#bos having a huge crush on him and refusing to call it a crush is one of my fav things aha | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

petasse02 · 4 years

Text

They realise they’re REALLY in love with you

I hope it’s going to be cute...don’t want it to be shit tbh

Anyway y’all aren’t dating yet in this, they just know they have a crush on you but they didn’t know they were IN love with you.

ft. Oikawa, Bokuto and Osamu

-Oikawa-

They had just won their match, the last of the day. You were in the bleachers during all that time, cheering for Aoba Johsai. Oikawa was on the top of his game, all his sets and serves were on point and nobody could stop him.

He didn’t know you were watching him all day but when he saw you waiting in front of the gymnasium, he ran towards you to greet you.

“Y/n-chaan! I didn’t know you were there. Have you seen our last game?” Oikawa was excited when you nodded at him with a smile. He already knew he had a crush on you, so he didn’t really question the butterflies in his stomach.

“Yeah! It was so good, in fact I was here all day so I watched all your matches!” His eyes widened, he didn’t see you. And now he was hoping he hadn’t done anything embarassing during the day. “You were really good today, well you’re always really good but anyway. You were definitely the best setter out there though!”

(i was thinking of face and chest at the same time i wrote fest-)

His face became hotter and his heart did flips. The biy had a really warm feeling in his chest. He didn’t know it was possible to feel something that strong for somebody, it was the first time for him. Every time he looked at you, everytime you both talked, he had a smile on his face. Maybe what he felt for you wasn’t just a simple crush, he thought. You were the only girl ever that encouraged him that much with volleyball, and he was thankful. And at that moment he knew, he really fell for you.

Looking to the side, trying to hide his huge blush, he thanked you. “T-thanks, I didn’t see you today.” He was talking in a very small voice, his usual confidence all gone.

“Eh, why are you looking to the side? Oh my! Are you blushing? Haha I made you blush. That’s so cute.” Really that didn’t help him calm down.

-Bokuto-

Bokuto had another mood swing. His friends tried all they could think of but nothing worked to get him back to himself. Unfortunately for them, Akaashi wasn’t there that day so they last chance was you.

You were peacefully sitting in a bench doing your homework, headphones on, so you didn’t know what was happening with the team. It wasn’t your first time coming to watch Bokuto’s practice, in fact, you come watch it quite often and usually pay attention but that day you had a lot of work to get done.

The moment you looked up to see if everything was okay, you saw Bokuto sitting under a table that wasn’t far from a wall. You looked at the team but they just shrugged you off. He was really worrying you so you made your way over to him. Crouching down to his level.

“Hey, hey, hey.” When Bokuto heard your soft voice say his phrase, he looked up with glossy eyes and you caressed his cheek with the back of your fingers. “What happened?”

“I can’t do cross shots anymore,” he pouted, looking to the side “Akaashi’s not here to give me his tosses and even you aren’t paying attention to me.” You began to feel guilty because part of this was because of you.

“Okay listen to me.” He looks up and you take his face in your two hands on each of his cheeks. “Firstly, I’m really sorry for not watching you today, I had a lot of homework to do but I promise that from now ‘til the end of practice I’m going to watch only you.” He began to feel a little better after that but Akaashi still wasn’t there and you personally didn’t know how to do cross shots.

“I don’t want you to watch me if I’m not able to hit cross shots, it’s humiliating.”

“Aww, Bo, you know you don’t have to be embarassed in front of me right? And even if you don’t remember how to do cross just do something else alright, I’m sure it’s going to come back naturally. And you can even become better at other things so that when Akaashi comes back, you can surprise him! So it’s a good thing he’s not here today right? Because if he was there you wouldn’t be able to surprise him next time, yeah.” After your little speech, your turn his head, which he had turned to the left, towards you so you can look at him properly. You watched him with so much care and softness that all his worries were thrown and all he could think about was how you looked like an angel at that instant.

In his heart, Bokuto was all giddy, first you tell him how you’re going to be watching only him, then you succeed to get him out of his emo mode with sincere words. He could now tell people he had experienced love, throughout you. He blushed so hard you were getting a bit worried, he only realised now the close proximity and had to restrain himself from kissing you then and there.

“So now you’re gonna go back there and show everyone who’s the best okay, my Ace.” And you calling him that was really the thing. You’re not simply his crush, you’re the first (and he hopes last) girl he fell in love with.

During the rest of practice, every time he’d hit a ball, he’d turn to you to see if you were watching and every time you cheered for him or gave him thumbs up.

At sometime, he went near Konoha and told him “I think I’m really in love with Y/N, Konoha.”

“Congrats captain.” he responded.

“Huh, for what?”

“For being the last to realise.”

-Osamu-

“Osamu!” Was what caused said boy to turn around in the halls. Once you reached him you had an excited look on your face.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Can you teach me how you mke those onigiris? Pretty please!” When you looked at him with those eyes full of stars, how was he supposed to refuse. Not that he considered doing it in the first place?

“Yeah for sure, I don’t have practice today, ya can come over after school if ya like.” He was pretty nervous, asking the girl he likes to come at his house, even if it was to cook, was a big thing to him.

“Of course! I’m free anytime, anyway.” You tell him with that smile that never fails to make his heart flutter.

That same day, once school was over, you made your way towards his house, without waiting for Atsumu. The twin didn’t want to be disturbed by his itiot brother while he was with you.

Arriving at his house, you ask if he has some spear clothes you can borrow.

“Well, yeah, what would ya like?” Boy was internally screaming, rip Osamu.

“I already have some leggings in my bag so like a t-shirt will do. The uniform isn’t really the best outfit to be cooking you know?”

“Nah, yeah I get it don’t worry. Come with me, ya can change in my room.” And now he’s even more nervous. He gives you one of his largest t-shirts because he’s persuaded you’ll look cute as fuck in oversize clothe. Once you’re done you come down to see him already preparing the ingredients.

“Oh yer..done.” His eyes widen and a blush is threatening too creep up his face so he turns around really fastly. How can someone be this adorable and hot at the same time? At that moment, Atsumu comes back home and stumbles in the kitchen to see his brother’s face all red, turning his back from you and yourself sporting a dumbounded look.

“Ouuh, Y/n, I didn’t know ya were coming over.” He says in a singsong voice while side eyeing his brother, who glares at him in return.

“Well, I’m here! I’m trying to learn things hehe.” You replied sheepishly.

“Anyway, ‘Tsumu go away, me and Y/n are gonna make onigiris. If ya disturb us yer not getting any.” And with that, Atsumu left you both to do you work, but not without a grunt.

During all the time you were cooking and Osamu explaining , he felt like he could do this everyday of the year, and it showed on his face. Atsumu, who was watching the whole thing, had never seen his brother smile that much and be that comfortable with a girl. Sometimes when you inched to close to him, he would get flustered and Atsumu noted that, he planned on making fun of his brother when you left.

When it was time to eat, you litterally had stars in your eyes. You looked up at Osamu who looked back at you with amusement and fondness present in his eyes. “Holy shit!! This is so good! You better know one day I’ll surprise you with some that I’ll have made all by myself.”

He smiles at you and ruffles your hair. “I’ll be waiting then.” You recieved one if his rare genuine smiles so you smiled back, a soft atmosphere taking place. He had a warm feeling in his chest, his heart doing backflips and butterflies dancing everywhere in his stomach. At the sight he had before him, he realised you weren’t the girl he liked, you were the girl he was in love with. He wanted to cook with you more, spend more time with you, call you his.

Once you left, Atsumu wasted no more time in coming back to the kitchen, with the goal of teasing and annoying hisi twin. “So ‘Samu...yer in loveeeee.” He really just wanted to annoy his brother nothing serious, but he really didn’t see the answer he got coming.

“Yeah, I really am.” He replied, with a soft smile and a loving look in his eyes.

“Wait for real?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself ya dipshit!”

“Ha? What did ya just call me ya asshole!” And then they began to fight, once again.

#Oikawa #Bokuto #Osamu #scenarios #haikyuuxreader #haikyuu scenarios #fluff

6 notes · View notes

slytherin-puffskein · 5 years

Text

Nothing Kingly about being Caught in the Crosshairs

Even the sadness of that day, even the pain of that day-

I loved every bit of it, together with you

( thanks to @thecursedvaultchild for bet reading, as well as giving me title ideas )

* * *

A little something for @hogwartsmysterystory ! We talked about Lau x Ethren for a hot minute, and next thing I know is I’m writing this.

I hope you will enjoy !

* * *

It was a warm, calm summer day, and yet young Laurent couldn’t stop moving, to the point that his mother almost passed out from exhaustion after hours and hours of running after him whenever he’d stray off too far... which basically meant, every five minutes. Seriously, what was it with that kid ? It seemed like whenever the opportunity arose, he just had to get up and run, no matter the situation. It even happened, in fact, during a funeral, something that Jeanne Clemence wasn’t that proud of.

But hey, he was a kid. People automatically forgive kids for their mistakes, no matter how big they are.

At last, Jeanne managed to get Lau to sit down on her lap, and in order to keep him from moving too much, she sunk her thin fingers into his hair, petting them softly and immediately soothing her boy who pressed himself agains his mother. A thin smile curled Jeanne’s lips, and she raised her head to admire the blue, cloudless sky.

“How beautiful is that, don’t you think, honey ? It’s as if the sky is showing off it’s beauty... what an attention seeker !”

She giggled, but Lau didn’t seem to find that joke that fully. Instead, with his small hands, he gripped at his mother’s hair and started twirling them around his fingers.

“That’s mean, mummy. Don’t insult the sky”

“Am not !” she giggled. “Let’s just say that she knows she is beautiful... no wonder she has so many admirers”

Who doesn’t stop in the middle of their daily activities to take a look at the sky ? If some people truly dared to ignore it, Jeanne couldn’t understand them at all... and maybe even judge them a little.

“You know, Laurent, I had many admirers when I was a teenager... many men hoped to go on a date with me ! However, only your dad caught my eye... and believe me, it was love at first sight...”

Lau couldn’t help but roll his eyes, and he shifted his attention from his mother’s hair to the grass underneath her legs. So pretty, so green... and much more entertaining than her boring monologue about her suitors.

“Believe me, honey. Falling in love... it’s the best thing that happened to me, quite frankly. It’s as if I was floating right over there, in the sky, and that I would never fall off ! And-”

“Mooooom, that’s BO-RING !”

“Ahah ! You say that now, darling, but one day, you’ll meet a beautiful girl, and you’ll want to do anything for her...”

“EW !!”

* * *

If Lau had inherited one thing from his mother, it was a strikingly green thumb. When he was a child, she would always drag him to her garden, whether he wanted it or not. Soon enough, however, he found himself... oddly interested with all these plants and flowers, and was suddenly not as bored as before. In fact, he even asked her to teach him how to care for a garden, so that he could make his own one day.

As his mother ultimately died when he was seven, he had promised himself to never, ever, stop loving flowers. And he kept that promise, because tending to flowers was his way to stay by her side. Whenever he’d water plants or trim some ivy, he would think of her, and instantly feel less lonely. Sure, he had friends in Hogwarts, but can they really replace his mom ? Most likely not.

When he learned that Herbology classes were a thing at Hogwarts, he was, to put it short, deeply enthusiastic, and also relieved that he would get to spend that much time around vegetation during his Hogwarts education. Indeed, it had been a fear of his to be so busy he wouldn’t be able to care for plants, or even just admire them... but this time, he had been lucky.

Another day, another Herbology class, and while some people were talking about the Mimbulus Mimbletonia they were supposed to care for, another... topic was crossing students’ mouths, and Lau was quick to notice Tonks leaning towards Diego and him and say, with a smile on her lips:

“Ethren has a crush”

Diego Caplan’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened a little, forming a small ‘o’, but he was quick to get over the small shock and adorned his most charming smile.

“Well, finally. It’s about time for him to think about dating and such, especially with all the Vaults he has to deal with...”

“He does need to relax, but he can’t slack off either !” Tonks exclaimed, slapping Diego’s hand. “If he slacks off because he’s dating someone, he won’t think about inviting me to another adventure !”

Diego laughed, but Lau couldn’t figure out how to react yet. Relieved like Diego, or enthusiastic like Tonks ? Both ? Neither ? Something else ? He decided instead to focus on his Mimbulus Mimbletonia, but soon enough, Tonks called out his name, and he had no choice but to look at her.

“Hm ?”

“Watcha think of this, huh ? Who do you think Ethren’s mystery crush is ?”

“Now” Diego said. “Maybe he isn’t a fan of all that gossip, right Tonks ? Maybe let’s not talk about it”

Yeah, let’s not, Lau thought.

But Tonks was harder to convince.

“Let’s ! Because if we figure out who his crush is, then, we can play matchmakers !”

“You just lost all credibility, Tonks” Diego commented. “Love isn’t a game, at least, not the one you’re thinking of. We gotta let Ethren do his own thing, without rushing him... right, Lau ?”

Laurent, however, was gone. He had moved a few steps away to be far from all that gossip, but he was unlucky enough to find more people talking about it near his new spot.

And a lot of people were saying their opinion on this.

It’s so cute !

That Whitecross is sort of a freak, though...

I hope I’m the one he fancies !

Can we just keep talking about your bunny, please ? I don’t even know that guy !

A question then rose itself in Lau’s mind, and it immediately filled him with uneasiness.

How do I feel about this ?

What a good question. With an obvious answer, so obvious Lau almost wanted to laugh... but now, he couldn’t just start giggling in the middle of class, that might earn him a few weird looks.

“Of course I don’t feel good about this...” he quietly whispered to himself.

He was, in fact, filled with dread.

But also excitement.

What if-

Quickly, he shut that thought out of his mind. Nope, nope ! Right now, the only thing he needs to do is to focus on his damn plant. And to make sure it doesn’t sprays him with it’s disgusting Stinksap.

What if-

Don’t you dare think of it

What if I’m the one he likes ?

Red took over his freckled cheeks, and he accidentally knocked over his Mimbulus Mimbletona as he had attempted to reach for fertilizer.

And immediately, Stinksap squirted all over him. However, despite that awful situation, another thought slithered through his head.

I hope it’s me

A few steps away, he heard two girls whispering to each other.

“I heard it’s a Slytherin”

And Lau’s heart happily skipped a beat.

* * *

After three extremely long showers that surely drained up Hogwarts’ pipe system, Laurent was sitting next to his best friend, Barnaby Lee, who still wouldn’t stop giggling at how his friend got covered with Stinkstap. Lau jokingly rolled his eyes, smiling.

“Glad to see it’s making someone laugh”

“Awwe, sorry, Lau ! It’s just pretty rare that you mishandle a plant that badly~”

He gently patted his back, before giving his friend a worried look.

“Why did that happen, though ? You must have been pretty distracted, am I wrong... ?”

“You’re not” Lau admitted. “I suppose you’ve heard of Et-”

“Ethren’s crush ? I was right there !”

And after saying these words, Barnaby puffed out his chest with pride, as if he had just claimed he met the Minister of Magic. Then, he proceeded to give Laurent a rundown of what happened... and as he’s finished, Lau couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, puzzled.

“ ‘Do you like me, yes or no, circle your answer’... ? That’s sort of... cliché, no ?”

“I supposed he wanted to do this quickly. He did this during Potions class, he didn’t really have time to write out a heartfelt poem... I wonder if he would have done that, if he had the time !”

Probably. When Ethren wanted to, he could be pretty suave... and Lau couldn’t help but blush as a thought -maybe he’d write me a poem - crossed his mind.

“Poor guy, though” Barnaby suddenly said. “I don’t think it feels that nice, to have your entire year know that you have a crush...”

“Yeah, I’m not quite sure he likes the attention...”

His eyes flicked to the Gryffindor table, but Whitecross was nowhere to be seen. Hiding in the Artefact Room with Ben, perhaps ?

“But I sympathize wih him. Having a crush sure is hard... and quite the emotional toll, honestly”

“Yeah... that’s true” Barnaby mused.

Suddenly, he turned hopeful eyes to the redhead, smiling shyly.

“Do you... have a crush, Lau... ?”

“... yeah, I do”

Of course he’ll admit it to Barnaby. He is his best friend !

He believed having seen a few stars in Barnaby’s emerald eyes, and the taller boy blushed a little.

“Yeah... me too”

* * *

“Truth or Dare ?”

“Hmmm...”

Lau took a moment to consider the possible consequences that each choice might offer, and finally made a decision.

“Truth”

“Did you ever pet McGonagall’s cat form ?” Barnaby asked, a huge smile on his lips.

Giggles escaped from Lau’s lips, and he nodded, much to his friend’s surprise.

“Yep ! Not on purpose, thought. I thought it was just a little kitty... next thing I know, McGonagall is glaring at me. Now, Truth or Dare ?”

“Dare”

And that word is said with no hesitation, demonstrating that Barnaby was ready for just about anything.

Might as well have some fun, then.

He sprung towards his friend, and suddenly leapt right at him so that he could catch him. Luckily for him, Barnaby had fast reflexes, and he was now holding him tightly against him.

“I’m tired of walking, carry me~”

Thank Merlin Barnaby refused to turn down any dare from Lau, because his feet did kind of hurt. Stupid new shoes.

“Ok, dare” Lau declared.

“Hm... I, Barnaby Lee, dare you, Laurent Dorian King, to confess to your crush !”

Lau’s reaction was immediate: his chocolate brown eyes started to bulge out of their sockets, and his jaw fell open with shock. Definitely, he had not expected that, and Barnaby couldn’t help but feel quite satisfied.

“I-uh, what ?”

“You heard me ! You’re going to confess to your crush~”

“Put me down !”

Reluctantly, Barnaby obeyed, and once Lau was standing on his own, he plunged his gaze into his friend’s.

“Why would you ask that ?”

“Well... why not ! Ethren’s already dealing with his mystery crush, how about you do the same ? Hey, you guys can even be each other’s wingmen !”

“Now, I can’t ask Ethren to help me woo people !”

“Why not ? I’m sure he’s good at it ! I mean, as long as he doesn’t makes you write the same note he did...”

“Because... because he’s my crush, Barnaby. I... I like him”

He didn’t even mean to say that out loud. Maybe he just wanted Barnaby to leave that topic alone at once ? Maybe he just couldn’t keep that information to himself anymore ? Who knew. Certainly not Laurent.

Barnaby remained silent for an awfully long time... but eventually spoke up:

“You... like him ? He’s... he’s your crush ?”

“You’re not going to judge me because he’s a man, right ?” Lau asks, squinting his eyes into thin slits.

Barnaby was quick to react, thank Merlin.

“N-No ! No, never ! I’d never judge you, Laurent... ever. It’s just that... you and Ethren, you guys are so... different ! He’s pissed and distant half the time, and you’re so... cheery and extroverted ! Shouldn’t you like someone similar to you... ?”

“I want a lover, not a clone !” Lau exclaimed. “And why are you criticizing Ethren like that ? That’s just... how he is. People are who they are, and we love them anyway. I just happen to like him... a little bit more than intended”

Maybe his broodiness was what had attracted him in the first place. He just seemed... so different than everything else Lau had known, he felt like an adventure, one he wanted to live so badly.

Rebellious, stubborn, protective, both Lau and Ethren shared these traits, and yet, they were so different. Basically galaxies away from each other... and for some reason, Lau liked him. They were polar opposites, but he liked him anyway.

Mom once said contraries make a good match. Is that true ?

For a moment, Barnaby and Lau could only stare at each other in silence. Several times, Barnaby looked as if he was about to say something. No, scratch that. Not say something, but confess something. His eyes looked sad and dull, and his smile, while present, seemed borderline fake. What was up with him ? Before Lau could ask, his friend suddenly patted his shoulder.

“If you like him... confess to him, then ! W-Who knows, maybe he’ll share your feelings !”

Lau immediately recoils, taking a few steps away.

“Nu-nu-nuh-no way ! What if he rejects me, huh ?”

He might look confident and charismatic, but could Laurent Dorian King really handle a rejection ? ... probably not. Barnaby fervently shook his head, his grip on his friend’s shoulder tightening.

“So what ? At least, he’ll know how you feel... and you won’t be worried anymore over if he likes you or not, because you’ll know now that he isn’t interested !”

Barnaby noticed that he might not sound as encouraging as he had meant to be, and sighed.

“What I’m saying is... what is there to lose, huh ?”

Indeed, what is there to lose.

My friendship with him ? What if the rejection gets that bad ?

However, he found himself nodding.

“Yeah... I suppose you’re right, Barnaby”

And in order to not chicken out, he raised his chin, trying to make himself look even taller.

“I’ll do it ! I’ll tell him how I feel ! And who knows... maybe I’m his crush !”

* * *

But first, Lau would rather like to plan how the hell he was going to ask Ethren Whitecross out.

A note, maybe ? No. Ethren himself proved that it was a bad idea. How about a letter sent from an owl ? No, someone else might somehow get that letter. Scratch that. Soon enough, Lau begrudgingly accepted that if he was going to confess to Ethren, it will have to be done out loud. While facing him. And while hoping for the best.

Fucking shit de putain de merde

He speeded up his pace, intending to reach Slytherin’s Common Room as quick as possible. He went down a few flights of stairs, crossed empty hallways, turned a corner and-

W H A M

Quickly enough, he found himself on his ass, hitting the tiled floor with a loud ‘OOF’ releasing itself from his chest. What the fuck just happened ? Groaning, he looked up at the person he ran rather brutally into... and his blood froze in his veins as he recognized Ethren Whitecross, who was struggling to keep his balance. Clumsily, Lau attempted to get back up, but then he had to deal with his own balance, which sent him hitting the nearest wall.

“Fuckin’ hell !”

Finally, Laurent managed to get back up, and that’s when he remembered that, oh shit, Ethren was right in front of him.

Being this close, he realized one thing. Shit, I’m taller

Ethren rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing in pain.

“Had to be in one hell of a rush to run like that”

That accent. That terribly attractive American accent. Lau had his own, French accent, but he was persuaded it wasn’t as beautiful sounding.

“Sorry ‘bout that” Lau replied at last. “I... felt like runnin’”

There was one thing to know about Laurent Dorian King.

He could playfully flirt like a true master.

But when it came to real flirting... his self-confidence would immediately crumble down. I felt like runnin’ ? Fucking. Idiot.

Ethren raised a puzzled eyebrow, but smiled wanly.

“Well, exercise is good, I suppose. What else have you been up to ?”

“Eh, not much. Diego’s flirty, Tonks’ sort of annoying, Barnaby still loves creatures. As far as I know, everything is well balanced. How... how about you ?”

The answer was quite obvious, of course, and Whitecross bit on his lip.

“Let’s say I had better days”

“Yeah, I... I heard of what happened, and I’m sorry. Honestly, it’s nobody’s business that you have a crush on someone, really... but seriously, a yes or no question ? That’s cliché !”

“Well, not like I had time to write a complete poem, right ?”

Lau couldn’t help but giggle, and caught himself admiring the Gryffindor’s features. His beautiful blue eyes, his hair falling in front of them, his... KEEP YOURSELF TOGETHER, YOU DOOF !

“And... are you going to ask your crush out ?”

Ethren seemed hesitant about answering at first, which was understandable. After today’s ordeal, he probably doesn’t want to think about any of this until next Christmas.

“Maybe. Still not sure. My crush is, er... sort of rough, you know”

Laurent couldn’t help it, but he felt a spark of hope through his chest. He could be rough, he could definitely be rough. Impossibly stubborn, brutally honest, and also rough in the physical way...

He might have, impulsively, punched a few students who were annoying him.

Maybe he’s talking about me ? God, I sound so fucking hopeless right now, it’s ridiculous... fuck, Ethren is speaking.

And luckily, he caught his last few words:

“I probably won’t do it”

“Not do it ? Why not ? W-Who knows, maybe your crush is sharing how you feel ! And don’t be afraid because your first attempt failed, you can have so many other chances ! You can even sing to your crush, maybe that’ll work !”

Ethren, however, scoffed.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’ll work. Knowing Merula, she’ll probably snap my head off”

Silence. Ethren’s eyes widened as he realized he just revealed his crush.

Laurent’s mother had told him about how first crushes felt. But she had made the mistake of never telling him how heartbreaks felt.

But he was pretty sure he was having one right at this moment.

“Merula ? The Merula ?”

“Who else ?” Ethren retorted.

Of course. Who else. Lau bit softly on his lip, and quickly regained his senses.

“Yeah, true. But...”

Why her ? He swallowed with difficulty, attempting to keep all his feelings bottled inside.

“You should ask her out, no matter how rough she is. Who knows, maybe she... likes you back”

“Er... no, I’ll be fine, Lau”

“Liar” Lau was quick to reply. “You won’t be fine, I know that for a fact. Crushes are hard to deal with... so just do it ! And... you guys have been through a lot together, with the Vaults and such. I’m sure she’d be glad to be around you in circumstances different than curse-breaking”

Why was he doing this ? Why was he encouraging his own crush to ask someone else out ? The answer was simple, really.

Before everything else, Ethren Whitecross was his friend.

And his happiness was what mattered the most.

Ethren’s lips curled themselves into a smile as he stared at Lau.

“You might not be wrong. I’ll... consider it. Thank you, Lau”

He patted his shoulder, sending shivers through the Slytherin’s spine, and took his leave.

Once Lau was entirely certain he was alone, he let silent tears flow down his cheeks. A lot of people crush on me. Why not him ?

* * *

“Barnaby... how does heartbreak feel ? Do you know it ?”

At that hour, Whitecross was getting ready for his date. Was probably even heading to it. Lau, on the other hand, was sitting in a empty hallway, Barnaby by his side, their fingers linked together.

Barnaby let out a long sigh, biting on his lip. Believe me, love, I know.

Lau didn’t wait for an answer, however.

“How do you get over it... ? How do you stop the pain ?”

A sob threatened to break out of his throat, and Barnaby wrapped his arm around Lau’s shoulders, squeezing softly.

“You pretend the pain isn’t here. And eventually, it truly goes away”

#lau king #ethren whitecross #barnaby lee #merula snyde #hphm fic #hphm mc #hphm jacob's sibling #hogwarts mystery mc #hogwarts mystery jacob's sibling

21 notes · View notes

cryoculus · 5 years

Note

Can you do angst? If not it's okay, but can you do a scenario with bokuto or tsukishima's long time friend developing feelings for them. But the guy is to focused on his current crush to notice his long time friend. But she wants to be a good friend so she sets up the guy and his crush, and nearly dies. But refuses to tell the guys why she almost died. Sorry if this is confusing for you to understand.

» Word Count: 3,475 words

It took a while for me to fill this in, sorry for that! I just hit a wall with how the near-death experience was gonna play out, but I managed to come up with it this way. Note: this has become Akaashi-centric, ‘cause the best way that I could convey the friend’s grief was through the eyes of someone as perceptive as Akaashi. GOD this is about 3,000+ words, so I put the rest under the cut!

EDIT: I realized that the request wasn’t specific to certain pronouns, and I FORGOT THAT while I was writing this, and subconsciously implied that the friend was female. Sorry!

Akaashi was not one to stick his nose in matters that didn’t involve his direct interference. It was a principle that he trained himself to uphold, since he observed too often that, when one person meddled in another’s business more than he needs, it comes back to bite him in the behind in the near future.

But sometimes…sometimes he convinces himself that inaction could be the worst of sins he can commit.

His predicament began on the day he walked across the bridge that led to his neighborhood, when he didn’t have any volleyball practice. The sun was beginning to set, emitting a resplendent orange glow in the vast sky. At that moment, Akaashi was so caught up with the twilight in the West, that he barely noticed the figure emerging from the bottom of the concrete bridge. He did though.

“(Name)-san?” Akaashi stopped in his tracks, regarding his senpai, whose uniform was soaking wet, with a raised eyebrow.

You snapped your head in his direction, panic filling your eyes. Scrambling to your feet, you acknowledged Akaashi’s presence with a curt bow.

“A-Akaashi! What brings you here?” Your tone came a bit shaky, like you were hiding something from him. Akaashi wasn’t particularly curious, but he was concerned. You’re Bokuto’s best friend, after all.

“Did you…fall into the river, (Name)-san?” That’s what he could deduce from the situation – drenched uniform, scrapes on your legs and arms, and a slight shiver in your composure.

“W-Wha – oh! No, no, no! You’ve got it wrong!” You raised your hands, denying his assumption. “I d-dropped my phone in the water, I came to, um, retrieve it…”

Akaashi retained his aloof expression, but he could somehow tell that you weren’t telling the truth. It was rare to see you like this. You’ve always been a cheery person, who never seemed to lose their glee. However, it wasn’t like him to press others for information, so he ended the curious exchange by saying, “Do tend to your cuts, (Name)-san. They might get infected.”

You chuckled, lightly knocking your fist on your temple. “I can’t believe my kouhai is telling me off for such a clumsy thing I did. Thanks.”

The two of you were headed in opposite directions. Akaashi was treading forward, while you were headed to where he came from. At the corner of his eye, when the two of you passed by the other, he could see the ivory-tinged lilies you held in a tight grip behind your back.

When you finally passed him, Akaashi paused once more, looking back at your retreating form. Why had you picked the rare flowers that bloomed under this bridge, knowing it’d be a risk? He didn’t know.

But he knew better than to meddle.

“Yo, Bo!”

Akaashi’s ears perked up at the familiar voice. Morning practice had just finished, and everyone was beginning to fix their things for their first period. Bokuto, who was at the other side of the gym, greeted you with a high five.

“Ahh, you’re a lifesaver, (Name)!” His captain exclaimed, encasing you in a bone-crushing hug. “It looks exactly like the kind she wanted! I couldn’t find these anywhere! Where’d you get them?”

When you pushed the energetic spiker away, Akaashi could clearly see the lilies you picked from yesterday, the stems wrapped together with a pink ribbon, in Bokuto’s hands.

You flipped your hair. “I got it from a reliable source at a steal price! The guy selling them thought I was cute, and gave me a discount~”

“Oho? As expected from the charismatic class rep!”

You crossed your arms. “Now make sure Saki-chan’s gonna like them or I might’ve wasted my charms for nothing.”

Bokuto hollered, fist bumping you. “You won’t be disappointed.”

It was always loud whenever you paid Bokuto visits during morning practice, and it grated on Akaashi’s nerves every time your loud voices intermingled in his ears. But somehow today, your grin didn’t quite reach your eyes, and your laughter sounded a little forced. It was a minimal shift in your usual behavior, but it was enough for him to notice.

Still, even if was he the only one who saw the bright colored band-aids through your stockings, he knew better than to meddle.

About a week later, he overheard the two of you talking amongst yourselves in the hallway just outside the gym. Not wanting to interrupt the conversation, Akaashi stayed behind the lockers in the corner hallway.

“She liked them, (Name)! She really did!” He could hear Bokuto jumping about in excitement.

You laughed. “Best lilies in town, I tell you.”

“Can I…uhm, get some more? I kinda promised that I’d give her some every week. I-I’ll even pay you!”

Silence followed for a while, but then a fit of giggles resounded in the walls. “Bo, you don’t have to. I told you that the seller has a huge crush on me, remember? He might just give me seventy percent off the next time. y’know?”

He huffed. “Alright, fine. Just make sure that guy doesn’t pull any funny moves with you, though! The moment he does anything perverted, tell me right away!”

“Sure thing, Bo! I’ll give it to you Friday morning.”

After exchanging farewells, Akaashi could hear the double doors to the gym close shut. Footsteps, presumably yours, were getting closer, and he’s in a really compromising position –

“Akaashi?” You furrowed your eyebrows, eyeing his pressed up form on the lockers. You contemplated for a while, and for some reason he didn’t move an inch. “Were you eavesdropping?”

Shit. You noticed.

He straightened himself out, clearing his throat. “I just did not want to interrupt, (Name)-san.”

You nodded warily, brushing past him without another word. But just as you were about to round another corner, you halted, and looked back at him.

“Akaashi, would you do me a favor?”

He slightly craned his head in confusion. “What is it?”

You offered him a sad smile, an expression that he thought he’d never see you make. “Could you…not tell Bo?”

He nodded, not wanting to be part of…whatever this is in the first place. After all, he knew better than to meddle.

For the next few months, your presence after practice has been a staple every Friday morning. Everyone in the volleyball team has been accustomed to the presence of Bokuto’s best friend right after practice ended. However, the girl he was trying to woo was yet to make an appearance in the gym, which more or less baffled their teammates.

“Saki-chan’s really shy, but I’m helping her get through her social anxiety,” Bokuto smiled to himself. It was a rare sight for Akaashi to see his captain like this, soft spoken and not an owl on steroids.

Almost everyone in Fukurodani heard of Ishikawa Saki, the third year that attempted to commit suicide on the school’s rooftop. Akaashi remembered the scene vividly. He was right behind Bokuto when he coaxed her out of her suicidal tendencies, after all.

She was a bashful, but gentle girl. Akaashi would almost call her fragile, but with the way that Bokuto was supporting her now, she’s starting to get back up on her own feet. It was quite a love story, as some of the girls he passed by in the hallways said. Who knew that the loud, outgoing captain of the volleyball team would be the suicidal girl’s saving grace?

If anything, Akaashi didn’t like to think of it that way. Bokuto didn’t save her. He only helped her to save herself, and maybe he managed to catch some feelings along the way. Akaashi would have approved of their budding union, but…

“Bo~” Your singsong voice rang in his ears.

When Akaashi spared you a glance, you looked horrible. Of course, you were still the pretty class rep of 3-1 that everyone admired, but there was no doubt of your disheveled state. Your hair was escaping your loose pony tail, your eyes looked tired beyond comprehension, your uniform was unironed, the pleats of your skirt, rumpled (if he looked a little closer it looked damp, even), and you weren’t wearing your stockings. Your legs, which were bandaged all the way up to your thighs, were on full display.

“What happened to you?” Bokuto ran over to you, grabbing you gently by the shoulders. “Why are your legs bandaged up?”

“Oh, this? This is nothing, Bo! I may have gotten into quite a scuffle with the guy selling these.” You feigned ignorance, handing your usual delivery with an unmatched smile. “He probably got mad that I won’t accept his confession.”

He scowled. “He did what?”

You laughed. “Bo, I was kidding! I got into an accident on my bike and might have fucked up my legs.” You forcibly placed the lilies in his hands. “I’m alright, okay? Stuff like this happens.”

Reluctantly, Bokuto accepted the flowers, twirling the stem in his hands. “If something worse happens to you, I won’t forgive myself, you know? I’m supposed to be your best friend…”

For a split second, Akaashi could see your lip quiver, something akin to despair shadowing your face. But it’s as gone as it came. Instead, you flashed him a small smile. “I know that more than anyone, Bo.”

At this point, Akaashi was beginning to have second thoughts on his sentiments on meddling.

The next Friday, it was raining heavily. Classes were suspended because of the torrential downpour, but Akaashi’s mother didn’t have qualms with sending her son out in the rain for some errands. Of course, he complied. The market was just beyond the bridge. It wasn’t too bothersome a journey.

So, he shrugged on a jacket, retrieved an umbrella, and headed out. The sky was so dark, he had a hard time convincing himself that it was only ten in the morning. The raindrops heavily tapped on his umbrella, forcing him to huddle himself under its cover so his clothes wouldn’t get too soaked.

As he closed in on the bridge, he noticed the river rapidly flowing down the stream. It was always like this during particularly rainy days. The slightest drizzle would make the river wild.

However, at the far end, he could see a familiar backpack sitting idly on the sidewalk. That’s…

Akaashi’s eyes widened when he pieced everything together. He only saw you emerge from under the bridge once all those months ago, but hasn’t seen you again in the area ever since. You insisted for months that you got the flowers from some guy that apparently fancies you, but you had also told Akaashi not to tell Bokuto about what he witnessed that time.

His discarded his umbrella, as he ran to the railing, craning his head as far as he could for any sign of you. The rain immediately soaked through his hair and clothes. When he was out of luck on this side, he switched to the other side, and –

The moment he saw the form of a girl with dirty bandages on her legs, lying face down on a slightly elevated island in the middle of the harsh stream, Akaashi peeled off his jacket and shirt, and dived in without a second thought.

The stream was flowing to the direction where your unconscious form was lying, so he didn’t have to propel himself with much effort. When he got to the island, his sneakers almost sunk into the mud. Not paying it any mind, he kneeled down, lifting you up to rest your body against his own.

“(Name)-san? Can you hear me?” He shouted through the loud rain, but you weren’t responding. He placed the back of his hand against the skin of your neck and it was hot to the touch. How long have you been out here?

He gathered you in his arms, as his eyes darted everywhere in search for a route back to the bridge. The stream was flowing against him now, and it would be hard enough for him to swim back on his own, but he had to get you to safety, too –

“Bo…?” You opened your eyes, but they had a glazed look on them. “Bo…I’ve got it…Y-You can give it to…Saki-chan later…” You lifted a trembling fist up to him, Akaashi took whatever you had in your hand in his. When he unfurled his fingers, he saw a white lily, whose petals were frayed and torn from the time you’ve spent protecting it from the rain.

Something pierces through his chest, and shatters the composure he’s kept up all this time. It’s something he’s never felt before, but all he could do is cradle your feverish body in silence, as his tears mixed with the raindrops that fell on his face.

“Why are you doing this?” His voice cracked, fingers digging into the skin of your arms. “Why?!”

You already sustained an injury on your legs, you’ve been out here, passed out and running an incredibly high fever for God knows how long, you’ve got new cuts all over your arms, so…why? Why could you still find it in yourself to grin at him like it was nothing? Why do you sacrifice so much, go out of your way all the time, risk your own precious life…for the sake of his stupid, stupid captain, who was oblivious to your feelings for him?

Still shaking, from the rain or from the fever, or from both, you raised your hand to cup Akaashi’s cheek. What were you seeing right now? He was curious, but for now, he’d tend to your fantasies for your sake.

“It’s…‘cause I want you…to be happy.” A single tear rolled down your cheek. “I…love you, Bo.”

It took a while before you could go back to school, given your multiple injuries and the fact that you almost drowned in pursuit of the lilies you always gave to Bokuto. But that’s not what you told the school. You informed them that the injuries in your legs simply worsened and you had to be observed in the hospital at an indefinite amount of time.

Akaashi was the only one who knew of what truly transpired. He was the one he brought you to the hospital when a few locals spotted the two of you after all. However, when your family arrived and thanked him ceaselessly for having saved your life, he took his leave. His presence wasn’t necessary, anyway. Or maybe he just couldn’t stomach the sight of you in your hospital bed, knowing that he could have prevented this all from happening should he have taken action earlier. He noticed everything, yet did nothing about it…

Bokuto was concerned, of course, but his head was too wrapped up in the fact that they were competing for the Spring High Nationals the following Monday after the incident, that he couldn’t bring himself to at least contact you about it.

However, when you did come back to school on the first Friday of December, you didn’t show up to their morning practice anymore. Akaashi should have gotten used to it by now, given that you were absent for at least two Fridays already. But when you texted him about your return today (you exchanged phone numbers at some point), he half-expected you to be up and running with some stupid white lilies in your hands, giving them to his dumbass captain to treat his girlfriend while being in the dark with everything you’ve been through thus far.

If he was being honest with himself, he hated his captain right now. Akaashi, of all people, was expected to be the one who’d understand all of Bokuto’s behaviors and mannerisms the most, but witnessing firsthand what you went through, the thought of you sacrificing everything for the sake of his happiness… How could he be so God damn oblivious to all of it?

But then, before he let his blind rage consume him, Akaashi got a text message from you.

meet me at the rooftop in five?

The cold air seeped through his clothes when Akaashi opened the door to the rooftop. Winter really has settled in in Tokyo. Rubbing his arms as a pathetic attempt of getting warm, he darted his eyes around for any sign of you, and saw your lonesome form standing by the metal fence. He made his way towards you.

“Hey,” you spoke without facing him, fingers gripping the fence. “Did you know that these were put up here after the incident with Saki-chan? It was to guarantee that no one was gonna pull any stunts like that here anymore.”

Akaashi nodded, gazing out at the view of the city. “Yes, I am aware.”

You hummed, and stood there in silence for a good while. Akaashi suddenly recalled that fateful day from what now seemed like a long time ago. The rain pelting his bare back, the smell of the soaked Earth under his knees, the constricting sensation in his throat, and the glassy look in your eyes, that suggested that you weren’t thinking clearly at the time. When he asked you if you remembered that you thought he was Bokuto, you drew no memory of it. He wasn’t sure if he should be glad or not.

“Akaashi, why’d you save me?”

Ah, but you did remember that he’s the one who actually jumped into the river to save you.

Akaashi exhaled, averting his gaze as far as he could from you because, frankly, even he didn’t know what drove him to strip his clothes and jump into the stream that day. He’s been doing a great job ignoring everything he took notice of with your strange behavior, minding his own business. Wait… You were dying, for God’s sake! If someone else was in his shoes that time, they would have done the same. It’s only natural that he’d go rescue you. And maybe…maybe he wouldn’t be able to live with himself knowing that he kept turning a blind eye to your suffering.

A thousand thoughts swirl in his mind, but all he could bring himself to say is, “Because you’re important to Bokuto-san.”

You laughed, turning to him. “Am I not important to you?”

He raised an eyebrow, making sure his face didn’t betray any discomposure. “Why would you ask me that, (Name)-san?”

You put a finger on your chin. “Hmm… I know you saw through all my lies, you know? I thought it was just a rumor that Fukurodani’s Akaashi Keiji could read the volleyball team’s enemies better than anyone, but to be able to apply that outside of a game?” A grin made its way on your lips. “You really are something, huh?”

“I don’t understand. What am I supposed to make of our conversation?”

You scratched the back of your head, chuckling. “I don’t know either, actually. I just wanted to thank you properly.” You reached out from behind your back – he didn’t notice you were carrying anything – and handed him a lavender flower with two unfurled petals, like it was just beginning to bloom. Akaashi shot you a confused look, but accepted it, regardless.

“I did my research,” you imparted. “The lilies that I was picking for Bo…they’re referred to as the flower of death. Makes sense why Saki-chan would like them… Okay, bad joke, but yeah.” You mulled over your next words for a moment, cheeks beginning to tinge red. “This is an iris. They symbolize hope, or at least that’s what the internet wanted us to know.”

Akaashi examined the Iris in his hands, then turned to you. “Where’d you get it this time?”

His accusatory tone made you laugh, and this time it sounded genuine. “Oh, you think I jumped under a bridge to grab these again? Nah. I got it from the flower market downtown. The guy selling them probably likes me. Gave it to me for free~”

“Did he, now?” He couldn’t help it. His lips turned up into a small smile. “Why have you decided to give this to me, of all people, (Name)-san?”

“Oh, God, don’t ask me. It’s kinda corny.”

“Pray tell.”

“Fine.” You shifted your gaze back to the city skyline. “It’s ‘cause… You were the one who made me realize that Bo’s not the only guy in the world. In a way, you gave me hope that there’s someone else out there just waiting for me.”

He contemplated for a moment, letting your words sink in, before saying, “You’re absolutely right. That was corny.”

An irk mark appeared on your head. “Hah? Who knew Akaashi Keiji, aloof second year setter of Fukurodani, could be a wise-ass, too?”

Then and there, Akaashi realized that he’s glad that he didn’t know better than to meddle, in the end.

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu!! x reader #haikyuu!! headcanons #bokuto koutarou #akaashi keiji #request #anon #hqscenario

85 notes · View notes

artgirllullaby · 7 years

Text

I Got 99 Problems and You’re Number One

... Yes, this is what you’re thinking. Me being super late to start @starcoweek3

In my defense, THIS FIC DIDN’T WANT OT END.

So.. yeah, I’m a bit ashamed it took me this long to finish, like, we are almost over it...

Also, guys I didn’t give up JanTom Week, all the fics have half done but I had a major block with Jantom (probably due to EA just wanted me on the climax chapters and I’m still finishing it) I plan to finish before next jantom week lol

Also,, huge thanks to @mrevaunit42 and @axis2600 for helping to post this anyway, you guys are awesome! *hugs*

Also a special mention to @fullertoons for creating this amazing au!

I hope you enjoy :D

PS: lots of people identified this as the Starco song because of EA, and I ended up using to write in this too along with this one.

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7

I 99 Problems and You’re Number One

Marco sat in the waiting room annoyed. He and Star went to Mewni to come kind of ceremony that she was obligated to comply and for whatever reason, he got into it too. The princess had asked him if he could wait for her to get ready to give an opinion to her dress and how he was supposed to say no when she looked at him with those blue eyes full of hope?!

He had a major problem, not only because he was completely hopeless for those blue eyes sparkling hope, or the cutest heart marks she had, or how she was enchanting on every single way, or how Star walked like floating like she was a ballerina… No, all that was consequences of his number one problem.

The fact he was falling for the princess.

It was hopeless, it was stupid, but Marco found himself more found of the future queen day by day. He refused, he fights against it, but the feeling was still there. And what hope he got? He was a delinquent, someone who breaks the rules and brings chaos, what chance he got to be in the perfect princess' heart? And worse, What chance they got to be a thing when she was the first and only one to the line of Crown?

That being said, Marco did his all to fight back, to ensure himself that even think on that was a stupid idea, that she didn’t felt the same, that they got no future, that it was insane and hope that by doing that, he would keep his feet on the ground and get over it.

“Marco?”

By the mention of his name, the bad boy got up and took a breath “Don’t be intimidated, Marco. You can do this, you got this! It’s just Star, your best friend, and princess. It’s just-”

“How do I look?!”

Marco turned around and looked at Star with a bored expression. She was using a blue dress, fancy and light, it looked like she would float in the air and reveal herself as a goddess at any moment. She smiled turning around and as much Marco was good in hiding his emotions, his heartbeat wasn’t something he could control.

It’s just the girl you have a massive crush on and is desperately in love with… Crap.

“You look ok…” He said, keeping his façade “Why do I have to be here again?”

“Because…” Star replied looking in the mirror “You’re my partner for the ball we are holding.”

“Oh yeah, the stupid ball I had no choice to join…”

She turned to him sighing, “come one, I know you’re out of your zone, but it can be fun if you let! You’ll see, there are dances, princes and princess, food…”

“BO-riiiiiing” Marco sang sitting back on the couch again.

Star rolled her eyes and stared back at the mirror, fixing the dress details. “And why you’re not dressed?”

The bad boy eyes almost fell from his face at his eyelids opening so much “I have to get dressed?!”

“Of course!” Star shrugged “No savage man can company a princess to the ball, you must be dressed according to the occasion!”

The princess clapped her hands and maids appeared out of nowhere in every single way possible. Marco looked at them suspicious but didn’t move from where he was, curious about the princess’ antics.

“Ladies, please, help my friend to prepare for the ball.”

“Wait, what?! Hey!” Marco almost didn’t have time to register as the maids begin to pull him out of the room into a suite on the next door, “What are you doing!? Star!”

The princess just smiled softly and waved at him “Have fun!”

The last thing she heard from him was an angry calling to her name and then the doors closed. The perfect princess waited for the doors to close to out the giggles on Marco's pure desperation.

“He's too cute and too handsome for his own good…” She smiled to herself. Marco may be out of her league but that wouldn't stop her from admiring him and imagining how things could be.

For her own good she had both feet on the ground, so Star was well aware that she and Marco would never be. Her parents wouldn't approve him just like they didn't approve Tom, and Marco had the same interest in her as he had in History and math class - Which was none.

“Where the hell you think you're touching?! D-don’t touch me there!”

Star laughed out loud falling from the chair by imagining Marco’s embarrassment from the maids trying to bath and get him dressed nicely.

God, she loved the boy, good thing he would never know.

It would be easier.

“How long do you plan to not speak to me?”

Marco kept silent.

“Aw come on, it wasn’t that bad.”

“Try tried to wash Marco Jr by themselves.”

“It’s their job.” Star shrugged.

“They didn’t have to strip and bathe me, I know how to do that!”

“Most royals know too but still rather the maids doing.” Star rolled her eyes at the whining bad boy “They couldn’t know.”

“But you did. And you left me with the sharks” Marco looked at her, lips pouting and angry eyes. The combination of cute and handsome she got her heart into.

Star was very thankful how etiquette classes taught her how to control her emotions and facial expressions very well at St Olga. Even if she wanted to roll on the ground by laughing just like she did in her room, Star simply smiled softly and kept a gentle appearance to her friend distraught.

“Well, I can say they did a pretty good job in making you look even prettier, so I’m not sorry.” Star turned around to put on her gloves, so she completely missed the blush on the bad boy face and his hand on his face hiding as he calmed down.

When she turned around, Marco pretended to be annoyed at his tie, so she stepped close and fixed it before he messed up his formal attire.

“Shall we go?” Marco shrugged and extended his arm to her “Oh, I’m surprised you know how to do this.”

“Don’t press it, princess.”

Star closed her eyes and stood by his side, holding his arm and lifting her head just enough to show elegance, but not superiority.

“Let’s do it.”

Star was right, there were food and hundred of royals there, but there was also wine, gold, jewels and people trying to show off. Everyone wanted to show themselves to the princess and catch her attention, unfortunately for them, Star had a list and appointment to each people she would talk (because even that was controlled in her life.)

Being her partner and guard for the night, Marco had to follow her most of the time, but he hardly was taken into conversation or even noticed there (and most of the times he did was “may we go dance? I’m sure there’s no prob- Who are you? Guard? Oh, I didn’t know you had your personal guard. Partner, oh I see, sorry for my lack of manner.”)

Marco had just eaten another tiny sandwich that the waitress was serving (Why all this food come in such small portions?!) when a messenger had talked to him. Marco leaned close to Star just enough for her to hear him clearly.

“Your parents want to talk to us.”

Star nodded and Marco leaned back, she turned to the couple she was speaking, “My apologies, but the King and Queen require my attention.”

“No problems, princess. There sure will be more chances for conversations, I am sure!”

“Excuse us.”

Star bowed slightly in courtesy and Marco did the same (normally the moment people realize he wasn’t just standing in there) and then hold on Marco’s arm again walking up to her parents on the other side of the ballroom.

“You know…” Star said, eyes wandering among the people as she waived to a few “We could find a cute princess for you.”

Marco snorted at the irony, “No, thanks. I already got one princess and it’s messing up enough.”

“Come on, look, Lady Mirna right there” she gestured to a blond girl using purple dress “She’s a great princess and I heard she likes to practice fencing as exercise”

Marco rolled his eyes at the princess “No thanks. Not interested in princess or girlfriends in the moment.”

Star looked at him curious “Really? Well, no problem, I know a few princes that are very cute and-”

“Don't even think about that.”

Star smiled. The kind of smiled when she wanted to laugh out loud and roll on the floor on how funny she thought it was, but would never break her composure. The bad boy found it charming, but he rather more the times she would lose it and laugh as she wanted… That's how he fell in love in first place.

“I am surprised… How come you still behaving well?” The princess asked curiously.

“As much as I hate to be here, doing this, with these people and having to act like this… I wouldn't ruin this all.”

Star frowned a bit in confusion, “Why not?”

“Because this is for you. I know how this is a serious matter to you. If I were to do anything or did anything to cause trouble, your parents could make you move out home or even take you back to Mewni, and either way would be a bad thing to everyone. So yeah I'll endure this crap until it's over.”

It wasn't a lie, Marco was afraid of messing up and causing to Star being taken away from him. Heck, if he hardly could deal not being with her while she was around and they were friends, he certainly wouldn't be able to handle her being taken away from his life.

“That's… extremely thoughtful of you…” Star said surprised.

“I may be a savage and wild man, but I would never do anything that could hurt or take down others, princess.”

Again, how was she supposed to not fall in love? Because right now Star could only think of all the reasons she had to kiss this boy and take him as the future king…

Oh yeah, that was how. How silly of her.

Star approached her parents, Marco stepped aside giving space to the princess and stood beside her in a safe distance. The companion of the Queen was the one who whispered in her ear so she turned around noticing them both; Star and Marco bowed in courtesy and stood again.

“You wanted to speak to me, mother?” Star asked in wonder.

“Oh, yes!” Her mother said uncharacteristically happy. She stepped aside to give space so Star could see a couple and a prince standing there who she and her father were speaking to moments before. “I thought this was a great opportunity to introduce you formally to King, Queen, and Prince Reil-Delacosa.”

Star bowed to them too, only then Moon introduced one by one until she got to the prince. “Star, this is Prince Andrew Reil-Delacosa.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“I'm enchanted to meet you, princess.” The prince held Star's hand and kissed the top while curving. Marco had troubles holding his grunt against the prince - The hand kissing thing was something personal between him and Star that he did every time she accomplished something big. But no one knew that besides the two of them.

Moon kept talking after noticing the two seemed fine on the introduction, “He's the prince you are engaged to.”

Marco couldn't help to completely break his composure, and Star didn't do better as she abruptly took her hand back from the prince and looked at her mother in ultimate shock, both faces completely pale and eyes wide open.

“Engagement?!” Star said with irregular voice.

“Yes, darling.” Her mother replied calmly, “We both-” She gestured to her husband and the king and queen Reil-Delacosa-- “Had agreed to engage you when you both reached the age of 16 when you were newborn.” Her mother smiled at her “So since you'll be seventeen next month I thought it was a good opportunity to introduce you to your fiancee.”

“Fianceé…” Star mumbled in disbelief.

“Yes,” It was only then that Moon noticed the mortified expression on Star's face “Is there something wrong, Star?”

“I… I'm just shocked… You never mentioned this…”

“I wanted a proper moment, and what better moment than a ball in which you can get to know your fianceé better?”

“But…” Star voice was a bit hoarse as she spoke “I am here with Marco. It would be rude to leave him to get a new partner” She tried to reason it in desperate attempted to avoid the prince company.

“I am sure Marco doesn't mind, do you, Marco?”

Marco looked at the royals, at the help glance Star gave to him, how Moon ordered him to go and the other family that was just confused. As much he wanted to scream at the queen for her actions and take Star away, he knew he couldn't, any move from him aside obeying would end as something bad for Star.

And in truth, what could he do or say? By the vision of the crown, he was no one, he had nothing to offer their Princess or Mewni, he had a bad history of behavior and he had no drop of royal blood to have a saying in this.

So Marco clenched his fist and recovered his posture, bowing slightly to the queen. “Not at all, have a good night, princess.”

Marco stood up and avoided hurt eyes from the princess, turning around and walking outside the ballroom to the gardens at a quick pace. There was a waitress offering something that looked like wine and Marco took the opportunity.

“Sir, would you like-”

“Yes,” He replied before the woman could say something more. “You showed up at the perfect time.”

The waitress got a cup and handed to him and filled with the dark drink, but before she could go, Marco, passed an arm up to her shoulders and patted the other side gently.

“Woman, you have no idea on how much I need that right now, but don't worry I got this, don't worry about me.”

When Marco let go of her, he left his cup on her trail, taking the bottle instead and continued his way outside.

No one noticed him beside the surprised waitress. Why would they? He was just a freaking commoner that didn't even belong to that dimension, he was nothing to matter for any of them.

Marco leaned on the railing trying to ignore how broken he felt, the girl he was in love with engaged with a man she didn't know without her own consent…

And he could do nothing about it “Screw all of this”

Marco so puts the bottle in his mouth and took a long gulp of the wine, the first of many others.

“Star!”

It had been awhile since he heard a few people call out the princess name, but it was the first time he heard Moon calling out for her.

He decided it was better to keep still sitting on the grass under the balcony the Queen was calling out for her daughter than to move and cause a bad impression (not that he had a good anyway.)

“Star, please come in, I promise we are going to talk about it!” Marco looked up amused, he couldn't see the queen the same way she couldn't see him.

So Star wasn't on the ball anymore. She made a way to get prince charming off her and escaped somewhere. Good move for the princess. It was unexpected to her parents that action, but Marco expected she wouldn't be able to take all night, not after being deceived by her parents and feeling so hurt.

She might be a perfect princess, but despite her appearance, she was not a doll. She was a human, just a girl that was deeply hurt.

As soon as the queen got back inside, Marco stood up. Tuxedo open, tie hanging loose on his neck, wrinkled shirt, his pants were probably dirty from sitting on the grass and he suspected the attire had wine stains somewhere. Walking a bit tipsy, Marco begins to wonder around the garden, away from the view of royals, from the light and music from the ball. If he knew Star well (and he did), she would be somewhere far from all that, breaking down away from public eyes.

He went to the garden made exclusively for Star, where she did a secret passage to for her to be alone in times like this. She had shown to Marco a while ago, explaining if she ever disappeared for too long, he should go get her since she probably fell asleep while reading.

The bad boy walked among roses and tulips still holding the bottle of wine, he made a turn in the corner and pressed a rock to open the passage to the stairs taking him down a cave. Marco observed the steps, taking another long gulp of wine before descending the steps and listening to the quiet whimper and sniffs of his princess.

“Star?” He said calmly as he arrived the door.

“Leave, please.”

The princess and curled up on herself, hair loose, arms embracing her legs and she kept her face hidden in the puff skirt of her dress. She sobbed once in awhile and Marco felt disgusted that St Olga taught that even in dire times she was completely breaking she was supposed to keep the face of a princess and hold it (“A princess does not whine or rebels,” Star had said once “they obey and always do the best for the kingdom according to the crown”)

Despite her wishes, Marco leaned on the door and watched the princess cry, frowning on her keeping herself composed. “Seriously? Even now you’re taking the lessons of yourself?”

“Marco, please I want to be alone…” Star sniffed and turned to the other side.

“No, you don’t…” He got into the room, sitting beside her roughly and dismissing permissions to do so, “You’re just hurt and think no one should see you like this.” He took another gulp of wine and turned to her, “I don’t get. Why are you so upset? Didn’t you see it coming? A arranged marriage to improve the kingdom? Seriously that’s so cliche…”

“They fooled me…” Star said whimpering, “I thought… I thought that at least on this matter I would be able to choose… I was deceived all this time…”

Marco scoffed “The guy is a prince charming, on the way you always dreamed. You’ll be fine.” He shrugged. “Besides, it will be good for the kingdom so I don’t think much about it.”

“Don’t think much about it?!” Star screamed finally looking up at him, “Well, let’s see you getting engaged to someone while…” She cut herself off and wiped her own tears away, “I wouldn’t be this upset if I knew- if I always had known it… I wouldn’t waste my time dreaming about how he would be, on how we would meet, on first dates, laughs, and love… I wouldn’t have build expectations of at least having some time to enjoy being with someone that I decided to be with…” She sniffed resting her head on her legs again “It would have saved me from all these wasted dreams and I would know, I would have prepared myself… It would have saved me from this hurt…”

As much as Marco cared about her hurt, it was time to spill out some truths that alcohol was giving him a bit more of courage to do it. “You did to yourself, you know?” He took another gulp of wine and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of the tuxedo, “If you had confronted them since always about what you wanted, or showed you wouldn’t just go with whatever they say, none of this would happen. They were expecting you to just go with because it’s what they wanted you to do. So now you’re messed up princess, rebel or go with the plan.”

Star shook her head, “Even if I got to escape this engagement, I wouldn’t have where to go or what to do. They would found me on your house, or Pony Head’s, or anywhere…”

“We could run away.” Marco simply said.

Star looked at him bewildered and then at the bottle on his hand “You’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk” He rolled his eyes, “I tried, but this wine is crap and has almost no alcohol on it, and I have a high tolerance to alcohol, so this makes me a bit numb at most. I still can think things clearly.” Marco rested the back of his head on the wall behind them. “Think about it: you escape the guy you don’t like, I get to be with you, we go on adventures all around, we may even end up together, no one would find us because we would be always on the road. We can go get Nachos with Hekapoo and I could show you all I’ve seen and learned in those 16 years…” Only after counting the options he looked at her, “What do you say?”

Star dropped her legs to the ground. It sounded nice to be away from the crown, no responsibilities, just adventures and the guy she liked… Star could even see it, his hair in the wind as they ride Nachos, she on the back seat hugging him from behind admiring the scenario as they chased the sun…

She shook her head, “You don’t have to do that just to help me. You have a whole life ahead of you, I’ll just…”

“Oh for God’s sake!” Marco screamed annoyed, “Just say you wanna go! Everyone else can screw themselves! This is about you and me!”

“I’m thinking about you!” Star replied, “You are going to give up on all you have to help me?! No, Marco, I can’t let you do that! I might have no choice about love matters, but I’m not taking your choices!”

“I don’t have choices when the only girl I want it’s getting engaged to a prince against her wishes!” Marco pulled a bit of his head.

Star looked at him surprised, but shook her head and took the bottle from him putting away “You’re drunk, you don’t get what are you saying…”

“I’m not drunk, Star! Crap I would give up on any other person to be with you even if you have no feelings for me. To be around you is better than nothing!”

“You’re not thinking straight…” She tried to reason, “You’re everything you are, you’re all radical and wild while you hate that I am all elegant and you hate all this stuff and-”

Marco decided he had enough of Star rambling, so he took the bit of alcohol he got from the wine on his system and used as courage in his favor. With both hands free, he grabbed the princess' face and leaned in touching her lips with his. He didn’t use force, just kept her in place as he pressed his lips to hers, he closed his eyes and kept like that. If Star slapped him, if she got offended or hated him, he would accept, but he could no longer hide his feelings and he was about to lose her anyway, so why not?

He kept his lips on hers, moving very gently just to show he did no accident, that was a kiss he thought about too much and dreamed of it, a moment he was longing for and a taste he was hungry to try. He wanted all of that, on a different occasion with a nice scenario, but for now, that would have to do it.

It took a few seconds until Star got over the surprise and melted into the kiss, her free hand holding one of his on her face in a natural way to say she wasn't going anywhere. Eyes closed and she breathed in delight, taking this moment as the one she always wanted and would always remember. Lips relaxed and followed the movement of his a bit shy, she could feel her cheeks warming up to the feeling of their lips touching each other.

Marco leaned back after making his point clear. He looked at her face, warm and soft, on how blue eyes sparkled while looking at him. He moved his thumb to caress her face smirking at her sudden realization on what happened and how suddenly all her face was the same color as the pink marks.

“You think too much, princess.”

Star blushed even more at his statement “You- What- why- when- how- But- and-...”

Marco laughed on the princess’ embarrassment and leaned on the wall again letting go of her and getting his bottle back. “By now I stand on the all or nothing, so I won't hold back anymore.”

He took another gulp of the wine before Star snatched away from him “I think you had enough of this.”

“My offer still stands.” he said looking at her serious.

Star sighed, cheeks still warm. She wanted to say yes, but then how would be the kingdom? Her parents? Their reputation?

“You're out of your mind…”

“I think we both knew that from beginning.” he smirked, “I always got used to how things happened and went with it just because, for once I am fighting for what I want. I want you Star, and if you don't want to marry the guy I'll fight so you don't have too. We can run away until you find a nice guy and come back to take the crown with him. But I'm not giving up you, even if you don't want me as your boyfriend.”

Star looked down and bite her lower lip closing her eyes. She still could feel a bit of wine from Marco's lips and how warm and gentle they were on hers being careful to not force the kiss or hurt her. So he did like her even with them being so different… Star didn't know what to do about that yet or how to show she also liked him, but he needed to take one problem at the time.

That's why when she opened her eyes, she looked at him determined. She was a perfect princess, but her parents had to recognize they went too far even for her standards.

“Take me with you.”

Star put on the black leather jacket and looked in the mirror. It was fun how the style seemed to fit her. She twirled to look at the other angles, her simple green dress followed, the purple boots fitted as well. She smiled at the reflection and then at Marco’s reflection beside her.

“Seems you liked my jacket, princess.”

“Star from now on” she took the shake he offered her and took a sip, “and yeah, your jacket seems to fill my new style.”

Marco smirked taking a bit of his own shake before replying “We should get you one then.”

“Nope!” the princess replied smiling brightly “I like yours because it's yours. It's warm and smells like you.”

The bad boy took his shake and turned around going to pay for their meal. Star blushed and giggled following him. Ever since his desperate kiss, she noticed the things he did for her and how he reacted when embarrassed by her and hide his true intentions, were very subtle and smooth, she only noticed now that she knew his true feelings.

They had left on the same night, both of them getting in their rooms just to grab a few clothes and leaving a letter about their reasons to leave and securing their safety. Star wondered how her parents took the letter since there wasn't anyone going after them, they probably took better than she imagined.

While walking to outside he turned to her again before throwing his empty cup away “So, where do you want to go now, Star?”

Star played with her straw before smirking at him innocently “Surprise me.”

He smirked and agreed. Then begin to talk about their options from there. Star ignored everything he was saying just to admire the boy in front of her. He was already her boyfriend without him knowing, but that was only her fault, she still had to confess her true feelings to him to assure him they were together.

She rested her back on the wall on her back, sipping the rest of her shake as he went on. Never in her wildest dreams, she thought that she and Marco would be like this, an adventure couple running away to enjoy life, fighting monsters, swimming in rivers, bathing in sunlight, dancing in the night…

“So… what do you think?”

Star looked at him curiously, tilting her head to the side and blinked once. You know what? There would be no proper moment for her to do that, so screw it.

Throwing the empty cup anywhere, the princess grabbed Marco's hoodie and pulled to her so she could smash her lips on his. Different from his, her kiss was confident, hungry even as if she was angry they wasted so much time to do this.

And as to imagine, Marco was completely out of reaction by her action in the first seconds, blushing madly and arms failing to do something. Only after her whimpered low (did she realized she did that?), Marco decided to use one hand to rest on the wall as support and the other rested on her waist, his eyes closed so he could enjoy the moment and just like Star decided to let limits drop, Marco did the same by kissing back just as intense as she did.

After a few minutes, Star let go of his lips and so did he, both breathless and blushing. She smirked at his expression of bliss and love, proud to be the one who did that.

“Ok, whatever you want, honey!” She replied smiling.

Marco blushed even more and turned around walking to his dragoncicle muttering, “Whatever…”

Star laughed and followed him. He was a few steps ahead so she noticed how he only put one hand inside his hoodie pocket (since she still had the jacket) and left the other there in an open invitation for her to hold. The princess giggled walking up to him intertwining their fingers and holding his arm close to her both smiling happily.

Marco made her sit in front of him, still using the jacket, she was too petite so it didn't trouble him in any way to keep her like that. Before they left, Marco looked down on her softly and then on her lips, then he leaned in and kissed her very gently and softly, the blonde kissed back in the same way and cupped his face. It was a brief and lovely kiss, different from both shared before, this one was no rush, hunger or desperation, just the feeling of joy.

They both smiled when they leaned back, the last kiss being the one in which they finally understand and accepted each other's feelings. Star held him close and Marco took off.

While chasing the sun on the horizon, enjoying nothing more than to be with each other was a great feeling to both of them. And sincerely, that was all they could ask for.

#starco #my fics #by me #starcoweek3 #star butterfly #marco diaz #bad boy x princess Au #day 1 #i got 99 problems and you're number one #artgirllullaby #god i'm so late #I'm sorry #this is so long

249 notes · View notes

thatishogwash · 7 years

Text

The Shoujo Manga Experience

Bokuro Week Prompt 6 April 6th: Transportation

AO3

The train was crowded. Well it was a Saturday afternoon and Bokuto had purposely choose that time to get his perfect moment after all, and his perfect moment called for a crowded train. Bokuto only felt a little disappointed at having to leave the arcade early to make it in time for the most crowded train, he had done three weekends worth of research making sure the train was crushed with people as it could be.

It was his perfect moment.

Honestly it was Washio’s idea at first, he’s the one who reads all the shoujo manga and replays each one scene by scene while they are changing for afternoon practice. Konoha had nodded along with each scene, he and Bokuto were the only ones in a relationship on the team. Konoha and his girlfriend had done a lot of the same things done in shoujo stories. Konoha had held his coat over them when it began to rain suddenly, keeping them close and both dry. His girlfriend had rode on the front of his bike, they had gone out for a picnic, it just went on and on.

Bokuto was in a relationship too but he hadn’t done any of that stuff. He had admitted that to the team and they had instantly gone into making fun of him, saying how of course he couldn’t do those things, they were romantic and Bokuto was anything but romantic.

Bokuto was out to set them wrong but so far everything had gone not according to plan.

It didn’t help that his boyfriend happened to be Kuroo, who was taller than Bokuto and even less romantic than him. Plus they didn’t even go to the same school so that cancelled out so many things.

The day had been a disaster from the start. Well not a complete disaster, Bokuto got to spend it with Kuroo which always meant it was a good day no matter what happened but Kuroo refused to be romanced.

But Bokuto was going to romance, shoujo manga the crap out of Kuroo whether he liked it or not!

Well, maybe not that aggressive, of course he would stop if Kuroo didn’t like something. It would probably be easier if Bokuto explained what was happening too but none of the main characters in the manga he read explained anything, things just happened and he wanted it to be organic even if he had to plan everything step by step.

Except they were in the wrong positions and manga didn’t mention how stifling hot trains got in the middle of summer with a full crowd of people on them. Kuroo was wiping sweat off his brow while Bokuto tried to ignore the briefcase digging into his thigh. Also Bokuto had to hold onto Kuroo as Kuroo held onto the overhead rail. This wasn’t wrong, Bokuto was suppose to be holding onto the rail and then someone would knock into Kuroo and Bokuto would save him by wrapping his arms around him. It would go all soft and sparkly and both their hearts would beat a little quicker as they leaned forward-

“Bo, did you fart?” Kuroo asked, a little too loudly. A couple people twittered at them, moving away as Kuroo gave Bokuto a satisfied smirk at having given them a little more breathing room.

Kuroo was the least romantic person Bokuto knew, but he was still appreciative of the extra room.

“Explain to me again why we couldn’t wait an extra hour for the trains to be emptier?” Kuroo asked as Bokuto tightened his hold on the middle blockers black tank top. Bokuto definitely appreciated the view of Kuroo’s curled bicep reaching up to grab the overhead bar, but he could do without the up close and personal of Kuroo’s armpit.

“Because-” Bokuto dragged his eyes away from Kuroo’s arm to meet the dark hazel eyes of his boyfriend. Maybe the problem was Bokuto kept trying to force Kuroo into the girls role. Strangely none of the characters he read were tall, muscular, snarky provokers. Maybe Bokuto would fit better if he was the girl? Then again there weren’t any main characters like Bokuto either.

“Because?” Kuroo grunted as someone knocked into him on the way out of the train. He pressed forward, right against Bokuto who held on a little tighter.

“They set me up!” Bokuto yelled once it clicked. His team had been messing with him! They had waited until Akaashi had walked out to start talking about it.

“What’s going on?” Kuroo looked amused, leaning down to nudge Bokuto’s temple with his nose. It wasn’t really romantic but Bokuto liked it, liked that Kuroo was a little rough, that he joked more than he was serious.

“Are you wiping your sweat on me?” Bokuto asked when Kuroo had leaned down to rub his forehead against Bokuto’s blue tank top.

“I’m too hot!” Kuroo groaned against him and Bokuto felt a bit guilty for forcing them on this mission with no winners in sight.

“Hot damn.” Bokuto mumbled automatically. Kuroo cackled against him, standing back up straight to start singing the song, in bad English, and to much of the annoyance of the rest of the passengers.

Kuroo’s eyes kept glancing left though, something a little darker entering his gaze. Bokuto followed his line of sight, it was easy since they were taller than most people. At first all Bokuto saw was a middle aged man in a suit, which wasn’t much, there was at least a dozen who looked just like him, beer gut, bald head and all but then he shifted to the left. Bokuto almost started shoving his way over as he noticed the small girl curled up away from the man, trying to keep her bag between the two of them.

Bokuto was ashamed to know that he probably wouldn’t notice, despite his little sisters and his own mother complaining all the time about the trouble they have on public transport. Bokuto just wasn’t that aware of the world around him, especially when his team had just betrayed him and his tall and attractive boyfriend was pressed up against his front.

Kuroo noticed these things, Kuroo noticed everything. Kuroo was the one who noticed Bokuto started developing more than friendship feelings towards the Nekoma captain last year, before Bokuto had even come to terms with it. Bokuto had worried that he’d ruin their friendship but Kuroo had put those worries to rest quickly.

It didn’t take much for Kuroo and Bokuto to make their way over to the girl and old man. They were large and broad, intimidating to people who didn’t know them. Bokuto worked hard on appearing friendly at all times but Kuroo liked to use his less than savory looks to his advantage.

“Oh ho ho? What do we have here?” Kuroo’s voice was like smooth velvet, but it cut like glass. He was so tall he could lean right over the top of the girls head, pressing right into the older man's personal space.

“E-excuse me!” The man stuttered out, pulling away from Kuroo’s leering face.

“What’s this? Don’t like having your space invaded? Don’t like being touched without permission? How strange.” Kuroo effectively wiggled himself right between the girl and older man, using his exceptional height to tower over the man. Mostly Kuroo had terrible posture, unless he was playing volleyball, but he stood almost like a question mark but not right then.

“Hey hey hey, are you okay?” Bokuto asked the girl in his softest voice, the one he usually reserved for when his sisters had a really bad day. The girl nodded, glancing warily over at the man who was still being pushed back by Kuroo. “Do you have someone who can meet you at your stop?”

“U-um yes! Y-yes, I do, I-I’m meeting m-m-my friends.” The girl's face turned red, shame making her drip her head.

“That’s great! That’s a really cute charm, do you want to see a picture of my cats?” The charm was a cartoon cat and the girl nodded hesitantly. Bokuto pulled out his phone, pulling up a picture of his dad’s most favorite thing in the world, despite the fact that he had a son and two twin daughters and had been happily married for 30 years.

“She’s so pretty!” The girl gushed, leaning closer and Bokuto curled down a little more to flip through the pictures he had. Their cat was beautiful, pure white with huge blue eyes and long fur. “Oh!” The girl laughed, covering her mouth as the next picture was Konoha stuck in a trashcan, folded up and scowling deeply. Ah, now Bokuto remembered why Konoha might have played the manga trick on Bokuto. The trashcan incident of last month.

“That’s my teammate, he said I should throw my book report in the trash where it belonged so I threw him in the trash where he belonged but he got stuck.” Bokuto happily distracted the girl with talk of his teammates, not really sure what Kuroo was doing any longer but knowing his boyfriend could take care of himself.

“Thank you.” The girl whispered before getting off, no longer looking like she was holding back tears or ashamed for something she couldn’t control. Bokuto watched her through the doors run up to two friends, one who towered over them both, and hug them tightly. Bokuto waved when she turned back before turning around to look for his boyfriend.

“She got off,” The train was slightly less crowded so he could find Kuroo easily. He had been making sure the man didn’t get off when the girl did.

“Good, you have a good day sir.” Kuroo patted the man's shoulder, probably a little too aggressively, before they both made their way towards the doors so they could get off at the next stop.

“I wanted to have a shoujo manga experience.” Bokuto admitted a little glumly. Even if it had been a joke by his teammates, he still wanted it to happen.

“Oh?” Kuroo asked, head tilted. “So what was suppose to happen?” Bokuto explained the crowded train plan he had, and Kuroo tossed his head back and cackled.

“Kuroo!” Bokuto tried to sound offended but ended up laughing, his bad mood forgotten.

“Okay but all those are about before the relationship right? They need excuses to touch each other, but you could just grab onto me if you wanted to.” Kuroo reached above him, taking hold of the overhead bar and giving Bokuto a challenging little smirk. Bokuto was never one to back down from a challenge so he made a move as if he was tripping, grabbing onto Kuroo’s tank top and pulling himself close to Kuroo.

“Oh no I tripped and the only thing to keep me upright was your pecs.” Bokuto joked in a high falsetto voice. Kuroo laughed, flexing the muscles which caused Bokuto to join in. “This is much better than a shoujo manga.” Bokuto pressed a quick kiss to the tip of Kuroo’s nose, watching as the other boys cheeks turned red.

“You’re so embarrassing.” Kuroo laughed, hiding his face in Bokuto’s shoulder.

“Stop wiping your sweat off on me!”

“I’m too hot!”

“Hot damn.”

#bokuroo week #bokuroo week 2017 #transportation #bokuroo #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#hq #haikyū!!#my writing #fanfic #fanfiction

12 notes · View notes

party-hard-or-die · 6 years

Text

The shock troops who expelled the Rohingya from Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar/COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (Reuters) – In early August last year, a young lieutenant named Kyi Nyan Lynn flew to Rakhine State, with hundreds of other Myanmar soldiers. They were about to launch a campaign that would drive hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from their homes and leave the region in flames.

FILE PHOTO : Myanmar military troops take part in a military exercise at Ayeyarwaddy delta region in Myanmar, February 2, 2018. Picture taken February 2, 2018. To match Special Report MYANMAR-ROHINGYA/BATTALIONS REUTERS/Lynn Bo Bo/Pool/File Photo

First, however, Lieutenant Kyi Nyan Lynn of the 33rd Light Infantry Division did what any young man might do: He wrote a Facebook post.

“In our plane, we got to eat cake,” read the Aug. 10 post.

“Are you going to eat Bengali meat?” commented a friend. Many Burmese refer to Rohingya as “Bengali” or use the pejorative term “kalar.”

“Whatever, man,” replied the lieutenant.

“Crush the kalar, buddy,” urged another friend.

“Will do,” he replied.

Kyi Nyan Lynn was part of what some Western military analysts refer to as Myanmar’s “tip of the spear:” hundreds of battle-hardened soldiers from two light infantry divisions – the 33rd and 99th – famed for their brutal counter-insurgency campaigns against this nation’s many ethnic minorities.

When Rohingya militants launched attacks across northern Rakhine State in August last year, the 33rd and 99th spearheaded the response. Their ensuing crackdown drove 700,000 Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh. The United Nations has said the army may have committed genocide; the United States has called the action ethnic cleansing.

Myanmar denies the allegations.

It has been widely reported that Myanmar soldiers committed mass killings and burned down Rohingya villages. But a Reuters investigation is the first comprehensive account of the precise role played by Myanmar’s 33rd and 99th light infantry divisions, how they executed the assault across northern Rakhine State, and the longstanding ties between Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the commander in chief, and the army’s elite troops.

Reuters spoke to scores of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and Buddhists in Rakhine State, and conducted rare interviews with members of the Myanmar security forces, to reconstruct the actions of these two elite divisions. Interviews with Rohingya, Rakhine witnesses and policemen implicate troops from the two light infantry divisions in arson and killing.

The military is so secretive that even its official spokesmen rarely speak to the media. But Facebook is hugely popular in Myanmar, and Reuters found accounts of soldiers who posted about military life, troop movements and the crackdown in Rakhine State. The Facebook accounts of two members of the elite infantry divisions reveal a raw ethnic hatred.

Kyi Nyan Lynn, the soldier from the 33rd division, told Reuters that the army’s reaction was justified because soldiers were under attack from “Bengali terrorists.”

“They terrorized us first,” he said. “So we were given the duty to crack down on them. As we cracked down, whole villages fled.” He said he wasn’t involved in any killings or arson.

The military and government did not respond to questions from Reuters. In the past, the government has denied allegations of ethnic cleansing in Rakhine and said the security forces mounted legitimate counter-insurgency operations against Rohingya militants. The Ministry of Home Affairs, which is responsible for the police, told Reuters it rejected allegations that policemen had been involved in torching Rohingya villages.

Rakhine State was already an ethnic tinderbox before the light infantry divisions arrived. Years of violence between its two main groups – Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists – had killed hundreds and left thousands homeless, most of them Rohingya. Attacks by Rohingya militants in 2016 had rattled Myanmar’s security forces, who blamed ordinary Rohingya for harboring “terrorists.”

The arrival of the light infantry divisions in early August 2017 marked a dramatic military build-up. Photos from that period show soldiers arriving at the airport in Sittwe, or crowded onto boats.

The government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi said in a statement at the time that the deployment would bring “peace, stability and security.” But the influx of heavily armed combat troops with a long history of alleged human rights abuses had the opposite effect: It stoked fear and tension across a volatile region, according to Rohingya villagers.

Then, on Aug. 25, came attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). The Rohingya militant group ambushed dozens of police posts and an army base in Rakhine. Already in place, the 33rd and 99th, along with other security forces, responded with a brutal campaign that effectively herded masses of Rohingya civilians north and west into Bangladesh.

Rohingya regard themselves as native to Rakhine State. But Myanmar has denied most of them citizenship, saying they are not an indigenous group, and the country’s Buddhist majority reviles them. Police and Rakhine Buddhist villagers told Reuters how they coordinated with troops from both divisions to burn down Rohingya villages, giving the residents no homes to return to.

The Reuters investigation of the light infantry divisions and their commanders comes at a time when global calls for accountability over the mass expulsion of the Rohingya are growing. The European Union and Canada on June 25 imposed sanctions on seven senior Myanmar military and police officers, including the commanders of the 33rd and 99th. The seven face asset freezes and are banned from traveling to EU countries. So far, the United States has sanctioned only one Myanmar general for abuses during the Rakhine campaign.

The new sanctions didn’t target the man with ultimate authority over the 33rd and 99th: Myanmar’s commander in chief, Min Aung Hlaing.

He is a diminutive figure who often wears round, rimless spectacles and looks more like an office clerk than the leader of one of the region’s largest standing armies. His rise through the ranks was intertwined with the bloody history of Myanmar’s light infantry divisions.

Thaung Wai Oo is a military historian who served as a colonel in the 33rd and held lesser ranks in two other light infantry divisions. When asked who had ultimate authority over the light infantry divisions, he said: “Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. That question is very easy.” While he refused to discuss the army’s operation in Rakhine, Thaung Wai Oo added that only the commander in chief can deploy the light infantry divisions in major assaults. “Final decisions come from Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.”

Earlier in his career, Min Aung Hlaing led the 44th Light Infantry Division. In 2009, as a special operations commander, he oversaw the deployment of the 33rd in a campaign to drive armed rebels from an enclave of eastern Myanmar; some 37,000 people fled across the border into China. He became commander in chief in 2011.

Min Aung Hlaing was the public face of the crackdown in Rakhine State. Days before the 33rd and 99th were deployed, he held a widely publicized security meeting with ethnic Rakhine leaders. In the midst of the crackdown, on Sept. 1, he said: “The Bengali problem was a long-standing one which has become an unfinished job.” And on Sept. 19 he visited Sittwe, the state capital, and – according to his Facebook page – he received a detailed briefing from senior officers on the progress of the military operation in Rakhine.

The military did not respond to Reuters request for comment from Min Aung Hlaing.

Past military offensives waged by the 33rd and 99th have gone largely unnoticed by the world. But the impact of their Rakhine crackdown has been far-reaching.

It created an ongoing refugee emergency that Bangladesh, one of the world’s poorest countries, is ill-equipped to deal with. And it damaged Suu Kyi’s global image as a democracy icon. Human rights activists accuse her of not standing up more forcibly for the long-persecuted Rohingya, then supporting the military’s version of events. Her office had no comment.

FILE PHOTO: Myanmar soldiers arrive at Buthidaung jetty after the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army’s (ARSA) attacks, at Buthidaung, Myanmar August 29, 2017. To match Special Report MYANMAR-ROHINGYA/BATTALIONS REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo

In December, the international aid group Médecins Sans Frontières estimated that at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in the first month of the crackdown alone.

The military had no comment on the death toll in Rakhine or on the specific allegations of abuses described in this article. In November, it said that 13 members of the security forces were killed in the conflict, and it recovered the bodies of 376 ARSA militants between Aug. 25 and Sept. 5, when the offensive officially ended.

“IF THEY’RE BENGALI, THEY’LL BE KILLED”

Three photos distributed by Myanmar Pressphoto Agency show soldiers arriving at the airport in Sittwe on Aug. 10. Two of the photos also show military planes: a Chinese-made Shaanxi Y-8 capable of transporting more than 100 soldiers; and a smaller, French-made turboprop. In the third photo, at least 30 soldiers are lined up on the tarmac in front of a fleet of army trucks. One soldier’s shoulder clearly bears the badge of the 33rd.

Flying to Rakhine, although not necessarily on one of these planes, was Lieutenant Kyi Nyan Lynn of the 33rd Light Infantry Division. He identified himself on Facebook as Mai Naung Lynn. His homepage address, and a photo he posts of his wedding, name him as Kyi Nyan Lynn. He is 24.

On Aug. 11, he posted a smirking emoji on Facebook. “If they’re Bengali,” he assured his friends, “they’ll be killed.”

The soldiers in the photos taken at Sittwe airport are, by the standards of the Myanmar military, well-equipped and heavily armed. They wear helmets and flak jackets, and carry rifles and mortars.

Photos published in August 2017 on Facebook show troops and trucks packed into a navy landing craft. The use of aircraft and boats to transport the soldiers showed that a joint operation by Myanmar’s airforce, navy and army was underway, said three analysts who have studied the military’s command structure, and two experts in international criminal law.

A joint operation and the deployment of troops from outside the region “indicate central command at the highest levels,” said one of the experts, Tyler Giannini, co-director of the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School.

The navy craft landed in Rathedaung, one of the three townships that make up northern Rakhine State. From here, both light infantry divisions headed north, according to more than 40 Rohingya interviewees who described multiple sightings. The 33rd advanced mainly on the east side of the Mayu mountains, a jungle-clad range that roughly divides Rathedaung and Maungdaw townships. The 99th moved on the west side.

The interviews with Rohingya placed the 33rd or 99th in at least 22 village tracts in northern Rakhine State.

The deployments rattled the region. On Aug. 14, a Rohingya religious scholar named Abdul Zalil counted about 350 soldiers marching through his village in Tha Win Chaung. “They walked along the main road and everyone saw them,” he said.

The 33rd and 99th also announced their arrival in a series of meetings that Rohingya attendees said left them anxious and fearful. Officers from the two divisions called at least 14 such meetings, according to Rohingya leaders who attended. They said leaders of the local Rakhine community sometimes came, too.

The meetings, held in venues such as schools and police stations, delivered similar messages. The officers said they had come to “clear” the area and root out “terrorists” and “criminals.” They accused Rohingya of harboring “bad people” and threatened to burn down villages and shoot anyone they deemed suspicious, according to Rohingya who were present.

Reuters interviewed three Rohingya who said they attended a meeting in mid-August called by a 99th commander in Taungpyoletwea, on Myanmar’s border with Bangladesh. Arif, a local elder who was present, said the commander was guarded by dozens of soldiers. “If we find any terrorists,” Arif recalled him saying, “we’ll burn your village to ashes. Your future generations won’t last.”

On the other side of the Mayu mountains, in Chut Pyin village, Abdul Baser and other Rohingya leaders attended a meeting called by a 33rd commander. He told them he had recently been fighting another ethnic war in northern Myanmar.

“Before we came here, we were on the Kachin State frontline,” the commander said, according to Abdul Baser. “We behaved very badly in Kachin – and they’re citizens. You’re not citizens, so you can only imagine how we’ll be.”

Many Rohingya interviewees referred to the troops of the 33rd and 99th as “new soldiers,” to differentiate them from those already garrisoned in the region. Over the decades, they said, Rohingya had bribed or negotiated with local military and police, thereby maintaining an edgy status quo. But Noor Alom, a Rohingya building contractor, said the “new soldiers” were different.

Alom was building a government school in Ah Htet Nan Yar, a village in Rathedaung. When hundreds of soldiers arrived on a rainy morning in mid-August, his workers fled. Alom, who had good relations with the local battalion, said he stood his ground.

Minutes later, he said, he was curled in a fetal position as soldiers from the 33rd kicked and beat him, and demanded the truth about the “terrorists” hiding in his village. Alom, who is now in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, said one soldier told him: “The central government sent us specially to kill you Bengali people.”

The assault on Noor Alom couldn’t be independently confirmed. But Thura San Lwin, chief of the paramilitary police in Rakhine at the time, told Reuters that the 33rd and 99th had been sent to villages including Ah Htet Nan Yar.

ARSA ATTACKS, THE CRACKDOWN BEGINS

In the early hours of Aug. 25, groups of Rohingya, led or mobilized by the militant group ARSA, launched attacks on 30 police posts and an army base. The attacks killed 10 police, one soldier and one immigration officer, said Suu Kyi’s office in a statement the same day.

In Myin Hlut, a collection of villages on Maungdaw’s coast, a Rohingya mob attacked a police post with sticks, stones, arrows and Molotov cocktails, said a police officer who repelled the attack with nine other officers. He asked Reuters to withhold his name.

Two police were killed and one injured while repelling the mob, said the officer. “When they tried to break the gate, we started shooting them,” he said. “They dragged away the men who were hit.”

ARSA claimed responsibility on its Twitter account on Aug. 25 for multiple attacks, without mentioning Myin Hlut. The Myanmar government and Amnesty International said ARSA was behind the killing of dozens of Hindu residents from another remote Rakhine village. ARSA denied this. The group did not respond to questions from Reuters.

Reading early reports of such attacks was Sai Sitt Thway Aung, a soldier with the 99th. At that time, his Facebook posts suggest, he was still at the 99th’s hometown of Meiktila in central Myanmar.

“Please send us quickly to Rakhine where the terrorists are,” he wrote. “I want to fight, please. I cannot control my patriotic urge for revenge.”

His wish was granted. He later posted a photo on his account that he said showed him en route to northern Rakhine.

“The debt of people’s blood I will collect with much interest,” he wrote on Aug. 27 in a warning to “Muslim dogs.” More than a thousand people “liked” the post. “Kill those fucking people,” commented one.

Sai Sitt Thway Aung told Reuters that “Muslim dogs” referred only to ARSA militants, and that he had “many Muslim friends.” He also said he hadn’t shot or killed anyone while in Rakhine State.

Slideshow (23 Images)

By this time, his counterpart in the 33rd, Kyi Nyan Lynn, was already in action, according to his Facebook posts. “I didn’t get to sleep again because I had to go and help surround a kalar village,” wrote the lieutenant on Aug. 26. “But when we reached there, the kalar were all gone.”

He then recounted a grueling hike through the mountains to the village of Inn Din, on Maungdaw’s coast. There, he ate well and called his wife. “Relaxing peacefully,” he wrote.

For the Rohingya residents of Inn Din, the village was now a war zone. They had already begun fleeing for nearby forests. Within days of the 33rd’s arrival, soldiers and police joined with local Rakhine Buddhists to burn down most Rohingya houses in Inn Din, Reuters reported in February.

On Sept. 1, soldiers detained 10 Rohingya men and boys, Reuters reported in February. The next day, with the help of Rakhine villagers, they shot or hacked to death the Rohingya men, then dumped their bodies in a shallow grave.

Like Lieutenant Kyi Nyan Lynn, some of the soldiers in Inn Din hailed from the 11th battalion of the 33rd light infantry division, according to two policemen. “I wasn’t involved in the Inn Din killing,” Kyi Nyan Lynn told Reuters. “I absolutely haven’t committed any other killings, either.”

Two Reuters reporters were arrested in December after the police learned they had been reporting on the Inn Din massacre. The following month, the military admitted its soldiers had taken part in the killings, and said seven soldiers had been given 10-year jail sentences. The military didn’t identify their names, ranks or divisions.

The Reuters reporters, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, remain behind bars, accused of breaching the Official Secrets Act. If charged, they face jail sentences of up to 14 years.

On Aug. 30, in north Maungdaw, soldiers also tore through the village of Min Gyi, also known as Tula Toli, according to Rohingya residents who are now in the camps in Bangladesh. Investigators with Human Rights Watch say a massacre took place at Tula Toli. Soldiers shot fleeing Rohingya and rounded up hundreds of others, said Human Rights Watch in a report. The soldiers then “systematically murdered the men over the course of several hours,” before killing and raping many Rohingya women and children, it said.

Reuters interviews with two Rakhine villagers place the 99th in the village. Interviews with Rohingya survivors implicate the division’s soldiers in atrocities there.

The Rakhine population saw the 99th as saviors, Maung Hla Sein, a local resident, told Reuters. “If they hadn’t arrived, the kalars would have killed everyone,” he said. Maung Hla Sein said he heard gunfire and explosions coming from Tula Toli but didn’t see what happened there.

Aung Kyaw Thein, the ethnic Rakhine chairman of the village, said more than 100 soldiers from the 99th conducted a “clearance operation” in Tula Toli. “I don’t know exactly how many Muslims were killed because we didn’t dare leave our village,” he told Reuters in November. He also credited the 99th with protecting Rakhine villagers.

Reuters spoke to three Rohingya women who said Myanmar soldiers wearing 99th badges on their arms had raped them at Tula Toli.

A woman surnamed Begum was one of the three. She says soldiers took her to a house in Tula Toli with 11 other women and girls, including her little sister. She said six soldiers with 99th badges pushed her into a room full of bodies. Then one of the soldiers slit her sister’s throat. “I could not bear to see it so I turned my face away,” she said, sobbing and trembling as she spoke.

Begum said she was kicked and beaten till she blacked out. When she came to, it was dark. Her back and legs were in flames and her head throbbed. Around 10 other women lay burning and unconscious around her as she crawled out.

Begum’s account couldn’t be independently confirmed. Her body bore burn marks when Reuters interviewed her. Rakhine residents told Reuters in November that soldiers from the 99th were still in Tula Toli, and that all the Rohingya homes had been razed.

“The kalar are quiet now,” Sai Sitt Thway Aung, the 99th soldier, posted on his Facebook page on Sept. 5. “Kalar villages have burned.” He told Reuters he was in northern Maungdaw at the time, but didn’t commit arson. He said Rohingya burned their own homes and then blamed the military.

Sept. 5 was the day Myanmar’s military campaign in Rakhine officially ended, Aung San Suu Kyi said in a speech two weeks later. Yet arson attacks on Rohingya villages continued for weeks, satellite images show. During that period Reuters reporters in Bangladesh saw smoke rising daily from the Myanmar side of the border.

According to one witness – the police officer who survived the attack on his base in Myin Hlut – the 33rd and 99th were among those responsible. After the attack, the police officer told Reuters, he was ordered to join soldiers from the 33rd and 99th on “clearance operations” in now-deserted Rohingya villages. Part of his account was reported by Reuters in February.

Each operation involved five to seven police and at least 20 soldiers, he said. Police surrounded the Rohingya houses while soldiers searched and then set them alight. The houses had leaf roofs and bamboo walls, and burned easily. “There was no need to use fuel,” he said. The officer said the houses were burned “mainly for security reasons,” to stop the Rohingya from returning and launching fresh attacks.

The military has denied burning houses in Rakhine and says Rohingya militants set the homes alight. The police officer described how the 33rd and 99th used arson routinely and systematically. “We’d go to a village and burn it down,” he said. “The next day we’d go to another village. And in the evening we’d go to another village.”

A HERO’S WELCOME

The Myanmar government has banned journalists and other foreign observers, including U.N. investigators, from freely visiting most of northern Rakhine State.

What happened in Rakhine is an “internal issue,” Min Aung Hlaing told U.N. Security Council envoys who visited him in Naypyitaw in April, according to an account of the meeting published on his official Facebook page. “Bengalis will never say that they arrive there happily,” he said, referring to the mass exodus of Rohingya. “They will get sympathy and rights only if they say that they face a lot of hardships and persecution.”

Military observers note that some officers involved in the Rakhine crackdown were recently removed from active service.

One of them was Lieutenant General Aung Kyaw Zaw. As chief of the special operations bureau for western Myanmar, he would have coordinated the Rakhine operation from army headquarters in Naypyitaw, according to veteran observers of the Myanmar military. Aung Kyaw Zaw, who was a commander of the 33rd earlier in his career, was “given permission to resign” in May, according to the military.

Major General Maung Maung Soe, who led the Western Command, was removed from the military on June 25, the army said. Maung Maung Soe was sanctioned in December by the United States. The military didn’t respond to a Reuters request for comment from Aung Kyaw Zaw and Maung Maung Soe.

Brigadier General Than Oo, commander of the 99th, and Brigadier General Aung Aung, commander of the 33rd, were both named on the sanctions lists released June 25 by the EU and Canada.

Myanmar’s soldiers have received a warm welcome in the towns of the Bamar heartland where most of the light infantry divisions are based.

Photos of military homecomings can be found on many Facebook accounts. These show soldiers from the 33rd and 99th marching through garrison towns, where people give them flowers or laurel leaves – symbols of victory and good luck.

On Dec. 6, Sai Sitt Thway Aung posts photos of himself and other 99th soldiers marching through homecoming crowds in Meiktila. He is garlanded with flowers and smiling.

That same day, he also posts a selfie, in uniform. A friend weighs in with a comment: “I’m proud of you for kicking out the kalar dogs.”

Reporting by Simon Lewis, Zeba Ziddiqui, Clare Baldwin and Andrew R.C. Marshall; Additional reporting by Ryan McNeill in London; Edited by Peter Hirschberg and Antoni Slodkowski

The post The shock troops who expelled the Rohingya from Myanmar appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2tFDXnj via Breaking News

#News Headlines #News Update #Sports Update #Business Update #World The News

0 notes

dragnews · 6 years