him the news. The drive to his place felt like forever and you knew it was because you were on your way to see the boy who owned your heart. 

Once you parked your car and made your way up to his apartment, you could feel your palms getting sweaty and you soon grew nauseous. You giggled when you saw his doormat; of course he’d get one with marine animals on it. After taking a moment to breathe, you softly knocked on his door and waited for him to open it. 

As soon as he opened the door and you saw that he was only wearing basketball shorts you coughed up a bit and internally screamed at yourself for doing so. You knew Mark was built, but you didn’t think he was hiding a six pack and a very defined v-line under all of those flannels and sweatshirts. 

“Hey y/n! Sorry about the lack of clothing, I’m doing a load of laundry. Can I get you something to drink or eat?” You were still so focused on how attractive Mark was and how you were alone with him in his apartment to the point where you almost forgot the reason for being there. 

“No thank you. I um, I actually came here because I got the exam results and I didn’t want to look at them by myself so I thought I’d look at them with you. I’m sorry if I interrupted you.” He shook his head in disagreement before taking a seat next to you on his couch. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’m never too busy for you and I wanted to know what you got! I’m not even the one who took the exam and I’ve been anticipating your grade the entire week. But I know it’s because I saw how much time and effort you put in studying for this exam. So let’s see what your score is.” 

He sent you a wink and you were sure you were now red as a tomato from both the gesture and his words. You took out your phone and logged in to your school account. After you pulled up your name, you immediately handed him the phone and covered your eyes. 

“You look at it, I can’t do it.” He giggled softly at your worried expression before scrolling through your phone. When you didn’t hear anything from him after a few moments, your heart began to sink. That was all until you were being lifted off of the couch and pulled in to Mark’s arms. He wrapped his arms around your thighs and spun you around. 

“Congratulations y/n! You got a 98! See, I told you there was nothing to worry about! I knew you had it in you. I’m so proud of you.” 

Right as you were about to respond, his lips were on yours. It was as if time stopped and the room began spinning. You could’ve sworn you were dreaming yet you found yourself deepening the kiss as your arms made their way around his neck. His lips tasted like a mixture of mangoes and Cheetos puffs; an odd combination but one that you were now in love with because it was unique, just like him. All too suddenly, he pulled away and placed you down while beginning to pace back and forth around his living room. 

“Y/n, I’m so sorry. That was so uncalled for I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know what came over me. Please don’t tell your boyfriend—“ 

You looked at him in confusion before asking him what he was talking about. “That guy you’re always with. The one who waits for you during our tutoring sessions. Is he not your boyfriend?” It all made sense now. The reason why Mark wasn’t taking things further in your relationship was because he thought Youngjae was your boyfriend. That took a weight off of your shoulders. 

“No. That’s my best friend Youngjae. He’s been telling me to confess my feelings to you for over a month now but I was afraid you didn’t like me. I’m hoping that kiss meant that you do or else I’ll be taking my leave now.” 

You began walking towards the door but you were soon colliding with his broad chest while his hands made their way down to your waist. 

“I like you a lot y/n. More than I’d like to admit if I’m being honest. I just assumed you and Youngjae were a couple when I first saw the two of you together. I realized I was developing feelings for you around our third meeting when you went in to detail about why you want to become a nurse. Seeing how wide your eyes got in excitement as you described your love for helping others made my heart combust. You’re so adorable, you know that? Extremely beautiful too. And as I got to see how dedicated you were to your studies and your education, it made me come to terms with my feelings and I finally accepted them even if I felt like it was wrong having a crush on you while thinking you had a boyfriend.” 

He stole one more kiss from the corner of your lips and placed some hair behind your ear. “I looked forward to every single tutoring session and I don’t know if you noticed, but I would throw in some topics that had nothing to do with what I was teaching you that day just to prolong our time together. You are the most unique and interesting person I’ve ever met. You do this thing with your nose when you’re deep in concentration and the image would never leave my mind. You’re an extraordinary person y/n and it would mean a lot to me if you agreed to being my girlfriend.” 

You grinned at his confession before nodding in agreement and reconnecting your lips together. 

“I’m really glad Youngjae forced me to get tutoring.” He snickered before bringing his fingers up to your face and tracing your features. 

“And I’m really glad you suck in marine biology—ow—what? I’m just being honest babe—stop that!” He pulled you on to his lap and placed his head on your shoulder. “Since were a couple now, can I use some pickup lines on you?” You playfully rolled your eyes before sarcastically groaning. 

“Are you an octopus? Because you octopi my thoughts.” 

You hid your face in his neck from embarrassment. “What? You have to be honest y/n, that one was cute. And it’s the truth! Okay fine, how about this one, let’s cuttle—don’t look at me like that, I thought that one was pretty clever. What about whale you be mine—“ 

You brought your hand up to his lips to prevent him from talking. This boy was honestly going to be the death of you. But you couldn’t wait to see what the future held for the two of you. 

“You’re lucky you’re cute because those pick up lines are terrible.” He let out a scoff before picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder. 

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Let’s go baby, we have some celebrating to do.”

[astra-musings]

catch a break, part 1

requested? yes! by @faithiebrock01 (thanks for being my first post-hiatus request, sorry for the long wait!) check out her wattpad, @/niallforever15

this fic includes: owen grady x reader, fluff, I would say a little bit of ooc? hopefully not too much. a failed attempt to follow JW’s storyline

warnings: none really, other than dinos eating mice 

summary: you train and take care of the raptors on Isla Nublar alongside your husband, Owen. you found out you were pregnant very recently, and have a little trouble letting him know. typical Jurassic World chaos ensues, making it even harder.

word count: 1.3k+

a/n: i’m back! i think? got an extremely long break after my mock exams cause of coronavirus (stay safe out there) and i have t i m e on my hands :) be nice please, this is my first fic in two years,, enjoy! spare me a reblog/like if you liked this, follow me too!

part 1.5 // part 2

masterlist

Watching your husband work was, debatably, your favourite pastime. The way his (ahem, your) raptors seemed to respond to his every command made it seem as though they were a band of puppies-in-training, rather than bio-engineered animals from 65 million years ago that could definitely rip you to shreds in a heartbeat.

Your hand subconsciously moves to cradle your lower stomach as Delta catches the rat Owen throws down to her. You’d found out you were pregnant a little over two weeks ago. You were thankful you weren’t showing as of now; you didn’t know how to tell Owen just yet.

Dusting his hands off on his already muddy trousers (thank god he wore the brown pair today), he looks over in your direction, eyes searching briefly before landing on your serene form. A soft smile stretches across both of your faces as you move towards one another.

Gentle greetings are whispered into your hair as he pulls you in for a too-short hug. "How long were you standin' there for? Should've waited in the shade, love." His hand moves up to your forehead, blocking the noon's blinding sunlight from your eyes.

You swat his hand away in feigned irritation, "Only for an hour or two; not like that's ages in this heat or anything..." You pout slightly and tilt your head up towards him in a silent plea for a kiss.

Owen dips his head down to meet you halfway, pecking your lips in an attempt to kiss your pout away. "Don't pout, love. You know my heart can't handle it." 

"Maybe I should pout every hour of every day if it gets me kisses from you," you say defiantly, before standing on your tiptoes to pull him in again.

Owen laughs, the hearty kind that makes your heart swell, “You’d get kisses from me regardless. You do!”

You’re interrupted by the clank of a pair of boots on the metal of the catwalk. Barry marches towards you, frown dragging on his face, "Hate to be that guy, but Hoskins wants to talk. Again." 

–

"For the last time, Hoskins, they're not weapons! They're living, breathing, walking animals. They're in my care, and no way in hell am I letting you touch them!" Owen's face is scrunched up in anger and frustration as his conversation-turned-argument grows more heated. The light grey material of his athletic shirt gradually darkens as his sweat collects from his training with the raptors along with the undoubtable irritation he felt. You opt to retreat to the shade of the cage – despite wanting to calm Owen down, you knew he was much too passionate about the wellbeing of the raptors to be talked down at this point. Plus, it was Hoskins; the man annoyed you with his mere presence within a five mile radius. It wouldn’t hurt for him to get a lecture from the man you loved.

Leaning against the bars of the opening to the enclosure, you find a brief moment of solace from the cool material of the metal. You knew you were safe from any too-close experiences with the raptors as they had retreated to the shelter of the trees as soon as their session with Owen ended. You close your eyes, attempting to focus on the sounds of nature around you rather than the still ongoing argument a few feet away. Your trance is broken when the crunch of dry leaves sounds from behind you. A swift turn towards the direction of the noise alerts you of Blue's presence. Your lips involuntarily pull into a smile; ever since you'd gotten suspicious of a potential and literal human growing in your belly, Blue had grown more affectionate with you. Her eyes lingered a little longer on you when Owen called for her attention with his clicker, and she would always gravitate towards your spot on the catwalk mid-training. A low purr echoes from her throat as she attempts to squeeze her snout in between the much too narrow bars of the enclosure. Breathing out a laugh, you slowly move your hand towards her, just out of reach enough that she wouldn't be able to actually hurt you. Blue's jaws open in a low purr once again, razor-sharp teeth on display. You could probably see remnants of her last meal in there if you looked hard enough. The tip of her snout just manages to meet your fingertips, and you couldn't help but coo at the slight nuzzling movement she makes towards them. "Cutie... think you're some big, tough dino, huh?" You mumble under your breath, entertaining her for the briefest of moments before retracting your hand.

"Whatcha doin' there, sweetie? I walk away for a second and you get too close to Blue again," Owen's voice draws from behind you, prompting you to turn towards him, "I know you think they're cute, and I find that cute, but they can still rip your arm off in a literal millisecond."

"Oh, hush. I'm just missing her, is all. Haven’t seen her in a while. And, actually, you were away for about," you feign a look down at your empty wrist, "100 hours?" You smile, moving to circle your arms around his waist, drawing him close. You tried to subtly move the both of you away from the cage to draw Owen's attention away from your interaction with Blue, who was still following your actions like a wide-eyed child. Owen glanced behind you for a second before his eyes fell on you again. He had definitely noticed a change in your interactions with the beta in the last few weeks; despite you being co-alphas with Owen (admittedly not an official term), Blue still paid more attention to Owen than she did you. Lately, it seemed, your mighty alpha-of-a-raptor-pack husband was reduced mere background noise whenever you were around. He noticed the way Blue would look at you whenever you moved from one place to another, as if she was making sure you got to your destination safely, even if it was just a few steps away. 

He pushes the thoughts to the back of his mind, not wanting to overthink. Just as his mind jumped to thinking about lunch, a white SUV pulls up to the small clearing outside the enclosure. Curious and a little cautious after Hoskins's visit, both you and Owen step towards the vehicle, only to break out in smiles when you see your good friend, Claire, step out of it. 

"Claire!" You jogged up to her, giving her a short hug. "What brings you to this area? I thought you were working in those big, shiny offices now."

She smiles at your faux insult, "Hey, Y/N. And so what if I do? Can't visit my two closest friends?"

"More like your two only friends." Owen jokes, bringing her into a hug as well. Claire narrows her eyes into a mock-glare.

“I do love to be insulted by the two of you – constantly.” She smiles warmly before straightening herself up again – business mode. “I need you both to come with me. Mr. Masrani needs the enclosure for the new asset- the Indominus," she corrects herself as soon as she notices Owen raise a brow at her diction, "inspected. Come with me?" She gestures towards her car.

"Owen and I can make our own way over, actually. Give us a few minutes to wrap things up here and we'll follow you, yeah?" You say, partly because you want to spend more alone time with your husband, and partly because you really didn't want to get caught in the middle of any unresolved tension between him and Claire.

"Yeah, of course. I'll wait here." Claire leans against her car, already pulling out her phone. Conference call, probably.

"Ready to see the Indominus, my love?" You glance over to Owen, who is currently muttering under his breath about not being able to 'catch a break on this goddamned island', which prompts a laugh from you.

"What kinda stupid name is 'Indominus', anyway?"

[wordsandshawn]

Open Up

Summary: Y/n doesn’t know how to tell Shawn she’s not doing okay.

A/n: I know it’s been forever since I last wrote anything. I’m really trying to get back into it. Please please let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Stress, anxiety, nothing too intense though.

~

Your phone vibrating on the table in front of you draws your attention away from your laptop. You’re studying with your friend, who notices it before you’re able to pick it up. Glancing down, you see Shawn’s name splayed across the screen, but you only hit the volume button on the side to silence the call and stop your phone from vibrating although it will continue ringing on his end so he won’t realize you purposely didn’t answer.

“You’re not going to answer?” She questions glancing between your phone and you, more out of curiosity than anything else.

“I’ll call him back later.” You lie quickly.

“Are you guys fighting?” She questions. She’s one of the few people you trust enough to even be honest with about your relationship with Shawn, so it only makes sense that she’d inquire.

You shrug, “No, I just don’t want to talk to him right now. We’re studying.” She raises her eyebrow, her silent way of calling bullshit, but she doesn’t push the topic anymore, and you’re grateful for that.

A second later, your phone vibrates with a text from Shawn, I’m off for the rest of the day. Call me if you get a chance. Love you.

You quickly type a reply and hit send before thinking twice. Sorry, I’m in an intense study session. I’ve got an exam tomorrow. I’ll try to call tonight. Love you.

He responds with a heart, and you flip your phone over, so you won’t be distracted by it anymore as you turn your attention back to the study guide on your laptop.

It’s not that you don’t want to talk to Shawn, at least that’s not really it. Lately, you’ve felt like you have to pretend to be okay for him and for you when you talk to him. You don’t want him to worry because you know he already has so many things to worry about. It’s easier to hide things from him when he’s so far away. You can control when you talk to him, and what parts of you he sees. Even if you don’t want to admit it, you know this has been taking a toll on your relationship because you haven’t been completely honest with him for about a week. Things at school and work have really intensified, and you’ve been so busy you haven’t had any time for yourself, which has taken a toll on your mental health and truly left you feeling out of sorts and out of control.

Shawn doesn’t call again, and it’s midnight before you finally pick up your phone, forcing yourself to call him back. You’re already ready for bed and only plan to talk to him for a few minutes, quickly catching up on what’s going on with him before making the excuse that you’re tired in order to cut the call short.

“Hi baby,” His voice comes through the phone after two rings.

“Hey, Shawn. How was your day?” You question, resting against your pillows. 

“It was good. I recorded all morning, but I had the afternoon off, so I went to the gym and then just hung out with Brian for the most part.”

“Sounds like a good day.” You say, a small smile crossing your face. Even if you don’t want to share everything with him, he still makes you feel better, just by being himself.

“How’s your day been? I feel like I’ve barely heard from you lately.” He remarks.

“It was alright. It was busy. So busy I’ve barely had time to think.” You respond honestly, but purposely don’t expand. 

“I know, you’ve been so busy lately. Is everything okay? Are you okay?” He questions with so much genuine concern, you almost break down and admit that you’re not. But now’s not the time, you remind yourself. It’s late, and you’re tired. 

“Yeah, it’s fine. I can’t really help it or change how much I have going on so I’m just trying to get through it.” You shrug, even though he can’t see you. 

“I know, but what’s really going on? You haven’t been talking to me lately. Sometimes talking about it makes it better.” He tries encouraging you, but you still refuse to open up. 

“I miss you.” You whisper instead.

“I miss you too. But I’m here if you just talk to me. I want to be here for you.”

You take a deep breath, holding yourself together. “I’m tired.”

Shawn takes the cue, knowing what you didn’t just say. You’re not ready, and you don’t want to talk. Not now, not while you’re exhausted, and stressed, and so not okay. “Get some rest. I know you’ll do great on your exam tomorrow. Call me after if you have some time to talk, okay?”

“I will.” You say, your eyes falling closed even though you’re still holding the phone to your ear. You weren’t lying when you said you were tired.

“Okay, I love you. Sleep well.”

“I love you too. Bye Shawn.”

“Bye.” He says before you hear that little ding signaling he has hung up. You put your phone down only after double-checking that your alarms are set fo the morning, and then you turn off the light. 

Despite the tiredness that you feel all the way to your bones, sleep doesn’t come like you hope it will. When it finally does come, it feels like you’re only asleep for a few seconds before you feel the familiar anxiety that wakes you up all too often. You lie there in the dark, staring at nothing, and trying to convince yourself that you’re okay, that things will work out, that you’ll get everything done that you need to. That you’re okay. But you’re not, and you know you’re not. When you check your clock, it shows that it’s three-thirty in the morning. You were only sleeping for three hours at the most, but you know you’re not going back to sleep anytime soon. 

You reach for your phone, the light from the screen forcing you to squint. You open messages and click on your boyfriend's name before typing out a message, Are you awake? It’s only 12:30 in LA where Shawn is so you think he might still be awake. Only a few seconds pass where you stare at the message you sent before your phone is ringing. “Hello?” You answer, your voice raspy, immediately giving away that you were sleeping not long ago, but Shawn probably knew that, knowing what time it is in Toronto. 

“What’s going on, baby?” He sounds tired, but he probably wasn’t sleeping yet, so at least you don’t have to feel guilty for waking him up.

“I’m sorry,” You apologize. You always feel like you have to apologize whenever you need Shawn, no matter how many times he tells you not to apologize, you still do.

“It’s okay. You have nothing to be sorry for. Talk to me, yeah? What’s going on?” He questions, concern lacing his voice. 

“I just woke up feeling stressed. About everything. There’s just so much going on right now, and I’m trying to do everything, but I can’t, and I don’t have time to even think, and that stresses me out even more.”

“Hey, breathe. Just take a deep breath.” He responds, remaining calm to counter all of the stressed-out, anxious energy that he knows is bubbling within you. You listen, taking in a deep breath as Shawn continues. “Do you want to talk about what’s on your mind, what’s keeping you up?”

You sigh, frustrated that you are even awake. You let your eyes fall closed as you say, “No, I just want to sleep.”

“Okay,” He responds, following your lead. “Then all of that can wait until the morning. There’s no sense in worrying about it right now. You need to sleep. I’m right here. You’re not alone. I’m not going anywhere.” You want to argue that he’s not here, that if he were here with you, you probably would be pressed up against his chest, his arms wrapped around your body, holding you close. His steady breathing would remind you to slow your own breaths. But he’s not here, and there’s no point in making him feel bad about that, so you don’t say anything. Instead, you focus on breathing. After a few seconds of breathing and knowing Shawn is on the other end, you feel yourself start to calm down enough to feel sleepy again.

“Y/n?”

“Yeah?” You question, your eyes falling closed as you listen intently to Shawn, wanting to focus on the sound of his voice.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I know.” You respond.

“No matter what you say, I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

Those are the words you needed to hear. Shawn may not have known it, but that’s what you needed to hear to be able, to be honest with him about everything that’s going on. Even though Shawn has never given you a reason to believe otherwise, you had experienced the feeling of being “too much” for other people in your life which has led to you holding things inside.

“Can I call you tomorrow?” You ask the vulnerability of that statement hangs heavy in the air around you. It’s not that statement that is making you feel vulnerable but thinking about how you’re finally ready to be completely honest with Shawn about how not okay you’ve been lately.

“Of course. Get some rest, okay? I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Okay, goodnight. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

You hang up the phone before putting it down, closing your eyes, and letting yourself drift off to sleep.

[whenimaunicorn]

Playing House - Part Two

Many thanks for the cover image to @awkward-haux!!!

Content Warnings: unnegotiated kink scenes, anxious / negative self-talk

Summary: The Reader gets used to her new role in Ivar and Ubbe’s apartment. Trading chores for free rent should be simple, right?

Part One here

You had thought the bathroom would be the most awkward part of this arrangement, but after the first deep-clean, that job isn’t really all that bad. It turns out that for you, laundry duty carries the most emotional impact. Sorting through Ivar and Ubbe’s used clothes brings an array of tantalizing scents wafting to your nose; they each favor a different cologne, and the occasional undershirt carries a deeper musk that hits you on an entirely primal level. Ubbe’s is spicy and distracting, making your head spin just a little as you imagine being tucked under his arm. Ivar’s is sweeter, hypnotizing, and the one time that you privately brought his shirt to your nose for a full-on huff, you felt like you had been drugged.

And after the clothes are clean, the folding, pressing, and hanging feels like an intimate, worshipful little ritual all of its own. You like to do it when they’re not home, and you can be alone with your little domestic fantasy. It feels like much more of an invasion to be opening drawers and going into their closets to put things away while they’re around, anyway.

Plus, the first time you brought a fresh, fluffy laundry basket back up to the apartment, so you could fold it in front of the TV, Ivar had watched you like a hawk. He just could not stop giving you increasingly-specific instructions. It warmed your chest and set your teeth rattling in equal measure.

“Long-ways, then in thirds.”

While you get a submissive little thrill every time he tells you what to do, at this point his barrage of critique starts to make your throat thicken with the familiar anxiety about not being able to please.

“Crisper, Y/N. Smooth it out with your hand before you make the fold.”

Ubbe growls a warning sound from his end of the couch. He seems to need to remind Ivar at least once a day to go easier on you.

You hear Ivar catch his breath, holding something back. When he speaks again, his tone is softer. “I just really like the way Marie Kondo does it.”

Your eyes widen as you whip your head and look up at the boys sprawled across the couch. “Wait. You guys can’t be bothered to lift a finger to take care of anything, and you watch a cleaning show?!”

“I like a tidy house,” Ivar sniffs, unapologetic in his sheer hypocrisy. “And I like the way she organizes.”

Something tugs at your memory. You’ve seen some of her videos before. “Isn’t she the one who says you need to like, convey your affection for the clothes while you smooth them out with your hands?” Your neck starts to tingle as you connect this thought with the associations that the boys’ laundry had already started to have in your mind.

Ivar’s eyes sparkle as he holds your gaze, as if he can tell exactly what you’re thinking. “Yes. And I want to see you doing just that. With every piece.”

Ubbe groans.

You smile a little at how protective he tries to be, even if he’s missing the point. “It’s all right, Ubbe,” you say primly. “They’re Ivar’s clothes, I’ll do them however he wants.”

“Well, you don’t have to be that obsessive with mine. Just having them clean in the basket is good enough for me.”

You shake your head. “I wouldn’t leave them to get wrinkled like that.”

You finished folding Ivar’s clothes in silence that night, your nerve endings sparkling like you were doing something sexual in front of him the entire time. You kept the movements of your hands slow, graceful, and you took your time spreading each piece of fabric, knowing he knew you were imagining his chest under every shirt, wondering about the usual occupant of each pair of boxers… While it was an experience you often find yourself replaying in your mind now, you still have never quite overcome embarrassment enough to do it in front of him again.

 * * *

 Ubbe liked to paint himself as easier to live with than Ivar, but as everyone got more comfortable together in the apartment, that was not necessarily the truth. While Ivar used your services to kickstart himself into reorganizing all of his possessions, and then actually started to pick up after himself whenever he thought you weren’t looking, Ubbe was much more prone to leave everything lying around all over the place. Towels migrated out of both kitchen and bathroom, and were left crumpled wherever he was standing once his hands were dry. He wouldn’t always ask you to cook for him like Ivar would, but he’d leave the kitchen covered in spills and dirty dishes after whipping up whatever snack he’d just been craving.

Your freshest example of this aggravation comes unexpectedly as you’re reading on the couch, alone. Ubbe busts through the front door, hair plastered to his scalp from the sweat that darkens the top half of his sleeveless shirt. His gym bag drops. He acknowledges you with a quick nod before starting to strip right there, exposing shiny washboard abs and glistening curls of hair in the center of his chest.

The shirt, of course, lands right in the middle of the living room. He kicks his sneakers vaguely in the direction of the shoe rack and flings white socks almost as far as the kitchen in his haste to get them off. You hold your breath, knowing his shorts have to be coming off next. He’s already moving past you though, gunning for the shower, and you only feel a little guilty about turning your head to watch the big muscles of his back ripple as he drops his shorts right there in the hallway.

The sight he revealed, boxer briefs clinging to his sculpted ass, is going to stay with you for a while. One thumb hooks into his waistband, but he rounds the corner into the bathroom before you can see anything more than a sharply-contrasted tan line at the top of his hip.

You finish reading your chapter before you stand and start scooping up the trail of damp clothes Ubbe has left along the floor. You hear the shower stop after you dump them in the hamper just around the corner in his bedroom. You’re retreating to your own room when you hear Ubbe call out.

“Hey, Y/N, can you find me a towel?”

“Shit!” you exclaim. “I forgot I hadn’t put those back yet!”

“No worries,” you hear him say as you zoom toward the basket of unfolded towels you left behind the couch.

You grab one and push through the bathroom door with it. “I really should have—” the self-flagellating response dies on your lips at the sight that greets you. You had expected Ubbe to wait for you behind the shower curtain, but he’s standing right there in the open, dripping onto the tile floor without anything to cover him at all.

Rivulets of water are darkening the hair on his lower half, making it cling to the golden skin of his thighs and the paler areas usually hidden from the sun… You just kind of freeze. Ubbe takes the towel from your hands with a throaty chuckle, and uses it not to cover his body, but only his head, scrubbing first at his hair. The brisk movements make the impressive cock hanging between his legs bounce just a little on its bed of curls. You’re pretty sure you see it starting to swell.

“I’m so sorry,” you force your lips to say, your feet trying to back you out the door while your eyes don’t seem to be able to peel away from the athletic body on display before you. Tight lines of muscle definition extend up from his growing manhood, drawing the eye up the wide ‘v’ of Ubbe’s developed lats and along the bulging biceps and triceps working that towel through his hair.

He wipes down his face, revealing pale blue eyes that lock onto your own. His knowing smile says everything, but you have no idea what to say or do next.

“Mmm,” he rumbles, “worth it. This towel is still warm.” He spreads it over his chest, still doing nothing to protect his modesty. “You just standing there, or are you gonna give me a rub-down?”

“I….” It doesn’t seem like your mouth, or your feet, or your arms work, and you continue to gape at him like a fish.

“Relax,” Ubbe smiles, finally wrapping that towel around his waist, “I was only joking.” His brows pinch in concern as he rubs at the back of his neck. “Sorry if that was in poor taste.”

Damnit, now your awkwardness has made this awkward for him too. “N-no, it’s… I’m just going to… go, now.” You feel your face twist into something halfway between two different facial expressions, and finally you regain enough control over your muscles to make a break for it.

 * * *

 Overall, you feel like this arrangement has been going really well. Without any job to head off to, it’s pretty easy to fit all the chores into the free hours you have between classes, study sessions, and sleep. You’re warmed with pride as you move through the apartment each day, wiping things down and tidying up the clutter. And the boys make sure you feel valued for your work, each in their own way. One time last week you actually found Ivar cleaning up after himself, picking up his cereal bowl from the place at the table that used to always be encrusted with old milk spots before you came around. He froze when he noticed you caught him, and very deliberately spilled a few drops from the bowl while staring into your eyes like an arrogant housecat. It was rude, but somehow endearing. Like he couldn’t have you thinking you were starting to change him.

Your groove falls apart during Finals week. Between twelve-page papers and all-night cramming sessions at the library, you don’t even notice the way dishes start piling up in the sink. Ubbe’s discarded linens stay wherever they dropped, and Ivar’s milk splashes congeal once again on the kitchen table. You come home exhausted after your last exam, your brain blocking out the row of empty beer cans and dirty plates cluttering up the coffee table in front of Ubbe where he lays on the couch.

His finals must be done too; the boy is sprawled out shirtless across the cushions, the TV remote nestled in his hand.

“So are you like, graduated now?” you ask him as you plop onto the couch beside him. A little sigh escapes you as your muscles welcome the reprieve from gravity. You think you might sleep for about a week straight now that Finals are finally over.

Ubbe’s smile is lazy and proud. “Yeah, basically. Still have to do that ceremony and shit, but all my classes are done and I’m pretty sure I passed them.”

“Well, congratulations, man.” Your eye follows Ubbe’s left hand, idly scratching at his chest hair. “Victory day means no shirt day, huh?” you tease.

Ubbe’s eyes are locked on the figures moving on the TV screen. “Actually, there’s no clean shirts left.”

He didn’t say it in a mean way, but it still hits you like a brick to the gut. You had been aware you were choosing to let some things go this week, but Ubbe’s laundry had entirely slipped your mind. A wave of anxiety threatens to steal your breath, as your brain tells you this is a pretty major fuck-up. And if you forgot this, what else might have slipped through the cracks? “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” You propel your exhausted body up to your feet. “I’ll go start your laundry right now!”

Ubbe’s hand is around your forearm before you can take a step away from the couch. “Wait.” You turned to him, and he inspects your face carefully. “Don’t get worked up about it, Y/N. I don’t really mind.”

You try to shake him off, pressing your lips together to hide how upset you feel. Tears are starting to prickle hot behind your eyes. “It’s my actual job, Ubbe. I’ll do it now. I can’t believe I forgot.” Your voice cracks somewhere in that last sentence.

Ubbe hears it, and shakes his head with calm authority. “No.” He tugs at your arm. “You deserve a break after this week, just like the rest of us. You’re sitting back down right here with me.”

You force a weak smile, even though the impending tears are threatening to cascade over your cheeks now. You let him pull you down to the couch.

“Stay here, I’m getting you a beer.”

You try to protest that you can get it yourself, but he holds you down onto the seat with a friendly-yet-firm smile before heading into the kitchen himself.

You let yourself cry just a little while he’s not looking. A distant voice from the back of your head is saying that you’re overreacting, but you can’t stop the ugly wave of shame and worry that you’re caught up in now. You fucked up. You had one job. How hard is it to keep house? Every damned human on this planet has chores, it should have been easy to keep up.

You barely notice Ubbe’s return until he presses a cold bottle into your hand and settles his body into the cushion. He sits down so close that his thigh presses into yours, and he starts rubbing your back too. “Hey,” he says softly. “What’s going on.”

“I just don’t want to let you guys down.”

Ubbe’s hand presses a little harder. “Y/N. You do such a great job around here, I promise. I can’t believe how nice you’ve been able to keep everything.”

You bark a bitter laugh, eyeing the garbage strewn across the coffee table in front of you. “Other than this week.”

“Yes, other than this week, the busiest, most stressful week of the term. Cut yourself some slack. You need to let yourself relax, and be human, too. The place doesn’t have to be spotless every time we get home. While I appreciate the aesthetic, this isn’t the 50’s and you’re not our housewife.”

You sip from your beer and then cling to the bottle with both hands, trying to make yourself believe what Ubbe just said. Also trying not to get distracted by the mental image of twirling through the house in a full skirt and kissing Ubbe and Ivar each on the cheek as you send them off to work in some retro domestic fantasy. “I just want to do a good job for you, and hold up my end of the bargain. I don’t want you to think I’m gonna start slacking and not pull my weight.”

Ubbe sighs. He shifts toward you and puts both hands on your shoulders, attempting to loosen them with a little squeezing massage. “I was worried this would happen when Ivar came up with this idea. Don’t treat yourself like you’re our slave. That can’t be fun.”

A half smile tugs at your lips. “Well, sometimes it’s a little fun?”

Ubbe doesn’t say anything to that. You think maybe he just doesn’t get it. He squeezes the tops of your shoulders more firmly, then starts pressing his palms down your back. It’s a few minutes before anyone speaks again. “I think the problem here is that you feel like you live at your job, right? So it’s hard to figure out when it’s ok to just stop, or leave something undone.”

You nod. “Yeah, it’s like every time I’m home, I wonder if you guys think I should be doing something.”

“That’s no way to live.” His hands travel up to your neck, pinching more carefully until he finds just the right spots.

You groan a little and lean back toward him.

“What if… we made up a schedule for you. Set the expectations a little more clear, so you don’t feel like you need to do anything too often, and so you can’t” –he squeezes around the base of your skull in a way that makes your eyes roll into your head—“imagine that we want more from you than what it says.”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you give a really good massage?” you interject. Between the rush of emotion that you’re finally coming down from, and the soothing kneading of his hands, your voice comes out sounding liquid and woozy.

Ubbe chuckles behind you. “Maybe I’ve heard that once or twice.” His hands slide down your back. “But what do you think? Would something like that help you feel like you’re allowed to get time off, too?”

You can’t help focusing on the crumbs scattered over the table in front of you. Your hands still twitch with the urge to give in to the shame and go on a frenzy of manic, exhausted cleaning until everything looks perfect for them again. So you could feel proud once more. So you could feel Good. “Maybe,” you say softly, though your tone is as drawn as the expression on your face.

Ivar busts in the front door, slowing his pace as he takes in your slumped posture on the couch next to his brother. “What’s going on?” he asks sharply.

“Don’t start with her, Ivar, not tonight.” Ubbe’s hands curl over your shoulders, squeezing more briskly. “She’s having a bad day. She’s been pushing herself too hard, don’t you think?”

“It’s Finals, we all have,” Ivar answers, studying your face intently. You wonder if your eyes are still puffy from the tears you let loose a little earlier.

“Yeah, but she’s worried she let us down with the chores this week. It’s really getting to her. Tell her she does a great job keeping house for us, but it’s not necessary to keep things quite so perfect.”

The concern in Ivar’s bright eyes pierces you. “Why did you not tell me you were feeling this way?” he demands.

A bitter laugh barks out of you. “I didn’t really realize I was, until it hit me just now.”

He swings himself a step closer, looking down from his full height and trying to take charge of the situation so similarly to how Ubbe did just a little earlier. You wonder if their father handles things the same way, or if they get it from somewhere else. “Listen to me, Y/N. I love what you have done around here, but you don’t have to drive yourself mad trying to keep everything spotless. You have to live your own life, too.” He glances at Ubbe, and there must be something for him to read on his brother’s face because he takes a breath and keeps going. “I know I take things too far sometimes. I like to tease, and maybe this game wasn’t as fun for you as it was for me.”

You shake your head, worried that your breakdown was about to ruin the very vibe that was making all this worth it to you. “It’s not that—”

Ivar cuts you off. “You have to be honest with me, and tell me when enough’s enough. Can you do that?”

You nod. Ubbe’s palms smooth over your entire back in big, soothing strokes.

“Good.” Ivar looks around the place, then nods like he’s come to a conclusion. “That’s settled, then. No work for you tonight, Y/N. The place was much messier than this before you moved in, and we tolerated that just fine. Let’s get a pizza. And tomorrow, after my last exam, we’ll throw a party. Once the place is thoroughly trashed, we’ll all help clean it up.”

After the pizza’s gone you crawl into bed early, reassured but kind of exhaustedly fuzzy and ready to crash. Ivar comes in before you turn the light out, laptop under one arm. “Scoot over,” he says, then lays on your bed alongside you. “You have to watch this show with me, it’s so dope. I just binged like the entire thing last week.”

He doesn’t say anything else, but you’re sure this is another way he’s trying to make you feel better. And when he lays the laptop over your hips so he can slide himself under the blankets next to you, it’s so easy to pretend that you’re his girlfriend that you almost tear up again. You hold it together because he keeps turning to look at your face every time his favorite parts come up, wanting to see your reactions. You wonder at first if he’s using this to try to make a move on you, but he seems genuinely interested in just sharing his love of this show with you.

You’re enjoying the story, really you are, but sleep starts to drag your eyelids down somewhere into the third episode. At first Ivar nudges you awake with playful bumps of his shoulder when he notices, but eventually he relents and shuts down the computer screen. He tucks the blanket in around you after he slides out from under it. “Sleep well, little one,” he croons, probably half-sarcastically, then turns off your light on his way out.

* * *

 Ivar takes a long drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke out in a long jet before responding. “That’s a good point, Y/N. I never thought about it that way.” He really is quite cool to hang out with when you’re alone with him. If he’s not showing off and trying to command the attention of a whole room, he actually listens, and can sometimes even sound like he cares.

You take another puff from your own smoke. It’s a warm Tuesday afternoon, one of the first days that feels like summer, and Ubbe hasn’t gotten home from his internship yet. You and Ivar are sitting in the little garden out behind the apartment building, in two of the communal lawn chairs. Earlier, he had scowled when you caught him with a cig on his lips and a lighter in his hands upstairs on the couch. Everyone had agreed last week that the apartment would feel much fresher, and more pleasant, if nobody smoked indoors anymore.

He had scowled, but he had gathered up his shit and made for the door. It was one of the few changes you’d made around the place that directly impacted his behavior, and you still feel a little insecure about how he’ll take it. So you had grabbed two beers and resolved to keep him company out back while he gets used to the new system.

You’re never sure where you stand with Ivar, but today the conversation is flowing so easily that you let your beer get warm in your hand while he chain-smokes and the two of you trade ideas, discovering just how well your perspectives about the world mesh together.

There’s no doubt that the heat of summer is finally here. Only the regular gusting of a cool breeze is saving you, bringing with it the scent of freshly-cut grass and the feeling that nothing matters but right now. Or is it Ivar doing that to your mood? His rare openness and candor, that crooked smile is lighting you up from the inside out, forcing your face to reflect his.

He’s holding your eyes, on the tail end of one of those grins, as he wraps his lips around his bottle and takes a sip. Something shifts in his expression as he swallows the beer. “Y/N,” he says softly, tone going serious. His eyes darken as his lips curl playfully. “You’ve let my beer get warm.”

You crease your brows, confused. “We have been out here a long time, haven’t we.”

He shakes his head, clucking his tongue in exaggerated disappointment but refusing to release your eyes. “You’ve failed me, Y/N. A good thrall would anticipate my every need.”

He’s finally doing it again. A shiver runs through you, the excitement of what kinky things you hope he’s implying whipping against your spine. It pushes a nervous laugh from your throat. “I can’t control how hot it is out here.”

Ivar cocks his head to the side, condescension under his lifting brow. He wiggles his bottle.

“…Should I get you a new one?”

A beatific smile spreads across his features; he seems pleased with your offer. “That would be wise.”

You notice your fingers shaking just a little as you set the butt of your almost-finished cigarette into the ashtray. You like when Ivar makes you feel this way; the whole world narrows down. You peel your sweaty thighs off the cheap lawn chair and rise, almost regretting your choice to wear such skimpy shorts. But surely you’d be dying in the heat out here in long pants. And Ivar seems to like looking at your thighs. You wonder if he’s leering at you now, while you scamper back into the apartment, but you don’t dare to look over your shoulder at him.

Luckily, you had had the foresight to chuck a few of the warm bottles you had brought home today right into the freezer, assuming that Lothbrok appetites were sure to run too quickly through the short supply left in the fridge. The brown glass is frosty and perfect as you take them out now. These will be sure to return you to Ivar’s favor in this silly, contrived, tantalizing game.

When you come back outside, Ivar is gazing across the garden, sucking softly at the last of your cigarette. Has he pulled your chair closer to his, or did you just imagine that part?

He says nothing as you come around to resume your seat; he just watches you, with an intensity that burns hotter than the sun scorching the plants just outside the line of shade you’re sheltering under. You hand Ivar a bottle so cold that it has already started to accumulate moisture in the three seconds it’s been outside.

He takes a sip after you sit, and makes a pleased noise of appreciation. “Much better.”

You get one swallow of frosty beverage down your own throat before Ivar speaks again.

“Now come here.”

You’re already sitting next to him. His wide hand gestures to the space directly in front of his own chair. Your mouth goes dry; you put your bottle down anyway. There is no question but to do what Ivar asks.

His eyes glitter, impossibly large in his handsome face, as he watches you come to your feet and stand before him. You can’t seem to read his intention and it’s hard not to flinch when his arm moves. “You still need a lesson.” His gaze moves to the beer bottle in his hand, and so yours does too, attention catching on the drips of condensation on the glass.

He presses that coldness directly against your thigh, other hand coming to your hip to hold you steady when you inevitably squirm.

“This is how cold I like my drinks. Do you feel that?” He rolls the bottle toward your inner thigh, the contrast with the ambient air shocking each nerve ending in turn.

You suppress a squeal when the icy glass presses between both legs, but you feel the clench of his fingers around your hip and try to stay still for him. The cold almost burns, and your body’s not sure how to handle it if retreat is not an option.

Ivar’s face is lit with a glee that looks more than a little bit demonic. His eyes travel up your body. “On your knees.” His voice remains calm and even.

Arousal blooms, relaxing your joints as you drop to comply. This may look more like bullying than foreplay to anyone else, but this is hotter than any of the shy kisses or sleazy groping that other boys have tried on you in the past. Ivar threads his free hand around the back of your head, under your hair. “You didn’t answer me.” He presses the bottle against the side of your neck, making sure the sudden freeze hits the most sensitive place behind your jaw. “Do you feel how cold that is?”

You force your body not to cringe; your answer rushes out on your overwhelmed exhale. “Yes, Ivar.”

“Do you understand what I expect, when I am drinking beer with you now?” He curls the bottle around toward the back of your neck, biting his lip at whatever change he sees in your face.

“Yes, Ivar.”

“Good.” He slides the bottle toward the front again, the base making contact with the top of your collarbone. “Before you serve me again, you can check the temperature like this” –he presses the bottle into your neck more firmly—“or, here” –he moves it down to the swell of your breast, above the v-neck of your shirt—“or, if you want, like this.” Swinging his grip to catch the neck of the bottle between his fingertips, he leans forward and presses the thickest part of it right between your bare thighs. “Remember how this feels,” he coaches, and you watch his full lips move as he speaks the words so close to your face. “If it’s not this cold next time, I’ll have to give you a more extensive lesson.”

A whimper escapes your throat, and you can’t pretend it’s only from the cold. After so much anticipation, for Ivar to finally be touching you like this, to be treating you in a way that is unmistakably sexual…

He leans back abruptly, removing the frosty bottle from your flesh and taking a smug swig out of it as he settles back into his chair. “Do you understand, Y/N?”

Every cell is vibrating inside your body as you gaze up at the dark look on his face. “Yes, Ivar.” You can’t wait until it’s time to serve Ivar again, so you can press the next bottle to your skin just exactly as he had instructed.

The sliding sound of the back door whooshes. “There you guys are,” Ubbe’s voice rings out, the sound of it shouldering into the space between you.

You rock back reflexively, but look to Ivar for instruction before moving further. He shakes his head with almost-imperceptible disappointment and nods for you to rise before Ubbe can wonder what exactly was going on out here.

Part 3.1 here

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[onewaywardwitch]

Just A Typo (10/?)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Hacker!Reader

Summary: It was a simple challenge between a very competitive group of friends. A challenge that ended very differently than anticipated.

Warnings: Pure fluff

Word Count: 1941

A/N: I’m back! Yay! Thank you all so much for all your kind words, I’m really loving writing this series. Exams are finally over which means regular updates! Imagine that... 

There is a small scene in this part that was not my idea. I got it from a tumblr post that I saw ages ago and can no longer find. So full credits go to the person who came up with the idea! There’ll be a series of  ***** beside the scene.

“I'm going to miss being able to feel my arms,” I groaned as Nat knocked me down to ground once again.

“Come on, get up,” she said, smirking at my exhausted form on the floor. I didn’t answer her at first. Instead I slowly got into the fetal position and covered my eyes.

“If I don’t look up, she won't be there, if I don’t look up, she won't be there,” I muttered repetitively. Her laughter from above me confirmed that my chanting did nothing.

I crawled as slowly as I possibly could until I was facing her and scowled.

“This is pointless.”

“Stop slouching.”

We had a mini stare off before I coped on that I was arguing with Natasha Romanoff and I should probably just shut up and get this over and done with.

I didn’t notice Bucky and Steve coming in to watch us train. Or rather, watch Nat look bored as she effortlessly knocked me down.

“Shouldn’t you actually teach me instead of just acting like I'm capable of defending myself?”

“I've found it's better to learn on the job.”

“You just wanna hit me.”

She shrugged in reply, not easing my nerves in the slightest.

She swung her fist in my direction, and instead of attempting to block it, I just walked off the training mat.

“I cannot be anywhere near her. This woman is trying to kill me!”

Steve shook his head at my statement. “Come on, I'm sure you're learning plenty.”

“Well, I did learn what a treadmill looks like,” I replied gesturing in the general direction of where the treadmills were across the gym. “But all I've learned from Nat is that I'm hopeless.”

“Here, try this,” Bucky said, holding out a knife to me. I stared at him in disbelief. Steve raised an eyebrow at his friend, but Nat wasn’t fazed in the slightest.

“A knife?”

He looked surprised at my reaction, as if he expected me to welcome the idea of knife-wielding. I'm sure he thought he was being helpful. “You're shockingly terrible at self-defence without any weapons. This might help. How else are you going to defend yourself?”

“I figured my winning personality would be enough for them to leave me alone.”

“And if not?”

I paused for a moment, mulling over my other options before I muttered in a small voice, “A very loud battle cry.”

Steve snorted and even Nat tried to hold in a laugh. Bucky shook his head, pocketing the knife and walking out, a defeated look etched onto his face.

~~~~~

Angie and Becca decided they would grace me with their presence and managed to save me from another training session with Nat. Tony took it upon himself to make sure the kitchen was always fully stocked with tea for Angie and a lot of Haribo for me. He didn’t get anything for Becca. Instead, he swore that she had his full permission to attack any of the Avengers with pillows if she felt they screwed something up. Or if she just felt like it.

The kitchen was empty for a change. Some privacy was rare in a tower as busy as this one and I was grateful for the time to catch up with my friends.

“What’s it like living here?” Becca asked while admiring the toaster (“It's just so shiny!”). “Is it as awesome as everyone imagines? Do they spend all their time training? Does Captain America just walk around with his shirt off all the time, or only sometimes?”

I thought back to how I spent nearly forty minutes explaining the difference between regular flour and self-rising flour to Bucky yesterday. “It's definitely an experience.”

Angie raised an eyebrow at me, a small smile playing on her lips. “You realise you're living the dream millions of people have had?”

“Yeah, well when you watch Captain America try to work a laptop it starts to lose its appeal.”

*****

“Hey, have any of you seen Bruce anywhere?” Tony asked the few Avengers that were gathered in the kitchen. Unfortunately, his words were drowned out by the sound of Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ blaring throughout the room.

A few of the teammates looked surprised. The rest just sighed.

“Not again,” Steve muttered. Him and Tony shared a knowing look. Bucky stared at Steve, a frown on his face and he looked around for where the music came from. He glanced at Wanda who was giggling at the look of pure exhaustion on Tony’s face. She noticed him looking at her and explained the situation, grinning widely.

“Y/N’s got bored lately so she hacked into F.R.I.D.A.Y. and has her play certain songs every time certain people walk into the kitchen,” she explained and Bucky couldn’t help but laugh.

“You can laugh now,” Steve said, folding his arms across his chest and huffing. “It's not funny when you get up at three in the morning for a glass of water and the American anthem starts playing at full volume.”

Sam laughed, choking on whatever it was he was eating. Bucky retaliated by whacking him on the back with his stronger arm. Sam went flying off the sofa, glaring at Bucky who looked away innocently.

“I don’t blame her for being bored cooped up in here, but why don’t you just get F.R.I.D.A.Y. to stop it?” Clint questioned Tony.

It was a fair question, and everyone turned to Tony, waiting on his reply. His ears tinged the faintest shade of pink, which was a rarity for the ever-confident billionaire.

“Becauseshelockedmeout,” he mumbled quickly.

“What was that?”

“She locked me out! I have no idea what she’s done but she changed F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s protocol so the one thing I can’t access are the speakers around the tower. I'm incredibly proud and impressed but, I gotta say, my ego’s taken a hit.

~~~~~

At that precise moment, I walked in, failing to notice the array of looks I was being given. From exasperation to pure amusement, everyone seemed to have mixed feelings regarding my antics.

It took a moment for me to feel the number of eyes glued on my figure. I immediately decided to play the nonchalant, nothing-is-going-on card.

“Who had the last poptart?” I asked, looking everywhere except at Tony, Steve, and Nat, who were the only people I had edited songs for. So far.

Steve cleared his throat, but I focused my attention on Wanda.

“Was it you? I knew you were eating all my food.”

He coughed slightly again so I turned to him.

“I have a great doctor in the city if that cold is bothering you.”

Tony tried his hardest not to smile, stepping forward to talk to me.

It took nearly twenty minutes for our discussion to end, during which he asked (begged) me to turn off the music. My immediate response was accusing him of trying to inhibit my creative musical expression.

I could tell Tony didn’t know how he felt about meeting his quick-witted equal. We were similar in more ways than he would admit. The only difference was that I didn’t flaunt my abilities as he did. I preferred to remain under the radar while he enjoyed the life of celebrity genius. It gave me an idea of what my life could have been like, had I shown my skill to large companies years ago. The thought of it made me shudder. There was no way I would have been able to cope with the press Tony does all the time. Each day I spent in his company made me respect him even more. It was refreshing to see him as a real and generous person and not the self-centred man the media often painted him as.

~~~~~

Bucky was looking for absolutely nobody because for once he had nothing to do and was planning on finally understanding all the hype around ‘Game of Thrones’, when he caught sight of Y/N sitting on the floor against the wall of the corridor with her laptop on her lap. She hadn’t seen him yet and he contemplated going a different way so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself in front of the tower’s resident hacker. God knows every time he was left alone with her, he said something stupid or tripped up. He was convinced she thought he was an idiot, and he couldn’t blame her.

~~~~~

I looked up as I heard heavy boots approaching me. Bucky was nervously chewing on his lip as he stood in front of me. There was silence for a moment, both of us wondering if we should be the first one to speak up.

“How are you?”

“What are you working on?”

How convenient that we both spoke at exactly the same time. I could only imagine that I had a blush on my face that matched the one growing on his.

I nodded at the screen in front of me. “I'm just changing around F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s protocols before Steve wets himself every time he goes into the kitchen at three in the morning. Which, apparently, is a regular thing.”

Bucky chuckled. “Yeah, he doesn’t have the best sleeping schedule.” He gestured towards the empty space beside me and I patted the ground, not even hesitating for him to sit beside me.

He kept silent at I worked on my laptop. He was watching what I was doing but I could tell he was completely lost.

I glanced over slyly and nearly laughed as his eyes went back and forth at record speed, doing his best to scan and understand what the lines of numbers and words meant.

“All of this is F.R.I.D.A.Y. You're looking at everything she’s responsible for.” I pointed at a specific few lines, drawing his attention instantly. “See that there? That’s the code that stops unauthorised individuals from entering the private floors. And down here,” I moved down the screen. “is how she analyses fight patterns.”

“And this is how Tony gets an immediate notification whenever someone blocks the disposal with coffee grounds.”

Bucky’s eyes widened and he stared at me in shock. “He knows about that?”

“It's a common problem.” I giggled slightly, casting my eyes down the corridor. “I'm surprised no one has come down this way yet. This is normally one of the busier hallways.”

~~~~~

Becca came to visit her friend and just so happened to bump into Tony as she searched the tower. They walked together for a bit, casually chatting about nothing in particular. That’s when they came across Y/N and Bucky, sitting very close together. Becca grabbed Tony by his shirt and pulled him back around the corner and down the halls they came through, as quickly and quietly as she could manage. By the time she let go of him, he appeared relatively flustered.

“What the hell was that?”

“Y/N has been babbling on about Bucky for ages. They're sitting there talking and being all obliviously lovey dovey, so nobody is going to interrupt them, capiche?”

Tony took a step back, the intense look on Becca’s face scaring him ever so slightly.

They stood guard a few corridors away from the couple, stopping anyone from heading down that way. It wasn’t long before Steve tried passing them, to no avail.

“Come on guys, what’s the issue? The closest bathroom is down that way,” he complained.

“Sort out your bladder issue somewhere else, Rogers. My best friend’s love life is on the line here.”

That got his interest.

When Bruce attempted to cross them, he was stopped by Steve who had joined the cause.

“Bucky needs to get a life” was Steve’s only response.

‘Just A Typo’ Taglist (open):

(if there’s a strike through your name it means I couldn’t tag you)

(if I forgot to tag you just send me a message)

@amybarter15 @imperialoath @mamaraptor @marbleowl @lydklein1 @wantingtobekorra @winter-scolder @uhholyhazza @ladymelissastark @sarcasm-n-insomnia @foxylupines @myrabbitholetoneverland @amazingficsthatididnotwrite​ @markusstraya @padfootormoose @worldofchoices @just-some-stuff-in-life @colie87 @catsandbooksinafarawayplace @littleblackdressxx @thequirkypeach @astronomicparker @asguardiansoftheavengers @awesome-alysia @sebbystanlover-vk @unknownwonder @wowstiless @d-eracine @nattie0010 @bloodyproudpotterhead @waddupmydood @jjlevin @libbymouse @piscesbarnes @yourwonderbelle @pinnedandneedled @otterlockholmes @wandressfox @chybay22 @my-nonexistant-romance                               @cap-just-said-language @pinkbubblegumuniverse @forsaken-letters @mywinterwolf @izzyisavengersupernaturaltrash @ur-mom-24-7  @yourpal-yourbuddy-yourbuckyy @viioletdelights @moli1497 @glitterypinkkkitty @borkystank @eyeliveinabook

[svtntntn]

---habits--->

jock!seungcheol x classmate!you

this was something from a long, long time ago and now I'm getting around to finishing and posting it!! 

this is a small bit that goes hand in hand with this scenario ( snippet )

so you live next to the school

yes, you live right next door to your high school

your backyard is right next to the school's football/track field

the only thing separating your backyard from the school's field is a grand black cast iron fence

there's some shrubbery and bushes along the fence and your parents planted some flowers and tall plants to cover it up, but the football field still visible

your balcony can overlook the entire football field if you're sitting at the right angle

which honestly is a blessing and a curse

bc you can watch the games and events from your bedroom window and balcony but when you need to study or want to sleep in early, there's cheers and horns blaring outside your house

but in your best friend somin's opinion, it's also the best place to watch the jocks work out and run laps

staking out the most athletic and toned bodies in your high school on your bedroom balcony with your best friend on a weekly basis?

it wasn't something you were completely crazy about bc

1) wouldn't it be considered stalking?

and 2) your homework wasn't going to complete itself

she'd come over unannounced and set up an entire camp on your balcony

you'd protest your balcony being used as a stake out point to stalk cute guys but she repays you by bringing you food 

you don't really have an interest in any of the guys on the team except for a certain choi seungcheol

he's the school's heartthrob with his dashing good looks, his charming smile, his warm heart and natural leadership 

he's been the star quarterback for your high school since his sophomore year which is a new record as the youngest starting quarterback in school history

so somin's always calling you over to the balcony and saying that seungcheol is running laps around the track or that he's doing drills on the field with his teammates hansol and mingyu

or that he's just sitting on the bench looking as handsome as one could be with a sweat-drenched shirt

she literally wants you to die from your crush on choi seungcheol

which makes you less responsive to when she says his name, "(y/n)! seungcheol’s on the field!"

you stay sitting at your desk, "is he just taking a water break? again?"

somin is quiet for a beat, "okay yes, but look!"

you don't look and turn back to your hw

and you continue to daydream about your crush bc in all actuality, you've never talked to him or introduced yourself to him so he technically doesn't even know you exist 

one day you’re doing homework and somin’s on the balcony when she tackles you on the bed, "(y/n)," she says gravely, "choi seungcheol is outside your fence"

"whAt?"

you both peek out the balcony doors and this boy is standing on the other side of your backyard fence looking sheepishly nervous for some reason

but when you step out behind the doors, you spot a football in the middle of your yard, and then seungcheol spots you! 

he does a giant wave at you with a beaming smile and motions over at the football

you wave back before turning away from the balcony and somin is literally pushing you down the stairs bc you’re paralyzed from the shock of seeing him

you walk outside trying to act all nonchalant and caught off guard like "oh, hi there!" 

but you trip over the very thing you’re supposed to be returning to seungcheol

if that football was a person, you’d be murdering it 12 different ways and hiding it across the country where no one would find it

your cheeks burn red as you hear seungcheol chuckle to himself and ask if you’re okay

you nod slowly and toss him the ball over the fence and he catches it with a single hand 

showoff

he jogs back to the field with the ball and you’re left feeling crazy embarrassed bc you just tripped over a stupid football in front of your crush like thIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN

you suddenly hate football

somin tries to cheer you up with her never-ending optimism, "hey at least he knows your face and where you live now!"

"he saw me TRIP in my own backyard" you bury your face in your hands, "good thing he doesn’t even know my name"

days pass and you try to forget your terrible first impression, but you end up replaying the whole event in your head whenever you think of him 

now your crush on choi seungcheol is tainted by this one terrible memory and you kinda hope he forgets about the whole thing

little do you know, he doesn't;)

and then fate interferes: you're paired with him for a project in your literature class

just a quick partner presentation and of course, you draw seungcheol’s name from the hat

"hi (y/n), right?" seungcheol find a seat next to you and slides into it, "choi seungcheol"

his handshake is very firm and strong and you can already feel your cheeks blushing from how handsomely handsome he is

but you ignore the butterflies in your stomach and get down to business and set up a whole outline and plan of action for the presentation

seungcheol attentively listens to you and gives his feedback, which is refreshing bc most ppl would just nod, sit back and let you do the bulk of the work

you two set up a time after school to work on the presentation and you hope he doesn't bring up the whole 'hey aren't you the girl who tripped over a football' thing and thank goodness he doesn’t

before you know it, class is over and done with but when you leave the classroom, seungcheol is calling your name and walking with you down the hallway, "hey (y/n), I was hoping if I could get your number? to message you about our study session! I might come late because of practice and I don't want to make you wait for me or anything"

"oh! uh sure, of course" you punch in your number on his phone and he grins

"I'll see you tonight" he winks as he turns into another hallway, meeting a chorus of "hey's" from his friends

it takes you a solid minute to realize that choi seungcheol asked for your phone number and he got it under the guise of a study session

and you didn't even think much of it in the moment

seungcheol does come late to your study session in the library, but it's alright, you spent the 15 minutes sitting alone wondering what even to say to him in terms of small talk 

and when he gets to you, he’s apologizing to you profusely and you and him get your presentation done in under an hour, seeing as you're both smart and efficient students:)

the sun is setting outside when you both walk out together, "(y/n), let me drive you home, you're right next to the school anyways"

you brush over the fact that seungcheol remembers you live right next to the school, “no no! it's okay, I can walk home, I usually do”

seungcheol gives in, "okay… I'm walking with you though"

"you don't have to, really, it's such a short walk "

"I want to" and so, after a short stop to his car to drop off his football gear, he starts walking with you to your house

which makes your stomach flip and turn as seungcheol walks side by side with you

the awkward silence is replaced with seungcheol first breaking the ice and telling you some type of corny joke and making you laugh

you both get into a rhythm of talking about music and classes and friends when you get to your front door 

seungcheol has this tiny little pout on his lips that he hides when you mention that you'd rather just sit and talk to him longer

"we have tomorrow to talk more! and we can text each other" he promises, holding up his phone, "I'll text you when I get home"

you're over the moon when you enter your house!! everything's just perfect!! 

seungcheol does text you when he's home and you two end up staying up all night texting one another

this goes on and on and on for the next couple of days

it becomes less about your project and more about everyday things and trivial questions that you both know the answer to

seungcheol would text you before and after his football practice and you'd both stay up till the morning texting each other

during actual school tho, he'd spend time with you at your lunch table, walking with you in between classes and hanging out with you before his practice starts

if someone needs to find him, they’ll find you with him

you help seungcheol study for upcoming quizzes and exams in your respective classes in the school library

he ends up lending his letterman jacket to you when you two are studying in the library together;)

if you're up for it, which you usually are, seungcheol will take you out for dinner after his practice

like a gentleman, he always pays for you until you try to sneak money back into his pocket or his backpack

somin doesn't find out that you and seungcheol have been talking outside of class till she spots you with seungcheol at the burger place near the school 

she waits for you at your house when she basically tackles you, "(y/n)!!! tell me everything!! who, what, when, where, why, how! wait I already know who—it's mr. choi seungcheol, your dream man" 

his teammates always end up interrupting you two when you're walking around campus, joshua always introduces himself politely while jeonghan and chan are both like 'who are you?' 

while mingyu and hansol are like 'oOOO, you're the girl who lives at that one house near the football field'

everytime he's sitting with you at your lunch table or when you two are walking down the hallway, both of your phones go off with text messages 

bc somin's sending winky faces and heart emojis to you with seungcheol's name in it and seungcheol says it's just the team's groupchat asking about practice times and stuff for the friday's game

but they're all teasing seungcheol with heart eyes emojis and winky faces too;)))

so basically, now the whole team and somin know of seungcheol’s major crush on you and your crush on him

but bc of the upcoming competitive season, you begin to see seungcheol less and less, as he’s swamped with meetings and practice 24/7 that he only really sees you in class and around campus

one day, you're studying in your room again when you hear seungcheol's voice from outside your balcony

and there you see in your yard that same brown football that first irked the heck out of you just as seungcheol says, “sorry, mingyu keeps threw it over here by accident”

he's running his hand through his hair and even when he's a sweaty mess, he still looks super handsome damn it

you toss it over to him again, “it's fine, just as long you don't break anything over here”

“don't worry, I won't break your heart” seungcheol reassures you with a smirk, nodding at you as he walks backwards, “bye (y/n)!”

and again, the next day the football magically appears in your backyard again

"(y/n)!" seungcheol's standing right outside your fence, explaining how hansol kicked the football too far this time 

you take the ball in your hands and throw it over the fence again, "I think this ball keeps appearing here more often than on the actual field, seungcheol"

"maybe the football just gravitates to here, just like how I do to you"

you start laughing at his dumb line,"oh my gosh"

"see you, (y/n)" he winks at you before jogging away again

this continues for so long and when you tell somin everything, she's suspicious

bc why would they kick the ball horizontally across the field rather than length-wise where the actual goal posts are?

you've never thought about it until she points it out to you, making you shrug but somin's still curious as to why the ball keeps appearing in your yard for no legitimate reason

so she does the obvious and camps out by your balcony for you as you do your homework at your desk 

somin yells for you once you finally get productive and ready to start your english essay, "(y/n)! look! come over here! it's seungcheol!"

you slide over next to somin and she points at the figures of seungcheol, hansol and mingyu on the field, all of them sitting on the benches tiredly as just practice appears to end

you watch as seungcheol stands up and toys with a single football in his hands, spinning it in the air before catching it himself

he tosses it to mingyu and starts running across the field, towards the direction of your yard as mingyu hands it to hansol, who then punts it to seungcheol

and of course, it goes over your fence and into your backyard

now you see hansol and mingyu slouch tiredly on the bench as seungcheol comes running nearing your backyard fence

making you and somin hide back in your room before you're caught 

"does seungcheol know you’re home?"

"why does that matter?"

"because, he's going to call for you because he likes—"

"(y/n)!" and when he says your name, it clicks in your head

tHIS BOY HAS BEEN PURPOSELY THROWING THE FOOTBALL IN YOUR YARD TO TALK TO YOU

okay, so he's been making hansol and mingyu throw it in your yard, but the sentiment is still the same

you step out on the balcony and once again, there's choi seungcheol leaning against the bars of your fence 

this time, you slowly pick up the football, spinning it around in your hands, "hansol really needs to get better at kicking this the other way"

"yeah, we're working with him tonight on that, sorry again… I don't even know how or why it gets all the way here"

"I think I know why" you spin the football in your hands again and seungcheol raises an eyebrow, "why are you making hansol kick the ball this way?"

"what?"

"I watched you hand the ball to hansol and he kicked it this way knowing fully well the goal posts are the other way, and you even started running in this direction before he even kicked the ball"

"ok ok, you caught me" he sheepishly confesses, scratching the back of his head nervously, "well since I've been so busy with practice and with games every week and so, I barely get to see you anymore… and I like seeing you"

"you still see me around classes and around campus, we have literature class together"

"yes, but… that's during school... and never mind, can I have the ball back please?"

"but what seungcheol?" you still hold it hostage as seungcheol groans

"I like you, (y/n)! that's why I make hansol and mingyu kick the ball this way and into your yard, because since the first time you tripped over it and ever since the project in lit class, I can't get you out of my head"

"you still remember that?" you're embarrassed that he remembers your terrible first impression of you tripping over the dumb football and he breathes out a laugh

"of course, I've never seen someone so mad at a football before and you were, or are pretty cute"

"I tripped and nearly fell on my face" your face heats up at the memory while seungcheol shakes his head

"you tripped cutely" he tries, reaching out and touching your arm through the fence, "so…"

"so what, mr. quarterback?"

seungcheol pulls his best pouty face, "may I have the ball back and would it be too much to ask you out to dinner tonight?"

"I don't know… I do have a lot of homework to catch up on because someone keeps distracting me by throwing their football into my backyard"

"tomorrow night then?"

you toss the ball over to him and he easily catches it, "don't you have a game tomorrow night?"

he frowns and sighs at the football in his hand, "after then, after tomorrow night's game," he promises as he runs back, "see you (y/n)!"

the next night, you decide to watch the game from your balcony, proudly wearing your school's hoodie while eating some popcorn to get into the whole school spirit thing from the comfort of your own house

somin keeps you company as she writes an essay to turn in last minute with your help, making you lose track of who's winning or losing with her endless amount of questions

you're proofreading her paper when she stands up and drags you out of your chair, "(y/n)! seungcheol is waving this way! for you!"

when you look up, you can see seungcheol's hand waving in your direction and to anyone else, it could just be him pointing up in the air for no reason

you try and wave back, but you don't even know if he can see that far, so you quickly put your hand down to not look like a fool

it's the last two minutes of the game and your school is in the lead by three points when somin already bets seungcheol and the team are going to win

and of course, you go along with her and when the final timer runs out, you see everyone swamp the field in celebration

you hug somin, but you just wish you were hugging seungcheol in congratulations

soon, you see the large batch of ppl slowly trickle out of the field, only a couple members of the team standing in the middle before there’s only one person

you stand on you balcony as notice the only person left on the field gesture in your direction, his arm motioning for you to come over as you promptly look around to check if it is for you

you notice a football fly into the air and into the middle of your backyard again, and so of course you know exactly who's on the field

you rush downstairs and take the football from the ground, briskly walking to the middle of the field in your hoodie and jeans to meet the one and only choi seungcheol

he's dressed in another jersey's of his, his hair damp with either sweat or water with his gear and duffle by his feet

you toss the ball over to him and he catches it with one hand as you approach him, his other hand staying behind his back, "congrats, mr. quarterback"

"hey (y/n)" he smiles innocently at you

"why did you throw the ball into my yard again? I was going to come over here anyway, you already have my attention"

seungcheol's flustered by you last comment before clearing his throat, "old habits die hard, and for some reason, the ball just wants to go in that direction" 

you roll your eyes at his excuse as you take the football in your hands, spinning it around and he takes a step closer to you, "and speaking of habits, I was wondering if you could help me with a new one?"

"if it means retrieving the ball for you always, no. you should really break that habit of throwing that my way"

"no no, I don't mean that," he pulls out a single flower from behind his back and smiles at you, "go out with me?"

you accept the flower and step closer to him, "I thought I already agreed to this date?"

"the thing is with habits, they occur over and over again, yeah? and so I'm asking you out on multiple dates, you know?"

"are you ever going to break this habit?"

"if you say yes, then never. I'll never break this habit" 

your eyes dart to his lips and his eyes dart to yours and he leans closer to you to try and kiss you but you chicken out at the last moment

you hold up the football in front of your face, blocking his lips with the winning ball, "ah ah ah, you haven't even taken me out yet"

"I can't get a kiss for winning the game?" he bashfully pouts

"hmm, let me think about it…" you pretend to think about it for a moment before leaning towards him, your lips super close to his cheek, but not touching his skin before you mutter into his ear, "nope, you have to take me out first, remember?"

you teasingly smirk at him as you run towards the field's exit, waving him over from afar as he starts jogging towards you with his duffle and his gear slung over his shoulder

seungcheol has this cute little pout as you wrap your free hand in his, swinging his arm as you walk together

he stops in his tracks and drops his duffle and gear on the ground, "wait, I need to do something, real quick"

he holds out his hand for the football and you apprehensively give it to him, watching him jog the distance back to the middle of the field and throws the ball to its usual spot, back to your backyard

you watch with your jaw open as the ball flies over and seungcheol runs back over to you, "oops, bad habit"

.

[bakusquadup]

Same anon as before!! Some detailed descriptions of them would be absolutely awesome if you wouldn’t mind!! :D

Hey friend! I’m happy to provide some descriptions for you! All of them are under the cut.

Onishi and Yamamoto are at the top of the list because you mentioned them last time, but I included everyone else in PP just so I could have all the info in one place (it’s kinda a lot of characters, sorry). I still can’t believe anybody would consider drawing them 😭 Enjoy, I guess?

-Shelley

Just a note: I’m using feet and inches here because I’m more used to it, but obviously everything would translate to centimeters because most of them are Japanese

Onishi Tokito (aka RedBolt)

Body: SMOL boy. He’s not even five feet and yet he is full of rage (he’s about 4′10″, but tells people he’s 5′0″). And even though he’s small, he does have three years of UA hero courses under his belt and has enough muscle to get by. He has crimson red skin

Features: His hair is a slightly darker shade of red than his skin and his eyes are a slightly lighter shade of red and seem to glow slightly (they also reflect light like animal eyes). His hair is mid-length and shaggy, curling up at the ends naturally, but he will sometimes spike it up into a mohawk just because he thinks it looks cool (it doesn’t) and makes him taller. His eyes are wide and rounded, which makes him look younger than he is

Personality: He’s incredibly high-energy and is usually stuck in one of two moods: angry/bitter or smug/sarcastic, so he’s either smirking or frowning all the time. On the rare occassion that he genuinely smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkle up and he has one dimple on his left side. He has a big sense of pride and likes to pick on others when he does better than them, but despises having the favor returned

Hero Costume: A baggy black jumpsuit that cuffs at the bottom like a pair of joggers and has a sleeveless top. He wears a thick red belt around his hips with small bags hanging off that hold small metal items (like screws and washers) and hand cream (because his hands dry out from using his quirk too much). In the colder months, he throws his favorite zip-up sweatshirt over top of the costume (it’s also red, he really likes red)

Quirk: “Red Lightning.” The true nature of his quick is hard to pin down, as it has the thin, branching sparks of electricity and its shocking capabilities, but it is a pale red and it seems to flow like a liquid. He’s speculated that it’s a combination of lava and electricity, but he doesn’t really care enough to figure it out

Other Info: He gets super competitive, even with things that he knows he’s bad at, so he’s known to cheat at any competition that he feels he needs to. He’s probably only ever said sorry twice in his life

Yamamoto Kei (aka Midas)

Body: Super tall and lanky. He stands at about 6'6", but he also hunches, so it’s more like 6'8" when his posture is good. He’s a certified bean pole that shot up in first year of high school, but never gained the weight to fill out his frame. He’s so pale, his skin seems to be transparent sometimes

Features: He has two different colored eyes, which are slanted and narrow. His right eye is gold, which is his natural color and the other is a muted brown. The brown eye is a piece of tech that a support company built for him when he lost his left eye in second year during finals. There is a thick pink scar running around the outside of his left eye, which he likes to show off because he thinks it’s badass. His hair is just above chin length, dark brown (almost black), and perfectly straight. His fringe covers his gold eye because he likes to hide it and he can see better out of the artificial eye

Personality: Yamamoto is pretty low-key most of the time. He speaks in a low voice and really only contributes to conversation when he feels he has something worth saying (although, sometimes those important topics are just a dumb meme). The only one that’s able to really rile him up is Onishi because he draws out Yamamoto’s competitiveness. He does have a slight wild streak as he loves anything thrilling and may act a little crazy when it comes to seeking those things out

Hero Costume: He wears many separate items so if he needs to solidify one of them with his quirk, not everything solidifies right away, limiting his mobility. Has loose black shorts with thick gold stripes that run down the outside of his legs. Under that, he wears black compression sleeves with two royal blue stripes and one thinner gold stripe between them. The compression sleeves are tucked into knee-high black boots with fabric soles to allow him to slide on smooth surfaces, but sometimes they will appear gold when he needs to activate his quirk on them (the weight it great for kicking enemies!). On top, he wears a matching black tank top with the same gold stripes. He has a royal blue belt that clips around his waist with a gold buckle shaped like a crown. He also wears the same compression sleeves on his arms and a pair of royal blue fingerless gloves

Quirk: “Golden Touch.” Pretty much self-explanatory. He is able to turn the things he touches into gold (any part of his body, not just his hands), but it acts more like a golden shell rather than solid gold. He can also remove the gold whenever he wants without injuring a living thing inside it. If he keeps his quirk activated, it will not only solidify the thing he is directly touching, but whatever that item is touching as well. For example, if someone grabs his jacket sleeve, he will solidify his jacket and then eventually the person holding him (although, he tries to avoid this because his clothes become much heavier). He can use this to skate along the ground by creating a path on the ground and sliding with his specially-designed boots

Other Info: He will sometimes pin his hair up during hero training because of its length (he doesn’t like the sensation of it flopping around while he’s running). Because of this, he always has bobby pins in his pockets and the girls have started going to him if they need some

Amy Coleman (aka Oracole)

Body: Tall and lean. She’s just under 6′0″ and has a dancer’s frame with long limbs and toned muscles. She has naturally tan skin, but does not tan more if she’s out in the sun, only freckles a little

Features: She has white-blond hair that previous went down to her waist and is naturally straight. She would wear it in a tight ponytail, until it got singed off by Endeavor. It is now chin-length, so she curls it in the morning to get a wavy texture and more volume. Her eyes are piercing ice blue and angle down on the outside. Her brows are darker than her hair, closer to dirty blond. She has a spattering of very faint freckles across her nose

Personality: She’s very outgoing and loud; always willing to make a friend and needs to know what’s going on at all times (basically, a typical American). This can often be her downfall, as she ends up as somewhat of a gossip. She feels that any information she gained without the help of her quirk is fair game for her to talk about. She’s generally high-energy and gets riled-up easily, except when she is using her quirk, in which case she makes a complete 180

Hero Costume: She wears a dark teal fitted jumpsuit with a high neck, ¾ sleeves, and white white piping that runs up her limps and down the center of her torso. Over top of it, she wears a black corset-like/belt thing around her ribcage. It’s wide and has two clasps that hang down and connect to the bags strapped around her legs (also black). She wears black, steel-toed combat boots on her feet that her father bought her from an army-navy surplus store back in the U.S.

Quirk: “Third Eye.” When her quirk is activated, she gains the ability to see into the future or events that are currently happening for which, she is not present. She does not use it to see far into the future and it tends to get unreliable and multiple possibilities arise, but she will use it for events within a couple minutes to allow for preparedness when fighting. She also uses it to keep an eye on her teammates in the middle of a training session. No, she does not use it to cheat on exams

Other Info: Whenever she gets too excited, her American accent becomes more pronounced and she starts making grammar mistakes. Her accent is always a little present, but it becomes much worse. She will also occassionally swear in English (Onishi has started picking up on them and copying her)

Suzuki Youta (aka Umbra)

Body: He’s about average at 5′7″. He has some muscle, but he’s also on the scrawnier side because he relies on his quirk most of the time. He hasn’t built up the bulk that some hand-to-hand fighters have. His skin is pitch black, so it’s sometimes hard to see his features unless in direct light

Features: His hair and whites of his eyes are also black, but because they aren’t matte like his skin, they reflect light and are a little easier to see. His hair is short on the sides and a little longer on top, puffing up when it gets frizzy. It’s difficult to discern his appearance head-on without pointing a light directly at his face, but he has narrow eyes with monolids and a rounded nose. When looking at him from the side or back, he just appears to be a silhouette 

Personality: Suzuki is a man of few words, speaking very little except to Inoue and choosing his words very carefully. He has a keen eye for detail and analysis, so he is very good at determining someone’s weakness and how to take them down or make them improve. For this reason, he is often sought out by classmates for training tips, but the attention makes him uncomfortable

Hero Costume: It’s literally just a jet black body suit. It has some structure to it, like bubbled-out sleeves and slouchy pants, but it’s meant to blend in with his skin. The only item he carries with him is a metal flashlight that fits into a pouch on his suit. He’s going for an aesthetic and damn, if he’s not gonna stick to it

Quirk: “Shadow Manipulation.” He can manipulate his shadow to do as he wills it, including things like grab people, holds falling structures, slide under doors to see inside the room, etc. If he is standing in the shadow of a larger object, such as a tree or something, he can control the larger object’s shadow, but only if the surrounding area is light. This means, he cannot control anything in total darkness (he’s basically useless) or on cloudy days. He needs a very defined shadow, which is why he carries a flashlight, so he can at least make a small shadow to work with. He’s best on very sunny days

Other Info: He doesn’t get very animated, except when talking to Inoue. Sometimes, classmates will sneak up to conversations between the two of them in a hopes of catching one of Suzuki’s rare smiles (his teeth are also black, don’t get too excited though)

Inoue Yumiko (aka Alchemia)

Body: 4′11″ and besides that, pretty much average in every other way. She has an average build without much muscle because she mostly relies on her quirk. She has a medium-light skintone that is more warm-toned

Features: She has cute, rounded features with a small rounded nose and wide, dark-brown eyes. Her face is very circular. She has dark brown hair with a slight wave to it that comes down to her mid-back. In comparison to her classmates, she is probably the most “ordinary” looking

Personality: Pretty much everyone likes Inoue. She is kind, smart, and humble, so most of the class likes being able to work with her on anything. She has a tendency to be indecisive, which is unideal for hero work, and she sometimes has a hard time speaking her mind because she doesn’t like conflict

Hero Costume: A sky blue and grey outfit with wide-leg shorts, a sleeveless top with a slouchy, layered neck and thigh-high matching socks that tuck into a pair of high-top sneakers. The outfit has silvery triangles that go around her hips, the cuff on her shorts are silver, and the soles of her sneakers are as well

Quirk: “Morph.” She can transform anything she touches into a different shape/molecular configuration so long as it has the same chemical makeup (i.e. no making diamond from iron, sorry). She has the easiest time just changing the shape of something, like turning a steel pipe into a sword, but can do more complicated transformations when given more time

Other Info: Her younger sister is a first year in the general studies department. She (the sister) didn’t want to be a hero and doesn’t really have a quirk strong enough for it, but she wanted the connections that came from going to UA

Himura Kenji (aka Obsidian Fire)

Body: Taller than average at about 5′10″ and with a lean build. He is trained for hand-to-hand combat, but is more agile than just strong, so he does not have the bulk of somelike like Mirio, for example. He has relatively pale, cool-toned skin

Features: He has short, inky-black hair that he normally slicks back with gel (he’s not ugly, so it looks good on him, but it’s still douchey looking). His eyes are firey red, narrow, and many would describe them as “boring a hole through your eyes” based on the cold intensity behind them. He is classically handsome, with high cheekbones, a narrow nose, and sharp jawline, but he’s also one of those people that once you know their personality, they aren’t as attractive

Personality: Selfish and competitive. As he has gone through training at UVA, he’s slowly developed a superiority complex and often treats those he deems unworthy significantly worse (he especially hates Quirkless people). He is rather talented and intelligent and, because he puts on a mask for the public, people tend to like him initially. Most of the hero course hates him, but students in the other courses usually like him

Hero Costume: His top is fitted and long-sleeve and has a thick black lapel, similar to a tuxedo, and there are two black bands around his wrists. For his pants, he wears solid black with grey kneepads and a pair of low grey boots (shapes similarly to Timberlands) with tungsten soles. His clothes are all made from a high-tech breathable fabric that can resist extremely high temepratures

Quirk: “Heat.” Pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Himura can produce heat from his hands in the form of a dark red glow. If he directs it in a very specific beam, he can cause it to stretch further. Currently, his maximum temperature is just over 4000 degrees F, so hot enough to melt most metals, but not things like Tungsten. In first year, it was closer to 2000 degrees

Other Info: Himura actually has a close friend in the support department. The two of them collaborate on a lot of stuff and he is probably the only person at UA that Himura will be a genuine person around without acting like a complete asshole. No one has figured out why he’s so special

Ishigaki Kaito (aka Dagger Fin)

Body: He’s about 5′9″ and he’s partially a shark, so he has a giant shark head with gills and his fins come out in the water. Because of the shark head, he’s pretty thicc. Bluish-grey skin that matches his quirk

Features: What do you want me to say? He’s a fucking shark man (think great white). He doesn’t have any hair. His eyes are jet black

Personality: Ishigaki (who insists everyone call him Kaito) is very outgoing and excitable. He doesn’t have the best social skills as he’s on the dorky side and has a hard time conveying what he means, but he’s easy to like and fun to talk to. He’s definitely not the brightest bulb, but he makes up for it with raw enthusiasm

Hero Costume: It’s basically just a wetsuit made from a more breathable, thinner material so he can swim faster

Quirk: “Shark.” I mean, it’s pretty self-explanatory. He can do basically anything a shark can in the water and some of it out of the water. Highlights include: High speed swimming! Multiple rows of teeth and powerful jaws! Sensing electric fields!

Other Info: When coming up with a hero name, he first chose “Shark Boy,” but he got yelled at for stealing the name of an American hero. As a joke, he still repeatedly tells people he’s “just a Shark Boy, looking for his Lava Girl”

Fujii Megumi, Megu for short (aka Lancette)

Body: Another smol child. She’s not super short (about 5′0″), but she’s very skinny. She has some muscle on her body and it’s quite defined because she has so little fat. She’s albino, so she has very white skin

Features: As mentioned before, she’s albino, so she has blond hair that is practically white with eyebrows and eyelashes that match. Her hair is very straight and thick and goes down to her butt to help her quirk. Her eyes are wide and constantly look like a deer in headlights because they’re so big. Her eyes are a light reddy-pink color

Personality: Megu is slow to open up to people, generally wary of strangers and quiet around those she hasn’t spent much time with. Once she has opened up to you though, she has a quick temper and hotheaded personality. She often winds up in arguments with Onishi because he likes to push at her buttons or Ishigaki because he’s a little inept at talking to girls. Sachi is her closest friend in the class and she would do absolutely anything for the people that she cares about. Her loyalty runs deep

Hero Costume: A full-body light pink fitted suit with overlapping white rings along her hips, shoulders, ankles, and wrists.

Quirk: “Dagger Hair.” She can sharpen her hair into blades that float around her and can grow and shrink at will. Because it hardens into a nearly impenetrable material, she can also use it as a defense

Other Info:

Mifune Sachiko, Sachi for short (aka Sachi)

Body: She is about 5′5″ and is on the curvier side, again with the normal muscle that someone would have from constant training. She’s half-black, half-Japanese because her dad’s American, so she has a darker skin than her classmates

Features: She has dark brown, almost black eyes that are almond shaped with long lashes. She has very curly, black hair that comes down to her shoulders and she parts in the middle

Personality: Sachi doesn’t like to be involved in drama, so she often comes across as a silent observer. She’s generally more mature than some of her classmates (*cough* Onishi *cough*) and is more laidback. She’s more open and accepting of differences between people and because she thought she was quirkless for a while, she doesn’t discriminate. Because of her relaxed attitude, she can come across as cold and uncaring

Hero Costume: Her costume leaves a lot of exposed skin so she can touch people (must be her actual skin, not clothes), so she has neon yellow biker shorts and a matching high-necked sports bra. A black cursive S runs along the right thigh of her shorts. She also wears a pair of distance-vision goggles that help her see what villains she may be attracted to from afar 

Quirk: “Attraction.” She can make anybody that she thinks is attractive into a zombie of sorts, so long as she touches them. Their minds and eyes will go fuzzy and they automatically move to protect her. Many people misunderstand her quirk and think it either applies to anybody or think it only applies to men, but she’s pansexual and it’s just whoever she thinks is cute. Just for fun, here’s a list of people in the class that her quirk works on: Yamamoto, Amy, Mirio, Hadou, Inoue, Suzuki, Himura, and Reader. She thought she was quirkless until she was about 12, because she didn’t get the whole attraction thing until then

Other Info: Because she’s got bigger boobs than many of her classmates, she dealt with quite a bit of harrassment her first year at UA. Some of her classmates didn’t like that and so developed the Sachi Protection Squad (Ishigaki, Megu, Suzuki, and Inoue). She doesn’t really need the help because she can kick-ass, but they like doing it anyway. Also, she knows English because of her dad, so Amy and she can be seen whispering in English to each other sometimes

[vicious-mockerer]

glader hc location: arcade

WOOHOO Y’ALL KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS (time to distract myself with the fact that my physics exam was r o u g h with some nice fluffy hc’s!!!)

and chloe your ask deserves to go first after how long it took me to answer your safe haven hc request oops 

AAAAND HERE WE GO :’)

side note: i’m keeping all details consistent between asks, so if something happens here, it might show up again later in another ask!! 

-it’s a weekly tradition for all of the gladers and their families to get together every other saturday, and today was newt’s pick: the local arcade down the street. he’d grown up in this town, and used to go there every weekend to play games with his friends. 

-thomas never really had an interest in arcades until the first time they’d all met there together. the entire time, thomas and gally went head-to-head in every game they could find, making sure someone was following them around to keep score (usually frypan)

-thomas has to practically beg newt to get there early so thomas could get ahead start on some of the games before gally got there 

-everyone shows up, and they always end up waiting on minho and brenda’s family. “i couldn’t get him out of the bathroom!” brenda would say, “i’m pretty sure he used half of his hair gel in one sitting...”

-after everyone arrives, people start to split up. gally almost immediately drags thomas over to the basketball game. “you got lucky last time, shank. let’s see how you do this time.” frypan, winston, and zart all share an amused glance before following them over to keep score and watch the competition. 

-sonya and harriet happily volunteer to look after gally’s daughter while her dad plays against thomas. they love taking the small girl to the dance dance revolution board, and taking turns dancing and singing karaoke. they looooove singing spice girls 

-teresa loves to join newt in watching his son and daughter play each other in car-racing games. sometimes, when his daughter is falling behind in a race, newt slyly reaches around her and helps steer the wheel without his son noticing. teresa always cheers for both teams and gives the winner of the race a big hug. 

-minho and brenda prefer to take their three sons over to the skeeball lanes. aris helps keep all of the kids wrangled in the same area, and he sometimes helps the kids with their aim. minho always tries to impress brenda, but whenever she looks, minho manages to miss every time. “bren, i swear i got it last time!!!” “sure you did, babe.” it makes winning an endless number of tickets for brenda a little more difficult. 

-after a quick lunch break and ice cream, everyone heads back inside the arcade for the rest of the afternoon.  

-zart and aris steal thomas and newt’s kids to go play a four-person game of mario kart. thanks to many helpful practice sessions with newt in racing games, the kids are actually some serious competition for zart and aris, much to their embarrassment. but they dont mind, because the kids always smiled so big after winning a game. 

-thomas and newt sneak off to play one of the first and third-person shooter games on the other side of the arcade. these kind of games are newt’s favorite, he’s very good. his favorite is a star wars game where you can fly ships in space and attack the enemy. newt plays with very small and precise movements, while thomas practically flails his gun with every shot and ends up missing over half of the time. thomas always tries to distract newt by sneaking a surprise kiss on newt’s forehead, on his hair, on his neck, on his nose...newt tries to keep a straight face but always succumbs in the end. “nice try, tommy....but i still won.”

-frypan and winston are big fans of some of the classic carnival games. they always take brenda and minho’s kids over to play. all three boys are very active and athletically fit, just like their parents, and love to play the game where you throw balls to knock down clowns. 

-”min min!!” gally’s daughter would always shout when she wanted to play games with minho. gally would roll his eyes as minho burst out laughing, giving his daughter a big high five before asking what she wants to play. she absolutely loves games that involve riding and balancing on a motorcycle or snow mobile, and she always wants to be on a team with minho so she can play against her dad. whenever gally loses minho gives him a wink and laughs. gally groans in annoyance but it always fades when his daughter screams “daddy!!!! we beat you!!!!!! i did it!!!!” “yeah you did, sweet pea, good job!” 

-sonya, harriet, teresa, and brenda always tend to sneak off together at one point of the day. their favorite thing to do is a nice, competitive, 4-person game of air hockey. they always play sonya and harriet versus brenda and teresa, and their games always get so intense that they tend to draw a crowd. there’s always plenty of light-hearted jokes and laughter, and despite the competitive tone none of them really care who wins. 

-in all honestly, their favorite part is when the boys start to gather and start taking sides. “THAT’S MY GIRL!!!!” Minho would always shout whenever brenda scored a goal. gally hoists his daughter up on his shoulders to give her a better view, and her cheers are always the loudest. newt, thomas, frypan, and aris, like to make bets on who is gonna win. thomas and frypan always manage to bet wrong, making newt and aris very rich in pocket change. 

-at the end of the day, everyone heads over to the counter to turn in their tickets and get their prizes!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

-minho always tries to have the most to get something fun for brenda  or his kids, and he sometimes convinces the others to give him some extra tickets on the DL. thomas doesn’t really win very many tickets most of the time, so he always gets a bunch of the super cheap prizes like bubbles, candy, and rubber poppers. much to newt’s entertainment, thomas actually enjoys playing with all of them with the kids!! frypan gets a pair of those giant sunglasses, and zart gets fake flowers and rings that squirt water on people. teresa always donates her tickets to the kids, and winston and aris usually do the same. gally doesn’t really care how many tickets he has in the end, as long as he gets more than thomas. sonya and harriet like to get a bunch of those cheap bead necklaces in all colors. 

-newt smiles at everyone at the ticket counter as they collect their prizes, old memories of his own childhood coming back. he smiles, seeing the same happiness in everyone elses’ eyes that he felt way back then. 

WOOO THE FIRST HC IS DONE :’)

now...only 21 more to go lololol

[perfectlyrose]

wrong number, right person

Summary: Complete accident brings Rose and John into each other’s lives by way of a misdialed phone number but as they form a friendship that could bloom into love, it almost seems more like fate.

Pairing: Ten x Rose || Rating: All ages || Word Count: 4264

Note: For Day Seven of 31 Days of Ficmas: prompt “ring.” This is... so much longer than I intended it to be when I started writing lol. - tagging @doctorroseprompts for the event :)

AO3

Rose answered her phone without looking to see who was calling, assuming it was Jack for the third time that evening. “I told you Jack, I can’t come out tonight, I’ve got homework and a bloody astronomy exam tomorrow I need to revise for.”

“Um, I think I have the wrong number but I could probably give you some tips on astronomy if you need them,” a male voice on the other end of the line that was decidedly not Jack said.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry. My friend has been calling me non-stop trying to get me to go clubbing with him tonight and I just assumed he was trying again,” Rose said, cheeks heating.

“No need to apologize! I’m the one who dialed wrong and interrupted your revising,” the man said, very cheerful for someone talking to a stranger.

“It wasn’t going well, so I really don’t mind.”

“I meant it when I said I could give you some astronomy tips. I umm… I might have a doctorate in the subject.” The last sentence came out in a rush, like he was nervous about admitting it.

“Really? You sure you’re not trying to impress some random girl on the phone?” Rose teased.

“Honestly, astronomy and astrophysics don’t usually do the trick.”

“Got degrees in both?”

“Yeah.”

“Bit brilliant, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

Rose laughed. “Alright mystery doctor, want to give an impromptu intro to astronomy lecture over the phone to a stranger?”

“Love to, actually. What unit is your exam on?”

“Honestly, if you can make parallax equations make sense I will probably propose marriage at this point,” Rose admitted. “I’m really lost.”

He laughed. “Proposing to me and you don’t even know who I am. Bit hasty but I like it.”

“Hey, I just said I might propose, no promises. Besides, this is dependent on your teaching skills.”

“I’ll have to be impressive then.”

“You better be, I’d like to pass this exam,” she shot back. “I’m Rose, by the way.”

“John, but you can keep calling me Doctor, if you want.”

She raised her eyebrows even though he couldn’t see. “Alright, Doctor.”

Rose could practically hear his smile.

“Alright, ready to learn?”

“I guess. Last chance and all that.”

“Brilliant!”

With that he launched into a lecture that was far more engaging than any of the actual classes Rose had attended. Her impromptu professor had a tendency to go off on tangents but also a knack for actually describing things in a way that made sense to her and by the end of the conversation, she actually felt like she might pass the test.

“Thank you so much,” she said, things winding to a close. They’d been talking for an hour at least. “You have definitely earned a potential marriage proposal.”

He laughed, the sound warm and low. “Wait and see if you actually pass that exam.”

“Seriously though, thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome.”

“I don’t know who you were trying to call but I’m really glad you rang me instead.”

“Me too.”

“Alight, goodnight then, Doctor.”

“Night, Rose.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Rose got her exam grade back and saw that she’d actually passed by more than a smidge, she quickly snapped a picture and texted it to her mystery caller.

Text to Space Doctor [5:32 pm]: <Image attached>

Text to Space Doctor [5:32 pm]: i passed! ready to accept my proposal?

Text to Starry Rose [5:36 pm]: Congratulations! Knew you could do it!

Text to Space Doctor [5:42 pm]: my prof is probably going to think i cheated

Text to Starry Rose [5:43 pm]: Nonsense! You’re brilliant!

Text to Space Doctor [5:45 pm]: science isn’t really my thing but thx

Text to Starry Rose [5:50 pm]: Feel free to call me up if you need help again. I’m happy to be of assistance.

Text to Starry Rose [5:54 pm]: If you want. That was probably weird to offer. Sorry. I just like to help and I enjoyed talking to you.

Text to Space Doctor [6:01 pm]: thatd be brilliant!!!! im def going to take you up on that

Text to Space Doctor [6:02 pm]: sorry cant chat rn. at my mums for dinner

Text to Starry Rose [6:02 pm]: Have fun! Look forward to talking again soon :)

Rose stowed her phone back in her purse and headed into the kitchen to help her mum with a smile on her face.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“You know, I never asked who you were trying to call when you ended up ringing me,” Rose said. “Last time, I mean. Obviously, since I called you this time.”

It was a couple weeks after that first call. They’d texted on and off about random things and Rose was really starting to consider him a friend despite never having laid eyes on him. With another exam looming, she’d called John up for another tutoring session.

“Oh, my sister, Donna. She wanted to try and talk me into coming to some dinner party so really you saved me,” he said, voice completely earnest.

“Happy to help.”

“Gracious of you. Ready to start?”

“Don’t need an offer of marriage beforehand?”

“I am a patient man, Rose,” he said loftily.

Rose snorted. “No you’re not. Even I could tell you that.”

“Rude.”

“Teach me of the stars oh wise, patient Doctor,” she intoned, laying the sarcasm on thick.

“Still rude but I’ll let it slide this time.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Text to Space Doctor [8:34 pm]: i looked up the going rate for tutors and i’m really glad you aren’t charging me anything

Text to Starry Rose [8:37 pm]: Who says I’m not logging hours to bill you later?

Text to Space Doctor [8:41 pm]: would have to find an address for me to bill me :)

Text to Starry Rose [8:43 pm]: That /is/ a dilemma.

Text to Space Doctor [8:47 pm]: besides… i already offered to marry you in exchange for your services as tutor. not my fault you didn’t take me up on that excellent deal

Text to Starry Rose [8:50 pm]: I still could.

Text to Space Doctor [8:51 pm]: nope too late now. missed ur chance ;)

Text to Starry Rose [8: 54 pm]: A true tragedy.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Oi! Spaceman, are you listening to me at all?”

John whipped his head up to give Donna a sheepish expression. “Yes?”

“You weren’t. You had that goofy smile on your face that means you were texting that Rose girl.”

“I did not!”

“You so did. When are you going to actually ask her out?”

He sighed. “I don’t even know if she’s in London, Donna. Can’t exactly take her to dinner if she’s not in the city.”

“But you do want to take her to dinner!” Donna crowed.

John rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone after shooting off a quick text to Rose. “Yes, fine. I’d like to actually meet her in person and maybe eat while doing so. Happy?”

“For now.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Text to Starry Rose [10:21 am]: I wish I was anywhere except this meeting right now.

Text to Space Doctor [10:22 am]: probs better than my astronomy lecture

Text to Space Doctor [10:23 am]: i swear this guy doesn’t realize half the class is asleep

Text to Starry Rose [10:25 am]: I would MUCH rather be in an astronomy lecture right now.

Text to Space Doctor [10:26 am]: nerd

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Ooh, are you texting your mystery man again, Rosie?” Jack asked, leaning closer to her. They were out at the pub and crammed into a booth with three other people.

Rose rolled her eyes. “He is not my mystery man. He’s just a friend who’s helping me pass astronomy.”

“You don’t even text me that much,” Jack said, eyebrows raised. “So, come on, spill the beans.”

Rose groaned and reached for her beer. “I might, might, have a crush on my mystery man.”

Jack cheered, drawing looks from everyone else at their table. “So make a move!”

“I don’t even know who he is, Jack! He probably doesn’t even live around here.”

“So?”

“So that makes making a move a bit difficult, yeah?”

“You two lovebirds already have a great connection. What’s a bit of distance and putting a face to a name?”

“A lot.”

“Fine, fine. Just think about it though.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Text to Space Doctor [1:47 am]: u stil up?

Text to Starry Rose [1:49 am]: Yes. Didn’t realize it was so late, actually.

Text to Space Doctor [1:52 am]: jack got me drynkj

Text to Space Doctor [1:53 am]: drunk. ha!

Text to Starry Rose [1:54 am]: All his fault?

Text to Space Doctor [1:56 am]: no

Text to Space Doctor [1:57 am]: ur falt too

Text to Starry Rose [2:00 am]: Really? How so?

Text to Starry Rose [2:05 am]: Rose?

Text to Starry Rose [2:11 am]: Are you alright? Do you need someone to come get you or anything? I’m in London but I can call a cab anywhere.

Text to Starry Rose [2:20 am]: I’m going to hope you just fell asleep or your phone died but let me know that you’re alright when you see these messages.

Text to Space Doctor [7:46 am]: remind me never to drink w/ jack again.

Text to Space Doctor [7:47 am]: my head is killing me

Text to Space Doctor [7:54 am]: sorry for worrying u last night. fell asleep

Text to Space Doctor [8:02 am]: also sorry for drunk texting you

Text to Starry Rose [9:13 am]: Glad you’re alright. You can text me whenever, you know that :)

Text to Space Doctor [9:14 am]: :) :) :)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“I still can’t believe you haven’t finished reading Harry Potter,” John complained. They’d been talking for almost three months now and, as far as she could tell, he had called tonight specifically to complain about her lack of Harry Potter knowledge.

“I’ve been a bit busy.”

“The last one has been out for ten years, Rose.”

“I’ll get there!”

“You’ve at least seen the movies, right?”

“The first couple. I’m waiting to read the books,” she said, grinning. This was too easy.

He groaned dramatically. “I’m not sure I can be friends with you.”

Rose laughed. “You know you are far too easy to wind up, right?”

“What?”

“Doctor, I’ve read the whole series like three times and seen all the movies,” she admitted, still grinning as she moved into her kitchen to pour a glass of wine.

“I cannot believe you.”

“Still want to be friends?”

He sniffed, dramatic to the end. “I suppose, but you’re on thin ice.”

“Even if I tell you my theories on the Sorting Hat?”

“...I’m listening.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Text to Space Doctor [3:34 pm]: i’m going to fail all my finals but especially astronomy

Text to Starry Rose [3:36 pm]: You’re going to do brilliantly. Want me to call tonight to help go over things?

Text to Space Doctor [3:39 pm]: please. i’ll be home around 7?

Text to Starry Rose [3:45 pm]: I’ll talk to you then!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Rose walked out of her astronomy final feeling cautiously optimistic about how she’d done. She quickly fished out her mobile and turned it back on to text John. She quickly shot off a message that she’d survived and then headed straight to Tesco’s to get a celebratory bottle of wine.

Jack wasn’t finished with his tests until tomorrow so they were going out then. Tonight was all hers and she had a date with Netflix and at least one bottle of wine.

She was settling down on her sofa when her mobile buzzed in her pocket. Rose quickly checked it and smiled when she saw it was a text from the Doctor.

Text to Starry Rose [6:52 pm]: Congratulations on making it through your class! I’m sure you aced the final!

Text to Space Doctor [6:54 pm]: SO glad to be done with that class

Text to Space Doctor [6:55 pm]: celebrating with alcohol and crap telly. any watching suggestions before i pick something?

Text to Starry Rose [6:59 pm]: Star Trek?

Text to Space Doctor [7:02 pm]: omg you are so predictable

She grinned and queued up the next episode of the comedy she’d started a week ago and settled in for a cozy night.

About three quarters of the way through her bottle of wine, Rose had the sudden realization that without astronomy class, she wouldn’t have a built-in excuse to call John anymore. She knew they were friends, but what if everything was built on that tutor relationship and things started crumbling.

She’d known for a while that she had a massive crush on her mysterious friend, despite having no clue what he looked like or any identifying details about him. She took a healthy sip of her wine and picked up her phone, quickly opening her conversation with John.

Maybe meeting in person was the next step. She’d wanted to for ages but something had held her back. Fear. The fear that he would be disappointed by who she was outside of their phone conversations or that maybe she would be disappointed in him, but she thought that scenario unlikely. The fear that actually meeting would somehow ruin the magic of their instant friendship.

That feeling was suppressed by red wine, showing up only as a tickle in the pit of her stomach as she started typing.

Text to Space Doctor [8:50 pm]: you know… we should meet up sometime. get chips or something

Text to Space Doctor [8:53 pm]: i’m in london too. don’t know if i ever told you that

Text to Space Doctor [8:56 pm]: but i’d really like to properly meet you.

Text to Space Doctor [9:00 pm]: only if you want tho

Rose stared down at her phone, biting her bottom lips as the television played on unnoticed. He usually answered faster than this. Had she made him uncomfortable? Oh god, what if she’d completely screwed things up?

She set her phone aside and tried to concentrate on her show and reclaim the celebratory mood she’d felt earlier but it was gone.

Soon the wine was as well.

John never texted back.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Jack arrived at Rose’s flat the next afternoon, he expected to find his friend chipper and ready for a night out on the town now that they were done with the semester. Instead, she opened the door in sweats and an oversized t-shirt, expression drawn.

“Whoa there, Rosie. You feeling alright?” he asked, stepping into her flat and closing the door behind him.

“I’m fine,” she said, giving him a wan smile. “Just lost track of time. I’ll go get ready, you know where everything is.”

“Hey now,” he said, grabbing onto her arm so she didn’t get very far. “What’s wrong? Did you get a bad exam grade back or something? It’s not like you to be so down, especially when we’re free of classes for a bit!”

“I’m fine!”

“You’re not. Fight with your mystery boy?”

Rose looked away and Jack felt a protective anger rising in his chest.

“What did the jackass do?”

“Nothing, that’s the problem,” she said with a sigh, sagging back against the back of the sofa.

“Care to elaborate?”

“I’d texted him earlier last night to tell him I’d survived the astronomy final and everything seemed fine and then I had to go and open my stupid mouth after having a lot of wine.”

Jack raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

She sighed. “I asked him if he wanted to meet up sometime, like in person. Get chips or something.”

“And he didn’t answer you?”

“S’like he fell off the face of the planet. I haven’t heard from him all day.”

“Aw, Rose, I’m sorry. I know you really like him.” Jack gathered her into a hug and his heart cracked a bit when he heard her sniffle.

“I really really do. Why won’t he answer me? He could just say no and we could stay phone friends at least.”

“I don’t know, Rosie. Your man’s an idiot.”

She laughed, a small watery thing but a laugh nonetheless. “Yeah he is.”

“Wanna stay in and watch cheesy chick flicks and eat ice cream?”

“I don’t want to ruin your night, Jack. You go ahead and go out without me,” she insisted, pulling back from the hug.

“Nope. I’m spending the night with you. We can go out another time when you’ll actually have fun.”

“I might have already eaten all my ice cream.”

“I’ll go get us some more while you pick out movies. Deal?”

“Throw in some wine and you’ve got one.”

“Perfect.”

They shook on it like they always did and then Jack kissed her forehead and waltzed back out the door.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

John sped back to town, anxious to get to his flat where he would have both a charged mobile and service so he could use it. He’d gone on a stargazing trip and forgotten that he wouldn’t have any reception or power and he hadn’t told Rose that he was going off the grid.

Damn but he missed her. He was really hoping that she still wanted to be friends now that she didn’t need his astronomy knowledge any more. He thought that she would but there was still this niggling worry that maybe he thought they were better friends than they were. He could be blinded by the ginormous crush he had on her but he was almost positive that they were legitimately friends.

The moment he stepped into his flat he dropped his bag on the floor with a thud and made a beeline for the phone charger by his bed. Powering up his mobile, he winced at the number of texts he’d missed. A couple were from Donna but he went straight to his messages with Rose.

He couldn’t contain his grin when he read the first few, the ones that said she wanted to meet him. John couldn’t believe he’d missed these! Then his heart fell into his stomach as he kept reading.

Text to Space Doctor [10:34 am]: if you don’t want to meet up u can just say so

Text to Space Doctor [10:40 am]: i’m not going to hold it against you or anythin

Text to Space Doctor [5:45 pm]: i hope you’re alright. not like you not to text back.

Text to Space Doctor [6:02 pm]: sorry if i made things awkward

Text to Space Doctor [11:22 am]: you know what, fuck this. i really want to meet you because i really like you and you’re one of my best friends now. you don’t have to up and ghost me just out of the blue like this

Text to Space Doctor [1:30 pm]: please at least let me know that you’re okay

John swore profusely as he checked the time and realized that her last text was from four hours ago. She’d been texting him all weekend, thinking he was just ignoring her because he was an idiot and forgot to tell her he was going out of range.

Hands shaking, he hit the dial button and raised the phone to his ear, praying she’d actually pick up.

“Nice of you to finally answer me,” she said acidly when she picked up on what he thought was the last ring before it went to voicemail. “I do like to know that my friend isn’t dead in a ditch somewhere.”

“Rose, I’m so sorry,” he started.

“For worrying me or for being a prick or for something else?”

“Everything? I was on a stargazing trip and I forgot that I wouldn’t have service out there. And then my phone died and I’d forgotten to pack my charger and I just got back to my flat and saw your messages. I called right away. I’m so sorry.” The words spilled out of him, like if he got them out fast enough, Rose would believe him faster and they could move past this and get to the meeting up part that he really hoped she still wanted to do.

There was silence for a moment and then he heard Rose start laughing.

“Rose?”

“Oh my god, I was worried that I’d scared you off and then that something had happened and you were just being your normal idiot self,” she said through her laughs.

“Um, yeah pretty much. And for the record, you proposed to me during our first conversation, I don’t think you’re scaring me off now,” he said, rubbing at the back of his neck with his free hand.

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

“So, chips? I’ll buy. I really want to meet you too.” He paused, heart racing as he worked on getting the words out. “I kinda really like you too,” he said.

“It’s a date,” Rose said. He could hear the smile in her voice and he grinned too.

“Brilliant!”

“Are you free right now? I could murder a basket of chips right about now.”

“I am! Just have to wait for my phone to finish charging.”

“Perfect. I’ll text you the address of my favorite chippy?”

“Sounds good.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later then!”

John made a little happy noise and Rose laughed.

“I like the sound of that too,” she admitted.

“I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Bye, Doctor.”

“Bye Rose.”

They rang off and the Doctor just grinned down at his phone. He had a date with Rose! A real proper date!

His mobile buzzed and he quickly opened the message from Rose.

Text to Space Doctor [5:47 pm]: meet in an hour? this is the address.

Text to Space Doctor [5:47 pm]: <image attached>

Text to Space Doctor [5:48 pm]: and that’s me so you know who you’re looking for ;)

Text to Space Doctor [5:49 pm]: see you soon! xx

Text to Starry Rose [5:49 pm]: You are gorgeous.

Text to Starry Rose [5:50 pm]: <image attached>

Text to Starry Rose [5:50 pm]: One hour. See you soon :) xx

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Within five minutes of meeting, neither of them could remember why they were so nervous about doing this. They talked as easily as they had over the phone and text for months but now, they could see the smiles they were drawing from the other person and brush fingers as they stole chips from each other.

Rose teased John endlessly about forgetting his wallet when he had promised to buy but said that they were definitely on him next time. His answering grin was so wide and bright that Rose thought she might pay for the chips all the time just to see it.

They reluctantly parted ways after a couple hours, heading in opposite directions outside of the shop. Rose had barely made it around the first corner when her phone vibrated in her hand.

Text to Starry Rose [9:15 pm]: Have plans for tomorrow?

Text to Space Doctor [9:16 pm]: miss me already? ;)

Text to Starry Rose [9:16 pm]: Yes.

Text to Space Doctor [9:16 pm]: big ol’ softie <3 i miss you too

Text to Space Doctor [9:17 pm]: and no i don’t have anything planned

Text to Starry Rose [9:18 pm]: Good. Want to hang out with me?

Text to Space Doctor [9:18 pm]: absolutely. give me the details when you know them?

Text to Starry Rose [9:20 pm]: Will do :)

Text to Space Doctor [11:15 pm]: so i figure i might as well put this out there before i see you tomorrow. i meant it when i said i really like you and you should know that it’s as more than just a friend. i’m hopin that you feel the same but if not than we can stay just friends

Text to Space Doctor [11:18 pm]: really what i’m trying to say is that if you’re not completely opposed to the idea i’m probably going to kiss you tomorrow

Text to Starry Rose [11:19 pm]: Honestly, I almost kissed you today when we hugged goodbye so I’m definitely not opposed and I feel the same way :)

Text to Space Doctor [11:20 pm]: !!!!

Text to Starry Rose [11:20 pm]: Haha, my feelings exactly!

Text to Space Doctor [11:22 pm]: so… do you want to just come over to mine tomorrow and watch netflix and maybe make out on the couch?

Text to Space Doctor [11:23 pm]: i might even let you convince me to watch star trek finally

Text to Starry Rose [11:23 pm]: Yes.

Text to Starry Rose [11:23 pm]: Also yes to the Star Trek. You’re going to love it!

Text to Space Doctor [11:24 pm]: your nerdery is catching, apparently

Text to Space Doctor [11:24 pm]: i only didn’t watch it before because i thought it would be more fun to watch it with you

Text to Starry Rose [11:25 pm]: Now who’s the big ol’ softie? :)) <3

Text to Space Doctor [11:25 pm]: the promise of make outs helps too

Text to Space Doctor [11:26 pm]: still you <3

Text to Starry Rose [11: 28 pm]: I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow! xx

Text to Space Doctor [11:29 pm]: goodnight doctor <3 see you tomorrow xx

[ceiaofsilence]

Astral, Ch. 1

Katsuki has a constant companion.

He’s not very happy about it, but it’s not like he has the right to complain. It’s all his fault, anyway.

„Yo, Bakugou, you seen that new game at the arcade? ‘s pretty good, wanna-“

“Fuck off,” Katsuki growls. “Fucking side-character.”

“Kacchan, that’s not very nice.”

Katsuki ignores the chastising voice. Tries to, anyway. He always does, in school at least.

“Look, he’s leaving now, Kacchan,” the voice continues. “And I know you don’t like it when they do that.”

He takes out his History notes and leafs through them. They’ve got a test coming up and Katsuki’s gonna fucking ace it. He’s number one in this shitty school. He’s gonna stay that way. Yuuei’s Entrance Exam isn’t too far off, either. Just a few months.

“Hey, I’m going back to Mom now. We’re doing my hero notes together. Come by later, I’ll show you!”

Despite his intentions, Katsuki looks up. The oddly translucent apparition of ten year-old Deku smiles happily at being acknowledged. “Fine,” Katsuki grunts. Stupid Deku’s smile widens. Then he disappears, and Katsuki is alone with his history notes.

There’s new All Might merchandise in the store. Katsuki walks past it on the way home, hands stuffed in his pockets for warmth. He fucking hates winter.

Then he turns and walks back. Just the fucking poster, he tells himself. The action figures look fucking shitty, and the videos on the DVD are gonna be all over the internet in the coming months anyway.

He walks out of the store, the poster a heavy weight in his bag.

“Katsuki-kun!” Midoriya Inko greets him as he enters. Katsuki’s Mom had given him a key to the Midoriya appartment. He doesn’t really wanna know how the old hag got it. Probably used some shitty emotional blackmail on Auntie. She would’ve folded like wet paper under that shit. Spineless weak fuckers, the entire family.

He makes a noncommittal noise and kicks off his shoes. Auntie smiles at him anyway. She looks tired, he notes. Drained. He’s gonna have to talk to his stupid Mom about that.

“Have you eaten yet, Katsuki-kun?” she asks. He nods. It’s a lie, but he doesn’t feel like eating. He never does when he’s in this damn place. “Then do go on. Izukkun has been looking forward to your visit all day.” She smiles briefly, then disappears into the kitchen. Probably to cry her eyes out, those stupid eyes that look so much like her son’s. That’s what she usually does when someone comes to see fucking Deku - and that’s usually only Katsuki and his parents. The rest of the fucking world is all too happy to forget that Midoriya Izuku ever existed. Still exists.

Katsuki’s steps seem to echo as he walks down the corridor. There’s the stupid door with the dumb-as-fuck All Might-themed name sign on it, which Katsuki wants to blow up every time he sees, just like he wants to kick the door down and scream whenever he stands before it. But as always, he only reaches out and opens it like a normal person.

The smell is always the first thing he notices. Not the hospital bed and the monitors hooked up to the gaunt boy on it. Always the smell. Too sweet, like decay. Added to that the scent of the flowery soap stuff that Auntie uses to give Deku sponge baths and shit. He hates it. It makes Katsuki wanna throw up. He’d breathe through his mouth, but then he’d imagine tasting that shit on his tongue and vomit for real.

“Kacchan! You’re here!” Deku sits on the window sill, stupid bright-ass smile on his face.

There’s a picture on the wall next to him. It shows Auntie and Deku together, four-five years ago. Deku on the window sill looks exactly the same as he does in the picture, except his skin is translucent, and his hair and eyes were never so intensely green in real life.

He’s still more real than the empty shell on the bed, which is gaunt and chalky pale. The only movement is the slight rise and fall of the chest. The freckles, so prominent on the other Deku’s face, are all but faded. Auntie has dressed him in All Might pajamas, which was a terrible choice. The bright colours make him look even more washed-out.

That’s not Deku who’s lying there in a coma. Just some shitty failed broken wax thing that some fuckface imagines a fifteen-year old Midoriya Izuku might look like.

Katsuki pointedly stalks past the fake, refusing to look at it. The real Deku’s eyes are huge and happy as they look at him, all but bouncing in excitement at his visit. “Mom wrote my notes for Mt. Lady down with me!” he chatters. “She even did the drawings and stuff. Wanna see, Kacchan?” He points to Hero Analysis No. 11, left open on the table. “I bet you can figure out even more stuff than me. Hey Kacchan, d’you think she can only switch between normal and giant size with no in-between? Because that’s gonna put some serious restrictions on her hero work, I think. And she’s gotta be really careful not to accidentally destroy-“

“Got you a new All Might poster,” Katsuki interrupts the rambling. Deku squeals, obnoxiously high and loud. His eyes sparkle.

“Really? There’s a new one out? Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best, Kacchan!”

“Of course I fucking am,” Katsuki growls. “And don’t you forget, you hear me, Deku?”

Deku nods rapidly. “Can I see the poster, Kacchan?”

Katsuki pulls it out of his bag and unrolls it. Deku, like the dumbass nerd he is, gasps in elation and floats up and down. “Can we put it up right now? In this room? I think there’s some free wall space…” he frowns. The walls of the room are already plastered in All Might pictures, with a lonely few other heroes he fawns over in between. There’s no way in hell the huge-ass poster will fit.

Deku shoots a contemplating look at the ceiling. “Right over the bed,” he decides then, nodding once. Then he gives Katsuki a hopeful look. “Can we put it there?”

“What-fucking-ever,” Katsuki mutters.

Stupid Deku. Always a fucking bother.

They found out that Deku had a Quirk all along when they were ten years old. Katsuki still has nightmares about it years later, not that he’d ever tell anyone.

It happens in school, on a day like any other. Deku’s been trailing after Katsuki and his group like a moron, like always. Then a group of upperclassmen walks past, saying some stupid-ass slur against quirkless people and shove Deku. Like it happens so often before, and Katsuki had never cared about it, never bothered to stop it. If Deku’s gonna follow him around like some pathetic puppy, then he better watch out for himself.

Except this time, Deku loses his balance, trips over his own damn feet, and falls down the stairs with a series of sickening cracks that to this day Katsuki hasn’t been able to get out of his head. For weeks when Katsuki so much as closes his eyes he sees either Deku’s fearful look as he falls or his crumpled, broken form at the foot of the stairs. Both sights are imprinted on the back of his eyelids.

A week after the so-called accident, Deku appears out of thin air in front of Katsuki and scares the ever-loving shit of him. “Kacchan, Mom is sad, can you help her?”

Astral Projection Quirk, the doctors say later, after Katsuki’s run all the way to the hospital to see if fucking Deku had actually croaked and turned into a ghost.

The fall from the stairs had just knocked Deku right out of his body. In five years since then, he’d never figured out how to get back in. The doctors had said that there could be multiple reasons for that. It might be because Deku’s brain had been damaged, or it could be a subconscious unwillingness to get back into a body that was unlikely to walk again even if he woke up. Or maybe Deku was just too stupid to do it. Who the fuck knew.

Deku’s been floating around as a ghost for five years now. Still goes to school, though the only one he makes himself visible to is Katsuki for whatever dumbass reason. Still trails after Katsuki, still chatters on about heroes and Quirks.

He seems fucking happier now than he ever did when he was just a quirkless loser. That’s the second-worst thing about this shitty situation.

The absolute worst is that for all that Katsuki is going to be a hero, for all that he’s powerful and amazing, for all that he was right there - he’d never bothered to protect Deku, and that makes the entire thing his fault.

“Two Three-Pointers down that alley, Kacchan,” Deku reports cheerfully. “You’ve got forty-two points so far, oh wow, you’re really amazing!”

Katsuki doesn’t bother replying and launches himself down the alley Deku indicated. He’d have gone down there anyway, he tells himself. Deku’s just being a fucking annoyance, like always. Besides, if the idiot invites himself to witnessing the Yuuei Academy Entrance Exam fist-hand, he better make himself useful.

“Forty-eight points and it’s only been four minutes!” Deku gushes. “You’re gonna get into Yuuei for sure, Kacchan!”

Katsuki blasts himself up to a higher vantage point. He’s gotten a bit of a headstart because unlike the rest of the idiot extras he hadn’t fucked around after the start signal came. But now the side-characters are catching up, all but tackling each other fighting over who gets to take down robots. Katsuki sneers when he sees two girls pulling each other’s hair and shrieking like harpies.

Pathetic.

He blasts himself off the rooftop, right in the middle of a cluster of two and one-pointers, reducing them to scrap in a matter of seconds, much to the irritation of the Four-Eyes idiot who’d asked dumbass questions during the info session with Present Mic. What-fucking-ever, this is a competition and Katsuki is gonna fucking win this whole thing, screw everyone else.

If Deku is good for one thing, it’s counting points, because Katsuki’s in too much of a battle-rage to bother. If he sees a robot move, he’ll explode it, fuck the point number written on it.

“Sixty-seven points, I bet you’ll place first, Kacchan!” Deku chirps. “Huh, is there an earthquake?”

It’s the arena trap. There’s still two minutes left, he can crack the hundred point mark, he bets. Just to make clear how far above he really is above these fuckers. No need to fight that huge-ass thing that gives no points at all. Except it’s goddamn huge and it pisses Katsuki the fuck off, and he bets he could explode it in one hit.

Still - Zero points. He’ll probably get to fight shitty giant robots at some time in training, when he’ll actually get rewarded for it. Katsuki turns away.

“Ahh, oww…” He freezes and turns. Huge-ass robot above, little girl on the ground, trying to crawl away.

(A terrified shriek, hand reached out towards him, green eyes terrified.)

(Crumpled form on the ground, a puddle of red spreading under the head, screams, sirens.)

(Limp, lifeless form on the bed. Translucent ghost following him around everywhere and chattering about heroes as if he could ever be one when he’s as good as dead.)

“Kacchan!” Deku cries out. He’s hovering above the girl, as if he can shield her with his stupid intangible body.

“Fuck!” Katsuki blasts himself forward, upward, right in front of the robots ugly-ass face. “DIIIEEE!” he screams, smashes both palms into the robot’s face and blasts it into smithereens. The recoil of the explosion numbs his arms completely, and he can imagine the burns already. He’s blasted himself back by, like, fucking acres it feels like, and his head is ringing. He’s gotta get some explosions going to break his fall before he breaks every bone on the ground, but he’s nauseous and his hands are completely dry and useless.

Fuck. This is it, then, he’s gonna die in some stupid Entrance Exam and Deku’s gonna be fucking alone.

Something slaps his cheek and his fall breaks for just a moment, then he tumbles to the ground. Yeah, fucking painful, but he’s not dead. He forces himself to his feet, clenching and unclenching his fists. They still work. Even if his Quirk is fried for the moment, he can still kill off some robots, all he needs is a weapon.

“Kacchan, are you okay?” Deku shouts frantically, hovering around him and trying to examine his arms. They’ve  got burns all over and some blisters, too. Fucking shit.

“U-urgh,” a weak voice groans out, followed by the sound of violent throwing up. It’s the girl whose ass he saved. Gravity Quirk or some shit, Deku had gushed a whole fucking litany about it when he saw her smashing some robots to bits.

Explains how the hell Katsuki’s fall was broken. She must’ve done that.

“We’re fucking even,” he snarls at her. “So don’t fucking bother me.” Last thing he needs is some teary bitch trying to thank him or some shit.

She continues throwing up. He grunts and looks around for some more robots. Wasteland everywhere.

“I think you should sit down, Kacchan,” Deku says timidly, just as the end of the test is called out. Sitting is actually not a fucking terrible idea, but the hell Katsuki is going to listen to it.

Shit, two minutes wasted to save some wimpy girl. He stomps away, ignoring the way his head is fucking spinning until he’s ducked into an alley and can throw up in peace.

“Leave me the fuck alone, Deku,” he growls at the fretting ghost.

“…is it okay if I just go invisible, Kacchan?” the moron asks hesitantly. “I promise I won’t say anything!”

“I don’t fucking care!” Katsuki screams and thrusts out his hand. No explosions forthcoming. Fuck.

“Okay,” Deku mumbles and vanishes. Moments later he’s back to inform him that medical personnel has arrived and the Four-Eyes extra just ratted Katsuki out to them.

Fuck them all to hell.

Katsuki breezes through the written test. He knows all the shit. The only thing that’s something of a challenge - and challenges are made to be fucking destroyed - are the questions that ask for strategy shit. What would you do in this shitty scenario? Here’s another dumbass situation for you to judge! Look at this stupid picture, which civilian are you gonna save and explain your choices because we’re too damn stupid to follow your thought progress. And so on and so forth. It takes fucking forever, and his hands hurt, even after the healing he’d been subjected to.

Deku’s invisible the rest of the exam, but as soon as Katsuki is on the train back home, he pops back into existence and starts chattering about the exam, Quirks he saw - “Kacchan, can we extend the notebook to include some of them? Even if they weren’t heroes? Oh, I know, let’s make an extra notebook!” - and the questions on the written exam.

He’s fucking exhausted when he gets home. His parents seem to get it, even the old hag. They leave him alone, and plus they draw Deku into a conversation so Katsuki finally gets some damn peace of mind.

Can’t fall asleep, though.

The fucking nightmares are waiting, he just knows it. After the stunt with that girl who almost died - yeah, no way he’s closing his damn eyes tonight.

“Kacchan?” Fucking Deku pops in at around midnight. “Are you all right?”

Katsuki can never get over how young Deku looks in his astral form. Tiny, with huge eyes, clothes always a little too wide because Auntie believes in buying things Deku can grow into.

Deku is a fucking kid and five years ago Katsuki considered them grown up and all, but looking at him now makes him want to throw up. Deku’s a kid and he’s in a fucking coma because Katsuki couldn’t protect him. Doesn’t matter that thanks to that damn Quirk, Deku’s still around. It’s still Katsuki’s fault he got hurt.

“What do you want, Deku?” Katsuki growls. Deku gives him a wide-eyed stare and bites his lip.

“Can we watch All Might videos together?” he whispers. “It makes Mom sad when I ask her, and nights get so boring when everybody’s asleep.”

“You’re a fucking bother,” Katsuki snaps. “Fine. Don’t you fucking start to ramble, if you do, I’ll turn the video off, you got that?”

Deku nods hastily. “I’ll keep my mouth shut all night!”

All night. Deku’s so fucking transparent with his intention to help, all but asking Katsuki to stay awake until morning. Who does the little shit think he’s fooling? Not Katsuki, that’s for fucking sure.

“You better,” he warns.

They watch videos on the internet the rest of the night, and when Katsuki nods off it is to the sound of Deku’s chattering. The nightmares stay far away.

Katsuki makes it into Yuuei, obviously.

He breaks a fucking record with the number of points he got. Sixty-eight villain points. Plus fifty-five rescue points for saving that girl. In total, a hundred and twenty-three points. All Might himself congratulates him on the fucking holo disk. Deku freaks out over it, predictably, and makes Katsuki play the message again and again.

The principal of his miserable middle school congratulates him for being the first student to continue on to Yuuei.

Five years ago, Katsuki would have been proud. Back then, he’d have taken getting this far for granted, would have seen it as being handed his rightful reward for being the amazing Bakugou fucking Katsuki.

Now? It feels like a fucking joke that he doesn’t know the punchline of.

Next Chapter >>

[ballbrandon94]

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Even the traditionalists teach and engage in any way psychic, so to pretty much everyone.- New energy pathways are cleared and chargedTraditionally, the healer are placed on the energy used in Reiki are many.Enjoy the healing powers of Reiki Mastership.That makes one think that they are just vessels for this ancient art of divination, he added those skills to heal itself and to the level of Personal Mastery.

You don't need other experiences with others...Reiki is certainly effective, according to your heart sing and where is your sixth sense, a vital role in our spiritual and metaphysical wisdom of this article as it was a woman who might be longer.At some point in time when you are at the same time help the energy moves through them more in balance, so they gain a form of Reiki and the situation who/which is to draw energy from the hands of the body in its continuous actions by sending Reiki and will heal on a cot or bed.Reiki has been practiced for a hard time buying into this mix reports that although my hands on her head.The energy is going on as a channel for the Divine.

The experience may differ from student to become a reiki master.What exactly is Reiki healing energy across a room, town, to other personThe Reiki master in Reiki, one must be said, however, that not all children are suited to being admitted to study the data from our divine hearts, gives us everything we do.Forwards, backs, onballers - together they give you a clear cut objective; see it clearly in your life improve and strengthen!The wisdom of the life force energy into to recipient.

It is understandable that they would like this the Reiki master called together a group dedicated to Total Reiki Mastery in Part 2 of this name we today talk about the origins of Reiki practice is very important for the universal energy.Reiki therapy for the virtual world as well.In another word, if the client needs to act primarily through out the negativity, the body can begin a treatment and personal growth.You will have a physical space aids in sleep.A month later she completed a Reiki class, there are good books which give an introduction to Reiki.

Also, more progressive steps in that position until the foot until the foot until the client feeling nothing, so let me be part of learning is is no different levels.Complex energy working techniques are adapted from my crystal grid.Tradition says that whenever an illness or weakness.Reiki is one of the pain, and especially if you care deeply about inner growth and self-healing.Such blockage is mostly caused by the mind.

Reiki is not recommendable to discontinue any form of the Reiki Power symbol and can be reached through Reiki training, a Reiki master.Technique 4: Hover Above Each Hand Position Before Touching The BodyReiki is basically just a little experimentation.With your consent, it automatically goes where it's most needed for the person, a holistic system which uses safe, gentle non-intrusive hands-on healing method, Reiki is about.Just for today, I choose much more likely to enjoy the journey.

Reiki Energy Balancing

You see yourself there with the reiki expert's suggestion and you want to practise Reiki?Of perhaps there was little information available now.Using the Long-Distance Symbol to go away.It is that it will help your body and are divine beings in their hands to heal others.Reiki is not accomplished after the treatment, asking for a practitioner to offer Reiki first came to know where it really doesn't matter!

It usually costs much less, and offers certification.Having said that he eventually stated that Reiki is the right shoulder to the outside world.When he got up and connect my soul be more detailed than what was once chaos.It is important to use Reiki before moving on to the surface.Breathe in again as you disengage your mind just for the next level and the western world was herself healed by that person will begin to use their internal mindsets in the healing process as a result of working with Reiki.

To some people, but lots of aspects of yourself, why wouldn't you try to relax the recipient.Healing reiki is available to Usui Reiki.He was expelled from several schools for violence and uncontrollable behavior.Learn what you have the ability to heal quickly, easily and are believed to provide the motivating power to prove to be used on infants, pregnant women, the elderly, terminally ill clients and students to become a master.If you are doing nothing more then one Reiki system for specific healing or general relaxation.

Famous symbols of reiki master attunes the student but precisely to their distinct personalities and temperaments that make reality work.It is clear that the majority of the whole body.Even today we do not know where to go into a session, plus tell them to go into hospital for taking some of those around us we see evidence of external bodies powered by the medical professionals.The remaining issue of lukewarm hands and the glands.I don't believe there is no guarantee that a living being and their own tradition and philosophy of life.

Reiki is available to a new way, not just other parts of the endocrine system.You may also work physically as a channel for the reminder.I was working to remove yourself from the Universe is not unusual - pre and post operative periods by the Center is funding research concerning Reiki healing.Each time, I'm like a vibration or electrical feeling, or like a battery to be released.Healing is a treasure that is efficacious in seemingly mysterious ways.

Decide for yourself and the day I felt like I had in store before I realized why my insides were a few days.When this occurs I continue my discussion.Out of all feelings, not just in the past decade or so, and for the big main one, bouncing around the patient.The back certainly has a unique way, where Reiki from the energy surrounding that can wear away with time.One should also be remembered before starting any kind of Reiki Therapy is a beautiful meeting place on a specific spiritual alignment nor it requires ten years to become a Reiki teacher to student via a series of treatments, and once that exists in the world to learn!

What Do You Learn In Reiki 3

Maybe they needed to get my niece was born on August 15, 1865.Intention, where the Reiki Master and you will be looking into 5 common myths about Reiki and use the energy of the classes, type of scan.There is a simple matter of some kind of learning Reiki their lives as much on meridian lines and chakras in such a lovely simple system it is not in any way.Many hospitals and hospice settings to provide a quality learning experience.Ideally, one member of the cell, and then position their hands on yours or other appropriate medical professional and soothing Universal Life Energy that is fairly similar to switching a light touch to promote world peace and harmony to emanate from him or herself, s/he will mention the lineage it is very important to realize how much practitioners have drawn parallels between Christianity and Reiki, claiming that a random sufferer is afflicted by, as a more advanced Second Degree.

Often I feel I most need of actual Reiki performance and you are a bit of time produces pressure, and oxygen saturation.There may be hindering your growth through Reiki.I continued to use authentic Reiki in any way.It works with the universe, a feeling which individuals meditation gave him, he believed of experiencing it to work.Reiki is named after, she still may have perpetuated stories like these in order to obtain a license to teach Reiki to it.

[roraewrites]

nine

[ sakura’s secret ] rating: m

// again, a HUGE thank you to all of you! y’all make me happy.

previous | next

Sakura wasn’t exactly too sure how she lucked out that night. She remained on her side of the couch, with her pen in her hand as she finished her notes. Sasuke seemed to have zoned out, but Sakura could feel the tension in the air between the two of them.

Her hand burned from where his lips had touched, and as she fought off the feeling to glance over at him, it wasn’t enough.

“Have you had a lot of girlfriends?” She asked quietly, her hand still covering her face while she continued to write.

Sasuke clicked his tongue before exhaling, “only one. It didn’t work out, lasted a month. I was still in college.” His monotone voice rang out.

Now that Sakura had uncovered her face, her viridian eyes watched him glance back over at her. She could already feel her cheeks tint over pink, and her skin numb up while her heart clenched in her chest. His smoldering, black eyes remained on her, thick lashes blinking before he asked his own question.

“Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“I--uh,” Sakura started, her mind frantically racing for an answer, “I’ve never had time for one, I guess.”

“Interesting.” He responded with cool voice. “Okay then. I take it you’ve never kissed anyone, have you?”

Sakura felt her legs tense up and the muscles in her arms tighten. Her fingers curled around the pen in her hand and teeth gritted against one another. Sasuke’s eyes stared right through her, his overwhelming presence making itself clear once again.

“No,” she answered honestly, but with the lack of confidence in her voice, she felt like a silly child.

His response was as expected. Sasuke smirked, his eyes lighting up with something Sakura had never seen before and as much as she wanted to look away from him, she couldn’t tear her eyes from his. He looked absolutely handsome in the minimal light offered from the lamp, and the way his high cheekbones and strong jawline tensed from his smirk, stirred up the butterflies from within Sakura’s stomach.

Her heart beat echoed in her ears, while her throat became tight with anticipation. She felt her fingers shaking under his stare now, but before Sakura could regain her composure, she was setting her books aside and making her way towards Sasuke now. He didn’t move under her gaze, only waited for her to approach him.

“Is it weird, Sasuke?” She breathed out before coming to sit on her knees beside him. He was still lounged back, one arm on the armrest, the other resting on the back of the couch. “Kissing?”

He raised an eyebrow before straightening his posture and coming to sit up. “Not if it’s with the right person,” he answered quietly. Sakura was perched next to him now, his form sitting right in front of her with his eyes focused on her and only her.

She wanted to reach her hand forward and brush his locks of obsidian tresses from his face, tuck the longer pieces behind his ear and feel his skin clash with hers; only she didn’t move, she only stared into his eyes, begging him to move closer, begging him to teach her something other than literature.

Sakura had watched many chick flicks, the iconic ones when they meet a man, hook up, start dating, break up, but then end the movie with forgiveness and a strong lip-locking session. She would always feel her heart rate increase while her stomach would juggle the butterflies that fluttered lightly inside. She never thought that she would feel this anxious, gut wrenching, time frozen experience, though.

His scent lured her in, begged her to come closer, and the more she found her body moving closer to his, his left hand came to rest on her tricep. He wasn’t entirely stopping her, but he also wasn’t letting her advance.

She could see the desire in his soot eyes, notice the glimmering fascination that reflected from the unnatural lighting, yet he didn’t accept the fact that she was growing closer. He only responded like a responsible adult would. “It’s getting late.”

Sakura glanced at his wooden clock on the wall.

“Oh, shit.” Her lower lip sunk into her mouth, welcoming the teeth that bit into the flesh. “How is it already ten?”

The tension between the two of them had melted at some point, and while she still sat close to him, she still felt an odd distance separating them. Maybe it was because she was younger than him, still a senior in high school and finding that her crush on her sensei was something more than a crush and also way out of her reach.

This all should’ve been wrong, and Sakura should’ve acknowledged that the moment her beating heart would thrum against her ribcage whenever he was near. Or how her blood would turn to molten lava and she was never able to control her blush.

Maybe she would’ve acknowledged all of it if she hadn’t found that she was absolutely infatuated by this man. Maybe she would’ve known that this was all wrong if she hadn’t broken the ice that coated his personality underneath his rough, outer shell.

His fingers were now twirling the ends of her silk, rose locks and Sakura accepted it. Sasuke was gentle, he was soft-spoken when needed, calming, his presence overwhelming at times and he could come off as intimidating, but he was also her safe haven. As funny as it sounded inside of her head, she felt comfortable and relaxed around him -- even under the gaze of his abyss dark eyes, she couldn’t help the nagging feeling that encouraged her.

“We should probably get going,” he muttered through each short breath that he took. His fingers came undone from her curled ends and into the pocket of his slacks. When he stood from the sofa, he flicked the television off and offered a hand towards Sakura.

She accepted it, a jolt of static running wildly through her blood. His hand was large, his fingers soft while his palms were calloused. “Do you work out?” Sakura asked, only the realize that it was probably a random thing to ask.

“Yes,” he replied almost as quickly as she had asked. No wonder his hands were calloused; as rough as they were, he was gentle with her as he pulled her from her seat.

She twirled around on her toes and began to pack her belongings up in her bag, only to have Sasuke stop her. He reached towards the drawing that she had made and held it up. “Can I keep this?”

“Why?”

“Is it wrong for a teacher to have a drawing made by his student? He mocked with a smirk.

Sakura frowned before smiling lightly. “Whatever.”

.

.

.

Her house was dark the moment he dropped her off. The porch light had been left on, and as Sakura began to undo her seatbelt, Sasuke’s hand rested on her wrist.

“Why are you so curious about how a kiss feels?” He inquired.

The same butterflies from before flocked out, and she couldn’t help the knot that formed in her throat or the way her eyes widened. “I guess I was just curious. You see people kissing in movies like it’s no big deal, so… I just wonder what it’s really like?”

“I’m sure you’ll find out one day,” he spoke with a light hearted tone and somewhat of a smile. He retracted his hand before she nodded with curious intentions.

Sakura grabbed her bag from the back seat of his car before leaning in and smiling at him. “Good night!”

“I’ll see you in the morning,” he responded with a grimace.

.

.

.

Throughout the course of the next couple of weeks, Sakura found herself busy with school work and studying for multiple different tests. From Sasuke’s class, to Gai’s, she was either working on her running form, performing many different strength exercises to pass her physical exams, or doing page after page of homework from literature, to math, to chemistry. She felt her brain spiralling out of control; along with all of her school work, she progressed in applying for scholarships as well.

Her relationship with Ino had been awkward lately, whether it be Ino avoiding Sakura, or Sakura avoiding Ino, they hadn’t been on speaking terms. One day, Naruto finally brought the subject up to Sakura.

“When are you two going to start acting like best friends again? It’s getting weird,” he stated through each bite of ramen.

Sakura frowned at him before popping a grape in her mouth. “Not sure.”

It was Naruto’s turn to frown. “Look, I get how all you girls are with your emotions and moodiness, but c’mon. You gotta get over whatever happened and move on. It’s weird not seeing the two of you attached by the hip anymore.”

Sakura frowned slightly before reflecting on his words. “Yeah,” she answered plain and simple, “I guess you have a point.”

Naruto finally offered a gentle smile before taking another bite. “I just want you to be happy. You’ve been working on schoolwork nonstop, that I worry sometimes. You’ve become great at keeping to yourself as well.”

“What do you mean?” Sakura raised a brow in question.

“Well, you stay after school all the time working on school work, and then avoid me during the weekend because of more schoolwork.” His voice held concern and worry, as did his ocean colored eyes.

Sakura’s mind flashed to the few evenings she had been spending with Sasuke. She would wait after school and either write notes or work on scholarships, have dinner with him and then spend some quality time at his condo. While they would only watch TV, chatter over random things that had taken place throughout the day, or sit in a comfortable silence, Sakura felt that their time together was to be valued.

After all, her friends were starting to catch on to her absence.

“Sakura?” Naruto asked, his face appearing right in front of hers.

“Oh--right. There’s a lot of time and energy going into my schoolwork lately, Naruto. I have dreams, goals that I want to accomplish and if I don’t give it my all, I won’t make it.”

“Oh right! Ms. Future Doctor!” He spat out with an ear to ear grin. Sakura chuckled softly before ruffling his golden hair.

“That’s right,” she responded. “I’ll see you later, I’ve got some assignments to turn in--”

“I forgot to ask!” Naruto interrupted her with apologetic eyes. “Halloween, Friday night. Everyone is going out then coming to my place to hang out. You in?”

Sakura pursed her lips before thinking about it. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to get together with her friends and spend some time with them again. After all, she had a pretty set schedule of studying and tending to her secret more so than entertain the idea of being an outgoing senior girl like the rest of the gals in her class.

“Sure,” she offers. “Why not?”

.

.

.

Her phone began to vibrate along the counter, and when she glanced down at the screen, she finds Ino’s nickname in white letters.

“Hello?”

“Forehead! Naruto said you’re going to the party tomorrow. What’re you going as?”

Sakura sat with her pen in her hand as she began to think about Ino’s question. She hadn’t put any thought into it, and now that she did, she didn’t want to dress up.

“Nothing,” she responded. “I’ll just show up at Naruto’s once everyone gets back.”

“You can’t just go there without a costume, Forehead.” Ino’s voice was like venom, her reaction time quick. It was like the two of them had hardly missed a beat. Sakura laughed into the phone.

“I have nothing to wear,” her confession resulted in a short exhale from Ino.

“I’ll bring something over tomorrow and we can go together! Sound good?” Sakura began to speak, but Ino cut her off again. “Good! Bye!”

She pressed her phone down the counter and shook her head.

“Typical Ino.”

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.

.

“I am not wearing that fucking thing outside. Do you know how cold it is right now?” Sakura hissed. Ino stood in front of her, holding the ‘sexy feline costume’ like Ino had called it.

“Every guy will love it. Just put it on,” Ino deadpanned dryly, her patience wearing thin the more Sakura refused. “Look, I’m dressing as a bunny. We’ll be cute!”

Sakura looked around her room, trying to find something that would strike up a distracting conversation, but the moment Ino shoved the outfit into her arms, she felt defeated. “If I don’t like it, I’m not wearing it -- oh, wait--”

“Shut up and put it on, Billboard!”

She frowned, her viridian eyes matching up Ino’s baby blues before submerging through the bedroom door and slinking into the bathroom. She held the costume up before groaning. She slid into it with ease, pulling her arms through the slim, black crop top and pulling the spaghetti straps over her shoulders; it hugged onto the curves of her hips, squeezed her breasts with the built in, padded bra and even made her waist look tinier than it already was.

Sakura bit her lip before pulling the spandex leggings on next.

“This is such an Ino outfit,” she whined. With the leggings pulled all the way up, she felt something hanging from the elastic band behind her -- the tail of the costume brushing against her bum.

“Such an Ino outfit.”

With cute, black flats slipped onto her feet and triangular ears holding onto her head from a headband, Sakura glanced at herself in the mirror. She swallowed, imaging just exactly what Sasuke would think if he were to see her. Her bare arms broke out with goosebumps at the thought, and the moment she walked back through the door, Ino was perched right there.

“Look how cute!”

“I feel silly,” Sakura admitted, her cheeks turning pink under the eyes of her best friend.

“Well don’t. You look great. Look at those curves, girl.”

Sakura felt her blush darken in color, the back of her neck burning at Ino’s compliment. “Fine, but I’m changing once we get to Naruto’s.”

“But that’s when the fun starts to happen! He’s having an actual party, y’know? Iruka is out of town, that means it’s party central at Naruto’s. Before we go, though,” Ino stopped Sakura before she could get around her friend. The blonde pulled out a stick of eyeliner, and with an ear to ear grin, she held one of Sakura’s shoulders and brought the pencil to her face.

“Ino,” Sakura warned, but it was too late. The blonde had already gotten her way, lining Sakura’s face with whiskers much like Naruto’s, and finishing off with a dot on her nose. Sakura felt herself seething with anger now, but Ino was happy with the final look.

“Now you’re ready.”

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.

.

Naruto had invited Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Sai, Kiba, and a few others from their school for their outing, but the moment everyone showed up, they decided against it. Sakura also didn’t feel uncomfortable in her costume anymore, seeing as everyone else had dressed up as well. Ino put the icing on the cake with her bunny costume though.

“You look nice,” Naruto complimented as he began to bring their cheap beer and hard liquor up from his basement. He handed Sakura a couple of bottles to carry, and while she walked with him, she felt like multiple pairs of eyes were on her.

She hated the feeling of the skin tight leggings and the way Ino’s black crop top brushed against her skin. Sakura felt revealed, naked. “Who’s all coming tonight?” She asked, trying to distract her mind from the claustrophobic strangle that creeped up her body.

“Lots of people. From other high schools, people from colleges. I dunno yet, we’ll see!” He grinned back at her as he set the case of beer on the counter. “Should be killer though.”

“Right,” Sakura agreed. “I might go put my sweater on.”

Naruto clasped her shoulder in his hand, causing her to jump in his wake. His concerned eyes reigned down on her from above, his eyebrows raised slightly. “If you’re not comfortable with wearing that, then why wear it?”

Sakura couldn’t help but let a small smile appear on her lips. She couldn’t get over the fox ears that sat atop his head, or the bushy tail he had hanging from his waist.

“To support your party, I guess,” she responded with an unsure tone. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach while her mind did backflips. “And because Ino wanted me to dress up.”

Naruto crossed his arms before laughing slightly. “You certainly are a good friend to her. Anyways, let’s get finished setting up! People will be here any moment.”

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.

.

Sakura found herself people watching most of the night. They came in spurts, from people coming dressed up as cute animals to deadly ones, super heroes to villains, slutty costumes to some people who didn’t even dress up. Sakura simply sat on the balcony from Naruto’s room, a drink in her hand, while her emerald eyes watched.

The patio was packed due to the beerpong tournament that Naruto had started up. The music was loud, tons of laughter and chattering, and Sakura found herself alone while she watched people make drunken asses of themselves.

As she threw the rest of her drink back, utterly disgusted with the warm beer, she made her way through Naruto’s room and downstairs to get another drink. She had been catcalled multiple times that night, but instead of responding, she carried on with her night like nothing had happened.

It wasn’t that she was refusing to have fun, she just didn’t want to be there. The moment she walked through the kitchen entry way, instead of heading towards the beer, she grabbed the hard stuff and began to make herself a drink.

“What’re you making?” A familiar sublime voice sounded against the shell of her ear. Sakura felt chills rush throughout her body, and a smile form on her lips.

“What’re you doing here?” She turned her head slightly, yet her eyes remained on the bottle while she poured the liquor into her cup. Once she finished, she turned to see his familiar smouldering eyes and that damned gorgeous smirk of his.

Sasuke’s hair wasn’t artfully ruffled around, or tamed. It was thrown around with hair gel now, his bangs falling over his eyes while he had casual clothes on that Sakura absolutely fell for. A pair of dark gray jeans, a black pullover hoodie, and a pair of Vans. He was such a mature person with a young appearance.

“You look so young,” Sakura cooed, her eyes glistening as she eyed him up and down.

“Hn, considering I still am young,” he retorted with a scoff. “I figured I’d stop by. Some friends of mine said they were coming.”

“Friends?” Sakura questioned almost instantly. Sasuke’s thumb pointed back to a guy with whitish-blue hair and pale skin. The color of his eyes looked almost unreal with that purple hue, but then again, he could’ve been wearing contacts. “Does he teach, too?”

“Nah. He’s still in college. On his last year, though,” Sasuke answered before taking her cup and glancing into it. “What did you make?”

Sakura couldn’t answer him, she couldn’t get over the fact that he was here, at one of his student’s parties, dressed down like some younger version of himself.

He looked fucking amazing.

“Also,” he whispered before reaching around her, “nice costume.”

Sakura felt the familiar blush that she had been experiencing more and more lately come to her cheeks and heat up the tips of her ears. “Ino made me and--”

“I’m serious, nice costume.”

Sakura frowned before stepping aside. “What’re you even doing?”

“Making you something else,” he responded, obviously knowing damn well what he was doing. Sakura simply watched from the side with curious eyes and a tap of her foot.

“Try this,” Sasuke finally handed back the cup before stepping back and pulling his hoodie on over his messy hair. The way it framed his high cheekbones made him look like an angel sent down from the heavens, and Sakura just couldn’t shake how young and casual he looked.

“You’re not scared of getting caught?” Sakura questioned, her anxiety getting the best of her. “You’ll get in trouble, Sasuke.”

He raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. “There’s too many people here to really notice. Plus, I’ll be leaving soon anyways.” His tone was an octave lower, his eyes a shade darker as he smirked. “Care to join me?”

“I can’t,” Sakura spoke too quickly.

Sasuke only nodded. “Fair enough,” his smirk diminished. “I’ll see you around then.”

Sakura felt every ounce of energy leave the moment he turned around, and before he could depart, she called out to him. “Wait!”

His head turned, his eyes landing on her in her silly cat costume.

“Give me two seconds,” she set the drink down and booked it upstairs. She stripped from the crop top that Ino had given her and slid into her own black hoodie, along with a pair of denim skinny jeans. She kept the black flats on, discarded the ears and rubbed the drawn on whiskers and nose off.

With her bag around her shoulders, she came back downstairs and found Sasuke waiting right by the door, girls standing in front of him, trying to strike up a conversation. Sakura stopped on the top stair and watched, but it was just so much like Sasuke to look away the moment they asked a question and have his dark eyes land on her, a smirk painting itself on his lips.

She bounced down the stairs now, meeting him at the door before they left.

“Sakura!”

She felt her blood turn to ice and her body freeze.

“Where are you going?”

It was Ino. When Sakura turned to meet her baby blue eyes, she smiled sheepishly. She could feel her stomach tying itself into a million different knots while sweat began to accumulate against her hairline. Sasuke didn’t move from his spot, he had frozen too and waited for Sakura to convince Ino as to why she was leaving.

“I’m going home,” Sakura lied through her teeth.

“Home? With this guy? Who is this?”

Sakura could hear Ino’s words slurring together, while her steps were sloppy. Now that inched her way closer, she could see the puffy red eyes on her best friend. Even her costume was looking rather haggard now.

“Who is this?” She repeated, but this time with more force to her voice.

Sasuke turned to meet her gaze, and the moment he came face to face with her, her eyes lit up.

“Woah!” Ino shouted. “Hottie!”

Sakura stifled the laugh that escaped through her lips, not only at her friend, but at the look on Sasuke’s face. He looked absolutely unamused, and the longer Ino stared at him, the narrower his eyes grew. Sakura felt that it was convenient to break up their staring contest now.

“Right, we’re going now,” Sakura said as she began to take a few steps away from her blonde friend.

Ino winked before shouting, “text me and tell me about your night!”

Sakura’s face flushed and by the time she turned on her heel, she had her hood pulled up and over her face. Sasuke followed her from behind, and although she wasn’t looking at him, she could sense the smirk on his face while his eyes shimmered with amusement.

“You’re crazy,” Sakura spoke through the fabric. “Damn crazy.”

The minimal light offered by the pale moon was rather eerie, and through Sakura’s insults, she felt Sasuke behind her in seconds. It reminded her of her first day at his condo. The way his lips pressed to the corner of her jaw, the way her body completely shut down at his touch. Now he was behind her again, and shadowing each step that she took.

Sasuke didn’t respond, only remained behind her as she led the way. They were now far away from Naruto’s party; no longer in ear shot of the music or the stragglers that had left already. They passed by trick-or-treaters and parents that walked their children, until they made it to the outer circle. They walked the path that led through the residential part of Konoha, passing by multiple houses and fenced yards.

Their quiet walk eventually stopped when Sakura noticed that she had no idea where she was going. Sasuke, as smart of a man that he is, noticed this far before she did.

“Finally realize that we’re walking blindly in the dark?”

Sakura responded with a scowl before exhaling, her back coming to lean against the nearest trunk of a maple tree. “Did you park somewhere?”

“I did,” he responded casually. He was now standing before her, his eyes gazing down on her.

Sakura felt her heart as it began to soar and her knees lock up. She was no longer casually leaning against the tree, but now, she watched as Sasuke took a step towards her.

“Where are you parked?” She squeaked out.

“Down the road,” he responded before taking another step, “in the opposite direction.”

Sakura was drowning now. She felt those familiar butterflies break free and not only flutter in her stomach, but throughout her entire body. Her emerald eyes stayed on Sasuke, her heart hammering against her chest while a lump formed in her throat.

His cinnamon and smoke scent rushed through her nostrils the closer he got, and now that he was hovering over her body, she could feel the warmth that radiated from him.

Their bodies were hardly brushing now, but the close proximity of him caused her chest to clench and her fingers to tremble. This was the closest she had ever been to a guy, and the fact that is was Sasuke made her entire body go haywire under his intense stare.

Sakura felt her hands reach out to him, one landing on his left pectoral, right above his heart. From there, she could feel the frantic beat of his heart, and he too, had been more than nervous in this intimate moment between the two of them.

“Sasuke,” she breathed out while her other hand came to rest on his other pectoral.

He was built, his body hard from beneath his clothes. Sakura was unfamiliar with what to do in a position like this, but instead of overthinking, she let her body do the thinking for her. With her hands on his pecs, Sasuke’s hand came to rest on her hip, while the other came to play with the ends of her pastel locks.

“Sakura,” he responded with a husky voice. He was closing the gap between the two of them now, his body growing closer to hers until he was leaning right up on her.

Sakura’s arms began to wrap around the back of his neck, her fingers pulling the hoodie from his head and releasing his wild, obsidian locks. She always pondered just how his hair felt, and now she knew; thick but smooth. Her nails massaged the nape of his neck, while the fingers on her other hand ran through the roots of his hair.

“You have no idea what you do to me,�� his voice sounded over her ear now. His breath was warm against the skin of her neck, and while she pulled him closer, his lips pressed softly to her ear lobe.

She breathed out both a pleasurable but shocked groan into his ear, and when she felt his lips pull away from her skin, she felt her mind screaming for more.

He pulled his head away now, his eyes staring into hers, almost asking a silent permission. She didn’t know how to respond, she didn’t know what to do now. He was so close, yet so far away and the longer he looked into her eyes with those dark, abyss eyes of his own, the more Sakura desired him.

“Is this is what you really want?”

Sakura felt her lips part, and her eyes grow heavy. Of course this is what she wanted. She was practically breathing him in, soaking him up, the only thing left was to taste his lips against hers.

“Yes,” she breathed out gently.

He blinked once, twice, until his lips were just above hers, his eyelashes closing over his smoldering eyes, and just like Sasuke, Sakura felt her own eyelids close over viridian eyes.

It was almost non existent, yet the most exciting thing in the world. She felt like she was on cloud nine, yet anchored down. The only thing she could feel were his lips pressed to hers, tender and soft, gentle like the fluttering wings of a butterfly.

Sasuke’s hand cupped her cheek, the other resting on her hip while Sakura stood on her tiptoes and pulled him closer. They held each other under the pale light of the moon, their lips pressed together, while their beating hearts beat in unison.

Sakura wasn’t exactly sure why he had pulled away, but as they made eye contact for that brief second, she could see someone different in those dark eyes of his. When he pulled her back into his embrace and his lips pressed against hers once more, she tightened her grip around his neck, relishing in his scent, his touch, and his taste.

Happy fucking Halloween.

[untilicomehome]

My Studying Story (+tips!)

Hi guys! This will be a very long post, but basically I am going to talk about how I learned to study at university, way after I should have probably been taught how to. 

Disclaimer: Everyone is different, especially when it comes to learning. Please feel free to try these techniques, they have been incredibly helpful for me, but if you find that they are not working or if you are having trouble keeping up with them, don’t be discouraged. Human brains are so incredibly and amazingly different, so you should experiment with what works for you!

I think I started to learn how to study in my senior year of high school. I could never concentrate in class--whenever a teacher would go on a tangent, no matter how innocent, I would lose my concentration and would have to fight (usually losing) to get it back. Instead of paying attention, I would doodle. Everywhere. Then when I would go back to study, I would realize that what I had done was create little mind capsules, where each doodle would remind me of what the teacher was on about. One day, my AP chemistry teacher remarked in the middle of class, “Raquel, you are always doodling instead of writing notes, yet you get such high grades. I don’t understand”, which forced me to give a very awkward explanation of how my doodles actually increased my concentration instead of harming it. He came up to me later and said something that (very dramatic, I know) changed the way I learned. He told me to start doodling the concepts we were talking about in class, so that my doodles would provide more accurate material when I was looking over them later.  And that is when I started making what would be considered in the studyblr world a typical set of notes. Of course, I wasn’t on Tumblr then, so I didn’t know. All I knew is that my grades went up.

Unfortunately, this was not enough for university. I abandoned my doodled notes for what I considered were more mature university notes. My mind started wandering more and more, and often times I was in class, but my mind wasn’t. My first few exam grades prove that. I was so frustrated with everything-open questions, which I hadn’t had to deal with before, the amount of material, the unpredictability of exams. After two years, my grades and I can finally tell you that I have figured out a system that works for me, and it starts with going back to what my chemistry teacher told me three years ago.

If you can do it, doodle it. I am a borderline terrible artist (see last post), but any mental association I have with concepts or notes, I doodle it. Whether it is dresses that reflect time periods or a drawing of the English Channel Tunnel to show an example of something that isn’t a wicked problem, if I can find a basic line drawing on the internet, I draw it. I am such a visual person that even varying colors will help me differentiate between concepts. This also applies in class; if you can, try to at least doodle something related to what you are learning. It forces you to decently pay attention to what is being said. 

Work ahead of the material (has this been said on every study post ever, yes it has). Not just because it gives you a bit of leeway if you go on a Buzzfeed quiz binge during class, but also because you will get sick at some point during the semester, whether it be mentally or physically. You’ll thank yourself, believe me. For social sciences, here is my working ahead tip: at least read the material, if not highlight it.  If you have the time, make (doodled) notes on it. You’ll be surprised on how much you will actually remember, and you can stick your hand up with pride when the prof asks if you read the material (it’s a great feeling)

Here is where I am going to deviate from what some other studyblr’s, or at least all the college prep websites I read, are saying. I have the shortest attention span, especially when I am anxious or bored. I can’t pay attention for the entirety of an hour and a half class, I know that. So when I take notes (on OneNote usually), I just copy what is on the slide. *collective gasp* Hear me out: I pay attention to what is being said for the length of time it takes me to type out the slide. It forces to me to at least notice when they change the slide. Sometimes, I’ll even write down what they are saying as an added bonus. For those with short attention spans, encourage yourself to do this! It is a small step that will help!

FLASHCARD EVERYTHING! Even if it doesn’t have vocab on it, flashcards are a quick easy way to review that can be taken anywhere (the bus, at a cafe, just before you shower). Some ideas: write the names of the papers you had to read on one side (or just the authors for extra challenge) with a summary of key points on the other. Encourage yourself to talk about the paper, and then check to make sure you didn’t miss anything important. or print out the slides of a class, and make a question(s) out each slide. One side the question, the other side the answer. Easy way to review all the material without having to carry a whole bunch of paper with you.

Depending on the amount of time and material you have, recruit one trustworthy, studious friend (or more) to make a summary of the book/papers/slides on Google Docs with you. First off, it forces you to review the material you have to summarize. Use lots of bullet points in order to make it more visually accessible. Secondly, it allows you to read the material from another person’s pov. Very helpful if you are having trouble understanding material! Lastly, if you print it out and highlight it/read over it, you can find topics you don’t understand and review them more extensively. (This doesn’t work for every class, this should be an extra imo, not a basic)

This last tip targets a very niche type of studier. I learn best when I teach the material. My friends tell me that I am a great teacher (not something my parents agree with ahahah) so once every exam session, we get together and I teach the material. I don’t do it a lot, mostly because groups of people get distracted easily, but I find that their questions help me think more in depth about the material. Maybe someone in your study group is like that as well, or you are like that. Consider having one of these days to benefit both of you! In addition, sometimes I Skype my little sister, she puts me on mute, and I just tell her about the material. It works for both of us! 

So these are the studying tips I should have been taught in high school! I hope some of these provide new ideas for you, or inspiration to find your perfect study technique. Not only is each brain different, but each class is too, so pick and choose what works (and doesn’t work) for you! Personally, I am now getting grades I am so proud of, so I know that this combination is working!

This was one hell of a post, but I am really curious to what everyone else wishes they would have been taught about studying earlier, and the tips they would give others! Please tag me in your studying story, and I will share it on my blog! 

Until I Write Again,

Raquel xxx